Tumgik
#well expect more b&m content at some point because i have in fact set out on a new Creative Endeavor involving it :')))
quatregats · 2 years
Text
Hmmm I have been looking into the Boston & Maine Railroad for Reasons™ and reading about this is breaking my heart, like passenger rail service basically stopped being viable in the 1920s because of automobiles and most of the rail network is gone at this point, which makes me want to bite things, but also I’m looking at maps of what the lines used to be and yes I do get that this was the only form of transport but I would kill a man to get extensive rail service between Boston, Montreal, Halifax, and most of Vermont/New Hampshire/Western Mass the way that it was when these lines were in service. Like idk we talk a lot about how we want to make sure that rural areas are also served by public transit and that we want rail lines to more areas of the country and stuff and I’ve heard criticism about the disturbance/difficulty of creating those lines but the lines are literally there!!! There is infrastructure in place that you can build new lines over and it’ll serve the whole entire Northeast and it makes me so angry that we don’t get to have that because Cars™
5 notes · View notes
bukojuiice · 4 years
Text
— what they would be like as disney princes
Tumblr media
ೃ pairings: (izuku midoriya, katsuki bakugo, shoto todoroki, and eijiro kirishima x fem! reader)
ೃ  tags: headcanons, disney au!
ೃ warnings:  none
ೃ  my nav  →  my mha writing masterlist  → my katsuki bakugo x reader smau
ೃ if you want to be a part of my mha taglist. send me an ask!  ♡
ೃ s/o to bestie @lovelytarou​ for her big brain and for helping me think up which of the princes kiri could be 😚💕
ೃ  please do reblog if you enjoyed!! it really helps writers and content creators on tumblr! (feel free to add tags too because i love reading them and my heart swells with happiness when people love my work!)
ೃ extra note: adding my own little twist to these hcs, they are disney princes with quirks!
ೃ taglist: @chibishae34​ @sparkykatsuki​ @ramunegoddess, @serossimpy
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Eijiro Kirishima –  as Li Shang from Mulan
-        *Mulan voice* Eijiro? Eijiro? Eijiroooo
-        Eijiro Kirishima is the handsome son of the Army General and it’s very obvious that everyone swoons for him. Yes, everyone in the army.
-        He’s manly, brave, sweet, caring, and responsible. What more can a soldier ask for?
-        “LET’S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS! TO DEFEAT THE VILLAINS!” (ok that sounded better in my head)
-        during the “I make a man out of you” sequence, kirishima uses his hardening quirk to not only hype up his warriors but also for that extra effect. He’s just bad-ass and hot like that.
-        Eijiro wakes up at 5 am to train and work out. And yes, he does that shirtless. It helps him move a lot more and of course, it’s pleasing to the eyes.
-        H I S T O N E D M U S C L E S. that’s it. That’s the headcanon.
-        He needs that daily grind after all !
-        You swear you could hear the other soldiers sigh dreamily every time they catch him work out.
-        Whenever he praises his fellow comrades, he smiles a very cheeky smile, his shark teeth cutely popping out and it’s just so endearing and charming.
-        After being ridiculed and belittled by your fellow comrades for being physically weak, you wanted to prove them that they were wrong. You continue to stay determined as you decided to create your training regime that consisted of waking up at 5 am in the morning to train too (and this was prior to knowing that kirishima would wake up at the same time to work out too. Oooh~ what a coincidence.)
-        “(Y/N)! You like him? Helloooooo!? Him and I even share the same hair color! He ain’t worth it!”
-        “Mushu, please. You are a discount version of him. Now, I’m going to go and train now.”
-        You leave your tent at exactly 5 am, and as you began to stretch and do warm-ups outside, the biggest tent across yours suddenly opens up too, revealing General Eijiro Kirishima… in his shirtless getup.
-        “A-ah! Good Morning General Kirishima!” You stand up straight, shifting your weight to the right leg and bending your left, bowing to him.
-        He nods at you, shooting you a small smile. “You’re up early. Early for a new recruit! Do you plan to train?”
-        “Y-yes! I will be using the pole and training weights sir!” You bow your head, as you remain standing straight.
-        He hands you over the weights. He refuses to give it to you, instead insists to tie it on your wrists and help you up the wooden pole.
-        General Kirishima holds you by the waist, making sure you don’t fall and you’re positioned correctly onto the pole. “Alright. You’re positioned in the right way now, you may proceed.”
-        You continue to hold onto it, lowkey about to bang your head on the wooden pole as you were about to die of embarrassment.
-        “(Y/N), he’s just being nice and just treats you like any other soldier under his command. Don’t expect too much!” Mushu whispers from your side, as soon as general kiri steps back and was not within earshot of the two of you.
-        “I don’t have my hopes up at all, Mushu. I’m not expecting anything.” You sigh, trying to reassure yourself as you began climbing up. The weights pull you down, but you must persevere.
-        “You can do this, (L/N)!”
-        “(L/N)!?” You squeak, losing your focus, slipping down the pole and back to square one. You were a fumbling mESS
-        “woah woah woah. Is everything alright?” he was about to hold onto your waist again, making sure you don’t fall off or fall down. You collect yourself before becoming too flustered to answer.
-        “Y-yes General Kirishima! I’m fine!”
-        When your gender had finally been revealed after the battle against the villains, Kirishima did not feel betrayed albeit just disappointed that you had to hide that fact for far too long and wasn’t being open to him when the two of you became much closer
-        He’s been in love with you ever since the beginning.
-        He’s always admired your passion and your drive. However, due to him being the general, he wasn’t so sure to approach you without being biased. 
-        “You don’t find a girl like that in every hero’s journey.”
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Katsuki Bakugo – as The Beast
-        Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a blonde young prince lived in a     shining castle.  Although he had everything his heart desired and his quirk was one of the most powerful many have seen, the prince was belligerent, selfish, and unkind.  But then, one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. 
-       Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away, but she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress.  The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love and no humbleness in his heart, and as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast, and placed a powerful spell on the castle, and all who lived there.    
-        We’ve been known, the B in bakugo stands for beast (insert lenny face for a certain implication)
-        Essentially, Bakugo had two quirks at once. Not only was he now a beast, (a physical quirk) but he also has his explosion quirk.
-        He’d pretty much look the same as the beast from the Disney movie, however there’s some blonde highlights in his fur and he’s much more aggressive and intimidating to look at. His fangs more emphasized and he has a much softer appearance; like that of a huge pomeraninan.
-        Ok…. no thoughts head empty just thinking about katsuki having an even huskier voice now that he’s transformed into a beast.
Katsuki Bakugo, who was ashamed of his newly transformed monstrous appearance, shut himself in his castle, The rose the old woman had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his twenty-first year.  If he could learn to love another, and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken.  If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time.  As the years passed, he fell into despair, and lost all hope, for who could ever learn to love an explosive beast?
-        Significant members of Katsuki’s posse who were turned into magical items were Eijiro Kirishima, his castle maître d' whom had turned into a candelabra, his annoying majordomo, Tenya Ilda became a pendulum clock, the head housekeeper, Ochaco Uraraka had turned into an enchanted teapot, the vice-head housekeeper, Denki Kaminari had become a little tea cup, Mina Ashido, the lady-in-waiting became an enchanted wardrobe, and lastly, Hanta Sero, the Castle’s Valet and Chaffeur, became a coat rack.
-        All of Katsuki’s servants try their very best to make their prince change his ways, however, to no avail, their efforts have been fruitless. They were about to lose hope as Bakugo was about turn 21, which meant the rose would no longer bloom until… you came.
-        Gran Torino, your grandfather, had gotten lost in the woods and ended up finding Bakugo’s castle to seek shelter, not knowing he had been trespassing all along. After Katsuki finds him, he throws him to the castle dungeon.
-        You were the spirited, headstrong and bookish “beauty” of the town, however only being admired for your looks and not for your intelligence. You really had enough of this village and wanted to get out of here asap but after your grandfather had told you to wait just a little bit more, even though you frankly had enough of Monoma, the ~most handsome~ yet the biggest jerk in town constantly asking for your hand in marriage.
-        The disappearance of your grandfather had prompted for you to search for him, leading you too, to the beast’s castle.
-        Once you get there, you are to be greeted by Bakugo in his very beastly form, terrifying you. However, you stood your ground, asking for your grandfather. Gran Torino is set free under the condition of you having to stay in the castle instead.
-        At your first night, you refuse to join him for dinner enraging him.
-        “Where is she?” Bakugo grits his teeth, growling at Ilda.
-        “Aha- Well- You see… she’s not coming.” Ilda mutters nervously, his clock hands waving in weird chopping gestures.
-        “WHAT!?” Bakugo’s voice echoes around the dining hall, He leaps out of the room, busting the doors open, whilst Kirishima, Ilda, and Ochaco follow suit.
-        He bangs the door, “OI OI OI I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO COME DOWN FOR DINNER?”
-        “I’m not hungry.” You reply softly.
-        “ HAH? YOU COME OUT OR I’LL BREAK DOWN THE DOOR!”
-        “Master Bakugo… I could be wrong, but that may not be the way to win a girl’s affection.” Kirishima speaks in a hushed whisper, grimacing.
-        “Please attempt to be a gentleman.” Ilda says slowly and matter of factly.
-        Bakugo grits his teeth, scrunching his eyebrows, pointing to the door. “But she’s being… SO DIFFICULT!” he turns to the door, as if wanting you to hear what he was saying.
-        “Gently… Gently…” Ochaco repeats, trying to calm the prince down.
-        Bakugo rolls his eyes and repeats his words more softly this time, “Oi… will you come down for dinner?”
-        “No.”
-        He turns to his servants once again, pointing to the door, his mouth forming into a pout.
-        “O- It would be my greateest pleasure if you would join me for dinner.” He could barely muster out the words. “Please?”
-        “No, thank you!”
-        “YOU CAN’T STAY THERE FOREVER!” He barks, “THEN GO AHEAD AND STARVE!” He storms out of the hall, running his way to his castle wing.
-        After you were saved by the beast from the wolves, you tend to his wounds. Bakugo was rather… stubborn and didn’t want you to touch it or even press hot compress onto it.
-        He continues to growl lowly, still seething from the pain, attempting to lick it just like any other canine would do.
-        “Don’t do that.” You try to stop him from doing so, he growls at you, moving his wounded arm away from you. The castle servants watch in fear, taking a few steps back.
-        “Just hold still.”
-        “GRRR! THAT HURTS!”
-        “If you hold still, it wouldn’t hurt as much!”
-        “IF YOU HADN’T RAN AWAY THIS WOULDN’T HAVE HAPPENED!”
-        “If you didn’t scare me, then I wouldn’t have run away!”
-        “PHAH! WELL YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE GONE TO THE WEST WING!”
-        “Well, you should learn how to control your temper!”
-        He was about to protest, until he couldn’t think of anymore good comebacks, he stops. he pouts and rests his head on his hand as a sign of defeat.
-        After that night, the two of you had finally warmed up to each other. Wanting to surprise you and at the suggestion of Kirishima and Ilda, Bakugo had finally given you the chance to explore the west wing. Surprising you by leading to you the castle’s huge and well-kept library. A place where he seeks solace and peace.
-        You never expected him to be someone so aggressive yet be so interested in reading and of other mediums of knowledge. You had a lot in common and a feeling was blossoming between the two of you. In turn, you help him act more like a gentleman.
-        You continue to spend time with him, not knowing that you were slowly but surely falling.
-        “There’s something sweet and almost kind, but he was mean, coarse and unrefined. And now he’s dear, and I’m unsure, I wonder why I didn’t see it there before?”
-        As much as bakugo denies that he isn’t in love with you, he’s actually always had. He had just feared that you would never love him in return.
-        With the help of the fashionista turned enchanted closet that is Mina, she brings out a beautiful golden ballgown hemmed with golden roses, with off the shoulder sleeves and golden gloves to complete the look. You tie some of your hair into a neat bun, with the majority trails down your neck in a beautiful and flowing motion.
-        Bakugo on the other hand, was dressed in such a refined and handsome way. He wore a golden vest over a white dress shirt with a white kerchief. And, to complete the look, his very trusting stylists, Kirishima and Kaminari styled him in black pants.
-        As you dance the night away, the chandelier adorned with sparkling crystals hanging above you, the mural in the ceiling looking ever so heavenly, and calming waltz music to accompany you… it was a dream come true.
-        You nestle your head onto Bakugo’s shoulder, the latter looking a bit surprised yet his mouth forming into a small smile as he continues to guide you by hold your hand, twirling you around and just dancing with you. No other peering or judgemental eyes to stop the two of you from doing so.
-        Did I mention that he was an amazing dancer? Perks of being a prince I guess, but it’s also one of his natural talents.
-        Bakugo lets you go back to your grandfather that same night, watching you leave with your horse on the balcony.
-        He loves you, so he has to let you go.
-        Monoma and the village people ambush the castle to kill the beast, the castle servants trying their best to keep them at bay and the ever so arrogant village hunter climbing his way to Bakugo, you rush to the scene, and as soon as Bakugo sees you, he regains his strength and sends Monoma falling down a pit.
-        Bakugo was able to go back to his quarters with you helping him down, taking one last look at you.
-        He smiles half-heartedly, still trying to catch his breath. “You came back…”
-        “Of course, I came back.” You fight the tears trying to form in your eyes, hugging him tightly and trying to comfort him in his last moments. “If only I’ve gotten here sooner.”
-        “I-it’s better this way.”
-        “We’re together now! Everything’s going to be fine…”
-        “At least, I got to see you one last time.”
-        “P-please… Don’t leave me… I love you.”
-        As the last rose petal was about to fall, Bakugo is knocked out and is slowly succumbing to his wounds. It is through your genuine care and love for him, along with his change of heart and new resolve (albeit still retaining most of his temperamental and pompous personality, he is able to keep it in check) he transforms back into a human.
-        Along with all those who lived in the castle turning back into human, the castle retaining it’s original bright and vibrant colors and atmosphere, you and Bakugo live your very own happily ever after.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Izuku Midoriya  –  as Hercules from Hercules
-        A babie Izuku had been sent down from godlihood to live as a mortal, as his parents, All Might, the God of Thunder, and Inko, the Goddess of Marriage had wanted to protect him from AFO, the God of the Underworld, who will take over Mount Olympus if Izuku does not take him down according to a prophecy.
-        He grows up as a simpleton, the adopted son of both farmers, dreaming to make it big out there, with very ambitious and pure dreams of becoming a hero.
-        But after, being belittled by his very own peers for not looking the part as he couldn’t control his gifted super strength, scrawny, timid, too pure for this world and quite weakhearted, Izuku wanted to prove to them that he will become a hero in the future.
-        “Sometimes… I feel like, I really don’t belong here. Like I’m supposed to be someplace else…” Izuku confesses sincerely, his adoptive father looking at him in worry as he did not want to stop the young boy from learning who he actually was and all the potential he has.
-        “If you found me then… where did I come from? Why was I left here?”
-        His adoptive parents hand him over a golden medal with a thunder and lightning symbol that was said to be hanging around his neck when they found him. This was his answer that raised more questions.
-        He embarks on his journey to find one of the temples of All Might, as this was the only thing the symbol on the medal could allude to.
-        Okay but go the distance fits Izuku so well! A pure and hopeful young boy seeking to make a difference in this world and just wanting to become a hero by the most wholesome means.
-  “I have often dreamed of a far off place, Where a hero's welcome would be waiting for me. Where the crowds would cheer, when they see my face, and a voice keeps saying this is where I'm meant to be…”
-        just imagining izuku’s boyish voice singing this is just aaaaaaa
-        He eventually finds one of the temples, learning that all along, he was the son of the legendary God. All Might tells him he must prove his worth and earn back his godhood by becoming a true hero.
-        His father tells him to go search for Shota Aizawa, the famed instructor who has taught many great heroes in his time. Gifting Izuku a Pegasus, he embarks on another journey again to find the man, so that he may be trained.
-        When he arrives at the home of Aizawa, the teacher had retired as none of his heroes have ever earned a constellation in the sky, prompting him to expel them.
-        Izuku however, explained to his soon-to-be teacher that he wasn’t like the others, and… he proved true.
-        Although Aizawa was hesitant at first, he liked the kid’s determination and sheer will, so he began to train him.
-        Maybe, he could make a difference.
-        After his training and after undergoing an amazing transformation, Izuku was finally ready to start his way to achieving Godhood and becoming a true hero.
-        On the way to a nearby city, Izuku encounters you, a totally not damsel in distress and totally not a pawn of AFO, being tormented by a minotaur.
-        Izuku saves you and you couldn’t help but notice how pure and how gentle he was. You thank him albeit with a tint of sarcasm, hoping the two of you would meet again as you venture deeper into the forest to go and meet with AFO, whom you made a deal with in order to bring back your lost lover from the dead- only for them to leave you soon after.
-        You were once a very soft and romantic person. So open to giving love to others and never shying away from any form of affection. However…
-        After that terrible experience, you developed a cynical outlook. Not taking slack from anybody, always keeping your distance, barely interacting with others and showing no interest in forming any genuine relationships with others ever since.
-        Izuku reminded you that there was still some good in this world.
-        His genuine innocence, his boyish yet handsome looks, his pure determination to save others and his charismatic wit just swept you off of your feat.
-        However, you still had to keep your distance. You just weren’t ready to trust anyone again after that what had happened.
-        Izuku finally reaches his destination, defeating a Hydra using both of his wits and his strength, as he becomes a celebrated hero around the city of Musustafu.
-        Since then, he jumped from city to city, striking down every otherworldly monster that AFO had created to try and defeat him, and making him somewhat of a celebrity.
-        Izuku, however, remained humble. Knowing full well that the fame he had gained was not needed in order to become a hero.
-        In fact, it was what could become a hero’s biggest downfall.
-        Whilst chilling around in a huge museum dedicated to Izuku’s efforts, you pay him a visit and the pure and wholesome boy, clearly enthralled by you since the beginning, became very flustered at the sight of seeing you.
-        You start playing with your words, flirtatiously manipulating him to get him to go on a date with you.
-        “(Y/N) by the gods, he’s so pure why would you do this?” you thought. “what did he do to deserve this from me?” yet, you were bound by a contract with the god of the underworld, so it’s not like you have any choice right?
-        You go on a date with him, and end up falling reeeeeeal hard.
-        The two of you end your date in a romantic park, filled with conveniently placed statues of couples and a statue of Izuku, in the middle, near the fountain for you to fawn over whilst singing one of the best Disney songs ever to.
-        Aizawa hastens him to leave as they still have training to do, but he doesn’t leave until he picks a white flower from a tree, giving it to you, and planting a soft kiss on your cheek.
-        Midoriya hops on his Pegasus and they flutter away as you continue to watch his figure travel farther and farther away from you.
-        You observe and play with the white rose on your hand, sighing dreamily, until you snap back into your senses and think about the matter at hand.
-        “Ugh… what’s the matter with me? You’d think a girl would learn.”
-        *Cue Music and the Muses known as Ochaco, Tsuyu, Momo, Mina and Jirou)
-        “Who d'you think you're kidding~ He's the earth and heaven to you. Try to keep it hidden, Honey we can see right through you. Girl you can't conceal it We know how you're feeling... who you thinking of~”
-        The muses continue the musical number, yet in your heart you just need to deny these new and fuzzy emotions you were feeling for Izuku.
-        “No chance no way I won't say it, no no. (You swoon you sigh why deny it oh oh) It's too cliche I won't say I'm in loveeee…”
-        After all the ordeals Izuku had to go through to save you, (literally jumping into the river styx to recover your soul) his willingness to sacrifice himself for you was the final key needed to ascend to Godhood, and so that he may join his parents and the other gods in Mount Olympus once more.
-        However, this would come at a cost, if he were to go back to Mount Olympus, that would mean he wouldn’t see you ever again, instead only being able to watch over you from up and above.
-        And so, he chooses to remain on Earth with you, and even without his godly status, he could remain as the striking and true hero he is.
-        The two of you watch the night sky as All Might forms a constellation on the sky just for Izuku. Not only making Aizawa also proud, but also as a sign that Izuku himself- (and your love) was worth seeing in the stars.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Shoto Todoroki – as Flynn Rider from Tangled
-        Ok this is a bit of a stretch and I KNOW IT IS
-        Fantasy au Shoto has a white horse, and Flynn rider befriends a white horse that hates him. that’s the closest similarity these two have.
-        Flynn rider is my favorite unofficial Disney prince, and shoto is my favorite mha boy so let’s just roll with this!!
-        Shoto Todoroki was a lost prince turned thief, and after he rebelled from his controlling and manipulative father, His only way of escape was if he turned to a life of thievery, hiding his identity and straying away from his mantle as the Prince of the Todoroki Family.
-        He was very rebellious and mischievous, yet was also stern and rather monotone at times. He would crack jokes, but they would fall flat most of time and despite being absolutely handsome and looking very charismatic and charming on the outside, he wasn’t the best at picking up any gestures or flirtatious remarks said to him.
-        He approached some thieves before and very innocently asked them how to live the life of a rogue, the bandits laughed at him but were nice enough to give him tips. The first advice they told Shoto was to take up a moniker. So that he wouldn’t be easily discovered or found by security officials. They jokingly called him The Half-Hot and Half Cold prince, because of his looks and his quirk.
-        Not knowing that he was an actual prince. A wayward prince to be specific.
-        Shoto didn’t care enough so he used the nickname given to them and went on his way to a different castle.
-        After abandoning his kingdom, he chooses to live freely by his own means, and making the most of his time as a free man and not as a prince. You only live once after all.
-        He then leaves for the Kingdom of Corona, being forced to create a trio with very unfriendly bandits, Sato and Koda. Their mission was to steal the crown on the eve of your birthday and hope to sell it for an absolutely impossible price.
-        After they successfully infiltrate the palace and steal the crown jewel, Shoto stacks the prized possession into his satchel, betraying Koda and Sato, using them as a scapegoat, and making his way to a nearby forest settlement where he may hide and then move on to the next kingdom.
-        However, he underestimated the castle guards as they were able to find traces of him. Shoto, not wanting to back down from a fight, uses his ice quirk to prevent the guards from following him in any further into the forest. (He refuses to use his fire quirk due to its relation to his father)
-        Knowing that it wouldn’t take long before the castle guards would find him again, he had to go somewhere and hide first.
-        He then sees an obscure and weirdly placed tower in the middle of the forest, thinking that he may take refuge there. And so, Shoto uses his ice quirk once more to elevate himself onto the only open window of the tower.
-        He was about to start adjusting to his new surroundings as he steps foot inside, until…
-        BANG!
-        The last thing he heard was the sound of a clanging frying pan.
-        Unbeknownst to him, he was hit on the head by said frying pan.
-        Shoto wakes up to see that he was tied to a chair and his precious satchel gone by his side. He observes his surroundings to see that he was not tied by a rope, but instead tied using someone’s long and luscious hair. Hair so long that it was scattered all around the room.
-        “Is this… hair?”
-        You appear from the darkness, a very smug look spread upon your face, gripping the frying pan tightly.
-        You were the lost princess of the kingdom of Corona. You were kidnapped by Mother Midnight, and she raised you as your own, keeping you locked in the tower so that she can use the regeneration powers coming from your hair to make herself younger.
-        Each year, the king and the queen release lanterns in the sky on your birthday, hoping for your safe return.
-        It was too much of a coincidence. You know in your heart that the lanterns are meant for you. Yet, Mother Midnight constantly forbids and refuses you from leaving the tower.
-        “Who are you? And how did you find me?” You grit your teeth, interrogating him, your frying pan ready to hit on him if he dares to make a move.
-        Tsuyu, your pet chameleon and best friend was watching the half-and-half man intently.
-        “I’m the Half Hot- Half Cold Prince.” He says simply, barely moving and showing any emotion. You stare back at him, puzzled. What the heck was wrong with this guy?
-        “I mean, your actual name.” You repeat yourself as you slowly continue to approach him.
-        “Oh. I’m Shoto. Shoto Todoroki.” He says plainly once again. “Can I have my satchel back please?”
-        “Nope.” You reply, popping the p. “Why are you even here for the first place? Is it for my hair!?”
-        “He tilts his head in confusion, “Of course not. I was being chased and saw this tower, so I used my quirk and got up here. Now, may I please have my satchel back?”
-        “Hmm… if you say you’re from the outside then… I need you to take me to the lights.” You climb up your room balcony, pulling the curtain away to reveal the beautiful mural you made in dedication to the lanterns that are released from the kingdom every year during your birthday. “Then, I’ll give you your satchel.”
-        He looks at the mural in awe for a moment then breathes a hefty sigh, “Alright. We have a deal.”
-        You untie him from your hair. He stands up quickly and was about to descend down the tower. “I can use my quirk to bring us down-“
-        “Nah.” You hold up your hand in front of him, throwing your hair down and using it as a swing as you glide down with grace.
-        Your eyes meet the grass and you take a deep breath before you take your first step on it and then…
-        “My life will finally begin.” You take in your surroundings, feeling overwhelming happiness about to burst inside you.
-        Shoto catches up to you, using his quirk to slide down the tower. He crosses his arms, at the sight of seeing you jumping around like a little chipmunk who has not seen any land, a contempt look plastered upon his face, just wanting to get this job done and head on to the next kingdom he could go to.
-        “THIS IS AMAZING!” You watch him resting by the tree, leaning on it. You kick a pile of leaves to get his attention as you twirl around in your place, still taking in all these wonderful sights.
-        “Look. We have to get to the kingdom grounds as soon as possible or else-“
-        “It’s (Y/N).”
-        “Excuse me?”
-        “I’m (Y/N). I just remembered that I didn’t tell you that a while ago. Sorry!” You smile cheekily at him and because of how adorable you looked; he gave you a pass.
-        “Alright. Let’s go then, (Y/N).
-        Your adventure was absolutely chaotic. From entering a tavern full of scary bandits, for them to actually be softies all this time who were willing to help you see the lights. When the castle guards track down Shoto in the tavern, the bandits help you escape through a hidden passage, but find yourselves stuck in a flooding cave.
-        Thinking that this was the end of both of your adventures and your lives, Shoto reveals to you that he was the missing prince of the Endeavor Kingdom and you also reveal to him that your hair glows when you sing.
-        Bingo.
-        Flower gleam and glow… Let your powers shine… Make the clock reverse… Bring back what once was mine.” You sang softly, your hair began to emanate a glowing light, as it served as a guide to get you out of the cave.
-        Shoto’s hand was injured due to the very rough and dangerous properties inside of the cave and so, you heal him with the powers of your hair.
-        Once again, repeating the s­ong he had wanted to hear escape from your lips once more, your hair begins to glow as the wound on his palm was no more.
-        He looks at you in awe. Noticing details about you that he hasn’t noticed before. How your eyes twinkled differently, like a star from a night sky. Your smile always radiating sunshine, and your aura emanating nothing but warmth and comfort.
-        He was in love with you.
-        How long did it take for him to realize that?
-        “Are we almost there?” You wave your hand in front of his face and he snaps back into reality. “Ah yes. We’ll be in the village where the festivities will take place.”
-        “THERE ARE FESTIVITIES!?”
-        You reach the kingdom the morning after and began to partake in the festivities. All that Shoto could do was watch and admire you from afar as you danced and make merry with the townsfolk; not until you pulled him into the middle of the dance.
-        He was awkward and wasn’t so used to having all this attention around him ever since he left his royal life, but you guide him well in the dance floor, getting lost in the moment, the two of you gaze at each other’s eyes, and the cheers of the townspeople unfortunately snapping you out of the moment.
-        That night, the king and the queen, along with all of the townsfolk, flock to their boats for the annual cruise and lantern releasing.
-        To surprise you, Shoto was able to snatch and rent a boat. The two of you board on it that night, and Shoto rows all the way to the middle of the lake and get a clear view of the ethereal spectacle that was about to take place.
-        The first lantern, released by the king and queen, floats solely by itself. You rush to the other side of the boat, the boat rocking furiously due to the excitement. Your handsome companion on the other hand, was trying to keep the boat into place.
-        You hold on to the edge of the boat as other lanterns follow suit. The huge boats around you were releasing their lanterns too.
-        You look up at the sky, watching the lamps color the night. It was such a beautiful moment. Watching these floating lights reminds you of a comfort and inexplicable feeling from within. There was something about the light emanating from these paper lanterns, some of them bumping into each other, creating unique shadows, like that of shooting stars who were about to ascend back into the night sky.
-        Lanterns continue to light up the night sky, as if they were like bright dreams. Lighting everyone’s resolve and everyone’s hearts.
-       “All those days watching from the windows, All those years outside looking in. All that time never even knowing, just how blind I've been. Now I'm here, blinking in the starlight, Now I'm here, suddenly I see. Standing here, it's all so clear, I'm where I'm meant to be. And at last I see the light. And it's like the fog has lifted And at last I see the light. And it's like the sky is new, And it's warm and real and bright, And the world has somehow shifted. All at once everything looks different… Now that I see you.”
-        After you felt too immersed into the beauty of the lights, you turn back to Shoto who was holding on to two lanterns that the two of you could release. A loving smile present on his face.
-        You smile back at him, and the both of you release it into the sky.
-        “All those days chasing down a daydream… All those years living in a blur… All that time never truly seeing things, the way they were.”
-        The two of you look up to see the floating lights arise and you were immersed once again. Shoto fixes his gaze on you, admiring your beauty and your enthusiasm to see the lights you’ve always dreamed of seeing. He could do nothing but smile at you, as he’s truly fallen in love. He really has. His heart thumping loudly at the presence and the warmth that you’ve given him. Something that he had been seeking for so long.
