#this is the weird people site. you’re gonna have to get used to that

[caelum-in-the-avatarverse]

Fandom can do a little gatekeeping. As a treat.

So I finally decided to archive-lock my fics on AO3 last night. I’ve been considering it since the AI scrape last year, but the tipping point was this whole lore.fm debacle, coupled with some thoughts I’ve been thinking regarding Fandom These Days in general and Fandom As A Community in particular. So I wanna explain why I waited so long, why I locked my stuff up now, and why I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m a-okay with making it harder for people to see my stories.

Lurkers really are great, tho

I’m a chronic lurker, and have been since I started hanging out on the internet as a teen in the 00s. These days it’s just cuz I don’t feel a need to socialize very often, but back then it was because I was shy and knew I was socially awkward. Even if I made an account, I’d spend months lurking on message boards or forums or Livejournals, watching other people interact and getting a feel for that particular community’s culture and etiquette before I finally started interacting myself. And y’know, that approach saved me a lot of embarrassment. Over the course of my lurking on any site, there was always some other person who’d clearly joined up five minutes after learning the place existed, barged in without a care for their behavior, and committed so many social faux pas that all the other users were immediately annoyed with them at best. I learned a lot observing those incidents. Lurk More is Rule 33 of the internet for very good reason.

Lurking isn’t bad or weird or creepy. It’s perfectly normal. I love lurking. It’s hard for me to not lurk - socializing takes a lot of energy out of me, even via text. (Heck it took 12 hours for me to write this post, I wish I was kidding--) Occasionally I’ll manage longer bouts of interaction - a few weeks posting here, almost a year chatting in a discord there - but I’m always gonna end up going radio silent for months at some point. I used to feel bad about it, but I’ve long since made peace with the fact that it’s just the way my brain works. I’m a chronic lurker, and in the long term nothing is going to change that.

The thing with being a chronic lurker is that you have to accept that you are not actually seen as part of the community you are lurking in. That’s not to say that lurkers are unimportant - lurkers actually are important, and they make up a large proportion of any online community - but it’s simple cause and effect. You may think of it as “your community”, but if you’ve never said a word, how is the community supposed to know you exist? If I lurked on someone’s LJ, and then that person suddenly friendslocked their blog, I knew that I had two choices: Either accept that I would never be able to read their posts again, or reach out to them and ask if I could be added to their friends list with the full understanding that I was a rando they might not decide to trust. I usually went with the first option, because my invisibility as a lurker was more important to me than talking to strangers on the internet.

Lurking is like sitting on a park bench, quietly people-watching and eavesdropping on the conversations other people are having around you. You’re in the park, but you’re not actively participating in anything happening there. You can see and hear things that you become very interested in! But if you don’t introduce yourself and become part of the conversation, you won’t be able to keep listening to it when those people walk away. When fandom migrated away from Livejournal, people moved to new platforms alongside their friends, but lurkers were often left behind. No one knew they existed, so they weren’t told where everyone else was going. To be seen as part of a fandom community, you need to submit to the mortifying ordeal of being known, etc. etc.

There’s nothing wrong with lurking. There can actually be benefits to lurking, both for the lurkers and the communities they lurk in. It’s just another way to be in a fandom. But if that is how you exist in fandom--and remember, I say this as someone who often does exist that way in fandom--you need to remember that you’re on the outside looking in, and the curtains can always close.

I’ve always been super sympathetic to lurkers, because I am one. I know there’s a lot of people like me who just don’t socialize often. I know there’s plenty of reasons why someone might not make an account on the internet - maybe they’re nervous, maybe they’re young and their parents don’t allow them to, maybe they’re in a bad situation where someone is monitoring their activity, maybe they can only access the internet from public computer terminals. Heck, I’ve never even logged into AO3 on my phone--if I’m away from my computer I just read what’s publicly available. 

I know I have people lurking on my fics. I know my fics probably mean a lot to someone I don’t even know exists. I know this because there are plenty of fics I love whose writers don’t know I exist.

I love my commenters personally; I love my lurkers as an abstract concept. I know they’re there and I wish them well, and if they ever de-lurk I love them all the more.

So up until last year I never considered archive-locking my fic, because I get it. The AI scraping was upsetting, but I still hesitated because I was thinking of lurkers and guests and remembering what it felt like to be 15 and wondering if it’d be worth letting a stranger on the internet know I existed and asking to be added to their friends list just so I could reread a funny post they made once.

But the internet has changed a lot since the 00s, and fandom has changed with it. I’ve read some things and been doing some thinking about fandom-as-community over the last few years, and reading through the lore.fm drama made me decide that it’s time for me to set some boundaries.

I still love my lurkers, and I feel bad about leaving any guest commenters behind, especially if they’re in a situation where they can’t make an account for some reason. But from here on out, even my lurkers are going to have to do the bare minimum to read my fics--make an AO3 account.

Should we gatekeep fandom?

I’ve seen a few people ask this question, usually rhetorically, sometimes as a joke, always with a bit of seriousness. And I think…yeah, maybe we should. Except wait, no, not like that--

A decade ago, when people talked about fandom gatekeeping and why it was bad to do, it intersected with a lot of other things, mainly feminism and classism. The prevalent image of fandom gatekeeping was, like, a man learning that a woman likes Star Wars and haughtily demanding, “Oh, yeah? Well if you’re REALLY a fan, name ten EU novels” to belittle and dismiss her, expecting that a “real fan” would have the money and time to be familiar with the EU, and ignoring the fact that male movie-only fans were still considered fans. The thing being gatekept was the very definition of “being a fan” and people’s right to describe themselves as one.

That’s not what I mean when I say maybe fandom should gatekeep more. Anyone can call themselves a fan if they like something, that’s fine. But when it comes to the ability to enjoy the fanworks produced by the fandom community…that might be something worth gatekeeping.

See, back in the 00s, it was perfectly common for people to just…not go on the internet. Surfing the web was a thing, but it was just, like, a fun pastime. Not everyone did it. It wasn’t until the rise of social media that going online became a thing everyone and their grandmother did every day. Back then, going on the internet was just…a hobby.

So one of the first gates online fandom ever had was the simple fact that the entire world wasn’t here yet.

The entire world is here now. That gate has been demolished.

And it’s a lot easier to find us now. Even scattered across platforms, fandom is so centralized these days. It isn’t a network of dedicated webshrines and forums that you can only find via webrings anymore, it’s right there on all the big social media sites. AO3 didn’t set out to be the main fanfic website, but that’s definitely what it’s become. It’s easy for people to find us--and that includes people who don’t care about the community, and just want “content.”

Transformative fandom doesn’t like it when people see our fanworks as “content”. “Content” is a pretty broad term, but when fandom uses it we’re usually referring to creative works that are churned out by content creators to be consumed by an audience as quickly as possible as often as possible so that the content creator can generate revenue. This not-so-new normal has caused a massive shift in how people who are new to fandom view fanworks--instead of seeing fic or art as something a fellow fan made and shared with you, they see fanworks as products to be consumed.

Transformative fandom has, in general, always been a gift economy. We put time and effort into creating fanworks that we share with our fellow fans for free. We do this so we don’t get sued, but fandom as a whole actually gets a lot out of the gift economy. Offer your community a story, and in return you can get comments, build friendships, or inspire other people to write things that you might want to read. Readers are given the gift of free stories to read and enjoy, and while lurking is fine, they have the choice to engage with the writer and other readers by leaving comments or making reclists to help build the community.

And look, don’t get me wrong. People have never engaged with fanfic as much as fan writers wish they would. There has always been “no one comments anymore” wank. There have always been people who only comment to say “MORE!” or otherwise demand or guilt trip writers into posting the next chapter. But fandom has always agreed that those commenters are rude and annoying, and as those commenters navigate fandom they have the chance to learn proper community etiquette.

However, now it seems that a lot of the people who are consuming fanworks aren’t actually in the community. 

I won’t say “they aren’t real fans” because that’s silly; there’s lots of ways to be a fan. But there seem to be a lot of fans now who have no interest in fandom as a community, or in adhering to community etiquette, or in respecting the gift economy. They consume our fics, but they don’t appreciate fan labor. They want our “content”, but they don’t respect our control over our creations.

And even worse--they see us as a resource. We share our work for free, as a gift, but all they see is an open-source content farm waiting to be tapped into. We shared it for free, so clearly they can do whatever they want with it. Why should we care if they feed our work into AI training datasets, or copy/paste our unfinished stories into ChatGPT to get an ending, or charge people for an unnecessary third-party AO3 app, or sell fanbindings on etsy for a profit without the author’s permission, or turn our stories into poor imitations of podfics to be posted on other platforms without giving us credit or asking our consent, while also using it to lure in people they can datascrape for their Forbes 30 Under 30 company? 

And sure, people have been doing shady things with other people’s fanworks since forever. Art theft and reposting has always been a big problem. Fanfic is harder to flat-out repost, but I’ve heard of unauthorized fic translations getting posted without crediting the original author. Once in…I think the 2010s? I read a post by a woman who had gone to some sort of local bookselling event, only to find that the man selling “his” novel had actually self-published her fanfic. (Wish I could find that one again, I don’t even remember where I read it.)

But aside from that third example, the thing is…as awful as fanart/writing theft is, back in the day, the main thing a thief would gain from it was clout. Clout that should rightfully go to the creators who gifted their work in the first place, yeah, but still. Just clout. People will do a lot of hurtful things for clout, but fandom clout means nothing outside of fandom. Fandom clout is not enough to incentivize the sort of wide-scale pillaging we’re seeing from community outsiders today.

Money, on the other hand… Well, fandom’s just a giant, untapped content farm, isn’t it? Think of how much revenue all that content could generate.

Lurkers are a normal and even beneficial part of any online community. Maybe one day they’ll de-lurk and easily slide into place beside their fellow fans because they already know the etiquette. Maybe they’re active in another community, and they can spread information from the community they lurk in to the community they’re active in. At the very least, they silently observe, and even if they’re not active community members, they understand the community.

Fans who see fanworks as “content” don’t belong in the same category as lurkers. They’re tourists. 

While reading through the initial Reddit thread on the lore.fm situation, I found this comment:

[ID: Reddit User Cabbitowo says: ... So in anime fandoms we have a word called tourist and essentially it means a fan of a few anime and doesn't care about anime tropes and actively criticizes them. This is kind of how fandoms on tiktok feel. They're touring fanfics and fanart and actively criticizes tropes that have been in the fandom since the 60s. They want to be in a fandom but they don't want to engage in fandom 

OP totallymandy responds: Just entered back into Reddit after a long day to see this most recent reply. And as a fellow anime fan this making me laugh so much since it’s true! But it sorta hurts too when the reality sets in. Modern fandom is so entitled and bratty and you’d think it’s the minors only but that’s not even true, my age-mates and older seem to be like that. They want to eat their cake and complain all whilst bringing nothing to the potluck… :/ END ID]

-

“Tourist” is an apt name for this sort of fan. They don’t want to be part of our community, and they don’t have to be in order to come into our spaces and consume our work. Even if they don’t steal our work themselves, they feel so entitled to it that they’re fine with ignoring our wishes and letting other people take it to make AI “podfics” for them to listen to (there are a lot of comments on lore.fm’s shutdown announcement video from people telling them to just ignore the writers and do it anyway). They’ll use AI to generate an ending to an unfinished fic because they don’t care about seeing “the ending this writer would have given to the story they were telling”, they just want “an ending”. For these tourist fans, the ends justify the means, and their end goal is content for them to consume, with no care for the community that created it for them in the first place.

I don’t think this is confined to a specific age group. This isn’t “13-year-olds on Wattpad” or “Zoomers on TikTok” or whatever pointless generation war we’re in now. This is coming from people who are new to fandom, whose main experience with creative works on the internet is this new content culture and who don’t understand fandom as a community. That description can be true of someone from any age group.

It’s so easy to find fandom these days. It is, in fact, too easy. Newcomers face no hurdles or challenges that would encourage them to lurk and observe a bit before engaging, and it’s easy for people who would otherwise move on and leave us alone to start making trouble. From tourist fans to content entrepreneurs to random people who just want to gawk, it’s so easy for people who don’t care about the fandom community to reap all of its fruits. 

So when I say maybe fandom should start gatekeeping a bit, I’m referring to the fact that we barely even have a gate anymore. Everyone is on the internet now; the entire world can find us, and they don’t need to bother learning community etiquette when they do. Before, we were protected by the fact that fandom was considered weird and most people didn’t look at it twice. Now, fandom is pretty mainstream. People who never would’ve bothered with it before are now comfortable strolling in like they own the place. They have no regard for the fandom community, they don’t understand it, and they don’t want to. They want to treat it just like the rest of the content they consume online.

And then they’re surprised when those of us who understand fandom culture get upset. Fanworks have existed far longer than the algorithmic internet’s content. Fanworks existed long before the internet. We’ve lived like this for ages and we like it.

So if someone can’t be bothered to respect fandom as a community, I don’t see why I should give them easy access to my fics.

Think of it like a garden gate

When I interact with commenters on my fic, I have this sense of hospitality.

The comment section is my front porch. The fic is my garden. I created my garden because I really wanted to, and I’m proud of it, and I’m happy to share it with other people. 

Lots of people enjoy looking at my garden. Many walk through without saying anything. Some stop to leave kudos. Some recommend my garden to their friends. And some people take the time to stop by my front porch and let me know what a beautiful garden it is and how much they’ve enjoyed it. 

Any fic writer can tell you that getting comments is an incredible feeling. I always try to answer all my comments. I don’t always manage it, but my fics’ comment sections are the one place that I manage to consistently socialize in fandom. When I respond to a comment, it feels like I’m pouring out a glass of lemonade to share with this lovely commenter on my front porch, a thank you for their thank you. We take a moment to admire my garden together, and then I see them out. The next time they drop by, I recognize them and am happy to pour another glass of lemonade.

My garden has always been open and easy to access. No fences, no walls. You just have to know where to find it. Fandom in general was once protected by its own obscurity, an out-of-the-way town that showed up on maps but was usually ignored.

But now there’s a highway that makes it easy to get to, and we have all these out-of-towner tourists coming in to gawk and steal our lawn ornaments and wonder if they can use the place to make themselves some money.

I don’t care to have those types trampling over my garden and eating all my vegetables and digging up my flowers to repot and sell, so I’ve put up a wall. It has a gate that visitors can get through if they just take the time to open it.

Admittedly, it’s a small obstacle. But when I share my fics, I share them as a gift with my fellow fans, the ones who understand that fandom is a community, even if they’re lurkers. As for tourist fans and entrepreneurs who see fic as content, who have no qualms ignoring the writer’s wishes, who refuse to respect or understand the fandom community…well, they’re not the people I mean to share my fic with, so I have no issues locking them out. If they want access to my stories, they’ll have to do the bare minimum to become a community member and join the AO3 invite queue.

