#the most untrue statement actually

[ukiyowi]

Sick of seeing posts abt Gemini Venus which are like, they're not loyal 💔💔 they always have wandering eyes 👁️👁️ man stfu 😭

Anyways last exam today 💪

#taa ily ! #i have 3 gemini Venus friends #me included #and i on top of thay have gemini venus in the THIRD so its gemini Gemini #the most untrue statement actually #the mental stimulation part i get but they find ways to stimulate themselves by getting involved in their partners hobbies and sharing the #hobbies also share their own interests w their partners etc like stfuu #everyone needs to stop this shit im tired of it saw a huge ass post talking abt venus signs and gemini venus was only abt being disloyal #like girl you dont have anything else to say? #i also have gemini mars so these ppl will say I'm even more disloyal ig idek #like all the venus sigjs were like omg so pretty gorgeous strong caring and gemini was just “they're not genuine #they seem disloyal“ #they're “surprisingly” loyal with “the one” girl tf you mean surprisingly stfu lmao #leave fr

[energysoda]

being goth and socially awkward can sometimes makes you respond with unintentional bangers when ppl try to spew bs, like, if I remember correctly, first day of junior year in highschool some boys at lunch asked me if I 'wanted to perform a ritual with them' and I just looked at them blankly for a moment and then asked 'what kind' in the most deadpan voice 💀💀

#at least thats what i think i remember saying #it was like #almost three years ago so #but yeah ppl be wilding and deadpan responses are always so funny #mine #memories fr #goth #actually goth #gothblr #highschool stories #actually autistic #socially awkward #look my type of sarcasm is trying to sound as genuine as possible while saying the most obviously untrue statement #but yeah they just laughed amongst themselves and then turned back around to their lunch so #guess they changed their minds

[starryhyuck]

pairing: alpha!soulmate!jeno x afab!omega!reader

words: 2.9k+

summary: your first meeting with the notorious lee jeno sends you spiraling into heat.

genre: smut

warnings: a/b/o dynamics, knotting, breeding kink, cunnilingus, degradation, mating, some public sex

“You’re coming with me to the Governor’s Ball tonight.”

Your eyebrow raises at Hyewon, who is eagerly sitting across from you, practically jumping out of her seat. The Beta in her is naturally timid, so she must be extremely excited to be acting this way.

“And why would I do that?” You ask, displaying no interest in the event. “It’s just going to be a room filled with rowdy Alphas.”

“That’s why we’re going, duh,” Hyewon says as if you’ve lost a few brain cells. “It won’t just be an event with any regular Alpha — these Alphas will be the most handsome and richest of all!”

Hyewon comes from an affluent family that has an expectation of her to marry wealthy. You know she has been trying for years to pair with any man who has millions in his bank account, yet none of them can match her standards.

You, on the other hand, couldn’t care less about finding an Alpha to mate with. You’ve always envisioned yourself with a calmer Beta, someone who had realistic goals and expectations and wasn’t driven by the feral nature of their genetics. Alphas are known for being possessive and dominant, and it just doesn’t seem like an ideal relationship for you.

“Hyewon, I really don’t think that’s my scene.”

“Come on,” she pouts at you. “Do you know how lucky you are to be an Omega? I would kill to present like you and have every Alpha bend to my whim.”

The statement is slightly exaggerated but not entirely untrue. As an Omega, you do recognize that you have more of a leverage with Alphas as your scent is naturally more alluring to them than a Beta’s. However, you have always opposed the idea that Omegas are solely born to satisfy Alphas. They see you as nothing but a hole to fill and a neck to be marked.

Hyewon clutches to your wrist and pleads loudly, drawing looks from other students lingering in the cafe.

“Please, please, please-“

“Okay!” You huff, withdrawing your hand and looking down bashfully. “Fine, I’ll go with you.”

She throws her arms up and cheers happily.

—

Hyewon wraps you in a stuffy, form fitting dress which is covered head to toe in expensive crystals. She insists you have to shine at the event in order to stand out from all the other Omegas in attendance tonight. Despite your indifference, you let her play dress up as she wants.

She tugs you into the lavish Governor’s Ball, where most of the political leaders of your town are gathered. Hyewon’s eyes lock into the Lee family, the most influential household in werewolf existence.

You don’t know much about the Lee family despite their powerful presence, but Hyewon is quick to fill in the gaps. “That’s Lee Taeyong,” she whispers to you as she points to the stoic man standing across the room. “He’s the oldest, and he’s actually nicer than he looks. The one next to him is the middle child, Lee Mark.” The man she points to has a similar bored expression painting his face, slowly swirling his champagne glass to find a source of amusement. You can tell from the lilt in Hyewon’s voice that he is the Alpha she has her sights set on for the night. “And that guy is the youngest, Lee Jeno. Don’t even try with him, he’s a waste of time.”

Your eyebrows furrow at the Alpha, who appears angrier than any other male in this ballroom. You can practically feel his disdain coursing through your veins.

“Why is he so… grumpy?”

She laughs at your question. “I told you, he’s a waste of time. He’s always pissed off at these events for no reason and hates it when any Beta or Omega tries to make conversation with him. He’s the worst Lee brother to mate with.”

Hyewon soon leaves you to your own devices, heading off to try and win Mark over. You awkwardly make conversation with a few other Omegas around you, but they seem more interested in gathering the attention of the Lee brothers than actually engaging with you.

Midway through the event, you head to the bathroom down the corridor to freshen up. You gasp when you turn the corner and suddenly ram straight into someone’s chest. Your champagne glass falls to the floor and shatters across the marble, but that is the last thing you’re concerned about.

Your body suddenly starts to feel like it’s on fire, heat spreading through your core rapidly. You choke and clutch your stomach, glancing up to see the reason behind your misery.

Jeno stands in front of you, eyes blooming red as he drinks you in. You pant and take a step back from him, recognizing the signs of your approaching heat.

But that can’t be possible — your heat isn’t due to come for another few weeks.

“W-What did y-you do-“ You wheeze, embarrassed by the slick dampening your panties.

“Omega,” Jeno says, stern glare painting his face as he reaches for you. “Calm down.”

His fingers brush by your mating gland and you gasp. His touch feels like someone rubbed a match and lit a fire against your skin. You turn and run as fast as you can, reentering the ballroom and darting straight for Hyewon’s figure. Every Alpha’s head turns at the scent of your growing heat, baring their teeth at your lewd display.

“Hyewon,” you beg, clutching her arm. “You need to take me home.”

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

As a Beta, Hyewon can’t smell your growing arousal or detect the signs of you going into your heat. All she sees is her friend with a desperate look on her face. Mark, who is standing across from her, shifts his predatory gaze to you. Hyewon notices the change in him and she quickly pulls you behind her.

“A-Are you going into heat?” She asks quietly.

You nod and whimper. She asks no further questions, wrenching your figure close to hers and locating the nearest exit. She shoves you into the first limousine in the parking lot and shuts the door behind her, shouting your address at the driver.

You grasp her elbow and cry. “Hyewon, this is a strong one-“

A wave of arousal shoots down your spine, causing you to fall deeper and deeper into your subspace. If Hyewon doesn’t lock you in your bedroom soon, you’re afraid you might offer yourself to the first Alpha you see.

“Why didn’t you say you were about to go into heat?” She chastises, grabbing a tissue to dab at your sweltering forehead. “Let me call Jaemin.”

You stop her from taking her phone out of her purse. “N-No, don’t call him. I don’t want him.”

“What? You always use Jaemin for your heats.”

“No,” you shake your head, still unsure of why you’re denying her. She’s right — since your first heat, you have always asked Na Jaemin to come over and take care of you. He was a family friend and never took advantage of you at your worst. However, there’s a sinking feeling in your gut that’s telling you Jaemin is the last Alpha you want to see right now. “Just get me home.”

You barely register Hyewon helping you into your apartment, faintly remembering her guiding you to your bed.

“W-What should I-“

“Please leave,” you say, writhing and desperately pulling at the zipper of your dress to get it off you. “Trust me, you don’t want to see me like this.”

She frowns, her voice filled with concern. “But-“

“Please, Hyewon,” you plead. “Thank you for getting me here but you need to leave.”

You hear the front door close just as you fling your dress to the floor, quickly locating your vibrator in your nightstand. You pull your panties to the side and sigh in relief when you sink the toy into your heat. It only quenches your pain slightly, but it’s enough to simmer down the fire in your belly.

You’re unaware of how much time has passed when there’s another knock at your door. You’re writhing on the bed sheets, begging for another orgasm as your hand has grown tired of lazily pushing your vibrator in and out of your dripping pussy. Your fingers circle your clit slowly as you plead for the moon to end your misery.

You miss the sound of your door rattling off its hinges, mind overtaken by a cloud of fuzziness. Loud stomping echoes throughout your apartment and a large figure invades your room, growling when he sees the sight of you hopelessly twisting your hips to gain any sort of comfort.

A hand wraps around your throat and squeezes, forcing another gush of arousal to leak down your thighs.

“What do you think you’re doing, Omega?” His voice scarily questions, nearly spitting in your face. “How dare you touch what’s mine?”

They used to spread stories of true mates when you were in high school — stories of how when an Alpha meets the destined Omega they were born to be mated with, it would immediately send the Alpha and Omega into their corresponding ruts and heats. You always thought it was some odd wolf propaganda created centuries ago to carry on the belief that true mates still existed. However, as you look at Jeno hovering above you, there is no doubt in your mind that he is your true mate.

The fuzzy parts of your brain start to clear. “J-Jeno?”

He grins, leaning down to lick at the shell of your ear. “That’s Alpha to you. Present yourself.”

You scramble to follow his order, shoving your head into the pillow and arching your ass up in the air. He clicks his tongue mockingly.

“A pretty, submissive Omega. You know, I always wondered what cute little thing I was destined to end up with. I never thought the moon would grant me a beautiful mate like you,” he hums, digits collecting the remnants of your orgasm across your thighs. He groans as he licks the taste of you off his fingers. “You want your Alpha’s knot, baby?”

You nearly unravel at the thought of him filling you deep with his cum, giving you so much of it that it spills out of your tiny pussy.

“A-Alpha,” you whine. “Please Alpha, please knot me.”

You hear the clink of his belt buckle and your body thrums in excitement. He plants his knees down on the mattress, shrugging off his slacks and throwing his stuffy blazer to the side. He ducks his head to lick a stripe up your folds.

