#i think in the post it sounds like the second is superior to the first and that's not necessarily true

[getosfavoritewife]

The Sun Always Rises

✮⋆˙ General Jing Yuan has a way of bringing sunlight to you, regardless of how much you avoid the warm rays. (1.5k words)

✮⋆˙ A/N: first post!! jing yuan has such a lazy/cozy feel and I'm still trying to gauge his personality so sorry if it's a bit ooc!!

✮⋆˙ Warning(s)/Content: forgemaster!reader; implications of mental health concerns (nothing heavy); can be read as platonic or romantic; fluffy fluff, teasing

✮⋆˙ jing yuan x gn!reader

Hearing three knocks against your door on a sunny winter evening could only signify one thing.

Not even trying to conceal the lack of surprise on your face, you open the door for your expected visitor; as usual, Jing Yuan greets you with a pleasant smile, hands comfortably clasped behind his back as he strides in like he owns the place, opens the curtains, and makes himself at home.

“Arbiter General,” you murmur, almost as if scripted.

“Forgemaster,” he replies in turn with a twinkle in his eyes, also as expected.

You don’t ask if he wants tea, opting to pour two cups and place them on the table as you both sit down. Forgemaster Yingxing had always taught you to be polite to guests, but that was a very long time ago, and Jing Yuan wasn’t just any guest.

“There’s a festival in Aurum Alley this evening,” Jing Yuan muses as he eyes the tea with interest, picking the small cup up as he gives the hot liquid a gentle blow and careful sip.

You know where he’s going with this, so at this point, the best course of action is feigned indifference and avoidance. “And you came all the way over here to let me know? Especially during such a busy day at The Seat of Divine Foresight?”

You take a ginger sip of the tea, grimacing as it burns the tip of your tongue, before placing it back down on the table. Master Yingxing’s tea was far superior to yours anyway—if he could see the hot garbage you’d brewed, he would have scolded your skills all afternoon.

Jing Yuan’s voice brings you out of your thoughts. “Astute as always. You should get out of the house more.”

“I leave the house,” you try not to sound defensive, squinting at the man sitting across from you. “I go to the forge every day.”

“Other than there?”

“And… I went to the market last week,” you grumble, rooting around in your brain for excuses. Lamely, all you come up with is a throwaway line about being too busy that you know Jing Yuan won’t buy. Anyone else would accept the lies that rolled off your tongue like second nature, but not Jing Yuan. He knew you and your habits all too well.

He stands up, dusting his pants off with a lazy smile. “Wonderful, grab your coat.”

“No, Jing Yuan. No.” You respond too quickly, shooting up as you wrack your brain for an excuse.

The softness with which he calls your name is lost to the roaring silence of the room and you know what face he’s making without even looking.

That corner above the cupboard really needs dusting. Master Yingxing would sneeze because of the dust, and he’d blame allergy season. Maybe tonight—

“Only for a little while,” he coaxes, as he swipes a strand of hair from obscuring your eyes. Maybe that’s what makes you meet his eyes: golden and full of life as usual, albeit with his dark circles that seemed worse than before.

“I’ll think about it,” you sigh tiredly, reaching up to run your fingers under his eyes. “You should sleep more, Jing Yuan. You look tired.”

A laugh rumbles out of him at that as he closes his eyes and leans into your touch. You can’t help but let the corners of your mouth quirk up in response. “Don’t let the others at The Seat of Divine Foresight hear you say that.”

“If only you would stop sneaking away at the sight of paperwork, maybe they wouldn’t be so wary of your work ethic,” you scold halfheartedly.

Jing Yuan simply watches you, an adoring smile peeking out that makes you want to push him away from you, embarrassed. Instead, you card your fingers through his hair, murmuring how his ribbon is coming loose as you free it from his snowy locks.

He sighs, letting his eyes flutter shut as you tug through his fluffy hair, replicating his usual hairstyle with practiced ease. You let your thoughts wander to when you used to re-tie his hair every day after it came loose during sparring while Master Yingxing went to go meet with sword master Jingliu and the others.

“How’s Yanqing’s training coming along?” Breaking the delicate silence, your voice always sounds unfamiliar these days; the results of less use, you suppose.

A golden eye cracks open to peer at you, and Jing Yuan lets out another sigh, this time more rueful. “You know how he tends to be. It still surprises me the speed with which he is able to pick up on new techniques and skills, but that obsession with winning and losing…” Jing Yuan trails off. “It’s like I say, if you treat him as a child, he'll put on the airs of an adult. If you treat him as an adult, he'll show the temperament of a child.”

“It’s a difficult age. Remember how you used to be?”

You bite back a snicker at the mock-offended look Jing Yuan shoots you.

“I don’t quite remember it like that,” he says. “I believe I was a joy to be around at every age.”

“I’m sure you remember it like that.”

“How else could you remember it?”

You take a break from playing with his hair to flick him on the forehead, at which he lets out a soft hiss, rubbing the small red mark and catching your hand before you can give him another one. “So mean.”

With a scoff, you make no move to remove your hand from his grip, letting yourself relax in his grasp. “You were nothing short of a terror. Anytime I tried to hang out with you it was always ‘Let’s spar here!’ or ‘Extra training is basically hanging out!’. I got so sick of you that I told Master Yingxing to stop meeting Master Jingliu when I was around.”

“Was I… really like that?” You can’t help but laugh at Jing Yuan’s face, ignoring the smile creeping onto his face at the sight of your laughter.

“All I’m saying is that he’ll grow out of it, just like you did. Kids are desperate to prove themselves at that age. You ought to praise him a little more,” you advise him softly.

“I give praise where it is deserved,” Jing Yuan places your clasped hands on his chest with fake affrontedness, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he huffs in amusement.

“Yet I am expected to praise you even when you are undeserving?”

“I hadn’t realized there were times where I was ever undeserving of praise?” You can’t help to smack him with the hand that was resting on his chest as he pretends to ponder.

“Speaking of Yanqing though—” you start before Jing Yuan interrupts.

“I thought we were speaking about me?”

The roll of your eyes seemed to simply be an intrinsic reaction to Jing Yuan’s teases after all these years of dealing with his painfully fatherly sense of humor.

“General.”

The pleased smile on his face only curled higher. “I’m listening.”

“As I was saying, Yanqing’s birthday is approaching this month. Maybe it’s time he finally receives a sword from the Forgemaster on his birthday this year?”

“I can already imagine his tears of joy. He still asks when he can meet you sometimes. I admit I have yet to give him an answer in fear that he will spend every moment not used for training to instead bother you incessantly at your forge.”

“Like father, like son, I suppose. Send him around—it’s truly no bother. It would also help me figure out a suitable blade for him.”

You pretend to not see the way Jing Yuan’s brows knit together at your teasing jab.

“Come watch us train sometime soon. To help you gauge his fighting style, of course,” Jing Yuan remarks lightly.

“Of course,” you echo. Giving him a look before sighing, you grab your coat off the hook, opening the door for him as you slip it on. “Only for a little while at the festival, please. And no buying or winning me anything while we’re there.”

Jing Yuan doesn’t even try to hide the smile unfurling on his face and you know the next words that come out of his mouth are bound to be an easy lie. “Wouldn’t dream of anything else, Forgemaster.”

From spending every free minute together as kids to only seeing him when he came knocking on your door every single day. No matter what happened, the sun always rose the next day. And no matter what happened, your Jing Yuan was always there.

thanks for reading!! ✮⋆˙

#jing yuan #yanqing #jing yuan x reader #jing yuan x you #jing yuan x gender neutral reader #jing yuan x male reader #jing yuan x y/n #hsr x reader #honkai star rail #honkai star rail x reader #honkai star rail x you #honkai star rail x gender neutral reader #hsr x male reader #hsr fluff #hsr fanfic #jing yuan imagines #hsr x you #hsr x gender neutral reader #hsr imagines #honkai star rail imagines #yingxing #jingliu #writings! ✮⋆˙

[blossiewossie]

— Lawless Affair .02

pairing : gojo x reader x geto genre : business men au (lawyers), smut rating : explicit word count : 3.5k+

— note : i told myself (and my friends) that i'd post a pt. 2 if i got 10 notes, but im so overwhelmed that i got more!! thank you, beautiful readers ♡ i started working on this after i posted pt. 1, so i hope y'all enjoy reading this as much as i did writing it, teehee!

— special thanks to @junqkook and @trshpando for helping me revise my work ♡

Two weeks later...

You’ve had enough.

The maddening frustration of being teased has been going on for far too long in your eyes. The past two weeks have gone by with you practically running home to jump into the shower to take an ice-cold one every. Single. Night.

While you scrub your skin harshly, your mind thinks back to all the countless ‘innocent’ moments that made your knees buckle.

~

The first incident was on your third day at work, when you decided to get up and walk over to the vending machine in the downstairs lobby to stretch your legs and grab a quick snack. The doors on either side of the stairwell had to be closed at all times for security purposes, so you made it a point to open the door and swivel back around to ensure the door at the top of the stairs had closed softly.

As you turned around to make your way down, you see the downstairs door open up and lo and behold, Mr. Gojo himself comes stalking through, shutting the door behind him with his foot as his hands stayed put in his slack pockets. Tilting his head up to look at you through his circular sunglasses, he grinned and leaned back onto the door, crossing his arms. He was once again wearing a suit, but this time, it was all white with a black button-up shirt underneath. His hair was the same as ever, white as can be.

“Well, well. We have a habit of running into each other,” he said in a teasing tone.

You cleared your throat as you descended the stairs carefully, keeping a hand on the rail as you approach the man hindering you from continuing to your destination.

“Hello to you too, Mr. Gojo.”, you said, not liking how breathless your voice sounded.

Is that because of the stairs or because of the man in front of me? you thought to yourself as your steps slow to a stop on the second step. You don’t allow yourself to invade his space as you look at him questioningly, wondering why he’s still leaning on the door.

His eyes meet yours, softening your questioning gaze. He takes a step forward until the tip of his shoe meets the bottom step, bringing his face much closer to yours. His eyes go back and forth between your shocked ones, and then they snap down to your lips before he raises them again to meet yours.

Swiftly, his right hand finds its way to your hip and around your waist, pulling you flush against his chest. You gasp suddenly, taken aback by how direct he was being. Your hands find their way to his chest, barely pushing but still maintaining a safe distance between you both.

“Now, ____. I don’t remember asking you to call me Mister before. Is that something you like to do?” he asks softly, his eyes a different story. The iciness in them seemed to become ablaze as he awaited your answer, licking his bottom lip slowly.

You feel yourself blushing as you look away from his heated gaze, hands trembling against his warm chest. You don’t quite know how to respond to his question. Surely he knows you can’t possibly address him with his first name, right? As you try to conjure a coherent thought, his left hand comes up and grips your chin, turning your face towards him again.

His hot gaze wiped away any other thought in your head, so you blurt out the first thing you can think of.

