#Roman blinds video

[romanblinds025]

Roman Blinds in Vanasathalipuram

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website: https://technoscreenz.com/product/roman-blinds/

Address Vijayawada Hwy, Dwarakamai Nagar Colony, Vanasthalipuram, Hyderabad, Telangana 500070. Phone : +91-9346497876.

[chvoswxtch]

part three: the camera

[series masterlist] | [previous part] | [part four]

pairing: billy russo x fem!reader

summary: if the police can't help, who can you turn to?

warnings: swearing, billy is still a cocky lil shit, explicit sexual content (minors dni), billy is also a lil perv, voyeurism (noncon), mutual masturbation

word count: 3.1k

a/n: y'all can thank @thyme-in-a-bubble for this one. this entire part was born from a slutty conversation we had about billy being a sneaky lil perv. this is just a taste of the treats to come. ;) (pun intended) as always, feedback is welcomed/appreciated!

Sitting on your couch, watching several of Billy’s men come in and out of your apartment, you’d nearly bitten your nails down to the quick. The sound of holes being drilled and nails being hammered seemed to be amplified in your ears, making you feel as though those screws and nails were being driven into your own brain. Annie gently placed her hand on your knee, trying to quell the relentless bouncing, and then reached over to pull your hand you’d been gnawing on away from your anxious mouth, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“You know, for two women living alone in New York City, having security cameras isn’t such a bad idea.”

Having the security cameras installed should have made you feel better, and on one hand it did, but on the other it just made you feel extremely guilty, because if it wasn’t for the ghost haunting you from your past, they wouldn’t be necessary. To her credit, Annie was doing her best to not outwardly show how scared she was herself. She’d been by your side ever since Adam was murdered, she went with you to the police after the call from Roman, and she was here with you now, trying to keep you calm even though you could see it in her eyes that she was freaked out too.

Billy was standing by the front door, speaking to one of his men with a stern expression on his face. He showed up with a team of his guys first thing this morning, brought all the necessary tools and equipment, and commanded each of them with strict instructions. He was making rounds, checking each of his men’s work on the different cameras with intense scrutiny, checking various angles from the video feed on his iPad to ensure there were as few blind spots as possible, and making sure there were no loose wires or connections.

Derek walked through the front door, focused solely on Billy as he approached him. The shirt he was wearing made his eyes look more green than blue today. His eyes had been what first attracted Annie to him. Well, that and the rest of his tanned Greek God-esque physique. But she always gushed about how she thought he had the most perfect smolder look naturally. Permanent bedroom eyes.

To you though, it just looked like the sun was always in his face. Or like he’d forgotten his contacts and couldn’t see something far away.

“Cameras outside are secure and operational.”

Billy’s dark brown eyes flickered up to look at Derek. He gave him a faint nod and went back to typing something on his iPad screen. Derek ran one of his tan hands through his messy blonde hair, turning his attention towards you and Annie sitting on the couch. He walked over and bent down to press a kiss to Annie’s forehead, placing his hand on the back of her head.

“Y’all alright?”

“Yeah. Thank you for doing this.”

“Of course, baby.”

Derek’s gaze flickered over to you, noticing the zoned out look on your face. He reached over and gave your shoulder a light reassuring squeeze, capturing your attention. There was an easy smile on his lips as he nodded in your direction.

“It’s gonna be alright. Don’t worry your pretty little head. Son of a bitch has a better chance of breachin’ the Pentagon than this place.”

Unable to stop yourself, you let out a soft snort and shook your head in slight amusement. Derek was so easy going it was almost annoying. He had that Matthew McConaughey drawl and aura of coolness about him, like nothing could ever disturb his laidback nature. It made you wonder what he was like in the military. Was he still all calm and collected in the middle of warfare?

Arching one of your brows, there was a tiny smile on your lips as you looked up at Derek.

“The Pentagon? Not the White House bunker?”

“Hey, doin’ what we can on short notice.”

Derek gave you a confident grin and flashed Annie a wink before walking over to check with the guy working on the door.

“Hey, sweetheart.”

Turning your head to look up when Billy called your name, he motioned you over with his index and middle finger. Letting go of Annie’s hand, you got up and walked over to where he was standing, looking up at him curiously. He moved to stand right beside you and held out the iPad, allowing you to see the screen as he switched between all the different camera feeds.

“Alright you got five cameras. Kitchen, living room, front door, front of the building, and alley behind the building. We took out the physical lock on the front door and replaced it with an electronic keypad. No chance of anyone pickin’ a lock, gotta have a code to get in the door.”

You watched as Billy shuffled through the different camera feeds. They had a pretty wide range of coverage, able to move up and down, and from left to right. The only blind spot seemed to be with the camera on the front door; there wasn’t a view of the elevator or stairwells. Your apartment was right in the middle of the hall, so those viewpoints were too far for the camera’s range.

“Derek put an app on yours and Annie’s phones that allows you to check the cameras at all times, no matter where you are. He and I got the same one on our phones, and I got a team of people back at Anvil surveilling the footage twenty-four seven.”

Turning your head to look up at him, a soft crease formed between your brows.

“You mean someone is going to be watching us on those cameras all the time?”

Sensing your apprehension, Billy turned to look down at you, looking like the playful version of himself you were used to for the first time all morning.

“They’re gonna be lookin’ for trouble, mainly keepin’ watch on the front and back of the building, and the front door. Only reason they got to watch the feed in here is if someone tries to tamper with the lock, or tries to beat the door down.”

Seeing your eyes widen at that last statement, Billy set the iPad aside and gently grabbed your shoulders, ducking his head to meet your eye level.

“Relax, no one’s gonna do that, alright? It’s a pretty damn thick door.”

Letting out a deep exhale past your lips, the tension in your body slowly deflated, and you absentmindedly placed one of your hands on top of Billy’s as you glanced around your apartment that was crowded with his employees.

“So, you do payment plans?”

Turning to look up at Billy, you noticed he arched one of his dark brows as he looked down at you in confusion.

“Payment plans?”

“I know none of this stuff is cheap-”

“Don’t worry ‘bout that.”

“Billy-”

“I mean it. You ain’t payin’ for none of this, alright? You can argue with me til you’re blue in the face ‘bout anything else, but not this.”

Giving him a pointed look while crossing your arms over your chest, Billy mirrored your expression and body language, the two of you in a silent standoff. Rolling your eyes, you shook your head as you looked around your apartment once again before looking back up at him.

“You have to let me do something.”

Billy’s lips instantly spread into a wicked smirk, and you gawked at him before letting out a dry amused scoff, lightly smacking your hand against his chest. Billy’s sharp features twisted into an expression of faux anguish, placing his hand over the spot you’d smacked him.

“Ow, what? I didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t have to. God, you are so transparent.”

Billy let out a deep chuckle as his lips split open into a wide grin, and he slipped his hands into his pockets as he stared down at you with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“I think you’re the one with your head in the gutter, sweetheart. I was just gonna say some company for coffee would be nice, but hey if you got somethin’ else in mind-”

“Shut up, Russo.”

Trying to fight your amused smile, you looked away from him and shook your head while attempting so hard not to laugh. At your side, Billy was snickering, still trying to maintain his look of faux innocence. 

When you turned your head to look up at him again, you narrowed your eyes lightheartedly and cocked your head to the side.

“What happened to not wanting to end up ‘gutted in some alley’?”

“I never said it was gonna be a date.”

Immediately your cheeks flushed slightly with heat. Because of his flirty nature, and the fact that he’d been trying to fuck you since he met you, when he mentioned getting coffee, you just assumed he was trying to ask you out. Catching the way your face quickly shifted into a concoction of confusion and embarrassment, Billy’s dark eyes roved over you as he flashed you a cocky grin.

“I mean if you wanna go out with me that bad, all you had to do was say so.”

“You’re insufferable.”

Billy let out a bark of laughter at the annoyed expression on your face and the dryness of your voice, watching in amusement as you rolled your eyes and shook your head at him. He could see the way the edges of your lips twitched, fighting your urge to smile and laugh. As much as you hated to admit, you were grateful for Billy’s presence lately. He had a way of making you feel lighter in such a heavy situation.

Billy stood by your side with his hands in his pockets, glancing around your apartment, a smirk tugging at the edge of his lips as he spoke.

“So, Friday?”

»»———　　———««

Billy was working late tonight at Anvil, trying to get a few last minute things done for an upcoming business deal. His large desk, which was usually neat and tidy, was covered in a plethora of contracts to be reviewed, reports from the latest operation involving a D.A. candidate, and a file he’d managed to retrieve on you from a contact in Woodsboro PD. 

You had told him your version of your past, but you hadn’t gone into explicit detail. After reading the contents of the police report, the medical report from the hospital, and the full document of the restraining order, he understood why. Beneath your file was one on Roman Walker, nearly as thick as his thumb. But the one on the left side of his desk labeled ‘The Woodsboro Murders 96’ was almost as thick as the book next to it with the same title by Gale Weathers.

He was in the middle of reviewing some paperwork when an alert went off on his phone. Absentmindedly, he glanced over at the new notification.

Bedroom Activity.

Immediately he put his pen and the paperwork down, swiping his phone off his desk. After typing in the passcode to unlock it, he clicked on the notification, and a live camera feed popped up of a bedroom.

Your bedroom.

Was it a complete invasion of privacy to have hidden a camera in your bedroom? Yeah. Did he regret it? No. He’d justified it in his head that he was just trying to keep you safe, although he definitely had ulterior motives for doing it. What you didn’t know wouldn’t hurt.

Seeing you walk out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, your hair damp and skin glistening with droplets, Billy let out a hum of appreciation in the back of his throat. He tilted his phone horizontally, the feed expanding to fit his entire screen, and he leaned back in his office chair. Just the sight of you fresh out of the shower in a towel was enough to make his cock twitch.

He should’ve exited out of the feed right then. He should’ve locked his phone and gotten back to work, knowing you were about to be removing that towel to dry off, leaving you completely exposed and vulnerable in front of a camera you didn’t even know existed. That would’ve been the gentlemanly thing to do.

But Billy Russo was no gentleman.

Instead, his eyes widened with delight and he bit down on his bottom lip, letting out a groan when you unwrapped the towel and started to dry off before wringing your wet hair out with it. Billy had imagined you naked several times since he first met you that night in the bar, but God the real thing was so much better. His eyes darkened with hunger as they roamed over your body, drinking in your exposed flesh.

Those hips and thighs he desperately wanted to grab onto with your legs wrapped around his waist, those soft breasts he wanted to watch bounce as you rode him, that incredible ass he wanted to smack while he fucked you from behind. He was practically salivating as he watched you sit on the edge of your bed and massage lotion onto your damp skin, something he would’ve eagerly volunteered to do. He was already half hard just watching you go about your nightly routine, his hand snaking down to palm the bulge in his pants while you brushed out your wet hair, letting out a quiet groan of relief.

Billy figured your next move was to get dressed, and that his private little show would soon be over, but what you did next surprised him.

He watched you lay back against your pillows, close your eyes, and he saw your chest rise and fall as you took a deep breath. His eyes were glued to your hands, watching as you brought them up to your breasts, cupping them and giving them a soft squeeze, your lips parting as you brushed your thumb over your nipples that had begun to peak.

“Oh, fuck.”

Billy palmed himself a little harder through his pants, feeling his heart rate quicken and his breathing get heavier as he watched you toy with your nipples and grope your own breasts. His dark brown irises were nearly blown open with lust watching you slip your hand down your stomach, your thighs parting like the gates of heaven, giving him a perfect view of your glistening pussy. 

“Christ, sweetheart.”

He was already unbuckling his belt with one hand as you started to glide your fingers through your wetness, watching your face contort with pleasure and relief. You were going slow, taking your time as you coated your fingers in your own arousal before starting to rub lazy circles around your clit. You seemed to be teasing yourself, one of your fingers languidly playing with your clit while your other hand continued to toy with one of your nipples.

Billy had his pants and briefs shoved down his thighs in a flash, spitting in his palm before wrapping his hand around his cock and starting to stroke slowly, keeping up with your pace. You seemed to like it slow, and to enjoy a bit of teasing. He’d remember that. He clicked on the button to unmute the feed, allowing the sweet sounds of your pleasure to fill his silent office. He also zoomed in to give himself a better view of what you were doing. He didn’t want to miss anything.

His mouth was open and he was slightly panting as he kept pace with you, barely even blinking as he savored the delectable sight on his phone. He watched the way your hips shifted upwards off the bed when you spread yourself open and slipped a finger into your soaked cunt, and he grunted.

“That’s it, baby. Just like that.”

Billy was fucking mesmerized by you. His dark eyes kept flickering between the way you pumped your finger inside yourself while strumming your clit with your thumb, how you squeezed your breast tightly in your free hand, and the sight of your eyes closed and mouth hanging open, face contorted in pure pleasure. The sounds you were making were driving him absolutely insane. When you started to move your hand faster, he started to stroke his cock faster, squeezing the base everytime he twisted his wrist upwards.

“Oh you’re gonna come, aren’t you pretty girl?”

Watching you roll your hips upwards against your own hand while you pleasured yourself was making Billy feral, and he was fisting his throbbing cock even harder, pumping furiously to match your pace. He didn’t want to come yet though. He didn’t want to miss a second of seeing what you looked like when you climaxed. 

“C’mon sweetheart, let me see how pretty you look when you come.”

His eyes were glued to his phone screen, grasping it so tightly in his other hand that his knuckles had turned stark white. He felt his own thighs tensing up, a bead of sweat forming along his hairline. When he saw the way your body tensed up and your eyes screwed shut, your hand that had been on your breast flying out to grip the sheets as you curled forward slightly, your breathless and high pitched noises turning into a louder and more sensual series of satisfied moans, Billy couldn’t hold himself back.

He came hard with a loud and animalistic grunt, thick ropes spurting rapidly from his weeping tip like exploding fireworks, soaking through his crisp white button up to the point the fabric was stuck to his lower stomach and translucent. He let his head fall back against his office chair, closing his eyes for a moment as he tried to catch his breath. He couldn’t remember the last time he had come so hard.

He definitely had never seen anything as fucking beautiful and erotic as the sight of you coming undone. He couldn’t wait to experience that in person.

Dragging his other palm down his face and dark beard, he then ran it through his gelled back raven strands, glancing down at his phone that hand landed on his thigh in the midst of his orgasm. Picking it up again, he watched as you laid in bed with a blissful look on your face, your chest heaving as you tried to catch your own breath. He licked his lips, grazing his teeth along his bottom before smirking wickedly.

