#so that's why i haven't been posting in a while

[casscainmainly]

Thoughts on Asian David Cain and New 52/Rebirth Cass

Nothing prompted this I just wanted to spew out my thoughts on the New 52 decision to make David Cain Chinese instead of White. And what else changed - suddenly David was not the main actor in Cass' life, but was a subordinate to Mother (a White woman). On the one hand I think they did this to make him not purely evil (I do see the effort, since they make David sacrifice himself for Cass at the end of B&R Eternal), but it's still worth noting that making him Asian correlated to kneecapping his agency.

Obviously I prefer David as a White man because I read Cass' story as about model minoritisation and the ways White people project onto/manipulate Asian people, but to be fair New 52 David and Cass is still fundamentally a story about a White person abusing and manipulating their Asian children. It's just that the Asian child now includes David, since he was manipulated by Mother alongside Cass. New 52 David is a Cass parallel, which wasn't as much of a thing in pre-52.

And this is actually (in a vacuum) interesting!! An AU with an Asian David who also suffered from racism could be really neat (and how it would complicate Cass' feelings even MORE than they are in canon). But obviously Asian David didn't work for several reasons. One, HE DIED. White!David got to live forever but the moment he becomes non-White he's wiped out :(. My hottest Cass take is potentially that I enjoy Cass taking David's name after his death 😭 Orphan is a silly name but this is something I think Cass WOULD do given David had just sacrificed himself for her. I read Orphan as a punitive identity Cass wore out of shame/guilt (the opposite of Batgirl), and ideally she would've let go of Orphan as she overcomes her guilt over the murder of Harper's mother and David's death. But Tynion never brings up David again so this is all nonexistent 😭😭

(Speaking of Harper Row - I don't hate the set-up of Cass having murdered someone she later meets the child of, but it puts an emphasis on Harper rather than Cass herself. Now her redemption is somewhat contingent on a White girl's forgiveness, another lessening of Cass' agency in her own healing).

Two, Asian!David contributes to the weird set-up where Bruce no longer parallels David, he instead is the opposite of him. The great thing about original Bruce-David were that they're both White men who use Cass, and Puckett (and Horrocks) never let you forget that Bruce is flawed in strikingly similar ways to David. But New 52 unfortunately veers into White saviour territory - with Bruce no longer paralleling David, he's unequivocally the 'White knight' to David's evil Asianness. Though as I stated above they try to offset this by having Mother be the big bad, N52 still definitively positions Bruce as Cass' saviour in a way the og run did not.

AND it gets worse with evil Shiva. New 52 is a bizarro world where David is written more sympathetically than Shiva, like David gets to sacrifice himself dramatically for Cass and say "you deserved better than me" while Shiva gets beaten up by Cass and then shot by Ra's!!! I find the Cass-Shiva fight in #957 a little gratuitous tbh particularly in the violence against Shiva. Again there's an attempt - like with David - to make Shiva not fully evil by giving her motivations against Ra's, but it's evil Asians all the way down this time. And Shiva is portrayed to be the Bad Murderess to Batman's Good Upstanding Morals. The contrast between this and og Shiva is startling - BG 2000 Shiva helps Cass overcome her death wish, while New 52 Shiva is an obstacle Cass must punch in the face before she can accept herself.

Kind of strayed from the point but anyway Shiva dies too, and although she obviously gets resurrected it's just strange. New 52/Rebirth Cass has both parents (both ASIAN parents) die in front of her at the end of their arcs. It prevents either David or Shiva from reappearing in her narrative (at least, for Shiva, until later), which leaves the rest of 'Tec having Cass interacting with White people only basically (she doesn't even talk that much to Luke). It's not like BG 2000 was perfect - Cass rarely interacts with Asians (rip Tai'Darshan) and is also very much enclosed in Whiteness. But there is some great stuff in BG 2000 about being a model minority, being misunderstood as a woman of colour by White parental figures, finding solidarity and freedom with other POC etc etc. All that is missing from the New 52, in favour of a racist portrayal of David and a racist + misogynistic combo for Shiva.

So I'm really glad David is White again (never thought I'd say those words 😭) and that Shiva isn't like. as bad as she once was (though she could still be way better). Tbh their relationships to Cass were already ruined pre-52 - Shiva by the end of Batgirl (2000) and David by Batgirl (2008), so it's not like N52 was the main culprit here. But N52 really did erase a lot of the nuances in Cass' original story and somehow ended up way less progressive (at least in a racial lens) than her original inception.

But ANYWAY! Asian David does not work at all in canon, but an Asian David AU has tons of possibilities. Really exploring how he was victimised at the hands of Mother, and how him being a parallel to Cass would fundamentally change their relationship (but also how him being Asian does not erase the misogyny he directs towards Cass) could be sooo good. I think there are elements to the N52 origin that could work if the racial ramifications of their choices were actually delved into, but oh well. Definitely not in canon because Cass being biracial is imo important to her character and informed the way she was written in her solo run. ALL THAT TO SAY if anyone is curious why N52 origin is bad beyond the name 'Orphan' and it being different from the original, to me the way they handled Cass' Asian heritage + David and Shiva was the worst part.

[bloodandiron-if]

I'm saying this out of goodwill because your IF looks promising. Why are you already entertaining and making RO asks and reactions when you haven't posted at least the prologue or chapter 1? The majority of the IF WIPs I see are kinda like this, and they end up getting abandoned because the author is either burnt out or they put up a Patreon and scam people because that's how most authors earn money from making these games usually, not from the actual finished game (minus the scam part). I'm not saying this is how this IF will end up. I really hope you finish this but so far, I wouldn’t dare give myself high expectations when the author is constantly pleasing people online by writing hundreds of words in multiple ro asks when they could've been putting this attention into writing and coding. It's already a red flag that you put up an announcement without a demo. This isn't an anti-author post, I really want to see this succeed. I'm just worried about the outcome as I've seen this pattern multiple times already.

Hey anon.

I know you didn’t mean anything bad by this, and I appreciate that you’re looking out for the project. But I’ll be honest with you... this kind of message really killed my mood a bit.

I’m doing all of this—the character asks, the fun scenarios, the info dumps—not to waste time, but to build an audience who genuinely connects with the world and characters I’m creating. 

I want people to know what to expect from my writing, how I approach character voice and emotion, and what kind of tone the story will carry when it comes out. That’s not filler. That’s world building, connection, and engagement. And I’ve seen many amazing IF authors do the same. I’ve always wanted to be a part of that—so I’m doing it. Genuinely. In good faith.

I really hate being compared to other people or “grouped” just because I’m doing something I love. It’s discouraging. It makes me feel like I can’t be excited about my work without being seen as a "red flag" apparently. And that suckssss.

Also, I wouldn’t even consider launching a Patreon until the prologue and chapter 1 are complete—and even then, I’d still be posting public content on this blog. I don’t believe in charging people without putting in the work, so until then no "scamming" will happen.

And the truth is: coding burns me out. Writing doesn’t. So answering asks is my way of staying in the creative zone when I’m away from my computer (which is often, especially when I’m at work). It keeps me engaged. Keeps the fire lit—and doesn’t mean I’m not working on the game. Please don't assume.

I know the patterns you’re talking about. I’ve seen them too. But I’m not like other authors. I’m not trying to get hype for nothing, and if I ever disappear from this blog, then that means I’m dead. Like—seriously, gone.

So while I hear your concern, please know that I’m not here to please for the sake of attention. I’m truly building something I care deeply about—and I’m going to see it through till the end even if it takes a couple of years or so.

Thanks for the message, even if it stung a bit. Just next time, maybe… trust that some of us have actual faith in the future of our IF's. 🖤🩸

[jonny-be-gewd]

@darklings-girlboss-era I can't speak for everyone but every gifset I post is captioned with the movie or show name, which episode, episode name. If I gif a YouTube video or another online video I always link to that video. So, I'm still crediting where the media comes from. That link I provide also gives the YouTube videos more views every time someone clicks it. And I'm not asking for credit for the original media, I'm asking for credit for my gifs.

There's a lot that goes into GOOD gifmaking. We aren't just cutting a portion of film and slapping it online. We have to make caps, pull those caps into photoshop. Then spend however long it takes us perfecting the color and sharpness and really dark gifs have to be lightened while not blowing the color out.

Not to mention the time it takes me to hunt and DL all the HD movies and shows. Many of which I get only because I pay for subscriptions to the streaming services they're on. Because no, I don't torrent all of mine. We also pay for a subscription to photoshop. So, we not only invest our time and talent into gifs, but our money as well.

And the really good gifs you see on Tumblr, they take lots and lots of practice to get that good at it. We don't make them with a phone app in two seconds and just flop 'em online. You honestly wouldn't believe how much time it takes to get really good at it. I've been doing it for YEARS and I'm still not the best, so what does that tell you? I consider myself fairly good but not REALLY good.

Below you will see two gifs. The top one is a gif made straight from the original media with no editing other than cropping and slowing it down. The bottom one is after I color edited it and sharpened it.

The reason I show these is because a lot of people don't realize how much we change the image from the original unless they see a side by side comparison. I see gifs other people make and don't even realize how much they edited it from the show or movie I saw because our brains just don't pull it up from memory that way. I made that shit pop. I made it look not washed out. I brought it to life. And don't get me started on the REALLY dark shows and movies that gifmakers bring to life and make it so you can actually see details. I've spent hours on one gifset before, like the dark ones. Trying to get the colors right, trying to lighten it and maintain it's definition. Saving several different versions until I'm semi-satisfied with the results.

As far as show and filmmakers, I've never once heard one of them complain about gifs. Why would they? Because usually people see gifs of a scene of something they haven't watched yet and go, "Oh damn, I need to watch this now." So if anything, our gifs bring them more viewers. I know for a fact I've seen gifs of things that made me go watch it. And I know I've made gifs of things and the reblogs say "I need to watch this now." I can't say for sure if they really mind or not, but again, I've never heard them complain.

Now, I'm not saying any of this angrily. I saw your question and felt it was an important one to answer because I know a lot of people think the way you think. So I wanted to explain why I think we deserve credit.

Knowing everything I just said, and seeing a side by side comparison of what I did to that gif, do you still think I don't deserve credit for what I put into it? I mean, especially since I'm not asking for credit for making the movie or the show or filming the interview. I'm just asking for credit for my gifs.

Saying we don't deserve credit for our gifs because we didn't create the movies and shows is similar to saying fan fic writers don't deserve credit for their writing because they didn't create the world and the characters. When you know that work still has talent that is exclusive to that person and no one else.

Or think about the people who work on shows and movies in the editing department, doing a different version of what gifmakers do. They didn't film the media, they don't own it, but they're still credited for what they brought to it. I took a washed out looking video and made it pop with life and color, and I don't deserve credit for that?

I would like to add that I personally would never post a gifset without writing or linking who the original media belongs to unless I just don't know. In which case, if someone does know they're free to tell me and I'll add to the set. I don't like it when people post gifs with no indication at all of where it comes from. Cuz damn, what if I wanna watch it?

