#like I’m sorry but these people lack critical thinking skills

[grahamcore]

truly don’t understand anyone of the opinion that oppenheimer is u.s. military propaganda the whole fucking point was that the international arms race has had, and will continue to have, dire consequences for humanity… oppenheimer and all the other scientists at los alamos were explicitly shown to be grappling with insurmountable feelings of remorse because of what they had done… i’m sorry where are we seeing war propaganda? just because a movie is ABOUT war does not mean that it PROMOTES war jfc

[electricbathsalt]

Things I want to talk about/touch upon/see people mention more but cannot compile individual coherent posts about:

1. The fact Pops’ daughter apparently had a “falling out” with Pops (over her marriage??) that caused her to completely abandon the yakuza and maybe also cut contact with Pops (the dude is suspicious guys)

2. The fact that in the Overhaul-LOV initial meeting, Chisaki had to have intentionally chosen not to kill Mr. Compress.

3. The idea that many of Chisaki’s thought processes at least partially stem from his time in AFO’s facility. And of course, Pops.

4. How much Chisaki seems to lack a proper reaction to any sort of pain (He was beat to a pulp by Mirio & Midoriya, exploded himself, & got his arms cut off and I’ve never heard him so much as yelp) while still complaining about how overhauling himself hurts?? Yet he doesn’t show it.

5. (Highway scene) How Chisaki only screamed once the realization he wouldn’t be able to ever wake up Pops sunk in (isn’t confirmed but. I’m convinced).

6. The fact that there’s absolutely no way Chisaki wasn’t negatively impacted by being raised in the Yakuza. It’s simply inherent.

7. The blatant disregard Pops had to have had for both Chisaki and Eri’s well-beings to have designated Chisaki as her caretaker.

8. The endless amounts of potential for Chisaki & Dabi/Touya dynamics post-war, platonic or otherwise. (Multiple fics with this premise in my WIPs, lol)

9. The fact Chisaki seems practically incapable of holding a grudge. Like, think about it; is there a character you can say Chisaki genuinely, wholeheartedly hates and wishes the worst upon. You know what—what IS his opinion on Shigaraki/the LOV these days??

10. Realizing that in the initial Overhaul-LOV meeting, Chisaki literally just tone-matched them. Look:

Mr Compress says all that, and then Chisaki later explains:

Which, once you break down what Mr Compress said/how he said it, and what Chisaki said/how he said it… blunt statement of facts. Mr Compress told Toga how faded out the Yakuza have become with no sugarcoating, and Chisaki took that and said. “Well. Yeah.” But then when Chisaki did the same thing (blunt but true & valid criticisms of the LOV/Shigaraki’s leading skills (bc let’s be real, he was an ass leader at the time in terms of actual planning and execution)), the LOV got pissed. He pointed out all the relevant flaws and mistakes in Shigaraki’s leadership and then said it’d be better if he was the leader because he actually has a plan, and they got pissed at the mere prospect of serving under somebody else. Do you realize how much the story would’ve been altered if the LOV didn’t decide to just start attacking Chisaki here?? 💀 Sorry I’m exceptionally passionate about this bc the fandom gaslit me for a while into believing Chisaki was the one starting shit here 😔 but then I read it (a long time after I'd watched it in the anime) and was like. "what. he didn't initiate literally any of this shit. and everything he's saying is true??"

There’s probably more I could add to this but it’s getting long enough lol.

[wardenparker]

Redbox Romance

Javi Gutierrez x plus size female reader Co-written with @absurdthirst​

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 11.9k Warnings: Food/alcohol consumption, cursing, some splashes of self-consciousness. Javi is an amazing kisser (no I do not take criticism), fingering, oral sex (f receiving), hair pulling, vaginal sex, protected sex (wrap it before you tap it), blink-and-you’ll-miss-it begging/praise. Summary: Bumping into a hot guy in line to rent a Redbox movie after work has never sounded like a better idea than when that guy is Javi G. Notes: Happy Spooktober everyone! We simply couldn’t do this big round of spooky season stories without including a movie night with Javi  🎃🧡🎬

Since he has had his entire world crumble, his perfectly controlled world shifted - Javi has realized how few friends he actually has. There is Nick of course, but he cannot call Nick over to watch a horror movie marathon. Not when he is trying to repair the damage he had done to his relationship with his ex-wife and daughter. Javi was sure that soon that they would reconcile, and Nick would be happier - something that his friend would be very proud of. The concept of going to the store is daunting but Javi has fallen in love with the Redbox location down the road from him at the local grocery store. He wants to buy junk food. All the things that are so bad for him, yet so delicious. Maybe even making cute treats - but his cooking skills are lacking - and watch movie after movie that are designed to scare and thrill him. Sighing, he grabs his keys and decides that he will do it alone, like most things he does now.

******

The line at this particular Redbox machine is always long. It’s in the front lobby of the grocery store right next to your work, though, and it has the best selection of horror movies of any machine in the city, so you wait. There’s only four people ahead of you so you tell yourself it won’t be that bad - fiddling in the pockets of your scrubs to pull out any scraps of paper from the day and toss them into the nearby trash can. Everybody else always has plans of Friday night, but you’re spending it curled up with some horror movies, and the frozen pizza and pint of ice cream that you’re going to pick out once you get inside the store. Maybe even some candy to sprinkle on your ice cream, because the patients you dealt with today sucked.

Three people ahead of him. Javi shuffles his feet slightly and looks around, wishing that he had someone to talk to, to share with. Gabriella hadn’t worked out— it wasn’t her fault. They just found they weren’t compatible like they had imagined. He’d tried dating but half the women he had talked to had flat out disbelieved his tale of how he ended up in the States. He sighs slightly and hums to himself, wondering if he could find a friends group online to be social with.

It was trying to sneak a peek of what the people in front of you were renting that did you in - losing your balance slightly from carrying your heavy tote bag in your shoulder and having the bag slip off and smack the man in front of you directly in the ass. Only to be startled by it and drop your bag, spilling things everywhere. If it were possible to actually melt like the Wicked Witch, you would be doing it right now – right now as you scramble to pick up your belongings, including the two large books that were making it so heavy in the first place. “Oh god, I’m so sorry!” You groan, hoping he isn’t too angry by the accidental accosting he’s just gotten. “I’m just…I’m clumsy. I’m really sorry.”

Javi turns in surprise, watching the purse spill – the only glance of the woman who is dropping down to her knees is fleeting but he thinks she might be lovely. Immediately, he bends down to help. “It’s okay.” He promises, hearing the mortification and distress in her voice. “I too am clumsy.” He chuckles, reaching for a pouch and scattered pens and assorted junk women always seem to carry.

“I didn’t mean t—” You look up, realizing that the man has bent down to help you, and completely deflate. He’s fucking gorgeous, because of course he is. This is LA. Sometimes you feel like the only token big girl in the entire city. It’s just models and actors and ridiculously attractive musicians as far as the eye can see. He’s probably famous, you think with a shake of your head. “I’m sorry. My bag slipped off my shoulder.”

He gives you a smile and nods. “It happens.” He looks down at the books in your hand. “Especially with such things.” He hands you the items he had collected and his hand cups your elbow as both of you start to straighten up. “Are you a student or do you carry books around always?”

“It’s research.” The explanation is immediate, but you cringe at yourself as soon as it comes out of your mouth. Just another pathetic Hollywood wannabe with a day job. That’s what your boss had said. “So, uh…I guess I always carry books.” You sweep the copy of Harold Schechter’s Hell’s Princess and the thick notebook back into your bag quickly.

“Research?” He looks back at the line as it shuffles forward and moves up before he turns back to you. “That I understand. I research a lot of things myself.”

“You do?” Unsure why he’s even still talking to you, you straighten up again and hoist your bag back into your shoulder, trying to smooth out your wrinkled scrubs and look presentable. He’s really…fuck he’s incredibly good looking. Tall and tan with wavy hair and big brown eyes and pouty lips that you just— don’t stare, don’t stare…

“Yes!” His eyes light up happily and he glances around. “I can only learn so much through movies and everything is different. I have to research everything.”

“What are you…researching? Or watching?” It’s like someone flipped a switch in him and turned him into a human puppy, excited to share and play and talk with whoever is around. And you’re more than happy to listen.

“I want to write a horror movie.” Javi confesses, knowing that most would find him ridiculous - even with the success of his collaboration with Nick. “I want to write the perfect thriller or slasher.”

“I’m writing a horror movie!” It’s probably a very weird thing to hear exclaimed in a supermarket anywhere but LA, but right now you’re enjoying the coincidence too much to care.

Javi’s eyes widen happily and he grins. “Really? What is it about? Tell me what your inspiration is.” It’s amazing to run into someone else that is writing even though it’s common in L.A.

“Have you ever heard of Belle Gunness?” Pulling Hell’s Princess from your bag again, you hold it out for him to flip through if he wants to. It’s probably unlikely that this sweet, incredibly handsome man is into true crime, but he asked, so you’re going to share. “She was a serial killer in Indiana the 19th century who lured countless men to her farm and murdered them. They say that the farmhouse was haunted for decades before she got there but I think her crimes started far before she arrived.” It’s not something most people would get excited about. You know that. But you have never been able to resist the oddities of history. “The crazy thing is that she was never caught, so we’ll never really know exactly how all these men and her children died. It’s just an absolutely fascinating character study.”

“Wow.” His eyes are dramatically wide as he takes the book and he starts thumbing through it. “That would be an interesting movie.” He is into it. “There are so few where a woman is the antagonist.”

“Gruesome, I know.” You laugh nervously, realizing that it isn’t exactly standard conversation for a complete stranger. “But like you said, there are so few female antagonists and her story is just that much more unbelievable because it’s true.”

“That would be awesome. Would you frame it as a haunting? Or someone continuing the killing spree?” He asks, curious about how you would tell the story. He's desperate to continue the conversation, and it's not just because you are interested in horror movies and are writing. You're pretty. He noticed that from the moment you looked up into his eyes, it captured him and he can't help but admire the soft features of your face and body.

“I almost feel like the haunting was sort of…fuel on the fire, if that makes sense. Negative influence powering someone who already had malicious intent. But I’m not sure how to frame that without it coming across as hokey, so I’m sort of blocked at the moment.” Shaking your head a little, you offer the incredibly handsome man a small smile and shrug before introducing yourself. “I probably should have started there. First name before favourite serial killer seems like better manners.”

Javi smiles, repeating your name and rolling his tongue over it. It's beautiful and fitting for such a charming woman. He takes your hand and gives you a small bow over your clasped hands. Maybe a little ostentatious for the line at a Redbox kiosk, but he likes the way your eyes flutter. "I am Javi." He introduces him. "Javi Gutierrez."

“It’s very nice to meet you.” The name rings a bell but you can’t quite place it, making you even more certain that you just stumbled onto some minor celebrity at the grocery store and are just too out of the loop to realize it. “So…what is your script about? Do you have ideas?”

"I have toyed with many ideas, but stick to none." He shakes his head at himself ruefully. "It is why I wish to rent some favorites. Acquire inspiration."

“Some of your favourites are here?” Motioning to the Redbox behind him alerts both of you to move up in line - Javi is now next up to the box.

He nods. “I have misplaced my copy of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari when I moved, and this box is said to have one.” It was why he had chosen this Redbox to go to tonight.

“That—” You tilt your head at him and smile at the coincidence, thinking how horribly disappointed you would have been to realize that the man in front of you had just rented the only copy of the movie you explicitly came to rent. “That’s why I’m here, too.”

"Oh." He knows there is only one copy of the movie, the box said that there was only one left. He debates giving it to you, but he selfishly wants to watch it again. "There is perhaps— if it’s not too forward ? Why do we not share the rental?" He asks. "You can join me and we can enjoy it together?" His tone is hopeful, suddenly believing this to be the best idea he has ever imagined.

Typically, this would be the moment where the red flag waves in your mind and you think about safety. You think about every abduction scenario in every true crime story you’ve ever read or heard. This doesn’t feel like that though, and while you know that’s the lamest excuse anyone has ever had for ignoring a normally dicey situation — when was the last time you made a new friend? An extremely handsome one, at that? You can definitely dignify this to yourself and still have a good time. “I was planning on getting pizza and curling up on my couch tonight,” you admit, feeling warmth in your cheeks and a little bit of nerves like you’re fifteen and getting asked to dance by the guy you like. “So why don’t I have something delivered for us? We could…it could be fun.” And that way if you end up dead by the end of the night, someone will have seen you at his place. There. Problem solved.

