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#you don't see characters that are friends do that too much
lgbtlunaverse · 21 hours
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I've seen a good number of people ask a question along the limes of "why do characters like Falin and hate Laios when they're so similar?" and i've also seen good analysis on the differences in how the touden siblings carry themselves that would, despite their shared traits, make a person gravitate to one more than the other.
But i feel like we've overseen one very central thing here.
People don't like Falin
Like... the average person in dungeon meshi doesn't like Falin. She was deeply ostrasized by her home village, in magic school she had zero friends before Marcille and the others generally saw her as strange and a bit offputting.
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Characters like Namari and Chilchuck like her well enough but not necessarily more than any other member of their party, including Laios. Neither Kabru nor his party think much of her. The canaries don't give a fuck about her. Toshiro's retainers don't see her as anything else than the weird foreign girl their boss has a crush on.
The reason we think everyone loves Falin is because, despite all the indifferent side characters, the 2 most important and central characters of the story are Laios and Marcille. Who are NOT representative of the average attitudes to Falin! But necromancy georg number 1 and 2 are our main eyes into the story and they love Falin so much that it colours our perspective of the whole world.
The only side character who qualifies as liking Falin and not Laios is Toshiro (at least at first, as he ends the story on much better terms with Laios) and that says a lot about his character, with him drifting to the quiet Falin precisely because of her oddness but being both uncomfortable with and deeply jealous of Laios' much more open expression of that oddness. Because he's a repressed guy from a culture where etiquette is incredibly important.
But like I said, that's a specific aspect of him, not to the world at large.
Because there's also people that click more with laios than with Falin.
Kabru, for one, who is initially distrustful of laios but clearly also deeply fascinated by him and drawn to him.
Minor spoilers, and you don't have to read too deeply into this, because I don't think Kabru particularly dislikes Falin or anything. But it's interesting that when he talks about his distrust of the toudens in ch.32 he's talking about them both. But his big friendship declaration in chapter 76 is aimed squarely at Laios, he doesn't say "you and your sister" he says "you"
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And Senshi!! He instantly clicks with Laios, well before he does so with anyone else in the party– who he also becomes friends with, it just takes a bit longer– specifically because they bond over their shared special interest in monsters!! Senshi is kind towards Falin and cares for her wellbeing, but he also... doesn't know her. The reason he is even here, helping to save her, is because he and Laios bonded over monsters and he wants to help his new friends out!
Of course, the theme of neurodivergent isolation is very present in Laios' story. I'm not denying that. He does turn people off, without meaning to and unable to fully understand why! But so does Falin. And just like there are people who like her despite of or even because of those traits, there are people who do the same with him.
In conclusion: "Average person loves Falin and hates Laios" factoid actually statistical error. Average person is neutral on both Falin and Laios. Georcille, Laiorg and Geoshiro, who live in the dungeon and think over 10,000 Falin-loving thoughts a day, are statistical outliers adn should not have been counted.
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transmascaraa · 2 days
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NYX💃🏻 bet you didn't expect me here did you? (You probably did)
Anyways remember that one time you wrote this><
Could you maybe do that with Xiao?? Anyways gotta go back at texting you at discord lmao
Love you<33
bf!xiao headcannons!
you're not used to such kind words of affection...
bf!xiao x adeptus!gn!reader
author's note: OFC OFC I LOVE YOU TOO💗💗 i hope you guys enjoy this one as well as you enjoyed the one with gaming lol^^ (in the end it came out as smthn like js comfort but it includes praise soooo)
"is this what mortals call— praise?.."
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-okay so where do i startttt
-at first, when he met you, he didn't understand AT ALL what showing affection meant
-so whenever you showed him affection(which you never received yourself) he felt warm but weird
-since he never kinda received it himself
-i mean after losing so many friends what do you expect lmao
-and he never really understood "love" as a whole
-the only reason you got with him was because YOU confessed, and he said he felt the same way, unknowing that it was literally love itself
-so after quite some time of him asking zhongli what it is and for his help, he understood it pretty much finally
-and seeing you a bit down one day was his chance to do his best to help you.
-you sat on a high cliff, your knees pressed to your chest, in which you buried your head.
-feeling somebody's presence, you lift your head only to see xiao sitting next to you, putting a hand on your back, gently rubbing it.
-but he didn't look at you, not yet, he just kept looking straight into the horizon.
-"i see you don't feel as... good.. as you usually do." to which you just hummed.
-"and... i understand that it can be tough sometimes.." he continued.
-"but i still think that doesn't make you any less of what you already are. the brave and... kind adeptus you are." now you were a bit surprised, to say the least.
-"you're.. beautiful/handsome/fabolous just the way you are and..." he paused to turn his gaze towards you.
-"you're really sweet to me." that's when he noticed your surprised blushing face that replaced the one of despair just a while ago.
-"n-no, xiao... but i'm not-"
-"you are. you're... how do they say it again... perfect..?"
-"i'm not, i swear-"
-"i swear on the powerful and almighty rex lapis. you... shouldn't change for anyone but for yourself. your role as an adeptus like me... i understand your struggles, but you'll get through it, just like i did. you're too strong to look at yourself so lowly."
-"xiao, no-"
-"i promise."
-you were a bit stunned by those simple 2 words.
-"huh?"
-"i said, i promise, if that's how it's said."
-you just hugged him tight, burring your head in the crook of his soft neck, letting him gently hug you in return.
-and even tho you didn't accept his praise and words of affirmation at first, they slowly grew on you after some time.
-you gradually got used to them, just as xiao got used to saying the phrases using them with you.
-and he always kept his promises.
~~~~~
i haven't written for one character individually in quite a while but damn this is long
in fact i think this is my longest one-character writing😰
it's not a bad thing smh if only every other was as long as this one lmfao
| @mariaace <3
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ejundo · 17 hours
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Do u think maby you could do an outgoing reader and a quiet introverted guy who's a huge secret perv there friends and reader finds out his 'shy' friend isn't so shy~♡ (top m charecter, bott m reader) - (love Ur writing!)
outgoing bttm m reader x top shy giant charac
NOT PROOFREAD(。•̀ᴗ-)✧ [ characters are obviously 18+ ]
a.n : hai!! apologies for not answering to everyones request.. finals r kicking my ass… but i thought this would be a good drabble (saw the request while witth my friends.. almost screamed.) and THANK YEWE for the compliment my dear! ALSO THANKS FOR 500 (almost 600) FOLLOWERS?? ILY ALL!! <3
laughter filled the room , and that laughter was coming from you, arms wrapped around the victim. his gaze averted but small laughs left his lips ‘it wasnt— that funny..’ he mumbled as he watched your beautiful eyes. the shadows contouring your face perfectly as the sun set, casting a glow to your features . fuck
‘oh come on!!! it was pretty funny… you cant even lie t’me” pulling away, you looked back at your packed lunch. ‘ooh!! we should hang out today— or have a sleepover! theres no school tmrw remember?’ suggesting while grinning , your hands wrapped around the metal container. ‘mmm… maybe i mean ill have too see..’ he was appalled, he was so excited he was gonna strangle the next person he saw… not you though. pulling out his phone to seem busy you looked away from him as you ate the last remaining pieces of food.
‘shouldnt be busy today. your house?’
‘duhhh!!! and yay! we could play video games and watch that one movie that came out—‘
‘mhmm, im down. ‘
the sound of the door bell ringing quickly caught your attention, racing to the door you dropped all blankets needed for the sleepover.
the door swung open the cold air entering the home making you shiver though sigh in relief as it freed the warm hot air. ‘haiii! glad ya got here safe, ooh-! i made us some snacks, and then some store bought food on the table in my living room— you can. settle down your stuff up in my bedroom’ you explained quickly as you practically rushed to be by the others side. his hands fiddled with eachother while your warmth embraced him , arm wrapping around his bicep.
"hope you didn't have too much trouble coming here- you can settle down on the couch while i get my blanket from upstairs! then we can watch that movie and uhh! sleep? or play games!!" you suggested moving away from him, he watched your every move, the way you carried yourself up the stiars settling himself on your couch. the house was cozy, it was cold aswell.. just how you liked it.
it even smelled like you, the scent invaded his nostrils calming him, his head was thrown back as he relaxed in ur smell. eyes closed, though the shuffling of your feet and blankets dragging against the floor caught his attention as he awoke and stared at you "need help?" he asked, shaking your head you threw the blankets onto the couch- well onto him..
throwing yourself onto the couch you snuggled the cold blankets ontop of him. he looked at you with a raised eyebrow, "what movie were you talking about?" "you'll see! i think it may be a horror movie- its rated r" "so you don't know for sure what it would be?" shaking your head you got off him and grabbed the remote. he took that time to sit up and lay the blanket out.
your hands grazed the remote before heading over to the streaming site, scrolling through to find the movie. once found, pressed the button and rushed onto the couch jumping onto the other, yelping in surprise he only held you. "cuddle?" he asked softly, you nodded your head frantically. I mean.. it was normal to cuddle your homies right? thought so.
.
his heavy breathing and your calm breaths. eyes tuck to the screen, but it seemed as if your were the only one paying attention.
your warm body held by the arms of the boy infront of you. he gulped softly as you wrapped your arms around his neck, oblivious as to what you were doing. your body pressed up against him, and his growing hard on.
you had noticed- but it was normal for people to get hard.. but fuck he just couldn't contain himself. the way your bodies collided, how you unintentionally rubbed his cock with your inner thigh. his hips bucked into your thigh before he let out a long sigh.
"fuck, im gonna go to the bathroom.." you looked at him and tilted your head "oh alright ill pause the movie." getting up your sat up and leaned over grabbing the remote before completely getting off him. the view presented infront of you surprising you, his flushed cheeks and his hard dick pressing against his sweats. blinking rapidly you stared at the obvious hard on. . noticing your gaze, his member twitched. "stop . . don't look" he mumbled embarrassed.
but he only lied. he wanted you to look, he didn't try covering it up. thats when you came to conclusion. "ah!- . . you- did i ? do that to you.." it throbbed.
"shit . . ." he mumbled throwing his head back. " look i don't mind . . i just didn't think-" you flushed at the thought he even- got hard because of you. "i actually.. i invited you here just. for you know.."
his eyes widened, feeling embarrassed you covered your face thinking he was gonna call you weird... but when you looked at him, a smirk was placed on his lips.
he reached out grabbing your wrist as he pulled you ontop, legs straddling his sides. " y'dont know how long ive been wanting to fuck you..." your heart pounded in your chest. "are you-" interrupted as he pulled you into a kiss, his rough lips pressed against your soft ones. a moan leaving his lips as his tongue grazed your bottom lip.
allowing entrance, both tongues dancing in a rhythm. relaxing in his grasp, he pulled away looking at your now disheveled look. the way your pajamas fell loosely down your shoulder, your throbbing cock pushing against your pants. "matching boners.. cute. except mines bigger." he mumbled he reached down grabbing your dick and pressing it against his own. comparing the two.
he wasn't wrong.. yours was smaller compared to his girthy one. "ive been waiting for this y.n.." the way your name sounded rolling off his tongue was sweet like honey, his large hand trailed to slip your pants down revealing your throbbing member following behind he whipped it out practically jumpscaring you. the wet tip looking at you .
"c mon baby." he mumbled eyes low as he watched your eyes, oh how hungry you looked. " dont be shy darlin" he mumbled his hands trailing up your body, hands resting at your hips rubbing gentle circles. your breathing heaved as you trailed down , face met with his girth. licking your lips, your tongue licked his tip as if it was your last meal, getting comfortable your lips wrapped around his cock. sucking on the tip , leaking precum onto your soft tongue he audibly groaned moans spilling out from him. "fuck why are you so good at this shit..." he grumbled, a large hand gripping onto the back of your head slightly edging you to go on further. and further you went, reaching the back of your throat you took it.
moaning at the sight he grinned messily biting his lip. "atta boy.." he hummed.
with one hand, you wrapped it around with whatever you couldn't take stroking it gently while your free hand prepped your hole, moaning into his dick, he pressed his lips together with hazy eyes he pulled your head away. "mngh.." you moaned , staring into his eyes as you fingered yourself open. he grabbed your hips pulling you closer , you laid your head against his chest, whining as he pulled your hand away. "i wanna fuck your tiny hole.." he hummed into your ear, feeling the tip of his girthy cock align with your slick he pushed up. causing you to twitch you gripped onto his shirt sinking down onto his length.
"fnh! hmmnhahnh" smiling at your dazed face held your hips, fucking into you gently as he watched your head nuzzle his chest. "lemme see your face." though your eyes only looked up at him , feeling his dick throb inside of you.
by then he was fully in, your tight warm walls huggin his yummy large cock. his eyes staring at you lovingly, hungry. hands gripped onto your hips, he used you as if you were a fleshlight. moans spilling out drool leaking from your lips as your eyes stared up at him. "your- funhck.. beautiful."
"gonnhacuhm.." you moaned into his chest, your juice leaking onto his shirt, staining it as you twitched reaching your climax, not far behind he held you down as he came inside of you.
the both of you moaning in pure bliss.. head thrown back you held onto him.
"ill fuck you better next time.." he mumbled, pulling out of you as his warm cum leaked out of you.
-
a/n : i finished a request yayyayayayy!!! another one cummin soon sooo be prepared guys!! (,,>ヮ<,,)!
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3hks · 2 days
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Choosing the Main Character
When building or choosing a protagonist, there are things that you NEED to take into consideration if you don't exactly have an idea of who should be the head of the story or if there's just too many good characters to choose from!
THE CAST
I'll get something out of the way, really quick. In my opinion, the cast and environment your characters are around should influence your choice more than the plot will. The plot is normally made in SHAPE of your protagonist. The goal of your character should be the leading arc of your story.
