#obviously this is all a generalization and there are exceptions

[fandom-imagines-stories]

First in Class Part One

Lt. Robert ‘BOB’ Floyd x Reader

Words: 5623

Summary: Your graduation from Top Gun seems like the perfect opportunity to introduce your boyfriend to your father…except they’ve already met. 

Notes: I don’t know anything about flying, obviously, but god it was fun to write. So much so, I think want to keep this character arch for other stand alones. Call sign ‘Rebel’ will just always have this backstory and general traits. I just had such a blast and I hope you guys enjoy and look forward to part two! 

-

Bob watched and tried not to hold his breath so long that he passed out, which seemed like a real possibility judging by how lightheaded he was getting. He wasn’t even the one in the plane, but with every impossible maneuver at an impossible speed, his stomach did more and more flips. 

“You alright there, Baby on Board?” Hangman patted him hard on the shoulder. “You look a little green.”

“It’s an intense dogfight,” he reasoned. 

Phoenix snorted. “It isn’t even real.” 

“Don’t tell me you didn’t do this when you were in Top Gun.”

“Of course I did,” Bob snapped back, hating the smugness perpetually painting Hangman’s features. Sure, the team of them had gotten close over the last year, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t an asshole. He was just one Bob occasionally liked to have around. This was not one of those occasions. But when Phoenix suggested they all get together to get a preview of the new graduates’ skills, he didn’t really feel like explaining why he was already going to be there. 

“Besides, their ranking is already decided,” Rooster added, bringing them all another pack of beer. “This is just a few of them getting permission to show off.”

“They don’t know that,” Phoenix pointed out. “They never tell them when they’ve decided. They like to keep them on edge, the bastards.” She grinned, remembering her nerves from her time in Top Gun. 

“Which makes it worse, doesn’t it?” Bob leaned forward on the rail of the boat they were watching from. “A bunch of hot heads getting ready to graduate?”

“Remind me not to take you to any parties,” Hangman snickered. 

A roar echoed out above them, drawing their attention back to the two aircraft circling each other like vultures on a kill. 

Bob ignored the others and their barrage of critiques and kept his eyes on the plane being pursued. 

“Come on, baby,” he muttered. “You can get 'em.” The plane getting closer and closer to the blue waves captured every ounce of his focus. “Come on, baby. Shake them off.” 

On the carrier, more were watching the dogfight take place. 

“Come on, kid,” Pete said. “You can do this.” 

Maverick watched his daughter’s plane pull up at the last second, invert above her opponent, and swing back around to lock on the kill shot. He felt a swell overtake his chest, like he was being pushed under the water they floated on. Pride. That’s what it was. Pride. 

Bob clenched his fists around the rail, doing his best to hide his enthusiasm from the others. 

“That’s my girl.” 

-

When you took off your helmet and the cool ocean air hit your face, you were beaming. The chaos of the carrier set you at ease. People darted back and forth to check the planes for damages and refuel them for the next round of graduates to test their meddle. But you already knew they wouldn’t beat you. They hadn’t announced rankings, but you knew. You could feel it. 

Just like you could feel the presence of the man at the end of the flight deck before you saw him. 

Pete Mitchell. 

Maverick. 

Dad. 

You were running across the deck before the other pilot even landed, catapulting yourself into his arms. 

Pete laughed, spinning you around with his arms locked around you. 

“You said you weren’t going to make it,” you said into his leather jacket. 

He set you back down, pushing a sweat-stuck strand of your hair back. Pete shrugged, grin growing. “I lied.”

Your smile matched his. “I think I did it.” 

That pride in his chest came up in waves again. “I know you did.”

Your grin turned teasing, and you gave him a playful punch to the arm. “Jealous?”

“Hey, second in class is nothing to scoff at.” He pretended the punch hurt, rubbing the spot where you hit. 

“But it’s not first,” you smirked.

He raised a brow. “I’ll remember you said that when I’m thinking about buying you a drink tonight.” 

With your opponent, “Saint”, coming in, you knew you had to get back before your superiors chewed your ass. 

“Speaking of tonight,” you said, starting to back away, “there’s someone I want you to meet.” 

“Who?”

You said something, but Pete couldn't hear you over the bustle and noise of the flight deck. 

“What?”

You said it again, getting further away.

Pete huffed a laugh and asked one more time. “Who am I meeting?”

Finally, he heard your bright laugh over the sound of the planes. “My boyfriend!” You turned and hurried off before he could fully react. 

Dumbfounded, Pete Mitchell stared after you, wrapping his mind around the word. 

Boyfriend?

-

By the time you got back to the beach, you were ready for a drink. After long, long weeks of training and dealing with the boys’ club of Saint and his buddies, you’d made it. You’d done what you’ve been working your whole life towards, ever since you were a little kid and you snuck out of your mother’s house to watch the test planes. 

Your dad was meeting you at Penny’s, promising that he had a surprise for you. If you were being honest, you thought he was acting weird ever since you mentioned having a boyfriend. 

It wasn’t like you’d never dated. You’d had plenty of relationships throughout high school and the Naval Academy, but they hadn’t exactly gone well. You always fell for the hotrod, the arrogant bad boys who promised adventure and excitement. They never delivered on those promises, of course. 

And then you met Robert. 

He was a few years ahead of you in the academy. You’d been having problems with one of your instructors and, in order to not risk getting kicked out, you decided to find someone to tutor you. If your instructor was determined to have a problem with you because of who your father was, then you were determined to come out top of the course. Robert was the best at weapon systems, so you approached him to tutor you.

You were pretty sure he spent the next few months being terrified of you, but the rest, as they say, is history. 

Opening the door to Penny’s, the familiar scent of beer and salt water filled your lungs. The jukebox played a Tom Petty song, accompanied by the quiet clanks of pool balls sinking into pockets. 

The cheer that followed, you’d recognize anywhere. 

“As I live and breathe, Bradshaw,” you said, a grin slowly spreading across your face as you approached the group of people in naval uniforms around the pool table. Bradley Bradshaw was the closest thing you had to an older brother. Hearing your voice, his head snapped up. You stole his pool stick to set it aside and pull him into a hug. “Hey, Ugly Duck.” 

He rolled his eyes at your nickname for him. 

“I wondered if that was you up there.” Rooster raised a brow. “Cinderella.” Two can play at the name game. 

You punched his arm and hugged him again. 

Someone cleared their throat behind you. 

“Are you going to introduce me to your friend, Roost?” A tall officer with the kind of smirk you always used to fall for leaned on the corner of the table, eyeing you with a confident green-blue gaze. He held out a hand. “Jake Seresin.”

The name clicked in your head. “Hangman.”

“The one and only.” He shook your hand with a firm grip and a flirty grin. Yup. Definitely the kind of guy you used to go for. “So that was you this morning?”

“Y/F/N Y/L/N, but my call is Rebel,” you said. “And yeah. That was just for fun.” 

He chuckled. “Looked like it.” Sauntering toward you, he motioned to the bar. “Can I get you something to drink? Our buddy’s up there now getting a round.” 

You knew that head of light brown hair anywhere. 

“I think I’ll help him carry.” You made sure to give him a final glance over your shoulder before strutting your way to the bar. “Hey there, sailor.” 

Bob jumped, almost dropping the five bottles he was trying to pick up. 

You giggled. “Want some help?”

“I-I got it,” he said, brows coming together in focus. When he finally looked up at you, his eyes widened, and he almost dropped them again. “Y/N, hey. I thought you were one of the guys messing with me.” A sheepish smile spread across his face. “You were amazing today.”

He was the only one who could make you blush. You didn’t know anyone could be so sincere, so sweet, until you met him.

“Your friend wanted to buy me a drink,” you said. 

Bob looked over at Hangman, who was looking over at you. “Oh?” He glanced down. “Yeah. He’s um-”

“A bit of a prick?” You finished, laughing.

Bob snorted. “You could say that.”

You glanced over, finding that everyone was now watching the two of you. “Can you do me a favor?”

Bob’s face snapped back up. “Anything.”

“Put the bottles down, Bobby,” you smirked. 

His brows came together again, this time in confusion. It was adorable. He did as you said, setting the beers back on the bar. 

Then, you put your hands on either side of his face, and crashed your lips into his. 

And while the jukebox switched to Billy Joel’s “Shameless”, the bar went silent for the naval officers around the pool table. You reveled in the moment, but most of all, you just took him in. It’d been weeks since you’d been able to spend any real time with him, and just feeling him there, feeling his lips softly respond to yours, was everything you needed. 

“She’s with…” Hangman trailed off, rendered speechless for the first time. 

Rooster just whistled. “I didn’t know someone could turn that red.” 

Sure enough, when you pulled away, your boyfriend’s cheeks had gone such a shade, he matched the 3 ball. You flashed him a wink, grabbed three of the bottles, and calmly walked back over to the table. 

“Which one of these is yours, Hangman?” You asked, handing one to Rooster. Still unable to speak, he just pointed. You gave the opposite to the only other woman at the table and kept the final bottle for yourself, taking a swig. “Not my usual, but not bad.” 

“I-um-”

Rooster patted him on the back. “Don’t hurt yourself.” He strung an arm over your shoulder as your still-pink boyfriend trailed behind you with the other two drinks. “It’s easier to just accept her and move on.”

