#potential other thing is love is blind isn't as good as it was the first season or two

[justthatspiffy]

there's such a jarring difference in watching dating reality tv when you're single vs in a healthy relationship

when i was single i watched it almost as an exposure therapy to people being vulnerable and performing romantic gestures, and while i had many moments of "no! that is not how we communicate with our partners!" and awareness of the hilariously compressed timelines of these shows, i was not overwhelmed in cringe

now, while i don't have any more romantic experience than the people in these shows (tho i may have plenty more communicating-in-healthy-ways experience), the romantic performance is thrillingly novel, the vulnerability is alarmingly rushed, and it's overall not as interesting to watch

[butch-reidentified]

accidentally stumbled across this today

it's tragic but I stumble across a lot of these - and I open Reddit for about 3 minutes once or twice a month!

but we are still acting like this is The Cure for dysphoric people? The FIRST line of treatment?? how????

forever grateful I did years of non affirming therapies (no, TRAs, not "conversion therapy," just other techniques besides total blind affirmation - those are not a pure dichotomy!) before my mastectomy, as well as doing a shit ton of research (plus I work in medicine) AND reading tons of detrans stories where they actively regretted it to make sure I wasn't doing it for the exact same reasons as those who regretted.

I worked hard for years to prepare and educate myself. I waited until my brain was essentially finished developing. And I'm so, so glad I did. All of those experiences and all that therapy made me better in many ways. They just didn't change the physical sensation I was experiencing. I don't have to live with regret because I didn't make medical transition my FIRST line of treatment. I approached it like doctors approach signing off on most surgeries or fancy medications: you have to fail all the more conservative treatments first. This worked for me. Really well.

But if we promote this approach, it's instantly labeled conversion therapy. It's insane. And it's insulting to homosexuals, especially conversion therapy survivors. These things are NOT equivalent. Nobody was trying to force me to be a feminine girlie. We were just working through anything that could /possibly/ be a potential root cause of my sex dysphoria. This isn't remotely "conversion therapy," it's just adequate precautions!!! it's also trauma healing, self improvement, body image healing, learning self love, etc. Just doing all that work, to the point you're happy and healed and all that, should be seen as a good thing for ANYBODY. Explain to me how that's conversion therapy.

[silver-starss]

Ahsoka spoiler thoughts:

My incoherent ramblings.

Holy crap, Natasha Liu Bordizzo is killing it as Sabine. She's got the perfect attitude. Rosario Dawson also seems much more settled into her role this time around, but Liu Bordizzo is the real standout in terms of performance.

Speaking of, I teared up every time Sabine's suite played in the score. Kevin Kiner never disappoints.

I'm glad to see Sabine and Hera's relationship not being neglected. Even if their shared screentime is brief, you great a very good sense that these characters care about one another, and deeply.

Also glad they're taking the non-Force sensitive route with Sabine. It's an intriguing idea, and Ahsoka is one of the few people who would indulge a potential Force blind Jedi.

Ezra's presence looms large over the series, even though he never directly appears. Still, very glad to see the series not downplaying his importance for the sake of casual audiences.

Loving the KOTOR and KOTOR 2 easter eggs! Although I hesitate to use that term since Star Maps and ship are in fact highly relevant to the plot.

Shin Hati my beloved.

Baylon Skoll intrigues me, and not just because Ray Stevenson was an incredible actor. I'm curious to see what his deal is, but I imagine he's (narratively) there to act as a foil to Ahsoka. Someone who doesn't follow the Jedi/Sith dichotomy, but on the opposite side of the Force.

CLANCY BROWN??!

MORE GALAXIES? Is this a Yuuzhan Vong sort of thing? I'm going to reserve judgment for now, but I wasn't a huge fan of the idea the first time around, so I'm doubtful it'll work now. But we'll see what Filoni does with this concept.

This feels much more Star Wars-y than the other live-action series. That isn't a knock on those series, to be clear - shows like Andor needed a gritty, realistic tone, for example - but I missed the more esoteric elements of Star Wars. And Ahsoka unabashedly embraces and celebrates those elements of the franchise.

[the-rocket-scientist]

HEADCANON: Yandere! Alt.Gabriel (Romantic)

My first headcanon requested by pseudomarionette on Wattpad, this chapter was written on my Wattpad and AO3 long ago

- Lucifer is NOT delusional when in love. At all. He knows what he is doing is harmful. If the person he likes doesn't love him, he knows. He is aware of everything he is doing. He's intelligent, so take out the possibility that the fact he could be delusional. Because he knows delusion could blind him and make his actions rash. That could ruin his plan, right? So he is extremely coordinated at everything he is doing, every tiny bit of action. Especially if it's directed towards his love interest.

- Sadistic bitch. Will do anything to manipulate his love interest, even if it means hurting them, or even killing other people they care about when they are directly watching. If he wants to see his love interest suffer, they will suffer. Either in mental pain, emotional pain, physical pain (most of the times all of the above, in preferred order from favorite torture method to the least fav) he will enjoy it. Not a nice guy :/

- Possessive. Will see his love interest as a beautiful puppet or doll. He will take good care of what is his and is beautiful just like him. But he will erase their memories to forget everyone and everything they knew except for himself. Now his love's attention is all focused on him, and only him. And so he will return the favor and direct his whole attention to them.

- Also a tsundere. He will never admit he loves his love interest. You could only figure out that he loves them by the nicknames he calls them.

- Nicknames for love interest: "My child." (most preferred) "My love." (Very rarely used, as it exploits his weakness of love towards his most favorite being in the cosmos.)

- But he is nice to his love interest for most of the times. It's only when even the smallest of rebellion against him will get them into manipulation and torture. 

- Portrays himself the most beautiful as possible in his false angel form when around his love interest. Long wavy blonde hair, fair skin, cold, slanted almond blue eyes that never shine. He is tall and magnificent, his love interest would only reach his chest in terms of height (no matter how canonly tall they are, for Lucifer adjusts his height to always be this way). His white robes trail down to cover his elegant bare feet and slender hands seem to always be clasped behind his back. Note that everything about him is all grayscale except for his blue eyes. He wants them to be impressed and mesmerized by his beauty, and then they'll never leave, memories erased. Even when torturing his love interest he will stay elegant and pretty so they could rely on him while they witness other horrifying things. 

- It is only when he is trying to keep his love interest as close as possible from a perceived threat, and his last resort to breaking them psychologically is when he reveals his true form.

- He is able to summon his wings. They look flawless at first, but on closer inspection you could see withered and burnt feathers between the pearly white ones. He uses these to give the illusion he is flying (he can already levitate without them) and to hug his love interest.

- He is cold, body temperature wise and personality wise. He isn't clingy most of the time, so if his love interest is a touch-starved person, he will push them away with his telekinesis powers or with one hand. He will hug them when he wants to. His demeanor can be cold and mean to most people, which is what Lucifer wants. It is a weakness to show affection and care to anyone on peering eyes. So even though this is his natural personality, he strengthens this even more on his love interest especially in public. He has to keep his reputation, after all.

- Because of the powerful reputation he has to hold, and because he doesn't want his love interest being seen or them seeing others, and the potential chance they could perish from existence, or get stolen, he will isolate his love interest in his confusing castle w/hallways that stretch for infinity. As much as possible, which is forever. 

- His words are very well said and sweet. Who wouldn't fall for his well-constructed sentences, with fancy lettering and elegant speech?

- (You shouldn't, by the way. This is almost exactly how Satan biblically deceives people :< so please be careful when around Lucifer) 

- Yes, he is the devil Satan himself. There, I said the Unspeakable name. Twice now in this chapter. Fun. Time to die. (Room literally explodes)

- It's unlikely he will fall for anyone. But it's not impossible, so if he does, his love interest is very unlucky and therefore have no escape. They are fated to fall into his hands unless they turn to God and gain His help. If He is unavailable for whatever reasons God has, the love interest is fucked. He will do whatever it takes to get them by his side. (Shown accurately in all endings of Yandere! Alt.Gabriel X Reader, and briefly in 6 X Reader.) One day, as long as he exists, his love interest will eventually end up in his hands and memories erased and manipulated. 

- Don't worry, he desires no children. His body is built asexual, so his body is neither feminine nor male. His love interest could get assaulted but not to the point of taking their virginity away (because he can't physically do that). 

- So to summarize this lengthy thing in a NUTSHELL: Haha, such wonderful relationship! :D Totally non-toxic, healthy, loving!! 

- You should run before he sees you.

- But wait.

- You have nowhere to run.

- Turn to God instead and pray for Him. If not, say goodbye to yourself.

(No reader insert because other people are included in this factor that could possibly be his love interest. Like OCs, you, or other people from any fandom. So you or the OCs or anyone else are referred to as "Love interest" w/ They/Them pronouns)

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

You're analysis are always very insightful! Your considerations about Malleus' restricted options in terms of partners made me wonder if Kalim would end up in a similar situation as him. This is of course entirely speculation, since we don't know much about how his parents got together, but to me it makes sense that in the future he might have to deal with something like an arranged marriage. He isn't royalty, but the Asim family still has a great deal of commercial and political sway in the Scalding Sands, so it's difficult for me to believe that they would just let the heir marry whoever he chooses. And despite how carefree he may act, I don't think he would reject an arrangement made by his family. He seems pretty aware of all the obligations that come with being an heir to the Asim. Besides, rejecting a spouse that was chosen for him might put said person under a lot of public scrutiny, and I don't think he would want anyone to go through that

[Referencing this post!]

Oh, hmmm 🤔 I actually never really though about this kind of thing for Kalim so I guess now is as good of a time as any www.

I do think like there would be some selectiveness involved for Kalim too, given the financial power and political influence in the Scalding Sands that the Asims hold (and that's not even mentioning their connections via family, some of which are royalty, and business partners). There's also been several attempts on Kalim's life, so there would probably be an intense screening and background check process for anyone courting Kalim. Who knows if they're actually there to kidnap him or to take his life??? The Asims would have very legitimate concerns, so they have every right to be vigilant and suspicious of those who may try to take advantage of Kalim's kind-heartedness and gullibility.

