#i mean its still looked better but all three of them are pissed about being moved

[strigops]

i am not by any means an orchid person and never have been but i will say that trying my hand at paphs has certainly put me near the edge of Orchid Enjoyer. i got one bc i find a lot of orchids a bit boring when they’re not blooming, but paphs often have pretty leaves so they look interesting even when they’re not doing anything. but i fully expected my first one to not make it for long after hearing for years abt how difficult they are but…. they’re not?? maybe bc, being a terrestrial plant, their care is a bit closer to that of a normal houseplant than more epiphytic groups but like. they’re not hard. they’re supposedly slow growing yet i’ve only had the one in the first pic (my fav!!) for a little over a year and it’s over twice the size it was when i got it.

every other orchid i’ve had has at some point thrown a fit abt something and began a Slow Descent Towards Death that i could slow but never stop, and yet when that first one’s leaves started looking completely limp and flaccid a few weeks ago i was able to turn it around in a week!!! like what!! you’re not dead!! anyway. i think these guys are deeply underrated and if you’ve ever wanted one but been intimidated by them you should just go for it.

#ITS NOT DEAD!!! HOW! #i mean its still looked better but all three of them are pissed about being moved #love these dudes tho!!

[wileys-russo]

please can you write a little fic about Leah’s beanie in her most recent insta post, like her gf thinking she looks cute and making her post a pic or taking the piss out of Leah for posting a pic in the beanie x

garden gnome II l.williamson

"god its fucking freezing!" you shivered, subbed off with ten minutes to go as your body finally cooled down from all the running, the brisk london air sharp as needles as the wind blew on and you collapsed onto the subs bench.

"thank you less." you sighed in relief as alessia handed you your puffer, the blonde sending you a smile as the two of you leaned into one another a little more to stay warm, lia joining in on your other side.

all three of you jumped to your feet buzzing with new energy as the whistle finally blew announcing your victory. "steffyyy!" you cheered loudly, jumping on the older girls back who stumbled but let out a laugh as you kissed her cheek and hopped down.

"if you play like that with jet lag we're sending you back to melbourne for the week." you teased as she hugged you properly. "puddin points are best cooked under pressure." caitlin flung an arm over your shoulder with a grin as she and steph high fived.

you were flanked by lotte, vic and alessia as you did your thank you lap, clapping to the fans as you caught your girlfriends eye in the stands, clapping up at her making her roll her eyes with a smile as she chatted away to ellie who gave you a wave.

"lovesick much." alessia teased, bumping her shoulder into yours as vic echoed her word making you stick your tongue out at them. "look at her all bundled up and in her little beanie, she's so cute i just wanna go and give her a cuddle." you sighed still looking up at her.

"oi! jealous much?" you pushed vic who gagged at your words, the force of your push sending her tumbling onto her bum as she glared up at you. "run." alessia patted your shoulder as you took off, a string of angry dutch following you as the two of you raced in laps around the pitch until she caught you and punched you sharply in the arm, the team all called in for a huddle.

"hello gorgeous." a pair of arms tightly wound round you from behind as you settled happily into the extra warmth, tilting your head back and smiling up at the older blonde. she stayed holding onto you as you all bunched up for the post match talk, her hands only moving to clap loudly as jonas finished up talking.

"mum wants to see you." leah mumbled with a kiss to your cheek, nodding for you follow her as you both made your way into the fast clearing stands. "amanda!" you grinned as the woman pulled you into a tight hug. "love you played brilliantly! even if leah wouldn't shut up with her personal coaching the entire match." she rolled her eyes as leah protested the accusation.

"oh i've no doubt once we're home i'll get the full debrief on everything i could have done better. gaffa williamson loves to come out after a win!" you teased, leah pinching your sides with a stern look as you only smiled, pecking her lips.

"try raising her, every single little thing gets feedback even if you don't ask for it. for someone who can't cook god she just loves to critisise everyone else who can!" amanda added on with a dramatic sigh.

"yeah i bought the wrong brand of ham the other week. should have heard how she moaned about it for days!" "used to yell directions at me and scream for me to go faster when i drove her to training every week, as if i didn't drive her there every week."

"right fuck off what is it pick on leah day! i'm injured here thanks how bout a bit of sympathy?" your girlfriend huffed, crossing her arms with a scowl. "oh sorry baby i forgot how sensitive you are. is everyone being mean to you?" you continued to tease, pinching her cheeks in your hands as amanda watched on fondly.

"you look so cute in your beanie lee lee, my little garden gnome." you cooed mockingly, smooshing her face in your hands as her eyes burned into you with a murderous glare. "gnome-o and juliet eh?" amanda grinned making you high five her with a cheer.

"mum! god don't fucking don't encourage her she's relentless." leah groaned, pulling you into a headlock as you smacked her stomach through the three layers she was bundled in. "you love it." she let you up and pulled you into a tight hug, her arms curled around your neck and resting on your shoulders as the two of you chatted with her mum for a bit.

"oh i need a photo before i go! to mark the win." amanda was about to leave as she perked up, pulling out her phone as she tucked herself in beside you, leahs chin resting on the top of your head as the three of you smiled happily and amanda took a few selfies.

"beautiful. i'll see you both round for dinner yeah?" she reminded firmly as you nodded. "yeah we'll be round after five mum, i'll pick grandma up on the way." leah confirmed as amanda beamed, hugging you both goodbye as the three of you descended from the stands.

you and leah hung around for another half hour chatting with your team mates, cuddled into one another the entire time as you battled the ongoing teasing from your team mates, both claiming you were just keeping one another warm.

"what are you doing now?" leah sighed as you both made her way toward her car and you dropped her hand, pulling out your phone and ordering her to pose.

"capturing the memory. i'm gonna start a little garden gnome scrapbook of all your beanie pictures, this ones disappointingly not as pointy as normal but you still look adorable." you beamed snapping a few photos of her as you reached her car, the back lot where the players parked basically almost empty.

"leah!" you laughed as she huffed and yanked off her beanie, hair tied back into a low and loose bun as she pulled her hood up and advanced on you. "hi baby." you grinned as she pushed you against the side of her car, smile tugging at her lips as her arms caged you in.

"lee!" you laughed again as she tugged her beanie down over your head, covering your eyes and attacking your face with kisses as she held the material down on your head and you struggled to push her away.

"whose the little garden gnome now?" leah sung out, flipping up the edge of the beanie so your eyes were free to meet hers, the blonde giving you a dazzlingly bright smile. "still you, you've got the pointy cone head not me." you shrugged, tapping on the top of her head as her mouth formed a small o of offence.

"what am i going to do with you?" leah tutted, shaking her head with a sigh. "kiss me and never stop." you whispered, hands grabbing the sides of her hood and pulling her mouth to meet yours. though before anything got carried away she gently intertwined your hands and pulled away.

"oh just you wait till we get home cheeky girl."

#woso x reader #woso fanfics #leah williamson x reader #leah williamson #woso blurbs #woso #woso imagine #engwnt

[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

Hobie x Isekai!Reader

[Reading Between the Lines]

WEEOO WEEOO Platonic Fic Idea WEEOO WEEOO

Hobie x Reader Isekai fic where the reader (me) is a Spider-man meta-analysis writer and they fall into the ATSV universe.

They meet Hobie and are completely starstruck, unable to speak. Flabbergasted. Uhh okay imma just do the intro "Hi, My name's Hobie, Hobie Brown. I was bitten by a-"

"...WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO KNOW YOU GET WHAT I MEAN!! And for the last three years I've been the one and only- *proceeds to do his whole intro for him*."

"What the fuck. Those are my lines. Bruv cut that shit out wth."

Everyone thinks they're weird as fuck, but Gwenpoole (and other Nexus beings) are taught about at The Society at least, so it's not a mystery why they are the way they are.

But they're just SO META

They're basically bouncing and they tell Hobie 'OMG, your like my favorite superhero. I write about you ALL THE TIME- Ignore the OC folder'

Hobies like 'I'm not a hero-'

'I knew you'd say that!!!!! AHHHHH!!!!!'

All of a sudden there's this huge Hobie groupie fan in the group that knows everything about them and their trauma 😭😭

The reader sees Gwen and is like '.......I know this isn't my place but I've read through the scene between you and your dad and I have some comments I'd like to make. I can leave out the ones where I wish him death.'

There's even a scene like this one between Miles and Gwen

Where Hobie is like 'oi this your analysis book lemme see-' only to open to dozens of pages of x-reader fics and Hobie x OC drawings

And reader is like

'Uh.... I ain't write that. I don't know how that got in there. That's not even my handwriting. I found that notebook actually 😭😭'

Meanwhile Hobies like 'Christ - how much time do you have on your hands 🤨🤔'

'....Is it that bad?'

'Oh I ain't say it was bad. Could use a some work though. Actually- *takes out Noir's reading glasses (which he stole) from his pocket because he's not gonna stand here and judge a book by its cover*'

Of course Hobie still reads the x-reader cause he's a cocky bastard.

And then he returns said fics covered in red pen and notes of 'I wouldn't do that-' or 'actually you should add this. This would be better.' or even 'Lemme do it. That other shite you wrote don't make no sense'

BASICALLY HELPING CONSTRUCT FICS ABOUT HIMSELF. Simply because he finds the concept hilarious.

He gets to the smut and he's like "How easy do you lot think I am? Think you can have a pass at me, you must be taking the fucking piss-" just ranting and raving as he STILL READS IT

Sitting there with a cup of tea reading smut of himself and covering it in red pen like it's the mornings crossword 😭😭

The crew eventually realize that the readers power of trope analysis crosses over and it's SO USEFUL

All they need to do is get reader in front of Miguel and reader gives him a heartfelt reading and connection of his trauma that equals the culmination of ten years of therapy

They're like 'i know this is all an act Miguel. I know this is all an act to cover up the crushing feeling of chaos and helplessness that comes from canon. And really, all of this is just a mirror - you wanting to control how things 'should be' because there were so many things you went through that you think shouldn't have. But those moments are apart of you-'

Miguel's likes 'WAIT WOAH STOP TALKING'

They start bringing up Gabriel and Xina and shit from the comics.

Everyone's like 'Who the hell is Gabriel-" meanwhile Miguel is on the floor sobbing going 'mi hermano. mi hermano pequeno 😭😭😭'

And it ends with them all hugging Miguel after this person just read him for filth using the power of Isekai Canon Knowledge

I'm having TOO MUCH FUN WITH THIS

In the end Reader and Hobie become best friends because they both stand out so much in other universes and both take nothing entirely serious.

Plus they're both really perceptive and nosey and good at reading people so sometimes they see some subtle shit go down and they look at each other like

"We minding our business~ 😩🎶🗣️ we ain't gon say shit~ We gon mind our goddamn business 🎤🎸🔈'

Ok ok I'm done I'm done 😭😭😭

#this is pure self fulfillment and IDC #AHA!!! #Me and Hobie BFF5Eva #Hobie agrees DiscoPunk is 'cute or whatever' #his words #spiderman #atsv #spider man #marvel #across the spiderverse #hobie brown #spider punk #spiderpunk #hobie x reader #hobie x you #hobie x y/n #hobie brown x reader #hobie brown x you #Hobie brown x y/n

[awarmbowlofhomemadesoup]

There’s some weird dissonance reading Leosagi fics first before watching Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles. I mean it, I enjoyed the fics, truly. But some of them made Yuichi more like Miyamoto Usagi than himself (and I’m not saying it’s a bad thing). It’s just funny after finishing 2 seasons of SRTUC because:

While Miyamoto Usagi has a resting bitch face, Yuichi did NOT inherit it. Yuichi has a resting space face when he’s not getting excited about his ancestor or Yokai.

