#its like how all makeup ads nowadays (here at least) are like. heres makeup to cover up that ugly acne of yours. but only if you want to 💗✨

[skenpiel]

Wait do you not see weight loss ads everywhere where you live?????

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i dont think i EVER see weight loss ads honestly. of course fatphobia is still very real and rampant here as much as anywhere else but i think weight loss things are like. kinda hush hush, if that makes sense. you never OUTRIGHT say your product is for weight loss, or that you should get plastic surgery if youre fat, or whatever. but its like. “heres our protein bar if you wanna be Healthy AND environmentally friendly (important to say) this fucking like bar of nuts and dried fruit contains ALL the nutrients of a full meal, so you dont even have to eat anything else 🥰🌈💗✨” so they never outright say “heres some horrible and both physically and mentally damaging things you can buy to stop being fat” even if thats essentially what they mean. :(

[solalunar-eclipse]

A Gift To Remember

Summary: Shadow receives a gift for his birthday that causes a series of very interesting (and often cute) events.

Word count: about 7500 words

Author’s Note: I didn’t realize today was Shadow’s birthday! At the moment I’m more than a little confused because the release dates for SA2 say everything from the 18th to the 23rd, but this seems to be the one, so here this is!

Also, to that one anon whose question about this fic I never quite managed to answer- sorry about that and I do hope you’re still here to read this!

...

The main room of Team Dark’s home was, on a normal day, at least somewhat clean- which was in and of itself surprising, considering the fact that three teenagers lived there. (It was, of course, slightly less surprising when it was noted that one of these teenagers was a giant robot, one was already a businesswoman, and one had grown up in an incredibly clean environment.)

At the moment, however, said room was currently rather less clean, instead covered in various colorful signs, streamers, balloons, and other such decorations. After all, today was a very special day.

When Shadow and Rouge had discovered they shared a birthday (or creation day for Shadow, technically), they both became infinitely more determined to celebrate it for the other’s sake. This had actually, interestingly enough, also ended up making them enjoy their own festivities more than they had in quite some time.

Omega, meanwhile, had officially decided that this was his favorite day of the year.

Over the past few days, Rouge had already received a few presents from various people she knew in the line of clothes, makeup, or jewelry- but as much as she loved gems, her favorites so far were definitely the ones Omega and Shadow had gotten for her: a laser cutter that could slice through anything and a pair of (stylish) infrared goggles, respectively.

Shadow had just opened his present from Omega, which happened to be a sword that looked very cool...but was also longer than his actual body. This wasn’t actually as big of a problem for him as might be expected, as he’d gotten used to handling weapons several times his size during the alien invasion a little while back. 

He had, however, been told rather quickly by Rouge to put it away ‘before you slice the wall in half, this place does cost money, you know!’.

Next, Rouge placed her present in his hands, but at first all Shadow could do was just stare at it. This was likely because the gift wasn’t actually wrapped, but instead consisted of a box made of wood slats and filled, oddly enough, with paper shavings. There were quite a few ribbons on it, though, in an attempt to make up for the lack of other decorations.

“I couldn’t wrap it, or else the present wouldn’t have worked.” she explained, sitting back down to watch him open it.

After prying off the top and shifting aside some of the paper pieces, the hedgehog froze.

Inside, there sat a single white chao egg.

Carefully lifting the egg out of the box, Shadow held it gingerly, as though he were afraid it might try to bite him if he wasn’t gentle enough.

“Rouge…” he began nervously. “Don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate this, but...are you sure I’m the best person to be taking care of a chao?”

“Of course, hon!” she said. “You’ve taken care of them before, haven’t you?”

“Yes, but…” Shadow protested, “...are you sure I’ll be able to do as well at home? The garden is their natural habitat…”

Omega folded his arms. “YOU ARE THE ULTIMATE LIFEFORM. OF COURSE YOU CAN RAISE A CHAO.”

“That’s right!” Rouge added. “The chao are always happy when you take care of them- this time isn’t going to be any different.”

“…I suppose so.” Shadow conceded, taking a deep breath. He began to rock the egg slowly from side to side. “Here we go-”

A crack appeared across the pristine white surface. The split spread rapidly while Shadow sat and watched, making sure not to move the egg about much. Chao had to hatch their eggs on their own- it was the way they first began to strengthen themselves. 

Rouge laughed. “See? You know exactly what you’re doing!”

Shadow studiously ignored her and continued to focus on the egg. Then, suddenly, a chirp came from inside and the whole top half came flying off.

The hybrid looked at his newborn chao...and his heart (though he’d never admit it) immediately melted. Soft, big eyes gazed up at him, an overjoyed smile on the creature’s face. It cooed happily upon seeing him give a small smile back, and he reached out and began to gently pat its head.

The chao broke into an even wider smile as its eyes closed blissfully, the little sphere above its head popping into a heart. Shadow continued to pet it, offering gentle words of praise, and might have continued like that for the next ten minutes had a camera noise from Omega not made him look up in alarm.

“ADDING IMAGE TO FILE: SHADOW BEING SOFT.” he declared, while Rouge looked on with a giant grin.

“You will do nothing of the sort-” Shadow growled, jumping to his feet, before a soft whimper from his chao stopped him. Its eyes were watery, wide and distressed, and the hybrid immediately scooped it up in his arms, holding it close. It relaxed quickly, snuggling into his chest fluff, and he shot Omega one last semi-serious glower before turning his attention back to the newborn.

Omega promptly took another picture.

…

Later that day, at the party that all of their friends had thrown for them, the chao and Shadow were nearly inseparable. It tended to rest in his lap when he was sitting or rode in between his ears whenever he stood up to get something. Eventually, though, the excitement of a new environment overwhelmed its initial nervousness, which unfortunately led to Shadow returning from the dining room with his hands full of plates of food to discover his chao crawling along the precarious edge of a bookshelf.

Suddenly, the chao’s footing slipped, and Shadow froze, unable to move or do anything- but then Sonic of all people noticed and was already there, leaping up and catching the chao before resting it snugly in his arms. “Looks like someone’s already progressed to the giving-their-owner-a-heart-attack stage, hm?” he asked, smirking at the little creature.

“Thank you.” Shadow said as his chao was returned to him, trying very hard to ignore the way his hands and Sonic’s brushed in the process.

(He’d been nursing a bit of a crush on the hero for a while now, but had decided to ignore it until it wore off. Sonic had admirers from all across the globe vying for his attention- it was absurd to think that anything could happen between them.)

…

Over the coming weeks, all three members of Team Dark made sure to rework their schedules so that someone was always home to watch over the chao- no more climbing on bookcases for the little one now. Shadow did most of the caretaking, feeding, training, cleaning, and providing Chaos Drives (mostly green) to the chao. Rouge did, however, occasionally claim she could ‘handle the extra work’ to give him some spare time and Omega even took it upon himself to watch it every so often.

Sometimes, Shadow and his chao would even cook together in the kitchen (a hobby he’d discovered he enjoyed after finding out that Rouge tended to eat takeout all the time- “You can’t live off that day in and day out- you’re not me, Rouge!”). The sight of a tiny pale blue creature determinedly lifting a bag of flour and flying it across the room was awfully cute- especially after Shadow bought it a tiny apron in what he unconvincingly claimed was an accidental purchase. 

Shadow never made accidental purchases.

As much as the hybrid took care of it, though, the chao also seemed to be helping him. He smiled more, glowered less, and generally seemed more tolerant of mistakes than he had been in the past. Nowadays, errors that would once have caused him to go off on a rant or huff about were now met with a calmer ‘it’s okay’ or an offer for help fixing it.

He often laid a hand on it in his sleep or curled around it protectively, and could easily be seen patting its head, carrying it around, or even- when he thought he was alone- nuzzling it gently. The amount of time and care he put into making sure that his chao was happy would have been astonishing to anyone who hadn’t already seen how much he cared about his friends.

It was no surprise then that, before long, Rouge and Omega woke up one morning to find the chao inside a cocoon (and also a very stressed-out Shadow).

The hedgehog promptly called in sick for the entire week- an incredible occurrence for him. He’d originally sworn that since he couldn’t get ill, he’d give his sick days to others when they needed it, but now that was all out the window. He wanted nothing more than to stay home and essentially sit and stare at the cocoon until it hatched.

While the two other members of Team Dark managed to convince him to eat, sleep, and do chores on regular intervals, whenever Shadow had a spare moment he’d stay in his room, watching and waiting. Their friends got so worried that Rouge and Omega had used everything in their power to coax him out of the house twice over those five days, but he refused to do any more. Even then his outings had to come with the promise that they’d both stay home, check it every five minutes, and call him the absolute moment something happened.

On the sixth day of waiting, the cocoon began to hatch while Shadow was attempting to discreetly read out loud to the chao from one of his favorite books. The moment he saw the split, he dropped the novel, jumped up, and shouted louder than he had in months- “Rouge! Omega! It’s HAPPENING!”

He hovered so closely around the cocoon that Omega had to physically pull him back as Rouge reminded him to give the chao more space. Within moments, the split had widened enough for a single black paw to poke out, feeling around carefully for some sort of purchase to pull itself the rest of the way outside. Soon enough, it had succeeded, earning- impressively enough- widened eyes from Omega and a gasp from both Shadow and Rouge.

Frowning light blue eyes were set in an equally grumpy (albeit adorable) face, with two little black ears and three tiny quills on the chao’s head. The ears and quills both had red stripes, as did the arms, legs, and even its tail. A red crescent shape sat on its chest, and two tiny purple bat wings flapped slowly behind it.

In short, it looked a lot like a tiny Shadow.

The hedgehog in question reached out carefully and began to pet his chao, offering some quiet words of praise, but before long it flew up and settled in its favorite spot in between his ears. When Shadow turned around to face his friends, they were met with the sight of a little glowering creature settled on top of his head…which really did look far too similar to the hybrid himself when he was irritated. 

Rouge covered a smile with both of her hands. “Shadow...hon…”

He frowned at her, only serving to make the resemblance more obvious. “What?”

“It looks exactly like you!”

“Not really- it has blue eyes and...bat wings…” He looked up at her suddenly. “Rouge...how much time have you been spending with Spark again?”

“Oh, just a little- wait, Spark?” she said quickly, redirecting his attention.

Shadow flushed a bright green at that. “I might’ve already picked out a name...does it sound alright?” he asked, studiously looking anywhere but at his friends.

The chao chirped at the name and snuggled a little further into the fur on his head, seemingly pleased with the title. 

He began to smile at that. “You like that name, do you?” he asked teasingly.

“It sure looks like it! I think it’s a lovely name, hon.” Rouge added.

The chao cooed, cementing its name with all of the team (whether Omega would admit it or not).

Now, if anything, Shadow and his chao were even more close than before. Rouge even bought it a tiny leather jacket to match his style, which was quickly deemed by everyone (especially their friends, to whom she’d sent about fifty photos) the most adorable thing ever. 

...

One day, Shadow came home from lunch out with Silver and Blaze only to discover a quite unexpected scene- though he really should have seen it coming, considering what he’d noticed after his chao had hatched. Rouge was kneeling next to the sofa, scratching Spark behind the ears and saying in what could only be described as a baby voice, “Who’s your favorite momma? Me, that’s right. That’s right, isn’t it?”

“Uh….” he interrupted, feeling more than a little uncertain as to how to respond to this. He was torn between “I didn’t know you had a baby voice” and “I’m glad to see you and Spark getting along” and wasn’t entirely sure which one to go with here.

The bat, on the other hand, jumped a good three feet in the air at the sound before glaring at Shadow furiously. “Don’t startle me like that!” she shouted, more than a little tense...and also a bit worried?

The hybrid didn’t react, instead saying “It’s nice to see you spending time with Spark too, Rouge.” with a smile. 

She relaxed a little at that, and Shadow sighed. “Rouge, I wouldn’t make fun of you- I do the same kind of thing, don’t I?”

“You’re right, you’re right.” the bat admitted. “I just had to! It looks like me- it even has my wings! How could I not?”

Shadow moved to sit down on the sofa at that, reaching out to pat the chao as well. Rouge smiled at him gratefully, and then they both looked down at the cute creature in between them, who was promptly staring up at both with a confused look on its face. After a moment, though, it seemed to realize that everything was alright and nuzzled both Mobians before curling up on the couch happily.

…

Another time, the entire team was out grocery shopping at their favorite store when Spark’s eye was caught by the soft, warm cinnamon buns sitting behind a glass case. After a minute or two of desperate pulling at the seams- to no avail- it flew over to Shadow and began to poke at his shoulder until he turned to look at it.

“Yes? What is it?” he asked, giving the chao a little scratch under the chin.

The chao pointed excitedly at the sweet treats, but its expression melted into one of dismay upon hearing him say “No, Spark, that’s not very good for you- and it’s too big for you to finish all by yourself, too.”

It mimed a clock insistently- they didn’t go to the store that often, after all- its frown deepening all the while. Shadow felt a little uncertain- he enjoyed giving the chao treats, but was now really the best time to feed it so much sugar? It could end up flying all over the place, and he really didn’t feel like getting banned from yet another grocery store. (The last one had been because Omega got a little too excited while messing around with the shopping cart and had melted it and twisted it into a knot...somehow. They were rapidly escorted out after that.)

Suddenly, though, the chao shuffled forward, took one of his fingers in between its tiny paws, and stared up at him with the softest, most pleading look it could possibly manage, its eyes wide and mouth quivering. “No...no, come on…” Shadow protested weakly, but already his resistance was melting away. It practically seemed to be saying haven’t I been good all week? Can’t I please just have this one treat? and the hybrid was in no condition to fight back.

Within moments, Spark was holding a cinnamon roll and dug into it with glee, only pausing once to nuzzle Shadow happily and offer him a quick bite as thanks. He accepted the gesture of appreciation easily (even though now his face had sugar on it after the chao’s affectionate thank-you) and was more than happy to see his chao smiling broadly with the treat in its hands.

…

The chao was, of course, still a great help to Shadow as well. One night in particular, it woke up to the sounds of quiet whimpering and began to look around, startled. For a moment, it turned to its caretaker for help- and then discovered that he was the one in trouble.

Shadow was curled up on his side, his brow creased in distress and his whole body shaking terribly. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut and occasionally the most terribly saddening sounds would escape his mouth. Once or twice, a tear escaped and trickled down his face.

Spark crawled up to his face gently, licking away the tear and nuzzling his cheek. Shadow shuddered briefly, but seemed to relax almost infinitesimally when the dark chao pressed itself against his chest for a moment. Eventually, the creature managed to get him to roll onto his back, at which point it crawled onto his chest, hoping that this would help him begin to relax.

It really did work- within moments, the small, warm weight on his chest made Shadow’s breathing even out and his shivers ease as the nightmare that was plaguing him began to fade.

Spark curled up, pleased with itself, and fell back asleep not long after.

…

There was just one problem amongst all this newly-discovered happiness that came with the chao. Ever since it had evolved out of its cocoon, Omega seemed as though he were hardly willing to interact with it.

Rouge or Shadow would hand it over to him, only to get it back less than a minute later. He spent the least amount of time with it out of the three, but when he was asked if he didn’t like the chao, he never said as much. 

Omega didn’t tend to lie...but then why wouldn’t he do anything with it?

Once or twice, they’d caught him merely staring at Spark as the little creature sat on the couch, his optics clicking but otherwise utterly silent. The two Mobians hardly knew what to make of it- he’d never acted like this before.

They finally had the opportunity to discover why he was behaving strangely several days later, though, entirely due to an accident on Shadow’s part. Rouge and Omega had been answering a distress call regarding some rogue G.U.N. robots and needed to call in the hybrid to help. He’d driven his motorbike directly to the scene and leapt straight into battle…

...and hadn’t noticed Spark peeking out of the bag he’d left on his bike.

The chao- while fast, to be sure- was in no way prepared for a full-on battle. While at first it had hoped to help its little family, flying about uncertainly in hopes of doing something, it quickly discovered that the only thing it could really do was to hide behind an upended concrete slab and hope it wasn’t noticed.

That, unfortunately, didn’t quite work out.

It didn’t take long before one of the rogue drones spotted a fourth heat signature aside from the three it was fighting and began to stalk towards it, charging its laser cannon in the process. Shadow, confused at first, felt his stomach drop in horror upon seeing his tiny chao shaking in fear as the machine advanced on its hiding spot. He hadn’t thought to bring a Chaos Emerald, believing this would be an easy battle- and Rouge was busy in the air.

The laser cannon on the drone was almost fully charged, and Shadow fired up his skates in a futile attempt to somehow reach Spark before-

A white hot blast lit up the area.

Shadow couldn’t have stopped the strangled cry that came from his mouth if he had wanted to. The smoke began to clear, and he almost couldn’t look…

Something stirred within the haze, and as it cleared away, Shadow felt his whole body sag with relief upon seeing Omega shifting to an upright position from where he’d shielded the chao with the back of his chassis, blocking the full force of the laser. He let out a sigh as he caught a glimpse of Spark held safely in Omega’s hand as the other one retracted to reveal a flamethrower.

“MY TURN.”

Within moments, the drone was just so much melted slag on the floor and the battle’s tide was turned. Shadow and Rouge dispatched the other robots and then rushed to Omega, who had held onto the chao this entire time.

“Omega...thank you.” Shadow said, taking Spark from his friend and holding it tightly.

“IT WAS- zzzt- NOTHING.” Omega said, a sudden staticky buzz splitting his sentence in two.

“Omega?” Rouge asked, her eyes narrowing. “What happened to you?”

“NOTHING.” he said hurriedly, his voice still glitching. “WAIT- DON’T YOU D-DARE-”

The three had already begun looking to see what had happened...but then froze when they saw the damage his back panel had taken while shielding Spark from the blast. A giant, smoking hole of warped and fused metal was burned into his chassis, revealing a bunch of melted and sparking wiring that definitely needed urgent attention.

“Omega…” Shadow looked horrified.

Rouge frowned, confused. “Why would you do this to yourself? I know how much you hate having to go get repairs.”

The robot let out a burst of static that sounded almost like a resigned sigh. Turning around, he muttered, “IT’S LI-LITERALLY YOU. AND ROUGE. BUT TINY. THAT APPEARS TO HAVE… STRANGE EFFECTS- zzzt- ON MY BEHAVIOR.”

“Do you...not like those effects?” Rouge asked, now clearly shifting into ‘I’m figuring things out’ mode. “Is that why you’ve been avoiding it so often?”

“I AM A ROBOT OF MASS DESTRUCTION. I AM NOT SUPPOSED TO CARE FOR TINY CREATURES SUCH AS THIS ONE. I SHOULD NOT FEEL ANY ‘WORRY’ ABOUT IT- AND YET-” Omega cut off there with a frustrated crackle.

Shadow still didn’t understand. “You’ve always been a robot of mass destruction, but you never thought it was weird to worry about us before.”

“THAT WAS DIFFERENT!” Omega insisted. “YOU BOTH ARE POWERFUL. IT IS NATURAL THAT RESPECT AND CONSEQUENTLY OTHER THINGS SHOULD COME FROM THAT. BUT THIS-! IT HAS NO DESTRUCTIVE QUALITIES! BUT STILL I...YOU KNOW...”

“It’s official, Omega.” Rouge said at that, a smirk growing on her face. “You’re becoming more and more like us...organics are always weak for cute things.”

“IT IS SHAMEFUL THAT I SHOULD COME TO THIS.” he grumbled.

“It’s not so bad, really.” Shadow said, placing a hand on his arm.

“And that’s coming from the guy who never used to admit he cares about people!” Rouge insisted. “Omega, you know you don’t have to be embarrassed about that kind of thing here- you’d never make fun of Shadow for not being tough all the time, would you?”

“I GUESS NOT…” he said, still seeming irritated.

At this point, Spark flew up to sit in Omega’s hand, looking up at the robot with its little frowning face, before reaching out and patting a single finger solemnly with its paw.

“OH NO.”

“Oh yes.” Rouge answered, grinning. “Let’s get you to Tails now though, okay? Then once you’re fixed up you can come home and pet the chao.”

Omega turned his head away and refused to dignify that with a response.

(He did, however, pet the chao when he got home. Nobody teased him about it, for which- while he’d never say it- he was rather grateful.)

…

It was inevitable, eventually, that Team Dark’s schedule wouldn’t be perfect and that they’d all have to be out and busy at some point. This, of course, meant that Spark would have to be dropped off at the chao daycare. 

Shadow had managed to force himself to reconcile with that fact, but the chao wasn’t nearly as good at that sort of thing.

On the day of, it was sobbing desperately, clinging to Shadow’s jacket with a tight grip as though it’d been handed a horrible punishment instead of a day spent at the warm, welcoming building in front of it. “It’s going to be alright. You’ll be okay, it’s just for a day. See, the Mobians who run it are very nice- won’t you look?” the hybrid whispered in a soothing voice, gently rubbing Spark’s head.

Omega stepped forward. “DON’T YOU...WANT TO SHOW HOW BRAVE YOU CAN BE?” he said awkwardly. Talking to the chao was still taking some getting used to for him, but he was definitely trying his best.

Rouge smiled warmly at that. “Of course! We’ll all be so proud of you, don’t you know that?”

