#I'm living in the trenches bro

[the-mr-hyde-jive]

I'm losing my marbles I need a new chapter of monkey wrench to be out they cant just LEAVE IT THERE THAT CHAOTER WAS INSANE.

[yuansie]

(2) even when there was rain, sunshine came

pairing. caleb x fem! childhood friend! non mc! reader (x childhood bsf! zayne)

synopsis. caleb planted a seed in your heart when you were both young, nurturing it without meaning to until it sprouted and blossomed. it shouldn't have grown this much, not when you knew you could never have him.

genres/aus. angst, fluff, f2l, unrequited love, childhood f2l

warnings. slight ooc caleb (i have not read homecoming or wtv that chapter is called BC my laptop died on me. but maybe ill get to it today since i got it on my bros pc HELP), NOT canon compliant oops (no higher being placing a curse on zayne, no experimentation done on mc and caleb bc josephine is a good person this time BYEEEE), mentions/descriptions of crying, a kiss YUCK, caleb himself is a warning tbh. if there's anything i'm missing, please let me know!

rating. sfw but make it lowk very angsty but fluffy ish at the same time.

wc. 4 k

a/n. not proof read, we die like redacted i mean what who said that. posts this rn bc i dont want to wait till midnight to post haha #lolsies also, i feel like the mood just progressively gets worse for yn 😭 like i give yn brief happiness and then BAM im like her opp, someone needs to take me out bc why am i doing this to her 💔 sorry yn i swear i love you 💔 happy early update bc im going to be busy w hw this weekend ❤️‍🔥

winter blues seep into your skin when you’re thirteen and alone during your winter break.

mc, caleb, and granny josephine went on a vacation outside linkon city, your mom has been working night shifts at the hospital as of late, your dad is in skyhaven, and zayne won’t be coming back this break.

in fact, he hasn’t once visited during his breaks from school since he started college.

you sit at the living room’s window, watching outside the glass as white specks fall from the sky.

snow.

despite being inside the comfort of your home, shielded from the biting cold of winter, you feel like your whole body is frozen over.

it’s so cold.

and caleb isn’t there to keep you warm.

a soft chime comes from your phone that sits on the empty space of the large couch you’re on. the phone was a gift from your dad after you told him that you’d like to talk to him and zayne more often. the screen turns on, and you stare at the notification.

zayne li: Hello.

the screen dims for a second before brightening again.

zayne li: I would like to say something.

there’s a knock on the door.

you reach out, your fingers wrapping around the device. you’re getting ready to type a response when another knock is heard, then another one.

and another one.

and another one.

with a sigh, you place it back down and head towards the front door. you don't even bother to check through the peephole beforehand and just open it.

“you’re here.” you gape at the older boy standing on your porch. zayne is taller now, his hair the slightest bit longer, his features a little sharper, but his hazel gaze is still warm and gentle. he stands in front of you, a suitcase to his left, and he wears a scarf around his neck along with a black trench coat.

the corners of his lips are curved upwards into a small smile. “i’m here.”

you want to hug him, but instead you open the door wider. he walks in and his body acts like clockwork whenever he’s over: he takes off his shoes and places them neatly next to yours, he hangs his coat if he has one with him at the moment, he takes a step forwards and turns around, always looking back at you to follow.

you fling yourself at him, and he catches you with ease. the tension you held melts away with his touch. your feet are in the air as he holds you tightly, and it makes you laugh. he was always taller than you, but not this tall. zayne’s cheek is next to yours, and you’re suddenly aware that despite standing outside in the biting cold, he’s actually quite…

“you’re—”

“warm.” you mumble, nuzzling closer to his neck.

zayne hums. “so are you.” you feel his smile.

like always—before he left—you take him to your room where you both end up talking and talking until the sky is dark, both of you on your bed.

“zayne, you still haven't made any friends?”

zayne looks away from you. “have you made any friends?”

you stay silent, and he continues with a quick glance at you. “he’s still distant?”

“yes…”

caleb’s been distant ever since the start of eighth grade.

you no longer study for tests with him because she needs help, and it's not like you need to study anyways because you’re so smart. while there is truth in his words, you always study with him because you like being with him.

you’re alone at lunch because he wants to keep her company—not that she needs it since she already has a group of friends.

honestly, you saw this coming from a mile away. the perfect excuse came in the shape and form of mc. you knew he regretted it, knew that he would act like nothing happened while slowly distancing himself from you.

it was the only solution he had after what happened that night.

in the beginning of june, you come to realize that there’s been a weird tension since you gifted each other the necklace. you don't know how you didn’t notice it sooner: the way he hovers closer to you, how his hands ghost your skin when he brushes against you, how his eyes linger on you for a beat longer than usual.

he titters over the fine line that is your friendship, crossing it for a second before retreating back.

you tried, you really did try, but he makes it so easy; it’s so easy to love him.

“what’s the occasion?”

you glance to the side and find caleb peering over your shoulder with ease, the silver chain of his necklace glimmering as it dangles against your shoulder, his eyes staring at the steam wafting into the air from the apple pie, his gaze flickering over to you. his lips curl upwards, his boyish smile making you tense slightly before relaxing. you focus on the pie. “just wanted to bake one.”

“*just ‘*cause you wanted to?” his tone has a teasing lilt, but you know that underneath it lies curiosity and skepticism. he doesn’t believe you. there must be a reason because why else would you bake a pie so late? why would you invite him over in the evening and ask him to stay?

so you tell him half the truth. “i haven’t baked one in a while,” you mummer, “and…”

“and?”

you love him. you love his stupid smile and the stupid freckles on his skin.

you take a quick look at him. the yellow light above the stove casts shadows over his face from his hair as he looks down at you. he’s grown too tall and now you stand right at his shoulders, his shoulders have gotten wider. his features from his childhood are starting to grow sharper. he’s no longer the eight-year-old boy with big, round eyes; he’s a soon to be fourteen-year-old with a sharp gaze.

dang it.

you love caleb. you love caleb’s stupid laugh and his stupid personality.

you slowly breathe in. “i’m leaving tomorrow noon, so… i wanted to be the first.”

he hums. “the first to what?”

“to wish you a happy birthday.”

at this, he snorts. “my birthday is tomorrow.”

“actually,” you point at the digital clock of the stove, the green numbers reading midnight. “it’s right now.”

he remains silent as you open a drawer, fishing out a lone candle and a lighter. carefully placing the candle onto the pie, you light it and turn around, forcing caleb to take a few steps back. he blinks once and then twice, staring a the burning candle. his eyelashes cast shadows on his cheeks, barely noticeable to the naked eye had you not been so close to him. and his eyes, a light shade of amethyst, have golden specks in them that flicker.

“happy birthday to you.” you quietly sing, a smile present on your lips. you watch as his gaze snaps to you, how he stares intently at you. “happy birthday, dear cal, happy birthday to you…” you pause before quietly adding, “make a wish.”

caleb doesn’t say anything. he looks at you for a beat longer before lowering his head and closing his eyes, pursing his lips and then blowing out the candle. he stays like that, with his eyes closed, for a few seconds. then, his eyes slowly flutter open, staring at you immediately. heat blossoms on your neck and crawls up to your cheeks. you abruptly turn and place the pie down on the counter, fumbling around in search of a knife.

“what did you wish for?” you laugh nervously, your heart skipping a beat because you can still feel his gaze on you.

he doesn’t say anything.

“cal?” you turn around, your breath hitching in your throat, eyes widening at the sudden proximity. your heart hammers inside your chest. no, it isn’t from the close proximity, it’s from his eyes. they stare at you with an intensity you have never seen directed at you.

only at her.

his pupils are dilated, his amethyst gaze flickering down before going back to your eyes. “i wished for something only you,” he pauses, licking his lips, “can grant.”

“and what would that be?” your voice is barely above that of a whisper. you tremble as he gets closer, and your back meets the rough edges of the counter. your hands grab onto it to steady yourself, and his hands rest on your hips, strong and calm.

caleb crosses the line.

he leans in closer and closer until your noses are touching, your lips almost connecting. his eyes don’t stray again and remain on yours. “do you trust me?”