GUIDE TO SPOTTING STOLEN GIFS

gifmakers on tumblr put a lot of effort into their gifs, and understandably get quite annoyed when someone steals them and reposts them without credit. it's especially frustrating when the stolen gifs get a ton of notes. we look at it and we go wtf how did this get so many notes when it's all stolen????

then i realised the average tumblr user, especially if they're new, or they've never created gifs or posted anything, or they don't understand how tumblr even works... well how are they gonna know?

this post will cover some of the most obvious signs that a gifset is stolen, including:

gif sizing + placement

gifset colouring, sharpening and style

the tags of the poster

if this post is helpful to you, please reblog to spread awareness!

1. gifset sizing

when a gifmaker is making a gifset, they Generally will make all of the gifs the same size. by "size" i mean dimensions in pixels. all the gifs will generally be uniform in size, and laid out intentionally to fit tumblr's recommended dimensions.

here is an example of one of my gifsets with uniform dimensions:

all of the gifs are the same size, laid out correctly for the recommended dimensions, and are fully visible with no cut-offs, blurriness, etc.

many times when a gifset is stolen, it'll be made up of a random assortment of gifs, stolen from multiple gifsets. the gifs might be all different sizes, and not laid out correctly, with parts cut off at the top or bottom. they might be blurry, compressed or just not "look" right.

here is an example of a gifset with inconsistent dimensions:

now, i used inspect element to see the dimensions, but how can you spot a incorrectly sized gif or inconsistently sized gifset at a glance if you're on mobile?

well, see that gif of sam? see how it's cut off mid-forehead, and just under his collar?

well, when you click on the gif and view it in its entirety, you can see that parts of the gif were cut off by the incorrect placement of a 540px gif in a 268px layout:

generally speaking, a gifmaker is not going to make a 540px gif and then put it side by side with another gif. gifset placement is not accidental. gifmakers know and use the recommended dimensions to ensure their gifsets are high quality and viewed on the dashboard the way they intended.

this is sign #1 that these gifs were not made by the person who posted them.

2. colouring and subtitles

gifmakers will generally try to make all of their gifs similar in colouring, sharpening and style. gifs will be (to the best of our abilities) similar in brightness, vibrance, tone and sharpness. basically, they will be visually consistent.

a stolen gifset will not. for example:

aside from the inconsistent sizing, these gifs are all sharpened and coloured in vastly different ways. this is admittedly something a gifmaker is more likely to notice, given our experience, but anyone can take a second to just look and see if the gifs look like they were all made by the same person. if they don't, it's likely a stolen gifset.

sidenote: subtitles are also another tell. i generally use the same font, font size, boldness, subtitle colour etc across all of my individual gifs and in all of my gifsets. if one gif has yellow subtitles in arial font, and the other has white subtitles in times new roman, chances are those are stolen gifs.

3. the tags of the poster

this is probably the FASTEST and EASIEST way to tell if a gifset is stolen, and requires some understanding of what tags are and why we use them on tumblr. here is a brief guide for tagging if you need one!

what you need to know is this:

gifmakers often use [media]edit tags to make it easier for people to find their gifsets in a sea of xreader fanfic and text posts, as well as user[tags] to increase reach

gifmakers will usually have a tag specifically for their gifsets (mine is #originals, some people use a #*, some people use their name like #[name]gifs or #mygifs). the purpose of that tag is to make it easy to find the gifsets we've made on our blogs

here is an example of a genuine gifmaker's tags:

people who steal gifs generally aren't aware of the tagging conventions gifmakers use to catalogue their gifs & increase reach, so they won't include them. they might even say outright that the gifs are stolen.

some examples of stolen gifset tags:

this one isn't an exact science. a lot of newer gifmakers aren't aware of the [media]edit tags, or other well-established tagging conventions, and sometimes gifmakers don't have a unique gifmaker tag. HOWEVER, most do and, when paired with looking at the sizing, colouring, sharpening and overall consistency of the gifs, this is usually a good way to sus out if a gifset you aren't sure about is stolen/reposted.

that's it! i hope this was helpful, and that you are better equipped now to figure out if a gifset was actually made by the person posting it!

if this was helpful to you in any way PLEASE reblog, so more people can learn how to pick a genuine gifset from a stolen one. plus i spent a lot of time on this and i would appreciate it okay thanks byeeee

[stargirlygirl]

feeling totally normal about this btw^

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erm... let's begin with a brief timeline:

oct 25, 2024: i post my first ever fic on here for shoto called rut suppressants; a post i still get likes on to this day feb 8, 2025: my first post to go viral is this jealous!bakugou one apr 29, 2025: first ever lads post is about sylus supporting your labubu obsession jun 9, 2025: my 1k special for werewolf!caleb

and now, i'm here. pretty much posting for lads full-time and some rare mha stuff for the small portion of my followers who are also into mha.

i am so grateful for all of you who have interacted with my blog since i started last year. i haven't been posting for very long, but i've made some incredible friends and written some cool works that i've hope you've all enjoyed.

i will admit, as my blog has gotten more followers and engagement, i've been more critical of myself. it's been a struggle to balance my personal/uni life and this blog. comparing myself to other bloggers is inevitable, and sometimes i do beat myself down about why i don't have xyz likes in a short time or why i can't pump out long works most days of the week.

i say this to be honest. having a blog comes with it's own challenges. one of which being that i do this for free. but i do this for free because it's my hobby and i enjoy sharing all of my thoughts with you. i enjoy the community i've built here, and i'm excited for the future with all of you!

while i might not post lots of cute little thoughts about the li's, and instead opt to talk about smut conventions that give me the ick or why i won't be using the tumblr tagging system like the ao3 tagging system, i hope my opinions and works push you to think more critically about the content you consume.

i will be announcing my 2k special very soon, so i hope you stick around for that!

big thank you to all of my followers! obviously couldn't be here without all of you.

and a big thank you to my mutuals: @starryeyed-apple, @asiatic-apple, @heartyluv, @syncaleb, @tragicvictoriantears, @cuntphoric-main, @sweetcalebb, @humanjarvis, @bloomness, @cielito--lindo for your ongoing support!

[kickcod]

short fic inspired by @rawme-price 's post (check it out if you haven't already its so good) and all the comments hybrid!au 141 with wolf!hybrid!soap and reader, misunderstandings get cleared up, bit of angst with fluff. enjoy!

Your pack was rejecting you. That was the thought that had you shooting out of your hospital bed in a panic.

Only a few days ago, you had been on a helicopter, watching Soap- the other wolf hybrid on the squad- getting all the attention you had been craving. You had been jealous, but tried to ignore it. After all, You weren’t as visibly a hybrid, and didn’t want to be accused of being insensitive or trying to play into your instincts too much. Unfortunately, the situation had spiralled since.

It started almost the next day, with everyone giving you the cold shoulder. You weren’t sure why- had you done something wrong? Over the next few days you tried to ask, but found yourself scoffed at. Your pack was avoiding you, and when you asked about it you didn’t get a clear answer. You were shut out, and it hurt. Pack instincts were especially strong in wolf hybrids, even if your hybrid nature wasn’t instantly visible aside from your small yet sharp canines. Your brain slowly clammed its way into a dark place, instincts taking over in a way you’d never fully experienced before.

You weren’t sure what exactly had happened, only that you had wound up in a bed in the medical center on base, being checked out for self-inflicted wounds. Bite marks marked your skin up and down, your own sharp teeth had drawn blood in several places. The doctor had done well to patch the wounds up, but also ended up calling Price- the captain being the last person that you had wanted to see. 

“Right- What the hell is your problem?” Price’s smooth voice filled the room, sending shivers down your spine. The glare shot at you was far from friendly, akin to a frayed wire that was about to snap. You failed at suppressing a whine, only to get a sigh from the captain. He began to search through your files, ‘tsk’ing disappointedly while he read.

“First you’re uncomfortable with hybrids, now you’re trying to act like one? You-”

The captain pauses in his tracts. He looks up at you, back down to the file, and back up again. The anger turns to confusion. The confusion ebbs away into a sudden understanding, as the species clear as day states ‘wolf hybrid’. He clears his throat, swallowing down all the bitterness he had held towards you before.

“..Why didn’t you say anything?” His voice comes out softer, suddenly more understanding. You pause for a second, only easing up slightly as you realized what the situation was. They had all misunderstood jealousy for hatred- which was understandable, considering how much shit hybrids get in general.

“I get a lot of shit for it. Either I act too much like a human, or too much like a wolf. I don’t want to act like,” you pause for a second, collecting your thoughts, “Like I’m doing it for attention.”

Your words only succeeded in getting the captain to frown.

“You know we wouldn’t think that way about you, right? We’re s’posed to trust each other.” You look up at him, watching as he grabs his phone to, presumably, send a message to the rest of the squad. He looks back at you with something akin to pity, a strange feeling pooling in the gut of your stomach. Slowly, he makes his way over towards the cot, and runs a hand over your scalp. Instantly, you can feel the change in your instincts, the tension in your body easing out slowly but surely as blunt fingernails scratch at the base of your neck. 

You’re not sure how much time passes, but after a while you hear the door opening, followed by the rest of the squad walking into the room sheepishly. Gaz looks more than slightly embarrassed, with apologies slipping out of his mouth the second he sees the state you’re in.

“Oh my god I’m so sorry, I thought-” The rest of his sentence is incoherent, but you can roughly tell what he was getting at. He thought you were a human who didn’t like hybrids. The rest follow suit, murmuring soft apologies. You can’t help but laugh awkwardly, your instincts finally resting as the notion that your pack had rejected you leaves your brain.

The rest of the night is spent cuddling together, with the rest of the team giving you the princess treatment to make up for the past week.

[centrally-unplanned]

In addition to watching some of the older animes, I have also been trying to recommit to the new entries as well - I watched a pretty good spread of first few episodes for different anime from this season. It seems like a very promising one, an auspicious time for trying such a thing - below are just some short thoughts on the Summer 2025 Lineup:

---New Shows:

City The Animation: Definitely the "artistic highlight" of the season, this show is just an endless sequence of zany irrelevancies, setting itself the challenge of making those fun and interesting via its smooth, unified-cel-and-bold-outlines artstyle. While the jokes haven't always landed for me the art absolutely does; highly recommended if this genre works for you.

Silent Witch: This anime has what I will call the "Bocchi test" - it is a comedy-drama where the main character is just an unkempt ball of social anxiety, forever tumbling downhill from crisis to crisis. That is either charming & amusing to you, or very, very annoying. I like Bocchi, I like fucked up goofballs, and Silent Witch so far has been very talented at making a fantasy world that "matches" the zaniness of its protagonist. And I just inherently like fantasy-academy settings (cute uniforms too!), this is a plenty-of-smiles show so far.

