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#i’m glad people actually like those because we have so much fun doing them
pupkashi · 8 months
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satoru is SHIT at flirting and i know it
like he could easily make people swoon when he doesn’t try but the second he decides ‘yeah i have feeling for u’ all his game goes down the drain
he uses stupid pick up lines and stuff on u but always manages to mess them up so they never actually work
“satoru where are you? shoko said the meeting was at 5:30” you asked, phone pressed to you cheek as you continued to look for the sorcerer.
“sorry I’m just lost” he pauses, a smile on his face, his confidence through the roof as he open his mouth again, “lost in those eyes of yours.”
silence.
“satoru we are on the phone”
he is absolutely mortified and debates on just completely giving up, but it’s when he’s unaware of his actions and just being himself that he finds you staring at him a bit longer, giggling at his words and blushing.
satoru is shit at flirting, but god is he a natural fucking charmer
he’s holding the door open for you, offering to walk you home, listening to you talk, watching your favorite shows with you and remembering your favorite things. he picks flowers for you and gives them to you, pays for your lunch anytime you guys are together, he’s always making you laugh and giggle even when he’s feeling like shit.
he’s the kind of guy to always brush hands with you when you’re walking next to each other, he’s holding your things for you, texting you and sending you things you’d find funny or that remind him of you, complimenting you constantly but not in a weird way
he’s the kind of bad flirting that hears you mention you like something and then he’s like “oh me too!” without missing a beat but he’s actually never consumed a single piece of media of the thing ur talking about and spends all night learning abt it in case you ever bring it up again
he once asked you if you could help him study before an exam and when he realized that you knew much less than him he ended up teaching you. he was sure his luck had ran out and he had fumbled extremely hard.
“toru! i passed!” you grinned, holding the paper in front of his face. the 90 written in red ink in the top right corner made his lips curl into a smile, grinning right back at you.
“i told you that you’d do great! I’m proud of you” he smiles, not expecting your arms to be thrown around his neck, squealing softly as you pull him into a hug.
you’re only giving him half a second to process what’s happening when your lips find his cheek, your heart racing and you’re hoping that shoko really did know gojo as much as she claimed to.
satoru is stunned, his face is red and his ears are burning and he should probably close his mouth or actually say something before all his efforts are washed away.
“haha cool” is all he stutters out, he’s cringing insanely hard and subtly pinching himself when you’re staring up at him with nervous eyes.
“yeah cool,” you mumble, already turning on your heel read to lock yourself in your room when he’s grabbing your wrist and pulling you into his chest.
“can i kiss you?” he whispers, your faces mere inches apart, your small nod is all he needs before he’s crashing his lips onto yours, smiling into the kiss because holy shit i fucking made it.
when he’s pulling away from you he has this silly little grin on his face, clearing his throat before finally speaking up.
“I’m really glad you passed” he says, you can’t help but want to tear your hair out, what happened to the satoru that could make any girl swoon?
it’s not until after the two of you start dating that he’s back to normal, using every pick up line in the book (correctly this time) and making your blush like it was his job. he’d make you stutter and roll your eyes, so naturally flirting with you.
you would always make fun of him and ask where this was when he was crushing on you, he’d only get extremely red and start pouting, saying he was just too embarrassed because he thought you’d reject him.
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a/n: hi hi back w a silly little drabble :P i don’t really like this much but i really wanted to post something so i hope it’s okay !! i think it’s sweet and silly hehe,, requests are open so feel free to drop something :3
taglist (send an ask to be added!) : @chilichopsticks @anime-for-the-sleepless @4sat0ruu @safaia-47 @nanamikentoseyebags @fushironi @nineooooo @the-mom-friend-dot-com @gojoshooter @sat6ru @luna0713hunter @torusmochi
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steddieas-shegoes · 8 months
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Request: video gamer Steve who is very very private & constantly has competitions with his friends/followers. But one day he does & q&a and someone asks him about his ring/necklace (or something that is noticeable) & he talks about his partner. & Eddie who is a well known musician who talks about his partner Steve. And somehow their fans put it together that Steddie are together. Then they do a really cute q&a on Steve's channel all about their relationship & its really cute
MY LOVE!!! Honestly, if Liam didn't watch so many gamers on YouTube, I would be so clueless. I never got into video games (because I'm so so bad at them you guys it is actually embarrassing) and I never really watched streamers on YouTube or anything. But I know that some of them have like a cult following and so I am picturing Steve to be one of those here. Please don't ask what games he would play because this is a choose your own adventure part of the story. - Mickala ❤️
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Everyone made fun of Steve for how much he talked with his hands. Even on camera, his hands were constantly in the frame, moving and emphasizing his passion for whatever game he was playing for that stream.
He should have realized that wearing a ring on his usually bare hands would have given him away.
It was his first livestream competition since Eddie proposed on their trip to the Maldives.
He was still a little high off of, well, everything, and he wasn’t thinking clearly.
He ignored the first question that popped up.
who got you that ring?
He shared some basic personal stuff with his fans and followers, but he kept most things private, especially his relationship.
But then questions kept coming in.
R U ENGAGED???
usually the girl wears the ring right
If you’re taken I might have to unsubscribe
The last one made him pause.
It’s not like he was an idiot, he knew that there would always be a handful of people who followed him because he was attractive. He didn’t mind, especially because some of them would message him and explain that they ended up getting into games because of him.
“Okay, wait. Sorry guys. Um. I wanna address something before we start the actual stream.” He held his hand up, looking over at the ring Eddie proposed with. “I share a lot with you guys. I came out about a year ago during a stream as bisexual, and it really shouldn’t have been much of a shock, but it caused a bit of a…thing.” He grimaced. “And I guess most of the reason that I came out then was because my boyfriend had come out as well, and it felt like something we could do together without actually doing it together. Most of you know I was just gone for a week on a much needed vacation. I was with my boyfriend, and he proposed while we were there. I said yes because he is the only person I’ve ever wanted to spend my life with.”
Steve put his hand down, sighing.
“I understand if that makes some of you unfollow me, but I do hope you look at yourself and try to come to terms with why that is what makes you unfollow someone you enjoy watching. Anyways, the ring is beautiful, and it's a simpler version of one he wears every day, so it means even more.”
He felt relieved, but also a little stressed, and knew he’d be calling Eddie as soon as this was over to talk to him about everything.
“Let’s get gaming!” He gave his best smile to the camera.
—-------------------------------------
“Yeah, we had a nice week off together, alone, and I finally got to propose. I don’t think we left the bed for 24 hours after that,” Eddie laughed.
The interviewer laughed too, used to Eddie’s jokes and blunt answers.
“I’m glad you got to spend some time just the two of you. This has been a busy world tour for you and Corroded Coffin and you’re only halfway through!” The interviewer, Hannah, stated. She smiled at him when he nodded. “Anything new planned for the second half of the tour?”
“We can’t give out secrets, Hannah, you know that,” Eddie smirked. “But Gareth did say I should tell you about one thing.”
Gareth definitely had a crush on Hannah and had pouted endlessly about being scheduled for a different interview at the same time as Eddie’s interview with her.
“Oh?” she leaned forward, eyes gleaming.
She maybe had a crush on him, too.
“He actually wrote a song that’ll be on our next album. He doesn’t usually get bit with the writing bug, but someone’s inspired him,” he winked at her, smiling at her blush. “Anyway, it’s been added to the setlist for the second leg of the tour and we’re all really excited for everyone to hear it.”
Eddie felt his phone vibrating in his pocket multiple times. All the guys knew he was in an interview and couldn’t answer a call, so who the hell was calling him?
It was easy enough to ignore through Hannah’s next question, until it started again.
He reached in his pocket and checked to see who it was, eyes going wide when he saw ‘Stevie’ with a picture of them on their vacation lighting up his screen.
Steve never called twice in a row unless it was an emergency. He knew if Eddie didn’t answer, he was truly busy.
He felt his heart racing as he looked back up at Hannah, who instantly seemed to catch on to something happening.
“We’re going to a commercial break, but when we’re back, Eddie’s gonna share a few hints about the next album!” Hannah said, immediately shutting the mics off and gesturing for him to get up.
Eddie took off his headphones and stood, walking out of the room as he answered the phone.
“Sweetheart, are you okay?”
“I’m sorry to bother you, I just-”
“Hey, no, it’s not bothering me. I was just in a radio interview with Hannah so we had to cut to commercial break before I could answer. What’s wrong?” he asked, concerned that something terrible had happened.
“Fuck, I forgot that was right now. I’m sorry. Call me back when you get to the bus,” Steve seemed like he was trying to rush off the phone.
“No, Stevie, wait. What’s wrong?” his tone was firm enough to let Steve know he wasn’t going to let this drop.
“Um. I just had a livestream thing. And like, people asked about the ring, so I told them I was engaged and some people just didn’t take it that well and then I went online and some people have apparently put it together that the Steve you talk about is me because of something I mentioned about my vacation and something you posted about the vacation and so I think everyone’s gonna know and I’m sorry,” Steve was panting by the end, speaking a million miles an hour literally taking the breath from him.
“Okay, well, we knew this would probably happen eventually, my love. I’ll just call the guys and we can talk to Chrissy about it if it gets picked up by the media. No reason to panic,” Eddie tried to calm him down while watching through the window to the recording booth where Hannah seemed to be introducing a song to kill more time.
“But I ruined our plan!”
“No, love. People ruined our plan. And it’s okay, anyway. We’ll figure it out.”
“But your fans will be mad that it’s me. I’m just…me!”
“You’re not just anything and any fan of mine who says or thinks that, isn’t a fan,” Eddie sighed. “I love you, and we will figure this out. Whatever we gotta do, okay?”
Steve let out a long breath before responding.
“I love you too. Tell Hannah I said hi?”
“Of course. I love you so much, okay? ‘Til death and beyond.”
Steve let out a small laugh.
“You’re not allowed to use those lyrics in the vows. But I love you so much, too.”
“We can discuss that later. I wrote you a very metal love song that I fully intend to use some of in the vows. Okay, bye!”
He hung up before Steve could argue and walked back into the studio, mouthing an apology to Hannah, who just waved it off with a smile.
Everything would be fine.
—-------------------------------------------
“The lighting isn’t ideal, but it’ll be fine,” Steve was pacing, double checking his set up while Eddie watched.
He tried helping, but kept being told not to touch things, so he ended up just sitting on the hotel bed.
Steve had traveled halfway across the country to do this, his stress was at an all-time high, and Eddie didn’t need to get his head bitten off.
“Five minutes,” Steve said, shaking his hands nervously.
“Come here, sweetheart,” Eddie said, waving him over to the bed.
“No, you’ll distract me.”
“Yes, which is exactly what you need for a minute. Come here.”
Steve sighed, but went over to him, dropping onto the bed and resting his head against Eddie’s shoulder.
“What’s got you so worried?”
“Everything.”
Eddie sighed.
“But specifically.”
“I just don’t want you or the guys to lose fans because of me,” Steve was playing with the edges of the hole in Eddie’s jeans absentmindedly.
“Sweet boy, we lose fans because we endorse a certain amp brand over another. We’ll be fine.”
“This is bigger, though. I’m just a nobody who got lucky on YouTube playing some games,” Steve whined.
“And I loved you before that. If they don’t want me to be happy, they aren’t real fans anyway. You’re my future, not whatever woman still thinks she has a shot with my gay ass,” Eddie said.
“But it isn’t just you who suffers.”
“None of us suffer. We lose some homophobic, idiotic fans who shouldn’t ever have claimed to be fans at all. None of us want people like that around.”
Steve’s alarm went off to signal one minute before the livestream started.
He jumped up and pulled Eddie up with him.
They’d already gone over everything together, discussed it with Chrissy and the guys, even Steve’s manager, Robin, about how this would work.
Steve would pretty much act like it was any other livestream, but Eddie would be there for the first five minutes or so so they could do a quick explanation of things.
Eddie would do a phone interview with Hannah in 30 minutes while Steve was gaming, covering a bit more and answering some questions about their relationship.
Then they’d both have a night off to decompress in the hotel before Steve had to fly back home and Eddie had to head to the next tour stop.
Hopefully, the buzz would die down relatively quickly.
Steve did his normal intro, but Eddie’s hand rested on his knee out of sight, squeezing once when he heard his voice start to shake a little while introducing Eddie.
“There’s been some rumors about us, and we just wanna be completely honest about things so that the rumors stop,” Steve continued. “First of all, we’ve been together for almost four years. Way before I got anywhere with YouTube, before Corroded Coffin had even released their first album. And we were friends long before that.”
“Even though I had the biggest crush on him in high school, I didn’t admit I was in love with him until we both moved to Chicago. Wasted years,” Eddie shook his head.
“Second,” Steve smirked, looking over at him for a moment. “The week off in the middle of his tour had been planned for Jeff to go home and be with his family for his wife’s birthday and daughter’s graduation.”
“Anyone who thinks Steve threw a fit about needing a vacation and made the band take a break is just saying so out of spite that we had to move around one of the tour dates to make the week off work. It’s not up to you to come up with a narrative,” Eddie added, brow raised like he was chastising children.
“And finally, most importantly, what either of us choose to share is up to us. We do not owe anyone any explanations. Our relationship is ours. Being public figures already takes away a lot of our autonomy, and this is something neither of us will budge on. We are willing to share our happiness, but we are not willing to let everyone become a part of our life together.”
Sometimes, Steve said things in such a way that Eddie couldn’t do anything but stare at him in awe. He loved him more than anything, and sometimes the only thing he could do was kiss him.
He did so now, not exactly forgetting they were live streaming, just not really caring.
Steve tensed for a second, but then relaxed, cupping his cheek and smiling into the kiss.
Eddie pulled away and looked back at the camera.
“On that note, I’m gonna leave Steve here to his gaming. If you aren’t nice, I’ll ban you from Corroded Coffin shows for life,” he waved before standing and leaving the camera’s view.
Steve rolled his eyes, but smiled fondly as Eddie walked out of the bedroom, blowing kisses back at Steve the entire way.
—-------------------------------------------
After that, Eddie made random appearances on Steve’s live streams, and Steve flew out to a handful of shows to support Eddie.
It’s not that they were hiding before, but they just hadn’t felt like they should have to try to.
Now they didn’t.
