#^ I mean he tells you pretty much straight off the bat that it isn’t meant to be pretty or patriotic or anything you really want to hear as

[apoemadaykeepsthehoesaway]

Preface (Unfinished)

-Wilfred Owen (1893-1918)

This book is not about heroes. English Poetry is not yet fit to speak of them. Nor is it about deeds or lands, nor anything about glory, honour, dominion, or power,

-

except War.

Above all, this book is not concerned with Poetry.

The subject of it is War, and the pity of War.

The Poetry is in the pity.

Yet these elegies are not to this generation,

This is in no sense consolatory.

-

They may be to the next.

All the poet can do today is to warn.

That is why the true Poets must be truthful.

If I thought the letter of this book would last,

I might have used proper names; but if the spirit of it survives Prussia,— my ambition and those names will be content; for they will have achieved themselves fresher fields than Flanders.

[m4sonn]

⋆୨୧˚The Outsiders greaser Gang x Hyperfem!reader˚୨୧⋆

Thanks to my friend @peachyponyboyy and the anon who recommended this for this story!!

ponyboy:

> doesn’t mind that you’re feminine

> genuinely doesn’t care what you wear as long as you like him back and aren’t a shit person

> if you’re a boy he’s terrified that you’re gonna get jumped so he protects you with his life, it’s Oklahoma in the 60’s I don’t imagine they’re very accepting about two gay guys and a guy who wears skirts

> he hates the way makeup feels on his face but he’ll (begrudgingly) let you practice on him every once in a while after a bit of begging and whining

> would genuinely rather kill himself than wear anything feminine

> draws you a lot, if you sew/make your own clothes he makes you outfit designs he thinks would look good on you

> likes to help styling hair and encourages you to try new things (like dye and new cuts and styles etc)

> if you’re a guy he was probably scared to introduce you to his friends and brothers in fear of them judging him and you but they didn’t mind you

> calls you “baby” and “honey”

Sodapop:

> likes more feminine people

> likes helping you choose outfits

> if you ask him for help choosing a shade he’ll ask questions like what are you wearing, how are you doing your hair, what vibe are you going for etc to make sure he chooses the best choice

> helps style your hair for you

> jokes around and lets you do makeup on him and even tries on fem clothes with you sometimes at stores

> constant shower of compliments

> talks about you like he talks about sandy in the movie

> 100/10 waist hugger, hugs you from behind and rests his head on your shoulder or back of your head

> introduced you to his friends right when you two met but introduced you as a friend and then reintroduced you as his gf/bf later when you two started dating

> calls you “cutie”, “sweet boy/girl”, “sweet pea” or “baby boy/girl” (cringe I know)

Darry:

> doesn’t mind it

> type of guy to remind you to close your legs when you’re sitting down

> makes sure your skirt doesn’t ride up too much while out in public/tells you if you don’t notice

> hates the feeling of lip gloss but is willing to get some on his lips to kiss you

> kisses your hand a lot all gentleman like

> you were probably more scared than him to meet his gang and brothers (by more scared I mean that he was totally chill abt it), he just kind of brought you along one time just randomly to a group hang out and they were just chill abt it.

> calls you “sweetie”, “honeybun”, or “peaches” (I hc his favorite fruits as peaches)

Dally:

> usually dates fem people only so you’re right up his alley (sorry mascs, he’s only for the fems‼️‼️)

> mainly only dated girls

> likes to take you shopping with the little spare money he has

> likes to see you try on clothes cause it just makes you look so happy

> adamant that he’s straight (he’s not) and if he dates a guy he says that you’re “close enough” and that it isn’t gay. He doesn’t realize how much this hurts you and only realized how this made you feel after Johnny and pony pulled him off to the side to talk to him about it cause they realized how you always got quiet and awkward after he said that

> likes his partners a bit nerdy but still confident so if you’re a dude who’s confident enough to be feminine in public but is still a little shy and has those nerd glasses he’s ALL OVER YOU‼️‼️

> probably puts his hand on your thigh under your skirt while sitting next to you

> whenever you bend over he’ll slap your ass

> likes to take you out and show you off to his friends, right off the bat when you started dating he went to his friends to show off his new partner

> calls you “pretty boy/girl”, “doll”, or “doll face”

Johnny:

> loves you for who you are and not how you dress

> constantly telling you how cute your outfits are on you

> like pony if you’re a boy he’s terrified of you being jumped for being a feminine gay guy and protects you with his life, gives you a switchblade just in case, even if both of you know you’d never use it.

> waist grabber/hugger and no one can change my mind, when you’re wearing a tighter top that shows off your waist is when he does it most

> goes feral when you wear a shorter skirt

> I don’t imagine his mom to be a very feminine person other than meeting pony boy’s mom so you are like the only feminine person he’s really ever talked to so he knows nothing about how to help with outfits or makeup etc but tries his best to help with whatever

> was trying to grab a makeup pallets for you and he dropped it and broke it and cried while apologizing

> was pretty scared to introduce you to the gang (especially if ur a boy) but he told Dallas first and helped him introduce you to the gang after reassuring both of you they’d love you (they adored you and loved that Johnny finally found someone)

> calls you “sweetie”, “darling”, or “my beautiful amazing pretty amazing most perfectest bestest boy/girlfriend (yes he would call you this)”

Two-Bit:

> usually likes more fem lovers so he doesn’t mind you being fem

> If it’s modern day he yells gyatt at you and slaps your ass when you bend over ☹️☹️

> let’s you do his makeup and sometimes his sister joins in and you two either actually do his makeup or you just smear a bunch of products in his face

> his mom and sister LOVE YOU.

> when he brought you home his sister was all over you, enjoying having another feminine person in the house other than her mom cause two bit is “a nasty stinky and unhygienic boy�� and she’s “glad to know that he finally has someone who might be able to get him to straighten up a bit and stop being so gross. And maybe you can even help that drinking problem of his.”

> you cackled after she said this but two bit didn’t take it as well and chased her around the house 💞💞

> he was so excited to introduce you to the gang, right when the two of you started dating he wanted to introduce you to them but he let you choose when, they loved you :3

> calls you “babe”, “baby”, “cutie”, and “sweet cheeks” (ur literally the Minnie to two bit’s Mickey)

Steve:

> doesn’t mind that you’re feminine

> he’s gay, only dates dudes, sorry girls 😋😋😋

> doesn’t know anything about fem clothes n stuff cause he grew up with only his dad but he tries his best :///

> When you guys go to watch bull fights or drag races he totally lets you sit on his lap, he could NOT care less if people are staring.

> likes to take you to drag races and even lets you be in the car with him when he’s in one

> likes to show you off, flexes how he managed to get such a pretty bf

> touchy asf

> was scared to introduce you to his dad but he did eventually, his dad was confused (“so that’s not a girl??”, “wait so what you’re tellin’ me is yur’ one of them queers??”) and physically could not bring himself to believe you were a boy because you’re so fem, but accepts you two

> he yaps to the gang abt you, like never shuts the fuck up and it annoys the hell out of them

> introduced you to them immediately

> calls you “darling”, “my love”, or “babe/baby”

[laiiaaa]

NICE TO MEET YOU — JJ MAYBANK (PROLOGUE)

summary: For much of his teenaged life, JJ has had it easy when it comes to charm. You turn out to be a formidable opponent.

length: 2.7k

contains: uhhh drinking beer?? (gross tbh!), actually pretty PG, warning for JJ being a whiny little brat and a little mean to his friends and a bit of a dork (it's painful but we love him...maybe), NOT proofread ok be nice

masterlist | next

“JJ, are you gonna go up to her? Or just keep staring at her like a creep?”

He almost doesn’t hear Kiara, and maybe he wouldn’t have if it weren’t for John B hitting him in the back of the head. 

“Ah—what the fuck, man?” JJ bats John B away before answering to Kie. “I’m not staring. I don’t even know what you’re talking about.” He takes another sip from his beer and puts his weight on his free hand. 

This isn’t his usual routine—there’s a certain thrum in his veins that tells him tonight has a little more weight to it than he’s used to. His usual routine, of course, is simple: go to kegger, find a touron, flirt with her, engage in some…precarious activities, bid farewell when morning comes (or, if he gets lucky, before dawn). There’s never been any issue. It’s fun, he’s young, he’s a good-looking guy, all parties are willing.

But now you have caught his eye, and he’s not sure if this routine will be able to keep up.

“I think you do,” Sarah insists. “We all know you’re checking her out.” His face stays blank, so she pushes him further. “Come on, JJ. With the crochet bikini top and the red converse?”

“They’re brown, actually—”

“Oh, so you are staring. Got it.”

The rest of the group laughs at JJ’s expense, and he has to admit he did walk right into it. He’s just…off his game. 

He shoots up from his seat anyway, downing the last of his beer in an attempt to build up some courage. “I’m gonna go up to her.”

Pope raises his brows. “Right now?”

The blonde jumps, shakes out his limbs, gets the blood flowing. “Right now.”

“Oh,” Kie quips.

He points back at her, still psyching himself up. “Shut up, Kie, you started this.”

She lifts her hands up defensively, and John B jumps in again. “You gonna start walking over there, or…?”

JJ turns his head, eyes you sitting alone on a piece of driftwood. “Yep. Gonna do that now.” Another couple jumps and a shake of his head for good measure. A deep, exaggerated breath. He points to Kie and says, “Fuck you,” then Sarah, “Fuck you,” then John B, “And fuck you,” though there’s no real malice in his words. He starts taking hastened steps backwards, and lends a quick wave as he calls out, “Love you, Pope!” 

If the pogues say anything in response, he doesn’t hear them.

A breeze casts through his hair as he walks over to you, and his nerves are on the rise again. It takes twenty paces before he’s seriously regretting this gusto, another five before he considers turning around, a painful ten more, until he’s close enough to be officially approaching you and it’s too late. His pulse is pounding in his ears. You’re wearing a crochet bikini top as Sarah described, loose lightwash shorts covering the bottom half of the set, and have brown converse on, as he thought. There’s a glow to your skin that makes him think you came straight from the beach.

You pay him no mind until he’s looking over you, five feet away. “Hi.”

Are you talking to him? (Yes, you are—you’re looking straight at him.) 

“Hey,” he answers, gesturing to your makeshift seat. “Can I sit?” He’s more antsy now that he’s getting a close up view. He runs a hand through his hair to at least do something to hide it.

“Be my guest.” You move to the side and tap the space next to you, looking up and giving him a smile he could die for.

It takes him a second to process he’s gotten this far. “Thanks,” he says. When he does sit down, his knee nearly brushes past yours.

“And what brings you to this side of the party?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugs—lie. “You seemed…uh, interesting?” As soon as the words come out they leave a bad taste in his mouth. Since when is he so bad at this?

“Interesting? Jeez,” you laugh, “And here I was thinking I had a cute boy approach me to flirt.” You brush your hair out of your face, looking off to the ocean as a distraction. The sun has long since set, but there’s still a twilight glow to the sky.

“Wait, wait—that’s not what I meant.” He shifts his body to face you, a hand hovering by your knee as if he needs that physical connection to make you hear him. “It came out wrong. I’ve just never seen you around, y’know?”

“I guess we have that in common, huh?”

He’s sure he’s already fucked this up, and he can’t help but curse himself for it. Hidden somewhere—maybe in your snarky tone, or your emerging smirk, he also thinks there’s a chance. “Yeah,” he says, taking a deep breath. “Yeah.” He has to shoot a look over to his friends, who are oh so attentive to this initial meeting. It would be too embarrassing to return so soon. “Did I fuck this up already? Should I leave?”

It’s your turn to observe him, now. The pensive look on his face, the fidgety hands, the toned arms. What’s the worst that could happen? “No, you can stay. We can start over if you’d like.” 

He nods his head, his muscles relax. “Okay.”

“Okay,” you agree, offering him your hand and your name.

“JJ,” he offers you in return, taking your hand in his for a respectable shake. This could work, he thinks. 

“Nice to meet you.” You smile and let go of his hand. He’s cute, you think.

“Nice to meet you, too.” His hand still buzzes even after touching you. “Do you live on the island?” Please say yes, please say yes. 

“Only in the summers I do. My grandparents’ house. I’m guessing you do, though?”

A piece of his heart drops, but not entirely. “Yeah—how’d you know?”

“It’s not the type of question someone asks if they’re only here for vacation; they usually just assume your stay is temporary too.” You shrug. “Just my experience.”

“Huh.” He nods his head as if you’ve bestowed upon him a revelation. “How long’ve you been coming here, then?”

“Oh, I can’t even remember. Maybe since I was five?”

“Really.” He can’t fight off the smile that emerges, and he doesn’t even know why. This isn’t any extraordinary conversation, this isn’t something he hasn’t done before, yet he’s more nervous than he’s ever been talking to a girl. “Where at?”

You smirk, instinctively turning your body towards him the slightest bit. Much like when he first sat down, your knees almost touch. “Not far from here, two miles tops, on the water. Why, you wanna stalk me or something?”

He smiles back at you. “No—”

“Really? Even though I’m interesting?” You start to think you’ll never get tired of teasing this boy, especially if it means seeing that smile and the dimple that follows.

He turns away and ducks his head down, hiding his embarrassment. “I thought you said we could start over?”

You make a thoughtful face as if you were mulling over his words, and you can feel his gaze on you. “I did say that, didn’t I? Hm, guess I forgot.”

“Guess so,” he agrees, leaning back and putting his weight into his arms. 

“Your turn to make it even.” You push lightly against his shoulder as you jest. God, those arms. “Where can I stalk you?”

“Uh…” He laughs to himself, embarrassment more genuine this time. His eyes shoot up to the sky to avoid yours. How much should he tell? “You, uh…you don’t want to know that.” And that’s already more than enough. He doesn’t do this—he shouldn’t, really. He knows that this is how bad decisions start, and from there comes even worse consequences.

You furrow your brows. “What do you mean?” 