Mm, I do feel like (overall) Kalim wouldn't be in as much of a tight spot as Malleus?? I get the sense that his parents are way more open-minded and truly care about his happiness (unlike the Briar Valley senators) so they wouldn't exactly force him to marry someone he doesn't actually love. Rather than a "you have no say in this matter" arranged marriage, they might instead present Kalim with a pool of potential candidates that have already been vetted and encourage him to try them out? Like, go on various blind dates and see if he "clicks" with any of them. There would be more trial and error, more exploration allowed (since there isn't as much of a demand for Kalim to have an heir, especially not right away; he has so many other siblings and family members who could help or assume roles in the business). I believe this is similar to how matchmaking is done in some Asian countries (although I'm not too familiar with the concept, I've only learned a little about it through some podcasts). From my understanding, they try to "match" applicants with someone of a similar social ranking as you (so in Kalim's case, he would probably be meeting people who are also mega wealthy) and based on what you (and oftentimes your family) are looking for. If it doesn't work out, then there's less of a chance for backlash since pretty much anyone can use these services and a perfect match isn't a guarantee, especially on the first attempt. Please feel free to correct me if I got any information here wrong!! ^^

[sugurism]

THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING. ୨ৎ PROLOGUE.

series ♰ the garden of eden. < full m.list here!

warnings ♰ NON CURSES AU. mentions of murder, emotional / physical abuse and sexism ! maki is a bad friend ! she's slightly delusional ! obssesion she believes is "love at first sight" + stalking ! you're nobara's girlfriend ! mai has a non-specified fiancee ! yandere!maki !

maki often thinks that her having a sister was not a gift from heaven, but rather a great test to her and her patience. like a very prolonged divine joke with no signs of ending. okay, she gets it, weddings are stressful.

but for the last two months, mai has been freaking out even over the color of the walls in her apartment, and it's honestly ridiculous. so here's maki, walking around the city center. surrounded by noisy people, noisy things, dirty and clueless people. the guys would wink at her and whistle at her often if it weren't for her physical build — maki could snap any of them in half like a stick, and she knows it.

they know this. and because of that, she is generally very safe when walking down the street. she texts mai again. can you remind me where the address is?

the response comes immediately, furious and very stressed (probably the wedding venue has a problem with the date, again). you are unbelievable. it's an easy store to find. but her sister sends her the address nonetheless. the name is sea of roses, and it's in the center of the town — barely five minutes away from where she is now. it is the best flower shop for those who want quality and want to pay cheap at the same time. for god’s sake, maki, you should know.

she doesn't feel like listening to lectures via text messages, so she just sighs, marks it as read and goes on her way. surprisingly, the store really isn't hard to find, but it's a little annoying to be here on a saturday afternoon.

maki could simply be out there. hanging out with friends or doing what normal women her age do — even though she gave up blind dates and no-strings-attached sex a long time ago. mr. cupid simply judged that love was not in the plans of her life, of the script that made up the booklet of each person's life. a fiancée for mai, a new girlfriend for nobara— who, honestly, she doubted really existed— but no good, sweet girl for maki.

if she keeps thinking like that, she will die single like yuta.

the thought is depressing and funny in equal measure, so she keeps walking until she reaches the window. beautiful promotions in chic frames — a bouquet of flowers costs more than most people expect, but the price there was excellent.

she could understand why mai chose that store — the zenin fortune comes with the high price of sexism and a good emotional abuse (sometimes physical), but it means you can spend more on events like that, at least. not that any family other than maki would attend — it was supposed to be a small event. in theory. nothing that her sister does is small.

she pushes the door open, listening to the soft ding of the bell — ringing to alert the staff that a customer is entering. or, potential customer, as many would call it. there's a difference nowdays.

it's the time period when romanticism dies, they say. naturally, it must be a little unusual to sell flowers — at least that's what she thinks. don't people give flowers to the dead, too? tributes. but funerals truly are more for the living than for the dead — we need that consolation, that farewell, that gift. whether it's to pay genuine respect, mourn, or simply not look like an asshole by not showing up to a funeral.

she certainly wouldn't feel bad if some people died, but that's just her thinking. maki has developed a certain indifference to death since she started doing what she does.

it's not... often. it could be a rare hobby, like anyone doing something strange. something that must not come to light, something that must remain secret. just a little murdering every now and then to keep her loved ones happy and safe, and her bloodlust satiated.

at that moment, she is distracted by the sight of someone approaching. one of the employees leaves their post behind the counter to walk over to her while maki busies herself with the shelves and fancy flowers. she turns her face to look at them and her heart jumps in her chest.

“hello, how can i help you?”

wow. just, wow. you are beautiful. no, not beautiful — okay, too, but. she can't even think, feeling her mouth water as his amber eyes roam all over her body. it's a bit brazen, but she quickly controls herself and focuses on your face again.

“ah, yes, i— came here to check on an order. in fact, it's not even for today. wedding venue decoration, and some other stuff. for next month. it's for my sister's wedding, it's in mai zenin's name.”

you nod, muttering an ah, clear as if to say: how could i forget? as you return to your seat behind the counter, typing something on a computer, she follows you. taking advantage of this moment of distraction, maki can look at you, really look, without you noticing or finding it strange.

she's been with pretty girls several times. especially at the end of high school and at college parties, maki had been with a lot of girls in the back of the school or in empty classrooms, thinking that maybe they were too pretty for her — mai had always been the most popular, especially with women, but maki learned to have certain charms.

that's what she's thinking about now, back in her college days, where she was busier on her freshman year kissing other girls than actually studying (infuriating her family for various reasons).

she stares and stares while you look for the order, and she wants it to take a while so she can look at you more, memorize the details of her face. even your name, written kindly on your employee badge, is beautiful. she looks at you thinking that they must have founded the word beautiful thinking about you. not just pretty like a girl she'd like to take to bed — the thought makes her blush— but pretty in an unbelievably innocent way.

the kind of beauty that you love at first sight, the kind of beauty that she would love even after years together with you. if you were a muse, she would forever dedicate herself to being your artist. devotion arises in the back of her head instinctively, like a suppressed desire that has finally been released.

your voice snaps her out of this trance and puts her into another immediately. do you sing? she would love to hear you sing. for some reason, she thinks you would have the best voice for it.

“i found it, sorry for the delay. we are ready to carry out the decoration on the scheduled date, in addition to the bride's bouquet, the flower crowns for the bridesmaids and the other contracted services. is everything ok?”

“ah, yes, we're probably going to need a delay.” she takes out her cell phone to check a text message for mai. “the wedding venue canceled, or almost so, and my sister is a little crazy.”

“oh, i understand. i'm sorry for her, it happens more often than you think. usually the venues schedule two weddings for the same date, it's a mess.”

she feels herself smile when she sees your smile. what kind of magic is this? what is this feeling? this desire, this almost-hunger. it's as if she now knows exactly what's missing in her, her presence. it's like being a sunflower trapped in darkness for weeks and being exposed to sunlight and fresh water.

you are the sun. just as pure and bright as the sun. she feels like the sunflower , attracted to you brightness.

”postponements cost a small fee, but i believe these details i have to work out with her. can i assist you on anything else, miss zenin?”

“no problem.” she's sure mai can afford it, so she's looking around, trying to find a good excuse to get something. maybe she buys flowers just to keep talking to you. it sounds kind of insane, but it's not expensive for someone like her. “hey, uh, those flowers. over there. what are they?”

you turn around with a soft hm, and she has to control herself not to grab you and kiss you on the spot. why is maki so affected by the small actions you do? it makes no sense. you just met, she just discovered who you are.

“ah, they're red spider lilies. they're not popular, except for funerals. most people are afraid they'll be a morbid gift.”

of course, she had a vague idea that these red lilies meant death. which was strange, because she didn't feel uncomfortable around them or thinking about them.

“i want to take some, can you help me?”

your smile makes her want to buy half the store.

you approach the lilies to select the best ones for her, and maki has to put a hand on her chest as she listens to you chatter about them. it's beautiful, your voice is beautiful. she wants to hear you talk about flowers or anything else all day. and it wouldn't be enough.

her heartbeat is skyrocketing.

she watches your every move as you prepare a spider lily in a small vase, heading towards the cash register and being followed by her.

maki makes eye contact with you as she hands you the money bills, and her fingers brush yours gently as you receive them. the sensation makes her shiver, and her stomach contracts and twists in an extremely pleasurable way — especially because she swears you blushed.

unfortunately, she runs out of excuses kind of quickly, and she won't try to get your number. it's a bit too early for that, and you could refuse. but that's okay, she'll come back another day.

she's already got your first name, it shouldn't be difficult to find you on social media. as she leaves the store and heads home, she immediately searches every social media site she can find. the result are not very difficult to get, and like any decent stalker, maki is grateful for the existence of the internet. it makes everything much easier.

she sees the people in common between you. mai follows you, which makes sense. some other people from her sister's social circle of friends and even nobara follows you. this makes her hesitate, why does nobara follow you and not introduce you? maybe she's just a fan. you have more photos of flowers than selfies on your profile (unfortunately).

maki freezes in place when she sees a photo. it's yours — a sunset selfie, sundress and all. the problem is that you're not alone in it.

nobara kugisaki, in the flesh, is kissing your face, dangerously close to your mouth, as she looks into the camera.

it feels wrong for some reason. like nobara is taunting her. it's a violation, something that shouldn't be happening. it's bad, it makes her almost turn over from inside out in disgust.

but what really breaks her heart is nobara's comment. something between the lines my girlfriend is the most beautiful in the world. with a heart, even. and wow. wow, maki is absolutely fucked.

she wants her best friend's girlfriend. the cute florist girl she wants to take on dates and kiss, you — you're nobara's girlfriend. nobara, as in her best friend since highschool.

oh, she's so fucked.

[qu1cks1lversb1tch]

Aw those best friend hcs were fun! Can you do everyone else at the hotel? Especially Vaggie?

A/N: I absolutely can! I'll make a part 3 or edit this one if I somehow forget someone (it could happen). This is quite the little grouping 🤣 I hope you like it!

Having them as best friend's part two:

Includes: Vaggie, Sir Pentious, Niffty, and Cherri Bomb.

Part One

Vaggie

Her deal is tough love.

As her best friend, you're used to being called an idiot half a dozen times a day.

You'll just be chilling after making some decision or saying something and she'll be like: "Not only are you blind, you're fucking stupid too!" But it wouldn't hold any malice

She's never really been one for gossip, but you can bet that she'll listen to how your day was.

Definitely the friend who would interrogate anyone you show interest in.

If someone says something out of line about you, she's putting them in their place before you can open your mouth to defend yourself.

Vaggie isn't very touchy, but she'll hug you sometimes. Especially if it was something like after the battle and she was just happy you were alive.

She's almost always there to ward off the bad.

Sleepovers! They're never her idea, but she can't say no when you give her those puppy dog eyes.

Really, she's always there for you, but with a sibling dynamic that makes some question if the two of you really tolerate each other at all. You do, but barely lmao.

Sir Pentious

He's a drama king. Sweet, but definitely dramatic.

100% the friend to hold your drink at a party. . . Because he's HOLDING EVERYONE'S DRINK!

If you had to go anywhere, he's sending the Egg Bois with you. They call you 'not master' and it's the cutest thing ever.

Sleepovers would be his idea, no doubt. An offer that couldn't be refused.

He calmly interrogates any potential suitors of yours, and if they seem fine, he might let them go on a date with you.

Will literally cry if you call someone else your best friend. Friend's are okay. But if you called Angel Dust or Charlie your best friend? Immediate tears. "But. . . I thought I wasss your besssst friend." Apologize, right now.

Gives you some new weaponized invention and your favorite Hellish sweet treat every year on your 'death day'. He takes it very seriously.

He's all for the tea, but only if there's 100% truth behind it. Like you witnessed the HOTTEST tea of the month and just went 'Sir P NEEDS to know'.

Everyone mistakes the calmness and caring nature of Sir Pentious as having feelings for you. Common misconception. That's just your slithery best friend.

Y'all take naps together at random because you can. And naps are life.

Niffty

You're almost as chaotic as she is, but you're better at hiding it. Sorry not sorry.

Because of her, everything you own is cleaner than when you got it and you found it disturbing at first, but eventually got used to it.

She climbs you like a tree and uses you to see better in large crowds.

She talks so fast half the time you could barely understand her until it clicked and you could reply.

She's very knife happy. Someone breaks your heart? "STAB! STAB! STAB!" Followed by maniacal giggles and her footsteps down the hall.

She tries new recipes and uses you as the taste tester to see if the others would enjoy it. The answer is usually yes.

Niffty is super blunt. She won't hold back a single thought, even if it could potentially hurt your feelings.

She rarely takes breaks, but when she does, her small frame is usually beside you, watching TV or relaying the latest drama she heard on the streets.

She's a good listener, but once again, she's also blunt.

Every picture of the two of you, she has that same far away look in her eye. Every. Single. One.

Cherri Bomb

She's a bad influence, that much is certain, but no amount of peer pressure could get you to do something you didn't want to do. That's why you're best friends.

She loves partying and dragging you out, but most nights, you stay in, which then in a way, forces her to stay in too.

"[Y/N/N], you bitch, why aren't you dressed? I thought we were going out tonight!" No. No you weren't.