“I like to respect my superiors, Mr. Gojo.” you stutter out, watching his face for his reaction to see if your answer had satiated his question

His eyes, now hooded, sparkle as if he was happy with your answer. He removes his hands from you, letting you inhale a breath, but he hovers near you as he takes a step up the stairs.

“Good girl,” he says with a smirk, before pushing his sunglasses back up his face and making his way up the stairs as if nothing had happened.

You watch his retreating form whistling up the steps while you grip the railing hard. He opens the door you had just closed, looks back at you with a wink, and makes his way in, letting the door slowly close behind himself. You hear him call out to the other coworkers, not having a care in the world, as if he did not just say the naughtiest thing to you.

You, on the other hand, have slumped against the wall, breaths coming out unevenly. The tingling in between your legs had you struggling down the last step before you rushed towards the bottom door, ripping it open to welcome the cool air from the lobby.

You beelined straight for the vending machine and pressed a random candy bar before shoving in the change feverishly, craving the distraction that sugar could give you. The candy dropped and you bend down to rummage through the slot, grasping whatever it was that you had chosen. Ripping open the packaging, you took a big bite out of it and the sweetness of the treat had you sighing with relief, as if it would cure the turmoil your body was going through.

~

Back in the real time, you realize you’ve been scrubbing the same spot on your chest for too long, creating a tender spot in between your breasts. Cursing under your breath, you rinse out your loofah before making the warm water a bit colder, throwing your head under the water.

As you rinse the shampoo out of your hair and slap in some conditioner, your mind wanders once more, this time to the second incident — and you try to decipher if what had happened back then was something you imagined or something that actually took place.

~

It was the weekend after your first week of working, and as much as you were looking forward to relaxing and watching your roommates play their video games, you had decided to take on one of the clerks’ weekend shifts to let your coworker spend time with his wife and kids. He had been droning on and on about it all week, complaining about how he always has to work the weekend every other week and that he was looking forward to watching the game, but had forgotten it was his weekend this time around.

You had volunteered to work it, partly because you wanted to get on your coworkers’ good graces, partly because on your first day, after bumping into both of the bosses, you had been so distracted that you didn’t get much work done, which snowballed into you being a bit behind in your work. Plus, you had thought to yourself, I don’t have to worry about either of them being in because, surely, they don’t work on the weekends either, right?

You were told that on weekends, the dress code policy was more lenient. After throwing on a pair of light blue jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt, you made your way to the kitchen where you grabbed a light breakfast before slipping on a pair of white sneakers and making your way out the door, hollering a farewell to your roommates. You didn’t get an answer back which didn’t concern you too much, as they had spent the night before playing fps-games or whatever they had called it.

After taking the shuttle bus and walking a few blocks, you arrived at the building and walked in with a bright smile, ready to start the day free of distractions.

As you made your way into the office area and settled down into your cubicle, you realized just how deserted the workspace was.

Maybe I should take the weekend shifts more often, you thought.

Taking out your phone, you sent a quick text to Iori and Mei Mei, asking if they had any plans for tomorrow since it was a Sunday and you wanted to grab some food with your new friends. Clicking your phone off and putting it on silent, you scoot your chair in closer and start working.

Halfway through your shift, around what you assumed was lunch time, you heard a door open and close. Glancing away from your computer, you look around, trying to find the source of the noise. Hearing footsteps, you look back towards the boss’ office to seem him standing idly by on his phone, typing casually. You sucked in a breath as you took in his form.

His usual business attire was now replaced by a black shirt, showing off every inch of his muscular arms, chest, and abs. Paired with it was a pair of dark jeans and white sneakers. You could see how long his hair was now, as it was down from his usual bun and instead, resting softly atop his shoulders. He was looking too good for someone wearing a casual outfit.

Clearing your throat to make your presence known, you look back at your computer as you call out to greet him, hoping he was just stepping out to take his lunch. You couldn’t bear his presence standing there, so you crossed your fingers that he’d greet you and be on his merry way.

Luck clearly was not on your side, as he glanced up in your direction and smiled, slipping his phone into his back pocket as he sauntered his way over to your cubicle. You prepared yourself to look up at him, but he did not stop walking and instead came into your space and stood right behind you.

Leaning down your left side, he looked curiously over your shoulder as you tried to continue typing out emails and organizing files. You jump a little as his right hand reached over your right shoulder, grabbing onto your hand holding the mouse as he whispered a quick, ‘Let me see this for a moment’, before clicking onto a folder.

After double-clicking it, he leaned more into you, his face almost touching yours, as he read the documents listed in said folder. Turning your head away from the screen to give him a sense of privacy, you take in how the veins in his arms looked. Stealing a secret whiff, you inhale his scent, relishing how woodsy he smelled.

As you turn your head back towards the computer, he lets go of the mouse, leaving his hand there, resting atop yours. His mouth hovered right by your ear, as he asked you what exactly you were doing there on your first weekend off. Gulping, you recant the story of your fellow clerk wanting to stay home, your mind hyper focusing on the fact that his hand lightly squeezed yours every time you mentioned your coworker’s name. He hummed for a moment before finally standing up straight.

You pull on a tight smile as he bid his farewell and walked away, pulling his phone out once more. You wait for the door to the stairway to close before breathing out a heavy breath. You let out a shiver and pull your trembling hand to your chest, remembering how warm and big his hand felt around yours. You bite your lip and close your eyes to remember just how deep his hum was, right by your ear, his lip brushing against it for a second too long. Did he mean to do that so sensually? you thought to yourself.

~

Groaning in real time, you reach back behind yourself and twist the knob further towards the cold side, your breaths coming out slower than before. Your mind was swirling with your memories, making your pussy ache with need. You think back to the last time you had anyone else besides yourself touch it, and you can’t believe how long it’s been. You close your eyes to rinse out the last of the conditioner in your hair, your mind going back to the most recent incident that had you mewling with frustration and heat.

~

There you were, at your cubicle twirling a pen in your left hand and clicking away at the computer with your right hand. You felt anxious, as if you were waiting for something to happen. Looking down towards the task bar of your screen, you realize you have 2 more hours left in your shift. Sighing, you place the pen down and stretch your arms up high. 2 more hours, that’s like 2 one-hour chunks, which is like 4 thirty-minute chunks. I can do this, you thought to yourself. That’s like, girl math.

You leaned back against your chair and rubbed your eyes, feeling a wave of fatigue. You had woken up a couple of times last night by your roommates screaming back and forth about someone being ‘one shot’ or needing a ‘revive’. You had tried to fall back asleep to no avail, and them howling into the night was definitely not helping. Two more hours and I can just go home and sleep, you said to yourself, motivating you to sit up straight and zone into your work.

Just when you were about to place your hands on your keyboard, the boss’ door swung open and Mr. Geto poked his head out while he scanned the office space. Landing his gaze on you, he closed his eyes with a smile and called out, “____, could you come to my office for a second?”

With a small nod, you rise up and head over to his open door, giving him a smile as you walk in. He closes the door as you look around his office, taking in his space. The main office area, where everyone else’s cubicles were, was light and had splashes of earthy tones everywhere. His office, however, was a different story.

His walls were painted black and the furniture in the room reflected that, including his desk, the chairs in front and behind it, and bookshelves. As it was at the edge of the building, the wall opposite the door you had just entered was covered in floor-to-ceiling windows, giving you a breathtaking view of city. The only pop of color in the room was his crimson red sofa in the middle of the room, where you noticed a familiar face: Mr. Gojo.

Remembering the stairwell incident, you blushed deeply as the other man flashed you a smile with amusement and something else dancing in his eyes.

“Please, have a seat at my desk,” said Mr. Geto, placing a hand behind the small of your back, guiding you forward. He pulled the chair out for you and pushed it in under you, then made his way around to sit in his own chair across from you. He sat down and maneuvered over to his computer, tapping a couple of keys and clicking his mouse a few times.

“I called you in today to ask how your first week and a half at work have been. I’d like to know if you’re settling in well and garner any feedback you may have concerning the workspace and your workload.”, Mr. Geto said, now looking directly at you with his hands clasped on the desk.

You tell him how honored you are to be working under him, as his law firm held quite a reputation in the city. You explained that you were getting along well with your fellow clerks and paralegals, as well as enjoying the challenge of handling various cases and their files. While talking, you noticed how intensely he was looking at your lips, drinking your words in. Your words trail off into silence as you realize how much you had been rambling.

After a beat of silence, Mr. Geto nodded his head and exclaimed loudly how happy he was to hear that you haven’t been having any trouble. You heard Mr. Gojo chuckle behind you, but assumed he had been looking at this phone or something. Mr. Geto sent him a subtle glare, making the latter stifle his laugh, before turning his attention back at you.

“Just to update a few things on your record here, I’d like to ask you a question, ____.”, he said with a serious tone now.

“Sure thing,” you said back, wondering what it could be. You were sure to have included any relevant details to Mr. Yu when he had filed your paperwork the day you came in for your orientation, but maybe they had missed a detail or two.

“Your marital status.”

Your eyes widened as you looked at your boss, not exactly understanding what the miscommunication was. You had previously told Mr. Yu that you were single, but maybe he had entered it in incorrectly or misheard you. You shyly tuck a lose strand of hair behind your ear before answering, stating that you were not married.

His eyes did not leave yours as he added on, “Hmm… is there a potential for your marital status to change in the near future? Perhaps a boyfriend waiting to propose?”

Shaking your head at his added inquiry, you answered back, “Uh, no, sir. I do not have a boyfriend, so that’s not a possibility.” Blushing at his questioning gaze, you break eye contact and ask, “Is that all, sir?”

“Now, how could a woman like you be single?” you heard Mr. Gojo ask gruffly, his voice much louder than previously. It seemed that during Mr. Geto’s questions, Mr. Gojo had gotten up from his spot on the sofa and made his way closer, now directly behind your chair.

You feel his hands settle on your shoulders, making your heart race. Looking back towards Mr. Geto, you assume he’ll scold his friend for making such an inappropriate statement. He doesn’t. Instead he rises from his own chair and walks around the table slowly, before stopping in front of your now turned chair, facing towards him thanks to the handsome man behind you spinning you slightly.

You can’t help but glance down towards his pants, now eye level with your eyes, where a growing bulge had formed. Gasping, you stand up abruptly and move to sidestep him, but he had other thoughts. Grabbing your waist with both hands harshly, he pulled you flush against himself, thrusting his growing bulge directly against you. A small moan slips out of your lips at the impact, making his dick twitch against you.

Another set of hands touch your back, sliding their way under your arms and wrapping themselves around your breasts. Mr. Gojo, now flush against your back, let his hands wander around the shape of your bosoms, finding your nipples and squeezing them softly. Another small moan escapes your lips as he grinds his dick right against your ass. Your body felt like it was on ecstasy and your mind was on cloud nine. Every fiber of your being wanted to be taken right there and then.

Gojo leaned his head down to your left ear, kissing it lightly before speaking up.

“Would you be a good girl and stay single for us?,” he whispered.

Geto, doing the same to your right ear, whispered as well.

“We don’t like to share with others, princess.”