2. He wants to be like his ancestor so bad, but he’s just too wholesome.

3. A lot of people have already said this in a lot of posts, but dude is a disaster (affectionate):

Whooping and swinging his sword and yelling he doesn’t need a sensei after making a promise to his auntie that he would find one and treat the sword with respect.

Almost got run over by heavy traffic (and is not aware of it)

Pissed off every single one of his would-be friends who were ready to beat him up.

Was given a wide selection of mystical weapons, and ended up with a yoyo because he got distracted by it. 

AND went to jail. That’s just his first day in Neo Edo. 

He is not easily distracted, he's "momentarily focused" on other things ("oh look, a bird!")

Went into a self-induced drug trip after trying so hard to meditate

4. While Yuichi can be spacey and distractible, he’s already a skilled swordsman with good instincts and reflexes. What he lacked was experience and something to temper his one-track mind.

5. When the show said he’s “all ears, no brain,” they meant it. Guy keeps syrup packets in his pockets so that he’s always prepared. (for desserts, ig) 

6. “All ears, no brain,” was said within his hearing range and it just went through his head because he’s too excited about fighting yokai like his great-great-greatx grandpa.

7. Has the selfishness and self-centeredness of someone with ADHD (and I’m not saying that’s a bad thing). He can be so caught up in wanting to be a hero, he would sometimes not listen to his friends, or hog the mission for a chance to be remembered for a thousand years.  

8. He wants to be the main character so bad:

Jumped into conclusions with Gen and made a wanted person escape.

Attacks yokai on sight to live out his fantasy of being like Miyamoto Usagi

Tries to pilot a giant robot and did well for 1.5 seconds.

Risks his life more than once by making contact with a giant magic crystal that could’ve burned him alive with too much power.

He’s goddamn lucky his show is for a younger audience or he’d be traumatized along with Leo (and his bros) from rottmnt, Luz from TOH, and MK from Lego Monkie Kid. 

9. Likes one-liners because it’s like in his comics/manga of his greatx grandpa. (”Put down the pig, or I’ll put down the hurt -wait, I can do better than that.”)

10. But yeah, all of that and he’s still a polite and considerate kid who sincerely wants to help people and his friends and will do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do. 

Saves the three people who were going to beat him up.

Got delighted when the three people who were ready to beat him up were there to rescue him. (”Are we friends now? :D”)

Wants to hug them in the first hour of meeting them.

Somehow convinced one of the most terrifying yokai to be his sensei.

Would babble about yokai in the middle of fighting one.

Risks the city for an alien.

Like I know some people can’t stand its animation. It’s not the best, but it’s not bad either. Anyway, this is the Yuichi Usagi that I have known from the show and I’m glad I’ve met him. 

#samurai rabbit: the usage chronicles #Yuichi usagi #samurai rabbit #usagi chronicles #srtuc #samurai rabbit the usagi chronicles #leosagi #leoichi

[lieslab]

My Baby

Summary: I.N comes home upset after being teased non-stop at work and it's up to you to make him feel better.

Word Count: 900

Genre: Fluff

Read the last post: 🥢

_ _ _

“Baby, do you want to talk about it?” 

“Don’t call me that!” I.N snapped. 

You paused at the harsh tone of his voice, but didn’t say anything else. Since he had arrived home from work, he hadn’t been his normal self. When he walked inside, he completely ignored you. He had ignored you for nearly three hours now. 

You figured that he’d address it when he felt a bit better, but he hadn’t. You decided to be the bigger person and ask about it. Whatever it was, it had clearly affected him a lot more than he let on. You bit down on the inside of your cheek and waited for his response, but it never came. 

He laid in the middle of your shared bed with his arms crossed. Eyebrows furrowed and eyes narrowed as he glared up at the ceiling. He was pissed off at everyone. He hadn’t meant to snap at you. You just happened to be there and the added ‘baby’ had only fueled his anger more. 

After a few more moments of silence, you spoke up again. “If you want to talk about it, I’ll be in the kitchen making dinner.” Without another word, you turned, and left the bedroom. 

I.N continued lying in the bed. After a few minutes, he let out a sigh, and forced himself out to the kitchen. It wasn’t your fault he was pissed off. He took his anger out on you and you had only meant well. He couldn’t let you make dinner by yourself, for the two of you, after he had just snapped at you. 

As you diced up vegetables in the kitchen, you paused after feeling someone stare at you. You glanced over to see your boyfriend and looked back down at the green pepper you were cutting. As much as you wanted to ask if he was okay, you didn’t know if he was still angry or not. 

You continued to chop the pepper. The only sounds that could be heard was your knife slamming down onto the cutting board over and over again. After you finished cutting the pepper, you picked up the pieces, and placed them into the preheated skillet where they began to sizzle. 

“I’m sorry I snapped at you,” I.N finally got out. 

You shrugged, “it’s fine.” 

“No, it’s not. You were trying to help and I yelled at you.” He made his way over towards you and wrapped his arms around your waist. The point of his chin settled onto your shoulder. 

You melted into his touch and began to stir the peppers around with a wooden spoon. The recipe called for them to be cooked through. His arms wrapped around you tighter. His breath was warm against your neck as he began to explain himself. 

“I really didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m sorry, I’ve just had a long day with the guys. They’ve been teasing me all day because I’m the youngest member. No matter what I do, I couldn’t escape it today. When you called me ‘baby’ it just made me feel worse.” 

“I meant it in an endearing way,” you mumbled. 

“I know you did. You didn’t mean any harm in it, so I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking clearly.” 

“Have you talked to the guys about their antics?” 

“Not really. I’ve tried to, but they don’t seem to stop.” 

“I know you don’t like it, but they do it because they love you a lot.” You turned around in his grip, so you could face him. “Some of them have never had a younger brother, you know?” 

“I know, I know, but I'm an adult!” 

A small smile worked its way onto your face. “Usually, teasing the younger siblings is a perk of being an older sibling.” The smile fell from your face soon afterwards. “However, if it’s getting to be a big issue, truly try to talk to them. I’m sure they’ll understand it. You probably won’t get rid of all the teasing, but it’ll erase most of it.” 

“If they don’t stop teasing you,” you went on, “let me know. I’ll personally harass them all together and one by one. They can’t tease my baby bread, that’s my job!” You leaned forward and kissed the tip of his nose. 

He pulled away from you with a groan. “Not you too! You’re supposed to be supportive of me!” 

“I’ll always support you, but I’ll tease you too from time to time.” 

“If anything, you’re the baby! You’re younger than me!” 

“That’s why I get special privileges. Maybe you should take that up with the band. Tell them they owe you lunch for teasing you so much. I’m sure they’d give in, they think you’re cute.” 

He let out a laugh and wrapped his arms around your neck. “Thank you for not being mad at me. I appreciate you being so understanding of the situation.” 

“Of course, but just so you’re aware, I’m not going to stop calling you ‘baby.’ You’ll always be my baby, got it?” 

He nodded. 

You leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on his lips before pulling away. “Good. You should go wash up before dinner is ready. I have to do a few more things, but I’ll be done within a half hour tops.” 

He smiled and kissed you again, “I love you.” 

“I love you too, baby.” 

Start back at the beginning: 🍜

#stray kids #stray kids fanfic #stray kids drabbles #stray kids fluff #fanfic writing #fanficwriter #stay #skz imagines #i.n #i.n stray kids #i.n skz #i.n x reader #yang jeongin

[themaeve]

AHHHHH! Memoire 61.5 of the Case Study of Vanitas just dropped! I'm loving everything about where we are going with this dham arc!

We are finally getting more on the whole business with where dhampirs stand in this society. Feared by humans as being too close to vampires, looked down on and at one point hunted(!) by vampires. And wow are the Count's people prejudiced as fuck. The only reason Dhampirs have "the right to exist" is because they are under the eccentric Marquis Machina's protection.

Watching Johann and Riche broke my heart this chapter. The way they both reached for their glasses when it was mentioned how dhams are revealed by their eyes. Riche was visibly scared the entire time and Johann was trying his best to comfort her. It really characterizes Dante, the member of the Dham trio who doesn't wear glasses, and is also almost always the most loud and proud of the three. Dante doesn't give a single fuck to "hide" his eyes.

Bless Noe, calling bullshit on everyone with "Isn't it just less confusing to just call people by their name?" Love that man so much. Vanitas stifling his laughter at Noe's wholesome honesty. Perfect.

I also really appreciate Domi's bits this chapter. My girl thinks she is so progressive with her whole "Being prejudiced in this day and age? How unattractive." And then only minutes later getting somewhat called out by Noe for never even learning Dante's name. Domi learning that she ain't above being prejudiced and that she needs to do better. Not being outwardly hateful is the bare fucking minimum. I love that last panel of her, that mix of embarrassment, panic, and palpable shame she feels with herself. The way she got really quiet and shut down. It hurt to watch in a good way. I've been there Domi. You gotta collect yourself, learn from your mistakes, identify and overcome your personal biases. Don't fall back into more self-hatred, you can do it girl! God I love her so much.

Also, I love that last panel of pissed off Dante! Dude is so over this conversation. Staring daggers at Noe like "Is this some kind of fucking White Knight routine of yours or are you genuinely this naive and friendly?" Good sir I eagerly await your angry rant next chapter. Fucking go off my dude.

This chapter had so much emotion from everyone. Hate, anger, fear, shame, love. All of it on display. As much as I have really started to hate the "fantasy racism" cliche, I'll give this one credit for some realism in displays of prejudice and the subtle effects it has on its targets. While I don't have experience being the target of racist prejudice, I do have experience being the target of queerphobic prejudice. The dhams really hit with me, especially the lines calling them "half-formed things, neither fish nor fowl." Like, yep I'm trans and non-binary, I've heard and seen that type of shit said before.

The way Riche and Johann reached instinctively for their glasses when it was mentioned how the uncontrollable gold flashes of their eyes give them away to humans. I felt that, being "revealed" by features of your body and being instinctually self conscious about them. Trying to hide the things that "give you away". I still remember when Jeanne was trying to figure out if Johann was human or vampire, watching the anime, hearing the tired and thorny contempt in Johann's voice with the delivery of "Nope, I'm a dham." Shivers. Same fucking energy of delivering "I'm nonbinary" to random people for fuckteenth flippin time watching the fucking look in their eye change as they realize what I am. Then, Johann catches himself after saying it, realizing Jeanne didn't mean any offense, that his tone was too prickly. She just genuinely didn't know. You can feel how Johann is always on guard. Always having to be prepared for people who think he doesn't have "the right to exist." I felt that.

I'm optimistic for how the story handles this arc. I'm praying it's good and doesn't fall for the problematic elements of "fantasy racism" tropes. The way this chapter handled Domi makes me hopeful. That and anymore material we get on Dante, Johann, and Riche is a win in my book.

