#op I am so happy for you congratulations on getting out of there
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If I Can Dream
8 - Oh Why Can’t My Dream Come True
art credit: @lazylittledragon on tumblr and lazyjunebug on twitter
cw: gender dysphoria, misuse of pronouns, use of deadname
Year: 1988
“They’re gonna freak out,” Eddie panicked.
“No they won’t,” Steve assured.
“They’re gonna call me a girl,” he hissed.
“And I’ll yell at them, then we’ll leave. You’re my boyfriend and soon-to-be husband, alright? I’m not gonna let them walk all over you.”
“If you say so.”
“Oh, hello boys. What brings you here?” he asked.
“Oh, hello boys. What brings you here?” he asked.
“Off to a good start,” Steve whispered. “Hi, dad. We, uh… we actually had some news we wanted to share with you guys.”
“Alright, what is it?”
“For starters, we’re getting married.”
“Oh, congratulations!” Pattie cheered, forcing the two of them into a hug.
“How, uh… how exactly does that work?” John asked.
“Well…” Steve looked to Eddie, seeking his approval before continuing. He gave him a nod and a reassuring rub on the back. “Since Eddie is still legally considered a female, we’re able to get married. When we go to change his last name, he’ll finally be changing his first one too.”
“About time,” John said.
“You’re telling me,” Eddie dryly chuckled.
“So what else?” Pattie asked.
“Hmm?” Steve hummed.
“You said ‘for starters’—what else is there?”
“Well…” They looked the each other, fear filling their eyes. “We’re, um… uh…”
“For Christ’s sake, we’re having a baby,” Eddie rushed out.
Pattie and John stood there catching flies. Their eyes bulged out of their head, not quite sure how to take the news.
“Okay, not everyone speak all at once, god,” Steve said.
“I… are you sure?” Pattie asked.
“Yeah, we’re sure.”
“Okay, but how sure?”
“I took an at home test and just got my blood work done. So… pretty sure…”
“Wow… John?”
His father didn’t answer. Instead, he pushed past the boys and made his way to the study. Pattie rolled her eyes and chased after her husband.
“Told you so,” Eddie said.
“Not the time, Munson. Mom, dad?” Steve called.
“What?” Pattie sighed.
“We just… we thought you guys would be happy. You know… grandkids, yay…”
“Steven, we put up with this whole charade you made us put on for your girlfriend–“
“Whoa–“
“I am not done speaking, Steven. You make us relearn a name, address her by some ridiculous new pronouns. We can accept the two of you getting married, since legally we can’t stop you. But having a child? No, absolutely not. You two as parents? Please. It’s an unfit household.”
“How, dad? Hmm? How are we unfit to be parents?”
“A child needs a mom and a dad. Not a dad and a fucking tranny.”
“Yeah, because a mom and a dad did me so fucking well. We’re done here. Let’s go.”
Steve grabbed onto Eddie’s wrist and practically dragged him out of the house. He opened Eddie’s door for him and shut it once he was fully in the car. Even when he was heated beyond belief, he always took the time to treat Eddie the way he deserved. Especially now that they had a child on the way, he always found a reason to calm himself down.
Without realizing, Steve was driving with his mind on autopilot. Despite not being scheduled to work that day, he found himself pulling into the Family Video lot. When it clicked, he blinked aimlessly a few times and profusely apologized to Eddie.
“No, no, it’s okay, honey. Let’s get a movie or something while we’re here and say hi to Robin.”
“Yeah, okay…”
“We don’t have to tell her yet if you don’t want.”
“No, no I do. Sorry, my parents put me in a bad mood.”
“I know, it’s okay.”
Steve got out, rushing over to get Eddie’s door for him. He helped him out and the two stood outside the door, trying to silently reassure each other before heading inside. As Eddie reached for the door, Steve grabbed his waist and pulled him in for a sweet kiss.
The two caught Robin’s eye as she was processing some returns. She raised a brow and leaned over the counter, waiting for the two to walk in. They mumbled something incoherent to each other before Steve opened the door for Eddie.
“Long time, no see, boys. How’re we doing today?”
“Good,” Eddie smiled. “How’re you, Rob?”
“I’m good,” she said, glancing over at Steve. “Are you hiding something from me, Harrington? You’re usually talking my ear off.”
“Can we talk in the back, Rob?”
“Sure… everything okay?”
“Yeah, just come on.”
The friends dipped into the cramped back room as Eddie wandered around looking for a movie for the night. Robin leaned against the door as Steve hopped onto the desk with a huff.
“What’s really going on?”
“What do you mean?”
“Something’s up. What’s going on?”
“Sorry, we just got back from my parents’ house.”
“Ah. Any reason you were there?”
“Do I need a reason to visit my parents?” Robin raised a brow and crossed her arms. “Yeah, okay, you got me there.” Steve buried his face in his hands. “Eddie’s pregnant…”
“Holy shit, what? How?”
“We weren’t careful and uh… yeah. He’s pregnant. Just about two months, now.”
“Wow… so, you’re gonna be a dad?”
“I know…”
“What the hell‽”
“I know!”
“Jesus… how does Eddie feel about the whole thing?”
“He’s nervous, understandably. I’m more nervous for his mental state, y’know?”
“Why?”
“Rob, he’s worked so hard getting where he is. He’s come out to me, to everyone we know, dealt with the backlash, went through the agony of top surgery, and now… after all that… he’s pregnant… it’s like two steps forward and three steps back. I feel terrible.”
“Steve, he loves you and I’m sure he’s happy to do this for you. If he weren’t, I’m sure he’d bring up the idea of getting rid of it. I think he’ll be okay.”
“I just worry.”
“And you have every right to worry! It just means you’re a good boyfriend.”
“Fiancé,” he corrected.
“Jesus, Harrington, I don’t see you for a week and you come in here saying you’re gonna be a dad and a husband!”
“I know, crazy, huh?”
“Where does all the time go, Christ…”
“What do you mean?” Steve chuckled.
“Steve, three years ago, when we met at Scoops, you and Ed had only been dating for like six or seven months. Both unsure what you’d be doing with each of your futures. Now here you are, nearly college graduates, engaged, and future dads. It’s insane!”
“Yeah, I guess it is…”
“I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks, Rob. That means a lot.”
“Of course, dingus. I’ll always be happy for you.”
“Thanks,” Steve chortled. “I should go check on the husband. Lord knows what he’s getting into.”
“Probably ruining all my hard work from this morning,” Robin teased.
“I wouldn’t put it past him.”
As if I’m cue, as the friends emerged from the back room, Eddie had tripped over one of the displays Robin had spent all morning setting up. She pinched the bridge of her nose, motioning for Steve to collect his man.
“Sorry,” Eddie started. “Pregnancy brain is already getting to me.”
“I figured. Congrats, by the way.”
“Thanks, Robin…” Eddie blushed as Steve helped him up. “Uh, Stevie, how do you feel about a horror movie?”
“Depends which one.”
“Nightmare on Elm?”
“Ed, we’ve watched that a million times.”
“Yeah, your point?”
“God, I hate you. Fine, we’ll rent it again, but I’m getting something too.”
“Fine by me. I’ll be right back,” he said, setting the tape down on the counter.
“Where’re you running off to?” Steve asked.
“If you must know, Steven, I feel like I’m about to puke my guts out. Happy?”
“Dear lord. Call me if you need anything.” Eddie gave him a thumbs up as he headed to the Staff Only bathroom.
“So, what’re you gonna make him sit through?” Robin asked.
“A birthing video. He wants horror, I’ll give him horror.”
“You sure that’s a good idea?”
“Why not? We both need to be prepared.”
“If you say so.”
Later that night, after the boys had dinner and finished watching Nightmare on Elm Street, Steve surprised Eddie with the birthing video. At first, Eddie was reluctant to watch it, especially so soon, but he eventually caved and let Steve pop the tape in.
The tape started out as rather informational, going through the different stages of labor and what to expect in each. What neither of them were anticipating, was it cutting to a woman actually pushing a child out of her.
“Can result in a severe hemorrhage, which could lead to death in minutes,” the narrator droned.
Eddie and Steve sat back on the couch, clutching their thighs to their chests, mouths hanging open with eyes popped out of the skulls.
“Steven, why did you make me watch that‽”
“I don’t know!”
“Was that meant to be comforting‽”
“I don’t know!”
“Oh my god, a human is going to be coming out of me!” Eddie panicked. “This is all your fault, Harrington!”
“What is‽”
“First knocking me up, then showing me that video!”
“I’m sorry!”
“Ugh!” Eddie fell back on the couch, dragging a blanket with him. He cocooned himself in the couch’s throw, only allowing his eyes to pop out. “This kid better be worth it.”
“She will be.”
“I hate you, Harrington.”
“I know you do, Munson…” Steve sighed as he rubbed his fiancé’s back. “I know you do…”
#eddie munson#eddie st4#eddie stranger things#gay#st4#steddie#steve harrington#steve x eddie#stranger things#lgbtq#pride#lgbt pride#trans eddie munson#transgender#parent steddie#joseph quinn#joe kerry#robin buckley#maya hawke
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Phantom bride event-Seeing you in formal wear (suit/wedding dress/whatever) Pt. 2
Characters: Sebek Zigvolt, Trey Clover, Floyd Leech
Self-aware au
I do not take any responsibility for you reading this no matter which age group you are from!
WARNINGS: Yandere themes, wounds, marriage, marking, violence, unhealthy relationship
Sebek... Sebek with his loud glory is very loud the second you... WAIT HE IS SILENT??!
Yes, I have to congratulate you because from now on you aren't “just” the Overseer but also Sebeks pacifier in human version
What am I supposed to say? You look dashing darling!
But, lets be a bit more critical of the situation than just “a dream come true-bla bla”
This is the self-aware au, what did you except? Unicorns and rainbows?
So Sebek sees you, and already remembers the lessons which Lilia gave him as a child on how to court someone
*Sigh* and if you know anything about Fae in the self-aware au courting someone (doesn't matter if he is only half one) them that it's a bit... uh... unhealthy? Toxic? Overall not good? (I seriously can't find words for this)
So Sebek remembers, and he remembers that despite there being so many differences between his mother and father (like everything) their marriage is a dream come true for them
The silent Sebek is way scarier than our usual loud one because you know, if he's silent then he is thinking a lot
And we don't want them to think too much because who knows with what they will come up with
So here is the plan, he will *ahem* “court” you (in truth it's just very glamorous kidnapping), marry you and will make sure that you are so “happy” that you will never want to leave
You see where I am going with this?
The princess can be happy that he is so deep in thought and frozen or otherwise he would be challenging her to a duel with real swords and even though Lilia says they are still inexperienced I'm sure those arms can do some serious damage, ghost or not
Your best option is to ask Lilia for help here (*gasp* I know) because as much as he loves Sebek and Silver, only his obsession with you beats Malleus wishes
So yeah, you have the choice between a very old, wise, and probably OP fae who will never let you go again and a half-fae who will destroy your eardrums with every single word they say
Not the best options but would you rather die from that kiss?
Kind Trey who looks out for the freshmen is suddenly not so kind anymore
It's really hard to see but look into his eyes while he stares at the ghost. You see that bloodlust? Yes, that's him
You see, I think Trey is one of those that believe in eternal love between married partners so this sight of you makes his happy beyond possibility
But then he remembers that 1. He is not the one you swear your undying love to and 2. This all should belong to HIM
He is always smiling, always there to lend an ear others and this is the reward for all of that??!
Be is mad and believe me, I am genuinely scared of people who smile so much like he does because these people who are the scariest when they snap
And he will snap. 100%
Twisted Wonderland is a world filled to the brim with magic, you can't tell me there aren't spells which can be used to exorcise ghosts
He makes reminders in his head right now to find one once he is free and then get rid of that pest
At this point you shouldn't ask for her hand but ask her to take her stuff, leave Idia behind and start to run
There is no amount of guards which could stop Trey once a certain point is reached and that point isn't just stepped upon but flung into the nether
On a lighter note, the wedding cake at your and his wedding will be like the Mona Lisa of cakes
And also, no one besides you, him and someone who is needed to make the whole thing final will attend
Why? Well, he already got “your first” stolen so he will make sure that no one can “steal” the sight of your second from him
Mhm should have left the whole thing to those who aren't called “Overseer”
But what can I say? Enjoy the cake? Because I know that it will taste divine
This one is screaming the whole time
No, I'm not joking, he will scream and bite anyone who tries to make him shut up
Poor eel is so helpless that this is his only defense
But unlike the others before, he does actual damage
You have ever seen those teeth??!!
Floyd wanted to be the one to marry you and not some... some... spoiled princess!
His entire life he looked up to you hoping to have the slightest chance to be noticed by you...
and then some blue wannabe princess takes that hope from him
It seems like the friendly approach doesn't work
The second he is free he will snatch you up and make you drink that potion he once stole from Azul
What it does? Oh well you know, just shackling you forever to the ocean so you could never escape him
But that is just one part
The other is him making sure that everyone knows you belong to him the second they lay eyes upon you
So what does he do? Probably not something you would suspect but... those teeth....
You have a pretty neck and shoulders dear, a but too unmarked for his tastes
You catch my drift, right?
So yes, be prepared to feel more like property instead of a person because that is your life in a nutshell from that point onwards
#yandere twisted wonderland#yandere twst#yandere twisted wonderland x reader#yandere twst x reader#self aware au#yandere sebek#yandere sebek x reader#yandere sebek zigvolt#yandere trey#yandere trey x reader#yandere trey clover#yandere floyd x reader#yandere floyd#yandere floyd leech#tw: yandere#tw: wounds#tw: marriage#tw: marking#tw: violence#tw: kidnapping#tw: unhealthy relationship
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Kingohger ep33
i'm so normal in case Racules shows up in today's preview. so normal
i'm also so normal about this episode too. just a casual outfit dance. cool untransformed action. cool robot. rita-sama manspreading. with that cute red bruise on their forehead. completely normal.
OOOOOH NO OP this is gonna be good (they're saving it for the ED!!)
crying children… so classic toku…
oh no…not the ep21 gag coming back to punch my tearducts 😭
okay don't be that obvious by cueing Suzume 😅
phew glad we got the cute rita interaction out of the way first
this is so. not. Kingohger (neutral)
:D Erica showing off her piano
eh Earth Yanma Gira bickering looks even more like normal BL
plot is everything expected
absolutely giving the shiono fans everything they want (cool action, calm mentor, whump)
"amy-san is important to me" please don't be their son please don't be their son
"Nice to meet you, I am the evil king" 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂❤️❤️
SUUUUUUZUUUUUUUMEEEEEEEEEE MY QUEEEEEEEEEEEN
sorry there's no way either Ian or Himeno is straight
Jeramie spinning with his mantle flying like a magical girl 💕💕💕
"My lady? I am my own" SLAY HIMENO-SAMA
*30-second heart attack from Rita-sama's "Back down. I will protect you"
Since when Watanabe Aoto became the fanservice guy??? (right from the beginning)
Uh. Congratulations I guess. Love wins. Jeramie will be very happy to officiate another suit-human wedding.
(later: *checks PN* ohhh so I didn't mis-recgonized. Nossan's sister was someone familiar (Deka Yellow))
What 😂😂. What are you guys doing why are you roll calling 😂😂😂😂 so unlike them but
好型呀呀呀呀呀呀呀呀 我嘅戰隊魂呀呀!!!!!!!!!
Hachisuka-san's split?!!?!?!!!!!!!!
gee Rita how come you get all the girls?
"Kiryu Daigorou" *sigh* that's a cute blue black moment i guess better luck finding parents with a better naming sense next time
Thank god he didn't follow them home
get out of my way end credits
"Shugo Kamen" (Masked Guardian🤔): my longest yeah boy ever
I have not used my brain ONCE this episode and I am satisfied
p.s. preview: this is the fourth time you've recreated ep1 kings' march (good keep it coming)
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What´s with the Sarah hate? His own sister and Ryan haven't posted anything about Dahmer anymore. It's understandable that she would not fuel the hate by congratulating him. She probably did it in private anyways as he does not SM. Also ever occurred that maybe he does not want to draw more attention to it or celebrate it because of the victim's family. Sometimes it's not that deep. And people are seriously believing Emma raped Evan? Come on now, I don't like the girl but that is ridiculous.
i think you have to put it into context. many of us are already not fans of sarah and are dubious of her because she is super tight with emma, and some of us frown upon the concept of being friends with someone, and also friends with their abuser. and no, i am not interested in hearing about "them being coworkers who had to work together" as a defense, because i do not think that it makes any difference. if it wasn't socially acceptable, they would all have denounced her like they would have denounced evan if he had been arrested for beating her. only difference is there was zero pressure to react to an uncomfortable situation, so those involved could just say ''they love each other and are working it out'' and turn a blind eye. this goes for ryan murphy and the entire lot.
second, what evan wants or does not want isn't really relevant to this conversation unless it comes from his mouth. i say this because arguing that maybe evan has asked sarah (or anyone) not to say anything is just as much a wild guess and theory as her not acknowledging his success just being due to her being a shitty friend. either could be true, and no one is claiming to know with certainty. what you see is just folks being bothered that she literally took a moment to congratulate a bunch of people and pointedly not evan. it's ridiculous to think it would be some earth-shattering controversy to say ''so happy my long-time friend evan peters is being recognized for his talent'' and keep it moving. i'm sure she also gets flamed in the comment section from time to time for having a 80 year old partner, it's the internet.. it happens.
also, who is believing that tweet about evan being raped as fact? not anyone on this blog, so who are you addressing? the OP?
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Chaos (The Remix)
Levi: AAAAAAAHHHHHHHASVUBYWEGUIN
MC: What's wrong, Levi?
Levi: Waaaaaiiiit uuuuuuuuuuup
MC: You need to wait up.
Levi: 4RL?
MC: Yes, 4RL.
Levi: IS THIS REAL LIFE?!
MC: Last I checked.
