#would've done a full thing for you 😔

[ceemi]

@0vergrowngraveyard *throws her at you*

[iminyourwallsbabe]

Arcane things that make me feral

Vi's guilt complex hurts my soul so bad you don't understand 😭😭😭 she takes so much responsibility for things that were never in her control or she couldn't have fixed in the first place and it's so real and yet so sad

Jayce's fatal flaw being how much he loves people. Everything he's ever done is for somebody he loved, especially the bad decisions. His love for them outweighs all the consequences for better or worse (mostly for worse)

Not a day goes by where I don't think of LoL Ekko saying "I had a crush... until you started talking to the gun" LIKE HELLO??? CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW DEVASTATING THAT IS? Just the concept of watching the love of your life get worse and worse, to the point where they need more help than you can even begin to give, AHSHDOCKWLFJGOALQLFQQHFKA

Caitlyn losing her shooting eye at the end of season two. Now she doesn't really have the choice to handle things violently, even if she wanted to, which by that point she didn't. Something something cycle of violence

Mel. Just Mel in general. I love that woman. Our glorious queen Mel. You know how people glaze LeBron? That's me about Mel. Also her relationship with her mother is so fucking sad, like I lose my marbles when I think about it

Speaking of which, AMBESSA'S HAIR IN THE SECOND SEASON??? FUCK YESSSSS!!! So many awesome character design choices are missed because creators only wanna draw killmonger cuts and circular afros (or just not draw black people) and the Arcane crew showed us exactly what happens when you acknowledge the full spectrum of black hair. It was so cool. Like that meant so much to me personally (side note, I know they gave Ekko the killmonger cut BUT compared to the monstrosity they had on his head in-game I think that was an improvement. I forgave them for that the second I saw that fuckass mohawk)(it's also funny that he doesn't have it in the good universe)

In game, Vi claims Vi is for Violence, which is even funnier considering her name is Violet. Like y'all ever seen that trend where they ask a bunch of people "hey what's your street name" and they give you something like "Mrs. Putaholeinyogrannyforsomebagelbites" and then they ask what their real name is and they say "Ashley 😔" or something? It has that same energy to me.

Jayvik with 4 kids in the woods or whatever they've been saying. YES.

The fact that Vi and Caitlyn are canonically soulmates and if one is dead in one universe the other is dead in that one too. AGGHHHHHHHHGHH

Meljayvik as a concept. They couldn't be together because the writers knew they'd be too powerful in that council room. Like let's be so fr, shit would've went so much smoother if they just kissed fr

On that same note, the ship names this fandom has???? Delicious. Top tier work. Eclipsemages??? Goldenforge??? TIMEBOMB??? (honorable mention that is not a ship name: Bookstreet), YOU PEOPLE ARE AMAZING

Alright that's it I'm out

[rooksunday]

my first effort for flash fiction friday! i made myself sad 😔

not in question (but out of it)

word count: 912 words

theme: two truths, one lie

summary: commander fox is fine, actually.

"I'm fine!"

When Stone didn't move from his position in front of Fox's desk, Fox raised his eyebrows.

"Was there something else?" he asked, in the kind of tone that implied there had better not be.

Stone was one of the troopers that didn't need the shield of a helmet in order to disguise his expression—for that reason, he took a lot of the diplomatic escort missions—but at Fox's question, a brief flash of disquiet twisted his lips. He shifted his weight.

"You refused to see the medics," Stone said.

Fox lifted one shoulder. "I didn't need to see the medics."

"There's still blood in your hair."

Fierfiek. Fox curled his hands around his datapad to quell the instinct to check on his hair. He'd gone to the refresher after returning from patrol. He'd thought he'd gotten all the blood out.

Double down.

"No there isn't."

Stone went blank faced. As good as a you're full of banthashit from any other trooper.

"I see. Sir. My mistake, sir."

Fox decided to be magnanimous in victory. He inclined his head. "Easily done."

They looked at each other for a long moment. Stone had his helmet held beneath his arm, and his armour bore smudges and dust from a long prison shift, while his face showed the bruises of exhaustion that they'd all started to wear. He should've been in his bunk, but instead he'd come to check on Fox.

Fox lowered his gaze to the datapad and suppressed a wince at his reflection. Talk about someone who needed to be in their bunk.

He sighed. Stone deserved more than a brush-off.

Fox wet his lips and met Stone's gaze.

"I'm fine," he said again, more softly. It was the truth.

Another heartbeat. Then Stone nodded, saluted Kamino-sharp, and left Fox to it.

"I'm fine."

"All due respect, sir, but that's the kriffing concussion talking."

Fox tried to poke the closest Thire in the biceps. All due respect seemed like half a spoonful and that spoon had a hole in it. Why wouldn't a Thire stay still for swatting? Mutiny!

"I just don't want you to break your fingers on my armour, you clown."

"'m not a clown… You're a— Gristle?"

Where had Medic Gristle come from? And why did they have a hypo in their hand?

"Yes, sir. Very good identification of the hypo, sir. If you could just keep still so I don't stab you anywhere important, sir?"

"Just stab him. He's used to it."

Thire sounded grumpy. Fox didn't like when Thire sounded grumpy. It made Fox want to give him pastries.

Mmm, pastries.

Before the thing with the explosion, Fox had been on his way to meet with Senator Organa, and sometimes Organa had leftovers from breakfast and, once, there had been the teeniest pastries with little spots of jam that—

"Ow!"

Fox's neck hurt. He tried to rub it but one of the Thire's caught his fingers.

"It hurts because you didn't hold still for the hypo. Because you're a clown."

Thire's hands were warm. Fox tried to squirm his other, colder, hand inside the trap of Thire's, so it wouldn't be jealous.

"What are you— Kriff's sake. Jealous hands… Here, let me. There you go." The Thire glanced at Gristle. "He need anything else?"

"A few hours of observation. Nothing to worry about. Like you said, sir, he's used to it."

Now Gristle sounded grumpy. Fox was going to need to acquire so many pastries. He could smuggle them down the front of his armour, probably.

"Everything all right, Fox? You've gone kriffin' quiet."

Fox nodded. He tried to smile in the Thires' general direction. "Fine! I'm fine."

It was the truth! But Thire just grunted.

"I'm— I'm fine."

If Thorn had been there, he would've bumped his shoulder against Fox's and given him the look that said I know you're lying but that's okay. Then Thorn would've found a reason to redirect their next patrol route through the Senate Gardens—to check on camera locations, or safety hazards, or the new barista at the food cart—and made sure that his and Fox's armour kept crowding together all the while. Grounding Fox on Coruscant, when Fox wanted to be out there, yet couldn't leave.

"No, I am. I promise I am."

If Thorn had been there, he would've let Fox rest his head on Thorn's shoulder and rubbed his fingers through Fox's grimy hair. He would've been sarcastic about Fox's 'fresher avoidance, and said something about have we run out of shampoo again, but then he would've checked Fox's schedule and buffered the morning shifts to add extended slots for Maintenance and Upkeep.

"No one has ever been as fine as me. Isn't that what you always say?"

If Thorn had been there, he would've taken away Fox's datapad and ordered him into the nearest bunk—boots off first, sir, what kind of tube raised you?—in his typical, implacable way. He would've sat at the end of Fox's bunk and read aloud from whatever article had captured his interest; lately, Thorn had been learning about Chandrilan opera. Sometimes he sang.

How many clones had their voice?

Yet Fox would never hear Thorn's terrible singing again.

Fox curled up more tightly on his bunk, the sheets crumpling beneath his dirty boots. He pressed his hands to his greasy hair. His armour enclosed him like a shell no one would ever breach.

But he was fine.

[starkrebellion]

my opinions on some different Cobra Kai ships 🤗 (no one asked for this but currently I have too much free time in my hands so... . )

Samtory (Samantha LaRusso x Tory Nichols)

the potential was there from their very first scene, but I really started shipping them in season 4. And have not looked back since!!! I love love love them. They would've actually been a perfect wlw enemies to lovers story and every day I grieve the fact that they weren't. My favorite way to pass time is to watch edits of them and cry. If I could, I'd get all of their season 5 and 6 scenes tattoeed on my forehead.

Kiaz (Robby Keene x Miguel Diaz)

they're so controversial now 😔 but they're right up there with Samtory for me. I love them. I would trade Johnny x Carmen for them in an instant... They're also the ship that inspired me to start writing fanfics again lmaoo (and I'm still very bitter we didn't get a proper scene with them after Robby broke his leg)

Elimetri (Eli Moskowitz x Demetri Alexopoulos)

I don't have as strong of an opinion on them as I do for the two previous ships, but they're literally boyfriends in my eyes. Out of all the queer ships in this show, them becoming canon would surprise me (and everyone else probably) the least.

Keenry (Robby Keene x Tory Nichols)

My favorite canon couple! There's a few things about their development that I wish had been done differently, but it's not that big of a deal or anything. I love the dynamic that they have but when I tried to put it into words it sounded so dumb I'm just gonna leave it here

Samguel (Samantha LaRusso x Miguel Diaz)

They're cute. But I think that's pretty much all I have to say about them. They have a lot of adorable scenes together, but I'm not that invested in their relationship even if Sam and Miguel are both in my top 5 characters. But I am glad they got their happy ending together.

Samrobby (Samantha LaRusso x Robby Keene)

Not a big fan of them romantically, but I adore their friendship. They just make more sense as best friends to me. If it wasn't needed for all the drama in season 2, I would have wanted them to stay platonic throughout the whole show.

Toriguel (Tory Nichols x Miguel Diaz)

No. I'm sorry, but I don't like this ship at all. They had a few cute scenes in season 2 and I like how Miguel defended Tory even after they broke up, but I could never get into their relationship. I do think it's a shame we couldn't get more scenes of them in the later scenes as I do think they would've made a great friendship, but romantically I very much dislike this ship.

Lawrusso (Johnny Lawrence x Daniel LaRusso)

The original gay karate rivalry. Obviously I love them. Nothing else to add actually.

Samhawk (Samantha LaRusso x Eli Moskowitz)

I don't ship them, but honestly?? the enemies to lovers story with them could have served... like the drama would've been insane. But to me that's just a what if to think about from time to time. I wouldn't want it to actually happen.

Kenthony (Kenny Payne x Anthony LaRusso)

Apparently they were supposed to be canon?? Wouldn't be my first pick for a (main) queer couple, but I would've been there for it. Give me all of the gay karate enemies to lovers stories!!

Yasmetri (Yasmine x Demetri Alexopoulos)

They're lowkey iconic. Like yes Demetri pulled her. Since this show is full of clichés I can comfortably say that I love the nerdy boy getting with the most popular girl in school trope. Miles better than the other way around if u ask me. Season 6 did them dirty but well endgame so...

Torisha (Tory Nichols x Aisha Robinson)

I wish they would've had more screen time together!! I don't really ship them but like the potential was there if Aisha wouldn't have left after season 2.

Terry Silver x John Kreese

Honestly, didn't even consider this before seeing people ship them here on tumblr... but you know what hell yeah let's make the grandpa's gay as well!! so beautiful

Samantha LaRusso x Moon

Another one that I didn't know existed, but then I saw an edit of them on tiktok. It was to Chappell Roan and it was perfect and it changed my view on them!!

[exo-raskreia]

hi as a jjk fan, do you have any issues with the writing from gege? if so, what do you think are wasted potential in terms of characters, bonds. i think that there is lack of emotional impact or expansion fo characters sometimes. for instance animes like mha have alot of meaningful character arcs and backstories. It's a bit hard to express how I feel becuase jjk is an amazing story but i am just a bit disappointed of the wasted potential with female characters and like shoko and utahime. and the world building. yes i am fellow gojohime shipper ;).

(Oncoming long RANT 😅)

If you ride on Gege's coattails, this may not be for you.

I actually do have issues with Gege's writing, so I agree with you. JJK has an interesting premise with hidden lore & I would recommend it to anyone wanting to get into, or already into, anime/manga, but it could be so much better if Gege just cared enough (which I sometimes feel like he doesn't? It just feels like he wants to hurry up & finish it so he can start on his idol manga... 💀). He skips so much, it honestly feels like he's going off a checklist, especially in the latest arc.

Compared to other battle shounens, namely Naruto, Fairy Tail, MHA, & even Gintama, JJK is severely lacking in several areas. It's unfortunate because the premise & characters are full of potential.

