#my life as a teenaged runaway || the past

[l-starlight-l]

The love of a hero

An old friend

Master list

Part 1, part 2, Part 3, Part 4,

A/n: Oop not me being flaky with posting, my bad y’all!

Description: an old friend has finally found time to hang out with you

Pairing: dick Grayson x reader (platonic)

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:Reference:

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This was your first time living alone in such a big city but it certainly was not your first time living in Gotham. Sure it had been a very long time but that didn’t change much. A long time ago, maybe ten years ago, you had runaway to Gotham. You and your dad had gotten into a huge fight and you were beyond angry with him. You need space and comfort from somewhere other than your home so you decide to go to Gotham. You had some very close friends in the city and knew they would be willingly to let you crash at their place. These people were basically a second family to you. It took some convincing for them to let you stay, but once you were there you lived with them for a little over a year. It was the happiest time of your life you would say. Of course nothing last forever and you had to leave. You would argue you were stolen from them but others would disagree.

You rushed to clock out of your twelve hour shift when your phone rang. The caller id read “boy wonder”, you rolled your eyes and answered. “What” you answered not knowing if you were happy to hear from him or not.

“You free?” Asked the man on their other side, he sounded like he was moving around a lot but wasn’t out of breath.

“Ummm yeah, I just got off of work” you replied while gathering your things from your locker.

“I’m just finishing a job up, do you want to hang out after?” He asked feeling guilty from not reaching out sooner.

Your brows knitted in frustration, “oh so now you want to see me, you’ve blown me off for the past three weeks” you said trying to keep your temper in check.

“I know I know I’m so sor-“ as he was apologizing you heard a grunt and then a big slam on the other side of the phone. You hear dick sigh in pain and then him cheerily saying “damn that one hurt”

“I understand you’ve been busy” you shrug off your anger at him with a soft laugh, “how about you come over when you finish up and I make you dinner”

“You would make the perfect wife you know that” he teased as he nearly avoided a punch.

You let out a soft sigh, “in your dreams boy wonder” you said with a laugh as you hung up.

Some time later you’re busy in the kitchen when you hear a knock at the window. You jump and turn just to see dick sitting on the fire escape holding his wounded rips and waving at you like an idiot. His wide smile smile made you laugh at the sight of him. “Could you have taken any longer” you said sarcastically while letting him in. “I made your favorite” you told him while walking back into the kitchen.

He dramatically stopped mid step and exclaimed, “cookies!” Like he was a child. You stare at him with a smile, he hasn’t changed.

You rustle through your cabinets trying to find your first aid kit, “I just put them in so it will be a few minutes, let me clean you up while we wait” you said grabbing it and leading him to the kitchen. “I have some of your old clothes if you want to change out of your uniform, though I’m not sure if they fit or not” you say scanning his certainly grown up body. The last time you saw him he was just some scrawny teenage. As you admire his gorgeous body you remind yourself that he is a friend, just a friend.

You two spend the night catching up, even thigh you’ve known him since diapers it’s been years since you were in the same room as him. Although there were long phone calls and so, so many texts it wasn’t the same as being able to see him in person. It felt nice having he next to you again.

“How’s the new job?” He asks in-between cookies.

You smile thinking about how much you’re enjoying your time here, “ I love it honestly”. You look at him and his wounded face, “how’s being a hero” you say with a melancholy tone.

He gives you a sad bit understanding look, “hard, as you know” he answers serious. You look away from him as your body tenses. He quickly changes the subject when he notices your reaction, “so when are you going to tell me the recipe Alfred so kindly gave you?” He says with his sweet smile as he holds up a cookie to his lips.

“That is between me and him, you are never getting it” you say with a laugh. The night is till early when he gets called back out, you hug him with a heavy heart. “Be safe” you say worried.

He smiles down at you as he releases the hug, “I always am” he says as he leaves through your window, disappearing into the night.

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#jason todd x gender neutral reader #jason todd x fem!reader #jason todd x y/n #jason todd x you #jason todd #red hood #batfam #dc comics #jason todd fluff #jason todd x reader #red hood x you #red hood x gender neutral reader

[redgoldsparks]

December 2023 Reading and Reviews by Maia Kobabe

I post my reviews throughout the month on Storygraph and Goodreads, and do roundups here and on patreon. Reviews below the cut.

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon 

Despite how much promise there is in the premise of this novel I was ultimately fairly disappointed by it. I'll start with the positives: it's set in a diverse and creative fantasy world with multiple different countries and cultures. It has several queer characters, including one of the four POV characters. It has dragons, even though I think they were severely under-utilized. It is also far too long, and astonishingly, nearly every scene in the book felt rushed. I think it actually had too much plot; if I had been editing this book I would have suggested the author cut one of the POV characters and use the freed-up space to flesh out the queer love story, which was the emotional heart of the book. This book is marketed as adult fantasy, yet whenever a character is in serious danger they are nearly always rescued by a talking animal with super-speed abilities. Choices like this book made the book read younger than I expected. It also suffered, perhaps unfairly, due to the fact I read a book with a much smarter and more interesting use of dragons, human/dragon cultural tensions, and dragon politics earlier this year: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman, which I would recommend over Priory any day of the week.

Red Paint: The Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk by Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe

Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe is a Coast Salish poet and punk who digs deep into the lineage of women in her family searching for connection, strength, and healing. While writing a Master's thesis, LaPointe opened the door to memories of a childhood sexual assault, precarious runaway teen years, and the intergenerational trauma that affected all of her family after the colonization of the Pacific Northwest. The memories that surfaced shattered her life. The path to picking up the pieces was slow, and involved traditional healing ceremonies, friendship, writing, music, and multiple journeys to places where her female ancestors once lived. I found this book very quick and easy to read despite the often heavy subject matter (it also includes a divorce and a miscarriage). Some passages are quite beautiful, but the author was an emotional mess for most of the time period she recounts and behaved in some questionable ways towards many of those around her. It ends on a hopeful note, and I would recommend it, especially to people with connections to the PNW area, while keeping the content warnings in mind.

Golden Fool by Robin Hobb read by Nick Taylor 

I hardly even know how to talk about this book because I loved it so much. It's a rich, nuanced, painfully human follow up to the earlier Farseer trilogy. I am amazed at how deftly Hobb wove the narratives of her characters across three decades of their lives and counting. There's Fitz, the royal bastard and reluctant assassin, who we first met at age six. Now in his mid-thirties, he is finally exploring his magical talents, teaching, learning, and taking more and more misfit young people under his wing. There's Chade, who we first met at a mysterious and wise teacher- now he's a royal advisor, and his hunger for power and influence might yet take him down a very dark path. There's Kettricken, who as a teenage princess was engaged to a stranger, now grown into a powerful queen bent on changing her kingdom for the better. There's the Fool, whose multiple identities are threatening to collapse as more and more of his prophesies come true. And Burrich, Fitz's adopted father figure, who in his anger and grief disowns a son who reminds him too much of his past. All of these characters feel so deeply rooted in their own histories, traumas, choices; I care so deeply about their lives and see so clearly how the twists of fate led them to where they are now. This is seriously one of the best fantasy series I have ever read, and I highly recommend anyone who loves long form fantasy to go back and pick up book one, Assassin's Apprentice.

The Well by Jacob Wyatt and Choo

Lizzy lives with her grandfather on one of many small islands in an world plagued by mist and monsters. Her mother, father, and grandmother all died fighting against the leviathan that used to threaten the seas between the islands; Lizzy has heard the stories, but never knew any of them. Her daily concerns are with goats, the market where she sells their cheese and milk, and her crush on a girl who works the island ferry. Magic doesn't regularly touch her life, except when she foolishly steals three coins from a wishing well, and is then tasked with completing the three wishes that are bound to them. This story has much the feel of a fairy tale with it's orphaned protagonist, three wishes, three tasks, and characters who are often more archetype than fleshed out people. But it manages a sweetly emotional ending and simple but lively and effective illustrations.

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles read by Martyn Swain

Set in England during the reign of King George the third, this historical romance delivered a satisfying amount of plot along with the spice. Gareth is the son of a Baronet, but grew up with none of the privilege of that position having been send away from home after the death of his mother during his childhood. He works as a law clerk in London with few connections, no friends, and nothing much to recommend him. He seeks companionship at a tavern that turns a blind eye on the illicit sexual activities of men in the upper rooms. There he meets Kent, a working class man from Romney Marsh, with whom Gareth sparks an intense and intimate connection. Then it falls apart. Gareth is sacked from his job. He fights with Kent. His father dies unexpectedly, and Gareth is summoned to a manor house he hasn't seen in years to take on the responsibilities of a title, including the care of a teenage half-sister and his father's mistress. And by chance, the house Gareth inherits is in Romney Marsh, home of many waterways, pastures, smugglers, and also Kent, his former lover. I enjoyed the dynamic between the two romantic leads, and the crime plot which entangled both of them. If you are interested in R-rated M/M romance with action adventure and danger, I'd definitely recommend this series and also KJ Charles' Will Darling series.

Subtle Blood by KJ Charles read by read by Cornell Collins

A very satisfying installment in the Will Darling adventures! If this is the final book, I am happy with where it's left the characters, but it does also leave the door open for more. If you enjoy spicy M/M romance with a hefty side of action/adventure, this is a great series. It kept me company through a week of holiday cleaning, cooking, and baking, and I think it's my favorite yet from the series.

Death Strikes: The Emperor of Atlantis by Dave Maass & Patrick Lay

This comic is grim, funny, gory, and darkly poetic. It's impossible to read it without an awareness of the history of the script, which is based on a suppressed opera written in 1943 two prisoners at the Terezín concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. The authors did not live to see their play performed. Maass and Lay have done an impressive job transferring a story meant for the stage into a comic. The stars of the show are the characters of Life and Death who narrative and frame the story of a paranoid dictator in the fictional nation of Atlantis and his reign of terror against his own citizens.

The Cliff by Manon Debaye

This was beautifully illustrated but too sad and violent for me to enjoy reading. It's the story of a dysfunctional middle school friendship between two unhappy girls who make a suicide pact. This story will really hit for some readers but it wasn't for me.

Walkaway by Cory Doctorow 

I really enjoyed this book, even thought I think it's more interesting as a collection of ideas than as a novel. The characters in the first third felt somewhat flat, and the dialog is often delivered in hefty paragraphs with minimal dialog tags. But the story picks up in the second half and by the end I was reading it daily in big chunks. The concepts this book explores are what really shine, especially the idea of walking away from capitalist society and living in self-sustaining communities without formal governments or laws. This novel contains some future technology which we don't currently have today including 3D printers which can print food, clothing, and building pieces for vehicles and housing and also internet interfaces implanted into people's bodies which allow them global network access from anywhere almost all the time. The nation state of Canada also seems to have fallen before the start of this novel, as most of the characters end up walking away from the US into northern Canada to find these alternate communities. I liked seeing Doctorow play out the clash between on faction wanting to run a group house as a meritocracy versus another group committed to allowing all members to work as much or little as they want to or can, for example. The book does not shy away from showing the violent crack down of the existing governments on these alternate communities. There are major character deaths. But the other big theme of the book is exploring the digital scanning and uploading of human consciousnesses to the web allowed people to walk away from death.

#maia kobabe #reading #book reviews #reading reviews #queer books

[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

With the Random Hobie HCs Post, I'd like to add that he probably advocates heavily for education in general. He absolutely holds little meets for students where they can learn history that they'll never find in the textbooks.

He would absolutely make sure students get the uncensored version of history. He's absolutely a strong believer of "if you don't know history, you're bound to repeat it"

He also makes sure to include the good parts of history as though to say "this is what it could be".

Overall you got my brain smiling at the idea of Hobie being a reader tySM

TEACHER HOBIE I'M SO SOFT

Teacher!Hobie Headcanons

No wonder he's so good with MayDay.

Like imagine, Hobie is strolling along and hear Peter foreloin that MayDay is having trouble with her shapes and colors. And MJ really wants to start her ahead on early pre-k. Get the big Parker brain going and all. And Peter's so frustrated and is he doing this dad thing right and maybe- Then he walks past a room while complaining to Miguel, only to see Hobie and MayDay sitting there with cards, practicing shapes and colors. She's delighted, it's like a game to her, and she's bright eyed and reacting. Hobie doesn't stop to acknowledge Peter and Peter doesn't interrupt, but he's so incredibly happy. He later tries to thank Hobie, but Hobie is like 'My pleasure, mate. Great kid."