#vnc #vnc spoilers #vnc 61.5 #the case study of vanitas #vanitas no carte #memoire 61.5 #manga

[skitariiposting]

Okay, I've just finished watching episode 1 of Marvel's hit TV show Secret Invasion, and I've gotta say: eh. Especially coming off of binge watching all of adventure time and experiencing it all over again, then immediately watching AI Builds again and suffering another mental overload despite it being one of my favorite pieces of media ever. Heck, even if I have to compare it to another Marvel thing; Loki season 2 was way better. I really should have watched something bad before watching this, I'm coming down off of the "Rewatching AI Builds and fucking crying myself to sleep, again" high, but here we are.

This show feels especially "the writer strike, struck." Given that I haven't heard anybody really talk about this show at all, good or bad, I will be undertaking the task of relaying things I enjoy and/or find annoying.

Spoilers, obviously.

1. Look, say what you will about AI stuff, trust me when I say I'm pissed with it possibly taking my job eventually too, but for once it felt like it was used for a stylistic choice as opposed to just trying to rob people of a job.

The intro is obviously made with AI. However, I feel like they're trying to use it to make it feel alien and foreign, something inhuman or unearthly, and it works. It's visually interesting. However, I just wish we could get something like that without having to rely on this shitty AI stuff to do it. Imagine how cool it'd be if it wasn't for the immoral and outright theft involved with sourcing for AI.

2. The main plot is wacky, goofy, and utterly silly sauce. "Oh damn this giant catastrophe that effected literally half of all life all at the same time and made a bunch of people disappear made Nick disappear, that means he's totally not going to honor his deal with us because he's disappeared, time to terrorists!" I hope that the plot gets more fleshed out or something, but off to a bad start in episode 1.

3. Nick feels both simultaneously great and awful at the same time. He's still cocky and charismatic, which is something I love about his character. However, he feels like he's dumb. He's not the same Nick Fury from Avengers and Winter Soldier, and I don't like that. Sam Jackson's putting in a lot of the footwork here to keep the character from falling completely flat; line delivery is on point as always with Sam, but it feels like the writers are just dishing out some crappy plot stuff he's having to work with.

4. They set off three dirty bombs in a square full of people, with all three protagonists within range of it, and yet its a gunshot that almost kills one of them, not the bombs nor the "dirty" part of it, which I feel like they kinda forgot about. These are supposed to be radioactive for a reason: skrull are immune to radiation according to 30 minutes ago in the episode. As I've not seen any spoilers or anything plot related to this show (since nobody has really had anything to say about it at all, good or bad) I am forced to make the super easy prediction that there will be a big reveal where Nick is actually a Skrull.

I will continue with the show now and bring updates as I go.

#skitposting #marvel

[roguelemon]

This was meant to be a short little joke style theory but it turned into a character analysis so the before cut is the main interesting point and the rest you can read if you want my take on Vox as a whole, and what I personally would do with him nest season.

The reason why Vox hates the past so much is because he has so many regrets/ kind of hates himself for getting into the situation he's in where every waking moment is either dealing with his public image, dealing with Vals tantrum/manipulative bs (Yes I think Vox is being manipulated by Val I believe in the "Val can secrete a date r*pe drug type substance in his saliva") OR endlessly trying to make power grabs to "prove himself". The other overlords DO NOT like this man, I reckon that upsets him more than he lets on (my theory as to why he sent Velvett to that meeting instead) .

Vox focuses on "upgrading" because facing his past and where he fucked up is his literal worst nightmare. It just so happens that part of his past that he regrets (Alastor, whether you think it was a failed romantic proposal or not it CLEARLY had a big affect) is somebody who embodies the past.

He moves away from past technology to move away from Alastor. He constantly upgrades himself/ his products because looking into his past is not something he wants to do.

Of course, that only worked for 7 years, now Al is back he's FORCED to face at least some of where he fucked up which is why when we see him, despite being an overlord, he looks incredibly pathetic. It's not that his power level is so much below Alastor, (though that could be a factor) but he's facing his worst nightmare every time the deer fucker shows up.

Alastor pisses him off sure, but what really gets him so twitchy and almost paranoid is what Alastor represents, his past.

This isnt trying to defend Vox or whatever but I do think that he's the least objectively evil out of the Vees. To me he's a "doesn't want to be evil he just wants recognition and oops, now you've got it through bad means" kind of guy who's been teamed up with a sleezy manipulative asshole who doesn't seem to have any motivation other than just enjoying being a creep. And Velvette, who while we haven't seen anything super bad yet, she clearly endorses Val (the love potion advert) and is also more abrasive than Vox.

Its even more so shown in the finale when Vox is super exited about something (it's Alastor dying, but still) and the other two are just completely uninterested until it benefits them.

I've seen some people saying that Vox and Val are the main and Velvette is the one that's off to the side out of the three but despite doing, whatever you want to call THAT in the finale with Val, Vox is more obviously the one who doesn't line up with the other two as well.

Vox probably wished he'd pursued a deal with Alastor rather than the Vees because then he'd get what he wants, to be recognised and respected. Even though Al does mostly command through fear there is respect for him among those who are more powerful than him, all save Lucifer of course. Vox on the other hand has basically no respect from anyone who he doesn't mind control, Velvette treats him like Val control and Val is CLEARLY using similar tactics that he would on one of his 'employees' on Vox. (Acting super whiny/ guilt to get what he wants, pushing his buttons to get a reaction after his initial outburst didn't piss Vox off enough, THE RED SALIVA). While the annoyance between the three seems to be just petty bullshit I'm certain that, at least on a subconscious level that Vox knows that if he hadn't got in with them that he'd be better off. VoxTech certainly seems the most lucrative out of what the three control. And the other two wouldn't exist if it warned for the tech HE supplies. (Vox is the real backbone of the Vees). This man clearly SO DESPERATELY wants attention and to be adored. Rather than hating him like I do with Val, it makes me pity him. And THATS the centre of all this, he is pitiful and so has MORE room for character development.

Its fully possible that he blames himself for fucking up whatever proposition he had for Alastor when in reality, Al is just an ass but Vox can't see that

Of course this is just my interpretation, but it'd make S2 where the Vees are confirmed to be a bigger focus much more interesting if Vox also gets this internal dilemma/ self doubt.

They could still feasibly swing in either direction of characyer development and I'd consider it well written and thats what makes him so interesting to me. He has so much potential for both good and for evil, also for general annoyance and comedy.

If it were up to me I'd do the megamind route of FINALLY letting the character win against their enemy, only to end up pissed off about it because the person they pinned all their problems on wasn't actually the cause of them, then swing in a completely different direction because this is hell and the feel good stories are reserved for characters who believe in therapy. Maybe a song where Vox prevails, only to then later reprise in a version where he loses his sense of self a little, maybe finally realises how little the other two care after he finally bests Alastor in something but it doesn't matter because he "didn't get any new territory or souls" or something along those lines. A second song could be Vox actually coming into his own more with a song all about him, nobody singing over or with him. It doesn't even have to redeem his character it would just be singling him out as Vox, not one of the Vees.

This ramble was brought to you by the powers of procrastination. Congrats on actually reading all that shit. (And lmk if you'd add anything in your opinion?) =3.

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel character analysis #hazbin hotel vox #give me a villain that can be redeemed in the show about redemption PLEASE #but also give be assholes who even when offered redemption would rather choose evil #give me that VoxVal parallel PLEASE #hazbin hotel valentino #hazbin hotel vees #hazbin hotel theory #hazbin hotel thoughts

[elisela]

still sterek, 1.7k, au: tattoo parlor & flower shop, established relationship, miscommunication day 6: lonely happy birthday @tripleaxeldiaz!!!

Stiles raps on the wall of his work station as soon as he peels his gloves off, tossing them into the wastebasket by the door. He waits a solid minute for a response, straining to hear past the music playing from the overhead speaker, and sighs when none comes.

“He’s probably out doing deliveries, loser,” Cora says without pausing from where she’s restocking the small vials of colored ink. 

He sighs again, his whole body slumping down in his chair, a physical manifestation of the dread he’s feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Yeah, maybe.”

He’s not sure if it’s his tone or the fact he’s not arguing with her, whatever it is, it makes her stop and peer around at him. “Are you two fighting?”

The chair squeaks as he shifts, planting his feet flat on the floor and pushing, rolling himself back and forth slowly. “Maybe. Yeah.”

Cora’s sigh is explosive and irritated. “Seriously? What now?”

“Well,” he says slowly, chest starting to ache now that he actually has to say the words he’s been worried about out loud, “I asked him to move in with me on Friday and he said yes but I haven’t heard a word from him since Saturday morning, so we’re either fighting or … broken up.” 

He doesn’t look up at her, but he can feel the sudden stillness in the room; even Erica and her client stop the quiet stream of chatter they’d been engaging in. It only lasts as long as it takes for Cora to jerk to her feet, vials of blue ink clattering to the floor and rolling in every direction. He doesn’t even have a chance to stop her before she rips the door open, hinges creaking dangerously, and stomps out.

“She’s pissed,” Erica says, and Stiles closes his eyes and tilts his head back to rest on the top of his chair. 

He can hear when the yelling starts—which means Derek is there and definitely ignoring him, which hurts even though he’d already suspected it—but he can’t make it out what’s being said even if he puts his ear to the wall, and Erica can’t be of any help when she’s with a client. He busies himself instead by picking up the vials scattered on the floor and placing them back in the box before going to check his appointment book even though he knows he doesn’t have any bookings; he’d only come in because it was better than sitting around his lonely apartment.

The flare of hope that sparks in his chest when Cora comes back through the door is quickly smothered when she walks straight up to him and grabs his arm. “We’re still friends, even if you’re not with Derek,” she says; it’s not a question.

He nods because it’s all he can do—there’s a knot in his chest that’s threatening to tear its way out of his throat and he won’t let it, not in the studio. Their relationship may have been lived out in the open, lives intertwined both personally and professionally, but Stiles can give himself the dignity of falling apart in private at the very least.

“I will make his life miserable,” Cora swears before letting him go. “And the second I find out what’s going on with him—”

Stiles tears his gaze from the floor and looks over at her. “He didn’t tell you?”

“No,” she says, and she sounds almost sad. “He didn’t say anything at all.”

--

Despite the three days of radio silence it doesn’t take Derek long at all to show his face after Cora gets involved; Stiles calls his clients for the next day and rebooks them, claiming illness, then leaves before Erica finishes up with the sleeve she’s working on.

His apartment feels too cold, dreary in the same way it has since he woke up Saturday morning with Derek gone, like even the plants in the windowsill miss him. They probably do; Stiles isn’t known for his ability to keep a consistent schedule when it comes to things like watering. He turns a movie on for background noise, lays down on the couch, and ends up falling asleep.

When he wakes up it’s to the sound of a key in the door and footsteps so familiar that for a moment he considers closing his eyes and pretending so he doesn’t have to see Derek gather up all his things. But Derek would know, and Stiles would seem like a coward, so he sits up and lets the blanket pool at his feet just as his probably-ex-boyfriend comes into view. 

