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#but its kinda cliche to me and I want it to be related to something he likes ;w;
miutonium · 2 years
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I need to go to sleep but shhh I suddenly have the urge to kiss Utonium and I started thinking about them in college again haha.
Anyway, I already talked briefly about how their first kiss went but shh I'm starting to think about another scenario that doesnt involve Utonium being a clumsy dude hsksksk anywayy I imagine that they probably had their first kiss at a Science Museum.
Usually, for their dates, Utonium always plan his dates to be somewhere Chloe wants to go or somewhere he knows she would enjoy. Chloe doesnt really force Utonium to pick places she wants, in fact, she doesn't even plan at all. Utonium is always in charge of the planning. And she feels guilty about it because she doesn't like the feeling that Utonium has to listen to her all the time just to please her. So one day she tells him they should go somewhere that he wants and she will agree to it whether she likes it or not. Initially, Utonium is pretty sceptical in about going to places he's unsure if she would like, and the last thing he want is for them to argue over something miniscule (honestly they won't, Utonium is just being a worrywart lol). But Chloe assured him it's fine and its time for him to bring her somewhere other than their usual spot so he suggested that they should go to somewhere he wants to revisit: Townsville Science Museum.
They didn't book any slots and decided to walk in praying there would be a slot and surprisingly when they arrived, the museum is almost practically void of visitors since it's the weekdays. And luckily there's no school tour on schedule either so they can walk inside freely without any kids screaming and running.
Utonium already been to the museum a few times before (although the last time he went there was when he was in junior high) so he already knows what to expect inside, prehistoric exhibition, modern times exhibition, space, physics, all that science crap. Despite that, he still loves walking inside reading the info cards and be mesmerised by the exhibition there. Chloe never really went there before so he's excited about showing her around and became her tour guide. During his past time, he loves reading books especially science trivia books since he was a child so he used the info that somehow plastered into memory and mention them whenever he thinks it's related to the info cards and samples they're reading;
"Hmm, prehistoric air smells like farts, no wonder the dinosaurs died."
"Well the fart smell is because of bacteria byproducts around that time. It releases carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide whenever they 'eat'"
"Huh, I expect it to be pure oxygen to be honest."
"Pure oxygen is actually quite toxic to us. The air we're breathing right now is a compound of other gases.
"....So are we breathing farts now?"
"Well, not now but sure if you go for egg salad at the canteen"
It might be because she's bias and he's her boyfriend but Chloe really enjoyed having Utonium walking her around each hall while he excitedly talks about Science. Partially because she learned a lot from him but mostly because she loves seeing him talking passionately about things he likes while beaming with joy. She sees how good he is at attracting her attention towards something she used to considered lame and thought how nice it is to have him change other's mind about science and make it sound fun. So she encouraged him to ask if they have any part time job as a tour guide inside the museum. I like to think he did get the job and ended up spending his 2nd year of Uni working with kids on school tour showing them cool chemistry tricks and spilling trivia while he walks them through every hall. And I like to think that's how he started having interest on teaching people and wanted to become a Professor.
I wrote about them stargazing before and I thought it would be really neat to tie them up here (although I probably write about it briefly cuz I mentioned the whole thing in my prev hc lol) As they were checking out the space hall, Utonium noticed how her eyes glued to the constellation on the walls but her face looks more bewildered than curious which earned a questioned look from him:
"Why'd you look so concerned?"
"Constellations are real?????"
And Utonium laughed and had to explain to her that they're real and in the end after the talk he promised her they'll go stargazing one day after finding out she never go for those trips before.
Luckily, there seem to have a planetarium scheduled every 30 mins so he suggested they should go inside.
When they're seated and the show started, Utonium couldn't help himself but gaze at Chloe, falling more deeply in love with her while she has her eyes locked on the ceiling looking at the stars in awe. There's never a day where he doesn't have those warm fuzzy feelings in his chest whenever he thinks about her, she's live in his mind basicly rent free since 73' but somehow he feels a bit extra sappy for her, maybe he's at the place he loves, maybe it's because he's able to talk about things he loves to the person he loves so dearly without any worries or anyone belittling him, or maybe it's Chloe believing in his goal and passion and gave him a little push today to encourage him spreading his love of science for others. There's too much in his mind right now yet there's nothing in his mind at the same time whilst he looked at her through half lidded eyes intoxicated by his feelings for her. And Chloe is clueless about his inner thoughts and him looking at her so softly and lovingly in the dimmed theatre.
When the narration starts to mention the audience being possibly the brightest star despite a very brief moment in the Galaxy, Chloe turns her head to look at Utonium only to notice him been staring at her for the past minutes with a soft smile on his face. Usually, she's always so quick to tease him about staring just to make him flushed but today, maybe she got caught up in the moment just like him and peered into his starry eyes lovingly. She had nothing to say when they locked eyes in adoration and even more so when Utonium's hands cupped her cheeks gingerly, pushing away a strand of rogue hair from her eyes before he sealed her lips with a soft kiss. When he pulls away, he suddenly feels a bit afraid that he pushed too far and was about to apologize, but when Chloe returns his feelings, her hand brushing his face slowly before returning his kiss, he knows she feels the same way about him and glad he made the first move.
There's approximately 200 billions, trillions of stars above them, yet both of them shines the brightest at that brief moment of time. And he still believes she's his brightest star til this day ;w;
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wartakes · 4 months
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Fighting Back in an Age of Impunity
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Its the last essay of the year and the events going on in Gaza - and similar events elsewhere - had me pondering some thoughts for those who may feel powerless and like they can't do anything. It's not perfect, but its something. Full essay under the cut. Happy Holidays.
I feel like I increasingly start each of these essays with checking on folks and seeing how they’re doing following “the event” – with whatever “the event” is varying depending on what time of the year the essay is occurring in. When I first started thinking about what I may be writing for my last essay of 2023, I thought the worst event I’d have to think about was Azerbaijan’s assault on Artsakh, which resulted in over 100,000 ethnic Armenians fleeing their homes as Ilham Aliyev finally realized his genocidal dream of cleansing the region and forcing it fully into Azerbaijan by force.
Of course, then October 7th happened.
This is not to say that what happened with Artsakh should be forgotten about by any stretch of the imagination. We definitely shouldn’t forget about Armenia and Azerbaijan – especially as Azerbaijan, supported by Turkey, continues to make aggressive statements suggesting it may attack the Republic of Armenia proper in order to secure a corridor to its exclave in Nakhchivan. This is still very important and deserves our attention.
At the same time, if you’ve been following world events at all since October 7th, you kinda know what the most pressing, soul-sucking issue of the moment is. In the weeks since the attacks launched by the Gaza-based Palestinian militant groups – spearheaded by the Islamist political-military movement HAMAS, which largely controls the enclave – Israel has used that unarguable tragedy as an excuse to launch a horrific campaign of violence of its own in revenge, the sheer scale and scope of which has left the Israeli bodycount of October 7th in the dust as more and more Palestinians are killed by the Israel Defense Forces with each passing day – most of them women and children.
I originally was going to shift focus and write something entirely about what’s going on in Gaza, but I was also not sure what more I could say that would be constructive and not simply venting to avoid exploding (something I do on Twitter on a regular basis). I also didn’t want to complete leave Armenia and Azerbaijan in the dust, because I felt there were a lot of parallels between the two situations and their histories (which makes sense since Azerbaijan and Israel have such a cozy relationship, with Israel being one of Azerbaijan’s main arms suppliers in its wars against Armenia and Armenians).
In the end, I decided I wanted to write about something that is more generally going on, and that we’ve seen in Israel’s campaign against Palestinians, Azerbaijan’s campaign against Armenia and Armenians, Russia’s war against Ukraine (which Putin says isn’t ending anytime soon in case you were curious), and other acts of aggression by hostile states and armed groups in what feels like every corner of the globe these days. Everywhere you look, it seems that fascistic states and groups are taking every possible opportunity to try and conquer and kill that which they covet or hate.
We are currently living through what I conceive of as a new “Age of Impunity” in international relations, of which the current assault on Gaza is only one example – though certainly the most egregious and barbaric of the moment. Such ages are not new, and have waxed and waned throughout history, but they all have one core theme in common: during their span, we see a drastic increase in aggression by those states and groups who are determined to hammer home the Thucydidean cliche that “the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.”
But there is a new rub to this tale as old as time. Now, in an age of an increasingly interconnected world via the internet and social media and smart phones and etc., aggressors are not just seeking to prove that might is right, but to gaslight us constantly as they do it, doggedly endeavoring to convince us that this state of affairs is not simply the glib, bleak reality that is allowed to persist in international relations, but is actually good and right and just and fair that those of us that dare question their narrative are insane and sick and even criminal for believing otherwise. To try and add further legitimacy or distance themselves from the acts of information warfare, such aggressors often enlist third parties as well who are aligned to them either ideologically or financially (i.e. they’re paid to).
This combination of consequence free mass violence combined with an aggressive campaign to make you feel insane for not thinking its actually good is enough to make anyone with a moral compass feel actually insane, or to feel incredibly depressed and distraught over it all. Its so easy to feel completely and totally powerless from events such as Gaza and more, boiling over inside with a sense of impotent rage, especially when it seems that all that a key set of individuals and governments would need to do to stop it all – or at least less the impact – is show a modicum of backbone and a slight bit of effort to go along with it, but they don’t.
However, it is important for us all to understand against this backdrop of slaughter, that we are not powerless – not completely. There are limits on our power as “normal” people, absolutely; but we are not totally powerless, and the longer we go on thinking that the longer this Age of Impunity will last – to say nothing of other negative states of affairs we’d rather not stick around. There are actions that we as people can take to try and effect better outcomes. These actions are often indirect, focusing on applying pressure in various forms on those who can actually do something or who can otherwise force someone else to do something, but are none the less impactful and not to be disregarded.
To the end of helping folks not feel powerless in the face of impunity and aggression and giving them a concept through which they can push back on aggression and fascism and authoritarianism worldwide, I’ve crafted an approach of my own. The approach I’ve conceived of is extremely simple, straightforward, broad, long-term and almost certainly incomplete – but a start. So, if the gifts you’re looking to get this holiday season are a shred of hope, a sense of purpose, a modicum of agency, and the ability to actually make an impact upon ongoing global events, let’s open up Santa’s big bag of toys and see what’s inside for all the good little guys, gals, and non-binary pals out there. Ho ho ho.
BLUF: “Don’t Shut Up”
I already warned you that my plan is pretty simple. What I haven’t warned you is that this plan, in a nutshell, may make some people roll their eyes and go “yeah, right, whatever” (or something more impolite), so consider yourself warned of that now.
So, the plan? Don’t shut up. Ok, obviously this is going to need more expounding upon.
To build upon “don’t shut up” in more detail, the plan is simply to not give up voicing your opposition to the unjustifiable acts of aggression going on throughout the world – whoever it is that is undertaking them, whenever they occur, and wherever they occur. This opposition can come in various forms, be it protests and various other forms of activism and civil disobedience, both physical and virtual, but it really can be boiled down to those three words: don’t shut up. Keep talking – shouting, rather – about what’s going on and don’t let people forget what’s going on.
Not to get defensive right off the bat, but I am anticipating some people reading this feeling a bit disappointed, dismissive (maybe to the point of eye-rolling), or frustrated with this simple approach. So I want to take a little time to push back gently before we get more into the nuts and bolts. I’m going to try and not go on for too long with this because I wrote this earlier and fully made half of the essay me being defensive so be thankful I went back to make this part shorter.
First, to those saying “that’s it?” I would say, ‘yes’; but with the caveat that while its a simple answer, its also a simple problem (which I will get into more detail about later). To those saying “that won’t work,” I would say “based on what?” I feel the problem with that strain of preemptive defeatism, dismissiveness, and doomerism are a uniquely American-centric perspective that is focused only on our own experiences – and also, a very recent and limited view of them. All you need to do is look to the rest of the world to see instances where mass movements that refused to be silenced and maintained pressure accomplished the ousting of various dictators and autocrats (I picked relatively recent examples here, but you can look even further back). I know we’re all tired and demoralized and depressed (hence why I’m writing this), but all you need do is widen the aperture a bit and look beyond our shores to see that things are not as hopeless as they seem. That doesn’t mean that there are quick and easy solutions (something else I’ll get into – we’re in this for the long haul), but again, that doesn’t mean that we are powerless and that our actions mean nothing.
Ok, I got my defensive preemptive pushback on doomerism out of the way and I did it in two paragraphs instead of a page and a half. You’re welcome. So let’s actually get into the nuts and bolts.
Using the potential criticism of “that’s it?” as a starting off point, I will concede again that t his is a very simple approach. But, I would also assert that the activity that this approach is crafted to counter is actually fairly simple in its own right when you think about it. It makes sense that a relatively simple problem demands a relatively simple answer (note that just because the idea is simple doesn’t mean the execution will be quick or easy, but we’ll get to that).
Regardless of the approach or the medium through which they are attempting it, in the information sphere, the ultimate goal of an aggressor to is to silence criticism and to boost its own narratives and supporters. If aggressors can’t coerce or cajole you to their side, they’ll settle for getting you to shut up by whatever means are at their disposal – which is just as good to them; it doesn’t matter if they don’t actually have a lot of popular support at home or abroad, but as long as they can silence dissent and criticism and keep their narrative as the main one, they can just keep on doing what they’re doing.
This can take multiple different forms: drowning you out with torrents of useless, twisted, or outright false information, intimidating you through hostility and harassment, depressing you by making you feel weak and powerless and convincing you that there is absolutely nothing that can stop them (potentially giving you a genuine mental breakdown through their gaslighting), and mental and emotional exhaustion from some or all of what was previously described, just to name a few different methods. These methods may be utilized by the aggressors themselves, or through various allies, partners, and proxies – be they other states and organizations various individuals who are consciously or unconsciously boosting the aggressor’s narratives and attacking the aggressor’s detractors. But the end goal of all of these methods remains the same in every case, but in different guises: to shut you up. If the aggressor’s goal is that simple, it make sense that our response doesn’t need to be that complicated either: deny them their objective by simply refusing to be silenced and, in fact, continuously increasing that pressure.
If information is a domain in warfare, it is probably appropriate to think of your role in it not as a soldier in the army of a peer competitors in a high-end conventional fight. Rather, you should think of yourself as a fighter in an insurgent army, and as this information warfare as an insurgency or rebellion or an uprising rather than the information equivalent of a conventional war (at least not at this stage; we have a few more stages of Mao’s guide to get through first in this analogy). If you conceive of it that way, it can make your task seem even more daunting, but then it also can reveal the inherent advantages that we have in our approach and the challenges it creates for an aggressor trying to manage information.
The Cognitive Insurgency of Attrition
I’ve talked about insurgency and counter-insurgency in the physical domains of warfare before at great length, with my main takeaway being that counter-insurgency is almost always a losing game for whoever is acting as the COIN force. Unless they are prepared to make significant political concessions, they are likely to never win; the best they can ever hope for is to not lose – which will require constant fighting and expenditure of resources of all kinds, indefinitely (something that few countries, even reasonably prosperous and powerful ones, can hope to keep up).
Recalling that takeaway, your advantage and the disadvantage of the aggressor becomes clearer. When I said earlier that really all you have to do is not shut up, I really meant it, because as long as you and others refuse to be gaslit and continue to speak out against particular aggression and injustices, the aggressor is failing at the primary objective they have regarding you. As long as you exist and continue to act and speak out, they will continue to have to expend time and resources to try and counter you. The struggle with the aggressor becomes a battle of wills, and by simply continuing to exist and refusing to be silenced, you are wearing them down in a war of attrition. The more they are worn down, the more likely they are to make mistakes and to show more of their true colors, and the full extent of the horror becomes harder and harder for more and more actors (be they people, organizations, states, and etc.) to ignore and turn a blind eye to, and the pressure mounts to take actual action.