He probably gets it from back home in 138, where he's more often 'Hobie'. I could see him in his time off, hanging out with local organizers.

Spider-punk sneaks in and steals books that are set to be burned or destroyed, and Hobie passes the books on to them.

I HC he tells the best stories, so the kids will sit around and hear stories of revolution, and indigenous people fighting for their land. Or about hippies protecting old forests. Or Black Panthers on the steps of the court house (*cough* Di *cough*)

But of course their favorite stories are the ones about Spider-punk. Hobie has told him that Spider-punk is his best friend and 'not to tell anyone'. And they make sure to keep his secret locked tight.

He tells them heroic stories of Spider-punk kicking the cops asses, and the kids all cheer - because it makes them a little less afraid when they see the pigs in the streets.

Some stuff can be hard to explain to them, or tell them - because history isn't always pretty. But they know they can ask questions and Hobie will always be kind. He always has an answer, never an 'I don't know', instead a 'I hope to learn that one day too'.

They really admire him. Sometimes hanging around the organizations and communist groups he'll read by himself, and the kids will see and run and grab their own. Sitting around him for impromptu reading time.

Even the teenagers the pass off to him. Kids like Gwen.

13 - 16 year olds, runaways looking for a better life, kids who lost their parents and are angry, ready to fight for the cause. Or sometimes, kids of cops, disgusted enough to wake up and leave.

Sometimes they're scared or quiet. Hobie always helps them open up, always figures out what they're willing to fight for. And some of them are angry, loud, some don't trust them. But he can get on anyone's good side. He understands the anger, he knows how to direct it.

Soon they just follow him because he leads by example. Everyday he comes in and ten different people are ready to talk to him about the recent developments on the fight for freedom in South America, or a recent anarchist rally over in Ireland.

Hobie loves it, because he loves people and he loves being a teacher.

Even at Society

Pavi probably didn't know much when he joined. He knew Gwen and Hobie very well, and he's been Spider-man 6 months, so he had to have joined maybe 3-4 months into being Spider-man, or even earlier.

He was probably so green, now look at him. How many 'bits of advice-' do you think he gave Pav?

If you're a new recruit with mechanical webshooters, he'll casually ask to see them - compliment their worksmanship, give you some new ideas. Or try to help out in little ways. Sewing kit in his vest for patches and rips in Spidey-suits.

Imagine learning how to Spidey-quip from Hobie!!! And having him be your hype-man during jokes in battle!

Just like he throws Pav in ATSV, Hobie throwing a Spider-person so they can get the last attack in.

Or even just helping around campus. He'll walk people to the food court if they're lost and looking for it. Or stop and talk to people who look like they need help with something.

Pulling others aside and asking if they need someone to practice training with, telling them 'Don't worry, you'll get it'.

I BET HES A MENTOR like Jess or Peter! Having him as a mentor would be so cool. Him lazily checking in on your during missions from his houseboat cause - hey he gets to work from home? cool.

Always defends you to Miguel.

#spiderman #atsv #hobie brown #marvel #spider man #spider punk #spiderpunk #across the spiderverse #hobie brown headcanons

[tomatoswup]

i had this silly idea i told my friend about what if the Trigun Stampede gang run in to a runaway teen reader and then the reader’s part of the gang. The reader’s in their rebellious phase of course and kinda argues with Wolfwood a lot. Can you write headcanons for this please? (°▽°)

Runaway!

A/N: i’M SO SORRY FOR THE LATE RESPONSE IT WAS A REALLY HECTIC MONTH😭😭😭😭 honestly, this was really fun to write heheheh,,, i can kinda see reader being a pain in the ass but with good intentions….maybe… But god i can imagine how crazy the stampede crew would be if they had a teen,,, i love it😌☝️☝️☝️ Hope you enjoy!!!(*´∇｀*)

warnings/tags: none!

Well aren't you a little anomaly in the bad deserts!

When you first encounter the gang, it wasn't a very...proud encounter.

To be exact, trying to steal Vash's gun in the middle of a busy bar was a very brave choice knowing that the Humanoid Typhoon was trying to eat spaghetti, and in the flesh!

Bold dare I say but, besides that, you were getting hunted by a group of thugs that had been going through town and uh, you sure did cause a bit of trouble.

And by trouble I mean you stole their car keys and went out for a joy ride.

Yup, crashed that shit rightttt into a boulder.

And of course Vash, who's a bit too kind for his own good at times, wanted to help someone so young to Wolfwood's disbelief. Meryl and Roberto? They've witnessed what he did for Jenora Rock so they kinda expected it.

After that first meeting, you naturally stuck to the wacky group and often times when needed, you tried to help them in exchange for saving your life.

Of course with payment :D It's a hard world for a runaway teen out here!

Don't worry you don't make them pay...sometimes...

Young and free they say hahaha!!...Yeah you had literally no more bullet to spare so time to get workin~

You often had Wolfwood reminisce his times back at the orphanage. He's lived there for so long and he's dealt with kids of many ages, but goddamn did you give this man a mf headache.

Sorry, correction, a migraine.

I damn right knowww he goes through twice the number of cigarette packs when you're around.

"Alright kid, no more grabbing shit or starting fights. Zip your mouth if you're gonna be tagging along-"

"Do you really think I'm gonna listen to a priest?"

"UNDERTAKER!"

"Same thing"

"No it's not!"

You glanced at Meryl for more input.

"...Okay I can see where they're coming from-"

"MERYL SERIOUSLY?!"

You got Wolfwood this close to Homer Simpson choking you out.

Sometimes Vash can't help but watch the both of you headbutt eachother.

He's the type of person to try and stop the fight and maintain the peace but bestie, when you're against a rebelling teenager anything is possible.

He understands tho bc he's also gone through his little phase, that's how he got his little earring :D

But asides from that, when he tries to stop ya'll you guys just ignore him lmAOOO

They say teens are rebellious while trying to find others who they can relate to or have a connection with and well, although you didn't really have a permanent home anymore like you use to, you slowly found yourself getting fond of this little wacky group.

And at some point while you guys got closer, Wolfwood tended to look after you a little more.

Was it because of his past? Or were you just a kid who needed the right guidance forward?

Either way, he tries his best to give you good advice,,, advice to keep you alive.

A practical guardian you could say,, Or kinda like an uncle?

And you know what, you don't mind it.

"Did your sticky little hands grab another fucking wallet? Seriously?"

'No I did not!" You narrowed your eyes at him "It's a map get it right. I also only steal from the rick-looking men Wolfwood cmon now-"

You ended up getting a bonk on the head from him, which led you to looking at Roberto, who downed another drink.

"What are you looking at me for?"

WHATCHU MEAN MY BOY ARE YOU REALLY NOT GONNA-

He really doesn't care lMAAOOO Most unphased man alive.

As long as no one dies!

And maybe after all of this time, even after those two years after what happened to July you guys will reunite again :)

You still a lil' shit tho

"does anyone have gum?"

"I haven't seen you in two years and you're asking me this?"

"...It was just a question..."

FUN TIMESSSSSS~

extra:

-you would wHIP THE NEWS AGENCY CAR ON A GOOD MORNING

-Meryl gets tired one night driving?

-"I'll drive for you!"

-Everyone regrets letting you touch that wheel.

-That poor car looks like if you were shaking a bag of skittles when you drive full speed over those sandy hills.

-You got Meryl thanking to god she put her seatbelt on

-Vash holding onto the back of the driver's seat for his life,, I think his nails left cuts in the seat itself jeez!

-Roberto's holding a hand out against your chest so you don't FLY out of your seat when you guys go airborne.

-And Wolfwood honestly wished the sandworms from earlier had eaten him.

-fuc- DID HIS PUNISHER JUST UNHOOK FROM THE ROOF-

-"STOP THE CAR STOP THE CAR!!"

#trigun imagines #trigun headcanons #trigun stampede #trigun imagine #vash x reader #vash imagine #nicholas d wolfwood #vash the stampede #tristamp #trigun stampede headcanons #tumblr needs a spacing setting ASAPPPPP #TRIGUN #this close bulletpointing aint doin it for me #but this was fun to write hehehe #reader gON WHIP ITTTT

[wormed-woman]

After the mysterious death of a B-list movie star Juliet Heartwood, people from her past start looking into her case.

After coming back from the death herself, still not having any idea what happened to her, she finds herself in a tangle involving UFO's, psychics and a mining corporation

NOTE: this is kinda rambly, ill answer any asks and stuff that come my way from this ✌

Setting; 1995 Nevada,

Juliet Heartwood, birthname Juliet Barker.

Juliet was a teenage runaway who left home after an altercation with her mom, where she threatened to send her to a private school if she didn't stop doing ''witchcraft'' with Jack. Juliet ended up stealing Jack's car to run away which broke their friendship.

Years later, Juliet was trying to make it as an actress. She found a partner she was happy with, but he died before their son was born. Grief-stricken and broke, barely being able to look after herself and the newborn, she gave custody of her son Lazlo to her ex-SIL.

Juliet ended up reconnecting with her high school friend Aston Morris, and the two began dating seriously.

While Juliet's future seemed to become brighter, with a new partner and getting a role in a rather notable movie, it was cut short due to her getting killed in a strange UFO event.

Jack Gore (he/him trans woman)

Jack is a psychic who was high school friends with Juliet, planning to help her run away from home together, but their plan was scrapped when Juliet outright stole his car.

After cutting ties with Juliet and finding out that his brother Vinny was moving away because he was divorcing, he decided to join him as a supernatural aid, even thought Vinny was a more sceptic type.

Vinny had ended his marriage to the mortician Heather Jason, after in a paranoid state, she had spent the couple's savings on a nuclear bunker after having a vision which Vinny dismissed.

While on his own, Jack met Jo Tamashiro and had a fling with her. While not an official item, he was her partner and a mother to her child, Cabby.

In June 1995, Jack got some of the worst news of his life. Not only was he going to die from liver failure, but that Juliet had died. Despite holding grudges, he wanted to talk to her a one more time.

Before he could even process everything, the Gore PI agency was contacted by Heather, informing them that she had acquired Juliet's body to experiment on a new form of contacting spirits.

While both were hesitant, they agreed to help her with the experiment.

The initial goal of the experiment was just to contact Juliet's spirit by hooking up a modified spirit box to her corpse, but in an unexpected turn, Juliet's spirit attached itself to the body, not quite resurrecting it, but haunting it like a doll.

While Juliet was now back, she had no memory of what happened to her. Just lights.

Before Jack could make it to the house, an alien creature named the Collection attached themselves to Jack. The Collection, a shapeshifting parasitic entity was sent by the mining company MantiCORP heiress, Midge ''Mittens'' Mantis, for unknown purposes why she was so interested in the case.

Despite seeing each other again, the relationship between Juliet and Jack is cold but volatile, both holding resentment and grudges, but being forced to be around each other to solve the case. It doesn't help that there seems to also be other parties after them for unknown reasons.

Aston Morris, despite being cleared of being a suspect in his girlfriend's death, wasn't so cleared with his boss, Mittens.

Years before, Aston had wanted to become an astronaut, but because of some head trauma he gained as a teen, he was kicked from the program. His anger lead him to jail, but he was bailed out by the heiress. She gave him an offer he couldn't refuse; work for me and you can see space.

The job ended up being a corporate spy and a hitman for MantiCORP. He hated every second of actually doing the killing, but he felt like he was in too deep. Back on earth, Aston found success in a sitcom that lead him to be a successful mainstream actor, eventually leading him to stumble into Juliet again.

Mittens is the heiress to the MantiCORP mining company, which she had to fight for due to her family trying to swindle her out of her fortune. She first started with the recruitment of the Collection (experimenting on the assassin behind her father's death) and Becky, who would later become her wife.

Coll was always Mittens' right hand man, but after massive screw up at the job, she demoted them and made Becky their overseer.

After Becky disappeared after a recovery mission, Mittens kept Coll's current position due to the lack of evidence that they had anything to do with it.

