#they are just 2 idiots in love who are both equally bad at saying what they feel

[elavoyyy]

Every time they talked about forgiveness, seems to me that Aziraphale is essentially begging for Crowley to forgive himself, to accept that there is still good in him. Every time he says ‘I forgive you’ it’s right after when Crowley proposed that they run away, that they should be isolated from heaven or hell because they are not accepted by either. But Aziraphale simply doesn’t think that they should be running. The difference between A/C and Gabriel/Beelzebub is, Gabriel in the show doesn’t really have any morals to begin with. And Beelzebub has no problem with being a demon except for a never present boss and idiotic subordinates. But Aziraphale is naturally compassionate, and compulsively wants to be good. In season 2 he is more sure of himself, he no longer associates obedience with ‘the right thing to do’. He believes that he is good even though he was cast out by Heaven, therefore Crowley, who is his soulmate, is also good, fallen or not. But then at the end of season 2, Aziraphale gets an opportunity to make Heaven as good as he thinks it should be, a heaven that represents inclusiveness and love, a heaven that accepts someone like Crowley who asks questions. It makes sense that he would want this above all else. Because it means that his ideology and the reality can finally be aligned. It means what he recognises as good (Crowley and himself), will be good to everyone, and eventually Crowley himself. To Aziraphale, if Crowley accepted his offer to go to heaven, he can make Crowley see that there is nothing to forgive, Crowley can be who he is without any guilt or shame or feeling of abandonment. If they had communicated properly even just once in the last 6 thousand years this wouldn’t have been so difficult. Then in the end, they ran out of time.

[writingmeraki]

fools of love II

READ PART ONE HERE !!

summary : being jealous of the stars in your eyes whenever you smiled because he knew they were caused by anyone but him or so he thought.

genre : fluff, angst, humour (it gets a bit angsty here folks)

pairing : cho guesung x gn!reader, idiots to lovers.

warnings : kissing, attempts at humor, misunderstandings, slight hurt, jealousy, cussing, the reader is hurt kinda, not entirely proofread.

author's note : IT'S OUT finally, this took me longer than i initially thought and my sincere apologies for that, i hope this makes up for the wait ??? i won't lie i wish i could write this into a series but i hope you like this either way :D let me know what you think of this haha love you and thank you for the support you have given this !! here's to part 2 :))

word count : 5k (total is around 8.6k with part one)

previously

"Sheesh it's not like you actually will look like a fool anyways at least never to hyung so I don't know why you stress out so much."

He muttered as he caressed his ear and narrowed his eyes at you while cussing you in his mind geez this woman knows how to hurt

You raised an eyebrow, almost in amazement yet disbelief as you scoffed

"He doesn't particularly like me Kangin, did you forget?" Your voice softened at the end with a sad tone lacing it.

Kangin let out a sigh of exhaustion not just because of him being tired due to running around and practicing but also because frankly he was also tired of this.

He was tired to see you beat yourself up because you felt as though you'd were the one doing something wrong

Maybe it's because I smile too much?? Maybe I look inappropriate ?? Or he just-maybe he just doesn't like my presence??

These were some of the questions you'd always ask him to which Kangin would equally be baffled as to how you think someone could dislike you or your presence and he'd always fill in words of reassurance and make sure you knew you were not the one at fault, ever.

No Y/N it'-it's not you okay? It's not you who is fault here i promise, maybe he's just in a bad mood but don't you dare blame yourself for him not treating you right okay?

He'd told those words previously when he you first asked him those questions but honestly he was fed up of this and could tell this had to be changed.

Turning his head towards where Guesung stood, he narrowed his eyes and scanned his expression.

Guesung stood talking to Heungmin, they both looked like they were in a serious conversation judging from their serious faces so he thought it wasn't right to approach his hyung at that moment.

You stood there eyes shifting following Kangin's gaze and saw he seemed to be in his mind at the moment as he narrowed his eyes at...Guesung?

You raised an eyebrow out of curiosity now trying to wander what kind of thoughts could he possibly having right now that seemed to make him more and more frustrated.

Just as you were about to speak up, he suddenly jerked his entire body in your direction and stood directly in front of you now, staring you right in your eyes.

You got taken aback a bit as you stared at his mocha brown eyes that swirled with many emotions, though you couldn't quite put a figure in either as they all seemed to be a mix of annoyance, judging from his slightly crunched eyebrows, but his lip forming a small pout as though he was desperate to let out whatever he had just been thinking off.

You almost wanted to giggle because it just looked like he was a cute little puppy who got hurt but you suppressed it and stared at him in anticipation to go on.

"Y/N." He called in a deeper voice then usual, a professional tone you suppose to make what he was about to say sound absolutely serious.

"Mhm?" Letting out a hum of approval for him to go on

"You know i always want what's best for you right? I have always wanted what's best for you and i always will." He told you now putting his hands on your shoulders as if to hold you in place.

" Yes, yes i do know but wh-why are you suddenly saying this?"

You told now getting slightly nervous as to how serious he looked, his eyes now being replaced from the warmer tones to a more darker yet slightly intimidating gaze.

"That's why I think, that's why I think you should either be fucking brave and confess or else you let it go. Because clearly holding onto this is not only hurting you but it is literally draining you."

He firmly told as you slowly took in his words, your brain picking up quickly as to what he had been implying, your heart beat thudding against your chest as your imagination started to run wild from the scenarios it created.

After a pause,hearing no reply from you, he decided it was appropriate to continue

"It's not like you know how he feels do you? Yes his behaviour is not rightful towards you but even that you should let him know, let him know that it hurts you, that he doesn't have the right to treat you that way despite you doing nothing wrong in the first place."

You gulped at his words as he continued on

"Y/N, my love, you deserve the best a person can offer. You deserve someone who's willing to treat you right and make sure your feelings are not hurt. You deserve someone who for one is honest about their feelings, who's willing to go out of their way to keep you in their lives."

Taking a pause to catch his breath,

"Even if it means Guesung hyung is not that person."

"You need to realise what you rightfully deserve. That choice is always yours, not mine, not the world and certainly not Guesung hyung's."

He finished off placing his hand over his heart as if he felt a weight lift off his chest when he said that and truthfully it did in a way, he always wanted to say this, even so knowing how the other truly feels, he knew you still deserved an honest person.

You in the other hand stood there, silent. Taking in every single syllable and word that was told you, carefully dissecting the meaning in your mind and alas,

Alas you finally realised it.

He was right, Lee Kangin was fucking right.

Kangin stared at you, thinking he'd done something wrong and contemplating if he could take back his words even though he meant them wholeheartedly.

"You're right." Kangin snapped his gaze towards you that had previously turned away after finishing his speech due to his nervousness, he looked at you and blinked a few times as though his eyes had heard them wrong.

He shook his head slightly realising he probably looked dumb but you paid no mind and continued,

"You're absolutely right Kangin."

Thinking back you realised just how dumb you acted because of...because of well Guesung. Honestly it was ridiculous how you'd let his behaviour towards you just slide because you believed you were the one in the wrong.

The saying "Love makes fools of us all, big and little." was something you were not really one to believe in. Because really who would let a bunch of emotions control your entire mind and captivate your heart to the point of sleepless nights and even more restless days.

You weren't one to believe in it until you became said fool.

You didn't believe it until you were actually one of those who made the saying apply quite literally.

Because after all, you had been a fool. A fool who let your emotions take over and started viewing the world through rosy red-tinted glasses.

And Kangin, your one and only saviour, had just removed those, threw them from your face and made you face the actual colours of reality.

So with a determined mindset and gathering up every sort of confidence you had in you, you looked back at Kangin, and said with a firm voice

"I'll confront him. I'll ask him why he treats me the way he does, why can't he just treat me, how he treats others. With at the least an ounce of respect."

You stopped to catch a breath.

"A-and I'll also let him know how much he has hurt me. How it does not only affect me but it tires me at times, how it feels to be treated like that by someone...someone who means...who means way more than I wish he did in my life."

Finally letting out an exhale and putting your hand over your heart as though it was just mentally tiring to think of all that, you finished

"I'll confront him after your practice, i wouldn't want something I said to affect his practice."

You nodded more to yourself rather than Kangin who still seemed to be in shock as to how you were able to accept the reality and come to those rightful conclusions.

Rolling your eyes at his confused and dazed look, you continued "What? You think I am dumb enough to not notice that this wasn't the right way to behave. Look I may have not confronted him about it before but I did know okay? I did know it wasn't right to treat anyone this way."

"I guess not confronting is the same as basically allowing him to continue treating me that way, but, not anymore."

You wished though, you wish you'd have confronted him about this previously but hey, better late than never right?

Kangin narrowed his eyes in suspicion and asked the on true question that stood on top of the mountain of endless questions he always had in his mind

"And what about...what about your real feelings? What about despite the way he treats you, you still choose to lo-"

Coughing loudly he stopped and continued "

like him? You still choose to put your heart in his hands unknowingly?"

Scrunching your eyebrows in a bit of cringe yet humour at his final sentence, you chuckled a bit and Kangin knew it worked to release some of the tense atmosphere the air seemed to have carried since you two began talking.

"Well, honestly I think I'll tell him. I think it's better to let everything off my chest, and worse come worse, he doesn't feel a single ounce of the same way I do and best case scenario is," You trailed off with a little smirk and a certain spark in your eyes as you imagined all your endless scenarios with Guesung being the main actor actually coming true.

Kangin snorted, walking more close to you and put his arm around your shoulder as he pulled you closer to him and brought his hand up to ruffle your hair "Okay you wild child, get off that imagination train before its next destination is false hope."

Grinning up at him "Oh but don't you know? The passenger on it is a hopelessly hopeful romantic." You finished with a wink as you both giggled suddenly feeling a lot better.

Trust Kangin to always make you feel lighter whenever you felt like everything was a burden.

At the end of the day, at least I know you'll always be there. Just like I will always be there for you Lee Kangin.

You may have been confident to say all those things about confrontation and confessing but gosh, it was easier said than done.

Way easier to boost yourself up to do the task but when it came to do the actual task you felt like making a run for it and never looking back.

That day you felt like your thoughts were really weighing you down and sure it was for a good reason yet you felt drained from truthfully everything. Instead of talking to Guesung that same day, you decided to have a talk when you were not feeling as though the weight of the world was on your shoulders.

You’d wish someone had told you about how draining feelings could make you feel but then again the rush of those same exact feelings made it almost all worth it.

You chose to just ignore him for the remainder of the day and when you bid the players and Kangin goodbye, you made sure to specifically not tell your farewell to one particular player.

And oh he noticed, he noticed how when you gently smiled at the others while bidding them goodbye, he noticed that very adorable smile drop once your eyes found his and your lips turn into a thin line whilst giving a very curt nod before turning away.

That made him confused, very confused. He was always used to you being all cheery at times around him even though he knew he didn’t treat you fairly well but he always justified why he should distance himself from you.

Because he knew it was wrong to gain feelings for the partner of his teammate.

Yes, that’s right. Guesung thought Kangin and you were actually dating. I mean he did not see any other reason as to why you’d sometimes go out of your way to make sure Kangin had been eating well by sometimes bringing over food even though they did have a diet to follow but you always just dismissed it and still happily brought him food, you’d even bring for the others as well.

He always thought you liked to be close to each other because he assumed you were dating him, the long hugs and the small little forehead kisses.

But fuck, it didn’t mean he particularly liked it.

And with these conclusions, he felt it was right to distance himself from you before he would fall harder and harder but he couldn’t help it. Feelings were fatal and surely his were no exception.

With that he found himself completely and utterly head over heels in love with you before he could even stop himself.

It began to hurt now, because from that particular day, you were making sure you kept your distance from him. He noticed this and it hurt more than he’d ever like to admit. You began showing up only a few times over the course of the week than you’d usually do.

Only coming to greet Kangin and not even spare a glance at him, not even look in his direction. You would only greet the rest of the team with encouraging words like you usually would but not even a single word towards him.

He would wait for you to spare him a glance now, wanting to hear you tell him how great his skills were or how amazing his gameplay had been during a particular practice with that ever-so-fond smile of yours which he thought was something you gave to everyone but only well basically everyone knew you reserved that smile for him and him only.

Too bad he was a fool for not seeing that.

At the end he found himself running out of excuses as to why you’d be avoiding him and though he did partially believe his behaviour was at fault here which left a bitter taste on his tongue and heart, he wished he would know the actual why.

So he found himself going to the one person who knew you better than anyone else for a plausible explaination which wouldn’t make him feel more of an asshole than how he felt, it was none other than Lee Kangin.

Kangin had been discerning his hyung’s actions from the past few days and noticed how upset he’d always looked. Well he knew Guesung was serious during practice times but he’d always be laid back after that and would even joke around a lot. They did after all get along quite well so when he saw how more frustrated he seemed to get day by day, he had initially been worried but on one day when he noticed him sporting a deep frown staring intently at something, he not only realised got the answer to his previous question as to what was stressing Guesung out but he also acquired that it was not something rather it was someone when he followed his line of sight which ultimately lead up to…you.

It was almost as if all the dots connected and Kangin couldn’t help but shake his head and narrow his own eyes at Guesung.

So he is affected by Y/N huh? Interesting.

And so when Guesung did eventually come up to him, he wasn’t exactly shocked when he found out why his hyung had come up to him.

Guesung nervously walked up to Kangin, his usual natural confidence and calmness being replaced with skeptical nerves that ran all the way from his heart to all the veins and nerves throughout his body. He gulped when he finally called out to the younger boy and even his voice seemed to have shown how nervous he was because in a rather hushed yet sheepish tone, he proceeded to ask

“Uh…Kangin? You got a minute to spare, I-uh I have something I want to ask you?” And immediately after he said that he wished the earth could swallow him whole.

Fucking hell, why am I acting like a high schooler with a crush ?!?

Kangin turned to Guesung from putting aside his belongings since it was the end of the day and raised his eyebrow as he urged on for him to continue,

 “Yes, hyung, sure what is it?” Pulling his lips into a thin line to prevent his smirk from showing.

Exhaling forcefully while clearing his throat he finally let the weighing question which had been both heavy on his tongue and mind out “Why is Y/N avoiding me? I mean I thought I’d ask you because you know, you’re their boyfriend and like you’d know the rea-”

“Wait, WHAT????”

Kangin interrupted the little unknowing ramble as he heard something that was very VERY absurd to him, thinking maybe he heard wrong.

“Boyfriend?? That too Y/N’S BOYFRIEND?!?” Kangin looked even more in shock as he saw the confused look wash over Guesung’s face, he held up a hand to his heart and said in a loud and serious voice “Hyung, first of all, God no, heck to the fucking no, Y/N and me are not fucking dating, we are literally just friends, we share platonic love, PLATONIC.”

“Secondly, are you seriously asking why Y/N’s avoiding you? No actually you tell me, what if the person you literally like would treat you like shit even though you treat them nicely for absolutely no fucking reason huh?”

Kangin’s voice grew more annoyed as he finished his little rant but he slapped his hand over his mouth as he realized a little detail he may or may not have accidentally spilled.

“L-like?” Guesung questioned even though Kangin may have not spoken much, all the words seemed to have cut through every single thought process he had been having to make his mind a mess of a mush of feelings and even more questions.

“Not dating? WHAT? What about the way you guys like, you guys like to be touchy with each other and stuff?”

Guesung questioned again loudly and now an amused expression grazed itself upon Kangin as he nodded

“So best friends can’t hug each other or kiss each other on the cheeks? Literally, Y/N takes me as one of their older brothers, even going as far as to call me their ‘twin brother from another’.”

Guesung groaned as he realised how childish and unbelievably stupid he felt at the very moment, he had to sit down on a bench and hold his head in his hands as he felt his brain feel heavier and heavier as though it was gaining physical weight from the newly acquired information.

“Also hyung before you go on another stupid assumption of yours, if you noticed closely, you’d know Y/N’s basically a very physically affectionate person in general to everyone, hugging is basically like a handshake or a normal greeting for them, even Seungho hyung and Y/N have this weird bet of giving each other piggy back rides when one loses a round of ‘who is a better goal keeper?’ to which Y/N on purpose loses just so they can get free piggy back rides.”

Kangin chuckled as he remembered how you basically played with your cunning words to make you somehow be able to always win that bet against Seungho and the poor lad eventually fell for it.

Guesung just stared at Kangin, blinking twice as his mouth fell ajar when he realised the most important part of his previously forgotten question was yet to be answered “What did you mean by like? As in-?”

“Well why don’t you find out yourself, I already said more than what was needed and I surely don’t need Y/N physically throwing me off a cliff for accidentally saying what their true fee-”

Before Kangin could say more, he bit on his tongue, quite literally to force himself to shut up “UH-yeah AS I said just, just go sort this out yourselves, you oblivious idiots, I’m done with this. And I swear to God if Y/N comes to me crying or anything and there is even a small fault of yours this time, I’ll forget who you are.” He finished almost threateningly which made Guesung gulp a little from his very serious tone.

And then as if someone flipped a switch, he smiled sweetly as he rose up from his previous position of besides Guesung and walked away before turning around slowly relaying some information “AND YEAH Y/N’S PROBABLY HOME RIGHT NOW SO YOU MIGHT WANT TO HURRY BEFORE THEY HEAD TO THE LIBRARY, THEIR ADDRESS IS XXX XXX XXX.”

He basically shouted at Guesung before turning around knowing his job was done and smiled to himself,

Y/N better thank me for this.

<< A few minutes later >>

The doorbell rang as you groaned realising, you’d actually have to get up from your comfortable position of sulking on the couch as you watched a romcom which did nothing but make you want more and more of what the lead couples had which in turn made you frown more as you thought about your actual reality.

