#seeing people be so earnest about the stuff they care about has been almost inspiring

[silent-partner-412]

i feel like i’m engaging with fandom in a way i really never did when i was a teenager nowadays. i never talked about characters i love like i do now. like i never read a fanfiction till i was 19, and then i never read one again till i was 20. honestly, i never really made long posts about the specific shit i’m into the way i do now. honestly i think i would’ve probably found my current self a bit cringe (and that’s on toxic masculinity tbh) but i enjoy engaging with stories and games this way. it’s fun, cathartic, and honestly i need that shit now more than ever lmao.

[bananaofswifts]

Taylor Swift Turns on a Facsimile Machine for the Ingenious Recreations of ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’: Album Review

Swift recreates her entire 2008 album literally down to the last note, then gives herself room for stylistic latitude on six never-before-recorded "vault" tracks.

By Chris Willman

Swift recreates her entire 2008 album literally down to the last note, then gives herself room for stylistic latitude on six never-before-recorded "vault" tracks.

There is no “best actress” award at the Grammys, perhaps for obvious reasons, but maybe there should be this coming year. And the Grammy would go to… Taylor Swift, for so persuasively playing her 18-year-old self in “Fearless (Taylor’s Version),” her beyond-meticulous recreation of the 2008 recording that did win her her first album of the year trophy back in the day. It’s impossible to overstate just how thoroughly the new version is intended as an exact replica of the old — all the way down to her startling ability to recapture an untrained teen singing voice she’s long matured and moved on from. It’s a stunt, to be sure, but a stunt for the ages — mastering the guile it takes to go back to sounding this guileless.

There are two different, very solid reasons to pick up or stream “Taylor’s Version,” regardless of whether you share her ire for the Big Machine label, whose loose ways with her nine-figure catalog precipitated this, the first in a six-album series of remakes where she’ll be turning on the facsimile machine. One is to marvel at her gift for self-mimicry on the album’s original tracks, where she sounds as possessed by her younger self as Regan ever was by Pazuzu. The other reason is, of course, to check out the six “vault” numbers that Swift wrote during that time frame but has never released before in any form, which dispenses with stylistic fealty to the late 2000s and frames her “Fearless”-era discards in production and arrangements closer to “Folklore.” Those half-dozen (kind of) new tracks really do sound like modern Taylor Swift covering her old stuff.

But those original lucky 13? It’s the same damn record… which is kind of hilarious and marvelous and the kind of meta-ness that will inspire a thousand more think-pieces than it already has, along with possibly efforts at forensic analysis to figure out how she did it.

It would not be surprising if, as we speak, Big Machine was putting a combined team of scientists and lawyers on the case of the new album’s waveform readouts, to make sure it’s not just the original album, remixed. Honestly, it’s that close. The timings of the songs are all within a few seconds of the original tracks, if not coming in at exactly the same length. The duplication effort doesn’t allow any detours. If “Forever and Always” had a cold open then, it’s going to have a cold open now. If the 2008 “That’s the Way I Love You” had slamming rock guitars with an almost subliminal banjo being plucked beneath the racket, so will the 2021 “That’s the Way I Loved You.” A drum roll to end the old “Change”? A drum roll to end its body-snatcher doppelganger. And if she chuckled before the final chorus of “Hey Stephen” 13 years ago, so will that moment be cause for a delighted giggle now.

Of course, much analysis will be put into whether the new laugh is a more knowing-sounding laugh. And that will be part of the fun for a certain segment of audiophile Swifties who will go looking for the slightest change as evidence of something meaningful. When “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” first came out weeks back to preview the album, there were reviews written that swore she’d subtly changed up her phrasing to put a contemporary spin on the song. And maybe they were right, but, having done a fair amount of A/B testing of the two versions of the album, I found myself feeling like I do when vinyl buffs insist there are significant sonic differences between the first stamper version of an LP and one that was pressed a year later. If you can spot those very, very, very modest tweaks, go for it.

But my suspicion is that if Swift has decided to turn a phrase a little differently here or there on this album, or done anything too differently aside from brighten the sound, she’s doing it more as an Easter egg, for the people who are on that kind of hunt, than anything really designed as reinterpretation. Because the last thing Swift wants most of her fans doing is A/B-ing the two versions, the way I did. The whole point is to have folks retire the OG “Fearless” from their Spotify playlists, right? The Swift faithful were already threatening to rain down damnation on anyone caught sneaking an audio peek at the old version after midnight. What she intended was to come up with a rendering so faithful that you would never have a need to spin the vintage album again. In that, she has succeeded beyond what could have been imagined even in the dreams of the few self-forgers who’ve tried this before, like a Jeff Lynne.

Is there any reason to find value in the new versions if you couldn’t care less about the issues of masters and contracts and respect in business deals that made all this strangely possible? Yes, with the first one being that the new album just sounds like a terrific remastering of the old — the same notes, and you’d swear the same performances, but sounding brighter and punchier just on a surface level. But on a more philosophical one, it’s not just a case of Swift playing with her back catalog like Andy Warhol played with his soup can. It’s really a triumph of self-knowledge and self-awareness, in the way that Swift is so hyper-conscious of the ways she’s matured that she has the ability to un-mature before our very ears. With her vocals, it’s virtuosic, in a way, how she’s made herself return to her unvirtuosic upstart self.

On Swift’s earliest albums and in those seminal live shows — at the time when she was famously being told she “can’t sing,” to quote a song from the follow-up album — there was a slight shrillness around the edges of her voice that, if you lacked faith, you might’ve imaged would be there forever. It wasn’t. That was partly youth, and partly just the sheer earnestness with which she wanted to convey the honesty of the songs. She’s advanced so much since then — into one of pop’s most gifted modern singers, really — that the woman of “Folklore” and “Evermore” seems like a completely different human being than the one who made the self-titled debut and “Fearless,” never mind just a woman versus girl. It wouldn’t have seemed possible that she could go back to her old way of singing at the accomplished age of 31, but she found and recreated that nervous, sincere, pleading voice of yesteryear. And maybe it was just a technical feat, of temporarily unlearning what she’s learned since then, but you can sense that maybe she had to go there internally, too, to the place where she was counseling other girls to guard their sexual virtue in “Fifteen,” or wondering whether to believe the fairy tale of “Love Story” or the wakeup call of “White Horse,” or proving with “Forever & Always” that writing a song telling off Joe Jonas for his 27-second breakup call was better than revenge.

If at first you’re not inclined to notice that Swift has re-adopted a completely different singing voice for the “Fearless” remakes, the realization may kick in when those “vault” tracks start appearing in the later stretch of this hour-and-50-minute album. The writing on the six songs that have been pulled up from the 2008 cutting room floor seems primitive, even a little bit by the standards of the “Fearless” album; there are great lines and couplets throughout the rescued tracks, but you can see why she left them as works-in-progress. But she doesn’t use her youthful voice on these resurrections, nor does she employ the actual style of “Fearless” very strictly. Of course, she feels more freedom on these, because there are no predecessors in the Big Machine catalog she’s asking you to leave behind. Her current collaborators of choice, Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, divided the co-producing work on these fresher songs, as they did for the two all-new albums she released in the last year. (The “Fearless” recreations are co-produced by Swift with Christopher Rowe, someone who worked on remixes for Swift back in that era.) They co-produce the vault songs in a style that sounds somewhere between “Fearless” and Folklore”… a more spectral brand of country-pop, with flutes and synths and ringing 12-string guitars and a modicum of drum programming replacing some (but not all) of the acoustic stringed instruments you’d expect to be carried over from “Fearless” proper.

Of the previously unheard tracks, Swift was right — she’s always been her own best self-editor — in putting out “You All Over Me” first, in advance of the album. With its imagery of half-muddy stones being upturned on the road, this song has advanced lyrical conceits more of a piece with the level of writing she’s doing now than some of the slightly less precocious songs that follow. Still, there’s something to be said for the sheer zippiness with which Swift conveys teen heartbreak in “Mr. Perfectly Fine,” which has a lyric that shows Swift had long since absorbed the lessons Nashville had to offer about how to come up with a high-concept song — the concept, in this case, being just to stick the word “mister” in front of a lot of phrases relating to her shallow ex, as if they were honorary titles to be conferred for being a shit, while she employs the “miss” for herself more sparingly.

Some of the remaining outtake songs go back more toward the sedate side of “Fearless”-style material; she didn’t leave any real bangers in the can. “We Were Happy,” the first of two successive tracks to bring in Keith Urban (but only for backgrounds on this one), employs fake strings and real cello as Swift waxes nostalgic for a time when “you threw your arms around my neck, back when I deserved it.” It’s funny, in a good way, to hear Swift at 31 recreating a song she wrote at 17 or 18 that pined for long-past better times. The next song, “That’s When,” brings Urban in for a proper duet where he gets a whole second verse and featured status on half a chorus, and it’s lovely to hear them together. But, as a make-up song, it doesn’t feel as real or lived-in as the more personal things she was writing at the time — and the fact that its chords are pretty close to a slightly more balladic version of the superior “You Belong With Me” was probably a pretty good reason for dropping it at the time.

the 18-year-old Taylor Swift is a great place to visit, but “Folklore” and “Evermore” are the place you’ll want to return to and live, unless you have an especially strong sentimental attachment to “Fearless”… which, sure, half of young America does. It’s not irreconcilable to say that the two albums she issued in the last year represent a daring pinnacle of her career, but that “Fearless” deserved to win album of the year in 2008. Has there been a greater pop single in the 20th century than “You Belong With Me”? Probably not. Did the album also have lesser moments you probably haven’t thought about in a while, like the just-okay “Breathe”? Yes. (I looked up to see whether Swift had ever played that little remarked upon number in concert, and according to setlists.fm, she did, exactly once… in 2018. Because she’s Taylor Swift, and of course she did.) It’s not certain that her duet with Colbie Caillat really needed to be resurrected, except it’s fun, because hey, she even roped former duet partners back into her time warp. But there are so many number that have stood the test of time, like “The Way I Love You,” an early song that really got at the complicated feelings about passion and fidelity that she would come to explore more as she grew into her 20s… and just kind of a headbanger, too, on an album that does love its fiddles and mandolins.

It doesn’t take much to wonder why Swift put up “Fearless” first in this six-album exercise; it’s one of her two biggest albums, along with “1989,” and it’s 13 years old, which does mean something superstitious in the Taylor-verse. In a way, it’ll be more interesting to see what happens when she gets to more complicated productions, like “1989” or “Reputation.” But maybe “Fearless” did present the opportunity for the grandest experiment out of the gate: to recreate something that pure and heartfelt, with all the meticulousness a studio master like Swift can put to that process now, without having it seem like she’s faking sincerity. Let the think-pieces proceed — because this is about six hundred different shades of meta. But, all craftiness and calculation aside, there’s a sweetness to the regression that’s not inconsequential. It harks back to a time when she only wondered if she could be fearless, before she learned it the harder way for sure. What they say about actors “disappearing into the role”? That really applies to Taylor Swift, playing herself.

[shoichee]

okok hc or fic: reader was teiko’s “head” manager(?) and her talent was being a medic (if someone gets injured they’re back on the court in under a minute type thing) and training plans. suddenly momoi’s talent blooms, she starts working w/ everyone in the team (+ reader’s crush akashi) and people think she’s a better manager than reader. because of this, she overworks + collapses in front of her best friends kuroko + kise (don’t let akashi know yet i have plans for that 👀)

HELLO? YES OFFICER? I JUST FOUND A BANGER REQUEST RIGHT HERE? YOUR BRAIN IS SO BIG AND SEXY IVE BEEN DYING TO WRITE THIS🏃🏻‍♀️💨 part 2 here and part 3 here AND update: part 4 here

Akashi x Reader

[Teiko!manager Headcanons]

you had a knack of being a natural chiropractor in loosening up tense muscles instantly (for more fluid play) or easily putting in back dislocated joints

basically you have crackhands

in your free time as a hobby and a job as the “head manager” (that Akashi announced to the team himself), you’d often bury yourself in anatomy studies and gym plans on the internet and databases to review over Akashi’s team training routines to see if they were effective and safe; oftentimes, you’d return back with improved plans, and as time went on, Akashi entrusted you with creating the plans yourself completely

you took on the job so eagerly to impress the Teiko captain, if you were being honest to yourself

your enthusiasm even inspires Momoi, Teiko’s other manager, to work harder

no one in Teiko knows physiology better than you, and as expected, it was also your best subject along with health

Kise often looks at you in horror and respect at how you don’t cringe/flinch at the loud cracks resonating across the room or court when players come to you for instant relief (the origin story of how he came to call you (y/n)-cchi was the very fact that you manage to put back his dislocated shoulder in 3 seconds flat one game)

when Kuroko first joined the 1st-string, he was a walking magnet for injuries, and you ended up being there for him every single time… nosebleeds? check. sprained ankle? check. nausea from over exhaustion? check.

both you and Kuroko relish in the fact that everyone in the team can never understand how the both of you do some incredible things with your hands

both of you being quite dexterous, you both often teach each other your specialties for fun; it’s almost shocking to see Kuroko effortlessly loosening up a stress knot and you pulling off a well-done palm pass

you admit, you do juggle a lot of responsibilities… from being a makeshift nurse, to a chiropractor, to a budget gym coach, and even to being moral support

Momoi often reminds you to take breaks being the caring person that she is

you often showed her the ropes and tricks of being a manager, on top of your duties, and you find it really endearing that she’s so earnest in learning from you

even if you enjoyed doing what you do, part of the massive workload is to try to get into Akashi’s good graces

talking to him about basketball duties is easier to achieve than talking to him outside of the extracurricular

you might be a tad bit insecure about it; after all, what middle schooler is already so accomplished in academics, sports, and everything you could think of? wasn’t he also studying to take over his father’s company??

to you, who only starred as Teiko’s humble manager, it felt hard trying to establish common ground for conversation outside of basketball

so you stuck to working hard at your position, hoping that your work ethic would get his attention one day; you were a firm believer of actions over words, so you hoped your actions would come off as genuine

picture you and Momoi running across campus with stacks of papers for the team… it makes most of the teammates’ hearts melt at the sight

your work certainly got you praises from other teammates, but out of all players, Kise was the one who figured out your motive

you felt absolutely morbid; to think that Kise, of all people, would figure you out like the back of his hand

Kise being sweet as he is, offers to help you get with the captain but you merely prompted to threaten to break his arm if he spilled your crush to anyone else

“(y/n)-cchi… I’ve been thinking.”

“Yes, Kise?”

“It’s really cool that you’re working so tirelessly for the team, but I can’t help but wonder if there’s a reason why you work so hard.”

“O-Of course I do! I want to see you guys all succeed!”

“Then I’m curious as to why you always look at Akashicchi—o-ow, ow, ow!! (y/n)-cchi, I’m sorry! So can you please let go of my—ow!”

“H-How did you know?!”

“I-It was as obvious as day, (y/n)-cchi! I’m pretty sure even Kurokocchi found out about this before I did!”

“N-No way!!”

“Tell you what, I’m super duper knowledgeable in this stuff! You can count on me for this sort of advice—OW!”

spoiler alert: Kise was right in that Kuroko definitely noticed your attraction to Akashi before anyone else… he just never brought it up to you

one day, Kuroko comes up to you to whisper:

“(y/n)-san, have you realized that Akashi-kun has been observing you recently during practice?”