And y’know, I’ve said a lot about fandom and community here, and I just want to say, I hope it’s not intimidating. When I was younger, talk about The Fandom Community made me feel insecure, and I didn’t think I’d ever manage to be active enough in fandom spaces to be counted as A Member Of The Community. But you don’t have to be a social butterfly to participate in fandom. I’ll always and forever be a chronic lurker, I reblog more than I post, I rarely manage to comment on fic, and I go radio silent for months at a time--but I write and post fanfiction. That’s my contribution.

Do you write, draw, vid, gif, or otherwise create? Congrats, you're a community member.

Do you leave comments? Congrats, you're a community member.

Do you curate reclists? Congrats, you're a community member.

Do you maintain a fandom blog or fuckyeah blog? Congrats, you're a community member.

Do you provide a space for other fans to convene in? Congrats, you're a community member.

Do you regularly send asks (off anon so people know who you are)? Congrats, you're a community member.

Do you have fandom friends who you interact with? Congrats, you're a community member.

There’s lots of ways to be a fan. Just make sure to respect and appreciate your fellow fans and the work they put in for you to enjoy and the gift economy fandom culture that keeps this community going.

[maddogofshimano]

The Fist of Reason: Majima Boss Rush

Happy 5th anniversary to rggo! hard to believe it’s been this long already

look at our festival boys! anyways lets get into this because I’m very excited

summary:

sometime after the events of Y1, Kiryu gets a call that Haruka has a fever. On his way to pick her up, he bumps into someone familiar...

[One day, some time after the strife caused by the Tojo Clan's stolen 10 billion yen was settled...]

Kiryu: Hello. ...Thank you for calling.

Kiryu: ...Huh? Haruka's got a fever? ...I understand, I'll be there right away. <scene change to outside> Kiryu: .....

<he bumps into someone> Kiryu: Oh, sorry. ???: Sorry? If sorry was enough to cut it, there wouldn't be yakuza! Majima: Ain't that right? Kiryu-chaaan!

Kiryu: Majima no nii-san!? What are you doing at a place like this... Majima: What's so weird about that? If Kiryu-chan's somewhere, then Majima is too! Majima: Outside of that, the spot where ya just rammed into me hurts like hell... Majima: Shit, ya probably broke the bone... Hehe, what're ya gonna do? Kiryu: People with broken bones don't laugh about it. Sorry, but I'm in a rush right now. Majima: Why ya bein' so cold~? We ain't seen each other in ages.

Kiryu: We can talk more next time. Like I said, I'm in a rush. Majima: Too bad! No matter what ya say, ya gotta beat me if ya wanna go!! Hehehe! Kiryu: Tch...! Kiryu: Give it a damn rest already! Haruka has a fever! Majima: ! ........ Majima: What the hell... I didn't know that. Majima: I'm sorry for this. Go on, hurry up 'n' get gone.

Kiryu: .....Damn. <he runs off>

[And then, 3 months later...]

Kiryu: ...I haven't seen Majima no nii-san around here since then.

Kiryu: (I thought he was the kind of person to come back the next day for a fight, but...) Kiryu: ........... Kiryu: (Even if I was in a rush at the time, did I speak too harshly to him...?) Kiryu: (Of course I don't think a guy like him would be dejected from that... Well, it is possible...) ???: Kiryu no ojiki (tl note: ojiki is an honorific that's literally "dad's younger brother" which is used for patriarchs less senior than your own. Nishida usually uses it) Kiryu: ...Hm? Kiryu: You're that Majima Family guy...

Nishida: About that... My boss is going to be put in jail. Kiryu: What...!? Nishida: It happened yesterday... Our family is supposed to be running a festival... Nishida: In the middle of it some thugs started acting up, and they got into a fight with our family members. Nishida: So now they've issued a warrant for my boss, since he was the one in charge... Kiryu: What is Majima no nii-san going to do? Nishida: He thinks it would be futile to resist, so he's waiting at the festival site for the police to arrive. Kiryu: What? Nishida: My boss has been acting oddly for the past 3 months or so. He doesn't have any energy, and seems pretty depressed. Kiryu: 3 months... it can't be. Nishida: And so, my boss really wants to see you before he goes to jail... Kiryu: Me...? Nishida: Yes. He said he has something to tell you, so... Kiryu: ...Got it. Lead the way. Nishida: Y-Yes sir! <they leave> Majima: ......... (tl note: I'm sorry the image of him just holding that pose in that outfit while waiting for the cops to show is so funny to me)

Kiryu: ...Majima no nii-san. Majima: ...Oh, Kiryu-chan, ya showed.

Majima: Excuse my appearance. I was up on a float till now. Kiryu: ...I just spoke with Nishida. Are you really going to jail? Majima: ...Yeah. Orders from on high, can't be helped. I'll be awfully lonely during those years... Majima: That said, I won't be botherin' ya any more, Kiryu-chan. Kiryu: ...... Majima: I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused ya. ...I wanted to at least say that, before I went to jail. Kiryu: ...That's not like you. Kiryu: Are you really going to let your underlings see you leave the outside world with such a pathetic display? Majima: ...I don't really care either way. Kiryu: ........... Kiryu: ...Good grief. You acting this way is completely infuriating to me. Kiryu: It can't be helped, this is a big favor. ...I'll get you all fired up again.

Majima: Hah...? Kiryu: You know the best way I can cheer you up? ...Come at me, Majima. Majima: ...!

Majima: Is this... are you pickin' a fight with me?

Kiryu: Heh, isn't that what I just said? Majima: ........Hee, hehehe! Majima: Kiryu-chan, you're always the best! Majima: Let's get started...! Kiryu-chan!!!!

<event happens, Receive and Bite You is the theme>

Majima: Hehe... As always, Kiryu-chan... you're tough as nails...

Kiryu: Heh... You are too. (tl note: RARE KIRYU SMILING SPRITE)

Majima: Oi oi, you're sayin' somethin' nice? Kiryu: Majima no nii-san... I'm sorry. Majima: Ah? Kiryu: For what happened 3 months ago. Kiryu: I was flustered, and I snapped at you. Majima: ........As always, Kiryu-chan, you're soft as a marshmallow~. I'm astounded. Kiryu: ....? Nishida: E-Excuse me! Kiryu no ojiki!

Nishida: The truth is... My boss going to jail was a lie in order to get you to show up... Kiryu: What? Then... was him being depressed also a lie... Majima: It was aaaaall an act! Majima: I was pretendin' to be put off by how ya talked to me so ya'd feel sympathetic, then after worryin' ya for long enough-- Majima: I'd reveal it was all a ruse, 'n' you'd get pissed off enough to throw down! That was the plan! Majima: It played out a little differently than intended, but, we still had a fight so it's all good. Kiryu: .....Heh, you're such an ass. (tl note: TWO smiles!! unprecedented.)

Majima: What, you're not mad? Kiryu: I had a feeling that something like this was going on. Majima: Then why'd'ya fight me? Kiryu: ...When it's with you, I can go all out in a fight. Kiryu: ...If I really think on it, I guess I enjoy fighting with you. Just a bit. (tl note: THIRD smile!!!)

Majima: !!..... Hehehehehe!! Heeey~! I knew it!!

Majima: C'mon, let's go another round! Hearin' ya say that's gotten me all worked up again! Kiryu: ...Heh, sure. It's a festival, after all. It's a good excuse to really cut loose. Majima: Hell yes!! Let's do this... Kiryu-chaaaaaa~n!!!! Nishida: A-Ah... This won't end until the sun comes up...

<END>

bonus stuff:

oh wow. oh man. that was pretty gay. between this and like a dragon: gaiden: the man who erased his name (lad gai man) thank you ryu ga gotoku studios for sending me birthday presents

obligatory boss rush pic

also a bonus shot of Kiryu’s apartment

the two new cards for this are “Mad Dog of the Festival Stage” and “Dragon of the Festival Band”

and since it was a festival I also put together a very special team to repeatedly kick Majima’s ass 

[writing-blog-iguess]

Online Matchup

Summery: Y/n thought it would be fun signing up on dating sites, just for shits and giggles. Who knew that was one of the best decisions they made, especially when they're having too much fun talking to a certain Jason Todd.

warning: swearing, unedited I think, mentions of cancer, fluff, lots of back and forth teasing

word count: 3072

a/n: I promised myself I'd post a fic today, though it's not the one I wanted, I hope you enjoy regardless.

ao3

Series master list

Inspired by this:

September 19

You matched with Jason Todd, say hello!

Y/N So, when you say you're looking for a partner in crime Do you mean, like, rob a bank and fight batman? Or like, cozy up on the couch with the fireplace going while it's raining while we try to finish the books we bought? Cuz, I can do the second one I dont think i could fight batman or any of his kids Or even what to, you know? They’re kind of scary …. well maybe one of them i would fight I say fight but its wont be Oh man, I am so sorry about this. This is not how i wanted to tell you that i am a rambler I’m just gonna see myself out Goodday

Jason Ngl this made me laugh So who would you fight but not really?

Y/N You can’t honestly be interested in who I would fight? No way

Jason Way you seemed interesting and i want to get to know you

Y/N … okay but you need to answer my question first

Jason: Lol fair. And it would be the second one. I too wouldn’t fight batman but for different reasons

Y/N: So you're a fighter?

Jason Nope This isn’t how it works

y/n: Fine but remember, you asked for this

Jason: Okay but it’s not like you have a plan on fighting all the batmans kids so i think im safe

y/n: …….

Jason: Oh shit you do?!

y/n: I plead the fifth

Jason: You just got a little more interesting

y/n: I’m going home

Jason: Damn and here i thought i’d finally found the love of my life

y/n: No, nope Don’t say that The more you talk to me, you’ll find the real me and then want nothing to do with me

Jason: Let me be the judge of that We matched for a reason and i want to find out Don’t you?

Y/n: Aren’t you a charmer Okay fine. 20 questions?

Jason: Sure but after you tell what you would do in a fight with the batfam

y/n: I was hoping you would drop this, damn Alright, you get the honour of telling me who you want to know 

Jason: Nightwing

Y/N: Really? Okay. well first i was thinking of just flirting my way out, but he looks like he’d flirt back and i’m not the best at it to begin with, so I’d just get all flustered Bro’s an acrobat, i aint running from him. I aint running from all of them if i’m being honest. Nah for nightwing, he strikes me as a dork in some way. I’ll talk my way out of it. And if there’s something i’m good at, it’s talking.

Jason: So your plan is to talk circles around him?

Y/N: Yes Once i figure out what type of dork he is, imma talk until he gets confused and then i’ll run away Bro won’t see it coming

Jason: I should tell my brother He’s a huge nightwing fan

y/n: Nooooooooooo No one needs to know i don’t need other people to know how weird i am Especially your family I don't want my first meeting to be ‘hey, you’re that chick that’ll talk nightwing to confusion. Man that was a great laugh’

Jason: You think this will go that far?

Y/N: Honestly? No But i have hope You?

Jason: Ya Anyways, red robin?

Y/N: You skipped red hood

Jason: Saving him for last

Y/N: Fair Hes smart, can’t really talk myself out of that one nor would I flirt He is too young and not my type So i use his weakness

Jason: There’s no way you know that

Y/N: No but I know the dude doesn’t have a regular sleep schedule.

Jason: How do you know that?

Y/N: Back when I worked at a coffee shop, I took his order a few times and watched him down his coffee while it was still hot I asked him once, why? Dude said, and i kid you not ‘sleep is for the week and coffee is god’ Ngl, i laughed and gave him a free coffee just for making my day

Jason: Shit day?

Y/N: Ugh you had no idea. I had two tests that day and a term paper due but i couldn’t get it printed in time so that was late Didn’t help i woke up on the couch, and my body didn’t like that

Jason: You in school?

Y/n: Ya, only two years in but i want it to end

Jason: Not a fan?

Y/N: Eh When did we start playing 20 questions?

Jason: Right, we we suppose to play after you finished your hypotheticals

Y/N: Curses Me and my big mouth Who’s next?

Jason: We’re still on RR

Y/N: Blah right I’ll just bride him with coffee and make a run for it

Jason: The fact that that could actually work is scary Are you sure you’re not a villain?

Y/N: Nope just an engineering student who could fight god with enough coffee and no sleep Honestly, RR’s my spirit animal

Jason: Robin

Y/N: Are you nuts? I’d turn myself in and then some ain’t no way i’m coming up with a plan for him He scares me

Jason: Why?

Y/N: I watched him fight a few times The dude has enough skill and rage to fight the justice league if need be I bet he could kill too He looks like it

Jason: Okay you're not wrong But if you had to come up with a plan, what would it be?

Y/N: Cannot believe you’re making me do this Fine Little dude may have a hard exterior, but years of reading and knowing people like him, he has a soft spot and use that against him

Jason: Do you know what that is?

Y/N: … I am going to die If robin finds this, I am dying by either embarrassment or by his hands

Jason: Come on, you gotta tell me I’m at the edge of my seat here

Y/N: Fine, but if i’m going down I’m taking you with me

Jason: But we’ve only just met

Y/N: Maybe so, but I actually like you But i’m starting to doubt

Jason: Aw come on, little bird

Y/N: Damnit I happened to be walking home and watched him sit in an alley playing with cats Must have been a slow night, he was there for hours

Jason: It was the little bird wasn’t it?

Y/N: So who’s next? Spoiler? Batgirl? The signal? Red hood? Oracle? Well, I wouldn’t fight Oracle, I don’t know who they are but I know they would win so I’m going to stay clear of them No, you know what? I can tell you my answer for all three of them I’d bribe them with cookies or something. Idk if they would take it but that’s my plan. Just straight up bribery. Who could resist cookies?

Jason: That’s your answer to everything huh?

Y/n: Yup

Jason: Even with RH?

Y/n: … He’s different

Jason: How so?

Y/N: Mm, okay but your not allowed to judge Or laugh

Jason: Should I be scared?

Y/N: Depends Anyways, i have a crush on him So I would shoot my shot and if i get turned down then at least I tried

Jason: You have a crush on Red Hood? Out of everyone there is, why him?

Y/N: You’re judging! You said you wouldn’t

Jason: I didn’t say shit Now tell me why him?

Y/N: Hell if I know But have you seen him?

Jason: I have but you don’t even see his face

Y/N: That just adds to the mystic that is Red Hood I just know he’s got a good looking face underneath the mask

Jason: You really are something else

Y/N: Sorry I’m a big fan of RH And I guess I like the thought of a mystery So if you want to end this now, I understand

Jason: Who said anything about ending this?

