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luvxoxo · 9 months

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Q. what is love? what does love mean to you?

synopsis: asking jjk men personal questions that they have to answer honestly

part 1 of my : jujutsu kaisen interview series

includes : Gojo, Geto, Nanami, Toji, Megumi, Yuji

Gojo: he makes himself comfortable on the chair behind him, humming as he feels the softness of the seat. he inhales deeply before answering, "love is.. it is a feeling unlike any other. It is an overwhelming desire for the individual you hold close to you. It is a need that you feel to be with someone, to make them realize how precious they are, even if the world fails to see them" he pauses for a second to collect his thoughts "love is the feeling that drives us to our very core, and it cannot be denied. It’s a feeling that words can’t quite convey. There’s a lot to love, it’s hard to put into words. Love is…it is necessary to me"

you smile, hearing such an honest answer. "that was marvellous" you cannot help but let the compliment escape. Gojo grins and shrugs his shoulders "i try my best"

"Then allow me to ask you the following question, what does love mean to you?”

he hums, thinking of an honest answer "hmm if i had to put it briefly, it would be this: love is like a flame burning deep within my heart. It’s something that will never extinguish, and will always be present, no matter what happens. It will never burn out, you know? Love is like my very soul. It is me and i am it. If i lose it, then i have nothing left. I could not go on, if i were to lose that flame of mine"

Geto: he takes the time to swiftly wrap his luscious hair in a bun. "i have mixed thoughts and feelings about this question, is that alright?”

You nod smiling, encouraging him to answer

he grins, there’s a hint of sadness to it "love is strange and mysterious. It is not easy to define, and everyone can have different definitions of love. For some, love is a feeling of deep affection. For others, it can be a feeling of great joy and happiness. But love can also be quite painful. It can cause one to feel hurt. Sometimes it can cause one to feel lonely, and incomplete"

"seems as if, your answers are quite logical suguru" you say, observing him

Geto hums and nods his head, agreeing with you "that’s my view on it at least"

"well then allow me to ask you the next question, what does love mean to you personally?”

Geto leans back crossing his arms, thinking. "Love? You know that’s a complex question. Love to me is a bond. It is loyalty and admiration tied into a neat little bow. It’s much more than something like "attraction" or "lust"

he lets out a little laugh, looking away "but ultimately, love, in one word: loyalty"

Nanami: he rolls up the sleeves of his shirt and leans back on the sofa comfortably, deep in thought. "the emotion of love is intricate and difficult to capture in simple language. Love has many different categories. Love can be romantic, familial, platonic, or even a love of something, like a hobby, sport, or a profession. Love is often seen as a positive motivating force and is a common theme in literature and art. This is only my humble understanding of the concept of love, though"

"that’s an interesting explanation actually. Perhaps the next question will allow you to answer more freely" nanami nods his head "What does love mean to you Nanami?”

Nanami's tone becomes quite serious and sincere. "Love is something I've always felt, but for the longest time it was something I could not truly understand. I love my friends, family, and the things and activities I enjoy the most, but there's a part of me that feels I'm missing something. I haven’t felt romantic love yet, and while it hasn't discouraged me, it has always made me wonder about the true meaning of love. It is something I hold close to my heart, and it is something I wish to find someday"

he pauses for a moment, contemplating his next words "There's a lot I could say about love. I don't think I've ever experienced it on a deep and personal level, only loving people from afar. I've tried to understand the concept of love, but I feel as though I will never truly comprehend it, even if I felt strong romantic feelings for someone. I just know it’s something that I'm striving for, something that I'm constantly working towards. It's not easy, but it is something I deeply want"

Toji: he gently grazes his fingers on his scar and then, he smirks. in a cocky manner, he manspreads on the sofa. "I don’t do feelings. Love is a weakness people like you shouldn’t indulge in when there’s a whole world out there that requires your attention. Love is dangerous, kid. It can bring you to your knees"

you feel annoyance creeping up at him calling you a kid. you force a smile on your face. he grins, seeming to notice your change in attitude.

"Would you mind elaborating a bit on that answer Mr Fushiguro?”

"Well, it’s like a drug really. It affects everyone differently. For some, love makes them weak and unable to act. Others become filled with a strong hatred towards the person they love. Some even fall ill and die from loving too much. Love is a fickle thing… a dangerous thing, and it ain’t for me. I guess you could call love my number 1 enemy. It’s a weakness that clouds a person’s judgement"

you nod your head, understanding his different point of view.

"I see. I’d still like to know though, what does love mean to you then? Is your answer still the same?”

his eyes avert to the ground, seemingly lost in thought till he speaks up again "Well if I were to describe it" he pauses before responding "I don’t know. But when I see other people who love each other, I feel I have understood what that feeling is. Maybe love isn’t just being obsessed with someone or wanting to be with them. It’s a lot of feelings put together. It’s a feeling you can’t describe. But sometimes you have to use your head and do the logical thing, not chase love or any of that nonsense. Sometimes the heart wants what it wants"

Megumi: he is instantly surprised by the question. It’s clear he was expecting everything except for this. "Oh well," he thinks for a moment "For me, love is the feeling of affection for someone or something you care about. In my opinion, love is when you want to be with someone and have their backs, no matter what or despite everything. You're also willing to do anything for the person you love. It doesn't mean, however, that you're gonna be possessive and obsessive. Love is more than just simple feelings. It's a connection, a commitment between two people." he says with a small smile on his face. it’s unusual for him to soften up like this.

you stare at him, astonished as to how he explained the concept of love in such a simle way "wonderfully said. then Megumi, what does love mean to you?”

he looks down at his hands, trying to gather his thoughts "I think my definition might be a little bit different from the one I already gave you. I think I'd define love as ‘a preciousness’. A preciousness that you want to treasure and protect. Something that you don't want to let go and will do anything to keep"

Yuji: he is perhaps, the most energetic out of the rest. he seems ready and eager to answer your questions. “love is something I still don’t quite understand yet. I guess to me, love is something that goes both ways. Both giving and receiving. I’ve learned that’s important. So, to love someone is to care about them, and to want to see them happy the way they want to see you happy.” he finishes with a bright smile

your heart warms at how pure his words feel. you cant help but smile along with him "im curious for your next answer. What does love mean to you Yuji?”

Yuji takes a deep breath. He looks up at you nervously "my answer is going to be really short, is that okay?" you smile and nod, signalling that that’s more than okay

"love, to me, is something more than a feeling. It’s an action. You can’t just say that you love someone. you have to show it with your actions as well. if someone loves someone, but they don’t do anything to show it, the other person won’t know. They won’t know how much you love and care for them.”

Reblogs are appreciated 🫶🏽

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goddessofmischief · 7 months

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Hey, thanks for tagging :) I am 34, so the "old men" are not so old to me and quite frankly, watching Shanks, Buggy and Mihawk in OPLA is feeling like coming home to old friends back from 20 years ago. (I was crushing on Shanks and Buggy so much...😅) So I thought, maybe you could write something where fem!reader already knows them and has a soft spot for each of them, since back when they were flirting and making fun when they were young. Now as adults they meet again and the chemistry is still there.

I remember one of my stories from back then. I was jealous of mermaids, because all the pirates got stupid once they're around, and a drunk Shanks said: "nah, you wouldn't like to be one; You'd be missing slamming doors and Buggy would drown on daily basis just to say hi-." Both Buggy and Reader: "shut up! So not true!". Just like young stupids are... :)

Anyways, thanks for your writing and I can't wait to read more about the "get-shit-done"-squad Mihawk, Shanks and Buggy

— MERMAIDS (YOUNG SHANKS X READER, YOUNG BUGGY X READER)

A/N: Hope this is alright: since your formal request was so in line with what the theme of the series will be anyway, I used the excerpt of your line as basis for this particular fic. All credit of course goes to you for coming up with the lines and the idea. On a personal note, I just want to say how much I respect that you were an OG fic writer and still have interest in and love for these characters. Welcome home.

...

You would have believed that you had been at sea for years, until Buggy reminded you that it had only been weeks.

Granted, this is how he reminded you:

"It's been wee-eks," Buggy whined, stretching out on his hammock. Shanks was collapsed against the wall, fingers knotted together, eyes not really focused on any particular place.

And you? You were lying on the floor, gazing up at the wooden ceiling, wondering if it would be a good idea to leave the cabin and see the stars.

Being on the ship for weeks was highly irregular for your crew. Great captain he was, Roger knew he could only keep this ragtag group sane if they stepped onto shore and ate an orange every once in awhile. This concern was triply inflated by the fact that he had three young adults onboard who became very antsy if they had to stay in one place for too long. Your patience certainly rivaled Buggy's or even Shanks', but even you had your limit, and you had met it long ago.

The ship would have planned to make port nearly a week before, but the World Government was closer to finding you than ever. It was simply too dangerous.

You soon learned how your friends reacted to a situation such as this. Shanks had retreated mostly into silence, with exception of the odd joke or attempt at conversation, and Buggy had decided he blamed you both somehow for this situation and that any words exchanged with either of you would only be of the complaining nature.

"I know, Bugs," said Shanks, and you were surprised to hear him answer Buggy's complaint. You exchanged glances with him, then turned back to Buggy.

"Let's go outside, yeah?" you suggested. "Do something fun."

"Everyone's outside," Buggy complained. "They've been yelling over something for hours."

"And you didn't think that was important to mention, Bugs?" Shanks asked, irritably. Buggy shrugged.

...

The thing that had sparked such interest in the crew was simply that, as your ship had sailed very far into the deepest waters, much farther than usual, you had sailed into a home of mermaids. Extremely dangerous, and the crew knew it.

It did not negate their interest whatsoever, though.

Pirates get stupid when mermaids are around. It is a core trait of pirates and no less than a sacred tenet of piracy itself. More than a few decent men have been seduced to the sea by the very concept of mermaids, and to that end, the idea of finding one.

Shanks and Buggy were no exception.

You had never really taken the care to notice how they behaved with girls. Their flirting was of no interest to you, and so you didn't bother to surveil it. But it came to your attention now that they had terribly different styles: namely, that Buggy was mostly content to sit and watch from the edge of the deck, and Shanks was more interested in yelling, waving, and nearly falling off the boat.

Granted, by this time, alcohol had become involved, and all bets were off.

Despite all the excitement, the first in weeks, Shanks had begun to notice how quiet you'd become. He approached you, somewhat cautiously, hoping you wouldn't react with a retort or a threat.

"You okay?"

You nodded, staring at the drink you held.

"You sure?"

You shrugged, whispering something under your breath that Shanks struggled to hear.

"What's that?"

You spoke again, slightly more than a whisper, but Shanks heard it all the same.

"...I wish I was a mermaid."

"You wish you were a mermaid?" He repeated loudly, almost outraged. You shushed him, and he just laughed.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's just... nah, you wouldn't like to be one. You'd be missing... slamming doors, and Buggy would drown himself on a daily basis just to say hi-"

"Shut up!" you giggled. "So not true!"

"And then, of course, there'd be all the pirates. I wouldn't like sharing you with them."

"I'm a pirate. You're a pirate."

"I'm a different sort of pirate. And you're barely a pirate at all."

You shrank back, inexplicably hurt by Shanks' drunken offhand insult.

"I'm as much of a pirate as you."

"Of course you are. I didn't mean that. Not like that. I mean, you're just... you're very careful, you're much too good for us. You're not messy or mean like the rest of us are."

"What do you think I am, then?"

"A princess," he blurted out, and you tried not to laugh. "I've always thought so."

"Always?"

"Mhm. The whole time."

You studied Shanks' face, seeing him in a new light that you'd never glimpsed anyone in before. Had he always been this cute, or charming, or kind?

Well, it didn't matter if he always had been, because he was now, and before you had given much thought to it at all you were pushing his straw hat back and he was meeting your lips in a kiss, your first, his first.

"You're a terribly nice pirate," you mumbled.

"You're a terribly beautiful princess," he replied.

You both parted awkwardly, staring at each other with confused half-smiles and resigning to focusing your attentions back on the ocean. For now, it was merely a strange evening, a shooting star, but later on, you would remember that night as the precise moment you began to love Red-Haired Shanks.

And Buggy, watching from across the ship, would remember that night as the second time a deep knot of resentment grew in his chest, one that would only become larger with time. The first time had been as a child, when Shanks had done something exceptionally well where Buggy had failed, and Roger placed his famous straw hat onto his head.

The second time was tonight, because of you.

taglist: @sawendel @twinklesnake

#shanks x reader #shanks #buggy #buggy x reader #buggy opla #one piece live action #it was rare i was there #IWRIWT #live action buggy #shanks x you #red haired shanks

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fueledbysano · 1 year

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𝐀 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 𝐎𝐅: 𝐌𝐈𝐊𝐄𝐘'𝐒 𝐅𝟏 𝐖𝐈𝐅𝐄

mikey as your professional racer husband ♡

♱ ft. racer!mikey x afab!reader

♱ content/warnings: manga spoilers, fluff, domestic fluff, suggestive themes

♱ a/n: well, if this isn't the life. I plan to make this a mini series for the other tr boys' future professions too when I have the time. anw i love racer mikey so much he can have my kids

˗ˏˋ A normal day for Mikey typically looks like training, and practice races. and so, you start the day with making him a big breakfast so he stays in top condition for the day.

˗ˏˋ He also loves it when you eat with him, so he sits you on his lap, making sure you have a taste of your own delicious creation.

˗ˏˋ Before he leaves, it's routine that you're the one to put on his uniform and protective gear. You finish off by placing a sweet kiss on his lips before securing a helmet over his head.

˗ˏˋ Everytime he drives off, it becomes a habit to flash his tail light three times for you as an "I love you".

˗ˏˋ and he also brought up this habit on his actual races, blinking it for you before the countdown as good luck; to which you eventually realized, as you always get the front row seats to his tournaments and matches.

˗ˏˋ In the race track, you are still Mikey's number one, quite literally, when you are wearing one of his jackets that has your shared last name and the distinct number "1" on the back, which is Mikey's number.

˗ˏˋ You are often shown on the big screen as you watch Mikey, making sure to capture your reaction, especially to his wins.

˗ˏˋ You eventually learned how to pose like a model, especially when cameras love stealing shots of you— the star racer's stunning and supportive wife.

˗ˏˋ If you look him up, there's a handful of cute photos of the two of you kissing beside the race track.

˗ˏˋ You are the first person he looks for after every race, and you'll always be ready to hug him proudly whatever place he gets.

˗ˏˋ You always host a celebratory party for him everytime Mikey wins a race. And you always go extravagant.

˗ˏˋ Sometimes, Draken would scold you for how much you spoil your husband.

˗ˏˋ Especially on days when Mikey would run late on training and engine check, all because he refused to leave you in bed.

˗ˏˋ But it's a give and take, really. Considering how much Mikey spoiled you as well.

˗ˏˋ Firstly, he always takes you on his overseas tournaments. You never missed a race, no matter how far it was held.

˗ˏˋ With Draken and Inupi's help, he even made you a motorcycle of your own that looked as stylish as his.

˗ˏˋ The glint in your eyes when you saw it for the first time had paid off, and he immediately took you to a test drive.

˗ˏˋ During your teenage years, you learned how to drive Mikey's CB250T which was basically riding a bike for you. But to drive an actual sports motorcycle was more complicated.

˗ˏˋ Mikey practically wrapped you in safety gear and helmet, protectively wrapping his arms around you as you drove it for the first time.

˗ˏˋ By the end of the day, when you got a hold of its machinery, you and Mikey were cruising down the seaside highway on your own bikes.

˗ˏˋ This then became your favorite date activity— to have joy rides on different corners of the country.

˗ˏˋ However, you sometimes insist on being his passenger, mainly because you get to embrace him for the whole ride. And this is something he couldn't deny.

˗ˏˋ It's usual for Mikey to end the day with worn out or sore limbs, so you always prepare him a bath and give him a massage afterwards.