“We can make a cake especially for you when you get home too, alright?” Shadow said, and that was the final thing the chao needed to hear. Wiping its eyes with a final few sniffles, it flew over to the little walkway towards the entrance and stood up tall, its body shaking slightly with leftover stress and its attempts not to cry.

“We love you!” Rouge called, blowing it a quick kiss.

“See you soon.” Shadow said gently, waving with a smile.

“YOU’LL BE THE BEST ONE THERE.” Omega added, shuffling in place a little.

The chao whimpered briefly, but then turned away and bounded into the daycare before it could lose its nerve. 

Throughout the morning, it remained relatively antisocial- a bit like the hedgehog whose appearance it had taken- during the music and karate lessons. The other chao all babbled and played together, being mostly neutral and hero-types, and the few dark chao that were there wanted to cause an awful lot more trouble than Spark was in the mood for.

One thing that it noticed very clearly, though, was the extraordinarily frustrating presence of a royal blue hero and speed-type chao.

This chao didn’t seem to think even once (let alone twice) about anything it did. It banged on the drums until Spark’s ears were sore during music class and then somehow managed to smack it in the face during karate lessons twice, and all the while it chatted away with about five other chao all around it.

Needless to say, by midday, when it was playtime, Spark had just about had enough.

When the blue chao rushed directly through the little sand city that it had been carefully building, swiping everything away with a single dash, Spark growled, picked up the plastic shovel it had been playing with, and threw it so hard it whacked the other creature in the arm.

Snarling, it began to stomp off when it felt a hand on its shoulder. The blue chao darted away and began hurriedly to try and rebuild the city, occasionally glancing up at Spark with an apologetic expression in its eyes.

It...looked awfully sad, actually.

Suddenly, the dark chao remembered how it had quickly stopped banging on the drums when the teacher had told it to, and how it had looked rather guilty when it had smacked Spark in the face, and how excited it was when talking with the other chao…

Maybe it was just a little clumsy sometimes.

Spark sighed a little. The other meant well, it decided, as its anger began to fade. It appreciated the apology...but now the sculptures were gone and it couldn’t get them back. Then, though, its gaze fell upon a pair of toy cars sitting nearby. 

Pulling the blue chao over to a strip of flat, packed earth nearby, it gave one car to its surprised companion and then set its own down at a line that could work quite well as the start of a race.

Soon enough, the other creature worked out the idea and began to cheer with delight, and before long they were racing cars like they’d been friends since the start. Eventually, they even switched to running races themselves, over and over again until they were all worn out and collapsed on the cool grass in a heap. Before long, though, they were up and at it again, only this time they started with a building game, and then had a little fun with the musical instruments, and soon enough Spark couldn’t help but wonder how they had ever fought in the first place.

Eventually, they decided that their next activity would be a race to the top of the jungle gym they noticed nearby. Spark was determined not to lose as it scrambled up the bars. It pulled itself paw over paw up the structure, getting closer and closer to the top, until-

Suddenly, a bar that it had been sure existed in front of it only a moment ago was now clearly just a little too far away, and the mistake caused it to reel forward, desperately clinging to the slippery bar it sat on. It twisted head over heels until it slid and fell all the way back to the ground, the wind slammed forcefully out of its little lungs.

Spark gasped soundlessly, trying and failing to pull air back into itself. After several agonizing seconds, it finally caught its breath- and then nearly got it knocked back out again by the impact of its new friend.

Regaining focus, the dark chao realized with a start that its friend was practically wailing into its chest, the soft blue creature shaking with desperate, panicked sobs. It looked up quickly, its eyes swollen and teary, and then reached out with its paws and hurriedly patted Spark’s body down, as though to reassure itself that the dark chao was still there. 

The creature in question sat up and pulled its friend into a tight hug, feeling nothing less than awful as the blue chao sniffled and whimpered worriedly in its arms. Eventually, it managed to calm down enough to amble over to a small nest made of blankets especially for tired chao and lay down there next to Spark. The two chao curled up together, nuzzling gently as the shaky breaths of the blue one finally evened out.

Spark felt the little ball over its head pop into a heart shape, and noticed briefly that its friend had done the same. They remained curled up like that for the last half-hour or so of their time in the daycare, alternately simply cuddling or talking about their respective owners.

Spark hoped they’d get to spend more time with this friend of theirs soon.

…

Shadow pulled up to the daycare on his motorcycle at closing time, doing his best to smooth out his frazzled quills. It wouldn’t be very good to let his chao know that he’d been nearly as worried about it as it had felt itself. 

He sighed, making his way towards the entrance of the building- and instantly felt the last wisps of his composure vanish upon seeing Sonic standing just inside. Before he could panic and flee the area at top speed, his legs (which didn’t seem to have received the message just yet) carried him through the door and inside.

Almost immediately, the blue hedgehog turned to face him with a bright smile. “Oh! Hey, Shadow!” Sonic said happily. “I didn’t know you brought your chao here, too! I’ve gotta say hi to the little guy again sometime!”

“This is my first time bringing it here. If it’s alright with that…I suppose you may.” the hybrid said, trying his best to sound coherent and cool (but actually just seeming stiff and awkward).

They talked for a little while as they waited for their chao to come out, chatting about their lives and friends. More than once, Shadow had to pinch himself in order to stay focused. His mind kept threatening to wander off into dreamland when he was around the hero, ready to admire his many great qualities (and wonderful appearance) at the drop of a hat.

Eventually, though, he became a bit worried by the fact that chao after chao were wandering out through the playroom door, being collected, and leaving…but neither Spark nor Sonic’s chao had even showed up. Soon enough, the two decided to walk into the room and find their tiny charges themselves.

“Uh, hi, mixter!” Sonic greeted the leopard who ran the daycare. “Didja see my lil’ buddy somewhere around here?”

“Oh, hello Sonic!” they said brightly- clearly the hero had been to this place quite a few times before. “Yes, your chao is over there in that nest there, sorry. I just hated to disturb those two…”

Shadow frowned. Those two?

His question was promptly answered when Sonic whisked aside the blanket covering the nest, only for both of them to stare at the sight inside.

Two purring chao, one clearly Sonic’s and the other obviously Shadow’s, were snuggled up together with big hearts floating over their heads. Even the hybrid’s dark chao, notorious for its ever-present frown, looked completely at peace with a small smile on its face.

He tried his best not to freak out.

“Erm…” Shadow began eloquently.

“Uh…” Sonic replied.

The two chao perked up at this, looking happily at their owners before nuzzling gently together in a manner that made Shadow’s stomach leap into his throat and then crash straight through the floor. In a further twist (both in events and in the striped hedgehog’s internal organs), Sonic’s chao then leapt happily into his arms, leaving Shadow to stare at the tiny version of his crush cuddling into his chest fur.

He sincerely hoped there was a convenient couch nearby for him to sit down on.

“Blu- come on-” Sonic began, looking oddly panicked for some reason, but then Spark sprang eagerly onto his shoulder and the hero rapidly fell silent as the dark chao nudged his cheek.

The two hedgehogs stared at each other for a long time. Shadow tried to move or do something other than just stand there, but it was awfully difficult when the hero was looking at him with those wide, soft green eyes….

“Er…Sonic?” Shadow finally choked out, in an odd, strained sort of tone.

“Yeah?”

“I think I’d like my chao back now.”

“Yeah.”

They each handed over their respective creatures, though Shadow felt rather reluctant to let such a tiny version of Sonic out of his arms. And for a moment he could almost have sworn that the hero held Spark a little longer than necessary, too…

…

Once he got home, the hybrid collapsed onto the couch and covered his eyes briefly with a hand. Spark, who had at first rushed into the kitchen (not having forgotten the promise of cake), came back and began to tug on his arm briefly before realizing that maybe Shadow wasn’t quite up to doing much of anything at the moment.

Rouge and Omega walked in just a moment later, their work having ended a little after Shadow’s. Upon seeing him slumped on the furniture, though, their greetings were cut short and instead replaced by worried questions.

Shadow sighed. “Spark...just spent a bunch of time cuddling with Sonic’s chao. And he noticed.”

“And that’s a good thing, hon.” Rouge shot back, having resisted a facepalm the moment she realized what all this was about.

“It is not!” the hedgehog cried out, before realizing that Spark was more than a little stressed by his tone of voice. “I’m not mad at you, don’t worry, it’s just...I already make enough of a fool of myself around him on my own. He’ll figure it out soon enough if we keep this up.”

“SO LET HIM.” Omega said. “EITHER HE STARTS DATING YOU OR HE’S AN IDIOT.”

Shadow blushed furiously. “It doesn’t work like that!”

“EXCEPT WHEN IT DOES.”

“Why don’t you tell him, hon?” Rouge asked. “I mean…” and here she developed a devious smile, “...didn’t his chao technically also act all affectionate with yours?”

The hybrid’s ears were bright green by now. “He’s nice to everyone, Rouge.”

At this point, Spark- who had left temporarily to get a pencil and paper- held up a drawing it had made of the scene at the jungle gym earlier. Shadow, of course, immediately began fussing over his chao, checking for any bruises or scrapes, but the bat in particular saw something entirely different.

“Kinda...reminds me of what happened on Space Colony ARK.” she mused. 

Shadow’s head shot up at that. “What?”

Rouge smirked, but it was bittersweet this time. “Your fall...it really hurt him too, y’know? He didn’t go out in public for a long time after that.”

“He...he never mentioned that to me…”

“He wouldn’t have!” she said. “Sonic isn’t the type to ‘bother’ others with his feelings.” Rouge explained, doing air quotes at one point.

“HE ALSO STARES AT YOU WHEN YOU ARE NOT LOOKING.”

“He what?!” By now Shadow had been reduced to just looking back and forth between his two friends. 

Spark flew in front of Shadow’s face and began to mime something. First pointing at Shadow, then a heart, then talking, then a hedgehog with all its quills pointed down…

“No! I can’t just tell him!”

“We’re hanging out with his team next week at the park- you should do it then.” Rouge replied, ignoring the last thing he’d just said.

“Did you not hear me, I can’t-”

“YOU WILL NEED SOMETHING NICE TO WEAR.” Omega said loudly over the rest of his sentence.

Spark cheered approvingly.

“So...you three have just decided for me whether or not I’m going to confess to Sonic.” Shadow sighed, beginning to resign himself to the fact.

“Absolutely, hon!” Rouge said brightly, slipping an arm around his shoulders.

He glowered at all three of them, but it lacked any real malice. “Alright, I’ll play along...for now.” he grumbled.

“EXCELLENT. LET THE PLANNING COMMENCE.”

…

One week later, Shadow was standing in the middle of a patch of grass, feeling like his knees were about to buckle as sweat trickled through his quills. He was no longer resigned to telling Sonic about his feelings and was in fact considering jumping into the nearby lake and hiding there for the duration of the hangout. His stomach- along with whatever scraps of resolve he may have had- were currently all the way back at their house.

On top of all that, he was frankly surprised he didn’t just spontaneously burst into flames when the other three Mobians showed up, Sonic in the lead.

“Hey guys!” he said excitedly. “Long time no see!”

Rouge snickered a bit at his catchphrase (it was one of many) but Shadow just felt his ears burn. He was just so cute and cheesy and already the hybrid’s mind was devolving into a mushy mess.

“Rouge, Omega.” he greeted them each, but he seemed to pause for a second on the last name. “...Shadow.”

The hedgehog in question thankfully managed a reply, and then the fun began in earnest. Knuckles and Shadow competed in several arm-wrestling matches with narration from Tails (“...aaaand Knuckles looks like he’s in the lead!”) and commentary from Omega (“YOU’RE LUCKY I DON’T ARM-WRESTLE OR ELSE BOTH OF YOUR ARMS WOULD BE BROKEN.”). Rouge and Sonic were busy pranking other innocent people, though once in a while the latter would look over at the competition, distracted.

Eventually, Tails and Omega got bored- which of course meant Knuckles and Shadow had to play the role of caretaker (“No, you can’t blow up trees. No, not even for ‘science’.”) for a little while.

At one point, though, Rouge got bored with the pranks and had dragged the echidna off to a park bench and was now flirting with him enough to turn his face as red as his spines. Tails had promised to behave- which now meant that he was halfheartedly attempting to convince Omega not to modify his cannon to launch ducks from the nearby pond- leaving Sonic and Shadow to themselves. Blu and Spark had been playing in the grass all this time (since both of them had brought their chao without really realizing that the other would do the same), and Shadow had very definitely not been thinking about how lucky his chao was that emotions were easy for it.

He remembered the talk his friends had given him before this outing then and wondered if maybe, just maybe, it could be that easy. Before he could stop himself, he’d already spoken.

“...Sonic?”

“Yeah?” the hero asked, turning to face Shadow.

“I...wanted to talk to you about something.” he said, regretting everything already because look how stupid he was about to seem...yet Shadow Robotnik the Hedgehog had never been one to do things by halves.

“Oh, really?” Sonic said, and now he almost looked relieved, for some reason. “I, uh, was actually hoping to do the same. That’s cool, what is it?”

“No, no, you go first.” Shadow urged him, hoping that he’d take the offer.

Unfortunately, today was not his lucky day. “No, man, you asked first! Go ahead, what was it?”

“Really- it’s fine.”

“No, you had something you wanted to say!” Sonic insisted.

“It’s okay, I swear-”

“Well, I guess-”

“I mean, if you want-”

“Okay-”

“You see-”

“I like you!”

Both hedgehogs shouted the words at the exact same time, before freezing and staring at each other.

“Wait…” Shadow began.

Sonic’s eyes were wide. “You like me back?!?” he gasped, hands flying up to his mouth.

“...yes.” he admitted, looking off to the side in embarrassment. Then it hit him. “Wait. You like me back?”

“Of course! How could I not?” Sonic asked incredulously. “You’re smart, funny, nice-” He’d begun listing off attributes while counting on his fingers, but cut himself off upon noticing Shadow’s confusion.

“Yes, but you’re a hero. The world’s hero.” Shadow began to frown, staring at the grass. “Why would you settle for someone like-”

“No.” Sonic growled, and the hybrid looked up suddenly to see his face twisted in anger. “Don’t ever say that.”

“But everyone thinks it…” Shadow protested weakly.

“Yeah, well, ‘everyone’ isn’t part of my love life.” Sonic assumed a slightly less aggressive stance, placing a hand on his hip. “Whoever’s been telling you that can either leave you alone or get their face introduced to my sneakers.”

Shadow blushed. “Nobody needed to. I just assumed...but perhaps I shouldn’t have.” he added quickly, seeing the hero begin to glower again. 

“That’s right!” he said, zipping over to stand directly in front of Shadow. “No assumptions here- talk to me from now on if something’s worryin’ you, ‘kay?”

Then, he seemed to notice the sudden stiffness in the hybrid’s posture, as well as the green flush slowly creeping up his ears. Sonic leaned forward with a smirk, resting his forearm on Shadow’s shoulder. “Thinkin’ about something?”

Shadow gulped.

For once, he decided that he could do what he wanted. So, he slowly reached up a hand and touched the peach fur on Sonic’s arm gently, like it was the most delicate thing in the world. 

Rather more quickly, Sonic turned a shade of bright red to rival Omega’s paint job.

“So, uh…” he began, his voice shaky. “Erm...do ya feel like sitting under that tree? Together?”

Shadow agreed, and the two walked over to the shady patch, sitting down and resting against each other. Soon enough, though, Sonic turned to face Shadow, a little nervous. “Do we, like, need to talk about this? Figure out...what to do about…us?” He started turning pink again.

“Maybe later. We have a lot of time, after all.” Shadow said, trying to contain the soaring feeling inside when Sonic said ‘us’- until he realized that he didn’t have to any longer.

“What’re you smiling about?”

“You. And me. Together.” Shadow said simply, making Sonic laugh and snuggle up against him, resting his head on a black-furred shoulder.

“Wow. That’s, uh….that’s new. I really like it though.”

Then, the hero looked up at him. “I really like you, too.”

At this point, a loud whistle could be heard from Rouge, who was standing not too far off and had likely heard a lot of what they’d said. Sonic just giggled, while Shadow shot her a death glare. She just winked and mouthed I’ll keep them occupied, at which point the hybrid tried not to show how very much he appreciated that and failed miserably.

And Sonic was purring now. Which of course meant that every single brain cell in Shadow’s head was promptly dead for the next five minutes.

After he’d recovered from that, Shadow wrapped his arms tightly around his...boyfriend? Maybe? He thought for a moment. “Hey, Sonic?”

“Yeah?”

“How do you feel about being my-” Shadow paused briefly to cough, trying to get the words out- “-boyfriend?”

“I think I like that a lot.”

Shadow smiled warmly, feeling the beginnings of a purr rise up in his own chest.

“I like that a lot, too. Almost as much as I like you.”

[ryukyuan-sunflower]

Response to the Moral Question of the MugenxFuu Romance

This is a full response to an anonymous ask I received: 

“Can I ask why you ship fuugen? Isn’t Fuu a minor and Mugen is 19.”

This is a rather...complex and loaded question. There’s multiple things to address but I’ll start simple and work up from there. I will first go into my personal feelings on why I ship the pairing, evidence, and then the more complicated concept of the character’s ages both in reality, as well as in the fictional anime. Hopefully it will alleviate some distress on the issue. If it doesn’t, and you consider the age gap morally unacceptable, then it might unfortunately serve to make Mugen out to be a morally questionable character, implied romance aside.

The Simple Question: Why do I ship it? 

I ship Mugen x Fuu because it’s implied canon by the creators.

I believe strongly, and have found and provided plenty of evidence in my numerous other posts that support my belief, that Mugen and Fuu were written to have romantic feelings for one another. These feelings were never addressed, acted upon, nor explicitly spelled out for viewers. But the subtle implications of their unsaid feelings added up, episode by episode. The interviews of Shinichiro Watanabe, Ayako Kawasumi and Ginpei Sato only solidify my interpretations and findings.

The actual anime aside, here are the links to my posts concerning the interviews, if you are interested.

-Shinichiro Watanabe about Mugen’s Character.

-Ayako Kawasumi and Ginpei Sato about Fuu’s Feelings for Mugen in the Roman Album.

I adore the entire cast of Samurai Champloo, as much as by themselves as I do as a trio. I love Jin just as much as Mugen and Fuu. However, I do not see any implication of Jin having romantic feelings with either of them. His romance is canonically with Shino and his role for Fuu feels more brotherly and fatherly to me.

Personally, I am not a “crack shipper”. I am not someone who typically likes two characters and pairs them off together for my own amusement. I have nothing against crack pairings, nor their shippers, but it is not my taste. I enjoy romances that have some type of evidence or backing behind it. So it is not as if I simply ship Mugen and Fuu because I like Mugen more than Jin.

If hypothetically, all the things that happened with Mugen and Fuu happened with Jin and Fuu—if Jin saved her constantly, if Jin and Fuu had strange, intimate moments like the wrist grab scene,  if Fuu jumped in the way to save Jin’s life, if Fuu cried for Jin seven times, if Fuu’s voice brought Jin back from death, if Jin gave up his sword for Fuu—well, I would not be a fan of the Mugen and Fuu ship. I’d be a fan of Jin and Fuu. 

But that is simply not how the anime was written. 

On that same note of liking an implied romance, I am not as interested in blatant romance stories either. Implied, subtle romance is so interesting because it leaves enough clues that one has to find themselves, and then you are able to make your own interpretations and “what if” scenarios surrounding it. This is why I enjoy the story types of, say, the Souls video game series and its related titles. (Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro). The story lines have to be figured out, and while there is evidence and clues dropped all over, nothing is ever specifically stated. But even so, we can come to solid conclusions that are difficult to disprove, but also never fully confirmed.

Samurai Champloo spells out very little for viewers. Example: Never does the anime state what island Mugen is from. We only know it’s in the Ryukyus. But based on historical evidence, and also symbolism in the show (the paantu and the trees in his flashback) we can assume it’s Tarama-shima or another island in Miyako.

Never do Mugen and Fuu state they have feelings for one another, but it’s in subtle dialogue, numerous times. Most blatant however, is when Sara tells Mugen “It’s as if you’ve never been loved by anyone.” and then Fuu proves her wrong by saving his life by throwing her own in the way, only seconds later.

Their actions fascinate me. Both Mugen and Fuu demonstrate self sacrificial behavior for each other, and show how much they care with actions rather than words. Most of all, I enjoy the romantic trope of “love leads to a character’s redemption.” Mugen’s feelings for Fuu is what redeems him from the sins of his past, and saves him from a life without meaning and only pain, anger and hatred. These aspects of his dark character are highlighted both by the dialogue of Mukuro in Episode 13 and Sara in Episode 21. Fuu being his redemption is also symbolized in her saving him on three separate occasions. The last incident, when she calls him back from death and the Paantu taking him away, is the most symbolic of his “redemption”.

Samurai Champloo is a direct response to the cynicism of Watanabe’s previous work, Cowboy Bebop. Where revenge and the past consumes Spike, ruining his future and love, Mugen is redeemed by love and is able to face his past and press on. 

Here is a fantastic article about the concept of Mugen’s love for Fuu being his redemption and also being a direct response to Cowboy Bebop. 

All of this aside, because of the second comment, I’m assuming that this isn’t necessarily what you were asking. 