Y/N: Don’t know, a lot of people who seem interested in me kind of leave after they find out Either they don’t want to compete with a crush that I know have zero chance at or they just don’t like red hood and being with a fan isn’t something they want

Jason: They’re stupid I ain’t leaving for that And who knows, maybe you can shoot your shot one day

Y/N: HA That’s not going to happen I freeze up when I’m near someone I like I’d probably stutter and say something embarrassing and run away No thank you

Jason: Thought it out huh

Y/N: You have no idea Anyways, 20 questions?

Jason: I did promise You can ask a couple?

Y/N: Favourite colour?

Jason: Really? After what I did to you, your going to ask something simple

Y/N: Answer the question Jason

Jason: Green

Y/N: Thank you Favourite food?

Jason: What’s with the easy questions? Give me some hard hitting personal ones

Y/N: I will in time Now, answers please

Jason: Chili dogs

Y/N: Those things are gross

Jason: Hey, they are the pinnacle of street food You just have to find the right places

Y/N: Mmkay, if you say so

Jason: Alright, gonna have to take you to one of my favourite places

Y/N: That right?

Jason: Only way to convince you Where do you go to school?

Y/N: Looking forward to it Gotham University, you?

Jason: Not yet, but trying to Kind of hard when you were declared dead for a while

Y/N: Fucking what?! Gonna need that story

Jason: Nope, gotta reach at least level 10 in friendship to unlock it

YN: Damnit

Jason: Sorry little bird

Y/N: You didn’t need to say it so casually tho Who just mentions, ‘yeah i’ve been declared dead but haven’t done anything’ into a conversation And not elaborate on it This is bullshit, sir

Jason: It has happened to people

Y/N: Yeah, but they tell people why You just Dropped a bomb like that and say, not yet Whatever, i’ll drop it

Jason: You sure? Sounds like it’ll bother you until you get the story

Y/N: Yes I’m sure Yes it will bother me But like I said, I like you and I don’t want to be pushy I’m not a pushy person

Jason: Awe does someone have a wittle crush

Y/N: No You got nothing on RH

Jason: Now that just hurts, little bird

Y/N: Don’t you have a question you need to ask?

Jason: Are you flustered? I feel like you’re flustered

Y/N: Amazing weather we’re having Despite the rain and all

Jason: Alright, I’ll stop with the teasing For now Born in Gotham?

Y/N: No I am from Metropolis, moved here for school

Jason: Any other reason?

Y/N: Yeah, Superman kept destroying my apartment building I’ve moved three times and somehow, he always finds the building I’m living in Minute I graduated high school, I moved

Jason: But why Gotham?

Y/N: Gotham intrigues me

Jason: You’re so weird

Y/N: Thank you Since you’re not in school, what do you do?

Jason: Mechanic Didn’t really want my dad’s help so I’m finding my way in life

Y/N: Not a great relationship?

Jason: You can say that So, engineering huh?

Y/N: Yup I love building and taking things apart Have since I was little

Jason: Gonna change the world?

Y/N: Imma try but can’t really do that while working at luthor corp

Jason: Please tell me your joking

Y/N: Ah, not a fan I see Can’t blame you but I am not It was one of the first places I’ve applied to and hear back right away I accepted before getting my other interviews

Jason: jumped the gun a bit 

Y/N: Yeah I did. I wished I didn’t but oh well I’ll find something better if this doesn’t work out

Jason: Why don’t you quit now?

Y/N: I am a broke college student who needs money If I quit now, I’m not sure if I find someone to take me Plus the hours working there are helping my schooling, so it’s kinda late to switch jobs

Jason: Can’t believe I’m saying this but try wanye enterprise I hear they’re good to work for

Y/n: I plan too eventually But at the moment, this is fine The hours I have now works with my school hours

Jason: How’s working there anyways?

Y/N: Not too bad I guess I’m allowed to work on my own projects as long as I work on the assigned ones The people are nice and all but it could be better

Jason: But you don’t like it there?

Y/N: I don’t like Lex Luthor and what he represents I guess

Jason: So you believe that he’s trying to take down superman?

Y/N: I’ve seen one of their fights Nothing to believe

Jason: Must of been some fight

Y/N: Mm So What did you mean, I can’t believe I’m saying this?

Jason: You can’t be weird about it

Y/N: Oh? I am intrigued

Jason: You’re making it weird

Y/N: I am not It’s not like I said you have a crush on Bruce Wayne or something That would have been weird

Jason: Is this how you felt when I teased you?

Y/N: Paybacks a bitch isn’t it?

Jason: I hate you

Y/N: Okay

Jason: I do

Y/N: You’re deflecting

Jason: Oh my god Fine He’s my dad, well adoptive dad

Y/N: Cool

Jason: That’s it? You’re not going to fawn over him being my dad? Ask me questions about what he’s like? Ask if the tabloids are true?

Y/N: Nope Tbh, I don’t care for Bruce Like, I applaud him for what he’s trying to do for Gotham and all But, seeing him on every magazine everywhere I go gets a bit tiring He’s just another dude that people are obsessed with Who cares if he’s rich Besides, I’m talking to you aren’t I? Who cares about Bruce Wayne I wanna know Jason Todd

Jason: You know? I think I may actually be in love 

Y/N: Stooooooop You can’t say things like that

Jason Why? Cuz you get flustered so easily?

Y/N And if I do?

Jason Gotta say it’s my favourite past time

Y/N So, the reason you don’t have a great relationship with Bruce Does it have anything to do with you being dead or something?

Jason Wow WOW I cannot believe you We go from what's your favourites to hard hitting questions huh? I see how it is

Y/N I told you they were coming

Jason I just didn’t think you’d use it as a deflection tactic

Y/N Yeah I want to say sorry But I’m not I’m sure you would use anything to get attention from yourself

Jason Can’t do positive attention

Y/N Eh

Jason I hear you And yes it is part of the reason why me and Bruce are not in good terms

Y/N Mm, I’m sure he’s trying

Jason In his own Bruce way yeah

Y/N Are you?

Jason I like to believe I am Why the interest?

Y/N I don’t know Maybe it’s the fact that my relationship with my dad isn’t the best

Jason You’re dad’s not Bruce Wayne’s too?

Y/N HA Then I would not be talking to you in this fashion

Jason That is true So then what?

Y/N My mom says we are too similar to each other Got the same attitude and all I believe it Growing up, it was all your useless and you’ll amount to nothing Or he’ll ignore me, and I’d prefer that over the degrading Only time he’d show his affection was if he was drunk

Jason Wow Sorry 

Y/N Yeah It’s gotten better since I moved out Now it’s there, and I’m still processing 

Jason Processing what?

Y/N Mm It’s a pretty heavy topic to get into with someone you just met

Jason Can’t be worse than me being dead for months

Y/N Months?! How many?

Jason Oh damn You are a lot easier to talk with then who I normally socialize with

Y/N I shall take that as a complement

Jason As you should And no, I will not be elaborating 

Y/N Alright fair But I will get the story

Jason Mm, I’m sure you will So? Gonna answer my question

Y/N Last year he was diagnosed with cancer Not sure what it is, but it already spread

Jason How long did the doctors give him?

Y/N He didn’t want to know Can’t blame him for 

Jason Sorry about that

Y/N Yeah

Jason You don’t sound to hurt about it

Y/N Like I said, still processing it so I don’t know how to feel With the childhood I had, I don’t know how too But I know when it comes down to it, my emotions will hit me like a truck when the day comes

Jason Well, soak up as much time as you can before you have any regrets

Y/N Trying to He is just making it impossible Whoo boy! That was a lot of emotion for one night I think I’m going to eat some ice cream and binge watch my favourite show

Jason Sounds fun, wish I could join but I promised my brothers with help

Y/N How many do you have?

Jason Do you read anything about the Wayne family?

Y/N Nope What I know about him is what is whispered between my classes and work and even then I don’t listen to them

Jason Really committed on not caring about him, huh Four brothers and three sisters

Y/N Big family

Jason Bruce likes to adopt

Y/N I can tell Anyways, have fun tonight

Jason I’ll try Would you be interested in talking some more?

Y/N I would love to

[fallinforerling]

may i request (from the prompt phrases) 2 - 8 - 17 with erling 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

the shirt dilemma - eh

A/N: As I usually say: ERLING BRAINROT. I can’t stop writing for this man, I’m ABSOLUTELY in love with him. Thank you SO MUCH!!! for 800 followers. Feedback is always appreciated! Love you always xx

ೃ⁀➷ erling’s taglist 

 ೃ⁀➷ erling’s masterlist

ೃ⁀➷ masterlist

 : ̗̀➛ requested phrases: 

2. “i'll never wear the jersey of someone who isn't my boyfriend.”

8. “why are you staring at me like that?”

17. “you have a really pretty face, have you ever heard that?”

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

“I can’t believe people actually waste their time plotting about this stuff…” You murmured more to yourself than anyone else in the room, still scrolling through the infinite amount of photos that you found on Twitter. “Kinda creepy…” 

“What’s up?” Jack murmured back, kicking your leg with his foot. You raised an eyebrow in his direction. “C’mon, you just said something that implies tea. Now you have to spill it.” 

“I don’t have to do shit, Grealish.” You laughed, kicking him back. “But okay, here.” You sat on the couch. “I was on Twitter, and I found some tweets with my name on it, which is kinda weird since I’m not a public figure so… I don’t know, I was digging on my own shit until…” You turned your phone so he could see it. 

His eyebrows raised until they almost touched the base of his hair, giving you a full view of the funniest expression you’d ever seen on him since ever. 

“That’s an interesting take.” 

“¿De qué hablan?” (What are you guys talking about?”) Julián asked, entering the room with hands full of snacks. 

“Nada.” (Nothing) You really hated Julián’s impecable hearing. He was always around the corner when you were gossiping with Jack. “Más bien dame comida, que me tuviste esperando como mil años. Me muero de hambre.” (Give me some food, you’ve got me waiting for like a thousand years. I’m starving) 

“Luego no me pidas que te cuente algo, porque te vas a quedar con las ganas.” (Later, don’t ask me for any gossip, cause I won’t share any) He replied, throwing a bag of chips at you. 

“I actually love when you two speak Spanish in front of me and I understand absolutely nothing.” Jack said after you grabbed the bag, not paying attention to the dirty look Julián gave you before sitting next to him. “Makes me feel like I’m back in Spain for some vacation.” 

“I just love when she speaks Spanish.” Erling’s voice startled you. You looked up at him, who was just entering the room. You tore your eyes apart from his figure as quickly as you could, wishing that the heart eyes weren’t that noticeable for any of them. God, he was so handsome. 

“You love everything that she does.” Julián said, giggling a bit when you shot him a nasty look. That little fucker. 

“True, you’re the biggest fanboy I’ve ever seen in my life.” Jack teased, nudging Erling’s arm when he sat next to you. 

“What can I say? I’m a man with great taste.” Erling shot back, leaving you all shaky on the inside. You had to prevent your mouth from falling wide open. You could never get used to that type of compliments coming from him.

It was times like these when you wondered if Erling had any feelings for you. It would be awesome if he did. But you knew it couldn’t be possible; he was playing and teasing around. You were just friends.

“If you’re going to flirt with her, I’m leaving.” Jack said, openly enjoying how uncomfortable you were getting from all the attention. “But also? We could manage to see if we can get this little brat to come to the next game, eh?” 

“No, no! Don’t start with that. I already said no a million times before.” You were tired of it. You knew, from past experience, that you would be recognized, and those stupid gossip sites would eat you up. 

“C’mon, don’t be such a… coward.” Julián replied, always up to teasing you as well. “It’s fun, you should totally go. Emilia’s gonna be there.” 

“But…” 

“No, no, not ‘but’. You’re coming, end of discussion.” Erling cut you off, smiling widely when you looked at him. “Please?” 

Aw, man. Fuck big blonde guys with green eyes. 

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

So there you were, two days later. Full of regrets and suffering, seeing how your friends (or more like enemies at this point) were smiling like little kids while you stood in the middle of the Etihad Stadium shop. Your arms were crossed, not wanting to give in two times in a row when it came to these guys’ wishes, but it was getting more and more difficult as the minutes passed and Erling’s eyes kept flashing you little looks that were keeping you on the edge. 

“Why?” You finally spoke up, giving in to the silence that had overcome the room. “I’ve already accepted to come against my will. Why do I have to wear a jersey as well?” 

“Because! Everyone that really loves the team wears a shirt!” Jack said, giving you a knowing look that screamed duh. “You’re our friend, it would be so rude if you just go there wearing…” He pointed to your baby blue shirt with a grin. “That.” 

“What’s the matter with it? It’s City’s color, isn’t it?” 

“C’mon, you’re not actually doing the most out here wearing a blue shirt, darling.” Erling’s voice had an effect on you. Dammit. “Be a good girl and wear a jersey.”

No, no, no. Don’t fall for it just because he called you a… Oh, god. God, help your daughter. 

“Fine!” As usual, you just gave in once Erling stepped in. “Pick a stupid shirt so I can get out of here.” 

You were hoping that you were being dramatic over nothing and that they’d probably pick a blank shirt with no actual handle on the back, but as Erling approached his own fucking section, you knew you were absolutely fucked. 

“No! Not your stupid ego getting the best of you, I’m not wearing a Haaland shirt!” You wanted to. But it was the worst idea in the world. “I’ll never wear the jersey of someone who isn’t my boyfriend. That’s just a horrible idea.” You didn’t know why you just said that, but it was out there before you could backtrack on your words. 

“Why not?” Jack asked, getting closer to you with that cheeky grin that you hated. “What’s wrong with wearing a friend’s jersey just for today? It isn’t good enough?” 

Oh, you knew what he wanted to say with that little tone on the word “friend”. 

“Because, my dear Jack. People love to speculate about things without actual proof. So, if they see me wearing Erling’s shirt while being here, they’ll think I’m his girlfriend, and…” 

“So what?” Erling said, already handing you a shirt. “Let people assume whatever they want to assume.” 

“Perhaps, would it be that bad if people think that you are his girlfriend?” It was the first time in twenty minutes that Julián had said a word, but when he did, he cornered you. “Just saying…”

“Yeah, would it?” Erling’s tone sounded almost evil as he slightly pressed the shirt towards you, leaving you no other option but to take it. “Just put it on.” 

“I hate you…” You whispered, still grabbing the shirt with a bit more force than necessary. 

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

You felt like everyone’s eyes were on you for the entirety of the game, which was ridiculous since you were the most boring person and no one— and when you said no one, it was really no one— was giving you a second look as you sat and watched the game like everyone else did. 