˗ˏˋ And to this, he thanks you with kisses and invites you into the tub with him.

˗ˏˋMikey's motorcycle isn't the only thing he's good at riding.

˗ˏˋ Considering his intensity of training, the strength in his limbs and core pays off in bed.

˗ˏˋ Making love with Mikey is always an intimate and hot experience for the both of you; as if he's studied every part of your anatomy and how your body reacts to certain touches.

˗ˏˋ and god, his body— it was a sculpture of beauty that made it impossible to hold the thoughts in your head.

˗ˏˋ His hands are skillful in pulling off your clothing too, all while keeping them in one piece no matter how eager he is.

˗ˏˋ Going on days, even weeks without having sex is a regular occurrence to you, considering that he would always be tired from training or tournament when he comes home.

˗ˏˋ But oh, the sex makes it all up.

˗ˏˋ Mikey couldn't hold back any longer. Every part of him is screaming to thrust his way inside your pussy and pound away at it, but another part of him is telling him to take it easy on you, since it's been awhile and all. but he doesn't think he can.

˗ˏˋ He's wanted this all day— to be buried balls deep inside of you, hear how you moan, feel your warm, tight hole suck up his dick.

˗ˏˋ He thrust his hips forward and your pussy took him in inch by inch. You're wet and tight, and feel so goddamn good. You moaned when you felt him all there and that moan is what he's been needing— Sweet, innocent and all his.

˗ˏˋ "Shit, [ Y / N ]," He groaned in your ear. "I won't be able to go easy," He grunted. "Then don't." You hooked an arm around the back of his neck and lifted your legs to his muscular shoulders.

˗ˏˋ That one sentence is about to turn him into a maniac. It's the fuel he needs— the words he never knew he craved.

˗ˏˋ and it did; the bed shook, headboard slamming against the wall and wood creaked with every thrust.

˗ˏˋ “My pretty wife~” He couldn't help but admire your flushed face, his eyes flickering to your breasts that bounced with every thrust.

˗ˏˋ “I love you s'fuking much…” He whimpered, finding his release with one final thrust. You didn't last longer with his sweet praises either and climaxed with him, practically merging your bodies together along with your hot moans and his soft kisses.

˗ˏˋ “I love you too~” you let him rest his head on your chest and comb your fingers through his dark hair.

˗ˏˋ Mikey is practically the ideal spouse one could ask for, and he thinks about how perfect of a wife you are, not able to imagine himself being with someone else. You always wonder how insanely lucky you are to have found each other and to be finally doing something that you both just once dreamt of.

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

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radioactive-earthshine · 6 months

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im having a great time with Pluto despite not having seen much astro boy (been aware of it obviously just never sought it out) what would you recommend for someone to watch/read after pluto from the astro boy franchise that is similar in tone and content?

Oh boy oh BOY!

If the Pluto anime is your introduction into the Astro Boy franchise then you've been thoroughly acclimated to the most fervent reoccurring themes found within Tezuka's writings and as such a lot of the tone and story telling will be very similar - even if Pluto was written by Naoki Urasawa and not Tezuka himself.

What I personally would suggest for those curious about learning more about Astro Boy and this particular story is to read the Pluto manga (8 volumes) as an accompaniment - the anime is a very good adaptation but some things had to be cut for time (it's inevitable) and the manga was simply better at revealing some things than the anime to give you a broader sense of place that this world takes place in.

From there you have many options before you depending on your accessibility to some of the series below.

NOTE: There is nothing quite like Pluto other than Pluto, but in all versions of Astro Boy you will find the same themes and content found within Pluto but with a different narrative voice.

For the sake of simplicity I am not getting into the bigger Tezuka Star System I'm just focusing on Atom in the most direct way - no this is not meant to be a full complete list of EVERYTHING.

The 1950s Manga

Written by Tezuka himself, where it all started.

Contains all of the original core stories of Tetsuwan Atom (Astro Boy) which were adapted in various media.

Is available in English to purchase and is online.... in places...

Can get shockingly dark and gruesome and I do not have the spoons to list all the Content Warnings possible. Adults will find enjoyment from this series.

Is generally episodic.

Classic golden age sci-fi with themes relevant today still.

The 1960s Anime

Written and worked on by Tezuka himself.

Contains many of the core stories presented in the manga adapted to fit a single episode.

Episodic.

The first two years (104 episode out of 193) are available in English to purchase on DVD (with extras!) - I do not know if the 'missing 89' are available online with subs or if the original Japanese is available with subs out there.

Yes, inevitably the dubs sanitized a lot of the stories and Americanized them - but even so they are worth a watch.

The 1980s Anime

Also written and worked on by Tezuka himself.

Is available in English to purchase, but like the 60s dub, it has been cropped, chopped, and censored - in some ways worse than the 60s series. The DVDs at least do have the Japanese track with subs available.

You can find the 80s Japanese unedited online with subs.

Is mostly episodic but does have a subplot featuring a new character Atlas and his sister Levian.

Contains some of the core stories from the manga but this series is much shorter so some of your favorites might have been dropped.

The 2003 Anime

Tezuka did not work on this series as he was deceased at time of production.

Modern Astro Boy with a more modern lens and modern story-telling expected of anime of the time.

Contains a plot and contains the episodic spirit of the original shows and manga, but the plot is still referenced in modern anime story telling. The main plots being 1.) robot rights being established in a world where they have none despite having "kokoro" (heart) which is basically free will and sentience and 2.) who is that boy anyway?

Many of the most beloved Astro Boy stories from the manga are not present in this series.

American voices dictated the direction of this series from the start even in the original Japanese which is a big negative.

The English dub is heavily censored and altered from the original version - but it contains some amazing performances from people like Dorian Harewood whom I still to this day don't know HOW he agreed to play Dr. Tenma but my god he did an amazing job.

The unedited subbed Japanese version can be found online.

Despite the amount of butchering and meddling during production it is still a relevant part of the Astro Boy collective world.

Naoki Urasawa's Pluto Manga and Anime

You already know of this adaptation but it's a retelling of The World's Greatest Robot, the classic story from the manga and is present in all of the above series. It is also direct commentary about the American invasion of Iraq with some names changed so as to not hurt feelings. I generally suggest to adults to read this and if it connects with them then try on the original manga and maybe see if any of the anime gets their eye too.

A note on Tezuka and his extended works.

An American equivalent to him would be Jack Kirby however he had more creative control with his work, was credited for his creations, and had just about the same amount of influence on Japanese comics as Jack Kirby did with American comics (maybe even to a greater extent). Tezuka was incredibly prolific and is dubbed "The God of Manga" for a reason. Many of his stories all circle around the same themes; war, grief, the futility of hatred and the doom of mankind while also taking on blatant political sides including environmentalism, equal rights, gender rights and even playing with gender and expression (note they are products of their time and some of which are offensive today but for the time were groundbreaking).

If you wanted specific stories from the manga that might be more what you are looking for to refine your search, let me know! I've been needing an excuse to drag them out.

#astro boy #pluto #pluto anime #osamu tezuka #tezuka #tetsuwan atom #naoki urasawa's pluto #my niche interests #no i didn't include x thing on purpose

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cryptotheism · 11 months

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Tediore actually was the villain of the new Tales from the Borderlands iirc

Yeah and they look boring. The Borderlands series is my favorite type of media to consume because it's so almost good. I love any Strong B+ type shit that could have been cool if you changed like two things. It inspires a man!

Borderlands 1: Nothing writing. Solid base of mechanics for a fun series.

Borderlands 2: Mechanically fun. Some pretty dope environments. Flashes of genuinely good writing contrasted with actively awful writing.

Pirate DLC: Forgettable writing, but had some dope set piece fights. Carried by the strength of it's setting alone. Fun mechanically. Forgettable writing.

Torgue DLC: Grating and annoying.

Hammerlocks Hunt: "I'm sure gearbox will handle the African big game hunt themed DLC well. What could possibly go wrong."

Tiny Tina DLC: Honestly more enjoyable than the base game. A genuinely fun concept that manages to hold back the annoying quips long enough to flesh out Tiny Fucking Tina of all characters??? What's wild is it WORKS. Imo it successfully walks the line of madcap humor and commentary on its own uberviolence, exploring how Tina's LMAO random XD persona is a safety blanket. At her core she is a traumatized child who has lost another father figure. It's Tina using the player as an instrument of uberviolent fantasy justice to process her grief and against all odds it works PERFECTLY with the tone of Borderlands.

Pre-Sequel: Literally everything interesting in this game happens in like, flavor text. Expanding on the villains of 2 is a cool idea. Seeing Jack become Jack is neat, but honestly didn't do much for me. Forgettable environments. Mid gameplay. Felt like a test run for 3. The Dahl mercenaries were a missed opportunity. I remember a single quest that got a real laugh out of me: the one where it's revealed that the respawn station voice isn't pre-recorded, it's a live lady who has now been captured by bandits, who are making her say cringe shit on the intercom.

Borderlands 3: A master class in environmental and level design. Every character is extremely fun to play. I love the Eden-6 Louisiana Dinosaur Jungle. I love the Maliwan Corporate City. I fucking LOVED Nekrotefayo. "Evil twitch streamers" was a brilliant choice that the writers legendarily fumbled. Main Villain should have been the Maliwan twerp. The Danny Devito Indiana Jones character fits in the world but needed way more time in the oven. Making him the Calypsos dad was a bizarre choice.

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likealittleheartbeat · 2 months

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hey! i really enjoy your analysis of aang and zuko's relationship, and i was just wondering if you have any thoughts on this:

when aang considers what he's afraid of the most, he doesn't just see zuko - he sees the blue spirit. why do you think his fear is linked to that mask? zuko was the most amicable towards him when he put that mask on, and was hostile every other time.

Ooooh!! This is such a rich and meaty question!! And it's something I've wondered about but never dove into before.

I guess there are a couple of questions we need to explore. One, do we want to begin to analyze this from Aang's perspective or the series' themes, which, when put together, should offer us the fullest idea of what the intent might be? If we begin with Aang's perspective, then the next question we need to next ask what is Aang's view of Zuko and/or the Blue Spirit at this point in the narrative? My worry about beginning at that intimate level is that we might miss possible connections that a thematic understanding might facilitate and may, like many fandom analyses, leave it at a character level when, in fact, the characters exist to serve larger philosophical purposes, especially in a show like ATLA.

So, we'll return to those questions about Aang after we visit some questions about the broader themes here. We know for a fact that the team did a lot of research into Eastern philosophies that they had to then pack down into 24 minute episodes, preserving a surprising amount of complexity not in the words but in the actions and visuals. The 2 part Crossroads of Destiny episode is probably the most evocative of this practice. The four-way fight scene is celebrated for the way it masterfully shows character development through fight choreography. Then, Aang's crystal chamber he forms to master the Avatar State is a direct reference to a statement about pre-enlightenment in one of the foundational texts about Japanese Zen for American Buddhists, "The Three Pillars of Zen." The rapid explanations of the seven chakras with Guru Pathik might seem like a a skimming of Tantric beliefs based on the brief statements and processing, but it's another prime example the way ATLA suffuses meaning beyond the script.

What more can be said about the Earth (also called the Root or Muladhara) Chakra, then, that the show might reflect without stating it explicitly. Guru Pathik explains that the Earth Chakra "deals with survival." Is there any subject more prescient than that for our protagonist, the single survivor of an otherwise all-encompassing genocide? Other accounts of this chakra that I can find explain that it's at this chakra that one can observe that their base needs are being met--enough food, enough water, etc. There seems to be a subtle witnessing to the effects of PTSD here then. With this chakra untouched, unopened, and out of balance, Aang within his mind has been living in a state of emergency without knowing it, believing himself at a core level beyond his consciousness to still be under immediate threat even in moments of peace like his meditations throughout the opening of his chakras. "Your vision is not real," Guru Pathik points out, not to say that no danger exists for him in the world but to illuminate the immediate reality surrounding his person.

The memories and visions that flash during the sequence hint at how fear conceals deeper realities and thus possibilities. I'll start with the clip of Katara sinking away from the first episode of Book 2, "The Avatar State." The Earth Kingdom General performed this cruelty after many other attempts to force Aang into suffering to gain the Avatar State. Believing he lost another person he loved, the state was triggered despite the actuality that Katara was unharmed. The fear of her loss overwhelmed Aang, and even her safe return could not assuage his traumatic response. The Blue Spirit incident forms a striking parallel to this event, in that case. Aang felt himself helpless and in danger only to discover the opposite: the seemingly malevolent force freed him from danger. Further, that Blue Spirit Mask concealed Zuko who, by the end of the series, will be revealed (to himself and) Aang as an ally and a friend. The shadowy image of Ozai, then, connected with these two fear-inducing semblances, can be seen then as perhaps the ultimate foreshadowing of Aang's ultimate success in pacifying Ozai. Put in the context of this chakra and the other two visions, it frames the Firelord as a facade meant to induce terror and distance, when in reality, life and humanity still lay behind the horrifying megalomania.

Concerning the Blue Spirit element specifically in the series, I want to explore one more factor within the series before getting back to Aang's character relationship in this moment. Blue has a running symbolic theme within the series that seems especially relevant here since it played a huge role in a highly symbolic part of the directly previous episode, "The Earth King." As Zuko rides out his psychogenic fever induced by releasing Aang's bison and abandoning his Blue Spirit mask, he is confronted in his dreams by a blue dragon voiced by Azula and a red dragon voiced by Iroh. I felt really confused by these two would-be shoulder angels for the longest time (literally until I was sorting my thoughts out to write this) because Azula's blue dragon is the one who entreats Zuko to rest, which even in Grey Delisle/Azula's clearly threatening tone--she even ends the temptation by saying "sleep just like mother!"--seemed to be what Zuko needed to do as opposed to the red dragon's exhortations to get out. I could see how sleeping might also refer to accepting his upbringing without thought, but why blue? The layers upon layers of possible meaning overwhelmed me.

I posit that blue in the series, especially when put in relationship to red/orange, as it is in the dream sequence, the dynamic between the water tribe and the fire nation, the fire of zuko and azula (especially the final agni kai), and the energy-bending of Aang over Ozai in the finale, ought to be read as Yin (making red/orange yang). Yin is passive, retractive, and receptive, which makes the invitation to rest by a blue dragon make perfect sense. Yin is also feminine in nature, hence the association with both Azula (whose blue fire and lightning becomes especially interesting to explore under this understanding) and Zuko's mother in the dualistic dragon dream. If you know anything about yin and yang, you know that it's key tenet is ever-changing coordination of yin and yang within one entity and with relationships between entities rather than the privileging of one above another. The two dragons in Zuko's dream, while seemingly in opposition to one another, are actually seeking, like the bumper stickers say, "coexistence" of their dispositions.

Now, back to Aang's vision of fear over the Blue Spirit. The red that overlays everything is specifically a reference to the Earth Chakra, which is symbolized by the color red. But the fact that he has one fear of Katara, the pinnacle of blueness/yin in the series, dying, and another fear of the Blue Spirit, a de-flamed (read: emasculated) Zuko attacking him that are then overlayed by this Earth Chakra red, a color otherwise used to portray yang (masculinity, activeness, expansion, and repulsion) and the fire nation in the series, suggests that his fears are specifically about within holding onto yin nature (symbolized by his grasping for a disappearing Katara) without being entirely overwhelmed by it (in the image of the fear he felt as the Blue Spirit approached his imprisoned body). And all those fears are intensified when living in such a patriarchal, or yang-skewed age and society, which gets depicted through both the final image of Ozai, the ultimate patriarch within this world, and the red coloring.