You elbowed him in the side, earning a breathy ‘Oof.’

“Are we playing or not, Ugly Duck?” You circled the table and gathered pool balls. “You and flyboy over here versus me and Robert.” 

Rooster and Hangman exchanged a look, overconfidence quickly overcoming the latter’s expression. 

Fanboy leaned over to Phoenix. “Who the hell is Robert?”

She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. 

While you broke, Bob could feel everybody staring at him. Of the group, he was seen as the most secretive. It wasn’t because he kept secrets. He was just… quiet. That, and nobody ever asked if he was seeing anyone. Still, did they have to look that surprised? 

He watched you sink two stripes on the first break. Across the table, your sparkling eyes met his, and suddenly, nobody else’s stare mattered. He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth to keep from grinning like an idiot. You made your way around the table to stand next to him, despite there being better shots on the other side. 

You purposely bumped his hip with yours, and he felt himself go red all over again as you leaned down to take the shot. 

“So,” Rooster started, brows furrowing, “why did you tell me about-” he motioned to the two of you, “this?”

You shrugged. “Robert and I met when you still weren’t speaking to me. After that, I guess it just never came up.” You gave him a faux-innocent doe-eyed look. 

You grew up with Bradley. He was basically your brother. But when everything went down between him and your dad… he cut you off almost entirely. It took years to build up your relationship again. You weren’t still mad about it, of course. But every once in a while, you liked to rub it in that you were the better friend. 

Bob cleared his throat. “You two, uh, know each other?” 

“Since we were kids,” Rooster answered, nudging you out of the way with his pool cue. “Unfortunately.”

You smacked him with the end of yours. 

“Oh, that reminds me,” you said to Bob. “He’s coming tonight.”

“Who?”

“My dad.” 

All of the color drained from his face. “T-tonight?” 

“Don’t look so scared. He isn’t that bad.” Rooster studied the two of you. His eyes went wide, and a slow, menacing smile spread across his face. “Does he not know?”

“Not know what?” Bob squeaked.

The older officer just snorted. “This should be good.” 

Sure enough, on the other side of the bar, the group’s former instructor entered, a large gift bag swinging back and forth by his legs. He flipped his aviators up onto his head, eyes scanning the crowd. You stood on your toes and waved so he could see you over Rooster and Hangman’s shoulders. Bob tried to peek around them, but the crowd was too thick around you for him to get a good look. All he saw was a flash of dark hair topped with golden-shaded sunglasses. 

Rooster snickered as he leaned down to sink two pool balls and flip you the bird. You stuck your tongue out at him and snuck back through the swell of people to meet your dad halfway. 

Pete spotted you for a second, but lost you again. Penny tended the bar and, as attentive as ever, had a feeling something was about to happen. Between Pete’s confusion and the very nervous-looking young man by the pool table, she wondered what you were up to. 

“Dad, over here!” You called, squeezing between two annoyed tourists. “Hey!”

Pete finally found you again and tucked the bag behind his bag to give you a one-armed hug. “Hey, kiddo. Don’t tell me the party started without me.”

“I told you I had someone I wanted you to meet.” You started to lead him back toward the table, but from his position now, he could see the group gathered, and he froze. 

“Don’t tell me it’s one of them,” he said, trying to wrap his mind around the odds. 

“It isn’t Bradly if that’s what you’re worried about.” You snorted at the idea. 

Pete winced, waiting for you to tell him that you’d been seeing the cockiest pilot in the whole group. 

“No,” you pointed, “him.”

Bob caught your eye and waved, at least until he saw who was with you. If he was pale before, he was ghostly now, eyes widening to the size of headlights. 

“Him?” Pete guffawed. “You’re dating Bob?” 

Your head tilted as you looked back at him, still leading your dad to join the others. “Wait, you know Robert?”

The two of you broke through the wall of people. 

Hangman choked on his beer. 

Rooster howled with laughter, both at his fellow pilots’ expressions and Maverick’s efforts not to look anyone in the eye. You stood in the middle of it all.

You glanced between the two sides, arms crossed. “I don’t get it.”

“Well,” Pete cleared his throat, “Y/N, sweetheart, you didn’t exactly tell me you were dating someone who graduated from Top Gun.”

Bob, who looked ready to lose his lunch, couldn’t manage any full words, so Rooster did it for him. 

“I take it she didn’t tell you her dad is one of the most decorated pilots in the Navy.”

Bob did manage to shake his head, unable to look at you or his former instructor, choosing the safety of the green felt tabletop instead. He tried to make it all make sense. 

He knew that your mom and dad weren’t together and hadn’t been in a long time. He knew it was partially because of your dad’s job and that she didn’t exactly support you joining the Navy, especially to become a pilot. So much so, she wasn’t even here. You were her only daughter, and she didn’t come to your graduation from an elite program, not that you’d mentioned it. He could tell it was bothering you. 

In that moment, however, all he could think about was how he didn’t see it sooner. Well, that and the fact that Maverick was staring him down with a puzzled look, like he was trying to fit two mismatched pieces together. 

Bob swallowed hard under the pin of those calculating eyes and tried to wash it down with more beer, which just made it worse. He ended up sputtering through his sip and had to turn away so he didn’t spray foam all over your feet. 

“I don’t tell many people because it tends to freak them out.” You sent eye daggers at Rooster while you walked around the table to stand beside Bob. You laid a hand on his shoulder while he got control of his coughing. “If I had known you two knew each other, I would have-”

“It’s-” He wheezed, “fine.” 

“So,” Maverick inhaled, “I didn’t mean to interrupt the party. I just wanted to give this to Y/N.” He drew the bag out from behind him and held it out to you. 

Keeping a hand on Bob’s arm, you grabbed onto the little twine handles and peeked inside. 

“You got fancy paper and everything,” you teased, pulling out blue and white tissue paper. Glancing up at the others, you smirked. “On my tenth birthday, he used the newspaper for wrapping after he’d spilled coffee all over it.” 

“Sounds about right,” Rooster said. 

When you got passed the paper, the bag fell right out of your hands, and your fingers fell away from your boyfriend’s bicep. You started to shake. 

“Y/N?” Bob’s head tilted forward to look into your face, which had gone pale. “You okay?” 

You held up the dark leather bomber jacket, reading the embroidered name on the pocket. 

Y/F/N/ “Rebel” Y/L/N. 

“Dad, this is-” your voice caught in your throat, finding yourself shaky on your feet. You leaned against Bob to keep upright. “It’s perfect. Thank you.” Setting the jacket on the green felt, you threw your arms around your father. 

Bob made sure the jacket didn’t fall off the corner and watched the happy moment with the shock of the moment fading into the feeling of seeing that smile on your face. 

The rest of the group applauded. Hangman rolled his eyes playfully, but Bob could tell he was just being… well, Hangman. 

“Alright, enough ‘Father of the Bride’,” Hangman teased. “Can we get back to our game now? I believe Roost and I here were about to kick the lovebirds out of their nest.” 

Bob scowled at him. Well, as much as Bob could scowl. To you, he just looked adorable. 

“You ready to put some money where that mouth is, Hangman?” You challenged, breaking away from your dad to put your hand on your hip. 

“She did learn from the best,” Maverick added. “Fair warning.”

“If you’re as good a pool player as you are a teacher, I think we’ll be just fine.” A grin spread across Hangman’s face. 

“Alright, Confirmed Kills,” you said, letting him know you knew exactly who he was and you didn’t care. “Whoever loses buys the next round-” Before he could scoff, you continued, “and treats everyone to a round of duet karaoke to a song of the winner’s choice.” 

You were going to enjoy wiping that cocky smirk off his face. Hangman held out his hand. 

“You’ve got a deal,” he winked, “Mini Mav.” Hangman lined up another shot. 

Pete watched you settle in with the group, fitting in like you’d all known each other forever. Of course, you and Bradly had known each other since you were kids, but the way you were with the rest of them… it was easy to see that you belonged there. 

What he still couldn’t quite figure out was the boyfriend situation. 

Bob? 

Really?

It wasn’t that he didn’t like him, of course. It just came as a bit of a surprise. Pete had met the guys you’d dated in the past, and they certainly weren’t, well, Bob. 

As if the kid could read his mind, he glanced over at Pete. 

Bob instantly looked away, trying to focus on you as you hit the Q-Ball. Of course, you were bent over, which meant he was looking at your ass, which of course made him panic even more. The last thing he wanted was for your dad to watch him watching you… in that way… oh God, this was going to be really hard. 

The voice in his head, which sounded weirdly like Hangman, made a crude joke. 

Bob chugged the rest of his beer before his turn. 

-

The group migrated out of the Hard Deck like a little tipsy flock of geese. Rooster and Hangman had just finished their stunningly bad rendition of ‘It’s Raining Men’ after losing to you and Bob at the pool table. They also each bought a round for the whole group, hence the slight sway to your step as you all climbed down the steps leading to the sand. 

Hangman, of course, had decided that everyone needed an encore.

“I’m gonna go out,” he sang, “and let myself get-”

He held out an empty bottle to you like it was a microphone. You rolled your eyes, but just couldn't help but join. 

“Absolutely soaking wet!” 

Everyone erupted in laughter, and you hooked your arm around Bob’s waist, to which Hangman, Coyote, and Fanboy all made kissy noises. 

