#also please consider. this was in high school. she has probably improved a lot since high school! her music has probably evolved a lot!
castiel the gay angel is gay
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I am so glad you pointed out the imperialist vibes Edelgard has sometimes. As someone who lives in a country who was basically occupied ahem conquered because they said "we have better ideas that will improve your lives" and had our culture absolutely shattered, one of the main reasons why I disagree with Edelgard so much is because of that. She thinks her point of view is superior and the most morally right and I really don't like it whenever she sounds so confused about people defending their homeland. Especially that one line she has with Dimitri in Chapter 17 ffffff—
Like, girl, they have the fucking right to disagree with you please stop sounding so confused as to why they can't see eye to eye with you gahhhhh
I would be more tolerant with the war if she had say, did diplomacy before it? But she tried to had Dimitri and Claude killed in Part I (the prologue). I would also understand her better if the war was a last resort and the other leaders were corrupt and all that. But they're not. Many of the students (who have power because many are noble heirs) outside her house are heavily affected by the nobility and Crests (Sylvain, Ingrid, Mercedes, Lysithea, etc.) or at least understanding of the problems caused by them (Dimitri). It's so frustrating how so much of this can be prevented if she just talked about it.
Also, to those who said she wants the change to be quick, even with war it won't be. The fucking war basically caused continent-wide damage. It's going to be so hard to actually fix this. Hell, there's definitely going to be an eventual rebellion by former Kingdom / Alliance people or sympathisers. It's not going to be as clean cut as the game or some pro-Edelgard people make it to be. Not everyone is going to agree with her, whether she takes over or not. She just destroyed the stability of the continent and while yes, she can rebuild it again, it will still take time and who's to say future leaders won't be corrupt? Also, a hierarchy will always exist, whether she likes it or not. Especially if she plans to set up a meritocracy. Meritocracy is going to usually end up giving power and privilege to those with already pre-existing privilege as they the opportunity to show off their merits or develop those skills. Poor and disabled people are going to have difficulty as they don't have equal opportunity to develop skills and accomplish stuff. I'm generalising, but it just ends up as a hierarchy, again. Not only that, it also has ways to enforce discrimination.
Basically, what I'm trying to say is, she needs to long term plan out her systems. I apologise since I have bad memory but as far as I remember, the game doesn't give us too many details on how she wants to establish her system. All I remember is she does the war > Church / Rhea out of power > Establish her government > ???. Someone please clear this up for me because I'm confused.
...and again really, diplomatic reforms are an option. Yes, they're much more tedious. Yes, they take so much more longer. Yes, sometimes it feels impossible to accomplish. But did she not even consider it as an option?
All in all, I do like Edelgard. But I really wish the game let us go against her while we're with her? I wish it wasn't just general "agree with Edelgard" for CF. I remember someone pointing it out to me before that it would've been really great if she had someone in her house who does the same role Felix does in AM... which is basically disagree and call out the lord's shit. And they pointed out Ferdinand could've probably been that character for CF. And I kinda agree? I really think CF would immensely improve if Edelgard had a challenger / foil to her beliefs similar to how Felix does that for Dimitri.
Anyway, sorry for the very long ask lol. I like Edelgard and I agree with some of her morals and ideals such as the crest system being bad but....she's done so dirty asdfghjkl. I do think she's written well enough to incite these emotions in me, and she makes for a good antagonist. As a protagonist lord however.... yeah.
First off, sorry it took so long to respond, but I wanted to give an equally throughout response.
While I haven’t gotten to chapter 17 yet, I can attest to the notion that Edelgard’s rhetoric is eerily similar to Imperialist propaganda. I do understand this is fiction, and that it’s okay to hand-wave/enjoy things in fiction that you shouldn’t or wouldn’t in real life. Crimson Flower has its charms and parts I enjoy. Edelgard is an interesting character more hampered by things that plague Three Houses as a whole than anything else, but it’s still worth examining how dangerous her rhetoric is. Because, unlike you, my country sits at the opposite end - the Imperialist nation selling that rhetoric to its citizens, and, unfortunately, at the time I bought it - which makes me really sensitive to this.
I’m from the US and I’m specifically speaking about the US’s invasion of the Middle East. I was in middle or high school, just barely a teenager, and naive and ignorant enough to believe what my leaders said. Because guess what? I bought into it out of misplaced and ignorant (and racist) compassion. I was horrified at the idea these people were suffering unfairly just because of where they were born whereas I got all these promised privileges just because of where I was born. I really thought the US would go in there and give them democracy and everything would be great. Looking back, I realize they were lying, that we’ve only made things worse, that it’s horribly racist to assume the US was just inherently better, and I’ve sense then gained access to fast-speed internet, traveled, matured, etc . . . and thankfully this all happened before I had any actual power to do anything like vote. But to this day I’m beyond pissed off they used my own compassion against me to line their own pockets. It was ignorant and racist, but it was all based in concern that others didn’t have the same quality of life I had and a growing realization of my own privilege. And that’s what I hate so much. It didn’t sound evil. It sounded good. It used people’s good will and compassion against them and twisted it into evil for their own causes.
I don’t think Edelgard is after Faerghus and the Alliance because she wants oil. I think she honestly thinks she’s doing good. And, if this were real life, I think that makes her rhetoric even more dangerous than a corrupt politicians’. Because everything else is still the same. She’s being ignorant, nationalist instead of racist in this case, and honestly thinks her moral superiority will improve everyone’s lives even if it means ravaging the entire content in war. She is dangerously naive and ignorant.
Maybe I’d support her more morally if I believed for an instant the general populace welcomed the changes she wants to bring, if the leaders she fought against weren’t open and wanting change themselves, ect . . . But the dialogue indicated her presence inspires people running and screaming in terror, not welcoming her presence (see the chapter where you kill Claude). The Kingdom is still fighting tooth and nail against her. She’s not supported. Her changes aren’t wanted. And she hasn’t bothered to learn a single thing about the cultures she’s determined to squash under her heal nor the leaders heading them.
I also think I’d support her better if we had a clearer idea of what her plans were. But CF has shifted from Edelgard speaking about interesting ideas and classism to evil dragon overlords and chastising Byleth for making her blush. The decision to side with her or Rhea is not choosing between two ideals, but an emotional, spur of the moment thing. Edelgard’s early supports with Byleth attempt to convince the player to side with her not based on political ideals, but on feeling sorry for her.
CF gives you no choice but to agree with everything Edelgard says (as you said, there’s no “Felix” or a “Lorenz”). It wants you to support her war without question, and therefore you don’t get any answers to questions like - if this is really just about Rhea, why are we invading the Alliance? Because they won’t hand power over to you? Why didn’t you just stick to the Empire to enact your changes? In the end, you’re left with what sounds more and more like an entitled Imperialistic princess with absolutely no idea how ignorant she is hell bent on conquering what she thinks belongs to her based on a conspiracy theory.
All that said, I do think Edelgard has interesting ideas and isn’t wholly wrong, just how she goes about it is horribly wrong. And I fully believe the core issue is how CF has dropped the ball big time writing wise, because diving deeper into her ideas and not her crush on you would go a long way. So would shifting the narrative away from evil boogey dragon lady must die and everyone else is wrong and I am superior and right and more towards a clashing of ideals, this route could’ve been a lot more and seemed a lot less ignorant, naive, entitled, and Imperialistic.
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Letters
Ended up skipping day 2 of @hitsukarinweek as I had no ideas for it but here’s my fic for day 3! Also on AO3
Dear Toshiro,
Can you please explain to me how the hell Soul Society managed to copy mobile phones from humans, and even put hollow tracking technology in them, but didn't make them able to send stuff across realms? I know you explained that SS phones in soul society can only contact those in soul society, and when they're here in the human world they can only contact those here, but I only realised how ridiculously stupid that is until after you left. What if there's an emergency and you need to contact someone across realms for whatever reason? Surely you need to get this fixed, I cannot believe if I want to talk to you I'm stuck writing letters like it's the 1800s. I'm even writing more formally than I expected, apparently letter writing brings it out of me and I absolutely hate it. You've gotta fix it. Not to mention I'm not a fan of leaving letters for Urahara to pass on for me, I'm not totally convinced he won't read them.
Anyway, it's been a couple of months since I saw you last. That's probably a good thing, that a captain hasn't been needed here, but I'll admit I wonder about you sometimes, I hope everything is ok on your end! I don't know what it was about turning sixteen but all of a sudden all of this stuff about trying to figure out careers is on me constantly. Yuzu figured out years ago that she wanted to go into healthcare, she took to it way back when we were kids. She was originally planning to go into nursing but her grades have improved a lot recently, she might be a doctor instead, but she's also thinking about midwifery. So there's stuff she's gotta figure out for sure, but at least she knows what area she wants to go into? I don't even have that. I mean how do you figure out what to do with the rest of your life when you're sixteen? I haven't even figured myself out yet. How did you decide to become a shinigami?
Other than that though things are ok. School is a little stressful because grades suddenly feel so much more important, but the work's manageable at least. Hollow level seems to be stable at the minute too which is great, one less thing to worry about! And Urahara improved his reiatsu blocking bracelet thing, I've had this one for almost four months and it hasn't broken so even less chance of getting eaten! Always a plus. But anyway, I hope things are good on your end as well, and that you aren't buried up to your ears in paperwork. Let me know if you ever have any plans to pop up in the human world!
Best Wishes,
Karin
P.S. - I sent this on the 22nd of June, let me know when this gets to you/when you send yours, I wanna know what sort of delivery time we're looking at here.
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Dear Karin,
I don't even remotely have the skills or know-how to fix something like that, that's what the Research & Development Team is for. I agree it's a little daft that our mobile phones can't send things across realms, but I'm sure said team knows this and is likely working on it, as you said, it would be unfortunate in an emergency situation. Plus I know Urahara can be a little eccentric, but do you really think he'd read the letters? I'm sure it's fine.
It is a good thing I've not been needed, the last thing Karakura needs is more trouble and destruction. Have they managed to rebuild that major bridge you were talking about yet? Everything is alright here, or at least in my division anyway. I've been kept busy recently, a set of students graduated from the academy last month so I've had 18 new recruits to introduce to squad 10. As for the careers stuff, I honestly assumed from the work you did here and there for the clinic that you were interested in healthcare as well, I take it that's not actually the case then? Do you at least have rough ideas of the sort of thing you'd want to go into? I'm not sure I'll be much help in that respect, I can't wrap my head around half of the jobs that seem to exist in the human world. In some ways I had it easier, the choice was out of my hands. My reiatsu was getting stronger and Hyorinmaru came to me before I even knew what was happening, I needed to go to the academy to make sure my reiatsu didn't become dangerous, therefore I became a shinigami. I never had to wonder what to do with myself in terms of employment.
I'm glad to hear things are going well with you, I'm certainly glad to hear you don't have to worry as much about the bracelet breaking. Is your reiatsu still increasing? If it's stabilising that might be part of why this new bracelet is managing better. I know you're not particularly interested in getting involved with shinigami stuff, which frankly I agree with, but if your reiatsu is still increasing I do think it's worth training you to hide it properly. I am unfortunately always at least a little buried in paperwork, particularly recently with the new recruits, but it's manageable. I don't think I'll be in the human world soon, but I will let you know if I plan to.
Best Wishes,
Toshiro
P.S. - I got your letter on the 2nd of July, I should be handing this letter over to be sent on the 4th, schedule permitting.
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Dear Toshiro,
Well I hope you make sure that the research team are working on it, because this really is ridiculous. And you're kidding right? I trust Urahara about as far as I can throw him, which is probably all of three feet.
The bridge is still being rebuilt, but I think they're in the last stages now thank god. All the diversions needed really messed with the traffic, maybe I can finally stop leaving the house half an hour earlier just to get to my soccer club. It's supposed to be twenty minutes max by bus and it's been taking easily twice that. Let me know if you find out which shinigami it was that released their zanpakuto on that bridge, I have some choice words for them.
An entire class of students graduated and you only got 18 newbies at the tenth? Was it a small class or is that the normal kind of numbers you see? I assumed there's like, thousands and thousands of shinigami, is there less than I thought? Is that why I only ever see you and Rukia besides the dude who's currently stationed here? And I don't know about going into healthcare, that's my whole problem! I don't know what I want. Healthcare is fine but I don't feel like it's my life purpose to go into it either so yeah, I don't know. Healthcare would be alright, sports would be cool maybe? But I don't think there's a whole lot of sports careers outside of professional (which is definitely not happening) or teaching, and I'm not convinced I'm the teacher type. I just don't seem to have this strong urge to go in a particular direction like Yuzu does. But wow, I didn't know that, you basically HAD to train to be a shinigami? I didn't know that was a thing that could happen, that your reiatsu can go that far on its own. That kind of sucks though doesn't it? That you had no choice? I hope you enjoy being a shinigami at least.
To be honest I think my reiatsu probably is still going up. I don't think it's as quick as it was before, it's settled a little bit, probably because there hasn't been much danger around recently, but I do think it's still inching up. Is that a huge issue? Obviously it became a huge issue with you so now I'm kinda nervous. I'm not gonna get kidnapped into the shinigami am I? I can train to hide my reiatsu without actually becoming a shinigami right? Frankly I trust you more on this than Urahara. And you better let me know in advance if you can, Yuzu says she wants to make you those dumplings you liked again.
Best Wishes,
Karin
P.S. - I got excited at first thinking that sending these took less than two weeks, that didn't seem that bad considering we're sending them via Urahara whenever someone comes through realms, but then your letter took almost a month to come, it arrived on the 27th :( I'm handing this letter over on the 28th.
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Dear Karin,
The Research & Development Team is not under my command, they belong to the twelfth, I cannot make sure that they're working on it, but I shall ask at the next opportunity I get. I think you're selling yourself short, I'm sure you could get at least five feet, but I do see your point, I can't say I fully trust him either, not on an individual basis anyway. I trust him to want the best for everybody, and to work towards that, but I don't think he pays attention to what that means for the individuals in the situation. More of a 'the end justifies the means' sort of person from what I've heard. And I'm afraid I have no idea who it was who damaged the bridge, but given they were fighting a powerful hollow at the time I imagine it was the correct course of action. Better on the bridge than in the middle of town.
I get the impression there is less shinigami than you think. Most squads have just over two hundred or so members, so 18 new recruits is actually a pretty good year. As for why you only really see me or Vice-Captain Kuchiki, it's a combination of needing a strong enough shinigami to deal with the sort of problems that crop up in Karakura, while also needing said shinigami to have a vague clue on how to navigate the human world. Vice-Captain Kuchiki presumably has rather extensive knowledge having lived in the human world for months, and I've been known to visit for years so they know I'm alright with being there as well. I think it's alright to not have an idea of a 'life's purpose' when you're in your second year of high school. Maybe just pick something for now as a sort of in-between while you continue working out what it is you want? Sometimes a job is just a job after all. You could always try a career in sports and see how it goes if it interests you now, and switch later on? I'm sure you'll figure something out. I'll admit I was definitely reluctant to train as a shinigami at first, it was never something I wanted originally, so it was hard to deal with to begin with I suppose, but I don't mind it these days. It's stressful, but at least I'm doing something where I'm trying to keep people safe, that suits me well enough.
Unfortunately yes, in my case my reiatsu continuously going up was an issue, but I don't think it's as serious with you. Firstly, you've not got a zanpakuto knocking on your subconscious as far as I know (the telltale giveaway is weird dreams where someone/something is trying to talk to you and tell you it's name, in case you were worried about that), and the people around you aren't vulnerable. You're unlikely to cause issues with your reiatsu because everyone around you has some degree of spiritual power already. As for the other questions, I certainly hope you won't be kidnapped into the shinigami, and I don't think your brother or even Urahara would let that happen, but it's possible you'll get Soul Society's attention if it keeps going unchecked. Of course with Urahara keeping on eye on it and keeping the reiatsu blocking bracelet on you, I'd argue that it's largely taken care of and shouldn't get other shinigami on you. There isn't much shinigami training you can do without becoming a shinigami, but you can learn to withdraw and hide your reiatsu even as a human so don't worry about that. I would say to ask your brother but he's never been very good at controlling his, Urahara is your other option, or possibly Vice-Captain Kuchiki if she's around. Or if those don't work out and your reiatsu gets to a point where you're truly worried about it let me know, I'll train you in it myself if it comes to it. Also, I appreciate the thought but your sister doesn't need to go to trouble like that for me.
Best Wishes,
Toshiro
P.S. - I got your letter on the 17th of August. I think it's safe to say they take anywhere from over a week to just under a month to arrive each time.
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Dear Toshiro,
Let me know what the research team says! If they say they're not working on it please heavily suggest that they do, and if they say they are working on it, please ask how long they think it'll take them. Just think how much easier communicating would be if we could just call each other. The end justifies the means is EXACTLY Urahara's vibe, which is exactly why I don't really trust him. So yeah, it wouldn't even remotely surprise me if he's been reading these the entire time, better to assume the worst and be pleasantly surprised than the other way around. I suppose you have a point about the bridge being a better location than in the middle of a bunch of people, I'll put up with inconvenient travel times over unnecessary death.
Only a little over two hundred per squad? There is less than I thought! That's way less than your average university over here, that's crazy! 18 newbies is good in that case, your squad must be pretty popular. And no wonder I only really ever see you or Rukia, you guys clearly need to work on getting more people up to the speed with the human world or you're gonna end up over-worked! I guess I could just go for sports now and switch later? I don't know, you kinda get it into your head that you've gotta figure out what you want and stick to it, but I guess there's nothing actually stopping me from changing paths later. Once school goes back in I'm gonna get a meeting and talk to the careers lady, see what she says. I'm glad you're alright with being a shinigami now, hopefully it isn't stressful too much of the time.
Well, I'll take your word for it, you know more than me on this but I'm still kinda wary. You're right that there's no zanpakto trying to get my attention so far at least so that's something. If I do get kidnapped by the shinigami I'm trusting you to break me back out, but yeah that is kind of the whole point of the bracelet, that it blocks off my reiatsu from others so hollows can't find me so easily (and shinigami apparently, yeesh) so hopefully this won't actually be an issue. I don't really want to ask Urahara to train me but I will if I have to I guess. Asking Rukia's a good idea though! I'll ask whenever she next pops up, she seems like she'd be good at that sort of thing, maybe that'll solve this whole situation. Or you know, you, if you happen to come sooner, whoever comes to the human world next I guess! I'd feel better knowing that I myself could do the thing the bracelet's doing. Although I do have a question, how do you do it in your sleep? Or is it not possible and you're just vulnerable a third of the time? That seems unfortunate. Also you're kidding right? Cooking is the primary way my sister shows her care and affection, if she wants to cook for you there's no stopping her so you can at least give us notice so we can get ingredients and stuff.
Best Wishes,
Karin
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Dear Karin,
I will let you know what the research team says as soon as it actually comes up. I can see your point, I suppose it is better to plan for the worst and be pleasantly surprised otherwise. Good to see you have your priorities in order, is the bridge finally finished though?
I remember being surprised by the size of your high school, I assume universities are even bigger? Must be an administrative nightmare to keep track of all those students, I feel like I can have a hard enough time with the 226 members I have. Squad 10 was surprisingly popular this year, the only other squads who had numbers like that were the sixth and the eleventh, both of which always have high numbers. We did have 'human world' classes at the academy at one point, but they ended up being scrapped a decade or so ago, any information learned was rendered almost completely obsolete within a few years, meaning the stuff the students learned was more or less useless by the time they were actually getting stationed in the human world. These days we just give a brief information pack about the human world before they leave, currently being updated semi-regularly by Vice-Captain Kuchiki. Meeting with a staff member whose job it is to deal with career pathways certainly sounds like a good idea, I hope it goes well if it hasn't already taken place.
Once again, I certainly hope Soul Society would try such a thing, it would be incredibly stupid considering I don't think your brother, who damn near took on the whole of Soul Society and pretty much came out on top, would ever let you get kidnapped in the first place. And I'm fairly sure me, a captain, breaking out someone Soul Society captured is probably considered treason of some kind, but I can promise I'll be in your corner one way or another. Not to mention, I don't think most shinigami would be prepared for you anyway, most are too used to sword combat, I don't think the average shinigami would handle your hand to hand very well. I'm sure you've got nothing to worry about. As for hiding your reiatsu in your sleep, generally speaking you just practice it enough that it becomes second nature, most shinigami do it subconsciously after a while, including in sleep, although nightmares and the like can interfere a little bit. Your sister has met me what, three times? She feels strongly enough to cook for me? It really is unnecessary although I'm sure the thought is kind. I did say I'd give you notice if I came to the human world though, our sensors are showing an increase in hollow activity in Karakura recently. We're currently just monitoring, we're holding off for now as it might be temporary, but if it gets worse I'm coming to monitor the situation properly and to make sure no incidents happen with the hollow increase. Judging from the current rate, if it keeps going as is I'll probably be there in two weeks or so. With any luck this letter will arrive before I do but if not, I'll make sure to meet up with you somewhere.
Best Wishes,
Toshiro
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Dear Toshiro,
Your letter got here super quick, less than a week after I sent mine! Looks like there's increased shinigami activity to match the hollow activity, which boy, you're not kidding that its increased. My reiatsu's jumped up again and I couldn't tell you if it was a response to all the hollows around, or that the hollows arrived because of me. I really hope it's the former. Hopefully you'll be here soon! I think I could do with the training sooner rather than later and if I'm being honest I'd feel safer. But anyway, in response to your letter:
The bridge is actually finished! Just in time for the increased hollows to fuck it up again I'm sure! Most universities are like 10,000 to 30,000 easy, and I think some are bigger than that? So yeah, only two hundred or so shinigami per squad is insane to me. I'm pretty sure the universities have whole administrative teams just for the purpose, does your squad have an admin person at all or is it just you? When I first found out about the shinigami I didn't think I'd sit here wondering about the bureaucracy of it all but here I am. Oh wow I would've loved to sit in one of those human world classes, would've been hilarious I bet. At least you give newly stationed people something, I imagine the culture shock must be a bit much, I'm sure Rukia's information is very accurate given how much time she's spent here. And the careers meeting is actually in two days, I kinda nervous about it to be honest, but hopefully it'll be helpful.
Well I suppose when you put it that way Soul Society kidnapping me would very much be poking the bear huh? I'm extremely saddened to hear that you wouldn't commit treason for me though, what kind of friendship is this??? But I suppose I'll take comfort in you being 'in my corner one way or another', whatever that means. Does it mean in the event of soul society kidnapping me and forcing me to be a shinigami you'd immediately put me in your squad? That's the vibe I'm getting. But that's good to know about the hand to hand combat and the reiatsu withdrawing while still asleep, I'll bear those both in mind. As for your potential visit, given hollows seem to be popping up left right and centre I'm assuming you're probably coming in a week or so, I'll look out for your arrival! I get the impression this letter isn't going to get to you before you arrive in the human world but just in case it does I'll let you know, Yuzu added the dumpling ingredients onto her shopping list. That means you've gotta be at our house for at least one dinner! Consider it repayment for the training I'm gonna demand from you.
Hope you get here safe,
Karin
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Ariadne and why the Mycenaeans can fuck right off
Warning: Includes brief mentions of r*pe, cultural destruction, ancient patriarchy reminding us why no woman would ever time-travel more than 5 years into the past if that and a great deal of spite for male historians/public education history/mythology classes.