“of course, i do.” you breathe out. “more than anyone.”

“then… please grant me my wish.”

and he closes his eyes, the sliver of space separating each other no longer doing so. his lips are on yours, and your eyes are shut tight. it’s brief, the kiss, and caleb pulls back. his breathing comes out heavy and unsteady before he’s diving back in, the next kiss now intense and burning.

he hums. “you’re shivering… am i making you nervous?”

of course he is.

you love him.

the words are right at the tip of your tongue.

“…screw you.” you huff, feeling embarrassed.

you love him.

caleb pulls away just the slightest bit, the corner of his lip lifting into a lazy grin. “maybe in the future, yeah.”

maybe…

“caleb xia!” you hiss, releasing a hand from its tight grip on the counter to smack his arm. “what is wrong with you?”

“a lot of things,” he sighs, resting his forehead on your own. “but you know how to deal with that.”

maybe he loves you, too. maybe he loved you all along.

“shut up.”

his grin is now soft against your lips. “whatever you say, pipsqueak.”

you freeze.

pipsqueak.

and just like that his touch is gone and he’s already a good distance away from you, almost as if you burnt him. tears prickle at your eyes, and they want to fall down your cheek. you will yourself to not cry, to not let him ever have the right to see you cry. he only stares at you with horror swimming in his purple irises.

caleb fucking xia was thinking about her while kissing you.

pipsqueak.

pipsqueak.

her.

her.

HER.

it's always her.

never you.

the warmth he showed you was never truly for you. was he projecting his desires on you all this time? in his mind, was he seeing her in you?

dang it.

how could you do this to yourself? how could you forget?

he will never be yours.

“i—”

“this never happened,” you say, harshly wiping away the stray tear that managed to fall. your voice is wobbly, but you try to remain calm as you twist around and stare down at the stupid apple pie.

“y/n—”

you hate him.

you hate him.

you hate yourself.

“it’s late,” you mumble. “i have to wake up early for my trip to verona… you should go now.”

you know that caleb has been distant since then, feigning that everything is alright in front of mc when you returned a week before the start of the new school year.

now look at where you are.

the necklace that hangs around your neck is heavy and cold to the touch.

“what’s that?”

“hm?” you look down at what he’s eyeing. “oh. cal gave this to me.” you lift it with a finger.

“…caleb gave that to you?” he asks.

“uh-huh.”

he pinches his brows together. “you wear that despite how he’s acting towards you?”

you shrug, though you don't look at him. “he still—”

cares? he still what? what are you trying to say? who are you even trying to fool: zayne or yourself?

zayne says your name, his voice low. “you put far more effort into this friendship than he does. it should be the same.”

you tense up. zayne is right; you put too much effort into a friendship that won't last much longer, the fire that once burned so brightly in the beginning now dying. it’s only a matter of time before embers are all that is left.

but caleb is the sun to you, and you’re like the moon. so close yet so far, forced to only see and feel it for a brief amount of time. has your time run out with the sun? are you going back to the shadow of the earth?

and to caleb, she is like the sun. he is mercury, the closest planet to it. a planet that yearns to get closer to her even when he is right there, willing to be consumed by the sun’s fire.

“have you thought about what the principal said?”

before the winter break started, the principal of your school asked you if you’d like to skip grades. much like zayne, you were far smarter than the kids in school. according to the principal, you could graduate early like your best friend.

the front door bell rings, echoing in the silent house. you get off the bed, mumbling, “i’ll be right back.”

you head down the stairs and open the door, blinking in surprise at the girl.

“we’re back!” she grins, and holds a bag in her hands up to her eyes. “i come bearing gifts!"

“you must be freezing,” you step to the side and let her in as she laughs.

“i am! it’s pretty cold outside.” the girl slips a glove off one of her hands, pressing it against your cheek. she giggles when you flinch at her cold skin.

weird. zayne was so warm even after standing outside for who knows how long before you let him in.

she takes a step inside and slightly bounces on her feet. “i won’t take long! gran is almost done with dinner.” she quickly takes off her other glove.

“did you just come back?” you ask, closing the door.

“an hour ago!” the girl says. “i wanted to play in the park first since it's snowing, you know! caleb got too tired afterwards so he went back inside to take a nap.”

“oh.”

she doesn't seem to notice the disappointment in your voice, instead opening the bag. she takes out a box, a snow globe inside. the crystal ball holds a close replica to the night sky, and when you shake it, white specks fly. “i had it custom made! i remember that you said you liked winter and the sky when it’s nighttime because the deepspace tunnel isn't noticeable.”

“you remember?”

“of course, i do! you know, i asked caleb for advice on what to get you. he said something small would be fine, but i wanted to make it really special for you. for you two being best friends and all, he has terrible memory when it comes to what you like!” she huffs through her nose, shaking her head. “he was so surprised when i decided on a snow globe and told the old man how i’d like it to look.”

he forgot about what you like while you remember every single little detail about him. of course, he doesn't remember.

you aren't her.

“there’s a little switch at the bottom that lights the bottom up. i asked the old man if he could make the base like one of those nightlights that cast different shapes on the walls, and…” with a pause, she grabs your hands and continues, “i really hope you like it.”

you put the snow globe gently down on the nearest surface, and take hold of the girl’s hands, squeezing them. “i love it. thank you so much, mc.”

she lets out a sigh of relief, squeezing your hands back. “i’m so glad! really, i’m so happy you like it. i wanted to show you my gratitude for not treating me differently since the incident.”

“anyone could tell that you didn't like being treated like you were a frail flower.”

“caleb didn’t.”

you’re about to say something when a glint catches your eye. you look down and see a silver chain around her neck. “what’s that?” you ask.

the girl beams and takes out a necklace that was neatly tucked inside her shirt.

your heart sinks to the floor and shatters.

“isn’t it cute?” she holds the chain out, a small, silver sun hanging from it. the purple gem in the middle glimmers in the lighting of the living room. “i found this hidden in caleb’s things and he gave it to me, said he was planning on giving it to me because he said i’m like the sun.”

you’re a blind fool.

you were so blind to that fact that you’re a moth and caleb’s a flame. you got too close to the fire and now you’re left in pain.

the worse part is that you knew—you knew, and yet you still decided to get close, to delude yourself into believing that there was more to what meets the eye.

you actually accept the truth you didn’t want to: caleb can never and will never be yours.

it’s time for the sun to set in your sky.

you never imagined to experience your first and last winter break of high school when you’re fourteen. you always imagined that you’d be eighteen alongside caleb, that you’d graduate together after four years of rivalry for the valedictorian spot of your graduating class. you thought that you’d get to see him tryout for the basketball team and watch him make it, that you’d cheer him on during his games and even go to the ones at different schools. maybe you’d find a sport that you liked and try out for the team, and caleb would be there every step of the way because you know he’d say something stupid along the lines of him claiming to be your hype man. on exam weeks, you imagined that he’d somehow find a way for you to help him study and then you’d barely review a single thing because caleb would drag you to the park to hangout instead. you thought that you’d see each other apply to the academy and watch each other getting in.

your first and last year of high school couldn’t have been more different.

your goals are to reach the sky, to move to skyhaven and attend the aerospace academy, to get into the DAA afterwards and work alongside your dad in his fleet. you and caleb used to walk on the same path, yet now you walk it alone. you study alone, you work alone, you persevere alone.

caleb doesn't.

he studies with friends because she tells you about it whenever she texts you, or sometimes you happen to pass by the library and see him inside with a group of people. he works with friends, and you see it firsthand when you hurry past the gym and happen to catch a glimpse of him and group of people together. he perseveres with friends because she tells you about how caleb is always doing a group project with his classmates.

he isn’t alone.

even now during winter, you see him head out almost everyday. she tells you that sometimes it's because he’s hanging out with friends, other times he tells her it's a secret. if it's a secret, then he's probably planning a surprise for her.

and you’re proven right when you decide to scroll down the moments page, your finger hovering over a picture she had uploaded. it’s slightly blurry, but you can tell that she holds a necklace to the camera with a bright grin, caleb’s lips matching hers from behind. the caption read: caleb got me a necklace for my birthday! and it’s a pretty thing—the chain is a vibrant gold, a beautiful charm in the form of a sun hanging from it with a pink gem at the venter. it is pretty, unlike the necklace he had gifted you. the silver chain has lost its color, now sporting random splotches of bronze, and the beads have scratches on them, the color chipping off little by little.

it is a replacement; or rather, it is meant to finally get rid of the one you gifted him that he gave to her. maybe he thought it was a bothersome stain that he desperately wanted to get rid of, to finally be free of his last attachment to you.

you click on caleb’s profile and block him.

you need to uproot the already grown plant in your heart, you need to yank it and toss it out.