This whole approach and the idea of not shutting up and not giving up is closely tied to another idea, which is that “bullying works” (another thing I originally had in a section unto itself, for another peek behind the curtain, but decided it wasn’t dissimilar enough to separate out). As you refuse to be silenced and continue to speak out and apply pressure, one form of that pressure, is in effect, “bullying.” Basically, making sure that those who are either taking part in various acts of aggression or who are facilitating it or supporting indirectly won’t get a moments peace in their lives as long as they continue to do so. They need to be shown that people will not forget what’s going on and will not go away and will be reminding those who are carrying out out aggression or supporting it at every possible opportunity and be making their lives very difficult for as long as it takes and for as much as it takes until change for the better occurs. Remember kids: bullying by punching down (figuratively), is bad; but bullying by punching up (again, figuratively), is not only good, but necessary for a healthy society!
The inherent downside to this overall approach, of course, is that it is a long-term one. This is not a single battle, but a broader campaign in the wider war against aggression and authoritarianism and fascism. This in its own right may be discouraging to some, but also a bitter pill that must be swallowed. To be perfectly clear: this is not me saying that we shouldn’t bother trying to apply pressure and affect change on issues in the short term. To use our primary example of Gaza once more, we should absolutely be trying in the short term to bring more pressure to bear to bring about a lasting ceasefire and greater humanitarian relief and more in Palestine. However, we’d be deluding ourselves if we believed any action we take right now would suddenly and decisively end the occupation and fundamentally change the political status quo in Palestine in the short term.
As discouraging as this reality can be, it should not dissuade us from taking action, but compel us to gear up for the long fight. Much as the right is willing and able to do with its policy goals at home and abroad, we need to undertake more generational and multi-generational efforts to achieve our aims in all areas – especially when it comes to foreign policy and international relations. Like an actual insurgent force fighting an occupying army or authoritarian regime, we must take a long-term view. This long-term view may encompass short term surges and bursts of activity to achieve specific, tangible, secondary and tertiary goals (like a ceasefire, humanitarian aid, or what have you), but its primary goals and planning must be fundamentally protracted in nature.
Even if you understand, agree with, and accept the protracted nature of this approach, that doesn’t mean it can’t still be demoralizing in the short term. However, there are reasons to be optimistic, because if you look around you can see the signs that this approach is already bearing fruit. In the case of Gaza, you can see signs that the dedication to not “shutting up” about the plight of the Palestinian people on the receiving end of Israel’s military campaign in how the Israeli government and its supporters are either becoming more deranged in their defensiveness for their actions, with some Israeli government officials being increasingly mask off about their genocidal intentions towards Palestinians and their homes, as well as increasingly dismissive towards ideas such as the two-state solution – which governments like that of the United States continue to cling to. We also see this in the reaction of some states supportive of Israel, such as the United Kingdom, where now former-Home Secretary Suella Braverman labeled all pro-Palestinian protesters in the country as “hate marchers” (and was fired from her post not long after that).
In other cases, where governments and groups supporting Israel haven’t gone fully deranged, its becoming increasingly difficult for them to look the other way in the face of Israel’s mask-off violence and aggression. Even as US President Joe Biden continues to stand by Israel doggedly and assert its right to “defend itself”, the administration has internally squirmed at Israeli actions (as well as the potential for escalation). While the administration continues to fruitlessly try and have it both ways (which is fundamentally impossible and only wastes time as more civilians die), the fact that they’re even attempting to do that rather than continue to support Israel wholeheartedly shows that the pressure is mounting. This is born out by polls in the United States that show that support for Palestinians is rising. If aggressors and those running support for them are lashing out or are becoming more desperate in their attempts to control the narrative or silence opposition or even have a leg to stand on in their support, those are signs that the pressure that countless regular people are bringing to bear with their humanity is having an impact. Don’t give up now.
I am once again asking you not to give in to despair
We can’t stop everything going on in the world on our own as individuals, that’s true. And posting alone also won’t stop anything – that’s also true (as much as a lot of us wish it would – or convinced ourselves it will). But we are absolutely not powerless, and we must avoid falling into that trap, or the aggressors win right off the bat.
You are fighting in one particular campaign in a much wider war against aggression and fascism and authoritarianism the world over. There are other fronts that exist now and there will be more in the future – both physical, and virtual. But combat of various sorts (literal and figurative) will be required on all of them in order to achieve successes. It is a collective effort; we are are all in this together, in numerous different ways. To crib a line from the trade union anthem Solidarity Forever: “yet what force on earth is weaker than the feeble strength of one, but the union makes us strong.”
The broader struggle against fascism and aggression will be a long war, and all likelihood, it will likely never end in an absolute victory, and only be one in a series of wars and struggles to come (again, both figurative and literal). As I’ve always said in my writing, part of the reason I’m sure people like me will still have a job even in a better world is because there will always be authoritarian aggressors of some kind who can convince others to fight and die for them in service of their rancid ideology and hatred (hence why I say a “better world” and not a “perfect” one). But even if we there will always be another enemy around the corner in some shape or form, we can set ourselves up to be stronger, smarter, more united, more compassionate, and better prepared for the additional struggles and wars ahead.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that everything I just talked about isn’t exclusively for responding to acts of aggression abroad, but is perfectly applicable at home as well. The approach that I’ve laid out can be applied to fascist aggressors of the domestic political variety, just as much as they can be applied to aggressor states and groups overseas engaging in armed aggression. In the United States in particular, we face an ever increasing war from within. Even if the political crisis in the United States doesn’t escalate to the level of a full scale civil war (something that I certainly don’t want, that I imagine most sane people don’t want, and something we should all work to avoid), we still find ourselves in an American Years of Lead situation at bare minimum that will very likely only get worse as we approach the 2024 election. Again, we can see some promising signs that these approaches are actually working, from the progressive gains that have been made in recent off-year elections on matters such as abortion, legalization of marijuana, and other progressive causes – many of which have been in response to right-wing forces doubling down on their extreme positions in desperation as normal people increasingly point out and deride their “sicko” behavior and refuse to let it go unanswered.
However, as heartening as these victories are, polling shows that the 2024 election is looking increasingly fraught, and nothing should be taken for granted in the eleven months that remain before election day 2024 – especially as former-President Donald Trump has been perfectly blunt about what his plans are if he makes it back into the White House (to say nothing of the coterie of other sickos and chuds that he will put into positions of power in his administration if he wins). While far from the only tool at your disposal, the approach I have laid out previously for pushing back on the narratives of fascism, authoritarianism and aggression abroad may very well make a real difference in the rhetorical and political battles against those same insidious forces at home. Keep that in mind on the road to November 5th, 2024 (or, if you live outside the United States, to road to whatever political battles you have to face in the near future).
We live in particularly bleak times in general, there’s no arguing that. This current Age of Impunity we find ourselves in has no shortage of dictators, tyrants, and fascists who are eager to take advantage of global instability and shifting geopolitics to take things they’ve long coveted, settle scores and seek revenge, and carry out a laundry list of other heinous acts. But even in those acts of aggression, we can find hope. For example, in Myanmar, a diverse coalition of varied ethnic groups – spearheaded by young people – are pushing the fascist junta back on its heels in that country’s civil war. While their battle is far from over, the progress they’ve made in recent weeks since launching a new offensive against the junta has been remarkable. Wherever we can, we need to grab onto examples of maintaining persistence, applying pressure, and not giving up hope – whether its on literal battlefields, or political and ideological ones. We need to take the progress and victories where we can, to remind us why we’re doing any of this at all: because we believe a better world is not only possible, but necessary and inevitable. It is on that note, I leave you on this last essay of 2023. I’ll be back with another by mid-March at the absolute latest for the first essay of 2024 (God only knows what I’ll be writing about by then, but we’ll see where Mr. Bones’ Wild Ride takes us all). For those of you who are celebrating, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season, and also a Happy New Year to you all. Please, wherever and whenever you’re able, even while you all try to keep up the struggle, try to find some time to rest and be kind to yourself because we all need that. See you in 2024. Stay safe.
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beautifulpersonpeach · 10 months
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BPP, am really really interested to read your thoughts on Seven!
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Ask 2: Hey bpp, can i be honest?? Ive been checked out of the fandom but still keep track of any music releases. So i didnt know abt any rumors abt 7. Imagine me being kind of disappointed that it’s another english song from jk when i watched the mv😅 it feels like his most promoted songs since last year has been all eng song… idk i wanted & expted something diff… i didnt like l&r, dreamers and now 7… it’s back to back lol. Tbf i didnt like My You too and thats in korean. At least not enough to listen!again after the first listen.
Im happy that still with you is finally on spotify tho. I’ll still be waiting excited for his album whenever it comes out. Hopefully ill find something i like in it!!
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[BPP Note: Both asks above were sent before my "I don't like it..." post. The asks posted below were sent afterwards.]
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Ask 3:
Same here
All the hype didn't matched with the song
1. rest members songs had so much depth and substance to it while this was the cliche boy chasing a girl song. Like we always dont need deep songs but the quality could be so much better. This was like just another pop song.
I think I'll put this on same level as BAD DECISIONS. But for bad decisions, atleast the chorus was staying on my mind while for this nothing was catchy enough for us to humm. Just because it's JK it will get hype but otherwise it's so generic. I think I liked LEFT and RIGHT way better than Seven. Even the rap portion felt so unnecessary and boring.
2. MV was kinda nice because of the production but concept was too shallow, the stalking and chasing was so outdated. In my country we have like 9293928843837 MVs in this same concept that not many make the same theme songs again.
3. The choreography. We haven't seen the full version. But for tiktok they do the highlight portions if that's so mediocre idk how rest will be. It was again giving the same mediocre showing off choreography and for me backdancers ruined it with their awkward moves.
4. they wanted this song to be played everywhere around the world. But there was nothing catchy enough to attract gp or go viral on tiktok, even if we sped it up. The only way to make everyone listen is to shove it down their throat but doing payola. But idk if investing in payola is worthy for the song. I also doubt the longietivity, as for me it was boring after 2 listens. I'll rather listen Like Crazy or wildflower or closer 20 times than listening this once.
5. I HOPE he'll bring something fresh to the table for his album and don't involve this mediocre producers who uses the same formula and same superstar persona to make a song successful. He is so much talented to sing a song which is so rich in melody and lyrics. And he can produce way better songs by himself.
Prolly a 4/10 for me
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Ask 4: troye sivan's rush (which also came out last night) is exactly what I wish Seven was. I don't mean that in a 'I expect the things JK to make to be gay' way just in the way it's a fun, very danceable, sexy summer song that doesn't pull its punches. Something about seven feels too run through a commercial sanitizer a few times, even with the explicit lyrics.
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Hi Anon(s),
Jungkook likes to fuck.
Rather, Andrew Watt likes to fuck and thinks Jungkook can relate.
JK has been talking about wanting to show more mature and explicit sides of himself for a good long while now. So I’m glad he’s finally gotten to do that, confirming for us why he keeps getting noise complaints from his neighbours since the mattresses all over his apartment don't help.
BTS has made songs explicitly referring to sex before (though it's been mostly the rapline doing so). So it's nothing new but I guess it's cool JK gets to share with us that he too has sex.
The question I posed to my friends immediately after watching the MV is, “Do you know who's been doing A&R for BigHit since 2020? I really need to know who is doing A&R for BigHit in America because they’ve been doing an appalling job lately. I'm starting to wonder if it's an inside job cause this song is kinda ass.”
That was me ~11 hours ago.
I didn’t like the song.
I’ve streamed Seven about 20 times since then I think, took a break from the song for a few hours, watched his GMA performance, caught a few minutes of the Wlive, then listened to it again just before writing this post and…
I still don’t like it.
Jungkook did a good job on the song, Latto's verse wasn't terrible, and while the song itself isn’t bad… the song isn’t good either.
It’s painfully, and at this point it’s a pattern so I have to add, predictably, mediocre.
Reserving judgement for the album, but Anons, I agree with you for the most part. The suits at BigHit are trying but they are woefully out of touch with the reasons BTS blew up in the West in the first place. I don't even feel like spending any energy doing a review or even trying to explain what I mean. So I'll just ramble on for a bit but try to keep it brief.
---
I have to give BigHit some credit because I can see what they're going for here. Andrew Watt is a very celebrated producer in the US, he won the Grammy award for Producer of the Year in 2021, he's got A listers in his portfolio. So, he's not a cheap name to book and I can see why the suits at BigHit thought he's the genius to gift them a song clinically designed for American radio.
But that pandejo phoned it in. There isn't a lick of creativity to be found anywhere in all 3 minutes and five seconds.
It reminds me of VIBE by Jimin and Taeyang, as the closest analog to the vague dissatisfaction morphing into annoyance and then pragmatic rationalization I experienced in that same sequence when listening to it the first few times.
The song is disappointing because we've all heard it before. Too many times, and we're bored of it. We've heard JK sing this sort of song for years, as covers mostly. So on one hand, while I guess it's nice JK gets to have an American summer JB-reject pop tune of his own, it's not good enough to be the track that introduces him to the world as a solo artist.
It's fine for any white, blonde, blue-eyed heartthrob that can ride on a pretty face and implicit bias to rack up accolades, it's not good enough for Jungkook.
And BigHit needs to start using whatever leverage a US$10.6 billion market capitalization buys you in Hollywood, to insist for songs that are at least as good as the songs made by BTS members and produced by their in-house team. It's a waste of money and everybody's time to fly a battalion to LA just to record 2014's summer hit in 2023.
In my opinion.
Still With You > Stay Alive > My Time > Stay > Left & Right > My You > Dreamers > Seven
*
All that said, I can't ignore JK has a taste for songs like this, and it's not his fault the song is shit (he didn't write, compose or produce it), so technically he shouldn't be punished for it. And the song is made for radio, while it's not my personal taste a lot of people really like the song (one of my friends likes Seven the most out of all the BTS releases so far), and it will catch on with some support. So, ARMY will support it including me, just to a lesser degree than I've done so far. Fingers crossed JJK1 has something solid on it.
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iwonderwh0 · 3 months
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I’m not, but it kinda looks like I’m stepping away from being a dbh blog as I’m more interested in androids as a phenomenon in a more general sense than dbh specifically
But like
I just don’t have another media that’d integrate androids as a casual widespread thing that has been influencing society for a few years already during the main action timeframe but not in a so far stretched future to the point of being unfamiliar and not relatable + with characters charismatic and memorable enough for me to want to explore them more. + something so visually memorable and interactive
It looks off that dbh is so old-fashioned in some (many) aspects when you think about it, like why the fuck does Hank drive a car that is like 60 years old or something?? 😂 like what the shit is that and where is the internet?
but also this kinda makes it easier to navigate in it, because you know exactly how things are, you have all the familiar world of basically today with a few adjustments that although have their plot holes and lack explanation, it is something that you can easily and comfortably speculate about, because it is still familiar enough
The fact that dbh is so cliche in its core is not even necessarily a bad thing. It makes that entry threshold low enough to be accessible for people who basically just got in and got submerged. You don’t have to watch a few seasons to get a grasp of what even is the world building. It’s really straightforward and in the face.
I haven’t played Cyberpunk 2077 but I doubt it’s nearly as entertaining as a mental playground as dbh because all the screenshots I’ve seen of this game repelled me with this (HA!) cyberpunk aesthetic, absolutely no character on those looks like someone I wanna know more about, they all look…mary sue? And they all look approximately the same age and demographic, like where are kids, where are old people, where are just regular people that just look casual? Like it doesn’t look relatable at all, it doesn’t look familiar enough, it looks really rigid in the way it is set to be. And even if the plot is better put together (I don’t know if it is) it won’t compensate for it being prisoned into this heavy gamer-computer-pc aesthetic choice
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panlyv · 4 years
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as much as i enjoy “bl” and yes i do watch quite a lot of this type of show, sometimes it’s just very tiring having to conform with second-hand representation that isn’t truly made for me and my community because we are still heavily stigmatized as some kind of fetish for straight men or just a full slut for being with multiple genders. and then when we do get representation that’s more or less acceptable, it’s usually a bi girl - and please don’t take this as an offense but i really really wish i could see just one properly written lesbian character, for once. no excuses, no slut-shamming, no fetishization, no internalized homophobia, no behind closed doors kinda relationships... just let me see lesbian characters living their best lives, being happy and enjoying their partners. that’s literally all i’m asking for.