You let out a tiny squeak before nodding vehemently, swearing under your breath that you had no interest in getting a boyfriend any time soon. The two men grunted in approval and both gave you kisses and licks on your ears and neck before backing up slowly, their grips loosening from your body. You found yourself licking your lips, missing their touches all too soon. Your nipples, now hard as rocks, poked through your blouse as you adjusted your clothing carefully. Your body hummed, wanting more of them. The men adjusted their slacks as well, keeping an eye on you as you stood their, waiting for them to dismiss you… or do something else.

Geto nodded his head towards the door, letting you know your time in his office was done. A disappointed feeling surged from within you, but you tried to ignore it as you made your way towards the door. As your hand reached for the handle, Gojo’s voice stopped you in your tracks.

“Oh, and one more thing,” he said, as he loosened the tie around his neck a little. Looking back at him and Geto, who now was leaning against his desk, you wait to see what he has to say.

“When alone with Suguru and I, address us by our first names or you will be punished.”

You gulp and nod once more, before turning back towards the door and exiting, leaving without another look back.

~

You snap back into reality, hearing a knock on the bathroom door. The ice-cold water was still raining down on you as you took in how breathless you were.

One of your hands had found its way down to your pussy, rubbing your clit slowly, while your other hand was squeezing one of your breasts. Shaking your thoughts and calling out to your roommate that you were almost done, you rinse them both and turn off the shower. Sighing in frustration, you dry yourself off and slip on your robe.

Trudging past your roommate and telling them there was still some hot water, you made your way back to your bedroom and threw yourself on the bed. As you laid there, all you could think was:

What am I getting myself into?

#jjk x you #jujutsu kaisen #jjk smut #jjk x reader #gojo x reader #geto x reader #geto suguru #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen smut #gojo x reader x geto #gojo smut #geto smut

[withered-tears]

Sometimes, it was easy to forget that the autobots aren't human.

Well, not in the literal sense. Of course they aren't human. They are giant alien robots that turn into cars, for goodness sake.

But they talk like humans. They walk like humans. Even the way they think sometimes feels extremely human-like.

So sometimes, yes, it is easy to forget they are not human.

This had the unfortunate side effect of, unintentionally, see more than one situation through a human filter, so to speak.

Such as, for example, their durability.

Because when Bulkead ran through the groundbridge carrying Bee's body, with Arcee running next to him carrying Bee's head, every human present in the base froze.

Jack's eyes were wide open, face growing pale.

Miko, in contrast, was looking almost green. Hands clasping her mouth, either to stop herself from sobbing or puking. Tears were streaming down her face.

June, although horrified, was focusing solely on keeping Raf in place.

Raf was the worst. As soon as he saw Bee, he started screaming.

June was doing her best to try and comfort the kid while keeping him from running to his friend's body. Hugging him against her chest to keep him from looking at the horrible visage.

Agent Fowler was grim, fists and teeth clenched. When Cliffjumper died, he was the one who dealt with the horrible bureaucracy of asking the bots about proper protocol. About post-mortem condecoration, about burial rites, about tradition and wishes.

Now, at least he knew the proper way to proceed, which boils down to let the bots do as they please with their dead and keep any nosy superior out of their business.

Then Ratchet spoke.

"Finally. Bulkhead, drop him in a berth, and bring me the second crate of spares. Arcee, bring the head here. I want to start running diagnostics before- Bulkhead! The second crate! I'll have to repair most ports on Bumblebee's neck, f not replace them outright."

June was the first human to speak.

"What do you mean 'repair' his ports?"

Bumblebee's head had been cut off. Surely there's no repairing that, right?

Ratchet rolled his optics (once again, such human-like gestures) at the question, barely paying any mind to the humans as he worked on Bumblebee's head.

"What, you expected me to just shove his head in place and wrape tape around it? Sorry to disappoint, but reattaching a head is a bit more complicated than-"

"Bee's alive?"

Raf's voice was awful. Voice cracking and filled with such fragile, fragile hope.

Ratchet's eyes widened (so human-like) in surprise before his entire demeanor changed.

He carefully and gently picked up Raf to bring him closer to his workstation.

"Of course he's alive. Here, look. Although his neck was severely damaged, his processors, his brain module, are unscathed. The sudden lost of power caused them to crash, which is why I'm running diagnostics through his software."

Raf, small, young, terrified, and brilliant Raf, was quickly putting the information together.

"So it's like, it's like a computer that got unplugged without being properly turned off first?"

It was obvious Ratchet was not happy being compared to such inferior, human technology. But he held any complaints to himself.

"Yeah, something like that, kid. As I said, I have to check every port in his neck to make sure they won't overload his processors once I reconnect them. Not to mention, all vital components on a cybertronian body not only receive power from the spark and energon processing, but they also store a small portion of it. Like an internal battery. Bumblebee's brain could be kept powered off for years without any side effects, other than some minor lag once reactivated. Not that his repairs will take nearly that long. I'll have Bumblebee back online in a couple of days, a week at most."

Raf was sniffing, wiping his face with his sleeves. "Can, can I help?" His voice was still scratchy.

Ratchet huffed, trying really hard to sound annoyed.

"Why not. Might as well have a second pair of optics double-checking the code. Maybe you'll even learn something."

Yeah, the Autobots were not human.

But they sure acted human-like often enough.

#transformers #ratchet #tfp #transformers prime #tfp raf #my writing #my fics #look i just love the idea of ratchet being a grumpy old man but having a soft spot for raf

[bakuhatsufallinlove]

re: 405

This is gonna be long.

First, I'm bringing this post back around to remind people that kocchi is a pronoun of ambiguous plurality.

This means that an interpretation of "we" is just as correct as an interpretation of "I." Readers may interpret it differently, but on simply linguistic grounds, they are of equal validity.

You will often see this kind of ambiguous language used in Japanese, even with characters that are forthright. The reason is one part cultural expectation that the listener will read between the lines, and one part a willingness to accept two things as simultaneously true. This exists and is frequently found in English as well, there just isn't a direct parallel for kocchi itself.

What I want most out of writing this blog, aside from personal enjoyment, is for people to understand that there can be more to a story for you to engage with, think about, and be moved by, when you step outside the boundaries of your own language and culture.

I think that is a much more interesting space to be in than a gotcha-laden approach of trying to prove something wrong or bad.

But if we are going to talk accuracy, the fact is that the fan translation many people have been upholding as superior has just as many problems as the official one. It takes just as many creative liberties, they are simply different ones.

The fan translator centered an "I" reading and, rather than using either of the two pronouns provided by the text ("OFA" and あいつ, meaning "that guy"), added a narratively-charged word ("nerd") that did not exist in the original and which (as far as I can tell) Katsuki has never used when speaking to villains. As a translator myself, I really disagree with that second choice. The official clearly missed the callback, but noticed the theme of "everyone who has faced AFO until now" and went with "we." The rest was just style over substance which prioritized edgy language to capture the aggression of the line; this falls squarely in line with what Viz has consistently maintained as its in-house aesthetic. It's disappointing, but unsurprising to me.

Fandom oscillates pretty violently between vilifying the official English release and fawning over it. Whole fan theories are built upon nitty gritty bits of the official release's phrasing; people will get excited over how homoerotic a line sounds, and it's because of how the official translator worded it, rather than any innate implication in the original Japanese.

If you do not speak Japanese, your experience of MHA is fundamentally dependent on the work of translators. I respect that everybody has their personal tastes or hopes for how the series will go, but it is deeply demoralizing as a Japanese speaker and translator to see fans who don't speak any Japanese at all act as though their opinion has the same weight of authority as people who do.

You are entitled to your preferences, but please recognize that they are based in taste, not personal knowledge. Not all Japanese translators will even agree in their interpretations, but it weirds me out that some non-Japanese-speaking fans will use this fervor to spread misinformation far and wide that proclaims as inaccurate perfectly good official translations, simply because the choices don't suit their own tastes.

The lists of "times the fan translations were better" I've seen mostly contain instances where the fan translators took greater liberties than the official release did, and some fans just happened to like the liberties that were taken.

We all reasonably hated the "best friend" fan translation of chapter 359, but somehow that isn't a point forever against fan translations the same way mistakes in the official release are?

At this point, it makes me wonder what the point of writing about linguistic nuance is, if the interest is primarily not in learning but in being told what you want to hear.

I know posting this won't win me any favor with anybody, but it's how I feel. I'm bummed about 405's last line in the official. I do hope it gets revised. But the vibes around translation details are getting decidedly unfun.

One last thought: if you well and truly want to experience MHA unfiltered, learn Japanese. I mean this sincerely, I'm not trying to be a jerk. We live in an age where it is easier and more possible than ever to acquire a new language, talk to people around the world, and absorb yourself in culture and history.

If you want to remove middle-men and develop your own relationship with a work unfettered by the tastes, biases, or choices of others, learn the language. It won't be easy, but I can guarantee you won't regret broadening your horizons and discovering even more beautiful stories in the world.

#mha 405 #mha manga spoilers #mha spoilers #bnha spoilers

[gold-rhine]

(can answer privately if u want)

how did you manage to write enjou stirring shit up. i need to know for Reasons

(Reasons being: i wanna write him doing that as well so i need to know how you figured that specific brand of Manipulation out)

oh, i love talking about Enjou, he's so fun to write.

Okay, Enjou's main rule is that he doesn't *technically* lie. If you've ever written fae with no-lie rules it should be similar. Everything he says should be true, even if he's seemingly joking - like when he tells traveler you never know what can happen in magic rituals, I could turn into a flame-throwing monster haha! He only lies by omission or by using leading questions. He often answers direct questions with his own questions, which lets him evade, or by what he makes look like a joke.

Like in Enka when traveler arrived and asked him who he is, he asked question in return, like Didn't they tell you there's gonna be a priest who will guide you? Traveler went yeah, they did. Enjou was like Great! You can't be expected to learn new language haha! i'm here to help translate.

He didn't say "I'm the priest who Kokomi said will help you," he asked a leading question to make traveler think about the priest with connection traveler trusted, then he didn't directly confirm he IS the priest and instead re-directed to his function "I'll help to translate", which is true!

Enjou's second rule is that he's a little shit and also a corny nerd. Like there's often a boring stereotype of manipulators being cool and sleek and charismatic, but Enjou is not that. He's a jokerified librarian. He consciously acts lame and corny to make the other person underestimate him and roll their eyes. He loves repeating how he's just a weak bookworm. He will go on info-dumping tangents to bury the lead of manipulation.

He also loves playing with his food, burying little inside jokes which only make sense in hindsight, like "I could turn into a flame-throwing monster". He likes doing the weak nerd routine, he enjoys watching the other person feel superior to him, while knowing he's in control of a situation, and he says corny shit on purpose to make it more pronounced. He should sound corny and just a bit unhinged. He says shit like "Exactomundo". I had to physically restrain myself, bc Enjou absolutely would say Exactomundo while watching a man's world crumbling before him, but I didn't want to ruin the tone for the reader.