Possible side effects may include a sudden intense rage for an ancient society equivalent to the innate rage one has for the Romans burning the library of Alexandria, a distinct hatred for ancient men not being able to let anyone have nice things, and a sudden fascination for Minoa.
Usually, I stick to writing imagines and being happy with that. It’s fun! I love it! But every now and again, in an attempt to escape the crushing forces known as reality and responsibilities I’ll put on a few cutscenes from games I’m:
A) Too lazy to play
B) Too broke to play
C) Too unskilled to play
D) All of the above
because cutscenes are free and why torture yourself with impossible levels when its free on Youtube?*
*In all seriousness please support video games and video game creators, but no shame to those of us who prefer cutscenes to gameplay.
A few weeks ago I added the game Hades made by Supergiant to the list because the cutscenes were bomb and the characters are so much fun! Intricate as all hell! Hella cute too but that’s unrelated! Now my pretty little simp patootie is especially a big fan of Dionysus and his gorgeous design so the cutscenes with him are my favorite.
I’m re-watching his cutscenes a few nights ago for fun as background when he has a certain line about Theseus. Don’t quote me on this since my memory is foggy at best but roughly it was:
Dionysus: Good job with Theseus. Never cared much for him- what he did to that girl was just horrible.*
*I know that’s not his exact line but this is clearly a rant post fueled by spite and ADD-hyper-focused obsessions with ancient civilizations so let’s not worry too too much about the semantics here.
Now, I like mythology! Personally, I prefer the Norse mythology due to the general lack of very very gross dynamics that several other ancient mythologies seem to include, but I’m decently familiar with Greek mythos. Enough to go - “Why does the God of Wine give a single fuck about the frat bro of Greek heroes being a dick to a woman? Grossness is embedded into the very DNA of all distant relatives of Zeus, a woman being harassed by Zeus or his bastard army is a typical Tuesday in ancient Greece.”
Wikipedia confirms that Ariadne is the only woman in the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, which I kinda knew already so unless Theseus did some f’ed up shit to some other princess of Minos, Dionysus could only be referring to her. Disregarding what I know about Wikipedia and how it can suck you down the rabbit hole of rabbit holes through sheer fury I stupidly clicked the link to Ariadne’s article.
By the time we get to the end of this shitstorm, I will have two separate plotlines for two separate stories based of Ariadne, 2k+ notes (and going) on an ancient civilization prior to a week ago I didn’t know existed and within me there will be a rage towards a different ancient civilization I vaguely recall learning about in high school.
Here’s how this shit went down.
First of all, apparently after Theseus abandoned Ariadne on an island to die (yep! He did that! To the one person who is the only reason he defeated the minotaur! Fuck this guy.) there are multiple storylines where Dionysus takes a single look at Ariadne and falls in love.
“A god falls in love?” you say, aware of how most love stories in Greek mythos can be summed up with Unfortunately, Zeus got horny and Hera is a firm believer in victim blaming. “This poor woman is about to go through hell!” I thought so too! And in one variation of the story, Dionysus does his daddy proud by being an absolute tool to Ariadne. In the majority though? He woos the fuck out of her, and ultimately marries her by consent!
Her consent!
In ancient Greece!
The party dude of the Greek pantheon knows more about consent then his father and modern day frat brothers!
Okay! That’s interesting, so I keep reading.
Ariadne getting hitched to Dionysus is a big deal in Olympus, to the point of getting a crown made of the Aurora Borealis from Aphrodite who is bro-fisting Dionysus, beyond glad she didn’t have to give him the talk about consent. The rest of the gods are pissy especially Hera who doesn’t like Dionysus much since he is the son of Zeus and Semele but they don’t do much. Ariadne ascends to godhood, becomes the goddess of Labyrinths with the snake and bull as her symbol and that’s that on that.
Colorin, colorado, este cuento se acabado.
And they lived happily ever after.
That’s the end of the post right?
NO! Because curiosity has made me their bitch and there’s more to this calling me.
Also, I was pissed! Still am! Why the fuck-a-doodle-do did I have to learn about the time Poseidon r*ped a priestess instead of the arguably healthiest relationship in the entirety of the pantheon? Why is Persephone and Hades’ story (which has improved since it was first written and I like more modern versions of it, no hate) the only healthy-ish Greek love story I had to learn when Dionysus and Ariadne were right there? The rage of having endured several grade levels of “Zeus got horny and Hera found out” stories in the nightmare of public education led me to keep looking into this.
There’s this wonderful Youtube channel called Overly Sarcastic Productions that I highly recommend that delves a lot into mythology, and I have seen their bombass video about Dionysus and how his godhood has changed since he was potentially first written in a language we comprehend.
Did ya’ll know this man is the heir apparent to Zeus? ‘Cause I didn’t know that!
YEA! Dionysus, man of parties, king of hangovers and inducer of madness, is set to inherit the throne of Olympus! Ariadne didn’t husband up the God of Wine, she husbanded up the Prince of Olympus and heir apparent to the throne! Holy shit! No wonder some of the gods were against her marriage to Dionysus - can you imagine the drama of an ex-mortal woman sitting on the Queen’s throne of Olympus? Hera must have been pissed.
BUT WAIT.
There’s more.
The reason we know Dionysus is a very important god and is possibly even more important than we think is because of a handy-dandy language known as Linear B, otherwise known as the language of the Mycenaeans!
For those of you fortunate enough to have normal hobbies and interests, the Mycenaeans were the beta version of the Greeks. Their written language of Linear B is one of, if not the first recorded instance of a written Indo-European language. This language, having been translated, gives us an interesting look at what the Greek gods were like back in their beta-stages before they fixed the coding and released the pantheon.
Interesting side facts of the Mycenaean Greek gods include:
Poseidon being the head god with an emphasis on his Earthquake aspect, and being much more of a cthonic god in general.
Take that Zeus, for being so gross.
The gods in general being more cthonic, as Mycenaeans were obsessed with cthonic gods (probably due to all the earthquakes and natural disasters in Greece and Crete at that time)
Several of the gods and goddesses that we know being listed, alongside some that we don’t consider as important (Dione)
The first mention of Kore, later Persephone, but no Hades because since a lot of gods were cthonic, there would be no need for one, specific cthonic god to represent the majority of death-related rituals.
That’s not what we’re focusing on though! What we’re focusing on is a specific translated portion of Linear B that we have. One of the translated portions of Linear B that for the life of me I can’t find (someone please help me find it and send the link so I can edit this post) says an interesting phrase. “Honey to the gods. Honey to the Mistress of Labyrinths.”
One more time. “Honey to the gods. Honey to the Mistress of Labyrinths.”
Mistress of Labyrinths.
Now wait a gosh darn minute. Isn’t there a goddess of labyrinths in the Greek mythos? Why yes! Yes there is! Ariadne!
Here’s a question for you. If Ariadne is but a minor god in the pantheon, a wife to a more predominant god, why is it that while all the other gods and goddesses are bunched together in a sentence of praise, the so-called ex-mortal gets a whole-ass sentence to herself singing praises?
And thus, we have arrived to Minoa!
What is Minoa, you ask? Minoa is to Rome what Rome is to us. An old-ass civilization either older than or younger by a hundred years to ancient Egypt. Egypt, that started in 3200 B.C-ish depending on who you ask. That’s old. Old as balls. They were contemporaries to their trading partner, Egypt until 1450 BC-ish. A 2000 year old civilization.
Minoa was founded on the island of Crete, and was by what artifacts we have found a merchant civilization with its central economy centered on the cultivation of saffron and the development of bronze/iron statues of bulls. Most of what we know about them comes from artifacts and frescoes found on Crete that managed to survive everything else I will mention later, but what matters is that we know a few things about them.
Obsessed with marine life for some time, given their pottery.
Had the first palaces in all of Europe, some of them ridiculously big.
Wrote in Linear A and Cretan Hieroglyphs, both still untranslated languages.
Had a ritual involving jumping over a bull, for some reason.
Firm believers in “Suns out, Tits out.”
You’d think I’m kidding on the last one but no! No no no! All the women apparently rocked the tits-out look in Minoa!
^^^^One of many, many Minoan works featuring women giving their titties fresh air. ^^^^
“Wait a second Pinks! What does this have to do with Ariadne being the Mistress of labyrinths?”
Well you see dear wonderful darling, while we know very little about Minoan religion because Mycenaeans (we will get to those bastards in a second), we do know this:
All the religious figures appear to be exclusively women.
The most important figures of their religion seem to be goddesses as there are few artifacts featuring male gods.
Because of the religion, the culture may have been an equal society or even a matriarchy! Historians who are male aren’t sure.
A frankly ridiculous amount of their temples, including the ones in caves in the middle of fuck-all feature labyrinths. A lot of labyrinths!
Their head god is a goddess! Whose temples have labyrinths and whose main symbols are snakes and bulls. Who do we know is a) the mistress of labyrinths and b) is symbolized a lot by snakes and bulls?
ARI-fucking-ADNE THAT’S WHO!
Ariadne didn’t upgrade by marrying the prince of Olympus! Dionysus wifed up possibly the most important goddess in all of Crete and becoming her boy-toy!
I’m not even kidding, most Minoan depictions of the goddess’ consort features a boy/man who cycles through the stages of death. Dionysus himself in several myths goes through the same cycle - life, being crushed, death, rebirth, repeat. Cycles the consort goes through in Minoan legend depictions too!
Okay, that’s great, but what does that have to do with the Mycenaeans? Why do you want to single-handedly go back in time and strangle the beta-Greeks with the nearest belt?
Everything I just said about Ariadne being a Minoan goddess, the Mistress of Labyrinths being hella important on Minoa, is all theoretical. The Mycenaeans are partially to blame for making it theoretical.
Minoa thrived for 2000 years but it had a lot of issues, mostly caused by natural disasters. Towards the end of their civilization (1500 BC-ish), the nearby island of Thera, today known as Santorini, decided to blow up. The island was a hella-active volcano that when erupted, destroyed a lot.
How big was the eruption? Well when Pompeii was wasted by Mt. Vesuvius, the blast was heard from roughly 120 miles away, 200 km.
The blast on Thera was heard from 3000 miles away. 4800 km away.
Fuck me, the environmental effects of the explosion were felt in imperialistic CHINA.
Holy shit that would waste anybody! And it did! Minoa went from being a powerhouse in the Mediterranean to scrambling to recover from losing 40,000 citizens and who knows how many cities. Tsunamis may have followed the blast, further destroying ports which for a navy-powerhouse of an island nation is a bad thing and the theorized temperature drops caused by a cloud of ash lingering for a while would have destroyed crops for the year.
Minoa was fucked.
The Mycenaeans and all their bullshit made it worse.
Up until a few hundred years prior to Thera’s explosion, Minoan artifacts don’t depict much in terms of military power. Why would it? Crete is a natural defense post. Sheer cliffs, high mountains and a few semi-fortified areas would make it pointless to invade. It’s only when the Mycenaeans in all their bullshit decided to attack/compete that Minoa really needed any army to speak of.
Guess who decided to invade while Minoa was reeling from an incredibly shitty year?
Mycenaea!
Guess who won?
Also Mycenaea!
Nobody knows how this shit went down though because wouldn’t you know it, the Mycenaeans in all their superiority-complex glory decided to destroy most written accounts about Minoa, a good junk of the temples and culturally eliminated most of Minoan beliefs.
Minoa isn’t even the real name of the civilization! It’s just the name Arthur Evans, the guy who re-motivate interest in Minoan archaeology, gave to the civilization because the writings that would have included the name of the civilization were destroyed.
“That sucks!” Fuck yes that sucks! “What does that have to do with Ariadne though?”
Oh ho ho. Strap in because you’re about to be pissed.
Those of us unfortunate enough to be aware of all the bullshit the Christians pulled on the European pagan belief system are familiar with the concept of cultural, religious destruction. There’s a special name for it I don’t know but if I did I would curse it to be absorbed by the horrendous will of fungi.
An example: Christianity was not the most popular of religions amongst the Vikings. A monotheistic religion that is heavily controlled did not strongly appeal to anyone with a pantheon as rad as the Norse one.
In order to appeal to the Vikings, what monks would do is they would write down traditionally Viking stories which up until that point were orally passed down. Beowulf, the story of the most Viking Viking to have every Vikinged, was one of these first stories.
However! Did these monks write Beowulf as closely to the original oral transcript as possible? Of course not! They took liberties! While Norse features such as trolls and dragons and all sorts of Norse magic occur, there is a lot of Christian features added in.
This happened across all Pagan religions that Christianity came into contact with in Europe. Stories would be altered when written down to be more Christian (this happened to the Greek Pantheon too btw), holidays that were Pagan magically lined up with ones the Vatican just happened to suddenly have. Even names of mythological figures were taken and added onto Christian figure names. Consequently, a lot of pagan religions they did this to got erased over time, with many of their traditions and details being lost forever, and the details we do know being tinted by Christianity.
The Mycenaeans were likely no different.
Minoa and Mycenaea were as culturally opposite as can be. Minoa is theorized to be a matriarchal or equal society*. Mycenaea and most of early Greece absolutely was not. In fact, during early stages of their religion where they believed in reincarnation, the Mycenaeans believed the worst thing to come back as was a woman.
Did you get that? With your options ranging from man to ever single animal on Earth, a woman was ranked as beneath literal animals in Mycenaean society.
Fuck the Mycenaeans.
* This is not to say Minoa was without fault, as a society that is matriarchal or equal can still have rampant issues such as privilege, classism, racism, sexism and more, but when history has a shortage of civilizations that didn’t treat women like shit, you find yourself rooting for them more.
What do you do then, when you take over a society that is very much the opposite of a nightmare of a patriarchy? You fold their beliefs into your own to bait them into yours. Going back to the Linear B line about “Mistress of Labyrinths” that line would/could have been an early tactic of incorporating Minoan belief into Mycenaean belief. Other goddesses and gods were made into aspects of Mycenaean gods. Bristomartis, the Minoan goddess of the hunt, would become Artmeis. Velchanos, a god of the sky, would become Zeus.
With more time, the religion shifted more into Mycenaean and eventually into ancient Greece as we know it. Through trade other gods and goddesses would continue to shift and change, some being straight up imported (Aphrodite for example). Dionysus himself changed a lot too, going from a God representing freedom and attracting slaves, women and those with limited power into his cult, to a God of parties for the wealthy.
Theseus and the Minotaur was a myth likely based on a Mycenaean myth based on a Minoan myth that changes Ariadne from an important, possibly the important goddess of an ancient religion and relegates her to a side character in a pantheon so vast that she would be lost within it.
All of this brings us to today. Today, where as soon as work ended I spent most of the day, as well as the past two days, looking up everything I can on Minoan civilization and added it to my notes. Spite is fueling me to write two possible different stories for two different fandoms where Minoa dunks of Mycenaea and it is giving me life. Expect an update within the next two weeks folks as I lose control of my writing life once more.
In summary: Ariadne deserves more respect, fuck the public education system for skipping over the good parts of Greek mythology instead of the r*pey as shit parts, the Mycenaeans can eat my shorts, and a world were Minoa became the predominant power instead of Greece would be an amazing world to live in.
Thank you for coming to my TedTalk. Pink out.
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37. NanaHiko, please
37. “Because I love you goddammit!”
Consider this my sourdough starter for a Nanahiko Die Hard AU. If it ever comes into a fully-realized oneshot spectacular, well. Maybe for Christmas. Anyways, this is, believe or not, a break-up scene.
//
Fighting with Sorahiko is never pretty.
To clarify, Nana doesn’t mean physical fighting. They’ve honed that particular aspect of their partnership to near-perfection (always room for improvement), and when Nana has extricated herself from a fight, sometimes she has enough time to watch Sorahiko work his brutally efficient magic on loose ends.
That kind of fighting is pretty from a professional point of view.
Anyway, what Nana means is—having an argument with Sorahiko. It’s not the first time they’ve engaged in a war of cold shoulders and barbed words, digging up old insults and humiliating stories, resolved to leave reconciliation to the other party.
Nana has always thought it boded well that it never took a mortal injury to get either her or Sorahiko to apologize.
She is, however, very close to inflicting a mortal injury.
Sorahiko also looks close to committing partner-cide. They are spending a break from patrol by cooling their heels on a rooftop no employee bothers to spend a cigarette break at, and for the past ten minutes, have been politely exchanging words like, “Please do this,” and, “Fuck doing that.”
A full month has passed since Nana digested the whole conspiracy theory about a supervillain controlling Japan’s underground. En’s transferral of One for All had been traumatic for all parties involved, even if Sorahiko didn’t have to witness the horror that was the shoulder socket gushing blood and the half-buried body. Why? Because the first time Nana tested out her new Quirk, she had broken her notoriously hardy partner’s arm.
… It’s been a scary month all around.
“I’m not,” her partner grits out, “going to just quit being a pro-hero.”
“I didn’t say you should ditch the license,” Nana says reasonably.
“You might as well have!”
She rolls her eyes. “Splitting up for a solo career would probably mean better pay for you,” she reiterates. “Better pay, more taiyaki. You’d be a treat by yourself, Gran Torino. Any high-profile agency would want you on the payroll.”
“The salary isn’t the point,” Sorahiko snaps.
“And you shouldn’t conflate your position as a pro-hero with your position at the Eyrie! Don’t let the agency limit your ambitions!”
“What ambitions?”
“You know,” says Nana, gesturing aimlessly. She’s trapped herself with that useless encouragement. Sorahiko is so thoroughly unambitious, he would let a pet rock win an election to Prime Minister. “Whatever made you get into heroics.”
He stares at her.
“Get out there,” she adds. “Chase your dreams.”
“You’re being stupid,” he says.
“Don’t start.”
Sorahiko starts. His mouth twists into a snarl, eyebrows drawing together under the mask, frustration creeping into his posture. He is madder than she’s ever seen him, and Nana once witnessed Sorahiko yell bloody murder at his landlord. The landlord had been reduced to tears, and furthermore, had reduced the rent for the entire complex.
Nana does not intend to yield.
“First you inherit a transferable strength Quirk that knocks you out of commission for a week,” he says, “then you get all weird about tanking hits you know I can take, and now you’re advising I leave the Eyrie by myself? For my own good?”
“Yes,” she says, already feeling miserable.
“Are you on some kind of power trip?”
“No!”
His gloved hands curl into fists, mirroring Nana’s, or maybe she is mirroring him. Another side-effect of being friends for so long; she can’t imagine what kind of pro-hero she is without Gran Torino next to her.
A pro-hero that won’t drag their best friend into the worst conspiracy theory to come true.
“I won’t quit until you do,” Sorahiko swears. “Are we partners or not?”
“Partnerships dissolve.”
He flinches back for once. “You don’t mean that.”
“People sometimes grow in different ways. It doesn’t mean they’re abandoning their partner, it’s just… You don’t have any obligation to hold my hand for my entire career. If there’s a roadblock ahead, and you see it, you should be able to jump out of the car, right?”
“Shimura. Shut up.”
“I really mean it,” Nana continues doggedly. “One for All attracts way more attention than we agreed we should aim for, so if we split paths now, you don’t have to suffer all the cameras tracking and recording your moveset. Did I say cameras? I meant henchmen of some evil bastard. You didn’t sign up for this.”
“Don’t tell me what I did or didn’t sign up for,” he hisses.
“Well, I have to guess,” she says, “considering I never saw your origin story, haha!”
His face goes a blotchy pink, starting with his ears. Sorahiko’s jaw visibly clenches. Nana, however, is one-hundred percent serious. Despite being friends with Sorahiko from primary school up till now (excusing the few years of junior high), Nana still has no idea what drives Sorahiko to be Gran Torino.
Reuniting in Class 1-A of U.A. High had felt a bit like fate.
“You have to guess?” he grits out, sounding slightly incredulous.
“You’re a very private person. Ah, don’t tell me I’ve somehow forgot it.” Nana puts her hands at her hips, trying to drag this fight back into friendly banter. “Not for the applause. Not for the legacy, assuming the Commission ever gets their memorial site set up. Are you sure it wasn’t for the money?”
“Shimura.”
“C’mon,” she says coaxingly. “What’s the dream-goal, Gran Torino? Why heroics?”
“Shimura.”
“Don’t worry about harming my feelings! Oh! It’s for your namesake, huh? Ah, Sorahiko, you really gotta let that one go, I don’t think you’d have any fun driving around these streets. You’ll just scare all the pedestrians into throwing tomatoes at your precious baby—”
“Because I love you goddammit!” Sorahiko shouts, barking it loud enough to frighten some voyeuristic pigeons.
“What,” Nana says. She has to process his words even though they ring in her ears. His confession is a curse. Typical Sorahiko, Nana thinks hysterically, except this is not typical at all. Torino Sorahiko, admitting to love?
Torino Sorahiko, not being done yet, rails on. “Because you’re my best friend, and I like myself when I’m with you, so stop trying to cut me out of your life! If you—if you hate me, then just say it! Say I’m annoying! Clingy! Useless! Don’t just tell me to step out the front door and leave you behind!”
Oh, he’s properly mad now.
Thing is, Nana’s mad too.
“Don’t you use that against me,” she says, fury seeping in, because how dare he? Like confessing to loving her settles this argument, some deus ex-machina device that will defuse Nana’s very sincere attempt to prevent Sorahiko from being murdered. She can’t believe the nerve of her partner, trying to manipulate the part of her that’s a hopeless romantic. “Don’t lie.”
“Lie?” Sorahiko echoes, enraged. “You think—?”
“I think you would do a lot of things to win a fight,” Nana seethes.
“You’re impossible.”
She wants to punch his stupid face so badly, but Sorahiko’s hands are already scrabbling at his domino mask, ripping it off. After blinking several times to reorient his senses, he refocuses his glare at her.
“What part of that confession sounded fake?” he demands, crumpling the black silk-composite in one fist.
“The timing. The whole concept. Everything!”
“You don’t think I’m capable of it?”
“I didn’t say that,” Nana objects, but her immediate gut reaction had been to say, I’m not worthy of it. She has a name for Gran Torino’s behavior now—his loyalty, devotion, affection—he tied himself to her so long ago, and Nana never even knew she was holding a leash. How unfair to him, how stupid and shortsighted of her.
Sorahiko takes a step into Nana’s personal bubble. He persists. “Say you hate me.”
She can see where Sorahiko wants to take this.
“Do you hate me, Shimura?”
Nana bites her tongue from its reflexive denial; when she tries to lie, it sticks in her throat.
“Do you really want me to go?” Sorahiko asks, and without his mask, he looks vulnerable. Pale brown eyes catching the sunset, gleaming gold. How much of Sorahiko’s life has been deferring his dreams to follow hers? What has he given up that Nana’s never asked about? Does he have any commitments outside of heroics?
“I think,” Nana finally forces out, “we need some time apart.”
One beat of silence. Two.
“You’re not joking.”
“No.”
Sorahiko breathes, a steady and barely audible sound, and Nana finds herself mirroring it. She crosses her arms and looks to the horizon. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Sorahiko slowly uncrumpling his mask, smoothing out wrinkles with his forefinger and thumb. Methodical for a nervous tic.
“It’s not that you’ve done something wrong.”
“Spare me the bullshit,” he says. The bitter tone sends a chill through Nana’s heart, but she steels herself. “How long?”
“Long as we need,” she deflects.
“What’s the goal here?”
Nana glances at Gran Torino, notes the grim set of his expression, and restrains herself from poking at the down-turned twist to his frown. Instead, she says, “You said you like who you are when you’re with me. I don’t think you’ve ever really been without me, so… Figure yourself out, Gran Torino.”