Levi: What am I gonna do, MC?
MC: About what?
Levi: I just might die today. This a totally different dimension of craziness we're talking about!
MC: What happened?
Levi: How am I supposed to contain myself?! TELL ME!
MC: Go in your aquarium.
Levi: I used up ALL myy happiness for the rest of my LIiFE!
MC: Are you drunk?
Levi: My hands are shaking for crying out loudd.
MC: Great. You're on drugs. Even better.
Levi: Plz at least prraaise me for being able to type.
MC: No.
Levi: Prraise me!
MC: Your typing's a mess.
Levi: I can't help it! If you found out what happened your teeth would start chattering from excitement!
MC: So, tell me what happened.
Levi: Look at this!
Levi: *sends blurry picture of him holding a ticket*
Levi: Finally! IT'S HERE! FINALLY! My ticket to the Sucre Frenzy live show!
MC: That's literally all you had to say. I received mine in the mail today, too.
Levi: Mine comes with a pass to the handshake event!
MC: Mine didn't. I just got the ticket to the secret show.
Levi: AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Levi: I CAN'T
Levi: I JUST CAN'T
MC: Congratulations.
Levi: Thanks, MC. Man, buying all those CDs really paid off. This is a show I've really wanted to go to.
Levi: I've noticed something though.
MC: Other than the ability to type properly?
Levi: I couldn't care less what people think of my otaku-ness, no matter where I am. I'm an otaku inside and out. You better believe I'm prude of it!
Levi: PROUD! PROUD OF IT! GAH, STUPID AUTOCORRECT!
MC: That's what you get from keysmashing your phone.
Levi: Ugh, now you probably think I'm a prude.
MC: No more than I am.
Levi: ...Sorry, got a little outta hand there for a second. To be honest, I'm CRAZY hyper right now.
MC: Obviously.
Levi: Think about it, I got a ticket to the live show AND a pass to the handshake event.
MC: I know.
Levi: I'm in a rut though. I don't have normie clothes to dwell among the normies out in the real world. I've been using all my money on my otaku hobbies. Also, part of me really doesn't want to borrow clothes from someone like Asmo.
MC: What about someone like me? I have plenty of plain t-shirts you could borrow.
Levi: We're different sizes.
Levi: At this rate, I won't be able to show her my face!
Levi: So, here's the deal. We've got a top-secret co-op mission. I gotta go buy normie clothes for the event.
MC: Using money you don't have.
Levi: Ignoring that, I'm not really that savvy on normie stuff. That's why I want you to come with me to Majolish.
MC: Okay. I'll go. I've been wanting to check the shop out, anyway.
Levi: *whoo sticker*
Levi: This is perfect! You're a real pal, MC. Gratitude. Pure gratitude.
Levi: *sparkling eye sticker*
MC: You're welcome.
Levi: I'll remember this for the rest of my life!
MC: Doubtful, but I appreciate the sentiment.
Levi: Leave tomorrow open, okay?!
MC: Okay.
Levi: Our goal is to raise my social status through fashion. And...
MC: And?
Levi: I'm looking forward to hanging out with you, too.
MC: Well, this is quite the character development moment for you. I'm proud of you.
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Villain Hunt Arc Meta: All For One’s Horrific Guide to Methodically Breaking Down Your Local OFA Holder
Ft. Turning the ‘Overpoweredness’ of OFA into a Setback, and AFO’s Successful Manipulations Of Midoriya Izuku
In which I also give AFO too much credit for all the pain he’s probably caused, and theorize that his plans to break Izuku actually started getting enacted even before he’d escaped Tartarus.
(A.k.a. me loving the angst because this is really good angst writing, but also hating it because the manga doesn’t come with a Angst with A Happy Ending tag unless you count Izuku’s ‘this is the story of how I became the greatest hero’ which isn’t really a guarantee of happiness )
So. What an arc! In the span of ten chapters (starting from the end of the War arc) Hori delivered a full-on Villain-looking, Vigilante Midoriya Izuku. Congratulations, Horikoshi, for finally introducing Akatani Mikumo!
The fast pacing and lack of breather panels are so fitting for this arc truly. AFO never gave them a moment’s rest. Yes, from henceforth as he’d promised... It’s always going to be his turn.
Izuku is making amazing progress with unlocking the full power of One For All. In his words, his abilities might as well already be on par with what a healthier All Might could do, and with no recoil to boot. Plus, there’s only one last quirk to unlock. For villain fights, I don’t think we need to worry about him losing, or him breaking anymore bones at this time.
Which, some might argue, makes Izuku too ‘OP.’
To start with, I want to talk first about the ‘overpoweredness’ of the One For All quirk. It’s a wonderful quirk truly, having inspired and amazed so many because of its sheer power. Used well, it could grant instant victories and restore the people’s wavering faith to the heroes. Because with a quirk like that on your side, everything’s going to be alright, right? There’s always gonna be that bit of hope that something is still strong enough to stand against the looming evil...right?
Yeah. That’s what the people who’d lived under All Might’s Era of Peace thought so too. History repeats.
OFA’s ‘OP-ness’ is both a great blessing and a great burden.
Here are some points on how the narrative has made OFA's 'overpoweredness' a setback:
1. All For One—that bastard—exploits the urge that comes with OFA. Just as ‘AFO the quirk’s’ goal is to steal OFA, OFA’s job is to defeat AFO, and Izuku is sacrificing himself to its cause.
Here’s another thing I want to point out: The conclusion that the heroes drew about AFO planning to capture Midoriya Izuku alive? In rereading, I’m starting to believe it’s nothing but a mere assumption of his plans. Aside from the deal made with Lady Nagant—of which I think AFO didn’t take seriously anyway and set her up for failure— (and while we as readers are already aware of his true intentions to wear Izuku down) it’s weird that nowhere had AFO directly mentioned to Izuku that he’s going to kidnap him and take his quirk from him.
2. OFA made Izuku so brilliant (e.g. Pros and former Pros alike going “This kid...”) that they really can't help but place all their hopes on him. Sighs. In an ideal world, this would be a dream come true of Izuku getting his due credit for all his heroic achievements Pro heroes have started to do to Izuku what they’ve done all their lives to All Might--which is to put him on the pedestal, while they fall back to cover him like guards/safety net. Hence, falling back to the One Pillar Model mindset.
3. OFA makes Izuku untouchable, not only to the villains, but also to his allies. Prime material to reinforce isolation. And if Izuku doesn't want to be caught, he won't make it easy for either side.
4. OFA IS SUS AF, OKAY? What are the Holders doing?! While gaining access to them makes it easier and convenient to have personal trainers in handling OFA, the vestiges prove to add a lot to Izuku’s mental load. If they’d allowed Izuku to come to the point of being caked with blood and filth, they’re not doing very well at guiding him. Realize that most of their arc interactions with Izuku is Quirk Talk. They, of all people, should know how AFO’s machinations work! Hey First, for the love of god, warn Izuku! He’s showing so many signs of being manipulated that you should be picking up on. please /sobs ;;
Tbf, like, I’m pretty sure that the Holders haven’t been as mentally okay either, which would feed into Izuku’s current mindset.
Now that the setbacks have been listed, let’s dive in to AFO’s plans to toy with Midoriya Izuku.
PHASE 1: Pre-Tartarus Breakout
Speaking of OFA being sus, there’s something that has been niggling at the back of my mind.
All For One basically tells Izuku: “You were my main interest that entire time I was in prison”. So, to pass the time in Tartarus (since he can’t use any(?) of his quirks), AFO has been doing nothing but apparently daydreaming and designing a personal hell for the Ninth Holder during that entire period. HOWEVER, it also made me wonder…
…Even before he’d broken out, had AFO made any moves at all in enacting his plans to break Izuku?
Yeah?
And here’s the kicker: he says that before Blackwhip bursted out.
AFO is a master manipulator. Assuming that Izuku doesn’t have any latent AFO quirk (for whatever reason *coughs* maybe dfo if you're a believer) or that Quirk Singularity has anything to do with it, what is the trigger to Izuku suddenly having access to Blackwhip?
I’d argue that it is All For One himself.
Why? What’s his goal? If you notice during the Joint Training arc, Izuku is feeling pretty confident about his progress. He’s rather happy and feeling blessed, and he is making leaps and bounds with base power OFA.
AFO can’t have that. He can’t allow the Ninth Holder to become too emotionally stable, or else he’d have a stronger will. So by somehow activating Blackwhip, AFO makes Izuku feel like he hasn’t made any progress with his quirk at all. During the evaluations, Izuku mentions that he still needs a lot to work on, and while not all of it is visible, with the way he behaves, it’s pretty evident that his self-confidence has taken a rather large hit.
But, wait! If AFO had tampered with OFA during the JT arc, paving the way to unlocking the rest (like he’d also done during the War arc when he tried to ‘steal’ it then), then wouldn’t AFO be sabotaging himself since he’d be making Izuku a more formidable opponent?
Sure. Except that the quirks inside OFA are mostly useless when it comes to the mental part of the fighting. The only thing they’re useful for is for the current Holder to be able to play keep-away in the physical realm. And AFO could easily just find counters for those through his work on Tomura.
You know how else the situation becomes advantageous for AFO? With every quirk unlocked, Izuku’s goalposts keep on getting away from him, and Izuku will always feel like he isn’t ready or prepared enough. Izuku will push and push himself to master OFA to its fullest, to become more powerful, at the cost of his mental/emotional stability and physical wellbeing as he wears himself down.
And every time Izuku grew more powerful, and became more ‘OP,’ he is burdened with all the aforementioned setbacks that came with it. He could be the most powerful person in the world, but it’s all for naught if he doesn’t take care of himself. This plan is both a high risk and high reward on AFO’s part, and as of the moment, with a bloody Izuku staggering all over, AFO is visibly reaping these high rewards.
PHASE 2: Post-Tartarus Breakout
He’s going to toy with Izuku until Izuku fucking breaks. What follows is his series of actions that instills the desired responses from Midoriya Izuku. Let’s see how the master manipulator plays this game of chess, shall we?
Izuku’s plan: Reach out to villains and try to save them.
AFO’s counter: Kill off those who turn their back against villainy and/or acknowledge Izuku as a true hero.
Izuku’s resulting response: Stop reaching out to villains. Gain an instant victory and move on.
After all, what do you get when you block a hero from showing sympathy? You get an unfeeling living weapon.
---
Izuku’s plan: Work with the top pro heroes to bring down AFO.
AFO’s counter: Make plans that will serve to highlight how the top pros are just slowing Izuku down. (e.g. Making moves while it’s raining, so as to divide them, but also to bring out No. 1 Hero Endeavor’s "slowness" in the rain. Nope, I don’t think that’s a throwaway line at all.)
Izuku’s resulting response: Grows more reckless, often leading the charge.
---
Izuku’s plan: Track AFO down.
AFO’s counter: Lead them to dead-ends. Or when they do supposedly reach something, endanger them.
Izuku’s resulting response: His tunnel vision worsens, as he grows more desperate.
---
Izuku’s plan: All Might following him around is okay since it would help All Might from worrying so much, and Izuku could simultaneously keep an eye on and protect All Might.
AFO’s counters: There are a lot to really fuck with this bond, damn you AFO.
Taint that passing the torch memory of ‘You’re Next.’
Declare that All Might no longer interests him. Liar. He outright stated before that he’s one for keeping a grudge
Send another assassin to Izuku [Underlying Message: You yourself are a walking danger zone to those whom you dearly care for.]
Izuku’s resulting response:
Interpret that memory of ‘You’re Next’ as taking up the position of being AFO’s shiny new plaything, and therefore supposedly sparing All Might from the torment (Unfortunately, making Izuku push AM away is just part of the torment ;A;)
Think that AM is no longer in the direct line of fire as long as AFO focuses on Izuku
Finally, push his last line of morale support away, and completely isolate himself.
Btw, I wonder how All Might feels about Izuku using Nana's quirk to get away from him.
---
The suffering doesn’t end.
Izuku’s plan: Save people.
AFO’s counters: (possibly offscreen) Send more villains and assassins to torment Izuku some more with the knowledge that he can’t save them. Sending villains out also puts innocents in danger.
Izuku’s resulting response: He won’t stop for anything. He won’t sleep, won’t eat, won’t slow down. He will always do his best to save as long as someone is in danger.
His body will keep on moving and moving and MOVING on its own.
---
All For One is very effective as a supervillain. He has managed to make the heroes think that his only goal is to capture Izuku alive for his quirk. He has Izuku right where he wants him: dancing to his tune at the palm of his hand, utterly toyed with, left with no escape in sight.
Psychologically vaulted.
.
.
.
PHASE 3
And so, if Izuku is being manipulated to drive himself further and further into self-destruction, what then is there left for All For One to do?
So much more. Because, my god, I think AFO has mastered the art of traumatizing the OFA Holders.
All For One once told All Might, “I will destroy all that you’ve protected.” And boy, is he delivering. He's definitely not done with AM btw.
First, he destroys All Might's image. And he is manipulating Izuku to drive himself to that point. To looking into his absolute worst.
And when that point arrives, AFO will hammer the final nail home.
Something like...
BEHOLD
JAPAN’S SYMBOL OF PEACE.
And oh, how it'll hurt. To see All Might's pride and joy be flaunted about as looking nothing like a hero to the masses, for him to be so utterly humiliated.
"See what I did to All Might's successor."
AFO will be banking upon the possibility that the angry masses will not want to be saved by whom they're tricked into viewing as someone that's the cause of all the pain. Izuku might have the willpower to stay true to his resolve, but with him on the verge of total breakdown, what would happen when he is shunned by the very people he is trying to help?
I once wrote a post about how the current events seem to be a bastardization of Izuku's wildest fantasies: he's working with the top pros, he has the most powerful quirk, and he's working with All Might (whom technically acts as a sidekick to him rn).
AFO has warped all that into a never-ending nightmare. And Izuku...
Izuku is really in need of saving.
Last thoughts:
Let me just say that it shouldn't be a competition about who gets to get through to Izuku. Right now, he’s gonna need all the help he can get, and it can’t be delivered by only one or two people. Saving Izuku is going to be a team effort, a solid support system that sees Izuku as their classmate/friend/student/actual person that they care about. And there’s sufficient space for that.
More hands reaching out means more chances to catch him if he falls.
#bnha#bnha 317#bnha manga#bnha analysis#bnha meta#all for one#afo#midoriya izuku#all might#toshinori yagi
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Tianshan dating headcannons because i also love these two dumbasses too
Also dedicated to @el-mundo-real who requested tianshan headcannons 🖤
. . .
- Literally no one knows whether they’re dating or not. Not even themselves because they don’t talk about it
- Jian yi thinks they’re dating already and Zhengxi says they’re still getting there (somehow they’re both right) and they make a bet
- He tian likes staying over at Mo’s and he’s gotten pretty close to mama Mo
- Mama Mo teaches him how to knit !! He tried to knit a scarf for Mo but it came out a little messy and tangled. Mo still wears it anyway saying it’s a waste of yarn if not used (He’s actually really touched)
- He eats dinner there about 5 times a week and sleeps over thrice a week. He’s a permanent fixture in the house now, he has his own plate and mug, utensils, toothbrush, a spare key, and more than half of his closet migrated to Mo’s closet
- Sometimes Mo “accidentally” wears He tian’s sweaters and He tian dies a little bit every time
- Sometimes He tian deliberately wears Mo’s clothes and it’s always tighter and a bit shorter on his body so when he moves his arms the shirt rides up. Mo guanshan shouts at him to change and to stop contaminating his clothes but his ears are red anyway
- They bicker A LOT. Over the smallest things because He tian loves riling him up and Mo gets riled up too easily
He tian, for the 7th time in 5 minutes: “What does this thing do?”
Mo guanshan, losing his mind: “THAT’S A FUCKING MICROWAVE WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK IT DO?!”
- There are times when homicide is the best option
Mo Guanshan: “I acknowledge that I can be mean sometimes-”
He tian, in the bathtub: “Sometimes?”
Mo Guanshan: “Shut the fuck up. So I brought you a bath bomb as a peace offering.”
He tian: “That’s a fucking toaster.”
Mo guanshan: “Exactly. A bath bomb.”
- Contrary to what his actions say, Mo guanshan is actually relieved that He tian spends most of his time in their apartment. He tian never told him but he can see how lonely the other teenager is
- Mo guanshan tries to teach He tian chores because He tian knows nothing about cleaning or doing everyday things
Mo guanshan: “How the fuck do you not know how to wash dishes where the hell do you eat?!”
He tian, drinking milk straight out the carton: “Obviously on plates, Momo. I just throw them away after.”
Mo guanshan, sputtering: “WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU THROW OUT PLATES?!”
- The first and only recipe that He tian managed to cook successfully is instant noodles with boiled egg that’s not quite cooked enough. Sometimes he brings Mo noodles as breakfast in bed and he looks so proud of it Mo has a hard time saying that the noodles are overcooked and that noodles aren’t exactly breakfast food (he eats it anyway)
- Mo sometimes, only sometimes, brings He tian grocery shopping because he needs to learn how to buy food for himself. Somehow He tian always ends up in the miscellaneous section where he has a pack of ballpens he’ll never use, 2 journals he’ll also never use, a couple of scented candles, various dog clothes and leashes for the dog he doesn’t have, a couple’s mug, and a vase in his cart
- He tian stopped trying to barge into Mo guanshan’s bed and sleeps on the futon on the floor beside it. It’s not the most comfortable and he had a hard time sleeping on it at first but he likes being in Mo’s company even while sleeping
- Sometimes Mo would move in his sleep and leave his arm dangling on the side of the bed, He tian grabs it of course and Mo wakes up to sweaty palms. He still leaves it for a few moments before harshly slapping away He tian’s hand
- Mo’s hands aren’t smooth at all because of working all the time and practicing the guitar but He tian loves them all the same. He likes to feel the contrast in textures with his slightly smoother hands
- He tian has a thousand pictures of Mo guanshan sleeping in various angles and poses. He has his favorites framed and keeps it on his bedside table in his apartment so when he’s sleeping there he still feels like they’re sleeping together
- Mo guanshan has a few of He tian sleeping but he swears up and down that he'll never do anything as disgusting as that. He makes one of them his wallpaper.