“W-Wait! Is he looking over here right now?”

“Not that I think. He’s occupied with the coach right now.”

“D-Do you think this is a good sign?”

Kuroko gives you a small smile before he replies, “I would like to think so. Keep working hard, (y/n)-san.”

and you do, you’re constantly on top of your game for the next season until Momoi suddenly gets more recognition for her “precognitive defense” skills

her newfound talent was extraordinary and never-before-seen, and her ability became more critical to Teiko’s victories than your own skills

you were happy and proud for her, because after all, her achievements were extremely deserving to be praised

it’s only when some 1st-string players started making offhand comments about how you weren’t really needed in the 1st-string and was more suited to the lower strings that placed seeds of doubt into you

these people would often compare you to Momoi in how she improved much more despite you being in the team for longer

there’s also talk about how your skills are more useful for 2nd-string and 3rd-string players because Momoi’s ability is already sufficient enough for Teiko’s starters

after all, how would a player even be injured if they can predict their opponents’ moves to avoid such incidents?

there’s also the fact that Akashi has been calling Momoi more frequently to research on upcoming teams for analytical data because her talent has become very useful to ensuring victory

the same peers and adults who gave you praise were the same people who began to ignore you or dismiss you; that being said, the collective change in attitude is definitely subtle enough that it would fly under most people’s radars

Kuroko was the first to notice and defend you against a small group of players who were bold enough to badmouth you in the gym

Kise would find out a little later about the somewhat unpleasant gossip about you and would pull the “no you” reverse card, returning back with MEANER underhanded comments that would send these shit talkers CRYING HOME (manga Kise strikes here unexpectedly eh?)

Murasakibara is someone who would be slightly uncomfortable with the gossip about you, especially since you’ve always been so helpful and kind to the team and himself; he’d either leave the room himself or easily scare them away with his looming height and presence without saying a single word when he enters the room “minding his own business”

Midorima is a bystander judging from how he’s reacted to the Teiko dynamic changes in the actual show // he, of course, wouldn’t like the nasty talk about you but would actually mind his own business, choosing to focus on himself and what he has to do to contribute to his team; he assumes that you would work hard the same way he is and let your contributions do the talking

now Akashi surprisingly wouldn’t hear much of the gossip, since his presence alone SHUTS them up and commit to their practices like normal; after all, it’s very clear that Akashi doesn’t tolerate this type of behavior in the team (example: Haizaki), and it’s more apparent that he wouldn’t hesitate to drop kick them out especially since he has a soft spot for you (which Kise never fails to bring this up to you, but you think he’s reaching too much into it) // TLDR; the teammates mostly have the common sense to not utter anything bad about you… maybe one kid would slip out and get punished for “bad sportsmanship,” but Akashi merely assumes that it’s just one bad apple and not necessarily… the many others as well

Aomine???? bro he ain’t even at practice wdym (HELPPP LMAOO) // jokes aside, if he catches wind of players shit-talking outside of the gym… say at the convenience store or when he’s walking home or something, well… they wouldn’t have a good time…

Momoi simply chastises the gossipers when they try to talk shit on you to make Momoi herself look good, and it leaves? such? a? horrible? taste? like, she wants to believe that they’re just really poor jokes and not what they really believe in, and the teammates merely reassure her that they’re just bad jokes and that they “wouldn’t do it again;” poor Momoi wholeheartedly believes them

the weird talks about Momoi being “the better manager” just signalled to you that you haven’t contributed enough to the team yet, and it motivated you to work even harder

oddly, you weren’t jealous of the fact that Momoi was receiving more positive attention than you

you were more afraid of the fact that you were going to get left behind, and this fear only tightened its hold on you when more teammates (who used to talk to you a lot) have changed their tunes when they speak with you now, compared to them talking to Momoi

and you felt that the Generation of Miracles would do the same too… including Akashi

it wasn’t an irrational fear for you because he’s already been calling Momoi a lot more frequently for help than you recently

so you even offered to mop the gym floors after practice, offered to stay later than usual to be the one to lock up the gym for anyone (cough, Kuroko) who wanted to practice whenever they wanted

at one point, you even tried to do what Momoi does: researching on upcoming teams and making your own predictions (that didn’t really work, and that cost you a few nights’ worth of sleep every single time)

not to mention that you still had regular school like any other student? you were the epitome of a mess

Kuroko was with you in the empty gym, you putting away the extra basketballs in the storage closet while he practiced his dribbling, until he heard a crash in there and a few basketballs rolled out the door

you collapsed right when you rolled in the basketball cart

POOR KUROKO HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO // he just tries to give you a piggyback ride as he abandons his plans of practice and tries to jog to the nearest local clinic

that’s where he bumped into Kise, who was heading home after an evening shoot when he saw the two of you

chaos ensue as Kise freaks out and Kuroko had to calm him down himself after answering the never-ending questions

at least the doctor there gave relieving news that you only collapsed from over-exhaustion and that the bruises from the fall were very faint

Kise makes a joke to Kuroko about, “What’s with you and (y/n)-cchi falling to the floor and fainting? You guys can’t be that alike.”

when you shortly regain consciousness, you were met with a… very stern Kuroko and Kise, who were both ready to hear your explanation and to scold you to oblivion

to your surprise, they were understanding; Kuroko understands the feeling of not being enough and working hard to meet other people’s expectations, and Kise understands the struggle of juggling multiple things in his schedule (come on, student, athlete, and model?)

they still scolded your ears off:

“(y/n)-san, you idiot. Why didn’t you ask anyone to help out?”

“That’s…”

“(y/n)-cchi, do you think we’re undependable?!”

“Er, no, that’s…”

you were still dizzy from the fall and the lack of proper sleep (and maybe nutrition if we’re being honest), and you were just a ball of stress

you kind of begged your best friends not to tell a SOUL to anyone about this incident, especially to Akashi… you didn’t want to look even more incapable in his eyes than you already were

they do agree on one condition: for you to take AT LEAST a day or two off school to completely recover and rest up (you reluctantly agree; besides how were you going to explain the bruises that can’t be covered to your peers?)

HELP WHY ARE KISE AND KUROKO THE BEST LIARS TOGETHER ON CAMPUS LITERALLY NO ONE SUSPECTS A THING… except Akashi, the ever sharp captain, felt something was amiss

especially since some Teiko players emanated a feeling of relief at the news of you not being here that day, or the next

Akashi would play detective sleuth and find out what’s really going on sooner or later

End Note: gonna cut this off here b/c I KNOW this anon got a juicy part two i FEEL IT

[ellewords]

you know those posts of people saying to send a wedding invitation to celebrities because sometimes they’ll send gifts congratulating the couple? and you know how sometimes the celebrity will actually show up? this is my head cannon of who would end up showing up just because.

(little bit of a warning: these are very half-baked and mostly just stream of consciousness because my brain is fried and i’m in need of a distraction from writing essays, but the thought hasn’t left my head, so now you have to deal with my brainrot, mwahahaha!)

i think oikawa would show up to a bunch of weddings for he people he doesn’t know. it starts in argentina when a fan sends him an invite, and he’s stupid happy about it and no one really knows why. he just really enjoys weddings, they suppose. it’s in the area, too, so he buys a gift for the happy couple and he shows up. he genuinely tries to be really low key because he doesn’t want to ruin their big day, so he stays in the back for the ceremony and he is the perfect wedding-goer. at the ceremony, though, he has a much harder time remaining out of the spotlight. when the bride and groom notice that there’s a tiny bit of a commotion happening, they lose their minds when they realize that it’s because oikawa actually showed up!!! they thought he was kidding when he accepted the invite, or maybe that he’d send an assistant or something!!! but nope, there he is, looking both enthused at being the center of attention but also kind of uncomfortable. when the couple lose their minds in front of him, though, being utter fanatics and hyping him up, he eases up and finally begins to have fun, dancing on the dance floor with different people, drinking responsibly, talking to people, bashfully signing autographs. he doesn’t lose steam for even a second, and when the party seems to lull just a little bit too long, he goes out of his way to make sure everyone gets back to enjoying themselves to the fullest (which the bride and groom appreciate). nearly everyone in attendance gets his attention for a short portion of time, and if they don’t, he tries to snag a picture with everyone on the way out. at the very end of the night, he records a short video for the couple telling them how lovely they are, thanking them for the invite and the great time, and wishing them the absolute best. it’s the highlight of their lives, besides, y’know, the whole getting married thing.

it’s gets out that oikawa actually went to a wedding he was invited to by strangers when someone posts a picture of the wedding online and he was spotted in the background, so now he gets invites all the time. he doesn’t go to all of them because he’s busy and some of the places he gets invites from are across the world, but if the location intrigues him and he has the time, he’ll usually be there.

kageyama would definitely go, too! but it would be mostly because he can’t remember for the life of him if he knows the couple, and it stresses him the hell out. he’s definitely gotten a lot more confident since he was in school, but at the root of him is still an awkward kid who questions everything about himself if it’s not volleyball. so he panics about it for weeks before the wedding, wondering what they’ll want as a gift, accidentally tricking himself into believing that he does in fact know the couple and buying a gift that he assumes they’ll like based off of thinking it’s one of his old classmates from school and buying something that they’d like. and when he doesn’t recognize either of them at the ceremony, he gets so distracted trying to place anyone’s face as someone he knows and he just can’t for the life of him figure it out. he’s half a beat behind everyone when they start cheering for the couple as the kiss and leave because he’s so deep in thought. it isn’t until the reception that he finds out that he doesn’t actually know anyone and he gets so pouty about having stressed over it for so long that he broods in a corner, trying to avoid everyone. he doesn’t start to enjoy himself until someone recognizes him and rambles for nearly ten minutes about how amazing he is and about this one play that he did that they practiced for weeks after seeing it but they still couldn’t nail and that he was their inspiration. imagine everyone’s surprise when they find them in the hallway of the reception hall with a volleyball kageyama had in his car, kageyama teaching the person how he did it. a small game breaks out in the obnoxiously big hallway with a scrappy set up of chairs precariously piled on top of each other until they were high enough and a bunch of coat jackets tied together along the top and bottom of where a net would be so they can see through. the noise is just barely softer than the music, but they gather a bit of a crowd until the game is over, and as much as kageyama enjoyed it, he apologizes to the bride and groom afterwards for feeling like he took away their spotlight. they laugh and say they don’t mind as long as the groom can play the next match.

a picture of kageyama smiling and cheering as his impromptu teammate makes a good play goes viral days later and kageyama does everything in his power to get the pictures taken at the wedding so he has the memories of that night forever. he even sends an awkward thank you card to the couple after.

ushijima accepts an invite, too; mostly because he feels it would be rude not to accept when they spent the time and money going out of their way to send him one. he spends a lot of money getting them a gift, and he cleans up super nicely, and he’s almost distracting for the entire ceremony. the quiet mysterious type suits him well, and everyone notices as he stays in the back, politely applauding when necessary and offering tissue to anyone crying and helping when it’s needed. at the reception, he mostly stays in his seat, but he stops to have conversations with anyone that comes by. most of them are very to the point, and don’t get longer than a few minutes because ushijima doesn’t beat around the bush much, but as off-putting as it sounds, everyone absolutely adores him. some people are trying to size him up, but he’s just too straightforward about how they are perfectly good on their own without having to compare themselves that they wander off shocked that he was so... nice? no, he is, but that’s not quite it... honest? about it all that they feel validated and off-kilter by the time they walk away. others come over to ask him to dance, which he politely accepts and he’s just so earnest in his attempt that they can’t even be upset that he’s a little stiff and bumbling. if anything, they fall for his charm even more. as he leaves, everyone insists that he take a few plates to-go and that if he ever needed anything, all he had to do was ask. he was very confused by this proclamation as he didn’t know anyone well enough. in his bag of to-go boxes, however, he finds a ton of business cards and stuff that he stores away just in case he does need any of their services.

at his next interview, he gets asked about the entire experience, and as always, he’s super honest: “i had a wonderful time. everyone was very kind. that being said, i felt as if i was intruding on a very personal moment meant to be shared by those you hold dearest, so as much as i appreciate the sentiment, i do not plan to attend anymore weddings if i don’t know someone involved. it should be their big day, after all, and i would hate to distract from it.” if he gets anymore invites, he politely declines and instead sends them a gift and his congratulations.

i’ve been gone for a few days because of school, but i’ve been itching to send something in ever since i saw the wedding prompt. plus, all of the hc coming in from it have been so good! you have so many talented followers, and your additions are great as always, elle!

anyway, i have to get back to school. hope school is going well for you, elle! and make sure you’re taking care of yourself! -🌙

— from elle ! wait, hold on i love this >_< but hello moon anon !! i hope all those essays are working out well for you and i hope you’re able to take breaks in between :) anyways, this definitely made me love and i like that it’s true to the characters (esp. kags). my quick lil scenarios (under the cut as usual) is kind of an amalgamation of what you sent in because i'm just thinking of what would happen if the couple took a shot in the dark and invited all three of them. and they all attend :>> thank you for this and i hope you are having a wonderful day ! <3 

᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ˚ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃

“yohoo, tobio-chan!” kageyama heard, a figure sliding into the empty seat next to him. the voice is airy, familiar, one that he had heard several times in the past. the ceremony was due to start in five minutes, everyone from the guests to the wedding party already taking their respective place.

he narrows his eyes towards the figure, recognising the man just after a couple of quick beats, “oikawa-san?”

“ah! i'm glad you could still recognise me.” oikawa grinned, squinting his eyes at the vast amounts of sunlight that entered through the windows, “too bright in here, isn’t it?” 

“what are you doing back in japan?” he asked, eyes growing wide as he’s unsure if the sight in front of him was actually real. 

 “visiting family, taking a little vacation.” oikawa replied, leaning back in his seat, “so how do you know the happy couple?”

“i...i'm not sure.” kageyama admitted, looking down at his lap in embarrassment.

“can you keep a secret tobio?” oikawa leaned in to whisper, waiting for him to nod before continuing, “i don’t think i know them either.”

__

it was about halfway through the ceremony and oikawa was getting just a little bit restless; he loved weddings, truly, but this one was dragging on much longer than the ones he previously attended. his gaze was lingering everywhere — from the loved-up gazes of the couple, the flowers that lined the aisles, to the guests who hung onto every word of the vows. one of the guests in particular was more familiar than most.

“pst, tobio.” he spoke, nudging kageyama’s shoulder, “doesn’t that guy look familiar?” 

he tilted his head towards the man who sat at the very back row, trying his best to keep a relatively low profile. kageyama followed with his eyes, attempting to be as discreet as he could. he recognised the man immediately, “that’s ushijima-san!”

maybe kageyama had exclaimed a little too loudly, earning himself a few shhhhs from the people who sat around him. he bows his head slightly as an apology while oikawa bites his lip to hold in his laughter.

__

the three of them were able to meet up during the reception, opting to sit at the same table — the one farthest away from everyone as to not draw any attention to themselves. well, oikawa insisted that they did and kageyama and ushijima didn’t really know anyone else to be comfortable enough to sit with them.