She encourages you to step out of your comfort zone 24/7, because you're in Hell and it could only get so much worse.

She listens, but doesn't really pay attention all that much. There's almost always something else on her mind, but she makes it up to you somehow.

She'd probably push you down the stairs for fun if she felt like it.

Most likely to sing karaoke with you, absolutely plastered in a bar somewhere on the outskirts of the Pride Ring.

If you handed your cup to her to go to the bathroom, she'd probably misunderstand and drink it.

Glares at anyone who looks in your direction, purely because she doesn't trust very many at all.

Would reluctantly agree to a sleepover if you asked, just because you're her main bitch.

[beanghostprincess]

Hello. I hope you’re doing well ❤️ I had a few questions (and if you’ve already answered any of them then I’ll just continue scrolling down your blog, as I’ve been doing).

Here ya go!

1. What do you think people mainly get wrong about Usopp? Like, what is a common misconception.

2. How would you describe Usopp’s relationship with each of his crewmates, in so few words (if possible)? I feel like people forget that the Strawhats are friends too.

Just wanted to hear your take.

Kind regards,

Anon.

You sound so polite, I love it 😭💖 Sending you kisses and hugs for being so sweet 🥰 (Sorry I didn't reply sooner! Busy life)

1 - I feel like the most common one I've seen around general audience/most shonen lovers (I like shonen too, but you know what I mean. You know what type of people I'm referring to) is that they take Usopp's character pretty superficially and instead of reading between the lines (very huge, separated, obvious and easy to read lines, though) they just accept what is verbally said... "He's a coward" / "He can't fight" / "He's selfish" / "He's just funny".

Most people have this misconseption about Usopp's fighting style because they assume that, because it is a long range fighting style, he isn't as powerful as others. When it is not true, by the way. They also deem Usopp to be a coward when, actually? He is just an average person? Like I KNOW the whole point is that he works on his "cowardice" but they just took an average boy with no prior experience of fighting and being a pirate to directly... Fight and being a pirate. Everybody would react like that. "He's not strong and he is a coward" first of all, wrong, second of all, you would be like that too.

And saying he is selfish? Or that he doesn't care about the crew or the people around him? I genuinely do not understand how some people can read him that way... Do you all not know how to... Analyse basic characters now? Another thing people get wrong is thinking Usopp isn't hot/wouldn't pull any girls as if he wasn't the only one with a canon girlfriend waiting for him, but alright.

2 - This is such a good question, actually 😭 I love you for this, anon. My favorite thing ever is talking about Usopp,,, I appreciate this.

Luffy: I love his dynamic with Luffy because despite being his captain, it is obvious that they are best friends. They have the same young/playful mindset and it doesn't feel, like... A job at all? Don't get me wrong, they're all a family, but their dynamic feels way more teen-like? More silly? They're stupid together. Usopp being the voice of the reason vs Luffy being extremely chaotic is my favorite thing. They feel very organic. And then there's this layer of jealousy from Usopp's side and the fact that I think Luffy will never be able to fully understand Usopp's insecurities, but somehow they will always find understanding and support on each other. Usopp is loyal to his captain and all but it feels more of a "I follow him because I consciously trust in him" than a "blind devotion" type of thing. And I adore that. Also, Luffy saw potential on Usopp from the very beginning and it melts my heart. Plus! They're both beetle/bugs lovers! The sillies <33

Zoro: They're one of the most hilarious duos because you would expect Zoro to absolutely hate being around somebody like Usopp, and yet he lets the guy do whatever he wants with him?? Zoro might be Luffy's enabler first and foremost but we forget he is even more permissive with Usopp sometimes and it is the funniest thing. I love it when they have tiny little soft scenes together because Zoro genuinely enjoys Usopp's company and I believe Usopp thinks Zoro's cool despite always being done with him being so dramatic and impulsive when fighting. I feel like Usopp feels safe around him but not only physically. I think he knows Zoro can read him like a book and after what happened in Water 7? I believe now even more than they're closer. Sometimes opening up to your captain is hard so maybe the first mate whom you have an intimate but odd relationship works even better.

Nami: My absolute beloveds. They're both on the same page when it comes to being "cowards" because their fighting styles are different from the rest and they're not built different like most of the crew. They feel so organic and genuine too! They just get each other. They're mischivious little shits together. And when they are not on the same page, it's so funny how comfortable they are around each other to just yell at the other. I think Nami gets Usopp when it comes to feeling weak and out of place but not quite, because she is always trying to make a path for herself instead of being afraid to do so? She's used to fighting on her own and standing up for herself even if it's scary but Usopp isn't, and I think she gets it but Usopp doesn't think she does because she is extremely valuable to the crew, obviously, and Usopp doesn't feel like he is. It's a dynamic with constant support and understanding and so so much fun together because they're most of the time on the same page. That's why they work so well!! They're not normal at all but the whole "we're the only normal people here" dynamic is incredible.

Sanji: If I start talking about them I think I will never finish. I think I've left pretty clear that my favorite thing about their dynamic is that, despite arguing all the time because their personalities are very different (something people often forget like. They argue A LOT. And it's SO funny. They're both the softest and the most annoying thing to each other--) they're always there for each other. Their dynamic is easy to summarize in "they joined basically at the same time, right after the romance trio" / "they do what the other can't do". They both have different types of self-hatred and insecurities that bring Sanji to understand Usopp on a deep level that I don't think others are able to share. It is obvious that Sanji has a clear preference for Usopp when it comes to the guys of the crew and he does treat him differently, not because he sees him as weak but because he sees himself in him. Their relationship is something so personal because I truly believe they're the ones that understand each other the most. I am SO angry they barely have scenes together now,,, Or that Usopp wasn't in WCI,,, Waiting for Elbaf to parallel Water 7 so fucking bad. I have more things to say about them but-- My whole blog is literally about that.

Vivi (very necessary to include her): People don't talk at all about their dynamic and it is so offensive to me because they're so funny??? Vivi's little quirk about forgetting to mention dangerous stuff and Usopp being oh so done with her is the funniest thing. Drum island was certainly incredible for these two. I truly wanted to see more of them,,, I think that if Vivi had stayed with them, she would've understood Usopp pretty well. Screaming for help when nobody can hear you? Feeling oh so weak in comparison to the world around you? She would've been on Sanji's team kicking Luffy and trying hard to keep them from saying any stupid things. More of Usopp and Vivi,,, More of Usopp and Vivi,,, I miss them :( They were so cute :(

Chopper: They're so cute and silly together,, But not only that! They support each other so so much!!! Maybe it's because they're both from the "coward trio" but I just adore how they're pretty much always together. Chopper has this whole thing at first about feeling like a monster, but Usopp finds his abilities so awesome and,, It melts my heart whenever we see them interacting. They're not only hilarious and support each other but they're always finding reassurance on the other and I love it. Not to mention the whole Sogeking thing, too! And Chopper believing Usopp's lies! They feel sooo much like brothers, imo, it's adorable. Chopper might be one of Sogeking's biggest fans but Usopp is certainly Chopper's number 1 fan too.

Robin: I think if I start talking about them I might end up crying, thanks. But. But. But I adore them. They leave the crew pretty much at the same time and yet Usopp does everything to help them save her and bring her back. I think Robin reads him pretty well and can see so much bravery in him that Usopp can't see... While Usopp, despite being a bit weirded out at first by her, sees how gentle and caring and lovely Robin is. And how cool she is, too! Also, they're both big nerds, and I love that. The fact that he did everything he could for her in Enies Lobby despite having left the crew must've meant the world for her. And it's also the whole thing about her wanting to give up on life? I think Usopp, even if it's not on the same level, can kind of relate to that? It is not Sanji/Robin type of bond (which I fucking adore, by the way) but it is pretty personal. Also, hilarious dynamic because Robin is always telling dark jokes and Usopp gets scared easily and I just adore it.

Franky: They mean so much to me. My beloveds. We don't talk enough about Franky regretting having hurt Usopp when they first met and the guilt still haunting him. We don't talk about it enough. We should. Franky was there for Usopp on his most vulnerable moment and I think Franky's personality and masculinity mixed with his pretty emotional side is SO good for Usopp. Because it teaches him to be braver and stronger and himself, and it lets himself feel freely. They have so many things in common and I am from the "Franky father figure" team because their bond looks so,,, So much like that. Usopp getting excited for every little thing Franky makes and Franky quite obviously showing off because he knows he likes it. I think Franky is the one Usopp goes to when there's any problem in his life and,,, It is just so sweet that they always trust each other SO much. It is not only admiration but a deep, close bond. Still not over Franky wanting to overcompensate for what he did to Usopp, though, but- But they're okay now, I swear.

Brook: The sillies!!!!!!! We don't have THAT much of them in comparison to the other characters but every time they interact it is always so funny. Idk how I would describe their dynamic other than it is hilarious,, But I also think we deserve more scenes of them interacting seriously. Brook spent 50 years on his own and Usopp's fear in Water 7/Enies Lobby of being left alone too is so,,, I think Usopp would want to hear more of Brook and make him feel at home because if just the thought of being alone scares him so much, he can't even imagine what it was like for Brook. Usopp is somebody who seems to want to glue the crew together as much as possible and mostly uses fun/positivity (even if fake) to do so, and Brook does the same with music. Like- The fear of being alone. Idkk. Going insane now, actually.

Jinbe: I feel like everybody's relationship with Jinbe is very gentle and silly because he is adapting to the crew's dynamic and getting used to their shenanigans. So no matter what, it is hilarious and sweet. I actually,,, Want to see Jinbe's reaction to Sogeking,,, A lot,,, It'd be SO funny. Anyway- They haven't had much of a break to be together (please please let them be silly post-egghead) (honestly I'd kill for a silly filler arc, ngl...) but Jinbe is extremely understanding and mature and imo he sees a lot of potential and bravery in Usopp. And I'd say Usopp finds comfort on Jinbe but who wouldn't? I think it'd be funny to see a bit more of teasing/playful interactions with them because I love Usopp being stupid and Jinbe being all confused at first but having fun.

[arceespinkgun]

What is going on... I've seen like five different people hating on Elita-1 in the tags in the past few days? Are people suddenly saying this because she'll be in that new movie? Because she's in the Skybound comics? I guess now is a good time to say that I've been a fan of every Elita I've seen so far. Even when some of them have been portrayed using problematic tropes, like how TFA Elita was fridged for the sake of male characters' development or how Elita in the first IDW run was repeatedly pitted against other women, I've always loved their characterizations and abilities. Honestly, when looking at the original IDW comics as a whole and not as individual series, Elita might be my favorite character from it overall—she was so badass!

As soon as I saw her in "The Search for Alpha Trion" in the Sunbow cartoon I wanted to see more of her and wished she hadn't been in only two episodes, so I'm really happy she's in Earthspark and Skybound and the Go! Go! manga now. Honestly, she was strangely ignored by a lot of media until right after I joined this fandom and started this blog? Lucky me!

Also, on the subject of Elita, when I first saw the episode of Earthspark in which Grimlock gets triggered by Jawbreaker and Elita attempts to stop him from rampaging, I was under the impression that Elita and Grimlock having been comrades (or interacting at all) was entirely new to that show. But now I know I was wrong! It seems like in the Fun Pub Classics comics, which refer to the US Marvel comics, Grimlock was her commander and potentially mentored her?