“Isn’t Fuu a minor and Mugen is 19?” 

I’m guessing you’re implying that either the romantic pairing is impossible due to their age gap, or it’s morally wrong.

I was conflicted how to answer this, at first. I know this can be a triggering topic. So I decided on providing several explanations. I hope at least one answers the question properly, or at least sheds some light on the issue.

Either it will justify why there is nothing morally reprehensible about the Mugen x Fuu romance, or, it will unfortunately show that Mugen is morally questionable, depending on how the evidence is taken.

First, at 15, Fuu is not a minor in her time period. Second, Mugen is either 19 or 20 depending on the source.

Samurai Champloo is not set in one specific year of history, as the anime is not only anachronistic, it historically takes place in multiple years that could not coincide. In essence, Samurai Champloo is not one year, but “a chanpuru of one whole era.” This era is the Edo/Tokugawa era, which includes the years of 1603-1868.

In the Tokugawa Era, Fuu is considered an adult. She is a young adult, yes, but in the eyes of everyone, she is an adult. This is both historically accurate, and is also demonstrated numerous times in the anime. Fuu’s sexualization and her being seen in a romantic way is never frowned upon by any of the characters in the entire series.

Brief disclaimer: Nowhere in my love of the Fuugen pairing or fan interpretations of the characters’ futures, do I see any sort of sexual relationship between Mugen and Fuu developing when she is 15. After they part ways, is where I like to make my fan conclusions on them meeting again when she’s older.

I also want to clarify here and now, that I’m not a supporter of a 15 year old entering a romantic relationship of any kind, let alone a sexual one in real life. I think that teens should work on themselves and not get swept away by romance and sexuality, especially frivolously. It’s irresponsible and dangerous. But, it’s also unrealistic to believe all young people will never fall in love, whether it’s fake or real. If there happened to be a man who was 5 years older than a girl and the two did develop feelings for each other, I believe nothing should be pursued between them until they are both of age.

Adulthood in the Tokugawa Era

I want to first talk about the concept of Fuu being a minor. In short, she is not a minor in her time period.

To begin with reality first, the life expectancy hundreds of years ago was much lower than now. In Japan now, the average life expectancy is in the 80s. But hundreds of years ago, it was estimated to be about 50. Women in particular had the complication of fatality from childbirth. Led makeup, childbirth, and also STDs were a huge threat for courtesans of the time period as well. Many women died in their twenties.

As for the concept of ”adulthood”, the adult age of 18 only started in the Meiji Restoration (late 1800s- early 1900s) when Japan contacted the west and emulated its practices. The age of 18 being an adult nowadays is largely based on the setup of the education system. Whether 18 is too young or too old is a matter up for debate and varies country to country. 

Specifically, in the Tokugawa Era, the age of adulthood was considered when one entered puberty. This was generally 15 for a male and 12 for a female. 

Here is a link to the full article on the topic of the shifting coming of age, if you are interested.

In the case of aristocratic children, such as boys raised as samurai, the Genpuku ceremony that transitioned children to adults varied in age. During the early Tokugawa era, it was 15-17, while later into the Tokugawa era, during less civil unrest, the age dropped to as low as 13. At this age, these young men could then marry and were likely pressured to do so. Marriages in the Tokugawa Era were very different than nowadays as well. Many nobles and royalty had their daughters married off at young ages such as 8 years old.Though, the sexual nature of these relationships did not develop until the girl was likely of child bearing age, which was in the teens.

Taking the historical 12 year old age into account, Fuu being 15, is then already three years into adulthood. 

Fuu’s Depiction as a Woman in the Anime

In regards to Fuu’s maturity, she has no guardian, nor caretaker, which shows she is an independent adult making her own decisions. Yes, Mugen and Jin are her bodyguards, but they are not her legal guardians, because she does not need one. It is her who commands them and leads them. After they part ways, she is fifteen years old (perhaps a year older based on the time span of the anime) traveling the country alone.

She was forced to grow up very fast. Not only is she an orphan, but Fuu’s resourcefulness allows her to survive on her own. She tricks two complete strangers to escort her across Japan. But Fuu is fully functional as an adult, arguably more than Mugen or Jin in some ways. She works, fishes, cooks, sews, tends to wounds etc. Fuu is by no means innocent to mature situations either. She’s seen Mugen and Jin kill numerous people in front of her, which is traumatizing in itself.

In regards to Fuu’s sexualization,on separate occasions, there are bath scenes in the anime, showing Fuu partially nude. There are also scenes of her undressing. Morally correct or not, it is clear she was sexualized like many young anime females.

Aside from that, here are examples of male characters viewing Fuu as an adult woman, romantically or sexually.

Episode 3 and 4: Fuu is thrown in a brothel. While the legality of her being forced against her will just for the sake of paying off a debt is somewhat in question, the fact that she is 15 in a brothel is not. Brothels were not an undercover organization. It was completely legal in Tokugawa Japan, and Fuu being 15 as a courtesan was not illegal. When an ugly rodent man buys her, it’s served as comedy.

Episode 5: Fuu becomes a ukiyo-e model, the backwards beauty, for Moronobu Hishikawa, who was a real historical figure. This grown man, probably around Jin and Mugen’s age or maybe older, also is not considered a creep for his attraction to her. In fact, it’s not even considered wrong that he paints a nude picture of a 15 year old. Again, because she’s deemed a woman in this time period.

Episode 8: Nagamitsu, who is leagues older than Mugen and Jin, asks Fuu to become the “harem of his heart”. He is attracted to her, sees her as a younger version of his wife when he first met her, and even asks her on a date, to which she accepts. This entire interaction is played off as comedy, and not that he’s some creepy grown man attracted to a minor. More like, he’s a bumbling buffoon. His two sidekicks, the beatboxer and Ogura do not intervene, nor make a comment that it’s wrong he is interested in a 15 year old when he’s in thirties or forties. Because quite simply, in this time period, it’s not wrong.

Episode 16: Okuru tells Fuu that “a woman with a healthy appetite is a good woman” when she is devouring fish.

If you stand firm that it is still morally wrong and all these characters were creeps for being interested or saying these words to a 15 year old, that is fine. If you think it is morally wrong to ship Mugen and Fuu because of the age gap, and refuse to believe that the two are an implied romance, that is fine too. I can’t convince everyone.

However, I will make the counter argument then, that liking Mugen as a character means liking a morally questionable character. Romance and feelings aside, the reason for this is simply how he treats and talks to Fuu.

Mugen’s Questionable Dialogue to Fuu

If shipping them is wrong, then what Mugen directly says and does to Fuu is just as wrong. In my opinion, it makes it weirder if he doesn’t develop feelings for her.

Episode 2: In the original Japanese dub, Mugen tells an unconscious, intoxicated Fuu that he’s going to rape her. “Okasu kureru” is the dialogue.

The English changes this to “Let’s strip her and dump her.”

Episode 11: When Fuu asks why Jin needs to go see a woman when she’s around, Mugen then responds “Because you’re flat chested”, not to be confused with “You’re a child.” When she says her kimono makes her look slender, Mugen calls her a liar and then says “Show me.” He asks Fuu to undress for him and show him her breasts...

Episode 20: Mugen stands up naked for Fuu in the hot spring even though she’s clearly flustered. Exposing oneself to a minor is an offense in the modern era. But he doesn’t stop there. He berates her, and then peeks his head out to look at her naked too.

All of these examples are meant as fluff and comedy too, no matter how offensive they can be. It also implies his attraction, interest and his consideration that she is indeed a woman. This is then furthered in his dialogue with Jin.

Episode 12: When they read Fuu’s diary, Mugen asks the odd question to Jin. “Man to man, what do you think of her?” This “man to man”, implies Mugen wants to know how Jin feels about Fuu as a woman.

As for a debatable canon example, I have the need to bring up the Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked video game on PS2. In Japanese, it is entirely voiced by the same cast as the anime: Kazuya Nakai, Ayako Kawasumi and Ginpei Sato. In English, Mugen is not Steve Blum, but Fuu and Jin are the same voice actors as the anime: Kari Whelgren and Kirk Thornton.

In it, Mugen develops an attraction to a girl who looks nearly identical to Fuu: brown hair in a ponytail, big brown eyes, pink kimono, three hairpin beads. The kicker is her name is Yuu. The even bigger kicker is that she is younger than Fuu.

Here are the links to the scenes. Japanese audio is much better, as a warning.

Link to English, Fuu catches them alone and tells Jin “I had no idea Mugen was a cradle robber!”

Link to Japanese: Fuu calls Mugen a “lolicon”.

When the girl asks “Do you like me? You can lie if you want.” he tells her:

Link to Japanese: “Suki da. Uso jane.”

Link to English: “I like you. I ain’t lyin’.”

And the two share a kiss, before she dies. Worth mentioning, Fuu also admits to being jealous about all this and a fortune teller tells Fuu that this is her “heart talking.”

While debatable canon, the video game still highlights this concept that Mugen will even like a girl younger than Fuu (anywhere from 12-14), so long as she resembles Fuu.

If we pretend for a moment that Fuu is indeed a minor in her time period, then that makes Mugen’s actions and comments out to be even worse. Not only is he a pervert, but he’s then a pervert flirting and making sexual comments about a ”minor”.

Underaged Girls and Age Gaps in Other Japanese Romances

If you still believe that there is something morally wrong, regardless of the time period it takes place in, I have more modern examples in media.

Modern Japanese shoujo manga and anime (shoujo being a genre directed at teenage girls) is rife with romance stories of older guys with younger girls. It’s not frowned upon in Japan, and even for its readers in the west.

I will give you some major examples I can think of, off the top of my head.

Inuyasha: Inuyasha and Kagome. Inuyasha is over 150 years old (not counting the other 50 years he was comatose). Yes, he ages slower as a half demon, but that is still 150 years of experience in life. Kagome meanwhile, is 15 years old and does not come from the Sengoku era. She’s from the modern era. If one wants to argue that Inuyasha doesn't count because every decade for him is one year, meaning he’s supposed to be “15 in human years”, then there is the matter of Miroku. Miroku is 18 years old, and fondles not only Kagome who is 15, but Sango who is 16. And he and Sango later become a romance.

Shugo Chara: Ikuto and Amu have an age gap of 17 and 12. While there is a love triangle element, it is debatable that Ikuto is more her true love interest in the manga. This takes place in the modern era.

Dengeki Daisy: Kurosaki and Teru have an age gap of 24 and 16. This also takes place in the modern era.

Incidentally, all of these aforementioned romances share some parallels to Mugen and Fuu in some way. Whether the guy is argumentative with the girl, a homeless wanderer, antagonist by nature, teasing about her lack of a figure, a bodyguard/protector role etc. 

These are just a few of the more pure Shoujo examples directed at young girls.This does not include age gaps between characters, or underaged girls in anime meant for men or adults in general. They can get far more morally questionable, in my honest opinion. Mugen and Fuu barely scratches a surface. There is clearly a cultural gap between Asia and the West and the concept of age gaps, regardless of one’s personal moral stance on the subject.

Mugen and Fuu’s Actual Age Gap and Maturity

In the Tokugawa Era, their age gap of 4 to 5 years is incredibly small. Even nowadays, that age gap is very small, if Fuu was a legal adult in modern times.

Tsuru-himegimi, the real daughter of Shogun Tsunayoshi was 8 years old when she was married to her husband Tsunanori of Kii, who was 12 years her senior.

As for the anime’s depiction of them, there was never a sense of “Fuu is child. Mugen is a man”. It always felt like the two were in a similar age bracket. 

I must ask the question, if Fuu or Mugen’s ages was never revealed, would it change the context of the story at all? If Fuu was older, would it change it? Personally, I don’t think so. In this case, because she is both physically developed and also deemed a woman in the anime and historically, it changes nothing.

Their interactions, their bickering, their attitudes, and the way Mugen yells at her, and the way Fuu reprimands him, it always felt like they were similar. They both exhibited many immature, innocent qualities, as well as adult qualities. It was Jin who had a more mature demeanor, being the calm, responsible one, who would rather not intervene with their nonsense. This is another reason why I see Jin as a father figure to Fuu: a representation of the samurai who smells of sunflowers that she did not have growing up.

These images here show their similarities in behavior quite well. And there are many more examples.

Conclusion

A good, well developed character is not a perfect one. There is no denying Mugen is flawed, morally questionable and sometimes straight out an antagonist. He steals, he kills, he was an ex-pirate who likely raided and pillaged… Realistically, he would have no qualms about being attracted or developing feelings for a woman who is 4 or 5 years his junior, let alone the other crazy stuff he’s done. Especially when, in their time period, there is nothing wrong about it at all.

Regardless if his morality is in question or not, what makes the implied romance so interesting is the fact that he didn’t act upon anything sexually with Fuu. His actions towards her were selfless, and Mugen developed greatly by the end. But because of his actions and words,and jealousy, it does not come off as simply a sibling or familial relationship that the two have. This differs from how Jin and Fuu interact.

Most importantly, Fuu serves as the catalyst for Mugen’s growth and redemption of his sins. Unlike Jin, Mugen saves Fuu time and and time again, making him her hero, despite being seemingly an ex-criminal that only works in self interest. Jin did not require this change, as he was always an honorable samurai from the start.

Both men found purpose for different reasons.

Mugen needed love.

Jin needed duty.

I think that covers everything. Well, unless your question is simply why do I ship them when the characters are young and I’m older than them.

As of the time of making this post, I am a 23 years old woman. The first time I ever set eyes on the anime, I was 8 or 9 years old. As a kid, I had my first innocent, childlike suspicion of a romance between them when Mugen first went to save Fuu from the “bad place”, being the brothel in episode 4 without any reason to, while Jin didn’t. Also, he saved her in Ep 1 and 2 and Jin didn’t.

The first time I got to watch the whole anime, I was 13 and saw the full story play out. And at that point, I was more convinced. Over the years, I rewatched, looked into a lot of the history and symbolism used in the anime, analyzed the episodes, and I became more convinced. I shipped it when I was Fuu’s age of 15. I shipped it when I was Mugen’s age of 19/20. And, I will likely continue to cherish the beautiful story of Samurai Champloo and the implied subtle romance of Mugen and Fuu for years to come.

Perhaps it is a reminder of the purity and innocent nature of love for me. These two did more for each other, cared more for each other, and were more entertaining with each other than so many cliche, blatant romance stories.

[patriciavetinari]

That great "disney made marvel proto-fascist and normative" made me think about another inportant cultural juggernaut that usually gets completely left out of the conversation about culture influencing minds and especially children. Can you guess who it is? That's right: Mattel.

I've seen absurd posts on my dash reblogged by cherished mutuals about how b*rbie is now progressive and supports lgbt and disabled people. I cannot fathom how people do not see that Mattel is doing the same fucking thing corporations do every Pride Month and provides no large scale, meaningful change in the toy market and toy culture, a change that it could provide by taking risks and actually standing up for the values it claims it now supports.

Now I myself got blocked a while ago by multiple mattel bootlicker blogs for claiming their fave is still perpetuating fatphobia and rigid heteronormative standards with its dolls and, fantastically, the counter-argument was that matter indeed is progressive because it's done different skintones and actually different body shapes and put a few dolls in wheelchairs. Those are not mutually exclusive?

Now, as a disclaimer, I am not arguing those changes are not meaningful to people and children who see some sort of representation, I am arguing, that those changes are crumbs that still make more noise in the press than in actual store.

Walk into actual toy store of your city right now, look at the selection. If you live in a huge city - ignore this, because that's where the noise in the press is coming from. In and average non instagrammable town in US or here in EU, even in cities with a huge variety in population you will not find the representation (of either skintones, disability or body shapes) mattel keeps boasting about on their websites and press-relises.

Is a professional photographer posing two female-presenting dolls onto same doll couch, taking a photo and adding a title "love wins" represending wlw, lesbians, bisexuals or anything at all really? Is it really the representation we are happy with or is it just another fucking act of pandering? Do those two dolls come in one package as a set, with a story for a child to read and learn and shape their worldview?

No.

If you walk into a toy store and ask for the "lgbt barbie" will the store clerk even know what the fuck you are talking about? Do press relises even reach them? The taking no risks other than cheap meaningless gestures is the same strategy that disney uses with marvel. We all joke about being disneys first openly gay character but I've seen at least two posts about barbie's open coming out, or the first lgbt barbie doll or whatever. Has it changed the industry? Has it sparked a conversation? In the media - definitely, but is it reaching children? No, it's not. Sesame street is communicating diversity to children and vehemently standing by it on social media, not fucking mattel. And sesame street is by no means perfect, but I'm fucking baffled anyone would look at the blonde blue eyed sickly thin doll with a face full of makeup and mascot color being pink-for-girls and claiming fucking progress.

Any fucking argument that it secretly is progressive is falling apart under slightest pressure.

Oh but they made astronaut barbie 50 years ago!!! Yeah? So why haven't they fucking progressed since then? Why is it that in a standard store nowadays filled with toy princesses, ballerinas and fucking fashionistas? Why is there no space station dollhouse or spaceship? To be fair, ocassionally I will see a vet barbie. Ocassionally. And she is always white blonde standard.

But the plus sized barbie!!!! "Plus" sized doll, scaled up to human size, is representatice of size S, smaller than average in US. The bar is that low. The clothes of plus sized barbie are made to also fit the tall and thin barbie. Clothes of plus size representation are made to fit thin representing dolls as well. Is this a joke? Plus, even if anyone would be happy with this crumb, there a no plus sized princess barbies, or vet barbies, or bride barbies, or equestrian barbies, and of course no plus sized astronaut or president barbies.

The message being sent here is thin white people can be anything they want up to astronaut and president, but plus sized people are just there and should be happy anyone even bothered to bring them into the room.

Is barbie still associates with conservative view on women and feminity? Absolutely. The white, blue eyed, blonde mascot with pink lipstick and white teeth is still the main character, the ideal, the idol and the icon. There are still more princesses, fairies, mermaids, fashionistas than any other profession, pink is still the main color, milquetoast safety and docile domesticity is still the story. Somewhere in the background you can order a doll with different skintone, or even with skin condition, or a size S representing doll instead of XS and a plastic wheelchair. Those are still somewhere in the back, online only, depending on availability.

Another way mattel is exactly like disney is the monopoly. You've heard of the bigger conflicts like mattel vs bratz, but answer me this, are you aware of any other dolls brand that would be available if you actually wanted something different? If you walk into a toy store, is there anything but mattel? The answer is no. You know why? Because they want the liberals to be happy with couple of meaningless gestures and for the conservatives to still be able to view barbie as the representation of a classic model of a fashion and thinness obsessed ideal for their conservative girls to follow. And for everyone to consume their products. They can choke out any competition that would attempt anything different.

Just as disney, mattel could take a lead in changing the landscape of toy market in a meaningful way. It can afford to rebrand, to openly work towards gender neutrality in their dolls and marketing, they could actually diversify their selections not just in a couple of big city stores but to make sure their message reaches children in the remote areas. Children don't read press-relises. The only reason mattel is not doing this is also the same as disney - they are family friendly, marketable, an option for both liberals and coservatives. This tells you everything you need to know about a billion dollar industry.

In a small town you are unlikely to find a black plus sized astronaut barbie but we must, we fucking have to ask ourselves, why is the thin blonde princess in a pink dress always available.

[satsuki2406]

OPEN SKY Bakugou Katsuki x Reader

“…And never, ever forget that, your dreams are the wings that’ll help you fly.”

(L/N)(Y/N) has always been forced to live according to others’ expectations. As a member of the powerful and influential (L/N) Family, she has had to live with the heavy weight of seeing others write her destiny with no choice but just obey. But when (Y/N) finally decides to risk it all to take the only opportunity to regain the control of her own life, everything ends up going horribly wrong. Surrendered and disappointed, she receives one last chance to prove to herself and to U.A, along with some unexpected help that this was not a crazy and meaningless waste of time.

Maybe this plan could work after all…

PAIRING: (Bakugou Katsuki x Reader)

GENRE/WARNINGS: Romance, Fluff, Angst, Mentions of sex (nothing explicit tho), dark themes, My poor attempt of comedy, family dysfunctionality, toxic relationships, Strong language (Courtesy of King Lord Explosion Murder 💥), Manga Spoilers.

STATUS: On going

Masterlist \(￣︶￣*\))

6- Have We Got a Deal?

✒A/N:

I rewrote this chapter like three times, and hopefully, now it turned out better. I read my progress again a couple of weeks ago and it was simply, not right. I hated it so much that I decided to delete it and work again on it. The essence is the same of what I planned for this chapter and although it is a bit longer now, I took the chance to get into more detail about certain things and express better about others. The conversation between Reader-chan and Kaguya may have become a bit deeper than it used to be, but I really liked the outcome and gave me more ideas for the future plot. That's all for now.

Hope you enjoy it! q(≧▽≦q)

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So, my dear sweet cousin, do you accept or not?

“W-Wait a minute! You can’t be serious, do you- do you understand the implications of what you’re saying?!” You said incredulously.

“Of course I do, why do you think we are here?” Kaguya said while she took another canape and bit it. She chewed slowly while you watched her attentively, the dread in your stomach growing by increments, exasperated for her to continue. She finally swallowed and took a sip of wine.