“what did you both get the bride and groom?” oikawa asked as an attempt to make conversation, taking a sip from the glass in front of them.

ushijima was one to spare no expense when it came to gifts, but he wasn’t one to brag about the cost of it either, “just a simple tea set. nothing much.”

what he failed to mention was that simple tea set cost several thousands of yen. but of course, oikawa took it as a bit of an opportunity to one-up ushijima and brags about his gifts. yes, gifts. plural.

__

ushijima was in the bathroom and oikawa had gotten the attention of a couple of bridesmaids — flirting with him while he tried his best to subtly deflect their advances — leaving kageyama all alone at the table.

he felt a hand tap on his shoulder, soft and hesitant, “kageyama tobio?”

“yes?” kageyama asked, turning to face the source of the voice. he’s met with a teenage boy, possibly not older than sixteen, looking at him with complete nervousness in his eyes.  

“i'm sorry to bother you. but i've just been such a huge fan of yours for the longest time and i wasn’t even sure if i should approach you but i really needed to let you know how much you have inspired me and i still have so much to learn but...uh, yeah.” the boy finished, looking at everything but kageyama at that point.

and a light flush colors kageyama’s cheeks, completely flustered. it was the first time anyone had approached him like that before, and he’s unsure how exactly to take the compliments. but he noticed the way the fan’s hands trembled, and he recalls all the times he’s approached the players he was a fan of when he was his age. “is there anything you need help with?”

__

needless to say, oikawa and ushijima were surprised when they found their table completely devoid of kageyama’s presence; only to find him in the incredibly large hallways with a makeshift volleyball court with chairs haphazardly stacked on top one another.

“where did you get that?” ushijima asked, pointing towards the volleyball that kageyama held in his hands.

“my car.” he replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“well then,” oikawa smirked, eyes lighting up as he looked around the halls, especially at the gathering crowd, “how about a friendly little match?”

kageyama and the fan he was meant to be teaching stood on one side of the makeshift court while oikawa and ushijima stood opposite them, getting into position. most of the guests had their phones out, recording everything and posting it on social media.

“at least i will finally know what it’s like to finally play with you in a team instead of against you.” ushijima commented, briefly glancing at his teammate for the night.

oikawa choked on air, taking a few seconds to compose himself before responding, “should have come to shiratorizawa, huh?”

it was barely even noticeable, barely lasted a few seconds, but ushijima cracked a smile. 

__

the night ends with the newlyweds approaching the three of them, expressing their gratefulness for their invitations but also apologising for stealing their thunder on their wedding, going so far as to offering to pay for their honeymoon.

“as tempting as that may be,” the bride smiled, “it really is no problem. we’re surprised that you even attended in the first place.

the groom nodded in agreement, “we had a lot of fun watching you play tonight, so we feel like we should be thanking you more. you didn’t have to bring gifts too.”

oikawa waved a hand as if to say it’s nothing, while kageyama and ushijima offer tickets to their next match in exchange for photos from the wedding — particularly that of their little volleyball match.

the three of them finally make their way out into the night and into their respective cars, but not before oikawa lets out one more question.

“the three of us should hang out more,” oikawa smiled, not a trace of teasing or malice in his tone, just a genuine offer, “at least once before i get back to argentina.”

years ago, none of them would even consider such a thing, but all three liked to think that they moved past such trivial things.

kageyama gave him a small smile, “alright.”

᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ˚ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃

a question: what would the hq characters be like at a wedding?  |  written on the margins masterlist

taglist : @haikyuutothetop @crystal-lilac @tobioespresso @sushijimawakatoshi @itsmeaudrieee @pantherhappy @jesssobs @mysticstrawberryballoon @cloudedsky_29 @sakusasimpbot​

join my hq taglist here. <3

[amjustagirl]

Nikki~ i finally had some time to finish up WTSLTM and i have happy tears! i gotta say, Reader is definitely made of some strong stuff, so when she completely broke down outside of Kou's hotel room, i wanted to give her a hug! having to grow up constantly defending yourself from other people can be exhausting, and even if you think you have thick skin, it can wear you down so much! i'm happy she has Kou though 😊 they're dynamic is so sweet, and he's so earnest and kind and i'm glad he was able to prove to her that he has her back every step of the way (despite his fumble before) and that the world is still full of kind people.

also, i was chomping at the bit for Bo and Mama Reader to meet and i'm so happy they did! and i absolutely love that the two most important people in her life are also the two kindest that she knows! i love how well they get along, and what mom doesn't embarrass their kids a little with the cute baby pictures? 😚

oh, and their boys!! they're all little Kou's, that's adorable! ;w; Bo would be such an amazing dad and i'm glad he sets some good examples for his boys!

this was a ride! both sweet and very raw, and i'm so happy i got to read this! i can't wait to read about Sachiko bringing home a Kou of her own to Omi-Omi! and to be fair, as far as boys go, i think she's in excellent hands! 💞

thank you so much for this, lovely! and i hope you're feeling better! 😟 last August i had to go to the doctor for some horrendous menstrual cramps! i was literally sobbing the whole way there! 😣 i hope you're feeling better, and if not i hope you get better soon!

in the meantime, i'm gonna go back and read Dreamcatcher! YES, AGAIN!! i am in love with Akaashi and i was thinking of doing a fic with him for NaNoWriMo this month! all of my ideas so far are pretty tragic though! 😫😖 i don't know if i have the voice to pull that off, but i've definitely been gathering inspiration from re-reading all of my favorite Akaashi fics! 🤗😚💞

lily!!! i'm glad you loved when the sun loves the moon and finished it with happy tears! the reader is really a strong cookie, and i feel it's most impactful when we see strong people crumble, and that's why it was so impt for bo to step up when he did. he's good for her, proves to her that he and the world can be kind, gives her hope because she's never had that before, and yeah - they have their happily ever after forever :)

HAHA their family - the reader's mama, her three little boys, just thinking of them gives me a rush of serotonin! and sachiko being part of that fold just makes me v v excited, i haven't been in the right headspace to post the story because i'm still working hard on my kuroo prequel fic, but it'll come, eventually.

i'm okay! getting better, almost completely recovered save for remnant cramps...but yeah pls take care of yourself too! and just be mindful how your body's feeling and seek medical help asap where needed!

and awwww you shld! akaashi's such a lovely character to write, and i think you're being too hard on yourself. i don't believe your ideas can be tragic!!!

[incorrect-ikevamp-quotes]

YO SEBAS’ ROUTE HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED FOR JP I CANT WAIT!!! Do you have any theories of what could happen in his route?!?

Haha, yes, I saw this morning! For those who haven’t yet seen the announcement, it has been said that Sebastian’s route will be coming to the JPN version of Ikevamp on August 25th! It’s very exciting news, and I can’t wait to get started translating after I finish Dazai’s.

Honestly I’m finding this so many degrees of hilarious because I was like “oh ya I’m curious” at first, but after seeing that character introduction video with the lil forehead kiss and the horny as all HELL biting, I’m SLAMMING the horny button holy shit??? (I have that card CG in the JPN ver of the game on my phone and. lord jesus. That scowl. WILL HE STEP ON ME ONEGAI AKIHIKO)

Putting the rest under a cut bc is long and has some JPN ver spoilers:

That being said, let’s address the second part of the ask, shall we? Theories! If I’m honest I’m not surprised Sebastian was next on the docket, but I do admit I’m thoroughly surprised by the CG of him biting MC in earnest--he visibly draws blood on her neck and shoulder. This raises so many questions that are likely to be reiterated endlessly until his rt comes out in full, the most pressing of which is: does Sebastian turn into a vampire? Or is he just really into sadistic foreplay?

If I’m honest I sincerely don’t know if he’s fully turned, only because I’m trying to sort out the information we do have. Why turn into a vampire if the goal is to be with MC, who is also human? If we follow this course of thought, it doesn’t seem to make much sense, does it?

But then our boi Sebas is different in terms of his internalized conflict when compared to the vampires. Granted I may turn out to be wrong about this, but I think the two focal points of his route will be as follows: insecurity and the pursuit of knowledge. Remember that the reason Sebastian (our dearest Akihiko Sato) agrees to Comte’s proposal at all is his insatiable curiosity. I mean just think about it. If Comte told all that stuff about the mansion to someone in modern times, they would probably just figure he was a crazy person and go on with their day. But Sebas, the absolute madlad, agreed; he wanted to see if it was true, and to learn everything he could about people who exhibit extraordinary talent. 

I foresee that this, however, may become a double-edged sword. Curiosity killed the cat, as they say. What I mean to say is that it could be very possible he might turn or undergo something similar to the changing process in order to experience what it’s like firsthand (whether to prove he can handle it or because he wants to understand the residents better/gather info). Furthermore, while Sebastian is curious--with no malicious intent at all--this doesn’t mean that envy is impossible in this kind of scenario, either. Admiration and envy are like two sides of a coin; depending on how one interprets information, they can skew to self-consciousness or inspiration. Given the content I’ve seen for Sebastian so far (and man has it been limited as all heck) I often get the implication that he truly does feel inadequate in some ways compared to the other men. As soon as MC chooses him a kind of overwhelming awareness of his normalcy begins; the implication that he is the wrong or lesser choice. Knowing this, I truly wouldn’t be surprised if problems arise as a result of this self-effacing.

(Note: I don’t think that about Sebastian at all, personally! I think he’s very mindful of others and really astute--to say nothing of his skill when it comes to the domestic sphere. I don’t think just anybody could do what he does, and he sells himself far too short. I always think of how the men call him the Ninja Butler and praise how capable he is, how they freely admit the place wouldn’t be the same without him. Sometimes I wish Sebas could see that, though I understand his concerns as well ;-; I’m always torn bc I’ll be like “I understand but alSO N O”)

Besides those latent insecurities, time to expand more on the pursuit of knowledge. In one way this drive might feed his self-derision; he might believe that the more he is able to do and understand and study, the more he can be of use/help other people. (Put simply his value as a person = the increasing extent of his knowledge in an almost linear relationship; without it he is nothing). On the other hand, I think he just genuinely enjoys collecting information the way he does! He likes assessing all the different ways people behave and why, and how this contributes to how they think and who they are. More insight offers him more ways to preoccupy his endlessly moving mind, but it also offers proximity with the subject in question. This to me is absolutely key--I think so much of his studying the great men is linked to his admiration, his wish to be like them and/or his wish to be close to them.

I’d like to address a quick reference to the drinking event that recently released in the ENG version of the app, if only to expand on/clarify where this is coming from. It essentially featured Sebastian and Napoleon sharing a drink together at a bar and in it, Sebastian speaks to the way that he encountered Napoleon in his life, and the reason why he grew so fond of him. He speaks to a childhood entirely detached from the people of his own time, roving through the shelves of libraries, reading endlessly to fill that void. It was a quote by Napoleon that caught his eye and inspired him, and ostensibly the words of people long past that gave him the strength to keep moving forward. This information, coupled with his strange excitement in Isaac’s rt introduction about how Isaac used to throw hands with people who mocked him seems to bring to the forefront a few things for me. 

Sebastian is highly, highly individualistic: he doesn’t seem to care much about what is conventional or normal, only in what brings him joy and makes others comfortable/happy. His life is highly internal, but I sense no anti-sociality in this removal from societal expectations. He just lives his own way and tries not to trouble anyone. (This is also highly notable in his acute impatience with Dazai’s shenanigans/ineptitudes now and again; while he doesn’t always scold or explode, he shows a sharp and surprising impatience with willful/harmful/irresponsible behavior.) He’s tactful and measured, but highly excitable under the right circumstances. He also doesn’t seem to think much of his own life re: self-derision. Think Leonardo’s rt ending: he insists that the serial killer focus on him and not on MC, he tells her he has no qualms with dying if it means she’ll make it out alive. MC has to be the one to tell him to think more of his own life. As such I wouldn’t put it past him to have enough nerdy reckless energy to test the waters of being a vampire (all the better if it helps him understand the great men).

Comte once said it in an event story a few months ago, but I think he really hit the nail on the head in some respects. He says something to the effect of “His curiosity is admirable, but please Sebastian--some things are to remain private.” Sebastian doesn’t intend to be intrusive or malicious, he just likes knowing things for the sake of knowing. It’s about the cones answering his nerdy desire to piece things together, not stepping on people’s toes. (It’s nice too because Comte seems to understand this and doesn’t see it as a shortcoming/nuisance, he just tries to nudge Sebas in a different direction if he starts prying too close to people’s personal business ;-; pls pardon the Comte love I just can’t help myself)

Enter Johann Georg Faust.

Now then we know very little about the reserved priest doctor, but there are tidbits of information that we can work with (or at the very least, stand out to me a lot). The one I would like to focus on for this explanation is the little blurb that appears when you open the Ikevamp app and it’s loading, providing something like trivia facts for each character. In the ENG app we got those early, but we don’t have the ones for our antagonists. Iirc, Faust’s reads something to the effect of “will often sneak substances into their (as in the castle residents Vlad and Charles’) food to test the effect of his concoctions on vampires.” There have been hints that Faust is to be our mad scientist of sorts; that he is experimenting under Vlad’s orders to find a reliable way to transform a human being into an immortal equivalent to that of a pureblood. But I have mentioned on more than one occasion that I really don’t think Faust is only doing all of this for Vlad. He has his own curiosity that is seeking to be alleviated, perhaps he is satisfied with having another puzzle dumped in his lap--a means to distract himself and exhaust his faculties. 

(One has to wonder if Vlad turned them under the same principle of desperation, and if that were the case, what Faust and Charles might desire more than anything else...Is Faust operating on a kind of necessity to atone? Has he simply given up hope that scientific advancement can happen without someone getting hurt, and so he does his best to balance the good and bad wrought by his explorations? Is he trying to bring someone back himself, is he trying to stall Vlad’s efforts in his own way? I really can’t be sure; there are just too many unanswered questions when it comes to Faust...)

This is where Sebastian and Faust begin to overlap. The pursuit of knowledge, an insatiable curiosity, a capacity to overreach the bounds of appropriate civility/decorum to get the information they want. It could potentially serve as a temptation for Sebas; become a vampire by Vlad’s hand and you can watch history over the span of generations. Assist in the development of an immortal, and you won’t even need someone like Comte to walk you through the different eras of time--you could explore yourself. While Sebas seems to be motivated more by service to other people, there can be no doubt that this could cause a great deal of friction. He will have to work to remind himself why he’s doing what he does and what it means to him, and whether or not becoming a vampire is truly what he wants.

But, there is also the issue of Vlad’s telepathic manipulations. Is it possible that an encounter with Faust (and by extension, proximity to Vlad/meeting Vlad head-on) could result in Sebastian being turned/experimented on without his knowledge? I.e. Vlad using his compulsion and sending him home with a word or memory of what happened. Though that’s certainly not the only possible explanation available. The other thing I was thinking about was a mechanic that was introduced in event stories prior to Sebas’ MS announcement. In the event story, MC and her suitor of choice encounter a street merchant that boasts a serum that can turn people into vampires. They, of course, don’t believe him--but the vial is procured and MC either purposefully or accidentally is exposed to it (i.e she knocks it over and it shatters in Leo’s ES). For a brief time, she exhibits vampiric qualities; she feels the thirst for blood as acutely as any of the other vampires in the mansion. I.e. In Napoleon’s ES, Sebas notices something wrong with MC when they’re just pouring vials of Rouge--the usual prepwork--and she runs out of the room looking dazed. Her odd/new instincts are only alleviated when she bites and drinks Napoleon’s blood, but after that single episode she shows no further signs of vampiric qualities. It’s a temporary but acute transformation. While I have no specifics as to how this is possible, I have to wonder if something similar might be done to Sebastian; whether as a means to test him (does he really want this? find out after the commercial break) or a kind of trick/trap laid by the antagonists. I remain unsure, but these are the two most likely explanations that come to mind if he hasn’t been fully turned.