I will go over some of the issues. A lot of these were obvious from the start but they've only gotten worse over time.

• The fast pacing (speed running at this point). It's battle after battle, no downtime, big arc right after big arc, etc. Us readers & the characters themselves barely have time to process things before he moves on to the next thing. He skips so many things, so much happens off-screen/off-panel (can't forget how he skipped Yaga's fight with Gakuganji that lead to his death, skipped Gojo's entire month after his unsealing then "kills" him off-panel a few chapters later, I could go on...)

• The lack of character emotions, development, backstories, etc. We barely know anything about the characters, like their hobbies & interests? (This is why I have a hard time making up headcanons & potentially writing a fic for our ship... How can I keep them in character when I barely know stuff about them? 😮‍💨). We barely see any of them training (training arcs/chapters are typical for battle shounens); the Tokyo students preparing for the Goodwill Event would have been a fitting time to showcase this, for example. There's little to no mourning shown for character deaths (like Yaga? Nanami? Mai? Mechamaru?).

Yuta has such a cool CT & we didn't get to see how he discovered it & all. Like, come on 😔. Also, it would've been nice to see the Goodwill Event from his first year when he beat the Kyoto students, especially Todo... (Gege simply tells us about it. Like he tends to do for a lot of things 🙄).

Gege could've done more build-up to Gojo's sealing in Shibuya by showing his upbringing & development from his arrogant teen self (tho already having shown hints of caring for others & not liking the higher-ups) to the sensei who loves his students & strives for a better Jujutsu society. His past arc should've been longer imo. Needed more slice of life & character interactions, bonding. Heck, Toji should've gotten his whole backstory there too before he died. More build-up to Gojo's "death" too, as Gege skipped that whole month after his unsealing 😒...

• While on the subject, the lack of character interactions, bonding. We haven't seen most characters interact with each other despite being in the same circles, vicinity. Tokyo & Kyoto students, GjHm with them, Gojo & his colleagues (esp more Uta), the Zenin clan (like, wish we could've seen how GjHm interacted with Naoya. Imagine the drama 😫), Gojo & his elusive clan, I could go on... Would've loved to see Gojo interact with Kashimo, Higuruma, Choso... 😮‍💨

As such, several have died & we never saw them interact with certain others nor even know much about them 😑... The emotional impact of character deaths & bonding would be higher if only Gege cared enough to flesh out his characters more... (At least the Phantom Parade mobile game is giving us some much-needed slice of life content. Wish Mappa would give us some OVA's like that too...)

• Lack of world building. Once again, so much we don't know, such as the clans, especially Gojo's. Apparently, they're still alive, yet we haven't seen them?

Are they not fighters, then? Nothing from them on their clan head's sealing/unsealing/"death". The Zenin Clan debuted & got killed off soon after. Other clans irrelevant. Jujutsu sorcery primarily exists in Japan so other than Miguel, goodbye to the potential of any foreign sorcerers making their appearance...

• Female cast. It's crazy how they were once praised for their potential but now... Now, all they've got is just your typical battle shounen treatment 😒. While Gege has shown he cares little for all his characters (lol), it does seem like the female characters have suffered a bit more from his writing. They've either died (like Mai off-screen? Yuki, the only female Special Grade, had one fight & died?), become powerless (Miwa, thru an off-screen Binding Vow revealed many chapters later? Seriously?), lack screentime (the Kyoto girls? Shoko, the only one who can use RCT on others & closest friend to Gojo?!), or simply haven't done a whole lot, especially compared to the male characters. For some or most, it's a mixture of all these 💀 (like Tsumiki).

Nobara is the main girl & yet her role ended about halfway thru the series. Can't believe Gege did that to her, despite her potential & competence to be the FL of a battle shounen (poor Yuuji still thinks of her. And we don't even know what Gojo thought about her demise? 😮‍💨). Maki seems to have it better, yet some could argue she's just Toji 2.0/female Toji. Unfortunately, I thought about Toji when she was fighting Sukuna; I was like, "If Sukuna's this impressed by her, imagine Toji with his higher experience?" I doubt that's what Gege would want us to think when Maki's shining (or does he? 🤨😒).

• Don't even get me started on Utahime. She's the main teacher of Kyoto, loved by all her students according to Gege, yet we don't get to see it? She's barely relevant? Imagine what she felt as her students kept on dying or becoming unable to fight. Thru her character, such as during her investigation of Kyoto for the traitor, we could've gotten some great insight into how things are over there? We don't even know what the Kyoto school looks like 💀.

Her scar has several implications & yet we don't know how she got it? How has she dealt with being a scarred woman in Jujutsu society, especially considering Momo's words about such a thing during the Goodwill Event? Utahime could be a great role model to the girls, especially Maki now, & yet... 😮‍💨 (I'm telling you, she should've been the main adult female of the series, just like Gojo's the main adult male)

She's one of Gojo's friends, has known him for 10+ years, & is one of his few most trusted allies, yet we haven't seen how they got to this point? Their comedic interactions make us wonder how they built that deep trust. I NEED to know what happened between them during the timeskip!!! 😫

Her CT buffs herself & others. Why has she not been a part of any on-screen fight prior to the Shinjuku Showdown? There were a couple instances where we almost saw her in action & yet... Why did Gege gatekeep her CT for so long? To showcase her CT for the first time for Gojo & Gojo ONLY. He's insane. They can't beat the package deal allegations. So, does this have any meaning? Can we hope for more-

• I sometimes wonder if JJK would be better as a seinen like I once heard he intended for it to be... There are definitely elements of that... How much darker could the story get, since sometimes Gege pushes the boundaries of Shounen Jump (I know he wants to, lol)... How much more fleshed out could it be if he was writing it the way he wanted to originally (supposedly he never intended for a school setting but was forced by his previous editor?)... Maybe we could even get a Tokyo Ghoul:re style chapter with GjHm during the timeskip if y'all know what I mean-

So, to sum up: JJK is interesting & I would recommend it, but there's a whole lot of wasted character potential, terrible pacing, & lack of interactions, development, & world building. There's so much we don't know & Gege wants to end it already? He's sitting on a gold mine & yet... 😑😒

No idea how things will end but I can at least hope for an open ending that leaves us with some hopeful possibilities... Uh, right?

Also... GOJO WILL RISE ✊️

[thenamesblurrito]

answering some TF:ONE asks under the cut!

i could SWEAR he transformed once. i remember thinking the first time round 'oh cool alt mode shape' but i don't remember when. i may have hallucinated it. hang on lets see if it's cropped up online yet

whelp damnation the wiki says he never transforms and i trust the wiki 😔 we were robbed

Starscream forming the foundation of the future cons is a REALLY GOOD MOVE for me personally bc it lends so much credence to his constant vies for power. he's not an upstart trying to dethrone his leader, he's the one trying to TAKE BACK his position after a coup that he was beaten into going along with!! extremely fascinating take i want to know everything about this Starscream tbh

i have heard this is supposed to be a trilogy so i'm stoked about that. i think if it does get a show it would have to be a side character kind of show ala Rescue Bots OR an "in between movies" plot ala Clone Wars or something, bc i don't think a show alone could really follow up to a movie like this

i mean these guys are my blorbos, my silly little demigod family ancient dead idiots, so i am naturally THRILLED to see them and so lovingly rendered aaaaaaaaaaaaa <<33 Zeta threw me bc it was an odd choice to fill in for the Thirteenth and not Logos, Autonomous Maximus, even one of the Guiding Hand, etc, but these guys constantly change and shuffle around so like the odd lineup is to be expected. really appreciate how Alpha Trion got to be a beastformer again

THIS btw for those of you who haven't seen them is the full designs!

tbh i don't mind they're changed? i think it's fine Maximo can have his own look and not be a knockoff of a different franchise's villain. i think it would've done them much better to have Maximo, Prima, and Vector have different colors to be more distinct, but they played such a small role in the movie i'm not surprised they're a little samey. also i don't think Nexus is a combiner here, that doesn't appear to be his gimmick, if it's a thing in ONE's universe at all. i REALLY REALLY admire how they made Amalgamous not only coherent but COOL. like, this guy is a robot!!! look at that head, those four arms. Onyx and Quintus are certifiable Creachurs and i love that. Alchemist's funky glasses <<33

y'all realize we'll prolly never have Maccadam's in this universe now 😭 thanks Sentinel

YEAH i thought the use of vehicle kibble for actual utility in root mode was really really well done hoooogh

SNAP OP actually has an inbuilt jetpack! he's not aware of it for a long time simply bc he grew up as a grounder and had no reason to suspect he can fly in hero form but he figures it out eventually

[snapbackslide]

habs thoughts 💭

gathering my emotions while listening to the end-of-year media availabilities...

i will continuously update this post throughout the day

---

lane talking about wanting to be faster... boy 😭 do you even have any idea how CRAZY fast you already are

---

random, but. i can't even explain or make sense of how i hated on dvorak for most of his time here, and couldn't wait for him to leave. but now that his contract's over, the thought of him leaving makes me wanna cry?? like. tf is wrong with me

but despite him saying he didn't wanna get into contract details, he talks about the team in present tense and saying things like "future's bright", so... make of that what u will

also, i think this is the first interview of him i ever watch/listen to 💀 (fully at least)

---

why they had a 20-minute break with no interview and then suddenly everyone's talking at the same time 😐

that's something they gotta work on this offseason fr. they had technical problems ALLLL damn year, what is going on. oldest team in the league with the oldest equipment too? 😂 get it together

---

well you'll never hear me say this bc i LOVE the iihf worlds tournament with my whole heart, but hearing nick got invited... bro, pls say no. you play too much. you've done enough. GET SOME REST MY LOVE. IT'S OK. YOU DESERVE IT. PLS

"i don't know man, iron streak is what it is, i just wanna be available" the way he talkssssss he kills me 😭

---

yayyy, mikey's going to the worlds... full circle bc that is how i even learned about him in the first place... in 2017... and kinda fell in love w him 😁😁😁 before i did a full 360 (hated tf out of him for what he did and crossing him from my list of faves) (all for my team to fkn acquire him on a sunny day in july of 2022) 😁😁 gosh i love when things come around full circle 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁

---

kaiden not going... it's the right decision, but it still makes me sad bc we were robbed of captain kaiden in the juniors bc of covid 😔 but its ok. one day he'll get to be captain canada again

---

it cannot be understated how much i enjoy carsy...... he speaks so well, he's always joyful, laughing with the reporters...... so kind and patient and full of life...... and then his play on the ice, so composed, so stabilizing, so necessary...... i love him 💓

---

"max lapierre said that to get the best version of xhekaj, you have to let him loose, do you agree with that?" u can tell arber did NOT wanna answer 💀 and honestly idk how much of his response comes from him and how much is from marty

---

sam saying the injury wasn't too bad and he would've even played in the second round 😣 makes me even sadder

first time in 8 years he doesn't travel with the team on an away trip 😭😭😭 we were finally blessed with a goalie who doesn't get injured often and now this had to happen... ffs

i love him 🥺 he's so sweet and seems so kind... so grateful to have him here

---

"did you reach your goals" "what do you guys think" why is slaf so sassy chill out boy

"maybe next season it would be nice if i start in october, not february" ...well at least you know

---

joel has lost his finnish accent 😟

it's funny how one question he answers completely and the other he'll say 2 words 😹

also, sweet that he said he wants to stay here... we'll see if he gets re-signed i guess

---

and with that, i guess that's all for now. i'll listen to marty's presser and the management's on monday; if i have more comments to leave i'll update this post again.

[amaliche-candeloro]

zzz rambles

I FINALLY FULL STAR CLEARED SHIYU DEFENSE YIPPEE!!! or like, full s-ranked it. I had miyabi, lycaon, soukaku and lucy, burnice, piper. I'm still learning how to play the sons of calydon team because I do not dodge enough lol. piper just gets whacked a bunch

I also managed to get 6 stars in deadly assault!! again because I got burnice and I was able to just barely squeeze in 2 stars against pompey. bringer is just miyabi's chewtoy, and then I'm the last boss's chewtoy (I just throw together whatever harumasa team I can and pray I get 1 star).

also I do naught want to be too negative about this but lycaon's new va... does not really do it for me. they even changed one of his ultimate voicelines from "for you, I'll eliminate any obstacle" to just "I'll eliminate any obstacle." (either that or the new voiceline is too quiet at the "for you" part, and I also feel the low volume is an issue overall). it's just very disappointing how things unfolded. I'm gonna miss the old va...

also, I was doing standard pulls because I was close to pity and got... soldier 11... 😔😔😔 I don't even like her. actually, I kinda like her the least out of all the standard characters. less because of her actual character and more because I'm still pissed I had to do the ENTIRETY of the arpeggio fault quest to unlock inky's trust events, which means s11 will be free to start it. it's so dumb.

if it was rina or even grace then it would've helped a lot. but noooo I have to get another fire dps after I just pulled one. fuck you. I'm about 60 pulls away from the standard selector so I'll have to wait to bring home miss rina 😔

I still haven't done the latest story yet. probably tomorrow. I also still need to do burnice's story quest since I saved it for when I got her.

also, pulchra is an absolute gem. the way her trust events starts with her pretending to threaten phaethon was soooo funny.