It's on the tip of his tongue to protest, to insist that he would be a good host and provide the food, when he realizes why you might want to have some part of planning tonight. Instead of arguing, he nods happily, throwing a look over his shoulder to make sure that the person in front of him wasn't done yet and then back at you. "That would be acceptable, if—" He jerks his head towards the grocery store, "you allow me to purchase the snacks and desserts that we can indulge in to go along with the movies?"

It’s such an innocent request - sweet, ironically - and you can feel the broad, smitten smile spread over your face. “I think we might need more than one movie,” you suggest with a soft laugh, seeing him light up with excitement.

"Exactly!" Javi exclaims, nearly bouncing on his toes and turning around to see that the man had finished his transaction and it's his turn at the kiosk. "Shall we pick out the makings of a movie marathon of horror?" He asks, motioning you to join him as he lifts the sunscreen.

“You’re not…a Nick Cage fan, are you?” Just because he’s in your top three doesn’t mean he’s everyone’s cup of tea, but the man makes a hell of a horror movie. “Mandy is an absolute masterpiece, if this machine has a copy left.”

"We don't need to rent it." Javi looks at you bashfully, almost admitting that he is friends with Nick, but you would never believe that. "I own all of Nick's movies and those were with me so they did not get lost."

“Seriously?” Your eyebrows wing up in surprise, but you won’t pretend to be anything less than excited. Bonding over a favourite actor is definitely the foundation for a friendship - or more. “Does that mean you like Color Out of Space, too? Because I swear I can never find anyone to watch it with me and it’s so damn good.”

"Completely underrated. " Javi rolls his eyes and shakes his head. "Nick was so in the zone. He said that he had really delved deep, wanting to harness the untapped potential." He grins. "He also smoked a lot of weed during production."

“Where did you find an interview with him? He never does press.” Waiting until the movie pops out of the machine and ends up in Javi’s pocket, you turn together to go into the grocery store. “I mean, I totally believe it. I’d believe if he did a hell of a lot more than just smoke pot making that movie.”

Javi bites his lip, not wanting to seem like he is bragging. Especially since he had given you that little factoid. "It was just pot." He hums in amusement. "But, uh, he told me." He admits, not wanting to make it into some big deal.

“You’ve met him?” The way your eyes widen is nearly comical considering where you live and work. It isn’t so unbelievable to just…run into a celebrity on a trip to the corner store.

"Yeah." Javi nods and gives a small shrug. "We – uh, we worked together on a project last year."

“Oh shit.” You shove your hands in the pockets of your scrubs as you walk beside him, feeling borderline mortified. You’re here fangirling and blabbering on about your little amateur project and he’s a real professional. “That—that’s awesome.”

"It was." He smiles at the thought of the last conversation the two of them. "I bet that if you were to pitch your movie idea to him, he would be interested." He says. "Nick loves the nuance of a good horror story."

"I wouldn't even know where to start." The shrug you give him is honest at least, as you pick up a basket to walk around with. "Medical receptionist by day, amateur writer by night. Emphasis on the amateur."

"I was an amateur until last year." Javi doesn't look down on you for that, grinning over at you before he steers you to the candy aisle. "We must get all the snacks we can possibly crave."

"How do you feel about sour candy?" You're practically already reaching for the bag of Sour Patch Xtreme as you ask, always loving that hit of tart sourness with your sweet ever since you were a kid. If you're going to do this - you're going to do it right.

"I have never had those, but I do love a sour punch straw." He nods, knowing that he will buy whatever you want to snack on during the movies. "Are they similar?"

"They have a pretty similar level of sour." The bag of sour sweets is added to the basket, and the fruity gummy candies give way to chocolate as the two of you walk further down the aisle.

"How do you feel about Reese’s Pieces?" He asks as he holds up a box of the candy. "I love chocolate and peanut butter and these are addictive!"

"Chocolate and peanut butter is the closest mortals get to divinity," you joke, nodding emphatically. "Better get two boxes."

"Two boxes it is." He happily dumps two boxes into the basket and grabs a shareable bag of peanut butter cups and holds them up with a grin. "Double the deliciousness."

"The next question is the most important." Strolling a little further down the aisle, a plethora of popcorn options are laid out in front of the two of you just waiting to make you salivate. "How do you like your popcorn?"

"There is only one answer." He declares with wide, serious eyes. "Buttered."

"Oh, thank god." Smirking at him, you break out into a giggle at the extreme seriousness of his expression. "I was going to have to come up with an excuse to get out of this if you picked up a bag of Skinny Pop." Not that the snack doesn't have its merits - but it has no place in a movie marathon.

"What is 'Skinny Pop'?" He asks, sneering slightly at the mere thought of something that sounds disgusting.

"No butter, no salt," you shrug, grabbing a box of movie theater style extra butter popcorn off the shelf. "No flavour, basically. And definitely no fun."

"So that will not be at our movie night." He decides, shaking his head in disbelief at how someone could enjoy that. "Tonight is about thrill, horror and indulgences."

"Drinks?" Indulgences sounds very good, but you won't let your mind get too carried away. Not when he hasn't indicated this is anything more than a spontaneous new friendship.

“We must.” Javi glances over at you. “I have wine and some sodas, but we can pick out other things.”

"Far be it from me to turn down wine and soda." The whole thing is spur of the moment and a little giddy, and you're sort of feeling like questioning it would be looking a gift horse in the mouth. Why not just go with the flow and enjoy it?

“Are we decided on pizza for our meal?” He asks, giving you a grin of excitement as he sees the plans falling into place almost naturally.

"Seems like the most appropriate, doesn't it?" Nothing in LA is ever quiet, and other customers bustle around the two of you as you linger in the aisle looking over the abundance of snacks available to you. "Pizza is the ultimate comfort and indulgence all at once."

He tilts his head and nods, agreeing completely. “Although you cannot have a comfortable night in your work clothes.” He tells you. “So you must go change into your most comfortable outfit.”

"Oh! Um..." Looking down at yourself, you realize you had completely forgotten that you were in your work clothes at all. "I guess...if you want to give me your address, I can drive over after I change? I just finished work...but I guess that's obvious."

He nods, knowing that it would make you feel more comfortable to be able to come and go as you please and to know where you were going. “Absolutely.” He pulls out his phone to show you his address since it would be easier for you to text yourself from it.

He lives in a very ritzy neighborhood; you notice that right away. It's one of those communities that you hear about movie stars living in, but you say nothing about how very different your situation is from his. It doesn't matter. Not for new friends having a movie night. Instead you just text his address to yourself from his phone and hand it back with a smile. "There. Now you have my number, too."

“Okay.” He brightens as he realizes this and paints a serious look on his face. “How do you feel about ice cream?”

"If we end up in a food coma, it will be totally worth it." You nod with authority, as if accepting a secret mission of some kind.

“Completely worth it.” He hums as the two of you walk towards the ice cream sections. “Are you a vanilla and toppings kind of girl or something specific?”

"I normally get a pint with stuff mixed in, or coffee ice cream with caramel syrup. Those are my two directions." Most girls would demure, or go straight for chocolate, but there's no need for that here. You've both been pretty in line with your preferences so far, so you're curious to see if he'll feel the same way about ice cream.

“Coffee ice cream?” He hums happily and nods. “Only if we add cookies to it as well.”

"That sounds amazing." It's practically a groan from your lips and you're nodding again immediately.

“Are you a chocolate chip kind of girl or Oreos?” He smirks, happy he could make your favorite indulgence a little sweeter. “Or both? Both is also a good option.”

"I mean, I think we have to try both." He's so fucking handsome when he lights up like that, it's distracting and makes your chest tighten just a tiny bit in the best way possible. "For science."

He would be completely solemn as he grabs the cookies from conveniently place display and places them in the basket along with a bottle of caramel and one of chocolate sauces. “For science.” He agrees, enjoying this shopping trip so much more than his normal ones,

"Do we need anything else?" At this point you're going to have enough junk food for a full day's worth of movies and you only have the night planned, but it's fun to just - as he said, indulge.

“I don’t think so.” Javi watches as you put the ice cream in the basket and grins. “Maybe some medicine for when our bellies ache.”

"I'll be very glad to have tomorrow off work." It elicits a laugh from you, flustering under the beaming sunshine of that grin of his.

“Fantastic!” The two of you make your way up to the front and Javi takes the basket from you, keeping his word that he will buy the snacks. “We will get scared and scream and eat ice cream!”

******

It's a little over an hour later when you pull up to the house halfway up the hill, its typical southern California architecture blending into the upscale neighborhood and palm trees lining the property to give it that picturesque attitude of tropical luxury. The convertible that you saw him pull out of the grocery store parking lot in is parked under the port beside the house and you pull your own little sedan up behind it before checking your reflection one more time in your rearview mirror. While you were home changing you let your roommate know your plans for the evening, gave her the address you were going to and Javi's full name and phone number all out of an abundance of safety. Now it's just you in your favourite jeans and sweatshirt wondering if you haven't made some kind of massive mistake. Are you remembering him as so much better than he really was? Were you imagining the little bit of light behind his eyes when he awkwardly offered you a brief hug before you parted in the parking lot? God you hope not. But the only way to find out is to go up to his door and ring that bell.

Javi's nervously checking everything when the doorbell rings. He'd flown back home and started getting ready for you to come over for the horror movie marathon. Wishing he had an assistant here to make things perfect like he used to have, he had been determined to give you the same kind of experience you would have gotten if he was back on the family compound in Majorca. Candy displayed in easy to reach dishes, he had decided that the popcorn was better popped when you got here, a bucket moved into the living room with ice and sodas available. and he'd doubled checked that the bathroom you could possibly use was clean - it had been a bitch learning how to clean one of those properly. (He had a completely new appreciation for putting the seat down now.) Throw pillows and blankets that the decorator had insisted on where arranged so that the two of you can sprawl out and get comfortable but he wishes he had a dedicated movie room again. Maybe the next house he buys although he knows he most likely won't.

As he walks to the door, he wonders if he's too casual, or not casual enough, shaking his head at himself because this wasn't a date but he was just as on edge as if it was one. Opening the door, he greets you with a smile. "You came."

“You sound surprised.” And it both relaxes and surprises you in your own right. Does he not know how magnetic he is? “I, uh…I almost stopped to pick up pizza on the way over, but we never discussed toppings.”

It might be pathetic the way that his shoulders relax, and he lets out a metaphorical breath he had been holding but he was surprised. "You might have changed your mind." He tries to play it off casually. "I am a strange man to you, and it could be seen as odd that I invited you over."

“My roommate knows where I am.” You tell him honestly, stepping inside when he shuffles aside to let you in. “Besides, people have the wrong idea about things that are odd. Odd makes life more interesting.”

He chuckles and closes the door, stepping beside you and smiling. "So now we can discuss those toppings and we can wait for the pizza before we start the movies? Allow for less distractions and get to know each other?"

“Lead the way.” His house is beautiful, well decorated and airy with high ceilings and fresh paint - but the tidied stacks of things here and there give the impression of what your mother would have called artistic messiness. As though at any moment the whole place might be consumed by a new obsession and the stacks of things created by his current obsession will tumble. Which is…sort of like your place, honestly.

He leads you through to the living room, the door and windows open to the back deck and a luxurious view of the hills beyond the sparkling glass. Sky gorgeous and bright hues of orange and pinks before the sun sets. "This is okay?" He asks, gesturing to the setup of the food and drinks he's amassed so far. He's even thrown things in that he's had on hand and the ice cream is still in the freezer but the bowls and scoop are set out on the kitchen island just steps away in the open living of the back of the house.

“Our very own private screening.” The living room sofa is big enough for three full grown adults to sprawl out on and the tv takes up most of the facing wall. Throw blankets and pillows dot the space carefully and a full stack of movies sit on the coffee table next to the one you had rented together. “It’s…” your face cracks into a grin as you pull out your phone to open your delivery app. “It’s perfect. Way more than okay.”