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fireandspiceland · 2 years
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Nation America discovering hes gay in a war scenario? (Doesnt have to be with another nation bit if so Russia)
okay so it took me a while to find a good way to approach this because due to my lack in interest while I was in school and very boring teachers I have like zero knowledge about american and russian history. but uhm. heres a fictional little war setting :)
-> mentions of war (duh), feelings, this is kinda sad tbh, first kiss, absolutely no historical accuracy or relations to any real life events
"Fuck!" America cried out, but immediately gritted his teeth when the sharp pain eased slightly. He took a few deep breaths through his nose, trying to relax his body and calm down. By now he should be used to this, but the thick girth of Ivan's cock spreading him open still always came as a surprise.
It’d been nearly a year since he had left home, about 9 months that he knew Ivan, and precisely 147 days since they had come up with this arrangement. It had been winter, the freezing cold gnawing at their clothes, their skin, their bones. It had been the biggest cliche Alfred could imagine to happen, but if they hadn’t wanted to freeze to death they had had to share the little warmth that still was radiating from their sore bodies. Getting out of the layers of clothes and wrapped up in each other’s limbs, a pile of dirty uniforms, and worn out sleeping bags had been a fight on its own. But it had saved their lives that night, which was more than some of their comrades could claim.
When morning had approached, the storm had already subsided and Alfred had woken up to the sound of Ivan’s uneven breath and squirming. Only when the sounds coming from Ivan had started to become a little louder, Alfred had identified them as moans rather than whines. He remembered how he had suddenly felt a cold shiver run down his spine when Ivan’s rather prominent erection had been rubbing against his thigh. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, the exhaustion, the constant fear of dying or just overall insanity taking over, but Alfred wasn’t grossed out then. And he wasn’t grossed out now.
Now that he was clawing to the edge of the sink he was bent over in the small tent that served as a bathroom, while his comrade repeatedly thrust into him.
Alfred tried not to focus on the act itself, as he always did. Thinking about how they were two men who fucked each other for the sake of it, for the lack of better options, and to forget about the world outside for a moment.. it wasn't something he wanted to put too much thought into.
A quick look back confirmed that Ivan's eyes were pressed shut, tongue darting out to wetten his lips that were dried out from panting. Alfred wondered who Ivan had on his mind while he fucked him. They never talked much about their private life. Was there someone waiting for him back home? A girlfriend? A fiancé? Maybe even a wife? Did he have childre-
"Ah! That's.. god.."
Alfred's entire body had jerked forward when Ivan grazed his prostate, hitting the edge of the sink into his lower stomach, but the pain was immediately overridden by pleasure. Strong hands gripped Alfred's hips and pulled him back, thumbs caressing his spread cheeks as Ivan's thrust became faster and deeper.
With a muffled groan Ivan spilled into the condom, his grip bruising Alfred's pale hips. When Ivan's cock had stopped twitching inside him, Alfred cleared his throat, pulling Ivan from his orgasmic bliss.
"S-sorry.."
Ivan shakily removed his hands from Alfred's body and slowly pulled out before getting rid of the condom. Alfred took a moment to catch his breath before straightening up from his crouched position and pulling the bottoms of his uniform and underwear back up.
"Wait, Fredka.. You're.."
With a vague gesture Ivan referred to the obvious bulge straining Alfred's pants. He tried to dismiss the comment with a gesture of his own and a forced smile, but when Ivan approached him and freed his erection again, his throat went dry.
"What are you..? It's really not.."
"No, Fredka. We are comrades. We have each other's back, no? I shall return what you did for me. I don't like being indebted when I don't know how long I'm alive to return the favour."
For a moment Alfred studied the look in Ivan's eyes, but he couldn't find anything else than genuineness. He gave a curt nod before Ivan sank to his knees and took a hold of his hard cock, stroking it slowly.
The ground was cold and uninviting, but Ivan's pride and sense of duty didn't allow him to leave Alfred behind without taking care of the other man's needs as well. It didn't matter if it was out there on the battlefield or in here in the small tent, Ivan wouldn't leave his comrade behind. He wrapped his lips around the tip of Alfred's length, sucking gently while he kept stroking the shaft. His eyes were closed, but he looked up when he felt fingers gently carding through his hair.
Alfred's eyes were pressed shut, his mouth covered by one hand to avoid letting the entire company partake in their activities, when he felt Ivan's hand on his own at the side of his head. His eyes flew open at the gentle touch, but Ivan kept sucking and stroking unperturbed, only showing Alfred that he can use his mouth just like he had used him a few minutes ago.
Gradually, Alfred tightened the hold he had on Ivan's head, fisting his hair as he guided his mouth up and down his cock. He wanted to close his eyes again and think of.. what did he want to think of again? Watching his length disappear between Ivan's lips was almost hypnotic, strands of fair hair whipping back and forth, his nose close to touching the curly pubes.
Ivan opened his eyes when Alfred forced himself deeper down his throat, making him choke and tear up. The way Ivan's mouth and throat constricted around Alfred's cock sent a hot wave of pleasure through his body. He kept watching Ivan as he quickened his pace and couldn't stop looking at the man at his feet. He was beautiful. The glassy eyes, flawless skin, soft hair, plush lips.. Oh, those lips. He wondered how they would feel. How it would feel to kiss the man who had saved his life a few times since he met him. The man who was always at his side, who he trusted with his life.
"Ivan.. Please.."
Alfred yanked him off his cock at the collar of Ivan's jacket and up into standing position, before pulling him into a heated kiss. Ivan stiffened for a moment, too shocked to do anything but let Alfred kiss his wet lips. When the initial surprise had worn off and Alfred was about to pull back, Ivan grabbed the back of his head to kiss him again. His other hand was still stroking Alfred's cock, movements now getting faster as Alfred thrust into his hand.
"Fuck, I'm gon-"
The sentence ended with a moan that Ivan swallowed. He kept his focus on the sensitive head of Alfred's cock, rubbing it with his thumb until he had to bite Alfred's lip so he wouldn't let the entire company know about his climax.
Alfred had quickly cupped one hand over the tip of his cock so as to not stain their uniforms. He fell back against the sink, making it the one thing that kept him on his legs once again. Only when Ivan was sure Alfred had ridden out his orgasm, he let go of his lips and stepped away.
He gave Alfred a lopsided smile and straightened out his uniform, while the other man could only watch him in shock and awe. Awe about Ivan's effortless beauty, and shock about the realisation that he was about to fall head over heels for a man who he might spend the rest of his life with.
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izukult · 3 years
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what they get you / what kind of gift they get you for valentine’s day :D
idc ab valentine’s day whether i have a partner or not but i would geek ab it for these mfs
warnings: swearing!! fluff 🤢
characters: hinata, kageyama, oikawa, suga, tsukishima, bokuto, akaashi, iwaizumi, matsukawa, atsumu
hinata shoyo ♡
this ray of absolute sunshine would see smth from tiktok and be like: yup. perfect. he’d get you like the chocolate box of crystals !! and be like “look at how pretty they are- this one looks like my hair!” and he also gets you some homemade ring from etsy and makes this big deal ab how “HES NOT PROPOSING BUT HE WOULD BUT LIKE- LATER ON BUT HES NOT PROPOSING AT ALL ITS JUST A PRETTY RING” he gives me secondhand embarrassment sometimes. really tho gets so giddy seeing you wear anything he buys you and if anyone ever compliments the ring he loves hearing you say “thanks! my boyfriend got it for me for valentines:)”
kageyama tobio ♡
he gives you this ratty ass old ass volleyball and you are trying your best to give him a convincing smile, but you’re really, really confused? it wasn’t the fact that it was volleyball related, it was just the fact it was so old. he rolls his eyes and turns it in your hands to show the tape on the other side of it. ‘kageyama t. grade 4’ MF GAVE YOU HIS FIRST FUCKING VOLLEYBALL PLSSSS that’s so goddamn cute i’m gonna throw up. you cried idc
oikawa tooru ♡
oikawa tooru is an overcompensating bastard man. no matter what he’s doing, he feels the need to prove himself. he kind of goes too hard for valentines LMAO. flowers and chocolates? yea. a teddy bear? i wouldn’t be surprised. a jersey? you betcha. romantic picnic at night? if you want. a playlist? probably. a necklace? maybe so. your favorite part, though, is the little note he writes you talking about how grateful he is for you that he slipped in your (his) jacket pocket at the end of the night. neither of you bring it up tho- bc emotions 🤢
sugawara koushi ♡
old fashion sweetheart i sure do love this man. i’m sorry to be so vague for this one, but his gift is definitely some very niche, partially homemade idea of some inside joke of yours. he wants you to know it’s personal to him, that he really put a lot of thought into your gift and that he loves you. a cute little stay at home kinda date, and you two make dinner together as you listen to your favorite playlists and laugh. very good fella. love him sm.
tsukishima kei ♡
his gift is that he doesn’t insult u all day😁🤝 no. no it’s not. he still insults you you’re not fucking dying why wouldn’t he? he burns you a cd and then realizes that’s kinda not cool and so he just makes you a playlist. actually explains the reason for each song (not verbally, though) and he brings u strawberry short cake bc he is convinced it’s the pinnacle of desserts he does not care if you like smth more take the gesture.
bokuto kotaro ♡
this lil dummy is so doting. starts your day off by bringing you your favorite coffee or tea and a lil kiss. he buys you guys something matching LMAO like maybe some bracelets or smth and while i am not a big “matching” fanatic and i don’t think bokuto would necessarily be an avid bracelet wearer, but he will not take that bracelet off unless it’s like a tournament game. definitely takes you out to some fancy dinner and also probably gets you kicked out of the restaurant
akaashi keiji ♡
akaashi is very down to earth. so, he knows what you’re going to want. he also knows what he wants to give you. so let’s say you’re really really into smth he rly rly hates, he’ll listen to you talk about it absolutely, but he might not spend money on it? in his eyes, the gift would be just like your relationship— a mutual understanding where two separate people come together. i cant say what it would be specifically (i’m sorry D: if u want my generic answer it would be: a lamp), but it definitely is a representation of what the two of you are together.
iwaizumi hajime ♡
he gives you something disgustingly meaningful. like the kind of nice that makes you want to gag yknow? but you don’t really know how meaningful it is at first?? he gives you like this little “photo book” esque thing, and you KNOW oikawa gave him the idea LMAO. it’s already so cute but at the end there’s just a little piece of paper with a day on it and you’re like what? and he shrugs and goes “wonder what that is? hmm” and you know he’s teasing u so u kinda joke ab it but he won’t tell u. then at the end of your date when he’s dropping you home he kisses you and he’s like “oh yea, that paper??” and you’re like omg yes finally and he looks so nonchalant when he says “yea, kinda weird that i remember this, but that’s the day i fell in love with you🤢” and he nods and laughs and you’re just Staring. you are STARING loss for words but he fucking leaves before you can ask him ab it. this made me physically sick to write bye
matsukawa issei ♡
simpleton scrub. buys you a gag gift or pretends he doesn’t remember. starts breaking out laughing when you try to hide ur disappointed look (it’s ok to punch ppl sometimes😁‼️). his real gift is kinda cliche, but i feel like he really has no idea what he’s doing for like actual relationships even if he tries to hide it. he just gets you like one of those rectangle bar necklace, and he does get his initials on it bc he’s kind of a braggy fuck, but he only does it on one side so you can choose whether to show it or not.
miya atsumu ♡
this man is absolutely a perfectionist. he is so loving, absolutely, but he’s also kind of immature? so, he’s a little nervous to give you a gift because what if yours isn’t as good. LMAO it sounds rude, but he always wants to be pushed to be better and do better, and even tho this is a declaration of affection, he can’t help but attaching competition? so he buys you two gifts- a mediocre one and what he thinks is really good. the mediocre one is just like a stuffed animal and the really good one is personalized, and well thought out, and it just Screams that he loves you. it definitely centers on a passion of yours so i can’t get like a specific example but if you play guitar he like bought you a fucking case youve wanted for months kinda vibe LMAO. also, truth be told, bc he’s a sucker for you, no matter what u get him he’s gonna give u the “mediocre” gift and the other one as well.
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sweetmotherof · 3 years
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Haikyuu Fics: The Classics™️ (pt 2)
PART 1
I already thought of more, and I didn’t want my first part to be super long, so here is a part 2!! I’ll probably make another couple of parts because I know I missed some. So again, please comment if you have any recommendations for me to add, it’s highly appreciated. Also, just some housekeeping, please mind the tags and go give the authors some love and support!! I hope you guys enjoy!! (My summaries are super bad for this one so just look at the summaries for the work or ask ahah id be happy to elaborate)
*contains nsfw fics, so please read the tags*
⭑=my faves
TSUKKIYAMA
~quick deanpendragon spam (they are the mastermind of tsukkiyama fics read all of their stuff pls)~
campfire in your chest by deanpendragon
M, 74.4k words
This is the classiccccc slowburn, childhood friends to lovers, slowburn through high school fic. With an amazing plot, beautiful writing, and stunning characterization, if you like Tsukkiyama at all, you should literally just read it. It’s just....perfect.
the certain things we lack by deanpendragon⭑
M, 89.6k words
AHHHHHHHH STOP DON’T TALK TO ME IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THIS. no no no it’s so good like should be published good. It’s Kei-centric, and him and Yamaguchi are so <333 ugh i can’t stop. High school au, canon compliant, getting together yeah yeah yeah but the writing is.....i’m speechless it’s so good. Something about it connected with my soul and the writing, i can’t stop the writing is so good. If you like to read, like you just appreciate the art of literature, read this read this read this. 
blue summer sky by deanpendragon⭑
T, 32k words
Deanpendragon, take all of my money. You deserve it after this one because, oh, oh MY GOD it’s so good. Yamaguchi working in a pet store. Tsukishima working in a music store. Right next to each other. STOP READ IT NOW YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO. It’s Yamaguchi’s POV and his like stream of thoughts is SO relatable oh my god. It’s too good. This is hands down one of my fave fics so,,,,, u should read it. Also, it’s a series so, thank you for that one.
~~~~
Stoplights by 5yenwish(iamacamera)
E, 48.6k words
Something about Tsukkiyama authors, I would literally ask the president to get you ppl published because JESUS we do not deserve these works for free. I mean, this is just Yamaguchi, Tsukishima, and Karasuno being VULGAR and hilarious, and it’s like,,,,you have to have a certain type of humor to enjoy this. If you don’t like sex jokes AVOID this fic, but I loved this SO MUCH. The writing, ughhhhhh the writing is horrifyingly good. I kinda just really want to pay this author money because you made my life smmm better. On Hiatus tho,, probs forever so <//3 STILL READ IT
MATSUHANA
boiled frogs by reginagalaxia⭑
E, 91.5k words, cw: EMOTIONAL ABUSE, mental health issues that come with that
SAD BOY HOURS ughhh. This fic is so angsty and hurt so bad to read,,,,,,but so,,,,goood. Of course it’s depressing, it’s Hanamaki, Oikawa, and Iwaizumi watching Matsukawa be in an emotionally abusive relationship, all the while Hanamaki is in love with him,,,, eyeroll it’s very hard to watch. But, the writing is amazing, the plot is painful but good, so if you’re considering, you definitely should read.
rated m for by orphan_account
T, 10.6k words
Voice acting au. The most beautiful voice acting au ever. I love Matsukawa and I love Hanamaki, and you should definitely read this because it’s so funny. The writing is so good, the plot is so funny, and I love to laugh my ass off and this fic is funny lol. They act in a BL even though they hate each other. PLS READ IT AHAHHAH.
plus one by orphan_account
G, 6.1k words
This is the cutest lil getting together fic that so adorably fluffy it hurts. If you want to come down from, oh let’s say boiled frogs ahahhaha plug (look above lol), this fic will literally rot your insides with how cute it is. It’s quick, easy, and a fun time at a wedding, so if you just want some matsuhana for bedtime or something like that (?? what am i saying lol) then I definitely recomeend this one.