“And Sky High?”
“We’ll shelve the idea for a later time,” says Nana weakly, as though running an agency together hasn’t been their—her?—dream since high school.
He grunts in acknowledgment.
Together, they survey the cityscape. They will finish the day’s patrol. Gran Torino will, for the first time, clock out early and storm home.
And Nana will quietly file her two-week notice.
There’s an international pro-hero exchange program being organized with the United States, and Nana intends to join. The probation period is a year; if Nana can make it through that, then she can apply to be a mentor to aspiring pro-heroes, all the while cultivating One for All on the side.
(She doesn’t mean to forget the confession. But then again, who knows if that’s really what Sorahiko felt for her?)
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Rally’s Scribbles in the Work
So after that lovely anon blew my mind away with their kind words and wonderful support, and because I keep telling you guys about my writing plans without actually giving you even a teensy little detail, I have decided to stop being coy and actually likely get your hopes up a bit by dilvulging small details and bits of plots of what is currently going on in my G-Drive.
This will be a brief recount of what I have currently baking in the AoMomo oven, so let’s dive right into it! Please note that the numbers are in no particular order - I just keep revisiting each of these stories and writing a bit more to them whenever I feel like it. So there’s no ranking and no importance, just a number to keep proper count.
1. “Knight of Renown” Dragons and Knighthood AU, based on that one AoMomo pic with Momo ithe Knight and Dragon Aomine that I reblogged a while back and I actually let me imagination go a bit too much in the tags. I ended up actually rather enjoying the premise I set up in the tags so I actually started writing that one out!
Completion rate at about: 5%? I’d say? Less? :D
2. AoMomo Music AU - a dearly beloved project that I am pouring a lot of love and attentioin to. That’s why it’s coming along super slow. It’s been in the making since November and I chewed it and mulled through it so thoroughly that I’ve grinded to a halt with it.
Intending for there to be 2 chapters, and I am at about 25-30% of chapter 1 currently ready currently. At the pace I’m going, it might be another full year before you actually get to see this bad boy up, but when you do, I’m sure you’ll see all the care and effort that went into making it perfect.
Honestly, no joke here, I am intending for this to be one of my rare masterpieces in this tag. So I’m not gonna rush it!
3. AoMomo Car Accident AU where Daiki barely manages to save Satsuki from being run over by a hit-and-run and ends up being the one run over instead. This was my first piece of writing after coming back to AoMomo last summer and yet completion rate is a sad thing. I want it to be flawless, a perfectly agonizing, thrilling type of torturous read that gives you a great sense of relief by the end of it. Needless to say, the clusterfuck of negative feelings is a bit difficult to hold onto for a prolonged period of time and the work is coming along slowly.
Planned at about 5 chapters, I have 2 complete ones and the 3rd one is at about ... 30%? Hopefully before this year’s whumptober, we’ll have a finished piece!
4. AoMomo bond character study, which went in a direction I did NOT expect nor intend. It was suppsoed to be an idea that you will see also listed below. But I started this one from their early childhood and somehow, instead of focusing on the kids and their bond and their weird interactions with each other and their first moments of realizing they are of opposite genders, it turned into something much too fun to let go of and the ideas for scenes just kept piling. It’s going to be a long one, very explorative and very in-depth character study on the bond between these two and how it changed over the years, and their first encounters with their sexuality inbetween (because that was really the main idea that I started with... xDDD;;;) Currently at 1 chapter complete, chapter 2 somewhere around 50-60% completion, and at least 6-7 chapters to come after that, soooo.... :’DDDD YEAH. THIS ONE AIN’T SEEING THE LIGHT OF DAY ANYTIME SOON.
5. AoMomo deciding to practice stuff on each other, because I am a sucker for this trope.THIS will be what the idea under previous number 4 was SUPPOSED to be like, but it instead spun out of control. So this one, under number 5, is going to be the smutty, idiots bumbling through physicality to discover that they actually have serious feelings for each other kind of piece.
Chapters are planned at about at least 6-7 or so, but not my usual monstrocities! :D First we start with practice kissing, and we move our way up from there!
6. “The Evil of Humanity” AU - a dystopian futuristic kinda mecha AU, sort of an amalgamation of some of my favourite anime in the genre - a bit of NGE, a bit of Gurren-Lagann, a lot of Darling in the Franxx rewrite and improvement, in distinctly AoMomo colors. I poured a lot of thought and love into initial outline of main moments for this one, and I really hope to make it an epic, thrilling action/adventure with a big dash of romance kind of read! Chapters currently not even planned properly, because I need to sit down and consider this seriously. It will definitely be more than 10-15 though, and they will be my usual chapter lengths so.... likely no time soon. :D
7. Aomine Fanclub - I got a plot bunny some time ago and I shared it here and my friends were spurring me on with it, so I started trying it out a little more. I’ve written out like... maybe 30% of this one as well, but need to re-read and reconceptualize to get it back on track. The issue with this one is that I’m not really sure where I want to take it, thus it’s on the back burner at the moment.
8. KagaKuro AoMomo double-date kind of story, where Aomine is asking some curious questions of Taiga about going to America and pondering if any of his immediate friends know what Satsuki wants to do with her life. I’m really invested in this one but haven’t started properly writing it out yet beyond just sketching out the idea so I don’t forget it. (I’d say 1% complete here.) Really looking forward to using the idea of Kagami being super impressed with AoMomo perfect sync when playing as a team in arcade games!
9.Laws of Attraction Chapter 2 - You might be surprised at this, but I’m actually super invested in this one. Likely the reason why I am delaying so much working on it - I feel like all my great scene ideas are just too chaotic and I have a hard time starting the chapter flowing properly. I had like 4-5 false starts already and I’m feeling a bit skittish with picking it up. But I have such AMAZING concepts on where to take it after it revvs up the engine, so... Maybe sometime this year! Completion rate: 0% written, but at least about 30% ideas built up for the installment!
10. AoMomo college rooming together story - sort of an expansion on my fill for one of the prompts way back those years ago in AoMomo week. I really dig the concept and the trope of sharing spaces with someone you consider nothing more than a friend and then gradually learning to appreciate each other for something so much more. I am definitely doing this one some day, but not anytime soon, likely.
11. A random idea bit me the other day (read: a month ago) and I actually wrote out like... maybe 25% of it already as well. A random comment from Wakamatsu miffs Satsuki but then she realizes why he’s asking dumb questions and she comes to realize that something is wrong with the equation: either Dai-chan likes someone really close to them and she hasn’t realized, which is unlikely, or Dai-chan likes HER and is super blase about it in a way that betrays his feelings not at all, which is even more unlikely. Being a curious individual, she sets out to find which it is! Some hilarity should ensue but mostly just some mess-with-Dai-chan fun!
12. Touou summer training camp at the sea - progress is practically 0, I wanted to write a summery piece and set my mind on this, but nothing beyond has come to me, so I’m not forcing it.
13. AoMomo cultural festival fic in second year of high school (meaning something approx end of Oct -> beginning of Nov.) with Daiki being in a distinctly Haruhu Suzumiya role at that festival (has anyone even seen this anime? I adored that episode to freaking bits, man, it’s engraved upon my soul) and singing Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell” and one more song just like Haruhi did. And Satsuki just beholding the phenomenon he becomes in no time flat while he lays bare his passion for life for all the student body to see. Shippiness will happen in private afterwards!
14. You Can Leave Your Hat On Chapter 2 - Probably like 2-3 years ago while I was still in the damn woodwork and wrestling with real life and adulting being crap, I remembered this AU premise and I got super hyped on the idea of Club Owner Dai-chan being a flirt with innocent Satsuki who got dragged to his joined and fell in love at first sight with his shenanigans. I’ve already played around for like 7k words with the second chapter of this but I’m still not where I want to be at, so it will take a while longer to flesh it out.
15. Idol Worship - a story that I promised my mate aricana some 6 years ago the premise for which I am super hyped for but not quite engaging with it yet. The idea was that Momoi finally starts gettiing the dates she has been pesting Kuroko for for years, and Daiki feeling terrible about beholding that, whilst Kise is being pestered by Horikita Mai for a date and instead ditches her with Daiki because he knows his former Teikou classmate is a huge fan of her. Mai-chan isn’t particularly happy but somehow ends up enjoying her time with Daiki and starts considering actually pursuing him instead of Kise when she sees what an interesting soul he is, with the torch that he’s carrying for some girl in his life he doesn’t really talk about but is evident from the little things he drops off as hits.
AoMomo shenanigans will start to ensue properly when Satsuki realizes that Daiki is actually having a close female friend who is not her but is Horikita Mai instead, Dai-chan’s perfect woman, practically. She doesn’t take well to the news and has to grapple with why that is! And what to do with these newfound frustrating emotions!
16. Obstruction of Justice Chapter 3 - MAYBE SOME DAY, I WILL GET TO WRITING THIS. Last summer I inteded to do just that but instead, Wild Side of Justice was born. And it became a spin off of sorts on its own. ORZ. I WILL FINISH THIS SOME DAY, I do have some plans for it and I do have the desire to pursue them. I just need to be in the right headspace for it ahsjkfhkjaf
17. A PWP story of Kagami arriving early for a practice match at Touou and somehow walking in on AoMomo getting busy with each other in very unexpected and explicit ways that Kagami did not see headed his way. Because, we need more PWP in this fandom, honestly.
18. And since we DO need more PWP, recently when checking the 30 lemons community on LJ (shut up, I’m not ancient, YOU’RE ANCIENT) I was wondering how exactly a smut plot around the “Taken by the Faceless Stranger” could work for Aomomo and I came up with this Masquerade ball that they end up both attending because of their friends and meeting each other and hitting off fantastically just chatting the night and then banging in a niche in the long castle-like premise of the ball. :’DDDD Cuz it’s me and if I don’t have something like that in the works, you know i’m likely sick.
ALL OF THESE I am planning on eventually finishing one day. ONE DAY!
For now they are in various states of completion and in various stages of being cared for and improved on with more ideas added and fleshed out.
I am not joking when I say I am very invested in this fandom. I just have difficulty getting to writing out these ideas when I spend like 60% of my free time playing my mobile games. :D
So there you have it. I didn’t want to say anything about these because 1) I don’t want to get your hopes up. You Can Leave Your Hat On 2, for one, has been in the making for 3 years, very on-again-off-again kind of way, and I just... can’t do that to you guys. I have decided against posting any incomplete fics so I don’t torture you guys and my muse doesn’t abandom me forever for them. So when something is complete, it gets posted promptly for your viewing pleasure!
And 2) If I divulge too much of the story, I feel like my hype of it may disappear completely. Ehh, my muse is a willful creature, what can I tell you...
So let’s hope at least SOME of these get to see the light of day soon!
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Meant To Be Series || One For Every Billion
6. By My Side | Pt 1
- July 20th -
The park is as close to empty as it can be when your group arrives early in the morning. Since you've been staying with the Kageyamas, you drive up with Miwa and Tobio, meeting up with your mutual cousins, Ren and Shin, at the entrance to the park's hotel.
You've all made sure to capitalize on early access passes and are staying overnight to make the most of your time, so everyone drops off their things first before deciding what to do in the time you all have before the park opens to all regular pass holders.
The rest of you are just waiting on Miwa to meet you all back in the lobby from her room (she takes the longest, honestly) and you're pulling on the thigh-length sleeveless cardigan you grabbed to wear over your shorts and tank combo, when you finally hear her voice as she crosses from the elevator bay to your group by the doors.
"Okay kiddos, I'm off to the adults only section of this place so call me if you need anything. But try not to, you know?"
Well, Miwa is the eldest of the group here and you're sure she only came along because her best friend decided they could make a mini girls' vacation out of it and brought along her own younger siblings as an excuse.
Tobio looks a little frustrated when he replies, "Neesan, it's way to early in the morning to find a bar."
"Are you kidding me? Of course I'm not drinking. Yet. We're just going to the theme spa!" She happily exclaims, waving her hand in the air delicately, "So you know, try not to get lost or get hurt, because I don't want you interrupting some serious r and r."
Ren rolls his eyes at his cousins' interaction, as if he's any better. You're well aware he also already has plans to ditch the rest of your group when his friends arrive. Thankfully Shin interrupts before Tobio's easy temper is tripped.
"Hey let's hit up the new coaster! I want to see Tobi throw up!"
Okay, not helping. But you do want to try the new roller coaster, as well, you're a huge fan of any adrenaline inducing activities and there are only so many times you can try the ones back home before you're used to all the dips and twists. This new one is supposed to have the highest drop record internationally so far.
"Tobio you won't throw up, right?" You try to coax him to agreeing, "I think you'll enjoy it!"
He gives you a dry look as if to say, You didn't put any effort into that. So you shrug and decide to bribe him, "I'll buy you milk after."
He contemplates it for a moment before nodding. Success, as usual.
Miwa claps her hands together in excitement, "Perfect! Okay, so I've given Y/n the contacts for Eiko's sister and brothers. They're around here somewhere so please take some time to say hi. Tobio already knows Hikaru and Hiroshi so I'm sure you'll all get along great!"
Before any of you have time to respond, she's bounced off, presumptively towards the waterpark and spa area. Okay then, you turn back to your cousins with a big smile that only Shin returns, making him your favourite of the day. You're all for the deadpan look when you're bored or annoyed but you're actually so happy to be here, you love amusement parks.
"So... let's hit some coasters?"
"Yeah!" Surely, you can all guess who answers.
After spending about an hour hitting up several of the most popular rides and possibly traumatizing Tobio before the main rush of people arrive in the park, you get a buzz from your phone, sitting tight against your waist in an inner zippered pocket of your cardigan, with your cash and cards. It's really a pain to have to carry bags and even more so to have to stress about having it stolen so, being an avid coaster enthusiast, you like to keep your items simple on days like this.
Quickly moving out and to the side of the exit line to pull out your phone, you see a notification from Hana, the girl who is Miwa's friend's little sister.
, You look up and find your cousins also stopped when you @sakusasimpbot anding right by you. Thank god, you didn't want to have to drag them back here if they'd wandered away to the next ride.
"Hana and her brothers are on this ride so I told her we'd wait for them here."
Ren is typing on his phone but speaks up, "I'm about to head out to meet up with my friends." Finally finished with his own chat, he looks up at the rest of you, "Will you guys be okay from here? We can meet back for lunch."
Tobio just shrugs while you nod, Shin speaking for everyone when he tells his brother, "Yeah, yeah. Just go already, the 'real' adult already ditched us a while back so no need to act all mature here."
"Shut up, Shin." Ren returns his brother's smirk with a glare, which slides back into his expressionless gaze after he rolls his eyes and faces you and Tobio.
"We'll be fine, Ren, we're all in the same place and can call if anything." Your turn to reassure him where Shin clearly failed to even try.
Ren studies you for a moment before turning and throwing a casual, "..'kay." over his shoulder. You're sure you, Tobio, and Shin all share a mutual eye roll at that.
Shin has pulled up the park map on his phone, looking for a place where your group might want to grab a snack or drink, when the next line of people exit the ride.
Linking your arm with Tobio, you scan for a girl and two guys that look around your age. It's not hard because there really still aren't many people in this area of the park yet and the guys in question make an immediate beeline for the three of you when they lock eyes with Tobio. Right, since they know him already.
Hana is a pretty brunette with a bright smile on her face and you can immediately tell she's a fellow coaster enthusiast, if not adrenaline junkie, because of that wild happy look in her eyes.
Just as their group reaches yours, you smile back at her and say, "It's a really good one, right?"
"Yes!" She happily exclaims, "I felt like I was flying off the seat!"
You laugh at her enthusiasm, "Exactly, completely weightless."
Tobio introduces you and Shin to Hiroshi and Hikaru, who immediately tell you both to just call them Hiro and Karu. The two brothers have a relaxed vibe to them as well and, you swear, Karu and Shin click instantly. Not surprising, since they have a very similar outgoing and playful vibe, although you can attest from personal experience that Shin is probably the more mischievous and troublesome one. Karu has more of a happy and fun feel, if you're reading him correctly.
Hiro is equally nice and outgoing, with a slightly more chill personality that offsets Tobio's quiet intensity pretty well.
Hana is amazing and your first impression of her is only improved as you all sit down and talk over refreshing drinks at an outdoor café. She reminds you a lot of one of your friends back home, Aspen, in that down to earth and cheery kind of way so you immediately feel a sense of familiarity with her.
You find out that the siblings are each about a year apart, which coincidentally lines them up with Shin, you, and Tobio respectively. You had a feeling Miwa and her friend were pushing all of you to hang out here together for a reason. You definitely think she wanted her brother to spend time with a friend, especially after how tough things had been for him at school and with his club lately.
You look over at him when Hana briefly interjects into his and Hiro's conversation, completely relaxed for now with a bottle of cold milk in his hands. Yeah. He catches you looking and blinks in surprising, honestly shocking you when he returns your smile to him with a very small one of his own. You haven't seen him smile for quite a while, at least not the past several weeks you've been staying with his family. Probably not since the last time you saw him about a year and a half ago.
Oh, Tobio, you think as you look away to study the people passing by, I hope you're okay. He was always serious and direct, even as a little kid, but he never hesitated to smile when he felt happy. Does that mean he hasn't felt happy lately? For how long?
You have to shelf your concern away so you don't dampen the mood of this trip for everyone. Looking back to the others to make sure they're all finished up, you ask, "What do we want to do next?"
"None of us have tried these ones across the park," Shin speaks up, "So maybe make a circle this way back around?"
You catch Hana's disappointed expression just before she wipes it away and says, "I was hoping to try the new one, it's supposed to be exhilarating!"
"They already went on it, Hana." Karu gently replies but you shake your head and say, "Sure, but I loved it. I'd be really happy to go again!"
"Really?"
"Yeah! Why don't we split up? If the guys actually start from the other side of the circuit they planned, we should catch up to them in no time and group back up."
Karu and Hiro exchange looks and shrug, Karu stating, "I'm okay with that if you guys stick together and message us updates so we know you're safe and also don't miss each other as the park fills up more." He looks to your cousins and asks, "What about you guys? What do you think?"
Tobio's still looking at where you pointed out your plan of action on the map displayed from Shin's phone but it's really Shin who you have to make sure agrees. After all, Tobio is younger than you by a year, but Shin is older than you by that same length. Even though it's never something you think any of you typically consider, you remember the little incident last summer where he got chewed out by Ren and hope he's not decided to be a little more strict with you.
You catch him looking at you with a sardonic gleam in his eye and realize both your thoughts are probably very aligned. If he does decide to veto your idea, it won't be because he believes he needs to be strict, it'll be purely out of his innate need to torment you. Ugh.
"Okay," What? Ahh, now you're even more suspicious but it sounds like he's accepting your plan, "keep the sound on your phone high though, and call immediately if there's an emergency."
Yeah, sure, at this point you have a line of people who've told you to call them right away but if he hasn't considered that, you're not saying it.
So instead, you brightly agree, "Of course!" earning a doubtful look from him.
Oh well. You reach for Hana but she's already grabbing your hand instead and you both rush away to the new ride calling over your shoulder, "See you later!"
You both ignore whatever they call out after the two of you, giggling and debating where you want to sit on the ride instead.
"Y/n!" You hear a familiar voice call out your name in excitement just as you both reach the line up for the first ride and you feel butterflies take flight in your stomach, spreading electric tingles through you with the flutter of their delicate wings. Wow. Well, you know even before you turn around who it's going to be.
Prev | Next
Masterlist
Behind The Scenes!
-Y/n and Toru can really dance around the things they really want to talk about, even when some things are called out directly by both...
-Y/n doesn't always catch herself calling him 'Toru' out loud (or over text even), clearly that's what she calls him in her head <3 but she usually is aware of what name she's using when she speaks it out loud, or she just avoids calling him directly at all
-But much like when she says 'I'm sorry Toru' in that 4th panel, it happens... she didn't realize it, it was just a heartfelt apology that she was trying to genuinely express
-She won't say she wasn't expecting him to ask to spend his birthday with her, even if they've messaged constantly for the past year
-Which is why she felt so bad when he reached out about it early in the month... and why she wasn't focused on how she addressed him... but then calls him Oikawa in the next panel
-He notices all the slips, whether he teases comments or not
-Tobio and roller coasters... :'D
A/N: Hmm, I wonder who this new person could be... lmao, hope you guys have liked part one so far, the ride only gets wilder from here ;)
Taglist: @delusivist, @prettyinblack231, @kac-chowsballs, @sakusasimpbot, @hawkthekinnie
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ROBIN 80TH ANNIVERSARY - REVIEW!! - The GREAT, the okay, the meh, the wait what, and the freaking awful
None of the stories I’d consider bad in this besides the Super Sons one.
They have flaws, some don’t have any but aren’t that great, and just weird choices, with some disappointments.
I’m just gonna be honest about each story because that’s all I can do.
--
DICK GRAYSON’S FIRST STORY: Really freaking good.
My favorite story is probably the first one:
Like the art is the best in the whole issue, and the only real flaw is how mean they made Bruce through-out it.
It’s yet again another story of how and why Dick quit (I guess he didn’t get fired this time) being Robin, but it’s just nice. Nice pacing, timing, dialogue, good art, and because the people working on it are 80s writers and artists, it keeps it feeling classic.
Which is great for a little showing of the 80s world, and I’m no big 80s DC guy at all, but it’s a really nice flashback for that.
One thing that was disappointing but I won’t count as a flaw (since it’s really not, just a wasted opportunity) is that this kid didn’t end up being Tim:
It looks like a young Tim, it’s drawn by the first artist on Tim’s Robin ongoing, written by his creator, it’s about the history of Robin, and he’s an overeager Robin fanboy-- like why wasn’t this kid Tim? He even has that dorky bowlcut Tim had when he was little, just less 80s styled.
A missed opportunity honestly.
The story though shows Dick’s compassion, talent, frustrations as he became his own man, his views on Robin, some of his sense of humor even. So his characterization is pretty great, but it is written by the man that grew Dick his own unique character to begin with, and it’s great to see this story keeps it up. (Prolly gonna find out this is an old script, but hey, it’s a good one.)
A weird retcon story, but it’s a nice callback to the 80s, and I think it’s really well-done beyond Bruce being a controlling grumpy prick to the point it feels like parody.
--
DICK GRAYSON’S SECOND STORY: It’s just alright.
Where the first story is a flashback to the 80s, this is a direct flashback to he 90s, with the writer and artist that started his ongoing solo.
And it’s good. Like I had a lot of fun reading it, good heroics, feels of it’s era, but like the last story that’s the fun.
There’s nothing really to say about it besides it’s good. There isn’t anything too standout about it.
--
DICK GRAYSON’S THIRD STORY: It’s forgettable.
I forgot this was a thing in this, and it just feels like a waste of page.
It’s in no way bad that I seen, but it’s so very bland and one note. Titans fight and Dick acts as leader. Very generic.
The art’s really good though.
--
DICK GRAYSON’S FOURTH STORY: It’s better than that last one at least.
Unlike the last one, this feels like it at least has a point to be here, and it actually feels like it makes sense to be in he 80th anniversary as well.
I’m not a personal fan of the “Grayson” series, it just sexualized Dick too much honestly, made him cheesier again a bit, and the writing was a little on the off-side in a way that just made it all feel empty besides a few moments, but I never read the whole series to be a great judge on it.