“Goddamn, sweetheart. I love to watch you work.”

tags: @thyme-in-a-bubble @ferns-fics @danzer8705 @to-thelakes @simonsgirl @sweetserendipity65 @zomtart @day-dreaming-goddess @caroblogsthings @thomasshelbyswife @snowkestrel @hallowedtangerine @ameliaswife @dreadfulxives18 @ebsmind @lllla717 @slumnit @fireeyes-on-teller-dixon-grimes @nolita-fairytale @oliviaewl @r1kk @unlikelystarlightcowboy @imperihoe-writes @dumb-fawkin-bitch @merc12-us @moonyinthestars @sweetttart

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[part-time-zombie]

Does It Matter?

pairings: logince (platonic, can be read as romantic)

summary: it had become normal to logan and roman to argue. this time though, roman took it too far and logan took it to heart. now he's not leaving his room and roman looks for a way to make things right.

tags/warnings: hurt/comfort, so much angst, logan is really not doing alright yall, dont worry roman wants to help, self isolation, depression, brief suicide ideation, basically a vent fic, patton and virgil are there for a little bit, angst with a hopeful ending

word count: 6519

Logan didn’t really feel like talking anymore. Well, he wanted to, he really did. He would give anything to engage with any of the other sides like he used to, but he knew why it wasn’t going to work out for him. He tried many times to include himself with them in the same lighthearted way that he used to when everything was so much simpler, but nothing worked.

They never listened to him.

Everything Logan said went unheard, completely disregarded in favor of what the others had to say every time. He felt he should be used to it by now, it shouldn’t bother him anymore. It had been going on for years with nothing changing or improving at all, and Logan wished he could have just gone numb to the experience. He wished it didn’t upset him, but it did.

He just wanted to be heard, to be seen. If not by Thomas, then by someone. By anyone.

As much as he wanted that, he knew he’d never have it. Every interaction he had with the other sides only worked to further prove that fact, as lately he could hardly get a single word in before someone else interrupted and ignored him.

It was exhausting and frustrating, and Logan couldn’t take much more of it. He didn’t see the point in continuing to involve himself with them if he was just going to be let down every time.

And yet he still continued all the same. After all, what would he be without his work?

If only the others could see that. If only Roman would.

Logan had… complicated opinions about Roman. He valued his work highly, and respected his contributions just as greatly as he did any other side, but there was something else there that made things different, more confusing. Maybe it was the flamboyant yet charming demeanor Roman held about himself, or the way he always managed to bring a lightness and ease to any conversation. It might have been how self-absorbed and selfish he could be, the way his arrogance and dogmatic pursuit for the spotlight blinded him to the wants and needs of everyone else. There were a lot of things that made Roman so difficult to understand, but Logan did like to think that he was getting along with him at least somewhat better, every now and then.

He just wished Roman would accept his usefulness and recognize that were it not for Logan directing and guiding his whimsical ideals, nothing in Thomas’ life would work out. If they could just see eye to eye on something, maybe they wouldn’t argue so often.

They did manage to work together on occasion, despite their many differences and disagreements. Thomas had actually said that the two of them were a good team once, some time ago. Logan was tempted to agree about that.

Maybe not right now, though. This time, things had gotten out of hand.

He and Roman had been pulled into another discussion about planning and video ideas. It was a topic they had debated many times now, with Roman rambling on about all kinds of fantastical and whimsical concepts that Logan always tried to organize and schedule in a way that would be most effective and efficient. They rarely reached a consensus on this topic, and it didn’t look like they would find any agreement today either, not with how they were arguing.

The tension only increased, leaving no room for Logan to say a single word. Yet again Roman refused to listen to him, only this time he wouldn’t even let him talk at all. Accusations and insults were constantly being thrown and Logan was struggling to get Roman to pay attention to what he was saying. He could feel his chest grow tight as an unpleasant pressure threatened to spill out at any second. Why wouldn’t he just listen?

Logan tried again to talk and make his point. “If you would please just- “

"No one cares, Logan!” Roman shouted. “Stop making this about you, it doesn’t matter!”

The words washed over him like ice. “No one cares”. Not about his work, not about his role, and certainly not about him. He had suspected as such for a while now, but to hear Roman say it, to have audible proof confirming what he had always dreaded, it made his stomach turn.

Roman kept talking, throwing a few more insulting nicknames and rants his way, but Logan wasn’t registering any of them. He didn’t care, none of them did. He didn’t matter to them.

Logan felt his chest tighten, his vision growing hazy. He could practically feel his blood rushing red-hot through his veins. He was burning and drowning all at once, desperate for Roman to understand the impact of what he had just said.

He wanted to scream until his voice went hoarse from the abuse. He wanted to grab Roman by his sash and shout everything that he had held back for so long, to finally force his frustrations down his throat until he choked on the realization of what he was feeling.

He wouldn’t, though. No matter how much Logan wished it, nothing would make him understand. Roman would never sympathize or say that he was sorry. After all, he didn’t care.

Watering a plastic plant would yield better results.

That realization forced a hollow laugh out of him. Going by the look on Roman's face, he was just as surprised about this as Logan was. The situation was definitely not funny.

And yet, it was.

“…You good, Logan?”

If he could think past the haze in his head, Logan might have answered Roman. It was hard to focus on how he was feeling, or even if he was feeling, but even then, why would Roman care?

“It doesn’t matter.”

Logan quickly sank out, not bothering to continue their conversation. He didn’t care anyway.

Logan shut down completely after that incident, and he had stopped talking to everyone. In fact, he stopped showing up in general. It had been several days if not a week, and he still hadn’t done so much as leave his room. It didn’t matter how much Thomas or any of the sides tried to summon him, he refused to appear for anything. It’s not like Thomas needed him around every moment of the day. Then again, Logan hardly felt like he was needed at all lately.

Besides, unlike when Virgil ducked out, Logan's functions would continue to impact and influence Thomas regardless of whether or not he involved himself. He didn’t have to show up at all now. He wasn’t needed, and he certainly wasn’t wanted. Not by Thomas, not by anyone.

A distant part of him hoped they would come looking for him, that they would all follow him to his room and ask him to come back just like they did when Virgil had ducked out. It was selfish, cruelly so, but he still wished that he meant enough for them to miss him.

They didn’t.

After weeks of hiding away in his room without a word, Logan was starting to get used to the isolation. It was almost comforting, in a strange way. He no longer had to endure the constant arguing and insults, the endless slew of problems and crises that never wanted to be solved. He could focus on his scheduling and his projects without interruption.

As nice as it was, Logan couldn’t help but somewhat miss the noise. He didn’t want to admit it, but he secretly enjoyed the movie nights and the banter, even some of the puns and songs. He missed the sound of laughter, even if it was directed at him most of the time.

But it didn’t matter. If they didn’t want him around then he would just live with the memory of the time he had with them, back when they were all still a family.

Virgil was getting worried. He usually worried about everything, but this was different. He hadn’t seen Logan in weeks, neither had any of the other sides or even Thomas. Normally he’d get it, sometimes people just needed some alone time. Hell, Virgil understood that very well, but the problem was that Logan had never expressed a need to be left alone before. As long as Virgil had known him, Logan had always been on top of things. He was always so self-assured and confident about everything, and even if something got to him, he always bounced back quickly. For him to duck out for so long without warning or explanation was definitely note-worthy in Virgil's book.

That was why, despite Patton asking him to respect Logan's privacy and Roman's insistence on leaving him alone, Virgil still bit back his nervousness and knocked on the logical sides door.

He didn’t hear anything, and part of him kind of saw that coming. That part of Virgil was currently freaking out while the rest of him was trying to figure out what to do.

"Logan? You there?”

No response.

Virgil ignored the shake in his hands and the tightness on his chest as he tried to continue.

“Look, I get that you probably want to be alone right now, and believe me, I’ve been there, but you’ve been gone for a while now and I’m kind of starting to get worried.”

He laughed to himself, despite the fear that was starting to choke him from the inside out. “I know, what else is new. I’m sure I’m probably overthinking this, but I just want to make sure you’re doing okay. I haven’t seen you in a while now, and I just wanted to check in on you.”

It could have just been Virgil's imagination, but he swore he heard a muffled something from behind the door. He couldn’t make out exactly what it was, but he took it as a sign enough that he was welcome to keep talking.

“Look, I know I’m not really good with this kind of thing, but I do want you to know that I miss having you around. I really like hanging out with you, and I get that you probably don’t want to talk to me or anyone, but I just hope you can come back downstairs and join us for a movie night soon.”

Virgil waited another moment, praying that he’d hear something or that Logan would open the door and talk to him again, even if it was just to tell him that he was overthinking and to stop worrying about nothing. As long as it meant Logan was talking to him.

He didn’t hear anything, especially not Logan's voice.

Virgil sighed to himself, letting his worry turn into despair. “Alright, I guess I’ll leave you alone now. It’s just- I miss you, y’know? You can always talk to me if you need to, okay? I promise, I’ll listen. I will. I just don’t want you feeling like you’re alone.”

After allowing himself one final second of pause on the off chance that Logan might still say something, he finally turned to leave, the silence behind him deafening.

Patton didn’t like to admit it when things were getting bad. If something was wrong, then it meant that he or someone else was struggling and Thomas might be hurting as a result.

He knew that it never happened on purpose. No one went out of their way to hurt Thomas, especially not by letting themselves suffer in the process. Still, knowing that someone was hurting and that they couldn’t or wouldn’t talk about it always bothered him. He had been working hard to stop hiding his own sad feelings, and he wanted everyone else to know that they ought to do the same. Patton had gotten used to the others coming to him when they needed to; he made it clear to everyone that his room and arms were always open if someone needed comfort or support.

By now he had had his share of Roman mourning lost opportunities or ranting about imperfect ideas, and of Virgil working himself up over a small misunderstanding until he needed to calm down with a supportive dad hug, even if he said he thought they were embarrassing.

In all his years, however, Logan had never gone to him.

It made a bit of sense; Logan was always so cool and collected. There was nothing Patton felt he couldn’t figure out, but that didn’t mean he was incapable of seeking out comfort every now and then. Even if the others didn’t see it, Patton could tell when something was weighing on him. It was subtle, but he saw it in the way his shoulders sagged how his voice lacked any enthusiasm.

Whatever had been bothering Logan, it had been going on for quite a while now, and Patton tried over and over again to cheer him up. He’d tell his funniest jokes, put on Logan's favorite shows, and give out reminders that he would always be there for everyone, and that he would listen if anyone needed to talk about something.

Logan never took the hint. He would insist he was fine, or tell Patton not to assume things, but it always ended with him refusing to admit he wasn’t doing well.

Now he had been cooped up in his room for weeks, and Patton didn’t want to admit it, but it was officially a problem to be handled.

At first he was willing to give Logan his space and let him take some time to be alone for a little while. He knew that the last thing he would have wanted was Patton's cheery, cheesy self smothering him with a whole bunch of mushy feelings Logan never liked dealing with.

After Virgil tried and failed to get through to him, though, Patton figured it had gotten bad enough for him to step in. So, with a plate of cookies in hand and a hopefully convincing smile on his face, Patton knocked gingerly on Logan's door.

And was only met with silence.

Patton paused, shifting slightly where he stood, before knocking again, this time louder.

“Hey, Logan! How’re you holding up?” he called, trying to keep his voice cheery.

No response.

“Um, okay, well I know you’re probably not feeling too good right now, but I was hoping I could cheer you up a little bit! I brought some cookies, and if you wanted we could just, I don’t know, hang out for a little bit. It could be just us two, if you like.”

Patton almost heard a slight shuffling from behind the door, and he pressured on.

“Listen, it’s okay if you’re feeling kinda bad right now. I’ve been there myself. It’s just, I hope you know that you can always come to me if you need to. You can talk to any of us about whatever’s bothering you, okay? We’re all here for you, and we’re all worrying about you, kiddo.”

This time he heard a much clearer noise in response. A cough, or some sort of dry chuckle, like someone who didn’t want to be caught laughing at an unfunny joke.

“Logan? You okay?”

Nothing, not even the same sound as before.

Patton tried not to let his voice betray the creeping grief and fear he was feeling. “Okay, well I guess I’ll just leave you alone for now, then. I’ll uh, I’ll leave the cookies out here by the door, just in case you might want them later. They might help you feel better.”

Patton set the tray down, ensuring no one would be able to trip on it accidentally before making his way back downstairs, wishing he knew how to help.

Logan felt awful. Actually, he hardly felt at all anymore, but what little he did still feel was far from enjoyable. He had stopped keeping track of how long he had been in his room, and the days were blending together as he rotted in his self-imposed prison.

He initially thought it would be good to take a break from the others, to spend some time alone and let them deal with their problems without him. After so much time in isolation, though, he started to become aware of this ache in his chest, sinking over his heart. Every day it got worse, and he worried that it would one day consume him entirely until there was nothing left but the pain.

Maybe that wouldn’t be a bad thing. After all, Thomas was functioning just fine without him, and the others didn’t seem to mind his absence all that much. Maybe it was for the best that he faded away in his room, letting himself be forgotten. He was sure that there would be less problems to manage without him constantly bringing up his pointless wants and needs.

So what if he wanted to help Thomas? So what if that was the only purpose he’s ever known? If no one else needed him there, if he didn’t matter as a side, then maybe he just shouldn’t try to help out anymore. No one appreciated his efforts, anyway.

Virgil was the first to check in on him. He sounded concerned, and for a moment Logan was almost touched. Almost. He didn’t know what was wrong, or what to do, and Logan felt himself burning at that fact. How could Virgil have no idea what happened? He had endured years of Roman's bullying before his attention shifted to Logan. If anyone would know how this felt, it ought to be him. He wanted to say just that, but that would mean admitting that he was more affected by it than he should be. It would show them all just how weak he really was.

Virgil left him alone after that, and Logan didn’t know if he was grateful or resentful for it.

Patton came shortly after. He was sympathetic, if not fully understanding, and tried to make an effort to comfort him. Logan was tempted to talk to him, or to open the door and finally let him see, but then Patton lied to him. He said they all cared about him, and that they would all listen to him. Logan couldn’t help but laugh. If either of those statements were ever true, he wouldn’t be hiding in his room right now. Sure, maybe Virgil would listen, or Patton might care, but to say that all of them thought he mattered? He couldn’t think of a more ridiculous claim.

After Patton gave up too, he stopped expecting anyone else to visit. Who else would care to?

If he were human, he’d probably be dead by now. It had been several weeks, probably over a month, and he hadn’t left his room or even spoken at all. He hadn’t bothered to eat or drink anything either, spending most of his days either sleeping or going over his older projects. He’d have certainly starved to death by this point, but it’s not like food really meant anything to him. He wasn’t real, sustenance was pretty much optional for him.

