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becomingbts · 3 years

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Time heals (sometimes) - 1

Summary: 6 years ago, (Y/N) thought that she was finally taking her life into her hands, leaving behind a toxic and abusive relationship with a man who taught her she’d never be worthy of love. However, it became hard to ignore his words when she met her seven soulmates who rejected her without even giving her a chance to prove herself. It took (Y/N) 3 years to realize that it wouldn’t be her end. She would live on to prove them all wrong; she would become what they all thought she wasn’t: someone worthy of love. And as she stands proudly on the stage, under the burning spotlights and the applause and the cries of the delirious crowd, she feels alive. Alive, just like the bond she believed to be broken.

Pairings: Y/N x OT7

GENRE: Soulmate AU!, Idol Y/NAU!, semi social-media AU!, ANGST (mainly), fluff, romance, maybe smut in the series.

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Warnings: The series is going to be heavy with a lot of personal experiences mixed into the fiction, so this is going to be kind of therapeutic for me. Please, consider not reading the series if you are not comfortable with: abandonment issues, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, self-harm (not descriptive and only part of MC’s past), suicide thoughts (in the past), toxic behavior, toxic and abusive relationship (in the past), depreciating self-talk and low self-esteem, a lot of curse, physical and mental pain, near death experience situation (in the past), and maybe smut scenes (happy ending though, but it will probably be quite the ride).

NOTE: So hello everyone, welcome to Time Heals (sometimes). Thank you so, so much for the warm welcoming, it has been my first time getting so many asks, I was honestly overjoyed. I still don’t really know what to call this part; is it a teaser? A note? A full chapter? I believe we’ll get some snapshot of memories like this one throughout the series because there is going to be a lot to unpack on both sides. I think it will be a chapter nevertheless because I have to establish some kind of order as to which parts should be read first, and I think this one is extremely important.

Thank you for reading,

-Dolly

Profiles #2 - here - part 2

Her scream pierced through the air while cries broke in the frenzied arena while a single blond-haired man froze, emptily staring at the stage. It felt like his senses heightened; his skin was shuddering, his eyes were frantically searching for one specific figure while his voice was lost in his throat. The screams resonating in the stadium would have been too loud for his voice to be heard anyway.

Jimin knew he shouldn’t be there.

Namjoon had told them more than once that none of them should try to go to one of (Y/N)’s events. It could be dangerous and they could be overwhelmed; anything could happen to them and they would still remain a nobody who fainted in the howling crowd. Would they want to take this risk? No.

So, Jimin would have had to admit that going to her very first concert in Seoul since the pandemic sounded like a very, very, very bad idea. And to be honest, it still didn’t seem to be a bright idea now that he was actually there.

But he still went because he needed to see her for himself; to see how she was. He had so many things he dreamed about asking her. Are you okay? Are you sleeping well? Did you eat before coming to the arena? Are you nervous? Do you... remember me?

Maybe he was torturing himself. He kept on watching her lives, following her on all social media, always made sure to leave a sweet comment, and never miss any of her new updates... Maybe he even had a folder of pictures of her on his phone but he’d never admit it to any of his mates. Taehyung would probably take his phone away from him and delete everything and Jimin couldn’t let that happen.

He felt like it was cheating. Don’t take him wrong though. When he thought that, he was not really thinking about the boys. They did collectively agree not to follow her activities as an artist but it was getting harder and harder with how popular she got anyway. Moon was everywhere. In commercials, on the radio, her songs were on the TV… Even if she was known for refusing most of the promotional contracts that were offered to her, her image was still constantly in the media despite her avoidance of it. Ironic, but the media were trying their best to find anything about her, be it positive or negative. One day she was seen on her bike, the next, she was in a coffee shop, and it kept on going on, overstepping on her privacy as if it was just a meaningless word.

The lockdown had admittedly played a major part in Jimin’s obsession. Being in their apartment meant quickly running out of activities, and his job as a dance teacher was not really filling his free time (a lot of his classes were also canceled). It was also during that time that (Y/N) truly blew up as an independent artist. Advertisement on YouTube started being around her channel and her music, the recommendations he kept on seeing were about also her… Jimin’s resolve honestly broke easily. It was hard not to be curious about his lost soulmate even though he didn’t feel like he had the right to be hurting.

Anyway, to come back to his main point, if Jimin felt like he was cheating; it was mostly for her. After all, (Y/N) had no means of letting the curiosity get the best of her, to know what they were doing; to simply see or contact them. He had, at first, not really thought about that. Watching her content seemed a very innocent thing to do in his opinion; billions of people were watching her content, why should he prevent himself from doing so? Yet, Jimin could still remember one of her live she did soon after that interview she had given on this damned radio show where she had revealed who her title track ‘TIME’ was about… She had gone live the next day-Jimin had jumped on his phone because of the notification-and one fan had asked her what would she do if she knew that her ‘ex-soulmates’ (and those words left a very sour taste in Jimin’s mind) were watching her. The question had silenced a previously restless Jimin, replacing his initial excitation with dread while a lump formed itself in his throat. He had not even noticed it; he was so focused on her live and her upcoming answer that Jimin had completely missed the sound of a glass breaking in the apartment. Jimin had been home alone, so even if had indeed heard it, he probably wouldn’t have bothered to check what had happened, thinking that the wind knocked it over or something. Jimin had been so absorbed by what he had been watching that he even got surprised a few hours later when Seokjin came home and yelled at him for breaking something when he had been clearly innocent, engrossed in (Y/N)’s live (not that he could tell his soulmates about that part, but yeah). (Y/N)’s live would always be more important than some random glass breaking again in their apartment. Every object was doomed with Namjoon living here anyway.

On her side of the screen though, (Y/N) had seemed taken aback as she had read the question and had gritted her teeth gently. She had seemed to be pondering about her answer even though a lot of people in her chat were telling her to forget about the question if it made her uncomfortable (a lot were even scolding the person who asked). Yet, sighing softly, she had looked up at the screen:

“I’d appreciate it if you could refrain from asking questions on this topic. It’s not taboo but I’d rather not remember everything that comes with it. However, to answer this-hopefully-last question about it, I’d ask them to turn off my stream and to stop watching any of my content. It would only be fair after all. I’ve been denied access to their lives six years ago, why would they get a free pass into mine now?” She had not smiled nor had she seemed hurt by her own comment, yet Jimin’s heart had shattered in pieces, unable to press the cancel button.

Her voice had slowly faded into background noise while her words had been stuck in his head.

I’d ask them to turn off my stream and to stop watching any of my content.

How could Jimin ever do that? He realized that he truly should. Namjoon would even agree with you, as ironic as it sounded for Jimin. Namjoon had been one of the most adamant ones about rejecting your bond, after all. Jimin was shaking with bitterness while ‘Moon’ continued her stream peacefully with music. Jimin could only try to gulp his anger down as he remembered her crumbling features on that fateful day.

“You’re not our soulmates. This name on our arms means nothing to us. You are nothing to us if not a hindrance. Leave us alone.”

If Jimin could go back in time, he’d prevent Taehyung from spatting those words at her. Yet, he couldn’t do anything. Playing the scene over and over in his mind wouldn’t change anything. It wouldn’t change that she probably hated them. It wouldn’t change the song she made about them.

And worst of all, it wouldn’t change the fact that Jimin had let himself believe that their choice had been for the best, trying to console and reassure himself, even if he had already known that it was wrong. Tears were pooling up in his eyes even if none escaped as he finally caught a glimpse of her on the stage. Suddenly brought back to reality after his subconscious memory trip, Jimin finally connected back to the world, looking around while he was still frozen on his spot. People were still screaming around him and he wondered if he looked like an intruder. Because, after all, wasn’t that what he exactly was? She said it herself that she didn’t wish for them to watch her; so what was he doing here?

Jimin couldn’t help but stare; she looked ethereal, dressed like a queen in the middle of a sold-out arena. People were screaming her name as she yelled her infamous ‘hi people’. It was an opening sentence that Jimin heard way too many times in her vlogs and suddenly hearing it in real life seemed surreal.

Jimin could only watch in awe, entranced with her everything.

Screw the boys and what they would think once he’d be back from her concert.

He had been the one to find her six years ago anyway. He had been the one to bring her to their home six years ago, hoping for the boys to change their mind once they’d meet her.

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Uploaded : 09/04/2021

Taglist: @sweetmoonlight9, @mickmoon, @dreamer95, @loveyoongles, @spicetouched , @jikooksgirl19, @summerevelyn , @springjade , @clevercoley, @prooteus, @sehun096rainbow, @ainsle-e, @ifyouareme, @sunshinee0-0, @fangirl125reader, @sea-nevermind-enthusiast, @atlantis-atlas, @thequeen-kat, @naajix, @skyys-universe , @sichajeon , @yukiehyukie, @amxranthinesworld , @bunzom, @potate-oh, @mawwnsterr, @ celaenaelentiyavox, @dvoz-writes , @honeybaby-94 ,

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ohheyitsokay · 3 years

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Omg I'm SO sorry!!! I'm the soulmates pain AU anon, I was completely aware you were the one with the milestone!! I saw the post through Molly's rb and I was almost completely sure I had opened your blog to send you the ask but alas, the Tumblr app can never give you any certainties. That long-ass message was completely dedicated to you, I still can't quite grasp how I managed to send it to scribbledghost 🙄🙄🙄 Sorry!!! Congrats again, I love you!!!!

for reference a Din Djarin x reader soulmate request where your soulmate feels your injuries and pain

hello, dear heart!

I wanted to say, before anything else, thank you. I've reread your words multiple times since you sent this, confirming they were to me, and they really mean the world to me. thank you so, so much! anyway, your idea is fantastic, I had a lot of fun with this one! I hope you like seeing what I did with your already wonderful thoughts 💕

ps it's well documented that I'm a big fan of sprawling thoughts, so please never apologize for sharing them!

warnings: mentions canon-typical injuries, a bunch of fluff. at least enough for a couple of throw pillows

soulmate requests / follower celebration

There's a short burn on his forearm when he wakes.

Din stares at it, wondering at the dull ache, trying to place the injury from yesterday's adventure when it hits him. Hot and golden warmth, flooding through his chest, thawing his flesh against the cold filtered air.

It's one of yours.

A burn, on his forearm.

And selfishly, indulgently, he pauses for a moment, mind slipping away from duty and expectations to dwell in the daydream of his soulmate.

First, his mind creates an image of a blurry mandalorian caretaker, gently moving around a kitchen in the covert. You stir a pot, tapping the spoon on the side before setting it down. Hearing distant calls, you turn too quickly and oh - a sliver of burn along your arm.

Din wants to help, wants to pull you away from the domestic .... danger, and he rushes forward. Your helmet turns to him and he almost sees it - before his mind can no longer produce the answers he aches for late at night.

The second image is of you, in armor as gleaming as his own, in a thick, unrecognizable forest. The hairs on his neck are at full attention, already subconsciously wanting to shout - but you don't need his help. You're breathtaking in all versions of his daydream - but watching you fight with practiced ease punches the air from his lungs. For a moment he feels self-conscious of his awkward maneuvers and slapdash fighting but then his mind pulls him back. You're protecting someone, or else you wouldn't have messed up - you never do, injuries from you are too rare - but you shove them behind you, shooting an enemy over your shoulder before your helmet snaps back. There are so many - you're surrounded - and a hot, sharp blaster bolt grazes your forearm before your fury is truly unleashed.

He runs his fingers over the burn, almost giddy at the possibilities.

Mandalorians are few and far between, but he's grateful he has a soulmate, and even more thankful you've kept yourself out of harm's way almost entirely, since you'd been connected.

As he dons his layers, the shine of his armor reflects bruises and scrapes littered across the expanse of his skin. His own, from his journey, and one beautiful little burn from his soulmate.

And then they're covered, and the armor is tied securely in place, and he leaves his daydreams in the room as the ship door slides unceremoniously shut.

You hiss at the burn, clutching your arm.

Great. Just what you needed - another injury to add to your impressive collection.

At least my soulmate gets a gift from me this time. You roll your eyes.

The vendor next to your stall is a sweet lady, already apologizing for her steaming pots and pans and offering you compensation.

The credits would be nice, but you could hardly justify taking anything, especially since it was your soulmate's fault your body was riddled with aches and pains in the first place.

Waving your hand, you accept her counter offer - a bowl of her perfect broth and noodles - before retreating. You sell cloth, from beautiful dyed lengths tucked away to sturdy, unstainable blacks, and it was days like today that you thanked your stars for that choice.

There's a thick pile in the middle that you perch on, sinking into the folds as your body cries at you, and you sigh over your soup in relief. The burden of waking to webbing bruises and sprawling scrapes and the more-than-occasional broken bone is eased by your stall - sitting and haggling until the sun goes down. That is, unless there's drama in the market, as it seems there is today.

In the distance you hear shouts, more than those of vendors selling meat on sticks to passing warriors and merchants - the taunts of drunkards.

Someone is coming, and you almost laugh when you see his form in the distance, because he's trying and failing to be inconspicuous. It's impossible, with his gleaming armor, but still he ducks into shadowy spots, forgetting - or maybe ignoring - their inhabitants.

"A Mandalorian has graced our market," your neighbor remarks dryly. They were respected, but it was well known that chaos followed them. You share a look, both wishing you were wealthy enough to conpletely pack up shop. If anything, a logical person would put away most of the stock and hunker down for a few hours. Weighing the odds was difficult: if you were lucky, the chaos wouldn't bother your business, and shoppers might be drawn out, hoping for entertainment and spending as they waited. If you weren't, a wayward burst of plasma or blaster fire would destroy your whole month's stock.

You looked at him again, the Mandalorian kneeling down the street. His form was... almost handsome, formidable but careful. He was light on his feet, seemingly with gentleness on his mind, and it drew you in like a moth to flame. You decided to stay, and hope for the best, your curiosity pulsing like your bruises.

And you were lucky, that day, because he ducked away not a moment later, taking the exciment with him.

Until, he came back the next day, this time on the prowl, stalking up and down the edge of Dicer's Row, one hand on his blaster and the other atop a bulky, wriggling bag. This time, you ventured to stand, folding and refolding your displays as you watched him through your lashes.

And then he made his move, and you sighed, feigning a yawn to cover your disappointment from your neighbor's knowing smile. She shouldn't be wiggling her eyebrows over the box wall between you - honestly his type were more annoying than anything. A crash from the alley confirmed it: there was no way a guy like that cared about his soulmate. The gentleness from before was surely a trick of the light.

Your whole side lit up with pain, the impact of something hard against your whole side and you groaned, settling into your mound again. Any curiosity or attraction was snuffed under your annoyance and pain, and your mood soured like fruit left unpicked on the tree.

Selfish, you thought, glaring as a chicken ran squawking from the commotion. What a jerk.

The next day, you tried to maintain the sentiment, huffing as he wandered the stalls.

Why does he keep coming back?

You'd have thought his time here was over when he'd dragged that lowlife out of town yesterday. But here he was, buying a crock of soup at the stall next to you, and ignoring her comments about how he couldn't eat it with his helmet on.

She had warmed to him, since he'd put money in her pocket, chattering in a way that kept him stuck for long moments.

It struck you as strange - he almost seemed too awkward to leave, like her returned generosity actually meant something to him. A man like him... surely could've just walked away.

But he stayed for awhile, nodding and looking at the spoons she carved in her free time, and you almost thought he was looking at you, too. Then he ducked his head and planted himself in front of you, and certainly he was.

For all the years you'd spent weaving words to sell your fabrics and goods, you'd never been so speechless. The Mandalorian was large, sharp, shining edges and bulky canvas packs tied to his shoulders - he seemed out of place, filling your whole stall, shuffling as he loomed over you.

He asked for soft brown things - children's clothes.

"Of course, I - I mean, yes, just over here -" you tripped over your words, caught completely off guard by the shape of him, the feel of him just an arms width away, and his request. You stumbled from your seat, nearly toppling in your hurry and his gloved hand wrapped around your arm, catching you.

"You're injured," he stated not really asking. It was... overwhelmingly intimate, him knowing, and acknowledging it, like he cared.

"Yeah, my..." you swallowed, trying not to get lost in the dark glass inches from your face. "My self-centered soulmate keeps getting himself nearly killed."

Even with your heart thumping in your chest, you couldn't keep the bite from your words, bitterness having collected over years of nursing injuries that were consequences of someone else's actions. He didn't let go of you for a moment, his helmet pulling back and tilting, like he was startled.

Then he was cautious, unbearably so, releasing his grip like a child freeing a captured creature when it was time. The topic was dropped, and he made his purchase quickly, but before he left, he paused. The Mandalorian's gloved hand ghosted over your cheek, slowly moving a hair back into it's place, and if you hadn't known better, it was almost an apology.

And then, thick cape swirling in the dust, tiny clothes in tow, he swept away, leaving you along with your whole body alight with a foreign longing.