DAISUGA
Open Tab by Mooifyourecows⭑
E, 541.5k words, cw: anxiety, breakdowns (not that bad, but some parts made me feel a bit on edge so I thought I’d let u all know)
The longest fic I’ve read, and worth every second. I BINGED this mf, like in a couple of days lol and it’s so good. Artist Suga, bartender Daichi, gay panic and basically all of the other main haikyuu characters lol,,,,, read it if that sounds interesting. I think this is probably the staple Haikyuu longfic, so you should definitely check it out at one point or another. Also, it’s SO funny and the writing is rlly good. Oh, and it’s a SLOW BURNNN.
bell, book, and candle by skittidyne
M, 762.9k words, cw: blood, swearing, violence, minor body horror, death, anxiety/anxiety attacks/panic attack (part of the author’s warning)
I’ve seen so many people recommend this one, so I thought I’d include it in this recommendation, even though it’s focused around a lot of the ships, not just daisuga. It’s a supernatural hunter fic, and even just the summary is super captivating and interesting. If you like fantasy, mythology, or anything of the demons and magic sort, you should definitely check this one out. There is also some ~~magical~~ romance.
Cardboard Castles by valiantarmor
M, 18k words, cw: homophobia, mental strain that comes with homelessness
For the sake of your guys’ brains, I included this shorter fic that you could definitely complete in a short amount of time. Basically, this is about coffee barista Daichi, and how he meets Suga, who is secretly homeless. And romance blooms, of course. I definitely recommend this one if you want a short, kind of angsty, but happy ending read.
KYOUHABA
Police Dog by surveycorpsjean⭑
E, 34.9k words
This fic is so so sooo good. I usually stray away from like shifter, werewolf type fics, but this one handles the trope so so so well. I love the kyouhaba dynamic and this fic exemplifies it without making it too cliche. The premise of the fic is Kyoutani is a dog shifter and Yahaba is a police officer. I really had a great time reading this and I definitely think that you should check it out ahhah.
Close to the Chest by darkmagicalgirl
T, 61.1k words, cw: HOMOPHOBIA LIKE BAD (not violent but very internalized and prevalent) 
Yahaba and his self-acceptance journey,,,,ughhhh im crying. This fic is vvvery emotional and filled with angsty self-hatred that makes me :(((. but BUT its worth it because watching him grow :’) and find love in Kyoutani. it’s very warm and happy at the end. If you want a CLASSIC coming of age set in high school and very gay so <33 pls check it out. The plot and writing are really well done and it is a work of art srsly.
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fishcemetery · 2 years
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Please no they're running wild tagging people again
Sims World Tag Game?
(all blame shifted to @bunnybananasims)
Tha roole: List your top 5 favorite Sims worlds
Let's see?
1. [TS1] Magic Town
I have a particular and keen fondness for videogames that share something similar with tripping on a substance: it feels like a bizarre dream while you're playing, it feels weird after you're finished. Maybe it's because I like getting lost in my head and observing the twisted little scenarios and imagery my brain can come up with (nothing beats falling asleep on caffeine in this relation), so I'm constantly hunting for the same experience in my entertainment.
The Sims 1 has enough of this delirious ambience as it is, and Makin' Magic ramps it up to 200%. I've spent too much time vibing at Magic Town's neighborhood screen, imagining all the things that transpire down there while I can't see. The western part of the town, the dark "graveyard" one, has never struck me as particularly creepy. Graves and bones are supposed to be creepy, aren't they? Over there, everything is in its place. The carnival feels uncanny instead. It's like the colors are deliberately bright, and the music is deliberately loud, and the clowns are deliberately smiley – all to blind and stun you and divert your attention. The glen feels like the spring woods that you like to stroll through falling deathly silent in a second. I'm convinced Queen Mara steals children as a pastime.
This place is eerie in a way that reading less-adapted fairy tales as a child is eerie ("yeah, they made her dance in red-hot iron shoes 'til she dropped dead, but she was evil so that sounds kinda fun").
I love it. In its eeriness, it's familiar and inviting. I'm sure I'd fit in.
2. [TS2] Strangetown
Is there anything new left to say? Strangetown is appealing on the instinctual level to every barely socialized starry-eyed weirdo. It's a home where there was never supposed to be a home. In a game about simulating life with jobs and kids and taxes and remembering to shower regularly and "who cheated on who" and all kinds of other mundane stuff, Strangetown stands distinct and curious like a girl in a leather trenchcoat and an Evangelion t-shirt in a 2012 class photo.
I've never developed a taste for Pleasantview. It's a soap opera with soap opera cliches, and I need to be surprised to take an interest. Strangetown, on the other hand, is a soap opera with cliches that have no business being in a soap opera. There are green people from outer space (one's got a picture perfect family and a picture perfect lawn, and other two are bickering roommate girls). There are mad geniuses in the castle on the hill. There's a serial killer on the loose (overly familiar with Death, one might say). There's a bunch of nerdy scientists with alien lifeforms bursting from inside their abdomens. There's a grumpy widowed soldier guy, who's probably one of the few relatively sane people around these parts. Boring sand-loving Ajay feels like a cherry on top among this menagerie.
Throw in the console sequels, and Strangetown very well becomes the most lore-heavy place in the Sims universe. There's a werewolf, a vampire, an array of zombies, a resurrected mummy, a pyromaniac teen girl with an extra set of eyes, a Will Wright reference married to a Stepford Wives reference, a cow cult, a goth chick summoning demons in the basement, and a guy who raised hell because of a personal pissing contest with God.
It's like they took all my favorite sci-fi/horror tropes, blended them into an obnoxiously giant smoothie and said "yo, dive right in!" – and I dove, and it felt spectacular.
3. [TS3] Twinbrook
The Sims 3 was made for gloomy rundown places. Try to understand me on this one. It's something about characters' eyes and the way light falls. It does make Sunset Valley, for instance, look a bit clayish, but then you find yourself on the Twinbrook bayou and everything clicks. I want to drop down there and wade these swamps dressed in a tarpaulin with a gun in hand.
This place have always reminded me of Skyrim, of Fallout, or maybe of Stalker. The massive shaggy trees, the stilted houses, the creaky rotten bridges, the simple unassuming town centre, the derelict railway, the old rust-eaten water towers that look as if they're ready to get up and start walking – it's beautiful in a hurt, sorrowful way. In the recent couple of years it's also started to remind me of Disco Elysium. I'd hunt for the Insulindian Phasmid in Twinbrook's wilted reeds.
Tidy sunny well-off towns don't simulate life close enough for me, because this kind of life exists somewhere on the other side of the globe. Twinbrook is the closest thing to my real home that I've ever had in The Sims without custom content.
4. [TS4] Mt. Komorebi
When I feel like I've had enough, I get out and walk. There are beautiful parks and forested mountains if you drive further south. Although Komorebi mirrors places that are several timezones away from me, the atmosphere and the serenity it brings are still the same.
When there's no time to get out, I send my sim on a hike and watch swaying trees and winding paths from behind their shoulder. It's beautiful, at times even more beautiful than the real things – but that's because Komorebi is a perfect virtual model, a three-dimensional idyllic Miyazaki-like space with a scoop of plumbobs, and I don't have to huff and sweat from trudging up a slope for an hour beforehand.
5. [TS4] Selvadorada
If there's anything about The Sims 4 that I can absolutely respect, it's the scenery. The Selvadorada jungle is breathtaking at any time of day. The intimidating, mysterious, ocean-like expance of rich-green tree tops, the clean white walls of local dwellings hidden between vine-braided tree trunks, the play of pastels in the horizon at dawn and late dusk, the diamond scattering of stars overhead in the night, the fireflies dancing around ancient gateways, the warm lanterns of camps peeking through the thick foliage like a beacon peeks through mist – the list goes on and on and on.
I can't love its beauty in the same gentle way that I love Mt. Komorebi's, as Selvadorada is a temperamental lady and rarely gives one a chance to feel at ease, but I love it nevertheless.
* honorable mentions: all three World Adventures worlds for providing many hours of thrilling gameplay, and Riverblossom Hills for being extra cozy
I'm passing this duty onto: @cobycobsy2k, @just-ornstein, @strangenight; a bunch of people I don't know but they're regularly in my field of view: @vidcund4ever, @sims2-electricboogaloo, @cringeassvidcundbaby, @curiousxsubject; and, of course, @baby-viddy whenever they decide to unjail me for crimes against Vidcund.
All the pressure, guys. I'm mean like that.
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thefact0rygirl · 2 years
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hey so I just need some advice. I've been wanting to start writing again. I used to write fan-fiction forever ago and have recently been wanting to get back into it and start writing on here. I just don't know where to start or what to do to get back in that mindset I used to have when I could literally write forever. I just need some advice on how to get back into writing again bc its something I used to love to do and kinda just fell off I guess lol. I love reading your fics and think your writing is amazing!! just need some inspiration <3
That’s awesome, babes! I'm so happy you're getting back into writing 🤍 But I totally understand the struggle of starting again. I was in a similar position before I started posting. Here are some things that helped me get back into writing.
Other writers, please feel free to add to this!
Set aside time to write. I would procrastinate until I set aside non-negotiable time to write. For 10 minutes every other day, I only focused on writing. No phone, no shows, no distractions. I could do anything related to writing (finding writing prompts, outlining ideas, writing head canons, editing, etc.), but I couldn’t cancel it or put it off. Ten minutes was a good enough chunk of time that I could dedicate without disrupting my other responsibilities. 
Start small. It’s easy to compare ourselves to what we used to do and get discouraged. Fuck that. Start with bullet points. Write one sentence. Write one paragraph. Write small blurbs. Just write something. Those couple of words are a lot more than what you had before. Progress is progress, it’s valid no matter how many words you write. 
Check out writing prompts. @/creativepromptsforwriting is a treasure trove of writing prompts of all kinds! They have dialogue prompts, AU ideas, character prompts, and so much more. I highly recommend them!
If you’re not into writing prompts, write about your day with a twist. Did you go get groceries? Write about getting groceries, but you’re on Coruscant. 
On that same note, write trash. Write overdone tropes. Write cliches. This might be self-projection, but I feel writers put this unnecessary pressure on themselves that everything they write needs to unique and original. I know I get in my head so much that I stop myself from writing because it's overdone and no one wants to read it. Fuck that. If you also struggle with this, throw all that shit out. Purposely write the cliche. Write the “oh no! There’s only one bed!” Trope. Write the most cliche, overused plot and then go back and see where you can back it unique.
And remember, there is a reason why those overdone tropes are considered overdone. People love them. Gimme 100 different versions of enemies to lovers and I will eat them all up.
Revisit your old WIPs. I still do this, but reread your old WIPs and see if you can edit and repurpose them. If you’ve switched fandoms, could you use something you've written for your new fandom?
Don’t focus on quality. Writing is an exercise and if you don't do it often, you can be a bit rusty. Like if you start working out after not working out for a long time. At first, your stamina won't be what it used to. You'll probably be tired sooner than before and that's okay. You'll get back to where you were, it just takes time. Same with writing. The first couple things you write may not be of the same quality as your previous work and that’s okay! You’re starting back up again. Writing is an exercise, you need to recondition your brain to do it.
Which brings me to my last point, stop comparing yourself to your past self. Sometimes starting to write again after a long time is harder than starting to write for the first time. You know what you're capable of doing, but now you can't. It's easy to think there is something with you, but it's not. You're probably thinking of yourself when you were at your highest, but you're forgetting what it took to get there. No one starts writing flawlessly, and I will put money down you didn't either. When you think of you writing, you're probably not thinking of all the work and revisions you did to get to the vision of you have of yourself. You will get back there, but you need to give yourself the time, patient, and grace to get there.
I hope you find inspiration soon! Sending you all the good vibes and motivation to get back into writing 💕
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miekasa · 3 years
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winter break/skiing au with eren
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↯ pairing: eren jaeger x (fem) reader
↯ genres and warnings: modern au (college), fluff, eren is an idiot but we all knew that, and yes i do think he’d probably be a good snowboarder or athlete in general tbh
↯ word count: 2.7k lol and it’s not even written out like a fic
↯ notes: this is based off of a request i got for meeting eren at a ski lodge. heads up i know next to nothing about skiing or any related sport, so bear with me on this. also this formatting is... headcanonish but also fic like?? in an alternate timeline, i could write this out as a fic, but my lack of knowledge about the subject + me wanting to try this format out resulted in this!
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If he’s being completely honest, Eren wasn’t ecstatic to be going on this skiing trip with his friends in the first place, but he didn’t have much choice, seeing as he didn’t want to be the only one left behind for winter break.
Not to mention he’s a shit skier. He’s fine with a snowboard, so he wouldn’t be stuck on the bunny hills for a week, but that didn’t mean he was happy about it. After all, he was pushing to go somewhere warm for break. You know, since it was already freezing cold at home.
Nevertheless, he sucks it up for the sake of his friends’ happiness (and because he was severely outnumbered. Also because Armin had never been skiing and Eren really wanted to record him falling face first into the snow at some point).
As expected, it’s fucking freezing by the time they make it to the lodge, but at least Jean—resident organizer of this trip—had gotten them a pretty nice cabin with central heating, and a fireplace. It’s more of a house that they’re renting really, with enough rooms for the six of them.
Unfortunately the rooms were not soundproof so he was subject to hearing Jean and Connie staying up until the crack of dawn, and Mikasa throwing pillows at Sasha telling her to shut the fuck up. But at least he got to room with Armin, so it wasn’t all bad. 
Eren spends the first day just chilling around, still warming up to the idea of the trip (and warming up physically, because fuck is it cold here). The lodge itself has main, communal buildings with indoor activities—a game room, indoor pools, hot tubs, a buffet, the whole nine yards—that he spends time exploring.
He’s heading down to the indoor pool with Armin and Jean in tow, the rest of his friends opting to head upstairs for dinner first after their day of skiing; and that’s where he sees you. And, not to sound like a lovestruck idiot, but Eren thinks you might be the prettiest person he’s ever seen in his life.
In a cliche moment, he catches you as your head reemerges from out of the water, face dripping wet with pool water as you tread in your spot. Eren looks stupid—big, green eyes wide as hell and a little bit of a gap between his lips.
Jean has to smack him upside the head to get him walking again, mumbling about how Eren looks like the literal heart eyes emoji to which Eren simply pushes the taller boy into the water.
He looks back to spot you again (in a non-creepy manner of course), when a voice calls out your name—he’s presuming, by the way your turn your head.
“You’ll turn into a prune if you stay in any longer,” a short man with dark hair calls to you, a towel around his shoulder his mostly dry body, save for his swimming shorts that are still damp, “Come on, I don’t want get the shit end of the stick at the buffet.”
The short man’s words seem to make you chuckle, and a little reluctantly, you swim to the edge of the pool, taking his hand to get out of the water. Eren frowns a bit watching the interaction. You and the short man seem close—there go his chances of… well, he’s not sure exactly… uh… talking to you, maybe?
Whatever it was, you might already have a boyfriend, and from the way the rest of, who Eren is again presuming to be, your friends walk with you to the exit, it doesn’t seem like he’d ever find you alone again.
Oh well. He sighs, trying not to think much of it, and enjoy his time in the pool. (He fucking doesn’t because Jean gets his revenge and pushes him in the deep and even Armin his him with a pool noodle. Traitor).
Day two he’s finally going to to the slopes. On his way up in the lift, he can see Sasha and Connie stumbling down the hill while Jean laughs behind them, and Eren only shakes his head.
Yeah, maybe they shouldn’t have taken Sasha, Connie, and Armin with them on the advanced hills, but it was so much more fun this way. Although, to his credit, Armin was catching on quickly (no thanks to Eren or Jean; that was all Mikasa’s teachings).
Eren lets Mikasa work her magic with Armin. He straps on his helmet and goggles, and heads down first. It’s been a while since he’s snowboarded, but he’s still pretty damn good if he does say so himself. He even tries out a few old tricks and—not to brag—but sticks his landing every time.