So, to write Enjou's brand of manipulation you need to first formulate his end-goal, like what is the purpose of this manipulation? I assume you read my fic since you reference me writing enjou stirring shit up, so i'll use it as example of my thought process. One of the examples in my fic, he wants to convince rizzley that Neuvi gave him the title to buy his loyalty. What are the true facts here? Neuvi did fight hard to give rizzley the title, he says it in his own voice lines. What do we need to add? Malicious intent.

Enjou can't say "Your title was a bribe", bc that's a lie. Instead, he starts with "you know what I would do if *I* was the Hydro Sovereign with an ability to take human form? <...>I’d make sure I have people loyal to me in some key positions. Such as Royal Duelist… and the Warden of the Fortress.” It's not a lie, bc if Enjou was a sovereign, he'd probably really do that. On paper, he's talking about himself, but in context of overall conversation it will be obviously extrapolated to Neuvi. This is a form of switching the goal posts from Enjou to Neuvi without outright saying so.

Then, he says true facts:

“He didn’t make me the Warden,” Wriothesley gritted out. 

“No, but he did make you the Duke, didn’t he?” Enjou smirked with a wink. “Our sources say the Court was not thrilled to give the highest noble title to you. And if the Iudex did not throw his own weight behind it, it would have never come to pass. How generous of him.”

It's true, it was actually generous, he doesn't lie. But in context of previous implied accusation, it will be read as sarcastic, as saying it was done with selfish reasons.

And then he reinforces with “Ah, you’re starting to get it, don’t you?”, which is a leading question that again, doesn't say anything false outright.

he should also offer the person hes manipulating to beat him up repeatedly, bc hes a freak.

#rhine talks #enjou #hope this helps! #for the readers at home you can have fun narrowing down what was the main sleight of hand that enjou used #to implicate that neuvi forced focalors to die and give him power back

[lightwise]

THERE IS SOMETHING TO BE SAID FOR FREEDOM

AKA Analysis of Crosshair in The Tipping Point

This may sound like a strange claim to be making about Crosshair in S2 E14. (SPOILERS BELOW IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THIS EPISODE YET).

Crosshair is imprisoned this entire episode. Tied down. Tortured. Unable to move. And yet I was almost speechless at how he is rendered, in both his facial expressions and his choices. As strange as it sounds to say, I think Crosshair is at peace in this episode. This man is finally, fully HIMSELF. It’s HIM. This is the REAL Crosshair, like we’ve never seen him before.

His face (and his eyes) are so OPEN. I don’t know how else to describe it. Prior to this, Crosshair had a variety of colorful facial expressions that he usually kept on him, ranging from sarcastic sneers, brows pulling together in worry, feigned disinterest, and downright rage. (I will be making a separate post on the expansive range of Crosshair’s expressions and how I think they signify what his real emotions are). 

But here, we start with Crosshair in a prison cell, being roughly taken out of his confinement to another location. Normally I would expect Crosshair to have a very sour, disdainful look on his face as these TK troopers cuff him and haul him out. But he doesn’t. Yes there’s a bit of a raised eyebrow still, but his face is just calm. Open. Serious but not fraught with tension. (Also, shameless side note: this man looks so good in blue/gray/not black colors. They make him seem softer and more open, as well).

Not only that, but he gazes around him, eyes moving side to side, paying attention to the other prison cells (maybe even looking to see if there was someone he knew also being held there?), even getting himself in trouble for taking an interest in those around him. Crosshair, who has always held himself separate and apart, has always pretended to look away even when he was listening. He is present, even in the midst of a horrible situation. 

I was reminded of the end shot in The Solitary Clone, and the parallels of him walking freely down the hallway as an imperial there, and a prisoner here. But in the first one he’s actually a prisoner inside himself, while in the second, he might be held captive on the outside, but he’s free on the inside. 

Even to Emerie and Hemlock, Crosshair remains surprisingly mild and level in his responses. May I remind you what this man’s face has looked like earlier in his story when dealing with people in power over him - and when being tasked to give up his family.

But instead he simply gazes at them calmly–suspicious, but clear-headed. He is in possession of his self esteem and purpose once again, and he doesn’t need to put on a front of superiority or fury in order to face the gaze of others. 

And he knows immediately what the doctor wants. He obviously has no intention of giving up his brothers. His face and tone remain even, controlled. He still says “the kid” to Hemlock’s face, but there is no animosity in using those words. And we will see how that was no longer Crosshair’s real opinion of Omega.

On the flipside of this calmness, we have very rarely seen Crosshair fall apart from pain or fear in front of others. But this torture from Hemlock is excruciating, and as a result of Crosshair’s emotions being closer to the surface, his sensitivity to pain and fear and anguish are on full display as well. 

He manages to escape the current torture, but his goal isn’t to save himself. In maybe the most important scene of this episode, Crosshair risks his life to warn and try to save his family, his brothers, his sister, with no regard for the consequences to himself. And yes, we almost got to hear him say “Omega” for the first time. Do we need any more proof that he cares? Crosshair is finally, truly, making the right decisions for the right reasons and he knows it. And that loyalty is going to help him bear whatever he has to bear to keep his family safe. 

He is in so much pain and I hate it 😭

“Why suffer more?” Hemlock asks him. He is defiant, yes. But his “severe and unyielding nature,” his stubbornness and loyalty, his need to be accepted for who he is, are finally being put to the right purpose.

(Also, you cannot tell me this wasn't foreshadowing from The Solitary Clone.)

This is a man who loves and cares DEEPLY, who loves his family even after having had all trust severed on both sides, who would do anything to protect them, even if it means risking his own sanity and self. This man is at peace with his own actions - FINALLY. This is him. And that means so much to me.

I apologize now for the pain, but I am going to end by connecting this to a quote from Andor. Maarva’s last message to Cassian broke my heart and rebuilt it from the inside when I first heard it, and I realized that it could fully apply to Crosshair as well:

"Tell him, he knows everything he needs to know and feels everything he needs to feel. And when the day comes, and those two pull together, he will be an unstoppable force for good. Tell him... I love him more than anything he could ever do wrong." 

#crosshair loves his brothers #and his sister #loyal to a fault #and that loyalty has cost him everything #bring crosshair home #give this man a hug #crosshairsweep #crosshair #crosshair bad batch #tbb season 2 spoilers #tbb season two #the bad batch season 2 #the bad batch #the bad batch spoilers #emerie #doctor hemlock #the tipping point #long post #analysis #somelightramblings #some light ramblings #somelightedits #some light edits

[thyme-in-a-bubble]

just kissed you out of the blue

A/N: this was originally posted back in the summer of 2022, requested by the wonderful @kazeddie85: Reader had had a crush on Spence since she’d first listened to him infodump. But she didn’t tell him because she could tell he liked Elle. Fast forward to the train case, she and Derek both protest at Spencer’s idea to board the train. When they heard a gunshot Derek held her back from charging onto the train without a vest. She screamed Spencer’s name since the video feed had been taken out. When he got off the train she ripped herself out of Derek’s grip and leapt the barricade like a track hurdle. She threw herself into Spencer’s arms, trembling, and found herself kissing him without thinking. She expected him to push her away but he kissed her back.

Warnings: Spencer Reid x bau!reader, references to 1x09

∼ gentle reminder that feedback, but especially reblogs are the way you support writers on here ∽

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Seeing Reid slowly make his way out of the train, you finally ripped free of the tight hold Morgan had on you and ran towards your colleague, shouting out his name. 

Closing in on him, he turned to you and almost immediately threw up his hands, knowing full well how he’d gone against his superior’s wishes, “hi, Y/l/n, I’m fine, I’m sorry, I just-“ but before he could finish, you crashed into him, pressing your lips firmly against his, but not fully realising what you were actually doing. 

You hadn’t been able to breathe. That whole time he was in there, you couldn’t breathe. But now, here, kissing him, you finally felt oxygen fill up your lungs again. 

Snaking his hands around your waist, he slowly drew back, staring at you with stars in his eyes. “Wow, that was… wow,” he breathed out. 

The sound of his voice effectively woke you up and made you realise what you had just done, “oh my god, I’m sorry,” you took a step back, making his warm hands disappear from your sides, “I shouldn’t have just kissed you out of the blue like that…”

“Y/n,” he didn’t take his big brown eyes off of you for one second. 

“Yeah?” you prepared for the worst. 

“I just, um… now I kinda wish I’d put myself in danger sooner if that’s all it would’ve taken for you to kiss me like that.”

© 2022 thyme-in-a-bubble 

#lea’s writing #spencer reid drabble #spencer reid blurb #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x fem!reader #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x you #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid scenario

[sojuyae]

no return

dazai osamu / reader + ??? / reader

notes: mild yandere themes, u drink alcohol, inspired by the manhwa 'a false confession' (massive rec hehe) drabble..? oneshot..? i don't know what to call this since it's not really fleshed out and not given that much thought so maybe its just a random blurb hahaha not proofread i just click post and never look back thats just how i am

the moment you step into the balcony, your legs almost gave out. your hand having to lean on the vine ornamented pillar as support. stillness draping over despite the festivity just behind the door.

just a few feet beyond you, stood your senior. even with your vision hazy and eyes half lidded, you think you can see his silhouette leaning over the railings, his back turned against you, coat billowing in the wind, tousling the hair of his that you've always wanted to tuck behind his ear.

he looks particularly different, today.

the man of your affections — whose hands that are always resting upon your shoulders, his touch lingering a far too much for someone who is only concerned about his coworker, muttering words of 'good job!' every time he looks over your computer to see the progress of the report he assigned.

he, who is always eager to bring you trinkets of all kinds after being assigned in a case, and if you had the ability similar to his, you would've caught on the fact that the trinkets are always given by him personally, rather than your unfortunate coworkers whose gifts are left in their desks.

yet frown would replace your previous smile once he pulls away with a pat; when you remember that everyone got the same gift as you did.

(oh, how you lamented every second that passes without him knowing how you felt.)

but that will change tonight — your intoxicated self decided to confess your long time admiration for your senior. 'and if he rejects your love, then you can just say that you were too drunk! it's easy!' tanizaki said so, as he handed you an alcoholic drink, and you shouldn't have trusted any words that comes out of the orange haired mans mouth.

even if the others knew how bad you felt about him, you prefer to believe that you could keep your feelings to yourself.

with a determination only a drunken one can have, you step further away from the loud music of the party and towards the man.

a heavy breath escapes your lips as you stand just a few feet behind him.

"sir," you first regard him with his title you've always used during work, and a part of you wonders if you'll be able to call him endearments you've always wanted to say after he accepts your confession.

you don't think you can look at him right now.

"i've been thinking about this a lot," you begin, hushed but nonetheless made for him to hear. "i, don't know if, i should really say this…" your eyes drift down to your feet, deliberating whether you should beat around the bush.

but you know you can't, this feelings of yours is too much; if you don't get to say it now, what will become of your sentiments? locked behind a glass heart that threatened to burst every time he's near?