“Gross!” Rooster whined over them, flashing you a grin. “Get a room, you two!” 

“Oh, I plan to,” you shot back. You could practically feel your boyfriend blush. “I’ll see you at the ceremony, yeah?” 

Rooster rustled your hair. "Wouldn't miss it, Cinderella.” 

“We will be there, Mini Mav,” Hangman said. He glanced over your shoulder, winking.“Take it easy with that one, Baby on Board.” 

Bob scoffed, shaking his head as the group shuffled off. 

“Oh, ignore him.” You leaned into him, the leather of your jacket smooth against his skin. You mussed his hair and stood on your toes to kiss his cheek. “He’s just jealous.” You wrapped your arms around his middle, tucking your head under his chin. You breathed him in along with the salt of the ocean and the lingering scent of beer. “I missed you.”

Bob enveloped you in his arms, smiling contently against the top of your head. “I missed you, too, baby.” He tensed suddenly, stepping away. You let out a pouty sigh, finding his gaze focused behind you. “Hi, Captain Mitchell.”

“Lt. Reynolds.” Maverick leveled his stare on your boyfriend, feigning seriousness. After he was sure the young man was good and freaked out, he cracked a smile. “Relax, Bob. It’s supposed to be a celebration.”

Bob, in fact, did not relax. 

You hugged your dad again for a long while, lowering your voice. “Thank you, Dad. For everything.” 

“I’m so proud of you, Y/N.” Pete fought to keep his voice from cracking. He cleared his throat. “You’re, um, you’re mother wanted me to tell you congrats, too.”

Bob watched your shoulders stiffen and your head tilt. 

“Sure she did,” you said. Tugging on your sleeves, you put a smile back on your face. “And this is too big, by the way.”

Pete’s face fell. “Really? I could have sworn I-”

“Dad,” you snickered, “I’m messing with you.” You punched his shoulder, glad to be passed the unpleasant topic you’d been avoiding for the last several days. Raising a brow, you added, “You staying with Penny?”

“Don’t give me that look,” he laughed. 

“What look?” You shrugged innocently. Reaching back for Bob’s hand, you laced your fingers together. “I’ve been renting her place down by the water.” You looked back at your boyfriend. “I figured we could head back and make some s'mores.” 

It was very clear by your tone that you were not talking about marshmallows and chocolate. Bob’s blood surged, rushing by his ears. 

He really missed you. 

You glanced back at Pete. “Don’t give me that look.”

“Hey, I’m allowed ‘that look’,” Pete said. “And I’ll be by in the morning for a run.”

You groaned. “Really? Do I have to train the morning of my graduation?”

He leaned over and kissed your cheek. “Just be decent by the time I get there, yeah?” He ignored the paternal urge to lecture you about not being stupid- which, of course, he knew would make him a hypocrite. 

“Yeah, yeah. Goodnight, Dad.”

“Night, kid.” He started back toward the bar to meet up with his girlfriend- a woman more like your mother than your actual mother since you moved to North Island for the course. Maverick waved back at the two of you. “Goodnight, Bob.” Bob started to say something, but the words just caught in his throat, so he ducked his head instead.

You hooked your arm through his and started along the beach to the quaint property you’d been renting from Penny for the last few months. The moon was high in the sky, shining down on the water in ripples of light. This was your favorite time--when the waves caught reflections of the stars and the moon in every crest and the world was an odd mix of still and alive, peaceful and energetic. There was an electricity to the evening that most people missed, but you always felt it, whether it was in the jukebox at Penny’s or walking along the beach now, head leaning against the shoulder of the man you loved. 

“You’re doing that thing,” you said, jutting out your bottom lip in a mock pout.

Bob blinked, like you’d snapped him out of a trance. “What thing?”

“The ‘I’m overwhelmed so I’m going to just stop talking and maybe forget to breathe a little’ thing,” you teased, but your eyes were sincere as you looked up at him, bringing you both to a stop along the sand. “Does it really bother you?” Confusion made his nose crinkle in that really cute way, so you clarified with a snort. “My dad being, well, my dad.” 

“Oh. Um. That.” Bob fixed his glasses further up on his nose. He did that when he was nervous, too. “No.” And his voice went up an octave- another tell-tale sign that he was on the verge of a mini Bob Breakdown. “W-why would it bother me?”

You raised a brow.

He exhaled a short sigh. “Okay. Maybe it’s a little weird.”

“Tell you what.” You played with the collar of his shirt. “How about, for tonight, it’s just you and me? No Top Gun. No famous pilot dads or moms who don’t-” You cut off with a sharp breath. 

Bob took your hands in his, pulling you forward to kiss your forehead. “I think that sounds great.” Bob wrapped an arm around you, keeping you tucked next to him while you walked across the beach. 

And just like that, the constant buzz in your body, the one that had kept you going at Mach 10 for the last few months, settled. You never knew how he did it, but Bob was the only person in the world who could bring you back to earth. 

-

There was something you took pride in knowing when nobody else did- WSO Lt. Robert Floyd was a really good kisser. Whether it was your lips or your neck or another stretch of skin against his lips, every touch was slow and perfect and just enough to make you a little bit crazy. And, at the moment, that was exactly what he was doing. 

Bob’s mouth trailed lazily over your collarbone, his arms draped around your waist, hair tussled from the night before, and pressed so close to you it was almost hard to tell whose warm, sweat-dotted skin was whose. 

“Morning,” Bob muttered sleepily against you. His lips made their way up to yours, but not before stopping at your jaw, at the little spot behind your ear he knew would make you blush. 

The small touch alone was enough to make your body ignite with the memory of everything that you did last night. The two of you had a lot of making up to do and, needless to say, you certainly succeeded. 

You rubbed the sleep from your eyes and gave him a tired smile. “Good morning.” 

“Want some coffee?” Bob asked. His hair, usually neat and slicked back, flopped into his face in messy spikes. You pushed it back, letting your fingers glide through his light brown strands. 

“You’re a godsend.”

The corners of his lips teased upward. He kissed you again. “I know.” He pulled back, but couldn’t resist just one more kiss. “I love you.”

You almost took him again right there. “I love you, too, Robert.” 

He climbed out of bed despite your little huffs of protest and put on some sweats. You started to get up after him, but he stopped you. “I’ll bring it to you. What do you want for breakfast?”

“Breakfast in bed?” You said. “How fancy.”

“Well, I think that the top of Top Gun deserves a little spoiling.”

“We don’t know if I’m first yet.”

“Then call this wishful thinking.” He pointed at you. “Don’t go anywhere.”

You gave him a mock salute. “Aye aye, lieutenant." 

Bob chuckled, shaking his head, and went out to the kitchen to start the pot of coffee and put bread in the toaster. 

A knock at the door barely stirred you from the bed. 

“I’ll get it!” Bob called back. “You stay in that bed or I’ll make you.”

“Promises, promises!” You giggled back. 

Bob was turned back, looking toward the bedroom where he could just see you grinning at him from the bed, when he opened the front door. 

“It’s a little early to be selling something-” He started, immediately cutting himself off when he saw that it was definitely not a salesman at the door. 

Maverick cleared his throat. “Good morning, lieutenant." 

Bob- who wore a t-shirt to play beach football- stood there in the doorway, shirtless, without his glasses, and his entire body turning the color of a bad sunburn. 

It was in that instant that you remembered you were supposed to go for a run with your father. Who was now at the door. With Bob. Who definitely looked like he got laid last night.

“Shit shit shit.” You scrambled to gather your running clothes, almost falling over when you put on your leggings. “I’ll be right there!” 

“You better!” Pete yelled back at you. “If you aren’t out in five, I’m showing your boyfriend baby pictures.”

Your mind immediately went to all of the worst ones, and you got dressed a little faster. 

“I’m gonna, um-” Bob tried to figure out how to talk again. “I’ll go put a shirt on.”

Maverick stepped inside, closing the door behind him. “Good idea.”

Bob shuffled toward the bedroom, getting enough courage to turn back and say, “I do want to see those baby pictures, though.”

Maverick cracked a smile and took a seat on the sofa. “They’re pretty hilarious. She’ll hate it.” 

Bob slipped into the bedroom and pulled the door closed behind him. “I think I just lost five years of my life.” 

You couldn’t help but snicker and lay your hands on his very pink cheeks. “You’re adorable.”

“I’m half naked!” He squeaked, trying to keep his voice down, which was just even cuter. “Do you think he knows? Does he think that we…”

“I’d rather not speculate as to what my dad has realized about my sex life, baby.” You pressed a quick kiss to his lips and finished getting dressed. “And yes, he definitely knows.”

Bob groaned and fell face-first back onto the bed. Sitting on the edge beside him, you slipped on your running shoes. Bob rolled over, frowning. 

“I’m meeting up with the others to go to the ceremony, so I’ll probably just see you there,” he said. 

“That’s fine,” you shrugged. “I’m getting ready with a few of the women in class. We’re helping each other get our hair to stick down, because, believe me, it’s not easy.”

“Don’t I know it?” he teased. “It takes me hours to look this good.”

You reached over and rustled his hair so he yelped. Bob tackled you in revenge, attacking your sides with tickling jabs. 

“If you aren’t out in five seconds, I’m coming in there!” Pete yelled. “And believe me, I really don’t want to. One… two… three…”

You opened the door. Behind you, Bob sat ramrod straight on the bed. With an innocent smile, you jogged passed your dad.