He has no intention of saying anything—Derek’s the one with the problem, clearly, and Stiles might not have the heart to make a break-up difficult for him but he’s certainly not going to make it any easier—except Derek looks tired and miserable, eyes red like he’d recently been crying, wearing the hoodie he always said was the most comfortable thing he’d ever worn.

Stiles’ hoodie.

“If Cora told you to come—”

“She didn’t,” Derek interrupts, and then hangs his head when he corrects, “well, she did, but that’s not why—I was going to talk to you, I just—there’s something I need to tell you and I didn’t know how.”

Stiles swallows hard past the lump that’s taken up residence in his throat again. He doesn’t want to hear it, but it will drive him crazy forever if he doesn’t. “I guess I just don’t know why you said yes if you were going to break up with me,” he says. His voice doesn’t break at all, and he’s absurdly relieved he could manage that. Of course, it breaks the second he opens his mouth and says, “It would have hurt less if you hadn’t.”

Derek makes a move like he’s going to reach out, and Stiles frowns when he doesn’t just stop but takes several steps backwards, moving himself further away from the door. “I said yes because I want to,” Derek says, “but there’s something—you need to know something before I do, and I—was scared. About how you’d react.”

He can almost hear the gears in his head turning. There are only two things he can come up with that may cause him to react negatively; one would be a stupidly big coincidence but he supposes it’s possible that sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning Derek had learned he had a child that one of his many exes was keeping from him, and the other—well, the other is just stupid, considering.

Stiles is pretty sure now that he knows which one it is.

“Derek,” he says slowly, “I think—”

“I love you,” Derek says, almost desperately, “and I’d never hurt you but you should know—”

Briefly, he considers banging his head on the table to justify his apparent lack of brain cells, because he really should have thought of this.

“—I’m a werewolf.”

The miscommunication would be almost funny if Stiles’ heart weren’t breaking at the sight of Derek in front of him, clearly bracing himself for the worst-case scenario while trying to appear harmless. 

“Come here,” he says quietly, and sighs when Derek doesn’t budge. “Derek. Please come here.”

Derek glances at the door and around the room before moving, taking himself the long way around the coffee table before sitting at the very edge of the couch, never putting himself in between Stiles and the exit. “I’m not crazy,” he says, sounding defeated, like Stiles is going to try to get him committed at any moment. He doesn’t lift his gaze from the floor. “I can show you.”

There’s so much he wants to say that he doesn’t even know where to begin—like the fact that he’s been friends with Cora for years, for much longer than he’s even known Derek, or the bring up the week he’d “spontaneously” decided to go to his Dad’s place back in Beacon Hills when they were two months into their relationship and he’d freaked out when he’d learned the truth about the Hales. He wants to hit Derek over the head with the unscented laundry soap he’d started using after Cora admitted his old stuff was too strong, or shake him until he realizes that Stiles had started rubbing his cheek against any part of Derek’s body he could get to for a reason. And at first, he can’t say anything at all. The situation may be something they roll their eyes at in the future, but the heartbreak he’d felt at not being able to get ahold of Derek after waking up alone on Saturday morning had been very real, and the fear in Derek’s expression isn’t a joke. 

“Baby,” he says finally, stretching his hand across the couch, fingertips just reaching Derek’s arm, “I know. I’ve known. I’m really—really—upset with you right now,” he adds truthfully, “but if that was the issue … it’s not one. Not really.”

Derek looks like he’s forgotten how to breathe, staring down at Stiles’ hand. “You knew?”

“Cora kicked this dude out of the studio once,” Stiles explains, “back when Erica was new. Said she saw him trying to touch her, and you remember Erica then, she was so quiet—anyway, Cora pulled him off the table, tattoo half-finished, and just went crazy. Threw the guy out the door, kept talking about how she hated people like that … and she was facing the wall the whole time but I caught her face in the mirror and her eyes were … glowing. She told me I was crazy but she looked guilty, almost? So I started paying a little more attention to her which pissed her off, and she told me.”

“I kept waiting for you to tell me,” he adds, looking over at where Derek looks like he’s having an existential crisis, “but you didn’t. So I figured you’d tell me when you were ready and I stopped thinking about it. Clearly should have thought about it a little more and maybe this wouldn’t have happened, but we—we can fix it,” he says, leaning, wrapping his hand around Derek’s arm. “Right?”

“You knew,” Derek says again, “and you—you still—”

“I still,” he agrees, shifting to his knees so he can get himself closer. “I still love you. I still want to spend every second of the day with you.” Derek’s not moving, so he curls himself around his body, blanketing him. “I still want you here, if the answer’s still yes.”

Derek’s arms come around him, so hesitant and careful that it makes Stiles grip him tighter. “It’s still yes.”

also on ao3

#sterek #sterek fic #derek hale #stiles stilinksi #au #eli writes #eli's january otp prompts

[wosoimagines]

Put Respect On My Name - USWNT/Reader

I will say that I due use both Christen Press and Christian Pulisic in this fic but it’s not at the same time. So when you see the spellings change know that it’s a different person and I’m not just stupid.

prompt: Pulisic!Reader is at the December camp. Reader is pissed after she watches a break down of the men’s team and its made mention that Christian’s family must be excited because its the first time a Pulisic is going to a World Cup even though the Reader went to the 2019 World Cup.

warnings: none

words: 1817

(Y/N) POV

We were sitting around the conference room with one of the laptops hooked up to the projector so we could play the program that was breaking down our men’s team that would be in Qatar. As much as I had wanted to be in Qatar for the World Cup, Christian understood why I wasn’t going to be there. After all, I could be arrested and jailed in Qatar just for being queer.

“What about Captain America? Christian Pulisic?” Alexi Lalas asked. I perked up at that. “You have to imagine that the Pulisic family is excited about this after the men failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. And most people were looking at Christian Pulisic for that. But also because he’s going to be the first one in the family to ever go to a World Cup.”

I clenched my fist at that. It was bad enough that I usually had to deal with my parents overlooking my achievements for Christian’s, but to have someone do it so blatantly on TV was humiliating. I ignored the looks some of my teammates sent me.

“I mean, everyone is going to be looking at Christian to lead this team,” Alexi said. I shook my head at him because I couldn’t let him get to me. “And with how Christian’s younger sister has been playing? Well, that family needs something to look forward to. I mean, (Y/N) Pulisic has been forgettable in these last three USWNT matches. Horrible last three games for her and there’s still one more game on the table. They might even lose that game and break the record for the longest USWNT losing streak. So this family must be looking forward to seeing their son in the World Cup.”

I scoffed at that. My recent performances were the last thing I needed to hear about.

“Fuck this dude.”

I looked over my shoulder at Pinoe who was sitting behind me.

“First Pulisic my ass. We’ve got a Pulisic who has won a World Cup,” Pinoe said. She reached forward and ruffled my hair. “We all have bad games every now and then. You’ll get out of this funk.”

I did stick around to see the rest of the program. I knew it would be crucial for our guys to get a win against Wales or Iran. We were obviously going to be the underdogs against England, but I couldn’t wait to see the guys play in the World Cup. It would definitely be nice to see Christian play in his first World Cup.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey, don’t let what Lalas said get to you,” Christen said as I propped my phone up on the desk. “He’s just an idiot.”

“He said it for the whole country to hear. And that comment about this being the first time a Pulisic is at the World Cup?” I pointed out. I shook my head at that as I moved over to my bags. “It’s bullshit. I’m one of the best scorers in the world. I just won the Ballon d’Or this year.”

“Just make them respect you,” Tobin spoke up from the back ground. I rolled my eyes at that. “You have the skills. Just go back to your basics. Don’t try to be too complicated.”

“Easy for you to say, you don’t have to try to live up to an older brother who hasn’t even accomplished half of what you have,” I pointed out. “I have more caps, more World Cups, and more goals and yet everyone thins Christian is better than me.”

“Look, at me, (Y/N).”

I looked up to meet Christen’s eye as I sat my gear on the bed.

“You’re a great player in your own right. You just listed out all of the accomplishments you’ve already achieved and you’re only 22,” Christen said. “You’re gonna go out there and play against Germany and you’re gonna do great. You’re gonna show people why they should respect you.”

“I just want people to remember me for what I’ve done, not because of my older brother,” I said. I sighed as I rubbed the back of my head. “Don’t I deserve that?”

“You do, (Y/N),” Tobin assured me. I shook my head cause I wasn’t sure anymore. “You really do. Just make them remember.”

“Easier said than done.”

“Tobin is right though, (Y/N). You just have to go to the basics. Don’t be too complicated,” Christen said. I sighed as I threw my gear into my practice bag. “I’m serious. Don’t worry about your own performance but rather how the team is doing. Just go out and play for the win and the rest will come to you. It always has.”

“Yeah, okay,” I nodded. I knew that they were right. “I just gotta make sure we are getting the win. Hey, I gotta go. The bus leaves for practice soon. I’ll call you guys later though?”

“You can call either of us anytime, kid,” Tobin said.

I gave her a soft smile as I reached out to grab my phone before ending the call. Once I pocketed my phone, I grabbed my gear bag before heading out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You know I don’t agree with what he said, right?” Christian asked through the phone.

“Yeah, I know,” I nodded.

Christian had called me as soon as I had gotten out of practice. I had been tempted not to answer, but I ultimately did because he wasn’t the one I was upset with.

“Obviously I’ve got to ask you for advice on how to deal with the pressure,” Christian said.

I smiled at that. Christian had always paid attention to how people often put me down even though my career had been more impressive so far.

“Just make sure you play to the best of your ability and you just play for the win,” I told him. Christian smiled at me.

“See? You’re already giving me great advice and the World Cup hasn’t even started yet,” Christian said. I chuckled at that. “Now I just need you to train me so I can win a Ballon d’Or.”

“Try moving to a new team.”

“Oh real funny, (Y/N).”

“Hey, you asked.”

The two of us just sat on the call in silence for a moment.

“Are you sure you’re not upset with me for decided not to go to Qatar?” I asked. It was something that was still really bugging me.

“(Y/N), answer this. If the World Cup was being held somewhere that wouldn’t arrest you for loving who you love, would you go?” Christian asked.

“Yeah, you know I would.”

“Then no,” Christian shook his head. “So long as you’ll watch the games and give me feedback on them, I don’t care.”

“Okay, but if you guys go to the final, I’ll be there,” I promised. Christian looked surprised at that. “You guys might surprise a lot of people.”

“Just go out there and show them why you’re the real Captain America in our family.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I broke out for the run as the ball was threaded through to me. I didn’t worry about trying to be fancy today. All I was worried about helping us win tonight. Before I knew it, it was just Berger and I. Then the ball was in the back of the net.

I immediately was running toward Pinoe. She ran out to meet me too.

“I told you that you’d get out of that funk!”

I grinned at that. It was now 3-1 as my goal had came after Sophia and Mal’s goals.

Just 5 minutes after that, I had a third goal on the night. I yelled as I ran toward the corner. I turned my back to the camera and pointed at my last name before turning back around.

“Put respect on my name! And don’t forget it!”

My teammates jumped onto my back.

“(Y/N) Pulisic is back!” Alex screamed as she threw her arms around me.

I grinned at that as we moved back to get ready for Germany to kick the ball. It didn’t feel like it was much longer until the game ended with the 5-1 win for us. I was stopped for an interview after the game.