Ruri No Houseki: This is a cute-girls-doing-cute-things show where the "thing" is mineralogy, and the mineralogy is great! A little sad that the "girls" side includes some insanely fanservicey designs that imo distract from how otherwise straightly-played this thing is. Each episode includes break cards on different minerals, characters explain lava flows and plate tectonics, it is good shit! And the main character is a pretty adorkable little gremlin to lighten the mood. If the Boob Quota doesn't bother you, check it out.

These guys get screenshots since people dont really know their vibe yet - vibe matters most!

---Next Seasons:

Dandadan S2: As I mentioned in previous posts, this show should have been an OVA. There isn't enough meat to these characters to stretch out their romance arc, and the flashy animation style works better in smaller doses. But I certainly don't hate it stretched; I am happy to watch more high-octane occult street-punk drama, for now at least.

Call of the Night S2: Still one of the best new anime romances around - it has ideas, fun vampire worldbuilding, diverse "archetypes" for the relationships, some actual progression, and a great aesthetic. Like Dandandan and all shonen magazine adaptations, this should be shorter? But it has more to play with, at least, so it is showing that seam less than normal.

Dress-up Darling S2: The other good romance of this season, here the "primary" appeal of the show also pairs that romance with a very authentic case study of the modern world of cosplay. This delivers repeatedly great moments of things like anime parodies, the craft of costuming, and more to make this real slice of life. Combined with how cute Marin's totally-justified crush on Goto is, each episode always has more to throw at you. Plus, you can tell that a lot of more out-there creatives are working on this show this year; there are some great stylistic sequences that so far are beating out the original season. If only its sexual comedy jokes (which are great tbc) didn't overstay their welcome by about 50%, it would be ideal.

I should also mention New Panty & Stocking w/ Garterbelt, which I started watching thinking, surely, having seen just 2-3 episodes of the original would be fine as prep - no way this show has a plot, right? But, while that is generally true, it has juuuust enough of one that I felt like I wasn't having the intended experience here. So I may watch the original first.

---The Dropped:

Watari-kun no XX: I wanna say "why did I even watch this" but the actual question is "why did I even read this", because I read the source manga when it came out! I knew it sucked back then too, to be clear - I think there was something about the art style and the female leads that worked for me in a "hot smut trash" kind of way. I was shocked to learn it got an anime adaptation, not being particularly successful. It has the budget of a recycled bag of potatoes to show for that, which sucks away any appeal it could have.

---

There might be 1-2 more shows worth checking out, but honestly I have a bunch of older stuff and non-anime things to keep on top of, so this might be at my limit. It has been fun so far! I think Call of the Night S2 is my fav right now, but City The Animation has the potential to beat it.

[bigboybird]

I am sorry noise(+important)

important notice: Hi everyone, this is Bird speaking, I wanted to talk about something, recently I haven't been posting as much art daily as I used to and I wanted to talk a little about that, I'm just a person with a lot of emotional and personal problems and I realized that staying on the internet for a long time isn't doing me much good, I ended up having a lot of crashouts doing a lot of stupid things, and I apologize for that, so that's why I'm trying to go a while without posting sometimes and trying to work more on my AUs

and also next month is my birthday (20th of August) and I'm working on something, it won't be anything big but I hope you like it

[ferrari55lover]

No longer a second choice (Part 2)

Oscar piastri x best friend reader Face claim for y/n- random girls on Pinterest PREVIOUS

(3 days after the party) Y/n's POV

Its been three days since the night of my party, that night was supposed to be fun but ended up making me feel like jumping out of my window to my death. im not sure why, maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was the way Oscar looked at me that night. I don't remember much from the night of the party but what i do remember was when Calum walked in and the way Oscar looked at me when i introduced them to each other, it was the same look he used to give me as a kid when he dropped his ice cream or when another kid stole his turn on the swings, it was the kind of look that gave you that heavy feeling in your chest, that heavy feeling is what I've been feeling since that moment, Me and Oscar haven't talked much since then and im not sure what to do, Usually i can take one look at Oscar and know how he's feeling but lately i cant read him at all. i wonder if he can still read me, i wonder if he knows that i think about him all the time, I wonder if he thinks of me too.

Monaco. Updates singer Y/n L/n was seen in Monaco walking and eating with new mystery man. is it the same guy from her birthday post??. liked by y/n fan page and 50,000 others

y/n fan page NOO THATS NOT OSCAR

User324 That's supposed to be Oscar and her

User227 her and oscar haven't been seen together in weeks what is going on?!

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A few hours after i had dinner with Callum i was laying in bed doom scrolling through TikTok when i see a notification pop up at the top of my screen, it was Oscar, he had texted me for the first time in three weeks. he's supposed to be my best friend so why had we gone three weeks without talking to each other. and if he's just a friend why did it hurt so bad when we didn't talk.

*2 days later*

*Y/n's POV few minutes after texting with oscar*

*Oscars POV*

Around twenty minutes ago i arrived at y/n's place when i got there i didn't bother knocking i just grabbed the spare key from under y/n's doormat, unlocked the door and walked. When i walked in i saw y/n sitting on her couch with her face buried in her hands, she was crying i couldn't see her face but i knew she was crying and it made me want to cry too, i hate seeing y/n like this i wish she never had to feel this way i wish that i could protect her from guys like him. i start to walk over to y/n and then sit down next to her, she still doesn't look up so i just wrap my arm around her shoulder and then speak up "he didn't deserve you, you know that right" i say then she looked up at me and said "I just don't understand he was so good to me until then, how could he just switch up like that" i nodded and reply with "I know i know he was but i also know that you deserve someone so much better than him" she then let out a laugh, not a full one just a small sad laugh and then she said "sometimes i wish i could just find a guy like you" that sentence made me want to die, someone like me why not just me, i wish she wanted me instead.

Me and her just sat there for a while, her crying on my shoulder and me comforting her and trying to pretend i didn't notice how holding her felt. a few hours later i leave her apartment and return to mine, when i got back i went straight to bed but i couldn't fall asleep so instead i just stared at my ceiling thinking of y/n.

*A few weeks later*

Yourusername Just some pics from the last few weeks to go along with a big announcement. Unsent letters out on Monday. I hope you guys like it!. liked by oscar piastri, y/n's friend (chloe) and 50,000 others

User300 y/n in her sad girl era?

Yourusername Unfortunately yes i am in my sad girl era

Oscar piastri cant wait im sure its gonna be great

Y/n's friend (Chloe) WE LOVE YOU Y/N DONT BE SAD

Yourusername I LOVE YOU TOO, BUT I AM SAD STILL

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[petals4bangtan]

All that's left is silence : Ashes beneath our palms

Summary: School grounds became a game of "avoiding your ex" ever since the messy, unreasonable break up. Seeing him again just ignited the flames of rage, seeing him again just flickered your reflexes of keeping him out of danger— especially around those with their sinister quest for flesh lurking around.

You've planned how the field trip would go 100 ways in your head— and the sudden break of apocalypse? Hell, even if you have thought of 101 ways, it wouldn't be there. 

They're still. They're skilled. They're smart. And one word past your lips, they twist and turn to you. Quietness means survival, and survival is a luxury you could hardly afford. So you hold on to friendships, to trust, to love, and even to bitterness, even if it means all that remains is silence.

highschool student!jk x highschool student!reader

Warnings: Angst, gun use, death, spasms.

Genre: Zombie apocalypse au

Word count: 4k

Characters: OT7 and Reader

As Y/N had predicted, the twilight hours were not for blissful relaxation as Taehyung had anticipated, but times in which to attempt to stand properly without being shoved or having their foot stepped on while trying to grab packets of snacks from shelves with the vast amount of excited high schoolers flooding the convenience to grab their preferred candies or munchables for them to consume within the hours-long field trip. Not only Taehyung had thought that being as early as 4:30 would save the two of them the trouble of being squeezed through a flood of students which had failed, but she also caught the eyes of the devil she had been avoiding since the new term had begun. 

“Y/N!” The tanned man beside who she calls “The devil.” waved to her jollyfully.

“What's up, Jimin. Long time no see!” Says Y/N, although they had seen each other yesterday. “I see you've brought him,” She added, her gaze lingering on Jungkook a tad bit longer like a honey that sticks on skin. She said that as though he's a trophy Jimin drags around to flaunt. 

He stares at her sharply. Like his eyes were shooting daggers your way and his brow cocks upwards while a pair of muscular arms cross over his chest in a sassed manner. “Got a problem with me?”

A laugh stuttered in her throat coming out as a chuckle. “Yeah, I do.”

“Oh yeah? Share it to the crowd will ya?” He smirks, leaning his weight on an aisle of snacks.

“Turtle chips? Are you for real?!” Just when Y/N were about to snap back, Taehyung slices through the building tension and points at the obnoxious amount of turtle chips ranging from corn flavored to churros flavored on Jungkook's arms, basically hugging these bags like it's his lifeline. “Those taste like unwiped ass!” Taehyung rolls his eyes. 

“Shut up, they're great.” Jungkook grins, tearing one open and popping a chip in his mouth. “Vigorous, even!” Taehyung gasps and so does she. He hasn't paid for that yet! 

“You haven't paid for those yet!” Her eyes widened.

“Why do you care?” Jungkook munches on another one, his hand diving deeper into the bag to get more.

“I don't.” Y/N quickly answered in a flat tone and rolled her eyes.

Taehyung wraps his hand around the crook of her elbow and tugs it. His eyes were plastered on his ticking watch around his wrist. “It's almost five,” He quickly drags Y/N out of the store, clutching paper bags on his other arm. She staggered but regained her balance to keep up with his long strides.

Y/N browsed her phone and stumbled upon Taehyung's Instagram post. A collection of photographs of his childhood pet, Fleur. The sweetest jack russell she had ever met. His post shows Fleur’s best moments, from their first game of catch, to Taehyung's kindergarten graduation picture with Fleur by his side, the two snuggled in bed, and to their last picture together.

 "What happened to your dog?” She asks, sipping hot coffee, breathing out a soft exhale as the warmth spreads through her chest. Taehyung grumbled and shoved his hands in his pockets. He kicked a small rock away and shrugged. 

“She was dead right? Of course we held a small funeral for her. We were mourning and tears fell hot and fast down my face—” Taehyung stuttered, grief was bound in his face, yet confusion settled too. “Fleur was in that small casket we've made for her,” He outlined a small rectangular shape with his hand. “And then she started to spasm like she was possessed. My parents and I took a step back because Fleur twisted and stood with her hind legs before going on all fours, then she stared at us and fucking ran away.” 

“Ran away? Like, went back to life and ran away?” She asked, completely astounded. Taehyung nodded, “Yeah, but her movements… are a bit sluggish you know? And her eyes were clouded, they were white and… I don't know.” He shrugged again.

“You didn't go after her?” 

Taehyung snorts. “No, we were so shocked that none of us budged. Imagine mourning over your dead dog then all of a sudden they came back to life only for them to leave you again.” He chuckles sadly, shaking his head lightly and traced his fingertip over the rim of his cup of coffee.