If you could substitute ANY character you wish to take the role of the protagonist into the plot with ZERO changes to the character and plot, then your storyline may just be too generic or simple. And in that case, pretty much any characters will do.
COMPLEX V.S CLASSIC (Skippable)
When I'm talking about a simple main character, I mean that they follow a more standard trope.
They usually have qualities such as goodness, ambition, and are special (powerful, unique, etc). They're often fighting for change and have a potent, normally sad, backstory.
But don't get the wrong idea, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this type of character--I just want to make it clear that they tend to have more standard traits of a protagonist and are used frequently, which is why I'll classify them as "classic."
So with that being said, I consider a complex character to be one with separate attributes that are scarcer.
You know those fun and/or interesting side characters that literally everyone loves? I consider them to be more complex because they have a more original character fueled by an interesting past and personality, which the audience loves. They are amusing to bring to life; however, they are also more difficult to write when they're the main character because of their intricacy.
So when is it appropriate to use a "classic" main character and when is it appropriate to use a "complex" one?
WHEN TO USE WHAT?
Based on my observations, a less populated or simple cast usually has a more complex main character. On the flip side, a more populated or complex cast will tend to have a more classic main character.
My reasoning for this is because the writers want to balance their characters out. If your story has too many intricate characters, it can be too much for your readers to fully grasp and understand them all. Different and unique characters are amazing, don't get me wrong, but it requires a lot more time and effort to form a bunch of complex characters in the same story.
However, there are certain characters that should be naturally detailed. Most often, these are:
The protagonist (Even if they're leaning more towards a "classic" side, as the main character, they should be pretty intricate.)
Love Interest
Best Friend/Rival (Whoever is closest to the protagonist, really.)
Antagonist
Besides these four, if you see that your other side characters are also incredibly complex, it may be smart to choose a protagonist that is simpler.
ROOM FOR DEVELOPMENT
The thing is, even if most of your characters don't go through a lot of character development, (which makes some sense because it's hard to make everyone grow) your main character NEEDS it.
If they're too close to perfect or you can't find something about them that they can change or learn from, there's hardly going to be any development for your lead, which is something to avoid.
So basically, what I mean is that your favorite character with your favorite attributes may not always fit the protagonist category if you're reluctant to change them.
However, that doesn't mean that they can't be a solid side character!
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Oftentimes, there are certain things that a protagonist specifically has in which some other characters may not have. With that being said, if you can say yes to these questions about your character, then they'll be a great fit!
Do they have a specific view of the world?
Do they have a specific goal in mind?
Is there a solid reason for the goal?
Do they have some sort of backstory that builds onto their persona?
Will they undergo any sort of change or lesson?
And yes! Because the protagonist and antagonist are usually foils of each other, these questions very well work for the other side too!
CONCLUSION
Alright! So my biggest take on this is that when given a more complex or populated cast, a standard protagonist will usually fit better. And on the other hand, a simpler or sparser cast will call for a more complex protagonist!
Happy writing~
3hks :)
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daechwitatamic · 3 days
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Vice;Grip || chapter 2 || chs
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(banner by @itaeewon)
Vice;Grip (masterpost) NSFW - minors DNI Genre: angst smut fluff, fuckbuddies!au Summary: Make it not hurt, you could have asked him. Or, at least, make it hurt in a way I choose.  A/N: infinite thank you's to @sailoryooons and @eoieopda for beta-ing!! //
Warnings: Frequent depictions of depression, depressive episodes, panic attacks, and substance abuse (alcohol, weed, and pills referenced). PLEASE know that these characters’ relationships with drugs and alcohol are not healthy and should not be emulated. If these topics are triggering to you, please consider sitting this one out.
Section Specific Warnings: depiction of a depressive episode, recreational drinking and bar scenes, allusion to oral (f. receiving), kissing, rough sex/man-handling, explicit penetrative sex, dirty talk, aftercare, didn't venture fully into writing dom!vernon but i have been informed i wrote something that might be in the realm of a dom drop, language obviously, reader is called a gendered slur by a stranger, law-breaking :), actual fluff for a second, allusions to drug use, car sex
wc: 6900
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Playlist: you can call me in the middle of the night / you can leave before i wake up in the morning / and it could feel so wrong / but i'll still hold on
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1 yr, 5 months ago
The onset of spring brought a lack of color. Grey clouds hung full and heavy, low over the city skyline. Grey crept into the corners of your apartment, darkening rooms during daytime so that you needed to keep lamps on even in midafternoon. Grey crept over your body, into your limbs. Days stretched and nights inched; you only got out of bed because you had to feed the damn cat.
That's part of why you'd gotten the cat in the first place, after a particularly long episode a few years ago, when Chan had presented you with a list of things he thought you should do to combat the blues, as he'd put it.
He meant well. But he always came at your depression like a problem solver, like just doing the right things could make it go away.
And sure, his suggestions were things that would help - get outside, call someone, don't isolate, shower even if you aren't leaving the house, drink some damn water - they weren't a cure. They were better reminders for when you were okay - good at keeping you okay for longer stretches. But when it was already too late, when the grey came, they all sounded fucking pointless. 
Anyway. The cat had been a good idea. 
is it bad?? 
Chan did his best. He was a good best friend. He just didn't understand it.
The answer to his question, you thought, as you flipped your phone over so you wouldn't see the notification if he followed up, was yes. Yes, this time was particularly bad. But you didn't have the energy to type those three words. 
Terrible friend, your brain accused, and it was right. 
You managed to drag yourself to work, to at least show up so you could continue to pay for your apartment and your damn cat, but not much else. You existed on cans of diet coke and microwave meals. You doom-scrolled until sunrise, then slept an hour or two at most before getting dressed for work. You left texts unanswered, the mail piled up. So did the dishes. 
Chan came by, once, did your dishes for you. It made you feel worse - useless and pitiable. You'd rather he just go away, but you held it in; you knew that would only hurt his feelings.
You learned from your mistakes, one thing that could be said in your favor. 
“Have you called your doctor?” he wanted to know.
What was the point? There wasn't a stop hating your life pill. 
“What if you tried painting?” he asked.
“What if you just let me be?” you countered, finally tripping over the line from embarrassed apathy to defensiveness. 
That pout again. “It might help,” he said. “Don't most famous artists do their best shit when they're down?”
“Get out,” you deadpanned. He dropped it, knowing this was a bigger issue, a bigger argument, than this current episode, a complex situation that went beyond the boundaries of your brain chemistry.
He put the last of your now-clean plates away. “Let's go somewhere,” he suggested.
“Chan,” you groaned. “I’m tired. I can't go gallivanting -”
“You're not tired, you're depressed,” he argued. “And going outside will help you.”
“I might have to kill you,” you said seriously, and he rolled his eyes. 
In the end, he let you win. He'd been around long enough to know that eventually you'd venture outside again, hit the bars with him again, text first again, laugh at his stupid memes again. It was just a waiting game. 
Still, when he left, you sat on the edge of your couch with your chin in your hands. On the living room rug, the cat rolled and showed you its belly. 
“Not you, too,” you groused. 
The cat did a few alligator rolls and then scampered into your bedroom and under the bed, as if chased. 
You sighed. You made your way to the spare room, which had been shut - to keep the cat out. To keep your ghosts in. 
Your easel was still set up in the corner. You were kind of surprised it wasn't covered in cobwebs. You'd been sketching just on paper last time you'd worked, trying to make decisions that way so you wouldn't waste a canvas, and it still sat there. 
You inched closer, ran your hands over your brushes. Took a step back, eyed the paper and your sketches. 
It was bad. Thank god you hadn't put it to canvas. 
You pulled the paper down, crumpled it in your hands. You chased the cat out with a gentle nudge of your foot, and closed the door again, keeping both cats and ghosts on their respective sides of the door.
There was no rhyme or reason to your brain, no map or calendar to follow for the starts or stops. But eventually, the clouds broke. The grey gave way to baby buds of green, yellows pushed through soil, determined to meet the sun.
You texted Chan - drinks??
He responded - about time!!!
You texted Vernon - hello, its me
When he didn't answer, you tried again - sorry for the radio silence. 
Still nothing. 
You checked his socials, saw that he'd been doing his thing - a smattering of selfies, some group shots with the guys he played music with sometimes, a few nature shots: the moon, once, and what looked like the river at night. 
The silence stretched. You gave up, considered it over. Grieved a little, because it had been good. 
You went out on a night that teased summer even though it was months away, sank into the familiar blur of too many shots - not enough to be a problem, but maybe enough to make problems. 
Under the club's ever-moving lights, you took a selfie, your drink and cleavage both showcased in the shot. 
Send it to Vernon, the urge to make trouble suggested, and you listened without hesitation.
And - finally - an answer.
come here after?? 
You smiled a tiny, victorious smile and knocked back the rest of your drink. 
omw.
Later, he gave you a rare and devastating pout as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, smoothed fingers down the still-shaking inside of your thigh.
“What'd you make me wait so long for?” he complained, those sharp eyes sparkling with mirth. When you shrugged, still a little mindless from your high, he gave the same spot on your thigh a playful slap. “Don't do it again.”
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1 yr, 4 months ago
busy tonight?
not busy but.
???
not in the best mood.
bet i could fix that.
yeah. idk.
why don't you let me try? 
“What's wrong?” you cooed, teasing, when Vernon let you into the apartment. 
He didn't smile, didn't play along, and it sobered you quickly. 
“Don't want to talk about it,” he muttered, crowding into your space. “Wasn't that big of a deal anyway.”
Just want the fix you promised, he thought. 
You moaned like liquid gold when his first kiss was a bite. Encouraged, Vernon gripped you by the shoulders, pushing you back against the wall hard enough that he heard your breath escape in a single huff. He hesitated, eyes searching your face; a question.
You lifted your chin, eyes shining with something hard. When he kissed you again, you threaded your fingers through his hair and pulled, hard enough to make him hiss; an answer.
His pace was frenzied from the start, your legs around his waist and the wall holding you up. His hand curled around your throat, not squeezing, but sliding up to grip at your jaw instead, keeping you from tilting your head back, closing your eyes, losing yourself in how he felt slamming his hips flush against yours with dizzying smacks.
When you whined that you were close, he pulled you away from the wall and lowered you both to the ground, the wooden floor of his entryway cold and hard beneath your spine. It didn’t matter, didn’t do anything to stop the vortex tightening below your stomach. You slapped a hand over your face as it distorted in pleasure, Vernon kneeling between the legs you still had gripping his waist, one of his hands braced on the floor next to your head, holding his body over you.
“That’s right,” he breathed, gritted teeth flashing over you, forehead wrinkling as his own release closed in on the chase. “Just fucking take it when I fuck you into the floor.”
Then he was pulling out, breaths hissing through his teeth as he straightened up, one hand pumping himself furiously until strings of white decorated your stomach, cooling immediately in the apartment’s chilly air.
His breathing was ragged as he sagged back onto his heels, and you pushed yourself up onto your elbows, watching him warily.
Then he stood and slipped into the hallway bathroom, the light clicking on and illuminating the unlit entryway where you’d just fucked. You heard the sink run, then shut back off, and Vernon returned. He knelt gingerly - you could see his knees were red from kneeling on the wooden floor - and cleaned your stomach first, then gently between your legs.
You sat the rest of the way up then, watching him carefully as he sat back on his heels again, avoiding your gaze. Something about the moment felt like a thing alive, unfurling between you like a casablanca lily under the refracted light of the moon.
You spoke at the same time.
“Vernon?”
“You okay?”
You swallowed, rubbed absently at your elbow where you’d smacked it on the floor during the position change.
“I’m fine,” you said tentatively. “Are you?”
He sighed, rubbing his hands over his face, and then peering through his fingers at you for a second before dropping them again. “Thought I hurt you.”
You shook your head. “I’m okay. I would have said something.”
He nodded, relief starting to bring feeling back to his hands again. He stood and reached a hand down for you. When you took it, he closed his fingers around yours and pulled you to your feet.
“I know we don’t usually do this,” you said, rubbing at the parts of you that had been on the floor - the backs of your legs, your ass, “but could I take a super fast shower before I go?”
“Yeah,” he said, so quickly that the word almost trips on itself. “Of course.”
He led you into the bathroom, rummaged in the disorganized linen closet for a clean towel, pressed it into your hands.
“If you need one, too,” you said easily, as he reached around you to turn the water on so it could heat up, “I don’t mind if you join me.”
He paused. “You sure?”
You shrugged, then leaned over to put your hand under the spray, testing to see if it was still cold. “It’s your shower.”
Under the stream of warm water, you turned to face him, front to front, looking up at him with clear eyes. Something in your expression was so open, Vernon couldn’t help but feel both the desire to step into the space you seemed to be offering him as well as the desire to get far, far away from it.
He’d been so angry before you’d texted, furious enough that he’d bruised his knuckles punching the doorframe; now, as the chemicals in his body settled down, he felt those knuckles throbbing. He was disgusted that he’d lost his temper, guilty that he’d taken any of that anger out on you, who had nothing to do with it.
He was scared of the desire he felt to be closer to you, just for tonight. Scared that fucking you hadn’t been enough to soothe whatever it was that roiled inside him, like it usually was. Scared that he felt like he needed more than sex to heal this particular burn.
“I’m sorry,” he said, and part of him thought he was apologizing in advance, like he knew already he’d run scared at some point. “For being so...”
He didn’t know what word fit best. 
“I told you,” you said, pressing a little closer, “I would have said if I had a problem.”
“Okay,” he said, frowning a little. “If you’re sure.”
Then he reached over and brushed a thumb along your cheekbone, chasing away a rivulet of shower-water. You closed your eyes for a second, and he swore he could feel you lean into the touch, just slightly.
He didn’t know how to explain how he felt. Kind of like he’d done a hot-coal-walk; the exhaustion that came with an adrenaline crash, the vulnerability that came after facing down something big, that need - the burn inside him needing cool water before it could quiet down.