No answer. Sure, he’s had his share of girls over at The Chateau, but being poor isn’t necessarily something you throw at the nearest girl you’ve got your eye on. Especially, he thinks, not one with a smile like yours.

Your voice goes a bit softer, still curious. “Are you on The Cut?” You lean a little closer, dropping your head on the shoulder closest to him, nearly on his own. He smells of beer and the beach and a bit of amber. 

When he turns to face you, he’s not even six inches from kissing you. His jaw goes slack as he thinks over your question—which seems like the millionth of the night, and he’s sure he’d take a million more if time would allow—and his eyes work their way around your face, trying to burn it into his memory. If he tells you the truth, you might go, but he’s got a strong feeling that you’d find out about a lie. 

“I know we don’t even know each other,” you start, taking in a breath that seems to justify gazing at his lips for a little too long for only having met minutes ago, “But I’d hope you wouldn’t pin me as the type to judge.”

He scoffs, turning again to avoid the feeling in his gut when you hold eye contact—like you can read from him things he doesn’t know himself. “I didn’t pin you as anything, princess.” There’s an edge to his voice he doesn’t really mean, some spite in the name princess, and he curses himself again. This shouldn’t be so hard.

Before you give him a quip, you turn your eye to a group of teens, two boys and two girls, who seem to be watching you and JJ. They look at you, then to each other, point here and there, then giggle. You figure they notice your attention, because soon enough they’ve already stopped, instead stifling laughter amongst themselves. 

“JJ, I know I just said I’m not the type to judge, but I really hope those aren’t your friends over there watching us.”

This time, his heart does drop entirely. Is this a fucking joke? His first thought is that you're mistaking some nosy tourons for his flock, but lo and behold, those terrible four are his friends, and he sees for himself their scheming. 

“What the fuck…” he mumbles to himself. He gives you a sympathetic look, aware of how this might appear. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why they—they’re just really annoying sometimes.” He pauses his rambling for a moment to flip them off. “I know this looks bad, I get that—”

“Oh, it does,” you add, fueling the fire that is his panic. 

But then you’re laughing, joking about how panicked he looks, and he has another million questions to ask because why are you laughing when he looks like a fucking douchebag right now?

“I don’t really care, though, if it makes you feel better.” You lend him a smile as you check your watch. “I should be heading home, anyway.”

Fuck. “Why?” He knows how desperate he sounds, but he only just met you, and he’s already made a fool of himself. Twice.

You press your hands to your knees as you sit up. “It’s late, and I’ve got a curfew I already missed.” He’s wearing a pleasing look as you peer down on him, his hand wavering out to grab yours. “It was nice to meet you. Tell your friends I say hi.”

Why couldn’t he have talked to you earlier? He doesn’t think so much before doing it—he jolts up from his seat and grabs your hand, gently. What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck am I doing right now? “Can I at least get your number?”

You take a few steps back, testing his reach and his adamance to keep you tethered for more. This could be fun. “No,” you chirp. “I don’t give my number to strangers.” You slip your hand from his and turn around, feet digging into soft sand as you make your escape, though you’re coy enough to give him a half-turn and a barely-there wave.

You’re ten paces away when he finally comes to his senses. “What if I want to see you again?” he calls after you, trying to make himself heard over the commotion (oh, how stupid it all is to him now) and the music playing (nobody wants to hear that, anyway). He feels a force gluing him in place, like you’ll disappear if he follows.

“You’ll figure it out!” you shout back over your shoulder. You pick up your pace, leaving JJ with nothing more than a silhouette to seek and a name to your face.

He’s stuck in place, mouth open as if he were to plead for you to come back. In his hand he swears he can still feel your touch, or the electricity you left behind, at least. He pictures how close you were, how he could’ve taken your lips in his, how he could’ve cradled your jaw in his hands and made him yours for that moment.

What the fuck just happened? What is he doing?

He quickly snaps out of this daze. He had your attention for—what, five minutes? Ten if he’s generous? This isn’t like him, to be caught up on another one getting away. That’s all it was: another one. He’s sure that he’ll find another girl another night, and he’ll forget whatever this was. Was—past tense, a good old friend. 

Running a hand through his hair, he takes in the breeze again before turning back to the pogues. There’s levity in his steps, his previous anxiety gone. He figures this is a good thing, in fact—he doesn’t need his summer marred by a relationship that isn’t even meant to be.

As JJ walks closer, Pope makes a face at him, lifting his hands by his shoulders in confusion. “What happened over there?”

JJ shrugs, offers little unrest. “Nothing, man. Talked her up a bit…” He trails off, casting an over the shoulder glance to your former location.

“And…?” Sarah continues.

Kie sips her beer and smiles to herself. “We tried to see what was happening—”

“Yeah, well that much was obvious—” JJ snaps, huffing as he sits next to Pope for being the least offensive of the bunch— “She saw you guys.” He snatches up a rock by his feet and turns it in his hands.

The group knows better than to push him when he’s like this—not when they want to enjoy the rest of the night, at least. John B, Sarah, and Kie resume their conversation about some touron group they'd witnessed earlier, and JJ finds himself filled with disinterest at the thought of listening, even on its periphery. He throws the stone back into the sand and takes a helping of beer when Pope offers it.

There’s an elbow nudging his side, followed by Pope’s voice. “You alright?”

He shrugs, makes a sour face. “Yeah, she was cool, ‘s all.”

Pope’s brows twist in confusion. “That girl you met?” He waits for the other to nod his head. “You get her name at least?”

JJ nods again. “Not like I’ll see her again. She said she’s been here every summer since she was little, and it was only now that I saw her.”

“So?” He pats JJ’s back, hard enough to hopefully knock some sense into him. “You wanna see her again, right?”

He takes a sip, shrugging again. “Not really.” Another sip, a glance to and fro. 

“I mean, odds are that you will eventually run into her, might as well be expecting it.”

He scoffs, lending Pope a smile to show his incredulity. “Odds are, I won’t. And I’d prefer to keep it that way.” He tilts his head back with his cup against his lip, downing the last of his beer and the taste of a fib. Or two. Or three.

JJ accepts that he drew the short straw for the night. All he has left of you is a name and a face and a feeling, and if he knew better, he wouldn’t press his luck. Because truthfully, the odds don't seem to be in his favor.

[some-little-infamy]

Tommy, Bothered and Bewildered

(Read on AO3)

Tommy isn’t sure what to expect when he knocks on Evan’s door and asks if they can talk, he just knows that he has to say something, because things can’t keep going on the way that they currently are.

He’s seen the friendship that Evan and Eddie have, and he has his suspicions that it might run deeper than anyone else knows about, at least on an open level. That isn’t something he’s willing to get in the middle of.

But he doesn’t want to stop spending time with them, either. He wants to teach Evan how to fly, and grab that beer with him sometime. He wants to keep going to fights with Eddie and spend some more time around that great kid of his.

None of that is going to happen if he doesn’t clear the air about the building tension they’re all feeling. In a way, he’s glad it all came to a head at the basketball game. That gave him an excuse to bring it up without feeling weird about it, like he was assuming anyone cared about him any more than they did.

“Can I get you something? I still owe you a beer, right?” Evan offers.

“No, I’m good. I won’t stay long. I just wanted to clear the air and I didn’t want to do it over the phone or in a text or something,” Tommy waves the offer off. He has a shift after this, anyway. But the truth is that he wanted to see Evan. He wanted to be here, to look him in the eyes, and swear that he knows what Eddie means to him. Promise that he never meant to get in the middle of that.

Of course, there’s more to it than that. Tommy would be lying if he didn’t admit to himself that he hated having to turn down that first offer to go out for drinks, even if his plans for the fight in Vegas were huge, because honestly? If he knew the offer would be on the table he would’ve given up the tickets in a heartbeat. There’s just something about Evan that draws him in, that makes him want to know more.

But that isn’t why he’s here, not really.

They have the talk, awkward at moments but a relief in the end. Tommy apologizes, and surprisingly, Evan takes full ownership of the way he reacted as bad behavior on his part. Tommy doesn’t know much about Evan, but he feels like he knows enough to know that that’s a pretty big deal for him to admit.

  “I mean it’s not like I could ever replace you. Christopher would absolutely have something to say about that. That kid cannot shut up about you,” Tommy tells Evan. What he doesn’t tell him is that Christopher didn’t shut up about him because Tommy practically barraged the poor kid with questions, trying to get anything he could about what Evan likes to eat, or what he does on his days off, or what music he listens to. Fortunately and unfortunately, the answer to all of that is usually whatever Christopher asks for, which unfortunately left Tommy with little useful information, and fortunately left him even more endeared with Evan.

Then everything happens so quickly. Evan moves closer to him. He jokes about fake mouth static. They’re laughing, and sharing looks, and… Jesus, did Evan’s eyelashes just bat at him?

“I just wanted to get to know you,” Evan says finally, and Tommy’s breath stops entirely.

“Yeah?” Tommy tries, and fails, not to sound surprised. He thinks he made it pretty clear he wants to get to know Evan - the hangar tour, the raincheck on drinks, the fact that he drove all the way here today for a conversation that absolutely could’ve been a text - he isn’t hiding anything. He just hadn’t been so sure about Evan’s side of it until now.

And then the talk circles back around to Eddie. Eddie’s great. He’s a good guy, they have a lot in common, and yeah, they’re pretty good friends… but that’s it. Eddie’s in a relationship, and as far as Tommy is aware, straight. Tommy wouldn’t even think about seriously flirting with him, would never dare to cross that line. But with Evan…

There’s no doubt in Tommy’s mind now that Evan was flirting with him back at the hangar. He asked for a tour when he wasn’t seriously planning on learning, the hopeful look in his eyes when he asked Tommy out for drinks… there was something there and it killed Tommy to not be able to explore right away. He’d hoped…

…and there it is again. That damned hope.

“Just… trying to get your attention has been kind of exhausting.”

“My attention?” He thought… well, he suspected, wondered really… but maybe he was just reading too much into Evan and Eddie’s friendship.

Buck is rambling now, mentions of maiming his best friend and talks with his sister, but Tommy barely processes any of it before making up his mind on what he wants to do next. He drove here, across town before a shift, through Los Angeles traffic, not just to see Evan, but to see what potential relationship - friendship or otherwise - Tommy could salvage after everything that went down.

Tommy closes the small space between them, giving Evan just enough time to back away. He brings two fingers under Evan’s chin to lift it, and when there’s no resistance Tommy leans in and kisses him. He waits, reading every push and pull of the muscles under his touch, but Evan only leans into the kiss, bringing his own hand up to Tommy’s arm.

When Tommy pulls away and takes in the look of astonishment on Evan’s face, he knows he made the right decision.

So when Tommy has to leave - and he has to leave, because if he goes in for a second kiss he isn’t sure there’s any force in the universe that would be able to pull him away with enough time to get to his shift - he makes sure Evan knows that he wants to see him again. And again. And again.

Starting with Saturday.

[archivalofsins]

The Prisoners (All the characters who label themselves as prisoners in their "Thank You" messages.)

The People they're imprisoned with (All the characters who don't label themselves as prisoners in their "Thank You" messages)-

I highlighted where they say prisoners under the cut with a few more fun facts-

Haruka, Futa, Mu, and Kotoko all don't put their names on their thank you messages. Mu only puts her song title on hers in Japanese but she has English lyrics from the song highlighted on their as well. Shidou states that this is Milgram Season 2 before putting the title of his song/contribution then signing his full name like an actor would.

Something when coupled with Jackalopes statement in the second trial commencement notice-

Along with Shidou blatantly stating,

"Please listen to me, Es. I've killed people. Lots of them as well. It was for such a selfish reason too. I'm a fine specimen of what a genuine murderer ought to be."

It's really suspicious and funny to think of the implications behind how he signed his thank you message. Especially since in the same interrogation Es notes,

"In comparison to all the interrogations thus far, this one has been progressing far too smoothly. It feels somewhat unsettling."

All of that is a really interesting thing to think about when put all together. At least I think so.

(Star here though Gunsli assisted me with sorting this out some- I find the idea of Shidou being a mole very amusing. It would recontextualize the fact that he's a doctor within Milgram.

Giving the impression that Shidou's inclusion was more of a failsafe, in the event that something like Kotoko jumping her fellow prisoners occurred. It's incredibly convenient that Milgram happened to incarcerate not just one but two people who seem to understand first aid.

Considering Shidou's statements about Amane,

22/10/24 (Shidou’s Birthday)

Amane: ……Kirisaki Shidou. How long do you plan on continuing this foolish behaviour?

Shidou: I wonder what you might be referring to there. I’m just doing what I need to do. If anything, I’d be happy if you would lend me a hand.

Amane: I warned you. I can no longer turn a blind eye to this wickedness taking place right in front of us. You’re bringing ruin unto yourself. Do you understand?

Shidou: No, I don’t understand. It’s my job as an adult to teach you that throwing a temper tantrum isn’t going to make everything go your way. If it’s a test of endurance you want, I’m happy to oblige, Amane.

This idea would also recontextualize his immediate response to the events between trial one and two being to tell Es,

"I think we should put an end to Milgram as a whole. Both for our sake and for yours."

Along with his confusion when Es responds with,

That's impossible.

"Why?!" I can't think of any method of stopping it... or any way to get out. "...!" Milgram won't end just because I want it to. That's all I know. It won't end until your judgment has been completed. That's the crux of it. "Your...the same as us, aren't you?"

Ultimately Shidou recognizes that Es is pretty much in the same position as they are. However, under this framing Shidou would be aware that Milgram is an experiment that can be stopped at any time but not aware of who could stop it or how to himself.