The paranoia you were feeling was ridiculous. Never in a million years have you felt more targeted for wearing a fucking shirt that said Haaland on the back. You could only pray that a photo of you didn’t make it to Twitter, where a bunch of weird people were already making assumptions about the actual nature of your relationship with Erling. That’s why you were being so negative about wearing anything City or Erling related. You knew how the rumors started.

Like it would ever happen in reality. 

“Relájate, boluda. Parece que estás acá contra tu voluntad.” (Girl, relax. You look like you’re here against your will) Emilia shouted over the fans’ voices, seeming entertained by your current state. Just like her boyfriend, apparently. 

“¿Te parece?” (You think?) You couldn’t help the sarcastic tone in your voice. “Todo gracias al pendejo de tu novio.” (All thanks to your stupid boyfriend) 

“Ay, ya. No es para tanto…” (Aw, c’mon. It’s not that big of a deal…) She paused, giggling. “Estás así porque te gusta Erling, ¿no?” (You’re acting like this because you like Erling, aren’t you?) 

“¡¿Qué?!” (What?!) You shouted, feeling your face go deep red as the referee blew the final whistle, letting the entire stadium know that the game was over. 

“It’s so obvious, babe. You totally like that man.” She took your hand, not letting you overcome the fact that someone finally acknowledged your feelings for him. “Let’s go.” 

“Where?” Was all you managed to say, looking around to check if someone was paying attention to you. Again. 

“The dressing room.” 

Oh-oh. 

Your eyes darted to the pitch, where most of the players were still walking around while exchanging greetings and jerseys. You spotted Erling right away; it was very difficult not to. He towered over almost every single person that walked past him, which could be funny if it weren’t for the fact that Emilie knew about your feelings for him. Suddenly, it felt so real. It felt like everyone knew. 

“Move or I’ll have to drag you there myself.” Emilia’s tone gave the impression of being absolutely serious about the dragging part, so you started walking out of pure instinct. 

You made your way across the sea of people that were leaving or lingering around the benches. You saw how it all appeared to move a bit slower as you followed her, who still had a hold on your wrist, like she was almost preventing you from escaping. You didn’t want to see Erling right now; the way you were so worked up about Emilia’s words was stupid, but you knew yourself, and it was very possible that you were about to blow everything because of the nerves. 

“Breathe. You’re crushing my hand.” 

“Is it too obvious?” You whispered once you made it to the tunnels. 

“That you like him?” She turned to face you, smiling a bit before fixing your hair. “Not to him, I believe.” Her eyes looked behind you, a bigger smile appeared on her face. “But maybe it’s time to let you know that he likes you. Gotta go, Juli’s coming. Good luck.” She kissed your cheek briefly before walking away, leaving you nervous and shaky. 

It seemed like being nervous and shaky was the new thing for you. 

“What happened to the “no wearing a shirt that’s not my boyfriend's” rule?” You could feel Erling’s hands pinching the fabric of your new shirt before you turned around to face him. His voice was filled with that unique tone he only used when he won, or got his way around something he wanted. Today, both things happened. “Looks great on you, by the way.” 

“You made me wear it, loser.” The only way to dissimulate the silent screaming you wanted to do right now was to answer with irony.

“And it’s the best decision I’ve made so far.” He stood in front of you in all his glory, clearly enjoying how pissed you were. You couldn’t help your eyes from going to his bare chest for a whole minute, biting your lip when your eyes met his. His smirk was so big, you wanted to punch him. “About to make the second one.”

So, so handsome. And so, so cocky.

“What? Why are you staring at me like that?” Was all you managed to say after a few seconds of pure silence, despite all the teammates roaming through the tunnel, clapping and screaming from their recent win. 

“You have a really pretty face; have you ever heard that?” He leaned in, and your heart almost escaped through your throat. You couldn’t tear your eyes apart from his. 

What if Emilia was right? Was this the right moment? He was totally flirting with you… Wasn’t he?

“I…” 

“What about this? You wait here, looking as lovely as you do right now until I shower… And then I can take you to dinner so we can celebrate the win?” He whispered the proposition like it was a promise. At this point, you couldn’t even speak. “How does that sound?” 

“Yeah, sure…” You whispered back, holding your bag so close to your chest that you could feel the handles burying themselves in your skin. 

“Perfect.” Then he kissed your cheek, and you really stopped breathing for a few milliseconds. And as you were starting to have a little panic attack, he left.

Have you just… agreed to a date with Erling Haaland? Well, fuck.

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚*ੈ✩‧₊˚⋆·˚ ༘ * ERLING’S TAGLIST @questionable-behaviour | @koufaxx | @xjval | @nikki01234 | @evarasworld | @kynykyny | @alleyahah | @444pantheress | @football4life9 | @f1lover55 | @frankcastleonlyfans | @ironmaiden1313 | @pizzapie349

[bokuroar]

𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗸𝘆𝘂𝘂!! 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 & 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 “oh.” 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻t (pt. 2)

↬ you can find part 1 here ♡ i was supposed to use another song but i wanted to stick with the theme of the first part ^^ enjoy !

↬ hq characters (osamu, iwaizumi, kenma, daichi) x gn!reader

ꕤ you open the door to welcome osamu and the heavy grocery bags he cradles in his arms. without so much as saying hello, he automatically lets himself in kicking his shoes off in your apartment. with stuffy nose you ask him, “what’re you doing here at 10 in the morning? doesn’t your shop open at 9?” osamu chuckles, his warm smile spreading across his face. "it does, but i couldn't stay away any longer, you’re a mess who needs to eat." he jests. throughout the day, osamu stays by your side, bringing you comfort and joy with every gesture. he makes you soup, entertains you with funny videos thanks to his twin, and even brings over a stack of your favorite books to read together. it’s like he knows exactly what you need without you having to say a word. oh.

ꕤ “we better walk fast, ‘zumi. looks like it’s gonna pour anytime soon.” you mumble as you look up to the looming clouds and instinctively reach your hand out to feel any droplets. iwaizumi brings out his old, trusted, albeit rusty umbrella that you swear he had since god knows when. he sheepishly smiles, “can’t have you sick now, can we?” as you continue walking, you engage in light banter and reminisce about old times. the conversation flows effortlessly, just like it always does when you're together. "you remember that time we got caught in a torrential downpour during our first year of high school?" iwaizumi asks, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "how could i forget? good thing we found that cafe to hide in until the rain stopped.” you reply. "yeah, and then we spent hours talking and laughing we didn't notice they needed to close the shop." iwaizumi recalls fondly and adds, "that was the day i knew we'd be friends for a long time." he smiles warmly, his gaze softening as he looks at you. uh oh.

ꕤ “ah, am i hearing this right? the kodzuken challenging me to beat him in a video game?!” you jokingly gasp at your longtime friend, kenma, who only rolled his eyes at your mockery. “stop acting weird, this won’t be the first time i beat you,” he smirks. you grin, accepting the challenge with a competitive glint in your eye. the game began and you both immersed yourselves in the virtual world. as the match progressed, you notice kenma's occasional slip-ups, as if he was letting you win. "are you sure you're not going easy on me?" you tease. he blushes slightly, trying to hide his intentions. "you wish. you just had practice," he replies, his eyes betraying a hint of affection. after a thrilling game, you emerged victorious. "looks like you owe me that boba," you retort playfully, savoring the taste of triumph. in that moment, kenma smiles, realizing that he felt more of a winner in making you smile than winning a video game. oh no.

ꕤ holidays are better spent with people. the more the merrier, at least that’s what daichi’s household believes in. and his big family isn’t enough, daichi always celebrates with his close friends—including you. amidst the ongoing debate which is the best christmas dessert, he turns to you, "i’m so glad you could make it today. my family loves having you around during celebrations." you smile warmly, "i wouldn't miss it for the world, dai. your family and our friends always make these holidays unforgettable." as the holiday cheer enveloped the room, daichi's eyes were fixed on you as you engage with his younger siblings. you had picked out thoughtful gifts for each of them, and he watches with a mix of fondness and admiration as they unwrapped your presents, their faces lighting up with joy and gratitude. he could get used to this. oh?

© bokuroar (2023) – do not plagiarize, modify, copy, use, translate, repost my work on other sites without permission.

a/n: i can’t not write this bec of the love the part 1 got T____T i wanna hug all of u !! thank u !!! 🥹🤎 ik this took such a long time but still hope you liked reading this just as much hehehe <3

thanks for stopping by ☕️ talk to me?

[sleepygremlin11]

The reactions to Miquella as a character is honestly so telling about the broader souls gaming community. I mostly mean on Reddit because I am like 90% straight cis Reddit guys couldn’t analyze a evil character with any sort of benefit of the doubt. TLDR at the bottom because I’m a hoe who loved to ramble…

I’m not gonna pretend that I have a perfect grasp on Elden ring lore, so if anyone notices anything like crazy wrong with this feel free to let me know. But, from what I have seen on YouTube and Reddit people are desperate to make miquella out to be the most evil mf to ever exist in a video game. In all of the analysis I’ve seen of him as a character. People don’t seem to want to acknowledge that he’s probably mentally stunted from his curse. Like be so for real 10-year-olds are the most evil motherfuckers to ever exist, being stuck like that for hundreds of years, would drive anyone to a little bit of mass genocide. People also don’t want to see that he had majority positive intentions, and if you’re looking at it in a way that acknowledges that he’s probably despite his actual age only thinking with the mental capacity of a young child, the sort of black-and-white morality that he used in his campaign is completely fitting for a kid of that age. I think dudes on Reddit just are all not allowed within 60 feet of school so they’ve never interacted with children before, but I think if I asked my cousins that are that age they would solve a corrupt world they would say they would force everyone to be nice if given the opportunity.

Also, please take a second to consider the situation he was raised in before you make judgments on him just being a completely morally black character. Marika is absolutely insane from what we know of her, and wouldn’t you know it? So much of what Miquella does is similar to his mom. But he also leads with intentions to be better than her and a more positive force broadly. anyone who has played Elden Ring can and should tell you that the setting of the game is absolutely grim dark. Most of the characters you meet want you dead and if they don’t want you dead, they will probably end up dying by the end of the game. Even in the games happiest endings, the end is still bittersweet and nothing is really fixed. particularly because that’s just what the souls like genre goes for in it’s messaging.

I don’t want to make baseless accusations of homophobia to an entire group of people and a fandom that is admittedly accepting for websites that tend to be cesspits of homophobia and transphobia. But I feel like despite They being similar intentions and results Rahni does not get as harsh of a reaction as Miquella does. I firmly believe that this is because he is one of the few queer characters that we see in any soul games. It’s of course not great that the one aspect of queer representation is an incest pairing where one of them is getting molested. But I would still categorize him as a queer character. I think with a het pairing people would be more willing to make the relationship seem less predatory, but because it’s a queer relationship and Miquella is admittedly a bad character, people don’t look at their relationship with any sort of nuance. Radahn and Miquella are not the only examples of incest in Elden ring, and I think it’s also very common for stories based on pantheons to have incest. That sure is weird as hell, not a good thing, and it’s weird as fuck in my opinion. But it’s common in these stories. This could just be me being naïve, but I have never seen such a harsh reaction to a couple in media even when discussing other similarly, toxic and abusive pairings within media.

Idk if anyone’s willing to share their thoughts on this, I am more than happy to talk in the comments, so please let me know what you think 🥺

TLDR: Miquella is an evil but well written character and his actions make sense in the story. Fandom should not regard him as harshly as they do. Especially on sites like YouTube and Reddit, which are adorably dominated by straight cis men. I think part of the reason fandom reguards him so harshly in these communities is because he is a canon queer character. It’s also two in the morning right now when I’m writing this so this probably makes no sense and I’ll delete it tomorrow. 





[paingoes]

Crash Out

Superstition 

hi. this is personally my favorite part so far. hope u enjoy it too :)

(Content: drugs, bad trip, paranoia, psychosis, discussion of institutionalized child abuse and death, discussion of past abuse, blood, burns, guilt)

“Okay so we have to take it at the same time so our trips sync up.”

“I know. I’ve done it before.”

“How much are you gonna take?”

“We can just split it.”

“That seems like a lot.” 

Lorelai rotated the froot in her hand. She stabbed along the ring with the scout’s knife, revealing the soft green flesh within. The juice dripped down onto her arm. She resisted the urge to lick it up before they could agree on the dosage. 

“I think we split half. We can take more later if it’s not strong enough.” She worked the knife carefully through the half of it. She gave the quarter piece to Paris and took the other for herself. She stashed the unused half back into the cooler bag. 

“It’ll feel weird if you take more while you’re already tripping. Not pleasant.” He ate the piece he’d been given anyway. She took her own into her mouth. The texture was surprisingly gritty. Little seeds got caught in her teeth. It tasted salty and earthen. She set her timer.

“Okay, onset is an hour or so?” She glanced up at the orange sky. “We’ll be inside by then, probably. It’ll kick in just as it’s getting dark out. Spooky!”

=========

It was an entire hike just to reach the site. The main road was swarming with cop cars. Every other path was carved through the thick wood. In the darkening light, the edges of the dirt road blended in with the foliage. They saw several people passing through, just as lost as they were. Lorelai jumped as the bear trap caught on the raised heel of her boot, just missing her foot.

“Aaaaa?” She yelled softly, mostly in confusion. Paris bent down to undo it. 

“How did that miss you?” He squinted. The mechanism jammed shut again with a loud clanging noise. It was rusted in places, visibly worn down by the elements. He was surprised it still worked.

“Fast reflexes.” She unhappily examined the new dent in her shoes. 

The venue came into sight as the tree line withered. It was a large stone building — or it used to be. The walls were jagged and uneven at the top, the same shape as torn paper. The second story was gone, along with the ceiling.  Thick vines and lichen grew along the stone perimeter. Lorelai said they were fighting for dominance. It looked like the lichen was winning.

The inner walls weren’t faring any better. It seemed like there might have been plaster once, but all that remained now was stone. There were marks on the ground where other walls had been. Someone had long ago removed them to make more space to party. The only real structures inside were the DJ booth by the north wall and the bar on the east one. Where the ceiling had been before, there were now just rails that lights could hang from. 

It was dark when they approached — and the music had already started. People poured out onto the lawn and into the woods, drifting in and out of the fortress as they pleased. Security was lax and the walls were porous enough to facilitate the exchange.

His teeth hurt. The two of them did their traditional act, drifting in and out of each other’s spaces as the night progressed. Crowd anonymity was a wondrous thing. It made him tolerate the presence of other bodies in the space and the indignity of motion. The drugs helped with that too. Then they didn’t. 