But also because of that, I have no idea who these people are for this story to be grand. What makes it feel like it’s worthy of being here though is trying it back to the history of Robin like the first story with these little bits.
Without these moments though, you wouldn’t have a clue why this is there.
Also Dick just suddenly wears this:
Which is super duper off-putting. But Oh-ho gotta have sexy Dick in there somewhere I guess. Just-- wow, was that super sudden.
--
JASON TODD’S STORY: It’s good but this kid doesn’t look right.
The story is very simple and sweet, and I think it works a lot given Jason and Bruce’s complicated relationship.
It’s even written by Judd Winnick who did Under the Red Hood, which is awesome.
But who is this kid they keep calling Jason exactly? It irrationally bugs me, because all the art has been super spot on till this story. They even write him well, but it just genuinely doesn’t look like post-crisis Robin Jason.
Like to show what I mean--
You read it and this is how the kid speaks.
Super snarky,
a bit of a rude edge to it,
practical sounding but rough teen-ish still
yet still mature enough to feel like he can handle himself.
So you might place this around when Jason was 15 given he’s Robin, and when he was 15 and when they gave him a unique design finally away from a generic silver age Robin, he looked like a young body builder--
Like this is what Jason Todd looked like when they settled his look away from a Dick clone:
A young body builder type, strong jaw, working out, mature features for his age
So who the heck is this?
Like this isn’t what Jason looked like besides pre-crisis, but this is post-crisis Jason. They already settled what he looked like during that 80s run, and this isn’t it. He’s not supposed to look like a generic silver age Robin anymore.
Even beyond it not looking like what Jason’s supposed to, it doesn’t fit the dialogue. He’s written as a practical, snarky, yet in his own way still mature teen. Soooooo why’s he look 5?
It’s so off-putting and it bugs me.
However, beyond that, I really like the story, and at least the artist was good at drawing adult Jason.
Them representing Bruce’s and Jason’s complicate relationship of distant but still caring is something I really enjoy. It’s so much more true to character rather than acting like Jason is just a part of the family like nothing ever happened.
More of that dynamic for them, please.
--
TIM DRAKE’S FIRST STORY: It’s pretty good, but it’s missing something.
Not the highest praise ever, but I do like this story. I enjoy it’s setting at Tim’s school. High school was a constant setting for Tim’s comics in Robin, and they rarely ever treat it like that so I enjoy this story bringing it back.
I really enjoyed the connection between extracurricular activities and what he does as Robin. It’s that blend of relatability and heroics that really made Tim work as a character. So that’s also great they brought back.
One of my favorite things that they bring up is Tim being into eSports, cuz it reminds me of how much Tim was into video games. It’s a very modern version of him being into the arcades in the 90s. Which is great.
However a downside is that it doesn’t really focus on Tim as a character like the other stories did with the other Robins.
Nothing about his never give up attitude, his insecurities, his underdog likability, how hard he is on himself, or things like that.
In-general this story says nothing about his personality besides a mention that he’s geeky. Which is a pretty big let-down because it keeps it from being any better, despite it already being good.
Freddie William’s art is also very hit or miss. It’s so crude sometimes, and Tim seems so buff compared to before in his actual Robin run. It’s very displeasing given that his early Tim work was top 5 Tim art material. However I still enjoyed that they brought him back even if he can’t draw Tim as well anymore. Tim’s still good in the babyface in most panels at least.
BUT-- this is still a pretty good Tim story. It’s just lacking.
Like it just should’ve been more about Tim as a character since it’s a Tim Drake story.
--
TIM DRAKE’S SECOND STORY: It’s honestly just pretentious.
Tim doesn’t talk like this. Tynion has a melodramatic tone to his characters that works great for characters like Batman, I’ve actually quite liked his Batman run so far partially because of that, but it doesn’t work for Tim.
This is not what Tim talks like. It’s so very unnatural sounding for a kid. Yet Tim talks in this incredibly dramatic tone except for a few light hearted spots, when I feel like it should be the opposite.
It’s also trying hard to be a character study, but again it’s so unnatural. It sounds like a fan describing their view of the characters, not the characters themselves. Like since have these guys became each others therapists?
And then he has Dick say these things that makes Tim seem like a Gary Stu and the greatest most talented guy ever.
Also having Tim hang out with Jason when Jason’s using guns even though Tim’s insanely against that sort of thing.
They even have Damian talk like a typical fan person who dislikes Tim based off of superficial things for a bit.
The fact it treats that Detective Comics Rebirth part of Tim’s character history as uber important is also a bit pretentious of the writer given he wrote that too. Despite Tim only being in that run for like three arcs and wasn’t even in-character for most of it.
Best part of it, is the vague acknowledgement that Tim didn’t want to be anything else but Robin to me.
Otherwise it just reeks of awkwardly written fan fiction.
Honorable mentions of quality though, is Dick and Tim being brothers train riding, and Damian’s mini-adult coming out. I’m so sick of them making Damian a generic kid sometimes that I actually liked this part even if it’s through a snarky filter.
--
STEPHANIE BROWN’S STORY: Better than expected, it’s actually pretty good.
I actually really liked this story. Overall I think Steph’s actual Robin run sucked, this is still a good story if I can get past the era it’s set in.
Unlike Tim’s stories, this actually uses her character.
How reckless she can be without it being super exaggerated, her attitude, love that they brought back the diary format for her inner-monologue too.
There’s not much to say besides I’d actually consider this one of the best stories in the thing, except for the fact Steph clearly disobeys Batman and she was said to get fired for that. That’s a decent plot holes for me.
I super love the detail of Tim being so small that Steph can’t fit in his uniform. That cheered me up.
Them bringing back her Robin era artist was also great. Unlike Freddie Williams, their art actually really improved.
DAMIAN WAYNE’S FIRST STORY: The genuine worst story in it.
It’s so-- baaad.
Fan service can work if it’s in good quality. Like being in-character, or a nice homage. The train riding in Tynion’s story was that.
This isn’t that.
Damian and Jon didn’t get along right away, not even soon enough for this “mostly” part to feel right as a joke, because they obviously didn’t get along mostly right away. They fought a lot. They even show it on the full page them fighting, but they downplay how long they did fight just for fanservice. It took a long time, and even when they did it was still contrived.
Then they have Damian and Jon in the same class, when they aren’t the same age for that to make sense..
They even have Jon help Damian on his tests when it’s constantly shown that Damian is a brainiac who wouldn’t need that.
It’s literally even in the history summary at the end that he’s highly intelligent. So he probably wouldn’t even ever need a study partner considering he’s even said to have actual PHDs anyway. Which makes the study partner thing just plain out of character.
There’s also panels that straight up feels like oddly specific deviantart fetish art, which is so nasty. Especially considering that I know damn well that’s there’s pedophiles who make this same kind of oddly specific fetish art on there. So much so I had to stop using the site cuz of the anxiety it gave me.
And they downplay how mean Damian can be too Jon so much that it irks me.
This is the worst story in the whole comic, genuinely. Nothing good is in it, besides some decent enough art.
It’s certainly pandering to it’s fandom, but to certain parts it really shouldn’t be.
(This sort of stuff was still happening in their miniseries. Jon really shouldn’t want this as a brother. That’s stockholm syndrome.
--
DAMIAN WAYNE’S SECOND STORY: It’s better than the last one, but somethings missing still.
Unlike the last one avoiding talking about Damian’s actual character besides to play it down. This one actually uses it.
It’s just so quick, and empty feeling at the same time that it’s missing something. A bit like an inverse of Tim’s first story. Tim’s story had the setting and interesting story format, but no real character, while this has a lot of usage of the character but no interesting setting or story.
A lot of Damian’s character is that he’s not a natural Robin as far as attitude goes. He isn’t a typical Robin, and I enjoy how they play into that rather than be afraid of that. It’s what makes this actually work for me.
Although it makes you question why he’s still Robin, I consider that a good thing, because YOU SHOULD. You want the character’s to actually acknowledge things as if they’re real and not just ignoring things.
He’s not typical, he’s unique for better or worse. That’s Damian, and that’s what you should show of him.
This goes into why Damian’s the exact opposite of what a Robin normally is. That’s great.
But it’s missing anything memorable about it. However I think that’s cuz it leads into a future issue of Teen Titans which gives it a reasonable excuse.
I’m really hoping it leads into something.
Although i have a feeling they sadly might do the same thing as typical and ignore Damian’s actions more. Avoiding any genuine feelings.
--
OVERALL
It’s not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Only two stories I’d actually call bad, which is a lot less than I thought With just occasionally sloppy art, not even what I’d call back, but just crude or not drawing the character accurately which will annoy some more than others.
When I heard of this book I got so worried, but only two stories is actually almost relieving how little that is given the potential ego-driven things they could’ve done, which only those two stories then.
To me, I say it’s worth a pick-up, just rip out a story or two to keep it friendlier to revisit
Mostly was just really missing that extra heart in a lot of the stories.
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kirishima's wedding
Note: This is for my sunshine boy, he deserves all the love in the world and what better way to show that through headcanons for his and his s/o’s wedding? I was inspired mainly by flash mobs and wedding dances, in particular this one, so here you go!
Tags: pure fluff, dancing, Kirishima is a sentimental man, I was projecting a little too much on this
Word count: 2.0k
To be honest, it isn’t that Kirishima isn’t interested in his own wedding
It’s more like he’s interested in marrying you
And at this point, when you’ve already given him the green light when you said yes to his proposal, he really couldn’t ask for more
So he’s actually pretty content with letting you pick out most things
His being one of the top 10 heroes (see: big bonuses) is just an added perk that he’s grateful for
You want that dress you saw in that top-grade wedding magazine? Sure. You want a multi-cuisine buffet for your reception? Go for it.
Boy’s honestly just really ecstatic that you’ve agreed to marry him
Though, if you did want input from him, just say the word and he’ll offer his ideas
He wants the best for you, but if you’re adamant on wanting this wedding to be a two-person thing, he has no qualms against that
However, it’s just that his schedule doesn’t really allow for all-day wedding planning—people still need saving, reports still need to be made, it ain’t the honeymoon yet, sweetheart!
But he’ll do his best to contribute in whatever ways he can, be it the direct planning or supporting you from the sidelines by attending wedding dress sessions with you, or checking out the venues you have in mind
Heck, he even makes sure you’re eating three full meals a day when you lose track of time planning
Meanwhile, people at work have been congratulating Kirishima for becoming an engaged man
And with so many warm-hearted regards, not just from his co-workers, but even his fans (Red Riot has the best fans ever), it’s hard not to stop him from looking forward to his own wedding even more
So from then on he finds little breaks in his routine so he can help you out
His favorite part about the entire process, though, was learning your first dance
You’d asked him if he was up for learning a fun little routine as your first dance during your wedding
Now Kirishima isn’t a great dancer by any means, but he is eager to please, so he said yes quite readily
Only when he saw the video did he blanch a little
He’d thought it’d be a sweet sensual waltz that wasn’t too hard to learn (based off what he heard from others), but you’d instead chosen a fast-paced, twisty sort of dance
What was it called again? Lindy hop? Swing? He’s not sure, but the song is catchy and cheesy enough for him to tap his foot to
But oh no. He can’t dance, he thinks. This is going to take a while
And it did. You enrolled the help of Mina, who graciously extended an offer to teach you an improvised routine for the likes of you and Kirishima despite her own busy schedule
Mina’s a strict teacher. Kirishima doesn’t know why he has never thought that before. Probably because he hadn’t danced under her tutelage during the cultural festival, but whatever
She pushes him to the limit, making sure he isn’t stiff with his movements, and to coordinate with you on timing and movements
The first class is a little of a disaster though. You end up stepping on each other’s toes a lot, and Kirishima feels unnatural and awkward as he dances
This wasn’t on his resume! He’s not cut out for this kind of agile, flexible movement. In fact, all he has to do sometimes during his hero work is stay in place as a shield. He doesn’t have it in him to twist and jive like you and Mina!
You can see that Kirishima is a little discouraged, and suggest a break
Kirishima’s quiet for those few minutes, staring down at his toes and flexing them, wondering if he can ever really do this right
It’s not like you don’t notice, but Mina is busy teaching you how to improve your own steps
When he sees you dance all on your own though, a surge of pride wells up in Kirishima because you’re doing your best even though this isn’t your territory
But you’d wanted to do it, and here you were putting your back into it
And—technically he wanted to do it too, right? Since he’d agreed.
Kirishima then realises that he hasn’t been giving this his all, considering he never thought it was in his nature, or part of his expertise, to do this
But there’s always a first time, right?
You feel a tap on your shoulder and turn to see a grinning Kirishima, holding two thumbs-up to say ‘Let’s go!’
After that practice goes a lot more smoothly, with Kirishima finally getting the rhythm in his veins and you two even having successfully danced through the first verse on just memory
When you get home, Kirishima’s so eager to get it right all over again that you have to tell him to tone it down because you yourself are aching all over from Mina’s spartan training
You begin having weekly sessions with Mina, always practicing in between when the both of you have the time, because it’s not like it’s the same when you practice on your own individually
And Kirishima realises he likes doing this with you, taking big new steps together out of your comfort zones, to do something different
Just like how you were soon to be taking a whole new big step into the future as husband and wife
And suddenly all these private dance sessions with you he brings a little closer to his heart
For one he’s never one to pass up the chance to practice with you, and what’s more, he thoroughly enjoys himself when he twirls you around the room and see the endless joy in your tired, satisfied smile at the end of it
Pretty soon he’s wanting to make sure that you put on the best performance for wedding day
He’s even resorted to bopping and doo-wopping in his office sometimes, even when Bakugou comes around for work things
In which he snorts and tells Kirishima he’s acting like a total idiot and should get off cloud 9 real quick, or else he’s gonna make him
But Kirishima really can’t bring himself to care, because he just knows that he’s going to make you proud on that day with his moves
When the day finally rolls around (or perhaps a few days earlier), Kirishima’s getting the wedding jitters
To which he copes with going out with his friends from high school, and to which Kaminari and Sero decide to hold a stag party for him
Just him and the boys, after so long
He has a great time of course, and forgets about his worries for a little while, but when he comes home and noticed you’ve gone to sleep without him, he’s brought back to thinking about the day you’ll finally sleep in the same bed as husband and wife
And there he goes again
It takes a good nag from Bakugou that ‘you don’t need to worry about a thing, Shitty Hair, or else she’ll be embarrassed for you’ for him to regain his spirits
It’s really not that he doesn’t want to marry you, but his insecurities, having just found an outlet in you, have resurfaced once more to plague him with the idea that he doesn’t deserve you
But maybe it’s precisely because he doesn’t deserve you that he’s got to do everything he can to make you happy, so you don’t regret this choice you made with him
Wedding day finally arrives, and Kirishima’s got the nerves again
But the good kind this time
You can have his hair done however you like, but I like to headcanon that he wears it down in its natural state, with half of it done up in a ponytail like how Aizawa occasionally wears it. It’s a tribute to how he’d shed his old self to be a new version of Crimson Riot, with the vibrant red hair, but also not forgetting his roots and origins
He waits nervously at the altar, where Bakugou crosses his arms impatiently to his side (because of course Bakugou is his best man)
He sees all the guests you’ve invited: pro heroes, mutual friends, your own colleagues, and of course, your families
Not to mention some of the press are lingering outside the venue in order to get some photos in for the news of Red Riot tying the knot
And he’s terrified and thrilled at the same time by the prospect that the two of you will be joining together as one in front of so many witnesses
When you finally walk toward him in a dress as radiant as your smile, Kirishima sheds a few tears
He definitely cries. He can’t help it! When you take his outstretched, trembling hand and stand next to him, you decide to tease him a little
You whisper, “What? Already can’t handle the prospect of marrying me? Are you going to break it off?”
“No!” His outburst is loud enough for the people in the front pews (namely your families) to hear, which startles you, but when you turn to face each other, both of your hands held in his, he leans forward and whispers, ‘No. I’m never going to let you go from now on.’
‘Come on Eiji, we haven’t even said the vows yet.’ But he can’t stop the tears, and it takes a few embarrassing yet endearing moments for you to calm him down and proceed with the ceremony
In the end, your first kiss as husband and wife at the altar is, as he tells the boys later, ‘indescribable’
There are just so many feelings running through him when he kisses you that he’s tempted to cry again
But the cheers all around you remind him this is a joyous occasion to be celebrated, and Mr and Mrs. Kirishima make a run down the aisle while petals are being thrown and congratulations echoing around them
It finally comes down to the first dance, and Kirishima’s got adrenaline pumping through his veins even before the music starts
He’d had a few glasses of champagne earlier to calm his nerves but the alcohol hasn’t been kicking in and it’s almost time—
He feels a hand clutch his and the moment he looks at you, all inhibitions fade
He’s ready to kill it on that dance floor with you
Needless to say, the dance goes superb and gets rave reviews from the guests, if the whoops and the whistles are anything to go by
By the end of it everyone is up and dancing and Kirishima just can’t keep the beaming smile off his face
The second time Kirishima cries is when he’s dancing with you to a ballad, as he holds you close to him, feeling every inch of your body against his and having your wonderful, beautiful self so close
You notice the silent tears dripping down his face and place a hand to his cheek, ‘What’s wrong, Ei?’
‘Nothing’s wrong. That’s just it. Everything’s so right in this moment that I feel I’ll never experience this ever again.’ And since he’s not so sober at the moment, he blurts out the whole of what he’s really thinking. ‘I just think about how I got here, with you, and I don’t know if I’ve unknowingly traded all my life’s happiness away for this one day.”
He waits for the usual pep talk you always give him when he tells you he doesn’t deserve you or any of this, or a ‘don’t be silly’ kind of logical dismissal he might expect from Bakugou, but you look him in the eye, and through his blurry vision your smile is still as bright as it was on the day you first met
‘Well, even if you’re forever sad from now on, I know I can only feel eternal happiness after this. So I’ll be nice and share some of that happiness with you, because we’re one now.’
This time the tears really come pouring lmao
Everyone mocks him for being such a crybaby afterwards but all Kirishima can think of is now that he’s given you his last name, he’s going to continue giving you all the happiness in the world
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Reminiscences - Peter Hale x OFC (Part 3)
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Pairing: Peter Hale x OFC (Calla)
Word Count: 1900
Warnings: None - Slow Start I guess
Summary: Calla has grown up as Derek’s best friend, she’s known the Hales her whole life,she’s known their secrets and everything in Beacon Hills. Things in Beacon Hills are quiet, the pack are a family, and Calla realises that Peter knows more of her secrets than she realises.
A/N: Hope you all enjoy, sorry for the mistakes and cheesiness, any feedback is welcome x
Peter Hale x OFC - Reminiscences Part 2
Part 3
“I am so happy you asked about coming out, we literally have not been on a night out in forever. And considering there’s only 2 of us single ones left out of everyone we need to be getting out there and being each other’s wing women” My closest friend Camilla said to me. Calla and Camilla, two girls who went through school then trained to be teachers together.
I laughed, “Trust me, everyone else is getting engaged, getting married, having kids. I made a tinder account, and I’m never going on it again” I said to her.
“Ohhh why not?” She asked me waiting for the tea, although I hate to disappoint.
“So, a couple of girls swiped right on a guy that I think I hate but probably don’t and I’m still avoiding him. Its someone I know by the way, someone I know very well”
“It was a match wasn’t it?” She said with a sly grin.
I couldn’t help but laugh, “Yes. But forget that, and him because tomorrow I will be your wing woman, and you’ll be mine. We’ll find hot guys to potentially hook up with or maybe even date, and all will be well, or we could just have some girly fun, dance with one another. So many options” I said to her.
“Touché to that” She agreed, we then went into a few stores. We went to Sephora, getting some makeup, Victoria secret, because it’s my favourite shop. And a few other places to get new shoes and clothes.
We had spent hours trying on different outfits, and shopping, and when we finally got everything we needed we retreated to the car. Rather than dropping her off home, we went for food instead so we could sit and talk rather than walking around and having our catch up.
“How’s work going?” She asked me.
I smiled, “I’m enjoying it. I’m getting alright money, good hours, and doing what I enjoy, I don’t need to be a full time teacher. Not yet at least. Although I am qualified. I might apply for a teaching job next year”
She nodded, “You’re lucky you chose younger kids. I hate teaching older students. And let me tell you Beacon Hills High, its accident prone”
I chuckled, “I know. The kids theyre not too bad though”
She nodded, “Listen, I look out for the boys you’re friends with. I don’t even know how you became friends with them, so please. Explain”
“Through Derek. I’m not sure if you know Scott and Stiles? Stiles being the sheriffs son?” I asked.
She nodded, “Heard of them, they graduated last year right?”
I nodded, “Yeah, Derek is dating Stiles, and well Scott is basically friends with Liam, Mason, and yeah those boys”
“They’re good kids. Just distracted sometimes. Liam’s anger has been improved since he’s been friends with Scott though”
I nodded, “Yeah, he’s a good kid, which now sounds weird considering you’re his teacher and he’s... a friend? Like a brother maybe”
She started to laugh, “At one point I was convinced you and Derek were going to end up together” She said.
I snorted at that, “That’s likely. I mean he’s like a brother to me. But sometimes I just feel like he thinks he has to be my friend, like I’m some extra baggage, just because he’s scared that I might fall to pieces one day. Because I have no family, and he thinks he should put it upon himself to have this family picture that he’s got. Because he’s happy now, and I don’t want to ruin that and as happy as I am for him, and as happy as I am at the moment, I’m just not content with life. I feel like I’m at that age where, there’s more I could be doing, that I want to be doing”
“You know you’ve always got us babe. I mean we survived high school, college, and now work. You were there for me when my parents got a divorce, when my mom decided to go off the rails, and so much more, and I was there for you when your parents passed. So no matter what we’ve got each other. And we’re still young, sure we’re closer to 30 than we are to 20, but who cares. We have so much going for us in life, we’re younger, hot and do not need to be content just yet.”
I grinned at this girl, “Fucking hell we don’t meet up enough, you’re literally inspiring me, reminding me of the family I do have rather than the opposite”
She snorted, “You’re telling me. I’m going out on a school night, to get drunk in a bar, just so my best friend and I can have a night that we’ll forget by the following morning”
“Thank you by the way, for everything. I mean I know that we don’t hang out nearly enough, and we really probably should because facetime calls aren’t always enough”
“I know, and we will, at least we stay in touch, some people don’t”
I had to agree with her there, I mean both of us haven’t even left beacon hills yet. But we’ll get the chance one day. Soon.
Whilst we were eating, my phone decided on going off causing me to groan. Derek’s name popped up, and considering I hadn’t bothered messaging him since yesterday, I was shocked he even called.
“What?” She asked me.
I shook my head and tapped the red button.
“You realize he’ll know that you purposely hung up right?”
I nodded, “Good he needs to know”
“Ok, remind me not to get on the wrong side of you”
I grinned at her, but we both carried on eating, this time with lighter conversation.
By the time school had finished the following day, my phone had been bombarded with both texts and calls off of Derek, a few even off Peter. I ignored them because I had to get ready.
But obviously they didn’t know that, and instead I carried on getting calls.
By the time I was ready, Camilla was in my apartment doing her own hair, I had to do her makeup, and by the time it hit half 9 we were ready to meet the others, another one of our friends was picking us up, especially since she nor her sister drink, but they both know how to have a good time.