I promised I would get back to the characters, and after that hopefully illuminating thematic expansion, we can hopefully get at the core of what's going on here for Aang personally and what it might mean for him to be picturing Zuko with the Blue Spirit mask as a fear. I want to put this moment into context with Aang and Zuko's relationship at this specific moment. Aang hasn't seen Zuko since he watched him cry over his uncle in the ghost town after Azula struck him with lightning as a diversion. That was ten episodes prior (and more than 6 months time if you were watching the show in real time as it premiered; May 26th-Dec. 1st). The next time Aang sees Zuko, two episodes later, they are glowering across a crystal prison cell at one another with antipathy as they're embraced (a gesture I can only remember from the fantastic black romance film Love & Basketball, and in a gay context that is clearly referencing that moment in L&B, in the Norwegian teen romance series Skam). Right before this scene, Aang readily agrees to co-rescue Zuko and Katara with Uncle Iroh despite Sokka's protestations. Nothing seems amiss with Aang, no obvious belligerence toward Zuko until he sees him. Zuko has barely seen the airbender this whole season, and the one moment they encountered one another, Zuko was attacking Aang's attacker rather than him. Why is Aang expressing anger toward Zuko in the crystal chamber then? It's a rare expression from Aang even when we look at their more antagonistic interactions from the first season.

Here's where this vision of the blue spirit Aang envisions as he opens his earth chakra might enliven his characterization and his relationship to Zuko. We get two pieces here. His attachment to Katara and the queer implications of his partnership with the Blue Spirit/Zuko. And they are inseparable.

I don't feel that I need to especially dive into the attachment to Katara since it's been a pretty big component of discourse within the fandom, both in general analysis and more specifically relating to the (literally historic) shipping wars between zutara and kataang that emerged after the series came out originally. What I'll say here is that the first vision that Aang has as he addresses his root chakra points to his fear of losing her and what she represents pretty explicitly and, as I suggested earlier, also provides its antidote in the realization that accepting/surrendering the fear of impermanence reveals its simultaneous illusion. Katara wasn't actually harmed and wasn't truly lost when the general subsumed her into the ground. Aang has to let go of her as a permanent fixture that he'll always be able to see and know entirely (not, as many have interpreted it, let go of loving her). He'll also have to let go of saving her and the world of so many others she represents, which is as much a pressure and role Katara and others put on him as Aang yolks himself to.

Part of this acknowledgement of Katara's impermanence as a living being and a romantic possibility is addressing the others in her life who pose both danger and attraction for her. Zuko embodies both of these things simultaneously. The aggressive stare Aang launches at Zuko in "The Crossroads of Destiny" can be understood through this lens. The Eve Sedgwick's concept of the triangulation of male homosocial desire between romantic rivals was one of the foundational ideas of queer theory. It's so well-established as to be a meme among the tumblr crowd. The show even references the history of these literary homosocial tropes in "The Avatar and the Firelord" as Sozin and Roku's tight-knit youthful friendship is slowly rent apart at the event of Roku's heterosexual marriage, which thus begins the imperialism of the Fire nation.

Except that Roku and Sozin aren't romantic rivals. And Zuko's obsession with Aang begins sans Katara. And, as you pointed out, if the romantic threat is Zuko, it ought to be Zuko in the Earth Chakra vision instead of the Blue Spirit? Well, those all exist because ATLA is not a tragedy for homosocial relationships, and it's hard for me to explain how groundbreaking that was.

You see, the show theorizes homosociality differently. If Aang is required to let go of Katara, he has no pivot point, no object (because women shouldn't be objects for male fodder!) to connect with and compete with a rival male, so he has to look directly at the desire of another male for him and, therefore, face the fears that he might have similar desires. I said above that the Blue Spirit is an entirely de-flamed Zuko, which I then paralleled to emasculation. One could even go farther to call it a kind of symbolic castration (Firelord Ozai losing his firebending at the end of the series certainly demands this kind of reading). These aspects ignite fears about lacking masculinity which then cause reactions, which make men avoid accepting any thoughts and behaviors associated with vulnerability and homosexuality invoked within themselves or by others.

I think Aang, in his way, is confronting these fears but not from the angle of someone raised within a homophobic or misogynistic culture. His openness to Zuko and the potential of connection to him is ripe from the first time they meet--"you're just a teenager" connects them without any intermediary. He comes to understand the rigidness of the environment he's in, though. He feels like he's being forced to choose between a yang/masculine role he plays with Katara, who at this point in the series though growing out of it and certainly not a fault of her own making still sees him as her savior and depends on him to save her and the world through metaphysical mastery and the repulsion of evil, and yin/feminine role he plays with Zuko, who finds Aang in and forces him into positions of elusion, surrender, and passivity, while requiring his compassion and forgiveness. When the Blue Spirit comes swinging his swords (read that with all the innuendos you want lol) at a shackled Aang, it's the ultimate expression of Aang's potential for submissiveness because, not only is he entirely helpless but the one who could harm or save him in that scenario is another who is not participating in the expected power of fire/yang/masculinity.

I think everything in the show says this is attractive to Aang--that he remains with Zuko immediately after their escape from the fort, that he reflects on the Blue Spirit as he opens his chakras, that a reference to the conversation that followed their escape that Zuko makes halts him in his tracks when Zuko asks to join the team. Zuko's Blue Spirit persona means a lot to Aang, a scary amount, and my point is that it's this fear of the meaningfulness of their encounter as two men who are not the masculine paragons they are supposed to be which Aang faces as he opens his chakra. As much as he wants Katara, he wants Zuko. He fears he'll lose Katara and he fears he'll lose his life to Zuko. These are the dichotomies he's tackling as he processes the Earth chakra.

Aang eventually opens the chakra, but that's only to say he acknowledges and surrenders his fears to a destiny and understanding beyond his control, not that he necessarily learns how to address and solve all the conundrums contained therein. We know he chooses his attachment to Katara at the end of the episode to obtain power over the Avatar state but perhaps we could've been clued into this choice by noticing he has not chosen Zuko with that initial glare Aang gives him. Aang hasn't found a way in his chakras or his heart to hold both Katara and Zuko at once, so he chooses Katara and expresses a newfound jealousy and rivalry toward Zuko (not that Zuko's at his best behavior at this point, but it's Aang who initiates the exchange).

By the end of this season, Zuko abandons the Blue Spirit mask and Aang loses his life for prioritizing Katara and a yang-centric mastery of the Avatar state. The next season involves all three of the protagonists finding more internal balance between yin and yang for themselves and accepting mutually reciprocal feelings for one another that allow them to escape the kinds of patriarchal tropes that have dominated Anglo- literature for centuries. The ability of this brief sequence to highlight so many of the series' central revolutionary themes speaks to the depth of the show and the way it invites the audience to think about rich subtext rather than pedantically hammer us with morals will just continue to be the gift that keeps giving from this show.

Thanks so much for asking! Didn't know how much I missed doing a deep dive into this kind of stuff.

#aanglove #zukaang #atla meta #the guru #guru pathik

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sparklypinkflightsuit · 20 days

Text

Stars Align: Part 7

Pairing: Bradley Bradshaw x Reader

Warnings: Smut, Angst, Fluff, Pining, Mentions of Abuse, Violence, Angry Bradley, Sexual Themes, Alcohol, Swearing, Just Really Soppy Scenes.

-- Part 6 Here --

----------------------------

18+ Only

----------------------------

Past:

Bradley decided to skip the party that night. Michelle was getting on his nerves and he just really missed his best friend. He hadn’t spoken to you in over a week and withdrawals began to set in.

You plagued his dreams and he longed for your company, your adorable laugh to ring out when he made a really bad joke, or just to have a genuinely interesting conversation with someone who wouldn't look at him like he was looney.

All he got these days was stale conversations about the latest fashion, who slept with who, and how that guy they met at that party that one time got a fake ID.

He was growing quickly bored of this new lifestyle, and wished he’d taken the time to savour his old life when he had it. To savour you.

Bradley was finally coming to terms with the fact that he should have told you how he felt before you left, but the opportunity was now long gone and he would likely never have the chance again.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t still tell you how much he cared.

“Ma, I’m home!” Bradley called as he jogged up the stairs to his bedroom.

Carole poked her head out of the kitchen, “I thought you were at Michelle’s tonight?”

“I was gonna, but I really just need to talk to Birdy.” He said as he stopped at the top of the stairs.

“Okay sweetheart, I’ll get dinner started.”

Bradley disappeared into his bedroom and shut the door, he took a deep breath as he picked up the phone.

“Hi this is Y/N, I’m not here right now. Please leave a message and I’ll get right back to you!” Your sweet voice rang over the other end, and it gave Bradley goosebumps. Simultaneously it also filled him with guilt. You kept missing one another, and it was mostly his fault.

The line beeped and he cleared his throat.

“Hey Birdy, sorry I missed your call yesterday, looks like we keep missing each other.” He chuckled sadly, cleared his throat again and sighed, “I really, really miss you, kid. Life’s not the same without you. Please call me back, I don't care what time it is, just call, I'll answer.”

He hung up and rubbed his face frustratedly.

Part of him wanted to pack a bag and catch a bus or plane over to you, but he knew it wasn’t the right time.

Not yet anyway.

Bradley looked around his bedroom for a moment, until he had an idea.

He got up and crossed the room to his desk and pulled out a sheet of paper.

If he couldn't tell you how he felt, he decided he'd write about it instead.

————————————

Present:

The weeks passed in a beautiful blur, and you were really growing accustomed to life in the little bungalow with Bradley.

He couldn’t keep his hands off of you, and he was your biggest supporter when it came to your art, which was flowing out of you with ease.

He made it hard to concentrate when he kissed your neck from behind while you tried to paint, but once he’d taken care of you, well and truly breaking the bed, that’s when some of your best work was created.

One day you were lounging in the back yard catching some sun, while Bradley did some gardening, shirtless and in his favourite jorts. The sun glistened against his tanned, sweaty body, and you couldn’t help the way your core throbbed as you bit your lip and watched his muscles ripple as he worked hard to move around a series of large stones.

He glanced over at you and caught you staring, and a wide grin spread across his face.

“Really? Like this? I’m disgusting.” He chuckled.

“I know, but it's really doing it for me. Please?” You stuck out your bottom lip and pleaded.

Bradley couldn’t resist you if he tried, especially not when you lay in such a small bikini, face flushed by the sun and lust. He straightened, wiping the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his hand. He sauntered over to you slowly, teasingly, and gave you a wink as he grabbed your calves, slowly sliding his hands up to your thighs and pushing your legs apart, crawling in between them.

He captured your lips hungrily and took your breath away as your hands wandered his sweaty abs.

You wrapped your legs around him and he moved his lips to your neck, and down, down, sucking marks into the valley of your breasts until he reached your bikini top. He tugged at it gently with his teeth and -

“Hellooo? Anyone home?” A voice rang out, and you pushed Bradley off of you, blushing bright red. Bradley groaned as he pushed himself up and off of your lounger.

“Who is it?” You whispered, flustered.

“Nat.” He mouthed back, then took a deep breath to calm himself. “Out here Nat!” He called. “I really need to start locking that door.”

You chuckled and adjusted your bikini. No one knew about you and Bradley yet, you'd been keeping your relationship in a secret little bubble of bliss, not keen on other peoples unwanted opinions just yet.

Nat poked her head out the back door with a grin. ''Hey guys! I did knock, but I guess... never mind.'' She could obviously tell she had interrupted something by the flushed looks on both of your faces. ''I'm heading over to the Hard Deck for a few drinks, just wanted to see if you're interested?''

Bradley looked over at you and you shrugged, ''Sounds fun to me, I just need to get changed.'' you smiled.

Bradley sighed, ''Yeah ok, can I shower first?''

_____________________________

Past:

Bradley was positively bouncing as he waited at the airport's arrivals terminal, you were finally getting off of the plane to come and stay with him for the summer, and it had been months since he had last been able to hold you, even if it was just platonic.

He craned his neck as he waited for you to arrive, growing more and more impatient by the second, until he saw your smiling face bobbing along with the crowd. You'd had to jump to see over the heads of some of the passengers, but when you spotted Bradley, you ended up in full sprint, zig zagging past everyone to get to him.

As soon as you were close enough, you dropped your suitcase and jumped into Bradleys arms. He spun you around with his face buried in your hair, and he felt as if he could fly in that moment, he was so happy.

''Oh my god, you have no idea how much I've missed you lil bird.'' he mumbled into your hair.

''I missed you more!'' you exclaimed as you pulled back and cupped his slightly less chubby cheeks to inspect him. ''I've missed you and your dumb moustache.''

Bradley chuckled as he put you down, grabbing your suitcase and your hand as he walked you to his truck.

You sang along to cheesy 80's hits and caught up on the past few months as he drove you to his house, and Bradley couldn't stop glancing over at you, thrilled that you were finally back with him, even if it was just for a little while.

''So how's Michelle?'' you asked, teasingly, ''Have you done the thing yet?''

Bradley blushed and cleared his throat as he eyed the road, ''Uhm, we broke up, and no.''

You looked over at him with wide eyes, ''Oh, I'm sorry Brad, you never said anything. What happened?''

''I took too long.'' He shrugged.

''Took too long to do what?''

''Sex, Birdy, I took too long to fuck her.'' He said plainly, a hint of humour behind his lips.

''Ah, gross, Brad. Didn't need to put it so crassly.'' You cringed, ''I am sorry though.'' you nudged him gently.

''It's okay, she wasn't right for me.''

You wanted to say 'I knew it.' or 'I told you so.', but you didn't. You didn't need to, you knew he knew.

''Why did you hold out on her? Thought you just wanted to get it over and done with.''

''I couldn't stop thinking about what you said, about the first time needing to be with someone I actually care about.''

You blushed and nodded, ''Yeah, that's sort of why I still haven't done it either.''

Bradley glanced over at you for a moment, but he said nothing, turning his attention back to the road.

Before long you were pulling up on his drive and you hopped out before the truck even fully came to a halt. You legged it inside and skidded into the kitchen, where Carole stood brewing a cup of tea.

''Carole!'' you screamed, running over to hug her.

''Oh sweat pea! I'm so happy you're finally here.'' she hugged you back and kissed the top of your head. ''It's gonna be so nice to have another woman in the house again.''

Bradley walked in and put your suitcase against the wall. He scoffed, ''You mean 'girl'.'' he said teasingly.

You shot him a glare, ''Shut up Bradshaw, I don't even wear princess pyjamas anymore.''

Carole laughed and shooed you both upstairs to unpack.

Bradley showed you to the guest bedroom and sat with you while you unpacked your things into the little chest of drawers.

''So, any boyfriends or anything your side?'' he asked as he leaned back on his elbows.

You scoffed, ''No, they're all dreadful where I live. I have got a friend though, her name's Gabby, I think you'd really like her.''

''I'm glad you're fitting in, but don't forget where you really belong.'' he sighed, laying back against the bed, his torso exposed. You pried your eyes away and forced out a chuckle.

''And where is that?''

''With me.'' he said simply.

You stopped for a moment, but then realised he must have meant physically, as in back in your home town, and you said nothing.

''Woaaah, what are these?'' You heard him say suddenly, and turned around to find Bradley fishing a pair of thongs out of your suitcase.

You gasped and snatched at them, but Bradley moved them out of reach.

''Give them back, Bradshaw!'' you swiped again, falling onto the bed as Bradley held them up high.

''Not until you tell me what they are, dental floss?'' he teased.

''Shut up, I'm not a kid anymore.'' you threw yourself onto Bradley and pinned him under you, snatching the underwear out of his hands. You looked down and you were now face to face with him as he chuckled, and your face must have looked even redder up close.

''I know you're not, Birdy, you haven't been for a long time.'' he was suddenly serious as you hovered over him.

You pushed yourself up and shoved the thongs back into your suitcase, zipping it up.

You stuck your tongue out at Bradley, ''I'll unpack the rest later. Once you're in your own room.''

_______________________

Present:

The Hard Deck was packed by the time you arrived, and Bradley took your hand as he lead you through the crowd towards the pool table at the back. You smiled as you saw the familiar group you'd come to adore over the past few weeks.

You said hi to everyone and wedged yourself in between Jake and Bob as they asked you to help settle a debate.