He felt something slip away, some invisible measure of protection he could not name. Eyes, again. Of course there were. People were everywhere. Under the strobe, they all looked pale and corpselike. He remembered a story he had read a long time ago about the girl who only danced with the dead. He’d had his fair share of ghost stories; sailors loved shit like that, soldiers even more. 

He had not expected it to crawl. When he’d eaten the froot before, it had hit him all at once, and receded not too long after. It was fun, if a bit underwhelming. This high had creeped up so slowly that for the first two hours he did not even realize it had arrived. He imagined his own thoughts to be normal and uncontaminated. All it was was just unease and unease and the dead left there too. He thought he felt something shift just beneath his feet, but all that was there now was dirt. He was surer than anything that he was being watched, him specifically. He pulled off from the crowd and out through one of the jagged holes in the wall. Grass grew there. He walked without aim. 

There were enough people on the outskirts that he didn’t really feel like he was leaving the party, even as he drifted further and further from the building. He saw them all looking at him strangely as he passed; he would not learn until later he had been talking to himself the entire time. He would never learn what it was he had said. He ended up by the woods, still certain of something creeping and stalking and watching endlessly. Something was wrong. The dirt slipped out from beneath him and on purpose.

Something long and thin stuck out of the ground. He had thought it was a leg until he saw what it was attached to. It was top heavy, two legged, nearly furry with moss. The sign post was as overgrown as the building it described, but the letters were still readable beneath it. He stared up at it from where he was collapsed on the ground, reading it over and over and over again.

Beldam Institute. B-E-L-D-A-M I-N-S-T-I-T-U-T-E. He read it again, just to be sure. Beldam Institute.

“Oh fuck,” he muttered to himself, unknowingly interrupting the string of words he had already been muttering to himself.

He’d had his fair share of ghost stories; sailors loved shit like that, soldiers even more. Soldiers liked to think there was a life after death. They liked to think the people they killed would stay stuck there in the place where they had killed them, forever, their souls tethered to the earth and stood on display for all eternity. Tales of weeping ghosts and the undead children that searched endlessly for their murderers, reading to rend them limb from limb. Trapped together in the place where they had killed them, forever, their souls tethered to the earth and stood on display for all eternity. History couldn’t end, not really. History ate them all whole. The ground was heavy with bodies. 

“They buried them in the lawn the first few years,” Delta had admitted quietly, at the end of a long night, after Paris had spent hours prodding. It was the most he would ever say about it and the last time Paris would ever ask. “They had to stop, though. They ran out of space.”

His hand brushed up against something dry and brittle and thin like finger bones.

=========

“Whoa, whoa, buddy.” There were hands on his shoulders, trying unsuccessfully to stop him from flailing. Some douche with a tie wrapped around his forehead was trying to be helpful. He heard his own voice, but he couldn’t make out the words. His throat was hoarse and painful. 

“Here. Smell.” The dude held up a small piece of chalky material.

“Getthefuckoffme-“ Paris rasped. His hands were bloodied, somehow.

“You’re okay,” He pressed the chalk up to his own nose, taking a deep inhale, showing it was safe. Paris crawled back a few inches, breathing still irregular, fingers still twitching. The dude offered the chemical back up. Paris reluctantly hit it. The headrush was immediate, overpowering.

“Fuck.” He fell back onto the dirt. There was soil under his nails and furrows in the ground. 

“What’d he take?” A girl’s voice asked. He didn’t realize she’d been standing there. She was leaning back again the sign, totally oblivious to its meaning.

“This is a fucking mass grave,” Paris yelled, or tried to. His voice broke. “The bones are pushing up. Look!”

“That’s a stick.”

Paris collapsed flat on his back again, covering his eyes.

Only then did the two of them seem to notice the sign. The girl pushed off of it, clearing the view, studying the lettering.

“Hang on, I gotta look something up,” the dude said. The clearing was briefly lit in ghostly blue as he pulled out his phone. He typed slowly and methodically. Paris knew from experience that he was having trouble seeing the screen just a few inches from his face.

“Oh. Huh. Yeah, that’s what it is.” He nodded, looking perturbed. “I’d probably trip out if I saw some shit like that too, man. That’s wacky.”

Another set of footsteps approached without rhythm.

“I’m tripping balls,” Lorelai said. She had the gait of a baby deer. “Lol, is this where the party is?”

“Is this your man?” The girl asked.

“We’re all working through our feelings about institutionalization together,” the dude explained, “Your friend is having what we call a hard time.”

“What?” Lorelai collapsed down onto the mound just beside him. She pulled his head into her lap, combing her fingers through his hair. He wrapped his arms around her waist, totally helpless to do anything else.

“Beldam Institute. Where Delta went. It’s where they make them,” he muttered.

“Are you serious?”

They showed her the e-ncyclopedia page. Her jaw dropped.

“Wow. Oh my god, what are the odds? And they throw parties here? That’s…in very poor taste? Wow. What the hell. Wow.” She shook her head. He worried for a second she was getting caught in a thought loop. He made a silent vow to never taste froot again.

Yet another set of footsteps approached. 

“You guys good over here?” A wavering voice asked. Keys jingled loudly. For an awful moment, he thought it was the cops.

“Are you two the organizers?” Lorelai asked, “Why did you throw a rave where a bunch of children got tortured?”

“You’re talking about the Institute? I’m so glad you asked,” The other’s voice was slick, “We did a whole thesis on it. It’s a transformative project. We’re revitalize the space and making a statement on its history. All our proceeds go to our mutual aid fund for marginalized groups. We do it in the spirit of resisting imperial order.”

“Their bodies are still buried in the yard,” Paris muttered.

“What did he say?”

“He said their bodies are still buried in the yard,” the dude responded.

“That seems really fucked up,” the girl chimed in.

“We’ve been very conscientious about the whole thing,” the slick one responded, “I know it’s a lot to process, especially if one is, uh, open to the influences. Not exactly a pleasant trip environment. But that’s history for you.”

“Is he gonna be okay?” The girl asked.

“Yeah, he’s just sensitive.” Lorelai twirled his hair between her fingers. “I wonder if there was a basement?”

“There was,” the wavering one confirmed, “It was mostly cleared out by the time we got here. Very hush-hush. But we salvaged some stuff for the archive.”

Far away, the music changed. Lorelai shook his shoulder gently.

“Get up. I wanna dance.” Her voice was all swimmy. He can’t tell if the interference was on her part or his. She dragged him out of the woods and back onto the floor.

Despite how awkwardly she had stumbled, how failing her walk seemed to be, she danced with a surprisingly fluidity even in her drugged state. The air itself was fluid, heady, warm. He danced with her, quite sure she had never once looked like this before, that she never would again. The shaking in his own body stopped and the headache replaced it. All of it was dull and distant. There were whispers at the edge of it. Maenad, they warned.

Very abruptly, she dropped to her knees.

“Oh fuck,” she clutched her head, “I can see it.”

Paris half led, half carried her outside of the walls. She collapsed down on the dirt, looking all around her. Paris pulled the fur hat off her head. It was slick with sweat.

“Oh my god, I felt it. I think I saw the face of it. It was everywhere I looked. I could feel all the misery trapped inside of the walls.”

For a minute, he swore he could make out a skull and crossbones inside of her pupils. He hated froot. She looked terrifying.

He twisted the bottle open and held out both of her arms. The water poured over her exposed skin, bringing her temperature back down. She closed her eyes.

“More,” she said.

He poured the water over her forehead, letting it run down her face, smudging her makeup. She pulled her hair back in a bun. He poured the water down her neck. She gave a ticklish giggle.

“Oh, god,” she said, totally lost. He pushed the bottle into her hands. She poured the rest of it all down her throat.

===========

In spite of everything, the afterglow was incredible. They’d made it back to the room in one piece. He understood what the guides had meant about the aura. Everything felt soft and glowing. It wasn’t euphoric, nor to the point of mania. Just pleasant and calm. 

He could tell Lorelai felt it too, all smiles in the ship, even more after she showered. They both needed it badly, even without the time spent in the woods. The smell of smoke and alcohol had clung heavily to both of them. He washed the dirt out of his hair, his own blood from beneath his fingernails. The motel’s soap was scented lavender; he was sure he wouldn’t have noticed it before, but in the moment everything felt novel.

She’d crawled onto his chest when he laid down again, angling the phone so they both could watch. Some animated thing he couldn’t pay attention to. The colors were more vivid than they were probably meant to be. All he could focus on was her hair, the way the curls sprung back into place when he played with them. She nuzzled her face into his shoulder.

“Are you upset about Delta?”

Her voice was sleepy and entirely innocent. It was such a fucked up thing to ask when his walls are down. He’d been trying so hard to avoid it. She was a surgeon sometimes.

“I…feel bad that he died,” Paris admitted, “I don’t think it was my fault the way it happened. I didn’t know. But he was my responsibility. And I-” 

He cut himself off. It took him a while to find the words.

“…I don’t know. I hope it was quick. I hope he didn’t suffer.”

The image of Delta chained up and alone while that ship was going down flooded his mind. He squeezed her hand tighter.

Lorelai hummed, “You said it was a rebel attack? Did they say which one?”

“Their guess was Galatea.”

“Hm. Do you think he was the target? It seems a little terroristic for their taste otherwise.”

“They shouldn’t have known about him. All the intelligence just listed him as machinery for a reason. There was nothing in writing to indicate that he was alive.” He’d never had to write any of it himself, but he did read over the field reports. The opacity they achieved was impressive. Critical temperature reached. Damage to internals. Improvised shutdown. There was no good way to talk about it.

“You really didn’t have a file on him?” She clearly found this difficult to believe.

“His doctor did. It was carryover from the institute. It didn’t make it into imperial record. Not mine, anyway.”

“…It just seems like an odd thing for them to do.” There was nothing short of reverence in her voice when she spoke of the resistance. She was struggling reconcile the two thoughts. She had liked Delta a lot. He could see her there, trying to reconcile a lot of things.

==========

She’d had to track them down the next morning — and after that, she’d had to bribe — but she secured one of the large albums they had rescued from the basement. She flipped through the pages as she sat in the passenger seat. Most of it was typed, but a lot of it was written, and all of it was in thick and outdated Latin that she struggled to decipher even as a native speaker. It was the pictures she was really focused on, though.

In some of the photos, it just looked like a normal boarding school. The kids were lined up in rows or going about their day. There were photos of the classrooms and the yard. The next page over, there were photos of the laboratory and the operating room. There were straps visible on the table and along the chairs. 

In the training section, the pictures of the students were spliced indiscriminately with the pictures of their victims. Violence marked the both of them. On their victims, burns covered every inch of their skin. Their bodies were twisted at odd angles like they were toys bent out of shape. They wore bags over their head and chains around their ankles. 

On the students, the injuries were more subtle. Schoolyard incidents. Short circuits. Disciplinary infractions. Some of the worst ones showed scars tracing up and down their limbs, disappearing beneath the fabric of their uniform. In some, the scars were in the shape of flames. Some were shaped like vines. Most commonly, they were shape of electric discharge. Eyes and fingers were missing, even in the otherwise calm shots. 

“Oh.” Lorelai let out a soft sigh. “That’s him, isn’t it?”

She plucked the photo out from the plastic lining, bringing it up into the light. She held it so that Paris could see. 

The picture was taken on the side of a hill. The terrain was marked by large scorch marks. A giant dead thing laid in the center of it, the arc of its long neck spiraling out of sight behind the mass of its body. Several kids surrounded it, some crawling over it, others bent down and poking at it. They were all dressed for safari. One of them stood off to the side of the corpse’s thick tree-trunk legs. His hair hung in a long braid down his back, nearly sweeping the ground. His hand was wrapped tight with gauze. Delta couldn’t have been more than ten years old. There was the same frightful intensity behind his eyes, even back then. He was staring straight into the camera.

“Yeah.” Paris looked away from it. “That’s him.”

There were no other photos of him in the album.

…………

tags:

@catnykit @snakebites-and-ink @vivulapom @scoundrelwithboba @whatwhump

@pumpkin-spice-whump @deluxewhump @fuckass1000 @fuckcapitalismasshole @defire

@micechomper @writereleaserepeat @aloafofbreadwithanxiety

[clemblog]

Caine’s Lesson - Part 20

•

Gummigoo and Pomni found themselves in bodies which weren’t quite their own in this next adventure.

Pomni found herself a raccoon dressed in her same old jester hat. She had dark grey and black fur, the only resemblance of her humanity being the fact she stood on her hind legs and having her same old big red and blue eyes.

Gummigoo found himself now in the form of a human. A man. A guy. He had tan skin with blonde and green hair. He still had his cow boy hat, but now had a candy themed cowboy outfit to go with it. On his jacket was a little gator brooch. The only resemblance of his former self being his white eyes.

“Uh- Pommy?” Frowned Gummigoo, looking down at the familiar raccoon beside him.

“Y-Yeah- Gummigoo, what the heck happened-“ Chirped Pomni.

“Well- You’re some kind of cute fluffy little creature- If I had to guess some variant of a candycoon- And I’m a big buff guy- Instead of a big buff gator-“

“Yeah- I uh- figured- So… How do you think we fix this? Cause I don’t really appreciate this fur-“

As soon as she asked the question a puff of smoke engulfed the pair.

The two fell into a coughing fit, a maniacal laugh cutting through the air as the smoke aired out.

“Oh devious adventurers~ I see my curse has finally activated!” Giggled a beautiful cat lady with purple fur. She wore an obvious witch costume, so the two had to guess that she was a witch-

“If you want to fix yourselves~ You’ll need this whimsical necklace of mine~” She purred smugly, holding out a necklace which had appeared in her hand, swaying it just out of reach of the two. She was very tall.

“Great.” Grumbled Gunmigoo. “And I got a hunch you ain’t gonna give it to us, right?”

“You’d be correct, Gator Boy~”

He huffed at this, rolling his eyes.

“What. Do. You. Want. Then.”

“Mmmm, I’ll be nice~ Get me fifty gold and you can have this.”

She disappeared in another puff of smoke.

“Fifty gold?!” Eeked Pomni, pulling on tufts of her fur. “How the heck are we supposed to get fifty gold nuggets?! Is there some kind of mine shaft in this adventure or something-“

“Darlin’, I think the currency in this universe if called gold, like how we use peppermints. We need to try and have people give us money.”

“Oh- Right- Let’s go do that then-“

The two continued on the path they’d arrived at and found themselves headed towards a busy looking town.

“Ugh, I can’t pickpocket in this new weird body-“ Grumbled Gummigoo, surveying the bustling road full of humans and animals alike.

“Why don’t we just ask? We can explain what’s up.” Hummed Pomni, gently.