As to whether or not his vampirism will be permanent, I’ve genuinely been oscillating on that one. I think it’s certainly possible given his intrigue (I never see much fear in him) with vampirism and his probable enjoyment with the prospect of an endless life learning about things (I can literally hear Leonardo screaming internally and I’m ngl it’s sad and funny). But there’s also something about the bite CG that speaks to strain/alarm, to surprise--that he wasn’t at all aware of the changes within himself--and I have to wonder if it might put him off of the prospect (like that he lost control/hurt MC)...Essentially I think it will just really boil down to how the symptoms come about (temporary or permanent), and how much his affections for MC might deter that curiosity/possible wish (if temporary, he might not touch the prospect again--if permanent, THAT WOULD BE SO FUCKING SEXY BECAUSE I’d wager the rest of the route might be MC trying to help him adjust/recover IN A SEXY WAY).

(Note post-translation: I fucking HATE IT HERE. The bite CG text says smth to the effect of “The bloodlust is unbearable--stay away from me; I don’t think I’ll be able to keep from attacking you.”) In light of this information, I am this 👌 close to launching myself straight into the sun. OFC his route is gonna be sweet as all shit and then it’s just gonna go downhill from there with angst. WHYYYYYYYYYY AKIHIKO (at least his voice is mega sexy and heals my wounds OTL) It also says something about “a fate that is greatly moved” so that does suggest a more permanent change than the temporary alternatives I mentioned (though we all know how Cybird loves to jerk us around so I’m leaving that up for debate)...this shit better be hurt/comfort or i s2g im throwing hands

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA THE ANTICIPATION IS KILLING ME!!!!!!!

Here’s hoping he’ll make for a delightful surprise! I’m looking forward to it c: 

[divine-motion]

don’t fucking interact if you ship t/cest and minor/adult ships

more shitty phone photos of sketchbook sketches for my tmnt fan incarnation/tmnt 2012 rewrite bc i have no shame and i’m having fun with it! pictures should have captions since i spent time writing them out, but tumblr might mess it up, so in case captions doesn’t work: 1. left to right: leo, donatello up, raphael down, michelangelo 2. Casey Jones up top, April O’Neil to the right, donatello in the middle and karai at the bottom 3. casey and don again, raphael to the left, mikey at the bottom just bc i liked how their their expressions turned out and didn’t want a bunch of negative space so don and case appear again 4. size chart featuring turtles. left to right: leo, don, mikey, raph 5. sketchy Slash design. big boy.

general thoughts character stuff below the Keep Reading. A Lot of rambling below so beware!!

April: 15 years old, trans and bi. local fifteen year old telepath finds out that not everyone is able to feel what other people are feeling, something she’s been able to do since she was six after she played in that one weirdly glowy puddle (early Kraang mutagen attempt that only managed to mutate April in the sense that it gave her telepathy, was originally intended to make humans become part of the Kraang hivemind). she’s largely unfazed by the existence of mutants and aliens, taking it in stride, and finds out about the Kraang - and meets the turtles - while snooping around TCRI business (aspiring journalist that she is) and accidentally witnessing the mutation of Snakeweed. her telepathy, which later as she grows in power alongside the turtles extends to telekinesis and basically possession, is very useful whenever she gets into a scrap since she can predict what moves her opponent will make, thus letting her dodge their blows effectively. personality wise she is a very determined and driven young girl, incredibly curious (and cannot mind her own business, she wants to know all the drama while not having to be part of it... which makes her very fortunate to be a telepath. listen she’s 15 she’s allowed to misuse her powers a little bit. as a treat.), playful, and cheerful, and she’s an extroverted autistic. in her spare time between her studies, she likes to play bass, sing, read, and write. that, and investigating whatever shady business is going on in town, and she makes it very clear to the turtles that even if they weren’t going to deal with the Kraang, she’d continue to try to stop them herself. she would like to not live under the threat of her or her loved ones getting mutated, thank you very much! and, you know, it’s kind of exciting. kind of.

i know it’s bc i have brain issues when it comes to parent figures but i am very much leaning towards Splinter not being... a good dad. i don’t think 2012 Splinter is a good dad anyways but i’d probably amp it up, make him a mix of 2012 and idw probably. i’m still mulling it over but like, remember in the season 1 finale when leo is watching his show and thinks the captain guy making a totally unnecessary sacrifice is a heroic move, and then Splinter tells leo (his fifteen year old child) that leo should know what or who to sacrifice, more or less telling him to sacrifice his brothers’ lives, potentially?? i know there was a lot at stake but hello??? i remember watching it and being like me: ah i see, this is showing that splinter is wrong and there is no need for any sacrifices as seen in the show when the captain Goes Down With His Ship for no reason other than just sacrificing himself, and leo will see that- leo: *tries to sacrifice himself twice in the finale, both times being kind of unnecessary/seemed like if he had just hurried or done something slightly different there would be no need to stay behind, and he gets out fine with no consequences, seemingly no injuries, and does Not learn anything, his brothers don’t even get sad when they think he died or get mad at him for pulling such a dumb move) me: surprised_pikachu.jpeg

like that moment haunts me. has any other splinter told their sons to sacrifice himself or his brothers? has any other splinter put that on them??? idw doesn’t count if he has bc he’s more explicitly supposed to be bad so???

sometimes writers think they’ve made an uncle iroh but they really, really, really haven’t. also his backstory is the same as in the show

anyways. Donatello: 15 years old, bog turtle, nonbinary (he/they, doesn’t mind being called brother but doesn’t like to be called “boy” or “girl” or whatever), bi. he isn’t in love with April. no creepy incel shit here. donnie is instead more like a mix between his Rise and 2003 self. he has trouble expressing himself and is pretty introverted, but he is very altruistic, kind, and compassionate. a lot of his inventions are made to help people and he was driven to learn about science and engineering because he wants to find a way to reverse splinter’s mutation, to give splinter his life and humanity back. he feels like he needs to know if splinter would just abandon them if he wasn’t a huge rat man, needs to know if there’s any part of splinter that blames them for being constant reminders of his mutation. other than that, he also likes to make inventions because he’s a dreamer and wants to experiment to see how much of the unknown he can push beyond. also, the best liar out of the turtles. also fairly good at compromising and prefers to solve conflicts without violence he can get a little... “obnoxious 15 year old genius” at times. even when he’s helpful it can come off as a bit “poor dear isn’t as smart as me”, and while he usually gets along well with Raph, he doesn’t handle Raph’s temper well at all (calls him “Wrathael/Wrath” and thinks he’s being super clever) and gets really dismissive of Raph’s “outbursts”.

Michelangelo: 13 years old, diamondback terrapin, unsure about the gender and sexuality thing but he doesn’t think he’s exactly cis and definitely not straight. a bouncy ball of sunshine and surprising emotional maturity and emotional intelligence! more so than his emotionally constipated brothers, at least. it’s on his thirteenth birthday (it was leo’s idea for them to pick dates that would let them have their own birthdays instead of sharing the “Mutation Day”, Mutation Day being another special “holiday”) that the Plot would be set in motion, as he’s finally allowed to go to the surface same as his brothers, and on this first night out they meet April and the Kraang and other mutants. he is a goof still, but he’s capable in his own right and gets frustrated when people treat him like a baby or an idiot because he’s not. he doesn’t always treat everything with the seriousness it should but like. he’s thirteen, he’s having fun. even so, he’s very insistent of taking responsibility whenever he does do something wrong and gets mad if someone tries to take the blame for something he’s done. definitely the most compassionate and empathetic out of the turtles, he’s quick to make friends and is very persuasive due to his earnest nature and good heart. much like donnie, he prefers to solve conflict without violence but does enjoy knocking skulls a lot more than donnie. unlike donnie, though, he is almost overly forgiving and not petty at all. he’s well aware that his kindness and forgiveness may be taken advantage of, but he still likes to approach people with an open hand, even if he knows that it may end up getting bitten. oh, and his hobbies include drawing, cooking, singing, and dancing. he likes to express himself!

Raphael: 14 years old, mississippi map turtle, trans, bi. all his fury is compressed within his tiny body, that’s why he’s so angry all the time! no, he’s not angry all the time, but he does have a short fuse. he absolutely hates his anger issues which leads to a lot of self-loathing, and a lot of frustration as his family members either don’t take his anger seriously or don’t have the tools to help him with it. he’s the physically strongest out of the bunch and the least agile. he loves animals and plants a lot and keeps a lot of flowers in his room, hoping that he can one day become a gardener. as his idw self, he wants to watch things grow, but no matter what he does he seems to be best at destroying things. he’s also the one most self-conscious about how the human world perceives them, as he greatly fears rejection, and is the first one to see something positive with people getting mutated - namely, that maybe this way mutants will be more well known and finally accepted by society, so he’ll no longer be trapped in the sewer until the end of his days. so yeah, he’s a huge optimist, in truth. also he’s great at knitting - great at creating and taking care of things in general - and there’s no leo and raph rivalry this time around. he can get mad at leo but not really more than he gets with his other brothers.

Casey: 15 years old, nonbinary (they/them), bi. teen vigilante who gets inspired to fight mutants and the big time criminals (no beating up pickpockets or shoplifters or whatever, just the ones that are really hurting people) and gets roped into the turtle fam after meeting raph and becoming unexpected friends (everyone was expecting it, once Casey realized that mutants are people and not weird monsters. well, not all the time, anyways). they struggle a bit in school not because of a lack of trying but a lack of time, as their parents work full time jobs and someone has to take care of casey’s little sister. their parents are very loving, but they only have so much time, so casey takes it upon themselves to take care of their little sister when their parents are busy and/or burned out from work. that, and they run into the classic dilemma of vigilante work clashing with school work. as always, they have a short fuse, they’re pretty cocky, they like beating ass, and they like hockey a whole lot. hockey, vigilante work, school, and taking care of their little sister... yeah, they have a lot on their plate. oh, and making their little inventions like the taser glove and their puck bombs, something that they bond with donnie over.

Leonardo: 17 years old, Central American wood turtle, trans, gay. he doesn’t fall in love with his sister oh my god. ahem. so, leo is raised from the start to be a Leader and has to mature very quickly, learning to be an adult way earlier than he should’ve, and as such he is very stoic and quiet, and doesn’t seem to have any hobbies, instead just doing chores and training almost constantly, and when he’s not doing that he’s reading or sleeping in his free time. he’s incredibly protective of his younger brothers and his other allies/friends, even if he acts distant and detached most of the time, and removes himself from situations where they’re having fun to not be the stick in the mud. he loves his brothers and admires them greatly, believing they could be So Much if the surface world would just accept them, and as a result he tries to be The Soldier so his brothers won’t have to. alas, they still get caught up in the Kraang and Shredder business, which frustrates him internally. he is the best fighter out of the turtles on account of having more years to train (and convincing Splinter to wait a few more years before they got Real training bc Come On Dude They’re Kids) but it’s the Only thing he’s good at, along with stealth and his sharp eyes. he absolutely sucks at talking when it isn���t about a mission or something he can script easily in his head. in his mind, he’s supposed to be more of a weapon than a person, an idea that isn’t exactly encouraged by Splinter... but not exactly discouraged either. his arc would be very paralleled with Karai’s, as they would both learn to hate their dads... also, absolutely down for murder, and a lawful neutral at best, putting his family and friends’ safety above all other things and following a strict personal code. doesn’t care too much for society’s laws, though.

Karai: 16 years old, demigirl, lesbian. same backstory as in the show, she’s born as Miwa but gets taken by Oroku Saki and raised as his daughter. however, she doesn’t exactly want revenge against Hamato Yoshi because she believes that he killed her mother. she never knew her mother, so it’s much more difficult to hate someone for taking her mother away, even if it does mean that she never got to know her mother. especially since her father rarely spoke of what her mother was like, and much more about how much he hates Yoshi. instead, her need for revenge is more for the possibly idyllic life she was robbed of, since she believes that maybe, just maybe, her father Saki would’ve been a kind father that would’ve let her have a normal childhood and not be molded into a warrior from the start if her mother still lived. and hey, maybe Tang Shen would be a nice mom too. being trained in the art of deception, Karai has a tendency to talk a lot and say very little, or at least very little that is true. she is rarely ever sincere and acts as if she’s taking nothing seriously, which is part of her defense mechanism to never let anyone close or see her true self. she mocks pretty much everyone, ally and enemy alike, but especially likes to make fun of her father’s henchmen and is always the first to point out their failures. while she does value honor to some extent, she is a bit “flimsy” when it comes to loyalty, especially after the truth about her father is revealed. when that is revealed, she at first just feels very numb, learning that not only has she been nothing but a tool and a weapon for the Shredder from the very start, but also that the idyllic fantasy where her mother still lived, perhaps her life wouldn’t be so different after all. she looks at leonardo and sees a reflection of herself, that her “real” father chose to train his sons the same way the Shredder trained her. she feels stupid for feeling like she’s been robbed of even a fantasy, but it still enrages her. of course, this also inspires her to stay with the Foot Clan... just to get the kill on Shredder.

... yeah. that got long. ahem. i’m very passionate about this unfortunately!! anyways i might draw/write more for it because no one can stop me and i’m having fun

[ilonga]

The Phantom Menace in my Avatar Au

posting it separately for organization purposes!! 

here’s an overview of the avatar au:

https://ilonga.tumblr.com/post/626261708362727424/star-warsavatar-au

you can find snippets, asks, and more info under the tag “star wars/avatar au” on my tumblr!!

anyways, here it is:

So Anakin lived with Shmi in a poor Earth nation village filled with workers like them and more or less owned by the earthbender Watto. The workers (farmers, for the most part) only got to keep a little of their share for themselves and were basically terrorised by Watto day and night. Watto considered the workers below him and enjoyed lauding his power over them and making them suffer. He used his earthbending to intimidate and terrify them (pinning them down in the Earth when they displeased him, on one notable occasion throwing a rock down on someone’s arm and crippling them for life). If he was displeased with someone, he’d often pin their arms and legs in rock and leave them there, with no food or water, until his whims were satisfied and he let them out.

One of Anakin’s earliest memories was trying to sneak his mother food and water the countless times it happened to her (it happened to him once, too, and he’d never been so terrified in his life).

Save Anakin and one older woman who was an airbender, there were no other benders in that village. Both hid it for fear of what Watto would do to them if he found out (they could have been separated from their families, maybe, or used for much more dangerous or difficult tasks. On a much darker note, if Watto was in a particularly bad mood, he might have tried to cripple and kill them so they couldn’t inspire or help the workers fight back).

Watto, raised in a rich family, had decided against joining Raava’s Order at a young age, a decision that his father (who also tyrannised the workers in a similar way) supported. He enjoyed the fruits of his workers labor and lived rather lavishly if anything.