“So? Would you care to explain what on earth is actually happening, because you don’t expect me to believe that the cause of such an unprecedented change is because of some internet gossip” You said in a demanding tone.

“Of course it’s not, but if you are patient enough I’ll explain it to you with pleasure, so you better watch your tone with me, brat.” She hissed.

You puffed out your cheeks but nodded in cue for her to continue.

“Approximately three days ago grandmother convened a last-minute meeting in her abode to discuss this problem. At first, I thought she was overreacting about this whole ordeal, after all big corporates and companies are attacked and critized all the time, but after a long, long discussion, we all agreed that the situation should not be taken lightly and it needed to be addressed as soon as possible.”

“That bad it is?” You asked slightly concerned.

“Unfortunately,” Kaguya answered. “Walls covered in graffiti in Kyoto, people protesting and messing with the employees at the ER main entrance in Hosu, broken windows in Deika and thousands and thousands of emails and nasty messages in all our social media accounts. We had to hire the services of a whole publicity agency so they could deal with the problem, hardly. It has been difficult to contain, but it paid off because it hasn’t been leaked into any important newscast. Internet, the origin of the problem, has been another story, unfortunately, in these cases, it can be very difficult and unforgiving to work with; once something enters, is nearly impossible to pull it out and if you succeed there’s always a risk it would pop up anywhere when you least expect it.” Kaguya said while she rubbed her temples.

“Internet is a huge source of news and information for thousands of people nowadays, even millions, fake or not, and also the main responsible that this situation slipped out of control faster.”

You contemplated your next words as you soaked in all the information you just were provided with, so you could express your ideas and queries as clear as possible. “Okay…but why is everybody so angry about our current family situation? I get it’s messed up, but why go as far as vandalize privite property and nag about it on social media?” You asked slightly hesitant.

“As an institution, we had always presented and preserved ourselves as a family, working to, and for the Japanese families generation after generation, no matter where we went, we always went together, always radiating the image of a happy, healthy, and unified family. Throughout the time several members of our family had made multiple presentations in public inspiring kindness and charisma, earning the trust and love of the people, which is impressive considering the heavily hero centered world we live in. Now that there are strong rumors putting all of these apparent facts into question, some people feel mocked, disappointed, and cheated… besides other things.” Kaguya mumbled.

“Sorry I could not listen the last part Kaguya.” You said puzzled.

“Don’t worry, I was just talking to myself, the important thing is that the problem is been solved, millions will be invested but is necessary. We have already started a huge ad campaign, a lot of important heroes will be involved so we can reassure and remind people why we have been their number one choice during over a century, that we still the same and will always remain the same, that we do not change, we improve.”

“I see, but you haven’t explained what does this have to do with me going to U.A-”

“As I told you she decided to make exceptions, due to the unusual situation we are going through right now we need unusual solutions as well and as part of our ad campaign and for the sake of our image she decided that two fortunate souls would have the chance to pursue a carrier of their choice, you know to placate the masses.”

“ Of course, a different series of factors would be taken into account when examining the option chosen and its potential benefits for the interests of the company, if these results are not satisfactory, the other alternatives will be analyzed to find a more suitable one and the aforementioned process will be repeated. Once we find satisfactory results, grandmother will proceed to revise everything once more and give her approval or deny it.”

“So, what you’re telling me is that we are doing the same thing but with more options? And they are going to evaluate if we can actually perform well in these new career options?” You asked unimpressed at your grandmas’ unwillingness to let the leash lose a bit even in a situation like this.

“Exactly right, it’s a change but there are still rules nonetheless.” Kaguya affirmed as she refilled her cup again. “Don’t get me wrong, she is really mad, just the thought of sacrifice two pawns in one single move is driving her crazy”

“Which selection system will be used in this case?” You asked.

“Nominations. As you already know there are two potential candidates, besides you of course.”

“Two? But there’s other three-”

“Aya has already been selected by grandmother herself, he’ll be enrolled into U.A next year via recommendation, everything is ready and processed the only thing left is to break the news on him.”

You grimaced, anxious, and preoccupied to see your already thin chances narrow even more. Your cousin, Aya was a famous vlogger and influencer with a strongly settled fanbase in and out of Japan. His videos generally focus on his daily life, trips to cool and exotic destinations, and the typical ‘eat this’, ‘do that’ challenges that always went around the internet.

He also participated in different campaigns to raise funds for different charitable causes and was a fervent advocator of animal rights and the environment, even donating millions from his own pocket. He always did his best to involve the name of the (L/N) Group, allowing them to organize, participate and sponsor some of these events helping bust their image as a caritative, conscious, and woke organization.

The bastard overflew with kindness and charisma and knew how to surround himself with the right people to manage his channel properly, although no relatable for the regular mid-class YouTube user, you had to admit that his videos were fun, entertaining, interesting, and sometimes, informative, that was the reason they were always flooded with millions of views, comments, likes and overall the crushing success he was experiencing every time he uploaded a new one.

He’s rich, famous, handsome, and had an appealing personality, add hero to that list and you’ll get the recipe to success. It wouldn't surprise you at all if he reached the top 10 of the HBC in a year just out of sheer popularity. His quirk is also fitted for a hero, he’ll need some serious training, but nothing that money and elite PT could not manage.

“How am I supposed to compete with that?” You whispered with your head down watching how your knuckles turned whiter as your hands crinkled your uniform skirt.

“Don’t trouble yourself with what you’re not supposed to, Aya is not competition, not anymore, instead try to focus on the actual competition, and may I add that you got a really big chance with my brother out of the picture. Kaguya smirked at you confidently.

“You think so?” You asked doubtfully.

“Believe me (Y/N), my sister is really smart and competent, but has the charm and social skills of a cardboard box, and Himeko, well… we could resume all her virtues, abilities and skills to shopping, makeup, gossip, selfies, social media, being pretty and an absolute headache. Grandmother got big plans for her after she graduates though, so I’ll take her out of the picture as well.”

“Big plans?” You said arching your eyebrow.

“Let’s say that, right now, we have a great, juicy, and very convenient deal that is in negociation right now and she is a vital piece to close it successfully. Don’t worry, your curiosity will be satiated soon enough.”

“What worries me is that I think I got a grasp of what you’re talking about.”

“Aw. Come on, businesses are businesses (Y/N), C’est la vie.” She said as she shrugged uninterested.

“Yeah, because is not you.” You grumbled.

“Excuse me?”

“I said, why don’t you continue.”

“You are right, where we were? Oh, right.”

‘Was she really just dismissing the topic like that?!’

“Tell me (Y/N), do you think that I would have brought you here and propose this plan to you if I didn’t have an ace up my sleeve? Please. There are some important and positive points that can grant us success if we exploit them properly, but we must play our cards wisely, unfortunately, that’ll have to wait until we are completely alone.” Confused your arched your eyebrow, until your ears were met with the sound of the wheels of a certain golden cart rapidly approaching.

“Hello again ladies, let me take this off,” Hiro said while he took the almost empty canape plate along the rest of the dishes. “Is there anything else you would like? Would you like another beverage (L/N)-sama?” Hiro said looking at your semi voided glass.

“Y-Yes please”

“Alright!” With the swift and skill of years of experience, Hiro served your plates, removed the shiny silver food covers, refilled both water cups and Kaguya’s wine cup as well in less than a minute. “Please enjoy, if there’s anything else you would like I’ll be happy to assist you! I’ll be back in a minute with your drink miss.”

You spent the next couple of minutes in total silence waiting for your drink in order to continue your conversation privately and interruption-free. Just as said, Hiro returned instants later with the promised drink and finally left you two to converse calmly.

“Well, now that the coast is clear, let me fill you up with what you have to know and do in order to obtain a favorable outcome for both of us.” Kaguya began as she sliced a bite of quail breast.

“So, this is my plan…”

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Now with your dinner night already finished, you were now heading to your house. This ride was as quiet as the one to the restaurant, but without the suffocating weight of uncertainty. Your head was filled now with the echoes of your conversation with Kaguya, debating, analyzing, considering, comprehending every single word of it.

“You seem troubled, you are doubtful, aren’t you?” Said Kaguya interrupting your thoughts.

“I’m more scared than anything if this doesn’t work-”

“It will, you already know what to do, just focus on that. I’ll keep in contact with you anyway, in case of emergencies or any last-minute matter.” She then proceeded to rummage in her purse and took out a brand-new phone, it was one of those not so high-quality flip phones that you can get for a really low price, probably a disposable one.

“I already put my phone number in it, so we can communicate without issue. This phone is a really basic one, so it has no internet access but you have unlimited calls and texts. Just make sure to keep it hidden from your mother or that blabbermouth maid of yours.”

“Yes, I’ll find a place.”

“Perfect, remember, the announce dinner will be this Saturday, surely your mom would tell you, everybody will be there, they must at least.”

Another twenty minutes passed before you were at the main door of your lavish home. Silently, you excited the car after Soichiro opened the door for you and you headed to the front door.

“We’ll keep in contact, until then, (Y/N).” Kaguya said softly, once she finished Soichiro shut the door, bowed his head, and wished you a good evening. He straightened up his posture and proceeded to hop in the car again. Quietly you observed the car get farther and farther until it disappeared. You stayed there in silence, while the nightly wind swayed your hair delicately. The sound of the door opening distracted you, then, you turned around to be met with the gentle smile of Nobu-san.

“Okaerinasai, (Y/N)-sama, how was your dinner with Kaguya-sama?”

“Pretty…unexpected.” You looked everywhere, making sure that nobody else was listening to your conversation. “I’ll fill you out on the details later” You whispered and Nobu-san nodded knowingly. “I see, your bath is ready (Y/N)-sama. Please take your time and relax, it’s been a long night after all,” He got slightly closer to you and cupped his hand around his mouth, and whispered. “I’m pretty sure you’ll make good use of this time to ponder any thought that is troubling your mind.” He distanced from you, crossed his arms behind his back, and gave you a gentle closed-eye smile. “Would you like a cup of tea after your bath?”

You smiled at him fondly.

“(F/T/F), please.”

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You’ve been lying if you said that you could actually sleep the night before. Your head could not stop to reproduce in a loop your conversation with Kaguya the night before, like a broken record you couldn’t escape from. Before you noticed, the outrageous melody of your alarm resounded in the spaciousness of your room. You groaned in protest, unwillingly getting up to start your day.

Dressed and ready, you took your bag and went downstairs to have breakfast. Before you could finish hopping down the stairs you caught a glimpse of your mother sitting at the head chair, like always with your father by her side, she was holding her morning coffee while she read some emails on her laptop.

As always she looked stunning in her soft pink and golden outfit, she crossed her legs, put down her cup and started typing in her laptop.

You straighten your posture the best you could and approached the table with delicate steps. “Good morning mother, good morning dad”

“Good morning dear, how did you sleep?” Said your mother without taking her eyes off the screen in a somewhat flat tone as her fingers tapped nimbly over the keyboard. “Pretty well, and yourself?” You said while you took a seat at the innecesarily expansive dinning table.

“Not so well sadly, there’s been some… issues I had to take care of.” She hissed a bit irritated as she rubbed her temples.

“I-I see, hopefully, you’ll have a better day today, mother.”

“I doubt it, unluckily, but thank you for your words, darling. Now hurry up or you’ll be late.”

“Yes, mother.”

“You should have some fresh fruit honey; the mangos are delicious!” Said the cheerful voice of your father. You smiled fondly at him while he reciprocated with a smile of his own. “I’ll do then, thank you for your suggestion dad.” You answered while one of the maids served you a portion of fresh mixed fruit in a bowl and Nobu-san poured tea in your cup.

“(Y/N)” Spoke your mom.

“Yes, mother?”

“Your grandmother had organized a family dinner this Saturday that we must assist, of course, I expect nothing less of you than be on your best behavior, also is imperative that you choose your outfit today so I can determine if it’s appropriate for the occasion. If you need to go shopping just tell Sasaki, I activated your debit card again just this time.” She said authoritatively.

“Yes mother, I’ll do it today after class.” You said as you topped your fruit with some honey, yougurt and granola. 

“Splendid, now if you excuse me, I have to go now, Haru, hurry up or we’ll be late”

“Yes, cara mia” Your father beamed. Your mother then rose from her chair took her handbag and draped her coat over her shoulders. Your father then finished his coffee as soon as he could and went behind her. “Have a good day princess!” Exclaimed you dad. “Thank you, you too!” You answered while you saw them get escorted by an army of bodyguards.

Soon enough the door was closed and you were left alone. “(Y/N)-sama I advise you to hurry as well, school starts in thirty minutes” Said the familiar voice of Nobu-san. “What!? Oh, I’m going to be late! Ok, I got this! I’ll brush my teeth and I’ll be ready-please ask Sasaki-san to start the car! I will be there in a minute!” You stuttered while climbing up stairs.

“Sure thing, Ojou-sama,” He said with an amused smile.

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“Thank you again for joining me for shopping Momo”

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all, I’ll also take the chance to buy some new accessories as well,” Beamed your ravenette friend. It was the end of the school day and you had asked Momo to help you choose new accessories to complement a dress you already had.

“But to be honest I never imagine that your mom would lose her grip on you so soon even if it’s temporary, what surprised me more was what Kaguya-san told you yesterday,” She whispered trying to no let your conversation be known by Sasaki-san although the automated partition window was up as a precautionary measure. “Are you sure you can trust her?” She said concerned.

“I still don’t know, suddenly everything became so complicated, I mean her plan is good and has a high probability to work, and right now I don’t have a better option, I don’t even have any options, to begin with!” You groaned, confused.

“What’s still bugging me is why is she helping you in the first place? I can’t help but find it suspicious no matter how much I think about it. Did you ask her something about it?”

“I did, but she went into this mysterious and enigmatic mode and just said something like ‘You’ll know soon enough’ It would be easier to pinch a glass than get something out of her.” You said with a tone of frustration.

“I guess that the only thing we can do now is to wait and see,” Sighed Momo while she shrugged her shoulders. “By the way, what are we going to do first?” She said more animatedly.

“Let’s start with the shoes and then maybe a new jewelry set, a new clutch as well would be good. What you think?”

“I think is a splendid idea!” Momo exclaimed.

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🏷Taglist:

@bakasbitch18 

[full-of-roman-angst-trash]

A Prince’s Room Part 2

(I finally got past my writer’s block and finished part 2! Also I got some inspiration for this chapter from an amazing anon from this ask. So yeah, sorry this took so long to make, writing is hard)

TW: Unsympathetic Sides (Except for Roman), Self-Doubt, Cursing, Arguing, Injuries, Mention of starving once self and not sleeping, Mention of Manipulation, Quilt tripping, Blaming, Caps, Hurt no Comfort, Weapons, If I missed any, pleased tell me and I will add it.