“…Alright Poms, we’ll give it a try.” Sighed Gummigoo fondly.

The two watched over the crowd for a few more moments, eventually deciding to approach a posh looking macaw fella in a top hat and suit.

“H-Hello? Excuse me- Me and my friend here need to make fifty gold- We got cursed by this witch lady-“

“Yeah, not falling for that one again lady-“ Scoffed the man, storming off.

“Oh-“ Pouted Pomni, turning to look at Gummigoo. “Any ideas on what we can do right now?”

Gummigoo thought this over, looking down at Pomni. She looked absolutely adorable right now with her fluffy little face. With her pouty face and sweet eyes, he couldn’t help but smile softly at the site of her. He’d do anything for her any day, but in this new look she could convince him of anything in a matter of seconds. …Bingo.

“Hey Pommy~?”

“Yeah?”

“How long do ya think you can keep up that cute little face you’ve got going on?”

“…Uhm- A little bit, why?”

“You’ll see.”

“Step right up! Come see my adorable comrade! She has the rarest, most beautiful eyes you’ll ever see on a raccoon~ For only two gold, you can get a picture!”

Pomni was definitely a little flustered at hearing him describe her so gently. She wondered if he thought this about her all the time- Where her eyes really that pretty? She doubted it-

“Oh how beautiful my dear! Your eyes must be a gift given to you by god!”

“Oh- Thank you-“

“Mama! Mama! Look at the pretty raccoon lady!”

“I see her baby.”

“Awe-“

“Oh Miss, my daughter has eyes just like yours! She’ll have to meet you one day, so you can show her how you care for yours so wonderfully!”

“Oh- Uh- Alright-!”

“Hey, you’re one cute little lady Miss~”

“Back. Off. Buddy.”

“I’m going-“

“Thanks Gummi.”

“No problem darlin’.”

“Honey, honey, you should stop by my shop sometime, your eyes are beautiful, they’ve got to have some kind of spiritual meaning~ Free of charge, I’ll get ya an examination!”

“…right-“

It took a long few hours of the two being out on the street, talking to people and casually mentioning their need for gold. Some people gave it. Some people where just their for a nice chat. Either way, they slowly scrapped the fifty gold together and walked back to where the witch had initially appeared.

“Ah! Well done my little gold gathering girl and gator~” She purred, watching with a giggle as Gummigoo caught the necklace with a bit of thumbling. The bag of gold was now in her hand and she was very happy with that, insisting that she needed to keep the extra the two had made as well.

In any other situation, Gummigoo would have argued with this, but they weren’t going to be staying long so she may as well have it-

She disappeared once more in a puff of smoke.

The two now spent the next twenty minutes figuring out how to use the necklace, the witch never bothering to inform them of how it worked. It took a lot of trial and error but with the necklace around both their necks and Gummigoo holding Pomni, they poofed back into their normal forms.

“There’s my darlin~”

“There’s my gator!”

The two were then whisked off to their next adventure, having completed their task for this one.

[commando-rogers]

I know little ol me does not get much traction on this site and I’ve been reblogging PLENTY about the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes, but I keep seeing people confused about this online and irl so I just want to say:

As of now, the unions have NOT asked us to stop watching content. You can (and should!) keep watching and streaming your favorite shows and movies.

Now, I’m not a member of either union (though I hope to join SAG in the coming years if I get lucky, and maybe WGA is in my future if I get off my butt and write!) so I am not an authority on this, nor do I have all of the information. I could be mistaken on some of this, so those with more knowledge feel free to correct me! But I do know for a fact that the unions have not asked us to boycott watching shows.

The purpose of these strikes is to stop providing LABOR to the AMPTP (the gross weird mafia-like conglomeration of studios such as Netflix, Warner Bros, the like), not to stop watching.

Part of the issue with the proposed contracts from studios is the fairness of residuals (money paid to a writer/actor when their work is aired on TV, released on DVD, sold to a network, etc.). If already-aired shows and movies continue doing well, these workers keep getting paid (at least a little, they’re not getting paid for their jobs while striking but the studios cannot withhold residuals). (Of course, it’s messier with streaming services, which is another thing being advocated for in these contracts.)

So keep streaming movies and shows! Keep tuning in on TV if any of you still have cable! Go see Barbenheimer or anything you’d like to see at the theater! Support the art! This is a labor strike, not a consumer boycott. Not only might it help with residuals, but it shows the studios that there is still a demand for content. People are still watching their movies and shows, they still want to pay their subscriptions, and the studios are proverbially shooting themselves in the knee by withholding future content. That’s why this strike will work, that’s why WGA and SAG-AFTRA refuse to back down until their demands are met.

ESPECIALLY with shows that are coming out! Good Omens is one of my favorite shows, and season 2 drops on July 28th. Neil Gaiman, the writer, is very active on tumblr if you’d like to go check out his blog, and he’s being incredibly gracious and helpful answering questions about the strike. And he said the BEST thing we can do for the show is WATCH it. Watch in one sitting! Watch it on loop! We need to demonstrate demand, or the studios will cancel shows, which means artists out of work.

Of course, should the unions come out with a statement and ask us to stop watching, do it. However, that is not currently their wish, nor is it a rule of the strike.

(A note: if you’re like me and hoping to become an actor or writer in the future, this is NOT the time to get your big break. Studios are gonna come looking for nonunion talent to keep productions going. They are exploiting us and our desperation. If you scab and perform labor for a struck company during this strike, you WILL be blacklisted from ever joining the union in the future. Aspiring actors, that featured background gig is not worth kissing your hopes of a SAG card goodbye. Same goes for writers. You may see some SAG work continuing, that is being done under special agreements with the union, for SPECIFIC exceptions. Do your research on every casting call. Do not scab, these union members are fighting for OUR futures in this industry! The worst thing you can do is hurt them and throw your future away.)

Check out the WGA’s website and SAG-AFTRA’s website for more info on strike rules, and things you can do to help. If you want to make a financial difference, the best thing you can do is donate to strike funds. Go to this link and under Strike Assistance you’ll see a number of funds that are being used to help pay writers while out of work, AND to help pay the crew members who are also out of work because of the strike! Worker solidarity! Here is a link to emergency funds for SAG-AFTRA members.

If you’re in NYC or LA, stop by the picket lines! Even non-members are welcome to march, and a great way to help is to show up and hand out water bottles, food, anything you’re willing to donate and help make the picketers’ day just a little easier. And here’s a link to the LA chapter of Democratic Socialists of America. They have information on strike funds, as well as a fund specifically to help buy snacks for picketers! It’s summer, and both NYC and LA are miserable to be marching in the sun all day.

The other way the unions say we can help is by speaking up and voicing your support on social media. An anonymous studio exec told Dateline “The endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses.” They said the quiet part out loud. You can look up the salaries of these studio execs. It’s tens and hundreds of millions. Then go look up what each union is asking for in their contracts. It’s a drop in the studios’ bucket, but they’re refusing to budge, and they’re showing their complete lack of humanity.

tl;dr: you can and should keep watching shows and movies during the strikes, unless we are told otherwise by the unions. There are other great ways to help! These unions are a huge driving force of American economy, and hopefully these strikes will help garner support for a larger labor movement for all workers to get fair pay.

Thanks for tuning in to my accidentally very lengthy post. But I hope this helps clear up confusion. Share this info with your friends, and voice your support loudly! And for the love of god DO NOT CROSS PICKET LINES!

[wellspringrpg]

Tumblr Tips for the Twitter Migrant

Hey friends, as a long-time tumblr user who never left, allow me to offer a few tips to make your lives a little bit easier. This is targeted at the twitter community who moved here from the TTRPG community and are looking to run more “formal” blogs.

1. Use your tags!

It’s gonna make your own life ultimately easier. Yes, tumblr’s search functions are questionable, but you can generally rely on being able to find stuff via tag on your blog.

Reblogs do not show up in site-wide searches. So, if you tag a reblog as “pokemon,” it doesn’t show up in the site-wide pokemon tag. Not even if you added something in your reblog. But it will show up on your /tagged/pokemon. This is basically the best way for both you and your followers to be able to find and sort through your own stuff. So if a follower wants to find a specific post of yours, they can go to YourBlog/tagged/my stuff. And followers browsing your blog is pretty normal here—it is a blog, after all. Don’t be weirded out if someone suddenly likes your post from 8 months ago.

And for that matter, most people here also use tags for commentary. It’s generally less obtrusive than adding commentary to a reblog, so you can add some thoughts without necessarily interjecting - the OP doesn’t get any special notification unlike they do with replies or reblogs with text additions. It’s a little spice just for your followers. (Just be aware that they are visible in the notes.)

As a general rule of thumb, you shouldn’t use dashes in your tags (links get confused), but spaces are safe.

2. Reblog (& Reply Culture).

So unlike with twitter, replying to something doesn’t put it on your followers feeds. (In fact, your followers can’t even see your replies unless they actively interact with the post itself.) Your likes aren’t necessarily public. (They are, by default, but only if your followers have certain settings enabled will they be able to see posts you like on their dashboard.) Basically, if you have a post you want someone to see: reblog it.

Replies are mainly for quick comments. It’s a pain to hold a discussion in the replies, so it’s mainly just for a quick “this is a neat take” kind of comment. Responding by reblogging + adding commentary in the post is how discussion actually happens. That’s the equivalent of actually replying on twitter. Tag commentary is for informal thoughts that aren’t necessarily inviting active discussion. It’s the spot for anecdotes or funny commentary that whoever posted it doesn’t necessarily need to have put directly in their activity feed.

3. Use the Readmore

Unlike Twitter where nuance goes to die, you may have noticed there’s no such thing as character limits here. Tumblr does automatically cut long posts unless you change your settings, but it’s generally still considered courteous to put a readmore. This little button here (also ctrl + shift + k).

It’ll prevent people browsing your blog from having to scroll through a huge wall of text unless they actively want to. It’s a good way to keep things organized. I’m breaking my own rule here for the sake of accessibility, but in most other cases, if you’re doing a long thread-type post, you should usually cut it to be courteous. Especially if it’s image-heavy.

4. Post Types (Photo vs. Text Post)

Most of us are probably gonna be using image posts and text posts. You can put images in text posts, yes, but generally speaking, you shouldn’t. At least not large images. If you have multiple large images (like covers, for example,) a good rule of thumb is to put them all in one image post. It’s also more eye-catching when the pretty picture is at the top. This isn’t a hard rule by any means, but generally speaking, it should usually be either that or one flashy image at the top and a readmore to spare your browser.

[goldkirk]

Places I’ve successfully used my rollator so far

• some of the sidewalks, not all, and they’re usually not equal quality on both sides of the street if sidewalks even exist on a street at all

• Target (except the numbers inside the elevator don’t at all match the numbers of the floors in the shopping center? They’re off by like 3 in any direction? So that went wrong the first couple of times, and it wasn’t just me who hit the wrong floor lol). I was able to get everywhere but some areas were tight maneuvering and I caught my wheels on edges. Idk how people get through those spots on the borrow-able scooters that are wide and long

• QFC. No notes. Zero issues using the rollator there or in its parking lot. Thanks QFC

• the construction zone detour, which led through some spots with no curb cuts and also narrowed sidewalks in places due to fencing and equipment

• Barnes and Noble, which was fully accessible and had a surprisingly huge elevator (I assume for loading book carts and pallets from the shipment-receiving basement level or something)

• the creek walk outside the retirement community that’s wide and fully paved with even smooth concrete. Delightful except for that one guy who stared directly in my eyes for the whole seven seconds I walked into and out of his view from his living room (I assume?) window while I kept checking to see if he was in fact still staring me down. Like what do you think I’m doing that requires you to watch without even a break. Do you think I’m gonna rob you or something just because I’m doing something weird for my age dude

• the intersection by my apartment building. yeesh. Those crosswalks are bad on foot so it was an extra-rattle-y ride with the rollator (but less work thab crossing without it!)

Places I need to try using it still

• the Light Rail, I just am waiting till I need to use it to run an errand next

• the bus system, I already need to run an errand via it but I cannot for the life of me find an answer to what you’re supposed to do if you’re not specifically in a wheelchair but you’re using a wheeled device that’s bigger than a tiny wire mesh rolling shopping bin. So at this point I’m just hoping and praying for a minimally full bus when I do go and a bus driver who can tell me if I need to strap it in or fold it or just hold it or what. Like it’s not a wheelchair or a baby stroller. What are the rules. What is the expectation. I have searched websites and YouTube and Reddit and tumblr and I still haven’t found an answer 🥴.

• Eliott Bay Book Company. This place has internet sites saying it’s wheelchair accessible. I’m confused. I haven’t seen an elevator in it and there’s steps to get in and steps to get up to the second floor and the aisles seemed like some of the corners might be hard, and impossible when it’s crowded. I have doubts. I’d love to find a secret elevator or something but I can’t find the information anywhere on their actual website or Yelp or whatever, it just says “accessible” sooo?

• Parks. I need to figure out which parks are passable with a rollator and which trails or paths are too narrow for it.

• the library. I know it’s accessible already, so it should be simpler than many places. they’re still dealing with that ransomware attack though so I’m not using them frequently aside from though Libby rn

• Pike Place Market. Internet says it’s accessible. my personal experience says I’m willing to be surprised and I’ll be happy if I do see full accessibility. But also that I’ve had a hard time navigating that place when it’s not like, empty, just on two feet soooooo. I’m guessing it’s going to be very hit or miss despite there being some elevators just because of tight areas and weird floor changes and stuff. I do hope I’m pleasantly shocked though when I go!

• the craft store. any craft store. I need yarn and I haven’t been able to make my mind up about it so I need to just go in a store and physically experience the yarn skeins and choose. I don’t expect to have issues there but it might be an adventure in terms of bussing and walking over lol, we’ll see

[junowritings]

hi how about magical girl!mc? maybe from puella magi magica madoka, magical girl site, magical girl raising project or princess tutu dimensions would be fun.

In a world full of magic this would be a funny idea lmao. Not gonna lie most of my experiences with magical girls have been Tokyo Mew Mew and Mermaid Melody so i went with what I knew best!

Had to cut it short a lil bit before it got too long but hope it's alright~!

♡ Now that you really think about it, the world of twisted wonderland isn’t that different from your homeworld. You knew that your life was never going to be the same once you’d accepted that gift which gave you your powers, and showed you a side of your world that no normal person could hope to have seen. You’ve fought monsters beyond your wildest nightmares, learned things that sound as though they’ve come straight out of a fairytale, all in the name of protecting the earth and the people that you love. So what’s being transported to some far off land away from everything you’ve ever known? Sounds like an average Monday compared to your usual magical girl duties.