Din felt as though he'd been stabbed.

Hot, hot feelings poured through his chest, spreading fast as fire as he desperately tried to sort through them.

You - you were incredible, fragile and bruised, with the most stunning, determined eyes he had ever seen. Not a Mandalorian, and you had a ... a soulmate, a fucker who left your skin littered with marks, burdening you with ...

He felt panicked, shocked, and guilty, just as he had when you'd told him. It had never occred to him that his soulmate might be there... out there, constantly burdened by his recklessness. His body screamed for attention, something he so often ignored, but this time, he was almost deafened by it.

His feet, legs, arms, chest, heart - all of them wanted him to return to you, in your little fabric stall. To... what? Truly, he hadn't the slightest idea, so his mind won out, shaking a little to try to reign in the muscles that he'd taught to obey him.

He couldn't go to you.

But, he couldn't stay away.

He was back in the market, and this time, he wasn't being subtle about staring at you.

Tall and ... slow, he waded through the crowds, making his was towards you like he was following a careful path.

"Can I help you?" You stood, moving almost involuntarily towards him. "Was there something wrong with my -" he was already shaking his head, hands reaching to make you shush.

Waiting, an irrational part of your mind wished he would touch you again, would place his big hands on your skin and sooth the aches that haunted your life. It was unfair, but you didn't stop it, couldn't if you tried.

Carefully, he slid a single finger to your arm, pushing up your sleeve to reveal the little burn you'd gotten.

He was being gentle. It made you want to stomp your feet, jealously welling up in your heart like bile, bitter and hot. How could it be, that someone so powerful had learned so quickly, wanted to, and he wasn't - he wasn't even your -

Then he moved again, pushing up his own sleeve and your thoughts tumbled over each other. It was intimate, even more than before, desperately trusting, as his skin near glowed in the morning light. And there was a burn on his skin, hairs singled like they'd met the edge of a pot of boiling broth.

You wanted to punch him. This man has spent years tossing his body around like he had one one spare, making your own as brittle as bread crust and - you wanted to kiss him. This man had learned after a single day, the impact of his actions, and had been nothing but kind.

The forehead of his helmet pressed into yours, and the two sides of your mind compromised.

Later, words would come - they had to.

But now, your eyes closed, and you sighed. He had the rest of your life to make it up to you - and he would, you were sure.

taglist:

@fangirl-316 @scribbledghost @writeforfandoms @beautyagegoodnesssize @princess76179 @mrsbentallmadge @horton-hears-a-honk @saradika @zinzinina

#din djarin x reader #soulmate requests #anonymous and elle #elle only posts soulmate rqs at weird hours thats the rule

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degenerate-perturbation · 3 years

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Magnus Archives retrospective review

Found this review in my drafts that I wrote after just-evo-now reminded me that I had written a Magnus Archives finale & retrospective review and never posted it so here it is.

Season 5 sucked. It was 70% bad episodes, directly as a result of being filler. All the torture porn and lame whinging about ethics is Quite Clearly Filler. Apparently Jonny wanted a short season that was half office romance and half brief apocalypse. I think this version of the season would have been awesome, and I can kind of see the shape of that story

But, I really liked the finale. It works really well as a conclusion to the overall story of the Magnus Archives. The vast majority of even stories I like do not really stick the landing, so this is a welcome change. Here are some of my assorted thoughts on it:

I like the fact that there was a real moral choice about what to do with the fears, and some acknowledgement of the associated epistemic uncertainty. I think Jon was right and the correct choice was for him to become the pupil of the eye, while containing the fears to that world. The other characters were clearly either being selfish (Melanie) or engaging in motivated reasoning (Martin) and the fact that Jon's guilt was distorting his own reasoning doesn't make him Wrong. However I would have liked way more time to be spent on this! This could have been several episodes worth of drama. For instance, the question of whether or not the fears ended up in the TMA reality in the same way they ultimately escaped it is important! And they just...didn’t spend nearly long enough thinking about it. They didn’t spend nearly enough time thinking about this at all.

I'm pretty sure we are Supposed to think that the choice to loose the fears on the other realities was wrong. Basira's final "good luck" was so chilling and a consistent theme of the show has been Systems and how they rope you in and make you part of them and get you to inflict horrors on others just to make sure you suffer a little less--and the only way out of such a system is to not participate, end the cycle, take the L and don't perpetuate it. Which Jon was 100% right about. So, downer ending for sure, but a hopeful ending would have felt inapt.

I liked Jon&Martin's final apocalyptic goodbye. Very mysterious very dramatic very romantic. I have no idea what was going on in that scene but I don't really care because it got the emotional point across, which means that the scene worked on the level it was supposed to work.

On the subject of Jon&Martin, I really liked the explicit acknowledgement that theirs is a relationship only possible through traumatic bonding, and that absent all the horrible stuff happening they just wouldn't be compatible. That might have been Martin being self-deprecating--but I dislike it when fans treat ships like "soulmates,” because man, love is contingent on so many things. All my favorite fictional relationships are really context-dependent, which is why I really vibe with rarepairs and “crackships,” because the basic writing challenge of something like that is to answer the question of “What would it take for these two people to love each other?”

So honestly a world where Martin crushes on Jon because he has Only Likes Unattainable Men disease and Jon never really warms up to him in their regular context and eventually Martin picks a different Unattainable Jerk Who Will Never Like Him Back to crush on...makes a lot of sense to me. And this of course makes their actual canonical relationship much more special, because it could easily have never happened.

So, like, bad final season notwithstanding, when I consider The Magnus Archives as a story overall, I feel it holds up. The worst thing about it is a far-too-stringent commitment to formal structure, which completely cripples the late seasons. A better version of this story would have ditched the statements, and condensed seasons 4 and 5 into one. It might also have had less plot and more pre-relationship Jon&Martin development in season 3 - such that it actually feels like something is being prematurely arrested when Jon goes into the coma at the end of season 3. Season 4 and especially 5 had a lot of mediocre episodes that absolutely tank the average episode quality of the podcast. But largely it stayed on-theme, had an emotionally resonant central relationship, nothing seriously undercut anything else. And given how many bad stories that disappoint and enrage me fail on this, I give credit for that!

My final rating for this podcast is “worth your time,” but somebody should definitely make a listening-guide for the late seasons that tell you which ones can be safely skipped, like Naruto filler.

#viv reviews #the magnus archives #extended speech act #whenever the last episode actually came out is when i wrote this but i mostly stand by it

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furubabes · 4 years

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Okay. Somebody Asked. @shoujobell and @cryptidaicat, y’all encouraged this. I’m gonna tag this #long post if you wanna filter.

So here. I got the urge to write and so I ranked the Fruits Basket couples from my favorite to least favorite. These aren’t my complete thoughts because I could honestly do multiple full meta posts on each pairing, but I tried to justify and explain all my choices. Standard disclaimer, this is subjective and we can agree to disagree.

Part 1: Just the reasonably popular ones

1. Kyoru: Someone’s gonna call me unoriginal for this but it’s fine. Kyoru is the main romance of Fruits Basket! They bring out the best in each other and build each other up as characters. Kyoru is basically my gold standard take on Sunshine Girl x Grouchy Dude, and I’m not even usually into that trope otherwise. Their romance is one of the few that feels so genuinely necessary to the story. They love each other and like each other. Kyo understands Tohru in a way no one else in the narrative does, and vice versa. They’re in love like soulmates and also like awkward teenagers. Kyoru invented romance. If it’s boring to like healthy romances with realistic development, I’ll be boring.

2. Tohrin: If Tohru didn’t end up with Kyo I would only want her to be with Rin. I guess they have some of the same appeal as Kyoru for me - Rin reads Tohru in a way a lot of people don’t. I also like how honest and raw they are with each other. They yell! They fight! Rin is down to just straight up knock Tohru over to keep her from rushing off. Also, they’re both absolute fashion icons. Goth x Prep rights. I firmly believe Tohru Honda is bisexual.

3. Yukeru: This is my favorite Yuki pairing. I followed @yunsoh way back when the reboot first started and her blog has got me absolutely hooked on Yukeru. I think Yuki’s arc would have just made a ridiculous amount of sense if he was gay. It screams comphet. Kakeru is an excellent complement to Yuki, and their bond feels incredibly natural. Honestly I feel like it’s the most organic romantic development outside of Kyoru. I think realistically they wouldn’t have gotten together until post-canon and frankly Yuki shines in his friendships much more than romances, so I’m not absolutely dying for them to be together, but if Yuki’s going to date anyone Kakeru is my pick.

4. Arisaki: Man... I just like them. They strike me as less of an epic love and more of a comfortable partnership. I also read them both as lesbians anyway lol. Honestly I think they both had feelings for Tohru at one point and bonded over it. The way I picture them happening is honestly just Arisa at 25 frantically googling “is it gay to hold hands with my girl roommate who I spend all my time with and also we never date men“ because Saki bought them rings that look like wedding bands but they could just be super close friendship rings and oh god she’s in too deep. They’re dating for four years before they notice.

5. AyaMine: But Jessie! You literally never post about this pairing! Yeah, you’re right. I never think about them actively. But when ranking the canon ships I realized that I like the two of them together because they’re chill and understated. They’re huge loud personalities on their own but as a couple, they just feel like two people who are happy together and like spending time with one another. No drama, no mess, very understated. No plot contrivances driving their relationship. Good for them.

6. YukiKyo: Okay, so I can be convinced to put on my YukiKyo goggles more often than not. It feels iffy because there’s debate about how closely related all the Sohmas are and these two are called “cousins” a lot in school, but since half of the Sohmas are dating each other anyway, I err on the side of them being more of a clan than a proper blood family. Anyway, YukiKyo is my designated angst fuel. I think it would realistically be pretty one-sided from Yuki’s side, since we see him wanting Kyo’s approval from a very young age, but I like exploring the what-ifs of their lives if they’d been friends instead of rivals. In canon, I like to think that after high school they’re not best friends in the traditional sense, but either one could show up with a dead body and the other would help them bury it, no questions asked.

7. Yuchi: Really? Yuki’s wife is my third favorite pairing for him? Look, I adore Machi, and I still like Yuchi. But as I’ve been watching the reboot and reading others’ metas, I think I agree that their relationship could have been very powerful as a platonic one, sort of running parallel to Yuki and Tohru. I like them together but I think there wasn’t quite time for a complete character arc for Machi and her growth sort of begins and ends with Yuki. I don’t object to them being a couple in canon and I think they’re genuinely very sweet, but once again, I think Yuki stands out in his friendships more than anything. I would have liked to see Machi strike out on her own a little more.

8. Haru x Yuki: I don’t have any particular feelings towards them but I love their dynamic already and I think as a couple they’d both be really easygoing and comfortable with each other. I think a childhood crush turned close friendship is honestly the narrative that works best for them so I have no need for the two to date canonically, but every time they interact in the anime it gets a laugh out of me. They’re cool. They’d make a very pretty pair.

9. Mayutori: I’m Mayutori-neutral. I think they suffer from Fruits Basket’s pair the spare syndrome, but out of the side pairings that don’t have too much impact, they’re one I enjoy. Mayu’s fun as a character, and painfully relatable, and I like that Hatori’s eventual romance isn’t with someone who reminds him of Kana or something like that. I also want good things for Hatori. Mayutori has serious heterosexual energy though. I’m not saying this as a pro or con, they’re just very straight.

10. Hatsuzu: Okay, Haru and Rin aren’t this far down because I hate them. I’m perfectly fine with them being together in canon. But I think their romance almost... functions better as individual motivation for their character arcs than it does as an actual relationship, if that makes sense? Rin’s backstory episode is heartbreaking and her motivation to protect Haru is compelling and sympathetic, but their actual scenes together just don’t move me that much. Their romance is the least interesting part of either character for me.

11. Hiro x Kisa: Yeah I never got into it that much. It’s cute, it’s a sweet depiction of childhood crushes, but I’m not a fan of the idea of them ending up together. Kisa’s a cutie and Hiro is entertaining but the two of them together don’t actually do much for me. The dynamic between them is almost like if someone did Kyoru with none of the nuance. Ultimately though, they’re kids. I don’t expect them to have a deep and complex romance.

12. Yukiru: I think it would be a disservice to their characters if they were a couple. People far more eloquent than me have already written plenty of meta on why Yuki and Tohru aren’t what the other needs romantically, so I won’t get into it, but basically I just think their canon friendship is so beautiful and meaningful that I wouldn’t want to change it. Yuki and Tohru support my thesis that not all soulmates are romantic.

13. Tohru x Momiji: Welcome to the subjective dislike corner! This pairing is reasonably popular among people theorizing who Tohru would be with if not Kyo, but for some reason it just sits poorly with me. I can’t rank it any lower because there’s nothing evil or morally wrong about it! I just really don’t like it. I’ve quit a few fics because this pairing came up and I just can’t enjoy it.

14. Kakeru x Komaki: Idk, I just think Kakeru latching onto the one girl who was nice to him and put up with his bullshit and then being with her forever isn’t compelling. Komaki’s also probably his beard. She’s likable as an individual though.

15. Akigure: There’s plenty to say about the age gap, Shigure being in love with Akito since she was a fetus because of The Dream, the implications of a 15-18 year old knowing he’d one day want to be with a then-10-year-old... yeah, you get it. But even if I was able to put all that aside because Soulmate Destiny Logic, I still don’t think I’d like Akigure. I think they’re interesting as bitter, codependent exes, but I don’t like the idea of Akito ending up with anyone who she abused or who abused her. I think she has so much growing to do as a character and staying in a relationship within the Sohma family to do it can’t be healthy for her. I can’t see them living happily ever after, nor do I really want to.

16. Kurisa: I think what frustrates me the most here is that I want to like Kureno and everything about this romance is written to dull his most interesting traits. First of all, the age gap. Yeah, it’s gross, I don’t like it. But even past that, the love at first sight, instant fixation with each other, and lack of actual chemistry just kills me. Arisa’s stated reason to like Kureno is that he reminds her of Tohru, basically piggybacking off the chemistry she and Tohru already have, and his total lack of agency means the plot just sort of carries him along. It frustrates me that Takaya could have done something pretty cool by making them simply friends who have a chance encounter and then build a friendship from there that parallels Kureno’s abusive dynamic with Akito. It would be neat if a stranger’s kindness was the push Kureno needed to get himself out of the Sohmas’ grasp, without all the nonsensical drama about them being in love. It would also be less of a disservice to Arisa, who basically just spends the whole series pining for Kureno after they meet and I hate it. I could write a whole post about this. Maybe I will sometime.

17. Kyoko x Katsuya: I don’t think their story is romantic. I think it’s tragic for Kyoko, and if it were framed that way within the narrative, I wouldn’t object so much to its existence. But... Takaya just really likes age gaps with a younger woman and an older man, so the narrative romanticizes this man marrying his student. Katsuya can be depicted as well-meaning as you want, but he’s still got a ridiculous amount of power over Kyoko. She was also still pretty young when she had Tohru, which doesn’t make things any better because it’s clear that the relationship turned physical when Kyoko was a teen, thus dashing the idea of Katsuya legally marrying her to save her but not actually doing anything creepy. I wish Fruits Basket framed this as a story of Kyoko escaping one dangerous situation by entering a relationship with a huge power imbalance, because that happens to girls all the time and it’s tragic and compelling. The events of the story could stay the exact same and if the framing changed I would be fine with it. But this is not that. This is just a really romanticized teacher/student age gap. I’m not into it.

Part 2: Rarepairs, weird shit, and others (oh my!)

1. Yuki x Kakeru x Kimi: OT3. I’m enamored with the idea of this hot mess polycule.

2. Momiji x Kimi: Chaos meets chaos. This couple would say uwu without any irony and also steal your car keys. They’re both perceptive and smart hidden under a layer of cute and I’d wanna watch them play 4D chess with each other.

3. Kazuma x Kunimitsu: Idk how old Kunimitsu is so if he’s like 20, strike this one from the record. But I saw one post once that was like Kyo slowly realizing Kazuma and Kunimitsu were gay and had been dating for years and it was funny as hell.

4. AyaTori: It’s cute. Opposites attract, black and white hair, and Aya only listens to Hatori anyway. It’s just fun to think about.

5. Megumi x Hiro: They don’t interact in canon I just think Goth x Punk-Ass Bitch is a great concept.

6. Motoko x Nao: They’re both loud as hell and Nao having a gf that towers over him is funny. Maybe Yuki would finally get some peace.

7. Machi x Kimi: I don’t see them actually being compatible in canon but I think they could have a really homoerotic college friendship.

8. Hajime x Mutsuki: This is just YukiKyo, the non angst version.

9. Akito x Hanajima: I’m so wary of shipping Akito with anyone but this is kind of fun. The two are friends in canon and Hana isn’t remotely afraid of Akito. Plus Akito never abused Hana. I can sort of see it.