So that was their early life.

Padme Amidala, a nonbender and daughter of Jobal, a leader of the Northern Water tribe, was about twelve or thirteen years old when the vicious spirit Maul began terrorising her people. She was a talented archer and hated feeling helpless more than anything. So when representatives of Raava’s Order Qui-gon Jinn and Obi-wan Kenobi came to aid the Water Tribes and track down and defeat the spirit, she snuck along with them as they were tracking Maul. Obi-wan was around nineteen or twenty at the time and considered a tremendously talented waterbender, and Qui-gon Jinn, just like in canon, was quite unorthodox and independent. The two had a healthier relationship than in canon (Qui-gon had accepted and wanted Obi-wan as his apprentice right away rather than the somewhat cruel back and forth that happened in canon).

When they figure out that Padme snuck along, Qui-gon’s rather worried and Obi-wan rather annoyed, but she really is a talented archer and a talented diplomat, and she wins them over quickly enough. Qui-gon can’t help but think she reminds him of a young Obi-wan, and Obi-wan himself at the very least admires her determination.

So. They’re tracking the spirit Maul, who eventually leads him to the isolated village where Anakin and his mother live. They lose track of him (he probably disappears into the surrounding forest) and they seek lodging at the village until they draw Maul out and defeat him. Anakin, who is about ten or eleven at the time, notices them first and takes them to his mother, who in turn directs them to Watto. Anakin doesn’t reveal his bending to them immediately, although it’s clear they suspect something, and once he realizes that they’re from the Order, he has a heated discussion with his mother about it.

“Mom, they could help us,” he says, thinking of Watto and how if anyone would be able to subdue him, it’d be benders of Raava’s Order. He’s cautious, of course, but they’re not earthbenders so they can’t be that bad, can they? And that girl, Padme, was really pretty…

“No,” his mother says, thinking of how Watto’s family has been in power for generations and they always manage to escape the suspicion of outsiders, “but they could help you.”

Watto, on the other hand, is simultaneously thrilled that such important people are visiting, but worried at being found out. So he makes no secret of his earthbending but curbs his visible cruelty and covertly threatens the workers not to let a word of it slip.

So Qui-gon, Obi-wan, and Padme find lodging within the workers’ huts (Watto kicks some workers out of there and moves them into others’ huts because of course he does, which they’re not aware of) and Anakin reveals his bending to them. And they’re excited because a new possible member of Raava’s Order!! But also, alarm bells are going off in their heads because why is this kid so secretive about it and why does he feel he needs to hide his firebending?

They talk to Shmi, and they notice that both her and Anakin avoid talking about Watto entirely, although Anakin’s facial expressions and body language are a lot more expressive. But they notice Shmi’s bruises, and they notice the way both of them tend to subtly flinch whenever Watto, work, or even bending is mentioned. So now they have two things they’re worrying about: Maul, and the condition of the workers in this town (none of that “I didn’t come here to free the slaves” stuff this time around; they’re openly worried, and if there’s something wrong, they want to do something about it). And also, they start to care about the two. Obi-wan takes a liking to Anakin more or less immediately, and Shmi is so kind and so steadfast that the three of them can’t help but admire her.

The next day, Obi-wan and Qui-gon start tracking Maul again. Padme stays behind in the village to observe. Anakin and Padme bond a bit (in a friendly way, definitely not romantically (although maybe slight crushes are involved?)–they’re kids!! ok!! and since there’s way less of an age difference they can just be kids together, enjoying each other’s company). Anakin shows off the tricks he’s managed to teach himself in secret over the years. Padme shows off her archery. They bond over the whole “I hate feeling helpless” spiel and caring a lot about their moms. And although Anakin doesn’t explicitly say it’s Watto he hates being helpless against, they both know who he’s talking about. Padme resolves to do something. That something, she decides, is talking circles around Watto until she can get him to admit to something so that her, Obi-wan, and Qui-gon can move against him openly.

In the meantime, night has fallen once Obi-wan and Qui-gon finally track Maul down. There’s a quick skirmish and they realize Maul is much more dangerous than they anticipated. Then the battle starts in earnest.

It’s long, and messy, and they’re exhausted and still fighting when the sun comes up. They’ve also been slowly getting closer and closer to the village as the battle goes on, and eventually they reach the village proper and now the workers are in danger too. There’s a lot of commotion and Watto comes out of his house (mansion, practically) to see what’s going on.

The three are fighting and Maul lands a hit on Qui-gon that knocks him out of commission, so now two things happen at once:

1) Anakin reveals his bending to the whole village (+Watto) when he steps in to ward off an attack from Maul

2) Maul’s next hit kills Qui-gon

So now, again, two things are happening at once. Obi-wan, furious, finishes off the duel with Maul and kills him (for good). Watto, on the other hand, having seen a demonstration of Anakin’s bending, is furious out of his mind. All thoughts of hiding his cruelty from the outsiders gone, he tries to hurt Anakin, probably alongside mad ravings about Anakin “threatening him”, “defying his power”, “how dare he”, and all that jazz.

It all happens so quickly. Watto throws a rock or something aiming for Anakin, Shmi pushes him out of the way, and Shmi gets trapped under the rock in Anakin’s place. It’s clear she isn’t going to survive. There’s a lot of yelling and reactions, from the village, from Obi-wan who’s still in shock from Qui-gon and Maul’s deaths, from Anakin who’s horrified and furious out of his mind. But Padme’s the one who acts first. She shoots an arrow at Watto, almost as soon as she sees what he’s going to do, and it lands through his heart right after Shmi is crushed.

So now they’re all in shock, yay!

Anyways, Shmi’s last words to Anakin are to go with the benders and Padme and to go learn from Raava’s Order, and that she’ll always be proud of him and loves him dearly. She also tells him to make sure Beru is taken care of and make sure Beru knows Shmi loved her.

Anakin promises.

Qui-gon’s last words to Obi-wan are that he’s proud of him, he loves him, and please take care of the people they’ve found that he’s leaving behind.

Watto has no last words. He dies alone and in shock at being defied for the first time in his life.

The next two days pass in a strange haze. The village is now free, for once in their life. They rebuild and heal, and they form a new leadership where everyone has a voice and no one will be abused again. Padme offers them refuge, should they want it, amongst the waterbenders, but most of them refuse. Beru tells Anakin he should go train with the Order, but that she’s staying here, at the village, with Owen and the others. He tells her to take care of herself and that Shmi loved her like her own daughter. There are tears.

Obi-wan, on the other hand, is grieving. Mostly for Qui-gon, but also for Shmi, the kind woman he’d only known for a few days. Anakin is the one who helps him stay sane and not spiral into his grief and guilt at not being able to defeat Maul before Qui-gon was killed, and Obi-wan helps him in turn with the same. The two bond, and Obi-wan swears to himself that he’ll take Anakin back to the Order and train him himself. He’s not leaving this kid behind.

So they have their funerals, and begin to head back (the shock’s still in place for the three of them, really). Padme and Anakin agree to stay in contact as much as they can, and Obi-wan takes Anakin to the order as Padme heads back home and reunites with her mother (who definitely has a lecture in store for her but is also rather proud). Obi-wan formally takes Anakin on as his apprentice, and though Raava’s Council certainly has questions about what the hell happened in that village, there isn’t so much of an overt objection to Anakin joining as there was in canon. The more traditionalist faction of the council is all “this isn’t how it’s done!!” because usually kids come to the order much earlier and have been partially trained in their element before becoming a padawan, so there are some protests there, and there are some people who are like “isn’t this kid pretty traumatised?? are you guys going to be ok?”, but for the most part they’re like “yeah, train the kid. have fun.”. There’s also mourning rites for Qui-gon, of course.

So now Anakin, who’s been hiding his bending all his life, begins his training with Obi-wan, his new pseudo-older-brother-figure who he’s growing increasingly reliant on and who’s growing increasingly reliant on him to cope with their respective losses of parental figures. Anakin has a lot to unlearn, especially with the whole showing my bending = bad bit, and also has to learn basic control and stuff, which Obi-wan, a waterbender, has to figure out how to teach him (usually padawans have already learned the basics by the time a master picks them, especially since their master will bend a different element). But Anakin’s powerful and a quick learner, and Obi-wan is nothing if not stubborn, so they get there, slowly (and by enlisting the help of other firebenders in the Order--Master Dooky being one of them).

On the other hand, Palpatine takes notice of this new addition to the Order, especially the kid’s… unique (haha more like ripe for manipulation and grooming) circumstances. Because yes, Anakin’s a bender, but he’s a bender who has strong cause to be traumatised and afraid, and distrust, other benders. Plus he just lost his mother in one of the most traumatising ways possible, so he’s emotionally vulnerable for sure. This makes him perfect for Palpatine’s purposes, because he’s a firebender (which Palpatine, a firebender who has been hiding his own bending for nefarious purposes, favors), he’s reliant on emotional support, and he’s in a unique position where even as a bender, if Palpatine plays his cards right, he can be turned against other benders (especially if he’s convinced that other benders will use their powers to suppress or hurt others).

So Palpatine reaches out, slowly at first, and how could one say no to the Firelord?

And such, the story’s begun.

[misc-headcanons]

Full Fluff alphabet for Nejire and Jirou please!! These girls need some lovey-dovey 😍😍

(I’m putting Jirou in a separate post since having two full alphabets in one post is really long lol. Enjoy!)

Activities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?

She likes training with them a lot; it’s a great way to show how in-sync you two are, and not only are you two a cute couple off the battlefield–you’re a formidable team on it! She also enjoys going on “cute” dates: having lunch at cafes, going to the beach or waterpark, things like that. She’s fond of ‘self care’ dates at home where you two wear face masks, order some food, and cuddle together.

Beauty - What do they admire about their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them?

Of all of your traits, Nejire admires your kindness and compassion the most. There’s a warmth in your eyes and a calmness about your presence that makes her chest heavy and her head light whenever she’s around you, a comfort that’s almost dizzying in how good you make her feel when you’re around.

Comfort - How would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc.?

Nejire knows how to handle panic attacks pretty well ever since she befriended Tamaki. She finds a place nearby for the two of you to be alone and gives you plenty of space if you feel claustrophobic when people are too close to you. She’ll count breaths and breathe in and out with you until the initial wave of panic washes over and you’re able to breathe again. Once it’s over, she’ll talk about literally anything if it will distract you from your panic attack–this cute top she saw the other day at the mall, her current favorite soda flavor, asking if you saw the most recent episode of a show you like…

Dreams - How do they picture their future with their s/o?

She can easily see the two of you getting married, but only after you two graduate and only if she knew you would want that too. As for kids, she wants to just focus on you two for the immediate future. Being a mother AND a Hero can be dangerous (for the parents and the child), after all.

Equal - Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?

It really depends on who she’s with, but she’s probably going to be more dominant. If you’re someone who’s naturally shy or passive, she’ll take the lead and be the dominant one without a problem. If you’re more dominant and confident, she’ll be a little passive (but she’s not going to become a doormat or anything) She’s naturally attracted to people who are a bit shy and reserved; she really is the perfect example of how opposites attract.

Fight - Would they be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting?

She hates fighting with her s/o and the second there’s a moment of silence between you, she wants to move on from whatever you’re arguing about. It’s easy for her to forgive you, and it would take something very serious for her to not talk to you for a few days (eg. insulting her friends, calling her something hurtful and personal, cheating on her).

Gratitude - How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them?

Nejire’s usually aware of the kind things her s/o does for her, and she always gives them a small little smile to let them know that she knows what they’re doing. Sometimes she may seem oblivious, but she’s a lot more observant than people give her credit for.

Honesty - Do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?

Nejire’s a fairly open person, and the only time she’d keep a secret was for someone else (eg. Mirio told her to keep something secret, she wouldn’t ever tell her s/o unless Mirio said it was okay). If it’s a small secret in the grand scheme of things, like planning a surprise party or something, she’s got the worst poker face in the universe; her partner can immediately tell she’s hiding something.

Inspiration - Did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?

When her s/o first admitted they had feelings for her, she was worried that her looks were the main factor in their attraction. She’s never liked how so many people emphasize that as her best feature, and even though she knows she’s more than just a pretty face, she’s still a little insecure about that being the only thing that people value about her. Her s/o immediately showed that wasn’t the case, that they loved everything about her (intelligence, bubbly personality, and…yes, she was very beautiful…) and she was happy to be wrong about them at first.

Jealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

She can get a little jealous sometimes if you’re spending a lot of time with someone else. (regardless of their gender, btw. She’ll feel a little bit of jealousy if you’ve been spending a LOT of time with your friends if you two haven’t had any “alone time” in a while) Aside from being a little pouty for a while, she doesn’t act that differently; she gets over those feelings pretty quickly.

Kiss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?

Her kisses are always very sweet and soft, and the first kiss with you was no different. It was at the end of your second date, and out of the blue she got the urge to kiss you on the walk back to the dorms. She squeezed your hand and when you turned to look at her, she cupped your cheek and pulled you in for a quick kiss on the lips. The surprised look on your face when she pulled away was so cute that she just had to kiss you again!

Love Confession - How would they confess to their s/o?

She’d get them a little box of chocolates or something and put a handwritten note inside saying that she wanted to talk to them alone after class. Once you two were together in private, she’d shyly confess to you and ask you out on a date. 

Marriage - Do they want to get married? How do they propose? What would the marriage be like?

She would want to get married, just not in the immediate future. Once the two of you were older and had a few years to really get to know each other, she’d start to think about it more often. Her proposal would be something romantic involving her Quirk; she’d take you out to dinner and dress up a bit, and once you two were home she would hug you and cause the two of you to float in the air. She’d jokingly say that you really have swept her off of her feet, and when you two touched the ground again she would show you the ring and ask if you’d marry her. 

You two would absolutely be the married couple that falls in love again every morning when you wake up together, and it would be a very sweet domestic life you’d share. Lazy breakfasts together, forehead kisses when one of you gets back from work late, etc.

Nicknames - What do they call their s/o?

She’s got a few nicknames for her s/o that change depending on their personality. Her general ones/go-tos are “babe”, “honey”, and “boo”. She has weirder, more specific nicknames that she likes to use in private more often than in public (if only because her friends make fun of her for giving her s/o such a goofy name). One of these names for you is “Pockets”; one of her favorite forms of PDA is to stick her hand in your pocket while you’re walking next to her, so she just started calling you Pockets.

On Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?

It’s hilariously obvious to everyone around her that she’s in love. Her expression is more “dreamy” than usual, and she’ll zone out during class whenever she’s staring at you with a little smile on her face. Because she’s already very affectionate towards people she’s familiar with, it can be hard for her crush to tell if she’s being flirty or just being friendly.

PDA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

If her s/o has no problem with PDA, she’s always happy to be affectionate with you in public! Hand-holding, smooches, butterfly kisses, booping you on the nose…she’s one of the fluffiest people in BNHA when it comes to her s/o. She’d definitely brag about her s/o, but not in a rude way like “____ is way better at that than you”. But she’ll always gush about how smart and cool and talented her boo is!

Quirk - Some random ability they have that’s beneficial in a relationship.

Nejire is a naturally good listener, and she can tell whenever her s/o is bothered by something or just having a bad day. There’s just something about their face and the tone of their voice that’s just…different, and she’ll subtly try to comfort them in any way she can.

