#my apologies to the person who wrote no.2 because i'm pretty sure i got that from somewhere

[quoththemaiden]

My running list of interpretations of "And they aren't talking" in Good Omens Season 3:

Yep, they sure did separate at the end of S2

Shocker. The beings who haven't been allowed to talk openly since before the stars existed still aren't talking

They are absolutely the type of petty bastards to firmly insist they're "not talking" to each other to each other

They're talking with each other but aren't spilling the tea to others

They're not talking on purpose because Heaven and Hell want them to work together

Notes left at dead drops, meaningful glances, miraculous music, clandestine clothing cues, and messages relayed by intermediaries aren't "talking"

The first two seasons were absolutely rife with beings who "weren't talking" via a grapevine "that obviously doesn't exist"

This is probably just a teaser for the first half of the first episode anyway, just like with Season 2

Can't talk if you're too busy making out

[madame-fear]

♡ Dating Headcanons | Lucerys Velaryon x Fem!Reader ♡

quick a/n : hello all !! I know i don't usually write about this, but oh well i love writing for new characters & fandoms 💖 I hope you all enjoy this since it's my first time writing something for HOTD so i'm very nervous !! 😭 i wrote this at 2 am (my fave hour to write & read hehe), so apologies for any mistake such as grammar, or spelling mistakes. Not proofread as always. also, big // !! SPOILER ALERT !! // but let's pretty please pretend he's not dead, yes? thank u all.

Note aside: I do not take requests for HOTD, and Gif not mine.

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• Him being literally the quiet, awkwardly shy one in the relationship. Don't worry, he'll open up eventually – baby steps with him, please. He's just a lil' babe who's never had a real relationship before.

• Has literally heart eyes for you but is so awkward when it comes to expressing his love adoration for you, oh no –

• Physical contact (such as: hugging, kissing, cuddling, etc) definitely being something that might take him a while to fully get used to. The main reason to this, is because he gets tremendously shy & nervous when he has to have some sort of physical contact with you. The only thing he can do without becoming a blushing mess is holding your hand, and having you grabbing his arm.

• Spoils you. A lot. He loves picking the best flowers in the garden only to give them to you, gifts you jewellery (necklaces, earrings, bracelets, etc), little pins/adornments for your hair/dresses – all things like that are his own little way of expressing his love for you.

• Something you often do together, is ride Arrax while everybody's asleep. Nobody's watching, and the two of you can be alone all by yourselves.

• Of course, you were extremely nervous about it at first, since you had never ridden a dragon before – but, he reassured you by telling you that you were going to be okay, and that he'd teach you about how to properly ride a dragon.

• When you had to ride Arrax together, and had him teaching you about how to ride dragons, he had to sit right behind you, and pull you very tightly close to his chest, and of course, he had to grab your hands as well – which obviously made the two of you extremely blushy & all shy, but you had to keep it cool until you both got used to it.

• Riding Arrax together is now a daily night routine, in which you both use to spend some quality time together without anybody interrupting you.

• Eventually, the more time he spends with you, he'll begin to get comfortable with the idea of physical contact without, at least, being at the edge of dying from nervousness. Of course, when he kisses or hugs you, he still becomes a blushing mess – but he's not as nervous and shy as he used to be. I feel like he's kinda touchstarved honestly, so expect him to get a bit clingy with you once he's fully comfy.

• The physical contact started with small kisses on your forehead, cheeks, and then, your lips. Of course, he had given you some kisses before, but they were always hurried, nervous quick pecks on your cheeks and that was all. Now, as he got a bit more 'confident' in your relationship, the kisses would be so gentle, slow, and loving – and he always loves placing a hand on your cheek and slightly stroke it while kissing you.

• HAND/KNUCKLES KISSES ARE OFTEN WITH HIM TOO 💖 He loves both your hands and cheeks, he thinks they're so soft and delicate.

• He's definitely such a huge soft, gentle sweetheart with you. Always making sure you feel loved and taken care of by him.

• Most of the time, he talks to you about his insecurities, since you are the person he trusts the most, and also, adores. He loves the fact that you never fail to make him feel much better, and more confident in himself.

• ^ Sometimes, simply being there for him with your presence is also enough to make him feel soothed, and comforted.

• He might not be a very courageous person, but he certainly does his best to look brave & definitely not scared in front of you; only so you can be impressed by him.

• Referring to him as "your protector". And he absolutely loves it when you refer to him as your one and only protection.

• His whole family loving you so much, and being particularly close to his mum.

• He's not particularly someone who easily gets jealous, because he knows that your love only belongs to him, and you are just as faithful as he is. But, sometimes, he can't help but feel a tiny spark of jealousy when he sees another boy/man talking to you, or even, having the audacity to flirt with you.

• ^ After seeing several people trying to flirt with you (and failing), he'd definitely do things to show off to the others that you're his, such as: hand holding in public, calling you by sweet nicknames, and kissing your cheek.

• His nickname for you would mostly be "love", "dear", and "my darling".

• Literally him thinking so highly of you. You're literally the most precious thing he's ever seen in his life, and he'd do anything to protect you.

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idk why i got all shy and giggly while writing this, i hope you all LIKED IT AHHHHHGJnHg

[mamadoc]

1, 2, 11, 20😊

1 - Talk about someone who changed your life.

Okay. I took far too long to think about this. Since we're all in a post 6x6 and TTPD era, here's a vulnerable, tortured answer.

I had a very close friend for several years. My husband and I were very close to her and her husband. Our kids were friends. We went to the same church, all loved to travel, had similar interests and tastes, had all lived internationally, went on double dates, etc. We even considered having them raise our kids if my husband and I both passed away. In sum, we were super close.

Then COVID hit. As a doctor COVID was difficult. I struggled a lot because I was taking care of sick patients. I recall one tearful day of talking to a pregnant mom who was about to be transferred to the ICU and was saying goodbye to her other children. It really wasn't safe or comfortable to go to work for a long time. I wasn't really dealing with it well, especially with the people around me treating it like it didn't matter. I was really depressed for the first time in my life.

This friend didn't understand that or if she did, she didn't care. So, when I said I wasn't interested in going out in public and having any type of birthday celebration for my birthday (who wants to celebrate turning 41 anyway?), she started attacking me on a personal level. I was already in a dark place and instead of being a good friend and supporting me, she just keep sending me hateful messages.

That was the first and only time in my life I considered suicide. I reached out for help and got it. I wasn't in that dark pit for a long time. I'm much better now. I mostly have my sister to thank for that.

I brought her flowers for Valentine's Day with an apology note a few weeks after that. She never apologized. I brought treats to her a few weeks after that with an apology note explaining why I felt so hurt. I tried to call to explain how I felt so that I could heal. She never answered the phone.

I'm still not sure what I have to apologize for or why she never seemed to accept or offer an apology. But that was two years ago. We still don't talk. Our husbands don't talk. Our kids don't play together anymore. For a long time, I didn't like going to church because I knew I'd have to see her.

Most of that is better now. I'm just sad for a lost friendship and for the dark place I had to crawl out of.

I've used a slight modification of her name for a character in one of my stories who betrayed Lucy. I thought that might be therapeutic, but it just brought the situation up to the surface again.

Uhhh... I can't believe I just wrote all of that. I'll try to keep the rest of the answers a bit lighter.

2 - Talk about something you really want to do.

I LOVE to travel. I've been to 47 states and 16 countries. My husband and I had all of our plans in place to get to all 50 states before we turned 40. Then COVID hit and all of our plans were dashed when travel shut down. We're going at a slower pace now, but we're getting close to it. #48 (NM) in October, #49 (HI) July 2025 as a 20th anniversary trip, and #50 (AK) the summer of 2026.

11 - Share something you're proud of.

According to AO3's stats, I've posted over 339k words since I started posting 7 months ago (plus another 9-10k chapter I hope to finish tonight). I know there are those that blow me out of the water (Ahem, ahem @girlintotv and @centralperkchenford) with their numbers, but I'm pretty proud of that as a first-time writer and working mom with 4 young kids.

20 - Share with us a random fact or two.

I'm afraid I've already overshared. *yikes* But here we go.

I'm the oldest of 6 kids. The first 4 of us are all 23 months apart, then 27 months apart, and 25 months apart. So, we're essentially every 2 years for 10 years with all of our birthdays clustered together. 3 boys and 3 girls.

I had the chicken pox for my eighth birthday. My grandparents came to visit for my birthday, but they were afraid of getting shingles. So, I had to stay in my bedroom on the second floor, and they stayed on the first floor for the whole time they were visiting. I still remember standing in the hallway near the dining room while they sang happy birthday. One of my siblings blew out the candles for me and my mom brought me a piece of cake in the hallway. (Man, I'm still rocking those depressing TTPD vibes, aren't I?) I was officially not contagious the day my mom came home from the hospital with baby #5 in our family, and I remember being so excited to be healthy enough to hold my baby brother.

Sheesh. Now you probably won't ever ask me anything again. Between TTPD, 6x6, and the angst I'm supposed to be writing right now, I'm coming up with some strange answers.

Sorry to be the Eeyore in the crowd. Thanks for asking me to play though.

Ask game

[sohypothetically]

Post 5: Girls Night Out

The stats:

2 years from first published to complete

300,000 words

8 couples (10 if you include Hayffie)

2 main OCs (original characters)

29 pages of outline

So many euphemisms

So much food

So much research

So much research

The fic changed my perception of Gale completely

First person

So, so much smut

Mr. Mellark lives!

If there's one criticism... it might be verbs. Or maybe that the first part feels a little too "crack fic" and ambles too much.

This fic changed my life. It changed how I felt about the fandom, my place in it, and my writing.

Blurb:

Contemporary A/U. Johanna Mason copes with a breakup the only way she knows how: going on a man-hunt. She brings her roommate Katniss Everdeen with her and the rest is frat party history. Rated M for explicit language, sexual innuendo, and general snarkiness. Written for Prompts in Panem Places Challenge, Prompt: Frat House. (Ships: Jo/other, Everlark, Gadge, Odesta)Rated: Fiction M - English - Humor/Romance 

Fanfic.net

A03

GNO Tumblr

For more about the genesis of this fic, read the Tolkien Food Blog description below the cut.

I'm going to apologize because I'm pretty sure my Anon response earlier sounded like sour grapes. Boohoo that I wasn't in the inner circle and that I wasn't regarded as one of the top 50 Everlark authors. So what?

I mention it because I think it's important to understand my headspace when I talk about this next fi. Where it came from and where it led me.

So it was March of 2013. I'm on the periphery of a fandom that was so freaking talented. HGRomance, Atetheredmind, Court81981, Dustwriter, Amelia_Day, DandelionSunset, Fnurfnur, Misshoneywell, Peetasbunmyoven, Annieoakley1, hutchhitched, jhutchmyanchor, Everlark_Pearl, JLaLa, Monroeslittle, Sponsormusings, Xerxia, pookieh, louezem, bleedtoloveher, katnissdoesnotfollowback, streetlightlove, famousfremus... the list of phenomenal Everlarkers went on for days.

We would regularly have something called "Prompts in Panem". (You can check this out at promptsinpanem.tumblr.com.) These were, well, what they sound like. Pre-A03 fic exchanges based on prompts. It ran for a week, with each day having a new prompt. Everlark only. They prompts would release maybe a week in advance? I don't remember how long, but I know that it was a Bacchanalian festival where we would gorge ourselves on all things Everlark. Creative. Full of pressure. The goal was to put out something that people would read and comment on. It was all about buzz. (To be clear, I miss these.)

At the same time, I was reading other bits and pieces outside of Everlark. Whiskeysnarker, who wrote the best Johanna Mason. Hawtsee, one of the best Gadgers. I beta'd for an Odesta author.

PIP started and I knew that there was nothing I had in my quiver that wasn't going to be done 100 times better by every other author in the fandom. I didn't have an angle, and I wanted one. I wanted something that would make for interesting reading. I had no ideas.

So I did what every writer does when experiencing a doubt-spiral. I poured myself a glass of wine. And one glass became two. I cried. Then I got mad, sort of like Katniss when she shoots the apple in the pig's mouth in THG. And I heard a voice in my head berating me stridently for my pity party. That voice became the voice of Johanna Mason for GNO. And let me tell you, she doesn't suffer fools. And she has opinions.

Everlark through the eyes of another? And that person is Johanna? And it starts at a frat party? Hell, yeah.

It was only ever supposed to be a one shot. And then honeylime08 made a comment about wanting more.

The rest is history.

[urdgealesisbaby]

Hii!! New idea!!

How would be on owari no seraph (what a surprise) if the shy reader where kidnapped??

For Guren, Shinya, Kureto and Crowley?

Hello!! Im back with new forces and everything! Thank you all for the long wait and I am very sorry that you had to wait so much!!

Also I need to mention that I will try to finish all my requests this week,but they re like 20+ and I dont think that I have that much time but promise that I will try it!!

I missed you guys so muchh and as always you wait for me and im very sorry for that:(

Anyways here are the headcanons!