While this whole thing is mostly ramble-y, I do plan on elaborating some of this. I am working on the comic version of this, but this is all the lore that hasn't been elaborated on. TY for reading!

#metafog #my oc #writing

[sky-casino]

masterlist

== haikyuu!! ==

growing pains - oikawa x fem!reader loving him. losing yourself in loving him. drifting apart. getting back together?

childhood friends to lovers… with a twist - atsumu x fem!reader not your typical childhood friends to lovers story

dancing ‘round the kitchen in the refrigerator light - osamu x fem!reader college classmates turned interviewer and interviewee turned colleagues… turned lovers?

stranger danger - kuroo x alisa / kurolisa drug lord!kuroo x detective!alisa

== my hero academia / boku no hero academia ==

she was sunshine, he was midnight rain - dabi x fem!reader you’re a doctor hired by LOV to take care of the blueflame and covered-in-scars villain called dabi

off the beaten path - pro hero!bakugo x journalist!reader wherein you persuade your very busy pro hero boyfriend to take a break

== blue lock ==

this love - teenage dad!itoshi sae x fem!reader sweet love turned into bitterness when you could no longer recognize your favorite person after he came back from spain.

caught up in his web - spiderman!nagi & dark!nagi x fem!reader supporting nagi in his spiderman endeavors is amazing. dealing with his dark-side-manifested isn’t.

entanglement - spiderman!sae x fem!reader the embarrassment you felt once you find out the identity of the man behind the mask was through the roof

weaving through leads to you - spiderman!rin x fem!reader sure, rin has spider-like superpowers. but at the end of the day, it will always be you.

== bungo stray dogs ==

just a headcanon on fukuzawa’s past love - fukuzawa x kin based on a few panels from the manga. kin is inspired by the real-life wife of fukuzawa named okin.

== kpop / nct ==  not a fan anymore so i no longer write this kind of fics

saving grace - doctor!jaehyun x pregnant single mom!reader you’re pregnant and single because your ex doesn’t want to take responsibility. then with some weird twist of fate, you get transferred to a new ob-gyn. here comes your charming and disarming doctor.

ink-tainted hands - jaehyun x fem!reader i was into brush pen calligraphy 3 years ago and got inspired to write this. jaehyun is your only classmate in a calligraphy workshop lol. 

morning after - fuckboi!jaehyun x fem!reader what transpired the morning after your night with jaehyun

competitive as hell -  jaehyun x fem!reader wrote this fic based on two facts about jaehyun lol: he can drink 3-4 soju bottles and he’s competitive as hell. (drinking) shots fired.

vigilante - vigilante!jaehyun x syndicate victim!reader jaehyun saved you from human traffickers. inspired by the korean movie Midnight Runners. 

take my hand - nomad/runaway!jaehyun x fem!reader you were having the worst night of your life when you found a mysterious and cute runaway boy sitting beside you.

try again - jaehyun x fem!reader he changed for the worse, but he also wants to try again.

fight for you - jaehyun x fem!reader someone found a way to break you up but jaehyun will relentlessly fight for you

savior - jaehyun x fem!reader inspired by taylor swift’s song Call It What You Want

comfort & coffee - jaehyun x fem!reader just a simple and cute comfort fic 

ride or die - biker!winwin x city girl!reader you were sent to the countryside as a punishment. however, you didn’t expect to meet an intriguing handsome biker boy.

hold your breath - swimmer!winwin x fem!reader you offer to tutor winwin in physics in exchange for him teaching you how to swim.. and overcome a tragic event from the past.

ice cream - ice cream vendor!winwin x fem!reader meet-cute story featuring ice cream, your pet, and the cute ice cream vendor.

#ivy writes #masterlist #fics masterlist #drabbles masterlist #anime fics masterlist #anime drabbles masterlist #haikyuu #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #mha #bnha #blue lock #bllk #bungo stray dogs #bsd #anime fics #anime x reader fics #anime drabbles #anime x reader drabbles

[sentientcave]

Contains: Original Characters, (Inaccurate) Depictions of life in Soviet Russia, Teenage Nikolai, Underage Smoking, Unrequited Feelings, The Runaways, No Plot Just Vibes

~3k words

Russia, 1987

Nikolai watched the prop plane touch down on the empty field past the barn from his spot up in the hayloft, holding a Kalashnikov machine rifle that he’d never had to shoot at an actual person before. He was pretty sure that today wouldn’t be the day that he had to, but his uncle had asked him to provide overwatch, so he was laying half on top of the rifle, peering down the iron sights at the plane as it bumped across the field and came to a stop not far off. The sun bounced off the glass windshield, obscuring the pilot.

It wasn’t like his uncle to do business at home, but he’d been called back out to the country because Auntie Natalia was having a baby. It was Natalia who knew this particular contact, and trusted her enough to have her come out here. Uncle Sasha was less sure. He didn’t trust easily— It was a liability to, in this line of business— so here was Nikolai, laying in itchy old straw and wishing that he had asked to stay in Leningrad with his friends. But he was rarely allowed to involve himself in Sasha’s business, beyond as an occasional errand boy, and he wanted to prove himself useful.

Sasha walked out to meet the pilot, his face set in the usual hard-line expression he reserved for business, a cigarette hanging from his mouth, his gun holsters visible when the wind blew his coat open. He relaxed when he realized that the pilot was alone, and really just a woman, the hard expression shifting into a smile.

Nikolai watched the woman take off her sunglasses and hook them onto the collar of her white shirt, her smile a smudge of red and white from so far above. She looked distinctly American, wearing light-washed blue jeans tucked into combat boots, and an oversized leather jacket that obscured her form somewhat, or would have if it wasn’t left open. She glanced up and waved for him to come down, laughing at something Sasha said, spotting Nikolai despite the darkness in the barn behind him, and his dark hair and brown jacket that he had thought half-decent camouflage.

Hoping to get down before she was done laughing, Nikolai scrambled to obey, slinging the rifle across his back and out of the way while he slid down the ladder to the floor of the barn.

No luck. Sasha was leaned in toward her when Nikolai approached, lighting a cigarette for the woman. She was beautiful up close, not that much older than Nikolai, really, maybe in her mid-twenties, but entirely grown out of the leggy awkwardness of girlhood, all compact curves accentuated by the high-waisted jeans and the tight t-shirt. Her dark brown hair was pulled back into a sleek low bun, with the few escaped wisps tucked firmly behind her ears.

“You must be Nikolai,” she said, holding a hand out, shooting that stunning white smile at him. It was far more devastating than a bullet could ever be, ripping through flesh and bone and lodging somewhere in his heart. “I’m Helena. Natalia’s told me a lot about you. She said you want to be a pilot too?”

Nikolai nodded dumbly, praying that his palm wouldn’t be too sweaty when he gripped her hand for what he hoped was the correct amount of time. “Um. Yes,” he said, finding his voice, pitching it a little lower, straightening his back. He wasn’t a boy, he was a young man. He needed her to see that. “It’s Kolya to friends. Let me take your bag,” he added, eager to make himself useful.

“Are we friends already?” Helena asked teasingly, handing her duffel bag over without protest. Her Russian was perfect, like she was born speaking it just as he was. “Thought I’d have to work harder than that.”

Nikolai tried to stamp down that stab of disappointment. She definitely saw him as a just a boy. Probably for the best anyway. There was a wedding band on her finger, after all. “Well, if you’re friends with my aunt, you are like family. What more to say?”

“If only it were always so simple,” Sasha said, shaking his head, waving for them to follow him back to the house. “It was easier when we were his age, no?”

Helena laughed. “No. I was already a soldier at his age.”

It was hard to imagine this woman as a soldier. Easier to imagine her as a movie star, or a model. “Did you fly a fighter plane?” Nikolai asked.

She nodded. “Never saw much real combat, but I was stationed in Guatemala for a spell, and I fought in the Falklands. Not that it was much of a fight.” She rolled her eyes, taking a long drag from the cigarette. “Thatcher just couldn’t let that go. Bitch.”

Sasha laughed. “It is for Glorious Empire, no? We are just dogs for war.”

“Too true. And some dogs don’t know how to stop.” One more drag from the cigarette, and she dropped it in the tin can on the porch railing. “Is Natalia home from the hospital yet?”

Sasha shook his head. “Not yet. She comes home this afternoon. I will be driving into the city soon— Would you like to join me? Kolya will stay.”

“I’ll stay. I can make myself useful, have dinner made by the time you return.”

“No, no, you are a guest—”

“Please! I am happy to do it. It’s one less thing to worry about, with a baby coming home.” She waved off his protests with both hands. “Kolya can help me navigate the kitchen.” She flicked her arm forward, the movement pulling her sleeve back from her watch. “You might as well go now, Natalia should not be alone too long. We will have time for business later, Aleksander.”

“Please! Just Sasha. Like Kolya said. You are like family.”

“And a moment ago I was a guest,” Helena said, giving Nikolai a conspiratorial look that made his heart hammer.

“Well, Natalia will want to know we made an effort to make you a guest,” Sasha said. “We are simply outclassed.” He opened the door and grabbed his car keys off the hook. “We’ll be back soon. Make yourself at home, Helena.” He tapped her on the arm as he went back out past them again, shoes crunching on the gravel of the drive as he went out to his car.

“Drive safe,” she said, crouching down to untie her boots, following Nikolai’s cue as he kicked off his own. She frowned, looking at the worn out work-boots. “In a bit, we should go back out to the plane. I brought a crate of things. Gifts for the family. I have boots that should fit you.”

Nikolai felt his ears turn red. “I don’t need anything, really.”

“Didn’t say you did,” she said, kicking her boots against the side of the house, out of the way of the door so no one would trip over them. “It’s just easy for me to get these things, and Natalia said there’s often shortages. If you don’t need them, give them to someone who does, hm?” She passed by him into the house and shrugged off her jacket, hanging it up on one of the hooks by the door unceremoniously. Now Nikolai had no problem imagining her as a soldier. Her t-shirt sleeves were rolled up, revealing defined muscles, and she wore a leather harness across her shoulders that supported a pistol holster under each arm. She had a big tattoo of the RAF logo on her bicep too, bisected by a jagged scar.

“RAF?” he asked. “I thought you were American.”

“I live in Canada,” she said. “But I’m from England. That’s where I met your aunt. We went to the same school in London. She taught me my Russian.”

Nikolai thought back to the stories that his aunt told, trying to pick out which one was the most likely to be Helena. “You’re Lena,” he said, connecting the dots quickly. “The one that got her into trouble.”

“Guilty. She needed it though. Talia was like a mouse before I got my hands on her.” She followed him up the stairs. “It was good for me too. Got me used to taking an undressing from—” She stopped, the word not sounding right on her tongue. “Um. A Dressing down. Scolding, yes? From important people. My captains never scared me.”

Nikolai scrubbed a hand over his face, as if that would do something to alleviate the blush he could feel from his ears down to his chest. He dropped her duffle bag on the narrow bed in the guest room and shuffled back out into the hallway. There was almost no space to manuever in the small room, and he didn’t want to have to touch her. He did get a whiff of her shampoo and the slightest hint of sweat, which nearly made his knees buckle beneath him. A touch certainly would have put him on the floor. “You don’t seem like a woman who is scared of anything,” he said.

She grinned at him as she unzipped the bag, pulling out a cassette deck and a canvas bag that rattled slightly with the movement. “Anyone who isn’t scared of anything is either over-confident, stupid or crazy,” she told him. “It’s not a bad thing to be scared.”

“Which one are you?” he asked.

“Crazy of course. Here. I brought you some music.” She shoved the bag at him and headed back downstairs, the tape deck in hand. It was a small one, portable and battery powered. “I don’t know what the popular music scene’s like around here, but I bring you rock and roll. Things I don't think you can find easily here. We can listen while I make dinner.”

Western music. That was thoughtful, which did nothing to quell his burgeoning crush. He had a few tapes, many of them poor quality recordings of recordings. These were new, some of them still wrapped in plastic film, bought especially for him. "You didn't have to do this," he said, setting the bag down on the kitchen table so he could parse through its contents. Rush, Heart, Motörhead, The Runaways, Sex Pistols. Some music he'd heard of, a lot more he hadn't.