10. Hiroshi x Yusuke: Makes no sense, wouldn’t be relevant, but if those two just never spent any time apart and continued being a pair for life it would be a really good bit.

11. Akitohru: I don’t think it’s healthy to date anyone who’s previously stabbed you.

12. Kazuma x Hanajima: Stop. Go to jail. Hana’s one-sided crush is funny though.

#fruits basket #fruits basket spoilers #long post #my posts.txt

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anika-ann · 4 years

Text

The Best Mistake of My Life - Pt.6

...with the A+ Team

Pairing: Steve Rogers x reader Word count: 3070

Summary: A soulmate AU. They say having a soulmate is a blessing. Who wouldn’t love the idea of star-crossed lovers, right?

You get to spend the day with the Avengers. Should you be excited or scared? Well, Steve is by your side, so… you will be alright... right?

Warnings: swearing, FLUFF, Steve’s friends being Steve’s friends… go figure, attempt at humour, and tbh Steve’s damn body needs a warning too

Story masterlist

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Steve took you to lunch. Natasha had been kind enough to lend you some clothes so you didn’t look like Steve’s trophy; he might have looked a bit disappointed if you were being honest, but you suspected Natasha had chosen the clothes with great care and intention to keep Steve’s eyes on you, because you actually didn’t look half-bad, simple summer dress along with matching shoes more suitable for a walk than the ones you had worn to the party.

And obviously, Steve didn’t forget to tell you that you looked beautiful.

You felt like a princess; it seemed Steve had been serious when saying he had planned on spoiling you. Not that you were complaining. There was just that little annoying voice in the back of your head, reminding you that all of this was too perfect to be true, that there must have been something hiding behind a corner, waiting to cast a shadow over your happiness.

You learned more about Steve’s life in the past. He appeared to be telling you even slightly embarrassing things. When you called him out on it, teasing him that he wanted to scare you away, the tips of his ears went pink and he enlightened you. Apparently, he was ninety eight percent sure it would come to Truth or Dare during the game afternoon and he wanted to get things out in private so you weren’t too taken aback.

That you understood, deciding to reciprocate the gesture and surprisingly… it wasn’t awful.

It actually turned out to be an awfully great idea, because Steve wasn’t wrong.

The game afternoon started with highly intellectual Scrabble, interestingly in a version for more players with bigger board, which fascinated you. You weren’t necessarily bad at it, but it was hard to compete with a man who had seven PhD.s. Still, you had fun.

And then it came. Truth or Dare.

“I start!” Tony exclaimed, his eyes immediately falling on you. Oh no. You should have seen this coming. “Truth or dare?”

You eyed Steve warily, hoping for a clue. He just shook his head. “I don’t think it really matters, doll. You’ll suffer either way.”

You snorted, hoping no one could see how horrified you were at that statement.

“Alright. I honestly dread your dares. I’ll go with truth.”

“Good. Fuck, Marry, Kill. With the Avengers.”

“Boo!” Clint called out. “Boring. Obvious choice for at least one of those things.”

You bit your lip. Yeah, it probably was. Just as you opened your mouth to tell who would you marry (not that he wouldn’t be your choice for one more and you weren’t thinking Kill), Tony interjected.

“Ah-ah! No Cap. Avengers minus Cap!” he ordered, causing you to gape.

How dared he!

You bit your cheek, considering an answer and suddenly, another of the three became obvious.

“Firstly – fuck you, Tony, for such a question,” you hissed playfully, drawing a laugh from Natasha and Clint. You smirked in satisfaction, your mind racing.

“Hm… I guess that if can’t pick the obvious choice, I’d marry Thor.” Steve gasped at your side, pretending to be wounded. You shoved him lightly, grinning. “Come on. From what I saw, Asgardians clearly know how to treat their women. And lastly… huh. Do I have to?”

“Yep. Spill. Unless you want to lose already.”

“Ugh, fine. Can I… kill the Hulk, but let Bruce live?” you mumbled, earning a smile from Natasha and the man in question.

“I call bullshit!”

“I call her smart. You did say the Avengers. It’s her turn,” Bruce opposed Tony, rushing to your rescue since you had been so generous to him.

Steve’s hand subtly found yours, giving a tender caress in agreement.

“Alright. Thanks. So…” You honestly had no idea who to pick. You never had been much for this game, never being able to come out with something shocking enough. One might call you boring. You smirked when you figured it out. “Natasha. Truth or dare?”

She squinted at you, suspiciously. “Dare.”

“I dare you to tell me the worse insult for a man you can think of.”

The spy raised an eyebrow, but gave it a serious consideration. "слабый хуй.“

“Ouch,” Clint winced, which was enough of a confirmation.

You repeated the words for yourself before glancing at Tony. “Thanks, Natasha, I’ll remember that in case I ever need that.”

Tony had enough decency to look scandalised at your hint on who you were planning on using it.

“Clint, truth or dare?”

The archer picked the dare. He had to try to juggle with seven apples. To your shock, he actually managed for a few seconds, with seven apples, what the hell – and that was how you learned he had actually been with a circus for a while. Talk about surprises.

To your misfortune, Clint picked you. You decided that another truth was the lesser evil.

“Alright. So… have you seen it?”

Steve choked on his coke whilst your eyes just went wide.

Clint snickered. “I meant Cap’s gear. And if you didn’t, would you like to?”

Yep, still sounded like he was not talking about Steve’s battle gear—and jeez, that sounded dirty as well.

“I am not answering that question unless we state what you mean by that and that it’s not a euphemism,” you proclaimed, crossing your arms on your chest.

“Fine. I mean his shield. Obviously.”

“No I haven’t and… I mean…” you glanced at the man in question, whose face was still red from the cough caused by Clint’s innuendo. “Sure. I’d like to. When or if he’s willing.”

Steve smiled at you, touched by your consideration. Of course he was Captain America. The shield he carried was an important symbol, but only for his famous persona. Not for Steve Rogers. You mainly wanted to know Steve Rogers. You smiled back at him.

“Oh, I’m sure he’s willing to show you his shield and what can he do with it, alright…”

“Barton, I swear you’re the worst,” Steve groaned, tilting his head back. You just rolled your eyes and turned to Bruce, asking about his first kiss when he chose truth.

He inquired Tony about his worst interaction with a fan and Tony passed the torch to Steve, daring him to do one-arm push-ups, one for each year he had. Steve gave him an annoyed look at the mention of his age, but you were very sure that Tony had given him the dare to torture you, because seeing Steve in a t-shirt do exactly that, the muscles on his arms shifting, was… doing things to your heart rate and breathing. You weren’t sure whose physiology was affected more by the workout – yours or Steve’s. By Tony’s knowing smirk, he had a good guess that it was yours.

Steve chose Clint, Clint went for Natasha, Natasha decided to poke Bruce. It was childish and it was more than a bit wonderful.

Tony pulled out a card game then, one you hadn’t seen before. It was called Dobble and it turned the Avengers into actual children, shouting one after another, fake-crying and pushing and poking each other. Your cheeks and belly hurt from the laughter. When you managed to win one of the rounds, you punched the air victoriously, roaring laughter at everyone’s shocked expression. Steve kissed you on the lips, rewarding the winner, letting the others to fight for the second place.

“You’re amazing,” he whispered to your ear, nuzzling his nose in your hair, making your laughter die in your throat and shiver.

“Just trying to make you proud, Steve. Just trying to make you proud and to have a great time while doing so.”

“I’m glad you do.”

Few rounds later, you were all sprawled on the couches, exhausted.

“Sir, I’d like to inform you I finished the scanning of the security update as you asked and found the glitch,” a male voice with British accent sounded above your head all of sudden and you jolted up into a straight sitting position, startled.

“What the hell was that?!” you yelped, causing everyone to stare at you questioningly.

“Jarvis, who else? Thank you, Jarvis, you’re the best,” Tony called out, seemingly unconcerned by talking to a voice coming from the ceiling.

Your face scrunched in even bigger confusion, but seeing everyone unaffected by the intruder, your fear quickly dissolved. “Jarvis?”

“The resident A.I. How did you not meet him before?” Clint questioned, looking at Steve accusatively. You followed his gaze, shocked.

There was an artificial intelligence in the building?! “How did that not come up during the tour?!”

Steve had enough decency to look ashamed. “I was… distracted,” he murmured, his cheeks dusted with a little pink.

Tony snorted, wiggling his eyebrows. “Jarvis, meet Cap’s girl.”

“Hello, Miss. It’s a pleasure to meet you. How do you wish me to call you?”

“Cap’s girl,” Tony repeated, while Clint called out “Miss America.”

“She’s her own person, you know. Not just Steve’s girlfriend,” Natasha scolded them both.

“And she has a name,” Steve added, shooting them a dirty glare.

“And she’s right here,” you grumbled for a good measure and said your name for the… the Jarvis? Just Jarvis, you guessed. You felt surreal when apparently speaking to air, but Tony talked to him (Him? It?) with such ease you couldn’t do it differently.

God knew you might actually hurt Jarvis’ feelings. Did AI have feelings?

“As you wish.”

“Please, Jarvis, grant her unlimited access to my room and to the Tower as well,” Steve pleaded and your head snapped to him, surprised. He only replied with a smile.

“Certainly, Captain,” the AI answered politely.

Seriously? Just like that? An access to the Avengers Tower? And… to Steve’s room? Any time you wanted?

Steve wanted you here, you realized, the revelation overwhelming, but so, so sweet. He wanted you here at any time.

Thank you, you mouthed and he just shook his head, covering your hand with his.

“We talked about this too, Jarvis,” he addressed the AI, scolding for something you didn’t understand.

“I’m aware, Captain. But since Sir is present, I have to call you that.”

Your eyebrows shot up. What was this about? Probably Tony being annoying, your mind supplied helpfully and the corners of your lips twitched in amusement.

“…hold on a sec. Are you telling me you’re calling him something different when I’m not around?” Tony blurted out, scandalized.

“Yes, Sir. But I’m afraid that addressing is classified and you have no authorization to change it,” Jarvis explained, measured.

“I created you! I have all the authorization!”

“That is very true, Sir. However, since you wish me to call him Captain, he outranks you, Sir.”

You burst out laughing, the team soon joining in.

“Did he… did he make his A.I. sassy?” you choked out between your fits, only to have a collective howl of yes to answer you.

“Jarvis, we are going to have a serious talk about loyalty. Soon,” the billionaire grumbled, sending everyone into another outburst. “Right now, actually. Kids, get out of the living room.”

The team scrambled to their feet, putting their dishes to the dishwasher and going each their own way, still chuckling.

“So, this was fun,” you stated as Steve led you down through the halls, his hand on your lower back. He was being very touchy-feely indeed and you definitely enjoyed every second. “What’s happening now? The movie night starts at half past eight, right?”

“Well… I actually thought about working out for a bit if you wouldn’t mind-“

“Was the nearly hundred push-ups – on one arm – not enough?” you teased him and he made a sour face.

“Don’t remind me. A little sparring would be great. I missed the morning run and-“

“And you’re a man of routine.”

He looked at you a bit funny, but didn’t try to deny it.

“Alright. I guess I’ll answer the thousand texts Ryan sent me and… then maybe come watch? Who you’ll be sparring with?”

“Natasha probably, if she’s game. Jarvis, could you ask her?” he called out softly and not a half-minute later, he got his answer.

“Agent Romanoff is on board. Agent Barton says he’ll be joining you.”

Steve raised an eyebrow at that, but then only shrugged and pecked your temple before pulling away. “Sounds interesting. Let’s do this.”

“So… does that mean I’m allowed to come along?”

“…if that’s what you want.”

Hearing his reluctance, you wondered if he was worried to show you his… perhaps violent side, fearing it might change your view of him. It was ridiculous; you had a good idea of what he did for living, you had seen some videos back in the day after the invasion. Like it or not, his job required brutal force; you were as aware of that as much of the fact that he used the power he held over others thanks to his serum and training to protect, the hurt part only harming aggressors.

You only considered it for a split second. This was a part of Steve. You had established you wanted to get to know all of Steve. Still, you understood he might not be comfortable to show you yet.

“Absolutely,” you assured him, taking care not to sound adamant. “Unless you mind showing me.”

His previously guarded expression softened and when his lips touched your forehead this time, he lingered.

“I’m willing to show you as much as you think you can take,” he whispered and you couldn’t help but snort despite being moved by his openness. The time spent with Clint and Tony was clearly taking its toll on you.

“Sorry, sorry-”

“I can’t believe they corrupted you like that,” he spoke to the ceiling, whiny.

“I’m sorry. I’m gonna go deal with Ryan now.”

“Good plan.”

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You weren’t exaggerating too much; Ryan was incredibly curious about how yesterday went and your swift answer typed out in a rush hadn’t satisfied him. You decided to call him, dutifully spilling the beans about nearly everything. Mostly, you just praised everyone, complained about Tony being an ass in an endearing way with Clint’s support and about Natasha, Bruce and even Thor being kind to you.

Steve you had no words for. You simply revealed he was dreamy and promised to tell Ryan more later, explaining you were too eager to see the sparring session. He understood, giggling like a schoolgirl with a crush, rushing you to end the call immediately and go admire your boyfriend.

Funny how neither you nor Steve had labelled what you had and other people did it for you. You made a mental note to bring it up casually, already knowing it probably wouldn’t be any time soon.

“Uhm… Jarvis?” you called out, uncertain he actually was listening for you.

“What can I do for you?”

“Could you please navigate me to the gym where Steve is?”

“Certainly,” the AI replied easily, giving you instructions as if it was a daily occurrence for him. Which probably was.

You just shook your head and chuckled incredulously. Being a soulmate to an Avenger was so freaking weird.

You kinda liked it. A lot.

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“Please tell me you’re not going to shoot at them,” you begged, horrified.

Jarvis led you to one of the gyms in the Tower, only for you to find Steve and Natasha lunging one after another, skilfully blocking and dodging the other one’s punches. They almost looked like they were dancing; brutally, but still with grace.

Clint’s absence confused you – until you found him in the corner. With a bow, string stretched, ready to release an arrow… in their direction.

“I’m gonna shoot at them,” he advertised lowly and it felt like a punch to your gut.

“Are you crazy?!” you hissed.

“People usually shoot at us on missions. And they don’t exactly care we are already fighting someone else. Actually, they are waiting for just that. For when we are distracted.”

A heavy stone fell into your stomach and the reality settled in. Forget Steve being violent. Enter people shooting at him, excited to get the best opportunity to kill him. You gulped against the lump suddenly formed in your throat, respectively following the line of the arrow, dreading how sharp the end of it would be; it wasn’t.

You released a relieved exhale. At least they weren’t hurting each other that much during trainings.

“What kind of an arrow is that?”

“With paint,” the archer hummed absently, “it’s great for identifying the openings each of us leaves.”

You wanted to think of his words, but your mind stubbornly kept returning to the fact how easily Steve could get killed. Your eyes were on the sparring pair, but you weren’t seeing anything, Steve with his hands clutched to his side, blood pouring from under his fingers being the only image in your brain.

Gentle touch on your arm snapped you back to present.

“Hey. Relax,” Clint coaxed and you noticed he lowered his bow. “I didn’t want to freak you out. I should have put it more… civil.”

“You’re just stating the facts,” you replied dully, shaking your head.

“Sure, but I could have done it more gently. Look, I do want to break it to you, slowly, that this is the reality. We fight. Our job’s dangerous. But what you’re seeing right now? That’s how we get ready for the threats. Cap rarely leaves any openings, all of us do. We’re not alone in the field. We watch each other’s back and we train and train and train. To be stronger, faster, better. Think of this like a paintball, it’s basically that. Now, can I try to shoot them or not?”

The low hum of Clint’s voice, the conviction he spoke with despite the minimal volume – and you suspected it was so Steve couldn’t hear you, secretly thinking he did anyway – washed over you like a tide wave of peace. You felt your heart settle, your fear levelling. You knew Steve’s job posed risks. He had told you the very first moment. This was just seeing it a bit closer, your worries earning shape and colours.

“Okay. Thank you, Clint.”

“Anytime. Just so you know, I’ve been trying to get a good shot for almost two minutes. They hide behind the other as if they knew which one I’m trying to hit at the moment. They’re the best among the best.”

Your focus returned to Steve and Natasha. Some interesting noises of exertion were now accompanying their movements.

“Should she be jealous, Cap?” Clint called out, raising his bow again.

“Go to hell, Barton!” sounded unison from the pair and to your surprise, only Natasha’s voice sounded playful.

You wondered why, but had a pretty good guess to be honest. And you were a bit worried about the outcome of your conversation with Clint.