“Boys and Girls line up separately!” Professor Lee’s voice boomed. “President of each class, do a head count— hold on to your valuables, the school will not be responsible for any lost items!” He flapped his hands, gesturing everybody to move backwards, all while stepping on a stool to have a clear view of students filling the gymnasium. 

“Alright, class B-3 and B-6 follow me!” Another teacher demanded. Y/N gripped the strap of her backpack, the other one hanging loosely on her side while the line moved slowly out of the gymnasium towards the buses that awaited outside the school. She chews on her gum. One that sat on her mouth for too long, it became flavorless. 

Y/N swore the bus was shaking. Girls were squealing, boys were jumping like maniacs, and the teachers were trying to console students into remaining in their respective seats. She walked past them— pulling the hood of her jumper over her luscious hair and slumped down on her seat followed by Taehyung.

“Want some?” Taehyung mumbled, munching on gummies and offering the pack to her.

“The bus hasn't moved an inch yet and you're already eating our snacks.” Y/N rolled her eyes yet took one.

“Taehyung, give me some—!” They looked at Seokjin who sat on the opposite aisle of the bus, tugging on Taehyung’s sleeve. Jin froze when he saw who sat beside the man whose sleeve he was pulling. “Y/N! Fancy seeing you here.” He greets.

She waved at him, offering a small smile. “I haven't seen you in months, I swear!” says Seokjin. He grabs a gummy from Taehyung's hand. “Let me introduce you to my friend here, if it's okay.” Seokjin elbows the man's rib beside him eliciting a groan. 

Jungkook, who was almost asleep as the bus began to drive, was nudged by Seokjin and forced to straighten his back. “Though I have tingles that you two already know each other, Jungkook used to kiss you didn't he— Ow!” Seokjin's back arched when Jungkook pinched him. The younger one flipped his middle finger at his older hyung. Though there was no ire in it, Seokjin chuckled. He even high-fived Taehyung! 

“Sorry, I don't make out with strangers.” She says coolly, clasping her hands together and smiling with clipped interest. 

“Strangers?!” Gasped Seokjin, looking flabbergasted. 

Without bothering to lift his head up or even open his eyes, Jungkook replied, “Thought we stayed as friends?”

Y/N scoffed. “Self-proclaimed. We’ve been strangers since you failed to give me an answer—” 

“I gave you one!” This time his eyes were open, wide, and he turned to her to cut her off. 

“An unreasonable one!” She snapped, heads turned her way and the whole bus silenced. She waited for a second before everybody moved on and the noise grew back. “Not to mention you avoided me like the plague!” 

“Save the fight for another day.” Seokjin's jaw clenched, the two immediately quieted down and reclined on their seats like they lost a battle they haven't even stepped a foot on. The rest of the drive was peaceful, it was ghostly quiet and everyone was asleep as we passed through long roads and high buildings that were scattered. Once the sun rose up the sky, the loud chatters came back.

“That's mine!” Y/N tugged at the chocolate bar on Taehyung's hand, however his grip was unyielding. “It's mine!” Taehyung took the bar harshly off her grip.

“It's mine! You already ate yours!” 

“No! Let go—” The bus came to a sudden halt and everyone staggered, almost falling off their seats. The small bar slips out of Taehyung's hand and you fumble to catch it. Even the cars outside stopped, crashing against each other due to the unexpected barricade that forced them to hit the brakes. Curls of smoke began to fume from its engines, windshields were shattered, and people clamored. 

Y/N pushed back the curtains and streaks of sunlight went in burning her eyes. She looked outside, there were policemen. Not the ones that wore blue clothing and sticks a glock on their hip, no. It was those who stood behind ballistic shields and carried tactical rifles in their arms, and there weren't just a couple of them. Not just three to five armed individuals who came to ticket a driver who violated rules— We're talking about dozens! 

The prefects told everyone to remain calm and stay inside the bus. Their words were glazed with officiousness; ensuring that everything is under control and things just took a little detour and we'll be at our destination as soon as everything's clear.

Jungkook opened the window at his side and gazed past. Outside, grey flecks float through the air, mingling with the distant sounds of distressed men in suits and women stumbling in their heels, trying to understand what's going on. He extended his palm out of the window, ‘til one slowly landed on his palm. He closed his fist and when he'd opened it, it crumbled to ashes and was blown away by the gush of wind.

It doesn't look like it'd clear up soon. Not with this. Not with buildings caught in flames and helicopters crashing against it until it rained glass. 

People gasped. Some pulled out their phones to record the wrecking situation. Some trembled in fear. Agitated that something awful, terrible, would happen. And to top the brewing trepidation curling around their heads— a low and guttural groans grew louder with each passing second behind the brace of those armed men upfront. They steadied, renewed their grip with something tighter— stronger,  and they advised the growing crowd to leave and let them handle the situation but no one budged. Taehyung's phone buzzed, then Y/N’s, then Jungkook, followed by Seokjin's, until everybody else's. They were so immersed with the situation that most of them didn't check their mobiles except a few: including “The devil” and Y/N.

She clicked on the notification which directed her to a news article. Written in bold, red color, it says: “CITY OVERRUN WITH VIOLENCE” Y/N scrolled down, there were images of those armed men fighting mindless humans. Or are they still humans? They're covered with blood and separate flesh from bone with their bare teeth… only a lunatic could've done that. Y/N nudged Taehyung. And Jungkook tugged Seokjin. “Look at this…” She whispered. Not on purpose— but because of the words she had read and the images she saw, knocked the breath off her lungs. She showed it to Taehyung and his brows drew close together. 

It seems like everybody saw the news, there were others who gasped loudly in shock and bolted straight up. “This has to be some kind of a joke!” A female student bellowed. Teachers who always made it look like they knew the answer to everything couldn't provide them one now. Then a loud, pathetic scream pierced the morning sky. It came from a woman outside who was still screaming as she pointed at the fogged up part of the road where the police kept their eye on. 

Instinctively, they all followed her pointed finger. And she wasn't just pointing at one, not two, not three either. But from what it looks like: dozens. Presumably around thirty individuals were jolting towards us. Students inside the bus began to panic, and the teachers stood frozen as though they were hoping everything's just a reverie. “Shit, shit, shit! What the fuck are those?!” Y/N spills. She grabbed Taehyung's arm and took great hold of it. Seokjin stands up to take a better look of what's happening outside and Jungkook's brows are furrowed while his lips are slightly parted as he tries to peek with his fellow students blocking the view.

Everybody flinches and the crowd starts to clear the road, fleeing by foot when the hoard meets the fences and ballistic shields of those men. They groaned and they moaned, and they looked like the only agenda they had was to devour— to rip you apart limb-by-limb once they got their grip on you. “Drive!” One of the teachers demanded and the bus accelerated backwards. Yet it collided with another bus which took away their chance to leave. They were left with no choice, they just had to: 

“RUN!” 

The doors hissed open and students flooded the little space they called an aisle in desperation to flee. They squeezed through in an attempt to make it out. Jungkook, Seokjin, Taehyung, and Y/N were still, eyeing the crowd with petrified expressions, obviously not wanting to squeeze their way out but also not planning to stay. Jungkook looked at Y/N, she propped one knee on the cushion seat and her other foot stayed on the metal floor. She pointed somewhere to Taehyung and he nodded. She glanced at Seokjin and the devil beside him then jerked her head towards the back of the bus when they stood up. Jin and Jungkook took it as a sign to follow. 

Taehyung slid the bus's window open and jumped off, he helped Y/N on her way out, and so did she with Seokjin and Jungkook. His foot landed on the asphalt with a soft thud. They all looked around. The buildings were blazing, the armoured men looked like they'd falter anytime soon, and there were those with hazy eyes with their sinister quest for flesh. 

“Watch out!” Her reflex kicked in; to keep him out of danger and seized Jungkook's arm. “Run!” She yelled and dragged him away when one slowly staggered behind him, eliciting a rough snarl. Jin and Taehyung quickly followed, they made their way between cars and frenzied people trying to get away. Their lungs ached and begged for some air, their knees trembled and longs for a break. But there's no time to spare for a rest. This wasn't P.E. class where you round the court and take water breaks after a few laps. There's no stopping, not with these viscous creatures behind them. 

Taehyung rounds to a corner, an alleyway. He quickly gestures to the three to follow. “Come on! This way!” He crouched beside a dumpster and Jin, Jungkook, and Y/N followed. Taehyung catches his breath and leaned against the brick wall, Jin looked around warily, one knee propped up while the other kissed the ground, Jungkook and Y/N were wiping off their own sweat. “What the hell just happened?” Taehyung asks, but apparently the rest were just as confused as he is. 

“I don't know, but I think they bite.” Y/N says. A growl came from the other side of the dumpster, not too close, but enough to hear a single rustle the four might elicit. Y/N gasps, and the man snaps his head towards their direction, his head tweaks and purplish veins run down his forehead down his neck. Jungkook quickly covered her mouth, his grip was firm but not tight, only precisely to muffle her laboured breaths. 

Taehyung covers his own mouth too when an unfortunate lady rounded this corner and froze upon seeing the one who thirsts over flesh. Her feet didn't know where to take her, they fumbled, she tried to run but it was too late. It had attacked her, pinned her down the ground and gnawed on her neck. Jin closed his eyes, it was grotesque. The squelch, the stench, the cries of agony, the distant pleas. It all hung thick in the air. Taehyung watched as it snarled and left the lady, then he started to count.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

“We need to go before that thing turns to one of them!” Jin nudges them. Y/N jerks Jungkook's hand away roughly, shooting a sideways glare his way and getting on her feet.

Five. Her body starts to spasm. Her back bowed off the ground. From where he was, he could hear the crack of her bones, see how veins started to protrude her pale skin.

Six. “Let's go.” Says Jungkook firmly, Seokjin stands up slowly, then Taehyung does too though his eyes were pasted on the lady. “Come on, Taehyung.” He calls to him and Taehyung nods. Quickly following the others as they run to as they seek for a safe place. But where is safe to begin with? He spares another glance at the lady by the end of the alley, by the 12th second, she's already standing, snarling and running after those who're still in their right minds, uninfected.

“There!” Seokjin points at a deserted building, ivy curled around it like slick oil. “Get in!” He kicked the door open and let the others get in first before him, when he was about to set a foot, Seokjin was pushed to the ground with a thud; “Fuck!” He groaned, one was on top of him trying to get a bite of his delicate skin. He pressed his elbow against its chest but it wasn't enough. It was too strong. The way its teeth snapped at him made him shiver, and its growls formed a lump on his throat. Seokjin closed his eyes and tilted away from its mouth, then he heard an ear-splitting gunshot. And something splashed on his face. 

“Get up!” A blondie yells. He wore the same uniform Seokjin wore, his blonde hair gleaming in the sunlight that surely violated school rules, he thought he was dead. Maybe he was the one shot. But there wasn't any pain that bloomed on his body. “Get up!” The man repeated and grabbed Seokjin's arm forcing him to stand on his feet. He rushed Seokjin to where Y/N, Jungkook, and Taehyung went, and locked the door. 

