#who says punk can't be nerdy

[aboveweirdest]

I want trimax/'98 Vash boots for like everyday wear but i can't find any that do buckles and shit the way i like

Catch me pulling out my punk diy skills to add my own buckles to some platforms at some point in the future lol

[cobragardens]

My Favorite Good Omens Moment:

An Essay on Why It Is Cool and Rad (Part 1)

There's this moment in Good Omens that makes me cackle every time I see it and leaves me full of warmth, so here's an essay on its context and meaning, because explication and analysis are how I show love. I will try to keep my thoughts as tight as possible, but they do have a tendency to spiral outwards, and I am very stoned. Come, sistren, and get nerdy with me.

My favorite moment in the series so far occurs in 1601. To approach it we will first need an assload of context. There's a TL;DR in bold at the end of the Context if you don't fancy reading the whole assload. Key arguments are in italics and bold throughout.

David Tennant gives Crowley a very consistent facial expression every time Aziraphale says something so outlandish Crowley can't quite believe he's hearing it. It's this one:

Chronologically, we see the Eyebrows of Disbelief twice before my fave moment in 1601: once (above left) in that scene on the Garden Wall that familiarizes the audience with Crowley's face before adding the dark glasses, when Aziraphale admits he's given away his sword; once when Aziraphale tells Bildad the Shuhite that he, Aziraphale, has Fallen because he lied to the angels to save Job's children.

The Eyebows of Disbelief always signal surprise and amusement with something Aziraphale has said or done. This amusement is sometimes at Aziraphale's expense and sometimes not.

In the gifs above, Crowley is laughing because what Aziraphale has just admitted to doing is fantastic and unexpected and frankly pretty gd punk rock. He's not laughing at Aziraphale, he's laughing because he is delighted with him. The only record we have thus far of Crowley laughing at Aziraphale is this one:

Crowley laughs when Aziraphale informs him--him, a demon who has personally been through the process of Falling--that Aziraphale is Fallen and must be a demon now. As though of the two of them Aziraphale is the expert on how and under what circumstances this occurs.

And yet when Crowley sees Aziraphale's distress--not his fear of being taken to Hell, but his heartbreak and lostness over the fact that his conscience has diverged from God's stated will--Crowley stops laughing, and instead he acts very kindly towards Aziraphale. He validates the gravity of what Aziraphale has done and assures him he won't turn him in. He sits with him so Aziraphale isn't totally alone (like Crowley probably was) as he goes through the loneliest moments of his existence to that point and picks himself up newly weighted with the secret he must now bear.

And after this scene (in canon as it stands thus far), we don't see Crowley laugh at anything Aziraphale says or does again.

And he really has to work for it sometimes. We talk a lot about the things Michael Sheen is able to convey with his face in Good Omens, and absolutely rightly so; David Tennant earns a chunk of his paycheck in this regard as well. If you haven't given yourself the treat yet, rewatch the scene in Will Goldstone's magic shop in 1941 and focus on Crowley's reactions:

Tennant takes great care to show, with precision, that Crowley is expending effort not to react to Aziraphale's nervous chaos Muppetry and lack of self-awareness. Crowley is self- and socially and contextually aware enough that he knows (better than Aziraphale, at least, which is not a high bar to clear) what's cringe, what's funny, what's ridiculous, how to behave. But whenever Aziraphale crosses a boundary of normalcy, or even sanity, and there is opportunity to laugh at him, Crowley very carefully doesn't react. He doesn't interrupt him, he doesn't try to correct him, he doesn't make fun of him, he doesn't even smirk; he just watches him, as stone-faced as he can manage, no matter how bizarre Aziraphale becomes.

We should be reading this lack of reaction to Aziraphale's social and rational transgressions as powerful positive action. Go watch the Doctor Who episode "Human Nature," or literally any episode of The Inbetweeners, or read or watch Regeneration, and reflect on what it shows you about English masculinity; then consider again the depth of significance in how English- and male-coded character Crowley treats English- and male-coded character Aziraphale in an England created by an English and male-codedpresenting author based off a book written by himself and another male-presenting author. Within its context of English masculinity, Crowley's lack of reaction is not a neutral stance; it is a very fucking loud show of support.

This is not even an inference; it's stated outright in the show. Crowley himself puts it into words 422 years after my favorite moment:

You know how Crowley calls Aziraphale "angel" because the factuality of the descriptor offers him plausible deniability to any Heavenly or Infernal agents who might be listening? Remember how Crowley is a great equivocator? Crowley is equivocating here, too: he's using the cover of what Maggie and Nina will take as a disparaging joke at Aziraphale's expense in order to make a perfectly sincere statement. This is his genuine perception of one of the relationship dynamics he has with Aziraphale and how he feels about that dynamic. Crowley thinks he himself is quite witty (an accurate assessment), Crowley thinks Aziraphale isn't sufficiently self- or contextually aware to hide how strange he is and therefore frequently says and does mad things (also an accurate assessment), and Crowley is Into. That. Shit.

Okay. Now let's look at 1601.

Chronologically it's been almost 1,000 years since we last saw Aziraphale and Crowley. In 537, Aziraphale isn't willing even to consider a labor-saving working arrangement with Crowley of fucking off home out of the damp of Arthurian Wessex; but by 1601, he's worked (and met, and Arranged) with Crowley "dozens of times now," Crowley says, and Azirapahle does not correct him.

In that millienium, Aziraphale has grown to care deeply about Crowley:

In fact he may be somewhat smitten with him:

Seriously, go back and watch Aziraphale here as Crowley approaches and starts speaking to him: he doesn't start smiling until he recognizes that the person speaking to him is Crowley (but he only smiles at Crowley while Crowley's not looking at him).

And Crowley is definitely become smitten with Aziraphale:

Our man(-shaped entity) is so allergic to work he sets up a meeting to weasel, cajole, or (as it happens) cheat a coin toss to get Aziraphale to do an easy temptation for him in Edinburgh, and then in the same conversation agrees to miracle a play into success because Aziraphale gives him a single hopeful look. Crowley's got it bad.

TL;DR: The Eyebrows of Disbelief happen when Crowley is surprised and amused by something Aziraphale has said or done. Sometimes that amusement is delight with Aziraphale; sometimes it is at Aziraphale's expense. Crowley is aware of this distinction, and when his amusement is at Aziraphale's expense, he suppresses it, even when it takes some effort on his own part, and remains stocially composed. This is equivocation on his part: to Celestial/Infernal operatives lacking knowledge of the intricacies of human behavior, this non-reaction would seem like neutrality; to Aziraphale, who shares with Crowley and the audience the contextual knowledge of English masculinity's utter viciousness, this non-reaction is a profound show of support; and in the safety of support from Crowley, Aziraphale lets his weirdness blossom.

As another meta points out [link if I find it again], we also see in Aziraphale's wordless request about Hamlet and Crowley's immediate understanding of it that by 1601 Aziraphale and Crowley have developed an unspoken, coded method of communication with each other.

Now that we have all of that in mind, here's my favorite moment in Good Omens:

Ixi of Fuck Yeah Good Omens has even kindly archived a closeup of the aftermath, for Crowley, of "Buck up!" In gif 4, above, you can see that the tiny smile is an involuntary reaction that happens as Crowley's eyes widen: for a fraction of a second, he's caught off-guard. In the closeup it's easier to see that he suppresses the smile and gives a tiny shake of his head, Eyebrows of Disbelief heading for his hairline.

There are a number of things Crowley's reaction could mean and what messages it could communicate (we'll get to that in a sec), but regardless, his reaction is, unquestionably, one of surprise and suppressed amusement. This is an aspect of Crowley and Aziraphale's relationship and characters that I like very much, viz., that one of the reasons Crowley likes Aziraphale (though Aziraphale is judgy and occasionally, unintentionally, horrifyingly cruel) is that in addition to being one of the kindest and most courageous beings in existence, Aziraphale is mad as a bag of frogs. Crowley does not know what is going to come out of Aziraphale's lovely mouth next, but Crowley does know there's a good chance he will struggle to believe he's hearing it, and Crowley likes that.

