#but when you're a loner when people think you're cool or pretty makes them think you think you're too good for them

[jellieland]

(Spoilers for. Real life?? I guess???)

---

Five figures stand, solemn, at the celestial summit of nowhere. They discuss matters of great import, and observe the fragile gossamer thread that is all that surrounds them, and-

Oh. No, nope, nevermind. They're just arguing again, aren't they.

"-don't know what you expect ME to do about it!" snaps the Red One.

"I don't know, Grian, how about literally anything?" asks the Scarlet Moon, raising an eyebrow.

"I mean, you could at least tell us what's going on out there," says the Ruby Star. "I don't think that's too much to ask, Grian."

"Riiight, like that'll help," says the Bloody Victor, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, for goodness sake, Martyn, do you have to make this difficult every single time?" snaps the Red One. "Anyway, we've got loads of time to work this out. It's only just started, even if it was a bit earlier than I thought it would be," he grumbles, irritated.

"Oh! Look!" calls the Coquelicot Loner, from where he is peering away from their circle at something that would look, to anyone but the five present, entirely indistinguishable from any other patch of the universe. "They must be done! Someone's coming!"

"What?" The Red One frowns. "Don't be ridiculous, Scar, there's no way-"

A brilliant beam of starlight shoots down from the heavens, and tears through their little circle like a formula one car cutting through the middle of a picnic.

It leaves behind...

Huh.

What. What is that.

There is... a. Person? But the proportions are all wrong, nothing this world has ever seen before. The limbs are mismatched, twisted, not quite connected. The movement is... disturbingly smooth, except when it jerks and jumps at seemingly random moments.

Whatever they are, they regain their balance, look around, and... laugh. "Oh, hey guys!" they say. "You know, I really didn't think this counted. But here we are, I guess!"

"Mom?" says the Coquelicot Loner, squinting at her. "Why are you short?"

"Oh my god, Scar, you can't just ask people why they're short," says the Ruby Star, apparently on autopilot.

"Yeah, and, uh, not to be rude, but more like why are you an eldrich horror? But, like, more so than usual?" says the Bloody Victor, backing up and looking rather alarmed.

They raise an eyebrow. "Oh, we're doing this now, are we?" They shake their head. "You know what this is perfectly well. We did another game, and I won. Deeply surprising, I know, but here we are!"

The Scarlet Moon tilts her head. "I mean, not that it's not nice to have you here, I guess, but that seemed real quick for a whole game, Cleo."

"Yes, thank you Pearl," says the Red One, narrowing his eyes. "I quite agree. Just how violent WAS this one that it's already finished? And WHY was I not informed?"

Cleo laughs. "To be honest I don't think anyone expected it to matter. And, I mean, sure it was violent, they always are, but it was all pretty light-hearted to be honest! Not a lot of drama, you know." She looks around, and seems to remember something. "Oh, Scott, I let a zombie kill you at the end! Sorry about that, I didn't realise quite how low you were. It was pretty funny, though."

The Ruby Star blinks, and shrugs. "I mean, fair enough. Hey, that means Divorce Quartet is all here, now!"

The Coquelicot Loner squints. "...Does that make you my stepdad, Scott?"

"No," says Cleo.

"God no," says the Ruby Star. "For, just, so many reasons."

"Yeah, I am not doing that again," says Cleo.

"So... So, hang on," says the Red One. "You're saying, in your game, it was all just. Cool and fine and calm. No pain or blood or sacrifice. No agonising entangled web of alliances. No cold-blooded, cold-hearted backstabbing?"

("Hey!" says the Bloody Victor.)

"I mean there was plenty of blood, technically. And Martyn did sort of try to stab everyone in the back and then run away."

("...Yeah, ok, fine," says the Bloody Victor.)

"But no, not much emotional turmoil, all in all! It was pretty chill, really!" They glance around the circle. "It was nice to see Ren again, too! I think he was off roleplaying with Martyn most of the time, though."

"I'm going to kill you," says the Bloody Victor, despairingly. "How is that fair?!"

"Life isn't fair," says the Scarlet Moon.

"Oh, you-"

"Can you shut up for five minutes," snaps the Red One.

As the bickering continues, the Coquelicot Loner and Ruby Star sidle up to Cleo, avoiding her wavering, eldritch outline.

"So!" says the Coquelicot Loner. "How's dad?"

Cleo gives him a look. "Scar," they say.

He holds up his hands. "Ok, ok! Just asking!"

She shakes her head, not without affection. "Is this really all you do here? Just stand around and irritate each other?"

"No!" says the Coquelicot Loner, seemingly deeply offended.

"Yeah, pretty much," says the Ruby Star.

"Ok well that's stupid," says Cleo.

"Yes," says the Red One, having extricated himself from the continuing altercation between the other two. "This is extremely stupid." He claps his hands, drawing everyone's attention and finally ending the argument, for now. "All in favour of erasing the past few minutes from existence and pretending none this ever happened?"

"Aye," says everyone but Cleo.

"What," says Cleo.

"It means you get to go home and you don't have to stands around in a circle with us lot for the rest of eternity," says the Scarlet Moon.

"Oh. Yeah, definitely do that," says Cleo.

"Wonderful," says the Red One, and clicks his fingers.

...

Five figures stand, solemn, at the celestial summit of nowhere. They discuss matters of great import, and observe the fragile gossamer thread that is all that surrounds them, and-

The Coquelicot Loner speaks. "Well, that was fun, wasn't it! Do you-"

"I thought we just agreed that didn't happen, Scar," snaps the Red One.

Oh, ok. Alright, they're arguing again.

Yeah, we probably don't have to stick around and listen to this any longer, either. I don't expect it's going to change anytime soon.

#real life smp #life series #grian #pearlescentmoon #scott smajor #martyn inthelittlewood #goodtimeswithscar #zombiecleo #my writing #trafficfic

[justsome-di]

The Fairest of All Stars Should Be Your Next Read: a presentation by Di, the author

The Fairest of All Stars is my most recent project! A sapphic romance, pirates, sirens--god, what else can someone ask for?

Stars is a fun, short novel. It's currently only being posted on Patreon, but you'll be able to read it for free soon(ish). This isn't an ad for my Patreon, I promise. It's just my system.

If you're not super into fantasy but like some elements from the genre--this is good for you. There's no big magic systems or other worlds, but there is lore behind the sirens.

You'll be able to read it for free in 2024:

On Patreon (join for free)

On AO3

Right here on Tumblr!

It'll be a good time.

Transcript of presentation under cut:

What's it about?

Are you in the mood for some lesbian pirate/siren romance? Of course you are! When are you not?

So, listen, we have Andy. Everyone’s favorite gremlin. She’s the captain of a pirate ship, recovering from not so great tropical fever that wiped out a good chunk of her crew.

One night, her ship comes across a siren tangled in fishing net, not doing so hot. Andy takes her aboard and while the siren recovers, learns a lot about her.

But uh-oh Andy is wanted by a Navy Captain, and he manages to find her ship after years of hunting.

--

Okay tell me about Andy and Syan

Andy:

Never meant to be pirate captain but here she is. Living the dream (not really).

Andy trusts very few people. Despite being brilliant, a brutal fighter and cutthroat at sea, she has a hard time running her crew.

Syan:

The runt of the litter. Not as strong as the rest of her choir, she got left behind during an encounter with fishermen.

She’s curious but prone to bad moods. She’s a loner looking for a place to belong.

--

More about them

Andy panicked years ago while cornered by Captain Bettridge and stabbed him through the hand. She’s been hoping to get her knife back ever since. Bettridge really wants her dead, though, so she has to be careful.

Syan and Andy would be pretty badass in normal circumstances but they’re poor little meow meows in this story

There’s another cool guy. His name is Pinkey. He’s the ship’s gunner. You guys will like him, I promise. He’s Syan’s bff.

Syan and Andy are immediately attracted to each other. Andy is a monster-fucker and Syan is into messy women who are hoarders and misplace everything under piles of junk.

--

Okay but tell me more about the story

Set in the Golden Age of Piracy, Andy and her crew come face to face with danger--mythical and imperialistic. There’ll be sword fighting and gun-wielding and all sorts of adventure.

It’s not really found-family, either, it’s more of like found tolerance.

Is this well-researched? No. Not really. But it’s fantasy, and it’s fun. We can make some excuses here and there.

--

*whispers* is there lesbian sex?

yes of course there’s lesbian sex you think Andy is going to pass up on that opportunity?

--

Can I read this anywhere?

Right now, the only place to read bi-weekly updates is my Patreon--but I promise this isn’t an ad for my Patreon.

I’ll be posting it for free once a substantial amount is up on Patreon. You’ll be able to find it on AO3, Tumblr, and you’ll be able to see it for free on Patreon once I made it public.

Keep your eye out for it! btw, you can also join my Patreon for free and get notifications for when the story goes public.

#writeblr #writblr #original writing #queer fiction #writing #writing community #original work #andy and syan #the fairest of all stars

[ozzy-boy]

Scale love languages <3 i love him sm

-I fully believe that Scale has never dated anyone before you. So I honestly don't think he would know what he does/doesn't like until you start dating for real. It's a learning process for you both.

-Scale has spent a lot of time in the mindset that assassins don't have time for love or relationships. Assassins are loners. Assassins don't need anyone but themselves.

-So he's never really understood the point of dating and falling in love. You mean there's people out there who put their heart on the line? Who are vulnerable with other people?? On purpose????? Nope. No thanks. He's not interested.

-...Until you come along, of course. You certainly know how to shake things up, don't you?

-He tries for a long time to pretend that he's indifferent about you- as if you totally aren't completely rocking his world. Although, most of his apprehension just comes from paranoia/trying way too hard to seem cool.

-Once it finally gets through his head... He becomes a big fan of physical touch.

-It takes him some time to get used to, but he ends up really enjoying it. But only when the two of you are completely alone because he doesn't want the other assassins in his clan to make fun of him for being soft. No PDA for you.