🥰 Guren Ichinose,Shinya Hiiragi,Kureto Hiiragi and Crowley Eusford with a shy s/o that got kidnapped🥰

Guren Ichinose

-oh gosh I don't even remember the time where I last wrote for him but oh Lord is he a gorgeous character,personally I don't like his personality but who am I to judge haha

-I feel like he is calm and all but really when he is angry or anything h shows a very passionate side of his,a side of his that protects his s/o and takes care of them,I'm not saying he is soft or anything but for his darling he has a very special place in his heart and brain

-never forgets how much you mean to him and why he thinks you are above everyone else when it comes to his protection,he wants you to feel safe with him,while still being playful with you

-once he hears that you are kidnapped he doesn't even believe it,he thinks that you are joking or something and you want him to show you his soft side and you are pretending to be kidnapped for him to show that side to you

-he of course rescues you very easily but he regrets not believing you all his life and takes this event as a warning for him to believe everything you say to him

-he is that shocked that you got kidnapped that even when he tries to stay calm and find a solution,it doesn't work,he gets all desperate and worried

Kureto Hiiragi

-tends to be a little bit like Guren for the worried side,like after all he is the new King of humans and how can he show a worried and stressed face to all of his colleagues and friends?

-but can you blame him for showing it when you got kidnapped?I don't think so.After all even the King himself of humans needs to show his worried side sometimes

-believes the news instantly because as you are his s/o he knows he has so many enemies or vampires that will try to take you away from him,so he knows that you are a kidnapping target

-would keep advising you and keeping you lessons on how to defend yourself properly and not get kidnapped because he needs his s/o know that they're a very important and interesting target for his enemies:)

Shinya Hiiragi

-ohh poor boy Shinya instantly goes sniper mode for the target

-like I can't even blame him for becoming so angry and desperate for you,he wants to catch your kidnapper and torture him so much he doesn't even know in which world he is

-like he legit loves you so much and you are his pretty darling,he even questions himself if he has done something to make you get kidnapped,he doesn't know why the world is a so cruel place and how can people and vampires kidnap his sweet s/o

-after he saves you he watches out for kidnappers for like 2-3 months because everytime he looks at you he remembers that he wasn't able to know that this happened and wasn't prepared enough for not letting you get kidnapped

-he feels so sorry and will buy you everything you want and will do really anything you want,like he feels so bad that he thinks he is at fault for everything and apologies all daaaay

Crowley Eusford

-he is one big and angry vampire,don't you know that?Or perhaps don't you kidnappers know that?I'm sure that they don't know what kind of vampire he is because if they did,why do they want to suffer so much from your kidnapping?Don't they know their place?

-like how can they kidnap his sweet darling ?

-he honestly is very angry and annoyed.He knows that your kidnappers don't have that many courage to hurt you.He isn't even sure how they had the courage to kidnap you,it just doesn't sit right with him.

-he is actually very surprised that your kidnappers decided to kidnap you,like don't they know their place really?Do they need Crowley kun to punish them that hard so that they don't even dare to touch his s/o again?

-saves you in an instant because you know...he is after all a vampire progenitor and all,but stays a little bit worried..like he knows surely that your kidnappers didn't harm you,but what if they after all did something to you secretly?

Thank you for your request and make sure to leave a request again!!

[aran-ryan-herigate-posts]

Aran Ryan fanbase headcanons 2 -RESULTS-

And finally we have the results!

I was surprised to see some shared headcanons from the past!!!

Let's begin!!!

Can Aran speak Irish (Gaelic)?

44,4 % : Yes and he is very fluent

Is Aran liked/supported by his in-universe fans of the WVBA?

55,6% : Both of them are douchbags and true supporters

OPEN QUESTION of: Is Aran liked/supported by his in-universe fans of the WVBA?

He is genuinely adored by some, who go out of their way to defend his actions and paint him as a better person than he his, but others like him as a villain and others still think of him as a joke and only like him because of that.

yes and they want to see what other ideas he comes up with, maybe he gets mail from them where they share their ideas

It's a mixed bag- You have those the genuinely support him, others who started supporting him as joke & now can't stop, those who support him as a joke only, & unfortunately some who only support him as a justification for being an asshat.

he has fans on either side some fans are douchebags and some are like us on tumblr calling him a silly goose

I can see some if his fans being douchebags by saying, you ruined boxing, cheater or you're fecking crazy,

They’re either bloodthirsty, Irish or just want to watch matches.

Most of them love his crazy behavior and generally think of him as some maniac that escaped Dublin prison and got in by his unorthodox fighting style (which didn’t happen at all, Aran did a bit of fighting before WVBA but he got in clean imo.) Aran tries to distance himself from his troublesome fans, simply because he dislikes rumors made by him. Some of his fans are genuinely supportive and like seeing him and his antics, and think he could genuinely become champion if he stopped cheating.

Probably

It’s a 50/50 chance, but it’s likely no since the people don’t like masochists in the ring

I'm not sure but there's a probably a minority that actually likes and they're a true fan

I’ve got a feeling he doesn’t have a lot of fans who would actually come up to him since they’ve seen what he’s like in the ring, so they usually just watch him from afar if they see him in public

I think there are both fans that adore his cheating, but the vast majority thinks he takes it too far in some ways (i.e attacking the ref and aggressive taunting during intermissions), even by WVBA standards bc lets be real, almost EVERYONE cheats.

Yes but in the way of "this guy is a car crash in motion I want to see it get even wilder"

i put my amswer under his fans imitate him but more so because they want to grab his attention. thus they end up being more crazy the guy himself

Who do you ship with Aran? And why? WARNING: ships with minors are NOT allowed as Aran is a 23 years old (before someone made me noticed, I accidentally wrote 25 yrs)

don flamenco i just see them as having a rivals-to-lovers kind of thing tbh

I mainly ship Joe/Aran, but I also like him with Narcis Prince. Other ships with him I don't exactly mind, but aren't my thing.

narcis, i just ended up thinking the idea is funny, both are assholes, narcis would find it funny to see who arans pulls pranks to, i want a man for aran who is just as mean as he is (almost)

I ship Aran Ryan with Glass Joe & will not apologize for it. I'm an absolute sucker for opposites attract type ships.

Hondo

Soda Popinski: seeing him as a giant, bubbly, gentle (outside the ring) Russian man who hasn't dated anyone, with Aran as a feral and insane Irish man who's dated many in the past is a good relationship. Headcannon that Soda had a crush on him before making a move

Narcis.

Aran Ryan/Glass Joe and Aran Ryan/Don Flamenco or even Aran/Joe/Don

Yes, I ship him Narciss. (Also isn't Aran 23?)

Don Flamenco. IDC if they don’t talk to each other in the game, these two are cute with each and it’s pretty much why I like shipping this.

Wait he's 25?? I thought he was 23??

Personally I don’t ship him with anyone ✋

im not big on shipping but narcis x aran is pretty funny in concept !! just the idea of two (id imagine) rivals who are eventually shocked to find out they like eachother is also Good. bonus points if neither of them know how to go about expressing love.

Aradon. Aradon all the way. Because I'm very normal about Don and Aran's dynamic.

Piston Hondo. I feel like they've got an opposites attract kinda deal that mutually benefits them. Hondo benefits Aran by keeping his violent behavior at bay and helping him explore healthier ways of getting out his frustration. Aran benefits Hondo by getting him to loosen up when he's not actively working and making sure he's not overexerting himself in his rigorous training.

Don bc the dynamic is interesting and Joe bc the dynamic is funny to me💀

Don Flamenco

don! (unrelated but i cant believe that guy is balding at 23)

LGBTQ+ headcanons

pansexual cis man (he/him)

Trans man and bisexual, my mans is NOT cis

he doesnt use labels, he just shrugs if anyone asks or says "im aran"

Either Bisexual or Pansexual with no real leanings & Cis, but couldn't really give a shit what pronouns you call him.

bisexual and SOMETIMES uses they/them pronouns. but only when he feels like sludge (in a good way)

Pansexual

Bi as hell

Aran is Bisexual/Pansexual, and doesn’t really mind any pronouns used as long as they are respectful. Open to poly relationships.

Pansexual and genderqueer AF

Guy’s an angry bisexual who may or may not show his bi feelings to others (usually the ones he adores)

None

Probably straight or questioning aroace

nonbinary in a ''a boy but not really'' way

He's bi, he told me himself.

I like the idea of him being pan.

Pan, any hole's a goal for Aran

he's trans & somewhere in the bi/pan spectrum

hes pan and transmasc to me <3

What kind of pet does he have (if any)?

a black cat named lucky! she’s his pride and joy.

A border collie/Australian Shepard mix named cu chulainn

i havent thought about that yet, but in my ship narcis might gets a cat and aran has slap fights with it

He's got a scruffy old orange cat who he loves dearly- Baby is like 12 years old & he absolutely cherishes them.

dog

None

23 rats

Aran loves ferrets, and could break his entire bank just carrying for them. He spends four hours each day playing with them and making sure they get exercise. He once screamed at a woman who watched them while he was away in the USA who fed them nothing but pellets to one of them, they were fine after. (Aran owns four, two boys two girls. He keeps them in separate cages to prevent a surprise business popping up.) He would die for them.

Yes, a puppy named "Empanada"

He’d probably have a German Shepherd and a Kerry Blue Terrier

I don't know, I don't think he's a type of guy to have a pet for a long time

He’d definitely have a pet rat, probably named it something like poison or something to make it seem dangerous

i can see him as a dog person, especially very active dogs that need a ton of long walks. it helps him unwind. Also hed want a smart dog as well that he can teach to annoy people with. why? bc hes aran ryan.

So first off, I have no proofs but no doubts that Aran is a dog person. I love someone's headcanon of him having an Irish Wolfhound? I think? way too much. These puppers are huge, straight up Aran's alley imo. But I also adore the idea of him having a little pet rat, that only the closest of people and relatives know about.

RATS! He has 3 and he takes very good care of them.

He's got an old ass dog he's had since childhood that just lays around like a lazy sack of flour, but not because of age, the dog was just always like that. Its also probably a medium or smaller breed

no actual pets, but he has a soft spot for any strays he passes by

a black cat! (ironic, considering his whole luck schtick)

Why is Aran associated with luck symbolism?

i honestly don’t know, it’s just kind of a thing ig

Partially because of Irish stereotypes but mostly because he genuinely surrounds himself with such symbols out of paranoia. He cannot leave his home without wearing at least one object he considers 'lucky' to some degree.

ireland LMAO

Irony. He honesty considers himself extremely unlucky, but what's better for recognition than an Irish Man with a shamrock?

he's an overall lucky person. he steps out into the rain and either doesn't get wet or looks good afterwards

Idk, cause he's irish.

Irish

Aran keeps luck close to help himself motivate. He loves using both good and bad luck charms to his favor. (He’ll keep clovers in his locker and try to give the other boxers bad luck by breaking mirrors, placing ladders, etc. Not black cats though, as he knows that’s a myth.)

Cause it's a miracle he hasn't been banned from they WVBA yet

Guy thinks it’s a good idea to have luck on his side so that he could win many boxing fights

Somebody or some mythical creature decided to put a both curse and a blessing on him

Uhh I don’t rlly know I think it’s about since he’s Irish and they have 4 leaf clovers and the lucky number seven????

luck of irish, of course! also the fact its a miracle he hasnt been suspended yet from boxing

I like to think it's because he's always been this lucky bastard- he's a huge bastard, but he also always had this immense luck on his side for as long as he lived for some weird reason.

He's bad luck if you piss him off, but good luck if you befriend him :)

Teehee four leaf clover!! Haha irish!!!

i'd say just because he's irish. wish it could be deeper but idk

irish stereotype.....

Why did Aran decide to join the WVBA?

tbh i haven’t figured that part out for him yet-

Because they pay well and he finds the work interesting compared to other boxing leagues.

he needs to let that energy out somewhere, he can actually box and does exercise but ended up wanting more and has no patience ya know

It was a childhood dream of his to become a boxer.

"Yer' meanin to tell me, i can get paid for beatin' guys in alleyways? 'Ell yeah, where can i sign up!?"

Wanted to leave his country, away from his baf past and parents. Wanted to prove to everyone and his old folks.

Honestly? So he could have the thrill of the fight without getting into trouble.

Aran wanted to distance himself from Dublin and shoot his shot in the boxing world after developing both a skill and dependence on it to fight his bullies.

To beat the crap out of people

Mostly his skills in boxing and his persuasion to the WVBA, also he wants in because of the money

He joined as a clean and sane fighter, but as a years goes on he goes crazy and began to cheat just like the other fighters.

To just beat the shit out of everyone ig

i imagine he doesnt consider himself particularly fit for smth like an office job (despite his wide vocabulary) so he took up boxing to unwind but ended up having a real knack for it. mix that with his prankster, combative personality and youve got aran ryan. i also imagine hed join a boxing association that was more lenient towards the rules

See, I'm pretty sure it's all written in his SPO poster. Dude got so fed up with all the endless teasing that he just snapped at some point, this point being a mention of his mother.

He probably got into a fight somewhere in Dublin, won by a landslide, and a random WVBA rep approached him to offer the job.