Romance - How romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?

Nejire’s a very romantic s/o, if you couldn’t already tell. She’d do anything she could to make her s/o feel better; listening to them vent, asking if they want to take a self-care day with her, making their favorite food, etc. She can be a bit cliche (and very cheesy/sentimental, like in her M headcanon/proposal), but it’s just so sweet and earnest that you can’t help but love it, even if you hate cliche romance.

Support - Are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them?

You two likely met at UA, so if you’re trying to become a Hero too she’d be with you 100%! She’ll offer to train and spar with you, help you study in classes you’re struggling in, and be a great source of emotional/moral support. If you had a different goal, she’d still do her best to support you in whatever dream you wanted to achieve!

Thrill - Do they need to try out new things to spice out your relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine?

Nejire’s naturally adventurous and curious to try new stuff anyway; when you’re in a relationship with her, she’ll invite you out on dates that involve trying new stuff. She enjoys some routine in a relationship, but she won’t ever let things get too predictable.

Understanding - How good do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?

Nejire is one of the most empathetic partners you could have in BNHA. Like I said before, she’s very in-tune to her partner’s emotions and can tell when they’re feeling down for one reason or another. She’ll recognize little things: the way your brows knit together a bit more than usual, the slight tension in your voice (and how you try to hide it with an overly cheery tone sometimes). 

Value - How important is the relationship to them? What is it’s worth in comparison to other things in their life?

Her relationship with you is very high on her list of priorities, and there aren’t many things she would choose over you if she had to. Her top three priorities are (in this order): her family, you, her friends, and her future as a Pro Hero.

Wild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.

She likes to use patterns of emojis instead of actual names in her contacts list, and yours is a bunch of hearts and things that make her think of you. She also will gladly explain her emoji choices if you ask her! (like this: 💖🥰🐇🍑💖 = The hearts on either side are obvious, but the smiley one is how you make her feel, the bunny is because she loves giving you bunny kisses with her nose, and the peach is because of your cute caboose.)

XOXO - Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?

YESSSSS, she is SO affectionate. Cuddles, bunny kisses, nose booping, holding/squeezing hands…if it’s a cute way to show affection, she does it. If she’s feeling a bit saucy, she might pinch or squeeze your butt, but it’s mostly sweet stuff.

Yearning - How will they cope when they’re missing their partner?

She’ll text you sweet messages and hang out with her friends if she’s feeling a bit lonely. She also plans a little surprise for you when you see her again; maybe she’ll get you a box of your favorite candy, maybe she’ll pick you up at the airport with a giant handmade sign for you…whatever it is, it’ll be sweet.

Zeal - Are they willing to go to great lengths for the relationship? If so, what kind of?

Nejire would move mountains for you–literally, she will use her Quirk to bust through a mountain if you’re in danger and there’s no other way to save you. She puts 100% into everything she does, including her relationship. She’ll leave school early to take you home if you’re sick, she’ll take a day or two off of work if you’re having some emotional troubles and can’t bear to be alone, etc. Nothing is too much trouble for her.

[precuredaily]

Precure Day 162

Episode: Yes! Precure 5 14 - “Karen, The Troubled Student Council President” Date watched: 3 December 2019 Original air date: 6 May 2007 Screenshots: https://imgur.com/a/ZVrof8Y Project info and master list of posts: http://tinyurl.com/PCDabout

Karen has a big think

It’s Karen’s turn to hold the character development conch. This time, we get to see how she handles pressure from all directions! We also find out a little secret about Otaka-san and the school’s leadership. Good stuff, so let’s dive in!

The Plot

Various clubs approach Karen, aggressively requesting budget increases. The futsal club can’t afford new balls, the drama club can’t afford costumes, the judo club can’t afford new weights, the list goes on. Karen is taken aback and tries to explain the complexities of the situation to the students, but they are insistent. After trying to come up with a solution, she approaches the Vice Principal and explains her situation, requesting a budget increase for all the clubs. He is reluctant to change the budget that’s already been agreed upon for the year, but because he respects her decision to approach him, he will take it up with the principal. The VP goes to the Principal, revealed (to the audience) to actually be Otaka-san the lunch lady, but she insists that she doesn’t believe they need a budget increase, and there are still solutions the clubs haven’t yet come up with to resolve their budget woes. Komachi talks with Karen, commending her willingness to work hard for the clubs where before she probably would have simply said that the budget was already decided and they had to make do with what they had. The influence of their determined young friends is rubbing off on them.

Coincidentally, Nightmare is also having budget issues of a sort. Although they aren’t in a pinch, Kawarino is scolding Bunbee for blowing a lot of money without producing any results, and implies that his subordinates are useless and the whole department could get restructured. Bunbee decides to go fight the girls himself to get some results.

Back at school, Karen is still being hounded by the clubs, and her attempts at de-escalation aren’t working, so Otaka almost steps in, but Komachi is actually the one to put her foot down, startling everyone. She reminds the club leaders that they agreed to their annual budgets before the proposal was sent to the school administration, and that Karen alone cannot solve everything. With help from Nozomi, she gets them all to line up and explain their problems, to see if they can work together and figure out alternative solutions within their existing budgets.

The biggest offender is the drama club, which is going way over budget because they’ve picked a play with lots of extravagant costumes. However, Komachi gets them to work with the sewing club, who were looking for a platform to display their work, and the two split costs in this mutually beneficial agreement. The Judo club couldn’t afford to buy new weights AND new uniforms, but they also got the sewing club to patch up their uniforms so they could buy heavier weights, and donated their older ones to the futsal club. Now that she doesn’t need to buy weights, Rin can afford new balls, and donates the old ones to the art club, who find their shape and texture very inspirational.

I’d like to point out that the dumbbell Nozomi is struggling to lift is only 5 KG, that’s about 11 lbs.

With everyone’s issues resolved, the girls enjoy a moment of peace as Rin takes her new dumbbells to her club space, but on the way, Bunbee shows up to cause trouble. He turns the dumbbells into a Kowaina and taunts the girls about his own superiority. They transform and fight back, but he is pretty strong. When Mint shields one of the monster’s attacks, he launches a missile that breaks the shield, and he easily dodges when Rouge and Aqua try to fight him in the air. Dream and Lemonade have no luck fighting the Kowaina and they’re all left on the ground, defeated. Bunbee boasts about how much easier it is to do everything himself, and Aqua scoffs. She says she used to feel that way, but now she knows they’d never win if they did that, and the team springs into action. Bunbee tries to missile them again, and again Mint uses her shield, but this time Aqua also blocks it with Aqua Stream and this weakens it enough to bounce off the shield. Dream and Rouge restrain the Kowaina while Lemonade attacks it with Lemonade Flash, then the two throw it and perform their finishers. The Kowaina is destroyed and Bunbee retreats, self-justifying the day by saying you have to spend money to make money.

Back at the lunch table, Nozomi observes that Komachi might actually be stronger than Karen, which gives them all pause. Otaka comes over with a basket full of yakisoba bread, claiming the principal told her how they avoided a budget crisis, and suddenly people from all the other clubs appear, all vying for some of the free bread. Nozomi cries because the crowd beat her to the stuff she really wanted, and that’s the ending card.

The Analysis

What a fun episode. Karen’s commitment to the students is really earnest and inspiring. You can see why she’s the president, and even how much progress she’s made since the start of the show. Old Karen just cared about order, new Karen has the best interests of the students in mind and wants to meet them where they’re at. She fields the ire of the various clubs like a champ, trying not to get overwhelmed, and explaining the delicate balance that is adjusting budgets: since the budget has already been agreed upon, for her to allocate more to one group than previously agreed means the money has to come out of somewhere else, and that could put the other party in a pinch. Important financial lesson for the kids in the audience, too. And when her advice isn’t sufficient for them, she goes to bat for them by requesting assistance from the VP. My only criticism is that she probably should have asked why they needed more money first to see where their funds were tied up at, but honestly I would probably do the same thing, jumping straight to “let me get them what they say they need” and not “let me look into the situation more”.

When they get to the drama club and find out the reason they’re so over budget is because they decided to produce an expensive-ass play, I about died. LOOK AT THIS OUTFIT.

gosh I wonder why

There’s a lesson in here somewhere about working within your limitations. Urara suggests they do a simpler show like Kintarou, which would have costumes and props they could reuse in other shows, but from the club president’s response I get the impression they’ve done far too many shows like that and are sick of it. Also can’t fault them for doing something different. I remember in my junior year (11th grade), my school put on a production of “High School Musical” (this was when that was still a pretty fresh and hot property) and it sold like crazy, so the next year they were able to perform “Little Shop of Horrors”, renting the Audrey II puppets from somewhere. It’s okay to dream big, but you gotta make sure you can afford it. (inb4 ok boomer) However, working with the sewing club was a very good compromise. They get a platform to showcase their work, the drama club gets good costumes for cheaper, and they split the costs. Some of the other deals are a bit more one-sided but as long as everyone’s happy, it works.

By the way, Komachi’s restraint when the club president goes “oh yeah we spent all our budget on that one outfit and we need a bunch more” is remarkable. (I looked it up and I see similarities to Les Miserables: it’s a famous story that takes place over multiple generations and features LOTS of recurring characters) Komachi is, thankfully, very good at keeping herself in check, but if you manage to set her off, she is downright scary. That’s a common attribute for shield-based Cures, and it started here.

For reasons that aren’t entirely clear, since they only have a few of the costumes done, the drama club president is only ever seen in-costume, looking like a prince with a pencil mustache drawn onto her face. If we take the bold assumption that this all occurs in one day, even one lunch period, then this makes sense enough, but it’s still kind of silly.

The first half of this episode is so good, and tells a pretty complete story, that both times I watched it I forgot what kind of show it was because I was so absorbed in the antics of the clubs, so I thought the resolution was just going to be sorting out their budgets, when that was actually only the halfway point. The fight with Bunbee in the second half, while good, feels incomplete. I’m not sure if something got lost in translation for the subtitles, because he seems to indicate he spent money on a better Kowaina mask but the subs don’t reflect him saying this, only the girls’ response that it looks the same as normal. I do like them switching up their fighting style, and it comes with one of the strangest calls to action I’ve ever seen:

previously unsaid sentences in human history

The context is that, earlier in the episode, Nozomi and Urara traded lunch items, and now Karen is reminding them all to trade opponents and work together to beat the monster. Hilariously, even though Nozomi was the one who wanted to trade in the first place, she’s the last one to get this coded message, after Rin explains it to her.

She is special.

The elephant in the room here is that Otaka-san, the humble lunch lady who always adds a million onto every order, who appears a little disheveled, is in fact the school’s principal. Books and covers, ya know. I don’t recall if the girls every learn her secret, but it’s revealed to the audience here. I assume she serves as the lunch lady in order to get close to the students and understand what’s going on without calling attention to her position of authority. That’s the thing about power, even if you act relatable, if someone knows you’re way above them on the totem pole, they’re going to act differently, so she has put herself on the level of students. It’s like Undercover Boss except she never reveals the ruse. And honestly, it’s a very good ruse. She is approachable to the students and they all love her, so she can listen to their problems and make sure that the school is running well from the ground level. Also, as the lunch lady, she wears plain clothes, an apron, and flat shoes. Her only accessory is her trademark silver brooch. As the principal, she wears a suit, her hair is more tamed, she wears lipstick and earrings. She even speaks differently between her roles, sounding more raspy in her disguise, while she adopts a more formal and stern tone while acting as the principal. It’s impressive. I know she appears in this role at least one more time in the show, so I look forward to seeing that.

As usual there were some great moments of comedy, wonderful facial expressions, and you can see those chronicled in the gallery.

Next time, in Precure Daily, Nozomi’s mom is sick, so she has to do the housework! How badly will this end?

Pink Precure Catchphrase Count: 0 kettei!

[liathgray]

Anyways, here’s that essay

Please keep in kind this was not written to be consumed by people familiar with the source material, it was for a class. It’s focused on weird stuff and was meant to compare and contrast the Judas Contact storyline and season two of Titans.

Okay, here we go.

In 1984, a four-part story was published as an arc in Tales of the Teen Titans titled as The Judas Contract. Since, it has become one of the most influential and well-known stories to come out of the DC publishing company for its bold story choices and permanently changing characters who had been around for decades, as well as introducing death as something that can occur in the present, not just in the mechanics of a backstory. It garnered four separate adaptations, the most recent of which being the second season of Titans, a loose live-action version of the titular team. Between the two, there are many small plot and character details that do not line up, so for the sake of simplicity, pedantic plot elements will be removed from the comparison, instead focusing on individual motivation, the importance of the setting, and how characters are impacted and changed by the actions in the narrative.

The Judas Contract proper follows a team of pre-established young heroes being unknowingly spied on by their newest superpowered member, Tara Markov. She works alongside Slade Wilson, a mercenary and personal rogue of the Teen Titans, feeding him important information in order to fulfill his contract to kidnap them, hence the title of the arc; there is a Judas among them. The contract is almost completed until Slade’s son, Joey, enters the picture, determined to prevent any more death at hands of his father, emotionally conflicting Slade enough for Tara to feel betrayed and collapse the cavern they had been in, killing herself in the process. In the end, it is her story alongside the former Robin, Dick Grayson, who is inspired to take up a new vigilante identity as a result. Titans, has the same basic idea of there being a mole in the group and the evolution of Dick from Robin to Nightwing, but the surrounding plot and progression are entirely different. The Titans had existed previously, but broke up due to a series of events involving Slade, starting with the murder of a teammate, and ending in the death of Joey. There’s much grief and trauma surrounding this, so when years later Dick decides to reopen the team’s old headquarters to house and train new young heroes he stumbled across, his old friends are a mix of angry, re-traumatized, and reluctant, especially with the re-emergence of their aforementioned enemy. In the place of Tara, there is Rose. Daughter of Slade and, again, the spy on the team who, unlike Tara, has a change of heart and reveals her betrayal in an attempt to warn her newfound friends.

The most striking element of both is the use of character, and in what direction the agents go in, especially in light of the overarching themes that they share; that of redemption, recovery, guilt, and betrayal. In the comic, the focal point for all of this is Tara. She is continually treated well by her teammates whom remain compassionate to her, despite her brashness and tendency to get violent. They know little of her, yet still welcome her into their home and personal lives. It is revealed to the audience early on that Tara is working for Slade, which makes each interaction she has with those she is deceiving all the more upsetting, even distressing to watch. Tara’s particular flavor of trauma deals with abandonment, something she acquired after being forced out of her home country, which later developed into malignant narcissism. She becomes very attached to the idea of being in a position of power and finds comfort in the presence of Slade, as he was the first person to justify her being alive. Tara, in the end, fails to redeem herself, instead the illusion she had built of stability and power came crumbling down after she spends ally after ally until there is no one, and she has no power left. Though it’s somewhat cynical, the idea here is that these cycles of betrayal and neglect cannot always be broken, that’s the point of this character; sometimes people are just too dysfunctional and if they are not willing to put in the work to get better and heal, they just won’t.