-Just wants to lay his head on your shoulder and nap after a long mission. Likes it when you play with his hair

-Sleeping in the same bed comes with challenges, though. Some of those 'dragon' instincts stick around... One of them being laying on top of anything important to him like a hoard. This includes you. Expect Scale to lay on top of you in the middle of the night only to vehemently deny it in the morning.

-He likes taking you by surprise by sneaking up on you and then suddenly wrapping you up in a hug. He claims it's so that he can keep his stealth skills sharp, but it's actually just because he thinks you're cute.

-Surprisingly soft. He grows to really enjoy just cuddling and being close with you.

-He likes receiving words of affirmation, but he's really bad at returning the favor.

-For the most part, Scale is kinda cagey about admitting how he feels out loud.

-He can compliment your appearance just fine. You're hot, but that's obvious. Anyone with eyes can see that so it's not hard for him to point out. Very casual with compliments.

-But when it comes to actual feelings??? It's like pulling fucking teeth omg.

-How is he supposed to admit that your smile makes him feel warm and gooey inside??? That you've touched every aspect of his being and changed his life irreversibly? How can he tell you just how much he admires your bravery for sticking by his side even though it's dangerous? For loving him despite the blood on his hands?

-It's hard for him to be sincere with his feelings (For fear of being perceived as lame), and usually when he does admit it he's pretty blunt about it. It's kind of like he's trying to get it out and over with as fast as possible. (it's endearing though)

-Beneath the cool assassin persona he's... actually pretty lame. He's a total dork, but he doesn't seem to understand that that's something you love about him. He's really worried that you'll end up thinking he's boring and leaving, which is why he tries to hard to maintain this 'cool' persona.

-So, when you're upfront and tell him that you like him for who he is... Well, it makes him really happy.

-Good luck with gift giving. He sucks at it.

-What the hell do normal people like??? Do people these days still like healing potions?? Ancient scrolls? He has no idea!

-He's the type that will lament for days about what to get you for birthdays/anniversaries.

-I hope you like cool knives and daggers because that's what you're getting unless you tell him something specific.

-He's kind of indifferent about receiving gifts. Sure, he likes and appreciates it, but it's not the object itself that he cares about. It's more the fact that you know him well enough to get something that he really likes and that makes him feel fuzzy.

-His favorite love language is probably quality time.

-He works so much. Please help him relax.

-Scale feels most at ease when you're just hanging out together. He always has fun no matter what you're doing. Hell, he's content to just follow you around while you do stuff.

-Will trail behind you while you do chores, chatting about this or that.

-He loves doing activities together. Scale forgot during assassin training how fun normal people things could be! The two of you will have very frequent dates doing all sorts of things.

-No matter what it is, he's down. Berry picking? Sure! Laser tag? Hell yeah! Mini golf? Say no more!

-You've really opened his eyes in a lot of ways, but he especially appreciates you teaching him to let loose and have some fun instead of always thinking about work.

-He may struggle with words and gifts, but Scale is incredible at acts of service.

-Scale will do anything for you. Absolutely anything. Need someone dead? He's your guy! He won't even charge you for his services!

-Since he's still figuring out this whole 'love' business, it'll help if you lowkey give him orders. Telling him exactly what you want him to do makes things a lot easier for him.

-Sometimes he'll just linger around you like he's waiting to receive an order. Won't think twice about doing anything you ask. He likes to feel helpful and needed.

-He's the type to be snarky and say no if you ask him to get you something, while actively getting that thing.

-"Scale, can you get me some water?" "No." (He's already halfway to the kitchen.)

-What can I say, he's eager to please. To him, little acts of service are the easiest way for him to really show that he loves you. He doesn't take orders from just anyone, after all.

#scale blush blush #scale #blush blush #blush blush game #ozzy writing #blush blush scale

[love-toxin]

my ass is craving for male! angel face who's in the basketball team and is flirty little shit who's a perv with a perv! bully! Eddie

teehee....flirty male angelface my love.....

pretty boy

(cws: bully!perv!eddie, flirty!jock!m!angelface, homophobia, "freak" used in the homophobic sense, violence/fighting, bruises, one shower trope [kinda], clothes stealing, bullying, eddie's got a staring problem, angel's kind of a charming loner.)

you're kind of an anomaly--you're pretty well-liked, and the girls just flock to you most of the time, but you don't really date or have many friends. of course, that just maximizes the intrigue for the ladies, but you're really not too worried about them....not that they or most people really know that. on the other hand, despite being one of the better basketball players in Hawkins, your team absolutely despises you. Sinclair's pretty much the only one who doesn't, he's a pretty cool kid and you've enjoyed giving him some pointers now and again, but Jason and the rest of them often like to throw names your way and do their best to keep you on the bench as much as possible. if you weren't the one getting them through most of the finals, you'd probably just quit, and the coach wouldn't be begging you to stay--you really only do it cause you like it, and it's a way to pass the time.

of course, the most pressing reason they hate you is cause you're different--you're a freak, and they make sure you remember that every time they force you to wait outside until they're all done showering and changing. and yet you're rarely ever really alone when you finally get off the bench with a sigh and walk in, the empty changing room squeaking to life when you flip on the shower to wash off. if it wasn't for Eddie, they'd probably never suspect you, and you could get through your second try of your last year in peace--you probably wouldn't be on your second try in the first place.

but you have to be honest with yourself. at the end of the day, you haven't really done much to keep him away. you like the attention, but you only really like it from him--including when you feel his eyes on your back as you rub soap down your arms. for all his chains and buttons and leather, the man moves like a damn panther when he doesn't want to be heard.

"if you wanna beat me up, take a number. I already got my ass kicked once today." you chuckle, knowing he's closer than you think if you can feel him staring so intensely, as you call out into the echoey locker room. "unless you're just here to steal my clothes, in which case you're gonna have to figure out my new locker combo. try your birthday, babe." you smile to yourself, knowing you're earning yourself a higher place on Eddie's shit list the more you tease him. although, to be frank, you're pretty much the only name on that list in the first place.

the silence creeps in closer, hanging in the background of the hail of warm water hitting your body and the cold tiles under your feet. there's not even an ounce of shuffling that you can hear, and it dampens your smile until you find yourself scowling at the silver shower handle in front of you.

"they asked about you, y'know." you say with a sobering voice, lathering your body wash in a rougher manner than you need to between your hands. "last time they beat me up. asked if I was gonna go suck you off after practice for your devil rituals."

people's opinions don't generally bother you, you try not to let them--it's one of the reasons why you're such a target, especially for Eddie, who's always trying to get a reaction out of you. he loves it when you show even an inkling of losing your cool, of snapping back at him, but he rarely gets the passionate response that he really wants. so he keeps pushing, pushing, pushing, until it takes all you have to grit your teeth and smile so you don't punch him right in that stupid, pretty face.

"....you know, you really don't make my life easy, you prick." you huff. "but by all means, take what you want. go show it off to your shitty little friends at satan worship club."

you can't imagine he does anything else with the things of yours he steals, other than pawn them off or keep them for whatever reason. you'd feel more violated if he didn't occasionally sneak them back into your locker or your backpack--always washed, which just makes you more concerned than angry.

".....Eddie?" you call out again, leaning back and searching the space you can see from where you stand, a twinge of panic shooting through you at the uncanny silence. if he was watching you, he'd usually make himself known at some point--and now you fear it might not be him, and goosebumps rise to your skin at the thought that some of your team members are waiting in the wings to dish out more humiliating punishment. and if they've been listening to what you've said when you thought you were talking to Eddie, you really fear for yourself. but just as you're reaching to turn the handle and shut off the water, a sudden thud makes you jump and then there's someone standing in the doorway between the shower block and the locker room.

that messy mop of hair gives it away immediately, a towel wrapped round his waist that comes off as he approaches the showerhead right next to yours and turns it on. you catch Eddie's grin from your peripheral as you go from gawking openly at him showing up to averting your eyes when he strips himself bare, so used to avoiding even the appearance of impropriety around other guys that it's just habit--even though Eddie's staring pretty obviously when you manage to look him in the eyes. the wash of water pouring over his head mats down his curls and accentuates the distinct features of his face, as well as the ink contrasting his fair skin that seems to crop up everywhere you dare to look.

"devil rituals, huh? clever." his smile doesn't reach his eyes, those big, brown beauties betraying something that chills you a little when they're directed at you. he goes about washing himself off, but he's clearly distracted--and so are you, rendered speechless even when he steals a bit of your body wash and rubs it down his chest, staring off into the distance as you try to focus on doing the same. it's strange. oddly domestic, showering next to each other.....and Eddie keeps glancing back in the direction of the door, seemingly keeping his ears perked for any sounds outside the norm. "....that where the bruises came from?"

he asks it so casually you almost do a double take, but thinking better of it, you keep yourself fixed on one of the random floor tiles as the answer just dribbles out of you.

"getting 'beat up'....that was a little dramatic. they just kinda....throw me around. can't break their star player's arm, y'know." you laugh without a shred of humour behind it, running through the events of this morning behind the school like they just happened. it's always just a little scuffle, some pushing and shoving and sometimes a punch thrown, it's mostly the jeers that hurt--and you know better than to fight back, lest they flex that power they have to make sure nobody believes you over them. you're associated with Eddie Munson, after all.

you rub over one of the bruises on your ribs, hissing sharply but quietly at the ache as your fingers graze it. doesn't help that your teammates, save Sinclair, thoroughly enjoy elbowing you or tossing the ball hard enough that those spots hurt even more during practice. and Eddie notices, as he always does, even though you'd never think he would.