With the shower off, the silence in the bathroom was loud.
“Do you…” Vernon started, then stopped. His heart hammered, the adrenaline returning. He covered the moment by toweling his hair roughly and pulling his hands through the strands so they’d lay right. “Do you want to stay for a little bit? I was gonna order delivery, maybe watch something before I finish my assignment.”
He’d expected you to think about it, to turn it over in your mind the way you turn his things over in your careful hands, the way you turn him ass over head with just a smirk. Instead, you nodded right away.
“Yeah,” you said, like it was no big deal. Like you did this all the time. Maybe you did, just not with him. “I was starving, actually. I could stay for an hour or two.”
On his couch, the leftovers of the food scattered on his coffee table, you reached for his hand, ran a thumb imperceptibly along his purpled knuckles. You didn’t ask what happened, just brought them to your lips and pressed the lightest kiss before putting them down again and reaching for your noodles, as if it hadn’t happened at all.
That was when Vernon saw the potential of it, an entire picture, framed and labeled: you could hurt him so badly if he let you, if he let it get that far. For whatever it was that burned inside him, you were the cool water… but you could absolutely be gasoline, instead.
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1 yr, 3 months ago
If you closed your eyes, you could pretend the light that passed over your closed lids in a repetitive pattern was the sweep of a lighthouse beam. You could pretend that the rumbling bass of the music was the roar of the ocean. You could pretend that you weren’t here, in a shitty bar, but at the seaside. You could pretend that you weren’t alone. You could pretend that you weren’t you.
You drained your drink and caught the bartender’s eye, gesturing for another, sliding the sweating glass away from you once you knew a new one was coming.
“What are you drinking?”
The voice came from your right, and you lifted tired, disinterested eyes to find the source of it.
“G and T,” you answered, because it was one fewer syllable than saying gin and tonic and maybe that one syllable would do the dirty work for you and tell this guy that you didn’t want to talk to him.
“Nice,” he said, like you’d said something interesting, and you fought the urge to roll your eyes. You didn’t return the question, just slid your phone screen on and opened your messages.
wyd
drinks at my hyungs place. wbu
damn. guess i have to settle for one of these very mid prospects at the willow
damn thats a sad story. if only you had a better option
if only my better option werent busy at his hyung’s
no one said i had to stay here. ur at the willow?
yep
The guy to your right tried again. “The DJ tonight kind of sucks, huh?”
You looked back at your phone.
don’t leave
You smiled into your drink, a thrill dancing through your bloodstream. The lights and music didn’t seem as garish as they had ten minutes ago.
“My boyfriend’s on his way to pick me up,” you said flatly to the guy who kept trying to talk to you, “so you might want to find someone else to complain about the DJ to.”
The word tasted like lemonade on your tongue - acidic and sour, sweet and refreshing, taste buds blooming and shriveling in tandem. Even the knowledge that it was a flat-out lie didn’t stop your heart from beating faster.
You expected the guy to get up and leave, maybe throw you a dirty look on his way. Instead, he seemed to call your bluff, narrowing his eyes like he was trying to read you.
“I don’t think I’d let my girlfriend go out alone looking like this,” he said evenly, and you let out a derisive laugh.
“The fact that you just said the words let my girlfriend probably has a lot to do with why you’re here alone,” you countered, a flash of victory slicing up your spine when you saw his face flush.
Before he could retort, you hopped down from your barstool, pushing your way into the crowded dance floor. You didn’t even want to dance, you just wanted to get away. If Vernon wanted to find you, he could come find you. He’d told you not to leave, he hadn’t said make it easy for me.
He found you anyway; he made it look easy. He stepped around a group of guys talking in a circle and into your space, like he was following a path, like he knew there’d be room for him.
You were happy to see him. You were happy he came. You were happy to breathe him in, to feel the warmth of his body and smell his cologne and hear your name tumble from his mouth like a statement. You were too drunk to tuck these truths away into pockets and folds where they would be harder to find.
You stepped to him and wrapped your arms around his neck. If he was surprised, his body hid it well. His hands came to rest on your lower back, pressing you closer to him as you leaned up to find his mouth.
You kissed him slowly, at odds with the frantic bassline vibrating under your feet. You let him tip your head back, changing the angle, sweeping your mouth with his tongue until you both tasted lemonade.
“Happy to see me?” he asked, a hint of a smirk on his face, one eyebrow arched in question and one half of his mouth twitching into a smile.
You didn’t have it in you to lie, so instead you said, “Your place?”
He led you outside.
As luck would have it, the idiot from the bar stood beside the front door, a cigarette between two fingers. His expression darkened when he recognized you, then further when he saw your fingers linked with Vernon’s as you stepped into the quiet night.
“Your girlfriend’s a fucking bitch,” the guy bit out, dropping the cigarette butt and stepping on it.
Vernon’s eyebrows shot up.
Evenly, he said, “She’s not -”
She’s not my girlfriend. You felt your stomach swoop, and you felt yourself flinch.
“- a bitch. She’s just smarter than you.”
Vernon tugged on your hand, leading you across the street to his parked, waiting car.
You tried to bite back a smile, and he looked sideways at you, his own lips twitching.
“What?” he demanded.
“What?” you parroted.
He scowled at you, but his lips were just smiling. “What?” he asked again.
You laughed. “Let’s go,” you said. “The bitch wants to kiss you more.”
You expected his smile to sharpen. Instead, something in it seems to soften, changing from teasing to actual affection.
“Alright,” he said, turning to start the engine. “Can’t really say no to that, can I?”
“You could,” you mused, as he pulled away from the curb and the bar slid into nothingness behind you, “but I just don’t think you should.”
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1 yr, 2 months ago
wyd
melting
srsly
no, seriously. i am laying on my living room floor like a starfish trying not to turn into liquid
come to hyungs
its too hot to move
i have an idea, come meet me at hyungs
You frowned at your phone. Of course your aircon died during the only heatwave you could remember in your entire adult life. Your whole body felt sticky; you were pretty sure you were stuck to your floor.
It was too hot to move.
what’s the idea??
you’ll see. i’ll order u a car. can you bring a couple towels?
“Vernon, no,” you laughed, your voice echoing.
He shushed you through laughter, both of you leaning on each other as you stood at the edge of the yard, the grass tickling the bottoms of your bare feet. Upstairs, at his friend’s place, you’d thrown back a few shots for courage before following Vernon out here, and you were feeling them, your head swimming like your body might soon be.
“It’s a circuit, see?” he tried to explain, pointing through the night, as if you could see through all the fences and over all the hedges. “Five yards, five pools, and then we end up right back here and we get in the car and go. Just follow me, don’t stop for anything.”
“Someone’s gonna call the cops,” you complained. “And these neighborhoods all have cameras.”
“That’s why we keep moving,” he said, his grin so excited and so un-Vernon that you almost couldn’t bear to say no to him. “No one’s gonna call the cops if we’re already gone - it’s not worth it. You ready?”
You hesitated. “You’re good to drive us out of here?” you checked.
He held up his hands as if to show innocence. “Only had a beer,” he promised. “But I’ve got something fun in the car for after, if you want.”
You felt your grin turn wolfish. “Okay. I’m right behind you.”
“Try and be quiet,” he warned, then took off running across the yard, cannonballing into the pool with a splash.
You tore off after him, leaping into the water and suppressing a shriek when the cold water hit you. You felt instantly sober, jittery with adrenaline, alive with laughter. You spluttered your way to the surface and pushed water away from your eyes, trying to find him through the shadows.
He was already climbing out the other side, water running down his back, the muscle shifting in the half-light as he hoisted himself back onto the pool’s deck. You hurried across the pool, climbing up beside him, giggling wildly.
“Shhh,” he warned, but he was giggling too as he led you carefully over the fence to the next yard.
As soon as you crept close enough to the pool to jump, a motion-activated light came on, flooding the yard white and causing you to cover your eyes.
“Quick!” Vernon told you, grabbing your arm and pulling you in with him as he jumped.
You let out a stream of bubbles and water rushed into your mouth. You felt your feet hit the bottom and you pushed off hard, surfacing quickly.
Again, you followed him across the pool, both of you laughing and whispering, “Hurry! Quick!” as you climbed out and headed around the house to the front yard.
“Okay, this is the hard part,” he told you, both of you shivering as the night air caught up to you. “We have to cross the street, hop the fence, and then the pool is around back.”
“I’m ready,” you promised, with a particularly hard shiver.
You sprinted across the street, both leaving wet footprints on the pavement. His hand felt warm in yours when he helped you over the fence, warm on your body when he held your waist as you climbed down.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” you muttered, but giggles still spilled out of you.
“More fun than melting, right?” he asked, and you thought that you’d seen him smile more tonight than in whole months of coming together at night.
You thought you might move mountains to see him smile like this again, gums showing, open and honest, happy.
Then you were underwater again, swimming hard to keep up, following Vernon through the night as he pushed his way through some hedges and held them apart for you.
You made it to the last house before someone caught you, slamming the back door open and shouting, “Hey!”
“Go, go, go!” Vernon cried, laughing with such abandon that it sounded like goose honks, pulling on your hand as you both stumbled, dripping, towards the car.
You’d set towels on the seats before starting, so you tumbled into the car and he peeled away, both of you laughing wildly as you left the neighborhood behind.
It was miles before you calmed down, gasping in breaths and trying to hold them before exploding into laughter again.
“I’d better not end up on the news,” you scolded. “I’m in my underwear.
He gave you a searing sideways look. “I noticed.”
You felt yourself warm again, despite being in soaking wet clothes.
“Where next?” you asked. “Home?”
He let out a breath that was almost a sigh. “I don’t really want to go home,” he admitted. Then, “I was having fun with you.”
You considered this. “Not to be a cliche, but… I know a place.”
The quarry was quiet, surrounded by only trees; without posted lights, everything seemed to be just varying shades of black - the black of the water just darker than the black of the stone ledges just darker than the walls of trees just darker than the sky sprinkled with stars above you.
“We have to be careful,” you warned him seriously. “If you slip and get hurt, it could be bad.”
He turned the flashlight on his phone on and set it next to the metal rungs that jutted out of the stone, a makeshift ladder for the swimmers who came here during the day, when swimming was allowed.
“It’s going to be way colder than the pools,” you added.
“You’re not selling this very well,” he pointed out.
“Don’t be a chicken,” you teased.
He eyed the water. “I’m having second thoughts.”
You nudged him in the ribs, which caused him to squirm away, hands batting at yours, a noise emitting from him that made you laugh out loud.
“Are you ticklish?” you demanded. “How did I not know?”
“Come on, are we jumping or what?” he asked, laughing, still trying to keep your sneaky hands away from his ribs.
“Yeah, that’s probably the only way to actually get in,” you admitted, still laughing a little. Your abs felt a little sore from how much you’d laughed tonight.
You stood on the edge of the stone, toes curling over the ledge, Vernon’s hand tight in yours. You stood on the edge, the ink-like water beneath you rippling slightly, marring the reflection of the constellations high above you. You stood on the edge of something, knowing full well you were afraid to swim.
He counted you down, and together, you jumped.
The water was freezing - it hurt, it stung, and you shrieked and laughed as you surfaced. A foot from you, Vernon was shouting.
“The towels!” you told him, already swimming towards the little dot of light that marked the ladder.
Shaking and shivering, you reached your towel, wrapping it around yourself. Behind you, Vernon jogged up, making noises like a disgruntled horse as he found his own towel.
“Oh my god,” he groused, grabbing for you. “I’m freezing, come here.”
He opened his arms, the towel behind him like a wingspan, and you stepped into the space, letting him wrap his arms and his towel around you. You stood shivering together, trying to let your body heat chase the cold away.
You wrapped your own arms around his middle, pressing yourself closer as your legs shook, shivers rolling up your spine in waves as your body fought the chill. 
“C’mere,” he murmured above you, holding you a little more tightly, his own teeth chattering. 
It was the first time, you realized as you turned your head to rest your cheek on his chest, that you’d held each other. It was the first time you’d been between his arms when you weren’t fucking, the first time he’d tightened his grip around you for a reason other than gratification. 
You didn’t want it - didn’t want to know that it felt nice in his embrace, didn’t want to know that it fit right and felt safe. You didn’t want to know that you liked it, didn’t want to have to fight against the humiliation of wanting more.
As soon as the full-body tremors died away in the warm, sticky night, you stepped away, eager to put distance between you again. 
Later, he looked over at you from the driver’s seat of the car, red-eyed, his smile stretching slow and thick like putty. When you straddled his lap, his hands searching out the bare skin of your back, you rocked against him and pressed open-mouthed kisses to the column of his pretty throat until you were pulling groans from him with each pass of your hips. 
Forget, you thought, as you pulled your underwear to the side for him. Forget every single thing but this.
When you slipped an arm behind his neck and pressed your foreheads together as you lifted and dropped, you weren’t sure whose memory you were hoping to erase with this most recent pleasure-chase: yours, or his.
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1 yr, 1 month ago
There was no map or calendar to this thing your brain did. It was summer, the sun shone, and yet the days bled together again, sunsets swirling down the shower drain.
The last time you’d gone radio silent, the last time your world had gone grey without warning, Vernon had answered in kind. His own silence had shouted for him until you’d tempted him back.
This time, he didn’t resort to silence in retaliation to yours. Instead, he kept trying, relentless. If you’d had more presence of mind, you might have wondered why.
wyd
[ ]
yo. whats the deal
[ ]
i will have you know that this is very insulting
[ ]
don’t get mad but im coming over
“What the fuck, Vernon.”
“I said don’t get mad.”
“It doesn’t work like that. What are you doing here?”
He leveled you with a look. “You gonna let me in?”
“Literally, no.”
You hadn’t showered in days; your apartment was probably grosser than you were. The cat milled around your ankles, trying to weasel its way outside, and you hopped from foot to foot trying to nudge it back inside.