-        Now she's here shining in the starlight, Now she's here suddenly I know.”
-        You continue look up. A lantern engraved with a sun symbol approaches your boat, and you point at it, pushing it up at the sky.
-        “If she's here, it's crystal clear… I'm where I'm meant to go.”
-        Shoto knew this was his only chance. His smile turning into that of a frown, as thoughts of not seeing you again came across his mind. He grabs your hand, touching it softly. You perk up a little bit at this gesture, but you smile back at him. Your eyes glimmering love and warmth once again.
-        You hold both of his hands, grasping it firmly yet tenderly. The two of you gaze at each other’s eyes again, this time no one were to interrupt. This moment would just be between the two of you.
-        You notice how beautiful Shoto’s heterochromatic eyes were from up close, the love shown in his eyes could only be for you and you feel your heart racing at that thought.
-         And at last I see the light, And it's like the sky is new. And it's warm and real and bright, And the world has somehow shifted… All at once everything is different… Now that I see you.”
619 notes · View notes
safertokiss · 4 years
Text
Through a Different Lens
Tumblr media
A/N: Well, well, well. Lookie what we have here. New content wowza. I’d say I’m surprised it’s been a while, but I simply am not. Luckily another fic swap has arrived to get my creative juices flowing once again. The gods have gifted me with another perfect opportunity to write sub spence because I was given @writing-in-april as my person yet again. Hooray! Anyways I hope you enjoy and thanks all you cool cats and kittens for the support (we almost to 1000 yeet skrrt). Also, it just happens to be my birthday today so as a gift to myself I thought about subby Spencer for a while.
Pairing: SPENCER x READER
Category: SMUT and can’t forget that fluff
Word Count: 3.2k
ENJOY:)
~~~
It all started completely by accident.
There was no possible way that she would’ve been able to predict just how much they would affect the poor kid. 
She could remember, clear as day, the first time she was forced to wear her glasses to the bureau due to her ongoing frustrations with the torture devices that were also referred to as contacts. There were only so many headaches and eye-waterings that she could take before the insecurity of wearing her frames to work shriveled below the point of caring anymore. 
But none of those previous insecurities held a flame to the amount of confusion she felt when she entered the bullpen and waltzed over to Spencer’s desk to say good morning with a shy smile adorning her face. Y/n hadn’t even been able to get a complete sentence out before the young doctor had turned to her and froze, his mouth hanging open like a fish, his eyes widening to the size of dinner plates, the harsh red blush she had seen before, just maybe not to this extent, engulfing his boyish features. 
Before she could even attempt to ask him what she had done to warrant such a response, he was spouting out a meager, “H-hey Y/n” whilst simultaneously scurrying off in the direction of the nearest bathroom.
Completely and utterly perplexed over what had happened, she had shrugged it off and made her way back to her desk, silently mulling over the interaction periodically throughout the rest of the day. 
It was a couple of the same type of interactions later that Y/n began to take notice of what was actually happening with the boy genius. The stiff and unnatural posture. The stuttering, granted that wasn’t something new, just much more frequent and severe. The audible heartbeat always accompanied by rosy cheeks and goosebumps. 
Spencer Reid was fucking turned on by the glasses.
And he didn’t even try to hide it. Or maybe he did and was just really, really bad at doing so.
Either way, Y/n quickly discovered just how much fun it was getting these reactions to pour out of the kid...so of course she kept wearing the glasses even after she was able to wear contacts again. He didn’t need to know that. 
It was so fucking easy too. 
She would just be sitting at her desk, occupied by some particularly troubling pages of a case file that makes her have to readjust her frames out of stress, when she’d hear a high pitched squeak across the bullpen, followed by the pattering of frantic footsteps she had familiarized herself with in former few weeks. 
While she felt some kind of guilt for putting him through this, it was nowhere near enough to overtake the genuine excitement and gratification that came with knowing she could have such an effect on the adorable doctor.
Of course she found him attractive...how could she not with his perfectly sculpted cheekbones and nerdy slicked back hair. Ultimately Y/n could understand his apparent infatuation with her wearing glasses as she had caught herself, on more than a couple occasions, openly ogling his own specs. 
Maybe they were both weirdos...the whole situation was almost as strange as the Converse kink that she secretly harbored for years. Although her intuition was quick to suggest that, just maybe, both of her unique infatuations stemmed from the same noodle-shaped source.
Perhaps her favorite reaction of his, though, came about during the little office birthday party that the entire team had thrown for him.
He looked so adorable in the gigantic birthday cake hat they had bestowed upon him, Y/n could hardly contain her giggles at the giddy smile adorning his face. She watched on in amusement as Spencer tried desperately to get the candles on his cake to extinguish, to no avail, at least until someone felt bad watching his struggles and decided to give him a hand.
“They’re trick candles Spence, they’re gonna come back on every time.”, JJ chuckled, subtly smirking at Morgan who was also enjoying Spencer’s ongoing struggles. 
A couple “happy birthdays” later and the rest of the team slowly began to disperse, leaving just Y/n and him alone in their own little space. He must’ve noticed this too because the blush that had already been present throughout the celebration beforehand seemed to deepen even further as he visibly swallowed down his nerves.
Slowly stalking towards the rouge kissed boy, she dragged a couple of her fingers across the surface of the desk, noting the way his eyes briefly flicked down to follow the movement before hesitantly returning his gaze to match her own. 
She also noted the way his knuckles were basically turning white from the amount of pressure he was using to grab the sides of the chair.
“You have a good birthday, Spence?”, Y/n drawled with a teasing smile, now standing directly before the trembling young man.
Seeming to snap out of whatever sort of trance he had been in, he hastily cleared out his throat before responding with a bit of trepidation. “Hmm...yeah-yes uh yes it was v-very good, than-thank you.”
She couldn’t even attempt to conceal the smirk that had made its way to her lips listening to the genius stutter through his words. Such a nervous, nervous boy. So adorable. So fucking hot. 
“Well that makes me happy. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself pretty boy.”, she paused her thoughts soaking in the little hitches in his breath surely from how close she was standing near him and the added nickname. Deciding to play a little bit dirty, she leaned over directly into his line of sight to reach for the cake set before him.
 “Now how about I take this away and cut it up for all of us to eat? Hmmm?”
His eyes darted immediately to the cleavage that was so graciously presented to him as she bent over to pick up the dessert, a sharp little gasp escaping his pretty, pink lips as his pupils dilated carelessly. 
Y/n inwardly smirked at his reaction and began walking towards the kitchenette, but only made it about three or four steps before being interrupted. 
“Did you know that in some instances birthday candles are safe for wax play?”, he exclaimed before seemingly realizing what had just escaped his lips, his hands flying up to cover his traitorous mouth. 
Bewildered, in the best of ways, by what had just been said, she slowly swiveled back around, facing him once again, before placing the cake on the desk beside her. 
“What was that Spencer?”, she grinned at the petrified man who hadn’t made a single noise since his unexpected declaration. The poor thing looked like a caged in animal with nowhere to escape. Perfect.
“N-nothing! I m-mean obviously it was um s-something, but j-just uh just forget what I s-said.”, he quickly explained while frantically shaking his hands as if he was hoping he could simply wipe your memory of the last minute or two away permanently.
“No, no please go on.”, she teased. “Now I’m intrigued. What did you mean by ‘in some instances’ Spence?”
She wasn’t expecting the look of confusion, however brief it was, that peeked its way through the overwhelming embarrassment that had been showcased on his face, as if he truly couldn’t fathom that someone was actually asking him to go into more detail about a topic. 
Still didn’t change the fact that he was completely mortified.
Clearing his throat, he hesitantly lifted his gaze back to Y/n’s, seemingly debating with himself over whether he could articulate the words to come out or not. 
“Um...well..usually many p-people who choose to e-engage in such act-activities will use specific types of c-candles that are uh more designed especially for pl-play.”, he paused and she drank up the way his Adam's apple bobbed along his throat. “Uh… basically depending on the t-type of candle that one u-uses, the amount of pain or um d-discomfort differs. B-birthday candles tend to b-be on the more painful side so only the couples who are in-into that kind of thing would ever really utilize t-them.”, he finished abruptly, his leg bouncing rapidly in her line of vision.
She still couldn’t really believe she had actually gotten him to say anything at all, nevermind an in depth analysis on wax play. In a weird way she was proud of him. Really proud. Sometime amidst her thoughts, she’d found herself standing directly behind his sitting figure, her hands resting on either side of him against the table, the goosebumps visible on his skin from the implications of the position they were currently in.
“That’s really intriguing Spencer. I’d love to find out someday just why it is you know so much about the subject, but I don’t want to make you go into cardiac rest anytime soon.”, she remarked, giggling at the shy smile that made its way to his mouth.
She didn’t even register reaching out to lightly touch his lips until she heard his sharp intake of breath. Until he turned his head so they were mere centimeters apart. Until she watched his puppy eyes dart between her lips and your frame covered gaze. Until the space between them seemed to be lessening with every sec-
“Hey pretty boy! Where’s my cake?”
Y/n grudgingly pulled back at the interruption, watching in amusement as Spencer’s body instinctively leaned forward as if his lips hadn’t gotten the memo and were still searching for hers. “It’s coming right up you lazy ass!” she yelled back with a grin on her face.
She looked back to the boy sitting before her and was almost mesmerized by the dazed look present on his face, the blush slowly retreating as he came back to his surroundings. She could tell there were words that he wanted to say, but they just didn’t seem to be forming fast enough to actually come out. Deciding to put their little moment on hold before he passed out, she walked back over to the neglected dessert and started heading towards the break room again.
“I’ll make sure to save you the biggest piece, Spence.”,she threw over her shoulder, chuckling at the bewildered look still that was still present on his face.
~~~
The day was a big success in her opinion. 
Spencer looked even more like a child than usual with the big shit eating grin that remained throughout the celebration and the bulky hat that he refused to take off. She could never understand how someone could have such an affinity for sugar as she watched him devour the huge slice of cake she had carved up for him.
But hours later, it was just her and Spencer left in the building. 
And she was not about to let that go to waste.
Y/n could see him from where she stood at the entrance to the kitchenette. She could see the way he slouched over his desk with his legs curled underneath him, criss cross applesauce, as he scribbled down whatever case file he was working on. She admired his determined work ethic, that’s for sure.
But now was simply not the time to work.
Spencer immediately froze as soon as her body situated itself to be leaning against his desk, painfully aware of her gaze on his tense form. 
“H-hey Y/n.”, he nervously murmured, the stutter once again making her giddy.
“Hey yourself doc. Wanna tell me why it is you’re still here working at such a late hour? Doesn’t the elusive Spencer Reid have better things to be entertaining himself with?”, she drawled, her piercing gaze making the poor kid squirm before her eyes.
“Oh um no...n-not really. I actually don’t mind working late. It’s k-kind of therapeutic in a way. But um...I’m happy t-that you’re here w-with me.”, he whispered the last part as if he was scared you wouldn’t appreciate his gratitude.
But she appreciated it more than he knew.
Noticing the little pencil holder situated amongst the file stacks on his desk, an idea popped into her mind that she just couldn’t shake, prompting her to pick it up and begin fiddling with it.
“Oh is that so pretty boy? Does my presence satisfy you?” Before he could even attempt an answer she “accidently” dropped the holder on the ground, the array of pens and pencils dispersing among the floor. “Oops my bad.”
Spencer immediately scrambled out of his seat and onto the floor to start collecting the colorful writing utensils, the perfect distraction needed for Y/n to situate herself on his desk with her legs spread open directly in front of his face. 
“D-don’t worry abou-”, his sentence cut off as he looked up and was met with the tantalizing sight of her white lace panties already damp with her excitement. She swore he could die happy with the way his eyes widened and cheeks flushed. She couldn’t help but chuckle lightly.
“See something you like baby?” Unable to even form words, the young doctor slowly nodded his head, eyes still locked on the obvious wet spot between her open legs.
“C-can I..can I um…”
“Use your words baby boy. Can you what?”, she spoke clearly, grasping his chin so he’d look her in the eyes.
“C-can I taste you?” She couldn't get over the desperate way he spoke as if he’d die of thirst if he didn’t get a drink from her.
“Of course you can sweet b-” Not even letting the words leave her mouth, his hands were eagerly pulling her panties down and off her legs, his lips instantly connecting with the heated flesh at the apex of her thighs. She swore his tongue and lips were enchanted with the way he was able to effortlessly maneuver his way around, easily picking up on what she loved. 
“Oh Spencer you’re such a good boy.” she couldn’t resist  threading her fingers through his silky hair and tugging slightly, an action she assumed he enjoyed based on the muffled whine she heard from between her thighs. 
It hadn’t even been more than a few minutes before she found herself already on the verge of letting go. No guy had ever been able to make her feel this good and just electric until now. He was quickly ruining her for anyone else in the future. She did not mind in the slightest.
“Baby I really wanna feel you inside me. Is that something you want sweetheart?”
He reluctantly pulled back after a few more kitten licks to her clit, wide eyes finding hers and whimpering out a broken “yes”. More than happy with his response she gently pulled him up by his hair and started undoing his belt, his oversized pants easily falling down without the extra support. Just another thing about him that she had come to adore. She was very pleased by the obvious bulge that protruded through his baby blue checkered boxers. 
Before she pulled those down too, though, she very gently reached up and cupped his cheeks, guiding his plump lips to her own, basking in the delighted whimpers that escaped his mouth at the soft but passionate contact. She released his lips with a slight nip and proceeded with his clothing removal, coaxing him to sit down in the swirly chair he had been previously residing in, before straddling his lap. 
“You ready sweet boy?”, she asked leaning forward to kiss his rouge forehead and cheeks.
“Mhmm I’m r-ready.”
Taking that as the go ahead, she cautiously positioned herself over his throbbing erection before slowly lowering herself inch by inch until he was completely enveloped by her tight, warm walls. 
“Oh-ohh my.”, he whimpered at the overwhelming feeling of being connected so intimately. Gently, she started to move a bit more, hesitantly lifting up before lowering herself back down, flush against his lap, one of her soft hands anchoring herself to his shoulder while the other caressed his flushed cheeks.
“I know baby, I know. You feel so good baby boy I don’t think I’m going to be able to last much longer.”
“M-me neither.”, he stuttered as the pace she had previously set seemed to increase in speed, the excitement and ecstasy getting to the both of them and subconsciously pushing the two of them closer to their shared release. 
The fire was quickly building within her body and she knew she was truly crumbling at the seams, but with the way his body was trembling and his dick was subtly twitching inside of her she knew he was right there too.
“It’s ok baby boy, it’s ok. Cum for me sweet boy. I want you to cum inside and fill up my pussy Spence.”, she muttered feeling the beginning of her end crash unexpectedly throughout her entire being, grasping onto the boy underneath her to tie herself to the earth. 
Overwhelmed by the utter euphoria of Y/n cumming around him, Spencer let himself get thrown off the edge, his hands tightening on her waist hard enough she was sure little bruises would form come tomorrow, not that she minded at all.
“Oh Y/n!” She watched on, obsessed with the way that his mouth fell open in a little o-shape as his eyes squeezed shut, the tell tale signs of pleasure coursing through his veins, the warm feeling that he left deep inside of her as she gently lifted herself from his shaking legs, reaching for her panties before the warmth was able to escape down her damp thighs.
Looking back at the trembling boy after cleaning herself and him up, she couldn’t help but melt at the lovesick, puppy dog eyes he was giving her, prompting her to lean forward and leave more little kisses on the top of his damp hair.
“That was incredible Spence. Really incredible. I’ve never felt anything like that before baby.”
She melted even further at the way he shyly dropped his head to somewhat hide the wide grin that had spread like wildfire across his face. There was a comfortable silence between the two of them before his head lifted with a questioning glance.
“How’d you-I mean uh how did you know that I liked you?” There was no way she could control the giggles that left her lips at his silly question.
“You weren’t exactly subtle with the whole glasses thing Spence.”
And then the only sound heard throughout the building was her full blown laughter at the mortification that speedily adorned his cherry cheeks.
Tag List: @hopebaker @pastathighs @psychedellic-phase @gloryekaterina @sleepysnapesnake @racharr @etherealgubler @furiouspartyrebelhoagie @andiebeaword @liaabsurd @cielo1984 @starkeybaby @victomizedbyreginageorge @rainsong01 @moonlight-jukebox @gretaamyk @httpnxtt @rachelxwayne @watermelonstyl @goldnratio @cheyxminds @kricketc29 @cupcake525 @pinkdiamond1016 @slutforthegubes @shadyladyperfection @emilysallysmith @babblingbrookex @legendaryanimeaestheticclou @sunstspidey @ashwarren32 @pixels-impulse @eviewildflower @spencerreider @awkwardsadaa @dirty-pan-goblin @ughgoaway @cromies90-blog @mightaswell247 @calm-and-doctor @golden-hoax @1mpvls3 @lonewolf471 @centiaaa @spencerspecifics
525 notes · View notes
yanderart · 4 years
Text
Tumblr media
   Once you found Shouto on the Anti-Purge forums, it felt so wonderful to be understood. So comforting to finally have someone you could rely on...
So, when you got a letter notifying you of your selection for the Annual Purge later on, of course you went to seek his help.
Should’ve known better than to trust strangers online, though.
My fic/portrait convo for the Yandere Purge Collab, from the Lovesick Discord. And please check the rest of the m. list for other amazing works set in the same AU!
Under the cut is the actual fic (Todoroki x Reader, nsfw, dark themes, 10k), as well as the respective TWs. Hope y'all enjoy 🥀
-------
Tws: Usual yandere ones (stalking, manipulation, delusion). Dub-con/Non-con. Non-consensual Drug Use, aka Aphrodisiacs. Death threats and sexism (from randoms on the forum, not Todo). 
-------
   You couldn’t think straight —hadn’t been able to since waking up again. All you could recognize amidst the fog currently obscuring your thoughts was the longing, prolonged, and tangible in its hold over your being.
You felt hot all over, the flames licking at your skin burning brightly as you squirmed from your place, eagerly attempting to get closer to the cold reprieve emanating from the man that held you. 
“Tell me what’s wrong, Y/N." One of his hands was steering you on his lap, the other one gently massaging your shoulders in a comforting motion. “I can only help you if you do."
If your judgment had not been overcast by the desire pushing away your self-awareness, then perhaps you could’ve heard the faint hint of amusement in his voice. Perhaps you would’ve thought to look up and finally encounter the content shine of his heterochromatic eyes.
“I feel…" speaking was laborious, your tongue impossibly weighty and your mind swirling with thoughts that escaped any semblance of coherence. “I feel hot all over. It hurts.”
The hand positioned around your waist went to search for one of your clenched ones, easily engulfing it in his grip as he nudged the side of your face with his chin rather tenderly. A gentle encouragement for you to stay attentive, anchoring you to the moment despite your dazed mindset. 
“Show me then,” his low timbre tickled your skin, sending another wave of excruciating heat to wreak havoc inside your body, “Let me know where it hurts.”
With a stuttering sigh, you proceeded to press both of your hands to your lower stomach, gulping audibly before bringing them further down. Dancing just short of your underwear while your eyelids fluttered shut. 
You knew your actions were out of character deep down. Even recognized the shadow of wrongness that distorted the current scene. You weren't supposed to do such things, weren't supposed to feel like that…
But the reality was that you were so excruciatingly warm by that point, and his palm felt so deliciously cold. 
When you heard the dreadful siren going off in the distance, the instantly recognizable sound of the Purge starting at last, you were already too far gone to think of anything else but the fingers brushing against the thin cotton of your panties, so close to the evidence of your need soaking through them. 
Your parents had told you not to trust strangers online once upon a time. You should’ve really taken their advice more to heart.
。。。。。
   But first, perhaps a little tracing of your steps is in order —some necessary context to fully understand the extension of your plight. 
You see, earlier that day you had woken up full of a peculiar mix of drive and determination. It was indeed Purge Day, the single day of the year you had grown to fear the most  ever since childhood, and yet for once you found yourself oddly relaxed, filled to the brim with resolve instead of your usual nerves. 
Which was already an unexpected turn of events, considering you had just gotten a letter notifying you of your selection as one of the accursed Darlings of the Night. 
A gentle reminder that, if caught, your life would stop belonging to yourself for an entire dreadful year. 
Because a Yandere had their sight on you now, or so the notice had informed you in impeccable typography. Anxious fingertips memorized the slight raise of inked words, inspecting every single detail the letter carried.
You had imagined a monster ready to pounce just outside your door then, fitting enough to be the carrier of your bad news. A preternaturally grotesque being, built from all the Yandere themed horror stories you had heard throughout the years.  
And yet there you were, feeling safer in that instant than you had in years; Because this time you had a plan. He made sure to give you one you could easily follow.
Just like he later made sure to welcome you in with a kind smile and awfully persistent hospitality. 
"Would you like a cup of tea?"
You should've known better than to accept.
。。。。。
   In the present, fingers were now dipping under the elastic of your panties, ghosting across feverish skin and encouraging your whimpers to grow louder. 
"Is this what you want, then?" The man's breath tickled one of your ears, rough digits gathering your slickness with practiced ease. And he sounded genuinely concerned too, as if your discomfort was not a consequence of his own machinations. "Because I wanna ease your pain, baby. Give you what you truly need."
He barely even touched you yet you were already struggling not to crumble, the desire governing your mind mixing with the new sensations to create a new delirious kind of torment. 
Continuing to tease you, the man was relentless in his torture, barely even brushing over your neediest spots. A gentle press of his palm to stimulate you for a moment before pulling back, much to your shameful frustration; Better than nothing, but not close enough. 
In his own way, though, he was urging you to speak up. Expecting you to demand what you truly wanted. 
Yet as a retort, all you could come up with was gasping out his name, dripping from your lips like honeyed prayers as your hips fought to buck up against his hand. 
 A sound you afterward repeated a hundred times over. Chanted until its melody became engraved on your tongue and the man was finally caving in, sliding his fingers inside with a smirk. 
He had known you'd end up caving, had planned for it for months now, and yet nothing had prepared him for the actual view.
。。。。。
   Shou, actually, had been his username when you first met him. Once upon a time recited with a genuine smile and an eagerness to please, such a far cry from the anguished whines it would later lead up to.
You started frequenting the forum he inhabited a few months back. A place which happened to be a hidden corner of the internet for people who did not just stumble upon it, but actually sought it out. A part of the web where its occupants challenged societal norms and, against what society had tried to condition you all into thinking,  chose to voice their taboo Anti-Purge sentiments instead. 
Sentiments perhaps born either due to the inherent discriminatory nature of the holiday (why was it that Yanderes were accommodated for, while Darlings barely got a warning before they were made prey?), a need for contrarianism (when opposing open kidnappings, assault and other debauchery became an act of rebellion), or just a tenuous moral high ground which made it unbearable to stomach. Whatever the reason, it was your first time encountering such a density of like-minded peers.
Despite attempting to commit yourself to being a lurker, deciding to never post or reply to others, your days had still quickly become consumed by the need to read each and every topic. You were simply fascinated with this new dark corner of the web. 
That was, of course, until the aforementioned Shou became the main focus of your attention, a dash of intriguing brightness to break the monotony of your existence.
And like moths rushing to the flame, your curiosity would be your undoing.  
There was something about him that pulled you in (along with many others from the community, which tended to flock on his posts whenever he grazed the forums). His username was clearly just a nickname instead of a carefully crafted pseudonym; profile picture just an image of the back of what you all assumed to be his hair, dual-toned strands catching the light in a hypnotic way.
Truly, his disregard for anonymity within those parts was a bigger statement than you were expecting, almost as commendable as it was dumbfounding. There was the nature of his postings too, never subtle about his inclinations or ideas. 
   How to disarm and reutilize Purge Traps. 
   Most effective ways to incapacitate a violent assailant.  
   Government lies and why they matter. 
   Faking a BOPC (breach of purge code) and getting away with it.
There was little method to the madness that was his forum activity, besides the hint that he was evidently more knowledgeable about the subject than most. Plus the fact that he was proactive about his advice, actually seeking to teach others to fight back instead of just hide away and hope for the best. For another self-proclaimed Darling, Shou was ruthless with his methods —it was hard not to admire him.
And admire you did, keeping tabs of his sporadic bursts of activity and speeding to try and interact with him whenever you caught him online. You were, to voice it simply, simply star-truck by him (and perhaps becoming a bit of a fangirl). 
Because whoever Shou was, it felt like he understood you. And so, against every ounce of your common sense or natural paranoia, you had finally decided to break your golden rule and reach out for the first time since you joined the niche forum. 
And not to just leave a vague comment agreeing on public discourse, but to actually send him a private message. In your defense, how were you supposed to know the chains of events your actions would start?
   Do you actually believe what you post?, had been your lame conversation starter. 
Luckily for you, he did not leave you hanging. You made sure to send the message while he was still active, one of the few days a week you knew he devoted to his presence on the site (and wasn't it slightly creepy, how you had taken the time to learn his schedule by that point?)
   I wouldn't be here if I didn't, dry, to the point and leaving you embarrassed to have even sent the first question. 
Yet for some reason, something about Shou reverted you back into a middle school kid seeking to impress a way cooler senior. 
Perhaps it was what he symbolized (a change for the better), what he appeared to be (everything you wish you were) —whatever it was, your fingers were frantically typing a reply as soon as his appeared on your screen. 
   I just think it's amazingThe things you know
   How you share them with everyone
   The way you see through the lies
   I just think you're— , your digits hovered over the keyboard as you were about to type out the last sentence before quickly deleting it. Even in your excitement, you knew how obsessed you'd sound if you started complimenting him personally in your very first conversation. 
So instead you sent your thoughts on his posts and awaited his answer with bated breath. A few minutes ticked by this time, your anxiety making you count down the seconds in mortified silence, slowly weighted down by your doubts until your notifications for the forum were going off again with a distinct ping. 
   I've seen your replies around. I think you're great too. 
Whatever your hang ups for praising him directly had been, he clearly did not harbor any. As the prongs of nervousness alleviated their hold over your body, you struggled to see any problems with it either…this was a person you had come to idolize, and they thought you were great?
Your smile, while still anxious, was considerable while you quickly responded. 
   I'm just a n00b. Learning from the pros. 
A moment of thought, biting your bottom lip as you decided whether to add a second message or not. Fuck it, you told yourself. 
   I wasn't even supposed to be posting anything, but you made me wanna reach out. 
Was that too forward? Oh god, it was, wasn't it? You must've sounded creepy, must've sounded desperate and…
   That's cute. Did my ramblings teach you anything? 
An actual squeal left you then, sounding like it came from an altogether different person. You were an adult, with a career and responsibilities… Yet somehow, this stranger online indirectly calling you cute made you more excited than you were comfortable admitting.
   Ofc. I didn't even know what a BOPC was before. Didn't know most of the purge traps you mentioned, either. 
The spaces between replies were getting smaller, the conversation turning fluent as you both seemed to be staring straight into the screen, waiting for the other to finish typing. 
   So you really are a n00b then. 
Shit, did you fail some sort of forum etiquette by admitting that? Somehow, the need to impress Shou was more palpable than ever. 
   And you clearly know your stuff. Makes me wanna up my game. 
Be more like you, you left unsaid. 
   So am I your senpai then? 
Your fingers froze just above the keyboards, eyes scanning over Shou's last message and reverted back to staring at his profile pic for a solid minute. You would've squealed again, if you weren't so taken aback. 
   You make it sound like I am, his second message lit up your screen, coming in quickly after your rare pause in replies.
   I don't think that's bad, though. Third message from him, and you were close to fainting now. 
   Then in that case I suppose you are. You wondered whether Shou wouldn't think you were pathetic admitting that, or whether he had been honest by saying he didn't mind... 
   I've also noticed you agreeing with some of my more polarizing views. 
A welcomed change in topics. 
You thought to ask him which ones (most of his posts tended to have a polarizing effect, with people finding him either too radicalized or not radicalized enough), but before you could formulate the question you saw the twinkling circles symbolizing he was typing up another sentence.
   Do you actually believe them? And now it was his turn to spit your words back at you. 
   Well, yah. You make compelling arguments. 
   Color me impressed then, the start of his new retort left your mind spinning. Never met a n00b like you before. 
After his declaration, you found yourself writing and rewriting your answer, hesitating on your word choice, and yet pure elation coursed through your veins. 
He said he's impressed with me, your brain kept supplying on loop. You had no way of knowing just how much of a lasting impression you were leaving. 
   I don't wanna stay one tho. I'd like to jump a few levels. Improve.
Barely a moment's notice before his last message provoked a noticeable hitch in your breath. 
   I can help you with that. 
Which, as short of a reply as it was, left you giddier than would’ve been healthier to admit. 
Perhaps it could be chalked up to your work shifts growing more monotonous and tiresome, your social life becoming a faint echo of what it used to be, or just the regular wear and tear from a too-plain existence —a routine where you didn’t tend to engage with life, but just passively watched it go by.
Whatever the true reason was, that night you went to sleep with such a wide grin that the apples of your cheeks had started to hurt from the exertion, infinitely excited after getting to talk firsthand with someone you had already come to admire by that point. 
It almost made you self-conscious, knowing just how much it all meant to you, how such a small gesture on his part happened to mean the world to you. 
But there was really no reason to feel ashamed or overzealous over your own reaction. If you could’ve seen Shou, you would’ve known you weren’t the only one smiling.
。。。。。
   Almost as open of a smile as the one adorning his features right now, currently hidden from your view as his fingers set a maddening pace. Tortuously slow at first until his knuckles started brushing against your opening with each thrust. 
All you could hear now were the wet sounds of your arousal facilitating his movements, motions whose only purpose seemed to be to drive you more rambling and disoriented by the second. 