That's what makes this my favorite moment. What makes this moment so cool and rad, though, is its ineffability. We know from the Eyebrows of Disbelief that Crowley is surprised and amused, but any of several things could be read in that almost imperceptible headshake. Like:

What are you doing? or

Why are you like this? or

How can you be aware that you say these things out loud and yet still say them out loud? or

How has my existence come to this? this moment of listening to such insanity?

each of which is a fair and just feeling to have/message to communicate to a man(-shaped entity) who is yelling "Buck up!" at Hamlet.

But that's only if we read Crowley's amusement as being at Aziraphale's expense. And I don't think we should. Because watch Aziraphale here:

He's doing it on purpose. He is shouting a hilariously inappropriate, 100% authentic Aziraphale-brand thing over arguably the gloomiest passage of Shakespeare's famously gloomy play--right after Crowley complains about its gloominess--and he is watching Crowley as he does it. Look at his smile! He knows he's being Deeply Uncool, and he is doing it literally right into Crowley's face.

Remember that we just talked about how by this point in the chronology Crowley and Aziraphale have learned to communicate with each other nonverbally through facial expression? So what does it mean when Aziraphale responds to Crowley's grumbling about Hamlet's gloominess by smiling his minxious Mona Lisa Aziraphale smile, looking right into Crowley's face, and yelling at Hamlet to buck up? Aziraphale, in a carefully coded, carefully Aziraphale way, is joking with Crowley. His silliness in this moment is for Crowley.

So with aaaaaaallllll of this essay in mind, what does it mean that Crowley's reaction to "Come on, Hamlet! Buck up!" is widening eyes, an involuntary twitch of his mouth toward a smile, and then, his eyebrows still showing surprise and amusement, a tiny shake of his head?

Once more, with inferences:

I do propose, y'all, on the basis of this web of evidence I submit for consideration, that what we are seeing here in my favorite moment of Good Omens is the ineffable equivalent of Aziraphale and Crowley sharing a laugh.

Crowley's amusement here isn't at Aziraphale, because Aziraphale is eliciting that amusement consciously and deliberately. Aziraphale, in good spirits and happy to see Crowley, uses his Aziraphaleness to offers Crowley not only an opportunity for amusement, but the opportunity to be in agreement with him about what in this situation is funny. They're on the same side of this joke.

And his humor lands just as he wants it to: Crowley, just for a moment, is caught off-guard, and tickled--

But remember, Crowley is worried in this scene about being surveilled ("I thought you said we'd be inconspicuous here"), and he worries about audio surveillance a lot ("Walls have ears"; "Don't say that. If my lot hear [etc.]," etc.), so he's very limited in what reactions he can show or voice. Aziraphale knows Crowley must be perceived by anyone watching or listening to disapprove of his, Aziraphale's, behavior (just as he must be perceived to disapprove vociferously of Crowley's). Both of them know this.

--so Crowley suppresses the smile almost successfully, and shakes his head at Aziraphale, minutely, to say Stop. What you're doing is working, you're close to making me laugh, and if I show how much you have just delighted me, it will blow our cover of "just an Arrangement."

I offer three final data points in advancing my argument that what we see in my favorite Good Omens moment is Aziraphale successfully attempting to joke with Crowley and Crowley recognizing that overture from Aziraphale and being momentarily surprised into a reaction of genuine delight before pulling his face back under control and indicating to Aziraphale that he must stop:

Datum 1. Nothing going on with Crowley's face in this moment is accidental. We know for sure we're not seeing David Tennant react to Michael Sheen here not only because of literally every other point of Tennant's and Sheen's performances in the show, but because Tennant is wearing opaque contacts and sunglasses under film lighting and therefore cannot be reacting to anything more compelling than a level-10-lift blur because Tennant cannot see shit. Crowley's reaction is a deliberate and careful performance choice on Tennant's part, and it's underscored by director Douglas Mackinnon's choice to film Tennant in 1/2 profile to keep Crowley's eyes visible and face readable to the audience. This reaction is supposed to be there and supposed to be meaningful.

Datum 2. The husbands in 1601 is not the only moment in Good Omens when we may be seeing an angel and a demon communicate the message Stop doing that, it makes us look too familiar between themselves with a little headshake:

Datum 3: There is another moment in Good Omens when Aziraphale offers Crowley the opportunity to enjoy a joke with him. There, too, his humor lands just as he intends, so we can use this other moment as a comparison to our 1601 moment. I don't have gifs for it, but go back and watch it, S1E6 49:27-42. Snips below.

Aziraphale says something that surprises and amuses Crowley (he asked Hell for a rubber duck while he was sloshing around in the holy water)--

--but what Aziraphale says makes Crowley smile long before it makes him laugh.

In fact, his laugh, though a genuine cackle, is quite delayed, and he laughs only after Aziraphale starts laughing too.

In other words, Crowley's reaction to Aziraphale offering him amusement they're both on the same side of is exactly the same as his reaction to "Come on, Hamlet! Buck up!" right up until he laughs instead of shaking his head. Here, after Armageddidn't, Crowley doesn't have to suppress his reaction, so he can let the smile bloom; he doesn't have to control his response, so, although it takes him a few extra seconds, he lets the smile turn into a laugh.

But in 1601, it's not safe to laugh at Aziraphale's humor. It's not safe even to smile at him. A single piece of evidence or eye/earwitness testimony that he and Crowley have anything more friendly than the most passing and acrimonious of professional relationships could mean death to either or both of them, and depending on what Falling is like, maybe something worse than death for Aziraphale.

But Aziraphale is so funny, so effervescent for Crowley, at Crowley, that it catches Crowley just for a moment. Crowley's eyes widen and the corner of his mouth twitches toward a smile.

And that's dangerous. If Aziraphale keeps acting so charmingly mad, Crowley is going to laugh, and they can't afford that risk, so he shakes his head at Aziraphale. Stop, or I won't be able to keep a straight face around you.

And Aziraphale apparently receives that message, because he immediately eases off. Less than 60 seconds later we learn that he's deeply concerned for Crowley's safety--and that it's not so much that Aziraphale has Crowley wrapped around his little finger as it is that Crowley has wrapped himself around Aziraphale's little finger like a snake arranging itself on the tree branch it calls home.

UPDATE 14/10/23: HOLY SHIT Y'ALL IT GETS EVEN BETTER! THERE IS A SEQUEL!

[daughter-of-sapph0]

I can't believe we're having the egg prime directive debate all over again.

look, I know this doesn't apply to everyone, but it applies to me

my first boyfriend was a trans boy. I'm not gonna say his real name, so let's call him Jack. we dated in my sophomore year of high school, and at the time I thought I was a gay boy. he was the first trans person I ever met. of course I knew what being trans was, I had learned that they existed through being active in queer communities online. but everyone online felt so distant. like I could never be them.

but Jack was the first trans person who was like me: a nerdy high school kid who liked playing video games and listening to punk music and was stressed about his upcoming history paper. like a normal teenager, like me, could just be transgender. he helped me through my own dysphoria, and I came out as nonbinary, and then a trans woman a few months later early in my junior year. even though we broke up, we still remained friends and cared for each other and supported each other, being two of only a handful of trans kids at our high school.

I sometimes think how my life would be different if I never met Jack. I probably wouldn't have discovered I was transgender until much later in life, or even at all. and given that a year after I came out, the pandemic hit and I went through a major depressive phase... if I had to deal with gender dysphoria and not knowing why I was feeling that way and the stupid belief that I wasn't allowed to be trans on top of everything else... I honestly believe I wouldn't be here today.

I'm not telling you what you should say to other people. if they're a complete stranger, then obviously mind your own business. but if your friend is expressing genuine concern about their dysphoria and they feel like they don't belong in their own body, then maybe let them know that it's okay if they're trans and you'll support them instead of not saying anything.

best case scenario, you'll save their life. worst case scenario, they try transitioning and eventually realize it's not for them and they come out of it with a newfound understanding and appreciation of what it means to be transgender.