"i really, really like you, sir." you finally say, your hands harshly gripping the sides of your clothes, scrunching them, wrinkles beginning to form on the flimsy fabric.

you refuse to meet his gaze.

silence ensues, the only sound heard; the loud rustling of the leaves against themselves.

"..."

ah, to think that you get rejected without even him saying anything.

"why?" he asks, then a hope ignites deep inside you.

"i just, really like it when you treat us kindly, you always go out your way to make sure i'm okay, your dedication to the agency is admirable, and i... just really like everything about you…"

"that's what any superior would do..." he replies coldly.

his words does not even travel first to your ears — it travels straight to your heart, so harshly that if it traveled to your ears first, you're certain you'd go deaf.

you stagger, the adrenaline the alcohol provided leaving your system.

then, he grabs your arm just in time, his bandaged hand surprisingly holding you delicately, as if he expects you to be gone once he pulls away.

"osamu. call me osamu, not sir." he says tenderly as he rests his hand on your shoulder, his arms coiling around you like a snake to a branch.

you smile gently as you bury your head in his chest. you can smell the faint scent of alcohol on his shirt, how strange, you've always thought he smell more like the sweets he'd always insist on eating. "osa—" the remaining syllables does not leave your tongue.

he rests his head on your shoulders, his curly coffee-like locks of hair tickling your neck.

osamu?

your eyes drift to his neck — are those bandages?

coffee-like?

dread fills your veins. dazai pulls back, your drunken haze along with it, finally able to look at him properly. his warm palm rests on your jaw. the dull brown eyes you’ve grown fearful of seems to reflect the stars, looking at you so, lovingly.

you don’t know what you’re supposed to be surprised of, the fact that a coworker whom you are scared of is looking at you softly, or the fact that he just accepted a confession that wasn’t meant to be his.

"should we keep our relationship a secret?" he asks with deceptive bashfulness.

--

"sir..?" you stammer as you try to look in ranpo's viridescent eyes for an answer to why he's holding your hand tightly.

"i've always thought that you…" his brows are knitted, refusing to meet your eyes, his own narrowed as he looks at the bracelet that adorns your wrist, an item begrudgingly accepted from dazai.

(he wonders if you would be mad if he forcibly ripped its beads out of you.)

he clicked his tongue at his own thoughts, shuffling to get a comfortable spot where he rested appropriately on his office chair.

"since when were you both close?"

#bungo stray dogs x reader #yandere bsd #yandere bungou stray dogs #yandere bungou stray dogs x reader #yandere bungo stray dogs #yandere dazai osamu #dazai osamu x reader #yandere dazai osamu x reader #this was so all over the place #like always #been having these thoughts since i read the manhwa #i think ranpo knowing ur feelings and liking u back but still not acting upon them UNTIL someone else garners your attention is very real t #me #giggles

[daenystheedreamer]

Wondering how you are connecting the valar thing to patriarchy? I don't disagree I just feel like I missed some steps in your post lmao

yeah my bad i forget this isnt my personal secret diary that no one reads and also that you need more than the alpha and the omega this isnt jesus. you also need beta gamma delta etcetc like posts need linking threads so my b brother

so my personal valyrian incest theory is material and economic: that the dragonlords wanted to hoard wealth within families (much like a dragon!) and especially hoard the supposed 'dragonrider blood', which necessitated the marrying of brothers to sisters. its european monarchical consanguinity taken to its absurd extreme. the incest is mentioned as being among dragonrider families specifically.

but i think it goes a step further i think having weapons of mass destruction that are linked basically biologically and equally (as in, both men and women can be dragonriders) gives women especially feudal women an INSANE amount of personal mobility and agency. letting women start their own families and well deseminate the bloodline means both the wealth is spread and this caste system crumbles. there were only about 40 dragonrider families in valyrian aristocracy.

there's theories that the incest is for the purposes of blood magic, that it makes them for real actually ethnically superior (bleugh kys), that there is a magical spiritual etc reason for it but i prefer materialism sorry i think it makes it more interesting i like human conflict in the story about humanity :(

and my linchpin for all this like threadbare nonsense is how aegon wed visenya to shore up his inheritance. it is a fundementally sexist act it places aegon's inheritance above visenya's. there is the implication that visenya could have, in the future, been a threat to his inheritance.

we predominantly see valyrian incest only in the targs which is unfortunate (FOR ANALYSIS FOR ANALYSIS!!!) since the targs and their relation to valyria is so fucking emotional and freudian and weird so they're not like a neutral test case. but the incestuous dynamics are so so so often deeply misogynistic. its men wielding power over women because their lusts are more important, because they are entitled to women. again it all goes back to the FIRST DANY CHAPTER. viserys forcefully marrying 13yo daenerys, dressed in golden collars just like the slaves etched in valyrian runes, to an adult man with the near gleeful knowledge she will be raped and abused.

SO THE FUCKING VALAR THING. honestly mostly a joke for me. all my posts are just things i think are funny in the ten seconds i post them. morghul- means death and dohae- means serve and the -is suffix is i think genitive?? leaving the 'valar' to serve (heh) as the 'all men' section of the quote. there's an elio+linda quote saying valar is probably in reference to valyria (as opposed to a reference to the valar of tolkien). it reminds me of how patria (fatherland, country, etc) is from pater (father). valyria - valar. its just very masculine and my nerd etymologist brain thought it was funny. i hope this rambling 7 paragraph fucking unabomber manifesto sounding answer makes sense 💀

#anonymous #ask #valyria #asoiaf #ALL MY OPINION. MY INTERPRETATION. I AM NOT CLAIMING THIS AS CANON OR PISSING ON ANYONE'S IDEAS. PLEASE NO ONE YELL AT ME 😭

[hangster-hangout]

The Love Chicken

“My dad said he knew my mom was the one over a bottle of wine and the best roast chicken he ever had.”

“And now you’re making it for Hangman. So he can figure out that you’re the one.”

“Something like that.”

Bradley cooks for Jake. It goes even better than expected. 

(post canon, getting back together, straight up sweet fluff)

The ridiculously catchy intro to an old Fall Out Boy song cuts through the classic rock station he has on. Phoenix.

Bradley puts her on speaker as he sautés the green beans and glances at the timer on the stove. 

“Hard deck in an hour?”

“Can’t. Plans.”

“With Hangman? Bring him along.”

“Maybe later.” The timer set for the potatoes goes off and it takes Natasha about two seconds to put it together.

“Are you…cooking for him?” And Bradley is a lot of things but he’s not a great liar so while he tries to think of a way to change the subject, Natasha lets out a low whistle. “It’s going to be different this time, right?”

Because she was there for the first time, the messy fights and makeups that never truly fixed things. Bradley and Jake had something that burned so bright but crashed before it truly had a chance to take off, both of them falling too fast and terrified the other wasn’t.

Bradley was going to make sure it was different this time. 

“Yeah. It already is. These last two weeks…” After the mission he and Jake had been damn near inseparable. At first, Bradley thought Jake just needed to see him, needed proof he really did survive. But the more hours they spent together, laughed together, the more Bradley realized this is what it was supposed to be like. 

Bradley was aware he never truly got over Jake, but he forgot just how desperately he loved him. And unlike all those years ago, he was finally courageous enough to tell him. 

“My dad said he knew my mom was the one over a bottle of wine and the best roast chicken he ever had.”

“And now you’re making it for Hangman. So he can figure out that you’re the one.”

“Something like that.” It’s a testament to how nervous he must sound that she doesn’t make fun of him. 

“What time is he coming over?” Bradley glances at the clock. 

“Five minutes. But it’s Jake so-“ he hears a rustling of keys in the door. “Oh god, he’s here.”

“You got this Bradshaw. Enjoy the Love Chicken.” And Bradley barely has enough time to hang up and toss his phone on the counter before Jake walks in. 

“You said to bring a bottle of wine but I weirdly don’t know if you’re a red or white guy so,” he holds up his hands, a bottle in each. “I brought both.” Jake looks between the roast chicken resting on the stovetop and the kitchen table set with actual cloth napkins. “You trying to wine and dine me so you can tell me you need help burying a body?”

“Can’t a guy do something nice?” Rooster rolls his eyes and gets the roasted potatoes out of the oven. Jake lets out a low whistle. 

“Oh this is very nice. I love roasted potatoes.”

“I know.” Bradley says and he turns to the vegetables so Jake doesn’t see the red flush coloring his cheeks. 

They open the red wine and have an easy conversation over dinner, only arguing about the superior movie in the Mighty Ducks franchise.

“But the Bash Brothers! And the knuckle puck!” Jake waves his fork around and Bradley laughs but doesn’t give in. He’ll never bet against the original, that movie helped raise him.

He takes a deep breath, knowing that dinner is near over and its time to actually talk to Jake. Bradley puts his hands on his thighs, forcing them to be still and is about to start talking when Jake swallows another bite of chicken and makes a satisfied sound.

“Jesus Bradshaw, you cook like this again for me and I’ll marry you.” Jake leans back in his seat and the sunlight hits his golden hair just so perfectly and before he knows it Bradley is blurting out:

“Okay.”

It’s silent. Jake’s eyes pop open and Bradley can feel his cheeks start to heat up, the flush working its way up his neck. There’s no way he can play this off as a joke, no way to take it back. It was too serious, too honest and too revealing of everything he ever wanted.

“Shit,” Bradley mutters under his breath. “Shit Jake, I’m sorry, I made this dinner to talk to you about maybe giving us a shot, like a real one.” The words don’t stop coming out and Bradley starts talking even faster. “Because you’re really important to me and I want a relationship with you because I think, no, I know you’re the one and-“

He’s interrupted by the sound of a chair scraping across the floor. A second later he has a lapful of Jake Seresin and he has barely enough time to register the shock before he is being kissed. 

And oh boy is Bradley being kissed. 

It’s different from the ones they shared before, kissing Jake was always incredible but it had an undercurrent of competition and neither every truly let themselves get lost in it. This was nothing like that. The walls were down for both of them and they were both, finally, all in. 

Bradley’s not sure how long they stay like that until Jake moves his head slightly back and rests his forehead against Bradley’s. 

“Holy shit. I really might marry you.” Jake’s voice is full of wonder. Bradley rolls his eyes but brings his hands up to cup Jake’s face.

“Typical, you fly right from being friends to being engaged.” On the last word, a shiver runs through Jake.

“I’m dead serious, baby.” Jake says and Bradley’s heart is about to literally leap out of his chest. He stares at Jake for a second more and smiles.

“I already said yes, didn’t I?”

—

Later, as they are tangled up in bed and Bradley’s head is resting on Jake’s bare chest, Jake leans over to check the time on his phone. He chuckles and Bradley look up at him, one eyebrow raised.

“A new message in the group chat.” Jake holds his phone out for Bradley to see.

Phoenix: So are you two boyfriends?

“That’s presumptuous to send it to everyone.” Bradley snorts and Jake laughs. 

“Sweetheart, I’m pretty sure you’re the only one who didn’t realize i was a sure thing.” And even after everything that happened over the last few hours, hearing it still makes Bradley smile. 