You shudder, bunching the sheets in your fists and practically sobbing at the need to have his cock inside of you. You’ve never felt this hopeless during your heat before, never craved another Alpha’s cock like this.

Jeno’s hands tighten around your hips as he laps at your cunt, groaning at the sweetness of your taste. It only takes a few seconds for you to gush into his waiting mouth, the sounds of him eagerly swallowing your release filling the room.

Your body slumps on the mattress at the weight of your orgasm. You barely have time to recover when you feel his tip prodding your entrance.

He growls. “Beg for my cock, Omega whore.”

“Please, Alpha, please fuck me. I want your knot to fill my pretty pussy, want you to mark me and make me yours-“

The thought of you being mated to him is what sends Jeno feral. He pushes his cock inside your waiting hole, slick dripping down your thighs and giving him easy access to slide in. You sigh in relief when he’s finally deep inside you, quelling the fire in your stomach that was pleading for him.

He doesn’t waste time — ramming into you at an inhuman speed, hands angrily digging into your sides and slapping your ass until his palm is imprinted on your backside. Your head lolls to the side, officially giving Jeno complete control to use you as you wish.

Just like with your other heats, your body throws you into climax after climax until the pleasure molds itself into your skin. Jeno is still spitting the most filthy, degrading words at you as his knot slowly approaches.

“Look at you, silly Omega. Offering yourself up to the first Alpha you see. Would you have given this cunt to someone else, hm? Let them take what’s rightfully mine?” At the shake of your head, he smirks. “That’s right. Pretty Omega’s pussy is made only for me. Designed for my knot, designed to breed for my future pups.”

The thought of him impregnating you with the future of the respected Lee line prompts you over the edge again. Jeno hisses and grabs the back of your neck, hoisting you up easily to his chest as you hear the sound of his balls slapping against your cunt forcefully.

“Gonna keep cumming around your Alpha’s cock? Never had a heat like this one before, have you, baby? That’s because the moon has finally brought you to your true mate, and you never have to spend another heat without me again.”

You cry in pleasure at the thought of being able to spend every heat with Jeno. You never minded Jaemin being your heat partner, but this satisfaction and connection is something you’ve never felt with anyone else. You genuinely think you’ll die if you go through another heat without Jeno beside you.

“A-Alpha,” you whimper, steadily holding onto his arm that’s securely wrapped around your middle. “Please knot me, Alpha. You’re the only one who can.”

“Yeah?” He groans at how desperate you sound for him. “Want your Alpha’s big knot? Want to be bred like a good little Omega?”

You nearly sob. “Y-Yes! Yes, please!”

He tilts your head and exposes your neck. His fingers carefully run over your mating gland, causing a shiver to run down your spine.

“And this? Is this for me to mark, Omega?”

You frantically nod. “Yes, Alpha. Only for you.”

You know it’s a big step, a permanent marking that would tie Jeno’s Alpha to your Omega forever. Your mind screams at you to reconsider this decision when you have a clearer head, but your heart tells you that there’s nothing to mull over — Jeno is your Alpha and you need the whole world to know.

As his knot begins to swell inside you, his teeth sink into your mating gland, uniting your souls into one. Every feeling Jeno’s ever had courses through your veins, multiplying your pleasure tenfold. Your thighs begin to shake at the amount of gratification flowing through your body.

You almost pass out from the overwhelming sensation, and your body goes slack in Jeno’s hold. His cum shoots deep into your womb, filling you and marking you as his until his release is leaking down your thighs.

You both collapse on the mattress, with Jeno pulling you close to ensure his knot stays rooted deep inside you.

Your head starts to free from your subspace temporarily, and you carefully scan your room as he licks at the wound on your neck to clean you up.

“Did you- Did you break my door?”

Indeed, you can see your front door laying flat in the hallway, nearly shattered. Jeno hums softly.

“It was in my way.”

You think about how your apartment floor must’ve had to evacuate from the profound smell of your scent mixed with Jeno’s. You would feel guilty about it but considering Jeno has no shame over it, his emotions overpower yours.

“Want to fuck you again, Omega,” he hisses against your skin. “Love being mated to you.”

His honest confession forces another wave of arousal to spill from your pussy, leaking around his knot.

“Yeah, Alpha?”

He grunts and starts thrusting into you again, only being able to move a few inches as his knot is still plugging his cum into you. You gasp and pull him down to kiss you.

“My friend-“ you murmur in between moans. “My friend told me you hate Betas and Omegas.”

“Of course I do,” he hisses, propping your leg over his hip so he can push in deeper. “I hate every Beta and Omega who thinks they have a shot at being my mate.”

“You looked so grumpy when I first saw you.”

“I am grumpy,” he mumbles, hands darting to knead your breasts. “Grumpy for everyone except you.”

He grins when you squirt around his knot, your cunt sensitive from the constant rounds of fucking. Your eyes roll to the back of your head at your unexpected orgasm, body twitching in your Alpha’s hold.

Jeno fucks you until the sun rises to indicate the start of a new day. You two barely sleep, exploring various positions throughout your apartment and even the hallway of your complex, ushering more and more residents on the lower floors to evacuate from your scents. Their dirty looks are quickly changed when they see the notorious Lee brother claiming his new mate for all to see.

His cock doesn’t allow your pussy to rest until he’s sure you’ve been impregnated.

When you finally come to, you’re sprawled on your living room floor with a mix of your slick and Jeno’s cum surrounding you. He continues to lick at your skin as if he’ll die without fully receiving his taste of you.

It’s odd since despite only knowing him for less than a day, you feel like you’ve known him your whole life.

“I want-“ you pant, trying to regain your breath. “I want to fuck you forever.”

He chuckles. “Is that so, Omega?” He raises his head to see you, a predatory gaze lingering in his eyes. You wonder if you have it in you to go another few rounds.

“Lucky for you, we’re mated for life. I’m not going anywhere.”

#nct smut #jeno #jeno smut

[huskersbooze]

Bambi

Alastor x Reader

Summary : Alastor returns from his outing one day, finding a guest lying on the floor, unconscious, in front of the Hazbin Hotel. Untrue to Alastor fashion, scaring most of the staff members, he decides to keep the fascinating creature in his broadcasting studio, and when she wakes up, she's forgotten everything, even her name. And when Alastor starts calling her nicknames in the mean time, he accidentally gives her one that she ends up growing attached to..

Warnings : N/A

Pairing : Alastor x F!Reader (Gn!Reader here, M!Reader here)

Additional tags : Fluff(?), mentions of amnesia, Alastor actually being nice?!

Word count : 1.06k

“Wonderful, just wonderful! You’re awake!”

A staticky voice drew you out of your thoughts. Surprised, you snapped your neck towards the sound, and a rather tall and slim figure was right at your face.

“Charming, I haven’t seen you around here before!”

You flinch as the figure leans closer, causing them to back away slightly.

“Who.. who are you?”

“Pleasure to meet you, dear, just a pleasure! I'm Alastor, the Radio Demon. And who might you be?"

"I..” You reply. “I don't know." 

He seems taken aback by your response slightly, but his smile doesn't falter. Instead he cocks his head to the side and blinks at you.

"What's your name?"

You stay quiet for a while until you give an uncertain head tilt back to him.

"I don't know.."

The grin still very much glued to his face, he leaned a bit closer to you, voice dropping to a more hushed tone.

"Darling, you don't remember your name, or you don't know your name?"

"I.. I don't remember." You fight the urge to start fidgeting with your hands, looking down to the ground as your memories become a hazy blur.

"You don't remember? Your name? Anything?"

"No.."

He doesn't seem to let his bright smile falter at that, although his expression shifts slightly towards curiosity.

"Quite the fascinating creature you are." He blinks a couple of times before he shifts to lean against what seemed to be a broadcasting panel, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. "Intriguing, really. Do you know what happened to your memory?"

"No.. not really."

"Well, that's unfortunate." The Radio Demon lets out a chuckle, static still laced in his laugh. "It seems you're in a bit of a dilemma, aren't you, Bambi?"

"Bambi.. I like it." You reply.

"Pardon me?" He raises his eyebrow at you, surprised at your statement.

"Bambi. I like the sound of that."

He laughs, a smile sounding from him again. There was something so unsettling yet alluring about him.

"That is rather fitting, I suppose. Bambi.. it's not a bad name." He thinks for a few seconds, stroking his chin as he considers. "And I suppose I'll need something to refer to you if you're staying. It fits you.."

"Staying?"

"Where do you think you are right now, darling? You certainly didn't expect me to leave you out there with your memories wiped with nowhere to go?"

"I.."

"Surely you hoped to stay for accommodation and basic necessities?" The Radio Demon asks, curiosity glinting in his eyes. "You've lost your memory after all, have you not?"

"Yes.." You hesitantly replied. Sure, you've lost your memory, but you weren't stupid enough to follow a random Radio Demon around without knowing him.

"I don't bite, Bambi. I can guarantee everyone at the hotel will treat you with the respect you deserve. And if they don't, all you need to do is let me know and I'll handle them for you."

"Hotel?"

"My, my, you really are a clueless little deer." Alastor uses a cane-typed staff to ruffle your hair. “So fragile and just the cutest little thing.”

“Thank.. you?”

Alastor tilts his head to the side curiously.

"It seems as if my teasing isn't upsetting you. How strange." He merely comments. “Oh, to understand your lost little mind.”

You carefully scan the room. It seemed to be a broadcasting studio, the room simply in red. Totally wasn’t sinister at all.

“So, what do you say, Bambi? We wouldn't mind providing you with all the necessities you need for now.”

“Necessities?”

Alastor chuckles again.

"Like, a bed, for example! Or, oh, I'm sure you'd want new clothes as well, right? And... if that's not enough, we do serve breakfast the next day. If you want food, that is..."

“Jambalaya..” You mutter, mostly to yourself as you’re lightly lost in thought.

Alastor’s grin widens a little, his ears perking slightly at the sudden mention of his favourite food.

"I can't say that I was expecting that, but... yes, we actually do have jambalaya on the menu for lunch. How'd you know that?"

“Oh, sorry.. I was just talking to myself. It’s my favourite food.” You stifle a blush as you let out an embarrassed smile.

“Ah, so you do remember some things, Bambi.” He raises his voice in curiosity, walking towards a trapdoor in the floor. “Come along, dear, let’s bring you to Charlie.”

“Charlie?”

“The owner of the hotel, and also the Princess of Hell.”

“We’re in hell?”