Her bio also reads:

Elita-1's origins are a mystery to everyone but Grimlock. In fact, no one in the Autobot ranks even knew she existed until Grimlock first brought his newly formed crew aboard the Graviton. There she was, quietly working behind one of the ships consoles, paying no attention to the inquisitive looks directed her way. Every member of the crew has a theory about her, but she isn't talking, and neither is Grimlock. A skilled fighter, Elita-1 is adept with the Circuit-Su form of combat. Her weapon of choice is a hyper concussive missile launcher that converts into an EMP scrambler. Mimetic alloy armor allows her to blend into her surroundings and can also refract laser weapons fire into blinding bursts of light. While confident in her abilities, she feels that she has yet to fully prove herself to others, leading her to take unnecessary risks.

Considering all this and that Elita-1's alt-mode is a pink battleship in this continuity, I wonder if she had a tie to the nucleon well on Hydrus IV that Grimlock used on himself and the other Dinobots.

The well of nucleon was on an island facility surrounded by a pink lake reached by raft, so a pink ship like Elita would fit right in there. If Grimlock did find her or create her somehow in that continuity, great, I guess I have to begrudgingly admit Marvel Grimlock did one thing I appreciate lol

[burning-academia-if]

Hi! Love your work! Just curious – is there a way to play oblivious MC? (It’s perfectly fine if not!) Also could you answer how ROs would react at oblivious MC? I imagine with Rook it’d be sadly hilarious because he himself pretend to be oh so blind to MC’s feelings (but screaming internally at our dumbness, poor soul).

I thought I answered this before, but apparently I only really did it for ??? lol. Anyway, I think it depends on the RO since not all of them are forward. You can choose oblivious choices for the ones who are more open about their attraction for MC (like ??? or Beck).

Rook: Listen, this is actually a good thing for him, since it makes it easier for him to pretend he isn't hopelessly in love with MC. He isn't keen on MC knowing, since that isn't a line he's willing to cross. If he is though..........well rest in pieces my guy

Beck: He finds it oddly cute and endearing as it is exasperating. He's also willing to spell it out for MC, especially if there's indication MC potentially has feelings for him. He'd prefer to wait it out and give MC space to figure it out first, though.

Rhea: Has no idea how to approach the situation. She's used to being the one approached then the one doing the approaching, so she ends up fumbling through how to figure it out. Is too embarrassed to be forward herself, so the both of you are going to take a while while she figures it out.

Zoe: God, the two most oblivious people in the world having feelings for each other. Everyone around them and MC are the ones screaming internally like "you two clearly have feelings for each other!! what are you doing!!" It probably takes forever for it to click for either of them.

Lars: He's not waiting LMAO. If you don't get it, he's stating it again as clearly as possible. Waiting feels pointless, especially since he isn't confident you will get it at some point in the future with how you act.

???: Considering they're in your head, they find this whole situation so funny afsldfjka. You're wondering why your heart feels strange when you talk to them and they just play dumb like 'ah yes, I wonder why, little moon.' They're stuck in your head for a while, so they have all the time in the world for you to figure it out

[general-cyno]

Sitting here thinking about Luffy's blind faith in Zoro. I can tell a thousand reasons why Zoro's devotion makes even more sense, I mean, it's not like Luffy doesn't spend every moment unintentionally proving that Zoro was right to trust him. But Luffy's faith? Is it entirely based on the strength of Zoro's spirit? And I find that amazing. Crazy. Insane. Because Luffy canonically has no interest in those who don't have dreams but the only thing Zoro had when Luffy met him was his own dream and the conviction to hold on to it? And that was what struck Luffy the most, even before he knew that Zoro was actually a good person? And that Zoro is, for Luffy, probably the definition of invincible. Because he never gives up on his dream, because his way of joining the Straw Hats or sacrificing himself is to never give up on his dream but to make other dreams (Luffy's dream) part of his? I-

sorry for the late-ish reply anon! and hmmm. it may sound like I'm arguing semantics here but I don't really think luffy's faith in zoro (or anyone, for that matter) is blind per se. huge? heartfelt? intense? yeah, just not necessarily blind. for all that he's very trusting and prone to falling for tricks/underhanded methods, luffy is usually a very good judge of character and if he ever extends his trust or faith to someone it's bc he's got a reason for it or simply believes in their potential. if they fail to meet his expectations, it's their loss, not luffy's. he can take care of himself, and even if he's in danger he relies on his crew to back him up.

now curiously enough I've seen the "it doesn't make sense" argument for both zoro and luffy wrt each other, also that their relationship isn't very reciprocal from luffy's side and it's not something I really agree with. while their relationship does rely on more subtlety than people would think at first glance, I'd argue that as early as zoro's recruitment into the crew we can see why luffy trusts and believes in him as much he does. it's not solely about strength (mental or physical) because as interested as he may have been in zoro's reputation, luffy himself said he'd only ask zoro to join him if he turned out to be a good guy. though zoro had a cool dream, luffy wasn't exactly happy about how dismissive he seemed to be about pirates at first. ultimately, what persuaded him was witnessing first hand that zoro's the kind of person who'd eat dirt if it meant repaying someone's kindness, that he places great value in honor and is a man of his word even if those around him (like helmeppo back then) don't give him the same courtesy or mock him behind his back.

a dreamer just like luffy, someone who stays true to what he promises, who protected luffy, called him captain, became his first crewmate and long lasting companion, regarded him as his friend right away, pledged his dream to luffy's etc etc, how could luffy not have faith in him? not to mention zoro proved to be on luffy's crazy wavelength (to the point he understands luffy's reasoning and motivations to do xy without having to voice them out loud) and that he's as much of a dork too, on top of all that. if luffy's demonstrated why he's earned zoro's trust with his actions, either towards zoro or in general, zoro's also shown why luffy's had plenty of reasons from the beginning to have that much faith in him in turn, and those have only fortified with time, sometimes without luffy being aware of it (ie thriller bark). I've also mentioned it before and this kind of applies to his overall relationship with each member of the crew, but luffy's belief in zoro's strength, dream and so on is a reflection of zoro's in him. it's one of the many reasons I don't really see their mutual respect/devotion/loyalty as blind in either case. I love that about these two so much! everything about their relationship is so intentional, built brick by brick, sprinkled all over the story and their characters. so good.

[xxcherrycherixx]

I’d like to request a one-shot fic from you where Cupid is successful in seducing Dexter. Your smuts are really good. Please Cherry, PLEASE!

you are one lucky bastard

Somehow this fic has managed to become most likely my Longest one shot smut fic ever.

And its a ship im not personally attached to 😭 i legit use to hate cupid x dexter sm

I debated writing this, i was so stuck between wanting to be a people Pleaser and follow through with this request and wanting to keep up the running joke of cupid managing to fuck literally everyone except dexter 💀

There were multiple points where i debated turning it into a joke fic and having a character interrupt so they never get to actually fuck. You are so lucky i resisted

Here you go you filthy animal (affectionate) 5,400 words of hetero smut written by a man repulsed lesbian 😭

Cupid adjusts her black bra, lifting her breasts so they sit higher and closer to eachother, making her cleavage look fuller and more importantly- noticeable.

Paired with the low cut sweetheart neckline of the pink and black dress she wears- you would have to be blind to not even glance at her tits. She knows that maybe its a little… desperate of her to resort to such cheap methods of seduction, but dexter is the most oblivious boy she has ever met! Nothing else has worked on him, so using her knowledge of what usually arouses the typical feminine attracted human male, she has constructed the most foolproof plan to make her intentions known and hopefully spark some lust in her sweet little dexie.

She turns to her makeup, applying only waterproof and smudge proof products-

She’s going to need them if everything works out how she planned, can't have her makeup ruined right when things start to get… steamy.

With some black stilettos and some final adjustments, she's ready. Stepping out of her dorm she walks confidently through the school and out to the town of bookend, immediately there are eyes on her, she even notices a few dropped jaws. She prays this works, if it doesn't then she’s going to feel really embarrassed.

Arriving outside the red shoes dance club she takes a moment to prepare for the attention that will surely follow her for the night, she doesn't mind attention, in fact she loves to feel the looks of desire that usually come with such an outfit. A tasty treat that gives her such a beautiful high.

But this is different. Ever after isn't like home, dressing sexy here is sure to get her a lot of negative attention too, negative attention that will follow her for as long as she stays at ever after high. But she wants this, she wants Dexter to finally see her as a potential romantic and sexual partner, not just some ditzy innocent friend. And if that means going against the fairytale worlds standards by dressing the part then she's going to go all out.

She subtly pulls her skirt down, hoping it hasn't ridden up enough to show her underwear, but just enough to give teasing little peeks at the suspenders and thigh high stockings she wears underneath. Approaching the troll at the door she bats her lashes and smiles coyly, while she may have her mind strictly on one target tonight, the hit of desire from the troll helps give her a boost of confidence as she struts into the club. Immediately eyes are on her and she can hear whispers, but thankfully enough she notices and feels quite a bit of arousal from those around which overpowers the negative attention.

She heads to the ‘bar’ first, sadly its not stocked with alcohol like a real club’s bar but her plan requires playing it cool instead of just walking straight to dexter and propositioning him out of nowhere. She orders a sweet drink with a cherry flavour, hoping that it will give a nice flavour to her kiss later. Before she can even reach to fetch her purse and pay, three different hands push money towards the bartender. She watches momentarily stunned as two boys and even a girl shove each other to cover her drink, the bartender struggling to figure out whose money to take.

cupid sips her drink through the straw as she heads off from the commotion, she would have thanked the three of them but it seems they're too busy still fighting over who gets to pay. Her eyes scan the room hoping to find dexter, she knows the boy’s definitely here tonight since daring posted a pic of the two here with a caption saying that he dragged the younger brother out of his ‘cave’ to have fun. Knowing dexter he's probably sitting at a booth or being a wallflower, and sure enough she catches sight of him in a booth talking to his sister.

Cupid eyes the dancefloor which lays perfectly in view of the booth, time for the next part of her plan.

She quickly finishes her drink and sets it down before walking onto the dancefloor, people slow their dancing and part for her as they see her approach, she finds the perfect spot and starts to dance. She starts off with tame moves, the current song not being the right vibe for anything more. But despite being tame she still tries to add a flair of sensuality, making sure her chest lightly bounces and occasionally laying her hands on her own body. A hint of what's to come.

The moment the right song comes on, she truly dances.

Hips swaying to the beat, hands roaming up and down her curves temptingly and legs moving mesmerizingly. This isn't her first rodeo, she knows what moves to use at the right moment to create a beautiful mating display. A brave boy dances up closer to her, obviously not too experienced of a dancer but definitely trying to impress her with confidence. His attraction is palpable and giving her such a good buzz, she decides to throw him a small bone as thanks. She gets close to him, eyes on his as she continues to dance sensually, its clear the boy’s inexperienced in other ways with how he grows unsure of how to dance with her attention on him.

His failure only brings forth a new contender, a girl with a rather dark aesthetic. Most likely a future villain of some sort, especially with those dark eyes.

Cute. The girl dances with her much better than the boy did, its clear that she’s not used to the more sexual dance moves, but she picks them up from cupid quite well and manages to improv a little. Cupid places her hands on the girl's hips, bringing her closer, the girl responds to the movement by putting her arms over cupid’s shoulders and looking at her with a mischievous smirk. Cupid considers kissing it off her, but realises that's probably a bad idea with her current goal. Instead she settles for changing their position a little, turning and pressing against the other girl's front. Teasingly moving her ass against the other girl's crotch, thankfully grinding along with many other sexual acts arent exactly well known here, so the extremely sexual nature of the move shouldn't be too obvious to those who haven't experienced it before.

The girl's hands grip into her hips, cupid can taste her heightening arousal. Its really a shame she cant just take her to the bathroom and fuck her against the stall door, the poor girl obviously wants it. But cupid glances over to dexter's booth-

He’s alone, He’s watching.