“earth to little star~”

little star, a nickname your dad gave you shortly after you were born. you asked him why he calls you that one time, and he told you that it’s because you likes to think you’re one of the stars he sees in the sky when he’s far from home.

you look up to find your dad standing over you, smiling.

“you were so focused you didn’t even hear me knock on your door,” he says, sitting down next to you on your bed. “what's troubling you?” his lips curl upwards into a mischievous smile. “are you sulking because zayne hasn't texted you yet?”

and just like that, caleb no longer haunts your mind—the sadness, however, clings to you. that won't leave.

you purse your lips and huff. “i do not sulk while i wait for him to respond to my texts.”

you want to tell your dad that you sulk because you prefer talking to zayne in person. you miss seeing him in front of you. but you won't tell him; you know that he’ll tease you and then tell your mom and then she’ll tell zayne’s mom and then zayne will know.

your dad cocks an eyebrow at you. “are you sure about that?”

“yes.”

“uh-huh,” he slowly says, “whatever you say then.”

you fall backwards onto your bed and squint your eyes at the older man. your dad doesn’t have his uniform on; instead, he wears his pjs. it makes you realize that you almost never see him this… free. he doesn’t wear what ties him down to the fleet. and yet… something is plaguing his mind, weighing down on his shoulders so that it slumps.

“something on your mind?” you ask.

he slowly smiles, his middle and index finger pinching your nose softly. “what would you say if i decided to retire from the fleet?”

you shoot up, eyes wide. “what?”

your dad sighs, his smile still there. “well, i’ve been thinking a lot. my little star is fourteen and she’s set to graduate this may. you’re growing up so fast, and i haven’t been there. shouldn’t it be time that i stay home to watch you keep growing?”

“…is that what you want?” you finally say. you tilt your head to the side and eye your dad, gauging his expression.

he looks content.

“yeah,” he breathes out, slow and steady. “that’s what i want.”

your dad’s shoulders are relaxed, and you think that like him, you’d like to watch him grow older with your mom.

it’s a shame that doesn't happen.

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[anoant-haikyuu-dump]

More Nekoma HCs

• Teshiro’s really good at those pen spinning tricks, the other first-years pop off when he does it. He also has the best handwriting of the first-years and they borrow his notes before big tests. Lev's handwriting is borderline illegible— he claims its cause he's Russian but everyone calls him out on his bullshit ("Dude, your first language is Japanese??")

• Fukunaga carries around a slide whistle, when he's not on court he plays it every time someone dives for the ball

• Shibayama's the kinda guy to send buzzfeed quizes in the team groupchat and make everyone take them ("Dont you guys wanna know what cat breed you are?"). Most of the team groan but secretly find it endearing. Kuroo unabashadly loves it and commends Shibayama's team spirit

• None of the second-years are good students— Kenma spends class playing mobile games under his desk or napping, Tora doesn't listen but even if he did he wouldn't process anything, and Fukunaga's in his own little world 90% of the time. Kenma skates by with general smarts but Tora and Fukunaga are in the TRENCHES. Kuroo and Kai help tutor them when needed

• The whole team LOVES Akane, that's their cheer captain!! She gets along best with Fukunaga and Kenma because they're closest to Tora but I think she'd also vibe a lot with Yaku cause they have a similar sassy energy (and height but shh). All of them treat her like an absolute queen, mess with her and you got 10 guys knocking at your door

• Tora picks people up a lot, he just grabs them and throws them over his shoulders. The most common victims are the second years but also Shibayama since he's "bite-sized" as Tora so eloquently puts it. He tried it with Yaku a single time which did NOT go well, he hasn't again since

• When Hinata's in town to hang out with Kenma Inkuoka and Lev WILL find a way to crash it no matter what. The just happened to show up at the same arcade, what a conincidence!! Kenma gives them the death glare but unfortunately for him Hinata is more than happy to let them tag along

• Kai is generally really chill but when he yells he's louder than even Tora. The team finds this out at training camp when they're settling in for the night and the first years decide its a great time to have a pillow fight. One flies directly into a sleeping Kai's face. The other teams can hear the reprimanding through the walls (bro doesn't fuck around with his beauty rest)

• Sometimes they do video game nights at Kuroo's but Kenma is either straight-up banned or given severe handicaps. The one time he loses is during MarioKart when Kuroo starts waving his hands in front of his face and Kenma stops playing to wresting him away (he still manages to beat Tora somehow)

• Kuroo and Yaku argue all the time but if anyone else talks shit about them they hop to the other's defense immediately. You do not get away with making fun of Yaku's height unless you're Kuroo himself.

• Kuroo's the biggest fan of Fukunaga's jokes, as a fellow pun enthusiast he appreciates him keeping the court light-hearted. He laughs way too hard even when they're not that funny and sometimes fires a quip or two back. Also Kuroo's definetly the type to literally slap his knee when laughing

• (Ignore the awful picture quality) There's this scene from the Tokyo Battles stage play where Shibayama dances along with Akane and Alisa from the stands and it's the cutest thing ever i'm obsessed. Anyways I think he's the king of the bench cheerleaders, he teaches Teshiro and Inuoka all the little dances and chants

alright thats it for now, long live Nekoma

[spr1ngpvrinbunny]

[“Nothing Personal” – FNAF 2 AU / 1987 / Fritz Smith & Dave Miller]

Notes: An old AU that I wrote a long time ago and abandoned in daft for almost a few months, but I guess I'm coming back to it? And the reader here can be considered an accomplice of William and lives under a false identity with the name "Fritz Smith," just like he does, the story only takes the setting similar to the game timeline - 1987.

12/2/1987. Graveyard shift, backroom silence.

You’re sipping from a cracked thermos, boots propped lazily on a crate of unused party hats.

Across from you, “Dave Miller” leans on the edge of a dusty shelf, arms crossed, one brow twitching as he watches you retell some dumb story Jeremy Fitzgerald told you—something about Balloon Boy and a can of spray cheese.

"You know," Dave says, voice laced in that syrupy false politeness that never quite covers the venom, "Fitzgerald’s got a real talent for making nothing sound like Shakespeare. Really riveting."

You glance at him, deadpan. “Jealous?”

He scoffs. “Of what? Your riveting bromance with a night guard whose entire personality is made of static electricity and expired chewing gum?” He raises a brow. “Hardly.”

You smirk, pushing your luck. “Hmm. You sure? You’ve been a bit twitchy every time he walks past.”

“I’m twitchy because this hellhole is infested with animatronics that want to redecorate my ribcage, not because Jeremy gave you half a donut and called you ‘bro.’”

“Dave”—you lean forward, the amusement dancing just beneath your breath—“did you seriously just say the word ‘bromance’? Who even are you?”

He goes quiet for a second. Too quiet.

Then: “Just a guy,” he mutters, not meeting your gaze. “trying not to lose what little I’ve got left.”

And just like that, the moment shifts again. The silly cracks into the solemn. The cheap fluorescent lights buzz overhead, and for a moment, you remember why you’re both hiding.

—

The clock above the Parts & Service room ticked with a mocking rhythm—3:41 AM. The kind of hour where shadows stretch too long and silence feels like it's breathing behind your neck.

You sat cross-legged on the cold floor, flicking a lighter open and closed with one hand, a ritual born of boredom and anxiety. Dave stood with his shoulder leaning against a file cabinet like he owned the place, which, in a twisted sense, maybe he did.

His badge was fake. So was yours. But the way he watched everything—you, especially—felt all too real.

“So,” you said, voice low, “what’s eating you?”

He didn’t look at you at first. Just muttered, “Nothing.”