It’s probably Kangin or whatever,

You thought but oh you were so wrong, so fucking wrong.

Because the last person you expected to be standing in all his might glory, on the step of your lovely home at almost 8 pm was Cho fucking Guesung.

Your brain basically stopped its communication as it tried to process whether this was reality or just another conjured up daydream of Guesung you often had as much as you hated to admit it.

“G-Guesung?” You asked softly as he stood there, him also being in a similar state as he took in your shorter yet perfect for him, figure in front of him in a large hoodie that almost reached your knees and your glasses which just made you look even more fucking cute. Oh, how he wished it was his hoodie you were standing in but he felt it in his gut if he did play the right cards and words, his wishes would soon come true.  (and he is right)

Fuck, Dear God,help me here please.

He prayed to the heavens above for some encouragement before he spoke

“I am sorry.”

Before you could even greet him hello, he literally left you speechless with those three words, pulling your lips into a thin line as you rose an eyebrow in curiosity because it seemed like he still had a lot to say.

“I am really sorry for, for everything. I am sorry for treating you like shit, sorry for making you feel like you were the one in the wrong and fuck- fuck I am really sorry for making you upset over me. Nothing can justify how I behaved with you, I just wished I wasn’t such a coward and assumed things that were never true in the first place…I just I am sorry okay?”

He put his hand on his chest as he exhaled feeling a lot of the weight on his chest leave as he continued and put his other hand on your mouth before you could speak again “No wait please just let me finish.”

Here it goes.

“I was a jealous idiot okay? I was a jealous idiot who jumped to conclusions and why I was jealous, it’s because I fucking like you. I have liked you since the day Kangin introduced you to us, at first I thought it was just because you were a beautiful person but the more you spent time with everyone, the more I kept falling when I realised you were not only beautiful on the outside but a fucking awesome human too? The way you always made sure to ask me about how I was doing and always just supporting us, like seriously who would go out of their way everyday to just be there for someone nowadays, then I realised I was jealous because I wanted that, I wanted you to do those things for me and me only. Y/N there you go okay, I fucking like you and if you don’t feel the sa-”

Before he could finish, you gently yet firmly removed his hand from your mouth and grabbed his jersey, which he had not yet changed, before bunching it up and pulling him closer to you, he stumbles a bit before you pull him down and crash your lips against him.

It felt as though the world faded around him the moment his lips touched yours as he shut his eyes, his hands gently moving to your waist, securely resting themselves on your hip bone, as your own entangled themselves around his neck.

Gentle yet soft was how the kiss felt like, only testing whether their lips suited each other as they moved against each other in a slow rhythm.

And when it felt like it was the perfect melody, it grew more and more passionate, hungrier and all of your unsaid emotions being poured into it, communicated through the rougher movement of lips against each other. Tingles traveled up your spine as his large hands pressed into your hips, squeezing gently. You moved one hand up to his hair, softly caressing it as he pulled you impossibly closer to him, slightly groaning as you pressed against his warm body and your hand working its magic in his hair.

He moved his hand up to your cheek as you gently pulled away, hands now looped around his neck, his eyes fluttering open gently as you both breathed heavily almost in sync, he stared down as you who still had your eyes shut but you looked up at him hazily opening your eyes as a small smile formed on your face “Well I hope that told you how I felt.”

You spoke so gently as if it was just meant for only him to hear and it was really.

“Wa-wait really?”

You let out a small giggle and decided to hopefully make him believe you even more with what you did next.

Pecking his lips you said “I” Another peck “Like” And a second one “You” And a third “Cho Guesung” You finished with one last peck which was almost a full-on kiss before you pulled apart and grinned widely at him with your now, even more, redder cheeks and shining eyes.

He brought up his other hand to your face and ran his thumbs over your warm flushed cheeks as he looked you in your eyes and finally, finally for once, he was not jealous of the stars in your eyes.

Because this time he knew they were there because of him and only him.

BONUS CUT (because honestly that last line as much as a banger of it is as an ending line there’s still some stuff left that needs to be covered)

“But you still have a lot of making up to do.” You mumbled to him gently c as you both decided it was better to move this much-needed conversation to a more private space which was your living room without an audience you noticed one of your grumpy neighbors had been staring at uh…the both of you. making out rather passionately.

Now you both were comfortably sat, you in his embrace as you sat half on his lap with one leg of his as he had one arm over you securely resting on your waist with your head on his chest, simply hearing his heart beat as it gave you comfort. Your hands held his free one as you drew circles on the back of it, each touch sending a shiver down his spine as he squeezed your waist gently running his own thumb on your slightly exposed skin making you reciprocate the same way.

He chuckled sheepishly as he sceptically continued “I know, I know I do and I swear I’m really sorry, I promise I’ll earn back your forgiveness for the rest of my life if I have to. Actually wait, let’s start from now, w-what can I do right now which could earn a bit of it?”

You giggled lightly as you felt his heart pace up, moving your body a bit so you could face him as you cheekily thought of another idea.

“You are so so cheesy darling" You chuckled as you noticed his cheeks begin to turn red at not only the nickname but your soft laughter and fondly continued,

"And well there is definitely one way."

You finished as you grabbed his collar, once again pulling his lips onto yours as you shifted your position to be in a more comfortable one, which was directly on his lap as you looped your arms once again behind his neck while biting his bottom lip and he squeezed your hips gently in response as he groaned.

At that moment you both knew, there was no turning back. You both were in too deep now, lost in each other’s thoughts and arms and you couldn’t have it any other way.

And oh of course, you both owned Lee Kangin a huge fucking thank you.

all written works as well as images and edits (unless credited) belong to pri. do not plagiarise, repost, re-edit or claim as yours. pics mostly found on pinterest.

writingmeraki Ⓒ 2022

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[lazylovedragon]

KIMETSU ACADEMY: "THE REBELS" AU BACKGROUND INFO P.T.2

P.S. :These might be short, so it may or may not be updated in the near future

SEKIDO KUROMIYA:

The oldest out of his brothers. Which means he has a lot on his shoulders. Trust that he maintains good grades. Anything below an A- will send him into cardiac arrest(/j). He does martial arts, but his favorite is boxing. He's also in a few school clubs; debate club, cooking club, and welding club. Trust that this mf will find a way to be good at anything.

Sekido is Sanemi and Obanai's favorite student. No joke, whenever Sekido may be absent from a class, Sanemi and Obanai have notes printed out for him to copy down. He literally never gets into trouble with them, like ever. This brings up the fact that if Sekido ever got into a fight(which happens sometimes), Sanemi and Obanai take Sekido's side because, and I quote. "The other brat probably deserved it."

Sekido is prone to anger easily, especially if someone is talking smack about any of his brothers(trust you will be sent to God himself because Sekido does not play). Once, he almost got arrested because of how bad a fight got. This mf is devious when it comes to beating up anyone(equal rights, equal fights. He will beat up girls if he has, too). He will tie you to a pole after he's knocked you out.

People are afraid to approach Sekido because of his demeanor and slight reputation of his brutality, but he is kinda a softie at heart. He just won't admit it, though. For example, if you point it out, he will get so embarrassed and avoid you for a week tops(tsundere ahh). Even though people are afraid of him, he manages to do well enough to at least talk to people. That's how he got a job at some restaurant. People like him as a server, apparently. However, relationship wise? Good luck, Sekido is too focused on maintaining his job and having good grades to even pay attention to anyone. Those anonymous love letters are pieces of paper he throws away on a daily basis.

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KARAKU KUROMIYA:

The second oldest, the most relaxed out of all his siblings. He's also a senior. His grades are pretty average, with an occasional D or F-. He doesn't stress about school, mostly skips a lot anyway. Mostly, he hangs around the art room or softball fields since he does that zaa-zaa. Karaku never gets caught, and it irritates the shit out of Sekido because he doesn't understand how Karaku is still managing to pass his damn classes half the time.

Karaku doesn't do any school clubs or sports, but he occasionally will try out for football or wrestling. Tengen favors Karaku. It's not even a secret at this point. Both of these idiots hotbox the shit out of the art class sometimes. It's a miracle that Tengen hasn't been fired nor has Karaku been suspended. They're just chill like that, ig. However, trust that Karaku has many admirerers. This mf got that rizz, and he uses it to his advantage, evil little shit.

Trust that Karaku does not have a preference. If he has his eye on anyone, then he will try and get with them. He knows he's attractive, so who's to say that he won't also steal yo gurl, but also you blud. Mf has no preference, nor does he lable himself. He's just that guy who will date anyone who catches his interest. However those relationships don't last long since he has terrible commitment issues(mfs longest relationship was six months before he got bored and broke up with the person he was with).

Like Sekido, Karaku also has a job. He models, which is why he's kinda popular. Karaku doesn't really pay attention to whatever brand he's modeling in, as long as he gets paid. Karaku isn't one to brag a lot, but if he's losing an argument, he will use the fact that he's a model and damage any self-confidence you have. He's a menace with insults, and even though he can fight, nobody ever does since they're too scared of what Sekido might do(Karaku knows this and is so smug about it, too).

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AIZETSU KUROMIYA:

Third oldest(middle child). Aizetsu has very good grades. He rivals Sekido when it comes to academics, but if his A+ drops to an A-, he will break down sobbing(/hj). He's also a junior in high school. He takes his classes so seriously, like he will side eye anyone who's making any disturbances because this dude just wants to get this class over with. He hates that people disrespect teachers. It just gives him a major ICK. Just let people do their job, bro. Also, Giyuu favors Aizetsu a lot, hence why if Aizetsu misses a day of school, Giyuu doesn't make him do any extra laps and he also let's Aizetsu get away with stuff that he scolds most students for. Favoritism at its finest.

Like Karaku, Aizetsu isn't included in any school clubs because he doesn't find anything that the school offers interesting. The only club he actually enjoyed was the scrapbooking club before the school discontinued it. He sobbed when he found out, like he was so devasted. Aizetsu is fast, though, so sometimes he will find the courage to join track and field, but at the end of the day, he never fully commits to the sport. He just wants to go home and sleep.

When it comes to people, he's well known because of his brothers, and he hates it. Mainly because people only try to get close to him just so that they can get closer to either Sekido, Karaku, or Urogi. He wants friends, but they all leave him for his brothers. At this point, the only friends he has are Zohakuten and Kanroji. Don't even get me started on relationships. Aizetsu wants one, but he's too scared to try. He has low confidence in himself, so when he does find someone he's interested in, he purposely makes himself lose feelings because he just doesn't want to get hurt. GIVE MY BOY LOVE, DAWG.

If Aizetsu is good at anything, it's journalism. He literally runs the schools gossip account while doing his job as a news boy. It's very easy for Aizetsu to get the latest stories or news mainly because people barely notice him. He's just so damn quiet that people don't realize he's in the same room as them when they spill secrets or juicy gossip. Trust that Aizetsu has dirt on any and everyone. Nobody is safe from this boy because if he wanted to, he could blackmail anyone. He's too nice to do that, though.

————

UROGI KUROMIYA:

Fourth oldest(2nd middle child). His grades are absolutely terrible. He has the attention span of a five year old and gets so bored easily. It's amazing that he even managed to become a junior. C, D, and F average, he needs tutoring for the love of everything holy. Even though he's kinda stupid, he still manages to pass somewhat of his classes. Kanae favors Urogi because of the fact that he reminds her of a golden retriever. She's literally the reason why he's even passing half his classes in the first place. Trust that Kanae will get Sanemi to tutor him.

Urogi is the only one besides Sekido to actually participate in school clubs and sports. Urogi is in the skate club and art club. He also does basketball and football. Urogi is always pumped up, so of course he's gotta have things to do, plus he's always down to try out new things. Trust that this mf will find a way to keep busy(except when it's his 367 missing assignments). He's just hyper all the time.

Social is Urogi's middle name. This mf is an extrovert at heart. Obviously, Urogi is friends with a lot of people, even people he doesn't even know. He's just easy to be around. It's hard to hate him. Now, even though Urogi has many friends, he's never been in a relationship. Mainly because people can't handle his hyper active mind half the time. Which sucks because Urogi has a lot of love to give, and like Karaku, he doesn't care who it is. It's okay, though. He has commitment issues, so it's not like the relationship would last anyway. Though it doesn't hurt to dream.

Now, when it comes to a job, Urogi has had a hard time trying to get hired. However, he did earn a gig at some local arcade. All Urogi had to do was just make sure kids didn't end up braking the games or something. It's not anything special, but it does get Sekido off his ass about needing to get a job.

————

KYOJURO RENGOKU:

Kimetsu Academy history teacher. He is literally one of the best teachers ever. No joke, this man has the best lesson plans and has snacks in his classroom. Students absolutely adore him. Kyojuro will even stay after classes to help tutor students who are struggling. He sucks at math, though, but damnit, he will try his best to help you! He's not as strict or stern as Obanai and Sanemi, but he does hold you accountable if you're failing or getting into a fight. He cares about his students a whole bunch.

However, despite all that, his relationship with Senjuro is a bit iffy. He knows Senjuro doesn't hate him, but he can't help but notice how he's been getting into trouble lately! His sweet baby brother never used to be sent to the principal's office! Sure, Kyojuro doesn't mind that Senjuro is making friends, but he's just not sure about Senjuro being friends with Zohakuten, Rui, and Etsuko. He doesn't understand why his baby brother hangs out with such troublemakers!

Kyojuro doesn't seem to understand that Senjuro is growing up. He's no longer a baby. He still treats Senjuro like he's 10, not 14. It's like Kyojuro's refusing the fact that his little brother is growing up and no longer going to need him around as much. That's what's making their relationship, iffy. After all, Senjuro used to copy after Kyojuro, but now, it's like Senjuro doesn't even want to be in the same room as him! The thought hurts his heart! Even so, Kyojuro really can't blame Senjuro. He just wishes that his little brother would talk to him more.

Moving on, Kyojuro is a simple character, really. Sure, he spends most of his time at his best buddy's place, but that doesn't mean anything! He loves his father and Senjuro very much. It's just draining to be around a drunken man. Yet Kyojuro has strength. He can persevere. He knows he can. Hopefully, Senjuro will start talking to him more, though.

[scoobydoominuscoobydoo]

Not me rolling my eyes when some members of the fandom screech at me for pairing an “obvious” lesbian like Velma with Shaggy or Fred when at most she is bi.

Is it because she doesn’t look like the conventionally attractive Daphne? Is it because of her glasses and bobbed hair? Is it because she’s smart?

Whatever the reason may be for the most popular fanon interpretation, Velma Dinkley is [also] attracted to men. Nothing wrong with that.

There are at least 10 guys she’s canonically interested in, even if they: turned out to be bad and she changed her mind; were just passing crushes.

(Side note: Admittedly, I’m on the fence on whether or not I approve of Velma x Sam Winchester bc it wasn’t stated in the crossover if the gang were considered teens still or adults, since Dean and Sam are obviously not teens and Sam’s disapproval of Dean’s crush on Daph stemmed from her being implied to be with Fred, and not the age difference, but the episode used is based on their earliest adventures of when they were teens, so yeah. On the fence until further clarification.)

In the Scooby Doo Apocalypse comics, she’s officially together with and happy with Shaggy.

In the Velma + Daphne books, she’s implied to be interested in Fred. (I really hope the author continues her series and explores those avenues further despite what the current movies and series say.)

I don’t see how these adaptations are an “insult” to her sexuality.

My hang up with the “confirmation” that Velma is “canonically a lesbian” I guess is mostly how it was executed and how they try to explain it.

In Mystery Incorporated, Velma’s relationship with Hotdog Water doesn’t reduce her to an babbling idiot. Neither do most of her relationships with the men. At most, she was adorably awkward, but still capable of being objective. Plus, if the male love interest in question was an irredeemable bad guy, no way would she compromise her morals!

With the Coco girl, on the other hand…yeah…Velma pretty much got the canon-character-in-this-medium-who-is-now-the-adoring-love-interest-of-the-mary-sue-self-insert treatment and was practically worshiping the ground this lady walked on on (I will acknowledge that Coco has a cute design; as for how Velma could possibly be attracted to her, I cannot tell you.)

Even her newest TV series doesn’t know what to do with her romantic/sexual orientation.

As a Frelma fan, I am unhappy that she is reduced to being a bitter jerk and that he is reduced to the stupid, self-absorbed and secretly insecure white boy born in privilege template instead of them both being likeable characters equal in intelligence in different areas.

As someone who sees Velma and Daphne as just really close opposites-attract-besties but will be objective for the sake of Delma/Vaphne shippers, it really bugs me when adaptations paint Daphne as mostly at fault for whenever caused their fallout as childhood friends and how they cannot have a civil conversation in their present years but oh-look-not-so-secret-belligerent-sexual-tension-explains-why-they-clash-and-why-now-they-should-be-considered-a-possible-thing instead of having them naturally drift apart for a few years bc school be like that, reconnect after some friendly, albeit awkward “oh how have you been? Oh fine i guess, you?” moments, be besties again, and then maybe lead up to a more natural and less rushed heat-of-the-moment developments. But nope. Suddenly they kiss at the end of episode 2.

As a formerly major and currently neutral Shelma fan, Norville (Shaggy) deserves better. That’s it.

So yeah, I’m annoyed by Trick or Treat, Scooby Doo! for claiming Velma as explicitly a lesbian now when they portrayed her romantic interest as such an insult to her core character, and moreso at the fans claiming it, James Gunn’s initial drafts of his films, and one of Velma’s live actress’s real life sexuality as the “correct interpretation” of Velma’s romantic inclination.

I’m annoyed at Velma the Series because whatever Frelma moments will happen, it will happen between the most negative and superficial interpretations of each character.