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Jake runs a hair through Bradley’s curls. “I’ve been crazy about you since like…five minutes after we met. Hasn’t really stopped.” Bradley adjusts himself so he’s next to Jake.

“Never stopped for me either. Doubt it ever will.” And Jake smiles and Bradley thinks ‘yeah, this is it.’

“That’s what I’m counting on.”

Hangman: Fiancées actually. See y’all Monday.

And they turn off their phones and fall back together.

#hangster fic #my hangster fic #top gun maverick fanfiction #hangster #sereshaw #hangaroo #PURE FLUFF

[lovelybrooke]

Here I am again, answering more Elden Ring stuff from @oldworldpoolhall. I've been thinking about making a separate blog for Elden Ring Stuff, just because I think It vastly different from the other stuff I write for, but ultimately it's just a thought.

"About the post, I do agree with Miquella feeling a bit prideful about how the reader is close to him. It’s easier too, with how his powers are implied to function, and well— as unconventional as it sounds his appearance somewhat helps his case for you to be less guarded around him, as wise and smart as he may be...And there’s a specific closeness that isn’t available for the others like you said, because Miquella has known them for longer through the dreams. Being in dreams feels a lot more intrusive, a lot more intimate in a way."

A large reason reader feels so safe around Miquella is because his looks. He's probably one of the strongest Empyrean's and is the most likely to bring about a new age, but reader doesn't really process that since they aren't of this world. They can't really comprehend how strong Miquella is, and it's what makes him so easy to trust when reader first finds themself in this strange world. And like you mentioned, Miquella knows a lot about reader because of their shared power over dreams. Maybe Miquella teaches reader more about their powers, in hopes that reader can stay with them longer.

"Although that is one of the things Miquella is superior in, it doesn’t mean his siblings doesn’t have anything to offer for the reader. For example Malenia, though she’d choose to admire you from a distance to avoid hurting you with rot by accident, it’s very sweet, because there’s just the charm of someone a bit quiet and resilient finding comfort in you, someone who doesn’t really quite know any better because you don’t belong in this world...We also have Godwyn who has Fortissax, while his siblings can provide you with what he may lack, there’s his friendliness, and the fact that he may even tell you stories of glory and dragons and take you flying through the air with him. He cannot take you back to your home, but he’ll try to make you appreciate the lands he was born in a bit more with him."

I failed to mention this earlier, but I do think reader would meet Melania second, after Miquella. Obviously, he wants you to meet his twin, and I think since she's able to tell that Miquella cares for you she grows close to you quickly. Like you said, she keeps a distance from you for your safety, but she does find you very comforting. A friend who isn't just her brother. I could imagine her seeking comfort in you when she loses limbs and parts of her eyesight. It's nice, and when she's with you and Miquella she feels almost normal. I think the other Demigods have their own way of bonding with the reader but I think it has to do with how closely they are connected to Marika. I think she doesn't let you be around Rennala's children as much, Radagon having to be the voice of reason. You do eventually meet them, but I think there would be a lot of tension between the two families when it comes to you.

"In a vaguely romantic context, I think Miquella would prefer the reader as a consort. They’re someone he’s close with in a way, connected in a manner that no one else knows. Although this is done in the typical Elden ring fashion lmao."

I imagine Marika has totally control over betrothals, and could see her betrothing you to one of her children as a last resort. She notices you fading, leaving this world, and so she betroths you to one of her children to hopefully keep you from leaving. Of course, this doesn't work, and you eventually return back to your world, but it was a last ditch effort to keep you with them. I could see her betrothing you to Godwynn, perhaps even one of Ranni's children if she wants to keep tensions low with them, but Miquella might be a good contender.

From my knowledge, Miquella's Haligtree was created after the Shattering, as an opposition to the greater will. I think this because I don't see Marika allowing direct opposition to the Greater Will, especially not from her children. If she sensed a bit of defiance from her son then she would be less likely to bethroth you to him, and in fact even keep you away from him. If he really wanted you to become his consort, then it would be after his mother/father was trapped within the Erdtree.

#yandere x reader #soft yandere #platonic yandere #elden ring x reader #elden ring #elden ring godwyn #godfrey the first elden lord #elden ring radagon #platonic yandere elden ring #yandere elden ring

[onsunnyside]

Give us some mean ATA Ari content pwease🥺

oki bestie, here’s a long snippet/spoiler for A Tough Act !!

𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 | dark!alpha!fraternity president!Ari Levinson x omega!activist!reader

𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 | dark, a/b/o dynamics, assault, power imbalance, violence, misogyny (within a/b/o designations), mean!ari, size difference, possessive behaviour, possible dehumanization, non-con/dub-con. smut - minors dni: all the following warnings are observed by the reader: so underlinings of exhibitionism, forced voyeurism. humiliation: public punishment, spanking. implied: fingering, unprotected sex.

𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 | a snippet of A Tough Act: starlet finds herself at an Arcadia Phi frat party.

𝗪/𝗖 | 1.56K

𝗔/𝗡 | the masterlist isn’t posted yet, but this is from my new series set in HCV (Howard college verse). This snippet includes cameos from our other readers: cherry and casanova !!

“You see that? Look at them.” He holds your face up, forcing you to watch the exchange. 

The buzzcut-haired alpha nearly blocks the small omega with his frame, his big hands sliding all over her dress, and fixing the buttons of her cardigan. Then, they cup her cheeks, bringing her in for a soft kiss that quickly turns possessive. Her weak grip lands on his shoulders, feebly trying to push him away but he only leans closer. He presses her flush against the wall, nearly crushing her until you can’t see her anymore. 

You can’t look anymore and avert your gaze, finding more interest in the couch cramped with giggly sorority girls. They flatter and wave at passing alphas like they’re celebrities.

All of them are clad in short dresses and high heels, practically copies of each other—except the one in the middle. She’s an omega and seems the most confident, her legs crossed as he steadily sips from a solo cup. 

Some guys walk up to the girls, and sweep them away but the middle omega is different. When approached, she doesn’t offer the first alpha a glance, but the second one, a light-haired guy, seems to win whatever game they were playing. She lets him take her hand and draw her close, their bodies instantly grinding to the music as her friends fawn. 

“That’s how good omegas are treated. They’re protected, and pampered. Adored like the prettiest flower in the garden,” he rasps, “as long as they honour their superiors.” 

“Honour as in let themselves be used and degraded to mere machines?” Your eyes narrow, lip twitching with rage, “to be seen as nothing but a hole for your fucking knots? You must be really sick if you raped and willingly dehumanized people for cash. Your whole childhood—your existence is based on the suffering of omegas.”

Ari growls, “you think I’m careless enough to knock up some breeding bitch? If you're jealous, just say so.” 

“Is that all you heard? Does your ego take up too much room in your head? Or is it the god-complex that makes you so stupid?” You jeer, “I’d rather drown than even look at you a second longer.” 

You don’t get far before Ari is tugging you back, caging you against the wall with his body. “I suggest you behave, unless you want that to be you.” He spins you around to the rest of the room. 

The once confident omega is now trapped on a bearded man’s lap—a different alpha from before. Her skirt is hiked up, making room for the alpha’s big hand as he lands spanks on her thigh, dangerously close to her ass. Each slap echoes through the packed room, sounding over the booming music from the basement. 

“You see that, starlet? Do you want all eyes on you, just like her?” Ari murmurs, stepping closer as his fingers trail up your arm, “again, if you’re jealous, just say so. We could put on our own show, but we’ll be way better.” 

An awful taste fills your mouth as you shrug off his hand, “No, and don’t touch me.” 

Ari raises his eyebrows, taking a long sip of his beer. “Really? I would’ve thought an attention whore like yourself would kill to be the star…”

Another loud slap bounces off the walls, followed by a high-pitched squeal. 

You feel embarrassed for her, the pure humiliation of being punished for everyone to see—right out in the open without shame. 

But, that sharp distress is a waste. It turns out, you’re the only one who feels it, the only person not blinded by the hierarchy and the cruel shimmer of alphas. 

“Ah, there we go. Look at little casanova.” Ari’s voice drops low, and suddenly he’s close enough for his beard to brush your cheek. “You know, she used to be quite the handful. Always with that attitude, flaunting herself, fucking anything that moves.” He snickers, “as if she was regaining ownership of herself and her body.” 

“I bet she was.” You try to shove him away, but it’s only a few inches. “You think your status guarantees you the world, but worthless assholes like you don’t deserve headstrong people like her—” like us, omegas. 

“No?” His blue eyes glimmer with amusement. “Well, how about you take a look at that headstrong omega right now?” He turns your face in her direction again. 

Your breath hitches as your heart beats loudly in your ears, bouncing off your skull while you helplessly watch the poor omega—you wish to knock some sense into her. Tell her this isn’t her purpose, she isn’t a plaything to be shown off, she’s worth so much more. 

“Look at her, casanova would be nothing without Andy.” 

The spanks have turned heated. The big alpha swats her thigh then rubs it roughly, and you know it’s to make it hurt more rather than to soothe it. And she doesn’t protest or flail away, no, she stays in his lap, almost happily. She kisses his gland while running her fingers through his hair. Her moans are loud enough for you and everyone else to hear when she unabashedly grinds against his hand up her skirt. 

“You always preach about control, but omegas aren't made for that. They can’t handle all that pressure,” his warm breath fans across your face and this close, you can see every beauty mark and freckle on his face. “They need someone to do all the planning, heavy lifting and thinking for them while they stick to simpler tasks. They need to be used, owned—they were made to be owned.” 

You raise your hand and swing back, but in the blink of an eye, you’re pinned against the wall. The shock makes your drink drop to the floor, splattering all over your shoes and Ari’s boots. 

With eyes full of burning hatred, and teeth clenched so tightly you can practically hear them grinding—you don’t usually resort to violence, but he always gets under your skin. 

Your fist collides with his side before he restrains that one above your head too. His bottle joins your plastic cup on the floor, the glass doesn’t break but the beer spills on the floorboards and joins the puddle beneath the two of you. 

Ari didn't even flinch, let alone, wince. Leaning closer with daring eyes, “Do that again, and I’ll fuck you right here in front of everyone. Make them watch as I tear your tight cunt apart, show them how a real alpha punishes a disobedient omega.” 

You do the only thing you can think of and spit in his face. He stiffens and you try to headbutt him but he swiftly dodges. You would’ve expected him to have fast reflexes with his boxing skills—but he isn’t quick enough to avoid another hunk of your saliva. 

This time, it lands on the corner of his mouth, and his eyes turn shades darker. He makes a disgusting show of it, easily constraining your wrists above your head despite your wriggling, and swiping your saliva from his face. 

He brings it to his lips, sucking it off and groaning lowly. His eyes never leave yours, searing into your soul and fueling your hostility. You suck in your cheeks again, ready to spit a third time and hopefully burn a hole in his ego, but he slaps that same hand over your mouth. 

“God, I love that fight in you. Makes me so fucking hard.” He forces your head into the wall as your breaths deepen, nostrils flaring with each exhale. “Oh, looks like Curtis finally got the show on the road.”