[top-wing]

Could you ramble to us about topwing?

Actually, me in 2021-2022 maybe would've done a better job at this 😔👍 But I'll gladly do so anyway!

I haven't actually watched a full episode for a while now, so I probably have forgotten a lot. I'm not sure what to talk first, the characters? the plot? the concepts that make no sense if you think about too deeply, but otherwise compels me? Idk where to start !!

Characters. What really brought me into the show was how fun the characters interacted. The cadets all just have a really fun dynamic among each other, and I liked how the instructors acted mature enough as adults while still having that 'downplayed to focus on the kid characters' thing going on. For characters in a 'mid' average preschooler show, I think their characters are pretty fleshed out in their own right. Their personalities just bounce off each other well. I wrote something about the cadets' friendships some time ago on Wattpad, tho maybe I should try moving some those contents on this blog as well.

Lore (?). For the show's plot or I guess lore (?), there's a lot that could be fixed and changed (which some people in the Top Wing community agree and have taken matters into their own hands hehe), tho the show presents you with just enough interesting things, while keeping a lot of things unanswered and vague, so that it can keep being expanded on and explored. And I think that mostly what got me to stay interested in Top Wing even after years of ending abruptly with only 2 seasons. I'm slowly trying to get back to doing stuff based on canon, however I'm really just having fun creating something within the Top WIng universe as well lol.

Expanding the story and possibilities. And even if you don't add new things, there is actually a lot to work with the canon if you're eager to explore possibilities and willing to dig deeper into the shallow water that is the show lol. You've got the academy itself, which presents more interesting background to it in season 2. There's other academies, other cadets, Speedy and Bea's history of being cadets themselves, Inspector Eagle Eye and the whole concept of inspectors, Swift's grandpa who used to be an instructor & famous pilot in Big Swirl, etc. The antagonists characters and their whole deal, whom are quite full of their own charm but never really used to their full potential. Then there's Big Swirl Island, filled with mysteries of its own lore, mainly got to do with pirates and probably dodos. Example: the pirate ship wrecks, lost treasures, the whole thing about Kersplash Canyon and Dodos (tho honestly, this one is kinda "ehh" to me. if to complain about how this show handles some things, we'll be here all day), and the rest of the parts of Big Swirl Island that were not shown on-screen. There's so many headcanons and theories or AUs to play around with.

Well, that's all I have in my brain for now. There are more stuff I've written on Wattpad if you want to check them out, though it's understandable if you don't want to go there just for that LMAO. Most times I assume people here are also on Wattpad and have seen my stuff, but if there's enough interest to move content from there, I might consider it in the future!

Anyway, thanks for sending this in, anon!!!! Had fun writing this :] There's a lot of stuff going on for me to do more organized stuff with Top Wing, but I hope to continue just having fun with the series and the community for years to come 🩷❤️🧡💚

[waynes-multiverse]

This chapter was soooo sweet, it rotted my teeth right down to the core 🥹🍯🍭

“Dre, help me,” you pleaded.

I don't know why, but that moment was so relatable. Poor girl 😂

You didn’t notice the way Jo’s gaze lingered on you and Dean, a frown marring her features. Though she soon moved on to another patron.

We've talked about this in the last chapter, but that is so unbelievably cruel. I really feel for Jo here. I really do 💔 As much as I love swooning over Dean, I wanna slap that man so hard here. God help me 😭

“I mean, you can walk by their table and be all coy and pretend you’re not going to buy anything, but then you walk away with half a dozen boxes of Thin Mints.”

Monica? Is that you? 😂

It made him smile. Those eyes of his considered her dress, an earthy green that brought out the hazel in her eyes, warm against her tan skin. But he lingered on her face, full lips and long, dark lashes.

Oh... Oh! I did not put that together until now that Andrea was that Andrea lol

“I’m tellin’ you, if you had your own bakery, I’d be lining up every damn day,” he said.

Oh, I hope she quits that stupid sales job and opens her own bakery by the end of this series. Since she went to culinary school, it'd be perfect! She already has a whole firehouse as a customer 😆

Instead, Dean reached into his own glass and grabbed an ice cube. After shaking off some excess water droplets, he moved the ice against the pads of your fingers, then down the fading red mark on your palm.

Oh dear effing Lord! That whole "burn & ice" bit killed me! If he had done that to me, I would've just made a sound like velociraptor and died on the spot. Holy fucking crap, that was some icy hot action! 🔥🫠

“Well, I think I’ll start at the roller disco and see where my heart takes me,” he replied.

Oh Grandpa George, you never disappoint ❤️ I probably swoon more over him than Dean in this series. Isn't that something 😂

“Ah, my wife and I met at one of those cheesy-ass places in the ‘70s,” he said.

N'awww 🥹 And I love the 70s roller rinks! I wrote a whole chapter about it in Plastic Hearts lmao (since that series is set in the 80s) 🛼🪩

And I loved the getting ready scenes with Dean and the reader and that they both mirrored each other and showed their nervousness. But I hated the fact that Dean thought he had to be someone else and change for her. That's not why she picked you, you dumbass! But also, so typical of Dean to think he wouldn't be enough... 😔

“Or here’s a thought. You could just be yourself. Order a beer and let her get whatever she wants.”

Ah Sam! The voice of reason. Thank you for this 🙏

He couldn’t remember the last time he got nervous to meet a girl…maybe because he hadn’t gone out on an actual “dinner and conversation” date in a while.

*raises eyebrow* Oh Dean... you're such a mess, God help me 🤨😂

Red was what? What the hell is a Malbec? Sounds like a kind of fish. That can’t be red wine.

His inner monologue is killing me 🤣

Although they had their initial difficulties, I'm so happy she saw how he was struggling and they ended up having such a sweet and honest date ❤️ While it was cute he tried to "impress" and "woo" her, how long could he have kept up that ruse, huh? If he wants to have a real relationship, he needs to be real and, thus, himself.

“See, women tend to like the firefighter thing, until they don’t,” he said.

Awwww, pooh bear 🥺

Loved, loved, loved this chapter! Amazing job, Zep! Can't wait to dive into the next one and see what you have in store for these two lovebirds 😍👏

Smoke Eater - Part 3

Pairing: Firefighter!Dean Winchester x F. Reader 

Summary: Dean Winchester is the cocky, but well-respected Lieutenant at Firehouse 25. He leads by example, but he’s also known to break a few hearts. He’s starting to crave something he’s never had, though. Something stable. Something real. 

That’s when he meets you, on a truly terrible day, trapped in a rickety old elevator.   

AN: Ready for some more ridiculous flirting? lol

🔥 Series Masterlist

Song Inspo: “Got a Hold on Me” by Christine McVie (of Fleetwood Mac) Word Count: 5,800 Tags/Warnings: Mutual pining, fluff, first encounters and first dates

Part 3: “Got a Hold on Me”

Your gaze drew a path onwards, eventually reaching the other end of the bar.

There you caught sight of red flannel over a black undershirt, familiar broad shoulders, and an even more familiar face. Your eyes widened a fraction as his met yours, gleaming with recognition…and interest.

That slow smile of his was familiar too. It made a lance of heat run down your spine. You gripped the counter, mostly to steady yourself as you let out a breath.

Lieutenant Winchester.

You couldn’t help but smile back as you met the man’s gaze across the bar.

You recognized his bearded friend, Benny, who leaned over and said something to Dean. You couldn’t hear him, of course, but maybe he was asking a question. Because Dean nodded and said something in reply before he picked up his glass of what looked like whiskey. And he smoothly got up out of his seat.

Anticipation and nerves coiled together in your lower belly. You turned to your friend, who was already sipping at her vodka cranberry.

“Dre, help me,” you pleaded.

Andréa discreetly followed the path of your gaze, and her brows raised. A smirk curved her lips.

“Oh, babe. You need to help yourself,” she replied.

“I haven’t done that in a while,” you admitted. Your dating life had been sorely lacking, between the demands of your job and taking care of things at home. “I’m gonna say something demented.”

Andréa huffed in amusement.

“So? That’s half the fun,” she said. A smile curved her lips. “I think I’m going to go play some pool.”

And with that, your friend abandoned you. She slid off her seat and patted your ass on her way over to one of the pool tables. You watched her go with narrowed eyes and pursed lips. 

“There you go, hun,” said Jo. She slid your drink in front of you. It came in a deep round glass on a stem, with a straw on the side.

“Thanks,” you replied.

You opened the straw and took a small sip to steady yourself, as you saw Dean coming out of the corner of your eye.

You even pretended not to notice the handsome man sliding into the seat next to you. His elbows rested on the counter next to yours, and you finally glanced over at him.

“Can I help you, sir?” you asked. A coquettish smile played at your lips, but you even surprised yourself with your smooth delivery. Inside, you had butterflies.

You didn’t notice the way Jo’s gaze lingered on you and Dean, a frown marring her features. Though she soon moved on to another patron.

And Dean’s attention was solely on you. He gave you a handsome smile, full of charm. You gave him expectant brows. 

“Well, we’ll see. I’ve got a question for you,” he said.

You indulged him with a nod. “Okay. What’s your question, Lieutenant?”  

“Why Girl Scout cookies?” he asked, speaking of the baked goods you’d brought by the firehouse yesterday. “I mean, we’ve gotten cakes, muffins, Krispy Kreme donuts. But I gotta say, we’ve never gotten some bakery-style Trefoils.”

Your smile brightened a bit.

“Who doesn’t like ‘em?” you asked. “I mean, you can walk by their table and be all coy and pretend you’re not going to buy anything, but then you walk away with half a dozen boxes of Thin Mints.”

Dean chuckled, and you enjoyed the way it crinkled the corners of his eyes.

“Or is that just me?” you added, and once again sipped at your drink. 

Meanwhile, Andréa felt a hot gaze on her as she set up the cue balls on the pool table. She allowed it with a subtle smile. If it was the same one she’d crossed paths with earlier when she walked in with you, then she didn’t mind.

She was, however, getting impatient.

“Mind if I join you?”

The pleasant drawl of the man’s voice licked up her spine. When she glanced over her shoulder, her smile widened a fraction. Finally.

“For a game?” she asked. She straightened, brushing a smooth wave of dark hair off her shoulder.

And she turned to meet the bearded man standing casually behind her, resting his glass on the edge of the pool table. The gray of his rolled up, buttoned-down shirt brought out the vivid blue of his eyes. But even though he was tall and broad, he didn’t seem intimidating.

“To start with,” he said. His lips quirked at a smile. “But first, I think it’d be a damn shame if I didn’t ask for your name.”

Andréa’s head tipped to one side as she considered him. She picked up the second pool stick and handed it to him.

“Are you going to ask?” she replied. Her fingers curled around her own stick as she leaned a hip against the table. 

It made him smile. Those eyes of his considered her dress, an earthy green that brought out the hazel in her eyes, warm against her tan skin. But he lingered on her face, full lips and long, dark lashes.

“What’s your name, beautiful?” he asked.

“Andréa,” she answered, and gestured to the pyramid of cue balls. “I’ll even let you go first, if I get your name.”

His smile deepened, and he leaned over beside her to line up his shot. He glanced over and found the challenge in her eyes was more than welcome.

“I’m Benny,” he said. He took the shot without looking at his target, breaking the pyramid and scattering cue balls across the table.

Back at the bar, your drink and your conversation were both bringing a pleasant buzz to your brain. You nodded along with the music when “Got a Hold on Me” by Christine McVie replaced Boston.

“You’re liftin’ me up,” she sang through the speakers. “Never let me down…and I smile whenever you’re around.”

Dean glanced at you with a small grin, shaking his head.

You couldn’t help but smile back. “What?”