"let's get one thing straight," Eddie turns his gaze to yours, and pierces you straight to the bone. it's weird, you don't really get close to a lot of people, but Eddie always seems to be able to read you like nobody else could. "it's no fun to dogpile someone that's already on the ground. it's just depressing."

he flicks his wet hair over his shoulder, and you follow the motion it makes as it drapes over his shoulder and down his back. he's not really that hairy, aside from the smattering of hair down his stomach that leads to--you shake your head free of where you're tempted to look, though the thought doesn't wrestle free from your mind and won't for a while. without a reply, Eddie rinses the rest of the soap off that he's lathered around that area, and thinks hard before he speaks again.

"where's the fun in pushing you around if you're just going through the motions? besides, you look so pathetic when you're lonely." lonely. does he really think that way? does he know how often you lay awake in the mornings, knowing what's coming in the day ahead, and wishing you weren't so much of a freak that you could have some friends to rely on when things get too hard to deal with?

"so you're keeping me company?" you test, sharing another look that he keeps locked so you don't even think you could break it if you tried.

"nothing of the sort." he smirks as he takes stock of your body one more time, from the toes to the top of your head. "I'm just enjoying the view."

with that, he shuts off his own shower, and pads away without a second glance to leave you watching his back, up until he turns the corner to the lockers and disappears. with a bit of shuffling and shifting clothes, you listen closely until his shoes thump against the floor and the door opens, before slowly creaking shut with a final thunk.

"so you are a freak." you speak aloud to nobody but yourself, a chuckle coming off your lips borne of nothing but disbelief. you just have to roll your eyes as you turn the handle on your own shower, but there's a grin you can't hide creeping across your lips as the spout sputters to an end and you wrap your towel round your hips, before following where Eddie had gone and approaching the lockers around the corner. but when you see what he left for you, you grimace.

"oh, you asshole."

your locker door left open and empty, your bag sits clearly rummaged through on the bench, one of your socks having fallen to the floor while the rest of your clothes are missing. and when you pull it open all the way to see if there's anything to salvage your dignity other than a measly towel, you're met with a very familiar logo as you lean over it.

sitting crumpled and half-folded, but very clearly smoothed out so you wouldn't miss it, is Eddie's Hellfire shirt. pushing it aside, you see the jeans he must've been wearing today rolled up underneath. no underwear to speak of, although you're not sure you'd wanna wear his anyways. with everyone else gone, you have no other options--so you're forced to don the sweaty clothes that reek of cigarettes and weed, but even moreso, they reek of Eddie. part of you wonders, as you huff and gather your things together to beat a hasty retreat out of the school, whether people will notice that Eddie's wearing your clothes too. maybe they'll wonder....

whatever. you need to get out of here, and you sling your bag over your shoulder before hurrying out the door and shoving your hands in pockets that aren't yours, tilting your head down and hoping nobody spots you--but just as you're at the doors that lead out to your car, you hear someone's voice down the semi-empty hall; what sounds like a very familiar freshman squabbling with someone.

"Eddie, what the hell?! if you're gonna make me cover for you, at least come back on time! and where's your shirt? why's your hair wet?"

"nunya, Henderson. let's get going."

and when you turn to look, there's Eddie, looming over his protégé with that same award-winning smile--the two of them turn to walk down the hall towards their clubroom, but before they duck in through the door, Eddie turns his head over his shoulder to lock eyes with you, completely knowingly. he runs his stare over your body one more time, clearly enjoying how you fill out his clothes as he mouths the words "pretty boy", and winks in your direction before vanishing through the doorway and closing it behind him.

he's one to talk, he's really one to talk--looking so much softer in your sweater and acid-wash jeans, so cute, that you have to cover the flickering smile you've got at the compliment with your hand as you step out into the chilly air, and feel your still-damp skin prickle as the breeze hits it while you walk to your car.

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #bully!eddie munson #eddie's angelface #male angelface #st 4 #stranger things #ellie writes #anons

[inconsistentlywrittensoul]

Halloween:

"This Whole Episode Smacks Of Gender" I holler as I smash Janus' statue on the ground and turn Buffy back into an actual character

Xander's plotline seems to recognise the problem with his masculine insecurities, but resolves itself by satisfying those insecurities rather than overcoming them. Luckily, this is a problem that will never appear again in the series.

Willow dying and becoming a ghost really feels like it should be forshadowing for something later in the series. Like, if she died at some point, we'd look back at this episode and be like 'Ah, the seeds were being planted even back then.' But nope - it forshadows nothing, she's just a sexy ghost for the episode.

I have to interpret Giles' face when he hears the costume shop is Ethan's as less "Oh, fuck" and more "Oh, for fuck's sake." Like, he legitimately can't believe he's still dealing with this asshole.

Also, he really didn't need to beat Ethan up to find out how to end the curse. I mean, "smash the statue"? You always have to smash the statue! Or the staff, or maybe the orb. He really could have worked it out on his own - I think he just wanted to give Ethan a bit of a kicking.

I'm a little mixed on the Ripper retcon. It comes out of nowhere, 'this man of tweed was actually a cool badass with a mysterious past' feels like a cheap way to add darkness to the character, and Giles' more interesting moments of darkness always come more from his position as a Watcher than in conflict with it. However, the show never leans too hard on the whole 'Ripper' thing, so rather than overtaking his character it just adds texture to it, something that is very needed as we move out of Season 1 and characters are growing depth beyond their initial archetypes. So I do think it's a good thing, but I'm glad it isn't taken further and ultimately remains a fairly minor part of the character.

Buffy. you're really just going to let Spike just run away? Not even gonna try to chase after him? I know he's a recurring character who can't die here, but you need to at least pretend that you don't know that. Still, I do think it's interesting that Spike already seems to be defined by his willingness to just hit the bricks the moment things aren't going his way. As much as he's supposed to be the current Big Bad, he's already being presented as a bit pathetic - he can be dangerous, sure, but in a pragmatic, human way, rather that a terrifying intimidating force that Big Bads tend to represent.

Finally, Angel seduces Buffy by calling other women 'simpering morons', and insisting that she's Not Like them. It's not great from a feminist perspecive, but looking at it from a character perspective this really feels like Liam coming out - and that makes sense! He's spent most of his ensouled unlife avoiding people, not really growing as a person or learning how to be better. He's only started being a person again since he came to Sunnydale, and he's not good at it - so he falls back on old habits, as Liam or even as Angelus, especially when he's trying not to seem like the awkward, barely functional weirdo he actually is inside. I'm think I'm enjoying his character a lot more on this rewatch now I see through his cool badass loner exterior to the dear little rat boy underneath.

(It is weird how invested Willow is in their relationship though - it's like Xander is with Riley. And I'm pretty sure she's barely spent any time with him. Buffy's friends are just really weird about her love life.)

#makes me glad Fuffy was never canon #if it had been #you know at least one of Buffy's friends would be weirdly invested in their relationship #and make it feel weird #... maybe Giles this time? #btvs #btvs rewatch #Halloween #it's honestly strange how well Angel and Spike's characterisation fits with later developments #like I know their arcs weren't planned at all #but everything they're doing now fits with what we find out later #and Spike having his minions videotape Buffy's slaying is legitimately hilarious now

[polyghostfacehours]

pretty sure this would count as a controversial scream opinion (<- opinion!): i think a lot of people forget that billy and Stu were 18 in scream. they’re definitely assholes with issues (who planned and carried out murder… yikes) but it needs to be stressed that they were practically still kids at the time. i genuinely don’t think their characters are as deep are people think them to be. theyre fucked up assholes but most of their attitude comes from them being privileged kids with mental shit and too much time in their hands. i think my conclusion is that they’re rich californian teens that are stupider and more more impulsive than they’re portrayed. they not cool and calculated they’re inexperienced and emotion driven. still murdery tho lol oops.

Nah, but you're so right.

Their plan sucked, their logic sucked, and they themselves aren't geniuses. Billy himself calls himself stupid when Sid runs away from him bc he realized he might have just fucked up getting her to sleep with him later lmao. Stu almost blows their cover. It's all very telling of their immature mindset.

I do notice a lot of fics make Billy this really deep, angry-yet-introspective loner, which is fine though, bc even though I personally dont see him that way, it's a valid interpretation of his inner psyche since we dont really get to see much of it in Scream. We don't know exactly how much of his personality is an act and what wasnt (The teddy bear scene was genuine and you can pry that hc out of my cold dead hands 😤).

My versions of Billy and Stu are 21+ though, so I give them more leeway to be a bit more cautious and clever than an 18 year old would be. Honestly @mehbzz and @msookyspooky 's series both exemplify their immaturity to a T (and in different ways too!), so I highly recc their writing if you want some really close-to-canon renditions of Billy and Stu!

#billy loomis #stu macher #poly ghostface #billy loomis x reader #stu macher x reader #controversial scream opinions

[writing-oof]

At Least It's Not Evil Capitalism (TM)

Day Four: (Design Wheel!) I got Modern Technoblade, so I raise you with Future!Technoblade living in a Modern World while having Time Traveled to save the world Featuring Twin!Wilbur and Criminal!Quackity

TW: mention of weapons, implied violence (it's pretty chill though)

Technoblade has no idea who this guy is. He's pretty sure, almost one hundred percent certain, that he's never seen this dude in his life.

He says as much, but the guy only seems to buckle down.

"We're twins," he says, gesturing between the two of them, "We're practically identical!"

The guy does kind of have a point, as much as he hates to admit it. Technoblade frowns.

"When was your birthday?" he asks, scouring his unlikely-twin's face for a single feature that seems out of place.

"July third," his possibly-twin says and Technoblade frowns a little more.

"What are your parents' names?" he asks, because there's no way.

The other guy blinks, then breaks out into a grin. "I didn't mean literally twins! Do we really have the same birthday?"

Technoblade nods and his definitely-not-twin points out, "That's sure a coincidence."

The guy shakes his head in disbelief. "What next? You're a secret time traveler sent to save the world?"

Technoblade freezes.

How the hell--

Before he can panic about the government having a plant in a high school, the guy starts talking.