Alastor stops in his tracks as the two of you reach the hallways, finally out of Alastor’s broadcasting tower.

“After our whole conversation, you just noticed?”

“I.. I suppose so.”

“Oh, dear, you really are just one mysterious creature, aren't you? To think you just appeared here, with no memories of yourself, of the world, and even what you're doing here in Hell. You are truly fascinating..”

Alastor smirks, speaking in a lower voice. “Charlie will be delighted to have you here.”

After introductions and such, Charlie settles you into the room next to Alastor’s, opposite of Angel Dust, and introduces you to all the staff.

“So.. who are ya’ exactly?” The white spider raises a hand, slouching on the couch with a grey cat beside him. 

“This is our new guest!” Charlie introduces. “Alastor found her unconscious and offered to let her stay.”

“That doesn’t really answer the question, princess.” The grey cat speaks up, seemingly bored from the unoriginality of these introductions.

“Well, Husker, our little friend here has lost her memories.” Alastor speaks up from beside you, ruffling your hair with his staff-cane-thing once more. You still couldn’t make out what it was really supposed to be.

“Lost her memories?” Vaggie is the one to speak up this time. 

“Indeed. It seems our dear friend doesn't even remember her own name, let alone anything else.”

“Then what a’ we s’posed to refer to her as?” Angel questions.

“You could call me Bambi..” You mutter softly, gaze glued to your own feet.

“Works for me.” Husk shrugs.

“Sure.” Angel replies.

Vaggie and Niffty nods.

You feel the static beside you grow a bit louder, and as you shift your gaze, you see Alastor keeping his composure with his backs behind his back, his eyes on you as he gives you a soft, and genuine smile.

“You’re going to love it here, Bambi.” He says.

———/ End. /———

#hazbin #hazbin hotel #alastor #alastor hazbin hotel #alastor the radio demon #hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin alastor #alastor fluff #alastor x reader #alastor altruist #alastor x you #alastor x y/n #hazbinhotel #hazbin hotel season 1 #hazbin hotel 2024 #hazbin hotel x reader #alastor angst

[loving-n0t-heyting]

"scientific research has definitively proven torture absolutely never works for extracting information thus rendering any moral questions around torture-interrogation moot" no. false. cope, skill issue, and ceding too much ground to the enemy

the obvious tell when ppl wield this factoid is that the studies alluded to are never actually cited. there is ofc a good reason for this: ethical standards in human experimentation rule out the sorts of rigorous controlled studies these authoritative pronouncements always bring to mind, meaning such scholarly work as does exist has to rely on considerably less persuasive arguments-by-inference, like pointing to the neurological damage induced by most torture techniques

and anyway we all know the claims are untrue to begin with. suppose there is some information on your encrypted laptop whose privacy you value at all but only finitely, and that someone takes a baseball bat to yr stomach while yr tied up in an effort to extract the password from you with the promise they will cease once the information is obtained. wdyd? exactly

the key to such effective torture is checkability, as (relatively) non-idiotic torture apologists themselves generally admit. anscombe writes satirically:

The Report might be thought, at first inspection, to rule [interrogation by torture] out on the ground that confessions obtained by torture are unreliable, and are therefore not to be introduced. That is true; but torture could often be used to obtain ascertainably reliable information. [...] The correct position, which the Report itself puts forward, is that such evidence should be used where independently confirmable; for example, the model statute reaffirms the ability of the prosecution to produce physical evidence, or any other fact, about a crime, even though information leading to that evidence be discovered by inducements, threats, or oppressive treatment, presumably including torture.

if you need real life examples, this war criminal-adulating mealy-mouthed sycophant has gathered a handful. you might here object (as well as to previous apriori argument) that these examples are somewhat limited in scope and relevance, which might be fair were the pronouncements on tortures ineffectiveness not always so sweeping and categorical. to a universal statement one counterexample suffices as refutation.

the fact that these smug claims of total inefficacy for torture as an information-gathering technique are so readily falsified is indicative of the underlying problem: as an argument against the use of torture it is either disingenuous or made from the same false starting position of the torturer, that the question of whether to torture is a matter of "weighing" the cost to the victim against the cost to "society" as mediated by how well the torture "works." in reality, torture is ruled out simply bc it is torture, just as murdering a teenage boy to harvest his organs is ruled out simply bc it is murder. give that up and youve given up everything

[nanomooselet]

Little but Fierce

Now, I might be mistaken, but judging by the number of bare pectoral muscles strewn over my dash at any given moment, I'm gonna say Wolfwood is pretty popular? And that's understandable (he's a loser <3) but it's a genuinely terrible shame that Meryl gets overlooked. Especially in Stampede. Orange have done some really amazingly cool things with Meryl.

And it makes me a little nervous to say so, but I think they only could have done them by detaching her from Milly, at least for a time. Milly's still going to show up and I'm confident from this precedent they'll treat her well, so I'm at peace with her absence for now.

Nightow is unexpectedly good in many ways. He treats sex workers as human, which is a low bar that many nevertheless fail to clear, and my only serious disappointment in Maximum was in how the girls vanished for long periods. I recall an interview where he said something to the effect of being reluctant to put them in harm's way, and while I'm disinclined to take anything Nightow says entirely at face value (I don't think he's a liar, but I do think he has a sense of humour that inclines him to kindly trolling, which I respect), that would line up, I think.

I think Orange are taking the opportunity to remedy this disappointment.

It's exciting. It's the kind of writing for female characters in genre media I've always craved. I will not be silenced on how extremely gay I am for Meryl Stryfe.

Unfortunately that means for this first entry, I'll have to talk about Knives. (Whom I also love, but not in a gay way. More an affectionate revulsion. He's fascinatingly horrible, this man.)

So. I've noticed a distressing tendency for Knives's... really almost anything that ever comes out of his mouth (seriously) to be taken as the honest, objective truth. After all, they didn't call him a villain.

And what an honest face he has!

As Knives has it:

Vash is pretty, but he's useless without his brother. He's a powerless, weak, pathetically naïve, blubberingly sentimental little baby who doesn't care about the Plants, too busy enabling humanity's abuse via performing his cringing, grasping abasement before them to notice how his brethren suffer. Knives himself is the more powerful (and much less human-like) of the twins; the strongest and most righteous activist for necessary change now that, sadly despite all good faith attempts at communication, non-violent solutions have failed. He truly has only the best and most altruistic intentions: the freedom of his people, and the happiness of his brother.

Here's the problem. This has always been the problem. Every one of the statements in the paragraph above is false. Except the one about Vash being pretty.

Once more with feeling: They are completely untrue. They are supported by literally nothing. All we have is his word that they're true and there's so much existing evidence to disprove his claims that even the thought of compiling it exhausts me.

However, I did say that Zazie is a truth-teller in this story, didn't I? So let's examine some of Zazie's conclusions.

Now, I've seen reference to the surviving human communities on No Man's Land as "colonisers", and that their treatment of the Plants even before the Fall is analogous to slavery. (My strong suspicion is that Knives is purposefully invoking those comparisons, in fact.) Those are both extremely loaded analogies, culturally and emotionally, and I just want to gently, respectfully caution those who make them against overlooking the more nuanced and purposeful analogies being made. Or maybe should I say, the actual individuals to whom they apply.

Zazie is very careful to say this: Knives told them humans can't be trusted to learn from consuming their home planet. Knives was the one who said humans will have Zazie's planet next, and that only Knives will "use" the Plants correctly - so Zazie should ally with Knives.

Here's what Knives meant by "using the Plants correctly":

I, uh, think Zazie may have made the wrong call on this one! And that Zazie thinks the same.

This is what makes the interaction with Wolfwood so funny and sad - the all-knowing, ostensibly unkillable Zazie is freaking the hell out, staggering under the weight of realising just how apocalyptically badly they have fucked up. Wolfwood, who also directly instigated this disaster but under duress, is grimly amused - he did everything he did fulfilling the contract to protect the kids, even as his conviction failed, even though he would rather have died, even after Livio... and thus he personally rendered all his own efforts and sacrifices moot.

And he's just like, "Heh, yeah. That tracks." This poor boy.

Afterwards, Zazie is confused and even a little saddened that Vash was demonised in the wake of July's destruction. Never let it be said the bug fails to learn from experience: Vash is the one everyone blames? Ah, so he was in fact spectacularly heroic and clever and it's entirely Knives's fault it turned out so badly.

Also, crashing on this specific planet wasn't exactly humanity's choice. Guess whose choice it was.

Go on, guess. Better yet, guess why.

Yeah. It was also Knives who said to Zazie that both he and Vash crashed the ships... trying to stop us. From doing exactly what Knives tried to do the very instant he got the chance.

The thing is, Knives does everything he can to look like he's right by positioning himself as the most authoritative source, but he isn't ever backed up by like... facts. Or evidence. Or reality. Or anything. Ever. He crowned himself king of the Plants. He speaks and acts for them by divine right, apparently. He didn't take a vote or anything - in his mind it's self-evident only he understands the world, and Vash, and the correct way to use the Plants. Because remember that it's not using Plants he gives a damn about, even using them to death in the Last Run, as long it's him doing it. It's being dependent upon humans; he views providing for our basic survival needs as wasteful and inherently, exclusively parasitic, even if we're helping the Plants to survive in turn. Because it's humans that he's frightened of, and he wants the yucky things gone.

The thing is, when he's not being purposefully manipulative (though Vash is the only one he manipulates in person, probably because Vash is the only one he pays enough attention to for his tactics to be effective) he's being a dense fucking idiot. At very few points do his delusions intersect with reality.

The thing is, Knives is a known, proven, and entirely unrepentant liar. It's the logical extension of the way he gaslights Vash. He is in no way a trustworthy source of information.

All that he says is part of a heroic narrative about being the specialest boy evar that he came up with to avoid taking any blame or responsibility for the consequences of his actions. Knives considers himself perfect, but he's made plenty of mistakes, which I do think he would consider mistakes - among them Rem's death, alienating Vash, cutting off his arm and rendering him disabled, and what I suspect to be the large number of Plants killed in the Fall, along with the ones consumed by the Last Run in the desperation that followed.

So he tells himself... little stories. Inside his head. It's how he reconciles it. It's how he copes.

Basically, if you want to find any truth in anything Knives ever says, look closely at what he says, and believe the opposite.

Now, onto my girl and how completely fantastic she is.