She feels excited, all she needs to do now is find out how he feels about it. She turns to the girl, gently caressing her cheek as she leans next to her ear so she can be heard over the music “you're a good dancer, really cute too. But i already promised to dance with someone else tonight, hope you’re fine with that” the girl only nods and steps away even though her disappointment is visible, cupid can't help but be reminded of a poor needy puppy watching their owner leave for work. She hopes she at least gave the girl a dance to remember.

Stepping away from the dance floor she makes her way over to dexter, this is it, this is the moment where she finds out if her plan is really working. He notices her approach and sits up straight, a good sign. “Cupid, hey!” He greets in a friendly tone, cupid grins, the arousal he’s putting off is more than friendly. “Dex! What are you doing sitting by yourself? “ she asks casually, sliding in next to him, making sure to sit close enough that their thighs touch. The action is definitely noticed with how flustered he becomes “darling and daring both kind of abandoned me to hang out with other people, i don't know why daring even brought me with him.” He awkwardly chuckles and cupid grabs his arm with a coy smile “why don't you come dance with me then? You can hang with me while they're gone” dexter’s eyes widen “i- um im not good at dancing, i would just stand around awkwardly and embarrass you” cupid pulls him a bit more, pressing her breasts against his arm “ you could never embarrass me dexter, besides i can do all the dancing. All you would need to do is put your hands on my hips and let me lead”

“Cmon dexie, come dance with me” dexter looks unsure of what to do, his eyes finally glance down and somehow grow even wider “ok” cupid grins and pulls him out of the booth before he can change his mind, holding his hand as she leads him to the dancefloor. She picks a place off to the side where its less crowded and most importantly- more private. Dexter relaxes as he notices, maybe he thinks cupid chose it so he would feel more comfortable.

She slides his shy hands onto her hips, the feeling is heavenly. She places her hands on his shoulders and slowly starts to dance, keeping her eyes on his as her movements become more sensual. The song playing is fast with a bunch of drops, she gets a mischievous idea. Swinging her hips she waits for the next drop, and just when it happens she drops with it. Landing in a crouch next to his crotch, she ignores the desire to look at it and instead keeps her eyes on his as she slowly rises back up. The look on his face is so hot, she giggles and continues to dance as if she didn't do anything. Biting her lip she decides to take it a little further, its clear dexter isn't the type to make a move. She drapes her arms over his shoulders and moves even closer, her crotch making contact with his, he jumps with a gasp and she holds him still to stop him from pulling away in embarrassment.

She gently rubs their hips together, still hiding the action under the guise of just dancing. Cupid feels Dexter get hard and she has to restrain herself from moaning as it presses against her. She pulls him down slightly to whisper in his ear “are you enjoying this? I am.” Dexters voice is tainted with his desperation when he replies “ i feel like we’re not meant to be doing this, what if someone sees it and we get in trouble” cupid laughs and gives a harder thrust, gaining her a surprised moan from the prince “ we can always go somewhere more private, you can come back to my dorm and we can fix your little issue down below. i can get blondie to stay with one of her friends for the night, so we’ll be completely alone with no interruptions”

Dexter’s hands grip tighter at her hips, cupid slows down her movements, teasing the boy. “Come on dexie, let me help you. You don't need to be afraid, i can lead you through it, all you would need to do is sit back and let me give you the pleasure you deserve” she can feel how heavy his lust is, she’s oh so close to getting what she wants. “Do you want that?” His reply is soundless, just a couple quick nods. Cupid pulls away with a grin, grabbing his hand and leading him towards the exit, trying to hurry so no one can get a good look at the messy horny state the both of them are in.

Outside of the club she stops and looks to him “you want me to fly us there? It will be much quicker” dexter looks concerned “you wont- you wont drop me right?” Cupid shoots him a smirk “why would i do that? How are we going to.. have fun together, if i drop you?” Dexter’s mouth opens and closes a couple times “ok” cupid quickly takes her mirrorphone out and sends a text to blondie telling her to not come back to the room tonight no matter what, she also promises to treat the girl to a nice meal at some point to make up for it. Cupid lets dexter know that they won't have any interruptions tonight and picks him up, the prince is shocked at the casual show of strength, cupid just giggles at him before flying back towards the school.

The flight is short and she sets dexter safely on the balcony of her dorm room, the boys arousal has very much cleared a bit from the fear of the flight-

But that's fine, just means she will get to have fun getting him hard again.

Cupid opens the balcony door and pulls him in, leading dexter over to her bed and setting him down on the edge. Cupid climbs up onto his lap, rubbing herself against his cock a couple times as if to just get herself comfortable “ before we start, we need to go over some things. Are you comfortable with kissing?” Dexter seems surprised by the question “yeah?” cupid giggles at his confusion, hes so cute. “Just wanted to check, are you comfortable with maybe having penetrative sex tonight? Or do you just want to stick to something like humping, hand stuff or oral sex?” Dexter looks taken aback by the question, his face red “ i- um, what do you want to do?”

Cupid smiles sweetly at him “ i don't want to force you into doing anything you don't want to… but if you're ok with it i would like if we could go all the way and have sex.” Dexter nods, his awkwardness showing “ sure, we can do that” cupid pulls him in for a kiss, immediately she moans at how good it feels to finally kiss him, he's inexperienced and awkward but she's finally kissing dexter and that fact makes up for it. Her hand caresses the back of his neck as her tongue explores his mouth, meanwhile one of his hands rests on her back. Cupid pulls away, quickly removing Dexter's crown and kicking her heels off. Dexter toes off his sneakers when he notices cupid remove her shoes, not wanting to mess up and embarrass himself.

Cupid gently pushes him down on the bed, trailing her hands down his chest before reaching for his hands and pulling them up to her waist. She gives a couple slow thrusts against him, a moan slipping from her lips as she feels him start to harden beneath her. Gods, how badly she wants to speed things up and have that cock inside her already. She continues to slowly grind against him until she thinks he’s fully hard again, with a quick kiss to his lips she slides off his lap. Dexter sits up in confusion only to stop in his tracks as he watches cupid slip off her dress, Her curvy lingerie clad body being revealed. “Oh, wow”

cupid looks over at him with pink cheeks, feeling slightly self conscious . She had been dreaming about Dexter one day looking at her this way and now its happening, everything she wanted is finally happening.

“Does that mean you like it? I was worried that maybe it was a bit too much” she asks, adjusting the strap of her black bra. Dexter seems to not know where to look, gaze washing over every inch of her body “yeah,its great- i mean- you look great-“ dexter cringes at himself “writers, i'm ruining this” cupid smiles lovingly, walking to stand in between his legs at the bed “you aren’t ruining anything, you're just new to this and a bit shy” she presses a gentle hand to his cheek, using her thumb to caress his skin “its cute. I don't mind guiding you through this, in fact i kind of enjoy it. I want to make you feel good, I want you to enjoy this experience and not have to worry the entire time about ‘messing up’.” She gently grabs his hands and lifts them upto her chest, laying them on her collarbone just above her breasts. “Sex is about doing what feels natural for you and makes you feel good, just go with what your instincts tell you to do, don't be afraid to speak your mind or do what you want. I won't judge you, and you wont judge me, right? So just relax and enjoy it, don't hold back.” Dexter nods at her, looking down to where his hands lay “so, i can- touch you- like, touch your body- right? You're fine with that?” Cupid nods with a grin “im more than fine with it. i want you to, it feels really good when you touch me” dexter gulps, his hands almost shaking as they hesitantly slide across her bare skin, he mostly keeps to safer areas such as her shoulders and neck. When cupid doesn't scold him he decides to be more bold, hands slowly sinking to the top of her breasts.

“Do you want to touch them? I like my breasts being played with, i can take my bra off so you can really get to feel them.” Dexter almost jumps at her voice, relaxing when it hits him that shes only asking if he wants to touch her “i- i would like that, if you want to” cupid quickly reaches behind herself and unhooks her bra, teasingly slipping the clothing item off to show her rounded tits. She climbs back onto his lap and gets comfortable, fully aware of how her boobs jiggle with every movement.

“You can touch them now, don’t be shy” she coos at him. A satisfied sigh leaves her as she feels his hands on her tits, they explore the expanse of her soft skin with curiosity. Dexter slides a thumb over her nipple and cupid moans, happy to finally be pleasured. “Please keep doing that” dexter’s fingers press and rub against her nipples more, experimenting with what methods make cupid react more. She can't help but think its adorable how hard he focuses on the task, as if he’s working out the answer for a particularly hard calculation. Deciding to give him some mercy she starts to hump against him again, hopefully giving him some relief will make him relax. He groans at the sensation and cupid wishes she could swallow his sounds.

And so she does.

Kissing him heatedly as she continues to move, its a dizzying experience that just heightens her arousal, she’s sure that her panties are wet at this point. She needs dexter to fuck her immediately. “Mhmm i want your cock inside my pussy, do you want that too dexie~? Do you want me to ride your cock until you cum?” Dexter moans at the sudden dirty talk, not expecting cupid to blurt something like that. But to be honest he hadn't expected cupid to do any of the things she’d already done tonight.

Cupid continues to grind against him, her pretty moans and whines sound heavenly. “Don’t you want to fuck me? feel my wet cunt swallow your cock with ease?” Dexter feels his hips instinctively buck, a movement that shocks him and makes cupid gasp. Cupid looks to him with a desperate look, her thighs squeezing against his needily “please tell me you want that, please” dexter nods mindlessly “yes, i want that-“ before he can finish, cupid is already practically tearing at his clothing, throwing his scarf off and sliding down his jacket. It's only then does he realise he's been basically fully dressed while cupid has been sitting in just her underwear, he quickly takes over undressing himself and cupid slides off so he can easily pull off his trousers. When he looks back to her she’s standing completely naked, having taken the time to remove her remaining pieces of lingerie including her soaked panties.

He moves to remove his boxers and cupid stops him, an impish smile on her lips “sit back against the pillows, i want to take them off you” dexter does as he's told, confused as to what cupid has planned. That confusion lessens as she crawls up on the bed with him, heading between his legs. She kneels there and places her hands on his stomach, dexter shivers at the touch as cupid’s soft fingers trail down towards the edge of his underwear, slightly sliding under and lifting. There's a hungry look in her eyes as she slowly pulls the garment down, a whimper leaving her lips as she sees his cock spring out.

Cupid admires it, its not massive or anything, but its not small either. A perfectly average sized cock that she can't wait to feel inside of her. With a mischievous plan she calls to dexter “can you grab a condom from ontop of the bedside table next to you? There should be one right beside you” the moment he looks to the side to retrieve it, she swoops down and takes him in her mouth. She feels him thrust up further down her throat in shock, But she takes it easily, having expected this sort of reaction.

She would laugh if she didn't have 5 inches of cock in her mouth, instead she settles for watching him and moaning around the heated flesh, watching his eyes squeeze shut at the pleasurable vibrations. Gently she pulls back up off the cock, pressing her tongue against the tip teasingly before taking it between her lips. The taste is delicious, she hopes she can suck his dick properly sometime but for now her fear of making him come too early forces her to stop and pull off.

“You taste good dex, i wonder how your cum would taste down my throat” dexter doesn't seem to know how to respond, the boy is completely red and wide eyed “um- i got the condom” he holds it out to her and cupid takes it from him “good boy” she coos sweetly. She takes the condom out of its packaging and takes ahold of dexters dick before sliding it on with practised ease. Shes so close to reaching her goal, shes been dreaming about dexter fucking her for so long- she had started to think it would never happen. She doesn't bother with lube, she can tell her body has done a very good job with lubricating itself already, instead she climbs over dexter and gently places the tip of his cock against her cunt.