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Part 7 (final)

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Tags: @cxptain @mermaidxatxheart @smilexcaptainx , @murdermornings@irepostthingsiwanttoseelater , @polarcrystall @eliza5616, @rayofdawnworld @victor-criss-bish @skychild29 @elysianecho @simmisblog @scentedsongrebel @orions-nebula, @sergeantrosabellaswan @songofcosplay, @ilovesupersoldiers @wxstedhexrt @silver-winter-wolf @nova3312 @guardian-tn @janieavalos

Tags are open, you want in or out, let me know :)) (I have no damn clue why some tags aren’t working...? :( )

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Thank you for reading! This fluffy mess will come to an end, but we’ll be off to a three-shot and then a longer instalment that will bring new players in ;)

#marvel #fanfiction #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x you #steve rogers imagine #captain america x reader #captain america x you #captain america imagine #steve rogers #captain america #avengers #captain america fanfic #steve rogers fanfic #marvel fanfic #soulmate au #the best mistake of my life #anika ann

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hiuythn · 4 years

Note

do u have any krbk fics that u can rec? any favorites of urs! ☺️

you’re in luck bc i just made a rec list for a friend so i have this ready for you

also i’ve got over 200 krbk bookmarks on ao3 so feel free to check that out if you finish this rec list.

all (except one) of these are completed. they're in no particular order. i tried to find ones that are less known, bc idk how much you've read but i'm assuming all the popular ones are familiar to you. happy reading! 💖💖💖

Inevitable - Legendaerie - 8k - mature CLASSIC 'bkg thinks they've been together and kiri thinks he's still pining' TROPE. it's INCOMPREHENSIBLE to me why this doesn't have more fucking kudos!!! why!!!

Tiny Truths - Quirk Archivist (OneHitWondersAnonymous) - 4k - teen bkg gets de-aged. kid him reveals sth to class 1a, more imptly, to KIRI, abt some ideas about what it means to open a hero agency together. it's super adorable!!

Punch My Mouth with Your Mouth - QuestCat44 - 4k - teen bkg spars with deku more bc OfA is acting up and he's the only one in the know. kiri gets jealous but he's so good-natured that his jealousy is only bc he misses sparring/spending time with bkg. BKG, on the other hand, is worried kiri is mad for different reasons asdkjfhasdhfa

all according to keikaku........... - carolinaa - 8k - teen the title should already tell you how good this is. I LOVE JEALOUSY FICS WHEN THEY'RE MORE FUNNY THAN ANGSTY AND THIS IS SO FUNNY. kiri gets tired of deku being a pussy around todo and decides to flirt with todo to get deku jealous enough to do sth about it. bkg and todo are both horrified for VERY different reasons DHADSKDFHJS

doll me up - shizuumi151 - 6k - gen kiri gets turned into a doll by a kid's quirk and no one knows. bkg still ends up caring for him :’)

These Words Are Ours - deviance - 2k - teen soulmate au but bkg figures who's going to say his words before it happens, and honestly that's kind of the point. he's not the type to fall in love at first sight. he MAKES the choice to love kiri and that, my friends, is my kind of soulmate au.

all good things need sunshine - shizuumi151 - 3k - teen FLORIST KIRI. BKG WANTS A BOUQUET THAT SAYS 'FUCK YOU'

Flour Power - WingSongHalo - 26k - teen KRBK HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF A BAG OF FLOUR AND PRETEND IT'S THEIR BABY

feedback loop - bigstupidjellyfish - 1k - teen PRO HERO BKG GETS THROWN BACK IN TIME FOR A BIT AND MEETS MIDDLE SCHOOL KIRI AND HE'S SO SOFT TO HIM ASDFHKASDFJ. i am a big fan of bkg being a fan of kiri. i can't get ENOUGH OF IT. can someone give me more fics like this

mixed signals - bigstupidjellyfish - 2k -teen a short 'what if' fic where kiri and bkg went to the same middle school. bkg's still an ass but kiri's still his equal it seems, and is just as good as handling him as ever

Trash Goblin Finds Love - wrunic - 4k - teen COFFEE SHOP AU. BARISTA KIRI GETS SICK ONE TIME AND BKG MAKES HIM SOUP AND FORCES KIRI'S COWORKER TO DELIVER IT ASDJHFS

Dreaming of a White Mocha Christmas - let_me_wander - 8k - teen ANOTHER COFFEE SHOP AU. BARISTA KIRI AND HIS FAV CUSTOMER ;) GET SNOWED IN

Something Warm - let_me_wander - 15k - teen YES FOLKS IT'S A A A ANOTHER COFFEE SHOP FIC, THAT'S RIGHT!! BARISTA BKG THIS TIME. also kr is in a band and writes a song for bkg asdfhksjd

Kneel - deviance - 7k - explicit idk if you wanted explicit stuff but this is pretty light sub stuff, they're not even properly together at the beginning, and there isn’t sex til the end. i just liked how kiri is the only one bkg would rely on for sth this private, and it's more emotional than it is sexual?

Everyone Knows That Cats Are Independent - PurplePersnickety - 39k - teen YET. ANOTHER. COFFEE SHOP AU. but also?? daemons?? katsuki's got a lionness, and kiri has a...i'll let you find out. anyway they become closer and closer and closer and the flirting is so fucking excruciatingly obvious but cute and sdkjfhasdjs it's such a queer experience like 'is he...no he cant be...but what if he did like me - no that's not possible. but what if?' and they get so domestic sometimes i swear i'm about to puke from how cute it is. this is my fav coffee shop au ngl

Broken Bridges - DeathBelle - 68k - explicit plot fic!! krbk loses touch after gradutation. kiri comes back from korea and starts to work together with bkg, dealing with a series of murders and MAN the action is 👌 easy to follow but it hits all the beats, has that Flow. krbk being a power couple will never get old!!

Of Ghosts and other Inaccurate Things - chezka - 56k - gen pretty sure you've seen this one around but STILL. BKG FALLING FOR 'GHOST' KIRI IS BEST. this au really takes FULL COMPLETE advantage of the fact that krbk CANNOT TOUCH and the yearning practically astral-projected me back into the my past life when i was a dung beetle that got crushed under the foot of an elephant. it hurt, basically. but it hurt so good. JUST LET BKG HUG KIRI!!! happy ending ofc.

Catching Bees - MonocerosRex - 2k - teen bkg has to pay his classmates compliments. class 1a hijinks. the krbk in this is short but it made me squeal sdhfkakjl

i'm going to the forest to kick my own ass - WannabeMarySue - 5k - teen TODO PRANKS BKG BUT UNLUCKY FOR HIM BKG IS COMPETITIVE AND ACTUALLY LEARNS SOMETHING

Hair Care 101 - overlymetaromantic - 7k - gen ASDHFASDFHAJKS KIRI MEETS BKG'S MOM BY ACCIDENT AND GETS HAIR HELP AND THEY TALK ABOUT BKG AND IT'S SO. CUTE. AND THEN BKG DYES KR'S HAIR IN THE SECOND CHAPTER AND THEY'RE SO BLUSHY AND SWEET I CAN'T!!

Sometimes We Fall in the Dark - timetoboldlygo - 16k - teen BKG TAKING PHOTOS OF THINGS FOR THERAPY. YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT HOW YOU PHOTOGRAPH THINGS YOU TREASURE 👀👀👀

Corn Chip - smol_bird - 23k - teen I DONT FUCKIGN KNOW WHY THIS DOESN'T HAVE MORE KUDOS. IT'S LITERALLY SO GOOD. DEMON KIRI IS JOKINGLY SUMMONED BY BKG AND FRIENDS. THEY FALL IN LOVE. KIRI HAS TO LEAVE. BKG IS DETERMINED NOT TO LET THAT HAPPEN. HAPPY ENDING. WHAT ELSE COULD YOU ASK FOR

'cause i love you for infinity - multiclassmaps - 23k - teen SDHFADSJFASD DEMON AU AGAIN. THIS TIME IT'S KIRI THAT DOES THE SUMMONING. BUT WHY DOES BKG SEEM SO FAMILIAR??? WHAT CAN KIRI DO TO MAKE HIM STAY??

to the beat of your heart - drifting_i - 8k - gen BAND AU. KIRI WORKS AT A RESTAURANT AND SOMEHOW BEFRIENDS DRUMMER BKG AND BKG'S BAND CAN'T BELIEVE THAT KIRI GETS AWAY WITH HALF THE SHIT BKG ALLOWS HIM TO

Playing Favorites - vaporeon_ninja - 2k - gen AKSDJFHJADHFKA BKG GETS CALLED OUT ON HIS KIRI FAVOURITISM

(Not Quite) Proposal - imatrisarahtops - 783 - teen DRUNK BKG IS SAPPY WITH HIS BOYF

something worth remembering - bbuggs - 1k - teen DRUNK BKG AGAIN!!! THIS TIME HE DOESN'T REMEMBER KIRI IS HIS HUSBAND AND HE'S SO DISTRAUGHT ABOUT KIRI BEING TAKEN SDFJHSK

A Dragon's Hoard - chezka - 10k - teen kiri gets turned into a dragon bc of a quirk. LOVE HOW DRAGON KIRI STILL LIKES BKG BEST

Love Notes - PurplePersnickety - 5k - teen LOVE NOTES BKG LEAVES LOVE NOTES FOR KIRI IT'S SO SWEET

Define: Oblivious - PurplePersnickety - 45k - teen this is the second part to Love Notes, it's still updating BUT PLEASE CHECK IT OUT TOO BC KIRI DOES STH SO BADASS DURING PRACTICAL TRAINING I LOVE HIM I REREAD THIS NOW AND THEN JUST FOR HOW COOL HE IS IN THAT ONE CHAPTER. also the steady, careful way krbk define their relationship and bkg's demisexuality is so sweet, so good.

The Hard Easy - dirtbag - 4k - teen this one is pretty popular but i still gotta mention it bc. kissing lessons. KISSING LESSONS!!! i love how eagar bkg is askdfhks

Kitsune's Pride - kytrin, Mslead - 147k - explicit okay this was A DOOZY like i???? the plot???? the time travel and the oni and kitsune stuff???? bkg and kiri being badasses??? bkg wanting the best for kiri and angrily supporting him??? this was the first time i kept up to date with a fic when it was still updating and commenting every chapte,r i was so hooked. and ALSO like the authors have written SO MUCH more longfics like this like they have NOVELS and i REALLY rec you check them out like....bro idk how they do they have so much out already and i think and they're updating two more rn and i'm. their bitch tbh

Burden of Proof - kytrin, Mslead - 153k - explicit OK ONE MORE REC FOR THESE AUTHORS. burden of proof is so. so fcukign good. i have adhd and these guys have never one lost me even tho their fics are upwards of 60k. this fic has dragons, it has plot, it has growth and healing and found families and i WISH i could write sth this intricate.

Burger Kings - plantegg - 5k - teen stupid teenage boys being stupid. kiri blackmails bkg into going on a date asjdfhkdsjfakd

Worth a Thousand Words - awareoftheconcept - 43k - teen SDKJFHASKH THIS IS A GUILTY PLEASURE OF MINE I KNOW THE LACK OF COMMUNICATION TROPE IS OVERUSED BUT I CAN'T HELP FALL FOR ANGSTY KIRI AND OMG THE CONFRONTATION SCENE AT THE END IS SO. SO. SO MOVIE-ESQUE I HATE HOW LAME I AM. basically everyone thinks bkg is dating camie asdkjfhskd

Day 6: Fandom - PullingAllMighters, SweetBrew - 9k - mature bkg and kiri don't know each other until they're pro heros and only bc they start a competition to see who's better and they go to each other's signings undercover and develop crushes on each other and deku is an enABLER ASHAHAJFS

Scales Ain't The Same As Feathers - Julietwasanidiot - 2k - gen GOD THIS IS SO CUTE BABY BKG "FINDERS KEEPERS" A BABY DRAGON KIRI SKDHFHD but he thinks kiri is a chicken

Charades - orphan_account - 4k - teen this is just soft....game night....at one point bkg acts out a really romantic word for charades and he's EMBARRASSED SDJFHA. also kiri falls asleep on him and there's some hair stroking....soft...

Cranky-rishima - PurplePersnickety - 29k - teen kirishima is the one with nightmares in this one and he gets CRANKY and BKG has to be the one to reach out and i thought that was such a fresh reversal loved it

No Secrets to Success - kingdoms - 7k - teen THIS IS MY FAV!! MY ABSOLUTE FAV JUST BC I LOVE IT WHEN FICS MAKE PEOPLE GAPE IN AWE FROM HOW SOFT BKG IS WITH KIRI. also krbk forming their relationship outside of school in this au was so??? sweet??? it's just them hanging out together. ALSO KIRI IS SO GOOD AT POKING BKG'S BUTTONS ASJDFHASK

Built to Fall - bigstupidjellyfish - 68k - explicit pro heros fic. they had a bad breakup in third year and oh god the angst is QUALITY. DW THEY TOTALLY MAKE UP AND IT'S SO FCKN WORTH IT. bkg also got therapy so he’s a little more stable as an adult lol

A Name That You'll Remember - heronfem - 33k - mature bkg is a fail!villain. he fell in with the wrong crowd when he was younger. he doesn't actually do anything wrong. in fact, all of his 'crimes' are generally stopped by kiri and somehow all end up exposing corruption anyway, so he's actually helping. kids love bkg. he always makes sure they're safe before he robs a jewelry store or sth. somehow kiri ends up flirting with him in all their fights and bkg has no idea what to make of him. the public can't get enough of them

strawberry mango sweet - redriotinggg - 9k - teen it's just a really sweet smoothie shop au!!! it's good reliable fluff!! what else can you ask for!!

cultivating something so divine - redriotinggg - 10k - teen redriotinggg yet again, i love this au, it's vet!au and kiri is so good at loving animals that bkg hires him and they fall in love and it's also got some competency porn, as in krbk are hella good at their job like power couple ayy

Tension Reduction - acernor - 10k - explicit Kirishima is a massage therapist and Bakugo needs help relaxing.

Mistletoe? Mistletoe. - Tearsaresalty - 2k - teen class 1a keeps making bkg kiss kiri and neither of them really mind wow i wonder why 🙄

#sdfjakjsdfsk ok i hope this tides you over #kiribaku #fic rec #bnha #💖💖💖#ask #Anonymous

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stevetonygames · 4 years

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Spotlight Post: Canon Soulmate Bonds

Yooo, this is a blog takeover, Mizzy here, ready to champion one of my favourite fictional causes: canonical soulbonds in the Marvel universe.

We all love a good soulbond fic. Words on your body, names on your wrist, red string of fate...so many glorious versions, and all of them *completely awesome*. The problem sometimes with starting a soulbond fic, though, can be all the worldbuilding required to make it work. But what if I was to tell you that no worldbuilding was necessary? That you could technically write a soulbond fic without having to set it in an Alternate Universe? What if you could set your soulbond fic *directly in main canon?*

Marvel 616 delivers you a canonical soulbond mechanic… not once… but at least *twice*. There could be more. There’s a lot of comics to go through and I’m only smol. But here’s the two I know about and I’m here to introduce you to today. :)

The was a ripple of mild confusion around fandom when Kevin Feige announced that the Eternals were getting a title movie in the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Created by Jack Kirby in the 1970s, in a wild combination of mythological fascination and spite at DC comics for not letting him finish his New Gods saga, the Eternals were an offshoot of humanity, created by the Celestials for humanity’s protection; this reason for their existence would lead them into their ongoing conflict against the deadly Deviants. There have been a few Eternals runs (notably one run by Neil Gaiman, which did not serve to bring the Eternals the commercial success Marvel was searching for with the title, that nevertheless remains the most fun and accessible Eternals volume), but they’ve not yet really reached wide-reaching traction among even the most die-hard comic fans. The MCU might change that, and here’s hoping, because I love these nearly-immortal idiots, and I’m hoping not to be alone in that for much longer. :D

But even my Eternals-happy soul has to admit, Eternals canon for the most part is dense and can be convoluted, and the spellings—both of their character names and one of the main fun parts of their existence, the Mahd W’yry—are enough to give one a headache. The idea of the Eternals is that they’re long-lived and have interacted with human history over the years in various impactful ways. You might think at first glance that you’ve never heard of the Eternals Sersi, Ikaris, Makkari, but I think you wouldn’t find Circe, Icarus, or Mercury unfamiliar names.

The Mahd W’yry is a symptom of the Eternals being so long-living. In order to stop them going insane, the Eternals have to bond into something known as the Uni-Mind, which basically squishes all their consciousnesses together into one, where they can share memories and blend temporarily into one mind. Regularly bonding into the Uni-Mind allows them to stave off the Mahd W’yry. (Yep, that’s just a headache-inducing spelling of ‘mad worry’, we know.)

Anyway, did you need to know all this? Eh, maybe, a little bit of canned backstory is always handy for you to briefly glance over and promptly forget. Because along with some dense mythological adventures, some glorious angsting across beautiful landscapes, and that ability to turn into a big massive floating brain, the Eternals also gave us a beautiful gift:

The Gann Josin.