“Come on, old man. Let’s see if I can still beat you to the water.” 

“I always let you win and you know it.” 

The two of you ran out of the small beach house, leaving Bob to catch his breath. He wanted to say he was happy. He admired Maverick more than anyone. That was the problem. He admired Maverick because of a mission Bob had grappled with for months. 

How could he tell you he’d left your father to die?

[unsolicited-opinions]

Please note that the post did not specify Jews. That was deliberate.

The point here is that the "Pro-Palestinian" movement is so illiberal that it holds Antizionism as religious belief. It seeks the destruction of a nation...and still thinks it's pursuing justice.

Were any other nation swapped in for Israel in this equation, they'd flip to the opposite view faster than you can say Am Yisrael Chai.

The point is to draw attention to the degree of the antizionist movement's hypocrisy.

They support all liberation movements - except one. That one must die. For justice.

---

I'll post about the Righteous Among the Nations in many generations another time, but:

To imply, as you have, that there have not been and are not now any non-Jewish activists advocating for Jewish national self-determination and opposing antisemitism is obviously false on its face.

There aren't as many as you or I would like, but we should celebrate and appreciate them rather than seeking to erase them.

If your activism calls for ending a people, a nation, or a culture, that's not actually activism.

That's what activists used to fight.

[krispdreemurr]

thinking about why a lot of the "kris watches the tv alone to drown out the fights" stuff isn't landing for me and i'm sort of reaching the conclusion that like, before the dark worlds, kris actually Wasn't getting anything out of escapism or creativity or play? like:

-they stop watching tv before toriel does, soon after asriel leaves

-they discard the horn headband

-they stop playing music except for those weird bits with noelle, and even then those stop eventually

-it seems like they game less (and most games they ever seem to have played were multiplayer)

-obviously their generally empty room

it feels like for kris a lot of these things were social/about belonging with family and friends, and so as family and friends stopped being involved or interested they stopped too. there's some connection they want to make and if it's not happening they stop trying. it's very much Depression Anhedonia, of course, but i think it's also about, like, how art and play and such are Communication.

playing piano alone, waiting for a duet that wouldn't come, until eventually they stopped. giving up their old toys and bits of imagination. drawing further and further away from even the slightest joys.

but now it's all coming back, and maybe they will learn again that they can be with others and be loved.

[bewitched-hours]

Ik the Alien paycheck x reader fic came out an hour ago, but...

I NEED MORE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA/ nf its fire :-D

Honestly i cant think of any scenario but one, maybe when the eggs hatch and reader is extremely overprotective of the alien children?

ive been nervous and anxious making a ask to my favorite writers, But i got sum confidence for now!!

if these emoji combos arent taken, can i be 🖥🌐 anon?

- 🖥🌐 anon

Sorry anon but I'm capping it at part 4. I simply can't get myself to make any more for it but I'll be happy to say that I'm considering making a more planned series that could include texting and posts from the characters using a fake text and tweet generator. I'm still looking at my options for both so I'm open to suggestions but I will say that it includes all the Forsaken characters in a sort of Obey Me setting(Because I'm a sucker for Polycules and Harems-)

The basic story is just that you're all in university and around the same ages(except C00lkidd, Bluudud and Pr3typriincess because we need dad 007-) with the series probably just being about the chaos of you all living in the same dorm building and floor(ignoring for a moment that in reality you would never have an afab person in the same hall as the guys) and trying to get by with each of you taking on different majors and having different goals. (This would of course also change a few bits in their backstories obviously-)

If you have any ideas for the series or suggestions on what I could use to generate fake social media accounts, posts and texts, they'll be greatly appreciated and of course noted down so I can make the story as entertaining as possible!

And in case you're wondering "So why isn't Obey Me on the list of what you'll write for if you're in the fandom?" It's because I can't keep up with the games and get tired of overwhelming my storage all the time... (btw you can also ask to change details about the series like species or whatever, go wild ( つ•̀ω•́)つ)

[peatbogbody]

wooyoungie

i went jenny nicholson-style and made a numbered list:

1. He has THE cutest fan-idol relationship ever. He loves Wommys and Wommys love him. Rather than a parasocial s/o situation it's more like siblings teasing eachother and it's very funny (i said what i said do NOT come at me!). His lives are always super entertaining. I would love to see him host a talk show.

1.5 not gonna get into this too much but i just wish no one ever thought they had to lose weight or go on a potentially health-damaging diet to fit an aesthetic. i'm trying not to lose too much sleep over a popular idol doing this, like fork found in kitchen ik...but i gotta say wy's live content especially is a bit of a minefield for anyone struggling with this kinda stuff.

2. I think along with hongjoong, he is the member i'd get along with the best on a personal level (obviously only going off of what i have access to). He's funny, sweet, but also carries a combo of low tolerance for bullshit + difficult/impossible time keeping your mouth shut when you think something is Fucked Up which i relate to/appreciate in someone. leftyoung my beloved, never change.

3. i'm so effortlessly baited by this kind of thing but. listen i work with small children and it's an instant plus in my view when someone clearly likes and respects them. so the fact that he's demonstrably amazing with them is just an extra sweet addition to the things i like about this very sweet guy.

also good with parents? he seems to have gotten everyone else's to basically adopt him as their own. it's quite impressive

4. this is a member who's growth/evolution is super interesting, impressive and heartwarming to see. from the beginning he's been the team's Designated Brat, meme generator extraordinaire. and still pigeonholed by fans as that a bit. but in the past few years he's really leaned into a more mature, confident, masculine side with his own artistic vision. it REALLY suits him and also complements the overall maturing vibe of the group as a whole over that period.

5. i still appreciate some cheeky wooyoung antics though. he has "pushing the members' buttons" down to a science and it's impressive. here, some classic wooyoung aegyo for these trying times.

6. after all i've said about the arena homme+ shoot, i am genuinely very excited to see him delving into weirder, more transgressive modes of expression.

7. i don't really have a vocabulary to talk about dance or *really* analyze his style but i'll just say he's really satisfying to watch. he's got an ahem, bounciness? to the way he moves that makes him really suited to choreo with an extra lil bounce and swing to it like.....Bouncy (will there ever be enough said about Bouncy Wooyoung? Unlikely. Bouncy was MADE for wooyoung). But he's also able to move with exceptional fluidity and grace, and when the choreo calls for that, he's THERE. A couple of my favorite examples: the mini pas de deux he has with San in Halazia; the opening bars of Hala Hala.

8. He also has wonderful stage presence. Even though he's not quite as much of a "character" as other members are, he's got enough spark and energy on his own to Sell It equally well. And he always just looks like he's having a blast on stage! That little smirk, the way he'll side-eye the audience and emote with just little jerks of his head are so sexy and fun. He makes objectively kinda silly moves like the Answer hip-thrusts or Crazy Form pati pati watagata work with his infectious cheeky smile and the glint in his eyes.

tl tr br

9. Wooyoung's light-as-a-feather voice is an iconic part of ATEEZ's sound. He has one of and adds a dreamlike quality to their songs. (A few favorite vocal moments: the opening lines of Silver Light, Wake Up: "if you wanna know", New World: "why you hesitating, why you waiting") I think he's said himself that he's considered himself primarily a dancer in the past, but more recently I have also seen him say he's lately started putting more emphasis on vocals and trying to sing live more, which delights me very much. more woo voice pls and THANXX.

10. we all know and love woo's iconic loud high-pitched laugh, but i'm also so enamored by by what he does when he's taken by surprise. he'll scrunch his face up and then try to hide it either with whatever object he's holding or just by turning his whole face away from the camera. it's adorable and feels so genuine. if he tucks his lips in and turns his face to the side you KNOW someone got him good. in my observation seonghwa in particular is really good at getting him to fold

left right

In summary we are so lucky to have Wooyoung among our lineup. What a darling. A last-but-not-least addition to ATEEZ, for absolutely sure!

he's a little shit sometimes though. "didn't know what this meant" my ASS

[strawberryraviegutz]

Some ppl are probably doing this already but idk. So we all know that anime slice of life based adventure gangle suggested?

Hear me out. Let me cook.

TADC anime AU(mainly Ribbun centric obviously) that’s shoujo romance style enemies to lovers where Jax is the typical delinquent bully that picks on the shy nerdy otaku Gangle with Jax either picking on her due to him secretly liking Gangle and doesn’t know how to express it in a healthy manner or Jax starts to genuinely care about gangle and develop feelings over time.

And gangle in both scenarios either having feelings for jax in the beginning(with maybe her hatred towards him sorta outweighing said love for Jax tho for obvious reasons)or her hating Jax at first but developing feelings over time as well or her also feeling the same way about Jax secretly. Like maybe teacher kinger pairs them up together on a group project that kicks it off.

Or maybe Jax saving gangle from other bullies with the “hey no one picks on gangle except me!!”(like I said before him secretly liking and caring about gangle the whole time and not admitting it to himself or anyone else). I’d love someone to write a fic about this concept. I’m already seeing some rlly good art about what I had in mind.

Bully/Former bully x victim enemies to lovers stories and enemies to lovers stories in general are my bread and butter especially in anime please tell me yall see the vision too!!

