#dont question how i listened to this enough times for it to rank in my top 100 in a month when im a Chronic Song Relistener | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

reinekes-fox · 7 months

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Aw, it's 3am here too and I'm awake too, but I rarely go to bed before 4am so that's normal!

But since you want a question, let's ask one that is related to sleep (or lack of it)... For the Stray ROs in Birds of a Rose, what would their reaction be if the MC has horrible nightmares (like if they whine and cry when sleeping - sometimes wake up screaming)? Especially if judging by the mumbles while sleeping, it seems their nightmares revolve around feeling trapped and wanting freedom and to get away and stuff?

PS: also, will it actually be an option in game, later down the line?

I do hope you dont need to get up early!

For your question: it will happen, although not as drastic! So far I plan to code that in if Wing MC is "contradicting" i.e. being doubtful of the cult but also choosing to go after higher ranks!

The reactions:

Fuchsia King

She awakens before you even begin to mumble, your heartbeat getting faster and her eyes snap open when she registers it. Taking a few seconds to look around, orient herself, she hesitates a few seconds more. Only when she hears you mutter something, oh how she now regrets not going to that language course, does she move. Her hand gently on your shoulder she notices you flinchig from her touch even in sleep and her heart drops.

"Its fine.", she whispers, "You are fine.", her mind scrambles, just what kind of nightmare could you be having, what could she say to soothe your nightly terror, "You are safe, no one will hurt you. I will protect you." Would she? She looks at you. Yes.

Chase Watson

He lies awake even before you start to mumble, twist and turn in your sleep. He stares, trapped in old ways and beliefs that are always stronger at night. While he doesnt understand your muttering what he does understand is you waking up screaming, hands going to your neck... what else yould one look for at such a place but chains? Chains that hold ones mind and that still hold his even though he thought he had broken his a long time ago... he turns around and blinks away the tears that burn in his eyes.

In a different life he can imagine himself standing up to comfort you, crack a stupid joke, pat your shoulder and watch as you slowly calm down. But all he can do is listening to your breath slowly going back to normal on your own.

Droznik Juschka

He feels your nightmare and it comes like second nature to him to be by your side, calmly chatting about whatever comes to his mind, a hand reassuringly on your shoulder. He knows what your mutterings mean and he wishes he could give you what you are so desperatly wishing for. Once you wake up he pulls you close to him, hugging you hard enough that you feel it but not strong enough that you feel trapped.

"Do you want to go outside and look at the stars?" he whispers while stroking your back.

Astoria Rapace

She looks up from her book when you start to whimper in your sleep. Trying to concentrate on it instead of you she stops when she pays attention to what you are saying...

With a sigh she drags the chair to your side, her cold hand looking for yours and gently holding it.

"Just wait a little longer, my Bird.", she bends down to whisper into your ear, she can see your hair move with her breath, "I will grant you what you wish."

E. Falkenflug

They wake up groggily when they hear your scream, eyes scanning the room for any sign of danger... but there is none, just a fellow Songbird sitting upright in bed, chest rising and falling too quickly, hands clenched together and eyes wide in terror.

They are silent for a few seconds. Normally they would just try and go back to sleep, saving both of your faces in the process. Pretending they didnt hear your fragile mind... but they know how it is to wake up screaming. And how hard it can be to fall back asleep.

"Do you want to sleep next to each other?" It helped them. And it might help you.

Marter

Why are you still awake? They look at the screen in worry.

Marter: are you fine?

Wing: Yes.

Nearly they snort, as if!

Marter: you are sometimes awake at this unsaintly hour... do you have trouble sleeping?

The answer takes longer and they can almost picture you, trying to think about a correct answer. How they wish they could embrace you through the screen and tell you that you shouldnt worry! Not with them.

Marter: I saw your pictures, they are really nice!!

Wing: thanks

The pictures are beautiful, that hadnt been a lie. But the pictures of flying birds and their caption spoke of such a deep sadness... but they cant openly write about that. Surely you would deflect.

Marter: I also have trouble sleeping :) so you can write to me whenever you want!

A little white lie... but maybe this will get you to be more open about it.

Marter: or need someone to talk to! I always have an open ear, especially for my most beloved wing

#konoi-and-noir #ask #boar ro reaction

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magnolia-sunrise · 8 months

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okay whatever, medieval vampire AU ramblings, if you care

copying from the tags of my previous post but, to give you more context about Bastiens little life - he had dreamt up plans of rising through the ranks and becoming a respected high ranking member of the clergy. given his whole situation in his mind its the coziest and smartest path of life where nobody would ever question him not taking a wife or look under his robes. instead, his naive plans quickly shatter as he ends up assigned to a fuck off village in what would be today's southern France. where the people first of all dont really care for the whole religion or paying taxes thing and dont appreciate the rumours about him spending time around Florentines that arrive with him (largely thanks to the mayor's loud mouth son, Matteo :) ). and so he spends his days tending to the chickens he keeps so hes able to feed himself and even sell some eggs sometimes, he takes care of a small vineyard, just enough to make and drink his own supply of wine.

where he had some ideals of the church and faith, the abject poverty and the isolated misery of a life he lives doesn't really keep his spirits high. he has no one who would listen to his preaching, no one to lead, he drinks himself to sleep almost every night. he has failed himself and his faith.

when a knight - one of the fucking Kingsguard, somehow finds their way to his home first he's sure the crown somehow got wise to the village not paying their taxes for as long as he lived there. instead this knight almost collapses into his doorway- strangely only after he invites them in- and now seeing the state they're in, theres a whole other problem in Bastien's mind. in this setting he is very far from being a doctor or knowing first thing about medicine, best he can do is pray for their soul and their peaceful passing aka "rip i guess"

iirc the myths of vampires weren't very widespread in Europe yet in late 14th century and so i imagine Bastien wouldnt really pick up on a lot of the "tells" at first. especially since they arrive half dead, feverish, hardly saying anything - it's difficult to make a clear judgement, and also try not to offend one of the King's personal guards.

for Wolfgang the past weeks have been a torment in ways they never imagined.

they were born into a family of some status, modest but in favor with the crown, which many nobles and knights, out of pure jealousy, are sure had influence on how quickly they rose through the ranks and received knighthood. they were proud of their skill with a sword and their efficiency in violence, in winning battles and land or their king. they were successful and respected and beautiful. their body a tool of war and death, but delivered only with purpose and principle, selfless.

when they got turned - this purpose, this pride in their intimate knowledge of how to most efficiently kill a man, is turned against them. without understanding anything that's happening to them, these horrible, scorching urges -- willing them to just kill for their own pleasure, to devour, to keep themself fed and think of no one els, it's horrible.

even with everything else aside - narrowly escaping execution, being stripped of land and title and exiled - losing control of themself, of their body, this is the worst part of it all. that first night when their horse carries them back to the castle and in blood red haze they bite the first person going down the halls - the prince - -- their young sweet prince, who so admired them, who they taught swordfighting when he was younger -- they failed the crown and themself.

they try to feed on rats and small animals in the woods and on peasant's chickens and they get rightfully chased out and hunted down and impaled with pitchforks. they crawl into a hole to die only for their body to heal itself, and the hunger to make itself known again. it is a battle they don't know how to win.

stumbling into Bastien's home one summer night is the single light in all this darkness. for whatever reason beyond their comprehension he invites them inside, into his warmth, he lets them stay and heal and doesn't ask too many questions. when they recover, the two of them quickly find how lonely and starved they had both been for genuine human company. they both also become very aware of the many stolen glances and accidental touches, especially as they spend more and more evenings enjoying bad wine and talking.

that hunger is always there, always waiting for an opportunity, for a weakness in their armor. sooner or later they will have to face it again, or risk losing control completely.

(--- there is a bunch of stuff im leaving out that doent pertain just to these two, that we have been chatting about together with @vividmercurial and smashing our OC dolls together. he supplied the prince and the mysterious stranger who ends up being Wolf's downfall and in turn perhaps Wolfgang with the help of their drunkard priest, will help the mysterious stranger regain his soul. )

with these sketches out in the world my next goal is to figure out a little comic as a culmination of the tension between Bastien and Wolfgang, the whole core of why even have a vampire AU in the first place ;^)) the story and the imagery is so vivid in my mind and the settings and tropes are of course extremely self indulgent and very straight forward in ways that are really funny and interesting to contrast with their canon universe for me. so i definitely see myself returning to some ideas from this even after the halloween month ends hehe

#medieval au #if you read all this and you read between two fires and youre like wait a second this relationship dynamic seems a bit familiar #WELL yeah #its real good

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petrichoraline · 12 days

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SLEEPOVER SATURDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🥳🥳🥳

what are your top 5 japanese BLs?

tell me about a fond memory or your comfort food (or both!!!!!)

[I LOVE YOUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

[LOVE YOU TOO MY SWEETESTTTTT💗💞💕💖💓💗]

these are suchh good questions omg okay

i suck at ranking things and don't enjoy it one bit because i don't do faves, im too fluid in my tastes and can't ever pick criteria but! let's try in no particular order

1. Kieta Hatsukoi

i think im in the habit of dropping things from my fave lists as time goes by and especially if they're well beloved by other people like "okay then I'll focus on this less talked about thing, my bby seems to be getting enough attention"; how and why I work that way im not sure but I do and by that logic kieta hatsukoi should not be on my list but it's an honorary member - I've watched it twice (with maybe a bit of skipping which is still a lot cause I don't really do rewatches) and I've read most of the manga. it's just so..easy to like, for a lack of a better phrase. it's inoffensive and suited to be a comfort piece of media in whichever form you decide to enjoy it (and it'd make an amazing anime, i guarantee people would be all over it)

the live adaptation also takes the events of the manga and mixes them around big time but it still makes sense and it keeps you a bit more on your toes when consuming the other version, whether you watch the show or read the manga first

it's also a show I've recommended passionately and I successfully made my then new acquaintance watch which I'm a bit smug about lmao

sweet characters, supportive friends, funny, light and warm 💖

2. The End of the World With You

*indescribable screeches*

this showwww, i dont know if i can call it a fave since i havent once come back to it, i dont feel the need to go watch compilations of my guys or anything and i acknowledge there were some elements i found a bit lacking but! it's amazing. idc, this show gave me proper complex relationship where i still end up rooting for a couple of people who were toxic towards each other and did nootttt know how to handle a relationship; the dynamic is compelling, the premise is interesting enough, there are heavy scenes and plot points but it is embedded with hope

it also helped me bond a bit with a mutual i like <3

i just am thankful for it existing out there in the world, it served fucked up relationship (that i root for wholeheartedly), sexy times, found family, amazing acting and it didnt have most of the chaos an apocalyptic piece would usually be dealing with

3. BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita: Crank Up Hen

listen. we're getting some pretty good jbls this year but i said this will be jbl of the year and i still think it's a solid nominee.