“Jimin?!” Jungkook bolted to the blond male and hugged him tight. “I thought something bad happened to you.” Jimin chuckles, tapping Jungkook on his back.

“Hey.” Seokjin pants, his hands on his hips. “Thanks.” He taps on Jimin’s shoulder. His gaze lowered until it caught the revolver on his hand, it was black, matte, and by the looks of it, rough. “Where'd you get the gun?” Seokjin asked.

Jimin looked at the weapon on his palm, his grip reinforcing. “Got it from a security guard after he got attacked and turned into…” He laughed awkwardly, scratching his nape then he rubbed the sweat off his temple with the collar of his uniform. 

“What's happening?!” Y/N curls against the wall while hugging her knees, her brows were drawn together and her eyes were wide in confusion. “I imagined how this day would go at least a hundred times and not a single one involved the sudden apocalypse!” She stood up and peeked from the blinds. It was still a frenzy outside. Buildings were caught on fire, cars crashed, and people ran in all directions. 

“It’s like the train to Busan walked out of the screen.” Said Taehyung, he crossed his arms and leaned on a nearby shelf inside the guitar shop they had run to. 

“Are you saying those out there… are zombies?” Jungkook cocks a brow, pointing a finger at the window. 

The four stare at Taehyung as he nods. The idea had just sunk in their heads. Zombies? It seemed so impossible that Y/N would laugh, Seokjin would crack a joke, Jimin would shake his head, and Jungkook would scoff. But considering what they had just ran away from, what almost got Seokjin killed, what Jimin had just shot to save his hyung, it wasn't impossible.

“Zombies in the big ‘25.” Seokjin mumbled, looking at his bloody hands. “Don't you guys think we need to protect ourselves?” He looks at the others. They exchange glances as though they were communicating in silence, then they nod.

“I think we should.” Y/N says sternly. They started to look around the store for materials they could use to protect themselves from attacks, weapons they could use, and things they might need. She helped Taehyung tape magazines on his forearm, same goes to Jimin. While Jungkook looked around for items they could use to fight. 

Seokjin was just taping album covers around his calves when he heard shuffling. Not from Jungkook or Jimin who moved to the upper floor of the shop. It came from behind the wooden door behind the counter, Seokjin looms closer. Taking short, cautious steps towards the door. The sound grew louder and turned into banging, like somebody’s banging their head against something hard.  

“Jin!” Y/N tapped him on his shoulder and he flinched. “We’re out of tape.” Seokjin nods, but the more she spoke, the more ragged things became. Her voice slowly faded into a distant buzz, ‘til the only sound he heard was the twist of the knob followed by the crack and whine of the door. 

It was too fast. The growl, the shithead that came out from the shadows, the stench that came from behind its lips. Seokjin froze and Y/N was in front of him, she'll get the impact and it could buy him some time to run, call the others. But then everything became slow, when he seized her by her shoulders and shoved her away, he hadn't even gotten the time to brace himself and was pinned down once again. Y/N’s scream of terror rang in his ears, slow and breaking. Like the teeth sinking down his skin, breaking him— tearing him.

The squelch, the soft gargle of his own blood, suffocated him. He heard their voices, Taehyung, Jimin, and Jungkook's. The panic straight from their throat, with how they stuttered, he guessed Taehyung even collapsed upon seeing him being devoured by a monster based on the clatter of vinyl albums Seokjin’d heard. Then a gunshot followed. The weight that lodged on Seokjin's chest dropped to the ground, yet he still couldn't breathe. Y/N was the first to rush to him, she was closest. She pressed her hand against his neck, trying to stop the gush.

“No, no, please, no.” She cried. “Not like this please, no, I'm sorry,” She lifted his head up, Seokjin smiled weakly. “It’s okay, darling.” He chuckled, looking at her then at the three men. “You guys, take care of each other.” Purplish veins were drawing their way down his face but he went on, “It's alright Y/N, stop crying you'll get ugly. Taehyung, take care of mom, tell her I'm sorry.” Taehyung nods, he stands up and pulls Y/N away, and Seokjin's eyes slowly start to become clouded. 

“Jimin, how many rounds are left?” He choked out despite his bones cracking like glass. Jimin shakes his head, sniffling and wiping his tears. Seokjin glares at him, snarling, “Take,” He groans, his body arched off the floor. “me down.” Jimin wails, dropping to his knees. The others step back, Taehyung has a firm grip on Y/N who's sobbing uncontrollably, and Jungkook extends an arm in front of the two.

Seokjin stands up slowly sluggishly, his head hanging low, he dragged his own shoulder, and when he lifts his head, his eyes are just white. His skin was paler than it was before, veins were evident especially from where he was gnawed at. Jimin's sobs quieted down. He quickly stood up and staggered backwards when Seokjin slowly limped towards him. Seokjin's gaze flickers from Jimin to the three, staring like he still knows them, like he still recognizes them. 

“Jimin.” He snarls, stretching an arm out. The man had choked on his own tears, he had no time to react, he was about to get torn apart. He had to— take him down.

© Petals4bangtan 2025

THIS WAS SPECTACULAR OMG I REALLY LOVED THIS ONE

[orangez3st]

hi friend! Could I please make a fic request if you’re interested? 😊 I was thinking of something fluffy with an established relationship with fives and a jedi reader and maybe they feel like they need to sneak around to spend time together with snuggling or kissing but everyone already knows and they just haven't realized that yet. And maybe when they get caught everyone teases them? I actually really don't mind whatever plot you want!! Just really some fluff with fives if you're interested 🩷 tysm you are amazing! 🫶🏻

Every Second Counts

ARC Trooper Fives × GN!Jedi!Reader 

✧ Summary: You and Fives have a unique bond, and you spend a brief, invaluable time together before the war becomes your priority once more.

✧ Tags & Warnings: established relationship, forbidden love, fluff, Torrent Company shenanigans, reader is a Jedi Commander and called “sir”, character cameos: Cal Kestis and a bunch of Torrent with Rex included in a separate scene, attachment-aware jedi x clone relationship (we abide the code in this house just because), cuddles, kisses, hugs, maybe a bit angsty?

✧ Word Count: 3.5k

✧ A/N: HOORAY EARLY POST!! @precioustech much thanks for requesting! 😄💞 I admit I got a little carried away while playing around with the prompt so I hope this isn’t too far from your expectations 💛 (and I just think we should have more of this kind of relationship trope)

Masterlist | Read on AO3 | Fives divider by @lornaka and @freesia-writes

“You really think we don't notice, do you?”

It's where Fives is certain his heart is going to explode out of his chest. Nevertheless, he keeps on chewing, eyes downward onto his food tray. “Notice what?”

Dogma sitting across from him gives him a look. “How you two like to sneak around.”

“Me and Echo?” Fives deflects easily, scoffing, and smacks his twin in the back while he's drinking. Sputtering, Echo kicks him under the table. Fives ignores him. “We’re ARC’s, vod. It's like you're saying how the Jedi like to use the Force.”

“Yeah, but I'm talking about the Jedi.”

“The General? I mean, yeah. Last op was fun. We were sneaky enough. Surprisingly. For a guy like Skywalker.”

“Fives,” Tup rolls his eyes. “It's about your partner.”

“Me and E—”

“Romantic partner.” It's Echo this time, scowling and looking exhausted already.

Jesse shakes his head, sitting at the end of the dining table. “Di’kut.”

“What?” Fives challenges him, his tone aggressive but the massive grin on his face is telling otherwise. “As if you're successful sneaking around with your boyfriend as well? You should be ashamed!”

Hardcase barks a laugh. “Says the guy who's sneaking around with a kriffin’ Jedi Commander!”

That earns him a collective loud shush and a slap to the back of his bald head from Jesse.

“So jig's up, then?” Kix teases. “Actually jig's up since moons ago—goddammit, Fives. Dogma really meant it. He saw you two.”

“We were talking,” Fives huffs, his food forgotten.

“And snogging,” Echo sips on his juice.

Groaning, Fives stands, his fingers lifting the edge of his tray. “This conversation never happened. I don't know you all. Who are you? Why am I sitting here with a bunch of nosy di'kute?”

“Everything's been your choice,” Tup calls out, grinning widely while twirling his fork, as the ARC Lieutenant walks away.

“Great,” Echo rolls his eyes, drawing his datapad from his hip to leave a comm message for his twin. “Now I have to remind that he eats his fill this noon.”

“Nah,” Jesse chuckles, watching Fives throwing the tray down the chute. “I'm sure he'll get lunch someplace else.”

“Somewhere nicer,” Hardcase snickers. “Like Dex's. Or, y'know—”

“Don't you dare finish that sentence,” Dogma squints.

“Knowing our next joint op is with Cody's battalion under Fives’ Jedi lover?” Jesse scoffs—as an ARC Lieutenant himself he has the briefing in hand much earlier than the rest of the company. “It'll happen anyway.”

Echo sighs. “Can we please not talk about Fives’ bedroom adventures here.”

As Fives is marching out of the mess hall he absolutely pretends not to hear all that. Echo's comm message makes his vambrace comm beep waiting to be read. He knows what it's about. Echo always cares about him like that. He'll read it, eventually. But now, his task at hand is to find you—his stance masked by the steady walk of a soldier on duty, as if marching to the hangar to board the next cruiser with whatever star system where they need him and freshest intel in mind.

Bucket clipped to his belt, Fives strides through the boring old corridors of the 501st compound—the durasteel grey of its walls void of life and reminds him too much of Kamino. He fought hard there. But here, he fights hard too between planets and star systems. He's fighting for the galaxy now, and no longer for himself—for his old squad.

Troopers passing by. They nod at him with respect. At him. Or the ARC gears. Of the fact that he's a Geonosis veteran—the second battle, where Cody carried the entire campaign and probably in need of back surgery for that. And so many battles and skirmishes after that. He's glad to have Echo and Jesse, fellow ARCs, by his side. Rex is considering Dogma to be next—if that regulation-abiding brother of his could, for once, think outside the box and improvise since it's essentially what it means to be an ARC. Those three Rancor ARC commanders who trained them would probably laugh at poor vod’ika if he keeps that up. And probably at Rex's judgment too. Rex. Even with the jai'galaar'la sur'haii'se.

Speaking of Rex, Fives finally clocks that blond head that he knows from anywhere. Blond genes are rare among the clones, being a recessive one from one of Fett's relatives. Rex is supposedly a lucky bastard, if one considers individuality has to be placed high among others.

The captain is in the midst of talking with a pair of Jedi Commanders. In the middle of a random corridor of the 501st compound, instead of a specific briefing room. Then it can't really be too important, something mundane, probably—judging by the eager, curious smile of one of the commanders, the young one, whose freckles are so prominent that even Fives could see from this distance as he marches in their direction and bright amber hair reminding him too much of Kenobi.