He's relieved, grinning as if you had just showered him with compliments. "Good." He motions for you to sit down, choose whatever spot makes you most comfortable. That is what he wants, for you to be comfortable.

“So what is Javi’s perfect pizza combination?” Dropping down on his couch is easy – every inch of it is plush and inviting and you pull your socked feet up under you for maximum comfort.

“What is yours?” The debate over pineapple on pizza here is endlessly fascinating to him and he wonders if you will bring it up.

“My favourite pizza is a little unorthodox.” Opening the list of specialty pies in the restaurant’s menu, you offer him your phone to let him read: barbecue sauce, pulled pork, red onion, sweet corn, and the dreaded debated topping, pineapple. “It’s totally okay if that doesn’t sound good to you,” you tell him, knowing that he might be one of the many people totally grossed out by pineapple on pizza.

His brow shoots up and he smirks. “I am willing to try this pizza.” He agrees. “I was wondering if you were a pineapple person or no.”

“I don’t like it with normal pizza sauce but it’s so good with all this barbecue stuff.” It only takes a few keystrokes to get dinner ordered, and you tuck your phone away again with a smile. “Next time we’ll get your favourite. Doesn’t matter what it is, I’ll try it.”

“I am simple.” He gives you an apologetic shrug. “Salami, peppers when I wish to have heartburn.”

“Simple and delicious.” For the life of you, you aren’t sure why you seem so sure that there will be a second time. Tonight could be awful and awkward and you might avoid that Redbox for the rest of your life just to make sure you never run into him again — but somehow you are just positive that that won’t be the case.

“Would you like a drink? A snack while we wait?” He scrubs his palms against the lounging pants he had change into and gives a small chuckle. “I guess I underdressed for tonight.” He had gone a little too casual since you are in jeans.

“I don’t think it’s possible to underdress to sit on the couch and watch a movie.” You assure him. The truth is that you hadn’t tossed on the pair of yoga pants that you usually lounge around the apartment in because you’re a bit self-conscious about showing of your - admittedly round - figure. When it’s just you and your also plus sized roommate at home, you don’t care. “You said comfy, so these are my comfiest jeans. That’s all.”

“Okay.” He doesn’t quite believe that but he won’t push the subject. “Either way, you are beautiful and I am lucky you joined me tonight.”

“I—” Beautiful? You can feel the pleased and slightly embarrassed warmth creeping up your chest and neck and you have to clear your throat a tiny bit. “Thank you. I-I’m lucky you invited me.”

“I have been wanting to have someone to watch horror movies with and fate placed you right in my path. And it’s very nice it is someone like you.” He grins and motions to the collection of movies. “This is what we have to choose from tonight.”

“I think we have to watch The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, don’t we?” Not that that will bother either of you. After all, it was your individual plan for the night.

"Of course. That should be first." He declares as he set the rented DVD on the coffee table apart from the other movies. "What else would you like to watch? I am open to all of them."

"You have an amazing collection." The stack of movies includes anything remotely spooky that Nick Cage has ever made, plus some classic slashers, groundbreaking pieces like The Exorcist and both versions of Suspiria, and more obscure choices like Let's Scare Jessica to Death. "Oh, I looove Suspiria." It's been ages since you've seen the original - streaming services tending to carry the remake these days. "Dario Argento is an absolute genius."

"I agree completely." Javi grins, quickly adding it to the must watch side. "Let us choose one more - just in case." He doesn't not want you to stay past the time you are comfortable, but it has been a long time since he has indulged in a night of nothing but movies.

"What's your favourite slasher?" Something classic, something artistic, and something gory. That's the key to a horror trio, in your opinion.

"I have a guilty pleasure movie." Javi admits, rummaging in the pile of movies and pulling one that he had deliberately put at the bottom of the pile. "2006's Stay Alive is an underrated movie, although it is not a traditional slasher, so I do not think it counts."

"I've actually never seen it." You offer him an encouraging smile because you can tell he's a little embarrassed to like it, and put it in the to be watched stack. "Don't tell me anything about it. I want to be surprised."

His grin lights up his face and nods eagerly. "My lips are sealed." He promises happily.

"Fantastic." The candy and some drinks have been spread around the room, but you had spotted the box of popcorn in the kitchen on your way through the house. "The pizza will probably take an hour or so." You shrug. Both of you know how busy a Friday night in LA is for a pizza place and how bad traffic can be for a delivery driver. "How does a popcorn appetizer and a drink sound while we get the first movie started?"

"Do you want wine, or I do have some whiskey if you prefer?" He asks, motioning over to the very sophisticated bar that is in the corner of the room. "It does not have to be just sodas."

"Actually..." His place is clean, you feel comfortable, and most importantly your Spidey sense isn't tingling or sending you red flags, so you smile and offer him a little nod. "Wine sounds great."

He nods and quickly walks around the bar to open the wine fridge that is behind it. "I have a Cava from my own family vineyard if you like sparkling wine?" He offers, holding up a bottle. "It is one of my favorite years."

"Your family has its own vineyard?" Your eyebrows wing up in surprise. "That's...killer."

"It is in Spain." He gives you a small shrug as if it is not a big deal. "Majorca."

"Which is even cooler." He downplays it as though he isn't proud, but he would not have even mentioned the vintage if some part of him didn't want you to know. It's the getting to know you phase of things and that's always entertaining. "The coolest thing my family ever owned was a camper."

"There is nothing wrong with a camper." He argues. "You can take it with you and have adventures."

"Well sure," you shrug, watching him carelessly pop the cork from the bottle like he's done it once a week since he was old enough to lift one. "But it would be a lot cooler to take the camper to a vineyard and camp out in the valley."

"Or maybe a tent." He hums. "One of those that are large and have a house set up in them. With the large bed and fairy lights strung overhead while you drink around a fire in vineyard?"

"That sounds absolutely dreamy." Glamping, your mom would call it, turning up her nose at it even while she used every inch of the kitchenette in the camper just like she was making dinner at home. "Like the perfect weekend getaway. Camping and drinking and snuggles. I love it."

"Have you ever done that?" He asks, wondering if you have a boyfriend suddenly. He doesn't think so, surely you would have said something, but he has to ask.

"Weekend camping getaway?" He picks two glasses up from the top of the bar and carries everything over to the sofa while you shake your head. "No...I don't think I've been camping with anyone but my family ever. And it's been years since we did that together."

"You should." He shakes his head and thinks that it is an utter shame that you do not get to indulge in something you obviously love. "I have heard camping in the desert is lovely."

"It's dangerous to do alone." It's not like you've run into a lot of guys who share all of your indoor, nerdy hobbies and love camping as much as you do. It's a unique combination, and you don't really care for the idea of risking your safety by going alone.

“That is something that I have not tried yet, but I want to.” Javi was sheltered a lot and since he had come to the US, he wanted to do things that were unavailable to him before.

"You should." The glass he hands to you to bubbling and cheery and inviting, making the look of wistful longing on his face even more pronounced. "Sleeping under the stars and cooking over a campfire? It's fun." And romantic, but you hesitate to point that out at the moment.

"I will have to find someone to knows how to do it." He wants to ask if you would show him, but that is entirely presumptuous for a movie night between people getting know each other. "Show me the ropes as you say."

"I hope you find just the right person." This would be so much easier if you had any idea whether or not he was flirting...

He bites his lip, slightly disappointed that you did not offer but he cannot make you like him. Instead of moping, he taps the rim of his own wine glass to yours. "To making new friends and movie marathons."

"And being extremely clumsy in line at the Redbox." You have to laugh at yourself, seeing as how it ended up with such a fun night for both of you. The part of you that is normally shakingly self-conscious is a little quieter with him. You're just a little nervous instead of downright anxious, which is the way that meeting new people normally makes you feel. And that is a very big deal to you.

"It was my pleasure to be accosted by your purse." He teases, sending you a small wink before he takes a sip of his wine. "It is not every day a gorgeous creature such as yourself runs into me." He tells you. "My very own rom-com meet cute."

If you hadn't just swallowed a sip of the delicious wine, you might be wearing it, completely floored by the compliment and wondering if it is possible for cheeks to become the temperature of lava instantly. "Believe me," you murmur, sure that you look as flustered as you feel. "The pleasure is all mine."

Javi wants to impress you, feeling very delighted in the way your eyes slide away shyly, like you were flustered. "Would you like to see my collection?" He asks you suddenly. "I have a lot of film memorabilia."

“Sure!” You have a few favourite recreated props and other pieces of your own. Enough to know that the pieces a person collects says a lot about them as a person. “Sounds like fun.”

Javi grins and motions you deeper into the house. "I had a better set up in Spain, but this is what I decided to bring with me when I— when I moved." He wants to go back and get more, but he has been nervous to, opening the door to the second bedroom and flipping on the light so you can step inside.

“Oh wow…” Stepping inside the room makes your eyes widen and your jaw slacken slightly, just taking in the sheer amount of actual real movie props on display in the large re-purposed bedroom. The built-in shelves are chock full of specifically Nick Cage-related items and you go from shocked to ear-to-ear grinning in an instant. “Oh, so you’re a Nick Cage fan,” you tease lightly, even though you immediately go over to inspect the chainsaw sitting on a table against the far wall. “Is this the actual prop chainsaw from Mandy??”

"Yes." Javi grins, catching the pure delight in your voice. "He was impressed with the collection too." He admits. "Although I still need to get my golden guns back from him."

“The golden guns?” When you whirl back around to look at him you’re in awe again. “How did you possibly get ahold of this stuff, Javi? You must be like the single most successful auction bidder of all time.”

He gives another shrug and looks around the room again, unsure of how to answer that. "I guess that anything is possible with enough money." He says finally before he looks back at you. "It is how I met Nick. I paid for him to come to my birthday two years ago."

“I—wow…” Of course you’ve heard of things like that, but never actually met anyone who did it. That kind of thing takes an insane amount of money. And usually an ego - the kind of person who believes they should get to possess the world just because they can buy it. Javi is definitely not like that. He’s sweet, and unassuming, and kind of seems like he didn’t want to even admit it at first. Maybe so you wouldn’t think less of him? “And then you worked together after that?” You can’t help the way your curious eyes roam around the room, zeroing in on the encased copy of the Declaration of Independence from National Treasure with the cipher encoded on the back. It’s cheesy, but you love those movies so much.

"I asked him if he would write a script with me." He admits, looking around proudly. "I think we will take home the Oscar this next year."

"Wait—" You're starting to feel like your head is spinning a little as the eerie feeling being sure that he must be famous somehow slides into place. The puzzle pieces that click in your head nearly make you squeak out loud when you look up at him again. "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent? That was your script?"

He tips his shoulders up again, self-conscious again and he wonders if you hated the movie. "Guilty." He admits, rushing over to a shelf and pulling out his working script. His and Nick's notes are scrawled through it and he holds it out to you, proud of his name emblazoned on the front.

"You don't understand..." Your fingertips barely touch the pages, like you're afraid it might burn you or release some kind of booby trap. "I love this movie. Like I went to see it five times in theaters and I took notes on the characterization because I thought it was so good. It's phenomenal, Javi." The way your chest tightens, realizing that this man in front of you is the genius behind one of your favourite new films, is fangirling and excitement and definitely a dose of attraction like you've never felt before. "You're an incredibly talented writer, and I—I'm sure any horror movie you write is going to blow the genre right out of the water."

He can't help but blush, flustering as he looks down at the script that he had pour his soul into. "T-thank you." He murmurs softly, touched that you would say such a kind thing to him. Even after reading the reviews, he still didn't believe the success of the film, but he gives all the credit for it to Nick and his brilliant performance.

"Seriously." The way he shies away is endearing, almost blustering. "If you don't win an Oscar, I'll protest the damn Academy myself."

He gives a small laugh, relaxing at your vehement claim and nods. "I might take you up on that if it comes to it."

"Cross my heart," you promise, warming at the smile that spreads across his face.

When the doorbell rings, Javi is disappointed to leave the room in order to go to the front door to collect dinner. Pouting slightly when you insist that you pay, he at least pulls out his wallet to tip the driver, something that he had learned was very important here in the states.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is only an hour long, the 1920 black and white classic being a perfect way to start the night as you both dig into the barbecue pizza and continue to savor the delicious cava that his family's vineyard produces. Things are a little more relaxed between you now, as you've started to get to know each other, and you feel like you're starting to get a clearer version of who this sweet, incredibly talented, and fairly nerdy man really is.