He couldn’t even die.

Well, he could, technically. He exists because Thomas decides he will. Logan's life is tied to him inextricably. If Thomas died, so would he. Or, if Thomas decided he didn’t want or need him as a side anymore, he would simply stop existing entirely.

Logic would still continue to function of course, that aspect was as constant and continuing as the passage of time. Logan merely existed as a face to the function. Thomas wanted to give himself a literal “Voice of Reason”, and as such created Logan as a representation of his own logic.

But what if Thomas didn't want that anymore? What if he decided, much like the others have by now, that Logan wasn't really important? All he'd have to do is decide Logan wasn't a side anymore and then poof! He'd no longer exist.

That thought should worry him. It should terrify him to think that his current absence could prompt Thomas to unmake him entirely, but instead he felt a calming wave of acceptance.

It didn’t matter if he was here or not, or if he really existed.

No one cared, no one would miss him.

Roman had never seen Logan as upset as he was that day. Sure, he had seen him stressed and frustrated before, but the pain he saw on his face was unlike anything he had ever thought the other side was even capable of experiencing. Logan had thrown a few rude comments and even lost his temper on occasion, but nothing like this. Logan had never reacted like that before, not to anything. He had been so hurt that he was now refusing to talk to anyone, not even leaving his room. Roman didn’t understand, they had always butted heads in the past and exchanged plenty of insults, so what had prompted such a strong response this time? What went wrong between them?

Everything had carried on like normal before it happened, despite Roman feeling rather worse for wear. He was desperate for a chance to prove himself as still worthy of his princely role and the urge to come up with a perfect idea was becoming overbearing. It seemed like every suggestion he brought up was being shut down by Logan all day, and the pressure was mounting.

That was when the argument exploded. It all became too much and he finally snapped at Logan, far too frustrated to focus on reasoning with him. He knew starting a fight when they’re both already at their wits end would only make things worse, but at that point all Roman wanted was for Logan to just cut him some slack. He relied on Logan's approval more than anyone’s; if his goals and dreams had any chance of coming to fruition then he needed logic to see some merit in what he had to offer. His opinion made the difference between a good idea and wishful thinking.

That fact meant everything to him, and in that moment it was the last thing on his mind. He just wanted to make something worthwhile again, and he needed Logan to hear him out. Hearing every one of his ideas get repeatedly shut down had struck a nerve, and he acted in anger when he should have tried to reason with him. Roman only meant to make him listen and those hurtful words had slipped out before he could think about it.

He was definitely thinking about it now.

Roman could hardly sleep. He hadn’t seen Logan at all after their fight, with him not even having left his room for months now. Roman wanted to knock on his door and talk things out, but the stubborn silence the others were met with earlier was evidence enough that Logan wasn’t interested in hearing him out at all.

The events of that day played out over and over in his head, hurting worse each time. He didn’t mean for it to go that far, but now Logan was hurt and he didn’t know how to make it better.

How could he apologize to Logan when he couldn’t even talk to him? Both Virgil and Patton had tried to check in on him, but to no avail. Logan had stopped talking to all of them.

He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a little bit pleased at first. Without Logan shutting down every idea he came up with, it was a lot easier for Roman's suggestions to be considered. Of course, Logan had been there for a reason. Now that he wasn’t here to keep everyone else on track, plans were becoming near impossible and arguments came up more frequently.

Honestly, life without Logan was a nightmare. One that Roman was eager to wake up from.

Now he stood outside of Logan's door, building up the courage to knock.

He had been up all night trying to come up with the perfect way to apologize. Flowers, speeches, groveling, gifts, even a whole performance that somehow managed to include all of the above. As extravagant and theatrical as his plans were, none of them felt authentic enough. They were all performative and grand, but he doubted they would come off as genuine.

He needed to speak from the heart, first and foremost. Whatever he says, it has to be real.

He only hoped Logan would be willing to listen to whatever he ended up saying.

Roman took a deep breath and knocked lightly on the door, waiting patiently for a response that he already knew he wouldn’t receive.

Sure enough, all that answered was silence.

Roman knocked again, this time louder. “Logan? It’s me. Can we talk? Please?”

Still nothing.

“Look, I know I upset you, and I swear I didn’t mean to, but I just wanted to talk about what happened. I wanted to make sure you’re okay, and to let you know that I’m sorry. Can you please just open the door so I can see you? I want to apologize, and I want to do it the right way. I want to make this right between us. I just need to see how you’re doing. I’m worried about you, we all are.”

Silence followed again and Roman was almost ready to admit defeat, until he heard the sudden and swift click of the door unlocking.

He grasped the door handle, turning it gently as the door opened for him. Not willing to let this opportunity get away from him, he quickly entered the room.

Only to stop dead in his tracks once he crossed the threshold.

Logan's room was completely desolated. The walls had completely lost their rich blue color and were now faded to a dull grey, the only thing breaking up the blank expanse being a myriad of cracks and chips in the paint. Dust covered every surface, and scraps of paper lay scattered like apathetic autumn leaves. Logan's bed was disheveled and unkempt, and clothes were haphazardly strewn about the room in a horrendously uncharacteristic manner. What little light the room still had in it was dim, and the air was impossibly cold.

God, this was worse than he thought.

Roman squinted his eyes through the dark and finally found Logan, sitting on the floor with his back against the wall on the far side of the room. Even with the darkness and distance, Roman could still tell that he was worse for wear. His tie was discarded completely, his shirt unbuttoned and untucked. The dark circles under his eyes rivalled Virgil's makeup, and the eyes themselves looked tired and vacant. His pale and faded form almost made him look like a ghost, and he didn’t seem to acknowledge Roman at all as he continued to stare blankly forward.

“Logan?”

All he got in response was a nod, Logan's eyes never meeting Roman's.

“Can I come over there?”

A shrug this time, but it was enough for Roman to take it as a yes. He slowly moved to him, the sound of papers crunching beneath his shoes now thunderous in the otherwise silent room. He stopped and kneeled an arms length away from him, keeping his eyes level with Logan's.

He still didn’t look at him, focusing instead on the clock.

“Can you look at me, or even just say something?”

Logan only clenched his jaw in response, not reacting otherwise.

Roman summoned a jar of Crofters, holding it out in front of him. Logan looked down at it, a small spark of something flashing in his eyes for a moment, only for it to fade as quickly as it came. He looked away with a sigh, not even bothering to grab the jar.

“Aren’t you hungry? How long has it been since you’ve eaten?”

Another shrug.

“Have you slept at all?”

Logan didn’t react to the question, still looking off to the side. If Roman were to guess, he’s either been sleeping far too much or not at all. Hopefully not the latter.

Roman sighed, moving to sit down beside him. He tried not to focus on how Logan subtly flinched as a result, or on how it tugged at something in his chest.

“Logan, I’m sorry. I truly am. What happened earlier, what I said to you then, I didn’t mean it. I never meant to hurt you like that, I swear.” Roman paused for a moment, hoping Logan would respond or at least look at him, but he didn’t. His eyes were downcast, looking absently at his hands, but he didn’t react to what Roman had said.

“Please, I know I’ve hurt you. I didn’t mean to, but I did. I want to make it better, but I don’t know how. I don’t know what I can do to show you how much I care about you.”

Logan let out a scoff at that, his jaw clenching again as his hands balled into fists. He definitely heard what Roman was saying, but he sure as hell didn’t believe a word of it. Still, any reaction is better than none at all, as far as Roman was concerned. At least he was listening.

“Logan, I’ve treated you terribly for far too long, I see that now. I should have known how badly you were hurting. I should have done or said something or just stopped tormenting you like that, but I didn’t, and I’m so sorry for that. I shouldn’t have hurt you the way that I did, and I shouldn’t have let you believe that I didn’t care about you.”

Logan started to release some of the tension he was holding. Not much, but it was a start. Roman ducked his head as he tried to focus on what he was going to say. He had to get this right.

“I never thought I’d say this, but I miss having you around. Really, I do. We all miss you so much and it kills me to see you like this. I just wish you’d come back downstairs and be with us again, it’s not the same without you there with us. I want you back, please. We all do.”

“Falsehood.”

Roman's head shot back up to look at Logan. His arms were now wrapped almost protectively around himself, and his knees were tucked up to his chest. He looked so small like this, but his eyes had sharpened with an anger that was only exaggerated in the roughness of his voice.

“You don’t miss me,” he started, tone hoarse and raspy from disuse. “You don’t want me. You don’t even need me. No one does.” Logan turned his head, finally looking at Roman. “Leave.”

Roman could only stare back in shock. What had he done? Logan wasn’t just hurt; he was completely and utterly broken. How could Roman have messed up so severely without even realizing it? How could he have let this happen? He needed to fix this, here and now.

“I can’t, Logan. I won’t just leave you like this. God, how could I have failed you so badly? I never wanted this for you, I swear. This is the last thing I wanted.”

Logan rolled his eyes, looking back away. The anger was still there, but it had started to dim.

“We do need you, Logan. Life without you is a complete disaster, and I’m so sorry that this is what it took for us to realize it. Without you here, we can hardly get anything done. Sure, at first I thought it would be nice. Thomas was listening to my suggestions a lot more and I really needed that. But none of them are working. Without any plans or direction, all of my ideas are going up in smoke. We aren’t mapping things out right, we keep overlooking things and missing stuff we need to focus on. I can hardly remember the last time Thomas remembered to cook an actual meal for himself. And the others are an absolute mess right now. We fight all the time, and we can’t agree on anything. Patton is a wreck without you here, and Virgil has convinced himself that you’re dead.”

Or working on it, Roman thought to himself.

“Please, you are so important to Thomas, to all of us. Especially to me.”

Logan looked back up at him now, a look of uncertainty on his face.

“I need you to help me make my dreams a reality. I need you to keep me on track when I start to overdo things. I need you because without you, I can’t do anything.”

Logan started to relax the tight ball he had wrapped himself into, but not by much.

“And as much as I need you, I also just plain miss you. I miss our jokes, I miss talking over movies with you, I miss seeing you laugh and smile. I haven’t heard you laugh in years now, and you really do have such a wonderful smile. Even just watching you dig into Crofters with all the zeal of a multi-headed hydra at a buffet is something I wish I could see again.” Roman continued.

Logan's eyes drifted back over to the discarded jar of jam, that same spark from earlier flitting over his face for a moment. Roman swore he heard his stomach growl.

“Please just come back to us, Logan. I know I messed this up, but I swear to you that I will do whatever I can to make sure it never happens again.”

Logan sighed, tilting his head back against the wall as he let his eyes slip shut. “I don’t know how to feel again,” he whispered. “I stopped trying for so long, I can’t remember what it’s like.”

Something tugged at Roman's heart again, but he powered through as best as he could.

“You can talk it out with me. Whatever you’re thinking or feeling, I’ll listen. I promise.”

Logan swallowed slightly, letting out a shaky breath. There was a moment of silence, and Roman worried he had shut back down again. Instead, Logan took another deep breath.

“It’s exhausting,” he mumbled, voice still strained. “I try so hard to be heard, to be seen, and no one notices or cares. It’s hard to see the point in continuing anymore, when all it ever gets me is more neglect and ridicule.” He looked over at Roman, eyes shining with tears. “What’s the point in existing when none of it matters? When I don’t even matter?”

“You do,” Roman blurted out. “You mean so much to me, to all of us. Without you, we’re lost. Thomas needs you so much, and we all want you back with us. You matter. You always have, and you always will. I’m so sorry we let you think you didn’t.”

The tears Logan struggled to hold back finally fell from his eyes, and Roman felt his heart breaking all over again. Logan screwed his eyes shut, running a hand over his face to try and stop crying, but it did little to stop the torrent that finally spilled from the breaking dam in his mind.

“I don’t mean to- I mean, this just isn’t… please don’t say anything,” he choked out past the tears, not looking at him. “This isn’t like me.”

Roman obediently stayed quiet, letting Logan ride the wave of his emotional breakdown. Turns out he was mistaken before; this is the most hurt he had ever seen him. How many years of pain had he buried for it to have built up like this? How much of it was Roman's fault?

Eventually Logan stopped crying, the shaking breaths slowing down to small gasps as the tears finally ran out. He looked embarrassed now, almost ashamed of how he had acted.

“Can you not tell the others about this?” he pleaded, eyes downcast. “I can’t stand the idea of them knowing that any of this happened, or that I had reacted like that.”

Roman could only nod, unsure of what he could say that would help Logan feel better.

There was a brief period of silence before Logan spoke again, his voice barely a whisper.

“Will things ever get better? Will I stop being like this one day?”

Roman forced back the tears that threatened to spill free at any moment, shifting his stance until he was kneeling beside him. “There’s nothing you need to be or stop being as long as you’re still you, and things will always get better. We’ll work this out together,” he said, offering his hand.

Logan eyed it for a moment, before slowly taking hold of it. Roman smiled, standing back up and gently guiding Logan to his feet. Logan swayed slightly, holding onto Roman to gain his balance.

“What do you say we get out of this room for a little while?” Roman offered. “We don’t have to go downstairs or talk to anyone else if you don’t want to, but I think a change of scenery is in order. That and there’s something in the Imagination I think you’d like to see.”

Logan looked skeptical but gave him a nod, and Roman quickly sank them both out of the room. With the two of them now standing in an open field in the Imagination, Roman willed the sky to change, swiftly casting the land into the soft darkness of the night sky.

All at once the sky burst to life. Stars and planets lit up the expanse in dazzling color and light, with nebulas and galaxies impossibly visible and beautifully vivid. It was a moving piece of art, and some of Roman's proudest work in his own opinion.

Logan gasped beside him, eyes widened in surprise and delight at the view above him. Roman saw a ghost of a smile starting to form, and he felt himself beam at the small victory.

“It’s incredible,” Logan exhaled, eyes not leaving the night sky. “Thank you.” His voice still bore a hint of roughness from his time spent alone, but Roman could make out a spark of emotion working its way out. Despite it all, he still fell in love with the stars.

“I can’t lasso the moon for you, but I’ll show you the universe very night, if you want.”

Logan glanced away from the stars for a moment to look at Roman, the spark slowly starting to fan itself into a faint flame. “I think I’d like that.”

Logan gave him a small but genuine smile, still holding his hand like it was the only thing keeping him standing. Maybe it was, but Roman didn’t mind at all. He was going to guide his friend back to life one way or another, and if Logan was going to hold onto him the whole time, then he wasn’t going to complain one bit. Feeling Logan's hand in his own helped to remind him that in spite of everything, his friend was still beside him.