I feel like it's a little late to come forward and be like "Velma the Series" is a travesty and forever taints the otherwise fine Scooby-Doo repertoire. That is not a new observation especially with the news of it officially being the lowest rated show on IMDB. I knew from the minute it was announced that I wasn't going to be watching it. I just knew that the people working on this did not care or have a deep understanding of Scooby-Doo and why people like it.

I now feel validated in that initial judgement and can say with full certainty that I would rather watch Mystery Inc. (a show I have well vocalized my hate towards) for the rest of my life than even watch a MINUTE of Velma.

Velma as a character is loved and (although it obviously varies) she has a relatively consistent characterization across every show. She's the brains, she's the voice of reason, she's the skeptic. She acts as the person who keeps everyone down on Earth. And she is a great character but people always forget that she is great IN AN ENSEMBLE. She has the rest of the gang to bounce off of and the charm of SD is in that group chemistry. If you watch the show and think "Wow Velma totally carried this show" it's clear you have a fundamental misunderstanding of the SD franchise as a whole. Again, these observations seem moot at this point. Saying Velma is bad is like saying ice is frozen water.

What I will say is that it's upsetting that every character had their personalities stripped to just fit the very specific self-insert fantasy that Velma is trying to sell. Velma is no longer Velma, Daphne is no longer Daphne, etc. And that is obviously going to do no favors for Frelma at all. In every show (even MI) Fred and Velma are the brains. They're obviously smart in very different ways but anyone paying attention can tell that they are the ones who love to solve mysteries. They are a detective duo and are usually on equal footing. Obviously if you think Velma was the one carrying the team then you can't really portray her on equal ground with anyone.

But if I like Frelma, there is no way I am going to enjoy seeing the scale tipped so high in Velma's favor that Fred might as well not even be there. Their relationship dynamic is why people (me) love them and if that dynamic is done poorly then there's not much point in liking them.

Anytime Velma has shown any romantic interest in someone (male or female) she's typically pretty collected about it. Which makes sense - again she is the logical one in the group. And I suppose that only makes the discrepancies in her current character even more glaring.

I know that being bummed that we won't be getting well done Frelma/Scooby gang representation is a little ridiculous when we're looking at the other complaints made against it. The disappointment from the Indian community at how poorly they feel represented being the most important one (at least to me). Compared to that, this complaint is almost nothing. But it is also a reminder of what happens when people are given the rights to properties they clearly don't have any respect for. Riverdale having no respect for the Archie comics is another good example. I am hoping that all of the bad reception Velma has gotten will show that you can't just take any franchise you want and use it as a skin for your poorly written self-insert fantasy.

[quetzalpapalotl]

Howd you rank your liking of Megop thru the continuities?

Before I get to that, let me just sat that the idea of megop in itself does a lot or me, so I'm probably gonna be into any megop as long as it vagely follows the standard TF pattern. The inherent intimacy of being archnemesis, being each other's equal match, only being able to stand on equal footing with the enemy leader, the respect among fellow warriors, blurring the lines of what romance even means, the grandiosity of it all.

So, the actual ranking after tfp and idw is not something set in stone or anything, my answer may have been different on another day. Only includes things I've watched/read, which aren't that many:

1.- IDW1 and TFP: You cannot make me choose between these two. IDW1 is, of course, my favorite continuity, and even tho the megop is not as strong in some parts, it still has all the elements I like. The fact that they know and understand each other so well despite never being friends. Megatron lives to fight, he needs a dance partner. Optimus has spent his entire life chasing after Megatron one way or another, Megatron made him who he is. Their paths mirror each other even when they're in separate series altogeher. Megatron doesn't hate Optimus. Look at Chaos Theory! That thing is one step from being a megop bdsm fic! Lots of things to say here, but we need to move on.

Now on the other hand we have TFP, that's the classic, the blueprint, my-nemesis-comic.jpg. If I had to guess, I'd say there was a before and after TFP in fandom regarding megop, but I have no idea actually, so don't quote me on that. Still, that show is insane, Megatron basically flirts with Optimus every time they're on screen, having Megatron back is the one thing Optimus wants for himself and he gives up even that. It has all the breakup drama! Except for Megatron, they might as well not have broken up, but the nature of their relationship changed. Battling Optimus is his favorite thing in the world. The show really does give the impression that these two are on a world of their own. And while I usually like to disregard most of the Aligned side materials on my reading of tfp, those megop bits of Exodus really are something, huh.

2.- IDW2 they were friends, now they're destined to fight each other for the next million years. They're not as intense as tfp but damn, Megatron might as well be telling Optimus he wants him chained in his bed.

3.- Cyberverse: Same thing but goofier. Megatron literally didn't win the war because he was too gay to kill Optimus and then died in his arms. Amazing. (He's not dead he's in the hospital).

4.- Sunbow Cartoon/General G1 concept: It's simple and straightforward, you can project onto it the things I like about megop and because it's G1 it's very malleable. You can take it in all kinds of directions! Always love to see what fandom does with it.

4.5.- Shattered Glass: same thing but in reverse and evil Optimus is hot. That's it.

5.- Prime Wars: It's G1, but they're old, tired and retired. They should meet and beat each other up like old times. And the whole sequence of Optimus firing Megatron? 10/10

6.- Netflix' War for Cybertron: this couls have been so good, except the show was pretty bad at properly explaining its backstory. Still, a girl takes what she can get and those scenes in season 2 are juicy. But I tempted to put this higher in the list because WFC gave me on of the best takes on megop NEMESIS/GALVATRON. Evil angst boyfriends!! They are in this situation because they were both idiots, Megatron finally got to kill Optimus and ended his last moments as himself regreting not working with him. Now they are together again. It took being enslaved by Unicron for them to get along again, but they have each other now, they have nothing but each other, not even who they used to be. It's depressing, it's great. I'm gonna have to be the change I want to see and write something about them because I'm obsessed.

7.- TFA: I used to enjoy it more, but I've fallen out of love for it. Lacks a lot of the elements I like about most megop, but there's appeal in Optimus catching the eye of this almost-mythological terror because he managed to beat him. Most of the content for it is not really to my taste, tho, but House Divided is my favorite take on it.

8.- Beast Wars: It's okay. It's not a bad ship or anything, but it doesn't really awaken anything in me. They hate each other, sure, but not in a gay way, more in the way you hate a mosquito. And then, as far as hatemances go, Rampage and Depth Charge show up to completely.

Mmm that should be it, unless I'm forgetting something. I have still read fic for other megops and I must say the whole Protector/Prime concept really appeals to me, but afaik it doesn't show up in the movies and I'm not interested in watching them regardless.

I'm eagerly awaiting Earthspark, not to have hope, but I feel like I'm gonna lose my mind.

[lil-melody-moon]

Year Summary #3

It's nerd time today! *"Strange Days" by The Doors is playing in the background*

Perhaps I will start with the games I managed to finish this year. And I'll kick off the list with the one that took me a YEAR to finish.

Final Fantasy X - I bought it on the Christmas sale on Steam in 2021 and finished it in the last week. It wouldn't take that much if I didn't have to start a new save because you know what? Final Fantasy games loves to kick the player if said player doesn't explore everything they can :) And so, Jecht was unbeatable for me on the first save. On second one I've managed to beat him, but if not Tidus's ultimate weapon - for which I had to take part in that stupid Chocobo race :)))))))))))))) - I wouldn't be able to beat it. Still, besides this one problem - which I don't even consider a minus, I could enjoy the game much longer - I love it. Plot is very good, characters are likable, main villain is a specific guy, but I like him - plus the final theme of the final battle with him SLAPS. Which brings us to music... I can't say bad word about it, it's very good with a few tracks capable of being stuck in your head. "Silence Before the Storm" is my favorite, I even learned to play it on guitar. It's slow, but carries that mystery and melancholy along with magic in it. I love <3

Earthbound - annual replay. It's my favorite game of all, I am playing it each year and you see. This year isn't over yet and I'm already wanting to replay it again XD It's like that magical childhood adventure, which I wanted to go on as a child. I can literally lost myself in it because of the graphics - I love the pixel graphics <3 - and most of all, the music. God, is it good? It is amazing! "Smiles and Tears" always brings me to tears at the very end. It's that one title I just don't want to finish ;u; The plot is simple, really. You have a bunch of children who have to save the world before an alien. Simple as it might be, the entire world and the comedy makes up for the journey you're about to take, while pressing the start and creating a save. What is a little additional plus for me, you can name the characters however you want. And let's just say that in this year, I've made a little adventure in this game with members of System of A Down. Childish, I know, but fuck it! Ness, who was named Serj on this save, had so many critical hits that it's unbelievable for this character! Three in a row were freaking nothing - while usually Ness is the character with the smallest amount of critical hits. I don't know what happened, but it was so surprising for me XD

Secret of Monkey Island 1 and 2 - I've finally finished those two games! I got them back in 2016 I believe? And since then I only finished the first one. They are a point & click games, which is my second favorite genre of games, but daaaaaamn are they difficult! The first one isn't that bad. You can find your way for most of the time until you'll on the Monkey Island. No advice, no anything. You are on an island and you need to figure out stuff. First time I used a walkthrough in years! And then came the second game... I managed to deal with the Scabb Island just fine, but later? When the two other islands came around? Haha, it was as if I got and answer to me saying: "I will somehow deal with this!" from the game, and the answer was a "Fuck you". Literally, I had to read the walkthrough the entire time. Maybe I am stupid, but some of the puzzles were not so simple and I couldn't figure them out. That doesn't make the two games bad, not at all, they are amazing - Stan, you idiot, you're my favorite - and since I've played the remake version I gotta say that both soundtracks from old version and new one are equally good. The track playing on the ship in the first game is just <3

Kirby's Return to Dreamland on Wii - another annual playthrough. Second favorite game, the most favorite soundtrack of all Kirby games, the graphics are still so good for the eye - like an eye candy - and most of all, the mechanisms are still good. Not laggy, not anything. Sure, the plot is yet again simple, with a backstabbing villain - Magolor, you fucker, I still like you - and a heavy final boss theme. What could I want more? Maybe if the game was longer it would be nice, but I won't complain. The game is perfect. However, Galacta Knight's fight could not be so hidden. Trying to defeat him in a boss rush is a hell - although for the heavy metal remix of his theme it is worth everything -u-

Ace Attorney - I replayed it for the third time I believe? Still, the first game is as good as I remember watching a let's play from it in primary school. It's still fun to play as Phoenix and meet every character for the first time. I will replay the second and third game soonish, but when I feel like it. Nothing will beat the first game and its soundtrack. And the fifth case called "Rise from the Ashes" is still my favorite - Gant is still amazing, he always will be - and it won't change. Which reminds me, now that I think about the rest of the games, that I should finally watch to the end the Investigations 2 and probably replay the fifth Ace Attorney game to finish it and see the ending. But you know, not now. I have other games started XD

Osu! - I'm addicted to this game. It helped me learn how to listen to the rhythm of music and how to feel it. Then again, I'm playing on my second account, because I had to change style of playing - playing this game on mouse only is a NO. So perhaps I'll just tell you how many hours I spend in this game. Apparently it's 601 hours of gameplay since 2012 on both accounts. ...Told you, I'm addicted XD

1bitheart - I played this indie game for the first time in this year. It's so inspired by Danagnronpa, but in such a nice way. It didn't bring me to like the characters, but I enjoyed the plot and the mechanics. I'm not talking there about the friendship making - although I see why people love it - I'm talking about the mechanic of finding lies in the conversations and the sneaky way of pulling more information from the person you're talking with. This was probably the most Danganronpa thingy in the game and it works splendidly well.

Kirby's Epic Yarn - another replay, but not annual one. I just wanted to play a cute game and this one is perfect for it. Everything is made of yarn, the entire soundtrack is played on piano. This is a perfect game for relaxation - ya can't even die in this one!

Irony Curtain: From Matryoshka with Love - another point & click game about a guy, American who thinks that USSR is the best thing that exists in this world and he literally gets a one way ticket behind the Irony Curtain. I'll say one thing about this game. It's a good satire, a very well made one with amazing writing, a good comedy here and there, while also showing how stupid people can be. Especially the ones who believe that USSR was a good thing - I live in a country where people like that live and believe in it. And they are politicians, you can imagine how this one little game hit in some aspects. It's a good one, play it if you want. There's no worries about being stuck, there is a nice system of hints in the game which helped me a lot at times.

Bad Dream: Fever - a short point & click game where the player actually fights the author of the game. The game has a nice drawing style - it's hand drawn if I'm not mistaken - and it has kind of a horror atmosphere. It's not as freaky as Bad Dream: Coma, which is also an amazing game, but still. I don't regret buying it. Short, but I had amazing time playing.

Mother 3 - replay of an amazing game with a plot nearly as good as from a good book. I can't say much about it, because if someone wants to play it, I'll spoil it XD But I have to say one thing. If you play it as a grown up, it hits much more and the battle mechanism has a rhythm game in it - fuck the fact that I can't nail any 16 combo, it's still a lot of fun. The main cast of characters is unforgettable and the sibling relationship? Oh God, help you if you don't know what to expect and you play the game for the first time. Still, if you have time, play it on emulator with English translation. It's worth it!

Okay, so now to the games I started and am still playing!

Rayman 2: The Great Escape - at times I need to play an old platformer. Although this game isn't my favorite from the series - the third Rayman game is! - I still enjoy it and see the magic it sparked in players back in the day when it came out. Though I have one big BUT and it's to the second temple. I'm yet AGAIN stuck at it and I think I will not finish the game again because of this stupid temple :)

Pokemon Moon - oh yes, I'm playing Pokemon games, because I love RPGs and I love the battle mechanics of Pokemon. It's a replay, sure, but each Pokemon game is different on each save. You catch other Pokemon and you feel like you would play an entire different game - at least I feel like it. Plus, the exploration seems to uncover more and more for you with each save. Or it was just me, rushing through the game on the first save. But hey! The EXP Share working for everyone in your team? A blessing!

Pokemon Emerald - the first Pokemon title I've played and never actually finished! XD I tried to finish it so many times, but I always stopped at one point, I don't even know why. This time I want to see the end credits though. I even went with my original starter, which was Torchic - I named him Lars and there's no regrets XD

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - this one is long. I actually only beat it once, gave up on the second save. I had erase the second one and start anew, which I kind of regret, because I've spend on it 70+ hours and now I gotta get everything again. But maybe I'll feel the joy of exploration once more. I love the game, but I gotta get used to the controls - plus ya can pick up puppies!!!

Final Fantasy X-II - I started playing it right after I finished Final Fantasy X. This game is so different. There's climbing and jumping in an RPG, what the heck is this? XD The battle system and experience one is different as well, I was confused while seeing it for the first time. Being only at the very beginning of the game, I have only one big BUT about it. And it's how they handled the tutorial. I don't like reading everything while not being able to see how it works or practice on my own. And they did that there ;;

Undertale - I just felt the urge to replay it on Christmas and so I started playing it. I'm almost finished with Snowdin, but the thing is... The game kicks in on the Waterfall field for me and I can't wait to get there. Also, it's my favorite track from the game and hearing that "Quiet Water" is a slowed down version of "Waterfall" in this year was amazing ouo Although "Spider Dance" is a second favorite. I always fight Muffet, even if I can skip the battle. I luv it <3

So that's it. The big nerd had spoken XD I hope you've enjoyed my summaries and thank you for reading <3 I hope to do the same thing in the next year! ouo

[nachosncheeze]

3x13 Thoughts

For being such a good episode, this one is also surprisingly just. so. icky.

I like Nas as a character overall, but the subtext of the interactions/dynamic among her and Jeller in this episode always left me feeling gross. I feel bad-ish for Nas, because it's made pretty clear here that she really had feelings for Weller... but then, before she made a move, she had a whole radioactive lie detector to tell her unequivocally that Jane loved him, and his man-tantrum and everything he did thereafter to tell her that he wasn't over Jane, either.... Everybody makes mistakes, I guess. I have to believe that she didn't mean to come off quite so patronizing to Jane when she first walked into their flat, or at the end of the episode, but whatever her intentions were, it kind of came off that way, which just made everything else about the trio dynamic so much more uncomfortable. (kudos to Archie for playing the double-edge so well, though.)

Then there's Jane. She's in a bad spot; she's trying to mend her marriage and her daughter doesn't want to talk to her, and the woman who once dragged her back in fresh off the torture circuit, irradiated her, and threatened to send her back to the CIA - while sleeping with her husband in what is now her apartment and possibly even the same bed - has just turned up unannounced, seemingly on their day off. Then her idiot husband puts on nice clothes and wanders off with his ex at a party, leaving her - the person who, you know, not just his spouse here but has basically always been his field partner even when they actively kind of hated each other - by herself. That's all got to bring up a few things, and at the worst possible time, too. No wonder she's channeling Lady Dour of Dourton Abbey.

This episode feels like the final end of Fewer Fucks Jane from earlier in the season, too. Lady Dour feels very immediately-post-CIA Jane, and by the final scene in the coffee shop she's back to something much more like awkward season 1 Jane. It's a completely relatable shift for the character given the circumstances and although I'm not in love with seeing some of her spark go to bed for a bit, I love the progressive way Jaimie played it from around about the end of the Rossi mission/birth certificate reveal, chipping away at 'new Jane' bit by bit up to this moment. She's just less brusque now; she's reevaluating.