Bradley went to the bar and grabbed a round of drinks.

''So Baby on Board here says showering at night is better, but I say showering in the morning, so you're fresh for the day, what do you think?'' Jake drawled and took a sip of his beer, sure you would agree with him.

You laughed, ''Well, I think it depends on your lifestyle, but personally I shower at night, you're not gonna get dirty or sweaty while you sleep, and if you do I'd suggest a morning shower. But the way I see it is if you shower before bed, then you're all soft and clean and sleep better, and should still be clean in the morning for the day ahead. If you only shower in the morning, by the time you go to sleep you'll be all gross again.'' You shrugged and Jakes face fell, he looked defeated. Bob hooted and gave you a high five.

''I'll have you know, I do get very dirty and sweaty at night, so I'll stick to my mornin' showers thanks.'' Jake said sarcastically, and sauntered off. You and Bob laughed, and he rolled his eyes.

''Last week I lost the debate, so it's only fitting I win this one.'' Bob grinned. ''So, how are...things?''

You blushed and lowered your voice, ''Good, really good, but no one else knows. Can you just keep it between us three for now?''

''You got it.'' he smiled.

You found it difficult to act normal around Bradley for the rest of the evening, having to catch yourself from flirting with him out in the open, and he kept finding himself staring at you across the room for prolonged periods of time before having to remind himself that no one knew.

You were tempted to pull him into a bathroom stall, but as packed as the bar was, you knew someone would notice.

You were sat on a stool as Nat told you an embarrassing story about Jake, who stood not far away trying to convince you that she was telling it wrong, when you noticed Javy's face drop. He immediately stopped his game of darts, and tapped Jake on the shoulder, whispering something in his ear.

Jake looked over and sighed, you couldn't see what they were seeing from your seat, but Jake made his way over to you and leaned over so only you and Nat could hear him.

''Heads up, chickadee, Alice just walked in.''

Your heart began to thud, but you smiled a calm smile and nodded. ''Thanks Jake, where's Bradley? We should probably let him know.''

''Not sure, I'll go find him.'' He patted you on the back gently as he walked off to find Bradley, and you went back to your conversation with Nat, trying to push the fact that Alice was more than likely still unhappy and would be looking to pick a fight with you or Bradley.

You and Nat laughed along to her reminiscing about the days before she was friends with Jake.

''Anyway, so then when I pointed it out to Hangman, he acted as if he didn't do it, and he tried to...'' she suddenly trailed off, distracted by something over your shoulder, or rather someone. She frowned as she stood from her seat.

''What?'' you asked as twisted in your seat, but just as soon as you had turned around, you wished you hadn't. It was if you were inside a horrible, realistic nightmare. You thought you were going to be sick.

Your breath was knocked from your lungs and you stumbled off of your seat, tears prickling in your eyes as you blinked rapidly and fought to breathe.

''Hey pretty girl. It's been a while.''

__________________________________

-- Part 8 Here --

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#miles teller x reader #miles teller #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw #bradley bradshaw fic #bradley bradshaw x you #top gun rooster #rooster x reader #rooster top gun #rooster x you #top gun fandom #top gun fanfiction #top gun #top gun maverick fanfiction #top gun maverick #top gun fic #romance

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madaqueue · 27 days

Text

Dripping in Gold | Chapter 8

synopsis: finding a job was never easy, and why even bother trying after you meet satoru gojo, a man with mysterious and exorbitant wealth, who wants nothing more than to spoil you with it? the only caveat to your little arrangement is that it can never, ever, become personal.

pairing: satoru gojo x f!reader

themes/content: non-curse modern au, sugar daddy gojo. language, smut. kissing, mentions of masturbation (m), oral (f receiving), sex. 18+, MDNI

word count: 1.9k

a/n: back to our regularly scheduled programming (aka just smut lmao) i am so feral over this man i need him

previous chapter | series masterlist | next chapter

The moment you step into your apartment, Satoru’s hands are on you. He lifts you up, your legs straddling his waist, as he pushes you against the door. Your lips crash into his, tongue sliding into his mouth with a carnal need for him. You never thought you’d get to feel this again, the sweet taste of his lips, the warm scent of his cologne, the firm grip of his hands, and now with it all coming back you’re not sure you could bring yourself to ever let it go again.

One of his hands slides up to your back, pressing your body firmly against his as the other tightens around your thigh. He pulls you away from the door and carries you to your bed, never daring to separate his lips from yours. Setting you down against the soft duvet, his now free hands roam your body ravenously, trying to feel every inch of you. Everywhere his palms touch leaves a tinge of electricity behind, the heat of desire tingling your skin.

Your hands trace over his chest and arms, moving to his back to pull him impossibly closer to you. As one arm moves up into his hair, a soft whine leaves his mouth as he sighs into yours.

He was addicted to your touch, the feeling of you gently carding your hands through his white locks one he never thought he would get again. In the months since he saw you, he found himself thinking of you often, wishing you were with him, wishing he could feel you, hold you, be with you. On particularly desperate nights, when the thoughts of you became too overwhelming, he would lock the door to his room and fuck his fist to you, running his hand through his own hair to try and mimic the way you did. Yet, every time, it just wasn’t enough; he couldn’t recreate you. Now, the way you gently tugged against his scalp, how your fingertips slowly massaged his skin, he felt high on you.

His hips buck up, desperate for the friction of your body. You could feel his cock pressing against your core, straining against his pants, and your hands are drawn almost magnetically to his waistband, pulling his belt off with ease despite the months you went without doing so.

Pulling away from you for just a moment to rip his jeans down, he looks at you with those bright blue eyes, partially hidden through his low eyelids. A smile pulls at the corners of his lips, his expression some combination of love and deep, feral lust.

Oh, he is going to ravish you.

In one smooth motion he pulls your panties off from under your dress and throws them across the room. You take the sign to hurriedly lift the pink cloth above your head, not bothering to fold it before it meets a similar fate and lands on the floor. Satoru leans back over you, lips reconnecting with yours, the kiss messy and imprecise, full of mutual need.

The sound of something bouncing across the floor hits your ears as you feel his shoulders move to slide his shirt off, presuming that the small rattling on the ground was the buttons that were torn from the fabric as he ripped it open, not able to spare another second without his skin touching yours.

“Missed you so much,” he mutters as you feel the heat of his chest against yours, “couldn’t stop thinkin’ about you.”

You feel him pull away slightly as your eyes flutter open to meet his before he lowers his head, trailing wet kisses down your body. Settling in with his face between your thighs, he looks up at you with that goddamn smile you missed so much. “May I, princess?” he asks, briefly moving his eyes down between your legs and tilting his head slightly.

“Mhm,” you nod, biting your lip in anticipation.

Normally he would tease you, make you say it, draw out this moment for as long as possible until you’re begging for him, but right now something inside him knows that if he waits even a second longer he’ll be the one begging.

His gaze lowers as he sticks his tongue out, licking up your slick folds. The taste of you makes his eyes nearly roll back, hips grinding into the bed beneath him. “F-fuck, y’taste so good,” he whines out before immediately diving back in.

He laps up your cunt like a man starved, desperate for more of you. Every once in a while he swirls his tongue around your clit, sucking lightly at the sensitive bud. His rough tongue continues dragging up and down you as he moans into you.

“S’good sweetheart, y’don’t know how much I missed this,” his words low, vibrating against your skin, “needed you s’bad.”

Eventually he brings his thumb over to rub loose circles against your clit as he continues to work with his mouth. The added sensation pushes you ever closer to your release and your grip on his hair tightens, forcing another helpless whine from his mouth.

“T-Toru, I’m, a-ah, I’m close,” you breathe out.

Your hips begin to grind up against his face, holding him in place against you as you come undone on his tongue. He drinks up your essence, savoring it as though it was his first taste of water after months of dehydration.

Pulling his head from between your legs, he looks up at you - panting, chest heaving, your free hand gripping the sheets as you stare up at the ceiling. When you finally come down from your high your gaze travels down to meet his as he licks his lips, taking in the taste of you. His blue eyes are now nearly black from his blown-out pupils, a lazy smile across his face as he inches over you.

“You are so perfect,” he whispers, nearly panting himself from pure lust as his arms cage your body beneath him. “I couldn’t think about anyone but you, the whole time we were apart.”

Your hand in his hair moves down to his face, holding his jawline as you look up at him. “You too, Satoru.”

The space between you closes immediately as he kisses you, the faint taste of your essence still on his tongue as it roams into your mouth. His now fully erect cock presses at your folds, the light sensation making your hips stutter upwards, desperate for more.

“You nervous?” he teases, the memory of the first time you two hooked up in the back of his car flashing through your mind.

“Just impatient,” you retort, both of you now smiling through the kiss.

He adjusts his weight and brings a hand down to his base, lining himself up with your entrance as his lips move down, ghosting the space behind your ear. After coaxing one orgasm out of you, he has gained just enough self-restraint to draw this moment out a bit.

“What do you want, princess?” he whispers into the skin of your neck.

“Fuck me, please, Satoru,” you beg, putting your pride aside, knowing you won’t be able to last much longer without him inside you. “Please, I need you, please.”

You feel a soft chuckle tickle against you as he speaks. “Only because you asked so nicely.”

His hips slowly lean forward as he enters you. In almost perfect unison you both whine at the feeling of your walls enveloping him in warmth.

“H-hah, fuck, y’take me so good,” he practically wimpers as he bottoms out inside you. As he pulls out he almost immediately thrusts back in, driven by a primal drive to feel you clenching around his cock. “S’perfect, like y’were made f’me,” he slurs, already drunk in lust.

Yet, something in him knows he still needs more.

Feeling his weight shifting, your eyes open slightly to meet his, his teeth biting down on his lower lip, a sweet fucked-out grin on his face. His grip slides down to hold below your thighs before he stretches your legs up into the air, bending you in half.

As he thrusts back into you, his cock hits somehow impossibly deeper, nearly kissing your cervix. Your eyes roll back slightly as your mouth hangs open, only able to focus on the way he bullies in and out of your slick hole, his length filling every inch inside you, so full of him.

A soft giggle leaves his lips. “Always look s’pretty like this, sweetheart,” he says, the words coming out much more airy than he intended, and he can tell he’s nearing his own release as he hears you moan in response.

Moving your hands along his back, your nails dig in harshly, trying to ground yourself through the burning pleasure of Satoru’s cock thrusting into you.

His lips meet yours once again as his tongue works into your mouth, roughly gliding against yours.

Feeling his rhythm, you begin to rock your hips up in pace with him, guiding yourself closer and closer to your orgasm. You clench around him slightly and his hips stutter.

“F-fuck, sweetheart, y’keep doin’ that ‘n I’m gonna cum,” he breathes into you.

Your body responds for you, bearing down around him again as tension builds in your core.

Satoru lets out a groan at the feeling, his motions becoming less and less precise, messily hitting that sweet spot inside you as you both approach the edge.

“A-ah, Toru,” you whine, struggling to get any words out.

He separates his lips from yours for a moment as you lock eyes with each other, his pupils wide and glossed over, mouth parted in a lopsided smile. The only thought in his mind right now is you, the way you feel around him, the sweet cock-drunk grin on your face as you look up at him, how badly he needs you.

“Cum for me,” he whispers before his soft lips meet yours again, his tongue fervently running along yours as he moans into your mouth.

His words are enough to send you over the edge, your vision going white as you lose yourself in pleasure.

With the way your body shakes beneath him, your pussy fluttering as you gush onto his cock, Satoru follows closely behind. He moans out your name as his cock twitches inside you, painting your insides white.

“S’good, fuck, s’perfect,” he babbles as his body trembles above you, his stream of consciousness only focused on you.

His hips slow as both of you return to reality, taking in uneven breaths as you steady yourselves against one another. Your hands on his back pull him against you, his chest hot against yours. His fingers trace up your body, sending shivers down your spine from the lightness of his touch until they reach your face, and he gently brushes a strand of hair out of your eyes before softly pressing his lips to your forehead.

“I missed this” he whispers, nuzzling his head into the crook of your neck.

Your hands return to his hair, gently stroking his soft undercut beneath your palm. “I missed you too, ‘Toru,” you respond, placing a kiss against his temple.

“Can we…can we stay like this for a while?” he asks tentatively, his hands tenderly squeezing against your skin as if he couldn’t bear the thought of letting you go again.

“Of course,” you hum, leaning your head against his.

Your room is quiet as you hold him in your arms, the sounds of your breathing and the warmth of his body calming everything within you. For the first time in a long time, your heart is at peace.

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cevansbrat0007 · 1 year

Text

The Lonely Hearts Club: Part Two

Summary: Full Story! Breaking up with Andrew Barber is hard to do. You of all people should know, considering you just tried. Now what? Read Part One.

Warnings: Mature Themes, Angst, Discussions of Break-ups, Fun with Exes, Jealousy, Andy Being a Menace, Confident Reader, Eventual Smut, Cursing, Expect Additional Future Warnings, Minors DNI

A/N: Dedicated to @atkissoflife, @that-one-anxious-mango, and @piscesmermaidprincess. This multi-part fic features a combination of requests from the likes of @writer84, @lexivass, @moejdaw, and several others. It is also, part of my ongoing Growing Pains Series. All mistakes are my own. Likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated.

___

February 15th - 12:25am - Los Angeles, CA

Wow. Just...wow.

You stare down at your phone as you wait for the bartender to bring you your check. While you had initially been prepared for Andy to be upset over your note, as well as your pretty abrupt departure, you certainly hadn't expected this.

If anything, he seemed almost...unbothered. By all of it. Granted, it was sometimes hard to gauge a person's tone via text. But you'd also been in a relationship with the man for the better part of six freaking months! At this point, one could argue that you were practically fluent in Andrew Barber and all of his fucking moods.

The guy was up to something, without a doubt. Which meant that you were now officially on high alert. Because your man - your ex - had never been the type to play fair.

Especially where you were concerned. You should've known that it was gonna take a hell of a lot more than a handwritten letter and a box of artisanal muffins to knock some sense into his stubborn ass.

"Argh! You are such a fucking ogre, Andrew!" You groan, burying your face in your hands. "Why can't you ever make things easy?"

The next time you look up it's to see the bartender returning with your credit card. She goes to hand it over, only for you to interrupt her mid-sentence.

What was her name again? You could've sworn it started with a "D".

"Sorry, I know I said I was ready to close out. But since men are stupid, I think I'm gonna need another margarita. Quite possibly two."

Delta gives you a sympathetic nod before pocketing your card once more. "You got it, sweetie. Still want sugar instead of salt?"

"Yes, please." You mumble, reminding yourself that it was okay to feel annoyed. Because you were. This was supposed to be your time, damn it. You deserved to take some space for yourself!

Even if it meant sitting alone at a hotel bar, missing the one person you loved more than anything, the day after motherfucking Valentine's Day. Cheers, bitches.

___

Two Weeks Later – Somewhere in Downtown Boston

Andrew Barber stares blankly at his computer screen, mindlessly tapping his index finger against his temple as a fresh wave of anger courses through his veins.

He’d been so good the last two weeks. So patient and understanding. He’d given you your space, just like you’d asked. Never intruding with the exception of the text he shot off that night.

Even when he’d come across your latest Instagram post from a few days ago showing off your apparent date with another man. Some pretentious looking fucker who went by Russell Cromwell. You two had looked real cozy while sharing a plate full of Birria tacos. And then you’d posed outside of the restaurant with your arms wrapped around his waist.

But the real kicker had been the last photo in the carousel. The one where you’d kissed him on the cheek – when you’d done the “knee thing” that actresses used to do in those old black and white movies you loved to watch so much.

Oh yeah. The two of you would be having a discussion about that one real soon. His wayward Baby Girl could count on that shit.

Honestly, you had no idea how hard falling back had been for him. It had been a real struggle. Because at his core, Andrew Barber was a man of action. He was well-known for his cunning and mental prowess. This was a man who had graduated at the top of his class, who had then gone on to become the youngest District Attorney in the city of Boston’s history.