This would give more context to him proposition Es in trial one as well,

During the first trial's proposition being asking for the death sentence off the bat:

"That’s just my personality. I just simply don’t think bad of it—this place, I mean." You mean, Milgram? "Yeah, this place will put me to death." What? "I might not get a golden opportunity like this again, so I’ll get straight to the point. Es… You decide how the prisoners will be dealt with, right?" Yeah. That’s right. "The death penalty is what I’m hoping for. Thank you in advance." I won’t have that. The lot of you can’t decide what your own treatment will be. Only I as the prison guard have the authority to do so. "Exactly. You as the prison guard have the right to do such a thing, Es, so that’s why I’m asking you for this favour."

The "unflappable" attitude that Shidou has here can be read as opportunistic complacency with the idea of him being a mole in mind. This mindset is also alluded to within his MVs, a prime example being where he sits down smiling to himself in Throw Down.

Furthermore, this highlights the progression of his view of Es and how much power they wield within Milgram as a whole. Going from the first presumption of Es having the ability to decide the prisoners' treatment to outright asking them to stop Milgram in trial two. Though, he is swiftly corrected about how much administrative power Es has, as pointed out earlier.

On top of that Shidou is the first of the prisoners to bring up the concept of someone dying due to Milgram and the death penalty at all.

Even going as far as to state,

"Hm… But, this place does smell of the dead though. I’m sure that some sort of death will lie at the end of Milgram."

If Shidou is a mole put into the experiment by Milgram then him asking Es for this could be framed as him raising the stakes. It could even be something management told him to do so the audience would know there was a chance of their actions leading to someone's death. Along with why he's genuinely perturbed when someone else almost dies despite stating he knew some sort of death lied at the end of Milgram from the start.

It's definitely an odd change going from kill to we have to make this violence stop before someone actually dies. Yet, it would make a bit more sense if he thought he was in on the lie but began to find out this was more out of control then he thought. He could still very much be a murderer and they just let him be in on it because he wanted to die anyway so didn't see the harm in using him in this way before he does.

This would also play on this line in Undercover well,

"Even with accusations full of faults and mistakes. You will for sure, with a smile for sure- Be pleased and satisfied."

Because regardless of how this plays out he'd still get what he wanted at the end of the day.

Along with fit the line referring to Shidou too,

"“UNDER” Which way will you throw down your weight? To be the deceived, or the deceiver."

This would also explain why Kazui would refer to Milgram as a prison game in his second voice drama,

"If that happens this prison game would probably come to an end as well." - "So this is unpleasant, hurling slurs of “hostage game”, you do know that it’s up to me?"

I asked @doctorbunny about Kazui's wording here and he said,

He says 監獄ごっこ kangoku gokko kangoku meaning prison and gokko meaning pretend/make believe

The one person known to talk to Shidou the most out of the prisoners and work alongside him. Now what would give him the impression this was all pretend.

Like some sort of a-

20/05/25

Mikoto: ……I’ve really got caught up in some trouble, huh. What even is this place? It’s probably a TV reality show or something. …but to think someone in this day and age would try to do a project that could land them in so much trouble. Uh……

Mahiru: Ah…… I’m Shina Mahiru! You can just call me Mahiru. And you are……?

Mikoto: Kayano Mikoto. I’m fine with just Mikoto too. Ahh, I’m glad there’s someone here who’s easy to talk to…… It’s nice to meet you, Mappy.

Mahiru: ………… ……Mappy???

20/05/31

Mu: Hey, Mikoto-kun, aren’t you scared of this place……? You can’t think of any reason you ended up here, right……?

Mikoto: Ahh, yeah. Of course, it’s not like I’m not scared at all. But just between you and me…… I still haven’t dropped the thought that this could all just be a TV show. I mean, I really haven’t ever murdered anyone. ……and if that is the case, we’re definitely being monitored. For like a prank setup or something. Wouldn’t it be super uncool and embarrassing to get angry or lash and have it shown on prime time?

Mu: Is that what you think……? A prank, huh…… I hope that’s all it is……

Mikoto: Ah! If that is the case, then you’ll probably be super popular since you’re so cute, Mucchan! There’s a lot of girls out there who make their big break coming off reality shows like that!

20/06/15

Mikoto: Hey, it’s kinda a bother having you be so angry and tense all the time. You should stop trying get everyone to pay attention to you. You’re a uni student, right? You can’t act like that once you start working properly.

Futa: Huh!? Shut up. Not like I care what you say. Even though we’re in this shitty situation, you’re just chatting away, it’s stupid. Aren’t you the one who’s acting out of place here? ……also the fact you give everyone nicknames is just gross.

Mikoto: *sigh* It’s more stupid to be taking this all so seriously. I mean, it’s definitely just a reality TV program. There’s no way a real prison exists that’s this lax. Also, I don’t give nicknames to everyone. I don’t give them to young kids like Amane, or to the hard-to-approach types like Shidou-san. I mean, I’m not giving you one, right?

Futa: ……oi, which group are you trying to say I am?

Television show or something.)

This was definitely not supposed to be this long but it was interesting going over all of this with Star and I think it's a fun thing to highlight overall.

[fastcardotmp3]

The White Rabbit (Part 1/3)

Because Eddie does a headcount. 

And there are five people, not four, standing at the bottom of this dried up lake, and one of them is tearing the final bat in half with his bare hands. 

Robin chokes, hunches over and vomits straight onto the ground.

Fair enough, considering they’re looking at Steve Harrington. 

Fair enough, considering they’re looking at a dead man. 

read on ao3 | playlist

steddie - 17k words - rated M excerpt under the cut

“I’m,” Eddie clears his throat, which has Robin looking at him closely, “I’m. Cashing in on it.” 

Steve’s shoulders slump, unimpressed deadpan to his tone as he repeats, “cashing in on it.” 

“Yep,” Eddie grins as smarmy and smug as he can. “You, Steve Harrington, owe me a favor. In case you forgot.” 

“Since when?” Steve makes a face, all scrunched towards the center with befuddled disbelief like Eddie has just said something of personal offense to him. 

Eddie, for his part, can’t help but grin when Steve makes that face. 

“Since forever, probably,” he shrugs, “who cares, but you definitely owe me for something at some point since you’re, y’know, a fuckin’ bastard and a half, so I’m cashing in.” 

Steve stares him down, scowl only growing as Eddie stares at him right back with a closed-lipped smirk of a grin, Robin looking between the two of them like she’s watching a tennis match for all of three seconds of silent communication until she’s snorting, throwing her hands up, and walking in between the two of them with the declaration— 

“I’m taking my ten. Or, like, my however long this takes.” 

She waggles her fingers at Steve in a little wave and Steve, in return, rolls his eyes in a way that’s far too fond for the interaction, but which makes sense with the synced-up movement as Robin disappears into the back through the door and Steve hops through the window and take her place up front. 

A well-oiled machine, the two of them, but not the point of Eddie crashing their work day. 

“Do I actually owe you a favor or is this your way of telling me you got new stock in?” Steve leans forward onto his hands at the counter in the same moment when Eddie leans back with the cross of his arms over his chest, flannel tied around his waist swaying with the motion. 

“I mean, you definitely owe me a favor,” Eddie shrugs, “but both things can be true.” 

“You realize I pay you, right? With cash?” Steve snarks, and it’s such a thing with him, tone, that Eddie feels like he’s constantly relearning how to read the book of Harrington, the layers of distaste and amusement and genuine good guy syndrome hidden somewhere underneath. “Is that not favor enough any-fucking-more?” 

“Oh, dear Steve,” Eddie smirks, forces it out despite the roll of his gut that he’s chosen to ignore for now and also forever thank you very much, “the money is for the good shit, but you helping me fix the rail on my porch is for, y’know, the kid tax.” 

Steve makes a face. He’s kind of the king of making faces, and faces that work their way between Eddie’s ribs specifically, but this isn’t something Steve’s gonna win with a quirk of the brow and a frown to his lips. 

The kid tax is Eddie’s own personal self destruct mode after all– the kind designed to take anyone in the remote vicinity down with him– it’s all his fear wrapped up in a set of rules that no one but him knows in their entirety and it affects Steve Harrington’s drug habit pretty exclusively. 

Steve is all reluctant exasperation in a little hat as he all but actually rolls his eyes at Eddie. He looks away, looks everywhere except Eddie’s eye, and grumbles, “I get off at six.” 

The most telling part about that?

Eddie hasn’t really won either. 

read on ao3

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Michael Before Midnight: "Houdini" by Eminem

Eminem is one of the most controversial rappers of all time, and this reputation isn’t entirely undeserved. I mean, the man has an entire song that’s just six straight minutes of him acting out violently murdering his ex. Uncontroversial artists do not make songs like that. But I think people do give him a lot of shit and really try to underplay his genuine talent too, mainly because of how a lot of his work just hasn’t aged great.

You have to understand the time and place Em rose out of. The 90s was all about being nasty and politically incorrect, and the rap scene reflected that. The rise of gangster rap had guys talking about how cool the thug life was, and there were all sorts of vulgar tunes being cranked out (“Pregnant Pussy” is from the 90s, if that tells you anything). As a white boy in a cutthroat industry where black men are the kings being taken under the wing of the man who produced “Fuck tha Police,” Marshall Mathers really wasn’t gonna do anything other than assimilate into the culture of the time to survive. And it worked; he’s pretty much the only white rapper besides maybe the Beastie Boys who has kept a long and generally well-liked career. He played by the rules, made sure to acknowledge his place, kept his ego in check outside his songs, collaborated with the right people, and boom! Rap has its token white boy.

But the edgy violent white boy schtick that made Slim Shady so funny and… “endearing” back in the day is not really something people like in 2024. Since the 90s, edgy white boys like the Slim character have shot up schools, sexually assaulted women and gotten away with it, openly supported fascism, and whined about queer people and black people being in Star Wars. No one fucking likes a Slim because they’ve been ruining our world for a while now, so this character who was once a beloved aspect of Em’s career just doesn’t sit right with the people of today. Add onto the fact that he’s a middle aged man, and he can’t just be doing the same crap all these years later without looking like the cringiest man alive, a rapping Elon Musk. With all that, and the fact his upcoming album is called The Death of Slim Shady, you’d think maybe he’d drop a single to showcase how he’s evolved over his career, how his sobriety and fatherhood have changed him, and how the Slim persona is well and truly in the past.

Instead he released “Houdini.”

For better or for worse, this is a return to that classic late 90s/early 2000s Slim style, with everything that implies. Get ready for lots of references, offensive jokes, and more, cuz I’m going line by line to talk about the content of Slim Shady’s final comeback. And while I am going to analyze some of the lamer and more questionable jokes, I want to make it clear that I understand the Slim character is satirical and whatever. I'm not fucking dumb, and I've been listening to Eminem for 24 years now. Being satire is not an excuse to be unfunny.

After an ominous skit where Em’s manager Paul Rosenberg tells him he’s own his own for this album, we have an intro to kick the song off:

Guess who’s back, back again? Shady’s back, tell a friend Guess who’s back? Guess who’s back? Guess who’s back? Guess who’s back? Guess who’s back? Guess who’s back? Guess who’s back? (Da-da-da, da, da, da, da, da, da) (Da-da-da, da, da, da, da)

As should be obvious to anyone with a passing knowledge of Eminem, this is a reuse of the intro of his classic “Without Me.” This is a double-edged sword; on the one hand, it is a fun little callback to his earlier career and helps once more establish that he’s bringing it like he did back then. But on the other hand, you’re reminding the audience of one of your best songs right off off the bat, so if this one doesn’t live up to that, you’re in for a world of hurt.

Now’s also a good time to mention that the song heavily samples “Abracadabra” by the Steve Miller Band. From what I’ve gathered, a lot of people find that song unbelievably corny… but that’s why I love it. And I mean, the song’s called “Houdini,” so why not sample the massive smash hit song that’s named after the famous magic words? Again, for me at least, sampling a song I already love means you’re gonna have to really kick it into high gear to make me want to listen to yours over what you’re sampling. There’s about a million songs that sample “When the Levee Breaks,” but how many of those do you think I’m putting on over Led Zeppelin, y’know?

Well, look what the stork brung (What?) Little baby devil with the forked tongue And it's stickin' out, yeah, like a sore thumb (Bleh) With a forehead that it grew horns from (Look) Still a white jerk (It's him), pullin' up in a Chrysler to the cypher With the Vics, Percs and a Bud Light shirt Lyrical technician (Yeah), an electrician (Yeah) Y'all light work (Haha) And I don't gotta play pretend, it's you I make believe (What?) And you know I'm here to stay 'cause me (Why?) If I was to ever take a leave (What?) It would be aspirin' to break a feve' (Yeah)

So far it’s been pretty solid. It’s pretty clear Em’s still got it, great flow, delivery, subtle nods to his past work, boasts about his skills, talking about how he started from the bottom… It’s nothing really groundbreaking, but it’s at least continuing the idea that Slim is back, baby! I sure hope he doesn’t derail his momentum in the next couple of lines with a stupid, cringeworthy jab at a woman who literally never did anything to him!

If I was to ask for Megan Thee (What?) Stallion if she would collab with me Would I really have a shot at a feat? (Haha) I don't know, but I'm glad to be back like

So a little context here, for those not in the know: In 2022, rapper Megan Thee Stallion accused fellow rapper Tory Lanez of shooting at her feet and saying, “Dance, bitch, dance” like he’s a comic book mobster. The case was taken to court, where Lanez was found guilty and then sentenced to up to 22 years in jail. Now, the two have shouted out each other before—Em interpolataed the hook of Megan’s song “Body” in 2021’s “Killer (Remix),” while Megan referenced “The Real Slim Shady” on her feature on Lil Nas X’s “DOLLA SIN SLIME”--but I’m not really sure the two are close to the point where it’s cool for Em to jokingly reference the time some psychopath acted like a Batman villain to her. The fact Megan’s 2024 diss track “Hiss” referenced Mariah Carey’s “Obsessed,” which was about Eminem, does make me side-eye this bar.