He is drawn to you. You are witty, incredibly knowledgeable and gorgeous. He feels himself starting to develop a crush on you, even as the movie plays and the two of you snack on the treats he had purchased. Enjoying the way that you laugh with your entire being and he wants to make sure that you continue to do that. Your eyes sparkle when you do and your smile is mesmerizing.

By the time Caligari is over and Suspiria is popped into the DVD player, you're pleasantly buzzing from the wine and pull one of the throw blankets off the back of the couch to drape over you as you start to crave that feeling of comfy-coziness that always comes with movie night. It lays over both you and Javi easily, almost putting you in a little cocoon together. He has inched closer to you, drawn to the spicy, floral scent of your perfume and needing the warmth of another body close by as he shivers slightly. His eyes move from the movie over to you and he bites his lip.

It’s a slightly sexier film, although that wasn’t at all why you recommended it, and you wonder if it has anything to do with the way Javi has shifted slightly beside you on the couch. Somehow, over the last hour or more, you’ve inched closer to each other And while you aren’t complaining in the least, it is definitely making you feel like there’s some kind of fire igniting in the place where your arms and sides are pressing lightly against each other. It’s intoxicating in a way that is completely different from the wine and far more distracting - a trick of your mind or wishful thinking making you sure you’ve caught him looking at you more than a few times tonight.

His breath catches slightly and can't deny that there is a sense of eroticism to this that has him thinking about other erotic things that nothing to do with the movie and everything to do with woman sitting beside him.

“Do you—um—” You swear you heard him gasp but you’re not sure why, and you glance over at Javi about halfway through the movie. “Are you enjoying it?”

"I am." Javi murmurs, leaning in more and inching just a little closer to you. "Are you? Anything to do to make it better?"

He’s barely a breath away when he leans in again, and you feel like you might catch on fire if he gets any closer - though you’re too fuzzy from the nearness to know if that’s a bad thing or not. “I mean…” You crack a grin, feeling your heart in your throat. “Did you have something in mind?”

"That is a...question." Javi nearly gulps as he wonders if you are waiting for him to make a move. "One that has several answers." He admits with a small grin.

It would only take the smallest movement to close the space between you, and your eyes flicker to his lips before you can stop yourself. "I—I think I'm very interested in those answers..."

There is his answer. Javi nods to himself, making up his mind as he stares at you softly. "You are?" He smirks slightly and reaches up to cup your cheek. When you nod, he leans in to kiss you in a burst of confidence.

When the moment of hesitation passes, it seems like you both internally toss up your hands. His arms are around you, you're pressing into his space, and the thread of tension that has finally snapped has both of you sighing into the kiss and letting it linger between you. His lips are soft and warm, drawing you in just as assuredly as his arms are around your body.

Javi groans against your lips, shuffling forward and needs to be closer to you. Wishing that he was lying next to you but that can be remedied, the tv and movie completely forgotten.

The only thought left in your head at this point is him - your hands finding purchase in his shirt before one slides up to the back of his neck and eventually ends up in his hair. Your kiss passed any version of innocent about thirty seconds ago and you don't give a single damn, especially not when you feel like tongue drag delicately along the seam of your lips and you open up to let him in without hesitation.

He moans as you let him in. Nothing mattering but the way you taste. He shuffles, pushing off the couch with his lips still locked to yours and moving so that he can climb onto the cushions beside you, his arms wrapping around your soft shoulders and pulling you to his chest. It all seems to happen in slow motion despite how eagerly you’re both grasp for each other. But within moments you’re laying side by side on the overly deep couch cushions, tangled up in each other’s arms with the entire rest of the world forgotten.

Javi slides his hand down your thick side, reaching for the cushion of your thigh and pulls it up, draping it over his hip so he can slide closer. Groaning when he feels the heat that is wonderfully trapped by your core radiating out while he slowly explores your mouth.

It really is the last thing you expected to happen tonight. Nothing could have been farther from your mind when you accepted his invitation. But now that you’re here it feels like it was meant to be. The tented front of his soft lounge pants hides nothing, letting you feel the heat and hardness of his excitement grinding into your core worth every roll of his hips. It’s stunning, and you moan into his kiss eagerly as you scramble to pull him impossibly closer.

He shudders when you drag him closer, happily going wherever you wanted him. A scream sounds from the tv but all he can think about is how you taste, breaking away from your lips so he can kiss down your heated skin.

“Javi—” As soon as he moves down your neck his name is dripping from your lips, a nearly ecstatic moan as you can practically feel him hardening between your legs.

“Beautiful.” He whispers against your skin. His teeth scrap over your pulse and he soothes it with his tongue. Sliding his hand up and down your thick thigh lovingly, he reaches back and slides his hand into the pocket of your jeans and grabs a large handful of your ass. “So fucking sexy.”

You whimper at that, drinking in his praise and rolling your hips up to meet his. “Want you so fucking bad,” you admit breathlessly, so wrapped up in him that you feel overwhelmed and elated all at once.

“You do?” Javi pulls back and gives you an almost surprised look. Half afraid that he had been caught up in the moment or that he was pushing too hard. “What do you want?”

“You.” Admittedly, you’re surprised that he’s surprised, but you’ve got enough self-esteem issues to not question it. “A-as much as you’re comfortable with.” Really, you have to laugh a little, but only a little. “I mean…I’m not opposed to sex in the first date…even if we didn’t really plan for it to be a date.”

“I wanted it to be.” He admits with a shy grin. “But I did not wish to make you uncomfortable.”

“I wanted it to be.” Reaching up, you brush an errant curl out of his eyes. “But I didn’t think you were interested in me that way.”

“I am not blind.” He grunts, pouting at you and leaning in to kiss you again. “You are a very beautiful woman and I want to take you to bed.”

“Please.” You are in no way above begging, especially when a man this handsome is praising you and wanting you. It makes you want to give it back tenfold.

It is hard to pull himself away, but he does it knowing that he is going to be able to be much closer soon. Standing up and holding out his hand for you, wanting to help you off the sofa. “We will be more comfortable in a bed.”

He’s stronger than he looks. You notice that immediately when he helps you off the sofa with ease, and pulls you directly into him for another kiss that leaves you breathless. “Lead the way,” you murmur when you’re forced to come up for air.

He’s nervous as he guides you down the hall, past the memorabilia room towards the master bedroom of the house. It’s been a long time since he had been with someone besides Gabriella and he wasn’t sure if that was in his favor.

Maybe you recognize that he's nervous because you've felt that way so many times before, or maybe you recognize it because you're also feeling it in this exact moment. Either way, when you reach for his hand just inside the doorway of his bedroom, you offer him a soft smile of assurance. "I'm nervous too. Don't worry about it."

“You should not be worried.” Javi frowns slightly. “You are gorgeous. Men must hit on you all the time.”

"Never." When you laugh it isn't exactly self-deprecating, just matter-of-fact. "I think you're the first man I've been alone with in...nearly a year?" You shrug, lacing your fingers through his in that same steady, supportive way. "You, though? Gorgeous, sweet, funny, and clever? I don't know how you're possibly single." And then you smirk at him, and wink, teasing to hopefully lighten the mood. Because he's too genuine of a man for you to believe he would lie about something big like that. "You are single, right?"

“Very much single.” He promises, although he would like that to change. “I have been used to people caring about me because of my name, my money.” He admits with a small shrug. “The last woman I was with could not handle wanting to put aside those things.”

"Then she wasn't good enough for you." There's a certainty in your voice - a surety - that you genuinely believe what you're saying. Money and fame aren't things you give a shit about, which makes you something of a unicorn in LA. "But all the better for me. Since I'm the one with you now."

He gives you a grin and a small wink. “That depends on how I perform.” He reminds you with a chuckle.

"If you fuck as well as you kiss, I don't think we have anything to worry about." Even if he fucks half as well as he kisses, you'll be in heaven. The man makes kissing seem like the most passionate indulgence on earth and you're pretty much living for it.

There is a slight ruddiness to his cheeks but he doesn’t shy away. Instead he reaches for your hips and pulls you closer. “There is only one way to find out.” He murmurs softly.

From there it's almost a blur getting to the bed, clothes being tossed aside as hands and lips caress every inch of skin as it is exposed. A flurry of grasping hands and needy kisses until the backs of your legs hit against his bedframe and you both go tumbling backward onto his mattress.

“Oh fuck.” Your softness is exquisite, and Javi pushes you into his bed as he clambers on top of you.

Somehow you knew his bed would be soft and luxurious, and the solid weight of him on top of you has you pressed into the mattress so he seems to fully surround you. Your knees part to make room for him in the cradle of your thighs, and every inch of you is on fire with wanting him. There are no barriers left - not a stitch of clothing - and you swear it might be the first time ever that you haven't immediately wanted to hide from sight when you were first bare for a new partner. Something about him just makes you feel safe, in a way you can't say you've ever felt before.

“You are so beautiful.” Javi gushes, his cock hard and leaking against your pillowy hip and he cannot help but rock himself into your skin, luxuriating in the warmth. “Gorgeous, a goddess to be worshiped.”

"We have all the time in the world." As badly as your body might be screaming to cut to the chase, aching for him to be inside you, the time to explore is something you won't take for granted. Maybe it will never happen again. Maybe this is just a one-time thing. If it is, you want as many beautiful memories of him as you can possibly get.

“I want to make you feel good.” He shuffles back to his knees, drinking in the sight of your body spread out for him and he cannot stop stroking your thighs. “What do you want, preciosa?”

Even just a few inches back he's out of your reach, and the impulse to reach for him - to wrap your fingers around his length and find out exactly what kind of pressure he likes with a fist around his cock - melts away to wondering if he's offering to do that. You lick your lips unconsciously, biting the lower one a second later as his large hands knead your thighs gently. "Would you..." You would never make him, but he did ask what you wanted. "Taste me?"

Javi groans in relief, happy that you have voiced your desire and nods eagerly. “Yes.” He practically pants as he leans in and presses his lips to yours. “I want to see how you respond to my fingers, to my tongue. Reenact Blue Valentine?”

It takes you a second to roll through your vague memory of the movie to figure out what scene he's talking about, but when you arrive at it, a smirk forms on your lips. "Do you like to have your hair pulled?"

He bites his lip and flashes you a slightly guilty look. “I don’t know.” He admits. “None of— no one has done that while I—” he breaks off the rest of the comment in embarrassment.

"Would you like to find out?" You won't push him to do anything that he doesn't want to, but you want to give him a chance to experience something new if he wants. And if you remember that scene in Blue Valentine correctly, there was a whole lot of hair pulling.

“Yes.” He doesn’t even hide how badly he wants to find out how it would feel. “Only if you want to though.”

"I definitely do." With gorgeous thick waves of hair like he has, you doubt you would have been able to resist.

You’ve given him permission, now all he has to do is move. Javi can’t until he leans back down again, stealing one last kiss before he starts to blaze a trail of kisses over your skin to his goal. Your head drops back onto the duvet the second you feel his breath on your core, his name a whimper from the back of your throat as you arch your back off the bed to try to get him to move closer to where you want him most.

There is a deliciousness to the way that you squirm towards him. It makes him feel greedy in ways he didn’t know he could. He starts slow, kissing the entrancing flesh over your womb and then both of your generous hips. In no way concerned with the rolls and folds he sees. Actually eager to explore.

Aware enough of yourself and your body to let your legs open wide for him. Leaning up on your elbows lets you watch the flex in his shoulders and the intense concentration on the parts of his face you can actually see when he isn't burying himself in your pussy. It's completely divine, drawing vocal moans and whimpers and gasps from your throat and making you so glad you talked it through so you don't have to hesitate for even a second before threading your fingers through the thick mass of hair on his head and giving a small but definitive tug with your nails scratching along his scalp.

The sensation of you pulling on his hair goes straight to his cock and he cannot help the loud moan that he sounds directly into your pussy. His hands sliding under your hips and wrapping around them before he dives deeper.

"Fuck!" It's like you found an Encouragement Button, and you repeat the action to see if you'll get as eager a reaction the second time. When he moans into you again you keen, loving the way the vibrations roll through your body and make you shiver.