"Relax," he says, which is pretty ridiculous given Technoblade's circumstances that he's apparently aware of, "You left your notebook in the library. Sounds like a pretty cool story."

Technoblade breathes an inaudible sigh of relief.

"It's personal," Techno says, frowning.

The other guy makes a face, looking sheepish. "My bad?" he offers, holding out the aforementioned notebook, and Technoblade rolls his eyes.

"Whatever," he says, because that seems to be a pretty common word in the 2020s.

Technoblade grabs his book and turns to leave, but stops short when the guy seems to want to keep talking to him.

"Uh..listen," the guy says, "I know you're new and all, so I figured you probably don't have a partner for the Econ project next week."

"Econ?" Technoblade asks, because the people at this school already think he's a hermit. Better than the truth.

"Economics," the guy says, seeming please Technoblade hasn't run away screaming yet. Now that he thinks about it, he doesn't think he's seen this guy with anyone other than that loud first year. Thesus, or something.

Actually, Techno's pretty sure that's just what he decided to call the kid, if he's remembering the right brash blonde.

Either way, a loner could be a pretty good source for Techno, later. If he knows anything, it's that the quiet ones always know more than they should.

He must have taken too long to respond, because when he looks up the guy looks crestfallen.

"What's the project?" he asks, and the guy seems to light up, giving Techno a brief synopsis of something that sounds way too complicated for him.

Capitalism.

Techno bites back a scowl.

Honestly, he preferred the future government's methods of indoctrination. At least there everyone knew it was bullshit.

By the time the bell rings, Technoblade has the guy's number in his phone and plans to meet the next afternoon in the library.

Even though he makes a fool of himself in his Maths class--really, though, who needed to know this stuff when the literal world was ending?--he thinks today was a win.

Sure, his ego will never recover, but at least he has someone interested and knowledgeable to bear the brunt of his capitalism homework.

In his phone, two new contacts sit.

One from the government plant at the cafe down the street from the school, and the other labeled 'Wilbur :)'.

---

Quackity definitely knows what's going on.

Technoblade doesn't know how he knows, but the barista pays way too much attention to certain unsavory customers.

Actually, the fact that men in suits with guns under their coats come to a coffee shop in the suburbs is evidence enough, but the fact that Quackity's the only other person who seems to know that these guys are bad news is an even bigger clue.

Where Technoblade is gripping his sleeves to keep from grabbing his knife, Quackity greets those customers with a smile and impeccable detail to their orders.

None of them ever pay, or tip, so he knows there's something shady going on.

And, with the looks the man keeps giving Techno whenever he comes by for the cafe's free water and WiFi for his legally sourced tablet, he's pretty sure the man has been reporting back to those customers about him.

They never spare him a glance, that he can see, but Quacktiy has a lot more to balance, so it's no surprise he slips up every so often.

Once, the man even offers to buy him dinner.

Technoblade got the hell out of dodge at that, not coming back to the cafe for a week afterwards.

If the government wanted to drug him, they could do it themselves instead of making someone like Quackity do it.

Honestly, Quackity was pretty bad at his job.

He was a great barista, according to Wilbur, but he wasn't really good at being a plant.

He was too obvious, watching Technoblade any time he went into the cafe by himself, sending him more looks the later it got.

Still, after Technoblade's temporary disappearance, Quackity seems reluctant to do anything hasty.

.

Quackity, working for a literal crime boss: Why is there a literal homeless child in my cafe? Am concerned

Technoblade: He's working for Evil Capitalism(™) I can tell

...

So the idea here is that Technoblade accidentally got involved with some Big Shit in the future and somehow (accident) ended up being the one to go back in time to save the world.

Wilbur isn't going to let him do it alone and neither is Tommy once he finds out about it, and Quackity--who works at the cafe that fronts for a money laundering scheme--is pretty damn worried about the kid who stays way too late at his cafe, never buying anything and always just tapping away at his cracked iPad that still has the broken security tag on it.

#firsttrytechnochallenge #30 minute challenge #technoblade #c!techno #ctechno #dsmp fanfic #fanfic #wilbur soot #cwilbur #c!wilbur #quackity #cquackity #c!quackity #twinsduo #twins duo #quackity and technoblade #wilbur and technoblade #techno and wilbur #techno and quackity #time travel #crime

[goddess-of-green]

𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚜 | 𝐍. 𝐊𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐞𝐝𝐚 𝐆𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞

This is for you, @percivianne! I hope you like it! I tried to branch out a little ^^

Note, since this is an AU, Komaeda's personality will be slightly different.

Warnings: GN!Reader, Non-Despair AU

You'd never had a partner before.

Your eyes fell to the white haired boy that sat in the corner of the room, smiling gently as he read through a book. (Of which the contents you weren't sure.)

He had on a forest green sweater with a white button up beneath it.

He accessorized well, you noted as your eyes traced the rings adorning his fingers and the necklaces under his collar.

You wanted him to be your first.

It was one of those crushes where you sort of develop your own perception of someone. You see someone across the room or in the halls everyday and start to fall for them, despite knowing nothing about them.

Maybe it was the way he dressed, or his fluffy white hair that you really wanted to your fingers through.

Or maybe the way he chewed on the end of his pen, or was always smiling. Even when things didn't go his way. Which seemed to be usual for him.

You didn't even know his name, and he always sat alone, but you wanted to get to know him more.

(Your voice of reason told you that there was probably a reason for that. Either there was something wrong with him, or he'd simply rather be alone, but you rarely listened.)

You were too shy to just outright strike up a conversation with him, but you held out the vain hope that maybe he looked at you the way you looked at him.

You looked down at your paper and started to doodle a little picture of his face.

It was the only thing you really knew about him, after all.

__

Your professor had announced a group project, and you happened to be paired with the white haired boy.

It was pure chance, really. While everyone had scrambled to go to people they knew, he stayed in his seat, a loner. And you stayed glued down as well, trying in vain to work up the courage to approach him and running out the timer.

As a turn of luck, you two were the only ones that hadn't found a partner. So, the professor paired the two of you together.

You absently recalled that the boy always seemed to have bad luck.

You wondered if he considered this bad luck too.

Slowly, you turned to stare at him.

He was staring back, a smile on his face.

__

"My name is Nagito Komaeda. It's very nice to meet you!" The white haired boy smiled, standing over you as you put your things away.

You had to refrain from flinching, not from surprise, but maybe...nervousness? You felt the strange urge to run away. Despite this being what you had wanted since the moment you laid eyes on him.

You turned to him regardless, trying to give him the most normal smile you could. Praying he would remain oblivious to your inner turmoil. "Y-Yeah. Uhm...I'm L/N Y/N." You stuttered.

Damn it. Real smooth. He'll be absolutely dying for your number. You thought sarcastically.

"Cool. Can I get your number?" He asked, unperturbed.

You actually did flinch this time.

"Wh...What?" You had to make sure you heard that right.

Can he hear my thoughts??? IF YOU CAN HEAR THIS I DON'T LIKE YOU OR ANYTHING. I- I JUST WANNA BE FRIENDS. YEAH. PLEASE DON'T THINK I'M WEIRD.

If he could hear you, he was doing a really good job of pretending you weren't crazy, and answered your question easily.

"Well, we're gonna be partners, right? This way it'll be easier for us to contact each other." He looked up suddenly. "Oh! Unless you didn't want to work with garbage like me. I totally understand! Ah, to get stuck with someone like me for this project, how unlucky!" He fretted.

"Huh!?" Jeez, talking to this guy had to be bad for your blood pressure.

It wasn't entirely his fault, though. You were pretty high strung at the moment.

"You're not garbage at all, Komaeda! I'm actually..." You bit your lip. "...glad that I'm working with you. I've wanted to meet you for a while." You admitted sheepishly, watching for his reaction.

"Oh wow, really? You're so kind! If that's the case then, we should get started on our project, right?" Komaeda smiled, pulling out his phone.

Maybe this wasn't a total disaster, then.

You tried to refrain from grinning as you pulled out yours.

__

Here you were, in Komaeda's house.

This felt pretty fast, you tried to remember what kind of underwear you put on this morning.

Oh my god, what are you thinking? You've literally known his name for an hour. OH WAIT HE MIGHT STILL BE A MIND READER-

Your eyes flicked over to Komaeda, who was in the kitchen, looking for a reaction from him.

You didn't see one, but you decided to stay on your toes.

He'd asked if you wanted a snack or anything before you both started, and you said sure. He'd commented that he didn't usually cook, but he knew a few simple recipes.

When you realized he meant cooking something and not just, chips, you'd tried to tell him it was fine, but he insisted.

So you got out your computer and started setting up the presentation while he cooked.

His house (it was really more like a mansion, but you refrained from asking questions,) had a pretty open floor plan, so you could see him in the kitchen and he could see you, should he look over.

You stole glances at him, hair tied back and sleeves pushed up as he stood over the stove, and blushed, averting your eyes back to your computer screen.

You could totally see him being a house husband.

Would he cook for you every day after you got home? Or maybe you could help him, coming up behind him while he was cooking and wrapping your arms around his waist, pressing your face into his neck and-

The stove clicked off, and you stood up right as it did, hiding your flaming face in your hands.

"Where is your bathroom!?"

"Huh?" Komaeda looked at you curiously, but smiled not a moment later. "Down that hall, second door on the right."

His bathroom, unsurprisingly, was just as lavish as the rest of his house, but you ignored it in favor of splashing cold water onto your face.

Get a hold of yourself! You're gonna freak him out if you keep acting so...weird!

Your hands shook on the rim of the sink. But he's so cute!

...Handsome? Hot? Wait-

You sighed, rubbing your face and reminding yourself why you were here.

We're supposed to be working on this project. Quit getting your hopes up.

Once you had finally composed yourself and gained the courage to leave the bathroom, you rejoined Komaeda in the living room.

"Alright, what do you think of this as our opening concept?" Komaeda asked, smiling as he showed you his computer screen.