Pairings: None

Word Count: 2384

~~~~~~~~

A few months have now passed since the awful accident. Roman was now in his room. He hasn’t eaten in about 4 weeks. He has kept hydrated and he occasionally slept once in a while. Well, more like he would wait until his body gave out and forced him to sleep. While the sides didn’t need to physically take care of themselves as normal people do, they can choose to be affected by things like starvation and sleep deprivation. And, Roman chose to let it affect it. 

He considered this his punishment. His punishment for being so stupid. He had one reason to live. One reason to continue fighting despite how much it hurt him. To make his friends happy. To please them. And he failed. He failed so badly. All those days of taking notes, of observing their friends closely, of forcing himself to change. All of that, for nothing. All the struggles and self-inflicted punishments for participating in what he labeled a bad habit, just for him to mess it all up. Just for him to make the dumbest mistake that will make all his work for nothing. He couldn’t stop thinking of where he went wrong. Was it letting himself lose track of time on the day of the confrontation? Was it leaving the chart in such an obvious place? Was it naming the chart “Duties”? Was it making the chart in the first place? He couldn’t decide. All he knew was that he lost the war. He had prided himself on winning thousands of battles. But in the end, he let himself lose the war. He lost by his own hands. And now all he had left was nothing more than toxic thoughts and a torn-up room.

He knew that he couldn’t die, at least not from something like starvation, so he just sat there suffering. He gave up on giving Thomas ideas. He didn’t think it was worth staying up all night or constantly fighting writer’s block. He didn’t think it was worth sitting through the harsh criticisms of the others. It just wasn’t worth it. Nothing was. Not anymore.

The others knew about Roman’s absence, they just didn’t care. In fact, they enjoyed it. They were happy that they no longer had to deal with a fake friend. On top of that, they were glad he didn’t have to deal with his dramatics. They no longer had to deal with his excessive talking that many times was too loud. They didn’t have to deal with him constantly talking about Disney or another interest for hours non-stop. They didn’t have to deal with his nonsense stories that often derailed and became off-topic. They didn’t have to deal with his loud singing at random times of the day. They didn’t have to deal with him constantly accidentally bumping into them every time he would dance around the living room. They didn’t have to deal with him. It was a breath of relief for them.

What they did care about though, was his lack of work. They cared that Thomas had been in a creative block for months. They cared that he wasn’t working on scripts for the next video. They cared that he wasn’t going out to auditions. They cared that they had no way to make money.  

And so soon, they got fed up with it. They were tired of not being able to make money from their main source of income. They were tired of Thomas just sitting around and wasting time. They were tired of Roman just being selfish, but none of them wanted to talk to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So, what are we going to do now?” Logan looks at the others.

They all decided to gather in the living room to hopefully construct a plan of action. 

Virgil rolls his eyes in annoyance, “I don’t care but whatever it is, I am not going to talk to that bastard.”

“Kiddo, language,” Patton mumbles. 

The anxious side just rolls his eyes in response.

“Can you all focus?! We need to figure this out! Thomas can’t continue neglecting his job!” Logan says, starting to get frustrated with the others.

“Wow, thanks for the information Logan,” Janus starts sarcastically, “It’s not like we didn’t already know that.”

The logical side turns to the snake-like side, “Shut up Janus. If you already know this then how about you help me find a solution!”

Now Janus starts getting mad, “Isn’t that supposed to be your job! You’re the logical one!”

“Enough!” Patton intervenes, “This isn’t getting us anywhere!”

Remus laughs, finding the others bickering quite entertaining.

“What are you laughing about?” The moral side asks pointedly.

The intrusive side shrugs, “I just think it’s funny when you guys argue.”

That’s when a full fight breaks out. Everyone yelling at each other and insulting one another. This happened quite often nowadays. Ever since the accident tensions have been very high, often overspilling into massive arguments. They didn't want to argue. They didn't like to constantly sit in a room fueled by tension. They didn’t like carefully picking out what to say. Walking on eggshells so thin that the smallest amount of added weight made that sea of eggshells crumble in seconds. 

In the end, though, it never mattered. No matter how careful they were. How much they didn’t want to argue and fight. Or how much they wanted the tension gone. It didn't matter. Because in the end, all their efforts were for nothing. The sea of eggshells was always broken. The tension always built up to a suffocating extent. And it was frustrating for them. So, they took out that frustration on each other. 

About half an hour later of them just arguing, Patton decided it was enough. 

"EVERYONE SHUT UP! WE CAN'T CONTINUE DOING THIS! WE NEED TO FIND A SOLUTION TO OUR PROBLEM AND THIS IS GETTING US NOWHERE!"

Everyone went quiet and just stared at Patton for a bit. 

Eventually, Logan spoke up, "You're right. We should all go to confront Roman and convince him to stop being unreasonable." 

It takes a bit of convincing but eventually, everyone agrees to the plan. So, they start making their way over to Roman’s room. 

Once they get to Roman’s room, Virgil is the one to begrudgingly knock on the door. Minutes pass and there’s no answer making all of them frustrated. So, this time Remus knocks on the door, much harsher and louder. 

There’s still no answer. 

So, in an act of frustration and anger, Remus breaks the door down. The second he does a terrified scream fills the room, startling all of them. When they take in the scenery, they all feel their hearts sink. 

The room itself was a mess. All the posters and papers were ripped off the walls and laying on the floor, crumpled and torn to bits. The actual paint on the walls was scratched off, nail markings and dried blood in its place. Makeup and art supplies littered the floor, most of it was no longer usable. Medals and prizes were either broken or accompanying the rest of the mess on the floor. 

The most heartbreaking part about the situation in front of them though was the small trembling figure in the corner. 

Roman looked pale and sickly. He was significantly skinnier than the last time the others had seen him. He was shaking so much, it looked like the smallest touch would shatter him. His eyes had deep bags underneaths his eyes, once that easily beat Virgil’s. It was upsetting, to say the least. 

They slowly begin to make their way over, noting how the sickly side didn't react at all. They stop a few feet in front of him.

"R-Roman….?" Patton calls him quietly.

He doesn't respond. Not even move, well aside from his shaking.

"R-Robro pl-please…." Remus tries, his voice deep with regret and uncertainty. 

No response from the broken side.

Logan decides to move closer and place a hand on the other side's shoulder gently, immediately noticing how cold he was. Before he can say anything, Roman slaps his hand away and tries to move further into the corner, whimpering when he realized he couldn't. 

Logan steps away, startled by Roman’s actions. It was now Janus's turn to try anything. He goes over and kneels in front of the creative side.

He speaks softly, "Roman, can you hear me….?"

Roman hugs his knees and buries his face in them, going back to not moving or responding. 

Virgil groans quietly and steps forward, "Come on Princey. This isn’t funny."

"Virgil is right," Logan says, "This is impractical and a waste of time. Thomas needs you to get back to work. Stop acting like a child and letting all these things affect you. You're not human, you can't die."

"I hate to agree with them kiddo," Patton speaks up, "But, they're right. You can't continue doing this."

Suddenly Roman stands up, ignoring the dizziness it brought him. His legs were shaking so much that it seemed like his knees would just give out underneath him. Yet, he stood strong, his anger very visible. 

“Get the fuck out of my room! All of you FUCK OFF!”

Patton quickly reacts, “Roman! Language! We’re here to help you and you’re being ungrateful! We’re trying to fix your mistakes!”

“I DON’T FUCKING CARE!” Patton flinches and hides behind the others. 

Everyone else is completely speechless.

“YOU’RE NOT HERE TO HELP ME! YOU’RE HERE TO QUILT TRIP ME INTO THINKING THAT I’M IN THE WRONG AND THAT I’M THE CAUSE OF ALL THIS! GUESS WHAT? I WON’T FALL FOR YOUR SHIT ANYMORE!”

Remus manages to find his voice, “ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! THIS IS YOUR FAULT! IF YOU HADN’T TREATED US LIKE SOME SORT OF TASKS NONE OF THIS WOULD BE HAPPENING!”

Roman turns to Remus, summoning his sword and nearly slashing his twin with it, however, Remus was able to block it with his morning star in time.

“I DIDN’T TREAT YOU GUYS LIKE TASKS! IF YOU HAD ALL JUST SHUT UP AND LET ME SPEAK ON THAT FUCKING DAY YOU WOULD HAVE KNOWN WHAT THE GRAPH WAS ACTUALLY FOR!”

“Enough!” Janus says in a harsh and serious tone, mad that Roman tried to hurt Remus.

Logan sighs, “Roman, what was the graph for?”

Roman grits his teeth and puts his sword away when he sees Janus glaring at him.

“The graph was to try and keep you guys happy! It had lists of what you guys liked and made you happy so that I could please you all and make sure I didn’t FUCK UP OUR FRIENDSHIP! BECAUSE GUESS WHAT?! YOU ALL WERE THE ONE THING THAT GAVE ME A REASON TO CONTINUE DOING MY JOB AND LIVING! YOU GUYS WERE THE REASON I STILL CONSIDERED IT WORTH IT TO GET UP EVERY MORNING! WAS THE NAME OF THE GRAPH BAD? YES! I REGRET NAMING IT THAT BUT WHEN I CAME UP WITH IT I COULDN’T THINK OF A BETTER NAME BECAUSE OF THE HORRIBLE CREATOR’S BLOCK I HAD!” Hot angry tears flow down Roman’s face as he takes harsh, semi-short breaths.

Every other side suddenly freezes. Remus lowers his morning star. Janus’s glare vanishes. Virgil, who was standing in front of Patton in a defensive position, dropped his guard. Patton’s face goes pale and ghostly. Logan bites his tongue a bit and tenses slightly.

The other sides don’t dare to say anything and instead just watch Roman, who is trying to desperately wipe his tears away and calm down to no avail. 

“R-RoRo….” Remus decides to try and fix his mistake.

“Don’t.” Roman quickly shoots down any sort of apology they try and give him.  

“R-Roman please….” Virgil shakily speaks, on the verge of an anxiety attack.

“Leave,” Roman looks away from them, fighting the urge to forgive them and fall into their abuse again.

Janus takes a deep breath, “Please let us talk-”

This makes Roman’s blood boil all over again, “OH DON’T YOU DARE SAY THAT!” His tears start again, “Not after everything I’ve been through because YOU all REFUSED to let ME talk!”

They go quiet again, watching the once prince-like side with pity.

“You don’t get to cast me aside and make my life a living hell, then once you learn the truth try and to apologize to make yourselves feel better! I REFUSE TO FALL FOR YOUR FUCKING GAMES AGAIN! Just SECONDS ago you were all dismissing my feelings just to get me to work and make you guys money again! I’m DONE! SO. GET. OUT. OF. MY. ROOM!”

They don’t dare to try and argue again. They all start walking out of the room. Roman keeps his eyes to the floor, once again trying to stop his tears with little success.

Then just before he hears his door close, he hears words that add salt to his thousands of wounds.

“I’m sorry.”

From a voice, he quickly identified, Patton…

Roman punches the wall in rage, not caring or even flinching when the wall breaks and his knuckles bleed. 

He falls to the floor, hugging himself tightly as he sobbed. All the pain he felt from that unfortunate day that spiraled everything out of proportion, now back a million times worse. As well as the pain of having to confront the very people he once loved and fighting the urge to hug them and just forgiven them for the sake of being loved again.

The guilt-filled sides all went back to their individual rooms and, much like Roman, broke down. Their tears filled with regret and self-hate.

But, even if Roman could hear their cries from his room or as he passed their rooms to get food, he didn’t feel bad. They only cared after he snapped at them. They never tried and asked for his side of his story during the time he was locked in his room. He didn’t feel bad for them because he knew they didn’t really care about him. Instead, they cared about their own emotions and conscience. 

So as he walked back to his room after getting some snacks, once again passing through the loud sobs, he pledges to never let them win again by blindly trusting them and giving them his friendship.

[knewhealth]

Sunscreen: What Everyone Needs to Know

Sunscreen: What Everyone Needs to Know

📷

As we head into summer, many people are looking forward to sunny beach days, afternoon barbeques, and relaxing by the pool. Since most of us spent summer 2020 cooped up inside, we’re all excited to get out and enjoy the outdoors.

After many grueling months of dealing with COVID-19, your mind is probably overwhelmed by all the preventative measures we take to avoid the virus. However, you shouldn’t neglect another important safety measure: sunscreen.

The sun is the source of all life, and it’s essential to our mental and physical health. The sun keeps our vitamin D levels up and plays a central role in regulating our sleep patterns via our circadian rhythm. Sunshine can also boost your mood. However, you can get too much of a good thing, and this is certainly true of the sun!

You already know that too much sun exposure can cause skin cancer. It can also damage your skin, causing premature aging, sun spots, and dryness. Extreme sunburn is not just painful – it can cause blisters and long-term damage to your skin. And since your skin is your largest organ, protecting it is essential for your overall health and wellbeing.

Here are a few tips for being sun-safe this summer.

Do I really need sunscreen?

Yes. No matter who you are and what your lifestyle is like, you need sunscreen. Even if you never burn, or have a dark complexion, or don’t spend a lot of time outdoors, you should be applying your sunscreen every day.

Sunscreen works by preventing the sun’s ultraviolet rays – namely UVA and UVB rays – from damaging your skin. These rays are responsible for sunburn. They can also cause skin cancer, pigmentation, wrinkles, and dry skin, as well as a range of other skin conditions.

Since we’re all prone to the above issues, we all need to wear sunscreen on a daily basis.

Do I need to wear sunscreen if I have a darker complexion?

A common myth is that people with a darker complexion don’t need sunscreen. As a result of this myth, there’s something called the “sunscreen gap,” where people with darker skin tones are less likely to use or be prescribed sunscreen than people with lighter skin tones.

While skin cancer is less prevalent in people with darker complexions, it can happen, and when it does, it tends to be diagnosed at a later stage. Because of these widespread myths, individuals with darker skin tones are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced-stage melanoma and more likely to die from melanoma.

In addition to skin cancer, sun exposure can also cause premature wrinkles, sun spots, and dry skin in people of all complexions. So, although someone with a darker complexion might not burn as easily as someone with a lighter complexion, everyone should take steps to prevent sun damage.

Do I need to wear sunscreen if I’m indoors all day?

What if you’re not going outside that much? Even if you’ll be stuck inside the office all summer, it’s important to apply and reapply sunscreen.

Many skin care experts advise everyone to wear sunscreen, even when they’re inside all day. UVA rays can actually penetrate through windows, which can lead to skin cancer and premature aging.

Of course, your chances of sun damage decrease significantly when you’re indoors – but that’s no reason to skip the SPF.

Which sunscreen should I choose?

If you head into any drug store or beauty store, you’ll probably be overwhelmed by the number of sunscreens available. Not sure which sunscreen to use? Here’s a quick breakdown of your options.

Pro tip: Stock up on sunscreen in winter, when it’s more affordable. They often go on sale in the fall, so you might be able to get a few at a good discount.

Which SPF should I use?

You should opt for an SPF of at least 30, preferably more. Products with a higher SPF tend to be stickier, so you might be tempted to go for a lower SPF – but don’t! If you don’t like the sticky texture of lotion, opt for a spray-on, powder, or gel variety.

If you’re in the sun a lot, go for SPF 50 or higher. The available research shows that SPF 100 is far better than SPF 50 when it comes to protecting your skin against sun damage and burns.

Mineral or chemical?

In general, you get two kinds of sunscreen: mineral (also called physical) and chemical. Technically, all matter is made up of chemicals, including the healthy stuff in your sunscreens, so we’re moving towards calling them organic and inorganic.

Inorganic sunscreens, also known as mineral or physical sunscreens, contain zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. These form a barrier on top of the skin to deflect UVA and UVB rays. Some research suggests they actually soak up the UV rays so that they can’t harm the skin. Most inorganic sunscreens leave a white sheen behind.

Organic sunscreens, also known as chemical sunscreens, are absorbed into the skin instead of sitting on top. They cause a chemical reaction that converts UV rays into heat so that your skin won’t get damaged.

Both kinds of sunscreen work. However, if you find that one kind is making your skin itch, opt for the other kind.

Fun fact: “sunscreen” and “sunblock” are often used interchangeably, but sunscreen tends to refer to organic sun protection while sunblock refers to inorganic sun protection. With that said, even industry experts use both terms to refer to the same thing.

Lotion, spray, gel, or powder?

Sunscreens come in so many different varieties nowadays. You get SPF in the form of regular lotions and spray-on liquids (which are great for full-body applications and ideal for wriggling kids). Gel products tend to be ideal for the face, as is brush-on powder SPF.

All of the above are fine, so you should opt for what feels better for you. If you find it easier to use a spray-on sunscreen, for example, choose that – the easier and nicer it feels, the more likely you are to use and reapply it.

And on this topic, you’ll also find that there are a lot of SPF-rich lip balms. It’s a very good idea to use these regularly to prevent dry and sun-damaged lips.

Other considerations for sunscreen

Nowadays, you can find sunscreens that are specifically formulated for different skin types. You might opt for a cheaper, drugstore-variety sunscreen for your body, and a special one for your face. You’ll find sunscreen for oily skin, dry skin, acne-prone skin, and sensitive skin.

Most sunscreens have a white-ish sheen that doesn’t totally absorb into the face, so you can also be on the lookout for those that dry on clear!

Top tips for using sunscreen

Buying a top-quality sunscreen is important – but in order for it to work its magic, you need to use it properly.

Stick to the following tips for using sunscreen:

You should reapply sunscreen every few hours. If you’re outside, reapply it at least every two hours. Inside, you can probably get away with reapplying it less often. Also, even waterproof sunscreen should be reapplied after you swim.

Some face creams and makeup have an SPF. While this can be helpful for added protection, you shouldn’t neglect your sunscreen.

Although you’d associate sunscreen with summer, it’s important to use sunscreen in winter too – even on overcast, dark days. The sun’s UV rays are constantly working, even when it’s chilly.

Layer your sunscreen properly! Organic (chemical) sunscreens should be put on first, underneath your moisturizer. Inorganic (physical/mineral) sunscreens should be put on after your moisturizer.

Use a reminder. If you forget to use and reapply your sunscreen, keep your sunscreen in a place where you’ll see it, like on your desk or by your toothbrush. You could also set an alarm on your phone to remind you to reapply your sunscreen regularly.

If you have highly sensitive skin, or if you’re still burning despite using a high-SPF product, speak to your GP or dermatologist.

How else can I prevent sun damage?

Beyond using a decent, high-SPF sunscreen, there are a few more steps you can take to be sun-safe this summer.

Limit your time in the sun

Although you still need to use SPF indoors, it’s much safer inside than outside. Enjoy your time soaking up the sun, but avoid spending all of your time outdoors every day. At the beach, pool, or park, use a decent UV-blocking umbrella for shade. Limit your time in the sun to a few hours at a time maximum, with breaks to sit in the shade.

Cover up

Although summer is the time for short skirts and swimsuits, it’s wise to cover up when you’re in the sun. Get a decent hat, a comfortable T-shirt, or robe-style coverup to wear at the beach or pool. This is especially important if you’re in the sun for a long period of time.

Bear in mind that clothing is not a substitute for SPF. It’s possible to burn through a normal T-shirt. You do, however, get special UV-blocking clothing and swimwear, which is worth the investment if you plan to be in the sun a lot this summer.

Don’t forget your eyes!

Your skin isn’t the only thing that you need to be concerned about. Your eyes can be damaged by the sun’s ultraviolet rays, which can cause both short-term and long-term damage. This is called photokeratitis, or ultraviolet keratitis.

Quality sunglasses offer UV protection. You should opt for glasses that block or absorb 99 to 100 percent of UV rays. Give your eyes a break every so often by spending some time indoors.

Drink water frequently

This is a good rule for life, but it’s especially important in hot weather. If you’re spending time outside this summer, keep a big bottle of cool water on hand. Not only is water important for maintaining the health of your skin, it can also prevent you from dehydrating in the heat. Dehydration can lead to headaches and a range of health issues.

Using sunscreen is something we should all be doing: it’s a relatively simple way to protect your health and wellbeing. This summer, be sure to grab some high-quality sunscreen and use it on a daily basis. Don’t forget to reapply it regularly, and encourage your loved ones to do the same.

Now you’re ready to go ahead and (safely) soak up the sun!

Click for more https://knewhealth.com/sunscreen-what-everyone-needs-to-know/

[lovemesomesurveys]

“how the hell does a broken heart learn to mend itself?”

Would you ever like to own your own gym? No.

Do you listen to Christina Perri? If so, do you like her music? Jar of Hearts and A Thousand Years are a few of my favorites of hers. Oh, and Human. <<< Yeah, I liked those as well. I think those are the only ones I’m familiar with of hers. I haven’t listened to her music in a long time.

When was the last time you went to Wal-Mart? Back in March before the quarantine/lockdown and shit really hit the fan.

Which is worse: Runny nose or stuffy nose? Both are very annoying, but feeling like you can’t breathe is definitely the worst. 

Do you hate how people are quick to judge? i think we all have that tendency, some more than others. It can be an issue when you let that judgment form your whole opinion about a person without even knowing them. Except in extreme cases of course when it a quick judgment could be useful, like if you’re feeling uncomfortable or someone appears to be sketchy. 

Has anyone ever made you feel small? Yes.

Would you rather give your food to a homeless shelter or money to charity? Food to a homeless shelter would be more direct and immediate. When you donate money to a charity you don’t really know when or how it gets used, exactly. And it can take time to be sorted out and distributed. That being said, of course donating to charities is good and important and will help in the long run. I’m just saying, donating food to a homeless shelter would be something they could use immediately and benefit them directly. Does any of this make sense?

Can you tell when your best friend is lying? I think I’m typically pretty good at that.

Would you pay extra money for make up just to make you look prettier? Ha, all the makeup in the world didn’t make a difference for me. Still ugly. I stopped even bothering with it.

Do you like to look at license plates to see where people are from? I don’t pay much attention to that.

Are you more hungry or tired right now? I’m both. My sleep schedule continues to be weird. I fell asleep around 230AM until about 4AM and then fell asleep again shortly after that until like 7:45AM. Now it’s 8:46AM and here I am. Like wtf? And lately I’ve been having a bit more of an appetite, so I’ve been feeling hungrier earlier than usual and actually eating more than just dinner and my late bowl of ramen. My body is such a mess.

Do you follow your head or heart more? It’s a battle.

On a scale 1-10 how much do you like my surveys? I’m assuming the same person has made the last few I’ve done with this same kind of format, in which case they’ve been fine. 

Do you think you deserve more than what you have? I don’t think I deserve anything. 

Would you ever spend $2,000 on a dress? I can’t imagine ever spending that much on a dress. I don’t plan on getting married, but even if I did I’d find something a lot less expensive. 

“Reach out to you, touch my hand”

Have you ever made fresh dough? No.

When you were little, did you used to make cookies with your mom? Yeah.

Has anyone ever said "Say it, don't spray it" to you? lol yeah, when I was a kid.

What is your least favorite type of person? Arrogant, cocky, close minded people.

True or False : Superman is your favorite super hero. False.

Have you ever drank Silk milk? Yeah. Well, I don’t drink it directly (or any kind of milk for that matter, ew), but I use soy in coffee drinks, cereal, or to dunk cookies or brownies or something. I tend to use vanilla almond milk more often, though.

What color is your camera? I use the camera on my phone, which is a coral iPhone XR.

When you create a survey, do you usually make the title lyrics? I don’t create surveys.

Do you play Cityville, Farmville or Frontierville on Facebook? Nope. Never got into any of those.

Do you tend to complain when its to hot out? Ugh, yes. I’m miserable when it’s hot and everyone knows it lol.

Flip flops or tennis shoes? Tennis shoes. I never wear flip flops or any kind of sandal or open toed shoe.

Do you like your fingernails long or short? They’re always barely there cause I’ve had this horrible habit all my life. Well, with the exception of the very few times I managed to stop and let them grow a decent length. Never lasted long, though.

Have you made anyone laugh today? I haven’t interacted with anyone yet today.