"Is this what you want? What you need, perhaps?" His usually calm voice was uncharacteristically affected as he gasped against your ear, the torture he was making you endure clearly getting to him as well. 
You were much too preoccupied with the waves of pleasure and warmth overflowing your body to give a proper response, but your lack of one did not deter him. 
If anything, your needy gasps and whines were the only encouragement he required. 
"Don't worry, Y/N. I'll take care of you, make you feel good."
By that point, the hand that had been petting your hair had found its way to your sopping heat too, calloused pads circling around your pearl while the man continued feeding you his eager promises. 
"I get you, baby. Just like you get me." So close, your entire body taut and ready to snap. "And you want me to take care of you too, right?"
You weren't conscious enough to understand the implications, your impaired judgment prohibiting you from reading further into the meaning of his words. He sounded so encouraging, so deceivingly tender despite stuffing you full of his fingers as you squirmed on his lap. 
All you could do was nod furiously.
And later on, when your senses sadly returned, dedicated yourself to lamenting over which of your actions brought you down this unfortunate path. 
。。。。。
    Perhaps, your consciousness supplied, it had been the fact that you opened up so readily. That you had dared to share with a supposed new friend, things that should’ve better stayed hidden in the first place.   
But goddamn it, you felt downright honored that he even considered you worthy enough to entertain in the first place. From the very first second, Shouto already had the upper hand. 
During the first few conversations, the topics you two discussed were all closely related to the purge and your mutual hang ups with it. Concise and carefully typed out messages were exchanged, discussing opinions you had never expected anyone to be interested in hearing—not from you, at least. 
But then, as the weeks slowly progressed, the subjects of conversation began shifting to both of your lives, to your occupations, hobbies, and, directly against the forum's policy for privacy, the people you two were outside the confines of your online corner. 
Even without actually exchanging any real data or supplying him with your name or age, you found yourself starting to open up more and more with each day.
You told him about your grueling office job, the friends you hadn’t seen or texted in weeks, and the reality of an apartment which more closely resembled a containment cell than a home…
Revelations that you had kept hidden for so long, which now came pouring out without regard for how mortified they made you feel. You were conscious of the limits blurring between you two the further you kept going, of how you were telling him things best left unsaid, cramped and buried in a hard to reach place. 
And yet, for some obscure reason, everything Shou represented made it impossible for you to resist the temptation to speak up, to demand to be heard for the first time in an eternity of quietness. 
You’re pathetic, is what you expected him to say in return. Pathetic, weak, meager, and worthless. Anticipating him, somehow, to echo all the doubts and deeply held fears you carried inside. 
   Most of my friends don’t understand either, was instead the response you  received. But most people don’t see what's wrong, what needs to be changed. You feel lonely because you do.
It wasn’t clear what you would’ve wanted to hear beforehand, the things you had fantasized someone would reply if you ever gathered the courage to share your anxieties. Whatever those expectations had been an eternity ago, they now vastly paled when compared to what your new friend was dangling in front of you. 
It felt like he was giving an excuse for things you had always perceived as personal failings. If what he said was true, it would mean it wasn’t your social ineptitude that kept people away, your uselessness, or uninteresting personality.
It would mean the shadows around you could still be dispelled somehow, exorcising the silhouettes of a suffering that had become a regular companion in your day to day life.
Brandishing a courage that only anonymity could give you, your fingers were a blur on your keyboard as you tried to ignore the rapid heartbeat in your chest, the fear, and exhilaration from opening up for the first time in forever. 
Something you would later regret a thousand times over.
   And you do too, and it wasn’t a question, a nervous comment or a stuttered retort. With the aid of the text format, you could look as confident as you knew you weren’t. You understand as well. 
You understand me, was the tacit meaning behind it. The prickling of unshed tears made it so you were furiously blinking, fighting against the downpour despite your eyes refusing to leave the screen for longer than an instant. 
   I do. More than you realize.
For all intents and purposes, your first mistake was indeed opening up. 
And your second one was being naive enough to let him in. Seriously, why hadn’t you heeded your parent’s advice about stranger danger?
。。。。。
   ...If they could only see you now, coming apart at the seams and with the name of your tormentor being the only word you were able to string together. 
"Such a beauty, and all for me," his praises accompanied you through the rough orgasm ripping through your body, lips kissing your forehead in stark contrast to the digits still pumping inside your heat. "Let me hear your voice, baby. Let me hear how beautiful my name sounds on your lips."
And you obeyed, because what other choice did you have. Mindless, broken, and oh, so needy. 
You continued to audibly moan as your climax unwound, crying out his name in absolute reverence while Shouto's smile deepened against your skin. The chill of his touch was still as soothing as ever, calming down the embers of a lust that refused to completely die down.
When he finally pulled his hands from your core, you felt excruciatingly empty. But you were not given enough time to wallow in your despair, because who you once considered your friend was then grasping your face gently between his hands, leading your gaze to meet his—forcing you to witness the intensity and adoration present there. 
"My Y/N."
Even in your deeply intoxicated state, the last few dredges of your senses supplied just how utterly abhorrent the situation was. 
The sirens signaling the start of the Purge had died down a while ago, drowned out by your own cries of pleasure, but you could still see the remnants of the government logo still plastered all over the TV, its bright glow bathing you both in an eerily scarlet ambiance. 
From the same weak place of coherence, a shiver of fear managed to break through your stupor. 
"You're going to continue to be a good girl for me, aren't you?" 
When he kissed you then, slow and almost ironically hesitant despite what had just transpired moments before, you couldn't begin to tell your body to refuse. Much to your own horror, you were soon eagerly kissing your tormentor back. 
。。。。。                                                      
   The second mistake leading up to your downfall, on the other hand, took a little longer to occur. It was after a few more weeks of conversation. You vented and talked way too much, while Shou listened intently and even rewarded you with a few crumbs of advice of his own.  
So wrapped up in your new seemingly innocuous friendship you were in, you failed to recognize the magnitude of an event that should've sent you scrambling to shut off your monitor. A warning so loud it would've put the Purge sirens themselves to shame. 
You see, with Shou's help, you were slowly becoming more of an active user around those parts. You didn't just stick to replying to his posts or lurking until he shot you a private message anymore; no, you were now officially a contributor, deciding to step out of your anonymity to share what you thought was a fairly interesting article. It was a rather long-winded thinkpiece on the morality of Darlings’ treatment after the Purge had ended—the reality of that year spent in captivity that most people tended to just brush under the carpet, all in the name of making the entire ordeal more palatable to digest. 
In all your eagerness, however, you had failed to realize a very crucial detail, which was that the article was a whole two days old. Already an ancient text by forum's standards, apparently. 
So with that in mind, of course you should've expected the hate, an outpouring of bitterness fit for a community of loners and acidic underdogs. You were on an anonymous forum on one of the darkest parts of the internet, somewhere most sane people actively stayed away from—Clearly, a rookie unwittingly reposting something was the perfect target for a lot of your bitter comrades. An excuse to finally take out all of their pent up frustration.  
   Fuck1ng pleb, thanks for copy-pasting the same post for the 55th time. 
   This is why we shouldn't let newbies post. Look at this mess @mods.
   Time to hang it up, n00b. And by “it”, I mean your f****** neck.  
   i bet ur a girl, [Username]. u type like a b1tch. 
And the icing on the cake for internet interactions, a myriad of wall spamming "KYS" being plastered all across the comment section, bold and daunting as they filled your notification box with the repetitions of hate. If you weren't so sure of your safety behind your screen, perhaps you would've felt intimidated. 
As it stood, you were just embarrassed, mortified at the fact that you had seemingly botched your only attempt at leaving a positive first impression. If anything, it only seemed you had given everyone a common enemy to pick on for once...
Or that was, at least, until Shou happened to log in at exactly that precise moment. You knew he was usually busy around that day and time (he never actually told you whether he had a job, but you had surmised as much from your past chats), so his instantly recognizable profile picture and username popping up had you genuinely gasping at first. It was one hell of a coincidence, but you couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief at what looked to be your savior.
   Everyone, stop getting your panties in a twist. This is why no new users end up staying, the environment is abhorrent. 
It was vague enough not to betray the fact that you two weren’t just strangers anymore, as well as keeping Shou’s reputation as a lone wolf from completely shattering.
And a comment which, surprisingly, instantly dulled most of the incoming messages your post was being flooded with. 
People respected him there, his status as a renowned user giving him a genuine sort of power and hold over the rest of the community. One of the first things you had recognized on the forums was the distinct hierarchical structures amongst its users, and there Shou might’ve as well be granted the title of mayor for all the weight his every sentence carried.
Or at least they did with the majority of the community. As in every place where large numbers of people gathered, there were always a few rotten apples just begging to be tossed. 
   and ofc ur whiteknighting for her, Shou The Great. shes sucking ur dick under evry single post u make
You cringed, studying the bitter user that had decided to be a contrarian and easily recognizing him from unsavory past encounters you witnessed. Although, if you were completely honest, this time you couldn't exactly say his words didn't carry a certain degree of validity.
Shou had told you he was glad that was the case with you, that his post resonating with anyone was one of the main reasons why he hadn't just disappeared from the site completely. But in reality, saying you weren't subtle about your agreement with his ideas would be an understatement. 
You were like a puppy skipping behind him, trailing his interactions and always ready to write an eager comment backing him up. Yet you had never thought others actually paid attention to your mostly one-sided interactions, the occasional meager downvote or emote being the only thing that made you aware your comments weren’t just lost in the sea of spam Shou’s posts were usually showered in. 
For the longest time, your support had just felt like leaving letters for the man to find. Letters you hadn’t even been sure had reached their target until a few weeks back...
Suddenly, the sharp sound of Shou's incoming reply drove you from your tribulations.  
   Well, maybe if you weren't such a crude man you wouldn't be permabanned from starting topics yourself. Although I doubt anyone would be sucking your dick either way, shitty ideology considered. [Image attached]
A grimace was quick to grow on your face as you aptly studied the picture Shou decided to close his reply with.
It was a screenshot of what looked to be someone's post history, a rather extensive list with alarmingly offensive titles such as "Why male darlings should be spared", "The purge is a form of cuckoldry" and “Feminist agenda: female yanderes and their biological advantage [Repost]". Almost all of them exhibited a tragic downvote ratio right as well, besides the red symbol signaling the posts had been archived by senior users or mods.
For someone who also loathed the terrible holiday, it was almost admirable how the man managed to be almost as detestable as the criminals you all rallied against. 
But even so, what disturbed you the most wasn't the clear bigotry of the user, but the fact that that screenshot couldn't have been taken from public records. A user's post history was hidden, just another measure on the site’s part to keep people from recognizing too many details about each other and possibly endangering themselves. 
No, it could only have been taken from inside the account. And judging from the other guy's quick reaction, you weren't the only one who came to that realization.
   how the fck did u get that
   I knew u were friends with the mods. fcking rats 
By that point, everyone else had stopped clogging the comments and, you assumed, instead opted to settle down and attentively observe the events transpiring. Apart from the emote reactions and the rapidly rising number of upvotes on Shou’s comments, you had all become a passive audience to the public ridicule.
Although you couldn’t help feeling slightly disjointed by Shou’s behavior. Below your wicked sense of pride at having him defend you, there was still the whispers of your gut telling you the man was going a little too far, his actions spelling a more sinister meaning than just “having a friend’s back”.
   You've been here for years, Minoru. Surprised you haven't yet noticed how much of a pest everyone sees you as. 
Minoru? You did a double-take, going back to read the username of the guy Shou was arguing with. But he just had a randomly generated number as a pseudonym, same as you and most others, and with just a picture of some anime sneezing girl to distinguish his profile from the rest. No trails or signs of what could Shouto be referencing to.
Nothing but an option you preferred not to consider. But it couldn't be, could it? your friend wouldn’t...
   fucking delete that right now, man.
   this isn't a joke, DELETE THAT. 
Only that the abrasive and desperate reaction told you everything you needed to know. Your heart was beating rapidly in your chest, shock mixing with equal parts horror and amazement you couldn’t even begin to try and disentangle. Because right that second, you were witnessing your friend breaking the forum’s number one rule with a front-row seat to the spectacle. 
And he was doing it all in your name.
   Then maybe think twice before you go out of your way to harass newbies. Or have you had too much time on your hands after being fired, is that it?
It was vague enough not to represent any kind of threat... if not for the context of the site. And yet you all knew the hidden message behind it, the warning for whoever Minoru was to understand Shou knew much more than what he was letting on. That he could expose much more than he was currently alluding to. 
   y are u even doing this, shou? y do u care wtf happens to this noobslut anyways?
Shou's reply took barely a moment to appear, lighting up your screen and, despite the slightly morbid nature of his protection, coaxing out a smile to adorn your lips. It was like a balm being applied to your worries, quieting down most of your incipient concerns in favor of rejoicing. 
   They're a friend. 
For fuck’s sake, you even screenshotted that for posterity. Somehow, him acknowledging the new bond you two had openly felt like a milestone. 
When a mod came in to archive the post and give everyone involved a stern warning later on, you were already way past your previous doubtful sentiments. 
Instead, the last thing you did before going to sleep that day was to open up your private conversation with Shou and send a quick yet heartfelt message of gratitude his way. 
Months prior, you wouldn’t have ever thought you’d be thanking anyone for semi doxxing another human being. How rapidly things were changing, though, and all while you got lost in the thrill of mattering.
   Thanks for sticking up for me. It meant a lot, you typed feeling slightly lightheaded, drunk on the idea that anyone would think you worthy of having your back.
You thought Shou went offline after dishing out his not so thinly veiled threats, but somehow he was back again in an instant, the sound of notifications going off shaking any remnants of your exhaustion.  
   Anything for you, [Y/N]. 
You were so tired, it didn't occur to you that you hadn't yet shared your real name with your friend either.
That night, for once, you fell asleep with a twinkle in your eye and the image of Shou's multicolored locks dancing against your eyelids. Imagining, ever so briefly, your fingers trailing down the back of a neck you now had memorized from analyzing his profile picture. 
And, while you slept with your phone clutched to your side, you also failed to notice the peculiar sound of your own camera going off, the soft glow from the red light beside your lense bathing your features in its subtle illumination, flickering against your eyelashes and the lingering grin on your curved lips. 
You truly looked angelic like that. 
Suffice it to say, Minoru never bothered you again after that day. In fact, his name disappeared from the site not too soon after. 
。。。。。                                                   
    But now, to continue the grueling task of giving a context for your inevitable end, it is necessary to jump a month further into the future, barely a week from the excruciating present. 
Because it was then that the last strike finished nailing the coffin of your proverbial undoing, burying you under the weight of your own ignorance.
You got your notice in the mail on the Day of Announcements, an inconspicuous letter lacking any further distinction beyond a scarlet government seal emblazoned across its front. But even before you opened and read the message, you already knew of its contents—easily recognizing the image before you from several of the varied posts you had seen floating around on the forums lately.
   Purge Notice!!! Help needed Urgently. 
   Just got my letter. Do I stay hidden or fight back? [Open poll]
   Third time getting mine. AMA about my methods. 
The range of how you had seen other users reacting to their own selections was diverse, with some of them being more experienced while others, such as you, had just gotten their first letter ever. If things played out differently for you, then you were sure you would've been another one of the numerous panicked voices, awkwardly trying to maneuver their way out of their new situation.
And maybe, then, your odds wouldn't have been so completely fucked from the start. 
As it stood, as soon as you laid eyes on the notice, the first thing you thought of was how quickly you could boot up your computer and open the forum’s private messages. Because, for the first time in forever, you were overwhelmed by the feeling of someone else being there for you. 
Shou was your friend, had earned that spot fair and square after months of listening to you venting and sharing deep discussions; faster than you could even realize it, and so it was only natural for you to seek his help once the news of your selection for the new yearly Purge reached you. 
He had even threatened another user for your sake, for fuck’s sake. So, really, what harm could come out of relying on someone you were sure was trustworthy?
Maybe it was too late by that point for you to snap out of it, but it was almost amusing seeing you being so easily deceived. 
Just another reason why you needed him, certainly.
 。。。。。
    Already told you I'd have your back, had been his immediate reply barely an instant after you attached a candid photo of your hand holding up the envelope. Whatever you need, I’m here.
His lack of hesitation was palpable through your screen, heart hammering in your chest as you were faced with a kindness you had thought yourself undeserving of not long ago. 
As soon as you closed your mailbox, you had immediately raced to send him the message, completely foregoing telling any of your other friends or family members when you doubted they would even understand you in the first place. Shou had been right when he told you people just didn’t want to see the truth, even if it slapped them right in the face, leaving dark imprints in the shape of their narrow mindedness.
But he was there, he was letting you know as much, in his own words. And for what felt like the hundredth time in the past few months, you felt incredibly lucky to have stumbled upon the Forums in the first place, to have traced whatever fortunate path had led you to find him—the one person able to distinguish you in a world you always thought you blended straight into. 
   Thank you, Shou, for everything. And at that moment, you really had been truthful, so much so that there were tears prickling at your eyes, an overwhelming feeling of gratitude drowning you with its intensity.
Indeed, your final mistake had been your desperate need for acceptance. A need that had, in the end, cost you everything.
   You can call me Shouto now. No use for nicknames anymore.
Amidst the chaos of your life possibly crashing down all around you, somehow his revelation put a trembling smile back in your face. 
   Then allow me to repeat: thank you, Shouto. 
   Np, Newbie. Told you I'd help you level up, didn't I? 
His teasing managed to garner a small stuttering laugh out of you despite the dreadfulness of your situation. 
But you couldn’t help it. Somehow, every reply Shouto sent you only served to wrap the illusion of safety tighter around you. So tight in fact, that you should’ve started worrying about suffocating. 
。。。。。
   On the other side of the screen, the man with the multicolored hair couldn’t help but keep staring at the picture you had sent him earlier. 
He was transfixed, eyes almost unblinking as they refused to separate from the image. The way your fingers tentatively held the letter up for the picture was simply adorable to him. Beautifully naive. 
It wasn't like he hadn't seen your face before, like he hadn't already memorized the texture of your skin and the everlasting trace of a frown always threatening to dampen your mood. He read your expressions like poetry, every mole and scar furthering the securing of his interest. 
But this was the first picture you had actually chosen to send him out of your own volition, the final symbol of a trust he had worked so tirelessly to earn. Used to catching prey as he was, the man wasn’t entirely sure when you had turned from a game into a priority, from a priority into the only thing he could even make himself care for.
And it didn’t help that it was his letter you were holding, too. His formal declaration of pursuit. 
With time, Shouto was sure you would find it in yourself to appreciate the beauty of such irony. 
But, for now, what he really needed to do was buy some tea. Couldn’t have your own stubbornness ruining your first encounter, could he?
。。。。。
   In the coming weeks, your friend aided you and even coached you as you jointly planned for the horrific holiday, not only suggesting ideas but tracing the safety measures needed for them to succeed. You really had no reason to doubt him by that point.
That evening, after you finished letting Shouto know you were back from work, you made sure to pack all of your supplies into an inconspicuous bag you had acquired for the occasion. Whoever your Yandere was, it was best to not give any hints of your new acquisitions, just in case they were already stalking your movements. 
Shouto had helped you devise the list, mentoring you in your selection of weapons as well as self-defense arsenal—what brands of pepper spray to get, which ammunitions were most efficient and reliable, even what kind of clothing was the least troublesome if the need to escape ever arose. If you had been sure he knew his craft before, now you were surprised at just how vast his wisdom genuinely was. 
After the last few finishing touches of preparations, you were already on your way to the direction you had both agreed on (supplied by him, approved by you). There were several hours until the start of the Purge still, but the adrenaline swimming through your bloodstream was already considerable. 
Shouto had suggested you visited him for the Holiday, quoting how the measures in place for his home made it nothing short of a fortified vault, impossible for any outsiders to break into (and for anyone to break out of, but let's not get ahead of ourselves). 
With that in mind, how could you have refused his offer? Your place was barely an excuse for an apartment, windows that didn't entirely close, and feeble doors that could be easily broken into. Even if you weren't partly driven by the curiosity of meeting your new internet idol turned friend, it would've been foolish to decline. 
So in a few hours, you were sporting a nervous smile on your face as you parked your car in front of the largest apartment complex you had ever encountered. It was luxurious in a way you had only seen staring back at you from a television screen, marble, and gold accents giving you the impression you were about to step into a drama set instead of visiting an online friend. 
Before the surrealism of the entire situation could begin to set in, however, you noticed the young man sitting on the ample stairs of the building. He had an air of effortless elegance, tall and lithe, yet sporting a black turtleneck which hugged his frame and made it clear just how much sheer strength hid behind his movements. 
And he also sported the same peculiarly colored locks you had already memorized from the last few months, the light softly reflecting on them proving to be an even more impressive show when admired live. 
You were dazzled for an instant, wondering if, somehow, this entire thing was a prank and the Shou from the forums had just schemed his way into making a fool out of you in front of a handsome stranger. Way too convoluted, yet entirely too plausible to your bewildered self. 
Until the man lifted his eyes—as beautifully dual-toned as his hair, and catching sight of you standing just beside your recently parked vehicle. 
"Y/N," he was sharply climbing to his feet as he called out your name, the shy hint of a smile in his lip contradicting the monotone cadence of his tone. "Good to finally meet you."
You had first been under the impression that the Shou you knew was cold, the way he interacted with others on the site reminding you of an emotionless robot at times, but the man addressing you seemed like he was ripped straight out of a stereotypical rom-com. 
Maybe he'd be the aloof, tormented heir? Which, in your fantasy drama land, would make you the nearly illiterate and poor love interest. Your feelings of inadequacy only grew at the comparison.
Almost cute, how that had been one of your greatest worries once upon a time. How foolishly eager you were to be liked back then.
"Shouto." The name still felt somewhat strange on your lips, even after he had insisted you started calling him that. "It's good to meet you, too."
He was by your side in an instant, taking your bags from you swiftly and shutting the door to your ride. From this up close, it became considerably harder to disguise your staring. 
Even the scar which covered his left eye, a splash of reddish textured skin, somehow came across like yet another enhancer of his appeal. An underlying harshness which you couldn't help but be intrigued by. 
"Your hair looks even better in person."
And leave it to you to once again find a way to screw first impressions. You were chastising yourself a mere second after the words left your mouth. 
But Shouto only sent you that same hint of a smirk your way, his eyes appearing genuinely pleased at your praise. If he thought you were a weirdo and was regretting ever inviting you to his house, then he was a good enough actor for you to be fooled.
And fooled you he did, but with completely different intentions. 
"You look just like in your pictures," came his serene retort not long after.
Which you assumed was a joke, keeping in mind that the only photo you had ever sent his way had been of the Purge letter you received a few days ago.
Laughing lightly, you tried to ignore the nerves tugging at your chest before catching up with him on the steps of the building. 
As you giddily barged straight into the open jaws of the beast, it once again struck Shouto how utterly unsuspecting you were. How you trusted him so wholeheartedly.
He couldn't wait to see it all come crashing down.
。。。。。
   Inside his honest to god penthouse, your previous feeling of insufficiency only became more severe. 
The interiors were decorated sparingly, albeit fashionably. Filled with different muted shades and being unexpectedly traditional in the way they were designed. It was a stunning abode, even if you couldn't help but mentally point out how utterly unlived in it appeared.
There was not a single cup, shoe, or book out of place, everything perfectly polished and organized to the point that you felt hesitance as your sock-covered feet continued making their way through the place.
"Make yourself at home," Shouto told you most matter-of-factly. If you weren't so sure of his intentions by now, perhaps you would've thought he was being sarcastic. 
Without any of your belongings to distract yourself with, you instead gravitated towards what you could see of the kitchen through one of the sliding doors. 
It was very modern despite the rest of the aesthetic the penthouse sported, shiny stainless steel and spotless dark countertops. It should've looked out of place when paired with the carpeted floors, wooden furniture, and sparse pieces of classical Japanese art…
Yet somehow, it strangely fits. Just like his owner, you supposed, thinking back to the oddities that amounted to his unique brand of appeal.
And you really needed to stop thinking of your friend like that. 
When you heard the door to the apartment being audibly locked with a resounding click, you instantly stopped your fingers grazing the smooth countertops. Your instincts flared up with worry for a moment, right before you forcefully willed yourself to calm down.  
After reminding yourself of the true reason why you were there, the exhale you released next was one of clear relief. 
"Want something to drink?" Shouto appeared in your line of sight again, hands buried in the pockets of his pants and looking like the picture of composure. 
You felt embarrassed once again, knowing he had given you a free pass to roam but still somewhat self-conscious about intruding on his space. 
"You don't need to make me anything. I'm fine." Your timbre was apologetic, not used to slipping into the role of a guest just yet. 
He seemed strangely dissatisfied with your answer, closing some of the distance between you with a presence that had you almost flinching back for a second. 
There was an intensity in his gaze, something which you could not quite yet place. 
"But I want to be a good host. So let me." He appeared very serious about it, too, with his face growing stern as his peculiar eyes bore into yours. 
Not wanting to cause further distress, you imagined relenting would be the best course of action. 
It was like you were molded to be the perfect Darling, so wonderfully meek and gullible.
"Okay then. Water is fine."
Yet Shouto shook his head, still somewhat dissatisfied with your answer. 
"Tea it is." His phrasing allowed little space for argument. "I know you mentioned liking a few brands before, so I took the liberty of stocking up on them."
A surprising burst of laughter broke through your anxious feelings then, drawing Shouto's eyes again from the particular cabinet they had drifted to as he mentioned the beverages. 
He looked at you puzzled, an unasked question written all over his otherwise blank expression, and so you decided to reply from the surge of unexpected amusement you were experiencing. 
"It's only a night, Shou," you didn't even realize you had slipped back into his nickname, too entertained by how much he had apparently overdone his hospitality. "There really wasn't any need for you to go buy my favorite teas."
His eyes blinked quite slowly your way, his expression back to his vacant mask before a smile reappeared.
"I wanted you to feel welcomed," he supplied as he approached the cabinet he was eyeing before, dedicating himself to searching for whatever kind of flavor of tea he had in mind. 
In response, you just shrugged your shoulders with another chuckle. 
"And I didn't get you anything. You're making me feel even more out of place."
"Nonsense," he cut you off in that deadpan way of his, hands rummaging through the most ridiculously vast tea collection you had ever seen. And then he added, decidedly quieter, "today is supposed to be about you, after all."
Too bad you didn't pick up on it. 
When he ushered you back to the salon with barely a wave next, pointing at one of the cushions arranged around the short-legged table, you decided to follow his suggestion and wait there while he finished brewing the drinks. By now, you understood the futility of offering any kind of help when he was still so intent on properly welcoming you. 
So, curious as you were, your eyes continued to inspect each and every inch of the apartment, drinking up all the pieces of info you could observe, that you didn't even think of the potential dangers of letting a stranger fix you a cup while you weren't looking.
Unbeknownst to the other, you were both actively counting down the seconds until the Purge started, minds lost to your own inner turmoils from opposite sides of the suite. 
And for entirely different reasons, you were both filled with anticipation.    
。。。。。
   Meanwhile, finally back in the present after retracing the steps that guided you there, it was becoming increasingly hard to compartmentalize the chaos brewing inside you.
Shouto’s lips were the personification of hunger against yours, an inescapable gluttony to mark and consume every single inch of you he could encompass. 
After a hint of understanding returned to your body post-orgasm, your vision and the sensations you endured were becoming disturbingly vivid. It was impossible to conceive anything beyond his hands ridding you of your flimsy camisole, palms cold in comparison to the heat you felt, splaying against your sides and slowly making their way up the sensitive mounds of your chest.
“All mine, baby.” You barely registered his teeth nipping at your bottom lip until a shock of pain snapped you out of your trance.
He bit you, and quite harshly too, but when you tried to instinctually pull back his response was to hold you even tighter. Before you could attempt to voice your complaints, his tongue was darting out to clean up the droplets of blood he spilled. 
“Out of all the Darlings I’ve played with, you’re the only one I’ve ever even considered keeping, you know?”
And now that had you freezing, even amidst the cloud of desire still muddling your cognizance. His arms pressed you closer still, forcing you to bury your face against his chest, completely unphased by the bloody mess your mouth had morphed into.  
Had he tricked others before then? Was that the reason why he was even on the Forums in the first place? 
You wanted to ask him what he meant, wanted to demand explanations for a phrase that had dread closing around your neck like a noose. But whatever he slipped into your drink to keep you so awfully responsive and pliable, also appeared to make forming any complex sentences incredibly hard…
Shou, ever the receptive one, caught onto your change in demeanor rather aptly. His face nuzzled your hair softly, humming a calming melody as if you were a scared child who could be so easily reassured. Meanwhile, his hands hadn’t abandoned your breasts, still tenderly kneading them with a touch bordering on worship.
“But I’m glad you weren’t my first, baby. Means I could be all ready for when we met.” He rocked you both as he rested his back further on the sofa, opening his legs wider below you and forcing you to settle closer to his clothed groin with a whimper. 
Your arms reached out to grasp his shoulders while you tried to stabilize yourself, the strain of his erection resting snuggly against your still sensitive slit. 
"Helped me to know when to pull back," he kept confessing, purposefully thrusting into you while he kept lovingly massaging your chest, fingers twisting your hardened peaks to coax a new kind of mewl to be uttered against his skin. "Wouldn't want you to break now that I've finally found you."
The fact that your bodies seemed to fit so perfectly, even in your impaired state, was not an irony lost on you. 
Abruptly, Shouto stopped fondling your breasts in order to maneuver your face again, both of your stares meeting in a vehement standoff before he continued. 