In Avengers #361, Ikaris comes down to Earth and decides that Sersi needs to be bonded to Dane Whitman, an Avenger who canonically didn’t have any powers, he was just a *really good guy*, destined for tragedy. Honestly. That’s his bio. Really good guy. Destined for tragedy. The character creation in the 90s was peak talent. Dane, sadly, was in love with another woman, but did this matter to Ikaris? No. Apparently the Eternals don’t know about the dangers of letting himbos like Ikaris have life-changing powers, like the ability to create the Uni-Mind.

Because the power to control the Uni-Mind also gives an Eternal the power to form a Gann Josin bond. And that’s what Ikaris does in Avengers #361—he forces a Gann Josin bond on Eternal Sersi and tragic human Avenger Dane Whitman.

Gann Josin (sometimes Gan-Josin because what is spelling continuity in Marvel comics) is both the name of the bond, and the title given to an Eternal and their chosen life-mate. It has a bunch of cool side effects. Both Gann Josins get glowing full-red eyes. It’s a really intimate tiny form of the Uni-Mind (without the part where you become a big floating brain), and creates a small scale mental union. The Gann Josin bond makes the Eternal and their partner lifelong soulmates. As the bond progresses, it creates a telepathic/empathic bond that strengthens in time. According to the Eternal Sprite, humans are rarely chosen by Eternals for the Gann Josin.

Now, Dane Whitman does manage to break the Gann Josin several issues later. But… it’s not easy. It’s rare. When Dane manages it, it is called an “astounding act.” It’s pretty dang hard, in other words. There’s every chance your chosen Gann Josins won’t have the mental fortitude of Dane Whitman to break it. (Although, we’re talking about Steve and Tony, and are there any bigger stubborn idiots in the universe? Probably not.)

But Mizzy, I hear you saying. I don’t want to write about Ikaris, even if he is a party king and that sounds pretty nifty. I don’t know anything about the Eternals and I don’t want to go down that gnarly rabbit hole.

That’s totes fine, my friend. I am here to save you. Because in very recent canon, during Jason Aaron’s turn at the helm, the Eternals are all dead. Very dead. That whole Mahd W’yry thing got ‘em, it got ‘em good. But before Ikaris died, he granted his Uni-Mind power to someone we all know and love.

Yep. Tony Stark. Tony Stark currently has the power of the Uni-Mind.

Which means that Tony Stark can now Gann Josin people.

In Avengers #361, Ikaris performs the Gann Josin by basically just pointing his hands at Sersi and Dane and some light goes WHEEEEEEE!! in their direction, and bam, this rare and special bond is done. And Tony Stark can do that now. To anyone! Unfortunately Ikaris is dead and didn’t leave Tony with an instruction manual. But the point is, he *can*. You can make up all sorts of fun things with this canonical fact (or write your own version because lbr Canon Is Dead; Long Live Canon.)

There are so many possibilities. Does Tony deliberately learn how to use it so he can bond himself to Steve? Does Tony *need* to be able to hear Steve’s thoughts (to thwart some bad guys) and thus end up soulbonded forever to Steve in result? Is Tony’s power activating at random because he can’t control it, and he ends up soulbonding everyone around him? Does he just subconsciously bond himself to Steve without consciously meaning to? Do Tony or Steve want to try it for science?

Gosh, I love comics.

But WAIT. There’s MORE.

It’s not just 1990s comics going ham on the soulbond idea. No, we got some *this year*. Canonical soulbonding? TWICE? In one universe? Two different kinds??

And this time, it’s not in a D-list Marvel title. We’re up the ranks to the big leagues this time, folx, with a brief trek to the world of the Fantastic Four.

In Fantastic Four (Vol. 6) #15, we’re introduced to a Spyre citizen called Sky, a winged team member of the Unparalleled (more cosmic-powered superheroes), who work under The Overseer. (The Overseer, in a burst of beautiful retcon in the way Marvel comics keeps doing to us, is apparently the entity who is responsible for giving the F4 their powers. Huh. The more you know.)

On the planet Spyre, all children are brought before something called The Great Eye. This measures them against the radiation signature of everyone on the planet, divining who their perfect match is.

Sky looked into The Great Eye, only to find out her match was Johnny Storm, who was 44 light-years away at the time. Long-distance relationships can be tough. Anyway, plot happens, the F4 get stuck on Spyre, get told they can’t leave, and Sky tells Johnny Storm that she is his soulmate. Oh, and she attached a soul binding onto him while he slept. Neat, huh, all the bodily autonomy people get in this universe before being force soulbond to people? So neat, much consent, wow.

Johnny feels a connection to Sky, which is supposed to let us know this lack of choice is a good thing I guess. The Overseer wants Sky to renounce Johnny and crush the F4 which obv doesn’t happen, so of course she leaves The Unparalleled and skips off to Earth to be with Johnny.

Who knows how this relationship is gonna last. I mean, you can look at the rest of Johnny’s relationship history and have a good guess. Who knows. Anyway, Reed and Sue are each other's soulmate, and also share a “Soul Binding”, so there’s some canonical proof right there that maybe this system has some validity going for it.

The soulbond for this form takes the form of a golden bracelet worn on the upper arm, that Sky explains her people call a “Soul Binding”; it represents them as being soul-mates. This bracelet can only be removed by your soulmate. This soulbond doesn’t seem to come with any extra powers, it’s just to show that The Great Eye has measured their radiation signature and declared them a match that is supposed to mean they’re perfectly compatible in every way: spiritually, mentally, and physically.

I don’t know about you, but I have a pretty good feeling that Steve and Tony might just have matching radiation signatures… Or what if Steve and Tony have perfect matching signatures….with other people? (Someone else on Spyre believes Sky is *their* perfect match, after all!) What if Steve has feelings for Iron Man, but he’s a perfect match with Tony Stark? I feel faint already just thinking about it.

So here you go. Two canonical types of soulbonds for your fannish consideration. Feel free to ask me questions! You can find me on tumblr (@mizzy2k) or on discord (addy#0908).

#stevetonygames #mod post #spotlight post #soulmates

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paradigmsofbrittaperry · 3 years

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⭐️ for whatever fic you’d like!

okay SO gonna use this as an excuse to talk about my pretentious Riverdale soulmate fic!!

the whole thing was inspired by this post about how Riverdale is a soulmate AU dystopia where characters form genuine connections with one another only to say somewhere down the line that they can’t be together because they aren’t endgame and sadly return to their assigned lovers. it’s a quality of the show that I hadn’t been able to put into words, but had bothered me since somewhere around mid-season 2. like, a big part of Archie Comics is the love triangle between Archie, Betty, and Veronica, but the show doesn’t allow itself to explore different relationships for too long and insists on maintaining Bughead and Varchie as the status quo, presumably only because the amount of hate comments on RAS’s posts spike whenever those two couples aren’t together (insert post that’s been stewing in my brain about social media bringing about the end of organic media since showrunners and directors are letting easily accessible fan opinions directly influence their works more than ever before). there’s multiple scenes in the show proper where characters lament the fact that they can’t date someone because they’re “supposed” to be with someone else (side note, pour one out for my man Reggie, he deserved better than Veronica just casting him aside once Archie came back) so I wanted to take that a step further and push the concept to include cosmic signs of approval.

(putting the rest under a cut because this got LONG)

I think a quote from the fic that really hits the core of all my feelings on soulmate AU’s is this one:

Besides, people settled down with people who weren’t their soulmates all the time. The universe could be cruel, and sometimes, it simply wasn’t practical to spend your whole life searching for someone you may never find.

one of the first things I always think about when it comes to soulmate AU’s or just a universe with soulmates in general is how impractical it would be in practice. what if your soulmate is on the other side of the world and you never get the chance to meet because you’re never in the same place at the same time? would the universe make accommodations for that? what if you meet your soulmate after you’ve already fallen in love with someone else? the last concept is one I enjoyed playing with quite a lot in this fic, using Betty’s love for Archie as the basis to discuss what happens when the person you’re in love with finds their soulmate and it’s not you.

aside from the tumblr post, the texts I read this semester in my English class (particularly Notes From Underground and The Secret History) really kicked my brain into high gear. with both of those texts, my class had been talking a lot about the realities of a deterministic universe, which is what a universe with soulmates would be. one of the concepts we discussed at length was how if you’re given all the right answers on how to live a perfect life, then the only way you can make an impactful choice is to make the wrong choice (this was connected to a discussion on how choice making defines us as human, and that without choice, we have nothing to set us apart from machinery). we also discussed how for something to be beautiful, you have to be able to lose it, or it must be something that can’t be undone. in this case, I used the Barchie car kiss and how Betty fell for Veronica over the summer to link the two ideas.

Now this, this was terrifying. They had teetered on the edge of a ravine and dove right in with no reservations. It was beautiful, really. The ultimate act of free will in a world of predetermined outcomes and correct answers.

choosing to express love for someone other than your soulmate once you are aware of them would be the ultimate wrong choice in this world, so it would also be the most beautiful act in the world since it would be irreversible and could destroy the universe-approved relationships that those involved were a part of.

one thing that I was lowkey proud of was the imagery I associated with each of the characters; Jughead as the ocean, Archie as a fire, and Veronica as a field of lavender. honestly I don’t have precise explanations for why I chose what I chose to represent them, I just went with what my gut said Betty would associate them all with. if I was pressed to give explanations, I think that it’s because Jughead seems calm and predictable, but is prone to fits of rage and random bouts of unrest that can throw everyone else off course; Archie is the most passionate of the core four and is often expected by others to blaze trails and lead them through the dark; Veronica appears gentle and smells sweet, but could be concealing any number of snakes and other dangerous creatures. (I know it’s gonna seem like I actually *did* think of these previously and lied earlier in the paragraph but I swear, these just came to me. this is why I analyze my own work, even if it’s silly little soulmate AU fanfiction.)

another concept I LOVED working with was that of one knowing that they love someone else more than their soulmate, but deciding to go back to their soulmate because it’s safer. I think this next passage is my favorite exchange in the whole fic:

“Did she love you?”

“I don’t know,” Betty answered truthfully. “I hope she didn’t.”

“Because if she did-”

“That would mean she gave up love for fate.”

“Comfort and certainty over the terrifying unknown.”

like...we all like to think we’d be strong enough to choose our own path in a world that explicitly deterministic. but would we really? would we be willing to risk not only our own happiness and safety, but also that of our soulmate’s? would abandoning your soulmate for another love be seen as the most selfish of actions? would there be any situations where soulmates who knew each other would mutually agree not to be together? would they question the decision for the rest of their life and come to regret it? hence this passage from the end:

“I think we’re going to be just fine,” Archie said. “Who knows what might happen next.”

Betty knew. She knew that this was a temporary lapse on his part and that he’d go right back to believing in fate and the universe. He’d remember that she wasn’t his soulmate and that he couldn’t love her. Veronica would be convinced of the same and fall right back into him. That would leave her and Jughead, unmoored, searching for a sign. Something else would bring them back together; whether it be a case or the paper or simple boredom. They’d live out the rest of their days in comfort, forgetting free will and falling into what was always meant to be. They’d tuck away all of their questions and live in willful ignorance until the day they died, when all of the questions would come spilling out and they’d have regrets again.

in this universe, you can’t win, no matter what you do. you either settle down with your soulmate, give up your humanity via giving up your ability to make meaningful choice, and regret not taking chances OR you create your own future for yourself through choice, deal with the hardships and guilt associated with blazing your own path, and regret not settling down and living what could have been the perfect predetermined life.

this was A LOT of words about the CW’s Riverdale of all things. what can I say, I’m a sucker for the accidental moral quandaries and dilemmas that incompetent showrunners put in their work. fluffy soulmate AU’s are out, soulmate AU’s that examine the horrifying implications of the universes they take place in are in.

#ty so much for giving me this opportunity #bri speaks #ask box #riverdale

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letusmeetagain · 3 years

Note

Hey Ruri! Jean combing his hair in the same way as that of his daydream in chapter 127, do you think it's an indication of JeanKasa being together in the future? Don't get wrong, I truly want Mikasa to be happy. She's my fav character in snk and my reason for starting in the first place, but I don't like the idea of her being with Jean in the future. I don't see why a woman's happiness should be dependent on a man. Mikasa loves Eren. She always will. I think that's the whole point of her saying "I can't" in ch 138. By saying that, she's telling Eren she will never forget about him. She will always remember him and wrapping the scarf around herself is her way of saying "I will always be yours." "I will always love you." And I think that's what Eren needed in the end. To know that he can go peacefully knowing he is loved and will always be loved. I don't like the idea of the whole love triangle thing between Eren, Mikasa, and Jean. Eremika love story is not your typical romance. Their love goes beyond life and death. They are literally soulmates. I think Mikasa can and will move on, while remembering Eren. She can live her life peacefully and find happiness in the little things in life, like ice cream😉 but I don't see why it HAS to be with another man. And of all the men in snk world, why it HAS to be with Jean. Don't get me wrong, I love Jean but I think he should find happiness elsewhere with someone who will unconditionally love him the way Mikasa loves Eren. And to make matters worse, Jean knows the love story between eremika, he was eren's love "rival" so surely he knows just how much Mikasa means to Eren and how much Eren means to Mikasa. To be with someone while knowing that you will NEVER be their true love would be a shitty situation for Jean imo. That's why I say he should be with someone who puts him as their first choice and loves him unconditionally. I think Mikasa would be fine living her life independently by herself. Many woman in real life do that. So I don't see the problem. Happiness shouldn't be defined by a man or a woman. People should carve their own path to happiness. Moving on doesn't require you to move on to another man. I'm sorry for the long ask. Thank you for reading all this!

Hi anon!

Sorry for the big delay... I.... well... was really busy. And honestly I was trying to avoid thinking or writing about the manga too.

Isayama left it be ambiguous. You can’t say she’ll stay forever alone or she will fall for Jean or other man.

I honestly don’t know and the story as we know ended there. It’s like everyone died as their stories are all finished and there won’t be any answer about their future anymore. It’s all up to us... For a fan who just cares about the canon and hardly considers spin off stories like me... the story is over.

We get to know that Jean will keep trying to seduce Mikasa... let’s say... but well. That happens in real life. Eren won’t be there anymore and it’s nothing weird for a woman to move on. I have no idea if Mikasa would move on or not. That’s up to us. What I can rather see is that she isn’t prepared yet to move on. And Eren’s conversation with Armin implies that she will remember him actively at least for 10 years.

And maybe you are approaching this from the wrong perspective. It’s not about Mikasa HAVING TO move on by falling for another man. It’s something that will happen naturally. The point of falling for another man it’s not a way to move on but a consequence of having moved on. She started a long process of grief... she’ll go through every stage of grief and this will take time.

What I also consider is that he didn’t really leave her. Yet as we didn’t get an explanation about Eren's status after his death, we can’t say how she will react to that.... because he is still there...but... will he be always there?

That’s the point. It’s not that she needs to fall in love again to move on. We rather (should) move on and then fall in love again.

I can’t give definitive or concrete answers as the ending was, as I said, open. So I would rather say that you can believe what you want... we are all allowed to because there’s no closure for the story on this topic. Jeankasa fans will imagine her moving on and marrying Jean... others will imagine her in a different way.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

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modsatan-writes · 4 years

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Hi there! Can I have an Obey Me demon brothers matchup please? My name is Christina. I’m an ENFJ, bisexual, demifemale who’s in her mid 20s. I’m mainly a kind, compassionate, and friendly individual who loves meeting people from different backgrounds. I’m also very loyal, honest, and intelligent. However, I do have anxiety and depressive episodes here and there (I take alternate medication for that). It really gets my self esteem down at times, and I tend to doubt myself and my skills a lot. I am also a perfectionist unfortunately. I also have autism, ADD, and GAD. But I’m also pretty open minded, funny, and very patient with people. I will get stubborn and sassy AF if someone messes with my moral values or my loved ones. I’m an empath, and I tend to attract broken people who need my motherly and nurturing personality a lot. A lot of people come up to me and tell me their life stories after I just met them! But I also try not to let people take advantage of me, and I state my boundaries with them. Animals flock to me since they’re attracted to my gentle energy. I also have a beautiful and powerful singing voice according to a lot of people, so I have major Disney princess vibes! My hobbies include drawing, singing, cooking, playing guitar, yoga, meditation, and crystal therapy. My dislikes are sudden loud noises, scratchy clothing, insects, bullies, liars, judgemental people, and disloyalty. If you want to do this matchup I thank you a whole lot! You don’t have to do it if you want to, but I’d appreciate it! Thank you. 🙏💕🌹🍷✨

Hi beautiful! You sure can. Thank you for sending in this ask, I appreciate it a lot!

P.s. You are an angel sent by God by the way.

- Mod Satan

tw: none.