And in times of crisis, he was someone you could count on to remain calm and collected while you worked towards a solution. Nothing could shake him, save for the trial and media circus that had briefly surrounded his late son.

After that particular tragedy, Andy had resigned himself to being alone. Forever. He often tried to convince himself that he preferred it that way. Andrew Barber didn’t do love. Not after what happened with his ex-wife, Laurie. He was better off living a life of no commitment.

Even if it meant a lot of lonely nights filled with a seemingly endless revolving door of meaningless one-night stands.

And then he’d met you.

Yes, you.

The woman who had somehow, against all odds, brought magic back into his life. Your laugh, your smile, your very presence – it colored his whole goddamn world. He told you that all of the time, and yet it was almost as if you didn’t believe him.

At first, he was convinced that you were too good to be true. Although he’d been quickly dispelled of that notion when you’d had the balls to walk out on him during your very first date. It’s quite possible that he’d fallen for you right then – because you were the type of woman who knew her worth.

By then, Andy had become convinced that you were a gift from the universe. The way he saw it, after everything he’d been through, he was owed you. You were the woman of his dreams – his very salvation – all wrapped up in a curvy little package. And when you ran that night, it called to the primal part of him that felt compelled to give chase.

Just like now.

But what you had yet to understand was that, once a man like Andrew Barber had deemed you his forever, there was no going back. There was no letting you go. No means of escape.

At most, he’d been granted you a temporary reprieve. You both needed time to assess the situation, survey the damage, and then calculate your next move.

And sweetness, you’d already played your hand when you’d left that little note skipped town under the pretense of taking a fucking business trip.

Fine. Now it was on him. And while you still held most of the cards, that certainly didn’t mean that Andrew Barber was walking around without an ace or two in his back pocket. And you had better believe that he was more than ready to play his own.

But first…he needed some fucking coffee. And lucky for him, he knew just where he could find the perfect cup – shot of chocolate, dash of cinnamon, hold the whip.

___

Forty Minutes Later – Monarch Media Group (20 Minutes Outside Downtown Boston)

You lean back in your chair and rub your tired eyes. For the life of you, you simply couldn’t seem to focus today. Or any other day for the matter.

Even though it had been almost a week since you’d returned from your trip to L.A., you still felt just as conflicted about things with Andrew Barber as you did before you’d left. And not only that, but you also found yourself feeling on edge about the entire situation.

Because after your brief text exchange the morning of February 15th, he’d left you alone. The most impatient man you’d ever encountered this side of Boston had actually found it within himself to respect your wishes.

No calls. No texts. No emails. Not even so much as a fucking smoke signal.

And while part of you was pleased with that particular development, there was no denying the fact that you missed your Big Man.

You could be woman enough to admit it. You missed the hell out the handsome, grumpy-faced district attorney who, up until recently, had been a major mainstay in your life. But after some serious soul searching and a generous amount of tequila, you’d come to the conclusion that it was important for you to get your mind right before moving forward with anything.

You owed it to yourself to figure out who you were outside of your relationship with Andy – needed it even. Because that man was a force to be reckoned with. He could be so dominant sometimes, his personality so completely all-consuming that it was easy to lose yourself in him.

To allow yourself to become so entirely eclipsed by his brilliant shadow. Which is something that could absolutely happen the moment you stopped paying attention to your own wants, and needs, and desires.

And if that ever were to happen, part of you wondered whether or not you would be able to find your way back. Honestly, you had no idea.

Because after all of this, if you chose to be with him…it would mean that you were all-in. There was no other option with him.

That beautifully stubborn man didn’t have a lower setting.

However, the last thing you’d ever expected was for Mr. Andrew “My Way or the Highway” Barber to go quietly into that good night. Well, suppose you shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Because if anything he could very well be planning–

Your inner musings are interrupted by Anya, your favorite receptionist at Monarch Media Group. Granted, she was also the only receptionist at the company you’d worked for over the last several years, but that was neither here nor there.

Anya gives you a knowing look before taking a seat on the edge of your desk. “Hi, friend.” She lightly pokes your shoulder. “How ya doin?”

“I’m okay.” You blow out a breath and then decide to exit out of your Outlook. “What’s up?”

“Oh…nothing much.” You watch as your friend and coworker helps herself to a piece of chocolate sitting in a nearby dish.

“Okay.”

“I just stopped by to tell you that your coffee has arrived.” She dutifully unwraps it before popping it in her mouth.

“What?”

You hadn’t ordered any coffee. You didn’t usually even drink the stuff this late in the day. Unless…

“Yep. And just so happens, it was hand-delivered by the handsomest door-dasher I ever did see.” Anya pokes your shoulder again. “I would’ve accepted it on your behalf, but the guy insists on giving it to you himself. Probably angling for a tip if you ask me.” She throws you a conspiratorial wink for good measure.

Speak of the devil. Hello, Mr. Andrew “Check Out My Shit Timing” Barber.

“Ugh.” You bury your head in your hands to muffle your cry of frustration. “Can you please just tell him I’m not here?”

“I’m afraid I already let that cat out of the bag. But by the look on your face and the way you’re rocking back and forth like a human pinball, I take it I shouldn’t have done that.”

“No!”

“Did you and Andy like…break up…or something?” Anya pauses as she reaches for another piece of candy, her hand hovering in mid-air.

No, Anya. I always feel like jumping out the nearest window. I’m fucking squirrley like that.

“Yes. No. I don’t know.” You wail. “It’s just…it’s just really fucking complicated, okay?”

“Gotcha. So…about the coffee…”

“I’m going. I’m going.” You stand up in a huff, wishing you knew where you put the ponytail holder that had been on your wrist just this morning. “But if he pisses me off, I’m dumping that shit on his shoes. Hot or not. I do not care.”

“Okay, but if it comes to that can you please try to do it off company property? I’m all for you handling your business, but I’m also thinking about all the paperwork I’m gonna have to do if you accidentally injure one of the city’s hottest attorneys.”

“Fuck you.” You grumble as you stalk towards the front of the office to confront the annoying asshole who also happened to be the love of your life.

“What can I say? I’m a selfish bitch.” She chirps, blowing you a kiss.

“Your words not mine. And stay the hell out of my chocolate, you mooch!” You call out as you turn the corner, fully intending to give the Boston D.A. a piece of your mind before you politely, and very firmly, shoved him out the door.

Because if that man thought that he could just waltz right into your place of business and act like he owned everything and everyone, then he was sorely mistaken. You were going to prove to him, and whoever the hell’s job it was to oversee this whole godforsaken cosmos, that you knew how to stand your ground.

The sight of him standing right there in the lobby is easily enough to temporarily rob you of all reasonable thought. His back is to you, giving you the brief opportunity to give him a thorough once-over. His tailored white dress shirt is rolled up at the sleeves, exposing his brawny forearms. But what really draws your attention are his slate gray slacks, which only serves to highlight his perfectly sculpted backside.

He looked good. Nobody deserved to look that damned good, least of all your ex-boyfriend.

Wait. Is that – is that what he was now? Is…is that how all of this worked? Fuck!

You note the lack of tension in his broad shoulders. All things considered, he seemed pretty relaxed. But the real question was…how long could it be expected to last?

Andy picks that moment to turn around, his bright blue eyes locking with your own as an eager grin slowly spreads its way across his handsome features. You take a steadying breath and choose to ignore it.

“Andrew.” You exhale, trying your best to appear unaffected by his presence. It was a lie, of course. But if you managed to keep this unexpected interaction short and sweet, you just might be able to pull it off. “Wh–what are you doing here?”

“Hi.” He cocks his head to the side as he drinks you in, almost as if he’s amused by your disgruntled demeanor.

“Hello.” You cross your arms over your chest, wishing that you had chosen to wear a different sweater today. Andy loved you in this color, especially because of how it paired with your particular skin tone.

“Happy Wednesday, baby.”

God, he really needed to lose that stupid smile. Otherwise, how on earth were you supposed to maintain your composure?

“Sure.”

“Brought you something.” Andy holds out one of the cups of coffee he’s carrying. “Figured you might be able to use a little pick-me-up.”

“Thanks, but I’m good.” You tell him with a shake of your head.

“What? Since when?” He rears back before offering up a playful pout. “We always get coffee together on Wednesdays. It’s our thing…our little afternoon delight.” This time you’re treated to a wink.

“Shh!” You hiss, bridging the distance between your bodies to slap a hand across his mouth. “Don’t say that!”

The last thing you needed was someone to overhear that and think you two used to sneak away sometimes in the afternoon to…to well…you know. Some of the people you worked with possessed very vivid imaginations.

And besides, that whole afternoon delight business had only happened once or twice. Okay, quite possibly four and a half times – and then one more after that.

Amusement sparkles in his gaze as he stares you down. And then you feel the faint flick of his tongue brush across your palm. When you don’t react he does it again, this time following it up with an exaggerated groan.

You immediately jerk your hand away as if you’ve just been burned. Knowing that things were only bound to get worse, you snatch one of the coffees before grabbing his arm and dragging him outside and into the unseasonably warm weather.

Thank goodness for small favors.

The smell of spring was definitely in the air these days, but all you can focus on is the sound of Andy’s laughter trailing behind you. Frankly, it’s enough to set your teeth on edge. Even still, he allows you to lead him down the street. At some point there’s a slight shift that results in your relinquishing his arm so that he can lace his fingers through yours.

But you'll allow it if it means that he’ll behave for as long as it takes to make it to your destination. Which just so happens to be an empty bench located at the edge of a nearby park.

To his credit, the attractive buttface at your side doesn’t say anything during your impromptu power walk, but he also doesn’t need to. Because after two long weeks without you, the man was probably venturing into serious touch-starved territory.

You knew it. And so did he. So part of you didn’t see the harm in giving him this one, small thing.

Relief fills you when you finally reach the bench. Of course Andy sits first before pulling you down with him – but thankfully not onto his lap. Although you’re positive that the thought was there.

Eventually he lets go of your hand. Unsure of what else to do, you finally take a sip of your coffee. The rich, slightly bitter flavor of chocolate and mocha bursts onto your tongue, followed immediately by a quick hint of cinnamon.

Mm. A perfect cup.

“I’ve missed you, baby girl.” Andy’s large, lightly calloused hand cups your face – the roughened pad of his thumb caressing the curve of your cheek. “It hasn’t been a very fun couple of weeks.”

“I know.” You whisper as you lean into his touch and your eyes flutter closed. Perhaps you were just as starved for affection as he was. “I’m sorry.”

“Did you miss me?” His tone is gruff, but there’s no mistaking the emotion behind his words. Or the pain in his eyes for that matter.

“I did, Andy.” So much.

“But you still left. Tried to break up with me before hopping on a plane and running off all the way to L.A. to share some chips and queso with good ol’ Rusty.” Your eyes fly open as Andy’s hand drops away. “Or did I read that wrong?”

How the fuck had he known where you where? You hadn’t included anything about your intended destination in your letter…

“I saw it on your Instagram, in case you were wondering. Was actually able to use that stupid account you set up for me after all.” His teeth sink into his bottom lip as he narrows his gaze, trying to read your expression. “Couldn’t really get much else, although I enjoyed those pics of you at the beach.”

“It was a work trip.” You remind him, suddenly feeling defensive. “And Russell is an old friend, nothing more.”

“Hm.” Andy quirks an annoyed brow. “Are we talking about the kind of friend who also accompanies you to the beach so you can show off your brand new bikini? Not that I’m complaining any about that gorgeous, sunkissed glow you’ve got going on, princess.”

His big body is certainly tense, but there’s no ignoring the feral gleam in his eyes. Almost as if he’s dying to undress you and spend the next several hours checking you for tan lines.

And he would, too. It’s not like it would be the first time.

“I went alone. Russell stayed behind for that one.” You roll your eyes at the sight of his nostrils flaring. “Jesus Christ, dude! I know you may not believe that I’m a big girl, but I am. And if I wanna go hang out at the beach by myself, then that’s exactly what I’m gonna do!”

Which was exactly what the fuck you’d done. And it had been positively marvelous.

“Fine.” He grunts, raising his palm towards the heavens. “God forgive me for having the sense to worry about my girl, especially since the last time I checked, she still couldn’t swim for shit.”

“Whatever, Andrew. This girl does whatever the hell she wants now, so you had better get used to it.” Your mouth is set in a thin, firm line while you silently dare him to disagree.

“I’m not quite sure how that’s different from any other day with you, but alright.” Andy tries to calm himself by playing with a stray curl that’s fallen free from your bun. “You’re still mine, sweetness. Even when you insist on being a brat. Or did you somehow forget that part?”

You swat at his hand instead of responding, hating that steady feeling of warmth that was currently pooling in your belly.

“Did you?”

You make a show of ignoring him in favor of enjoying what was left of your coffee.

“You know, they say that sometimes silence speaks louder than words, baby girl.” You find yourself resisting the urge to clench your thighs together at the sound of the dark chuckle that rumbles through his chest. “It’s alright, though. Guess I’ll just have to remind you again once we get past this little wall you’re trying to put up between us.”

He gifts you with a flash of his pearly white teeth. Andrew Barber was the type of man who would only let you get away with so much before he put his foot down. And you would do well to remember that.

“Pretty sure you meant to say “actions”, jackass.” Apparently he finds your acerbic wit funny as well.

“Eh, I’ve heard it both ways.” Andy shrugs before going back to toying with your curls. “But I think you should know that I’m not very happy with you, baby. And I’m trying to be patient here, but it’s kinda difficult when I can’t even get you to talk to me.”

“I was going to call you…” That wasn’t a lie. You had just been trying to drum up the mental fortitude you knew it would take to pick up the phone and actually dial his number. Sometimes, dealing with Andrew Barber could require some serious patience.

“Were you now?” He doesn’t believe you. You can hear it in his voice.

“I was.”

“Okay, then have dinner with me tonight.” He releases your curl, watching the way it bounces as it springs free.

“Andy.” You let out an exhausted sigh.

“Meet me at my place. I’ll swing by Imperial Wok and pick up a few of your favorites so we can eat. And then we can talk in a quiet, private setting without any interruptions. How does that sound, princess?”

“Wonderful.” The word slips out before you can catch it. “But I–I can’t.”

Andrew Barber’s excited smile dies on his lips the moment that phrase reaches his ears and registers in his brain. As much as you hated to admit it, being alone with this man wasn’t a very good idea right now – especially behind closed doors.

Because while you’d never seen the man in court, you’d definitely heard plenty of stories about his ruthlessness. And you knew firsthand just how persistent he could be when he was determined to get his way.

When Andy wanted something, he didn’t stop until he got it. Not only was he relentless, but he also wasn’t above using every tool at his disposal – including sex – if it meant having you back in his life. It wouldn’t matter all that much to him how it came about.

The same way he wouldn’t care if whether or not your desired reconciliation only happened because he’d lured you into his bed before fucking you back into submission.

“The fu–why the hell not?” He growls, his hand grips the arm of the wooden bench so hard his knuckles go white.

“Because I can’t.”

“Can’t or won’t?” The pronounced tick in his jaw makes it clear that he’s beyond frustrated by your refusal.

Unfortunately, that was too damned bad! By the time this was all said and done, your handsome ogre was going to have mastered the art of having some goddamned patience. At least you hoped that would be the case…

“Both.” You offer your Big Man a small apologetic smile as you rise from your seat. “Let’s plan for sometime next week. Maybe we can shoot for Monday. I’ll, uh, send you a text or something and we can find a place to meet. But I really need to get back to work now.”

Andy stares at you for what feels like a full minute as his impressive brain works overtime to figure out his next move. And then he stands up before taking your empty cup and discarding them both in a nearby trash bin.

“Alright.” He mutters with a nod in your direction. “I guess I’ll just have to wait for your message then. Now, let’s get you back to your office.” A lump forms in your throat when he wraps a muscled arm around your shoulders as you two begin walking back the way you came.