[fabuloustrash05]

Some of My TMNT Hot Takes (PART 2) 🔥

Warning: More Opinions

Part 1 Here

I don’t like that in Mutant Mayhem Donnie is not a “science guy” but instead is more of an anime and pop culture geek. I’m not against him being an anime fan (I love anime too) but I wish we saw more of his science and being a tech genius side instead of him just liking stereotypical “nerdy stuff”. If that makes sense.

I don’t like the Punk Frogs (any version).

The 87 crossover episodes in the 2012 series (as much as I did enjoy them & are great episodes) should not have happened. They leave no real impact or development to 2012’s overarching story and just waste time. These episodes could’ve covered more important things that 202 was desperately lacking like like character exploration and character dynamic development. It was just nostalgic fanservice. The arc in S5 specifically would’ve work better as a movie instead of a 3-4 episode arc in the (most likely non canon) final season.

Shinigami being Mikey’s second love interests ruins her character a bit (for me personally). That was a pointless decision that did NOT need to happen. She would’ve been our first recurring female character to not be a love interest, but nope!

People are allowed to like/ship Donnie x April in ROTTMNT (this is coming from someone who’s not crazy about April being shipped with the Turtles).

I ship Yuichi with 2012 Leo more than Rise Leo (still ship Rise Leoichi, but I just think 2012 Leoichi is way more interesting, plus 2012 Leo deserves a good love interest).

The humans in Mutant Mayhem look ugly af (I know that was probably an intentional design choice but still. It looks bad.)

I hate Raph x Casey (any ver). I’ve stated in part one that I don’t like Raph (any version) being in a romantic relationship with human characters and yes, that meant him with Casey. Not only that but Raph and Casey being a couple ruins their whole dynamic and iconic friendship I love so much. I’m all for friends to lovers but they are a line that should not be crossed. Not every friendship needs to turn romantic.

2012 Karai’s hair looks bad.

Fans often over exaggerate Rise Donnie’s character and badly mischaracterize him in fanfics and fan comics to the point it makes him feel like he’s an entirely different character.

Shinigami should have been revealed to be a villain.

Rise Donnie was just as mean to his brother as fans claim 2012 Raph was to his. Yes, they both do love their families and I’m NOT saying either of them are abus!ce (they’re not), but fans praising Rise Donnie for doing similar things fans criticize/hate 2012 Raph for doing just makes them hypocrites.

Venus does NOT need to be in every iteration of TMNT. It gets kind of annoying when fans keep on saying that she should be in all the other iterations when in truth her presence would not make sense based on the already established canon story. The only (recent) version of TMNT where I think her being included would’ve fit the best and deserved to make her comeback in is ROTTMNT.

The side plot of 2012 Karai being mutated and later getting brainwashed by Shredder was a waste of time and the most boring arc in the series.

2012 April, Donnie and Casey being in a poly relationship does not fix anything with their problematic dynamic and massive flaws with one another. I'm not saying you can't ship all three of them together, you do you! Idc But in reality their relationship would be a train wreck, that's why I personally don't ship 2012 Capriltello.

Renet is probably one of the most powerful allies the Turtles have in the 2012 series.

Rise Donnie would NOT hate 2012 April. He’d go crazy over her psychic powers and want to study them to help her explore them more.

From what I've seen so far, Leo x Usagi seems like the only GOOD ship in the 2003 series (this hot take might change tho).

Raph had the best character arc and development in the 2012 series and changed the most out of the four brothers. Next would be Leo. With Mikey and Donnie have little development (or none at all sadly).

[punkeropercyjackson]

Before i forget again,here's the Flowerghost(Jason Todd and Miles Morales)parallels + They are BROTHERS and Jason's a canon pedophile killer so fuck off if you ship him with canon minors

Black and red-coded

Genius'

Nerdy interests(classical literature for Jason,anime for Miles and video games for both)

Caused great controversy for taking over longheld mantles because of being minorities(Jason poor,Miles afrolatino)but are now widely beloved

Mama's boys and the mom's in question have brown hair and a deep grip on their cultures in a positive way when the writers aren't being ass

Can't flirt but have big rizz

Type in women is woc(Gwen is Miles' only white girl one and to me she acts more black mixed than anything else and imma do my own thing like Miles and say she's canon afrolatina + Jason's never shown interest in white girls fullstop and actively rejected Kory specifically because they deblackified her)

Poor social skills

Very similar sense of humor

The guy they're closest to is a black troubled kid who grew up in a dystopia but only let that make him kind and optimistic,an instigator and a freedom fighter on a team that all share a title(Duke and Hobie).Do not come at me with 'Hobie is Miles' older brother' bs though,that's Jason's job and Hobie is Miles' boygirlfriend

And the other person they're closest to is a black biracial girl with a ghost motif and abusive dad who's also a pastel punk,very sweet and tender but also has anger issues and no hesitance to get brutal in fights and is their counterpart yet also their foil(Stephanie and Gwen + Imma also do my own thing with Stephanie because people think she actually takes pride in being blonde for some reason + This is reverse of the above because i'm a Ghostflower lover and a J*ysteph hater out of reading comprehension)

Eh,i'm gonna say it-They're both afro-caribbean and nonblacks and gringos can't stop me since they love lying about Jason's canon traits but get upset when comics readers tell the truth about him and my take actually makes a lot of sense with him unlike theirs and i've got like every fellow afrolatino DC fan agreeing with me on it anyway

Autistic,adhd and anxiety-coded with trans swag that can be read in any direction

When they were 15,they went to a far off place to find themselves thanks to an important woman in their lives only for it to turn out she was betraying him and this caused a major shift in their narrative-Although Miles was lucky enough to have his be with good intentions while Jason's very much did not

Robin!Jason was a soft ray of sunshine boy like Miles is and Miles G is a goth asshole and a vigilante to cope with trauma like Red Hood!Jason is.He even has green eyes like he does which is very interesting and fitting difference

If we're being specific with Eras:Into=80s Batman,Across=A Death in The Family,Miles G becoming The Prowler=Lost Days,Beyond=Under The Red Hood and Spidey and His Amazing Friends=Wayne Family Adventures(but good)

Not quite the same thing but their animal variants are a cat and a dog so they match

This

[trrickytickle]

You've Got The Face On

A/N: GWEN GWEN GWEN SPIDER-GWEN MELOVE!! She's actually one of my favorite lees in these movies but I hadn't done any fics. Anyhoo. I say this is for myself, but this is revenge for YOU!!! yes yes yes, YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! THIS IS REVENGE FOR BEING SO NICE TO ME!!!!!!! One moment, Gwen's distraught at the fact she can't see the few friends she cherishes- especially the one who made her never take the risk of friendship again. The other, she's laughing on the floor at the touch of her new friends.

There was one place that could exist many Peter Parkers.

An array of many different versions of the nerdy kid bitten by a radioactive spider gathered in Miguel O'Hara's secret spider society- some more similar, some much too similar- (since when did he have a clone!?) and some bitten by a radioactive pig. So many Peters- yet none from Earth-63.

None were hers.

Gwen Stacy, for lack of a better word, was sulking. Familiar faces and familiar names held different memories and things to heart and she couldn't help it. She wanted her memories. The things she held near and dear. Unable to hold it, a strained sad sob slipped out the quiver of her lips under the gap in her teeth which bit back the same somber noise. The one other Spider-Man- not Peter- that she wanted to see more than anything in the multiverse, wasn't even invited. Forbidden- cast out by the same people he wanted to meet more than anything.

She tried to shake it off, drumming loudly over the strangely poetic sadness in her mind. The snares hid the sobs and stored away the anger, and as the beat built up- and up- and up and up and up- it stopped, with a clatter of drumsticks on the wooden floor.

She cried. She cried, and cried, and cried. Anguish was present in her low, demure voice, forming in the raspy calls from a closed throat, which recieved a catatonic response of spider chatter and futuristic ambience. The room was empty already, but it felt more hollow than it was. The cramped practice room for some silly soon-to-be band that won’t soon come to be because of her stupid social skills was now a cave where her distress lined the noiseless walls.