“You’ve said ‘nothing’ three times tonight, and every time it sounded more like ‘jealousy’ trying to wear a trench coat.”

His gaze snapped to you. Gray eyes flashing with something sharp. “You think I’m jealous of Fitzgerald?”

You offered him a smirk. “I think you get weirdly fidgety when he gets near me.”

Dave—William—let out a breath that was half laugh, half growl. He ran a hand through his hair, disheveling it further, like he was seconds away from combusting.

“He’s annoying. Loud. Keeps leaving the hallway cameras off. One of these days, Bonnie’s gonna play peekaboo with his spleen and I won’t feel a damn thing.”

You raised a brow. “Still doesn’t explain why you keep glaring at him every time he calls me ‘Fritz’ with that stupid grin.”

Silence.

Then: “He doesn’t deserve that name coming out of his mouth.”

You paused. That caught you off guard. “...What?”

William’s voice dropped—lower, quieter, but laced with fire. “You don’t get it. That name isn’t some prop. It’s armor. It’s yours. And he—he treats it like a joke. Like all this,” he motioned around, “is a joke.”

Your breath stilled for a beat.

There it was. The truth, tangled in ego and fear.

He wasn’t just jealous. He was scared.

Scared of losing whatever fragile thread connected you to him. The only person who saw through his act, maybe even before he did.

“I’m not going anywhere, y’know,” you said, voice softer now. “Fake name or not.”

He turned away for a second, pretending to be interested in a broken Freddy head on the shelf. “You say that now.”

“I mean it,” you said firmly, rising to your feet, stepping into his space with reckless calm. “But if you want me to stop being friendly with Jeremy just because it bruises your weird, secret possessive heart—”

“It’s not possessive—”

“—then maybe stop pretending you don’t care when I sit with you instead.”

He looked at you then. Fully. The act, for just a flicker of a moment, melted. William Afton, no mask, no grin. Just the man. Ragged, brilliant, and tired.

“You know,” he murmured, “you shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep...”

You leaned in, voice steady. “And you shouldn’t push people away just because you think you don’t deserve them.”

A beat. Then another. Then—

“...Fritz.” It came out like a confession. “You really do drive me insane sometimes.”

You smiled. “Good. Means I’m doing my job.”

And in the far corner of the room, a broken animatronic twitched.

But neither of you moved.

[altairwritingtair]

pls…more griefer hcs…please…more griefer stuff….. i love the incel of a discord mod

More Griefer headcanons

(I love the small ref to the earlier hcs. Anyway, once again complete bonkers headcanons. Enjoy!)

- He is definitely not the tidiest of people...I mean como on...WHOLE PILE OF CANS. Like I get it, I'm not too much of a clean freak myself but WHOLE PILE OF CANS? LIQUID ALL OVER THE CAN PILE'S WALL AND FLOOR??....Yeah there is no way something is NOT up with him. Welfare check? Needed. I wouldn't be surprised if the liquid was there for so long it crystalized and just is part of the house now, it's own living thing.

- Bro is 100% not mature. He probably in late twenties or early thirties and still acts like he is a teenager who spends his time watching some popular anime like 'Heh........No one understands us WEEBS......' or whatever edgelord things

- Honestly if anyone was attracted to him, their friend group 100% taunt them about it.

- No way he DOESN'T have a fedora somewhere. If he is asked to dress fancy, he is coming in with a fedora, trench coat, and a katana. Only to fight over the katana and get kicked out anyway.

- His father probably isn't expecting much from him, honestly he is probably the only person in his town who tolerates him and cares about him and is the only irl person around for him. He probably even accepted that his bloodline is NOT going to be continuing.

- Griefer would 100% have hundreds of hours in one game, Would call people a 'fake gamer' if they didn't play on PC or Xbox, things like that.

- Probably uses hacks and cheats because he isn't actually good at the games but plays himself off as a 'pro gamer'

- unironically relates to that one werewolf picture where the werewolf is sobbing on their bed with a phone on it. You know what I mean?

- Would 100% be a furry in denial

[sneppu]

THIS IS EXTREMELY SELF INDULGENT BUT HEAR ME OUT

I think Bellatrix x Severus has potential to be very fun, in an AU Setting, because to be honest? the reactions to it would be so fucking funny, no matter what kind of AU it is. For example, in an AU where Voldemort is just a politician and Severus + Bellatrix are both in similar years, and therefore able to be students together:

The sheer amount of gremlin energy they would bring to the table. The absolute MENACES they would be. The thing with Bellatrix and Severus is that they are BOTH capable of such extreme levels of devotion, that if that devotion were aimed at someone who not only reciprocated but MATCHED it? there is nothing they could not achieve.

BUT FURTHERMORE:

Young Severus? That's a troubled little gremlin freak right there. The thing is... lily just can't match his freak at that point. maybe she did once, when they were younger, but as time went on, its pretty clear her priorities were just different. but BELLATRIX? she ABSOLUTELY matches his freak, encourages it, makes it grow, even. I think Snape would appreciate that, having someone who was just into it all. and speaking of Lily..

secretly a gremlin lily is cool and all; I'm a fan of it myself. but its like??? ok but why be secret about it. why bother with that shit at all. simply be a gremlin and be proud of this goddamn Sneep! have a little integrity. "oh but i have to make excuses to my friends for you" bro. your friends are wack! check out this unpleasant toenail growing hex he just invented. sick as hell.

CONSIDER:

Lily? buzzkill. can't even admit how impressive as hell this hex is. Bellatrix? in the goddamn trenches alongside with you, ride or die, is actively helping u test out this sick as hell hex. and shes proud of you the entire time! "a toenail growing hex? fucking superb, let's use it on unsuspecting passerbys who happen to be called james potter. oh wow would u look at that, it worked perfectly, sick. could we modify it so that the toenails gain sentience and are able to scream though" idk like, obviously, this is all EXTREMELY AU and very OOC, i know this. but like. im JUST saying, that Bellatrix wouldnt have just sat there and chatted politely with potter as The Sneep was choking on soap. is all.

i just think Severus deserves someone who is capable of and willing to be openly and unabashedly obsessed with him in an equally morally grey way as he

also! they would be. just the WORST couple to criticize. you've heard of iconic couples and power couples now get ready for the actual domestic terror couple. imagine Lily and James thinking they're gonna be sooo iconic only to get absolutely obliterated and upstaged by these shameless fucking maniacs every single time. because they WOULD be shameless, it's basically Bellatrix's whole brand.

anyway, are they good for the wizarding world or particularly healthy? of course not, but we're here for a good time, not a long time. I want my Sneep free and enabled, i want him to live his BEST gremlin life, and I want everyone else to seethe about it.

[neonmetro]

You made a mistake posting the Achaeans designs /vpos

YOU GUYS ALREADY KNOW I LOVE ACHILLES ( and patroclus, but this isn't about him ). HIS DESIGN IS SO COOL WHAT THE SIGMA...... I LIVE FOR THE GREEN SO MUCHHHH. THE COAT THAT SOMEWHAT GIVES MARCHING BAND VIBES, THE SPINE LOOKING DESIGN ON THE BACK, AND THE JEWELRY THAT GIVES MAJOR PEACOCK VIBESSSS......I LOVE THIS SO MUCH

Chat......can we congratulate my boy Diomedes for that glow up.....bro is GORGEOUS. THE RED COAT WITH THE FUR, I MIGHT AS WELL JUST PASS AWAY/silly AND THE HAIRRRRRR I LIVE FOR HIS HAIR ITS REALLY JUST SO AWESOME DUDE

And as much as I love all of them, I would like to give a special shout out to uly and Nestor.....Uly because, well, it's uly and Nestor because HOLY SHITTT THAT DESIGN MIGHT JUST BE PEAK........