- Sometimes when they don’t feel like sleeping yet they stay up talking and arguing about random things
Mo guanshan: “Why would aliens be in space? The ocean is definitely the way to go.”
He tian: “But why would they be in the ocean? They’ll drown.”
Mo guanshan: “They’re aliens maybe they have gills or some shit.”
He tian: “I’m telling you they’re not in the ocean, Mo.”
Mo guanshan: “And I���m telling you you’re wrong, bastard.”
- On rare days they would stay up talking about their pasts and about life in general, with the lights closed and the only source of light is the moonlights from the window
- One of these nights, Mo told He tian about what happened to his dad and their restaurant, why they’re in so much debt over it and He tian holds Mo’s hand tightly throughout
- He knew better than to say that he could pay for that debt so Mo doesn’t need to worry anymore (He still says it anyway and Mo blew a fuse) but he swore to help Mo through other means
- The next day he orders a whole carton of mangoes, apples and peaches in his apartment and learns how to peel properly through youtube and Zhengxi
- He goes to Mo’s part time job in the grocery and helps him peel fruits, Mo guanshan doesn’t mention anything when he notices the bandaids on the other’s hands but he does cook him beef stew for dinner
- As expected He tian’s presence brings more customers and the manager asks if he wants to work there permanently but he said he’s only working for Mo so the manager can give Mo a raise instead
- Once, Mo got sick so he missed his part time job for the day (He was supposed to give away flyers on the streets) and got extra pissy because He tian didn’t visit him and wouldn’t answer his phone
- Apparently He tian took over his job for the day and he only finds out when he goes to the manager and the manager asks when his ‘boyfriend’ can come back to work again because the customers love him
- He tian almost never talks about himself but once he talked about the puppy who disappeared after he saves it and then found out that it’s still alive after all these years
- Mo keeps quiet about it the whole time he was talking and the next few days he takes time to knit a small dog plushie and leaves it on He tian’s futon
- He tian didn’t cry, he didn’t (he did), but he hugged Mo and whispered a sincere thank you. For once, Mo lets it happen
- Mo quickly regrets his decision when He tian names the plushie “Chicken sandwich”
- He tian brings Mo in a lot of not-dates (according to Mo) like arcades, ocean parks, festivals, and fairs because he didn’t get to go as a kid and he wants to experience it for the first time with Mo
- They get crazy competitive in every game. Every. Single. One. If it’s a co-op shooting game they would compete on who kills the most enemies, if it’s a harmless crane game it becomes a competition of who can get the most plushies
- They both each have a photobooth strip. Mo keeps his as a bookmarker in a journal, and He tian has his in the back of his phone.
- They go on a double not-date with Jian yi and Zhengxi and it ends up in almost getting chased by a police car at 2 am in pokemon onesies and holding a bag of chips
- Sometimes Mo would visit his dad in prison and just rant to him about He tian
Mo guanshan: “The nerve of that guy to do something like that in front of a teacher urgh.”
Papa Mo: “Your boyfriend sounds like a fun guy, son. I want to meet him soon.”
Mo guanshan: “BO-BOYFRIEND?!”
Papa Mo: “Yes???”
Mo guanshan: “No??? That bastard isn’t my boyfriend??”
Papa Mo: “Are you sure about that?”
Mo guanshan: “...Yes?”
- Enter gay panique because he doesn’t actually know whether He tian is his boyfriend or not
- They don’t call each other boyfriends and they never talked about it so no??? But they’re also not just friends so maybe??? Do they go on dates?? Can grocery trips be considered dates??
- He rings up Jian yi and the blonde just laughed for 5 minutes straight without stopping and he wonders how he’s still breathing
Mo Guanshan, after hearing Jian yi laughing for 5 minutes: “Are you fucking done?”
Jian yi, trying to catch his breath: “Man this is some top-tier entertainment.”
Mo guanshan: “WELL?!”
Jian yi: “Look bro literally no one knows whether you’re dating, fucking, planning each other’s murder OR planning a murder together.”
Mo guanshan: “What if it’s all of the above?”
Jian yi: “Then congratulations…? Please don’t murder me?”
Mo guanshan: “Urgh you’re fucking useless I should have called Zhengxi.”
Jian yi: “Wait don’t, I don’t wanna lose the bet. How about this, there’s a festival upcoming for couples and families, if He tian asks you then you’re probably, maybe, dating?”
Mo guanshan: “That’s stupid. AND WHAT BET?!”
Jian yi: “Ah woops gotta water my dog.”
- Mo tells himself that it’s stupid and there’s no way he’s falling for that...but he feels disappointed anyway when He tian doesn’t ask him the following days
- He tian asks on the last day before the festival, but he asks mama Mo first and Mo guanshan second cuz he wants to celebrate with both of them. He confessed that he’s never actually went to a festival with a family before so he was trying to build up courage to ask
- Mo guanshan is an absolute goner after that
- On the day of the festival, they find Zhanyi there on a date but decide to leave them alone. While they were leaving Jian yi kept throwing Mo guanshan so much winks that Zhengxi thought he got something in his eye
- The festival was fun but Mo couldn’t take his eyes off how happy and content He tian looks
- Queue cliche fireworks scene but it’s He tian being amazed by the fireworks and Mo looking mesmerized at him thinking, “Ah, I want him to look at me like that.”
- The next day, he drags He tian to visit his dad in jail
Papa mo: “Oh this is a surprise, you’ve never brought someone before?”
He tian, trying to introduce himself: “Hello, sir. I’m He tian, Mo guanshan’s fri-”
Mo guanshan, cuts him off: “Boyfriend. He’s my boyfriend, dad.”
He tian:
#19 days#19 days headcannons#19 days hc#tianshan#mo guan shan#he tian#zhanyi#jian yi#zhan zheng xi#am i procrastinating updating my fics and 19 days socmed au by posting random 19 days stuff?#yes yes i am#old xian
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Hmm, Cha Hae-In... if she ran into Sung Jin-Woo at the sword school somehow and is ? that he smells good?
Sugar Mama Cha Hae-In + the Hunters’ Guild going ‘these two are adorable we are going to make this ship sail’
Also he’s adorable and her sword teacher tells her that he keeps getting injured but keeps going on hunts, people think he’s an idiot rich boy in it for the thrill but he doesn’t buy that, no defense and yet he gets wounded protecting their healer too.
Cha Hae-In using her vice guildmaster position to offer him a position on the resource gathering teams, and watching as he goes from shut down and dead inside to smiling and friendly and starting to actually talk to people. They’re like sure, he’s not the fastest/strongest worker, but he’s hard working and does his best and pays attention to instructions.
Meanwhile Sung Jin-Woo is ‘this job comes with medical insurance!’ and Jin-Ah is ‘I don’t have to worry about my brother dying anymore! The Hunter’s Guild would absolutely have like, whole guild social functions where you bring your family and Jin-Ah wanting to talk to Cha Hae-In and explaining the situation and being ‘thank you so much for saving the life of my last family.’
So Cha Hae-In is *manly tears* Such a wonderful big brother! So filial! So cute!
Sung Jin-Woo starts bringing her lunch to thank her and she’s ‘you don’t have to...’ (but it’s really good) ‘I am rich af let me pay you’ and Sung Jin-Woo is ‘sure’ because money.
... to skip ahead, shadow!Choi Jong-In continuing to do paperwork, corresponence and checking over payroll after death leaves him Not Impressed with Ashborn wanting to ditch Jin-Woo (especially after finding out Ashborn made Jin-Woo responsible for his army)
So like, the entire Hunter’s Guild is like, ‘Cha Hae-In has a boyfriend... but we already know him and he is a Good Kid not like, someone who wants to feel dominant over a powerful woman or any of that BS and oh hey this food is really good’ So Choi Jong-In goes ‘we’re going to have a cafeteria now and provide lunches for all the gate teams’ and puts Sung Jin-Woo in charge of it and people are like ‘this is why we call u a genius’
People are like ‘when are you going to ask him out’ and Cha Hae-In is ‘as vice guildmaster I’m his boss! I can’t hit on him!’ so Choi Jong-In is like ‘congratulations you own a restaurant in our guild building now with a lucrative contract with our guild’
Now it’s ‘i can’t hit on him at work! And he feels like he really owes me, I don’t want to make him feel like I was... expecting things’
They are like ah! She is such a good person for an s-rank! Ok, then they need Sung Jin-Woo to make a move! Plan 1: he seems to like watching her train even though he can’t follow a lot of her movements, so we’ll invite him along to watch a fight.
Next up is a double dungeon, but it appeared in a low rank dungeon and the measurements are still weak AF. So like, it’s a mission that the Hunter’s Guild can go on like, just to be sure! But almost certainly safe for an e-rank.
And then you have Choi Jong-In and Sung Jin-Woo scrambling to figure out the rules. Cha Hae-In carrying Sung Jin-Woo over her shoulder, someone else taking Choi Jong-In after he passes out burning up all his MP in the hopes of taking out the statue’s eye beams.
So they’re around the altar with their unconscious boss and the e-rank up on it in the center to be safest, and they’re staring down the statues and debating ‘do we send Cha Hae-In out the door to carry the guildmaster and Sung Jin-Woo to safety, or does that door scream obvious trap because the rule is ‘prove your faith’ and wouldn’t leaving the temple be abandoning your faith?
And Cha Hae-In and Sung Jin-Woo are ‘that would leave you guys without any s-ranks against a very high a boss if not worse.’ and it’s the hunter guild’s duty to close gates first. This gate was counting down when it was reported as a double dungeon, they cannot let this boss gate breach.
The flames count down and, hmm, should the architect react like a thwarted bully or improv some new bullshit to act like everything is within his calculations? So he goes ‘to prove your faith you must now offer a sacrifice’ but instead of obviously giving up the weakling to keep the others alive they’re like yeah, fuck no (’if the porter/guest gets hurt the whole guild has failed’)
So he grabs Jin-Woo and unleashes the statues on the humans with orders to make it hurt but not finish them off, and tells him ‘get on that altar and you’ll be able to leave here with them.’
And Jin-Woo knew he was willing to die for Jin-Ah and Mom, but they’re safe now and he owes that to Cha Hae-In and everyone at the Hunter Guild’s kindness. so he’s ‘ok’ and they are ‘nonono’
He wakes up at the hospital, told he’s the only survivor and he’s been asleep for a month, which... he knew the boss was a lying bastard, monsters don’t spare humans, but he couldn’t just not even TRY/do anything.
...WTF is this? He thought seeing that screen before was some kind of pre-death brain screwery. Jin-Ah and the Hunter’s Guild b-team start coming in and he’s ?? are you guys seeing this? THey are ‘what did that thing do to poor helpless e-rank good boy?!’
Choi Jong-In measures him as an A rank, but instead of being happy Sung Jin-Woo is going through status screens on job class an abilities and...
And then he pales.
And summons the dead.
The boss said ‘he’d go home with them.’ Effing literal words... They can’t speak, but they touch his shoulder to say it’s okay.
...He...
Sung Jin-Woo ends up rejoining the Hunter’s Guild after leveling to S because without any S ranks it would have lost a lot of prestige and ability to take more valuable gates and pay for all the salary, benefits and expensive protective armor.
Doing the JeJu op and since he’s OP, replacing the Draw Sword guild as emergency call-in guild for southeast asia due to like ‘why would we charge you fees A rank gates are where the money’s at if anything we should be paying you for finding them for us’
But if Min Byong-Gyu does die and get turned into a shadow but talks to Baek Yoon-Ho re ‘hey I’m being forced to adore that guy his power is really creepy get me out of here’ and Baek is concerned about Choi Jong-In too...
Sung Jin-Woo’s reaction to the idea his friends are being FORCED to care about him/not be mad he was a useless e-rank and couldn’t save them...
Ashborn seeing Sung Jin-Woo with comrades that ~died with him, like he resurrected his fallen soldiers after did... even more ‘like me’ so earlier decision to not possess.
Ms. Selner going ‘there is great darkness in you’ and he’s ‘can you tell me anything else?’
Hunter’s Guild Shadow Squad wanting to powerlevel for Cartenon temple rematch and then they get sealed instead of getting to attack that bastard? FFFFFFFFFF
instead of ‘get necromancer class’ it’s ‘unlock a prestige class’ so he does get Igris.
He wants to get stronger so he can stop this from happening again, and making sure gates got cleared and people were safe is what they wanted... right?
More examination of using his power on humans/to preserve human souls since like, he can’t get valid consent NOW.
...Chairman Yoo going ‘those lizards killed my son, stole his equips, and made me pay them for being ‘kind’ enough to carry his body out, but I can’t do sh*t because the older brother’s an s-rank,’ and bowing his head.
So Sung Jin-Woo shadowing Jin-Ho, who gets adopted into squad happily. That way he can ask him to confirm ‘those guys did murder you, yes?’
Hunter’s Guild is guild conference rep for Korea OFC, people from guild helping Jin-Woo study up on who everyone is and the contacts they’ve got/are working on. Hwang Dong-Su kidnaps someone else.
During Ashborn meeting Choi Jong-In showing up to SHAME Ashborn for planning to sleep forever (suicide ideation) bc as a leader he should be more responsible than to ditch someone else to take care of the org he’s responsible for. If Choi Jong-In is doing paperwork from behind the grave, this guy isn’t going to get to lie around when humanity desperately needs more combatants at this level/Jin-Woo shouldn’t have to die alone.
#solo leveling#this turned into#Hunter's Guild Sung Jin-Woo Protection Squad#becomes Hunter's Guild Shadow Squad#not shippy because first there's#power imbalance#one way and then the other
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Tech- Princess
Request: hello darling, i saw you were taking requests (it’s okay if you aren’t anymore, just disregard the rest of this) and I was wondering if you’d be able to write something for Tech? I’m absolutely starving for content surrounding him and I’d take literally any crumb you’d be willing to spare🥺 prompt/genre is totally up to you! @bandaid-bunny
Pairings: Tech x Fem!Reader
Warnings: small mention of death (very very minor, like a sentence)
Summary: you left the Jedi Order a year ago, which meant also leaving the Bad Batch. Tech’s feelings for you never faded, and neither did yours for him.
Notes: I really want to write a part 2 to this!! Please lmk if y’all would want a second part!!
Tech adjusted his tie for the fifth time, looking at himself in the reflection of the silver elevator. He licked his hand, smoothing back any stray hairs on top of his head.
“Nervous much?” Hunter muttered next to his brother.
Tech shook his head, “of course not. Why would I be?”
“Because this is the first time you’re seeing her in a whole year.” Crosshair replied, a smug smile on his face as he crossed his hands over his lap.
“And why would that make me nervous?” Tech scoffed, rolling his eyes and straightening the cuffs of his suit. The collar of his dress shirt felt increasingly tight and he pulled on, further giving his brother more of a reason to tease him.
“Last time you saw her you couldn’t talk right!” Wrecker slapped him on the back, making Tech choke on his own spit.
“That-”, cough, “is-”, another cough, “not true.” He finally caught his breath and repeated his sentence a little clearer. “That isn’t true.”
“Really?” Crosshair raised an eyebrow and turned to Hunter, who was giving Tech the same look.
Sarg intertwined his fingers, bringing his fist to the side of his face and making his voice a few octaves higher to mock Tech, “You look especially beautiful in the night time, it hides all of your imperfections. No- it highlights your imperfections. No- you have no imperfections in the night time. No- you’re perfect”
Tech crossed his arms, his cheeks glowing a shade of bright red as Hunter reenacted the scene from a year ago.
“We’re here for a surveillance operation, that’s all.” he swallowed the ball in his throat, “I might not even get the opportunity to speak with her, so I have no reason to be nervous.”
The quiet ding of the elevator reaching the top floor was his saving grace. Tech was the first one off and he automatically began to scan the crowded room for any sign of you. As Wrecker walked behind his brother he whispered, “surveillance operation.” He nodded and followed the rest of the Bad Batch, eyes still searching for any sign of you.
“Sarg, good to see you.” said Cody’s strong tone of voice, catching Tech’s attention again.
“Same to you, Commander.” Hunter replied, giving the 212th trooper a strong handshake. Cody pointed out that the Bad Batch and 212th were allowed to have fun that night, and that they were only to interfere with anything if it was a threat to the princess’s life. He pointed to the other troopers that had accompanied him that night. The majority of the 212th attack battalion dotted the ball room.
There was no sign of you after roughly twenty minutes, allowing Tech to ease up a little bit. Crosshair returned from the bar, standing next to his brother and handing him a medium sized glass with a small amount of black liquid. Although he wasn’t much of a drinker, Tech downed the shot within seconds of having it in his grasp.
***
“Nervous much?” Padme asked, watching from the corner of your room as you adjusted the front of your corset for the fifth time.
You ignored her snarky comment, continuing to speak your thoughts out loud, “Out of all the squadrons he could have asked, of course he chooses 99.”
“You’re going to smudge your makeup if you keep pacing and sweating like that.” she replied, walking to your side. “And, who knows? Maybe he’s not here.”
“Hunt- The Sergeant, doesn’t go anywhere without him. He’s here.” you answered, taking a loud breath in to calm yourself. “It’s been at least a year. Last time I saw him I was allowed to go on missions and hold a weapon that’s bigger than my palm.”
You reached behind yourself and started to undo the corset, “Now I need to go and sit in meetings, sit like a lady, smile and nod, and be pretty. That’s all… Could you re-tie this for me? The seamstress made it so I couldn’t breathe.” You motioned to the strings of the corset.
“How about you wear that blue dress, you liked that one.” Padme suggested, trying her best to get you into a better mood.
You sighed, “alright.”