Gwen hiccupped, laying face-first on a tom as her tears pooled up. The cries grew loud, desperate and lonely - but all of a sudden, the plastic footsteps of Chuck Taylors paced her way, and inconsistent flecks of color glowed.

Hobie Brown. "Gwen." "Gweeeeen." "Gwen-dy!" "Gwendolyn!"

She choked back yet another sob, sitting up with tears welling in her eyes. Hobie walked over to her drum set, kicking away the drumsticks she held absentmindedly and taking off his mask to lend a snake-bitten smile, the sight of which made Gwen grin back apprehensively.

"So, wasson your mind? Gwen? Gwen?- Gwendy!!" Hobie bugged the girl, pulling at her hoodie and jabbing her in the ribs- the latter of which caused her breath to hitch not out of sadness but a reaction she couldn't deny. A small giggle escaped her- and on the inside of her heart, (seemingly made of stone- like a veneer on the inside to cover the softer side of the silly girl), she had hoped Hobie didn't care and continued crying, swallows and whimpers building this time out of gratefulness, practically enveloping the posh punk into a hug.

She wasn’t alone. Hobie still wasn’t quite who she was expecting, but that didn’t mean she didn’t appreciate him. The silent embrace, broken by only a few sobs was quickly cut off, when-

THWIP! THWIP!

"Gwen! What's wrong!?" Pavitr exclaimed. "I heard drumming- like, angry drumming- and then just like that- nothing, and you're crying. Oh, you're crying. Oh, Gwen!"

"...mmImissMiles..." she muttered. A whimper turned into a sniffle, and then a small well of tears dripping down her weary eyelids.

"Hey, hey, uh'know what he said, but- we’ll find a way.” Hobie said. “It’s really fookin’ rank- the fact you can’t see him.”

“Hey-” Gwen sniffled. “It’s not like you guys can help it.” Gwen averted her gaze, burying her head in Hobie’s denim jacket. “It’s just- it’s- I- I just… I never thought I’d make friends. But I did- and why do I lose them just as quickly!?” There was an aggressive prickle building with her tears. “I’m practically cursing you guys.”

”Gwen! Look at me!” Pavitr piped up. “I-I mean, look at you! You’re a blessing.” He shook the cold shoulders of the Ghost-Spider suit, while Gwen clung to the chest of Hobie’s buttoned jacket. “Miguel chose you! And even if you probably won’t see Peter again- Hobie’s probably going to find a way to voip Miles on in here!” The punk gave Pavitr a high-five, the resounding thwap! of palms making the corners of Gwen’s lips perk up into a small smile. At the sight, Pav smirked, a saccharine glint shining in his bright eyes…

”….Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwww, you’re smiling!” He coyly batted his eyes. “Mission accomplished, Hobie! Gwen’s smiling!”

Gwen giggled, averting his hyperbolic gaze. “Am not.” Her expression shifted to an ingenuine pout, shoving Hobie as she wiped her puffy eyes.

The punk inched forward to hold her tighter- in a constricting, friendly embrace- well, more of a suplex.

“Are too. C’mere, you.” As Hobie’s arms clenched tighter, Pavitr ran at Gwen and wrapped her into a (less bone-crushing) hug, coifed hair brushing at the Spider-Woman’s shoulderblade.

In that moment, the small band-room felt fuller than it was. The three stood squarely in the middle of the room, both boys squeezing Gwen tightly as to wring out the tears. She thought of practices and pranks and their faces after placing cling wrap on Miguel’s office door and how stupid they felt after remembering he had spider-senses and how much trouble they got in and Pavitr helping with her homework and Hobie being livid at her and Pavi for washing his favorite pair of crust pants and their songwriting sessions and —SQUEAL!!!

The warmth of nostalgia prickled into the cold jittery feeling of a squeeze from behind to the white-clad sides.

“Hey, hey, don’t, that really tickled.. Don’t!” Gwen attempted to shove Pavitr, who laughed in an infliction a little too evil for her liking. Hobie let out a small chuckle. Too. late. Both of her new friends had her surrounded, the one thing currently on their mind being to exploit this knowledge for all they could.

“Don’t? Y’take me for a pillock? You really expect us not tuh’ tickle you after you so frantic’lly announced y’r weakness? Keep hold of her.” Hobie told Pavitr, who poked where the armpits met the shoulderblades and played at the ribs. The punk’s umber hands were unintentionally strategically around her ribs and torso, resulting in both boys scheming to make her laugh until her ribs hurt- by targeting the area.

“Ehe-HEEyouguyssuck-yousucksomuch! A-haha-ha-ha-ha-ha!! Sto-hoooopit! Na-nnh!! Ha-hahaha-haha! Nnstoppit! StahahahaAAAA!!” Gwen writhed out of the spider-strength hold, thrashing so much as if it was a testament to her ticklishness, almost pushing Pavitr down on the hardwood floor.

“Oh, come on, Gwen! What’d you expect- like come ON!” Pavitr teased, immediately flipping Gwen over with the thwoop of a bangle, which spun her arms to the plywood.

“We’d toooooooootally wanna try.” He straddled her waist, digging his fingers into her midsection, made smooth and sensitive by the fibers of her costume.

Pavitr’s dextrous digits were tickling as fast and as sporadically as he could talk, and switching techniques faster than he could save face in front of Inspector Singh. He went from poking rapidly in areas which ignited a loud noise- something like “-SQUEEEEE!!-” , or “AH! NAHAhatthere!” or “Ple-HEEASE!”- to name a few, skittering lightly over skin which required only the lightest flit of fingers, making Gwen give out giggly, wheezy and awkward laughter. All while Hobie, sitting at her spider-webbed arms, was strumming in her exposed armpits as he would consistently copy the most complicated guitar riffs he knew, in total smug silence.

”HOBIE! hee-HEEH! GahahET OUTTA THERE!”

The punk mockingly traced at her pits, singing as if he were playing. “Destination uu~nknown-”

”NO-ho-HA!! Eeeee!” Gwen squealed, thrashing with every touch. The pleas she had uttered fell on deaf pierced ears.

“Ruby, Ruby, Ruby Soho… “

”You two-hoo—HA! Heh-hahaha-AAH!”

”What izzit, Berkley, m’trynna concentrate on playun th’ guitar!!” Hobie, preoccupied with yet another riff (underneath Gwen’s own admittedly adorable screaming laughter, she could make it out as Anarchy by Sex Pistols) spat sarcastically, earning a chuckle from Pavitr. Gwen thought Hobie had mercy on her for only a split-second, before she realized that he only freed his right hand from her hollow to high-five a poking and prying Pavitr… who smirked.

Pav never smirked- unless he was planning something (typically a crafty scheme or a juvenile prank.) He would smile. He’d beam. He’d even grin. But not a smirk. A smirk was when you knew you were fucked. And fucked Gwen was.

”No! No. Pav-PAVI. Do not touch the Conv-”

Her teal Chucks were practically thrown off by Pavitr, who smiled up at Hobie- and Gwen, indirectly, who gulped and let out a “meep!” Slowly (kinda-sorta for once), he’d drag his fingers up and down her socked feet, causing her to titter and resist- until they were lifted, little by little, revealing bits of her sheer nylons which he sent a barrage of quick fingers at. Eventually, due to Gwen’s tortured thrashing, the socks came off- and the floodgates opened.

”AAAAAAAH-hee-hee-hee-heehee-HyEEEEE! EEE-ahaha-huh-HUH-HA! AhahahA it’s so bad ICAN’T guysguysguys EEEEEEEEEEheeheehoohuh-hUHAHAH-HAAH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAAAA- wheezeAAAAAAHHhahahHHHHhahahhstoppitnotthefeetNNNGHHHHNGHheehee-h-”

Ghostly silent laughter. Gwen still thrashed, sides hurting from not the dirty trick her friends had played, and needing a serious breather. Thankfully, Hobie laid off on the picking and strumming and fretting and whatnot. Pavitr wasn’t so quick to catch on, but stopped a few seconds after him. She caught her breath, clutching her stomach covered in scars of phantom feelings.