“Nothin’,” he said. “I just didn’t expect to see someone like you here.”

Your brows furrowed. “Someone like me?”

He caught the look on your face, and his turned apologetic.

“Nah, I just mean…this doesn’t seem like your usual vibe,” he said.

You weren’t quite sure how to take that, but you eventually shrugged.

“To be honest, I don’t go out all that much,” you replied. “I like it here though. Good music, good drinks—”

“And good company, I hope,” Dean added in. You allowed that with a smile.

All the while, Christine kept singing.

“I’ve been down. I’ve been used. Now I know, I know, I know, I just can’t lose…”

“So did you guys like the cookies? Or did the Girl Scout thing put you off,” you teased. Dean’s lips quirked.

“Sweetheart, those delectables were gone by end of shift. I’m talking that afternoon. They were easily some of the best cookies I’ve ever tasted…I’m serious,” he said, when you became a bit bashful, and maybe disbelieving.

“I’m tellin’ you, if you had your own bakery, I’d be lining up every damn day,” he said. He then sent you a playfully suspicious look. “Matter of fact, you didn’t just buy those, did you?”

Your smiled warmed as you considered your half-empty glass. Your fingers traced the rim.

“Well, don’t laugh but…I actually went to culinary school,” you said. Dean’s brows rose high at the confession.

“Why would I laugh about that? That’s awesome!” he said. “Why didn’t you become a chef or something?”

Your gaze drifted downwards. “Well…let’s just say, life got in the way.”

His face dimmed a little at that. But you noticed, and you tried to perk up.

“So yes, sir. I baked all five dozen of those cookies with my own two hands,” you said more cheerfully. You raised waving fingers. “I’ve got the burns to prove it.”

You’d actually made a rookie move, trying to move one of the trays before it had sufficiently cooled down. It was bad enough that you had to apply some aloe last night.

Dean made a show of furrowing his brows, with playful concern.    

“Let me see,” he said. He straightened in his seat, acting more “Lieutenant Winchester” as he took your hands and examined your palms and fingers. You blushed, and you bit your lip against a smile as his larger hands handled yours with care.

He did notice the redness on your fingertips, and part of your right palm. He glanced up at you.

“Do they hurt?” he asked.

You blinked at the genuine note in his question.

“Oh, not really,” you said. But you smiled at the fractional raise of his brows. “Well, maybe they still sting a bit, but it’s nothing. I had worse in school, believe me.”

Dean hummed as he considered your hands. Your face heated up further as you tried to get a read on what he was thinking. Was he about to do the cheesy thing and kiss it better? (Though you probably wouldn’t mind, even if he did.)

Instead, Dean reached into his own glass and grabbed an ice cube. After shaking off some excess water droplets, he moved the ice against the pads of your fingers, then down the fading red mark on your palm.

“That feel better?” he asked.

If possible, your blush intensified as your insides warmed and melted like hot butter. It was a sweet, and seemingly earnest gesture that plucked at your heartstrings.

And that was how Dean Winchester got your number before “Got a Hold on Me” ended.

Andréa was still chatting away at the bar with Benny by the time you decided to call it a night. She understood why you wanted to get home, to check on your grandfather.

You saw a bit of disappointment in Dean’s eyes when you said you needed to go, but he graciously offered to walk you to your car. It was pretty late, after all, and you had more than one reason to agree as he stepped out with you into the night.

You didn’t know if it was the evening chill, or his presence burning beside you that made a small shiver run through you. But once the two of you reached your car, you hesitated and looked up at Dean. You realized that you were reluctant to end this, whatever it was.

He quirked a smile down at you and tucked a wily strand of hair behind your ear.

“It was good to see you,” he said.

“Likewise, Lieutenant,” you replied, with a teasing gleam in your eyes. His were drawn to your face, lowering to your lips.

“Can I see you again?” he asked.

Again, your face warmed. “I think I’d be okay with that.”

His smile grew with his huff of amusement.

“Okay, how about I pick you up tomorrow night?” he offered. “That’s, uh…if you don’t got any plans.”

Your heart was hammering in your chest. Play it cool, for the love of God. Just say yes.

You didn’t usually agree to let a man pick you up on the first date, but something about Dean felt intrinsically trustworthy. Maybe it was the fact that he’d already saved you once this week.

“Sure,” you agreed, sounding more casual than you felt. “What did you have in mind?”

Dean considered that with a thoughtful look.

“Tell you what, let me take you to dinner. Somewhere nice,” he said. His hand raised to thumb at your warm cheek. He couldn’t see your blush, but you were sure he could feel it.

“I like dinner,” you admitted. Though you immediately wanted to slap yourself. Idiot!

Dean just laughed, and your blush turned to one of embarrassment.

“All right. Something we can agree on,” he said in amusement. “I’ll see you tomorrow then. Get home safe, okay, sweetheart?”

You nodded, though you paused, looking up at the indecision on his face. His gaze roamed your face, once again falling to your lips. Nervousness trilled down your spine, though you didn’t know why.

Maybe you were just a coward, but you didn’t wait for him to decide. You just gave him one last smile before you turned from him, unlocking your car with a press of a button on your keys.

“Well, goodnight,” you told him. “See you tomorrow.”

He nodded, stepping back from you. “See you soon.”

Well, it was tomorrow. And you were trying not to freak the hell out.

“That’s it,” Andréa said. “That’s the one.”

You had her on FaceTime, with your phone propped up on your dresser as you raided your closet.

Your hair was pinned up, your makeup done, and now, she’d helped you find the right outfit—a dress in vibrant emerald green that hugged your curves and fell to about mid-thigh. You smoothed out the straps and twisted to see yourself in the mirror.

“Why’re you frowning. This is perfect!” Andréa said.

“I just…” You sighed, once again trying to tug up the neckline. It was a bit lower than you preferred, but if you remembered right, your friend had encouraged this purchase a while back.

“It isn’t too much, is it?” you asked.

“Not for a first date with a smokin’ hot firefighter, mind the pun,” Andréa teased. “You’re a knockout, babe. He won’t be able to pick up his tongue off the floor…but I’m sure you can find a place for him to put it.”

You spluttered laughing, even after you made a scandalized sound. “You’re ridiculous.”

Still, you knew you could always count on Andréa to hype you up. You appreciated that about her; she was confident without being petty or prideful. And while she never begrudged you for your more cautious approach to things, she did try to get you out of your comfortable shell when you needed it. This, apparently, was one of those times.

You chose a pair of black suede heels Dean hadn’t seen before, along with a few spritzes of perfume in strategic locations on your body.

“Okay, Dean’s supposed to get here at 8:00. Until then, regale me with more about your night with Captain Benjamin Lafitte,” you said, drawing out each word of the man’s name with a suggestive flourish.

Andréa gave a dreamy sigh. She smiled as she sat back against her headboard in bed.

“He was just so…” she trailed, like she was sorting through a collection of memories, savoring each one, all while trying to find a way to distill it all into a simple sentence. She had an artist’s mind, and so tended to romanticize. But you enjoyed the way she spun her stories.

“Earthy, and real, while still being charming,” she said. “I’m pretty sure he let me win the pool game. Which ordinarily would annoy the shit out of me, but when he offered to buy me another drink, I couldn’t say no, and…we talked until the bar closed.”

“Wow.” Your eyes widened as you made the finishing touches on your clipped up hair.

“Right? I’ve never had an experience like that with a perfect stranger,” she said. “I think…I think it was like, one of those connections you hear about, see on TV but never think it happens in real life. I’ll tell you, when we walked into the bar, his eyes were the first thing I saw. And they were the last thing I remember from that night, after he kissed me goodnight…well, more like made out against my car, but you get the idea.”

She smiled as her face became lost in thought. Meanwhile, you tried not to be envious that she’d had more courage than you.

“Are you going to see him again soon?” you asked. Andréa seemed to come back down to Earth at the question, meeting your gaze.

“I think so,” she said. “We’re trying to plan something for next week. He’s also a construction contractor.”

You nodded. “Yeah, Dean was telling me that a lot of them have part-time jobs when they’re not on shift.”

“Does he do anything on the side?” she asked.

“If I remember right, he said he fixes cars sometimes, but I’m not sure if he’s a certified mechanic,” you replied.

“Well, maybe he can spruce up your old-ass Toyota Camry. How long have you had that thing?” she asked.  

You scoffed. “Since college. And it was old then, since I got it used…I think I’ve racked up about 200,000 miles on it.”

Andréa grimaced. “Oh God. You really need a new car, before that thing breaks down on you.”

“That’s what I keep tellin’ her,” said Grandpa George. He appeared in the doorway with a mug of tea. He waved at Andréa on your phone screen. “Hey there, sweetheart.”

“Hey, George. What’re your plans this evening? Go-karting or roller blading?” she teased with a grin.

George matched it with a hearty laugh. Andréa was his favorite.

“Well, I think I’ll start at the roller disco and see where my heart takes me,” he replied. Though he had fond stars in his eyes, and you smiled, knowing what memory he was about to recall.

“Ah, my wife and I met at one of those cheesy-ass places in the ‘70s,” he said. “She was a regular there, had the knee-high socks, the shiny skirt, her long hair whipping around like a rope… I remember she skated past me and knocked me clean onto my ass. I watched her skate away, that little skirt swishing. I think I was half in love right there.”

Your heart twinged, both for yourself and for him, as you could see the sting of melancholy in his eyes. Your grandmother had passed away a few years ago, but it was still deeply painful for both of you.

George shook his head, as if clearing the ghosts of memory from his mind. He looked over at you with a fond smile.

“Well, don’t you look beautiful?” he said. And he reached out for your hand, playfully raising it above your head and twirling you around as you smiled. “Reminds me of when your grandma helped you get ready for the senior prom.”

You snorted at that. “You mean when she almost glued my eyes shut, trying to get those fake lashes on?”

You’d rather pluck out your own eyes than have to ever again go through the “de-gluing process,” as she’d called it.

“It’s a shame we don’t have any pictures of you that night,” George considered. A knowing smile crossed his face. “You looked adorable.”

“I looked like I had a wonky eye,” you retorted. “Why do you think I burned all the evidence?”

Andréa tried not to, but she chortled at your expense. You shot her a narrowed look.

“Careful,” she teased. “Don’t strain yourself, Wonky. You’ve got a better night than prom ahead of you.”

“Speaking of, when’s that boy supposed to pick you up?” George asked.

You let out a breath, slightly nervous as you checked the time on your phone.

“In about ten minutes.”

“Okay, for the third time,” Sam said, trying his best to be patient. He sat on Dean’s bed while the man stood in front of the bathroom mirror. He was debating the age-old question: tie, or no tie?

“Red wine goes with red meat. White wine goes with chicken and fish,” Sam reminded him. “If you get red, you want to order a bottle of merlot. It’s full bodied without being dry as hell.”

“Yeah, merlot with meat. Got it,” Dean nodded. “What’s white again?”

“Everything else,” Sam said, once again. “If you order white, I’d say go with a pinot grigio. It’s light, can be dry or can be fruity. It all depends on personal preference, but I really like—”

“Well, I’m probably getting steak, so no to pinot,” Dean said. He finally decided on no tie, just a black suit jacket over the dark blue shirt, with a couple of buttons left open at the top.

Sam sighed and gestured at his brother. “And what if she wants fish? What if she hates red wine?”

Dean frowned. “Right. Okay. Pinot or merlot, got it.”

“Always ask to try it first,” Sam added. “Or here’s a thought. You could just be yourself. Order a beer and let her get whatever she wants.”

His frown deepening, Dean shook his head and left his bathroom. He crossed his bedroom to find his shoes—the nice black ones he only wore for weddings and funerals.

“Nah. This girl’s classy, Sam. Can’t half-ass this,” he said. A bit of unease coiled in his stomach, but he tried his best to ignore it.

He couldn’t remember the last time he got nervous to meet a girl…maybe because he hadn’t gone out on an actual “dinner and conversation” date in a while.

Or at least, he didn’t think he could count his dates as real ones.

“You’ll be fine,” Sam said. He could see plainly what his brother didn’t want to admit, only because they knew each other so well.

Dean glanced over at Sam and flickered at a smile. He grabbed his keys, his wallet, and didn’t think he was missing anything…

“Dean,” Sam said. He nodded over at the bundle on the dresser. Dean reached for it and shot his brother a wink.

“Hold the fort, Sammy.”