[banjomelodies]

I find it slightly funny that everyone on CRKs Tiktok fanbases immediately jumped on the hate wagon of ShadowVanilla .. but then proceeded to adore and praise EternalHolly as if they aren't the same pairing in different paint. They're the same ship. With the beasts being so very infatuated with their other halves that it's almost toxic. The happy ending for both of them is literally their other half falling victim to their respective shtick because they don't want them to die, they want their company for as long as possible, even if only one of them verbally seems to accept that as their truth (With Shadow Milk pushing Vanilla away when offered friendship, but Eternal Sugar just starts begging like crazy) Unlike let's say, Burning Spices relationship to Golden Cheese. He's not obsessed with her as a cookie, he's obsessed with the idea of something new. Challenge. And Golden Cheese gave him the perfect fight that he wanted.

Shadow Milk and Eternal Sugar are more attached to controlling and being beside their other halves than he was.

THESE TWO COSTUMES ARE LITERALLY THE IDEALIZED VERSIONS OF THE TWO THAT THEY WANTED (Except I'm pretty sure Pure Vanillas just straight up happens! I can't get the game to run for longer than twenty minutes! So I don't know! Someone else made a really detailed thingy on all the beasts interactions and obsessions with their respective Ancients, so I'll try reblogging that at some point). THEY WANTED THEIR RESPECTIVE SOUL JAM HOLDER TO LIVE WITH THEM, IN THEIR HOME.

I'm not going to say that I am a super diehard fan of these pairings myself. Honestly, it's a 50/50 on how I feel. I think some days it's really up my alley, other times it's not, I think it depends on how it's written and shown to me. Like I personally prefer it when it has redemption arcs in it, as while I find the negative nuances of their relationship interesting to think about and dive into, I don't exactly ship the pairing in that light, personally. It's a "I absolutely love this when the toxicity eventually fades" type of love. But denying the fact that these are genuinely the same type of dynamic just in favor for which flavor of toxic gays you want is so weird. They're the exact same, you're just replacing the words Toxic Yaoi with Toxic Yuri !!! You can't say one is a bad ship because it's toxic just to like the wlw version of it !!

And obviously, I'm not saying these are the exact same, there's distinct differences in both, obviously, but generally? Yeah.

[betty-fran]

While talking to N recently about Star Trek (all my recent chatting leads to this, and I'm pretty sure my sister hates it), we got caught up in the topic of utopianism and how it's depicted in TOS, which got me thinking about a couple of things, so it's a little not-really-quality-near-philosophical rambling...

We tend to perceive the idea of ​​utopia as that promised land, that ultimate outcome to which humanity should strive, the pure creation that is opposed to the absolute destruction of dystopia. But in our multi-tonal, ambiguous, contradictory world, where change is the only constant and where the constancy of laws is only an attempt to resist the chaos of entropy, this forever remains in the realm of the impossible, and utopian becomes a household word for naive, idealistic dreams, completely disconnected from reality. And in this perception, in my opinion, we lose the most important idea that the concept of utopia carries, and which completely changes the angle of its perception and attitude towards it. Utopia is not an ultimate outcome, but a striving towards it. Not the destination, but the journey itself. The path that we can choose. We'll never reach this abstract ideal world, because it contradicts existence itself, but we can try to become better and kinder ourselves.

And that's the utopianism of the original Star Trek. The 23rd century we're shown (obviously) isn't perfect, but it's striving for it. TOS, and this is probably the most accurate comparison I've found for myself, is a kind of message in a bottle left to us by Roddenberry. It tells us not "this is what the ideal future should be like," but "this is what the path to it should be like." And there is a noticeable difference between these two things.

The very structure of the plot in TOS, its similarity to the Odyssey in this journey lost in time and space (and emphasized isolated in it), makes it almost mythological. This is read in how the Enterprise, making its way through deep space, like that bottle with a message, carries within itself all the best that humanity is, but in a certain way, separates itself from the rest of the world. And this brings me back to thoughts that the 23rd century's reality that we are shown (obviously) isn't perfect, and that a (quite unconventional) captain like Kirk, as well as his (no less unconventional) entire crew, is still more of an exception than a rule there. Contrary to my expectations (largely dictated by what I've seen about him before), TOS Kirk as a character is generally very far from this idea of ​​Starfleet's golden boy and the model captain. That's what you could say about Pike, but Kirk, while obviously a good captain, is much more of a pirate than a soldier. In general, they are both, Kirk and Spock are not portrayed as people who truly fit into the environment in which they were raised. And although this is more logically explained in Spock, who has objective difficulties with (not) belonging to both of his heritages and is constantly in a state of in-between, it is in Kirk that it's especially feeling, in his, let's say, absolute impossibility of being not himself in the full (rather theatrical) manifestation of this, being inscribed in any specific normative role, which is noticeable both in his gender ambivalence/personal flexibility/amazing ability to change and in his frank discomfort with any roles that restrict his deeply personal freedom, and strangely enough, his integrity as a character is most fully expressed precisely in this chameleon-like versatility.

It was in @anghraine 's post about Kirk's queerness : "This is not only a vision of the future in general. It's a vision of the future that is decidedly imperfect but better enough to produce someone like this as a starship captain." and it very aptly and succinctly captures the very essence of what TOS is, and it really stuck in my head. Both K and S face some non-acceptance and rejection from others throughout the series, and they both have this "I only belong here on the bridge next to my people" mentality, not so much because it's their professional choice, but because it's really the only place where they can be themselves most fully, which feels like a certain conflict with the outside world (not that Vulcans or most Starfleet members are really particularly unorthodox), but at the same time, they can both exist in this space as they are, and be able to influence changes and try to make the world a little better, more open, more just, and less restricted. And importantly, while they are undoubtedly not-like-anyone different, they are not really forced to change themselves in TOS.

And this was, in my opinion, completely lost in the sequel films [esp post-Roddenberry], which gave rise to both subsequent Kirk drift, and the general gradual moving away from utopianism and the emergence of Section 31, and which after TOS feel like a grounding, giving me a rather joyless feeling of longing for a lost dream, and where all the characters, and especially Kirk, try to fit into some much more socially acceptable, normative roles, thus seemingly reinforcing this concept of returning from heaven to earth, that they as they were in TOS cannot fit into this environment, this bitter understanding that there are things that will never be acceptable and understandable in society, there are parts of you that you have to lose, hide to survive in the real world, and it's all leaving TOS behind as a long-forgotten dream, a stolen moment of fullness of being. It feels less like the still imperfect, but moving towards it, reality of the original series, and more like the not-at-all-utopian side of 80s/familiar present. And while the films themselves are good, and have their own very special (a little bit sad-painful) charm, they completely contradict TOS in something very important to me personally, which makes me look at these things absolutely separately from each other (N and I are in the process of watching films now, and it gives us both mixed feelings). Even if we read this as an attempt to show the transition from youth to maturity, this inevitability of growing up-aging in which you must necessarily change, lose something visceral about yourself, and instead take on some socially acceptable role, I find this a rather outdated and not very healthy concept, because normal growing up-aging is not about losing yourself at all, but about returning to your true self, and taking into account everything that was shown to us in TOS, psychological changes that have occurred in characters in films are quite sad, and I really want to ask what happened during that time that made this possible? (envy of Star Wars' success and the lust for money, obviously, but that's another story).

In any case, I find that I discovered TOS somehow very timely for myself, and although I often see how TOS is perceived as a non-serious, pretty awkward, funny thing, I find it surprisingly meaningful, and for me, it's objectively a much more interesting thing to reflect on, and a much more important thing to take into the future.

Maybe it's all Roddenberry's spirit whispering in my ear that I should get back into filmmaking (and finally finish my deferred master's degree) so that one day I can reshoot this story.

[dailydegurechaff]

Well, since you've just drawn your mermaid Tanya, I gotta take advantage of the situation and ask what the others are like in this AU.

PS. I've said it once, and I'll say it again. Fantastic, beautiful art as always, my friend.

That is a very good question, what is everyone else up to? I'll try to be brief (failed).

So we know Tanya's a fish, but what about the rest of them? The general rule of thumb I went with for splitting up the characters is that the Staff officers (this includes Tanya) are all merfolk, and the rest of the 203rd are humans. There is one exception, but we’ll get to that.

Starting with the 203rd because they have less complicated things going on. Weiss, Koenig, Neumann, Grantz and Visha are all college students & friends. I haven’t actually decided what their majors are as it’s not the focus of the story, but I am taking suggestions if anyone has any. Otherwise it’s going to be left unspecified.

Grantz is the male lead, obviously. I’ve talked about it vaguely before, but he’s infatuated with Tanya and wants to see her again after she rescues him from drowning.

Grantz's current hobbies during the plot of the story include: Trying to learn Tanya's song (going poorly), Trying to learn to play a shell trumpet (also going poorly), and barely managing to pass his classes because he's too obsessed with the fish that almost got him killed.

As for the others, they're varying degrees of supportive. I don’t think Grantz tells them what happened immediately, but as each of them find out, their reactions range from “concerned for Grantz’s well-being” to “number one wingman”

As for the ones under the water, we'll start with Uger. I struggled a bit to come up with a good fish for him, but then it hit me and I refuse to change my mind now. He’s a sea horse. I don't think I have to explain this choice. He's literally a father. As for the specific species, it's hard to decide but I'm leaning toward the short-snouted seahorse. I'm not sold yet, but I'm considering.