Steve even did a Q&A with the band on tour while playing games with them.
They were all pretty terrible at it, complaining most of the time about how D&D was so much easier than this. Eddie didn’t play, but he sat next to Steve and braided his hair while he kicked their asses, asking them all the questions that popped up from people watching.
When he got to one for him, he smiled and kissed the top of Steve’s head.
“This question is for me. How did you know Steve was the one?” The guys all groaned, but they were smiling. “Well, I knew he was the one back in my first senior year. I tripped on the step into the gym and Steve was the only one there. He helped me up and smiled at me, and I was a goner.”
“He’s lying to you all,” Steve said without looking away from the game. “He knew when I made him homemade banana bread. His exact words were, ‘I’m gonna marry you so hard someday, Harrington.’ and then six months later he proposed.”
“Both can be true,” Eddie pouted.
Steve paused the game and turned to him, kissing the tip of his nose.
“Every moment I have with you proves you’re the one for me,” he said before turning back to the game and leaving Eddie silently shocked.
“This is the last time we come on this thing, Steve,” Gareth said.
“Yeah. You broke him,” Jeff agreed.
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piichuu · 5 months
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♡ DAYLIGHT - BASEBALL GAME
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NOVEMBER 11TH
7:21PM
the sun has already begun to lower as you, shoko and utahime arrive at the baseball court that has been taken over by the others you will spend the evening with, one of those including nanami kento. he is wearing his usual attire despite the fact that he might have to take part of the fun, but it seems like he’s planning on being on the sidelines.
his eyes meet yours for a quick second before they look away towards gojo who is already talking his ears off after not many minutes.
“y/n!” the sound of itadori yuji’s voice reaches your ears as he runs towards you, putting his arms around you for a hug after months of not seeing one another. the last time the two of you saw each other was before nanami broke up with you.
you put an arm on his back and giggle lightly. “hi yuji, have you been okay?” you ask and the young boy nods, flashing you a wide smile. “mhm! have you?”
you give him a slight nod and watch as he then runs over to nanami to talk to him, one of his favorite people in the world. it is when he points towards you that it comes to your understanding what yuji is talking about to the taller man in front of him.
“i think he’s doing anything to get the two of you back together, you were pretty much acting like his parents back then,” shoko chuckles.
utahime nods in agreement before gojo walks up to you three, wrappings his arms around you to pull you in for a group hug. “you came! you guys are playing too,” he says, causing you to let out a groan. “i thought we wouldn’t have to play.” “well, you do now, so come on. we have to make the teams.”
your gaze flickers around at the others talking to one another. nanami kento is now sitting on a bench a little further away from the others and after giving shoko a quick glance, you walk over to him. maybe this’ll be the best way to avoid playing a baseball game where you know none of the rules.
the blonde man looks up at you before he watches as you sit down beside him. “also trying to avoid having to play?” he questions and you give him a quick nod of the head. “i don’t think i would want to either be in a team with gojo nor play against him.”
nanami chuckles and shakes his head. “same, i’ve played with him before which is why i’m sitting here now. you probably remember that game, when he was about to use his domain on me because my team won against his.”
as the memory plays back in your head, you let out a giggle. “yeah, i remember that now. i was actually scared for your life for a second,” you say and nanami gives you a soft smile. “so it’s probably best if i sit this one out.”
you nod. “probably, and remembering that makes me want to play even less. i wouldn’t even be able to defend myself against him.” “he probably wouldn’t hurt you. if he didn’t hurt me that time, he wouldn’t hurt you. he’s harmless to us, you should know that as well.”
“i know,” you flash him a light smile before looking away towards your friends who have just started playing, seeming to have accepted you and nanami not wanting to join in.
he sighs. “how have you been holding up since we last met?” his hands are placed in his lap as he speaks, not knowing what else to do with them as he awaits an answer. “i’ve been good. i’m sorry you had to see me like that…”
“it’s not like it was the first time. it’s okay, i was happy to see you,” nanami speaks and as soon as those last words leave his mouth, you can’t help the fact that your face is warming up for each second that passes. “i don’t want you to think otherwise. i’m always glad to see you.”
you try to hide the smile that is growing wider on your face, looking away from him. “you can’t say those things,” you mumble, suddenly feeling the touch of his hand now over yours, slowly intertwining your fingers together like it’s the most natural thing. “i know, but i can’t help it…”
just as you’re about to look back at him, gojo’s voice reaches your ears. “nanamin, y/n! you have to play, come on, don’t try to get away!” he yells and before anyone can see, you pull your hand away from nanami’s and stand up on your feet, walking towards the group of friends with a heart beating quicker than ever before.
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FOURTEEN | MASTERLIST | SIXTEEN
PAIRING: nanami kento x f!reader
SYNOPSIS: nanami thought he did what was best for y/n when he broke up with her, but he could not have been more wrong. he isn’t making it better when he accidentally sends her a follow request and doesn’t even realize.
WARNINGS: none i think
TAG LIST: @yourmumsthings @minibolos @kaitfae @purplecandygerl @rijhi @hangezoeisabaddie @ilovekennyomega @peachesnoranges @satoruskitchenrag @jtoddwife @hana-patata @mysuperrainbow @changbinsuals @zenilili @creative1writings @bloombb @vynz0ne @tranzumaki @libbyistired @sad-darksoul @r0ckst4rjk @becsmarvel @magalimachete @wxnderless @letthewindlead @lyannablaiddyd @nerdiel-has-no-braincells @rreborn @stardusthyuck @lvrmelanii @thvunaise @mrswhitethornbelikov @mr-underhills-things @lynxxyyy @polarbvnny @bbysatoruuu @bhootlekhakag @sillygetocat @moonmalice @ssc7514 @ti-mame @asp7n @bananasquash @spiidergirlsworld @luvceleste @fresa-luna @grimistheangerinmystares @zanellemalkovich @fragil3ghost @scorpio-echo
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makeste · 5 months
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BnHA Chapter 407: Wait Why Are You Running Away
Previously on BnHA: Kacchan figured out how to control his quirk upgrade and was totally chill and normal about it. Definitely not terrifying at all. He actually spent the entire chapter smiling and laughing like the wholesome little boy he is. I don’t know why Kid For One is so freaked out about it. He even politely introduced himself using his childhood nickname. Clearly he just wants to be friends with you, KFO!
Today on BnHA: Horikoshi is all “sorry to keep you waiting, here’s the AFO and Yoichi flashback you ordered at long last” and proceeds to serve a nightmarish stew of HUMAN MISERY and RATS and STABBING and CARNAGE and SO MUCH MURDER and THE SINGLE MOST FUCKED-UP CASE OF CODEPENDENCY ANYONE HAS EVER WRITTEN. I was not even remotely prepared for any of this, and if anyone else claims that they were, I will call you a liar to your face. If this chapter had a mouth it would scream. Or just sob, ceaselessly and uncontrollably. I’m really glad Horikoshi is on break next week because that man needs to take a fucking nap. My god.
okay WOW
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anyone else read the first two words and just immediately say to themselves, “oh okay, so it’s gonna be one of those chapters”? I mean, I guess we were due for a darker chapter after last week’s Kacchan Comedy Tour. but idk, I just wasn’t expecting “homeless sick prostitute with a drinking problem” levels of dark
AND SHE’S PREGNANT?!
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what exactly is this manga rated again? doesn’t this backstory seem just a little bit raw for the impressionable kiddos??
has anyone actually checked in on Horikoshi recently? you know, just to make sure he is okay??
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what a fun and wholesome manga this is
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the lil baby arm covered in blood with the AFO hole on the palm. lying next to the dead mom hand. what an image to sear into our minds. I guess it’s been a while since he killed any dogs. gotta keep us on our toes somehow
also wasn’t expecting AFO and Yoichi to be twins! that puts an interesting spin on their relationship, because it’s usually a closer bond than even regular siblings. especially with all of that delightful shared trauma from a young age!!
yes, exactly
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ohhhh this chapter is gonna hurt me, isn’t it. okay. ooooooookay. let’s do this
OH I’M SORRY, THERE’S MORE?!
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Horikoshi my dude. you do realize that their mom dying in childbirth and the two of them just barely surviving and growing up as street orphans would have already been MORE than tragic enough, backstory-wise. you did not have to turn this into a freaking horror show with RATS TRYING TO EAT THEIR NEWBORN SELVES jesus christ
and THAT’S where you chose to put a one year timeskip?!
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what the fuck am I reading here, you guys. no please tell me, I am actually desperate to understand
so the narrator is saying that some of the quirks manifested later in life, in “pubescent and pre-pubescent stages”, which is interesting because it’s the first time I can recall hearing about someone actually manifesting a quirk that late. maybe Deku’s old OFA cover story was more plausible than I realized
anyway so eventually it occurred to everyone that they should maybe freaking study this shit, idk. and eventually the researchers concluded that the superpowers came from a new gene that apparently isn’t human. and upon hearing that, society apparently lost its freaking mind. which is fascinating to me because it implies that the turning point wasn’t actually the superpowers themselves, but the realization of what it meant
like, so they were apparently fine with it when they thought it was a “mysterious disease”, but somehow it hit different when they learned it wasn’t actually a sickness at all, but instead the Next Step in Evolution. and it became an “us vs them” thing, as opposed to a “we have to cure these poor people” thing. damn
anyway so now Japan is a dystopia and we’re cutting to a big crowd of merc-looking dudes who are getting ready to attack some “meta freaks”, how lovely
but who is this figure in the shadows
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I ask politely, as if it wasn’t already beyond obvious that this is AFO about to wreck some people’s shit
ohhhhh my god lmao
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hopefully Katsuki and Deku can take the present day AFO out before he winds up looking like this. because this little fella is clearly demonic and idk if anyone can stop him
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you all don’t understand. you need to run the fuck away right now
oh shit it’s already too late for them
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it’s too late for any of us. it’s over. it’s all fucking over
((((;゜Д゜)))
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AFO I am putting the manga down. I am backing away slowly with my hands in the air. I mean you no harm. please for the love of god have mercy
holy
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“you see, we told you he wasn’t human” okay Scientific Research Group, you know what?? you win this round I guess
“HE WAS LITERALLY EVIL FROM BIRTH” HORIKOSHI SERIOUSLY ARE YOU OKAY??
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HE WAS BORN AN ARROGANT BABY is literally the most terrifying sentence I have ever read
what the entire fuck
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it’s a gorgeous sunny mid-November afternoon outside my window. but no matter how hard it tries, the light cannot reach this place
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what kind of moron would throw a can of soda at him. officially the stupidest person we have ever seen in this manga
OH MY GOD OF COURSE IT’S HIM LMAO
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(ETA: how come baby Yoichi has clothes that fit him perfectly but baby AFO is just stomping around wearing a tablecloth.)
BABY YOICHI. OH MY GOD. HOW THE HELL DID YOU GROW UP TO BE SANE AND KIND AND GOOD. THAT’S MY QUESTION THAT I NEED ANSWERED RIGHT NOW. YOU ARE LITERALLY A MIRACLE. YOU ARE AN IMPOSSIBILITY, DO YOU KNOW THAT
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small and weak, but also so, so cute. all of the cuteness genes went straight to him. no wonder AFO was jealous
(ETA: just want to press pause for a second to speculate about what type of twins AFO and Yoichi are, since it has some relevance to the story, and especially to the OFA/AFO quirk lore. so! at first glance the two of them would appear to be fraternal twins, just based on the fact that they have very different appearances, and also the fact that Yoichi doesn’t have the AFO quirk – no holes in his hands, etc. identical twins are born from the same fertilized egg, so in theory they would both have the same sequence of DNA, which means Yoichi would have had the same quirk as AFO. but that doesn’t appear to be the case. so all of that points to them being fraternal, not identical.
on the other hand, there is one piece of evidence in this chapter that does support them being identical twins, and that’s the fact that per the narration, AFO absorbed most of the nutrients from their mother. a few minutes of google fu informed me that this condition is relatively rare, and only happens in cases where two twins share a placenta, which typically is only the case for identical twins. HOWEVER, for what it’s worth, there have also been rare instances where two fraternal twin placentas fuse together and become a single placenta. AND this apparently also increases the chances of one of the twins gaining more of the nutrients and causing the other twin to have a lower birth weight.
so based on the evidence here, my conclusion is that the two of them are most likely fraternal twins with a case of placental fusion. besides, you can’t tell me that stealing his baby brother’s placenta while the two of them are literally still in the womb doesn’t sound like exactly the type of BS that fetus!AFO would pull, lol.)
HEY!?!
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okay?!?!?! well to be fair he did throw that soda at him
oh my god this is so fucked up. in like the best and worst way possible
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I genuinely couldn’t ask for a better AFO backstory. it’s so incredibly twisted, and you actually do feel sorry for him. or at least I do. but it’s also beyond clear that this kid was FUCKED UP BEYOND ALL REASON right from the get go. zero goodness in him. literally doesn’t see other people as people. sees them as possessions only. things to rule over. not other thinking, feeling human beings. and that includes his own little brother
but. even if it’s not actually what I would call love, there’s still... attachment, there. it’s the closest he can get to actually caring about someone. guh. just, somehow they have both managed to humanize him, and at the same time made him less human than ever. this manga, man. this fucking manga, though
lmao and here we go. Captain Hero
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you know, all those times that I made fun of AFO for not knowing how to read, I never suspected that the twist in his backstory would be that he LITERALLY DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO READ dfksjdlfkjslkdf
but seriously though. because Yoichi appears to be self-taught, and I can’t see AFO having the patience for that, and CLEARLY no one else was around to teach him, sooooo...
oh my goodness it’s actually getting wholesome up in here
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what a good fucking boy. poor AFO. fuck me, I can’t help it. it’s not your fault you’re the world’s greatest monster you poor bastard
now we’re cutting to THREE YEARS LATER. okay
is he going to declare war on the glowing baby
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typical teenager concerned about nothing but likes and view counts. AFO you would be so much happier if you stopped worrying about all of that and just focused on your own growth
oh, lol. well that was quick
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(ETA: r.i.p. Damien.)