He loves how vocal you are. Every sound you make is pushing him to make you give him more. Turning nearly craven for the praises that tumble from your lips and the sharp tugs on his hair. That he takes his time is both torturous and a virtue. Every stroke of his tongue is bringing you closer to your peak but not quickly - it's like he took your remark about having all the time in the world extremely literally. He is exploring every inch of you from the inside out, devouring you systematically, and you hope he never stops.

Javi slowly learns your body, his hands sliding up and down your thighs, caressing them as he licks into you. Taking brief pauses so he can kiss your inner thighs, right where they rub together before plunging back into your cunt like a favored dessert. Sweeter than all the candy still laying in his living room; he groans into you again.

The rambling, whimpering, begging mess you have become would probably make you a prime candidate for homemade porn but you can’t find a single ounce of restraint in yourself anymore. One hand flexes and pulls in Javi’s hair, tugging a little tighter as that familiar twisting in your belly starts to take over. Your legs tremble a little with the intensity of it, tensing at his ears and telling him you’re close before you can even gasp out the words.

You are so reactive to his tongue. Javi groans and doubles down on how eagerly he licks into you. Begging you to cum with every flick of his tongue. When you crest that peak you’re practically sobbing, your free hand tangled in the duvet and the one in his hair pulling tight the way you - and he - have learned that he likes. It makes you incredibly glad that you’re doing this at his place and not yours. Your roommate would be pounding on the wall and telling you to keep your ’oh gods’ to yourself. But when your thighs squeeze his ears just that much tighter and your back completely leaves the bed, that flood of cum makes you cry his name as loud as you please, and you don’t give a damn who hears it.

He can’t help but grind into the bed, needing the friction to relieve the aching want that is nearly at its breaking point. Unable to do anything but push you through your high, he moans into you as you soak his chin with the deliciously tangy flood of your cum.

“Holy fuck.” You can’t help giggling a little when you get your breath back, looking down at Javi and soothing your hand through his hair gently.

He grins, like a student receiving praise from a teacher or a man getting lavish praises from a lover, soaking it up and nuzzling into your touch. “You taste amazing.” He murmurs, ducking his head again to take another lazy lick.

"I'm glad you think so." That extra little shot of attention to your core makes you shiver. "You ready for more, querido?" The endearment slips from your lips easily when you look down at him, wondering who could possibly let this incredible man slip through their fingers and how grateful you are that they did.

“If you are.” He is aching to slide inside you, but if you are tired from your orgasm or have changed your mind, he will not protest. “What do you want?”

“You.” This time when you say it, it’s practically a moan. “Want you inside me, Javi, please.”

Javi nods, shuffling up to his knees and leaning over you so that he can reach for the nightstand. It’s been some time, but he wouldn’t be so irresponsible as to not have protection.

There's small amounts of shifting - pulling the duvet back and finding the comfortable nest of pillows at the top of his bed, wrapping up in each other for languid kisses, and finally resettling with Javi nestled between your thighs. Neither of you has the mind left for teasing, needing to feel how well you fit together.

The condom on, Javi braces his weight to one side - his right. Taking himself in hand, he strokes himself gently and groans when he presses up against your wet entrance. “Are you sure?” He looks earnestly into your eyes, elated that you are in his bed, but giving you one last chance to change your mind before he slides inside you.

"Absolutely." Your smile is as soft as your hands are when you cup his cheeks, thumbs dragging along the stubble on his jaw when you reach up to kiss him again. It's the surest you've been about anything in a long time, and that is surprisingly more reassuring than anything else.

He goes slow. His body suspended over yours, he fills you one slow inch at the time. In no rush as he stretches you out, his lips part against yours and a low moan is breathed into you as your walls grip him tight.

The moment of pause you both need to adjust to each other is only a pause. By your next breath you're shifting beneath him, raising your leg up to hitch high on his hip and let him sink a little deeper. Both of you groan deeply, messy and eager kisses interrupted only when he starts to move inside you.

Once he starts to move, he can think of nothing but the way you feel. Your walls pulsing around him and the soft cushion of your thighs and hips as he rocks into you. Panting out your name as he bottoms out again and again.

The rhythm takes over, hips rolling and breath mingling together slowly at first. The slow doesn't last long though, as both of you feel that same shuddering need for closeness that soon enough you have both hands above your head to brace yourself against hitting your head on his headboard as his pace ramps up to demanding. It's perfect. Both of your legs are wrapped around his waist as he pounds into your dripping cunt, tits bouncing with every thrust and encouraging praise falling from your lips in an endless ramble.

All Javi can do is grit his teeth, hissing between them at how tight you get. How obscene it sounds as his hips slap against your thighs and ass and your entire body takes the force of his increasingly hard thrusts. “Fuck.”

"So fucking good," you can feel yourself on the edge again, though the shaking in your thighs is as much from the way he's fucking you as it does with your impending orgasm. "Goddamn, baby, I'm gonna cum, fuck."

“Good.” Javi groans, your words just making him work that much harder. Sweat rolling down his face but he doesn’t pay it any attention, to lost in the way your walls are fluttering around him. “Cum baby, cum.”

It’s so easy to give in. To surrender to how fucking perfect he feels pounding you into mattress. You tense up under him, keening in pleasure and letting his name be the sound that falls from your lips as you fully come apart for him again. The only thing that could have been better would be if he had cum at the same time, but as you clench around him and draw him even deeper into your cunt you can feel how erratic his thrusts become.

He pants, a small whine the only sound he makes, his brow furrowed as he follows you into bliss. Gasping out your name as he stops thrusting, grinding deep into you as he can possibly get and pours himself into the condom in sheer relief.

“Fuck.” That small giggle touches your lips again, making you grin broadly against Javi’s shoulder as he holds himself over you. Just a little coaxing from you encourages him to let go and lay on top of you while he catches his breath, letting you ghost kisses across his face and shoulders and comb his hair from his face in the meantime.

He chuckles slightly, turning his head so he can press his lips to yours. He had anticipated renting a movie, coming home, and watching it by himself while he wished that he had someone beside him. Instead, he had literally run into you and was now more relaxed than he has probably ever been. “If this is how we act with horror movies, how will we be with romance?”

You grin at him, beaming in the afterglow of something so unexpected and beautiful. “There’s only one way to find out.”

His own grin matches your and he leans in to nuzzle your cheeks. “We can move the movie marathon into the bedroom and in the morning - I’ll treat you a brunch. If you want to spend the night and fall asleep watching movies with me.” He adds hopefully.

“Hmmm,” you pretend to think, leaving a kiss on the tip of his nose. “I think I’d like that a whole lot.”

“Good.” Javi flushes from both the kiss and the supreme corniness of his coming comment. “We can cuddle for safety.” He teases with a grin. “Have I mentioned I get scared very easy?”

"Don't worry." You tell him, when you finally stop giggling. "I'll protect you."

Javi grins and rolls off of you, pulling you with him so that you are sprawled on top of him, completely unconcerned with your weight. Actually enjoying the way you feel, grounding him and helping him feel like all of this is really real. “My heroine.”

______

Master Tags: @pixiedurango @chattychell @winter-fox-queen @lady-himbo @artsymaddie @princess76179 @paintballkid711 @missminkylove @pedrosbrat​ @ew-erin @sarahjkl82-blog @sharkbait77 @justanotherblonde23 @lv7867 @recklesswit @mylittlesenaar @f0rever15elf @gallowsjoker @steeevienicks @athalien @sherala007 @skvatnavle @thatpinkshirt @jaime1110 @girlimjusttryingtoreadfanfics @goodgriefitsawildworld @greeneyedblondie44 @katheriner1999 @littlemousedroid @churchill356 @ajathegreats-blog @hardc0rehaylz @beardsanddetectives @kirsteng42 @ladykatakuri @adancedivasmom      

My Masterlist!

[vincentpriceofficial]

ur post abt the vampires + making art YES SAY IT AGAIN to me personally the idea that “vampires can’t make good art” is so fundamentally flawed bc ok call me pretentious but i will now go down the rabbit hole of like. what is “good” art what is “bad” art what do those things even mean really. but aside from that are we really trying to argue that vampires fundamentally lack “humanity” and more essentially that some sort of “humanity” or “soul” or whatever is necessary to make “good” art ?? Think about what ur saying!! Louis’s relationship w photography did speak to me as a metaphor for his relationship to his “humanity” as that is one of his major struggles but crucially imo it has nothing 2 do w his actual “inherent” skills/creativity/ability; its all coming from his own head. like, the things that art critic says must be taken w a grain of salt for sooo many reasons lmao read the room. it’s not about any of what he says, it’s about Louis’s own insecurity. he’s impatient he’s eating his subjects etc. i think if anything Louis’s art may suffer because it is coming from a place of trying very hard to be something or perform something that he doesn’t quite believe in earnestly, deep down. again this is the vampire/human conflict he feels. Like, he wants to be of humanity so bad. but then he listens to people’s thoughts to determine when to take a picture. he can’t be of humanity bc he eats those people. Anyway. Sorry for ranting in yr inbox tldr this theory abt vampires being bad at art is I think a super flawed idea but the thing abt the photography IS inextricably linked to vampirism vs humanity but only bc that is Louis’s big conflict lol. like. of COURSE Louis of all ppl is focusing on all these reasons for why his photography must be bad.

Yeah no I agree also i can’t help but feel like if he stuck with it he might well have improved and found workarounds for the problems he was running into. Like it’s sort of a well known phenomenon at least in writing and drawing that when you first start being creative in a new medium you think everything you make is great because you’re excited about your ability to Make Something at all and the medium is new to you and you don’t have a very discerning eye yet. And as you continue working in that medium you’ll start to see flaws in your work and you’ll start to see that amateurishness of it and you’ll start to hate everything you do bc you’re actually becoming more well versed in the art form. And if you push through and continue to work on the skill and work on your weaknesses you will improve and start to like your own work again

I kind of feel like Louis hit that first “seeing flaws in your own work” thing and didn’t push through it partly bc like, plain and simple I think show Louis is every bit as chronically depressed as book Louis even if he hides it better and that makes it way harder to like, trust the process and keep working at something when it isn’t fun. And partly bc the person who told him his work wasn’t that good also told him that his real talent was in appraising and that fit with pre-existing notions he had about himself from his human life and his upbringing. So like A there was way more instant gratification dopamine hits from becoming an art dealer than becoming an artist himself and B he was like “yeah this makes perfect sense. Capital accumulation is what I’m good at it’s what I’ve always been good at”

[jujumin-translates]

[A3!] ★ Main Story | Act 14 - DREAM CATCHER | Episode 6 - Relaxation Research

Kazunari: Yes, yes… Ahh, I see~. Roger that. For now, I’ll make those revisions and send it back to you~...

Kazunari: Yes, goodbye.

*Beep*

Kazunari: Haahh…

Kazunari: (Another no-go~... I think that’s like the fifth time.)

Kazunari: (I knew things would be different from when I was a student, but all this criticism is starting to take a toll on my self-confidence~.)

Kazunari: (I know I went to art school and all, but that was for Japanese painting, so I’m basically entirely self-taught when it comes to design.)

Kazunari: (I feel like my lack of knowledge of the fundamentals is holding me back.)

Kazunari: (I’ve been able to make things work so far because the people who already know me well enough have asked me to do what I’m good at, but…)

Kazunari: (If I wanna be able to meet the wide range of expectations of a bigger client base, doing the same thing I’ve always done probably isn’t gonna work out.)

Kazunari: (Maybe I should seriously brush up on my design skills again~.)

Kazunari: Design… Course… Advanced…

Kazunari: (“Online Courses”, “Design Study Abroad”... There sure are a lot of ‘em~.)

*Door opens*

Muku: I’m home.

Kazunari: Welcome backsies~.

Muku: Ah, sorry, are you in the middle of work?

Kazunari: It’s all good. You’re home early today, Mukkun.

Muku: I think I’m going to go take a walk and look around Veludo Way.

Muku: I know some of the new theater troupes have been doing street acts there lately, so I thought it might be informative to watch some of them.

Kazunari: Gotcha~, I think I’ll tag along and take a little break then!

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Muku: There are new theater troupes all over the place.