Fuck, you really hated this shit. But if this relationship was ever going to have a chance of working, you had to continue standing your ground. Even though it hurt like hell.

“I, um...I know you said that we probably won’t be able to sit down and talk until next week. And I suppose I can understand where you’re coming from with that, but while I have you now…” He lightly coughs into his elbow.

You glance up at your hotshot attorney, trying to figure out where he was going with this so that you could potentially cut him off at the pass.

“I at least wanted to say “thank you” in person for still agreeing to help Lydia with the charity gala this Saturday. I’m sure that it wasn’t an easy decision for you, especially given how things have been between us lately. But I really do appreciate it. And, frankly, I’m sure the kids at St. Augustine’s do too.”

You feel the blood drain from your face as the reminder of this weekend’s event all-but smacks in the face. “Shit!” You hiss, pulling away from Andy as you reach your building. “It’s this Saturday? Are you sure?”

“I am.” He confirms, his eyes filled with surprise. “I just spoke with Lydia yesterday when I–”

“Fuck!” You exclaim as your hands fly to your hips, uncaring that you just interrupted whatever it was he was about to say.

In all of the chaos, you’d completely forgotten that you had agreed to help the wife of one of Andy’s colleagues with her annual charity ball. Starting by arriving at the hotel early Saturday morning to aid in the event setup, before heading up to your room to get ready for the evening's festivities.

A room that had been booked during a time when you and Andy were on much better terms.

“She did mention that she sent all of the volunteers an email a couple days ago with a list of instructions. Maybe it got buried in your inbox, baby.” He rests his hands on your biceps, giving you a reassuring squeeze. “But she is definitely expecting you and I’m afraid it’s probably too late for you to back out at this point.”

Deep down you knew he was right. And quite honestly, you wouldn’t even dream of doing something like this close to the actual date of the gala. But there was still the issue of having to share a hotel room with your ex.

Closing your eyes, you force yourself to take a deep breath. “I–I wouldn’t do that. I’m not that big of an asshole. I just don’t think it’s a good idea for us to share a room…” You trail off, hoping that he would at least be somewhat understanding of your current plight.

“Ahh.” You can see the moment when realization finally dawns. “Right. Almost forgot about that.”

No, he actually hadn’t. But since Andy didn’t feel as though there was any real need for you to know that, he was going to keep that particular tidbit to himself. Even he was capable of showing some restraint every now and again.

“Like I said…” You find yourself anxiously bouncing on your toes. “I don’t think –”

“I get it, sweetheart.”

Wait. He did? Just like that?

“You do?”

“I do.” His words are accompanied by a lopsided grin.

He didn’t. But then again, you didn’t need to know that either.

Andy’s hands leave your arms so that he can tenderly cup the sides of your face instead. “You just leave it all to me, baby girl. I’ll call the hotel and change the reservations.”

“You will?” You place your smaller hands overtop of his own. “You…you don’t mind?”

“Not at all.” Andy leans down to press a sweet kiss to your forehead. “And I promise to be on my best behavior Saturday night.” He gives you another kiss, which you allow. “If you want, I’ll even send over the updated confirmation info.”

“Thank you.” You murmur, wishing that you could give-in just a little more and offer up your lips for a kiss. A real one this time.

But you couldn’t afford to do that. Not even when Mr. Andrew “Give Me A Gold Star For Being Helpful” Barber was acting sweet. That would only throw everything off balance all over again.

Andy’s heated gaze drops to your mouth before he slowly pulls away. “Don’t work too hard, okay?” His husky voice sends one last tiny flutter through your belly.

“Same goes for you.” You tell him as you begin to head into the building.

“Goodbye, baby girl.”

“Goodbye, Andrew. See you Saturday.”

He waits until you’re safely inside and out of sight before turning on his heel and proceeding in the direction of his car. Oh, you’d be seeing him on Saturday alright. And he would be on his best behavior – depending on just how much patience he could muster.

You two would be sorting this shit out then, whether you liked it or not. When it was over, you’d both spend the rest of the weekend making up for lost time. And Andrew was going to do everything in his power to ensure you enjoyed every fucking second of it. Just like he planned to enjoy getting reacquainted with that delicate sweetness between those luscious thighs. But first…

He needed to go make a call.

END

*Part Three Coming Soon...*

___

Unofficial tag list -

@blueraspberryreader

@openup-yourmind

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renthony · 7 months

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Guess what, everyone? I've overhauled my Patreon! This link will take you to a free post where I talk about what kind of work I'll be doing moving forward, what kind of benefits paid Patrons will have access to, and what kind of posts all followers will get for free! Be sure to follow my Patreon page so you never miss an update!

I've narrowed my focus down to two current projects, which Patrons will get more detailed information on next week!

[Image Description: A banner graphic with yellow text that reads "The Star's Ascent" laid over a background of stars. End description.]

The Star's Ascent is an original portal fantasy comic starring a cast of disabled trans characters, grounded in French folklore and my personal favorite fantasy tropes.

Next Tuesday, October 31st, Patrons will get to learn all about the core concept of The Star's Ascent, the main cast of characters, what my deadline for writing the synopsis is, what art style I'm aiming for, and the general outline of planned development phases moving forward. This story has been in the works for quite a while, and I'm eager to share just how far it's come in the past few weeks.

[Image Description: A banner graphic with a watercolor rainbow background and text that reads, "Horsin' Around in a Gay Way: A Queer Analysis of BoJack Horseman." End ID.]

"Horsin' Around in a Gay Way: A Queer Analysis of BoJack Horseman" will be a video essay breaking down queer themes in the Netflix animated series from creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg.

Next Thursday, November 2nd, Patrons will learn about what got me into the show, what sources I've already gathered for my research, what my research deadlines are, and what my projected development timeline looks like. This is another project that I've been working on for quite a long time, and I'm incredibly excited to finally take further steps toward filming.

#original post

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azucarmorena97 · 12 days

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Money Ties (Jungkook Love Story || Pt.10)

Pt.9 || Pt.11

Your parents have worked hard to get to the top and have made sure to teach you everything you need to know to be successful in this business: from tough but lucrative financial decisions, down to the right ball gown for any given banquet. A promising and extravagant future awaits you- that is, if you agree to one teensy detail...

Son of Mr.Jeon Sr. and heir to June Company, Jeon Jungkook is an immature playboy with nothing to offer a woman but good looks and a crap ton of money, and he stands to inherit much MUCH more, so long as you both enter into the arranged marriage contract that was drawn up before the pair of you were even born.

You're more than willing to try, but you're not sure you'll be able to stand each other long enough to inherit a single penny...

Series Warnings: There will be smut in the near future and I will label those chapters as such. As I say before most of my pieces- I do not endorse any themes, ideas, or behaviors in this series. This is all purely fiction/fantasy! Feel free to inbox me suggestions/ideas/what you'd like to see in this series and I'll see what I can do! Enjoy <3

Recap: The panic attack that could not come to fruition this morning has now returned with a vengeance, and you are doubled over, sturggling for oxygen.

Cuts. Cuts everywhere. All over the skirt of the dress. Deep, angry slashes.

- Knock. Knock. Knock.

You're snapped out of your thoughts, head lifting up and looking toward the door, "Come in," You say, your wavering voice just loud enough to be heard from the other side. The door opens slowly, and you expect to see B/f/n or maybe your mom, but instead, Jungkook walks in, his expression soft and solemn as he closes the door behind him.

"Hey, Y/n."

His voice brings your tears to a halt, your bottom jaw hanging slightly. There he is. In the flesh.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't know you weren't dressed," He lowers his gaze and brings his hands together, "I overheard B/f/n telling our moms about the dress and I...I wanted to come see if you were okay."

You dont even know how to respond...are you okay? No. You're really freaking not okay.

"You don't have to worry about me- I'm okay," You lie. Though this time, you're not lying to be petty or to prove a point- you genuinely don't want to be a burden on him. Not today.

"Y/n..." The way he says your name makes your heart ache. He sees the way your tear-stained face never leaves the floor to meet his eyes. He sees how in pain you are...how in pain you've been. Without another word, he walks over to you and right when he comes only a foot away from you, he brings his hand to your chin, "Look at me."

Your eyes water again, finding warmth in his beautiful, dark brown eyes.

"I've missed you so much..." His voice is so gentle, melting you down to your core until you begin sobbing again. Desperate, weary sobs- like you've been walking through a desert holding a heavy pack and you've only just tossed it off of your back.

He brings your arms up so you're hugging his waist and lets you cry into his stomach, his hand stroking your hair softly.

"I'm so sorry I didn't come see you sooner. I was...a coward. I was afraid you'd be mad at me so I just avoided you. I shouldn't have done that."

"It's okay...I was avoiding you too..." You say, pulling your face away and looking up at him.

He stares down at you for a moment, admiring the fact that, even after crying you're makeup into black streaks under each eye and managing to have smeared your lipstick, you are still so beautiful.

But he doesn't say that; instead, he leans forward and presses his forehead into yours, "I want you to listen to me, okay?" "Mhm."

"Dress or no dress, we're getting married today. This is not about our parents, not about the company, not about anything but you and me. We are partners in this. So i want you to clean off your face, get yourself dressed," He glances down at your exposed cleavage, swallowing hard, "And I'm gonna send the makeup team back in here. They're right next door doing touch ups on some of the girls."

"Okay..." You let out a deep breath.

"I'm gonna see you out there, okay? No running away. We're in this together."

You nod, closing your eyes, "I'll be there."

"You better be."

For a moment, you think he might kiss you goodbye- and he does think about it- but instead, he lightly pinches your cheek and pulls away, walking out of the room and closing the door behind himself.

Maybe there's still hope yet...

You hear the rumble of voices as the ballroom fills up. You got your makeup redone only minutes ago and now you pace back and forth in the suite, checking your Applewatch every so often to make sure you don't have any missed notifications from B/f/n or your mom. "Where is she...?"

Just as you begin to grumble, the door swings open, B/f/n carryinga garment bag and your mom running over to you. "I'm sorry we're late, honey. It took a lot of calls and pulling strings for us to get you this one but it'll be just as good as the other gown- better even." "Okay, let's just get it on me."

You struggle undress quickly and then step into the gown, B/f/n and your mom pulling it up and then lacing you in. Once it's snug against your body, you walk over to the mirror. Seeing yourself completely ready is so surreal. You can hardly believe it's you in the mirror...or that the moment's finally come. The moment you've waited for for so long...

"Wait, you're missing something," Your mom says, coming up behind you. You turn and look down at her hands. "Mom..." You gasp, your heart fluttering at the sight of her wedding veil; the one you'd always begged and begged her to let you play dress up with (though, of course, she never let you). "It's yours now, my love." You lean down a bit and let her place it atop your head, the sheer fabric covering your face in a most elegant way. There...now youu're ready.

"You look so beautiful," Your mom whispers, her eyes threateing to spills over with tears. "Mom, we both just got our makeup retouched, we cannot keep crying," You say, holding back more tears- though these are very much happy tears. "Oh, I know, I know," She says, fanning her eyes, "I'm just so happy for you, my love. Your dad and I are so...so proud of you." Her words catch you by surprise; you know your parents love you and you do assume they're proud of you, but you're all always so preoccupied and busy that you rarely take the time to really express it to each other. It's nice...

"I love you, mom," You say, pressing your forehead against hers, much like Jungjkook had done to you earlier. "Y/n, it's time," B/f/n says, checking her watch and smiling at you.

"Okay, my love. Let's boogie," Your mom says, causing you to laugh.

Of course, the laugh is short-lived, as your humor is quickly replaced with raging butterflies, all darting violently in your stomach.

You stand with your eyes fixed on the ground, trying to keep your heart steady as couple by couple, the bridesmaids and groomsmen walk through the big double doors and into the main part of the ballroom. "Get ready, beautiful," B/f/n whispers to you before it's her turn to walk out by herself. You take a deep breath and clutch onto your dad. "I might pass out," You mumble. "If the bride can't pass out at her own wedding, who can?" He says jokingly, trying to put you at ease. Suddenly, you hear it- the wedding march. This is it. No turning back now. As the doors begin to open, revealing just a sliver of the other side, you get that same feeling as when you're at a roller coaster's peak; when you can do nothing but wait for it to drag you down to its depths.

But when they finally open fully, you see that, all the way at the end of the aisle, Jungkook is waiting for you.

And then the feeling changes...it's the same feeling you got at the bridal shop the other day. When you'd seen the dress ruined earlier, you were devastated because you thought that that dress was singlehandedly responsible for this beautiful feeling; yet here you are, standing at the entryway to the rest of your life, your heart bursting at the seams with anxiety to finally get to him. It was him all along.

"Ready?" Your dad whispers. You look up at him and nod, "Ready."

You take the first step, then the next, then the next. Each move bringing you closer and closer. You can see that the ballroom is decorated beautifully, thanks to your mothers and B/f/n's input. People are smiling and clapping, some take pictures, and others whisper to each other. But all you can do is look at Jungkook. His eyes are watery, jaw clenching tightly to keep himself from crying...God, it feels good to know he's as nervous and excited as you. Contract, merger, and Lisa be damned- You want to marry this man.

You stand at the end of the aisle with your dad, who is looking straight ahead at the priest, trying not to cry himself.

"Who gives this woman to this man today?" Asks the priest. Tearfully, your dad nods, "I do."

Jungkook walks forward and he and your dad lock eyes, a secret, wordless understanding between the pair of them as they hug, and then your dad is grabbing your hand and passing it into Jungkook's.

You're crying again, of course, but you try to contain it as much as possible as you've already ruined your makeup once today.

Jungkook looks at you, his eyes indescribably soft toward you. You. His bride.

His.

He leads you forward so that you're a at the bottom of the platform steps, the priest standing at the top behind a podium.

The priest begins his speech, a string of words you can't even comprehend right now- all you understand, all you know, is that you can't wait to kiss him.

"I, Jungkook...take you...Y/n M/N L/n...to be my wife, to have and to hold...from this day forward... for better, for worse...for richer, for poorer... in sickness and in health... Until death do us part."

Now, a gentle stream of tears falls on his cheeks and he chuckles at himself.

"I, Y/n M/n L/n..take you...Jeon Jungkook...to by my husband, to have and to hold...from this day forward... for better, for worse...for richer, for poorer... in sickness and in health... Until death do us part."

"Will the ring bearer please present the rings for us?" Namjoon steps forward, his dimples accentuating his handsome smile, a pillow in his hand with the two little rings.

You each grab your rings and then look at each other. The moment is coming for you to finally speak.

"Now each of you, take your ring in your hand. Jungkook, say 'With this ring, I thee wed.'"

"With this ring, I thee wed." Jungkook smiles ear to ear, sliding the ring easily onto your finger.

"Y/n, grab Jungkook's hand and say, 'With this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I thee wed," You echo, matching his smile.

"With that said, I now pronounce you, Mr. and Mrs.Jeon. You may now kiss the bride!"

Suddenly, it's as though the world was set to slow motion; Frame by frame, you watch as Jungkook lifts your veil, the last barrier between you and destiny.

He wraps his arm around your waist and brings you closer to him until your faces are centimeters apart, "To the ride," He whispers, drawing back to the night where you both shared a toast at the bar. "To the ride."

His lips collide with yours and eventually, you don't know where you end and he begins- as now, and forevermore, you are but one flesh.

A/N: Sorry this was a short one but I couldn't wait! I really wanted to give you guys a little something as I'm seeing a lot of you guys are really loving the series. Hope you all enjoy <3

Tag List: @ttanniett

#bts #jungkook #jin #namjoon #suga #bts imagine #jimin #bangtan sonyeondan #angst #jungkook x reader #bts jungkook #kookie #bts imagines #bts x you #bts fanfic #bts fanfiction #bts au

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twitteringthings · 3 months

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Yoneda-Sensei

Just some thoughts…

In order to craft a story as rich and as layered as saezuru, you have to be a person who really gets humans. You know? And in order to make characters this realistic and this tragic, you truly have to understand the motivations and deeply rooted traumas that drive the human spirit. Along with the truths they bury so that they may move forward. In order to create a story like this, these primal and honest human traits must imbue every action and thought process of each character. And at this, Yoneda is a genius.