“Congratulations on the hat-trick, (Y/N),” Aly Wagner said. I grinned and nodded at that. “What was going through your head today with this game?”

“Obviously we didn’t want to be the first USWNT team to lose four games in a row. But it was more for me, but I didn’t expect a hat-trick,” I admitted. I glanced over my shoulder at my teammates when they yelled my name. I shook my head at them. “Obviously, with the men going to Qatar for the World Cup here soon, we’ve been supporting our men and brushing up on the squad details. We watched a program to break down the men’s team and I just found some of the comments very offensive to me. I just want people to put the respect I deserve on my name.”

“Will you be going to Qatar to support Christian?” Aly asked.

“Unfortunately I will not,” I said with a small shake of my head. “I really would love to, but Christian and I have talk about it. I definitely wouldn’t have made such a decision without knowing how he felt about it. It always boils down to Qatar’s stance on the LGBTQ+ as we both would rather not risk that I would be arrested for being queer. Christian knows that if it was elsewhere then I would be attending too, but I did agree to watch the games and send him my own feedback.”

“You just mentioned putting respect on your name and giving your brother feedback,” Aly said. I nodded at that. “With that respect and obviously having won a World Cup yourself, does Christian ask you for advice?”

“Yeah, sometimes,” I nodded. We both often went to each other. “Christian and I understand each other better than most siblings do. He’s the one who taught me how to play soccer, but we’ve grown up practicing and playing together. We’ve been through these journeys together. Christian was the first person I told the first time I got called up for the senior team. And I was the first person who Christian called when he got his first call up. So I think we both ask each other for advice all the time, but I would never not try to help him.”

“All right, thank you and congratulations on the win and the hat-trick, (Y/N).”

I nodded at that before taking the headset off. I grinned as I headed back to the locker room. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the post Christian had tagged me in. It was a picture of me dressed as Captain America and he was calling me his Captain America in the caption.

#uswnt imagine #uswnt imagines #uswnt x reader #USWNT #woso x reader #woso imagine #woso imagines #woso

[crossdressingdeath]

Once again mad about DA2 claiming that Anders was chased out of the Wardens despite him becoming a DA2 companion because he was popular in Awakening where he was close friends with the Warden-Commander. All they had to do was say that Weisshaupt, bowing to Chantry pressure, had him sent to a different branch of the Wardens against the Hero of Ferelden's wishes! Possibly while the HoF was away (maybe doing Golems of Amgarrak, to fit it all neatly into the existing timeline). It would allow for the setup of the Wardens kicking him out via Templar bullshit, it wouldn't require the player to accept that their Warden would allow the Templars to chase out two of their own (especially since Anders's companion quest in Awakening involves killing a Templar to protect him from being dragged back to the Circle or murdered), and it would create a very specific focal point for Anders's hatred of the Chantry, at least at the start of the game: after his friend and commander proved they were willing to fight for him (and that they were too damn powerful to mess with directly), the Chantry went out of their way to remove him from the Warden's protection so that they could get to him. It would be the Chantry at its most petty and cruel, going to all that trouble just to attack one apostate and one spirit and to get one over on the Hero of Ferelden for daring to tell them no; that would act as a really good thing to use as the "face" of Anders's issues with the Chantry and its treatment of mages! It would also create a perfect opportunity for Anders to get angry at the Chantry on the Warden's behalf like Varric gets pissed at Cassandra for wanting to drag Hawke back into Chantry bullshit, because in this case the Chantry's actions would be as much to punish the Warden as they were to capture or kill Anders and Justice.

It would've been even better if they adjusted the timeline a bit so that the events of Awakening and the fact that Anders stayed with the Wardens a while beyond that actually worked with DA2. Bioware, please, like 90% of your timeline issues between DAO (and especially Awakening) and DA2 would've been solved if you made the gap between the prologue and Act 1 two or three years (maybe four if you really want to give all that stuff some room to breathe) instead of one! It wouldn't even impact the overall timeline that much, shorten the gap between DA2 and DAI and/or shorten the gaps between the other acts in DA2 and you could still easily keep the games' timeline in its current period of 9:30-9:44. I don't know, Anders's background in DA2 is hit especially hard by the extremely short time jump between the two games but it's a big problem all around, especially when between the gaps in DA2 acts and the gap between DA2 and DAI you've got a solid decade where not much is happening; I feel like things would've worked a lot better if some of that empty time was instead between Awakening and DA2. I mean, looking at the timeline of events Anders and Justice would've had to be chased out of the Wardens basically the day after Awakening ended, and even then that's iffy given how well known Anders is in Kirkwall by the time Hawke meets him. Awakening and DA2 Act 1 take place in less than a year, start to finish! That just does not work! DA2 and DAI really didn't need four years between them; Awakening and DA2 absolutely would've benefited from that gap.

#dragon age #anders's schedule was REALLY busy in the early 9:30s

[onelatenight-longago]

Stepping Into The (Spot) Light

Warnings/Tags: Fem!Reader, Depictions of Violence and Torture, semi-soft Buggy, he’s a danger but also a marshmallow of a man, life on the Big Top, becoming one of the crew, sexual tension and teasing, romance, finding freedom and found family

Description: Buggy plays the hero just the one time and now he’s a got a new crew member who will change everything for him.

Chp. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] - First Person Chp. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] - Second Person (below)

Buggy was beyond mad to say the least. You sat on his bed in his cabin with Ritchie wrapped around you, while Buggy shouted away and paced from end to end of his cabin. Mohji, the traitor he was, took Buggy’s side. He would occasionally punctuate Buggy’s rants with sentiments of agreement. All the while Cabaji sat calmly in one of the plush armchairs in front of Buggy’s desk and quietly cleaned and polished his sword. 

“Of all the reckless, stupid, insane things you could do!” Buggy shouted.

“Stupid!” Mohji supplied from the opposite side of the room. 

“You could’ve been killed!” Buggy continued one, seemingly unaware of the echo in his cabin. “Seventy something marines and you decided to just face them down!” Buggy stopped his pacing in front of you and looked down on you. You paused in your rhythmic petting of Ritchie’s mane and locked eyes with the frustrated captain. 

“I managed quite a few on my own.” You said with petulance. “Besides, it bought you time to get to me.” You added in more of a hushed whisper. “I wanted to stop them from getting to the tent, to hurting any of the others before they could escape. I wanted to slow them down, to give you and Cabaji the advantage. I’m not weak, I can and will fight if need be. I’ve been fighting all my life, I’m not scared of a few marines.” You held Buggy’s gaze with your own, challenging him. 

“Out.” Buggy said firmly, and when no one made to move Buggy leaned over you and gently flicked Ritchie on the nose. “Out. Now.” He grumbled. Cabaji was out of his chair and out of the room first while Ritchie and Mohji followed him, Mohji still grumbling angry. When the door clicked shut Buggy was still leaning over you, a fiery look in his eyes, something between anger and admiration. 

“I felled at least two or three dozen of them. I’m not some fainting maiden. I can be mean and ruthless when I want to be.” You continued to fight back, slightly offended that Buggy seemed to think so little of you. 

“When your Captain orders you to the ship, you do as you’re told.” He pushed back. 

Something snapped in you. “I’m not your pet!” You shouted and stood from the edge of the bed and pushed him back. A single bright red feather boa appeared and wound its way around his throat. Buggy’s smile turned razor sharp and he only minutely raised his chin to accommodate the constricting boa. 

“If it weren’t for me you’d still be some two bit criminal’s dancing monk–” Buggy’s nasty comment was cut short when the flat of your palm connected with his face. The sound of the slap was sharp and cutting in the silence of the room. 

“I thought you would be better than that.” You said quietly, trying not to choke on your words. The feather boa around his neck disappeared slowly from existence as you left the room, slamming the door behind you. 

You wandered off, unsure of where to go or what to do with yourself. All around you the crew were scuttling about, packing things away or going about their tasks. You eventually found your way out to the main deck where Cabaji directed the sailing crew.

“Is there anything I can do?” You asked when you made your way over to Cabaji.

“You can not piss off our Captain.” Cabaji replied quickly. “It makes all our lives harder, you know.” 

“Me! Piss him off?!” You retorted, still fuming from Buggy’s nasty comment. “Maybe he shouldn’t be such an asshat!” 

Cabaji turned to you fully, an uninterested look settled on his face. “Why not just apologize and go back to being a happy little lovesick couple?” 

“We are not a couple.” You spat back.

“Uh-huh.” Cabaji rolled his eyes. 

“He thinks of me as no more than a dancing monkey.” You continued, red in the face as the words left a sour taste in your mouth. 

“Gods, you’re just as dumb and hot-headed as him.” Cabaji bemoaned quietly. “Look, The Captain says stupid shit all the time. He takes jabs when he’s being too much of an emotionally constipated idiot to say what he really means. The trick to handling him is to brush it off with a laugh and throw your own jab back at him. He respects wit.” Cabaji turned away from you to shout a few orders and adjust the ship’s heading.

“There’s jabs and then there’s hits below the belt and he went too far with what he said to me. I won’t roll over and take it for the sake of his pride or respect.” You could feel the fire dull in you, you were tired and felt the headache blooming in the back of your head. “Is there somewhere I can rest?” You asked quietly, rubbing at your temples.

“Two decks down and towards the rear there should be an empty cabin or two you can camp up in.” Cabaji replied before turning his attention away from you entirely in favor of steering the ship. 

You took his direction and wandered your way two decks down, careful to stay out of the way of the hustle and bustle of the ship. It was darker in the cabin halls, which was doing wonders for your headache. It took you a bit of time to find a cabin door that hadn't already been brightly decorated, finally finding one in the far back of one of the halls. The room was small, just large enough for a dresser that sat against the back wall with a suspending hammock in the middle and a small storage bench seat on the side wall. You climbed into the hammock and sighed, as the pent up anxiety eased out of your muscles. You tried to stifle and stop the tears that threatened their way out but everything had become too overwhelming and your mind was running circles.

Two weeks ago you really were nothing but a ‘two bit criminal’s dancing monkey’, then just hours ago you were in Buggy’s arms, the focus of his passion and happiness. Now you were curled up in a hammock tucked in the far back of the ship crying like a child because your feelings were hurt. You wanted to scream. Instead you closed your eyes and let sleep take you. 

—

“You need to apologize.” Cabaji said simply. Night had fallen and the Captain and his first mate were stood up on the quarter deck, navigating by the stars. 

“Why the fuck do I need to apologize?” Buggy retorted with a sneer.

“Because you shouldn’t have said what you said.” Cabaji answered simply.

“Fuck…” Buggy exhaled. “I say stupid shit all the time.” He whined.

“I know. And I told her that. But she’s not like the others Captain, is she?” Cabaji let a beat of silence take over between them, hoping the damn clown would listen to what he was saying. “She’s not just another freak for the show. She’s not just another crew member for the ship. She’s not just another pirate who has lived a gritty life out on the sea.” 

“Gah!” Buggy angrily embedded one his knives into the barrel he had been leaning against before stomping off across the quarter deck. “I fucking wanted her back on the ship, we had it under control. It wasn’t anything we hadn’t dealt with before! I wanted her accounted for and….” Buggy came to a dead stop in his stomping and shouting, he was blindsided by the thought he was just then putting into words. 