Requests are currently OPEN. Always remember to read the rules before sending in an ask.

Your romantic match is: Lucifer

He loves your loyalty and your cleverness – this is exactly the kind of person Lucifer needs in his life.

He takes your anxiety and your depressive episodes very seriously – he tries his best to help you, even though he might not understand what you're going through sometimes. He's not the kind of man who would leave you, his loved one, alone when you need him the most. He will also give you your alone time when you need that.

Your kindness and patience are definetly the things he loves most about you – mostly when they are directed at him. He won't ever admit it, but he gets jealous when he sees you're just that kind with other people too.

Your sassyness towards people who disrespect your loved ones always makes him smirk – he just sees so much of himself in you, sometimes. His brothers are the most important thing he has and he wants to protect them. You trying to protect your loved ones in your own way makes him realize every single time that, yes, maybe you really are his soulmate.

You are both perfectionists, which could be good and extremely bad at the same time, but one thing's for sure: you can understand him and he understands you.

Be honest with him – tell him that he's overworking (again), call him out when he's doing something stupid. He might be angry at you for a while, but he will eventually admit (to himself at least) that you were right.

Not gonna lie, he was scared someone could take advantage of your kindness and empathy at some point – he tried to warn you, but decided that his intervention was not needed when he saw you stand your ground. He's so proud.

Being around you just generally helps him, honestly – you have the power to calm him down even in the most stressful days.

Can and will be your Disney prince.

Your platonic match is: Belphegor

(I was really torn between Belphie and Beel, but decided to stick to Belphie because of reasons).

At first, he's attracted by your motherly personality – he might act like he doesn't need anyone (except his twin of course) but, after Lilith's death, he just needs someone he can talk to. No, his brothers are not included.

He just likes that you are open minded – it makes him feel that it's easier to talk to you, this way. You won't judge him.

It will get a lot of time and patience to get him to open up, but when he does, oh boy. Congratulations, you've just adopted a child. There's no escaping now.

He's the number one fan of your singing voice – he asked you to sing for him out of pure curiosity, fell asleep while listening to your beautiful voice, and got addicted.

You hate the same things – if that's not the best way to bond, I don't know what is.

Doesn't like the idea of you dating Lucifer, you could do so much better * cough *. Eventually gets used to it because, well, you are your own person. You can make your own choices.

He's not as good as Lucifer at supporting you, but he tries his best – if you're comfortable with it, he will ask you to nap next to him. That's it, that's all he does, but it's just his own way to make you understand that he's there for you.

#obey me #shall we date #obey me shall we date #lucifer x you #lucifer obey me #belphegor x you #belphegor obey me #lucifer x y/n #lucifer x reader #lucifer x mc #belphegor x reader #belphegor x mc #belphegor x y/n #match ups #modsatan

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ohheyitsokay · 3 years

Note

congrats you angel, you deserve all the love and praise for your writing bc holy shit you’re so talented!!! for the soulmate au celebration, i’m thinking either javi or jack (your choice bc i can’t choose) with the soulmate goose of enforcement au 💕 ik it’s a bizarre au but the potential for chaos is insane 😂 anyways ily and i hope you’re having a great day honey

...not me, having JUST reread your javi/jack fic, considering both... definitely me

Anyway, thank you, jj, you absolute gem of a human. I swear I had to turn up the fan reading this I got so flustered. I hope you have a great day too! And I hope you enjoy- I had to do a little research, and made it shorter than I wanted to, so hopefully it fills your chaos cup still! (You'll understand, and hopefully forgive my delay when you see what's under the cut :) )

wordcount: 2.5k

warnings: strong language, lil angst with happy endings all around. mild menace meeting menace shenanigans

Okay this is written as pt 1 Jav, pt 1 Jack, pt 2 Jav, pt 2 Jack, bonus pt 3. If you’re only in it for one of the boys, it makes reading a bit weird, but I liked the format for the whole thing. Sorry!

Javier wanted to hit it with a bat. Or a car. Or anything. All that mattered is that maybe then it would leave him the fuck alone. Of all the stupid, infuriating, ridiculous guides the universe could have given him to find his other half, he was sure this was the worst. Rumor was, he couldn't even kill it if he tried.

It's not that he didn't want to find his soulmate, but he... well, he didn't want to find his soulmate.

There were all sorts of excuses to spout - work, obviously a priority, inconvenience, not wanting to give up his way of life. Not to mention following a damn goose was an impossible task, plus the fact that the stupid thing didn't even like him.

It would appear seemingly at random, honking insistently or flapping erratically, and then be gone before anyone else could bat an eye. To say that he had become increasingly irritated would have been a huge understatement.

The truth of it was that Javier was afraid. No one in the world liked to feel like they were being controlled. People liked to know what was going on, and this just didn't fit the bill. He didn't like that he didn't know you, couldn't be chosen, by you.

His life was already complicated enough - messy enough - that a soulmate would only make it worse. He had made it this long, this far without needing one, so he was fine without, thank you very much. Even to himself, his lie sounded okay.

It was hard to face, the idea that there was someone out there, a relationship that he couldn't have control over. And someone who would love him unconditionally? Terrifying.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t allowed to do nothing, because it seemed like every direction he turned there was a goose from hell wreaking havoc on his life.

They had reached an impasse - glowering at each other as it had planted itself in front of his door. Little feet pacing angrily, unreasonably long neck, all of it was just begging to be kicked. Except, for all he was a seasoned DEA agent, Javier was almost afraid the thing could go a few rounds with him. Feet shuffling uneasily, his hand twitched for his gun, even though he knew he couldn’t, wouldn’t shoot.

It was stupid to have a staring contest with a goose. And even more stupid that the goose won .

Javier turned away, spitting spanish curses in a stream that would make his mama smack him. Maybe it wasn't too late to find a hookup he could use to crash, he was thinking, and that thought was apparently the final straw. The goose reappeared in front of him.

Hissing.

More curses, a quick turn on his heel. This time, it didn't move in front of him, it left a sharp peck on his calf, before dodging his kick.

It was herding him, against his will, to you.

When he saw the goose, Jack thought he was delirious. The Statesman lab must've screwed something up because he'd seen that horrible, wonderful, stupid goose once before, in another life.

And he never, ever thought he'd see it again.

He did a lot of thinking, that night and the next day and the next. Strangely, he did a lot of feeling, too, noticing how light his shoulders felt, how kind the ache on his heart had become. He visited their grave, pressed his forehead to the headstone, and breathed some deep breaths.

And when he saw the goose again, he lassoed it.

It wouldn't have died even if it was powered up, but he didn't take the chance, determination and longing filling his being like blood, pumping through his heart to each and every part of him.

Miracle of miracles, it let him, with all the glare a bird could give. Knees only making small pops, Jack settled on his heels, looking at it sternly.

"Can you take me to them?"

The expression on it's tiny, smug face didn't change, but it also didn't disappear to free itself, so he waited.

And he waited. And waited. And eventually, watching it with half an eye, he grabbed a doughnut and offered it to the stupid soulmate goose god.

It considered the doughnut, pecked it as Jack yanked his fingers out of reach, and apparently accepted. After it was finished, it began to tug him along, waddling on its makeshift leash as Jack's heart leapt into his throat. He grabbed the bag of doughnuts and his hat before getting dragged along, to you.

At his very core, Javier was a man driven by his personal sense of justice. Being herded by an immortal goose of mischief was unfair, it made no sense that he had to find you, somehow needed more, and wasn't allowed to choose. It pecked and honked and bullied him all the way to a crowded bar, which was a perfect example.

Just as he was thinking, trying to convince himself he would've come here on his own, it disappeared again and he sighed.

He needed a drink. And, he needed to make some of his own goddamn decisions. Defiance and determination, he told himself. Not stubbornness. There was nothing to prove, it was just defiance and determination, to take his fate into his own hands and make his own choices. And if he was going to do that, he wanted to look for someone who wasn't an informant or a one night stand. His gut was looking for someone he could pull to his side and to show the universe that the goose was right to give up on him.

You were a perfect fit. Slightly disgruntled for whatever reason, even through the crowd he could see the faint, telltale wrinkles of someone just as... determined as he was. Shoulders held the same defiance he was so proud of, and he would be lying if he wasn't physically drawn to you as well. The inconsistent lighting could make anyone look good if you wanted it enough, but you... were something else.

There was a line of pink neon reflection from the top of your ear, across your cheekbone, and just grazing the line of your upper lip as you looked thoughtfully at something he couldn't see. Javier thought he wouldn't mind tracing that path with his fingers, and then maybe his own mouth, and his feet were already carrying him to you to look for an open door. The rest of your form came into view, and Javier noticed the bass of the music was turned up a little bit more than necessary- he could feel it thumping in his bones.

Talking to you went smoother than maybe it ever had before. You seemed resigned, at first, which was a reaction that caught him off guard, and that combined with the weariness of his week, making him unusually candid. In turn, you opened up to him like a flower turning towards the sun, fun and thoughtful and refreshing.

He liked the way you laughed when his lines came out a little awkwardly - open and appreciative, and it made his chest puff out a little. He liked the way you spoke, too. There was kindness and romance in your soul, just whispering at the edges of the words, and while he didn’t pick up on that, per se, they made him feel special, handsome, worthy, but also trusted and comfortable and safe. Neither of you noticed at first, that you had shuffled into a quiet corner of the bar, that his body had moved close, a gentle shield boxing the two of you into your own little world.

When the question came - what brought you here, anyway? - he found himself answering honestly about half being led by his guide, then wanting to make his own path. His confidence faltered at your quiet laugh. His heart ached. A glance at the clock told him it had been two hours since he'd found you, and already he wanted to... choose you. To have you choose him.

He felt stupid that he had confessed so soon, but...

Oh, you were kissing him. There were hands shooting off sparks into his soul against his chest and his jaw and you were kissing him. Javier kissed you back.

When you pulled away, his mouth chased yours, not ready to give up the contact so soon, but you stopped him, laughing again.

"I have a confession," you whispered, and he paused.

“My guide led me here, too. I thought when it gave up on me when I saw you,” your next kiss was more chaste, “I think we got tricked.” Noticing he liked the feel of you in his arms, even if he didn’t remember pulling you there, he tightened his hold.

Javier felt light, understanding your laughter, and blissfully unafraid. “No,” he said, knowing already you’d understand him.

“I chose you.”

Jack was running out of doughnuts. It was easier, safer to have the dumb bird half hog-tied, but he still didn’t feel any closer to you, just halfway across town. He dug in his boots and sunk onto a bench, yanking the goose to a stop, too annoyed to beg for a break.

He wasn’t giving up and running away, absolutely not, he was just... running out of options. Or, doughnuts. And breath. If this pace kept up, he wouldn’t be able to tell you all the things he had planned out in his head.

Eyelids closing against the southern sun, he let out a long, slow sigh. His heart was still racing, and he wondered if he was really as ready as he wanted to be, to meet his next soulmate. A sturdier inhale grounded him. He was ready, he knew he was. Whoever you were, you had to have the patience of a saint - it would be alright, he just needed a breath. The ground under his boots was sturdy, the breeze over his skin cooling, and the goose was mercifully quiet.

“That’s one strange lookin dog you have there, cowboy,” The voice was teasing, but not malicious, and he grinned, eyes still closed.

“She’s a purebred,” he replied, and he heard a huff of laughter like the first few notes of music. Waiting for your footsteps to carry you away, he savored the moment, feeling silly as he hoped his soulmate would like to laugh as much as he did.

There was a weight on the other side of the bench, and he wondered at it, as you said, “Want to talk about it?” His smile was softer, this time, intrigued by the moment, but not wanting to be tempted into flirting, not when his soulmate was on the horizon.

“Nothin to tell,” he replied, feeling suddenly strange. Jack opened his eyes, looking at the rope in his hands, feeling the fibers run through his fingers. “Just a free range chicken... taking a break from tryin to chase down my second soulmate.” He winced, definitely not wanting to look at you, after the second had slipped out.

It wasn’t judging, though, the voice that said, “You seem like you want to talk about it.”

For once in his life, Jack didn’t know what to say, slipping off his hat to run his fingers through his hair before replacing it. He heard your half-laugh again, and it felt refreshing, like sweet tea on a southern summer day.

“Okay,” you said, and he heard amusement this time, like you had something to say, some thought you were chewing on.

Then, there was that terrible honk of the goose, not from his feet, but from where, assumedly, you were. Snapping his gaze to the other side of his bench, he saw a sight for sore eyes, half backlit, glowing like something he never thought he’d see.

There was an indignant goose in a cage at your ankles, now making grumbling bird noises in indignant conversation with the one at the end of his lasso.

“I thought you were never gonna look at me,” Your arm was across the back of the bench as you grinned at dynamite smile at him.

Jack returned it, feeling bashful and eager, dropping the rope to grab your closest hand.

“I promise I aint making that mistake again, sugar.”

bonus ending:

Jack was clinging to your hand, grinning like a fool as you introduced yourselves, when another movement caught his eye. There was a man, walking up behind you, a resigned look on his face. Whiskey’s hackles should have been all the way up, yanking you into his arms at the way this man was approaching you, but instead he was dumbfounded for the second time that day.

He was backlit, too, with shoulders that carried as much weight as the man in his mirror every morning, and he could see the shape of a gun as he knelt next to his soulmate. The stranger’s eyes when they looked at you... were as adoring as he was sure his must have been, a moment before, and he was familiar with you, like you’d known each other before now. Jack wanted to swallow, but his heart felt like it was in his throat, beating like he’d gone a round with a bull at the rodeo.

“This is probably a lot,” Javier said, taking you other hand and quirking an eyebrow. The geese made some loud, obnoxious noises and he looked at them appreciatively. “I wish I had thought of that,” he gestured at the lasso, and you smiled at him.

“This is Javier,” you said, and you let go of them both to stand up and brush yourself off. Warm hands and strong grips were exchanged, and you watched them curiously as they shook, murmuring names and titles again. They were sizing each other up, certainly, but you felt a rush of relief as you saw a familiar spark of attraction in Javi’s eyes.

“You got any more surprises for us, then?” you looked up at the cowboy, confused, only to realize he wasn’t talking to you. The goose in your cage was free halfway down the walk, the one in the lasso hissed. The poor man had been an RV in an earthquake and come out the other side overwhelmed and happy, of all things, but there wasn’t much more he could handle. To your surprise, he grabbed a crumbled paper bag and tossed the contents to the bird, before it gave a final honk, and waddled after it’s friend.

“I guess that’s a no,” you said, suddenly shy at the fullness in your heart.

“That’s alright,” Jack picked up his lasso, before looking at you and Javier, his eyes happy, and glinting with something stronger. “I think this is more than enough.”

And you agreed.

taglist:

@fangirl-316 @scribbledghost @writeforfandoms @beautyagegoodnesssize @princess76179

for whiskey:

@0celestialbitch0

#why am I like this #did this get away from me?#yes #absolutely #soulmate requests #soulmate goose of enforcement #Javier Peña x reader #jack daniels x reader #agent whiskey x reader #jack x you x javier #i guess thats a thing now #on this blog #don't ask me to write a part two or i swear #i'll probably do it #maybe i don't know people #also im a touch delirious sorry if this is as much of a fever dream for you as it is for me

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black-clover-incorrect-quotes · 4 years

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Attack on Titans, Seven Deadly Sins (fandom) - RillCharmy, GaucheGrey (ship) - Patri, Nero (characters)

Answer to this ask game.

001 | Send me a fandom and I will tell you my:

Attack on Titan

Favorite character: Annie.

Least Favorite character: Levi >:/

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): SashaxConnie, AnnieXBertholdt. I don’t think I can get to 5 ships sorry! I was never into AoT for the ships.

Character I find most attractive: Jean maybe? The artstyle doesn’t do any character any favours LOL

Character I would marry: Armin !! He’s so cute

Character I would be best friends with: Sasha. She seems very fun to be around.

a random thought: It was my very first anime (if you don’t count Naruto, that I wacthed since I was a toddler lol). so I’m very attached to AoT, but I gave up reading the manga roughly an year ago because I didn’t like the story anymore. I’m looking forward to the manga to be completed so I can binge read it.

An unpopular opinion:I have some opinions on Ereri, but there’s a question for that so I think the new arc is BS. It was supposed to be humans vs titans, not humans vs other humans.

My Canon OTP: None sadly.

My Non-canon OTP: AnniexBertholdt.

Most Badass Character: MIkasa?

Most Epic Villain: Gotta say Zeke, even though I don’t know him well as a character

Pairing I am not a fan of: Ereri.There got to be a 20 year age gap....I don’t know what everyone is on, probably crack. Why is it even the most popular ship?

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): Annie!!! When i stopped reading, she was still in a coma. I heard she came back lately but come on, it’s been so long.

Favourite Friendship: The Scouting Legion veterans.

Character I most identify with: Armin. Minus the brains.