As you walked back to your closet, Padme spoke behind you, “if you look on the bright side, attachments are no longer forbidden for you.”
It genuinely made both of you laugh, lifting your spirits a little as you unhooked the blue dress from its hanger. “maybe embrace that he’s here. You no longer need to follow the code, make the best of it.”
She was right, the Jedi code no longer applied to you.
About a year ago, when your sister had passed, it left you to take the throne of Alderaan as Princess. Your father, Bail Organa, was a senator and your mother, Breha Organa, was Queen. Someone needed to help her govern the planet, which led to you leaving the Jedi order and fulfill your duties as the only living legacy of your parents.
It was a difficult decision to make, and tonight would lock it in. The majority of Senators were here, including a few other monarchs. Last time you had seen the bulk of them you were still a Jedi Knight, now you were Princess of Alderaan.
This party was risky to throw, but it had already been postponed many times before. There was a small window to celebrate the new princess, which is no-doubt why the Bad Batch was called in. Majority of the troopers were on missions, and if the party was to be short on guards then it needed the strongest battalion available, Clone Force 99.
It was already twenty minutes into the celebration, and you had five minutes prepare to see them again. Last time you five were together it was a special operations mission, you were a Jedi and they were your designated clone battalion. Now you were tasked with pretending to be someone else, a princess.
You tugged your dress on and allowed Padme to lace the back up, it was time.
***
A loud sound of trumpets echoed through the room, quickly drawing everyone’s attention. The lights dimmed everywhere except the grand balcony with a staircase leading down to the main floor.
Tech followed the voice of the announcer, who seemed to be invisible among the huge crowd. “It is with great pleasure that I welcome the Queen and the new Princess of Alderaan.” he said obstreperously.
Queen Breha walked with grace down the steps, waving as she descended.
Next came the princess, her gold-accented, sleek, pastel blue dress shining in the light beautiful. Tech’s heart raced as he saw you, his glass slipping from his grip. He had nearly forgotten how beautiful you were, and the way you quickly walked down each stair nearly made him faint. The expensive glassware would have broken if it weren’t for Hunter’s quick reflexes.
The only other time he had witnessed the sight of you in a dress was during an undercover op, other than that you were frequently in your robes. Maker, you were breathtaking in that gown. He was going mad and you were still across the room.
You turned over your shoulder, automatically scanning the crowd for any signs of the Bad Batch. It seemed that every free moment you had was interrupted by a Senator or distant relative congratulating you on your new status. So, you smiled and made small talk, a tiny headache beginning to creep up on you.
As you thanked Senator Clovis for coming, a strong hand touched the small of your back. “Need a break?” Hunter asked behind you.
In that moment you could have cried at the sound of his voice. You were so overwhelmed and tired, wanting to collapse every time you needed to start a new conversation with someone. As you turned, you straightened your back, “Sergeant.” You gave him a curt nod, “Thank you for coming on such short notice.”
Hunter raised his eyebrow, waiting a moment before hooking his arm within your own. “Since when do you call me Sergeant?” he mused, beginning to lead you over to the edge of the ballroom.
You were well out of earshot of anyone important now, and your whole demeanor changed. You let out a breath of air and slouched, letting your legs rest a shoulder-width apart. “You have no clue how happy I am to see you.”
“Right back at you Command- Princess.” he said, letting go of your arm.
“Don’t call me that, for maker’s sake.” you pleaded, your tone genuinely sad.
He smirked, “not your thing, huh?”
You shook your head, “where’s the rest of the boys?”
“Wrecker spilled that Corellian wine on his shirt, Tech and Cross are helping him get cleaned off.” he responded with a shrug, as if it was a regular thing; on that thought, it was.
Your heart fluttered, “Tech’s here?”
Hunter chuckled deeply, combing his hair back, “he is. Why?”
You pursed your lips while narrowing your eyes, “just curious.”
Before Sarg could tease you any further, the large gold door to the men’s bathroom opened and the other three Bad Batchers stumbled back inside the room. You instinctively looked over your shoulder, your gaze catching Tech’s.
You both froze, trapped in each other's presence. He smiled, eyes sparkling in the faint light of the ballroom.
The group of three made their way to Hunter and you, Wrecker with a huge grin on his face.
Crosshair performed a dramatic bow, “m’lady.” he slid his hands into his pockets, a smug smirk on his face as he greeted you.
“I hate you,” You teased, shaking your head the smallest bit to show you disapproval.
“Hi Princess.” Wrecker didn’t hesitate to pull you into a tight hug, but he soon let go once realizing that he was possibly transferring the wine stain onto your dress.
Tech wrapped his arms around your waist and whispered, “you look nice.”
You rested your chin on his shoulder, “back at you.”
Crosshair interjected, “you got something on your dress.” he twirled his long finger towards your abdomen.
Wrecker had accidentally transferred some wine on your gown. You frowned, knowing that you now had to change dresses. “Kriff,” you mumbled, secretly slightly relieved that you got to leave for a few minutes, “I’ll be back. If anyone asks, just say I’m touching up my makeup.”
As you took a step forward, Padme’s words seemed to echo in your mind. Maybe embrace that he’s here. You no longer need to follow the code, make the best of it.
You smiled, “Tech would you mind coming along? I’m not supposed to leave the room without another person.”
He looked slightly surprised at your offer, but after tripping over a few words he nodded and followed.
Tech took a deep breath once you two were alone, clenching and relaxing his fists to ease a bit of his nerves, “I missed you, we all did. Missions aren’t as fun without you.”
You grinned, “I missed you too. Everything goes by slower nowadays.”
“You don’t enjoy your new life?” He asked, eyebrows creasing to form a concerned expression. He looked around at all the gold accented treasures hidden among the castle.
“There’s no excitement. Every day is just a repeat of the last.” The elevator doors opened and you both stepped inside.
They slid shut, officially making it just the two of you. “Do you miss the Order?”
You shook your head, “Not as much as I thought I would, but I miss the adventures. I miss you.” you said the last piece quietly, hoping he didn’t hear.
But since it was Tech, and he was the most attentive person you knew, he heard. He turned to look at you, making deep eye contact, “I miss you too. Co-piloting with Crosshair isn’t as fun as it was with you. I’m not as good at calming Wrecker down as you were.”
You arrived at your floor, the doors opening again and both of you walking out. There was an awkward silence surrounding the two of you now, both wanting to say the same thing.
As you stepped foot in your room, the energy shifted a little. You motioned for Tech to make himself comfortable and made your way to the closet.
He sat at the foot of your huge bed, admiring how well-decorated it was. He turned to look at the wall his back faced, eyes wandering to your nightstand. In the middle stood a framed photograph. It was a picture that Wrecker had taken after a rough mission. You and Tech were both asleep, your head on his lap and his hand draped over your waist. He sighed and called out to you, “You know I’ve always loved you, right?”
You froze, barely finishing at pulling the peach-colored dress over your head when his voice reached your ears. By the time you had turned around, Tech was standing in the doorway of your closet.
No more Jedi Code.
You walked to him, placing a gentle hand against his cheek and kissing him. He grabbed your hand and held it, leaning forward to deepen the kiss. He had waited too long for this to end quickly, and you felt the same.
#tech x reader#badbatchxreader#clone trooper tech#clone trooper crosshair#clone trooper hunter#clone trooper wrecker#bad batch#clone force 99
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RWBY Recaps: Volume 8 “Creation”
Happy Saturday, everyone! Oh man, oh man, oh man. I think I'll need to steer clear of the general RWBY tags this week, simply because I know the sort of responses I'll see to this episode. From smug celebration at Ironwood's downfall, to bad takes about what makes us human, this episode is a petri dish of sensitive material handled insensitively.
Let’s unpack it, shall we?
We open on an action that feels like a summery of the last three volumes: a grimm attacks an airship from the front, no doubt killing its pilot, while the other grimm conveniently ignore our heroes, no masking in sight. The group looks a little sad at the destruction around them, but ultimately ignore it because they have bigger, heroic things to do. I could write a whole, additional essay on how the huntsmen code — to protect the people — has been warped and abandoned by our protagonists in their effort to do what they think is right. It's a tale that might have been compelling if only RT knew they were writing it.
We get a shot of Atlas drones unloading the bomb before one is taken out, presumably by Qrow and Robyn. Segueing to Ironwood and the Ace Ops, they're waiting for Penny to arrive, the former carrying a massive gun presumably capable of capturing her. Despite the horror we saw on their faces last episode at the realization that Ironwood would kill Marrow for speaking up, it seems that now the Ace Ops are entirely in agreement with these measures. A week ago the implication was that they fell back in line out of fear, but now Harriet talks passionately about "putting down" the group if they were stupid enough to accompany Penny. "The General gave his terms." Vine sighs at this, but doesn't actively disagree. He's just "retracing the steps that led us here."
So, congratulations on introducing four new characters, not bothering to develop any of them, killing one off while ignoring Qrow's hand in that, and having the other three become all, "Yeah! Mass murder is a perfect solution!" off screen. Marrow is the only one with something resembling development and, as covered in these recaps, that's been pretty badly executed too.
Ironwood sends them to deal with Robyn and Qrow after Winter reappears to "assist" him. That gets quotation marks because most viewers at this point have realized that she's who our two birbs spotted in the elevator. Winter isn't on Ironwood's side anymore, she's just skillfully clearing the field for the final attack. Indeed, we get a moment where she hesitantly brings up the bomb and Ironwood responds that he hopes she's not going to try and talk him out of it. No. Winter doesn't think that's possible. This was her final attempt at peace.
One of the reasons why I think I'll stick to my own blog for a while is because the fandom has a tendency to paint broad personality traits as evil when applied to some characters, yet simultaneously heroic when applied to others, when really it's about how that those traits are used. What I mean is, I've seen a lot of Ironwood critical posts that emphasize how stubborn he is. He thinks he's right and he won't back down. He wont listen to others. He's going through with this plan and if anyone tries to stop him? That's their mistake. Totally evil, right? Except, this is the exact same behavior Ruby displays, particularly in Volumes 6 and 7. She was stubborn about stealing from Argus and continuing the fight to the point where it endangered her and her teammates, to say nothing of the rest of the city. She refused to listen to Qrow, or Ironwood, or the Ace Ops, loudly announcing that she was right about, well, everything. If they didn't agree with her, the options were to leave the group entirely, or fight her. The actual difference here is that the writers have taken Ironwood to an extreme, one that's incredibly easy to understand as bad because it is bad: bombing Mantle has no defense. Ruby pulls the exact same nonsense, it's just not to that same extreme and her actions are followed by scenes that are meant to make us forgive her: a sad look because she didn't mean to get a city attacked by a leviathan grimm, a cry on the staircase because she didn't mean to risk the lives of an entire kingdom... even though she did. Ironwood is the bad guy because he's been written to take specific, OOC actions like shooting unarmed kids. He's not the bad guy because when other characters go, "Don't do this" his response is, "I have to." Because that's been Ruby's motto ever since she "had" to use the Lamp to rip Ozpin’s life story away. RWBY introduced those extreme actions of shooting the youngest in the group (for no reason) and threatening to bomb a city (for no reason) or shooting a councilman (for no reason) because when you remove those you've got a man who looks exactly like our hero. Ironwood's arc has been peppered with these confusing, unpersuasive actions because if you just keep the story as him stubbornly keeping to a plan he thinks will save the world, you're left with the reminder that all Ruby has done lately is stubbornly keep to plans she thinks will save the world. This moment with Winter just highlights how ill thought out Ironwood's descent has been because he does everything Ruby does... with a few, tacked on, “and randomly shoots people!” moments to ensure we understand that he’s definitely evil. No comparison to our heroes here, folks!
Ironwood is a bad guy now. That’s certain, but he was made that way so the story never had to grapple with the question of what that means for Ruby if we really start condemning things like lying, secrets, stubbornness, or endangering others for the greater good. Well then damn, if we strip away the hypocrisy then she might not be a good person after all. Or the people she’s simplistically labeled as bad might not be the devils Ruby claims they are.
But that’s a level of nuance RWBY would rather pretend doesn’t exist.
All of which is highlighted by Ironwood’s reaction to "Penny." He sighs and sags over the gun, immediately putting it aside. With his hand on her shoulder, Ironwood tells her she's "done the right thing." Precisely the same way Ruby would lower Crescent Rose and give someone a smile when they decided to fall in line with her.
Which, of course, is the moment when Emerald reveals herself, dispelling the Penny illusion and revealing Team JNPR The Second behind her. She gives a quip about it feeling "weird" to do the right thing before disappearing.
From there the action picks up fast. I really enjoyed this battle simply from a choreography and energy standpoint. It gets the blood pumping, Ironwood's hand-to-hand is spectacular — especially that moment against Ren — and the group actually displays teamwork for the first time in what feels like forever, all of them needed to land a hit on Ironwood. As always, out of the context of the rest of the show it feels and looks great. My primary issue is that we get this fantastic fight against Ironwood. Not Salem, not Cinder, not Watts (like last volume when Ironwood was still a hero), not even Emerald as a means of transitioning from murderous villain to the group's best bud. No, what's arguably the best action sequence in the volume thus far goes to beating up the guy they betrayed from the start. There's no catharsis for me here, only frustration as we watch Ironwood stand in shock as Winter powers up Nora — who's fine now, I guess — and she slams her hammer into his face.
It never should have come to this and when a good character is done so dirty, their downfall doesn't evoke the emotions the writers are looking for. Watching Ironwood fall doesn't generate feelings of victory, or even tragedy at a course of events others were powerless to stop. It's just frustration at watching years worth of bad writing, sprinkled with fantastic ideas that never go anywhere.
Oscar gets a few hits in, Ironwood snatches his cane, and just as he's about to throw a punch, Winter arrives with the most dramatic sword slash I've ever seen.
Ironwood's aura breaks and he falls, unconscious. We cut to an image of a droid's head separated from its body, one of Robyn's arrows through its skull. That doesn't have meaning or anything.
I suppose I should be grateful they didn't rip Ironwood's arm away during the fight, or outright kill him, though I'm still expecting him to die before the end of the volume.
Hmm. Wouldn't that be something? If after Salem's arrival, freezing cold, a Hound attack, grimm soup, a giant whale, a massive army, and a hack ending in self-destruction, the one character who actually dies is Ironwood.
It's looking more and more likely.
Honestly, beyond all the obvious, what's so frustrating about this fight is that characters are only now using their impressive abilities to their fullest. Emerald creates an entire fantasy of what's happening and then straight up disappears, but she only does a half-assed version of that when fighting against Penny. (And really, she put more effort into helping the heroes she just joined over Cinder, the woman she's been obsessed with since the start?) Marrow refuses to use "Stay" against a group they wanted to peacefully arrest because that's just too horrible an act, I guess, but he'll do it on his own teammates the second Qrow and Robyn don’t want to fight.
This is what I mean when I say the rules of the world bend to assist the protagonists in absurd ways. It's not nearly as egregious as Amity suddenly being up and running, but the fact that characters become substantially more powerful while fighting for the protagonists than they do against them is still a significant problem.
So Ironwood is down and out. As much as I hated watching that and didn't necessarily want more, am I the only one who felt like it was... a bit lackluster? I mean, the action was great, yes, but relatively short. There was no dialogue, such as another delve into the moral questions that led to this fight in the first place. There certainly wasn’t any hesitance against fighting a former ally. (Again, we’re meant to believe that the Ace Ops won because they just couldn’t bear to fight the group seriously, but every former ally here is capable of wailing on Ironwood without a single pause or pained look?) Ironwood just skillfully blocks for a while, is blindsided by Winter's betrayal, and then falls unconscious. Given that we learn he and Jacques will be evacuated after the rest of the kingdom, it's possible he'll escape somehow and we'll get a fight 2.0, but if not that feels like a rather tame end to the guy forced into the antagonist seat. Plus, what was the point of having Qrow frothing at the mouth to kill him this whole volume? I never wanted that to happen, I'm glad it hasn't, but I'm nevertheless left to ask why we bothered with that eleven episode side plot if we were going to erase it with one sentence from Robyn about Qrow being better than this. If that's all it took, let them work through Qrow's irrational anger while sitting around in a cell.
Winter tells the group to move onto "phase two" which is when we're treated to a flashback. We return to the ending of the last episode, with Ruby realizing that opening the vault is an option. Jaune, all smiles, goes, "We never considered using what's inside!"
This is what I mean about no consequences! This is what I mean about it all being a meaningless circle that ends with undeserved praise for the group! We started this horror show with Ironwood going, "We don't have a plan to protect the people, so I'm going to take what people we do have to safety" and the group going, "We don't have a plan either, but we're going to stop you implementing your plan because it's not perfect, risking a kingdom's worth of lives in the process." Now, the group has used two plans, one of which two characters knew about at the start and another they could have devised with the information they had. Oscar and Ozpin's, "We have an all powerful magical blast in our cane" and the group's "What if we used the Staff for something other than raising Atlas?" are both things that could have come up in the office debate. These were both always on the table! Instead, Ruby grew furious over the mere thought of cutting their losses, betrayed Ironwood again, attacked his people, denounced him to the world, and then two days later goes, "Oh wait! We could do something now that we could have easily done before if we hadn't made a needless enemy!"
Everyone realizes how much worse they made things, right? Turning against Ironwood, bringing everyone left in Mantle directly under Atlas, sitting around while an army was devoured, drawing it out until Penny was hacked... all of it would have been avoided if the group had thought and discussed things for a few minutes, not jumping straight to violently resisting what Ironwood came up with first. "We never considered..." Ruby says. Yeah, you didn't, except that's not something to smile about. The group made the situation a thousand times worse with their reaction when they could have just magically evacuated the kingdom from the start. “Maybe we could use it to save Penny and get everyone in Atlas and Mantle back to safety." Nothing has changed! They had this ability the whole time! Nothing about the last twelve episodes led them here, they just randomly thought of it after RT had padded the volume with needless drama. Considering that they're heading to Vacuo now, we could have just made this the finale of Volume 7 instead: big fight with Ironwood, revelation, get everyone evacuated while Salem attacks, leave her behind, then Volume 8 begins in Vacuo with the group knowing Salem is out there looking for them. This entire volume has been pointless. What did they accomplish?