You read over it while you munched on the food he'd made. Turns out he'd gotten quite a bit of work done while you were having a meltdown in the bathroom.

He was pretty good, too. This was a great opening.

"I like it, Komaeda." You nodded. "You did really well! Let me do the next concept..." You sat down next to him and grabbed your computer, not noticing his pink cheeks.

__

Komaeda couldn't believe you were in his house.

You, the one person he'd been wanting to meet since the first time he saw you.

Though he supposed it really wasn't that surprising, given his luck.

Still...he couldn't help but feel nervous. He wanted to impress you.

"Is it any good?" He smiled, and you turned your attention to him immediately.

"Huh? Oh." Before he could respond you nodded, realizing he was referring to the food. "Yeah! I love it! You're pretty good at cooking, Komaeda." You smiled.

He blushed. "Oh, you think so?"

You hummed in affirmation, returning your attention to your computer screen.

God, you were so attractive. Komaeda couldn't ignore the way you dressed, your face, your voice, just looking at you made him feel insecure! How could he ever compete with such beauty?

Komaeda looked down. He'd read a lot of books involving romance, but somehow, none of that information was helping him now.

What use was knowledge of passionate affairs, arranged marriages, and true love's kiss in a situation like this?

Besides, just because he knew he wanted to kiss you, didn't mean he could just...do it. He couldn't be like the bold and charming male lead in those books, taking the shot and finding the person of their dreams.

...But maybe you could?

Ah, but you probably wouldn't ever want to kiss a nobody like him, right? He should just thank his luck that you two were paired together in the first place.

__

You and Komaeda had been working on this project for 2 weeks.

You had both made great progress, and as long as everything goes according to plan, this would be your last meeting.

You'd gotten more comfortable in Komaeda's home at this point, and he seemed more comfortable too.

Still, even after talking to him nearly every day for two weeks you still found you were hopelessly attracted to him.

Seriously, this guy has to have SOME flaw.

Well, you suppose he did seem to have a strange interest in the concept of "hope," but it wasn't really that bad. It wasn't like an obsession or anything.

In the midst of your thinking, you had locked your eyes onto Komaeda, which you hadn't quite realized until he looked back at you.

"Hm? Is something wrong, L/N?" He asked, tilting his head.

Fuck it.

Maybe it was because this was your last day working together, and you and Komaeda might not talk again after this point, or maybe it was just because you were desperate, but something encouraged you to make a move.

"I, uh..." Just say it! "I think you're really attractive."

Part of you felt like you could have said something more heartfelt, but the other part was screaming for even divulging that much, so you bit your lip and carefully gauged his reaction.

He was looking at you with wide eyes and red cheeks.

"Ah, a-ahaha, really? Are you...joking?" He smiled, furrowing his brows.

"Huh!? No! Why w-would I joke about that?" You asked incredulously.

"Oh..." Komaeda said softly, looking at your face carefully.

"Well then, thank you very much!" He smiled, leaning forward to grab your hands suddenly. "That means so much to me! I've never been complimented on my appearance before!" He said happily.

"Really?" You asked in surprise. "But you're so..." You trailed off, blushing again.

"Ah, there it is again!" Komaeda grinned. "Genuine admiration on your features! For me!" He smiled.

"Careful, L/N... I might start to like you even more...hmhmhm." He averted his eyes, face flushing.

You blushed.

Did he just...?

"W-Well good, because I really like you..." You immediately berated yourself for sounding so awkward, but Komaeda didn't seem to mind.

In fact, he looked like he was in euphoria.

"Hm? L/N~ Does this mean that we're in love?" He smirked, face flushed.

"W-We're what!?" You exclaimed, extremely embarrassed at this point.

"Well I..." Strangely, you found you didn't really want to argue with his claim.

"Maybe...we are."

Komaeda hugged you with a pretty smile.

#i know this is choppy very sorry #i wish i had more time T_T #.kge #nagito komaeda x reader #nagito x reader #komaeda x reader #danganronpa x reader #sdr2 x reader #danganronpa v2 x reader #danganronpa 2 x reader #super danganronpa 2 x reader

[charliethecandyeater]

I've been thinking about this a lot, but like. The mercenaries sexualities? Yay or nay? I did try to take their Canon personalities into account, but this is partially me rambling.

♥️⚾🎖️💣🔧🔥💪💉🏹🗡️💙

•Scout⚾:

apprehensive questioning, though he's not entirely opposed to the idea of being attracted to men. I mean, he grew up in a moderately Christian family, but his mother raised him right! There are different things about people, things that some folks don't figure out until later on in life. Hell, his mom was attracted to a few chicks. So the idea that Jeremy might be Bi and not know it isn't too strange of a concept. He was taught to respect people's differences, but he knows just how awful the world can be to someone if they were to come out as anything close to homosexual. So he's a bit apprehensive to find out yet. That being said he has caught himself eying down a rather nice looking dude from time to time.

•Soldier🎖️:

AMERICAN this man is AMERICAN!!! This man is in no way homophobic because he is AMERICAN!! And in case you didn't know, there's a little thing called FREEDOM in america! Soldier sees homophobia as a *very* un-American thing. As for what soldier is? Fuck it if anybody knows, let alone him. He just cares if you're someone who fights for freedom. Doesn't matter what's under the britches, so technically Pansexual? He doesn't care.

•Demoman💣:

Canonically he is straight. Definitely not homophobic. There's an in-game voice line where he says "If I weren't the man I was, I'd kiss you." He's very confident about himself and his sexuality, and he lives to build his fellow teammates up. Will not tolerate homophobia. He'll beat you up. He's very open minded and the cool uncle.

•Engineer🔧:

straighter than a ruler. Brought up a god-fearing Christian man, and he's very respectful. He's pretty sure he's figured himself out, after a questioning period in his younger years. He had to politely turn down a former band member when he started flirting with him, and bought a couple beers for him because he felt bad. Make no mistake, this Texan will beat the shit out of anyone stupid enough to be bigoted or homophobic within his line of sight. His Mama didn't raise a bitch, he will lay hands.

•Pyro🔥:

literally nothing is known about pyro. Well, besides the fact that their pyro vision really lets them see everything in rainbows. Pyro does not give a flying fuck! They just want to have fun! They want to have fun with their significant other, and it does not matter who the hell they are. Terry was straightforward like that, they wore their heart on their sleeve and they take everything at face value. That being said Terry does not understand homophobia in the slightest. Why are you being mean to that person? Just because he likes that other guy? Well that's stupid! That's not nice at all, and you should apologize! They might either be questioning or pansexual.

•Heavy💪:

*questioning* questioning. big man from Mother Russia. Big Man squash tiny enemies. Big man respect little man. Misha is many things, but he's not discriminatory in any way. Though he's definitely getting on in years, he has begun questioning some aspects about himself. It doesn't matter to him if he is gay or not, he only cares about providing for his family.

•Medic💉:

DID SOMEONE CALL FOR A BI DISASTER BECAUSE HERE THE FUCK YOU GO WHETHER YOU WANT IT OR NOT!!! Crazy man is crazy, this German man is beyond cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. He's flamboyant, extreme, and does not give a flying rat's ass. That being said, he doesn't care if you know he's swinging both ways like a barefoot tap dancer elegantly crossing a room with broken glass scattered across the floor. He likes women, he likes men. That's all he knows, and it's pretty straightforward.

•Sniper🏹:

Babe he does not know much. Mick is a reserved person. He knows how to survive alone in the bush, because that's just how the Australian kiwi is. He's a loner. And that's completely fine. He used to being alone, so he really doesn't have much experience with people. That being said he knows how to pick up on certain social cues. he's not completely hopeless. Thing is, he hasn't really spent much time in a *relationship* relationship. As a professional sniper, his life is mostly him observing other people's relationships. Most times ending them. So he really hasn't spent much time thinking about himself. Is he gay? Is he asexual? He doesn't know, and he doesn't know if he wants to know. He's just focused on the job right now, no Scout, get the fuck away.

•Spy🗡️:

He's French.

Okok, that ain't an answer. He's about as straight as severe scoliosis. Old man. He knows himself, he knows who and what he likes. He knows when to hide it and he knows when it's safe to show it. He's been AROUND. Men, women, non-binaries, the unaffiliated, he's loved and lusted after them all. His language of love is very diverse. And honestly? In his younger years he was quite the wild one. (Think adrenaline junkie but it's polyamory romance.) Point is, Spy knows he is the fruitiest pastry in the confection basket known as "those nine jackasses that live in the fort off in the desert."

#tf2 #team fortress 2 #team fortress 2 head cannons #tf2 scout #tf2 soldier #tf2 demoman #tf2 engineer #tf2 pyro #tf2 heave #tf2 medic #tf2 sniper #tf2 spy #GAY #i guess #lgbtq+

[righteousness-and-tea]

Hi! do you think I can have something with Ryoma,Mondo, Chihiro, Nekomaru,and Akane with a S/O that has the personality of Yuri from Doki Doki Literature Club? Yuri in Doki Doki Plus really hits different lol

(Feel free to take your time and take care of yourself I know you have other requests so I don't mind if it takes a while)

Anything for you, anon! I am so sorry for the delay-- the past few days have been incredibly hectic! I've only played the original version of DDLC, but I got Plus recently and am excited to try it out. Please enjoy!

-Mod Celeste

Ryoma Hoshi, Mondo Owada, Chihiro Fujisaki, Nekomaru Nidai and Akane Owari with an s/o like Yuri from DDLC:

Ryoma:

-Being a bit dark and twisted himself, he enjoys your interests with you. Horror movies, surreal literature and things of that nature spark all kinds of conversations with him.

-As a loner, he wouldn't admit to liking having someone else around, but you are a special case. Even if you're both doing your own thing in silence, he appreciates your presence.

-Love letters from you are his prized possessions. They make him tear up every time-- one of the few things that reach his heart.