Would you like to go to South America? Sure.

Have you ever read Time magazine? I think so.

“Tonight we’re going to dance on the edge of the Hollywood sign”

Do you use the gel, spray or powdered deodorant? I think it’s called a solid.

Do you own a pearl necklace? No. I used to, but it broke. 

Do you know anyone named Julie? No.

What's your favorite candle scent? I love the autumn scented ones.

Does anyone you know own a motorcycle? Yes.

How many different languages can you say “hello” in? Just a few. I don’t feel like thinking about how many different ones right now.

Do you like Train’s music? Yeah. 

Have you ever accidentally clicked on an ad on the side of your screen? Yeah, back in the day when ads were annoying and popped up all the time. I haven’t had that issue in years.

Do you like dark or light pop/soda better? My favorite sodas are Coke and Dr. Pepper, which happen to be dark.

Have you ever been told you were a good dance? No.

Do you own one of those small, battery powered fans? I do.

When you sleep, do you like it complete silence or do you like sound? I need some sound and light, hence why I sleep with the TV on. I have it completely quiet or dark.

Was it cloudy today or clear sky? It’s supposed to be clear skies. Do you like the show Seinfiled or Friends? I never got into either one.

Would you rather have bad breath or body odor? Ew.

“I’m gonna sleep in my Snuggie tonight.”

Have you ever ridden in a hot air balloon? Noooo. I never would.

Do you hate it when people get obsessed with their boyfriend/girlfriend? I had friends who obsessively talked about their significant others and it did get quite annoying, not gonna lie.

Have you ever been to Nevada? Yes.

Are you dating the boy/girl of your dreams? I’m single.

Do you watch Glee? No, I never got into it.

Do you like coffee? I love coffee. Duh.

Do you like applesauce? Yeah. Wow, I don’t recall the last time I had any, though.

When was the last time you had a nightmare? It’s been awhile, thankfully.

Have you ever had a manicure? Once. It was for my 8th grade promotion.

Do you like graphic tees? Ha, my whole wardrobe is graphic tees. And leggings.

Are you the type of person who is always yelling? Not at all.

Do you like Willow or Jaden Smith better? I don’t have any feelings about either one.

Is anything making you mad right now? No.

Name one thing you've NEVER done but want to: Go to Hawaii.

Ever seen the movie Shark Tale? I know of it, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it.

“No matter what, I’ll never stop loving you”

Do you like Italian food? I love it.

Which would you rather have: drama or no friends? I have no friends now and I’m honestly okay with it.

Do you own a black necklace? No.

Would you rather have white & crooked teeth or straight teeth that are yellow? How ‘bout straight and white teeth.

How many notifications do you have on Facebook right now? Zero.

Do you smile or laugh more? Uhh I don’t know.

Have you ever tried Nutella? Yes, and I don’t like it. <<< Saaame. I don’t get the hype.

What age did you stop watching Spongebob? I was never really into it, I just caught some episodes because my younger brother loved it as a kid.

Have you ever seen the show Boy Meets World? Yeah, I’ve seen the entire series numerous times. It’ll always be a favorite.

Have you received bad news within the past week? No. 

What's your favorite color of highlighter? Yellow or orange is fine.

Do you celebrate the 4th of July? I mean, we go outside to my front yard and watch fireworks lol that’s about it.

Are you better at Math or Social Studies? Social studies. Math and I were always enemies.

Do you like the name Lindsey? Sure.

Do you have a teacher that your close to? Not anymore, but yeah I had a couple.

“We’ll go down just like Titanic”

When you eat, do you always use a napkin? Yes.

On a scale 1-10 how much do you like hot dogs? It’s one of those weird things that I have to be in the mood for, which is very, very rare. It’s not something I ever crave. I haven’t even had one in years. Although, a Costco hotdog is pretty delicious.

Have you ever been on a cruise ship? Nope.

Is your phone a flip, sliding or touch? It’s a touch-screen - most phones are nowadays. <<<

Are you okay right now? I don’t feel well.

Do you own a blue dress? No.

When you look at the person you like, does it seem like its only you two? I don’t currently like anyone in that way.

Do you like pizza crust with cheese in it? It’s good, but it’s not something I tend to get.

Do you like copy paper or lined paper better? Lined paper. 

Are you listening to music? Nope.

Have you ever gone swimming in the moonlight? Nope.

Is it AM or PM right now? It’s AM.

Who is your cell phone carrier? Verizon.

Do you hate public speaking? Haaaaaate. So glad I don’t have to do speeches or presentations for school anymore. It never got any easier, it was always super anxiety inducing and dreadful for me.

Have you ever been in a band? No.

“We can go to the alligator sky”

Are you more of a follower or leader? I definitely don’t see myself as a leader.

Would you rather: write a 10 page short story or do public speaking? The 10 page paper. 

Did you eat any type of fruit today? No. It’s been awhile since I’ve had any fruit. :X

Do you enjoy bowling? Nah.

Do you like the smell of rain? Yesss.

Have you ever seen or been in quicksand? No.

Do you want to get married in a church or somewhere else? I don’t want to get married.

Have you ever played hard to get? No. I’m just hard to want.

Do you go to the fair during the summer? No.

Are more mean or nice? I’m not a mean person.

Do you go tanning? I don’t ever “go” tanning, but it happens when I go to the beach. 

Can you speak Spanish? Not fluently, but yes.

Is it hard for your to compliment people? Only because I’m just shy and awkward.

Are you a goodie goodie or a bad person? I was always the goodie-goodie.

Would you rather visit Chicago or New York City? New York City.

[prepare4trouble]

Another deleted scene from (Not) The End Of The World

in the comments on AO3, someone said something about contacts, and how such a thing exists as contacts designed to make eyes appear normal in the case of scarring or birthmarks on the sclera (that’s the white bit). Not something I’d considered, but something Aziraphale would jump at if he could, so -- being evil -- I decided to make sure he wouldn’t be able to use them. This was what I came up with, but eventually took out of the final chapter

The angel flexed his fingers and looked at the painted nails again. He sighed. “It’s a shame you can’t do the same for these,” he said, and waved a hand at his face. “The sunglasses are almost as conspicuous as the eyes. Though I suppose at least they’re less likely to send people screaming into the street.”

Crowley hesitated. He recognised a familiar opening; an invitation to disagree and reassure. Aziraphale was asking him to make things better. He took a swig of his drink and shook his head. “It’s a more enlightened age, angel,” he said “People believe in what they see."

“I don’t understand. What’s your point.”

“Point is — and take this from someone who’s been going around with snake eyes for six millennia — nowadays people that notice something like that are more likely to assume weird contact lenses than a demon living among them.”

Aziraphale gasped as though in excitement. He turned to look directly at Crowley, and although he couldn’t see his eyes, he imagined them wide with excitement. Crowley frowned, trying to work out what…

“Contacts…” Aziraphale said. “I’m not sure ones exist yet that could cover this up, but surely with a miracle or two, I could…” Aziraphale said.

Oh no. Crowley shook his head. He pushed the tray of sushi a little closer in the hopes of distracting the angel. “Not a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Too risky. Trust me on this.”

“Surely I could try it. Maybe it wouldn’t work, and yes, that would be disappointing, but what if it did? Can you imagine?”

He could. Of course he could. He had a great imagination, but that meant that not long could he imagine it working, he also had a good idea of the ways that it could go wrong.

“Do you know much about makeup, angel?” he asked.

Aziraphale frowned. “Of course I know that it exists, and its basic function. I’ve even used it myself on occasion. Well… several occasions.  Why?”

“Back in the 50s, the makeup industry came up with this new stuff they called ‘concealer’, he said. “It’s meant for covering up spots, bags in there the eyes, stuff like that.”

“Yes, I do know what concealer is, Crowley, thank you.” Aziraphale snapped, then winced at the tone of his own voice.

Crowley shrugged. “I happened to be going to a party — not my kind of scene really, but it was a work thing — anyway, tattoos weren’t exactly acceptable in polite company back then, and ones on the face even less so.”

He touched the mark on the side of his face as he spoke. It wasn’t a tattoo, but humans tended to interpret it that way.

“So I thought maybe I’d try it out,” he continued. “And it worked great too. Well, until I developed an allergy to the stuff. I’m talking blisters, itching, burning. Half my face felt like it was on fire. It lasted weeks, too. Demons don’t get allergies; I never had one before, never had one since. Only thing I can think of is that demonic aspects don’t like to be covered up.”

“Surely…” Aziraphale began.

“Or maybe I’m wrong, and it’s just a coincidence. Or maybe some idiot at the makeup factory mixed holy water in with the batch and I got off lucky, don’t know, don’t care. All I know is I’m never doing it again, and you don’t take risks with eyes, angel.  I heard a rumour you like reading.”

Aziraphale looked down at his hands again.

“Nails aren’t alive, I didn’t think they’d be able to do much about it,” Crowley added. “Looks like I was right.”

The angel nodded.  He touched his carefully painted nails again, then sighed sadly and picked up his chopsticks.

Crowley bit his lip and watched at Aziraphale rested an elbow on the table and his head on his hand, and carefully picked up a piece of sushi with his chopsticks.  “Okay,” he said. “Perhaps the sunglasses will do.”

You can read the fic here, if you want to.

[70swonderpoisonstark]

Poison ( V )

Villain’s are people too, are they not? (Y/N) is taking the “home grown” terror title a little too seriously. You’re really really bad, until you meet a certain super soldier who makes you consider a career change. It’s a lengthy process, but you’re willing if it’s for the right reasons. Maybe you’re not so bad after all?

//basically poison ivy and a little bit of bane but with marvel characters?? I’d be original but I love her and them so much so sorry. also some changes, idk I’m making them my own but completely based of the DC characters SNS. Nickname Ivy, real name, yours duh!//

***this is my first attempt at fanfic so any feedback is welcome! I love all these characters dearly so, here goes nothing! Hope you enjoy***

A/N: Violence, language, crime. Friendly banter, lowest level of smut possible {I’ll update these as the chapters come out}

recap: you were drunk and heading to bed, your reputation with the Avengers seems to be doing better.———————————————————————————————————

Bucky was up before everybody else, nightmares tend to have that effect on a person, so he wandered the compound like he always did. He knew every corner, every step and every curve of the technologically advanced palace. Venturing out and admiring how far society had come in terms of architecture and technology, gazing at the large rustic clock that hung over the marble fireplace beneath it, wondering just how many parts made up such a huge clock. Were there as many parts in the clock as there were in his arm? He'd probably never know, but it was still enticing to think about. Bucky's favorite place though, was the glass walkway that connected the garage to the main part of the compound. He was thrilled by the idea of making a secured walkway out of something so easily broken as glass. The amount of light that always seemed to shine through always brought him a sense of serenity. The ability to be free, yet also confined to a safe and armoured area was just what his never resting mind needed. He looked through the windows, staring into the rising sun as it filled the rest of the earth with golden rays of warmth.

Once the sun has officially taken its place in the sky, he made his way back to the kitchen. The weirdly shaped plastic pod popped into the modern coffee pot as he waited for his mug to be filled with black coffee.

"You know, Sam's gonna kill ya for drinking out of his mug again." A sleepy Steve walked smoothly into the kitchen. His white shirt loose for the first time in history, shifting with his hips as he walked to a seat near the island.

"If he ever wakes up we'll talk about it." Bucky retorted as he tipped the glass to his lips. He looked at the clock about the oven, it was barely seven AM, and after a night of heavy drinking, Bucky was lucky to see anybody, especially Sam, before noon. The abnormal twists and contortions of Steve's body on the bar stool produced a very concerning vibe for Bucky. He could tell there was news to share, but a nagging voice in the back of his head lead him to believe it wasn't good news, at least for himself.

"Speaking of people who won't be up for a while," Steve began. "I might have spent a period of time with the newest team member." Steve wiggled his eyebrow suggestively, looking very pleased with himself. Bucky's hands clenched, subtly cracking the handle of Sam's mug. His body reacting before his mind could, metal parts whirred and tightened at the sound of Steve's words.

"What do you mean?" Bucky asked, trying to mask the anger in his voice with intrigue. He spoke calmly, trying his hardest to be friendly and supportive. It had been a while since Steve was this jazzed about a girl, but it felt wrong. Bucky wasn't interested, but imagining Steve with her wasn't something he wanted to think about, ever.

"Well, after everybody went to bed there was a loud noise from her room. I checked on her and she was just laying on the floor." Bucky heard the noise too. How stupid could he be? HE should have gone and checked on her, and all of this could have been avoided.

"I picked her up, slowly though because of her tendency to jump to her defenses. She laughed a lot, but I got her sitting up and she slurred a thanks to me. You know, I never noticed how normal she was until right then, the whole teams been trying to kill her before she kills them and there she was, drunk and sleepy just like everybody else." Bucky's ear were red hot, listening to Steve describe Ivy as if he just realized she was a human being, it made him nauseous. He knew Steve was coming from a good place but, how do you listen to your best friend gush over a murderer?

"Then she kissed me. It was shocking, but welcome. Buck, she's amazing. I don't think she'll remember because the kiss was short, but she did say lucky her, well, I think at least, she definitely said something that sounded like lucky. Isn't that great Buck?" NO. No. Nope. NO. DAMMIT BUCKY NO. How was he supposed to react to that? Shake his hand and congratulate him. She was evil, and, well, quite frankly a flirt and just not right for Steve.

"I don't know Steve, I think the two of you would cause a lot of trouble." Steve's giddy mood hitched suddenly and hard. Trouble? He's America's golden boy, what trouble could he possibly cause? Steve mind flashed back before the war, before the serum, to how all of Bucky and his night's used to go, resentment creeping into his mind.

"And why is that?" Steve crossed his arms and shifted his weight to his right leg, face twisted tightly as he awaited Bucky's response.

"You guys are both lawless, breaking rules you think are unjust. The two of you would be great, uh, but you need a nice girl Steve, and she's a little.." He didn't know how to end that sentence; seeing the look in Steve's eye, the anger, caused his brain to malfunction.

"She's a little what, Buck? More your type?" That hit Bucky a little harder than it was probably supposed to. Your type? As if murderous, lawless, rebels were his type all of a sudden.

"Wha- No, Steve that's not what I'm saying, she's just-" Steve's emotions took over the conversation as all rational thought had been thrown out the window. He fought with Bucky. As his best friend he should be happy for him, not lecturing him about finding a good girl. Old Bucky would have celebrated that a girl even talked to him, but no, new Bucky couldn't accept the fact that he was fair game now.

"No. Stop talking. You just can't handle that a woman might actually be interested in me instead of you, huh? It's just like old times, if she doesn't want you then something's wrong with her?" Steve's anger bubbled over to fury. Bucky had always had all the female attention, and now that Steve wasn't doing so bad himself Bucky was just going to gut him? That's not the Bucky he remembered.

"Steve, no. I'm not interested I just mean-" Flustered, Bucky tried to explain, he really did just want what's best for Steve.

"You know what, I'm done with this conversation. I wanted to talk to my best friend about a girl. Which is to much to ask for nowadays." He stormed out of the room, pissed off that Bucky wasn't happy for him. Sure, he might not know if he actually likes Ivy, or if it's just the allure of the potential threat that she is, but still, he kissed a girl, a girl kissed him. Bucky should've been happy for Steve, they're best friends, he couldn't have kept his bad opinions to himself this one time? Steve pouted all the way back to his room, so caught up in his emotional turmoil that he completely missed you walking out of your room and towards the kitchen.

You meant to smile at Steve, but he seemed down, and was hardly paying attention to his surroundings, so you avoided any contact. You were severely hungover, but all your time as an RN had really taken a toll on your body, so sleeping in was never an option. You solemnly walked your way towards the coffee pot, noticing Bucky at the last minute. He too seemed off, trouble in paradise probably. You left it alone, he normally avoided you anyways so you weren't going to go out of your way to say anything to the metal-armed hunk. You pulled your coffee cup away from the machine, adding just enough creamer and sugar to make it taste good, but not enough so that it wouldn't actually taste like coffee. The silence that filled the room was comfortable, then again you were used to most people being quiet around you, especially Bucky. As you traced the ring of your mug with your fingertip, something, a small tug in your brain was trying to remind you of something urgent. Looking up at Bucky for a split second, you heard the alarm inside your head, but couldn't figure out why you're inner fight or flight mode was being activated. Something happened, something including Bucky. Bucky. Bucky.. Nothing. Nothing came to mind as you racked your brain trying to remember this thing that's sounding alarm bells inside your head. You knew you'd been drunk, very drunk, but you'd remember sleeping with somebody. You definitely hadn't fought him, mostly because he was still alive(All the physical fighting's just for show, if you were attacked one touch and they'd be in a body bag). You hadn't walked in on anybody. What on earth did you do that was so terrible your cheeks were burning bright red? You contemplated every reason for you to possibly be embarrassed by and nothing. It wasn't until you saw him wipe excess coffee away from his sweet lips that you remembered everything.

You had tripped walking to the bathroom, you didn't have to pee or anything you just wanted to take your makeup off and brush your teeth. You were exhausted, and after falling so many times that night you just gave up, laying still to gain the courage to try to walk again when he came in. Broad, strong shoulders, and large biceps picking you up from the floor and setting you on your bed. A muffled, "Are you okay?" was heard through your drunk and sleepy haze. You knew who it was, who else would hear a small bump in the night and check it out?  The room was dark so you couldn't make out his features, but you knew, drunk you was sure of who it was. He asked a few more questions and helped you sit up straight, the two of you were already close, thighs touching as the two of you sat on your bed. You'd been crushing on him for so long, even before you became an Avenger-In-Training. He was everything you thought a man should be, a little broken, but with a huge heart and a dedication to do what was right, not what was legal. You couldn't help yourself, you just had to do it. You leaned in and kissed him right on the lips, hoping to God he would reciprocate the gesture, and to your surprise he did. He cupped his hand around your face, his rough calluses caressing your smooth cheek. "Bucky." You sighed, he was so incredible, you'd kept up with him since before the Avengers knew about him and had been fascinated ever since. He was strong, mentally and physically, but understands his trauma and how it affects his day to day life, and works through it. You'd never been so in love with a person you'd never met before, so when you finally did meet him, it was hard to stay a cold hearted bitch. He was so wonderful, you didn't want the kiss to stop, but refused to be the drunken lay of the Avengers compound and pulled away. A soft, "Goodnight." Was all that escaped your lips as he left your room.

Looking at him in the present light, sober, and completely off guard kicked you in the stomach. You tried to hide the embarrassment, attempting to keep the squirming to a minimum. You could feel him staring at you, he definitely remembered. Oh god how could you have been so irresponsible? Kissing a coworker after a couple bottles of alcohol? How stereotypical. You had to say something right? It's not like you could just sweep it under the rug? This was kind of a big deal.

"Hey, uh. Bucky." You started, could this be any more awkward? You were about to find out. "About last night, I-uh, I wanted to apologize for being so forward. I was really really drunk and I just kinda went for it without any notice on your behalf and if I made things between us worse then I'm really sorry and uh, we can forget about it all you want." Smooth Ivy, real smooth.

Bucky stood and stared at you for a while, trying to figure out what exactly you were talking about. He hadn't talked to you at all that night, he kept his distance and watched you from far away, and you definitely hadn't come and said anything to him after all that drinking. Bucky thought about what you could mean, knowing he wasn't drunk and had no clue as to what you were referencing, he figured he'd ask.

"I would love to accept your apology," Good, good okay so now you can just forget it right? "But I don't have any idea what you're talking about."

"You, you don't?" You were taken aback, was he drunk too? Maybe he didn't remember either? God were you going to have to say it out loud? How much more horrifying could this get?

"We, well I guess I, no we, well after I fell last night you came and helped me up from the floor, made sure I was good or whatever and then I... well.. you remember right?" Every muscle, blood vessel, and neuron in Bucky's body froze in their tracks. Was she about to say-

"Well I kissed you, and I was super drunk and I just wanted to apologize because you've made it clear you want nothing to do with me but yeah. I'm sorry we made out, uh, I was very drunk, and it won't happen again." You looked at a now stoic Bucky, was he angry? Oh god, you've really done it now.

"Uh, so yeah we don't ever have to speak about our kiss ever again, and I'm gonna go hide in shame, so thanks? I don't know, yeah, uh, bye, thanks." You grabbed your mug and headed straight for your room. What happened to cool and calm Ivy? What happened to kill a bitch Ivy? What the fuck IVY?! YOU DUMB BITCH IVY HOW WAS THAT SO AWKWARD FUCK. You grasped your coffee with both hands, silenting scream at yourself. You tried to stay positive, thinking, well. It can't get any worse than that. (Oh how wrong you were.)

Bucky stood frozen in the exact spot where you'd left him. Trying his hardest to process all the information that was just thrown at him. YOU thought it was HIM who kissed you last night? YOU thought YOU kissed HIM. YOU had, drunkenly, wanted to kiss HIM? But it was Steve, you kissed Steve? But you thought it was him? And now Steve was mad because he wasn't happy for him, but Ivy didn't think it was Steve at all, she thought it was HIM. SHE WHISPERED BUCKY! NOT LUCKY HER. Good god what was going on. How the fuck was he supposed to figure this one out on his own.

"Looks like you've got yourself a bit of a problem, huh?" Why? Why did God forsake him like this?

"Please tell me you didn't hear any of that." Bucky silently prayed that Sam hadn't heard a word, knowing that Steve had already shared the news with Sam, so Sam knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Oh, no. I heard all of it. You thought Steve was mad before, he's gonna kill you now." It was everything in Bucky not to slap the stupid smug grin off of Sam's face.  

"Don't. Say. A. Word. Deal?"

"Deal? I'm not getting anything out of that agreement, Bucko." Sam wasn't going to tell sweet old Steve any of it regardless, but he never missed a chance to piss Bucky off.

"I'll replace your mug?" Bucky wasn't the best at bargaining, he usually just punched the person, got what he needed, and went on his way.

"You were already going to do that." He was right, Bucky had accidentally broken a few of Sam's mugs and replaced them all, sometimes without him noticing.

"I'll leave you and Steve alone for 'bro-time' or whatever you call it?" Negotiations were easier when you could kill the person afterwards. Now he actually had to do what he said.

"Again, you already kinda do that." True, Bucky was never much of a 'large group' kind of guy, and sometimes more than Steve counted as a large group.

"Fine. $50?"

"My man, we are in business." A large slap landed on the back of Bucky's back as Sam chuckled at his big business deal. He was screwed. Steve was somehow already in love with you, and the moment that made Steve think you liked him too, you thought it was Bucky. The whole situation was giving Bucky a headache. There wasn't any way for him to casually bring it up to you or Steve, he'd just have to sit there and wait for the brutal reality to fall on them.

You were a wreck, he had just sat there the entire time and said nothing. You'd always thought he was different, sweet, just a little damaged by society just like you. The talks the two of you have had ((when he was slightly drugged but still)) were so deep and meaningful, and it's like he doesn't remember any of it now. Was it because you were within reach? Was he just falling back on old ways and your conversations didn't meant anything? Was he disgusted by you? With the devil and Angels on your shoulders yelling distracting you, you ran smack dab into the center of Steve very hard chest, collapsing at the impact.  

"Oh shoot, sorry Ivy I- I, uh, wasn't paying attention."  He was jumpier than normal, you noted subconsciously.

"No, no you're fine Steve I, wasn't paying attention either.  A lot going on, yanno?"