“Cannot tell you how excited I am for tonight” Camilla squealed as we got in the car. I laughed at her behaviour as I have been this last half hour as she sang around my apartment. You would think we’re officially legal and allowed in a club for the first time rather than professional teachers.
“Same. Also just so you two know, I am getting so wasted I won’t even remember my own name. So sober friends, please support me” I told them.
“You hear this grown ass woman? She’s supposed to be a teacher” Cait said to her sister, I just laughed at them but was so excited because I am finally going to let loose and have fun, and not worry about anyone or anything else. I have no work tomorrow, I have no plans aside from recovering from this hangover.
As soon as we got to the club we met up with everyone else, it was nice because there was a big group of us. Although I didn’t completely know everyone, a few others invited others, and it just branched out. I squealed, I hugged a lot of people and I did not hesitate when it came to taking shots.
“Come on lets go dance” Camilla said to me grabbing my hand and dragging me to the dance floor. I laughed and went along with her, one thing I pride myself on is being able to dance, I have got the hips to move to any beat, and I do. I danced with all the girls, and with a few guys, I drank and drank and I’ll probably be dead tomorrow but I don’t care.
“That guy keeps staring at you. I think he wants some of this” Camilla slurred whilst grabbing my behind.
I giggled and slapped her hand away turning to see where she was looking, as soon as I did I rolled my eyes, “He’s a creep. Lets go find some hot guys” I told her grabbing her hand feeling slightly sober than I was a few minutes ago, but we all knew that wasn’t the case.
“I already have” She grinned whilst pulling me towards someone, I quickly glanced back hoping Peter wasn’t there anymore. Despite being drunk, I had some senses, and as much as I want to be a lightweight, it takes too much to get me drunk, alcohol poisoning ttoo much.
But much to my displeasure he was making his way towards us.
I groaned and turned back around picking up the pace, basically dragging Cam to where a few other of our friends were,
“You alright girl?” Cait asked me.
I grimaced, “I drank too much but I’m not drunk enough. This one on the other hand” I muttered.
Cait started to laugh looking at Camilla she handled her alcohol the same way a teenager does, she still has work in the morning.
“Calla” I heard a voice from behind me.
Cait looked at himbwith slihglty narrowed eyes, “Whose he?” She asked me whilst staring him down.
I shook my head, “No one. If you ignore him, he’ll go away, now come on let’s go get me some more drinks” I said to her walking past her, a hand grabbing my arm stopped me.
“Calla. You’ve had enough, now I’m taking you home”
I yanked my arm out of his grip, my heartbeat increasing and I turned to face him, I could see his eyes slowly starting to glow in these luminous lights within the nightclub.
“Leave me alone.” I said through gritted teeth. His face was the last one I wanted to see, he is the last person I want to be around. He probably knows how I feel yet still talks to me like I’m shit. He has no fucking right. And tonight was supposed to be getting away from him!
“Calla... is everything alright?” Cait asked me.
“Yes. He’s just going”
“No I’m not” Peter said to her, “I’m actually taking her, she knows who I am, and she’s safe with me. I’m related to her friend Derek” He explained.
“Is he?” Cait asked me looking more scared and worried than anyone, because she’s the only one noticing what’s going on.
“Yes he is. Now Peter will you fucking leave” I said still trying to get out of his grip.
He had that same smirk on his face, “Not without you sweetheart”
“Do you want me to call the police?” Cait whispered to me causing Peter to laugh humorously.
I shook my head knowing that I would not win this, “I’ll message you later, you go have fun alright. Just make sure Cam doesn’t end up going home with a complete stranger, and thank you for offering to take me home” I said kissing her cheek,
She smiled at me, “Message me when you get home” She said to me and I nodded promising. I then yanked my arm out of Peters grip and glared at him whilst walking past him.
Peter Hale x OFC - Reminiscences Part 4
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Avengers x Platonic!Non-Binary!Reader
Request: “I’m feeling really shitty lately so could you write something with a Non Binary reader. Where the reader’s in the closet and they change clothes when they leave the tower on their way to school, as to not disappoint their hero’s. And one day the avengers see the reader in public and they notice them looking more masculine so later that day the avengers talk to reader and it’s just basically all fluff and love. ( with a little bitch of angst thrown in)”
Word Count: 1,615
Genre: Platonic | Some Angst
Warnings: swearing, coming out but not on your terms, lots of worrying, MJ almost kills an ant
A/N: Okay, I hope I did this justice! I personally am not non-binary, but I have many friends who are, so I hope I did this right and didn’t offend anyone! If I did, please let me know and I will adjust this fic immediately. Also if anyone ever needs to just talk or vent or anything my asks and messages are always open! I hope this fic makes you feel better, anon, I know it’s a little late (and I am so sorry for that) but I hope it makes you smile! :) Please enjoy! Also sorry for the gif but CHRIST that scene was so good okay anyways
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“We’ll see you after school then!” you hear Steve yell after you. You give him a smile, and wave goodbye as the elevator doors close and you begin your descend down Avengers Tower. You’re only in high school, but similarly to Peter, you’re highly intelligent. Since you and Peter happen to be friends, Tony reached out to you to become an intern on a project that he was conducting. To be specific, he was training you to be the next engineer that would build and fix Iron Man suits and improve upon them at all times. Because of this, you became very close with the Earth’s mightiest heroes, so close that you considered them your family. Which is why it makes it so hard for you to let them know how you really feel. See, you’re non-binary. You’ve known for quite a while now, but you don’t really know how to tell them. It’s not that you think they’d hate you or anything, they’re some of the most loving and accepting people you know. You just don’t want to… disappoint them? Although you know they would probably love the fact that you’re embracing who you are, there’s always that doubt in the back of your mind asking the horrible question of “what if they don’t??” I mean, Steve and Bucky are from the 40s. You don’t think they wouldn’t support you, but the FORTIES. It’s just easier to look more feminine and wear mostly feminine around them, it doesn’t draw attention. Even though it sucks.
You sigh, going into your favorite coffee shop and heading to the bathroom to change. You throw on clothes that are way more comfortable for you, ditching the clothes that scream femininity into your gym bag. You grab a quick coffee and head off to school. As soon as you get there you run up to Peter, Ned, and MJ. Now, of course Peter knows how you identify and how you dress, and while he’s a bumbling nervous idiot when it comes to Tony and the others, you know he would never tell them. Not unless you told him you were okay with it. Mainly because you would kill him. And get away with it. Oh, and MJ would kill him again after you killed him. Ned would cry.
“Hey loser,” MJ greets you with her usual term of endearment. “Hey,” you say, taking a swig of your coffee. “Nice outfit, (Y/N). I really like that shirt, it’s awesome! Where’d you get it?” Peter asks, and you grin. “Goodwill. Duh.” Then the bell rang to signify homeroom, and off you went. It seemed like today would be a normal day, just like any other. Unknown to you though, the Avengers were monitoring Peter as they were worried about this new black suit he’d acquired out if the blue. Which meant by default, they were monitoring you. So, at lunch, the damage was done. “Hey, Pete,” you say sitting down across from him. He gives a small wave, not looking up from his food. “Slow down there, tiger, you’re about to eat your tray,” MJ says to him, a little laugh escaping her. Peter goes red, and gulps. “Sorry, I’ve just been crazy hungry recently. Dunno why.”
“Probably because you’re out until like 3 AM fighting crime every night and don’t eat enough,” Ned says, and MJ coughs up her water. “THREE IN THE MORNING?!”
“N-No!... yes...” You watch as MJ scolds him, and laugh to yourself, and while all of this commotion is going on, Scott‘s Antoplane lands on the end of your lunch table, camera projecting the scene to the Avengers in the Tower. “He’s eating an unusual amount of food,” Tony says, and Steve nods his head in agreement. “Fast, too,” he adds, and then Natasha cocks her head to the side. “Wait a second... is that (Y/N) with him?” The others focus in on you, along with Antoplane. Unfortunately, this small movement causes you and your friends to look. “Ew, an ant! Kill it, Peter!” Ned basically screams and Peter gives him a look that reads, “Seriously, dude?” MJ sighs, getting ready to swat it before you stop her. “No! Don’t kill ants, Scott might know this one!”
“They’re right,” Peter says, backing you up. “Thank you, Peter. Now let the ant live. Ant’s not hurting anyone,” you say, taking a bite of your food.
“Did Peter just refer to (Y/N) as ‘they?’” Bruce asks. The Avengers are quiet for a moment before Tony speaks, “JARVIS, look up they/them pronouns, please.”
“Right away, sir.” Tony turns to the others and shrugs. “We can ask (Y/N) about this when... they get home- JARVIS did I say that correctly?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Excellent. Now, I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I have plenty of non-binary employees at Stark Industries and some of them go by they and don’t necessarily stick to ‘gender norms.’ I recommend we all read up on this before (Y/N) returns home and we ask about it, yeah?”
While everyone in Avengers Tower begins educating themselves, you finish your school day like it’s any other. At the end of the day, you go to Peter’s locker to talk with MJ and Ned before heading back to the Tower. “I swear to God, Parker, if you’re out past midnight tonight New York will have one less superhero.”
“But MJ!”
“Nope. Home, 11:30, sleep, eat. I have May’s phone number.”
“Well, I hope it’s okay if he goes to the Tower with me today. Tony wanted to talk to him about this new suit he’s been wearing,” you interrupt, saving Peter from MJ’s relentless worrying. “Yeah, of course. Where’d you get that new suit anyways, Pete?” MJ asks and he shrugs. “I just found it in my room one day, I don’t know it’s... weird but it looks pretty cool, right?”
“What do you mean you just found it? Is there another guy in the chair I should know about?!” Ned says, obviously shocked and betrayed. “Yeah, Ned. His name is Tony Stark,” Peter says, closing his locker and beginning to walk towards the exit closest to the Avengers Tower. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow!” Peter yells at them, and they wave, heading to their respective exits. “Why didn’t you tell them it’s a suit you got when we were in space?” you ask, and he shakes his head. “Ned would have passed out, (Y/N/N). I’ll let them know another time.” You two make your way back to Avengers Tower, making sure to stop somewhere so you could change back into your more “gendered” clothes. When you walk through the elevator doors and onto the floor where the Avengers’ bedrooms and other rooms typically found in houses where you were met with all of them. Literally, Tony, Steve, Buck, Sam, Nat, Bruce, Piet, Wanda, Clint, even Scott! They were all there with the exception of Thor as he was currently in Asgard. “Hey, y’all,” you greet them, and Tony stops you before you can head back to your room. “(Y/N).”
“Tony.”
“What are you wearing?” he asks, and you go pale. “Um... what I wore to school... the clothes I always wear...?”
“Then explain this?” he pulls up a picture of you at lunch, wearing the clothes you like wearing and you gulp. “I um...” You just stare at him. You’ve been found out. Your greatest fears are coming true. You can’t help the tears from falling from your eyes. You only looked at the floor, you couldn’t meet their gazes. You could only imagine the disappointment in everyone’s expression, causing more tears to fall. You’re expecting Tony to say something derogatory, but then you hear him again.
“So, (Y/N), I ask again, where are your clothes?” The emphasis on the “your” makes you look up at him, and he has a gentle smile on his face. He walks over to you, putting his hand on your shoulder and pulling you into a comforting hug. The shock you’re going through keeps you from speaking, so Tony does it for you. “Why are you wearing this? What happened to the clothes you were wearing earlier?”
You bite your lip, wiping a tear from your cheek before muttering out, “I um... I changed back into these because I thought you would all be disappointed in me if I didn’t look like I was... ‘supposed’ to.”
“Disappointed? Why would we be disappointed?” you hear Steve ask and you shrug, looking at the floor again. “I... I don’t know, it’s just not the norm for someone to be like me yet... someone who’s uh... non-binary... I was just scared,” you say, and Nat walks over to you. “(Y/N/N), you don’t have to be scared to tell us who you really are. We’ll always accept you, I promise,” she says to you, and the tears start falling again, but this time, they’re happy. You hug Nat, and she smiles, along with the other Avengers. “So, does this mean they can stop going into that coffee shop and changing in the bathroom? That makes them nearly late to school sometimes,” Peter says and Tony chuckles. “Yes, (Y/N) no longer needs to do that. They can dress as they please here in the Tower. They’re home, after all.” The rest of the day was amazing for you. You answered any and all questions anyone had about what non-binary is and changed into something a lot more you. Of course, there were some slip ups with your gender pronouns, but you knew none of them were malicious. You could finally be who you were all the time, and like Tony said, you were finally home.
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4, 18, 22!
Share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like)
I like both these parts from Like A Tough Guy Would:
Sometimes, though, he starts talking again even before he’s aware that it’s happening.
“Hey Munroe,” he starts, catching a rogue black olive and piling it on a stray piece of sausage so he can eat both together. “Now are we even?”
“Hm?”
“You know…” Reggie glances over, sucking some salt and grease off his fingers. You know how I was a dick to you and never really apologized, probably never really intend to either (at least not in so many words), but then you kept quiet for me, and I bought you food at Pop’s and gave you a ride home, and you let me stay the weekend, and I helped you do yard work, and you gave me football tips, and I ordered us all pizza… “Like, in general.”
Munroe shrugs, which is not the answer Reggie was hoping for, but also one that doesn’t surprise him.
“I haven’t been keeping score,” he says. “But I’m good if you’re good.”
“Yeah,” says Reggie with a slow nod. “I’m good.”
&
“NYU? Right,” laughs Marty derisively. “So you can major in Philosophy and Tap Dance? Or-- Lindy, what was that music class you said they had?”
“Music Therapy.”
”Music Therapy.”
“They’ve got a good--”
“Why don’t you just save us the tuition money and drop out of school now? Go down to the Southside and get fitted for a Serpents jacket so you can spend the rest of your life slinging sugar and blowing homos in parking lots to get your next fix. When did you become such a damn sissy, Reggie?”
Reggie says nothing, wrinkling his nose as his dad shakes his head and shovels more food into his mouth.
“And then answer me this, who’s going to run the dealership after I retire, huh? Maybe I should hire that Munroe kid, since clearly he gives a damn. Does that sound good to you?”
Reggie glowers silently, prodding at his food.
“Well? Does it?” Marty whacks the back of Reggie’s head with his palm. “I’m talking to you.”
“Ow-- no!”
God, he hates it here. The amount of times he’s seriously considered getting into his car and just driving until he gets to New York City is not insignificant.
“You know, when I was your age I had these dreams of moving out west and surfing all along the coast,” Marty goes on. “I didn’t have what you have, Reggie. Your problem is that you have it too good-- I didn’t go west, I invested in my future and built that damn dealership from scratch, you hear me? From the ground up. And do you think your grandfather just stroked my hair and gave me handouts? Hell no. This?”
He gestures around the dining room, but what he means is bigger than just this room; what he means is ‘the dealership, this house, this life.’
“This is all thanks to me and your mother.”
Reggie can’t stand this lecture no matter how many times he hears it. His parents are both assimilated to hell and back, especially his dad, but that never stops them from digging their heels into a good lesson on bootstraps whenever they think Reggie isn’t falling into line fast enough to their liking-- like it isn’t enough he’s already basically resigned himself to a lifetime of selling cars for the family business instead of figuring out his future for himself.
Not that he really knows what he’d do instead, though. Reggie has always told himself, and anyone else who would listen, that he is not going to peak in high school, but all the same he hasn’t given much thought to what his life could or should be like after graduation. He always figured college would help clear that up for him, because growing up in Riverdale makes it hard sometimes to imagine ever actually leaving, or growing out of whatever identity high school creates for you.
Who is Reggie Mantle without football, without Riverdale High, without his reputation in this town and the comfort of his family’s money? He doesn’t really know. If he takes over the family business, he doesn’t ever really need to.
“I don’t need an MBA just to sell some old cars,” he mutters, although he knows he won’t change their minds.
“He thinks he doesn’t need business skills to run a business, Lindy,” Marty quips. “A kid whose only A’s have been in gym class since he was in middle school.”
“Reggie, while you’re grounded I expect you to catch up on your music lessons,” Melinda says, looking at him sharply from across the table. “At least an hour per day. Honestly, when is the last time you’ve even touched your violin?”
“Mom, everyone plays violin! Do you know how basic that’s gonna look on my transcripts?” Reggie has to bite back a more inflammatory version of that comment, but then continues with: “I’d rather play guitar.”
“Everybody plays guitar,” Marty says dismissively, sipping his beer. Melinda makes a hum of agreement. Reggie can only imagine she’s thinking something like, ’Fred Andrews played guitar, and now he’s dead. What do you have to say about that, Reggie?’
Death would probably be preferable to this conversation, but Reggie soldiers on.
“Archie said he’d show me how. He could give me lessons,” Reggie says slowly, chewing a mouthful of noodles. “He has this bass he doesn’t use that I could--”
Neither of his parents are listening anymore. Reggie stops talking and just eats in increasingly sullen silence.
“Oh, some good news,” says Marty after about ten more minutes, dabbing his mouth with a napkin. “I talked to my insurance this afternoon, convinced them to cover at least a third of the repair cost. Maybe more. The guy I tore into on the phone said his higher ups wouldn’t be in until tomorrow.”
He looks at Reggie, who just flinches and nods.
“We’ll stick to half your allowance and every other weekend at the lot. After school I want you focused on improving your football game.”
“Yes sir.” Reggie resists the urge to roll his eyes. Like he doesn’t want to be doing his best out there? Please.
“Great.” Marty looks satisfied. “Good talk.”
Because 1) I just like working in things that canon should have digged into and finding a way to explore them, or even examine their lack of exploration, in an in-character way that helps paint a better picture of the characters and their dynamics. And 2) I weirdly enjoy fleshing out the Mantle family.
Do any of your stories have alternative versions? (plotlines that you abandoned, AUs of your own work, different characterisations?) Tell us about them.
Yes and no...! I feel like I don’t diverge on my characterization very often, except in whatever minor ways are necessary to serve the differing plots of my stories (e.g. what ship I’m writing, what the character(s) do or don’t still need to work through, etc.) (though I did once receive a very lovely comment about how much my writing had improved between one fic and another), although I definitely have a lot of plot lines I’ve gone in very different directions from what I’d first intended.
WRT Riverdale specifically I just haven’t written enough yet, I think, to have a lot of abandoned ideas of things I’ve actually published in some form, but in the case of When The Morning Comes I’ve already got a lot of competing ideas of how to do certain things, as well as discarded plans. I guess one thing I “abandoned” was a Joaqevin horror fic idea that involved Joaquin being brought back to life, but it’s only abandoned in so much as I decided to just fold it into this fic.
Do you reread your old works? How do you feel about them?
Sometimes... I get so nervous about this because I’m so easily embarrassed by my old writing, I’m always afraid I’ll look back and notice how poorly written it is or how I went on and on about something that doesn’t actually fit the story. Which is why before I wrote Everybody’s Lonely I went back and edited out portions of Lightning in a Bottle 😭
✍🏽Ask me meta fic questions ✍🏽
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Star Wars Episode 4;
Destroy malevolence
Didn’t we just do that?
I’m assuming this is going to be focusing on the
aftermath of the
destruction
of the
malevolence
And the preceding unraveling of
general grievous’s
net work
[And several
acquaintances
probably
trying
to
break
him out,]
Anyway...
On with
It!
Quote;
“A Plan is only as good
as those
who see it out,”
Odd
I’ve
Stopped
giving much stock
into the
quotes
Consider
ing
the last one
had a relatively good
one
And
Is on the
lower
end
of
my
expectations
My criticism
of this
Is a
Short
Plans can be good
But
People flawed
The
narrator
sounds
a
bit
more
enthusiastic
Weirdly
drawn
out
pause
But
it
does
get
the
point
across
Allows
enough
time
“ Grievous
in
retreat,”
Honestly
Is
this
where
we’re
going
to
start
Like
no
disrespect-
(I have the
patience)
But are we honestly going to spend the whole entire time watching Obi-Wan fuck up catching Grievous?
That would work
with the theme
of Jedi Masters
They make it seem a lot less
stupid
[Recap
Also
I really like the movement on the
ship
Much
more
real
istic
Continuing to
Hold on it
not so much
This is like
someone
continuously
kicking
someone
when they’re
already
down
Or like a fire
After a while
it just gets sort of
boring
Or worrying
And you realize they could just
take them
into custody
Or that the fire is starting to
envelope
nearby
forest
With
everyone
having
a bucket of
water
Obi wan, why
Do
you
torment
so?
He can’t even
die
If so;
He’d
be dead
I love how
Plo Koon
and
him
are
just
watching
the
shit
show
like
“Bitch”
You know they could both take
him
But are just that dedicated to being
sandry old man
“Commander, how much damage to the
enemy ship?”
Have they suffered
enough?
Also, geez dude’s been demoted it to
commander
I mean I know he’s just
Comms Guy
But geez.
(He probably
deserved it)
Oh no,
Random
dude
On
The
ground
Why?
“ She’s lost primary
shields and stabilizers,”
So shooting at it is doing
minimal damage
“ It can take all the fire
our cannons
can manage,”
Okay,
time to get you two
down there
“ we must
summon
reinforcements,”
Plo is slowly becoming that we
“need reinforcements”
guy
Like
he can’t do anything
by himself
(Except
for last
episode)
“ That’s why
I’m here
Master Plo,”
That’s not the right
tone
And.....
I was kind of hoping we’d get a
Master Plo and
Obi-Wan episode
This time
around
Never mind the fact that
Anakin can’t take on grievous
“ what are you able to contact
Master
(Liam Niara)
(That’s how voice text spells it)
(I have no idea)
“ Yes, master,”
That’s better
“She’s busy with a bunch of separatist
reinforcement’s nearby,”
Bit too much
eye movement
but otherwise
good
“ she won’t
be able to give us support till she’s turn
ing them away,”
Meanwhile
you’ve already pretty much
kill ed
him
Guess
just
play
poker?
Then
we’ll have to do with what we have
Oh now with the teenager around you’re so brave
How’s
that going to help?
Burning
On fire
Really,
no
mercy
Poor
droid
jerking
around
Ex
ploding
Perfect balance of kar
mic
pay
back
“We’ve
lost
our
primary
weapon,”
Shit
just
continues
to
get
worse
and
worse
General
grievous
is
just
there
with his hands
in his head
Not
looking
too
great
“ The hyper drive is dis
-abled,”
It’s been disabled since last episode but good
repeating
Good
to
re-iterate
“Argh,”
“ General
general,”
The
forward
engines
are
shutting
down
“ im
poss
ible,”
Dude,
look
around
That’s
pretty
-
heavy
denial
You
should
just
sur
-render
More
Sho
-oting
This
is
going
to
be
a
sl
-ow
ep
i
sode
Ahsoka
Managing
systems
A not
bad role
for her
Certain-
“ Admiral
Status-
Re
port,”
Shit’s
fucked
once
again
They’re
hyperdrive
must
be
damaged
What
you
didn’t
figure
out
the
first
time
will
Obi
won
must’ve
checked
Compulsively
For the
170th time
in the last
hour
“This
our
chance”
It wasn’t a few seconds ago?
“all
ships
target
the
bridge
maximum
fire
power,”
Dude,
what
do
you
think
that’ll
do
Grievous
is
made
out
of
pure
titanium
It’s
like..
a
slightly
long
fall
for
him..
Generals..
really
don’t
wanna
deal
with
Grievous’s
shit
today
Episode is
22:40
Long
Left
All
they’re
doing
is
shooting
at
him
Grievous
Called
Dooku
“Dad
I
crashed
the
car,”
Sustained
advanced
damage
“ I know,”
Just
dead
panned
“ I have
arranged
a
trap,”
Oohh!