Character I wish I could be: I wouldn’t wish to be fighting Titans at all. Thanks but no. Some dude in the inner walls.

Seven Deadly Sins

Favorite character: Escanor or Arthurt, can’t pick.

Least Favorite character: Meliodas.

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): DianexKIng, MargaretxGilthunder, DerierixMoonspeet for some reason. Lowkey ship Escanor and Merlin but only because I wanted him to be happy lol

Character I find most attractive: Ban? I dunno. I don’t think there’s anyone particulary attractive in SDS

Character I would marry: King.

Character I would be best friends with: I don’t know if we’d get along, but I’d want to befriend Arthur given the chance.

a random thought: After the Demon King was defeated, the manga should have ended. I don’t get why they did that mini-arc on Merlin resurrecting Arthur butchering Merlin’s character like that lol

An unpopular opinion: I feel like the series has a lot of pedo undertones, but you can’t really call them out because “Elaine is an adult, she just looks like a kid” “Meliodas knowing Elizabeth since she was a baby is cute because soulmates” “Meliodas in hundreds of years old, he just looks young” and so on. They just try to justify drawing children in romantic situations.

My Canon OTP: DianexKing

My Non-canon OTP: None really.

Most Badass Character: Ban. I mean, he couldn’t die.

Most Epic Villain: I like Herickson the best out of all the villains.

Pairing I am not a fan of: Banx Elaine. Also what they tried to pull with Gowther and Elizabeth’s aunt (I think?).

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): Escanor. He really didn’t have to be the only one to die.

Favourite Friendship: Not really a friendship but a platonic relationship, Merlin and Arthur. Too bad she apparenlty grew him as a host for chaos, but I don’t recognize that as canon so LOL

Character I most identify with: KIng. Leave me alone to sleep all day and I’m happy. Slooooooth.

Character I wish I could be: They are all very happy in the end. Meliodas or Elizabeth, since they have everything figured out and had their happy ever after.

Send me a ship and I will tell you:

RillCharmy

When I started shipping them: I never considered it untill RIll shipped himself with Charmy, so it was pretty recently.

My thoughts: I honestly don’t think they have a future. RIll is clealy in love with an idea more than Charmy herself, and she has eyes only for Yuno. I won’t cry if they don’t become canon, but shipping is free isn’t it?

What makes me happy about them: Moslty, all the possibilities. Tabata could write a lot of things with them.

What makes me sad about them: As I said, that I don’t think they’ll ever become canon.

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: I don’t read fanfics so i don’t know

Things I look for in fanfic: :(

My wishlist: Please Tabata just develop their relationship some more. I don’t care how.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Not really a big fan of CharmyxYuno, but that would be my first choice. As for Rill, I’m not sure. A nice artistic girl, maybe.

My happily ever after for them: As sad as it would be to see Charmy leave the BB, she could join his squad.

GaucheGray

When I started shipping them: I didn’t care for this ship much until some of the lastest chapters, so it’s a fairly new ship for me.

My thoughts: Unlike RIllCharmy I think Tabata wants to make them endgame (if he’s going to have canon ships in the end). At the beggining I thought it was lazy, because they were held together by nothing but getting caught up in the same shit everytime, but I like that he’s actually building some backstory and interactions for them.

What makes me happy about them: I think they both could be very beneficial to the other.

What makes me sad about them: Nothing really? That’s a pretty fluff and light hearted ship.

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: N/A

Things I look for in fanfic: N/A

My wishlist: I’m waiting and seeing where Tabata is going with them. For now, to see them again in the manga would be nice.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: I don’t ship them with anyone else. I guess I wouldn’t mind any ship for them to be endgame.

My happily ever after for them: I can’t picture anything but them staying in the BB. They wouldn’t be the most affectionate couple with Gray being so shy and Gauche being Gauche, but they’d probably go on jobs together and whatnot.

Give me a character & I will tell you:

Patry

How I feel about this character: I don’t like him. I’m sorry, I feel bad for his hardships and all but he was a moron and his actions can’t be excused so easily.

Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character: No one. He didn’t have many chance to have romantic interactions I suppose? I usually don’t ship villains, and he didn’t appear much outside his role as antagonist. I’ll just wait and see for possible ships in the future.

My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character: Licht. .

My unpopular opinion about this character: As I said, I don’t think everyone -both in universe and in the fandom - should be so quick at excusing and forgiving him. The fact that he isn’t in a jail is nuts.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I’d say that I wanted him to be held accountable for what he’s done, but that’d be rendundant at this point so I wish he could joins the Golden Dawn, because he was basically the one pickying each and every memeber, he’s the captain as much as WIlliam.

Favorite friendship for this character: WIlliam.

My crossover ship:.......I don’t know sorry

Nero

How I feel about this character: Oh boy. Firstly, I didn’t think much of her, she was just the animal mascot. Then, I kinda hated her. It was not a good plot twist, and the fact that she was there fighting the last boss rather than Noelle or characters that were in BC since the beginning irked me. With time, she grew on me. Now I like her quite a bit.

Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character: Only the First Wizard King. I moslty liker her because of this ship eheh

My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character: Asta

My unpopular opinion about this character:As I said, I think Nero turning into a woman was kind of a sloppy and lazy plot twist. It was not foreshadowed or anything. I like Secre now, but I don’t understand why Tabata went that direction with her, and why he didn’t give us some hints.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I wish she got more time with Lumiere.

Favorite friendship for this character: Gotta say Asta again...man, this girl should interact with more people.

My crossover ship: I duuuuno.

#thanks for the ask #ask #ask game #long post

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blurhawaii · 4 years

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yuletide 2020

dear yuletide writer,

hello and happy yuletide! i’m pretty sure my letters get longer and longer every year and yet i’m still terrible at putting what i like into words. just know that the prompts are just suggestions--if you’ve got something else in mind, go for it. and sorry this is so disjointed.

likes:

dysfunctional relationships eg. codependency, messed up father/son dynamics, enemies to lovers, power imbalances.

vulnerability in men, uncertain intimacy.

UST, slow burn, first times.

magical realism/cosmic horror. weird hints of it in an otherwise normal universe.

redemption arcs.

found family.

big loyalty kink. love it when trust is earned and kept.

praise kink.

open and honest communication between partners.

polyamory. it’s the journey of them getting together and making it work that interests me the most. or how a couple goes about bringing in a third person.

stories set in canon. or a divergence of canon. fix-it fics.

dark/bleak fics. don’t be afraid to drag characters through the mud. happy endings are welcome but i like the struggle.

i’m fine with anything from gen to porn but would be happiest with something in the middle.

canon typical violence is fine and to be expected from some of my choices.

characters and their relationships are more important than plot for me.

dislikes:

AUs that are completely disconnected from canon e.g. high school, coffee shop AUs.

established relationships

crossovers

genderbending

feminisation of male characters

fics that are entirely fluff

A/B/O fics

PWP

mpreg

first person fics (i have no problem with second person fics tho if you think that could work.)

The Departed (2006) *Billy Costigan *Sean Dignam

one of my favourite films ever. i request it every year so you can't really go wrong with this as i'm just thirsty for anything.

most of my love is for dignam and his tough love attitude towards his job and the undercovers he's responsible for. i am endlessly endeared by his wild card quality, expletive fueled speech and hair trigger temperament. the father/son relationship with queenan that’s contrasted against billy’s father/son relationship with queenan. his complete disregard for everyone else in that office, especially sullivan. and how despite all of that, it's obvious that he cares. i don't think you could do a job like that and not care, and it’s those few and rare moments where we see him soften around billy --we need you, pal-- that's what i would like to see more of. that juxtaposition of good cop/bad cop coming from the same guy. shipping fic is preferred but whatever you are comfortable with is fine. due to the nature of the film i am perfectly comfortable with violence and the screwed up relationship they are bound to have. the friction born of the situation vs the fact that they need each other to get through this is what i am all about.

things that really get me with these two: codependency, power imbalances, the enemies to lovers trope, vulnerability, the whole constructing intricate rituals which allow you to touch the skin of other men thing they have going on, as seen in the gif above.

fics where billy survives are my usual go-to. i'd love something that explores the angst of billy's ‘where the hell were you when i needed you’ reaction towards dignam following queenan’s death all the way up to the ending, and beyond that assuming billy lives.

i’ve spent far too much time thinking about the line --why don’t we just meet up, sweetheart, let me buy you an ice cream. the jokey seriousness of it just kills me. if you can somehow write that happening in a believable, in character fic you would earn my eternal respect. whether that’s a clandestine meeting during billy’s undercover period or some kind of post-film scenario where dignam makes good on his promises, i have no idea.

daemon au - very curious how this would impact going undercover. daemons expressing feelings that the characters otherwise can’t. the intimacy of touching/comforting each other’s daemons.

soulmate au - either having their names on each other or their first words. this is admittedly a longshot but interests me for the same reason the daemon au does, because i’d love to see how this would work in a universe where you’re undercover.

time loop/groundhog day fic where things go better. or worse, i guess.

Godless (TV 2017)

*Roy Goode *Bill McNue *Alice Fletcher

i’m a massive fan of westerns. the harsh way of life, the violence, the isolation, drawn out revenge plots, the murkiness of good vs evil or sheriff vs anti-hero, the importance of honour and heroism and how that differs for men and women, especially in this universe and its town full of widows. having said all that, i’m still very much a sucker for cool cowboys in a shallow female way.

my favourite thing to do is turn every love triangle into an ot3. so i’d love a fic post canon where roy comes back once he realises his found family is just as important as his real family. i imagine bill would try to do the gentlemanly thing of bowing out and letting roy and alice be together but i’d love for alice to have the agency of choice, getting to have her cake and eating it too by choosing both roy and bill. however you jigsaw them together my main thing here is that i don’t want bill to get left out.

i feel the roy/bill aspect in particular could be explored a lot more. i love the earned mutual respect and how easily they move around each other during the gunfight at the end. (bill’s deteriorating eyesight side plot fascinates me, how it goes with his loss of purpose and comes back when teaming up with roy to defend the town.) the usual ideas of western masculinity get all twisted around when roy and bill are in the presence of alice and they both seem kind of subby towards her, which yes please. the way alice kisses the scar she gave roy and the fact that he simply lets her is *chef kiss*

i’m actually very okay with letting them be soft with each other after all of their tragedy.

honest communication between partners could work wonders here.

Locke (2013)

*Ivan Locke *Donal

i honestly think this film is an underappreciated masterpiece. a hour and a half long car ride that's totally compelling, and it's all down to tom hardy and his welsh accent that's not even welsh. of all the relationships broken down, strengthened, or tentatively started, it's the one between ivan and donal that interests me the most. you're given just enough background to know there is a history between these two. whether donal is his right hand man on the project or is just an assistant that effectively gets promoted because he's the only one still there willing to take ivan's call. either way, there's trust there, on top of the shared knowledge of donal's capacity to get drunk on the job --this has clearly been a problem before-- but ivan still trusts him enough to get his baby of a building built when he can't be there personally, and that fascinates me.

the film ends very much in a lurch and i can't bring myself to see the ending in a positive light. a baby with a woman he doesn't particular like is not a recipe for a fresh start and i honestly can't see ivan not following up on the progress of his building.

i have this image of ivan sleeping on donal's couch because his wife won't take him back, bethan realises she just wants the baby and not him, he's lost his job and he has nowhere else to go and so he's just backseat driving this buildings construction through donal’s position. you've got this man who's lost everything and an alcoholic just wallowing together, maybe clinging to the idea that with this buildings success, they can fix themselves.

i also ship it and if you manage to take it in that direction i would be totally into that too. i guess i'm just looking for something post film with these two.

i don't know anything about concrete farming tho so feel free to fudge that as much as you need to.

The Boys (TV 2019)

*Billy Butcher *Homelander

what i like about this show is that it’s dark, it’s violent and the relationships between the characters are about as fucked up and convoluted as you can get. i am specifically interested in the relationship between billy and homelander and how the power is constantly shifting. i’d love something that just takes into account every horrible reason why they want to kill each but also all the reasons why they haven’t. ship fic is more than welcome.

details that interest me the most:

all the bizarre family dynamics - their shared bad relationships with their fathers. loved the scene where billy learns about homelander’s childhood and how that tiny humanising moment might affect his view of the man. especially in season 2 where we see them both interacting with ryan. love the inverse of homelander trying to be a good dad and billy wanting absolutely nothing to do with the kid. i wish we could have seen more of the dynamic immediately following the cliffhanger at the end of season 1. what happened between that moment and billy waking up somewhere else. maybe some kind of bizarre hostage situation family in this small suburban home.

i am fascinated by the idea of having the buffer of both becca and ryan between them. not being able to kill each other at the end of season 1 because of the deal becca made, and then again at the end of season 2 with homelander not wanting to be seen as a villain in front of ryan. maybe billy doesn’t ship ryan off at the end of season 2. maybe he thinks he can keep him safest by raising him himself and you get this weird co-dadding situation where the kid is the only thing keeping them from killing each other.

the public cleaning of the slate post-season 2 with billy not being a wanted man any more and homelander having to appear as a united front with the seven. would love something with billy pushing things in public because homelander can’t do anything about it.

homelander’s desperation to be loved. the potential of obsessive one sided relationships.

thank you writer and best of luck.

#yuletide #yuletide 2020

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crionsbelt · 4 years

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This may or may not go up by the time midnight hits or slightly after for me, let’s see what happens! I’ve been working on this since 9:30 PM EST, I expect it’ll be done by 12:50 AM EST. Hopefully I’m right so it ain’t too late gjnhg

For starters: Happy New Year everyone! Hard to believe we lived in the decade where this beauty was created. Nonetheless, there are multiple people I want to thank -- along with a much needed personal note from me. Everything will be put into a read more, but trust me, it’s long. Thank you all for making the final days of this decade very welcoming for me!

@kiidreamu & @theabyssalmuses

It’s rather silly for me to start with you two, because I’ve got quite a bit to say; so here goes! I’ve known you two for...quite a while huh? I can’t recall the exact time, but I know we’ve been mutuals since I went by Phantom -- which was a long while ago. Regardless, I’ve always enjoyed you two on my dash; and I’ve always really liked interacting with y’all OOC! I’ve always had a blast speaking with you two (specifically now w all this fuckin Bear Ass shit). I really enjoy the way you two write your muses, I think you both should have a lot more faith in them because they’re very fun to see on the dash! It’s pretty clear y’all put a lot of effort into your writing, even if you say you don’t, I for sure notice it. Hime, I know you said you admired me - but there’s nothing to admire! You and Kii are equally as good as me, but I’m definitely not much. However, I never posted it (because I had it in my drafts and still do) because it meant a lot to me. I’ve never been told something like that aside from Norgie, so it made me feel happy in a dark time. Thank you both for continuing to be my friends, truly.

@fantasyacrossworlds

Awoo! You and I have known each other for a long time, too (most people tagged here I’ve known for 2 - 4 years hujhj)! I’m VERY happy that we’re mutuals again, I’ve truly missed interacting with you! I’m so glad that it seems Orion and Cass are going to have a chaotic friendship that will always end on Orion running to Artemis LMAO. I’m looking forward to more interactions!

@sanzenxsekai

I already gave you a super long post explaining how much me and Norgie are thankful for you, so I’ll remind you in a tl;dr version. WE ALL LOVE YOUR STINKY GREMLIN + YOU!! Please keep writing Nobu in 2020! Thank you so much for being such a good friend to me.

@mcphistcples

You don’t even realize how much of a positive impact you’ve had on both me and my girlfriend. You’re absolutely hilarious and I’m incredibly happy you chose to start interacting with a disaster like me. As a Dies fan, I fucking love your Rein. You write him fantastically and it’s always fun to see your interactions with BB’s JAlter. I am looking forward to the dramatic reading of My Immortal: Bear Ass Edition : )

@stxrdust-pxper

We haven’t talked much OOC properly, but we’ve known each other just about the same time as me and Norgie have been dating - so almost 2 years! You’re a pretty cool person, I’m happy you joined my new server because it’s given myself and others a chance to chat with you more. Thank you for all the kindness you’ve given me throughout the time we’ve known each other, I’ve never said it until now, but it truly has stuck with me and helped me become happier.

@bloodsoakedsakura / @idoldragos

There’s actually a lot I’d like to say, some I’ll leave out for now. For starters, thank you for having my back for three years straight. Seriously. You’ve been there for me through a whole lot, honestly surprised you’ve stuck with me for as long as you have. You’ve stood up for me when the time came for it and I’m honestly so thankful you did. Every time you hop in call with us it’s usually always fun and stupid (in a good way), so thank you for being part of my band of misfits as long as you have Sades. Even though you’re a boomer who didn’t stop me rolling 200 of my Quartz, I forgive you... dontkillmepls

@yuichiroswife

Speka, you’ve been a great help to me and Norgie a great amount of times as of late. Thank you so much, you’re an incredibly kind person and I’m glad we became friends!!