"Yeah, yeah I do." Steve had such a fondness in his heart for you. How sweet you ended up being once he you got past all that ice. He felt compelled to do something, he had to, right? After a night like that he had to do something to solidify the actions? Your smile was enough for him to gather the courage. He grabbed you by your waist and pulled you into a deep, passionate kiss. You were shocked at first, not wanting to react or kiss back, but the care radiating from his lips, and the general amazing feeling it gave you changed your mind. Not long after his surprising gesture, you had your arms wrapped around his neck , deepening the kiss as your tongues tangled in each others mouths. You felt hot, and wanted more, much more. You pulled down softly on his neck, his hands finding their way to your hips as he gently pushed you against the wall. His hand rests on your thigh, raising it to his own as the two of you exchanged silent, sloppy words. You broke the kiss, only to rest your lips along his neck, kissing softly as you felt his body tense, you were both hot, body's craving more as the loneliness hit you harder. You knew it was wrong, but for a moment his hands were cold enough to be mistaken for Bucky's. It felt so right, and then he grabbed you by your chin, twisting your head and returning the loving neck kisses. You couldn't deny how starved you were of attention, how much you needed somebody to touch and love you, how Steve was an opportunity to have a loving embrace. Your hands trailed their way from his chiseled chest to his cold belt buckle, lust devouring any rational thought that popped into your head. You were ready to give Captain America everything you were, and he was ready to receive it. Steve went to open the door to whatever room the two of you were in front of, when the whirring of metal made the two of you jump apart and run away very quickly. You walked into your room, cursing yourself for falling so easily into Steve. It was great, wonderful actually his lips on yours, his lips on your skin, but you wanted Bucky, you had to have Bucky, and now it just became even more complicated because you decided to think with what's between your legs instead of your head. Maybe he didn't think anything of it, he had been known to be very iffy with women so maybe you just weren't for him and he'd let you know next time he saw you. You weren't really his type anyways, he was a good guy, loved a blonde bombshell who volunteered and read to children and blah blah blah. He wasn't into you, you were a bad guy, past tense, but still he would never,  right?

Steve felt like he could fly, the embrace the two of you just shared solidified the fact that he wanted you, and vice versa. He was going to continue his plan to somehow get you to commit to him. He knew your history with men was deadly, but he wasn't about to let that stop him. You were stunning and beautiful, and funny. You lit his skin on fire, just a touch and he was ready tear whatever clothes you were wearing off immediately. He wanted you, mind, body and soul, and he wanted you bad.

Bucky had wanted to talk to you, to tell you that it wasn't him but he wished it had been. He wanted to say that he would love to talk to you more, he wanted to tell you how he felt weirdly connected to you. And then he walked upon you and Steve basically fucking in the hallway.

His heart dropped. Seeing you with him, he knew it happened the night before, but you had thought it was him. You definitely knew it was Steve this time. Did he drive you to this? Or did you only want Bucky to get to Steve? Had you apologized because you and Steve were already dating? Who came onto who? Bucky didn't know what to think, but seeing Steve's hands rummage so sloppily over your full hips and waist ignited a fury inside him he hadn't felt in a long time. Was this jealousy? He couldn't remember what it felt like to be jealous but this was definitely what he thought it felt like. He was pissed, not only at Steve but also himself for not saying anything when you came to him. He could've said so many things that would have prevented that explicit scene in the hallway, but instead he remained speechless, silenced like always. It wouldn't happen again, he couldn't, WOULD NOT, let Steve have you. He could have any girl he wanted, you were his. And after 70 years of being deprived of needs, he would have you to himself. Someway, somehow, he knew he would, even if he had to dip back into his HYDRA roots he would find a way for you to love him, you were a villain after all.

———————————————————————————————————

// sorry for the wait, a girls been kept busy. Hope the chapter turned out well, and thank the lord for the wonderful @lunathepettuna for being the cure to writer's block! Check out her amazing writing if you get a chance! If anybody has anything they’d like to see lemme know! Thanks again! P.S. if you guys want to throw random vocab words at me I’ll try and find a way to incorporate them and tag you! Thanks for reading! May Odin bless you! //

[thephantomofthe-internet]

Pernicies (Eros p.t. 11)

Billy Hargrove x Reader, Jonathan Byers x Reader (Unrequited)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16

Word count: 3314

Warnings: swearing, drinking, sadness

Author’s Note: I’m having way too much fun with this, that is all

Permanent Tag: @hotstuffhargrove @denimjacketkisses @steveharringtonofficial @flamehairedwritings @flamehairedwritings @nistaposebno @hargroovin

Series Tag: @hargrovesgoldilocks @wtf-richarddd @sighsophiia @baebee35 @ijustwantahugfromtennant @rhyxn @wearemightyghosts @toriasaysso @random-stupid-stuffs @so-not-hotmess @warsintothestars @lilmissperfectlyimperfect @angellastor @aaliyonte @baileythepenguin @sleepyspacegal @kingbouji3 @abbyed

You and Billy didn’t speak until Vicki Matthews’ eighteenth birthday party, three weeks later. During that time, you divided your days equally between Jonathan and your friends. You spent more and more time at Barb’s grave, which gave your comfort and a sense of her still being with you. You imagined her ghost holding you as you wrote her silent letters in a journal you’d bought shortly before it was announced that she’d been killed by Hawkins Labs. It was a nice for two reasons-one, it was quiet, as cemeteries often are, and two, Billy didn’t know where it was, hell he didn’t even know about Barb, that was one area you kept private. Sitting in the silence each afternoon, in the bitter cold, you felt as though the plot was calm in an ever present storm. It was better than being home where everything felt like a wake, except the memorialized was still alive and haunting the halls. Here, you felt like you didn’t have to be strong all the time, if you needed to cry it was okay, there was no judgement. You didn’t believe in any one type of afterlife and ghosts weren’t exactly something you thought much about, but you knew her energy was there, holding you and keeping you company.

This was the longest you’d gone without talking to Billy. When you fought, which seemed to be often, you almost always made up. And Billy certainly had tried, he’d been haunting your locker and outside your classes for weeks, but every time you got close, he’d leave. It was almost a game of cat and mouse, except you weren’t chasing back. It seemed Billy couldn’t decide if he was the cat or the mouse, chasing and running wild. It was disconcerting, but you knew him too well. He wanted to apologize or at least talk, but his pride acted like a wall and he couldn’t pass by it. He needed you to come to him, to bypass his walls and make him feel he was in the right and his effort was noticed. But this time you couldn’t submit to his feeble vanity. He’d hurt you too much this time. He was a hypocrite and if he couldn’t admit to it, you wouldn’t force him to.

But just because you and Billy weren’t talking, didn’t mean Valerie stopped talking to you. In fact, it was the exact opposite-she wouldn’t leave you alone. Every day as you headed towards Stacy and Freddie, she’d grab your arm and try to force you over to her and Billy’s table. You knew this was for two reasons; one, she wanted you two to make up, and two, if you were there then she had an excuse to not let Billy feel her up over the meatloaf. Every single time you refused, stating the same reason:

“I’m not in the mood to be your pathetic third wheel.” You’d say, parroting Billy’s cruel word. Valerie would always come up with an apology and a cheap reassurance that you weren’t a third wheel, but you never listened.

Today, however, was different. As Valerie grabbed you to force you around and you tried to rip your arm away, crying out “Val, you know as well as I do that this isn’t going to happen.” She led you not to Billy’s now infinitely more empty table, but over to Carol and Tina and Vicki Matthews, who all seemed deep in plans.

“I’m not gonna make you sit with sad sack Hargrove, relax, I’m gonna let you in on the biggest secret of the year.” She said, forcing you onto the bench seat next to Tina as she squeezed in next to Vicki. “Even Jodie doesn’t know about this.” She said, as if to prove how secret this was.

Carol slid a sheet of portrait sized paper over to you, written on in purple and pink pen, bubble letters framing the title ‘Vicki’s super secret birthday bash’. Underneath was a rough map of Vicki’s house and the address.

“Intriguing, so what makes me so special that I get to know about this?” you asked, reading over the poorly drawn map, noting the exits and closed off rooms.

“We aren’t smart.” Vicki said simply, earning several slaps and hushes from her friends, silencing her.

“What Vicki means to say is that we need help planning this thing, we aren’t exactly planners.” Carol said, tapping the map.

“All we need is a swift backup plan, in case what happens at Val’s thing happens here.” Tina added with a shrug.

“So…you want to know how to not get the police called on you?” you asked, squinting at the map.

“No, Val got in so much shit with her parents when they came home, the house was a mess.” Carol replied smoothly.

“Oh, well that’s easy. Hand me a pen.” You said, earning grins from girls as they began their own planning.

By Wednesday morning, you’d sold all of Jonathan’s photos back to their owners for increasingly high rates based on their incriminating nature and by that night everything was set for the perfect party, complete with cleanup plan and a very strong backup plan for if the neighbours called the police on them. On Thursday, the invitations were handed out and Valerie was already trying to get you to come to her place to get ready, promising a ride there if you did. You declined the offer, only because it came with a hinted at addition of Billy. You promised you’d call her if you had any problems with getting ready, which she laughed off, declaring that if you could pull off your perm every day, you could handle dressing for a party. You didn’t tell her that you might not come at all.

Finding Jonathan nowadays was easy, generally he was seeking you out too. On Friday afternoon, with a flyer in hand, you waited for him in backstage as Kristy Swanson stumbled through her fifth attempt at Juliet’s balcony monologue. When he finally did arrive, he looked nervous, more so than usual.

“Hey…you whispered, pulling him into the darkest corner you could find, nodding to your stage manager, Robin, to turn a blind eye to the whole situation.

“Hey.” He returned, his lips connecting with the curve of your neck, pressing feather light kisses up your neck and over your jaw with the focus and determination of someone trying to become chess champion of the world.

“You coming to Vicki’s thing tonight?” you asked, your hands wrapping around him as you dragged your nails over his spine, making him either shiver or cringe.

“Haven’t decided yet…” he muttered into your hair, pushing your hips into his.

“You should, it’ll be fun.” You replied.

“Will Nance be there?” he asked, pulling away to look at you.

You shrugged “Maybe, I haven’t seen her much anymore. Not since the whole fallout with Steve again.” You replied.

Jonathan hummed. You both knew that Nancy got rejected by Steve for Vicki Matthews, a very embarrassing moment for all involved. You hadn’t discussed this with Nancy, nor with Jonathan as you didn’t know if it would be a good plan.

“I’ll be there.” He said and you rushed to hand him the flyer as your director finally called Kristy to stop and sent her offstage in a huff, which you’d need to protect her royal blue velour dress from, already having to sacrifice the headpiece to her wrath, watching her toss it to the ground.

“I gotta go, but I’ll see you there, okay?” you said, pressing a kiss to his stubbly cheek and rushing off to follow behind Kristy, snatching her hat off the floor and nodding to Robin to warn the other stage managers of her. You didn’t have the immediate luxury of waiting for his response, if she ruined that dress then your school would owe Haven Point’s professional theatre about eight hundred dollars in damages, money you knew the drama club didn’t have.

You ended up getting to leave rehearsal at eight thirty, due to Kristy’s lack of memorization skills and temper tantrums.  You managed to fix your hair in between scenes, thank god for the endless supply of hairspray in the makeup crew’s supply. Climbing into your car in the dark, you wished you lived closer to everything. You rushed home as fast as you could.

Getting ready was a hassle now that Valerie had a standard for you to hit. You threw on bright magenta dress you’d picked for its ruffled skirt and long sleeves, the only reason Valerie had even agreed to get it was the low back and the length of the skirt on you. You added to your makeup, choosing silver eye shadow and a moody purple lip. You rushed out the door before your father could stop you waving goodbye and climbing into your car, speeding to Vicki’s comfortable home, a safe distance between yours and Valerie’s.

The party was just starting to get interesting when you arrived, it had already been on for an hour, everyone who was there was drunk or getting there. The well plotted living room was crammed with drunken kids. The whole thing looked lively. You hadn’t seen Valerie or Billy yet, but that seemed like a good thing. Stacy and Freddie were having a heated conversation in a corner, seemingly both unhappy and horny. Vicki and Steve were dancing in the middle of the room, so sickeningly happy looking at them made you feel like you were getting a cavity. You were happy for both of them, Steve finally looked happy since his breakup with Nancy and word on the street said that he chose Vicki over her when given his second chance, a rare sign of growth for such a vapid boy. You were very happy with the idea of people watching for the whole night, you almost wish you had a camera to document the whole thing in all its debaucherous glory.

You hardly gotten one drink in you before Tina and Macy had grabbed onto you, pulling you into the living room again, crying over the thumping music “That hoe! Look at her!”

There stood Nancy and Jonathan in the middle of the room, kissing like actors did in the movies, slowly and softly with a sort of languid, gentle passion that burned like a warm fireplace on cold winter’s night.

Macy shoved a shot into your hand, turning to you with glazed over eyes and a face that looked to be sympathetic. “Fuck him, he’s a dickhead and she’s a whore, you can do so much better, my boyfriend has a single older brother I can tooootally set you up with-” she rambled and you nodded, taking the shot in a single gulp, your head snapping to follow the sound of screams of both terror and excitement. You found yourself pushing your way into the crowd and once close enough you saw two worrying things.

One, Billy was beyond pissed and stalking off towards to nearest exit.

And two, Valerie was sucking that tiny sophomore’s dick in the middle of Vicki’s party.

You had to go. You had to check on Billy. You rushed to follow him out.

He wasn’t quick on his feet, in fact he was insanely slow and off balance. He was definitely drunker than he’d like to admit and you were more than in the right to take away his keys. You wished that Tina hadn’t laughed of your idea of having a sober key master of  sorts to collect keys and not relinquish them to those too drunk to drive. Now you had to save his drunk ass.

“Y/N wait!” a voice called out behind you. For a second, you almost thought it was Valerie, trying to stop you or him or maybe both. But you knew the voice well enough to know that this was only going to end up being a distraction.

Nancy and Jonathan were chasing after you, both wearing anxious, guilty expressions. You stopped for them, waiting to hear whatever they had to say so you could get out.

“Y/N I am so sorry I didn’t mean to steal him away again and-” Nancy started, only to be immediately be cut off by Jonathan.

“And I’m sorry if I led you on I didn’t mean to I just-”

“I just really like Jonathan and-” Nancy started

“I just really like Nance.” and Jonathan finished. If it wasn’t so sickeningly sweet you’d think it was planned.

You looked from the pair of them and back to Billy, who was still humbling between the half finished beer in one hand and his keys in the pocket of his tight jeans. You grabbed them each by the hands, leaning in to smile at them.

“Look, I’m not upset, I knew you were into each other. Be happy, be together, you have my blessing or whatever. Mazel tov!” you said, letting them go and rushing off.

“But…” Nancy called, bewildered and very clearly uncomfortable.

“Mazel tov!” you waved, rushing to Billy. You got there just as he got the keys out of his pocket and you snatched them away.

“What the fuck…” Billy growled, dropping his drink to the ground and reaching out for his keys.

“Ah ah.” You said, pulling them quickly out of his reach “You’re not driving anywhere, not this drunk.”

“Y/N, back down.” He warned, his glare loose and sloppy instead of tough and hard as it usually was.

“Now, if you want to leave, I’m driving you. You can stay, if you want, but you’re not getting these back.” You jingled the keys in his face for emphasis before pocketing them.

“You’re not driving my car…” he muttered to the grass.

“Alright, then we can take mine, but I wouldn’t leave my car here if I was you. You know how bad Tommy wants to screw someone in the back of a sports car.” You reminded him, nodding towards his royal blue baby with its driver’s side window permanently rolled down.

Billy groaned, nodding softly “You’re right…” he admitted, heading towards the passenger side door. “If you get one scratch on Sheila I’m killing you.” He warned.

“You named your car Sheila?” You giggled, watching as he turned red; no sober man would ever admit their car’s name that loudly and you both knew it. Billy didn’t respond, only adding to the humour in the whole situation. You chose not to press him on the subject, climbing into the driver’s seat.

You’d only driven stick shift once, when your father had to physically hold your mother in the backseat when she’d tried to hurt herself again. That was over a year ago and you felt shaky on the controls, but now you’d made your bed so you had to lie in it. You turned on the ignition and put the car in gear, reversing out of Vicki’s street, shifting gears and pushing forward, trying your damndest to not grind the clutch into dust. Billy’s head had lulled against the seat, his eyes shut tightly into a permanent grimace.

“You know…” you tried “I’m really proud of you tonight, you didn’t even leave a mark on that kid, and I know you really wanted to.”

“Val wouldn’t like it…” Billy muttered, not bothering to try to hide his disdain.

“Yeah well I think Val got enough of what she wanted tonight.” You replied, turning off of Vicki’s street and down one of the main roads.

“She was just drunk…” Billy said, his grimace turning into a scowl and his head unconsciously turned to you, his eyes still shut tight.

You knit your brow “You don’t need to defend her, Bee.” You said, watching him from the rear view mirror.

“Yes I do…” he replied gruffly.

“No you don’t, Bill,” you sighed “She cheated on you, she did you wrong, you don’t have to defend her.”

“Yes I do.” He pressed, nearly growling.

“Why?” you demanded.

“Because I love her!” he cried, his eyes snapping open, wide and red. Only now it was obvious to you that he wasn’t angry, he was as close to heartbreak as he’d ever been in his whole life. “I love her and she loves me and I know that we’re gonna be fine.” He breathed, nodding as though you had said it.

And in that moment, you had two options, both of which would break his heart. You could tell him what you saw or what you felt he could understand. You chose the latter.

“You don’t love her.” You replied, keeping your eyes on the road. You couldn’t bear to look at his face. You knew that what you’d just said would hurt him, but it had to be said.

“Yes I do.” Billy said and without even looking at him, you knew he’d crossed his arms over his chest, his jaw clenched tight and teeth grinding.

“No, you don’t Bill.” You pressed, your voice softer and kinder than before.

“How the fuck do you know how I feel?” he snapped.

“If you loved her, you’d be there, handling this. You would’ve knocked out that stupid sophomore and dealt with the aftermath. You wouldn’t be sitting here with me.” You explained.

“You forced yourself into this! I wanted to go home, take a breather, and handle this later.” He cried “And since when do you know anything about being in love anyway?”

You huffed “I know about love.”

Billy rolled his eyes “Oh yeah sure, sure you know all about it. With your stories and your books and the creepy way you watch people! Newsflash, sweetheart, that isn’t understanding love, that’s being a pathetic creep and-” he was ranting, well more rambling drunkenly at you. But it still stung, like salt rubbed into an open wound.

You felt tears begin to well in your eyes and, if only to get him to shut up, if only to keep yourself from crying. “I’m in love with you, you absolute asshole! You stupid, short sighted, senseless, careless, awful man! I love you. So you don’t get to say shit.” You cried, pumping the brakes roughly and turning off the engine.

Billy laughed. No, laughed wasn’t the right word, he guffawed. He laughed like you were the funniest person on earth; it came deep from his stomach and echoed throughout the cramped space. You thought he couldn’t hurt you anymore more than he had thus far, you’d sworn he’d already torn your heart from your chest and stomped on it. But this was the final blow, the knockout punch to any of the belief he could ever reciprocate your feelings and the last shreds of your already torn apart confidence. You had been the most vulnerable you could be with him and he laughed. Hot tears began to slip down your cheeks and you were quick to brush them away as you pulled the keys from the ignition, pocketing them again.

“I fucking hate you. And now you’re stuck here. Come find your keys when you’re sober and less of an asshole, if you can ever figure that part out.” You snapped with the last of your unshaken breath before you forced the door open and then yourself out into the cold night air.

Billy watched you, gaping like a fish; he hadn’t thought you were serious. He thought this was some stupid joke that was laughable. But as he saw your spirit break and your ego fall away, he was hit all at once in the heart. You loved him and left him stuck far too big in the pit of emotional quicksand you’d left behind. As you marched off into the night, you left him stuck and stewing, a tornado in his mind ripping through his soul.

He was so fucked.

[lydiaandarry]

{5 Cartoons That Could Possibly Survive a Live Action TV Remake}

Hello there!

My name is Arabella but you can call me Arry, if it’s easier. I don’t know about you but I basically grew up on cartoons. And it seems to be a new craze in television history for cartoons to be remade into new adaptations for a new audience. It doesn’t surprise me that cartoons are the main source for this as they are noticeable. Recently, Riverdale and Sabrina: The Teenage Witch have been remade into CW Television Shows. And while I find Riverdale to not be that great of adaptation and murder of character. I have heard more nicer things about Sabrina: The Teenage Witch yet never watched it. Despite this and me thinking this television shows have not survived their live-action adaptations. I will be listing five cartoons that I think could survive a Live-Action Adaptation and I will explain my reasoning and how it may be done and also issues that may be concerning. Let’s invade this topic!

(Scooby Doo)

      My favorite cartoon of all time, Scooby Doo. I am nineteen years old and I have yet to grow out of Scooby Doo and probably never will. It is reaching its 50th year anniversary this year and is still a cult classic. We have had four (not including Daphne & Velma) live-action films that have featured Scooby Doo but we are talking about television shows here. I personally think that Scooby Doo could do better as a live-action television show because you can get multiple mysteries, more monsters and the characters will receive more development. You can also have guest star characters such as The Hex Girls. Yet I have my doubts due to how poorly Archie has been transformed with Riverdale. I feel like Scooby Doo will help avoid stereotypes and forced diverse tropes. As the gang is one of the most diverse group of characters ever. It would be extra amazing if they added in the 60’s-70’s fun charm that the cartoon had. And of course, kept it light-hearted and fun yet aiming it for more young adults and less-so teenagers and children. This will open doors. After watching Daphne & Velma, I do have concerns with forced diversity that may murder the characters as Daphne and Velma did not portray either character accurately. In the name of forcing female empowerment yet ignoring the female empowerment that is there. Fred is the brave, kind-hearted, hilarious and slightly clueless jock who is friends with everyone. Daphne is the fashion-motivated, kick-ass and clumsy popular girl whose greatest value is how quick she finds out things. Velma is the intelligent, sarcastic nerd who is an equal to Fred and fits in perfectly. Shaggy is the hippie who is hilarious, a scaredy cat and athletic who has yet to use more than 1% of his power. And Scooby Doo is the animal sidekick who has character development and has an actual snack named after him. It would make a great television show if done properly and written great.

(The Jetsons)

      I promise, these are not all Hanna-Barbera shows. Except that all of them could be made into wonderful adaptations. The Jetsons is about a futuristic family who live in 2062 that includes George Jetson, a hard-working father. His wife Jane who shops and takes care of the house. His oldest child and only daughter, Judy whose a teenage girl and slightly rebellious. And his youngest child and only son Elroy whose an intelligent kid. And their dog Astro and robot Rosie. Non-surprisingly, The Jetsons is actually outdated and nothing like the actual future. This adds a lot of fun aspects with mixing vintage and newly futuristic ideas. While introducing new concepts into the already existing plot. The Jetsons unfortunately was limited due to animation budget and short-running time with only two seasons that they weren’t able to expand the universe. I feel as if, a new revival of the show could potentially expand the universe and make the characters a bit more realistic. As they are your average futuristic family who can go through relatable issues while keeping with the theme. They could also embark on making Judy more fashion-forward and gifting us unique character designs for the character. As I know that Judy was my favorite character and definitely someone that I could relate to. And of course, keeping the 60’s charm and having more humor. Less dramatics for TV Remakes please! Embrace the humor. And sci-fi is definitely still selling in pop culture and with the graphics we have nowadays, The Jetsons would look absolutely stunning compared to what would have happened if they had perhaps made one in the past. Again, it all comes down to casting and writing. The real-life aesthetics of The Jetsons would be beautiful cinematography wise. It may seem a bit more impossible due to how high a budget would probably have to be to achieve most of the futuristic aspects like flying cars and in the air scenery. Yet the best thing to take advantage of with The Jetsons is how vintage the futuristic aspects are, they can really use a retro futuristic vibe. The Jetson’s futuristic isn’t on the same level as Star Wars or even typical Sci-fi. The effects do not need to be overly complicated as it is mostly dependant on vibe and charm. They could very much go for an Indie vibe where it could be made with a low budget. Choosing style and substance over realism and overdone effects.