Halfway down the slope, he can feel someone else boarding beside him—and he doesn’t think much of it, until they replicate his previous flip, landing a just a little in front of him.
Eren can’t see the person through their goggles, but from the way they look back at him before pushing forward, he can tell that they wanted a challenge. And who is Eren to turn down a little friendly competition?
The descent continues on with Eren and his mystery partner not-so-subtly flexing their own skills. Eren copies their flips and turns, and is amazed as he watches them copy his in return. 
He decides to kick it up a notch, swerving over to a small snow rap, to use the height it gives him to pull off his signature move—yes it’s called the Jaegerbomb, yes he did come up with it when he was eleven, and no he doesn’t regret because it’s still sick as fuck, shutup Zeke.
He sticks his landing, perfectly timed with the end of the slope, pushing his board forward to completely stop himself. He turns around, lifting his goggles, to give his copycat a smug look, when, to his surprise, he sees them pulling off something almost equally as impressive, and probably more complex before they land. 
Eren’s got the same stupid, starstruck look on his face as he did in the pool, as he watching their momentum come to a stop a little ways downhill from him, because, fuck if that wasn’t the coolest thing he’s ever seen.
Immediately, they’re surrounded by two other bodies, both of which sing their praises, probably for that last move. Eren knows he would. It’s only after your goggles are pushed up over your helmet and your turn around that Eren realizes its you! The girl from the pool.
If he was awestruck before, it’s nothing compared how he’s feeling now. No way you were the same person! But, he has to admit, if we were gonna get crushed by anybody on the slopes, he’s glad it was a pretty girl.
To his surprise, you make your way over to him after unbuckling from your board, and Eren has to quickly shake the stupid look off of his face.
“I guess I lost our race back there,” you say with a smile, cloudy air falling from your lips from the cold, “But I just wanted to tell you that your last flip was really cool! It must have taken you forever to master that.”
For the first time since arriving, Eren’s glad it’s cold as shit, because now at least he has a coverup for the redness creeping onto his cheeks. With a nervous chuckle, he finally responds, “Yeah, I’ve, uh, kinda been working on it since I was eleven.”
“Well it definitely payed off, I’ve never seen anything like it,” you cheer, and Eren is really considering passing out right now, but that would not be cool. Very uncool. So he doesn’t. “Have you been boarding that long?”
“Yeah! I mean, well, I’m only 21, so I guess not that long,” Eren says with a nervous chuckle, “Well—uh, I guess, like, ten years is a long time, but I—I used to snowboard more often when I was little with my family, then, um, you know college got in the way in stuff… haha… yeah.”
Okay, fine, Eren has never been the smoothest guy in the world, but he’s usually not this awkward either. But can you really blame him?—between your looks, and your skills, and the fact that you actually came over to initiate and carry out a conversation with him, he was a goner from the start.
“I’m Eren, by the way,” he continues, hoping to cover up his awkward stuttering, “And, uh, you must have been doing this for a while too? Your last move was sick, I’ve never seen anything like it!”
“(Y/N),” you respond with a smile. Luckily for him, you don’t seem completely turned off by his awkward demeanor, still as bubbly as ever. “Not really… well, kind of? Maybe a few years at this point, but my teacher’s been a real hardass, so I learned to pick up on things pretty quick unless I wanted to get turned into a human snowball,” you tell him, turning your shoulder a bit to point back at your friends, “If you think what I did was good, you gotta see Levi—he’s the short one yelling at the one with the pigtails. He taught me everything I know.”
Eren recognizes Levi as the shorter man who helped you out of the pool yesterday. He deflates a little—he’d kind of forgotten about him, and he isn’t too happy to be reminded of him again.
“Oh, I see,” Eren nods, glancing over at Levi once more, “He must be a pretty good teacher.”
“When he’s not throwing snowballs as a learning tool, yeah he is,” you laugh, “Anyways, I actually wanted to ask if you wanted to go at it again sometime. I don’t know how long you’re, uh, staying or anything, but racing with you was fun. Even if you did get a bit of a head start.”
“I’m here for the week, actually,” Eren’s eyes practically shine at the hint of competitiveness in your voice. He loves to be challenged, after all. “But I don’t mind giving it a go right now, if you’re going up again?”
Eren has to stop himself from grinning like an idiot when you accept his invitation. He thinks he’s finally in the clear when he hears the short man—Levi—call out your name again.
To his surprise, you beckon Eren along with you, and you introduce him to Levi formally. Levi has to look up to look at Eren, but Eren’s the one who shrinks under his gaze; an embarrassed flush creeping up his neck. Damn, your teacher (friend, too? not boyfriend, apparently, though?) is intimidating as hell, how on Earth do you take lessons from him without buckling in fear??
You point to your other friends—Isabel and Farlan—who are standing a little further away. The former of whom is attempting to make a snow angel while the blonde is enthusiastically recording and taking pictures of the events.
After introducing the two, you ask Levi if he wants to up the hill with the both you again (and no, Eren doesn’t pout when you extend the offer to him—he’s really working on this keeping his feelings in check and being a rational thinker and all that and if you ask him it’s paying off), to which Levi declines (thank god).
Not even because Eren would be bummed if you didn’t get that he wanted to spend some more time alone with you not just to snowboard, but also because he knows he’d fall flat on his face in front of Levi, and then he’d probably have to hide in shame for the rest of his trip.
“Looks like it’s just us then,” you smile at him, “Okay, we can head back up—I’m just gonna ask Isabel to trade gloves with me real quick, yeah? And steal a heat pack from her.”
Eren doesn’t know if he should follow you over to Isabel, so he kind of shuffles around where he’s standing, a few feet next to Levi. (And damn, is it just Eren or is it suddenly 50 degrees colder next to this man).
Eren’s avoiding eye contact and small talk—and subsequently avoiding any bubbling feelings or irrational false suspicions about Levi. Also, he sucks at small talk.
It’s Levi who lets out an exasperated sigh first, not even bothering to turn to face Eren before bluntly saying, “She’s single.”
Eren’s eyes go wide and he’s sputtering in embarrassment—also because Levi said it so loudly, what if you heard??—but he’s cut off again before he can even speak: “Don’t even try it, Farlan and I saw you drooling over her at the pool, too.”
Well, now Eren’s certain that the blush on his face and neck are not from the cold, but from his complete and utter humiliation. “Well, I, uh, I didn’t mean to—”
“You don’t seem to be too great at this, so I’ll take pity on you and tell you she likes you, too. Or likes you enough, at least,” Levi continues.
“I—she does?” Eren blurts. Okay, now he’s probably being too loud.
“She talked to you didn’t she,” Levi says, but the question comes out as more of a deadpan observation, “Look if she asks you about anything while you’re up there—or better yet, asks you to teach her anything, just take it as an opening, alright kid? Trust me, there’s nothing you can do that she can’t.”
Ouch. Eren reasons that Levi is probably right, he’s only seen you board once but you’re pretty incredibly but, still.
Wait does that mean you really were flirting with him before?? You’re actually interested in him???
He hears you calling out to him, and sees you waving, gesturing towards the lifts with a new pair of bright blue mittens on, and Eren barely has the coherency to wave back (stupidly, slowly, lovestruck, like an idiot).
Levi watches the exchange with a bored look on his face. He sighs audibly this time, untucking his arms from where they were crossed over his chest to pick up the snowboard at his feet. “Cabin 24C, east wing. Bring her back after dinner,” he says, hoisting the board under his arm before walking towards Farlan and Isbael.
Eren doesn’t even have time to ask him anymore questions—plus you’ve started walking towards the lifts and he’s obviously not going to leave you hanging.
He doesn’t and your little ski-lift, snowboarding kind of date goes well, even if he’s positive you did take it easy on him.
You’re the one to ask him to go up one more time, when Eren remembers Levi’s advice and finally musters up the courage to ask: “Actually, I’m a little hungry—do you, uh, maybe wanna head inside for dinner? If you’re still up to, we can come back later.”
And when the evening is over and Eren’s gotten your number, he does in fact walk you back to your lodge with your friends, and he thinks that even Levi gave him a look of approval before slamming the door in his face.
(It wasn’t really approval, so much as he’s impressed Eren had the balls and critical thinking skills to actually ask you out in the end. But it’s fine because Farlan and Isabel both loudly told him how happy they were to see you’d scored a date with ‘emerald eyes from the pool’).
Mikasa and Armin are less than impressed when Eren comes back to his own lodge at damn near midnight after having not answered any of their calls all day, but Eren thinks it was worth it, even if he does have a bruise from Armin poking him in the side with his ski poles.
Eren meets you at the slopes every day for the rest of the week, ignoring Jean and Connie’s claims about him being a simp. So what if he is? He’s the one snowboarding and sipping hot chocolate with the pretty girl from pool at the end of the day isn’t he?
He learns that the both of you attend the same university, but are in almost opposite programs. That makes sense, Eren thinks, because he surely would have remembered seeing you on campus before.
You even get along with his friends really well, even if you only get the opportunity to meet them once at the lodge. Eren is more than impressed, he doesn’t think he’s ever seen Mikasa warm up to someone so quickly. 
He thinks he’s pretty successful at meeting your friends, too. Isabel and Farlan continually reassure him that you do in fact have a crush on him (and maybe even persuade him try and kiss you before the week is over. Spoiler: he does, while it’s snowing and everything and it’s pretty damn great). 
On the last day of his trip, Eren takes you to the top of the hill with all his friends, and when you completely demolish Jean and leave him eating your dust, Eren thinks he might just be halfway in love with you already. 
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staliaqueen · 2 years
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tell me your favourite disney songs pleaseeee
Ok I gotta start out with the BEST one so I'll just have it out there
I'LL MAKE A MAN OUT OF YOU IS A FUCKING MASTERPIECE! IT'S THE BEST DISNEY SONG EVER AND I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL! People have criticised me for liking it before because "uwu it has SEXISM in it that means it's BAD" like yeah??? it's a movie about female empowerment of course it's gonna have sexism in it, that doesn't make it problematic you fucking idiot. It's about as cold of a take as "oh no did you hear that Brokeback Mountain has homophobia in it? not very woke of them" like dude have you no critical thinking? I don't give a shit about the sexist lines it's a fucking BOP okay. I mean the lyrics???? "We must be swift as the coursing river With all the force of a great typhoon With all the strength of a raging fire Mysterious as the dark side of the moon" like WHO COMES UP WITH THAT?! And that's not even mentioning the fucking visuals okay? Like I genuinely believe it's the best training montage of all time (I haven't seen Rocky but my mom has and she said it's not as good. usually I wouldn't really trust her on these kinds of topics but I'm gonna take a wild guess and say she's right). I mean, the fucking visual of Mulan using her intelligence to climb up the pole and get the arrow, making everyone's training take a turn for the better? BEAUTIFUL! Also bisexual legend Lee Chang is shirtless during the entire thing 100/10.
Keeping it on the Mulan track, Reflection – the beautiful song that awakened something in EVERY queer kid (honestly tho I never really struggled with my queer identity that much so I actually relate to it more on an autistic level). Also THIS IS AN EDMUND SONG, I WILL FIGHT ANYONE WHO DISAGREES! 15/10. 
Then just, the entire Beauty and the Best soundtrack. It’s my favourite Disney movie of all time, it’s truly their magnum opus, and every song is a BOP. I relate to Belle so hard and she was also my first ever fictional crush at the age of 3. “Belle” is a great opening number that’s extremely musically effective since it serves both to establish the world and as an I want song. Belle (reprise) is just as great. Gaston is a great hilarious villain song that perfectly illustrates how the towns folk blindly love and follow Gaston AND how much of a fucking meme he is. Be Our Guest is grand and beautifully animated, and it serves to make us (and Belle) see the castle as home perfectly. Something There is just THE perfect song to illustrate growing romantic feelings. Beauty and the Beast is such a beautiful fucking love song I want to play it at my wedding! And The Mob Song has a Shakespeare reference in it, plus a lot of relevant as hell lyrics to its theme “We don't like what we don't understand, in fact it scares us And this monster is mysterious at least” what more could you want? honestly this entire song kinda reads like they’re going to kill a gay man or something, which makes sense since it was written by one, and it’s honestly terrifying through that perspective 20/10. 
I Won’t Say (I’m In Love) BASICALLY INVENTED MUSICAL THEATRE ITSELF HOLY SHIT! I fucking love to associate it with any ship that includes one of the characters being in denial (which is most of them). I’ve been listening to it a lot more lately since I put it on my meter playlist and it NEVER gets old. The muses trying to get Meg to say that she’s in love accommodated with her just refusing to admit it works soooo well. My favourite lyrics are “It's too cliche I won't say I'm in love” and “My head is screaming Get a grip girl Unless you're dying to cry your heart out” and “Face it like a grown-up When you gonna own up that you got got got it bad” and the ending part “At least out loud I won't say I'm in love” that one gets me every time. 20/10. 
Kiss the Girl is a fucking bop. I don’t have much else to say about it other than that. I hope my friends will sing it while trying to set me up with someone someday. 10/10.
I See the Light is such a wonderful love song and it always makes me think of Draco and Aria. Just the concept of finding your greater purpose through this person you never so coming, ah 😭😭😭. “You were my new Dream” “An you were mine” 10/10. 
I have a couple of songs where only the swedish version is special to me, and it’s all just cause memories with my dad from when I was little. So, idk you can listen to the swedish versions if you want even tho you won’t understand it (I mean you can just look up the English lyrics so that doesn’t really matter). Those are Thomas O’Malley, Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat (Alla Snubbar Vill Ju Vara Katt) and The Bear Necessities (Var Nöjd Med All Som Livet Ger). Me and my dad used to watch Aristocats all the time and his favourite character was Thomas O’Malley, so his love for the character and the song sort of seeped into me as well, and we both loved Alla Snubbar Vill Ju Vara Katt (I’m a cat person, what can I say?). We also watched The Jungle Book a lot and my dad was absolutely OBSESSED with Var Nöjd Med All Som Livet Ger. He sung it ALL THE TIME. I honestly think I’ve heard that song more than Let It Go. 15/10. 
Of course there’s a lot of other fantastic Disney songs out there (Hellfire and A Whole New World come to mind, I feel like they deserve an honourable mention) but these are just the ones that are more special to me personally. 
Also yes of course Reflection is a Henry song also but it’s just a given that if I relate anything to autism it also applies to Henry Mills
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I'm a bit confused with the staged finale lore (dsmp)
Lore talk for a moment
Okay I believe that the staged disc finale does make sense for the most part. C!Dream doing evil monologuing and acting like the most cliche disney villain ever and revealing all his plans to c!Tommy and c!Tubbo didn't make much sense to me when I first watched the finale so I'm glad that it was just an act and it was all staged, and I'm glad that c!Punz was in on it too. I enjoy the concept as a whole tbh it just makes the plot so much more interesting.
---
However I don't get what c!Dreams goal is exactly... And I know we aren't supposed to know yet but theres several things that are confusing me. For instance if c!Dream planned to put himself in the prison and wanted the server against him because he knew how dangerous he was then why on earth is he still tormenting c!Tommy and why did he kill c!Tommy in the prison?? I get it could of been out of anger but there was still so much manipulation and gaslighting, and bringing up the dudes trauma like bringing up exile. I know maybe he was still trying to act like a villain, and make c!Tommy scared and against him still but its still messed up of him to do it in that way, even in the recent lore not just scaring c!Tommy away but actually going out of his way to traumatize him again and leaving signs around. It makes me think that he still IS a villain.
Some random theories though-
1 - He torments c!Tommy the most and needs c!Tommy to see him as a villain more than everyone else. This is so c!Tommy becomes too scared to interact with him anymore and ultimately is safer in doing so. In a way c!Dream is protecting him because he knows how dangerous he is either something linked with a dreamon, DreamXD or the egg or something else. His mental health is also fucked from what happened in the prison so his a bit insane. (But I Doubt some of this theory)
2 - He wants the server to hate him. And c!Tommy because he finds it fun messing with the people. And he wanted c!Tommy and c!Tubbo to think they won as a way to catch them off guard in the future aka build them up just to break them down. He is still a villain here despite staging the finale and this theory would make the most sense to me since he is still out here traumatizing the shit out of c!Tommy and it looks like he is doing it for the fun of it.