“Safe?” Cabaji supplied with a taunting tone. 

“Fucking hell.” Buggy groaned. 

“Two decks down. Last of the empty cabins are in the back.” Cabaji waved his Captain off and turned back to the wheel. 

#buggy the clown #buggy the clown x reader #buggy x reader #buggy #buggy the clown fanfiction #buggy the clown x reader fanfiction #buggy one piece #buggy fanfiction

[imaginexwwe]

WRONG NAME 1|3 - Seth ROLLINS

Seth Rollins x Reader

Guest appearance by Cody Rhodes

•

Fun (random) fact : I'VE ALWAYS HAD THE BIGGEST CRUSH ON CODY RHODES 🥰

•

Reader's backstage watching her boyfriend, (Colby Lopez) Seth Rollins' HIAC match against his current rival Cody Rhodes

•

I winced, along with I'm sure, every one else that sat in the crowd, and maybe the rest of the roster that was watching as crowd favorite, Cody Rhodes slowly removed his jacket.

He had just returned a few months ago, and was set to face off against my boyfriend of almost three years Seth Rollins, yet again.

But unlike the many matches I've watched the two of them face off against, and I do mean the many times, considering that since Cody made his re-debut it was Seth vs. Cody, or Cody vs. Seth.

There was always some sort of interaction between the two men, every week, even in the last few pay per views of the last months, that followed this year's Wrestlemania.

Mostly because of Seth's unwillingness to take his L and admit defeat.

I mean, sure giving up has never been in his vocabulary but, c'mon, it's already Cody two and Seth zero.

But this one...

This was different.

Cody was going into this match already injured.

How is he going to get through this match as banged up as he is, when Seth hasn't even gotten his hands on him yet..?

Seth just may be able to pull out a win, I thought to myself in silence, as I tore my eyes from Cody Rhodes to focus of Seth Freakin' Rollins.

It's not like I doubted that my man couldn't win if Cody was a hundred percent, it's just maybe now that he's not, Seth could get his win, finally.

"He needs this," I mumbled, rolling my eyes, as I watched him parade around the ring that was being surrounded by a twenty feet cell, dressed in his new ring gear that was all too similar to the gear that Cody's dad, Dusty Rhodes wore during his legendary career in this very business. "He really needs this..."

•

After almost thirty minutes, I stood a short distance from the entrance of the ring, playing with my fingers, as I awaited my boyfriend's return backstage.

He lost.

He really lost.

Again.

Cody basically had one good arm, wasn't even able to give his full strength and still, my boyfriend lost.

This is gonna be a long ass night, I groaned to myself, jumping up seconds later after I heard footsteps getting closer from the other side.

"Baby." I forced out a squeal, ready to throw myself onto him the second he was in my reach.

Knowing how my boyfriend is when he loses, especially to the same person repeatedly, he was gonna need a lot of love and ego stroking.

Except the man who was now in my arms wasn't the man I had anxiously been waiting for.

And I didn't realize that until after my lips were on his.

I pulled back with a groan, running the palm of my hands across my eyes. "Look," I know you're pissed about losing to him again, but you could at least kiss me back."

"I know, and normally I would," I heard a man's deep voice respond, causing me to gasp as I immediately realized it wasn't the voice that belonged to my boyfriend. "I was just caught by surprise." I heard the man add, with a chuckle.

I can't believe I just fucking kissed him

How could I be so stupid?

Who runs up and kisses a man without even realizing its not THEIR MAN?

BETTER YET WHAT MAN JUST LETS A WOMAN RUN UP TO THEM WITHOUT STOPPING HER?

"Why didn't you stop me, Cody?" I questioned, slapping at his shoulder, forgetting just that quick about the scary looking bruise that covered most of that side of his chest, all the while, raising my voice but at the same time, tried my best to make sure the now wondering superstars and backstage workers couldn't hear the conversation I was having with my boyfriend's rival, I especially didn't want the ones that were friends with Colby to hear.

Cody sucked in a sharp breath, glancing down at his injury, then back at me. "First, ouch, Y|N," he mumbled, making me look down in shame for hitting him. "Secondly, I kinda did," Cody continued, before adding, "I didn't kiss back, remember."

"You don't have to mock me..." I huffed, slowly looking back up and him, taking in the beautiful features of his face. "And I'm sorry for hitting you."

"Really?" Cody questioned, his eyes playfully narrow. "Are you really sorry for hitting me?" He questioned. "Or just sorry for hitting my banged up shoulder?"

I shrugged, unable to hold in a giggle. "Sorry that I hit the banged up shoulder." I answered, causing Cody to laugh.

For someone who's I'm sure in a lot of pain, after going through a match like that, being hit with whatever my boyfriend could get his hands on, thrown into steel steps, and a cell, he's in a pretty good mood.

"That's what I thought." He replied, his laughter slowing dying down, right before my boyfriend became visible backstage.

"What's so funny?" I heard Colby say as he took his place right beside me, wasting no time to pull me closer.

"Oh, nothing." I quickly spoke up, shrugging. "I was just apologizing for my embarrassing moment with Cody." I added, turning to face my boyfriend. "It was nothing."

Colby shook his head, looking from me to the man he just finished up a match with, less than five minutes ago. "You were laughing so it must've been something." He responded, forcing a laugh of his own.

But like I said, I knew him, and this annoying laugh of his wasn't out of amusement, and all though they both sound the same.

I knew this one was of jealousy.

The look in his eyes helped give it away.

But what was he jealous for?

He didn't have any reason to be.

If he had saw what happened a few minutes earlier sure he'd have a reason, but he was still out in the ring or taunting some fan in the audience, so clearly he didn't

Ugh, you know how he is, Y|N

And judging by the look Cody's giving, he must've already picked up on what my boyfriend is giving off. "I was just trying to laugh off an embarrassing fan girl moment from your girl." He spoke up, trying to save me from Colby's questions, throwing a wink at me.

"Oh..." My boyfriend replied, nodding his head. "I never knew she was a fan." He said, before adding. "I've never saw her watch anything AEW related. Let alone, mention anyone from there, and she's never even wat-"

"Um, I know Jon." I interrupted, crossing my arms as I fought the urge to roll my eyes at how ridiculous Colby was being.

Colby shrugged, quickly telling me Jon doesn't count because I know Jon from being with Colby.

I shook my head. "No, I didn't just know him from being your friend, I knew of Jon from being a fan of WWE, which just so happens to be where Cody worked before leaving and coming back." I responded, correcting my boyfriend of his ignorance.

I hate when he gets so worked up like this

"Why are you acting like this?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest, not really giving the man in front of me a chance to speak.

Colby huffed, his chest rising and falling from his heavy breathing.

Was it from the match he just had?

Or just him letting his jealous ways get the best of him again?

Probably both

"I don't..." My boyfriend, mumbled, his words trailing off. "Babe, you know me," He began speaking up again, running a hand through his half frizzy, half damp hair. "I'm not a good loser, for one, then after I do, I see my girlfriend," Colby paused for a second, reaching his hand out to grab at mines, "the love of my life being friendly with the guy I just loss to and it just struck a nerve with me I guess."

I sighed, my eyes making contact with Colby's.

Basically searching his.

"You're right," I nodded, agreeing with everything that my boyfriend had just said. "I do know you," I added, before shrugging slightly, a half smile forming on my lips. "And I knew exactly why you're acting the way you are, even before I asked. I just wanted you to admit it out loud so I could tell you how stupid you are acting."

"I am pretty stupid, huh?" Colby asked, with a grin.

"Very stupid." I corrected, grabbing and pulling Colby's face closer to mines. "And you don't have to be, because you are the love of my life too, baby. And no matter how angry you sometimes make me," I paused just long enough to plant a soft kiss on his lips. "Nothing will ever make not love you, Cody. I will always love you."

As I leaned in for another, this time, longer kiss.

"What the hell did you just call me?"

I frowned confused as to why all of a sudden it felt like I was back at square one with Colby.

"What do you mean? I called you Cody." I said as a matter of fact, not realizing that I had did it again.

Oh shit.

Shit.

Shit.

Shit...

"Cod-" I huffed, wanting to slap myself. "Colby, I didn't mean to say his name, I swear. It's just bot-"

Colby shook his head, pointing a finger in my direction. "Drop it." He said, those two words filled with pure anger as they left his lips.

I swallowed hard, biting my lip as I fought back tears.

"It was a mistake, Colby." I half yelled as I slowly followed behind my boyfriend as he started walking away from me, heading in the direction of the locker rooms, I assuming. "Colby and Cody is just so similar, like that's the only reason I got mixed up and I know I shouldn't ha-"

"You're damn right, it shouldn't have happened Y|N." Colby replied, his teeth clenched as he abruptly stopped, making me almost bump into his chest. "You don't mix up your boyfriend's name with someone else." He spoke again, adding. "I've never done that to you."

I nodded, childishly pouting. "That's because you've probably never met someone with a name that sounds so much like mines, and if you have, you've probably never been in the same room with them while you were in the same room as me and so you've never had this problem." I rambled, before quietly adding in almost a whisper. "But if you did, I'd forgive you because I know you love me and you didn't mean it."

"Are you done?" Colby asked, and I simply nodded in response waiting in silence for him to say something.

Anything.

But instead he just stared me down once again before silently turning his back to me and walking away.

I fucked up.

Big time.

"That was quiet the show." I heard from behind me.

I rolled my eyes, fighting the urge to turn to face the man whose name I had mixed up with the name of my boyfriend. "Shouldn't you be getting checked on?" I questioned, trying to make my words as bitchy as possible.

"Yeah," Cody answered, his touch sending shivers down my spine as he let his hand run down my back. "I was actually on my way to the medic while you were talking with your boyfriend but then before I got too far down the hall, I heard you confess your love to me."

"Confess my love? For you?" I scoffed. "I don't love you Cody." I spat out of anger from what just went down between me and Colby.

It's like I wanted to blame Cody.

For what thought?

Having a name that's similar enough to my boyfriend's to where I was dumb enough to get them mixed up?

"That's a shame." I heard Cody sigh, finally removing his hand from off me. "Cause I still love you, Y|N." He resumed speaking, before leaning closer to me, his lips so close to me that if I turned we would practically be kissing one another again. "And when we kissed, it reminded me of the good times. And I'm not afraid to admit it." Cody confessed, before he too, left me in the hallway alone with my thoughts.

•

This is just a random love triangle (ish) one shot ☺

#cody rhodes #cody rhodes imagine #cody rhodes wwe #wwe imagine #wwe fic #wwe fanfiction #wwe imagines #wwe raw #wwe requests #wwe fluff #seth rollins imagines #seth rollins fanfiction #wwe seth rollins #colby lopez x reader #colby lopez #cody rhodes fanfiction #jon moxley #wwe fics #seth rollins imagine #cody rhodes x reader #cody rhodes fic #cody rhodes imagines #wwe x reader #wwe angst #wwe shield imagine #wwe shield fanfiction #wwe shield imagines #wwe shield fanfic #wwe shield #wwe superstars

[sketching-shark]

Man, zhu bajie n tang sanzang had to b up there w swk about their mischaracterization n hated in lmk fandom

I have never seen so much mishandling as i seen with those three characters 😭😭(like bro i get that the most noticeable arc that ppl retain is the white bone spirit arc bc of OSP BUT THEY DIDNT STUCK TO THAT CHARACTERISTICS IN THE LATER ARCS LIKE CMON NOW—bajie couldn’t even lie about the dragon piss medicine in a later arc, what makes yall think he’s always a fantastic liar. Theres some benefit to his lying but they also backfire. BAJIE DO END UP LIKING EVERYONE LIKE HE REFER TO SWK AS ELDER BROTHER!<- no man could ever live up to the wonder of zhu wuneng. He just sweet n he does get a fantastic arc in the novel!