Bc the WVBA PAYS him to fight! Aran Ryan LOVE a good brawl!

work, perhaps? I'd imagine he was scrappy & caused fights in the streets, i have a feeling he saw a flyer for the WBVA one day and just thought "yeah, why not"

fatherless behavior /j (he had always been interested in boxing! then super punch out happened so now hes the biggest cheater in the ring just for the adrenaline rush)

silly momentum: Did Aran punch an Italian DJ???

50%: What

it's a reference about an infamous Irish boxer (like Aran) who punched an Italian dj (I won't tell who is he bc I am scared to see him jumping in my house and hit me lol)

How is Aran's relationship with his family?

pretty good! though his father’s no longer around so uh that’s something.

Very, very good. He loves just about everyone in his family with his entire heart (Except his mother's mother and older sister) and hates being away from them for too long. He's close with his parents, grandma, and younger siblings and would hate to be without them in his life.

imo pretty good! but in my canon, his parents are divorced but he loves his mom very much, same for his sis

VERY CLOSE- He's got his mother & baby sister, & god help anyone who decides to fuck with either.

mostly good, he has a sister and a mother but his father ran off when he was a kid and is entirely ready to BEAT HIS ASS

He has a terrible relationship with his dad, an alcoholic and abuser. He was very tough and strict as well. Aran got his drinking, cheating and shoplifting from his dad, he started at 15. He was able to provide for the family and living. He's a but sour with his mom because she stayed with his father; but only for the money and being able to live in a house. If they divorced, she loses everything and won't be able to find a job. But she still loves her family. Aran loves his sister, Daisy, he would do anything for her not to be like himself or their dad. Would protect her. He couldn't bring Daisy along because she was in custody with the parents, and he couldn't win. The reason he snuck out with his old Irish friends and went to box in the WVBA was to get away from his parents. He really doesn't want to come back, and ESPECIALLY doesn't want to talk about them.

His sister and pa are close, but his mam is so distant that his sister filled in the maternal role for him.

Strained, but due to forces that were out of their control. He keeps close with them but things can be hard for them to get along.

Good...I guess..

Has an estranged relationship with his mother, in somewhat neutral terms with his father, and in genuine, loving terms and a healthy relationship with his sister

He loves them I think, despite the fact the games mentioned them being a bad example to his life

Has a close connection with his mammy and da and has a really good brother-sister bond with his sister

aran's has a mom and dad, and a lot of siblings. theyre VERY close but also very lenient, hence why aran's so out of control. aran could cause the end of the world and his parents would still say ''thats our boy!''. they also rib eachother constantly (its how they show affection), and aran does this to everyone around him, stranger or not. not necessarily very close to all his siblings, but would still take a bullet for them. in short: mess with his family, and youre DEAD.

Aran's a huge mama's boy; he *loves* his ma. I mean, if you think about it she is a part of his fame, she's one of the few people he's got left of his family. He also got a sis... with which they still fight about absolutely silly and not-worth-fighting-over things.

He loves his family! Except his dad that walked out, but he had an uncle who filled the spot instead.

Parents #suck or otherwise not in the picture so he's taking care of the sister on his own (barely🙄)

good with his mom & sister, but is pretty distant from his dad. feel like he had another father figure pre-WBVA but that's my own lil thing for him.

hes on good terms with his sister, doesnt talk to his mother and his dad is dead

Who are Aran's friends?

tiger, hondo (to some degree), soda, maybe a couple others that i’m forgetting tbh

The rest of the world circuit, without a doubt, alongside Glass Joe, and Disco Kid.

probably disco, SMM, heike, some bitches he met at a pub, he is part of a biker gang in my version btw, also narcis is not only his bf but also his BFF

Joe, Lil Mac, Bear Hugger, Soda, & Bull. Sometimes Doc & Sandman. (Sandman doesn't always wanna put up with him & Doc is only really friends by proxy as he wants to ensure Mac's safety.)

everyone in the wvba is his friend, despite him being pretty much a constant annoyance

He has some old 4 Irish folks back in the day, In WVBA: Great Tiger, Bald bull, SMM, Mr Sandman (sometimes if Aran doesn't get on his nerves)

The Minor circuit, Heike and Mac

I definitely feel he can be friends with Soda Pop, and has a bit of a friendship with Bear Hugger. Don and him have a big of a friendship, but it’s been strained due to Aran fighting to keep his place in the World Circuit. Glass Joe talks to him sometimes, but has a small fear of him.

Soda Popinski and Disco Kid

Bear Hugger, Soda Popinski, Dragon Chan, Heike Kagero, Disco Kid, Rick Bruiser (don’t ask), and Piston Hurricane

I'm not sure how his friends, but he's acquainted with Great Tiger, because they both hate Narcis Prince.

I think that he’s not close with a lot of people but maybe soda popinski and don? Aran and Dons relationship is definitely being frenimies with the whole finding out his hair is a toupee. And soda popinski and Aran just drink together all the time and just spill secrets to eachother

soda popinski, bc he can handle his... quirky personality. Plus, they go to clubs to dance together, along w/ disco kid. speaking of which, he surprisingly gets along pretty well with disco kid, they bond over their music tastes, even if theyre radically different. they also collab on music together sometimes, with aran writing the lyrics and disco doing the instrumentals. they have a lot of creative differences however, but despite that, they remain friends.

The only person I can think of that may have been more-or-less of a friend to Aran ever is Soda. They've been great drinking buddies since the dawn of time, and can be real with each other only when they're drunk as all hell. They don't want anything to do with each other when they're sober tho.

He, Glass Joe, and Don Flamenco are besties. They annoy the ever-living daylights out of each other, but they're hilarious when they hang out together.

Little Mac bc I read a fic where they became best buddies and it changed my brain chemistry, and Disco Kid bc I read a fic where the they were friends but it wasn't the main focus which also altered my brain chemistry

soda, per techicality as I said in the last pole but close enough. he also sometimes crashes with the rest of minor / major on occasions but "friends" would be a strong word

hondo, bear, disco, bull (maybe), don, tiger

Who are Aran's rivals?

macho (pure hatred tbh), don (former rival, now his lover LMAO)

Narcis prince and Don are semi-rivals, their relationships with him at least starting out as hostile. Snes Aran and him also don't get along and neither do him and Von Kaiser for a long time.

joe LMAO, he just bullies him, maybe kaiser, both are chickenshits, he also teases don sometimes but he just thinks its funny, he doesnt hate him

Hondo, Tiger (They mostly just tolerate eachother), Don, Macho Man, Bald Bull on occasion, Von Kaiser & Disco Kid (Only because they're both terrified of Aran & worry for Joe's safety.)

mostly Mac, (still sort of salty about the fight) and Joe (knows he can't fight back)

Don Flamico and Narcis Prince (his ex)

Don, Narcis and Macho (last one is one-sided on Macho’s part)

Narcis Prince is the biggest member of the “BOO ARAN” club. He didn’t like him much when Aran first got in, but he genuinely thinks he’s insane now. Don Flamenco’s there too, but wishes they could go back to being friends. Piston Hondo, Von Kaiser, Super Macho Man, Sandman. The lad has made a lot of enemies.

Literally everybody else

Little Mac (obviously), Von Kaiser, Great Tiger, Narcis Prince, Super Macho Man, Bald Bull, Piston Hondo, and Mr. Sandman

As stated above Narcis Prince, and probably the world Circuit and Don Flamenco

Definitely Joe. They’d definitely throw mean comments at eachother or snobby remarks (mostly from joe) there would be a bunch of back and forth (aran usually the one screaming at him) I just think it’s a funny dynamic of them always having something to fight about

super macho man, aran loves messing w/ the guy while seeing him as an equal competitor. great tiger and piston hondo specifically are his prankster rivals and on friendlier terms w/ him that the rest of the WVBA. a combative personality WILL lend you some enemies, surprisingly.

The entirety of WVBA, of course.

Everyone in the world circuit. Being way younger and not being around as long as they have, he's definitely not as close with them as they are with each other. They're not purposely trying to exclude him by any means, they just have trouble relating to him most of the time.

Narcis prince because hating the British is something that runs deep in Aran's blood. also him and Hondo HAVE to have beef their alignments clash so hard

i'd imagine he'd have some beef with super macho man, considering they've mostly been together in the world circuit i like to think aran likes to get under macho's nerves. i'd even say its a similar case with narcis prince, but thats a bit more.. playful? ik smm takes it personally

super macho man

Most iconic Aran made by a fan?

umm idk?

Not sure if you mean fanart or charatrization, but I do like the Aran by 'ask-the-ryans' on tumblr

any commissions people made for me, any art that contains my ship is super iconic

The interactive choose your own adventure Aran where he was just his head on two stick figure legs. Best post, glad I was apart of that & got to witness it in real time. Tumblr be wildin'

all of them are neat !!!!!!!

They give him nicknames, irish man, lucky rabbit, lucky lad, insane irish boxer, and from douchebags and hater, rat.

The one in Sportsmanship (read it on AO3)

I genuinely think that almost every user on Tumblr has a based Aran.

Idk?

IDK

Ask-the-ryans blog by pulpa-de-gorila!!

Definitely the ask.the.Ryan’s blog . Their actually so talented and the way they draw Aran is amazing 😮‼️❣️

that one drawing made by pulporilla of macho man jealously announcing that aran is on the sexypedia, w/ aran being bare ass naked saying ''the what''

PulpaGorilla's Aran. Definitely.

That rabies pride art. I don't know how those two things managed to cross paths, but someone put them together and it is GLORIOUS.

Idk

pulpa-de-gorila / ask-the-ryans on tumblr!!! i sometimes study their art when i draw aran cuz i swear their stuff could be official art its that good. & also shoutout for mossea on tumblr aswell for being so shaped

i genuinely forgot their name but there was this one aran fanart with vibrant colors and it was Very Shaped and i think about it frequently

Best video ever made about Aran Ryan?

literally all of them

I cannot choose one so you get 3 https://youtu.be/RZTRpgjrMqc https://youtu.be/QgErxUeAeAU https://youtu.be/LPeq5_WSaas

i dont know tbh

i don't really watch videos on aran but i remember the deepfried aran fight and thought that was funny

Throwing the ref and knocking him the fuck out.

The infractions one

Fully Baked video talking about why is his fave

The one where the guy lists his 20+ infractions

"Why Aran Ryan is my Favorite Punch-Out Fighter" by Fully Baked

The old YTP’s‼️🔛🔝

That one, by kazooyah: https://www.tumblr.com/kazooyah/185687150065/so-this-is-what-i-do-in-my-spare-time. I've stumbled upon this vid way back im 2021, and I still think about this video daily.

The bus video gets me every time.

bumble mcfumbles's punch-out cheaters video, it's iconic at this point

"whos the biggest cheater in the wvba?"

Put here your thoughts about Aran

my favourite rat bastard tbh, i stole his name and it’s now my third/fourth online name hehe

Aran is a horrible gremlin man who is also my baby boy who I'd die for.

he is very hot and cute and the only character that got me here

I picture Aran as this outwardly abrasive guy- He let's as many people in as he let's those who wrong him go unpunished, which is to say little to none. He's got his reasons for cheating & while he won't share those reasons, it's a hill he's more than willing to die on. If you ever managed to get past the massive amount of walls he's put up, you'd find he's actually a very caring, creative, & intelligent person.

the spoinky woinky!!!!!!

Feral rat man.

silly :3 also what is that hairstyle bro

cheeseburgers. cheeseburgers everywhere. All jokes aside, one of the most interesting boxers in Punch Out. Him or Sandman should be in Smash Bros.

The half-rat half-irish cheating bastard that I love

Guy has so much personality to him. If a new Punch Out games come, please have Aran back, I’d die if he isn’t.

I like him as a character, but if he was a person, I wouldn't go near him as he is bad example

Funny as fuck dude Aran Ryan is 🔛🔝‼️

definitely one of the most iconic characters in the game, and for a good reason. hes funny, his fight is very unique in regards to timing your punches, his voice acting is great, hes got a solid, sharp design, and i love seeing the insane capers he comes up with. a HUGE step up from the SNES version. also hes hot.

dude's so mecore fr

He's a riot, that's for sure.

I like that dude I want to watch him be beaten to a pulp i need to see him sobbing shaking begging for his life

they can't just put an almost normal person / insane cheater among magic users, the most yoked guys i've ever seen, and king hippo and expect me to NOT be my favorite. c'mon now

RAAAGFHGHGHRGGFGRRGRGHHGHARGHGEGRGRGRGERGRGGEGHHGGEHEGRGGRHRHRGRHRHHFFFFHGGRH (i need to grind him with a mortar and pestle)

Other headcanons 

His flail is named Macha, named after an Irish goddess of war, death, and horses

he makes shit doodles of himself or his friends and his bf

Here's my headcanon for why Aran cheats- Aran immigrated to the US as a child & his father passed away shortly after his sister was born- He becomes the breadwinner when his mother gets sick & now in order to support his family & cover their medical bills, he cheats & places illegal bets on his own fights. He keeps this fact increadibly close to his chest & absolutely hates asking for help.

he likes to knit :)

He graffitis everywhere in the WVBA, either paint brush or marker. Ref, janitors and some boxers are tired of this shit. He also pranks most of the boxers in the WVBA.