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

Part VI

Part VII

Part VIII

Part IX

#trigun stampede #trigun meta #tristampparty #millions knives #meryl stryfe #i was about to say “liar pants on fire” and then i remembered #...literally tho #meta: little but fierce #terrible terrible plant man

[emmitaaa4]

I want to preface this little rant by saying that I am all for ship and let ship—at the end of the day none of this has any significance, and we should all get to enjoy our silly little ships to our heart’s content. Me personally I just want Elain to do whatever the hell she wants and be happy in the end. That being said, rn I just felt like getting something off my chest.

From what I have seen and understood, most of The Other Side believes that Azriel feels entitled to Elain. That he sees her as a sexual object, or at the very most as a rebound he doesn’t truly care for, nor respect; he does not think of her beyond what he can get from her sexually. They say his attitude towards her is toxic in its ‘possessiveness’; he doesn’t consider her an equal, for he sees her as a perpetual damsel in distress he must save; his attraction to her / feelings for her are a symptom of some twisted trauma response.

We know that they believe that. We’ve heard it. Over and over and over. Since 2021. Hell, everybody’s momma probably knows it, too, with the way that rhetoric is spread. But Elriels have made it plenty clear that we have a very different interpretation of the text and do NOT agree with those assessments of Azriel (nor half the things the poor man is diagnosed with, bless his fictional soul), considering what we do know of Azriel’s character and his relationship with Elain, based on the books--and yes, the bonus (see this, this, and this post). Otherwise—i.e. if we believed him an incel x fuckboy hybrid (probs the first of his kind!) who is only interested in getting her in is bed—we would obviously not be shipping them together: most of us (99% I’d say lol) care about Elain more than we do Az, or care about them both just as much.

So it is getting pretty tiring to see us shippers—the actual humans behind the screen—labelled as having a toxic/immature view of what love is, of being “too young/naive” to see the supposed red flags, of mistaking lust for love because we have not experienced a healthy relationship (?), of actually promoting toxic relationships & advocating for toxic masculinity (which someone told me on tiktok just now)(stay away from tiktok, folks). Those generalizations are wild to me, not only because they are wildly untrue and condescending, but because Elriels are a colorful bunch, you know—when you’re speaking of the fandom Villain™, you’re speaking of people of every demographic, speaking of daughters mothers grandmothers, depressed uni students (pardon the self-insert), etc... I need to get thicker skin, but those statements can get pretty hurtful in the long run. And I’m tired of feeling the need to justify myself as if we’re wrong for shipping two people who MUTUALLY want one another and lets be serious, no its not “just lust”.

I know I know, I am probably being dramatic. But it’s just weird to see a ship being so demonized and its shippers along with it, all because louder portions of the fandom disagree with our opinions and insist on toxifying ours. Just to be clear, I know that many have had unpleasant experiences/interactions with Elriels, just like many Elriels have had the same with Gwynriels and/or Eluciens. I condone none of the disgusting behaviour I’ve seen from some shippers, and in fact I abhor it. As everyone should.

To end this on a good note.

Elriels, I say we run with it. Az wants Elain for himself. He is jealous and his mind is plagued by thoughts of her. Her presence is too much to bear, for he can’t stand to be in the same room as her and pretend like he feels nothing. He is ready to beg on his knees for a chance to worship her, and it took Nesta one look to see it.

AZ IS OBSESSED AND I SAY WE EMBRACE IT.

#pro azriel #elain archeron #ship and let ship folks #that said embrace the obsession my elriel girlies #azriel #elriel #rant post #azriel bonus chapter #pro elriel #azriel shadowsinger #acotar

[miracledarling]

how i clear "doubts"

before continuing, remember that u make ur own rules and i share what works for me. its all based on ur assumptions so do what works for u ❤️‍🩹

[ very messy unorganized post, bear with me ]

so as someone who doesn't believe things that easily, and a lot of times thinks logically, i found ways to help myself manifest and deal with negative thoughts.

first off, remember that these thoughts have no power. ZERO. they're just random thoughts so i wouldn't even call the doubts. just random thoughts that are less true than hot pink turtles crawling around ur bathroom ceiling(unless thats actually something true for u sorry lol). but what i'm saying is, don't give the thoughts power. this will help u stop wavering and persist without feeling as stressful. dont identify with these dumb untrue thoughts alright?

oh no !! i got a dOuBt. what do i do? 🥺

i take some deep breaths first. i acknowledge that i dont have to think PoSiTiVeLy all the time. this aint law of attraction. its not about forcing positively and be happy for high vibrations or whatever bullshit. nope. it's about assumptions right? its law of assumption.

with that in mind, i realize oh, so whatever i assume will come true.

so first, i assume those dumb thoughts aint matter anymore. they are just a bunch of bullshit that is not true. i tell myself that only my good thoughts would matter anyway, so give me all the doubts u want and i dont give a fuck.

its like when an annoying kid goes and bugs u. if u respond back they keep bugging u but if u ignore, they get bored and are like oh well whatever. so ur logical brain will be like: well the thoughts im telling her seem to be false. i guess im wrong im gonna stop annoying her.

and whenever u get those thoughts, its gonna be harder to give in and waver. its easier to persist now.

but...what if u cant believe it? if ur logical brain says: "well hell no. i dont believe u got big lips. i dont have proof, its against what i know."

instead of getting all worried like "oh no i wouldnt believe, will it not manifest?" i calm down and say "yeah just dumb thoughts again. they have no power so i dont care." I also say: "well believe it or not, my lips are big af. i know i might not believe it now, but there's nothing to deny that my lips are clearly big. so it doesnt matter what im believing. i have what i want regardless" this statement implies that whatever im believing or thinking, i still have my results. its done.

the statement i often now repeat when i get doubtful is: "well believe it or not, i clearly have [insert desire] and it's sooo obvious" or something along those lines

or "believe it or not its a fact that i have [desire] and i cant even prove it wrong."

i tell it to myself until i calm down to prevent myself from wavering.

my logical brain gives up and has no choice bc even if it wont believe me, it cant do anything about it because im speaking facts and the fact is that i got my desires

the bottom line: doing all of this ultimately does one important thing-it creates an assumption. specifically, i create an assumption that my "doubts" dont matter. and even if i think they matter they wont. even if im in complete disbelief that i dont have what i want, i still have what i want. there is zero other choice except to have what i want. no need for evidence or perfect thoughts.

i also acknowledge the fact that i wont fully believe or think in the perfect way and it's completely fine. because of the assumption i have created, even if i think shitty thoughts, i will still manifest what i want.

another thing about assumptions: they dont need evidence. like you can assume u have a white tshirt in ur closet even tho u didnt look in there.

for this case, this assumption i made eliminates every other option except to have my desire. no matter how much the logical mind tries, because i created this assumption, i can think whatever i want, have the most doubts and logic ever, and still manifest.

so keep persisting and you'll manifest ur desires without even realizing 💙

#law of assumption #loa #loassumption #manifesting #manifesation #self concept #neville goddard #affirmations #void state #affirm and persist #10k affirmations #doubts #manifesting tips #affirmyourreality #loa blog #loablr

[anti-terf-posts]

Hi, this may not be the right place to ask, but I’m just wondering what’s so wrong with radfem ideology? I can’t really find any proper resources detailing why it’s wrong, besides screenshots of either toxic people saying toxic things, or screenshots of tradfem blogs. My own research hasn’t brought up anything either, as I can’t really find radfems saying anything horrible like a lot of anti radfem posts describe them saying. Again, sorry if this is the wrong blog, feel free to ignore this ask if that’s the case!

BEFORE WE BEGIN: I AM NOT AN EXPERT. I USED ARTICLES WITH NUETRAL OPINIONS ON RADICAL FEMINISM, AND BASED MY OWN OPINIONS ON IT. USE THIS AS A SOURCE AT YOUR OWN RISK

This one is actually kind of tricky, because some radfem beliefs are actually very valid and are arguably reasonable.

For example, Wikipedia states, "Radical feminism is a perspective within feminism that calls for a radical re-ordering of society in which male supremacy is eliminated in all social and economic contexts" Which like, totally makes sense! The patriarchy needs to be dismantled entirely in order for women to have true freedom.

However, radical feminism dismisses the idea of legal/class based misogyny, which is ridiculous, considering the fact that women in higher classes often have more power over lower class women, and sometimes even enforce gender roles against lower class women (making them do household chores like taking care of the children or cleaning the house for them, etc.)

And let's not forget the racism rooted in radical feminism. Radfems claim that misogyny is the most basic form of oppression, which completely erases the oppression of people of colour, which has been around since almost forever.

In fact, in the early days of this movement, many black women refused to associate with radical feminists due to their ignorance of oppression against women of colour. It was only after radical feminists began to listen to woc, and start including them in their feminism that they decided to join the ideology.

Moving the discussion over towards prostitution and pornography. Radfems believe that both of those are inherently bad things. It is true that women in lower socioeconomic classes have a higher chance of being prostitutes, but it shouldn't be true. Yes, women who are coerced into sex work in any way should have the freedom to quit, but this should not clash with a woman's freedom to join the industry if she wants to.

So, sometime after the radical feminism movement was started, radical lesbian feminism began.

These women believed that they were helping women fight oppression and misogyny simply by being lesbians, because "heterosexuality inherently oppresses women". This statement is incompatible with the belief that women should have the freedom to do what they want. If lesbians are unable to control who they're attracted to, then why isn't that the same for heterosexual women? And let's not ignore the blatant biphobia that comes with that. A bi woman should have the freedom to choose to be in a male/female relationship without judgement (as long as she isn't being coerced into the relationship) and saying otherwise completely erases bi women's experiences as queer people.

Speaking of queer people, we all know and love the classic TERF, or, FART, as I like to call them. (Also, if you couldn't tell, I was being sarcastic about loving TERFs. No one loves TERFs.)

Trans Exclusive Radical Feminists believe that the trans movement "perpetuates patriarchal gender norms," and "is incompatible with radical feminist ideology."

If you couldn't tell, this is greatly untrue. Radical feminism just believes that we need to get rid of the patriarchy and has nothing to do with how people identify. If you take a look at pretty much any article that discuss radical feminism, you'll see the history of anti-trans rhetoric being spread by the ideology.

Being anti trans is probably what radical feminism is most well known for. Over the course of many decades, the ideology has become less about women's movement, and more about punishing trans people for their existence. Hell, even a quick search of "radical feminism" on this god forsaken site will reveal that their main motive is no longer about women's liberation and has now become all about oppressing trans people.