“this guy had more instagram followers than me. so I killed him” honey. sweetie pie. you need therapy
omfg
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all this time I was wondering who AFO’s middle school lit teacher was who had failed so spectacularly at teaching him reading comprehension. and it was YOICHI ALL ALONG. omg
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“and, presumably, that’s how it always was and always will be.” dude. can you imagine listening to AFO’s oral book report on A Tale of Two Cities. “ahem. it was the Best of Times. the end” buddy noooooooo
it was at that moment when Yoichi knew, etc. etc.
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oh my GOD I scrolled down to the next panel right after this one and I just IMMEDIATELY DIED LAUGHING
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“WAS IT SOMETHING I SAID” ffffffffffffffff I fucking can’t omfg
NOW THIS HUSSY IS STEALING HIS BROTHER AWAY FROM HIM NOOOOOOO
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HE’S HIS!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!! THAT’S NOT ALLOWED!!!
oh my god the hands. so wait, is this just the standard symbolic BnHA handholding, or are there More Levels To This. when exactly did Yoichi pass OFA on to Kudou. like is that why the sudden close-up and all that? omg
WHAT!!!!
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OH THAT’S THE END, HUH? THAT’S THE END RIGHT THERE, AND THAT’S JUST HOW IT IS. I SEE. OKAY THEN. EXCUSE ME WHILE I PUT MY LAPTOP DOWN AND GO INTO THE NEXT ROOM AND SCREAM INTO A PILLOW
oh my god. and break next week too. this is what you guys have been dealing with this entire time huh. I understand your feelings now. godfuckingdammit lmao
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its-time-to-write · 11 months
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This is NOT Jamie Tartt slander. This is two sleep-deprived people making dumb choices because they’re tired. Also, this is so. Freakin. Long. Apologies in advance. Warnings include swearing, fighting, pregnancy? Is that a warning? Basically reader is pregnant and it goes through the first pregnancy test to like when the baby is a month old. Anyway. I never know how to write these intros.
you’re losing me
You and Jamie are young. You are not old. Sure, you’re married after only dating for a year and being engaged for another half a year, but it’s not like much changed from how it was. That band on your left hands gives you both a sense of security, and it’s fun to be the hot young married couple around Richmond. It’s nice to be able to walk around openly and to be called “Mrs. Tarrt,” and to know that this himbo dumbass is going to be making you laugh till you’re old and gray. (Said himbo dumbass told you that’s his favorite nickname). You both excel in your various workplaces and because of that, when you moved into Jamie’s house you were able to keep your flat. It turned out to be a blessing when your younger sister moved to England from another country, so she can be close by without actually being in the same house as you.
All that to say, you were not ready for the little pink stick you were holding at 4pm on a Wednesday.
“Babe?” Jamie calls from the front door, “I’m home! You here?”
Your eyes are glued to those two little lines. “In the bathroom!” you shout. You hear Jamie’s footsteps coming up the stairs into your room.
“Oi listen, Ted told this joke today that went over me head, so I remembered it to ask you and…” he trails off. “Why are you sitting on the floor?”
You turn to look at him, the same shock from five minutes ago still on your face. In an instant, Jamie is kneeling on the floor next to you cupping your face. “Are you alright? Do you need to go to the hospital? Do I need to call someone? Did something happen at work?”
You shake your head. “No, I’m fine, I just- look.” You halfheartedly lift the pregnancy test. Jamie looks down and his face shifts from concern to one of shock then back to concern.
“Are you sure?” he asks softly.
Wordlessly, you point to the sink where there are five pregnancy tests of different brands. All positive.
“Shit,” he whispers. Then: “Wait. Why aren’t you happy bout this? I thought you wanted kids?”
“I do!” you reply a little miserably, “I do, it’s just, we talked about it and I know you really don’t at least not till you’re in your mid-thirties, and I know I told you that I wanted to have them young that one time, but that was before we were dating and I didn’t want to pressure you and I don’t want you to think I did this on purpose because I didn’t but I’m actually really scared about what you’re going to think because I’m so excited, especially because I didn’t even think this was possible.”
You’re not looking at him anymore, but hugging your knees to your chest. You are excited for this baby. You didn’t think you were going to be able to have kids, based on personal issues and family medical history. Or at least, that it would take a lot of time and a lot of doctor’s appointments. The fact that you have a total of six positive pregnancy tests is a miracle in and of itself, but it’s not what you and Jamie planned. And sure, you’re married, but does that really mean you won’t split up? This is pretty big.
All these thoughts are swirling around in your head until-
“Hey.”
Jamie softly tilts your chin up. “Look at me.”
Against your will, tears have started to leak out of your eyes.
“Darling, I ain’t mad. I think mostly I’m just glad you ain’t dyin. This is amazing! We’re going to have a little baby Tartt, and I couldn’t be happier. As long as you’re alright, I’m happy.”
You grab his bicep. “Are you absolutely sure, Jamie?” You need to know. 
He laughs. “Babe, yes. Yes I am. For better or for worse, yeah? Though this really is for better.”
You crack a smile. “Ok. Ok. Yeah, ok.”
Jamie twirls a strand of your hair. “We’ll be ok, yeah? Now let’s get off this floor and go get ice cream. Heard that’s a pregnancy staple. And, on the way, can you explain this joke Ted said? Everyone laughed except me and Will, so I was thinking it’s gotta be...” his voice trails down the hall as you head out the door.
— 
Jamie is funny. Once he decides to do something, he’s all in. He wanted to start telling people the moment you stepped out the door for ice cream. You had to physically put your hand over his mouth to stop him from telling Mae, whom you bumped into on your way. To be honest, you’re sure she knows anyway because Jamie got out a few words and she gave you a knowing look, but she’ll keep it to herself. She’s a good one.
It was only a matter of time before Jamie insisted you start telling the team. He’d say, mid-breakfast, “Babe. You know who would be a great babysitter? Sam. Sam’s one of me best mates. Haven’t kept a secret from him in forever,” with a puppy dog face. 
Or during MarioKart, “What do you think about having Isaac and Colin help with the baby’s room? Isaac’s good at all that construction shit and both you and Colin like to paint. You probably shouldn’t be painting anyway, what with all the fumes.”
Or your personal favorite, during a shower, “Babe. What about Roy and Keeley?”
You: “What about Roy and Keeley?”
Jamie: “They should know. We should tell them. Keeley would flip her shit and I want to see if Roy will cry.”
You: “That’s what you’re thinking about? Here? Now? Good lord, man, I thought you were debating which conditioner to use.”
To be entirely fair, it was about the time to start telling people. You had started stealing Jamie’s shirts claiming that they were more comfortable. They were baggier on you, so they hid the beginnings of your baby bump, and you explained away any questions by reminding people that you wore a lot of layers because you were perpetually cold. However, you were at the point where you were going to have to start telling people, which is how Roy and Keeley ended up at your house for your bi-weekly dinner that you had been delaying for two months.
You had taken approximately two bites of food before Jamie clattered down his fork and said, “We have something to tell you.”
Roy and Keeley looked at you expectantly. You reach under your chair for two bags and place them in front of their plates.
Roy’s face is saying what the fuck as he and Keeley remove the tissue paper and hold up two onesies. A black one that says, newest addition to uncle’s day and a light pink one that says, if you think I’m cute, you should see my aunt. 
They look from the onesies in their hands and then back to you and Jamie. “Surprise!” you say in unison. There is a beat of silence and then Roy says, “That’s fucking great!” at the same time Keeley squeals, “Ohmygod, congratulations!” and then you’re all on your feet hugging. 
“I fucking knew it,” says Keeley. She nudges Roy, “Didn’t I tell you Roy-o? I fucking called it weeks ago! You owe me ten quid.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Roy grumbles as he reaches into his pocket, but that’s as close to a smile he’ll get. “Can’t believe you’re having a kid with this prick,” he says to you, but it’s prick (affectionate) as opposed to prick (derogatory). 
You smile. “You’re the first people we’ve told, other than Jamie’s mum and Simon. You’re the closest thing we have to family here.”
Keeley goes, “Aw, babe,” and Roy just squints at you and lets out a grunt.
“She’s gonna have the coolest family,” Jamie says.
“She?” Keeley asks, “Are you having a girl?”
You roll your eyes. “We don’t know. We’re going to find out tomorrow, and Jamie has been insisting that it’s a girl. He says it’s his ‘dad sense,’ or something like that. I’ve given up telling him that’s not a real thing.”
Jamie shrugs, “I know what I know. Don’t get why we have to go to some bloke with that slimy gel to be told something I’ve been saying for weeks.”
“That bloke with slimy gel is my doctor and an ultrasound, you absolute himbo!” you laugh.
Roy finally cracks a smile, and you spend a comfortable evening together, thinking about how much things are going to change.
— 
A week later, you’re at the Richmond pitch. You walked over from Mae’s, because you were thinking about her chips all afternoon. You ate at least three baskets and she made a sly comment about eating for two. She pinched your cheek as she walked away and then smacked Baz, who was trying to eavesdrop.
You walk into the locker room, coat still on and reach up to kiss Jamie. He’s still a sweaty from practice because none of them have gone to the showers yet, but you don’t mind. 
“You ready?” he asks.
You give your arms a shake. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
You walk into Ted and Beard’s office, where you asked Rebecca and Higgins to meet. Trent is in there as well, and he looks up in surprise as you walk in.
“Good to see, Mrs. Tartt,” Ted says as he gets up to hug you.
“Hey Ted,” you smile back, going over to hug Rebecca. “How are you all doing?” “Oh you know, biting our nails for whatever it is you guys have to tell us,” Ted replies.
“You’re not leaving, are you?” Rebecca interjects. “I simply cannot handle any more change around here.”
You shake my head. “No, no we’re not leaving. But this is about a change.”
Back in the locker room, the Richmond boys hear a big “WHAT,” from Ted and look over to see you and Jamie getting swarmed by him, Beard, Rebecca, Higgins, and Trent. Isaac looks at Sam and shrugs, bemused. You and Jamie open the door and walk out right under where the “Believe” sign used to be.
You smile and take off your coat, revealing a shirt that says “Tartt in the oven,” and an obvious baby bump.
There is silence as jaws drop and then Isaac says-
“I’m going to be an uncle?”
The locker room erupts in pandemonium with the boys slapping each other on the back firing rapid-fire questions at you and Jamie.
“How long have you been keeping this a secret?”
“Is it a boy or a girl?”
“Are you going to name it after me?”
“Can I be the favorite uncle?”
“Can we help decorate its room?”
Jamie is smiling as big as you’ve ever seen him.
“OI!” Isaac roars. “QUIET. Are we men or are we beasts? One at a time!”
Isaac looks at you two. “Boy or girl?”
Jamie’s eyes glow. “Girl!”
The room erupts once again as Jamie kisses you on the top of your head and pulls you close to him.
Labor was… not fun. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great. There weren’t really complications except for the fact that Jamie was almost not there. See, it’s because your water broke when you were in the shower right before leaving to watch one of Jamie’s games. You looked down at the shower drain and felt your mind race through a million scenarios. Do you text Jamie and make him miss the game? Do you push through as long as you can? Do you have Keeley and Rebecca take you to the hospital? Do you go by yourself?
As you’re considering, you think of laying in bed the night before. The baby was kicking and Jamie was tracing patterns on your stomach whispering, “Baby Tartt doo doo doo-doo doo-doo.”
He would hate to miss this.
You make a choice and call Keeley.
Thirty minutes later you’re in Rebecca’s box waiting for the game to start. You have contractions, sure, but you’ve been having them for a while. The doctor said it was nothing to worry about, so you didn’t worry. 
That means that Keeley and Rebecca don’t worry as you grip the arm of your seat and blow out a long breath.
Keeley absentmindedly pats your arm and Rebecca slings hers around your shoulders.
“Don’t go having this baby now,” she jokes, “Wait till after we’ve won.”
You force out a laugh. If only she knew.
You have to get up and walk after the first half because the contractions are starting to get closer together. Rebecca notices and gets up to come inside and see you.
“Are you alright?” she asks.
You look at her without saying anything and her eyes widen. 
“Shit,” she says. “How long has this been happening?”
“Since right before I left,” you gasp out, “My water broke in the shower and I didn’t want- shit.” You bend over from a contraction before continuing, “I didn’t want to miss Jamie’s game and it’s fine, right? It’s not until they’re three minutes apart that it really matters.”
“And how long are yours?” Rebecca asks.
You don’t want to look at her. “Six,” you whisper.
“SIX?” she yells. “Darling, you need to go. I’ll call Ted, he’ll pull Jamie, and then you’ll go.”
Keeley has come in by this point and fully assessed the situation. “Babes, you can’t stick around till the game ends. You have to go.”
You hold up a hand. “I’m fine. Richmond needs Jamie. It can wait.”
Rebecca clicks her tongue. “I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but we’re up by two and also it’s just a football game. It doesn’t matter. You are about to have a child so let me get your husband for you.” 
“Ok,” you say meekly. “Can I come with you?”
Rebecca calls Ted and you wait by the entrance to the pitch. Ted has barely put out the call to switch out number nine when Jamie is sprinting across the field to you. You’re at the hospital in record time, and that’s how Beatrice Georgie Tartt is born.
You and Jamie had a lot of conversations about what it’s like to be parents. You had the standard “What if I turn out like my dad,” chat (easily dispelled by the fact that he takes after his mum) and the “Baby comes before football,” chat which you needed to hear but definitely did not retain. That one was difficult for both of you, because you didn’t mind pausing your career for motherhood. You knew it would be waiting for you when you were ready to go back, but that isn’t really the case for Jamie. He’s in his prime right now, and it takes a lot of work. You had worked things out on paper, but life is never that easy. Newborns require a lot of attention, and  neither of you were sleeping well. Jamie had taken two weeks off training but was back by the third. The only problem was, he was back to his regular 4am training. It’s easy to get enough sleep when you can pick when you go to bed, but not so much when your daughter needs to be fed, changed, burped, whatever every single hour. 
In other words, you both were tired and snippy.
Bea was four and a half weeks old when the last straw came.
It was 2:30 am, and you was so, so tired. She needed a diaper change and you felt like you physically couldn’t get out of bed so you poked Jamie.
“Babe,” you say.
“Hm,” he groans, voice gravelly.
“Can you please change her? I can’t move,”
“Don’t know if you’ve noticed babe, but I have training with Roy in an hour. I can’t get up every time she needs something. That’s your job.”
Instantly, you are wide awake.
You’ve never heard Jamie take that tone of voice with you before. Never heard it be that intentionally cutting. 