Interesting
But
Also
completely
bullshit
Guess
this
is
his
punishment
Being
used
as
bait
“To
give
you
an
advantage
over
the
Jedi,”
“ I
assure
you,”
Please
no
You’re not compound
your failure
this day,”
Ah, there’s
the chewing out
I was looking for
Perfect
Continue
“ war
ship
to
fall,”
Oh so it wasn’t going to be a - get them sent to prison- thing
So
how are you planning to
unfuck
the situation
Cause
this looks pretty bad
They will never catch me or this ship
Bless him
he’s trying
The expression just says
‘I have no idea
how’
Like
He
knows
what’s
expected
of
him
but
has
no
idea
How?!
Heading
towards
you
is
a
very
important
galactic
senat
or,”
In the middle of a
war zone
Seriously
not
a
good
time
for
a
photo
op
“ With
her
as
a
hostage,”
“call
off
the
attack,”
Ok no one is calling off an
attack this important
for
a
senator
Nor
should
be
letting
her
get
captured
....
*Bowing
down*
*Assumed
authority*
Blue
It
looks
remarkably
better
this
episode
👍
Also
of
course
it’s
Padme
Amidala
Couldn’t
be
any
of
the
4000
other
senators
we
know
nothing
about
Really
getting
into
the
love
triangle
stuff
right
away,
aren’t
we?
Like
why
couldn’t
we
slow
burn
it
(I
know
she
was
in
the
movie)
But
I
wouldn’t
mind
“Are
you
sure
the
infor
mation
from
the
chan
cellor
Palpatine
is
reliable?”
Fore
shadowing!
Good
job
authors
you
get
a
cookie
“ it was secretly given to him
by the leader of the
Bank-he Clan,
himself!”
Okay
Amidala’s
tone
kinda
works
Could
use
a
little
more
monotone
but
it
works
I gave Anakin like
three
tries
so
I’m
not
gonna
be
too
harsh
There
is
still
time
for
the
minimal
improve
ment
it
needs
“ if they
leave
the
separatist
alliance
it
will
go
along
way
to
shortening
this
war,”
Er-
Okay
it
makes
sense
for
her
character
She’s sup
posed
to be
around
the same
age
as
Anakin
“Beep,
Beep,”
“ We’re
approaching
the
system
now,”
“Oh
shit,”
Crud
“ my
goodness,”
Best
Droid
“This
isn’t
right,”
Then
Move!
That’s
a
droid
warship
“We’re
in
the
middle
of
a
battle!”
Hey,
that’s
a
smart
character
Hyper drive out of there
“ we’re scanning
a small ship off
our bow,”
Get out of
there
“ Good,”
Yeah, how are you going to get
her?
Seeing as how like a million warships are belting
your bow?
I know those must be like
raindrops to him
But
come on
Don’t
go
into
the
burn
-ing
wreckage
And
towards
enemy
fire
Then
again
she
was
probably
heading
towards
the
Jedi
ship
So
(as
a
civilian)
that
makes
sense
“Master
I’m
picking
up
a
signal
near
the
enemy
vessel,”
Tone
Enemy
reinforcements
That’s-
A
Good
Call
Respectively
“ it looks like-”
“A Naboo ship”
“Gunners
stand
day,”
Hey
everyone’s
competent
today!
(Not
that
there’s
anything
wrong
with
enablers
being
stupid)
This
just
requires
more
brain
power
“ what
in
Blazers
are
they
doing
out
here?”
A valid
response
But
weren’t
they
the
ones
that
pledged
transport
ships?
Like
oh
yeah
stupid going out into a war zone
But
not
completely
out of the question
“ Ahsoka
contact
that ship,”
Bit
too
much
energy
But
still
resp
ect
able
Literally
coming
from
fiery
hell
Identify
yourself
“Padme
what
are
you
doing
out
here,”
Cringe
That line sounds like boomer.
What boomers think high school
jocks sound like
And we’re like no
“ I
was
sent
on
a
special
mission,”
Good
job
Writers
The
‘Bang he
Klan
Wanted
to negotiate
a treaty
Good
reason
“Get
out
of
there,”
Too
Force
ful
Better
Idea;
Have
Obi-Wan
try
to
calmly
explain
the
situation
to
her
Possibly
distracting
her for
general
grievous
to
kidnap
“ Activate
the
tractor
beam,”
Damn
we’re
going
back
to old old sci
Fi- with tractor beams and
shit
I was expecting like a hook and chain,
a harpoon
Was not expecting
that
That
made
me
laugh
WTF
Tell
them
some
nonsense
is
going
on!
“i’m
afraid
it’s
much
worse
than
that,”
Gunners
Do
Something?!
it’s a beam; it can be broken
“ Padme what’s happening?”
A go- decent response
“ i’m
being
pulled
inside
the
droid
cruiser
by
a
tractor
beam,”
Good
Commun
ication
Whelp,
Done
So
at
22: 40
Rest
of
the
episode
is
hostage
situ
ation?
Inter
es
ting
Much
Better
Than
Just
Shooting
at
it
for
an
hour
“I will not be made a separatist bargaining
chip,”
Initiative
Though
Less
Emo
-tion
Should
be
recited
like
something
she
had
to
read
off
a
paper
Guessing I’m not Padme I’m Padme’s
handmaiden thing only works
once
Continue
your
attack
You
must
continue-
I hope
she get some
actual action
Nothing too intense
because she’s still a kid
But like a surprise attack on
General grievous
Destroy
this
monstrous
ship
That’s
kind
of
like-
How-
I saw the next frame
Wtf-
WTF
HIS FACE JUST-
CON-torts
You are not Romeo and Juliet
movie
You are two kids reinacting Romeo and Juliet
clumsy
Get it right
“Admiral,
order
our
ships
to
stop
firing,”
No
one’s
gonna
stop
this
No
one‘s
gonna
comment...
Okay....
Obi-Wan
And
Plo
Koon
are
just
gone
Left
when
Anakin
started
acting
unchild like
Never
mind
still
there
Nothing
suspicious
*Rubs
beard*
Whelp
It
does
not
look
safe
out
there
my
lady
Screw
with
the
tractor
beam
and
leave
No
one
can
stop
you
Droid
Related
“I
see
now
this
whole
thing
was
a
trap,”
The
Bang’he
Clan
Works
With
The-
I
can’t
even
make
that
joke
because
the
bang’he
clan
are
working
with
the
separatists
Good
writers
you
out
joked
me
“ we
walked
right
into
it,”
Pressing
buttons
isn’t
going
to
help
lady
Sir
the
republic
cruisers
have
halted
their
attack
Bit
too
much
emotion
for
a
droid
but
it
works
“Jedi
are
so
predictable,”
Hit
him
with
a
gun
Get
the
repair
team
up
here
“ i’m
going
down
to
the
main
hanger,”
The arm motion was a little weird...
for ‘I’m going down to the main
hanger’
Street
Railways?
Are we
getting *tour
the inside of the
ship??
Nice
This
ship
must
be
returned
to
Count
Dooku
intact
Nice
little
interaction
Rail
ways
There’s
no
room
for
failure
Hard
Moral
One
on
fast
speed
ing
train
Moves
over
to
another
pad
Don’t
think
that’s
gonna
help
“Come
on
I’ve
over
loaded
the
power
system,”
THAT’S
actually
really
clever
Good
job
whoever
gave
that
order
General
grievous
goes
boom
Fighter
door
opens
Find
a
Fighter
And
fly
out
* Anakin
walks
away*
You know this would be a good idea if Obi-Wan had ordered him to do so when feeling the emotion of ‘love’, miscommunicating the concept of love, and didn’t realize that’s what he was doing - what clues him
in
“ where do you think you’re going,”
“ someone’s got to save
her,”
Still too much emotion
“I thought you might say
that,”
Did you give him that, did you give him an
order relevant to that?
There he goes
again
Yeah
Someone
should
really
check
up
on
that
Or
get
Obi-Wan
to
lay off
the
suicidal
orders
“Craving
adventures
and
excitement,”
No,
orders
“ You
get
used
to
it”
Could
be
just
a
response
But
too
much
reaction
And
Person
ality
Oh,
Shit’s
On
Fire
“Come on 3PO hurry,”
Flaming wreck lady
“not sure this is such a good
idea,”
Neither
is
being
held
captive
You’re made of like solid gold
Timing
[also the announce in the background
like a train station - just cracks me up]
Time to get blown up
“ Mind the gap”
“Mind the gap”
Haha
You
two
come
with
me
Command
That droid’s-
No, wait-
It’s Amidala
And C3PO
He’s trying to
help
Looks
Inside
Beeping
Timer
Look
like
the
engine-
Are
Set
To -
Timing
“Destroy
themselves,”
He
really
needed
them
to
say
that
Get
out
of
my
way
“Ow,”
You
don’t
want
to
die
That’s
just
rude
So
is
death
You
should
get
out
of
there
He’s
going
to
come
back
around
Geez
Fire squad
is a train
wreck
They’re
Trying
Crud
if this gets back to
Skywalker
and
he
thinks
she’s
dead
After
That
Speech
Who knows what toxic morals of love
Obi-Wan taught him
could activate
This could
become
a train
wreck
Ahhh!
It got
worse
Seriously
who made the droids that have to
with
stand
high
water pressure
Light weights
Oof
Even high water pressure
cannot kill him
Even running away
cannot save him
Wonder
what that attack
would’ve done
Sound the alarm
“We have stowaways,”
Or...
She was never on that
ship
Seriously
no one besides the republic
saw her
I’d go with “she isn’t on board,”
Run
Back
to the
republic ships
Who are doing
nothing
while grievous rebuilds
Like,
The medical station is
right there
You might want to get back
on moving
them
Just Saying
“ i’ve trusted you already formulated a brilliant
plan to
rescue
the
Senator,”
“ as a matter of fact
I have,”
Umm,
Weird
How to
Code
that
“ what do you have a Plan B
Every
good plan has a back up,”
Stop
forcing his
dependence on you
“ I don’t
have a back up
yet,”
Too
much
emotion
Really
Questioning
Not really
helping his
self-esteem
Really
“ we’ll sneak behind them and dock at the emergency air
lock,”
So I’m guessing this is going to set up
Padme
going
there
“ That’s
your
plan?”
Discouraging
“Fly
land,”
That’s literally what all maneuvers
rely on
Also
it
sounds
like
something
out
of
a
fairy
book
Which
might
explain
Anakin
toxic
behavior
“ Walk
in
the
door,”
“Basically,”
Too
much
emotion
“Oh
Brilliant,”
Dick
Firey
Wreck
“ Might I suggest we keep
moving?”
Bit
Loud
There
It
“ I think
I hear
battle droids
approaching,”
Talking
is
not
helping
“But
we also need to contact
the fleet,”
Getting out is the prerogative
They don’t know where you are
And you can’t stay in a constant
location
If I can just keep this
com panel working
Ahhh!
Well
just
disappeared
“The Damage to the hyper drive
was not as bad as
we first
thought,”
How?!
It’s been
damaged
for about
two episodes
Also, Good for
Her
“ We’ll be able to get underway again shortly,”
With this
mess of a ship
Hyperdrive would send half of it flying
It’s barely holding together by a
string
You’re
screwed
I must inform count
Dooku
Seems
oddly
suspic.
Continue the search
Find the
stowaway
How does
that change anything
in Amidala’s eyes
Getting
to know the boss
isn’t worth it
Just be more careful
Roger, roger
Commander
Intimidating
*Spark*
Oh
She
Was
In
A
Cabinet
Thought
she
made
it
in
C3PO
Looks
creepy
in
one
frame
Shit’s
Constantly
on
fire
“If they spot us
we’ll be pulverized,”
With what guns??
You’ve been doing all the hitting
this entire time
They’ve been sitting
Geese
“They’re
too
busy repairing the ship,”
Thank you
[also Obi-Wan
complainers rules]
“ They
don’t
have
time
to
notice
us,”
Cocky
Subtlety
has
never
been
one
of
your
strong
points
Anakin
Neither
Yours
Person
who
orders
him!
“ Everything
I
know
I
learned
from
you
master,”
Point
Yes
Attitude?
No
Oh
if
only
that
was
true
Should
Be
Might
be
a
side
jab
at
how
he
took
orders
from
the
Chancellor
There
we
go
Only
Obi-Wan
was
worried
“Didn’t
You
Hear
It,”
Your
circuits
are
loose
Or
maybe
you’ve
lost
your
hearing
From
the
impact
“ No
one’s
crazy
enough
to
do
that,”
Cut
“Anakin”
Perfect
“You’re
Crazy,”
You
groomed
him
this
way
“ spinning
is
not
flying”
“But
it’s
a
good
trick,”
Too
much
emotion
Do
not
want
to
be
spotted
Good
job
You’re
standing
more
in
the
doorway
than
he
is
“I knew it it’s them,”
That droid
is just having a day
Aww
But his
friend came down
to check
with him
That’s adorable
Oh no
They’re backing off
peacefully
ASSHOLES!
Obi-wan
specifically
You stay here
R2
Again
why did you bring him
Another
bold strategy by -
Say Skywalker
‘Skywalker’
Ordered
“I presume,”
No, Obi-Wan’s
When it’s not Palpatine’s
“That’s my master”
Children
don’t
show
preference
for
handlers
“ once they rescue the Senator we will need to reinforcement to finish off the enemy
Sounds nonsense
but OK
Dude
really
Likes
enforcement’s
“ i’m on my way,”
“Master Plo”
“ We’re receiving a transmission,”
Padme
Weird distance to start a conversation at
Running for some reason
“ Master
we found the
senator,”
Good
“ We’re patching
Her through,”
Helpful...?
What
is
it
with
Skywalker
and
becoming
a
Barking
over-
animated
Puppet
Every
time
senator
Amidala
gets
involved
?
“Anakin
where
are
you,”
Better;
where
are
your
coordinates
“ On
lower
levels,”
Better
but
where
“I don’t
know,”
Give a better location
For how long
Problem with this whole plan
Give Landmarks
Get to the
rendezvous point
“Obi won and I are on board too,”
Better; get to the ship on level ____ on your ___ side
Optional; Closest landmark ____
We’ll meet you
there
What what are you doing?
Not the best point to
argue
Ahsoka, how can we get to the senator
Better how can we both get to the escape pad?
In case
we both get separated
Taking longer to coordinate
that complicated-
How long till they get separated?
Center of the ship
Half way between the two of you
Neither
Ahsoka gave neither
Bad instructions
“ we’re on our way
To a very unspecified point on not
specified level at a not specified
time
Let
the hijinks
commence
“ Did
you hear that
Padme?”
You’re on the same com
“ i’ll be there,”
Some-how
The question
to my answer was
22:40
When do the Hijinks begin?
Let’s
See
Marching
Intimidated
“we just detected
An unauthorized communication
Coming from within the
ship,”
Shouldn’t he be making a phone
call?
“ what did it
say?”
Interesting
Well
we don’t know
That’s how encoding works
We didn’t catch it in
time
Off
Droid
winces
Monitor
all internal
communications
Like they’ll do it again
I want
that senator
on this bridge
Good
luck with that
You haven’t
even
saw her
Rail-ways
Nice
Busy
Should be a cakewalk
Is Not a cakewalk
All the way up there
“I do not see her,”
Yeah, that’s the problem-
She’s here master
I sent it
Or you got the wrong port
(So you heard her voice
so she’s clearly somewhere on this ship)
He’s probably late again
But we do have company of another sort
Oh
She has a gun
And somehow none of that hits
her
And of course that gets the attention
I’m honestly glad they didn’t go with miscommunication
Causes
fake stand up
scenario
Even if this is
faux
Romeo and Juliet
Good job
Lots of
jumping
Look
Jedi
Good job
nice guy
No wait
That one
guy had
common sense
“I knew that was a bad idea,”
Mercy
That you didn’t show on the other
guys
Who
were far more hesitant
And you took out that
one guy
Who didn’t do
anything
Just wasn’t as vocal
Dicks
Jump
The peashooter
isn’t doing the job?
Jump
He tried
Power
Thrust
Ana
kin
“ There.
they
are!”
Bull
shit
No way
he saw those guys
On all those
Packages
Also
‘the i knew
It was
a bad
Idea
Guy
Got
New
Friends
“Fire!”
Fuck
The
bridge
is
out
“Jump
to me,”
Try
it
with
a
little
bit
more
disinterest
“ I’ll use the force”
Even she realizes it’s not that
intense
“ You have to trust me,”
Good Luck
OMG
It looks like
she just
falls
Also Obi-wan’s in the back
like
it’s none of my business
Like dude came on a rescue mission
And
has become completely useless
never helped
once
Complained
the whole way
there
Manages
“Got you,”
“ NICE
CATCH,”
Obi
-Wan from the sidelines
10/10
Hilarious
“ I’ll fetch the droid,”
What??
No
This
isn’t
cute
Disgusting
“Oh the things you do to get me alone,”
KIDS don’t-
Ack-
Please
no
more
smoopy-
nope
I’m
putting
it in
the
“bad”
corner
Till
it
stops
trying
to
ship
children
Bad
Movie
That’s
Not
Cute
Obi-wan
Sucks
Can’t
even
levitate
A
Droid
“Stop
me
please”
Poor
Droid
Blast
You’re
Weak
“ That’s
not
good”
Yeah
you’re
weak
“Anakin
I got
separated
from
your
droid,”
Thank
God
I’ll
take
care
of
it
Better
“ We’ll
meet
you
back
at
the
Twilight”?
“ I
overheard
grievous,”
Annnnnd
“ They’re hyper-drive
is nearly fixed,”
Soooo, He better get you back to the
ship so we can start blasting it with Cannon balls again?
“ i’m already headed in that direction,”
Soooooo, don’t do it, Obi-wan?
Or have Anakin and take the extremely important senator
And come back for you later?
“ i’ll make sure the
hyperdrive stays off line,”
By shooting it with more cannon-balls?
Ha ha Ha ha ha
We’ll see about that
What?!
Person who can do nothing!
Like seriously if they just go back to the ship-
That Jedi
“I’m getting you out of here,”
Good decisions
“I need you to help me find 3PO,”
How?
“ I know I know
he does,”
Padme’s
expression
“And
i’ll be there
soon,”
That’s
almost
adorable
Oh
like
that
‘Someone stop this contraption,”
Careful
Words
Yeet
There
We
Go
Into
those
boxes
“ I
suppose
I did ask for that,”
Ha-he
That got a small giggle
out of me
Stomping
Bait
Murderous
Intent
Get
Fucked
Obi
Wan
Really
rolling out all the stops
Hahaha
“ Hello there,”
[Took a pause.
a long break]
General Kenobi
“ kill him,”
Straight.
To.
The.
Point.
More in line with the characterization we’ve seen up so far, not that much for conversation
Dude’s
just rolling
There
went the others
Bowling
pins
they
are
Oh
grievous
has
a
gun
And
hiding behind the enemy
Thought
he sent
both those
guys flying
Apparently
I was wrong
Must’ve
Been
a
Third
Ha
Didn’t
Work
Yeet
That
poor
Droid...
Spark*
That
was
impressive
Nah
he
ran
around
things
It really set up your forces for a
brawl among
them selves
“Argh,”
Dude,
how
insecure
“ Guard
the
hyperdrive,”
Oh
yeah
he
did
shit
to
it
Also
sending
basic
level
mooks
to
deal
with
it
Shooting
Things
Again
how
did
Anakin
and
Padme
end
up
in
the
situation?
They
were
at
the
train
station
last
Now
they’re
at??
And
have
agroed
every
enemy
Who
should
be
focusing
on
Obi-Wan
because
That
was
their
last
order
Grievous
has
just
completely
ignored
Anakin
Hiding
You
aggroed
Them!
Why
are
you
calling
Obi
-Wan
“Come in
Obi-wan,”
Get
her
to
the shuttle
“ i’m afraid
grievous
is onto
us,”
“We
noticed,”
Hey
you guys Aggroed those guys completely on your own
don’t blame Grievous
for this
“Ack,”
Those
are
Tanks
You’re
peashooter
isn’t going
to
do
much
Also,
Anakin
shouldn’t
be
able
to
take
them
either
This
should
be
a
properly
terrifying
moment
“ We’ll
meet
you
back
on
the
twilight,”
Good
plan
“Obi-
Wan!”
Writers
don’t
screw
this
up
“Come
In,”
His
communicuff
clearly
got
damaged
What’s
wrong?!
They’re
jamming
all
communication
No again
it’s far more likely that his
communicuff
Got
Damaged
(Especially
with
Grievous
listening
in,”
Not everything is
jammed communi
cations
Yeet, yeet
Yeet
That
should
not
work
Those
are
tanks
Anakin
is
a
lightweight
His skill set is
unspecified
But
he shouldn’t be able to cut more than
butter with that knife
Light wieght
clankers
should
pose
a
challenge
Due
to
the
amount
of
energy
“That
might
buy
us
some
time
Unlikely
I
suppose
you
have
a
plan
Yeah,
Get
to
the
escape
pad
Follow
Me
...To
the
escape
pod
C3PO
I do believe
I’m lost
Seriously
you
haven’t
found
this
guy
Enemy
Territory
And
all
alone
You’re
a
service
droid
Probably
wouldn’t
notice
anything
“Ah,”
Dude, they’d probably just adopt
you into the clan
“ I surrender,”
Again I really want to see the C3PO and battle droids
conversation
(When not aware of the other side)
It’s
a projector...
R2 D2
“ you are a sight for
old eyes,”
A nice
interaction
“ Master
Anakin
sent
you
to
find
me,”
“ what
kept
you
then?”
He
does
have
a
point
Dude
got
thrown
off
the
train
about
an
hour
ago
R2′s
just been messing with him
“ follow me,”
“ The general
is demanding
a
status report,”
Oh some driod on droid
interactions
(without
the
general)
Nice
Is
the
hyperdrive
re-paired
Yet
From
there?
“ i’ll
give
him
the
good
news,”
This
isn’t
the
escape
pad
Did
you
take
a
wrong
detour?
Also
no
one
guarding
the
super
important
one
panel
repair
Just
Light weight
clankers
Also that’s not
good news
(Especially considering
it’s one panel)
Surprised
this goes
so well
Also;
now
there’s
tanks
Surprised you think that peashooter can do anything
ma’am
Like seriously
should’ve grabbed a bigger gun
The
droids
have
some
And
you can’t tell me
there
hasn’t been artillery
laying around
this
entire
time
Yeet
That almost-
Turned into murder
This is why not going to the escape pods
immediately
was
a
bad
idea
Again
this
should
be
a
stressful
fight
But turning your child soldier
Into an all powerful
can never lose
child soldier
Is bullshit
movie
Opened
Door
“Ever since I’ve known you
you’ve been playing
with droids,”
Ack
“I used to put them together,”
Alright...
Now I only take them
apart
Child soldiering...
It sucks
So,
where do we start
GETTING TO THE ESCAPE PAD!
Obi-Wan
supposed to be here
any minute!
With whole lot of
bullshit!
Move!
First we need to get one of these
droids so they don’t know we were here
No destroy the thing and
go
They’ll figure it out in like
five seconds
When they go to start the thing
up!
Running is a good
option
“I’m gonna
hot wire
this ship,”
How does
this make
anything
better?