@muniificus

I’ve known you for 3 years too I’m 90% certain, it’s insane how long I’ve known a lot of you - it feels like forever but it also feels like time has gone by so quickly! Much like Sades, I’m very thankful you’ve stuck around for as long as you have Icarus. Thank you for putting up with my dumb ass, and ultimately having fun in return! alsoihavethereplyforanastasiadraftedipromise

@fakepriest

I’ve sent you an ask with a lot of what would’ve been said in here, but I want to let you know that I’m extremely grateful that you’ve kept being my friend to. I enjoy our conversations a lot, especially when we talk about things like Heaven’s Feel because they’re usually always such fun things to talk about.

Much like the ask I’ve sent you, your Kirei is so scarily accurate it nearly simulates his actual personality flawlessly. That’s how scary good at writing this tofu loving fake priest. I’m so happy it’s you who’s writing him, not to play the pedestal game, but I genuinely can’t see anyone else (not even myself) coming close to how phenomenal your portrayal is. #kireisquad

@arkdiia

Though our first conversation first chatting again wasn’t expected, I’m super glad you came back to Tumblr and I’m thrilled to be friends w you again! Hopefully for 2020, you and I /both/ catch a break lmfao.

@saintguine

Much like Anna, I’ve already told you what I wanted to here in the form of an ask a few hours ago - however, I do wish to say smth that I’m sure a lot of people feel. Regardless of how you think about yourself, you’re a very good person BB and we’re all very blessed to know you. You’re absolutely one of my best friends, and though there was a point where we lost communication for a bit, I’m very grateful our friendship is the exact same.

We all care u BB, thank u for bein gud to all of us

Kayla & Sere

This post is incredibly long already, luckily I’m just about done -- but I’ve got three people to go starting with you two!

Sere, you’ve heard me vent a lot and you’ve known me (Kayla has known me this long too) for a pretty damn long time if you ask me, 3 years may not seem like a lot to people, but with all the stuff we’ve all gone through these 3 years? It’s been a LOT and I can’t say I’d be the person I am without you hearing my dumb ass vent and creating Cursed Night. I appreciate all of your icons, thank you for giving us (Hell) special treatment with them. Seriously! While you are a best friend for sure, you’re also practically family to me. Thank you again for everything.

Kayla, the same of what I said for Sere is said for you. You’re legit like my older sister, you’ve been there for me for just bout the same amount that Norgie has; you’re someone who means a lot to both me and Norgie, so thank you for giving talking to us a chance way back when you were shy (I think that’s what it was!). There have been a lot of ups and downs for all of us, but I’m glad the downs at least had the positive effect of giving me a second family who I love dearly. I actually teared up on this part, so god help me when I write for Norgie.

@letoborn / @uwuwrote

I’m going to save a lot of what I want to say to you for our anniversary in June, but I will say a few things because I love you so very much.

When I met you, I was not expecting you’d turn out to be the woman of my dreams. You’re genuinely my better half, and I have never been as happy as I am than I am with you. You’ve truly had the biggest impact in my life Norgie, you’ve made me laugh, cheered me up when I’m sad, called me out when I was dumb and helped me better myself.

I’m so incredibly happy I got to spend the rest of the last decade being your boyfriend, and now, going into 2020 - a whole new decade with you. Like I said, you’re my better half - I can’t see myself with anyone else but you. You’re the greatest treasure in my life, I’m so happy we’ve had all this fun with roleplaying.

Thank you so much Norgie, for giving me Orion/Artemiis, all of our other ships - being my soulmate (at least, I think so). I hope 2020 treats us both well, but I’m willing to go through whatever as long as it’s with you.

Now, that’s the end of that -- but I have a few extra things to say.

My 2019 has been...quite possibly the hardest year of my life, at least on the internet. For a very long time, I was fearful of interacting with others - I made mistakes that I wish I could take back, I got put through hell for nothing...man, I don’t wanna go back in and say what happened, what is and isn’t true -- the long story short is, shit happened, but it’s the past now.

I want to go into 2020 just..as positive as I can be, I’m tired of the drama, I just want to have fun with my friends and my girlfriend you know? So, I’m finally choosing to move on and just...try having fun again. This choice would be impossible without the people mentioned in this post.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to all of you who have stuck around through it all for me. I’m so incredibly thankful to be part of the friendgroup I’m in, to know everyone I’ve met who’s put up with me. I’ve had so many times where I wanted to leave this site, but I wanted to keep trying to write with everyone -- to have fun with everyone. You all have no idea how genuinely happy you’ve all made me, just by writing with my Orion and Norgie’s Artemis.

Though I couldn’t think of anything to say specifically for the others tagged below here, thank you all for everything as well -- just following me makes me happy. I’m sure I’ve forgotten some people, but trust me, I’m so very happy to know all of you.

@dekirukoto @wisesteyed @lacobscur @akhilleuskcsmcs

#ʕ•͡ω•ʔ ✦ ✦ ✦ 𝙄𝙏'𝙎𝘼 𝙈𝙀‚ 𝘼𝘾𝙏𝙐𝘼𝙇𝙇𝙔 𝙎𝘼𝙏𝘼𝙉 / OOC #i missed my time budget BUTTTT ooh wel #herre's this

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aeternallis · 5 years

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Rant / Meta Analysis regarding The Untamed’s Ending

Having finally watched the last episode of The Untamed, I just wanted to take some time to sort through my thoughts about the last scenes, and what the production team had wanted to accomplish with it. As I have nothing else better to do on this rainy Sunday evening anyhow, here we go!

Oh! And for anyone who would like to continue reading, please be aware that these thoughts are strictly my opinions and how I understood the ending, so by no means do y’all have to agree with me! ^^

Personally, I found the ending quite satisfying; it didn’t leave much to the imagination that it was indeed a happy ending, and the relieved smile on Wei Wuxian’s face during that last shot was as poetic as it was fitting. The very first shot of him in the first episode of the drama is him looking broken with blood running down his chin, so the juxtaposition with the final shot of him looking healthy and smiling just makes the collective audience’s hearts sigh in content, methinks!

The scriptwriters for this show managed to give WangXian their happy ending without having to step over that line that could have taken the show off the air or kill one of them off, so for that, I’ll eternally be grateful.

I can now honestly say that in terms of Asian drama set in a historical/fantasy setting, this is definitely one of the best, despite the sometimes mediocre acting and frustratingly small budget. ❤️

The Set Up

Perhaps the biggest impression that the ending left on me would be the idea of Lan Wangji as the Chief Cultivator, because it’s one that’s unique to the live action drama. In the novel, they gloss over the political matters after the Guanyin Temple arc, so MXTX left it for interpretation. If memory serves me correctly, I believe Nie Huesang volunteered for the position, but someone please correct me if I’m wrong~

At first, I was a little bit confused as to why the scriptwriters for the show added such an original idea so late in the drama, when they’ve stuck pretty close to the source material throughout the show. But after spinning said idea in my brain for a couple of days, the realization slowly came that it was actually a marvelous and useful plot point for WangXian to get their happy ending! :D

In the novel, it was quite simple for MXTX to give WangXian their happy ending simply for the fact that the characters love and trust each other. They both can’t live without the other person, and after the shit they’ve been through, it’s only natural that they wouldn’t hesitate to take that once in a lifetime second chance to create a life together.

But in the drama, it’s different. The subtext is there, their feelings for one another jumps out of the screen, but no matter what, WangXian is not considered an official couple in the show. This isn’t to say that they aren’t or that the audience feels the same way; their relationship certainly has the development and trajectory of a regular couple had this been a drama with a het pairing as its focal point.

But alas, that’s the reality of censorship.

Ultimately, their ideals (to do what they believe is right, and to do it with their conscience clean) take much more precedence, compared to the novel. That isn’t to say that they place no importance on their feelings, but that this show portrays their morals in the most idealistic way.

In other words, they’re a romantic couple in everything but in name.

All the more reason, I think, that the show runners had to find a way around this roadblock they had no choice but to set themselves up for: without acknowledging the romance and relying on it, what excuse can they come up with to keep these two characters together?

Which brings us back to the live action’s original idea of Lan Wangji as Chief Cultivator.

Chief Cultivators

Before we fully get into the aforementioned topic, let’s first establish how Chief Cultivators are depicted in the drama: two portrayals in which although they seem complete opposites on the surface, are quite similar in nature, as this show has more than once pointed out to the audience.

During the first half of the drama, we have Wen Ruohan and his Wen Sect. As Chief Cultivator, he resided in the Nightless City. The palace is shown to be located on the side of a cliff, surrounded by volcanoes and oozing lava. He was a man mad with power and wanting an endless supply of it; by all means and purposes, Wen Ruohan was just #evil, and the show didn’t hide it. Lol

In contrast during the second half of the drama, the new Chief Cultivator resides in the Golden Koi Tower. The setting is the complete opposite from Nightless City; the skies are blue, the palace looks tranquil and majestic compared to Nightless City’s brutal design. Even so, Jin Guangyao was a man also mad with power and wanted more of it, he just knew how to hide it a lot better and under the guise of a thousand different justifications.

I think what struck me the most about these two portrayals is how cut off they are from the rest of the world (one is literally an ivory tower, lol) and how little both these ex-Chief Cultivators understood the nature of people.

A big part of the Wen Sect’s downfall is that because they were drunk and high on the power they’ve held onto for so long, it didn’t once occur to them that in such isolating circumstances, the smaller sects would eventually come together to rebel. So when it did happen, it was really no wonder the Sunshot Campaign was such a success, because the Wen Sect definitely got the rug pulled out from under them. When the smaller sects have been pushed and bullied around for so long and shared a common enemy, it’s an almost guaranteed hot pot for a successful coup d'état.

For any world leader, both real and fictional, this is common sense.

In that same vein, Jin Guangyao only understood the world through his own personal grievances. His very motivation for power was to avenge himself on everyone who has ever looked down on him and whether it was a big or small slight, it didn’t matter. Regardless, if one had committed a slight against him, he would repay it in full and perhaps a bit more.

So as far as portrayals go, Chief Cultivators aren’t really considered a very good thing in the show. They’re shown as not only power-hungry and manipulative, but more importantly, also isolated and stuck in their ivory towers.

LWJ as Chief Cultivator

And finally, we get to the million-dollar question: would Lan Wangji make for a good and effective Chief Cultivator?

In and of itself, this is a tricky question for me personally, as a fan of this show. On the one hand, my bias towards Lan Wangji says yes, but on the other hand... While I can admit he’d make for a trustworthy Chief Cultivator—meaning, he would know how to work through the technicalities of the job, without relying on shady political dealings and manipulations—understanding the people of their world and how/why they do the things they do would prove to be much more of a challenge for him.

Let’s not forget that although Lan Wangji has a good reputation for his honor and admirable conduct, it’s easy for people to turn against him if they don’t understand his motivation and/or his reasoning. Case in point: during episode 44, a random sect member easily called him out for his association with the Yiling Patriarch. The call out was made through the sect member’s limited view of how she perceived Hanguang-jun’s character through his reputation alone.

It also does not help the fact that Lan Wangji doesn’t really know how to express himself directly. During episode 13 when they’re making their way to the cave to find the Tortoise of Slaughter, Wei Wuxian had to work his way around his friend’s lack of skills when it comes to communicating what he needs (in this case, needing to rest his broken leg, lol). And don’t even get me started on how the man can’t lie to save his life; he’d rather not say anything and uphold his honor, rather than spout lies (mayhaps the only exception to this would be to protect the other person).

As much as it pains me to say it, Lan Wangji’s personality and natural demeanor makes for a great hive of misunderstandings. And this is only in describing his personal relationship with Wei Wuxian; what more on the grand scale of being the Chief Cultivator, when you have to deal with so many more people? T_T

If anything, the show does an incredible job of showing how Lan Wangji comes to understand the people around him when he’s with Wei Wuxian: his understanding of Song Lan’s pain when he lost his own soulmate, the struggle and determination he sees in his own brother when faced with the fact that Jin Guangyao may not be the man he thought he was.

It’s a great contrast to how he was during the time period when Wei Wuxian was “asleep.” Jiang Cheng mentions that Lan Wangji has been traveling all over the world looking for someone, yet isn’t it interesting how in those years of travel, the latter hasn’t made one single human connection outside of the people close to him at home?

While it shows serious dedication to Wei Wuxian and the memory of their history together, it’s not a very helpful backdrop to his new position, imo. In all honestly, it’s safe to say that at this point, Lan Wangji mostly gains his understanding of people through his relationship and connection with Wei Wuxian.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, of course. If anything, it means that his connection to Wei Wuxian is a positive influence on him, and vise versa. Lan Wangji is the type of person who, although he doesn’t care for many people on a personal level, the ones that he does care for are the ones he loves fiercely and is deeply attuned to.

Tbh, the level of detail in this show is astounding when it comes to Lan Wangji and his character. During episode 46 of the golden core reveal, the audience sees mainly Jiang Cheng’s realization of what truly happened all those years ago in real-time. At that point, Jiang Cheng had only begun to realize the cost of not only his, but Wei Wuxian’s pride and honor.

In contrast, Lan Wangji had already fit the puzzle pieces together in his mind; there was no need to show his own flashbacks and moments with Wei Wuxian. Because he already understood and saw for himself the kindness and selflessness that is so deeply ingrained in his beloved, along with the evidence in front of him, there was no reason to doubt Wen Ning’s testimony.

It isn’t until we get to the lake scene though that audience witnesses the crucial realization for Lan Wangji of how...callous and almost naive his initial reaction was to finding out that Wei Wuxian has been practicing demonic cultivation. While in his mind he may have thought at the time that he was interrogating his friend with a clean conscience, I will admit that for a time, the way I (key word here is I, so don’t come at me folks) saw this scene as part of the audience, Lan Wangji was also suspicious of him.

Which is why I believe on episode 33, it was due to this that Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but ask regarding that time period in their life:

In other words, Lan Wangji’s reaction at the time, no matter the fact that he hadn’t known the truth of Wei Wuxian’s golden core yet, wasn’t done with as clean a conscience as he had once thought. It isn’t until he came to learn of Wei Ying‘s true motivation explicitly, that he realizes his own misjudgment of the situation, which I would think is very important as to how he will deal with other people as the Chief Cultivator.

This is also why, although I may have had reservations about this original idea at first, I will say that it makes for a great vehicle in keeping these two characters together all the way to the end. 😆

As the position of Chief Cultivator has been given to one of the Two Jades of Lan, I think it’s reasonable to assume that the seat of centralized power has now shifted to the Gusu Lan Sect. But, as this show has once again shown to the audience, no sect is infallible, not even Gusu Lan, for all their righteousness.

After all, let’s not forget that the Gusu Lan Sect produced Su She and the questionable morals of Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji’s father. Yikes, man...

Even if Gusu Lan is portrayed as an upright sect with many rules and regulations and has the most upright disciples, it’s no less of an ivory tower for Lan Wangji, as the Nightless City had been for Wen Ruohan and the Golden Koi Tower for Jin Guangyao.

And this is why I think in the end, Lan Wangji chose to come back to Wei Ying and travel the world with him, amongst other reasons. 😆 Because as much as Lan Wangji loves Wei Wuxian in the context of this show, he’s also not the type to let go of his responsibility, especially one he chose to accept himself.

It’s much too simple, I think, to say that he became Chief Cultivator for awhile, then once he “settled everything,” he came back to Wei Ying. If anything, this drama reiterates the fact that the world is not always so simple, especially when it comes to the thoughts and feelings of others.

Besides, what would stop the audience from thinking that Lan Wangji became a traveling Chief Cultivator, one who actually makes an effort to get to know people and understand their motivations? Although I will also point out that, in the end, whether or not he gives up the position of Chief Cultivator, it doesn’t necessarily matter.

The point of the matter is, he is a better person at Wei Wuxian’s side, as Wei Wuxian is at his, in order for them to keep and maintain their promise! ^^

And yet furthermore, which better person to travel the world with in order to understand it than Wei Wuxian, the one who arguably knows the most in regards to the nature of people, just because he’d seen firsthand what could be the worst of it? The man who usually has the keenest sense of getting to the bottom of an individual’s motivation, but also knows that sometimes, as he states in episode 43:

After all, in order for Lan Wangji to become an effective Chief Cultivator, in order for him to maintain his promise of protecting the weak and helpless whilst keeping a clear conscience and not make the same mistake as he had done with Wei Wuxian the first time, he needs to learn about the hearts of other people.

A Chief Cultivator stuck in his ivory tower would only repeat the same past mistakes, but a Chief Cultivator who knows the hearts of people and makes the effort to understand them would, I think, make the biggest difference in their world.

#The Untamed #chen qing ling #CQL #meta #meta analysis #wangxian #lan wangji #wei wuxian #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #mdzs meta

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