“I’ll make this as close to perfection as I can, I promise you.” And you got a direct view of the vulnerability in his uniquely colored eyes, the nature of his words clearly heartfelt despite the atrocities they alluded to. 
As you heard him drag his zipper down, the hand clutching your jaw trembling in anticipation, you couldn’t help the new wave of warmth spreading through your body, negating all the fear and anxiousness warring inside you in order to shamefully expose your baser desires.
Now that whatever had been clouding your  judgment was pulling back slightly, your thought process had begun to snap back into place, overflowing you with a terrible sense of shame at your own reactions.
He gave you something earlier with your drink, you were sure of it, and yet you couldn’t help but still be horrified at just how much you were enjoying it. Once you felt the flushed head of his cock placidly rubbing against your thigh, the sounds leaving your mouth weren’t ones of complaint, peril or dissent.
Quite the contrary, actually, and it only made Shouto grow bolder.
As the hand clutching your face grew tenser, gripping you with force before tugging harshly, you got the hint. Now painfully following his lead, it wasn't long before the previous pressure against your legs was now resting directly against your cunt. 
The pre-cum already gathered on him mixed in with your still oozing arousal, smearing the span of your outer lips as he lightly teased you one last time. 
You were so mortified by that point, that if he had offered to end your embarrassment right then and there with one of the several weapons you knew he kept, you would’ve been very inclined to accept. 
“... I didn’t even think there was such a thing as 'The One' before, actually.” You hadn’t even realized the man was still talking, ardent whispers getting lost on the intensity of the situation. 
His eyes were searching your face, a satisfied twinkle lighting them up as soon as you returned his stare of your very own volition. Perturbed, you wondered if his delusion made him see anything beyond a twisted mix of lust and fear reflected back at him. 
“But I now know just how wrong I was, Y/N.” So sure of himself, tone back to the stern cadence you previously associated with him for a moment, gripped by a gravity befitting of his obsession. “Indeed, I think you were always meant to be my darling… don't you agree?”
To your credit, you did struggle to speak up, to gain back the control over a body which had stopped listening long ago. Too bad you only managed a single pitiful word out.
“Shouto…”
But before you could even fathom attempting a better response, he was breaching into you, sheathing himself with an ease you wished you could overlook, turning your voice from an anguished plea into outrageously labored moans. 
You had once thought Shou had been interested in you because he somehow perceived you as anything but pathetic, but you were beginning to think it had been your weakness which drew him in all along. 
So deliciously frail, that even a predator like him had been driven with an urgent need to protect you. To break you down, just so he could be the one to build you back together.
As he started fucking you with shallow thrusts, hips bucking up from the sofa while he tenderly guided you until your body was mimicked his motion on its own, you couldn’t help but be the most disturbed at his oddly affectionate ways. 
As awful as it sounded, now that your mind had awakened from its stupor all you wanted was for him to bend you over and abuse you, manhandle you and mistreat you in a way which unequivocally screamed assault. You wanted bruises painting your skin, proof that you hadn’t just willingly given up and facilitated your own ruin. 
He was humiliating you despite the pretty words he decided to disguise it as—showing you how easily he could own you and even make you enjoy it, drug-addled drink or not. 
But as his mouth latched around one of your hardened nipples, sucking generously until his name was once again fast on your tongue, you also couldn’t deny the crystal clear responses you were giving.
You could attempt to lie to yourself later, could swear it was all a delusion born out of the deranged man's mind, but the particular brand of your screams was unmistakable.
When your own hand reached down to facilitate your release, you knew you were already acting beyond what you could've previously attributed to the drugs. Toying with your bundle of nerves, you rested your forehead against Shouto's shoulders, tears from the pleasure mixing in with the subjacent agony of your guilt. 
Why did it have to feel so good? And how far did the drugs truly affect you? Or had they just peeled back your inhibitions perhaps, baring you until all you had were dark desires and no self-control to contain them. 
You still tasted blood inside your mouth when your walls started clenching around his cock, the coppery flavor entirely too vivid on your tongue. Hearing his own choked groans gasping against your chest, you felt his mouth abandoning your bud with a pop before his kisses were trailing a path back up—eager in their search of your face, your lips. 
You were still cumming by the time a lascivious kiss connected you two again, unwinding in his grasp until his hands were the only thing keeping you whole. 
“Even if I wasn't taught how,” he began promising while his rhythm grew frantic, barely resisting the allure of your core fluttering around him. “I promise I’ll love you, Y/N. Love you so good, you won’t ever want to leave when the next Purge comes.” He was getting increasingly excited by his own words, imagining a future where you did not need the aid of a little cup of tea to eagerly kiss back. “I’ll fuck you every day, fill you up and show you just how much I care. How much you matter.”
Faced with his degenerate promises, all you could do was gasp out his name one last time, perhaps seeking to express your reticence, perhaps oddly excited by the image he was painting. 
You indulged him in the pitiful sound of your whimpers molding around its syllables, and it wasn’t long before you were coaxing him to join you with an orgasm of his own.
He actually came inside, you recognized inwardly after the aftershocks of enjoyment now quieted down to a lull, a new type of dread quickly following the realization. His cum was still shooting in hot ropes, stuffing you to the brim with the intent and purpose of a man bent on marking you, owning you.
But Shouto was so loving as he kissed you time and time again, painfully reminding you of just how nice he could be for you, how gentle and attentive. It made the lines between your tormentor and a traditional lover blur even further, the confusion clouding your sense not merely born out of narcotics any longer. 
You had been so preoccupied with a monster outside your house once. A creature ripped from the kind of movies that were ripe with cheap scares and considerably cheaper thrills. 
But monsters never were like that in real life, were they? As the man continued to cradle you in his arms like the most vulnerable of creatures, you were suddenly struck by how glaringly obvious things should’ve been from the beginning. 
Because your Yandere’s obsession had not come with claws and a row of sharp teeth. No, it came instead with a suit of deception to hug its frame, the bait of acceptance, and the promise of a reliable ear to comfortably listen. It arrived with whispers that assured you that you were not alone, that it was not you who was flawed, but the world for not welcoming you. 
It dangled everything your little heart desired, so by the time you were reaching out, you were simply too distracted to notice the dangers of the abyss you were throwing yourself at.
Luckily for you, Shouto had made such a void his home. And for however long it took you to consider the darkness as your own, his was a kind of hospitality that no amount of your struggles could ever hope to wear down. 
And if the worst came to pass, if you kept stubbornly refusing and fighting despite your odds? Well…
   He could always brew you another cup of tea.
-------
Well, I can finally rest now 💀
This monster of a one-shot took me a lot longer than expected, so I ended up being a lil later to the collab that I would’ve liked. Either way, I’d really appreciate hearing any feedback or opinions on either the fic or art (or both?)... I swear that’s what keeps me motivated ;___; 
So fr, thanks to everyone who takes the time to let me know your takes! y’all are the bests of the best 🖤 And speaking of bests of best, special thanks and gratitude to the actual angels who helped and gave me feedback for both the art and/or fic @reinawritesbnha , @drxwsyni​, @wootato, @snappysnapo and @coyambition. Don’t catch me seeing y’all drop your crowns bc it’s on sight  😠 👑
1K notes · View notes
riathedreamer · 4 years
Text
Zero is Null
A discussion of Zero’s love-hate-relationship with RvB and struggling independence; including a hotdog too big for the bun, tragic backstories, a single bow-chicka-bow-wow, and a cookie at the very end.
Welcome to what will be a lot of text. Basically, it will explore why Zero fails as an RvB (with emphasis on RvB) season. I will not be the first one to bring forth some of the points, and I promise to be fair and civil and fun. This isn’t supposed to be a piece of hate – in fact, I’m writing this because I love Red vs. Blue.
Okay, first of all, to increase your fun – take a guess on just how much of Zero is spent on fight scenes. You see, I’ve calculated the exact amount, and I will reveal it later, but for now, take a guess and remember the number. Maybe you are the winner!
Alright, time to share my thoughts. Wait! Since I suffer from anxiety and have this one annoying voice pretending to be all those critical statements my opinion could be met with, let’s give it an actual voice and address the points throughout this review.
“Why would I care about your opinion, Ria?” – I don’t know, you’re the one who clicked Read More.
“Your opinion doesn’t matter!” – Of course, it doesn’t! Geez. Do you think your opinion matters, though? Listen, we’re on Tumblr, the actual equivalent of screaming into the void. And it’s fun, too!
“If you don’t like it, don’t watch!” - *activates Uno Reverse Card* “You can’t talk about something you haven’t watched!”
“You’re just a Hater” – Actually, this is a point I’ll come back to. Like a cliffhanger. Also, at the end of this, there’ll be a cookie. But this will also include me talking about the stuff I like, because, surprise, Zero is not without talent!
“You just don’t like it because the Reds and Blues aren’t in it!” – Actually, that’s a good point, so instead, this review will start with a sole focus on Zero and discuss the problem that lies within that story. Then we can address why the lack of OG cast is understandable and problematic and weird.
But first! Backstory.
When the first 5 second teaser dropped back in spring (you know, when we were young and innocent and the world didn’t feel like an apocalyptic movie yet), I held onto that one image of what I thought (hoped) to be Grif and Simmons in the sunset, hopefully addressing Grif’s hateglue arc, but boy was I wrong because a) that’s not Simmons, that’s Sarge, and b) the image was from a PSA since the Reds are not in Zero.
Actual face-reveal of me below:
Tumblr media
Admittedly, when I heard that the Reds and Blues were not going to be the main characters (or even show up), it felt like a gut punch. However, I actually found myself getting excited due to the creators’ hype. I want to praise them for this. It’s been a while since an RvB season was talked so much ABOUT before its release; it had advertisements, it had creators and voice-actors talking about it. Please. More of that in the future. Their passion rubbed off on me, and that deserves recognition. So it pains me that this was clearly a passion-project, and then when I gave it a try, I didn’t want to touch it again for weeks.
Here’s the thing. I cannot whole-heartedly say that Zero is bad. It’s not gonna melt your eyes. It’s not even so-bad-it’s-good. For me, it’s meh. It’s a Saturday-morning-cartoon aimed for a younger audience with a rushed plot and clichéd characters. The problem is that it calls itself RvB, and with that title comes something to live up to – but more importantly, something to continue.
My main issue is that Zero forces its story into existence by ignoring established content rather than adjusting to it. Let’s call this for the hotdog-too-big-for-the-bun syndrome solely for the sake of the bow-chicka-bow-wow that’s coming now. Bow-chicka-bow-wow. Many of the separate issues I will dive into all add to this hotdog-issue, so I will scream “Hotdog!” whenever this is the case so we can all keep track of my argument.
You can continue the story of Red vs. Blue without the Reds and Blues. While that would personally crush my heart, it can be done. There’s a story of Red vs. Blue that can be continued. The world can be expanded, the previous actions of the Reds and Blues can be explored from another angle.
So.
How does Zero do this? It doesn’t.
I just want to make it clear that new elements can definitely be added when it comes to worldbuilding. That’s literally the point of sequels. But Zero’s settings are presented with so little grace and with no connection to previously established worldbuilding. We get Alliance of Defense and GLASS thrown in our face as very big important organizations – yet we’ve never heard of them before. A big central plot point of RvB is the UNSC and Project Freelancers, and those were introduced naturally with the plot. We already have big established intergalactic organizations. What is AOD’s connection with those? We aren’t told. We are just told they exist and expected to accept it, no questions asked. If this was a whole new world and story – fine. But when you need to build on an already established worldbuilding, you need more grace than this. Chorus was a whole new setting, but it was explained, and it was connected to the previous plot. Same with Iris. Same with Desert Gulch. In Zero, it feels lazy. It feels forced. These organizations are just there because the story is built around them (HOTDOG).
This vagueness when it comes to wordbuilding is also reflected in the settings - we have a desert, a training base, a lab, temples, Tucker’s workplace, and we do not know if all those are set place on the same planet. If that is the case, what is this planet’s relationship with Chorus? Is it Earth? And most importantly, what is the deal with the temples? Why are they connected to Tucker’s sword if it isn’t the same planet. Are they made by the same aliens? Are people okay with this? Why haven’t these temples been explored before? Chorus makes sure to establish this, while Zero doesn’t, adding to a growing amount of confusion.
Okay, so no connection with previous worldbuilding. What about characters? I mean, we got Wash and Carolina and Tucker! So we have RvB characters, it gotta be RvB! Technically – yeah. But it feels dirty. These three characters are not here to be characters. They are here to be props to the new cast. They are not given any development. Their presence isn’t even that important, and if this was a whole new show, they could easily have been replaced with an unknown face. Worst of all, they feel miswritten.
Carolina and Wash are working at a new military organization? Leaving the Reds and Blues behind? To help people? First of all, fucking bad idea, Carolina, the last time you left the Reds and Blues alone, they changed the timeline. But most importantly – Carolina and Wash just joined this new super elite military organization? After being mistreated and manipulated by such an organization in the past?
Carolina is there to introduce the characters. That’s it. We are force-fed their personality by having her literally read out loud their personality. There is no gentle introduction to the new cast. We are not allowed to get to know them naturally. Why show when you can tell, huh? That’s Carolina’s role. That’s why she is there. To introduce the cast and explain their story. That’s it. (HOTDOG).
How about Wash? He is there to get beat up and be a damsel in distress so that the new cast has a reason to explore the plot. Oh, and that brain damage that was the consequence of previous seasons – gone now. The guy who literally has trauma from having an AI explode inside his head is fine with having a computer inserted into it instead. Because that’s needed. To explore his brain damage wouldn’t work now when his role is to be a prop to lure the new cast for one episode and then be put onto the bench for the rest of the runtime (HOTDOG).
And Tucker – he is there to die for a second and have his sword taken from him. That’s literally it. And for the few moments he is there, he feels like old super flirty Tucker, which erases the character development he went through in previous seasons. Okay, so Tucker dies, and then not dies, and then he is put on the bench with Wash where they can sit and talk or whatever (‘cause holy shit, the new cast is not allowed to that), because he isn’t important. The sword is. Tucker is just a prop, even more than his sword is (HOTDOG).
Damn. Wash gets beat up. Tucker gets beat up. Dies. Gets his sword taken away. Almost seems like a Red’s wet dream. Sorry not sorry, Blues, you were done dirty.
So there are miswritten old characters. Even worse is the retconning. The plot needs a “normal” Wash, so, bam, magic computer solution. Never mind Wash’s trauma and character traits. Never mind the logic of the new worldbuilding which also includes a character suffering for years to heal an illness. But the brain damage that was such a big consequence that it became the main part of the plot of the last two seasons – gone. I mean, a gunshot to the head can be healed by CPR. That’s canon. But no one gave Wash CPR so it’s a big thing, okay. It was canonically a big thing, and Zero erased that. This is not me saying that a Cerebral Enhancer couldn’t work in the RvB universe. Imagine it being done right. Wash struggling with the choice of getting used to his disability or accepting the possibility of help - at the cost of reliving his trauma. The struggle between what to choose - what should he choose when he wants to help as many as possible, the sacrifices he thinks he has to make, the way it could have been used as a part of his character growth. But in Zero, the enhancer isn’t a part of Wash’s character. It’s there so the story can work without having to deal with the previous plot’s consequence (HOTDOG).
Same with the sword thing. They sorta explain it by having Tucker flatline, but it’s weak. Honestly, I find it sorta offensive. What about Locus’ sword as well? It’s twisting previous lore to make the new plot work (HOTDOG). (Also, are we not gonna talk about the ultimate power being Spencer Porkensenson’s helmet? Have the writers forgotten Spencer Porkensenson? Have we as a community forgotten Spencer Porkensenson?)
If you have Red vs. Blue in your title, you cannot ignore what you inherit from it. You need to respect the worldbuilding, the established characters, and the previous plot. Zero does not do this.
Let’s talk about the Triplets. No, really, let’s do it. I don’t think I’ve ever talked about them before, because season 14 was a mixed bag for me (that I have now learned to appreciate. Thank you, Zero.) because I have heart at the size of the Grinch and can only love a few characters at a time, and that did not include the Triplets. Can’t even remember their names. Well, I can, but I can’t for the love of me remember which state is which, and my tongue is twisted every time I try to say Ohio, Iowa, and Idaho, and I know it’s on purpose. I know it is. And it got me good. That being said, the fandom actually embraced them really, really well! Seriously, I’ve seen more content for the Triplets than for Zero as a whole.
Why talk about the Triplets? (Was Iowa the lesbian? Or was it Ohio? Fuck.) Because like Zero, they introduced new characters with a story of their own. The Reds and Blues didn’t play a role. But here’s what I feel like the Triplets got right. They didn’t change the settings to force their narrative. They used stuff already established (Project Freelancer), added their own story as a continuation of that. They even included old characters in the beginning (Wash and some other Freelancers) but it felt natural and it didn’t feel like it happened at the expense of the old characters. Wash’s writing felt natural, and his presence wasn’t needed to tell these new character’s stories. He wasn’t a prop to them. He was there to establish the setting and to establish the relationship with these new characters, and then he and the other familiar faces (helmets??) left, and we as the viewers were left with these new characters. And the new characters told their own story by themselves. It felt like, hey, here’s something you know – remember Mother of Invention, and remember Wash’ lower rank, but now, try to imagine being even lower rank than him, aren’t you curious about those fates? Now let’s hear their story! It was new, it was something else, but it didn’t wreck what came before it, and it stayed true to the classic vibes of RvB.
As I said before, the hotdog-issue is my biggest problem with Zero. It infuriates me. I will return to this. But there are more issues, even if we try to look past the title-related problems.
If we try to imagine Zero as its own story and universe (as it should be, in my opinion), it still earns the meh review from me.
These isolated issues include awkwardness, the writing, lack of self-awareness, and pacing. First of all, holy shit, this is a tell, don’t show. Nothing is subtle, nothing is allowed to develop. It’s like the show thinks you are six years old with an attention span of a goldfish. You are not just led by the hand – they have literally pulled off your arm by the end of the show. We are force-fed every bit of information, every bit of personality from these new characters.
The voice-acting is a mixed bag for me. Sometimes it’s pretty good, sometimes it’s not. Some of the problems can definitely be blamed on the dialogue that you can only do so much with. It’s not good. I can’t remember any good jokes (the one joke I really appreciate was the cast on armor, and that was freaking visual humor. That was so RvB. Kudos to that. It was fun. More of that, please.), and RvB is known for having memorably good lines. This is a show built on good, clever, funny dialogue. Zero does not deliver. You have to sit through clichéd lines – “You’re not my dad”, “I trusted you”, “Come with me”, “It can’t be!”, “She’s way too powerful”, and “We have to do this together” – performed unironically. I cringed more than I laughed. Worst thing is that Zero could be a good parody. Sometimes, it feels like it is. One-dimensional characters, a villain wanting ‘the ultimate power’, very overpowered characters, bad one-liners, etc. But Zero takes itself seriously, and I was one of the people rooting for Jax to show up at the end and yell “Cut”. That would have been a funny-as-fuck twist. A spin-off parody. If I can’t have “Sarge the Movie”, I would have taken that and loved it. I would have forgiven everything. “We put so much info into finding that power, but we had no idea what it was” is really a line in the finale, and I cannot believe this is real in a show that somehow still tries to present itself as serious. What a plot.
We have to talk about pacing. God, first of all it should be stated that RvB is a mess when it comes to pacing. I honestly get what they were going for. Sometimes, RvB has come across as a bit boring when you get three episodes stretched over three weeks without much going on. I know season 11 did not have the warmest welcome because it was seen as boring until the finale. But when you see season 11 as a whole, as a movie, as a part of a trilogy, it works so well. Zero is more focused on being episodic. They want something to happen all the time so we will stay tuned. The thing that will happen – a fight. Oh god. The fight scenes.
I have done the math. I have run the numbers. I deserve a freaking cookie for this. Are you ready?
If you put all the episodes together, you have a runtime of 106 minutes. HOWEVER, with the introduction of credits in every episode, you gotta account for this. Removing the credits, this gives us 94 minutes of actual runtime. Out of that, 45 minutes are dedicated to fight scenes. That means 48% of the show is fight scenes.
If I wanted that many fight scenes, I’d watch Death Battle. Except the actual RvB Death Battle episode has a runtime of 20 minutes, and out of that, 5 minutes is dedicated to the actual battle. For the people who hate math – that’s 25% of the actual runtime.
RvB Zero has more fight scenes than a show called Death Battle. Take that in.
The pace suffers from this. Where’s the time to explore the characters? Where’s the time for good dialogue? All I can think of is this:
Tumblr media
I get that RvB is a show that’s literally making fun of itself by acknowledging all their characters do is stand around and talk. I get that you want characters to do more than that. But for the love of Church, would it kill the new characters to stand around and talk? For just a minute? Stop fighting, I am begging you, stop fighting! Am I a pacifist now? Am I purple? Have I joined Doc’s team? What has Zero done to me?!
The good thing though is that fight scenes are very good. They’re entertaining. However, they seem to deconstruct themselves when we need to get a fight scene in every episode. Usually, the few fight scenes in an RvB season were in some of the most climatic episodes. In Zero, I can hardly keep up with the pace because they won’t stop moving. Fight scenes aren’t plot. They aren’t character development. You need more than just fight scenes. They entertain, but there’s a limit to that.
Noël Wiggins, the co-writer, stated the inspiration was a Saturday-morning cartoon. They nailed that vibe. If that was their goal, hurray, they have accomplished something! Because of the poor plot and constant fight scenes, it feels like you could just switch on the TV and drop in at any moment and let yourself be entertained by the cool and colorful soldiers punching and kicking each other. I will admit that the fight scenes entertained me. But they don’t make it a good season.
If I were the six-year-old with the attention span of a goldfish that the show believes I am, I honestly would enjoy it. The stiff dialogue and the constant tell-don’t-show makes you feel like an audience that’s not supposed to do anything else but admire the flashy fight scenes. I miss the cleverness of RvB. I miss the characters I get to connect with as I see them grow.
I miss the tone of RvB. Because this isn’t RvB to me.
It’s not that RvB hasn’t changed its tone before. Holy shit, I sorta do want to experience the absolute shock the RvB fandom went through when s6 aired and they were given new characters and serious plot. I would have loved to experience that, but I was too busy being ten years old. The Freelancers seasons also introduced a new tone and more fight scenes with very talented fighters compared to the Blood Gulch gang, but a balance was kept by having half of the season still revolving around the Reds and Blues. But Zero – Zero is so much change. And it’s on purpose. At least this has been made very clear from the beginning.
They constantly seem to appeal to new fans, rather than be directed towards older fans of the show. If you want an entirely new audience with a season with a new cast, new worldbuilding, and new tone, I’m confused as to why they don’t just make a new show. The hotdog-problem begs for this solution. This story and environment and characters feel so out of touch with the original RvB, that with a few rewrites and lack of Halo-armor, it could just be a new show. Problem solved.
If not this, then present it as a spin-off. In all ways, it feels like a spin-off (again, see everything marked HOTDOG). But the creators refuse to do this, and I don’t understand why. I could forgive many of these issues, had they officially separated themselves from canon.
Ah, what’s the idiom? You can’t both swallow and blow? (You can hear the Bow-chicka-bow-wow in the distance). Something about eating cake and having it. Forgive me, English isn’t my native language. POINT IS why are you calling yourself RvB while actively fighting against the core essence of RvB? In my humble opinion, you can’t be both. Marketing it as a spin-off would have granted it some defense when changing, well, literally everything, and I just, would someone please properly describe why it isn’t a spin-off? Isn’t this season marked by its association with the plot of RvB rather than a continuation of it? Zero presenting itself as not a spinoff feels like a toddler clinging to the hem of its mother’s dress while forcefully running away from her, ripping the dress in the process.
When they do connect with the original RvB, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. When they let Carolina, Wash, and Tucker appear for a moment, it feels like luring viewers in with the RvB title. Look at me. Look at me! I’m not saying this is the case. I say that it gives me the annoying vibes of being lured, rather than letting the characters be a part of the show for their own development, rather than having RvB in the title to continue its story. I should not be getting these vibes at all. But I am.
If you want to use RvB in the title, something from the core of RvB needs to be embraced. Things can be changed. They should. Something new should be brought in. But there’s a limit to how much you can change and replace and twist until it would have been better with an original show. As a season of RvB, it should tell the story of Red vs. Blue.
From my perspective, Zero fails to do so.
It pains me that the old cast has been replaced, but as stated earlier, a season could have worked without them. However, I do not like the take that one should be excited about all the new characters. That it isn’t a big thing that the OG cast got replaced. That we should just deal with it. Just, try to imagine another show suddenly replacing the main characters with characters we’ve never met before. Imagine RWBY suddenly only focusing on a new team of huntresses with the previous main characters reduced to an Easter Egg presence, or Camp Camp suddenly being about a new team of campers, no warning given. Can you imagine the outcry? So maybe let’s agree that a replacement of the main cast is a big thing and should be addressed and it’s valid to be upset about this change.
Could Zero have worked? It’s hard to answer this. How can I accept something as RvB if the season actively pushes away the core of RvB aside for an isolated story that could have been told in any other media? As a spinoff, I could have ignored it. To enjoy Zero, I have to fully separate it from RvB in my mind, and then it’s alright. S’not good. But it’s not bad. It’s entertaining enough. I really ended up liking Raymond and Tiny, and there were a few good jokes, and the fight scenes were admirable (but too much) and I love the creators’ passion. But it’s not RvB. I also wish that the new characters had been attached to previous worldbuilding, for example soldiers on Chorus or agents from Project Freelancer. That way we could build on familiar lore which would have decreased the confusion and added a much needed connection with the previous seasons of RvB.
God, the anxious voice is back (by the way, it sounds like Tutter from “Bear in the Blue House”).
“You’re racist” – I hope not. Literally, I do not want to be. Tell me if I’ve ever crossed some lines, because I swear, that is not my intention, I will apologize and most of all, change and do better. I included this because I’ve seen this take thrown around in the big ugly mess that is the fandom clashes regarding Zero. And racism is problem within RT community (this includes AH and RvB, sorry, I just use RT as an umbrella term for the latter), and I’m not saying it hasn’t been a problem with this season. Writers should never be harassed, and never-fucking-ever because of their skin color, and voice actors shouldn’t be treated like they are responsible for the choices of the show. But I was legit nervous to post this review, and I hope it’s been factual without feeling like personal attacks on the creators because that has never been my intention. I was delighted to hear about the diversity behind this project, and Torrian’s passion legit blew me away because it’s been a while since I’ve seen that for an RvB project. I’d hoped for it to be good, and when I feel disappointed, it’s for the reasons stated in this analysis. That said, Zero is made by a diverse cast and it’s made with love, and both of those things are so, so great, but it does not mean that Zero cannot be criticized. It can, and it should. It’s a product, just like all the other seasons, and fans are allowed to discuss it – both what they loved, and both what they found troublesome. And to repeat previous points, and be respectful, always, fuck racists, and never-fucking-ever harass the staff behind a season, what the fuck is wrong with you if you do this.
“Don’t you get it, it’s different because it’s trying something new!” – Hey, remember the philosophical question: if you replace all the parts of a ship one-by-one, is it still the same ship when you’re done? If it doesn’t include the Reds and Blues, if it ignores previous plot, if the old characters feel miswritten, if it values animation over dialogue, if it values fight scenes over comedy, if it wants to be Fast and Furious instead of Red vs. Blue – is it still Red vs. Blue? Because it doesn’t feel like it to me.
“It's been 17 seasons, it’s time to let the Reds and Blues go so someone else can shine!” – I simply do not understand us having been with the Reds and Blues for 17 seasons should be an argument to let them go, rather than be an argument as to why their absence hurt like hell.
“The Reds and Blues ran out of things to do!” – Did- did they, though? I mean, if we were discussing pretty much any other show, I’d probably agree that they were running out of content. But for the Reds and Blues… I think the PSAs nailed it this year! I’m not kidding, I had more fun watching the Reds and Blues discuss how to do laundry than watching Zero. You could literally give me an hour of the Reds and Blues trying to bake a cake or clear a gutter or simply settling down with an ordinary life, and I would trust them to make it worth the watch.
“The flaws were due to the fact it’s only 8 episodes long!” – Look, I can only judge a product the way it’s presented to me. I cannot come up with excuses for it. If they had 8 episodes to work with, they need to come up with a plot that works with this runtime. Seriously, this excuse cannot work when 48% of the season is spent on fight scenes. They could have used more runtime, sure, but the show needs to be able to pace itself and be planned accordingly.
“The OG cast couldn’t be a part of this year, hence Zero!” – That might be true. But. Would one year without RvB kill it? Is Zero necessary? Again, I just can’t judge excuses for the show. But trouble with the cast has been an issue before. Season 15 solves Geoff’s sabbatical by actually making Grif’s absence a part of the plot. Zero’s lack of Reds and Blues just feels like this excuse to tell a story that needn’t be a part of RvB.
Am I a hater? I guess? I greatly dislike Zero for the critique stated above. I do, however, not harass the creators and no one should ever do that. However, I have to admit that I feel there’s been this weird rejection of any critique of Zero where everything’s been brushed off as haters gonna hate, including the critique stated above. And I think that’s a problem because critique, as hard as it can be to hear (and I know this. I’m an author of original works. Weird flex, I know), is valid and necessary and shouldn’t just be shrugged away. As always, both sides of the fandom should always be respectful, but my own opinion is that addressing the flaws of Zero should not be controversial.