He can whistle and sing beautifuly.

Guy gets drunk after sipping like 5 shots of Guinness, He’s a dog person, Good Enough Cook, and Rage Quit when he losses at video games.

He can complete Pizza Tower if it was real in his universe (not as a game, but a real tower)

Definitely stole a shopping cart from somewhere once or twice while he was drunk

hes great a rhyming and uses it to annoy people. he is also disco kid's and soda's dancing buddy, they always KILL it on the dance floor. has made sea shanty diss tracks with disco kid. does everything to embarrass macho man in front of ladies and the press. loves drum and base music, as well as sea shanties. has begged every non-english boxer at some point to PLEAAASE teach him some new curse words.

Now, I don't have any miscellaneous headcanons, I just wanted to say thanks to the Mod and anons for an awesome survey here, hope that's okay-

I've been thinking about him actively seeking therapy. Not for his insanity (God forbid we fix that part) but for things he keeps better under wraps (anxiety, depression, self-image, etc.

Second he gets home the pants come off, you can SEE every time he left the house the past week bc he didn't pick up them drawers after he dropped them. Dude HAS to have something to watch while he eats, food ritual is he's always sat on the couch, paper plate of food he has to hold otherwise his old ass dog tries to steal a bite, his own ground gripper dawgs out on the narsty carpet, TV playing trash reality shows way too loud, either shirtless or pantless, usually drinking pop with whatever he's eating. OH WAIT YEAH ALSO Aran's the type of guy to watch trash reality TV bc watching any dumb confrontations either verbal or physical is very fun and funny for him🤪

miiight of said this in the last survey but i fully believe that aran, although born in ireland, currently resides somewhere in new jersey

one time his friends in the wvba held a suprise birthday party for him and he tried SO hard not to cry (and failed lol)

[lamardeuse]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @devirnis <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

342

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

a little over 1.8 million

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Right now, 9-1-1, though in the last two years I've also written Merlin, Ted Lasso, Stargate: Atlantis and Our Flag Means Death, and I've completed two OFMD vids and am working on a third.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. Accept No Substitutes (Merlin) 2. What Child Is This (Merlin) 3. Best Man (Merlin) 4. Motive and Method (Hawaii Five-O) 5. Revelation (Merlin)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I might put angst in the fic itself, but I don't usually leave it in an angsty place. I suppose overall the angstiest fics ending-wise would be the Doggett/Reyes fics I wrote in X Files, probably because that was kind of the mood of the show.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I haven't really written any non-happy ending fics, and to classify one as "happiest" after 300+ stories over 20 years is pretty much impossible, sorry. Oh wait, in Defenders of the Realm (linked below) Merlin and Arthur save millions of people so I guess I'd pick that one. ;)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I haven't gotten hate specifically; I've shown my ass once or twice over the years and been called out for it, and I've apologized and corrected where possible. And lately with 9-1-1 I've had the odd person upset about the actions of a character in a couple of my fics, but it's not that they think the actions are out of character. It almost seems as though they don't want characters to ever do things that are personally frustrating or upsetting to them even if those actions make sense for that character in that situation? It's odd, but thankfully it's been pretty rare.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yep. I've written a wide variety of stuff over the years. Even straight people getting it on! :D

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Harry Potter/US Queer as Folk, anyone?

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't really care if I have.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, several times! I'm always so amazed that someone took the time to do that.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes, though not recently; it used to happen a lot more in the good ol' days of LiveJournal.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

I couldn't even begin to pick. So many men, so little time. When I'm in the throes of fandom love, that's my favourite.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have one Merlin WIP up on AO3 that still bothers me from time to time, but I'm not sure I'll ever get back to it because I just got mired in a plot dead end and saw no way out. I also have over 10000 words of an OFMD modern AU, but again, I hit a point where I realized I had no idea how to end it so I hit the brakes at the end of act one.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I would say characterization, and making an effort to research and try my best to work the location or the culture of the characters into a story in an authentic way.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Plot-heavy stories are not my favourite thing - I can do it but I'd rather write basic bitch romcoms. And you're not going to get the most original shit ever from me - my writing is not gourmet cuisine, it's comfort food.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Research, and/or have a beta who speaks that language.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Oh god, I think it was either V or Adderly, a very Canadian show from the 80s. Those were written on high school foolscap and will never see the light of day.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Again, it's really hard to pick one after all these years. Just a few random fics I have soft spots for: Auld Lang Syne (due South), Refugee Status (Sentinel), The Road to Nevada (SGA), Defenders of the Realm (Merlin), And We'll Talk in Present Tenses (Lewis), Skin Deep (I Spy), From a Rut to a Groove (Die Hard), and too many heartbeats for one ribcage (911).

I don't tag, so anyone who wants to do this have at it!

[justagalwhowrites]

I was on AO3 attempting to finish Beskar doll (I read 3 chapters) when I got the notification that you posted a new one-shot. I couldn't get it pulled up fast enough! It was amazing just like everything you write.

I also decided to reread Yearling. I told you I wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it until I got answers. So here are some thoughts.

1. Chapter one was really sad. I read it thinking of how scared she must have been not knowing what was going on. I couldn't imagine having to kill someone I love like that to save myself. It was also sad because it really gives a glimpse into who Bambi was before she was Bambi. She was a totally different person back then. I'm sure living through the end of the world would change anyone but for her, it was so much more than that. I want revenge against everyone who even thought about hurting her!

2. I absolutely love the fact that you wrote Bambi to be bisexual. It was a sweet story but I hate that Marisa just left her though. Although, I'm not really that upset about it because now she has Joel.

3. I found more breadcrumbs! If the breadcrumbs are what I think they are there were a few in chapter 8 that I missed. I think that was the chapter. It's the one where we learned about Marisa. I'm pretty sure I'm on the right track with my theory. I'm also pretty certain what I was wondering after chapter 9 is true.

4. Dear god, you love angst! I mean we all already knew that but I didn't realize just how much angst there was until I read it all together.

5. It's funny to me how things just hit differently in a slow burn. You find yourself being so damn excited that they touched even if it's accidental. Then when she asks him to hold her she may as well have asked him to fuck her. It was THAT monumental. I think I'm more excited for them to have their first kiss than I was for the Lavender fuckening!

6. Yup, you're definitely going to be at the top of every best seller's list there is one day. You can't convince me otherwise and I will have signed copies of ALL of your books, damn it!

I'm not going to apologize for rambling this time because you said you liked it. So just remember you asked for this! 🤣

HI BESTIEEEEEEE :D

I LOVE THIS SO MUCH OK HERE'S MY INSANELY LONG REPLY

Break because the reply is SO DAMN LONG lmfao

Yes, chapter 1 was sad. I love who Bambi is now but I also love who she's trying to get back to. We see parts of her every now and then - like when she was full on about to brawl with Simon for hurting Ellie for example, all her banter with Tommy for another. I think, eventually, she's going to reach a point where there's more of who she was before along with the parts of her that have changed or sprung into existence with her trauma. But as she becomes more and more comfortable with Joel - and Jackson and humanity in general - we'll see more of chapter 1 Bambi.

BISEXUAL BAMBIIIIIIIII! I love this character in part because I feel like she really does contain multitudes. She gravitates toward a lot of stereotypically masculine things - like breaking horses - but also LOVES the feminine - like women rockers and romantic movies. She kind of exists all over this spectrum and likes it that way. She feels most at home in her Levis and a button down and cowboy boots but, before she figured out how to effectively rebel against her mother's beauty pageant wishes, she won pageants because she can fully look the part all glammed up. Her horse experience reflects this, too, doing both bronc riding and trick riding. We'll see more Marisa - and other women in Bambi's life - in flashbacks too :)

Some of my most explicit breadcrumbs were in chapter 8! There was one where I was like "this is almost fully telling people what this is" and no one has mentioned it to me yet. I'll point out the big things in the reveal chapter, though!

I AM SUCH A SLUT FOR ANGST it's a problem. Thanks for putting up with it lmfao (also, it's gonna get REAL ANGSTY for a while too)

And OMG I'm LOVING how the small intimacies feel with this kind of a slow burn. Because it's not so much like will they/won't they longing kind of stuff there's so much tied up in it all. Any kind of intimacy - especially physical intimacy, not just sexual intimacy - is such a huge thing for Bambi. For literal years, the only touch she had was cruel. That is a lot of conditioning to undo. I think it's hard for her because - as I think you can tell from the flashbacks especially - she's always been a physical person. Her love language would probably be physical touch if I really thought about it, so feeling like she needs to be physically disconnected from people to be safe while also desperately WANTING touch so she can feel loved are these warring drives inside her. Right now, the safety need is outweighing the need for love with everyone BUT Joel. Maybe Ellie, too. She, at least on some level, wants to be the person who would walk up to a coworker who had been blatantly checking her out, tell him she'd fuck him and then do exactly that. I will say that, because of how physical Bambi is as a person (in just about everything, she really feels most herself when she's using her body) that, once the dam breaks with more explicitly romantic/sexual intimacy (which is getting close to happening with Joel) the rest will come rather quickly. That need for love and physical touch is going to overpower the safety need real quick.

And AHHHH BESTIE!! I sure hope so! I'm going to try to get off my ass and query Ace this week and see how it goes. Fingers crossed for me?

Thank you SO MUCH for all your rambles because I love them every time! And thank you for being here and for reading and always being so kind and supportive and lovely and wonderful. You're the best <3

Love you!!!

[seancamerons]

Do you have any early semma hcs ?

so anon, i'm scratchin' my head tryna figure out how to answer this. i feel bad it's been sitting in my inbox for so long. some of these are all over the place. the answer is yes. read more below!

intro/interested pretty quickly so emma really instantly thought, "wow i never met anyone like this guy before." unfortunately for sean, i believe he was just so shocked to even be in town again and still kind of messed up that day in terms of it being overwhelming and rough circumstances. for example, in 1.04 the day leading up to the dance was a blur for him until the dance. between jimmy getting on him, and having his first day at degrassi, finding out i guess at the time he has to repeat the seventh grade, the whole computer debacle and being stressed about that, and people whispering/sean hoping people didn't find out about the fight with tyler that sent him there in the first place, and other factors, it was a lot. emma was watching him, not being a stalker or anything but like he was just trying to get used to things. he transferred like what? october i guess of the school year so he missed 1st day of school and stuff. emma was his first friend at degrassi community who treated him like he mattered and got him out of trouble with raditch when he lost it on jimmy that's canon. after that i headcanon that it was pretty much - she's on his radar. they didn't like become like best friends or anything else whatever until later. maybe mid-way through the term like around the time of caberet did they start like really spending time together or interested in each other beyond casual friends/acquaintances. the crush obviously was mutual. emma i think liked sean as early as give or take - pre-coming of age or a little before that so yeah it fits. so like when i wrote this fic once, emma talked about what generated interest to sean. he was cute probably to her, but also the way that most kids would describe who they are in so many words when asked on the first day at new school. sean turns around and just says in response, "no." that immediately set him apart from his peers. (toby wasn't standing a chance after that.)

2. they BOTH still have the pictures. in fact sean keeps his picture in his wallet. when he was away deployed/staying on bases or whatever he had it either hung up in barracks/platoon wherever he stayed. it's a little bit crinkled and worn and stuff but he did scan it so that he can get it printed on like gloss paper. IT'S A GOOD THING SPIKE TOOK TWO ON HER OBNOXIOUSLY HUGE CAMERA. i like that when cranny went on that date (s2 tmba) she used the camera on them bc she's literally her momma's daughter lol.

3. sean walked emma home after the starlight starbright dance because her flip phone died and she didn't have enough for the payphone in the foyer to call her mom. instead, she remembered her mom told her not to walk home alone. on the walk to emma's he told her where he was from but they didn't really talk much until after parents day and maybe even more over a little later. she liked him around that time. she felt safe that he walked her home after the dance though. spike didn't meet him till later but she mentioned that she wasn't alone for the walk home from school. spike slept easier, but didn't know the person who walked her was a boy.

4. walking home again revisited (likely) a year later like after the wedding in 2.13, spike and snake drove off in their just married car to the airport/honey moon and caitlin stayed for the week behind to look after emma. joey too. sean walked emma home after the wedding and they talked things out/asked her out probably then too officially. he apologized and took accountability/she did too for what happened that last year. of course the conversation was short but they held hands all cutesy and maybe another kiss before she went inside the house. I'm sure it was dark and stuff too so yeah. he called her later to thank her for inviting him, they had fun. craig, sean, emma, and manny ate a lot of wedding cake and food did some dancing beyond slow dances. it was probably the last time their lives weren't complicated.