But hey, one corny, cringey joke is whatever. Let’s see how the rest of the song goes:

Abra-abracadabra (And for my last trick) I'm 'bout to reach in my bag, bruh (Like) Abra-abracadabra (And for my last trick, poof) Just like that and I'm back, bro

So this is the chorus, and I have to say it’s incredibly lazy and boring. It’s just an Eminem-themed parody of the original chorus, and it’s not especially interesting. That being said, by token of being a chorus of a song I already like just with lyrical alterations, I don’t think it’s bad either. I just expect a little more cleverness from Eminem.

Now, back in the days of old me (When?) Right around the time I became a dope fiend (Oh) Ate some codeine as a way of coping (Mm) Taste of opiates, case of O.E. Turned me into smiley face emoji (Woo)

Here, now we’re back on track! Em is reflecting on his old self and talking about his drug-addled early career! Surely he’ll stay the course here and dig deep into his manic persona that was partly created by his addictions, and not veer off into alt-right talking points and child abuse jokes!

My shit may not be age-appropriate But I will hit an eight-year-old in the face with a participation trophy 'Cause I have zero doubts That this whole world's 'bout To turn into some girl scouts That censorship bureau's out to (Shut me down) So when I started this verse It did start off lighthearted at first (Hmm) But it feels like I'm targeted

Hoo boy, we’re whining about how “sensitive” the world is becoming and how censorship is coming to get you! Eminem is going full boomer now. But hey, maybe he has a point! You can’t sing songs where you violently murder the mother of your child and then abduct said child anymore, because of woke. You can’t rap about mass shootings right after they happen either, also because of woke. Whatever, grandpa. Let’s see if you have anything of actual substance.

Mind-bogglin' how my profit has skyrocketed Look what I pocketed Yeah, the shit is just like y'all had been light joggin', and I've been runnin' at full speed And that's why I'm ahead like my noggin', and I'm the fight y'all get in When you debate who the best, but opps, I'm white chalkin' when I step up to that mic, cock it then "Oh my God, it's him! Not again!"

Just some pre-chorus boasting topped off with a throwback to his song “As the World Turns.” It doesn’t completely erase the bad taste of his whiny boomerisms out of your mouth, but it’s at least something.

Sometimes, I wonder what the old me'd say (If what?) If he could see the way shit is today (Look at this shit, man) He'd probably say that everything is gay (Like happy) What's my name? What's my name? (Slim Shady)

Em’s had a long, troubled reputation with queerness. He came under a lot of fire for homophobia back in the day, but then his friendship with Elton John happened. There’s also his brief appearance in the Seth Rogen movie The Interview, where he plays himself as a closeted gay man. Even still, he’s often used queerness as jokes in his songs, mainly as an attempt to emasculate his opponents (something he even did to an actual queer rapper, Tyler the Creator). As a bisexual man myself, I do find it tasteless in general, but in the context of this song I thing it’s ok. Like yeah, the homophobic crackhead Slim Shady persona would call the world we live in gay. The line still feels a little weird, though; is the Slim persona actually singing this song, or is this Em reflecting on the Slim persona? It kind of muddies the water, and makes it hard to figure just how seriously we’re supposed to be taking everything here.

So how many little kids still wanna act like me? (Haha) I'm a bigger prick than cacti be (Yeah) And that's why these (What?) Words sting just like you were being attacked by bees (Bzz) In the coupe, leaning back my seat (What?) Bumpin' R. Kelly's favorite group (Uh), the black guy (Guy) pees (Pees, haha) In my Air Max 90s White Ts, walkin' parental advisory

Verse three starts off pretty good! The R. Kelly joke is extremely juvenile and crass, but that’s the sort of thing I enjoy from Slim. It may be low-hanging fruit, but that’s the fruit you wanna grab the most. Now what wacky sort of humor is Slim going to bring to this verse next? Surely he won’t make some incredibly stupid and corny joke that isn’t funny in the slightest and derails the whole song!

My transgender cat's Siamese (Why?) Identifies as black, but acts Chinese (Haha)

According to Genius, this line might actually be a reference to a Dave Chapelle bit from 2019’s Sticks & Stones. If that’s the case, I really don’t need to say much more. There’s no way to read this line in anything other than the worst possible light.

Like a motherfuckin' Hacky Sack, I treat (What?) The whole world 'cause I got it at my feet (Yeah) How can I explain to you (What?) That even myself I'm a danger to? (Yeah) I hop on tracks like a kangaroo And say a few things or two to anger you

So he does openly admit he says fucked up stuff to get a rise out of people. Going in to the song, I knew this. The guy’s a provocateur, it’s what he does, and the Slim persona has always been about being as flagrantly offensive as possible. But the thing is, even the stuff here I’m taking issue with doesn’t make me mad; I’m more disappointed than anything, really. Like he has to know that times have changed and people really aren’t all in on this sort of humor anymore, right? What is the point of bringing Slim back to a world that has evolved beyond him, even if to finally kill him off? If that’s what he wanted to do he could do it without trying to showcase the dated humor. This is the musical equivalent of watching an 80s sex comedy like Porky’s or Revenge of the Nerds. Like maybe it was funny way back when, but looking back at it through a modern lens it’s just really gross and unpleasant and full of terrible messages.

But fuck that, if I think that shit, I'ma say that shit Cancel me, what? Okay, that's it Go ahead, Paul, quit, snake-ass prick You male cross dresser (Haha), fake-ass bitch And I'll probably get shit for that (Watch) But you can all suck my dick, in fact Fuck them, fuck Dre, fuck Jimmy, fuck me, fuck you Fuck my own kids, they're brats (Fuck 'em) They can screw off (Yeah), them and you all (Uh) You too, Paul (Punk), got two balls Big as RuPaul's (Woah) What you thought you saw ain't what you saw (Nah) 'Cause you're never gon' see me Caught sleepin' and see the kidnappin' never did happen Like Sherri Papini, Harry Houdini I vanish into the thin air as I'm leavin' like

The rest of the final verse, save for another tired shot at cancel culture, is fine. I might even say it’s a bit funny; I like him taking at shot at Dre, himself, everyone he’s worked with, his own kids… That part is where it is really obvious the whole thing is tongue-in-cheek, because he is by all accounts a good and loving dad. Making fun of RuPaul and Papini are fine in my book too.

So I’ve been pretty critical of this song and rather unamused by a lot of its jokes. This must mean I hate it, right? Well… no. I can’t say I love it, but I really don’t think this is awful. Trust me, I’ve heard awful Eminem and this isn’t it. “Just Lose It” and “We Made You” are light years ahead of this song in terms of awfulness. On top of that, this is also the first single off of an album that’s all about killing Slim—I don’t really have the full context. For all I know, this could be part of an overarching concept of the album, Slim’s last ride before his inevitable death, and in that regard this is definitely a perfect modern take on the classic Slim Shady song, warts and all. We just live in a world where his kind of humor doesn’t age badly, it just ends up dead on arrival more often than not.

If nothing else, it still showcases Eminem has great flow, great wit, clever writing… and that’s what he should stick to instead of making tired, unfunny boomer jokes about cancel culture and queer people just to rile people up. Hopefully that’s what the rest of the album will be like when it drops. I doubt I’m going to review every single song on it since I’m no Todd in the Shadows and my musical knowledge is very casual, but maybe I’ll give my opinions. Until that time, though, I think I’ll just listen to “Venom” again.

[blank-house]

Do the boys have personality’s that they prefer? Like if you have a certain personality will it be easier to raise their affection? Playing the demo it seemed that they responded a little differently to each personality type. (And yes I did replay it 4 times to get all the dialogue 🫣 seriously can’t wait for this game!!)

I briefly touched on this in another ask, but no they have no preference! Other than what attributes your MC starts with, there is no advantage to the personalities so befriending or romancing the guys isn’t any easier or harder.

The guys only react differently because the Seasonal MC’s are different! Let’s use a Winter MC and a Summer MC as an example because their differences are pretty stark. A Winter MC doesn’t like making a big deal of things and they also don’t react much. On the other hand, a Summer MC would readily speak their mind and be reactive.

So if someone like Percy were to start flirting with a Winter MC, they would either bluntly accept his flirting or ignore him. They are, after all, not so easily fazed regardless of how they feel about him. Seeing that, however, would make Percy cheekier because he wants a reaction. He’d think to quip back with something scandalous. But like I said, Winters are a tough nut to crack— so he’ll eventually give up if they don’t give him anything or gloat if they do.

However, a Summer MC has a shit ton of confidence so we determined that they would straight up tell him off or challenge him right back! Unlike Winter, Summers are actively engaging with Percy in this situation and so there’s an immediate back and forth. And since Summers don’t give up easily and Percy’s always willing to push the limit with them, their conversation can be bolder and more heated than the almost one-sided convo with Winter.

That being said, in the grand scheme of the game, those two interactions can be summed up as:

Percy flirted with MC

MC responded

Percy flirted back harder

MC wins/gives up

Ultimately, nothing different haha

It’s more tedious on our end but I wanted the cast to react to MC as a person and not just by their choices. Different season personalities help us do that because not only are we inserting the player into the game, we’re slotting you in as a character with established dynamics.

I mean, you wouldn’t bat an eye if a friend who talks flirty, talks flirty. But if a friend who doesn’t, suddenly does, that would require a reaction or a response, right?

It’s the same principle!

Even if the guys just met you for the first time, they can pick up on cues. So if you’re coming at them with spice then they’ll react accordingly! And if you don’t then of course they shouldn’t act as if you did.

~*~*~*

Phew— I wrote a bit there but I hope that makes sense! And although a good chunk of the game unravels differently based on your season, I hope you guys don’t get caught up in the differences. >~<

We will always make sure each seasonal interaction is new but equal, and if we don’t immediately correct that then there will be something later on to finally balance it.

The last thing we want is to give players the impression that you have to “act” a certain way to be worthy of love. So long as you’re making choices with good intentions, the boys will love you regardless of how you present yourself.

And that’s that!

Scifjsjdhrjehehdhw thank you for playing the demo four different times! I hope you had fun finding all the variations and that they were worth it ^^

[wingdingery]

Trick or treat!!!

Hello very secret anon ;)

For you, another trip to the WIP icebox! This is from a verse I mentally call “WFA vibes but they’re all poly and having complicated relations” (or BPA – Bat Polycule Adventures for short, and yes I do have a diagram lol).

__________

“Listen, Dick—you and Cass,” Steph says, gesturing between the two of them with a flick of her finger. She’s sitting on the other couch, legs thrown over Cass’s lap.

“Between the two of you, you could break in anywhere, physically or digitally,” she says, ticking the points off on her fingers as she speaks, “you could kick anyone’s ass, you’re super cute together, and you’re probably the least likely to get distracted making out in a corner. Tell me I’m wrong.”

“Hey!” Duke stops massaging Tim’s shoulders. “I wouldn’t get distracted making out with anyone in a corner!”

“I’m pretty sure none of us would except those two,” Tim says, nodding to Steph and Cass.

“I resemble that remark,” Steph says. “And, besides,” she says, turning to Duke, “you, young padawan, have yet to graduate from the Alfred Pennyworth School of Bat-acting. No undercover missions until you have your certificate. That’s the rule.”

“Wait,” Duke says, “am I actually gonna get a certificate?”

“Too hard to keep track of all the paper, so we switched to a digital badge system instead,” Babs says. “When was the last time you checked your Batquest app? It’s under Skills.”

Duke pulls out his phone and starts scrolling. “There are way too many sections on that thing.”

“That’s what I said!” Dick says, sitting up as much as he can with Jason’s arm weighing him down. “You know how this started? Stickers. All I wanted was stickers. I made a cute little app with stickers. And then—” Dick waves his hands in the universal Bat sign for a whole bunch of shit happened that I don’t want to talk about, “—so I left the project to Babs and Tim, and I come back to all this.”

“RPG themes make everything better!” Tim says.

“Seconded,” Babs says.

Dick throws his hands up. “I don’t even understand how the points and leveling system works! I just guess whenever I need to change the code!”

“Actually, I don’t totally understand it either,” Tim says.

Babs winces. “Seconded.”

“Okay, you’re all getting distracted here!” Steph says. “I mean, I think one of you should definitely fix that soon, because girl wants her Batpoints—but we have tickets to buy! I am officially nominating Dick and Cass for the mission. Dick or Cass, do you object?”

“No objections,” Cass says.

“No objections.” Dick smiles at Cass. “I feel like it’s been a long time since we did a mission together.”

“Dick and Cass have been officially nominated,” Babs says. “Anyone else?”

“Me and Tim,” Jason says, raising the hand that isn’t on Dick’s shoulder. “Same reasons as Dick and Cass.”

Steph flails on the couch, nearly kicking Cass. “Excuse me, you guys would totally get distracted making out!”

Tim raises his hand. “Veto. I get sick on cruises.”

Jason stares at him. “You live on a boat.”

“I didn’t say I get seasick,” Tim says. “Cruise ships are like an incubator for any infectious disease. My parents took me on one once and I had diarrhea for like a week straight. Never again.”

Steph wrinkles her nose. “TMI, dude.”

[munson-blurbs]

Hey Bug! Congrats on 2k, that is absolutely amazing. I'm so proud of you! I've been thinking on this for a while. Could you pretty please write Eddie/Hawkins General Hospital/Platonic Friendship. ❤

Babes! Thank you so much for this req. I will never stop whining saying that we were robbed of an Eddie/Robin friendship, so I fixed that problem. Here ya go!

Warnings: coming out, brief allusion to Ronance if you squint, mentions of Eddie's UD injuries

WC: 874

--

“Hey.”

The voice at the doorway draws Eddie’s attention away from The Fellowship of the Ring. He’s gotten accustomed to the steady beeping of the heart rate monitor over the last few days, but with the whole town under duress and his own less-than-stellar reputation, visitors have been scarce.

“Can I come in?” Robin asks shyly, clutching a brown paper bag in her right hand. She tucks a short lock of hair behind her ear as she waits for Eddie’s approval.

“Buckley!” he practically shouts, temporarily forgetting his limitations and wincing in pain. “Shit. Yeah, come on in. Welcome to my humble abode.” He pats the bed, beckoning her to sit down. “How’s the outside world?”