3 - He planned to put himself in the prison to protect himself. Because while in prison he is away from war, the egg, dreamons ect... He clearly didn't know that c!Quackity was gonna come and abuse him each day
4 - He actually does want to bring the server together again but maybe knows he goes too far with it. He continues to believe that c!Tommy is the biggest problem in the Smp and wants to break him like in exile. Perhaps he is unaware of the severity exile was to c!Tommy? But I doubt that. He genuinely believes that if c!Tommy is in check then he can control the rest of the server as well. Why? either out of insanity or malicious intent no idea. He wants a happy family but the happy family has to be following his rules, but then again why did he want them against him or is that in itself also an act..
I can't think of really anything else atm but yeah those are some of my ideas?? I don't really know which one to believe. All I know is that the plan was that c!Dream wanted himself in that prison but didn't want to be in that prison for too long. c!Punz planned this with him. But I also kinda wanna know how far back this plan goes like surely it didn't happen during exile arc right? or pogtopia arc. Are there two sides to c!Dream? Does c!Dream believe he is a bad person? What is c!Dream trying to accomplish? If c!Dream is good, why does he want others to see him as bad? Is it all for fun? What if c!Sam was in on the plan? Is c!Dream actually a villain? What is c!Dreams relation with DreamXD?
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meruz · 3 years
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Aforementioned long ask post please excuse me while i try to figure out tumblr's new text editor. I’ll get into the art meme questions first and then the rest at the end.
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Ok first of all thank you all for sending in questions! Giving me an excuse to talk hehe. I’ll address these in number order. Here’s a link to the ask meme for reference but also I’ll restate the question for ease of reading.
1. When did you get into art?
Super cliche answer but I don’t remember a time where I WASN’T the weird art kid! I started keeping a dedicated sketchbook when I was about 12? But here’s a page from my kindergarten journal about what I want to be when I grow up.
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2. What art-related sites have you ever signed up for? 
LOL this is a weird question. Not sure why so many people want to know. Anyways I definitely had a dA. more than one dA account. I used to browse oekakis when I was a kid but I think I was only signed up to some small ones that internet friends owned. What else...? Mangabullet,Tegakie, Paintberri, iscribble back when that was a thing, instagram if that COUNTs, I used to post art on livejournal and dreamwidth too. Patreon, I guess. Gumroad, inprnt, bigcartel, storenvy all for selling stuff.
In terms of resources.. I have a schoolism account that I’m sharing with friends. Used to take classes on coursera for free. I signed up to textures.com for work recently haha. I can’t remember if I ever had an account on posemaniacs. Did they have accounts...? I definitely used to visit all the time.
3. Show us your oldest piece of art you have on hand.
Alright here’s me actually logging into my old deviantart account. These are from September 2008 So I was 13 years old. I don’t have a deviantart account from before then because 13 was the required age for having an account and I didn’t want to lie about my age because I wanted people to be impressed by how young yet clearly incredible at art I was LOL.
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4. What defines your artistic style?
You guys are probably more equipped to answer this than me but uh... I wanna say... Focus on colors. And... a slightly heavy hand? Like confident... not always well-considered mark making HAH...
Also I think I have a pretty healthy mix of american comics/manga influences. I feel like people who are into american comics always think my art is too manga and people who are into anime/manga always think my art is too american. And I’m taking that as a good sign.
5. Do you practice other styles/have you tried other styles in the past?
I like to think I switch it up a bunch! I mean, these are pretty different, right?
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I think I’ve mentioned this before but one thing I really took away from art school is that, for an illustrator at least, art style shouldn’t be consistent. Your greatest weapon is changing the aspects of your style based on the task, the emotions and message you want to illustrate etc. So depending on the project I’m working on, the fandom I’m drawing for, whether I want something to be funny or serious or dramatic, I’ll change things about my style all the time.
One thing I don’t rly post on here is really tight polished work and that’s because I do that for my day job haha. If you’re not paying me... I’m probably not gonna color in the lines.
6. What levels of artistic education have you had?
I have a whole ass diploma LOL. Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration. from the Rhode Island School of Design. And I had a great college experience tbh. Besides the student loans. If any of you guys are thinking about art school feel free to e-mail or message me questions or concerns, I’ll be happy to help. Be as honest as I can be.
7. Show us at least one picture you drew or sketched recently that you did not put on a public site.
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heres the wandavision kids. Uhh what else do I have...I feel like I’m rummaging for loose change here...
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assorted valentines prep doodles
8. What is your favourite piece that you have done?
Well, obviously this is gonna change all the time and generally it’s gonna be my most recent piece LOL. So yeah, why the hell not. I’ll say it’s this one. I have a pretty short memory which I count as a blessing for an artist. I don’t dwell that long on older work and it keeps me moving forward.
10. What do you like most about your art?
I like that it’s something that only I would make! I had this thought fairly recently and I wrote it down in my sketchbook, it’s pretty cheesy and rambling but it felt revolutionary at the time:
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So yeah. I like my art best when it’s the most me and for me. And I like it least when it feels like I’m just making something for social media or for other people’s expectations or whatever.
14. What do you like drawing the most?
Kids in baggy clothing are like my go-to LOL idk if that’s obvious. but also I like being challenged so lately I’ve really loved drawing multi-character compositions, environments, weird angles, etc.
oh i LOVE drawing the underside of shoes lol. And bandages. People that are kinda beat up.. I think it comes from getting a bunch of cuts all the time. I’m always patching myself up and I want to patch characters up too.
15. What do you like drawing the least?
mmm I try to find something to like in every drawing but lets see... I don’t like doing commissions of people’s dogs. Just because it’s normally like... a family friend and my mom volunteered me without my consent and I don’t even really know what they’re expecting me to draw and I don’t even get to meet the dog. Also I’m not that great at dog anatomy. Trying to learn though.
18. What is your purpose for drawing?
This could have a million answers! Uhhh to GIT GOOD??? But also to express myself... and also to make money... I mean it depends on what the drawing IS. I draw fanart mostly to connect to people in the fandom so if you ever see me drawing fanart please take it as like an open invitation to talk to me about the character haha. 
20. How would you rank your art? (poor, mediocre, good, etc.)
Good!!! I have a lot of self-confidence primarily born out of ignorance and a short attention span. If I don’t think too hard about how many other artists are mindblowingly unfathombly good... its easy to think I’m good too! LOL
In all seriousness though, I think the opinion a person has of their art is like a crazy balancing act, right? Like you have to think you suck enough to want to get better but also you have to think you’re good enough to not want to give up. I think we’re all walking that line, I know I am! But also I’m a glass half-full type of person so. Most of the time I feel good about it.
22. List at least one of your “artspirations.”
This is a good question because I’ve been trying and failing to put together one of those “influence map” memes for like a full month now. What’s giving me a hard time is I feel like none of these are actually really obvious “““influences”““ in my art? Like it’s hard to see a lot of them in the work I make...? But idk maybe you guys’ll see what I can’t.
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And these are just a couple! God there’s so many more. I could talk about other artists for ages, from all different genres of art. Daumier, Rockwell like every illustrator out there, Dana Gibson, Alex Toth, Hiroshi Yoshida, a lot of the Brandywine School. Lots of current working artists too, Karl Kerschl, frikkin Masashi Kishimoto lol, Jake Wyatt, Richie Pope, Edouard Caplain, Matt Cook, Sachin Teng, - lots of big internet artists, Sophie Li, Freddy Carrasco, Milliofish, Angela Sung... like all my friends from art school too. I could just keep going but I’ll stop for now lol.
24. Do you have a shameful art past? (recolour sprite comics, tracing art, etc.)
I mean if that’s how we’re defining shameful?? sure LOL. It’s not sprite comics but I used to do pokemon sprite recolors all the time. And I used to trace manga panels and color them... Granted this was all when I was like under 12 yrs old so it’s not even embarrassing. Can you really call it shameful when a 7 year old wets the bed or whatever? Not really. In fact some of these are cool as fuck. Look
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25. Draw a picture!
Man I’m so tired now but here.
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I used to get a lot of compliments for drawing people smiling lol but I don’t think I’ve drawn a lot of smiling lately.. here’s proof I’ve still got it.
OK MEME DONE. onto the rest.
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I read this ask first thing when i opened my computer in the morning and it made me really emotional.. I’m so glad my sketches could help you!!
I think a lot of artists on social media talk about the struggle of making art but imo not enough people talk about the joy! Like I know it’s corny but. I really meant what I said at the beginning of that sketchbook about re-contextualizing art around process and progress > product and perfection. I think its super important..! The strength of messy, unfinished, and energetic art! For the feeling of it, for the love it!
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That's crazy!!! I hope you like 'em. The whole line of x-books is really good rn imo.
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Hi! I totally have the answer for digital stuff on my faq lol. But in terms of drawing on paper.. it varies! I tend to use sketchbooking and any on-paper doodling I do as a way to loosen up/warm-up or experiment. But right now my go-to aresenal is:
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from top > bottom
- kuretake no.55 doublesided brush pen
- tombow fudenosuke
- muji 0.38 ballpoint
- medium size poscas
- grey tombow double brush pens
- good ol bic mechanical pencil
not EXACTly sure which inking you referring to from my sketchbook but if I had to take a guess it'd probably be the kuretake no55. That's been my main inker, lately. Great for sketching with the thin end too.
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You can print out and eat my art if you like. Just please don't mass produce or re-sell. <3
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Thanks! I've come to accept that my art is always gonna be sort of gestural and painty naturally. It's getting it to tighten up enough to be legible that's hard lol...
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uh yeah lol I agree actually. I think yolei is great.
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I assume these asks are related? LOL
1) Yeah totally true. I love David.
2) I don’t take requests, sorry! But if you want to commission me to draw Legion i would be MORE than happy to. Just e-mail me at [email protected].
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iseultandtristan · 3 years
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im trying to avoid election news so time to do that deep dive analysis of what’s so brilliant about the vampire academy series that I've always wanted to do! Here’s the thing. The Vampire Academy is by no means the most popular or most well-written ya series but in it’s own way it’s really kinda groundbreaking. It is the only story that I have read or watched in which the main character (from the get go) is the sidekick. 
Rose Hathaway is so compelling for me as a main character because she is the embodiment of the sidekick trope. She exists for the purpose of the quintessential hero character, Lissa Dragomir. This is quite literally stated by herself and others multiple times. Her unequivocal purpose/life mission is to stand by Lissa’s side and to protect Lissa. That’s her driving force for the majority of the series, that’s her purpose (in fact it’s very anti-American and I think that’s what makes VA a great series for explaining the importance of cultural relativism, but that’s a post for another time). Aside from the obvious “she exists to support the protagonist” aspect of Rose, she completely embodies all the typical elements/stereotypes we have come to associate with sidekick characters. Messy homelife, feeling unwanted/neglected by her parental figures, comic relief, a penchant for sarcasm, a knack for getting into trouble, sometimes morally questionable. She’s the Maya Hart, the Pacey Witter, the Stiles Stilinski, the Sam Puckett, etc.
Lissa, on the other hand, totally has what the tiktokers call “main character energy.” She’s nice, normal, relatable, morally sound. We meet her shortly after a devastating family tragedy (think about how often a hero’s journey begins with some sort of family tragedy), and she’s special. She is the last of the dragomir line and therefore there’s all this new responsibility that she has to handle and a title she has to live up to. She can’t seem to specialize in anything but ends up finding out she specializes in the very rare “spirit” (reminds me a lot of Tris Prior being divergent). In every sense of the word, Lissa is the chosen one. Not to mention, all the shit that happens in the first book happens to her. She gets sent the dead animals and the threatening messages and is the one that’s abducted and attracts the attention of the mysterious new guy and has a sexual awakening, blah blah blah you get my point. Lissa is the typical choice for a series protagonist and Rose, with her trouble maker tendencies and deflective sarcasm and solid comedic timing, is exactly who you would peg for the trustworthy sidekick. But Richelle Mead took the typical secondary character and made it her story. This is the sidekick’s story, told entirely from the sidekick’s first person pov. The story isn’t about the princess, it’s about her fucking bodyguard. And at the end of book 3, in what is probably one of the most satisfying moments in the series, Rose leaves Lissa’s side, therefore rejecting her role as sidekick, and is honest about something that she wants that has absolutely nothing to do with Lissa.  
(also, to be clear I love Lissa as a character, this is in no way an anti-lissa post, it’s an appreciation post for someone in YA actually doing something original in a very cliched genre)
I just will never get over how brilliant and wonderful it was to see a ya author totally flip the hero/sidekick dynamic on its head. It’s why I have such a fondness for the series and Rose as a main character. I’m partial to side characters so having one be the main character of a series is really exciting and compelling to me. Hopefully, I’ll be able to say this again more eloquently and succinctly in the future but for now all you get is ineloquent rambling. 
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alicemitch09writes · 3 years
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the babysitter
pairing: reader x peter parker
summary: Babysitting the little Stark is an adventure, of some sorts. Well, being a (adopted) Stark is an adventure in itself. However, nobody told Peter Parker about the Stark babysitter.
author’s notes: I love Morgan Stark. I would die for her. Kill for her. MURDER even, just to keep her safe. Also, I love how easy we can just make her and Peter come together because they’re Stark’s kids (one biological, one is a sort of surrogate). Also, this idea is a common trope but eh, what’s not to love about it? Had to tweak it a bit by making reader two years older. And yay, I finally got to finish this before its initial release date (which is on Valentine's haha sorry yes am cliche like that sue me).
also available on ao3.
disclaimer: i own NOTHING but the plot.
"Ah, shit."
"Shit!"
You froze, quickly turning on your heel to find a mass of brown hair and big brown doe-like eyes, filled with innocence and mischief all at once.
"Morgan! What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you," she replied easily, tilting her head to the side. "Mommy said she has something to say to you."
"Oh, really now?" releasing a breath - not really shaky but something sort of relief, frustration, and a little bit of nervousness, you kneel to her level, tucking strands of hair behind her ear. "How long have you been looking for me?"
"A few minutes. Maybe 30."
With a smile, you get up. "Well, best not keep her waiting!"
Morgan giggles, seeing through you. She was always too sharp for her age.
You smile with her, a painful tug at your heart when you see the twinkle in her eye - an all too familiar twinkle.
Swallowing the dread, you plaster a quick smile and get to your feet. "Come on now, munchkin!"
She willingly lets you take her in your arms, walking along the compound down to Mrs. Stark's office.
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Your relationship with the infamous CEO of Stark Industries was that you’re her cousin's daughter, making her your aunt-in-law. And in the absence of said cousin - your father, as he lived far off or on the other side of the planet, and after some unfortunate events, you were under Pepper's care. 
Well, at least for the last 8 years of your life.
And since then, you could always remember how uptight, stern, and organized she was. It came with her job apparently. As was being stressed 24/7 because she had been dealing with the one and only Iron Man, Tony Stark.
Pepper had a great way of dealing with things, keeping some things to a T, and to keep a cool head with it all. Also, she was adamant about keeping you from Tony, away from the epitome of a machine of a man that he was. Oh, many were the nights where you were a witness to just how frustrating the man was, to how much Pepper had to keep herself from breaking down. You were not very fond of him – to say the least, you kinda hated him.
But upon meeting the man, later on, you found that he wasn't all that bad. In fact, he reminded you a lot of your father - workaholic to an extreme, and a bit of a softie. Just big on his ego.
As an added bonus, he completely won you over for being the guy for Pepper after deciding that you weren’t some runt after all.