Oscar got kidnapped and beat up, Nora was scarred, Ruby and Yang realized horrible things about Summer, and the whole world is panicking about a witch. Good things are... Ren and Ruby unlocked some semblance stuff? Weiss loves her brother again after he proved himself useful to her? Great work, team.
So this one moment makes everything they've done up to this point useless and, of course, once thought up the plan goes off without a hitch. Note that the summary of this episode says, "It's risky, dangerous, and nearly impossible — but it's the only plan they've got." Nearly impossible? That's a whole lot of talk for a plan that was implemented perfectly.
There is, admittedly, one snag, but one that is likewise made meaningless just seconds later. We'll get to that.
We see Winter call Weiss who also smiles at hearing from her sister. Obviously interactions like the group's with Emerald are the bigger concern, but it's still an issue that no one reacts as they should to people reappearing in their lives. Rather, RWBY continually confuses audience knowledge with character knowledge. We know Winter is on their side now, but Weiss hasn't a clue. Last she saw, she and Winter were agreeing to head down different paths. She has no reason to think her sister isn't loyal to Ironwood, so why isn't the group treating this call with suspicion? What if it's Ironwood trying to mess with them through a presumably safe party? I swear to god, with any consistency in the story this group would be dead ten times over because their decisions are so stupid. Oscar decides to believe in the guy currently beating him to a pulp, the group decides to trust a villain over a flawed ally, and now they see Ironwood’s second calling and are like, “Great, big sister Winter is checking in!” There’s a difference between a hopeful story filled with second chances and characters whose reliance on the narrative bending to assist them makes them come across as insanely naive.
None of which even touches on characters forgetting that other characters are presumably dead. Ironwood shot Oscar off the edge of Atlas, but doesn't react to learning he was kidnapped, or when he shows up to the fight. Thanks to Marrow's comment, Winter thinks YJOR have perished in the whale, but also has no reaction to them appearing to help with this plan. Absolutely nothing is followed up on.
We then get a flashback within the flashback (fun) of Winter — shock — not arresting Marrow. It's precisely as I assumed, with Marrow angrily asking why she hit him and Winter responding with, “Because you were about to get killed if I didn’t do something!” As I said last recap, I feel like I should let the marginalized groups lead this discussion, but I do want to add that no matter how well intentioned — or strategic, as I mentioned last time — the imagery itself is still harmful. No matter the context, we were still left with white woman Winter putting her knee on black man Marrow's back to arrest him, and it’s an image that everyone in the U.S. should be familiar with the horror of. Far more of a problem than the (presumed) ignorance of this scene is, I think, the choice to make Winter entirely unrepentant. I think some of this discomfort could have been alleviated if RT had written Winter as apologetic, contrite that it came to that and asking Marrow to understand that she only did it as a means of assisting him. Asking his forgiveness. Instead, we get this
So what, the only emotion we have room for is gratitude that Winter beat him up? Yikes.
As a lighter side note, I find the animation here unintentionally hilarious. Winter's assistive device makes her shoulders look too high, making this gesture more, "Woman exaggeratedly pouts about not getting ice cream for dinner" and less, "Woman sternly closes off during a disagreement about saving lives and betraying their general." Gotta find our humor where we can, right?
What's intentional, but far less funny, is the needless animation to show us that, yes, Marrow is peering at Winter calling Weiss. Oh, the shenanigans.
The elevator opens where Qrow and Robyn spot them. "Speaking of help," Winter says, as if she has any reason to believe Qrow didn't kill Clover. He and Robyn lower their weapons a bit, as if they have any reason to believe Winter and Marrow aren't still loyal to Ironwood. Would it really be so hard to have Winter immediately throw up her hands in the face of their almost-attack, blurting that she's not their enemy and needs their help, please listen? Again, RWBY can't remember which characters know what, let alone what their motivations and reactions should be.
We then enter the third part of the flashback where everyone piles into the Schnee dining room and discusses doing the things they could have done from the start. I'm metaphorically banging my head against that table. In RWBY's favor though, we also get a long shot of Jaune continuing to boost Penny’s aura.
Though it's only one of many issues, just the other day I asked, "Hey, why has Jaune always needed to hold onto the person he's assisting, but now suddenly he can touch Penny once and the boost remains?" It still doesn't explain why he was letting go before/why him needing to boost her continuously didn't put a hard time limit on their plan — not that Mantle's hour limit meant a thing — but at least they're showing more of that here.
Oscar notes that Atlas has enough gravity dust that it won't fall immediately when they use the Relic, but they will have to move fast to ensure no one is underneath. Yeah, like all the civilians you put there. He also cautions that the Staff isn't a "magic wand" that they can just wave to make all their problems go away... even though that's precisely what they're going to do. Ozpin gets some lines that aren't apologies or followed by attacks — hallelujah! — about how the Staff's spirit is a "character" and requires that you be able to precisely explain anything you want him to make. Blueprints, examples, a firm knowledge of how this will be accomplished — all of it is required to actually get what you're after. That's a cool limitation. It's just too bad we didn't know about it episodes ago, forcing our heroes to find ways to meet those requirements. Instead, they already have everything ready to go the moment they learn about it: Penny has her own schematics and Whitley apparently has knowledge of the entire kingdom after sending some ships out. Normally I'd go, "Really?" but I'm still just struck by how much good he's done compared to everyone else in this room. Your show is seriously broken when the side character the writers didn't even want the audience to like until a few episodes ago is more active, mature, and sensible than the heroes.
From there we see the group implementing the plan. They fly up through the hole Oscar left, straight to the vault. Penny opens it without any trouble and Ruby uses her speed to grab the Relic and stop time, halting her self-termination. I do like that combination of skill and their knowledge of how this magic works. That felt like a smart move. What's interesting though is that the Relic appears to stop time in the entire kingdom. We see people in Mantle and Atlas slowing to a halt too. I assume no one remembers that happening after time restarts, otherwise people would be freaked out by suddenly being frozen in place.
Wouldn't that have been cool though? The group often takes a while to use the Relics, either deciding what they need, or watching Jinn's information, so what if you had a population that blinks and suddenly, from their perspective, half an hour has passed? How long might Ozpin have sat on his knees after Jinn told him he wasn't able to defeat Salem? How long was that space frozen? We could have had a world built around rumors and fairy tales. Not the random stories Ozpin brings up to make a point and that we never hear about again, but tiny details that foreshadow these revelations. A Beacon where the kids tell each other spooky stories of people suddenly losing time, once a whole day. The wives, sisters, daughters, and nieces who disappear, or wake up one day with horrifying, unnatural powers. We see magic influence the world around it, but we've seen very little of the world reacting to that influence. The one time I can think of is Blake reading a book about "a man with two souls," the fiction clearly inspired by knowledge of Ozpin. And indeed, it felt great to recognize that as a significant detail and then be proven right years later as the lore was revealed. We could have gotten so much more of that if RWBY was better planned out.
I'm getting off track though. As time stops we see a series of images: Ironwood being led to a cell with Jacques, Penny succumbing to her hack, Team JNPR The Second preparing to contact the kingdom about what's going on. Then everyone is distracted by the giant, blue, buff Ambrosius who comes out of the Staff.
...there's a lot of innuendo in that last statement lol. At least RWBY is committed to the crazy design they chose? I was never particularly comfortable with the image of characters gaping up at a giant, naked woman in chains, so it's nice to balance that a bit with an equally giant, naked dude in chains.
From here things get confusing. In all honesty, I'm not sure if this is another moment where RWBY is trying to pass off a retcon as the group being brilliant, or if I, as an individual, simply didn't follow the logic. I won't bother to rehash the slow, meandering way that Ruby reveals their plan — that certainly didn't help with the clarity. Not in an episode where we didn’t even know these rules ahead of time — but it boils down to this:
The moment they have Ambrosius create something new Atlas will start to fall. Two of his creations can't exist at the same time.
He needs clear instructions about what he's making in order to create it.
The group has brought him Penny's schematics so that he understands how she's built.
They want, specifically, "a new version of her... using her exact robot parts."
They can't just create an exact duplicate of Penny because that would carry the virus with it.
They can't create an exact duplicate without the virus because that Penny would cease to exist as soon as they used Ambrosius to make an evacuation plan instead.
So they essentially want Ambrosius to create a new Penny by removing all the robot parts from the Penny that currently exists, carrying the virus with them, and leaving only the human parts of Penny behind: her aura/soul. Then, the purely robot version is destroyed when Ambrosius creates something new.
Except... this new Penny, this human Penny, still needed a human body. That's what Ambrosius created and that's the snag I don't understand. They want a version of Penny that's just her aura, just her soul, but that soul still needs something to be housed in. Ambrosius himself notes that. At first I thought the group would just have some wisp-like version of Penny they'd have to find a new body for — perhaps leading to a new one for Ozpin too — but she's just... given a human body when he takes the technology away, something she absolutely didn't have before. That is Ambrosius' creation. That is what should have disappeared along with the removed parts of Penny, leaving only her soul — what Ambrosius didn't touch — behind. Instead, the plot oh so conveniently has Penny get a new body for free and it's untouched as they move onto the next task.
Ruby drops a casual line about Ambrosius not being able to kill, or destroy, or something, which I think is meant to be the justification here. The rule (which, again, we JUST learned) about not killing anyone supersedes the rule of two creations not allowed to exist, allowing Penny to stick around. But even if that’s true, it’s a load of bull. What, does the magic think no one in an entire city might die if the floating mechanism is removed and it plummets to the ground? Ambrosius didn’t say, “Sorry, can’t stop floating Atlas because thousands of people are still here and they’ll die if I create something new,” but we’re supposed to believe the group skated by on, “Sorry, can’t destroy the last creation like everything else because there’s a single person still using that body and she’ll die if I create something new”?
Seriously, did I miss something? Or is this another, "Amity is ready because the group needs it" situation? The rule of creations ceasing to exist is bent because the group needs to have their friend around. Ambrosius is certainly enthusiastically complimentary, saying how "smart" the group is and that they've "done their homework," but I'm not so sure. It feels like a moment where the show is (once again) insistent that the group is far more talented and brilliant than their actions actually imply. It's only the rules of the world twisting and turning that allows for their success. To say nothing of how the episode dropped all these rules on the viewer in a ten minute info dump, ensuring we didn’t have any time to think about them before the deed was done.
It doesn't add up for me and honestly, even putting that aside? I hate this. I absolutely despise it. Look, if it turns out this really does make sense then props to the group for coming up with that plan. Our snag aside, the rest is a legitimately well thought out wish. I don't have a problem with the execution so much as the message. I've been saying since Volume 7 that RWBY has done Penny a disservice in terms of her "real girl" narrative. Whereas before we had a firm message that you don't need "squishy guts" to be human, to be real, Volume 8 continued to carry us further and further into the idea that it is necessary. That Penny's body is entirely inhuman, something to hate, but at least her soul is human and good. That's what the virus arc taught us: your terrible, technological body might be betraying you, but hold onto the parts of you that are really human. I hated that too, but I never thought RWBY would go this far. They made Penny fully human and went, “THIS is the version that always should have existed.”
And this isn't just me reading into the implications. It's right there in the text. Blake says that they're looking for “Penny, the girl who’s always been there underneath." Meaning, underneath the metal. The girl exists trapped in the robot body. Yang holds up her arm and says that the metal is only "extra," it's not really who you are.
That gets into two perspectives on disability that RWBY just doesn't have the nuance for: what's an integral and celebratory part of one person's existence can be seen as something separate and discomforting to another. Though there are many people with disabilities who would happily cure themselves with a magic Staff if given the chance, there are just as many who say no, this is a part of my identity. I don't want to change, I just want the world to accommodate my existence. However, RWBY takes a hard stance here, saying that any metal in your body is intrinsically bad. We didn’t use to have this take, but now the show has embraced it. Blake says the real Penny is trapped in there. Yang's words implies that she'd get rid of this "extra" bit of her if possible. Mercury with his metal legs is the enemy. Ironwood with half his metal body is the enemy. Whereas once difference was truly accepted, now it's shunned and fixed whenever possible. Those who can't be fixed, like Yang, must simply deal with the lot they've been dealt, reassuring themselves that the metal isn't really them. But Penny? Penny they can fix.
So they do and the very first thing Penny does is hug Ruby, exclaiming, “Do hugs always make you feel this warm inside? Wow. More!” and proceeds to hug all the others.
What's the underlying message there? Penny didn't understand hugs before this moment. She never experienced the "warmth" of them while an android, despite the fact that here warmth is entirely metaphorical and has nothing to do with a literally cold body. RWBY really went and said that the "real girl” android was never actually real at all — not as real as she could be — because it's only when she's given "squishy guts" that she understands the true happiness of a hug.
Wow.
I mean seriously, wow.
Never-mind that, you know, we've seen that happiness and warmth since she was first introduced.
RWBY is really rewriting all the core themes introduced in Volumes 1-3 and it sucks. The show is absolutely the worse for it.
To say nothing of all the other disservices to Penny's character here. There's all this buildup about whether she'll still be the same Penny once the wish is complete, but of course she is. We wouldn't want to have Penny struggle when she becomes something other than what she's always been, would we? After all, it took Yang an entire volume to work through the shock of a metal arm, but taking away a metal body for a human one is in no way traumatic. Having a normal, human body is intrinsically a good thing! Of course Penny accepts it with nothing but smiles. Becoming human is celebratory, but becoming more machine is a horror.
She gets to watch her body self-destruct, glitching out and collapsing in front of her. But again, nothing to unpack there that can't be covered with a hand over her mouth.
There's no discussion of whether Penny still has the Maiden powers, or whether a wish like that would mess with the transfer in any way. How did the group know this action wouldn't register as a clear-cut death, forcing the power out of her and into someone new? Obviously they couldn’t know, but no one even thought to bring it up?
And the entire time they're formulating their evacuation plan, there's no talk of whether these portals will appear before everyone currently alive in the kingdom. I mean, if they do then Ironwood and Jacques can just waltz through and escape into Vacuo. If they don’t, then Maria and Pietro don't necessarily have a way out. We still don't know if they're stuck floating in Amity, or if Amity crashed, or if they made their way back to Mantle or Atlas. More importantly, the characters don't know. I have no problem with RWBY keeping that a surprise until the finale, but I absolutely take issue with Pietro's daughter walking through a portal, seemingly not to care whether her father is going to make it out too.
It's been the same with Qrow and his nieces' relationships. The show is good at insisting that these families love each other because they hug and smile while on screen together, but when shit is actually going down, none of them care about pesky things like disappearances, arrests, or “The last time I saw you, you were with an old woman on a damaged station after a villain attack, potentially stranded in deadly cold if life support failed.”
So yeah, this entire arc with Penny has been a disaster. From throwing away her framing subplot, to giving her a virus that did absolutely nothing, to giving her the Maiden powers which she's also done nothing with, to erasing her android status for a “She's really human now” message, Penny has been done dirty by the show these last two volumes. Not nearly to the extent Ironwood has, but still. At this point I wish they'd just kept her dead dead. Why do I want her back when that resurrection produces no reaction, her conflicts lead nowhere, and one of the core things that made Penny Penny has now been magically erased?
I've been saying for weeks that killing Penny off and keeping Penny around each had serious downsides attached, yet I never expected RWBY to do BOTH.
Also, I'm warding off any, "But Pinocchio was made into a real boy too" defenses. RWBY is not Pinocchio. Penny is not Pinocchio. I thought the allusion was going to be the Pinocchio inspired girl heading into the whale, not the show forcing the exact plotline — down to a blue, magical creature — onto a character whose entire journey has been about accepting herself as an android. Congratulations, RT. You just obliterated years of work.
Again, if you'd like an example of how to do this far better:
As Penny's character falls apart, Atlas shakes, alerting Jaune and the other that a new wish has been granted. Jaune pecks at the screen and realizes "That did, uh, something…?” but doesn’t realize that there's a giant, red "LIVE" up in the corner.
Jaune tries to warn the entire kingdom about their plan, but what he actually says is
“Atlas is falling, but — !”
And then the communications cut out.
Watts, perhaps?
Our heroes are really good at saying things that make large populaces panic, huh? This is the one (1) snag in their "impossible" plan, but as said above, it doesn't amount to anything. We get a shot of Nora, horrified at the thought of kingdom-wide communications being down, but literally seconds later Team RWBY has made portals appear that everyone can walk through. So... why do we care about communications? More importantly, why does the show try to make us care? So much time is spent getting the viewer invested in problems that never come to mean anything.
Including the problem of Salem herself.
Because the group successfully creates that evacuation plan. This is it. Everyone is leaving while Salem still reforms.
Yang asks if they can use the vaults themselves as a single point for everyone to go to and Ambrosius agrees. So everyone is going to pile into the Vacuo vault that can only be opened by an unknown Maiden? They're going to put an entire kingdom's worth of people, including their enemies, into the vault where the Relic of Destruction is? Yeah, that's great. Prior to this — like if this had been the plan at the end of Volume 7 — I would have 100% agreed that these risks are better than death by Salem/grimm/cold. Now though, Oscar as axed Salem for an unknown length of time, the cold is having no impact on the civilians outside, and the grimm only attack background military personnel that supposedly no one cares about. They couldn't have spent another few minutes (especially with time stopped!) to figure out a means of getting to Vacuo that doesn't involve revealing and providing access to the location of a super secret vault? To say nothing of what they're going to do if Salem wakes up and snags one of those portals for herself. Two kingdoms for the price of one!