That simple fact mattered more to Roman than anything else.

@britt-ish123 @lio-the-chaotic-nonbeanie-weenie @rougeside4 @nico-the-overlord @oatmeal-stans-the-trash-rat @keitaisghost @can-i-take-a-stab @new-zee-land

[do-not-consume]

Sanders Sides predictions!! (On my burner account just in case anyone takes this too seriously) this is just for fun, don't sue me. (Includes all characters... Uhh in some form, there is no violence except threatened and I do realize at least some of it could never happen due to being too complicated to film in an apartment.) It starts very vague and then gets to dialogue for the really good part. DLDR

The video starts with Thomas. He's really struggling to put together a video. Logan immediately jumps to the opportunity to talk about the healthy schedule he proposed. Patton is summoned pretty early (pops up for a pun) but after he stays uncharacteristically quiet. When he's pushed, he admits he'd rather be quiet than wrong.

Logan assumes it's an anxiety problem then and summons Virgil. Who, for some reason, is avoiding Thomas like the plague. He tells them he has nothing to do with it, which immediately calls up Janus. Virgil leaves asap. Janus explains that, actually, he's not here because of Virgil, he's here to watch what Remus is about to do. Turns out Remus has been walking around all excited about this new change in process that's supposed to happen today and since he wasn't in his room, Janus figured he would find him up here. But there's no Remus.

Janus also looks confused as to why nobody went to get Roman. Logan admits he still doesn't like him very much and would have preferred if he stayed out of the picture for what is clearly a Patton related problem, because Patton is very soft spoken right now and Roman would just talk over him like he always does (and he had plenty screentime in the last video anyway). Both Thomas and Patton feel too bad about last time to talk to him first. But alright, if it will help the case, we'll summon him... Exept he doesn't show up. Thomas isn't scared, he's got complete creative block.

Roman must've ducked out.

They decide pretty quickly that they should go to his room (at least once Janus reminds everyone that they don't know where Remus is and what he could do if he's alone with Roman)

So they get into his room.. but it's dark. There are torches on the walls, beautiful paintings of Prince Roman, slaying the Dragon Witch, slaying on the stage, royal portraits of him and Mrs Snuffles. A single painting of two young boys, playing together in the garden, one dressed in black and one dressed in white.. And there's a throne.

"Well well, look who decided to finally show up." A man gets up from the throne. His voice sounds ice cold. And as he steps down into the light of the torches, they turn green. And they see a man with a big crown, worthy of a king, with a white streak in his hair and a sword by his side.

Janus looks like he'd just seen a ghost. "We have to leave. Right now. This isn't safe for any of us"

"Awwwh, Janus," the man before them slips into a Remus-like voice, walking closer and closer"don't spoil the fun." His voice turns cold once again. "You know.. I've been thinking about what you said to me last time we met. That I'm just the same as my brother. That we're both evil and cruel.. and it hurt me. It hurt me very very deeply," he grabs Janus by the cape. Others try to help him but he dismisses them. "I never wanted to leave my room again, how much it hurt. I couldn't believe you would say something like that... Something so.. true. I was too blind to see it before, but you were right. I am just as bad, as my brother is. And if I'm just as bad.. there's no reason to stay split apart."

Logan finally gets between him and Janus. He lets him go willingly. "Falsehood. You all have your own specific purposes in this system. So please, Roman-" a deep chuckle interrupts him

"Roman? Oh, haha, no. Roman's dead now. Me and my brother are one once again, no prince, no duke, but King. No Roman. No Remus. I am King Romulus, and you will address me as such. Now, get out of my room. Before I feed you to Mrs. Sniffles."

Behind the throne, a large plume of smoke emerges.

"Well, that ain't a cat" Patton is still quiet, staring down a giant silhouette of a dragon witch rising up.

[insane-control-room]

hi @free-falastin ! i'm a little confused how you managed to miss the point of the post you left this kind comment on:

ill take some time to carefully walk through your blog to ask you a few questions; but first and foremost, i would like to point you that you literally did exactly what that post said; ignored jewish voices to target them instead. and i would like to point out the paradox of your words: they dont deserve people being antisemitic towards them, but they do deserve to be doxxed and harassed for pointing out antisemitic tropes and behaviors. clarify please.

First: please define genocide. your banner reads "from the river to the sea", which has largely been pointed out by jewish people as a call for jewish erasure and rewriting jewish history- but nonjews say its alright so... maybe you're not calling to replace the only jewish land in the world with another islamic ethnostate.

well, id hope that would concern you, except if you scroll a bit further down your blog, you find that you actively commit jewish history erasure!

are you going to mention the fact that it was named palestine by the romans in order to punish jews? in no way does this mean that palestinians do not have a right to autonomy, but what you are saying is that jews do not have a right to autonomy.

now let's look at what you posted over here that's actually on the topic of the heritageposts jewish blocklist.

both of these people are clear that this is on antisemitism. not palestine or israel. you call them despicable for calling out anti-semitism? for not being listened to? for using morbid humor- a trait that is extremely common in jewish people?

you don't answer the question of how anti-zionism is not antisemitism, and in fact, use a KKK dogwhistle- zios. literally no one is denying that people are dying and being killed in gaza. and yet you say that we are. no one is mocking palestinians- people are mocking the lack of critical thinking that people use when citing unfounded rhetoric.

next; lets look at one of your most recent reblogs-

this ignores the massive amount of evidence that is provided by israelis and jews, including the documentaries and screenings like those by gal gadot and the hundreds of verified news articles and photographs and videos, including ones posted by hamas, i wonder why you won't take such things into account-

oh. i see. you call us liars, say we are playing the victim.

there is no evidence that can ever be compiled that will make you understand what you are doing and how paradoxical you are. thank you for openly displaying your double standards, and proving the point of the post on double standards on jews.

by the way, for people curious, here's the post that was replied to:

in what way is this okay? how can someone miss the point so badly? to come onto some random jewish person's post on double standard antisemitism and say we deserve to be attacked and harassed?

are you that blinded by hate?

[oatmealdaydreams]

SaSi: Incorrect Quotes - Vol. 4

Just random thoughts while I watched the video. Warning for drunk characters and spoilers!

the fact that Remus is on the thumbnail just made this my fave thing ever (Remus stan)

the lil intro jingle made me so happy to hear

starting off with Patton and a glass of wine - here we go

Remus' cackle and the "wasted!" - I love him (/p)

Pat, Ro, & Vi interrupting Logan's explanation with song is so fuckin' funny to me

Remus reads Roman's diary - classic sibling interaction

"Cup" / "This is a bowl" -> the ending got me

"Cry me a table" should be a phrase now and I will use it if only to cause some chaos <3

I love Janus' & Remus' dynamic so much, skdfsfjskd

"I did that on purpose, try again" skdsjkfjsd you lil asshole (/affectionate)

'height of stupidity' = Roman's height

I didn't expect that political joke in there, man (*insert the meme with the horse looking out to sea & the top text says 'man'*)

Patton is called Patton a lot

Thomas has some sense of self-worth for once & Virgil doesn't recognize him

Roman keeps getting hit in the eye

orange stress ball

"lesson learned" Janus is gonna throw it at Roman again, isn't he

"boop" / *explosion* -> I expect no less from Remus & Logan <3

microwaved ketchup = tomato soup, feat. Remus

Logan kills 100 people, a summary

Roman pushes on a locked door

Patton doesn't know how depression works

"take that depression" I will be using this out of context for the next five months

Intrulogical, my beloved

Logan makes a pun - proceeds to run away in terror

^(because of his fear of not being taken seriously & thought of as a joke bc he just wants to be important to someone, to anyone, and his perception of 'important' excludes indulging in pun humor)

"I beg your pardon" / "Then beg" -> HELLO??

Patton & Roman like cows. all cows are good cows bc they're adorable and I say so <3

Roman would cope by joking to deflect from the pain, he WOULD

^so would Patton, as seen in main storyline canon

^^theory: Patton (his Heart) & Roman (his Ego) do this because c!Thomas copes by making puns/jokes to deflect from the pain. this could mean many things concerning the Ego. may post about this more in-depth later

"those are wanted posters" it's bc Remus is wanted <3

Virgil, Get Some Sleep : a game Virgil does not like to play

oh hey, look, Sponsor

Patton doesn't think the Internet is dangerous (part of the Sponsor Time)

[Sponsor Time over!]

Virgil shuts the blinds on Janus while he's outside in a thunderstorm - glorious

Remus is Irish

"Disappointment" / "VIRGIL NO" -> ksfdksdfjdf I am Virgil in this instance

Janus doesn't take Roman seriously

THE BERT AND ERNIE JOKE, OMG

Analogical Love Confession

Remus pops out from the ceiling <3

"that's why I carry two swords" *big smile* / "no-" -> kfsjdfjs Roman looks so happy about his swords

Roman makes pudding at 4am bc ANGST. I mean, haha funny joke. but also ANGST

orange stress ball, pt. 2

Autistic Remus headcanon affirmed

Remus takes the words 'two large fries' literally - upset that he gets a bunch of average-sized fries

"My-reka!" -> will also be using this out of context for the next five months

Drunk Patton, omg

He would highlight everyone's face like that, he WOULD

UNICORN ONESIE, LOGAN'S IN HIS UNICORN ONESIE, YUSSSSSSSS

A great volume! Plenty of pairings, especially: Dukeceit, Intrulogical, Creativitwins, and Analogical <3

[melodiesofmidnight]

I want to talk about violence in Phantom of the Paradise for a moment.

Paul Williams once said in an interview that:

"You go back to, in our society, we were, as Americans, sitting and watching the footage from Vietnam. There were cameras following the fighting. We're sitting there with our TV dinners watching the war in Vietnam. And, at some point, it felt like something really evolved at this point.

But the news was becoming entertainment. And the line between the two, between the news and entertainment, our reality began to blur. And so when that amazing moment in the movie, when Beef was killed on stage and the kids think it's part of the show, I think that's a really pivotal moment [...] and it just feels like that was basically the heart of the picture."

It seems to me that this truth, which, at the time, may have seemed to be an overly-thoughtful consideration of the film's intended meaning, has now been augmented into something of such formidable magnitude as to seem too obvious to mention: and that is intentional.

*Further commentary under the Read More.*

The "heart of the picture," as Paul put it, however, has only become more familiar to us as Time has steadily marched onward, and may now be so ubiquitous a phenomenon that we suffer the same blindness as those inhabiting said ideal society: we simply do not really analyze the violence. It is hardly mentioned in pertinence to this film in the realm of critical analysis, as that is just standard film fare: we hardly pause to consider its position within the film, or what the depiction of this violence may be trying to say: it is simply not particularly remarkable to us.

In an ideal society, of course, this aspect of the film would be lost to us, a symptom of a bygone and barbaric populace whose methods of entertainment would find themselves comfortably classified as having evolved from those of the Romans.

And why should it be?

Since the advent of the Internet, real violence has become so easily accessible to us that even a quick Google search can bring you within a finger's breadth of witnessing atrocities mankind was never meant to see.

Many of us grew up in the nascent, more unregulated days of the Internet, where kids passed shock sites between them like naughty magazines, and when places like LiveLeak consolidated into one convenient location the truly horrific realities of the world: beheadings, murders, war crimes, car crashes, cartel torturings...if it featured real, unadulturated human suffering, it had an ever-growing audience. People In the Know referenced these videos to one another, winking at the in-jokes made at the expense of real humans whose horrific deaths they had themselves witnessed.

Even in the current age, these things blur the lines between fantasy and reality for modern youths the way war footage may have for the youths of the Vietnam era: death is a spectacle, be it real or simulated.

We tell ourselves vehemently that we can distinguish between the two - between real and simulated violence - and, while this may be true in parsing the difference between fantasy and reality, can we parse the difference between its effect on us personally? Is every instance of real violence we witness truly as raw to us as it was the first time we saw it?

Ostracized teenage boys gather together to idolize school shooters the way horror fans may gather together to admire their favourite fictional slasher. People respond to a low death toll in mass shootings the way they may react to saving nearly all the characters in their favourite horror game: "Oh, just two got killed? That's not so bad."

Sure, it seems silly to us while watching the film that the audience doesn't recognize that Beef was truly killed whilst onstage, because of course they should have -- we would have. However, would we have cared? There have even recently been instances of people continuing to party on while their friends lie dying of alcohol poisoning on the couch, or of people livestreaming the murder of their partner while their viewers cheer them on, or even people who have displayed the body of a celebrity at a nightclub event.

People trample each other over 5% off sales on televisions and shoot each other's children over a perceived slight on the roadway. People commit random acts of violence against each other every single day, and, of late, have been livestreaming it: recording it for people all over the world to watch -- and they do. They gather en masse to watch, and, when a half-hearted attempt is made to remove the video from being accessible, people scour the Internet to find it: to be part of the group In the Know--to have something to talk about. An assassination live on television, coast to coast? Now that's entertainment!

I think the violence aspect of Phantom of the Paradise is terribly overlooked, and such really only speaks to the relevance of that particular criticism against our society, which still rings so true as to be invisible to us. Haha, the person in the movie killed another person with a bird hat, isn't that silly? Haha, the singer onstage got electrocuted to death, that's so absurd. Haha, that girl put on Winslow's mask after he died without even checking on him. Haha, everyone's partying even though four people just died. Isn't that silly?

And why shouldn't we find it silly, rather than horrifying? After all, we saw worse than that when we were six.

[papirouge]

I have an unpopular christian opinion but idk if it’s really that unpopular but here it goes - fundamental christians aren’t christ like and I suspect many don’t really have a solid relationship with god. I’m from USA and when I say fundie I mean the Duggar types. If anyone isn’t familiar with duggars, they are a very strict family of christians but usually these types of families like to ignore actual issues in the family for the sake of appearances. In this case, it was sexual abuse by the older brother towards his own sisters. The oldest brother was caught by the fbi for having one of, if not, the WORST child p0rn ever produced on his laptop. Even the investigators were so disturbed by it they needed a break. The brother felt no remorse and expected forgiveness despite being a literal pedophile. He was sentenced and jailed, and yet I’ve seen radical christians online (like that Lori Alexander for example)call for his release and lessen his crimes as being “foolish” but “Christ forgives all” but will continue to say how children need to be protected. but I guess when the predator is one of their own, they want to ignore that. His own wife is standing by him despite having children… to forgo your own children’s safety for the sake of keeping a rotten marriage to a pedophile that got pleasure from seeing babies be tortured is not christ-like or even biblical. What the fuck is wrong with them

I've said it and I'll say it again : US Christians are the weakest link of the body of Christ.