His car rumbled to a stop in front of your house just a few minutes late. Dean took a moment to admire the nice-looking beige house with its dark trim, old but still in good condition. And he wondered if you had roommates, or if you lived alone. Maybe you even owned this place. 

He wasn’t sure, as he could only see one car in the driveway (your car, he recognized). He knew he’d need about two or three other roommates to be able to afford this two-story house. 

He straightened his collar and blew out a breath. Get it together, asshole. You’re going on a date, not running into a burning building.

Funny, he’d probably be less nervous with the latter.

You’re not nervous, he reminded himself. You like her, that’s all…yeah.

Rolling his eyes at himself, Dean turned off the car and grabbed his key out of the ignition on his way out. He walked up the red brick path up to the porch and knocked on your door.

His pulse picked up a bit when he heard a pair of heels approaching the door. Soon enough, it opened, and Dean was greeted with a sight. Namely your face, and a smile spreading across it.

Beautiful, he couldn’t help but think, as his gaze dipped to take in the rest of you. He liked the color of your pretty green dress, the soft and classy makeup, the goddamn sexy heels, and the way your hair was pinned up. (Even though it looked so soft, he wanted to see it loose.)

He liked it all, especially that you seemed happy to see him.

“Hey there,” you said, a little breathy, like you’d been hastening down the stairs.

Dean gave you a smile, along with the small bouquet of flowers he’d been hiding behind his back.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he said. His smile deepened when you uttered a gasp at the modest bundle of red tulips. “Feel like I should’a gone with something more impressive to match you. You look beautiful.”

You glanced up at him with a sweet smile, but you took the flowers and shook your head.

“No, these are gorgeous. I…can’t remember the last time someone gave me flowers,” you admitted.

It was a bit old-fashioned, but one of Dean’s earliest memories as a kid was seeing his dad come home, late from work as he so often was. But he’d stopped along the way at his mom’s favorite flower shop. He brought her red tulips rather than red roses.

Dean didn’t know why. Maybe that was her favorite flower, or maybe the roses were all out. In his memory though, his mom’s upset faded whenever she saw those flowers.    

“Thank you,” you said warmly, taking Dean out of his thoughts. He flashed you a smile touched with slight embarrassment. He drew a hand through his short hair at the back of his head.

“Well, uh, are you ready?” he asked.

You nodded. “Yep! Just need to grab my purse and put these in some water.”

You welcomed him inside the house while he waited for you to find a vase. Dean took the opportunity to look around from where he stood in the hall. It looked big on the outside, but inside, it looked like a cozy family home. He took in the wood furniture, a paisley couch in the living room, family pictures on the wall and in a China cabinet rather than actual fine China.

It didn’t exactly scream high-powered saleswoman, but maybe you’d inherited it from your family. Or you were going to have it fixed up before you sold it, like some Property Brothers-type action. Or he was reading too much into it entirely, and should just focus on the fact that you’d agreed to go out with him to begin with.

Dean perked up when you returned with your purse on your shoulder and the tulips in a vase, which you set down on the living room coffee table for now. You greeted him again with smile.

“I’ll find a better place for those later, just didn’t want to keep you waiting,” you said.

“You’re good,” he said. He offered you his hand, along with a grin. “I hope you’re hungry though. I know how much you like dinner.”

You giggled, ducking your head in embarrassment. You followed him out the front door.

“If we can forget about that tipsy foot-in-mouth moment, that’d be great,” you said. Dean shook his head.

“Sorry, my mind’s like a steel trap,” he teased, even as he led you down the few steps of your porch in your heels.

“Oh, really?” Your brow raised. “Okay, I’ll remember you said that.”

Dean smirked. “Uh oh. Why do I feel like that one’s gonna bite me in the ass someday?”

“We’ll see,” you replied in amusement. “Future dinners might be on the line here.”

Your eyes widened when you finally saw his car parked behind yours in the driveway. Big and black and sleek and Chevrolet.

“Wow. That’s your car?”

Dean shot you a grin that was somehow proud without being smug.

“You like her?” he asked. He unlocked the car and even opened the passenger side door for you.

Wow again. A rare gentleman. You smiled and obliged him by climbing in.

“I think I do,” you said. Dean got in on his side after closing your door. The doors creaked and the engine rumbled when he turned the ignition. He looked over at you in a way that made your insides both flutter and melt. Anticipation and warmth.

“Think she likes you too,” he said.

Shit, what did Sam say? Dean stared down the wine menu, which may as well have been a Chinese grocery list, for all he knew.

Red was what? What the hell is a Malbec? Sounds like a kind of fish. That can’t be red wine.

He discreetly raised his gaze above the menu. You were sitting there, pretty much perfect while you looked over the appetizer menu. This was an Italian restaurant. A nice one, and a cut above Dean’s usual dining spots. Neither of you had eaten here before, but you looked vastly more comfortable than he felt. 

“What sounds better to you, clams or bruschetta?” you asked. Your eyes flicked up to his thoughtfully. “You don’t strike me as a clammy kinda guy.”

A smile tugged at his lips. There was a “clam” joke in there somewhere, but he wasn’t sure you’d appreciate it.

“Bruschetta is the toast with little tomatoes, right?” he asked.

“Yep,” you nodded, but then your head tilted as you looked down at the menu again. “Or we could do meatballs. Comes with two—a ball each.”

You bit your lip over a smile, tinged with embarrassment, like you didn't realize what you were saying until you said it.

Dean smirked. Maybe your sense of humor was more in line with his than he expected.

“Well, I don’t typically go for balls, meaty or otherwise. But whatever you want, sweetheart,” he teased. Truth be told, he loved Italian meatballs, but right now, he liked your snort of amusement even more.   

By the time the server, Liam, came to the table, you seemed to know what you wanted, while Dean was still looking over the wine list like it was Calculus homework. 

“Would you like something to drink?” Liam asked.

Dean paused, unsure of how to respond. He glanced at you on reflex. You were waiting for him to say something, he knew. He just wasn’t sure what he could say that didn’t make him look like an idiot.

“I’ll have a glass of this Cabernet Sauvignon,” you replied to the server, and pointed out the name of the wine on the list. He nodded and wrote that down, then turned to Dean next.

“And for you, sir?” Liam asked.

Again, Dean had a conundrum.

He decided to play it safe. “I’ll have the same.”

You eyed him a moment, before you turned back to Liam.

“Can we try it first? See if we like it,” you said.

“Certainly,” he nodded. “Do you want to start with an appetizer?”

“Yes. The meatballs, please,” you replied, glancing at Dean with secret amusement. His lips hinted at a smirk.

When the server left to put in the order, you rested your elbows on the table and folded your hands under your chin.

“Something tells me you’re not big on wine,” you said.

Dean’s smile became more self-deprecating as he tapped a finger on the table.

“That obvious, huh? …Well, can’t say I didn’t try.”

“Dean Winchester.” Your head tilted as you considered him. “Are you trying to impress me?”

“Trying, maybe. Doubt I’m succeeding,” he admitted with a short laugh.

You let out a small sigh, but you didn’t look disappointed.

“I just want to get to know you,” you said. “You don’t have to woo me or anything.”

His brow rose in a subtle challenge. “What if you deserve a bit of wooing?”

You glanced down then, with a pretty blush beginning to dust your cheeks. He could still spot it in the dim lamplight, and it made him smile.

“I get what you’re saying,” he inclined his head. “I just have a feeling the guys you go out with know how to order a bottle of wine, at least.”

You met his gaze at that. Your brows drew together, and it wasn’t until that that you realized what Dean seemed to be thinking. Like you were somehow better than him, or out of his league. While that was incredibly flattering (and downright surprising), it just wasn’t true, you felt.

You’d been nervous as hell up until this point, convinced that this man’s interest was half because he’d saved you. Because really, between the cut of that jaw, that smile, and those eyes, he could have anyone. And yet, he’d noticed you.

So now, you gained enough courage to reach across the table and rest your hand over his. It earned his attention.

“Look, Dean,” you said. “You don’t know anything about the kind of guys I go out with, so why don’t you just try to get to know me, instead of being whatever you think I want?”

There was a challenge in your eyes, but your smile softened it, along with your hand in his. Dean curled his fingers around your hand, and he nodded.

“That’s fair,” he said. His thumb drew across the back of your hand as he considered what you’d said. He realized he wasn’t being fair…

“See, women tend to like the firefighter thing, until they don’t,” he said. 

“What do you mean?” you asked.

“Well, after a little while, it’s like the shine wears off,” Dean admitted. “Between the long, sometimes inconsistent hours, the weight of the job… It’s either too much, or not enough, you know?”

As much as that disheartened you to hear, you kind of understood what he was saying. First responders led challenging lives, and you could imagine how hard it would be to maintain relationships—from family and friends to lovers. And when he met your eyes, you had a feeling you knew what he was really saying underneath.

It’s not enough…or he’s not enough?

You frowned and squeezed his hand.

“That must make it hard to find a real connection with someone,” you said.

Dean read the look in your eyes: sympathetic, but not pitying. He appreciated that, and you right now. But he was also getting a bit embarrassed. Good job, Mr. Overshare.

He let go of your hand just to lean back in his seat and card his fingers through his hair. He blew out a breath.

“Sorry. Don’t know why I’m saying all this crap,” he said with a chuckle.

You smiled and crossed your arms on the table. “It’s not crap.”

He gave you a wry smile.

This Dean is not what I expected, you thought. He was all panty-dropping smiles and one-liners, until he wasn’t. Behold, the softie underneath.

Liam soon returned with two glasses with a sample of the wine you’d requested. Dean took his glass, but waited a moment to watch you bring yours up to your face. You inhaled first before you took an experimental sip. You smiled and hummed at the taste. It led Dean to sip his as well.

He immediately made a face at the bitter, strong taste that razed across his tastebuds. He was used to the burn of alcohol, but this was just gross.

That’s when he caught that look on your face—a small smile as you gauged his reaction.

“Refreshing,” Dean quipped. And dry as hell.

“You want a beer instead?” you asked.

“Definitely,” Dean nodded, looking up at Liam. “Heineken, if you please.”

“That I can do.” The other man quirked a smile. “And for you, miss?”

You tapped on the rim of your wine glass. “A glass of this please. Thank you.”

“Absolutely,” Liam replied. “I’ll bring those shortly.”

Dean watched you with a smile. You caught him at it and smiled back questioningly.

“What?” you asked.

He shook his head. “Nothin’.”

He liked the way you carried yourself. Smart and classy, without being a snob. Confident and sexy at times, while shy and freakin’ adorable at others…

Damn, Dean thought. He liked you. He did.

And he didn’t want to admit it, but that kind of scared him.

AN: Hohoo, so believe it or not, this is just part 1 of the first date! The rest is to come in the next chapter. But how did you like this so far?

Next Time:

You watched him curiously as he shrugged out of his jacket. He wrapped it around your shoulders, like this was some kind of Hallmark moment.

Heh. Can’t believe Meg had it right, he thought, as he caught your blush.

“Thanks,” you said softly.

“Can’t let you catch cold in this little dress,” Dean reasoned.

He gently tugged you in closer by the ends of his jacket. Once again, his gaze was drawn to your face, your eyes, and finally your lips. You still held both ice cream cones between you two, but he could be careful enough to sample something else.

He started to lean in…

Keep Reading: PART 4

Dean Winchester Masterlist

Main Masterlist

Series Tag List (Part 1):

@hobby27 @kazsrm67 @letheatheodore @agothwithheavysetmakeup @jacklesbrainworms @foxyjwls007 @wincastifer @iamsapphine @simpforbuckyb @vanillawhiskeyflavoredkisses @roseblue373 @this-is-me19 @emily-winchester @spnexploration @deans-spinster-witch @deans-baby-momma @iprobablyshipit91

@melancholictearz @nic-kolas @sleepyqueerenergy @wayward-lost-and-never-found @thewritersaddictions @just-levyy @samanddeaninatrenchcoat @deanwanddamons @antisocialcorrupt @lacilou @adoringanakin @theonlymaninthesky @teehxk @midnightmadwoman @brianochka @branj19

@agalliasi @venicesem @chriszgirl92 @lyarr24 @ladysparkles78 @solariklees @xsophianicolex @deansbbyx @candy-coated-misery0731 @curlycarley @sarahgracej @bagpussjocken @ultrahviolentart @chernayawidow @beskarfilms @mimaria420

[loving-strawberry]

✶Lipstick trend with Stray Kids✶(HCS)

It was a request!