And then there's you. The other one. Fives throws you a not-so-discreet charming smile as soon as your attention briefly shifts toward him, and in a matter of seconds returns to Rex, whose focus is more put toward the other commander. Must be something advisory. He's really young. Probably 11 or 12 in standard.

“Good day we're having?” Fives chimes in as he approaches, the distance closing, and the group turns toward him. Rex even sports a brief smile and slaps him in the back.

“I wouldn't call intel gathering day in Serenno as good,” the 501st commanding officer rolls his eyes.

“Ah, the usual for ARCs, Captain. You know that well, eh?”

“Sure, whatever.” Rex barely puts any resistance against his blooming smirk. He then cuts to the chase gesturing to the unfamiliar smaller and impossibly younger commander. “This is Jedi Padawan Cal Kestis, Commander of the 13th Battalion under General Jaro Tapal. Sir, this is Fives; ARC trooper, Lieutenant. One of our finest men we trust for intel gathering.”

Cal Kestis, the curious and perhaps a little shy young red-haired boy, holds out a hand for Fives to shake. “Nice to meet you, Lieutenant.”

“And you, sir. Between us, it's just Fives.” With a polite smile he's practiced a hundred times, he shakes the boy's hand, giving him a gentle yet firm shake so he wouldn't shock the life out of him. “So this is now a joint op between,” Fives tilts his head, aiming the question at Rex, “501st and 212th SpecOps, and now a part of the 13th as well?”

You step in. “Cal is joining us as a part of his training. Master Tapal insisted, and I'll be looking after him.” Fives' breath is stolen right away at hearing your voice and it makes him feel stupid in the presence of others. You place a gentle hand on Kestis’ shoulder. “So don't worry, little brother. I'll be there every step of the way.”

Kestis grimaces at the prospect of being babysat by Tapal’s former Padawan—his lineage sibling. “Maybe not in every step of the way?”

Fives goes into parade rest. “Might as well send commandos,” he aims his statement again—which is insignificant, and he knows that but he just wants to comment—at Rex.

“It's not that delicate,” Rex says, “ARCs are sufficient for this mission.”

“With a couple of lightsaber-wielding commanders,” you brightly add, mainly to keep Kestis from being intimidated by all the official chatter.

“We need to go over again about how big this facility we're talking about,” Fives suggests, throwing a nanosecond attentive glance at you.

“That'd be the best,” Rex agrees with a slow nod, and throws a brief smile at Kestis. “Especially now that we have an additional passenger on board whom I bet wouldn't wanna miss anything we have. I'll talk to Cody to gather his men.”

“Yeah, maybe there's something new,” Fives adds, referring to intel and being actually locked in although there's you—usually his primary distraction. He's proud of himself at the moment.

“I'd like to come with you if you don't mind, Captain.” Kestis’ young voice sounds like it came from a heavy internal deliberation. He doesn't want to leave your side. What an adorable young boy. He's a kid. Reminds Fives of his own Commander Tano, and also the grim part of the war that they send literal children into it.

Rex smiles encouragingly. “Sure, kid. Come along.” With a parting nod both to Fives and you, he turns and walks the other way—helmet clipped to his belt and arms swaying by his side—with the young Padawan eagerly following next to him. “I want to show you the main war room. Or is there something else you'd like to see? Like the training gym?”

“That'd be great! Have you been to the 13th Battalion compound?’

Their voices become distant, faded into faint whispers of encouragement and enthusiasm before lost on him, as they turn around the corner. And finally, there's only him. And you.

You sigh loudly. Fives tilts his head sideways at you—a relieved, loopy smile that somehow still makes him quite a looker adorn his face.

“Hey,” he softly greets you, finally free from all the serious formalities.

“Hi,” you grin, heart thrumming in delight.

“So. Cal Kestis,” he begins. “Haven't seen him around before.”

You exhale wistfully, hands going behind you back. “His battalion gets deployed to the Outer Rim lately.”

Fives balks. “Wait, not in the Sieges? With Bacara and his intimidating marine boys?”

“No, not there. Not there yet,” you shake your head, concerned. “Let's hope not. He's so young. And the Outer Rim is too brutal for him.”

Fives knows well what intragalactic war would demand of someone. He looks at you. “Even I know you won't go there.”

“We won't go there,” you correct him. “If you're not part of the 21st or Master Mundi’s padawans, it might as well be a death sentence.”

Fives hums. “Heroes.”

“Commendable bravery.” Your tone is solemn. “But here in life, we all have sacrifices to make.”

“Yeah,” he absently agrees, unsure how to interpret that. Yes, he gets the general idea, but he wonders if it goes far beyond. Deeper. Meaning upon meaning. Covered by not entirely lies, but just… hidden, lying in wait, waiting to be dug out.

“But enough about that. I'm sure Cal is in good hands—your Captain’s.” Your voice rings through his thoughts, and when he snaps his attention at you again, your lips blossom into a soft smile, and your hand held out in his direction. “Let's get out of here, shall we?”

You lead him to your temporary apartment inside the compound. It's modest at best. You may be part of the 212th, but recently both of your and Fives' battalion have been tackling Separatist presence in the Core Worlds and Mid Rim by co-op, so you spend a lot of time in and out of GAR military compounds in Coruscant. The Temple remains your forever home. While you miss the serenity of the garden and the pond, it's nothing against hearing the hustle and bustle of soldiers merely living their lives and making fun while they can. It settles several of your worries. It's alive, and you love being in the midst of it.

The moment the door of your apartment seals close, Fives wraps his strong arms around your frame, pulling you flush against his armored chest. It's a little awkward on your part and pulling a surprised squeal out of you at the pressure, so you compensate by letting go, placing a kiss on his cheek and helping to unclasp his top armor pieces. He watches you fumble with his vambrace with a mesmerized gleam in his eyes.

“Do you have any idea how attractive you are just standing in some corridor of this building?”

A loud laugh that sounds ever pleasant in his ears tumbles off your lips. Your brilliant eyes peer up at him as he patiently waits for you. “You’re only saying that because now we're here; finally having a private time for ourselves.”

“Yeah but seriously.” Fives rolls his eyes. His cheeks hurt from grinning too much. Done with the vambraces, you quickly tug off his elbow guards. “Missed you so much, cyar’ika.”

You hum, absentmindedly pecking his lips before unclasping his bicep pieces. Fives shrugs his pauldrons and entire chest and back piece off faster than your pace entirely out of muscle memory, apparently unable to hold his patience out for much longer. He crushes you against his toned chest, muffling your giggles and playful squeals as he places a big wet kiss on top of your head.

“Okay okay! I missed you too!” you giggle for mercy, letting out a startled yelp again when he grabs the sides of your face to crash his lips against yours. It's only temporary, yet still leaving you breathless by the time he pulls away, before kissing you again much gentler afterward.

You sigh into his lips, your arms wind around his neck. Fives holds you closer, pinning you against his warm torso. His chest bubbles with so much immeasurable happiness and relief that he lets out an involuntary chuckle, stroking your cheek and leaning his forehead against yours as he reels away from the intoxicating kiss.

“Joint ops are amazing since I can focus on legit ARC missions…” He playfully pinches your side, chuckling at your small adorable yelp. “While staring at you across the war room during briefs. It's a good chance. Worth every single time.”

“You know that really sounds creepy, Fives,” you giggle.

Your lover smiles widely, gently rocking your bodies side to side. “It's beneficial.”

You roll your eyes. “More joint operations aren't exactly doing us any good if we still wanna keep us a secret.”

He nearly groans remembering the mess hall conversation with the others. “Actually it might even not be a secret anymore.”

You freeze and blink at him. “Say again?”

“The boys somehow know about us,” he admits after letting out a big dramatic sigh. Because just great. It's most top fear for couples who want to keep their relationship a secret, and somehow he blew it off. Worse thing is he doesn't know when—when they started to know, when the word circulated around—and most especially; how they knew.

It only takes you a moment to digest it all, including the existing consequences. “‘Somehow’?” you inquire teasingly. “You're an ARC trooper, Fives. I thought ‘somehow’ isn't in your dictionary.” 

“This one escaped me.” His voice falls quieter, disappointment in himself flooding his chest. But your eyes are so forgiving that you almost don't seem to mind. It's disappointing, too. “I’m so sorry,” he says anyway.

You sigh softly, carding a hair through his coarse curls. “It's not your fault.” You're stroking his cheek, a soft smile on your lips, and Fives learns into your touch that eventually blossoms into a full palm on cheek. “Maybe we weren't subtle enough.”

“Still.” He then buries his face into your shoulder. Your robes smell like some woody and floral aroma that indistinctly can be found at the Temple, and he tries to find comfort in that while he pours his heart out. “I put a lot on your plate. I don't ever wanna do that to you. You've got a lot of burden being a commander of your own battalion, and I don't want you to worry about getting kicked out of the Order.”

Fives feels you smile against his neck, and his back shivers from how your fingers curl into his blacks. “Thank you for worrying about me,” he hears you whisper. You place a chaste kiss on his jaw. “But all that you mentioned has been there all my life.”

He pouts. He lowkey wishes you could see him like that. “But I'm making it worse.”

The subtle shaking of your head makes a rustling noise against his skin. “Nonsense. You're making everything better.” You reel away from his neck to take his lips upon yours. Your eyes glimmer again as you gaze into his soul, piercing his barriers altogether. “We're together. That's what matters.”

Fives tightens his arms around you almost possessively, shutting his eyes to just hear your soft breathing against him and relishing your presence in his arms. “Aside from the war that we found ourselves in.”

“Precisely,” you murmur, “I can’t give you much, but you'll always have me. Whatever you need.”

He releases a long sigh. It unexpectedly comes from deep inside him—all the wishes, all the hopes. All the questions and impatience still entrapped by a sturdy net. He has a purpose. He can't forget that.

“I know.” Fives opens his eyes to your soft grateful smile. “Can I kiss you again?”

“If I ever say no, you may use my lightsaber on me.”

He chuckles. “I just really like kissing you.” His lips find yours again, and he can almost taste the honey and cornbread you've had for after-lunch snack on you. “You're addicting.”

“Careful,” you tease.

“M’still within the borders of my respect, sir,” Fives grins, his feet driving you to pace backwards so that he could gently push you to sit on your bed. He remains standing, yet his hand finds your jaw to caress them as softly as he can. “Just stating my affection. Unless affection is forbidden for the Jedi?”

You giggle softly. “You're really cheeky with your words. As if your vocabulary changes when you're near me.”

“Good sir, however thou art mean?”

“Stop it,” you let out a full belly laugh that you cover your mouth with your hand. “You sound too silly. I like you just silly.”

“Right.” His chest warms at your delighted sound, which by his humblest opinion is incomparable against Naboo’s beautiful blossoms and the sound of trickling river in the wild. “Then let this silly man kiss you to death, hm?”