“Oh, you know,” Robin snorts, taking a seat next to him, “Hawkins is crumbling around us thanks to a monster from an alternate dimension. Just the usual.” Her expression turns more serious as she says, “How are you feeling?”

“Oh, you know,” Eddie grins as he mimics her tone, “Tending to my wounds courtesy of some weird bat-demogorgon hybrids from said alternate dimension. Just the usual.” His eyes flit over to her bag. “Whatcha got in there? Robin Buckley, did you bring me a sacrifice for my weekly Satanic ritual?”

Robin rolls her eyes and pulls out two bottles of Yoo-Hoo and a box of Honeycomb cereal. “You don’t seem like a flowers-and-balloons kinda guy, so I went with what I knew.” She opens one of the bottles and hands it to Eddie. “I wanted to bring you a six-pack of beer, but I didn’t think the receptionist would let me bring it in.”

“Probably not,” Eddie agrees, taking a swig of chocolate milk and sloppily wiping away the bit that dribbles down his chin. “But this was really nice of you. Thanks.” He offers a small smile and tries to prop himself up a bit. “You’re welcome to stick around, but there’s, uh, not much to do around–”

“I need to tell you something,” Robin blurts out, shaking her head as if trying to rearrange her scattered thoughts. “I mean, when we thought you, um–”

“Kicked the bucket?” Eddie jokes, frowning when she doesn’t laugh with him. “Hey, what’s going on?”

Tears cloud Robin’s vision, and she blinks them away. “I never got to thank you.”

He waves her off with his empty hand. “No need to thank me. That was probably the most metal concert I’ll ever put on in my life.” And the most terrifying, he thinks, but keeps it to himself.

“Not that; although Dustin seriously won’t shut up about how cool it was,” she remarks. “No, I mean, even before all this…I always thought it was really badass that you weren’t afraid to be yourself. Something pisses you off? You’re on top of a cafeteria table, ranting and raving about it. Someone calls you a freak? You just give them the devil horns and move on with your day.” She’s rambling now, but she can’t stop. “And when you were talking the other day about people ‘hunting the freak’? That’s…that’s always what scared me away from being myself.”

“You’re not a freak,” Eddie scrunches up his nose in confusion. “Maybe, like, a band geek at worst. But not a freak; not by a long–”

“I’m gay.” Robin lets the words linger in the air for a moment, waiting for him to react with disgust or even anger. But all she sees is his face soften, feels his calloused hand on her trembling one.

After what seems like a lifetime, he speaks up. “Nice,” he nods slowly. “Yeah, I can see why you’d be afraid to tell people that. This town isn’t exactly known for its accepting nature.” He takes another drink from the Yoo-Hoo bottle. “But, y’know, that doesn’t matter to me. Gay, straight, bisexual…you’re still my friend. At least,” he adds sheepishly, “at least, I hope we’re friends.”

Robin’s shoulders sag with relief. “Of course we’re friends, Munson. You can’t just battle Vecna with someone and then disappear from their lives.”

“That’s always been my motto.” He fumbles with the cereal box, and Robin helps him tear open the plastic. “I promise I’ll give you a hug when I’m not connected to a million machines and, y’know, in searing pain every time I move.” His eyes widen in sudden realization. “Hey, is this why you and Harrington never…”

“That’s not the only reason,” Robin giggles. “Could you imagine me dating a dingus like Steve Harrington?”

“Aw, but you could share hair products!” Eddie goads; Robin buries her head in her hands. “How about Lady Wheeler? You two seemed pretty cozy this last week.”

“Oh, you mean while we were fighting for our lives? Yeah, that tends to bring people closer together.” Robin, no longer nervous, slides right back to her signature sarcasm. “Besides, the last thing I need is a crush on another straight girl.”

“Another?”

“I am not talking about my love life—or lack thereof—with you,” she protests. 

“C’mon. I’m so bored; I need a little gossip to keep me from flinging myself out the goddamn window.” Eddie whines dramatically, pouting until Robin gives in. 

“Fine.” She gives an exasperated sigh, but she’s still smiling. “So, there’s this girl named Vickie…”

--

[royalty-subway]

Hello 👋🏼, i just wanted to thank you for the lilli headcanons. i really enjoyed them.

But as I was rereading I realized that swordward also had a Gallade and that he apparently has a relationship with Lilligant ( to be fair, they were caught at the same time so…)

Could you do some headcanons of Gallade relationship with swordward ⚔️🗡 ( And if possible, Gallade’s relationship with Lilligant 🗡🌸)

Ye-

I honestly like any excuse to write more about this AU because it very much intrigues me- ;w; I know it's been a while since I've talked about the AU, but it does live free in my mind.

So as mentioned before, Ralts was caught at the same time as Petilil. For Sordward to be part of the Pearl Clan. And much like Petilil, Ralts was shy at first (it might be because he just met Sordward, and he sensed hostility within him, but not towards his Pokemons). But he soon grew to be more… well, bold.

As in, Ralts became brave and tough. Like, try to break every rock he sees and swing a wooden stick around kind of brave. It could be because since Sordward’s hair used to be a sword, Ralts grew inspiration from that and always had a wooden stick with him and used it as some sort of sword. This continued until Ralts evolved into Kirlia.

Don’t worry, he was never a violent Pokemon. Since he was pretty close to Petilil, and she’s a shy little plant. He was just trying to be protective of his trainer and the other Pokemons.

You see, a dude Kirlia could either evolve into a Gardevoir or a Gallade. So he had a choice. Hell, even Sordward gave him the choice on what he wanted to evolve to (even if Sordward prefers Pokemons with blades, it was okay if his Kirlia wanted to be a Gardevoir), although the answer was perhaps obvious; a Gallade. Since he showed many signs of wanting to evolve into that. So naturally, Sordward attempted to find a Dawn Stone for him (and succeeded if you couldn’t tell).

Honestly, Gallade might be considered either Sordward’s main or ace Pokemon. It’s either him or Lucario. Speaking of Lucario, those two have some sort of rivalry with each other. Just to see who’s stronger, they don’t hate each other. The same could be said about Lilligant and Mismagius being rivals.

… But the Pokemons you’ll see most out of him are Lilligant or Gallade. And it’s mostly because those Pokemons mean a lot to him. He loves all of his Pokemons, but they just… stand out the most. Probably because of the leaf blade things, and they’re willing to annihilate anyone that messes with Sordward.

Plus, those two get along pretty well. Maybe it’s because they’ve been around at the same time, and one seemed more protective for the other's sake back then. Probably the only Pokemons in his team that can actually get along with no issue.

Here’s the thing, both Gallade and Lilligant are potentially seeing someone in terms of relationships. Gallade found a particular Gardevoir that he may be interested in. I said “may” because Sordward doesn’t exactly know the nature of their relationship. Because that Gardevoir is a male, and he doesn’t know if his Gallade is aware of that. So they could be just friends… or something else. But whatever the case is, they’re pretty close.

It should be known that the Gardevoir is a wild Pokemon. They have no trainer. So they encountered each other when Sordward let Gallade out so they could adventure together (and so Sordward doesn’t get hurt), until those two crossed paths and started talking. As Sordward was about to just intervene between those two, the Gardevoir ran away, as if he feared Sordward. But don’t worry, those two interacted more and more later on. Just when Sordward isn’t around to interrupt them.

In Lilligant’s case, it’s similar. She just encountered a wild shiny Lilligant and they both seem very intrigued with each other. As if they ended up being besties straight off the bat. And again, the shiny Lilligant shied away from Sordward when he showed up. Dude is unlucky.

By the way, do NOT ask him about the shiny Lilligant. He knows how people can be greedy with Pokemons with certain color changes. He doesn’t want anyone to hurt her, let alone capture her. It’ll make him and his Lilligant very unhappy if anyone dares to do something.

But yeah, Sordward and Gallade have a pretty close bond, seeing that Gallade is basically his main and willing to defend Sordward from any wild Pokemon. Both have the sense of nobility in them as... the Gallade takes inspiration from Sordward. So basically, the two do act similar, in a way.

Gallade is a bit quiet in nature, doesn't say much. But he's pretty strong, there's no denying that. And again, you'll either see Sordward let out his Gallade or Lilligant once in a while. Especially in the Hisuian wilds if he's walking about.

I hope this is okay. I could write more about this AU if people are intrigued. ;w;

[hisbuni]

save your tears, beautiful ⊹ nate, euphoria nsfw, sfw content. slight ooc nate, but he’s still our fucked up daddies boy. kinda spoiled! reader. normal nate warnings (toxic, manipulative behavior.) talks of murder, obsession + stalking. praise, degradation + breeding kink. orgasm control. hickeys. dacryphilia.

nate as a general boyfriend, would be… different. he’s protective, toxic, manipulative, caring, thoughtful, hurtfully truthful and many other things.

he loves you. wants to protect you, care for you, be with you, would do literally anything for you. but don’t let that get to your head because you are still his remember?

every girls dream is not have to think about everything around a man and that is literally what he wants you to do: not think.

wants you to just sit and look pretty. i mean you can talk but he’s probably not listening.

wants you to rely on him for everything. ask him what outfit to wear and he’s grinning wide for the rest of the day and telling you how good you look.

wants your full attention all the time. ignore the world, he is your world now.

believes you make him a better person and doesn’t think he could live without you.

loves loyalty— adores it actually. believes if you stay loyal to him, he’ll stay loyal to you.

treats you like a princess if he cares enough. carries your bags, rubs your feet, tells you how good you look all the time, etc.

doesn’t think you need anyone besides him. what do you mean you want friends outside of him? he should be your only friend.

holds your face every time you kiss to assert dominance and makes sure you can’t pull away.

in public, he tries his best to shade his obsession.

is actually thoughtful. buys you things that he thinks would look good on you and wouldn’t mind at all watching you try them on.

greedy as hell when it comes to you. doesn’t want anybody to even look your way long enough to see what outfit you had on that day if he isn’t standing next to you, holding your hand or has a hand wrapped around your waist.

hates when guys look at you. his head literally goes straight to the thought of beating the guys head in with a bat and letting you watch so you understand how in love with you he is.

is the type to wave a gift in your face but pull it away to ask for a kiss first.

isn’t afraid to show some affection. hold his hand, kiss him deeply but don’t make him seem weakly in love with you.

doesn’t give two fucks if a girl is trying to talk to him. he’s walking passed her with not even a glance, ignoring her calls and ignoring her in all forms.

in private, he thinks he deserves to be himself around you.

gets angry very quickly so don’t talk too much when he’s angry. unless he’s asking you something then speak up.

stalks you when he has the chance. just likes keeping a eye on his girl to make sure nobody touches her.

be there for him. when he’s having nightmares or can’t sleep. wants you to be his peace in the chaos of his mind.

expects you to tell the truth all the time. don’t lie, it won’t go well.

if he says something that upsets you, he’s do quick to fix it with some kisses and gifts. he doesn’t want you to leave him.

“fuck, i’m sorry,” he’d mumble against your lips as tears run down your cheeks. his hands wrapped tightly around your waist to make sure you can’t pull away from him even though he know you wouldn’t by the way your hands are tightly wrapped around him. he would then pull away and wipe your pretty tears with his thumb from your cheek. “forgive me, ya? i’ll buy you whatever you want,” he would say, and grin once seeing you nod.

during the night, expect late night calls and “i’m outside” texts.

doesn’t sleep at night most of the time and when he does he ends up getting woken up by a nightmare. his first thought when he wakes up from one is something to keep his mind off of it so he’s quick to pick up the phone and call.

sometimes he just shows up randomly with no call.

when you’re getting down in bed, he can either be really rough or morbidly gentle. he has to be in control in someway so no he is not being dominated.

very vocal. not with moans and such but more with praise or degradation.

building on that, only groans during and if a moan does happen to slip out he’ll be quick to start talking nonsense to you.

likes when you ride him because he gets to see all of you but at the same time has a good bit of control.

loves when you give him head. likes seeing you gag and choke on him.

unpopular opinion, but i feel he would adore eating your cunt. like it’s his number one way to control you in bed and “most importantly” apologize.

definitely into orgasm control. won’t let you cum until you’re practically begging and crying.

loves seeing you cry too. i mean he kinda gets off on see you cry even when you’re not being sexual sooo. . .

if you’re really innocent, likes turning you into his whore.

wouldn’t say he’s selfish but he definitely thinks about his pleasure a good amount more than yours.

likes holding your hand when he really wants to get intimate with you and so you really feel him.

likes cumming inside of you. less mess for him to clean up and he loves marking what’s his. doesn’t want you to get pregnant though so he will buy you birth control to make sure.

speaking of marking, hickeys are his love language. doesn’t mark you too deep but deep enough where everyone notices.

respond when he’s talking to you during. shit really turns him on! tell him how good he’s filling you up and that you love it.

wants you to be a mess underneath him. moaning, whining, crying, begging, all that. and he’ll do anything to get it.

hates when he can’t hear you moan or respond to him when he’s asking you question, so don’t hide or cover your mouth (unless you’re in a place where he needs you to be quiet then be quiet).

spanking is definitely his thing. likes bringing you a bit of pain to make you cry.

likes spanking your cunt too.

kinda feel like he’ll be a ass man. loves to watch your ass bounce and ripple from his pace in doggy.

“fuck,” he groans, hands full of your ass as he parts you to watch the way your cunt tried to suck him back in when he pulls out, teasingly. you’d whine at the lose of contact while he’s too busy watch you clinch and drip around nothing. “you’re so fucking greedy. you and this pussy. you always get what you want, don’t you?” his action is contradicting to his words as he then stuffs you full again, forcing you to let out a whining, “yes.”

[aragornsrockcollection]

Hello I’m here to talk about an opinion that isn’t so much unpopular because people don’t like it, but because it is splitting hairs and basically an argument based in semantics that sane people reasonably do not waste their time caring about it.