"I wanted to. Seems like you've really been through it, kid. This is nothing, really. Just some tapes. If it makes you feel better, I can tell you that I just hate Russian music and wanted to make sure we didn't have to listen to it."

"That does make me feel better."

"Then that's the honest to god truth." She put a hand over the sunglasses and held the other up, like she was making a pledge.

"Liar," he said. It felt good to tease her back. Like they were old friends already.

"I've been called worse things by worse people. Now! Let's see what we have to work with." She started going through the cupboards, noting where all the pots and pans were and rifled through the pantry to see what ingredients they had on hand.

Nikolai picked a tape at random and set it into the player, turning up the volume, grinning as the sound of drums and electric guitar pealed out from the tinny speakers.

“Ooh, The Runaways,” Helena said approvingly. “Good choice. These girls know how to rock.” She pulled out a big pot and filled it with water, her head bobbing along to the beat. “Now come here and help me peel potatoes.”

“Yes ma’am,” Nikolai said, leaving the pile of tapes on the other side of the table. He found paring knives while she washed dirt off the potatoes, bouncing on the balls of her feet, singing along to the music under her breath.

He started peeling, doing his best to focus on the task rather than on the way Helena’s hips swayed back and forth, the slightest bit off beat. And then there was distinctively feminine moaning coming out of the speakers along with the music, and he nearly stabbed himself in the hand. Helena didn’t seem to notice, or at the very least didn’t react, leaving him to briefly wonder if he was imagining it, or if it was really a part of the song.

His ears were burning hot, so he kept his head down and peeled potatoes like his life depended on it, certain that if he looked at Helena he would simply burst into flames. He was glad that he’d not bothered to get his hair cut in a while, so it was long enough to hide behind.

“You alright, Kolya?” she asked, tapping his arm to warn him that she was reaching across him to grab the other knife.

“I’m fine,” he told her, his voice cracking on the words as his heart clunked into second gear. Another humiliation. “I’m not good at this,” he lied. He tried to help out in the kitchen whenever he could, although he was still not much of a cook. “Trying not to cut off my fingers.”

Even if she didn’t believe him, she left it, blessedly, at that.

Once they set the potatoes to cook, they went back outside, keeping an eye on the stove through the kitchen window. Music from the cassette player followed them, thankfully free of moaning of any kind now that he had nothing to occupy himself with. Sometimes god was good. Nikolai pulled out two cigarettes and set them to his lips, lighting both and offering one to Helena.

"Aren't you a bit young to smoke?" she asked, lips twisting into a wry little smile. Her fingers brushed his when she took one, sending a little electric jolt through him.

"Maybe. But being young has never stopped me from doing anything I wanted to do." He hoped that came out as bold, maybe even flirtatious, rather than childish. He wasn't sure it did. It was easier, with girls his own age. Acting as though he knew what he was doing got him a long way among his peers, since most of them had even less of an idea than he did.

"I guess I smoked when I was your age too," she said, laughing. "And drank, and smoked weed, and got into trouble. It's just funny, you know? You feel all kinds of grown when you're sixteen, but when you look back at yourself, you see a child."

"You're not even so old," Nikolai said. "Twenty four, twenty five? You must be younger than my aunt."

"Nah. Same age. I'll take it as a compliment though."

So twenty nine, if she really was the same age as Talia. It should have curbed his interest, but it didn't. She was still beautiful, and interesting, and she spoke to him like he was a person, not just a kid.

"What's your husband like?" He asked.

"Oh? He's…" she trailed off, thinking about it, blowing a thin stream of smoke out while she considered her answer. "He's a good man. But we probably wouldn't have married if not for our son. Aaron turned seven this year."

It was hard to imagine Helena as someone’s mother, let alone someone who was closer to his age than she was. He really didn’t want to think about that. "Sorry, I was just curious. I did not mean--"

"It's fine, Kolya. Really. I'm not unhappy, by any means. He's a good business partner, and we agree about important things." She shrugged, like it didn't matter one bit, still wearing an easy smile on her red-painted lips. "Romance is not so important anyway. I’ve got more important things to worry about."

Nikolai couldn't help but see that as sad, in a way. He'd known her for all of an hour, maybe two, and he already thought she deserved better than that. The way she talked to him, her offer to cook, the thoughtful gift of hard to find Western rock and roll tapes for a boy she had never met, combined with the stories that Aunt Talia told painted a picture of a woman who deserved to be with someone that loved her well, gave her everything she wanted and more. He wished he was older. Maybe, in another life, he could have been that man.

But it was foolish to dwell on things that couldn't be. Better to be her friend than nothing. He had a feeling she would be a good friend to have.

They spent the afternoon like that, listening to music and making gnocchi, rolling little lumps of dough across the backs of forks to make a small mountain of dumplings, laughing together at Helena’s tone-deaf attempts to sing along. It was somehow more endearing than if she had been a song bird, a flaw that made her more human.

Not that he could think of her as anything else. She was just more vibrant, more alive than anyone he’d ever met. Like she had been struck by lightning and still carried an electric charge beneath her skin. He felt it every time they touched, purposefully or by accident, her hip bumping his as she danced, or their fingers brushing when he offered her another cigarette. That electricity fell from her lips too, when she got talking about something that she cared about, and sometimes she absently changed languages mid-sentences, flowing from Russian to English and sometimes to French and Spanish. He did his best to keep up with her anyway, even though there were times when he was just nodding along, listening to the cadence of her voice, watching the enthusiasm in her eyes.

After Talia and Sasha returned from the hospital, Nikolai had to share her attention for hours, as they ate, and she held the baby, and she sat on the couch, cuddled up next to Natalia, the two of them reminiscing in soft voices while Nikolai washed the dishes, straining to hear. Sasha was the only one that seemed to notice Nikolai’s frequent glances over his shoulder, and came to lean against the counter next to him, a mug of tea in his hand.

“Don’t fall in love, Kolya,” he said in a low voice, his dark eyes laughing at Nikolai’s misfortune.

Good advice. But not advice Nikolai was certain he’d be able to follow.

#Nikolai #original characters #call of duty modern warfare fic #cave writing #Morganverse #I feel like there's not really anything else to tag but if I've missed something just let me know #I had to write this to set up another fic lmao #I don't know #There might be a part two of this? But there will definitely be a sequel under a different name #Posting things makes me feel nuts tbh

[fueledbysano]

𝟎𝟏𝟐 | Don't Let Me Go

summary: while in the middle of a deeply personal mission in her hometown, [ Y / N ] recalls the night of her runaway. Mikey unknowingly initiates a big deal in their relationship. Takemichi encourages Moein to meet the two.

content/warnings: this story contains major Tokyo Revengers manga spoilers, canon divergence setting, tenjiku arc setting, comfort, fluff, angst, detailed writing of violence, weapons, blood, death, and strong language.

wc: 3k

a/n: so i just discovered a manga called nine peaks and it has the same idea to the plot of this story!

series masterlist | previous | next

“What did I do?” [ Y / N ] spoke, establishing an annoyed tone.

“Oh, nothing. I just wanted to chat.” Izana answered.

“What could we possibly chat about?” She pointed out.

“She doesn’t remember, doesn’t she?” Izana turned to his right-man.

“I don’t think so.” Kakucho answered.

“[ Y / N ] [ L / N ]. 17, born in Yokohama, left at a fire station and tossed around four foster homes. Went by the names; [ Y / N ] Mikami, [ Y / N ] Kaji, [ Y / N ] Ando, and then back to [ Y / N ] [ L / N ].” Izana paced in circles, unraveling the girl's past right before her and his men.

[ Y / N ] was flabbergasted, to say at least. Having heard those words from a man that she's only heard of, and only met today. “Who told you that?” She flatly spoke.

“I can also go on with your real parents, but I only have your father’s file here.” Izana replied, holding up a brown envelope similar to the one in her car.

“Where did you get that?” She folded, failing to conceal the confusion in her voice.

“Here’s your dinner, [ Y / N ].” The same stale bread and bland soup was served in front of [ Y / N ], just like a thousand times before. Being thirteen years old in an orphanage was quite a rare case, considering that kids are typically adopted before hitting adolescence.

[ Y / N ] has, though. Not once, but three times; by different families. However, she still felt foreign in any home she stayed in, not as different from the orphanage, urging her to transfer with every return.

This was something that no teenager dreamt of. Today, she decided to break the cycle and live on her own, if no one would take her in.

[ Y / N ] had no choice but to take the food for one last time, knowing that it will be a long night ahead of her.

She shortly followed her roommates when she finished eating, blending in to the wave of kids as they prepared for bedtime.

“Why aren't you in your pajamas yet?" The girl on top of her bunk bed asks.

“These are my sleeping clothes.” She simply answered, slowly lifting the blankets and tuckig herself in.

Underneath it was also a duffel bag, containing her clothes, a crowbar and wire cutter which she’d earlier stole from the storage unit. After all, those are the basics of hijacking a car according to her mechanics book.

The rest of rhe kids are starting to return to the room, which indicates bedtime. [ Y / N ] immediately knew that she was now in the hardest phase of her escape plan.

In the future where she may decide to learn about her real family, she would need her personal file that’s being kept in the office. She’d tried asking for it before, but was always denied or ignored. So she took the matter in her own hands.

“Good night, kids.” The headmistress spoke before shutting the lights off.

Reaching to her pockets, [ Y / N ] proudly smiled at herself when she quietly took the keys of the admin office.

She'd snatched it from the lady just minutes ago, as she was having dinner. [ Y / N ] had never pickpocketed her whole life, and she was surprised that she pulled it off just fine.

A couple of minutes had already passed. [ Y / N ] was growing impatient but some kids may still be awake. She tossed and turned under the sheets, recalling the plan in her head over and over as time passed.

Gray cabinet. Low drawer.

“Hello?” When [ Y / N ] was sure that the her roommates were asleep, she quietly snuck to the door and into the hallway.

Normally, an eerie-looking dark hallway would scare her. But she was too focused to the office ahead and she was determined that she can pull this off.

Upon unlocking the office, she headed straight to the file cabinet which contained her file, based on her observations. “Yes!” Upon seeing her name, she retrieved it from the drawer, not bothering to close it back or lock the door on the way out.

Some kids were already asleep when [ Y / N ] took her duffel bag in one go. She jumped through the window, and over the fence, heading to the driveway where the social worker’s sedan was parked.

She jammed the crowbar onto the window and jimmied the lock, moving it in left-to-right motions, just like her book stated.

Under the steering wheel were the bundle of wires she pulled on, not seeing the wire she was supposed to pull, due to the dim lights.

“I’m so screwed.” She chanted, almost out of breath as she attempted to look for the wires that connected to the engine. Reaching for her bag, she scanned through the pages and looked for the information, using it as some sort of manual.

“There you go.” She snipped the orange wire, ready to hotwire it, just like in the shows. However, she started to realize that this will be her first time driving. Luckily, it’s an automatic vehicle. She’s read about it and watched shows, but never really put it to practice.

“Is that [ Y / N ]?” Her nerves chilled when she heard her name from a distance, realizing that the lights to her dorm room were open, and one kid was looking through the window.

“Oh no.” She slammed the wires faster as the engine sputtered, giving one last spark before it finally started.

“No turning back.” She reminded herself before putting a seatbelt on and then shifting to drive.

She didn’t anticipate the sudden movement when she stepped on the gas and went, bumping into another car on the way. The SUV alarmed the street, which brought [ Y / N ] to a sense of urgency.

Luckily, the orphanage was in a suburban area which didn’t have lots of turns, giving her the chance to just simply… drive. Upon reaching a fairly far distance, the rush had already started to die down, and [ Y / N ] felt like she’d just escaped a prison. She chuckled to herself, taking in that she actually pulled it off.

The chuckling turned into a whole laugh, until she was fully cackling and driving at high speed.

It’s only a matter of time before someone realizes that a kid is driving, so she has to find a stopover soon.

However, at this time, most places were already closed and dark. [ Y / N ] could already see the city lights and the highway with bustling cars. She didn’t have the courage to drive on it yet, but she had nowhere to go at this point.