Rose, Tara’s counterpart, goes through a very different metamorphosis, despite the setup being similar. Her initial motivation was revenge for the brother she never knew, having been told it was the Titans who killed him when in fact it had been Slade, though it wasn’t intentional. Slade, however, blamed the Titans, specifically Dick, thus Rose believed him and was willing to participate as a double agent. When she encounters them for the first time, she is met with sympathy and understanding, people who didn’t value her as a weapon, creating incongruity with the story she was fed of elite fighters and master manipulators. Upon learning the truth about the circumstances under which her brother died, and who exactly killed him, she backs out. Rose realized she was lied to and manipulated, almost immediately grasping the gravity of the situation and seeing how hard she was pushing people whose greatest crime was daring to care about the very person she thought she was avenging. Later, she tells her newly acquired love interest the truth, following it up by saying, “I’d take it all back if I could. But I can’t.” (Zhang). Where Tara failed, Rose succeeded; she got rid of the poison in her life and recognized that she was the bad guy, alongside seeing the humanity of those she attempted to sabotage.

The theme of redemption and recovery doesn’t stop with Rose. It is furthered by all the other existing characters, young and old. On the basis of new beginnings for the second generation, and moving past the collective trauma and fear associated with teamwork for the first. More so than anyone else, this idea is present in the journey of Dick Grayson. In the original story, he is motivated to save his friends from an ugly fate while in the throes of a very real identity crisis involving the title of Robin, which he had recently discarded, believing that it was time for him to grow past the role and create a legacy entirely his own. Which he does do; he rebrands himself as Nightwing, rising to the occasion and overcoming the difficulties of abandoning a role that represented his culminative childhood and heritage to do save the people he loves. It is very much about the conquering of his external obstacles.

This is not the case in Titans, it is largely about his spectacular fall from grace and the struggle of building himself back up from rock bottom. He had kept a secret from all his closest friends about the death of Joey; he told them Joey was murdered before he found him, when in fact, he wasn’t. Joey died trying to protect Dick from Slade, and Dick felt so much guilt and shame in having been partially responsible that he lied about it for years. When his teammates find out, his worst nightmare comes true: they leave him. He is with next to no support, devoid of the family he fought tooth and nail to keep together, and is left in the tomb of his last chance to remain stable. While Rose and Tara had to redeem themselves to other people, Dick’s story is a redemption to himself, not anyone else. He stops doing things for other people and imagines himself of deserving the loneliness of, in essence, being re-orphaned. In a desperate attempt to find forgiveness, he seeks out Slade who, instead of offering the sought after peace of mind, says, “I sentence you to live alone (…) Forever knowing that your Titans family lives and breathes somewhere out there in the world, but you can never be with them.” (Morales). His lowest point is monumentally more devastating than his comic counterpart; he isolates himself entirely, going as far as to get himself jailed to carry out the self-imposed punishment, expecting to be abused and killed alone in a prison, the prospect of death barely startling him. In moments like this, the tragedy of the character hurts so much more because the audience knows that if he gets knocked down, he may not get back up, he has every reason not to. Which is why it is so earnest and exhilarating when he does. Dick was broken down to his factory parts, every mistake and bad trait not only was put on display, but magnified. He was made to confront those things before being able to piece himself back together, only then could he take on a new identity as Nightwing. Seeing him fall again is tangibly damaging to the character, so seeing him climb his way back up, scratching, clawing, slipping up, and struggling all the way, it’s all the more satisfying when he reaches the top.

A large part of this fall and rise, or in the case of The Judas Contract, the lack off a fall, is to do with the setting. The comic has all their main characters living in relative harmony or with their own spaces. When they are not off stopping cults from destroying political landscapes or battling supervillains, they are at home, going about their daily lives as somewhat normal people with jobs and relationships. It exemplifies that they all have a decent grasp on who they are, and even if they don’t, they have a bed to go back to and a support system to rely on. This is an established team with a running headquarters, lovingly named Titans Tower, the scene is only a part of the narrative as the backdrop, as a story punching bag that ultimately doesn’t matter, and that is all it needs to be. The story is much more interested in the series of events taking place, otherwise known as the act. Everything that goes down becomes a spoiler because there are so many plot points to cover and twists to reveal, thus the scene becomes story fuel, which in turn fuels the act, fueling the actors. There is less of a fall because they all have a home to turn to; it is built around the idea that the primary agents are at least somewhat realized people, with lives of their own. They react to the world around them as it throws obstacles, and the idea is re-enforced by the irrelevance of where the action takes place, wholly opposing the priorities of its live-action adaptation.

Not to say that Titans doesn’t jump from place to place, in fact it shifts its characters around quite a lot, but those moves are reactions to and influenced by the primary setting. The Titans operate out of, again, Titans Tower, but instead of a home and safe place, it is a monument to their old team’s sins. A ghost town that continues to haunt them, bringing back their darkest times and motivating nearly every move they make. When they first arrive, it’s tense, they’re subconsciously expecting the worst and prepare to bail at the first signs of trouble, which they eventually do. It is their return that sparks the entire story moving forward, and the presence of a looming shadow built from mistakes colours their reactions and triggers a sort of trauma response. Conversely, it is a beacon of hope and rebirth for the younger members. It is the first place wherein they have been allowed to be themselves, even at their worst, then collectively learn to get better as a group, a family even. The motif of past and present, trauma and recovery, informs the presentation of Titans Tower, making the growth visible in ways it previously hadn’t been. Using the setting as story plays into how Titans is structured; it drip-feeds the audience information, allowing the plot to meander so each development can happen and be processed before the next major plot point kicks in, and if they lose the setting, their home, there’s nothing else, thus the consequences are much steeper.

Throughout its two seasons run, Titans has been unapologetically divisive; deeply flawed characters with a universe quite different from that of the comics. It was not designed to make audiences comfortable, often forcing them to look at the worst parts of characters they might have previously idolized and showing the amount of hard work that has to be put into self-betterment. It is highly character-driven, mostly following interpersonal relationships and intimate growth. Barely anyone feels self-assured, often scrambling for any sense of identity. Though everyone goes through their fair share of change, this is ultimately Dick’s redemption story to himself. It departs from the source material, which often showed readers the best parts of people, that the downfall of heroes comes from outside sources while overall making a cynical statement about the cycle of abuse regarding Tara. These are heroes who know who they are and have no problem in the actions they make, whereas in the adaptation, almost every conflict is generated internally by lies and secrecy. The adaptation removes the halo from these supposed heroes and allows the emotions to be a bit dirty and muddled, creating an equally satisfying but very different take on a classic comic story.

[nagichi-boop]

♡♡♡ hello!! i was struck my some inspiration and i got this done for you quicker than i anticipated,,, but i hope you like it!! i’m so sorry people have treated you badly in the past; you deserve much better than that :( 

all i ask is that if you post this publicly, you put it under a read more!! thank you

♡♡♡

My note: Hey hey hey! I’ve already DMed you, but I just wanted to thank you again for doing this! I really enjoyed reading it and it made me happy!

Below the “♡♡♡” is the matchup this lovely writer did for me. Please enjoy!  ♡♡♡

after some thought, i’d match you with…

hinata!!

✧ the more i read your description, the more my brain started chanting, “hinata!! hinata!! hinata!!” because this boy’d be perfect for you,,, and honestly, he’d deeply and genuinely adore you. i have no doubt about that. 

✧ hinata’s got a knack for getting along really well with people on the more quiet side, as well as those with anxiety (the obvious examples being kenma and yachi – bless their hearts). you may feel like you don’t stand out much, but that’s not the case for hinata. he’s probably spoken to you like once and he’s already like “this is my friend!! wow, i like talking to them so much!!” then a few months pass and whoops he’s caught Feelings– 

✧ i think he’d be someone that you’d find it easy to let your walls down around. he’s just,,, so kind and friendly and optimistic, and i think he’s the sort of person that just makes the world seem a little brighter. and, he’d match your more outgoing side really well, too. you two are just so loud together and the rest of the team are find it genuinely touching. 

✧ hinata’s also a pretty curious person, so he loves listening to you talk about the things you’re interested in. and he’ll happily sit and listen to you ramble on about anything, all while being very engaged and responsive. he just likes seeing how your face lights up when you’re talking. it’s just super endearing to him. he’s not as good with the medical stuff, though; it tends to make him queasy. but he gives it a good go!! and he never says it makes him want to throw up a little; his face turning green is what usually gives it away. 

✧ i don’t think hinata’s going to be particularly,,, profound, but i think his very simple and optimistic way of looking at the world could be a good balance against your struggles with depression. you say you tend to flip everything into something negative, right?? well, hinata does the opposite. his way of looking at the world is almost inspiring, and i think he would actively try and counteract any negative thoughts or feelings you were grappling with. it’s not that he isn’t taking them seriously, or that he thinks those problems are easily fixed; it’s just that he wants to help, and he’s doing that in the only way he knows how. 

✧  in a lot of ways, he’s an emotionally intense person himself. so, he can comprehend what the lows feel like, if that makes sense?? but, his overwhelming sincerity and earnestness would probably bring out the best in you; he’d really stoke your kind, optimistic and friendly side, and he’s just the sort of person who makes you feel good about yourself, you know?? his adoration is so honest and wholesome, and he doesn’t hold back. it’s not going to solve any insecurity, but it’s nice to feel secure in your relationship. 

✧ interestingly enough, i think hinata bounces back from anger quite well, too?? i mean, the boy puts up with kageyama shouting at him almost every day aljddlk,,, and i really don’t think hinata would consider you high maintenance. he’s very go-with-the-flow, and so long as you don’t ask him to stop playing volleyball, he’ll be unbelievably relaxed in your relationship. so, he’s happy for you to set the standards and what-not!! 

✧ i guess i think he’s someone that’s very easy to trust?? and i understand that it’s hard to open up to people after some of the experiences you’ve had, but hinata’s just,,, so earnest, honest and kind. i keep mentioning those traits for a reason; they’re some of the things that really make hinata hinata. so that collection of traits, combined with his determination, forms someone you can really rely on. he’s just a good dude asdkljsdljk

✧ oh, he’s also the biggest fan of your creative work!! if you ever drew him, he might just cry. and even if you just draw some pokemon, he’ll have them stuck on his bedroom wall. he also loves your writing a lot, and he’s a wonderful audience because he’s so expressive and engaged!! sharing your work with hinata is always a pick-me-up!!

✧ overall, i think you and hinata have a good balance between the two of you, while still having enough in common to establish a good rapport!! i also think he’s someone you can feel comfortable with, and that might just be the most important part of your relationship

other possible matches

✧ sugawara koushi: suga’s just,,, the Best Man. nothing can change my mind. honestly, it was kind of a toss-up between suga and daichi here, but i think suga’s a slightly better fit. first of all, i feel like he’s got a very,,, calming influence?? like, if he’s around, people just feel better. he’s very patient and understanding, but he’s also quite harsh on negativity (see: karate-chopping asahi in the stomach while shouting ‘negativity begone!’ he's not going to do that to you, but it’s a good example of how he sees self-depreciation). so, while he’s very kind, he’s also very constructive, and he’s always trying to help you find ways to improve yourself and subdue those sorts of emotions. but he’s never pushy or overbearing; he’s very good at reading you, and he knows your boundaries. but, it also means he knows when you’re isolating yourself, or when you’re feeling insecure. then it’s Caring Suga Mode.

i think suga would stoke your intellectual side a bit more (hinata’s just,,, not very bright. but we love him for it), and you two would have a lot of interesting conversations!! he’s also very affectionate, and very supportive of your creative endeavours!! i’m rambling a bit now, but the essential point i’m trying to get across is: Suga Good (we’ve been knew)

✧ lev haiba: okay, he might seem like a bit of a weird choice, but hear me out. he’s got that same geniality and honesty that hinata has, and he’s very unflappable. the main reason i didn’t choose him as your main match is that he’s just,,, not as good at dealing with people as hinata is?? but, i still think lev is someone you’d be able to let your guard down around, even if it’d take a little longer to get to that point with him. he’s just very loving and very earnest, and i think that’d do you a lot of good. also, boy is gigantic, so he’s always trying to get you to wear his hoodies and shirts. he always tears up a little whenever you concede because he thinks you just look so cute. 

[ocular-intercourse]

4, 5, 13, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22 for our new child!

Thank uu for making me think about them, ha. I’ve decided tocall them Raime (might have been watching ds playthroughs while drawing them*cough cough*), but Anathi is what their mom calls them as a term of endearment.

How much effort does your OC put in when it comes to giving presents tofriends?

None! Or a lot maybe,just by generally knowing exactly what people like, I guess there’s some effortinvolved in getting to know people so well. They don’t think much about it whenthey see something they know their friends would enjoy they just get it forthem, whatever it might be. That also makes them less of a person that wouldgive gifts on special occasions, more someone who just randomly hands yousomething that made them think of you. I don’t think they would feel the needto give a gift when it is generally expected, and would not feel embarrassed bynot doing so, they generally don’t care much for social rules and expectations.Their motto here is: Gifts should come from the heart and not on a schedule!

Does your OC have a role model or someone they idolize? How would theyreact to meeting them?

Okay now.. is it kinda upmy own ass making Gyo that person?? But here’s my reasoning: Being a soldiernow, lil’ Raime is obviously very interested in the military, so there you havethis highly decorated army general, a man that went from being sentenced todeath for murder, to selling his life to the army as a way out, to becoming aliteral war hero in his very first battle despite being a nobody without even aname except the one the army gave him, that made it to being proposed for theposition of general at an incredibly young age only through his deeds and onlythen revealing his noble background cause social norms would’ve never allowedhim to fill the position otherwise, that went to train the most specializedelite troop of the empire, that reached immortal status which is basicallyalmost unheard of??? [Who is now mostly being used as a babysitter which I’msure the other army generals find highly satisfying and amusing…] There is aHUGE legend being built up around Gyoubu some of it exaggerated but a lot of ittrue and it’s a story underdogs absolutely love cause it makes them think ofthe things they could accomplish themselves. So when Raime grows up and decidesto want to join the military for whatever reason (maybe even that legend itselfwho knows, they come from a very simple background and the only way to rise tothe top would be by their actions too so that should be inspiring) and ofcourse there’s a lot of admirable generals, all of them nobles of some kind,and to be fair so is Gyo (though the rumor is he is not really the person heclaims to be and Raime really enjoys that idea), but nobody’s quite asinspiring considering Raime’s background. So they train and train and train andgo through basic military training and then come to the point where they hit awall, where the others learn to supernaturally strengthen their abilities, asis custom for soldiers in and out of the empire to a certain degree, to enhancetheir reflexes and senses and speed and strength, Raime just.. can’t. Not likethe others at least, and these things are dangerous enough even when they suityou. Which is crushing their spirit cause how can they ever be as much of abadass as General Gyoubu now?? So you have a bunch of instructors justscratching their heads cause this kid somehow still managed to keep up with theothers to this point, where others that aren’t capable of the enhancement areusually weeded out and join provisions or whatever. But they still can’t reallyfigure out what to do with them, cause in theory they are inferior in any wayto any potential basic enemy soldier and nobody wants to be the person thatsuffers losses cause they put a weak link on some task. So they advise them tosay goodbye to their military career, at least in action, and look for anadministrative position or anything else off the battlefield. And then fuckingGeneral Gyoubu himself!! says ‘eh I’ll take them idk I’ll find something forthem to do’ which does not sound very heroic maybe but at least they can stillbe of use in a way they imagined as a child. So in their mind Gyo hasabsolutely saved them which is absurd to them cause the thought that Gyo iseven aware of their existence is wild and now he even sees some potential inthem even when nobody else does?? So when they first meet Raime very much plansto be all courteous and collected and stuff but in their mind Raime has made thisconnection between them as two people fighting the odds and ends up acting inappropriatelyfamiliar, which I think is already the way they cover up nervousness anyways,so they end up being a little too loud & close & booming, and I thinkthat is exactly what makes Gyo give them their job, cause of all the peopleunder his command they are definitely the last person someone would look at andrecognize their military training.