Mondo:

-He doesn't feel like he's on the same level as you, but as he puts it, you're "smart and pretty as hell".

-Honestly, he's always had a thing for the cute librarian type. It was hard for him to hide his crush, and he was unusually sweet around you.

-He'll take you on late-night rides to see the stars. Mondo likes hearing you talk about the myths and legends for each constellation.

Chihiro:

-Chihiro has lots of niche interests too, so you two bond over a love for the unusual.

-They'll read stories you recommend, usually in the form of an audio book while they're working.

-Your elegant, sophisticated air leaves Chihiro speechless. Watching you get ready for the day makes them fall in love all over again.

Nekomaru:

-He is so different from you, on the surface, but he has a deep respect for the calm and mature people in his life. You are his rock!

-Your love for the finer things in life goes over his head a bit, but he's super enthusiastic about your passions. He might need the Cliffs Notes version of your favorite books, but that won't stop him from trying to connect.

-If you're ever insecure, be prepared to have your own personal hype man. He will sing your praises all day, if it improves your mood at all!

Akane:

-When she first saw you, she thought "man, they are so cool". And ever since, Akane has admired every little thing you do.

-Movie nights are a favorite of hers. Even if it's totally not her genre, she'll sit there starry-eyed with popcorn in her hand (she'd share, of course!).

-Akane absolutely brags about you. All of her friends, Nekomaru especially, know all about you and your talents. She's like this, all the time!

#danganronpa #danganronpa imagines #danganronpa headcanons #danganronpa x reader #danganronpa fluff #ryoma hoshi #ryoma x reader #mondo owada #mondo oowada x reader #chihiro x reader #chihiro fujisaki #nekomaru nidai #nekomaru x reader #akane owari #akane x reader #🏩 anon

[smallgraygames]

The Last of Us, Bill, and Frank

[Spoilers below for episode 3 of TLOU, if you care]

One of my constant pet peeves in apocalyptic fiction, especially zombie stuff that inevitably falls back on the "people are the real danger" cliche, is the way it so often leans into a misanthropic attitude about strangers. Anybody who is outside of the group is bad, and if you trust them, you're a sucker. When systems crumble, chaos ensues, because that's just people how are.

It was really nailed down, I'd guess, with Romero's original zombie movies, Dawn of the Dead in particular. Everything that wants to be viewed as gritty and realistic -- The Walking Dead, or Black Summer, or even "serious" stuff like The Road -- now seems to adopt the same attitude: you can set up a nice little life, but bad people will come and ruin it, so you can't trust anybody. It creates plenty of opportunity for action, I guess, but it's a deeply conservative worldview.

I found it extremely refreshing, then, that the introduction of Bill in The Last of Us didn't fall into that trend. In fact, it felt to me as if it consciously subverted it. Bill is established up front as a survivalist-type loner, and all the characterizing details we initially get seem to want us to believe that he's a "trust nobody" type of guy. While he's cautious with Frank when shows up, he still invites him in.

Scene by scene, I kept waiting for the turn where we discover that Frank is actually bad. The show keeps building tension as Frank wants to stay a little longer and starts wandering around, and you find yourself wondering, "what's he up to?" The genre norms make it feel unlikely that he's actually just interested in another person.

But that actually is what's happening -- Frank just likes this guy and wants to get to know him -- and such a simple idea feels absolutely novel given the way this genre usually goes. Even the raiders showing up later subverts it, as it's portrayed as a singular traumatic bonding experience over the course of a lifetime, rather than a "these are the gritty facts of life" situation. The raiders are ultimately inconsequential, and basic human bonds remain the focus.

Between that and Frank's insistence on befriending Joel and Tess, the worldview presented seems to be completely the opposite of the usual apocalyptic misanthropy. So, that's a lot of words to say that I think it's pretty cool to see this kind of thoughtful genre subversion in a show based on a game where you squat-walk around looting everything you see.

#the last of us #tlou #bill and frank #zombie apocalypse #tlou hbo #I dont think romero would've liked this trend

[ickleronniekinsemotionalrange]

Can you write a childhood friends to lovers for Steve Harrington where the Party asks the reader (their OG babysitter) who her first crush was and she unashamedly says Steve and they finally get together after crushing on each other for years?

Playmates

pairing: Steve Harrington x reader (no y/n)

word count: 1.6 k

tw: profanities, teasing, little mention of bullying if you squint

A/N: Hi sweet anon! hope you're doing all right :) I really liked your request and I tried my hardest to convey what you were aiming for in this little piece :) hopefully you will like it !

thanks to my bestie @green-socks for proofreading this, but also for her incredible support day to day <3

Growing up in Hawkins was hard; not much to do and pretty far from everything, it was a small town where gossip spread like wildfire. It was hell.  

And the first time you experienced hell was already at age 7. When some girl named Jessica started telling everyone you liked Steve Harrington, your best friend Steve Harrington. 

It was true of course, but that didn’t mean you wanted everyone to know, especially not him, or his friends for that matter. 

You weren’t a loner, but you weren’t miss popular either, and though people might think that hanging out with “cool Steve” would make you instantly popular, it didn’t. And that made you wonder why Steve hung out with you at all, but you never said anything. 

It was easy to crush on little Steve, of course, he was always so stylish and cute with his shiny hair and his very cool limited edition Mystery Inc. lunchbox. Not to mention he was always so nice, looking out and protecting you from anything that could possibly harm you. 

School was unbearable when everyone started teasing you about liking Steve. You would hear kids throwing air kisses all around or even singing the whole “sitting on a tree” song, mocking you. 

The teasing lasted for a few weeks and then suddenly stopped overnight; it was weird but you didn’t question it — you weren’t gonna go around and ask people to tease you again. 

Steve seemed to be very chill about it because he never brought it up or even asked about it. You wondered if he was uncomfortable around you, but you were just a kid, so you didn’t bring it up either. 

Many years later you were still very much best friends, hanging out whenever it was possible. Your schedules were complicated since you were both working most of the time, you at the library while he was in Family Video, working with Robin. You had different work days and times, so whenever he was off he would hang at the library to be with you and you would visit at his job. 

You were saving up for college and that meant working two jobs. That's why after high school you had gotten the extra job at the library, but your favorite one was still the babysitting. You had been doing it since you were 16 and had grown pretty attached to the kids you babysat

You started watching Mike, Will, Lucas and Dustin back when they still played D&D in little Mike’s basement. And then El joined, and eventually so did Max. And even though they pretended they didn’t need you anymore, you knew those kids would be dead if you weren’t around to save their asses. You loved them. 

One rare night when all the “grown-ups” were free, the kids demanded a movie night at your place. 

“C’mon guys we haven’t seen you in forever!” Dustin said over the phone. 

“Hey you know I’d love to, but have you asked the others? What did Steve and Robin say?” you asked him. 

“Shit, I haven’t asked,” he whispered and you chuckled. “Let me call you right back,” he said and hung up the phone before you could say anything else. 

Not even five minutes later the phone rang again. 

“They said yes,” Dustin reported back in an excited tone. 

“Great! Then come on over, my parents still haven’t come back from the cruise trip, so I got the house for myself,” you said, matching his excitement. “I’ll call Steve and tell him to bring the movies, you bring some snacks,” you spoke again. 

“Cool, bye.” Dustin hung up again. 

You sprang out of bed and squealed in delight. 

Half an hour later, your house was being invaded by excited teens hugging you tightly. They would never admit it but you knew they had missed you just as much as you had missed them. 

Max and El started telling you about the plans they had made for Saturday, shopping at the mall and teaching El how to skate. You smiled fondly at them — oh how your kids had grown up. 

“Ok snacks are set and the groove is on, the only thing missing is the movie,” said Dustin with a smug smile. 

“Ugh who even says groove anymore,” Mike answered, rolling his eyes. 

“Cool people, but you would never know, would you?” Max spoke up, defending Dusting. 

Raucous laughs and howlers echoed through the kitchen so loudly you almost missed the sound of the doorbell. 

“All right all right nerds, settle down,” you chuckled to yourself as you moved to the door and opened it, finding Robin and Steve arguing about something. 

“Just tell her! I swear you over complicate your life!” Robin said, facing Steve, not realizing you had opened the door. 

Steve elbowed Robin in the ribs as he realized you were looking at them with a confused look in your face. 

“Oh heeeeeeey,” Robin said nervously. 

“Hey guys!” You greeted them warmly but couldn’t avoid asking, “what was that all about? Tell who what?” 

“Nothing!” both answered in unison. 

You gave them one more suspicious glance and let them in. 

“Finally!” You heard Lucas’s voice say as you closed the door behind them. 

“Yeah yeah yeah, pipe down Sinclair,” Steve said pretending to be annoyed. 

“What even took you so long?” Will spoke then. 

Steve and Robin exchanged a look and then Robin answered nonchalantly, “Oh we were just talking about first crushes.” 

Steve’s eyes bulged so much you thought they would fall out of place. 

“Oh,” El said, suddenly very curious. “So who was your first crush?”

Robin panicked, so you covered for her, “Oh probably Johnny Depp, right Buckley?”

She exhaled and gave you a grateful look. “Yeah totally."

“Oh c’mon that doesn’t count! It has to be a real person,” Mike said. 

“Johnny Depp is a real person!” you said, again trying to defend your friend. 

“You know what I mean!” Mike said again and the girls giggled. 

“How bout you, huh?” Dustin asked you. 

“My first crush?” you asked him back. He nodded. 

“Oh, Steve,” you answered casually. 

“WHAT,” everyone yelled. Robin was silently smirking.  

“Yeah, back when we were still in elementary school some girl told everyone I had a crush on Steve,” you chuckled. “I was pretty mortified at the time.”

You sat on the couch, every pair of eyes still on you. 

“What?” Now was your turn to ask. 

“That was true?” Steve asked in a soft tone. 