But that's what they're going with. Weiss gives Ambrosius a schematic of the kingdom, I guess, and he makes branching pathways appear with numerous portals for everyone to step through. They'll enter through one and, when they exit another, will be in Vacuo. Easy peasy, right? Especially since Ambrosius doesn't seem to have any limitations about how often his power is used. Is it three creations every 100 years like Jinn? We're not told, at least not to my recollection. However, I was expecting there to be a waiting period, that they'd fix Penny, go to evacuate the kingdom, and learn that sorry, I can't make another creation just yet. It feels like the sort of shit move these beings would pull — "Don't cry to me when it's not what you wanted" — it would have been another commentary on the group's insistence on putting friends over the people's safety (like demanding the Ace Ops not bomb the whale because of Oscar), and crucially, would have kept the action in Atlas. Isn't that what this volume is? The battle for and potential destruction of the Kingdom of Atlas? We have two episodes left and, unless something unexpected happens, we're moving that action to Vacuo. Why?
Meanwhile, Penny's corpse is just chilling in the background 😬
While all this is going on, Winter reassures Jacques that he and Ironwood will be evacuated too, though she makes it clear saving him was Weiss' idea. It checks out, considering Weiss is the one who turned her father's arrest into a joke last volume. Winter still takes his abuse seriously.
The group prepares to leave with a celebratory, "We did it!" from Weiss. I'm still banging my head against that dining room table. Before they can pass through the portal though, Ambrosius leaves them with one, dire warning: "Do not fall."
In any other story a line like that is a neon sign announcing to the audience that someone will absolutely fall, and maybe they will, but RWBY has dodged consequences so often I wouldn't be surprised if this was merely another way to string us along. Remember all the hype surrounding Salem? The cold combined with her army and magic? How she was going to decimate Atlas and leave our group broken in a Fall 2.0?
I mean, we still have two episodes left. Forty minutes of content. Salem might still decimate them, especially since something has to happen in the finale. But god, it's a problem that we've come this far without a payoff. Salem randomly decided not to attack anyone, was stopped by a weapon added in solely for this purpose, and now the whole kingdom is being evacuated with a plan the group could have used at the start. This volume really is meaningless.
“We go to vacuo and hope we’ve thought of everything” they say as the camera zooms in on Cinder's smiling face. For the second week in a row.
Bingo time!
Winter betrayed Ironwood, the group used the Staff of Creation, and I'm axing Maria on behalf of Pietro. You can't have the guy's daughter become human — after he was killing himself to give her his aura?? — and magically walk to Vacuo, not knowing if he's even survived since she last saw him, and expect me to think he hasn't been forgotten. Same with Maria. Has the group mentioned her since Amity cut out, notably for reasons they couldn’t explain? Of course not. Did they care to find out what happened? Of course not. I have no doubt they'll both re-appear in the next two episodes, Pietro crying over how perfect his girl is now and Maria congratulating the group on their actions, but we're still marking it.
This is the ugliest thing I’ve ever created, I hope you all are enjoying it :D
Another week, another couple feet added to the hole we’re digging. I know I keep saying I have no idea what's going to happen next... but I have no idea what's going to happen next. A Vacuo ending was not in the cards, not outside of them miraculously showing up in ships. Maybe they have been on their way to Atlas (somehow...) and will arrive precisely when everyone has left! Anything is possible at this point.
See you next Saturday, everyone. Hold on until then lol. 💜
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210211 BigHit’s Tweet
[네이버 포스트] 즐거운 설날 연휴 비티엣스의 릴레이 연하장 비하인드와 함께해요🎊
(@ https://m.post.naver.com/viewer/postView.nhn?volumeNo=30698108&memberNo=51325039…)
#BTS #방탄소년단 #한복소년단
[Naver Post] Enjoy your Lunar New Year break with the behind scenes of BTS' new year relay card making🎊
#BTS #HanbokBoyScouts
Naver Post Translation
Keep reading for a plain text version of the blog post! For a picture edit version, please check out our twitter post!
Title: [BTS] BTS가 보내는 2021년 신축년 새 복 많!
Title: [BTS] BTS' 2021, the Year of the Ox, HNY!
아-하!
Hi-A!
(T/N: Stands for ‘Hi ARMY’, which is how Bangbell always starts these posts.)
안녕하세요! 아미 여러분들!
방림이 인사드립니다,, (다소곳) m(_ _)m
Hello ARMYs!
Greetings from Bangbell,, (polite) m(_ _)m
곧 다가오는 민족 대명절! 설날이죠!
설날을 맞이하여 아미 여러분들에게 보내는 비티엣-스 의
귀염.. 뽀짝..(?) 한 릴레이 연하장 만들기 영상! 모두 즐겁게 감상하셨나요?
방림이도 비티엣스의 그림 실력을 보며 감탄했다는 소식을 알려드리며,,
Our big national holiday! Seollal* is coming soon!
To bring in the new year, we sent you BTS’ cute lil.. adorable..(?) new year card making relay video! Did you all enjoy watching it?
Let me tell you that I too was astonished by their drawing skills,,
(*T/N: Seollal is the Korean word for the Lunar New Year.)
당연~히! 비하인드가 빠질 수 없겠죠! 아미 여러분들이 기다리실까 봐
방림이가 호다닥 가져왔습니다 =33
Of~course! We can’t forget the behind-the-scenes pictures! I was worried that you might be waiting so I rushed here with them =33
모두 보러 가시죠!
Let’s all go take a look!
릴레이 연하장 그리기 첫 타자! 뷔와 정국!
그림이라면 믿고 봐야죠! 걱정할 필요가 없습니다!
First ones up in the new year card drawing relay! V and Jungkook!
When it comes to drawing, we can trust them! No need to worry!
뷔.. 또 이렇게 본격적으로 귀여우면 어떡하죠?
V.. how am I supposed to deal with you being so genuinely cute again?
진지한 그림 그리기와 그렇지 못한 정국의 귀여운 자세… 미치겠다 별들아..
Serious drawing with Jungkook’s cute not-serious posture... hey stars, I’m going crazy..
(*T/N: ‘Hey stars, I’m going crazy’ is a meme that uses the lyrics from Girls’ Generation’s song ‘Star Star Star (☆★☆).)
두 번째 타자! 홉과 진! 3분 밖에 안되는 짧은 시간,,
그림에 집중한 귀여운 모습 좀 보세요.. (눈물)
Second up! Hope and Jin! 3 minutes is too short a time,,
Just look at how cute they look concentrating on the drawing.. (sobs)
색칠만 하기에도 바쁘다 바빠 현대사회
Even just filling in the colours is so hectic, this modern society
방림이 pick 설날 기념 상견례 프리패스상 1위에 당첨되셨��니다.
축하합니다 (??)
You have been selected as Bangbell’s No. 1 pick for someone the parents fully approve of for marriage in celebration of Seollal.
Congratulations (??)
아미하면 또 보라색이지!
소 스윗한 호비,,
When it comes to ARMY, it has to be purple!
Hobi’s so sweet,,
마지막 순서! RM, 지민, 슈가
모두가 그림을 확인한 뒤 “Aㅏ..” 를 외쳤던 건 안 비밀입니다! (??)
Last round! RM, Jimin, Suga
It’s no surprise that they shouted “A h..” after everyone had checked the drawing! (??)
데코레이션에 진심인 RM,,
색연필 우당탕 엎은 건,, 아미들 모르는 척해주기예요?
RM is so serious about the decoration,,
He put the marker down so clumsily,, ARMYs, are you gonna pretend you don’t know?
연하장이 나름 마음에 든 지민..?
방림이는.. 지민이 마음에 드는 듯 ㅋ
ㄴ 아미들 : 글쓴이님. 줄 서실게요.
Jimin kind of likes the new year card..?
Bangbell.. kind of likes Jimin lol
ㄴ ARMYs: OP. Get in line.
야 지미나 -ㅅ- 잘 좀 해봐라
방림이 pick 일해라,, 절해라,, 해도 전혀 밉지 않을 것 같은 사람 1위
Hey Jimin-ah -ㅅ- you gotta do it properly
Bangbell’s No.1 pick for person who could say do this,, do that,, and I think I still wouldn’t hate him
연하장을 함께 확인하고 화목하게 꾸미는 마무리 시간도 가져보고,
아미 여러분께 복 많이 받으라는 인사까지 하며 마무리하였는데요!
They took some time at the end to check the new year card together and decorate it together in harmony,
and they even formally wished you a happy new year to wrap things up!
비티엣스 분들,, 연하장이 근데 좀 허전하네요..
명불 허전-* (찡긋)
BTS,, the new year card feels a little empty though..
Empty of disappointment-* (smirk)
(T/N: ‘허전하다/heojeon-hada’ means ‘empty’ but Bangbell makes a pun by turning it into ‘명불허전/myeongbul-heojeon’, which means that something is as good as you expect it to be.)
아미 : ?? (어리둥절)
ARMY: ?? (confused)
엥? 설마 포스트가 이게 끝이냐?
방림이.. 이게 무슨 일이냐
Huh? Are you serious, is this the end of the post?
Bangbell..what’s going on
방림아.. 나 사진 좀 더 주라..
그건
이미
하고 있는데
Bangbell...give me some more pictures..
That’s what
I’m already
doing though
사실 설날은 명분, 포스트는 핑계, 아미들 주려고 예쁜 사진 가지고 왔지요!
지금부터 사진 폭탄 갑니다,, (비장)
Actually, Seollal was just a reason, the post was just an excuse, I’ve got pretty pictures to show ARMYs!
From hereon, an explosion of photos is coming,, (secret weapon)
앞에 떡국만 있으면 비티엣스와 함께 보내는 설날로 기억 조작 삐빅.. 삐빅.. 완료
If only there were some tteokguk in front, I could believe that I spent Seollal with BTS through memory modification beep.. beep.. complete
(T/N: Tteokguk is a Korean rice cake soup that is traditionally eaten during Seollal, also known as Lunar New Year.)
우리 아미 여러분들!
2021년도 방탄소년단과 함께 행복한 신축년 달릴 준비되었죠?!
다 같이 손잡고 달리는 거예요!
우리 떡국은 두둑이 먹고 나이는 편식하는 걸로 해요 *^-^*
Our ARMYs!
You’re ready to run with BTS through a happy new year of the ox, right?!
We’re all gonna hold hands and run together!
Let’s eat plenty of tteokguk but be picky about how many years we take on *^-^*
(T/N: In Korea, everyone grows one year older with the start of a new year. Tteokguk is said to mark the new year. ‘Eat’ in Korean also be be used for both food and age, where ‘eating’ age means growing older.)
방림이-셀카=0
빠질 수 없는 셀카까지!
Bangbell-selfies=0
Couldn’t forget the selfies!
[단독] made.by_BTS
[Exclusive] made.by_BTS
방탄소년단이 직접 꾸민 연하장으로 마무리!
저거 뽑아서 가지고 다니면 2021년에 좋은 기운이 항상 따라다닌데요!
아무튼 맞음
방림이 말이 맞음
Wrapping the post up with the new year card that BTS decorated themselves!
If you print that out and keep it with you as you go around, good energy will always follow you in 2021!
Anyway, I’m right
Whatever I say is right
그럼 방림이는
또 다른 포스트로 우리 아미 여러분들에게 찾아오도록 할게요!
Well then,
I’ll come to you again with a different Post!
아미 여러분들
새 복 많 !!
ARMYs
HNY !!
아-뿅!
A-Poof!
(T/N: Short for “Bye ARMY! Poof!”, which is how Bangbell always ends these posts.)
[Note]
본 포스트는 빅히트 엔터테인먼트에서
직접 운영하는 포스트입니다.
This Naver Post account is personally
run by Big Hit Entertainment.
[End Note]
Trans cr; Aditi | Spot Check: Faith & Inseo @ bts-trans
Typeset cr; Laura & XPXOXD @ bts-trans
© TAKE OUT WITH FULL CREDITS
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maybe it goes like this: steve builds his pack (part 3)
Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three
Read on A03
Read the Tony courts Peter wip
Stuckony (focus), Stony, Winteriron, Stucky
A finale to the sweet, slightly angsty backstory in three parts (ending in Stuckony).
Major warnings: D/S Au, A/B/O Au, Dirty dancing, Steve’s got a grip on Tony’s balls
Maybe it goes like this:
Tony doesn’t miss having a pack.
This is the lie he tells himself as he sees a sweet, intimate pack sharing a day out in the city, and later, a young, familial pack with a few pups eating ice cream in the park.
He can vaguely remember his parents buying him ice cream— or maybe he had snuck ice cream out of the kitchen— and eating that alone once. He doesn’t let himself dwell on that for too long.
And being a part of a familial pack by association hasn’t been the worst. He knows worse.
It wasn’t even that his pack growing up had been that bad. Maybe a little emotionally detached, sure, but he’s old enough now to recognize it wasn’t his pack that made the mistake— it was him.
He’s the one who decided to leave after graduating college, convinced that at the mature age of eighteen that he could conquer the world by himself.
Good job, Tony. Where has that left you?
Tony smiles, remembering his dad’s words: Your mistakes are outweighed by your effort to correct them; the damage done is outweighed by your success.
From that day until his dad’s death two years later, his dad was one of his best friends.
Wow, that’s sad.
He’s thankful that his dad followed his own mantra, making up for decades of indifference with calculated companionship and counsel in the last years he had with his family.
Tony guesses that if he had cancer, he would do something similar.
Tony guesses that if he had cancer, he would do something similar.
Tony guesses that if he had cancer, he would do something similar.
Tony used to tell his dad everything: all of his ideas, dreams and hopes for the company. Everything, that is, except his desire for a pack. And his dad, in turn, made sure he was prepared to take over Stark Industries, and had transferred his personal assistant, Pepper Potts, to Tony once he could no longer work in the office.
After his dad’s death, things took a while to get better. He eventually reconnected with Rhodey, his college roommate from MIT. The Air Force Colonel hadn’t been in his Ado-pack out of college, thank merciful god, but they were roommates for a few years and Rhodey had always treated him like a younger brother.
He understands now why his friend was out of touch for so long— his military career took precedence until he accepted a position in New York, working in intelligence. He’s proud of Rhodey, honestly, but had always felt abandoned by his friend. And Tony was also a little bit disappointed when the older man refused to form a pack with him.
“Tony, be realistic,” Rhodey had planted his hands on his hips, giving a twenty-three year old Tony his best disappointed Colonel look, “we aren’t compatible. It would never work.”
It was a repeat argument between them, and had only escalated since Rhodey started dating Pepper a few months earlier.
It wasn’t a secret that Tony was jealous.
“I am being realistic! We’re together all the time, and it would be so easy for you guys to move into my place,” he was desperate, hoping for something he could never have.
Rhodey had sighed, “Dammit Tones. You know I don’t think this is a good idea…” but Tony had jumped on his friend’s hesitation, and eventually convinced the young mates to move in with him.
Two years later, they’re still living with him in his penthouse.
Tony feels alone, sure, but living platonically with a young familial pack is better than living by himself. Or, god forbid it, with a toxic intimate pack.
He shudders as he tightens his tie, taking a long look in the mirror, shaking off the last of his thoughts. Tonight’s a good night.
His suit is tailored perfectly— accentuating his waist and shoulders, lengthening his legs in expensive slacks, and completed with his favorite burgundy tie and gold cufflinks. Damn he looks good. With a wink he’s through the door, heading to the garage and grabbing his wallet off the counter.
He takes the Lambo, because why not and shows up only fifteen minutes late, tossing his keys to the valet and skipping up the stairs to the Met.
A few people try to talk to him on the way in, and he gives away a couple smiles, weaving through the crowd to find his friends and making his way up to the Great Hall and Balcony.
“Tony!” a familiar voice calls across the Hall, and Tony spins to find the happy couple heading his way.
“Rhodey! Pep! What a crazy party, congratulations,” he pulls both of them into a hug, giving Pepper a brief kiss on the cheek, and then, at Rhodey’s pouty-face, swooping in and giving him one too.
Pepper giggles, squeezing her fiancée’s cheek when he recoils in disgust, “Thank you, Tony. And thank you, again, for pulling the strings necessary to get this place— it’s absolutely breathtaking.”
“Hey, it was no problem,” Tony deflects, forcing his smile a little wider, “they set up the sculpture court, right? Pep, I know you’re gonna love that—”
Rhodey’s smile is back, and he laughs, clapping Tony on the shoulder, “Yeah, Tones, they gave us the tour when we got here, it’s great.”
“Good, good, that’s… good.” Tony awkwardly pauses, and his friends exchange a look, Pepper winking — which is terrifying— before smiling secretly.
Both of them turn, and Rhodey motions behind him, “Hey, I’ve gotta find someone. You’ll stay put?” he gives a pointed look to Tony, disappearing before he can respond.
Pepper shakes her head affectionately, grabbing Tony’s hand as he tries to escape. He whines a bit, turning his best innocent eyes on her, “But Pep, I haven’t even had a drink yet. And he wants me to meet people.”
“Hush. You trust us, right?”
Unfortunately, yes.
“Ah, great,” Rhodey comes up to them, towing someone else. Okay, understatement. Towing a large, hunk of a man behind him, filling out his Army blues like they were designed with his body in mind. He’s young— baby faced and adorable— completely out of his depth, probably. His smile actually looks genuine, because Tony can easily see the confusion breaking through his perfectly clear complexion.
Damn, Tony wants a bite.
“Tony, I’d like you to meet my friend, Captain Steve Rogers,” Steve puts forward his hand, and Tony grasps it as Rhodey continues, “... and Steve, this is Tony Stark, my best man.”
Steve looks appropriately stunned. He places his left hand right over top of where they are still joined, and meets Tony’s gaze with a small nod, “Mr. Stark, it’s a pleasure.”
If Tony wasn’t so sure this man was the most dominant piece of military Alpha in the room, he’d ask the good Captain to get on his knees. And beg. Fuck. As it stands, he’s never felt this enamored and respected in an initial meeting— damn, this man knows how to make a first impression.
“Tony, please,” he corrects, smirking into Steve’s beautiful face, “and the pleasure’s all mine, Captain.”