It was laughable. Earlier that day, Gwen was griefstricken about the distance of her few peers, heartbroken and filled with longing. But now, she was wishing death upon the new connections she’d made- still feeling the barrage of chords on her armpits, shaking off the fact that her ticklishness could be taken advantage of anywhere, anytime, by anyone-

”Please don’t tickle me. Again, or like, ever.”

”Is that a challenge?” Pavitr said, quirking up an eyebrow. “I’d love to partake in such a thing, honestly. It’s fun seeing you-”

”I’m eating all your bhuja.” Gwen deadpanned. “Or leaving only the peas. Whichever’s worse.”

”Well I reckon we skip practice today. I got plenty of guitar in today.” Hobie smirked at Gwen, urging Pav to taunt her as well. “Isn’t that right, Gwendy-wendy-bendy-fendy-mendy-” They wriggled their fingers in her face, giggling at her pout and furrowed brow.

Gwen shook the thought creeping in her mind off. No. Not the time to think about that.

[chifuyusgangshirt]

Add Kakucho alongside Rindou as the type to like gym girls.

Okay hot take but:

The types of girls the tenjiku boys would like:

Izana

Sweet girls. Kind ones, the kind of girls you can manipulate easy and who would devote themselves to saving you. Izana obviously needs a lot of attention and affection, preferably for himself alone. If you date him, you are his best friend, family, lover, mom, maid and therapist.

And you'll have to be build for that. You can't just say no to him and move on he makes sure to call and message you everyday to ask if you still like him. You need to be somehwat mother-like too. He has mommy issues and it shows man, don't be surprised when you find out he has a mommy kink in the bedroom too - just accept it man. It's Izana, he does what he wants.

Also, be interested in him and only him. He loves nice girls who hang on every word he says. Maybe even a bit dumb so he can scold you and make you feel less than you are to keep you close.

"I can change him" "babe look at me, this isn't you" and "you just don't know him like I do" are things he feeds right into. Tbh he is a bit of a pick me boy. So if you are a lovely "not like other girls" he would appreciate that. Be his and he is yours and you both can be emo together.

Mochi

Also nice girls. But normal ones. You know, not the girls who have a tumblr Account and relate to Ramona flowers, more like girls that don't judge a book by it's cover. He is a scary guy and is afraid to intimidate his crush so you better be nice and outspoken.

Tbh I see him as possibly shy around girls? Doesn't know how to act and talk. He needs someone who makes the first steps and has the pants on in the relationship. Just be honest and open to him and that's enough.

Also big eaters. He'll invite you out to eat constantly and hopes to have a little eating contest with you. Competitive Bastard loves to win against you.

Mucho

Say it with me; mucho likes nerdy girls. Mucho liked nerdy, mature girls.

He is the kind to fall for the type who wear the typical "nerd" thick rimmed glasses, tom-boyish style, are coffee addicts and draw a fake mustache on their finger or even better, have a necklace of it.

Oh and science. Cool, funny girls who know biology! Idk but he seems like a wise old man in the body of a body builder so I think he likes smart girls, people who can match him in any way and make him feel challenged.

Shion

Punks. Loud and nasty dirty punk girls who throw the first punch and kick him in the balls when he says too much.

Girls who love blood and spit on the ground, girls who tattoo his name on their tits and bring him to tattoo theirs on his neck.

Punk girls who kiss his snotty nose and then finish off the guys who hurt him, yes call him babyboy! He says he hates it but he doesn't. He actually dreamily writes the words next to a couple that is supposed to be you two but no one can actually make out humans in it.

Rindou

Rindou is the type to say he wants a goth girlfriend but actually wants an e-girl. Rindou is the type to show you his remix on your first date and calls it art. Rindou mansplains protein-shakes to you.

But you know, he wants someone like this and that but what he needs is a girl that can pin him against the wall and make him blush like a school girl.

Rindou needs a best friend he can hang out and talk about his day with, venting about his brother and who he can show the weird rash on his butt without judgement.

Rindou would love to game with you and hold your hand, he needs a kiss on the nose when he wakes up and a knee in his stomache when he pushes you into the dirt. Fight with him, kiss him, please give him attention he needs it :(

Ran

Himself but with boobs.

But you know what he would also make do with, someone just as tired as him. Someone who laughs at his jokes and does face masks with him.

Someone who likes it when he is soft and understand him, who does his make up and let him do theirs.

You should be funny, witty and kind of sarcastic but deep inside just as vain and pseudo as him.

Pleasw visit an art gallarey with him where you both stand before a painting and literally don't know what the theme of the gallarey is. Like, absolutey not. You don't get it. When someone comes up to talk with you two about the art displayed because you both look so fancy and artsy you both just talk total bullshit and look how long it takes until the others catch on you two are total dumbasses. You stand before a statue and kiss each other and Ran makes pics and then you both read what it means and it's actually a child starving because of idk society. Do you care tho? Nah.

Kakucho

Kakucho likes gym girls. But the Yoga ones. He wanna see you bend like a freaking boneless demon and will be soooo happy about it too.

Kakucho likes a challenge, someone who knows what they want and talk loud and clear. Someone with confidence and who jogs at 6 am - that freak.

I think he doesn't really has a type besides mature and older girls that work out and could sucker punch him into another dimension. He is all about the vibe and if you are ready to share your boo with a sociopathic gang leader with mommy issues. This could (probably) end in a poly relationship btw.

[lollytea]

hi lolly i just binged the la la land machine au posts and i was wondering if evelyn and raine and lilith are also involved and if so how :)

Ahhh okay I'll try to give straightforward answers!! I'll use some discord screenshots to make it easier.

Evelyn was Eda and Lilith's older sister, though she was never involved in the Hollywood lifestyle. She was just a regular high school girl when she met Caleb Wittebane

She died from childbirth complications over a decade later, which left her husband wrought with grief. It's rumored that he was considering retiring from acting altogether to put all his attention towards raising his child but he also passed not long after.

Lilith:

She began as a homely little girl who never felt good enough and was seduced by the Hollywood spotlight because it felt like the only feasible means of proving herself as worthy of love.

Eda and Lilith reconnect in their adulthood, with the latter being a highly prolific and glamorous actress. The guilt has been weighing heavily on Lilith for years and all she really wants is to give her sister a second chance. Lilith knows people. She has connections. She can pull Eda back into the spotlight. She can make up for what she did. And she really can't understand why Eda is so difficult about it. Why wouldn't she want to go back to acting? (Says the woman who is so brainwashed by her own desire to feel worth a damn that she has not even noticed that she's never been passionate about acting.)

Ironically, what Lilith does to redeem herself is not be brightening up Eda's reputation, but by setting her own up in flames.

Lilith Clawthrone, one of the biggest celebrities in Hollywood, goes public about a well kept secret. She tells the world about how Eda Clawthorne was thrown away like she was nothing and she names the people involved.

She is blacklisted from the industry.

After that, it's a few months of living on Eda's couch while she tries to get her life together.

Eventually, Lilith finds her true passion in life, which is producing and being an accuracy consultant on historical documentaries. She's happy as a clam :D

Anyway, Raine Whispers.

I've been a little unsure as to how to incorporate them. They are a non-binary masc presenting person who likely first met Eda in an extremely bigoted environment, in the year 1973.

So far, I've been adamant that this AU doesn't stray away from the very real prejudice of Hollywood. However, when it comes to transphobia, that just isn't my place to go in-depth.

To summarise. Raine likely endured a lot of it. I just won't go into detail about it.

I was considering that they may have been the one to play Azura, before they transitioned and that's when they had their romance with Eda, who played Hecate. But again, I'm not sure if that's insensitive for not. All I know for certain is that Raine also had a role in the Azura movie and Eda and Raine fell in love.