the romance is tooth-achingly sweet. the leads are adorable. the acting is perfect and manages to deliver the comedy very well. it's cute, it's fun, it knows exactly what it wants to achieve and works with its timeframe to do it. the side characters do not affect the plot negatively, the hurdles the couple needs to overcome do not feel excessive. if you happen to yell at them for being silly, it's lovingly. also we got more chemistry than i expected! and it was really good. it also set up an example for ''japanese actors working on bls'' (found the things like shooting promos and the portrayed bts process really fun) so now watching 25 ji Ajisaka de i can't help but think of this show

4. Utsukushii Kare

my relationship with this show suffers from the "enough people love it" thing as well, i think i rewatched it or skipped through the first season? and i enjoyed the second one as well but honestly it feels not only as if enough people love it but that they love it and get it way better than i do. i didnt watch the movie out of fear of having to say bye to my guys but i also feel more disconnected from it now. im sure its still a gem of a movie and im so so happy we got two seasons and a movie, the show and the cast deserve it!!

there is just so much beauty in their yearning for each other and the misunderstandings, the downright stupid decisions they make..they all just work in making this a neat story of love that blooms from something different, from worship and the desire to be seen and to be held and to be possesed. they're wild, i love them

5. Kinou Nani Tabeta?

this show i watched years before i got into bl and i didn't even know it was a bl when i started it lol, i was like "ohhh, theyre a couple? cool"

i rewatched the first season, watched the special and the movie, started the second season and kinda got stuck there, again with hte "i dont want to let them go"..and now ive lost momentum and ive got basically a whole season ahead (i started it when it was airing 😭)

these two love each other so much and support each other in every way that matters, my heart melts at every sweet gesture and even though the show portrays some real struggles they have to deal with, its still a very funny and light show. the best word to describe it would be "charming" - you see this couple's everyday life, you see how they came to be and what challenges they face, how they overcome them and you're left with no doubt in your mind they will grow old together, well loved and taken care of

now I wanted ti turn this into a top 10 but I felt like I was being disingenuous cause I can't overcome my need to talk about underrated shows rather than pick my faves..I can't make a faves list without turning it into a diverse recommendation list so I'll just. stop here.

favourite food.. faves again.. hahah

a fond memory involving food.. preparing food the whole day before my birthday (maybe my seventeenth?) - sushi, spring rolls, i think I made dessert too? and then having picnic with my friends who were all in awe and praising me. I felt very appreciated and truly celebrated and it was a fun party 💖

#thank you for asking sweetest #lovedd your answer btw (and i sooo expected you to say smth like that but im glad you have songs that will make you sing no matter what!)#and ill have to go through the list (though i recognise some titles)#maybe well get to sing together some day who knows :')#hugs and kissess #petri replies #ask game #ppg

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cloudlessnightskyline · 4 months

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pt 1

Okay i'm rereading the webtoon so. thoughts. (if you notice any spelling mistakes please ignore them im on an energy drink and time is weird)

"Several years in the future" (abt the apocalypse). the usage of "several years" makes me think its like. 4-5 years AT MOST. because i dont think we call anything more than 5 several?

"players". sjs says "about 2 years from now" except we have a 1 year timeskip. so that means in sometime around 12 months players are going to start getting chosen?? which is shorter than i thought tbh

"That's how Dawon Guild became one of the top guilds" okay. listen. we know this probably doesn't happen in a day or two, right? it should have taken at least months. and since sjs says he put time into learning all abt weapons, we can further speculate abt the exact time everything started going to shit.

so there was enough time since the guildleader was chosen for him to both raise their guild to the top and let sjs invest in weapon learning? that takes at least sometime from a couple months to maybe a year or two. (there were still people knowledgeable about weapons alive)

so this would put the apocalypse. i am thinking roughly around 2-4 years from current time? the players need time to get acquainted with their skills and have enough time to grow to face the apocalypse.

okay time to theorize more. went back to reread and sjs says the difference in weapon creation is the amount of mana.

Sjs also says he's creating the weapons with little mana? and he's already a D-ranker. what happens when a rank A or B creator gets that knowledge? they can put more mana into the weapons, so they could potentially be stronger than sjs' ones?

yth also makes a comment about the sword. "higher than b rank". why is this a surprise? how do creators work? when a rank B creator standard-generates a sword, is it rank B? Or is it the same as a rank C or D creator's sword??? god i love worldbuilding

Are creators a rarity? surely his old guildmaster could have found another creator? potentially C class, since his whole guild is C class except sjs, so why does he settle on D class sjs? i dont think its abt money since he could probably hire a class C creator and still spend less money than on all the daggers he'll need to keep buying

speaking of which

"do you know how much money we spend on weapons?"

weapons are important in this world!! weapons are very very important so its obvious they'll be expensive. this leads to my question: why are they expensive?

I think it's probably due to a lack of supply.

good weapons are hard to come by and even cheap weapons are expensive. there's so many different classes in rpgs, there's bound to be one that has less people in than others. there are so many we can see in this.

i think, at this point in time, there just hasn't been a way for creators to make indefinite weapons, which means people had to rely on blacksmiths, but there's only so many blacksmiths in the world.

lack of supply + high demand = high prices

obviously this gets solved in the future (either due to players getting weapons from the system or creators just figuring it out due to gaining knowledge)

but this makes me wonder!! why only in the future? surely, somewhere out there, there's gonna be at least one creator who got invested into weapon making, right? this is just swirling around in my brain i had more things to say but it vanished so

yth says "most creators", but he only lists sjs as the exception. "it was as if the limitations didn't apply to him at all". so pretty much this means no creator ever decided they wanted to know more about weapons and i think this is sad.

anyways!!!!

...this is getting too long im making a separate post abt the rest of my thoughts

next part ->

#weapon creator

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winterrhayle · 1 year

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it is time for you to rank midnights if you haven’t already (i feel like midnights is such a you album ykwim i can imagine you listening to it on a rainy day it has your vibes)

LOLL TY it's 8th in my album ranking but i still love it sm

dear reader - idk what it is with this song but it's so addictive,, whenever i listen to it something comes over me and suddenly i can't focus on anything else

labyrinth - it reminds me sm of the archer (in the way it's produced) and it's just such a nice song to listen to with all the lights off just sitting on my bed

sweet nothing - U KNOW THE PART WHERE SHES LIKE ooooooOoooOOOOooh i FELT THAT

karma - karma is a CAT fr (this is literally the sacred text)

wouldve couldve shouldve - as a speak now stan this song BROKE ME. THE RELIGIOUS IMAGERY AND DIRECT DEAR JOHN / OURS / SUPERMAN ETC ETC ETC REFERENCES?????????? GN

bigger than the whole sky -

maroon - ohhh when her voice goes all deep at 2:58 seconds im hhhhajhflhsdgfl blushing,,, also im obsessed with the red album refs too

you're on your own kid - THEEE MOST ERAS SONG (yoyok 🤝🏽 long live). it has such a nostalgic feel but also its always so interesting to see specifics that only apply to taylor ahhhhhgdfsdfghfdsasdfg

lavendar haze - omg i remember when i first heard this song on october 21st at 5am (thats when midnights was released in my timezone😭) i pressed play and heard the intro and meet me at midnights and i was literally SHAKING like omg

snow on the beach - ohh this song makes me feel like im watching the ocean,,, my fave part is when its like 'can this be a real thing can it *ocean wave sound* are we falling like *BEAT DROP(?)) SNOWW AT THE BEACH'

you're losing me - RIP TOE boy girl (i live an hour outside of london but whatever its close enough)

anti hero - when she made the snake hissing sound when she said 'everybody agreeeessssssSSSSSS' it was giving big reputation biiiig reputation ooh you and me we got a biig reputation ahhh

the great war - this song is so upsetting bc they did not in fact win the great war😭 also this song has big afterglow vibes i love that

midnight rain - ok the james charles sounding parts def had to grow on me and i love it now. also im a midnight rain is about taylor lautner truther but ik most people think its about tom hiddleston (theyre probably right but what can i say im a delusional girl)

paris - THIS ONE IS SO FUN TO ACT OUT WHILE IM ON WALKS LMAOOO I WAS MOUTHING THE LYRICS REALLY AGGRESSIVELY WHEN I WAS WALKING HOME FROM SCHOOL AND THIS OLD MAN PULLED OVER AND ASKED IF I WAS OKAYYY☠️ I HAD TO TELL HIM THAT I HAD AIRPODS IN BUT I PROBABLY LOOKED SO WEIRD LOL

glitch - underrated bop fr. i remember when midnights first was released i would play the whole album on repeat for WEEKS and while i was lying in bed trying to fall asleep it was still playing through my speaker,,, and that one part of glitch where its like 'just dance....' and then suddenly she was like 'GLITCH' my soul always exited my body omg

question...? - can i ask you a question?????? are we out of the woods yet????????? loveveveveveev the 1989 vibes on this one

mastermind - i hated this one at first ngl but i like it now!!!!!!!!! its a perfect album closer for the standard edition and i lovveveve the contrast it has with the 3am closer dear reader

bejewelled (lolll my autocorrect made it a double l bc thats how u spell it here) - he didnt let her bejwelled😔 i love this song but something about the production seems incomplete? idk what it is though

vigilante shhhhh - this song is so camp LMAOOO

high infidelity - ok this is actually my least favourite taylor song ever i really dont like it😭 its boring idk,, i like the april 29th part i guess

sooo thats all pls dont hate me😜😍😘💕

#asks #bea tag #this still doesnt feel like a real album tbh #its still marinating #taylor swift

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actuallyitsstar · 4 months

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aaaaaaa so tumblr is not a functional website and it ate my next two drafted asks so prepare to get tagged in textposts but @brambleberrycottage sent Lord of The Rings (which will be v interesting bc im quite new to this franchise so pls dont crucify me i know nothing im baby lol) for the fandom ask game:

✨ send me a fandom and i'll answer with the following!

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most)

↣ VERY IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE but i think i have no choice but to go with aragorn. idk i dont know enough yet about all the lore of the universe to unpack this but. idk. something about that specific Flavor of generational trauma and the concept of corrupted legacy/rejecting his bloodline and coming back to it and learning to accept it and himself and what that means for middle earth in the grand scheme of things and h ow he has to 'forgive' himself/his kind to help everyone else. idk idk. It Compels Me. ive only seen the movies 3 times and i have not yet read the books so im sorry if im saying anything stupid aldjfkfhf 😭

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped)

↣ SAM!!! SAMWISE GAMGEE !!! SAMWISE THE BRAVE! he is so so friend shaped i just love him so much so many of his scenes make me ugly cry. he was my big toss up for blorbo in this ranking. but i want to squish him. you know ???????

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave)

↣ NO idea who is underrated in this fandom but i have a Soft Spot for boromir. hes that type. the type we've discovered i always love. the traumatized man with emotional problems who is overconfident. akdjfkfjfkgfj and i KNOW he obviously has his faults but he redeems himself and he reminds us of his true character and he does right by those halflings in the end by god 😭😭 still sad abt it

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week)

↣ again not that obscure probably idk enough of the more background ppl yet and idk who is popular but i have a soft spot for king theoden. his speech on the hill about burying his son always rly gets to me and he seems very noble and level-headed and fair, if not a little bit prideful at times. so interested in the concept of legacy and the way he talks about it and then how aragorn talks about it too and i always wonder if there is meant to be contrast/reference between them.