As my mum put it; "it's the cycle of abuse. These women are so traumatized by the patriarchy and misogyny, that they feel the need to abuse the easiest target."

To recap, the radfem ideology is racist, biphobic, and most notably, transphobic. And if that's not enough to convince you that it's problematic, I don't know what is.

#asks #anon #trans #transgender #anti terf #anti gender critical #anti radfem

[radlymona]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen one account so dedicated to making the most disingenuous statements as this one:

Her whole platform is clearly built off retweeting every slightly gender critical thought and putting the most absurd spin of the original tweet. Having any marketing that shows disembodied “female” (read: barbie doll) legs is disturbing and misogynistic. Saying 1 in 3 people get cervix cancer is blatantly false. Even her twisted statement is untrue. Plenty of women (especially those whose first language differs from the one spoken in their country) are woefully uneducated about cervix cancer. Women being told they should get screened for a disease because it is female-specific doesn’t make them dumb. This women has thrown women and their issues under the boss for the sake of a steady ~4K Twitter engagement. And for what? What does her “activism” actually achieve? Why bother going after an account like the above one that has like 50 followers and 500 likes on the original post just because you’re so obsessed with owning the terves

#like I really don’t understand this #her other tweets are just as absurd #trying to prove that men (apart from trans men) should be included when discussing endometriosis #and when someone responded that only 29 or so men have been shown to get it #she responded that just because it’s rare doesn’t mean that it should be included #29/4 billion men and it should br regarded as a health issue for them #like what????!

[dattuff]

Hi, I see that you ship Mileven, that's really cool! I've also seen that you've made quite a few anti-Byler posts, which is also totally fine. But I have noticed in many of those posts that you seem to believe Bylers don't have substantial evidence for their claims, which is untrue. Byler shippers are actually quite skilled in areas of media literacy and analysis, which is how we've collected so much proof. If you're interested in hearing what legitimate arguments Byler shippers have, I'd suggest checking out this huge list of evidence:

https://www.reddit.com/r/byler/s/RNOLvEEGcR

It currently has 180+ links, so I don't expect you to look at all of them, but even just a handful may equip you to at least argue against Byler better because you will be aware of what we actually believe. :)

Ok I read through some of them and this what I noticed.

^ mike was surprised because up until that point they’ve never said I love you to each other. The entire season he was trying to get the courage to say it, eleven picked up on it.

^ No evidence in mike lying whatsoever. As an audience where supposed to have an outside look and know a character is lying.

With eleven we seen her before mike arrive and after how she lied abt how she was doing.

For will in ep1 eleven states she doesn’t know who will is painting for at all, then in the van will says she does.

For Mike tho there’s nothing that indicates he isn’t interested in eleven. From the fact each season ends with them, they never have broken up/split up on their own terms. And in s4 he puts eleven basically over everything.

^The party didn’t really lose tho. Them losing would’ve been max and eleven dying. We know elevens strength is determined by love instead of hate like 001. If it truly didn’t work bc it was untrue she wouldn’t have been able to break free.

^This is already explained within the show itself. He doesn’t want to overstep bc he feels he’s not good enough for eleven and she’s gonna realize that and break up with him. He feels like he got lucky of finding eleven and she just stuck with Mike bc he found her first. He just doesn’t want to mess his first relationship up. Remember he’s 14.

^This is where I stopped bc this is so much of a reach it’s crazy. Mikes statement in itself says that if he expresses how he feels he thinks eleven will not feel the same. Aka leaving mike after him being at his most vulnerable. Him not outright say he needs her does NOT speak volumes bc of the fact of the entire season we see how much mike wants and needs her. Pretty much every arc mike has had shows how much he cares for and loves eleven. It’s subtext if it’s byler but for mileven if it’s not explicitly said then it’s not there? Very convenient

#antibyler #anti byler #mileven is endgame #pro mileven #mileven

[andypantsx3]

fingerprints | 3 | todoroki x reader

pairing: Todoroki Shouto / Reader

length: 3.5k of est. 20k words | 1 of 7 chapters

summary: When you’re outed as pro hero Shouto’s soulmate on national television, there are really only two sensible things for you to do: blame someone else and run.  

tags/warnings: romance, soulmate au, fluff, pining, not actually unrequited love, aged up characters, eventual smut

It turned out you had not hallucinated Todoroki Shouto in your animal shelter–or if you had, it had been a very prophetic hallucination–because not two hours later, Todoroki was indeed hosting a press conference. The affair was live streamed on youtube by a major broadcasting company, and was accompanied by the most deeply unhinged live chat you had ever seen in your entire life.

You’d made your way back home after your shift and propped yourself up on the couch to rewrap your bandages, unable to help tuning into Tododoki’s press conference curiously. The snippet you caught was deeply uncomfortable, especially with poor Yosihizuki Ayumi looking small and overwhelmed at the table next to Todoroki and some of his executive team. The sight of her made you feel kind of guilty, but Todoroki–and in particular his super terrifying agency manager–seemed to have things well in hand.

“--but the marks were soulmarks,” a reporter had been saying earnestly, when you’d clicked on the TV.

Todoroki leaned into the microphone in front of him, looking solemn and handsome. “Yes.”

“--and yet you don’t know who left them? I find that difficult to believe,” she continued.

Todoroki’s face went very carefully still, but before he had a chance to lean back in, his manager, a petite woman in the cleanest blazer and neatest pearl set you had ever seen, leaned in, wrapping an expertly manicured hand around her microphone to yank it closer.

“Maybe if you were on the field rescuing people instead of haranguing them with inane questions, you’d understand how adrenaline can interact with attention and recall. Shouto was busy rescuing people, not jotting down tasty bits of gossip to divulge to you later,” she said.

You let out a shocked laugh, so sudden and so violent that you accidentally jerked your bandage too tight where you were tying it off. You swore, wincing.

The reporter’s shoulders stiffened, but she refused to look cowed. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw the live chat pick up into light speed, messages flashing faster than you could register them. Approximately seven thousand fire emojis flashed past in the blink of an eye.

Todoroki leaned into his mic again, and your eyes followed the shift of those broad shoulders as he did so. “I interacted with multiple victims, paramedics, police, and bystanders.”

“And what about the girl who shouted about Yoshizuki Ayumi? Running girl? She must have seen something.”

Todoroki seemed to hesitate for just the smallest millisecond. Fear suddenly lanced your heart, but he swept in smoothly. “She has been contacted. She was similarly swept up in the chaos of the moment and it seems she was mistaken. We ask that you do not attempt to contact her or any of the other victims or bystanders–the agency and police bureau are still taking statements and to do so would disrupt our investigation into the crime that took place.”

His tone was low, familiar and smooth, and the certainty of his answer relaxed the anxious set of your shoulders. You marveled at the fact that he hadn’t said anything untrue, all while disguising the real nature of the conversation he’d had with you today.

If you really hadn’t hallucinated it, that was.

The rest of the conference continued along the same vein, Todoroki and Ayumi eventually demonstrating via touch that neither was the other’s soulmate, their fingers coming away from the other’s skin pale and clean. Your eyes traced Todoroki’s fingers on Ayumi’s hand hawkishly, almost jealously, and you had to click the TV off, marveling at how absolutely insane you were being.

Even if Shouto was your soulmate–which, you were still processing, honestly–you had no rights to him. You didn’t even know the guy. You almost wanted to bop yourself on the nose for bad behavior, like one of the shelter pups.

By the time you’d finished rewrapping your bandages and had made a light dinner, it was deep dark out, the winter night having swept in swiftly. The apartment was silent, your roommate holed up at her boyfriend’s for the weekend—a silence suddenly broken by the buzz of your cellphone.

You glanced down, dropping your fork when you saw the name flashing across the screen: Shouto.

You fumbled to pick it up, almost accidentally hanging up on him as you did so.

“Hi,” you breathed, as you pressed the phone to your ear.

“Y/N,” Todoroki’s voice intoned on the other end of the line. The sound of your name in his mouth–which you suddenly realized you’d never told him–sent a strange, shivery feeling down all of your limbs, your grip on your phone suddenly feeling weak.

“Um, hi. Yes. Hi,” you said, cringing at how stupid you sounded.

There was a small pause, and when Todoroki’s voice came back on, he sounded almost amused. “We did not have much time earlier. I’d like to see you again,” he said.

Your heart did another wild somersault in your chest. He wanted to see you again! He wanted to see you again!

You tried to force your voice to remain even as you answered him. “That would be—yeah—I would like that.”

Todoroki let out a low, soft hum. A tiny little shudder crept up your spine.

You pinched yourself, trying to remind yourself that you did not know this man and your reactions were way too out of whack. He might have been hot beyond all reason, and noble and selfless and whatever—but you didn’t know him know him. Maybe he would be kind of a jerk once you got to know him, the way hot people sometimes were. Maybe you wouldn’t like him at all.

“What should we, um—how should we meet?” you asked.

You supposed it was too forward to ask to go to his place, and would probably come off the wrong way too. You didn’t just ask to go to a famous person’s house. There were too many implications to consider, and you were worried he would think you were like, scoping out his wealth or something else equally opportunistic.

But you also hesitated at the idea of Todoroki at your place. Your place was probably the opposite of his—tiny and cramped and stuffed with a wild assortment of mismatched furniture you’d stocked up on for free during university move out day, where everyone just left their unwanted things out on the sidewalk. College Christmas, they called it. Even your roommate hated the set up, but your animal shelter budget would only stretch so far, and it would have been unfair to ask her to pay for furniture all on her own.

You imagined Todoroki crammed into one of your ugly chevron chairs with the rip in the arm, and had to stifle a laugh. No—he could never be allowed to see the interior of your apartment.

It would have to be someplace else.

You tried to think of a place with no romantic connotations lest Todoroki think you were attempting to put the moves on him.

“There’s a coffee shop near me that’s pretty good,” you said. “Or if that’s out of the way, I can come to your office or something?”

Todoroki hummed again. “A coffee shop would be fine,” he said. "Are you free now?”

Your heartbeat spiked again. “Uh, um. Yes.”

“I’d like to meet you there, then,” he said.

Your stomach did a full turn, flopping around like it was being tossed around inside a washing machine. “Okay! I can text you the address?”

Todoroki agreed, and you bade him a quick farewell, hanging up before you could make a bigger fool of yourself.