Does this super long rant/critique/whatever mean you cannot enjoy Zero? Gods no! I almost envy you if you enjoy this season, but holy shit, feel free to love it and tell the creators that you love it! Me pointing out the issues I have with the season shouldn’t be stopping you. I loved (and still love) s15 when it came out, and it was majorly rejected by the fandom. There were many, many critical posts, people were going on about how RvB should have ended with s13, and it evolved into the writer receiving death threats (me, once again: never ever harass the creators, assholes). But I didn’t tell people to stop being negative. I actually agreed with many of the flaws that were pointed out, and I enjoyed the season despite this, because that is possible. We, as RvB fans, should agree that RvB, is... I mean, it’s not the greatest, most flawless of shows, but we love it nonetheless. So go ahead and love Zero. This is not a stop sign. This is my opinion that you chose to read.
Wait, I promised you a cookie, didn’t I? Well, you’re not getting one. Why? Because I’m a Red and this is my chance to piss off a Blue. As Caboose wisely said: “Well, at least I don't go around... knocking on people's non-doors... and promising them cookies... and then NOT. GIVING. THEM. COOKIES!”
Blue Team sucks.
End speech.
274 notes · View notes
babytortie · 4 years
Text
unexpected
unexpected. ❘ stanley uris x reader.
a/n: this was requested by anon - love ur recent stanley fic! was wondering if you’re cool with doing a smut for him? (aged up of course!) if you’re comfortable, could you make the reader more dominant in bed/stanley being more submissive? perhaps and enemies to lovers, hate sex type. other than that, any plot line is just fine.
* hope this lives up to your expectations! tyty for requesting this one.
summary: in which stanley and reader argue worse than richie runs his trashmouth. after burning some pent-up tension one day, the two take a turn for the better and become more than just enemies.
warnings: s m u t. some fluff at end. <3
contains: enemies to lovers, degrading, hair tugging, harsh kisses w/ slight blood, mild orgasm denial, praises, rough and unprotected sex.
* all characters ( including reader ) of the loser's club are 18+ in this one-shot.
~ 3.4k words.
you twirled a strand of hair between your fingers, a magazine placed on your lap, and beverly's head rested on your shoulder, looking at the pages with you.
it was the summer and the group was all back home on break from college. the loser's wanted to hang out and all eight of you were at bill's house right now. on various couch cushions and seats in the living room. his parents were away for the night and the seven brought clothes to stay at his just in case it got a bit late.
"oh, do you think he's hotter? or him?" bev asked, leaning in closer to point at the page. it was some magazine about the hottest actors of the year, achievement wise. though some hot men that were in it was currently grabbing beverly's, well, and your attention too. you glanced down at the page, slightly comparing both actors and voiced, "definitely him."
the guys overheard this and rolled their eyes. they were taking turns playing on bill’s newest nintendo sixty-four. on the floor below you, sat the four a few feet away, this was because they wanted to be scooted closer to the television. even though it was perfectly fine to put their backs against the couch. typical males.
you worried for their eyesight, especially richie’s, since right now he and bill were battling on some game you didn’t know the name of while being too close to the screen. eddie was on a chair next to the couch and sat by you, wheezing as he watched how close of a tie it was between them. mike and stanley were sitting on the floor with them on either side, cheering on who they wanted to win.
this was while ben sat on the other side of bev and read some book that just came out earlier this week. a quarter of ben’s focus was on his hand. it was resting on beverly’s thigh and drawing small, mindless shapes in content. the two were newly dating after pinning on each other for forever.
"i think we should play would you rather!" mike turned his head and suggested after hearing your conversation with the red head. bill had just died on the game causing richie to jump up and cheer while blowing out the other three's ear drums.
ben closed his book and sat up straighter. he took a glimpse over at beverly to see what her decision was. eddie hesitantly agreed when you and bev nodded. “s-sure!” bill got up and pulled stan with him.
one weekend about four years ago when the denbrough’s were home and bill had the group of losers over, they noticed how you all squished on the seats in the living room. surprising bill with an extra couch a month after this, they were able to successfully squeeze it into the room and push it against the other wall.
the four others started to pile on the other couch a few feet away from the three of you and eddie who still sat on the single chair next to you. beverly pulled her head up and leaned over to whisper in your ear, “be nice to stanley please.”
knowing it wasn’t funny, looking at her anyway with a confused expression, you lied. "stanley who?" she immediately turned her neck back at you, probably receiving some whiplash and raised an eyebrow to challenge you.
"i'm serious y/n." beverly laughed dryly. you sighed and replied a short agreeable response. “alright bev, as long as he doesn’t start it, then i won’t do anything.” after, you zipped your lips and threw an imaginary lock in the direction behind eddie.
she smiled at you in thanks and then you two turned towards the room, noticing everyone was ready. “b-being as it w-was mike’s id-dea, he can g-go first.” bill announced while glancing around the room.
mike nodded and turned to the one who still wore coke-bottle glasses years later. “richie, would you rather never wear underwear again or never wear socks again?”
ben and bill stifled a laugh, already knowing what his response was going to be. eddie rolled his eyes as richie answered, “underwear since i go commando sometimes anyway.”
you put your finger in your mouth, pretending that you were about to throw up and mike shook his head at richie. you turned to your right and left, seeing eddie’s and beverly’s disgusted faces.
”okay, eddie spaghetti.” he paused. the seven of you looked at eds, who had already put his hand over his face in annoyance. you and beverly laughed when the shorter boy muttered, “here we go.” richie smirked and continued. “would you rather, accidently send a nude to your boss or your parents? and by parents i mean your mom and i.”
he rolled his eyes, “absolutely not richie. my mom would never get with you and i would die of embarrassment if it were sonia. she’d probably kidnap and lock me in my old room, never to be seen again. probably boss.”
eddie turned to you after the group cackled of laughter, especially richie at the response he was given. the two of you currently shared a science class together in college and the asthmatic based some of his question off of this. "alright y/n, would u rather hook up with one of football players or with mr. jackson down at the science lab?”
you placed the palm of your hand on your cheek, into a thinking position and replied. "well, i kind of answered that question at last weekend’s party?" beverly jumped up at this and gasped. "no way! with which one?"
"i don’t kiss and tell." you smirked. the others gagged at that. “ah okay, i see. that’s where you went when we couldn’t find you again.” ben commented. stanley had been a bit quiet during the conversation and decided to speak up. adding to this, while looking at you pointedly. "you kind of just did tell and admitted at the fact that you sucked off some guy.”
you weren’t usually the type to get flustered during conversations like this. instead owning it as if you weren’t bothered. this helped you avoid any teasing or any richie’s usual jokes. "at least i'm getting some!" muttering in stanley’s direction.
"i swear if you guys argue for one more minute, i'm going to shoot myself. go y/n. it’s your turn." mike spoke up in between you and stanley, trying to get the game rolling again.
you smiled, feeling a little eager at the next question. you looked at the curly haired sitting across the room from you. the others groaned knowing you were about to pick on him in some kind of way. "uris. for the rest of your sex life, would you rather be the top or bottom?”
he blinked in your direction, probably wanting to smack you for the inappropriate question. “depends, is it with anyone specific?” you looked down sheepishly, then back up. is this a trick question? i mean sometimes you did find stanley a little bit too attractive. “do you want it to be?” deciding to quip back with equal attitude, you asked.
the group looked between the two of you while waiting for a response from uris. the tension was so thick that it could be cut with a knife. letting out a scoff in return, he looked at you in the eyes and glared. speaking in a low tone, you almost didn’t hear him. "uh, i don’t know.”
"what do you mean? you don’t know?" richie snickered.
bill, beverly, ben, and mike started to get the picture together. eddie figured it out just a second before them, when you burst out giggling. before you could stop from helping yourself, you let out a harsh jab. “oh shit, that explains why you’re always so uptight! maybe you should unbutton some of that polo? might help so you aren’t choking on all that innocence."
that only made matters worse, the last pin in place to set him off. stanley angrily spewed some words under his breath. only catching your name, you figured it was most likely something badly about you. quickly getting up from his spot, his curls bounced up and down when he rushed upstairs to one of the bedrooms.
the others watched him disappear from the top step sadly and looked back at you with the look. you had the decency to look a bit guilty, an awkward grimace on your face. "uh, why are you all looking at me like that?"
eddie leaned over to elbow you and gave his puppy dog eyes in pleading. you sighed but started getting up anyway. you laced your hands together in front of your stomach, nerves a bit jittery at being in a room alone with him. "well, to state my case we were all having that kind of discussion! if he wasn't such a prude..." you trailed off.
ben got up, patting your shoulder. "we all know this but stanley is sensitive about these kinds of things. go apologize while we're on break now and we’ll get some drinks going."
you nodded and turned back around, starting towards the stairs and walked up slowly. richie decided this was a good time to be the loud trashmouth that he is and shouted. "it was nice knowing you, y/n!"
shaking your head, you reached the last step and rounded the corner. hearing a slap noise, you assumed tozier was probably getting hit on the back of his head. a moment later a "beep beep" came from mike and you let out a small laugh in relief that they had your back against the loud mouth.
strolling down the hallway, you spotted the second guest bedroom door closed and decided to knock on it. stan heard a faint knock and got up from the bed to open it, seeing y/n he groaned. "oh, it's just you."
you ignored his disappointed comment and bit your lip. looking up and down to observe his new look. he must have just changed. wearing a regular light blue t-shirt and grey sweats. you shook your head and looked up to see his grin, catching you in the act of checking him out.
rolling your eyes in response, like he usually did and walking around him, you closed the bedroom door shut after stepping inside. you grabbed a handful of stanley’s shirt and pushed him against the back of the door. more like he allowed you to do this but you were definitely in control of the situation.
you leaned in towards him and swiped the back of your thumb over his bottom lip to test his reaction. when he didn’t swat your hand away, you went on the tip of your toes and brushed his lips against yours.
stanley gasped into your mouth and deciding to use this as an opportunity, you placed the tip of your tongue on the bottom of his lip. right before you could actually do this, he apparently read your mind and left his mouth open purposely. you wanted to slap him.
nonetheless, he allowed you total access. surprising him on purpose, you shoved your tongue in his mouth. wishfully thinking about how you wanted to somehow choke him with it. he grabbed both sides of your shoulders and scooted you closer, clashing his teeth with yours. not wanting to let up the control he tried to grab, you grasped the back of his neck tightly and felt light-headed. sensing wetness pooling between your thighs from enjoying this too much, you cursed to yourself.
a small moan escaped out from your lips and as if it was his fault, you nipped his bottom lip. you tried to quickly get rid the thought of ever giving into stanley uris. he hissed sharply, tasting slight blood from the nick. uris mumbled. "bitch."
this angered you more. pulling away from his lips, you put on a fake smile. moving in a bit closer to mess with the collar of his shirt, you tugged on it roughly, your face still close with his. "ready to not be a virgin anymore, virgin?" you retorted.
he smirked, "as long as i'm not one anymore, i don't care who it's with. even someone like you." he emphasized in a nasty tone. you pulled the shirt up over his head and uttered out. "shut the hell up." stan hummed happily after his shirt was pulled up to see that you were glaring from his reply. the two of you heard loud steps down the hall by the stairs, so you placed a finger over his mouth.
after a moment later, you heard what you assumed was someone in the bathroom, closing door the shut. letting out a breath not realizing you were holding it, stanley took this as a distraction to slip your finger into his mouth. you gasped, eyes widening, "what the hell!"
pulling your hand back, you spoke and stared in his eyes to let him know just how serious you were. "here's how it's going to go if you want to get laid, uris. we're doing this my way. don't play around anymore and definitely don’t talk too much so i can picture literally anyone other than you."
stanley looked into your eyes, searching for any hints of a lie from your remark. when he saw your eyes looking clearly back into his, he sighed in defeat. not letting it show, he grinned nastily. ”fine by me, y/l/n.”
"now, bird-boy are you sure you can handle this?" you stated more than questioned, an eyebrow quirked up. you held onto the top of his sweats with an eyebrow quirked up. he clenched his jaw, gritting his teeth together so hard he hoped they wouldn't crack. "fuck you y/n."
“no, that’s what i’ll be doing to you.” disagreeing and putting your palm over him. “what do we have here?” you asked out loud, in general all snarky. he let out an annoyed noise when he felt you tease fingertips across his hard length. so, in retaliation, he grabbed your wrist and pushed the palm of your hand harder onto him.
you gasped at how big he was. you tried to cover the surprise, a ‘tsk, tsk’ falling from your lips. not letting go quickly enough stanley noticed this and smirked at you. frowning, you murmured. "ever heard of patience? such a bad boy."
uris let out a small, quiet groan from feeling your hands come off of him. which was something you caught and figured having teased him enough, you put your hands around the waistband of his pants. tugging them off along with his boxers. afterwards you pushed him down onto the bed and before he could do anything, you quickly made work of your shirt. pulling it over your head and unclipping your bra as well.
he put a hand through his curls, smoothing them out from the fall when he fell into the comforter. watching you, he could feel himself hardening painfully. he felt needy and done with the wait. pulling your wrist closer he pleaded. “come on, hurry. please y/n.”
”fine, you’ve waited long enough like a good little boy.” stanley flushed at your approving compliment and tried to hide it, looking down. you saw this when you moved to sit on top of him and smiled. grabbing his chin lightly, you tilted his head back up. while looking into his light brown eyes, you held his wrist and tugged his hand so it laid over on top your breast.
stanley’s breath hitched and you moved inwards toward his neck. your warm breath was touching his skin, feeling cheeks reddening more. uris felt, palmed, and squeezed a little as you sucked small hickeys on his neck. not to dark but enough to be just visible if one were close up.
kissing his cheek and tilting back up, he dropped his hand and you happened to see his cheeks and neck all red. the quick switch of his attitude still shocked you to the core. ”are you sorry for calling me a bad name, baby?” he ignored your comment like a brat and kissed the inside of your wrist. you melted a little in his touch before going back to the task at hand.
you slowly let out of his grasp to unbuckle the belt and unbutton your shorts. you shimmied out of them and wanting to hurry up, you just moved your panties to the side and out of the way. pumping him a few times, you started to align him to your center. before you moved down onto him, you placed your hand on his cheeks in a sweet gesture and silently asked for reassurance. he nodded and you slowly slid down into him, both of you letting out small moans. “feel so good.” you muttered.
stilled for a moment, you let yourself adjust to his length and him to the feel. your hips went back up and you moved in forward, kissing him again. it slowly turned into a sloppy make out when you slammed your hips back down again. his tongue shoved in your mouth when you gasped in pleasure. after you found a rhythm you babbled on and on about how stanley was doing so good for you.
"i need you to put your fingers on my clit and rub." you said softly but still in a demanding tone. directing his hand exactly where you wanted it, you nodded when he looked at you again. his fingers moved quickly, drawing out an orgasm that you felt nearing.
lacing your fingers through his curly hair. stanley let out a loud moan as you tugged the locks. "now for the sake of you being able to cum, i'm going to ask again. are you sorry my baby boy?" he really didn't want to have to see the satisfactory in your face if he apologized. though, after a small moment went by, he realized that you weren't joking.
he let out a small, almost incoherent whine. pleading you with his big hazel eyes, "i-i'm sorry y/n. so sorry, c-can i cum please?" stanley would have never thought he'd be the submissive type but he found himself melting at your praises, quite easily. he liked letting you have some control and for once being able to sit back.
you smirked at him and let go. patting his cheek in almost a mocking way. "awe such a good boy but i think you can wait another minute." his eyes widened and you placed your hands back up onto his chest, steadying your balance before moving your hips back up and down repeatedly and harshly against his. he moaned when you kept going back down on his cock. feeling his pelvis right up against your very sensitive bundle of nerves, you squirmed.
stanley smirked, feeling you tighten around him. knowing you were close was a relief. constantly feeling so good on him made him hard and straining inside of you. tears prickling in the back of his eyes and wanting to cum so badly was difficult. uris felt not wanting to disobey you was more important as he patiently waited. pushing harder on your clit is what caused you to unravel, tightening completely around him. "oh fuck! s-such a good boy. cum with me now."
he came so hard, the hardest ever. which wasn't much to go off on, from the obvious conversation before. feeling euphoria, you rode through your high and his, milking every last drop of cum. you started to feel shaky. before your hips gave out, you placed one last kiss on his slightly darkening hickey.
after you fell on the bed next to him, he pulled you close. you turned your head in his embrace, eyes widening. you knew without a doubt they looked like they were probably about to fall out of the sockets. assuming even bigger eyes then richie's usual ones due to his glasses.
uris pursed his lips, kissing the top of your forehead before he could overthink it. “we need to talk. y/n/n." you tried to open your mouth, but closed it again. stanley used your nickname, he has never used it before. you were in disbelief, frozen, and unable to say a word. he rescued you and spoke up again. "you know i don't hate you, right?"
you swallowed feeling like a brick was falling from your shoulders and nodded. "i don't hate you either stan. this is not what i was expecting though to make up." you giggled causing him to chime in. the awkwardness was finally settled but you paused and asked nervously. "do you think we're worse than eddie and richie?"
he shook his head, not even needing to think on it and responded sweetly. "no, we're okay now and i have a feeling that richie will tease eddie even after we're all dead."
you laughed together once more, agreeing with stan’s opinion which would probably be a proven fact one day. "that's true. poor eddie!" snuggling closer into his back and finally, truly feeling at peace.
© babytortie on tumblr + wattpad.
169 notes · View notes
firemblem-fics · 4 years
Text
SFW alphabet. | seteth
-> Pairing: Seteth x GN!Reader
-> Warnings: None
-> Genre: Fluff, Headcanons
-> A/N: this was chosen by a poll on my discord server except i gave no context in the poll so this is for y’all :) also uh im sorry if i’m not active in the next week, i rlly just had the absolute worst nervous breakdown ive had in a long while LMAO so uh ya might stay away from the internet for a while
warning, long post.
Tumblr media
A -> Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)
with seteth, affection STAYS private. it will never ever be displayed out in the open, especially not around the students. he prefers to keep personal relationships out of professional life
when he does show affection, though, it’s super slow and gentle. he always hugs you from behind and just sways side to side, pressing little kisses against your temple and cheek while you lean i to his embrace and close your eyes.
B -> Begin (How did the relationship begin?)
it didn’t really have a solid beginning. you just kind of wormed your way into seteth and flayn’s hearts unknowingly. when he asked to court you, you were super super hesitant because you didn’t want to replace his late wife. he assured you that she’d want him and flayn to be happy and that she’d 100% approve of you.
you still have your doubts, but seteth is always there to reassure you.
C -> Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How do they cuddle?)
cuddling is saved for nights or early mornings on a day off. seteth is always itching to get up and get things done, so it’s a little on the tougher side to get him to stay. eventually he caves and lays in.
you cuddle facing each other, your head tucked underneath his chin and his legs entangling yours. his hand that lays underneath you plays with the ends of your hair while the other rests gently on your thigh, which is hiked over his hip.
D -> Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How good are they at cooking and cleaning?)
seteth’s thoughts rarely every go astray, but when they do, he imagines what life would be like, just retiring from the monastery and living a nice life with you. he’d like to settle down eventually, but not any time soon
he’s super good at doing his part in chores and duties! of course he is, but he’s very very reliable and does things when asked. it’s nice
E -> Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)
he would sit you down and explain his reasonings and such. it hurts him, definitely, but he does well at hiding it. until you leave his office, that is.
F -> Fiancé(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quickly would they want to get married?)
not any time soon, as said earlier. seteth really will not stop his obligations towards the monastery and to fodlan. he wouldn’t have time nor would he want a very extravagant wedding, either. a simple ceremony would suffice.
G -> Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)
physically, seteth is the epitome of a soft, romantic man. his touches make you melt and he’s always trying to keep you comfortable and happy. if you’re content, hes content.
emotionally, not as much. seteth has trouble sympathizing with some things. he’s used to pushing his feelings aside for the sake of fulfilling a duty or doing something, so he struggles sometimes to understand why someone else can’t do the same. give him time, though, and he’ll get better at comforting
H -> Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)
seteth’s hugs are firm and warm. they’re always like a passionate embrace, as if it would be the last time he’d ever touch you
seteth really enjoys hugs and physical affection with you, but as i said earlier, it’s always behind closed doors. sometimes he calls you to his office just so you can sit in his lap while he holds you.
I -> I Love You (How fast do they say the L-word?)
NOT fast. seteth is kind of in denial that he even had feelings for you at first until flayn pointed it out, so it’s rather hard for him to wrap his head around the fact that he loves you.
he does say it first though, as you’re half asleep, making you wonder if you even heard it correctly. you did.
J -> Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)
seteth doesn’t get jealous, really. there’s really nobody around to even like, make him jealous. he knows that a bunch of weird ass teenagers like sylvain aren’t going to actually come in between his and your relationship. honestly, most people in the monastery probably don’t even know that you’re both in a relationship.
if he is jealous, he stays relatively nonchalant about it, asking you to help him with a task somewhere else to take you away from the person
K -> Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)
seteth’s kisses are very loving and passionate. every single one of them are full of adoration, even the little pecks. they never fail to warm up your entire body as everything melts away around you
he loves to kiss your neck. not just for more intimate reasons, but because he absolutely adores your giggles as his beard tickles your skin
this only happens when your relationship has been going on for a while, but seteth really enjoys it when you kiss his ears. they’re super sensitive and they always tinge as red as his cheeks when you kiss them.
L -> Little Ones (How are they around children?)
seteth is super good around his own child, of course, but he doesn’t so so hot around other children. theyre often too rambunctious for his liking, but he’ll tolerate them enough to entertain them sometimes.
M -> Mornings (How are mornings spent with them?)
three words. soft, soft, and soft
you usually either wake up in the same position that you fell asleep in, or you’re spooning. seteth’s always the big spoon, no acceptions. if you’re spooning, he kisses your shoulders and the back of your head until you wake up enough to turn over and give him an actual kiss.
N -> Nights (How are nights spent with them?)
also soft, but a little less.
seteth is always so busy during the day that when he lays in bed, he falls asleep almost instantaneously. if you want to stay up and talk or cuddle, he’ll try his hardest, but please don’t be upset with him if he accidentally dozes off. he’s a hard worker
O -> Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything at once or wait to reveal things slowly?)
this depends on who you are. if you’re the professor, you more than likely already know everything by the time you get in a relationship with him
if you’re not, then he trusts you enough to catch you up on most things in the early weeks of your relationship. sometimes there’s a little tidbit that he may have forgotten to mention in the talk that comes up later on, but that’s really it
P -> Patience (How easily angered are they?)
seteth has the patience of a saint
hehe
but no, literally. very rarely does he get irritated or impatient with you. you know how he is and know how he likes things to happen or be done, so you do them. kind of like in the Domestic headcanon, he does his part so you try your hardest to do yours. he doesn’t ever have a reason to be impatient with you and is actually rather understanding now that he knows how you function as well
Q -> Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)
seteth remembers everything. literally everything. you’d think in his 1000+ years of life, he’d be an old ass man with shit memory, but no. to seteth, you and flayn are his number one priority and he’d never forget a thing about yall.
R -> Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)
seteth’s favorite memory is when he accidentally walked in on you hanging out flayn. you two weren’t doing much other than reading and talking about your books, but it warmed his heart to see his two favorite people bonding
S -> Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)
insanely protective, but like in things that matter. if you’re doing something that could get you hurt, he’s in defense mode trying to get you to safety. if you’re in battle, he’s sure to always know where you are just in case.
he’s not one to appreciate being protected- he feels like he failed to protect his people in the past, so to be the protected instead of the protector makes him a little iffy- but he’ll always admit that he needed the protection and will always show his gratitude
count how many times i said protect in that second paragraph wow
T -> Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, etc?)
seteth is romantic. he’s not much for physical gifts, but the memories and sentiment and feelings are so real and present that you really don’t need material things to know that he loves you
of course he does give you gifts, like a pretty bouquet of flowers that he saw in the greenhouse, or a necklace or something from the market that reminded him of you
U -> Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)
seteth tends to forget to slow down and take a break every once in a while. he’s constantly finding tasks to do around the monastery and doing things to help rhea that he often neglects his own well being. you always remind him and try your best to help him out, but he never really breaks that habit
V -> Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks? Do your looks bother them?)
seteth is rather concerned about how he’s seen in the public eye. how could he not? he’s a very prim and proper man. this, however, doesnt extend to you as much.
he doesn’t expect you to dress up to the nines every day just to be seen around him or whatever. he may be like “darling, are you sure you want to be walking around the monastery in your pajamas?” but the minute you’re like “hell yeah” he lets you be.
W -> Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)
this is a tough one, because i feel like seteth would do just fine on his own and would still feel relatively whole. but there would always be like this tiny little sliver of him that constantly misses you when you’re not around
X -> Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)
seteth has a secret, super playful side that only comes out when you’re alone in your shared bedroom. he likes to play wrestle you and mess around just to hear your laugh and see you smile.
Y -> Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, in general or in a partner?)
in a partner, seteth wouldn’t really like someone who’s obnoxiously loud and blatantly disrespectful. it’s one of his biggest pet peeves and he wouldn’t date someone like that.
this doesn’t pertain to people who like, don’t realize their volume or is disrespectful to someone who deserves the disrespect, though. he doesn’t like just overly rude and jnconfiderate people who are like that for no reason
Z -> Zzz (What’s a sleep habit of theirs? Does it change around a partner?)
seteth is the lightest sleeper in the history of the world. he’s always on guard for something to happen. i dont blame him, but sometimes even the littlest bumps in the night wake him up almost completely. don’t ever try to sneak out of bed because chances are, he woke up from you just opening your eyes.
if anything, this habit becomes even more prominent when you start sharing a bed with him. he’s just afraid of losing you is all 😃
139 notes · View notes
alexlabhont · 4 years
Text
I didn’t mean to fall in love with you
Chapter Three.
Book: Queen B - Choices (Universe)
Pairing:  Poppy Min-Sinclair x Trans!Male MC (Beck Hughes)
Genre: Canon re-write (Because I can)
Rating: Anyone can read it, really
I´ll be posting this one over here because Tumblr, for some reason, thinks my secondary blog is a bot...
This is me trying to write by and for the Trans community, specially FTM community, meaning, trans guys, but I actually took the liberty to use They/them pronouns for everyone out there who´s interested (Also, the name Beck was the most neutral one I could find, trying to use the cannon Bea Hughes)
Now, about the PAIRING... I will be using choices style, kinda, because I want to give you choice at some point. If you have any comment, PLEASE BE RESPECTFULL and patient with me. This is also my first english fanfic and english is not my mother language, so... i’m sorry fo the grammar errors
CHAPTERS
The beginning
Chapter one 
Chapter two
ONE-SHOTS
Just a dance (Zoey x MC)
—————————————————————— 
A truce.
That’s what she said she wanted and for a moment, all their fears disappeared.
“I really hate to admit this, but I personally asked for you to be my partner on this project. I'm familiar with your music, and I actually wanted to work with you.”
She also said. Beck didn't know how to feel, really. Poppy Min-Sinclair heard their songs, or, at least, she saw their videos.
And she liked them.
Or not? They never knew with her. She has been acting pretty weird these days. Giving them a “compliment”, smiling at them, asking for Beck to be project partners…
Open up with them.
That was beyond weird.
Beck couldn't stop thinking about what they saw back at the “Alpha-Zeta deluxe cabin” or whatever it’s called. Poppy really looked hurt… sad… like…
Like she has feelings.
“I don’t know, Beck. I don’t think is a good idea letting you guard down.” Zoey said, playing with their hair, both of them resting on the couch, Beck’s head laying on her thighs.
“Yeah, I get it. But…” Beck took a moment, remembering the sadness in her voice, the betrayal in her eyes… Did she really care about Chloe? “I wish you had been there to see it, Zo. It was so real my head exploded… Like... She was really hurt.”
“Babe, I know what you’re trying to say. And I believe you that she was in pain. But you have to remember she's still Poppy. And even if she’s a… uhm… human who feels, it doesn't mean she's not a bitch.”
Beck stood up, sitting properly while scratching their neck.
“Yeah, I know that.” They replied. Zoey had a point they couldn’t forget. From all people, Beck understood what it felt like to be judge by a cover, but as Megamind's Roxanne said once: Checking the content was what matters, and the inside of Poppy´s book was not so good.
The time on the wall clock pointed it was the moment to go, it was Saturday and Poppy and Beck agreed to meet her in front of an Animal Rescue from downtown around noon. He didn't want to be late, after all, Poppy was capable of start the project without them and argue that they didn't show up.
“Anyway, I have to go now. The sooner we end this, the better.” Beck put on their shoes and leather jacket, ready to impress thanks to Zoey fashion sense.
“I want you far~ away from trouble, Beck Hughes. Do you hear me?” The protector side of Zoey appeared and, again, they were confused by it.
Zoey always had that effect on Beck, she could warm their chest, sculpt a smile on their face. Honestly, after all these years in a toxic environment, bullying and harm, having Zoey´s concern on them was something new, something welcomed, something that made them happy.  Laugh a little if Beck thought about it closely.
“I can take care of myself.” They said. After all of those fake friends, after all of the pain they went through, it was still hard to trust completely.  However… Beck looked at Zoey, the only one who Beck felt relaxed with. Their best friend, the first one to treat them as what they were even after knowing the truth. Beck didn’t miss Farmsville at all. “See ya later, beautiful.”
“I´ll be waiting right here”
~~X~~
They won’t ever admit it, but after they heard Poppy saying that the project was in the Downtown Animal Rescue Beck was excited. Puppies, kitty cats, animals! Beck love them greatly, wholeheartedly. They were their weakness; their adoration was so much so Beck considered seriously taking the vet path almost all their life, if having not found music, their story would´ve been completely different right now. That´s why they couldn’t refrain themselves of stopping at each enclosure to coo over the animals, losing all sense of self-respect over them. Especially after a pup ugly, dummy looking like showed up with the most adorable face they ever seen.