You sit up. “Excuse me?”
He rolls over to face you. “You heard me. I don’t have time for this right now. It’s your job, you take care of it. This is not what I signed up for and anyway, you’re the one who wanted a baby, not me. You go deal with it.” He rolls back over to go to sleep and you just stare at him. You're too tired to fight but then Bea cries again and you say, “Jamie what the fuck.” 
“Look, babe, I can always go stay in a hotel and get some sleep. You’re the one who wants me to be here with you,” he replies, voice muffled by the pillow.
“Don’t ‘look, babe’ me, Jamie Tartt,” you say, voice icy. “I’m not sure if you recall, but you were the one who told me that Bea would always come before football and you are the one who decided you wanted to get married and you were the one who made all those speeches convincing me that you’d be with me for better or for worse. Well I’ve got news for you: it’s worse.” You get out of bed. “I’m going to change our daughter, and I hope next time I see you, you’ve had an attitude adjustment.”
That must get to him because he sits up and goes, “Babe-” but you’re already out the door.
You end up sitting with Bea on her rocker until 5am, which means you hear Jamie get up to leave with Roy. It also means you notice that he doesn’t come in to say goodbye, just leaves. You stare down at Bea in your arms. She has his eyes and the beginnings of your nose. By 6am you’ve made another choice, and you call your sister to ask her to help move some of your things into your old flat.
You leave a note on the counter that says: Jamie. Bea and I are giving you space, and you’re gone by 1. You spend all evening looking at your phone, waiting for a text from Jamie, or a call, or something. Nothing. Your sister doesn’t need much of an explanation and it’s your flat anyway, so she was alright with you and Bea moving in. She made dinner and held Bea, then forcibly made you go to sleep. Her work is flexible, so she said she’d take care of Bea until she had to leave on a trip in two days. 
Yet, although you finally had the chance to sleep, you couldn’t. You tossed and turned all night, periodically checking your phone for a text that never came.
A week and a half has gone by. Your sister is gone still, so it’s just you and Bea. She’s been crying so much recently, and the thought comes to you unbidden of every time Jamie has held her. She quiets down the moment she’s in his arms like clockwork. You’re running on no sleep and you need to go get groceries so that morning you pack up a diaper bag, put Bea in the car, and force yourself not to care that you look like absolute shit. 
You’re almost done shopping when you hear a voice call your name. You turn, and there’s Sam.
“I thought that was you,” he says. “I’ve been meaning to check up on you so I went by your house yesterday, but Jamie said you and Bea were out and he didn’t know when you’d be back. How are you?”
You let out a snort. “Oh he did, did he? That’s rich.”
Sam’s face shifts to concern. “Is everything alright? I don’t mean to pry, but part of the reason I wanted to see how you are is that Jamie has been terrible. He’s been an absolute prick for almost two weeks now and we all just assumed it was lack of sleep.”
You smile, because right now your options are that or cry.
“I’m living in my flat right now. My sister’s on vacation, so it’s just me and Bea. It’s kind of a lot, which is why I look like garbage. I don’t have time to clean or anything either, otherwise I’d invite you around. Anyway. Thanks for asking. Good to see you, Sam.” 
You walk away before you either overshare more or start crying, and in your haste you don’t see Sam watching you leave, concern written all over his face.
It’s the late afternoon when you hear a knock on your door. It’s Jamie your heart says, but when you open it, Sam, Dani, and Richard are standing on the step laden down with grocery bags, huge smiles on their face.
Before you can say anything, Sam says, “I hope this is not overstepping, but I noticed you had frozen meals in your cart this morning. I was thinking that we could cook you some meals to keep in the freezer, that way you do not have to worry about it.” You open your mouth to protest when Dani interjects. “Besides, we’re a family. Bea is my favorite niece and you are my second favorite sister. We should have seen if you needed help earlier.”
They look so sincere that you smile for the first time in a while and move to let them in. Richard goes to work clearing space in the kitchen while Sam and Dani organize their groceries. It looks like they’ve all gotten ingredients from their native countries, and Dani holds up a bag of chiles and says, “I brought these to make your favorite!” 
You’re not sure how he knows of your love for chile rellenos, but he does and as you go to sit on the couch to feed Bea, you feel something close to relief.
Bea is done eating and the kitchen is filled with light conversation and music when there is another knock on your door.
You open it to see Isaac, Colin, Zoreaux, Bumbercatch, and Jan Maas all decked out in cleaning gear and rubber gloves, holding various cleaning sprays, brooms, and mops.
To say you are speechless is an understatement.
“Sam texted us,” Isaac says. “Said something about needing a cleaning service and a babysitter.”
You let them in without a word.
The flat is filled with chatter as they stand around the living room. 
“Alright!” Isaac calls. “We’re going to divide and conquer! Colin, you’re on laundry. Zoreaux, you’re sweeping and mopping. Bumbercatch and Jan Maas, you’re on bathroom duty. Alright lads, let’s go!”
“Isaac,” Colin says, “what’s your job?”
Isaac looks at him. “I’m the captain, mate. I’m watching Bea.”
Groans go up from the boys and a chorus of “We want to hold her, why do you get to, I’m her favorite!” when Isaac silences them with an “Oi!”
“When you’ve finished your job and Bea and I have thoroughly inspected them, then maybe you can hold her after you’ve disinfected your hands and arms. Now get to it!”
“Isaac,” you say, pulling on his arm, “you don’t have to do this. Especially not the laundry or the bathrooms.”
He looks down at you, serious look on his face. “Is that for privacy reasons, or are you trying not to impose?”
You hesitate and debate lying. In the end, you tell the truth: “I don’t care about like privacy or whatever, it’s just gross. I don’t want you guys to have to do that.”
Isaac doesn’t respond, just says, “Can I wear the wrap?” so you go to get it and watch as he expertly puts it on and slides Bea in. She lets out a sigh and falls asleep on his chest.
“Right then. Now for your job,” he says to you.
You let out a singular laugh. “What do you have for me, captain?”
“I want you to go to your room, clear off the bed, close the door, and go to sleep. I’ll send Sam or Colin up to wake you if we need you. If you end up sleeping through then night, a few of us will stick around to make sure Bea’s alright. You still have Netflix, yeah?”
“Yeah,” you say. You start to head down the hall then turn and say, “Isaac?”
“Hm?” he replies.
“Thanks. This means more to me than you’ll ever know.”
Isaac waves that away then points to your bedroom door.
You walk in and shut the door, then are lulled to sleep by the white noise of having half of the Richmond team in your house cleaning, cooking, and reminding you that you are not alone.
— 
You’re woken up by Sam shaking your shoulder. It’s golden hour, so soft light streams through the room. The first thing you notice is how quiet it is. You sit up.
“What’s wrong?” you ask.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Sam says, but he’s not smiling. “We just need you downstairs for a minute.”
You follow him to the living room where the boys are standing behind a couch, arms crossed and backs to you, staring down something on the opposite couch.
Sam clears his throat and they turn to look at you. Bea is still passed out on Isaac in her wrap. They part slightly and you see what they’re looking at.
Jamie Tartt gives you a halfhearted wave from where he sits on your couch.
“Got a minute?” he asks.
Shit.
You sit across from him and just look.
He has the grace to look sheepish. “Look, d’you mind if we talk- like just you and me? Without-” he gestures to the boys.
“No,” Dani, Colin, and Jan Maas chorus, arms crossed, and Jamie nods once in a that’s fair type of way.
Jamie takes a deep breath. “Look, I- I was out with Roy today and we were training, and he called me a prick and he meant it, and maybe I was being a prick, but I shoved him and then he knocked me down and was all ‘what the fuck is wrong with you,’ and I said ‘none of your fucking business,’ and then he said something about a text from Sam and made me tell him what was going on. So I told him that you left and he said,” here Jamie does his best Roy Kent impression, “‘Did she leave or did you fucking kick her out because you were acting like a little bitch prima donna who can’t handle being a grown fucking man?’”
Jamie pauses for a moment. “So I thought about it, and I did fuckin kick you out like I was a little bitch prima donna. And the reason I didn’t text ya or call ya is because I thought you’d come back when you were ready, or maybe you left for good and I fucked something else up. And I didn’t want to be like me dad who was always showing up when my mum didn’t want him to, so I just stayed away. And I said that to Roy and he told me I needed to man the fuck up because I was acting like a whiny brat.” Jamie scratches the back of his neck. “I brought you flowers and came to apologize and tell you that I’m done acting like a kid.”
You squint at him and say, “Apologize for what, exactly?” because you want to know that he knows what he did.
Without hesitation Jamie says, “For telling you that Bea was your job and not mine, and for saying that I didn’t sign up for any of this and making it seem like I didn’t care and saying that I was going to sleep in a hotel by meself.”
Oh. So he does know.
There’s a ripple of whispered oh fucks and you realize that the lads don’t actually know what happened between you and Jamie, and this is the first time they’re hearing about it.
Before you can say anything, Jan Maas says, “How do we know you’ve changed?” followed by a chorus of “Yeah, that’s right,” from the boys.
“Eh, well,” Jamie begins before he is interrupted by a piercing cry from Bea. Isaac tries to hush her, but she just keeps going.
“There’s no way she’s hungry,” he says, “She just had a bottle fifteen minutes ago and I changed her five minutes after that.”
Jamie looks questioningly at you. “Can I-”
The whole team turns to look at you. You nod, and Isaac removes a still crying Bea and gently hands her to Jamie. She’s barely settled into his arms when she has gone completely silent, lets out a sigh, and falls asleep.
“I suppose that is that,” says Richard, and the rest of AFC Richmond shrugs.
“Jamie Tartt,” you say. Everyone looks at you again. “If you ever, and I mean ever pull shit like this again, I will fucking sic this entire room on you and I will call Roy and I will not care how long you end up in the hospital. I can’t raise Bea on my own, but it turns out that I don’t need you.”
Jamie looks like he’s about to cry a little and you soften.
“I don’t need you, but I want you. And- I do miss you.”
Jamie smiles at that and you get up to sit next to him. 
The boys murmur amongst themselves, and Isaac salutes you as he herds them out. You mouth thank you to him, and he waves it away yet again, leaving the three of you on the couch in comfortable silence for the first time in weeks.
Marriage is not easy, neither is raising a kid. Things didn’t automatically go back to how they were, but you and Jamie did get better. You got better at talking about your struggles, decided 2:30am is not a good time to fight, and began working out a healthy football-life balance. He trains with Roy three times a week instead of six, and Isaac and Colin babysit Bea once a month so you can go out. They’re the only ones besides Rebecca who are allowed to be with her unsupervised. (Not because the others are untrustworthy, but because they don’t know what to do with a baby) so by the time Theodore Dani Tartt comes around, you’ve got this thing nailed.
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kazz-brekker · 2 years
Text
hotd episode 6 thoughts
ohhhh the family drama in this one was DELICIOUS, i enjoyed it very much.
i will admit i found the time skip a little jarring at first even though i knew it was coming, just because so much stuff happened during those years, but emma d’arcy and olivia cooke were absolutely SERVING and i loved them.
rhaenyra with her kids … rhaenyra obviously loving them so so much … rhaenyra smiling as soon as she saw baby joffrey … oh it was a lot.
as soon as older rhaenyra said “fuck” while climbing the stairs i was like. yes. absolutely. i love you, this is perfect casting.
i have been overly invested in daemon and rhaenyra’s children ever since reading f&b so i feel pretty emotional actually seeing jace, luke, joffrey, rhaena, and baela on my tv screen. they’re real! they’re little and squishy! i want desperately to protect them!
i’m really glad that they included alicent’s “do keep trying, sooner or later you may get one that looks like you” bit, it’s such an iconic line of bitchy dialogue.
i SO wish that we had gotten to see more of the relationship between rhaenyra and harwin (they didn’t even kiss!) but the little bits that we did see of it were really tender and lovely, especially with baby joffrey.
helaena targaryen being a weird little girl with a bug collection is something that can be so personal, actually.
also, her saying something like “you’ll have to close an eye” while aemond is talking to alicent about wanting a dragon … please oh PLEASE let helaena have prophetic dreams, that would be great.
i am aware that aemond targaryen is going to grow up to commit a ton of war crimes but honestly i just wanted to give him a hug in this episode.
alicent being constantly exasperated that her children are growing up to be a bunch of absolute weirdos was really, really funny.
we finally got to see vhagar! she is so large and so ugly and i love her very much and seeing her fly with caraxes was a lot of fun.
i’m really sad that we only got to see adult laena for one episode, she was so regal and self-possessed and i really liked her interactions with her daughters and the fact that she clearly doesn’t want to indulge daemon’s sulking.
the implication that daemon stayed away from westeros for 10 years because he couldn’t stand to be around rhaenyra when they were married to other people … oh man. oh boy. that is so much. can’t deal with this right now, sorry!
alicent and criston having a weird warped version of fealty and courtly love based on their shared hatred of the same person … yesssss i love it give me more.
harwin strong in his dilf era repeatedly punching criston cole in the face is literally everything i wanted to see from him in this episode.
viserys talking about the bonds of friendship being forged through combat together while aegon ii is beating up his nephews is just like. jesus christ. viserys please learn to read the room.
alicent and larys having their scheming little dinner together was so fun, especially since it’s clearly a common practice. seems like larys is going full-on villain and that’s going to be entertaining to watch.
kind of sad to see that daemon and rhaenyra’s marriages are both breaking down, but i can understand why since there are a lot of stressors in both of those relationships.
around halfway through this episode i was like “there seems to be a lot going on here, maybe i won’t have to watch harwin and laena die yet” so the last 10 minutes absolutely sucker-punched me.
rip lyonel strong you were a real one and possibly the only man in westeros with both honor and common sense.
i am not quite sure how i feel about laena’s death, i always thought childbirth was a lazy way to get rid of her and i can see that they were trying to add more dignity/autonomy but it also made it more violent … i’ll have to think on it.
the milf on milf violence in this was just really fun and i can’t wait to see more.
i am READY for the funeral drama next week, bring it on!