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave)

↣ LISTEN..... DO NOT COME FOR ME BUT ITS KIND OF SORT OF SMEAGOL......hear me out. if faramir hadnt caused frodo and same to betray him i think he might still have been good and might still have been free of the ring at last. and idk if that lines up w the lore at all i may be talking out of my ass. im just saying i feel so so terrible about that twist happening to him bc he seemed so happy and free before the ring and then its just IMMEDIATE awfulness and crimes forever. he must be suffering. he died suffering. for the stupid ring. id like to think in another universe he gets something better.

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason)

↣ im sorry this is literally frodo i think 😭 canonically and also fandom-wise. frodo ily i am sorry this burden ruined your life it PHYSICALLY pains me, literally, yet i cannot stop reading about it and thinking abt your struggles.

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell)

↣ OBVIOUSLY SAURON OR SARUMAN.....NEXT QUESTION

#star unasks #as i said ive seen these movies a limited number of times and am not very aware of the lore #so i have no idea if ive said anything insane or not #if so please forgive me these are very casual thoughts lol #lotr #thank u so much for the ask and im sorry this webbed site ate it !!!!#brambleberrycottage #star.txt

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haikyuuu-r-us · 4 years

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{Unofficial Game} [Alpha Ushijima Wakatoshi x Omega reader] (2)

PART TWO SINCE IT WAS SO HIGHLY REQUESTED! Seriously thank yall so much i really enjoyed writing this! ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

PT1: https://haikyuuu-r-us.tumblr.com/post/625077449031548928/erm-okay-so-i-dont-usually-do-asks-fr-like-that

don’t look too closely or you’ll see spots where my adhd brain went apeshit and went off-topic lol

Tag list: @sawamooora

IDK if this is the last part so let me know if you wanna be on the tag list if i add more. It’ll probably be a bunch of cute oneshots after awhile but under the same name.

OKAY SO I GOT A liiiittle carried away (ง ื▿ ื)ว :☆*:･

enjoy!

Ushijima Wakatoshi was a very intimidating alpha.

He wasn't the type to purposefully threaten people, though sometimes, particularly when he felt as though other alphas had ill-will towards him, he'd stand taller, breathe slower, and leave his inner alpha to do the rest.

He had no need to be overly aggressive. He knew his place and believed others should know theirs and stick to it.

Unfortunately, many didn't. Most omegas now were snappy and rude. They believed that they didn't need an alpha, or at the very least didn't want one. Many others would use their omega charms to manipulate an alpha to do what they desired. Very few omegas, like you, are content with the role you presented, and you seemed perfectly fine listening and obeying the alphas around you.

This was where his irritation stemmed from. You were all too willing to keel over for any alpha should they ask something of you. Tendou was a good example of this. He deemed you his girl best friend, and both of you often did things for the other. However, Tendou was an alpha, and sometimes he'd unknowingly put you into an "uncomfortable spot" so to speak.

Of course, you would continue on with what he asked of you, even though the first year alphas seemed to leer at you, even though the coach wasn't too happy about your presence during practice, and even though you knew you weren't entirely welcome. Because he was an alpha, and he was above you in the hierarchy.

It wasn't only Tendou though. He supposed that at least then it wouldn’t be as bad and he most certainly didn't mind your presence, his alpha just wanted to pin you down somewhere and demand you bare your throat to him. He rather enjoyed having your eyes on them while they practiced. He wasn't one to flaunt, he knew he was the strongest on the team.

Everyone knew he was the strongest.

Sometimes though, when he'd slam the volleyball down particularly hard, or when they played against one another, he'd feel an unstoppable desire to unleash all his strength. He knew you were there. He could feel your eyes on him. He didn't need to look at you to get the message across, it was in the air, he knew that you realized what he was doing, after all, you should.

I’m the strongest.

He knew because occasionally, he'd hear a soft shaky inhale. Even if he was in the middle of a spike, he could sense your attention when it shifted onto him and he'd take full advantage of that moment to use his full strength to complete what he was doing, even if it was completely unnecessary. The first year didn't stand a chance, the blonde one that refused to leave you alone after practice. He didn't like his playstyle or his scent.

The blonde tripped over his own feet and ended up landing on his side. For a moment he stayed there but when he started to shift to get up, a growl froze him in his place. On the other side of the net, knees slowly lifting himself up, Wakatoshi Ushijima stood at full height.

He was terrifying.

His upper lip twitched and the dark shadow that had covered his eyes left when he shifted his head to stare down the arrogant first year. The pup had asked for the one on one, and though at first, he told the brat 'no', he kept insisting until Ushijima finally agreed.

There was no reason for the first year to be treated as though he was a serious opponent. There was no reason to play so roughly and with so much strength. There was no reason to snarl at the younger alpha male when he tried to get up, and there was certainly no reason for Ushijima to pin the boy down with a purposefully intimidating stare.

He heard Semi and Goshiki calling at him and asking what the hell was going on, but he didn't break the glare. Defiantly, the younger alpha stood, and even managed to scrape together enough confidence to smirk at the much more superior alpha in front of him.

Just a pup. Didn't know his place in the pack yet.

They weren't really a pack. Sure, they had a leading alpha and other alphas and betas. However, a pack wasn't truly a pack without an omega.

This alpha, however... He was challenging Wakatoshi, not only in front of the team but in front of you. Ushijima felt his inner alpha rattling the bars that kept him restrained. He didn't need to prove himself to this pup. In fact, the pup wasn't the one he desired to prove himself to at all.

The alpha pup grunted and winced when he tried to grab the volleyball that was gradually rolling his way. "Shit." The blonde clutched at his side as the others made their way onto the court.

"You okay man?"

"Shit dude, you hit the ground pretty hard there."

"Stretch your arms above your head, does it hurt?"

Tendou rested a hand on Ushiwaka's shoulder, his appearance amused. Ushijima only watched the blonde as he exaggerated his injury.

"You went too hard on him Ushijima-san. He's a pup, you don't need to prove yourself to keep your rank." Semi sighed out and his eyes moved to the captain, eyeing his expressions and odd behavior.

"Liiiiiisten, listen to me Ushiwaka-kun." Tendou commenced with a serious look. "I wanna kick his ass as much as you do, but getting violent with pups prooooobably is not the best way to get Omega-chan's attention." He whispered the last part with a mischievous grin and pointed towards you whilst wagging his finger.

Turning his head he met Tendou's gaze with a glare that told the other alpha that it probably wasn't the best idea to bring you into this. "He challenged me." Semi sighed and stood on the other side of their captain. "That may be true, but there's no need to accept it. He's a cocky first year, he'll learn his place eventually- Ah, Captain?" Semi's brow quirked upwards when a menacing aura developed around their leader.

His eyes were bearing holes into the alpha pup who sat beside you on the bench. The pup was too close. He was trying to get your attention but your eyes were glued to your sketchbook, only glancing up when he snatched it away from you. His ears picked up the alpha tone in his voice, something completely unnecessary for just asking you to grab some water for him.

Ushijima's eyes narrowed as you shifted away from the overconfident pup to grab a bottle from the cooler to hand over to him. His fingers curled into a tight fist when the pup pressed a finger onto your cheek and muttered something that turned your cheeks bright red. You glanced around nervously, clearly flustered and looking for a distraction, only for your gaze to land on him. Immediately your expression flushed further, however you gave him a shaky embarrassed grin and a small wave to accompany it.

Semis eyes shifted from the scene on the bench over to his captain. Typically Ushijima would've been entirely unaware of that sort of thing. He could be rather dense with social cues, but the fact he recognized that you were bothered and uncomfortable spoke volumes. How long had he been guarding you like that? Semi could only wonder.

"Tch." His alpha was only seeing the way that damn pup dragged your attention away from him. Pouting and asking what you were working on that was oh so important. Your scent was shifting, you were nervous.

Ushijima didn't get into fights. Not even when outrightly challenged. He'd never really had the desire to.

However.

Recently his alpha was calling more shots than he was. Taking initiative and becoming snappy. He felt off and though he knew why he couldn't quite fix it yet. Soon he would, but he wanted to focus on the upcoming practice match with Seirin, an upstart volleyball team that shot through the ranks out of nowhere. He needed to get that match through first. He couldn't afford any distractions.

He usually was cool-headed when it came to other things. He knew exactly what he was doing. There was no need to constantly prove that he was the strongest.

No. Omega isn't happy. Need to defend. Need to FIGHT.

A low rumble tore through his throat.

He didn't have time to torment someone - he needed to train. He shouldn't need to protect his own omega from his pack.

She's mine. Go away. Stupid pup.

"Yo, Ushiwaka-" Tendou began.

"What." He grunted, refusing to look away, keeping an eye on the handsy alpha male.

"How close are you to your ruuuuut? Cuz you look like you're about to skin the pup ALIIIIVEE!" Tendou ended the question in a giggle when Ushiwaka's glare increased on the alpha.

Rut. That's it. That's why he'd been so touchy about the other alphas being near you.

His gaze flipped over to you, and how you were looking more and more uncomfortable with the entire situation. The alpha’s hand relaxed on your thigh while he bent over your shoulder to watch you draw. He examined your uncomfortable expression and the way you attempted to subtly shift away.

Stop touching her.

He finally spun away, death gripping the volleyball Tendou hurled to him. Despite the alpha’s efforts at distraction, he still smelt your high-strung and apprehensiveness. He could tell him to leave you alone, but he didn't want to embarrass you. He had shooed that particular alpha away from you before once, and when the others stared your eyes watered, and Tendou was the one who guided you away.

Tendou later explained in their dorm room that you preferred to deal with your problems out of the public eye. He still didn't fully understand, but he most certainly didn't want to hurt you further, his alpha knew that much.

The match was tonight. He could release his frustrations then.

That was his plan. Bottle, unleash.

It was supposed to be, at least, until he heard a distinctive whine and the sound of your sketchbook and pencil cracking against the polished floors. His head then turned towards you, and there was no way in hell, that pup would have survived had he not had absolute control over his inner alpha, as well as Tendou resting a hand on his shoulder; not holding him back necessarily, just… confirming.

The blonde must've discerned your plan to dart away from him, and when he had moved behind you to watch you draw, he'd taken advantage of the position and now had both hands on you. One on each thigh, squeezing hard. They dug into your leggings and he could see the soft fat of your thighs give way under his firm grasp. His face was inches away from your neck, and he leaned in to whisper something in your ear. You tried to wriggle away, with a whimper and a shake of your head. Ushijima couldn't hear what he said next but your response was what caused both of his team-mates to let him help you.

Your gaze locked onto his own and your eyes, wide and far past uncomfortable, were brimming with tears.

Annihilate him.

He took measured steps, holding your gaze the entire time. Ignoring the warning growl of the Alpha behind you. Slowly, so as to not cause a larger scene for your sake, he kneeled in front of you, reached forward, and seized hold of both of the male’s hands. Forcefully he removed them from your thighs, and without relinquishing his hold, he maneuvered around the bench and closer to the struggling pup. He lifted him up by his wrists and simply let him dangle there for a few moments.