I would love to write about all of them, but i don't want to make this ask super long, or else it'll just be my yapping. But in turn, give me all you got of these guys 🔥🔥🗣🗣

The Achaeans are just the butch lesbian assembly tbh...../j

-paris anon

HELP WHEN I FIRST READ THIS I THOUGHT I MADE A ACTUAL MISTAKE WHILE POSTING/DESIGNING THE ACHAEANS 😭😭😭😭

anyhoo sorry for the late response i haven't been able to sit down and ramble in a bit.... hope this is still worth the wait :')

ACHILLES HAD THE MOSTTTT AMOUNT OF THOUGHT INTO HIS REDESIGN (as in literal time. i still thought about the achaeans but achilles i had a literal mood board up dedicated to just Him)

his colors + jewelry were so fun to come up with. he only deserves the best color palette... pretty pretty princess of pthia

i saw this outfit/dress on lolitawardrobe and it screamed achilles to me 😭😭😭 i really wanted to incorporate the skeleton and marine animal together as a way to signify what's to come and his mother's origins (OH. AND HIS ANIMAL IS HECTOR'S DOLPHIN. HOPE THIS HELPS.)

THANK YOU SO MUCH. HE TRULY DID GLOW UP I HAVE NO IDEA HOW BUT I WOKE UP ONE DAY AND BLASTED HIM WITH THE YASSIFICATION JUICE. i really wanted to focus on the red eyes i put in his og design for better color balance...

also his fuck ass bangs 😭 i still like the full head kind of bangs but I'll prob keep it for just when he's going batshit insane

he did already have his braid but since i was already doing the bigger profiles for more details i wanted to emphasize it more...

RAGHDHDGEJWKE THANK YOU SO MUCH....

NESTOR HAS NO RIGHT TO BE THAT PRETTY. AND YET HE IS. #GIRLBOSS?

definitely upgraded that hairstyle + how i stylized his facial hair like girl... og nestor was kinda . let's say lacking .

nestor was kind of. color hell for me i'm ngl? for some reason i couldn't make up my damn mind on which colors go where? plus his grey hair... was kinda fucking me up... please old man... stop making me cry... (looking back my vocalization wasn't so bad it was mostly in my head but STILL)

for uly i really wanted him to have a diff silhouette but still vaguely look like outis lcb... i chose the trench coat bc omg kinda like penelope and also its just like pathos to mathos frfr but he would never really wear smth like that and it ended up way too similar to menelaus. then i thought FUCK OUTIS LCB SINNER CROPPED JACKET. WE WIN

though the 2nd image is kinda just a vague pass of the silhouette, i just needed him to be a lil more diff...

GRBRHRNRNVHN THANK YOU SO MUCH THOUGH!!! my beautiful butch assembly... its just business..........

[patchwork-crow-writes]

Howdy! I haven't finished chapter 4 so idk what will happen with that but I just wanna say thank you for existing. Istg I have no idea what happened between chapter one and now but it's been the freaking trenches being a kralsei shipper. And like I'm not even just trying it because I like ralsei and we control Kris as the player but the dynamic that they have out side of the player's control. Also how they're both chained? Kris to the player and ralsei to the narrative/prophecy. Like ralsei believes he doesn't even GET to have freewill. But must complete the prophecy. The themes bro! The themes!!!

But uh... tldr. I really like your reading on the ship and just reading your stuff in general. Your brain/pos.

Hey there! Well, thank you for saying that! You're not wrong that it's been a tough time for Kralsei enjoyers the past few years... but I'm hoping things will get a little better with the new chapters and all the new perspective we've been given on both characters! I feel that there's so much cool nuance and ambiguity that provides the ship with so much depth, but which has historically been glossed over for... one reason or another. I'm hoping this space will become more lively with new folks contributing their thoughts and ideas to what these two are gonna have going on in the future!

In the meantime, I'm glad to have helped lay a foundation for new Kralsei appreciators to build upon! I'm very much looking forward to how things turn out :D

[lover-of-mine]

hi anna. i don't watch spn but do you mind explaining how they are queerbaiting the fandom? did they ever this obvious with making destiel canon and sending jensen and misha to press together?

Bestie, I'm not the right person to answer this because while I did watch most of the earlier seasons live and I do agree that they were doing crazy shit with Cas when it came to Dean, especially considering the way the show refused to develop a woman and not kill them off, I wasn't in the trenches once shit started to get real because I stopped following the show in s7 and was just watching the occasional episode and observing the fandom from a safe distance. Misha was saying some wild shit, because it's Misha and he would just say stuff, I know things about that man that really really really wish I didn't. And to this day it's up in the air if the I love you was romantic or not even though canonically the I love you working meant that loving Dean was the only thing to bring Cas real happiness. But there are people who insist it was as "bros". Cast included. To my knowledge, the thing with Dean is that he was inspired by someone who was bisexual and the show thought they could just pretend that didn't matter, while still bi-coding him. Jensen famously wrote no in a fan's essay about Dean's bisexuality. Misha is the only person ever to be forced to come out as straight and apparently, he was told not to correct the time he accidentally came out as bi. There was some wild shit happening in cons. Cas' role was specifically expanded into the space that was created for a female angel who was going to rebel because of how much she loved Dean, because yk, they sucked so bad at developing women that the only option was to ship Dean and Sam, and the show also has an episode where people keep assuming Sam and Dean are a couple, Dean actually leans into it at some point, so crazy things were happening there, and Cas did rebel over how much he loved Dean but it was never made romantic explicitly. But you look at it and you just go 🤨

In my opinion, the show was always meant to end with Dean miserable, so giving him Cas would never happen because it would make him happy. Like, making destiel get together would be giving Dean a happy ending and the show didn't want that. But the show did know that shipping was what allowed the show to run for as long as it did (the show should've ended in season 5 like they wanted), so they would do just enough to keep people guessing but never enough to give people what they wanted.

If anyone who was in the trenches wants to pitch in, I'm happy to hear it.

[theangelsheardyou]

Some added changes to my Purpose! AU which featured brief DOA! Chuuya then moves on to ADA! Chuuya (bro is moving around organizations like PARKOUR!!)

So how Chuuya gets affiliated with the DOA-

I don't have all the details yet and I prefer to keep them more vague in the au since I genuinely have no idea which direction this story will go and I'd like to keep my options open-

But in some way either:

Fyodor kills Dazai

OR

the Port Mafia has some part in dazai's death (chuuya is not involved) like they refuse to aid the ada or just outright have the chance to save him but don't

(Likely due to something said in the earlier seasons where mori was scared dazai would kill him to assume his position as Port mafia boss)

If fyodor were to kill Dazai, it would take place a little after he takes over Bram's body, and to keep it EXTRA juicy Dazai is killed by falling off a roof, and somehow Chuuya isn't able to use his ability to save him. The one time this godforsaken ability would have helped him, it only aided in the loss of someone important yet again.

Fyodor gets Chuuya to join by saying that a world without his ability would free him from the burden of it, as well as proving that he and arahabaki are separate entities, meaning he is in fact human.

He also ties in how having this ability only brought him to the loss of all the important people in his life, and the loss of Dazai is kind of like the last straw

If the Port Mafia were to have a part in Dazai's death, chuuya would realize that his loyalty to Dazai is greater than his loyalty to the Port Mafia and leave of his own volition, no emotional Manipulation necessary. Joining the Decay of Angels would mean that his ability, as well as the abilities that in his eyes only bring more problems into this world, will one day disappear, and maybe he can finally live the normal, human life he earned.

Either way, it ends with a not-fully-healed-but-on-his-way-there chuuya joining the ADA in Dazai's place. He starts to resemble Dazai more, like with a slightly calmer, looser, free-er demeanor and even donning his tan trench coat. In this au, dazai and the others chuuya lost are to chuuya the way odasaku and ango are to canon dazai--they are the stepping stones that lead him to the light, the reason he joins the side that saves people.