Anyway, Tanya is an orphan in this life too (her parents being tragic losses to The War that occurs before the fic starts). While she was more communally raised by the other merfolk, she was mostly taken care of by Uger and his wife. After Tanya leaves the merfolk-equivalent to The Empire, he and his wife end up having a child.

Onto Lergen. I’m not sure how much it suits him, but the image in my head from the start has always been that he’s an atlantic sailfish. Something about the dark blue sail I think would be very majestic on him.

Similar to canon, he's worried about Tanya being weird, but it's less about how she's a monster, and more that she's A) far too curious about humans B) far too similar to Zettour.

And speaking of Zettour, I have decided he is an eel. I'm not fully set on what exact species, but I'm leaning toward a white ribbon eel.

Zettour doesn't live in The Empire during the time the fic takes place. To cut a long story short, he committed too many fish war crimes before the story starts and got exiled for it.

This is convenient for Tanya who doesn't want to be roped into fighting in one of The Empire's many territory disputes, so when she leaves The Empire, Zettour becomes her guardian, of sorts. (She would prefer to travel the seas alone, but Uger doesn't think she should on her own yet.) (Also, despite being exiled, Zettour is still in contact with at least Lergen and Uger and keeps them updated.)

And last is Rudersdorf. He’s my one exception to the guideline I set earlier. He’s actually human, but still very strongly associated with the sea. He’s former member of the navy, now retired as a sailor/fisherman. He meets Zettour and together they devise a plan to end the Empire’s war. Incidentally, getting humans (Rudersdorf) involved in the conflict is what gets Zettour exiled from the empire.

So that was everyone else, and I'll include a little bit extra about Tanya, despite this ask being about what everyone else is up to.

Tanya is still the reincarnation of the salaryman, but the circumstances of his death are slightly different from the original story. Instead of getting pushed in front of a train, he’s pushed off a bridge and drowns. As a result of this, his reincarnation is a mermaid (a bit of a mean joke for Being X to reincarnate the man who died in water as a creature that lives in water).

Anyway, her fish half is reminiscent of a betta fish (which is technically a freshwater fish, but Tanya lives in the ocean so ignore that), and I officially decided I’m going to disregard that poll I did a while ago. I really do prefer the white/blue color palette bc it fits my Artistic Vision (tm) more than the winning option does.

[1vylili3s]

DOUBLE TROUBLE! AU ASKS ARE NOW OPEN!!!

"they say two is better than one–" THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!!!!! /J

im sorry I just had too

(some actual info about the au below ↓↓↓)

.

.

WHAT IS THE AU ALL ABOUT?

-After years of being away, finally Tord decides he wants to pay his old friends a visit! For real this time. Except London has turned into a dystopian city, full of army propaganda in every corner, and some "Red Army" lead by some guy named Red Leader? What happened while he was away? He's so confused somebody hug him (actually don't. He stinks)

-Unfortunately, he doesn't get anytime to process all of this when he hears some footsteps near by and hides in a dingy alleyway. Then he sees some Red Army guards chasing after someone before gunshots are heard from a distance. Tord leaves immediately and goes straight to the house, when he gets there's, he expects Edd or someone near to tell him what's happening, only to see well- the house, or what's left of it, its really just a giant crater now. He does NOT have any way to contact anyone bc the idiot left his bags back in the alleyway while running away. He does go back to get it bc it has his magazines, as well as food but mostly the magezines. He has his priorities straight alr guys. After a fight, he leaves with a wide grin on his face, covered in blood (don't asks if its his or not) he checks his phone annddd he has no signal. Great.

-Tord sees that something is clearly wrong with London (obviously) and after months go by with no sign of any of his friends and living off of junk food, ramen & energy drinks, he decides to fuck it and go all vigilante to stop whatever's happening. Most of his gear and stuff is either stolen or homemade because he's just that Guy™, also he wears Edd's old black hoodie (← he kept it before he left, same way Edd kept the spare red hoodie), its his weird way of coping bc as far as he knows, Edd's dead. Also he has his own base! (where exactly? idk probably at a bottom of a bridge #homeless)

-Tord knows about the resistance, he does not know Edd (and a couple of other characters) are leading it, he just knows of it. He doesn't join (yet) because it kinda clashes with his whole lone wolf brand /hj

-Edd also doesn't know the Gotham looking rogue is the actual Tord. He also doesn't know that Red Leander is a clone of Tord.

-Neither Tord nor Clord/Red Leader know about the others existence, my reasoning? RL wears that helmet thing/doesn't show his face in public while Tord just has some goggles and a mask. Sorry I love identity reveal stuff <3

-also Tom & Matt work for the Red Army and they hate Red Leader and his guts together (old married couple)

Or TLDR: basically just a WTFuture AU with the added Clone Tord theory, there will also be yaoi here. thought I'd just mention that.

WHICH CHARACTERS CAN I ASK?

Here are some of them: (I will add some more if necessary)

Future Edd

Future Tord

Future Clord/"Red Leader"

Future Matt

Future Tom

+SOME CW & EXTRA STUFF:

-The au is mostly crack treated seriously BUT there's will be some minor blood, violence, slightly suggestive stuff & jokes, bashing on Clord (affectionately) etc. <- just some classic ew things in general

-worlds most unethical polycule aka the most weirdest situationship between Edd, Tord and.... himself? Don't ask why, Clord thinks he's their third (p.s he is NOT)

-also tommatt is there and they mostly do their own thing, fuck complicated relationships. we ball

Andddd that's all! The for reading allat, appreciate it!! Now go forth and ask the characters...

(oughh I haven't done something like this in a while... I'll just hope I don't abandon this like the others)

[cheezeeflowerboi]

This post is in response to this hilarious post by @paracosm-draw that really got me thinking: 

At first, I was gonna be like, "Daddy, chill ✋" at the use of the big W slur but I have to admit, you gotta point. (I actually couldn't stop generating ideas after. Sorry this went from a short comment to a long ass post.) All of this big brained thinking had me creating some kind of waist kink(?) I don't know, man, but here yall go.

Morning after, Anakin sleepily gets up to get some water/coffee. Obi-Wan follows him into the kitchen, grabs him by the waist, and tugs him over from behind before planting little neck kisses on him. Breakfast is forgotten in the morning after say gex. 

18th century AU(I'm addicted to these). A ball is held between the kingdoms of Stewjon or Coruscant and Naboo. Let's say they're both guards of the royal families. The ball is becoming wild, people of all sorts of origins and status are pairing up. Thick, patterned fabric is swirling around everywhere encompassing almost every inch of the dance floor. 

Obi-Wan and Anakin just kind of gravitate towards one another. The castle already quadrupled security--there's no need for them here. They get to flirting a bit and Obi-Wan asks for a dance. Anakin is definitely the more devilish dance companion but Obi-Wan is bolder in terms of courtship. Like everything else, they turn it into a competition for who can ~out flirt~ the other whilst dancing. This of course leads to Obi-Wan's hands almost never leaving Anakin's waist, hands, or neck and Anakin's Dip(dance move) kink. 

They probably sneak away from the royal ball, find some royal broom closet and royally rail each other there. 

Jealousy AU I don't know how to go into detail for this because I’m too flustered. Let's go with The Clone Wars timeline. Disagreement on the field between Obi-Wan and Anakin pushes them apart but only for like a day or two. They're on some crazy planet the council assigned them to go to. Duh, duh, duh, yada, yada. 

Anakin starts flirting with this person, glances at Obi-Wan, and smirks. Obi-Wan politely finishes up negotiations before promptly going over to Anakin, telling him it's time to leave, and hooking a rather possessive arm around his waist. On the ship, Obi-Wan and Anakin get into this big bitch fight, Anakin’s like, “You can't be serious. Are you actually jealous?!” which obviously leads to Obi-Wan turning his head to the side and responding with, “Perhaps.” Anakin’s kind of confused at first, then he gets over it. You can choose who’s bent over the table, but I think Anakin just kinda shrugged and went for it after that.

Starfighter setting. They’re under attack (somewhere) and Obi-Wan and Anakin get in their separate starfighters. Think of the beginning of ROTS. Something happens to Obi-Wan’s starfighter causing him to crash on some nearby planet, I don't know. Anakin goes after him to make sure he's alright, which he is except for a bruise on his side and maybe a cut on his forehead.

This can go two ways. 

He’s fine but now he doesn't have a ride. Logically, he climbs in behind Anakin despite it not being made for two. The rest of the time is just them bumping around with Obi-Wan protectively keeping his arms encased around Anakin’s waist and Anakin desperately trying to focus with his master basically underneath him. 

Two kinks get unlocked here and it's waist kink(because we’ve officially made that a thing now, it's a thing now) and praise kink because while Obi-Wan has his hands wrapped around his waist, assumedly his mouth right next to his ear, he is also giving him praise for his good shots and piloting. As soon as they get back from the attack, Anakin flips over and fucks him nasty. Don't worry Obi-Wan was projecting his horniness through his praises. He was having a hard(pun intended) time too with Anakin being right there. 

The second way this can go is that Obi-Wan is not completely fine. He’s unconscious and knocked into a temporary coma. Anakin rage fights after that, using all sorts of probably malicious techniques because his master is injured and these bitches are keeping him from him??? Anyway, they get back, Obi-Wan’s in the hospital wing, Anakin stays by his side the whole time, and Obi-Wan wakes up later in the night. 