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frownyalfred · 11 months
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Your borderline fic recaught my interest in being in the batfandom rn! I just keep seeing all those posts criticizing characterizations and lack of accuracy in fanfiction and posts in the fandom at large and it kept stressing me out, I’m here to have fun and play around. Your fics in general are awesome and you’re one of the authors my boyfriend suggested that helped pull me in originally, so it checks you’d make me want to stay around. <3 I hope this was okay to say! Keep up the awesome writing and I hope your day is going good <3
Hi anon! Thank you so much! I'm glad you're sticking around in the fandom, we're happy to have you here <3
Look, I've seen those posts too, and I can't lie -- they stress me out too. I've never claimed to write canon-accurate characters or straight from the comics plotlines. There are some authors who do that, and they're great! There's also a ton who don't, and they're also great.
Fanfiction isn't about being accurate to the canon source material. It's about writing your takes on characters, events, what-if scenarios, etc. This idea of "accuracy" only hamstrings writers, creators, and artists.
If I was being "accurate" to some DC source material, my Bruce would be very different. He would be meaner, and much more likely to hit/abuse his kids.
Do I like writing that? Hell no! And who's saying I have to?
This idea that fanon is somehow "ruining" canon and/or canon fanfiction is ridiculous to me. I keep seeing this kind of comics elitism pop up here and on TikTok, and it drives me nuts.
Fans have always, since the dawn of fanworks, taken characters and put their own spin on them. They've done things to your blorbo you hate, or that your friend hates, or your friend's friend really hates.
There was a comment by one TikTok creator on a similar post who asked people to stop telling her to "let people enjoy things" because she felt that that phrase was harmful to her involvement in and appreciation for the Batfamily/DC fandoms.
Well, I disagree. I think we should absolutely let people enjoy things, above all else.
So yeah. Write the OOC Bruce Wayne fic. Put together a Tumblr post about a chat between the Batfamily members that would probably never happen in canon. Draw Dick Grayson in short shorts with a boob window, which now that I say it, they might actually do in canon, but oh well.
Fanon/Fandom enjoyment of stuff like the Batfamily, Batman, Superbat etc is not somehow magically ruining canon. If your understanding and appreciation for canon can't handle when buttfucker69 on Tumblr woobifies Bruce for a mini a/b/o fic, then you need to challenge your understanding of fandom.
We don't gatekeep here. I certainly never will. And I will keep fighting on this point until I eventually leave this godforsaken hellsite.
You are a valid fan even if you don't read the comics. You are a valid creator even if your fic/posts are OOC. Your fanon and fandom experiences are VALID.
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artist-issues · 3 months
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On the Percy Jackson series, now that the season has concluded, do you have any thoughts on it, whether standalone or as an adaptation, about what worked and didn't work in it? I ask partly because I want to analyse it as its own thing but I can't stop getting hung up on the changes and I'm not completely sure why.
Of all things, Gabe is the big one for me. They turned him from a repulsive abuser to a pathetic manchild who lacks the power dynamic of his book counterpart and was so consistently treated as comic relief that I actually pitied him. The fact that he shares the fate of his book counterpart actually kind of angers me and it's hard for me to look past that. It left a mean-spirited taste in my mouth.
I don’t think I’ve talked enough about what did work, and I do think there’s a place for talking about that, so I’m glad you asked!
I think Walker Scobell could play a really excellent Percy Jackson. And I think Leah Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri are both very endearing in their roles.
I’m not going to throw shade on 14 year-old actors and actresses. There’s no shade to throw. Acting is vulnerability combined with introspection and understanding. No teenager is going to have the same level of vulnerability, understanding, and introspection, expressed with the same skill, as we’re used to seeing in adults, period. And the show doesn’t do them any favors by giving them very adult lines and very adult-behaving characters to play.
Which segues nicely into—the character’s “arcs” are completely different in the show, but they feel more like…”alternate universe” characters than “out-of-character-rewrites.” For the most part.
I already touched on how Grover is a completely different Grover in the TV show. His fear is both too serious and not extreme enough. He’s not comedic. Instead, he is a voice of reason, and he does have a maturity the other two don’t have. He’s written to talk to the other adults differently than Percy and Annabeth are—more like equals, less like teen-vs-adults. You can easily believe that Grover is a 24 year-old in a kid’s body during those scenes, like the ones with Ares.
But there’s a reason he’s not like that in the Percy Jackson books; he’s comedic, and he’s Percy’s best friend. Percy’s only 12 when they meet; it’s weird for a 12 year-old to be best friends with a 24 year-old—who BEHAVES like a 35 year-old, with all the gravity, and maturity, etc. But if the 24 year-old is a magical creature who, for his species, is still pretty young, and has a comedically immature personality, then the chemistry works much better. Anyway. Not my point.
My point is, Grover might not be Grover, but you can still see trace elements of Grover in him. Like how you can see echoes of Spider-Man in Spider-Gwen’s story. It’s an alternate-universe, not a do-over.
Grover still wants to be a seeker.
Grover still feels guilty about not taking better care of Thalia.
Grover still gets the most outraged and cares the most deeply about nature and crimes against nature.
Grover is still a peace-lover at heart, so he’s the most gentle in relational interactions.
‘That kind of stuff is still there. It’s just re-contextualized and…made less fun. That’s all. More serious. More grit.
Same thing with Annabeth:
Annabeth still wants to prove she’s the best of the best.
Annabeth’s still given up on her normal family and is most comfortable in life-or-death strategizing.
Annabeth’s still smart, but specifically wise enough to notice Percy’s heart of gold while everyone else is busy being afraid of or disappointed in him.
Same thing with Percy:
Percy still has the stubborn rebelliousness we all know and love.
Percy’s still a guy who goes with his gut first and foremost.
Percy’s still willing to sacrifice the future for the present, if the present means saving the people he loves.
Percy still makes wise-cracks at wildly inappropriate times.
And I think some of the show is really well written. Some of it. Two parts in particular stand out. The first is when Annabeth and Percy have the post-killing Medusa conversation, and they have that, “she tried to get me to betray you. What did you say? I killed her sister. What did you say? I cut off her head.” exchange. That’s great. The point of that conversation is “you can trust me because no matter how I might be tempted, this is the line I won’t cross.” But they don’t come out and say that. They have the characters say it without saying it, if that makes sense.
The second bit of good writing that comes into my brain was Luke’s conversation with Percy about being small and scary. It was such a good way to introduce the important concept of why gods need demigods/why gods fear demigods, while also lore-dropping things like “Annabeth is afraid of spiders” and “this fantasy world does have rules.” And on top of those boxes getting checked, you can also see the conversation from Luke’s point of view—he’s bitter about being thought of as a small thing to the gods, but now he’s starting to embrace the scariness part.
So some moments are good, writing-wise. Especially if you tilt your head and say “this is an alternate universe.” I just think they’re not always the right moments for Percy Jackson.
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iu-jjang · 7 months
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[FANCAFE] 230918 From.IU - IU is here!!!!
To my pyeon (those who have been by my side) for a long time,
my dear uaena-ya,
happy 15th birthday🩵
Hello uaena?
September has come again without fail!
(Although not as much as last year) Though the hot weather stretches on, enough to overshadow the term ‘autumn’..
Anyway September is here. Is everyone doing alright amidst this everchanging weather?
Uaenas seem to be bustling with anticipation about the screening of the Golden Hour movie and that puts me in a good mood, when I check in every now and then 😌🩵 (It’s l..legit awesome…)
Without being roasted by the sun! Or pickled by the rain! Or blown away by the wind! Please take care when you go and watch the show!!!!
September is our IUaena festival, so let’s not fall sick and let’s be especially happy 🔥
Anyway, September is here and somehow 15 years have passed..!!
From my 10th to 14th anniversary, the 4 years were like that, but this year really flew by as swiftly as an arrow.
We’ll be having a large scale(?) celebration a week later, but celebrating on the day itself has more meaning, right?! I thought about whether to read out this letter on stage that day, but decided to just post this on the actual day today in commemoration 🩵
Uaenas, my classmates from Gwangjin Middle School whom I have been friends with since I was 15 years old, are Junghoonie and Rangie. (I introduced them on a broadcast previously hehe) Although they are busy with their adult lives now, when I contact them occasionally, I feel like I return to who I was as the middle schooler Jieunie.
They are my friends that I shared my teens, 20s and 30s and we watched each other become adults, so even if it’s gross, it’s a deep relationship that I’m grateful for.
But come to think of it, uaena have been my longest friends for as long as Junghoonie and Rangie. You’ve watched over my teens, 20s and 30s, you always start conversations with me and ask me questions that I’m glad to answer and you love not just my front view, but my side view and even my back view every time.
I came across this in an article, but apparently we hold a piece of information for about 15 years. In the span of 15 years, as society changes and the trends change, people also change their values and when new perspectives appear during that timespan, we often redefine the way we think.
As I read that article, I sensed a newfound weight to the timespan of 15 years.
In this long span of time that it wouldn’t be out of the norm for something to be forgotten, as I unknowingly worried about things, got lost, changed, matured and grew older, thank you for watching over me silently during this period of time.
I’m still that boring person with a bad sense of direction and gets lost once in awhile, whenever I think of uaena, I always feel like I get a flash of strength.
Each of you having some kind of confidence (TL note: in me) and in the long span of time of the birth and death of a piece of information, I’m not sure if you liked me constantly, but that look of confidence protected me for many days. Thank you so much.
I’m still just me as always… but in your eyes, I am strong!!😌🔥
I’ve been busy recently, as if I’m back in my rookie days. Basically, I’m having fun and being happy! keke Physically, I think I’m well-suited for this too. Inevitably, there are times when I get exhausted and during those days, it’s like I’m receiving orders (TL note: like at a restaurant) over and over again, spending each day clearing missions. ‘Because to uaena, I am strong!!’
I’ll save the rest of the things I have to say until this weekend (TL note: To say during the fan concert).
I love you.
(Ah, it’s past midnight. Ah…. I find this kind of things such a pityㅜㅜ)
(TL note: By the time IU posted on fancafe, it was already 12:15am)
Translated by IUteamstarcandy with love
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hi hi! I freaking LOVE your work! I'm glad that you do VLD stuff, even if the fandom is dead and sh!t! Anywho, can you do something along the lines of who, in voltron, do you think is the best hugger/cuddler!
If you dont want to, i understand! ❤️💛💚💙🖤
Paladins Ranked Best to Worst Hugger
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Hello, thank you so much!!!! Even if the fandom is kinda dead, I still enjoy writing and just interacting with those who are still alive😍🔥🔥 I had a lot of fun writing this, thank you again for requesting this!!!
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I’m gonna rank them from best to worst hugger since I think cuddling should get its own ranking and then giving my reasoning!
Lance
Hunk
Shiro
Allura
Pidge
Keith
Lance
OK IDK IF YOU’RE SUPRISED WITH LANCE BEING NUMBER 1 BUT HEAR ME OUT! I think Lance would be the best hugger BECAUSE his hugs feel like home. We know that he has a big family so I like to think that hes done a lot of hugging and comforting with his cousins and siblings, making him an expert at them! He definitely squeezes people when he hugs them, he just loves giving them!
Plus he doesn’t make them weird! They instantly feel natural and not forced, like Pidge and Keith’s are. You could just go up to Lance and randomly hug him and he wouldn’t even question you, bro would just go with the flow and I love him for that. Yeah his hugs feel like home, he makes you feel included in what feels like small secrets.
Hunk
Next Hunk! I was seriously debating hard about who should be #1 in this list, but I ended up putting homeboy second. Hunk is an automatically emotional and caring person, so imagine that registered into hugs?? Bro gives the biggest yet softest hugs EVER. Same with Lance, hugging him doesn’t feel weird whatsoever, he’s just trying to comfort you!
His hugs feel like a blanket, protecting and comforting. Did that make sense?? He would definitely be the type to pick you up and swing you around in a hug though! Hunk finds hugging to be a really stress relieving thing so be sure to give him one if he looks like he needs one!
Shiro
SHIRRROOOO WOOOO!!! A solid third place, pretty good if I say so myself. I think with Shiro, his hugs are very grounding. He would usually only hug people if they really REALLY need it. But despite how sparse his hugs are, he makes them all worth it. If you ever have a serious conversation with him, just know that he will always hug you in the end, not only to comfort you but to also thank you for trusting him with your secrets and feelings.
His hugs aren’t too tight or too loose, it feels like he’s actually like really holding you. HEAR ME OUT ITS HARD TO PUT IT INTO WORDS! BUT!! You feel seen with his hugs, he actually sees you and hears you, and Shiro is willing to protect the person deep down inside you. His hugs feel like a shield, ready to comfort and provide a safe space for you.
Allura
I love Allura so much omg. I placed her kinda low because I feel like she doesn’t give hugs often at all. Like you would have to go to her yourself and just ask, which she will question you. But if you look like you really need one, she will give you the WARMEST hug ever. Allura’s hugs are delicate in a way. She would hold someone as if they were fragile, being light with her touch because she doesn’t want to accidentally make you uncomfortable.
But despite that, her hugs bring a lot of comfort, they make you feel as if everything is going to be alright. Hugs make Allura feel vulnerable so be prepared for long hugs. She hugs you but just know that she needs that same amount of comfort too. Her hugs feel like finding inner peace, all your nerves instantly settle when she pulls you in her embrace.
Pidge
I feel like Pidge is a somewhat closed off person. I think we’ve seen that Pidge can be an emotional person, but when it comes to physical touch, she doesn’t really think twice about it. Like Allura, you would have to ask her for a hug if you really wanted one. And when you do she might feel a little awkward giving you one😭😭I think she’s really used to only giving her family hugs so giving hugs to friends and you may put her off a little. But after the first few hugs, Pidge would definitely grow to enjoy your hugs!
I feel like she’s the type to rub your back, maybe even rock you guys side to side since she can’t keep still for too long. She might tell a joke while you hug too hehe. Her hugs feel like hugging an old friend, making sure to let you know how much those moments mean to her when you guys have a hugging session.
Keith
Rock bottom, he was an easy decision to make, at least for me. As much as I love Keith, I just KNOW he would be pretty reluctant in giving hugs. He’s not at all used to touching other people like that, he views it as something pretty intimate. So when he finally gives you a hug after some time, he’s pretty nervous, so bro is like really rigid and awkward when hugging you. It would take some time for him to finally loosen up, he’s just so tense.