“Oh boy, you’re so ugly I luv ya Tushie-face! Who’s a precious ugly-boy? Uhm? Who’s a precious ugly-boy~” The little pug barked happily, enjoying the attention. “You’re perfect! You’re…”
“… nice to see so many new additions.” Beck heard, stopping them at the moment. Beck was sure it was Poppy, but she sounded… “I guess that means a lot of these little guys are being adopted?” … different. Again.
“Yes, Ms. Min-Sinclair.” A young voice answered, without fear, with respect. A good kind of respect. “We have a ten percent higher adoption rate than last year” Uhh, that sounded good. For some random reason, Beck showed the thumbs up to the ugly pug, flashing him a stupid smile at which the pup moved his tail as if he understand what it meant and agreed.
But then… Poppy laughed.
A real laugh. A nice, non-threatening, actually kind of cute laugh. So honest that they felt terrible attracted to it.
“No… Oh, no, no, no… No. Don't you even think about…”
As if their body was its own person, Beck rounded the corner, wanted so badly to see how a laughter so sincere looked like in Poppy´s face, like some weird kind of siren song they had to see with their own eyes. Instead, Beck saw her talking to one of the shelter’s employees, hugging and stroking a bichon frise puppy´s tummy softly, lovingly. Their heart stopped just a second, running wild immediately after.
“God… she’s so…”
“DON´T!” And they slapped their self. Hard. Beck deserved it. They couldn't… they won’t… They refused to…
The sound where so loud it called the attention of both Poppy and the other guy, while Beck felt the stinging and burning on his now red cheek. Ok, maybe~ they didn't have to do that, actually, the expression on Poppy´s face the moment she saw them, a sour, angry one, was the only thing they needed to feel normal again towards her.
“You're late” Why, hello to you too.
“I´m sorry, it's just that I was playing with Tushie face and…”
“Tushie face?” Beck couldn’t tell if she was amused or making fun of how stupid they were. “That´s how you pet-name?” Poppy added, raising an eyebrow. Beck shrugged.
“If you have a tushie face, then you are a tushie face. Simple as that” Based on Poppy's smirk, they should’ve stay quiet.
“Uhm… Alright, tushie face.” Damn it! “Come with me.” She then gave them a wink, smiling as if they both had now a new secret, before walking toward the back of the kennels.
Fuck.
“So… how do you knew about this place?” Beck asked, very willing to replace the topic to literally anything.
“If you must know, my parents bought me this shelter when I was eight.”
“What?”
“Really? Why?”
“I wanted a dog. Mommy and Daddy didn't want pets in the house… Et, voila”
Beck looked around, the place had now a new light after what they just learned. All this place was Poppy's, just because her parents didn’t approve animals at home. Unintentionally, Beck chuckled, feeling Poppy’s gaze on them almost immediately.
“What’s so funny?” She asked, irritated.
“We’re really very different but the same at once” They said. “Ever since I was a kid, my parents taught me to work with every single farm animal. Cleaning them, feed them, love them… I even helped bring life into this world.” Beck told her, twisting their lips. “I had a lot of different pets back at home. So do you right here. You see?”
“You’re forgetting about the fact the whole point of a place like this isn't for the animals to stay forever…” She said, vulnerable. Beck did actually get that, the hollow feeling that comes after something like that.
“Well… at least they’re not dinner”
Surprisingly, that comment made her chuckle just a little and Beck felt so good to be the one to take away that fragile expression in Poppy’s face. She was definitely more beautiful when she was happy. When she was laughing.
“You are right, that's even worse.”
They both looked at each other for a moment, some complicity in their own way, as if they both shared something, a sentiment that almost nobody felt, both understood each other, at least in one little but significant thing: They both learned very young what it's like to love innocently and truly, to have an unconditional companion, just to lose it to the “greater purpose” again and again. Both learned to never get really attached to anyone.
“But whatever, it gets the humanitarians off our back.” Just as if the conversation never happened, Poppy went back to the factory mode. “Which is why we’re really here. I’m fully aware of your popularity in YouTube, especially after your little performance, so hopefully this project we’re doing will get some good press for us to get the adoption rate it to, at least, 20 percent this year.”
“So this is why you wanted to work with me…” Beck didn't know why, but a little part of themselves felt disappointed… what was them expecting anyway?
Soon they both reach the back of the room, and while Poppy walked in as if it was completely routine, Beck had to stop for a second. A whole crew was already set up, cameras, microphones, lights, everything. A lot of cute pups and cats of all ages were also there looking adorable, sure they were the real stars of all this, but Beck couldn't help but feeling intimidated.
However, it was Poppy’s attitude the one thing that took all Beck’s attention though all the day.
She was kind, professional, caring… making sure of one thing above it all: to have the best commercial of all times for an animal shelter. The way she treated the employees, the animals, people around her… it was like a completely different side of her they never seen before. Poppy even, against all odds, treated Beck as what they were: her project partner. Giving them a fair share of lines, taking care of capturing their best angle, how happy they looked between all those cute little animals. Directing Beck to make sure every detail was perfect, being polite and respectful while doing so.
She was acting as a selfless but powerful leader, and Beck couldn’t take her eyes off of her the whole time. She even managed to convince them to adopt that tushi faced puppy, pointed out that they both had choose each other right at the moment they meet.
“Just look at the way he's watching you!” She said playfully. “You two are really connected.”
“Do you really think so?” Beck asked, playing with the pup. They really wanted to take the little guy home, be able to give him a good life, having another friend in their life. One not farm related at least. Beck felt Poppy coming closer, resting her hand on Beck's shoulder while watching little tushi face with a soft smile.
“I know so. But the real question is: what do you think?”
And now, Beck had a dog named Pepes.
~~X~~
Once they knew every detail was taken care of, and the adoption paperwork were all right, Poppy, Beck and little Pepes walked out the shelter. Personally, they felt drained out, because although they were used to cameras, it was always under their own terms and time, their own edition, their own personal rhythm, but after that day, Beck was seriously considering the idea of being backstage musician, unlike Poppy, who actually looked as fresh as a cucumber.
“Damn, Pops. I have to admit it: you were awesome there.” They said, Pepes barking enthusiastic, agreeing.
“Were you expecting something less?” She said, some mischievous sparkle in her eyes Beck couldn't quite place. “Now, take me to lunch.”
“I'm sorry? Why would I do that?”
“Because…” She started to say, sassiness taking over her. “… I acted, arranged, produce and direct a fully perfect commercial to our project while you just played around with puppies and looked cute. The very least you can do is buy me lunch. I'm starving.”
“Oh, so you think I'm cute?” Beck flirted. It was impossible to let it pass by.
“Like it was a secret” Poppy smirked.
“… What?”
“I’m not blind, Hughes. You are actually very good-looking. It´s not a secret.” Beck was shocked, did they really just heard a compliment from the one Poppy Min-Sinclair that wasn’t commercial related? They looked at her, expecting some irony or double meaning, maybe some hint of a trap, but no…  She was being completely sincere. Beck snorted, it was cool they guessed.
“Now, that's a compliment.” Poppy rolled her eyes evidently, pretending to be irked, but that little smile on her lips proved to be the opposite.
“Hello? My lunch?” Beck laughed, how can she be so rude and yet so cute at the same time? Maybe she wasn't so bad after all.
Maybe.
“Whatever you want, bossy-ass”
----
Next
28 notes · View notes
wickedblue34 · 5 years
Text
The Whisperer Chapter 4
A/N: I'm so sorry for the long wait you guys, but here's chapter 4. I hope you like it. Also, I'm sorry, but I don't have time to do my tag list today, I'm kinda posting this at work. Anyways, hope you all enjoy!!
------
A little over a month had passed since you brought your new pack home, and a new routine has been developed in that time.
You now only work 4 days a week at the shelter, and when you weren't at work, you could be found cuddling up with your seven hybrids. Even the days you work have a new routine.
You'd wake up in a pile of bodies (they all refuse to sleep anywhere but with you, so you eventually got a bigger bed), crawl your way out of bed, take a shower, fix a quick breakfast, and eat with whoever is awake, making sure to leave enough for everyone else. Then you cuddle with Jimin -who still has a hard time every time you leave- as well as anyone that wants to join. After an hour of cuddles, you get one of the other hybrids to distract Jimin long enough to escape out the door without him trying to follow you, and head off to work.
When you get home, you'd be greeted at the door by everyone. After more cuddle time, you let them out into the back yard to play while you cook supper. Afterwords, you just spend time together as a big family, just doing whatever comes to mind.
Everything was going great, and you couldn't be happier.
Or so you thought...
One day, you came home and like usual, you were greeted at the door by everyone. Everyone except Jimin, that is. Glancing around the room, you started to panic when you didn't see your precious fox anywhere.
"Guys, where's Jimin?" You asked as you started walking through the house. Yoongi barked softly to get your attention. Turning to him, he began leading you to your bedroom, scratching at the closed door.
You looked at it in confusion. You never close the door, because you know they all like to nap in there during the day while you're gone. You thought that maybe he'd accidentally gotten shut in, so you rush to open it. You briefly saw Yoongi turn around and trot back into the living room, but paid no mind to it.
As it opened, you heard sniffling come from the bed. Looking towards the noise, your heart stopped at seeing a human sized lump under the covers.
"J-Jimin? Sweetie, is that you?" You asked quietly, shutting the door softly.
You saw the figure jump, whining as the sniffling got louder.
Walking to the bed, you sat down on the edge, gingerly placing your hand on the lump.
"Jimin, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"
"I-I changed b-back. Now yo-you're not gonna want me a-anymore." He hiccuped. You were surprised at how light and airy his voice was, even though it was slightly hoarse from his crying.
"What? No, what makes you say that, sweetie? I'll always love you, no matter what form you take." You said, your heart breaking.
"M-my last owner said I was ugly in this form. That no one wants to look at my face. H-he said that, that's why he would give me those pills, so that no one would ever have to look at my hideous human face or body again." As he spoke, your anger at Bang Shihyuk rose to infinite levels.
You couldn't believe anyone would be so cruel as to make someone think so lowly of themselves. Determined to change that, you pushed away your thoughts of murder, intent on calming down your hybrid.
"Jimin, you are perfect the way you are. Whether you're in human form or fox form, it doesn't matter. You're still the same person, regardless. You're still sweet, kind, cuddly, and all around wonderful. I love you for who you are, and nothing is gonna change that. You are now, and forever will be, my sweet little jiminie. I'd sooner cut off my own hand than get rid of you or any of the others. I love you all so much that I don't think I'd ever be able to live without you guys in my life."
"R-really? You mean it?" He hiccupped hopefully. He inched the cover down so that you could now see his striking silver ears sticking out above his equally colored hair. Smiled when you saw the beautiful amber colored eyes that you'd come to love staring into, although you were saddened to see that they were red and puffy from his crying.
"Yes really, you silly fox." You giggled, reaching up to gently caress his hair.
"You're my pack, and pack sticks together no matter what, right?"
Jimi's reply came in the form of renewed sobbing, as he launched himself at you. He threw his arms around your shoulders as he nuzzled into your neck, holding onto you as if he was afraid you'd disappear.
You smiled softly as you wrapped your arms around him, rubbing his back soothingly. You subconsciously began rocking him back and forth while humming- something your mother used to do for you when you were little.
Once he'd settled back down to just an occasional sniffle or two, you leaned back, pulling him just far enough away that you could see his face.
"Look at you, you're so handsome, Jimin. Bang must have been blind not to see that. You are easily the best looking fox I've ever seen." You cooed as you carefully wiped away the remaining tears that still managed to leak out.
You smiled when he just blushed, covering his face with his hands in embarrassment. Giggling, you pulled him back in for another hug.
"Gosh, you're just so darn cute!" You exclaimed.
"Thank you, Y/N. You're the best. I'm so glad you brought us home. And I'm also glad that I can finally say that I love you too."
He mumbled, nuzzling into your neck again.
Before you could reply, you heard a soft whine at the door. Gently pulling away from Jimin, you got up and opened it. You smiled softly at seeing the other six hybrids rush into the room and surround Jimin, immediately pouncing on the now laughing young man.
Your heart filled with joy as you listened to the sounds of all seven hybrids conversing with each other. Slowly piecing together by both Jimin's responses, and the pitches of the others' yips, growls, and purrs, that everyone was overjoyed for him and that they were all excited for their own shifting abilities to be returned.
You could also tell that by the blushes and embarrassed mumbles from Jimin, that they were also most likely reaffirming your earlier statement of his looks, and his feelings towards himself.
It was a well known fact that all hybrids could understand each other in both animal and human forms. Unfortunately for you though, your hybrid genes were so diluted that you didn't have that ability. However, your heightened senses did allow you to pick up certain nuances that let you know the hybrids' emotions.
Due to this, you were normally able to discern a general idea of the topic of discussion. I.E. whether the conversation was light hearted, sad, worried, or if they were having an argument about something.
Tearing your eyes from the heartwarming scene, you swallowed the lump that formed in your throat. Somehow, you suddenly felt like you were intruding on something personal. Looking down at your watch, you noted with surprise that you'd already been home for nearly two hours.
With one last lingering glance at the now cuddling hybrids on your bed, you quietly slipped out of the room and headed to the kitchen to start supper.
Not even ten minutes later, you were chopping veggies for the stir-fry you'd decided on, when you heard feet padding down the hallway towards your direction.
A few seconds passed before you felt a pair of arms wrap around your middle as a chest was pressed against your back.
"Why'd you leave?" Jimin asked. You smiled at hearing the pout in his voice.
"I had to get supper started, sweetie. It's getting late, and I'm sure everyone is hungry, since no one's eaten since breakfast." You stated, not taking your eyes off of the knife in your hands so as not to cut yourself.
"Besides, you all seemed pretty content, so I figured I'd leave you guys alone for a bit. I didn't want to intrude on you guys' moment." You added as you set the knife down. Patting his hands, you gently pulled away from him so you could place the now sliced veggies into a bowl.
Grabbing the strips of meat that you'd bought pre-cut, you rinsed it before putting it in the hot Wok that awaited you on the stove.
"You could have joined, you know. We wouldn't have minded. We also didn't mean to make you feel awkward or anything. I'm sorry if we did. Please don't be upset." He said quietly. Your heart twinged at the slight hints of guilt and remorse in his voice.
Immediately, you put down your spatula and turned to him and after seeing the slightly misty look to his eyes, you rushed to engulf him in a hug.
" You did nothing of the sort." You said firmly, looking into his eyes. " I understand that you guys have been through a lot together, and that you've all known each other much longer than I've known you. Meaning that while we may be close, you guys are that much closer. And I'm okay with that. I know that you will probably have a lot of things that you'd rather one of the others to help you with, than me. You guys were a pack, a family, first. I'm just the newcomer. Even though you've all been with me for nearly two months now, I don't expect you to just welcome me into every aspect of your lives right away- if ever- and I will not hold it against you if you don't. And I know I said earlier that we are a pack, and I truly feel that way, but just because I think of all of you as my pack, doesn't mean that I expect, nor do I have to be, accepted into yours." After a moment of silence, you pulled away from Jimin and moved back to the meat, not wanting it to burn.
A beat later, you felt him back hug you again as he nuzzled into your neck.
Hearing a loud whine to your left, you looked over to see that at some point during your little speech, everyone else had entered the kitchen, and were now watching you and Jimin with upset looks on their faces.
Yoongi, the one who'd whined, came up and nuzzled his face into your hip, Hoseok moving to join him. Reaching an arm down to pet them reassuringly, you didn't even notice Namjoon silently leave the kitchen.
"You ARE a member of our pack, Y/N. A very IMPORTANT member. You have been since the moment you stepped into that room back at the shelter. I'm so sorry if we ever made you feel otherwise. Please believe me when I tell you that you are probably the most important member we have, and we all love you very much. Yes, we may have known each other for longer, but it's different with you. Your place in the pack is different than the ones we have, yes, but only in the BEST way possible.." Jimin said shakily, as he breathed in your scent in order to keep himself calm.
Hearing Jimin speak so passionately, caused your breath to hitch in your throat, and your eyes burned with the urge to cry.
Moving the meat off the hot eye, you turned around in his arms to look him in the eyes as you placed your hands on his chest.
"How so?" You asked quietly. You both jumped when you unexpectedly heard a deep voice answer you from the doorway of the kitchen.
"You're our mate."
277 notes · View notes
soulangel · 5 years
Text
Trust Me, I Love You-Chan Smut
Summary: Unfortunately for you, one of your friend’s decided to bring her boyfriend over.....and unfortunately you knew him through a mutual friend of yours. Why oh why did he have to call your best friend at this specific time of day? And di-did he just confess to you?!
Group: Stray Kids Chan x Fem!Reader
Genre: goofiness, smut, mild fluff?
Word Count: 2k
Warnings: smut, heavy kissing, mild swearing, fingering, grinding, slight penetration
Main Masterlist     Stray Kids Masterlist​
Tumblr media
30. “Uhm-t-those shorts look tight-”
32. “If you’d relax, maybe it wouldn’t hurt so much.”
34. “But… I’m hard.”
36. “I’ve waited so fucking long for this-”
37. “This is your first time isn’t it?”
    You really weren’t expecting your best friend to have admitted his infatuation with you. In all honesty you didn’t think he liked you at all in that regard until he randomly stepped up to your front door, looked you dead in the eye and kissed you as if he was dying of thirst in the sahara desert. You weren’t even paying attention to the fact that your other friends were in the living room behind you giggling and whispering to each other. You pulled away from him after a minute or so of snogging him, finally back in your right mind. “Ch-Chan what in the world?” You stuttered, staring at him in confusion.
    He smiled a little at you before taking you into a hug. “I’m sorry...I’ve waited so fucking long for this but I need to tell you that I’m in love with you.” He said quickly, pulling you into the house to get himself out of the cold air. 
    You stared at him in complete silence, because you really had no idea how to respond. The boys in your living room continued to chuckle and whisper to each other until Felix finally threw a pillow at your head, earning a glare from your other friend Mina. “You gonna reply to him or not?!” He shouted, ignoring his girlfriend who pressed a hand to her face in shame, probably starting to think it would’ve been a better idea leaving him at home.
    You glared at him and flipped him off, still unable to find words in your throat at the crazy turn of events that happened in the last half hour of your friends showing up. You went so far as to open your mouth a couple times, working to find something to say until finally you whipped around to Chan wide eyed. “How’d you even know where I was today?!” You yelped at him, hands rushing to cover your mouth after the words left you.
    He gulped down his sudden retort and bit his lip with a sheepish smile, opting to hold onto your hand that he managed to pull away from your face. “M-Maybe someone in this room gave me a heads up on what you were doing today?” He offered as a response, shrugging his shoulders after he heard just how ridiculous he sounded.
    You glanced back at the only boy in the circle of girls who was just grinning at you and again, you flipped him off. “Fuck you Felix and your stupid loud mouth!” You groaned out loud, not even remotely meaning the bite in your words seeing as you were fighting-and losing-with keeping a smile off your face.
    The girls all just waved their hands at you in their way of telling you to leave. “Bye Y/N! See you tomorrow!” They shouted, Mina pushing you out the door with Chan still latched onto your hand.
    “Mina! What the hell!?” You screamed, banging on the door with your fist.
    She popped her head out with a smile, your bag freshly repacked and tossed at your feet. “There you go, have fun! Make good choices and use protection!” She screamed back at you as she closed the door in your face.
    You scoffed and kicked the door one more time in frustration. “This is my house!” You whined, only to be ignored by the group inside. 
    Chan couldn’t hold in his laughter and ended up pulling you into his arms. “Let’s get you into a warm home.” He mumbled, walking you both back to his place, his arms wrapped around you as he waddle walked; you placed perfectly in front of him as he walked.
          xXx
    Once you ended up in his apartment, you immediately set your bag in his room where you rummaged through the clothes to find yourself some comfortable loungewear. If he was going to play this teasing game with you and make you fall in love with him probably as much as he claims he loves you, then damn it all if you wouldn’t play the game just as well. You rushed into his bathroom and changed into your semi short pj shirt and the short shorts you’d brought with you initially for the sleepover. You sighed a little once the clothing warmed up against your skin, and you walked out into the bedroom to snag the comforter off his bed. “I’m stealing this!” You called to him, wrapping it all the way around you so he couldn’t see what you were wearing underneath.
    He instead laughed at the dorky look you sported and shook his head. The both of you were a little happy at the fact that, even though he confessed his love to you and kissed you in front of almost everyone you knew, you were still able to joke about simple things like normal. “Okay you, let’s warm you up on the couch.” He chuckled, pulling you into his arms and allowing the both of you to fall backward until you landed in a bundle of blankets and pillows and limbs, quickly getting comfortable to watch whatever the kangaroo had put on the screen.
    You could feel yourself warming up slowly but surely until about halfway through the movie, you gave up on staying bundled. You chuckled and shook your head. “What is the point in me bundling up when I just overhead 10 minutes later.” You asked him rhetorically as you shuffled around and wiggled about until the cocoon of blankets fell off you.
    You then crawled further up his body until you were rested perfectly against his chest, legs in between his and your head resting in his neck while you watched the movie in content. He coughed slightly and tried moving you off him a little but you whined and clung to his frame. “Noooooo let me cuddle!” You whined out, nuzzling your face in his neck childishly.
    He cleared his throat awkwardly and tried shuffling your around, wanting to keep you away from one particular place which seemed to rub against your stomach uncomfortably. “B-but…..I’m hard...I’m sorry, I’m trying not to make this weird.” He groaned back, frowning a little when you stopped moving and sat completely rigid against him.
    You smirked and decided to play with his brain a little instead. Kissing his neck, you sat up off him and stood up to go grab something to drink, hearing his small groan as you walked away. “You okay Chan? Sounding a little pained right now.” You called to him from the kitchen, making sure to take your time as you grabbed the cup and filled it with water.
    If you had to be honest, this was all a new area to you, and to make it even better for yourself, it was with your best friend you were even starting this sort of a relationship in the first place. He knew how inexperienced you were…..at least you hoped he did since you never spoke about dates and dating and significant others. He knew you told him everything right? Oh well, looks like tonight would be the night you’d both find out secrets. He did say he loved you already, now you could show him why he chose correct.
    He was biting his lip when you walked back out into the living room, sipping on the water while walking towards him slowly. “Uhm t-those shorts look tight. Oh boy.” He mumbled, feeling your ass the moment you sat down in his lap to lean yourself against him.
    You giggled and rested your head on his shoulder, somehow curling your body up against his as you were still sitting on top of him. “They really are. I’m surprised they’re not ripping off my body.” You whispered back, grazing your lips across his ear while gently blowing air into it.
    You then set the cup of water down to wrap your arms around his shoulders, looking into his eyes as you smirked and tilted your head at him, inviting. The poor baby was at war with himself, wondering just what he should do to keep this dream alive. Should he kiss you? Should he hold you closer? Should he just ravage you with love now? To hell with it! You were a little surprised when his lips clashed with yours, hands snaking around your hips and helping your straddle his lap. He then pulled your hips down against his so you could definitely feel the hard erection digging into your thigh as his tongue poked through to battle with yours. Hands tangling in his hair, you moaned softly and couldn’t stop yourself from grinding down into his lap to feel the smallest bit of friction. He groaned and flinched a little as you nipped at his lip, pulling on it while moving away from him in concern.
    You stopped what you were doing and frowned a little at him. “Hey are you okay?” You asked him gently, running your hand down his cheek and resting it on his neck, tilting your head at him.
    He nodded his head stiffly and blew out a breath of air against your chest, biting down on his lip. “Y-Yeah.” He groaned a little, wiggling underneath you.
    You lifted off of him and he let out a huge sigh of relief, unbuckling his pants and undoing the button and zipper to give himself some extra room. “Baby, did I hurt you?!” You gasped, standing up off him quickly before he could even grab hold of your hand.
    He squeezed your hand gently and shook his head. “N-No I’m fine. It’s fine. Just felt a little restrained and uncomfortable. Come back here and keep doing what you were.” He whined, palming himself with his other hand and pulling you gently by the hand back down to his lap.
    You tentatively straddled him again, pressing down on him just right that you could feel his shaft poking through your shorts to your entrance. You gasped and bit down on your lip at the sudden jolt of pleasure running through your veins, wanting to continue feeling it while straddling him. He stared at you wide eyed at the sound you’d made and moaned the tiniest amount, his hands groping your waist just like before. “Grind on me Baby, it’s okay.” He whispered, seeing the hesitation in your posture when you refused to move on him for a few seconds.
    You bit your lip and stared at him through half lidded eyes, feeling the pleasure coursing through your body but not wanting to hurt him again. “B-But what if I hurt you again?” You whimpered back, accidentally moving yourself enough to feel his bulge rubbing up against you causing another gaspy moan to escape you.
    He grunted and pressed his hips up into you, helping you relax into him like before. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. This...this is your first time….isn’t it?” He asked, finally understanding your hesitation and awkward reaction to him pressed against you.
    You could only nod at him and lean yourself against his frame, hiding in his neck and shoulder. “Yes...I’m sorry, I don’t know what I’m doing.” You whined, lightly grinding yourself against him with a whimper just to feel more pleasure.
    He groaned and stroked a hand through your hair, pressing his other hand into the small of your back to press you as close to him as possible. “Are you sure this is what you want then?” He wondered, hearing your whimpers and feeling your hips trying to move against him.
    He could tell just how flushed with pleasure you were by the way you were responding to his every touch, every stroke. All you could do to respond to him in the moment was nod your head. “P-Please. I want to know what it feels like.” You whispered, squeezing your thighs around his hips the smallest amount while trying to grind yourself down in his lap one more time.
    He sighed softly and thrusted his hips up into you suddenly, causing a yelp of surprise from you. You shivered at the feeling pressing into your heat deliciously and whined at him. Whatever was holding him back until that moment seemed to just snap, and he ended up holding onto your back as he stood quickly up off the couch and tried to walk the two of you into the bedroom. His grunts and groans gave you the courage to kiss along his neck and bite down gently, leaving love bites where you trailed. He sighed and stilled a moment as you continued kissing his neck. “Mmmm Babygirl.” He groaned, tilting his head to the side when you went up his neck to his jawline.
    You nipped at his jaw and sucked a welt were you kissed, licking it moments later before backing away a little to see your masterpiece. Before you could really get a good look at it though, he’d tossed you onto the bed and quickly discarded his shirt and pants, wanting to crawl on top of you as quickly as possible. While he was doing that, you’d managed to wiggle yourself out of your shirt and shorts, hiding your body with your arms and keeping your legs pressed together and sideways so he couldn’t see anything. You bit your lip for a moment as you stared at the hungry looking man before you. “O-Oppa what are you staring at?” You asked softly, sitting up to grab for him.
    He cupped your face in his hand with the softest smile on his face, though his eyes were telling the exact opposite of how he was touching you. “You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen in my life. I really do love you.” He mumbled across your lips before closing the distance, pulling you as close to his body as he could.
    You temporarily forgot you were completely bare before you as your arms wrapped around him of their own accord, latching onto him tight so there would be no space in between you two. His tongue made it through your lips and battled with yours in a heated kiss to the point you weren’t sure if you could breathe any time soon. Not that you cared; in the moment all you wanted was his lips and his body. “I love you too.” You were able to whisper after a few minutes of kissing him, only breaking apart to breathe while his lips went down the nape of your neck and left searing pleasure in their wake.
    You tugged on his hair to show the pleasure it gave you until he managed to find your sweet spot, stopping in that spot for a few extra seconds to suck a mark into your skin. You moaned out loud at the feeling and felt yourself arch backward away from him, his arms slowly letting you fall back onto the bed as he followed you. He hovered over you for a moment, drinking in your figure disbelievingingly for a moment. “I never thought this would happen. This doesn’t feel real.” He whispered along your neck, bringing himself up to your face once more to kiss you sweetly.
    He couldn’t help himself as the head of his cock pressed into your entrance, prodding itself in and out the slightest bit to get a feel of you. You gasped at the feeling and closed your eyes, half in pleasure and half in...what fear? Confusion? Hell if you knew, but there was something you were concerned about since this was all brand new to you. “B-Baby…” You started, trying to find the rest of what you were going to say in your cloudy and lust filled brain.
    He started pumping himself shallowly in your lips, right next to your clit. If he’d move a little further up he’d probably be able to hit it for you, but you were debating on telling him that, if you even could to begin with. What you couldn’t stop yourself from doing however was wince at the unknown feeling in your heat. “W-Wait.” You whimpered, starting to squirm out from underneath him.
    He stopped and looked at you in concern, wondering how he’d hurt you before he noticed what he was doing. He backed off from you a little and sat himself up, stroking his shaft a couple times before leaning over you to grab something off his nightstand. You clenched your legs together momentarily, faintly hearing a ‘squelch’ from you. He smirked at the sound and kissed you softly, nuzzling your nose with his. “I’m sorry I didn't mean to do that. Buuuut if you’d relax, maybe it wouldn’t hurt so much. Just relax Baby. I’m right here, nothing's gonna hurt you I promise. Well, this might, but it’ll feel good afterward.” He soothed you, stroking your hair with one hand.
    You blew air out of your mouth softly and nodded your head, wincing a little at the nervousness you still felt even with his reassurance. “I love you.” You mumbled instead of answering him, hoping those three words were enough for him to know how much you trusted him.
    He smiled at you, kissing you long and hard as he slowly stuck something in your heat, gaining a small mewl from you. “I love you too. Trust me.” He whispered, seeing the pleasure in your eyes at the ministrations his finger was giving you.