With every second the smaller alpha began to shake and eventually try to apologize. With every word, he tightened his hold.

"He's not the one you should be apologizing to."

Tendou. It didn't sound like he was very happy. His alpha tone and scent were intense, causing you and even a few of the other first-years to tense.

"Shit-ow! Shi- I'm sorry! ACH IM SORRY OKAY!"

Tendou’s eyes narrowed before his demeanor radically changed and he beamed ear to ear. "Okie Dokie then!"

"You should let him go now, captain. I believe he's learned his place." Semi observed.

Ushijima Wakatoshi saw no need to romance an omega. If she was his he'd protect her, and she would learn she was his. There was no need for elaborate gifts and dramatic proclamations of love. However, he wasn't the type to seek out trouble to prove his strength. He wasn't the type to 'hit first and hit hard'.

He was an Alpha that simply knew his role in the pack.

Out. He's out. Not part of my pack. Out. Get out.

He could crack the pup’s wrists to prevent him from competing in volleyball again, and the thought remained too long to completely sweep aside. Outside of school, the move the pup pulled would have gotten him killed. Snapping his wrists would be compassionate.

Instead, he dropped the child to the ground. Clenching his hand instead of kicking him in the stomach.

"Go to Coach Washijō and tell him you're quitting." Your eyes widened at the demand, and the pup didn't waste a moment before lurching to the exit and using the door frame as a support to push him on his way. Scowls were thrown at him by both first and second years as he hurried out the door.

Tendou rested a hand on your head and ruffled your hair in a comforting manner. "You okay? Lil marshmallooooow??" Completely humiliated you smacked his hands away and stood. "Yeah- I'm just- ...going to go to my dorm, I-I shouldn't come anymore anyway..."

"Wha- No!!"

You pressed your lips together tightly. You felt disgusting and the desire to rub your hands where the other males had been was strong. Handsy alphas were something you still weren't quite used to. You were good at hiding yourself away in nooks and crannies so people wouldn't bother you, so this was pretty upsetting.

A deep voice broke the silence.

"I'll walk you back." That wasn't a suggestion. He was still using his alpha tone - causing your inner omega to whine softly in fear of disobeying. He either didn't notice or he ignored it.

You quickly gathered your things and promised Tendou that, yes, you pinky swore you'd see his match later. While he latched onto your back and sent joke after joke your way while begging you to stay, causing Semi to try and pry him off of you, Ushijima-senpai held the door open for the two of you to leave. Tendou called something out but you couldn't quite make out what he said. Whatever it was caused Ushijima-senpai to sigh.

"You didn't have to-"

He silenced you with a sharp look, forcing your omega to look away.

His scent. Strong. Protective. Feel safe.

That was true to an extent, you supposed. He wasn't ever purposefully mean to you. Sometimes things he said rubbed you the wrong way, but Tendou told you he was just blunt and really dense sometimes.

He stopped abruptly, causing you to collide with his back. Despite only being so close for a split second, you jumped away immediately, and your omega keened at the contact.

Warm. Muscular. Smells so good.

Warm. Soft. She smells good.

He motioned at the fork in the path, causing you to stutter out the directions.

"Omegas are weak and need to lean onto alphas in order to succeed." His words caught you off guard.

"Uhm, I'm sorry, I... don't understand."

He glanced down at you for a moment.

"You don’t ask for help. That’s what omegas need to do." You barely managed to keep yourself from flinching. Your dorm was close. You could run inside and avoid the lecture you were certain was coming. You felt your omega whimper. You hated it when you were reprimanded.

"I had it handled." You tried to sound brave and confident despite knowing it was a complete lie. You had panicked and were completely lost on how to stop the alpha.

Your words caused his brows to furrow.

"Omegas should not handle that situation."

Irritation pooled in your stomach and the words flew out of your mouth before you could think. "I know you just as well as I know him. If anything 'Tori-kun should have stepped in. I- you shouldn't just-" your words faltered when his scent grew intense, omega instincts screaming at you to stop. It wasn't like you to speak out of turn. Maybe it was the way he spoke as though omegas had a checklist of ways to deal with situations.

"Omegas are supposed to listen to alph-"

"Isn't that what I was doing!?" Irritation caused you to snap, and the two of you finally reached the side of your dorm building. Angry and already upset from earlier, you attempted to leave but immediately upon realizing your intent, his body had you pinned to the wall of your dormitory.

"Omegas respect alphas." He continued darkly, and shock kept you from moving.

"Alphas are supposed to treat omegas with respect and care for them. That is their job. When an alpha tries to take advantage of your own submissive nature you are to call for me. Do you understand?" That last part didn’t sound like a question, and despite the fact he was keeping you cornered, your primal urges that keened at the display of dominance.

Yes. Alpha. Please. More. Put me in my place.

You face flushed at the chants from your omega and bit your lip while you attempted to level out your breathing.

Alpha. So close.

"From now on," he started softly, a correction on his end for sounding so harsh.

"You will be my omega. You will come for the official and unofficial games."

You had to bite your tongue to keep yourself from 'yes sir'ing him.

"Oh,"

'I need to say something- what do I say?'

You couldn't just say 'yes sir' or anything! What-was this how all alphas asked someone out? You lifted your gaze at an attempt to figure out what to say. Your omega was practically bouncing in joy at the proposition, and you shivered when another wave of his scent rolled over you.

"Uhm," you shifted, finally realizing how little space was between the two of you. 'Shit why is he so close!?'

Yes. He'll protect. He'll do nicely. Perfect alpha.

Your omega was cheering in excitement while you were still struggling to process exactly what was going on. Your fingers found the edge of your jacket and fidgeted with the hem.

"Y-yes, alpha. "

'SHITSHITSHIT- no! That's so dumb why did I say that! I could've said ANYTHING ELSE WHY THAT?!?'

A low, deep purr of approval rolled out from his chest, pleased with your acceptance and submission. His hand shifted lower, as though he wanted to do something, but he seemed to change his mind at the last moment, instead, pulling away from you with a firm nod.

Your head was still lowered slightly in submission to the high ranking alpha that stood before you. He watched you for a moment, his gaze memorizing your nervous and confused, but still sweet and accepting scent.

"Good girl." He praised darkly before completely breaking away, allowing you the chance to head back to your dorm. His alpha snarled at him to pin you down and claim you where you stood, however, you were right. You didn't know him any better than the pup. Despite his oncoming rut, he bit his alpha back and watched you scamper back into your dorm building as though your life was in jeopardy should you not.

He turned slowly, glaring at the alpha pup who was watching from around the corner of the dorm building in anger. He didn't dare approach Wakatoshi again, the pup may have been stupid but at the very least he had a sense of self-preservation.

"Did you talk to Coach Washijō?"

The pup’s hands fisted and the muscles in his jaws ticked. "Yes." He was forced to stare at the ground, knowing that should he stare the dominant alpha in the eyes it would be taken as a threat.

"Good. I do not wish to see you near her again. Understood?"

The alpha growled but nodded, shifting uncomfortably under Ushijima’s intense gaze. After debating with his alpha, he eventually managed to glare at the stronger alpha, irritation seeping through his pores.

"You are neither allowed near any of the matches nor the building itself."

"Y-yes." The blonde managed to choke out through his anger.

"Good." As Ushijima turned away, he knew what the younger alphas intentions were, as pathetic as it seemed, his revenge was obvious. His scent gave him away and despite his alphas desire to chase after his omega, he knew he'd need to take care of the threat and return to practice.

The moment the alpha lunged forward to attack him, Ushijima turned sharply, grabbing his wrist and snapping it with ease. He couldn't ignore his inner alpha’s delight in the act.

The other alpha, although in major pain, refused to scream, and Ushijima, still patient, tightened his grasp on the younger alphas wrist.

"You are a fool," Ushijima growled, feeling his patience beginning to wear thin at the other alphas’ snarls of anger.

"What was your plan exactly?" He wasn't mocking the Alpha, instead, he found himself asking from disbelief in the outright stupidity of the Alpha below him. He'd already lost more than once. First, the game, then, Ushijima's omega, now this. Baseless confidence.

He found his irritation rising and thought to snap the other wrist, but he suppressed his alpha who begrudgingly agreed. He'd lost thrice. It'd take a total moron to try again. After these acts of foolishness, Ushijima had no doubt the pup would be kicked from the school premises. They had no time for troublemakers after all.

He released the boy and stood, not even bothering to check over his shoulder this time. Should the bastard dare oppose him once more, a death sentence would be merciful.

He eyed the entrance of the dorm as walked back to the gym, ensuring the front of the building was indeed secure before continuing on his path. He was unaffected by the bright sun and his alpha preened at thought of her watching him decimate the opposing team.

She would be there, her omega would dictate so. Even if it didn't, he'd seen it in her eyes. The way they flicked off his form to the ground, and back to the way his arms caged her in. The way her scent had shifted to a more tangy palette in shock. The way she shifted and fiddled with the hem of her jacket. She was nervous and her scent had shifted to support that. He found himself pleased that her scent portrayed her emotions so readily. It meant that he didn't need to ask or interrogate her of her thoughts. He had noticed the way she bit her lip after he'd commanded her attendance to his games, and how she breathed in his scent as though attempting to calm herself.

Sweet girl. She's mine.

He closed his eyes for a brief moment, purposefully recalling the words that nearly dragged his alpha out into the open.

"Y-yes, alpha."

Good omega, so small and sweet-tempered.

He'd see to it that no one, not even Tendou, would lay a finger on her. After-all he still needed to ensure she only depended on him. No other person gets to touch her.

His alpha was more than pleased with the thought.