It's crazy how worldwide Christiandom will collectively agree on things (such as refusing violence) but somehow US evangelicals act like snowflakes that can't be reasoned while pretending they are the ones to get it right.

I've watched countless of videos/testimony of Christians across the world. Sometimes, they came from places where Christianity was illegal. They had to deal with the most awful treatment, and sometimes torture or death. And what always struck is that while they NEVER retaliated with violence (because they were authentically saved) crazy/supernatural things happened to them to protect them from their oppressor.

I'm thinking about that new convert from middle east that was sequestered & chained by his own father, and when his father decided to finally kill him there's been a blinding light, his chains were gone and he could escape (it reminded me of Paul & Silas in prison).

Or that (indian or Pakistani) new convert girl who was arrested with her (illegal) church by the Islamic authorities, they killed a bunch of them (martyrs) and that she heard an angel tell her how to escape.

Or that Nigerian man screaming "the blood of Jesus" while being hunted by militias with guns, that managed to escape thanks to some divine intervention.

Or a woman in Africa who was being sexually assaulted and by the testimony one of the men who tried to assault her (and later repented), her dress turned "metal like"(???) and they were unable to undress her, saving her from rape.

And I heard of countless of stories like that..

BECAUSE God PROTECTS His children.

And if God decides to let you die by the hand of the unrighteous that's ALSO His will and we have to humbly accept it. A question that so many pro gun/pro violent retaliation Christians NEVER managed to answer is : Stephen and John the Baptist died as martyr without defending themselves. Countless of Christians of the early church died at the hand of roman authorities oppressing/torturing/killing them for their faith. They still didn't violently resist. WHAT MAKES YOU BELIEVE YOU'RE SPECIAL AND THAT *YOU* SHOULD DEFEND YOURSELF? It's always cricket after that.

Or their hypocrisy of seething against this fallen world while being willing to disobey God to keep.... living down there?? Real Christian grasp that death is actually a deliverance. Why do you think Paul longed for death?

I think that's what so many USAmericans have such a hard time to understand : they come from such a barbaric dominative culture that constantly overpowered others with its violence they cannot accept the vulnerability that Christianity encompasses.

Yes, we may die by the sword of our ennemies. That's what God expects from us. Trying to argue over it shows that not only they do NOT understand the message of Christ, but also that they are not as fearful of God as they pretend because you do NOT argue the orders of someone you fear.

[prince-rowan-of-the-forest]

Where the Ashes Settle

----

Roman was prepared for normal day, leave the hotel, get coffee, go to the station and head home.

He hadn't made room in his schedule for getting caught up in a villain fight, nor getting kidnapped by the villain and his arch-nemisis, though.

----

| Ao3 |

Warnings: Injury, kidnapping

Pairings: Anxceit, possible future anarociet depending on how you wanna interprit.

Word count: 3437

Notes:

I wrote this whole thing today because I was bored and wanted to have some fun. I've been wanting to make a superhero au for a very long time but I'm too lazy so here's a oneshot instead. :) - i't's not really edited as of right now, I might come back and fix it later, but I can't say for sure.

----

Roman was just a civilian.

He had no useful powers, as much as he’d always wanted to be a hero, being a super one is just not on the cards. Voice Projection. That was Roman’s power, he could make his voice be heard from anywhere, with a microphone it was amazingly useful during concerts. But he could only make his voice as loud as he could yell, so the most he’d be able to do as a hero would be… to cause confusion, potentially. 

So Roman wasn’t a superhero, he was a regular person, an indie singer who was nowhere near as well known as he wanted to be, doing gigs in pubs and at small events who didn’t have the money to hire the bigshots or specifically wanted acts that no-one had heard of. It was fine, Roman loved singing, holding the attention of a crowd was something he was good at, writing and performing music had been something he loved since before he could remember.

He was well aware of the more super goings on of the world, of course. He followed the heroes almost religiously, their instagram stories, the events they were doing, the latest battles they’d won against upstart supervillains. His favourite was a longstanding battle between one of the top heroes - Viper, who was surprisingly popular despite his dark and mysterious persona - and one of the most renowned villains in the country - Tempest, who looked and played the part of arch-nemesis very well.

Roman followed their battles over the internet, watching the videos and footage. Their fights were always immense and almost beautiful, they were evenly matched, skill wise, and they both had crazy power sets. Viper could shapeshift, between human and animal forms, including - to Roman’s delight when he saw the battle - a dragon. Tempest could create - as his name suggested - storms, he could walk on the clouds, draw lightning strikes from the heavens, create heavy rains and strong winds whenever he wanted. 

It was brilliant to watch, after the fight had taken place from the comfort of his mediocre apartment living room.

It wasn’t quite so great to be there in person. 

He’d been getting a coffee at a cute little cafe he’d found whilst staying for a week in a town a few hours out from his own for a few pretty good gigs he’d been able to snag and he was just about to head to the station to get his train back home. He’d decided to stop by the shop on the way. He’d known something was wrong when he’d stepped back onto the street, coffee cup in hand, guitar case slung across one shoulder and backpack on the other, to find it deserted. 

Thunder. He heard it first as he made his way down the street, turning the corner to see the dark, angry clouds gathering just up the street. He rushed forward - blinded from the danger by his eagerness to see the fight - maybe he’d be able to film it if he could get a good view! Witnessing a battle in person - especially one on this magnitude - was rare and absolutely granted bragging rights over all your family and friends, so Roman wasn’t about to pass up such an opportunity.

He must have approached from somewhere behind Tempest, as he creeped along the street and pulled out his phone to record - even as the wind whipped at his hair, thankfully it wasn’t raining. He knew that this was stupid, he’d be in a lot of danger coming this close, but he felt almost like he had to.

Further up the street Roman spotted Viper, shifted into some kind of big cat crouched atop an already damaged car, making up some kind of blockade at the other end of the street. Roman could hear yelling and crying from behind it - he must be protecting people that way. The pair of supers began to fight properly, thunder booming in the sky as they clashed. Viper turned mid-jump into what looked to be a griffin, and ran at Tempest. Roman watched in wonder as the two clashed in front of him. 

Lightning struck, too close to him to be safe. He let out an involuntary yelp for fear when the building began to catch fire. His eyes darted between the rapidly spreading fire to the fighting pair. Neither of them had noticed. He heard a scream from inside the building and - panicking - Roman decided he would have to do something. 

“Hey!” He called, but his voice was lost to the raging winds. He tried to use his power, placing his voice nearer to Viper - “Hey! The- the building’s on fire! To your left!”

Viper looked over, golden eyes widening for just a moment, before he was slammed into by Tempest. 

Shit -! Roman thought, glancing back at the building again, breath quickening, he’d just gotten Viper hurt - he was sure he could probably face legal action for interfering like that, and the people in the building were no closer to getting saved. His power really was useless after all.

Roman was just trying to figure out what to do when the fire began to spread too close to him - across the debris already on the floor. He took a few steps back only to scream as something came hurting at him in the wind. The bit of flying debris smacked into his shoulder hard, sending him flying to the ground and leaving him winded. His vision swam as he laid there on the ground, distantly aware of more yelling than before, was it closer? And the crackling of fire, the screaming of sirens somewhere far in the distance. Roman hoped they’d be fast enough to save the people in the buildings. 

—

“Shit!” Virgil yelled when he heard someone scream from far too close to them to be from the crowd. Rearing back from where he’d been about to punch Janus and looking around just in time to see the civilian standing far too close to the fight get flung backwards to the ground - almost into the raging inferno that was the building behind him. 

Janus shifted back to himself as he stared at the same sight. Virgil growled, well aware people were still watching, and darting forward - grabbing the hero by the collar of his shirt and holding him close, making sure his expression was mean enough to appease any watching cameras even as he whispered his split second plan to the hero.

“I’m going to ‘kidnap’ him,” Virgil said, voice barely a hiss, “And run, make it look like you beat me and then get the people in that building out- I’ll make sure he’s okay back at the apartment. ”

“Be careful, Darling,” Janus told him, before transforming into a giant beast and grabbing Virgil, with a snarling growl, flinging him across the street towards the knocked out civilian. Virgil landed expertly, made a show of looking around as if disoriented and got up. Janus roared and Virgil took that as his cue to run, scooping up the civilian and grabbing his things on a second thought before grabbing one of his clouds and swiftly escaping the scene, starting a downpour as he did so. He hoped maybe it would help with the fire. 

He really didn’t want innocent people to get hurt. 

—

When Virgil arrived at the apartment building, the civilian now fully unconscious in his arms, he was stopped by his security guy, Logan. Virgil groaned internally as Logan questioned why Virgil was carrying some knocked out guy and why the fuck he had a guitar. 

“Don’t question me ,” Virgil snapped, his voice slipping into his supervillain persona’s for a moment, startling Logan. He’d have to apologise later, but he had no time for Logan’s never ending questions right now, “When Viper gets here, let him in.”

Logan looked at him skeptically, but Virgil’s expression hardened, practically daring Logan to argue with him. Eventually he just sighed and nodded, allowing Virigl to make his way into the building. He saw Logan rub his forehead out the corner of his eye as he walked away. Maybe he should make him an apology cake.

Carrying the civilian up the stairs was easy when you were able to manipulate the wind to give you a boost. When Virgil finally arrived at his apartment he went straight to the spare room and laid Roman down carefully on the bed, placing the guitar and bag nearby before setting about checking him for injuries. 

He wasn’t burned, thank goodness, but Virgil was worried about his shoulder where the debris must’ve slammed into him. There were bits of it embedded in his skin and the joint looked dislocated. Virgil just prayed that was the worst of it as he - as gently as he could - popped his shoulder back into place and removed the biggest pieces of debris. Cleaning him up and bandaging his shoulder properly. He was used enough to doing this for himself by now. 

Until Virgil heard Janus arrive at his front door, Virgil stayed sitting by the bed, making sure the civilian was okay the entire time.

—

Roman felt groggy when he woke up, like he’d drunk too much at a party or something, though he couldn’t remember any party. This wasn’t his house either - the bed he was lying on felt unfamiliar - and very soft. The covers were tucked up to his chin and he felt very warm and safe here as he stared up at the plain ceiling. No fluorescent lights - so probably not a hospital either. Where the hell was he?

From the next room, he could hear voices, though he couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. When he tried to move up, pain shot through his shoulder enough to make him gasp - and then his head started to feel like it was splitting apart. Right, he remembered now. 

Just because Roman remembered what had happened to him before he had clearly passed out, that didn’t help him to understand where the hell he was, or who was talking in the other room, or who these lovely purple bed covers belonged to. 

His head was killing him, so he closed his eyes again. 

“He’s been asleep for almost a full day now,” He heard someone say, the sound causing shooting pains in his skull, was that voice kinda familiar? It felt like it was, but Roman couldn’t place it, “I’m starting to worry it might be worse than a bump on the head.”

“Perhaps it would have been better to take him to a hospital, Darling.” The second voice said - this one was even more familiar than the first. He started to think he must be dreaming, though, because surely Viper wasn’t actually here. He’d heard that voice enough in interviews and publicity stunts, maybe he was dreaming?

“Yeah well - it wasn’t like we had much time to make that call,” The other voice huffed. 

“I know,” Viper sighed, “If he doesn’t wake up in the next half hour we should take him to the closest hospital.”

The other voice scoffed, “And what, tell them: ‘Oh hey doctor, here’s this guy I almost killed yesterday and then kidnapped because we didn’t know what to do!’ How would that go over, you think?”

“...You’ve got a point,” Said Viper. Roman stewed in his own thoughts as he pretended to sleep, yesterday, almost killed, kidnapped - that familiar voice… Was that Tempest ?? - what the hell was Tempest doing here with Viper, and had they really kidnapped him? What the fuck was happening?

Roman groaned softly as the pain in his head spiked and both of them went silent.

“Is he awake?” Tempest asked, Viper made a noncommittal noise in response, before seemingly walking over. 

“Hello, darling,” Viper said, voice much closer now, “Are you awake?”

That soft tone was so different from the sarcastic, sassy persona he always displayed for the public. It made Roman feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

“Hey- I thought I was ‘darling’!” Tempest said, from further away. He sounded like he was pouting and Roman resisted the urge to laugh as he peeled open his eyes again, having to blink a few times as the light made his head spin.

“You’re ‘Darling’, with a capital ‘D’, Darling, everyone else is a lowercase ‘d’ darling,” Viper dismissed, before looking back at him and smiling. That was Viper alright, his signature scales were glittering gold in the dim light of the room and his mismatched eyes - one blue, one gold - were looking at him with an expression so caring and soft Roman almost reeled back. Why on earth was the hero looking at him that way? His hair was loose, tumbling to his shoulders in blonde waves and topped with a fancy hat that seemed a little silly compared to the comfortable clothes he was wearing. 

His gaze wandered warily to where Tempest stood, a fair ways behind Viper - leaning on the wall beside the door. His identity wasn’t quite so obvious, considering his costume consisted of a mask and a hood. But Roman recognised his electric purple hair and violet eyes regardless. He had his hands stuffed in the pockets of an oversized hoodie and seemed fairly relaxed in posture. 

“Will you sit up and drink something for me, darling?” Viper asked, gently placing a hand on Roman’s shoulder to help him up. The movement made him feel dizzy, but he did think water would be pretty nice right now. 

“...Where am I?” Roman asked after taking a sip of cold water from the glass Viper pressed into his hands. 

“My apartment,” Tempest answered, not moving from across the room. 

“...Why?” He asked, frowning.

“I needed to get you out of the way so that Jay here could save the people in that building,” Tempest shrugged, earning a look from the hero, he groaned, “He’s literally in my house - I don’t think him knowing the first letter of your name is a real issue, here.”

Roman frowned, “Wait- but-” He thought, trying to put the pieces together, hadn’t Tempest struck that building with lighting? “Didn’t you… mean to set it on fire?”

“What? No, of course not,” Tempest looked almost offended at the accusation, “I missed with the strike, that’s all.”

Confused, Roman looked between them, Viper chuckled, “There’s a lot more going on behind the scenes than you know, dear,” He said, gently patting Roman’s shoulder. He felt himself melt beneath the touch. 

“Like… what?” Roman asked.

“Things you don’t need to know about,” Tempest said, finally pushing himself off of the wall to walk closer. He sat back down on the edge of the bed and offered something to Roman, “Here, painkillers - if you need them - you took a nasty hit, they’re still in the packaging.”

Roman watched the both of them as he took the painkillers, examining the packet before taking one.