Muku: Some of them focus on theatrical plays, some focus on dance or physical expression, some of them specialize in musicals…

Muku: And then there are some unusual ones, like a cross between cooking and theater, or a cross between muscle training and theater…

Kazunari: Maybe their aim is just to differentiate themselves from the other troupes, but regardless, there’s still a lotta unexpected and exciting things~.

Kasumi: Oh? Muku-kun and Kazunari-kun?

Muku: Hello!

Kazunari: You out shopping, Kasumiinu?

Kasumi: I am. I was just at the bookstore. Today’s the release date of “The Saintess is Omitted”. Do you read it too, Muku-kun?

Muku: Ah! That’s right, the release date was today! Of course, I read it!

Muku: I’ve been following the standard storyline of the saintess up to now, and it’s been really interesting to see the surprising turn of events that caused the tables to be turned completely.

Muku: And I really love the charm of heroines who are more hero-like!

Muku: I never would’ve imagined I’d forget about the release date… How did I forget about it…?

Muku: My memory’s as useless as eraser dust…

Kazunari: Things have been pretty hectic lately~. It’s not your fault.

Kasumi: Is the troupe doing okay? Things must be rough with the new Fleur Award and all.

Kazunari: We’re all working our hardest to come up with a plan~. Spring Troupe’s performance was a hit and our rank went up.

Muku: We’re a little anxious, but Summer Troupe is going to try our best too!

Kasumi: I see. I’m sure all of you in Summer Troupe will do just fine.

Kasumi: Ah, right. I have something I wanted to give you, Muku-kun.

Muku: ?

*Paper rustles*

Kasumi: This is a flyer for an upcoming play, and since the leading role is a prince, I couldn’t help but think of you, Muku-kun.

Kasumi: It’s a performance with a long history, and it’s performed at the National Theater with a different cast every year.

Kasumi: I know it might be none of my business, but I’m sure it’d be wonderful to see you standing at position zero as a prince up on such a big stage, Muku-kun.

Muku: B-But I’m not sure I’m capable of taking on a role as big as the lead in an outside performance yet…!

Kasumi: I don’t think that’s true at all. I think you’re definitely capable of being on a stage like that one.

Kazunari: You have tons of experience, Mukkun. Dontcha think that’s why Kasumiinu told you about it in the first place~?

Muku: T-Thank you very much. I feel a little more confident in myself when you put it like that.

Muku: I’ll try and look into the stage too.

Kasumi: Okay. Well then, bye.

*Kasumi walks away*

Muku: …

Muku: (“Audition Notice”, huh… I wonder if I can really stand on such a big stage like that too someday.)

Muku: (But right now…)

[ ⇠ Previous Part ] • [ Next Part ⇢ ]

[twoidiotwriters1]

'When the dove touches the smith, Almighty raises her myth And the curse of love releases By tearing earth into pieces'

Part Two of Daughter of Olympus

No Thoughts, Head Empty

Help! People Are Treating Me Like They're Supposed to and Now I'm Uncomfortable

I Use The Power of Friendship (Goes Wrong)

And I Said No, You Know, Like a Liar

Are Those Feelings? Get Them Away From Me!

I Can't Beat the Simping Allegations

I'm Gonna Wing It (Famous Lasts Words)

Somebody Sedate Me!

Sorry I Threatened to Kill You, It Will Happen Again

Are You Serious? Right in Front of My Salad?

Would I Stab My Brother for a Million Dollars? I Would Stab Him for Free

Weird Flex but Okay

'Not All Men' You're Right, My Brother Percy Would Never

Bonding With the Girls

Are We the Baddies?

I Hope Ya'll Were Paying Attention, 'Cause I'm Never Doing That Again

Am I Clinically Depressed or Is It Puberty?

Help Boy, I'm Craving Validation

The Son of Olympus

Turns Out My Brother Percy Would, a Little

Don't Forget to Hold Your Grudges, Ladies!

The Nonsense Has Escalated

You're Not Just Wrong, You're Stupid

I Use the Power of Love (Goes Wrong Too)

You Can't Spell Drama Without A-R-A

Ah Shit, Here We Go Again

I'm in My Critical-Thinking Era

I'm Mere Seconds Away From Violence

Emotionally Repressed by Day, Socially Inept by Night

What Are Thooose?

I Would Fight Myself if I Could

*Sobbing* I'm Fine!

Depression Isn't a Joke, but My Will to Live Sure Is

I Do It for the Plot

I Don't Have Any More Live Laugh Love Left in Me

There's a HORSE Loose in the HOSPITAL

I Am So Very Extremely Extraordinarily Normal Right Now

I Go through ✨Character Development✨

The Loneliness is Coming From Inside the House

Please Say Sike Right Now

Don't Worry, It's All Downhill From Here

At Peace With Myself but Now I Got Beef With the Rest of the World

Bombastic Sideye

Stupid Decisions Require Stupider Consequences

We Gaslight Gatekeep Girlboss Through

I Develop a Parasocial Relationship With the Voices

Turn Down the Gospel Music, the Demons Are Still Here

Self Care? Never Heard of Her!

No Thoughts Just Concerns

Wish I Lacked Critical Thinking Skills, Y'all Seem So Happy

I’m Currently Having the Worst Time of My Life, Thanks for Asking!

I Might Lay down and See if This Fixes Itself

Ask Me Again When I'm Mentally Stable

Wasting Away to Be Useful All the Time Ain't Paying Off, Methinks

I've Had a Vision (I'm Delusional)

Oh, the Horrors... They Love Me So

Not to Self-Diagnose or Anything but I Need a Nap

I Gotta Work a Lot Because Otherwise How Could I Afford Being Stupid?

I Wanna Go Home

Can You Pray Back Later? The Gods Are Busy Right Now

Back by Unpopular Demand: Me

I'm Being So Normal About This

Which Boss Do I Have to Fight to Get Some Validation Around Here?

Here's the playlist where I'll be adding all the songs I use for this fic -Danny

Last Update: June 7th, 2024 by Danny

[t00fumaple]

The State of Paimon

The Fontaine AC, Furina SQ, and Roses and Muskets event spoilers possibly, rant, so not really cohesive

Sorry for all the people who expected Paimon slander, that isn’t happening here. I am Paimon’s strongest defender, she is my daughter I would never say anything mean to her!

That said, I just want to kind of defend Paimon but also rant about how the writing team has wrote her recently, or perhaps that could be localization’s team fault. I would like whoever can understand what the original text was trying to get that out there.

If you guys have done Furina’s story quest, you would know how insensitive they wrote Paimon there for no reason.

(Screenshots courtesy of Streetwise Rhapsody on YT, thank you.)

Like this is really insensitive to Furina, but I can literally excuse it by the fact Paimon is like 4, she doesn’t fully understand the situation. Paimon never found out what Furina had to go through, also Paimon legit lacks the critical thinking skills to realize “ oh wow I should lay off “ without being told to do so.

In my opinion, Traveler is even worse. Even though they don’t comment on it as frequently as Paimon. They know, they’ve seen it. All the times Furina had to suffer for those hellish 500 years just to play a part. In some capacity they understood what happened to her, Paimon hasn’t. And yet, they still force her to try and act in a play when she would never feel comfortable with the fact.

Paimon was insensitive throughout the whole quest but it’s kind of weird for most of the fandom to only point fingers at her when Traveler does the exact same thing lol

Hell, Paimon even comments on it

Like I will admit, I don’t like how they portrayed her in this quest, nor the Traveler. Especially since Furina shot up to one of my favorite characters since 4.2 dropped.

I think this quest is kind of held back by the fact they had to force Furina to be put into the position of a director, which would explain why the Traveler and Paimon are so mean to her, why they wrote them like that? Who actually knows.

Though recently in the new event, Furina has bit back now and you can see that Paimon is starting to become a little kinder to her than before. Hell they even pose together. Which hopefully means that we won’t get anymore Paimon insensitive moments.

Another character I want to mention that Paimon is especially disrespectful for, and gets mentioned a lot in how Paimon is the worst and she should be banned from this character.

Wanderer, Scaramouche, Kabukimono, bro has like 20 names and yet still goes by none of them.

To be honest, I really don’t get why people bring this guy up on how Paimon shouldn’t be as rude to him as others. Which like, it makes sense

Even after he erased himself, I’m like 99% sure Paimon is still aware that he’s tried killing the Traveler multiple times.

Paimon has every right to be mean to this guy since the Traveler are the only constant in Paimon’s life. They are her whole world, they are practically her parent at this point.

I genuinely can see from Paimon’s POV that she has no reason to feel bad for Wanderer. Even in the scene where she tells him to hurry up on his remembering shit.

To be honest, hella based Paimon at that moment. Like it’s one of the worst things to do, really insensitive but I can forgive it because the Traveler was about to die protecting his ass, also mind you, she is a toddler. My only problem is that like, it feels really out of place.

Don’t get me wrong, Wanderer is great, I love him, he’s actually amazing. But it’s good to understand that Paimon has every right to be disrespectful to him, and to be honest, he would do the exact same thing to Paimon if that happened to her.

Now I will admit, these two instances of her being disrespectful is really terrible by her, and I really blame that mostly on the writing team.

I feel like it’s just weird that they seem to write her however they like? Her character hasn’t been that consistent, she can show a lot of empathy for some characters but absolutely shred other characters for no reason?

It’s sad to see since I adore Paimon, she’s amazing but it’s really tiring to see that they’ve kind of made her really annoying, when they could’ve kept her character consistent.

It’s really sad to see, and I really hope in the future they are able to just, write her better hopefully.

That’s really just all, Paimon is my beloved and its hard being a Paimon fan in this fandom since so many people dislike her 😔

I wanted to put my thoughts out there too, it’s okay if you hate Paimon!!! I can 100% understand but it’s really sad to see because most of that is because the writing is doing a terrible job at writing her.

Justice for Paimon

[cookieblobber]

Fast Friends Forever and it’s Fulfilling Step-Forward

So, the official Sonic accounts online posted a video dubbed what you see already in the image

At first glance, it’s just a little celebratory ad video collage of how Sonic has helped people make friends due to interests of the franchise and all. But when you fully realize the impact and implications this ad has just by this logo, it’s one of the most satisfying and vindicating moments in this franchise.

————————

One of the biggest issues this franchise has suffered was this total hatred of Sonic’s “stupid friends”. Ever since the jump to 3D, there was a bigger focus on Sonic’s friends; instead of just being run and jump characters who play like Sonic with a new ability to make traversal and platforming unique with them like in the classic games, they were given more unique playstyles way different from Sonic, at least in the Adventure games. Knuckles with his treasure hunting, Amy with her more slower paced platforming and hammer bashing, Tails who initially tagged along with Sonic’s gameplay started using a mech in SA2. In Heroes, they would be in groups of three like SA2, but they were taken a step back and playing more like the classic games where they act like Sonic running and jumping, but have more abilities to them that’s beneficial to whatever path requires their ability. You were able to swap members in a group around to choose whichever path you wanted. 06 kinda does a mix of both Adventure and Heroes - Tag Team gameplay like Sonic Heroes, but giving them back their more unique playstyles like Knuckles and Rouge doing treasure hunting, but still trying to not entirely change the gameplay to feel like it’s completely different from Sonic himself.

——————————

I don’t think I perfectly explained each game well but you get the gist, they used their friends a lot more often in 3D and made them a core part of the full experience; you couldn’t play as just Sonic anymore, you had to play as the other characters too. Understandably to some, this could get a bit annoying; having to constantly adjust to a brand new character every second, what a fucking skill issue but it could get disorienting, especially in games like SA2.

So, one would think the logical conclusion would be for Sonic Team to try and dial them back and make them more akin to the classic games where they had the same movements like Sonic, but had one or two abilities to make them unique enough that it feels like a new playthrough, maybe add in some paths only they could access that Sonic couldn’t, and not make it required where you have to play as those other characters mid-game to progress.

.

.

.

…unfortunately Sonic 06 crashed and burned and SEGA/Sonic Team scrambled to get things fixed by overcorrecting the problem.

When Sonic 06 failed, this was (as you can guess) a very critical breaking point in the franchise. All the issues people had with the franchise were being aired out left and right, some understandable critiques like how the game could ever be released in such a state, most being really awful ones, the whole “Sonic and his stupid friends” shtick was one of them as 06 made people think they were just useless trash who offered nothing to the games and only got in Sonic’s way. So they decided to just make Sonic and only Sonic playable going forward

It got to a point where they treated the lack of friends like it was a great thing to advertise for a 2D game that was supposed to be this return to form (Sonic 4).