Many other stories or manga that I’ve read present the reader with a characture of what a person is. Their ideals too manufactured, and understating of life too naive. I find this leads to stagnant protagonists, cliche character archetypes, pseudo-conflicts, and a predictable/flat storyline. This is especially why I love how the characters are actual adults and not some cliche teenagers. They’ve lived through much and are aware of the true nature of the world they live in.

Saezuru is unlike anything I’ve read if I’m being honest. The core of what makes this story so successful and passionately loved is that Yoneda-Sensei allows these characters - these people - to control their own narrative. It’s their love story after all. Do you know how easy it would be to say “okay, it’s been 12 years, I think it’s time to wrap this up and give the people what they want. I’m tired.” This is the very idea she rejects. I know she is probably wanting to work on a new series and that we are nearing the rising action/climax, but I am so glad she isn’t rushing it. She simply refuses to - that sex scene could have been five pages, but they needed to do what THEY NEEDED TO DO! It is so cool to see an author allow her characters to develop at their own pace. She’s spent all these years truly getting to know them herself and so, she tells their story with integrity.

It is their own motivations, flaws, and decisions that drive the story, Yoneda doesn’t impose her own will onto them. She doesn’t allow her own idea of what the plot should be control the characters actions (if that makes sense - this is getting kinda meta lol). The story purely responds to the decisions of the men who it follows, whether they are born from greed, jealousy, lust, anger, Yashiro’s explosive temper tantrums, or love. Sometimes the characters don’t even know why they do the things they do - because that is real life! And I cannot express how well it allows the story to flow. I’ve also noticed that this allows for the story to mimic real life under the context of “Nothing is truly black or white.” In traditional storytellings, there is obvious right and wrong, blatant heroes and villains. But in Saezuru these lines are sometimes blurred, what can I say…true art mimics life. And that is why you must pay attention to every nuance or you’ll miss a core theme.

The topics of childhood trauma, rape, assault, sexual abuse, being thrown into a world of ruthless men, parentless children, homosexuality amongst wolves, fearing one’s own feminity, self-hatred, lovelessness, hopelessness, shame, grief, guilt, being hurt by and hurting the ones you love, and the true nature of love as paradox are all topics needing to be dealt with using the highest sensitivity and empathy. And Yoneda-Sensei has proved that she is an author who can handle these nuanced and difficult topics with grace. And it’s so cool that she trusts us readers to empathetically understand these characters as well!

As Yashiro says, “People are full of contradictions. They’re lonely and then they’re not, they’re missed and then they’re not.” So simply put. This very understanding of the human condition is what makes Yoneda-Sensei an amazing storyteller in my book.

This story could play out for another five years and I wouldn’t mind.

Thanks for reading!

#I will write my masters thesis on Saezuru any day #saezuru tori wa habatakanai #ramblings #twittering birds never fly #yoneda kou #saezuru feels #doumeki x yashiro #saezuru analysis #yaoi bl #manga #yaoi manga #it’s almost saezuru month

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pharawee · 7 months

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I've been meaning to make a list of spooky (Thai - because negl that's 99% of what I watch) BL series and movies and what better time to post this than in October?

Spooky BL are my favourite flavour of BL. Turns out, there's actually a lot of them (maybe because Thailand does horror so well). These are only the ones I've watched (and enjoyed) so this list isn't complete.

*On another note: horror doesn't faze me at all so I can't really accurately say how scary some of these are. If you have squicks or triggers like jump scares, gore or bad endings please feel free to ask and I will do my best to give you a heads-up.

✨Spooky Thai BL✨

He's Coming To Me | Probably one of the first series everyone will think of. Not that spooky but a solid ghost(love) story with a murder mystery at its core.

Hidden Love | This is a budget show filmed under serious constraints during the worst of the covid pandemic. It's clichéd. It's over the top. But it's also got its charms. It comes with a tragic ghost (love) story that completely overshadows everything else with its many flashbacks and plot twists. If you manage to get over the camp. I warned you.

Dear Doctor I'm Coming For Soul | This one has reapers and ghosts and lots of bittersweetness. It's not that creepy since the supernatural elements are very matter-of-fact. It will make you cry though, sorry. :(

Ghost Host, Ghost House | Spooky with incredible chemistry between the leads and a cast of characters that you will immediately fall in love with.

He She It | A three-episode miniseries with a haunting soundtrack and a nice plot twist. This will make you miss JeffGameplay. :(

Low Frequency | Not spooky at all, and a bit slow and empty at times, but it has ghosts (in a way) and a sweet enough couple.

Make a Wish | Unfortunately, this has never had an inter release. There's inofficial subs floating around on grey sites but as of yet the series hasn't been fully translated. Which is a pity because it's a cute show about angels and spirit possession and (some) murder mystery.

Midnight Museum | I'm stubbornly putting this under BL. This show has everything and everyone. It's genuinely spooky at times but mostly draws on folklore, the mystical and an absolutely stellar cast.

On Cloud Nine | Short and beautiful. An indie production that's more ethereal than genuinely spooky.

🎞️Red Wine in the Dark Night | The oldest entry in this list. Admittedly, not very spooky (and instead rather surreal and sad), but it has one (1) vampire and Fluke Natouch in a role that's more grounded than we're used to nowadays.

Something in my Room | A spooky show with ghosts, mystery and romance that hides a lot of commentary behind metaphors and allegory. Criminally underrated because it didn't have a wide enough release. If you want to binge something fun and spooky for Halloween then this is the series to go. Prepare tissues.

✨Not a BL but hey, I know that actor!✨

Enigma | Win Metawin (and surprise guest!) in an incredibly well done 4-episode series about the occult with interesting worldbuilding and the promise of a second season.

🎞️Ghost Lab | Tor Thanapob and Ice Paris in a genuinely gruesome, shocking and scary horror movie. You've been warned.

Girl From Nowhere | One of the best things tv has to offer, and genuinely dark as well. Up Poompat, Pepo Nutchapan and James Teeradon feature in some of the loosely-connected episodes.

🎞️Hoon Payon | Phuwin Tangsakyuen, Up Poompat and Bank Nuttawat in a classic spiritual ghost story. More shocking than scary.

🎞️Inhuman Kiss | Oab Oabnithi and Great Sapol (sadly, not as a couple) in a sad and romantic take on a classic Thai legend.

Let's Fight Ghost | A Thai remake of a fun and somewhat spooky kdrama with spiritual themes. And Saint Suppapong.

🎞️Pee Nak 1, 2, 3 (and soon 4) | I'm biased because I really like this movie series. It's spooky but in a fun way. It has queer characters (as comedic relief - but not in a degrading way) and can get surprisingly deep. Watch this if you want to see (baby!) Tar Atiwat grow up on screen (because he's in all four movies). The third movie rewards you with some surprisingly sweet MeanPlan that might continue into the fourth movie.

School Tales | A Thai horror anthology centred around students at various schools. This series has Fiat Patchata, Kay Lertsittichai, Pepo Nutchapan, Mark Siwat and, most prominently, Saint Suppapong and Chimon Wachirawit in well-paced 50-minute episodes.

The Stranded | One of my favourite series ever. If you watched LOST then you know what to expect. This has 3 QL couples (Perth Tanapon & Mark Siwat, Win Pawin & Tanthai Tatchapol, Ticha Wongtipkanon & Chaleeda Gilbert) but don't expect any of them to get a happy ending. Sadly, this series ended on a cliffhanger and won't get a second season due to the lead actor's tragic passing and Nadao's dissolution.

✨Upcoming Spooky BL✨

7 Days Before Valentine | Death Note but make it even more of a BL. Patrick Rangsimant originally wrote this so I'm really excited. Plus, it will begin airing in November which is almost as good as October.

🎞️After Sundown | A period ghost movie that hit Thai cinemas this summer to great success. There's currently no news on an international release.

🎞️Death Is All Around | Saint Suppapong coming through with another spooky production - this one about death and the afterlife. This also has Seng Wichai, Bas Suradej and Dun Romchumpa (presumably as a couple).

The Hell Guards | Chains of Heart but make it spooky. Oh, I am so excited for this!

My Imaginary Boyfriend | Based on another one of Pat Rangsimant's novels (my favourite, atually). This one is more grounded, and spooky in a more psychological sense.

Mystique in the Mirror | Another one of Pat Rangsimant's novels (and psychological horror too, by the looks of it). This one started filming back in early summer so it should be airing soon.

Shadow | This series will air its first seven episodes on Halloween and that should tell you everything you need to know. It's a suspenseful (ghost?) story set in a Catholic private school.

Spirit Reborn | This has the potential to be very spooky, with curses and spirits and past lives.

SunsetxVibes | This is going to be messy and spicy but the short pilot trailer did have spooky undertones and possible spiritual themes.

The Whisperer | More psychological horror but this time not penned by Pat. Apparently, this has been in production for a while so hopefully we'll get some news soon.

Zomvivor | The only zombie series on this list has entered pre-production and is slated to be released in 2024 (hopefully before October). Will it have BL? I don't know, but it stars pretty much all of domundi's acting couples (and more).

1000 Years Old | Will it be spooky? No idea, but it does have vampires and sometimes that's enough.

#thai bl #thai drama #thai movie #bl series #bl movie #spooky bl #jane watches stuff #bl meta #idk what else to tag this #also this is not a complete list #if you have recommendations or additions please let me know 💜#i'm always on the lookout for more spookiness

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rocketturtle4 · 7 months

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Only Friends, Shipping Culture, Cross-Generational Differences, Themes and Endgame

Strap in, folks. This is a long one.

What finally pushed me to make this post was a very interesting discourse between @lurkingshan, @waitmyturtles, and @twig-tea here around the way this show has subverted norms to a lesser extent than first hoped and how the fans themselves, and the creator’s interactions with these fans, have impacted the creation and completion of the show, as well as the way themes built through the series may now feel less clear after the latest episode.

I wanted to offer my understanding and perspective because it differs somewhat, but it is also very much informed by this post and the larger Tumblr discourse around Only Friends and shipping culture that this show has sparked. I will note, for the record, that I have been much busier since about episode 5 of OF than I had been for the first episodes (or than I was for BMF), so I have missed a lot more of the fascinating discourse that this show has sparked than I would wish.

Let’s do this.

Shipping Culture

I had never heard of this before joining Tumblr this year (in May) despite watching 50 BLs before that, due to being completely disengaged from the actors as individuals prior to joining Tumblr, and while Tumblr has opened my eyes to how much fanservice is part of these people’s lives and jobs and the problems surrounding that phenomenon. I remain largely disengaged from the actors personally. I do not have Twitter, Tik Tok or Instagram, I rarely watch BTS and even my revelation that First is the most beautiful man ever to exist (and I say that as a person who is both aro and ace) has only got me to watch one First & Khao Armshare interview (The Eclipse one). I have also never purchased merch or event tickets so I am in fact, not a good fan in terms of profit making or engagement.

I do, however, love the shows an awful lot and may engage with BTS more once I have fewer things to watch…

All this to say is that my firsthand knowledge of such things is limited at best, but I am still here to say:

I think Only Friends is doing excellent things here, even if all the ‘couples’ end up together.

Is it burning them to the ground like so many hoped? No, but I have watched 47 Thai BLs at this stage and not many of them explored relationships beyond the pairs in any way, shape or form, and OF HAS DONE THAT.

Of our main six characters, NONE of them have only kissed their “other half.” They’ve literally all at least made out with one other person from the core six, and thus far Mew, Boston and Nick have ALSO kissed other people.

This is, in my humble opinion, A PRETTY BIG DEAL.

I am currently watching Not Me (for the first time, haven’t finished, no spoilers please), and I have been informed somewhat reliably that the original novel included a Gram/Black plotline that was cut/altered (to Gram/Eugene/Black love triangle), and I posit that was due in part because they couldn’t have Gun even KISSING Mond even if he was also kissing Off. Black and White would have been a great way to shift things even a little by having the branded pair be together while ALSO having half the brand with someone else at the SAME TIME. Can you imagine??

And yet as recently as 2021 that didn’t happen.

Sometimes change takes time and patience and I think OF is doing really good work, even if it doesn’t go as far as we might wish.

EVEN IF all our branded pairs end up together unsubverted (which is not what I am hoping for but EVEN IF), this show will have still begun paving the way for more varied storylines and pairings in shows

The Clash of Generational Lenses

Speaking of the end game, lets talk about a little thing called hope.

I had a very interesting discourse back around, hmmm episode 6, with @shouldiusemyname and @plantsarepeopletoo , about the sheer confusion I felt about Tumblr’s idea that every one of these characters should end up apart simply because they’d done bad things or something? (this is extremely generalized. I was missing a lot of nuance from both Tumblr and my own lens hence the unpacking then and now).

Now I went into this show fully prepared for this to end sadly and I largely viewed this expectation of sad as everyone ending up broken up and alone. I don’t normally watch sad by choice, but I was willing to try this one because Jojo’s stories are SO beautifully compelling that I knew it would be worth the journey. I have watched Love of Siam (not Jojo but sad) and Gay Okay Bangkok (complicated), two very different shows reflective of their times and their creators and from the beginning, Only Friends did not feel like those (although the links to Gay Okay Bangkok and the exploration of real queer relationships has been fascinating and I am very glad I watched that one before OF).

So why was there this, almost prescribed hopelessness, being projected onto these very young characters who were just in the process of finding themselves? Why were these young people’s flaws and choices so linked to the idea that they would end up alone?

Now @shouldiusemyname told me the following (in the context of a much wider discourse):

Ahhh I like this cos this is something I take very much for granted and I think it’s a generational gap thing. This is a reaction to the way we were brought up (again generalizing cos sometimes it’s necessary). There was no alternative to monogamy and being queer meant that you can’t have that for 2 reasons: 1. Law doesn’t allow 2. Socially unacceptable cos being gay was seen as what kind of sex you were having as opposed to relationships. If you don’t have the gay sex, you’re not gay. This is also the reason for being anti het norm. We couldn’t have that so we needed to find the alternative and have ALL of it.

We were both generalizing A LOT, but this idea was MIND BLOWING to me at the time.

(For the record I am born late 1990s, Shouldiusemyname is born early 1980s (and Plantsarepeopletoo is born late 80s so we have variety covered lol!))

Because while, (as @waitmyturtles for example has pointed out on multiple occasions) the imposition of purity culture and monogamy on queer culture (and in general) is wrong, the idea that no queer people are desiring commitment or monogamy is also wrong. (I am not here suggesting that even in an ideal world where queer people TRULY HAD equal rights they would magically all want monogamous long-term relationships because that’s just not true. In addition hets regularly oppose the het norm as well, long-term monogamous relationships are unwanted by many of them).

I come from a strong biological background (which unequivocally supports more than two sexes and more than two genders, do not come back here and make this about that, got it!) and am currently doing a PhD in Palaeontology so a lot of my relationship understanding is informed by a wider understanding of breeding, monogamy and nonmonogamy in reproduction across the animal and plant kingdoms just by exposure (and yes reproduction in the plant kingdom is very much included, some plants have both male and female parts, it’s fascinating!). And monogamy is present in a hugely wide range of species, it’s not soley something humans came up with just because of religious norms. Addtionally, there is the development of consistent monogamous and/or committed polygamous relationships (historically, most commonly men with multiple wives) across a huge number of cultures throughout history largely for the fostering of children. Most of this influence has been more irrelevant for the queer community because of their inability to produce children in monogamous pairs*, and children are a huge sticking point for the NEED for long-term stable relationships. So, without this sticking point (combined with the aforementioned factors around law and discrimination), relationships are viewed as less permanent. Thus, I had to unpack my own casual assumptions that relationships normally have a long-term goal. (*Generalizing hugely, obviously there are lots of variations that can produce biological children without assistance, but these points most strongly apply to same-sex relationships)

For example, I find the way this plays out in a show like What Did You Eat Yesterday particularly fascinating, and have realized since starting Season 2 that I had missed a lot of this subtext in the first season because, to me, the idea that the central couple would stay and grow old together was a given. PARTLY because of monogamous cultural lenses, but ALSO because they loved each other and wanted to be together, so why wouldn’t they assume they would stay and grow old together?