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sukirichi · 3 years

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I have a question and i dont mean it in an offensive way, y do u like naoya?

i am so glad you asked bcos this is my fav topic!

beautiful character design - like...come on, he is very beautiful, everything about his appearance is extremely handsome. from the moment i saw his design i was like 😳 plus his smirk and big mouth aaaaa

piercings - need i say more? you would expect he’s a traditionalist in a sense he wouldn’t like those but my man has spunk and edge like pleaseeee his piercings are so beautiful and the fact he accesorizes himself makes me purr 🤤

TWO TONED HAIR - so idk if he dyed his hair blond or he grew out his natural dark hair then became blond, but either way, i love his highlighter hair. his design is just drop dead gorgeous, even from the way his hair is so like...carelessly styled like that but at the same time he looks insanely gorgeous and well put

feline eyes - i thought he wore eyeliner but no he was born with such beatiful sharp eyes and i just wanna kith kith his eyelids and tell him he’s doing a great job (is he tho? 😂) but yeah i really love his eyes, they are so good in looking down on me that one look and i’m already put in place

his traditional style - LISTEN IK HE WEARS A SEXY UNDERSHIRT ; either a black fitted long sleeved shirt or a white turtleneck and i just LOVEEEE how he wears loose, comfortable clothing and under them he hides a fine set of broad shoulders, mommy milkers, and a really sexy back 🤤

his iconic lines - “women should stay three steps behind or they’ll be stabbed in the back” now THAT is how you make a dramatic entrance 💀 he does not hold back in being shitty and at the same teasing

SPEED BOI - IDK BUT HIM BEING A SPEED BOI JUST GETS ME GOING

he’s 27 - the age gap between us makes me insane

chief of hei - HELLOOOO I had this one ask explaining it before that he was the chief of the strongest soldiers and that he had a special technique + CHIEF NAOYA?! he would’ve already been clan leader and that is sexy itself but CHIEF NAOYA 🥵

special grade 1 sorcerer - i don’t want anyone telling me he’s a first grader 💀 but yeah his high rank shows he’s powerful so idk why gege always claps naoya’s ass ans didn’t even give him fights where he won like where is the justice for my husband 😭

he thinks so much himself as a man - listen okay so naoya thinks that as long as you do your duty as a woman, then he’ll take care of you as a man and if that isn’t hot? like give and take sure, let’s establish the functionality of our relationship. i keep my head down and remain three steps behind and you’ll protect me and give me a comfortable luxurious life. also being mrs. zen’in is just 🤤🤤🤤 but anyway naoya is like so “masculine” in a sense that he brings out my femininity and i go soft and weak for him so yeah he can manhandle me as he pleases

he’s awful - i like my men evil. end of discussion.

the fandom hates him - there are very few people that genuinely like him so more for me 💕 sometimes the fact he is so hated makes me laugh and enjoy being a naoya simp more bcos it feels like i’m on a diff world + it feels good to love a character everyone hates like yea i’m that demon’s queen okay

he’s rich - need i say more?

he has high status - i have a clan leader kink. naoya, noritoshi, clan leader gojo, you name it.

it’s obvious he wants a male heir so yeah breeding kink go brr - i don’t mind carrying his children if it means an evil man will become soft and dote on me

he has very beautiful fists - THAT PANEL WHERE HE HAD CURSED ENERGY ON HIS FIST AND HE LOOKED SO COCKY PLS I PASSED OUT like sir what those hands do?!?!?

HIS TONGUE - 😛 his tongue game good if he cared enough about your pleasure LOL

“daddy” - no i will not explain but let’s just say that panel made my panties drop. naoya probably has a daddy kink

he is greedy - like yes king! burn the world and get what you want, love me a man that has his own goals and would do anything to achieve em

he admires toji - 😭🥺

he perfectly represents the toxicity of the zen’in clan’s sexist traditions - naoya is a great example that you are not born with beliefs, you are either taught them, realized them, or exposed to them. honestly if the zen’in clan was not as awful, i don’t think naoya would turn out like that either. but overall his character is interesting to me because he embodies the clan’s flaws as himself and he is so infuriating but if you think about it...is it really naoya or the clan itself?

HIS SNEAK ATTACK - HE IS SO FUCKING HOT FOR THAT 🔪

naoya in a black shirt. - anon, just...just look at him in a black shirt and you will understand

he takes care of himself very well - i LOVE when people have good hygiene and it’s so obvious naoya grooms himself to the best state bcos he cares a lot about his appearance. his arrogance and confidence really gives off massive dom vibes and i am s h a k i n g

#asks with naoya's trophy wife #suki: thirsts #I CAN ADD A LOT MORE TBH

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colourful-void · 3 years

Text

Supporting Satoshi - an examination and comparison of JN36 and XY121

Part One: Snowballs do not cure depression but it was worth a shot

You know that episode of Pokemon where a gym leader beats Satoshi in a battle so hard that one of his pokemon gets mildly hurt (though there's no long term effects) and because of it he becomes depressed, closing himself off from his friends before someone comes along to pull him out of that mental state, and also severe weather phenomena is involved and a reflection of a persons mental state? Or rather, the two episodes?

So when I was watching Journeys, I noticed an episode that had a similar-- but distinctly different-- plot to an xy episode I had seen before. And what was particularly interesting was that while I couldn't stand the xy episode, the journeys episode was one of my favourites. I won't drag this out for you guys, I love the journeys episode and re watch it a LOT and the xy episode sort of just leaves me with a sour taste in my mouth. and don't go claiming its solely ship bias, because i saw the xy episode first and disliked it then.

This will analyze both of these episodes, comparing them against each other. Specifically within the context of how Goh and Serena both help Satoshi through a similar situation There will be some discussion of AmourShipping and Satogou in this analysis. I'm going to be a bit negative regarding Serena's actions and the potential "romantic" weight of them here, but I want to be clear that I Do Not dislike Serena as a character. Personally, I wish the writers had given her more room to grow outside of her romantic interests, but I do not hate Serena as a character. I do, however, disagree with her actions in this episode. Please don't take this out of context and dont be ship fighting in the comments, it's boring. This is a comparison of These Two Episodes, not of Goh and Serena and their respective ships as a whole.

This part mainly focuses on the xy episode and the second will focus mainly on the journeys. It's only divided into parts because of the tumblr post limit.

(If you like the xy episode or hate the journeys episode, awesome! having your own opinions is great. these are mine though, so i hope you'll listen to them)

With that out of the way, let's start. And I'm going to use mostly japanese names here because I'm taking screencaps from the subbed japanese copies.

The set up for each of these episodes is eerily similar as pointed out in the gag at the start.

Xy has a bit more set up before the episode in question though, with the initial loss and retreat into the forest by Satoshi taking place the episode before. The episode opens up proper with Satoshi taking time to breathe to himself, alone in the forest.

Emphasis is placed on him taking a deep breath, aided by the visuals showing them (thanks cold air) and the silence of the rest of the soundscape, with the only other sounds being the wind and some bird pokemon, plus some falling snow.

Journeys Satoshi starts off in a better mental state than Xy, with the episode starting off with him jogging along with his pokemon.

However, we can still see that he's been affected by the last battle he lost, against Saitou, as he's putting a lot of effort into training and doing better.

Which, doesn't go well for him, as he loses his next two battles as well, and drops in the World Championship ranking as a result

And he's pretty upset about it too. Same thing as over in xy. In both cases, a respective friend/love interest notes that Satoshi is upset and expresses concern.

He's got support from his friends in both situations! But that support comes across in very different ways.

But, to understand how that support manages to affect Satoshi, we need to understand the problem at play.

Now, I wanna make something clear here. Satoshi's problem is not that he is a sore loser. I'm not arguing that's not a contributing factor, or that he's not upset about the loss (particularly in the world championships), He's still bitter about the lost part, but the root of the problem is not losing, he's been shown to be fine with losing (if not a bit more motivated to win now) in prior episodes.

Satoshi's problem is that his pokemon are getting hurt. Satoshi's problem is that his pokemon are getting hurt, because they're losing battles. Satoshi's problem is that his pokemon are losing battles because he's not training them well enough. And to clarify, that's not my viewpoint, it's his. Satoshi's problem is that he's not good enough for himself, and he feels that that's something he has to fix on his own.

So how do we help him?

Our weather event in question is introduced in separate points in the episodes, but I'll cover them both now.

In xy, it's this snowstorm, which conveniently becomes a problem directly after Serena returns to the Pokemon Centre.

In journeys, it's a sandstorm! That's in near direct contrast to a snowstorm! Incredible.

Heading back to xy Satoshi, things aren't going great in the forest. Luckily, Serena's run off to find him.

I think it's of note here that Serena runs off with the best intentions, she wants to help Satoshi, plain and simple. It just sort of goes wrong along the way.

It's worth noting that Xy Satoshi tries to bring himself out of being sad by the tried and true method of "stop being sad"

Despite telling himself this, he doesn't get anywhere. Which makes sense, because it's not getting the the root of the problem. It's not even addressing it at all. He's just trying to 'be better', which isn't even a battle strategy. However, it is something I can see him saying, so this isn't a critique of Satoshi's thought process, but me pointing out that this isn't really effective. Which is supported by the narrative, because again, he doesn't get anywhere, he doesn't even move.

I can't show it in screencaps but the lights in Satoshi's eyes are shaking here, something that they consistently do throughout the series when he's feeling a particularly strong emotion. Keep that in mind. It couples well with another trait of his, and that's his hat!

And by that I mean how he hides his eyes with the brim of it when upset, something he does exactly as Serena shows up and calls out to him. Now, he's not upset that Serena is here. He's upset about the pokemon stuff still. He's trying to hide the fact that he's upset from Serena.

Serena starts off with her speech well, trying to appeal to Satoshi to let her in and talk things out. And maybe it's because he wasn't ready for it yet, or because of the way she phrases it (a lot of 'i' and 'me' language which can be helpful but can also come across as though she's making it about her. not her intent i don't think, but a possible interpretation.), it's not her fault for how Satoshi reacts regardless.

But how Satoshi reacts is not good.

Now it's really interesting to note that before this, Serena was standing while Satoshi was sitting, putting her above him in terms of active power, when it comes to how the shot is presented, but when Satoshi stands up, the camera tilts with the movement so that they're on equal level. Neat!

And Serena yells in return, scolding Satoshi for not talking about it. Not the best move, since pushing someone to talk about something that's upsetting them isn't really productive, but she's trying here and she's frustrated.

Satoshi continues to withdraw and self isolate, claiming it is his problem and that he wants to be left be. Now, this is the mindset of a clearly upset person and isolation may not be the best option, but he did make the explicit request to be left alone here.

He's clearly upset as he turns away from Serena's eye and slumps over a little.

And then Serena throws a snowball at him.

Angry as he is, you can see Satoshi's expression change when he sees Serena's reaction.

Serena tells Satoshi that she's not like the Satoshi she knows, who is always full of energy and positive and a leader, and a bunch of other positive traits. The problem here, is that Serena's looking at an idealized version of Satoshi. And while the intent here was probably meant to be something more like "you have so many wonderful traits about you I know you can do this", coupled with the snowballs and the phrasing, it seems as though Serena is scolding Satoshi for being sad.

Or rather, being angry with him for not living up to her idealized version of him, and not wanting him to express any negitave emotions.

Which is sort of a really bad mindset.

The snowballs continue, never once does Satoshi fight back. In fact, he stops arguing entirely after the first one. Serena knocks him off his feet and tells him he's not being himself, before running off. (In the english dub, Serena claims that Satoshi isn't being "the real satoshi" and then demands that the real Satoshi be "given back", so it could be worse)

Satoshi decides to literally run his problems away, because it will help him reach some kind of conclusion, and immediately trips and falls down a large hill. No, I'm not making that up. Something like this just isn't like him. He's just gotta stop being sad!

Now personally, I really disagree with the idea that "being upset" isn't "like a person". That's because based off of my own experiences, I know it can be really damaging to hold the mindset that any negative emotions you feel aren't a part of you and that you shouldn't be upset because you're usually a positive and happy person. Not the case with every person, but I personally really have a problem with shows telling children that they just shouldn't be upset instead of processing their emotions in a meaningful way. (The journeys episode doesn't do an outstanding job of it either, but this is a bit of a tangent anyway. A show that does do this right is "OK KO! Let's be Heroes" which actually deals with this problem in greater depth and does a fantastic job of it.)

But the snowball scene ends here. Now I'll get back to Journeys in a moment, but since Serena has finished her part of the comparison for the most part, I'm going to summarize a bit more of the xy episode.