I’m sorry to rant like a nerd for a second but, this was so stupid when you consider the fact the old days did the complete opposite of this.

Ever since Sonic 2, you met a new character who you’d be able to play as. Other Sonic media like shows or comics around that time involved Sonic having friends and allies along his side. Hell, ever since before Sonic fucking 1 was ever fully conceptualized, the idea of Sonic having friends and even a girlfriend was on the devs’ minds.

While spin-offs like Riders, Chronicles, and All-Stars would let you play as other characters, still undeniably it was disappointing that the next BIG title of the franchise wasn’t really featuring the other characters as playable and just sorta random background characters. Even in Generations, celebrating the franchise’s history, still lacked even just at least a model swap or something but that might’ve been boring.

————————

It would take until 8 years later, we would finally get to see Tails, Knuckles, and even Amy to be finally playable again…in Sonic Boom 🥲.

If 06 being the last time other characters were playable wasn’t painful enough, the next time it happened and it would be an even worse disaster than 06, especially with how hyped up this new spin-off was as this like new direction for the franchise, it just seemed like there was no hope we’d get to see these characters finally playable properly in some way again. But then, a beacon of light shined through.

Sonic Mania brings back Tails and Knuckles once again as playable characters. Dude, the fucking crowd shouted when Knuckles was shown in the trailer, it was that big of a deal. Sure, this was a 2D game, but it was close enough that it helped the general public remind everyone what truly made the 2D games on Genesis so great, and what made Sonic’s friends memorable and unique. With Mania receiving its high praise and new DLC reintroducing Mighty and Ray, it was safe to assume these characters were definitely going to be coming back at some point.

Forces also tried to bring in some hype with Shadow as DLC but, he was just an simple skin swap of Sonic and was only playable for 3 levels. So not too much to note sadly.

As we head over to the next 3D game, Sonic Frontiers, it reintroduced the world these characters’ struggles and attributes. Amy’s want to help the little ones in need, Knuckles’s loneliness and ancestral burden, Tails’ lack of self-confidence and over-dependence of Sonic. Sonic was still the only one playable, but it was nice seeing them play some sort of major noticeable role in progressing the story.

And then lives were changed

Just a few weeks after release, free DLC was announced, showing the final one will be Tails, Knuckles, and even Amy Rose will be playable soon. Now, at the time of me writing this, they are still yet to be playable, so I can’t say if they’re that good or not, but just seeing these characters be announced to be playable in a 3D Sonic game that has finally found success among the gaming community, it’s so exciting to finally see happen, and only one can imagine what kind of abilities they will bring themselves.

Speaking of DLC, Sonic Origins announced Amy as a brand new character to play within the old games, further starting to make Amy a true part of the main cast of characters than just the three boys.

And Sonic Superstars coming up soon, another 2D momentum based platformer akin to the Genesis games where not only will you get to play as the 4 again, but local co-op will be available for the first time. And what’s so crazy is: this feels exactly like this right balance I talked about earlier. Dialing back the characters to where they’re not mandatory to play as all of them to progress the game, giving them one unique moveset of some kind (as apparently the 7th emerald will grant characters a character specific ability), and giving them more character specific paths that others may not access, as shown recently with how there’s apparently Acts made specifically for Knuckles, Amy, etc.

Slight off topic but, Superstars truly does feel like a true evolution from the classic momentum formula. That’s not to discredit something like Sonic Advance, just…think of it more like branching paths, you know? Advance series evolves the 2D formula by slowly molding into something more unique with experimental playstyles ala boost and tag team, and Superstars more so plays it safer and retains what makes the fundamentals of 2D formula work and tries to work with what it already has. Both succeed in evolving the 2D gameplay in their own right.

——————————

So, I just gave you a whole history lesson of Sonic’s friends in the games, but how the hell does it relate back to this Fast Friends Forever logo?

To me, this logo and ad campaign solidifies this new era of Sonic the Hedgehog. For the first time ever, Sonic’s friends are mascots of something in the franchise. It’s not just Sonic’s face in that logo, his other 3 allies are involved too. SEGA is proudly and unapologetically showing off the other 3 as an important part of Sonic’s identity and what makes him so well loved and intriguing.

After years of Tails, Knuckles, Amy, being shafted in the sidelines, just being supporting background characters and at times flanderized, it’s a beautiful sight to see them finally be given respect, treated to be just as big of a deal as the main face of the franchise, and showcases there is more to come in future out of these characters going forward.

Fast Friends Forever, indeed.

[ternaryflower53]

hello i am SO fucking sorry to jump into your inbox like this out of the blue but as a fellow chinese american and non jew i really really appreciate you talking about and acknowledging antisemitism.

i live near san francisco, so i have a plethora of asian american friends who all self identify as liberals, but after i unbrainwashed myself from antisemitism thanks to some hard conversations, i’ve had an incredibly tough time digesting the antisemitism absolutely baked into so much of what these friends say and how unwilling they are to see israelis as human, much less listen to them.

as always, i have to add a disclaimer here that i firmly call for accountability for the IDF and israeli govt since they’re acting with impunity, and i pray to see a palestinian state in my lifetime. but it hurts knowing how much of a fringe position it is among my peers to fully believe that israel doesn’t actually deserve to be demolished, because there is no way in hell the descendants of refugees expelled from MENA countries will be “just fine when they go back to where they came from.” if anything i suspect their certain deaths would be celebrated even more greatly because they’re israeli and the evil is defeated!!!

i just.. i don’t understand how fellow asian americans could have understood the importance of not speaking over black americans, and instead elevating their voices and amplifying solidarity during 2020, yet so wholeheartedly throw themselves into calling for israel’s dissolution. i don’t know if it’s that they’re ignorant of the fact that israel wasn’t created just for funsies or that they wholeheartedly believe israelis are an object to peace for palestinians. and yet they all have the gall to say “punch a nazi uwu!!!” or “i’m not antisemitic” and then unironically retweet something saying that what’s happening in gaza is the holocaust. everything is just so fucking backwards and upside down.

again, i’m sorry for basically venting this whole essay into your inbox, but i see you and i stand with you and our jewish and palestinian siblings, and i pray for peace in our lifetime. thank you again for your voice. may it never waver.

oh my gosh, no need to apologize!! i really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts, and i firmly believe that it's really important to let jewish people know we exist, even if it's on anon.

i agree with everything you've said here, really. i am a pacifist at heart - the death of so many palestinians is heartbreaking, full stop. but so many people advocating for palestinians are using terrifyingly violent rhetoric towards jews (especially israelis), and it's awful.

regarding your point about not understanding how others in our community are doing this... i don't know. i think it's people's internalized antisemitism. i think it's the social media's tendency toward groupthink and people not doing their own research. i think it's the human desire to create a black and white "good vs evil" narrative - particularly one that casts the US in the role of "evil". i think it's a lack of education about the holocaust, and lack of teaching of critical thinking skills, and so many other things.

but ultimately it all comes out in the wash. it's all antisemitism, and it all hurts jewish people. no matter how much people say that they're against antisemitism. it means nothing if they follow it up by doing an antisemitism.

anyway. i could say so much more, but i'm just going to reiterate what i said at the beginning: i'm glad to hear from you. i share your hopes for peace. keep working to support jews, who need allies more than ever, whatever that looks like for you.

[ask-serendipity-sky]

"Do people not know how to read body language? Hear tones of voice? See sexual tension!?!?"

This. I share your concerns. I have a whole theory about this lmao hear me out (warning, bro science coming)

I don’t know where you’re from and how old you are but as a 34 yo from western Europe who regularly interact with teenagers and young adults as part of my job, I’m totally baffled by the lack of emotional intelligence of the younger generation. Not only their level of education is astonishingly low, on top of that it’s like they don’t know how to read and recognize people’s emotions. Even the most basic ones. Many do, obviously, thank God I’m generalizing here. But I honestly think most of them grew up spending so much time online, addicted to their smartphones and social media from a very young age and it totally screwed up their ability to interact with the world. They did not spend nearly enough time with ‘real people’ in ‘real life’ and it shows. Exposure to screens and smartphones from a young age has disastrous effects on brain development. I think the emotional immaturity of the younger generation we’re witnessing now is one of the consequences. Pretty much this is backed up by neuroscience actually. Kids and teens now are more used to avatars and online fake personas, obsessed with social media, but they’re clueless about the real world outside their screens, inexperienced when it comes to healthy relationships, be friendships, work environment and hierarchy, and love relationships. Not to be patronizing but I’m seriously worried for the younger generation. I’m seeing more and more young adults unable to cope with their frustrations, some throwing tantrums like kids would, having the emotional intelligence of a 5 yo. I wish I was kidding. Some are going to struggle big time in their career and relationships.

Okay, end of my boomer rant, I’m being overly serious here but the amount of weird takes I read on this app is not so surprise to me unfortunately. Sorry for grammar mistakes and all, my English is a bit rusty.

Hello,

Ahhh an adult. Finally! I'm from the US and I'm fairly young too. I agree with your entire ask. I guess we are both boomers.

I observed this too when I was in college and tutored kids. They were social media addicts and technology dependent even though we were only a few years apart.

I had a lot of exposure to adults and interactions with people of all ages because of my parents so I think that made a big difference for me. And I didn't live in social media because of my parents.

When it comes to maturity levels and the way we deal with problems, interact with people, and understand situations, us and younger generations are sooo different.

All these kids that don't interact with actual humans miss out on skills needed to be an adult with functional life skills. They think the world functions like tiktok and twitter.

And what's worse is that actual thinking is considered "hate" or being an "anti". The only way they stop it is by bullying others instead of using critical thinking skills. So they type away thinking they made some great discovery but it's senseless information arranged to make a sentence.

It's scary.

Thank you so much for sharing.

[moonsuke]

Oh my gosh… my AquaKana/Kana heart likes the latest episode but my usual criticisms (since Melt’s episode) still applies too! Like is no one else seeing what I’m seeing?? No one else thinking the same??

But I shall start with what I enjoyed first which is the AquKana lol. They really play it up for them (being meant for each other/end game) way more than in the manga. Even the way Touki held Tsurugi was made more intimate and 'ship-ish', I was like "am I watching a shojo???" lol. It's interesting how Touki still sounds and acts so much like Aqua while it's less so for Tsurugi/Kana.

I also like how they portrayed their "inner voices" reaching the other, not just as actors being able to communicate their thoughts their movements, but as themselves. That's why they'd that whole half a minute sequence (I didn't like this part btw) just showing us their past interactions. It's to show us how Aqua has always been there for Kana to support her. We always say Kana is Aqua's light but here, they're reminding us that Aqua is Kana's light too. In her darkest moments sinking into her childhood traumas, he's the one to shine a light and pull her out of it. I mean, penlight scene from season 1? And now him symbolically holding the spotlight towards her for her to shine?? Which is also what he did in the Sweet Today arc? It's so literal lol. And while I do appreciate the anime doing this to flesh out their history and relationship, the way they show their intentions can be really awkward and out of place, which leads me to what I dislike.

I’ve said this for the Melt and Akane episodes, the anime is doing great at the emotional/character deep dive scenes. They really put in a lot of effort animating new scenes to flesh out the existing panels from the manga to fully let us understand the characters. There’s so much thought and effort into how to tell us the story of a particular character and to make us empathize with them. It's the same for the Kana scenes this episode. They did a better job making me feel for her than the manga ever did. It's the music, the beautiful and symbolic animations, the subtle expressions, the VAs' skills, the choice and sequence of scenes included, the additional dialogues, everything. So much effort being given. They're doing great at 'show not tell' but only for the character introspective scenes.

Because other than those, it's awkward af! Especially when it comes to the flashy and impactful scenes! The animation/art is still pretty, but it can be so out of place and not impactful despite them animating it like it should be impactful which further highlights how it's lacking! I get it's difficult to translate the actors' "star power" and charisma that the manga tried to get across, but I'm just not feeling it in the anime! It's just... artsy... which I get is what they're trying to do; make us view their performance like a piece of art but... It's not working for me I'm sorry. People are loving it it seems, so it's just me.