You shot off the address, then rushed into your bedroom, frantically digging out a cuter sweater and a more flattering pair of jeans. You ran a brush through your hair, but stopped short of touching up your face—it might look too forward if you showed up working a red lip and a smokey eye—especially for a meet up that was specifically not a date.

You tugged on your hat and scarf and jacket, shoving your hands deep in your pockets and wishing your gloves had held out until at least next weekend, when you’d have your paycheck in hand and could run out and buy new ones. And then you let yourself out into the dark, snowy evening, trudging your way through the drifts to the coffee shop.

The cafe was usually open a couple hours past dinner but cleared out after mid-afternoon, only leaving a couple college students behind, frowning at their laptops and annotated texts, funneling coffees down like they were water bottles in the harsh desert.

You found a tiny table in the back, wedged into a corner, where Todoroki probably wouldn’t be noticed. The gesture soon proved to be useless, however, as an audible hush fell over the shop as he entered, covered up though he was. You really couldn’t hide a build that lean and strong, and especially not in the expensive, well-fitted clothes you were beginning to sense he always wore.

You could just tell the guy underneath all those clothes was going to be handsome.

He found you almost immediately, striding over to your table, the tiniest upturn at the corner of his mouth.

“Hi!” you chirped, resisting the urge to smooth your hair down.

“Hello,” he murmured in his deep tone. He sank down into the chair opposite you, long legs stretching out past yours.

“It’s um—good to see you again,” you said. Then, unable to help the way you needed to compulsively fill any silence: “I’m sorry about the press conference. I saw, um, some of it. I guess I didn’t realize the trouble it would put you through, and Ayumi, too. I….I panicked, I think. I’m—sorry. I’d like to, um, treat you to a coffee or something as an apology, at the least.”

Todoroki regarded you beneath lowered lids. “There is no need.”

You made a frustrated little sound. “There is a huge need, actually. That was—so invasive? So nerve-wracking? If I was Ayumi I would be plotting the most elaborate revenge, perhaps actual decades in the planning. And if I was you, I would probably, I don’t know, like roast me to a crisp, villain-style.”

Todoroki’s mouth twitched. “Villain-style.”

You waved a hand at him, undeterred. “Please just let me get you a coffee as the beginning of an apology.”

Todoroki watched you for a long minute. “As I said, there is no need. For an apology, as well. Neither of us were…prepared for the situation to unfold as it did.”

“Okay but one of us didn’t fling someone under the bus and book it,” you said.

Todoroki let out a cough that sounded suspiciously like it was hiding a surprised laugh. “I have media training, fortunately. And several years’ experience handling…unexpected scenarios.”

“And I have one guilty conscience and a desire to soothe it by obtaining you a coffee of your choice,” you insisted.

Todoroki smiled, then, a little white sliver that turned up both sides of his full mouth. Your heartbeat shot up so high it should have been medically concerning. He was so unfairly gorgeous.

“I will accept, but I’d like to look at the menu,” he said. Then he paused. “What do you usually have?”

“Oh, just a regular coffee. But at night a hot chocolate is best,” you informed him. Especially on a night as cold as this, though you supposed his quirk freed him from that type of worry.

Todoroki nodded and stood, going over to the counter. Instead of pausing to look at the menu, however, you watched as he leaned in and ordered immediately. Your mouth dropped open when he drew his wallet out of his back pocket and swiped a very intimidating-looking black card. He came back over bearing two cups and a plate with a slice of cheesecake, with fresh cream and three tiny sliced strawberries.

“Hot chocolate,” he told you as he passed you a cup, and then set the plate of cheesecake down in front of you too.

You gaped. “Did you just—? But I—”

Todoroki leaned in, then, with an expression that might have been called smug on anyone else. “I was already up.”

“You are such a little sneak,” you said, shocked. Had you just been played? Shouldn’t a pro hero have been more upstanding than this? Was the trustworthy number four hero actually a total fucking con artist?

“You are not the only one who can run off and do whatever they please,” he said blandly.

Your ears went hot. “Oh my god.”

Todoroki looked far too pleased with himself. You sensed, suddenly, that you had just met the real Todoroki—the man behind the number four image—and he was much more of a little shit than anyone might have accounted for. There was something else lurking behind that pretty facade.

“But I am supposed to be getting one for you,” you explained.

Todoroki looked unbothered.

“You can pay next time,” he said simply.

Your face warmed. Next time. There was going to be a next time. You knew you were being pacified, but it was working, goddammit.

“Fine, but I’m onto your tricks now,” you informed him, waving a finger at him. Todoroki did not seem threatened in the least. He put his mouth to his cup, taking a long, slow drink.

To your horror, you developed an instant fascination with the careful press of his mouth against the rim, the strong line of his throat working as he swallowed. You immediately looked away, face steaming.

Unhinged. You were totally unhinged.

“So, um, how do we do this?” you asked, for something to take your attention off of Todoroki. “How should we get to know each other?”

Todoroki looked contemplative. “I’d like to ask you some questions.”

You blinked. Well, that was straightforward enough. “Okay. Um, you too then, I guess?”

Todoroki’s mouth pulled up again at the edge, and he leaned in, his bangs falling into his eyes a little. “What would you like to know?”

How that mouth would feel pressed against yours instead of his cup.

“Uhhh, I guess—something that I wouldn’t know from the media,” you said quickly. “Um, what do you like to do when you’re not saving people’s lives?”

Todoroki leaned back, drumming those slender fingers on the side of his cup. “Reading-–manga, mostly. My friend Sero—Cellophane—trades volumes with me often. I like seeing friends. Visiting my mother,” he seemed to think for a moment. “My sister Fuyumi has been teaching me to cook with mixed results.”

You laughed at the look on his face. “What’s your best dish?”

Todoroki considered this. “Rice,” he said seriously.

You had to clamp your mouth shut to stop from spitting out your hot chocolate all over the table. The silver of Todoroki’s right eye glinted, and you realized with some surprise he’d just made a joke, though his expression hadn’t changed.

Who would have guessed? The number four—not only a con artist, but a comedian too.

There really was a lot more to him than you had anticipated.

“Tell me about the pet shelter,” Todoroki said, looking at you over the rim of his cup as he took another sip. “Do you like working there?”

“It’s great,” you told him. “The animals are so good, even the crazy and nervous ones.” Or the nefarious little criminals like the orange princess. You couldn’t help but gush about all your faves, how you’d gotten into the job, and how you one day hoped to open your own rescue.

Todoroki listened quietly, expression polite, and he asked a bunch of follow up questions, seemingly interested. He even asked after the orange kitten, and you promised to send a picture when you were back on shift tomorrow.

After that opening, the conversation flowed, surprisingly. Despite his general quiet, Todoroki proved strangely easy to talk to. He was attentive, shockingly funny for someone so deadly serious-looking, and his answers to your questions proved him a devastatingly appealing man.

It seemed like he cared about his family a lot, spending time with each of them and looking after his mom closely. He spoke of his friends with such great affection that you had trouble reconciling who he was actually talking about—like bloodthirsty number two hero Dynamight—with the the friend he was telling tales about—who would crop up at Todoroki’s agency with leftovers he claimed were “going in the trash, fucking eat them you ugly fucking candy cane” except the leftovers in question would be perfectly arranged, with neat little garnishes and side dishes and everything.

It was clear Todoroki had good friends, cared deeply for everyone in his life, and evaluated everyone and everything with a quiet thoughtfulness that left you a little lightheaded just to think about.

The conversation only drew to a close when the barista announced the coffee shop was closing for the evening, and Todoroki followed you back out into the cold.

“Um, thank you for the hot chocolate and dessert,” you told him. “I definitely owe you next time.”

You tugged on your hat and scarf, before shoving your hands deep into your pockets, shivering. Todoroki’s eyes followed your hands curiously as you did so.

“Did you not bring gloves?” he asked lightly.

You startled, hesitating. If you told him you’d worn the last pair through to total deterioration this week, and didn’t yet have the funds to replace them, he might think you didn’t take very good care of your things or know how to budget well. He’d already seen your phone.

You didn’t want him to think badly of you. “Uh, yeah. Didn’t bring any,” you said vaguely.

He reached into his jacket pocket, tugging out a pair of extremely soft-looking gloves in a dark fabric, holding them out to you. His gloves. “I insist you wear them home.”

You stared at him. “Um, no it’s okay! It’s my fault for not bringing any—”

Todoroki did not let you finish. To your eternal mortification, he reached right into your pocket and took your wrist, gently tugging your hand back out, and started putting a glove on you himself. His fingers left smudges of color wherever they touched your bare skin, and your face instantly went so hot it warmed you all the way through your frozen fingers.

“I have a temperature quirk,” Todoroki informed you. “The cold will not inconvenience me.”

It seemed he cared for almost perfect strangers the exact same way he cared for his family and friends too. You were beginning to realize he was unbearably good, in a way that explained everything about why and how he’d chosen heroics as a career.

You stood there, completely frozen, as he finished tugging his gloves over your hands. They were as soft as they looked, some kind of silky lining on the inside that you instantly wanted to roll in.

“I–thank you, Todoroki—um.”

Todoroki leaned down a little bit, to look you in the face more fully. “It’s Shouto,” he said, eyes fixing on yours very intently.

It took all your determination not to look down from his insistent gaze. Slowly, you nodded. “Shouto, then. Um, thank you, Shouto.”

Todoroki–Shouto–hummed softly, that low sound again that made your spine feel all weird and tingly.

“I guess, text me when you get home safe?” you said.

This made his mouth twitch again, and he asked calmly, “Do you plan to come to the rescue if I do not?”

You sniffed, disliking how amused he was at the prospect. Even if it was probably clear to him by now that you had no quirk with which to defend anybody.

“No,” you said. “I plan to lift your scarf and hat off you too, if it comes to that.”

Shouto laughed, a low, surprised note that made you warm all over again. “I’ll be sure to throw them out of harm’s way, then, if needed.”

You smiled, unable to help the way his amusement pulled your own right out of you. “I mean it, though. Please, um, text. Just so I know that you’re fine.”

Shouto smiled, another boyish, unreasonably charming pull of that full mouth. “If you can promise the same,” he said.

You nodded. “I do,” you said.

Then you realized how I do sounded and what it was associated with, and you backpedaled wildly. “Uh, promise that is. To text. I will text, yes. Okay, have a great night!” You babbled, backing away from Shouto.

He watched you go, another weird look of amusement passing over his features. “Good night, Y/N,” he said quietly.