“I… owe you an apology for that, too, had I known you were standing there I would’ve made sure the debris didn’t hit you.”

It suddenly made a lot more sense why despite how destructive and violent Viper and Tempest’s fights were, no civilian ever actually got hurt. 

“Thank you for the warning, by the way, darling,” Janus told him, shifting to gently card fingers through Roman’s hair.

“Hm?” Tempest asked, looking up in confusion.

“He warned me about the fire… I’m assuming you used your power?” Roman nodded, “I’m sorry I couldn’t act on it sooner.”

“It’s… fine, I just wanted to do something - did everyone get out okay?” Roman asked.

“Yes,” Janus nodded, “I got everyone out unharmed.”

Roman breathed a sigh of relief, wincing at the pain in his shoulder as he did so. He looked around at the other two, before sighing and resting his head back against the headboard. 

“That’s good,” He mumbled. 

“You’re welcome to go back to sleep,” Tempest said, “As long as you eat something first - you’ve been out for at least twenty-four hours by now.”

Roman groaned, even though Tempest was right, he was hungry, and having attention drawn to that fact just made him hungrier. 

“Fine,” He mumbled. Tempest looked thoughtful for a moment, before nodding to himself.

“How about I order pizza for the three of us,” he suggested, “We haven't eaten dinner either - do you like pizza?”

“What kind of heathen doesn’t like pizza?” Roman asked, trying not to laugh. Laughing hurt. Tempest chuckled and pulled out his phone. 

For a long few minutes, they just sat there. Viper was playing with his hair and Roman didn’t mind in the slightest - aside from being a little confused - and Tempest was messing around on a phone, supposedly ordering them pizza.

Eventually, Viper broke the silence, “What is your name, darling?” He asked. 

“Oh- it’s Roman,” Roman said, “Roman Piper.”

Tempest looked up from his phone, eyes a little wider than before, “Roman Piper, as in - the singer Roman Piper?”

Roman was too flabbergasted to speak for a moment, “I- yes- yes, that’s me, you’ve uh- you’ve heard of me?”

Viper just hid his face with his hand and chuckled as Tempest lit up.

“ Heard of you? Dude! I love your music!” He said, “I… can’t believe I fucking kidnapped my favourite music artist.”

Roman couldn’t help it, he snorted, bursting out laughing, though his cheeks were red, “I was actually um- here to do a few gigs… but uh- I think I appreciate this, actually, saves me the hospital bills.”

“Downtown? In that old bar a few days ago? I was there -”

Viper tapped him on the shoulder, leaning in and whispering, “He’ll talk about you for hours if we don’t stop him, darling, though - for the record, your music is lovely.”

Roman blushed a deep red, hiding his face in his hands. Don’t get him wrong! He loves meeting people who liked his music, but when those people where the most notorious villain in the country and his arch-nemisis (Though Roman was starting to think something else was going on there too) who he’d been looking up to for yours it was a little bit different.

“I’m supposed to be resting, right?” Roman said, interrupting whatever tangent Tempest was about to go on. 

“Yes, you are,” Viper said, smiling. 

“Hm,” Tempest said, “I could put on a movie or something while we wait for pizza?”

Roman brightened, “That sounds wonderful - hm… would it be a step too far if I asked for your real names?”

“Hmm…” Viper said with a soft smile, “You can call me Jay, if you’d like, it’s halfway there - perhaps I’ll give you my real name in the future, darling.”

Unable to help himself, Roman grinned - the idea that they might not part ways once this whole ordeal was over was a lovely one. He was honestly starting to quite like these two - not to mention how curious he was about whatever ‘behind the scenes’ things were going on. 

“If that’s what we’re doing,” Tempest said, standing up and offering a hand to Jay, who took it, in turn offering his arm to help up Roman, “then you can call me V, for now.”

“Lovely, both of you,” Roman smiled, letting Jay put his arm around Roman’s back for stability after he stumbled a little to lead him out of the bedroom to a dim, cozy living room strung with fairy lights. It was cute and warm and safe - very homely and cozy looking - totally not what he would’ve expected from the villain had he been asked two days ago. Now it seemed… a little more fitting. 

Jay guided him to sit down on the sofa and V quickly joined them after grabbing a small stack of DVDs that he handed to Roman to choose from. He was delighted to find that they were all disney. 

After a long period of deliberation that had V chuckling and Jay sighing, in exasperation, Roman finally settled on Moana - which he handed to V to put on. Before long, the three of them were squashed together on the two-seater sofa, with Roman in the middle. Something in the back of his mind told him that he shouldn’t feel as safe as he did, considering he was in the home of a supervillain, cuddled between two extremely powerful people who he didn’t really know the intentions of. 

But despite that, he felt the warm haze of sleep drift over him as the movie continued and they ate their pizza in calm, comfortable silence. 

Roman was passed out on Janus’ shoulder before the film even neared its end.

----

Tags: @full-of-roman-angst-trash @your-local-random-dino @cutebisexualmess @glacierruler @roseianxiety @bella-bugatti-frogetti-baguetti @scalesfeathersnfur (if anyone wants to be added, let me know!)

[puckpocketed]

hi!! I was wondering where or how you do you research for players and teams, and just hockey in general? do you have any favorite blogs or other resources? thank you~

okay picking thru web rot for the sharks primer has prepared me for this one lmao here's the quick answer because i really need to eat some pie and go to bed. Hockey is my all-consuming interest at the moment and I haven't watched actual television or films; or read anything non-academic that isn't about hockey in.... 9 months? If it seems like I am taking in a LOT of information in a short amount of time it's because I am. I listen to hockey things at 2-5x speed depending on if its a video on youtube (locked to 2x), a podcast (3.5x is my ideal speed), or my screenreader (5x) and often take notes, save articles as pdfs to go back to, and transcribe things for fun (only recently am putting my transcriptions as addendums to gifs... very rewarding <3). When not studying for my actual degree, I am reading about hockey or listening to something hockey related or watching hockey or writing about hockey or learning how to play hockey. i am so serious. please don't assume that this is normal, optimal, or even something I would wish upon other people. I am in Love with her in thee most wretched and irrevocable way. She's my hobby in the sense that shes my sun and im building my wax wings and looking directly at her light and thanking her for blinding me. amen.

more seriously, if I'm going down a player rabbit hole I will try many of these things - though not necessarily all of them, and not in this order (and i'm sure i've forgotten one or two things I usually try... lordy):

I go to spotify/apple podcasts and throw in player names just to see what comes up and listen to basically everything.

if they are on an NHL team, there are likely MULTIPLE podcasts dedicated to that team. trawl through their podcast archives, especially post-game podcasts where discussion is happening about their performance. sometimes there are even interviews <3

i do the same with youtube if I can...!

throw their name into reddit, tumblr, twitter and scroll. endlessly. just trawl through everything that I can possibly get my hands on. The more obscure the player the easier this is, because there really aren't that many things to find out about them and not many people are talking about them at all. <- this is how I make contact with people who are the only person that knows about this one (1) guy and then we hold fins forever. <3

find out who the teams beat reporters are. if youre looking into prospects, even juniors teams have people covering them. the writing might not be the highest quality but you WILL eventually find fun details if you go digging.

check: elite prospects articles, the hockey writers articles, find out the player's home town and see if their local paper has anything on them (basically, check any and all databases that use a tagging system or have a functional search engine)

helpful things to tack onto the end of google/youtube/database searches: "media availability" "post-game" "interview" "feature" "profile" "scouting report" "draft" "debut" "review" "highlight" "tournament"

if they're a player from a non-english speaking country it's worth throwing their non-romanized name into google to see what you can get. google translate the website // chatgpt translation are two options - not ideal and not to be trusted 100% over actual translation done by a fluent human speaker.

Instagram stories are the bane of my existence because they're so ephemeral

tiktok is a parallel universe to me. I do not have the app. any browsing I do on it is solely via googling "[team name] tiktok official" and clicking around on my desktop PC. I've only ever done this for M.Chrona's gf (who is much more famous than him) but if you're really doing down the rabbit hole of player research, some of their WAGs will post about them. <- as always, be respectful/not weird.

facebook for older stuff... genuinely makes my skin crawl so I avoid it and its a last resort LMAO but yeah teams used to post on facebook and everything!!! <- again. dont be weird and stalk peoples families or friends asjklakjl

"[player/team name] gettyimages [day/month/year]" <- substitute getty images for: flickr, hockeyshots, dreamstime, alamy

Substack is good for general hockey stuff if you can stomach the dreaded idea of subscribing via email or getting the app <3 I like: Jack Han (hockey tactics newsletter), Sean Shapiro (shap shots), Adam Gretz (adam's sports stuff), Thibaud Chatel <- for the analytics nerds, Alex MacLean <- his Scouting The Scouts series is what got me into substack in the first place, Greg Revak (hockey IQ newsletter) <- this is the one that's got me on development stuff atm SUPER rec because there's gifs and charts and many many hyperlinks included for citations <3

i should do a book rec at some point but uhhhh its getting late and im hungry <3 thank you for asking + reading if you got this far, I hope it was a helpful peek into my process?

[ghostismybbygorl]

Some silly cod headcannons

Ghosty ghost

Hes got the witch doctor squishable in a keychain version and then the medium size plushie (soap gave him the keychain one)

He sometimes forgets hes wearing his baklava and ends up, taking a shower with it on.  (insert im washing me and my clothes vine)

He's terrified of snakes

He loves abba and will blast dancing queen and sing to it when hes alone (soap caught him singing to it once and lets just say he ended up with a black eye and broken nose)

Hes 35

He loves the Steven king books the shining is one of his favorites

He loves romcoms but is also total psychological horror, fanatic. He absolutely hates the horror movies with jump scares because he can predict when it happens.

He owns a pair of skeleton feet socks, and wears them all the time.

 he owns a whole library of dad joke books

He secretly has a Pinterest

The only social media he has is Instagram (soap made him to download it) and TikTok

watches anime with soap and gaz

Hes kinda sorta vegetarian not for a choice, he just doesnt like meat but he'll eat it if he has to.

He loves abba because it reminds him of his mom (rip ghosts mom)

Blind af he wears contacts, has prescription sunglasses, hes got a pair of these glasses only price knows about it

Carries contact solution with him everywhere

It takes alot to make him laugh but when he does he has a BOOMING LOUD laugh. It like echos through the hallways

Hates getting his photo taken but when he does he either throws up a ✌🏻, 🖕🏼, or the British version of the middle finger

He smokes american spirits

Has slight autism but masks really well

Loves Kentucky bourbon

He has a black cat named Anubis and spoils him rotten

Still a virgin

Soapy soap

Used to be a stripper (had to pay the bills somehow)

He LOVES music festivals

Bros got adhd for days hes like a whole ass ball of energy

Does the leg twitch

Hes 27

He loves dogs

This man SNORES like a motherfucker

Can play the bagpipes but he only brings them out on special occasion

Hes got a tactical kilt that price gave him as a gag gift for Christmas (he secretly loves it and wore it to training once)

Hes roman catholic

Hes got a tattoo of saint michael on his chest for protection.

His patron saint is saint michael

He crinkle his eyes when he smiles he also has a crooked smile

He used to have braces when he was younger

Hes got two little sisters ones 17 and the other is 26 that he absolutely loves and he's PROTECTIVE over them. When his youngest sister brought home her first boyfriend he was sitting on the table sharpening his knifes and told him "if you hurt my baby sister ill fuck you up"

Gym rat

Hes got ALL the social media. Him and gaz have a 300 day streak going on in snapchat. His instagrams are just pictures of him flexing at the gym and occasionally silly photos of him and his sisters. Hes got a tiktok and posts stupid videos of everyone

Hes got a photo of him in full blown drag makeup that his sister did on him

He's bisexual

He lost his virginity at 15

The scar on his chin was from his sister when they where kids. They where 11 and she pushed him causing him to fall on a rock and cut his chin open. He had to get 20 stitches

He watches romcoms with ghost

He loves to draw and he keeps a little doodle book with him at all times

Hes dyslexic

Hes Pretty messy his room is scattered with clothes

He can pop every bone in his body

He punches the air when he gets excited

Loves lizzo, doja cat, and cardi b

papa price

He has a whole collection of cigars that he buys when he travels to different countries

Has a german shepard name leo

Him and laswell are best friends and go on friend dates all the time

He got his first grey hair when he was 17 and was able to grow a beard at the age too

Everyone thinks hes in his 40's but in reality hes 37

He love to hunt and his house has taxidermy animals everywhere

He has a little brother and a older brother. His little brother is 27 and his older brother is 41

He has 2 nieces and 4 nephews (his younger brother has a girl and a boy and his older brother has 2 boys and a girl.

Hes the best damn uncle ever and he spoils the kids rotten.

He reads all the time. His favorite genre is nonfiction auto biographies

He likes to watch sci-fi movies and history documentaries

Says the most random facts ever and no one knows how get learns them

He grunts when he sits down

He has chronic knee pain and they pop when he sits or squats

He dresses like a dad in his civilian clothes gaz and soap make fun of him and joke around calling him papa price

Hes the god father of laswell's kid (she and her wife have a daughter together )

He laughs like santa clause

He shaved his bearded once and everyone thought he was a different person

He's got a baby face under the beard of his

He has a whole collection of hats

Hes gay but everyone thinks he's straight until he mentions his boyfriend

He owns a bearded dragon named roger

He gets carsick so he always has to sit in the front seat

He LOVES ted lasso and dressed up as him one Halloween

Gazzy gaz

Loves anime

Hes very shy when he first meets someone but eventually opens up and is super talkative

Smokes that schweed to help his anxiety (price caught him once but understood when he explained it to him) he only smokes when hes not on a mission

soap smokes with him

He loves the percy jackson books and binge reads them (hes read the series 6 times)

He 26

Hes a only child

His dad is from atlanta and his mom is from london

He used to do ballet when he was a kid and hes still super flexible

He travels from London to atlanta alot

He can dance really well

He Loves country music and is a huge orville peck fan. price suprised him with tickets to see him and he FLIPPED his shit.

Hes gay

He has a grey cat named totoro and a black cat named percy (his full name purrcy jackson the 2nd)

He hates broccoli with a passion

He accidentally called price dad before but, now he does it ironically

He has a collection of baseball caps

He loves baseball and american football

He often quotes vines and tiktok memes. Price will look at him like hes fucking crazy when he does a tiktok dance or quotes something

His tiktok is of him doing dances and soap likes to do it with him too

He will send the most random photos to soap on snapchat.

He loves phycological horror so he'll watch them with ghost. Soap will try to watch it with them but gets too scared.