He waits for Steve to release their hands, but all he gets is a similar smirk in return. The larger man squeezes where their hands are joined, brushing his thumb over Tony’s knuckles, and leans in to murmur, “You can call me Captain all night long.”
He releases Tony from the magnetic hold on his hand, and Tony is slightly embarrassed to feel his face heat up, and clears his throat. It’s been years since someone could fluster him like this, and this man has been able to do it in seconds. Before Tony can respond, Steve adds, a little louder for the public ear, “—but just stick with Steve for now.”
“Alright, Steve— how do you know…” and as Tony goes to bring Rhodey and Pepper back into the conversation, he realizes that the couple has left without a word. Tricky bastards.
Steve doesn’t seem phased, though, and answers the question as if Tony had even bothered to finish it,
“I met Jim a year ago during my summer post in Taiwan— both of us were stationed there, doing a few months of consulting for specialized ops, and were fast friends. I swear, Jim was my only buddy over there, and he’s one of the most honorable men I’ve ever met,” the smile that follows his words is soft and remembering, “how about you, Tony?”
“Rhodey and I were roommates at MIT— he’s always been my big brother, and both him and Pep live with me now—”
“Oh,” Steve interrupts, “I didn’t realize you were pack, I just assumed—”
“No, definitely not,” Tony stops him, laughing to help lighten the sensitive subject, “I don’t have a pack. But if we were compatible, I think the two of them would be it for me. It just… it doesn’t work for us,”
Steve shakes his head, a serious expression falling over his features, “No, I get it, that’s personal— I shouldn’t have brought it up. Please, can I— can I grab you a drink?”
Tony resists the urge to reach out and grab his arm, to reassure Steve that there’s no harm done, but instead agrees, “Sure, yes— uh… why don’t you surprise me?”
The flirty, light smile is back, and Steve easily agrees, leaving Tony to find the open bar. He’s thankful for the time to process, easily dismissing a few guests who try to start a conversation with him.
How could Rhodey have kept this guy hidden for so long? Tony barely got a whiff of him, almost getting enough scent to determine compatibility, but not quite. How old is this guy, anyway? And Army? What is Rhodey thinking?
“Here ya go,” Steve’s voice breaks through his thoughts, and he jumps a bit, turning to see the Captain holding two glasses and wearing an unsure smile,
“Damn, Steve— warn a guy?” and he grins playfully, thankful to see Steve laugh along. Tony makes a grab for the glasses, and Steve pulls them out of his reach, laughing even harder, before handing Tony the low tumbler with dark amber liquid and a single orange peel garnishing the top.
Tony peers back up at Steve, “Old Fashioned? With—” he takes a sip.
“Bourbon,” Steve answers before Tony can, and sweet lord, this man has good taste.
Swirling the drink gently, Tony hums and closes his eyes at the taste. Just like his dad used to make.
“I’m glad you like it,” the low voice adds to the moment, and for just one second, Tony allows himself to get lost in the fantasy of drinking sweet Bourbon in his den, with a strong, blonde man by his side.
He opens his eyes to reality, “It’s perfect, Steve,” earning him a satisfied hum in return, “now tell me, what are you drinking this evening?”
“Oh, well—” Steve looks a little hesitant, holding up his larger glass for inspection, “it’s called a Tom Collins.”
“A craving for something sour, Captain?” Tony takes a step closer, sipping his drink slowly.
Steve licks his lips, “I like a good balance,” he takes a long drink of his gin, “and the orange is my favorite part.”
Tony watches his mouth move, admiring his full bottom lip as it’s tugged back by his teeth, breathing in the faint scent of Coffee and Thunderstorms, “You know what,” Tony dips his head forward, peering up at Steve through his lashes, “the orange is my favorite part as well.”
There’s a sharp clink clink clink sound, and the moment is broken between them as attention is called back to the engagement. Tony realizes, regrettably, that he’s supposed to be up front, and gives Steve one last desperate look before leaving to address the crowd.
After the party, he searches for Steve. He asks Pepper, and then Rhodey— both of whom haven’t seen Steve since their introduction earlier.
“Sorry, Tones, but if you want to see him—”
“No, no,” Tony dismisses the suggestion, “it doesn’t— don’t worry about it, it’s— I’m okay, I’m fine, alright? All good.”
Rhodey tries to protest, but Tony just ignores him, kissing Pepper goodbye as he makes a hasty retreat out of the museum. If he can get home first, maybe they won’t ask him to talk about his feelings.
---
Tony doesn’t miss having a pack.
It’s been exactly a year since Pepper and Rhodey moved out, and Stark Industries has never been stronger.
Probably because every spare moment he has is poured right back into his company.
Every. Spare. Moment.
Which is probably why Tony’s late for his best friend’s wedding.
It had been a rough night— Rhodey had insisted on staying up late to bar hop, and their small bachelor party had torn up the most cutting edge and expensive bars all throughout New York City. The downside, unfortunately, is that coming back home at 4 AM— drunk and somehow already hungover— leads to the absolute worst morning a twenty-seven year old could ask for.
So honestly, it’s not Tony’s fault that he shows up a half hour late, barely dressed in his tux, and sunglasses practically taped to his face.
His saving grace ends up being Rhodey. Again.
An assistant meets him at the door, ushering him into the dressing rooms, and tugging off his tux as he moves. He’s handed a cup with a vague order to drink, and the sunglasses are unceremoniously tugged from his face. He struggles a bit under the attention, but after a few minutes of the world’s worst smoothie, blinding light, pressing, steaming, ironing, shaving, and makeup application that will not be mentioned again— Tony is shoved into a larger room with the rest of the bridal party.
Before he can even begin to apologize, Rhodey is stepping forward,
“Tony, this is the least I owe you, brother.”
The statement alone almost has Tony in tears, and he closes the distance to pull Rhodey into a tight hug, whispering, “My body will never forgive you, Rhodey-bear.”
And the wedding goes on without a hitch from there. Pepper, as it turns out, had told Tony to arrive an hour before he even needed to be there— fully expecting him to arrive late. Because of this, he’s sober and aware when his best friends walk down the aisle. It’s a moment to remember.
Pepper looks like a queen— the Beta wears a perfectly tailored trumpet gown, trimmed with delicate lace and a scalloped neckline. Her mate cries— hell, Tony cries.
And a few hours later, he’s sitting alone at the open bar, swishing his drink and thoughtfully picking at the orange slice at the bottom of the glass. He knows he’s one of the only people avoiding the dance floor, but can’t find it in himself to join the party. Instead, he nurses his glass and silently watches his friends dance and laugh together.
“Tom Collins?”
Tony turns to the voice coming from his left, and is greeted with ice-blue eyes, the sharpest jaw known to man, and a filthy pair of lips.
“Tony, but close.”
“Tony—” his name sounds like sin coming from this man’s mouth, “wanna dance, sugar?”
“I really shouldn’t—”
“— c’mon, sweetheart. You’ve spent enough time with this drink, don’tcha think?”
His glass is stolen by this tempting man, who sets it down with a sweet smile and stands to his feet. He extends a hand, and Tony hesitates. He really shouldn’t— it’s been a long day, and he’s not exactly sober. Plus, Pepper might kill him if he makes a scene.
He takes the man’s hand, “Just one song, got it?” and all he gets is a wicked grin in response before he’s pulled off towards the dance floor.
The song playing is low— thrumming and hot. Most of the younger packs have already checked in for the night, saving their pups from the close grind of desperate bodies, scents mingling in Desire and Arousal. It takes only one sweep of the crowd to notice Pepper and Rhodey in the center, leading their guests in a sinful dance— magnetic and dangerous.
The man from the bar stops at the outer rim of the circle, pausing for a moment to strip off his tie and suit jacket. His eyes sweep over Tony’s appearance, and he steps closer, breath tickling the nape of his neck as he asks, “May I?”
Speechless, Tony nods. He’s surrounded with sweet Oranges and creamy Milk Chocolate as the Omega gently loosens his tie, pulling it over his head and folding it onto the table before slipping his hands up Tony’s shoulders, pushing underneath his jacket, and tracing his arms until the jacket falls, forgotten.
Chest to chest, the Omega looks up through his eyelashes, “Dance with me, Beta.”
Pulled closer to the center of the crowd of moving bodies, Tony keeps the man pressed against his side, then shifts to face him. He’s only an inch taller than this Omega, but the similar height works to their advantage as Tony grabs his hips, starting a slow grind that has the man in front of him clutching at his neck, his hair, and breathing out a sigh.
“Like that, baby?” Tony growls, digging his fingers into the Omega’s hips as they move together, foreheads touching, enjoying the friction and small sounds coming from his partner.
“Don’t stop, please,” Oh, begging sounds divine coming from this younger man’s lips. Tony wants to do absolutely wicked things to this guy.
They move together, the Omega shifting to follow his rhythm and relaxing under Tony’s hold as he moves his right hand higher, scratching his nails along the gentle arch of the man's back, as his left hand moves lower to firmly grip his ass. He squeezes, and the sweet Omega moans Tony into his neck.
“I’ll give you what you need, baby.”
“B— bucky,”
“Bucky?”
He gets a smile in return, along with a particularly dirty move of his hips, “My name is—”
“Bucky?”
A third voice breaks the spell, and Bucky sighs, stopping their dance and putting a bit of space between their bodies— which does absolutely nothing to hide their shared arousal.
“Whaddaya want, Stevie?”
Tony looks over his shoulder to see a hulking, blonde and horrifyingly familiar Alpha standing behind them— arms crossed and a face that screams unamused.
“I wanna know why my mate is putting on a show with—” he finally looks at Tony, and his expression blooms with shock and recognition, “— Mr. Stark. Of fucking course.”
“Language.”
“— shut up Bucky, of course you’d happen to find him of all people…”
“Well,” Bucky starts to defend, “you wouldn’t make a move, so I thought I’d get things started.”
Now Tony’s confused, “Wait, hold up,” he looks between the two men as they glare at each other, “did you… are you trying to get with me?”
The couple turns and looks at Tony like he’s an idiot, Steve gesturing at where he’s still hard in his pants, “You didn’t get that from the reenactment of Dirty Dancing a few minutes ago?”
Bucky lets out a sharp laugh, cutting through the tension, and Steve’s face practically melts at the sight and scent of HappyAmusedOmega. Tony bets his face is doing something similar as he shakes his head in protest, “You guys are really serious? Can we— can we talk somewhere… more private?”
Definitely the wrong thing to say, because Bucky practically cackles in glee, “Darlin’ you can do anything to me in private,” and Steve reaches over to smack him on the shoulder,
“Slow, Bucky,” and he earns an eye roll from his mate, “Tony, let me see your phone.”
Right now, Tony feels like putty in his hands, which is probably why he gives over his unlocked phone without a word. Bucky slings his arm around Tony’s waist, and he notices that the crowd has thinned out, music slower and without the charge from before. Steve types a few things before handing the phone back,
“I put in our numbers— Tony, if you want to see us again, for dinner or even just coffee, please text us,” Steve squeezes his shoulder, and then moves his hand to cup Tony’s elbow, pulling him— and Bucky, by consequence— in closer,
“Tony, I need you to know: you are not obliged to see us again, even though we come on a little strong. You are— we are—”
“You’re all he could talk about tonight, Tony,” Bucky cuts in, turning Tony to look into his eyes, “and maybe you’ve never given him a second thought, but he met ya last year and has been dyin’ to see ya again—”
“— Bucky—” Steve warns,
“No, sorry Alpha, but it needs to be said. Tony, I have a feelin’ the three of us are damn compatible, and it would be a waste not to try. Give us a chance, yeah?” and the silence that follows is paired with twin expressions, eager and hopeful.
“Guys, I…” Tony is tired of being alone. He’s tired of denying what he really wants.
“... I’ll text you soon, okay?”
At the startled look from Steve and whispered oh, okay Tony from Bucky, he flees. He’s a perfect Cinderella alright— too afraid of honest confessions to stick around long.
But maybe he’ll keep his promise.
---
It takes a week for Tony to text them, and he does it as a group message. Both mates seem relieved to hear from him, and set up a date for that weekend, insisting that they pick him up and pay.
It takes two weeks after that, and three more dates, for Tony to realize that they want to formally court him.
A month after they start courting Tony, he asks about their intentions.
“I’ve gotta wonder, guys— are you really that serious about building a permanent pack? Or is this just a seasonal pack for you guys while you’re getting out of the Army?”
Bucky looks hurt by this, but it’s Steve who spells it out.
“I know we’re young, Tony. I mean— you’re not even thirty, Buck is twenty-one and I’m just twenty-two. Look, I know I’m really young to be a pack Alpha. Neither of us have experience leading a pack, but… it’s been something we’ve wanted for a while. It’s the reason Buck and I haven’t bonded yet, and it’s a dream of ours to have an intimate pack to start a family with.”
He’s stunned by Steve’s words. His pack growing up definitely wasn’t intimate, and after his horrible Ado-pack, he had completely dismissed the idea of ever having something like that again. But now.
“Tony, darlin’,” Bucky reaches forward to take Tony’s hands, “I think we have something really special, here. It could take years to build our pack, but Steve is pretty sure six is our magic number. Don’t ask me why. And also,” he hesitates, looking down at his hands, "I’ve gotta tell ya somethin’ important. Two things, actually.”
“What is it, sweetheart?” Tony asks, concerned, as Steve gives Bucky a nod of encouragement.
“Well, first of all,” Bucky looks back into Tony’s eyes as he continues, "Steve and I are compatible by memory. Like— when we first scented each other, a few years ago, we had a scent memory. We— we haven’t bonded because of the pack, but we will. And second,” he pauses a moment, “I’m not pack omega.”
“You’re… not?”
“No, I— I’m not a submissive, Tony. I’m Vers and swing submissive for Steve most days. But I can’t fully submit for a pack, and this means there will be a fully submissive Omega who mates with us. And gets— gets to—”
Steve cups his mate’s cheek, “Baby,”
“No, it’s. It’s fine, Stevie, I—” Bucky tries to pull out of Steve’s hold, but the tears are already falling as he rubs them away, “— I just can’t. I can’t give you pups.”
Oh. Oh. Tony did not know that.
Bucky is tucked under Steve’s arm as the Alpha continues to explain, “When we bond as a pack, if we decide to bond, it’s very likely that only the submissive pack Omega will pup for the pack Alpha. It was— hard, you know? Realizing that Buck and I can’t have a family—”
At this, Bucky buries his face in his hands and lets out a single sob,
“— but we’re willing to give that up if it means having the perfect pack, okay?”
Tony is shocked. He guesses it makes sense that the pack Alpha and Omega would be biologically directed to mate together. It seems unfair, though, that a scent compatible, soulmate pair wouldn’t be able to start a family. But—
“What about other bonded members?”
Both men look up at Tony in confusion, “What do you mean?” Steve asks.
“I mean, what if two other packmates decided to mate. Is there a chance they would pup?”
Bucky still looks confused, but Steve’s face lights up in understanding,
“You mean, what if we all bonded— would you and Bucky be able to get pregnant?”
“Wait, is it possible?” the hope in Bucky’s eyes is devastating as he looks between Alpha and Beta, gripping onto Steve’s arm with fresh tears shining on his cheeks, “could I still have pups?”
“It’s possible, Buck, but I have no idea.”
Bucky ignores Steve’s response and stands from his seat, moving quickly to Tony and straddling his lap, throwing his arms around the Beta’s neck. Tony steadies him with arms around his waist, and rocks them gently as Bucky starts to cry into his neck.
After a few minutes, Steve looking at them with overwhelming affection, Bucky’s tears run out and he sniffles into Tony’s neck, “Thank you, my Beta.”
“For what?”
The Omega pulls away, pushing Tony’s hair out of his face as his smile widens,
“Giving me hope.”
---
In May, Bucky finally graduates from West Point, and decides to work in engineering in the city. Steve has been working with Rhodey in “intelligence” for a year, and Tony finally feels happy.
They spend most of their time at Steve and Bucky’s apartment in Red Hook. Tony doesn’t mind the drive, and absolutely hates being alone in his penthouse— plus, he’s come to actually like Brooklyn. And if he spends his free time searching for the perfect spot to build a house, no one has to know.
And it works fine for now, because Steve still insists on taking it slow— although if Bucky and Tony had it their way, the three of them would already be mated. It sometimes feels like just the two of them are dating and Steve’s their chaperone, drawing boundary lines of, “Hey, clothes stay on, boys,” and, “Bucky, get off Tony’s lap, I swear to god.”
So Tony corners Steve.
Or more accurately, Steve is fixing them dinner and Tony pins him to the counter from behind, grinding up into his ass and growling.
He feels Steve stiffen beneath him, and Tony laces their fingers together where Steve’s are resting on the counter, nibbling on the back of his neck inches from his bonding spot.
“What’re you doin’ Tony.” it’s barely a question, and Tony just tightens his grip and bucks his hips forward, letting Steve feel his arousal.
Steve growls in response and turns in his arms, breaking Tony’s hold. He looks into the Alpha’s eyes, blazing red, and Steve slowly prowls forward, backing Tony into the fridge. His arms come up to frame Tony’s face as his back hits, forcing eye contact and baring his teeth in a predatory smile.
One of his hands reaches lower, gripping Tony and causing the Beta to groan at the friction, “Is there something you want, baby?” Tony shakes his head, losing the confidence from earlier, but Steve continues, “you need to use your words, Tony. I can’t help ya if you don’t tell me what you need.”
Ooo, Tony’s blood burns with the challenge, and he rocks forward into Steve’s grip, his own hands reaching forward to hold onto the Alpha’s shoulders. Steve presses in closer, and Tony licks a small stripe up his throat, stopping centimeters from his ear, “I need you, Alpha. Why can’t I have you?”
“Oh, Tony,” Steve chuckles, releasing his grip and sliding both hands around to cup Tony’s ass, pulling them closer until their fronts are pressed together, betraying Steve’s obvious interest, “you can have me all you want, baby. I just need something from you first.”