“Good night! Thank you again! Goodbye!” You shouted, and then you turned, rushing off into the night, head spinning with everything that had just happened.

A soft huff of a laugh followed after you, warm in the cold of the evening.

Your whole body ran hot the entire way home.

#todoroki shouto x reader #todoroki x you #todoroki x reader #shouto todoroki

[utilitycaster]

Is it just me or are some of the more intense Imaudna folk…kind of mirroring Imogen’s over-defensiveness of Liliana? Or at least uncritically accepting Imogen’s assessment of her, without acknowledging her “bias”? (as we are now apparently calling the characters’ family - so K-pop of us)

I’m not saying she’s a terrible mother - she’s literary moving heaven and earth for Imogen [and herself] - but she’s helping bring about what could be an apocalyptic event, on the off-chance that it could relieve them of their powers.

And I get why people wanna ignore that in favor of Imogen reuniting with her Mom and building a relationship with her. But it’s frustrating when you remember that some of the people her Mom has fucked over include Kiki and the Ashari (not just Orym) and that she’s working with a guy that allowed Trent’s abuse of Caleb, who Beau has spent years working to take down, and we still don’t know what’s happened to those two.

Again - shades of gray, and we all love villains and complicated, messy women. But it’s quite the slice of cognitive dissonance to see fandom *really* pile on Fearne’s parents for abandoning her (especially when it was only six years as far as they knew), but even after she’s party to nearly murdering Kiki, we shouldn’t be assuming the worst of Liliana?

(Just read this back and…I don’t think some these Imaudna fans are actually Marisha fans)

I don't think it's mirroring Imogen, per se. Or rather, I think this is all part of the larger trend I've touched upon for some time: there are a segment of shippers with absolutely no empathy for or generosity towards anything that interferes with the ship. Ideally, they'd like to also support Imogen and Laudna as individuals; but even then the ship comes before the characters. As you said, they're not really Marisha - or Laudna - or for that matter Imogen or Laura fans. They're fans of them playing characters who are in a relationship together.

When Imogen was upset with Laudna for breaking the gnarlrock, there was a pretty prevalent attitude of "but it wasn't LAUDNA's fault, so why is Imogen upset, that's unfair" even though the rock is still broken and it happened when it was in Laudna's possession and, frankly, had Imogen not given the rock to Laudna, she'd still have it. In retrospect this has gotten even more wild, because since then, they've leaned very far into the negative effects Imogen experiences as a result of her powers as an argument as to why she's allowed to do whatever she wants, but at the time if you pointed out Imogen found relief from the rock and is justified in having an emotional response, you were met with screams of HOW DARE YOU BE MEAN TO LAUDNA. This hypocrisy is of course tied into the lack of empathy, because said lack of empathy rests on granting infinite grace to those who support or even merely recognize the ship, no matter their other actions (eg: Otohan), and dismissing the feelings of anyone else.

When Laudna died, it was a pretty common attitude among Imogen and Laudna shippers (I would say Laudna fans, but quite honestly almost every post grieving her was just as much about the ship as the character) that Orym would have been happy to have remained dead because he was a widower. This is a horrifying mentality to have - people's partners do die young, and most people choose to continue living - and was also notably untrue based on Liam's statements both in and out of game. You'll notice that "Orym doesn't want to die and felt like this was a massive failure" on 4SD never took off, but "Orym can't be objective" on 4SD has been blown to ludicrous proportions that show a stunning lack of understanding of like...basic human emotions and their role in decision-making. Because there's no consistency except The Ship.

When the party went to Whitestone, and Percy was in fact played as someone with very complicated and layered feelings about death and dying, and who was not going to change his developed principles for a stranger, he was lambasted. The fact that Delilah Briarwood is just as responsible for his trauma - repeatedly so, she was the architect of both his family's murder and the reason why Vecna achieved godhood, she's literally why his brother-in-law is dead, the Briarwoods have been responsible for two of Vex's deaths - was completely ignored. The fact that Vex and Pike were not spiting him in the end, but rather developed a mutually acceptable plan that permitted Laudna's resurrection with a contingency plan to kill her if Delilah returned led to some pretty harsh criticism of them as well.

FCG was pretty popular among the shippers for quite some time because he wanted everyone to get along and wanted Imogen and Laudna to make up after the gnarlrock fight (note: this is also true of Ashton and Orym, both of whom as discussed have since fallen from grace because they continued to exist as characters with their own thoughts and motivation) and had a lot in common with Imogen. However, a series of things occurred that led to their fall from grace among the shippers. The first was that FCG's coin is why Orym was resurrected instead of Laudna. The second is that Shared Dream was not, in fact, intended only to let Laudna go into Imogen's dreams, but rather allowed anyone in the party to go. The third is that FCG started to find a purpose beyond "help others no matter what," particularly after realizing they had a soul and were in fact a person, and specifically began exploring religion. Religion is unpopular with Imodna shippers particularly after 3x49 and Imogen's consideration of the Vanguard, but there's also definitely a mix of obvious ex-fundamentalists who never unpacked their feelings and instead just want all their fiction to validate their new beliefs. The fourth is that FCG/FRIDA "stole" the first canon relationship spot (which also confirmed that FCG was, in fact, shippable rather than some kind of robot eunuch with nothing better to do than push Imogen and Laudna together). And so you get some really fucked statements. Like, when I say I've seen "I hope someone makes that robot eat their stupid coin" that's not exaggeration; it's pretty much verbatim. That's not a post that a person who makes any attempt to understand experiences other than their own can make in earnest, but it does make sense from the perspective of someone who has decided Imogen and Laudna's relationship is the heart of the show and is angered that five other main PCs exist and have their own interests.

Ashton occupies a truly fascinating space, in that they're oddly popular, in part because their scenes with Laudna are genuinely unmissably fantastic scenes for Laudna. It's one of the only places where Laudna takes off the mask (though she's started to with Orym too). He also overlaps with a lot of what makes Imogen popular, except it's canon where Imogen's is subtext, or it's obviously more severe (Imogen's mom left? Ashton's an orphan. Imogen's had a few headaches? Ashton has chronic pain). So they hated when he pointed out he'd been abandoned by his friends in a way Laudna hadn't (also because Ashton and Laudna's conversation in 3x49 was just far more honest than Imogen and Laudna's, and because Laudna sought them out), but they like him when he's supportive of Laudna. They're constantly on the thinnest of ice because of this and because they're a genuinely compelling character, but because of that, might get in the way of what said shippers want, namely, a hundred episodes of Imogen and Laudna sipping tea at Zhudanna's and having a lovely time.

Following Imogen considering joining the Vanguard, Orym fell out of vogue despite his previous interactions with Imogen, because he very justifiably pointed out, as I've said, that the Ruby Vanguard killed his husband and his father-in-law (whom he saw as a father figure himself), and used a toxin that ensured they couldn't be brought back. I've talked about this a ton and so I'm not going to rehash every aspect, but the fact remains that while I like Imogen's choice to do this - conflict is fun! It makes sense for her character! - it's an incredibly insensitive thing to say. (It blows Ashton's statement about loneliness out of the water, for sure; incidentally, Ashton pointing out the more general hey girl they murder everyone who disagrees did NOT sit well with the hey let's harass everyone who disagrees crowd.) And when you mix it in with the god stuff discussed regarding FCG, Orym has become the periannath non grata of choice to the point of a similar response to the gnarlrock fight - if you sympathize with him, they see it as an attack not just on Imogen but on Laudna, for...not talking about Laudna as well. This has only gotten worse with Orym firmly committing to destroying the Vanguard, to the point that there are, generously speaking, misunderstandings or misrememberings of the text, and less generously speaking, outright lies. A notable one is that Laudna begins to tap into Delilah before Orym nods (Marisha's mention of the purplish hue is at 2:52:02 in episode 3x63; Orym's nod is at 3:01:42, a solid 9+ minutes later); he supports her decision, but he is not responsible for it.

Then there's the guests. Deanna was obviously made to ask Imogen about Laudna. She's here to ask them if they're married. She's here to encourage Imogen to follow her heart. She's definitely not here to have her own active and interesting love life and personal feelings about the gods (that conflict with Imogen's) and history and perspective. Oh she's...she's calling out Imogen's nonstop use of psychic powers? She's having a three-way with Chetney and Fearne? FRIDA is hooking up with FCG and admitted their anger about the gods was mostly due to projecting their personal anger about feeling powerless and having been awoken without their consent? Uhhhhhh Deni$e was obviously made to to ask Laudna about Imogen. She's definitely not here to be a connection to Dariax and have her own active and interesting love life and personal feelings about the gods. Wait, no, maybe Bor'Dor will ask about it? Uhhhhhh *flips coin but not in an FCG way* Laudna will *rolls dice* mentor Prism and this will...make this ship happen? Oh, won't these people with their own distinct personalities and motivations who keep having conversations with Orym and Ashton and each other stop doing that and just presume that a specific one of the four other people in Bells Hells they've never met and probably don't remember the names of is married to Laudna? Won't someone stop playing their character as a fully fleshed out person whose life is entirely unaffected by Laudna and Imogen's respective love lives? Oh and then Bor'Dor did ask about the relationship, and it was because it was a weakness and he was trying to infiltrate.

Quite literally? It goes as far as the gods! Why didn't they save Laudna? To which I'd say sure, let's explore what happens if they did! Let's follow this thread! Do they just save Laudna and maybe her family and no one else? Why Laudna? Does she get saved at the expense of some other dark-haired girl in Whitestone? Or perhaps they save everyone. Perhaps the De Rolos remain in power, and Campaign 1 doesn't fucking happen I guess, and Laudna grows up, and she lives out the rest of her life in Whitestone, and she's a woman in her 50s now - maybe even married, perhaps with children - and has never been to Marquet and wouldn't know or care about some random 20-something with purple hair. Like, what are you driving at here? Maybe the gods let Laudna die because that was the only way to bring her to Imogen. Ever think of that? (alternately: how do you know they didn't? What if Laudna's undead state has to do with Vecna? You didn't specify if it was the Primes or the Betrayers, or how she gets saved; she's still living after a hanging, which some might consider a miraculous gift. What if it was the Dawnfather acting through the Sun Tree? Can you describe what you want the gods to have done and where that puts us in 843 PD or do you just say shit hoping no one will ever poke at it?) When do the gods intervene? Do they make sure nothing bad ever happens to anyone? Are mortals just dolls the gods move around with no free will?