Speaking of characters returning to season 2 personalities, Weller. Ugh. He seems awfully at ease with Nas, falling immediately back into "leaders/equals" mode, side by side, leaving everyone else (*cough*Jane*cough*) trailing behind. There's Nas' pointed "Jane and you seem very happy", and the idiot confesses that "We're not, but we're getting there." (Note: I've seen several posts at the time heard the line as "We are; we're getting there" but that's not what I heard, and I checked the subs on both Netflix and iTunes. Please don't come for me :P) We find out that she ghosted him when he reached out for help while Jane was being hunted (although she's apparently over it and ready to be old pals now the minute she needs help, hmm...). His intuition and absolute faith that it was her that took the device, the affectionate way he chuckles when he tells Patterson and Rich that it was her. That flirty phone call at the end, while Jane was out elsewhere. He didn't blink at all on finding out that Nas had quietly acquired and was studying a whole new set of naked pictures of his wife (you'd think this might remind a person, at least a little, of that time she held back for like a whole year or whatever, secretly watching them while Mayfair got killed and Jane was violently dehumanized?? but I guess not *sips tea*). And he had nothing to say at all that her quote-unquote limited "I'm not NSA, my contacts wouldn't have been any help to you [to find Jane]" resources are suddenly good enough that she's able to dig up info on his stepdaughter's family that even Patterson hadn't found.

And WHY does he look so confused when Jane hits on him at the end of the mission?! You've been a bit rude all evening my dude and yet the hottest woman at the party is shamelessly looking you over and planning to take you home you should not need subtitles or flash cards or any further explanation to figure this out!!!

Anyway, not every past flame is as cool and supportive as Allie, and this whole thing would have been an awkward ex situation even without their fucked up history, but the fact that "their history" involved literal murder, torture, and blackmail really dials that up to 11. And here's Kurtis "boners to besties" Weller smiling through it all, leaving Rich to check in on his wife.

Speaking of which, I LOVE that Rich found a way and the earliest opportunity to separate Weller and Nas. xD It was an uncharacteristically subtle approach for him - noticing Jane was alone and approaching on the guise of dropping truth bombs, then failing to lighten the mood with a stupid self-preening joke, and then smooshing Jeller back together, all without specifically calling attention to the distance between the two of them. This is one of those moments I feel like there's an unspoken kinship and understanding between our Butterscotch Buddies. Good job, Rich, good job. :D

At the end of the day, I'm not sure if Weller was actually clueless about all the subtext (which would make him a pretty shit investigator tbh) or if he's just willfully pretending nothing was happening (which would REALLY be early season 2 Weller vibes). But whatever the case may be, the whole thing felt gross and crappy for everyone involved. Ew.

[dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram]

I hate the way Olivia is treated by fans and the media and I'm mad at Harry for being a part of it. He can act a tool at the press conference, blabber utter nonsense and still people praise him. Of course he's not obliged to support her and the choices she's made, but I can't feel anything but bad for her in this situation. Both signed up for it, and now fans are mad at Flo for ignoring Harry? And imagine thinking he really was Olivia's bf and still being his fan? I love Harry but he's an idiot

Anon 2: It’s so absurd to me seeing how Harry is getting praised while most people are making fun of Olivia as if they both weren’t equally involved in this whole thing. And nobody’s calling Harry out for his absolute bizarre behavior not only at the press conference but also on the red carpet which was all over the place and it does make him look childish and just very bad regardless how the situation bts looks like, his behavior was just an absolute shame. Unprofessional and unserious. Not a fan of Olivia but she handled the whole thing very eloquent and professional for the situation she was in while Harry was just being a mess. I’m sorry if this is to much grumbling but I genuinely don’t understand how he’s getting away with literally everything and nobody dares to call him out for the non sense he says and the rude way he acts like.

Anon 3: I find the whole Holivia thing super distressing because I've never seen a woman facing so much malice online.

It makes me very worried that there seems to be a majority (mainly female?) who celebrate or justify Harry ignoring his partner in a social situation. It doesn't matter if you believe it's fake or not, it's disturbing either way, that he gets praised for acting like a naughty teen, talking utter nonsense and treating a woman like that, no matter if she's his partner or 'only' his director. And Holivia supporters being just fine with "them keeping their relationship private", excuse me? There is a lot of room between making out on a red carpet and what Harry did. And then Harry's team denying he spit on Chris Pine as the only reaction. They really should have sat this one out, too, it just screams "we're good with the other slander".

Even if this was their agreed upon pr strategy (which I'm 80% sure of) it's terrible. Olivia doesn't need a 'male defender' imo, but for me this is Harry siding with the oppressor very visibly. Maybe Olivia is absolutely fine with it, maybe it was all her idea, maybe Harry feels bad about it, it doesn't matter. What matters to me is the way the public reacts, and this is so shocking to me.

I never thought that the way Harry Styles treats his fake girlfriend would make me take a break from the fandom, but here I am.

Anon 4: If I were Olivia Wilde and this were how my boyfriend talked about the film and behaved during press events I’d break up that very same night…

Anon 5: I hate the way Olivia is treated by fans and the media and I'm mad at Harry for being a part of it. He can act a tool at the press conference, blabber utter nonsense and still people praise him. Of course he's not obliged to support her and the choices she's made, but I can't feel anything but bad for her in this situation. Both signed up for it, and now fans are mad at Flo for ignoring Harry? And imagine thinking he really was Olivia's bf and still being his fan? I love Harry but he's an idiot

Anon 6: I mean, I wouldn’t say there’s key information in the press conference, it was awkward and Harry was out of his depth. The entire thing (conference, carpet, cinema) was just embarrassing, honestly. He didn’t come out looking good and I finally understand a lot of the criticism I’ve been seeing about him believing his own hype; Olivia didn’t come across well (the entire cast seemed to ignore her), and imho Florence’s behaviour was unprofessional as well. Chris Pine seemed great though.

************

Oh anons - I'm really interested in how widespread this reaction is, because I don't share it at all. I'll admit I haven't watched everything, but I have watched quite a lot of the red carpet, some of the press conference, and enough of his interview with Chris Pine to be absolutely astonished about how it's been represented on-line.

It was so weird to me how selective what's been spread is. The interview with Chris Pine began with the interviewer asking a super fucked up question - and they both did a reasonably good job of moving around it and talking about society (Harry referenced bell hooks - which gives me hope that he's learning about the world).

I have no idea what any of you are talking about. What I saw all seemed completely normal to me. Harry is obviously very well trained at not saying anything - and turns to charm when he feels a little uncomfortable (like when he doesn't know where to go). But everything I saw felt very, very normal for a red carpet. There's obviously variation in how people navigate these situations, but the idea that Harry was in any way unusual, let alone doing something so abnormal that any of this sort of scandalised fan response makes sense - I just don't see it.

I have two thoughts about this. I feel like in the early days of social media there was some videos that exposed how the sausage got made (whether it was Ed Milliband ruining his poor dead father's death and his poor alive mother's life by declaring strikes wrong for 6 minutes straight, or Mila Kunis rattling off all the things someone might ask her about the movie so she can go back to talking about pies with Chris Stark). Has that knowledge disappeared? Particularly the way people were projecting onto Chris Pine seemed to miss that this sort of thing is inherently quite boring and Harry is nothing out of the ordinary.

The second is more psychological - it's interesting to me that so many people responded to this by deciding Harry must be doing something wrong. I hate it - I think the sort of policing that says 'there are very narrow rules and everyone who steps outside that must be judged' is always going to have fucked up affects. Such fierce condemnation for really benign actions does really bother me.

Here's my theory about what's going on - for what it's worth. I think a combination about existing anxiety about what was going on and the knowledge that people were making fun of Harry can be quite distressing for fans (I didn't experience that this time - but I certainly have at other occasions). One way to deal with distress is to decide that one person doing something wrong is what caused it - that sort of black and white thinking helps people avoiding sitting with their distress.

I'm sorry - I'm aware that it's rude to respond to anons with suggestions about the psychological processes and some of you have been quite open with your feelings, which makes my response worse. But I answered this way for two reasons - the first is that I had no other way of answering any of these anons. Except saying 'I don't know what you're talking about' over and over again. And the other is that people who are this harsh on other people are usually even harsher on themselves. I do think it's worth saying that there are alternatives to harsh judgement.

[persephoneboleyn]

Family

I normally don't post personal thoughts on here, but I have to let a few out. About 6 years ago, I seriously started researching my family tree. I have been doing so for over 15 years now, but I saw an add for a DNA test that had more Latino/Hispanic individuals represented and said, "why not?" And then the pandemic happened, and that's what I focused all of my energy on when I wasn't working in a medical office. I could research, obsess and block out the madness all around me. It has been incredibly fulfilling and has brought me a hell of a lot more joy than I'm used to when it comes to my family. And I know that sounds horrible, and I'm not saying I have a horrible family. But dysfunction seems to be the one connection between all of us.

I never knew my father because he died before I was born, and to be honest, my mom flat out IVF was too expensive and he was the best option she had at the time. She had a horrendous mother who made her childhood hell, and as much as we both love her father (my grandpa) even I can't say he always made the right decisions. His wife, my grandma (blood be damned she's the best person we all know), knew more about our family than we did. I asked her to help me and it set me on a path that has sent me all across Mexico and the United States. I have found multiple paths on my family tree that take my name all the way back to damn-near colonization of the Americas. I literally made it back to Spain in the 1500s and it is mind-blowing. I even found information for my grandma - she didn't know she was named after her own paternal grandmother! Recently I've been finding more and more close relatives that I never knew existed and I keep asking myself, "what the hell happened?!"

According to my mom and grandma, my grandpa was ashamed that he didn't make a lot a money and visit his family in Durango with a big car flossing all the while. He had 13 siblings, 2 of which I have spoken two and only 3 of which are still living. My mom didn't even know they existed until her twenties. And quite a few of them moved out of Corrales, to the US! One of his elder sisters lived and died in Los Angeles within the last decade! I just don't understand why we have such a big family and we don't know anyone. It makes me equal parts sad and fucking angry. When I started this journey, I did it at a time when I felt most alone. My mom was in prison, I was being cared for by her wench of a mother and she isolated me from the few other relatives I had. So I started looking for my dad's family - to see if there was someone out there who wanted me. And both she and my mom gave me bad info which my mom has slowly apologized for. Now, I know I was never alone, there were people there that I didn't know existed. And to be honest, that thought uplifts me most of the time. Today I just saw a photo of a cousin of my grandpa's mother and once again, I want to reach up and slap some sense into my family and say, "come on, are we done being idiots now?" Whatever it was, pride, shame, embarrassment, maybe even just plain laziness - I wish I had the opportunity to meet these people. Now when I build on my tree, I hope some day maybe it can help someone else. Who knows, maybe there's a family member out there looking for me too.

And on that note, my grandfather was born in the town of los Herreras, Santiago Papasquiaro, Durango in 1930. His father was Clemente and his mother was Getrudis.

[super-hero-confessions]

Ah screw it might as well get my hatred for Sozin’s Comet out in the open.  First of all, Iroh says that he alone cannot take out the Fire Lord, because it would be seen as just family using violence against another to take power. Okay. But then he sends Zuko to take out his sister Azula… which is family using violence against another to take power. Also Azula has a whole army of Dai Li and firebending soldiers at her heel, how did Iroh expect sending only two people to finish her off to not go wrong?   Oh wait, that’s right, because the writers reduced Azula into a generic psychopath (while trying to make her “deep”). By this point you Probably read a confession about 2 dimensional characters and depth, again the way Azula was handled here was really not good.   Mental illness is used as a crutch for writers who don’t understand mental illness to either provide a cop out or to take a character in a wholly different direction, and here its no exception.  In the span of only a few episodes, the writers turned Azula into a generic idiot tyrant psychopath and rip-off of Macbeth as opposed to the calculating and mysterious warrior with a “soft side” (The Beach), in an failed attempt to make her “three dimensional” and also provide a cheap and easy way for the protagonists to overcome her.  It’s also decremental to Zuko’s character. First of all, he didn’t actually win, he got taken out because for some stupid reason Katara stood there in the middle of the figurative battlefield they were fighting on. His whole arc is that he needs to overcome the darkness within himself, and not lose to anger and hate. Azula is meant to be the character Zuko COULD have been; one who casts aside love and warmth in favor of coldness and destruction.   Let’s go to the scene where Aang and Zuko encounter the dragons. Their fire is meant to be the pinnacle of as well as the true aspect of fire bending and most importantly are born out of the energy of LIFE.   Imagine if instead of Azula suddenly going “crazy” and Zuko getting taken out (both cop outs), Zuko finally showcased the power of RAINBOW FIRE!!! 🌈 He wins the battle not by succumbing to darkness but by embracing love, warmth, kindness, and most importantly the “energy of LIFE”, as opposed to Azula’s blue fire signifying her embrace of a lack of empathy and ruthlessness.   Instead of frothing like a “crazy person”, Azula’s final scene could have been her in prison contemplating the nature of the heart, and a newfound interest to understand it… and this get a little rainbow fire herself.   But that’s not the worst part. The Aang vs Ozai fight. First the energybending Was bull****. Came out of now where. But let’s think about bending as a whole. Bending is basically a part of your entire being in that world. Basically your limbs. What Aang, our HERO, did was basically take away a persons limbs.   Yes Ozai was a piece of human garbage. Yes he tried to commit genocide against the Earth Kingdom. Yes he burned his own child’s face and eye off for a petty reason. Yes he offed his own (equally bad) papa. That… still doesn’t make it right. The worst of the worst still deserve basic human rights like say NOT BEING CRIPPLED BY INVOLUNTARY MEANS.   Like, Look while I don’t agree with the notion that Azula is SUPREME EVULZ INCARNATE as certain fans say she is, I don’t really like the idea of “Woobie” Azula. Azula works best when she’s someone like Maleficent from 1959’s Sleeping Beauty. But yeah it’s a MASSIVE red flag when someone genuinely thinks Aang should have taken her bending away to make her “heal”. IT’S NOT A GOOD THING YOU IDIOTS IT’S SUPPORTING MAKING SOMEONE DISABLED “FOR THE GREATER GOOD”. Not to mention considering she (out of nowhere) turned “crazy”, that would JUST MAKE HER WORSE if not kill her entire soul as newflash *******s, taking a person’s way to live is generally a harmful act to their own state of mind. It’s not even necessary, Aang could have simply knocked Ozai out with a rock and subdued or chi-blocked him.   Not to mention the whole thing about Aang not wanting to kill Ozai because it’s wrong just… look it doesn’t matter that it’s a kids show. Plenty of Disney movies show their villains getting killed off all the time. Thou Shalt Not Kill is stupid most of the time. But most importantly… AANG HAS KILLED. He killed boatloads of people when he turned into that giant fish creature in Book 1’s finale. He and his friends let people fall to the ground during several episodes. Aang’s a fuckin hypocrite.   In short Sozin’s Comet was a mess and people should really reconsider if it’s a good ending.

[worstloki]

Okay, this is gettin’ real screwed up here.

I watch a lot of TV. Probably too much. And I’ve seen characters beaten to their knees before, sometimes even with collars. And yeah, there’s usually someone standing over them, and it’s been a woman sometimes. The kind of scene we got in episode 5 of Loki is not new ground.

But here’s the thing. In EVERY OTHER SCENE I can remember like this, the person kneeling is the hero. They’ve been brought down, fully humbled before the sneering villain, and in a few minutes something will happen to get them back on their feet again. It’s usually a tense moment, a “what if they break?” that makes you want the hero to win. You aren’t rooting for, or even liking in some cases, the person standing. You’re cheering for the person on their knees.

This doesn’t seem to be the case with the Loki show. Yes, the viewers may be rooting for Loki, but there’s no hatred for Sif there. She’s not proved herself to be a cold, heartless villain, ruthlessly pounding the hero until all he can do is kneel at her feet.

Except…she did kind of do that. But it isn’t treated as something bad. It’s treated more as something Loki deserved, in my opinion. The show wants us to feel like he deserved to get repeatedly beaten up and told horrible things, just for cutting off a lock of Sif’s hair. I’ll grant, it’s peanuts compared to what happened to him in the mythology. But it’s still bad. Especially since they had him acknowledge it, repeat her cruel words back. They’re playing it off as if Loki is still the villain by himself, and is only good because of other people- Mobius, mostly, but Sif is part of that.

That’s not the way Loki’s character is. In the comics particularly, his biggest arcs are always about reinventing the labels given to him, changing “villain” into something good, something he can use, and doing it by himself. Yes, there’s outside influence, but ultimately Loki is the one who decided to change.

The show is not letting him do that. The show is portraying him as a stubborn jackass who refuses to change until other people show him the light- either with psychological torture presented as therapy, or with beating him up a bunch of times until he gives in. The show and its characters are forcing Loki to become good- they aren’t showing him doing it by himself. He is not becoming one of the good guys, he’s being essentially enslaved by them, and the show is passing it off as somehow all that good influence finally rubbed off on Loki’s cold, villainous heart. That’s why him betraying Mobius was shown as so bad even though Loki barely knew him and had been psychologically tortured by him- Mobius is written as a character who can choose to be good, and Loki is written as a character who must be forced to be good.

And something about an entire show revolving around an independent character being treated as a villain, literally enslaved by the “good guys” (back when the show still wanted us to think the TVA weren’t shady as all hell), beaten to his knees with a collar around his neck until he accepts that he deserves to be alone because he isn’t “good” like everybody else…that doesn’t go down right for me.

The TVA being presented in not just a neutral but often reliable light is something I thought would change once Loki literally called out their propaganda and Sylvie called them fascists, but, for some reason the authoritarian genocidalists are not being presented as a bad thing and it irks me too.

It's especially weird because of the way what Loki claims to have wanted by making choices for people and what Mobius claims the TVA do ARE THE EXACT SAME THINGS, except Loki, until the show, hadn't done that of his own volition and was being tortured during the invasion and is treated terribly for something he didn't even succeed in doing, while the TVA successfully erase events on a mass scale but are presented as having a higher (or at best, - equal) moral ground.