“Why not?” he asked.
You huffed, annoyed. But the annoyance was the first thing you’d felt all day, and something inside you clung to it, desperate for more of anything but the crawling nothing that’s kept you company for days.
“Because,” you grumbled. Because there’s nothing for you here. Because I have nothing I can give you. “I’m… just not in the mood.”
He stepped back from the door so you could see more of him. “I’m not asking you to be.”
“Then why are you here?” The words fell between you, heavy. If you hadn’t been so low, if you hadn’t gone all day without eating, if you hadn’t been on your thirtieth hour without sleeping, you would have known better. You would have realized that you were asking, if you aren’t here for sex, then what are you here for? 
You wouldn’t have asked a question that you didn’t want the answer to.
He met your eyes. He seemed to teeter on the edge of telling you the truth, giving you the real answer. Then, he muttered, “Got bored.”
You knew it wasn’t the whole truth, and he knew you knew it, and yet neither of you were willing to look at it directly.
“I fail to see how that’s my problem,” you mumbled, avoiding his gaze.
He watched you for what felt like a long time, face serious, eyes glittering and attentive. Then, instead of answering, he repeated, “Are you gonna let me in?”
You frowned at him, but there was a little more pout to it than anger. “I’m all gross,” you said, instead of answering.
Something in him softened - it was visible on his face, in his shoulders, like he knew this was your way of saying yes. “So let’s shower,” he suggested quietly.
You felt trepidation, like part of you expected him to stay soft, to try to take care of you. To your relief, Vernon acted like everything was normal, scrunching his face at you when the water was too cold as he stepped in, washing his own body in silence and letting you do your thing.
He didn’t try to hold you, didn’t ask you when you’d eaten last, didn’t try to talk about it - didn’t try to fix it. He was just… there, and this - along with your first shower in days - was somehow revitalizing in itself.
You pulled on clean sweats, which was better than the day-four sweats he’d found you in. “The apartment’s kind of… sorry,” you mumbled, looking around the living room, feeling a bit of that familiar shame crawl up your neck as you noticed the evidence that you hadn’t been picking up, or running a vacuum.
Vernon flopped backwards on your sofa, unphased, one arm bent behind his head. “We’ve been doing this for almost a year,” he pointed out. “I know how it usually is.”
It isn’t usually like this. And neither are you.
You wondered when it happened - your ability to finish his half-thoughts, your ability to know what he meant when he only said a fraction of it.
You stood awkwardly beside the couch where he was lounging, and he looked up at you with a tiny, amused smile.
“What do you wanna do?”
What you really wanted to do was cocoon yourself in blankets again and put on repeats of a show you’d already seen. But now you had to look functional. You might be mad at him for showing up like this, now that you thought about it.
“I dunno,” you said, which was close to the truth.
“You wanna eat?”
“Honestly?” you asked, pursing your lips a little. “No.”
“Okay,” he said easily, and it struck you again how different this was than how Chan treated you when you were low. Chan would have already had the food delivered, and would be chasing you around the table with loaded chopsticks, demanding you take a bite.
“Can we just… watch something?” you asked, unsure.
Vernon wordlessly reached for your remote and held it up to you, nonplussed.
You wondered if it was an act, how easy this was, how unbothered he was, how he seemed to just understand what wouldn’t help.
You knew it wasn’t; you’d been around long enough to know that Vernon’s demons weren’t all that different from yours.
You settled somewhere between his body and the back of the couch, one leg bent over his legs, one of your arms over his stomach and his arm curled around your shoulders.
“This is weird,” you muttered into his chest, and his laugh rumbled under you.
“Why?” he asked, his smile big, like he thought you were particularly funny. “Not used to being big spoon?”
Not used to cuddling - with you.
“Yeah,” you said, because that was easier.
On your TV, a show ran through several episodes, the changing scenes splashing you and Vernon with changing colors, casting his face blue and then white and then black and then red and then blue again. Sometimes he’d watch, sometimes he’d scroll on his phone. You mostly felt his heart beating under your hand and let your mind whir.
At some point he started mindlessly (or not mindlessly, who could know) stroking your back, gentle touches brushing up and down, slow, slow, the way he always was. At some point you shivered, goosebumps rising along your arms, and snuggled closer to him. At some point he shifted you from slightly beside him to on top of him, a second hand slipping under your loose tshirt and joining the first in tracing stripes up and down your upper back.
You shifted against him, something coming to life with a shudder like the furnace in your parent’s basement on cold autumn nights. Heat worked its way slowly from your core to your stomach, down your legs.
He kept his eyes on the tv, innocent, but you could hear his heartbeat. It couldn’t lie and pretend.
You shifted again, squirming until you’d worked his t-shirt up just enough that you could touch skin, too. You trailed your own fingers over the inch of exposed stomach you’d found, and delighted in the way you could feel him start to harden beneath you.
Then, you delighted in your delight. It was the first good thing you’d been able to feel in almost a week.
You said his name, and he finally looked down at you, eyes nearly black in the unlit room.
“What is it?” he asked, and his voice was suddenly so low it sent shivers tumbling down each vertebrae and tripping over to your limbs. “Want me to make you feel good?”
No, you wanted to say as you answered his question by pulling the hem of his t-shirt higher, encouraging him to lift up so you could pull it off. No, just want you to make me feel.
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1 year ago
Everywhere Vernon looked, all he saw was circles. Circle of red in his bowl when he inhaled. Circle of condensation on the table when he lifted his beer. Circle of light reflecting from his phone case, laying in the setting sunlight, to the ceiling. Above him, the ceiling fan circled lazily, nowhere to be.
And you - you and him. That was a circle, too. A cycle, at least, which was close enough in his opinion. Text, hook up, skitter back to your respective places, wait out the next weekend. It was as rhythmic and routine as waves breaking and then getting pulled back out only to come shatter on sand again. It was out of his control, up to forces far greater than he was.
Vernon’s friends had texted to hang out and he’d declined. He told them he was seeing his parents, but really, he just wanted to be alone. He wanted to watch the ceiling fan circle, he wanted to let his brain go staticky quiet, he wanted to burrow deep into things that made him feel less.
But he still, somehow, wanted to see you. He wanted to be alone, and being with you didn’t feel like not getting that.
It was a little scary, he thought, that you were the exception. That he could be with you without feeling the uncomfortable pressure of being with others, of having to be on, of having to fake cheerfulness and keep up with chatter that only exhausted him.
Vernon wasn’t a kid. He knew what it meant.
whats up
honestly not a lot. want me to come over?
Yeah, he did. He did, even if you weren’t going to hook up. He did, even if you were just going to lay on opposite sides of the couch and scroll on your phones. He did, and he hoped he’d end up with his arms around you, and he hoped he’d make you laugh at least once, and he hoped you’d stay and just be there with him after.
When you came over, he asked you how you felt about it - about him, about you and him. He asked by laying you on your back in his bed, by brushing fingertips along your face. He asked you by sliding your leggings away gently, pressing his mouth to each inch of your inseam as it became exposed to his dimly lit room. He asked you by kissing you through the lace you wore for him, then kissing the same spot once that lace was on his floor.
He asked you when he crawled up your body until his tip teased at your entrance and you whined, shifting to try to take him. And - when he took it slow this time, teeth scraping at your neck and then tongue hurrying to soothe the sting, his arms bracketing your body like he was sheltering you from an incoming storm.
(Maybe, he considered, he was.)
(Maybe, he considered, he was worthless in the face of this storm’s wrath.)
(Maybe, he considered, he was the fucking storm in the first place.)
And you heard his question loud and clear. You pulled on your leggings as soon as you were cleaned up, popping your hood up over your head as you searched for your phone. You kept your eyes on your screen as you waited for a car to come, murmured, “Later,” on your way out the door.
Vernon’s apartment rang with quiet. He was alone, he’d gotten what he’d wanted.
He’d also, it seemed, gotten his answer.
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thank you so much for reading!!! i'm always happy to hear what you think!
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pomefioredove · 5 hours
Text
angelum
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summary: morally insecure reader type of post: fic characters: rollo additional info: romantic, reader is gender neutral, reader is yuu, yuu is at nbc now, hurt/comfort, a little fluffy, extremely self indulgent, rollo is ptsd coded as per usual
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Perhaps he didn't know you as well as he thought.
But then again, perhaps he didn't want to.
Rollo had become accustomed to the comfortable home you had made yourself within his mind, warm and comforting and far, far away from the dark crevices he worked so hard to stave off.
It mirrored reality, in a sense; he saw it as his duty to keep you safe and away from all the evils of the world, the magic and sin and those who would lead you astray... some days, he felt that he could shrug the rest of his life off his shoulders and solely devote himself to your keeping. Others, he was bothered by nasty thoughts of doubt, those that told him he was only doing to you now what he couldn't have done all those years ago.
Rollo kept himself occupied enough to avoid thinking about it too much.
He did not see a reason to tell you of his mission, of course. You- pure, perfect, untainted by the sins of this world- wouldn't understand. No one would. But you never questioned it, either. Most days, you were simply happy to be treated well (the implications of which he did not want to dwell on; Rollo had made himself a promise not to pry too much about your experience at Night Raven College).
Always so grateful. So kind. Too kind, sometimes, that it caught him off guard. Rollo had not had a friend since...
...Never mind, that.
So perfect. So pure. Everything he could ever aspire to be, but never would, all captured in one person. An angel sent for him, and him alone.
But just as there were things you wouldn't understand about him, there was a sea of mysteries about you.
He can't imagine how you could cause yourself such grief.
Delicately holding your face between his hands, palms gently pressed to each wet, salty cheek, as if you were made of porcelain. He wipes away your tears with his thumbs, not bothering to pull away to retrieve his handkerchief. He can't even think of that right now. Seeing you in such pain is tearing him into halves.
"I'm a bad person,"
"No," he says, almost immediately. His voice sounds more desperate than he would have liked. He can't help it.
"I am,"
He had already spent thousands of nights wishing for some miracle that could heal unseen wounds, but that desire had become stronger than ever now. He would have gladly torn his heart out of his chest and given it to you if it would help.
He hates it. He hates that you make him feel this way. He hates himself for caring so deeply.
Yet, he still can't hate you.
Never you.
"You're not," he insists. "Tell me what's happened. I will make it better."
You don't respond, and it kills him. However you managed to get such an awful idea about yourself, he can't say. Perhaps it came from Night Raven College. Perhaps it's even older than that.
It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter, because it is not true.
It's not true.
It's not true.
After all, if you are a bad person, then what does that make him?
You avoid his eyes. "You can't," there's long pause to take a shaky breath. "You can't make it better. I've tried... I've been trying... it doesn't go away. It's like... I've been shattered into a million pieces, and I can't be put back together again."
Rollo winces, though he doesn't show it on his face.
There are these things you do, these brief moments, soft exchanges of words, certain looks on your face, that remind him all too much of himself.
He pities you. He pities himself.
"Stop it," is all he can think to say. "Do not say such things about yourself. You are not broken. You are not evil. Do you think I would dirty myself by associating with such people?"
You're quiet for a long moment. He does not like the silence, so he keeps talking.
"I cannot address what you won't tell me, thought you should know that no matter what you were told at Night Raven College or elsewhere, here, you are valued. You are wanted. You are the most..."
Rollo hesitates for a moment, taking but a second to compose himself and rephrase whatever it was he was about to say.
"...the most exceptional student I have ever met. Your humility is honorable, but I will not allow you to drown in it. Let yourself feel this, recover, but know that here, at Noble Bell, you are nothing less than an angel."
Failing to find anything else to say, another long silence is cast over the room, though this one significantly less tense than the last. The only noise between the two of you is of crackling fire, though it sounds miles away when he looks at you like this.
Eventually, you speak. "...Thank you,"
"My pleasure," he mumbles, finally releasing the hold he's had on your face for the past several minutes and leaning back to get a better look at you. "...Let me help."
He sits a little closer, bringing your head to rest on his shoulder as he's done a thousand times before within the private confines of his room. Though, this time feels...
The purple and gold of his handkerchief cloud your vision as he gently dabs at your tears until he's satisfied, which he marks with a soft hum.
"Don't get up yet," he says after, allowing you to lean against his body for much longer than he has before. "The fire is still warm."
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kiirotoao · 2 days
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Thinking about how Mileven could break up. I don't see how Mike can be the one to do it. Mainly because it has to be done in a way where El isn't the victim of heartbreak, otherwise it makes Mike look really bad to the audience and the audience needs to root for Mike and (Byler's) success. (At least to those who are not already there).
If she's the one to break things off, however, it could make Mike the sympathetic character. As long as he is simultaneously having gay realizations, that way it's not as if he's just choosing Will as a back up plan. (obviously Will isn't but it needs to feel organic and independent from his relationship with El)
Does that mean the break up has to be El driven or just mutual? (Mutual at least seems to have the least amount of breakup "negativity").
The other factor is Mike or El finding out about the painting. But I would argue that if El finds out and decides to leave Mike for the sake of Will happiness.... doesn't that just make her even more the sympathetic party and Mike is the one she loves.
If season 5 Eleven starts to move away from Mike romantically, I guess that wouldn't be an issue anymore
It all depends of how it's written. I want Byler to happen but for me it still needs to be executed well. The multiple time jumps could also help with giving more Byler/Mileven space to play out.
Thats it! Thanks
Thanks for the thoroughly written ask, dear anon! I love having some content to gnaw on 👌
So, yes, the question of how would Mike and El break up. I really hope that it’s mutual and that they both realize that they simply aren’t working romantically.