Similar tensions between them arose, namely Eda bottling up all her pain and devastation and Raine eventually getting frustrated and breaking up with her.

Currently, as in the year the story takes place, (Between 2005-2009) Raine is a high school music teacher whose become a safe space for any kid that needs a little extra emotional support.

They're such a consistently supportive and loving figure that three young adults (Katya, Derwin and Amber) who came from troubled home lives, remembered their kindness from High school and the comforting way they used to say "My door is always open" and gradually those three kids turned up on their doorstep, one by one, having else nowhere to go. So yeah, Raine currently has three loud chaotic roommates.

Despite their quiet nature and nerdy interests, Raine identities as punk. They are constantly encouraging both students and roommates alike to ask questions, to stand their ground, to push back against the system. They've even committed the occasional crime, with their young spritely accomplices.

This is around the time when they end up bumping into Eda again.

[symphonic-scream]

I can't help it I'm giving y'all more of the heroes au

Makoto and Haru study at the same school! Makoto is a very studious law student, glasses, collared shirts and crew neck sweaters, the full nerdy look. Haru is a business major, appears to be all kindness and smiles, wearing bright colours and fluffy clothes

Queen is a total punk. Loud, follows her truth, doesn't back down. Her main suit is dark blue, based on her dad's old one from his time as a Prime Age hero (spandex, bleh). To modernize it and give it a spin more towards her tastes, she wears big, spiked combat boots, dark sliced up jeans, double studded belts, fingerless gloves, a choker, and of course, a leather jacket. Her mask is metal and the top is spiked upwards like a crown. Her jacket has a lesbian flag patch on the front, near the breast pocket! She's known for being a lady-killer during interviews

Noire is teasing smiles, flirty words laced with distraction, slipping past through the night. Her signature is the dark hat she wears with the indigo feather. At each scene she visited as a vigilante, a perfumed feather would be left behind. The light pink collared shirt, the tall purple gloves, her indigo slacks and maroon boots, they all scream musketeer. Her purple lipstick is another icon of her appearance, under the standard black domino mask she wears.

(Queen becomes accustomed to trying to wipe said lipstick off of herself before reuniting with her team)

Makoto and Sae have a stilted relationship. Sae blames the Iron Will power for their father's death, and resents Makoto for "choosing it over her, just like dad"

Haru has a hideout! It's an attic above the barely used arts building at the University. Since it's more of an academics based school, no one really spends too long there. The garden on the roof above the attic gave Haru the perfect excuse to visit, however

Okay some power notes for everyone

Joker has his Wildcard deck. It's a 52 card deck of 52 different powers! He received them from a higher spirit (Lavenza) who chose him to be her chosen hero, bestowing unto him her deck of powers and. A companion. [psst that's Morgana]. The deck resides in a pocket dimension unless he calls upon it, and with practice he's able to pull just one card rather than the deck, making it easier to just draw his random power

Ryuji was struck by lightning. Yup that's it. Now he's like a walking static charge! His hair stands on end from his natural charge, and now (with practice) he can hold back from shocking people randomly. He finds it best to use a metal bat to channel his power

Ann is rather hot (pun intended!), thanks to her flames. It's an inherited power, it skipped a generation. Her grandfather was a hero back in Europe! Her pigtails end in flames when her power is active, and she can form flames in her hands, though she's working on mastering control over the temperature and shit

Yusuke is from the 1800's, he was frozen and thawed in this age and he's. Still a bit odd. His body temperature is always lower, and the frost tends to crawl from his touch

Futaba can speak with machines, like when she touches them she "hears" what they're all about. That's all I have to say she's a nerd. Her mom had the same thing lmao

The Niijima Iron Will is, well, manifesting strong metal around themselves. Makoto tends to pull forth metal fisticuffs, aka brass knuckles, for punches and shit, though she can also bring up personal shields and minor bits of armour

And Haru!! She has the classic Psychic stuff. Telekinesis and all that. An unofficial power of hers is being really good at flustering miss Queen wink wink

TALK TO ME ABOUT THIS I WANT TO TALK ABOUT TJIS PLEASE

[justsasuke]

Here's a think I've had recent, what do you think Taka would have been like in Naruto Road to Ninja when everyone was all personality swapped? Since we only get to see Sasuke as a ladies man. How would taka have fit in you think?

It took me so long to answer this because I was thinking about it way too hard hahaha

First let me just say that while we do see Sasuke only flirting with ladies in Road to Ninja I personally think that version of him would flirt with anyone given the right time and place because he has looks and personality and deserves to use them. That being said here are my thoughts on what Team Taka would be like. And yes, I still think all four of them would be a great team and get along really well. Suigetsu is wild and unhinged in general so it could go either way... He's either going to be a very weird nerdy guy who can't read the atmosphere in a room, is slow on the uptake and very much a coward...or he's the leader of a small motorcycle gang who drives around town late at night being very loud, steals stuff from little kids and doesn't like drinking water.

Karin is kind of an airhead and spacey but looks and acts like a character out of a horror film. She lurks in corners looking all creepy and stalks the people she likes and the ones she hates from a very far distance. She keeps all this information catalogued in a black journal and color codes all of it. Her bangs cover her eyes completely and no one knows how she sees anything. She's also super indecisive and hates scented things (idk all I can think of is random details). All the deco in her bedroom is plush and soft.

Juugo is a total punk and probably has like 9 earrings in one ear. He would never kill anyone but he gets arrested for being in street fights all the time (he always wins these fights). Someone asked him to join an underground fight club once and he beat them up because they were in his way and he wanted to go home. He is somehow nice--in that he'll help grandmas and pregnant women cross the streets, but they're usually intimidated because he never talks at normal volume he only yells. He doesn't have tattoos because he passes out around needles

[ultravioart]

Commander Peepo the Brave

Inadvertently, and hilariously, my head canons for watchdogs do make Peepers utterly PUNK according to watchdog society. He did not settle for a tiny quiet life of being eye candy until collared and chained to a looming nuclear (like literally, things get radioactive) marriage doom date. Instead, he saw, he lamented, and concurred that it was time to do something besides be a tiny insignificant "good boy" peer pressured into misery like the rest of the pack lost to history. Explanation below:

With my head canon of royalty line and queens being big on watchdog home world, I can imagine his mum, besides being neglectful and self-conceited, was obsessed with pedigree (both royal bloodline cringe and also dog purebred snootiness) so she had a lot of husbands so she could marry her children off to noble families to gain renown, or perhaps maintain her family name's prestige? So uh... ripperoni to those poor husbands she die-gested. That left our Peepers (Jnr) with his late father's name, a lifetime of mum nagging him for his "mutt like" small stature(yikes!), and a huge responsibility of being a first-born child DeFacto parenting all his younger siblings, whilst dealing with in and out stepfathers that just keep adding MORE siblings.

So as the head canon backstory, I can imagine Commander Peepers as a very stressed, very organized, strict but loving big brother, and an angel to all. Underneath the sweet demeanor though, this is where his quick to scream-cry-scream-calm-scream-cry Napolean complex emerged since nearly everyone in his life didn't take him seriously because he was either too cutesy or deemed too pathetic. But once all his siblings were situated and grown, our king finally snapped. Either he'd been meticulously planning all this time to disappear under mysterious circumstances after his responsibilities were done so he could pursue his dreams, or maybe his mum informed him an arranged marriage was agreed on for next month and his new bridezilla wanted to assimilate day 1. Or perhaps both. Maybe both--yeah, it was both.

with a "FLARP THIS MAMA IM A BAD BOY" our boi Peepers shaved his head, cranked the marching band music to military grade, shattered the glass ceiling with nerdy safety goggles ON, completed like 15 EVIL degrees in EVIL STEM and went out EVILY to create a never-before-seen all-male EVIL watchdog militia... all became HE chose to, which eventually merged into the Hater empire. Ah spite, it works wonders. So yeah... TOTALLY PUNK PEEPERS, wOO. I'd like to think his homelife is why he's so (vaguely gestures) "polite but would kill within a microsecond"-y because I can't imagine anything other than severe mommy issues making a man that angry. "Look ma, no hands!" a lil eyeball man says as he blows up AN ENTIRE PLANET with his gnc(according to watchdog society) boss while wearing matching-but-totally-not-marriage-collar "best buddy" necklaces. "WHO'S NUMBER ONE NOW?!?!" Yeah that'll show her, Peepers, that'll show her.