5. emma visted sean between the time he left after bib over the summer with manny to wasaga for a few day trips emma's life got chaotic once she was with peter and they lost touch. imagine her surprise when he returned a year or so later?! (i find it hard to believe that they hadn't seen each other since s4 i think they talked/maybe over the summer a few day trips when manny or emma got licenses for driving idk if they drove or they took a bus who knows its my world haah)

6. sean's aim (what did they call it for Canada - cim?) screen name is similar to his degrassi handle on degrassidottv lol whocares & emma's is sparklespaz28 or simply sparklespazz bc I'm unoriginal. they talked like however they could occasionally when he was in wasaga he used to visit/frequent internet cafes to keep in touch with friends/emma/ellie but ellie kind of hurt too much to talk to him. emma got too busy to spend much time online but when they did they'd have lengthy aim convos about various things, just not about jay/ravine lmfao of course. even those convos were a little deep which translated later at least i think. she didn't know he was returning bc that was around the time he was moving back and his parents had this old ass computer that barely ran so that's why he would internet cafe. he didn't have internet after he moved to the area again, so he'd either internet cafe in town/phone/text/the computer lab and be able to talk more to them in person instead. it was only when everyone was long distance. i think i read wasaga is 4.5 or so away from Toronto where degrassi is set i think? or a little bit less. it seemed like that anyway when they got out of the car in bib they all looked like we need to stand after sitting this long.

imagine the tension in THAT car ride, let me tell ya.

💌 thanks for the ask!!🌸💗OH ONE MORE THING:

the fic i edited this post to include *discussed above*:

thanks again for the ask, any excuse to talk about semma. byeeeee!💕

[rainbowsky]

Hi, I was the one talking about leaving your blog due to ysl incident. I'm not anyone's only fan, why you grouped me together with solos 😂I was talking from a customer's pov. I know solos can be very toxic, but they also have their own right as customers. Also keeping calm is good, but not in all situations. I apologize for my tantrum. I'm just mad from bad shopping experiences 😆Sometimes I think you guys idolize them too much, it's not healthy.

[ysl continues cause limited text] thank you for replying to me! You seem to have a strong mind-very admirable! Really want to chat with you longer but I don't use social media. I'm kinda embarrassed that I posted something like that, if you can delete it then I 'd be grateful! I don't follow any idol anymore, just love the bond between xz&wyb (seem like soulmates to me) I was upset for several days after that post, so again sorry and happy new year!

This is in reference to a previous post.

Hi Anon... 🫤

I'm not deleting my post just because you feel embarrassed. It's an anonymous post. I don't think there's any rationale for asking me to remove it. There's nothing at all connecting it to you except for your own knowledge that you personally wrote it. That is, in fact, the entire point of being anonymous.

And I find your regret ironic considering the core message of my YSL post was that people should try to be a little bit less impulsive, and consider the outcome of their actions before they take them. Perhaps you're starting to realize that now yourself.

As for "being lumped in with solos," I'm not sure where you got the impression I'd placed you in any camp. You were simply referred to as 'a fan', and all of us are fans, BXG, MTJJ and XFX alike. As I've said many, many times, there are toxic fans from every camp. You're not unique in that respect. Although I will admit that you smell a bit fishy to me, for a variety of reasons...

Customer service issues can be frustrating, no doubt about it, but your "customer service issues" should not become GG's personal career issues. It's outrageous, tone-deaf and short-sighted for fans to think that they're helping someone by harming them in this way.

Every fan needs to get with the current program and realize that the situation has dramatically shifted around fan culture in China, and there are serious consequences to stars whose fans behave in disruptive ways.

I got quite a bit of pushback from someone (who I suspect to be you, actually, given their almost identical language usage to you... but I guess it could just be a 'coincidence') claiming that 'I have no clue about the fan culture in China'.

Regardless of who it was, I think the clue deficit lies with them and all the other 'fan culture' fans. They continue to behave in pre-2/27 ways, but we are living in a post-22/7 world. They don't seem to have gotten the memo that the public and official perspectives on fan culture have changed, and the consequences of fan behavior have changed. Fans can't continue behaving the way they used to and think that everything's going to be the same as it used to be.

Yes I know the fan reaction to the YSL situation was pretty typical of fan culture, but you seem to believe that's a good, normal thing when actually it's not. Not anymore. The government no longer looks the other way when these things happen. Stars can and will bear the consequences of those actions. The general public has a diminishing patience for this behavior and culture as well, and most people take a dim view of it all. Particularly during this time of extreme hardship.

Fans need to learn to read the room, and especially, they need to listen to GG and his oft-stated wishes around fan behavior. He has made it abundantly clear that he doesn't want fans over-identifying with him, being instigated, causing disruptions, focusing on consumerism, focusing on rankings or trying to 'protect' him.

I find it rather strange that you speak of 'our' (not sure who you're talking about with this grouping - turtles?) 'idolizing them too much' and it being 'unhealthy' when it's actually you who was exhibiting behavior that falls outside of what I'd characterize as 'calm', 'rational' and 'respectful'. I guess your impressions are your own, but perhaps some self-reflection is in order? Just a thought.

A bit of perspective might do you some good, Anon. 'Bad shopping experiences' can't justify disrupting the career of a star you say you care about, nor - frankly - can they justify disrupting my blog.

In any case, I'm grateful your ask came in two messages. It has allowed me to answer your ask while also being able to block you - for your good and for my own. I think we both can find more productive, positive uses for our time.

Happy new year. May yours be one of transformation and peace. 🙏🏻

[olderthannetfic]

I need help deciding something, im not sure whether this is the right place for it but here it goes.

I'm in a fandom that is about 10ish years old, went through a decline and then saw a huge surge at the beginning of 2021 because it got a (very good) show based on the books. While the canon endgame is good ol' friends-to-lovers, the most popular ship is an enemies and lovers with a bunch of 'problematic' elements. It's so popular that it has more fics on ao3 than any other ship in the entire universe in which the story is set.

Now, most of the fans of the ship hang out in a discord server, and I, being obsessed with the ship, joined it in early June. Tumblr doesn't have much content for the ship because of the harassment faced by the fans by antis when the show was released and I detest using twitter so the server is my only contact with that series.

And, everything is cool. The members are super chill, extremely helpful, the mods are great and have excellent events every month for the members, and I've had an overall good experience. I'm not very active, I only talk about once ever 2 or 3 days, but I read all the messages because they tend to be quite interesting.

Now here is where the problems begin: on different platforms, on three separate occasions, I have heard negativity about the server. Once on ao3, an author complained about the server in her notes, and when some fandom newbie asked her to explain she said the mods were power hungry jerks who silenced anyone they didn't like and there was a lot of negativity, and they looked down on everyone who wrote dead dove. On tumblr, a person claimed that they were the founder of the server and they got bullied by the members and made fun of by the mods because they wanted a channel for darker topics (dead dove, underage etc) while this founder did not, and the overall experience left them traumatized. One of my friends from the server left because she said that she had issues with mods and didn't like who she had to be in order to stay in the server.

Which... sounds bad, except the ao3 and tumblr person's reasons seem to directly contradict each other with respect to dead dove? And the server does have a dead dove channel (you have to take a role for it, so you can leave the role and it will be hidden any time) although they restrict underage but that's because of discord's TOS. The server is very much proship so I don't see them looking down on dead dove doesn't make sense. And the tumblr person claims to be the founder, but the server has two people marked as founders and there is absolutely no trace of this third person. None. Not even a mention of x. Neither is there any trace of an argument regarding these topics. As for the person who left the server... she was a good person, but a little insensitive and very likely to jump to extremes, which was why the mods had warned her a couple of times not to do so (some of her statements could come across as ableist even if she didn't mean anything like that). I'd ask her if there was more but I don't really know her that well. The mods are very hands off, only occasionally asking to shift to appropriate channels if required, that too not often. They've been great, and they put tons of effort into creating events and stuff, more than I have seen in any fandom.

I won't say that there had never been issues. I found that sometime last year, there was a pretty big ruckus. There was a BNF, whose works became so popular that it was all anyone would talk about so some people got tired (there were like 200 members back then). So discussions of the BNF's work got relegated to a thread. Later on tumblr some other authors criticized the bnf's work (all her fics reeked of internalized misogyny even if her writing was good, so it's not surprising) thinking she'd never see it (she was on twitter not tumblr), but somehow she came to know and brought it up in the server. The other authors apologized, but then some others got into the discussion and it got into a whole ass free for all where some were siding with the bnf saying how unfair it was that her work had to go into threads instead of the normal channels, and how others mocked her and how she'd been patient. Another group sided with the other authors and said that they had a right to criticism, they hadn't done it on a platform where the bnf would see it anyways, and the bnf had created unnecessary drama by dragging the issues into the server. Long story short, bnf quit the fandom, a number of people got kicked, and 'leave your issues at the door' got added to the server rules, and it was suggested that criticism be done on private groups and stuff where others wouldnt see it (not a rule because the mods made it clear they would not handle any drama outside of the server). There was a little disagreement between two members when one of the actors got accused of being racist (unfairly, imo, based on a couple of paparazzi pics, and the accusations have since been blown away). But that was all. I could find no other records of controversies or bullying, and I spent quite a bit of time searching.

Overall my personal experience has been positive in the server. The closest you get to a disagreement is just people crackshipping the craziest ships and making up increasingly ridiculous scenarios for crack while others go 'MY EYEEEES' or 'BRAIN BLEACH BRAIN BLEACH' but it's all in fun and those members are very close friends who know there's no ill will. And yet every time I see criticism of the server I feel hesitant and wonder whether I'm deluding myself, whether I'm so desperate to have contact with this fandom that I'm turning a blind eye to stuff (even though I don't think I am). But not one, not two, but three different people have said these issues exist on the server, and while one or two could be clowns, ALL of them can't be, right? Not to mention the drama last year.

I don't know, I love being on the server, but whenever I see things like this it makes me uneasy. I'm not sure what to do, I don't want to be a part of it if all these accusations are true.

--

Wait and see, I guess. A bunch of people complaining about a space could mean anything from a literal conspiracy to smear its name to the natural disagreements that arise wherever people congregate to secret nastiness you haven't noticed.

[hotxcheeto]

Request 2: Arcane Vi x fem reader. Where reader is Mel's sister and one of Caitlyn's friends. Mel likes painting and R likes to write and she wants to base her next story on an adventure she had. But because of her sister's role in the council she has pretty much no inspiration. So when Caitlyn decides to interrogate that prisoner R pops along too. R is quite mischievous and doesn't take the whole "these people are criminals" seriously. Which kinda piques Vi's interest. 1/2

━ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐀 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄

𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜(𝙨) - Vi x Fem!Reader, Mel x Sister!Reader (Mentioned) 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 - Cursing, I'm not sure there's anything else

𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙? - Yeah/Nope/ I hope

𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧'𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚 - I can't tell if I hate this or love it

The place was dark, dingy, and large. The clacking of the cane the giant man was holding as he walked you and Caitlyn down to the cell was beginning to get on your nerves. Then again, it was one of the only noises in this part of the prison.

You'd realized just in this moment that it was nearly dead silent. No noises, but the smell was awful. The smell of pee and sweat. Nowhere was safe, you wondered how anyone could not go insane down here. You wondered how anyone got down here in the first place. And how they lasted.

A few people looked at you from their barred rooms. But your face never faltered, unlike Caitlyn who couldn't help but to look slightly terrified. Glancing at you, who was distracted looking at the people in their cells.

"Here you go." You walked away from the both of them towards the cell, it was pure darkness besides the slight moonlight coming from the windows. Someone was punching something inside.

"Who the hell are you?" She turned, looking over her shoulder as Caitlyn stood still. Face now slack showing no signs of fear, or emotion for that matter. "I took a look at your file, there's no record of you or your crimes. What are you here for?" You had written that down earlier, the girl with nothing but a name.

"My stunning personality." You laughed slightly, earning a look from Caitlyn and the girl. But the girl, Violet was her name, didn't look at you with a glance to be quiet. No, it was intriguing. "So, let me guess you attacked the inmate because he didn't like your... stunning personality?" You asked, putting the notepad down slightly. Meeting her eyes.

"Why did you attack him?" Caitlyn questioned, rewording your own. "Why not?" "He was a witness in an ongoing investigation." "Bummer." You laughed again, quietly you wrote something down. Something that Violet wondered about as she watched you scribble the pen on the paper before looking up at her again.

"We shouldn't have even come." Caitlyn went to walk away. "C'mon, Violet give me something. I want a story. You're giving me little quotes for the prologue. If any, honestly." "Mm, well, here's a quote. How about after you leave, you give Silco a little kiss on that winning eye of his. Just from me." You nodded, staring at her with eyes she couldn't decode.

"Just, get this over with and send in whoever's gonna kick the shit out of me." You frowned a bit, looking at the ground at the red line that ran along the floor. Then at Caitlyn. She opened her notebook and stepped over it, holding it up to her.

"Is this familiar?" It went silent for a moment before she slammed against the bars making Caitlyn jump. Instead, you noted her reaction, writing a few things down on the notepad. "Where did you get this?" "My question first. He worked for Silco?" "Uh, yeah, they all do. How can anyone not know that? Where did you find this?"

You and Caitlyn glanced at each other. "There was an attack. This is evidence. We need proof if we are to believe what you're saying about Silco." She leaned her head against the bars, looking at you. "I could get it for you. Just, not from in here." You then stepped forward, much to Caitlyn's dismay.

"Well, I apologize if my friend here is a little hesitant. You may have a stunning personality to some. But, to others, forgive me, you aren't the most... dashing." You got close to her face, tilting your head with a shrug. "You enforcers are all the same. Just asshole criminals in some fancy uniform." "Hush it. I'm not an enforcer. Being truthful, I don't work for Piltover at all."