A little note: I don't exactly have any idea on what I was writing, but I hope it turned out good...

Genre: Fluff. Some crack. Slightly suggestive

Pairing: Bf!Skz x Fem!Reader

Warning: Suggestive content(not too much). Mention of making out. Probably some writing errors.

Bang Chan☆

When you asked at first, he literally choked on his drink...

He knew what is this trend all about, because of Felix

And just the thought of you kissing his face over and over again made him blush like crazy

"Chan, love. Are you ok?"

"Y-Yeah... Why?"

"Because you are red."

"..."

Anyway

The recording took longer than expected

And with many takes

Because Chan couldn't resist the urge to kiss you at the end of the video

You needed to promise him something more than just a kiss after everything was done for him to finally stop

If you know what I mean *wink*

But all in all, the video turned out perfect and people on tik tok were screaming in the comments section

Lee Minho☆

When he hears your suggestion, he acts like he doesn't want to

But still accept it

Minho is dying for every attention you could give him, but he doesn't want to admit it

So he'll take the chance

When the recording part comes, it will take just one try with him

What can I say? He's natural at seducting you

He'll grab your chin and make eye contact with you

His eyes will be full of love looking at you, but also something more

Not saying what :3

Needless to say, after the video was done, you didn't had the chance to post it

Because your boyfriend had some plans with you

The video got posted a bit later than you wanted to, but you were still happy with how it turned out

And so were the people in the comments

The look of love Minho had in his eyes didn't go unnoticed

Seo Changbin☆

He accepted without giving it any more thoughts

You covering him in kisses? literally It's a yes for him!

As expected, stamping your boyfriend with your lipstick covered lips was the hardest part for you

Because Changbin won't stay still as you're peppering him with kisses

"Love, can you stay still for a second?"

"Sorry babe... Your lips look so kissable... I want them" *pout*

You are trying so hard now to not give in for the sake of this trend

Surprisingly, video recording goes smoothly

Changbin took everything seriously and that made you feel things

The way he looked at you when he grabbed your chin would've made your knees gave up on you

Once the video is on tik tok, people are like:

"I wish someone would look at me the same way"

"Is your boyfriend single???"

I don't blame them 😔

Hwang Hyunjin☆

Accepts it from the start

If he gets to show you to the world more than he already did with this video, then yes

This man is so proud to be with you and adores you

So of course he will do the trend with you

Also a good opportunity to remind people who you belong to

Literally taking every step of this process seriously

And when the recording comes?

It will take many tries

Not because of him, but you

He's too beautiful for you to handle

And when he looks at you with so much love as he did while filming?

You were a blushing mess and your hand was trembling every time you recorded

(I'm down bad for this man...)

So you ended up posting one video that was less blurred because of your shaking

And apologizing for that

Fans in the comments

"You don't need to apologize! I would've be the same if he looked at me like that :')"

"If it was me, 100% fainted 😭"

Han Jisung☆

Accepts without thinking twice part 2

This man is clingy and we love him for it

And the idea of you kissing him many times in a row is making him all exited

Just like Changbin, this man won't stay still and will try kissing you every time

"Hannie... Please be patient"

"But I want to kiss you back!!!"

Will whine like a child until you crave in and let him kiss you a few times

As for filming the actual trend...

Safe to say it left you breathless

Every single video it ended up with you two making out because Han couldn't contain himself

And you gave up and posted the most decent one from all the takes, so your boyfriend wouldn't be in too much trouble with JYP

I'm not gonna talk about the public reactions 😭

Lee Felix☆

He's actually the one coming up with the idea

And you didn't protest

Everything went almost smoothly

I'm saying "almost" because of what effect Felix's behavior the whole time had over you

First: When you were leaving stamps of lipstick on his face, he was chuckling

But more like a deep chuckle

Which gave you butterflies hearing them

Second: Every time you tried filming, you almost dropped your phone because of the emotions

When he grabbed your chin and made you look in his eyes, you could've seen an infinite amount of pure love in his eyes

And he was smiling in your direction every time

You felt overwhelmed with this amount of love, so it's explains why you couldn't hold onto your phone

The video that ended up on the internet was the one who was the most steady

If there was a video like that...

Reactions in the comments were like "How does it feel to be loved like this??"

"The love could be read all over his face..

You are so lucky to have him!!"

Kim Seungmin☆

Just like Lino

Acts like he doesn't want to do it

But deep down wants your attention, so he will accept anyway

Will make sassy comments the whole time you are preparing yourself and him for the video

But will absolutely shut up when you start the kissing part

He will fight so hard not to blush and expose himself

The filming process goes horrible...

Why?

Because your boyfriend is The Devil himself

To make up for what he felt when you kissed him, he make sure you are blushing hard enough for both of you

Every time you start recording:

One of his hands is softly gripping your chin, as it was supposed to

And the other one is randomly squeezing your thigh

Making it hard for you to compose yourself and literally being a blushing mess

You end up posting one of the videos that didn't showed how bad you were actually blushing

But Stays have sharp eyes and saw the blush and nervous you look anyway

"Ayo?? What's Seungmin doing???"

Good luck reassuring the people there was nothing happening...

Yang Jeongin☆

Honestly?

If you convince him to do this, being the fact that he rather show you love in other ways than physical contact, it's a big achievement

But let's say he somehow accept it

Expect him to either be grossed out by every kiss you give him on the face

Not the he wants to, but he's really not the biggest fan of kisses, and we know it from how he runs away from Han 😭

Or to be way too shy and will be blushing all the time

And when the recording comes

Will take just a few takes

He is just trying to get everything done quickly so he won't have to deal with it anymore

Most of the videos are him being way to red to be posted on the internet

Because of his idol image

And the only good one for posting is the one where he looked at you with love

And then he flashed you the biggest and cutest smile ever

And he is more embarrassed of this take than the other ones

But as I said, he needed to protect an image, so you will be posting this one

People will be in awe and their heart will melt seeing the video

.............................

✧ Masterlist ✧ ✧ Tag List ✧

@bangchansbae @tattywood @nebulousbrainsoup @sanriiolino @sp00ky-spr1te

[https-sen]

Wordless.

Continuation of "Words."

(check it out before reading!)

A/n: when you've moved on with another. im not sure how to write the aftermath because i suck 😔 anyways i hope you think its decent 😭

Genre: Angst

Warning(s): Not Proofread, No Happy Ending for the Characters

Masterlist

Xiao, Childe, Itto

Ah, regrets. Some of them turn out for the better but some.. for the worse. He knew his was the worse. You still linger in his thoughts all he time. He knows you're much happier now but he can't help but wonder. He knows it's selfish but... what would've happened if he apologised sooner? What would've happened if he didn't say all hose horrid things? What would've happened if he didn't leave? Would you stay? Would you be his only? Would you still love him? Would you have never met the person you're with now..?

Kaeya, Albedo, Dainsleif

He looks at the broken photo of the both of you that he tried to fix. He eats the meals you'd make for him full of love that he tried to cook himself. He sleeps turning away from your empty side of the bed with the thoughts of how happy you are now as he tried to sleep. He knew you moved on and he wants to as well but he tried. He tried. But no matter how much he tried, he can't shake the feeling he's done nothing but fail. Failing at making things right. Failing at making you happy. And failing at loving you.

Zhongli, Kazuha, Diluc

Everyday he'd walk around as he remembers the things about you. How you used to spar with him, how you used to treat his wounds, how you'd cook him the best meals he's ever tasted, how you'd laugh still at his jokes even if theyre not funny.. and how you'd smile. Your cooking. Your laugh. Your smile. It's.. been a while since he's seen you smiled. Well, around.. him that is. Ever since you've gotten a new partner, your smile seems almost more happier. He wishes he could've done better. He wishes he could've been the one to make you happy. He wishes.. he could be the one married to you..

Tag for @wawadraws12 <3!

A/n (pt 2): HAH GET RECKED YOU FUCKERS 👹‼️ im kidding (or am i 😳 i am) idk mane, i like fluff but angsts are just my main course isbwuw

happy being sad!ヽ(´▽`)/

[isfjmel-phleg]

#😔 i got one question wrong bc ive been thinking too hard abt grant on young justice lmao

#there was one question where i kind of disagreed with the answer but out of all the options it did make sense #and thinking about it now i kinda get it but like also. bro was going thru it and there was not many people lining up to be his mentor or #like. invest too much time in his emotional well-being. AND ill make an ammendment to that #there's no one who he interacts with regularly that is ready and willing to like be his mentor or whatever in a super big overt way #BUT j'onn j'onzz? THE martian manhunter was absolutely down to mentor/train grant #wish dc had done something more with that it would've been so cool

#circling back to information relevant to the question i can see how kyle kinda stands out as someone who is there for grant and has #emotional talks with him and such. bc when he takes grant to mandra's funeral and talks to him about alex it fucked me up.. #him making sure grant doesn't touch the ground so he's not breaking the ban... him taking grant back to her grave after her dad freaks out #about him being there bc he blames grant for her death... him not yelling back at grant when grant is pissed off and telling him to take hi #back so he can explain what happened to mandra's father... him doing this after fighting with grant earlier that day and apologizing to him #for a comment that he made... him asking if grant is okay while they're at mandra's grave and telling him he knows that grant didn't #kill her and giving him advice and telling him that no matter how bad you feel about something it's never going to be enough to fix things #so you have to let go and move on but it's okay to be sad about it... him not judging or anything when grant is crying.. #the pure and simple fact that he stands out there for who knows how long getting SOAKED just so grant can say goodbye and take the time he #needs. ALSO HIM GIVING GRANT SOMETHING HE DIDNT GET BC HE SAYS SMTH ABT NOT GETTING TO GO TO ALEX'S FUNERAL AND SO HE BROUGHT GRANT TO #MANDRA'S SO HE CAN HAVE THAT LITTLE BIT OF CLOSURE AND HE COULD SAY GOODBYE AND EVERYTHING UGHHHHH

#im ill they make me ill im gonna have to go process this for a couple business days #also it is kinda peak funny that the legal loophole kyle finds is just. don't let damage touch the ground. it's like the floor is lava but #if they lose they both get arrested lmao #op im so sorry abt all the tags i like to yap (via @house-on-sand)

First of all, congratulations on having the highest score of any quiz-takers to date! I am impressed. It was an intentionally tricky quiz.

If the question you're referring to is the one I'm thinking of, I probably could have phrased it better. "Mentor" maybe wasn't the best term, but during Grant's first time with the Titans, Kyle was the older teammate who was most likely to take an interest in Grant's emotional well-being, although it wasn't a full-time thing, and I should have made that more clear. My intention with the question was to challenge the popular fanon of Roy as Grant's "dad," which isn't really accurate, especially during the New Titans era. Grant has had a lot of short-term "mentors" that have all contributed in their different ways to his growth.

But yeah, J'onn takes more of an interest in Grant than any other adult hero at this stage, which gives additional poignancy to his turning out to be Grant's principal genetic donor. I wish that their relationship had been explored more. If Justice League Task Force hadn't already ended by the time Grant left the Titans, it would have been interesting to see him join that team and learn to work with J'onn as his team leader/mentor/father and how that would have affected relationships with the rest of the team.

Kyle taking Grant to Mandra's funeral and later her gravesite to grieve in more privacy is such a painful, beautiful moment, and a good bonding experience for them. No one else on his team would have quite understood about this specific situation (just as Roy will be the right one, much later, for Grant to open up about his past to).

I can't believe they didn't exploit the can't-set-foot loophole the next time Grant goes to Georgia, during his JSA era! At that point he's got multiple teammates with powers or equipment that could keep him off the ground, and no one even thinks of it.

Nothing to be sorry about at all! I too like to yap about this topic and I appreciate every one of your tags :)

A very niche quiz, but why not. It concentrates on Grant's earliest appearances, in his solo series and New Titans mostly. There are forty questions and it's carefully detailed, including citing issues for reference, and I had more fun making it than I should have.

[mysticsparklewings]

Three Cheers for Harmonic Revenge (+ Time Lapse!)

________ This is what happens when you're a fan of both Winx Club and My Chemical Romance, apparently! 😂 Truly a labor of love—I started on this for an MCR album anniversary on June 8th. I so missed the date, but I had to see it through!