Once again, he makes you look at the buzzcut-haired alpha and his omega. He’s got her tucked in a dark corner, you can barely make out her legs around his waist and her arms wrapped around his neck, securing herself with each rock of his hips. 

A deep dread fills your chest as people go about their lives, drinking and dancing, enjoying themselves while a poor girl is getting taken advantage of. 

Or so you think because it physically pains you to hear her moans of enjoyment. 

He slowly removes his palm from your mouth, loving the helplessness in your eyes. “Look at Curtis and sweet, innocent cherry—she’s getting fucked at a party like it’s her job. Hm, I wonder what her religious and overbearing parents would think of that… Say, should I record it and send it to them?”

“Leave her alone.” You hiss, bringing up your knee but Ari quickly hikes your thighs around his waist, just like Curtis. In this position, you’re completely vulnerable and at his mercy. Fear rushes through your veins, making you only more motivated to get free. 

But, Ari is having none of it. His hand wraps around your throat, keeping you against the wall for everyone to see. 

Shame blooms like a spring garden—but the flowers are roses with the sharpest thorns, and they tear you apart from the inside. 

“You want me to leave her alone? To leave every other omega alone?” He mocks, “Now, why would I do that? It’d be neglecting my duties as an alpha, just letting them be—letting them have power over themselves.” He inches closer, his hips snug between yours and you can feel his sickening excitement through your jeans. “Omegas need guidance and they need to be used… and alphas are the only ones who can fill that void. Omegas are made to be owned.” He repeats again to drill it into your head. 

Ari can see it in your eyes, the blazing fury, the pure loathing that resigns within you. 

It was made for him, and he will never get enough of it. 

He squeezes a little tighter, enjoying the stutter in your breath. He wonders if it’s getting harder to breathe yet, or if you’re just being difficult, as always. 

“And you, starlet, regardless of how much you protest and fight, you’re one of them.” 

I can't wait for this pairing !!

#dark #tw dark fic #a/b/o fic #fic drabble #tough act ask #tough act drabble #Ari Levinson #Ari Levinson x reader #dark!ari levinson #alpha!ari levinson #ari levinson x fem!reader #Ari Levinson x you #college au #college!ari levinson #omega reader #alpha ari levinson #red sea diving resort #Ari Levinson au #sonny drabbles #sonny’s stories #hc drabble

[im-no-jedi]

TBB headcanons: Physical and Mental Traits

I was originally gonna break these posts up by character, but it’s more fun just categorizing everything (plus I get to make more posts this way hehe)

anyway! here are some traits I believe each of the boys have:

Hunter

Oldest of the og four (CT 9901) 

All of his senses are heightened, which makes him more sensitive to things (smells, sounds, touch, etc) but he’s REALLY good at hiding it

Occasionally experiences sensory overload, but has several techniques to keep himself calm (stimming with his knife, meditation, isolation, listening to music, conversing with one of his bros or Omega) 

Is autistic, but is good at masking it most of the time 

Very, very rarely experiences panic attacks from overstimulation (happened mostly as a child, has only happened once during the war) 

Has a high level of tolerance for pain, despite his heightened senses (mostly is just good at hiding it though)

Has a scar over his left eyebrow that he got due to accidentally cutting himself with a knife when he was younger (he has perfectionist issues because of this); has other various scars all over his body (main ones being on his left pectoral from getting shot by Cad Bane, and slight burn marks on the palm of his right hand from the Zygerrian whip)

Fairly introverted; he likes his solitude but gets lonely at times and can NOT be away from the squad for too long or he’ll go crazy

Tech

Second oldest of the og four (CT 9902) 

Retains information the first time it’s told/explained to him (the recording thing is literally just a hobby, he doesn’t need it LOL)

Obsessively researches things in his free time 

Basically blind without his goggles; he’s semi colorblind, which is why the lens are tinted

Is very autistic 

Stims with his tools 

Has an average level of tolerance for pain, doesn’t like to make a big deal out of it and straight up ignores it most of the time (“I pretend I do not see it”)

Has a few scars on his hands from tinkering, but are mostly healed (lotion works wonders my dudes)

Completely introverted, please leave him alone thanks

Wrecker

Second youngest of the og four (CT 9903) 

Is constantly hungry because of his size and high metabolism 

Gets muscle aches if he goes too long without being active 

Has ADHD and autism 

Stims via working out or playing with Lula (or any of Omega’s other toys when she’s not playing with them)

Has a low level of tolerance for pain, but tries to act otherwise (and does a terrible job at it LOL)

Got his face scar on their first mission ever, doesn’t regret it and thinks it makes him look cooler 

Has various scars all over his body, as well as stretch marks from growing so big so quickly

Very extroverted, gets lonely easily

Crosshair

Youngest of the og four (CT 9904) 

Gets frequent headaches because of his superior vision (which is why getting the Order 66 headaches didn’t seem out of the ordinary to him) 

Gets sore limbs sometimes, especially his legs, from how long they are 

Is autistic 

Stims by chewing on his toothpicks 

Has an average level of tolerance for pain but is really good at hiding it

Has a few minor scars on his body but mostly stretch marks from growing so tall so quickly

Very introverted, but gets lonely at times (and will NEVER admit it)

Echo

Oldest of the entire group overall

Suffers from “ghost limbs” with his scomp arm and legs sometimes 

Will get eye twitches sometimes from his brain “short-circuiting” 

Makes jokes about his disabilities to cope (“you wouldn’t hurt a disabled man, would you?”) 

Has PTSD, mostly from what happened after the Citadel explosion 

Distracts himself from the Horrors™ by running ship diagnostics and rereading manuals (which he already liked doing, of course)

Has an average level of tolerance for pain and likes to hide it behind his jokes (“tis but a flesh wound!”)

Has some scars all over his body from the Citadel explosion and his implants

Big extrovert, HATES being alone, please don’t leave him alone OMG

#the bad batch #star wars the bad batch #tbb headcanons #is it any surprise the most developed one is Hunter ROFL #anyway I will fight you over the autism headcanon #and don't come at me with the 'soldiers can't have mental issues' thing #it's called masking sweatie; look it up #Echo CLEARLY has PTSD so like #TBB being autistic isn't much more of a stretch LOL #also I feel like Hunter could also have minor ADHD #not as obvious as Wrecker of course #but enough to be a problem #it's the heightened senses for me haha #also these are all 'canon' in MLWTBB in case anyone was wondering #already wrote Hunter having a panic attack and everything HA #my dark and broody bandana man #Goggles™ #Muscles™ #Mr Snarky Sniper #Mr Iconic One Liner #star warz

[loopy777]

I apologize if you've answered this question before, but what are your general opinions on Faith Erin Hicks's writing vs. Gene Yang's for the Avatar Comics? Hick's seems to be significantly more faithful to the characters from my perspective, but I've only read a couple of her works(Suki Alone and Azula in the Spirit Temple). On the other hand, I'm not blown away with ideas behind these comics, with Suki Alone particularly failing to do anything remotely interesting with Suki's character.

You know, I don't think I've ever posted anything on Hicks's comics in general. I've 'reviewed' individual comics of hers, but never spoke on her overall level of writing, characterization, and/or style.

Basically, I think her work is infinitely superior to Gene Yang's in every way while never quite hitting a home run.

What's become an outlier to her overall body of Avatar work is the first thing she got to write for the franchise (although she'd previously drawn a short story that Yang wrote), the Imbalance trilogy. I think she absolutely nailed the characterization of the gAang, created intriguing original characters, wrote dialogue that sounds like something human beings would say while also capturing individual character voices, and successfully depicted a world that has progressed beyond the cartoon's finale. I also think it's the only thing in the franchise that successfully engages with the idea of Aang's ability to take away bending.

But that story was also hobbled by being an explicit prequel to LoK, saddled with that nonsensical Bender Vs NonBender conflict. Hicks did a fair job trying to explain it and manifest it, but it's still mostly nonsense if you stop and think about it for a second. We also have an eye-rolling moment where Toph discovers how great it is to fight with metal cables, but at least it's a quick moment that wouldn't have stuck out if the narrative hadn't stopped to call it out.

I also think the final act of the comic was a bit of a fizzle. I can't say anything is really wrong with it, and it doesn't try to resolve things by claiming all the problems are solved forever, but it still feels like it doesn't quite live up to the questions and conflicts it raises in the first two parts and ultimately ends in a non-surprising way. It's not bad, just a bit underwhelming. I never got around to reading the final part of Hicks's Nameless City trilogy, so I don't know if that's common for her. But, you know, it's far from the worst thing in the world to be a storyteller whose worst trait are endings that merely satisfy instead of wow.

Unfortunately, this is around the time the franchise decided that new cartoons are back on the menu and Avatar Studios is a thing, so all of Hicks's other work has been hit hard by the company mandate that Absolutely Nothing Matters Unless It Is Animated. So I can quickly zoom through the rest of her oeuvre with a + and - for each:

Katara and the Pirate's Silver + A cute little adventure that nails Katara's character. - There's not enough material here for the full pagecount, so a separate and very stupid subplot with the rest of the gAang is thrown in to absolutely no consequence.

Toph Beifong's Metalbending Academy + There are some amusing gags here. - This is hit hard by the one-two punch of being saddled with a lot of characters created by Gene Yang and also dealing with lore created by LoK.

Suki, Alone + A great little character study of Suki. - Utterly pointless and even goes out of its way to provide absolutely no confirmed details about Suki's family.

Azula in the Spirit Temple + Exactly the story Azula needs at this phase in her arc with delightfully solid characterization. - So open-ended that the next Azula story can easily ruin her character again, thus it feels more like we're poised to take the next step rather than actually taking it.

When all we're getting is stuff designed to be as inconsequential as possible, not matter how well-characterized, it's hard for the stories to feel like they have an impact. Now, I'm not saying I'm against the concept of 'filler,' as they can be great episodes, but the problem is that these comics are dealing with characters whose arcs have already been fully detailed for us, the audience, and we've already seen the characters' best stories. We're treading ground that's already been covered, and it takes a very clever storyteller to really wow with that kind of setup. Hicks, while a good storyteller who gets the characters and franchise, has never shown (at least in what I've read of hers) that snappy kind of cleverness.

Ironically, Gene Yang has -- consistently -- in his original graphics novels that I've read. But he really did not bring it to his Avatar stuff.

So, overall, I like Hicks, and while her comics don't excite me in the way the novels do, I'm so traumatized by Gene Yang that I relish getting stories about the gAang with good dialogue and no stupidity like expecting me to believe that the Rough Rhinos pose a threat to post-finale Aang.