(The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy)

     Hear me out, as this is a weird one. I grew up with The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy and I lowkey blame it for my dark sense of humor. Mandy was one of those unique characters whose clothes did not match her personality whatsoever. Billy was humorous with how stupid yet straightforward he was. And Grim is… I relate to Grim in my old age. This show was such a creative premise to young me that like I adored it. Of course, I loved all things creepy. But seeing that Billy and Mandy and the other young characters were only 9, it is a realization that it may be physically impossible to have a live-action show where the young actors could react in a way similar to let’s say Mandy and Nergal Jr. However after some consideration, I realized that as this will probably be a revamped version, that they could age up the characters. And we could see how Mandy, Billy and the rest have developed into older ages. This of course brings up a lot of new ideas and concepts, new plotlines, and new character developments. Aging them to be teenagers and even young adults can add a more mature theme while keeping the dark humor. It can be darker yet still keep the fun and theatrical side. As it would no longer be targeted to young children but more so, the audience who grew up with the show. Seeing how our childhood characters have grown up to be near our ages. This could bring up more conflicts, relationships, and dynamics. Especially because a popular ship is Mandy and Billy as they are older, so it would be interesting to see if that would come to screen and if they would be compatible being at least ten years older at most. And of course, the graphics would absolutely fantastic since we have ways to make CGI look realistic and would bring on the creep factor. And perhaps, they could even give Nergal Jr more of a character and more humorous scenes. It could survive a TV Remake in this sense because it would be more so, a sequel and they would be working on newer material and not trying to perfect older material which may come in handy with writing.

(Totally Spies)

     If anyone asked me what my three favorite girl-based cartoons were as a child, I would always respond with, “Powerpuff Girls, Bratz, and Totally Spies”. Totally Spies was my ultimate dream television show, they were my Charlie’s Angels before I discovered Charlie’s Angels. Even in my youth, they were relatable. And I don’t care what anyone says, Totally Spies was ahead of its time and very diverse. You had Clover, the fashion-forward girl with a sassy personality and although her flaw was being shallow, she usually always learned her lesson. Sam, the introverted and intelligent one of the group who figures things out quickly yet is too quick to trust others. Alex, the hilarious and tough one who has problems with being invisible. They were feminine and kick-ass and taught me that I shouldn’t be ashamed to be into clothes or hair or makeup as I could still kick ass. I think Totally Spies has the diversity that Hollywood is looking for as they will not have to force anything into the mix, it can be a relatable and humorous show about three girls who are best friends and spies. They can have awesome character designs, great dialog, and mix realistic issues into the fictional issues of being a teenage spy. While also showing girl power and how to handle evil people. While also bringing back former fashion trends, especially the 70’s that Totally Spies is known for. With cool costumes and cool gadgets. This would be a kick-ass show when given the right humor, writing, casting and charm. No one can prove to me otherwise.

(Daria)

    I am ending this on a rather tricky note as this television show really depends. With the other ones, they’re classics but changes can be made. Daria was ahead of its time and has relatable humor that even fits now. I remember discovering Daria when I was fifteen and going through a tough time and she really learnt to accept myself and my sense of humor. Now while Daria is being rebooted and I have lots of issues with the reboot before it has even come out like the fact it’s called “Daria & Jodie” when Jane Lane was a bigger character than Jodie yet they just ignore her because diversity. I do think if they were to reboot Daria properly, a live-action television show could be great. It will give a new element to the already great show. Of course, casting Daria would be rather hard as you need someone who can remain likeable yet still have a sarcastic aura. And Jane, the slightly more expressive witty best friend. And of course, Trent, the hot older brother of Jane who should have gotten with Daria! Daria is a great show for all ages, especially teenagers to young adults as it really shows the humor of common high school stereotypes. While keeping the complexity of each stereotype in its sense. A lot of Daria’s quotes still hit a string with me to this day. Especially the one where she is at college open-house and responds to the woman asking what goals she has, “My goal is to not wake up at 40 with the bitter realization that I’ve wasted my life on a job that I hate because I was forced to decide on a career in my teens”. That quote still stays by me as I am nineteen now and it’s like my life motto at the moment. And a live-action Daria could play off the nostalgia and have a lot of older watchers which will make it more money than a reboot that may destroy the characters for the sake of diversity. And forgets the true importance of Jodie. I would rather watch a live-action television show than a reboot cartoon as reboots never go well in cartoons.

    Well, that was five cartoons that I feel can survive a live-action remake and how they could. Keep in mind that everything you just read is my opinion and I am not asking Hollywood to look at my post and make all of these into live-action television shows. As the thought of that frightens me. Yet I feel like with the right cast and writers, it can be done. Thank you for reading my post. If you like my post, feel free to follow our Tumblr as I write posts on every Wednesday and Saturday similar to this one. And also feel free to like or reblog the post. I’ll see you on Wednesday! Peace out!  

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[wandernona]

Hi again!  

As I promised you long, long time ago, I am going to share you my story: experiences I went through during my very first work in Jakarta couple months ago. I took notes last time --just so you know, I am no longer working there but I think it might still be worth telling. Whether later you’ll get inspired or fall asleep, here you go.

Pic source via Google

I had notes taken in August 2017.. 

My very first job after graduation

Here I am landed in one media agency in the capital city of Indonesia. In the world that I’m living in, I was not familiar with the existence of ‘media agency’. And now I am working as a media planner. It started last September in 2016 when I came to one of this job-opening event held in Kuala Lumpur. I entered the room with my head full of thoughts of which table and company should I first come to. So I decided and came to this table. I then handed my CV as the person in charge during that day started to conduct the short interview session. It went well, except that I didn’t know how to answer what that company was about back then. But days after that, I got a call and informed that I got accepted to do the three-months internship with this agency.

 What an experience! I didn’t fear anything back then as soon as I introduced myself to everyone in the room. Everyone seemed pretty busy and still, I didn’t get any single clues of what might happen to me after that.  Days passed by as I went through all the responsibilities and job desk, I realized I didn’t prepare myself enough to enter this job. I never actually majored in marketing or advertising, and it had been ages since I use Ms. Excel. I thought I will learn a lot about digital marketing but what I did back then was nothing more than technical works such as chopping the newspaper every morning (that was how one the colleagues kept teasing me about to describe the ads tracking activity). Another thing was to bring the wasted paper into the paper shredder machines or sometimes just typing out the notes that I wrote down during the meeting session with random vendors.

 Aside from that, the job was pretty much related to media studies I learned at Universities. From all the confusion of those new things and deadline, works thrown with instruction but no guidance –I held myself back, inhaling, exhaling, and I came to the realization: Life before AND after University? They are two different things. I had no choice than to learn it by myself or ask people around whenever they’re not busy with work. Three months passed and slowly, it started to make sense to me, how the company evolves and how the work flows, and each of everyone’s responsibilities in the room. In my last day, I got this empty feeling of not learning much about digital marketing and advertising, but I must admit, it’s a new world to me and such a short of time to get to know it makes me feel like losing.

 Living in Jakarta for the first time

As I was still craving for the experiences, I decided to move out from Kuala Lumpur and apply to the same company, with its branch located in Jakarta. The feelings were still going on and off inside me, my brain couldn’t function enough the day I went to the office and met everyone. At that moment when I shake hands with them, I wasn’t so sure if this is what I actually want to do forever. But I know that I really want to learn and this company gives what I expect it from the start:  transfer of knowledge and connection. And it is something priceless and valuable. I mean, I could have just read all those books about advertising or any online references of media planning, but it never makes sense to me. I had to actually learn it by doing it.

 In my case right this time, I am currently not only experiencing my very first workplace after graduation, but also am trying on living in the new environment. New city: Living in Jakarta alone for the first time. Aside from the traffic jam that keeps giving me headache day by day, adjusting myself to surroundings never felt this exciting. With the friendly people around –greet and guided me in between their little free time of the works, I could feel the warmth around this new family of mine. I feel grateful.

 Working in beauty industry nowadays and #SocialMediaUse 

I used to think makeup is just one thing for women that need to cover their flaws, nothing more beyond that. I used to think we shouldn’t be bothered to talk much about it since beauty comes from the inside, remember? I was like: I bet there will not be much of things to say about makeup other than the variety of its colors and its function to colored the lips and cover the pimples. The thing that I didn’t know back then is, the beauty industry covers a lot of different topics. During the meeting, we always came up with the whole plan of how we promote and create awareness of the product existence to the market in so many ways I could never think of. It never occurred to me at first on how women think red lipstick can brighten their day, until I got involved in the team to create the idea itself and come up with a plan and strategy on how to plant it in the audience mind, by utilizing the social media and the influencers.

 The role of social media influencers are so much important for the industry, with their communication to their own audience is so impactful and beneficial. For some of them, especially the makeup artists and the beauticians, I think they have the potential to create their own economy in a world where improving your appearance never seems to hit a recession. Interesting, right? What comes to your mind when you watch those beauty gurus on You Tube? Was it simply just because they look pretty -it entertained you? That’s one enough reason where the makeup and beauty industry fill in that confusing gap and get something out of this phenomenon. Well, this is not breaking news, but I guess not many people out there are aware of this fact, especially when the outcome is: they eventually go to the department store and buy the product.

The beauty field is filled with many chances to meet and work with fascinating people. I can see that from the past month I experiencing working with client and all agencies, most of them that choose a career in beauty come from a creative and artistic background. Makeup, skincare, hair, nails, are all areas that promote the creative process, and sharing my ideas during the meeting with all of them, it really takes my creativity to a whole new level. Or at least I could say that, I get inspired –in so many ways.

I used to judge people that involves within the beauty industry and how insignificant are those things in life. When it actually takes such long time and big efforts to come up with one plan just to launch one single product. It takes more than one creative ways to use the social media as the platform to influence the target audience in the market. As it is bad enough to know that a lot of people nowadays spend most of their days going on Instagram and browsing random things on You Tube, it is a good opportunity for them to do business, even great to advertise themselves with the free platform provided online. This reminds me of the topic of final year project that I did last year, to get to know how young adult female perceive the content of those video blogs. Whether the industry wins the heart of the audience and succeed to make them buy the product, the very important fact is that how media platform becomes a powerful thing to influence and control the decision of the market. Powerful enough to create the perception and control the decision of the market. Again, this is not new information.

In the other words, I learnt social media at this company. I learnt digital marketing and how good I am with ppts + Ms Excel at this company. I learnt how to get work done at this company. And most importantly, I learnt how not to judge a book by its cover here. 

So, should I start Vlogging?

After a long day at work I stayed up late into the night pondering the question ‘what would I like to do in life?’ The concept of Key Opinion Leader (KOLs), those who performed online and attracting lots of viewers has been around for a while. It brought my attention since long time ago by seeing those influencers that promoting the best beauty product to the audience. I embraced the idea immediately and since this plan has always been in my bucket list –to be someone that can inspire others, I decided that I want to be an influencer too. One of the near future resolutions this year is one to build my own channel on YouTube. I’ve always wanted to be on the camera and telling story to others, so that people in anywhere and anytime get informed and inspired by the stories that I tell. The other things I need to do before I die is to publish my own book, and to travel around the world and completing my mission to visit all continents.

And evidently, as Indonesian internet advertising market is showing the stronger growth from time to time, I think it is very smart for all of us to actually produce something instead of only consuming, by using the free online platforms to express yourself, creating awareness and positive impact on those potential audiences, and better –to make money out of it. Coz, why not?

[igotviral-blog]

10 Secrets to Going Viral on Social Media

The growth of Social Media Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc. are considered the most influential nowadays. A great post with awesome content can go viral in a short period. Social Media platforms are one of the digital marketing tools that marketers, advertisers and influencer use in today's trend to communicate with their target audience. Thorough research is needed in creating a high-quality content that people would be interested to read, listen or watch and share on their feed to make it go viral.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay 

What are the mysteries behind this viral content that keeps showing up on your feed? Here are 10 secrets to going viral on social media.

1. Know your audience better

If you are a marketer, advertiser or a social media influencer you may have probably done some research and this one always shows up. At I Got Viral, knowing and understanding who our audience is very important. So how will you get to know them? Simple! Study them online or in real life. Search the internet, check on some of your competitors and get to know their content. Who are the most to engage in their post? Male or female? Teens, middle-aged, adults, seniors? What do you think are their behavior? Stuff like these is very helpful in understanding your audience. Or you can simply talk to one of your customers in real life, get to know what will make them engage and share your content online. Once you get familiar with them, it will be much easier for you to create a content and make it go viral.

2. Use the appropriate social media platform

Deciding on what suitable social media platform to use on your business all relies upon on the form of product or service you offer. The best thing to do is to focus on a few platforms where most of your target audiences interact, and engage.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

For example, if your product or service is something about fashion then I’d say go for Instagram or Facebook where you can post most of your amazing photos of your fashion items. Or if you’re a social media influencer that posts mostly videos then you’d go for Youtube and if you’re into some professional service then LinkedIn would be the best platform.

So in choosing the best platform to use, you also have to consider what type of platform your target audience would use, one more reason why you have to get to know them more.

3. Create a high-quality engaging content

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay 

Of course, you wanna make sure your content is unique, catchy and highly engaging. You don’t want to create a content with boring stuff that will make your target audience skip your post when they saw it on their feed. Just look at how much engagement a funny video or an intriguing image drives. Creating highly engaging content will help you increase your post’s shareability and make it go viral.

4. Make your content timeline for posting

It is also essential to know when the right time to post. If we go back to number 1, getting to know your target audience, make sure to study what time do they mostly go online. What time are they available to scroll on their phones and happen to drop by at your post? What is the peak time Facebook or Instagram is mostly used? Do your research because this is one strategic way to increase your social media exposure to your target audience.

5. Use the paid ads social media platforms offer

For small and start-up businesses, it is quite difficult to be discovered and go viral in an instant or in a short period of time so investing in paid ads is one way to boost your online visibility. Other ways you could use is creating promotional videos or post, giving out rewards to people who shares your post or you might consider teaming up with a social media influencer to share or tag you in one of their posts. Either way, make sure to boost your visibility.

6. Team up with Social Media Influencer

In today’s trend, most brands use social media influencers to get to their target audience. It will easily make them trust your brand too. For instance, DIY and tutorial videos are going viral every day so a makeup brand teams up with one of the most influential YouTubers to make a tutorial video on how to do a makeup routine using their brand. All the people who trust the influencer, have the same skin type as the influencer or have the same skin color will surely buy those products. Having a partnership with an influencer is an effective marketing strategy and has the ability to make your business go viral.

7. Use social media analytics to measure your engagement

As part of the digital marketing world, social media has its own analytic tools to gather the data and evaluate them. Therefore, it’s a tool where business owners or marketers use to study the engagement between their customers. It’s a part where you get to know them through the data they provided by liking, commenting or sharing. These tools will show you which posts got the most views, likes, comments or shares. It will also help you create a great contents and better marketing strategy.

8. Create a catchy Call to Action or CTA

A call to action or CTA is what makes your target audience decide on what to do next. It’s meant to attract or tempt your target audience to click on a link or button. Let’s say you have posted something on your wall and your audience reads it, so what they should do next? This is where the call to action goes in, it’s your way of telling them, “Go on click this link, Read More or Buy Me Now.” A successful CTA results in a conversion.

9. Be noticed by news pages, sites or magazines

Media is a very powerful tool for going viral. Making your business be included or at least be noticed in news articles or magazines page will greatly affect your audience trust and visibility. People will look up to you and will give more trust to your business.

10. Share other’s contents

Share posts of other people, may it be a post of an influencer related to your page that is funny or some random post you see that is going viral. This way, you have a share in making a post go viral. Sharing others content is like an encouragement that motivates them to share your content too. Engaging with your audience in such a beneficial way will increase the chances of your content going viral.

Creating an engaging post to make it go viral can be challenging but when done correctly can be rewarding. Make use of social media analytics to study deeper on how to create an effective engaging content that will go viral. Doing the right research is vital to every success but leaving it to experts is a huge edge. Check out the services we offer at I Got Viral and see how we can help you.

[sixthousandbees]

Mum took me out into town today! It was an intensely stressful experience. She came back from her holiday a fortnight ago all fired up for some reason about accepting me as trans, which is deeply unnerving, but thats because I keep forgetting that people don’t forget I exist simply because they can’t see me, (no matter how much I would like them too).

SO mum took me out to the largest town nearby that I also don’t know anybody at. (three “towns” nearby us: small, medium, big, 25,55,45 minutes away respectively. people know me at small and big, and as this was sensitive we went for medium). Brother gave me a money gift to buy some pretty clothes. 

On the one hand, its fantastic that family are so vehemently supportive and its good that I’ve finally made a tiny bit of progress towards it instead of just being afraid of the future. On the other hand, thats FUCKING TERRIFYING. I still completely struggle with the idea that people like me and want to do things for me. (I’ve been working on it, theres lots of evidence that shows that I’m not a terrible person and that their affection isn’t baseless. its.. not working very well.)

Saw a very pretty top with like some chain across the top, white with some dark squiggly patterning. I’ve no idea what size I am, and this was the first store we went into. I have no confidence in this, and I am fearful of ridicule. We didn’t buy it then. 

me and mum go off for coffee and visit some more stores, pick up a cool shirt from a charity shop for pittance that mums fine with either wearing or me stealing, to try and take off the pressure that I’m buying girly things for me. what a hangup guys truly a functional human being right here. 

Then we go makeup. !! nice. we were perusing foundation to hide the hated facial hair, and I was not a mess and holding up really well, but I wasn’t really prepared for human interaction about this thing I’m super super cagey and sensitive about. mum offers to ask for help looking for foundation instead of me. In order for me to get to a comfortable place to say things I have to shut things down, ((I’ll make a mental post about that after this.)) so I say ok.  she fucks it up as bad as I was fearing I would. like, her voice hitches like shes going to cry. she couldn’t say daughter, because I am still cagey and presenting as male as its easier and avoids pain. She couldn’t say trans because she thinks it might be offensive. (I don’t say trans either and I don’t know why.) so I take over super cool, “hi I need foundation to try and cover some of this” *gestures to face*. my hair is super dark. I always have shadow. The two ways of getting rid of shadow is to rip all the hairs out with tweezers, which gets me ingrowns and pain and removes many hours, or shaving so harshly to take the top several layers of skin. we got some foundation for me to try, and some eyeliner because why not. forgot other things like mascara and stuff. the foundation sort-of hides the shadow, but the other things the helper lady tried didn’t work either.

mixed results from the eyeliner. To start with I was nervous with poking eyes. stab. after that tho I did it good, much better than I was expecting my first try to be. (one green one charcoal) it made such a difference, face looks much more feminine. real nice. However when I saw it just now, 8 hours after I put it on in the dark with ill-formed hair, I was offended. I looked like a bad caricature. D:

oh I wore a pretty purple scarf all day and spoke with mum at length about stuff. lots of stuff I have no memory of, I’m pretty sure at least some of it was important tho, and will help her relate.

This got long, adding readmore. can’t remember why I decided to type this up. Progress? I’ll add the nonsense tag so I can find it later. fuckin stressful as fuck. ((I really really like to swear but I get that a lot of people don’t like swearing. I’ve used non swear words and people get offended by the tone. I do try not to nowadays))

I just remembered. the prompt was coz I remembered about that pretty top. As we were walking back to the car I reminded mum about the top, as I kinda wanted to buy it, but also FEAR. so in the end I said “lets just go and I’ll regret about it later.”

and I was right, I kinda regret it but I also completely understand why I did what I did and can’t really curse myself out on this one.