⭐️ AND I've got a Time Lapse of the art coming together, featuring my very rough attempt at a matchup of MCR's Helena and the Winx Club Harmonix song as backing music! It's a wild ride! ⭐️ (...There's also an unlisted version with "normal" music just in case my less-than-amateur audio editing skills are too much for anyone. 😅)

Anyway, to make a very long story a little bit shorter, a few weeks ago I ended up down a bit of a rabbit hole trying to identify likely sources of inspiration for the thing to come out of Winx Club Season 5 that the fandom at large actually kind of loves: Harmonix. I went in thinking Ballet, and despite my best efforts came out with that opinion pretty much unchanged. 

Not long after, but for the entirely unrelated reason of Being An MCR Fan on The Internet, I ended up looking at some screenshots from their Helena music video. [I think this was prompted by a Reddit post asking about the dress for cosplay purposes, I'm not sure.] 

It was then I had the thought, so simple and off-handed: "I don't see how you can look at a ballet outfit like this and not think Harmonix was ballet-inspired." 

If you've ever seen a TV show or cartoon where a character says something, and then only after the words leave their mouth do they realize the implications/meaning of what they just said, that was me in that moment. 😱

On the one hand, I want to say "I can't believe I didn't see the similarities before," but on the other...Well, I can believe it, actually. Comparing Winx and MCR in almost any capacity is not a natural thing to do, even with a Ballet connection in each. The fact that I finally did notice came largely down to the serendipity of being a fan of both and just happening upon the Helena pictures not long after spending an abnormal amount of time looking for clothes that look like Harmonix. I think there are many points leading up to that moment where if just a couple of things had gone differently, I still wouldn't have noticed. 

Either way, once the connection was made in my brain it took all of about 10 seconds for "Helena as a Harmonix Fairy" to follow. 🤩

At the time, I didn't have immediate plans to act on it. It was just an idea to be filed away on the little shelf in my brain where I keep "Things that would be fun to draw eventually." [That shelf is super full and in danger of collapse, for what it's worth. 😉]

Earlier this month, that changed when I remembered June 8th is the Anniversary for Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, the album that Helena comes from, and I had yet to come up with any other plans or ideas to commemorate it this year. 

Now, clearly I ended up missing that deadline, and two others I set for myself afterward. Things have just been very chaotic around my house for last 3-ish months or so, and June has been no different. Other IRL things just had to take priority. 😔

In my defense, the art itself was finished on June 12th. This description here and the Time Lapse Video (mostly the video) were what really set me back, even aside from household chaos. But it was really important to me to get a video done for this piece, so getting that done vs. getting the art out faster was the trade I made. 

But part of the reason I bring this up to underline that originally, I thought I was on a fairly tight deadline. As a result, during the planning stage I didn't really have time to tinker with refining the base design or debating details like I normally would. So I drew from the Winx's own Harmonix designs as much as possible—picking out pieces that naturally resembled the structure of Helena's dress. 

If I'd had more time to noodle around...the structure probably would've been largely the same, but the details most likely would have changed to help it feel more original, and I may have gotten crazy enough to try and find a happy [lighter] grey medium between Harmonix's pastel palettes and Helena's stark black and red. 

As it stands though, I'm not unhappy with how that all turned out, I just think it's worth noting how the visual concept may have changed if I'd had more time to toy with it. [Especially for when Future Me ends up referring back to this description; Hi there Future Mystic 👋]

Since my process for making the art can both be seen in the Time Lapse and is something you've all seen/heard me describe before by now [I think I have finally nailed down a fairly standard "Winx Art Process" over the last few months in large part thanks to Winxsona Winter—which yes, I do still intend to eventually finish], instead of taking you through the general stuff again, I'm going to do a bullet-point list similar to one I did for Sirenix. 

The main difference is this time, it's more focused my observations for what similarities exist between Harmonix and Helena's costume, as opposed to just a list of Harmonix traits and how I handled them. [Though there will still some of that too, naturally.]

Most notably, both feature "fluffy" layered skirts. Harmonix skirts don't really look like the same fabric texture, but that could be either a stylistic/animation choice or could be chalked up to there also probably being some Wedding Dress inspiration in the designs alongside the Ballet elements.  Also, at first I didn't think the train on the Harmonix skirts was a similarity, but upon a closer look at the Helena music video...Helena's skirt is definitely longer and train-like in the back, so...Cool, I was wrong! 😄 And: As it turns out, Bloom's Harmonix skirt actually does have a small section that's ruffled a bit differently from the rest—It's just really hard to tell because on her, it's all the same pastel blue color. But as you can see, referencing that part of her skirt here to incorporate the Red underlayer that peaks through on Helena's skirt worked a treat! 😊 P.S. Wow I really hated drawing a lot of really tightly-confined ruffles like this. 😤 And trying to shade them was even worse! 🙃

Both feature form-fitting tops with minimal or no straps. I more specifically saw Helena similarities in Stella's Harmonix top [with the frills over the bust and structure lines below], and later I realized the top-most portion of Musa's has an even more similar kind of frill.  To that end, Helena's is once again definitely supposed to be something transparent like tulle, but since there really aren't any transparent fabric portions of Harmonix, I chose instead to use a slightly lighter near-black to give it a similar effect without breaking that Harmonix "rule." Also, the bodice portion is a true jet black with no shading. I tried the more typical near-black grey that could be shaded at first, but it just wasn't doing it for me. I tried this on a whim and decided it looked good enough to keep.

Most of the Harmonix designs have a kind of "belt" that connects the bodice to the skirt; Perfect match for Helena's red one!  Similarly, most of those same Harmonix designs have a "belt"/ribbon just under the bust as well. Helena does not, as far as I can tell. But I chose to add a read one here for a little extra variety and helping break up all that black.

The Harmonix shoes are almost entirely ribbons winding up the legs; Helena wears black ballet slippers with, you guessed it, black strings/ribbons that wind around her feet and ankles.  Now, maybe I could have gotten away with all-black ribbons and black for the heel portion of the shoes, but 1. The Harmonix designs all use 2 colors for the ribbons and the heel is usually in the "contrasting" color. 2. I knew from the beginning that the skirt train [a mandatory aspect of Harmonix] was going to either be black or a very dark grey, and even during the Concept phase before I had a specific pose in mind, I had a feeling the ribbon tails were going to overlap with said train. So I used a dark red. Originally, it was about as bright as her sash and belt, but then I realized Bloom and Musa's pink ribbons were darker than the pink used in the bodices, a darker red would be closer to the original black anyway, and that would yet again add just a tiny bit more visual variety.  One last note about the shoes: I did my best to match the original winding of Helena's shoe ribbon, except for the very first ribbon across where the toes connect to the rest of the foot. That strap was specifically added as a nod to how Helena's proper ballet slippers outright cover the toe. 

About the train: Similar to the bodice, I started out with the train in one color, the color you currently see for the skirt itself and the very top of the train. It was fine but I was itching for some more variety, so after reassuring myself "Layla/Aisha's train has a few different shades of green instead of being solid so it's fine," I used the different tiers [taken from Flora's train] to create a little bit of a gradient from the black to a charcoal grey. It kinda works as a hint toward Harmonix's more pastel palette. Sort of. 

Aside from Tecna, all the girls' hair is at least partially pulled back in Harmonix. This sorta works out because it appears the front "bang" sections of Helena's hair are pulled back. [In my brain I call this "Doll Hair" because I personally have seen that kind of look way more often on dolls than on real people.] It's similar to the front of Bloom's Enchantix hair.  The rest of Helena's hair appears pretty thick and a little wild, so I tried to incorporate a bit of that here, but I couldn't push it too far without "breaking" the Winx Style.  And while I'm here: I did choose to make Helena's hair a very dark brown. In the video, most of the time it does just look plain black, but there are moments where my eyes pick up on a "warmth" to the color, which makes me think maybe it really is that super-dark brown hair that just looks black. Even if it isn't, I stand by my choice as slightly more fitting for the Winx style, since Winx almost never does truly black hair anyway. 

All of the Harmonix designs feature some sort of small head accessory, usually a tiara. Helena's costume very prominently features netting over the face...And there appears to be something going on towards the back of her head, presumably whatever is holding the netting in place.  I've seen fan interpretations of whatever that is being flowers [usually black roses], and since Tecna has a few flower-ish pieces as part of her Harmonix tiara, that seemed like a fair choice here.  As for the netting...You'll see very briefly in the Time Lapse that during the concept phase, I really did want to include that, but it was too hard to ignore how out of place it felt. Winx rarely does anything with netting in the first place [though a couple of rare examples do exist], and considering certain parts of Harmonix feel like it was designed to be fairly simple [but look complex at first glance, which it does]...I just couldn't do it. So instead, I...Well, it ended up being almost a copy of Layla's Harmonix tiara, but I really truly did not realize how similar what I was doing was to hers until after the full-color version was pretty much done. 😅 I thought I was doing more of an upside-down version of Musa's, and my entire goal was to just do something that came down over the forehead like the netting did. 

Speaking of Musa, if those wings look familiar, they kinda should. Remember before that I mentioned I was originally working on a pretty tight timeline for this piece? 

One of the things that has proven to take me the longest with original Winx designs since I picked up making them semi-regularly again is undoubtedly the wings. I got to really learn that the hard way with Believix at the beginning of this year. 

Because of the very limited time I thought I had and my sluggish pace with wings, when while collecting Harmonix screenshots for reference I noticed "Hey, Musa's wings would still work pretty well if they were flipped upside down..." A little bit of a lightbulb went off. 

I don't even know why exactly that thought occurred to me before I'd even really considered the wings. The best I can figure is a little hangover in my subconscious—At one point I remember reading one of the Winx's Sirenix wings are apparently upside down at the end of her transformation sequence. That stuck out to me at the time because I don't really understand how you could tell if Sirenix wings are upside down or not because of how they're shaped. 🤨

Anyway. So I found a screenshot with a fairly clear shot of one of Musa's wings, flipped it around, and really just traced right over it. 

I did make a few small tweaks, and most notably I added some..."Lines of Tears?" like Layla and Flora's have, but at the end of the day they are still really Musa's wings. 

Normally, I wouldn't have done that and instead would've just taken heavy inspiration from Musa's wings, but again, I thought I had a lot less time than I really did. And to be fair, plenty of other Winx fans re-color or otherwise re-purpose the Canon Girls' wings for their OCs and/or Fan Transformations on a regular basis anyway, so it's not like this is a totally unheard-of idea or anything. 🤷‍♀️

Much later, I also figured in a way it fits; Musa is a fairy of Music, this artwork is largely based around a specific piece of music/the band that made it; I even opted to add music note shapes like Musa's wings produce [all the Harmonix wings produce specific shapes in that way] when they move to deepen that connection after I thought of it. 

Other things worth noting [and this is again a • bullet point list because, frankly, at the moment I'm just too lazy to make this all flow together in more story-like paragraphs]:

I did my best to match Helena's skin and eyes, but her lips and eye makeup were a little trickier. Her lips ended up a bit pinker and not as close to her skin tone in the spirit of Winx, and I had to compromise and use greyish reds shaped like the Trix's eyeshadow to get a similar effect. The eyeshadow still really isn't perfect for Helena or Winx, but I was short on other ideas so, "close enough is good enough."

The shape of the mouth isn't quite what I wanted, either. You'll see in the time-lapse that I already changed it pretty drastically from the first sketch I had. I definitely wanted something open, because while Helena's mouth is not open for the entire music video or anything, it is more open at certain points and this shot in particular is pretty iconic.  But I also didn't want anything too crazy because, y'know, Winx Club.  The bared teeth and lack of upturn for a smile was my compromise. Either the mouth itself needed some more tweaking, or the eyebrows did. The whole expression is okay, I just don't think I pushed it far enough. 🤷‍♀️

There isn't really one specific pose that represents Helena more than the others [...at least not standing up/dancing], so I picked mostly from a general feeling from the music video. I did reference some official stock arts of the Winx in Ballet attire [mostly this one of Flora], but the feet had to be changed pretty notably to fit the shoes, and overall I had to make some tweaks in the anatomy where the stock art and show style differ. [These differences seem to increase from Season 5 onward, too.] 