When he does, Anakin practically pounces on him. (Working unrealistic voodoo magic to make the injury make sense.) Because of the head injury, Obi-Wan’s inhibitions are super low, so when he sees Anakin the first move he makes is to grab his cute, slutty, tiny little waist and pull him closer. Anakin basically loses all thought as Obi-Wan starts stroking his waist and spouting praise and terms of endearment like a running faucet. After that, since he's pretty close to fine, they go back to their room in the temple and it's kind of like the first one except it's that night instead. 

That's all I have for now, but knowing myself I’ll probably reblog this later with more ideas. Congratulations for getting this far if you did! 

[fairestbeard]

Carmy's darkest secret

CONTENT WARNING !!!!!

Distressing opinions, egregious cornplating, predictive- serious potential spoilers if true.

TRIGGER WARNING: Substance ab*se, Suic*de, Mental illness.

I'll just come right out and say it.

I think Carmy might be an addict.

And I don't mean addict like a workaholic or perfection addict like we've been saying here.

I think Carmy might be an actual addict.

In fact, more specifically, I think Carmy might be a heroin addict.

"Woah! WTF, are you crazy?"

Hopefully. Hopefully I am..

I've never wanted to be more wrong in my life. And I want this meta to be so clown worthy, to be actual comedy in retrospect because it gets me properly laughed at for how wrong it is.

But walk with me here...

An unreliable narrator?

I've discussed previously in this meta my opinion of how the story of The Bear is being told from Carmy's perspective and his subjective mind, and so, the visuals and general ambience including how we perceive the characters are at least partially controlled by him. One thing that convinces me of this is how the show literally starts inside his head (the bridge dream) which sets the tone for the rest of the show.

An unreliable narrator can be defined as any narrator who misleads readers, either deliberately or unwittingly. Many are unreliable through circumstances, character flaws or psychological difficulties. In some cases, a narrator withholds key information from readers, or they may deliberately lie or misdirect.

Source: jerichowriters.com

Carmy could very well fall under the mentally impaired unreliable narrator but I think he is possibly just a dishonest narrator. Because he seems to be purposefully evading vital truths (lying by omission and substitution).

Another character in media that fits this dishonest narrator description is Fleabag of season 1. Up until the end we were with her, we sympathized and empathized with her. We cried and laughed with her. We fully understood her anger at Beau for doing what she did (won't spoil the plot for those who haven't watched it). And even at the end you still are with her. She manages to get you to see yourself in her and it's all in the power of how she tells her story.

Carmen, the drunk

I had too much to drink

I didn't think, I didn't think of you

Half A World Away - R.E.M ("The Bear")

One interesting assumption about carmy is that he is completely sober, a teetotaler, in fact. I've seen people make jokes about how he would be so light brained that he'll get drunk on nothing. Because we've never seen him drink. We've seen his confusion and anger discovering that Mickey had a drug problem he didn't know about. We see how much he despises Donna and the trauma she brought them through her drunkenness. So it's very fitting that we assume he wouldn't drink or use substances at all because that is the logical response.

But what if Carmy was actually drunk for at least all of season 1?

An unreliable narrator, especially in the 3rd person narrative, will leave clues. The pilot starts by showing us an idea of what Carmy was dealing with; unpaid bills, unreliable vendors, an outdated system and an untrusting and disrespectful staff. In between those flashes we see shots of half drunk bottles. Now those bottles could have been there for any number of reasons. Maybe it was left there by Michael. Maybe it was cooking wine. Except in the coming episodes you realize that they didn't really have anything on the menu they cooked with red wine and the bottles kept changing in content so they were obviously active bottles.

There's another spot the difference magic trick happening in these shots. Can you see it? Hint: our mother of victory.

The shots are saying something.

"Hands" was the first full on attempt to call our attention without telling us that Carmy had a problem. I said in a recent post that you had to pay attention to the shots used in the show as ask yourself "why that shot?" everytime.

The episode starts out with shots of full bottles on the table when he's interacting with Syd. We also see the bottles full after he sends Richie and Syd of to the store and he's talking to Sugar about joining Al-Anon which he seems resistant to. However, by the time Richie gets back, finds Mickey's letter and tries to deliver it to Carmy, a whole 1½ bottles of the wine is gone. This is in one afternoon, in the space of at most 2-3 hrs. No casual drinker could ever drink that much alcohol in that space of time. We are dealing with an alcoholic.

We also see that he has lapses in memory (a classic symptom of alcoholism) at the end of the episode when he discovers that the cigarettes that caused the day's mishap was actually left by him, which made him seriously consider joining Al-Anon.

Sleep walking:

Sleep walking can be triggered by alcohol (I've experienced this first hand). He says to Nat that it happens to him from time to time and she immediately brings up Al-Anon, telling him he can ask for help.

Withdrawals

Carmy shakes a lot. He's fidgety and can't stay still most times. Knowing his history and current state of mind we blame his neurotic nature. What we don't consider is that Carmy sometimes is having the shakes- a sign of withdrawal. The first time they show this is in "Dogs" at Cicero's party. We see shake off the shakes while making the hotdogs and having a laugh with Richie and Cicero.

We also see this happen in "Ceres" in the flashback with Michael making Braciole. If I had to guess, this is why Michael cut him off from the restaurant. Imagine two addicts working together? He probably felt Carmy going out in the world and finding inspiration would make him opt for a better and maybe get clean.

Some other scenes with Carmy showing signs of withdrawal:

- In the meeting with Cicero in "The Beef" his hands are clenched almost the whole time to curtail the shakes.

- Tomorrow in his Ever scene with Luca you can see his hand shaking as he raises his voice to Luca before chef Terry intervenes.

- When Chef Fields says "Are you shaking? Are you nervous?" to Carmy. Carmy isn't nervous, he in withdrawal.

- In "Omelette" ...and this one broke my heart...

The table scene with Syd.

It's not the side effects of the cocaine

I'm thinking that it must be love

Station to Station (David Bowie)

Mood swings and erratic behavior

One thing we've all come to get used to is Carmy's volatile disposition. He has the tendency to erupt or spiral dramatically at anytime showing us how extreme it can get in episodes like Review and The Bear. Behavior like this can be exacerbated by alcoholism.

For Carmy, it's a recurring pattern in season 1, he's irritable and shitty during the day but gets nicer and friendlier after he's had a bottle and half later in the day. We see this pattern play out in Hands, Brigade and even Ceres in his interaction with Syd.

Neglecting responsibilities

Anyone who's watched Carmy would call him the hardest working chef. He's fast and always seems busy, but there has been many instances of him abandoning his responsibilities in S1 and S2. That whole bit about "dialing business" while Syd is everything else was just a bullshit way for Carmy to hole himself up in the office and get drunk and not have to also worry about the day to day. Not that he conciously intends for it to be that way, but because his head is messed up, it ends up that way. He does this in season 1 with the excuse of Al-Anon and he does same in season 2 with the excuse of Claire. He tells Sydney to care about everything more than anything because he doesn't trust himself to care enough.

Self isolation

We heard him describe to the Al-Anon crowd how he self isolates. We attribute this to him reacting to the heartbreak from Mickey's treatment of him, but should we believe him? Because self isolation is also another symptom of alcoholism. He found a station for himself were he could exist in a kind of bubble and the more people he cut out of his the quieter his life got. One thing with self isolation is that it gives you less people you care about to make you feel guilty about your substance abuse. You get to do without the extra work having to hide and constantly lie to people.

Carmy's family history of alcoholism:

We see this hinted with the Al-Anon pamphlet "Alcoholism, the family disease". This is a hereditary mental illness that has been passed down the Berzatto family.

In Fishes, apart from Donna being drunk and Stephen commenting that everyone had drunk too much, we briefly see an old woman passed out on the couch, shown between shots of red wine, that is never acknowledged. This suggests a family where being passed out drunk is a normal sight or maybe for that particular person. I'm thinking by the age of them, it's probably their Nonna. I remember Nat subtly informing us in Ice Chips that Donna's mum was worse than Donna.

Fairest creatures :

We always associated this with the poem, so interpreted it as his secret desire for kids. But maybe they really are referencing the wine house in California (I think it was @gingergofastboatsmojito that highlighted this wine house), as an indication of his wine drinking habit. It could also hold both meanings since The Bear does a lot of killing many birds with a stone.

Timeline of Carmy's present day substance abuse:

– Wakes up from a drunken slumber where he dreams of the bear at the bridge

– Tries and repeatedly fails to keep his drinking in check all of season 1. Culminates in the Review debacle.

– Attempts to quit again (I think) in "Pasta" by filling his time and trying to find fun. Getting closer to Syd. Meets and rejects Claire.

– His disposition seemed to have started changing in "Sundae" he's showing cracks in his mood. Looks like he's going through the motions cooking at the apartment. Tries to bump up the fun by doing a taste tour but abandons it when Claire calls him because in reality he was abandoning the idea that he could do it clean. So his sobriety probably lasts only about a week.

– In the beginning of Honeydew you can see him falling apart already. He looks like very stressed out and unable to concentrate. He's obviously been disappearing because he doesn't seem to be up to date on what's happening at the restaurant.