Fives descends on you before you can answer. His movement is precise as he maneuvers his limbs to cage you in, clearly not intending to make you uncomfortable in your own bed. One knee and both forearms by either side of your head propping him up, his mouth moves against yours carefully, gently. You sigh into the kiss as he slowly lowers himself onto your body, pressing you against the mattress to let you feel his weight comfortably resting on top of yours.

You pull away from his lips. “Can we stay like this?”

A comfortable heat crawls up his body seeing you breathless and batting your eyelashes innocently at him. His chest swells, already settling on an answer as he places one last peck on your lovely lips. “‘Course we can, cyar’ika.”

You mutter your heartfelt thanks like a polite Jedi you are as you both shuffle around the bed to find a comfortable position. Fives lays down on your pillow, one arm behind his head and your head resting on top of his chest. No matter how long you two have spent moments like this, it never fails his heart to beat even faster. His affection grows and swells to the point it no longer can't be contained, so oftentimes his arm tightens around your shoulders as if he has a cuteness aggression for you, and before you know it he places another big wet kiss on top of your head that always leave you giggling every single time.

It's quiet moments like this. Grateful to have each other in each other's company although occasionally separated by campaigns. It's a fate that's neither cruel nor fortunate that your battalion and his often join forces. One would say it's a distraction. But his focus persists. And sometimes, thousands of light-years away, Fives wonders about you. Sometimes sending a comm could be too risky—every communication is closely monitored.

He always prepares for the worse, but not that he's never used to that. His affection for you has grown deep and taken roots. Fives cares about you just as much as he cares about the chance of winning campaign after campaign. Time and space and understanding have always been present between the both of you, and thus every moment is precious just as every ticking second counts. Every kiss counts. Every traded word counts. Anything could be your last, or his.

So when his vambrace beeps, signaling a comm message from Rex about the assembly with the 212th, a sigh of satisfaction—long and forgiving—blows through his nostrils. You raise your head to meet his gaze, your smile already full with acceptance and anticipation.

“Let's win again this time, Fives, my dear,” you say encouragingly, stroking his cheek and kissing him again one last time. Before you can pull away, Fives deepens the kiss, his hand pressing the back of your head to keep you there.

“For the greater good,” he murmurs against his lips, fire igniting inside his chest. “And seeing you again, obviously.”

You chuckle at his clinginess. Once again, your sounds of joy bring consolation within him, and your confident, passionate smile brightens his life.

“And seeing you again, yeah.”

Taglist: @yoursrosie @hellfiresky @filamentlights @msmeredithrose @heidnspeak @lucyysthings @emmaw18 @leiopython-rat @gh0st-c0mpany @br00kthe0takuuuu @ct7567329 @returnofthepineapple

A/N: You can request for x reader in my askbox! If you're interested in my clone x reader oneshots you can sign up as well to be tagged of future works. (Link provided ⬆️)

[flyinghome-againstthewind]

Fic Writer Interview

Tagged by my dearest @theawkwardterrier - thank you for the excuse to do nonsense in between my last sessions of the longest Friday!! 😘

How many works do you have on ao3?

Nine

What’s your total word count?

297,842 words (I'll hit 300,000 total and 100,000 in Seaside in the next chapter so I'm feeling very 🥺)

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

the best by far is you

Beside the Seaside

The Lost Ones

Soften Every Edge

When My Love Reaches to Me

Do you respond to comments? Why/why not?

I try to because I really love the community around sharing stories and appreciate the time people spend reading and leaving a nice comment. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with responding if I get behind on it and need to just do a reset with responding on the next chapter/story though.

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

In high school, I wrote a One Tree Hill fic that was very dramatic and soapy (not unlike the show) and I don't know that the ending itself was that angsty (I honestly don't remember), but I killed off one of the characters within the first few chapters and the rest of the fic was dealing with that and yeah, very angsty and over-the-top drama 😅

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

I think Soften Every Edge is pretty darn happy 🥹

Do you write crossovers?

I'm not against it, but I haven't felt compelled to write one yet.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yes, but I will say most of what I get now is more in the vein of feeling entitled to quick updates/being rude more so than mean/hateful (also with my fics locked to users, I can't get anon replies and that probably helps...).

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Before writing Outlander fic, no, and I only started because Jamie and Claire are so damn horny for each other all the time 😂 but I would say I usually write more m-rated stuff and only if it feels necessary for the story as part of their relationship or if I feel particularly inspired.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge beyond getting scraped and posted elsewhere.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but I would love that if someone wanted to.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I haven't and I used to have a chip on my shoulder about this in a previous fandom that did a lot of co-writing and it felt very clique-ish, but I can't wrap my mind around the logistics of how that would work to write with someone else, so I think I'm okay now lol.

What's your all-time favourite ship?

I can't pick just one!!

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

Oof. I guess my super niche Smallville wip that I worked on and had several chapters written, never posted any of it and never finished it, so really, the only person suffering over the unfinished wip is me, but I still wish I'd been able to write that one and share it.

What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm good with characterization and weaving in canon moments in an au.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Plotting sometimes, because I rely on more of a vague outline/direction that I'm going and have to just trust myself to find my way through the details and that can get tough.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I feel super uncomfy about butchering a language without realizing it, but at the same time, especially with Outlander, these other languages are an integral part of some of the characters, so I still want to include that aspect.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

I think it was One Tree Hill or Grey's Anatomy, at least that I actually started posting. I was tinkering away with some other stories in a few other fandoms too, but I definitely lurked for a while and wrote in my noteboooks before I felt brave enough to share online!

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

I want to finish my Avalance fic that I started in January because season 7 was so good and then the CW cancelled them on a cliffhanger and we never got to meet THEIR BABY and this will be my villain origin story!!! (not the fic though, the fic is super soft and sweet 🥰)

What's your favourite fic you've written?

I can't pick my favorite of this one either! Rude to even ask!! 😭

Tagging @walkinginland and anyone else who's interested, consider yourself tagged!

[velvetvessel-edits]

sometimes being easy to read is one thing

Anyway response to a Death Battle post cause I'm one of the like 10 people on tumblr who have been deep in the Death Battle fandom for years and one of the like 4 who is vocal about it here. If you want to throw in your 2 cents please remember to be respectful

anyway, while a lot of the points made in this post are understandable it's one that lacks a lot of recent information (which tracks according to their own words) which give more of an insight on how Death Battle as a show works, along side the general evolution of VS antics, so here's a longwinded text post about that

it's very often they site all this research and logic and math with zero sources beyond "we have a person doing it, trust me." while ignoring many of the skills and feats a character has.

This is a true statement, and an issue that I've seen a lot of people have with Death Battle in general. It's definitely one of the biggest casual oriented issues, but one with solutions/explanations that are found by fans deeper in the community.

1.) Some feats or abilities may be ignored because they just aren't that relevant. A feat example is one that Ben Singer himself has referenced before: Sonic falling from orbit in Sonic Unleashed is a feat that he has done, but when calculated it's a lot less impressive than many of his other feats so they don't bring it up. An ability example is one I'll just kind of throw out a random example: Star Butterfly of Star VS The Forces of Evil fame has an assload of spells she has used, some of which a lot less important than others, so why bring it up if it's not relevant. There's a lot to dissect with a good amount of characters and Analysis segments only have so much time to go over what they need to, so there's inevitably going to be things that just aren't brought up.

2.) The times they do actually show the process. In Goku VS Superman 2023, they calculate the size of Universe 7 to be around 1500 times bigger than our own Universe. This is due to verbal statements in the show and guidebooks saying that Heaven in universe 7 is about the size of a Universe.

Using Heaven as a baseline for our universe, upscaling it off a model of Universe 7, accounting for the blank space inbetween the universe and the kai realms, and doing sphere based math

They get a number that looks like this

Granted the way the math is delivered is streamlined, but thats mainly because if they verbally went through the entire process of calcing it it would fuck with the pace of the episode and the method they use to get there and the end result is honestly fine enough

3.) All this information can be found in blog posts by official researchers, namely Ultraguy. WHile I don't remember how long it's been going (or even if it still is going due to blog sites being fucked up for VS pages recently) Ultraguy would post detailed VS Biographies for death battle combatants to get more of an idea of what was going into the episode during production. Sadly these were recently deleted due copyright strikes on the anime character pages, and they haven't been ported over to a new site yet, but it's still a deeper dive into the characters that couldn't make it into the episode for those more interested in the end result (if you're wondering why it couldn't make it into the episode it's because Death Battle videos have to cover a lot of a characters history and abilities in around 6-7 minutes and when you use characters that have been around for decades it's impossible to talk about everything they can do in a timely manner).

Now there are plenty of instances where they just throw a number on the screen without much elaboration, and it's annoying whenever it happens, but they have had multiple instances where they show their work and thats not to be discredited.

Tifa fought an alien "god" monster, Yang is not beating her because she punched a robot the whole team fought, they act like yang solo'd it and comparing a prototype robot to a clone of an alien super soldier is...dumb.

oh cool yang vs tifa discourse in 2025, we antcowing to this one

Imma keep this one shorter cause it's a lot simpler to address: A lot of early Death Battle has shaky to down right bad research. This is mainly due to the team still comprising of ScrewAttack heads who did research but weren't as thorough as the research team they picked up in Season 3 after Bowser VS Ganon was

well Bowser VS Ganon

On top of that it was the Powerscaling scene in 2015, and while it was able to call out stupid shit like that it was also a time where you would be laughed at for putting Mario characters at cosmic levels. Judging the research of early Death Battle is very easy, but it's also not representative of their current methods or quality of research. Don't get me wrong theres still episodes that are wrong or have questionable research, but thats usually for episodes where the matchups are a lot denser and convoluted (the only person winning the Wile E VS Tom debates were the people who weren't debating it)

They also made incredibly one sided matches like Bowser vs Ganon in which they state that ganon can only be damaged by holy weapons...so what's the battle for?

It's cool

I mean the episode wasn't but thats most people's thought process. They don't care if the winner is obvious they just wanna see cool shit happen and watch a crossover fanfiction, plus theres gonna be casuals who question who wins without doing the in deep research many members of the VS community do (even if Bowser VS Ganon is notorious for its shit research but shhhhhhhh)

Or How eggman a human is not beating bowser when he can just come back from the dead...also doesn't that just destroy your concept? Shouldn't as soon as Bowser dies that should be "K.O?"

This one is a more fun topic.

SO lets say you're fighting someone to the death and you turn them into a skeleton. In most instances you would win, but what if your opponent has the magic power to still live as a skeleton and then she beat you up as a Skeleton and then you die. Sure she's a skeleton, but she's still able to move and talk and fight you, and then they killed you and you can't come back.

This is what happens in Bowser VS Eggman. Bowser is reduced to nothing but a pile of bones, but since Bowser has been shown to be able to live as a Skeleton he keeps going and then kills Eggman. Eggman didn't actually kill Bowser long enough for it to be considered a win as he was very easily able to come back and resume the fight.