She stepped back slightly, looking at you surprised. "Then what are you?" "I write stories. I want to know yours. I want to know the Undercity. I want to know... the truth. Much like my friend though, she has a few rules she's got to follow. I have connections, being who I am, a reputation if you must. But I want my story, and you're going to give it to me."

"Am I?" Violet asked, with a slight smile. "If you'd like to find out where that drawing came from. Then yes, you are." Her smile faltered a bit as she looked past you to Caitlyn. "Fine. And it's Vi. Not Violet." "Alright, Vi." You turned around to look at Caitlyn. "Let's get her released, shall we?" Caitlyn stared at you in surprise. "Good."

You hadn't stopped looking around as you walked. Everything you saw you wanted to write down, making mental notes as you all made your way to wherever Vi was taking you. The pink-haired girl beside you noticed. Noticed how in Caitlyn's face, there was slight fear. Discomfort.

In yours, there was wonder. Intrigue. Questions that you wanted to ask, yet you decided on biting your tongue. Walking beside her the whole time while Caitlyn lingered just behind you both, looking at the floor. Stuck in her own mind. Not even noticing when you began to talk to Vi.

"So.. you were raised down here?" You finally asked, turning to look at her. "Yeah. Whole life." "Hm." You hummed, looking forward again. But her eyes lingered on you. "Ever think about leaving? Even if it was just for a moment?" "I wouldn't be able to-" "But do you think about it?" You cut her off, looking at her again.

She stared at you for a moment, and for just a split second she nearly answered. For some reason, she almost answered. Despite not knowing your name.

"What's your name?" You then smiled, chuckling a bit while looking forward. "Y/n." "Y/n..." She repeated quietly. "That's it." "You've got a pretty name, Sugar." You blushed slightly, turning to look away from her so she couldn't see your face. "Thanks Violet, I like yours too."

She suddenly stopped in front of a building. Walking in, she quickly turned around to face the both of you as you began walking down the hallway.

"I need to talk to someone, make yourselves useful. Find out information." "How?" You turned around while Vi was talking to Caitlyn. Looking around the brothel. "And me?" You asked, turning around as Caitlyn began awkwardly talking to someone.

"You're hot, Sugar. Go make your story, just use that pretty smile of yours. Worked on me." You stared at her in slight surprise, watching her turn around and walk off. "Huh." You then muttered, turning back around to the brothel opened area. "Doesn't seem like there's much of a story here." You turned and walked down the hallway towards the doors you'd come in from.

Looking around the large Undercity. You hadn't even seen a quarter of the place. Filled with neon lights and bustling people. People most wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. Yet here you are, letting your eyes wander from person to person, carefully choosing a few.

Some liked to talk, love if you will. Talk about their life, what they hated about Topside and what lived below it. Some would say a few words, staring at you as if you were some parasite. Some wouldn't give you the time of day.

But one did, one blue haired girl who had been watching you as you sat down on a bench that looked as if it was holding onto dear life. Looking down at your notepad, skimming your notes, the quotes, the information you'd dragged from each person you'd interviewed. Before you finally closed it, satisfied, for now.

"Whatcha got there?" You looked up at her, her blue hair pulled back into two very long braids. You immediately smirked, crossing your legs. "What's it to you?" She shrugged. "You like to write in that thing." Her eyes laid on the notepad. "Yes... and?" "What's in it?" "I'll tell you... if you tell me your name."

She stared at you for a moment, putting her hands behind her head as she stepped closer to you. But your expression never dropped, it barely moved. Instead, you leaned forward.

"Jinx." "Jinx?" You asked. "Yeah. Now what's in it?" She tilted her head, stepping forward again. "A story. Everything I've learned since down here, words of the people that have lived through the Undercity's wrath." She stared at you. "I like that.” “Want to read it?” It took her a moment to answer. "If you'd like?" She then nodded. You handed it to her, letting her look at it.

She opened it, her eyes moving quickly back and forth before her smile fell. Her eyes went slightly wide. You noticed it before you then turned your head to look at the doors of the brothel that had swung open. Caitlyn and Vi emerged. Worry on both their faces.

When you turned back the girl had disappeared, your notes along with her.

"What the hell?" "Where have you been?" Caitlyn forced you to turn to her, looking over you like a protective mother. "I'm fine. I've been out here, I couldn't get anything in there." Vi watched you, watching as your eyes scanned each face in the crowd. Each rooftop. Each little bit of the area you were in.

"You're fine?" "Yes." You looked back to Caitlyn. "Just fine. Where to next?" Caitlyn hadn't seemed to notice that your notepad had disappeared. That you couldn't stop furrowing your eyebrows as you thought. Caitlyn then turned to Vi. "Uh, yeah. C'mon." She shook it off, beginning to walk again.

"You alright?" She asked you. "Yeah." "You sure?" "Someone took the notepad. She... she seemed genuinely intrigued. Then she saw something." "Who? What?" "A girl. Her name was Jinx. Jinx... what a name." Vi stared at you for a moment before nodding. Looking at the ground.

"Sorry about that." "It's fine. Lost the notebook. But I've got a hell of a story. Thanks to someone." "Oh yeah, what's it gonna be called?" She leaned in, raising her eyebrow. "The Girl With Nothing But a Name." "Why that?" "Because I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for a girl, who was a criminal with no crimes. On record anyway" She smirked slightly. "I guess so, huh?" "Hey Cait, do you think my sister will be mad about this?"

She looked at you, raising her eyebrows. "You didn't tell her?" "Whoops. Hopefully my stunning personality can get me out of that one." "Your sister?" Vi asked. "Yeah. She's a councilor. Connections... remember?" She stared at you with wide eyes. Then smirked. "You're insane." "I know."

A/n: I gave my blog a makeover just a lil bit :)))))

[randompurplepanthergorl]

EW Mains x the Neighbors incorrect quotes because someone needs to keep the quote generator away from me lol

Yeah, this has Edd x Eduardo, Tom x Jon, Matt x Mark and Tord x Todd (My Todd, they're compatible enough) and I stuck their names in a quote generator and copy-pasted the results while tweaking some text

-

Eduardo: My future partner must be brave, strong, intelligent, successful and organized.

Edd: *steps on Ringo's tail by accident and proceeds to drop to his knees and sob while apologizing profusely*

Eduardo: That one. I want that one.

-

Eduardo: You are the love of my life and I would do anything within reason to make you happy.

Edd: I would be happy if you ate, stayed hydrated and got a reasonable amount of sleep.

Eduardo: I said within reason, Edd. How about I murder that guy?

Edd: So murder is in reason but proper self care isn't?

Eduardo: Well, duh. What kind of question is that?

-

Jon: Since we're in a relationship now, your clothes are my clothes too. Don't ask me why I have your shirt on, this is our shirt.

Tom: Fine, but when I come strutting in with your fuzzy socks I don't want to hear shit.

-

Tom: Valentine’s day is just a consumerist holiday that holds no real value other than drive people insane buying heart shaped chocolates for their significant others and pos-

Jon: I wrote you a poem.

Tom, already crying: You did?

-

Jon: Hey random, what are your favorite flowers?

Tom: Peonies, why?

Jon:

Tom: Were you going to get me flowers?

Jon:

Tom:

Jon: ᶦᵗ’ˢ ᵃ ᵖᵒˢˢᶦᵇᶦˡᶦᵗʸ

-

Jon: Wait, what's going on? Are we all talking about how hot Tom is? Because Tom is a straight up sexual fox riding a red-hot nuclear bombshell right toward the yowza plaza in the heart of Babe City, Assachusetts, U S A. The last A just stands for more ass.

-

Mark: That was so hot, Matt.

Matt: I literally called the person who just flirted with you a degenterate dog and told them I hope they get dragged through the streets.

Mark: I'm so in love with you.

-

Matt: Hey, I’m getting in the shower. Wanna help me out~?

Mark: ...Have you never taken a shower before?

-

Mark: I fell—

Matt: From heaven?

Mark: No, I literally fell—

Matt: In love with me the moment you saw me?

Mark: MY ARM IS BROKEN!

Matt: Okay, but do you think I'm pretty? Be honest.

-

Tord: Can I have 2 straws with that milkshake?

Todd: Aww-

Tord: With 2 straws, I can drink it double as fast!

-

Tord: Let’s watch Sharkboy and Lavagirl.

Todd: Okay.

Tord: And make out during the scary parts.

Todd: Th-

Todd: The scary parts.

Todd: Of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.

-

Todd: Sorry I’m late, I was doing things.

Tord: Hi, I’m ‘things’.

-

Tord: Do you want to know your gay name?

Todd: My... my gay name?

Tord: Yeah, it's your first name-

Todd: Haha. Very funny Tord-

Tord: *gets down on one knee* And my last name.

Todd: Oh- oh my god.

-

Todd: Are you sure Tord's even omni? They barely even looked at me.

-

Tord, wearing one of Todd's over shirts which looks like a dress on him: Since we're in a relationship now, your clothes are my clothes too. Don't ask me why I have your shirt on, this is our shirt.

Todd: Fine, but when I come strutting in with your fuzzy socks I don't want to hear shit.

-

Mark: *is wearing silk pants* How does this look?

Matt: Like its slips on and off really easily.

Mark:

Matt: No, I didn't mean it like that-

Tom: We know what you meant.

-

Jon: Just a minute. I need to go take out the trash.

Tom: Oh. We're going out?

Jon: Wh...

-

Edd: From now on we will be using code names.

Edd: You can address me as Eagle One.

Edd: Matt is “been there done that”.

Edd: Mark is “currently doing that”.

Edd: Jon is “it happened once in a dream”.

Edd: Tom is “if I had to pick a dude”.

Edd: And Eduardo is..

Edd: Eagle Two

Eduardo: Oh thank god.

-

Eduardo: Edd kissed me!

Jon: Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!

Eduardo: It was unbelievable!

Person B: Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!

Mark: Okay, we wanna hear everything. Todd, get the wine and unplug the phone. Edu, does this end well or do we need tissues?

Eduardo: Oh, it ended very well.

Jon: Do not start without me! Do not start without me!

Mark: Okay, alright, let’s hear about the kiss. Was it a soft brush against your lips or was it like a, you know, “I gotta have you now” kind of thing?

Eduardo: Well, at first it was really intense, you know? And then, oh God, and then we just sort of sunk into it.

Mark: Ohh... So, okay, was he holding you? Or was his hands on your back?

Eduardo: First they started out on my waist and then they slid up and then they were in my hair.

Todd, Mark and Jon: Ohhh.

*meanwhile*

Edd eating pizza in his, Tom, Matt and Tord's house: And, uh, and then I kissed him.

Tom: Tongue?

Edd: Yeah.

Matt and Tord: Cool.

-

Tord: My boyfriend is too tall for me to kiss them on the lips. What should I do?

Eduardo: Punch him in the stomach. Then, when he doubles over in pain, kiss him.

Matt: Tackle xem!

Tom: Dump them.

Jon: Kick them in the shin!

Edd: Jump!

Mark: Ghost him

Todd: No to all of those! Just ask me to lean down!!

-

Mark and Matt: Ah, yes. Here we have a beautiful couple...

Tom: I really care about your feelings!

Jon: I really care about YOUR feelings!

Todd and Tord: ...and then there's the disaster couple...

Eduardo: YOU NEED TO PAY MORE ATTENTION TO ME INSTEAD OF BEING AT THE HOSPITAL!

Edd: I WOULDN'T HAVE TO SPEND SO MUCH TIME AT THE HOSPITAL IF YOU STOPPED INSISTING ON FIGHTING EVERYONE WHO COMES WITHIN A FIVE FOOT RADIUS OF YOU!

-

Edd: What are you getting Mark for the holidays?

Matt: I don't know. It's kind of hard buying a gift for your husband when he already got everything he could've ever wanted when he married you. So I'm not sure yet.

Eduardo: I'm getting Mark a divorce lawyer.

-

Eduardo: Edd! I can't do this stupid math!

Edd: What’s the math problem?

Eduardo: Well, we have to add the bed, subtract the clothes divide the legs, and hope we don’t multiply~

Todd, covering Jon's ears, annoyed, while Edd smacks Eduardo upside the head: Not going to lie that was hella smooth.

-

Jon: How is the most beautiful person in the world?

Tom: *blushing* I—

Mark, butting into the conversation: Matt is perfect, thanks for asking.

-

Eduardo: I sleep with a gun under my pillow.

Matt: I sleep with a knife.

Tord: Both of you are pathetic.

Eduardo: Oh yeah? What do you sleep with?

Tord: Todd. :)

[you-are-so-much-better-than-that]

do you think Noel and Cam could write a gallavich series - kinda feel like based on their quotes and their improv they could write something true to the characters but also interesting, maybe they’d need a third professional tv writer but I’d think they would come up with better than the later seasons. I’d also just pay to read their views on the writing of their characters.

Hi Anon! You know you're my first anon?? I hope this is as exciting for you as it is for me! And what an interesting question you've posed. The short answer here is I don't think so, but I do wish they--and actors in general on most shows--played a larger role in the writing process. This got very, very lengthy, because I love sharing my every thought and opinion. I so apologize. I don't want my rambles to flood people's feeds, so my full thoughts are below the cut.