He’s already down
and
in kicking position
Everyone’s waiting for Amidala
You’re not helping, good sir!
(In fact I’m pretty sure
you’d have to fix something
To make
it go,”
Secondly,
This is a
HUGE
-ass ship
As a reason it has an
electrical team
Squeezing two little
wires
Isn’t going to do
much
It requires continuous effort
to different parts of the ship
To make a dent
And I truly doubt
such
a large ship is going to have such a
non-complicated
Start-up
compared
to hotwiring
a car
Point being;
this shouldn’t work
Give
Grievous
a little surprise
Again
if it’s anything less
Then a
bomb
Dude isn’t
gonna have
much
trouble
And
this
is
a
waste
of
time
I’ll guess
I’ll clean up the droids
then
LITERally im
possible
That’s
a
tank!
You
carry
light
weaponry!
Back
to
the
fleet
Plo
Koon
Is
doing
nothing
Having
tea
and
cookies
with
Ahsoka
Our
ships
are
in
attack
position
So...
nothings
changed
“Master
Skywalker,”
No
one
else
either
“No,”
Deadpanned
“ The
droids
are
jamming
our
transmissions,”
(More
likely
reason
for
that
on
a
-damaged
ship)
But
Ergh-
“We need to give him more
time,”
Opinion!
“ i’m sure we can,”
I’ve been sitting on my ass-
[Plo’s
Head
Moves
-Railway]
We’re
back
here
again?
Obi-Wan
should
be
at
the
station
by
now
Everything
is
behind
him
Yeet
Yeet
Make it to the
Coms
center
Break
Some
Shit
Oof
Those
Poor
Droids
Good
Pa
rell
els
Splat!
Obi won
looking
back-and-forth
Obi-Wan
you
are
a
Jedi
master
this
shouldn’t
be
hard
Run
Tum
ble
I was fully planning on
him
stacking it
Roof
Also, Obiwan
Stop fecking
Around
Get to the
place
Woof
How
Did you
end up
falling over?
Ironically
Obi-Wan
shows
less
emotion
than
Anakin
* Slashing
the
train*
Okay...
what
did
I
do
Snarky
little
shit
Could
be
snarkier
“That
oughta
do it,”
Ana
-kin
Doing
Obi-wan’s
Job
Also
Oh
shit
is he
plugging
in
the
location
of
that
supposed
fight
with
master-
How’s the house cleaning going-
Im-
That dude made out of
-metal
He is
FIVE
times
your
bodyweight!
HOW?
Done?
You
MOVED
a
Tank??
HOW-
That’s-
What
ever
* Guys
coming
in*
Oh
yeah
that’s
a
door
I
guess
repairs
are
finished
Or
they went
on
lunch
break
Prepared
to charge
up the hyperdrive
Right on it
“Roger, Roger,”
-famous last words
Sparking
Driving
Are we
seriously
waiting
on
these
two
“Are
you
quite
sure
the
ship
is
in
that
direction?
He’s
basically
a
GPS
That
way
looks
potentially
dangerous
All
of
them
do
“Haz
ardous,”
Better
Example
beeping
irritatedly
“I know
the whole
place
is
dangerous,”
Thank you
R2-
D2
“ I
suggest
we
stay
here
and
let
master
Anakin
find
us,”
Bad
idea
A better idea than anyone in the ‘let’s meet up in an undisclosed location’ came up with
Good idea
3PO
Fecking
Irony
“Don’t
just
stand
there,”
See?
“Let’s
get
back
to
the
ship,”
Irony
Power
up
the
engines
R2
You know
Obi-Wan’s
likely going to screw up your shit
right
*obi-Wan
comes
around
the
corner,*
Dude you have shit to
screw up
Did you forget?
There shouldn’t be an
escape pod
for you
What
Hold the
ship
No, you didn’t do
anything...
Then again he could just
cannonball
it
How’s that-
Okay
Very light
bullshit
“ i’ll
contact
the
fleet,”
It’s
the
most
you’ve
done
this
entire
time
Focus
On
The
chair
Do
cking
Clamp
There
We
Go
Off
We
Go
It’s
still
Burning
Grievous
Off
Why?
He doesn’t know
Obi-Wan’s off
the ship
Last
saw
him
on
the
train...
(Not
followed
up
on
directly)
Flighters,
Where
I thought they all got
destroyed?!
All batteries
open fire
Again
Plo Koon does not give a shit
who dies
(Until sitting on his ass gets
too
boring)
Also
this isn’t his fleet
They shouldn’t listen to
him
(Especially after he got his last one
killed)
More
Shooting at the
burning
wreck
Turb
ulence
And
Obi-Wan
still
didn’t
do
his
job
Guns
You can
shoot back
at any time
“ I wa-”
Obi-wan
being
completely
useless
Anakin
having
too
much
emotion
“I
got
it,”
Shoo
ting
stuff
Somehow
doesn’t
go
down
immediately
Hit
“ She
seems
to know
her way
around,”
Gross
Hit
Something
The
Hyper
Drive
-repaired
Also
Obi-Wan
didn’t
fuck
up
shit
Dis
appointed
Also
it
certainly
as
frick
isn’t
now
After
they’ve
been
shooting
Should we retreat
to
friendly
space?
If You can make there it with it in
one piece
(Which
was
the
qualifications)
Engage
the
hyperdrive
With
me
not
on
it
“Secret base
sector four,”
Interesting
“Prepare-”
Enthus
iastic
“Yes,
Sir,”
Fighters
still
chasing
Intense
“Nice
Shoot,”
Gross
“Beginners
luck,”
Beeping
“Pardin-”
“Hyperdrive
is
activating,”
Obi-Wan
“ Oh-shit
Caught in a
lie.”
“-what”
-They’re getting hit with cannonballs
Anakin what did you do
?!
(What Did
I
order you
to do?)
Coordinates
are
locked
“Hyperdrives
engaging,”
Shit’s
about
to
go-
Ar-
Sp-
arking
Glitzy
display
Base
“ I think
there’s
a
problem,”
“General
I think
there’s a problem with the
hyperdrive,”
Yeah
The ship got refired
upon
it’s probably
re broken
Seriously
“ I thought
the hyperdrive
was fixed,”
And then it got shot again...
The navigate computer is heading a straight into the
moon
What
??
Fools
reset the
Navi
computer
“Quick,”
Tech
Support
Dooku
Worst
time
to
call
(Don’t
think
it
could’ve
gone
more
sideways)
Also good job
Anakin
You crash landed them
on a planet
with significantly larger surface area
and resources
that they
can
use
to
re-build
Aka
you made things harder
than they needed to
be
Obi-Wan,
what are you
ordering
this kid
Narrowed
eyes
-No
reset
it
“General,”
Harsh
But I’m interested
in where this is going
Since
Grievous
has
had
a lot of
shit thrown at him
Doesn’t matter
which side of
enablers
he still enabling
But
I suppose
over involved
positivity
Would be
kind of a nice
change
for
him
Over
over involved
negativity
Speeds
off
“Trans
-mission
Has
been
cut,”
Intentionally
* also
smart
droid
“ We’re
Gonna
die
[Explosion]
How?!
Whelp
Obi-Wan has to have a sit down talk with Anakin.
about the ‘ Drive the
ship into the moon,’ order
Also I realized
(thanks to Obi-Wan)
they know nothing about what just
happened
Grievous
either
decided
to
just
end
it
or they’re all dead
Obi-Wan
Dick move
“ I imagine
you had
something
to do
with that,”
WTF- orders
“ all part of
the plan,”
Obi-Wan schooled
Anakin in
extraterrestrial terrorism
Cheering
at least the ion cannon
isn’t coming back
Nice shot
...So Destroy Malevolence
I have to say
I really like this episode
Despite the plot
stretched thin
There was a noticeable increase in the quality of
animation
The child characters were
good
The other characters were a lot more consistent
And a lot
smarter
0 notes
To Stand on the Court Again (Part 2 of 2)
[Masterlist]
[Part 1] | [Part 2]
Notes from Part 1: Here’s a reader-insert Yamaguchi-centric story that was modified from my side story. (I wrote this before I knew that reader-inserts were a thing.) I hope there are Yamaguchi fans who’d actually enjoy this.
Reader is female and knowledgeable about volleyball.
Summary:
The next school year rolls around and Yamaguchi is disappointed that he’s not a starting player. When he feels like there isn’t much more he could do, the girl in front of him tells him, “I think you can be a starter, and I don’t mean that lightly.” Then she backs it up with her actions. A volleyball story about Yamaguchi’s second year with a heart-warming ending.
Words: 2,920
Yamaguchi implemented Y/n’s suggestions and created a practice plan for himself. During the days they didn’t have practice, he decided to practise his receives outside of the school. He asked Tsukishima if he could borrow his volleyball and stood outside to bump the ball to himself. Other days, he’d be able to convince Tsukishima to practice receiving with him. As he gradually improved, he wondered what else he could do. He remembered another conversation he had with Y/n. Since he wanted to improve as fast as possible, Y/n told him he should be smart with how he used his time. “There are no shortcuts to becoming a great volleyball player,” she said. “Like with any skill in life, you need to practice over and over again. It takes consistent daily discipline over time. But what you can do is to use your time more efficiently.”
So during one practice, Yamaguchi chose to turn down spiking practice with the rest of the middle blockers and wing spikers. Instead, he went to the other side of the net to join the liberos. His team was surprised that he didn’t want to practise spiking, but he knew the fastest way to improve his digs was to receive spikes repeatedly like the liberos did. The first year libero initially complained that two receivers were enough and told him to go practise his spikes like he was supposed to. But Nishinoya said that he wanted to try some setting so he gave his spot to him. As Yamaguchi received the spikes from his teammates, Y/n looked at him with a smile knowing that he had a plan.
Y/n later lent her volleyball to him. She told him a trick that some players used to practice their spiking. If he was going to use the team’s spiking practice to work on his digs, he could use this to practise spiking alone. She hung her volleyball from a tree and asked him to run up and swing at it. After trying, Yamaguchi felt like he could jump higher so she adjusted the ball accordingly. When they got the ball at a comfortable height, he did a few warm up hits before Y/n gave him some suggestions. “Try to visualize yourself spiking from different locations of the court as you practice: left, middle, right as well as from the back. Also, think about where the block might be.”
“Umm… Thanks so much Y/n,” Yamaguchi shyly said. “It’s really encouraging to have someone guide me through this.”
“You’re welcome,” she grinned. She took a melancholic look at the hanging volleyball before she asked, “You don’t have your own volleyball, do you?” Yamaguchi shook his head. “You can have mine,” she smiled.
Yamaguchi opened his mouth in surprise. “Y-You’re giving this to me?” he said, pointing at the volleyball. He suddenly realized that she had made the investment to own a volleyball and must have bought it for a reason. “A-Are you sure?” he asked.
“Yeah, I don’t need my volleyball anymore,” she smiled. But when she thought that Yamaguchi wasn’t looking, she let out a sigh.
During the next few weeks, Yamaguchi consistently practiced his receives and spikes outside of practice. But at the summer inter high tournament, he was still only used as a pinch server. He persevered and kept working hard until Ukai let a first year start in a practice match. He hated it. He didn’t understand why the coach had looked over him and placed a first year wing spiker in the match.
He continued to practice his receives with Y/n. She threw the ball down at him and he bumped the ball. She caught the ball at a height near her waist. “You need to get the ball higher,” she said. “The setter won’t be able to set well if the ball isn’t over his head.” Out of frustration, Yamaguchi stopped practising and he didn’t reply her.
Y/n didn’t say anything initially. She knew that all he could do was to keep practising. But when she saw how depressed he was during class as well, she decided to address his frustrations. “I wasn’t going to say this out of respect for Coach Ukai, but I think that first year sucks. He has power, but half of his spikes hit the net. His receives are bad and his technique is sloppy. I honestly think that Coach Ukai is just reacting to what happened at the tournament, and is trying different things. If you don’t want the coach to feel the need to grasp at straws, then you need to be a more reliable player.” She took a breath and sighed, “I know it’s hard, but you can do it.”
Yamaguchi didn’t feel encouraged right away, but when the disappointment gradually wore off, he was thankful for her direct words. He wasn’t there yet but one day he would be.
One opportunity did presented itself, but not without some initiative on Yamaguchi’s part. He had asked the coach if he could try to be the right wing spiker in the next game because his blocking skills could help against the opponent’s straight. The coach agreed and he was placed in the next match.
“Hey, Yamaguchi,” said Hinata with a knowing smile, “do you want to try what we practised?”
Yamaguchi recalled another conversation in his classroom. He had told Y/n that he had understood that he needed to be a more consistent player, but he had felt like he needed more of an edge. She had suggested to think about his team as a whole and to consider whom he would be playing with. Yamaguchi had later drawn out the positions of regular starting players. If he took a wing spiker’s spot, he would probably be beside Hinata because the coach usually put Tsukishima between Tanaka and Kageyama. That meant that when he was in the front row, Hinata would be with him the majority of the time. So during their team’s spiking practice, he had asked Hinata if he could test out something.
“Sure, let’s try it,” grinned Yamaguchi and then turned his focus back on the game. When Nishinoya was able to give a clean pass to Kageyama, Hinata ran to the right side of the net. The middle blocker on the other team was lured to where Hinata was and one blocker marked Tanaka at the other end of the net. Hinata jumped and the two blockers on the other side mirrored him. But a tempo later, Yamaguchi ran up to the middle of the court and freely spiked without any blockers.
It worked and their tactic had paid off. At practice, Hinata and Yamaguchi had run into each other a lot with their first few attempts. They had solved it by having Hinata run at first tempo while having Yamaguchi go at second tempo. Kageyama had to slow down his set by using a taller arch and Yamaguchi had to adjust to doing his running approach diagonally.
Seeing Yamaguichi’s overall performance in the game, Coach Ukai decided to make him a starter. He was pleased with how much Yamaguchi grew. “With how much you’ve improved, I’m confident that our team will get even further now.” That compliment meant a lot to Yamaguchi. He was a starting player, not by chance or accident, but by his hard work. He was so happy that he felt like he could cry. His fellow second years, Tsukishima, Hinata, Yachi, and Kageyama, were all happy for him knowing how much he wanted this. He couldn’t wait to tell the good news to Y/n the next day. He wanted to thank her for all of her help.
He remembered back to the day when Y/n had come to their gym early. The net had been up and she had been alone practising her serves. When Yamaguchi had come in, she had gotten embarrassed that he had caught her serving. It had looked like she was trying to do a float serve. Yamaguchi had guided her how to do it. “I can’t do a jump serve,” she had told him. “Is it possible to do a standing float serve?”
Later, when Yamaguchi had asked her how she knew so much about volleyball, she had said that her mother had been a volleyball player and had taught her since she was young. They had gone to the park together where her mom had trained her on how to receive, volley and spike. Her mom had tried to teach her as much as she could without an actual team. Y/n had even joined a private volleyball club for a bit when they could afford to. “I tried out for the girls’ volleyball team in first year, but that didn’t work out,” Y/n had said with a painful smile. “Even though I’m fairly tall, I can’t really jump.”
“That must have been pretty discouraging,” Yamaguchi had noted. He had started to see how she had been able to sympathize with him as a benchwarmer.
So the day after he became a starting player, Yamaguichi looked for Y/n to tell her what had happened during the practice game, but she was absent during class. At lunch, he asked Yachi if she knew where Y/n was. “Oh, she’s just at a doctor’s appointment,” she said. “Her knee started hurting again. She should be back now.”
“What?” Yamaguchi exclaimed in shock. “Again? You mean this has happened before?”
“Yeah. That’s why she stopped playing volleyball. She was the ace in middle school.”
Yamaguchi ran back to his classroom as he thought of all the clues that he had previously missed.
“Try to visualize yourself spiking from different locations of the court as you practice.”
“Yeah, I don’t need my volleyball anymore.”
“I can’t do a jump serve. Is it possible to do a standing float serve?”
“I tried out for the girls’ volleyball team in first year, but that didn’t work out.”
“I can’t really jump.”
When Yamaguchi found her, she wondered why he was out of breath. Yamaguchi walked up to her and struggled to find the words to say. He gently held her wrists and asked, “Why don’t you play volleyball anymore?”
She looked at him confused. “It’s because I can’t jump very high,” she answered as if it was obvious.
But that wasn’t the answer Yamaguchi was looking for. “Why don’t you play volleyball anymore?” he asked again with tears starting to fill his eyes.
Y/n’s eyes started to water as well. “If you ask me like that, how could I not cry too?” She explained that she injured herself over something stupid and couldn’t play anymore. She wasn’t allowed to jump because of the pain and the pressure that it put on her knee. Because her volleyball career had ended when she barely started high school, she would never experience what could have been her peak years. She couldn’t handle the pain of not being able to play anymore, so she had avoided anything related to volleyball. But then Yachi dragged her into their practice and she learned how Yamaguchi had fought to be on the court with his float serves. When he had told her that he still wanted to be a starter, she genuinely wanted to see him improve. “But then practising with you reminded me of the all times I practised, and then I wanted to play again, and…” She started to cry even more.
Yamaguchi wrapped his arms around her as she continued to sob. He didn’t give her light bits of encouragement about what she could do instead. Sure, she could be a coach in the future, but this wasn’t the time to mention it. He let her mourn over what she had lost because she only avoided thinking about her injury and never let herself be sad over it. So he told her that it was fine to cry because she had cherished volleyball and all the memories she had playing it.
The next day, Y/n couldn’t make eye contact with Yamaguchi. When Tsukishima asked why she was acting strange, Yamaguchi just shrugged and thought that she was just embarrassed about crying yesterday. But behind them, he heard Yachi giggling and teasing Y/n about something.
“Yamaguchi,” she told him one day, “I need to tell you something.” She shyly looked down at the floor, wondering how he’d take the news. “I’m going to join the girls’ volleyball team as their manager and assistant.” She explained to him that she had learned the girls’ team wasn’t doing so well. The time she had with him had made her realize that she enjoyed teaching volleyball to others. Yamaguchi said he was happy for her but was a little sad that he wouldn’t see her during practice anymore.
He had remembered the times when he had fun practising with her. There was once where she teased him with the hanging volleyball while he was practising his spikes. She had told him that she was going to adjust the height of the ball because he had looked like he was getting tired. Instead, she had pulled the ball up every time he tried to spike it and let out a gorgeous giggle. On a different day, during defensive practice with the other players, she had told him allow a straight spike through his block. He had listened to her the first few times but he had decided to block her spikes to tease her back. He was definitely going to miss having her around.
When Y/n heard that he was a bit sad about her leaving, she blushed at his comment. She said she needed to tell him one more thing. “I think I like you, Yamaguchi.”
“What?” Yamaguchi’s jaw dropped. He tried to process what was going on. “What’s happening? Pretty girls used to only talk to me about Tsukishima.”
“You know I’m not like that,” laughed Y/n.
“I- I know, but I’m still shocked!” he stated.
Not knowing what else to say, Y/n told him that he didn’t have to respond right away or even like her back. “I just want to thank you for everything,” she smiled.
Yamaguchi smiled back at her. They’ve both gone through a lot together and he was thankful that she was by his side. “Likewise.”
Even though they saw each other in class every day, Yamaguchi would still come and say hi to her during the girls’ practices. “I just want to see you in action,” said Yamaguchi and Y/n complained in response. “Actually, I just wanted to see the girl I like,” he added.
Y/n turned red, especially because the rest of the volleyball team heard what he said. “You can’t just confess to me so casually like that!”
Yamaguchi just snickered at seeing how embarrassed she was. “I actually have something else for you too.” He held the volleyball that she had given him and returned it to her. He told her that he had bought one and that she might need hers back. She still had powerful serves that she could use to help the girls’ team improve. She could even try to help them receive float serves too if she practised. She considered what he said and took the ball back from him.
The spring inter high preliminaries came along for both the boys’ and girls’ teams. Yamaguchi told her what time their matches were so that, if she wanted to, she could call and see how her boyfriend’s team was doing.
The girls’ coach showed the team the setup for the first game. Y/n gasped at seeing her name placed at the back right corner position where the server would be. She looked around at the other girls and realized that they had all expected it. “The girls wanted you to play a match again as thanks for how you’ve coached them. The other five players can cover the court if the other team is able to receive your serve. So just go and serve like usual and enjoy your moment on the court,” the coach grinned at her.
The thought of standing on the court with the girls she worked with these past months made her cry. The players - no, her teammates - wanted to support her to make this possible. They gave her a jersey that they had hidden from her and told her to join them during their warm up before the match started.
When Y/n stood on the court, she wanted to serve with no regrets. Remembering Yamaguchi’s coaching, she hit a float serve over the net and her teammates erupted in cheer when it was an ace. The other team was confused as to why they were celebrating over the first point while her teammates hugged her. Their opponents were able to receive the next serve, but her other five teammates covered for her and defended her serve. Then she served two more aces before the other team got the point and she was substituted off.
Y/n called Yamaguchi after the game to tell him what had happened. As she excitedly told him about her three ace serves, she realized that he had been expecting this phone call. “Hang on,” she told him. “You knew!”
“I may have suggested the idea to one of the players,” he said on the other line. “Or should I say, one of your teammates?”
Y/n teared up as she called him a sneaky idiot to which he clarified that he was her sneaky idiot.
*****
I hope you enjoyed the story. This story was born after I saw a manga spoiler and I wanted know if/when Yamaguchi became a starter. I was also inspired by a real story where a girls’ college team let their injured teammate serve their set or match point and the other five players fought to win it.
I have another Yamaguchi x Reader story called Notice me, Y/n-senpai. This one is a cute and funny one like my usual style of writing.
[Part 1] | [Part 2]
[Masterlist]
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Black, grey and white
Sounds really deep doesn’t it? It simply means good, bad and somewhat fitting into both categories. And actually it is even simpler I just need a rant. I spent too much time in the English Cheese in the trap comment sections and it really bugs me that especially starting with the Goodbye chapter Inho is seen as better than ever, practically a perfect little angel and Jung as worse than ever, the devil in person (if Inho’s the angel). So I decided to look at the good and bad qualities of both boys. I guess most if not all of their qualities fit in the grey category but I’ll try to consider what I think the most accepted opinions are among readers. Feel free to argue, to add to my lists or just simply comment, I love talking about CitT. Oh and I’ll edit, expand this post as my opinion changes and I think of new things to add to the lists. It’s not really continuous, and since it’s long I doubt people will read it, the sole purpose is to get this out of my system (and maybe start a nice discussion). I’ll also pepper it with some of my drawings I uploaded earlier to make it more fun. I try to be objective but it’s easy to guess my preferences, right? Let’s get started!
Inho’s biggest problem in my opinion is his selfishness and that he simply doesn’t understand that everything he does, including speaking (it’s closely connected to his rudeness) has its consequences. (insulting people in high school, putting down Inha’s art) It’s understandable that he is selfish as he had to look out for himself the better part of his life and I see it as a survival method (same with his sister Inha) but it can ruin his relationships with other people (all kinds of relationships). As a result, he doesn’t really value human relationships, especially friendship or at least he says so on more occasions (for example after the dinner at Seol’s, right before the fistfight of the boys). His treatment of his old co-worker and somewhat friend also demonstrates that. Leeching off people is also part of his selfishness, not caring if the other doesn’t have more money than him. But that’s something he showed in the first half of the story. His short temper and tendency to violence gets him in trouble especially because he rarely stops to think before he acts. He gets better with controlling his temper and does give up his pride to play piano again, although due to a push from outside. He refuses to look at things from other peoples point of view, what he sees and believes is the truth and changing his mind is really hard if not impossible (example: his belief that Jung broke his hand) He improved a lot, he’s better now at controlling his temper and sometimes sees the wrongs he did and tries to correct them (Inha). But himself, his pride is most important, always, even if he hurts others.