[dracereads]

I read The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall and was delighted by it. What would you recommend for my second Alexis Hall book based on that one? I know Boyfriend Material is popular and I'm down to try it but I'm curious about other fantasies, if he has any others

I saw this on my way out the door this morning! I am sorry that it took so long to get to.

Anyway, I want to say what Alexis Hall book you want to read next should go entirely on your taste. Yes so very helpful Drace. Let me ply some more information here: I haven't read the Mysterious Letter yet, but it's on my roadmap because it is one of my requirements to finish the year out. However, I know that one was based off of Sherlock Holmes. I don't know how scandalous that was in terms of angst and romance. So it's very hard for me to get a gauge on what's a step down and what's a step up from it.

Some books of Alexis' are more spicier (smuttier) than others, and some deep in angst and trauma while others are fluffier in comparison. Some are also super nerdy and action oriented? So you have you pick of the litter in terms of content and catalogue. He's all over the damn place. He hasn't written a full fledged novel in a fantasy setting I'm not sure. At least that's not the impression I've gotten from the books I have yet to read. If you're looking for WLW, then the only serial he's got right now that features a prominent WLW love story is Kate Kane. Kate Kane is sort of a "what if one of those supersue girls in the vampire books grew up and became a lesbian?" It's very comedic as well as entertaining. I enjoyed them. That's supernatural & contemporary fiction. so lots of witches, vampires, werewolves. I know that the prosperity trilogy is steam punk based, but that one I have not gotten started on yet, and it seems to be his most obscure as I have not met too many people who have heard about Prosperity, let alone read it. Anyway, Most of his other stuff is more contemporary than fantasy. Spires is about a bunch of different mlm relationships of varying degrees of angst and raunchiness, ardent st. ives is... basically more or less a gay 50 shades, Winner Bakes is about a cooking show competition romance, and Something Something is about the Fantastic Tartelton twins and their weird notions of romance in the regency era. The other one that might interest you might be a Lady for a Duke because it is a more serious novel... almost fantasyesque but very much sort of rooted in a psuedo-reality. It would be like what if regency times had the same sort of view on gender and disability that our era does... and explores that. I feel ALFAD compliments the Sherlockian elements in the Mysterious Letter. Anyway, Boyfriend Materials is actually a very good place to start since the book isn't that spicy romantic wise (There is a fade to black sex scene, but it spares no qualms about dirty jokes and metaphors) and you'll get a good feel for how Alexis structures his modern and contemporary romances. Depending on how you feel about it, you can further attune your tastes to jump into one others. However, if you can't handle BM's level of spice, I don't think I've read a book by him that is LESS salacious in nature than BM so far. The reason why London Calling (BM & Tuesday's HM) is so popular is because in terms of what Alexis can do and has done, it is the most moderate and middle of the road. There is definitely some character angst there, but it's not enough to off put someone who is trying to build trust in a new author... and he does a very good job of convincing you that the characters will be happy enough at the end of the engagement... and well, who doesn't love an accidental fake loves to real lovers plot?? and Enemies to lovers is always a catch. I hope this helps. If you have any more like comments to add to it, I'd love to hear them. If you want recs outside of Alexis Hall as well, feel free to just like. commentate on it.

[ijustcantfigureout]

!!! got tagged by @ijustthinkevilunoisneat, thank you!

I tag whoever is in the mood of doing this and you have to answer those 15 questions:

Nickname: Nim, Nimmy, Bu (pronounced "Boo") and Biscuit (the air dry clay, not the food).

Sign: Capricorn but most of the other things is in aquarius. i'll be honest and say i don't really know what it means.

Height: 1,56 m or 1,58, can't remember now.

Last thing I googled: ao3

Song stuck in my head: paper moon (the one from the op from soul eater)

Number of followers: nah, not gonna tell, but not many, thankfully

Amount of sleep: hm. 3 hours.

Dream job: like, for real real, with feet in reality, public server in the area of the bachelor i'm working to get/screenwriter/studio editor; slightly floating is animator/illustrator; and unreal, flying out of the atmosphere is professional musician/comic artist.

Wearing: stars pattern t-shirt, black denim cuffed jogger pants, denim jacket with big flowers embroided in the back and black sport boots.

Movies/Books that can summarize me: idk this questions are always weird to me because i usually relate to characters not whole narratives that, usually, have a bunch of characters, you know? but if i had to choose... this makes more sense if you had asked songs, would still be difficult but less so. i want to say the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy bu-- ok after saving it as a draft and Reflecting, it goes something like:

Megamind

The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy (Books)

Stardust (Movie)

Little Brother (Book)

Hot Fuzz

Inside Llewyn Davis

Whiplash (don't worry about it)

Journey to the Center of the Earth (Book)

Favourite Song: blindblindblind by silver mt. zion, guyamas sonora AND gulag orkestar orkestar by beirut, terrible love AND rylan by the national, esú by baco exu do blues, danse macabre - camille saint-saës, from here to utopia (song for the desperate) by ramshackle glory, sailor waltz by josh garrels, romeo by thiago pethit and helio flanders, lavínia by guido, pills and good advice by left at london, i can change by ezra furman, se tiver que ser na bala vai by vanguart, big bad wolf by shakey graves, hoje eu vou sair by maglore, the horror and the wild (live) by the amazing devil, separate and ever deadly by the last shadow puppets, progress by idles, luther by de staat, fire walker by black rebel motorcycle club, wolf like me by tv on the radio, and etc. (sorry i didn't realize i had put those many until i opened it on the pc. i was going to put some more tbh but whatever)

Around the World in 80 Days (Book)

Treasure Planet

Favourite instrument: to listen, violin. to play, bass.

Aesthetic: nerdy librarian who is also a goth/punk wannabe

Favourite Authors: why do you make such hard questions, ugh. guimarães rosa, cory doctorow, álvaro de campos (heteronym of fernando pessoa), siken (don't bully me), anne carson, jorge luis borges, douglas adams, clarice lispector, jules verne. i really should read more.

Random Fun Fact: hmmmmm, like about me or the world? me: i can do this thing with my thumbs that make them look dislocated. the world: can't think of anything now. there's grafitti in impossible places and i love it. really cool stuff. does it count?

OK ending transmission c:

[the-black-bulls]

[during a Magic Knight Festival]

Random Silver Eagle: Look, it's the Black Bulls. Hey, nerds! Move it! This is our table now.

Nacht: Cool of you to assume we're nerds. I mean, I need to be a nerd if I want to get a PHD, but still.

Gauche: Hey, speak of yourself! I'm a geek, and so are Gordon and Grey. We're not nerds, nerd!

Magna: Who says you can't be both? I want to be both! Punk rock style.

Luck: I want to be a geeky nerdy fighting freak!

Asta: Oh, oh, Liebe and I are freaks too!

Noelle: Isn't being freaks the foundation upon which our squad is built?

Random Silver Eagle: Don't ignore us! You and your little gay club need to move!

Zora: Thank you, close enough.

Vanessa: Me? Maybe 50%. Does that count?

Finral: Nah, that's bi, Vanessa.

Henry: I'm 0%... maybe, I'm not sure.

Nero: I'm either 0% or 100% depending on the person, nothing in between.

Charmy: Who cares about all of that? Food's ready, let's feast!

Random Silver Eagle: What's the fuck is going on with these people?!

Yami: Look. You can compliment us all you want, but we are not moving tables.