Emphasis on that last part. Bill Cipher VS Discord is an episode where the loser could come back from death, but whenever its shown to happen it at the very least takes a couple of days to get back into a form where he could continue fighting. Because this form of revival takes too long he was considered the loser.

So it wouldn't be considered a KO cause Eggman didn't fully put Bowser down for long enough, though this point is a good example of another point in that the fights aren't all a 1 to 1 as to how the fight would or should go. Death Battle runs on the basis of "who would win more times than not" and when thats your basis you can't show off how it would go, because there's so many different ways it could go some of which where the loser does end up winning.

And half the battles feel like they just make up similarities off the bat.

Most of the episodes done are community requests as opposed to them just making shit up on the spot. off the top of my head popular matchup requests were

Zuko VS Todoroki

Steven Universe VS Star Butterfly

Madara VS Aizen

Frieza VS Megatron

Guts VS Dimitri

Vader VS Obito

Bowser VS Eggman

Joker VS Giorno

Most of Season 5

and all 3 episodes decided by Death Battle Champions (Bill VS Discord, Cole VS Alex, and Wile E VS Tom)

Hell the episode you show as an example was a popular community request.

I can't for the life of me wonder why they'd set up Deku with his several powers up against Miles

Spider-Man VS Deku was by far the most popular idea for both characters in its prime, and the only reason it fell off in popularity was because Miles fought someone else and then later on Izuku fought someone else. Requests for both picked up later on down the line and it was likely added to the kickstarter line up due to Across the Spiderverse's release adding on more hype and relevance to Spider-Man ideas and MHA's ending giving them a shot at complete Deku analysis (helping is that both their initial rundowns weren't the best and this gives them a Retake for both characters).

I've seen people treating miles like shit to prop up Deku in an already heavily anti black fandom ( I still remember seeing tons of people stating that rock lock couldn't possibly be black, he just mutated his skin to be brown, give me a fucking break ) In the Miles Moralas tag on twitter UNTAGGED is a picture of Deku resting the back of his head on Gwen's ass, like she's a prize for him. I don't know about you, but if someone killed my friend/partner I'd probably kill them, not give them ass! The vitriol for miles where even his potential love interest are up for grabs for any fair skinned man, and they'd be completely willing comes from a place of prejudice so deeply ingrained, they convinced themselves its all in good fun...until it happens to them. : O

I don't know how to dissect this one to be honest. I get the "anime fans are racist towards black people" thing, cause there's an unfortunate chunk of Nux Taku fans that watch Death Battle (they acted how you'd expect them to act) but this also feels like freaking out of agendaposting on twitter, and the only response I have to that is "Deku didn't get that much better a treatment" cause you gotta remember this is Izuku Midoriya we're talking about this guy was by far the most made fun of newgen anime protagonist for years and still gets shit to this day

I used to watch DB and see people throw shade, but it as all in good fun and it wasn't people posting shit like "If miles wins I'll k!ll myself or people claiming Deku would say the N-word; Jesus EVERY TIME. Can't have a dark skinned poc even appear without a racist joke from someone who isn't the race...

Ok while the part about people being unable to contain themselves when it comes to making race jokes whenever black characters are a topic is true, the "if miles wins i'll kill myself" part is just terminally online zoomer humor

it admittedly sucks but thats just how it is

But yeah uh. D.B isn't worth it. One Min Melee however has both characters live, and some become friends or have their own little fun narratives, like Link teaming up with Sora, Donald and Goofy to fight dark link, that's my bread and butter.

Bro name the last time One Minute Melee dropped (it was 6 years ago and outside of one update post from like a year or two back we haven't gotten any sort of updates)

Anyway just to humble Deku fans should of put him against Blue Marvel : P

I get the joke but also like 2 weeks into the wait period people started throwing Deku at Juggernaut I don't think we need to do all that

WOW THAT WAS A LOT MORE THAN I EXPECTED TO SAY

i hope u learned something today whoever reads this

🔥🔥

Send me a “ 🔥 “ for an unpopular opinion.

Bonus points if you include a topic. ( IE. shipping, roleplaying, ect. )

Death battle annoys me, I mean the point is suppose to be to enjoy the silly crossover fights, but it's like every time I turn around, it somehow gets worse.

I stopped watching years ago, fight after Mitsuru v Weiss (I'm so sorry persona ) it's very often they site all this research and logic and math with zero sources beyond "we have a person doing it, trust me." while ignoring many of the skills and feats a character has.

Tifa fought an alien "god" monster, Yang is not beating her because she punched a robot the whole team fought, they act like yang solo'd it and comparing a prototype robot to a clone of an alien super soldier is...dumb. They also made incredibly one sided matches like Bowser vs Ganon in which they state that ganon can only be damaged by holy weapons...so what's the battle for? Or How eggman a human is not beating bowser when he can just come back from the dead...also doesn't that just destroy your concept? Shouldn't as soon as Bowser dies that should be "K.O?"

And half the battles feel like they just make up similarities off the bat. The most recent Death battle was shown to me by a friend and it perplexes me.

I can't for the life of me wonder why they'd set up Deku with his several powers up against Miles; Miles is skilled I'd even say OP but this is setting him up for failure, even if he wins some Aholes will state it's bias and lies; what's really concerning are the reactions.

I've seen people treating miles like shit to prop up Deku in an already heavily anti black fandom ( I still remember seeing tons of people stating that rock lock couldn't possibly be black, he just mutated his skin to be brown, give me a fucking break ) In the Miles Moralas tag on twitter UNTAGGED is a picture of Deku resting the back of his head on Gwen's ass, like she's a prize for him. I don't know about you, but if someone killed my friend/partner I'd probably kill them, not give them ass! The vitriol for miles where even his potential love interest are up for grabs for any fair skinned man, and they'd be completely willing comes from a place of prejudice so deeply ingrained, they convinced themselves its all in good fun...until it happens to them. : O

I used to watch DB and see people throw shade, but it as all in good fun and it wasn't people posting shit like "If miles wins I'll k!ll myself or people claiming Deku would say the N-word; Jesus EVERY TIME. Can't have a dark skinned poc even appear without a racist joke from someone who isn't the race...

But yeah uh. D.B isn't worth it. One Min Melee however has both characters live, and some become friends or have their own little fun narratives, like Link teaming up with Sora, Donald and Goofy to fight dark link, that's my bread and butter.

Anyway just to humble Deku fans should of put him against Blue Marvel : P

[unicornpopcorn14]

Chuuya's reaction to Dazai getting hurt during the Lovecraft fight has always been so interesting to me...

Because it's the kind of worry you'd never expect from a character as gruff as Chuuya, who had displayed nothing but hostility towards Dazai so far. Usually, characters that are labelled as "angry" or "anger issues" (which Chuuya is much more complex than that but you get my point) act more as a tsundere type of way when the one they "don't care about" gets hurt. And show their care in very, very subtle ways (ex. their eyes widen, their mouth parts and closes again, etc) before putting up their front once more.

Chuuya, however, is open, and vocal about it. His worry is clear not only to us, but to Dazai himself, the one he shouldn't be displaying the concern to (as per the cliche). Shouldn't it be some sort of secret that Chuuya does care? Isn't that what skk's dynamic has been shaping up to be until now?

I'm telling you- the way my mind blanked when Chuuya just casually.... showed concern not once, but twice, was a sight to see.

Besides, the context makes it much more confusing, because Dazai isn't some rookie, and Chuuya knows that more than anybody. He was the youngest executive in Port Mafia's history, of course he can handle a hit or two. Of course he'd seen him handle a hit or two, sometimes without batting an eye.

Heck, Chuuya himself was hurling Dazai like a ragdoll in their reunion, which was their last meeting. And you could argue that he was going easy on him, but Dazai has mostly withstood the same damage (as far as I could see), and Chuuya was as bitter as ever.

So that kind of contradicts both what we knew of Chuuya so far, and how their dynamic was shaped to be. I mean, that just makes Chuuya a hypocrite, yeah? What makes him care now, all of a sudden? What makes him care at all?

Well, to me, this backasswards reaction implies one (or more) of the following:

- Dazai rarely got physically hurt during their partnership and thus this is an unexpected thing for him to see (during a mission).

- The four years of separation made Chuuya unsure of how much Dazai can withstand physically now. Also the fact that he isn't in the mafia anymore, aka fighting enemy organizations on the weekly, would naturally make Dazai lose his touch in a way, what prompts Chuuya's reaction.

- Dazai getting taken off guard took him off guard which led to panic. Especially since the situation was (momentarily) out of their depth. Seriously wtf even was Lovecraft?

- During the dungeon scene Dazai was an enemy, while in the Lovecraft fight he was as an ally. The difference might be significant to Chuuya.

- This has always been Chuuya's reaction to Dazai getting hurt regardless of the situation.

- "Only I can hurt him like that" ahh logic

- Asagiri was still experimenting with their dynamic and thus there are some inconsistencies.

This scenario didn't play out again (after their reunion) for me to exactly determine which one is more plausible, but it is 100% canon for Chuuya to shamelessly show his concern and run to Dazai to check on him before properly dealing with their opponent, which I find to be such an appealing layer to their dynamic, and a good spin on the type of character he gets stereotyped as.

Bonus: Dazai also becomes a softy when Chuuya's hurt, especially post corruption. Dead Apple alone displays that multiple times.

All in all, Skk are doing a terrible job at maintaining their 'hostile' and 'antagonistic' relationship post their reunion. Freaks.

[laddertek]

etho said actually you _don't_ understand the intricacies of how tango is my boyfriend and bdubs is my ex

(and how tango and bdubs kiss too)

Scar: We went on that little adventure, you know! Etho: Yeah, yeah, we had our adventure, that's true, that's true. Scar: You disparaged your teammates. That's it, all right, no more spoilers. Etho: (laughs) Our team has -- our team has some weird dynamics this -- this season. Cleo: (overlapping) Really, Etho? Is there trouble in paradise? (pause) Who's third-wheeling with you, again? I can't remember. Etho: (laughs) Uhh. The -- Cleo: Genuinely can't remember. I know it's you and Bdubs. And...Tango? Tango. Tango. Etho: (loudly) Why -- Why is Tango the third wheel? Why -- why isn't Bdubs the third wheel? Cleo: Because it's you and Bdubs. I'm sorry. I understand how that relationship goes. Etho: (dissatisfied) Hmm.

[intramoon]

To be reborn, you have to die first.

[journeyman-tier-fibercraft]

Happy WIP Wednesday! It's been Quite a few months since I've had the energy to do any knitting, but today is a good day!

I've been slowly chipping away at Oak Leaves for thereabouts ten months, the rows are Very long now, and I still have 20 ish left. But it was time to put her on longer needles, and the cord I needed was on the back of my aggressively pink cardigan. Which prompted me to actually check how far that project got just to realize I had stopped knitting at 174 rows, out of 176.

I did knit those last two rows and remembered just how much fun this cardigan is to knit, and also how fucking hot it is to knit. I miss her but not in 90 degree weather. T-T