I'm planning on drawing some of this au but on my art account, @god-shit-girl-art , so if you wanna see these ideas in picture form, you can follow me there!! I also wanna get some feedback on this au especially how you guys would prefer the way dazai dies, either by fyodor or by the PM. I haven't really decided yet and I'm not exactly sure what would be more in character for chuuya's writing. I may start a poll too

[squishy-lump]

People I would like to get to know better tag game

Tagged by the lovely angel @georgiasbrainstuff. I'm finally here fashionably late to answer. (It's gonna be just Georgia reading this, and then it's me speaking to an empty room, let's gooo lmao)

(BUT in case anyone stumbles upon this, GO WATCH HER EDITS! They're proven to boost mental health. Source: just trust me bro)

~~~

Last song: YOUR ORGASM IS MY RELIGION by Mery Spolsky. It is a polish song do not be fooled by the title, playful like the artist herself. A play on the concept of wanting to come... far.

Last movie: Twilight. Watched it with my wife (my long distance bestie who lives across the country), we needed a good laugh, as she is currently fighting in the trenches.

Last tv show: 1670. Trailer for the second season came out, got excited, rewatched it. A polish period satire about Poland??? (Idk if it's gonna be funny to people from other countries, priest Jakub is an absolute diva tho 💅)

Last book: F1 Racing Confidential: Inside Stories from the World of Formula One by Giles Richards. Also an audiobook of Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros to my besties amusement. (I do have zero chill so I'm constantly facepalming or getting angry. It's giving me war flashbacks to my 13-year old self on wattpad, she would've probably liked it)

Favourite colour: blue and purple 💙💜

Sweet/savory/spicy: Big sweet tooth (but also savory, I always buy snacks in pairs of sth sweet and sth salty)

Last thing I searched online: The damn english title of that F1 book

Looking forward to: currently so many things!!! Drive To Survive is coming out, so I'll be watching and drinking wine on discord with my bestie. Then I'm meeting up with another bestie for more wine drinking cause she passed her final medicine exam and can be a doctor now! Lady Gaga is putting out an album, Jennie is putting out an album. Then it's gonna be the first race weekend of the F1 season and my birthday, so eating cake and... MORE wine drinking. In July im going to a Stray Kids concert in Amsterdam, yes I won the ticketmaster war, and I'm going with the long distance bestie!