[mrs-nate-humphrey]

no pressure or anything but if you ended up writing this my little nerdy punk heart would have been eternally grateful 🥺 (and please, please, please, boyband him a little, that hair can't go to waste) love you!!!!!💖 these tags actually made my day so thanks!!!!!!

hello jo, i hope you're doing well!! <3 sorry abt taking a while to get to this ask, i have been a little out of it, and i didn't want to half ass a reply to something as important as a natie themed ask....

this entire concept is 100% on my to-write list!!! i have a lot of thoughts about nate figuring himself out/figuring out who he is away from his family's expectations of him and the ideas people who think they know him have of him (since he's so popular, everyone thinks they know him, he can't escape the reputation that follows him around, etc etc).

in fact, since we're talking about this - i made a list of connected, nate-focused, stuff! and this response got RIDICULOUSLY long. so. 11-point bullet list focusing on nate, here you go!

you might enjoy my natessa fic "out of focus". it's not exactly this, but it is sort of the first time i dip my toe into the pool of.. whatever this concept is. nate lets vanessa buy him a shirt he would never pick out for himself. things go on from there!

i have a lot of thoughts about nate & ruby, specifically. we never actually got to see her, but i think he'd awkwardly gravitate towards her in that way that you do when you're young & queer and you meet an Openly Gay And Comfortable person for the first time. and i think ruby would see this and kind of adopt him/take him under her wing? anyway.

more natefic i am yet to write involves nate coming out to vanessa, vanessa being the first person he comes out to, it's after a lesbian punk concert and he's hyperventilating a bit and he KNOWS v will support him. she has literally shown him in a million ways that she's a good ally to the lgbtq+ community, and vanessa's just like, "what's wrong?" and nate is like. "nothing's wrong, and i really like you, but i'm not - i don't - " and then he says something awkward and stumbles through how he likes men, and vanessa gives him a hug and kisses his cheek and says "thank you for telling me that"

anyway i bring up #2 and #3 just to say that i feel nate has a sort of comfort with the abrams sisters that he doesn't have with anyone else at the time (he will eventually get here with blair and serena too, but in s1? they ALL had their own shit to deal with and i don't think nate was really in a place to open up to them, whereas vanessa & ruby aren't his childhood friends so in that way, it's easier, etc). and i love the thought of like. vanessa bleaching his hair super pale, ruby buying him a hair straighter (and of course he knows how to use it, he's blair waldorf's ex boyfriend what do you expect of him) and just. the abrams sisters - without even realising they're doing it - giving nate a space to explore who he is and specifically, his presentation

so we can either roll with nate being a trans man, which i LOVE, and am trying to write a fic about - OR - and it makes sense here, with these headcanons specifically, i feel like nate would maybe be one of those cis people who's explored their gender identity, realised they're cis, and therefore, is far more in touch with their gender than the average cis person?

connected to THAT, i have a fic in the works in which nate just presents... extremely femme. he goes super flamboyant, dresses in a way that puts himself on everyone's gaydar, etc etc. at first he does it to be like "fuck you" to his family, but after a bit he realises he actually really likes being perceived in that way, as a queer man, as a pretty queer man, and it makes him feel in control & good about himself to be able to do all these stereotypically feminine things WHILE identifying 100% as a man. putting on nail polish and mascara and gloss, wearing very femme things and heels, etc etc, it makes nate feel like himself in a way that he's never really felt before. (he IS a cis man.) dan bumps into nate at a gay bar, doesn't recognise him at first (this is a very au fic, i think they've lost touch since high school ended) and then promptly falls in love with nate AND has a gender identity crisis that goes a bit like "well nate maybe you can do these things and still identify as male but i can't" and it's just... trans dan my beloved.

unconnected to all that, you know what would've been fun? s2 nate is staying with the humphreys arc, and jenny... dyes his hair for him, and designs outfits for him, and basically both of them just. go thru a whole fashion revamp together.

i have a lot of ideas for futurefics in which jenny is like. 18, 19, etc and has a cool new line of men's clothing, but she doesn't have the $$ to hire a professional model for her clothes OR she wants the person modelling the clothes to be someone who Gets her mission statement in designing them (this is better but it could sorta be a combination of both) and essentially she awkwardly asks nate to model lingerie for her. he is like, of course! because i'm me, this doesn't go anywhere romantically, but if a jenate shipper wants to take this idea and run with it, go ahead, just credit me, lmaooo. i will definitely write this fic to centre around nate & jenny both being really gay, which is the other direction altogether, so that doesn't bother me.

since we're speaking about nate in lingerie, this fic of mine's first birthday is coming up in a few days! wow, it's been a whole yEAR.

so, disclaimer, any and all fics that centre around Identity... always take a lot out of me + i always have to be in a very specific headspace to write them (that's why the nonbinary dan series is taking ages, too). so while i really DO wanna write all the nates exploring how they present and, as the kids say, fucking around and finding out, it might be a while!

oh. this reminds me*. i REALLY have to finish writing my demisexual nate fic... it's a tricky thing to write. i have another fic im yet to write about how sleeping with dan makes nate re-evaluate a lot of things, in a very trauma survivor way (like an "oh, this is what it feels like to be with someone who respects me!" kind of way) and that... i want to write it sooo bad but i gotta do the idea justice. life is Hard.

*if anyone is curious about my thought process - “nate fucking around and finding out” ... wait, a bit like.. “nate fucking around and finding out that he doesn’t even like to fuck around, which is what happens in THESE fics i’m writing, let me just,...” etc.

[ask-marios-apprentice]

Manga Bully

Well I had an interesting experience right now.

I was at the comic shop looking to buy some issues and some vinyl figurines (also to look If the price of that statue was going to come down).

I was looking to see if they had any copies of "The Chuckling Merchant" when I found three guys being bullied.

It was a spike, A pink haired dude with glasses, and a guy in a cloak with swords for hands. It looks like they were being bullied by buff nerdy looking Pi'llo.

Spike: [jumping up and down trying to get the manga] Hey give it back.

Pink haired dude: We were going to buy that issue.

Cloak Guy: No, you guys were going to buy the manga. I'm here to promote my new rap album.

Bully Pi'llo: Look. I just got all my reps in for the day, something you guys don't look like You do in a month combined. Therefore, I am the strongest, deserve what little goods there are.

Garth: Not so fast bully.

Bully: Tyler

Garth: Not so fast Tyler. These weeaboos were obviously going to buy that. And yes while you do have the right to buy that as well. There's no need to be a bully.

Pink haired dude: Boopkins, Bob,what is he doing.

Cloak guy: I don't know, its probably something stupid. Maybe we can get out of here when he gets beat up.

Spike: We should at least help him. Even If he does get beat up. He's standing up for us.

Tyler: You little punk. Think you can go around and tell people who they can or can't bully. [Tries to Punche Garth]

Garth: [Jumps out of the way]

Tyler: "Angry yells!!!" [Throws manga]

Garth: [catches manga and throws it to One of the weeaboo] Quick! Go to the cash register, I'll deal with Tyler here.

Spike: Bob, Whimpu, do what he says. We may not get another chance like this.

Whimpu: On it.

Bob: (In an annoyed tone) Fine.

Boopkins: Thanks whatever your name is.

Garth: Your welcome. [Ducks out of the way to avoid a punch] Now go buy it!

They left and Tyler tried to attack me.

Tyler: Why won't you stand still.

Garth: because I don't want to get hurt.

Tyler: Well if you don't get hurt, how am I going to relieve stress.

Garth: What does me being hurt I have to do with you relieving stress. Those are non-related.

Tyler: Don't tell me how my life is meant to be lived.

Tyler: You're not my dad.

Garth: So your dad tells you how to live your life.

Tyler: ...Yes.

Garth: How old are you?

Tyler: ...23

Garth: So why are you still letting him dictate your life.

Tyler: Because I...why do I do this.

Garth: well it could be a number of reasons, lack of approval, control over your life. I don't know you so I am just speculating. So yeah.

Tyler: ...

Tyler: I'm going to go think about some stuff.

Garth: Uh...goodbye?

And then Tyler just left.

So yeah that was my day.

...

I wouldn't really know how to react to Tyler if I saw him again. Hopefully he Is a bit better than I saw him last time though.

...

Garth signing off