Satoshi decides to literally run his problems away, because it will help him reach some kind of conclusion, and immediately trips and falls down a large hill. No, I'm not making that up.

The snowstorm kicks in, Serena get back annoyed, then similarly groans and yells, and the whole xy gang + pokemon go running off in search of Satoshi. Pikachu appears the most concerned.

Now Serena tells the others she lost her cool and said something horrible to Satoshi, but explains its because Satoshi is someone she admires. Cool motive, I get it, still kinda bad.

and in the end, it's not Serena's words that get he message across to Satoshi. The solution to this problem was Satoshi finding a way to reaffirm his abilities and instinct.

In the xy episode, he helps some pokemon out of the tree, and when his very cool frog friend shows up, they're able to work together with their bond to save this one from falling off a cliff.

Here's the point. Satoshi learns by doing, by actions. He needs to see first hand that there are ways of getting past his problems, and that it's worth having the courage to keep going. The lesson is about valuing pokemon as equals and partners, and specifically that trying to be better as the trainer alone isn't going to help.

This is essentially where this plot line ends, team rocket is there for a bit as well but as much as i love them they're not relevant here, and some fun stuff with the league, love it not important right now its like 3am and I'm not sleeping until this is finished so we gotta keep things moving.

This was no doubt Serena's intent to get a similar point, but she goes about it the wrong way. She tries to convey this with words, as conversation and motivational words have helped her in the past (Elle's words of praise stick with her, Satoshi's words from when they were kids, etc). It's a good idea, but their different ways of learning and growing from a similar situation are incompatible, and that's why things don't work out in Serena's favour. There's also still the problem of "pulling yourself together" not being helpful in this case.

There's also a very similar line in this scene to the one at the end of the journeys episode, as Satoshi says to his frog that they should start over from scratch. It's essentially the same phrase with different wording. It's great. The Storm ends as he realizes this as well! Wonderful in terms of pathetic fallacy.

The gang all reunites, its nice. Satoshi thanks Serena for what she said after apologizing to everyone, which contradicts what he said earlier but I've already established that I dislike this message here so I won't go over it too much. I guess he's right in a literal sense in that in response to her words he went and ran until he tripped off a cliff but the emotional growth here was because of his own actions (and the frogs), not Serena's. Sorry Serena, you'll get em next time.

So. What about Goh?

Well...

(Part Two here on account of image limit!!)

#pokemon #anipoke #pokeani #pokemon analysis #pokemon xy #pokemon xyz #trainer ash #trainer serena #trainer goh #i dont wanna use the amourshipping tag to put negtivity in it that seems mean #analysis #this was written in the 2-3am area but the next part was written 12 hours later so thats a neat fact #long post

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pitter-patter-esikars · 3 years

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What made you start shipping some of your JJBA ships?

Hmm! That's an interesting question! It's a bit of a longwinded answer and so I'll pt it under a cut! I'm sorry I don't have art for this question, but I'll try to make it up!

I think it depends specifically on the ship to explain why it appeals to me! There's a lot of arguably mainstream ones I like (Bruabba, Avpol, Esikars), because I like the characters as individuals because they're so interesting to me on their own and I think as a pair, they compliment each other and really show what I think is fascinating.

For very canon ones, like Sorlato, Yukako/Koichi (and Squatizi in my heart), it's not broken so I don't see why I should fix it! Yukako had to grow on me a bit because at first she scared me, but like. I love her now. I just think the ones that are technically canon work in their own right in any given scenario and they do pair well and play off each other (cant say much for Sorlato obviously but. theres implications lol). THere's obviously all the Jobro ships (Gyjo, Josuyasu, Jotakak) that I don't have in a different setup, and I think they hold very well as tried-and-true dynamics with plenty of potential for characterr growth in a positive manner that I find particularly pleasant!

Then there's the one I like to call "Braincell Hot Potato" because I like group dynamics and sometimes just making it a ship is a fun way to play even more with the banter and possible scenarios. Joseph/Suzi/Caesar/Whammu is a really fun one because if you split them, Joseph/Suzi clearly worked (for a while), and there's a lot of appeal to Caesar/Whammu on their own, but if you throw in Joseph as the bane of both of their existences, and Suzi as the voice of reason, it's a really funny dynamic! To a lesser extent is Erina/Jonathan/Speedwagon and Jolyne/F.F./Hermes, just because I like them so much as trios I would feel bad if I personally separated them. ESPECIALLY the Stone Ocean girls, I'd feel like I personally needed to atone if I were to cut any one of them out here.

I have a lot of nonsensical ships though! Terence/N'Doul/Vanilla was first proposed in a fic as roommates and tbh the idea really stuck. I used to HATE Vanilla Ice but after he grew on me after MANY years and now I really like throwing him into modern AU scenarios in my brain to think about how he'd tackle them. Terence is on the complete opposite side of him and N'Doul is both almost a voice of reason in comparison and ALSO my favorite villain in part 3, so I didn't see a problem with stickin them all together. I think they just need some time away from Blond Bodysnatching Bloodsuckers. Mariah/Midler is because I love them both very much even though we don't see Midler technically! I think that since canon doesn't touch on them much, they're absolutely fun to pair because it means I can show them the love Araki very clearly forgot to! And there's the obvious villain ones like Karspucci and Kiraboss where their only interactions that I've ever seen near canon has been EoH or Jorge Joestar, and I think they have the potential to be hilarious. Under what circumstances would Kira and Diavolo get along without immediately losing their minds and murdering each other in a loop a-la-Cube House incident? Do Kars and Pucci have anything in common at all? No clue, we should explore these uncharted territories! In a similar note, Shinobu/Kosaku (Kira) is interesting to me because Shinobu was having a great time and Kira actually seemed a bit happy for a moment there, and I wonder if he would be a normal person if he had just Chilled TF Out for a bit. Obviously in canon that's not what happened but I wonder what could've happened if Kira decided to just steal Kosaku's life and do it better than him and be happy with it. Also my wife likes Shinobu very much, and that's what made me think about the ship at all dbfjhg

La Squadra is interesting to me because I really like how the duos (Meloghia, Forluso, Risopro) play off each other as it is, but their appeal as a group extends to there being a lot of shaking up the dynamic. Prosciutto and Illuso, smug bastards as they are, would have a HORRIBLE time on a mission together but I feel like that could be fun to think about. Risotto and Ghiaccio very clearly have opposing personality types but their stands would be exceedingly interesting to figure out were they to do a duo mission. Formaggio and Melone might be the most compatible outside of Meloghia and even then I dont think anyone would leave unscathed. I even like Risotto/Bruno as capos who care deeply for their teams and might even have similar ideologies and circumstances are what kept them from really being friends or getting along. Formaggio/Pesci is also a ship that's slowly gained my attention because I've seen a lot of cute art and while I don't actually ship Pesci with anyone because I'm quite content with his stuff in canon, I just think it's a neat one!

All-in-all though, shipping is really just a side thing! I love ships and character dynamics and scenarios and banter but I also don't really need it to engage with the characters I think! La Squadra's dynamic for me is just as interesting if I didn't think certain characters dating could be funny. Battle Tendency is amazing as it is regardless of if I like Caejose as a couple or as idiot friends who also hate each other.

The only ship that truly matters hands down, is Esikars because...listen. Esidisi had no reason to follow Kars for 10k years and raise kids with him and defend him from their whole race. Esidisi went OUT OF HIS WAY to throw his dignity and tact out the window in the hopes that he could buy enough time for Kars to get the Red Stone even though he KNEW he was going to die. It's stated multiple times that Kars hates Joseph SPECIFICALLY for killing Esidisi. What would drive Kars and Esidisi to be as casual with each other as they are (given their clear ranking system). You LOOK at me and tell me there's no love there.

#also Dinopants is good because I like short angry dinosar and MUCH more menacing tall nun. like them I think. just a bit #IM SORRY IF THIS IS LONGWINDED i'm very character and comedy-driven if you couldn't tell #there's different things to explore and the more niche i get with ships the more i explore without rehashing stuff #jotakak is good but have you CONSIDERED trying to see how Kiraboss could work.#also in terms of the shinobu/kosaku I like the potential of a sitcom type thing with the Kawajiri family.#maybe I want Hayato to play increasingly more harmful pranks on Kira and Kira be like ooooh that hayato what a scamp ;/ while seething #I feel like I'm really basic with some of these and also feel like I'm way too deep into others #txt #AGAIN SORRY FOR THE LONG POST #AND ESPECIALLY BC THERES NO ART HERE SGDJFHGK #thank you for the ask though this was really fun to think about!#i hop this answered WWW tldr im a sucker for banter and also sometimes canon is right #it's a lot to read if you've made it here thank u for hearing me out. next i'll be taking questions about my stand opinions

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bloodycassian · 3 years

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heavy is the head - Cassian x reader- reader has to deal with Night court forces in a battle with Spring. Part two likely.

"Look who's come to plead for help." Cassian drawled, looking you up and down. Rhys gave him a sharp look that he shrugged off. You held back your fighting words and approached with false confidence.

"And look at the male who lost a fight to a giant fish." You retorted, giving him the same judgmental look.

"The levithan-" He began, and you swore you saw the Shadowmaster roll his eyes.

"Enough. We have matters to discuss." Rhys silenced him before he could continue. You gave him a sweet smile and turned to the high lord.

You noted how the shadowmaster smiled. His dark hair glinting in the pale light of the meadow. They all looked alike, the dark hair that reflected the moonlight like a river. The dark wings that blended into the night far too easily. The sight of them made you shiver.

You began before one of them could bring up anything else. There was no other reason for you to call the meeting, it was pain. You were desperate. And if Rhys was so adamant about keeping all of Prythian safe, he would listen. "Spring court presents more of a problem than we thought. Tamlin's son is preparing to invade." You reported, extending your palm for them to see the evidence you'd brought.

A fragment of an arrowhead tipped in faebane. You kept it wrapped in a leather cloth for a reason. "Where is he getting these?" Azriel asked, his shadows running over your palm and the arrow there. The tinginging feeling they left behind made you sick to your stomach. “That’s out of my pay grade, shadowmaster.” You said with a bitter smile.

“You’re the next heir to the throne.” Cassian laughed despite himself. He wasn’t a fan of Summer Court after the blood rubies sent to them by the previous ruler. They had recalled them, but the message still stung.

“I am the throne. My father’s time is coming quickly.” You said with a clipped tone, not sparing them any room for further questions before continuing. "Summer court cant risk any more ships to the southern border. We are losing more and more soldiers daily just to hold the line."

"Perhaps you could train better-" Cassian was full of fight tonight it seemed. And you were willing to oblige, you bared your teeth at him and cut off those words before you could

"Perhaps you could allow us some help. We are allies if I recall correctly?” You tapped a finger to your chin, earning an eyeroll from the two generals. Rhys just leveled you a cool glare.

"Reluctantly." He admitted, then looked to the sky. "Cassian..." He called. You felt there was some other conversation continuing in their heads based off Cas’ reaction. It was predictable, him acting like such a child. But it still hurt, nonetheless.