I find it interesting how you factor in sympathy and perception of Mike and El. In the Steve-Nancy-Jonathan triangle, I think that perception is relevant. Nancy is shamed for bringing Jonathan over. Steve and Nancy are the affluent power couple of Hawkins High, and Jonathan enters from a down-to-earth, poor family. It’s the talk of the entire school when Steve and Nancy get together - everyone knows their names. The thing is that I believe that Nancy has romantic chemistry with Steve as well as Jonathan, so for them, emotional bond and sympathy when breaking up is quite felt since choice and weighing options of relationships is highlighted for their dynamic.
But as for the Will-El-Mike triangle, their status isn’t the focus, it’s their interactions. That’s not to say that Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan’s interactions don’t matter, but as kids, Will, El, and Mike are still much more clearly developing and changing. Their concepts of romance are portrayed to us as much more consequential of each other rather than outside influence. Take Nancy and Steve being influenced by Tommy and Carol. Take Nancy and Jonathan being influenced by Murray. Those types of waves in questioning relationships don’t happen between the kids. The only “outside” influence to muddle Mike and El’s relationship is Hopper who doesn’t or at least didn’t like Mike and made him lie to El, but otherwise, the kids are never under scrutiny or peer pressure to do things to/with the person they like.
What also makes Will, El, and Mike unique from Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan is that all three of the youngsters know each other very well. Mike and Will are best friends. Mike and El are bonded after finding Will together. El and Will became sister and brother. They are not mutually exclusive, they exist in each other’s lives very tightly. Meanwhile, Steve and Jonathan haven’t had a proper conversation (besides arguments) in canon. Ever.
So, yes, I think that a typical sympathetic break up would blur things for Will, El, and Mike, but the thing is that I also don’t think that that’s how the break up will be handled.
At the crux of it all, they both love Will. They both clearly want him to be happy, too, and I think that that starts at acceptance. If Will comes out to the both of them, I think that they’ll be able understand what he means and sweetly realize that their entire situation works out for the better if Mike and El break up. It won’t be as smooth as that, of course - and, actually, I think that this might be the hardest part of the process as Will would probably feel too guilty to ever come out to either of them and risk changing what he has with them let alone expose his lie to Mike - but I think that all the pieces can clearly fall into place as their loves for each other mix and collide.
I know that Will is a point of contention and consideration, and I think that it wouldn’t feel as complete of a break up if Mike and El don’t address him and what he means for their standing relationship. Will did so much for Mike and El in season 4. He tried to push El to tell the truth about the bullying, and he tried to encourage Mike that he was “the heart” and that El needed him. Although neither of those pushes ended up in full, fleshed-out conversations, that’s not on Will. That’s on Mike and El. And the fact that neither of them could deepen their conversations even with Will’s help says a lot to me. But yeah, we’re here leaning on a break up, I know that I’m not here to argue that. The question is how.
I think that Will’s painting needs to be addressed, and once it is, no matter where Will possibly coming out factors into this, El will realize that her brother has a crush on Mike and not a girl, Mike will realize that he’s fallen in love with Will’s affections and thus him, and they’ll both be able to sort out their circumstances. Of course, it’s not that simple, but I think that they’ve come far enough to discern how to handle the difficulties. El needs to know that she’s not the monster first, and Mike needs to know that he’s worth more than being El’s support first. Then their disagreements about their perceptions will come more fully into view, which will lead to a mutual understanding.
I agree that it would be tough if it was one-sided in either direction. Because in order for it to be one-sided and difficult would mean that either of them haven’t fully grappled with who they are.
But if they do understand who they are, it puts many awkward notions at ease. Because if El is for Will’s happiness, she’s also for her own. She doesn’t have to be against herself. She can see how Mike isn’t the one romantically for her and that she can have someone who is openly affectionate, who writes “love” on every letter and note. He doesn’t see her qualities like a partner but as a confidant, and that’s okay. They can still be great together, they can still be close. And if Mike is able to realize his sexuality and point of affection for Will as romantic, it’s not like he suddenly needs to remove El from his life. Hell, El and Will are siblings now, so whoever he’s with, he’s going to have the other there. I think that El is special to Mike; she always will be. She’s the first person that’s given him this opportunity of a lifetime, and I think that he can love her as fondly as ever, just not as a girlfriend anymore.
Their bond as each other’s protectors and safe places will trump their being exes, if you ask me.
So here’s how I dream it to go: Mike and El talk. It’s casual at first, but they’re both still tense after all the tragedy. They talk about how scared/worried they are, how they just don’t seem to hold each other up. Even though they’re both trying, something is off. They like being together, but if this is love, then it doesn’t feel quite right. They both agree. Mike still genuinely thanks her for the painting to which things shift. El doesn’t know about the painting. It was for him? Mike is now flustered. El realizes that Will is in love with Mike. They piece it together aloud, and she asks how Mike feels about him. All it takes is for Mike to convey that he does like Will. He apologizes. He feels horrible, guilty. But El just puts her hand on his. It’s okay. She didn’t realize it, either. The fault isn’t always on one thing, she’s learned. They hug. Something like that.
I want to close this by saying that I agree that it all comes down to how the break up is written, and I think that the writers have all the pieces to make it pretty lovely. Will, El, and Mike all love each other very much, it’s just a matter of sorting out the displaced romance without losing anything other kind of love for each other.
Basically…
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Their central bond of unconditional love doesn’t ever need to change, just the status of their flexible relationships.
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tsams-confessions · 17 hours
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I dislike the Earth Giving Therapy trope.
Ok so I know it's just a fictional show, BUT I can't get over how they handle the aspect of earth giving "therapy" to the whole cast of characters. I LOVE earth don't get me wrong... but she doesn't handle therapy or counseling in that matter really well. The writers should have done a bit more digging tbh like watch a mock counseling or therapy session just to keep things accurate at least. And yes, some things earth does in these therapy sessions are ok I'm not saying she did awful.
But I want to touch on the things that irked me.
First of ALL, Earth has no right to counsel or give therapy to family members, friends, or anyone shes in a relationship with. This is considered unethical be cause Earth can be biased, and Earth can be affected over certain topics because she is so close with the one receiving therapy. This also creates conflict of interest.
ANOTHER thing that irked me was when she gave therapy to Eclipse the first time around. I already hated Moon dragging Eclipse to Earth because when one doesn't want therapy it'll be harder for them to accept help or cooperate they won't be comfortable and this'll create a hostile environment for the client in this case Eclipse. I like how Earth makes it clear that she doesn't like when someone is forced into therapy so I liked that
Then Earth manages eclipses session atrociously....
Although she says she holds no bias torwards Eclipse, there will always be some sort of feeling there, they've already exchanged conversations numerous times, and Earth has already been to some extent been influenced by sun, moon, and lunar's feelings torwards Eclipse.
Moon says he doesn't deserve confidentiality after Eclipse requests it!!! I hate that... ik he is a criminal basically but this rubs me the wrong way. Especially when one of Eclipse's problems are his trust issues. Then Moon goes on to say he knows all his problems! LIKE no you dont. You have no clear idea back off... To me thats so degrading.
Earth also mentions to Eclipse that she doesn't have the MENTAL capacity to deal with Eclipse's retorts torward moon being there... Let's keep in mind that she shouldn't even be here to begin with! Especially after what she witnessed with Lunar! And Eclipse was part of that situation as well. THIS IS CAUSING HER PROBLEMS MENTALLY SHE IS IN NO CONDITION TO BE GIVING THERAPY TO OTHERS much less Eclipse who is a really convoluted character. I love Earth so seeing her do this session while she herself is in a bad place is really self destructive.
SHE GOES ON TO BELITTLE THE MAN TOO! When Eclipse is being particularly fussy to the point he calls Earth an idiot, she goes on to say "A harmless one compared to you" I hate this because there should be no antagonizing in a therapy session it makes things hostile... and thereafter Eclipse closes up again destroying the progress Earth had previously achieved.
I can go on to other smaller details and things I disliked but overall these were points that made me particularly mad. Earth does do a good ok job at times so I don't want to take away her merits. I really enjoy the show and all just I wish it could be more considerate at times. Especially since this is creating an impression of what therapy is like to young impressionable children.
Thanks for comming to my Ted Talk 👁👁
.
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littlerocks · 23 hours
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This scene is wonderful, the scene where vinee given the medal to the firefighters, it appears the perosne they love, their family: hen with karen and her children, Chim with Maddie, Eddie with Chris and marisol and Tommy with Buck (with that look so proud of his boyfriend, from "that guy is coll" to "that guy is mine") and finally tommy feels inside a family
The fact that Tommy is a diminutive of his real name Thomas and so not his actual name destabilized me ahahahh
I was thinking the fact that with Tommy they show buck, and as if they want to make it clear that he actually doesn't have any figure that can correspond as a family, and that with buck, he found that feeling of family (?). I hope they will show something from tommy's past because then we will understand his character even more
However that look of buck, in observing tommy, full of pride and love is beautiful, it's literally "that handsome guy, that hot pilot who flew over a hurricane and saved everybody, he's my beautiful boyfriend."
As for the hen and karen family, I'm too happy to see Mara so happy to finally have a family that loves her, and she's no longer that scared mara of the first episodes but she has found in hen, karen and denny her family that will always protect her
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"Enjoy it while it lasts" this cynical sarcasm of tommy i love him, simply he is like this and i love him so much, like buck loves him
Tommy's sarcasm, when he makes quips, it's not making fun like denigrating a person but it's those jokes, the kind of sarcasm that you make when you know the other person and you know you can do because they don't take it in a negative way and in fact laugh about it, and for me that's what buck and tommy do, like while they're texting, like tommy makes jokes that are a little bit cynical, that kind of thing and buck countering but in a funny way
However Ravi represents me, literally it's me going to parties, just to eat
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My guess is that when buck sees Gerard, and says "that's him, huh?" with that sigh, he was already preparing himself to endure the negative things gerard would say toward tommy or 118 in general
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Just heard gerard's voice, chim with that face like "oh no then, my biggest nightmare came true," tommy has a face like "really this is coming to talk to us?"
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Chim literally the protector of tommy and buck, like "do you have something against them?" automatically you have something against me
Then that "line" of gerard about "i heard you got your wings", i want to see gerard to use a helicopter in a freaking hurricane, risk his job to help his friends, in my opinion, if there was no chim to put him in his place, buck would have done like: give his plate to tommy saying "wait a minute" he walks up to gerard and says to him "tommy had such courage to fly a helicopter, going inside a hurricane to save those people, while risking his job and you don't even have a quarter of his courage and love for his job to do this act of bravery" and then finish " and also this beautiful hot pilot with even a medal of honor is none other than my beautiful fiancé, so don't you ever try to insult or denigrate him again" like it would have been beautiful, but we have however at the same time Chim putting him back in his place and finally silencing him. FORCE Chim we are all with you
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CHIM FOREVER, WE ARE ALL WITH YOU IN DESTROYING GERARD
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Buck giving that look gerard, and kind of warning look, like woe is you if you hurt tommy again, or chim or hen and everybody else in 118
This scene is beautiful, literally scene between father and son, where the father telling the son that he is proud of him, his evolution as a person and also he even gave his blessing to tommy, typical father, too beautiful this scene
"tommy is a good person, and good for you" "how do you know?" "because we haven't talked" and buck smiling happily, like you can see that buck is happy to be with tommy such that others can see it too, I'm too happy
Then we got the testimony that tommy and buck see each other in the evening, and maybe they even sleep together, that duffel bag that buck gets him ready to go to tommy's is the testimony, and maybe that's because we see tommy at the hospital in 7x10 like buck going home to tommy's (I hope so, and I hope they show tommy's house) and like they are ready to go to sleep and then buck is called and he is told that bobby is in the hospital and they both go there, anyway before that it would be nice to also see a little scene of buck and tommy together of like them gaurding the TV or eating together, that would be beautiful
However buck and tommy literally are made for each other, in the sense that they found each other and they are right for both of them, like buck found in tommy a person who loves him and even shows it, such as going to the hospital even though he had a stressful shift and went anyway because he knew it was important to buck and he went anyway even though he knew he was tired and all dirty, without even changing or cleaning up because he was already late and didn't want to be even later, and so for me tommy is the kind of person who maybe doesn't say it in words that he loves a person but shows it through attitudes
While for Tommy in my opinion he found a family in Buck, in the sense that in my opinion Tommy has a troubled past, perhaps with the family and therefore he has never managed to be part of a family and the moment he met Buck he finally did feels like a family, also adding 118, and perhaps as if throughout his life he has always had to manage on his own, in the sense that when he needed a person to console him or who was there to help him, or just to comfort him, he never had it and as soon as he met buck he finally found that kind of person who knows that if he had a bad moment or a bad day, he knows that buck would be there ready to console him, even like cooking something just to say "I'm here with you and I'm not leaving, and you know that if you need to let off steam I'm here for you"
I like the two of them together too much, because yes they are different in character, but it's not that being different in a negative way in the sense that they can't be together because that being different is too much to handle, while they although they are different, manage to fit together and create a beautiful bond
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ooooh! Could you do something for Elliott from Stardew Valley? Or perhaps Mr. Qi? Elliott’s my favourite character, but Mr. Qi has that “omnipotent stalker with a weird sense of humour” vibe that would fit perfectly.
Thanks in advance!
Ooh, okay! As much as I think Mr. Qi is the most likely out of everyone in the cast to become a yandere, I can't help but that I just wanna cuddle a delusional yandere Eliott. Thanks for the Ask btw!
-
Anon Yan 💌‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚.
Yandere Elliott
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I feel like Elliott is the delusional stalker type.
Like when he and the farmer (aka you) first meet it's love at first sight for him.
He's been in a creative rut for so long, bored out of his mind and replaying thr same words over and over again in his mind.
He heard about the new farmer coming into town from Leah, a thought nothing if it really. It wouldn't effect him and his work.
Oh how wrong he was. From the moment Elliott met you the man became a simp.
He watched you run around town foraging for anything good to sell, he always admired how keen your eye was for the little berries that'd grow in the bushes and the flowers nobody thought to pick.