But its not just that! I find the timing and pacing so off too! And it can look so stagnant and awkward sometimes because of the positioning or lack of additional frames or something. Idk what it is, but something is off! Like when Kana was showing off her acting and Akane was being a fangirl? That scene felt so flat and awkward? Or when Saya hime was supposed to jump in front of Touki to protect him but instead she just... walks... and we even hear her wooden shoes clacking... It's so awkward!!

I think everything just felt too precise and "perfect"? It's like every scene feels a little too sequential, like they want to make sure they covered every single panel of the manga. "This goes from A to B, so I shall animate it as such", as compared to the character scenes where they took their own creative liberties and animate more scenes to fill in the gaps. The "sudden A to B" scenes might work well in manga, but in anime, it just doesn't? So they need to do what they're doing with the character scenes but extend it to... all scenes???

I don't know, I'm not seeing anyone pointing out the same things but these are things I've consistently been thrown off by since the stage play started. And nothing beats the Kana/Himekawa fight scene from ep 1 still which was just their rehearsal fight scene... Now, that was impactful. Perhaps I was expecting that kind of emotions elicited from the stage play as well.

[beardedmrbean]

“It’s fascist to eliminate DOE!” Americans are considered some of the most illiterate people and lack critical thinking skills on the planet since the DOE was made.

Boys are INTENTIONALLY throw under the bus since the public school system is purposely designed for girls style of learning. Fuck I’m 23 and I realize I only got any form of support because of my skintone.

And what we been getting, hmm, kids don’t know how to do taxes. We barely have any cooking lessons unless your lucky af. Most Americans can only read at a 3rd grade level and oh the big ones.

Teachers unions are corrupted af and we have rampant child sex abuse issues where 1 in 10 students REPORTED sexual misconduct. And how many headlines that boils down to “Teacher raped a male student” in one year alone?

And I’m African American, now I didn’t grow up in the inner cities. But I known the government don’t give two fucks about me(I live in the Chicago area too)

What wrong destroying the DOE? People call American schools a hell on earth and we been getting more stupid since the government interference. Oh shit I forgot, how many boys were overdrugged again? Sorry I don’t have Stockholm syndrome towards schools

2013 not sure if there's anything more recent this was the one that popped up when I was looking for something different for that post

You'll notice that adjusted for inflation there is three times the money being spent per student now than there was in 1970 with a fairly static level on scoring, but you know that whole definition of insanity trying the same thing and expecting different results doesn't count when it comes to my tax dollars apparently.

There are understandable newer things that will increase the monetary need like ADA compliance, computers, and meal programs (which I wholeheartedly support, kids shouldn't go hungry drop the obama one tho I don't support that one it's garbage and kids were still hungry, how bad does it have to be for a kid to skip out on some of what might be all they eat that day) and various other improvements and such, big fan of air conditioning myself.

Still shouldn't triple the dollar number,

Also for the record the DOE was formed in 1979 so the numbers were already going up for spending when it came in.

Data presented to the Akron, Ohio, school board revealed not a single student from the school’s inaugural third-grade class — now entering eighth grade — has ever passed the state’s math test. “It is discouraging,” said Keith Liechty-Clifford, the district’s director of school improvement, in a model of understatement. State test scores in English and science are nearly as bad, and Black students at I Promise test in the bottom 5% of all Black students in Ohio.

Nice to see the people there making excuses instead of taking responsibility too, one more lesson in failure from this school.

I do hope they can figure it out though, I still have hopes for this one.

But if you've been around here for more than a few months you'll likely know I have hopes for everything to be better, I try to be very bright side oriented.

and in that vein, at least these kids get 3 hots 5 days a week maybe more so that's a W, less hungry kids is always a W

[stxrslut]

https://www.tumblr.com/stxrslut/747468112693280768/what-the-fuck-is-wrong-with-people-like-you-using

People like this piss me the fuck off. Like CLEARLY the nickname is a kink, and consenting ADULTS can do whatever the fuck they want. It feels like a huge lack of critical thinking skills to actually think that using that nickname means someone is a p*do smh. Sorry for all the swearing lmao this just makes me so mad.

no girl swear all you want cause I’m just as pissed of. like it’s creepier that the first thing they think of is to bring children into it! cause nobody mentioned that till they did.

[soumic]

Sorry long art ramble incoming- the screensaver hit the corner of my brain and I had a coherent thought about like, the ever-present online discussion around diversity in character design/illustration and the idea of “art style.” I’m thinking mostly about ‘anime art’ (but western comics/cartoons as well) because that’s what’s dominant in the circles I’m in, but I think it’s broadly applicable.

I wonder how we might move the discussion towards the idea that everyone’s art is influenced by broader movements and existing works, and that every art style/movement has an inherent set of values that are reflected in their aesthetic choices. All art looks at the world and makes choices about what to include and what not to, and that’s political. Anime art is really beginner friendly because the long line of artists in the industry sat down and made a bunch of choices about how to simplify drawing people in service of the speed/clarity needed for animation/comics. It’s much easier to copy anime style which has been engineered for ease of drawing than it is to draw from life. This is great! It’s one of the reasons anime is so popular and enduring as a movement. Because of this though, when you draw on anime in your work, you are drawing on a visual shorthand/iconography of the human body/face that reflects certain cultural ideals of how people should look- and nowhere is that more apparent than when the visual shorthand falls flat. This is where we usually see the online discussion crop up- issues with grey skin tones, lack of body/facial diversity, difficulty drawing older characters, etc. and that’s where you get the reflexive “but it’s just my art style” response. Now, of course, having anime (or any other) influence in your style is not inherently a bad thing! It absolutely is a pillar of my own style! But it is also not a value neutral thing. By repeating the anime art shorthand without reflecting on this, you are a) robbing yourself of a chance to develop your artistic eye, and b) blindly subsuming a set of ideals into your work that declares what types of people are worthy of being depicted. Skilled artists can recognize the limitations of the shorthand and draw on other influences, research, and fundamentals to fill the gaps.

This is what people are getting at when they say things like “if you can’t draw fat people you aren’t a good artist,” or when they critique the popularity of things like genshin. Those statements are designed to be provocative, yes, but that’s because the people saying them have a vested interest in pointing out how the dominant artistic trends fail them. I think the more we can stress the importance of developing a critical eye for the political elements of art, the faster we can move away from the canned “but my art style” defensive response. We gotta remind people, especially beginner artists, that it’s not a personal slight about their own creativity, but more that cultivating our catalog of artistic influence is a collective and ongoing responsibility that we all share. It should be a skill we aim to cultivate just as much our technical skills, and by framing it as a skill it leaves the door open for people to learn and grow.

[natsmagi]

hello !! yet another different anon, but just wanted to share this while we’re on the topic of self-criticism - hopefully this doesn’t come off as patronizing, it’s just smth i’ve found helps me as an artist and hopefully it’ll help u :D

i think it’s rlly important to view old art more from the perspective of the feelings u had making it rather than the actual content of the art itself. sure, ur artistic skills have improved a lot over the years, and maybe when ur looking back at ur older work u see a lot of flaws in it - weird anatomy, bad lighting, articles of clothing that don’t make sense, etc (not saying ur old art has any of these i’m just listing examples i’ve had in my own lol) - but u had fun making it !! it’s a drawing of something u loved and still love, and it served its purpose as an outlet to express that love. when people go back and like those old drawings, they’re not seeing it for its flaws - they’re seeing it for the love it represents, a love they probably feel themselves. while it’s good to critique ur own work to some extent for the sake of improvement, people liking ur old stuff is far from cringe-worthy! it’s just someone enjoying something u once enjoyed too, like an internet happiness hand-me-down :)

again, this sort of mindset has rlly helped me personally - i don’t feel as nervous about drawing or posting, bc im just having fun !! it’s ok if it’s kind of janky or has weird details, it was made with love and people can see and appreciate that. nobody ever stops improving or seeing flaws in their work, so its best to focus more on the joy it gave u and push urself towards improvement with the promise of even more joy rather than forcing urself to improve under the threat of feeling ashamed of ur creations

hopefully all of this makes sense i kind of have the shakes rn lol. sorry for the super long ask, i just dont rlly know how to explain all of this in a short way-

hope u are having a fantastic day full of pretty girls !!!!

omg no worries at all!! your message read as very sweet so please dont stress urself out over how u came across!!

AND I DEFINITELY AGREE!! tbh its a mindset i tend to have, but i think where ive lacked is definitely in applying the "im just doing it for fun" logic to past me. i tend to be someone who very much lives in the present and have a bit of a disconnect both from the past and the future, and this can cause me to totally disregard everything about my past self and past work LOL. so honestly having all this put into words has kinda been an "OHH RIGHT" moment for me KASJHFJAHSDKJ

theres also the factor of my audience being bigger now........ im not really someone who likes having alot of eyes on me for various reasons, which sometimes causes me to waver a bit AKJSHFKJH THOUGH ITS NOT THAT BAD. i think most of my shyness comes from having artists i really admire now see my art and im like "FUCK IC ANT HAVE IT LOOK BAD WHAT IF THEY SEE" which can cause me to overthink things But also i tend to forget that those people even follow me 80% of the time. tbh all of my "insecurities" in regards to my art are purely circumstantial and only really present themselves if im in a flustered state, but a large portion of the time im just chilling KJAHSFJKHK

i do also wanna say tho that i think the viewing all art as coming from a place of love sentiment is very sweet........ esp bc in the beginning one of the compliments i got the most was along the lines of "your love for the characters really shines through!!" so to think that, in spite of potential quality, that love is still visibly present makes me very happy.......... Perhaps if u have genuine love for what u do itll shine through no matter what

[im-just-tired2024]

PSA: I know not everyone had a good home life growing up. This is about me and my life and feelings. I’m not wishing bad things on anyone else or wish they can go back to abusive situations. (Feel like this needs to be addressed first cause people seem to lack critical thinking skills or straight up ignore things that are very clearly not about them)

*Sorry if that sounded aggressive or rude but I feel like media literacy is dying

Anyway, wishing to be an adult quicker and daydreaming about being an adult was the stupidest thing I wanted. Like don’t get me wrong it’s nice to have freedom from my parents and family; parents can’t really tell me what to do (in a way but even when you’re grown ass adult and move out they still tell you what to do) like they could and did as a kid/teen and I have my own home and can decorate the whole place and not just my room how I want.

But like I just miss that innocent and youthful time of my life where I didn’t really have a whole lot of responsibilities outside of school and chores. My parents were always really cool and pretty much gave us a lot of leeway to do things. Like late curfews and we didn’t have to have a job in high school. The only thing we needed to focus on was good grades and doing chores. I.e generally speaking I could do most things I wanted to do except like smoking and drinking and partying all night type of stuff (but I wasn’t interested in that stuff anyway so I guess that point it moot)

I know high school isn’t the best years of your life and it was pretty good for me but not necessarily something I’d desperately want to relive. But I just wish I tried more in school and paid attention and actually put effort into things and got my head out of my ass. But I just fucked around and acted like a dumbass.

Even in my early 20’s I just made bad decisions and made changes and made certain choices that I didn’t have to and was just being stupid and now I’m paying for the consequences. I did good my first 3 years in college but acted like an ass cause I don’t know why.

I’m just so tired and exhausted from work and life and I’m just thinking about everything I did and I realized I took a lot of my childhood for granted and screwed around and acted like a dickhead when I should have been focusing on school. But I was ungrateful and daydreamed and fantasized about life instead of enjoying the moment and being grateful for the freedoms my parents gave me that other kids and teens my age didn’t have.

I really just want a break from life and have someone else take care of me for a little bit. Im just tired of all the crap from customers and my boss and my every day life. Even stuff around the world seems to be getting worse and worse every day. I know things were always bad all over the place. It’s just 10-15 years ago no one really talked about it but idk I just feel like things are worse??

Anyway this is a rant and I’m not looking for sympathy and I just needed to vent and get my thoughts out of my head. Without an irritated sigh from my little sister followed by “i know. Me too” or my parents telling me “I told you so”

I’m just tired of dead end jobs, exhausted with everything and everyone and I’m unhappy with my life and my choices right now. It’s whatever and I’m sure in 5 years I’ll be fine and in a better headspace and job. I hope….