– By "Pop" he is fully hanging out with the party crowd. We see that he's been disappearing for a while now.

(On a side note: I wonder if the sign that says Ziggy on the calendar in Bolognese is referencing Ziggy Stardust, as in The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust.)

– Is in full withdrawal by friends and family. Probably contemplating giving sobriety "his full focus". Another version of Review happens again as he loses control mid service.

Tomorrow:

The opening sequence of tomorrow was very interesting. He walks into the dark restaurant, death stares two glasses of wine and an ashtray of cigarettes. Clears and vigorously cleans the table, then kicks the bar cart in disgust. This is a dramatic summation of how he felt about alcohol, this thing that has upended his life. We also see him start his R&D process by dumping a bottle of red wine in a pot, repurposing his addiction. In a normal setting the alcoholic would dump all the alcohol in the sink to start the sobering process. He also tries to reorganize his life in an effort to cope with it.

We see him mentally go through his journey as a chef and his journey as an addict with markers made with the music alone. There are moments of flow, moments of drama and moments of crises. Each time the dissonant section of the music plays, I think, represents either a crisis that leads him back to another cycle of addiction, or his addiction coming to a head.

We see him stoop and look at four spots before the episode comes to a close. The spots are never shown. But if I had to guess, I'd say those spots were: the fridge, the locker room, the bar cart and the clock.

S3 is about getting it out of his system:

I think Carmy is yet again trying to beat his addictions. I think this is the first time we are actually witnessing him rawdog his depression in real time without his substance clutch and that is why he is so insufferable. Season 3 is Carmy in long-term withdrawal and detoxification and it's not an easy process. It's hard and it's ugly. The dramatic marker (substitute storyline) for this point in his life is his quitting cigarettes. The cigarettes, as well as representing itself, also represents his other addictions and so at his last count with Syd, Carmy has been sober for 41 days + the following days that count to the Ever funeral.

[basically-neroland]

I find a lot of comfort in nero, he's my favorite lil guy. How do you think he would help a trans partner with their dysphoria?

sorry for taking so long on this omg 😭

nero with a trans partner‼️✨ (dealing with dysphoria)

there's a section for ftm and one for mtf! i don't wanna leave anyone out by just doing general headcanons!! i know how that feels 😭

DISCLAIMER:

1. these are not specifically binary! ftm and mtf stand for female to male and male to female BUT in this case they stand for feminine to masculine and male to feminine! i said i don't wanna leave anyone out and i meant that :)

2. i am not mtf, i am ftm!! some things may be inaccurate but i did my best to fill in the blanks, and i also asked transfems on reddit what they like/would like to be told! i also asked my trans girlfriend (platonic) and she helped a lot as well 💙

general:

reminds you that he likes girls and guys and will always love you either way!! he genuinely doesn't give two shits what your gender OR what your sex is

always holds you if you start crying (unless you don't want to be touched ofc) and listens to everything you say. he just lets you rant and then starts disputing everything when you're done

cuddles you and attacks you with kisses. he generally does this when you're sad but he wants you to know he loves you the way you are. there's nothing about you that he would change for himself. if he could change parts of you that YOU wish were different, he would

FTM:

tries to make sure you aren't overbinding even when you're feeling really dysphoric. he knows it sucks (to say the least) but he doesn't want you to hurt your ribs either

never ever makes height jokes, especially if you're actually short. lets you try to get things on your own unless you ask him for help. he likes lifting you up on his shoulders so you can still be the one to actually grab it! just watch your head 😭

never ever touches your chest on purpose except to rest his head on it, but he'd do that regardless of if you had boobs or not. he just likes resting his head there because he can listen to your heartbeat that way.

honestly he avoids touching anywhere you don't like about yourself (main example: hips) if you're feeling dysphoric because he doesn't want to bring attention to said disliked area. however if you bring it up to him he'll start touching you there again—he loves all of you, he just doesn't wanna make you feel worse

takes care of you when you're on your period without even bringing attention to it being your period. he just does things wordlessly. if he notices you shifting around a lot he'll ask if your stomach hurts, not if it's cramps. then he gets you a heating pad and offers you a tylenol. stuff like that. will cuddle you and purr extra loud to help with the cramps! i love when cats do that

MTF:

will always tell you how beautiful (and/or cute if that's what you prefer) you are if he notices you're having a hard time, even if you don't say anything. he'll say it as many times as you need him to.

nicknames like pretty girl, princess, beautiful, etc.

might make height jokes because it's kinda hard to be taller than him 😭 idk even if you're technically tall, he'll make a short joke every now and then

again, so much sarcasm!! ("oh yeah my girlfriend totally looks like a dude" while rolling his eyes harder than ever in his life) ("yeah she's so strong she can totally move the refrigerator. OBVIOUSLY I MOVE IT SO SHE CAN SWEEP THERE!!!" [whether you can actually move it or not doesn't matter, he's gonna move it for you])

"does [insert character or person] look like a guy to you? okay so you don’t either. hush." and then proceeds to cuddle the fuck outta you so you know how much he loves you

sorry the ftm ones are so much more detailed but again, i'm ftm so it's my area of expertise 🥀

my platonic girlfriend (queer-platonic relationship) really helped with those last two headcanons LOL. literally copy/pasted the joke in the last hc and the first joke in the hc above it. turns out nero x transfem is pretty much just be and my pgf uhm oops 🕴️ (this happens frequently)

a prompt for "coming out to him" headcanons have been in my notes app for a while! they'll be out by the end of pride month teehee

[noimnotdeadyet]

me slowly grinning at our audience

thats hell youre walking into/ref

(welcome to any and all to our YANQINGYANQINGYANQING chain :3)

YES WE NEED MOOORREEEE im convincing myself its short to make room for FUTURE CONTENT HES GOTTA BE A REOCCURING CHAR RIGHT? RIGHT??

LUOCHA IS IMPORTANT

SUSHANG IS REOCCURING

Yanqing was important for the Wardance... will the 3 be built uo next Xianzhou quest? o.o

I FUCJING HOPE SO DAMMIT HOYOOOOO

YDEEEE analysises are so fun and Yanqing is SO DAMN MYSTERIOUS in a more subtle way than chars other chars cuz like, yeah hes the youngest Cloud Knight Lieutenant and the General's Retainer, classic child soldier prodigy whos guardian is a higher ranking official

but theres also the finer details from interacting with him... the rain text story about how his "earliest" memory was training. in humans, earliest memories are usually from about 2-4. this implies he was being trained as a toddler, unless there are exceptions about his memory that would change the timeline like if he had amnesia like March and thus his earliest memory comes in later in life but if so why?

OH SOEAKING KF MARCH THE 6 PHASED ICE THEORY ISTG THE WARDANCE CUTSCENE BASICALLY CONFIRMING THERE IS SMTH ODD ABOUT YANQING'S ICE?

oh not to mention i was once talking to my friend about how Yanqing's character stories dont give much info about his background and he was like rlly? thats weird, most stories usually give more details about their past like Boothill's childhood and his daughter and losing his planet and becoming a cyborg that hates the IPC. but Yanqing's... well, its mostly about his achievements and his aspirations, his accomplishments and his hopes for the future than his past. even checked other Xianzhou chars like Jing Yuan, Fu Xuan, Sushang to check but, yeah we get some events of their past. Yanqing? a training session and then how there were questions about him being the General's apprentice. hes a lot less obviously mysterious since he acts pretty normal compared to the fishy and suspicious like Sampo and Kafka, and his past is never refered to in story like Rappa or Feixiao. hes kinda... blank.

(also they expect me to not question why his parents arent confirmed dead? mystery fate in the annals? they have a Divination Commission, but nobody found anything? very, very sus.)

i can go on and on bc THATS HOW MANY CRUMBS HOYO GAVE US ON HIM. THATS HOW MANY OPEN ENDS HE HAS, AINT NO WAU HOYO CAN JUST IGNKRE EM RIGHT?

Jing Yuan... take care of your kid

if you dont, someone will do it for you and then probably smack you for it

(me. and everyone else. i will gather the Yanqing Protection Squad for it)

i imagine Trailblazer & March definitely like dressing everyone up, fuck yeah. reminds me of a Yanli fic i read once where Yanqing lost a bet so Yunli & March got to dress him up and then Yunli had her "OH NO HES HOT" moment cuz wait why does he actually look good? wtf?? they were supposed to make him ugly???

hehehe power of cuteness >:)

why take turns when they can all cuddle together? <:3 CUDDLE PILE

fuck it mandatory Astral Express cuddle parties where everyone crashes in the biggest room and they have a sleepover that ends in everyone huddled together happy the end NO ONE CAN PROVE ME WRONG

sneak peek of a tentative timeline for my erudition yanqing fic!! ughh ive only got like 3 chapters of the mainfic done and i need to post the prequel before i can post the mainfic & for this one im trying to get the whole fic written before starting to post, instead of like swmtbb where i write as i post. UGHH I HATE THIS KID

in case you're wondering why swmtbb updates so slow... its bc of 1. writers block and 2. this fuckign thing but i prommy its worth it i love this fic

[daisywords]

thinking about this post but also it's more than that. do you ever think about how stories starring men are allowed to be about humanity but stories starring women have to be about Womanhood

[marbleheavy]

i actually do think i’m better than people who use AI