(Picture is webtoon Inhos opinion about his drama self. No question who wins if there is a fight. Text is by English Webtoon CitT commenter Celery)
Now Jung’s biggest problem is his manipulative behaviour, and it’s greatly disliked and frowned upon so it landed in the black zone. It’s very useful at times but it can also bring great harm. (stalking, homeless lady, unnamed kid nicknamed Chopin) Like Inho he also improved, his punishments are not as severe as earlier (Sangchul S4) But just like Inho looking out for himself, Jung uses manipulation mainly to protect himself and those he cares about. Since it’s effective I don’t think he will stop, ever, it’s a core part of him that can’t be completely changed, like Inho also stayed selfish and aggressive and rude, although better than at the beginning.
Being calculative is connected to Jung being manipulative it’s a trait that helps him with his plans and life. Likely also helps with work and helping Seol.
Another trait readers dislike is his mask of smile, he just wants to be left alone and probably has the least trouble this way. And why should he care for all the people around him, there are just too many and they don’t care either. But being rude to them doesn’t bring anything, either, so there you have it. It’s the opposite when he turns cold - that’s basically him being angry. He closes himself off so one can only guess what’s the problem. I consider that a bigger problem since it also affects his loved ones. It’s okay to cool off but if he stays a sad little clam, who can guess what caused trouble and how to correct things? I think Seol is slowly getting him to be more expressive but that also results in him being more vulnerable (S4 Ch66) and that his “bottle“ can’t hold that much - he keeps things to himself, bottling everything up but he can’t bear that as well as earlier. (S4 Ch 66 and 71) Bottling things up isn’t good, either, as he himself tells Seol, trying to get her to share her problems with him so he could help.
He’s quick to judge people and it’s hard to change his opinion (but not impossible) Yep, the number one example is Seol’s case.
Both boys have victim mentality, thinking what is theirs is taken or them receiving undeserved damage.
Done with the blacklists, moving to the grey questionable traits (actually most traits can be both harmful and helpful)
To tell people right away what he thinks is very typical for Inho (like when he told Seol she’s way out of Jungs league, bragging that he won the fistfight) so he appears genuine and honest to readers - but his truth is often distorted, just like Jung’s and while people see it with Jung, they often overlook it with Inho, believing his truth to be the ultimae truth. It has two sides and the real truth lies somewhere in between. Honesty is a great trait but it can cause just as much confusion and a biased view on the story. (And that drama didn’t help with that) Loud. Why did I put that there? Because some people aren’t bothered one bit by him starting to yell out of the blue while others can’t stand those kind of people. Inho is also not the smartest out there and he is aware of that. it’s not that bad but not good either. But it’s an important reason in my opinion for him not being a good match for Seol romantically even if they were in love. She is so much more intelligent and capable, I have no idea what those two would talk about if Seol doesn’t develop an interest in classic music and piano. I don’t think that would end well. Right now I don’t think he could be someone for Seol to lean on, he would get a lot from the relationship but - forgive me - he would be an additional burden for Seol. When he has built up his new life (S4 Ch76), I’m sure he’ll be a supportive, good partner to a suitable girl.
Now let’s look through Jung’s grey list. He is secretive and mistrusting, those two traits walk hand in hand, also his sensitivity. It’s good if you don’t burden others with every little thing and keep things safe but going extreme causes not only harm for others but for himself, too. I think one important cause of the misunderstanding between him and Seol was him being mistrusting and sensitive (actually Seol as well) It got worse with Seol again and again unintentionally making him appear to be weird in public. (staring at him as she observed him, snickering incident, when she talked to others right before dropping the papers that Jung kicked) That freaked him out more than anything since he doesn’t want to be the weird one his father stampled him to be ever since he was little. Sensitivity helped them to determine what kind of people they encounter but it also makes both of them judgemental.
Now let’s get to the good part. Inho is good at heart and if he cares, he really cares and tries his best to help. My favourite example is the pepper spray but he also tried to stop Younggon with his fists, although that didn’t discourage Younggon one bit but it still shows Inho cares. He is really passionate about playing the piano and is also talented. I put him being impulsive in the list trying to capture the good half of his brutal honesty and thinking before acting. In situations where quick acting is vital it’s very useful. Maybe I should have left it as honesty as I initially did but he caused too much harm with that (starting with Inha’s art and the unwanted nickname Dogfur) He’s a good boy but has lots of baggage.
Jung doesn’t have less baggage, just different, but that doesn’t make either him or Inho bad people. They are like most people out there with their own troubles and good qualities.
(That’s just an unfinished sketch because I wanted to draw them happy together.)
Now back to Jungs good points. He’s intelligent, he cares for Seol and tries his very best to please her (once it got through to him that she’s a good girl, not like he initially thought). I guess he could be more open, but if you leave him alone he’ll leave you alone, too. But he does care and he is obedient and listens to what others tell him and tries to act on that. He’s still trying to be like his father wants him, he listens to Seols wishes and even if he doesn’t show it, he even considers what people he dislikes tell him. Inho is a good example, when he told Jung that Inha is potential danger to Seol or when during their fistfight he told Jung that he’s bad for Seol, in the chapter where Jung actually ran to Seol for comfort it was shown that he did think about what Inho said and it made him uncomfortable. In S4 Ch76 we hear that Seol didn’t make it into Jung’s father’s company - I take it as Jung listening to Seols request to not use his influence to get her in there. (She must have had a bad day, otherwise she would have been accepted for sure, she is such a good worker) How odd now that I have the chance I can’t think of anything more to write so that’s it and here is one last picture, simply because it’s one of my favourite moments.
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Falling For You.
— Chapter 6
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader
(Modern High School AU)
Warnings: None.
Synopsis: Unlike most teenagers, you had your life completely mapped out. You’d graduate high school, go off to the university of your dreams, and live the life that your parents always wanted you to. That was always the plan.
Falling for Bucky Barnes, however, was never part of the plan.
Being ‘just friends’ isn’t enough. Becoming anything more is too much. But suppressed feelings can’t stay ignored forever, and you were about to learn that a lot sooner than you thought.
Inspired by the song ‘Fallingforyou’ - The 1975
A/N: ok so i’ve finally took the time to properly start planning chapters ahead of time, so hopefully i can start writing this a bit quicker lmao. i’ve also made a playlist for this fic which i might post soon?? idk,,, anyway, feedback is always appreciated and please enjoy!
Series Masterlist
__________________________________________
With only a handful of weeks left until Winter break, you had decided to buckle down and put all of your efforts back into maintaining your grades.
After the painful conversation with your mom, and knowing that she’d be home in a week, you were determined to make sure the time she’d be back for wasn’t going to be a nightmare, and that’d definitely be the case if you didn’t crack open your textbooks and get your head down.
Despite you being the one to force yourself into studying day and night, it still didn’t stop you from groaning internally at the textbooks that you were tugging out of your locker, which most likely wouldn’t even fit in your backpack, meaning you’d have to carry the damn things all the way home. Great.
While you barely held the four thick books in your left arm, you shut your locker with the other, letting out a gasp at the sight of someone leaning against the locker next to you.
“Can’t you just say ‘hi’ like a normal person instead of lurking next to my locker and waiting for me to see you?” You asked, moving the books in your arms so you were hugging them to your stomach.
The boy only chuckled, ignoring your annoyance before eyeing the stack of books in your grasp. “You know, I thought I’d finally gotten through to you on how much time you waste studying, yet here you are with half the damn library in your locker.”
“My mom’s coming back next week, Bucky. Unless I want to face her wrath, I’ve got to get an A in every test we get in class over the next week.”
“So, is that your way of saying that I’m not gonna see you for the next seven days?”
You nodded reluctantly. “I don’t necessarily have a death wish, so yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”
Mirroring Bucky’s stance, you leaned your side against the lockers, getting a headache just from the thought of opening your front door and seeing your mother staring back at you. As long as you aced all of your tests, it’d be fine, right? She can’t be mad at you for improving, yet she’ll probably find a way to be, considering she loves to be mad at you for everything.
The corner of his mouth curled up. “Well, you’re gonna have to find some free time, sweets. Winter Formal’s comin’ up, and I don’t think they’ll let you in with those jeans that you never take off.”
Shit, he was right. The Winter Formal was happening in three weeks, and if you didn’t dress shop as soon as possible, you’d never have a dress ready for you in time for the dance. Not that you were particularly big on school dances, but it was your senior year, so it was one of the last dances you’d even have in high school. Plus, even if you insisted on not going, Wanda and/or Bucky would most likely pester you into going.
“God, dress shopping is the last thing I wanna think about right now.” You sighed. “I’ll probably have to ask my mom for money to buy it, too. That’ll bring on the ‘you should have a job by now’ lecture, and I swear, Bucky, if I have to hear that damn speech for the hundredth time...”
“I’m sure you’ll work somethin’ out.” He reassured you. “You could always help out at the auto-shop, if you wanted to.”
You could tell he was joking, but the suggestion still made you scoff. “You can see me greasing cars and fixing tyres?”
“I can see you lookin’ cute in a pair of overalls.” The boy winked.
You chuckled, shaking your head while ignoring the flutter of your heart at his stupid way of flirting. “While I appreciate the offer, I think I’ll have to pass. My only plans up until the dance are to memorise every piece of information in these books.”
As you readjusted your grip on the textbooks, Bucky rolled his eyes, like he did every time you talked to him about studying. “Speaking of the dance, you’re gonna need to find a date.”
If he wasn’t right, you would’ve scoffed and told him that you didn’t have to take a date, but considering that Wanda and Vis would be going together, Steve would likely be bringing Peggy, and Sam would probably be able to charm a girl into going with him, everyone would be showing up with a date except you.
“I know, but who would even wanna go with me?” You shrugged.
Bucky wanted to laugh. Sometimes, he wondered if you really were completely obvlivious to his feelings for you. He knew he couldn’t necessarily act out in them - not yet, anyway - but he wasn’t exactly hiding them either.
Him. He would want to go with you. Of course he would, which reminded him...
“I was meant to ask you, actually...” Bucky started, but was soon interrupted by another figure approaching the two of you.
A mess of silver hair caught his eye, and he suppressed the groan he so desperately wanted to let out.
Pietro. Of course, he just had to ruin the moment, didn’t he? Couldn’t the guy have waited just another ten seconds to waltz over and-
“Pietro, hey.” You greeted the boy, who grinned boyishly down at you in response.
“Hey, (Y/N). Bucky.” He nodded towards your friend, who only gave him a half-hearted smile which you didn’t quite catch. He turned back towards you, suddenly looking a little nervous. “Do you mind if we talk for a moment? Just us?”
Furrowing your brows, you hesitantly looked back at Bucky, who let out a quiet chuckle before pushing himself off the lockers. “S’alright. I’ll see you later, (Y/N).”
“But weren’t you gonna ask-”
“It’s not important, honestly.” The brunet quickly shook his head, beginning to walk away from your locker. “I’m heading out now with Steve and Sam, anyway.”
“Oh, you are? Could you ask Sam if he could drop me off at home on the way?” Sam had gotten used to being the designated driver most days, considering his two best friends annoyingly opted for motorcycles rather than cars. “I’ll meet you again in five?”
Bucky nodded, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. “Sure; we’ll just be in the parking lot.”
And with that, he quickly walked away. It was okay, he could just ask you another time, right?
Pietro soon replaced Bucky’s spot against the lockers, the white sleeve of his hoodie being a contrast against the surface in comparison to Bucky’s dark leather one. You were still a little puzzled as to why Pietro couldn’t have said what he wanted to in front of Bucky, but you gave him a kind smile anyway.
“I’m sorry for interrupting.” Pietro apologised, fiddling with his fingers anxiously. “I just didn’t wanna wait any longer to ask you...”
What was with people wanting to ask you questions today? “It’s okay, I’m sure that Bucky didn’t mind. What do you wanna ask me?”
With you looking up at him through your lashes, giving him a sweet smile and slowly tucking some of your hair behind you ear, his cheeks reddened as his gaze lowered, before hesitantly bringing it back up to meet yours. You’d never seen the guy so nervous before.
“Would you... like to be my date to the Winter Formal?”
Well, you didn’t have to look so far to find your date, apparently.
Truthfully, you were sort of hoping that Bucky would’ve asked you. Sure, it wouldn’t have done any good in getting rid of the stupid feelings that you had for him, but he was still your best friend. The both of you went to the junior prom together, and it was one of the best nights you’d ever had with him. Maybe he didn’t ask you this time because his feelings for you had truly disappeared. While the thought saddened you, it was probably for the best. If anything, it would only encourage you to move on from him.
Besides, Pietro was also one of your closest friends. You were surprised that he asked you, considering the amount of girls that you knew would’ve loved to go with him, but maybe he just wanted to be a good friend, which you appreciated.
“That’d be great, Pietro.” You responded, causing the corner of his lips to upturn. “I’d love to be your date.”
The boys eyes lit up. “You would?”
“I would.” You confirmed, pushing yourself from the lockers. “Why do you look so surprised?”
“I-uh... I don’t know.” He shrugged, watching as you began to walk away. “I thought someone else might’ve already asked you.”
You rolled your eyes playfully. “You’re the one that has girls drooling while you run laps on the field; if anyone was already spoken for, I’d guess that it’d be you, Pietro.”
“Well, I guess now I am spoken for.” He began to walk in the opposite direction, sending you a final smile. “With the only girl I was planning on asking.”
Before you could roll your eyes at him again, Pietro had jogged off to go and speak to someone else, allowing you to finally go and meet the boys outside. There was a certain warmth in your chest after that conversation. It felt nice to be asked to the dance, to be someone’s first choice. Even if you originally wanted to be someone else’s date, you were happy that Pietro had taken the liberty of asking you.
Would Bucky really have asked you to go with him? You weren’t sure, especially if he really didn’t like you like that anymore. Even if he wanted to, maybe it didn’t really matter since you already had your date.
As soon as you made your way out to the parking lot, you spotted Sam’s jeep amid the array of coloured cars surrounding it, and you began to pace towards it.
Along with Bucky, you climbed into the backseat and pulled your seatbelt on while you received a ‘hey’ from each of the boys.
“I’m gonna have to start charging for rides at this point.” Sam joked, starting up the car. “Should I print ‘Sam Wilson Taxi Services’ on the side of my car?”
“Hm, I think ‘Wilson’s Rides’ has a better ring to it.” You replied, smirking at the boy’s glare through the rear-view mirror.
“What about ‘Sammy’s Cabs’?” Bucky chimed in, making Steve snort in the front seat.
“I like that one.” The blond nodded towards Sam.
He didn’t seem so impressed. “You’re all so hilarious. I swear, you’re all gonna start paying me five dollars every time I drive your asses somewhere.”
Bucky only chuckled before turning to face you. “Anyway, is everything alright with Pietro?”
While he obviously was curious to know what the boy needed to talk to you about privately, he wasn’t just asking to be nosy - if there was something more serious going on, he just wanted you to know that you could tell him about it.
Nervously, you tapped your fingers against the textbooks resting in your lap. “Yeah, everything’s fine. He actually... asked me to be his date to the Winter Formal.”
You weren’t sure what you thought Bucky’s reaction would be, but when he only plastered on what seemed to be a genuine grin and told you that he was happy for you, you admittedly were a little thrown off.
Sam and Steve shared a puzzled look as they heard their friend’s reaction, knowing that there must’ve been a little more to how Bucky felt that he was letting on.
Perhaps you were right, though. Bucky wasn’t going to ask you to be his date, and that’s why he was so happy that Pietro had asked you instead.
And while it was slightly painful to know that Bucky had no intention of asking you to the dance, at least you now knew what his true feelings about you were.
You were friends. Whatever feelings you had didn’t matter, because he only wanted to be your friend, and maybe that confirmation could encourage you to just move on.
* * *
“Bucky, you are such a dumbass.” Sam shook his head, sliding into the booth next to Steve.
After dropping you off at home, the drive to Carter’s was pretty silent. The two boys in the front seats were waiting impatiently for Bucky to say something, but no words left his mouth for the entire time. If they wanted to get an explanation from him, they were going to have to get it themselves.
Bucky sent a glare in Sam’s direction, picking up a laminated menu from the centre of the table and lifting it to block his face. “I haven’t done anything, Sam.”
“Yeah, that’s kinda the problem.” He retorted, snatching the menu from the brunet’s grasp and placing it back on the table. “I thought you were askin’ (Y/N) to the dance.”
“I never said that.”
Steve sighed. “Buck, you told me this morning that you were gonna ask her today. What happened?”
“Pietro Maximoff. He happened.” The boy huffed, leaning back in his seat. “If I knew that he was gonna ask her then I would’ve done it earlier.”
Bucky was livid, really. Why? Why when he was literally just about to ask you to be his date, Pietro had to swoop in and steal that from him? After he’d asked you to have lunch with him that one time, Bucky had his suspicions that maybe the silver-haired boy was trying to shoot his shot. But Pietro wasn’t him. You would never feel the way about Pietro that you felt about Bucky, right? If you even felt for Bucky at all. Fuck, there he was again - thinking about the perfect world where you’d finally fall into his arms and tell him that you felt the same for him.
Once he’d left your house the other night, after you’d fallen asleep on his shoulder, he’d tucked a blanket over your curled up form and quietly slipped out of the front door, a stupid smile refusing to leave his lips. Hope. The smallest, tiniest amount of hope had filled his heart that you were finally opening your heart to him. Maybe you were finally doing just that.
And maybe Pietro had now completely ruined it.
“Are you sure that’s all you’re pissed off about?” Sam raised a brow. “You’re annoyed at Pietro for askin’ her to be his date?”
“What are you getting at, Sam?” Bucky murmured, wanting to forget everything that’d happened in the twenty minutes prior to this moment.
Sam leaned forward on his elbows. “Let me ask you something; would you even be pissed off if (Y/N) had have said ‘no’ to him?”
The boy opposite him stared at his friend dumbly. “What?”
“I think what Sam’s saying,” Steve took over. “Is that if (Y/N) didn’t say yes to being his date, then you would still have your shot at asking her to be yours-”
“You’re pissed off because she said yes to Maximoff.” Sam intervened, causing the blond next to him to roll his eyes, but nod in agreement anyway.
Bucky sat silently for a couple of moments, biting the inside of his cheek as he thought about what his friends were trying to tell him. They were right; you could’ve said no. If you didn’t like Pietro, if you didn’t want to be his date, you could declined him... but you didn’t. You didn’t wait for Bucky to ask instead.
You didn’t want him to ask you.
Maybe this was your way of hinting to Bucky that you and him were truly only friends. Whether there was something between you and Pietro or not, you’d put the thought in Bucky’s head that there was nothing between him and you. Nothing on your end, anyway.
“It doesn’t matter anymore.” Bucky spoke up, his jaw tensed involuntarily. “It’s just a stupid dance.”
“Buck...” Steve wasn’t an idiot. He could tell his friend was pretty upset. While he hadn’t directly told him that he was head over heels for you, the blond had a damn good hunch that was the case. The dance would’ve meant a lot to Bucky if he could’ve had you on his arm, walking into the hall together.
Steve was about to try and encourage the frowning boy to keep his hopes up, until another figure hopped into the booth next to Bucky, making all the boys’ heads turn to them.
“God, who died?” The redhead asked sarcastically, earning herself questioning looks from her friends. “You all look miserable, what’s going on?”
The boy next to her shuffled uncomfortably, so she looked to the other two boys in front of her for some sort of explanation.
“Bucky’s sad.” Sam said, causing a loud scoff from Bucky.
“M’not sad.” He shook his head, narrowing his eyes at Sam.
“He can’t find a date for the Winter Formal in a couple of weeks.” Steve affirmed to the girl.
Bucky was about to tell the blond how that just made him sound like a loser, until Natasha spoke up instead. “Aw, Buck. You don’t need a date to have fun.”
It wasn’t just a random date he wanted to take - it was you he wanted as his date.
“At least you’re getting a Winter dance,” She continued. “Shield High thinks that dances are a waste of time. Peggy’s lucky that you’re taking her to the dance at your school, Steve. Maria and I are going dress shopping with her at the weekend.”
At the mention of Maria’s name, Sam’s eyes flicked up to the redhead, a cunning smirk playing on his lips. “Well, the two of you should buy yourselves dresses as well.”
“What?” Natasha raises a curious brow.
Sam shot Bucky a knowing look, ignoring the daggers he was receiving back. “Bucky can take you as his date, and I can take Maria Hill. Works out for everybody.”
Yeah, everyone except for Bucky and his chances at ever getting you to believe you were the one that he wanted. What were you going to think if he showed up with his ex on his arm? Even if you did trust that Natasha was only his friend, it would still look like he asked Natasha to be his date rather than you, which is not at all what he wanted you to think.
It was Natasha’s turn to scoff this time. “You just want an excuse to try and chat up Maria. She’s a smart girl, Sam. Smart enough to not fall for your dumb ass.”
“You gotta admit, Natasha...” Sam shrugged. “Maria and I would make a hot as hell couple.”
The girl only rolled her eyes at him before turning to Bucky. “You don’t have to take me to the dance if you don’t want to, Bucky. I’d understand.”
Well, now he just felt bad. He couldn’t let Maria and Peggy go to the dance and just leave Natasha out in case you got the wrong idea. It could be fun, anyway. Nat and him could go as friends, she could stick around with Steve, Sam and the girls while he managed to steer you away from your date. So what if you weren’t his date? That didn’t mean he couldn’t be the one to make your night special.
“No, I want you to go.” Bucky nodded, a smile forming on his lips, Natasha mirroring his expression. “It’ll be fun, all of us goin’ together.”
“Awesome.” The girl beamed, plucking her buzzing phone from her pocket and chuckling at the name written across the screen. “Your girl’s calling me, Sam. I’ll let her know the good news.”
“You do that, Romanoff.”
As she got up from her seat and left momentarily to answer the phone, Steve immediately aimed a glare at the boy next to him. “Do you really think Buck showing up with his ex-girlfriend as his date to the dance is gonna win (Y/N) over?”
“S’alright, Stevie.” Bucky reassured him, suddenly not feeling so bad about everything that had happened. Sure, he was still frustrated that you couldn’t have simply been his date, but maybe things could still work out for him. “It doesn’t matter who either of us go to the dance with. If... if she likes me like I like her, then I think the night will go just fine.”
“Atta boy.” Sam smirked. “That’s the spirit. Maximoff ain’t gonna know what hit ‘em when you swoop in and steal his date.”
Maybe Sam was being a little dramatic, but his friend appreciated the encouragement. The thought that you had agreed to go to the dance Pietro because you might’ve had feelings for him was still circling Bucky’s mind, but he was trying to push it aside. Ever since the night where he walked you home with your hand in his, things had been different. Good different. He had a feeling that things could get even better than good, if he played his cards right.
He’d always kept them to himself, his feelings for you. When you told him at sixteen that you couldn’t get into a relationship, he completely understood. But holding his feelings back was hard, and if he didn’t try at least one more time to win you over, he’d regret it if you ever found someone else.
The night of the Winter Formal was going to be his night, and he was going to make sure of it.
* * *
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