The background was mostly inspired by Layla's Harmonix, and it might be my favorite part of the whole piece, actually!  Upon closer studying for this project, I was surprised by how much "junk" is in some of the Harmonix backgrounds. There's tons of texture in all of them and a fair bit of color variation in most...It's pretty interesting compared to past transformations and even Harmonix itself. The backgrounds end up being a lot more intense than the solid and gentle pastel dresses. [Wouldn't surprise me if that was intentional!] I had a little more work cut out for me since I couldn't just slap bright colors all over the place. I did consider just sticking with blacks/greys/white and maybe some red, but I thought it might help my version of Helena here pop a little better if I was able to change up the palette just a bit. And, of course, the warmth of the background helps add more variety and liven the whole image up.  Much more to my delight though, I was able to create the background without having to download any new Procreate brushes! 🥳 Between a couple of default ones, the ocean-themed brushes I already had from previous projects, and a couple I just happened to pick up along the way [mostly as monthly freebies from brush makers who normally charge for their work], I had all the brushes I needed already right there, it just took a little experimenting. 

I will reiterate that while it still took time, making the art itself really wasn't so bad or difficult. And it helps that this ridiculous crossover idea was something I really wanted to make—Because if I didn't, who else would, right? 🤪

It's not perfect, sure. But it's here and it still came out pretty good overall, I think. So I'm happy. 😊

Now I would also like to take a moment to explain part of why putting the Time Lapse together for this piece ended up taking longer than it probably should have, because I really didn't have room to talk about it in the video itself...though it does sorta get a mention right at the beginning: The audio. 

To once again make a very long story short(er):

I, in my infinite wisdom, decided instead of the usual royalty-free music stock, to try and create a mash-up of Helena and the Harmonix song for this video. That was more or less the visual premise for the art, so why not go all-out with the theming?

For once, I cannot take you through the full nitty-gritty because, at least to my inexperienced brain, audio editing is a pretty nebulous process. But I can tell you that aside from inexperience, the other thing that probably held me back was my choice of program to handle the task. 

I did not have the patience nor motivation to try and teach myself how to use an audio program for this one silly project, and I semi-accidentally learned at the beginning of last year that DaVinci Resolve has an entire section dedicated to just editing the audio for videos. Since I was able to fumble my way around in there for the light audio editing I wanted to do at that time, I figured that was a slightly safer bet here. It may not have saved me a ton of time, but it was at least vaguely familiar, and for me, familiarity goes a long way in making me comfortable with a program even if I still don't really know what the heck I'm doing. 

This isn't really what DaVinci is supposed to be for—as far as I can tell it doesn't even have an "audio only" export option, which did complicate things a bit—and even if it was, I'm sure any true audiophile will still probably cringe a lot at what I managed to create.😅 I did my best to make it "tolerable" for a listen or two, but I know my ears are inherently biased since I know and enjoy both songs quite a bit already. But I did manage to get feedback from two persons that know notably more about audio than I do, and they weren't horrifically appalled, so I don't feel like I'm committing a crime against music by putting it out there, at least. 

Aside from that, the video did also have to wait on me to finish this description [to a certain extent, anyway]. For smaller projects, I can usually write the on-screen notes for the video first and worry about the description later, but most of the time for a big project like this, I need the bulk of this written description done first so I have a baseline of all the things I want to mention and can pare down from there. 

I can do a fair bit of the video editing up until the point I need those notes, but once I hit that wall there's really no way around it. And in this case, I did actually use all that other video editing as a form of procrastinating on the description. 😅

Most likely because I knew there was going to be a lot to cover, I really put off like 70% of this description as long as possible. 🫣 The other 30% I actually did relatively soon after the art was ready. The plan was to go ahead and get most of it out of the way, but clearly I lost my writing mojo partway through and had to come back to it later...and I was still a little lazy with certain aspects. 

But hey, the description isn't the art, it's just meant to describe the art, so whatever works, yeah?

In any case, I think that's everything I wanted to mention about this particular process. It's been quite a ride, and I'm glad it's over. Mostly so I can go back to working on some other projects I already had cooking before this one came up, but also...I am just glad this is one of those ideas that, as I said much earlier, originally got put on an "eventually" shelf in my brain and actually got to come to fruition fairly quickly after the fact. 

Kinda gives me more hope than I previously had for some of those other "eventually" projects, which is nice. 🙂

Similarly: I don't know if I'll find a way to revisit Winx Club x MCR ever again, but I'm thrilled I I found a way to do it at least once! Doubly so that I'm happy with how it turned out! 😊 With that in mind, you never know. It's possible I'll figure out another way to do it again someday. 

In the meantime, I leave you Sparklers to enjoy this one and the time lapse [whether you're brave enough for the mash-up version or opt for the "easy listening" one instead]. 😉 s usual, I'm off to those other projects I mentioned shortly ago...

_______

Artwork © me, MysticSparkleWings Winx Club © Rainbow S.p.A.

Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge and associated concepts © My Chemical Romance

[wolfepirat3]

And I'm back with more Warriors!

(little update on the fic for all those interested, i have nearly 3k of the first chapter done as of now so im going to guess ill have it posted within the next 2-3 days)

Anyways, this is for @kalenythekalenko who wanted to know some of my headcanons, so here's a few I've come up with since the beginning of infatuation with the movie 🤗 (+ some of my explanations/reasoning for them)

1) For some odd reason, the new bloods really take to Ajax upon joining and they end up following him around. This pisses him off as well as inflates his ego a bit to the point that he's not really sure if he hates or likes it.

I actually have no clue as to where this one came from, he just seems like the kind of guy a bunch of naïve new members would see and be like "hes so fuckin cool i want to be him"

I however do not think he's that cool, boo ajax boo 🍅🍅

2) Swan and Cowboy are really good friends

So i actually have a Swan and Cowboy bffs agenda? When watching the movie i notice how they kind just... End up near each other? Also the part after the fight with the Furies when Swan helps Cowboy up. Then there's afterwards when Cowboy and Snow want to go back for Ajax and Swan doesn't react to it until after Cowboy gives his reasoning (this one might actually be me looking a little too far into it). And then during the fight with the Punks when Cowboy takes out the Punk attacking Swan.

This feeling about their friendship was amplified when I played the game and during the backstory mission and realized that they had left the Destroyers together, stuck together while not associated with a gang, and then Swan would only join the Warriors if Cowboy would be able to as well.

(in a similar vein to this, I think Snow and Swan are also pretty good friends because Swan made Snow his main liutenant in the Jailbreak comic and I feel like some sort of camaraderie would've had to be apparent in order for that decision to be made.)

3) This one might be a little silly, but it did come to me at midnight a few days ago, but basically-- I feel like Cleon's the type of guy to just call people by their full names whenever addressing them.

Okay so I do have some sort of basis for this one. Whenever I read the original script + watched the deleted scenes I saw how Snow was originally Snowball and I just related Cleon addressing Snow in the one deleted scene to him calling everyone by full names. (I do wish they called him Snowball once or twice in the movie though I would've adored that)

4) okay so i dont know if this counts as a headcanon but i did decide to basically give personalities and names and stuff to characters from the Gladiators and Red Hook Shooters (two gangs that definitely exist but literally have nothing about them-- besides where theyre based and some of the Gladiators having canon appearances since they briefly show up in the beginning of the movie), but that's a whole long thing to put in here so just know I'm going to put this information to use in my fic (more shameless self promotion 😔)

Alright, I'm pretty sure those are the only things I can think of right now, of course with time I'll probably remember/think of some more and I'll share those too!

Thank you to everyone whose made it this far expressed so much interest in my stuff!!

You guys are 2 cool and I hope you have a good day, thank you again!

[artificial-milkshake]

Tokyo Red

Part 3 out of ???

Chapter 2: My little sugar

Tw: emotions 😔

__________________

You walked for a little while enjoying the sunlight with your dog before deciding to head home. You let Sugar off the leash once you got inside and dug in your pocket to pull out the note. You look at the words on the paper for a good minute before you realize you can see more words, but they are written faintly. You hold up the piece of paper to the ceiling light and your eyes widen. "Don't trust the man with the red hair." You assume whoever wrote this meant the man in the picture with your father, you take a mental note and put the note down, then go to your room to plan your trip to Tokyo. You sit down at your computer and begin to look for cheap plane tickets to Tokyo. As your scrolling through a website you see an add for a contest. "Looking to go to Tokyo? Enter for a chance to win an all paid trip for up to two years in Tokyo!" You looked at the add skeptically, but decided to click on it anyway. After filling out a few forms to enter, you sit back and watch as the time ticks until the contest submissions end. Apparently it ended it an hour, what a coincidence that you found this contest when you did.

| Time skip to a day later |

"Hmm..." You open your door and find another similar box to the one you found a day before, no labels or anything. You bring it inside and open it, to your surprise you find some a plane ticket to Tokyo and a few other papers inside. One of these said papers is written in red ink and reads as followed. "At the airport you will find a man with a sign with your name on it, follow him and give him the papers once you enter the car." You give the rest of the papers glance as you scan through them, searching for more text written in red ink. You find some more that ask for your signature and sign away, while only reading the important parts. After you are done signing all of the papers you stack them up neatly, placing them down on the counter next to you. "Well. I better get packing." You announce to Sugar who lifts her head up to look at you. You walk over and give her a pat on the head, she wags her tail which makes you smile. You pet her for a little while longer and then head to your room to begin to pack, for both you and Sugar. There was no way in hell you were leaving your dog with some complete strangers while you were gone for two years, plus you needed her for the emotional support. As you began to pack you quickly went over a checklist you had written down, as well as one for the person who was going to be staying at your house while you were gone. It's a good thing that the company that was hosting the contest had said something about it in the papers, because you would've been peeved coming home after two years to find dust and rotten food. You check the calendar on your phone to see when the next full moon and new moon would be, but before you can turn on your phone your stomach growls. You heave out a sigh putting down your phone and getting up to head into the kitchen where you find Sugar waiting patiently near her food bowls. You smile down at her and grab some meat from the refrigerator. "Here ya go girl. Have some rabbit." You say as toss the large meat into her bowl to which she immediately begins to chow down upon. You chuckle to yourself and begin to make your own meal of steak (or other preferred meat) with a side of salad (or somethin else). After you finish eating you completely forget to check your calendar on your phone which hopefully doesn't turn into a problem later on. You tidy up a little around the house, making sure it looks presentable for the person who would look after it while you were gone. They'd be coming over in two and you'd also be leaving that same morning for your trip. After your done you begin packing things for Sugar like her favorite pillow, her flea medicine, a harness, her leash,ect. Once you are done with that you go into the garage and haul out a large doggie crate for her while you are on the plain. It was heavy and adding all of the stuff you grabbed didn't help as some of the smaller items kept falling out of the bars, but somehow you managed to drag it out to your car and put it in the backseat. You began to feel tired afterwards so you go back inside. You sit down on your couch and slowly begin to doze off as Sugar hops up on the couch next to you, laying her head across your lap. Before you loose yourself into the world of dreams you place a hand on her large head and smile softly, before sleep takes you.

As you are sleeping you dream about when you were little, before you become a monster and before your father had sold you. The sun was shining and it felt warm against your face as you played in a park with your mother. You didn't know it but tears began to form in your eyes in the real world as you gave your mother a hug. "Y/N my little sugar..." She spoke to you in a soft voice, you looked up at her and she smiled down at you. The sunlight fell on her face illuminating it so she looked like an angel and your tears flowed freely now in the waking world and now in your dream. "Y/N, please promise to make him pay for what he has done." She said still in her soft voice before she began to fade away into the sunlight. You could no longer see her and you were left all alone in the park standing there as the skies began to open up. The rain fell hard against your skin as the scenery around you changed. You now stood before an iron cage and within that cage a monster stood before you. A monster that was your mother, she underwent the same process of torture as you, but she couldn't regain herself. She snarled and lunged at you, the sounds of her nails and teeth hitting the iron of the cage made your skin crawl. Soon this sound began all around you from where you stood, you could hear the snarling and howling of the other subjects as they thrashed about. In your hand you held a pistol filled with silver bullets, you know what you have to do. You raise the gun and aim it at your mother, but before you could pull the trigger, your mother looked into your eyes and said one last thing before you ended it all. "I love you, Y/N my little sugar..." You pulled the trigger and woke up with a start. Sugar immediately moved her head away as you shot up.. Tears fell down your face as you quickly began to wipe them away, but they wouldn't stop falling. You couldn't stop them from falling as you swiped your sleeves across your face and your body began to tremble slightly. Eventually Sugar leaned upward and began to lick your cheeks. As she did this your body stopped shaking and you wrapped your arms around her. "Thank you my little Sugar." You said with a sniffle and gave her nose a little peck.