#zuko-always-lies #faith erin hicks

[xenascribbles]

Find the Word

i was tagged by @shellyscribbles !

my words: effort, face, grate, hail (didn't have this one, sorry!)

your words: chase, craze, hope, join (i forgot to add words when i first posted lol whoops)

tagging: @frostedlemonwriter @cssnder @dragonbooksword (thank you all for encouraging me to share, now it’s your turn <3)

Effort: from Florence's Revenge

It still trickles over his fingers and soaks into his shirt. Bright and crimson red.  Derrin looks down at the wound, still groaning in pain, and then back up at her, and Florence is almost scared of the joy she gets from seeing the fear in his face. She knew that she’d enjoy seeing him squirm, but she’s having a fantastic time. She’s perhaps even overjoyed.  She makes no effort to lessen the grin spreading across her face, leaning forward to brace her arms on her knees as she sits directly in front of Derrin. He leans back against the wall, face distorted in pain and confusion. 

Face: from The Curse of The Human Condition

Run, the forest seems to scream. Alesya listens. As fast as her tired legs can go, she runs in the direction she was already going before that snarl stopped her. Her feet ache, her legs are burning, her lungs screaming for a full breath, her throat begging for just a sip of water.  The ground shakes with each pounding of what sounds like giant paws of a large beast against the forest floor. Bounding after her, snarling and snapping. The forest becomes a blur as she runs, the shadows morphing everything together. But the beast behind her is unrelenting as it settles into the chase.  The stench of its hot breath beats against the skin of her back, and curdles the blood in her veins. She shrieks as a shadowy figure of fur and teeth and claws creeps into the side of her vision, but when she whips over her shoulder to face it - face her death - it disappears as if anticipating her turn, staying just out of her vision. 

Grate: from Florence's Revenge

It seems that Kamori was just waiting for her to speak on it, waiting for something to cut the tension, because he sighs heavily and his stiff shoulders relax. “Yeah, thanks for not calling me out about that, by the way. Derrin just … he gets on my nerves. I know he’s my superior and I need to respect him but he just really grates on me sometimes. Something about him makes me uneasy.”  Florence hums, grinning softly. It’s always a good feeling when her hatred is validated. She’s not the only one to have a problem with Derrin. Of course, Kamori surely doesn’t dislike Derrin for the same reasons as Florence, and he definitely doesn’t hate Derrin as much as she does. Florence could kill him right now and not lose a second of sleep over it. “I don’t like him either. I think he’s a prick,” she says, which is a huge understatement.

#writeblr #writers on tumblr #writing #writerscommunity

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

a trailer for Clementine Book Two dropped and y'all... it looks kinda good

T'was a stormy Thursday afternoon as I sat exhausted in my comfy chair after a long day at work, but with the weekend in sight I had little to frown about. Thunder rumbling outside, pitter patter of rain against my window, all cozy enough to make my eyes flutter shut. A nap sounded like a fine idea to start the weekend....

Then I got a notification—the Clementine Book Two trailer dropped. I bolted up from my chair, eyes narrowed down at my phone, and muttered to myself: "Aw shit, here we go again."

Yep. I'm here to dissect a trailer for a book no one wants and share my opinions and theories about it. You can watch the trailer for it here.

Honestly y'all, I think it looks good. I wouldn't say it's great or anything. I'm not THAT hopeful for Book Two. But it's a better trailer than Book One's, that's for sure. The artwork and animations look better and the music slaps.

After having watched it a few times now, I'm starting to question something about myself because I'm not nearly as offended by the existence of these books like I used to be. I still think the games are superior and the comics are indeed flawed, like I stand by all my criticisms, but seeing fans still throw temper tantrums like grumpy toddlers is just... silly? and irritating? At this point, just calm down. If this comic is really that bothersome for you, maybe you should just not look at it? Y'know, for your own well-being?

With that said, onto the screenshots and analysis:

Immediately I gotta point out the improvements in the art. I quite like these shots, there's a definite improvement over Book One.

We see a neat looking walker with either Olivia or a new character lurking behind it, Clementine's crying, and then some silhouettes of who I'm assuming are this new group, or they could be a pack of walkers.

So, I find these shots fascinating. We get a look at a bunch of new characters, and it looks like this new island group is a good mix of ages. We have a kid with an amputated arm, a character in wheelchair- though I believe that first shot kind of looks like Clementine based on the hair and the fact that Ricca and Olivia are there, and that second group screenshot shows a different person using one so maybe they have multiple chairs or something.

I feel like Book One missed an opportunity with the first community Clementine visited, the one where she met Amos and got her new leg. There are other characters there with prosthetics and you'd think Clementine might be interested in speaking to them, y'know? Not many people know what it's like to lose a limb, especially the way she did, and it might be nice for her to related to someone who has gone through a similar experience.

So if Clementine and friends are staying her for a long period of time, I would like to see her talk with that kid missing an arm, or the person using the wheelchair. There's a lot of potential in that.

Also, I do feel like I should bring this up because a criticism I keep hearing about this is the same bullshit I always hear: "A new group with children? The games already did this! Tillie's just copying TFS!"

How many times do I have to read this before I'm allowed to just start grunting disdainly at people?

Like I dunno if y'all have forgotten, but every single season of TWDG had Clementine meet a new group of people, and all of them had at least one kid around her age. TFS didn't invent the concept of a group of kids surviving in the apocalypse, and TWD has several instances of main characters meeting new groups.

Pretty much everything in TWD has been done. If you're gonna be pissy about this comic rehashing previous tropes and ideas, then I better hear you also being pissy about everything post the original TWD comics, and that includes every season of TWDG.

And yes, I get it. It's annoying that Clementine left Ericson and now she's finding a new group. Nothing new is being said here, we've all said it a million times, we know already.

And then there's this:

"but Clem already had a mentor! What about Lee??"

I don't know if you've heard, but Lee's super dead and no longer available for any mentor position.

Luke, Kenny, and Jane were also mentor characters for Clementine in S2. ANF she had Javi. Then in S4 she became the mentor character with AJ. This is a nothing criticism. Hell, you can't even call it that because what it really boils down to is bitching over nothing.

That's what I'm so over. Every time I see someone complain that the comics are just copying the games or whatever, I get irritated because that's not a real criticism. It's people looking to validate their dislike of the comics by making it sound way worse than it really is. You don't have to like the comics, and you can take issue with their existence. There are plenty of things to criticize about Book One that have nothing to do with the damn games, and while I can hope Book Two is an improvement, I am skeptical.

But I'm bored of your "#notmyclementine," it's says nothing new.

ANYWAY... my ranting aside, this must be Miss Morro. I'm curious about her and what her deal is. She's supposedly an "enigmatic doctor" and I'm interested to see if she turns out to be the secret baddie of this book or a red herring.

Ah yes, I'm sure everything on this island isn't going to be super normal, all happy sunshine and rainbows... until it's not. Because that's just how TWD operates.

It looks like they have a nice set up. They have boats for what I assume is fishing, a lot of land, buildings, and are those balloons I see? floating up from a car?? That tells me there's some sort of celebration that's gonna happen.

And it looks like Clementine has her new hat. Not as iconic as her old hat, but I'm sure the sunhat will make a name for itself.

Ah okay. The other thing people were pissy about.

We're still pushing this love story between Clementine and Ricca, just as we did in Book One's trailer.... only for the "romance" in Book One to be lackluster, or rather, nonexistent. As I said in my review, Clementine had more chemistry with Amos than she did with Ricca and that's not great when Ricca's supposed to be the main love interest.

But if we're still doing this, and we clearly are because their hands are touching and we all know that's THE #1 sign of true love, then y'know what? I'm rooting for it.

Don't look at me like that. I'm not letting go of clouis for clemricca, y'all should know better than that. I'm not so weak willed as to think that entertaining the idea of Clementine and Ricca being together in these comics will somehow hurt my love of clouis. The games and comics exist as separate things, it's fine.

I want to see where Tillie takes this. I want to see if Ricca's allowed to be a fleshed out character and not just a place holder love interest. Now that Amos is gone [or is he?] then we should have some free time to devote to them, no?

Also, to answer your question: No, it's never safe to fall in love, this is TWD, don't be silly.

Hmmmm, a dark secret, you say?

I know you're trying to make me think Miss Morro has the dark secret... but I'm suspicious that it's a trick.

Y'all wanna take bets on what the secret of Miss Morro/the island group is? Are they a cult? Cannibals? Doin' weird shit with the walkers? Is this island like the island in Lost and monster bullshit's about to happen?

What's gonna be the twist here, y'know? Tell me what you think, the more absurd the better.

I'm going with the plot twist that they're all genuinely nice people except there's a traitor amongst the group out for revenge... and that traitor is Arvo who got wind that Clementine named her prosthetic after Kenny, remembered how terrible the ending of S2 was, and wants revenge.

That's a lot of walkers.

Looks like a herd will pass through the area... wonder if they just happened by or if someone led them there, hmmm?

Lots of Clementine tears in this trailer, and given she and Ricca are both crying, some emotional shit's probably going down. Maybe they're talking about what happened in Book One, maybe Olivia's just died, maybe Clementine's going more in-depth about her past is ways that will give me a headache. Who knows.

"Clementine has a choice. Keep running and save herself. Or fight a lose it all."

Y'know... I know this won't happen, but a part of me wants a plot twist where Clementine abandons the group and saves herself. I mean, she already abandoned Ericson. She's clearly capable of abandoning AJ for selfish reasons. I would be impressed if Clementine and Ricca just left when shit hit the fan and saved themselves while the island group just burns.

But this IS a YA story, so Clementine's gonna be the hero and sacrifice everything to save everyone, and survive. There's a final book after this so I'm positive that Clementine and Ricca are safe.

Given this kid's crying and we get a close up of the walker's face, I'm predicting that the walker is someone they knew. Or they've never had to kill one before.

Is that.... is that my boy??

My dude?? My guy?? The best character from Book One??

Amos is here, except not really. I'm 99% sure Clementine's dying [again] and is having a dream sequence with Amos telling her she's not gonna die.

Listen, I'm gonna be real with you. I don't think Amos is dead. Unless you show me his corpse or him as a walker, I don't believe he died. Nope. Sorry, but no. You know how this works. Proof, or get outta here with this "Amos couldn't have survived the fall" nonsense. I know he was shoved off a cliff but c'mon. I have to hold out hope for SOMETHING, and that something is the shocking return of an alive Amos.

Also, very interesting that Clementine's seeing him at all. What, no Lee suddenly appearing to her? It's almost like she had a great dynamic and chemistry with Amos over the the rest of the group and his supposed "death" had a big impact on her.

This trailer does a lot better at creating intrigue over what's going to happen. And to clarify, while I'm hopeful that this comic will be an improvement over the first, I'm not expecting it to blow my mind or anything. I'm not expecting it to be great, but I wouldn't complain if it was, y'know?

I already have my copy pre-ordered. I'm prepared to read it ten times so that I can write a thorough "I read it so you don't have to" analysis and review.

And because this has to be said since the trailer's comments are disabled: don't be a dick, y'know? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the trailer and what we know of Book Two so far, but if you're just gonna spew nonsense about hating Tillie or try to convince me she's bad, just... piss off? I don't care, no one cares, come back when you have something of value to add to the conversation. Thanks.

#twdg #twdg clementine #clementine book two