Tang sanzang does have some(albeit rare moments where hes nice but his asshoole moments sometimes intertwined) where hes like “yea my disciples r greats but theyre mad ugly.” Or that he gets better at having more trust in his disciples besides zhu wuneng. Even if its followed by hella traumatizing moments that no human person would remain sane like that. <hes just barely holding on by his faith, his mission and his disciples. Not his horse bc he cant hold on to save his life but that character arc where he DIDNT FELL OFF THOO!>

Monkie Kid spoilers below

Hmmm I know about the Sun Wukong & Tang Sanzang dunking but is that happening with Zhu Bajie too? Have to say I find that a little surprising given that (if memory serves correctly) Monkie Kid did say Zhu Bajie's main fault (well besides the whole being a man-eating yaoguai thing) was being stubborn, but then lego Patriarch Subodhi said he became one of the hardest workers of the pilgrimage. I guess I was under the impression that people were more light on their criticisms and thoughts about Zhu Bajie, but maybe that's just because he doesn't seem to be a point of great interest in the lego show fandom lol.

Kind of funny story anon but I've been vicariously growing in awareness on how much Zhu Bajie is loved in China through @antidotefortheawkward's posts about the pigman. And yeah, I can see that being in large part because Xiyouji in its totality does give a very different impression of who these characters are and where they end up than a cartoony summary can provide. As a number of people on this site have noted for example, the White Bone Demon Arc can be understood in a much more complex light than "Tang Sanzang & Zhu Bajie hurt poor monkey for nothing" when placed in the context of it being more near the beginning of the journey when the pilgrims were still grating against each other a lot & it happening very soon after the whole debacle with the Ginseng fruit tree. Here after all you can see how the monk has a recent history of getting into serious trouble from the monkey lying and being quick to destruction, so he would be primed to not believe SWK, not to mention he does hesitate to use the headband against SWK more than many give him credit for here. And YEAH given all the things they go through together I am more willing to accept a Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie enemies to friends arc than that put on many another character.

Also LMAOOOOO Tang Sanzang DOES seem to have quite a few lines where he tries to comfort terrified individuals by telling them that the pilgrims are good people even with their rancid looks (ugly pilgrim rights <3). And oh dang anon you are so right about how even if Tang Sanzang is much more of a static character in comparison to SWK it's kind of a shame more attention isn't given to the series of horrifying events he goes through and what effect that would have on him so that he gets a little more depth than "weepy monk who's mean to the Monkey King & falls off his dragon horse" in the popular western imagination. But then again I can understand why the monk's trauma is largely downplayed in western cartoony retellings, given that said lighthearted cartoony retellings probably wouldn't be the best medium to even touch on stuff like human butchery, death threats, sexual assault, and the consequences thereof.

#anon answered #monkey critical #journey to the west #sa mention

[tobiasdrake]

A Comparative Look at First Cases

Okay, before moving on to 3-2, I want to take a moment to go over the First Cases. I feel like I should break this down into categories to make it simpler.

Okay, let's start with the motives. Motives are a lot of fun. They can be captivating and mysterious, with overarching effects that may not be clear at first glance but ultimately compel the murder.

I need to clarify that we're talking about capital-M Motives provided by Monokuma and not necessarily the specific, individual rationale for murder that the killer interpreted from it. That will come up when we talk about killers.

Best Motive: 2-1 - The Missing Past Sometimes simpler can be better than overcomplex, and that makes 1-1's Motive fairly strong. "Your loved ones are in danger; That sucks." Straight to the point. Who will be driven to murder by this?

But 2-1's Motive manages to take that simple Motive and mold it into someting that's intriguingly esoteric. Taking the grand reveal from 1-6 and frontloading it into 2-1's Motive disguises its true menace. It keeps the sequel plot moving without having to retread too much, while still delivering a rationale for murder that nonetheless ends up being every bit as hard-cutting and personal as 1-1's.

Worst Motive: 3-1 - The First Blood Perk I already went on a tirade over this but suffice it to say, the First Blood Perk is one of the most interest-terminating Motives in Danganronpa. A good Motive should make you wonder which character's particular psychology is going to interact with the Motive in a way that moves them to murder. This Motive just makes you wonder how they're going to cop out of it.

Ah, but what's a Motive without the rest of the events leading up to the case? Hanging out, being sociable, and trying to defeat the Mastermind. Let's talk about best build-up.

Best Build-Up: 3-1 - A Plan to Thwart the Mastermind All three build-ups center around two major things: Learning about the Killing Game and our fellow players, and getting to know the character who's about to betray us in a big way: Sayaka, Nagito, and Kaede.

Of the three journeys these sets of characters undergo together, Kaede and Shuichi's plan to undermine (and, secretly, assassinate) the Mastermind is immediately investment-grabbing. And while you can spot signs of Kaede's impending plot if you're observant enough, it's not quite as obvious as Sayaka's meltdown and plot to frame Makoto.

Worst Build-Up: 2-1 - Entering the Neo World Program To be honest, this was a toss-up between 1-1 and 2-1. The time we spend getting to know Nagito hits a lot harder given how much more important of a character he's going to be than Sayaka.

But the clincher for me was actually the opening minutes of the game. One of DR2's biggest reveals is that we're in a simulation, but they front-load the game with a lot of Matrix effects that give away the trick immediately as you begin playing it. The opening minutes are the disappointing 11037 clue of DR2, but made worse for being too obvious about a major endgame reveal.

Best Blackened: 3-1 - Kaede Akamatsu Okay, I know I've spent multiple posts complaining about this and it still does piss me off from the perspective of overarching game design choice. But given how intricate and fascinating her murder is and the way it plays so hard on established character traits and relationships, I'd be remiss not to acknowledge her here.

The best murders are the ones that are rooted in characters. That stem entirely from the way the character's identity, personality, and relationship to other characters interacts with the provided Motive. You should always come away from the killer's identity reveal feeling like it not only was this person, but that it could never have been anyone else. It was always going to be them.

Kaede's well-conceived but poorly-aimed plan to kill the Mastermind is a perfect example of a masterfully executed interplay of personality, motive, means, and opportunity coming together in a way that feels true to character and heartbreaking to discover.

Worst Blackened: 1-1 - Leon Kuwata

It's hard to choose between Teruteru and Leon here, because they're in a similar boat. Teruteru has an interesting motive for his involvement, but one that doesn't get examined until the very end in a bid for last-second sympathy. Saving the killer's interesting character traits for FTEs and a last-second revelation is a recurring problem in Danganronpa.

Conversely, Leon doesn't have much motive at all. He's a strong candidate for least developed character in Danganronpa. He was selected more or less arbitrarily by Sayaka to be her intended victim and then killer. He is so utterly divorced from the events of the crime that she had to scrawl his name on the wall for the sake of creating any reason in the world to suspect him. The only reason he's even here is because he thought she was hot. Which also doesn't get examined much outside his FTEs.

But between the two, I feel like Teruteru has more going for him. His fear for his mom makes for a stronger motive, even if we don't find out about it until the very end. He's only slightly better developed than Leon, but his integral role as team chef also plays into the mystery a bit more strongly than Leon "can chuck things through the grate" Kuwata's did.

Leon is Danganronpa's first attempt at writing a killer. And while his switcheroo with Sayaka is interesting, it nonetheless shows.

Best Victim: 1-1 - Sayaka Maizono This is another one that's very hard to call. Sayaka and Imposter Byakuya are both strong contenders for best victim.

As characters, all three first victims coast on external expectations that you carry into the game with you. Expectations of a Maya Fey type character, expectations of Byakuya Togami, expectations of an Ultimate ??? mystery.

What puts Sayaka above Imposter for me is that ultimately, Imposter never feels like more than an archetype. He's the leader, he's brave, he's valiant, he's selfless... He's, honestly, unlike his namesake in the way he takes charge and cares for others. But he lacks any sort of personal connections to the other characters. When he dies, his cause of death is simply "being too heroic".

Sayaka is more interesting because her character writing is deeply personal. We spend a lot of time not only developing who she is but her relationship to protagonist Makoto. She compares more to Kaede than to Imposter or Rantaro, because we get to watch her make an emotional journey over the course of the setup.

When Byakuya turns up dead, he dies fulfilling both his archetypal identity as the heroic leader and his horror role as the Horror Ace who must be killed in order for the story to begin. But when Sayaka turns up dead, it's a genuine twist... Whether you "knew" she was going to commit a murder or not, it's still shocking to see her show up as a victim.

For the short time we had these characters, Sayaka feels like she managed to do more to concoct an interesting character journey than Imposter or Rantaro did, and that's why I have to give this point to her.

Worst Victim: 3-1 - Rantaro Amami Rantaro's the other major candidate for least developed character in Danganronpa. There are things there to enjoy if you're willing to put in the work to find them but, for the most part, he's just. Sort of. There.

He's a nice guy surrounded by a lot of question marks, some of which will be explained far later in the game and others that won't be explained until post-game bonus modes. Wreathed in similar secrecy to Imposter, but lacking Imposter's captivating exterior intrigue. Rantaro has the energy of a random person who accidentally wandered onto the set and now everyone else has to roll with it.

He has a cool character design and he's nice, but he isn't here to stay and he's written like it. The others have complex and fascinating over-the-top characteristics and Rantaro is nearby, smiling politely. He likes bread.

In a similar fashion to how Nagito was a dark reflection of Makoto, Rantaro is. Like. Hajime, if he wasn't written to be an important character of any kind. You can become invested in him if you put in the work to do so but there are tons of other characters who are right there.

Meanwhile, his involvement in his own death is "Wrong place at the wrong time. Whoopsy-doodle."

Best Use of Other Characters: 3-1 - Miu, Gonta, and Shuichi (plus Kaito's mob) This is an easy win for 3-1. A Danganronpa game features a lot of characters, and the more involved they get to be in the crime both before and after the body is found, the better. 1-1 and 3-1 both offer Makoto and Shuichi a key role of adjacency, making them unsuspecting accomplices while the crime is being concocted and carried out. But between them, Shuichi has a more proactive and complex relationship to the crime taking place, while Makoto's simply a patsy.

On top of that, we have Gonta for a false lead suspect, plus the whole complicating factor of Kaito's mob forming right next door to the crime - one member of whom would become the victim.

And we have Miu, who is intricately woven into the case. Miu created the cameras and knows key information about them that becomes important to the case. She also builds a sky-camera drone which becomes supremely important to unraveling the mystery. None of this could have happened without her; Either the setup of the crime or the resolution of the mystery. V3 uses its large cast to great effect here.