The exact same thing was done in Ragnarok where Loki's "turning point" from a tricksy villainous scoundrel happened because Thor left him frying on the ground and gave him a pep talk filled with lies and general slander about how he could be better - and people see that as good because Thor is framed as a hero, and it's because instead of accepting Loki is a complex character they take what the narrative tells at face value and that is that Loki fights the protagonist(s) so he's bad.

I personally don't like the narrative pushing a character that is canonically an abuse victim and attempted suicide and was tortured right after as someone who needs fixing because he's lusting for power and needs it to gain a sense of control during a retcon which is occurring for the sake of calling him a complete bad guy who needs to change (probably because no actual original character development could be thought of?) after he was just confirmed as queer and colloquially (i assume) called a narcissist because of twisted love.

That he deserves to be alone was presented neutrally as a joke even as he was repeatedly getting beaten to the ground, and then both people he could call friends were removed from his immediate vicinity right after.

Loki isn't being presented as a character that has done a huge mix of good and bad in the movies, he's being presented as an oft incompetent idiot that deserves what he gets because he shouldn't have run away from captors, or he cut Sif's hair, or he killed his mother, or he dared to think he had any importance or could do something good, because the truth is he's an evil lying scourge.

"But maybe," Mobius says, "Maybe he wants to mix it up. Sometimes you get tired of playing the same part. Is that possible? He can change?" And everyone's already forgotten that moments before the mission Mobius said to Loki's face that the TVA has pruned a lot of Loki variants because he's so nice! look! he has hope in him when no one else does! It's also easy to forget the "and hey, if it doesn't work, I'll delete him myself," right after because the guy was smiling through it and the scene is followed by Loki really badly trying to explain the logic of being a trickster who everyone knows is a trickster.

A lot of people payed more attention in Ragnarok than to the other Thor movies so it's not a new retcon and people seem fine with the extremely strange take that 'loki is bad but he can do good sometimes,' because the character is more animated and acts foolish and that's generally more fun for comedy, which is fair for people to prefer imo, people find different things entertaining.

But I do solidly hope the show doesn't go that way though and takes a side with Loki on the narrative stance eventually because I've seen a lot of people who just. miss that the TVA's concept is bad. And those who think they're "reforming" Loki. As if the guy needs anything but a break at this point lmao he only got away from Thanos like 2 days ago please just let him rest for a bit he's a fail villain and it's cringe to have your supposed 1st open queer character get beaten to a pulp by Sif and then put wack sexualizing shots for it too :/

it's like the show itself is trying to sell the angle of "Loki is a villain" and I'm a clown who is still wanting that to be intentional because if it is? It could be amazing and playing with how different parties are framed would be s p e c t a cu l ar and could encourage people to reassess the hero coding in other movies including ones Loki was previously in - but we're reaching the last two episodes and I don't feel like that'll happen.

I feel like even if Loki does reach the end of the show as a transformed person it'll be done leaving the audience with "perhaps you're not so bad after all, Loki," and then also give credit to Mobius or Sylvie or whoever else was involved, simply because as even of yet Loki hasn't taken on a lead role in the show. I'd argue he hasn't really contributed anything worthwhile to plot either. As you've said, he's being shown as someone who needs to change but isn't really motivated to. Aw man they better not make romantic love the reason he wants to change.

[crusherthedoctor]

I’ve seen it.

After two and a half weeks, history has been made: I finally saw Sonic 2 instead of seeing 75% of it through screencaps and gifs that have watermarks on them. I was arguing as to whether I should even bother bringing it up since everyone's already given their own thoughts by this point, meaning a latecomer like me will probably have nothing interesting or meaningful to add that hasn’t already been mentioned... but I might as well.

Anyway, after being really excited for it, and seeing all the screencaps, it pains me to say that I honestly found it really disapp-PFFFT, just kidding, I loved it even more than the first one. :D Was there any doubt? There's way too much to go over thoroughly this early on when I’m still pulsating with hype, so as I did with the first movie, I'll list the biggest bullet points that come to mind.

- Once again, Ben Schwartz delivers as Sonic, and this time he takes it a step further. While Movie Sonic is still his own being, you can tell that he's becoming increasingly more like Game Sonic, which is exactly what I predicted would happen long before Movie 2 started showing itself, and I'm glad to see the gears in action. Whether it's action, comedy, emotion, or just plain Sonic, Mr. Schwartz hits all the beats perfectly.

Also, after the fandom's fears about Sonic having too much of a superhero mentality with the Blue Justice stuff, it seemed that didn't have much presence past the start of the movie... which I ALSO predicted correctly. Where’s my betting money, Sonic fans.

- Once again (again), Jim Carrey as Robotnik is one of mankind's greatest achievements. I loved the shit outta this portrayal in the first movie, but now that he has the look, and a certain iconic giant robot, my appreciation is now at 200%. He continues to balance humor and menace without even trying, and if there was any doubt that Carrey understood the doctor's character before, that doubt has no reason to exist now.

I know some fans will gripe about him not being fat, but I honestly don't care (and I don't think it counts as fatphobia either... I really can't wrap my head around that in this particular case). An Eggman who looks different but gets the character at his core, is a lot better to me than an Eggman that looks the part, but drops the ball at every turn... Guess which one I’m thinking of.

Naturally I'm hoping with fingers crossed that he does indeed return for Movie 3 and/or beyond, as it just wouldn't be the same if he was a no-show for future installments. But regardless, if that fall towards the Death Egg Robot's wreckage is the last we see of him, then at least he went out like a badass. (“Later, hater!”)

- Once again (again-again), Tom Wachowski is in no way a Chris Thorndyke, as James Marsden continues to make him far more likable and helpful, and all without stepping on the other character's toes and stealing their moments. Maddie also continues to be a welcome face, and they both once again manage to feel important without taking the spotlight away from the character the movie is named after. I'm glad they've continued to be part of this franchise, despite the vocal idiots who claim that any non-Eggman human is automatically bad. (Spoiler: a Sonic character should be judged by their actual character and what they do, not their species.)

- Idris Elba leaves an incredible impact as Knuckles. When he first said those now iconic words, we all went “Wow!” more times than Owen Wilson, and since then, he's proven to add a lot of depth to his initial antagonistic relationship with Sonic, yet his turn to the hedgehog's side is equally organic and believable. You know Robotnik's betrayal is coming, it's a matter of when and not if, but you still feel bad for the guy when the penny finally drops, though that's certainly helped by how the movie is aware that there's a difference being gullibility and full-on stupidity. THIS Knuckles is not an idiot, rather he's simply not used to Earth customs, which Robotnik gleefully takes advantage of.

The moments where he shows vulnerability never feel out-of-character either, and his humorous moments are genuinely funny without sacrificing his overall dignity ala Sonic Boom. And although the context surrounding the echidnas and why they all got sent to the Shadow Realm is a little different from SA1's interpretation, it works well for this universe. I don't mind deviations from the source material as long as those deviations work to the adaptation's advantage, and aren't completely stupid (or try to retcon the games themselves, like with Sonic Chronicles and its take on the Knuckles Tribe), so I'm fine with this. And besides, Ken Penders got his panties in a twist, so everyone that’s not him wins in the end.

- As a Tails fan who has suffered through a decade of fans constantly shitting on him for his recent controversial outings (because clearly no other character has had their fair share of bad portrayals...), I am EXTREMELY happy to report that this portrayal is a triumph. Worried about him cowering without reason? Throwing a bitch fit? Being stuck in a clunky mech the whole time? Worry not, because Tails gives it his all here. Sonic makes friends with him almost immediately, and yet it doesn't feel rushed at all thanks to how effortlessly endearing and deceptively capable the fox is. Like many fans, I'm glad that good ol' Colleen managed to nab the role, and the credit she's received is wholeheartedly deserved.

Speaking of, since it's something of a controversial topic, I should note that I personally have no beef with big name celebrities taking the roles of animated characters so long as they're actually suited for it, which this franchise has thus far gotten perfect marks for due to the talents of Schwartz, Carrey and Elba. But with that said, if Colleen's success as Tails inspires more opportunities in general for voice actors to get their kudos on the big screen, then I'm A-OK with that.

- Agent Stone continues to be an Egg Simp, so he still earns my good side. You can easily see Lee Majdoub's enthusiasm shine through, and his chemistry with Carrey continues to be a thing of beauty. It helps that they were able to have Robotnik justify keeping the guy around without softening the doctor up ala Sonic X. One favourite moment of mine is when Stone praises his master's brilliance, and the doctor simply says “Thank you, sycophant! Your admiration is inevitable!” THAT'S how you write an in-character Eggman, folks. He only acts surface-level nice to his robots and other minions if it's a roundabout way of praising himself.

Outside of his direct interactions with Robotnik, I do enjoy how Stone is hinted to be suitably devious when dealing with other matters, which makes sense since there'd be no reason for the doc to bother with a minion - let alone a non-robotic one - if they were incompetent. After all, we did see him listening in on a certain game-changing discussion towards the end... will his overhearing of it pay off in Movie 3? Not sure, but if there's another reason why I hope Jimbotnik sticks around, it's because it means Stone can stick around too.

- The humor is more or less what I said about it in the first movie. One or two eh moments, but extremely funny overall. And why does the humor work? Because much of it is character focused, and works with them instead of against them. Sonic's humor works for Sonic, Knuckles' humor works for Knuckles, you get the idea. No one is ever warped beyond who they are for the sake of the joke, and in a character-focused franchise like this, that's when the humor is at its best.

- Super forms! As someone who isn't the biggest fan of Super Sonic - at least, when it's overused to the point of losing its sparkle and making every finale feel like the same cheerleader routine for everyone else - he was executed perfectly here. You really do feel the power radiating from him, and even before he did The Move™ that served as a direct callback to it, I was already reminded of Sonic X simply with the way it was filmed alone. And don't think I didn't catch the '06 reference where he tippy-tapped the robot... cause I did. :P

But as we all know, it wasn't just him. I won't mince words here: Super Robotnik was a masterstroke. It could have went wrong very easily, and reduced him to a standard comic book supervillain, but instead they remembered what he's best known for - his use of technology - and made the super form and its capabilities revolve around the character instead of the other way around. This ties in nicely to the often forgotten intricacy of how the Master Emerald and Chaos Emeralds actually work, how thoughts are converted into power. Just as well then that Robotnik himself quotes the first half of Tikal's famous quote, “Chaos is power”, but tellingly ignores the second half, “enriched by the heart”... instead, it's Sonic who honors the spirit of the second half.

- And it's for that reason - as well as the action itself and the fact that Tails and Knuckles also have plenty of time to shine despite Super Sonic's involvement - that makes the final battle an instant classic worthy of the robot they're facing. I loved the final battle in the first one, but this is how you raise the stakes in a natural, non-Ian Flynn way. And the Death Egg Robot itself? Fantastic, utterly fantastic. It has the realistic detail to be sure, but is otherwise the colorful robot with the 'stache you all know and love, no Michael Bay Transformer treatment necessary. It was also nice that Stone got to have some presence this time around, rather than mysteriously disappear halfway through the movie again.

- If I had to nitpick (not counting the aforementioned one or two eh jokes), I'd argue that the wedding sequence went on for perhaps a bit too long? I'm glad Rachel got some time to show a nicer side and help Maddie out, and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't funny or plot-important, but maybe it could have been a couple of minutes shorter. That's just me though, and it's really not that big of a deal anyway. If that's the biggest critique I can think of, then you know it must be a good movie, and a good adaptation of a longstanding IP.

- So... Shadow. I figured the cliffhanger would be either him or Metal Sonic, so I wasn't too surprised to see him. While I will admit I would have preferred Metal (in part because I'm very curious as to what his design would look like), I'm fine with Ow the Edge, and as someone who has never exactly considered the Ultimate Lifeform a favourite per say (I don't hate him, I just prefer other characters in the series), I'm actually more excited about his inclusion than I thought I'd be. I wonder who they'll get to voice him... “I gotta fevah, and the only prescription is Maria! Ohhh!”

Of course, I'm sure his backstory will be something of an elephant in the room for the developers. I trust that the crew are all too aware that Shadow is a character that requires context to who he is, what he is, and why he’s the way that he is, so I doubt this will be a Boom Shadow scenario. On the other hand, his backstory isn't exactly divisive for no reason whatsoever, and anyone who follows me will know that I'm personally beyond sick of beat-for-beat SA2 adaptations. So with that in mind, I hope they manage the delicate balance of doing something interesting with it, while still keeping true to the overall theme and intended aesop that pays tribute to Shadow for the right reasons.

BTW, I've made this joke before, but wouldn't it be funny if there's a flashback to Gerald, and it's just Jim Carrey with a white moustache?

- Mario, buddy? I like your games, but I think you're gonna have to wish for a miracle if your upcoming movie is to be on-par with this one. Sure, your movie might be animated... but it's Illumination. Does anyone actually like Illumination beyond merely tolerating them at best?

I could go on for much longer, but I'll stop here for now. Love the first movie, still do, but this is undoubtedly the superior of the two, and isn't that what you want from a sequel? Words can't describe how relieved I am that it's been doing even better than the first one, despite the efforts of the initial “critics”. I’m sure they'll continue with what they did with the first movie - “It wasn’t THAT good!” this, “It’s no masterpiece!” that - but who cares what they think. I can think for myself, and I think that this movie is excellent. A great time if you're not a Sonic fan, and even better if you are. In my humble opinion, of course. :>

Oh, and one last thing...

Trudy confirmed baybeeeeee

[mammonswhore]

hello! may I request some headcanons of the brothers' reaction when they see gn mc crying because of a toxic friend from the human world?

Hi! I feel it's perfect timing for you to say this since I've been recently going thru the same thing.

Anyways a quick reminder: don't be scared to talk your truth with the ones around you,you don't need toxic behavior in your life and you deserve love and respect everything equally.♥☃

warnings: mention of toxic behavior from close friends.

in this headcanon each brother is in a relationship with MC.

Brothers reacting to MC having a toxic friend from the human world and crying about them.

✒Lucifer

He was trying to get to MCs room looking for the daily dose of love they are always willing to give him. He opened the door without knocking (as usual) amd saw their lover crying looking at their human world phone.

He was quick to shut the door and sit by their side asking "Is there something wrong,darling?" with his characteristic soft voice towards them.

They gave him their phone before hugging his torso. Lucifer gave them a quick look before going thru their phone.

"You were always so open to any type of thing before,you have changed a lot ans I don't like this new you. The others and I are still going without you but tbh I wasn't even expecting you to come either."

Lucifer was mad. Who was cruel enough to be so mean towards them?

Stays calm and asks about what happened exactly.

Is there to comfort them when they need it, will put paperwork aside of he notices that the situation gets worst.

Won't hurt their toxic friend but will make sure MC knows their worth.

✒Mammon

He gets possessive automatically,he can't help himself.

He is meant to protect MC and this person is clearly hurting them.

Command him to get rid of them pleeease.

Talks about how precious they are and how he is willing to hurt said toxic friend if they want him to.

Asks about how their relationship was before this toxic behavior. Is okay if MC doesn't want to talk about it but if they do want to talk he is going to sit and listen.

Hugs them until they stop crying or break the hug. For once he will leave his tsundere self aside and comfort his partner.

Tries to distract them from the pain of having a toxic friendship with his amazing friendship because he is the Great Mammon and no dumb human can compare to him.

✒Levi

Due to his status and personality he is very aware of how bad you can feel when someone you consider a friend i very toxic to you.

His advice is to be more toxic than them but if you want to,he can feed them to Lotan. That's what he did before.

Is not good at comforting people so he will be kinda clueless about that but tries his best.

Like Mammon,he is willing to listen to you of distract you as much as he can. Maybe some anime about dumping toxic people will help you to get the courage to do do.

Will stalk them on social media and cyberbully them saying that "No one hurts his Henry and gets away with it."

Tries to make sure MC won't talk with this friend again.

Still trying to figure out how to tell them such since he is 1. Shy. 2. Afraid they will cut him off and reject his help and 3. He is not the one supposed to give orders here.

✒Satan

Hugs and comforts MC until they tell him what happened. He doesn't want them to feel pressured.

Gives them a couple of advice to cut them off without being impolite.

Will caress their face while telling them that this friend is not good for them in hopes MC understands that he is not giving them an order but taking care of them.

He knows when someone is toxic and has never had any friend like that because of this ability of his so he is a little bit clueless about how much it can affect a person.

Is open to any type of request they have to cheer them up.

Will plan a date for them to remind them they are special to him.

✒Asmo

His first reaction is to hug them and ask if any of his stupid brothers said something mean to them.

When they explain the situation and tell him about this toxic friend he is very pissed off.

Knows about toxic people a lot and knows how they can stab you in the back when less expected.

Pampers their lover and listens to everything they have to say.

Tries to get everything they might need even if it's the dumbest thing.

"MC dear,don't try to deal with this in a healthy way just command Belphie to kill them,you know he will be glad to do it."

Tells them that the better thing to do is cutting this friend out of their lifes and never talk to them again if the killing option is not suitable.

✒Beel

He doesn't have any type of friends who can be toxic to him but knows what toxic friends are.

Has seen a few movies and series were friends behave in a non conventional way.

Is there to comfort MC,he has seen all his brothers cry at least once so he knows how this goes.

Asks if they want to talk about it and if they do he will sit and listen but if they don't want to talk about it he will just hug them and wait.

After a while hugging them,he tries to talk about happy things to distract his significant other.

Tries to spoil his lover as much as he can and drops subtle hints once in a while that he can eat this toxic friend if that makes them feel better.

Looks for advice online on how to help his partner thru this situation. Goes for the basics,advising them to stay away from this friend or to just talk things with them about what's bothering them to say hurtful things.

Before being a couple his partner and him were friends and he knows that's not how you are supposed to treat your friends so he is aware that this friend is no good.