♡ Coming face to face with a flaming eared, loudmouthed talking cat trying to steal your stuff while you’re coming to in a coffin is weird enough, but not weird enough that you’d start to truly panic. In a way he reminds you of some of the magical companions that other magical girls from your world have - whether they’re contract creatures summoned to help fight or the ones that make their transformation possible. Thankfully you don’t need anything like that, you only need your special item that was given to you the day you took up your magical mantle, the one thing that you always make sure to keep close…

♡…which is currently being held in that monster cat’s damn paws.

♡And just like that you’re going from chilling in a coffin to chasing this fluffball - you think he kept calling himself Grim? - through darkened corridors and twisting hallways till you collar him at an imposing door and dive to grab him-

♡Only to go skidding through said doors and land face down in a room surrounded by unfamiliar faces, garbed in thick, decorated robes. Your first thought is you’ve unwittingly stumbled into a cult scheme - it’s not like it would be the first time - and the supernatural lighting and foreboding magic mirror hovering in the air only supports that theory further. You’re at least able to snag back your magic item in the following scuffle before Grim gets apprehended by an imposingly tall man in a bird mask (who may or may not look a little too similar to a villain you had to fight once), and just like that you’re 

♡ So much information is thrown at you at once; mages, the common and innate use of magic in everyday life, not to mention the fact you’ve currently found yourself in a school dedicated to the teaching and refinement of magical abilities. It’s like your first days as a magical girl all over again scrambling to take everything in at once. The mirror doesn’t sense any magic in you, maybe thanks to all of said magic being tied to your magic item, which for now seems to be a blessing - you still don’t know any of these people enough to trust them with the truth. So you play the part, feigning the part of the clueless, helpless normal person from another world until you can find your way home. Which unfortunately enough seems like it’s going to take a while.

♡ Most of your life before this was spent saving the world while keeping your identity under wraps, so you’ve got plenty of experience hiding the fact that you’re a magical girl. It’s almost kind of nice not having to worry about any monsters or villains attacking at any given moment, and even though it’s grating being constantly called a lackey by your new fluffy roommate you could get used to life at this school, where your only worry is having keep up your grades and try not to draw any unwanted attention to yourself or your predicament.

♡ If only you could stay out of trouble for longer than a day.

♡The monster in the mines is when anyone in Twisted wonderland gets to see what you’re truly capable of for the first time. It’s like if an inkpot got turned into a monster, and for a moment it does truly feel like you’re back home, squaring off against whatever beast has clawed its way out of god-knows-where. Your priority is protecting Ace, Deuce and Grim, and while you’d wanted to keep things a secret for a little longer you don’t have a choice if you want to help them. 

♡The mine is in such close quarters there’s no way you’d be able to hide the transformation, and the only warning that the boys have is a shout to cover their eyes before a bright flash of colorful light floods the entire tunnel, momentarily blinding everyone who didn’t heed your warning. The monster is stunned by the sudden flash and your teammates are shouting in confusion until the light fades and you’re still there but you’re different. Your hair’s changed, your clothes are bright and colorful and nothing like what you were wearing before; and unlike before you’re practically thrumming with magical energy, cracking at your fingertips and channeling into the weapon that materializes into your open hands as though it has always been there.

♡ You know that they have questions but the fight comes first, especially once it regains its bearings and lets out that deep, guttural scream that has the tunnel trembling and debris falling. The monster doesn’t stand a chance against the four of you working together - you have no idea what effect your powers have on the creatures in this world but whatever you do it’s enough to knock it down long enough for Grim, Ace and Deuce to land the deciding blows, and as you watch the beast crumble and dissolve into nothing but shadows you magic deactivates, returning you back to your original form now that the danger’s passed.

♡The silence stretches on for a moment, your party all fighting to catch their breath now that everyone’s safe, but the second things finally calm down-

♡ “Seriously?! What was THAT?!” 

♡ You don’t hear the end of it.

♡ You’re bombarded on all sides with so many questions you have no idea what to answer first. Ace is a little pissed that you didn’t mention having powers before the whole being attacked thing; Deuce wants to know what the hell you just did to get so strong all of a sudden; and Grim demanding to see it again so many times that in the end you get fed up and have to force them all out of the tunnel before you even begin to answer anything. It’s weird explaining everything to people that have no idea of the concept of magical girls here - from what you’ve gathered there’s some kind of mage equivalent that has become popular in certain types of media, but as for a real life magical girl that can transform a-la superhero style? Not as common as you once thought. 

♡ Grim’s determined to give your magic item a try now that he knows that it’s got a purpose, eager to know if the power could make him any stronger. You’re reluctant remembering the first time he swiped it, though after some pestering you eventually cave and drop it into his paws. He’s quickly disappointed after a few minutes of trying when nothing happens - looks like it only works in your hands, which makes it all the more special, and thus he easily loses interest in the whole thing.

♡ You have to have a serious talk about them all keeping their mouths shut about what they’ve seen (really stressing it to Grim who is aghast that you’d even think he’d brag about his magic minion - which he totally would). You’d rather not have to deal with anyone besides these guys knowing about it, besides,It’s not like you’re going to be fighting any other monsters like that while you’re here now that you have the stone to fix the chandelier. I mean, what are the chances of that happening again?

♡ Several times. It happens several times, and you wish you could say you were surprised.

♡ Knowing about overblots before seeing it happen to Heartsabyul’s housewarden would have been really helpful to know, and would have saved you so much trouble in the long run considering what followed not even a few days after the first fight. There’s no shortage of experiences where you’d have to fight people taken over by some monster or entity in order to break them free from its control back in your homeworld, but this is different. You have no idea what to do here, you don’t even know if using your magical weapon like before is going to help or harm Riddle further than he already is,so you end up having to do what you think is best: aiming for the huge, inky thing that’s forming behind him. 

♡ Trey has no idea what to make of you when you suddenly transform mid fight - he was so sure that Riddle had told him that you didn’t have any powers after the entrance ceremony, and yet here he’s watching you throwing magic he’s never seen before at the overblot behind his childhood friend like it’s second nature. Whatever you’re doing buys the vice dorm head and the other students a window to wear down the blot, and whatever questions get pushed to the backburner for later as everyone swarms Riddle the moment he’s finally freed from the overblot.

♡Once the danger’s passed you’re already preparing yourself for some kind of in depth conversation about your position here given that the headmaster was there to see the whole thing, but thankfully the others get to you first. The questions get repetitive, but you’re surprised to hear a sudden compliment on how cute your uniform looks as an arm loops over your shoulder and promptly tugs you out of the overwhelming crowd. Cater pulls you in for so many selfies showing off your magical girl uniform that your feet are killing you being stuck in the outfit for so long. Sure it’s fit for battle but that doesn’t mean it’s always comfortable, but Cater’s just charming enough to get away with keeping you in it longer than you should have - or maybe he was just trying to get the crowd off of your back as by the time he’s finished most of the people have gone from hounding you to talking amongst themselves about what’s happened. 

♡ A magical girl stands out like a sore thumb at Savanaclaw. Most of what happened at Heartslabyul is only spread through filtered gossip and official announcements from Crowley (who probably wouldn’t have told anyone if several people hadn’t seen it happen already), but enoughs got out to know that you’ve got magic. There’s the usual questions - why don’t you need a magic pen? How can you do it? What exactly can you do? It’s not as though you’re going to answer any of them, you don’t even really know everything yourself. 

♡Leona couldn’t be fussed honestly; why should he care when he can focus on more important stuff like taking naps in the greenhouse and avoiding his responsibilities. He’s uncaring right up until after the next overblot occurs. Sure you’re all ruffles and bows and accessories with a weapon that looks more like a toy than something that could do actual damage, but that magic of yours still manages to pack a hell of a punch. Don’t be fooled though, he first words out of his mouth once he finally comes to surrounded by everyone and you in that new form is about how ridiculous you look, followed quickly by a heeled boot to the side for the snark.

♡ Ruggie’s on the other hand is in stitches over how dramatic the whole thing is. The over the top transformation? The lights and the loud declaration that triggers your change? And don’t even get him started on the bright colors; were those sparkles?! Ruggie’s the second one getting a heel to the leg for the teasing, but that does little to deter him - he’s never going to let it go so get used to it. Jack’s about the only one who’s relatively concerned for your safety during the whole fight, but only because your powers mean that you have to get close to the overblot, way closer than you should. You know how to fight but the only thing between you and Leona is an outfit that looks more like a costume than anything that could offer proper protection; you’re going to have to show him that you actually have some sense of self preservation to convince him that he doesn’t need to worry about you slipping up.

♡ There’s no way you can hide the fact that you’re a magical girl by the time you interact with Octavinelle’s housewarden - that man is a living, breathing information hub of people’s secrets, and the fact that you’ve had to do show it off three times at this point is three times too many - there’s no way you can hide it now. He’s disappointed when you don’t offer up your powers for collateral during your contract signing back when your dormmate and friends get wrapped into his biggest scheme, but he understands - you’d be useless otherwise, and the twins would have a far more boring time trying to get in your way if you didn’t bring at least something new to the table. That and Azul is so sure that you keeping your powers won’t help you that he’s willing to compromise and take your dorm instead. 

♡There’s no telling if it’s a good or a bad thing that the Leech twins take interest in you, and not just because of the contract ordeal. They already know who you are and what you can do thanks to Azul, and while magic itself is nothing to bat an eye at it’s enough to draw their attention. Jade is definitely the one to be wary of - he’s got no issue letting his brother have fun pestering you all about your little powers but you know that he’s keeping tabs on everything that you say. (Also telling you now if your magical girl design is plant or animal themed you’re going to be in for a rough ride because they’ll want to know what makes you tick). Floyd finds it cute and amusing - this little shrimpy can change how they look? How funny! Can and will pester you to show him at any given moment way before the overblot actually ever happens. You nearly end up caving when you deal with them at the coral sea, since your magical girl form would make outmaneuvering the twins in their own territory somewhat feasible, but he’s all pouts when you don’t fall for his poorly veiled attempts to show off what you can do.

♡ By the time that the holidays have rolled around the interest has thankfully died down. Once the novelty of your abilities has faded into the background you can go about your school life with some sense of normalcy - maybe you could get used to magical life here; no villains of the week, no magical prophecy only you can fufill; you don’t even need to hide your identity anymore, a far cry from the gymnastics you had to pull everyday just to make sure your family and friends didn’t know what you did for a living. You don’t think that there would be anyone wanting to talk your ear off about the whole being a magical girl spiel…until you end up at Scarabia.

♡ There’s no way at all that you’re going to get away without telling Kalim alllll about your time as a magical girl. He thinks that it’s so cool! And would gladly spend the whole day listening to you talk about all of the people you protected back in your homeworld and the enemies you either defeated or saved. In fact that’s exactly what ends up happening, talking together while the dorm comes together for a welcome feast as he drinks in each and every tale that you decide to tell him and humoring his questions when asked even if you’ve heard them a hundred times before.

♡It gives you a lot to think about; everyone’s been more focused on what you can do here rather than what you did back home. It’s a sobering reminder that you’re not there anymore; it’s not like you were the only magical girl there, so you’re more than sure that everyone is in safe hands, but what would you tell your friends? Your family? They don’t know what you do - would they even know you were missing. 

♡It goes over his head that you’re feeling homesick until Jamil seamlessly cuts in, gearing the conversation away to something else in the way only someone who’s been dealing with Kalim for years can accomplish, and you’re more than a little grateful for the chance to change topics to anything else. Jamil’s good at reading cues and adapting accordingly, which in all other circumstances would be a welcome gift; however in the context of the chapter 4 blot it couldn’t be more dangerous. He knows enough about what you can do and if you’re dangerous enough to be deemed a threat whilst understanding enough of your situation to get into your good books.Lets just hope that your magical girl experiences have trained you to catch onto his plans before things get too far out of control…

[palmviolet]

hi!!

would you mind sharing your top steddie fics??

looking for great recs

hi! i'm ashamed to admit that i haven't read any steddie in... months. maybe a year. as a result i haven't got anything recent to recommend — but here are some of the ones i enjoyed anyway. if you want any more, my ao3 bookmarks are public!

matches burn after the other - limerental (5k)

It's ten years later. Steve's a hospice nurse. Eddie's got the virus. It's kind of weird and sad and strange and inevitable. Or something. And not as sad as it sounds.

Weakened Like Achilles, with You Always at My Heels - HMSLusitania (53k)

The graduating classes of 1985 and 1986 invite YOU back to West Hawkins! Welcome reception Friday, May 24th at 7:30pm. School and town tour to follow on Saturday morning. Memorial service Sunday. If you are a graduate of the class of 1985 and need driving directions to West Hawkins, please RSVP * Due to current government restrictions, we are not currently able to offer a site visit to the Hawkins Exclusion Zone Steve Harrington goes home for his ten (well, eleven) year reunion with a nagging secret that's slowly ruining his life. In the ten years between, he finds the family he always wanted and, unfortunately, the person he wanted to share it with.

windowsill - lagardère (laurore), MissAntlers (13k)

“It’s about finding what you’re invested in,” Ms Kelley had said. “It will help with the process of recovery. You need to find it, and nurture it.” Whatever Ms Kelley meant, surely it wasn’t this: using Lucas’ binoculars to spy on Steve Harrington as he climbs out the window of the Munson trailer. (recovering in the aftermath of Vecna's attack, Max is stuck at home. Somehow, spying on Eddie Munson has become her number 1 hobby.)

let's do the time (loop) again - alchemystique (34k)

“Did you, uh… did you sing to me, once?” Eddie asks, sitting on the hood of Steve’s car and staring up at the sky so he doesn’t have to pretend he isn’t desperate for everything promised in the eyes that haven’t left Eddie since Eddie woke up in that hospital bed. It’s just – Time loops, and the King of Hawkins High going back over and over and over again just to stop Eddie Munson from dying, and – “Fuck,” Steve says, and Eddie doesn’t remember, but there’s a song that won’t leave his head, and the voice is soft and warm just like the way Steve smiles at him and – “I didn’t think you remembered any of it.” --- Eddie died in a time loop a hundred times and all Steve got was this tee-shirt.

You're the Driver, You're the Road - stereobone (8k)

Eddie meant it when he said once he graduated, he was getting the hell out of Hawkins. He just didn't realize that Steve was going to keep showing up.

the most remarkable thing about you standing in the doorway is that it's you - @greatunironic (34k)

Sixteen years after the world didn't end for the last time, Max Mayfield showed up on Steve’s doorstep and said, “You gonna walk me down the aisle in May or what?” Or, it’s 2002 and Steve Harrington attends a wedding, a funeral, and a birth.