Worst Use of Other Characters: 2-1 - Nagito, Peko, and Ibuki. Plus Mahiru and Mikan's investigative skills.

Nagito is an extremely back-and-forth character. Sometimes he's fascinating and other times he's a cackling ball of plot contrivance, doing ridiculous things for ridiculous reasons and getting away with it because plot contrivance is literally his Talent.

2-1 may be Nagito at his weakest. Though the drawing of straws is a fun bit, Nagito contriving 85% of the mystery and pulling it off through sheer Luck Powers for the sake of setting up Teruteru for the remaining 15% feels forced. Nagito's involvement feels like the personification of "Writer's hand moving pieces into place."

Like, the trick with the blackout seems like it'd be difficult to pull off without any testing but Nagito has luck powers so it doesn't matter. The timing of everything going down seems unlikely but Nagito has luck powers so it doesn't matter. Every over-complex detail was perfectly planned 100% by Nagito and it all went exactly according to plan, because it could only go exactly according to plan, because Nagito has luck powers preventing any unexpected complications from ever arising.

This is a toxic influence on a mystery (though it makes 2-5 fascinating). Mysteries are actually more interesting when they don't go exactly according to one brilliant mastermind's flawless foresight.

Aside from Nagito, we have... Peko being in the bathroom. An entire subplot is dedicated to the mystery of Peko's extended bathroom visit. This is a character who will be revealed to be a deadly assassin next chapter, and her sole contribution to the story prior to that point is a joke about diarrhea embarrassment.

That leaves us with Ibuki, Mikan, and Mahiru who play key roles in the investigation. Ibuki has exact photographic memory of every person who spoke during the blackout (which also feels a bit like plot contrivance), Mahiru's photographs provide critical evidence (that's fine, no notes), and Mikan... Mikan's autopsy is useful (that's good) and also the running joke about her tripping into compromising positions is critical evidence (okay, game).

2-1 suffers from a bad case of 4-D Chess Mastermind syndrome and is more interested in poking fun and ogling its cast than it is in having them do interesting things rooted in their characters and personalities that contribute to the story in interesting ways.

Best Mystery: 2-1 - The Table Stabbing 2-1 and 3-1 have a lot of moving parts. The mechanism of Kaede's trap is complicated, but not so complicated that you can't see how it worked - or, at least, was intended to work. The same is true of Shuichi's own plot to capture the Mastermind, which runs adjacent to and interweaves through Kaede's.

Like Nagito, Teruteru, and Imposter, there are multiple conflicting agendas running through Shuichi, Kaede, and Rantaro's collision - though with the intriguing and emotionally gripping complication that they all wanted the same thing. Meanwhile, 3-1 does not run afoul of All According to Keikaku the way 2-1 does.

If you don't know, on sight, who killed Rantaro? Then 3-1 can be a shocking mystery to try and solve, as no possible candidate seems to fit the bill. But if you do know? Then. Well. It's a lot like 1-1, spinning your wheels and waiting for the game to catch up. Worse, if you happen to be too observant and catch things that they don't want you thinking about until 3-6, 3-1 can be pull-your-hair-out frustrating as the game gaslights you about details that are plain in front of your eyes.

2-1's mystery isn't quite as captivating as 3-1's, but it doesn't suffer from these drawbacks either. It's less likely to have been spoiled for you by hanging out with the key figures while they were setting it all up. There's still a bit of bullshit in how it's carried out, but ultimately it simply presents a clever mystery and asks you to investigate and solve it.

Worst Mystery: 1-1 - Murder in Makoto's Shower 1-1 was the first case in the series, and you can tell. While getting to watch Sayaka undergo her emotional journey and developing her crime alongside Makoto is interesting, it does give away many of the details that are going to be Huge Reveals later down the line.

By the time her body is found, you're already 95% of the way to solving the mystery. And she wrote the remaining 5% on the wall for you to find.

Kaede and Shuichi took a lot of notes from Sayaka and Makoto on how to do something like this without flat-out explaining the plan to the audience as they go along. Though I do think that sometimes simpler cases are better than complex ones, 1-1 suffers tremendously from being too obvious about key details, leaving little to discover during investigation.

So, where does that leave the Case 1s? Tallying up their scores, we have:

DRV3: 13 points DR2: 12 points DR1: 11 points

Neck and neck in quality but V3 takes a slim lead. Featuring the strongest build-up portion, best Blackened, and best use of Side Characters, V3 edges out the competition with careful, creative, and entertaining use of its cast as a whole.

DR2 thrives on its plot details, with a great Motive and the most well-constructed mystery to spin out of the events, but suffers from poor use of its characters as well as a middling killer and victim.

While DR1 coasts by on the strength of the Sayaka twist, having a harder time establishing itself than the sequels that followed in its footsteps and learned from its mistakes.

#danganronpa #danganronpa trigger happy havoc #danganronpa 2 goodbye despair #danganronpa v3 #comparative look at danganronpa cases

[marchtomydrums]

Will you dance with me?

Cordelia Goode x Billie Dean Howard x Wilhemina Venable x Reader

Mina has been in a foul mood all day. It started when she woke up this morning and realized she was out of her medications, then Jeff and Mutt pissed her off at work, the lady at the pharmacy also pissed her off, and then she fucked up on a big contract for another company.

She was really feeling it today. It was one shitty thing after another. By the time she made it home, she was ready to explode. Walking into the house she was greeted with loud music and the smell of dinner cooking.

Walking around the corner she sees Cordelia at the stove laughing at you and Billie dancing along to the music. Billie spins you around in her arms and that's when you see her.

“Mina!” you smiled running towards the redhead the way a puppy would to its owner.

“Welcome home,” you said grinning up at her.

“Why is the music so damn loud?” she asked with anger and annoyance laced in her voice.

“Oh,” you said quickly running to the stereo to turn down the volume.

“Sorry, Mina we were having a little dance party while Delia cooks,” Billie explains.

“I noticed,” Mina grumbles her hand tightening around her cane.

You smiled sweetly at her “Would you like to dance with me, Wilhemina Venable?” you asked holding your hand out.

Before she could stop it all of today’s anger and frustration came boiling up and over and you were the perfect target.

“Are you fucking stupid?” she asked.

You looked at her with wide eyes “What?”

“Do I look like I can dance with you? Hmm? I mean you've known me for months now and I’m fairly certain my scoliosis hasn't magically held itself overnight. So I’ll ask again are fucking stupid?”

You lowered your gaze as tears appear in your eyes feeling extra small as the redhead towers above you. While Cordelia stands still in shock Billie is already making her way in front of you standing toe to toe with Mina.

“Do not talk to her like that! What the fuck is your problem?” Billie shouts.

“I have no problem I just don't understand how someone can ask such a stupid question.”

“Fuck you, Mina! We were having a good time till you came in here and started shit. She was being nice not that you deserve it.”

“It's fine Billie,” you said still standing behind her.

“The hell it is,” Bille growls.

“No, she's right. I should have known better. I shouldn't have asked. Excuse me.” you said running to the bedroom.

Billie shakes her head as she looks at Mina. “I don't know what the hell your problem is but you better fix it. And when you do you can apologize to y/n,” she says as she goes after you.

Mina sighs as she pinches the bridge of her nose. Looking up she sees Cordelia staring at her.

“You know Mina I've heard stories about how cruel you could be. Of course, I never believed them because I thought I knew you. But that was the cruelest thing I've ever witnessed you do. I know it's hard for you to open up to people. And it's been an adjustment adding y/n in but I thought it was working. But clearly, I was wrong.” she says as she cuts off the stove and walks past Mina to join you and Billie.

The redhead sighs as she's left alone in silence.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

It's been a couple of hours since Mina’s outburst. Cordelia and Billie both held you as you cried. They told you that it wasn't your fault and that Mina must have had a bad day. However, they both agreed that it was no excuse for how she treated you. Somewhere along the way the three of you fell asleep. You wake up cuddled in between the two of them.

Groaning you get up reluctantly leaving their embrace to go to the bathroom and then to the kitchen for a glass of water. Walking quietly into the kitchen you stand up on your toes reaching for a cup. Finally getting it you filled it with water taking a couple of sips. Dumping the glass out you sit it in the sink as you turn around.

“Shit.” you gasped seeing Mina sitting at the kitchen table.

“Sorry I didn't mean to scare you,” she says.

“It's fine,” you mumbled.

“Will you sit with me for a moment?” she asked.

“Umm sure,” you whispered sitting at the table.

Mina clears her throat as she begins to speak. “I want to start by saying that I am sorry for how I spoke to you and for what I said. I was out of line and cruel and it was uncalled for. I am extremely sorry.”

“Thank you,” you whispered as you play with your fingers.

Mina sighs as she continues “I had a rough day. I messed up some things at work, everyone was pissing me off and I ran out of medicine today which caused me to be in pain. Again none of those things are your fault or an excuse for my actions. I guess I just took it all out on you and I shouldn't have.”

“I understand,” you answered.

Mina gives you a small smile.

“Can I ask you something?” you asked looking up at her.

“Of course.”

“Do you not want me here? If you don't I understand. But I need to know. I really like it here. I like spending time with Cordelia and Billie and..you. But if you don't want me here I need to know now before I become more attached. I'll tell Cordelia and Billie that it's me and I'll make up some excuse. If that's what you want I'll do it.” you tell her with tears in your eyes.

“You want to leave?” she asked.

“No. But I will if it makes you happy.”

Mina sighs as she shakes her head.

“If you're worried about Billie and Cordelia I’ll come up with something. You won't be blamed for anything.”

“I don't want you to leave,” Mona whispered.

“You don't?”

“No. I...I don't do feelings very well. I have a hard time with them. Cordelia and Billie have been around long enough that I'm comfortable with them...but it's hard for me to open up. I really like you and your company. I'm sorry if I made you feel otherwise. I will try harder. Mother always did say I make it hard for people to love me.”

“That's not true. Cordelia and Billie love you a lot. They light up anytime you walk into the room. And I can see why. You're sweet, and thoughtful when you want to be. You're protective and charming. I could easily fall in love with you. Hell, I already have that's why today really hit me hard. I thought maybe you felt the same and then...well you know.”

“You love me?” she asked in shock.

“Yeah, I do. I love all of you. A lot.” you said with a smile.

“I'm so sorry y/n.”

“I know. It's okay. Let's just move on from it. But please don't do it again. I was so hurt and your words made me feel small. I haven't felt that way in a long time. I too had a mother who felt I was hard to love.”

“Well, she's wrong because I fell In love with you instantly and it scared the hell out of me. But I promise what took place today won't happen again. Can you forgive me?”

You smiled nodding your head “Already forgiven.”

Mina smiles as she gets up and walks to the stereo cutting on the soft music. Walking back to you she holds her hand out.

“Will you dance with me?”

“What about your back?”

“I'll be fine. Please,” she asked.

You smiled taking her hand as she wraps her arms around your waist and your arms wrapped around her neck.

Dancing slowly in the kitchen you smiled as you rested your head on her shoulder.

“I love you, Mina.”

“I love you too little one.”

#cordelia goode #billie dean howard #wilhemina venable #lgbtq #wlw #poly relationship #writing #fiction #television #american horror coven #american horror story #age difference