“Yes, Steve. Fucking anything.”
He’s pushed away, back hitting the fridge as Steve steps back, “Be ours. Promise it. Move in with us, and then we’ll mate.”
“Alpha,”
“Those are my terms, Beta,” Steve puts a hand on Tony’s shoulder, pushing him out of the kitchen and into the living room, “and until then, let me finish cooking and go keep Buck company, okay?”
He doesn’t wait for a response, and turns back to his meal while Tony stands frozen in the doorway. He can see Bucky lounging on the couch, wrapped in soft blankets and pretending he hadn’t just heard their whole conversation. He sees the way Steve moves around the kitchen, natural and dominant in his home— caring and providing for his pack.
For my pack, Tony thinks to himself.
“I’m yours.”
Both sets of eyes are on him, and Steve drops everything in his hands. He sees Bucky stand up from the couch.
Steve takes a step towards him, “W— what did you say?”
“I said— I’m yours. And you’re… you’re mine. My pack,” he looks into Steve’s eyes as the taller man steps into his space, “My Alpha.”
He hears a soft exhale, and feels Bucky grab his arm. Tony turns, “and My Omega.”
“My Beta,” Bucky breathes,
Steve kisses the Omega’s cheek, smiling wide, and pulls Tony into his arms,
“Ours.”
No, Tony doesn’t miss having a pack. But here— wrapped up in between his Alpha and Omega— he’s wanted, he’s safe, and he finally belongs.
#stuckony#stony#winteriron#getting together#stucky#steve x tony x bucky#d/s fic#slight nff#fanfic#completed#bucky barnes#steve rogers#tony stark#mood board#MiGLT#omegaverse
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Ways to Feel More Involved in a Tumblr Community
Off the back of @jacksoopticboop trying to revive the community spirit a little, I thought it might be a good idea to repost my original from nearly 3 years ago.
I know there are often new members, and those who feel left out, on the outside looking in because they’re not a creator. I get that. I do. You see established friend groups and feel like an outsider. But it doesn’t have to be this way. You ARE valued and important and you CAN be more involved in the community and feel less of a outside observer.
And here’s a few ideas to get you started.
I’m using Jack as an example, but this works for any topic of interest.
1) search Jacksepticeye and click the blue ‘follow’. Set to ‘most recent’. Congratulations, you just found the heart of the community. Here you have found potential friends. Here are people throwing art, edits, theories and nice messages into the ether and hoping for the best. Here we are all equal. Everyone gets a fair shot in ‘most recent’ because you don’t have to be popular to be seen.
2) The ‘like’ button is more powerful than you think. No, it’s not a reblog, but if nobody liked your post it’d have 10% of the notes it has. Sometimes all a lonely person wants is to know someone out there checked out their post. For someone still learning art, a ‘like’ is a huge boost. I often ‘like’ art because someone took time and effort to show their love for Jack and the community. I’ve received followers for liking a post. Just by liking posts you’re helping. You’re involved.
3) Remember that you don’t have to create something to post in the tag. I haven’t created shit for this post, yet here I am. Nice words of encouragement. Ideas, friend requests, info requests, shitposts. Post what you want so long as you’re civil. Scrolling the ‘jackseticeye’ tag in ‘most recent’ you’ll realise just how many people post in that community hub without creating something. It’s perfectly okay.
4) It is possible to create content that requires zero talent or expensive programs. Some of my highest notes are on nice messages, text shitposts, and screenshots of twitter exchanges or instagram posts (of youtubers, I don’t steal fanart). If Money is the issue - Shitposts and memes can be done in MS Paint, FireAlpaca or Gimp (all free) Gifs can be captured in ShareX, Instagiffer or Gifcam (all free), videos edited in VideoPad (free). Youtube have tutorials for all of these.
5) Nice comments on posts go a LONG way to getting you involved. The OP is guaranteed to appreciate the hell out of any kind words and when others see your name pop up a lot with encouraging words they’re far more likely to see you as a positive person worth talking to. “Sorry times are hard, but I believe in you” “Happy birthday!” “I adore this!” “OMG LOL STOP!” all great comments. You are NEVER bothering an OP with a compliment. EVER. No matter how big a blog you perceive them to be.
6) Join Discord servers. If you’re intimidated by the size of the Jacksepticeye Community Discord, keep your eye on the tag. Sometimes people will post asking others to join their smaller discord groups.
7) Everyone here, EVERYONE here is open to friendships. We all want friends. We all think we’re bothering someone by messaging them, yet we all get excited at new ask or message alerts. I’m not going to tell you to message people because that’s intimidating to some, but be open to it. My inbox is always open. Some conversations end, some build new friendships. If comment threads are more natural to you, start leaving nice comments on those posts, yo.
8) Curate your own experience. You can unfollow anyone for any reason. You can block anyone who upsets you with negativity or bullying etc. Be nice to others and you’ll be amazed how quickly you begin to feel involved in your community.
9) Remember we love you just for being here. You don’t HAVE to be involved. You can watch and enjoy from the sidelines. We see you Silent McLurky and we love you. But if you DO want to feel more involved you absolutely can without creating art or theories or gifs or anything really. Just find your voice and we’ll find you.
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Bestie congratulations on coming out to your coworkers 🎉🎊🎈 I actually decided to come out to my mom a few weeks ago, and what’s weird is that I’d told myself that I didn’t care if she knew or not,because I was happy with who I was. And my mom didn’t use to be the most LGBT friendly person,she wasn’t like outright homophobic or anything but she was the result of the time and place she was raised in, but lately she’s been really working on herself and she’s really turned over a new leaf recently so I decided that I wanted her to know, and she was just so casual about it? Like it was no big deal and I really really appreciated that. And not only that but I also found out that she’d had feelings for two women before? Sksjsks I just couldn’t fucking believe it. Anyways it just felt so nice to let her know and I’m sorry for dumping all of this in your lap, it’s just that I really wanted to tell this to someone but I couldn’t exactly do that with my irl friends since I’d be kinda outing my mom. Anyways I’m just so proud of her you know?
Oh and I don’t know if you remember this but I’ve been very slowly introducing my mom to cockles and I’m glad to report we’ve made some interesting developments. Not only does she think that they could have a thing going on but now she thinks they’re cute🥰
Anyways I’m both nervous and excited for the creation con. I hope we get some nice cockles moments from the photo ops at least because it’s been kinda dry here lately and I miss them.
-poker face anon
thank youuu! <3 and aaahh that is wonderful! i'm proud of you for taking that step and i am also proud of your mom that she was so kind and opened up to you as well!! love that for both of you 🥰 never say sorry for dumping things like this in my inbox, i love it!
also love the update re: your mom & cockles shfhss i can tell that she is a very wise lady 😌
personally i am only excited, the nerves will probably not kick in until it's like. actually happening lmao but yeah like you said, it's been so fucking dry, i will take literally every crumb. god bles.
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My Brother's Keeper
Things have been going well for the Family at Spider Miles. I continue to make plans to invade underground trades deeper within the Grand Line, the money is pouring in, and I have learned that Dressrosa has become ripe for the Donquixote lineage to return where we belong. I smile whenever I think of this land, as it is mine by right of my birth.
Those fools at Mariejois thought to take my royalty from me when they cast me from heaven, but my family ruled that land long before the Celestial Dragons became what they are now. Taking back this nation will be the first piece in shoving my bloodline down their fat, self-righteous throats! Finally, I shall be acknowledged as the king that I was born to be and can stop living in this trash heap. I can begin to provide more for my family and to give them all they deserve!
A part of me thinks that everything is lies, but I ignore these troubling thoughts. My family loves me and have been here for me since I was ten years old. My brother has come back to me and stands at my right hand. How can it be anything other than perfect?
It is what I have always dreamed of. And now with Law here, my little family somehow feels complete. Not that I would love the other children less. That is why I gave them devil fruits to make them stronger, just as Trebol did for me. It’s what you do for those you care for. You give them ways to protect themselves and those they love, as well as the power to take revenge on those who hurt them. To make them invincible to the world!
There’s a small feeling of uneasiness in the back of my mind as I think of Trebol. The voices like to mock me, saying that he is using me. However, I know he loves and worships me. Without him, I would have died years ago… Right? I shake my head to clear the unwelcome feeling and refocus my attention on Law.
I haven’t really seen him around since the other night at dinner. I can feel the frown deepen on my face as I remember the cruel way some of the others treated the boy. I have been gathering devil fruits and either using them, or selling them for a while now, but there is one that I have been unable to reach that would be of great use, I think.
The Ope Ope no Mi. The power of this fruit would undoubtedly save his life and would allow him to heal others. He was already training to be a doctor with his biological family. Maybe he will allow me to adopt him into my family and continue his education. Once I find that fruit, Law will be unstoppable. He will be my successor. My own son. The smile on my face practically hurts, but I do not remember having been this happy before. Not even before my family broke when we left heaven.
I call for Machvise and Giolla to go and find him for me before going into my room to read. I take off my glasses and drink some wine to try and relax after a long day. I do not even notice the world beginning to fade away when suddenly I am there again.
I can feel my body struggle against the villagers, but the flames are hot against my skin! The ropes are again digging into my flesh and the blood is pounding in my ears. The pain is so much! Please make it stop! I can sense the arrow loosed towards my brother when the power wrenches from my stomach.
The next thing I know, I am again in my room, covered in sweat, and I can’t breathe. I lean forward, gasping for air, but the tightness in my chest will not relax. I reach for my sunglasses, and though they bring me some relief, the bottle of wine next to them is a welcome sight. I grab the bottle and begin to drink without even bothering to use my glass. Anything to drown the memories and thoughts that come from these nightmares. I don’t even care how I must look right now. For a moment I wonder what it was that brought this on after so many months of being free from this problem.
However, as the world comes back into focus, my attention is taken from my musing and I notice what must have woken me. The transponder snail keeps his incessant ringing until I pick up the receiver. Ah. It seems they have found Law. I throw down the bottle and the sound of breaking glass barely even registers. I will have Baby 5 come clean it up later, as I have far more important things to attend to now.
Once I make my way into one of our common areas, I see that Rosinante is already there. He looks at me and appears to get up to leave. I shake my head at him and smile. “Please stay, brother. I would like you here for this.”
He nods and pulls out a cigarette. I reach over to light it for him to ensure he does not set himself on fire again. As I watch him take a drag, I smile softly. He is truly my light and the one to save me from myself. We are the same and I know that he will take my pain and save me from these demons that constantly scream in my head. I was so lost before he returned to me. I wonder if he felt lost too?
I am about to tell him my plans for Law, as I want him to understand how important it will be for me to have a son to carry on the Donquixote legacy. I know my brother doesn’t like children, but if he would just give Law a chance, I know he would see the same thing I do! He would see the same piece in him that is in us. The same pain, the same potential, the same power…
I go to say something to my brother when there is movement at the door and my family has returned with Law carried between them. He looks angry, but that is nothing new. I smile at the boy and watch as they tossed him to the ground. I glared at the two of them and let a piece of my haki catch their attention. Apparently, they did not understand my intentions the other night at dinner. Well, at least after this moment, Law’s place here will be undeniably clear.
“Law, I called you in for just one thing. I’ve decided to welcome you to the Donquixote family officially.” I sat back and genuinely enjoyed watching Law’s mouth drop open in shock. I’m not sure why he thought he had been summoned before me, but I know he did not expect this. I was expecting some push back from my family, but fortunately they seemed to be happy for the boy and are congratulating him.
I feel like I should explain myself to him. He is, after all, going to be my son in all but blood. “Because you went through such a horrible experience, you got that incomparable hateful look in your eyes.” I look into his eyes. “You have the quality.”
Giolla puts her hand on his head and begins fawning over the boy while going on about my “vision”, but he seems to reject her assessment, bringing up his illness. The voices are clamoring within my mind, but I don’t care because this is such a happy day for me! I’m going to have a son and I will raise and protect him. I will give him a place in ten years as my legacy to the world, so how would I ever let him die?
I begin to laugh and tell him it depends on his luck, though I know it has nothing to do at all with luck. He was destined to become the son of a god. I have the blood of celestial dragons in me, whether the fools at Mariejois were willing to let me and my brother back into heaven or not. The voices and that power are swelling inside my core and I am beginning to become overwhelmed in it all.
I told Law about the devil fruits and that there are types that could heal him, though I did not mention the exact one I have in mind for him. That will come for later. I also told him that in ten years I want him for my second in command. I know that the boy is still skittish and very prideful. I want him to build bonds with me and the other family members before I push him too fast. I’ve already given him a lot of information, so I will see if he will grasp the opportunity presented to him.
At that moment Rosinante begins to cough and my attention is taken away from Law. As I look towards my brother, I suddenly feel like all the air has been sucked from my lungs and the smile is wiped from my face. I force myself to stay calm as I see blood covering Rosi’s side.
For the slightest of moments, even the voices have gone completely silent and everything is numb inside at the sight of his shirt soaked in dark red liquid, though he appears to be trying to hide the spot beneath his hand. In the back of my mind, the only thought I can form is that the villagers got my brother with their arrows. My brother is going to die!
At that thought, a hurricane unleashes inside me and the demons begin to howl and rage! Who would dare to harm my precious baby brother? Do they not realize that he is descended from gods? I fight back the swarming madness and keep my face calm, but my fists clench from the efforts and my frown deepens. When I ask Rosi what happened, I am surprised to hear how controlled my voice sounds.
He writes a note to say that an enemy has done this to him, but it does nothing to quell the tempest that is beginning to storm within me. I can feel the violence within me increasing as I picture the vengeance I plan on taking on whoever did this to my brother. I will make an example of them that the whole world will know to not fuck with my family!
I ask if he took care of them, just to try and get more information from him. I don’t understand why he didn’t say anything to me in the first place. Perhaps when he sees how I rip this enemy to shreds with my strings, and pull the flesh from their bones slowly while they bleed out and scream for hours, he will then understand how much I love him? I would do anything to keep him safe and punish anyone that would dare harm him! He can trust me to save him, just as he’s saving me. We are family, and that's what you do!
He answers me by writing that he finished the enemy off. The pressure on my heart relaxes and I calm the thoughts that torment me, but the wound still bothers me. I can’t lose my brother. “That’s good. Get it treated, okay?” is all I trust myself to say at that moment.
I reach over to pat Rosi on the shoulder and look once more at Law. He looks like he’s in shock, perhaps at my offer to raise him to be my heir? This makes my heart swell with pride, but I can’t deal with my brother’s pain at this moment and don’t dwell on it long. I can feel myself begin to slip into the darkness again and need to go out for some air. I ask Giolla to get medical attention for my brother as I pass her on my way out, and she responds she will get someone right away. I thank her and move on quickly past the others.
As I move to one of my favorite spots to sit on the rails outside of the buildings, I watch the waves crash against the garbage on the shores and try to breathe. I know that my brother can take care of himself, but when I look at him, I see my moth… I see her and I just want to protect him with everything I have. I lost him once and will not lose him again!
The voices began to scream again that he was lying to me and wanted me dead, but I pushed them aside and continued to watch the waves. I know my brother loves me. He is my heart and my salvation. One day, I know we are going to rule the world together.
#donquixote doflamingo#donquixote rosinante#my demons#drabbles#one piece#doffy#love that flamingo#trafalgar law
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Congratulations 🥳🥳 you deserve all the love for your work! Could I ask for a match up please? I am a girl, pronouns she/her, and straight. My MBTI is INTJ. Despite that, I’m not as unfriendly or cold as people think 😊 I’m just a little uncomfortable around people I don’t know and always prefer to be around those I do know. I’m not really into PDA but I am happy to shower people with love privately. I’m a bit of a homebody unless I’m going out into nature (hiking, to garden, etc.) My hobbies are cooking and reading (specifically mystery novels.)
Omg-! Thank you so much!! You're so kind and I love you forever!
(Did you know you and Law have the same personality type? I just love learning about the OP characters haha-)
Nature is so nice! Love me some greenery and vast forests!
Your matches are below, boo~!💖💖
Kaku
So our Giraffe boy is an ENTP, he tends to do things in spontaneous nature and doesn’t mind a messy lifestyle. He’s your ideal type based off the MBTI, but I do also believe he is more calmer in the extrovertism than some other friends who are in this category.
He doesn’t mind you not being into PDA nor does he see you as cold or distant. Kaku gives me observant vibes and he can read a person pretty well, so he knows deep down you care for others.
I can see him also liking nature and going on hikes! He’s pretty adventurous in his own right so he wants to try new trails with you and experience the thrill of being in the outdoors. He also would be down for your mystery novels! Would want you to read them to him or read together (like a book club!), he will have you two place bets on who you think the killer is or how to solve the mystery!
Due to his observant skills, he’s a great party friend, he always knows when you reached your social limit and will take over talking for you if needed, or will even let people know you two will step away for a bit. He doesn’t want you to feel uncomfortable when meeting new people, so will be the type to introduce you slowly to not overwhelm you!
He’s a loyal boy who will love ya forever, if you let him! He will respect your boundaries you placed and won’t cross them until you tell him to! He’s the type who hopes for your happiness and will do what he can to help you find it!
Cora-san
I think Cora-san would be another great match for you! He’s an INFP, so you two can share in the introvertism you harbor, but he still has his spontaneous moments that will keep you on your toes!
Despite his clumsy antics, Cora-san can be serious and knows when situations make you nervous. He’s trained to read body language, so he catches on your low-level cues before you do!
Even though I see him enjoying PDA, he will respect your boundaries and never press for anything out of your comfort zone! I think if you help his hand for the first time, the man will be a blushing mess and might accidentally catch himself on fire-
If you decide to go out on hikes together, make sure to have a rope tied together! Since he tends to fall, he might get left behind or lose his way, if he does a park ranger will have him back at the entrance-
His main love language is words of affirmation, so he will always remind you how amazing you are and how much you mean to him! Despite all his hardships he faced, having you by his side has made his life worth it!
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