So anyway. I don't think these feelings about Liliana are based on mirroring Imogen's thought process. I do not think there is a level of consideration that Imogen and Laudna have motivations (motivations mean they can be something other than perfect flawless victims who found each other). It is simply "Imogen wants this, Laudna will validate anything she does, and so it's correct." The party line for anything else "fuck your trauma, fuck your dead family and dead loves, fuck your own hopes and dreams and goals: you exist only to fawn over two random-ass women. It doesn't matter if they are strangers to you. It doesn't matter if you've only met one of them. It doesn't matter how they act towards you. It doesn't matter if you're one of them, if you step out of line. This is your sole purpose, and if you fail, you're not a person to me." There's absolutely no thought put into the implications of anything they say beyond "it supports the ship, or, if not, it perpetuates the blameless, perfect and thus boring frozen state of the characters."

#answered #Anonymous #cr tag #long post

[vrmxlho]

SEASON OF LOVE - FAKE DATING

pairing: isagi x gn! reader

day 1 ← masterlist → day 3

what the actual fuck you thought. in fact, you were so pissed you didn't just think this but you actually voiced it out. "what the actual fuck is this?" you whispered.

your friend had just texted you with a screenshot from a stupid gossip page that had been on your back for months now. it read the following: why is pro footballer isagi yoichi trying to hide his new model partner? they're hot!

the hot, bright screen seems to be burning your palms with how tightly you were gripping your phone. the short hiatus author 'sly scoop' had taken made you believe that you were finally free from the nasty, untrue rumours being spread. but, god, were wrong.

you had been out with your acquaintance isagi purely as an accident. the two of you had just happened to have dinner at the same restaurant and had walked out together. sure, it seemed like a date. but it really wasn't. you barely spoke. heck you didn't even have each other's personal numbers. perhaps you were mutuals on instagram but really he was just a friend of a friend.

that didn't matter now. this had to be sorted out. so you called. of course, he'd pick up once he saw the forwarded message of the clipping.

"hey i just saw..."

"yeah i saw it too." he sighed. it wasn't the first time he was caught up in a petty dating scandal and it surely wasn't your first either.

but it felt different this time.

like this could actually cause some bigger scandal in the near future. after all, he was a world-class football player, and anyone who got caught up in their lives was bound to be bombarded with death threats from crazy fanatics or approached by journalists at every turn. you weren't up for it.

you already found it hard keeping up with all the flashing lights and cameras. how were you supposed to keep up with this? you didn't dare check your dm requests; you were sure they had already been flooded.

"so, should i call my manager to release a statement or should we do it together?"

"see, the thing is. i need to ask you for a favour..."

"isagi this isn't the time." you shook your phone as you spoke almost dropping it on your face. he didn't really seem to comprehend the gravity of the situation. this was not the right time for dating and you had to clear it up immediately.

"please date me."

"huh–"

"please be my fake partner, just for a while. coach has been pestering us to get into romantic relationships, apparently it'll improve our football performance." he said it all so fast you almost didn't hear him. but you caught the few most important words 'fake partner'. and you were definitely against the whole idea.

"no absolutely not!?" you said that almost as a question, you were so confused, why did it have to be you of all people. isagi was a world class footballer who could ask anyone to date him (fake date, really). so why did it have to be you? you had barely spoken to each other. he was just a friend of a friend, nothing else.

"please, it can't be anyone else."

"and why's that?"

"i already told the press that the rumours are real."

it was dark outside. you could hear the thunder clapping and lightning streaked the sky. yet here you were on your weekly date. it had been about a month since he dropped the news and you would be lying if you said you didn't sort of enjoy the attention. the publicity was good for your modelling and the dates were fun. but there was this sort of distance between the two of you. it felt scripted, and it was. but you wanted something more. maybe not an romantic relationship, but something that felt more real.

you wouldn't have minded if your script included kisses and holding hands. it wasn't because you liked him. just because.

you'd never tell him, of course. it would be deathly awkward and you feared rejection too much. so you stuck with looking at him a bit longer than usual, laughing more, touching his hand, brushing his hand often.

simple things really. not because you liked him. no not at all. it was just for fun. so that people would buy your story.

events came and went. his hand would always find itself on your waist, usually stiff and uncertain but this time it was firm. like he had gotten used to you. the ice had thawed. a quick peck on his cheek started making his cheeks burn up. you didn't understand why. was he getting used to you?

it was the first time you'd stayed behind for the afterparty. both of you had agreed that keeping up the charade was too much of a hassle so you'd make up an excuse every time. but you were stuck. a close friend of his had apparently told him to "stop fucking them and have a few drinks."

he was referring to you. little did he know that there was no "fucking" going on. but you didn't know if you wished there was, or if you were just tired with a foggy mind.

so you both obliged. he drank while you vowed to be the designated driver (it wasn't necessary, you had a chauffeur) but were soon coerced too. it wasn't long before you both started giggling maniacally, cheeks flushed, and bodies warmer than normal. it was a strange feeling.

your speech is slurred and you suddenly feel drawn to isagi. you're touching him again but this time it's not scripted.

you feel the warmth of his lips against yours as he leans in for a kiss. his breath is heavy with the smell of alcohol, but you can't help but be exhilarated. his hands are gentle as they cup your face, and you can feel the heat radiating off of him.

the intoxication in his kiss is evident, but you feel like you're being swept away in the moment. your heart races as his lips move against yours.

you can still feel the alcohol in his kiss, and it makes your head spin, you're getting more drunk just kissing him.

you're an alcoholic, you're having symptoms of withdrawal as soon as you part. so you pull him in, and apparently he's just as much of a drunkard as you are.

"fucking hell, i didn't mean fuck in front of us."

it was isagi's friend again. you didn't really hear what he said, it was all foggy in your mind and the only thing you could think of was the man you were kissing, there and then.

the next morning was just as much of a blur as the last night had been. you couldn't recognise your surroundings but you could smell a familiar cologne on the pillow you had slept on.

a figure approached the dimly lit room with a tray in its hands and when you looked to see who it was you were all but unsurprised. it was isagi, once again. you could remember hints of last night and seeing as you were laying in his bed you could figure out much of the rest.

"so, about last night."

"i don't want to fake-date anymore." your words came out much firmer than you wanted. you sounded angry, when in reality your stomach couldn't stop fluttering and all you could think of was getting back into bed with him.

"you want to break up?"

"no you idiot. i want to be with you. really. not scripted. not for show. but really, truly."

he smiled. a wide, beaming smile. the only smile ever. the smile. he was smiling at you.

#isagi x you #bllk isagi #isagi yoichi #isagi x reader #blue lock isagi #isagi #blue lock #blue lock x reader #blue lock x you #bllk x reader #bllk #bllk x you #blue lock headcanons #bllk headcanons #bllk anime #bllk imagines #blue lock imagines #bllk manga #isagi yoichi x you #isagi yoichi x reader #yuck #absolutely hate this #but i haven't posted in a while #(🎆) — season of love event

[blues-valentine]

pws/rinis are still going w the “pw and rini would’ve been endgame if it wasn’t for olivia” claiming “justice for ej” and just being bitter individuals is hilarious. they had a year to cope.

I think it’s a choice to still engage in a media you don’t like and being bitter about it and continue clinging to a statement that is untrue.

A thing I’ve learn from years of watching TV shows is that paying attention to the storytelling is essential and what has been true to HSMTMTS is that most of the times what you see it’s not exactly what the show is telling you. They're actually great with subtext. I've said this before, the typical audience for HSMTMTS severely lacks media literacy because they've missed the most obvious signs in storytelling 101 that I feel like an unbiased person would pick up on.

PWs/Rinis are only watching the show at face value because if they dig deeper they would be forced to admit the narrative build around Ricky and Gina has been stronger than any ship in that show. The effort and attention to detail build into their story line and dialogue is very telling. Rina gets the most foreshadowing and parallels out of every couple since Season 1. So, some be purposely misreading the signs and would hold onto any idea to make it true.

A creator of a show does not film a whole confession scene, in this case between Ricky and Gina (at the same time he filmed the Ricky and Nini confession) for a couple they are not planning. Everything in TV cost time and money. A creator doesn’t give a ship a whole secret plot that only them know to create suspense for a mid-season finale reveal if they aren’t planning on moving forward with them. After that flashback on 206 was revelead. It was a wrap. Truly, people that interpreted that as closure don't know how to read subtext at all.

The IRL drama + the hit hadn’t blow up yet when they wrote Season 2 and when they were filming the first episodes of the season. 201 already foreshadows how Ricky and Nini were not going to work out. I had said this several times. It was there on neon signs. Ricky and Nini were not build to be the "happily ever after" couple. There’s an actual interview from the creator saying he wants to portray realistic breakups in teen media.

Nini and Ricky were going to break up and end exactly how it ended at the end of Season 2, had Olivia stayed or not. PW was build to fail since day 1. There were multiple neon signs on 2B that literally tells you this. 209 is full of them. Gina used EJ to move on and because he was the easier route. He was the safest seat on the plane (literally). Gina hadn't moved on from Ricky. The fact that Ricky and Nini broke up on 208 and later Gina and EJ became basically the romantic plot on 209 is storytelling 101. I could tell you how this choice in narrative always ends up in teen dramas. Ricky and Gina were always the couple being kept apart for narrative and therefore the endgame.

Also, creators having to cut screen time of a ship or dynamic in order to build another one is never a good sign. They knew PW would not be believable if they keep Ricky and Gina interacting and Season 3 proves this.

And even if Ricky and Nini + EJ and Gina were the planned endgames when the show was originally created. Things change. HSMTMTS is not the first show that changes ships during filming the moment unexpected actors show superior chemistry and it won’t be the last. Dawson’s Creek says hello. It’s been told before Gina was going to be a plot device for Rini until her chemistry with Josh on 105 was too good to waste and so there were changes. PWs and Rinis conventionally forget this statement was made. Sofia Wylie was rooting for Rina since Season 1 and she has always delivered on that.

PWs (mostly ex Rinis) continue being bitter Rini isn’t endgame and use Olivia as their consolation narrative. The other side of PWs have EJ as their favorite character and have proved they don't care about Gina on her own. Rinis supported PW because as long as PW was a thing, in their minds Rini was still a possibility.

#hsmtmts #high school musical the musical the series #hsmtmts season 4 #hsmtmts s4 #gina porter #ricky bowen #ricky x gina #rina #rina hsmtmts #i guess #asks #anti portwell