TLDR: Cam and Noel probably can’t write it, but there should be better systems so that writers and creators should collaborate more with the actors that play the characters they write.

***I’m so sorry. I posted this and then I had an immediate thought and went to edit. This is why no one should as me anything ever.

So, could Noel or Cam have written scripts? I'm not sure. I don't know if either of them could write. There are certainly plenty of actors who are also incredibly talented writers. I immediately think of Danny Strong, who I first knew from his acting work on Buffy and then Gilmore Girls and Mad Men and he's now working on Billions, but he also wrote the screenplays for Mockingjay Part 1&2, and he created, wrote, and produced Empire and Dopesick--all of which have been pretty critically acclaimed. I don't know if Cam or Noel want to do any other work in the industry, but what I know is that both are very good actors who are dedicated to the craft more than they are dedicated to the job, if that makes sense.

Both have spoken of their characters as if they are living, feeling, and real. I think we the audience can sense that in interviews like the one from this post, but also in many others. 

Cam’s spoken about how important it was to him to be authentic in his portrayal of a person with bipolar. He’s said he wants to play the character ‘honestly and empathetically’. He’s spoken about preparing for it by reading autobiographies and watching documentaries written by or about people with bipolar. I think that’s pretty admirable. We also know that Cameron was ready to leave the show in Season 9, and had made that call, only returning with the stipulation that Noel returns as Mickey. He knew that Mickey was Ian’s endgame. 

Noel cares just as deeply for Mickey. He speaks of him as much more than the neighbourhood thug. He’s said that Mickey wants to defend the love they have with ferocity. He’s spoken of the coming out scene with such grace, the freedom he has colliding with the responsibility of loving openly. He plays Mickey with such nuance, displaying Mickey’s inner struggle between who he is and who he feels he has to be in the early seasons, and in later seasons showing the insecurities that come from everything that has happened between them through their relationship. 

Both actors have talked about having a shorthand, feeling comfortable to add improv and play off each other. I don’t remember if it was Cam or Noel who said it, but I remember reading that they didn’t have a plan for the prison reunion. They had a script with dialogue, but the actions and choices were all them. We say cute things like season 11 Ian being husband shaped, but it’s because Cam made a choice to ease the workout routine so he can look more settled as a husband--a physical representation of the comfort he feels as a husband. I think it’s pretty clear both of these actors have a deep connection with the characters they play.

As for the writers--oof. Listen. My thoughts on the writers of Shameless is they have provided plenty of fodder for fanfiction writers, which, you know...isn’t a compliment. I think John Wells had an Idea, and I think Noel Fisher threw a grenade on his idea by being really, really good at his job. 

If you can indulge me for a second, I’m going to make a comparison. Back in the late 90s/early 2000s, Joss Whedon (who’s an asshole) wrote Buffy as an allegory for growing up. The vampires on the show were evil, temptatious, and were there for Buffy to dust. But then James Marsters comes in as Spike, and we the fans go crazy for him. He’s supposed to get killed off, but we LOVED him. And it destroy’s Joss’s vision. The network wouldn’t let Joss kill Spike off. Even though a very large, probably the majority of the fandom, shipped Buffy and Spike, for years after the show ended, Joss insisted Buffy and Angel were soulmates in his mind.

Anyway, I say all this to say that writers and creators have these visions, and, whether it be pride or resentment towards their audience or stubbornness, many of them have a hard time veering from it when their viewership sees the characters a different way or when the actors inject an incredible amount of sympathy in the character they’re playing. I think this is what happened on Shameless. I think John Wells never liked Mickey. He was supposed to be a thug, a punk, uneducated with no drive. But then in comes Noel Fisher playing this kid in a way that makes us feel for him, love him, see him as so much more as a dumb criminal. I don’t believe he liked that Mickey became more loved than he was meant to be. 

I think he wanted Mickey gone, but then wasn’t sure what to do with Ian. For whatever reason, the writers decided Ian must always be in a relationship, so like four episodes into season 6, he has a new boyfriend even though he’s dealing with a whole ass diagnosis. When Mickey came back, again, only thanks to Cam’s intervention and insistence, the writers still made their dislike for Mickey known. They had them bicker for three episodes in prison, then had Mickey lash out and hit Ian during the failed marriage scene. Even after they were married, they spend another three episodes bickering. They had both characters say things about the other that made no sense or really just out right contradicted things they had established in the past--the monogamy conversation, the who is the man in the relationship conversation, them physically fighting in the Alibi, the orgy thing. It’s like if they had to have Mickey, they were still going to kick him around and diminish the complex relationship the characters have built.

I’m not sure if Cam or Noel could write their own characters, only because I don’t know if they have that particular skill of world building. But I wish John Wells and the other writers would include actors in the writing and creating process. I don’t think actors should only be mouth pieces for writers. I think a lot of television would be stronger if there was a greater collaboration between writer and actor, if the writers trusted the actors with the characters as much as actors trust writers with plot and development.

As for paying for the actor’s thoughts, you don’t have to! Cam and Noel have both given a ton of interviews and have made acting choices that I think make it really easy for us to interpret where they agreed with the writers and where they maybe didn’t.

But, you know, these are my thoughts and I’m a toddler within this fandom. I wonder what others think! Anyone got anything to add? Anything you disagree with here, friends? 

Thanks for asking Anon! This was a fun exercise in rhetoric. I’m sorry I took this Too Far.

[oikawaplssteponme]

PART 4 | previously: part 3 | masterlist

pairing: Katsuki Bakugou x fem! reader

ratings/warnings: swearing, mention of violence but there isn’t any

synopsis: When UA’s hot heads, Katsuki Bakugou and you, are forced to put your hatred for each other aside and plan the third year Prom, things end up getting a little heated...

a/n: hi friends!! okay so this part is a little longer but it’s important for what’s to come ;) because i just couldn’t help myself, there’s a little song reference in there, hopefully you catch it,, maybe it’s important *wink wink* anyways, taglist is open so just lmk if you’d like to be added 🖤 enjoy xx

•

Four: it’s what’s on the inside that counts

It’s been over 2 weeks since your fight with Bakugou. The two of you haven’t spoken since, leaving your classmates a bit nervous. You were stubborn and so was he. The only problem was, neither of you really remembered why you were fighting in the first place. You two fought often, that was obvious, but something about this last fight felt different. As if you and Bakugou genuinely wanted to hurt each other. In the past, it was mainly for your own satisfaction just to fight someone. You and Bakugou had disliked each other for so long that you couldn’t even think of a solid reason for why you hated him. You soon came to realize that you barely knew anything about Katsuki Bakugou...and that bothered you.

~

“LISTEN UP! Prom tickets will be on sale after school today in the common area. You can also buy them at the door but just know they’ll cost more. So I recommend you have your money ready and get in line early because I only have a certain amount for presale. Thank you that’s all!” You announced to your class. “Oh and pass this information onto the other classes please!”

You hopped down from the desk where you were standing and brushed your skirt down.

“Do you need help setting up?” asked Deku. You looked over at Bakugou, who was supposed to be helping you but since the two of you weren’t on speaking terms, that wasn’t really an option.

“Uh sure that’d be great,” you said.

“I’ll lend a hand as well,” chimed in Iida. You laughed.

“Guys all I need help with is moving a table and a few boxes,” you explained.

“We are happy to help!”

You, Deku, and Iida set up the ticket selling table. You placed the poster of the dance in front of the table. Izuku grabbed the box of tickets and looked through them.

“Y/N did you make these?” He asked. Your face got warm.

“Uh yeah, it’s not a big deal though,” you insisted.

“It’s excellent artistic work Y/N! You should be proud!” smiled Iida.

“Yeah it’s super cool!”

“Thanks guys,” you gushed. You sat down at the table and pulled out your notebook and pen.

“Alright! Who wants the honor of buying the first ticket?”

“You should, after all you planned the dance,” said Deku. You smiled.

“I guess you’re right.” You picked up the first ticket, wrote your name next to the #1 spot in your notebook, and put your money in the cash box.

“Okay. Who’s next?”

~

The line of people never seemed to end. You got in the groove of writing down their name, number, and putting away the money pretty quickly.

“Hey Momo! Uh you’re number 35,” you said to your classmate.

“Thanks, here you go!” She smiled, handing you the money.

“Y/N!!” cheered Mina, “wait is this the theme?” Mina pointed to the design on the tickets.

“Uh yeah it is,” you smiled.

“‘My Emotions Feel Like Explosions When You’re Around’,” read aloud Deku.

“I LOVE IT!! It’s super cute and honestly I would expect nothing less from you and Bakugou!”

Right. Bakugou.

“Uh yeah. I'm excited to see how it turns out once we get all the decorations.”

“Do any of you have dates yet?” asked Denki as he paid.

“Wow Denki is that your only concern?” laughed Jirou.

“I haven’t even thought about that,” said Iida.

“Planning on asking anyone?” You asked aloud.

“I am…” mumbled Deku.

“Wow Izuku wonder who?” said Kirishima sarcastically.

“Who are you gonna ask, Deku?” You asked. No one said anything. You turned around and saw all your friends staring at you.

“What…it was just a question…”

“Wait, you're like genuinely asking?” laughed Denki, “I thought it was obvious.” Deku hit Denki’s arm.

“It’s fine, it will be better if it’s a surprise anyway,” said Deku.

“Do you want someone to ask you, Y/N?” asked Sero, handing you his money. You put the cash in a box.

“I honestly don’t care. I wasn’t even planning on going to Prom before Aizawa forced me to plan it,” you admitted.

“Well we are all glad you’ll be there,” smiled Iida.

~

Your friends had all gone back to their dorms after a bit. There were still about 20 people in line for tickets and you were exhausted.

“Cafeteria closes soon dumbass,” said someone. You whipped around. You groaned.

“Well Katsuki, I’m kinda busy if you can’t tell,” you huffed.

“Go eat. I’ll finish up here,” he said. Your eyes grew.

“Wait what-”

“Go on, you only have 15 minutes before they close dinner. I've got this,” he insisted. You got up from your chair.

“Do you know what you’re doing?”

“It can’t be that hard if you figured it out.”

You rolled your eyes

“Whatever. Just pick up when you’re done.” You began to walk down to the cafeteria.

Two weeks of not talking to me and that’s all he has to say?

“Grabbing some dinner?” called Iida behind you. You smiled.

“Yeah , Bakugou is finishing up the ticket sale.”

“Nice. I’ll join you.”

“Thanks Iida.”

~

“Cold soba?” questioned Iida, “You never get your soba cold.” You looked down at your tray of food.

“I guess Todoroki converted me,” you joked. Iida raised a brow.

“Alright Y/N, what is it? We both know you hate cold food,” he said. You picked at your soba.

“I’m fine honestly,” you mumbled.

“This wouldn’t have anything to do with Bakugou, would it?” You whipped your head to look at Iida.

“WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?”

“That’s more like it!” He smiled. You chuckled.

“Well would it?” He asked. You shrugged.

“I guess this whole dance is stressing me out. Bakugou and I haven’t been very productive lately ,” you admitted. Iida sighed.

“Well this might be a stretch but you could try to make peace with him.” You groaned.

“I’m not making peace with that angry pomeranian until he apologizes.”

“Why can’t you just apologize?”

“BECAUSE I-I, I don’t know. My own stupid pride I guess.”

“You two need to overcome your differences eventually. Who knows, you guys might have more in common than you think,” smiled Iida.

“You’re the worst, you know that,” you joked.

“Wait really?”

“Iida…”

~

After dinner, you laid in your dorm room, staring up at the ceiling. You knew you should get some of the planning done but you also would rather just forget about the stupid dance. After about 10 minutes of contemplating, you headed down to the basement.

As you walked down the stairs, you remembered that Bakugou still had your notebook. You went down anyway, hoping to get some work done on your laptop instead. Much to your surprise, the door was propped open. You took a deep breath and prepared yourself for what could be behind the door.

“Hey Bakugou…” your voice trailed off as you saw that no one else was in the room.

He must’ve left the door open so I wouldn’t ask him for the keys.

You set down your things and sat down on one of the tables. You pulled out your laptop.

“I figured I’d find you here,” A raspy voice said. You looked up to see none other than Katsuki Bakugou, holding your notebook.

“Oh hi. I just thought I’d get some work done,” you explained.

“How’d you get in?”

“Uh you left the door open,” you explained. Bakugou huffed. He took a seat at the same table as you, setting down your notebook.

“Here dumbass.” Bakugou threw something on you and it landed on your head.

“What the-” You grabbed the soft material off of your head. Your eyes grew.

“Katsuki-”

“You said I owed you a new shirt, so here it is,” he said. You looked at the brand new t-shirt, a smile on your face.

“Yeah well I didn’t think you’d actually buy me one…”

“I mean I did rip your other shirt pretty badly. I-uh-I’m sorry about that.” Your eyes widened.

“Did you just say you’re sorry?”

“Yeah and I’m not saying it again.” he huffed.

“Bakugou I’m sorry too,” you said. Bakugou tilted his head.