Keith saves his hugs for people he’s close with. Hugging is Keith’s way of saying “hey I care about you!” He rarely gives hugs though unless he feels the need to. He’s also the type to like rub your back while hugging, it’s something he doesn’t realize he does. It feels weird hugging him at first since he isn’t used to being so close to someone, but he learns to just appreciate the small moment. His hugs feel like summer nights, they’re really refreshing and hugging him is like a new experience everytime.
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curator-on-ao3 · 22 days
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Again, cool response to the last question, so I'll let you pick from these options:
And there are things I have fan-fixed in my head to the point that I have to remind myself that the fix-it isn’t part of the actual canon: favourite one of these?
Or
Your/a favourite part of actual canon. Like, maybe something little but it's just so lovely and fitting to you and you're just happy that it exists?
I’ve been a little down on Trek lately, so I’m going to type as fast as I can to brain-dump, in show order, the first things that pop into my mind that I absolutely love in Trek canon:
Kirk calling Nomad his son, the doctor
Christine Chapel’s snark to Roger Korby about schtupping the androids
Mark Leonard’s performance in Balance of Terror
the Horta (a great mama)
“Edith Keeler must die.”
Captain John Christopher, United States Air Force. Serial number 4857932.
Tribbles
the lesson of The Cloud Minders that we must have empathy and listen to others when they tell us about their lived experience in an environment unlike our own
the cheap-ass animation of TAS
Q
Bynars and Minuet
Beverly Crusher’s frustration in Arsenal of Freedom (and the episode’s Good Ship Lollipop joke)
Picard shooting the other version of himself in Time Squared (to clarify: out of respect for those times when we have to stop ourselves from getting caught in loops/doing stupid stuff and we summon up the courage to break a bad cycle and move forward)
K'Ehleyr
Picard out-lawyering the Sheliak
Rachel Garrett; Yar and Castillo
Lal (but I can’t watch the end anymore, it hurts too much)
the Shakespeare and “Set a course for Betazed. Warp 9.” comedy in Ménage a Troi
Best of Both Worlds, I and II (Shelby inclusive)
every conference table discussion in all of TNG
Beverly’s jump in Remember Me (such a damn good episode)
the reveal in Future Imperfect (which one? all of them)
The Dancing Doctor tap dancing with Data
Darmok. And Jalad. At Tenagra.
Ro Laren
Troi saying, “You could have easily been right” to Ro in Disaster
Hugh, Third of Five
the fact that The Next Phase has so many plotholes and they’re forgivable because the episode is so fun and great
Scotty on the holodeck version of the TOS bridge and Picard joining him
Rascals!
Deanna’s “Ancient West” outfit
the Jefferies tube music and make out session in Lessons
Attached. Oh, my heart.
the Enterprise with three nacelles … and that absolutely perfect last shot of the series
“You exist here.”
Sisko’s casual, everyday affection for Jake
“Old Man”
Rejoined. Lenara Khan. The love. That kiss. The emotional stakes. All of it.
the three Ferengi hitting their own heads to try to fix their universal translators so the 20th century Earth military people mimic the movement to try to communicate
every second of Trials and Tribble-ations including Sisko working overtime to stop fuckmaster Dax, tossing the tribbles, Sisko meeting Kirk, “We do not discuss it with outsiders,” and so much more
Kira blaming Bashir for putting the baby inside her when … you know … behind the scenes
The Sons of Mogh helping with the harvest in Children of Time
Far Beyond the Stars — some of the best if not the best science fiction I have ever seen
the monster fakeout (and kindness) in The Sound of Her Voice, even though the end makes me cry
“Computer, erase that entire personal log.”
Solok
Sisko and Kassidy discussing their comfort levels about a simulation in which the reality was segregation
Janeway waterfalling off the sofa to be closer to Mark on the screen
“Warp particles!”
the lizard babies
the two Janeways in Deadlock
Remember (a painfully good Holocaust episode that doesn’t get enough credit and, yes, I know the path the script took and I’m glad it ended up as a B’Elanna episode)
“I don't know what I'm seeking.” “Then I believe you are ready to begin.”
“The child you spoke of, the girl. Her favorite color was red.” Also, Tuvok’s meditation lamp in the window for Kes.
hot damn, Counterpoint, yaaas
everything in Relativity
“The Yankees, in six games.”
Janeway going after Seven in The Voyager Conspiracy
“This is Lieutenant Reginald Barclay at Starfleet Command.” “It's good to hear your voice, Lieutenant. We've been waiting a long time for this moment.” “The feeling is mutual. Unfortunately, the micro-wormhole is collapsing. We have only a few moments.” “Understood. We are transmitting our ship's logs, crew reports, and navigational records to you now.” “Acknowledged. And we're sending you data on some new hyper-subspace technology. We're hoping eventually to use it to keep in regular contact, and we're including some recommended modifications for your comm system.” “We'll implement them as soon as possible.” “There's someone else here who would also like to say something.” “This is Admiral Paris.” “Hello, sir.” “How are your people holding up?” “Very well. They're an exemplary crew, your son included.” “Tell him, tell him I miss him. And I'm proud of him.” “He heard you, Admiral.” “The wormhole is collapsing.” “I want you all to know we're doing everything we can to bring you home.” “We appreciate it, sir. Keep a docking bay open for us.”
“Nice hair.” (Live Fast and Prosper)
Janeway and Jaffen in Workforce
the spot-on legal concerns of Author, Author
“Set a course. For home.”
(Nothing from Enterprise or Prodigy only because I haven’t watched enough of Enterprise or any of Prodigy)
Burnham and Georgiou forming the delta with their footsteps
the CGI on only the shields protecting Burnham from space
“Are we in session? Because I didn't know you were practicing again. Because if I have your undivided attention for fifty minutes, I can think of a whole bunch of other things we could be doing.”
“That's as depressing a trait as I've ever heard.” “I don't give a damn … I still don't give a damn.”
Cornwell beaming in, phaser aimed, taking command of Discovery
Cornwell phasering the fortune cookies
Cornwell’s voice breaking: “So my Gabriel is dead.”
Detmer’s little bounce when Emperor-as-Captain Georgiou takes command
Pike beaming aboard and instantly being all like MOJAVE to prove to the audience he’s the guy from The Cage
New Eden. Everything. Oh my God (pun intended). The visuals. Owo’s backstory. Pollard patching Pike up after he’s shot. The light at the end. Oh my God, yes. That episode. Yes.
Number freaking One beaming aboard and having her lunch briefing with Pike (Chris and Una’s decades-long friendship wasn’t canon yet, but it shows here so beautifully)
Gabrielle Burnham
“In case the shit hit the fan.”
Michael Burnham on truth serum
Book
Laira Rillak, everyone!
Q&A
season 1 Raffi Musiker
Fleet Admiral and Commander-in-Chief Kirsten Clancy
“You owe me a ship, Picard.”
“You need a feather in your hat.”
Riker greeting Picard
Hugh greeting Picard
the separate trio of Raffi, Clancy, and Deanna all telling Picard he’s shit
Rios singing in Spanish
President Annika Hansen
everybody finding each other in the Confederation Universe
Liam Shaw — a character with incredible highs and lows
Majel Barrett as the computer voice when the crew gets to the Enterprise D
“Somehow I figured you might.”
everything in Ghosts of Illyria
Spock and La’an’s mind meld
Spock and T’Pring in Spock Amok
“You cannot resign. The loss to Enterprise would be unimaginable. To me.”
“If you’re going to steal a starship, do it correctly.”
Neera Ketoul
La’an normalizing needing to eat all the time as a teenager (especially important for girls to hear)
Pike and Una visually checking in with each other so often that it’s in their cartoon versions (that whole episode, actually, including, “Riker!”)
That’s scrolling through episode titles and jotting down stuff I love off the top of my head, fam.✨
Thank you so much for this ask, anon! ❤️ I needed this positive energy in my life.
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w1ldthoughts · 8 months
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The Forgotten One Chapter Ten: Love that Grows
Series Masterlist
A/n: The grand finale!! Thank you all so much for reading, commenting, reblogging and liking. This story had been so much fun to write but to share it with you all has been even better. Enjoy this final chapter and let me know your thoughts! As always, I love you all…you make my heart smile.
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When you woke up, everything was white and smelled sterile. It was a real deja vu moment…you were in the hospital. You tried to stretch but the IV in your arm kind of restricted your desired movements. Cleo was in the chair next to your bed, typing away on her laptop until she heard your not-so-subtle movements.
“Well hey, sleepyhead. Top of the morning.” She tips her nonexistent cap at you. “Before you ask, I’ll just give you the rundown. You fainted from being overwhelmed and dehydrated so they gave you an IV but other than that you’re fine.”
“And where—where’s”
“Jack?” She finishes for you. “He drove you here and stayed with you until they told him that you were absolutely fine…repeatedly. But he had a meeting with some people that flew in from Europe so I forced him to leave.
You smiled to yourself at the thought of him being physically pushed out of the room because he wanted to stay with you. And then you were hit with the reality of what happened last night and you suddenly really needed to be at home.
“C, you have to get me out of here. There’s something I have to do. It’s really important.”
You spent the rest of the day going through your laptop, rehashing all of your memories and somewhat laughing at yourself at the thought of everything that happened the last few months. Some of it felt like a movie, a super dramatic Lifetime special, the ones that usually ended in someone getting murdered. You thought about Ben and Quinn and how a very small, but maybe big part of you still wanted revenge, even though the only real crime committed was lying and people got away with much worse every single day. The thought of having to put you and Jack through that entire ordeal seemed like a waste of time and the best course of action really was just putting it all behind you and looking into the future.
Every page of your computer diary was printed out, and you condensed them as you started writing. By the time you looked up from your task, it was dark outside and you needed to head to Churchill Downs, silently praying that Jack would still be in his office. You met Sadie on the elevator and she willingly helped you with your plan which was probably the most shocking thing to happen to you this year.
She knocked on Jack’s office door and handed him a letter, “this is for you, and so are all of those.” Sadie nodded to the trail of papers leading to the elevator with a bright smile on her face. “Good night Mr. Harlow, enjoy your night.”
“Thank—thank you Sadie. You um, have a good night.”
He read over the first note a hundred times before moving on to the next one.
Jack, I remember waking up…on our fourth anniversary and having you beg me not to go to work. The day was long and I couldn’t focus on anything but seeing you. I’m so glad that your face was the last thing I saw that day.
He would never ever forget that day. Everything started off so perfect and it turned into the worst moments of his entire existence. His worst fears had come true and there were so many times that he relived it, thinking he was alone. But you were starting to remember. He took a deep breath and picked up the next note.
I remember the look of pure joy on your face when I opened my eyes, like when you get the gift you’ve written on every wishlist for Christmas and I just made all your dreams come true. Little did I know that you were actually mine.
If there was one thing that had remained constant throughout all of this, was the fact that he would always be yours. Even when you begged him to forget it ever happened…part of him was always going to belong to you.
I remember the many nights we spent opening up about our daily struggles, simply putting one foot in front of the other and hoping that one day life would just go back to normal. But even when things were hard and the days were dark, you still managed to bring so much light into my life.
There was one night, after you’d moved out that he called at 4am. You were half asleep and disoriented but immediately woke up at the sound of his shaky voice. You ended up watching an entire season of Never Have I Ever on Teleparty. Jack wished that night had lasted forever.
I remember being a blank page, that you filled with so many happy memories that I wasn’t ready for. But you never gave up on me, you just loved me through it.
The first time he saw you, he was awestruck. On your first date, he knew he’d fall in love. The first time he told you he loved you, he envisioned spending the rest of his life with you. When I asked Cleo to help me design the perfect ring, he continued the many ideas in his head and the endless possibilities that the two of you would explore together. And then the unthinkable happened and he had no idea what to do and the odds were pretty stacked against him when he found out you had lost the entirety of the relationship you had. But losing your memory doesn’t mean the love that you shared was lost, and if he could just love you hard enough…you both would be just fine. Maybe even more than fine.
I remember our not so happy days too. The ones where we yelled at each other and left in tears. But the bad days, the sad ones just make the good moments that much more enjoyable. I want all my moments with you, the good ones, the bad ones and everything in between.
He thought that those days would break him. But then his mom gave him a reality check and gave him a new sense of hope. And that was enough to keep him going. Love doesn’t just fall out of the sky, it takes work. And he only wanted to do that work if it was with you.
Go to the 13th floor to find the rest.
Jack’s grin took over every muscle of his face as he happily trotted to the elevator and hit the button on the 13th floor, immediately met with another note on the ground.
I remember running away, looking for solace in something—someone that seemed to make life so simple. I’ve now come to realize that I don’t want simple. And I damn sure don’t want to spend the rest of my life looking for pieces of you in every man that I meet for all of eternity.
The thought of you, walking around hopelessly looking for someone that could take his place and being wildly unsuccessful admittedly stroked his ego a bit, but confirmed his fleeting belief that you could eventually find your way back to each other.
I remember finding myself on this wild goose chase trying to prove your innocence because deep down, I knew you’d never do anything to hurt me. No matter what we’d been through. So I dug deep to find out what really happened.
Quinn. The night that he met her haunted him for months. How could he ever betray you like that and be so careless? Had he really let it get that far? And when he found out that Quinn was pregnant it was like another gut punch. Everywhere he looked, there was another obstacle, another sign from the universe that maybe things wouldn’t work out in his favor. And just when he thought you’d fully given up, there was still a fire within you that burned only for him.
I remember shutting off my brain and some of my memories came flooding back with a rush. It was overwhelming and concerning and…fucking electrifying. Seeing almost the entirety of this beautiful life we shared and knowing that there was so much more life to live—and there’s nothing more that I want than to live it with you.
The closer he got to your office, which is where he knew he’d end up, the more nervous he got. And the more excited. And hopeful. And his body couldn’t move fast enough to get to you.
There are so many things that I should’ve told you. So many apologies to give and so little time to give them. But I’m willing to try.
“Any road—all the roads I take lead me back to you eventually.” You begin, as he appeared in front of you and stood in the doorway. Quickly closing the distance between you, you stared into his blue eyes, twirling a few curly strands of his hair in between your fingers. “No matter how many detours or accidents happened on that road, I found my way back. And I hope I always will. Because you are my final destination and I wouldn’t have it any other way. You’re it for me too.”