Its a divine feeling as she feels the head push inside her, sliding in as if it belongs. Her hands press against dexters chest, needing something to keep her steady as she continues to lower herself. Dexter watches with held breath as his cock disappears into the whimpering girl above him, he's inside of cupid, he had never even thought of having sex with cupid before tonight.

But it feels right.

Cupid is breathing heavily, her eyes shut and lips parted. He reaches out and holds her hips, trying to support her. “Cupid, are you ok?” He manages out, cupid opens her eyes and looks to him with love “im more than ok, it just feels so- intense.” There's a truly satisfied smile on her face “ive been wanting this for a while, i'm just so happy that it's just as i dreamed” dexter looks at her stunned “what do you mean? You.. dreamt about this?” Cupid bites her lip, looking shy for the first time tonight “ i like you dexter, i've had a crush on you since the moment i first saw you.” Dexter blinks a couple times, trying to process the situation. Cupid likes him, romantically likes him. She's liked him all this time. Even when he- “oh writers, im so sorry cupid- all those times i came to you for advice with raven, i feel-“ cupid shushes him with a finger “its fine, you didn't know. I wasn't exactly the best at making my intentions clear. But i wanted to let you know tonight, that's why i got all dressed up, thats why i invited you to ‘dance’, that's why i invited you back here” she looks into his eyes with vulnerable hope “ do you like me back? Its fine if you dont- we can remain as friends, we could even still continue to have sex if you want. I dont mind, i know i kind of sprung this on you at the worst time”

Dexter, takes her hands “ i, i dont exactly know how i feel yet- you're one of my best friends but i also think you’re beautiful and i have enjoyed what we um, have been doing. Maybe- maybe we can try it? Go on a date sometime? I dont want to give you false hope, this is all so new to me” he awkwardly rubs at his neck, cupid smiles tearfully “i would like that” she pulls him in for a hug and the both of them moan, oh right.

Cupid laughs “i kind of forgot you are literally inside me right now, thats embarrassing” dexter laughs too, his cheeks red “yeah, this is probably the most unconventional start to a relationship ever” cupid giggles and leans her head against his lovingly “do you want to continue? We've already gotten this far.” Dexter gives her an embarrassed smile “ i want to, only if you do of course”

Cupid tilts his head up into a sweet kiss, gently laying a hand on his chest and pushing her hips up before sliding back down, moans are exchanged into eachothers mouths as cupid slowly starts to ride dexters cock. Its not long until both of them are just as aroused as they had been before the pause, although dexter seems a bit more confident as his hands settle at her hips, holding them as cupid bounces. “Yes, so good- ah~ fuck” cupid moans as she pulls away from his lips, her back arching. Her hips grind fast and hard, the feeling of the friction inside making her mind melt. She takes two fingers up to her lips, diligently sucking them and coating them in her saliva, her eyes baring unspoken promises to dexter as he watches. She brings the fingers down to her clit and starts to rub, dexter notices the action and watches curiously. Hes not very.. informed when it comes to women's bodies, but it seems that cupid is enjoying whatever she's doing to herself. He makes a note to ask about it at some point, if he and cupid plan to possibly do this again then he'd like to know how to make her feel good next time.

Dexter tries to think of other ways he can make her feel good, he gives an experimental thrust of his hips- the moaning from cupid gives him an indicator that she liked the action so he does it again. He finds himself making probably just as much noise as the girl above him, he wonders how soundproof the dorms are and feels a flash of embarrassment at the thought of any of cupid’s neighbours hearing them.

Then again, if anyone can hear them he's rather thankful that they hadn’t chosen to do this at his dorm, he can imagine that they'd be having sex to a chorus of cheers and laughter from his brother next door, yikes. His attention is pulled from his thoughts and back to cupid as she kisses him, he kisses back quickly, he had never kissed in this sort of way before tonight and he's sure that cupid can tell, but she doesn't call him out on it and continues to kiss him again and again. He loves that cupid doesn't judge him, shes so open minded and caring- he still can’t believe that she's had a crush on him for so long, he's not exactly like his brother and he knows that cupid could definitely do better. “You’re thinking too-mhmm~ much-“ cupid manages out between moans “i can see you getting distrah~cted” her hand on his chest moves towards his nipples, a surprised gasp escapes him as she starts to play with one. He had no idea his nipples could feel like this, he had kind of thought this sort of foreplay was only for girls. “Don't think, just feel” she says breathily, and so he does.

He can feel her pink manicured nails gently scrape over his nipple, he can feel her strong thighs squeezing at his own as she uses them to keep herself moving, he can feel her soft feathery white wings tickle at his knees as they twitch, he can feel the smooth glide and tight grip of cupid’s walls againsts his cock. Its a non stop barrage of different pleasurable sensations that come together and overwhelms him, its the best feeling he's ever felt.

Dexter's hands boldly change position to cupid’s ass, gripping the soft flesh and helping to push her up and down faster. Cupid’s moans are now mostly made up of only the words “yes” “more” “please” “fuck” and his name, she says his name so lovingly- as if she feels pleasure from just letting those two syllables roll off her tongue. he had never thought he would find someone just saying his name to be so arousing, yet his cock throbs everytime she desperately moans it out.

Their fucking has grown frenzied, both clearly nearing their peak. All embarrassment long gone as they focus only on trying to make eachother feel good, grabbing and touching all they can- exploring every inch of flesh that the other has to offer. Its desperate, its messy,

It's animalistic- its lust. Cupid feels it, her muscles are tightening , her head is going fuzzy- she’s about to climax. She’s going to cum on dexter's cock, dexters going to cum in her.

That thought pushes her over the edge, her bouncing stopping as she lets her body be overcome with a wash of white, her mouth open slack as all she can do is sob and moan.

Distantly she can hear dexter groan and whine, her name slipping beautifully from his lips. she can feel his fingers digging into her skin, his hips thrusting erratically- he’s cumming, she made him cum.

For a second There's a weightlessness, followed by a crushing need to lie down and just rest. Cupid bends, resting against Dexter and holding him, it takes him a moment to gather his bearings but once he does he pulls her in closer. The two sit like that for a while, holding each other and letting their brains take some time to start working properly again. Its blissful, a quiet serenity filled with only background noise and the sound of their heavy breathing. Cupid can't help but wish she could stay in this state forever, being held lovingly while everything else feels so distant, just her and Dexter embracing while the world ceases to exist.

They don't stay like it though, their bodies begin to regain full function and reality comes back. Cupid slides off dexter, his dick falling limply from inside her. She settles on the bed beside him, pulling the condom off and tying it before chucking it into the small waste bin she keeps nearby. “Mmm dexie” she contently

Sighs as she turns towards him,

Nestling against his side. Dexter chuckles tiredly, pulling her into a cuddle “i think its finally hitting me what just happened” cupid looks to him curiously “ you're not regretting it are you?” Dexter awkwardly stumbles for a reply “no! No- i don- i enjoyed it, what we did- the sex” cupid giggles at him, reaching up to lazily stroke at his hair “i enjoyed it too” she grins mischievously “what we did, the sex” dexter flushes at the teasing, laying his arm over his face with a groan “leave me alone, my brains not working properly yet” cupid laughs “sure hun, lets go with that excuse” she tilts his head gently “ is your brain working properly enough for you to kiss me?” Dexter smiles sweetly, an adorable embarrassed blush still present on his cheeks “probably” cupid leans up and presses her lips to his, the kiss is slow and lazy.

But most importantly, its Full of love.

[storm-driver]

ending of ff16 discussion below, pls do not click if you wanna avoid spoilers <3

I think FFXVI has a lot of potential, but it does fall quite short of the mark in some places. I do think the places where it excels far surpasses that, but maybe I'm able to turn a blind eye way easier than other's.

First and foremost, Jill Warrick is a potentially really good character, who unfortunately isn't given the same amount of love as other side characters in the game. Even characters like Gav and Byron were given more, despite Byron being introduced in the second half of the game, and Gav wasn't even a party main-stay.

Giving her some more moments to show off her prowess as Shiva's Dominant could've gone a long way. More independence from the Crystals' Curse, so to speak. I understand that the idea is Jill is on her last legs regarding the curse, but I really think they should've brushed that over, for the sake of her character.

Secondly, the arc with Barnabas was undercooked and rushed. Execution was weak compared to a similar scenario in FFXIV, where the main antagonist of Stormblood has the sole purpose of being the main character's rival. If the first fight against Barnabas was player-controlled and took place far sooner in the story, I'd be more inclined to buy into it.

Not only that, but the Barnabas arc is very isolated, compared to a lot of the other arcs in the game, most notably Kupka. Barnabas should've been presented a little earlier, or at least, his arc should've been quite a bit longer if it was going to take up the last quarter of the game.

I'm somewhat alright with Barnabas being the segway into Ultima as the main antagonist, but at the same time, it feels rather cheap to not given Barnabas his own full-fledged motivations and character arc, like we saw with Benedikta and Kupka. It's a minor writing thing I didn't personally enjoy, but at the same time, it was fun watching him snap out of his Ultima trance and become a beast at the very end of his fight.

The final segment of the game, I feel could've been made stronger if Ultima was a bit more discovered as a threat. Yeah, he was the god we had to kill, but we knew so little about him until the final 10% of the game. And at that point, he had finally become an acting force. I feel that's too late into the game for something like that to be happening, but maybe that's just me again.

The ending overall? I feel it could've used some more oversight. Joshua's death was expected, though I'm sad to see it was simply because of the Ultima shard. I don't think that writing his death via that shard was a good move, solely because it didn't feel like him keeping that shard in check had done anything at all, considering how much of an acting force Ultima had been anyways.

I understand the ending was also open-ended regarding Clive's ultimate (haha) fate, but I do wish there had been some more finality. Especially because of the red star Metia fading at the end, and Jill and Torgal crying as if he had definitely died. Me personally, it'd be nice to see Clive just walking back to the Hideaway, his arm turned to stone because of his overuse of magic, but still alive in spite of his fate. I feel THAT would've definitely made the ending better, just seeing that guarantee that he'd truly said "fuck you" to his destiny.

I also understand that the ending is open-ended for that exact reason, so I can guess what happens after without giving me something definitive. But I still would've appreciated if they'd just said if he died or not, outright. I don't enjoy ambiguity that much when the most likely thing is despair, 'cause then I just get my hopes up, just to get them crushed again.

Another small thing I disliked was the pacing started to get wonky at times, versus others where it was taken nice and slow. The segments in the game where you sorta had a dungeon to traverse before a big event were nice, to build up hype towards the big thing. These started to appear very seldomly, and it started to make the game feel like we were moving a mile a minute.

I feel the definitive proof that this worked is in the fight to Titan. And not just Titan as an eikon, but half-primed Hugo Kupka. I feel that was done SO fucking well and I really would've loved to see it again with Barnabas. Having the siege of Rosaria and Clive and Hugo affirming their hatred for each other was sick, especially because you just KNEW there was an eikon fighting waiting for you at the end of the arc, if Sleipnir hadn't stepped in.

Then having the follow-up at Drake's Fang, another lil' dungeon where you finally get to Kupka and he's just going insane, so fucking well done and I loved that rivalry so much.

Compare that entire arc to the end of the game, where you go through a dungeon in Waloed essentially, and the ending just ends up being a dramatic lore dump with a sorta final-boss fight. Meanwhile, the actual final boss doesn't have any pre-emptive dungeon, it's just a cutscene fight before the real fight starts.

Not only that, but chucking in about 14 sidequests right before that final boss and the game trying to pad out this rushed ending really made me realise how unfinalized this section of the game had been. Was it terrible? Not at all, but it wasn't the same quality as the rest of the game had been. Which is a damn shame, 'cause everything pre-Barnabas was god-tier and it's what I want to remember this game for the most.