"Rhys- No..." He whined, his wings flaring out a bit. You watched the sharp tips of them as they so expertly avoided catching his hair or head. You wondered what it was like having such an advantage. You wondered what all Illyrians thought of the wings, if all of them loved them or if they had mixed opinions.

You knew a few Peregryns from Dawn court that resented being born with wings because it meant they had to serve in the army. Some even ‘went missing’ to other courts to avoid being enlisted. You wished you had that option at all. But Tarquin would likely send the entire army after you if you had done so. Being his only child meant good training, as well as being very well known throughout Prythian. Just like Kova.

"We can discuss this later.” Rhys said with a sharp tone. Cassian’s look of betrayal made you wonder what the actual conversation would be about. “Now I need you to pledge forces to our Summer ally. We can't risk Kova moving north."

Cassian was silent for a long moment. Contemplating. He knew he couldn’t tell Rhys no. Especially in front of a different Court member. But his battle instincts told him hell no. Do not give forces over to someone who dosen’t even know how to handle them. "Cassian." Azriel said softly, his shadows circling his brothers.

He compromised. "Two legions. I will lead them tomorrow."

You hated the reluctance in his voice. "Two legions are a sacrifice. You don't know the terror that child brings-"

"Two legions or nothing. Your choice." Cassian said firmly.

"Cass-" Rhys pinched the bridge of his nose. "We will consider more options. For now, we will give you what we can spare in weapons as well as the legions." He held a hand up to Azriel when he made to argue.

"Thank you, your highness." You gave a half assed bow, and he was gone before you rose. You smiled to yourself at the faint echo of a growl in the meadow.

You donned your most threatening armor and set out to greet the Illyrians. The far hills of Summer court were donned with swaying brown beach grass that hissed in the wind. The ocean spray shimmered above the dark ranks of warriors. The sun did not glint off their armor like it did on yours.

Cassian's look of distaste said all you needed to see to understand that the Illyrians were not ones for following orders. "One hundred Illyrians. All with weapons that they will take care of." He gave a sidelong glance to the males to his left. They tensed, but did not scare from their general. Whatever they had done must not have been too awful if they were still standing.

Azriel squinted against the Summer sunlight. His shadows seemed more highlighted than ever against the beating sun. "Welcome... I will guide us the rest of the way to the camp." You said, loud enough that the entire crowd could hear you.

You marched forward, and none followed.

A male spat on the ground where you had been standing. His wings were gray and tattered, face a strange pale color that didn't match the rest of the Illyrians. A man who had seen too many days for what Illyrians were used to.

"We dont take orders from a Summer court-" Cassian did not let the male continue. He took the crossbow from his hands, and gave the soldiers around him a nod. They parted around the male. His face went white as a sheet. Cassian's frustration turned his expression into that of a wild wolf. He knew that there would be some to stand against him in helping.

"ninety nine soldiers, I must have miscounted." Cassian announced, and waved the forces forward to follow. You smiled to yourself, and led them through the tall pine and larch trees that made up the forest border with Spring.

Cassian carried the crossbow the entire journey from the hills to the camp. Summer soldiers did not hide the way they stared at the winged males. Some even moved their setups to be further away. You didn't blame them, but embarrassment ran through you at the message it sent.

"Half of you will flank Tamli- Kova’s…” You corrected yourself and spat the name. Cassian wondered what kind of hatred lie there. There was obviously something beyond just enemy courts. “-forces from the shoreline. The other half will follow the second front into the border.” You ran a finger across the map. Cassian was thoroughly impressed with your planning. He noted the details of which fronts were where and what diversions were being made by specific groups.

“Az will lead the flank. I’ll take the front.” He spoke with the confidence of a male who had never lost a battle. He knew Tamlin’s upfront ways on top of it all. He would have trained his son to do the same.

“Dismissed.” Cassian announced, and the Illyrians went straight to the long dinner table. Az followed, giving his brother a long look before departing. Cassian knew that look. The one that said ‘watch your back. I’m not watching it for you.’ After centuries of giving each other that look, it was enough to rattle him. What exactly had he been doing to warrant that from his brother? He stared at the map on the table.

He felt your presence before he heard you. Like a snake creeping around, waiting to strike. “This is a good plan.” He approved, then stole a glance to see your reaction.

“I would hope so. It’s our last push to keep them out of Summer territory.” You collected your pawns from the table and tried not to look at him. He watched you move with fluid grace that was common in Fae.. but you were different somehow. Like you moved with extra care. It made him uncomfortable. Why did it bother him so much? He tried to shake himself from the stupor he felt around you.

He took crossed his arms over his chest, feeling his wings flare at the frustration he was “If you had boats to help that would ensure you winning this.”

“You mean us winning this?” He bit his tongue. He didn’t like the idea of allying with someone with a reputation like yours. It was dangerous even getting this close. As if you could read his thoughts, you rolled your eyes. “Like I said, we can’t risk any more.”

“But you can risk my people?” The words stung with accusation. With a underlying tone of shame and history there. He tried not to think of himself as fully Illyrian after what they’d done to his mother. But he couldn’t deny that he enjoyed the brutality of the culture. It made him what he was. It forced him to survive instead of dying in those camps alone, freezing to death.

You were silent at the simmering question. He smiled bitterly. “You can say what you want but I brought them here. Now you need to make sure your side keeps them alive.” He didn’t look back when he left you standing there in front of your battle map.

“Heavy is the head...” You thought.

#cassian #acotar fic #cassian x reader #acotar

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snoopysfriendwoodstock · 3 years

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hellooo, loved ur post about Taylor's songwriting on evermore I think ur so right! would love for you to elaborate more on it, and on when you think her songwriting is at its worst/best 💕

hi beck!!! 💋 i think evermore suffers from a lot of what lover suffers from (evermore is my #4 album and lover is in dead LAST in my ranking i’m not comparing them like that ❤️) where taylor got so carried away by the success of folklore (where imo she really reigned herself in and only kept what was necessary) and the response to her more poetic/flowery writing that no one could tell her no when it came to writing evermore. lover is that but with 1989 where she made such a perfect pop album with no fluff, then lover she thought she could recreate 1989 but without the fear of doing it for the first time. so in folklore you’ve got this really, really beautiful writing that clearly was written and re-written but also put through a lot of scrutiny. folklore was a new venture for taylor similar to 1989 which i think made her be a lot more cautious about what she put on the album and how airtight it was. this is obviously speculation but it feels like after folklore did so well she realized this could be her new “brand” or her new “era” or whatever and suddenly evermore was so much more in your face about like her woods and witchy vibes and fantasy land or whatever and a lot of lines from the album feel like “look how good i am at figurative language! you love this dont you?” like what the fuck does “life was a willow and it bent right to your wind / but i come back stronger than a 90s trend” even MEAN. she also does thing thing where she explains her metaphors which just makes them even clunkier to try and listen to. “we were like the mall before the internet / it was the one place to be” sounds … just poorly paced? and even tho this isn’t a metaphor it’s like… isn’t that literally just “we were something don’t you think so?” i think taylor’s song writing is at its best when she’s detail oriented but leaves enough up for interpretation that it feels like an actual mineable text. i did not see the same weeks of interpretive writings on evermore as i did on folklore because it feels like she left less for us to actually explore on our own. i saw people over and over arguing about the “evergreen our group of friends / don’t think we’ll say that word again” line from champagne problems and which word she was talking about but isn’t that the best part? it feels so much more like a stream of consciousness than a carefully crafted line which lets you get drawn into the world of the song. i love the little details in marjorie, i always end up crying during the “the autumn chill that wakes me up / you loved the amber skies so much / long limbs and frozen swims / you always went past where our feet could touch” part because it’s those little specificities that make you feel like you can see exactly what she’s seeing. the coney island/the 1 comparison works here too since that little question, drawing the audience in with the second person POV in the song, just has more emotional appeal in my opinion than a really awkward metaphor. taylor has always been at her best with diary entry level honesty but i think lately she’s been replacing that with these easter eggs that just feel a little cheap? the diary style writing (which has matured into the honest fiction of folklore/evermore) worked because it gave you an insight into taylor that helped you really understand her side and her feelings whereas the easter eggs of rep/lover make you use your already existing knowledge of taylor to gain anything from it. that’s why while i think the bridge of coney island has some great writing, she gets away with not really writing anything interesting because she depends on the fans and their interest in her to fill in the gaps. that’s not good writing it’s just a parasocial relationship. but when it comes to cardigan/betty/august she’s given us these characters that we knew nothing about but people have been able to grow attached to because of that ability she has to craft characters and narratives, something she’s been doing for herself the last 13 years and why she’s able to over and over depict herself convincingly as an underdog to her fans.

BASICALLY folklore showcases the best of taylor’s songwriting by having her turn what she’s been doing for herself since the beginning of her career into fictional narratives rather than mine her own life or depend on her fans to find meaning out of her own experiences. evermore has some great moments because she uses some of those same techniques to story-tell and add lush details to her writing but she also does this thing she tends to do where once a project is successful she tries to center her identity around it in an attempt to replicate it and ends up totally missing the mark by not reigning herself in.

#this is long and i don’t think it’s very coherent but oh well! ❤️#long post

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90sgrungelouis · 4 years

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regarding louis and niall's selfie war today and seeing liam's selfie yesterday, i feel like we should settle something once and for all. we have to decide who takes selfies the best. lets go.

first up its everyone's favorite soft boyfriend, niall horan. he deserves first place, and here's why.

exhibit a. look at the composition! the emotion! the tousled hair and blue eyes and scruff! his face is in full view, he's holding the camera up at a good angle, he knows how to take selfies! a master. 10/10

exhibit b. just posted today! another example of his selfie prowess. look at the blue eyes, the angle, the smoulder. he has a cup of coffee in his hand and guitars in the background, and it paints a whole story. i'd wager niall doesnt even have a bad selfie. 100% all natural home grown baby. thats why he's number one.

anyway, onto number two. thats, you guessed it, liam payne everybody!!

starting off with this beauty. listen. this is a man that KNOWS his stuff. you just know that he has several different camera rigs and that he uses a self timer. major art student aesthetic vibes. 100/10.

and this one!!!! what a masterpiece!! he KNOWS his angles he KNOWS his emotion he KNOWS how to work the lighting. the rainbow? chefs kiss but in bold. he's just second place because i found more professional pictures on his insta than natural selfies which like, u do u baby, but not in this competition yknow? i love u mwah

next up we have mr zayn malik. in third place??? yes yes. let me explain.

so we have these selfies at first right? beautiful! reminiscent of an angel baby lamb. the curly soft hair, the composition of the picture, the angles he uses. 10/10. but THEN.

we have this one. honey baby what is u DOIN. this selfie has NO flavor. none. the angle is all wrong, the lighting is garbage, hes not even making eye contact with the camera. and its not even a square picture!! i had to dock major points for this one. 3/10. he has some good ones, and some bad ones. which is a shame because as we all know, zayn is the most beautiful human in the world by law. anyway.

next up in fourth place, we have louis tomlinson. LISTEN. before y'all start coming at me with pitch forks, it has to be said. someone's gotta be brave enough to say it and im gonna do it. louis doesnt take good selfies. do i still freak out whenever he posts another selfie? of course. do i feel my life force returning whenever he deigns to grace us with another picture of his handsome face? obviously, every time. but we HAVE to face the facts. let me show you.

some of them are good!! some of them are A+. his 28, his little hoodie, his eyes, the scruff. all beautiful. gorgeous right?

but listen to me.

is👏this👏your👏king👏????? IS IT???? tell me right now, look me in the face and tell me that thats not just the 'do you have games on your phone' angle for every single selfie. wheres the spice? where are the angles, the lighting, the emotion?? louis. i love you. you know this. you also have MANY young siblings. please, im begging you, take your grandpa butt and ask one of them to teach you how to take a good selfie because i for one am done with suffering in silence. this is my truth and im going to live it.

and in fifth place, you might have figured it out!!!! harry styles baby. he's in fifth just cuz he literally NEVER takes selfies and thats an automatic disqualification except for the fact that we got this one recently, and-

well. i dont really think this one needs an explanation.

and those are my rankings folks, please exit to the left, thank you for your time. any questions can be directed to ot5 themselves. goodnight.