~~~

Done! It's giving ✨I cannot make a decision for life and pick one thing✨. And yes I listen to kpop, once you accept that you are cringe you can live freely 😌

~~~

Even thou they have no idea who I am, maybe I can give a no pressure tag to @wanderingblindly cause I tagged her once and she was a sweetheart 🥹 (she also writes amazing fanfics, so again if someone stumbles upon this GO READ HER FANFICS, they will change your brain chemistry)

And a no pressure tag to @1425fivefive (cause she also writes brain changing chemistry fanfics that people SHOULD READ)

Would like to get to know both of you, but feel free to ingnore it of course.

Bisous 💖

[your-favourite-yapper]

I wasn't lying when I said I was in creep rjl trenches

So when sjjrhs runs away he’s young he’s hot he’s reckless he’s never worked a day in his life bc being a black means you get everything handed to you on a silver platter (except for love)

So he’s out on the streets thinking he's gonna be free except oh wait he has zero life skills. he doesn’t know how to get a job doesn’t know how to pay rent doesn’t even know how to make instantbfucking Ramen?? Like he is SMART knos all stars in the sky and advanced physics and stuff i'm to dumb to kno abt but yeah 0 life skills unfortunately

So he's walking round the streets and then rjl is like walking back home from his unstumulating office job he's worked at for like half of the time siirus had been alive and he sees this pretty boy who looks lost and is like "wair i can help"

And sirius sees rjl and is like ooh nice older man 🥰🥰 he's sawr kind 🥰🥰and generous 🥰🥰 he's offering him a place to stay !! What!!! 🥰🥰

And sirius is still lowk smart so he seduces rjl smth hEAVY but what he doesn't kno is that rjl was gone the moment he saw srs and so remus is like oh you poor thing you can stay with me and sirius is like omg thank you so much i’ll do anything 🥺🥺and remus is like anything? ;) ;) ;D and sirius is like yeah sure whatever!

And sirius. Oh poor sirius. He thinks he’s struck gold. he’s so fucking naive he thinks he’s getting a deal. like wow all he has to do is wash some dishes and let remus touch him a little and suddenly he has a roof over his head and food in his stomach?? it’s so easy he doesn’t even question it bc he’s never had to before.

So now he’s living there rent-free and at first it's like kinda normal? kinda fine? remus makes him meals, lets him sleep in a warm bed, and the only thing he asks in return is for sirius to do the dishes and like. yk. him.

But it's not THAT bad (srs is gaslighting himself) bc even tho rjl lowk lower middle class he spends a fortune buying oysters for siriuss expensive tastes and spends a fortune buying stuff to keep srs occupied litr the onky thing srs has to do is a couple chores and ... him

And sieius is like yeah ok the dude is weird but whatever he’s been around old people his whole life they’re all weird right?? like yeah remus makes comments sometimes about how pretty he is or how obedient he is and sometimes touches him a little too long but like. that’s normal right?

And even if it weren't. rjl is obsessed w him and this makes srs ego big(like my dck)

Remus convinces himself he’s doing sirius a favor. that this is charity. that it’s not like he’s forcing him or anything right?? sirius said yes sirius could leave anytime (he couldn’t). and sure maybe he gloats a little bc this is sirius black the heir to a noble house living in his flat sucking his cock for a warm bed but like. that’s just a fun bonus. right?

Then srs meets james

James who is the same age as him james who treats him like a person james who would have let him stay for free without any of the bullshit conditions. and idk what happens yall but like the heavens open up birds sing etc etc yada yada we all knonthe drill prongsfoot is superior 🙄whatever🙄

And this is where it starts getting bad bc remus doesnt take too well to this and infact he starts spiraling. he’s like you’re mine. i saved you. i gave you a home. you’re mine. bc in his head he deserves this he deserves sirius bc he’s spent his whole life suffering and being alone and now he has this beautiful little thing in his house who owes him everything.

Bc remus SAVED him HE SAVED HIM U GUYS HES NOT BAD WHY ARE U PUTTING ME INTO AN ASYLUM IM LITR RIGHT??

So remus starts getting worse nd like start’s clinging he’s suffocating and sirius knows something is wrong but doesn’t know what bc he’s never had a normal relationship in his life. and james is like bro please come stay with me and sirius is like i can’t i owe him so much and james is like oh shit this is sawr fucked up bc how fucked is it that sirius black the prince of high society has spent his entire life feeling indebted to people who only ever hurt him.

N e ways he leaves ev and remus? oh remus cannot handle it. he loses it. Full mental breakdown, staring at the empty chair where sirius used to sit, whispering he’ll come back. he always comes back. but he doesn’t and he never will.

Then umm he ods and dies in the bed srs used to sleep in (remus himself slept on like a couch)

[piracytheorist]

Episode 28 thoughts!

Did I say I was elated by the political commentary from one (1) line in the previous episode? This one had LOTS and I am so excited to get more into the world building!

Since this episode is mostly focused on Yuri, this post will focus on his part. The other parts are light-hearted and unrelated to the plot of Yuri's part, so I'll make a separate post for them. Maybe.

I admit, though Yuri is nowhere near blorbo territory, I am genuinely intrigued by his character and I can't help kinda investing in how his story will progress.

It's almost scary, how good at his job he is. The SSS have truly hit the jackpot with him, considering how capable he is, how dedicated he is to protect his sister, and how young and easy to manipulate.

Their wanted guy does something completely non-suspicious and tries to run out the window the moment he faces arrest, because that's exactly what an innocent person would do! Anyway, he gets ambushed by Yuri and oh my god.

Yuri please. That's not a normal face to have after throwing someone down - especially someone who actually drew a gun at you? Interestingly enough, the guy didn't draw a gun in the manga.

Then we see about the anti-East stance of Westalis, and... that's a very interesting image there.

"The Devil's Republic" instead of "The People's Republic". "The Age of Confusion" and "The truth as told by photographs". Imagery of mass graves and harsh military law. Also, Cyrillic letters on the journals to the left and right! I wonder if they're actually translatable, but in any case it's interesting that it's the West that uses Cyrillic letters along with Latin ones. I'd have loved to be a Japanese-speaking fly on the wall when they decided on those stylistic choices.

So Perkin already had issues with the law, and was using his journalism skills to rebel against the Ostanian government.

As I said, I absolutely loved that we got some political commentary on this episode, as I've been dying for some signs on how Westalis sees Ostania. And well. It's not good.

Perkin lies and constructs scenarios that fit his "Ostania is a nightmare" narrative, manipulating the audience loud and clear.

Like, look, buddy. I know Ostania sucks. I know surveillance and censorship are the death of freedom, but you don't need to go that far. It's yourself and your work you're sabotaging that way.

And he's not even... like, he then mocks the kid and tells him if he continues to "not share his toys" he will be arrested and killed? Bro, chill.

That's what happens when you join the trenches of a cold war but have no sympathy for your fellow human. Perkin mocked and terrified the boy and then he left laughing. He had no reason to do either of that.

Looks like Perkin's mother died, and her death was caused by their poverty; probably a sickness they couldn't afford proper treatment for. So he's in for it for personal reasons, though again, that doesn't justify being so mean to an innocent kid and manipulating the people of a foreign nation.

Wait, wait. Perkin says something interesting.

According to what he says, people keeping their wealth for themselves and not sharing - aka capitalism - is what the West stands for. But then he's mad at Ostania's government for forcing them to live in poverty and thus causing his mother's untimely death? What's going on, and what is his reason behind making the child fear the West? Because what he says there certainly isn't going to inspire the kid to go against the Ostanian government.

I'm leaning towards him not trusting Westalis either - and is just using them to rile them up to help bring the government down - and/or having a lot of unresolved issues that he's bursting out irrationally on a little kid, because the kid can't defend himself and is an easy target for Perkin's ire.

The fact that Yuri of all people, the personification of no control over one's feelings, got so mad at Perkin for terrifying the kid like that, says a lot.

Yuri made all of those appendices about what clothes Perkin wore and what people rode the underground train with him, so when Yuri mentioned Perkin went to the market, I expected a "See appendices for what he bought there" lmao

Interesting detail that Perkin had a cactus and a succulent, plants famous for needing very little care. The ashtray is also full. Visual commentary!

At least whatever is wrong with him is really really funny. The way his superior has caught onto that though XD

And he's conscious of it lmao

It's a good sign, if you ask me.

Lotsa books and another plant, I can't tell what it is but it's one that seems to require water and sunlight; and it's seated next to their full library!

Meanwhile, Perkin unknowingly, but unsuccessfully, reaches for Yuri's sensitive buttons. Yuri writes his sentence about Perkin probably being motivated by his care for his family... but Perkin is the enemy, you see. Maybe kinda related to what I said in my meta about Yuri's extremism, to him the "other side" are monsters with no empathy who only want to bring chaos. Suddenly he's faced with a man who threatens the safety of the country Yuri's beloved sister lives in, and with illegitimate means to boot, yet his motivation is something Yuri can relate to.

Considering Yuri got so mad at Perkin for scaring the child, I wonder what Yuri's reaction will be when/if he finds out Twilight's core reason to be a spy. That would gut him, I think.

Yuri's original notes on the paper say "Although it is still in the investigative phase, these actions may be caused by his personality and beliefs. Another possibility is hatred of a particular group or individual. However, that seems somewhat insufficient for the motive. Is Perkin [motivated] by concern for his family?"

It's easy to call a man such as Perkin a bigot and use such a narrative to explain his actions, and thus dub him the "enemy" and a "monster", along with anyone who would ever oppose the Ostanian government. So Perkin caring for his family and their future shocks Yuri to the point that he rips the paper off, deleting any signs of sympathetic view towards Perkin.

Perkin waits for his opportunity; after the mail is cleared from "suspicious" letters, he takes over from his coworker so that he can slip his very incriminating - and very misleading - "evidence" in.

Apparently people aren't too suspicious of people offering to help.

Perkin knew what he was doing, though. After his father warned him, he hesitates for a moment before the throws the letter in the cart and seals his fate.

It is pretty terrifying, though. Defamation is no joke but it's one of the things free press has to tolerate, if it wants to be called "free". Legal action can be taken after the press is out, in a public court, and investigate on how much of it is a lie and misinformation aiming at hurting someone or a group of people. Letting prejudiced and brainwashed police officers dictate what should be said and what not is at the height of censorship.

Perkin realizes he's fucked. He's terrified, but he knew what he was getting into - and he has experience with getting in such trouble, after all.

He's not a nice person, but I felt so sad when he said goodbye to his father and just... walked out to accept his fate.

Something interesting regarding the SSS is that they refer to themselves as "kokka hoan-kyoku" (State Security Service) and that's their official name for them, but the people may call them either that or "himitsu keisatsu" (Secret Police). I don't think I've heard anyone but citizens (and WISE agents) use the latter. Like earlier, when Perkin threw the toy gun in the trash, one of the boys used the phrase "himitsu keisatsu". I feel that's interesting because it may show how using the latter may be less... "respectful" for them.

When Perkin is being arrested, for example, he uses "himitsu keisatsu", and then calls Yuri "the government's dog". So that shows how much he respects them, lol.

SOMEONE SLAP HIM ISTG

Heeeey, Yuri... what if post-identity reveal Yor really really fucking loves Twilight and will be devastated if he's hurt? WHAT THEN?