For the positive side of things, I am very glad that I played this game, because I think I'm gonna feel the lasting impact it had on me for years, even if the ending didn't hit the way I wanted.

Clive Rosfield still stands out to me as one of the best RPG protagonists I've seen in a VERY long time. He's a strong man, unwittingly cruel in his actions, but he owns them, accepts them, and betters himself for his crimes. He is unafraid to cry and shed tears over his anguish, but he wears his sins on his sleeves and fights in spite of his destiny. The first section with him truly accepting his status as the Infernal Eikon, as Ifrit, was some of the best visual story-telling I've ever seen. The presentation was phenomenal, the music was heavenly, and Ben Starr did a phenomenal job as Clive. I sincerely hope Clive ends up setting a standard for protagonists in the future, because I genuinely do believe he's one of the best.

The character designs in this game were all great and enjoyable, and everyone was written in an amazing way. I think follow-up for Clive is definitely tied between Joshua Rosfield and Dion Lesage. I think Joshua has a similar issue to Jill, where he just wasn't used enough in the latter half of the story, but he was sorta written into the ending inherently because of his status as the Phoenix, and Clive's brother. Which is a shame that Jill didn't have that same impact.

Either way, those two were amazing characters that I loved ever since their first appearances. I have a particularly soft spot for Joshua because I can remember the prologue of the game so vividly, with Joshua desperately trying to fight off Ifrit while "Away" is blasting in the background. The choreography of the fight is great, the music is phenomenal, and you really wanna root for Joshua. It makes his appearance later in the game feel like he truly survived devastation and he's working hard to make sure no one suffers a similar fate.

Dion is fantastic, not only as some very nice LGBT representation, but also because he's just really fucking badass? The tragedy of having to witness his own kingdom become a slave to Ultima's wills, all because his father is being manipulated. And he, as a soldier, is being told to follow orders. It's saddening, but you can absolutely understand why he feels trapped. Which makes the moment of his father's murder, the accidental spear that was meant for the child, all the worse to witness. You truly understand why he was caught in his despair and enraged to the point of priming into Bahamut.

I have a lot of thoughts that I might say more on later, but as a final note, the gameplay was phenomenal. The music was god-tier. The eikon fights especially. Titan and Bahamut are easily some of the best stand-outs the game has to offer, but the fights against Typhoon, Garuda, Infernal Ifrit, and even Ultima's final form are incredibly fun. You really do feel like a massive ravaging beast that has a god's power at your hands. It's great, and I genuinely hope more RPGs take pages out of this book. Seriously, the only reason I didn't like the Odin fight was because it lacked this battle system, THAT'S how good it is.

[hislittleraincloud]

I think your (y/n or x reader) statement is really good, it definitely made me think. I only have tumblr again since last year and had last used it in 2016. At first I was totally overwhelmed because everything had changed so much. Fanfictios? Y/n's? Readers? Everything I saw here was something completely different from what I knew from Wattpad. Also back then I had tumblr only for gifs, lol. I thought I'd try this Y/N thing and I understand what's good and bad about it. I have rewritten so many of my fanfictions and ideas to y/n and have noticed how much potential is getting lost. Thank you for this insight! I will definitely write classic fanfiction again with characters I invented myself. But being actually able and write about those characters we like is really hard, cause after all we will never be able to know what they would actually be like.

As always I apologize for my grammar and stuff, sometimes I need to use a translator. I hope it’s not that messed up and hard to read. So thank you again for giving that insight. It really changed my sight on all of that. But I think we should also try to see both sides. For some is that writing style an escape, something that helps them to deal with life, keeps them going as well I guess. Not everyone is a good writer but everyone can be. After all we write for ourselves. We should write for ourselves and help each other if we can.

Greetings Kat ✌🏻

Glad you could find something useful in my rant. Your grammar is fine, don't sweat it in Asks.

One thing I'll point out though: "I will definitely write classic fanfiction again with characters I invented myself. But being actually able and write about those characters we like is really hard, cause after all we will never be able to know what they would actually be like. "

That's where that imagination that I mentioned comes in. As humans we were gifted with the ability to imagine scenarios that we would 'never be able to know' what they would actually be like. Authors (good ones) create well-written universal characters that their readers respond to; they can either love them or hate them. Sometimes authors create poorly written characters in their canon *cough*CairoSweet*cough* that serve as the foundation for better character development in fandom.

If you're writing your own character, you should probably write up a character profile and get to know your own character before unleashing them on others...if you don't have a sense of who they are, neither will your readers.

It is very hard for some people to write like writers and not Tumblrinas. That's why we also have that dialogue garbage that isn't 'writing fan fic', it's tapping out dialogue (usually bad, or unoriginal/been done elsewhere/usually a decade or decades before the author hit their teens dialogue). They can't write a scene between people beyond the dialogue. (That's where 100 word drabble practice comes in.)

None of it I can understand, since Millennials and Gen Z have been given the tools to become fantastic writers. They have a whole world of dictionaries, thesauruses, and FREE BOOKS to read and emulate. Writing in the style of your favorite author--exactly the assignment Mr. Miller gives in Miller's Girl--is actually a very great way to actually practice your writing. It's how I went from o.k. writer who could write dated Walt Whitman-like poetry to 'great' writer who could write timeless Ginsberg and cummings-like poetry in high school. I went from getting my poems rejected and ridiculed (it was all blind critique) to owning more than 1/4 of the published submissions (and the cover artwork) in my senior year.

But that's poetry. Before that I was writing just regular ol' smut, my style an amalgamation of the various authors I've read over the years. We are all amalgamations of what has come before us; except when there's 🗑️ out there and that's all you read, you become the amalgamation of 🗑️. So...let's follow your lead and not put out such vapid garbage. Amalgamate! But do it better.

Thanks for the Ask & good luck. 🫴🏽💕✨

[justatalkingface]

can I ask you what you think of ochako as a character in bnha? I know that in theory she was 'developed to match toga', with all the things toga has going on with her character and where she is in the plot. But when I think about ochako a little deeper I don't really get her 'goal development' exactly, because don't they kind of conflict with each other rather than evolve together?

Because first ochako wanted to make lots of money for her family, then later it became 'who saves/protects the heroes?' But if she runs with that goal and continues to rock the proverbial boat in hero society, that probably won't lead to her making a lot of money right?

And her third emerging goal likely being something about saving/helping the villains in some way, which is definitely better/more interesting for the overall plot, but even more conflicting with her previous goals.

Which would be cool if it was really focused on in her head about how that all might work out or not but we never really get that with ochako. Can I ask you what you think about all this?

As a series, MHA has reached a point where every character can easily be labeled with 'wasted potential', but Ochako is a special case because she's a main character that was sidelined.

I always knew that, to some extent, 1A as a whole would be sidelined over time (though I couldn't have predicted how fast it would happen), but Ochako was part of the main trio, she was one of the more important characters in the early narrative. Even more, compared to Sakura, for example, or Orihime, she wasn't just the girl teammate, or someone's love interest. She had her own goals and ambitions. Most importantly of all though, and what made her so interesting to me, is that she decided to put aside her own feelings.

Manga is... let's be honest here, manga is broadly sexist. Shonens like this are worse. When a woman in shonen is in love? It defines her character, drives it. Their entire character arcs for the entire time they're in love, if not beyond it, hinge on that basic fact.

Sakura, Hinata, and Orihime are all broadly driven by their love for their men at first, and even when they grow past that being their sole motivation to fight, it still remains a fundamental core of their drives. Sakura's big growth early on, for example, is that she wants to marry Sasuke and become a proper ninja, when before her primary purpose in living seemed to be to unironically to have his babies. It was a good step, but it was kind of an insulting step, is the thing, and she never gets beyond her love of Sasuke even when both of them are trying to kill each other after he abandons her for years.

Ochako, though? She has goals first, then gets a crush, and then weighs being in love with her own ambitions and chooses her ambitions over love.

I shit over almost everything Hori does with anyone that isn't a man, because it's pretty much always shit, and the more I think about it the more I almost want to applaud him, just for this, because this? This isn't just a main heroine uninterested in love. This is one who explicitly rejects it for her own agenda, and as pathetic as it is to phrase it this way, that's a huge improvement for a shonen manga.

I mean, I've seen people say that she didn't need to do that, that she could both train to be a hero and chase her love interest, and when you think about it UA students do seem to have enough free time for her to pursue it, but you know what? Who cares?

Maybe there's actually not that much free time, maybe she just doesn't realize how much time she has, maybe she's exactly right! Does it matter? She decided she's not ready for a relationship at this portion of her life and she'd rather do something else with her time; good for her! Chase your dreams! Do what you want when you want!

And for a time, Hori seemed content to treat her as an actual important character, who develops as a combatant (which, as much as I like to say 'power ups aren't character development', I'm not blind to basic facts that mangas like this orbit around a lot of fighting, and you need to be able to fight to stay relevant to the story line) as well as develop as a person.

Actually, let me stop here and pivot a bit to better handle part of your question: her development.

Early on, Ochika training to be a hero was a basiclly a poor kid going to be a sports star to support their family; it wasn't about the job itself, per say, so much as that the job would pay well, and they could get in without getting crippling debt in the process. She had the talent, so she wanted to use it to support her family because she loved them. This was a lot more modest than, say, Lemillion's goals, but it was still noble, and she'd still do a lot of good while supporting her family. At the same time, though, she also just wanted to help people just to see them smile and what not, and so becoming a hero was really a multifaceted goal for her.

The problem with the later development, though, is the same thing that happened to everything about her post her learning Gunhead Martial Arts or so (let me take a brief aside to kind of laugh at that, because 'Gunhead' Martial Arts, rather than just martial arts or whatever just seems really ridiculously to me, but whatever): she was replaced, then her development was largely just given to her by the author happened off screen so we couldn't really connect with how it happened.

That replacement was bad for a bunch of reasons, really: because Bakugou was being promoted from classroom bully to rival character, he needed more focus with his 'rival' so he replaced Shoto. Shoto, who had all the build up of the rival character at first, needed to be in the story since he was so important to later plotlines, but didn't have a place anymore, so he needed to be put somewhere else still in the audience's eyes. The eventual fallout of all this, plus Endeavor's heavy character salvaging attemptings by Hori, is Izuku's core friend group of Ochiko, Iida, and himself was replaced by New Trio of Shoto, Bakugou, and Izuku.

Or, if I'm being even more honest, The Duo of Shoto and Izuku and then Bakugou is there too for some reason.

Something I want to point out here, while we're on talking about it; then new trio isn't a friend group, like the original one was, they're more... work associates. Shoto and Izuku are friends, by this point (and for some reason Shoto is hanging out with a person channeling the traits of his father he despises the most (cough cough, to try and salvage Bakugou)), but we don't see the three of them, like, hang out: they're together at first because they were all interning with Endeavour (for some god forsaken reason (cough cough, to salvage Endeavour)), then after that because they were heavy hitters and honestly just them being put there by the author. There's every indication that the original three are still friends, we just... don't see it, anymore.

But I'm off topic: point is, with the focus shifting from school life to 'let's save the world as first years!', the friendships took the backseat, and Ochika was just... ignored by Hori.

Eventually, she started being put back into the story, since she was still somewhat important, but by this point we had reached The War Arc (and shit, I don't think there's a post where I haven't dunked on that, is there?), and, well.

Everything Changed When The War Arc Attacked.

Everybody's characterization went to shit after that, not just her, and it's not surprising her story went down the cracks.

So, part of her changes, and part of the reason they're confusing with her original goal, is that at least part of them is mixed with her largely dropped but still weirdly there romance plot. Izuku is the origin of her thinking, 'who saves the heroes', because, well, Izuku needs saving from his own idiot self all the time later on, and he's heroic.