He looks at you like you hung the stars and the moon in the sky. Like you've moved the heavens and the earth to make space just for him and his little whimsical fantasies. And in a sense you kinda did.
After all, it was you who brought him out of the bored gloom he'd had been living in for the past months.
So it'd only make sense that you'd become his one and only muse.
The man could write thousands of sonnets and haiku's in your name. He hasn't gotten that far yet, but he's getting closer everyday.
He's sickly sweet, that lovey-dovey puppy-dog expression crosses his face whenever he so much as thinks about you. [Which is all the time btw]
He is totally and completely enamored with you, fallen for you like a fish falls for the bait. Which is unfortunate for him as you don't seem to have fallen for him.
But it's fine! Maybe you're just shy, that's okay, he'll just need to be a little more forceful in his affections.
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"Darling! There you are. I have been looking all over for you. Come along now, I have made another poem for you to read. It'll be wonderful."
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Which doesn't work...in fact it seems to make you even more reserved.
But thats okay to! You guys will work on that together.
He just keeps on pushing and pushing and pushing, and it never seems to stop.
It isn't until you blow up on him, calling him a creep, that he backs off. But only for a little bit.
He see's this as just a small argument between you guys, it'll pass over in a few days once you cool down.
But then he see's you talking to Sebastion in the saloon. You twirling your hair between your fingers, laughing at his jokes, blushing when he gets a little too close for comfort, and looking up at him with sweetest expression he's ever seen from you.
For the first time in a long time, Elliott feels rage. And not the normal kind, oh no no no, I mean blinding rage.
The kind that makes you act on your violent thoughts. Which is exactly what Elliott ended up doing.
In a flash he's on Sebastion, beating the poor boy within an inch of his life.
The other people at the Saloon try to stop the raging Elloitt, but all of the get knocked on their ass and get to scared to do anything.
Once Elliott was done with Sebastion, he turned to look at you. No longer did he look at with that sweet puppy-dog face, no instead his eyes were filled with nothing but apathy as he grabbed your chin with his bloody thumb and directed you to look at the dead body of your best friend.
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"Look at what you've caused dear. This is what happens when you try to make me jealous."
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scarasimplysimping · 17 hours
Text
All In
Part 1 (might be two parts idk)
(⁠人⁠ ⁠•͈⁠ᴗ⁠•͈⁠)
Summary: A bet is placed to see if you can get the Summa Cum Laude to fall in love with you. (Scaramouche x Reader) (College au)
Contains: Idk. So it's one of those love stories where there's a bet. Hu Tao and Childe are kind of assholes for the sake of this fic, I am SORRY. Reader is also kind of an ass. Ooc. Some plot holes because I don't go to college or drink or smoke. Just roll with it.
(⁠人⁠ ⁠•͈⁠ᴗ⁠•͈⁠)
2,822 words 15,518 characters
What a stuck-up prick.
That's what you thought of him anyway. He was *the* Summa Cum Laude of your year. He was snobby, self-centered, friendless, and to top it all off, he just so happened to be your partner for your big thesis.
It was not by choice but he had no partner because people were afraid of him and you had no partner because well... people hated you. It wasn't a project that could be done individually either, lest you wanted to die before you graduate.
"He's such a bore." You complain to your friends on the lunch table, Hu Tao, Childe, and Xiao. "I tried to make plans with him, really. I asked if he was free, and you know what he said?" You slammed your hands on the table for dramatic effect.
Hu Tao leaned in closer, strands of her hair falling onto the table, and alarmingly close to Xiao's food, making him scowl as he moved his tray.
"He said," you began, putting up a silly impression of him with a snobby expression. "I don't need bottom feeders like you dragging down my work. I'll handle everything. Pay me if you want."
Childe snorted. Hu Tao doubled over in laughter, mainly because you're impression was so on point.
"God, what a freak." Hu Tao mused as she wiped her tears from her face, she never passed on the opportunity to talk shit about someone she didn't like. Childe agreed with her but he was partly not paying attention. He jabbed his fork into Xiao's food.
"Fucker." Xiao muttered under his breath.
Your silly clique was a ragtag bunch of misfits in their own ways. Hu Tao was your childhood friend who always had something vindictive to say or some storm to stir up. She lived for the drama.
Childe started tagging along around highschool. He was a charming, silver-tongued ginger ball of sunshine, he started developing a negative reputation over time as as somewhat of a satyr, though.
Xiao was above all the petty and immature antics whichever one of you had the gall to cook up. In all honesty, he was only there because his older brother, Zhongli had asked Childe to help him settle in to the college life. Childe owed the man a favor so he dragged the poor emo wherever you guys went and you kind of just got used to his company.
Then there was you, there was one thing that set you far apart from them all.
Money.
They were filthy rich and you, an independent college student, had not a penny to your name after you decided to up and leave your family to follow Hu Tao to college. You didn't really have to work though, your friends pretty much covered most of your college expense as casually as a friend would by you lunch.
"I know I can't really help him, I mean, my grades are dogshit right now but like I don't know how to pay him either," You said, burying your face into your palms.
Childe scoffed. "I don't even think he means it. Plus, it's nothing to worry about. We've got you covered if that greedy little nerd actually demands shit from you."
"Yeah, just let him do everything by himself," He continued "Watch him or something, in case your professor wants updates.."
A small smirk formed upon his lips. "I bet he's not that hard to watch anyway."
You playfully punched him on the shoulder "Gross!"
"You gotta admit he is kinda cute," Hu Tao chided in. "Right, Xiao?"
Xiao shrugged, far too focused on actually having lunch.
Childe snaked an arm over you. "Tell you what, (Y/N). If you can somehow bed the prudish bastard before the end of this semester, I'll fork over some money for this month's rent."
"Hu Tao pays rent."
"I'll fork over some money for anything you want."
"Hmm... I want VIP tickets to La Signora's concert."
"Done~"
"Oh my archons! Like actually?" Hu Tao couldn't tell if you both were serious. "(Y/N), your charm is above average but I don't even know if you can pull this one off."
You roll your eyes." Have faith in me. I bet he's easy."
Hu Tao leans back thoughtfully, a mischievous smirk playing on her face. "Alright, (Y/N). If you manage to pull this off I'll give you a grand.
You gape at her. "Seriously?
"Absolutely."
You know were only entertaining the idea because they had no actual faith you'd pull it off, but to you. This was easy money.
You slowly turn to the brooding emo on the table. "What about you, Xiao?"
His eyes narrowed at you. "What about me?"
"You gonna offer anything?"
He scoffs, groaning internally and being the only one with a moral compass. "Only an asshole would find bets such as these any type of fun."
Childe flicks his wrist dismissevly. "We are assholes."
(⁠人⁠ ⁠•͈⁠ᴗ⁠•͈⁠)
It was hard enough convincing Scaramouche to work on the project and your (and Hu Tao's) place but now you had to deal with the emanating silence from you both. You've barely ever talked to him but the tension in your room could be cut with a knife, or maybe that was just your imagination.
He was sitting cross legged on your bed, typing away at his laptop with several papers surrounding him. You were sat across from him in the same position, nursing a cigarette in between your fingers.
"Do you want something to eat?" You finally break the silence.
He doesn't look up from the screen as he responds. "What do you have?"
You look to the ceiling, trying to recall what you and Hu Tao had last shoved into the fridge. "Uh... Pesto... Pizza... Dumplings. Probably some leftover vegetables."
"Bring me them all." Talk about shame.
"Alright." You say, putting out the cigarette on your nightstand. You couldn't help but notice the tiny scowl on Scaramouche's face as he glanced at the ashtray.
You come back balancing a bowl of pesto, a bowl of dumplings, and a bowl of salad on a box of pizza. Scaramouche pats on the side of your bed, indicating for you to drop the offerings there.
You light another cigarette as you take your previous seat in front of him.
"The weather is pretty nice today.." A sad attempt at conversation on your end.
Silence
"So... Childe's hosting a party tomorrow night, would you like to come?" You try once more.
Scaramouche still doesn't say anything, he doesn't even look up from the screen.
You blow a puff of smoke on his face. He coughs a bit before glaring at you with cold judging eyes. At least he was actually looking at you now. "I have no time to indulge in that crap."
"You have plenty of time. That thesis isn't due for another month."
"Well not exactly, since I'll be doing the work for both of us."
"Do you have a problem with me?"
"I have a problem with people like you." He glowers.
"People like me?" You raise your eyebrows.
"People who just have everything spoon fed to them by luck or by birthright and take that as a reason to slack off for the rest of their life since everything just magically works out for them." Scaramouche wasn't wrong, you really fucked around and never found out but still, what right did he have to judge you?
"Didn't know you knew me so well." You say, blowing out another puff of smoke but this time it's to the side.
Scaramouche opens his mouth to respond, then closes it once more. You had a point. It was hypocritical of him to listen to judge you based on gossip.
Finally, he speaks after a few minutes of silence.
"I was out of line." It's an apology although he doesn't outright apologize.
"Yeah." You decide to take advantage of his momentary guilt as you inquire about what he's working on. "So, do you mind telling me what you're doing?"
"Well, I'm looking online for research papers related to the topic were studying. I'm taking snippets I find interesting and I'll save them for later to expand on them in our thesis."
Scaramouche speaks a bit more but you're hardly listening. You take this time to really observe his physical appearance. Hu Tao was right; the man was cute. His eyes, his mouth, his lips. If you took a meat cleaver to the center of his skull, you'd have matching halves.
Even his hair looked softer than unicorn fur.
"(Y/N)?" He snaps you out, a displeased expression creeps upon his face upon noticing that you aren't even paying attention.
"Your hair looks softer than unicorn fur," you blurt out.
His eyes widen slightly, and you could've sworn he turned a shade pink before he feigned a disgusted look to save his dignity. "What the hell?"
You caught on immediately. There it was. Scaramouche had a weakness. The Summa Cum Laude, the bridge troll with a big brain and purple hair (as Hu Tao once described him) is someone who gets easily flustered .
"You're kind of cute." You push on.
"Shut the fuck up." His head lowers, he dares not look into your eyes.
"Come to Childe's party with me?" You ask once more.
(⁠人⁠ ⁠•͈⁠ᴗ⁠•͈⁠)
Scaramouche hated you. He hated your face and your voice and your personality. He hated every single atom you were made up of, but most of all he hated the way you were able to persuade him to come to this stupid party. And for what? Just because you were the first person to ever call him cute? He'd curse you and all your descendants to come.
Childe's party was just a gathering of drunks and trouble makers. His house was practically a mansion that could fit 60% of the university's student population.
He hated the blaring lights and unbelievably loud, repetitive, and distasteful music.
"I hate this!" He has to shout for you to hear.
"I know!"
"I'm going home!"
"You can't! You're my ride home!"
"We walked here, dumbass!" Scaramouche wanted to leave you truly he did but something, wasn't letting him. His moral compass or his growing fondness of you?
Childe finds you, placing an arm around your shoulder. "Hey!" He hands you a shot glass which you graciously accept and down in a couple of seconds, much to Scaramouche's dismay.
Childe pays no attention to your companion until he does a double take and realize it's Scaramouche.
"Holy shit! Is that Scara!?" Childe grins hazily. He was drunk drunk.
Scaramouche does not respond. He is frowning while Childe handed you half a bottle of gin.
You drink it within a couple minutes as you chat with Childe.
Scaramouche stands there, awkward, cranky, and out of place as the only person he's aquatinted with in this party is getting absolutely inebriated.
At some point you don't know when or from where but you get your hands on another shot glass.
"You're not drinking that," Scaramouche states firmly.
"I am." You bring the cup to your lips but Scaramouche is faster, he snatches it from you and lets it fall to the ground.
"What gives!?"
"I'm not carrying your drunk ass home just because you drank away the capability to walk!" He shouts at you.
People are staring now. Is it because of the commotion or because Scaramouche was the last person anyone would expect to see at a party?
Scaramouche didn't like the staring or the attention. "I'm going fucking home." He says, grabbing your wrist and pulling you past the crowd. "So are you."
Childe is left there, impressed. He takes out his cellphone.
To: Hu Tao
She's actually gonna pull it off. Wtf
From: Childe
You stumble and trip as Scaramouche drags you through the night. It was a miracle you could keep up. (It wasn't, he slowed his pace on purpose to match yours but it still wasn't slow enough for your drunken ass.)
"Scara, slow dooown~"
He ignores you until he feels you slip from his grasp, landing with a thud. "What the fuck is wrong with you!? Do you not have the smarts to walk!?" The boy scolds.
You decide to rest your knees a bit as you stay on the ground.
You hear him sigh sharply before crouching in front of you. "Get on."
"What? Like piggyback style?"
"Yes, damnit just get on." His face wasn't facing you and it was dark. Scaramouche was eternally grateful to the archons that you couldn't see the way his ears reddened.
He carries you like that until you're at the front door of your place. Scaramouche gently drops you off. Miraculously not panting. (He wasn't that athletic.)
"Can I trust you enough to tuck yourself in?" The boy asks, his tone was calm this time.
You nod in response.
"Alright." Scaramouche turns his heel to leave.
"Scaramouche." You call out.
He turns back to you, a little too quickly.
You try to take a step towards him except you "accidentally" trip on air and crash onto his chest. He barely moves an inch but his hands instinctively wrap around you. You can see the exact moment he scrunches his nose as well as the moment before that where his cheeks flush.
You'll blame this on alcohol later. You'll also blame alcohol for when you pulled his collar to place a quick peck on his lips.
This was the night Scaramouche nearly passed away.
(⁠人⁠ ⁠•͈⁠ᴗ⁠•͈⁠)
Scara paced around his room. What the fuck was that? Why the fuck would you do that? His heart still raced as fast as it did when you kissed him.
He replayed the kiss over and over in his mind. Why? Just why? He mussed his hair in frustration as he plopped himself on the bed. If Scaramouche focused enough, he could still feel their lips on his, even if it was just for a fleeting moment.