After the events of Ultron, Tony decided to take you in and take you as if you were his own, treating you like his little assistant. (As he wasn't comfortable with having kids just yet.) You were pretty young, Pepper had that argument too and was fairly backed by Happy, but Tony was all, ‘then best start them young!’ and all went his way, one way or another. You were a smart cookie, at least that’s what Tony said, Pepper added that, and Rhodey – who still didn’t want to force something on to someone so young. And thus, your life with the Stark-Potts couple would never be the same - for better or for worse.
After the Accords, however, things were different. Much different. Both Tony and Pepper were never the same even way before that, but the former looked like a hollow of a man he once was.
As much as Pepper had more rights over you, she didn't want to be unfair and cut you off from Tony completely, and thus, let you do as you please. Honestly, it hurt having to go back and forth between the two, seeing two of the strongest people in your life thread on thin ice. Try as you might, you even attempted to get the two together only to end up with nothing. Happy was there, at least, to make you sane and moving. Rhodey, who still scares you, keeps you in check and on your toes.
However, things managed.
Then a lot of things happened: Tony and Pepper finally patched things up, finally got married - you were Pepper's maid of honor, you were whisked to some Ivy League thanks to Pepper and Tony’s recommendations, Tony suddenly was whisked away to the stars to save the universe, some war FRIDAY relayed in Wakanda, and then half the population turning to dust. A week later, Tony came back - with new friends from different galaxies, you all moved far away – far away from the Avengers, Tony insisted you to help Pepper to keep you busy, Morgan was born, you finished university, and were working on a master’s degree.
And then...Tony-
God, just the thought of him - what he did - still chokes you up. It hurt to hear from Pepper what had happened, to see her – the strongest iron lady you know and love – break into a million pieces, crumbling to the ground and disregarding every rule about grace and poise. Tony. He was like a father to you, the best and worst one you could ever ask for.
After his passing, you made it a point to keep his legacy alive, to ensure that it was protected at all cost - Morgan. 
You loved the littlest Stark with all your heart, like the little sister you wished you had. Ever since she was born, already, you vowed to keep her from anything.
She was Tony's legacy.
Well, one of many...
There was that kid from Tennessee, Harley Keener, whom you had the chance and pleasure to be acquainted with.
And then there was-
"Who're you?" a voice asked behind you, breathlessly, curiously.
Turning on your heel, you found a guy - brown hair, pale skin, average height, fit in build, looked like he was around your age - walking in, looking like he had run a marathon.
Scrunching your nose, not really like the way he was trying to piece who you were, you fixed him a questioning look. "I'm-"
"(NAME)!" a bubbly voice called behind you, causing the two of you to turn.
Eyes widening, they then relax, you then sagged in relief and all but ran towards the little girl, taking her in your arms.
"There you are! Where've you been, you?" you ask, tucking strands of hair away from her face.
Giggling mirthlessly, eyes twinkling with mischief, she replied. "Nowhere~"
You rolled your eyes at that, playfully. Her grin grows, eyes crinkling when her lips lift, exposing dimples.
Looking over your shoulder, you nearly forgot the guy behind you, hoisting Morgan up.
"Oh, I'm (Name)," you tell him. "but I think you got that already."
The younger teen looks from the brunette in your arms to you, the cogs in his head whirring. "Are you...?"
"Nope, I'm just a babysitter." Quick to dismiss his question, you shake your head lightly. "An on call at that."
"Ah," was the only thing he could say, not sure what to say next.
"Peter!" the girl in your arms says, a smile still in check.
"Morgan, hey." he walks up, about two feet away.
It was your turn to look between him and the brunette in your arms, fixing an inquisitive look as to the cogs in your head begin to turn - two and two adding up. You did hear things from Pepper, Happy, and Tony. 
Like a light bulb moment, you pointed at him. "You're the Spider-Man, aren't you?"
First, he sputters, face morphing into a look of surprise, shock, and embarrassment which ends with his face flushing to the tips of his ears.
Little did he know that you knew long before his cover had been blown.
"Don't worry. Happy's not really that good at keeping a secret." You assure him. At that, Morgan chuckles. You chuckle with her, sharing a knowing look as you bump your noses together. "Well, more like, he's slipping."
"Or getting old!" Morgan chirps.
You share a laugh, again. This time, Peter joins in.
"Anyway, is there something or anything you needed?" you asked, remembering his sudden appearance, adjusting your hold on Morgan, who now was resting her head on the crook of your neck.
"Oh...I, uh, I was just..." he fumbles, fidgeting with his fingers as you stand there, patiently waiting for him to finish his sentence. "...um, I was told to come over...?"
Puzzled, your brows narrowed together. "By who?"
"Me." A voice booms, you all turn, staring at a dark-skinned man donning familiar colors. A taller man stands by him, almost like a shadow.
In the years under Tony and Pepper’s tutelage, months spent and having unlimited access to nearly everything that is related to the Avengers, you found yourself in contact with the new Captain America and his trusty companion, the Winter Soldier.
At first, it was quite intimidating. They were intimidating. But soon, you found yourself warming up to them. They were like brothers, you adored them so much.
Suddenly, the room felt like there was purpose as the two men strode in, and you felt even smaller in their presence.
Just as you motioned to leave, Morgan pipes up, “Sam! Bucky!”
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Over time, Peter became a familiar face in the compound.
Aside from helping clean up the mess that Quentin Beck and his lackeys did to the poor boy, he was also heralding in for his part with the new Avengers - Sam Wilson, now bestowed with the mantle of Captain America, with the infamous Winter Soldier, Sgt. James Barnes, as his right hand, much to the displeasure of many governments.
Then again, who were they to decide what's best for this world when they knew nothing of the battles these brave men fought for? Who were they to decide who carries the mantle? It's not theirs, government-issued or not.
Also, in the past years of their hiding, and fighting off Zeemo, they've proven themselves countless times and earned the hearts of many. Whether they like it or not, they were the best choice to serve and defend the innocent.
For Peter Parker, physically 18 years old, filling in his spot for the team was huge.
He was in leagues with a whole bunch of other heroes – Hulk, Dr. Bruce Banner; War Machine, James Rhodes; Scarlet Witch, Wanda Maximoff; Dr. Strange, Dr. Stephen Strange; Ant-Man, Scott Lang; Wasp, Hope Van Dymme; and off the grid were the Asgardians of the Galaxy, and Carvol Danvers, Captain Marvel. Just to name a few. Sure enough, there would be more heroes coming in, it’s only a matter of time after all.
It was a big world - universe, rather.
Eventually, the kid also grew on you, for many reasons. But in those many reasons, it also felt kind of weird - you werethree years older than him. Physically speaking.
He would have been 23, just three years older than you, had he not been snapped away. Or blipped away. 
Yawning, you leaned back, stretching your arms overhead. Peeking back at your laptop, to your dismay you found that was still 10 in the morning, there was still a lot of work to do!
Groaning, you made sure to drag on said groan as you massaged the back of your neck. There were a bunch of emails to check, some invitations to decline, and one Thaddeus Ross to bitch about-
“Coffee?”
At the sound of the voice, you looked up and were met with soft brown eyes belonging to one Peter Parker.
“Peter, hey!” reaching for the cup, you wrap both hands around it, relishing in its rich aroma. “You’re a sight for sore eyes,” Having to face your laptop for hours' end, glancing up just barely with how slow your morning was, it really was. Taking a sip, you let the beverage warm your system and kick in, shoulders sagging. “and a savior.”
The corners of his mouth lift, eyes shining a bit, awkwardly shifting foot to foot. “W-Well, I know how much you work. And how much you love your coffee" he does, strangely enough, to note that you loved it black in the wee hours of the day with a bit of cocoa nibs.
"That I do, Petey, that I do."
He watches you take another sip, your eyes momentarily meeting your laptop screen before looking away quickly - nope! Here's your coffee break, take it.
"I see, uh, that you've been busy."
Sighing, you lean against your seat. "Kinda. Sorta. But, yes."
A little while after you first met, you made sure to properly introduce yourself to the lad, keeping in mind that he was an Avenger and that he'd see more of you now that you worked for Stark Industries, and the Avengers.
"Even though you should be…” he glanced away, words failing him.
“I should be…?” you picked up on the end tail of his sentence.
Gulping, his gaze suddenly drops, looking around helplessly. You sat there, worried, taking sips time to time.
It might be his sixth sense – aptly dubbed as his Spider-senses, but he seemed to know exactly how much you loved your coffee. That, or he was really observant.
“Peter, are you okay- “
“Writing!” he suddenly bursts out. “You like writing, right?”
His eyes land on the books on the side of your desk, and a framed article you had written years back for TIME magazine.
Following his gaze, causing you to turn in your seat, you can’t help the soft expression on your face. “Ah, that.”
Using the heel of your foot, rolling forward, you reached for the frame then rested your still warm drink between your thighs fingers smoothing the corners. “Funny story, Tony made me write it. Pepper gave me the idea.” The article was basically about questioning Thaddeus Ross and the Accords and if it was really pro-government and pro-hero at the same time. “Mind you, at the time, things had just been rocky with the whole mess of the Avengers, Tony and Pepper were not in good term. Writing this had been the closest I got them to speak again, because of how I had written it and its effects.” Memories of Pepper giving snide remarks at people who talked shit to you, rebutting gracefully, and Tony, wisecracking any troll who messed with you online. Those were fun times. Messy, but fun times. As you spoke, Peter quieted down, eyes never leaving you as you spoke. Looking at the article one last time, you set it back on your desk before picking your drink and taking a sip. “So, yeah. I do. Love writing, I mean. “
“And haven’t you thought of doing that instead?”
Noting his implication with a hum, you continued. “Instead of handling hero-related antics, right?”
Instantly, his face flushed, expression mixing up as he jumbled on his words. “N-Not that what you’re doing is wrong or anything! I-It’s just…you can-“
“Relax Peter!” You laugh, hand raised to calm him. “I know what you mean. It’s just that,” pushing yourself back, you swayed a bit in your seat “this is my job now, something I’ve been doing for a while and one I enjoy. Stressful as it is, it’s still fun. At the very least, I’m still writing. Plus, I get to be with you guys! So, that works, right?”
“Yeah, yeah,” breathing returning to normal, he nods, replying breathlessly. “yeah, yeah, yeah. T-That’s true.”
Tilting your head, seeing that he wasn’t fully satisfied with your answer, you humor him. “Given the chance, I would’vebeen in the writing field. Who knows? Writing as some underground slob, some hermit, or rise amongst the ranks of those high-profiled writers, or for TIME...”
Smiling wistfully, you were just about to take a sip again when it dawned to you. “Oh, what are you doing here, anyway? Do you have a meeting with Pepper?”
“Miss Potts- oh. Oh, no!”
“Did you wanna see Morgan then?”
“No, no!” he was getting more panicked, which was worrying. Putting down your coffee, you brought both hands to your desk and pulled yourself in, the desk separating you and Peter. He was muttering something under his breath, something you didn’t catch.
“Petey?” ducking your head, for a closer look at him, getting a closer inspection of how hazel brown his eyes actually are.
“U-Uh…” he gulps under your gaze. "...um..."
“Hey, (Name), I need your help with someth-“a new voice pipes in.
The two of you turn, (E/c) eyes widen at the new visitor, instantly, you were on your feet and running towards him.
“Harley!” engulfing him in a hug, you laugh mirthlessly at his presence. “Oh, my god you’re here! How are you? What are you doing here?”
Dang, you forgot just how tall he was!
“Uh, I’m supposed to work on my grant with Miss Potts,” he says, almost carefully staring from you to the lad behind him.
“Ah, yes,” you nodded, snapping a finger and pointing at him in realization. “that was today. Unfortunately, Pepper’s busy with something. Fortunately,” you tilted to your side, hands clasped in front of you then pointing index fingers at him. “Ican lend you a hand.”
Harley smiles at this, especially at your dorky dramatics, you grin back toothily.
Then you remembered that you weren’t alone.
“Oh! Where are my manners? Peter, this is Harley Keener, one of Tony’s boys.”
“You make it sound like I'm a booty call.” Harley grumbled beside you, making you snort and elbow him playfully.
“Well, Tony has a way of calling people and it rubs off pretty easily when you’re around him a lot.”
The taller lad rolls his eyes – playfully, used to your language and overall attitude as a reminiscent of one Tony Stark. Peter, who was still standing there, looks dumbfounded between the two of you, unsure what to do before you called on him.
“Sorry Peter, but I have to attend to Harley. Guess I’ll see you around?”
“U-Uh, sure…yeah.”
Hooking your arm around Harley’s you both walked out, but not before grabbing your still warm coffee from your desk. “Thanks again for this, Petey, bye!”
“He seems nice,” Harley comments, once the two of you get to the elevator.
“Yeah, he is.” You nod, sipping your coffee. “Now tell me, any updates on that crush of yours?”
At this, Harley’s face burns as the elevator doors open.
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As Pepper’s assistant, you were basically tasked to help make Pepper’s job easier. As PR, at the same time, you were tasked with dealing with the Avengers’ publicity and ensuring that they look good and handling whatever the media throws their way. Because you were practically raised by Pepper, and the one and only Tony Stark/Iron Man, schooling the media was child’s play to you. Plus, it was really fun dealing with famous people who weren’t super-powered.
Still, as much as you enjoyed your job, you especially loved the quirks that came with it. One of the obvious being that you get to hang with the Avengers. Half of them – who were Tony’s faction during the Civil War bullshit, you grew up with, and the rest just grew on you later.
It was a Friday when you found yourself swinging by the training grounds, looking for Bucky or Wanda with a bag of cheeseburgers to share with and some papers. However, the floor seemed to be empty. Just as you were about to call for F.R.I.D.A.Y. (the AI), you found yourself slipping on some liquid, falling backward with your arms flailing in the air, smacking a nearby tray holding a pitcher and glass.
Faster than you could react, a blur was by your side, a firm grip on your shoulder, and with his free hand, easily caught the tray, the pitcher, the glass, and its contents. All before you could even blink.
“W-Woah…” you breathed, feeling your heart beating wildly against your chest. That could’ve been one nasty accident where you could’ve been wet, hurt, or both!
“(N-Name)! Are you alright?” asked your savior, making you blink at him.
It was Peter.
“Peter…” you said, almost to yourself.
Effortlessly, he set the tray aside, his hand still on around your shoulder, making you feel his strong arm around you.
“I-I’m sorry about that, must’ve tried to do some physics trick but ended up failing and all…” he replied, looking at the water on the ground.
“Ah,” you responded, getting the idea. Surprisingly, with a crinkling sound, you were still gripping unto the cheeseburgers and the papers- no, wait, they’re gone.
Turning your head around, you searched for those papers – which probably should be on the ground from the way you threw them up from the slip.
“Here,” Peter suddenly appears in front of you. Upside down.
“Woah, this is cool,” you remarked all wide-eyed, taking the papers from him, watching him bend over the ceiling to drop to the ground. “Seeing your abilities up close and personal.”
“I-I have other abilities, too!”
“Yeah, I know. You have superhuman strength, enhanced agility, and a super brain.” You list off, heading to the counter to drop the cheeseburgers and papers Pepper assigned you to send around. "No, wait, Happy mentioned it was something else..." scrunching your face, you ransacked your brain for it. "Er, what was it...oh! Peter tingle, right?"
He nearly tripped on his feet but caught himself instantly. "Spider senses! It's called 'Spider Senses'!"
"Ah, is that what it's called?"
That makes Peter sigh, almost frustratingly – like he was to throw a tantrum then and there. He really is a child, you thought.
“I’m teasing you, Pete.” You laugh, leaning against the counter, watching him seemingly deflate, ears slightly red. “But, if you don’t mind me asking," folding your arms behind you, you carefully approach him "can you just break it down to me just how your Spider Senses work?”
Caught off guard by your question, Peter puffs his cheeks. “Um, err…” he shuffles, scratching the back of his neck as words fail him.
Circling, you hop on the counter behind you, patiently waiting on him.
Seeing just how genuinely interested you seemed to be with his powers, it excited him a bit. You weren’t being pushy about it either. In fact, he’s seen you quite a handful of times, and you were always sure to be nice and welcoming, treating him Peter first, Spider-Man second. There were only about a few people who were genuinely interested in how his abilities worked really, one of them was Ned, then there was Mr. Stark, then there was Sam, and then Bucky. And then, you.