✒Belphie

Heavily annoyed.

Can't stand to see his significant other cry so he comforts them and waits until they tell him what happened.

His first guess before they talk is "did any of my idiot brothers hurt you?" But when the answer is negative he becomes curious.

"Humans can be so fucking perverse this days,how did this idiot said such things to you?"

Pump the hate breaks,buddy. When his significant other tells him that this behavior is usual on this friend,Belphie gets mad.

But not only mad at this friend but also mad at his lover for not cutting them off before hand.

This will become an argument. He will say that humans are stupid for standing by this kind of behavior and MC will say that that's not true and that he should be more respectful.

When both of them calm down he apologizes first,he knows what he said was wrong but he still believes that they should cut him off of their lives for the better.

Is too tires to argue anymore so he is listening to everything they have to say even if that means he will not have time to nap again.

[fairyhee]

Chocolate eclairs (pt.2)

{Part 1}

🍫 optional bias x reader

🍫 ~5.6k words

🍫 smut, enemies to lovers, slight dom/sub themes, praise kink, some dirty talk, oral (both receiving), face sitting (whew), reader has a thing for hands

(I might have dragged everything out for too long? I’m not sure, you tell me, but I just love thinking about all the details so I went with it. Also while I was writing, at some point I lost half of it and had to re-write it because the damn app didn’t save my changes to the draft 🙃 anyways thank you for reading!)

So far, nothing was going as planned today, but somehow you didn’t mind it anymore. At first you were extremely annoyed to say the least, but you slowly started to think having a tall and ridiculously handsome guy follow you around wasn’t so bad after all. Even though he was purposely being irritating, as always, just to get reactions out of you, it was worth enduring for the random flirty remarks he spat out every once in a while. Was he always like this? Did you only realize it now because you were too busy thinking how obnoxiously confident he was, or did he really also dislike you before? You were quite confused, but you at least thought you should enjoy the moment.

After buying those damn chocolate eclairs that you had been craving for a week, and after he insisted to pay, all while poking fun at how you were gonna die at a young age from how much sugar you consume, your next stop would have been the lingerie store. Except now you had him coming along with you, so you weren’t very sure what you should do. To buy some time, you pretended to look at all the stereotypically “romantic” objects that people usually gifted each other on Valentine’s day. Just for fun, you weren’t planning on hinting at anything, but you just wanted to see what he’d be like. Not to mention window shopping was one of your favorite activities when you had nothing else better to do. He, on the other hand, had his mind fixed on one thing solely.

“Y/n, aren’t we eating those eclairs? You didn’t want them just to carry them around, did you?” he asked with a pout.

“Excuse me, since when is there a ‘we’? They’re my eclairs, and I’m saving them for later. I told you I have plans, were you even listening to me?”

“You have plans, right. Well you should be careful then, that boyfriend you have plans with might get jealous if he sees you walking around with a guy like me. I honestly wouldn’t blame him if he felt threatened, after all, you just let the most handsome dude around here buy you coffee and sweets...oh wait, I forgot. You actually don’t have a boyfriend, do you now?” he said in a sarcastic tone. 

“It’s extremely funny that you think I need a man in order to have plans on Valentine’s day. I can very well take care of myself, thank you very much.”

“You can take care of yourself in what way exactly? Because if it’s what I’m thinking of, I bet I can do it better.”

“Thank you for your concern, h/n, but if you think you can buy your way into my pants with some sweets, then you have a very low and unrealistic expectation of me. If you want to impress me, try harder.”

“Oh don’t worry, this is far from my best shot. You just look so hot when you’re mad at me, I can’t stop myself.” he said with a sheepish laugh.

You blushed slightly, both at his words and from seeing him grinning so cutely. He had no business looking all cute like that after he had just literally suggested you sleep with him. How could he switch from being so cocky to getting shy for you in just a matter of seconds? You couldn’t help but wonder what he’d actually be like in bed. Especially since he had just showed a new side of him, a particular image of him being submissive to you was stuck on your brain. You could feel your face heating up, and you hoped he didn’t notice how red your cheeks had probably become.

Brushing it off, you entered a random toy store, feigning interest in some plushies. As you were admiring the various teddy bears that came in all shapes and colors, you noticed he had been surprisingly silent since your last exchange. You threw a glance at him and he seemed to have found some games he was interested in, as he had his eyebrows furrowed, trying to read the instructions on the back of some boxes. Perfect, you thought to yourself, now that he’s distracted, you could think of a plan. What the hell were you gonna do about the lingerie? You didn’t want to give up on buying it, you had wanted it for a long time and now was the perfect occasion. Did you want to go with him? Would he want to even enter the store with you? Would he become flustered and make things awkward? Would it be weird if you suddenly told him to leave you alone for a couple of minutes and meet you later? Or should you just end your meeting right there? You weren’t even sure how you wanted to spend the rest of the day anymore, but you for sure didn’t intend to abandon your plans completely for this man that barged into your solo Valentine’s day like that, despite the fact that you were starting to get interested in him.

While you were definitely overthinking the situation, h/n had long finished browsing the board games section. Suddenly, you felt someone’s hot breath near the side of your neck. 

“Y/n. You’ve been staring at that teddy bear for 3 minutes now. Did you not have any as a child, or do you want me to buy it for you that bad? You could just ask, you know.” 

Startled by the proximity of his voice, you turned your head to him and took a few steps away. “Wow, you sure have a talent for being rude. You’re still annoying even when you’re trying to hit on me.” you said trying to seem unaffected. However, you would lie if you said that feeling his breath on your skin didn’t send shivers down your spine. 

He chuckled at your reaction and slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans. 

“So? Do you want it or not?”

“With that sort of attitude, I shouldn’t even answer. So what if I wanted it, what would you do? There’s nothing between us, so why would you buy it for me?” you taunted. You knew he was trying to make you soften up, but you weren’t falling for it just yet.

“Who said I’d buy it for you? If I did and you ended up sleeping with a stuffed toy every night, that would just be unfair.” he pouted. Why was he acting this cute now? This man was so confusing.

“What the hell does that even mean?”

“I don’t wanna be jealous of a teddy bear. I’d rather you would sleep with me instead.”

You stared at his triumphant smile for a few seconds, at a loss for words. He looked like he just made the best pick-up line ever. It was so bad, yet you wanted to accept his wish and take him home. What was wrong with you? 

“You’re absolutely obnoxious, did you know that? Wipe that smirk off your face, you look like an idiot.”

He laughed. “But somehow you’re still putting up with me. I’d say you’re doing a great job enduring me. Unless...you’re actually enjoying my company, which I suspect you do.”

“Yeah, whatever. Come on, I have one more thing to get before I can finally go home and get rid of you.”

You had made up your mind. You weren’t letting any man interfere with your plans.

Walking in the most confident way possible, you entered the lingerie store. You didn’t even spare him a glance as you looked through the pieces, searching for something that would match your taste. You were dying to know what his reaction was, what he was thinking, but you weren’t giving in. Suddenly, you had an idea. Acting like what you were doing was the most normal thing, you picked out two options, pretending you couldn’t decide between them. One was a black see-through set adorned with velvet hearts, while the other was made out of red lace and a bunch of straps that looked like a harness. Either way, both were made more to reveal rather than cover you up. Holding one in each hand, you turned to look at him with an unfazed expression plastered on your face.

“Make yourself useful for once and help me decide. Which one do I get?”

Seeing the way he was looking at you made a flush of heat spread across your face. His eyes were dark and he looked like he would have devoured you right then and there. You didn’t know what you expected, but this look was definitely not it.

He took a few seconds to respond, during which his gaze on you only seemed to intensify. He almost looked angry, clenching his jaw and eyeing you so strongly.

“You’d look great in both, but I’d take the red one.”

Hearing his choice, you immediately hung it back on the rack and took your other option to the cash register. 

You heard him scoff behind you. “Why bother asking me if you were gonna pick that one anyway?”. He was smiling, but it was clear that he was trying to control his frustration. 

You gave him the sweetest smile in the world. “I liked both equally and couldn’t decide, so I’m getting the one you like less. Since you’re never gonna see me wearing it anyway.”

“You drive me insane. That makes absolutely no sense.”

“Really? But you’re the one that’s been following me around all day. Now you’re angry with me, how come?” you said innocently.

He smirked and took a few steps until he was so close, you could feel his hot breath on your face, but you didn’t back away and maintained his gaze. His scent was intoxicating, and you were trying your best to not show how into him you were already.

“If you want to make me angry, you’ll have to try harder, babygirl.” you clenched your thighs hearing that word escape his lips. “I like your teasing a little too much, actually. But making me imagine you wearing all these pretty things only to point out that I can’t have you the way I want? I have to admit, that was pretty mean.”

“Are you challenging me? Then I guess I need to step up my game to really get back at you.”

“Alright then, let’s make a deal. If you fail to make me angry by tonight, you have to go on a date with me. What do you say?”

You couldn’t stop the smirk forming on the corner of your lips. “Deal. You know, now I kinda understand why you keep bothering me. It’s actually fun trying to get you annoyed.” This time you weren’t lying.

He smiled back at you. “Glad we’re on the same page about one thing at least. So, any other torturous shopping that we need to do today? An adult store, maybe, since you said you like to take care of things yourself?”

“Nice try. I actually have a table reserved for later today, so I’m gonna have to go home and get ready. I wanted to go alone and have some me-time, but since I don’t plan on losing that challenge, I guess now you gotta come with me.”

He stopped in his tracks. “Wait a second,”he said and put the back of his palm on your forehead as if checking for a fever, “now it sounds like you’re the one asking me out. What happened? Are you okay?” he asked in an overly dramatic way. Oh great, now he was back to being the town circus. 

“It’s not a date, silly. Hopefully, it’s gonna be the worst dinner of your life, so I won’t have to see your face ever again.”

“You do know that I could just not show up and make you lose the bet, right?”

“If you do that, you won’t get my number. So no way to receive your prize.” Besides, you thought to yourself, wasn’t tonight already a date in itself? There was no way he would skip on that, or at least so you hoped. “See you at 6.” you said as you walked away, leaving him behind. 

By now your only desire was to get him totally whipped for you. He might have seen through your intentions already, but you couldn’t care less. The fights and arguments that were real in the beginning had now become an act, some sort of game to see which one of you would give in first. And you weren’t backing down until you had him completely wrapped around your finger. This year’s V-day turned out to be a lot more fun than you initially thought. 

After getting home, you took your sweet time showering and making yourself as pretty as possible. Having drenched yourself in perfume and strawberry scented body lotion, you put on the new lingerie and a red dress that complimented your figure. You did some minimal, but flattering make-up and took a good look in the mirror. You looked good enough to eat. Exactly what you wanted.

By the time you arrived at the restaurant, he was already waiting for you, and you realized he had probably tried just as hard as you to look hot. And he had definitely done a great job. His hair was pushed back and the suit jacket he was wearing highlighted his broad shoulders and tall figure. You wanted him to push you against a wall right then and there.

“Are you sure you’re not made out of sugar? You look so good, I’m afraid that if I touch you, you’d melt under my fingers.”

“You wish. I don’t even get a hi, you start our conversation with a lame pick-up line? This evening is going to be even more boring than I thought.” you said rolling your eyes.

“It’s good to see you again too. Come on, let’s order quickly, I’m starving.” he said as he was already looking through the menu.

After this first exchange, the rest of the dinner actually went on pretty normally. Without realizing, you had gotten comfortable with each other and stopped arguing altogether. Now you were just chatting about whatever came to mind, enjoying your meals and each other’s company. However, you did notice his eyes lingering a little too long on your exposed neck and chest, which you did your best to bring forward as much as you could when you moved around. You were hyper aware of his gaze on every move you made and you loved the attention he was giving you. You felt like you were the only woman in the room for him, the only one that deserved his attention. You suddenly remembered you were supposed to get him angry, but you weren’t sure you didn’t want a second date after all. However, you felt the need to say something about it.

“Look at all these couples enjoying their romantic dinner, and then there’s us. Here for the sole purpose of annoying each other.”

“If that was the purpose, I’d call this an epic fail.” he said with a smile and took a sip of his gin tonic,”So you still don’t want to admit that this is, in fact, a date?”

“Why would it be one, when we haven’t done anything out of the ordinary? We are just two people eating out together.”

“Good thing the evening isn’t over, then. Great choice of restaurant, by the way. But even though the food was amazing, I’d still prefer eating you out.” 

His bluntness caught you off guard, and you let the glass you were previously holding down on the table with a little more force than intended. From the impact, your drink splashed everywhere, including on yourself.

You moved a bit of the fabric of your dress away so you could wipe the martini drops that had just spilled on your chest, which uncovered the strap and the top part of your bra for a few seconds. You didn’t think much of it, but heard him swallow loudly. When you raised your eyes back to meet his, he was looking at you like he wanted to undress you with his eyes.

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Did what on purpose?” you asked confused.

“Don’t act so innocent, you know exactly what I’m saying.”

“No idea what you’re talking about. Anyway, care for dessert? You need some sugar in your system, you seem to be turning grim again.”

“If by dessert you mean you, then I’ll gladly accept. You have enough sugar to keep me up for a long time.” he said with a smirk.

“Oh god, can you cut the disgusting jokes out? You make me sick.” 

“You’ll be even more disappointed to find out they’re not jokes. By the way,” he leaned over the table so he could bring his face a little closer to yours, “we’ve almost finished our drinks and you still haven’t made me angry. Time is ticking.” 

You fell silent for a couple of seconds, and played with your necklace while deep in thought. You were done playing this game. You wanted him, and you wanted him tonight. You wanted to blame it on the alcohol, but ever since you stepped foot in that place all you had been imagining were his veiny hands all over your body, how pretty his long fingers were and how much you wanted them inside you. He hadn’t even touched you once, but your panties were feeling damp already just by staring at his hands or seeing him clenching his jaw. You hadn’t noticed that your fidgeting with your necklace had caught his attention and he was now practically staring at your boobs without any hint of shame in his eyes. Your chest was heaving up and down as his eyes set your skin ablaze and your thoughts ran wild. Of course his gaze didn’t miss your heavy breathing. His fist was clenched on his glass and the veins on his arm protruded even more than usual. Your brain was so intoxicated with him that it completely forgot how to form sentences, leaving him without a reply. He leaned closer to you over the table and all but whispered.

“Just say the words, and I’ll give you whatever you want. All you have to do is say it.”

You hesitated, questioning whether you should swallow your pride or not. You stared into his deep brown eyes, glistening with lust, and admired his plump, slightly parted lips, silently pleading for you to stop this stupid game and finally admit what you’re feeling for each other. He was done playing, and so were you.

“It’s finally time for those eclairs.” 

A knowing smile spread on his face, as if he had just won the lottery.

The ride to your place was awfully silent. You felt like you could cut the tension in the atmosphere with a knife. Sitting near him in the back of the cab and just feeling his presence so close to you kept your skin burning up during the entire ride. He still hadn't touched you in the slightest, not even on your hand, and at this point you thought it was intentional just so you'd become desperate for him. It was working. It felt like the drive was taking ages, so you decided to have some fun and tease him a little.

You slowly slid your hand over your legs, starting from your knees and going up towards the hem of your dress, pulling it up ever so slightly. He noticed your movements instantly, and his eyes snapped to you. Now that you were assured he was watching, your hand traveled further under your dress, carefully so it doesn't reveal too much, and started running your own fingers across your damp panties.

His eyes widened, and you saw his adam's apple move when he swallowed a lump in his throat. "What do you think you're doing?" he whispered.

"What does it look like to you? I am an independent woman. Since you have not laid a hand on me all day, I'm doing it myself."

"You're an impatient one, aren't you?" you maintained his gaze but didn't stop your actions, slipping a finger underneath your underwear and whimpering ever so quietly, enough for only him to hear. You were determined to bring him down.

Like you had just pressed a button, his body reacted to your sounds faster than expected. The vein on his hand twitched as he quickly grabbed your wrist and held it in place.

"If you don't stop that, I’ll make sure you have trouble walking tomorrow." his words sent a shiver down your spine. With that, he firmly pulled your hand away and intertwined his fingers with yours, as if preventing you from causing more trouble. You decided to obey him, for now.

After a couple of minutes, you were arriving at your place. He followed you silently into the building and into the small elevator, where you were met with another crisis. He looked like he tried really hard to restrain himself as he leaned with his back and head against the mirror. He was looking at you through furrowed brows and hooded eyes, and you wondered why did he put himself through this struggle, when he could’ve had you right then and there. Pretending to check your mascara in the mirror behind him, you placed one hand on his chest and leaned over him, your face dangerously close to his neck, making sure your exposed cleavage pressed against him in the process. You didn’t care how obvious it was, he was clearly enjoying it. He did nothing but watch you, but his sigh and accelerating breath rate were giving him away. As soon as you reached your level, you instantly shot out of the elevator and got to your door in record time. 

The moment you set foot into the apartment and closer the door behind you, any control that you had before, just vanished into thin air. 

“Fucking finally”. He wasted no time in pressing you against the wall, both hands holding the sides of your face while he kissed you with all the pent up frustration from that day. You could feel his whole body onto you and yet you wanted more, your hands grabbing fistfuls of his shirt and tugging at it in an attempt to bring him even closer. His lips were soft but aggressive at the same time, the kiss neither too intense nor too slow, earning chills all over your spine the first time his warm tongue entered your mouth. It was still not enough, so you took over and laced your fingers at the back of his head, pulling on his hair while pushing yourself into him. His hands started traveling down your body, gripping your waist and hips with force as he pulled you even closer, making you feel his erection against you in the process. 