I am neither sane nor reasonable and therefore think about this a lot, and get ready to pull out a soapbox and type the Text Wall of China any time I hear people offhandedly contradict this opinion, and so I have come here today to die on this molehill, and write the over-long post of my dreams, because fuck it, it’s my blog.

Drumroll please:

Sauron is not The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings is the main antagonist though, so furthermore,

Sauron is not the main antagonist of The Lord of the Rings

I internally go insane every time someone says “Sauron, the eponymous Lord of the Rings” or “The antagonist never actually appears in Lord of the Rings” or uses Lord of the Rings as an penultimate example of having a flat ‘evil for evil’s sake’ villain. This is mostly in YouTube videos so I’m not calling out anyone here.

So who is the Lord of the Rings? Where do I get this shit? Why should anyone care?

I will tell you in far too much detail under this cut, because I told you I was gonna be extra about it and this is already long enough to inflict on my followers without their consent.

First and foremost, Frodo is not the Lord of the Rings either. Let’s get that out of the way. Gandalf explicitly tells us that in Many Meetings (the first chapter in Rivendell in Fellowship), when Pippin greets a newly awakened Frodo with quintessential Fool of a Took™️ swagger.

‘Hurray!’ cried Pippin, springing up. ‘Here is our noble cousin! Make way for Frodo, Lord of the Ring!’

‘Hush!’ Said Gandalf from the shadows at the back of the porch. ‘Evil things do not come into this valley; but all the same we should not name them. The Lord of the Ring is not Frodo, but the master of the Dark Tower of Mordor, whose power is again stretching out over the world! We are sitting in a fortress. Outside it is getting dark.’

So that’s my theory busted right off the bat! Gandalf straight up tells us the Lord of the Ring is Sauron (‘the master of the Dark Tower of Mordor’ which is Sauron).

But I already told you, this is a hair-splitting semantics-based theory! He said Sauron was the Lord of the Ring. Not the Lord of the RingS. Yes, this whole theory revolves around a single letter difference between the title of the series and Gandalf’s statement, WHAT OF IT?

But in all seriousness. Tolkien was a linguist. There was no way this choice was not deliberate, not on something so important to the narrative. And there is a very important difference between what he is referring to when he uses ‘The Ring” singular, and “The Rings” plural. The Ring that Frodo carried to Mordor has it’s singular nature highly emphasized by the language that surrounds it. THE definite article Ring, the ONE Ring. Just the One. Singular Singular Singular.

The Rings (plural) refers to the rings of power which Celebrimbor wrought, with Sauron’s help, but Sauron is objectively not the Lord of those rings. Not the three Elven ones at least, which he never touched and only suspects the location of. Without his One Ring he has no power over the Three, and a big problem with him regaining his Ring is that he would gain power over those rings, the ringbearers, and the safe realms that had been wrought with them, basically crippling those with the power to resist him.

Him NOT having the Ring, and therefore NOT having lordship over all the rings, is a pretty major plot point. Like, it’s not a reach to say Sauron not having the Ring is what drives the entire story. And he is NOT the Lord of the Rings without it.

And he never gains it, so is the whole series named after Sauron’s aspirations, that the main characters are trying to prevent? I mean, from an angle yes. But also no.

Because while Pippin and Gandalf’s exchange is the closest we come in the text to seeing the title, let me show you the only place within the covers that “The Lord of the Rings” is presented, at least in my beat up third hand 70’s edition. It may not be formatted like this in other editions, but I still think it says something about how we are supposed to read the title:

[Image ID: Masking tape can clearly be seen holding together my poor abused copy of Fellowship, open to the title page. THE LORD OF THE RINGS is written across the top of the page in all caps, directly below it is the Ring Poem, as if The Lord of the Rings is a the title not only of the series but of the poem. /.End ID]

The One Ring is the Lord of the Rings, not Sauron, who is the Lord of the Ring.

“What?” Say imaginary naysayers in my head, “How can a Ring be a Lord? And why does this matter, if Sauron is the Lord of the Ring, doesn’t that make him the Lord of the Rings by proxy? Why are you wasting your and my time making an argument about this?”

I’m glad you asked imaginary naysayer, let me speak to your first point. How can a ring be a Lord? Well, like any good first time speechwriter, I’ve turned to Miriam Webster, and asked it to define a word we already know, in this case ‘lord.’

[Image ID: Screenshot of the Miriam Webster definition of ‘lord.’ The ones that are relevant are 1: One having power and authority over others. 1a: A ruler by hereditary right or preeminence to whom service and obedience are due. And 1f: One that has achieved mastery or that exercises leadership or great power in some area /.End ID]

In the poem, it is the Ring that is spoken of as ruling, not Sauron. Sauron is actually listed in the same position as all the others who receive rings, “The Dark Lord on his Dark Throne” occupying the same place in the sentence structure as the “the Elven-kings under the sky” and “the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone” and “Mortal Men doomed to die.” It is the One Ring, not Sauron, who rules them all, fulfilling our first definition “A ruler by hereditary right or preeminence.” In this case it would be by right of preeminence, or superiority. The One Ring outclasses the other rings and thus dominates them, binding them to obedience and service. Gandalf calls it “the Master-Ring” when it is first revealed for what it is in Bag-End with the words appearing from the flame.

The Ring has it’s own will too. It’s repeatedly stated to be in control of Gollum when Gandalf is first telling us about it. I’m literally so spoiled for quotes about this that I was paralyzed with indecisiveness over what to use but let’s keep it simple with this one. It’s from Gandalf explaining why Gollum didn’t have the Ring allowing Bilbo to come upon it in the chapter “Shadows of the Past” from Fellowship:

‘It was not Gollum, Frodo, but the Ring itself that decided things. The Ring left him.’

So if Sauron is the Lord of the Ring, and the Ring is the Lord of the Rings, isn’t he Lord of the Rings by proxy? Yes, when he has the Ring. But also being the ruler of a lord doesn’t make the title of that lord your title, if that makes sense. People don’t call Aragorn the Prince of Ithilien, that’s Faramir’s title, Aragorn is King of the Reunited Kingdoms, he rules Ithilien, sure, but by proxy. Ithilien reports to Faramir who reports to Aragorn (I should be calling him Elessar since I’m talking about him as king, but whatever). If Aragorn lost the ability to contact Faramir or Ithilian, he would still theoretically be king there but he would have no practical control, just like Sauron with the Rings of Power.

Why does this matter? It mostly doesn’t. It does not change anything practically in the story at all.

But it matters to me, because it might help change perspective on the antagonist of LotR. It’s the Ring. Sauron is a force in the world, one the Ring is closely allied with, and from whom many of the obstacles come, but the entity that our protagonist is really fighting on every page is the Ring.

If Gandalf were the main character, or Aragorn, or almost anyone else on Middle Earth, Sauron would be the Primary Antagonist. But they are not. Frodo is the Primary Protagonist, and his struggle is NOT against Sauron, it is against the Ring.

If destroying the Ring had not destroyed Sauron, would Frodo have kept fighting in this war? NO! He had his task, and once it was done he was done, even if the world ended afterwards. Everything is driven by the Ring. The threat to the Shire comes from the presence of the Ring, so Frodo takes the Ring to Rivendell. The danger of the Ring is not neutralized by it being brought to Rivendell, so he continues his journey to destroy it once and for all. He doesn’t fight Sauron, he fights the Ring. He fights with himself to keep going in spite of the despair it levels on him, the poisonous words it whispers in his ear, the physical toll it takes on his body. He fights Boromir and Sam (not to the extent he does in the movie, but still a bit) and Gollum over the Ring. He negotiates with Faramir over the Ring.

And the Ring is SUCH a more interesting and nuanced villain to struggle with than Sauron. Sauron is representative of a force in the world. He controls events but never appears, because he acts as the source of all evil, it’s representation on earth (at least now Melkor is in the Void), but it is far more interesting to watch the effect he has on others than deal directly with a character that is so obviously in the wrong in every way. Making Sauron a physical character in LotR is like making the Devil a present character in basically any piece of media that deals with evil.

Evil at its purest isn’t that interesting, because it contains no conflict. Leaving Sauron as an offscreen player leaves us to see characters that are not pure evil struggle with that conflict.

The fascinating thing about the Ring is that it has no power outside of what you give it. But given enough time even the best people, like Frodo, will end up losing themselves to it, as it whispers in your ear with your own voice.

I want to go ballistic when people point to LotR and say it has a one dimensional villain. EVERYONE’S OWN VIOLENCE, DESPAIR AND THIRST FOR POWER IS THE VILLAIN OF LORD OF THE RINGS! Brought to the fore by a small unassuming golden trinket which just happens to also be the titular Lord of the Rings.

Honestly “The Ring is the Villain of LotR change my mind” should be its own big long post with lots of quotes and shit, the fact that the Ring is The Lord of the Rings just being a small point in it.

But unless you are a specific type of interested in story structure and stuff none of this is at all meaningful and it really, really doesn���t matter, so I’m gonna go.

Thanks for coming with me on this dumb journey.

[dairy-farmer]

Because I love angst....

There’s some fics where Tim tries to help Jason to kill him so that he can rejoin the family, where he assumes Jason and the rest of the family won’t miss him and he is passively suicidal.

Usually, it goes that he’s mistaken. I want a world where’s he not.

Jason brutally murders Tim in Titan’s Tower...maybe even worse. (R*pe) Then, he destroys the body, and sets off to rejoin the batfam.

Bruce and Dick, are, predictably, overjoyed to have Jason back. They don’t know he killed Tim—he’s gone missing, but nobody really cares too much. Why should they? It’s a miracle. Jason’s back.

Sure, Kon and Bart care, but they die soon after, in manners similar to canon.

Time goes on. Jason tells them the censored story. They weep and hug him. All is well. He doesn’t regret killing the imposter.

But it starts to feel a little strange, because he thought he’d have to try a little harder, if you know what he means. Bruce takes over a month to actually open a case regarding Tim. Nobody opens it for weeks at a time. No one is really *looking*— it seems they’re content to let it lie.

Tim’s school eventually reports his drop in attendance. The Drakes take a month to return home. They pay off the police to keep the investigation hush-hush— Drake Industries might not be able to tank the bad publicity if it gets out that their son is likely dead due to their negligence.

They leave again, for Peru, or Ecuador, or Suriname. Jason can’t keep it straight.

He kept one trophy. A single tooth, from the back of the mouth. He had knocked it free with a crowbar sometime during the killing. He keeps it in a false bottom in his sock drawer. There’s nothing else. The acid made sure of that.

Meanwhile, he gets used to the evolution in operations down in the bat cave. There’s a few new rogues, a few new allies— Cass is pretty cool, he supposes. The bar computer is a lot better than he remembers. It’s a bit like the internet before and after google, the difference is so stark— messy, poorly formatted files are now neatly saved and backed-up and cross-referenced.

He asks Oracle about it. She mentions it being the work of— she pauses here, not wanting to say ‘the previous robin’.

Eventually, she says, “The Substitute”, even though Jason isn’t Robin anymore, is working on his own costume and identity with the help of his family. Red Hood is a dusty secret, not entirely MIA, but operated remotely so as to not draw the suspicion of his family.

It’s the first time he ever feels something about the boy that isn’t rage. It’s something else, gray and shriveled in his gut. He doesn’t know a word for it, and he doesn’t need to. He pushes it aside.

But he’s always had an addictive personality. A week later, he’s the only one in the cave. The bat computer just sits there, calling his name in a voice he doesn’t want to recognize. He heard it before, sobbing mostly.

He finds the old ID. When he logs in, the setup takes several minutes to load, which is strange, because everything is so much faster now, loading in milliseconds.

There’s files. More than Jason can even fathom. Case files, photos, and video footage from the Robin mask. Even a few AI chess-games with game times going into the months-long territory, differently coded ‘players’ wining or loosing matches against each other into perpetuity, with nobody left to witness them.

There’s a lot of side projects like that. They’re usually quite strange, technically complex, and Jason slowly realizes as he pores over them in between watching the trackers for Bruce and Dick’s return, bloody brilliant.

Weirdly, it just breeds a sort of awe in his chest. No anger.

And there’s the footage. It takes him bags full of high-storage flash-drives to get all of it. He watches it alone in his room. Tim Drake in black and white security footage in the cave, quietly cleaning up after Batman or sitting hunched at the bat computer— looking so small, hunched over with his legs tucked in like he’s cold.

Footage from his Robin encounters— he’s quiet, speaks far more rarely than Jason or Dick had. He’s got this sweet, soft little voice that Jason actually finds quite relaxing. Sometimes he mutters to himself when he’s solving a problem faster than Jason can believe, always sounding a little unsure of his own brilliance.

Jason’s always had an addictive personality. It’s why he killed Tim, in a way. He just gets obsessed.

It happens all over again, in reverse.

He starts seeing Tim in his dreams, in the corner of his vision when he’s tired. He doesn’t speak, and when Jason reaches for him, he’s always drifting away, his expression blank.

He runs out of footage. The dreams turn into nightmares. He’s running, screaming, crying, begging for a companion in a vast void, and there’s Tim, off in the distance, hunched over., never able to see or hear him.

Sometimes, he finds Tim, after wandering in the rocky hellscape for hours. Or, what’s left of him. It’s never a skeleton, always a fresh corpse— mangled almost beyond recognition if not for the tatters of red and green. It’s a familiar sight.

Back when Tim was reported missing to the Police, somebody— probably Dick— was sent over to the Drake manor to collect all of Tim’s things, hopefully clearing anything incriminating.

Jason checks the evidence storage. There’s long rows of it, shelves leading into the darkness of the vast cave tunnels. It takes him several nights to find the sealed plastic box.

DRAKE MANOR it is labeled in neat, blocky letters. In the notes section of the item sheet, it mentions a loose floorboard and a false panel in the wall. It’s clinical. The paper is damp and dusty.