How well does your OC take compliments? Do they get flustered or try toturn them down?

I think that dependsentirely on the kind of compliment, and if they find it actually flattering orsomething they have never considered themselves. Compliment their martialprowess?? They’d laugh and grin and probably even agree, chest swelling withpride. If it’s something they are insecure or unsure about themselves thereaction would probably be a little more timid, but still accepting. Outwardlyat least.

How does your OC feel about their mortality? If they’re immortal, dothey see this as a curse or a blessing?

Ahh, frustrated I thinkwould describe it well? Maybe as a child they have imagined reachingimmortality, but they never really believed they could get there, so it’s notexactly like they sit there thinking ‘now I’ll never get there!!’ but more like‘I can’t even do the simplest step on the way there’ so it just reminds them ofhow hard they failed, even if they always expected to fail, they never thoughtthey wouldn’t even get to try. It is probably only the knowledge of thepossibility of prolonged life and immortality in their world, but they considerit vastly unfair to only have been given that short amount of time while othersget more. At the same time they don’t fear death very much, or rather they don’treally consider the consequence all that much, they just don’t think that farahead.

If your OC is trained in combat, what kind of opponent would they dobest against? What kind of opponent would they lose horribly to?

I think Raime’s entireadvantage in any situation is unpredictability. They do best against peoplethat are bad at reacting in the moment, people that think and plan rather thanfeel. They would do the worst against opponents that have fought them before oroften enough to know Raime’s tricks. Other people, in most cases, they don’texpect their competence, they don’t consider them a threat, they consider themdumb and believe they would fight straightforward only with strength andwithout much tactics. They underestimate that Raime is incredibly adaptable.They can look at a situation and instinctually end up with the best reaction.That makes them blend in very easily, pick up peoples habits and imitate them, charmthem, or act exactly the way people expect Raime to be to direct theirexpectations. Then they use the confusion in deviations to strike.

Your OC overhears someone talking smack about one of their friends. Dothey come to their defense or get involved in any way?

Oh yeah. Immediately andpassionately, loudly. Not exactly aggressive, but they make it very clear thatthat kind of talk is not going to be tolerated any longer while they are around.They might even drag them to apologize, if the friend is present.

Your OC’s neighbor is blasting loud music in the middle of the night.How do they react?

Electronics don’t existso it’s more like people playing instruments, having a party?? Lol Either way,if they really are annoyed by them Raime would have no problem to go over thereto shut the whole thing down, again, not aggressive but determined. Buthonestly in most cases I think they would probably just get roped up in the partymood and just join them?? They love having a good time, they mix easily withothers, unexpected party?? Hell Yeah!  

How does your OC react to cheesy pick-up lines? Would they ever use one?

Uhm yes please, and yesvery much. What even is cheese? There are just pick up lines and Raime is bothvery fond of using them and fairly susceptible to hearing them. Raime isearnest and eager and honestly can’t see a fault in being cheesy, and I alsothink somehow they manage to radiate that they actually just want to say somethingnice or funny and are not trying to be skeevy, so I imagine people generallyreact in a positive or neutral way.

[elcorhamletlive]

fandom: MCU (Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron) (Post-Captain America: Civil War) ship: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark tags: Fluff and Angst/Angst with a Happy Ending/Character Study/Pining summary: The thing about hating Steve Rogers is that it shouldn’t be easy - but it really, really is.

[iliketowrite1996]

Drive-in’s, Donuts, Detangling and Dates

So, I got inspired while I was doing my hair. I am a fresh natural, and I have been struggling with my confidence a bit as I am not use to wearing my hair in my afro. Plus, when I would take my braids down, I would also imagine cute scenarios where my celebrity crush would help me take them down lol. SO, this was born! I have a crush on Tom Holland, so I figured I’d try writing for Spider-Man. Hope you like it.

It is a well known fact n your friend group that you like classic movies. You’d watch many of them, spend your Friday and Saturday’s watching them as you did miscellaneous other things, such as homework, cleaning, or doing your hair. Your roommate, Michelle ‘’MJ’ Jones is agreeable, because she likes having them play in the background while she reads silently.

    It’s become a bit of a tradition with you to spend your Saturday with her, you doing your hair and homework and watching the movie.

    So you thought for sure that she’d love to go with you to the classic movie festival this weekend.

    ‘’I would, but I can’t. I’m going to be visiting some family that’s in town this weekend. You’re more than welcome to come along,’’ she shrugs as she packs her backpack for her weekend trip.

    ‘’Thanks, but no thanks. Have a good time with your family,’’ you sit on your own dorm bed a she packs the last of her stuff, heading for the door.

    ‘’I’ll be back before you have the chance to miss me,’’ she assures you, opening the door.

    To both of your surprise, Peter Parker is standing on the other side, a book in his hands.

    You’ve only talked to Peter a handful of times, when he’d run int    With it being the middle of your freshman year, you kind of wish you’d talk to him more, but here you are.

    What? He’s cute.

    ‘’Hey, Michelle.’’

    ‘’Later, Parker. Just put the book on my desk,’’ she says before leaving, Peter staring at you with wide open eyes.

    You barely register the fact that he is saying your name because you’re staring at him, trying to figure out what to say.

    ‘’Um, what did you say?’’

    ‘’I asked how your hand is feeling, I saw online that you sprained your wrist and hurt your hand.’’

    You, being you, fell coming out of the blow up obstacle course that h campus had last week as part of Homecoming Week. Know, your hand and wrist are in a cast that will be coming off as soon as it healed/

    ‘’I, um… yeah. It’s my writing hand, so that’s a bit difficult in class while I’m taking notes. But my teacher let me record it o I can stay on top of my work.’’

    ‘’That’s awesome,’’ he nods towards the cast, ‘’Mind if I sign it?’’

    ‘’Don’t you have better things to do with your time,;; you question jokingly, handing him the pink pent that you always keep on your nightstand, ‘’It’s Friday Night.’’

    ‘’Believe it or not, no. Ned is out of town this weekend Shuri is spending the weekend showing her mother and brother around town, Miles is busy prepping for his science tournament next weekend,, Liz is.. She’s with her new boyfriend,’’ he winced as he thinks about his ex and her new relationship, ‘’MJ is out of town,. So… here we are.’’

    He signs elegantly, drawing a smiley face next to ‘’Parker’’ and putting the cap back on the pen.

    ‘’There you are, dear,’’ he says it so easily, and your not sure if you are being flirted with or if he just likes to throw around terms of endearment.

    Either way, it makes your heart flutter.

    And it makes you want to take a chance.

    ‘’Well, Peter… since neither one of us has anything better to do, maybe we can hang out?’’

    This breathtaking smile breaks off across his face then, and it takes everything in you to calm the butterflies that have begun to take flight in your stomach at the sight of it.

    ‘’Sure, Maybe we can go to movie festival drive-in thing? I hear it’s gonna be a real good time.’’

    A man after your own heart.

    ‘’Sounds good! I have a pass for today and tomorrow. I’d hate for them to go to waist.’’

    ‘’A girl after my own heart,’’ he jokes,a s if he can read your mind, ‘’So, I can pick you up at five? I’ll take care of the snacks if you get the drinks??’’

    ‘’Sounds good, Peter.’’

    You play it calm and cool, but inside you are as ecstatic as you could be.

    But Peter Never needs to know about the happy dance you do once the door is closed behind him.

    Four hours later you find on-yourself answering the door to Peter, who has changed form his pajamas into a pair of jeans, some sneakers, and a sweatshirt.

    ‘’Hey,’’ he gestures to you,’’You look lovely.’’

    ‘’’Thank you,’’ you take in your own appearance.

    You’re wearing something similar- sweatpants, sneakers and a sweatshirt that you’re sure Michelle won’t mind you borrowing. The only thing not nice about your appearance?

    Your wet hair.

    Which is why you have a cap covering it.

    ‘’Are you ready to go,’’ he asks, and you nod before closing your door and locking it behind you, your phone, keys and wallet secured in your bag.

    ‘’Let’s go.’’

    The ride across campus is short, and you’re kind of grateful for it,.

    ‘’I hope you like donuts, because I picked up two, twelve count boxes,’’ he tells you, ‘’These can be out movie foods.’’

    He’s pulling into a parking spot as you pull the cinnamon donuts out,’’ Peter, these are my favorite?’’

    ‘’Really,’’ he lets out a breath you didn't even know he was holding, ‘’Good. I kinda didn’t know what you liked so I just got random stuff,’’

    ‘’Not to fear,’’ you pull out the juice boxes, ‘’I bought apple juice.’’

    ‘’Ugh, my dream girl;; he says layfully, but it shoots a spark through your heart.

    Darn it, heart.

    Get it together.

    You’re reaching up to scratch your hair, not remembering you're wearing a cap, when it falls off, exposing your curls and your hair.

    Crap.

    It’s not that you don’t like your natural hair. You live it when you wash it and it curls up. It's just that, with a broken hand, it’s kind of hard to detangle. So, you’d put it into a ponytail, to the best of your ability. And you didn’t bother you lay down your edges, even though you usually always do.

    And Peter’s definitely noticed.

    ‘’Your hair-’’

    ‘’Don’t. Michelle will help me when she gets back, but this is what I’m working with.’’

    ‘’I wasn’t gonna tease you, ‘’ he looks so earnest that you almost feel bad.

    Almost.

    ‘’May I,’’ he reaches a hand towards your hair, and you nod in permission.

    He feels it, his face showing that the is calculating what to say next.

    ‘’’If you want, I can dentangle it for you.’’   

    What?

    ‘’What?’’

    ‘’I can at least try to detangle it,’’ he leans forward picking a comb out of his glove compartment, ‘’Um, I used to help Shuri. She leaves this in my car for the times when we hang out and she doesn't have her braids. It’s just the nature of our friendship.’

    Are you dreaming, or did Peter Parker just offer to detangle your hair for you?

    ‘’I umm.. I’ve watched a few videos on how to do it. Don't tell anyone, because Michelle would literally fight me, but she broke her arm senior year of high school. I helped her out, too.’’

    ‘’So are you an expert then,’’ you suggest, a flirtatious layer to your comment.

    ‘’Not quite. I just like helping people. Saving the day, helping a pretty girl like you…’’

    Which is how you find yourself sitting in Peter Parker’s car, his hands working to detangle your hair as you watch the movie, and munch on donuts.

    ‘’I um… I know you’ve mentioned before that you don’t always like your hair. BUt, even though my opinion doesn't matter, I think it looks nice. It’s very pretty.’’

    You’re grateful that he can’t feel or see the heat radiating from your face at this moment.

    ‘’Thank you,’’ you say, avoiding eye contact, and did it just get hot in here?

    ‘’There you go,’’ Peter  tells you fifteen minutes into the second movie, when he is done.

    ‘’Peter, thank you!,’’ you look in the rearview mirror, admiring the fact that he really just offered to help you, ‘’I have to pay you back.’’

    ‘’No, no. I’m just being your friendly, neighborhood-’’ he cuts himself off abruptly, ‘’Really, it is nothing.’’

    ‘’No, seriously. You saved me time and frustration. You really helped. How can I repay you?’’

    ‘’Well, I know we are at this movie festival today and tomorrow, but… what are you doing next weekend??’’

    You find yourself waltzing into your dorm with a pack of donuts, a leftover juicebox, and detangled hair, with a smile on your face.

    You have a date with Peter Parker next weekend.

    And it all started because of Drive-in movies, donuts, and detangling hair.

Disclaimer- I DO NOT OWN ANY MARVEL CHARACTERS OR THEIR FICTIONAL UNIVERSES. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO RIGHTFUL AND RESPECTFUL OWNERS.

[distant-rose]

4, 8, 12, and 26 for the ask game!

4) What is your favourite genre to write for?

My favorite genre to write is more action/adventure or thiller. I like movement and plots that move. I know that isn’t a lot of my posted work but the majority of the things in my WIP folder or my original work are more in the action catagory. Like my fantasy epic is literally four different bloody wars going on. So lots of fighting, lots of action and lots of different things going on. Like if you saw the majority of my more heavily original work, it’s just fantasy violence. I’m a violent person. I admit this.

8) Where do you take your inspiration from?

Observations of the world around me or my own experiences. Lot of the stuff I’ve posted is generally based on things that have either actually happened to me or something I’ve observed or they’re in a location that I know off the top of my head. I’ve written a few one-shot AUs that are based on plots that I like such as Stranger Things and the Stephanie Plum series but that’s more of I know the plotting of those inside and outside, read the writer’s notes, the interviews no one cares about and have almost memorized the lore and characters. So, in order for me to write, it’s gotta have an element of something I know like the back of my hand. Like Memensha, Martha’s Vineyard. I’ve spent nearly every summer of my life on the Vineyard so I actually can see the buildings and the beach and even the beach house on the hill as I’m writing it. I mean, what actually inspired that fic was swimming on South Beach as a child and my mother tearing through water and grabbing me out because there was a flock of seals nearby and wherever there are seals, sharks are sure to follow. 

12) Who is your favourite character to write for? Why?

I know you personally work best with Killian as a muse but I work best with Emma Swan. I feel a connection to her, not that our lives are similar because they couldn’t be more different but because we’re both very crusty and cynical people with a lexicon that’s full of popular culture references. I mean, I think anyone who has ever interacted with me knows that I’m a surly blunt cuss with a penchant for swearing and making references barely anyone understands and a habit for using gifs to get my point across. I feel like her mentality is similar to my own so her thoughts and her dialogue work for me in a way that feels natural. 

Though with that being said, for my original characters, Jim is my favorite character to write because he’s often my voice of reason and sometimes airs my own thoughts on the narrative. He’s earnest and noble but also incredibly snarky and blunt. He’ll read you to filth but be the first one to help you. It’s one of my favorite things about that character and I’m kinda glad OUAT didn’t touch Treasure Island or else he might have been ruined for me.

26) Which part of your xxx fic was the hardest to write?

Ha, any scene where Killian makes an emotional and moving declaration and Emma has to respond. I’m sometimes emotionally stunned, it’s a problem I’m aware of and I’ll write these grand sweeping and emotional lines and I’m like “how the hell would anyone respond to this organically.” Like half the time when I get a really sappy text from Dan, I send the pizza emoji because I’m like “this is beautiful and moving and you deserve a response but I can’t think of anything because you melted my brain so here’s a random emoji.” Luckily, I’ve found a dude who thinks it’s hilarious. Legit, Killian would be like *huge moving speech* and I’m like “okay, time for a break so I can think of a proper response to this scene because you can’t just say “pizza emoji.”

Send me a number and I’ll answered a fanfiction writer ask