“What are you sorry for?”

“I guess for everything. Well, maybe not everything because I don’t regret kicking your ass for 3 years one bit but I am sorry for that fight the other day. I almost killed you,” you explained nervously.

“Key word ‘almost’. I guess I almost did too,” he joked. You let out a nervous chuckle.

“Here’s the thing Bakugou, I don’t know anything about you yet I hate you with every ounce of my body. I guess I want to hate you for a reason.”

“What the hell does that mean, nerd?” He questioned. Your face got warm.

“You know how they say, ‘it’s what’s on the inside that counts’? Well,I want to hate you for what’s on the inside,” you laughed. Bakugou raised a brow.

“And what about you? The only thing I know about you is that you’ve got a short temper and your shirts rip easily. I barely know you either…”

He was right. Probably the only person who knew anything remotely deep about you was Iida, and even that was still somewhat surface level. You didn’t pick UA to get too comfortable with your classmates, even if you were friends, since in the real world you would be competing for the number one Hero spot. Maybe that’s why most of them were intimidated by you.

You patted on the top of the table, hinting for Bakugou to sit with you. He groaned and joined you on the table.

“This is stupid,” he mumbled. You rolled your eyes.

“Come on just try. And just to clarify, we are doing this for research purposes only. I’m convinced by the end of this I’ll still want to rip your head off 24/7,” you said. Bakugou nodded.

“Yeah I mean not like that could change.”

“Exactly. Okay so you first. What is it that makes Katsuki Bakugou a horrible pain in my ass?” You smiled sarcastically. Bakugou chuckled quietly.

“What do you want to know, dumbass?”

•

[taglist OPEN: @vangoghpoets @vangoghmusings @bokutory @complimentaryhugsgirl @cloudswritings @kriswu46 @neodnyl @evivn1 @jazzylove @mileven-reddie @whalerus @misssugarless @random-fandom-girl-24 @fanfiction-and-stress @ushiwakatrash @minhoswife @addictofsupernatural @the-shota-king-masayuki @freyafolkvangr @fourteenow @tamaguchi @lalayy @athenarosaline @blxck-coffee @katsukibabe @thatonegeekchick ]

[faebriel]

ok ok I'm insane and couldn't pick one so have two (no need to answer both if you don't want to)

“You talk to him.” Not kindly, but he does.

“I’m used to him,” he shoots back. “I’m the only person who is.”

That makes Niki feel something, some uncomfortable tug in her chest. She mentally kicks herself. It’s not jealousy, she reminds herself, because despite the near-cliff jumping and the long nights without food and the nuclear fallout that has punctuated her last few months, being jealous of Tommy would be the least reasonable thing she’s allowed herself to be, maybe ever.

“You don’t believe me,” Tommy says flatly. “You never - eugh.” He cuts himself off with another ragged sigh, running a hand down his face. “Look, Niki, it’s - we were all together in Pogtopia, right? But I was there first. With him. And you didn’t see the start of it, it was horrible, and I’m glad no one else saw the beginning of it either but it was still just so shit and he kept saying all these terrible things about Tubbo and Fundy and you and,” he takes a shaky breath, “then, when I died, I saw him.”

Her breath catches in her throat.

Well, the voice in the back of her head whistles. If you were still wondering about all this afterlife bullshit, if you want to know where you’re going after your third life, here you go.

and

“You didn’t even - this isn’t about L’Manberg, Wilbur!” Niki shouts.

And then he stops, breathing hard, and he looks at Niki the same way he does whenever her voice is being drowned out in a crowd - the way he does when he wants to hear her, when he wants to know what she has to say.

“What else is there?” he asks.

Niki freezes. Stock still, unable to move, unable to breathe, ice threading its way through her gut, her chest, her shoulders, chilled down to the bone. With slow-dawning horror, she can feel hot tears welling up behind her eyes, sitting in her throat, threatening to spill over into a sob. She swallows - to keep her cool, to stay calm, to keep it together -

And then, something in her chest just snaps.

“You said you’d come back for me!” she cries, and her voice hitches on the lump of tears at the back of her throat and god, she sounds absolutely pathetic. Wilbur’s face softens immediately, which somehow just makes her feel even worse. “In Manberg. When Schlatt put me in prison, and you and Tommy were in Pogtopia, you said you’d break me out when it was safe. I waited for weeks , Wilbur. It was… it was horrible.”

“Niki…” a kaleidoscope of emotions flicker across his face, and he seems unsure which to settle on. “We got you out though, right? After the festival.”

“You looked for the button first,” she says quietly, and he stills.

Her sniffling sounds embarrassingly loud against the quiet background of night.

thank you sm!!! i’m gonna put these under the cut because they got a little long sorry (tw for discussion of suicidal ideation)

to preface: tommy is kind of the accidental but incredibly necessary invisible support beam for niki and wilbur’s making amends in bitter. niki cannot accept wilbur’s actions and apology without first acknowledging her own actions and making steps towards an apology, because otherwise it kind of falls flat? in that ending scene niki finally gets what wilbur is feeling and wilbur finally gets that someone else knows how he feels (it’s not perfect 100% yet, but…. that’ll get explored later)

onto the actual snippet! “tommy talks to wilbur - not kindly, but he does” was very important to me! tommy has stuck by wilbur ever since pogtopia, but the tragedy is that he is not equipped to deal with wilbur’s issues, and it shows. wilbur’s first stream after revival depicts this really clearly, where tommy tails wilbur around the whole time but insults him, is still stuck on calling him the villain, physically fights him at some point, etc. on one hand this isn’t healthy but on the other hand tommy is actually around, which is more than can be said for basically any other ally wilbur has had on the dsmp, maybe excluding his dad, who literally killed him lmfao.

this whole issue is exacerbated by the fact that tommy believes that he is the only person who properly understands wilbur, the only person who gets what happened to him, and feels like wilbur is generally his burden to bear. he failed to stop wilbur from both 1. hurting other people and 2. killing himself after the pogtopia-manberg war - and he doesn’t trust wilbur not to do either of those things again, so he’s stuck hovering around wilbur while wilbur is inadvertently setting off his own trauma and feeling responsible for any way he might fuck up and hating that but not wanting to leave. tommy’s memory isn’t perfect and he isn’t a perfect narrator, what he remembers from pogtopia the most were the scariest parts and that’s understandable but it means he’s holding wilbur to the worst expectations of behaviour (and he does so very vocally). the others showed up later, sure, but in tommy’s eyes he’s the only one who saw wilbur’s descent, and by the time they showed up wilbur had already changed irreversably. tommy tries to rationalise this by splitting the ‘different wilburs’ apart from each other in his head (he does this in canon too - there’s one quote from like late 2020 where he says he and tubbo need to keep on going for who wilbur used to be, not who he became, even though they’re,, the same person), and no one challenges that perspective, so he just keeps doing it even though it’s not healthy for him or wilbur.

and then limbo happened and, oh geez, THAT didn’t help jhfaskjjfsa

tommy is on a bit of a knife edge with niki in this fic. niki’s in this state of “ok, he’s annoying whatever, i’m moving on”, but all tommy knows is that she tried to kill him that one time, disappeared off the face of the map, joined a book club with two people who definitely do not like him, and now is just acting weirdly mellow and polite. she is not someone he wants near wilbur bc what the fuck is she gonna do? what is he gonna do? who knows. he’s frustrated that niki doesn’t seem to acknowledge how he’s feeling (especially bc once upon a time she would have been someone he trusted to acknowledge them - they were friends, they fought together) and he’s taking a big step by telling someone about his concerns here, especially bc tommy doesn’t really like talking about them at all. he wouldn’t be saying absolutely anything to niki if he didn’t truly believe she should stay away from wilbur, even if he’s wrong about him. (sometimes i think i write tommy as a little too emotionally mature here but it all goes out the window when wilbur’s brought up. idk if that balances it out)

ok onto niki: this is the first she has actually heard of limbo! she’s only just come around to the fact that resurrection is possible at all. death is kind of a touchy subject for niki both in general and re: wilbur in the fic - she’s coming off of a period in her life where suicidal ideation was, uh, a big thing (whether you want to read that into canon or not is subjective, that’s just the angle i went with in this fic). the sudden existence of a life after death, miserable as it is - and whether she really believes in such a place, when it only exists in tommy and wilbur’s words - that is a lot of information for her to absorb all at once. death is a weird connection point for tommy and niki here, coming right off of the fact that they’ve just acknowledged each other having those problems - tommy, out of, yknow, altruism, would very much like to keep niki out of that place, and niki is quietly reckoning with the fact that that is where she would have sent him. the concept of limbo from the perspective of a character with no experience of it, even secondhand, is so interesting to me like what kind of eldritch location would you feel like you’re living in asghjkl

(also - i gotta be honest the jealousy angle here but mostly when she’s talking later about dream not deserving wilbur’s companionship kinda came out after this post came across my dash while writing. whoops /j)

-

fun fact, this is the very first snippet of bitter that i ever wrote! all the way back in may!! this is like the moment of the fic - it's where the miscommunication that niki and wilbur have been having is shattered entirely - and so sticking the landing was uhhh kinda important to me lol.

wilbur's entire being in this fic is basically consumed by L'Manberg - he equates his self worth to it entirely. in his eyes, everyone (rightfully) hates him because of what he did to L'Manberg, because L'Manberg was corrupted and he himself with it, etc. niki tries to tell herself this, and while it definitely does form part of her issues with him, it was the betrayal that causes her this much pain - that he seemingly brushed her and their friendship off entirely when he supposedly left her for dead in manberg. because here is what we as the audience know: wilbur couldn’t leave niki in trouble when he heard her life was in danger, even when he was trying to find the button (pretty much the only thing he sees himself as having left at this point) and so he returned. here is what it looks like from niki’s perspective: wilbur told her to wait in manberg until it was safe to come to pogtopia, laid the place with TNT, went to blow up the place, and only returned when he couldn’t find the detonator (and then the first thing she saw him do in pogtopia was encourage the pit behaviour but that’s not what we’re talking about asdfgh). that is massive miscommunication and it’s been brewing between them for months - to make a quirky little reference to the title, niki has been carrying that anger with her so long it's gone bitter. it was never just about l’manberg with niki - not that anger, not her and wilbur’s friendship (hence the little flashback earlier in the fic, bc niki’s relationship to anarchism and statehood or statelessness juxtaposed with her friendships with wilbur and eret - she loves l’manberg bc she loves wilbur, but she loves eret too and those national ties don’t undermine that - is Real Interesting to me) - so when wilbur asks what else there could possibly be (because in his mind, what else could she have bothered staying around for?), she just fucking breaks.

“Niki freezes. Stock still, unable to move, unable to breathe, ice threading its way through her gut...with slow-dawning horror, she can feel hot tears welling up behind her eyes” - prose discussion time! heat and cold are two big throughlines in this fic - particularly for niki, cold is what she is. admittedly when i started with it i mostly wanted to subvert hot = angry and cold = dead but i kinda ended up enjoying this take on it for what it is instead of just as a subversion (also i like the idea of revived people running hot, their bodies r working hard to keep em going). she’s holding onto her feelings and refusing to deal with them, she’s frozen over. descriptions of cold are key to niki’s mental state throughout the fic - cold weight on her chest, feelings of frostbite when she and wilbur hug the first time, ice cold water during the dinner scene, waking up in the cold flat, etc. this was an attempt at describing a more visceral feeling of like, when you’re really mad and you can just feel the adrenaline running through your veins. always felt more cold than hot to me. when she starts to cry, the facade she’s been putting on is finally thawing out and cracking the ice she’s buried her feelings under. (also gives an excuse to write warm comforting hugs towards the end /hj). it’s a loss, it’s catharsis, it’s a whole mess.

and ofc this is all news to wilbur and he feels terrible, because as unintentional as it was, he really really hurt her - because the destruction of l’manberg fucking sucked but above all else wilbur hurt the people he loved because they loved him so much and not in spite of it, because they cared about him so deeply and his death was a massive blow to them. this hasn’t even dawned on him, because how could it? he respects deeply niki (lowkey respects her opinion more than his own at this point) so he has to listen, because it’s niki (“and he looks at Niki the same way he does whenever her voice is being drowned out in a crowd - the way he does when he wants to hear her, when he wants to know what she has to say” - because he does), and what she says fucking floors him. in his eyes, he failed her by putting her in danger and then by destroying her home - the idea that she valued him and their friendship so much flies entirely over his head until this moment, and he is forced to re-evaluate the mindset that has motivated him since… basically since pogtopia! the way i write wilbur is like… yes, he’s one of niki’s closest friends and he’s more aware of her insecurities and issues than most (which is why he does always take the time to listen to her, etc) but he does over-idealise her a bit. tbf, i think he does to some extent with everyone (calling tubbo strong on the anniversary stream, for example). also the fact that he really wasn’t around for niki’s lowest moments as a character! he still thinks of her the way she was in l’manberg - confident, steadfast, respected - and this moment shatters that for him as he realises exactly what effect he and his death had on her and everyone else, not just by his actions, but because they loved him and cared for him so deeply.

sorry that this got horrifically long!! and thank you so much for sending snippets in <3333