Pulling over at a convenience store, [ Y / N ] took her bag and untangled the ignition wires which brought the car to a stop.

Reaching for her pockets, She realized that her money wasn't enough to buy even a bottle of water. Leaning against the hood and out of breath, [ Y / N ] took a big sigh and calmed her nerves. Running away was her grand plan and she pulled it off. She was actually on her own now.

[ Y / N ] didn’t hear the store bell chiming and the quick footsteps receding until a guard showed up and yelled, “Damn brats! Give it back here!”

She looked up to see two kids in the distance, running off with their clothes stuffed.

“Hey, you with those two?” She flinched when the guard walked up to her.

“No sir, I just got here.” She stood up straight.

“What kind of scam are you pulling, huh? Where are your parents? I’ll get you picked up right no—” Although she wasn’t guilty of stealing from the store, the thought of being sent back to the orphanage frightened [ Y / N ]. So with a big swing, she hit her bag at the guard and followed the direction where the two kids were running off to.

“Hey, wait up!” She tried to call, but they only ran faster. She noticed that one kid had white hair, while the other had black before they disappeared after turning right.

When she followed, [ Y / N ] was met by an abandoned nursing home. The front was blocked with metal scraps and caution signs, which she ignored and decided to jump and climb through.

In the distance was a stairway leading underground, where footsteps were heard and she followed.

Upon reaching the floor, [ Y / N ] yelped when she saw the two boys standing in the middle of the room with stolen chips, drinks, and noodle cups from the store.

“Okay, I think we lost them both.” The black haired kid spoke.

“You think?” The tan-skinned kid says upon seeing [ Y / N ] on the stairs, who was in silence.

“So, what’s your story?’ He asked.

“Where are your parents?” The other one spoke.

“Don’t have ‘em.” [ Y / N ] simply answered, holding onto the railings as she headed soon and observed the place.

“I think you should stay here, be a part of our gang.” She grew confused once the older kid spoke.

“She— what? This has not been discussed.” the other one said.

“It is now. We could use a girl to look innocent and as a distraction.” He explained, while [ Y / N ] listened to their conversation. Soon enough, she realized what he may be talking about.

“I… want to be an F1 driver. Not a thief.” She spoke out.

“You don’t have many options. It’s just us.” The white-haired kid pointed out.

“I’m Kakucho, this is Izana.” The other one introduced themselves.

He was right. She was a fugitive now. Maybe staying with other stray kids is her safest option for now. However, nothing beyond the escape was in her anticipation. She was anxious about living out in a sketchy place with basically nothing.

To say that she was speechless is an understatement. All the feelings from her body seemed to have drained up along with the rush, leaving her staring into the ground; no home, no friends, her life is basically to be rebuilt.

“Is she crying?” Kakucho asks as they observe the girl.

“She’s got no parents. We both remember what that’s like.” Izana says.

“Where can I leave my coat?” [ Y / N ] finally spoke, still not breaking her gaze.

“You can keep your clothes over there.” Izana gestured to an empty cabinet.

“I have to take my other stuff from the car.” [ Y / N ] spoke, remembering about her file.

“Be careful,okay? Dinner will be ready when you’re back!” Kakucho says, taking the food in his arms.

“Took you so long?” Izana asks, pouring a bag of potato chips over the hot noodles.

“He thought you chickened out and bailed.” He laughed, gesturing at Kakucho.

“No, I got us more food.” [ Y / N ] chuckled, ,showing them a take-out bag.

“Stir fry?! Amazing!” Kakucho exclaimed upon recognizing the logo on the bag.

“How did you get this?” Izana asks as she sets the food down. [ Y / N ] remained silent, placing her file on the makeshift table.

“I have my ways.” She put it simply— pickpocketed a middle-class man and bought take out with the money. Izana knew right away what she meant. Maybe, the two of them were meant to meet her and have her join their little team. And she seemed tough, too. With a smile, he slung an arm over her shoulder, “Welcome to our kingdom!” He chuckled before proceeding to feast on their dinner.

After a while, it was the middle of the night when [ Y / N ] decided to shower in the only bathroom that still worked. “I apologize if the water in there was slow.” Izana spoke upon seeing her return to the makeshift common room.

“No worries. I’ve been to worse ones.” [ Y / N ] admitted, watching him pick up a run-down guitar while Kakucho started to make himself comfortable on the futon.

“I play this acoustic guitar before we sleep because it helps Kaku, I hope you don’t mind. And, I’m still learning.” Izana explained.

“Of course. This is your home, after all.” She nodded, letting the boy strum off-key chords and strings.

“Our home now.” Izana corrected, flashing her a kind smile.

Three A.M. and both boys were fast asleep, while [ Y / N ] still laid awake. Izana and Kakucho seemed to be nice kids who were put into this circumstance with only having each other as family. However, Living in an abandoned nursing home with two other orphans wasn’t something she anticipated at all.

While they were kind, and seemed to be safe in the place, [ Y / N ] is still in Yokohama— the exact city she was running away from.

While staying with Izana and Kakucho may seem the safest option, she wasn’t sure of how things would turn out in the long run. Although risky, living on her own is in her best interests.

And that night, [ Y / N ] quietly walked past the sleeping Izana and Kakucho, navigating herself through the candle-lit room as she gathered her stuff to leave.

Reaching to her pockets, she left the spare change on their makeshift dinner table, making sure to take the envelope that contained her file.

But what she didn’t notice is one important document slipping out of it, left out in the dark as [ Y / N ] quietly left, careful not to wake the sleeping boys.

“You seem… different.” Was the only words she could say upon looking back at the memory. The day she ran away was simply to put it, full of emotions. Some experiences that didn’t turn out the way we expected tend to be concealed with different memories— something vague and not so memorable.

Hence, not remembering their meeting until Izana and Kakucho mentioned it.

“Right. The fuck happened to me?” Izana chuckled. [ Y / N ] silently agreed. The young Izana she met at the abandoned nursing home seemed to be far from who he turned out to be.

“I guess you’re really pushing to your F1 racer dream, huh?” He mentioned.

“Look, I’m sorry I left. I just can't stand staying here any longer.” She explained.

“I know. I think it’s the perfect time to return this to you.” Izana spoke, holding out a brown envelope. “You left it behind.”

“What do you want?” She spat.

“Like I said, I just wanted to return what’s yours. Don’t you want to meet your father?” He asks, displaying the document in front of her.

So that’s where it ended up, [ Y / N ] had always assumed that it had been left somewhere, thrown away, or simply stolen. She also figured that as long as she still had her mother’s information, it wouldn’t be difficult to know her father.

Yet, she knows nothing about the circumstances she was born into. Simply obtaining her father’s file would save her from all the confrontations that may arise.

But knowing the men who ran gangs and being friends with some, she knew that this information wouldn’t just be given back to her for free.. They surely want something from her in return. Not to mention the fact that Tenjiku and Toman are not on good terms at the moment.

“Is that all? Can I go now?” She answered, making up a decision to refuse the offer.

With a sigh, Izana nodded and stuffed his hands in his pockets, “What a pity,” He says, stepping in front of [ Y / N ], practically towering her figure. “Everything could’ve turned out so differently if you stayed.” He pointed out.

“See her outside boys.” Izana demanded, which Rindou and Ran immediately obeyed. The Haitanis escorted [ Y / N ] out of the hideout and back into her car, remaining silent as they could feel the tension practically surrounding [ Y / N ]’s aura.

It was until [ Y / N ] reached for the car door when Ran spoke up, “He takes ‘no’ for an answer. Just take it.” He says while Rindou handed her the envelope she just declined.

The midday skies take on a pink-amethyst hue. The darkness brought a crown of moonlight, smiling upward at the morning heavens and dimming up the busy city. Mikey opened the garage door upon hearing the blaring engine of [ Y / N ]’s car. He trotted to the driver’s side, his locks weaving before opening it to reveal a flustered [ Y / N ].

“Hey…” He asks, eyes searching hers to try and get her to talk. “Come here.” He immediately ushered her out of the car and back to the working shed, carrying the parts she bought from her run.

“What took you so long?” Mikey asks, as if he hadn’t already figured out her whereabouts.

“I feel really stupid, but uh… I couldn’t find the parts I’m looking for.” She explained and headed to Mikey’s motor parts, sparing a soft smile to him. She knew her lie would eventually backfire, knowing well that Mikey is not a stupid person.

Of course, she plans to tell everything one day when things are settled. But, now’s just not exactly divine timing.

“You gotta go all the way to Yokohama? Really?” He finally muttered. Mikey mentally scolded himself from the sudden word spill, unsure of how [ Y / N ] will react to his speculations. Now [ Y / N ] was truly confused. She froze on the spot and her mind was cornered. There was no point in denying.

“Hey, were you following me?” She turns to him with a scoff.

“I don’t need to. Why are you always sneaking off there? Huh?” Mikey questioned, crossing his arms and giving her a confrontational look.

“No, can we circle back to the fact that you are stalking me?!” She asks once more, realizing that the trips to her hometown were not as low-key as she thought.

With a sigh, Mikey put away the wrench and stepped closer to the girl. “[ Y / N ], You’re in the enemy’s territory.” He pointed out, as if she hadn’t already known. [ Y / N ], of course, kept it in mind during her last visits. She just didn’t think that she was relevant enough to be targeted by the Tenjiku executives. Hell, she wasn’t even a member of Toman in the first place.

Yet, she was taken into their hideout into a serious talk, but mentioned nothing about the ongoing fight at all. Something about the whole interaction was just… off.

Maybe, they do see her as an important figure to Toman now, especially to their president.

“And you’re my girlfriend, I’m allowed to worry about you!” She looked up and over just in time to see Mikey’s expression. His words rang through her like a bell, a particular word reverberating through her mind.

There was no denying that the feelings were present. Although nothing was formally agreed upon, it just registered to Mikey that he just called her his girlfriend for the very first time.

“I am?” She asks abruptly, her eyes as wide as the boy who just confessed.

“Uh…” The fluster in Mikey’s voice was enough to make [ Y / N ] realize how awkward the situation has shifted to.

“Well…” [ Y / N ]’s body immediately tensed as his response finally reached her. Maybe he wasn’t sure either? Was it something he said out of a “spur of the moment”?

Before either of them could speak, their heads turned to the garage door where insistent knocking could be heard from the other side.

“Hey, it’s evening. Don’t knock so barbarically.” [ Y / N ] scolded as they both made their way towards the heavy doors, lifting it at the same time.

“I’m sorry, is this a bad time?” Takemichi asks as the two appear.

“Yeah.” [ Y / N ] and Mikey answered in unison.

“Mikey-kun, Mucho is Toman’s traitor! He took Koko with Tenjiku.” Takemichi immediately blurted. Mikey listened to the urgency in his voice, and noticed his and Inui’s bruised faces, indicating that they were attacked and brought into this moment.

In a distance, just behind Inui, Mikey sees an unfamiliar girl who stood by Inui’s motorcycle.

“Get everyone. We’ll have a meeting.” He demanded.

“Yes.” The two nodded.

“Mikey-kun, can we talk?” Inupi chimed.

“Wait at the shrine. I’ll get my uniform real quick.” Mikey replied and searched for his motorcycle keys while Inui headed off to his own ride.

“Hey, uh, I just washed the one you left here last time… it’s in my dresser.” [ Y / N ] pointed at the door to her room. “Oh, thanks.” He scurried past her and into the room to get changed.

[ Y / N ] remained in place as the door shut, recalling the exact flow of their conversation.

Girlfriend. Dating exclusively? A relationship? Had she been a girlfriend to him all this time?

While deep into thought, Takemichi gestured Morin to come closer while he approached a static [ Y / N ]. “Uh, [ Y / N ]-chan, I have—”

“Mikey just called me his ‘girlfriend’!” She suddenly blurted, yet keeping a toned down voice, keeping in mind that the boy was just in the next room. “I mean, we’ve never really talked about it! It feels like we are, but, like I said, we never really made anything official so I don’t think much— but— Do we seem like boyfriend-girlfriend to you guys?” She rambled, toying with the zipper of her racer jacket.

In the distance, Morin now observed in confusion. [ Y / N ] seemed to be tense, looking as if she was scolding the blonde. “Man, what are you doing?” She whispered to herself.