“Course,” you answered. “I figured you knew.”

Everyone was silent, but you weren’t uncomfortable. 

“Hm.” Robin said, “What about you Harrington?”

All eyes focused on him instead, even yours. 

Steve scratched the back of his neck nervously.

“Oh you know, Olivia Newton John” Steve answered casually.

“Huh uh, not this bullshit again” Mike said with an unamused look on his face. 

“Language!” both you and Steve admonished. 

“So?” Max asked, smirking. 

Steve looked at you nervously. 

The kids figured it out before you and they started to scream and laugh hysterically. 

“Oh my god just tell her!” Robin said as she slapped the back of Steve’s head. 

And then it clicked. 

Oh. OH. 

“Me?” you asked him with a bewildered look on your face. 

“Yeah, is that so hard to believe?” he said defensively. 

“Well, yeah,” you said just as defensively, “you never said anything back then.”

“Of course not! I was a dumb little kid back then!” Steve answered. “I was scared and thought it was a lie! So I told everyone to stop messing with you because I knew that if they kept that up, I wouldn’t have been able to handle it,” Steve rambled exasperated. “I’ve always loved you but you never really flirted with me like all those girls in high school, I thought you didn’t feel the same and now I look like a complete idiot because–” 

“Hold on,” you interrupted, completely shocked. “You love me?”

Everyone was watching this unfold as if it was way better entertainment than watching a movie, but you didn’t really care because all you were focused on was Steve and these newfound feelings.

Steve slapped a hand over his mouth, but it was too late, the words had already left his mouth. 

The room was awfully quiet and you could’ve cut the tension with a knife, until Robin, as ever to your rescue, ushered the kids to your backyard. They all protested and whined but left the room. 

Then it was just you and Steve looking at each other. Time had frozen, minutes feeling like hours. 

After what felt like eternity, Steve finally spoke up. “Yeah.”

He stepped closer and closer to you while you remained frozen with shock. 

“Do you, uh,” he said slowly, his voice but a whisper, “still feel the same?”

You chuckled softly and whispered back, “yeah dumb-dumb, I still feel the same.”

A giant smile started to take over his face, his little dimple making its appearance. You mimicked his expression and started laughing at how ridiculous the whole situation was. He joined you before asking you what was so funny. 

“Well, nothing, I was just thinking about how we love to over complicate our lives,” you joked. You started laughing again and he did too. 

Slowly, he placed his hands on both sides of your face, cradling you as if you were the most delicate thing in the whole world. He looked into your eyes, and then your lips, silently asking if he could kiss you, he would never force you to do something you were uncomfortable with. You glanced at his soft looking lips and back into his eyes, nodding. 

He sighed into your mouth as if this kiss was the only thing he could ever want and you tangled your fingers into his huge, shiny, soft hair. 

Moments later you smiled into the kiss, making a mental note to thank Robin for pushing Steve to confess. 

“I love you too, by the way.”

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrinton x you #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington one shot #steve harrington #steve stranger things #steve Harrington #stranger things fanfiction #steve Harrington fanfiction #stranger things #steve harrington fluff

[fereldanwench]

As I've been watching folks come forward with stories about bullying and gatekeeping in the Cyberpunk fandom, and watching other folks who are kind of on the sidelines (like me) chime in with their takes, I've been debating if there is any value to me speaking up outside of tags in reblogs from other folks.

To be honest, I'm still a little unsure if there is: I'm not directly involved in any of this, I feel like some of what I have to say has already been said, and I feel like I might be inserting myself into something I could more or less let pass by me. But I have a lot of friends who have been directly affected by this, and a common sentiment seems to be "Thank you for sharing. You're not alone."

So maybe my two cents can also help alleviate someone's pain or sense of isolation.

In spite of the current climate, I have actually found Cyberpunk on the whole to be one of the most chill fandoms I've ever been a part of. (Granted, weathering the Dragon Age fandom circa 2013-2015 might cloud my judgment a little here.) Although to be real: I'm also probably lucky that my blorbo of choice wasn't ~*claimed*~ by anyone, which has allowed me to create and vibe in peace.

But I will say when I "joined" last summer/fall, when I was basically a loner doing my thing, before I even knew most of my CP friends or any cliques or spilled tea, I got Bad Vibes™️ from certain parties pretty quickly. I generally prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt, sometimes at the expense of ignoring my gut instincts, but eventually, I felt like first impressions were accurate and I have maintained my distance.

I've participated in online fandom communities for over 20 years--While every fandom will have its unique flavor of drama, you eventually start to spot the troublemakers from a mile away. People who can't share their toys but still expect to be a part of a broader community, people who surround themselves with yes-men, people who crave validation to an unhealthy extent, people who insist their friends like and dislike the same community members they do, people who prey on other fans who are susceptible to manipulation, etc.

I felt relatively safe from all this behavior: I know what I like and what I'm about, I'm confident in my niche, and I met some really cool people I'm happy and honored to call my friends now. But I noticed over the past few months that almost every single one of them had a story about being wronged one way or another by this particular group. I also noticed that in spite of the hold this group seemed to have over fandom, a lot of people, directly affected or not, seemed to share a lot of the same concerns I had just weeks into the fandom. But everyone was afraid to say anything.

And I think to some extent, for good reason: callout posts and going public about ~*fandom drama*~ is a whole ass thing. They can often make things worse, they can often further divide a community, they almost always put the person doing the calling out under a microscope. Victims will have their valid concerns and legitimate experiences with harassment be dismissed as "clout chasing" or "just being jealous" while the perpetrators often just double-down on their behavior. It's scary and can feel futile to speak up and disrupt the status quo, even if the status quo sucks.

People will also be told "this should be handled privately." I do think a lot of things can and should be resolved privately, and I generally advocate this as a first step over going directly to callout posts. However, this requires both parties to have an investment in reaching some kind of reconciliation--I get the sense that this point has long passed. (Incidentally, it also requires being able to talk to someone privately, which can't be done if you block 80% of the community. It's pretty disingenuous of a person to say "this should have been handled privately" if they've removed that as an option.)

The exact goal of a callout post can also be muddied. Toxic in its own way, even. Yes, sometimes it is absolutely about trying to run people out of fandom. I can't honestly say I've never thought "this community would be better off without so-and-so." I have. I've probably said it, too. But at my core, I also genuinely believe in people having an opportunity to learn from their mistakes and be better. I don't think people who have been wronged need to stick around for that personal journey and I think a part of that journey might require taking a step back from a community, but I do understand the discomfort of witnessing (or experiencing) what feels like mass ostracization and retribution.

But in this particular situation, I think the greatest takeaway is that people who felt isolated are realizing they are not. The fact that so many people have come forward to share experiences that have been burdening them for months I think speaks volumes to the damage that has been done here. I also think trying to reduce this hurt and trauma to "clout chasing" or "being jealous" is not only reductive but perpetuates this harm.

And the last thing I'm going to say about this is really more criticism of CDPR than the fandom, but I feel it's still relevant since the two are rather entwined at this point.

Since witnessing the way David Gaider's behavior with fans contributed to a lot of wank in the Dragon Age fandom ten years ago, I have felt very strongly that it's important for the well-being of both parties to maintain a certain distance.

This isn't to say that they shouldn't interact at all or that there shouldn't any kind of community outreach--I have personally done some very cool things, like going to E3 (back when that was still a thing), as a result of an excellent community program from another franchise--But devs not on the community side (who are probably better equipped to handle things like the effects of parasocial relationships) can really run the risk of disrupting the already fragile ecosystem of a fandom, even with the best of intentions. I believe that has happened to an extent here as well, and I would just caution devs and fans alike about respecting the need for some boundaries.

I don't really have a clever little summation for this, so I'm just going to end with a screenshot of my Duolingo lesson for today being far too relevant because I honestly got a good laugh out of it:

#t: wench.txt

[utilitycaster]

So… What do you think about Susan Calvin? And do you have any recommendations for people who like to read robot stories (assuming what everyone knows about Asimov already.)

I LOVE Susan Calvin, more so because I'm pretty sure her appeal now (or in the early 2000s, when young me first read I, Robot) is mostly unintentional. I truly love Asimov's writing, I think he had a lot of fascinating ideas, and even his nonfiction essays are worth a read, but he was, as many science fiction authors of the time were, Not Great Towards Women. He designed Susan Calvin to be brilliant...but unattractive and brusque and unpleasant, while the recurring male characters like Powell and Donovan get to be cool and brave. And yet, by making a woman who was in defiance of what a sexist man would find attractive he made one of the most compelling women in classic sci fi. She is married to her work. She is a huge asshole. She's real and complex because he actually had to put thought into her as a character rather than being like "ah yes the woman scientist is a blonde bombshell who echoes all of my own feelings", and I love her and honestly, a lot of my thoughts about Dancer are probably influenced by Susan Calvin - a weird, smart loner who is horrible at interpersonal relationships but actual has a great deal of respect for robots.

The thing is...the part of robot stories I love is more the society around them and how this responds. I'm not actually that invested in robots as the main characters, so the robot stories beyond Asimov's positronic brain stuff/The Bicentennial man that I know of (that was what I was referencing in my tags, incidentally; if you read a bunch of Asimov you will be fine) are mostly also really popular: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (and Blade Runner); Battlestar Galactica (everyone should watch the 2003 BSG because it's fucking phenomenal and it's also a very good companion to everything I've said about pacing, lately, namely, you can have utterly fucked pacing as long as the characters are deeply of this world and given enough space to breathe); The smattering of Star Trek: TNG I've seen indicates that's pretty good. But yeah, it's not actually an area I tend to personally explore.

[this is directly related to the above but it is not what you asked, letting you know so you can bounce if you're not interested.]