“So, um…I’ve got these senses.” You nod encouragingly. “And, uh, they help me be keenly aware of my surroundings and help me react.”
“Meaning, you have times ten the reflexes?”
“…kinda?”
Recalling the almost incident earlier, it was amazing to know just how quick he responded before the inevitable. “That’s cool. I didn’t know spiders could do that.”
“Y-Yeah…” he could only reply, noting how pleased you were with his explanation, how your beating calmed him-
“If this were a comic book, then what you have would probably be the most overpowered ability of all. Still, thanks for telling and trusting me.”
Clearing his throat, he slowly approached you. “So, uh, what brings you here?”
“What, I can’t be here?”
“N-No- th-that’s not-“
Really, he was so cute with the stuttering and all.
“Are you always this awkward around people? Or just girls?”
You really reminded him of Tony Stark with your charm and quips.
“You’re kinda difficult to approach, I guess?”
“Oh, so, I’m a science problem now?”
Peter’s mouth gaped at that, at a loss what to say next. Which in turn, caused you to laugh, head pulled back.
“You’re cute, Peter Parker.” Hopping off the counter, you reached out to pinch his cheek before turning back to fetch the paper bags. “I brought burgers for Bucky and Wanda, sadly, they’re not here, wanna eat them?”
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Ever since the spider bite, life for Peter Parker was never the same. And it was probably a given to those who wielded great power, and now, he was one of them.
However, he would never imagine that because of that very spider bite, he’d be in leagues with people he’s admired for a while – the Avengers.
His life would forever change the moment Tony Stark sat in his apartment living room, chatting casually with his aunt, interrogated, and basically recruited him to his faction. Unofficially, that had marked his joining the Avengers.
But it was the Battle with Thanos months later that he was officially an Avenger, which later resulted in him dusting away for five years, then he came back for another fight for his life and the universe, they won but at the cost of Earth’s mightiest heroes. Months following after that were spent in constant fear and mourning that he tried to fight with his teenage life.
Funny thing was, just when he thought life was going his way, there’d always be something to nope him out of it. Mysterio, for one, hijacking his Europe trip and revealing his identity to the world.
For a while, his life was sure to spiral out of control and he’d be torn from his life. Nope.
Because he was an Avenger, not only was he backed by his colleagues, the government – what good half of it anyway, S.H I.E.L.D. and good civilians who were recipients of the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man’s kindness, the fear of his civilian life was protected and secured.
He just never expected that with becoming an Avenger, he’d have the chance to go places, experience new and exciting things, still be himself whilst growing up-
"Alright, little munchkin, open up!"
-and then there was meeting you, (Y/N) (L/N).
By blood, you were Pepper Potts-Stark’s niece-in-law, but by paper, you were practically her daughter/sister, more so as her trusty assistant.
Physically, you were three years his senior. Had the Snap not happened; however, he’d have been three years older than you. Still, he towers over you despite being the ‘littlest guy’ – as Sam would put it.
Using his heightened hearing, he followed after until the voices were closer, and he was standing by the doorway to the kitchen where you were.
You weren’t alone though. No, sitting by the counter, happily watching and smiling at you was little Morgan Stark.
It's a first for him to see you like this - in more casual, comfortable clothes, especially in shorts where he can see your legs. He had to pull himself out of it as he remembered that Morgan was there, singing some song as you sang with her.
It was a Disney song, he realized, from that one movie.
While the two of you were having a mini-concert, the smell of something being cooked filled the kitchen.
“Pasta,” he thought to himself, aloud.
“Peter!” the littlest Stark called from the counter, struggling to hop down, before you helped her down, tiny legs barreling towards him.
Anticipating her approach, he knelt to catch her in his arms, twirling as he entered the kitchen – the smell growing stronger.
“H-Hey, (Y/N),” he says to you, standing straighter.
Offering a smile, you turned back to check on the pasta sauce you were making. “Hey Peter,”
Unsure of what to say next, he lets Morgan play with his hair before coming up with a reply. “F-Fancy seeing you here,” he said lamely.
“Is that a bad thing?”
Realizing his mistake, he nearly drops Morgan, sputtering words. “T-That’s not- No! U-Um,” you were calmly stirring the pot, body turned to him, letting him know that you were listening. “I-I…It’s just, I’m not used to seeing you so casual…I guess?”
“Ah,”
Seriously, why was he so lame?
“It’s my day-off.” You say simply, switching the fire off. “And I make sure to use up my time keeping sane with the help of the world’s most adorable little girl, isn’t that right, Morgan?”
"Working too much is evil!"
"Sometimes I wonder where and how you learn these things," you mumble laughingly, head shaking. "must be a Stark thing."
He laughs with you in agreement. Morgan was scaringly too smart for her own good, clearly from her Stark genes.
"Most definitely a Stark thing," he agrees with you, laughing, eyes glued on your form as you hunt around the kitchen for something. "Need some help?"
"Ah, yeah." Pointing at the pot of sauce, you say. "Can you be a dear and bring that to that table over there?" with the same hand, you bring it back to the small dining table behind you, where plates and utensils sat. "Oh, and be sure to use mittens," you add, producing two kitschy kitchen mittens - one that was an embroidered goldfish, of some sort. "I'm not sure just how strong you are, but you can't be that strong against heat against metal."
"Ha ha, a science joke, I see." he says, taking the handle with both hands.
"It's not rocket science, silly." Holding a bowl full of pasta, you hastily grab a pair of tongs, before the two of you were walking towards the dining room. "Okay, there we go. Oh, just put it right here, Petey." you point at the empty coaster next to the pasta bowl, where he carefully lays it down. "Great, thanks!"
Hands on your hips, you admire your work, clasping both hands together before rubbing. "Okay, lunch is set! Now, where's my little Morgan?"
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It was almost too cliché and overused at this point, but nobody that deny that charity galas were almost always a selling point to earn the trust of the most esteemed, high-profile, and probably the snootiest people in the world- all of which, were Tony's words that he had told you years back.
You hated these kinds of events, but again, they sold off to the rich and the famous. And they were a great way to rub elbows with just about anybody.
Never leaving Pepper's side, the both of you welcomed in guests after guests, receiving warm regards from ambassadors, warding off leering looks from power-hungry businessmen, laughing with nobles and socialites, and being graced by esteemed guests. Honestly, you had to give it to Tony and Pepper for bearing with these lot, just being in the same room with them and inhaling their pricey perfumes made you feel ten times older.
When all was said and done, you rushed towards where the Avengers were - all of which were dressed to the nines, all looking like literal gods in a sea of mortals.
Laughingly, half of them seem to enjoy the festivities, some looked bored to death (but came for the chance of exposure), some looked uncomfortable, and mostly seem to just enjoy parading themselves.
It was easy to spot Peter Parker among them, being - as Sam put it - the littlest guy because the rest of the women were in heels.
Meeting your gaze, he lifts his hand into a tiny wave. Giggling, you winked and gave him a peace sign, before turning to a waiter offering drinks. Taking a flute from his tray, you were unaware of the boy's eyes locked on you as you clung to Pepper's side, wearing a polite smile that illuminated your face and the dress you were wearing.
It's just...You look pretty in that dress. Like, really pretty. Maybe prettier than usual
Well, you were always pretty to him whatever you wore - may it be office wear, casual wear, even a bean bag, but tonight, that dress made you look mature, exquisite, and divine. The makeup on your face highlighted some of your features quite well - not too much, but enough to really emphasize your cheeks, your lips, your eyes. And your hair was in a simple style but enhanced your look. Overall, again, you looked really pretty.
Too engrossed in his stare, he nearly jumped in place when Shang Chi came into his field of vision, smirking knowingly down at the young boy.
"That's an intense stare you got there, wanna go talk to her?" the newest Avenger asked, golden eyes alight with life.
"U-Uh...?" he sputtered, feeling the blood rush to his face, just as he saw your face light up - if possible, it made the whole place shine brighter - when Morgan ran up to you. Her dress was a poofier and lighter version of yours.
"No worries, little brother," whispered the man, smirk still in place as he watched you nuzzle Morgan's nose with yours. "I'm not telling."
Okay, he felt screwed.
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With all the glitz and glamour that filled and surrounded the life of one Tony Stark, it takes a certain amount of temperament and training to turn one so thick-skinned and fluent in the art of socializing from the regular folk to the nouveu riche to the beau-monde. Despite careful years of watching, observing, absorbing, and taking things into action, the results were the same: it was pretty exhausting.
You didn’t know how Tony did it, nor do you want to know. I mean, there were years of alcohol and therapy. Not to mention, his hands just itching to tinker.
Pepper fared in the best way she could. Seriously, she was the personification of the phrase, ‘grace under pressure’.
Well, maybe until she has someone she can finally rip apart.
Having excused yourself from the scene, you desperately needed to be away from all the glitzy fanfare – too much of it might actually render you insane.
You find yourself in what seems to be a lounge area. There were plants, paintings, some comfortable sofas. Music could be heard from the gala nearby, but here it came as a gentle thrum and hum.
“How’s the party going?” someone asked.
You whipped your head around, searching, finding an old man sitting by one of the sofas.
Putting on a smile – tired, but polite, you say. “Well, it’s still going,” he laughs at that. “Starks’ legacy continues to fill the night. Hopefully, it’ll end well for business and pleasure.”
He laughs again, a gentle, hearty laugh. “Well, that’s a relief. And quite the expectation.”
“Well,” you didn’t mean to sigh so heavily, brows raised slightly. “it is what it is.”
Nodding at the older man, you were just about to find a balcony only to stop in your footsteps.
Slowly, very slowly, you looked back to the lone soul sitting by the sofa – sharply dressed, small, frail, but his posture said otherwise, as did his smile.
And his eyes.
Suddenly, you realized why that old man with astoundingly baby blue eyes with a kind smile looked familiar. You were careful in your approach, as to not bring any attention. "Mr. Rogers?"
Familiarity radiated off his features as he took you in, the same familiar smile on his face. "Hi, (Name),"
"Hi..." you said back in awe, unsure what to do, or say.
"Wow, you're so big now." Baby blue eyes take you in, so warm and threatening to swallow you whole. "And you used to be the littlest thing."
Memories flash of a younger you meeting the famed war hero, Tony by your side. His dashingly, boyishly handsome face. Walks around the compound or the park with his gentle hands in yours. Warm hugs after a bad day at school. The sad look in his eyes when he left the compound. Regret, guilt, and sadness during Tony's burial-
"Come sit by me," he invites, patting the spot next to him.
That seemed to snap you back to your current time, forcing your legs to move. One step becomes two, then three, until you were next to him, (e/c) eyes not leaving his now small and frail form. A far cry from the hulking teddy bear of a man you're used to.
Gentle music from the gala filled in the silence, which just dragged on.
Steve smiled, simply smiling by the silence, blissfully knowing your state of confusion by his presence. But he was content, to say the least, to share the silence with you.
This man, Steve Rogers to many, known as Captain America to all, but to you – and a select few, he was more than that.
In spite of what happened – Ultron, Sokovia, their Civil War, Thanos, this man meant a lot to you, had a special place in your heart that rivalled only to Tony Stark.
"You know,” you said slowly. “Pepper never blamed you...after everything that had happened."
Turning to you, his eyes widened slightly. "Did she now?"
You nod, earrings dangling with you. "It was inevitable, ever since Tony was kidnapped and Iron Man happened. Since the moment those two fell in love, and the Avengers came to be." Breaking into a short laugh, you added. “Maybe even before you and I joined in the mix.”
"Did you blame me?" he asked you, suddenly, his baby blue eyes, though faded with age still held so much emotion. 
That question would've been easier to answer then - after months of seeing Pepper and Tony's relationship in turmoil, Pepper in tears, Tony's PTSD, Rhodey's injury, Happy's added stress, the death of the closest thing to a father you'll ever have - but now, all things considered, and with Tony's annoying way of rubbing off you, you knew your answer now.
"No. I don't think I could." You reply, smiling softly at him. "Plus, you remember his speech, right? 'Part of the journey is the end'? Somewhere, deep inside his clusterfuck of a brain, he knew that his death was something he feared very much yet knew would put things into perspective."
"You are Tony's girl alright,"
You scoff, ducking shyly, comforted by his words. "Adopted, maybe."
Lifting your head, it felt like you were young again, meeting Steve Rogers for the first time. Except this time, there was no Tony by your side, but you took comfort in knowing that the phantom comforting chill running down your spine was him.
Steve smiled, one that reached his eyes.
"It's so good to see you again, (Name)."
"Me, too." Eyes misting as you broke into a huge grin, it really felt like you were a kid again.
And it that moment, he couldn't help but feel the same.
"Would you care to indulge this man with a dance?"
"I would love to."
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(E/c) eyes wandered about to all the couples that had gathered on the dance floor, humming to the beat of the music – jazz, was it? Maybe something gypsy-like? Do they even allow those kinds of music to be played? Soft jazz, maybe.
The music was gentle, soothing, fitting for the event. It was enough to make your heart settle, after a long, engaging, and rather exciting night.
And It was probably far from over.
From where you stood, the second floor balcony that overlooked the whole area, a rather grand view as though you were some lord. But no, you just needed a breather, to slow down the night that was far from over.
Behind you, someone cleared their throat, rather loudly to catch your attention.
Looking over your shoulder, you find that it was Peter. "Y-You...uh, you look really nice, (Name).”
Lips quirked up, you reply. "Thank you, Peter. This is all Pepper. And, well, Maria." After much thought, fingers smoothing over the fabric of your dress, you added, with a pained smile. "And Morgan. Wanda. Sam. Bucky." You tick their name one by one with your fingers.
"Mr. Wilson and Mr. Barnes?" he was stood next to you now.
"They convinced me to come, after much protest. Morgan picked my dress, really."
"You sound so out of place." His brown eyes search yours. To be at the receiving end of those eyes of his, such big, kind, and warm eyes, made you feel all sorts of funny.
"Oh, trust me, I am. This isn't my scene, y'see, also because I don't really go to these kinds of events. I'm more used to being behind the scenes, working back, or doing my homework while everyone partied." A certain memory roused from the back of your brain, making you chuckle sadly. Having sensed this, thanks to this spider senses, Peter looked up. "Tony," shucks, the mention of his name still hurts. "he would annoy the hell outta me, Pepper, too," she chuckled, almost garbled by the emotions thick in her throat. "but both never forced me if I didn't want to. Sometimes, they'd finish up extra early and bring home junk food to keep me company." Finishing with a sigh, she looked out the dancing couples before her eyes landed on a familiar strawberry blonde woman effortlessly elegant in her own right, ethereal under this light, but ever so heartbreakingly lonely and painful to look at.
Peter followed your gaze, swallowing thickly at that.
"Sorry you had to hear that sob story," you says, in an attempt to lighten the mood, quirking into an easy expression.
Downstairs, the music peaks up, a new song being played.
"Well, to make up for it, do you want to take your mind off it with a dance?"
That made you jump, turning to the younger boy, who was red in the face but had that look of determination in his boyishly handsome face.
You had to chuckle at that, heartily. "Wow, you're good. But okay."
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Bucky didn't like it - that little punk was crushing on (Name). Bad.
Thing was, she was pretty oblivious to this. Bucky didn’t like that either. As much as she was Stark's girl, when it comes to things concerning her, it just passed off like the wind. Or maybe water. No, oxygen. Point is, she'd never know unless it was pointed out.
“If you look any harder, the kid’s head might combust.” A voice says next to him, belonging to a familiar blonde – Sharon Carter.
The Winter Soldier made a noise in his throat, eyes cold. "I don't like the way that kid's looking at her,"
"Make you think of Becca, Buck?" Steve asks, humor in his tone.
“Shut up, punk.”
“Well,” Sam appears, elbows on the railing, faint smile quirking his lips. “they are kinda cute.”
Well, fine, they are kinda cute together.
“Good luck trying to tell her that, though.”
But he won’t say it out loud.
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