Takemichi was puzzled, to say the least, thinking that [ Y / N ] and Mikey had been long boyfriend-girlfriend to each other. “Well…” The words were just at the tip of his tongue before [ Y / N ] rambled again.

“How did you handle it with Hina? Did you ask her with flowers and all that cheesy shit? Did you talk or something? Or it just happened?” She asked. He scratched his head, “Not really flowers, but—”

“Oh, I’m sorry, what were you saying earlier? You have what?” [ Y / N ] suddenly remembered and felt rude, shaking her head.

“Let’s wait for Mikey-kun.” Takemichi sighed. “Right.” She nodded in response. “Holy shit Mucho took Koko with them?!” [ Y / N ] exclaimed.

“Pretty much. He set me up too. If it wasn’t for Koko… Me and Inupi will be in bad shape right now.” He explained. “Holy shit.” [ Y / N ] shook her head.

Shortly, their heads both turn to the door once Mikey is finished, “Okay, let’s go.” He gestured. Takemichi followed shortly while [ Y / N ] stayed close to the Toman president.

“Come here.” Morin was too dazed to hear Takemichi’s cue; looking at [ Y / N ] smoothen the wrinkles on Mikey’s shirt while he looked down at her with pure adoration, as if they weren’t just throwing words at each other earlier. A single glance at them would leave no questions if they were in fact— smitten for each other.

She felt a sudden sense of nostalgia; remembering how [ Y / N ] would tell her stories about how much she loved Mikey. It’s unbelievable how she could see it with her own eyes, even without them speaking a single word.

“Uh, guys?” Takemichi spoke, all their heads turning to him.

“Yeah?” Mikey and [ Y / N ] ask in unison.

“Meet Morin.” He gestured towards the dirty-blonde-haired girl.

“...Hi.” She paused for a moment, before remembering to politely bow.

“She’s uh… my cousin.” Takemichi instilled, insisting to carry on with the “cousin” lie.

“What’s up…” [ Y / N ] nodded politely.

Upon seeing the unknown girl up close, Mikey was jumbled, to say the least, as if his brain was being fogged from a picture. “Did you have Dojo classes with my grandpa?” He questioned.

“No, I don’t think so.” Morin shook her head, finding the response rather odd.

“Huh. You looked like one of the kids there.” He casually spoke, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he headed to his motorcycle. He thought that she looks almost like Emma, but also doesn't. He could not pin it, but he could also see a bit of someone else in her features.

“Huh…” Morin simply nodded.

“I’ll see you later.” Mikey turned to [ Y / N ]. She returned a small wave and a smile, watching the two boys get on the motorcycle and coming out of sight.

[ Y / N ] stayed silent for a moment until the notable engine sounds were gone too. “So…” She slowly turned her head to Morin.

It’s rather odd, considering she’s never told anyone when she was just thinking of it the other day. She’s never met a person who had the name in mind, yet, one actually came up today.

“What did he say your name was again?” [ Y / N ] questioned, ensuring if she heard it right and clear.

tag list [ open ]: @haimyvu @rizakari @httpsplanetmarsdotcom @mitsurisupremacy @moontofu @psmslove @slutaholic69 @im-like-yeah-hes-fine @keomi-kimo @springtimewolf1995 @bebesanzu @imshittingforyelena @dailyakira @idunnomynamesince2005 @juanaisdead @emilymikado @haruu-i @keisaint @misinfe @fxshigurosbae @xxserenitysnow666xx @emyrl @xngelsau @melody005 @daichisbabymama @4leafcloverwithawhitecraneforyou @r-xochitl @sleezy-axeriix @pandabooster @amerillyss @tellynojelly @kenkenmaaa @astrodiamond @ikilledsparky2 @soushswag @eriskaitto @secretanimesimp

dm me if you changed urls or i misspelled

#tokyo revengers #mikey x reader #manjiro sano #mikey #manjiro x reader #tokyo revengers fanfiction #mikey imagines #mikey x you #manjiro sano x you

[thecherokeediaries]

Thank You, Karrine Steffans

Before we had Instagram, influencers, and Instagram baddies, we had video vixens that ruled the late ‘90s and early 2000s with their beautiful faces, alluring charm and natural sex appeal. These women generally had a bad reputation for being ‘undeserving’ of these social circles and for supposedly ‘sleeping their way to the top.’ They even struggled to have their peers take them seriously, so they struggled even more to earn their bosses’ respect in the workplace. Slut-shaming was inevitable as a video vixen at the time, but no one expected them to speak out against those claims the way Karrine Steffans did. Karrine Steffans is not only the most iconic video vixen, but she’s someone who’s influence runs deep over the current influencers we see to this day.

Karrine Steffans, also known as Superhead, is an American author, actress, and former hip-hop music video vixen. She gained significant attention and notoriety in the early 2000s for her memoir, "Confessions of a Video Vixen," which detailed her experiences as a video girl in the music industry.

Born on August 24, 1978, in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Steffans moved to the United States as a child and grew up in Florida. She entered the entertainment industry in the late 1990s and quickly became one of the most recognizable video vixens, appearing in numerous music videos for popular artists such as Jay-Z, R. Kelly, and Mystikal.

In 2005, Steffans released her memoir, "Confessions of a Video Vixen," which became a New York Times bestseller. The book provided an insider's perspective on the entertainment industry, shedding light on the exploitation and mistreatment of women in the field. It also revealed her past relationships with several high-profile celebrities.

Confessions of a Video Vixen is Karrine Steffans’ memoir detailing the first 25 years of her life. She had a troubled upbringing in poverty and suffering physical abuse, drug abuse, sexual assault. She lived as a teenage runaway and turned to sex work and hip hop modeling to support herself and her son. The book wasn’t a simple autobiography, but she also divulged the juicy details of her sexual relationships. Some of the men she talked about had kids, girlfriends and wives; they were beloved in their respective industries. Karrine was just a video vixen.

Based on my adult analysis of the situation, I conclude Karrine Steffans was not wrong. I accept the hurt of the women whose partners were mentioned in Karrine's book; however, I disagree with the fact that the men were allowed to get away with their acts. It is not surprising that Karrine takes most of the blame. The men with whom she was involved knew they had girlfriends, wives and families at home, but they still found a way to be with Karrine, who was single. As a result, one of the men she mentioned later gave her a demeaning nickname that is still often used today. The nickname “Superhead” was what she was referred to for the rest of her career, not only was it demeaning but it was dehumanizing if she wasn’t already laughed at from the public this name alone was enough for people to laugh and her as less than.

Following the success of her memoir, Steffans continued to write and release more books, including "The Vixen Diaries" and "SatisFaction: Erotic Fantasies for the Advanced & Adventurous Couple." These books explored her personal experiences, relationships, and sexual encounters.

Aside from her writing career, Steffans has also made appearances on television shows, including "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "The Tyra Banks Show," and "The Wendy Williams Show." She has been involved in controversies and public feuds with other celebrities over the years, further fueling her media presence.

Karrine will always have a place among the most influential women for many reason, but mainly because she is the first woman I saw who refused to let powerful men dictate how her story unfolded. She wrote her book, recounted her own story, told it from her perspective, and didn't allow anyone else to rewrite its story. Previously, the men around Karrine Steffans controlled her narrative and passed it off as truth because people weren't prepared to understand her. Karrine was not seen as a person by those men, so she was expected to keep quiet as they humiliated and belittled her. The culture of slut-shaming has changed greatly over the past few decades, especially for video vixens, and Karrine is a key contributor to the shift.

And to that I say…

Thank You, Karrine Steffans

#Y2K #karrine steffans #pop culture #black pop culture #misogyny #girlboss tbh #karrinesteffans

[generouslyandrogynousdragon]

Love the environmental storytelling in Silver's arc in the GSC/HGSS games. He starts off as just this cold-hearted jerk of a character, but as you go through the game there are little hints here and there that suggest he isn't all he seems.

His obvious disgust with Team Rocket can easily be mistaken for just his disdain for "weakness", but if you later view the DLC cutscene, you learn that his disgust is more rooted in "my father put all his attention into *this* instead of spending time with me?", especially when he doesn't show nearly the same disdain towards anyone else in the game - even Lance, who he calls a "bleeding heart", doesn't get spurned for perceived weakness.

And of course, the capper on the "Silver's not really a jackass, he just puts up a tough front to survive" cake is his Crobat. Only evolves through friendship being high enough, which flies in the face of his "Pokemon are just tools to be used" statements from early in the game. (Side note, this also says things about Cyrus, but that's territory that's well-trod by now.)

Silver's an excellent example of the "teenage runaway antagonist who isn't really an antagonist" character. His belief that "power is all that matters" in the early game is treated with scepticism, rightly, but also he himself isn't scorned for it. He's not made to look like a bad person, more as this troubled kid who needs help.

And when he gets that help and starts moving towards his redemption arc, he's treated with sympathy by the narrative, and rightly so. He isn't forgiven by everyone, by any means, for his past mistakes, but he is at least given the benefit of the doubt. It's really brilliant character writing, and even without the remasters' DLC, he comes out as a troubled kid who needed help, found it, and is turning his life around. And that was in 1998? 1997? I can't remember when GSC came out, but you get the point.

#pokemon #silver (pokemon) #pokemon gsc

[gallavichfanficlibrary]

Any long fics that are must read thats not E rated. I feel like I stick mainly to the E rating because Its shameless I mean the shows pretty explicit but I wanna give other fics a go

Hi! Sorry, this ask was in our inbox for an embarrassingly long time. We thought it was the easiest ask, but the hardest part was to stop ourselves from outting too many fics on the list :D Must read is a very relative thing and there are tons of other amazing fics that deserve attention, but this is what we decided on :) 

Our Stubborn Love - In which, after years of being separated by more than just prison walls, Ian and Mickey try to find their way back to each other.

None the wiser - The real time accounts of Ian visiting Mickey's dingy diner and slowly becoming his friend.

Intro to Quantum Dating - College AU. Ian’s determined to make the most of college life. He thinks that means finding a stable guy to settle down with but he can’t stop thinking about his RA, Mickey.

Help Me (Tear down My Reason) Detective Mickey is investigating a case involving Ian as the prime suspect.

broad-shouldered beasts - Six years after Mickey goes to jail, he's released on parole. He does his best to build a "normal" life and a relationship with his son while juggling the scars of his past.

While We're Making Other (People's) Plans - Post S10. Mickey gets roped into being a wedding planner.

Life on Mars - Remember when a drunken Ned stayed over the Gallaghers house in S3 and got kicked out before morning for groping Lip? What if, instead, he ended up staying a while and wacky hijinks ensued?

sideways - Post S5. Ian attempts to make amends. Mickey tries to stay strong.

these days, life is better - Ian realizes Mickey is the most romantic guy on Earth.

lemme show you the ropes - Post S10. Family dynamics shift after the wedding. Mickey's not sure he's ready. Not sure he even knows what family is.

cut ties with all the lies - Canon divergent set between 3x06 and 3x07.

Rookie Mistakes - Hockey AU. Ian Gallagher is the right wing to Mickey's left defenseman, so it's not even that weird when Mickey makes a point to learn everything he possibly can about the kid. Really.

Twenty-One -  Mickey never had A Master Plan. His only plan in the last decade has been Find Ian. Instead, he's basically raised a kid, accidentally started a slow burning revolution, and failed everyone he actually cares about.

The Luck You Got - Post S4 canon re-write.

Heartstrings High School AU where Senior Ian finally meets his best friends brother who recently returned to finish school.

Lost Lullabies - Mickey Milkovich, former child star turned action movie star, runs into his old co-star, Ian Gallagher, out on the street in the middle of a winter night. When Mickey takes him in, he doesn't realize that Ian has the power to completely turn his new life upside down.

looked like a teenage runaway - Ian is seventeen when he moves to the South Side. Lip tells him to stay away from the wrong people, but no one remembers to warn him not to fall in love with the neighborhood thug.

#must reads #favorites #multichapter #mature

[regarding-stories]

Hilarious, well-researched, dragging its feet: "My Dress-Up Darling"

When I picked this one off my watch list, I was a bit concerned. This was due to the vague synopsis Crunchyroll had provided - I couldn't tell whether this would be a romantic story or something of a fetish thing or what. Would it be overly dramatic, funny, light-hearted, no idea? Welp, no better way to know than diving in and finding out.