    You were only able to nod and moan when he crooked his finger just right, his thumb rubbing your clit in small circles. “O-Oh Gouuhhhhmmmm!” You moaned out loud, losing yourself as your best friend, now lover/boyfriend gave you just what you were craving from him since the beginning of your relationship.
240 notes · View notes
floatingpetals · 5 years
Text
Call Of The Mountains || Ch. 2
Pairings: Steve Rogers x Reader x Bucky Barnes (Werewolf AU!)
Warnings: Possible Trigger warning, *spoiler-ish* near-drowning depictions
Word Count: 2600+
Summary:  (Werewolf-AU!Stucky x f!reader) Life had begun to overwhelm her. Work was insane and her life was a mess. There was a tug in her soul that called her to take this trip, deep into the forest away, where there was the peace and stillness of nature. She didn’t know why, but she knew she needed to listen. It was meant to be a relaxing trip, but one misstep on some moss sent her tumbling into the rapids of the flooded river. She thought she was gone and the earth decided it was time to reclaim her. She didn’t expect was to be pulled from the river nor the creature that saved her. Her entire world is turned upside down and all it took was an accidental step to the left. (18+ Only Story)
A/N: First things first, the end was supposed to be a cliffy. But I decided against that. Still, be warned b/c it might be a little triggering to a few people. It gets a little dark and pretty quick so tread carefully towards the end. That being said, I couldn’t leave it how it was and I’m so excited to get the next chapter done! Like and reblog, let me know what you think. more importantly! ENJOY!
The gifs are not mine, credit to the owner.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Series Masterlist
Right as the sun began to peek through the trees, the sound of birds mixed with the leaves swaying above the tent gently woke Y/N. She blinked slowly, a tiny smile growing across her face. There was no worry about having enough time for breakfast, no worry over the agenda for the afternoon. It felt nice not having to set ten alarms to make sure she woke up in the morning. If only that could be a daily occurrence.
Y/N rolled over on her back, stretching with a happy moan before she exhaled noisily and melted into the collection of blankets she brought. She knew it would get cold at night but didn’t expect it to drop as low as it did. Fortunately, she had some forethought to throw a bunch of her favorite blankets in the car just in case. At some point last night, she woke because of the chill and had to make a quick run for the blankets. Along the way, she was stopped short by the distant howls of a wolf pack somewhere in the mountains.
Standing in the middle of the forest with just a flashlight in her PJs and unlaced hiking boots, a tendril of fear shot up her spine. However, the longer she stood and listened the less terrified she became. There was something hauntingly beautiful about their calls. There wasn’t a hunt, no urgency in the air. To her, it sounded as if the pack was just singing to the moon that hung full above them. After she grabbed the blankets, Y/N snuggled under the covers and fell asleep listening to the howls in the air. It never dawned on her that wolves weren’t supposed to be there.
Now she wondered if her hiking through the woods might mean their paths would cross. Shoving aside the concern, Y/N pushed off the blankets. First, food and coffee, then she’d worry about the wolves that would most likely never bother her. She changed into jeans, a tank top, and a button-down flannel before she unzipped the tent and stepped out into the cool dewy air.
Opposite to where she pitched her tent, there was a pre-dug firepit encircled with stone. She didn’t need the pit at the moment, but one she smoothed out the area of the leftover charred wood and kindling, it made a perfect spot for her to place the packable burner grill her mom slipped in the trunk. It took her two trips from the car before she set up the little stove and started boiling some water.
First, she filled her French press, which she was NOT going to leave behind, and then started with her oatmeal. Not her favorite breakfast in the world, but throw in some honey, cinnamon with dried cranberries and it wasn’t half bad. It was also a nice change in pace that she didn’t have to scarf her food down to run out the door. This morning she sat and munched contently while watching a family of robins high in the trees.
Now that she fed herself and had enough coffee to reboot her system, Y/N quickly cleaned up and put everything away before heading to get her pack from the tent. She double-checked she packed it right with her books, water, flashlight, trail mix, protein bars, and anything else she thought would come handy. Satisfied she’d be prepared to get lost in the woods for a while, Y/N zipped up the tent and made her way back up the trail towards the waterfall.
There was something in the air today, a buzzing of excitement that wasn’t there yesterday. Like the Earth knew thrilling things were going to happen and was impatiently waiting for it to come. Y/N hadn’t the faintest clue of its plan, yet as she grew closer to the water, she couldn’t stop the pep in her step. She had no idea why and didn’t really care at that point. She was in a fantastic mood and nothing was going to stop her high.
When she came up to the river, it was still flowing as strongly as yesterday. She was surprised the water level hadn’t dropped much. It must have rain harder up at the top of the mountain than further down here to keep up this flow. The waterfall was the same as well, still as strong and tremendous as yesterday. Nothing seemed to sway the charge in the air.
Y/N stood and stared in awe once again. Nature and it’s beauty never ceased to amaze her. Despite not being one for the outdoors in her younger years, as Y/N grew, she learned to love and adore the wonders of nature.
Readjusting her pack, Y/N went to go sit along a set of rocks, spotting one with a flat top that was large enough for her to spread out on but paused. There was that strange tug again. She frowned and stepped back away from the rocks, unconsciously listening to the tug as it pulled her somewhere else. Slowly, she looked around the area, but each spot her eyes landed on felt… wrong. It wasn’t until she spotted a tree with a soft mossy patch underneath that stood out to her. It wasn’t too close to the water, just far enough she wouldn’t have to worry about stepping too close to the edge but close enough she could feel the gentle spray from the water. Perfect.
Setting her bag beside the tree, Y/N sank to the ground with a comfortable sigh. She took a moment to watch the waterfall before digging in her bag for her book. She tucked the water bottle against her leg for later and picked up where she left off in the pages. It had been too long since she’d been able to just sit and read. Once she got into her groove, Y/N found herself lost in the pages surrounded by the ambiance of the water and the sounds of the trees. She didn’t pay any mind to the rest of the world until the sun was high in the sky and her stomach let out a low rumble.
“Crap,” Y/N muttered to herself and glanced up at the sun. “I don’t think I’ve ever checked out that long.”
Shrugging, Y/N set her book aside and reached inside her bag. She pulled out the bag of trail mix and a protein bar, munching happily on the food, occasionally digging out the M&Ms from the mix. Y/N was untroubled and content but still felt like something was missing. Or rather, someone.
Odd that was the first thought that popped into her mind. Maybe it was the fact that she spent all morning alone sitting under a tree with a book, or perhaps the fact the past few months she had been alone every morning, afternoon and evening. Y/N groaned and rubbed her temples. Okay, maybe a little bit of solitude wasn’t completely the best. Since now she wasn’t worrying about work and the stress that came with it, nothing was left to hide her perpetual singleness from her. The quiet was nice, but sometimes it was too quiet. It was clearly leading to problems.
Grumbling to herself, Y/N forced herself to ignore the voice. This wasn’t why she was here. Not like she could do anything about it anyways with literally no one around. She wasn’t going to wallow in her self pity and mope about not having a boyfriend. Nope. Not today.
Y/N tucked the bag of trail mix back in the pack and reached for her water bottle. As she tipped back the bottle, the same feeling from the night before came back. That prickling in the back of her neck, the feeling of a set of eyes on her. Curious and watching. Y/n froze, the water bottle touching her lips. Slowly, Y/N lowered the water bottle and squinted over the pond, searching for the owner of the eyes.
She herself was curious now. Maybe it was a deer or some other animal that was just passing through and caught sight of her. Perhaps a hiker that decided to go off-trail?
Hesitantly, Y/N began to stand, and the feeling of the eyes followed her every movement. The tug came back, willing her to get a closer look. Her feet followed blindly, as if in a trance, and her eyes never strayed from the trees. It wasn’t too thick, but the shadows seemed to all blend together. The trees swayed in the breeze, the mist from the waterfall made the distant hazy and difficult to see through. But as she stopped just short of the shoreline, her feet inches from the water, she could have sworn she saw not one, but two shapes in the shadows.
Tall and foreboding the shadows were much larger than any human beings frame. Y/N sucked air in sharply, the shock rattling her enough to snap from her bizarre trance. Her gaze snapped down to her feet and she stumbled backward, her mind reeling at how she willingly stepped without care. One more step forward and she would have tumbled straight into the water that would have unforgivingly pulled her straight in.
Rattled, Y/N didn’t even spare a glance at the shadows. Instead, she turned heel and snatched up her discarded water bottle. She shoved it into her pack and hastily stood. I have no idea what the hells going on, she thought, but I need to get the fuck out of here.
Stepping around the tree, Y/N began her trek back to her campsite, her insides twisting. That was too close for her comfort. There were a number of things going through her head and she was more than a little freaked out over the whole thing. Her mother always drilled it into her to keep an eye on your surroundings, especially around wildlife. They spook easily and can snap on a dime.
So if she had been paying attention, as her mother instructed, she would have caught the sound of angry screeches coming from two birds fighting in the air above her. She would have noticed when one dove to get away from the other, steering straight towards her. If she was paying attention, Y/N could have ducked and stepped to the left. Out of the way of the birds and away from the riverbank.
However, that’s not how Y/N reacted. Once more lost in her thoughts, she missed the birds and their shrill cries. The bird dove to escape, narrowly turning it’s small body away from her face by mer centimeters.
Y/N let out an unflattering scream that shook the trees and leaped out of the way before she was gouged in the eye by the second bird that chased after. It wasn’t until it was too late that Y/N realized her mistake. Her boot hit the soft wet moss on top of a rock, the grip on her soles not made for the slippery step. Her foot shot out from under her, and her pack that was heavy with the items she made sure to keep on hand for her survival, tipped her backward into the rushing waters below.
It all happened so quickly; Y/n had no time to react. The shock of the cold water seized her muscles, the water-filled her lungs as she let out an involuntary scream. She fought against the river, but it was as unforgiving as the weight of her pack. The rapids drew her down and under, towards the midstream where the water flowed the fasted and the deepest. Her feet couldn’t touch the bottom and the surface was feet above her.
The current hurled her further down the river at a speed that sent her mind reeling. Somehow, she managed to swim to the top, her arms screaming as they fought against the strength of the flow. She spat up the water and gasped for air however before she could let out a desperate cry for help, the river pulled her down once again.
Y/N struggled and fought, frantically trying to get back to the surface. But the river didn’t care. It threw her around like a rag doll, the light from the surface taunting her above in the frigid waters. Her lungs were screaming to get air, but she couldn’t take the breath she so needed. She was panicking, out of control and sinking. Her limbs began to give up, no matter how hard she struggled. Horror dawned on her, that this was her last moment. There was no way she could get out of this. As if to agree, the river decided the game was over.
She distantly felt something sharp slam against the back of her head, the pain far worse than the way her lungs burned from lack of oxygen. Lights exploded behind her closed eyes. Her arm was thrown back and slammed against the same sharp edge rock her head did as the river dragged her passed, the sickening crack of her wrist jolting her back to consciousness. She gasped in shock, sucking in water as she did. She was too tired to fight anymore though, her body going limp as she accepted her fate.
Y/N thought she was going to die that day, drowning in the river all because of a fucking bird. As she tumbled into unconsciousness, she missed the sound of something jumping in the water. The current was strong, but whatever grabbed the back of her pack was stronger. It dragged her up to the surface and back to the shoreline.
The Earth was impatient today, but not to take a life. No, it had other plans in mind, and it needed the young woman alive. The birds stopped their quarrel to watch from the trees above as the woman lay unconscious below them. The being that pulled her limp body from the water began compression against her chest, trying to force the water from her lungs the best way it could. Silence seemed to take of the forest as the creature worked, frantically trying to resuscitate the woman.
The being didn’t give up until Y/N violently began to cough up the water from her lungs. There was a sigh of relief in the forest, even the forest itself worried their game might have gone too far. The being nudge her to her side.
For Y/N, waking up was more agony than almost drowning. It felt like there was a fire in her lungs and throat, the water she swallowed burned as she threw it up. Her head throbbed and her wrist was screaming in pain. Everything hurt and yet felt so numb all at once. Her vision started to tunnel. Her body woke only long enough to expel the water from her lungs, but the biting pain was too much. Y/N heard and felt something behind her, warm and soft. Blearily, she rolled over to her back. 
Y/N briefly wondered if the hit on her head knocked a few screws loose. Because that was the only explanation for what stood over her. Still dripping wet, her savior was a massive black wolf with startling grey intelligent eyes. It blinked slowly and lowered its muzzle to sniff her carefully. Nope, It’s the delirium from the pain, she reasoned as she fell into unconsciousness. The wolf whined low in the back of it’s throat with concern.
A distant howl called out, wondering where it’s packmate had gone. Looking away from the unconscious woman, the wolf threw it’s head back in answer. It didn’t wait for a response before it dipped it’s head to roll Y/N onto her stomach. It gently worked her on to his back with surprising coordination. 
The birds in the trees chatter amongst themselves as the great black wolf turned carefully and disappeared into the thick forest towards the other wolves of it’s pack, somewhere in the mountains. They gossiped with each other, wondering the woman’s fate and as well as the strange vibrations in the air. The forest had things planned, and everything was going accordingly.
Tumblr media
NSFW Tag: (Open- MUST BE 18+, NO EXCEPTIONS)
@cherrynat  / @221bshrlocked / @theapologies / @lusts-of-the-flesh / @rowencarter3 / @littlehellflame / @buckyb4rnacle / @diinofayce / @sincerelymlg / @punkrockhippiefromthefourties / @slytherinlifeislove / @moderapoppins / @nirinael-the-rising-demon / @girlwhoisfearless / @whatisanniedoin / @xxashy999xx / @cinema212 / @sergeantjbuckybarnes / @lokigodofsasss / @myforeveryoungblog /  @serpentbaby / @palaiasaurus64 / @electra-hxart / @libbymouse / @disaster-rose /
Call Of The Mountains Taglist: (CLOSED!!!)
@sophiabulbu69 / @honeyloverogers / @jessieray98 / @wtfisthiswebsite / @storyteller-le /  @itty-bitty-dancer /  @steebrogurz / @chook007 / @peculiarlittleprince / @hae-bee / @bunniotomia / @itsevalace / @tanelle83 / @sunmoonandbucky / @elizabeth-marie-moon / @ragnarsdrapa / @lazinessisalliknow / @rippedpiece / @lanabgil / @sister-of-stars / @grimmlytimelord / @opaque-daydream / @vitamingrant / @marvellover1819 / @cobalt-gear /  @e1e4n0r5 / @andy-blur / @aactuaaltraash / @kyrah-williams / @flowerchild1216 / @go-river-flows / @yimi-papril / @lanabgil /
574 notes · View notes
Text
Because some interest was expressed...
Tumblr media
Part 1: AO3 Tag At Large
Backstory in brief
I didn’t intend for this to get so detailed and comprehensive--honestly, it just started because I had a particular question and some free time to go digging for the answer. And I did get my answer, but in the process uncovered a wealth of other ways to expand my study. It’s been a ride (complete with a few anxieties thanks to some researcher part of my brain), but overall a fun one, and hopefully the resulting data-cronch will be intriguing.
As noted, this is the first part of a planned three-part data series. This installment will cover statistics for the contents of the Flommy AO3 tag as a whole, while the second part will zoom in a bit and break it down into smaller categories. The third will be a bonus post where the dataset will be narrowed to examine how it compares to the tag at large, which is how I began and previewed bits of my work before broadening the scope.
Below the cut, you’ll find a breakdown of the data collection and some information on the measures I examined, before we get into some stats. There are a number of charts included, as well as written overviews and additional facts. I’ll admit that it’s... a bit, even after being selective with the charts and data to highlight, but if you have questions (or are curious about any stats not included here), let me know and I’ll see what I can do.
Methodology
The overarching goal of my study was to examine and catalogue the contents specifically within the “Tommy Merlyn/Felicity Smoak” relationship tag on Archive of Our Own. All works featured in these results are tagged as (or otherwise wrangled under) this relationship tag; though it’s doubtful that this is the case, any works featuring this relationship that are not tagged in this way (and thus do not appear) will not be counted.
As of data collection on August 5th, 2020, there are 441 works (inclusive of hidden works viewable and accessible only with an AO3 login) within the Flommy tag. Aside from the individual work name and author, each entry was catalogued with the following additional variables:
Publish Year
Year in which work was initially published
Update Year
Year in which work was most recently updated
Rating
Author-assigned content rating (G, T, M, E, or Not Rated)
Work Length
Categorized as Oneshot (single chapter with an expected chapter count of 1) or Multichap (expected chapter count does not equal 1)
i.e. Works that only have a single published chapter but more are anticipated (so the chapter count reads as 1/?, 1/3, etc.) are categorized as Multichap
Completion Status
Works marked as Complete in the AO3 system are counted as such; all others are counted as Ongoing
Additional Relationships
Works may have Flommy as the only romantically-tagged (/) relationship, or additional ships; works in the latter category also had the other ships logged
Since this study was more quantitative and centered on AO3 tagging, more audience-based measures such as kudos, comment, and hit counts were omitted from the dataset. Also would like to remind that this is something I started because I was bored and curious, and I am just one person handling this data, so please keep this in mind in terms of data validity and human error.
Publish Year and Update Year
Breaking the data down by year was, oddly enough, an afterthought for me, but one I’m glad I did eventually think to add. This provided a glimpse at various trends in Flommy works over the years. 
The first two sets of charts will feature both Publish Year and Update Year, as there were a few interesting datapoints I found when comparing the two of them. Moving forward, though, yearly data will be shown in terms of Publish Year, unless noted otherwise. 
Tumblr media
I pulled together this first graph to see if there were any major differences in either curve as the years went by, and overall, they share a similar shape--to be expected, given that a number of works published in one year may also have been last updated in that same year. Either way, both show a gradual increase in Flommy-tagged works until 2017, before plummeting in 2018 and continuing with a coasting decrease as of August 2020.
However, there’s an interesting shift over time between the two yearly measures: while there are (understandably) more works first published than last updated within the same year from 2013-2015, this becomes about equal between 2016 and 2017, before reversing in 2018-onwards. This goes to show that, while fewer Flommy works are being published these days, there are still some older works that are getting updated even now. People are sticking with Flommy, in some way or another.
Below is another way to compare these two measures, in terms of share of works:
Tumblr media
The chart on the left (Publish Year) shows that the majority of Flommy-tagged works were published between 2013 and 2016--about 55%. However, the Update Year chart gives us an exact 50/50 split between the first four years of the tag and the last four, proving that the tag activity is still going strong!
Some other Publish and Update Year Fun Facts:
Because I’m too used to examining change year-over-year (YOY) for other purposes, I pulled some of those stats to accompany the line chart, focusing on Publish Year
The smallest change YOY was from 2016 to 2017, experiencing a 7% increase in published works; the largest was the 176% increase in 2014 over 2013
The decline in published works that began in 2018 has indeed slowed in 2020. 2018 had a -55% decrease YOY from 2017, and 2019 followed suit at -52%; 2020 is only down -21% from 2019, and that number can only improve as the year goes on!
12% more Flommy-tagged works have already been posted in 2020 than were posted in 2013, the first year of the tag. As the two years with the fewest works, that’s at least something!
Rating
There are more than a few ways I could break this one down, but I think this one covers the gist of this particular measure:
Tumblr media
As might be expected, T is the most common rating, accounting for almost half of all works. The remaining ratings (aside from Not Rated) are all within a very close range of each other, but those in the E-rated category do have the edge to take second place, which, I’ll admit, also isn’t much of a surprise.
Some other Rating Fun Facts:
Took a look at some YOY changes in Rating:
E is the only rating that experiences two consecutive massive increases: 300% in 2014 over 2013, and then another 500% in 2015 over 2014
Actually, 66% of all E-rated Flommy-tagged fics were published between 2014 and 2016
...For a rating into which I rarely-if-ever personally venture, it certainly has a wealth of stats.
Work Length and Completion Status
Combining these two under one header, as they’re pretty tied-together and didn’t yield too many significant results. About 71% of all Flommy-tagged works are Oneshots, which assures that completed works will hold at least the same share within the Completion Status measure before factoring in Multichaps (which brings it up to about 81% complete). I instead put these measures against the others in the hopes of finding some interesting call-outs; after making up a few charts, there was really only one that I felt had a story to tell. 
Let’s take a look at the Work Length trend over the years:
Tumblr media
While single-chapter works hold the significant majority share, their reign over multichapter works doesn’t fully begin until 2016. In 2013, the Oneshot count was less than half the Multichap count, and the following two years showed a less than 10 work-difference between the majority category and the other. And while the year is not yet complete, 2020 is currently tracking towards following a similar pattern to the early years of the tag.
Additional Relationships
This one is going to serve as our jumping-off point for Part 2, and get us into the motivating factor for my research. Here’s one chart to say it all:
Tumblr media
...Yup, that’s less than a quarter of Flommy-tagged works that a) have Flommy as the sole romantically-tagged relationship, or b) have other romantic relationships tagged that are not Oliver/Felicity. 
That’s an answer in-and-of-itself, but my research question was two-fold: how else does this break down? How many works tagged for both pairings are compilations, such as oneshot prompt collections where the pairing varies by chapter; how many are OT3s; how many fall into a different category, whether a platonic pairing is improperly tagged or one pairing is the endgame or any other reason that doesn’t fit in any of the other categories?
We’ll get this breakdown--and a zoomed-in look at the measures covered in this installment--in Part 2, coming soon.
8 notes · View notes
himbowelsh · 4 years
Note
Hi 😊 Would you mind terribly doing the valentine's alphabet for Spina? I could really use some Spina content in my life.
valentines day alphabet  ( accepting! )
Tumblr media
A   :   AFFECTION.   how does your muse show affection?
Spina’s a hugger. A bear hugger, to be exact. He hugs when he’s happy, hugs when he’s sad, and when trying to cheer someone up, his go-to response is to hug them. Just being around Spina means accepting the risk of getting hugged at some point. Thankfully, he gives good hugs, and also has the sort of presence that just reassures people. Spina’s go-to affection is physical affection, but he’s pretty versatile if a friend needs something else. (This man has stayed up all night with Babe watching bad movies, just because Babe was too upset to go to bed but didn’t want to be left alone.)
B   :   BOUQUET.   does your muse like flowers? which ones are their favourite?
He knows what sorts of bouquets to get for different occasions; when his Grandma was sick in the hospital, he brought her a new bouquet every week, so not only does he know what flowers to choose, but the neighborhood florist knows him. Ralph can get a good deal on a nice arrangement for a birthday or anniversary, but should not be left to grow plants on his own without supervision.
C   :   CHOCOLATE.   does your muse like chocolate? which one is their favourite?
Like...  in it’s casual form, he’s not a fan. Ralph isn’t gonna go buckwild over some Hershey bars. But chocolate cake? Maybe some hot chocolate on a snowy day? Oreos? Completely different story. Ralph isn’t crazy about chocolate, but he really loves chocolate things. (He has tried to do a somersault for a back of Oreos, and it has not gone well. He broke Bill’s mom’s vase and was banned from her home.)
D   :   DATE.   what is your muse’s ideal date? where / who with / etc?
He...  likes bowling, for some reason. Not only is it a great opportunity to have fun with his partner, he loves the atmosphere, is delighted by the horrible junk food...  and gets to show off, because Ralph is an outstanding bowler. There’s no pressure to bowling; it’s an easy way to have a good time and get to know someone, with plenty of opportunities to goof around.
E   :   EMBRACE.   does your muse like hugs? what are their hugs like?
Ralph Spina was hugged enough as a child, okay? Physical affection isn’t just something he’s cool with, he loves it  ---  so long as it’s coming from someone he knows, not some bearded stranger in a Walmart. As stated before, he gives really great hugs. It’s like...  being hugged by hot chocolate.
F   :   FLIRT.   is your muse good at flirting? how do they flirt?
Oh no. Nooooo. He is a bad flirter. It’s not even for lack of trying, either; he just tends to come on either too dorky or too friendly. He tries to hit on someone, and next thing he knows they’re having an intense conversation about the person’s recent car troubles. Ralph never leaves bars with new contacts, but he has given out plenty of numbers  ---  for local mechanics, bakers, handymen, etc. He’s just too friendly. You’d think it’d work to his advantage, but it doesn’t. (He does have an arsenal of really corny icebreakers and pick up lines, but he’ll only break those out on special occasions. Dorky.) 
G   :   GIFT.   is your muse good at gift - giving or do they struggle to get it right?
He’s more comfortable getting silly gifts than serious ones, cause he always feels like he’s getting something wrong. When he puts his heart into a gift, though, the person he gives it to can’t help appreciating the effort.
H   :   HEART.   is your muse quick or slow to give their heart away?
He’s quicker to fall in friend-love than romantic-love. There’s just...  so much more to worry about with romantic love. Honestly, Ralph would do best in a friendship-gradually-turned-romance, because then everything evolves naturally; he’s already with someone who likes him, who he knows and feels comfortable around. Ralph’s heart doesn’t have to be won, he gives it away freely...  but falling in love is a whole other ball game.
I    :   I LOVE YOU.   does your muse find ‘i love you’ easy or hard to say?
Ehh, he’s gushy about it. It’d probably come out by accident the first time, around six months into the relationship  ---   but if his partner reacts well, Ralph takes it as encouragement. He’ll say it a hundred times. A thousand. He loves saying it. He’ll say it to get out of doing something he doesn’t want to do, to make his partner smile, to end a petty argument...  these are three of the most powerful words in the human language, and Ralph tosses them around like silly putty.
J   :   JEALOUSY.   does your muse get jealous in a relationship?
Nah, not jealous  ---  he gets insecure. It’s not something he’d be able to ignore, seeing his partner get cozy with someone else. Ralph would take it hard. Instead of being angry at them, he’d internalize it, getting mad at himself. Even if it’s something he knows they should just talk about, he’d avoid the topic with his partner, hating the fact that he’s not enough for them.
K   :   KISS.   is your muse a good kisser? why / why not?
First things first  ---  Ralph doesn’t kiss, he gets kissed. He’s rarely confident enough to make the first move himself, so it usually take someone pulling him in and just laying it on him. At first, he’ll stand shock-still, uncertain what to do...  then he’ll melt into the kiss all at once, pulling his partner close as he realizes exactly what’s going on. Ralph isn’t an adventurous kisser at first, but gets more playful as time goes on. He likes tiny love nips, getting his partner to giggle, and he loves it if they can sit on his lap, so he can wrap his hands around their waist while kissing them. He’s not demanding; he’ll gladly accept whatever kisses his partner gives him.
L   :   LOVE.   who does your muse love?
The answer really should be family first, but Ralph’s honestly closer to his friends. His parents disagree with a few of his life choices, so, much as he loves them, it’s his buddies he goes to for emotional support. Babe and Bill are great for a night out, Gene and Renee are great for a night in, Julian’s...  well, Julian’s great if you want your night to end with a small fire or a trip to the emergency room, but he’s also great in general. Ralph loves lots of people, but he could go on for ages about his friends.
M   :   MOONLIGHT.   is morning or night a more romantic setting?
No...  no getting up in the morning. Whoever invented mornings had a vendetta against sleep, and Ralph ain’t about to humor them. Sleeping in while snuggled up against a partner is plenty romantic, thanks, and there’s always time to do more later on in the day.
N   :   NAUGHTY.   what is your muse like in bed?
You gotta understand, Ralph gets into his own head a lot. He’s a little self-conscious, so it’s easy to overthink what he’s doing; he doubts himself. He’s got a couple of kinks he’s really eager to try out (really into voyeurism/pushing his luck in unconventional places) but his partner’s comfort is foremost for him. He’ll check on them multiple times, asking how they’re doing. If his partner’s smiling or laughing a bit during the act, Ralph is more confident  ---  having them too serious just makes him nervous. He’s not too confident in his own body, so being complimented during the act would make him melt. He keeps up a steady rhythm, and is surprisingly good at holding out for a long time  ---  until he’s at least pushed his partner over the edge.
O   :   ODE.   does your muse have a way with words?
On the contrary. When he likes someone, he can get tongue-tied to all hell. A crush once thought he was choking on a piece of shrimp; he was just trying to ask her out.
P   :   PARTNER.   what does your muse look for in a partner? looks / personality?
Someone who isn’t high-strung   ----  laid back and able to go with the flow, taking some time just to enjoy life. Ralph would need a partner who gets along with people as easily as he does, probably an extrovert; someone with a sense of humor; a great storyteller; somebody fun. He really needs someone to laugh and be goofy with, but also someone who can be serious in a crisis. They’ve got to have
Q   :   QUESTION.   would your muse ask the big question or expect their partner to?
He would absolutely be willing to ask  (unless his partner beat him to the punch). Ralph’s big thing, though, it that he wants a proposal to remember  ---  it’s gotta be good for his partner, cause that’s what they deserve, right? So he’d agonize over picking the right ring, probably cycling through a dozen or so choices before a very annoyed jeweler convinces him to buy something. Then he’d have to practice the proposal a dozen times, planning out different ways to do it...  which is all great, until his partner walks in to find him kneeling in front of the bedroom mirror with a ring out, proposing to his own reflection. That takes some explaining...  but in the end, everything works out.
R   :   ROMANCE.   is your muse a romantic or a cynic?
He’s got a romantic cheeseball heart, but that doesn’t mean he’s stupid about it. Ralph’s been burned before. He knows love can hurt, and only idiots rush into it without being prepared. He wants to be the romantic flowers-and-candles guy, and in a relationship he will be, but if it blows up in his face he’ll end up blaming himself for doing something wrong.
S   :   SWEETHEART.   did your muse have a childhood sweetheart?