“Jack, I love you so much it hurts. It creates an actual ache in my bones and makes me do things I never thought I would do like a super cheesy love note trail across floors. You’re everything I could ever want and I—”
“I love you too. Always have, always will.” Jack whispers, leaning in to kiss your cheek. You pulled him down to your level as your lips connected and he cupped your face.
There it was. The fireworks, the butterflies, the—everything. And Jack had told you that a true love’s kiss wouldn’t magically fix everything. Good thing you had the rest of your life to prove him wrong.
Taglist
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@middlechild404
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katmiscellanious · 6 months
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I truly think Stede is about to have his own breakdown. Now, idk if it’s going to happen at the end of this season or in the 3rd if we get one. But Stede has been ignoring his trauma for too long.
Stede is good with other people’s emotions because he knows how he wants people to treat his own. But he’s so busy pushing people to better places and helping others that he completely disregards what he’s gone through. He hasn’t ANYONE what happened in those woods the night he escaped the British. He hasn’t told anyone about what Badminton’s said to him, or being bullied, or the way his father treated him. I don’t even know (and I doubt) he’s even REALLY told Ed just how trapped he was in his marriage with Mary.
When Stede really, actually kills a man on purpose, instead of talking it out, he throws himself into Ed’s arms. And Ed obliges because I think this is the kind of comfort he knows how to give.
And now we can see, as Ed rises to better places, Stede is descending. Stede has discovered his own power. He’s discovered he doesn’t have to take shit from people and while I’m so glad for him, he’s also doing so without addressing that’s he’s breaking his own “not fighting violence with violence” and “talk it through as a crew” and “turn poison into positivity” It feels good now, but especially without working it out in a meaningful way, he’s losing himself to it. He thinks he needs to be this macho tough guy to feel powerful, cause he’s discovered what all the people he’s helped have, that power feels good in the moment. And then, he’ll, you’ve done one bad thing, why not another? It doesn’t feel as bad as you thought? So maybe it’s normal? But then the trauma comes, and you wonder if your a good person anymore, or if you ever were? But you ignore the feeling, because it feels good, and your not weak any more. Nobody can hurt your. So drown yourself in more power or liquor or drugs. Who cares if your a bad person? If people hurt you, you hurt them back. And people respect you for it. And by the time you look back and realize how bad things are, you might think it’s too late to change.
Violence and power is like a drug, you chase the high of power, and when you start to feel it, you remind yourself why you do it with more shows of violence and your tolerance for it just gets higher and higher until the only person left to hurt is yourself, and your Blackbeard, and your sailing your ship into a storm to kill yourself and your entire crew, because your an unlovable monster and you can’t see the light beyond the violence anymore.
Ed and Izzy don’t quite see what’s happening as a bad thing because to them, this is normal pirate stuff. And Stede is Stede. Kind, loving, soft, fabric loving Stede, who is so in tune with people’s emotions he literally therapy’d Ted Lowe’s crew into turning on him in the middle of being tortured. Stede couldn’t possibly become like them. He’s just more piratey now. And see? Look how much fun he’s having? He’s fine!
And Ed? He sees Stede happy and powerful and is so happy for him that he doesn’t even consider asking Stede to come with him this time when he decides to quit and become a fisherman. Ed thinks they are on different paths. And he doesn’t even conceive that this path is a danger to Stede, because it’s Stede. Stede could never get as bad as he did. Right? So best to just end things and let him be happy before either of them get to attached (though, it’s a little fucking late for that one bud).
Mark my words, unless somebody steps in and realizes what’s happening, Stede is going to end up just like all the other pirates we’ve seen. And there is only one way that kind of violence can end, with him getting himself killed, either someone else’s hands, or his own.
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lanitalay · 1 month
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Among Flames and Starlight Chapter 10
a/n: here it is!!! thank you for being patient! this is another fun one. Hold it tight because chapter 11 will be Angsty.
Warnings: none
Word count: 2.5k
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After days, the rain eventually cleared up. The ground was safe for riding and Irene spent most of her time in the studio. In only a few short days the recital would take place. She convinced Lucien to build a small stage for the barn. Eris helped too. She wasn’t used to his presence so she became hyper aware of everything he did. Whenever he was around, Lucien told Jesminda it was better if she stayed away.
Irene questioned his decision and during one of their rides he explained “it’s not that I don’t trust Eris. I actually trust him the most out of all of my brothers. But Jesminda is a villager and if Beron found out-” 
“Would Eris tell him?” 
“He wouldn’t say anything, but Beron has ways of making us talk. So the less he knows the better.”
“Did I do wrong in telling him about the studio?”
“That's different, you are not a villager.”
“But my students are and so are their parents.” 
They rode in silence for a few minutes until Lucien figured out what to say next. “Eris knows how to deal with Beron, he wouldn’t do anything that put so many fae at risk.” 
“But Beron forced him to marry me, he must not be that good at dealing with him.” 
They didn’t speak the rest of the ride. 
Eris dreaded these meetings. Once, every thirty days, he would have to enter his father’s study and give reports. Usually, Beron asked about the tributes collected from the villages, any news from the emissaries he kept in contact with, Lucien and Mora. Recently, he began asking about Irene and her whereabouts. “Where does she ride off to? When can I expect an heir? Is she causing trouble?” None, he knew that none of those questions were to be taken at face value. He was rubbing salt in the wound. Reminding him what happened the last time he crossed his High Lord. Eris kept his answers ambiguous. “Around the house grounds. When the Mother and the Gods choose to bless us. No.” 
He would never, in a million years, think to tell him how a tentative... something bloomed between them. How, he didn’t know exactly when, he stopped avoiding her. How she was doing more for the court than any of them had done in decades. Because Irene was not meant as a companion or an asset. Her sole purpose in Autumn was to remind Eris who was in charge. 
The lordling did not want to think of what would happen if Beron felt she no longer served that purpose. 
After giving the regular answers and finishing the reports, Eris decided he would stay away from her for a while. No willing to tempt the fates. 
He went about his usual business. Collecting tributes, dealing with confidential correspondence and keeping Lucien out of Beron’s grasp. When he had a respite, he would seclude himself in the cottage he set aside for the hounds, not wanting to risk the library. But reading was difficult with the dogs running around and interrupting any level of concentration Eris might have achieved. 
He didn’t like this. All his life had been spent in burdened solitude and he ached for… he did not know what exactly he ached for. Only that his heart felt hollow.
“I know he’s your husband but I’m glad he backed off, I missed these little critters way too much.” Jesminda laughed as she watched the youngest dancers rehearse in woodland creature costumes. There were two squirrels, three rabbits, four foxes and one moose who led the dance. 
Irene’s first instinct was to correct her friend. She wanted to say “he’s not really my husband Jes, he’s just the male I was forced to marry.” But they were not alone and anything she said would be repeated by her students, and their families, so she offered a diplomatic answer. “He helped with the stage and the floors and windows. Did you notice? No more splinters.” 
“The floors are nice, and the stage turned out great. Shame we can’t tell more people about the recital.”
“It is.” When the rehearsal was over Irene and Jesminda began decorating the stage. They were putting up a curtain that Mora made with a fine red velvet fabric and embroidered with gold thread. “It looks like flames if the light catches it just right,” the lady explained to Irene when she first saw it. It was a beautiful work clearly made by hands who had perfected the craft for centuries. Irene thought it looked out of place in the shabby barn. 
Then the females began creating the rudimentary set design. They cut branches from nearby trees and created a make-shift forest inside the studio. It would be a pain to clean up later. 
The night before the recital, Irene passed out in the studio. She told Lucien to take Jesminda to her house while she finished some last minute details. The curtains needed to be pleated just right, the costumes had to be labeled, the floor had to be swept and mopped, the chairs needed to be set up, the piano needed to be moved and the list seemed to go on forever. Lucien and Jesminda helped her until the sun went down and they were hungry and cranky. 
“You two go eat, I’ll stay and finish up.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes! You’ve been complaining non-stop and I need to focus.” 
The couple winnowed away and Lucien told Irene he would be back for her.
Irene had no desire in riding in the dark and she figured she would be back in the studio as soon as the sun came up so when it was well past midnight and Lucien did not show up, she took her cloak and threw it on some hay left behind in one of the storage compartments and willed herself to rest for a while. 
“Irene?” 
The witchling shot awake at the sound of the familiar voice. Her heart thundered in her chest and she clutched her throat as a sharp gasp escaped her. 
“Holy gods!” Eris stood by her feet, eyebrows lifted in slight worry. 
“It's only me.” 
“You scared the daylights out of me.” 
“Let 's go.” 
“What?” 
“I’m taking you back to the house.” 
Irene began to stand up and put on her cloak. “Where’s Lucien?”
“He’s at the house.” 
“He forgot me, didn’t he?” 
“Yes.” Irene groans and holds out a hand so Eris can winnow them away. But he walks away, towards the stage. “It came together nicely.”
She follows him “it really did, the kids are very excited. Are you coming?” She regretted the question the second it slipped out. He shouldn’t come. Not with Jesminda also being there. 
Thankfully, he shook his head “I have to go to the Spring Court.” 
She stiffened, “why?”
“Now that Tamlin is High Lord it’s important to establish if he’ll be a… nuisance.” 
“I see.” They stood like that for a moment, staring at the stage. Eris thought of all he wanted to do for his court. He thought of how the last centuries of his life had been spent in a never ending pursuit of survival. Doing everything he could to keep his mother and brothers safe, to keep himself together so the house doesn’t succumb to Beron’s fist. 
“Irene?” 
“Hm?” 
“I’d like to build a better court.”
“Oh, well alrigh-”
“I want to do it with you.” 
“What?’
He turned to face her. Irene noticed his shoulders were tense. His hands were tightly clasped at his back. “I have been thinking about our predicament and have come to the conclusion that we want similar things.” 
“And what do you think I want?” 
“Independence, safety, to belong. We can work together.”
“In what way?”
“You’ll be the visionary and I’ll take over the logistics.” 
“Because I can’t figure out logistics?”
He rolled his eyes. “Because I would have never thought to turn an abandoned barn into a studio, because you come from a place that has life and culture and community.” 
“Where does that leave Beron?” 
He doesn’t answer. 
“And your brothers?” 
Nothing. 
“Eris, this is- if anyone hears us we’re dead, you know that.” 
He closes the distance between them, so close that if Irene were to take a deep breath her chest would graze his. “No one else is here.”
“Is that supposed to be reassuring?” 
“What’s that supposed to mean?” 
“Nothing.” Her words are knives and her stillness a slashing. He knew what she meant. He was still the monster in her story. The horrendous captor. And he understood why. He, more than anyone else, knew what she was feeling and thinking because he had thought and felt the same until recently. Yet, there was hurt coursing through his veins. He couldn’t help himself. The day had been long and arduous. Filled with meetings that dredged on and on. Beron was acting up again, how he got when things were quiet and he could see an opening to move pawns in his favor. Lucien was gone most days and Mora was worried. Eris was worried too. The world was collapsing his lungs and Irene, unwittingly, sat atop it.
So Eris, stoic Eris crumbled in front of the flame embroidered curtains. “Is being married to me really that bad?” 
Irene was confused by the change in his energy. One second he was fine, if a bit tired and the next he had sunken. Eyes glistening with an ache she was familiar with. “What? Eris-”
“I know we got off on the wrong foot but I’ve given you space and I never question how you spend your time-”
“Where is all of this coming from?”
It was like he caught himself slipping. He straightened away from her and regained his composure. “Just consider what I said.” Then he stretched a hand and waited for her to grab it so he could winnow and call an end to the day. But Irene crossed her arms instead. 
“Did something happen that I should know about?” 
He sagged, the day dragged on. 
“No, everything is fine. Let 's go.” 
“Then why are you acting so strange? You’ve been weird for weeks.”
“I’ve only been nice to you-”
“Exactly!” 
“Irene.”
“Just tell me.” 
“I don’t want to fight.”
“Tell me.”
“No, you’re right. Working together would imply too much risk. Best we keep our distance.” 
Something clicked for Irene. “I- you haven’t been bad. I didn’t mean to insinuate that.”
“Just forget it and let's go, please.” Something strained in her heart. He was being vulnerable. 
“I think this court could become great, in the right hands.” Eris didn’t respond. “I don’t know what you are planning and I think it's best if you spare me the details but I’ll help you make Autumn better.” 
“Do you really believe it could get better?” Now it was Irene that stepped forward, a gentle hand landed on his bicep then an encouraging squeeze. 
“With all my heart.” That was his undoing, the unraveling of his paper thin mask. Irene grunted when Eris engulfed her in a crushing hug. He was everywhere. Pressing against her chest, filling up her nostrils, clouding her sight, breathing raggedly. Eris knew what this moment meant.
In his arms he held the future, bright and beautiful. 
“Alright kids let's get into positions!” The curtain was down, the dancers were dressed and the barn was packed with excited parents. Little creatures hopped into their places and got into their starting poses. Jesminda was trying her best to help the moose with his too heavy antlers. Irene saw what was happening and rushed to see what she could do. It was mere seconds before the show was due to begin so she ripped off some of the points to reduce the weight and sent the dancer to his place. 
Jesminda and Irene stayed backstage, off to the side so no one could see them and watched the show begin. 
In addition to the usual piano, there was a violinist and a singer for some of the songs. The barn was dark, faelights only illuminating the stage. The kids ran through their choreography with minor slip ups. An occasional missed turn and a slight trip were the only imperfections Irene could detect. The audience was in fits of laughter and oo’s and aah’s as the recital went on. By the end, Irene stepped out, took a bow thanking the crowd and the performers for making the night unforgettable.
Eris was pacing in his rooms. He had been walking from one end of the space to the other for hours. Irene agreed to work with him. That meant that Beron had to be dealt with swiftly. He spent the last day thinking of possible solutions but each of them involved the support of another court, a third party who could justifiably eliminate Beron and clear the path for Eris and Irene. Maybe Tamlin could-
A soft, shy knock on his door beckoned him. When he swung it open Irene was there, beaming. “Can I come in?” 
Eris stepped aside. He felt on edge, she had never seen his room. She practically skipped inside. Her energy was contagious but it did not mix well with the stress and anxiety he had been feeling just seconds before. She was bouncing, her eyes were smaller than usual, the smile she wore caused them to crinkle at the edges. Eris wanted to throw up. 