When he opens it, he finds notebooks, stuffed with sticky notes and yellowed with use, and more than that, *photos*. His heart nearly stops, desperate for a new hit of his newest drug.

When he begins to look through them, he has to sit down, because— because they’re *old*. Really old.

He stares at a photo of himself as Robin, silhouetted proudly by the Gotham moon. It’s a great shot, perfect in composition and and coloring. He can’t imagine how long it took Tim to get it.

He couldn’t have been older than 11. He pictures the School photo-day records he had dug up, that even smaller, paler Tim, with his shy, gap-toothed smile.

His hand curls into a fist. There’s something wet in his eyes. For the first time, he allows himself to acknowledge its more than the dust.

He’s in love with Tim Drake, he thinks. He thinks it again. It’s stronger each time, more and more sure, until it’s a crescendo pumping in every inch of his body. It’s like the hot twin of the Pit, but somehow *more*. He can barely stand it.

He sends Bruce a note over the Bat-Chat about the status of the missing ‘neighbor’, as they tend to refer to him.

Bruce seems surprised he asked, and then reassures him that he always viewed Jason as the proper Robin. That boy didn’t mean anything to him, he says.

He gets an even more flippant response from Dick, punctuated by an octopus-hug that Jason has to excuse himself from to go vomit in the bathroom.

Because he knows that. He knows Tim didn’t mean anything to them. He can see it, in the old footage. In the way they treated him like a servant at best, a crutch, and a scapegoat at the worst.

He sees the shake of his skinny little limbs as he hauls himself out the back door in the snow back to the empty Drake Estate, his bruised ribs trembling in the cold.

He sees the glitzy press conference recently held by Drake Industries, where the only mentioned of their missing son was a token used to bolster their story of ‘resilience in the face of challenges’, garnering more donations to their nascent technology fund.

He knows Tim didn’t mean anything to them. He didn’t mean anything to anybody.

All alone.

Something in Jason curdles for the second time. This time, he needs no pit to grant him rage.

(Im going to continue this, but my phones dying lol. Expect a contusion In the coming days, but Id love to hear ur thoughts!!!!)

tim!!!😢😢😢😢 the fact that no one cares that tim died, no one looks into it at all!! jason slowly falling in love with tim through the little things about him that were left behind!

that line!! where jason realizes that both dick and bruce along with tim's parents don't care to know what happened to the boy that jason killed and whose body he destroyed. "He knows Tim didn’t mean anything to them. He didn’t mean anything to anybody."

😢😢😢😢😢

fics where tim gets the short end of the stick just hit so much harder because he's my fav and seeing him suffering!!! tim hasn't even suffered for long here and he's not present to see how unmourned he was but it's just so tragic all the same and heartwrenching!! that the only person genuinely upset by tim's death is the person who killed him.

and you feel for jason, despite the fact that he killed tim who was innocent. you really feel for him because as his state of mind becomes more steady you can see how the regret and horror slowly seeps in. he's being haunted by the horrible guilt and disgusted realization that even if he confessed and told what he did...nothing would happen. part of jason is still that boy, that robin who fought for justice and now here he is, the person who comitted a heinous act that can't be taken back and it's just so horrendous. because he didn't just stop at killing tim, he erased every bit of evidence of what happened to him, he destroyed his body- there is no trace or bit of tim drake left in the world aside from the few words he left behind.

and the absolutely gut-wrenching tragedy of jason falling for tim, of having been probably the only person to care for tim but that care coming too late to save tim.

it's just so sad!!!!! 😢😢😢😢 i'm happy you wrote and shared it but it really is the most angsty thing i think i've read in a while!!!

[therapardalis]

littlelovelymemes​:

 ✰   —  —  —  BUZZFEED UNSOLVED SENTENCE STARTERS

[Cut for length.]

‘  do you think we’re gonna die here tonight?  ’ ‘  it’s horrifying, chilling… just over all not good.  ’ ‘  should we just get this over with?  ’ ‘  he’s a fucking criminal.  ’ ‘  sharing is caring? meh, go fuck yourself.  ’ ‘  oh god, um… oh my god, i fucking hate this.  ’ ‘  stop banging on the door, you dick.  ’ ‘  what. the fuck. is wrong with you.  ’ ‘  i gotta be honest, this doesn’t really compel me very much.  ’ ‘  that was a joke that i made and then it formed your opinion on it.  ’ ‘  flip that switch. do you think that’s the murder switch?  ’ ‘  this is embarrassing. this is embarrassing for you, i think.  ’ ‘  no one’s ghost-proof.  ’ ‘  i’m ghost-proof.  ’ ‘  you’re not ghost-proof. you’re just an idiot who refuses to see proof.  ’ ‘  i’m ghost-proof, baby!  ’ ‘  that sounded like will smith!  ’ ‘  is will smith dead? has anyone checked the news?!  ’ ‘  the problem is if there’s something that attacks us down here, i’m going to hit my head on the ceiling and my skull will smash.  ’ ‘  alright, buddy. keep your wits about ya.  ’ ‘  let’s get the fuck out of here.  ’ ‘  i kind of just looked into places that would make me wanna die and i think this checks that box.  ’ ‘  did i just blind you? good, good, good. it’ll give you the vision.  ’ ‘  take a drink!  ’ ‘  i’m gonna get you all tanked.  ’ ‘  what do you expect? what insight are you trying to gather from here?  ’ ‘  maybe the noise is a little snake. can you imagine a little snake wrapped around a little pickaxe with a little hat on?  ’ ‘  i’m not trying to do that whole dismissive thing, but… i’m dismissing it.  ’ ‘  alright. alright, man. you just gotta chill.  ’ ‘  i thought ‘glory hole’ used to mean something very innocuous, though.  ’ ‘  it’s where the men fucked the earth hoping to impregnate it with gold.  ’ ‘  a bug flew up my nose.  ’ ‘  i think i’ve swallowed about six tablespoons of bugs at this point.  ’ ‘  it’s so silent aside from the bugs in my ears.  ’ ‘  a bat flew right behind you just now.  ’ ‘  that bat was straight-up going for your ass… it was an ass bat.  ’ ‘  dude, i’m so nervous.  ’ ‘  how can you be nervous with a beautiful sunset like that?  ’ ‘  there’s some pretty shitty things that have happened to people around here.  ’ ‘  can you even look at least a little bit worried?  ’ ‘  yeah, i’m fucking nervous, man. i feel like i’m gonna vomit.  ’ ‘  we’re all assholes here.  ’ ‘  i don’t know why i phrased it ‘lucky for us.’ i think i was feeling brave when i wrote this.  ’ ‘  yeah, this isn’t lucky for you at all.  ’ ‘  i’m gonna try and avoid saying ‘demon’ as much as i can.  ’ ‘  i’m not gonna let you goad me into this, i know what you’re trying to do.  ’ ‘  shut up. we’re moving on.  ’ ‘  you know what? i’m not trying to scare you, but… i got a bad feeling about this one.  ’ ‘  why are you unbuttoning your pants? we’re in public right now.  ’ ‘  oh… you’ve out-dumbed yourself.  ’ ‘  you know, i thought this was gonna be funny, but now i’m actually happy that i have it.  ’ ‘  i’m a whole other coin. just like a chill ass wheat-back penny.  ’ ‘  i’m doing it for the betterment of the science.  ’ ‘  any demons here? you got any demons out tonight? any horn-y boys or whatever they are.  ’ ‘  you may not like this… i’m gonna try to agitate it.  ’ ‘  you do what you gotta do and i’ll do what i gotta do.  ’ ‘  i’m just gonna be as crude as possible here.  ’ ‘  no, no, no. just right out of the gate. why build up?  ’ ‘  if you don’t believe then there’s nothing for you to be afraid of, right?  ’ ‘  you can be is big of a prick as you want, but i’m staying over here.  ’ ‘  if you want me off this bridge, you’re gonna have to kill me.  ’ ‘  nope! don’t loop me into your shit!  ’ ‘  stop looping me. i hate when you do this to me in demon places.  ’ ‘  i’m not part of his little charade.  ’ ‘  children will come here and tell tales about me.  ’ ‘  shut the fuck up – i’m gonna murder you.  ’ ‘  oh what a load of horse shit.  ’ ‘  oh, skip the theatrics and just go into it.  ’ ‘  if you want me off this bridge, you’re gonna have to throw me off.  ’ ‘  you gotta admit, that is an effective technique.  ’ ‘  no, it’s not an effective technique. it’s a way to get killed.  ’ ‘  that’s not how you get them, shut up.  ’ ‘  when’s the last time you ever walked into the dark woods?  ’ ‘  this is so much scarier than hunting fucking sasquatch.  ’ ‘  people usually feel overcome with emotion in here, like a violent emotion.  ’ ‘  give me a heads up if you start to feel murderous. i would appreciate that.  ’ ‘  by the way, these woods are also scary because of the people that might be in there.  ’ ‘  i mean, people are greater threats than demons or ghouls.  ’ ‘  i can’t fight, you can’t fight.  ’ ‘  you’re like one of those carwash floaty things that are out front just wiggling around.  ’ ‘  anyone doing up to no good out here?  ’ ‘  one of these times we’re gonna die.  ’ ‘  oh shit! there’s something over there. i don’t know what it is, but the bushes are moving.   ’ ‘  i just heard a scream.  ’ ‘  well, if we just make it seem like we’re in on it, like… we’re here for the cult stuff.  ’ ‘  we’re here for the cult stuff. we saw the ad on craigslist.  ’ ‘  it feels weird to even joke. i’m so fucking scared right now.  ’ ‘  oh sure they’d be hiding in the bushes. they’re cultists.  ’ ‘  i keep collecting spiderwebs on my face and now i’m just sort of immune to them. i’m just letting them accumulate.  ’ ‘  well, you are just a giant stick walking around.  ’ ‘  oh, this looks fun… an odd collection of branches. looks like a witch lair or something.  ’ ‘  hello? you can’t be doing occult stuff like this. it’s a weeknight.  ’ ‘  dude, wait. you’re fucking crazy.  ’ ‘  you need to chill. you need to chill out.  ’ ‘  hey man, it’s just a plant.  ’ ‘  we kicked goatman off the bridge, it’s ours now.  ’ ‘  goatman, are you out here in the woo– well, he’s out here in the woods ‘cause he’s not tending to his bridge.  ’ ‘  clearly. that’s why finders keepers and all that.  ’ ‘  hey, if there’s cultists out there… i gotta let you know, my pal has a water gun.  ’ ‘  i don’t like this, i don’t like this one bit.  ’ ‘  we are hearing noise from all sides at this point. it’s very blair witch.  ’ ‘  yeah, let’s leave.  ’ ‘  the name ‘steve’ doesn’t really strike fear into the heart.  ’ ‘  i’ll go along with this. fun gimmick.  ’ ‘  well demons, it’s been fun.  ’ ‘  as we snuff these candles so too do we snuff you from this mortal world, you fucking wimp.  ’ ‘  this bridge is officially mine. they’ll tell legends of me here.  ’ ‘  oh god, i feel like i’ve gone to the dark side.  ’ ‘  just gloat a little bit. this is a win for you.  ’

[waitimcomingtoo]

Valentine’s Day Blues

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Synopsis: In the midst of planning Valentine’s Day and his brothers party, Tom forgets your birthday

happy birthday to @bluelilly21 !! 🥳

Masterlist

The first time you met Tom, you were crashing his brothers birthday party. In your defense, it was Valentine’s Day, as well as your birthday, and you didn’t want to be alone. So when your best friend said she was going with her boyfriend to some party, you tagged along.

“Hey mate. Thanks for the party. We’re gonna be heading out soon.” Tuwaine shouted over the music of Harry and Sam’s birthday party.

“Thanks so much for coming.” Tom said as he pulled him into a hug. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“You too, mate. Wait one second.” Tuwaine turned around and found his girlfriend in the crowd. “I want you to meet my girlfriend”.

“Hi. I’m Yara.” A girl came from behind Tuwaine and put her hand out to shake Tom’s.

“And I’m bored.” You announced as you stumbled into Yara’s arms. “Can we go, please?”

“In a minute.” She laughed as she held you up. “I haven’t said goodbye to everyone yet.”

“But I did and if I stick around it’ll be awkward.” You whined in her ear, making Tom laugh. Yara gave Tom a look that told him this wasn’t her first time having to take care of you.

“I said my goodbyes already. I could stay with you until Yara is done.” Tom offered. You picked your head off of Yara’s shoulder and squinted at Tom, finally noticing that he was standing there.

“Yeah. Why don’t you stay with Tom?” Yara spoke in a motherly tone as she helped you stand up straight.

“But I don’t know him.” You whispered to her, just loud enough for Tom to hear. He understood you not wanting to be left alone with a stranger while drunk, so he didn’t take any offense to it.

“He’s Tuwaine’s best friend.” She assured you. “I wouldn’t leave you alone with someone I didn’t trust.”

“Okay.” You sighed before facing Tom. “But don’t try anything. I have a gun.”

“She doesn’t.” Yara whispered behind her hand. “Play nice.”

“Bite me.” You nipped at her, making her laugh.

“I will.” She smiled and pulled you into a hug. “Love you, girl.”

“Love you.” You mumbled before letting her go. She disappeared back into the crowd, leaving you alone with Tom. You were a little too drunk to remember your manners, so you just stared at him, unapologetically sizing him up.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Tom.” Tom reached out to shake your hand.

“Y/n.” You told him as you dapped him up. Tom laughed a little at your movement and checked you out.

“How come I haven’t seen you before?” He asked, taking a step closer so you could hear him over the music.

“Excuse me.” You put on a voice. “I am homeless. I am gay. I have AIDS. And I’m new in town.”

“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.” Tom frowned. “Do you need a place to sleep tonight?”

“Dude, I’m joking.” You laughed in shock. “Haven’t you heard of John Mulaney?”

“No.” Tom shook his head. “Is he your friend?”