What I do think people should do though is 1. Read a shitload of Octavia Butler and Ursula K. Le Guin specifically and 2. Go to their local library (might need to make a trip to the central one, actually, for this) and find the battered sci-fi short story anthologies from like, 1972. I read SO MUCH OF THAT as a high schooler, and on the one hand this means that I'm cursed with many memories of stories I will probably never be able to find again (shout out to someone on a weird forum who was able to identify The Silk and the Song from my fragmented memories); but on the other hand I think it just gives you a grounding in classic sci fi you cannot otherwise get. Science fiction meant short stories for a good portion of the 20th century, and a lot of the most interesting and weird stuff that really engaged with modern and near-future technologies is in there.

TBH that is what I'm getting at with recommending classic sci fi short fiction just...in the abstract. I think a whole lot of it tried to engage with the idea of "what happens to our society if this happens" in a way that modern sci fi sometimes does not (for a huge number of sociological reasons and because the immensity/political implications of nuclear and space technologies being obvious in a way that the internet was not). I brought it up in reference to FCG because...look, there's still a lot I feel could have been done better, and that's a separate post, but FCG's presence in the world is fascinating. It's asking the question of "imagine a world where no one even has a proper conception of artificial intelligence - and where you can summon a low-level fey or celestial and require they do your bidding - but there's a bunch of mindless automatons. Ok imagine one of them has a soul now." The people who react most normally to FCG are the people most ignorant of automata! Anyway, I think reading a shitload of shortform classic sci fi is the most efficient way to rewire your brain to automatically go "ok but what is the baseline of this fictional society and what is the change this story is exploring and how would people of various types respond" with speculative fiction in general, and I think it's such an important part of analysis! Also it's fun! If you come across a moderately humorous story from the 60s or 70s where people keep messing with the timeline and keep not realizing they've done so please send me its title because it pops into my mind now and then and I haven't been able to find it in like 15 years!

#in all seriousness I credit reading compass rose by le guin like 5 times through in high school #with why i have good opinions about the kryn dynasty #i have a short fantasy anthology out of the library now actually and I am going to go read it this evening thanks anon for reminding me #tbh when i'm home for thanksgiving might go to my old library and be like. i have no card i just need to look at your books for 3 hours

[practically-an-x-man]

for any of your OCs: sunflower, rose, snapdragon, lily, poppy, and tulip :)

thank you so much!!! you're giving me life here bestie I swear

I'll probably bounce around OCs based on what has the best answer

Sunflower - What name(s) were you originally thinking of calling your OC?

Indigo was originally called Blue, but I changed it because she doesn't have a surname and I wanted her to have a nickname (Indie) so it didn't get too repetitive. My other OCs largely have the same names they started with, since I tend to decide that pretty early on in their inception (it feels weird not to have a name for them when I'm brainstorming/imagining scenes)

Rose - What is your OC's favourite form of self-care?

I feel like Katherine would have an at-home spa day every once in a while to relax. Madison likes to go on hikes when she's stressed. Honestly, I'm pretty bad about self-care myself, and I think it reflects in my writing - most of my characters don't really do that, even when they should.

Snapdragon - What is your OC's most used phrase?

Jasper has a running joke of calling their significant other "Mr. Spencer", but aside from other nicknames and pet names, I don't think I repeat a lot of phrases with my characters. Maybe it would be a cool speech habit for someone to have, but I haven't done it yet.

Lily - What is your OC's love language?

I feel like most of them are a mix between quality time and physical touch, but I don't entirely focus on defining a love language for them when I write them. Writing relationships for me is easier when I don't focus too hard on the logistical details, and instead just let it flow.

Poppy - How is your OC around strangers?

Let's see.... I'll answer this for a couple of my OCs. Ophelia and Quinn tend to be vaguely off-putting to strangers, just because they're both fairly tall and intense-looking. Kestrel is uncomfortable around strangers, simply because they don't know how much of a social space they occupy - but they're more comfortable meeting a stranger if they have a loved one with them. Rae's great with strangers: friendly, amicable, and fully willing to stand up for someone she doesn't know in a heartbeat. Madison's kind of a loner, and can come off as brash or harsh around new people.

Tulip - If you could say/do one thing to your OC, what would you say/do?

Ophelia, don't work so hard. It'll all work out in the end, and you're only setting yourself up for more trouble by working while exhausted.

Kestrel, you make so much more of an impact than you think. You're more than just a bystander in the world. People rely on you.

Madison, you don't break what's around you. You think that just because you're at the center of these unfortunate things, you somehow deserve the blame for every single one of them, but that's not true. Give yourself a break.

Quinn, you don't need to worry about "deserving" love because of who you are. Billy fell in love with you exactly who you are, and he will continue to love you for exactly who you are. You don't need to prove anything to him.

I feel like in general, these messages are what the character most needs to hear, and what they'll eventually learn by the end of their arc. I have more for my other OCs, but this'll go on forever if I do.

#my friends!!! #answered asks #ask game #my ocs #my writing #fanfic #fanfic author

[amynchan]

So people talk about extroverts adopting introverts all the time; however, it was recently brought to my attention that I, an introvert, have adopted extroverts in the past.

Adoption by extroverts takes, like, a few seconds. Adoption by introverts, on the other hand, can take weeks or months.

Imagine, for a sec, that you're in class. You've been in this class for a while, and you're just... chilling out, talking with your friends. You notice everyone in the class, including the loner in the back who honestly seems to just want to be left alone. Ok, cool, they can do them. It's not exactly the best day you've had, but it's not the worst. It's fine. It's fine, it's fine, it's totally fine.

Class goes on, you guys all do your own work, you get some notes from some of your friends asking to hang out, and life goes on. You're not really in a mood to hang out, and you kinda want to be left alone. You wave everyone off, and for a second, you're by yourself.

Well, except for the loner in the back. They've stayed in their corner with their book, and it doesn't look like they'll leave, but they're not bugging you or anything, so... meh. You leave them be.

It takes you a few moments, but you manage to pull yourself out of your funk. You think about talking to the loner in the back, but then you decide against it. Probably best not to bug them. Then you move on with your day. No big deal.

A few weeks later, something similar happens. Not the best day, kinda worse than the last, and you don't take any of the notes that are being handed to you by the people around you. Everyone else leaves class at the end, and you just... you need a moment or two. You set your head down on the desk and shut your eyes.

You just need to relax for a little bit. Just a bit of rest, and you'll be fine.

Thunk.

A soft sound, probably not even intended to be heard. You look up, and the loner of the class is leaving. When you look at your desk again, there's something there.

There isn't a note. It's just a small baggie filled with goldfish crackers.

Weird. Ok.

You take the goldfish, and you eat them. They're not drugged or magic or anything, but they're nice. The crunching helps with your mood, oddly enough.

The next day, you make it to class with your usual group, just a little bit before class actually starts, as is normal. The loner is where they usually are, book in hand and--now that you notice it--a little bag of goldfish crackers. They're eating them.

"Hey, gimme a sec," you tell your friends, and you make your way over. You think they wouldn't like a huge group of people by them right now--or ever, honestly, but right now seems like a good thing to start with. When you get close enough, you're not quite sure what to say, but it's not like that's stopped you before.

"Hey," you blurt, and the loner startles for a second. They turn to you. They don't look scared. Just a little disoriented, but still. "You okay?"

"Uh, yeah," they say. There's no stutter or anything to indicate that they're shy or anything. They blink a few times, and the disorientation goes away. "Just got lost in my book. It happens sometimes. What about you? You okay? You looked kind of rough yesterday."

You're... not really sure why they noticed, but they gave you goldfish, so... You shrug.

"It wasn't the best day, but it got better after the goldfish. Thanks for that, by the way."

"No problem," they say. They look... pretty comfortable talking with you, actually. For some reason, you always thought they were shy. "I think your friends are waiting for you."

You turn, and your friend group is staring at you. You grin sheepishly and start to slink away. Before you get too far, you turn back to the loner, who's kept their eye on you.

"Why did you give me the goldfish?" you ask. "It was nice, but... it's not like we ever talked or anything. You didn't have to give me the rest of your snack. You had half a bag left. That could have lasted you, what, another class or two?"

The other shrugged, still comfortable in their seat. "You respected my space."

"Huh?"

"Few weeks ago," said the loner. The day comes back to you very vaguely. It's been a while since then! You've slept! "Sometimes, when people are upset, they stay after class. Then they get better, and they notice me, and they try to talk to me even when I'm reading. Not sure why; it's really awkward. You didn't, though. You kept to yourself, I saw you notice me, and then you let me be. It's one of the nicest things someone's done for me."

That.... sounds very backwards to you, honestly.

"So I guess I just... kept an eye out in case you needed something." They finally look away from you, down at their book. It's a hard cover, and they start fiddling with the front cover, moving it back and forth with gentleness. "Figured it'd be nice to be friends or something."

You stare, just for a moment, and wonder about how backwards it feels. You're usually the kind of person who just goes up and asks to be friends. To wait in the long haul like that...

Well, it's just not your style. If you want a friend, you usually ask. And why fix what isn't broken?

"You wanna hang out sometime?" you ask, and the other lets the hard cover fall safely on the pages. You look at the book and grin. "Tell me about what you're reading or something?"

You've never been interested before, but this person doesn't seem bad. You honestly haven't really given the other person that much thought before. They do a little quirk of a smile, like they're trying not to laugh.

"Sure," they say. "After class?"

Honestly, it's not like you don't have the time. You grin.

"Sure."

You go back to your friends, joining in the chatter with ease, when one of them asks, "Hey, did you just adopt an introvert?"

You look back at your new friend, and you find that they're lost in their book again. you laugh, amused at the bizarre turn of events.

"I think," you say with a grin, "that the introvert just adopted me."

#AmyNChanstories #when you accept the gift of an introvert #you're friends now #XD #you've been adopted #or when you accept what an introvert offers #it could be a thing #could be food #could be advice #could be company #could be whatever #but if they offer and you take them up on it #you're now friends #and they've adopted you as their extrovert #XDD #congrats