“The recital was a total success! It would have never turned out so amazing if it weren’t for the stage and the curtains and the new floors. So I just came by to thank you.” 
“I’m glad it went well.” 
“I’ve- I’ve never done something like this before. You know? Back in Velaris I was relegated to random tasks and just helped out wherever I could but this little school… I think it can really be something, Eris.” 
“So do I.” 
She frowned. “What 's wrong?”
“Nothing you should know about.” Realization ghosted her features. “Understood.” 
“Is there anything else?” 
“Yes,” she said and reached into the satchel she carried and pulled out a small box wrapped in red fabric. “One of the mothers baked cakes for everyone in the crew as a thank you. She was there when you helped with the waltz and the stage. The short lady with dark brown hair? Anyways, she baked one for you and asked me to deliver it so here you go.” 
“Oh, thank her for me.” He said as he accepted the gift. “Will do.” She looked at him expectantly. 
“What?”
“Are you not going to open it?”
“Not right now.”
“Oh come on! The night calls for a celebration, I brought mine, look” she pulled out another identical box “and Lucien ditched me and Mora’s asleep. You’re the only friend I have that’s awake.” 
Eris coughed, choking on air. Friend. 
“You- We’re friends?” 
“Well, yes. I wouldn’t call us acquaintances at this point.” She laughed as she spotted a table and sat down with her cake.
It was the strangest thing. For the life of him, Eris could not remember the last time someone claimed him as a friend. He wasn’t entirely sure he ever had one. Maybe his brothers were his friends at one point, but not anymore. 
He followed her and opened his own box. Before they began eating, Irene raised the first bite on her fork and toasted “to brighter days.”
taglist: @sidthedollface2 @acourtofbatboydreams
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thestobingirlie · 4 months
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I feel like you’re giving Steve (who I love, don’t get me wrong) a little too much credit here—
I don’t think Steve ever went out of his way to bully anyone, so I don’t think he ever bullied Robin or Eddie and only got an attitude with Jonathan after he took the pictures of him and Nancy.
But I think the argument that Steve would’ve stood up to Tommy and Carol and stopped them if they were bullying or just generally being dicks to other kids is a little overly optimistic. I think Steve wouldn’t have done anything— he wouldn’t have joined in the bullying but I don’t think he would’ve stopped them either unless they were going too far. I think his whole arc in season 1 is that he was a popular kid who went along with what everybody else did and what he was expected to do and it was because of Nancy that he finally said fuck these guys and dumped Tommy and Carol and went to go apologize to Jonathan.
I think “bullying” is only viewed in this fandom in black and whites when we are shown that Tommy and Carol were mean kids, they both tried to bully Nancy away from Steve, both made fun of Jonathan for being weird and the whole thing with his brother, and they were both kinda dicks to Barb. I don’t think this makes them evil characters but kids bully other kids, and bullying isn’t solely classified as beating up other kids and stuffing them into lockers.
I’m glad Steve had the arc he did but when people say he would NEVER stand by and let Tommy and Carol bully other kids when he has just takes away from Steve’s whole arc.
Now when people want to act like Steve could act like a bully after season 1, that’s where I have a problem. Because it was that whole arc in season 1 of realizing that Tommy and Carol are “both assholes” who don’t care about anyone but themselves, that brought Steve to become the characters he’s been since the end of season 1 forward.
let’s think about tommy and carol’s ‘worst’ behaviour:
tommy giving barb a wet willy — kind of behind steve’s back, who’s talking to nancy at the time and busy.
“it’s tuesday…” (carol and tommy mocking nancy about the party) — steve huffs out a laugh, and then goes on to try and reassure nancy.
the “jonathan killed his brother” joke — steve swats tommy and tells him to shut up.
tommy pretending not to know barb — steve tells him not to be an ass and to just answer the question.
carol and tommy sex noises — steve smirks, and kind of jokingly gestures for them to be quiet, but does nothing.
the camera — steve leads the charge (tommy and carol don’t actually do that much here, but i figured i should add it).
the graffiti/confrontation — steve actively goes along with it and helps.
carol calling nancy a slut — steve yells in her face, and tells her to watch her mouth.
(i don’t think i’ve left anything out, but obviously correct me if i’m wrong!!)
i do think steve usually goes along with those jokes a little more, and he’s trying to be on his best behaviour for nancy. but clearly he’s not afraid of standing up to them. he doesn’t dawdle about telling them to stop until nancy pushes him to do it. he just does it.
and more than that, tommy and carol seem to listen. they don’t fight back against steve until their big argument (and even then, tommy only really gets serious after steve shouts in carol’s face).
i think these scenes also give us the chance to see what the dynamic of the group is. which seems to be mainly bitchy jokes made out of earshot of the target of said jokes. and having seen the kind of jokes they make, i wouldn’t really say they regularly go “too far” or bully anyone.
like, as someone that got made fun of in school, i wouldn’t class what we see carol and tommy do on screen as bullying. they’re being twats, and making annoying jokes and loud sex noises. but bullying requires… like, effort. and i don’t think tommy and carol care about other people like that lmao. which is what steve says when he ditches them! that they don’t care about other people. that they’re content being judgmental assholes, but steve isn’t anymore.
steve doesn’t want to be surrounded by mean, petty people that bitch about everyone, and who he feels like he can’t be himself around. but i think most of that behaviour happened within their group, and not towards other people unless it’s a more extreme situation (e.g. confronting nancy about the ‘cheating’).
steve’s a very introspective character, and he has spoken about regretting high school, but those regrets were more that he wasn’t friends with whoever he wanted to be friends with because he was worried tommy would make fun of him, and not that he regrets watching bullying happen and doing nothing. which, by all accounts, steve would regret.
i think most of the groups worst behaviour was directed inwards. mean jokes shared between friends, making someone feel like a bit of an outsider because you’re cracking inside jokes, judging pretty much everyone else for bullshit reasons. the kind of stuff that made steve feel a bit shit every single day, but didn’t actually have that much of a ripple effect on the student body at large.
also, and i recognise this is just me being nitpicky, but i didn’t say that steve would stand up for all victims of bullying, just that i don’t think he’d want to be friends with people that horrifically bullied everyone.
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theoriginalsapphic · 11 months
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disproving the mlvn bingo
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“I want El to grow on her own”
This is a bad thing because…? El is a child that grew up the first twelve years of her life locked up in a lab and used for her powers. Then she got out and spent a week helping a group of kids to find their missing friend, almost died, survived in the wilderness by herself for approximately a month, and was forced in isolation in a cabin in the woods for another year.
The first time she got to actually go to the outside world to have fun like a girl her age should was at the snowball dance, in December of 1984 / January of 1985, and even she would still spend most of her time hiding from the world in the cabin. The only other time she got to live like a normal girl was when she went out shopping with Max. After that, she got involved again with the Upside Down, lost her father-figure, and moved to the other side of the country with people she barely knew.
As of canon, she has only been living in the real world for, and I’m being extremely generous with this estimate, fifteen months. Most people her age need time to grow on their own and focus on themselves, and they lived in relatively normal circumstances and in a society their whole lives. Saying that El may need some time to get to know herself first isn’t misogynistic, or ableist, it’s just common sense.
Ableist to El, Mocks El’s speech
Connected to the previous point. El is a fourteen year girl that spent twelve of those years locked away and being dehumanized and never getting the chance to properly socialize. It’s a reasonable thing to say that it will take her time to catch up to people her age who have lived in society their whole lives. It’s not ableist to point out this. In fact, completely ignoring this aspect of her character means ignoring the influence that it has on her character, which brings a whole layer of complexity to her.
Also, anyone who is ableist to El (or to anyone for that matter) sucks! I’m glad we can agree on that! But I’m not okay with mlvns crying out ableism any time someone criticizes the ship only to turn around and be ableist to Max or Dustin (and Gaten by default).
“El doesn’t understand being in a relationship”
Maybe she has an understanding of what being in a relationship means at the end of season four, but she should have never been put in a relationship so early on. Fresh-out-of-the-lab twelve-year-old El shouldn’t have been kissed and later put on a relationship with the first age-appropriate boy who showed her kindness and who had to explain her basic concepts like friendship and privacy. Those are concepts that are supposed to be taught by your parents— not your boyfriend.
May I need to remind people that this is a canon scene from season 3?
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Mind you; she has been dating Mike for around six months already at this point.
Part of El learning to understand what being in a relationship means is also learning what kind of things she wants and can accept in a relationship, which, she spends most of season 3 doing.
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Mike lied in the monologue
Well, sorry to tell you this, but… he did!
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and El knows it.
MiIeven cheating trope!!
As someone who hates cheating and has been personally harmed by the actions of a cheater… let people write whatever they want in their fics. If someone wants to explore that in fiction then they should be able to do it. (Also, I doubt the Duffers would ever write Mike cheating on El, so you can relax about that).
Blames Millie for miIeven
I don’t associate myself often with her fandom because although she seems like a lovely person her fandom is absolutely rancid, but she seems someone who likes to play the audience and have fun. She had said she ships miIeven and wants a wedding for them. She had said she ships byler and wants a love triangle with them. Whether Millie actually means it, is pandering to the fandom, or it’s just straight up trolling and having fun… it doesn’t matter, and I doubt she actually cares as much as people want her to care.
Neither Millie nor any of the actors have any power over whatever decisions the Duffers end up choosing in their writing. If anyone blames any of the actors for whatever happens to their characters, they are fucking idiots; simple as that.
Sexist to El
And yet, mlvn shippers are the ones I often see saying how much El needs Mike, of how she would kill Will if Mike left her, of how she was capable of fighting Vecna only because Mike told her he loves her, of how the only person that actually cares about her is Mike, completely disregarding her family and friends that love her deeply.
I don’t know about you, but I think that reducing El to be this needy girl who is dependent on her boyfriend and makes her to seem that her boyfriend is the only thing she cares about and should care about is… really sexist.
El is a character who consists of two main parts: of trying to create her own identity and of wanting a family, which are both interconnected with how she was stripped of her autonomy since birth and how she wants to belong somewhere.
El grew for the first twelve years of her life with the understanding that love is transactional and conditional on what she can do for others. This is seen mostly in season 1, with El being used for Brenner’s experiments, and when she exerts herself to the point she almost dies for a group of kids that wanted to find their missing friend.
With every season, there is something new that she leans about herself that helps her become a person. Because that is an aspect that people rarely talk about El; she wasn’t even treated like a human being for 85% of her life, but rather just a lab rat.
In season 2, she embarks on a journey all by herself to find out about her mother, and later, her sister Kali. This remarks what El has been wanting her whole life— a family.
In season 3, she explores her identity and her likes and dislikes through fashion and hobbies for the first in her life with Max (I have a whole post about how El’s development of regaining her autonomy is shown through her clothes).
In season 4, she outright says that she doesn’t belong anywhere, and is struggling with the dichotomy that her powers bring: is she a monster or a superhero? At the end of the season, she has come to terms with the complexity of who she is, determining that she is both and neither, and she has finally found a family. She doesn’t belong to a specific place, but to people. Hawkins isn’t her home; her friends and family are. She belongs with them.
So, tell me: who is being sexist to El? You, who reduces her to her romantic relationship… or me? And yes, female characters can be in romantic relationships and still be their own characters, but El isn’t like most of female characters in the sense that she never got the chance to figure out her identity and what she wants before getting in a relationship.
Ships El with a random party member so Mike will be free
miIeven wishes they had what elmax has
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“MiIeven is unhealthily and codepent”, “Mike pays too much attention to El, he doesn’t make time for his friends!”
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I mean… I’m not the one saying it, blame the Duffers for that one.
Mike looks he is about to sneeze but he’s looking in Will’s directions so it’s heart eyes
If Mike looked at El the way he looks Will you wouldn’t shut the fuck up about it.
cr: @/mvltibyers
Taking the monologue and replacing El with Will and suddenly it’s peak romance
Why would I want byler to have that poorly lighted and directed, and badly written monologue when I already have this one?
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Calls El bald and think they did something
I agree! It’s wrong to make fun of El being bald when that fact is tightly connected with how she was stripped off of her femininity as a form of dehumanization and it’s one of the most visible signs of the abuse that was inflicted on her.
However, may I need to remind you that those ‘jokes’ are usually in response with you calling Will literally homophobic slurs or are you going to play coy and innocent?
Compares Mike to Brenner
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Blame the Duffers for this one, not us for noticing it.
Hates on Mike but wants him with their fave
You're so right! I don't see the point of shipping a couple if you hate half of it, especially because it would mean to reduce his character to be only a love interest and nothing else. Anyway, what character arc do you think Mike is going to go through in season 5?
Bring ups miIeven break up
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They really couldn’t have made it more obvious that’s where they headed so, yes; I want them to break up and I think it will benefit both of their characters. Sorry for following the story, ig.
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Says miIeven wasn’t together for s4
Don’t forget to mention how they also weren’t together for season 2 and most of season 3! In fact, it almost seems like after they shared the first kiss, they were never allowed to share a significant amount of screen time together again.
Also, Mike and El aren’t real people; if the Duffers don’t write them to share screen time together it’s because they don’t want to.
The Duffers wrote it so El spent most of season 2 searching for her mom and her sister and longing for freedom. The Duffers wrote it so El spent most of season 3 with Max learning about what she likes and trying to create her own identity away from male influence. The Duffers wrote it so El spent most of season 4 in NINA, which was probably the most important part of her character arc in the show so far.
The Duffers also wrote it so Mike spent most of season 2 with Will. The Duffers wrote it so the fight between Mike and Will was more emotionally charged than his breakup with El, and they wrote it so Mike and Will have a one-on-one goodbye scene just like miIeven and jvncy.
The Duffers wrote it in season 4 so Will is revealed as gay and in love with Mike in the same season that Mike can’t say ‘I love you’ to El, has a fight that, in his words, “can’t come back from”, for Mike to nod when Wills says: “what if they don’t like the truth?”, and needs to get backrubs and compliments from his bff so he can finally say that ‘I love you’ to his girlfriend while she in on the brink of dying. Oh, and also they spend the whole season together.
Go figure.
Calls El “Jane” or “Eleven”
Like everyone in the show does?
I think the only person that has never called her ‘Eleven’ is Hopper.
“You don’t understand Mike/El like I do!”
And I’m so glad I don’t.
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