But also hey, the fact that Yuri felt the need to reply to Perkin? It's a sign that this whole case had a much bigger impact on him than he expected. He put Perkin in the mould of "bad person who wants to destroy the country my beloved sister lives in, who makes his family sad" in order to avoid the possibility of relating to him.

He'll get there. He'll get there. It's a good sign he offered to request for financial aid for Perkin's father. Perkin thanking him for that speaks for what truly mattered to him.

I just love how layered everything is. Since the whole story is mainly focusing on Twilight's side, we as the audience are meant to sympathize and want peace to be secured, and for outside forces to help bring down the totalitarian government. But we're not meant to justify Perkin's behaviour, whether that's his fictional narratives or the way he mistreats innocent children, and at the same time we're meant to understand his motives were sympathetic. No-one's perfect, and the road to hell is paved with good intentions. At the same time, we're shown that Yuri, the "enemy" of Twilight's side, also has sympathetic motives and can also show empathy.

I mean, yeah, he swallows it down and replaces it with projection and coldness. But isn't that what Twilight does, too?

God, my heart fucking aches. He's twenty years old. He has his entire life ahead of him and this is where the regime lead him into. It's terrifying, and it's meant to be.

Yuri is so confident he'll catch Twilight and the director is like "Yeah whatever. If that helps motivate you." I see now why he referred to him as a cute puppy in episode 8. Yuri has very little experience and dreams very high but in a way, that keeps him motivated to work his ass off and never doubt what he's being told to do.

... Huh. Another similarity with Twilight? (sans the lack of experience)

Yeah oh my god that's even scarier. The director thinks that catching Twilight is too much for Yuri, but he allows him that "illusion" because it motivates Yuri. Fuck. Disgusting.

You'd think that a household with a spy and an assassin living in it would be using their peephole a little more often. Instead Yor looks surprised to see Yuri at the door. Like I get how it needed to be this way for the show, but it's a funny concept XD

Their outfits are so cozy! I love how they use different shades of red for Yor. And a detail!

I love how every single piece of clothing Yor owns has rose-shaped buttons. It's like she has an unlimited supply of them in every colour and just replaces the normal buttons with them. I know it's for stylistic choice on Endo's part but it's a cute little headcanon to have XD

Anya <3 she doesn't understand and she's still freaked out by Yuri's obsession with Yor but she cares <3

And that's the thing! Anya cannot understand the intricacies of what's just happened. She just reads Yuri's mind and what she gets is "He needs comfort." And she offers it T_T

ACAB but that doesn't mean one can't be a sentimental bastard. You know?

The little heart on the moon ended me. What an episode!

Overall, I loved it, especially after writing down this analysis! Not much plot-wise but I really appreciated this look into the political situation and how all of it affects Yuri - and how there's a lot in him that can help him grow.

Oh, and reminder that I'm anime only, so please no spoilers from the manga 😁

[mumuscae]

Ranking ArTw Characters by Whether or Not I could Beat Them In A Fistfight

To start this off, I would live you to keep in mind that I am a collection of 12 extremely delusional houseflies in a trenchcoat, and not an actual 5'3" wimpy teenage person. I'm super buff and strong too so like uhh... This is ranked from how hard it would be to easiest yay let's go 🎉

1. Pollux

I just wouldn't be able to bring myself to do it. Literally in what situation would anyone fist fight Pollux??? Don't try to think of any pls because nobody would do that. If I were to even try, I'm sure God would strike me down.

2. Spica

I'm sure he'd catch on pretty quick that I'm actually a collection of 12 houseflies in a trench coat. Also he's scary and has his arms crossed. But I'm 12 flies in a trenchcoat, so therefore I am scarier. Could beat him.

2. Vega

According to [ REDACTED ], he wouldn't even be able to fight 2 flies in a trench coat. Could beat him up in a fist fight.

2. Alpheratz

He may be freakishly tall and muscular, but I could beat the ever living shit out of him. Andromeda herself would look down and be like "Damn. No wonder why Pegasus gave him up. He just got beat by 12 flies in a trench coat. 😥"

2. Sirius

I would use his hatred of architecture against him and then I, 12 flies in a trenchcoat, would win.

15. Arcturus

Just look at him

✨Honorable mention (floor 12 spoilers?? I dunno uhh.....) ✨

Polaris (#1)

Absolutely could. Bro couldn't even handle a couple of doors and a void deity. Imagine what twelve whole house flies in a trenchcoat would do to him. 🙄🙄🙄🙄

[lunarsilkscreen]

Turmeric

Turmeric is a type of ginger that comes as a yellow power and is used in Indian food as an herb or a spice or like one would use ginger anywhere else!

But it tastes like dirt. It smells like dirt, it doesn't have a nice smell that comes off while its cooling more, like other spice, like curry or masala or whatever.

It's just a yellow powder that makes dyes everything it touches into a bright yellow pigment, and it doesn't seem to have any other flavor than "earthy".

One time I spent weeks just... Trying to get Tumeric to do something other than to taste Earthy and dye my counter bring neon yellow.

Yea, it's what they make their signature yellow rice dish that goes with curry. But the flavors in that rice dish ARE NOT RELATED TO TUMERIC. it's like oil, and whatever leftover spices that went into flavoring the actual food.

As far as I know; Tumeric is just a yellow food dye. Maybe my taste buds are off, or maybe I had COVID that week and could t taste it properly. But it's just Dirt and Yellow to me.

And I was complaining about this on headset while playing video games with my, at the time static raid team, which are the closest actual human relationships I've ever had, and like, getting a new team is often like getting a new partner or whatever.

You're always like "I dunno if this relationship is going to work out, there's 8 people in this group, I dunno if the DPS are gonna get along with the new Tank (or whatever)"

So as one does, I'm cooking myself dinner after a hard day's work, and trying to figure out what is the purpose of Tumeric in cooking!

And I brought this up to my static, and Im Just "does anybody know how to use Tumeric" you know, trying to break the ice or the whatever to get the group more cohesive.

And they're just like "You're asking *us* how to use Tumeric?"

"you're all of legal cooking age, right? I swear to God if this team is 8 raccoons dressed in a trench coat, *again* I'm gonna lose my shit."

"aye what do you *mean* again? And isn't Tumeric like a food dye anyway? It's whole purpose in the culinary world is to make Rice, Yellow. "

"yes, all of my experimentation have suggested that all Tumeric does is make EVERYTHING yellow."

"So why you asking us? We're not like... Professional cooks here or we'd probably not be wasting all this time not clearing this level.

"bro, I dunno. I'm cooking dinner, I still live in an apartment, the closest thing to a girlfriend I have is probably AI"

"I think you got a lot more issues than just Tumeric.

"Tumeric is the focus of my attention right now, why does it exist as a separate seasoning if it's only purpose is to make things yellow?

"I Don't know! Stop talking over the call outs! Because you're missing the call outs!

"I. I think you know Tumeric well enough that you know it's just yellow food dye--most people wouldn't have touched anything other than [popular chef][all spice blend]"

Other person: *BAM!*

"you know like that uh... Raccoon.

"you better not be using Raccoon as a kind dog whistle man, that's where my boundary is, my line we will not cross.

"No, like, no body posts any personal info about themselves unless they're actually gen z, so I can't tell if you're even close to the age you say you are.

"And what about you? You're like ,several different people on that side of the headset, I'M SURE.

"What is what? What does that mean?

"Nobody tell 'em. Nobody say anything, it's funnier if they don't know

"Oh I do not like whatever that was

"what was

"all that

*team dies*

"So anyway; How the fuck does Tumeric work culinarily?

[princessofghosts-posts]

Fandom Spaces

I noted that in the last years fandom spaces become extremely toxic. I've been in a lot of fandom since I was a child,and to this day still do,so I know there has always been toxicity,but in recent years it seems to have increased. And I'm not talking only about the Percy Jackson fandom (this is probably the last toxic one I'm in) but in general.

I do have a strong opinion,especially on controversional takes or that just doesn't follow the majority,so I'm aware that some people,on whatever platform,can easily criticize me or go against my opinion. That's fair. They have their own opinion too and can say what they want about it. I understand that but it doesn't mean that I will change mine. And this is fine too. But the hate you can get for it is insane.

Fandom etiquette and rules/moral codes are literally dead. Like,extremely dead.

I'm aware that every fandom is different,and since I'm in a lot of different types it can get messy,but the moral code is almost the same,or extremely similar,for all of them. I felt like the decline happened during the Covid years,when the "normal people" entered fandoms spaces,the same spaces they thought weird all their lives,and everything else flew out of the window.

The way I saw so many people that threw shit about anime,manga,animated movie and fantasy books because "those are for children" and k-pop (or asian/japanase things in general) because "they are all chinese" all of their life,and bullied others because they liked them,do a total 180 on those same product is insane.

Wdym you want to watch animes when only a couple of weeks ago you were talking shit about them? Wdym today you like k-pop when you were talking shit about the genre yesterday? Wdym you love reading books when you always talked about how superior movie are? Wdym you like reading fanfics when you always ranted how weird they were? Wdym you've been a fan since Day 1,but you don't know almost anything about it/them? Like...what?

It was so strange for me because those are always been "niche things" that most western people don't vibe with,and the Covid made those same people part of it,and I think Fandoms in general kinda got screwed over it.

A couple of months back I saw a trend of people,on Tik Tok,where they put their type of personality,Hogwarts's house,CHB's cabins and their aesthetic in general. And most of those people didn't even knew what PJO was. I know a couple of people that had always shitted on PJO/HoO because they always thought that HP was better (the whole "Percy vs Harry" conflict is stupid because Percy is immune to magic anyway,and they would never fight since they are pretty similar),and after they read PJO and did 180. Which is good for them,because they are finally appreciating it,but it's so weird because now they think they know better than me. And this is only for the people I know,there are probably more.

And this isn't only for PJO,but other fandoms too. "Normal people" converted into fake fans or fans that think they are superior (because now they are part of the fandom),are probably the worst interaction I had. And I don't really want to blame them because not all of them are negative,but I noted that the fandom culture shifted during those years,and when it become more and more mainstream. And now it's full of hate.

Yesterday I felt like I was in the trenches because my fav boy-group performed at Coachella,and fans of another artist were dragging them down. I couldn't even open Tik Tok or X that the hype and happiness I felt was replaced with toxicity of other people hating on them over a misinformation (from both parts). Bro,the first principle of Fandom Etiquette,for everything and for whatever/whoever you follow,literally is: if you don't like something/someone don't read/watch/listen and focus on what you like without hating ; leave alone other people in their own bubble if you want to break it,and don't try to start shit over nothing. And it will probably go on for a while,since next week there is another performance and I JUST KNOW that this shit is going to continue.

Maybe it's also my fault for interacting on Platforms that aren't really healthy (not that Reddit is better-) and surrounding myself with more negativity than positivity,but this is insane. I've been into Fandoms all of my life and those years have been so full of hate and different from the others. Idk if it's just me,or the fandom spaces that I'm in are more toxic that the other,or the people that I know/met that act in this way,but I felt this shift.

We need to normalize again online manners towards things we like and dislike,and how to actually interact with them without being disrespectful. If you don't like something go on with your fucking life and don't drag it down,and don't even act like you are a big fan of it if you were never interested in it and are new to it.