“He’s a comedian.” You said like it was obvious. “Don’t they have comedy in England?”

“Our teeth are pretty funny looking.” Tom shrugged, making you smile.

“Hm.” You looked him up and down. “Cute and funny.”

“So how much of what you just told me was true?” Tom asked as he took a sip of his drink.

“Nothing except for the fact that I’m new in town.” You seemed to sober up a little. “But Yara and I go way back.”

“Same with me and Tuwaine.”

“I know. He’s been talking you up to me for a year now.” You chuckled as you pulled a water bottle out of your bag.

“Has he?” Tom raised an eyebrow. “What did he say?”

“That what you lack in height you make up for in charm.” You insulted him flirtatiously.

“What’s the verdict?” Tom stepped closer again. “Was he right?”

“You’d really let me sleep at your place if I was homeless?” You questioned him and you decided whether you liked him or not.

“I would.”

“Well, then he was right.” You batted your eyelashes and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “You’re definitely short.”

“Damn.” Tom shook his head as you pulled away laughing.

“I’m sorry.” You chuckled. “But you’re pretty charming as well.”

“Thank you. You’re not so bad yourself.” Tom flirted.

“Guess what?” You went up on your tip toes to whisper in his ear. “It’s my birthday today.”

“Is it really?” He asked. “It’s my brothers birthday too.”

“Isn’t this their party?” You realized, and Tom nodded. “I hope you don’t mind I tagged along with Yara. I just broke up with my boyfriend and I didn’t want to be alone.”

“I don’t mind at all.” Tom told you. “I’m sorry about your breakup. Now that I know you’re single, you know what it really makes me want to do?”

“What’s that?” You raised an eyebrow.

“Get you a cab and make sure you get home safe.” Tom smiled softly as you as he gave you a comforting squeeze on your arm.

“That would be lovely.” You said in appreciation. You took Tom by the hand and began to walk with him towards the exit. “I’m glad I met you Tom.”

“I’m glad I met you too, darling.”

You didn’t kiss him that night, though you wanted to. It took about a month of knowing each other for you to finally kiss him. But once you did, you were inseparable.

It was a full year since the party, meaning yours and the twins birthday had come around again. It was also Valentine’s Day, your very first one with Tom. You woke up before him and walked into the kitchen, smiling at the dozen roses he had set on the table. Next to the roses was a box of chocolates at your spot at the kitchen table, but no birthday card. You furrowed your eyebrows a little but didn’t have time to think about it when your phone rang. You answered it and thanked the person for the birthday wishes as Tom entered the room.

“Sorry.” You smiled as you put your phone down. “I had a phone call.”

“Good morning. Happy Valentine’s days.” Tom’s voice was husky with sleep as he pulled you into a long kiss.

“Happy Valentine’s Day to you too.” You smiled against his lips before kissing him again.

“I have to call my brothers before I forget.” Tom kissed your forehead before pulling away. “Then I’ll make you breakfast.”

“Yeah.” You narrowed your eyes at him to see if he was joking. “You wouldn’t want to forget a birthday.”

Tom didn’t take the hint as your phone began to ring again.

“Your phone is ringing again?” He raised his eyebrows. “Someone’s popular.”

“I guess I am.” You mumbled, realizing that he had indeed forgotten. You took your phone call and tried to give Tom the benefit of the doubt. It was his brothers birthday, after all. Maybe he was just waiting to say it to them first. You came back to the kitchen after the call just as Tom was putting pancakes on the table.

“There you are.” He grinned and made grabby hands at you. “I want to spend every second together until the party. It kinda sucks our first Valentine’s Day together is also my brothers birthday. I’d rather spend the day with you.”

“It’s okay.” You shrugged sadly. “Birthdays are important.”

“I know.” He ironically agreed. “Maybe we can leave early and have some alone time.”

“Sure baby.” You faked a smile. “Let’s just eat, okay?”

You didn’t want to fight with him, especially on Valentine’s Day, so you made peace and sat down with him to eat breakfast. You were hurt that he had forgotten your birthday, but he at least remembered Valentine’s Day. You decided that that was better than nothing and tried to push it from your mind.

Tom had a few last minute errands to run before his brothers party, which you were slightly relieved about. You didn’t really want to spend the day with him after he forgot your birthday. He kissed you goodbye multiple times, harping on how sorry he was to leave you on Valentine’s Day. You sighed deeply once he left, feeling tears threaten your eyes in his absence. Every time he mentioned the party or Valentine’s Day, you were reminded that he had forgotten about you.

Tom came home once you had already started getting ready. You had your dress on and were talking a phone call as he got dressed.

“Are you almost ready to go, love?” Tom asked as he buttoned his shirt.

“One minute.” You mouthed as you pointed to your phone. The conversation finished up quickly and you hung up.

“Did someone leak your phone number or something?” Tom wondered. “It’s been going off all day.”

“Oh, you know.” You shrugged, not wanting to start something. “It’s a special occasion.”

“Valentine’s day is not that special.” He laughed as he came behind you to look in the mirror. “But you look beautiful.”

“Thank you.” You smiled tightly as you put in your earrings. Tom went in to kiss you, but you moved so he’s only get your cheek. He clocked your strange behavior but shrugged it off as he grabbed his keys.

~

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY BITCH!” Yara screamed from across the room when she saw you at the party. She ran to you and threw her arms around you, squeezing you tightly. She kissed both your cheeks before placing a tiara on your head.

“There. So everyone knows you’re the birthday girl.” She smiled proudly as she fixed your hair.

“Thank you.” You grinned as you squeezed her hands. “I appreciate you.”

“Well it’s my best friends birthday. I had to do something.” She shrugged playfully. “What did Tom get you?”

“Tom forgot.” You blurted, trying to keep a straight face. “He hasn’t said anything yet.”

“What?” Yara’s face fell. “He threw his brothers this party but didn’t even wish you a happy birthday?”

“There’s a lot going on today.” You tried to defend him. “He wished me a happy Valentine’s Day. And he got me roses.”

“It’s your birthday.” She didn’t let up. “It is his girlfriends birthday. He should know that.”

“It’s okay.” You shrugged it off, but she could tell you were upset.

“It’s not.” She didn’t let up. “Where is he now?”

“Last time I saw him, he was with Tuwaine.” You told her. “I didn’t really want to be around him right now.”

“Good.” Yara nodded as she fixed your hair. “Leave him be until he figures it out.”

“Is that the birthday girl?” A familiar voice came from behind you, making you smile.

“Happy birthday, you two.” You greeted Sam and Harry as you handed them separate birthday cards.

“Happy birthday to you too, princess.” Harry teased as he flicked your tiara. They pulled you into a group hug that lingered while Sam rubbed your back.

“This is for you.” Sam handed you a card.

“And this is from us.” Harry winked as he handed you a small black box.

“Thanks guys.” You smiled in appreciation. “I put your gifts in the back room. Should I get them?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Sam waved his hand. “Open it.”

You opened the box and found a thin black brackets with a straight metal pendant. The pendant had dots and lines going across it, making you look at the twins in confusion.

“It says “Holland” is Morse code. We have them too.” Harry explained as he showed you his matching bracelet.

“It’s to show that you’re part of our family now.” Sam added. “So people know you’re our sister.”

“Thats…” ,you stared at the bracelet for a moment, feeling sentimental tears coming to your eyes, “that’s really sweet, guys. Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

You pulled them into another group hug before letting them get back to their party.

“They remembered.” Yara gave you a pointed look.

“I should probably get back to the party.” You changed the subject, not wanting to sit in self pity. “Thank you for the tiara. You’re the best best friend I could ask for.”

“You’re welcome.” Yara told you as she hugged you tightly. “Happy birthday. I’m sorry your boyfriend is dumb.”

You gave her a look before heading back to the main area of the party. The second you saw Tom, you felt a disappointment in your stomach. He was laughing and having a good time while you were upset. You wished you didn’t care as much as you did, but you were hurt. He had forgotten your birthday and didn’t seem to care.

“Hey. There you are.” Tom smiled when he spotted you, already tipsy as he tried to hug you. “Are you enjoying the party?”

“Yeah.” You said flatly and moved away from him. “I’m gonna go get a drink.”

Tom pouted briefly at your odd behavior as Yara and a friend of yours approached him.

“Where’s your girlfriend?” Your friend, KC, shouted over the music.

“She just left to get a drink.” Tom told her. “She’ll be back soon.”

“Good.” KC nodded. “I have to wish her happy birthday. I called her first thing this morning but I want to tell her in person.”

“It’s my brothers birthday, actually.” Tom corrected her. “They’re over by the pool table.”

“I know.” She laughed shortly. “But it’s Y/n’s birthday too.”

“She’s a Valentine’s baby.” Yara said sweetly while shooting daggers at Tom. “Isn’t that so cute?”

“What?” Tom jutted his head back. “It’s not her birthday. Her birthday is-“

“Today.” KC raised an eyebrow at Tom. “Did you not know?”

“I think he knew.” Yara stated with a hand on her hip. “He just forgot.”

“Oh no. I’m such an asshole.” Tom covered his mouth with his hand. “I can’t believe I forgot her birthday.”

“She couldn’t believe it either.” Yara shrugged. “You’re not gonna live this one down. This is exactly what happened last time.”

“Don’t say that.” KC said in a hushed tone, making Tom grow concerned.

“What do you mean?” Toms eyes darted between the two of them. “What happened last time?”

“Her ex did this last year and she was totally devastated.” KC told him. “He texted her “happy v day” and did nothing all day. They didn’t last a day after that.”

“Really? That’s why they broke up?” Tom began to panic. He knew about the ex, but you had never told him why you broke up.

“Yeah. She felt ignored.” Yara said unsympathetically towards Tom. “She was crying at my apartment until I brought her to your brothers party. That’s when you met, dummy.”

“Oh no.” Tom whined and looked around for you. “Do you think she’ll forgive me?”

“I’m not so sure.” KC shook her head.

“Why do you say that?” Tom panicked at her confidence.

“Because I’m pretty sure she just left.” KC said as she pointed behind Tom. Tom wiped around right as you walked out the door. Harry and Sam were standing near by, still waving to you as you left. Tom rushed over to them, already seeing the disappointment on their faces before he got there.

“Dude, what did you do?” Harry asked, a little annoyed with Tom. “You didn’t wish Y/n a happy birthday?”

“You literally met on her birthday last year.” Sam added. “How could you forget that?”

“I don’t know!” Tom groaned, angry with himself. “It completely slipped my mind. I got her chocolates and roses though.”

“For Valentine’s Day.” Harry interjected. “Not her birthday. You’ve been together for almost a year and you didn’t wish her happy birthday. That’s cold, mate.”

“What did she say to you guys?” Tom asked. “Was she upset?”

“She was crying.” Sam told him, making Tom hang his head in shame.

“I gotta go.” Tom decided. “I have to make it up to her.”

“You can try.” Harry shrugged. “I don’t really think she wants to talk to you.”

“And I don’t really blame her.” Sam mumbled under her breath. Tom let out another sigh before getting his things and leaving the party. He stopped by the store to get a few things before driving home to you.

~

Once Tom got home, he peered around a wall and found you sitting on the couch reading a book. He took a deep breath before putting on his most apologetic smile.

“Happy birthday.” Tom said weakly as he presented you with a cupcake. He sat down on the couch next to you but you didn’t budge.

“Who told you?” You asked without looking up. Tom sighed and set the cupcake on the coffee table so he could talk to you.

“Yara.” He admitted, and you nodded like you were expecting that. You continued to read your book, putting a nervous feeling in Toms stomach.

“I’m so sorry, princess.” He apologized as he put a hand on your knee. “I completely forgot.”

“I noticed.” You replied coldly, removing his hand.

“How can I make it up to you?” He asked sweetly, hoping you’d give a little.

“It’s fine.” You sighed. “There was a lot going on today. It’s Valentine’s Day and it’s your brothers birthday. And hey, at least you remembered those.”

“It’s not fine.” He frowned. “I can tell you’re upset. I’m so sorry.”

You finally put your book down and stared straight ahead, not knowing what you wanted to say yet.

“I am upset.” You said, like you were admitting it to yourself. “And I’m not sure why.”

“Because I forgot your birthday.” Tom reminded you quietly.

“But it’s only your first offense.” You thought out loud. “This is just strike one.”

“What?” Tom furrowed his eyebrows. “I’m not following, love.”

“I’m trying to say that you’ve been a really good boyfriend so far.” You finally looked at him. “You pay attention and communicate your feelings and go out of your way to make me happy. You have been a picture perfect boyfriend for the past year and all the sudden…”

“I fucked up.” Tom finished your sentence for you. You laughed softly and nodded.

“Yeah.” You agreed. “So I’m not sure how to react. On the one hand, you forgot my birthday. On the other hand, you were busy all day getting me roses and chocolates and throwing an amazing party for your brothers because that’s the kind of guy you are. Should I be mad that you’re so thoughtful that you took too much on?”

“Are you asking me?” He laughed a little.

“I am.” You softened up and smiled at him. “Because I don’t know what to do. I’m upset you forgot my birthday, but I also know why you forgot. So I’m at a bit of a crossroads right now.”

“Well, the party was no excuse to forget.” Tom didn’t let himself off the hook. “I should have remembered.”

“Yes, you should have.” You agreed. “But this has happened to me before. And the last time it happened, I didn’t get an apology and a cupcake.”

“Yara told me about your ex.” Tom said softly as he put his hand on your knee again. This time, you let him. “I’m not like him.”

“I know you’re not.” You smiled weakly. “You’ve spent the past year proving to me that you’re nothing like him. So yes, I’m upset. But I’m also ready to forgive you.”

“You are?” He asked hopefully, leaning closer to silently ask for a kiss.

“I am.” You accepted his kiss and he smiled in relief. “Just don’t do it again.”

“I won’t.” He promised. “Thank you for forgiving me. I love you.”

“I love you too.” You smiled at him. “Now give me that cupcake.”

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