His favorite movie is silence if the lambs and he will quote "it rubs the lotion on its skin" when he sees someone putting on lotion. That was one of the times ghost laughed. Soap was putting lotion on his skin and kyle snuck up behind him and said that quote causing soap to scream like a girl.

Thats all i got rn i'll do Alejandra rudy next if this gets likes

[ladyniniane]

Empress Irene is a perfect example of double standards regarding historical women. I recently saw a video ranking her among the top 5 worst Byzantine/Eastern roman emperors. And while she certainly wasn't among the best, she wasn't bad either. She was average.

It's also worth noting that the system she was operating in was biased against her because she was a woman. She couldn't for instance lead the army and that didn't help with gaining their support. The fact that she managed to rule in her own name is an accomplishment in itself.

And yet, people only focus on the fact that she blinded her son and not on the global picture. Yes, that was certainly cruel and no one is going to question that. But male emperors who pulled much worse are still praised and admired. I'm thinking of Basil II who reportedly blinded 1500 prisoners (though the story may be exaggerated). Or Nikephoros Phokas, who still gets YouTube videos and TikToks praising him. And while he was successful military leader, there's no denying that, he was also a complete failure of a politician and statesman.

In the end, women must be either perfect or completely bad. They just can't be human.

(And I'm thinking about trolling and naming the founding empress of my fictional, Byzantine-inspired country, Irene.)

[part-time-zombie]

Waiting Out The Storm

pairings: roceit (could be romantic or platonic)

summary: After a rather nasty storm ends up ruining both Roman and Janus' plans, the pair find themselves coming together and putting their differences aside as they cope with the weather.

tags/warnings: hurt/comfort, both sides refuse to talk about their feelings, Virgil's a bit of a jerk for a moment, no other sides are there

word count: 3733

A/N: This fic was the result of me getting inspired by the most recent incorrect quotes video, writing two very similar fics, and putting them together because they fit so well in my head. I had a lot of fun writing this, so I hope it's still good.

Janus should have known this would happen. He had only meant to find some proper peace and quiet by retreating outside to read his book in peace, it’s not like he was asking for much. Of course it was going to rain today. Logan had actually mentioned that to him before he headed out, now that he thought about it. He hadn’t bothered to listen to him at the time, and now he wishes he did. The rain was pelting fiercely around him, and the flimsy awning he was hiding under hardly provided any cover against the seemingly unending storm.

He tried to head back inside the second he felt the first raindrop, only to find the door stubbornly locked and barring him from refuge. No one seemed to hear or acknowledge that he was still outside, no matter how loudly he knocked at the door. They all must be busy in their own rooms, unless they were just ignoring him. Janus didn’t know, but at a guess it may be a mix of both. Patton and Logan have yet to fully hate him, so the only reason they would abandon him to the weather is that they simply didn’t realize he was still outside. Remus was probably doing his own thing as well, because even he wouldn’t subject Janus to this indignity too much. Maybe for a little, but not for this long. Virgil, on the other hand, likely wouldn’t care if Janus were locked out all night.

He had seen him, of course. Virgil just happened to descend the stairs shortly after Janus had knocked, presumably to investigate the ruckus he was making. Looking through the glass, Virgil saw him outside huddled close to the window in a desperate attempt to stay dry as the storm continued to rage around him. Janus gave him the most pitifully helpless look possible, hoping he could appeal to some speck of sympathy in Virgil’s heart. It almost seemed to work for a moment, his face softening in realization as he saw him.

Then he closed the blinds and left him stranded outside.

At any other time, Janus would have found that hilarious. It’s the kind of thing he would do himself, and if he weren’t currently on the receiving end of it he’d be laughing. Right now though, he could only shake in the rain, unsure if it was from the cold or anger.

Janus had hoped that Virgil was willing to move on after all this time. Sure, there had been a falling apart between them years ago, but Janus didn’t hold it against him. Not anymore, at least. He had grown past what had happened, but it looks like Virgil hasn’t forgiven him yet.

He’s really going to let him have it when he gets back inside.

It’s not like they can lock him out forever, right? Surely they wouldn’t do that. Patton likes him at least, and Logan respects him enough. All he has to do is wait until they remember he’s out here and then they’ll let him in, a thousand apologies spilling from their lips.

Janus dismissed the thought with a willful shake of the head. Who was he kidding? Logan didn’t really care about him, and Patton probably forgot about him entirely. The only one who knows he’s out here is Virgil, and it was clear he wasn’t letting him in anytime soon. He thought about finding a way to break in somehow, but he knew he wouldn’t actually do it. They need him to be good before they’ll accept him, and good guys don’t pick locks or use dirty tricks to get what they want, even if it’s just to seek shelter from a storm.

He was already on thin ice after everything else he did, he can’t make it worse now.

Roman actually didn’t mind the rain all that much. Sure, it came with the risk of ruining his outfit, but it was usually worth it.

Besides, they were bound to let him in anytime now. He just has to wait a little longer…

He had merely gone out for a quiet stroll in the park, a chance to clear his head and be by himself for a moment, when he heard the distant clap of thunder rapidly approaching. Luckily, Logan had warned him of the storm and he brought an umbrella just in case. At first it simply made for a nice prop, a bright red to compliment his sash as he idly carried it over his shoulder as he walked. With the rain now cascading all around him, he’s rather glad he thought to take it with him.

The weather hardly hindered his time outside, if anything it only improved it. With the rain came a lovely quietness and solitude he didn’t realize he needed, and as he reached out a hand from under his umbrella to feel the rainfall, he found it to be very grounding and calming. It also gave him the opportunity to quote musicals and romantic movies, though it would be nice to sing a proper duet with a partner some day.

That thought had him somberly slow his steps as he headed back to the apartment. He knew no one would want to do that with him. Logan and Virgil would only roll their eyes in quiet criticism, and as enthusiastic as Patton would be, he wouldn’t take it seriously and would probably only make it into something foolish. At least Roman could sing a few songs by himself on the walk back.

By the time he had returned from his walk, the rain had gone from a light shower to a full-on storm, and he was now more than eager to head back inside.

He almost didn’t even see Janus huddled up by the door, shaking and soaking wet.

Janus looked up and saw him, expression shifting from desolated to defensive. He looked away quickly, wrapping his arms even tighter around himself as he tried his best to look unbothered by the rain, and failing spectacularly.

“What are you doing out here?” Roman couldn’t help but ask.

“Enjoying myself, obviously,” Janus replied with a sarcastic sneer. “I just love being subjected to the elements for hours on end, don’t you?”

Roman rolled his eyes as he walked to the door. If Janus was just going to start another petty squabble again, he’d rather get somewhere dry before the fight could start.

The door didn’t budge when he tried to open it.

“It’s locked, idiot,” Janus muttered. “It’s not like I’d still be out here if I had a choice.”

Roman bit his tongue before he said anything too hurtful. Now was not the time. He knocked loudly on the door, to no response.

“Don’t you think I’d have tried that already? They’re not opening the door; they either don’t hear or don’t care.” Janus sighed, absently kicking at a puddle as he spoke. “I doubt they even know it’s you knocking, they’re probably too focused on letting me suffer to remember you’re stuck out here too.”

Roman only huffed in response, grabbing his phone to call someone only to remember all too belatedly that it had died halfway through his walk. Great. Locked out of the house during a storm with Janus is exactly how he wanted today to turn out.

“I don’t suppose you have your phone on hand, do you?” he asked with a sigh.

Janus shook his head in defeat. “Left it in the house by mistake. I doubt anyone would have even answered if I called them, though. They likely have my number blocked.”

“Why the hell would they lock the door on us?”

Janus only shrugged for a moment, leaning against the wall as the rain continued to pool around his feet. “Who’s to say? Maybe they forgot we’re out here, maybe they thought you had come back by now and just wanted to keep me from getting inside, maybe they knew we were both outside and thought it would be funny.”

Roman didn’t respond to that, instead turning and pounding on the door again, though he knew by now that it wouldn’t work.

“If they didn’t know I was out here, they might have answered by now,” Janus commented. “I think they’re too busy ignoring me to remember you.”

Roman started getting defensive. What did Janus know anyway? “They wouldn’t do that.”

Janus arched an eyebrow. “Oh? And you’re so sure?”

“Of course, we may all joke around but we’d never be so wicked as you’re suggesting.”

Janus turned to face him head on, his expression hardened and full of resentment.

“Virgil closed the blinds on me,” he started, voice flat and deadpan. “He looked right at me and left me out here, knowing full well how bad this storm is.” He gave Roman a humorless grin, one that was sharpened with grim understanding. “Tell me you wouldn’t have done the same thing. Tell me how you wouldn’t even think of doing that to me.”

Roman swallowed uncomfortably. He wanted to say that he wouldn’t, but in truth, he probably would. He might have even locked the door on Janus, if it were him.

That’s hardly heroic of him, but it’s the truth. It’s the horrible, horrible truth.

Janus seemed to take his silence as answer enough, as he hummed knowingly before turning away and watching the storm instead.

Roman looked at him, feeling the weight of what he had said settling over him. Sure, he was still angry about what had happened between them, and that pain may never fully heal, but do either of them deserve that? How much longer will they continue to let each other suffer, all because they’re both too proud to do anything else?

The water was now pooling at Roman’s feet, but he hardly paid it any mind. This always happens, doesn’t it? Roman and Janus fight and no one else does anything about it. It’s almost become as predictable as Remus making a mess or Patton messing up.

He gasped as the thought entered his mind. How could he have forgotten? Roman moved away from the door and started blindly feeling around in the rocks by the back porch with his free hand, much to Janus’ confusion.

“What is it that you’re doing now?” he asked, exasperation evident in his tone.

“Usually it’s Patton who gets locked out of the house,” Roman explained as he continued his search. “And it happened enough times for Logan to get fed up and make a spare key. Virgil insisted we hide it to be safe, and it should be right about…” he trailed off, finally locating the large rock it was under. “Here!”

Roman lifted the key with a victorious flourish, hurriedly unlocking the door. Janus all but raced inside and made a beeline for his room, with Roman hanging up his umbrella close behind.

He, unlike Janus, froze in place immediately when he realized just how dark the apartment was. All he could focus on was the suffocating darkness that had filled every corner of the room and flooded his mind with panic. The whole apartment was vacant and void of light, casting eerie shadows and creating frightening shapes in their wake.

The power was out.

It was no secret that Roman disliked the dark, though he tried to downplay just how badly he was frightened of it. It obscured and obstructed his sight, leaving the surroundings open to his overactive imagination (which always ran the risk of manifesting) and left him feeling far too vulnerable and exposed for his liking. He felt simultaneously cut off from the world and surrounded by danger, and despite the faint flickering of a few candles that had been lit to compensate for the darkness, Roman could only think to search of light and safety.

Janus had gone upstairs, and the other sides must be up there, too. Even if he can’t find light he can at least make sure he’s not alone with the shadows. He hurried upstairs in a frantic search for sanctuary, pausing to recollect himself after finding the hallway to be even darker than the living room. Roman tried to gather his breath and cleared his head before finally spotting a sliver of warm, welcoming light peeking out from behind one of the bedroom doors.

Safety at last.

Eager to escape the darkness that surrounded him, he hurriedly tried to open the door, knocking loudly when he found it locked.

Janus finally opened the door, a warm glow from his room seeping out behind him. Despite his time spent left out in the rain, he was surprisingly dry.

“Are you trying to break my door down?” he hissed. “Not to be rude, but I’ve had enough socializing for today, so if you don’t mind I’d like to be left alone now.”

Janus started to close the door on him, and Roman felt his heart lurch as he realized he would be deprived of that safe, soothing light in Janus’ room. Panicked and desperate, Roman reached out a hand and caught the door before it could close, trying his best to force it back open.

“Are you serious?” Janus exclaimed, still blocking Roman from entering his room. “I told you to go. You’ve been more than willing to avoid me before, right?”

“Please,” Roman ignored the shake in his voice. “The power’s out and it’s dark everywhere else.”

“So?”

“So I can’t stand it. I just want some light, that’s all. I don’t like being in the dark. Please, Janus.”

On any other day, Roman would die from embarrassment at the thought of him begging Janus for help. Especially when the help involves admitting to his own weaknesses and fears. Right now, though, all he can focus on is how well-lit Janus’ room is, and how badly he wants to feel safe.

Janus stared silently back at him, an unreadable expression on his face.

“You’re scared of the dark, aren’t you?” he finally asked, an unpleasant mixture of condescension and intrigue in his voice.

Roman nodded, an inkling of shame now joining with his still present fear. Of course Janus would mock him for this. What is he thinking, going to Janus for help? It’s not like they’ve buried the hatchet in the storm outside or anything. Janus still hates him, and going to him for help is still a terrible idea. He must have lost his mind to think anything good would come of this.

“Please,” he whispered.

Janus gave him another look before letting out a deep sigh and stepping back, granting Roman access to his room.

“Normally I’d say no, but since you got me out of the storm I’ll oblige this one time,” he said with a groan. “Besides, I don’t like owing people.”

Roman thanked him before quickly heading inside, already feeling himself calm down now that he was out of the dark. Janus’ room was surprisingly decent, with ornate furnishings and regal gold decorations that stood out nicely against the black accents. On the wall to his right was a large, lit fireplace, the source of the reassuring light that lured Roman in here.

Janus sat down on a plush cushion close to the fireplace, picking up the book he must have been reading when Roman interrupted him.

“I wanted to enjoy some much-needed peace and quiet today, and I still intend on doing so, so while you’re here I want you to keep your hands and opinions to yourself, alright?” Janus asked him, the stern tone in his voice leaving no room for debate.

Roman nodded.

“Good, now make yourself comfortable and I’ll do the same.”

With little else to say or do, Roman obediently grabbed a cushion of his own and seated himself on the other side of the fireplace, close enough to be eased by its light while maintaining a respectful distance from Janus.

He didn’t have anything with him to occupy his time, so he instead looked around the room as his mind wandered, taking in the intricate and presumably expensive décor Janus filled his room with. Everything was organized and majestic, and despite Roman preferring lighter and more colorful shades, the lavish accents and atmospheric layout of Janus’ room were surprisingly appealing to his own personal tastes, save for the excessive snake-themed memorabilia, that is.

Roman’s gaze eventually wandered back to Janus, who was still focused on his book and seemed to be trying very hard to pretend Roman wasn’t there. The firelight illuminated his features and wrapped him in a warm and not unpleasant glow that, Roman had to admit, made him look more delicate and even approachable in an enigmatic but alluring way.