I also realized that I am further sheltered in this mindset by not just my age but by the acceptance of my wider family of non-marriage as a concept (or even just not having to have children) as normal and okay. My Grandfather (in his 80s) is one of 10 children and has multiple siblings (my great uncles/aunts) who 1 never married or 2 married but chose never to have children. While I am not going to pretend that my uncles/aunts were never judged for such things, that judgment was NEVER part of my upbringing and we visited my single and/or childless great-uncles just as often as those with children.

I seem to have gotten sidetracked…What is the wider point I am making here?

Ah yes

Only Friends is so interesting because it’s shot like it’s set in the 80s & 90s, before the turn of the millennia, with so much homage paid to the queer stories and reality that the youth of this time grew up with. But the generational change that the last two decades or so have brought is inarguably huge, and so these characters, all born after the turn of the century, are not truly from the world that, in some ways, it looks like they’ve been placed into. @wen-kexing-apologist did an extremely comprehensive post about gay cruising culture and Boston that was extremely relevant to his character and the story being told, but it also was a specific throwback to something that is different in the 2020s. Not because people like Boston don’t exist, but because the turn of the century brought with it so many things that make this exact thing more complicated.

And OF has been showing us why! Surveillance, SO MUCH surveillance, every character has been recorded or recorded other characters or shared recordings of other characters, sometimes all of the above, and this surveillance does have a deep impact on the relationships today’s young people engage in! Not just the queer community but all young people of today are under near constant scrutiny and surveillance, and the young people born in the last couple decades have grown up like this, queer or not.

One last thing to mention here is the specific, observable, phenomenon that has been going on in Thailand, it is clear when you look at media like Love of Siam (2008) and compare it to ITSAY (2020) (which I haven’t even seen yet gah but I still know this is a great example). The phenomenon of BL, for all its flaws, has wrought change in the psyche and culture of the people of Thailand, ESPECIALLY the young people, and this is absolutely informing our six main characters views on relationships because they would have gone through high school with this as a major part of their culture.

Themes and Endgame: I Think Hope is the Point

All this draws me back into how I think OF will end, because it’s been at the heart of the show throughout, and that is hopefully, Only Friends will end hopefully.

Jojo has (I believe) stated outright that his primary goal for this show was to represent his community in truth, the messy non-het non-monogamy of queer youths in their 20s has been playing out across our screens, but the thing that has been keeping my attention riveted on Only Friends is the heart of it all.

The journeys of growth and discovery on this show have been magnificent. @thegalwhorants has been pointing out the intentional parallels of language this show has been using to highlight some of that growth, and that is just one very interesting fraction of the way this show has used words, music (@plantsarepeopletoo), colours, styles and more to represent the transformation characters are going through as they grow into themselves before our eyes.

A few very brief examples:

Mew’s switch to wearing Ray’s wardrobe when he is trying not to care but cares so much about Top.

Ray’s changed wardrobe to match the style Sand picked out for him even as he tried to choose Mew and couldn’t, because he’s already moved on, even when he couldn’t accept it.

Nick’s whole makeover to catch Boston’s attention later even catching Dan’s attention and the way that in that scene with Boston outside in ep10, Nick had returned to his shorts and t-shirt because he finally felt seen the way he sees Boston.

One’s sense of self is often built in part, around their relationships (family, friends, sexual and romantic), ESPECIALLY in collectivist cultures, and so much of our 20s involves growing and learning who you are through these relationships. I have seen arguing about toxic friendship groups and how they all need to just let each other go, and maybe that is the best endgame, I don’t know. Sometimes, growing together can be so much stronger, and sometimes, growing apart is the only way to move forward.

But these last two eps in particular (but honestly every moment of this show) have left me with the feeling that hope is the point. Because things HAVE changed, the world is moving and the things possible in 2023 are often utterly unthinkable to the youth of the 1980s, 1990s and before. The world is growing, acceptance and love have always been there but, surveillance or no, it’s so much easier to find now.

To be queer is no longer to be isolated, not in the way it once was, it is not a sentence of aloneness. Nor a stamp of irrevocable pain. Are things good now? HECK NO, you look at any statistic: homelessness, mental health, suicide rate, poverty; Being queer makes your life harder.

No matter how hard you try things might get worse and while that’s true for all people, queerness compounds that and often makes the consequences of your choices harder through isolation.

But the isolation is less now and I think OF wants to show that

You may do many things and sometimes these things will hurt no matter how careful you are, Not caring isn’t the point, Not feeling isn’t the point, God every character on this show feels so MUCH

This episode had moments of complete heartbreak

Complete regret

And complete Joy

And there is much more still to come

So when I think about endgame, I think about hope, and the lessening of isolation for all, and this does not mean 3 perfectly happy couples in perfect monogamous relationships wrapped up with a neat little bow, It means six individuals who have learned and grown through friendship and love, this may mean healed relationships, it may not, this may mean healed friendships, it may not. (It may mean Top, Mew and Boeing in a throuple but maybe I’m the only one hoping for that lol). We’ve clearly got more drama and pain to come but I am confident now that things will end with hope.

I do not know how Jojo and co will show that, but I trust them, and I can’t wait to find out.

#ofts #only friends the series #only friends #onlyft #rturts is wondering #only friends meta #ofts meta #roc goes haywire over only friends

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askmerriauthor · 1 year

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Pokemon S/V - Story Themes: Failure and Abuse

Something I actually really like about Pokemon S/V, which is somewhat ironic given the state of the game itself, is that its underlying story theme is about how the adults of the setting have utterly failed the younger generation.

General discussion and rambling about Pokemon S/V after the jump, as there's sure to be spoilers. This is a long one, so buckle up.

Throughout the many stories Pokemon has told over the years and its iterations, the role of adults in the series and how they relate to the kids - ostensibly, the Player themselves as well - has varied wildly. They've been mentors, friends, allies, enemies, or even just odd folk we encounter. But, for better or worse, they've always been fairly direct in a What You See Is What You Get sort of way.

Pokemon S/V subverts that a bit in that all of the adults - even those we don't meet and only hear about through dialogue - have completely failed the children of the story. The results of those shortcomings range from very mild to absolutely disastrous, but nobody is untouched by it. Even the Player isn't spared.

Right up front we've got the Friendship Trio: Nemona, Arven, and Penny. Being the core to the story, they're the biggest examples one has out the gate. Common themes they all share are that they're each left without support from their families or peers, and that they're each desperately lonely as a result. Nemona is a star pupil, a battling prodigy, and daughter to a wealthy, powerful family. But despite all her talents she's left adrift without aim or goal. Her younger sister is the one being given control of the family business and Nemona's own talents set her apart from other students, meaning she struggles to find peers. Her family seem all too happy to focus on the younger sister, while Geeta from the Pokemon League and the academy itself happily makes use of Nemona's skills for their own ends. Nemona is constantly eager to please, always looking up to powerful people like Geeta and Professor Turo/Sada, but admits that she's just sort of floundering without any anchor. The people she looks up to only see her as a tool to be used and immediately discarded until the next time they need her.

A lot of Players joke about how battle obsessed Nemona is toward the Player, or how yandere jealous/possessive she becomes immediately upon meeting us. She even stands up to Geeta - who she absolutely hero worships - about our attention being poached. But can you really blame her for realizing there's finally someone who not only matches her skill, but seems dedicated to following a route the game itself states virtually nobody else in the region ever comes close to achieving? Nemona is not only the youngest Champion ever, but the only Champion in years, until the Player shows up. Regardless of what the person holding the console feels toward the Gym Challenge, in-context of the story the Player is proving through their own actions that they value Nemona as a friend/rival and are putting in genuine effort to meet her. When you defeat her, especially at the very end when she goes all out in a way she's never been able to with anyone else, she's thrilled. To Nemona, it's got to be the most amazing validation she's ever had in her life. Why wouldn't she hold on dearly and enthusiastically when nobody else, let alone her own family, are able to keep up with her or offer her the validation she needs?

Arven is just absolutely wrecked by his parental failure. His parent (Turo or Sada depending on which version you're playing) was so obsessed with their research in Area Zero that they threw away their entire family. Their spouse left them and took Arven, leaving the boy growing up constantly feeling the void of that missing part of their life. They keep hearing about the things their Professor Parent has accomplished and how well-regarded they are, but that's always just a reminder that the parent put more effort into their work than into being with their child. When Arven tries to go into Area Zero to find their parent himself, his Mabosstiff (his beloved Pokemon companion he's had literally his entire life) is near mortally injured as a result and Arven spends the rest of the game desperately trying to save it. Later, it's revealed that the Professor's work is endangering literally the entire ecosystem and stands to destroy Paldea itself, leaving Arven with the knowledge that not only was he abandoned for the sake of research, but that research was both ultimately harmful and pointless.

By the time the Player reaches the depths of Area Zero and meets the AI Professor, they find out a few things about the Professor. Namely that they're dead. It turns out that the Box Legendary they brought through time killed them years prior and the person the Player - and Arven - has been interacting with all throughout the game is just an AI replica left behind. While exploring the Professor's various labs, the Player first finds an empty picture frame that had its photo removed and, when in the final lab in the heart of Area Zero, they find the photo pinned to the Professor's work board. A photo of Arven as a tot with his beloved Pokemon (still an unevolved Maschiff at the time). This yields two big realizations. One is that the Professor still absolutely harbored love for their child and family, but allowed their drive - or possibly insanity - to overcome them. They were lying to themselves all those years saying "I'm doing this for my family" while outright ignoring said family entirely. Second is that the Player is the only one who learns outright that the Professor was killed, which means they - albeit off-screen - were the ones to break the news to Arven. Even in death, with the AI Professor's remnants of its creator's memories showing love for Arven, they failed him again and again. It's always up to Arven himself to carve his own way through his parent's wake, relying on his own abilities and the help of his friends, to struggle through the mess his parent left him.

Penny is failed on multiple fronts and to multiple degrees. She's a complete introvert and clearly suffers from a fair level of social anxiety due to the bullying she endured during her time at school. She's not shy, per say; when it comes to interacting with the Player and others, she's actually rather outspoken once she feels comfortable. But there's absolutely a wall put up that she doesn't let anyone past until she's ready, controlling her level of exposure and interaction through mediums like only communicating via phone or intentionally restricting her in-person time behind excuses.

At the most basic level, Penny is failed by her own father who doesn't understand her. She mentions that he's always doting, giving her childish nicknames and basically fawning over her. That sounds great on its face - exactly the sort of thing Nemona and Arven crave - but it shows that her father doesn't understand his daughter. Penny doesn't enjoy or respond well to that type of affection and it's being forced on her, causing a wedge in her home life. Next up are Penny's friends, the bosses of Team Star. They gained that rank and gang affiliation because of Penny; she's the one who set it up as a means of rallying all the students who suffered from constant bullying to stand up for themselves as a unified resistance. By that point she was so emotionally battered that she couldn't even stand to be in the company of other people directly, isolating herself and communicating only through phone calls. The Team Star Bosses and Penny all considered each other to be the closest of friends, yet they had never once met her face to face. While it's not explored as much (criminally so, I say) each of the Team Star Bosses show that they're in a similar state as Penny; they rely on each other for support but also self-expression and validation. It's shown throughout their stories that they're let down by the systems they trusted and their families, not able to find what they need from those establishments and instead turning toward one another.

As it's revealed through the events of the Team Star story, the previous administration of the Paldean Academy allowed a brutal level of bullying to go on at school. So much so that it resulted in the targeted students dropping out, falling to truancy, and literally forming a gang just to protect themselves from their aggressors. When Team Star finally did put their collective foot down (peacefully by both intent and action), they were wrongfully branded as the villains of the story and stigmatized. Team Star was shown that not only would adults not protect them, but would actively punish them for protecting themselves. The school admin at the time - who were fully aware of the whole situation - not only allowed it to happen but then actively attempted to cover it up for the sake of protecting their own asses. They were content to sit by and allow their own students to suffer, ultimately leading to drop outs and expulsions, just for their own sake. This led to both the admin and the entire teaching staff to resign and be replaced by the staff we see in the game, and Director Clavell starts to fall into the same error as his predecessor.

When the Player gets involved, Clavell is about to expel all the Team Star members for good (and there's a TON of them). But, hey, credit where it's due; Clavell really puts in the work and goes to considerable lengths to uncover the truth of what happened. He puts into motion the start of healing those wounds by setting aside not only his time, but his own ego for the sake of understanding his students, protecting them, and rectifying the mistakes of those who came before him. There's a part at the very end where Clavell outright apologizes to Team Star for the abuses they suffered at the hands of the previous Academy staff and deeply bows to them. That may not seem like much on its face, but one has to consider the context of this being a Japanese game. A major authority figure like Clavell bowing and apologizing to those younger than himself, let alone those he's an authority over, is a MAJOR demonstration of genuine regret.

That's not to say Clavell is perfect though. Far from it; while he succeeds in this area, he fails in others as he readily allows Geeta to use both the Academy and its students as she pleases. Geeta outright takes advantage of the students for unpaid labor - the Player included - even though none of them actually work for her. The teaching staff themselves, while all good people who are trying their best, show similar failures to varying degrees. Saguaro doesn't show who he really is because he's afraid of disrupting the image students have of him. Miriam - beloved by students for her skills and nature - languishes unable to fulfill her desire to be a teacher because the credential testing (presumably set by Geeta, who establishes similar needlessly exclusionary tests) keeps knocking her down. Hassel is endlessly harangued by his family to give up his passion for art and teaching to take the lead of their House.

It continues with the Gym Leaders and Elite Four as well, given how Geeta readily abuses her position of power to her own ends. All the Gym Leaders readily discuss their dislike of Geeta, how she holds them back or interferes with them, and the various shortcomings of their lives due to structural failures in their society. People like Larry, Brassius, Grusha, and Iono are wholly at the whims of capitalism in a region where the economy itself is tied directly to the Pokemon League they work for. Larry and Hassel pull double duty as both a Gym Leader and Academy Teacher, as well as members of the Elite Four, further showing how much Geeta is intentionally intertwining all these systems together into a narrow, unstable medium. Poppy, a LITERAL TODDLER, is somehow a member of the Elite Four - when Geeta doesn't even pay adults a living wage to be Gym Leaders/Elite Four and also readily takes advantage of students for free labor, you cannot possibly tell me Poppy isn't an overt case of child labor abuses. Seriously, who are this kid's parents and where the hell are they? Later in the game, Geeta calls the Player on their phone out of the blue and one of the responses you can give is "How did you get my number?". She replies that because you're a Champion, she has access to your personal information. Information you did not consent to give her, that she used her position to look up and privately contact you - a child - for work, without the consent or awareness of your parent. Geeta has set the Pokemon League in a way that best suits her desires and warped the entirety of Paldea around it, endangering and weakening other institutions as a result.

There's actually a lot more to this scattered throughout the game, such as a student who's languished in the Academy system for twenty years without graduating because he's constantly failing. Or everything that has to do with History Teacher Raifort. But this has already gone on long enough of a ramble. In summary, Pokemon S/V has some honestly interesting explorations of institutional and personal failure from the past and how it impacts the future. Themes of generational trauma wasn't what I expected out of a Pokemon game. I hope to see it expanded on in the coming DLC content or, even better, in the upcoming anime series.

#pokemon #pokemon scarlet and violet #pokemon sv #pokemon nemona #pokemon arven #pokemon penny #pokemon geeta

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