Waiting Room - @kissmejusttokiss (55k)

Sometimes, Eddie thinks they should have left him in the Upside Down. But people are happy that he’s alive. Or, at least, that’s what they keep telling him. Dustin follows him around like letting Eddie out of his sight will bring about the second coming of hell. Constantly asking if he’s OK, never taking yes for an answer. The other kids do the same, lingering and worrying, but with a softer approach. Robin calls him every day and he gets used to her impromptu visits even if sometimes he doesn’t manage to get a word in edgewise. And Steve… Steve is an enigma wrapped in an atrociously good-looking riddle. Eddie navigates the aftermath of surviving the final battle and tries his best not to lose the only good thing to ever happen to him. (Even if that means making a deal with the devil.) sequel to 'i can't save us, my Atlantis'

sir stephen strider finds his suzie - @lesbianrobin (5k)

Dustin watches Eddie's face as everyone else giggles. He's retained his typical intimidating smirk for much of this encounter, but as Steve stumbles through his fictional seduction, Eddie's eyes soften. His smirk slowly turns to a small grin. “Didn't Wizard Romeo and Juliet both die?” he asks, in that same low, grumbly voice he always loves to use for big scary bad guys. The effect is jarring. “Well, yes, but… they loved each other first,” Steve says, oddly sincere. “I think love is worth the risk. Wouldn't you agree? And then, uh, I'm gonna take off my helmet and, like—” Steve tosses his hair, shaking it out dramatically and running a hand through it afterward to fix any wayward strands. "Ew,” Mike says. Nancy presses a hand over her mouth, but it does nothing to hide her smile. Usually, this is the point where Eddie would make them all roll initiative. Dustin has his D20 ready. But Eddie smiles. Eddie fucking smiles, and not in that maniacal way he does before siccing something horrific on them, he fucking beams, and says, "You're gonna scrape your neck on his mace doing that, just so you know."

[legend-the-dumb-jock]

Stereotypical: side story

The old man has just watched as his pas test creation walked of the apartment building. Ex dumb jock to the max. Dumb as a brick and as wrong as a bull. He clapped his hands together and grinned. He had plans for his final crew member at the construction site but had to find the right specimen for the job. He got in his mustang and drove off enjoying the wind in his stringy hair as he rode with the top down. He noticed he needed gas and pulled into the station. He was getting too old for this. At his age he was getting tired of these human contraptions that were just as demanding ad the people he created ! He got out of the car and made note of somebody the states he got from across the road. Being an old man man getting out of a car like this made the younger men jealous abs he just grinned showing his sharp teeth. But they couldn’t tell being so far away. He would see then soon enough when he was done with his construction workers. He pumped his gas and went into the gas station to pay. There was no one being the counter. He rang the bell several times but no one’s ever came to the counter to take his money. He could just be devilish abs drive off without paying but he wants to scope out the product that could be used if needed. Since no one was coming to the register he walked about the store. The only other person he seen was a man standing in the chip aisle with his arms crossed trying to make a decision on what he would be getting.

“My dear boy. Have you seen anyone working here ?” The old man asked catching the man off guard. Pulling his eyes from the chips he looked at the old man was shocked st first abs he seen the oldest man he’d ever seen right before. Stuttering he answered no. Then continued “ now that you mentioned it I havent seen anyone in here at all ….” The old man chuckled. And just clasped his hands together. “Well we’ll my dear boy. We have an issue then. You see I just got gas. But no way to pay. What do you do for work ?” The man was thrown off by this question. Abs was tanner if to respond when the old man just laughed and said “I know what you are ! You run this place!!” The man didn’t know what to think before he heard his stomach gurgling. “What’s….what going oooooooonnnn” he started to moan being brought to his hands and knees. His vision getting blurry as he felt a weird sensation. He felt as though he was sweeling. Everything went dark and did few moments the world didn’t exist. He felt warmer. He could smell the thick scent of cologne as if someone bathed in the stuff was near. He heard a bell chime several times and the old man was back at the counter. Hitting the bell and look right at him. “I don’t have all day. Are you gonna come up here and run this place or not!” The man didn’t know what to think as his body began to move on his own. Without him even doing anything. He lumbered to the front. Walking behind the counter in the small work space and took the man’s money. Right before the old man left he look cupped the man’s face in his hand “yes this suits you well. Now you just have to grow into you’re new role”. And as he walked out the man could feel his body changing more. He staggered to the bathroom. Feeling his body change. Hair growing in thick. And his muscles expanding. His lips puffing up and a thick beard growing across his face. A thick gut sticking out from his once thin frame as he took on all the characteristics of an Arab gas station owner. The final touches came as his skin darkened to a permanent tan. But the time his change was finished he was a walking stereotype of an Arab where he was just a slim Caucasian man moments before. And then he heard a bell ring again. And his body forced him to go take care of customers. After all, he was joe stuck running a shop. And he had a lot more growing to do to fit his new role.

November 11th, 2021 9:04pm stereotypical male transformation

[whumpsday]

Kane & Jim #43: Everything’s Different Now

Masterlist

content: vampire whumper (past), recovery, known whumpee a lil bit, begging, forced medical treatment, needles, panic attack, forced to endure trigger

takes place a few days after Home.

-

Jim anxiously jiggled his leg in the waiting room. Every few seconds, he glanced to the side to make sure Liz was still sitting next to him.

It’s okay. It’s daytime. He can’t get you while the sun’s out, Jim tried to tell himself, but it didn’t feel real. It hadn’t felt real since the moment he stepped out of Kane’s house. He felt like any second, he would wake up back home, just like he’d done every day for the past five years.

Kane’s fucking mini-mansion is not your home, he chastised himself. You’re home now.

“Mommy, that’s the man from TV!”

Jim looked up to see a kid pointing right at him. The kid’s mom looked startled to see him, and a little embarrassed. “Don’t point, sweetie, it’s rude.” she chastised. “So sorry about that.” She said apologetically, but she wouldn’t stop staring. “God bless you.”

“It’s cool.” he dismissed, giving the kid an awkward wave and sinking further into the chair. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that, being recognized from the news. It was kind of cool, maybe? But also... weird. Liz reached over and squeezed his hand.

“Mr. Lieberman?” called a nurse.

Jim stood up instantly, relieved to have an excuse to put those thoughts aside. Liz held his hand as they followed the nurse to one of the rooms.

They both sat down as the nurse began checking his vitals. Jim tried his best not to flinch away. He was still getting re-used to the idea that touch doesn’t mean pain.

“Hm, looks like you have a slight fever.” the nurse informed him.

“Oh.”

“The doctor should be in shortly.” She gave him a friendly smile, then left.

“This is so damn weird.” Jim muttered.

Liz got up and leaned against the wall by him. “What? Going to the doctor?”

“Yeah.” Everything about being back in the real world was weird. There were so many people, and they were all just... normal and nice. “I dunno, I haven’t really thought about going to the doctor as, like, an option in a while. I’ve been Kane’s for... almost a quarter of my life. It’s gonna take some getting used to.”

“You’ll get used to it. Means you still spent more than three quarters out.” She patted him on the back.

The doctor came in shortly after. “Jim, it’s nice to meet you. My name is Dr. Augury. How are you feeling?”

“Um, I’m feeling alright.” he replied.

“Good, good. I understand you’re coming to me about several issues after your ordeal. I’d like to take a look at your back, first things first. The records from the hospital indicated you’re at high risk for Lyme.”

“Oh, yeah. Those damn ticks were all over me.” Jim pulled his shirt over his head.

Liz gasped. “Jim...”

“Yep, that’d be Lyme. Multiple sites. That explains the fever. I’ll write you a prescription for some antibiotics and it should clear up no problem. You’ll make a follow-up appointment up front.” The doctor wrote something down while Jim put his shirt back on, then returned.

“Thanks, doc.” He’d have to check his back out in the mirror later.

“What’s next on the list?” the doctor asked.

“So, um, I’ve got... the neck, obviously.” Jim glanced at Liz. He hadn’t brought it up yet, but she had a few new scars herself: most notably, four claw-like marks running down her jaw. He knew hers were from vampires, just like his. He didn’t think he could bear to hear about vampires hurting his baby sister.

“Yes, I see. Is it giving you any troubles?”

“Yeah, actually.” Jim admitted. “Kinda thought it would go away, and like, it’s definitely faded a little, but it’s still there. And not just that... is there anything you could do to make it like, go away? Clear up or whatever?”

“I would recommend over the counter pain relief for the ache, we can reevaluate in a month if it still hurts. As for the scar... this vampire, it bit you on a daily basis?” the doctor asked.

“Yeah.”

The doctor looked at him sadly. “You have to understand that’s years of repeated trauma, reopening the same wound every single day. I can refer you to a specialist, but I’ll be honest, I don’t think the chances of this being able to be removed are high. I’m sorry.”

“I’d like the referral anyway, if that’s alright.” Jim requested.

“Of course.”

“And, um, my arm.” Jim held it up, showing off the unnatural bump under the skin. “He- I broke it a couple years ago and it healed all messed up. Still kinda hurts too.”

“I’ll refer you to a surgeon for that. He can get you some x-rays and fix the malunion. That I’m much more confident can be fixed.” the doctor said. “Is there anything else you’d like to discuss today?”

“Um, I don’t think so?” He shrugged.

“Alright, I’d just like to get a blood sample. Given the consistent blood loss over the past five years, it’s best to make sure everything’s going on alright in there.”

Jim froze. “I think... I’ll pass.”

“Jim, you should do it.” Liz encouraged. “It’d suck if something’s wrong with your blood and we didn’t catch it.”

“Nothing’s wrong with my blood.” Jim protested, unable to keep the tinge of defensiveness out of his voice. Kane certainly never thought there was anything wrong with his blood.

“I’d really recommend getting a blood sample.” the doctor interrupted. “It’s just going to be a little prick, that’s all.”

Head wrenched to the side, fangs sinking into his neck.

“No thanks.” Jim said firmly.

“Jim, c’mon. Please?” Liz’s brows bunched up in concern. “I’m worried about you.”

He sighed. He really didn’t want to do this. He was so fucking tired of having his blood taken. But alarm bells rang in his head: protesting was bad. He was being disobedient, and disobedience will always be punished, and he was so damn tired of being beaten. He knew Kane wasn’t here, but that nagging in the back of his mind scared him. He could behave.

“Okay.” he conceded.

“This will take less than a minute.” The doctor assured as he began preparing the syringe.

Liz stepped over. “Want me to hold your hand?”

Jim searched her words for a trace of mocking, but there was none.

“Yeah.” He felt pathetic, needing his little sister to hold his hand just to get his blood drawn when he was 24 years old. He’d done the same for her when they were kids, but he was surely too old for that now.

Liz took his hand in hers. “It’ll be okay.”

Jim’s eyes followed the doctor as he prepared the syringe. That’s going into me, and it’s going to take my blood. He shivered at the thought, squeezing Liz’s hand.

The doctor was saying something, but as the needle went in his arm, all he could see was Kane.

At first, he went still. It’s feeding time, and he has to be still and obedient during feeding. But then he remembers: he was out. He spent all that effort getting out, he almost died getting out, and now he’s back to being fed on.

He knew it was misbehavior, but the despair at his situation was just so powerful that he had to get away. Jim thrashed, but hands held him down as he cried over the urgent voices around him. “Please, no! I don’t wanna be food anymore! I was out! Please, Kane, sir, please stop!”

“Jim, it’s okay!” Strong hands held him firmly in place as his blood was taken from him again and again and again. “You’re not food, you’re a person, it’s just a blood draw! It’s almost over, just relax.” 

The doctor retreated with the syringe. Jim was vaguely aware of Liz asking him to give them space, and then the door was closed again, and he was alone with Liz, still holding him down. “Please, please, please,” he begged, tears streaming down his face.

Liz let go. As soon as his arms were free, Jim wrapped them around himself, shivering.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to do.” Liz said. “The needle was already in you, I didn’t want you to hurt yourself.”

“Needle...” Jim looked down at his arm, at the band-aid that had made its way there. He hadn’t used a band-aid in years. Kane always just stopped the bleeding himself. “He’s not here.”

“No. The vampire isn’t here.” Liz agreed. “You’re safe. We’re at the doctor’s, remember?”

He nodded slowly, feeling sick to his stomach. “I’m sorry f-for being disobedient. Please don’t punish me. I’ll be better.”

Liz was crying now, too. “No one’s gonna hurt you, Jim.” she assured, hugging him. “No punishing. You’re not... disobedient, you just freaked out. There’s no one to- disobey anymore, right? You’re free.”

“Right. Right, yeah.” Jim shook his head, trying to clear his mind. “S’just weird. Everything’s different now.”

“Yeah.” Liz was looking at him weirdly, like she was seeing him for the first time. “It is.”

-

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[shuploc]

Hello!! I’m very very happy to have found you here on Tumblr omggg i found out about you through Insta then i found your Twitter (your art is doing extremely well and congrats!!) and then i found you here! I’m really pleased to know you’re such a sweet soul behind all the amazing artwork ^u^ i really enjoy your Miguel and Jayce stuff and can’t wait for your Peter B, you replied to my Insta comment about him 🙈😌

But anyway the real question: what do you think of building an audience on Insta and Twitter? It used to be so easy but now you get so easily pushed down algorithm-wise(?) and it sucks. Tumblr is the last safe place 😣🤞

I hope you have a good day!!!! Love your art 💕💕💕

Honestly, the only thing I know works when it comes to building a following anywhere is consistency (posting about the same thing and posting often), and also just not putting all your eggs in one basket. What I mean by that is, to not end up branding yourself as "the tumblr artist" or "the twitter artist", but instead make an account on as many sites you feel you can manage, and post something whenever you can. I use Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram and Artstation, and I'll occasionally post my stuff on subreddits too, if it seems appropriate. You kinda need to know what sort of vibe you want your pages to have too. Like you mentioned, Tumblr for me too is the only place I have where I don't need to be all professional, y'know. I keep all my other accounts very clean, but on Tumblr, I don't feel weird for talking or interacting with people, and I can answer asks and such 😌

I have not had much luck when it comes to being picked up by the algorithm though, so I 100% understand the struggle. For many many years, my "growth" was actually stagnant, and I was even losing followers at one point after switching fandoms. I'm almost certain that's gonna happen again too if I stop drawing Spiderverse stuff...

I have legitimately not experienced anything like what's happening right now though, ever, and it's all very exciting. People have been so sweet and supportive, it literally makes me so happy! I really wish I could've actually giving you some advice, but I honestly just chalk it up to luck at this point. Thank you so so much the kind words though and for the ask, I'm SO glad to hear you're a Jayce fan too 😍