Wakana Gojou is a high-school first-year living with his grandfather, apprenticing with him to make hina dolls. He became deeply fascinated with the beauty of this work as a young boy and dedicates serious effort in learning the craft. An incident in his youth made him think that all the other children will think of him as weird for adoring dolls so much. He doesn't have any friends and spends lots of time honing his skills.

All of this changes when Marin Kitagawa comes into his life - a trendy beauty from his class. She finds out what he kept hidden so well from everybody else and her reaction is... pure delight! Because Marin wants to be a cosplayer and make her own costumes, but she lacks the skills, so she calls on Wakana to make her a costume to truly embody her favorite character.

(After this point I will drop spoilers, but I think all of that above was fair game because it's in episode 1.)

The lively and sociable Marin is of course the perfect counterpoint to the reclusive, devoted Wakana. She's bursting with so much genki and passion that she struggles with keeping the serious faces and poses needed for taking good cosplay in-character pictures because she's so damn happy about it. It's quite infectious.

The tongue is deep in the cheek

Wakana gets drawn into the cosplay world and begins to develop his own utter infatuation with it - with how to make a perfect outfit down to the smallest details, or how to do makeup. When he goes into creator mode, Marin becomes the canvas on which he projects art. At the same time he's also dealing with the fact that he's suddenly all the time involved with a lively, good-looking girl that isn't the least bit shy. It's a great setup.

One of the hilarious aspects of the story is the light it shines on many parts of otaku culture by being just a tad over the top with them. Her first outfit choice is based on a hypersexualized computer game named Saint ♡ Slippery's Academy for Girls - The Young Ladies of the Humiliation Club: Debauched Miracle Life 2, a game apparently featuring girls as BDSM subs just as a starting point. Adults overhearing the casual conversations the characters have about the game are deeply shocked, given that the intro scene features a character who can't stop ejaculating or a major plot arc in this "high school" game is the Spurts Festival.

Or take the light novel they draw a character from: It has a title spanning several lines, putting everything about the main plot/setup into the title. This shines a spotlight that even good Japanese works might have lousy or at least completely on-the-nose titles. (Seriously, even German movie titles have nothing on it!) After all, right now I'm reading the wonderful Higehiro: After Being Rejected, I Shaved and Took in a High School Runaway and have in the past talked about Cautious Hero: The Hero is Overpowered but Overly Cautious...

Where there is absolutely no tongue in-cheek is the absolutely wonderful depiction of the world of cosplay - the relation to the fans, the effort that goes into costumes, the growing industry behind it, the techniques and tricks, the resources, people who "crossplay" to a different gender... all is handled with great respect. I don't know much about cosplay, and I found this aspect of the anime and manga quite unique, and in many ways, educational.

It's actually a teenage love story?

Remember the title above this article? There's a reason why I said this show and manga drag their feet. I watched all of the wonderful season 1 and dove right into the manga after. And boy, is it indeed dragging its feet on the love story. And love it is!

Yes, Marin and Wakana become friends. Fast friends, people that spend lots and lots of time together. Marin is not in the least shy about her body around Wakana (we learn later that she also models as a part-time job)... until she realizes she has a crush on him. This is actually played funnily and wonderfully, and I find it very enjoyable.

This part of the story seems at least "on track" until the anime finishes, with things escalating in a love hotel that Marin booked as their "studio" backdrop mostly by accident. A rather believable series of events lead almost to a kiss as they are both dropped into a situation that gets all their hormones going, and yet it completely lacks the contrivance of "boys falling on girls" and similar anime tropes usually employed to bridge the physical distance. I loved it.

What I don't love is how season 1 leaves us hanging. I then read the next three translated manga volumes (all there is until July). And I'm getting annoyed that there hasn't been any development since. It's as if that incident didn't happen - almost. The story is back in the jail the author designed to prevent things from happening. I guess if the cat was out of the bag too soon, this would remove a lot of tension from it. But come on - Wakana is so utterly clueless, there would be plenty of things to put after a first kiss or a confession for these two to navigate.

But so far, nothing happened.

Fridge Logic that cools down the love story

You know what fridge logic is? It's those gaps in the logic behind a story that you notice only after you disengage with a medium - like on your way from the couch to the fridge after watching a movie. And boy, this show has its fair share!

The basic setup between Wakana and Marin is that he is shy, has been raised by his grandfather (and therefore might have outdated standards on what is "inappropriate"), he definitely was sheltered and had no link to youth culture, his age peers, or even events in his area (come on, he never went to the local fireworks festival!!). Marin may be all genki, lively, sexy, but we seem to catch her in the time of her life - remember first year of high school, I think it's mentioned she's 15 - before dating entered her life for real. But that's only part of the setup.

The trauma of feeling ostracized about his passion for dolls and doll-making - and it not being what a boy "should" do - and his lack of friends has left Wakana with low self-esteem. In spite of how he feels about Marin, he cannot imagine that she would want him. Whenever people mention that they look good together or assume he's her boyfriend or ask if they are dating - after all, they have an awesome energy together - he goes into denial mode. Because Wakana thinks it would bother Marin. He can't even see that she actually wants him to consider the possibility.

Both of them are not helping. Wakana's denials are taken quite literally by Marin who thinks Wakana might not reciprocate her feelings. Marin in turn tries to flirt with and tease Wakana, but she always escapes into "just kidding" the moment it has even a chance to get serious. (She cannot own the boldness or the tease she puts forth, which is actually quite adorable as well.) This locks both of them into a stalemate because neither of them can make a move - either not contemplate it or not pull through with it.

After having finished Volume 8 I have to say this has become frustrating. Because the fridge logic is so apparent! Yes, Wakana essentially has nobody to talk about this, but Marin has friends. Friends that know about Wakana. Friends with an increasingly good impression of Wakana. Friends who think they actually would make a cute couple! There's nobody trying to get in between them out of jealousy. Nobody trying to mislead them.

All it would take for this to move forward is for Marin to confess her crush on Wakana to a friend because she cannot keep it in anymore, and that friend would set her head straight and say: "I think you need to make the first move. Wakana is too shy. He probably cannot even imagine that you want him. Have you any idea how out of his reach you must seem?" And things would go from there. There's no way a 15 year old girl can not spill the beans on this to a friend. (As long as she has friends, mkay.)

Missed opportunities

The other disappointing thing is that the story never makes use of or make explicit the other possible hindrance. His low self-esteem hinders Wakana. So does his childhood trauma. But he never seems to speak these out loud so anybody can engage him on them. Marin never gets a chance to say "Hey, you're wrong." Nor does his grandfather.

Even worse, it never makes use of a potential dramatic setup that the show naturally created. Marin is Wakana's only real friend, the channel for his passion. Can he actually risk all of that for the potential to be more to her? It's never even addressed or spoken out loud that risking losing Marin might seem losing everything he loves in one go. Now that's a high bar to clear, but I didn't find a hint of this rather natural development in the manga.

He learns valuable lessons - that there are people who will not think less of him because of his passions. That it can actually be cool to be skilled when most teenagers have barely any actual skills or all trained to acquire the same ones. He learns to lean on others, to not burn himself out or take on too much - and I appreciate his growth arc in this regard.

But if you make a damn romantic anime/manga, you need to get things moving at this point. And you can't act like both of them are utterly braindead. They both know they almost kissed. How can months pass after that without anything happening? That feels like The Simpsons continuity where everything resets after the episode ends. And I don't like that.

So, I'm bummed out having to wait until July and October to know how the story continues. I hope the show will get more episodes, it was a lot of fun. And I wouldn't be bummed out if I hadn't enjoyed it to begin with.

Now throw us a damn bone!

#anime series #manga series #romantic anime #high school anime #cosplay #my dress up darling #dragged out romance #pacing #my dress-up darling #marin kitagawa #wakana gojo

[youredreamingofroo]

My current Save

Sharkie Shaw

" Analytical and Typical, Difficult. Annoyingly relaxed. "

— People would have more to say about a bag of chips then Sharkie.

" Sharkie, with a front left untouched and a personality stale as bread, She's a runaway teen. "

Broke, fresh into adulthood, although still a teenager in her heart with her sharp gaze and know-it-all scoff. When the silence of the world brings the ringing annoyance of real life, mercy clasps her hands around her ears and sings to her, bringing life to something unreal, and in the mind. No real aspirations, nor job or school, a dropout that's clever, she wanders through the vast world, cities to countryside, countryside to woods, woods to where her some amount of steps will take her, a charming metaphor for her homelessness.

She's a know-it-all, but not to herself, amidst a quiet night was a confused child, with a name that's made its way off the tongues of friends, foe, and family, now lost and faint on her tongue, with the first blink of memory loss, she ran through sticker and branch away from home, a mysterious case of amnesia shattering the very pedestal she once stood on, rebuilding her own personality alone where every look at her hands was another question of "What's my name?"

Sharkie, a facade and title to mask the originality of her past life.

#Sharkie #Sharkieshaw #Amnesia #ts4 #ts4 simblr #sims 4 #sims 4 simblr #the sims 4 #the sims 4 simblr #my sim #sims 4 cas #sims 4 screenies #sims 4 screenshots #sims4cas #the sims 4 cas #i love her #but #her personality has changed #a little bit since writing this #rip #analytical and typical goes so hard

[therhythmafterthesummer]

Hi dear.

Got an exam in a couple of days and I'm re-reading all Chris' one short, because why not?

Back to us, could you give me some updates of princess and knight!Chan? Is he courting her or are they already married? If he is courting her I think he'll organise some cute dates around the country to let her see everything her father never allowed her to experience.

Now I'll stop procrastinating and go back to study soils and thin sections. I think I'll be back in a few days, hopefully with a good mark.

Have a nice start of the week and rest when you and your lovely lizard brain need it.

-🌑

re-reading fanfics during exam season is just a way to keep ourselves sane. i support you, bb.

this is so long, oh my god. but here are my Thoughts on Chan and his princess after the events of Runaway Princess:

i imagine it takes a while for them to get married after she settles in Naeel's realm. Chan doesn't want to rush into things, and honestly, our princess doesn't want to, either. she wants to savour this new life of hers before she takes any big steps.

what didn't take long, though, was for Chan to introduce her to his family and friends. it happened a couple of days after they reunited at her doorstep, and of course everyone close to Chan loved her. not only for her, but also because of how happy Chan looked.

"I haven't seen him smiling this bright in years", one of his friends told the princess at some point, which will make her feel all warm and fuzzy.

Chan is often busy with his duties as a Royal Guard, just like she is with her own job, but they still try to make time for each other. They'll go on dates, be it doing a picnic or going to eat at one of Chan's favourite places or just going to see the sunset or sunrise. Whatever it was, they always spent as much time together as possible.

Sometimes, they'll walk past each other in the castle and simply smile and bow their heads at one another, especially if either of them already has company... sometimes, Chan takes a hold of her waist and pushes her against the nearest wall to kiss her breathless, hidden behind a column, giggling like they're both teenagers sneaking around just to make out. "makes my day better", he'll say. because it does. kissing his princess always makes his day ten times brighter.

As a knight, Chan has this reputation of being serious, professional, and intimidating, so, when rumours start to spread of a supposed affair between a Royal Knight and a Royal Seamstress, no one even suspected he was the one involved.

You see, it's not a secret that they're together. There's no need for it to be a secret, the Queen already knows. Hell, she's their number one supporter, she even encourages them to meet often. "Fuck him in the kitchen pantries if you must. Have fun, I'm begging you", she tells her friend sometimes, she tells Chan similar things as well. So it's not really a secret, it's just something that hasn't come up and they haven't explicitly said to anyone in the castle.

Until one day our princess goes to Chan while he's training with his fellow knights, because he left something at her house the night before. He'll just take the item from her hands, and offer a "Thank you, my love", before he presses a lingering kiss on her cheek, right there in front of everyone, with no shame.

News spread fast at the castle, and by the time the princess was back at her workspace the other seamstresses had cornered her and asked for every single detail because "How the hell did you warm up that man's cold heart?"