Why had a drunken asshole decided to take his first kiss? Why was he reacting so weirdly?
And why did he just tuck tail speed walk away right after it happened without saying shit about it?
(Y/N) will probably tell their friends. They'll gossip and laugh at how the smartest person in their program was turned into a blushing, sputtering mess at the mere kiss of some drunk. Some overly confident, obnoxious, attractive drunk who's lips were soft as velvet.
The thought has him reeling. Rolling to the side, Scaramouche pulled a pillow over his head and groaned into it.
"I'm done guessing. What's wrong with you?" His inner monologue was broken by his cyan haired roommate.
"Nothing. Fuck off, Dottore." His words still muffled by the pillow.
"All your ceaseless brooding is keeping me distracted. I suggest you stop whining if you don't want me to give you more reasons to whine."
Silence.
That came out wrong, but it got Scaramouche to shut up so who would complain?
(⁠人⁠ ⁠•͈⁠ᴗ⁠•͈⁠)
It was a crush. That's what Dottore had said to him. It made jackshit sense though. Why would he like you? You were just someone he perceived as a slacker. It's possibly because you were the only one who ever showed interest in him. He'll probably get over it when he finds someone else to adore, but he couldn't.
Scaramouche was once again working on the thesis, on your bed. He didn't bring up the kiss. Maybe you'd forgotten about it? A small part of him hoped that you didn't though.
Finally, he decides to speak up. "I demand compensation."
You shoot him a confused look.
"What? Don't you remember?" Scaramouche scowls.
"You kissed me..."
"Did I?" You feign innocence.
"Do not make me repeat myself." He orders. "That was my first kiss. I demand some kind of compensation." His cheeks were heating up as it became harder and harder for him to look you in the eyes.
"Oh?" You bring your index finger below your lips in an expression of mock thoughtfulness.
Scaramouche's scowl deepens at your mocking finger below your lips. "Do not toy with me," he warns. "You took something and I want fair repayment."
You chuckle, enjoying his ruffled feathers. " And what is a first kiss worth these days?" Leaning back on your hands, you look him over appraisingly. "I'm not convinced it was really your first. You seemed to know what you were doing..."
His cheeks redden as he scrunches his nose at your audacity. "You're insufferable."
"And yet you enjoyed kissing me." You smirk. "Perhaps you even want more?"
Scaramouche's embarrassment only grows at your bold insinuation. "You presume too much, fool," he bites back, though his resolve seems weakened.
You shrug. "Suit yourself. I was just about to offer a date."
He narrows his eyes at you, as if trying to ascertain if this is some sort of trick. "A date?"
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ep2nd · 23 hours
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I really hope Macaria gets her own Hades game, and if not here's some of my ideas
It's like the opposite of Hades 1
Mac has long brown hair that kinda looks like Persephones hairdo pre-underworld, yellow and white based clothes, two green eyes, and oh yeah white wings, all weapons kinda float on her back. Very nice, kind, and sweet. More of Hallyday, joyous, flowers and rainbow vibe game
Mac is trapped on the mortal world, raised by Persephone, because that curse is like the opposite for her, she can't live in the underworld, lives in Persephones old farm
Trained by Chiron, taking Skelemesus(how do you spell??) Role. Also Triptolemus is here, mortal turned God by Demeter during Persephones disappearance, and Cyrene, amazing Hunter and Shepherd princess/queen turned Naiad, lover of Apollo and Ares too
Plot: The Primordal gods and Titans are awaking, aka they were all, mostly, asleep before this and will wake up and choose violence
Mainly Gaia, who's upset about the Titan things. The Olympians can't help cause they gotta deal with Typhon, so Mac gets help from minor gods and some Titans- Hebe, fun cus, Asclepius, bless his soul, Triton, nervous cus, Iris, gossip girl/hermes job, Nike, probably challenges you like Nem in Hades 2, Tyche, the IDK, Eros, seductive but is married(put shoulerd guards because of THE INCIDENT), Psyche, distant, loss vibe, but a sweetheart, Aeolus, laying down on a couch looking cloud, baby girl, Prometheus, holds tourch thats all I ask for, Themis, blindfold looking straight at you with hands on sword in the ground, stoic.... probably others, comment below
For Nyx kids this time around, basically everyone's who left, but primarily Phil(Philotes) Friendship Incarnate, the bestie who's like Hypnos, never met him though, she doesn't hang out with her other family, except Hemera! Also here, like the opposite Nyx, kinda duh Day Incarnate, also you wake Aither, Light Incarnate, same vibe as giddy Hypnos kinda. But then gets the worst Nyx kids, Oizys, Distress Incarnate, pessimism pro, Momus, Satire Incarnate, ridicules you for everything, the worse, more annoying Hypnos greeter, Dolos and Apate, Fraud and Deceit Incarnate, makes your job harder and kills you half the time, Geras, grumpy old man, anddddd Achlys, Misery Incarnate, who I make Nyx AND Erebus kid because the Chaos and Nyx kid might be too weird... also Asleep Primordal... but awakes, very much like Charon, they are best friends, enemies, and closest siblings, both taught by Erebus and hisses/growls to speak, also will kill you UNLESSS you offer her stuff, dumb enough to fight Charon... but he's also dumb enough to fight her so...
Also Erebus is here, who I like to say is all their dad because I love him, defiantly loving father who's been denied fatherhood too many times
Wake during the fight with Tartarus, who also wakes. They have beef. Fought each other and put eachother to sleep, on the day Eris was born, when the Twins were barely a year old(the order is different for reasons). Basically Erebus is gonna visist his entire family, also favors Charon because he's the first kid who he could ACTUALLY RAISE- looks at Hemera, Aither, and the Fates- let's not talk about Moros, Nemesis, Geras, Phil, Hypnos, Than, Eris, and Momus
Also others you awake- Oceanus, Pontus, Ananke, Astreaus, Uranus(maybe), Gaia, and other primordals/Titans prob, comment below for ideas
Other characters: Hippolytus, hates his dad(Theseus) loves Artemis(as in a Motherly figure/best friend, depending on how you see em) also loves his actually mom, Jason and Perseus hanging out together(congrats if ya got that reference), Atalanta, challenge you in everything and likes to berate Jason, Hippolyta, hates her Ex loves her son, Otrera, person you fight because why not?, Keto(Ceto) goddess of Sea Monsters, person you fight because I want that design, Midas, like takes Charons job for most of the game, also Pasithea, with children, help her get to Hypnos, others I don't know GIVE IDEAS
Weapons: main Scythe, because yes, at one point gets dual Swords, one is Aspect of Erebus, because yes, throwing knives, Aspect of Oizys, idk feels right, some type of spear thing, Aspect of Iris and Nike for those, whip? Aspect of Megeara because I'm funny, shields, either Aspect of Heracles or Achlys, and one for Perseus and Athena, mirror shield plus Medusa head one, Hammer/Mace, a Hypnos Ascpet it's funny guys, probably Momus too, and I don't know... that's all I got
For Romance options, I feel like Phil because she's very like Mac, Oizys for that Nemesis/Melinoe type, maybe an Iris one? She shows up in person eventually after you get her fountain, and if you wanna be REALLY funny, Meg or Than depending what ya chose for the first game
Finally, you get a big quest known as Phil's Tea Party, basically everytime you god a minor god or Nyx kid to join her Tea Party, at the end get the whole family, please, Phil loves her family despite them not loving her
AND THATS IT???
I don't know, love to hear ideas
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Let's say you have complete creative control.
How would you write a Marinette (non-Akuma/Amok) corruption arc?
If I had complete creative control, I wouldn't do a corruption arc for Marinette, I'd do one for Gabriel. But I'm assuming you want me to pretend I would do one for Marinette, so I will because why not? How I'd do it would depend heavily on when the writing team gave up and shoved the story into my hands. For the purposes of this hypothetical, I'm going to have to lean into the bad writing, so read on at your own risk.
Current state: as of the end of season five, Marinette seemingly knows that Adrien is a sentimonster. Marinette also has anxiety issues and there's a new butterfly villain on the loose whose knowledge regarding Adrien and connection to Gabriel are unknown. We also have Felix's previous less-than-heroic actions and Nathalie's status as Gabriel's former right hand lady. With all these less-than-awesome people out there, fully aware of Adrien's vulnerability, we have a pretty fantastic setup for an arc where Marinette gets ever more paranoid and controlling in the name of keeping Adrien safe from this new villain. Basically have her spiral into Gabriel 2.0 where her love for Adrien is used to justify terrible things. Not a setup I'd want to watch, but it does fit the show's treatment of The Power of Love so, you know, do with that what you will.
Season three up to near the end of season five: Something to do with Lila making Marinette lose all faith in her friends because, if you're going to write them as terrible friends, you may as well own it. Have Marinette feel like she's sacrificing everything for people who treat her like a villain or a child in spite of all she does, so she decides why bother to be the good guy? Why make all these sacrifices when it never works out for her? I'd probably have her stop showing up to fights like Chat Noir did in Kuro Neko, only if Ladybug did that it would be a much bigger deal. You could even have her full out quit and give Chat Noir her miraculous and the miracle box as a bit of a "fine, you do it and see if you can do it better" thing. Basically anything that lets her go fully selfish due to pressure and poor treatment since it's really not fair that Adrien's the only one who's allowed to miss battles and give up his miraculous when he doesn't feel appreciated.
A variation on this could be quitting because of something like her friends are putting too much pressure on her re:Adrien combined with the show's love of never letting her make the right call when it really matters, so she snaps from all this pressure on every side.
Pre season three: I don't think there's really a great lead up to a corruption in the earlier seasons. Things were pretty great back then. Idk, maybe have her snap from frustration with Chat Noir never taking things seriously, so she starts mimicking him, leading to people getting hurt? (Reminder, I think this is a writing issue when it comes to Chat Noir, but it's there and I said we were going to lean into canon's bad writing for this so here we are.)
And there you go! My takes on evil!Marinette. As I said at the start, I'm not interested in writing any of these. While I do think canon has the setup for them, they rely too heavily on things canon should never have done. Things that don't fit my image of Marinette's core character.
I'm also not big on corruption arcs for heroes. For me, they fall under the same category as the broken partnership/team trope: interesting concept, but one that's rarely executed in a satisfying way. They also tend to be too depressing and/or tragic for my tastes.
My two major hobbies are writing/reading fiction and studying world history/cultures. World history isn't all doom and gloom, but there's a lot of harsh, tragic, and sad things to be found in the past. As such, I've never really enjoyed fictional stories with a hopeless feeling to them. I turn to fictional worlds to escape reality. To go to places full of satisfying endings that are, at worst, bittersweet. If I'm reading a tragedy, I want something that's all or mostly historical fact. Not a matter of judgment, just one of personal preference.
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thecoffeelorian · 3 days
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Unsung Heroes; Unspoken Lines: Issue #1
Good morning, all, and welcome to what I hope can become a new discussion group for all of the unsung heroes of "The Bad Batch", as well as the many plot directions that never quite made it to the small screen.
Some of you may have already seen me in the tags already, while others may have not. You might have also tuned in for one of my "Fandom Friday" posts, or perhaps haven't seen any yet. Nevertheless, I will type my thoughts to the best of my ability here, as well as triple-check every post before submission so that I don't come across as complaining solely for the sake of complaining.
Before we get started, though, let me just offer up a huge thank-you to everybody who took the time to respond to my request post, as I really didn't think this would go past 3 likes...yet here we are now with around 20 brave souls besides myself, so. You all have my gratitude for this, and again, I will do my best not to squander it.
Second, just a few rules to put out here: as this is meant to be an actual discussion, and not just some Instagrammy thing where you like this post and disappear...I really prefer the responses made with typing words, and not the ones made with pictures, so please answer accordingly.
Thirdly, if there's anyone out there who never wants to question so much as a single line that megacorporation-produced entertainment delivers to them, and also lowkey mocks anyone that does on their own blogs...please filter out the tag "tbb: deep dives" so that our extensive observations don't ruin your fun.
And so, now that I've set up the format and guidelines...without further adieu, let us go to our first subject of this series: The Lawquanes!
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In the beginning, I believed that characters such as Cut and Suu would be the basis for an extended support network for the Batch, even if just through a secure comm or two. They could have served quite well in this regard, too, be it as two of several insiders warning them to steer clear of certain planets; helping answer as many parenting questions as they could; and more or less showing that nobody now having to look after a young person would be required to go it alone.
Furthermore, as there are such things as family friends and child-raising discussion groups in real life, and on a more general note, ZOOM calls…naturally, I didn’t expect anything different for the likes of Hunter, Echo, and the rest.
Except it…kind of was. Other than Shep Hazard’s few appearances in Season 2, once Cut and Suu took their kids and hit the skids…that was pretty much it for any and all outside help, for the family was never brought up again.
This, in turn, meant no secret chats between Shaeeah and Omega; no surprise stealth visits from Cut just to see how everybody was adjusting; no deliveries of hand-me-down clothing or toys for the squad to save their credits; and, frankly, in the absence of a support network, it started to feel like these company execs were suggesting that it’s much better for newly formed families to go it alone rather than even think about asking for help.
Add to this the idea of introducing characters from previous series solely to take them away not long after, and it amounts to a bad habit of isolating the title characters, if not also alienating those who might have otherwise created long-term relationships with them.
Granted, in the early stages of this series, there was the creeping evil of the Empire to worry about and early on, it wasn’t hesitating to crack down. That idea was 100% concrete, so far be it from me to question such things.
What wasn’t so concrete, however, was the need to keep on avoiding each other when one, most of the title cast were able to interact with Rex during all 3 seasons and had slim to no consequences; two, they could pretty much go anywhere as long as the galaxy thought them dead; and three, there was no further chatter about going after deserters. This created quite the opening for new faces to show up and stay there…yet again, not a word from the Lawquanes, who simply vanished into the ether and never returned.