“You’re staring,” Janus muttered, eyes flicking up to him for a moment before returning to the page. “Is there a problem, or am I just that handsome?”

Roman flushed, looking away for a moment. “What? Oh, I mean, it’s just… I guess I wanted to say thanks. For letting me in your room, that is.”

Janus looked back up at him, eyes shining by the firelight. “… oh.”

“Uh, what are you reading?” Roman continued, now feeling obligated to keep up the conversation.

“Why are you asking?”

“Well, I’m curious. Is it a good book?”

Janus shifted in his seat. “I think so, but why do you care?”

Roman shrugged, not quite sure how to answer. Why does he care?

Janus let out a huff before going back to his book, muttering a quiet “that’s what I thought,” under his breath as he turned the page.

Janus continued reading, shuffling even closer to the fireplace with what sounded like either another sigh or a shiver. Considering the slight tremble in his hands that he couldn’t fully hide, Roman was tempted to think it was the latter.

“Are you alright?”

“Of course I am,” Janus replied with an unsubtle eye roll.

“It’s just, you’re kinda shaking a little bit. Do you not like the dark too?”

Janus stiffened slightly, his grip tightening on the book that he tried to look invested in. “I’m not afraid of the dark, Roman. You’re projecting.”

“Then why are you sitting so close to the fireplace, and why did you light it in the first place?”

Janus sighed before giving Roman a look that suggested he already knew the answer. “Fire isn’t just bright, Roman. Surely you’re clever enough to piece it together.”

Roman ran it over in his head. Janus had shivered just now, but he didn’t look afraid. He definitely didn’t look comfortable, though.

“Are you cold?”

“Congratulations on solving today’s puzzle,” Janus teased, his tone now a mocking version of a game show host for a moment before returning to its usual sardonic state. “Why else did you think I’d have a massive fireplace in my room? It’s good to have a backup heat source, and besides, it does set a rather nice ambiance,” he explained.

Well, it did make sense. He was coldblooded, after all, and even if it’s not freezing right now, a sudden chill can’t be good for him since the weather had taken out the thermostat with the lights. Roman wordlessly summoned a blanket before tossing it over to Janus, only shrugging in a vague response when he looked up at him in confusion.

“I suppose I should thank you,” Janus muttered, not fully looking at him as he wrapped himself up in Roman’s offered blanket.

“If you want. If you do, though, I should probably apologize.”

“Do you want to?”

Roman didn’t know how to answer. Part of him wanted to put this whole mess behind the both of them so they could at least try to get along together, but another part of him was still far too bitter and stubborn to let go so soon. They had both hurt and been hurt, and that pain wasn’t going away any time soon, but he’d be willing to apologize as long as he wasn’t the only one doing it.

“How about we leave it unspoken, then?” Janus offered with a small but sincere smile.

Roman gave him a similar half-smile in return. “That works for me.”

Janus gave him a brief nod in agreement before returning to his spot on the page, now looking noticeably more comfortable and far less displeased.

Roman couldn’t help but smile to himself, partially at having earned some gratitude from Janus, but also at how endearing he looked while bundled up in one of Roman’s blankets. Roman didn’t expect to actually refer to Janus like that, but then again he didn’t think he’d wait out a power outage with him either. This whole situation was surprising, but Roman didn’t really mind.

“You’re staring again.”

Roman felt his face heat up, and most certainly not from the fire. “Do you want me to stop?”

“… Not really,” Janus muttered. Roman only just managed to catch the slight blush on his face.

The two sat in silence after that, but it was a comfortable one with none of the tension from before. The rain could still be heard outside, though it was considerably quieter now. The storm must be passing now, and with luck the power might return within the next few hours.

But on the off chance that it didn’t…

“I wouldn’t mind it,” Janus mumbled, almost like he didn’t want to say it out loud.

Roman leaned forward slightly, straining to hear him better. “What was that?”

Janus held the book higher over his face, as if he were hiding behind it. “I was saying that if, for whatever reason the power is out all night, you’d be allowed to stay over. I wouldn’t mind it.”

“Wait, really?”

“You’re sleeping on the floor, but yes.” Janus lowered the book again, staring at Roman. “Unless of course you’d rather be alone in your own dark room all night.”

“Absolutely not,” Roman replied, a little too hastily. “I mean, um, I’m not against staying over, as long as you’re fine with it. Thanks, I guess, for offering.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Janus gave him another subtle smile that Roman found himself returning, and he realized he wouldn’t mind it if the lights didn’t come back on right away. Spending a dark and stormy night like this with Janus might not be the worst thing in the world.

taglist:

@lio-the-chaotic-nonbeanie-weenie @nico-the-overlord @rougeside4 @britt-ish123 @oatmeal-stans-the-trash-rat @holdnarrytight @new-zee-land @yuckypuppie @can-i-take-a-stab @keitaisghost

[tssdresses]

Sanders Sides Animatic Ideas | Inside | Comedy

Main: Thomas, Patton, Roman, Logan Background Characters: Janus, Virgil, Remus

Logan's lines are in blue, Roman's in red, Thomas is pink, Virgil in purple, Janus in orange, Remus in green, and, Patton is either black or white depending on light/dark mode.

The world is changing The planet's heating up What the fuck is going on?

We open with Thomas, Logan, Roman, and Patton sitting in the living room together. Logan says these lines, while looking down at a book.

Rearranging It's like everything happened all at once Um, what the fuck is going on?

Roman, from his seat, is staring at the area of wall where Remus stands during videos.

The people rising in the streets, the war, the drought The more I look the more I see nothing to joke about Is comedy over?

Patton is holding a newspaper (upside down), and looking at Thomas over it. Very Dad pose.

Should I leave you alone? 'Cause, really who's gonna go for joking at a time like this?

Thomas is looking at a his phone, which is open to a social media app, with his finger hovering over a 'create' or 'reel' or whatever button.

Should I be joking at a time like this?

Patton

I wanna help to leave this world better than I found it And I fear that comedy won't help

Thomas closes the app and tosses his phone down on the couch.

And the fear is not unfounded

Logan closes his book (and does a double take at Patton's upside-down newspaper).

Should I stop trying to be funny? Should I give away my money? No!

Roman looks at Patton while suggesting a pause in humor due to the state of the world. When he suggests getting rid of Thomas' money, we see various charity organization logos float across the screen.

Logan waves them away, saying no.

What do I do?

Thomas, face in hands, sitting on the couch.

Healing the world with comedy The indescribable power of your comedy The world needs direction

Patton looks at Thomas, then looks at Roman and Logan, who are both looking at Patton expectantly. Yes, we've been going through arcs about Patton not having all the answers, but hey, old habits die hard.

From a white guy like me?

Logan looks a little dubious at Patton's idea.

Bingo

Roman, on the other hand, does not.

Who is healing the world with comedy?

Patton visibly looks unsure of himself.

That's it! The world is so fucked up Systematic oppression Income inequality The other stuff And there's only one thing I can do about it... While... while being paid... and being the center of attention

Thomas and Roman go back and forth during these lines, with Roman getting more excited, and Thomas starting to perk up a little bit more.

Healing the world with comedy Making a literal difference, metaphorically A Jew walks into a bar And I've saved him a seat That's healing the world with comedy

Thomas and Roman continue to get more and more excited about 'healing the world with comedy.'

I'm a special kind of white guy I self-reflected and I want to be an agent of change So I am going to use my privilege for the good (Very cool, way to go!)

Patton says these lines with a little dance, and Logan is the background 'Very cool, way to go' line. Logan does not do a little dance.

(Roman in the background: Specs is being sarcastic again)

American white guys We've had the floor for at least 400 years So maybe I should just shut the fuck up

We zoom in on Logan from over Patton's shoulder, and he continues to be deadpan while saying this. After, there's a beat of silence, where we pull back to see the whole living room.

I'm bored

Roman, bored, face-plants down to the floor.

I don't wanna do that There's got to be another way For me to help out without standing on the sidelines

Each of the sides say their line, looking at Thomas as they do. Roman looks up from his position face-planted on the phone.

Never!

Thomas, cheering along with the other sides.

The wait is over! I'm white, and I'm here to save the day! Lord help me channel Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side Sandra Bullock!

Roman and Patton cheer back and forth at each other. There's a little bit of green seeping from behind the TV when Roman brings up Sandra Bullock. Don't worry about it.

Healing the world with comedy Making a literal difference, metaphorically And yes, most likely they'll pay me But I'd do it for free I am healing the world with:

Thomas goes back to his phone and opens up whatever app he had closed, and goes between navigating the app and talking to the sides.

Comedy

Patton pops into the frame, wearing sunglasses.

If you wake up in a house that's full of smoke Don't panic, call me and I'll tell you a joke

Virgil joins from the stairs, holding a fire extinguisher.

If you see white men dressed in white cloaks Don't panic, call me and I'll tell you a joke

Remus appears, dressed as a ghost. Virgil throws the fire extinguisher at him.

Oh shit, should I be joking in a time like this?

The extinguisher rolls into frame, coming to rest at Janus' feet. Pan up to see him saying this, sarcastically, as Remus falls to the floor before springing back up.

If you start to smell burning toast You're having a stroke or overcooking your toast

This segment is called '"Helpful Facts" with Remus.'

If you wake up in a house that's full of smoke Don't panic, call me and I'll tell you a joke

Logan, standing next to Virgil, says this line, while nodding approvingly at Virgil's move with the fire extinguisher.

If you see white men dressed in white cloaks Don't panic, call me and I'll tell you a joke

Remus, still in a ghost costume, lurches towards Roman, who screams and draws his sword.

Oh shit, should I be joking in a time like this? Somebody help me out, cause I don't know

Patton, fully ignoring everyone else, picks his newspaper up (correctly, this time), and flips through it again.

And I want to help to leave this world better than I found it And I fear that comedy won't help

Thomas comes and looks at the paper with Patton.

And the fear is not unfounded

Virgil points this out 'helpfully.'

Should I stop trying to be funny? Should I give away my money? No!

Roman and Patton, who both look concerned, say their respective lines, and Janus tells them no with an air of "of course not." Patton looks reassured. Roman does not.

Roman is also holding his sword over his shoulder. The sheet (without Remus) is draping from it. There are a few more holes in the sheet now.

I know what I gotta do Healing the world with comedy Making a literal difference, metaphorically

Remus pops up on "I know what I gotta do!" and everyone else looks worried for a moment, before he continues, and Thomas joins in on "Metaphorically."

I swore I'd never be back But now I'm back on my feet And I'm healing the world with comedy

All sides are on a stage, suddenly, with Thomas standing in the middle of the sides. There are curtains, open, in front of them, facing an audience, and a second set of curtains, closed, behind them. There is an orange lights creeping out from under the closes curtains.

All the sides bow together, and the curtains close.

TOC Content | Face Time With My Mom (Tonight)

[kriwix]

My fan transcript of the latest episode TribeTwelve and messages from Twitter.

[All this is written by me and is subjective, based on my personal opinion. If you see factual errors, please let me know.]

[I also use a translator, so I apologize for any mistakes.]

1 message from Twitter and approximate English translation:

"Our ability to perceive entities is directly dependent on our innate perception of those for whom we were created. Unless you are trained to spot camouflage, it is invisible. The suit decides you're blind" - remember it

In the last episode "Facade", in the last seconds, the inscription appears:

At the end of the last series there are the words "The eyes see only what the mind is ready to comprehend" - this is the phrase of Henri Bergson, but if you rely on the Bible, then this is the message to the Romans of the Apostle Paul 1:20:

"...For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,.." In itself, the greatness of God cannot be seen through the eyes of creation, only known through the world order. The Bible plays a role in deciphering the latest episodes and messages from the official Twitter.

2 message:

This is the most interesting part.

"10 damn years. I used to think posting this video ruined my life. Now I know better I've always been damned, born in hell. I lived by the book of Job, I fell from heaven, and one day I will become Satan."

The book of Job - Job is a pious and immaculate person, but later the devil slanders Job, considering him mercenary and hypocritical, which can be revealed (according to the devil) if wealth is taken away from him. Job is subjected to terrible calamities, but patiently endures them.

Perhaps "...fell from heaven" in the message is also a reference to Job, who lost everything due to slander; the interpretation revolves around "does misfortune always come from divine punishment?"; the book also explains that grief is not necessarily caused by a sin committed, it can be an experience, a lesson, a discipline, or a real punishment. Does this mean that "I lived according to the book of Job" = the unpunished and righteous received calamities? But is he so unpunished?

What role does Satan play in the book of Job? Satan takes everything from Job with God's permission to test, hoping that Job will curse God. "Become Satan" - to become the one who takes away from Job and tests him. Noah lived according to the Book of Job, righteously and trying to fight Satan, but later "falls from heaven" and "becomes Satan" that is, joins the side of the Collective? I think so, because the last words we hear from Milo are "you should read me". And I think this means that in the end Noah joins the Collective, and "becomes Satan", that is, the one who takes away, as it was once taken from him. Noah writes that he will become Satan, because he himself will take from the unpunished. That is, he will enter the Collective and will punish those who did not sin, as he did at the beginning: he suffered losses and suffering, like Job, for verification, and not for punishment.

But what then did Noah experience? There are two options:

1. Noah did not see the real greatness of God, and everything that was in the labyrinth was only a part, or only the beginning

2. Noah saw the greatness of God, which means that he is not the Creation of God, since he could know and see.

But only you can decide that.

You. The one who reads this. On the other side of the screen. Comeclosertous. WENEEDYOU

[singeratlarge]

SUNDAY MATINEE MUSIC VIDEO: “There Will Never Be Any Peace (Until God Sits At The Conference Table)” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhi79SjPjzE I pay tribute to the late, great gospel-soul singer-songwriter Eugene Record (born with a perfect name for the work). He’s best known as a member of The Chi-Lites. He wrote their evergreen hits “Have You Seen Her?” and “Oh Girl,” and his songs have been covered by Beyonce, Paul Young, and others. One this I perform Eugene’s timeless composition which he wrote during the turbulent Vietnam War era, and it’s been covered by artists including Blind Boys of Alabama. I was introduced to song by my friend, British singer-songwriter Steve Lambert (ex-Roman Holliday), who insisted that I listen to Nick Lowe’s intimate remake of Eugene’s spiritual song—with lyrics that seem very relevant today! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhi79SjPjzE

#eugenerecord #ChiLites #beyonce #nicklowe #blindboysofalabama #gospel #soul #rnb #Chicagosoul #alabama #singersongwriter #BrunswickRecords #God #conferencetable #romanholliday #spiritual #johnnyjblair #singeratlarge #paulyoung