I'll point out that this isn't, fundamentally, a conflict with her original goal of supporting her family: she wants heroes to be treated better, she doesn't want heroes to stop being monetized (because that's too far against the status quo for any hero to support!). Even if that impacted her career (which, logically, makes sense as a possible concern and probably part of why you were confused, yet I don't think she thought about once) she's not Mt Lady; she's not going to be paying thousands in damages everytime she does anything. A rescue hero like her is always, unfortunately, going to find someone who needs to be saved by having heavy things lifted off them. Maybe she'd never be rich if this backfired on her, but she'd certainly be well enough to support her parents, at least, since we've never seen a poor hero (sighs, gestures vaguely in a, 'gee, wouldn't that have been nice to see to help develop the profession in literally any way!' sort of fashion).

The second point of 'development'... now that is honestly shit. I've mentioned before how, after a certain point, MHA's plot started turning more and more from the complex and fascinating topics that they presented to us (and got so many of us engrossed in the first place), to a more cliche format that I fondly call a 'Full Shonen'. Part of a Full Shonen plot is, unless an important villain is truly, absolutely evil (so, basiclly AFO) they aren't beyond redemption, no matter how little sense that makes. If they're not beyond redemption, The Good Guys(TM), are therefore obligated to at least try and save them from themselves. Another typical Full Shonen plotline is, if there's a female bad guy, the female good guy will have to be the one to fight them.

Following that logic, Himko, the crazed female serial killer, is not beyond salvation, and so it fall to Ochako, the female hero, to save her, no matter how little sense that makes on a character or narrative level, because, you know, cat fight or something.

*sighs for forever*

Problem being everything post-War is so quarter-assed that this entire new plot line is built off, and really isn't held together by, the fact they both love Izuku. Or rather, Himiko is vaguely in love with Ochiko because she's cute (or 'cute', by whatever arcane and ill-defined criteria she uses to target people) and feels a bond with her because she also loves Izuku, and Ochiko is just... there, basiclly, and fights her because, you know, she's a villain. The connection is beyond forced, and yet we all know that somehow she'll be essential to 'saving' Toga.

While we're talking about these two, I'm going to point out that people saying Ochaka in the latest chapters wanting to talk about love are dramatically missing the point. She didn't want to go girl talk with Toga about their mutual crush, no matter how hilarious a meme summary that was. Toga was leaving via warp portal, while turning into Twice, and Ochkaka wanted to stop her because, you know, Twice-Toga is going to make their temporary existence everyone else's problem. She couldn't physically stop her from where she was, so turned to the one thing that has always distracted Toga in the past: talking about love. Even a mere thirty seconds of Toga gushing about Izuku, after all, is thirty seconds less of a one man army fucking up the heroes plans, not even mentioning duplicating AFO or SFO or some other nightmare scenario; anything she could do to run the clock on Twice's blood at all is priceless for the heroes.

And before anyone says it, that's not some brilliant insight on Ochako's part, it's not some sign of their 'deep connection'; anyone who spends two minutes around Toga would know that much. Anyways, because of Toga's... random ass character development just before all this happened, she's finally able to control her impulses like a normal person, and leaves instead. Ochaka's comment at the end, 'she didn't want to talk about love', isn't sad that she didn't get to talk about some threesome or whatever bullshit, it's surprise, because that's not how Toga works.

So, yeah, Ochaka's great start early on fell apart after she lost the spotlight, and it's a shame. The evolution to 'saving heroes' could have easily been handled better just by, you know, focusing on her at all, and we could have seen rising concerns about how heroes are treated in their cutthroat line of work (obligatory screaming at failed heroic society development) over time, and grow more organically in her mind and motivation. Saving Toga... Toga is so unreasonable as a character that, barring a drastic redesign of her characterization, or more reasonably, something for Ochika to connect with her and make her care beyond being a female who, gasp, likes Izuku too!!!!!!, that... that was never going to work well. It, and she, are too much of a mess, and Ochaka is too good of a person.

[inevitableinfinity]

fics masterlist <3

all works can be found on ao3 (inevitableinfinity), they are not crossposted

listed in reverse chronological order (newest to oldest by initial upload date)

wish you were here

Oikawa/Kageyama | T | 4k

5 times Oikawa and Kageyama fall asleep on the phone and 1 time they fall asleep in each other's arms

visiting hours

Oikawa/Kageyama | G | 1.7k

a certain annoying underclassman pays a visit to Oikawa's classroom

forever is the sweetest con

Oikawa/Kageyama | T | ???

first comes fake proposal, then comes fake engagement, then comes real love (or something like that)

cast away

Oikawa/Kageyama (urban fantasy AU) | T | 3.1k

when Oikawa runs away from home after an argument, Kageyama goes searching for him—and finds a rude awakening instead

you could be the one (that i keep)

Oikawa/Kageyama | T | 6.8k

how are you supposed to figure out who your soulmate is when they lose the most random things?

cutting costs

Oikawa/Kageyama | G | 1k

in which Miwa and Oikawa react to third-year Tobio's haircut

yours for the taking

Oikawa/Kageyama | T | 5.9k

after failing to kidnap Prince Tobio, Oikawa wonders how he still got stuck babysitting him for a day

nowhere left for us (but heaven)

Oikawa/Kageyama (apocalypse AU) | T | ???

Finding his soulmate isn't a priority for Oikawa, but finding his soulmate's body before they could ever meet still hurts. They must keep going, though—they're in the midst of an apocalypse here.

show, don't tell

Oikawa/Kageyama (POV: Hinata) | T | 2k

in which Hinata finds out his friends are dating...via kiss cam

next stop: you

Oikawa/Kageyama | G | 1.5k

an oikage meet cute on the train gone wrong stupid

...or forever hold your peace

Oikawa/Kageyama | T | 8k

Tooru's about to be married, Hajime thinks he's helping two friends reconcile, and Tobio accidentally ruins a wedding

cat(chmaker)

Oikawa/Kageyama | T | 7.3k

it's hard to get over someone when you share custody of the cat

the potentiality (of us)

Osamu/Akaashi | T | 5k

University student Keiji is so tired that he doesn't notice how attractive the new barista at his coffee shop is—or that they're soulmates

seasons change (but people don't)

Oikawa/Kageyama | T | 2.8k

in which Oikawa and Kageyama try to stake out the same spot for cherry blossom viewing

"settling scores"

Oikawa/Kageyama | T | 8k

5 times Kageyama's soulmate searches for him and 1 time he finds them (ft. the Karasuno first years as good friends but bad detectives)

"the (best) worst thing"

Iwaizumi/Sugawara, Oikawa/Kageyama | T | 4k

Iwaizumi's best friend (and best friend's boyfriend) arrange a blind date for Iwaizumi

"don't let me go"

Oikawa/Kageyama | G | 2.4k

Oikawa meets Kazuyo

"get better soon ('cause you have to)"

Oikawa/Kageyama (angst) | T | 2.5k

When Oikawa goes to the hospital to visit his sister, he doesn't expect to see Kageyama there.

And he certainly doesn't expect Kageyama to be one of his sister's patients.

"(if i could say) what i want to say"

Oikawa/Kageyama | T | 3k

in which Oikawa's annoying roommate gets sick and doesn't know how to take care of himself

"where to go from here"

Kageyama/Sugawara | G | 2k

Koushi is pretty sure he falls in love with Kageyama Tobio at the same time as the rest of the world, but for him, it was a long time coming.

"perfect disasters"

Kindaichi & Kageyama & Kunimi, Kageyama & Oikawa | G | 2k

the Kitagawa Daiichi training camp fic no one asked for

"[infatuation:] observation with a cause"

Oikawa/Kageyama | T | 5.1k

the stages of being a fangirl as told by Oikawa and Kageyama (who are definitely not fans of each other)

"for the rest of our lives"

Oikawa/Kageyama | G | 1.8k

Oikawa and Kageyama write each other letters the day before their wedding

"this ain't love (it's clear to see)"

Oikawa/Kageyama (POV: Hinata) | T | 2k

Despite Shouyou's warnings, Kageyama invites Oikawa to be his plus one to a wedding reception and Shouyou thinks the two are taking this fake date a little too far.

"what are my words worth"

Oikawa/Kageyama (hurt/comfort) | T | 5k

Tobio's never seen Oikawa in a light he doesn't love

"take me home (forever & ever)"

Oikawa/Kageyama | T | 3k

Tooru is happy to celebrate his birthday with his friends, but he kind of misses Tobio (and their cat)

"if I should lose you now"

Oikawa/Kageyama | T | 2.1k

Sleeping Beauty AU where Prince Tooru has overcome every obstacle to make it to the sleeping Prince Tobio only to wonder: what if he's not Tobio's true love?

"i loved you then (and i love you now)

Oikawa/Kageyama (POV: Miwa) | T | 2.8k

Miwa attends Tobio's graduation and embarrasses her baby brother in front of his crush

"at least in this lifetime"

Oikawa/Kageyama (MCD) | T | 1.7k

it's the end of the world and all they have is each other

"wander//love//separate"

Oikawa/Kageyama | T | 2.9k

the progression and regression of their relationship as seen through the eyes of one Oikawa Tooru

"find other ways to make it alone"

Oikawa/Kageyama | T | 4.2k

the oikage pet shop AU no one asked for

"home sick"

Oikawa/Kageyama/Sugawara | G | 2.2k

Kageyama has to take care of his sick boyfriends

"i won't ask you to wait (if you don't ask me to stay)"

Oikawa/Kageyama (angst w/ happy ending) | T | 3.9k

they're not "in a relationship" but they're not "not in a relationship"

"a silent devotion"

Oikawa/Kageyama (FHQ) | T | 1.3k

Kageyama makes a (flower) crown fit for a (demon) king

"the fear of falling apart"

Oikawa/Kageyama (POV: Iwaizumi) (FHQ) | T | 4k

the days before Iwaizumi and Kageyama left the demon king's side

"there's still time for you"

Oikawa/Kageyama | G | 2.2k

Kageyama remembers his birthdays over the years

"reaching out across the sea (that you put between you and me)"

Oikawa/Kageyama (angst w/ happy ending) | T | 2.5k

in which the distance ruined them once, Oikawa wants another chance, and Kageyama isn't sure the distance won't ruin them again

"in the spaces between our goodbyes"

Oikawa/Kageyama (soulmate AU) | T | 2.6k

in a world where your soulmate's name doesn't appear after both parties have fallen in love, Oikawa Tooru is a little annoyed this is how Tobio is going to find out Tooru loves him

"i'm reaching out and i just can't tell you why"

Oikawa/Kageyama | T | 1.7k

it's kind of annoying how a single person can leave such a huge hole in your life

"just an ordinary day"

Oikawa/Kageyama (soulmate AU) | T | 4.9k

the soulmate goose AU but make it oikage ;)

"get your sh-t together (so i can love you)"

Oikawa/Kageyama (soulmate AU) | T | 65k

Kageyama doesn't want a soulmate (but gets one) and Oikawa doesn't have a soulmate (and he's okay with it) (he says)

"(don't be afraid to) jump then fall"

Osamu/Akaashi | T | 6.6k

in which Akaashi learns a little about being the protagonist of his own story

"nobody wins"

Oikawa/Kageyama (FHQ) | T | 2.2k

Demon King Oikawa finally defeats the archer Kageyama and it does not feel at all like he thought it would

"'Fearless' but make it Haikyuu!! [One-Shot Collection]"

Various pairings | T | 31k

a collection of one-shots based on the tracks of Fearless (Taylor's Version). This work contains tracks 1-13, bonus tracks are included in the "fearless x hq" collection