So, if I may have the opportunity to ask, and if you all have the time to answer...it just might be time for our first Question Of The Week.
QOTW::
If more attention had been given to all four Lawquanes, what role(s) might they have had going forward, and would it have involved the Batch or not?
Please respond in the comments or reblogs to get the conversation going, and I hope to answer back as soon as possible. Thank you, have a good morning, and good luck.
No Pressure Tags: @theosb0rnway @megmca @brownielocks69 @alwaysflexfoampads @lucky-ducky006
@travellingnorthwards @moe-oh @depeachy @petrivbatig @sadiecoocoo
@maddyknight28 @traveller-of-word-and-screen @greyangelpain @tbnrpotato @lilithastar
@sillishit @techs-goggles9902 @amandamadeathing @number1morphfan @darthbecky726
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moistvonlipwig · 3 days
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can i do the same thing to you i did to sssammich and upend all the -corps on your desk or is that too greedy 🥴
looping in @yourlocalegotisticalqueerishere since it's easier to do these all in one post ! alphabetical order for funsies under the cut:
agentcorp - no...idk what to say really except the vibes are off for me. sorry chyler </3 i know you wanted to kiss katie so bad. i think alex and lena have similarities & differences (just like every character does with every other character lol) but i personally feel like their specific similarities & differences would cause them to either enable each other's worst aspects or to butt heads constantly. just my onion i know many people disagree and that's fine. also the triple hit of alex trying to nuke lena and justifying it by twisting all her previous good deeds to make them sound bad, lying about it to her face while asking for her help, and then not advocating for her to get her memories back and even encouraging kara to deceive her once again all in quick succession in s5 -- all of which got swept under the rug in s6 -- really soured me on the friendship s4 had built up between them. so i'm not even really a fan of their friendship. tragique :(
braincorp - they are my brotp <333 i don't ship them romantically at all but actually their relationship is probably my favorite relationship on the show period. it helps that they are my 2 fave characters lol but also they are so smart and so bitchy together and i love them <333 brainy is so ride or die for lena even when she gives him literally the worst advice anyone has ever given anyone else in the history of the world and lena feels safe with brainy to express how she really feels and they are kindred spirits. also the parallel to the comics dynamic between brainiac & lex luthor [which should've made it to the show!!! where was the original brainiac???] is poetic. braincorp 4 life !!!
dreamcorp - again i don't ship them at all but it's so bonkers that developing this relationship wasn't more of a priority for the writers. little sisters with asshole siblings who blame themselves for their mother's deaths (and also have magic powers i guess thanks s6 🥴)...the scenes write themselves! or so you would think. i liked that they had some rapport in s6 but also ngl it cracked me up in 6x07 when nia called lena "family" i was like girl this is your first onscreen conversation ever 😭 you are colleagues at best...oh well. i like the idea of them becoming found family though. i don't see the superfriends as a found family (they are actually this cool thing called 'friends' instead) but nia & lena specifically i think could come to lean on each other in a sisterly way.
guardiancorp - so as i've mentioned part of what really piqued my interest in guardiancorp was the reveal that james had 16 scars from lex yet he was able to look past that to see lena for who she was not just as lex's little sister. james as clark's best friend and lena as lex's sister are kind of inherently tied together by the superman/lex drama and i'm interested in how they can work through that to love each other anyway. one thing i find interesting about them is that they are deeply different in ways that could set them at odds -- lena is a luthor, james is team super; lena is a white woman, james is a black man; lena is morally flexible, james is much more morally steadfast/rigid -- yet they are able to find solidarity and common ground with each other despite those things and have each other's backs. a lot of people like to point to the scene where lena & james are completely out of sync at game night as evidence that they were never really right for each other, but the thing i always remember is that lena wanted to practice with him afterwards. she wanted to put in the work. that's actually very romantic to me. another thing i like is how protective they are of each other; morgan edge might call james lena's bodyguard and james might take a bullet for her and dangle morgan edge off a building for her but lena is also HIS bodyguard who would make deals with the DA for him and poison her mother for him. they're each other's guardians. also they are capable of being so powerful and bitchy together like when they went to confront morgan edge in 3x09 that was sooo funny and iconic. i do wish the show built them up better and let us see their friendship properly develop in 3a instead of having them flirt in a couple scenes and then not interact for 4 episodes and then have kara & sam hamfistedly tell us they have chemistry. if i were writing season 3 i would give them a slower build and probably not have them kiss until the balcony scene in 3x17. but oh well. if wishes were horses i would have lots of horses. i wouldn't even know what to do with all those horses. so it's a good thing wishes aren't horses, if you think about it.
kellycorp / goldencorp (that's the name i just came up with now that i am advocating for) - i quite like this idea because it's a kelly ship i can actually get invested in. hooray <3 i think kelly would be good for lena and, crucially, i think lena would be good for kelly. they both are more 'outsiders' to the superfriends than the other members are, as evinced by the two of them being the last to know supergirl's identity, and i think they could bond over that. i could see kelly feeling comfortable being displeased/angry with lena in a way she maybe doesn't with the other superfriends, while also holding space for lena's emotions in a way Certain Other People Who Shall Remain Nameless aren't always very good at. and i could also see lena really enjoying spoiling kelly with her wealth and kelly being kind of into it. also the fact that the showrunners seemed weirdly allergic to putting azie and katie into scenes together, meanwhile azie and katie were supposedly constantly flirting on set and working overtime to try and sneak goldencorp crumbs into the background, suggests to me that their chemistry was so palpable and powerful that TPTB were scared of letting them loose lest the fandom descend even further into ship wars. ...ok that last part is just a silly little conspiracy theory that i made up so please don't repeat it as fact or even as plausible speculation but also why Did the showrunners keep them apart so much 🤔 makes you think !
mirrorcorp [mirrorverse iris/lena aka a ship i invented] - so if you've never seen the flash you are probably thinking: who is mirrorverse iris??? i'm so glad you asked. mirrorverse iris is a clone of iris from the mirror realm which is NOT an 'evil universe' a la star trek, it is instead a world literally inside mirrors. mirrorverse iris was essentially created by mirror monarch (don't ask) for the purpose of infiltrating the normal world. she spends an arc impersonating the real iris and is similar in some ways but is also angrier, more ruthless, and more impulsive. in her last episode she figures out that she wants to be her own person and live life on her own terms not mirror monarch's and she defies mirror monarch during a fight with barry and then she dies. don't like that she died i wish she'd stuck around she was an epic character. but anyway this arc takes place in season 6b of the flash which you guessed it coincides with season 5b of supergirl. so my pitch is that instead of teaming up with lex to continue project nonsense lena goes on a sojourn to central city and meets mirrorverse iris who is impersonating real iris and undergoing an existential crisis/crisis of conscience. and the two bond and become friends. and then mirrorverse iris doesn't die and she and lena have to figure out who they want to be for themselves not just for the people who created them or tried to mold them in their image. and then they kiss about it idk just saying it could be good!
nationalcitydistrictattorneycorp - i mean. you've seen the scene. possibly the most sexually charged scene in the entire show. unclear to me why both actresses decided to play it that way but ok queens !
peggycorp - not my thing but i respect the warriors 👍
reigncorp - sam is imo the best & healthiest friend lena could ask for -- actually the best & healthiest friend anyone on this show could ask for -- but i don't really think their relationship is improved or made more interesting by them dating. i do think they have hooked up in the past and they decided they were better off as friends.
rojascorp - i'm not a rojascorp shipper actually but i believe in their beliefs...andrea and lena definitely dated, i see them as exes who still have affection for each other & sexual tension, i'm just not interested in the idea of them getting back together. if anything i actually worry that andrea might be too deferential to lena? i think she sees herself as deeply indebted to lena and -- whether you're looking at the pre-crisis more interesting timeline where she directly has blood on her hands or the post-crisis less interesting timeline where she tried to kill supergirl & accidentally put william in the line of fire -- i think she has a lot of guilt and she views lena as a moral authority in contrast to her morally 'tarnished' view of herself. which is interesting & juicy because most characters don't view lena that way. but i don't know that it's a great dynamic for a romance.
spheercorp - jack is sweet and rahul kohli is pretty. here endeth my thoughts on spheercorp. ...ok i guess i can say a little more which is that like rojascorp i prefer them as exes/bffs to them getting back together. i also will say that, while i think jack's death contributed to a disturbing trend on the show of killing off south asian characters, i do actually rather like it as a character beat for lena. i enjoy seeing him pop up in fics but in the show itself i think him dying is kind of a better story. sorry jacky :(
supercorp - i mean i think the premise alone is kind of epic and awesome. a super and a luthor but they're in love. like that's just plain cool. plus think of the awkward family dinners! i am always here for ships that will generate awkward family dinners. i also think they have a lot of great comedy scenes together which is always a plus to me shipping-wise, i like ships with a comedic bent. but there's also a lot of juicy drama/tragedy/gay divorce with them too which is also good of course. as a big fan of dramatic irony i like the secret/reveal as a storytelling device i just wish they handled it better post-5x01 (i think 4x22 and 5x01 actually kind of nailed it ngl). i like that they both used each other's kryptonite on the other person and yet they were able to forgive that and love the other person anyway. i mean the actual in-show process of forgiveness was wack but the idea is spicy. and i like that, as kara herself (clunkily) put it in the finale, they really do challenge each other and push each other to be better. as i've mentioned before theirs is a relationship where actions have consequences and where every scene they have matters and affects later scenes, which is unlike.....well, most relationships on the show, frankly. i also tend to think their scenes are just generally better-written and have more subtext (and i'm not just talking about the gay kind) and interesting things going on in them than most of the rest of the show's scenes. for all my many gripes about how s5 & s6 handled their fallout and then kind of just papered over it with platitudes, i still think their relationship is one of the best parts of the show and it's still the major thing that keeps me on the hook.
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I have a big google doc thing where I keep track of media and stuff (putting everything in loosely ranked categories), which is mostly just for my own reference so I know what tv shows I've already seen before, etc. and I never really look back through it, typically just a quick "okay, watched two movie in the past 8 months, need to quickly slap them somewhere in the lists. okay. done. save document. exit". But today I was actually reading through some of the old notes and there are like... MULTIPLE places where my comment is basically "It would have been good if it were about elves" or "I wish there was a fantasy show made in this same style" or "It's well made, but I just keep thinking about how I would like it more if everyone was an elf or was in old 1700s costumes" or etc like...... lol.... Most biased media ranking system on earth blatantly made by someone with an extremely hyperspecific range of narrow interests. It'd be like if a food reviewer only had 5 foods they actually liked, so they'd just go to a pizza place and be like "eh, the pizza was okay, but I just think it would be better if it was cereal instead. :/ ...2 out of 10"
#Which.. I mean... I am allowed to be biased because literally it's just for my own personal reference (or occasionall#y to send to friends or something if we're discussing the topic) so like.. nowhere am I saying 'I am the god of perfect taste and these#rankings are objectively the absolute truth and everyone should have my same opinion' or anything#BUT still.. it's funny to me sometimes#'Succession would be 100x better if it had the same cast/character quirks and shaky camera style and#acting choices/weird dialogue and general concept etc. EXCEPT it takes place within an elven noble family or something#managing the family business and everyone is in fantasy costumes now'' like.....okay...... but it's NOT that way..soo... thats not the show#''I like the acting style/general tone of Fleabag but i don't care for any of the characters or any of the subject matter and I wish it was#set in the 1800s and had vampires and was about magic instead'' okay..... again... you are making up an entirely new show in that case lol#OR my other beloved typical complaint ''The concept is good but theres too much plot and action and not enough people just sitting#around doing nothing and exposition dumping world and character lore'' ''this needs more goofy sideplots and filler episodes''#''this Drama was too dramatic I think it should be more lighthearted & people need to sit around doing nothing just being weird more often'#''the Action Movie was ok except for the action scenes - which I skipped through all of- but I liked the costumes and worldbuilding'' etc.#ERM sorry your plot has too much plot. also elves have to be included somehow. bye#BUT SERIOUSLY!!!!!! I literally genuinely believe that any show I like (or even dislike) could ALWAYS be improved greatly by#putting people in fantasy or historical costume/setting/etc... why the FUNK would I want to see bland jeans and cars and cell phones#when I could see elaborate velvet cloaks and fantastical landscapes and interior design and innovative takes on historical or#magical technology or etc. etc. etc. I LIVE in the modern day. I see it all the time!!! BORING! stinky!! boo!!!#ANYWAY... another social divide for me.. People love to bond by discussing media. which is hard when I'm like#'I literally will not watch something at all unless it fits into one of these 10 extremely specific categories which are all i care about i#the entire world''.. I say this and yet I still dislike most fantasy or historical things I've watched lol. ok TWO main criteria then!!#it must 1. be in a different world or time period. 2. be goofy silly. Nothing ever has BOTH. It's always overly serious boring drama action#fantasy/history stuff OR it's comedic lighthearted but with modern day characters... WHY.. anguish and woe and so on..#ANYWAY jhjnk... at least I can make that divide. Some people seem to project their own personal preferences and get really emotionally#defensive if you say you didn't like something - as if the fact that they DO like it is some Objective Truth or something rather than just#opinion/preference based. I can still easily say ''this is well made/well written/acted/good in a technical sense/has a lot of#points of appeal that most people would be drawn to/etc'' and admit that it's a GOOD show probably. I just PERSONALLY think its#bad because my tastes are very narrow. Some things ARE actually made badly but. things are not bad INHERENTLY just bc they dont suit ME lol#Better to recognize/accept whats odd about you and be peacefully aware of it than just being mad at everyone all the time for not fully#agreeing with you even when you're the one with the Weird opinion in that case lol.. I am right though :3 but.. lol... still. i get it
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