Out of breath, you broke the kiss to take a good look at him in this state. He was looking at you through glossy, hooded eyes, with his plump lips parted and glistening from the intensity of your kiss. He looked so hot, you realized you might not make it to the bedroom. 

Closing in the distance once again, his hands went to squeeze your ass through your dress as he started placing wet kisses down the side of your neck, painfully slowly, sending shivers all over your spine. You lifted a leg up to snake around his own, as if to invite his hands to stop wasting time and get under your skirt already.

“You’re surprisingly gentle for someone who’s been trying to get into my pants all day.” you felt him squeeze your ass harder, and he suddenly bit the soft skin under your ear and sucked on it, earning a gasp from you.

He didn’t reply, but instead slid his hand up your thigh and ran his fingers over your soaking panties.

“And you’re surprisingly wet for someone who supposedly hates me.” he teasingly rubbed the tip of his finger on your clothed clit, making you whine in response. It was almost as if the fabric wasn’t there at all, given how thin it was in the first place. “What did you buy this pretty underwear for, just to ruin it later?”

“Since when do you care about my lingerie?”

“I thought you wanted me to, since you brought me with you to that store and even asked for my opinion.” He pushed your panties to the side and properly coated his fingers with your juices. “You were such a dirty little slut for doing that to me.” his words shot straight to your core.

“Me, dirty? That little head of yours has a lot of issues. It’s your own fault for liking me in the first place.” you teased.

Hearing that, he pushed two fingers into your hole and you moaned. “You can talk shit all you want, but your body can’t lie about how much you want me, princess.” He pulled his hand away from your core, and took his own fingers, now coated with your essence, into his mouth, licking them clean. “Now be a good girl and take this dress off for me.” he said, pulling away from you. 

Not wanting to torture yourself any longer, you obeyed him, getting rid of your dress as quickly as possible. As he finally fully saw you in the pretty underwear, he eyed you from head to toe, as if he was looking at his prey, swallowing loudly. “Y/n, you’re so fucking gorgeous.” 

You pushed him back and led him to the couch, making him sit down. You quickly straddled his lap, making sure your boobs were right in his face as you grabbed the hair at the back of his head and brought your mouth to his ear, licking a stripe up from the side of his neck, reaching his earlobe. He shivered under you, and you started unbuttoning his shirt, while both his hands stroked over your boobs, touching your nipples and lightly pinching and twisting them over the thin material of the bra. The sensation was spreading into your entire body, making you moan right into his ear. You nibbled onto his earlobe, and he sighed loudly, grabbing your ass and pulling you on top of his dick, grinding into you. Your fingers ran over his now exposed chest and down to his belt, trying to get it undone. He grabbed your hands and undid it himself, and you stood up so he could get rid of his pants. 

Instead of sitting back on his lap, you dropped to your knees in between his legs and pulled his underwear down. His cock looked so red and hard, it seemed almost painful, and made your mouth water. You wanted to torture him some more though, so you stuck your tongue out and slowly ran it up from the base to his swollen tip, all while looking directly into his eyes. His eyebrows were furrowed and he was biting his lower lip so hard, as if to keep him from making any sound. You were going to change that. You swirled your tongue around the tip, collecting the drops of precum, before taking him whole into your mouth. As you started bobbing your head, you made sure to take a little more of him each time, pushing your own limit gradually, looking up at him from time to time. “Fuck, you look so pretty like this. You’re taking me so well.” he said, trying to keep himself from forming any other sounds, and you wondered why wasn’t he letting go already. You wanted to make him a moaning mess. One of your free hands started playing with his balls, as you ran your nails across his thigh with the other one. Going a little deeper, his cock hit the back of your throat, and you paused for a second, swallowing around him, which earned a long, breathy moan from him. There, that was your reward. You continued taking him as deep as you could, looking up at him with wide eyes. This was his breaking point, as he couldn’t control his sounds anymore, his mouth was agape, letting out small grunts and whimpers now and then, and you felt his hips struggling to keep still. As the ache in your pussy was getting unbearable because of your actions, your own hand came to play with your clit to get some sort of release, moaning around his cock. 

He didn’t miss this, as suddenly, his hand flew to your hair and he held you still. “Don’t you dare touch yourself. Get up” he said in a demanding voice. He followed you up himself, and completely slid his shirt and underwear off of him, then laid down on the carpet. “I want you to sit on my face. Let me have my dessert and enjoy you like you deserve.”

You didn’t need to be told twice. After discarding your panties, you placed your knees on either side of his head and carefully lowered your cunt closer to him, but he grabbed your ass and aggressively pulled you onto his mouth, making you gasp and grip the couch beside you for support. The feeling of his wet and warm tongue against you was making your thighs weak. He started by licking a long stripe across your folds, then alternated between sucking at your clit, drawing patterns with his tongue across your sensitive spot at different paces and intensities. Your sounds and whimpers were a mess, and you could feel your orgasm building with each second. He was eating you out like a starved man, face buried completely under your pussy, and the view was only contributing to your arousal. One of his hands snaked up to your nipple and started playing with it, adding to the sensation. When he suddenly applied more pressure to a certain angle, you thought you were gonna lose your mind. “Fuck, h/n, right there, please, don’t stop” was what you wanted to say, but you weren’t sure your words came out coherently. Either way, he got the message, and a few seconds later, you were coming undone on his tongue, letting out a few high-pitched moans as he helped you ride out your high.

After regaining composure, you stood up to let him breathe. His lips and chin were glistening from your juices, and he wiped them off with the back of his hand. “That was delicious. You’re a fucking goddess, did you know that?” he said as he stood himself up, grabbed your face and kissed you with force.

“Just fuck me already.”

“You don’t need to tell me twice.” he said as he pushed you against your table, having you lie down on it. He quickly grabbed a condom from his jeans and rolled it on his still painfully hard cock. Grabbing your legs and holding them on each side of him, he rubbed the tip of his member over your clit a few times before fully pushing it into your tight hole, swearing in the process. He wasted no time before moving, slowly at first to let you adjust, then suddenly slammed his hips into you with force, earning a loud moan from you. “Fuck, do that again, please” you said, already feeling your second orgasm starting to build up. He thrusted into you harder and deeper, filling the room with your sounds everytime his skin met yours. The way he filled you up was absolutely delicious, clouding your vision and making you lose yourself in your pleasure as he was hitting all the right spots inside you. 

“Ever since your brought me into that store, all I could think of was fucking you in your pretty lingerie, imagining how your boobs would bounce up and down while I pound into you like this.” you took his hand and brought it to your lips, silently asking him to let you suck onto his fingers. “You don’t know how much of a torture that wa- fuck” you took his long and pretty fingers into your mouth and swirled your tongue around them, mimicking the way you sucked him off earlier and watching him lose his ability to speak as his mouth hung open. “H/n, harder, don’t stop, I’m going to come.” you said in a desperate attempt to get him to shut up and concentrate. Motivated by your words, he increased his pace, and after a few more hard and sloppy thrusts, you reached your second orgasm, soon followed by his own. His whole body twitched as he came down from his high, both of you panting, and exhausted.

Pulling out of you, he quickly discarded the condom and took you into his arms to place both you and him comfortably on the couch.

“That was fucking hot” he said, still holding you in his arms while you were catching your breaths. 

“Yeah. I think I might hate you a little less after this.” you said and you both laughed.

After coming back to your senses, you got up and went straight to the kitchen. A few seconds later, you came back holding the box he bought you from the french bakery, handing him an eclair.

“I knew why I saved those chocolate eclairs for later. They taste better after you’ve been craving them all day, don’t you think?”

He just smiled in response. “You might be right. By the way, I won. It seems like you’ll be drinking ice americanos again, after all.”

[fermented-writers-block]

PART 1 of 6 of the Owl Deity Hooty Theory

[NEXT PART]

[OWL DEITY HOOTY THEORY MASTERPOST] (in development)

(TLDR at bottom of post)

Over several long months of research and analysis since March of 2020, I have been following an utterly fascinating thread of potential misdirection and subtle details throughout The Owl House, and today, I would like to start weaving together of what I believe could become one of the biggest and most cleverly disguised twists in the entire show.

To begin, let’s take a look at the B plot of Understanding Willow:

On first glance, it’s an ultimately inconsequential sidestory with the sole purpose of justifying an excuse to keep Luz and Amity in Willow’s mind, as well as providing some well-needed room to breathe and release tension after the veryemotionally charged confrontation with Inner Willow. After half an episode of Eda and King outdoing the other in ridiculous ways to win Gus’ vote and Gus running off in frustration at the end of the episode from Hooty’s inane rambling, it’s easy to laugh off Gus’ pick and assume that nothing/of value was said when he closed the door for the interview.

However, if one pays close attention to that very scene, Hooty actually canstill be heard (if faintly) underneath Eda and King’s grumbling, interestingly talking about how “It all started with a hunt. Blood red skies. That’s right, I was created-.”

Now, while it may seem silly to focus on dialogue from Hooty of all characters, this A) tells us that there was an event in the past involving blood red skies and a hunt of some kind, B) that Hooty had been created close to said event, and C) implies that what he knows but can’t tell as a story worth a damn is EXTREMELY important to be included and be hidden in such a manner.

For comparison, the only other instance of dialogue being tucked away in the background in the entire show is in Wing It Like Witches:

During the lecture at the beginning of the episode, the history teacher openswith lore on Belos appointing a head witch to each coven over 50 years ago, immediately cluing in the audience to try and decipher the rest of the lecture as it moves to the background. Adding to this is how the musical sting when Luz shows off her movie obscures what he says even further, making it even more of a intriguing puzzle that the creators clearly intended for viewers to pick up on and attempt to solve.

In contrast, the hidden dialogue of Hooty’s interview is much shorter and not as hard to decipher as the teacher’s history lesson, but at the same time, there are few to no indicators whatsoever in that scene to clue in the audience to even check for something like that. It comes at the end of an episode where most viewers would have been paradoxically tired out and driven abuzz by the revelations of Amity and Willow’s relationship, doesn’t attempt to draw much attention to itself, and frames itself as a comedic subversion of audience expectations with neither the “greatest witch who ever lived” or the self-proclaimed king of demons being picked by Gus.

Instead, he picks someone that the show portrays constantly as an oblivious and gullible idiot after being described as a “state of the art defense system” at the very beginning of the series. Someone who, despite it being played for laughs, is scarily capable of casually subduing Lilith offscreen one episode and then beating her and an entire squad of Emperor’s Coven members without even the slightest change in personality or temperament.

Someone who, due to being the Owl House itself, could be considered the titular character of the entire show, yet is taken for granted by those who inhabit him and barely gets any respect from even the cutely patronized King - including when Hooty could be interpreted as having potentially been full on DEAD for a time given the use of extremely cartoony X eyes and a lack of vital signs in The Intruder.

And someone who Eda at best tolerates and at worst abandons in personal interactions and only occasionally acknowledges him when he’s actually doing his job. Yet at the same time is so implicitly trusted beyondprotecting her home to the point where - when up against the closest person Eda has to an equal outside of likely Belos - the only actually recognizable spells Eda used in combat were 1) stereotypical energy blasts, 2) a single shield spell in Covention, and 3) a noticeably large reliance on imitations of Hooty above any other spells she could have decided to use instead.

In short, the show repeatedly tells us he is just an idiotic gag character through and through, but at the same time demonstrates he has immense power through both onscreen and offscreen demonstrations, implicitly tells us his importance ahead of time through Eda’s imitations in actually serious situations, and treats his interview and origin story as - if not even more- important to keep secret than a long lore dump about how Belos’ reign works.

After all, there being only two instances of hidden background dialogue in the entire season is already intriguing on its own, but for one to get plenty of clues to draw in people’s attention and for the other to be treated as just another gag about a “mere comic relief character” - aka a good way to draw away attention and lower one’s guard - heavily suggests a far deeper significance buried under layers of misdirection, comedy, and conditioned audience expectations.

I mean, when Eda bragged about being “a bad girl living in a secret fortress,” Hooty followed with a remark about how “I’m the secret.” While that line may sound like Hooty simply being confused as part of a one-off on the surface, it’s an odd dialogue choice for the writers to pick when you think about all the other reminders of his nature as the house itself throughout the season. With the precedent these moments set, it would have been much more appropriate for him to latch onto the “fortress” side of “secret fortress” AND it would have been just as equally funny of a joke about his awareness skills, but instead, Hooty broke away from the established trend to say something that would make people suspicious were it to come from anyone else.

In a way, this reminds me much of the many subtle bits of foreshadowing strewn across the show, like Luz unknowingly describing Amity in Witches Before Wizards and Eda burning a hole through Luz’s coven type quiz that coincidentally selected the same track she had taken at Hexside as “a punky potionist.” At the time of airing, these initially seemed like one-off jokes, but eventually came back in full force several episodes later with Amity’s hidden sensitive feelings and love for the Azura books becoming clear in Lost in Language, and the reveal of Eda’s school track in Something Ventured, Someone Framed with her school misdemeanor pictures.

That said, compared to these individual bits of minor foreshadowing, the jokes about Hooty in Understanding Willow appear to simply be the most obvious pieces in a giant puzzle, implicitly and outright telling attentive viewers that there’s a major mystery to be uncovered here.

In fact, I feel bold enough to say that we could be looking at a twist on a similar scale to that of the Pink Diamond/Rose Quartz and Stanford Pines twists in Steven Universe and Gravity Falls respectively, what with this particular puzzle piece coming from how Gus wanted to make THE greatest interview of all time, and how he was looking for someone who was “interesting, accomplished, AND noteworthy:”

Note the emphasis on the ‘and’ here, as Gus had made a big deal that “people aren’t meantto be all those things” at the beginning of the episode, so as a result, stripping away all the comedic framing of his subplot leaves the intriguing implication that whoever - and, perhaps, what- Hooty is, they really are the most interesting, accomplished, AND noteworthy person out of everyone.

I could go further and talk about why I suspect the mystery surrounding King’s origins, whether true or not, is partially meant to misdirect us from paying attention to Hooty, or how the TOH crew’s could be disguising legitimate clues to his nature among made up and highly meme-able joke answers in order to proliferate said concepts throughout the fandom - thus letting us do all the dirty work of getting ourselves used to the ideas and used to dismissing them at the same time - but to bring things to a close for now, I’d like to leave you all with a question that I’ll start answering next time:

What does it mean when both the most powerful and notorious witch on the Boiling Isles and the possible actual king of demons/the Titan itself/something don’t match up to a house? And what do you think it is that makes him so special to warrant such misdirection?

TLDR: Between Eda’s golem spells, the show stressing his nature as the titular house, his implicit strength, and the odd dialogue and structure of Understanding Willow‘s subplot in relation to him, I believe I have good reason to suspect the show has been giving us many hints towards Hooty being much, much more important than it would like us to currently believe or even joke about. Particularly, through clever uses of comedy to establish and enforce a strong audience bias against looking closely at him or unironically taking him seriously, and to potentially plant the seeds for something I will start exploring in Part 2.

[soldrawss]

Sol i need headcanons for the brothers, please im begging you

BRUH I GOT YOU

I’m currently working on some little fics for them BUT I CAN GIVE YOU SOME DETAILS BECAUSE I’M DYING TO SHARE

(Warning, gets a little dark towards the middle, but overall fine. Sorry for the long read. I went for a DEEP dive on the Age Gap Au)

Ace was put into foster care 4 hours after his birth. His father died before he was born and his mother died during childbirth. Ace had nothing to his name but physical traits of the dead (Like his father's sharp eyes and his mother’s freckles) He grew up with a need to prove himself and to gain something that truly belonged to him all on his own.

Sabo was placed in foster care when he was 5 because of an altercation with his abusive and possesive parents, involving him having broken ribs and running away.

Ace and Sabo met in a halfway home for troubled youths when they were 6. (They both had issues with authority and past placements in foster homes, so they quickly bonded over that, and decided to stick together ever since)

Their bond was so strong that ‘honorary’ brothers didn’t really fit them. They were brothers. And they stuck together and stood up for one another like it was them against the world (which sometimes it was)

They would often run away from the halfway home they were at, trying to earn a living on their own on the streets, and often commit petty thefts in order to survive. 

These little runaway trips wouldn’t last long though, because they were always caught by Officer Garp, a police officer that happened to have a knack for catching little runaways.

However tough Garp acted though, he had an incredibly big soft spot for these two little brats that were only trying to make their lives better. These two kids, barely 8 years old, who had so much hatred for the world because of adults in their lives that failed them. Adults that hurt them, giving them scars and bruises on their hearts just as easily as the scars and bruises on the little frames. 

After a particular runaway incident, Ace breaks down and confesses about all the horrible placements he and Sabo had been in before. How social services always judge Ace’s sharp eyes and label in a problem child, how Sabo’s quick wit always get him in trouble with the adults, how they both have scars and bruises from past foster homes they were placed in, and that's why Ace and Sabo runaway. They’re tired of getting placed in bad homes. They’re tired of having adults try to separate them. Ace is all Sabo has and vice versa because that's the only person in the whole world who they trust to not hurt them. And Garp thinks that’s the last fucking straw.

Garp, much to Ace and Sabo’s but nobody else’s surprise, adopts both the boys, and takes them into his own home. Because dammit, if they’re just gonna runaway, they might as well stay with someone who will at least love them enough to always look for them and bring them back to a good home when they do.

And it’s weird at first, because Garp is the rough and loud and nosey officer that used to grab them by the scruffs of their shirts and drag them back to that awful halfway home kicking and screaming. But then it gets better. Because he still yells at them, but it’s with a tempered and fiercely protective love it when he does. He still grabs them, but it’s just to pull them into a rough bear hug that they fervently pretend they don’t like. And every dinner is spent with tears of laughter in their eyes and cheeks warm with delight at the stories he tells them. (They call him old man with affection and he’s their father figure even though they treat him like their grandpa.)