#and thats that on that PERIOD #anyone who thinks differently is wrong sorry #one direction #harry styles #liam payne #niall horan #louis tomlinson #zayn malik #mine

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drarrymybeloved · 3 years

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a gift for @isamijoo as part of the Wheel of Drarry Mini Exchange🥰💞thank you to @curlyy-hair-dont-care for the beta!

wc: 1.7k | rating: G

Not All Heroes Wear Capes, But Mine Sure Does

Draco Malfoy, Editor in Chief of Witch Weekly Magazine, eyes his watch and then the stack of paperwork on his desk. He knows he should stay and get through at least half the pile before lunch, but there is also a photoshoot going on in Studio B right this very second that he wouldn’t mind overseeing. Only because the photoshoot is such an important project for the magazine. Not because of the presence of a certain someone at said photoshoot, not at all.

I’m the Editor in Chief of the damn magazine and I can go wherever I like, he decides. He nods his head as if confirming his own thoughts and exits his office to head towards the studio.

Draco had begun working at the offices of Witch Weekly soon after he finished his community service sentence. Starting as a lowly clerk, his ability to charm and enamour as needed, had him slowly but surely climbing the ranks.

Now, at twenty-five, Draco is the youngest Editor in Chief in the history of Witch Weekly. Soon after his promotion, he had recruited Pansy as a columnist and Blaise as a photographer, both of whom are involved in today’s shoot.

And what a shoot it is, Draco thinks with more than a little satisfaction. Featuring the Golden Trio, the rest of the Weasley clan minus Percy who was “just too busy to make it”, Seamus Finnegan, Dean Thomas, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, the Patil twins, and Lavender Brown, it’s going to be printed as a special edition with all proceeds going to the War Orphan’s Trust. Incidentally, it’s also one of the most— if not the most— star-studded spread in the magazine’s history. Blaise will photograph all the volunteers in various costumes and get-ups, while Pansy will interview them on the side.

When the idea was first proposed, Draco had been sceptical. While the others were less recalcitrant, Potter was well-known for his dislike of modelling of any kind. He hated being in front of a camera, and everybody in the press corps knew it. Without Potter, the venture wouldn’t necessarily fail, but it would definitely not generate as much profit. Draco had meant to ask formally, perhaps through an official letter bearing the magazine’s seal. Instead, he found himself asking Potter at the weekly inter-house pub night, a tradition started in eighth year that— inexplicably— continued well past Hogwarts. Surprisingly, Potter had agreed with minimal fuss. He wasn’t happy about it, but he had agreed nonetheless.

Reaching the studio door, Draco takes a moment to brush non-existent dirt off his suit jacket and straighten his already straight tie, before pushing open the door. There are a fair amount of people milling around, talking and laughing. He can see Weasley, Finnegan and Thomas near the refreshments table. Charlie Weasley is talking animatedly with Luna while Longbottom listens with a bemused expression. Ginerva and George are slowly turning singular strands of Hermione’s hair purple as she talks passionately with Lavender. The Patil twins are having their makeup done, and Bill Weasley is being interviewed by Pansy.

Draco takes all this in with a cursory glance, his attention instantly drawn towards the man currently posing for the camera, like a compass finding true north.

Harry Potter stands in front of the camera, wearing a gladiator’s skirt cinched with a belt adorned with a golden lion, a red cape adorning his broad shoulders. A sheathed sword hangs at his waist. On his feet are black leather sandals, the straps of which rope around his muscular calves. Without his trademark glasses, his eyes look impossibly brighter. His bronze skin practically gleams under the lights. Presumably, someone had applied oil on him at some point. Draco hastily pushes away all thoughts of hands and oil and Potter out of his mind. Potter’s hair looks artfully tousled instead of its usual mess— a near-miraculous feat if you ask Draco. He makes a mental note to jot down the name of the hair stylist for future photoshoots. The thought is there and then gone because just then, Potter draws the sword hanging at his waist, and Merlin and Morgana, Draco was not prepared to see Harry bloody Potter looking like a hero out of a Greek legend.

Draco lets out an involuntary whimper.

“Hello, Draco.”

Draco quickly snaps his gaze away from Potter to find Hermione looking at him with an amused expression. The purple streaks are gone from her hair— she’d probably known what Ginerva and George were up to the whole time. Meanwhile, Draco had been so busy ogling Potter, he hadn’t even seen Hermione approach him. He flushes faintly and attempts to sound like the Editor in Chief of a major publication rather than what he actually feels like— a schoolboy with a pash. “Hello, Hermione. I hope everything is going smoothly?”

Hermione grins. “Yes, it’s all been rather fun actually. Reminds me a bit of Sunday lunch at the Burrow, what with so many people around.”

“Good, that’s good to hear,” Draco says distractedly, attention already straying back to Potter.

“Harry’s looking rather good, isn’t he?” Hermione asks nonchalantly, following Draco’s gaze.

“What? Oh, yes, yes of course. Now that you mention it, he is. That is, I mean, the stylists did a brilliant job. Especially with his hair, it usually looks like a bird's nest,” Draco lets out a strained chuckle, his cheeks burning. He never should have come down here. Merlin.

Hermione presses her lips together, her eyes bright with amusement. “You should tell him that yourself, he’ll like it,” she gestures behind Draco.

Draco turns, and sure enough, Potter’s coming off the set towards them. He doesn’t even stop to change into regular clothes, for fucks sake. How is one supposed to hold a conversation with him looking like that?

“I’ll leave you two to it then, got some catching up to do with Parvati,” Hermione says, grinning wickedly. Before Draco can say another word, she’s already gone.

Cursing internally, he turns to face Potter, determined to keep his attention on Potter’s face and his face only. Not that that’s not distracting enough. Pushing the unhelpful thought away, Draco opens his mouth to greet Potter. What comes out is, “That’s quite a get-up you’ve got going on.”

Oh joy, already off to an excellent start. Draco cringes internally but forces himself to smile in what he hopes is a pleasant manner.

Potter laughs sheepishly. “Yeah, I do feel pretty ridiculous in all this. They’ve even strapped a bloody sword on me. I barely know how to handle it.”

“Looked like you were doing alright, actually,” Draco says before his mind can catch up with his mouth.

“Oh, er, thanks Draco,” Potter smiles bashfully, bringing his hand up to ruffle his hair. Draco’s eyes helplessly follow the flex of his bicep.

Snapping back to attention, he grasps for something other than Potter’s sword-wielding skills to talk about.

"I have to say though, I was quite surprised when you agreed to this. It's no secret you dislike photoshoots immensely," is what he lands on. It’s something he’s been wondering about and he wouldn’t mind knowing what made Potter agree to do this.

“Yeah, I don’t much like being treated as if I’m some celebrity and I’ve never been good in front of a camera. I would have said no but well…” he trails off, looking at Draco intently. “You’re the one who asked, so,” Potter shrugs as if that clears everything up.

Draco blinks. In a dazzling display of eloquence, he says, "What?"

Potter flushes, but he looks determined. "I agreed to do this because I know this photoshoot is important to you. Not just this shoot, the magazine as a whole. I know that you’ve worked hard to make it into something much more than just another gossip rag. So, um, you know, I did it for you,” he rubs the back of his neck, his face flushed crimson. “It also helps that it’s for charity,” he adds, chuckling awkwardly.

Draco gapes. “But...why?” he manages, bewildered.

“Draco,” Potter huffs. “Because I care about you. As in, I have feelings for you. I thought you would have guessed by now, it’s not like I’m great at subtlety. Pretty much everyone else knows,” he smiles nervously.

Oh. Oh.

“You have feelings for— wait, everyone knows?” Draco demands. “And no one thought to tell me?” He hates his friends, really truly despises them all.

Potter’s eyes crinkle with the force of his smile. “Wait so, what are you saying?”

Draco rolls his eyes, attempting to sound cool and collected even though he feels practically giddy. “I’m saying, Potter, that I have had “feelings for you” as you put it, for an embarrassingly long time. And everyone knows,” he says, cheeks pinking. “Well, everyone except you, apparently,” he amends.

Potter laughs delightedly. “To be fair, you didn’t catch on to my feelings for you either.”

“We’re rather ridiculous, aren’t we?” Draco says, laughing ruefully.

“Well, we’re both in the know now, so how about we go for a celebratory dinner?” Potter asks, eyes bright.

“Good idea,” Draco says, attempting— and failing— to keep a straight face.

“Potter!” Pansy’s voice cuts across the room.

“Time for your interview it seems,” Draco says.

“Yeah, although I do have some questions for her myself,” Potter says, squinting at Pansy.

“Oh, I will absolutely be having words with her. And Hermione,” Draco huffs.

Potter smiles at him, and it’s such a wide, unrestrained thing, Draco’s heart misses a beat. “I’ll see you after, then?” he asks.

Draco nods, smile softening. “Pick me up at seven, you already know the address.”

Potter flashes him one last smile before walking towards Pansy’s corner.

Draco watches him go with what is most definitely a besotted smile on his face before turning around to leave. His steps falter when he sees all of their friends staring at him, expressions torn between unbridled glee and despair. He frowns— until he catches sight of Ron glumly handing over a handful of Galleons to a triumphant George.

“You absolute pillocks, did you place bets on Harry and me?” he asks in disbelief.

“It’s a lucrative business,” George winks.

“Sorry Draco,” Lavender says, not looking sorry at all as she pockets the coins Padma grudgingly hands her.

“I hate you all,” Draco informs them cheerfully as he heads towards the hallway, professionalism be damned. He hears them laughing as he steps into the hallway, but he’s too elated to be properly pissed off at their machinations. He’ll get back at all of them soon enough, but for now he has a stack of paperwork to finish— he can’t be late for his date after all.

read on ao3

#am i posting this solely bc i got excited about making a banner?#yes. yes i am #drarry #drarry fic #wheel of drarry mini exchange #fluff and humor #ty to the microfic discord for enabling me😌

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