Nothing really changed much after everyone found out, tbh. everyone quickly realised the story of the anonymous knight and seamstress was way more fun when they didn't know who it was, so as soon as their identities came to light no one really cared about it.

Naeel made sure Chan and our princess took time off together (she alone can make this ship sail, fr...), so whenever they did have some, Chan took her places outside of the castle town, just like you described.

Chan will propose a couple of years after the events of the story. He'll take his princess to the same inn with the hot springs where they first had sex. He'll convince the inn owner to let them go to one of the more private areas of the spring, one reserved only for married couples. The inn owner didn't want to at first, but as soon as Chan explained that he wanted to propose, and why he wanted to propose there, they just let him do it.

the princess says yes, of course. and as soon as they're back home they do get married. and when i say as soon as, i mean 'as soon as'. they didn't even go to their homes to leave their belongings, they went straight to Naeel and asked her to marry them, which she did (she was crying the entire time, just so happy for her best friend and Chan).

they finally moved in together after that, and later on had a ceremony with their loved ones to celebrate their marriage.

and who knows, maybe they started trying for a child after that. or maybe they didn't, maybe they decided they wanted to be just the two of them until the end. regardless, they certainly lived happily ever after.

#🌑 anon #ask #rp ask

[we-are-all-of-legend-now]

Fictober day 29: That's all? Easy

Note: I wrote this all on my phone during work so if the formatting is different, that's why

Prompt #: 29

Fandom: American Dragon Jake Long

Characters: Jake/Rose; Lao Shi

Rating: T

Content warnings: blood; character death(s)

Jake winged his way throught the streets, trying to fly as fast as he could possibly go. They had found one of the Huntsclan's training centres and Jake and Gramps were immediately en route. Anything that they could do to disturb, disrupt, or destroy anything of the Huntsclan's. Their power had been growing steadily over the past several years and Jake was tired of being on the defense. It was nice to do something offensive for once.

Gramps had beaten him to the perimeter and Jake landed softly beside him, transforming back into a human to attract less attention. The Huntsclan had been very clever and had hid their training facility in plain sight, much the way they had with the Huntsquarters or how Gramps had with his shop. Jake sat in silence beside his grandfather, just watching. The building stayed suspiciously dark. Jake knew there had to be people in there.

"Tinted windows?" Jake guessed and Gramps nodded with approval.

"What's the plan?"

"Inflict as much damage as possible and don't die in the process." Gramps' tail flicked in distaste.

It was the unfortunate reality of the job that, sometimes, lives had to be taken and by them. It wasn't all the fun shenanigans that Jake had experienced in high school, when Gramps had taken most of the burden on himself. It was something that chipped away at Jake's soul and he knew that if he didn't have Rose to hold onto, he would have lost it completely by now.

Gramps gave the order to wait until they were likely mostly in bed and Jake settled down for the wait, keeping his eyes trained on the door for movement, though there hadn't been any so far. Gramps went to the other side of the building and Jake let his mind wander to Rose. What was she doing now? He hoped that she was thinking of him. He imagined her in her room, laying in her bed while listening to Broadway musicals, dreaming about the life they were going to have.

Jake was going to marry Rose, eventually, but he hoped that someday came soon. They had been dating since they were teenagers but always secretly, so secret that not even his best friends knew about her. According to Rose, she had the most domineering parent on the planet. From the way that she would show up to their rendezvous, Jake thought her father was just downright abusive but she hadn't let him do anything about it. Jake knew that he could take the guy but that wasn't exactly how he wanted Rose to find out that he was a dragon. He would tell her after they had runaway. He wasn't going to wait as long to tell her as his mother had waited to tell his father.

It was well after two am when Gramps came back, interrupting Jake's fantasy of what it would be like if he knew where Rose lived and could just turn up to her room and have a very different kind of night.

"One more thing, before we go in," Gramps rumbled.

"Yeah?"

"If the Huntsgirl is in there, we must kill her. The Huntsman will be crippled if he loses his right hand."

"That's all? Easy. Pshh." The bravado wasn't even entirely false.

Jake hated the thought of killing. Anyone who didn't were the only ones who deserved to be killed, in his opinion, and the entire Huntsclan fell into that category. The Huntsgirl most of all. She had been Jake's rival since his very first transformation and he was not interested in showing her any mercy. She certainly had never done it for him.

It was never easy to get into a Huntsclan facility but Jake and Gramps always managed. Gramps took out the first guard before he had a chance to sound the alarm but it meant they were on borrowed time. Huntsclan members were heavily monitored and he would be missed. Gramps headed downstairs to destroy what was likely the equipment while Jake went upstairs to see if the upper floors were offices or dorms.

The Huntsgirl was waiting for him in the hallway.

"Trespassers will be killed on sight," she announced.

"Dare you to try."

It was the only words that they exchanged. The stairwell became slick with blood as they both went for the other's throats. The air was thick with dragon fire and Jake wondered how she could see, let alone breathe. He was tiring and worried about Gramps and was too determined not to let her see any of it. The Huntsgirl didn't look worse for wear at all. Jake swiped at her, her staff came down, and she stepped backward to try and balance herself. Her heel went into a puddle of her own blood and the Huntsgirl slipped, cracking her head on the floor. Her eyes were open and she was still moving but, for the first time, she was disoriented.

Jake didn't hesitate. He yanked her weapon away from her and threw it down the stairwell. He grabbed her by the throat, pinning her down against the stairs, even as she struggled to kick him, bite him, do anything to get free. There was finally fear in her big blue eyes because she knew what he knew. This was how she died.

"Goodbye, Huntsgirl."

Jake let his claws puncture her neck. The Huntsgirl let out one more pitiful wheeze as the blood rushed from her body and over his dragon's claw. She turned her head toward him and then her eyes dimmed and her breath stopped. Jake kept his paw tight around her neck for another few moments, making sure that she was dead. He went to leave her but morbid curiousity overtook him.

Jake went back to the Huntsgirl's body and then pulled the mask from her head.

"Rose?"

Jake blinked, sure that his mind was playing some sort of trick on him. It was just that the Huntsgirl was blonde and blue eyed, just like bus Rose. The blood was making it hard to see clearly. The air was thick with smoke and fire. It wasn't Rose. It couldn't be. But when Jake frantically untied the Huntsgirl's braid and let it float around her still face, he was left with the inescapable truth of the fact that he had just killed Rose.

Jake let out a long cry, so full of anguish that he couldn't believe he had made that sound when it came bouncing back at him.

"Rose!"

"Jake!" Gramps' hand was on his arm, pulling and yanking but Jake was frozen.

So this was the secret all along. The reason that they couldn't be together. Jake wondered what would have happened if they had told each other all of their secrets and his heart broke with all the answers he would never get now. Because he had killed his Rose.

"Jake, we have to go."

Jake felt completely powerless as Gramps forced Rose's body out of his arms and then bullied Jake out of the burning Huntsclan training building. The Huntsclan members were too frantic to put up any real fight as the dragons fled. Jake didn't know if he had it in him to hurt anyone else. Tonight or ever again.

They were in the air, heading toward home. Except Jake's home was supposed to be Rose and their future and he had killed it. God, at least she hadn't known who he was. Gramps drifted over to Jake.

"Congratulations," Gramps said proudly. "You did it! You killed the Huntsgirl!"

"It wasn't worth it," Jake mumbled, but his words were lost to the wind.

The only thing Jake wanted to kill now was himself.

#fictober23 #american dragon jake long #jake long #adjl rose #adjl #adjl Huntsgirl #jake/rose #lao shi #Luong lao shi #tw blood #tw death #the last letter #my fanfiction #brea writes things #wearealloflegendnow

[theovergrowth]

Titus Eras

(( this is mainly for thread and plotting purposes, I want to make it easier to interact with Titus throughout his life, ykno? Since I really don’t have one specific version of him in my head all the time. So I figured I’d just lay out all the options, along with each individual eras Playlist linked in the titles! ))

Titus has changed quite a bit throughout his life, certain aspects of his personality ebbing and flowing in how major or minor to how he interacts with the world around him.

Overgrown

(Ages ??-12)

Titus’ childhood, forever colored with golden sunlight, evergreen trees, vast and light blue skies against the mountain range, and later the blood of what he thought were his enemies staining his skin.

It’s human Titus living on the commune, with The Sons, with his father, hidden away from the rest of society within the sprawling mountains of Colorado.

He’s a kind and curious kid, if a bit sheltered and lonely. That rebellious spirit is alive in him however, often sending him past the boundaries of “What is Safe” set by his guardians. He believes in what his people tell him, being far more trusting here than he will be later.

(Or, if it’s a bit later in this era, it’s newly-fae Titus attempting to guide his people as The Overgrowth, tearing through people who happen to come near like a wood chipper through a misplaced hand, fueled by grief and eldritch fury after the murder of his father)

(Re)Integrate

(Ages 13-16)

Titus’ teenage years, brought to the outside world through his defeat as The Overgrowth, separated from his Brothers by people who truly only want what is best for him.

One of these people is his foster father, Gregor Daniels, who he lives with in the small mountain town of Pironbury.

He’s really embracing the rebellious side of himself now, fueled by anger, fear, and frustration both at what had already happened in his past that he couldn’t change and at what was happening now in the present that he couldn’t control.

His identity issues come forward more, as does his fear of trusting and abandonment issues, but there’s less of a fear aspect as there will be later on. This version of Titus believes that the problems facing him are innumerable, but he can get through it with viciousness and grit. Deep down though, he’s still a good kid. It’s a coming of age.

Runaway

(Ages 17-23)

The version of Titus I’ve talked the most on!

After a particularly horrible realization involving The Sons finding Titus in Pironbury, Titus abandons, taking a beat up car (which he later replaces with his van) and hitting the road, constantly on the run from his former Brothers.

Paranoia, guardedness, overwhelming fear and anxiety, pressure, constant movement, and just the crushing isolation of a life without roots are deeply ingrained factors for this period. Titus has learned that Fight doesn’t help him, so Flight kicks in.

But there’s some things that stick with him, even getting strengthened in his mind as this time goes on. Helping others is a big thing for him, as he starts to see more of the world for what it is. Partly, he does it to atone for his actions in his youth. The other part knows he would want help too, knows he’s desperate for it, even if he typically refuses it out of reawakened over-politeness.

Curiousity stays too, sending him on countless adventures as he tries to escape the endless pursuit of The Sons. He meets people, even sometimes chooses to let himself stop and talk to them, but he never allows himself to make friends. He remembers what he did to the last few before he left Pironbury.

He’ll always leave without a real goodbye.

Restart

(Ages 24-early/mid 30’s)

This is Titus when he has learned that Flight only works for so long. He was too tired, and the past just kept coming back.

Technically, Macrides coming back from death and Titus becoming The Overgrowth happen before this era. This period starts when Titus wakes up in a house in Missouri, The Overgrowth is asleep once more, and he cuts all of his hair off.

Love, growth, change, and reflection are all big factors for this period.

The early portion period allows Titus to be a semi-normal 20-something year old dude. He’s still on the road (his friends have a true crime/paranormal podcast they do on-site research for) but he feels a little more stable and free than he did. It’s a process, but he’s learning to be comfortable again.

He’s still very anxious, maybe still a bit paranoid and cagey with details at times, but he tries hard to trust and be more open. He’s seen enough now to know that there are enough good people out there to balance the bad. It’s just about deciding what he wants to be in that equation.

He wants to be better. He wants to change.

But, the past will keep coming back. This time, in a way he’s not quite ready for; the rest of Titus’ archfae ancestors, Macrides’ family, call him to his duties in the Fae Realm as The King of The High Desert.

The Deserts of the Fae Realm are a strange place, whether High or Low. His family, in the High Deserts, live a lifestyle somewhere near royalty in a fantasy novel, while the people of the Low Desert looked more… apocalyptic. And yet, both groups had a strong similarity to something straight out of a spaghetti western.

(This later part would be a bit harder to plot with just because it’s in the fae realm, but Macrides fell into an oasis and ended up in the Mortal Realm we can figure it out if we want to write Silly and/or Terrifying Fae Realm Adventures)

#(( this is part of construction lmao )) #( about. ) #( eras. )