Sabo joins his school’s baseball team! Which is so freaking cool! He’s a really strong batter, can weild a bat like it’s an extension of his own arm, and Ace and Garp are always the loudest cheers on the bleachers every home run hit Sabo makes.

Garp makes Ace take up boxing, because the kid’s got a lot of pent-up rage and aggression, and he figures it’s a good constructive sort of therapy for the rowdy brat.

The two still get up to mischief every now and again, though. Nothing illegal, but Garp is still having to wrangle up his two little idiots before they do something stupid. (They get into a lot of fights with local gangs because they have smart mouths and are still a little reckless)

Garp has a biological son that Ace and Sabo never met due to Garp’s and Dragon’s strained relationship. Garp had always bad-mouthed him whenever his son was brought up, but it was always with words that had no heat behind them, and Sabo and Ace could tell there was a sadness behind his eyes whenever he looked at the picture of his son in his wallet.

The boys were 10 when they got the news of Dragon’s death a week after it happened. Garp had gotten the phone call when he and the boys were watching some late-night trash tv on the weekend, and he had all but strangled the phone in a grip that turned his knuckles white. He didn’t say what had killed his son, (he never did), but he had told the boys he needed to take care of something, told them to pack up some of their things, dropped them off at his friend Newgate’s house, and got the quickest flight out that night.

He came back 3 days later, and when he did, he had a tiny little baby with him.

Ace and Sabo were no strangers to babies. There was always some snot-nosed kid that would get dropped off at the halfway home (and then adopted that week, because everybody loved babies), and they were pretty sure this baby wasn’t gonna be any different. Because babies were loud and gross and never stopped crying, and Ace and Sabo were prepared for the absolute worse.

But then they stood over the baby’s crib to get a good look at him, and the baby looked back.

And smiled the biggest and happiest smile Ace and Sabo had ever seen.

And Garp had said “His name is Luffy,” and Ace and Sabo had been hooked around his little finger ever since. 

Luffy was barely 6 months old, and was a bundle of chubby cheeks and contagious giggles. With big brown chocolate colored eyes that melted all the sharp corners and edges of Ace’s and Sabo’s hearts.

Because Sabo and Ace were the same age, and neither one of them felt like the older or younger brother. They were equals in every way. But it was different with Luffy. Because Luffy was tiny, and soft and could barely wrap all 5 of his little fingers around one of theirs, and it hit Sabo and Ace like a bullet train because oh.

 Oh this is what it was like to be an older brother. This was what it was like to have a little brother. And Sabo and Ace have always looked out for each other, of course. But Luffy was something they had to protect fully and with their entire being. His smile, his laughter, his heart. All of it. Sabo and Ace knew all the horrible things in the world, knew all the hatred and fear and heartbreak the world could throw at you and it was like a silent promise to each other they never verbalized, that Luffy should and would never have to go through the things they went through. He would never feel unloved. He would never feel unwanted. He would never feel like he had to prove his worth or reason for existing. (He was worth more than any price anyone could give anyway)

Sabo and Ace stopped getting into trouble. They got good grades, excelled in their respective clubs, and didn’t give Garp any reason to chase them down in his old cop car and bring them home. (They were always at home anyway, giving Luffy piggyback rides and teaching him how to ride a bike and do one-handed handstands and cartwheels, and basking in the warmth that was Luffy’s endless love) And they lived in peace like that for 5 years.

Then the fire happened.

Garp was a good police officer and an even better Deputy Chief, and for almost 40 years, he served on the Foosha County Police Department. He had put away a lot of bad guys and saved a lot of people in the process and was an honored and highly respected man. However, this also made him a big target and earned him quite a few enemies. He was 3 weeks away from retirement and spending most of those weeks staying at home, playing with Luffy, and ingnoring the last of his paperwork left on his office desk.

When the fire broke out, Ace and Sabo had just turned the corner from the bus stop on their way home from school. They had seen the smoke, but didn’t know where it was coming from till they saw the towering blaze of fire that used to be their 2 story home and the group of neighbors surrounding the outside. 

They managed to push their way to the front, hands shaking and eyes wide and absolutely breathless, because that was their house! That was their house that was one fire and where was gramps?! Where was Luffy?!

The only thing Ace heard Sabo whisper among the roar of the fire and the loud murmur of people around them was “Do you hear that? That... crying?” Before Sabo surged forward.

Ace didn’t have time to reach out and stop him, and by the time he could, Sabo had already disappeared into the open front door, which was covered in flames. He had screamed out, tried to race in and follow his brother into the flames, but the neighbors around him were quicker than he was and pulled him back. 

Edward Newgate, one of their neighbors and close personal friend of Garp’s was in the crowd, and he was holding Ace to his chest with an arm like an iron bar, as he was on the phone with the local fire department. (Newgate was also the Foosha County fire chief, and was shouting at his lieutenants to “get your asses out here now!’) But Ace didn’t hear a word he was saying. All he could do was struggle to get out of the older man’s grip, reach out for his brother and best friend, and scream his lungs out.

What felt like hours went by, and Ace felt like his heart was shattering into a million piece, the glass shards falling around him, as he sobbed into Newgate's chest, thinking he had lost everything. His home. His family. His only purpose and reason for living.

And then some of the neighbors were shouting again, only this time in surprised alarm and Ace looked up with hazy eyes blurred by tears, to see something was coming out of the front door.

And it could only be Sabo. Ace knew it was him before he could even register it, and bolted out of Newgate's grips that had slacked at the surprise and towards his brother.

Ace met Sabo only a few feet from the door, Sabo collapsing into his arms, and Ace had to pull him the extra few feet away because the flames were still too much to bear even at that distance.

And Sabo’s skin was hot and red and covered in smoke and ash alike. There was a giant welting red burn against the side of Sabo’s face that looked like it would leave a scar forever, but Ace was having a hard time focusing on it because he was too bust focusing on the bundle of blankets that Sabo was desperately trying to push into Ace’s arms.

And Ace was already crying before, but he began crying even harder when he removed the fold of blankets to reveal a muffled Luffy, covered in ash but unharmed, crying his eyes out. 

Sabo had a coughing fit that rocked his whole body, and burns that looked like they'd hurt forever, but he was smiling when Ace broke into a sob, clutching both Sabo and Luffy into his chest.

The firefighters and paramedics came a few minutes later, and they had to physically pull Sabo and Luffy from Ace’s arms to check and treat them. Luffy only ended up with a few mild burns and cuts on his arms and legs and some burning of his throat from inhaling so much smoke, but Sabo had to be taken to the hospital immediately for his burns, especially for the one on his face. Ace pleaded to let them all ride in the same ambulence on the way to the hosipital, and held on to Sabo’s shirt sleeve with a grip that would take the end of the world and then some for him to let go.

Sabo had to get some surgery and treatment to save his left eye, but he was all in all ok, and Ace and Luffy were allowed to visit his hospital room for as long as they needed.

When Ace finally confronted Sabo on why he had ran into the house in the first place, it was on the first night of their hospital stay. Sabo had a giant white gauze wrapping half of his head, and he looked at Ace with tired blue eyes that looked a little fuzy, still a little drugged from all the medication he was on to ease the pain. 

And Ace felt bad about it, he really did, because Sabo didn’t derserve to be grilled on the matter. Not after he had sacrificed himself and saved Luffy. Their little brother. Their little brother who they wouldn’t even have anymore if it weren’t for Sabo. 

But Ace had to know. He was so mad and heartbroken and scared out of his mind when Sabo had rushed in without word or warning. Because they had lost Garp. They had almost lost Luffy. And Ace could have almost lost Sabo too.

But Luffy was tucked underneath Sabo’s arm on the hospital bed, and Sabo just smiled at Ace with a patience that only Ace and Luffy could pull out of him, and patted the other side for Ace to join them. Ace climbed onto the bed beside him, and even with the two 15-year-olds and one little 5 year old, the bed didn’t feel too small at all.

Sabo explained that he could hear crying from the door and he just moved. Knowing it was Luffy before his mind could really think about the implications behind that. He confessed how the flames hurt at first. Hurt so bad, and it was so hot, and everything, from the floor to the ceiling, was on fire and he could barely see anything through the smoke. But he could hear Luffy’s little rough and horse scream, coming from one of the back rooms that used to be Garp's office, and suddenly all Sabo could afford to think about was Luffy’s crying.

Sabo would tell a watered-down version of this story to the cops in the morning, because they were Garp's friend and companions, and they only really needed the broad details for their report anyway. 

He’ll tell a heroic version of this story, lacking any horrific graphics, to an older Luffy whenever the eternally curious kid wonders and asks about it.

But he only ever told the whole story right then on that night, one arm tight around his baby brother in a toothed and protective love, while the other one gripped his best friend's hands with shaking and bandaged fingers hard enough to leave bruising.

Garp was long dead when Sabo found him. The smell of his skin burning off is something that will haunt Sabo for the rest of his life. (Sometimes certain smells will set him off. Uncooked bacon is not allowed in the house anymore after one traumatic morning when Luffy is six. Campfires are viewed and enjoyed from a distance.)

He was lying on his stomach, clutching something to his chest. Sabo knew it was Luffy by the cries, bundled up in a few quilts and one of this office rugs, and Sabo knew he had to get them out of there before the smoke killed them off like it had a personal agenda against them.

The heat was unbearable, Sabo had confessed, but it was nothing compared to having to drag Luffy from underneath Garp’s grip. The old man was built like a brick house, sure, but even in death, his grip on Luffy, protecting Luffy, like he was daring the world to take anything away from him, was steadfast and almost unbbreakable. 

It was the hardest thing Sabo had ever had to make himself do.

He didn’t look at Garp’s face. His body was burned black and bloody and raw, and Sabo couldn’t live with himself if his memory of Garp’s face was replaced by anything other than with the one of his scruffy beard and the shit-eating grin that he always wore.

When he pulled Luffy out, he didn’t look back, and raced out of the house as fast as he could. Something along the way fell and smacked him in the face, knocking him down at one point, but Sabo couldn’t pay it much mind. He got back up, and continued towards the door. He could barely see, barely breathe, with all the smoke and the ash, and the pain from the fire was almost numbing against his skin, but he didn’t stop.

All he could think about was Luffy, still struggling and crying against the blankets wrapped tightly around him. Next thing he knew, he was outside, and looking up at Ace’s snot-covered face.

Ace had never seen Sabo cry for the almost 10 years he knew him. He didn’t cry when he was 7, and the Anderson family had called him a freak and had sent him back after a failed foster home placement. He didn’t cry when he was 9, and broke his arm falling out of the tree in their backyard that Garp had told him not to climb, so of course he had to climb it. And he didn’t even cry earlier that day, at 15, when he was off medication and feeling the full extent of his painful burns.

So when tears started pooling out of Sabo’s pale blue eyes, falling down his cheeks and staining the cotton white blanket he was under as he told his story, Ace pretended not to notice, wrapped an arm around Sabo’s shoulders, and held him like it was the only lifeline in the world. 

Garp’s funeral was held the following week. Closed casket. All the police departments in the county, and even some outside of it, showed up to give him a full send-off. Ace cried for both Sabo and himself. Sabo spoke a few words for the both of them. And Luffy stood between them, holding both their hands. They explained the night before that gramps was gone, but they don’t think the notion of death really got through to Luffy. He was crying, but only because Ace was crying, and when he asked ‘can gramps come out of the box to give me a hug before he goes away?’ everyone has to clench their teeth and hold their breaths to stop their hearts from breaking. Sabo kneeled down to wrap Luffy in a tight hug. Ace covered his face with his arm and cried harder

(They never bother asking Luffy about how the fire started, or what happened that day. Luffy doesn’t remember, and they don’t push it further. The truth isn’t as important as Luffy’s mentality is, but Garp’s old squad promises that they won’t rest until they get to the bottom of it. And as much as Ace and Sabo want justice and revenge, they have Luffy to think about, so they leave it up to the police)

Sabo and Ace are almost 16, and they suddenly have no parental figure, no home, no anything, and suddenly they’re faced with the horrible notion that even more can be taken from them when a blast from their past threatens to take Luffy away from them too.

They’re no stranger to the foster care system, so when social services show up at the motel they were renting with Garp’s savings, they feel their hearts drop to their stomach for fear of the very real possibility that Luffy will be placed in immediate foster care, and possibly, so would they. 

Ace and Sabo jump into action then, because no way, no fucking way, were they gonna lose Luffy. They had lost everything else. They almost did lose Luffy. They weren’t gonna risk that chance again.

Ace was only a few weeks older than Sabo. Sabo hadn’t paused a second to jump into the fire, risking life and limb, to protect what little they had. It was Ace’s turn to be the heroic older brother. And on the day he turned 16, Ace petitioned legal guardianship and parental rights for Sabo and Luffy.

And it was hard, because of course the courts felt sorry for him, the grandson of one of the best police chiefs in the county’s history, begging the courts to let him keep what little family he had left together. The courts wanted to give it to him, wanted to help him. But Luffy was a child. And Ace and Sabo were practically still kids themselves. Asking kids to raise themselves was something no one should ask them to do. 

But Ace and Sabo fought for it. Ace was 16, and Sabo would be 16 soon enough. They could get GED’s, no problem. They’d get jobs, get a little apartment near Luffy’s school, attend any parenting and child service meeting required of them. They’d buy all the necessities over again and they’d love Luffy where no other foster family could even compare. They’d do everything, everything and anything, to keep Luffy. To let them stay together.

With a couple of vouchers from Garp’s old police squad, including one from an overly enthusiastic Edward Newgate and one from the boy’s homeroom teacher, Makino, the courts ruled in Ace’s and Sabo’s favor, and Luffy was officially theirs until they proved that Luffy was better off somewhere else.

Ace and Sabo were never gonna let that happen.

They got a little 2 bedroom apartment a couple blocks from Luffy’s elementary. They quit school, and worked extra hard to earn their GED’s within the following months. (With the help of their old teachers and a few of their overly enthusiastic neighbors)

Ace got a job at the local fire department, as a rookie in training under Newgate.

Sabo got a job at the local news station, writing reports on top of his interning duties. 

Ace eventually got a motorcycle that same year, which scared Sabo half to death and delighted Luffy to no end. It was cheaper than a car, and easier to travel to and from work on, and no matter how hard Sabo tried, he couldn’t come up with a valid reason why Ace shouldn’t use it to their advantage. So Sabo made Ace promise to always wear a helmet when riding it, and that Luffy wasn’t allowed to ride it until he was much older. (Which Luffy pouted about to no end)

And it’s hard at times, both of them working overtime just to make enough to support themselves and keep them afloat, but it’s good, and it’s theirs.

Luffy makes a friend on his first day of first grade named Zoro Roronoa, another kid that lives just across the street from them, and when Ace and Sabo know they’re gonna be late in getting home, Luffy goes over there and hangs out until they can pick him up (Which is totally fine with Zoro’s father Koushirou, a kendo teacher and single father of 6-year-old Zoro and 9-year-old Kuina. Zoro has a bit of a personality problem and often has trouble making friends (because the child doesn’t see a need to) so when little bright-eyed and endlessly joyful Luffy pops into their life, Kushirou jumps at the chance to have him over as much as possible, because the two small children seem to bring out the best in each other, and are best friends attached at the hip) Sabo and Ace are eternally grateful to the kind man)

A few years go by, and Luffy is 8. Ace is still working at the fire station and is now legally allowed to join them on calls and emergencies. (Fire used to make Ace nervous, because he almost lost everything to it. Now he has a personal agenda with it, to make sure it doesn’t take anything from anyone else)

Sabo has moved up the ranks now, and when he turns 18, confronts Ace with a rare job opportunity he was offered.

“It’s a year-long internship for this really cool company that reports and delivers high-class diplomatic information around,” Sabo starts, rubbing the back of his head like he doesn’t know what to do with his hands. “I’d be working as like, a cool undercover spy with diplomatic immunity and a messenger bag. It’s not dangerous at all, and pays almost triple my paycheck now, which would really help us out. But it’s overseas, and I’d be gone for a whole year. You’d be raising Luffy all by yourself, birthdays and holidays and skinned knees, with just the two of you, so say the word, and I’ll totally turn this job down on the spot.”

And it’s scary to Ace. Because he hasn’t been alone since he was 6 years old, and he can’t possibly remember a time when Sabo hadn’t been by his side. His best friend and brother. It was always the two of them. Two little runaways that found a home, lost that home, and then built a new home all on their own despite it all. And neither of them had ever been away from Luffy for longer than a weekend, so Ace was sure it would kill Sabo to be away from them for so long.

But he also knew that Sabo was only playing this off like it wasn’t a big deal, when in fact it was the job opportunity of a lifetime for someone like Sabo, a kid who breathed adventure and freedom with every breath. And that when he talked about it, his eyes sparkled with a joy that Ace would hate himself forever for taking it away. 

Sabo was giving Ace the choice, and Ace knew that Sabo would go along with whatever Ace decided without a second thought or complaint. But Ace knew that Sabo would regret it for the rest of his life if he didn't go, so he slugged Sabo in the arm, gave him his best shit-eating, confident grin, (the kind he used to give him right before they were about to steal some food as kids, or about to get into a fight when they were teens) and said, “You let me have a motorcycle. The least I can do is let you go road tripping abroad.”

Because Ace and Luffy would be fine. They’d miss Sabo like crazy, and Ace was pretty sure Sabo was like, 90% of his impulse control, but they’d survive. Sabo had the burn marks to prove how far he was willing to go for their family, and Ace had never thanked him for that. Ace was never gonna live that down, and was going to spend the rest of his life making it up to both Sabo AND Luffy, and prove just how good of an older brother he could be. This was the least he could do for them.