He spent several years head-over-heels in love with Nancy Drew. His older sister was a fan of the books, and Ralph was a fan of the pictures on the covers. Swore he was going to marry Nancy when he grew up and everything. No one knew how to break it to him  ---  he had to figure out what fiction meant on his own.
T   :   TRUE LOVE.   does your muse believe in true love?
Ralph’s seen it firsthand, growing up with his parents.  If couples exist with the audacity to swap spit while their kids are in the room, yeah, true love’s gotta be out there somewhere.
U   :   UNREQUITED.   has your muse had their heart broken?
He’s had a few instances of liking someone hard, when they just didn’t feel the same way. Ralph didn’t resent them for it, and he tried not to dwell, but it still stung, man.
V   :   VALENTINE.   how does your muse feel about valentine’s day?
As a kid, it was always an excuse for his parents to have a night out, while the Spina kids got to stay home, watch crappy movies, and eat too much chocolate. As an adult...  it’s an excuse to stay in, watch crappy movies, and eat too much chocolate. He loves Valentine’s Day.
W  :   WEDDING.   would your muse get married? why / why not?
Sure! He likes the idea, but wouldn’t be devastated if his partner didn’t want it. To Ralph, it’s more important to just be with them, not to put a legal ring on it.
X   :   XOXO.   does your muse use / like pet names?
Absolutely, but he hardly ever uses them seriously. “Honeybuns”, “sugar plum”, “babydumpling”...  they’re all designed to get his partner to turn an alarming shade of red in public. Even if they occasionally get him smacked on the shoulder, it’s worth it. He just can’t take pet names seriously.
Y   :   YOURS.   does your muse get protective easily?
He’s a lover, not a fighter...  but Spina loves hard. If someone he cares about is in trouble, he’s not afraid to step in  ---  and usually has his buddies behind him to back him up. His buddies, all substantially better fighters than he is, and perfectly willing to throw the first punch. Spina’s flavor of protectiveness is all about the folks at his back, but he won’t let anyone mess around with people he loves.
Z   :   ZZZ.   how many people has your muse slept with?
He wishes the number were higher. Maybe about...  4 - 5? Ralph is no master seducer, but if someone comes onto him, he���s not about to say no.
13 notes · View notes
tommyparkerr · 5 years
Text
Promises BONUS II | Peter Parker x Reader
I’m back with a second bonus y’all! Some of you have been asking for it, so here it is! I want to thank @laureharrier for being both my hype woman and the one keeping me sane when Tumblr decides to throw all kinds of sh*t at me like the little sh*t it is.
Anyways, sorry about that (I still have some residual anger leftover from my *situation*, so...yeah)! There’ll only be one more bonus left after this (at least, from what I have planned), but thank you to all of you who are sticking with me after all this time! This is for you!:)
Words: 2.7k
Warnings: Tears (but happy ones), Peter being a little sh*t, Irondad, fluff, and basically everything soft that doesn’t constitute a warning
-Masterlist-
Tumblr media
P R O M I S E S  -  B O N U S  T W O :
Tony wasn’t sure what’d woken him at first. His heart wasn’t racing and he wasn’t sweating, so it wasn’t from a nightmare; his mind was strangely quiet along with the rest of the Tower, so it wasn’t because of the noise; Pepper was sleeping peacefully next to him, a soft smile on her face, so it wasn’t because of his wife’s missing presence.
He didn’t know why he’d woken up. But he did know that he wasn’t going back to sleep anytime soon.
As quiet as possible, Tony carefully rolled out of bed and exited the bedroom, headed toward the kitchen where he could make himself some coffee at—he glanced at the clock—two-thirty in the morning. However, his plans changed when he went to pass through what was supposed to be an empty living room. 
The faint sound of a turning page caused him to stop in his tracks, looking toward the noise. 
A figure sat curled up on the couch (well, as curled up as she could be with a pregnant belly), glasses on her face and hair in a half-hearted bun as she intently read whatever book was in her hands. Tony’s chest went warm at the sight of his daughter-in-law wearing his son’s baggy MIT sweatshirt and old gym shorts.
After a couple moments’ of debating whether he should tiptoe back to his room and leave her be, he decided there was never a better time than 2:30am to get some bonding time in with his adopted daughter.
God, Rhodey was right—he had gone soft.
“You do realize it’s 2:30 in the morning, right?” he asked, keeping his voice low enough not to disturb the others on the floor but loud enough for Y/N to hear. She startled, whipping her head around and straightening up to peek over the back of the couch. She looked relieved to see it was him (versus Peter, he was guessing, who was more than overprotective of his wife and child-to-be at this point in the pregnancy) and relaxed immediately, pushing her glasses back up the bridge of her nose.
“I do.”
“Then why are you still up?” he said with a raised eyebrow. “Isn’t being nine months pregnant supposed to make you tired all the time or something?”
Y/N smirked. “I’m pretty sure the same applies to being old, Grandpa Pops.”
Tony raised his hands in surrender, chuckling as he went on his original route to the kitchen. “Touché, Ms. Parker.”
Other than a small laugh from her, the soft sounds of Tony getting the tea kettle out, and the turning of pages, the room went quiet again. Though his daughter was hiding the dark circles under her eyes far too expertly for him to be comfortable with, Tony was used to the technique of using humor to cover up whatever he was facing—whether that be sleep deprivation, a constant state of anxiety, or visions of being thrown into his worst nightmares over and over again, he knew the tactic well, and he wasn’t about to let someone else get away with it.
He wondered if maybe this was why he’d woken up.
When the tea was finished (no coffee since Tony knew Y/N couldn’t have much caffeine), he traipsed over to the couch and offered one of the steaming mugs to the obviously exhausted woman across from him. She laid her book down and took it with a grateful smile, muttering a small, “Thank you,” and taking a sip. They drank in silence for awhile, looking out the window at the nightscape of New York City. Tony saw it every night, but rarely did he take the time to appreciate it; now, with nothing else to do, he could. As he turned to look at the girl beside him, looking unusually small in Peter’s clothes (where he remembered the MIT sweatshirt had once been his, but Peter had stolen it years ago before he went to school and had now seemingly made its way down to the next person), he couldn’t help but open his mouth.
“Sometimes I forget that you married into this family,” Tony said softly, seeing her confused look out of the corner of his eye. “You have so much Parker in you that it’s like you’ve been here all along. I can barely remember the days you and Peter weren’t glued to the other’s hip.”
A mischievous smile adorned her lips. “Are you sure that isn’t because of old age, too?” Tony finally looked at her with a knowing look, his eyebrows raised as he took another sip of his tea. The smile didn’t drop, but rather morphed into something softer as she looked back toward the city. “May told me that, too. But you’re leaving out one important thing.”
“Oh?” Tony said with a amused glint in his eye, fully expecting another round of sarcasm to break through. “And what is that, may I ask?”
“That by marrying Peter, I’m not just a Parker; I’m a Stark, too. I think both of the Parkers made that pretty clear to me from day one,” she said, her tone soft and loving. “You did, too, though it was never verbal.”
Tony’s smile had dropped, a sudden burning in his eyes replacing it. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and said, a crack in his voice, “Come here, kiddo.”
Y/N turned to see his arm raised and smiled before scooting closer and ducking underneath it, resting her head on his shoulder. “If I spill any of my scalding hot tea on your cashmere robe, it’s your fault.”
Tony snorted, his tears crawling back into their holding places. “I wouldn’t dream it any other way.”
This time it was quiet until they had both finished their tea, setting the empty mugs on the empty table in front of them. He’d clean that up later, but for now he was perfectly content. He let the silence go on a little longer before he squeezed Y/N’s arm and spoke up again.
“I’m guessing Peter has no idea you haven’t been sleeping?”
She pursed her lips. “How do you know I haven’t been sleeping?”
“I think the raccoon look speaks for itself, kiddo,” Tony said, pointing under his own eyes for reference. “That is if I didn’t already know what sleep deprivation looked like.”
A small sigh. “No. No, he doesn’t. And you’re not going to tell him, either.”
“Woah now, tiger,” Tony said defensively. “No one said I was going to.” She looked down at her now empty hands, picking at her nails in order to keep them busy. Tony frowned and nudged her arm again. “Honey, what’s wrong?”
Suddenly her eyes filled with tears and her hands flew up to try to keep them from overflowing. “I’m sorry—God, I’m such a mess. I’m sorry.” Tony, who once would have been freaked out by even the slight glistening of one’s eye, didn’t bat a lash at the influx of tears. Only worry rose from it. 
“Honey-”
“I’m okay,” she interrupted. At his look of disbelief she shook her head with a wobbly smile. “Really, I am. I just—I’m super emotional right now and my hormones are dialed up to, like, eleven, or twelve, maybe possibly thirteen and a half. Any little thing can set me off already, but being sleep deprived probably doesn’t help. And you’ve never called me ‘honey’ before, just ‘kiddo’ or ‘Ms. Parker’ or other little nicknames—not that I mind, of course, because I really do feel like I’m just as important to this family as anyone else when you give me nicknames—and I guess it just kinda struck the sentimental part of me. I’m sorry.”
Tony couldn’t help but chuckle, adjusting them so he could get both arms around her. When he thought about it, he couldn’t remember any other time he’d called Y/N ‘honey’, which seemed crazy to him since he’d referred to her as that particular endearment many times in his own head. “No need to apologize, kiddo. I’ve seen hormones in action and know of way less that’s made a girl cry. In fact, I’d say you’re keeping everything contained pretty well; you haven’t even screamed at me once when I manage to burn the omelets every morning.”
A watery laugh escaped her, muffled by his chest. “I do in my head.”
It was Tony’s turn to laugh now, holding her a little tighter as he placed a kiss on her head. “And for that, I applaud you. Pepper’s not even pregnant and she yells at me—not in her head, may I add—every day.” A giggle, then just periodic sniffles. Tony gave her a little bit of time before pushing again. “Now, do you wanna tell me why you aren’t sleeping at night?”
It was quiet for a long while—long enough that Tony thought she either hadn’t heard him or had chosen to ignore the question—before she answered. “I don’t know. I just...I lay down and I’m so completely exhausted that it should be easy, and Peter falls asleep easy enough and I’m just stuck inside my own head thinking about the next month and how we could become parents at any minute, and even though we already have a name picked out for her and we talk to her every night, it’s going to be so much different when she’s actually born, right? And then-”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Tony interrupted, pulling back to look at Y/N with a sparkle in his eye. She frowned, her eyes widening a moment later as she realized her mistake. “She?”
“Um…” She swallowed, her cheeks turning a slight shade of pink. “Yes?”
A wide grin spread across Tony’s lips, struggling to contain the burst of happiness at the news. “I thought you said you were going to wait until the baby was born to find out the gender,” he said, his entire face lit up. It made Y/N smile, and suddenly she didn’t feel so guilty that she’d let that piece of information slip.
“We were,” she answered. “But then we decided we didn’t want to wait and didn’t tell anyone else in order to keep it a surprise for them.”
“So it’s a girl?” he asked, and Y/N laughed at his giddy excitement. 
“Yes,” she said with a smile. “You’re going to have a granddaughter.”
Tony pulled her in for another hug. Then, as the rest of her confession rolled back through his brain, he realized that wasn’t the only important information she’d let slip. “Can I tell you something, kiddo?” A soft hum was the only confirmation he needed to continue. “I know you’re nervous about this whole parenting thing, and God, I don’t think there’ll ever be a day where parenting isn’t nerve wracking, but as long as you love that little girl with all your heart and show that love to her every day, I think you’re going to be just fine.” 
Y/N looked up at him, her lips wobbling. “I’m afraid I’m going to be a bad mom.”
“You won’t be,” Tony said without hesitation.
“But how do you know?”
A soft smile graced Tony’s lips. “Because what I said about loving her with all your heart and showing that every day? You’re already doing that, which kind of makes you the best mom in the whole world, and that little girl is so lucky to have you.”
Now Y/N broke down, quickly shoving her face back into Tony’s shoulder to stifle her cries and (hopefully) keep from waking anyone else. Tony closed his eyes and gently rocked her, rubbing her back in small circles. 
“Thank you,” she later said, tears still clogging up her voice. “For everything. For taking me in and loving me like you would your own and making me tea at two in the morning and letting us all move in so you can help out with the baby and keep an eye on me while Peter can’t and for walking me down the aisle because my dad and mom couldn’t be there to do that or to see their grandchild be born and—I just...thank you,” she finished breathlessly. 
Tony lovingly placed another kiss on her head. “What else are dads for?”
“You know,” Y/N laughed, sniffling as she did, “if you didn’t know this baby was a girl, I’d say you were buttering me up to name her after you.”
“Who says I’m not?” Tony joked. “I think Anthony Parker has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”
Taking Tony by surprise, Y/N pulled out of his hold and grabbed his hand, moving it to rest on her stomach. Tony blinked in awe as he felt his granddaughter kick, mesmerized by the life just inches away from him. 
“How does Mary-Jane Virginia Parker sound?” Y/N quietly asked, watching her father-in-law carefully to gauge his reaction. He didn’t speak for a few moments, tears gathering in his eyes at all of his granddaughter’s namesakes—Peter’s mother, one of the couple’s best and lifelong friends, and Pepper—Pepper-
This time, he didn’t even try to fight it when a tear slipped down his cheek. “It sounds perfect.”
“I never thought I’d see the day my wife made the almighty Tony Stark cry,” came a voice from the hallway. They both startled, whipping their heads around to see Peter casually leaning against the wall, arms crossed and hair mussed from sleep, wearing a small, amused smile. “Though, if anyone were to do it, I suppose she would be the one to.”
Instead of responding, Tony simply rolled his eyes and scooted over, patting the newfound space between him and Y/N. “Get over here, you twit.”
Peter chuckled but made his way over anyway, plopping on the cushions and putting a protective arm around his wife. Y/N leaned into him, looking sheepish at being caught but not all too apologetic. 
“So much for that secret, huh?” Peter said teasingly, kissing her forehead to assure her he wasn’t really mad. 
“If it makes you feel any better,” Tony said, his eyes still lit up in joy, “I’m an excellent secret keeper.”
Peter scoffed. “Yeah, to everyone but May and Pepper.”
Tony faked outrage. “Hey now! That’s no way to talk to your old man!” Peter gave him a look that said, ‘Am I wrong?’ while Y/N giggled, and Tony huffed. “I only tell them my secrets when they know I’m keeping one.”
“Oh, and that’s the only time you ever let a secret spill, huh?” 
“Listen here, smartass-“ Cutting himself off, Tony grabbed Peter away from Y/N and wrestled him into a headlock. Peter simultaneously was laughing and trying to push him away as Tony gave him a noogie, messing up his hair even more.  
Once Peter finally shoved him away, all three of them were laughing and it was the greatest sound Tony had ever heard, especially after the recent hardship his son and daughter-in-law had gone through. He and several others were worried when it didn’t resolve within the first few days and even more so when they heard that the word ‘divorce’ was thrown around once—once, and only once, but that was enough. And he had hoped it wouldn’t come to that, because he knew he’d stand by Peter’s side no matter what, but leaving the girl he’d practically adopted as his own behind would take its own toll on him. 
Sometimes Tony still worried. With every little fight and every raised voice, his anxiety rose. But seeing Peter and Y/N now, the former kissing Y/N’s cheek with a smile while the latter continued to giggle, Tony knew everything would be okay. 
With no warning the man swept both of them into a hug, kissing the tops of their heads. “I love you, kiddos,” he said quietly.
“I love you, too,” they both replied, Peter wrapping his arms around his father figure. Y/N followed close behind, though she couldn’t squeeze him as tight due to her protruding belly. 
“Mary-Jane loves you, too, Grandpa Pops,” Y/N said quietly, making all three pairs of eyes in the room water. And for once, Tony was actually looking forward to what life handed him next, because Mary-Jane Virginia Parker was loved, and she was perfect.
---
Promises Tag List: @mintaeroandmerlin @thehollandfam @trumpettay @ganggangganggg @secretagentben @rayanismybae* @yellowkenyon97 @casuallytumblingdownthestairs @shewhoshallnotswear @slytherpuffyy @mutuallynotmutual* @the-kylialovesyou @babebenhardy @lilbeatlebear @obsessive-fangirl44
Permanent Tag List: @lemirabitur @my-meant-to-find-blog @jongindeepbreath @tomspideyweb@farfromjustordinary @tomsstarlight @delicately-written @catstielanddeanthedog @tom-holland-and-textposts @spiderman-n @wtfholland @hollandandi @starsholland @celestialparker @beautiful-holland @spideycentral-1 @laurfangirl424 @laureharrier @casuallytumblingdownthestairs @smexylemony @antifaspiderman @trashqueenbitch @fireboltrose7559 @propertyofmarvel @perhaps-he-schnapped @ofserien @mariemrose @toxic-pineapple @chewymoustachio @captainstartights
81 notes · View notes
disasterganes · 5 years
Note
do you mind going further on the "bryke is trash" point? i may have liked a:tla and thought a:tlok had issues, but i feel like i'm missing info or haven't thought about certain things critically enough.
i will definitely do my best -- full disclosure it’s been years since i’ve come into Close Contact™ w/ k*rra, so feel free to take with a grain of salt. it’s just my opinion, and it’s a heightened opinion because i was B I G into the fandom & show when it was dropping. i had a friend group formed through atla / k*rra before it launched, it was a real cornerstone of my online life so of course i took its bad writing way more personally than a more casual fan. i also can’t watch a show as a show? i’ve done too much work (undergrad & graduate) in writing & narrative studies, so i can Only See Story -- when it falls apart, i can’t get past it. 
behind the scenes, atla likely triumphed because it was a team effort, and a bit of a first effort. not that these people hadn’t written before -- but part of what k*rra suffers from is the “how do we level up” problem that is typically answered (esp by white male writers) with make it darker. atla shone because it didn’t need to darken its tone in order to convey a more serious story -- it had room to breathe and a gentler humor that never really felt malicious in the way lok would feel malicious at times. atla was content to be what it was -- lok was always trying to be grittier than it had to be, given how well atla conveyed its difficult themes with a lighter hand. 
anyway! two parts: shitty writing, & racism. 
abandoning its premise 
my biggest pet peeve is when a show sets up something -- and doesn’t deliver. it’s why i noped out literally s1. (and, of course, kept up quietly from the sidelines bc once i start something i’m physically incapable of letting it go. but emotionally i was gone.) in its first two episodes, lok had incredible worldbuilding. it was beautiful! well drawn! interesting! organic to the world atla built! there were problems introduced that were new and different from atla. atla read a lot like a sprawling, classic hero’s quest. falter, then triumph. lok was more intricate. in its first two episodes, it posed a question: how do you navigate heroism in a world where heroism has been redefined? how do you balance staying true to yourself and allowing yourself to grow, under the scrutiny of the “celebrity” of avatardom? and how do you perform as an avatar, the person meant to keep the balance of the spirit world, when the mortal world is out of balance? this could have been four series’ worth of content. there was enough rich, complex worldbuilding in the first episode to sustain four seasons of a show. 
and then they just -- forgot about it. it was set dressing, and every half a season they artificially upped the stakes. nothing was organic to the world or the story. it was all some -- contrived plot. the conflict between benders and nonbenders could have been really interesting and then it was just -- black and white. here and gone. k*rra’s too brash and bratty to understand! and nonbenders don’t matter anyway! let’s forget about this plot and skip to some !! uh !! political upheaval! and then like! assassins and genocide or smth!! haha yeah big fights! 
it was so shallow, and that’s not how the show started. in the first seven episodes, i thought i’d called the overarching. i thought the show would spend however much time it had (initially, bryke said they were only doing two seasons to “focus on a tight story” and, like a fool, i believed that this wasn’t just a cash grab :/) setting up this story: k*rra will unlock her full potential when she realizes that it’s not just the spirit world that needs an avatar, but the mortal world as well. 
that’s it! that’s all you need! it’s a similar premise to atla but it expands atla. i distinctly remember the quote from one of those s1 episodes, where a nonbender says, “but you’re our avatar too.” that’s it. that’s the show. you have a show!! you have equalists, you have a bender-centric world, you have progress at the expense of those that can’t fit this new world’s design -- and then the equalists are all fake and we’re going to just brute force a solution and move onto the next crisis. 
... what ?? what put the nail in the coffin for me was when the gang or crew whatever the fuck they were (spoiler alert: they were nothing, none of them liked or cared about each other) were being aided by a homeless community or w/e and b*lin jokes about a “wise and noble hobo.” this orphan. who grew up homeless. and has built himself up from nothing with his only family left. is not utilized by the writers to comment on the epidemic of poverty, homelessness, and very thinly veiled racism / ableism (another spoiler alert: don’t expect white dudes to write a coherent metaphor for a real world issue). this was the opportunity for actual depth and even darkness -- below the glittering world of republic city is a serious problem that “”””defeating the fire lord”””” won’t solve. this is a mature and complex story, and it was never ever explored. in fact, in s2 that rich dude asks b*lin if he’s “ever seen the arena at night.” and b*lin says no. the, uh, the arena he lived in bc he was homeless and crushed under the wheel of this new society. 
what ,, the fuck ,, bryke. 
it’s the problem where a writer is constantly trying to outdo themselves -- and they sacrifice the story they could have had. the actually mature one. it’s a problem of thinking fight scenes and a villain Bigger and Badder than the last constitutes grittiness or maturity or w/e. (spoiler alert again: it doesn’t.) 
torturing k*rra 
atla was a story about raising a*ng up. lok was a story abt breaking k*rra down. 
shitty writing is one thing. racist writing is another. from the fucking moment she’s on screen, k*rra is told that she’s too much -- she’s too confident, she’s too loud, she’s too stubborn. and maybe she’s confident, loud, and stubborn, but the narrative does nothing but punish her for this. 
a*ng is a flawed character. a*ng runs away from his responsibility and, subsequently, the fire nation takes over the entirety of the known world. do i blame a*ng for this? absolutely not. and neither does the narrative -- not in a way that counts. people in the story do, but does the narrative beat him bloody? no. the narrative gives him friends. the narrative gives him room to make mistakes and then apologize for them. the narrative lets him learn without making his failures into something that he is literally tortured over. he struggles, but in his worst and most dire situations -- his friends are there. when he dies, it’s not shown in all of its gory details, and in a beautiful, quiet scene, k*tara heals him with spirit water. they stay by his side, and a*ng is given love, care, and support. 
k*rra is constantly, viscerally tortured on screen. k*rra is blamed, threatened, abandoned, poisoned, and temporarily disabled. k*rra is treated like a punching bag in direct response to her supposed “flaws.” we know this to be true because she “learns” from these moments of being violated, abused, and tortured -- the narrative tells us that she had to go through hell, on her own, in order to “learn humility.” 
why did k*rra, a brown girl, need to learn humility? when did she ever come across as someone who couldn’t learn, given the kind of time and space that a*ng had? why were her lessons literally beaten into her, while a*ng’s were simply a process of trial and error, with his friends at his side every single step of the way? 
people will always argue that it’s not so bad, that it’s not necessary to be as gentle with k*rra. but tell that to young brown girls watching this incredible, smart, kind, strong brown heroine get physically and mentally assaulted and broken down in order to properly “serve and save the world.” that shit? that shit’s traumatizing. k*rra is treated like garbage by m*ka, by as*mi, and by the entire world -- she is killed and tortured and isolated, and she is still expected to be grateful for what little she’s given by the end of the series. 
i hate that k*rrasami is praised so highly. because it uses the lesbian card (which i carry as a member) to reinforce some really disgusting colorism and, quite frankly, shitty ass writing. bryke can’t write without a team. end of story. 
that shit!! does NOT fly with me !!! 
66 notes · View notes
druware · 5 years
Text
This Shouldn't Be a Problem
... Often turns out to be. When a developer writes code long enough, they will run into a development pattern that will lead to the dreaded unintended consequences, and the many lost hours to tracking down the how and why. Unfortunately, this also often leads to the other programmer problem, the complicated problems have complicated solutions, when in fact, the problem was simple, but the lost hours made it feel complicated, and the solution is likewise far simpler than it seemed.
I trapped myself in one of these this week, and I figure I will share in the hopes that someone else can learn from my series of mistakes that led me to a frustrating weekend and a couple of missed bike rides, because I got mired in the hunt for the problem.
There is a program that I maintain for customers that is essentially the heart of their businesses. When it hiccups, they get frustrated, and rightly so. Making changes in that code is usually not a big deal, as the codebase really is not overly complex on the surface. However, there are some things under the surface that are a bit more hairy. Many years ago, it moved from a model where most of the code existed within the user interface to a more modern model view controller design ( this is code that has been evolving since the early 90's and has its roots in 16-bit Windows ).
The business object layer is where most of the brains are, and the user experience is largely a thin veneer over them. I am the core maintainer of the business object layer, and because of the history with them, I am also the one that knows where most of the skeletons are within that code. So when things go wrong, things escalate back to me when others cannot find the problem reasonably quickly.
This was one of those problems.
The Problem
The original support ticket on this issue is now months old. It started like so many do: "The program randomly encounters an error and stops running. The error message was that a list index is out of bounds". Unfortunately, this information is not enough to create a reproduceable bug, so difficult to trace. Slowly, over the ensuing weeks, a few more reports come in. There is definitely a problem, but not much pattern to find it. So the hunt begins. What changed in the last release prior to the first reports? Changelog doesn't show anything that should be of significance. Most everything is enhancements. Nothing that should touch lists. Go back a a few revisions. Still nothing.
Time passes. More error reports come in, but still nothing reliably reproduceable.
Each time the error reports come in. Spend a couple of hours digging at it, but still nothing.
Another report comes in, and this has been escalated. Now it's MY problem. Spend a morning digging, literally randomly clicking between a couple of UX elements that are the most likely candidates. To tab pages with list views on them. An hour of clicking produces a few errors, but the debugger drops into Windows runtime assembler, not user space code. Cookies, M&Ms and Diet Coke acquired, office door closed, music cranked up, phone on Do Not Disturb. It is on. This bug is going down. More clicking and finally a reproduceable pattern is identified.. Select an item in a list view on tab page A. Switch to tab page B. Select an item in the list on that page. Switch back to tab page A and boom the error occurs and dumps into Window runtime land, with no reference in the stack to user space code.
With a pattern in hand, now it is time to figure out the reasons. Back to the changelogs to figure out when a change occurred that impact these user interface elements. 6 months prior, a change was made to improve performance of several list views, including one of these. However, that change had been in deployment for3 months before the first error report came in. It can't be the problem can it?
More digging and refining the test case that triggers the failure. Hours pass. Frustration sets in. Resort to calling a colleague in to just listen while I talk through it. Somewhere in the middle of that conversation, the answer hits like a lightning bolt. It is is a problem with the 6 month old performance change, but was only exposed by a months later tangential change that should have had no effect on the lists, at least on the surface.
Unintended, Unplanned for, and Unexpected Consequences
It turns out that the root of the problem was a premature optimization decision made several years prior. The relevant code comments point to the author ( me ), and a date of 2015. Evolution of code and responding to customer requests often creates these very situations.
The user interface element at the heart of this issue is a list of notes pertaining to the document currently open. As any developer who has worked with customer service type operations can reiterate, notes are the lifeblood of the operation. The constant customer requests mean that they end up expanding, and needing to be displayed like Chicago voting, early, often and everywhere. Because of this, there is a heavy reuse of the same user interface element to display these notes wherever needed.
The performance change months ago was to switch the lists from a traditional listview/listitem model to a listview/virtual list model operating directly against the business object store representing the array of notes. Everything worked fine, until a single, subtle change was made months later. One instance of the reusable notes user interface element had the option to have user filters applied to the list enabled. Since all of these reused display elements shared a common data store in the business logic, filters applied in one space applied across all of them, since they were all sharing a single instance of the business object. This was fine so long as there was never any potential overlap of having two of these instances visible at the same time, or, as it turns out switching directly between two of them.
Results
As I am sure the more experienced developers have already deduced, when one list was being swapped out, with the other, there was a brief period where it was possible (though not always true) that the state of the data store was inconsistent with the expected content of the displayable lists, the result, seemingly random failures to read a memory address that was no longer valid.
How Did We Get Here?
Honestly, it was a failure to communicate the risks. I wrote the code initially many moons ago. I authored the performance improvements, and then I approved the recent change in passing, without taking the time to fully consider the ramifications, which I am reasonably certain I would have caught given the chance to actually think about them, but in the press of a customer request while I was focused on another pressing task, I did not take the time to do so. Then to make matters worse, the situation was one that the unit test test cases would never have trapped as they existed at that point.
The Solution, and Not the Solution, and then the Solution
All of this leads to the other developer problem and disconnect in the how we think. In typical fashion, the immediate conclusion is that a hard to find problem, does not have an easy solution. So, a solution is formulated, planned implemented and enters testing. It works, but it is expensive in terms of resources. It creates separate copies of the data store per reused list view. It is a hammer, when really all that is needed is a gentle nudge.
Sometime after starting testing, the developer, who has at this point left to do something else because decompression is needed, has the "oh shit" moment. Yeah, brute force works, but is fundamentally flawed in the wasted resources, as well as user experience. Worse the business object layer already supports what is needed.
Instead of creating copies of the underlying datastore, all that is needed is to maintain multiple filtered lists that reference the allocated objects in the underlying data store. It is a 5 minute change involving about 3 lines of code ( and 30 lines of documentation to explain what is happening ). Dump it into the testing rig, and add a new test case to handle this unique tests.
Side Note
Unfortunately, there is no test case that can test for developerDidAStupidThing(); so in the interim, these types of things will keep happening. This is one of those problems that will crop up in customer driven solutions with short turn around times. No amount of automation will completely solve the problems so long as users are driving the evolution, and developers are operating in a respond to the customer model.
1 note · View note