#Sometimes the grain line doesn't matter

[20dollarlolita]

The three biggest things I was told in high school and that turned out to be untrue:

"You're not going to have a calculator with you all the time,"

"You're going to find yourself in a situation where you want to have sex with someone,"

And

"Interfacing doesn't have a grain line."

[gallusrostromegalus]

I was raised agnostic and tend to remain ambiguous on theological matters.

-but my house has a porch on the second story that affords me a terrific view of my neighborhood and the Colorado Front Range and I was partaking of some peace before the 4th Of July Finger-Loss Festivities begin, and I have had a

~*Spiritual Experience*~

I just watched my neighbor try to unload an actual wooden pallet that had to have been forklifted into the back of his insecurity pickup worth of fireworks.

Except that he does not have a forklift in his garage.

He does have so much sports memorabilia and cardboard boxes of unsold MLM Merchandise and patriotically themed camping gear and posters of women in bikinis and flags of suspect political organizations in his garage that there is only BARELY enough space for the fireworks and certainly none for his truck.

So he had to unload the individual boxes of recreational explosives from the back of his truck and stack them in the minimal space he had cleared by hand. This is a tedious and time-consuming process as this neighbor has purchased a wide variety of recreational and locally illegal explosives instead of many of just a few types, so the individual boxes are rather small.

He begins, and this is crucial to what happens next, by cutting apart the industrial-grade saran wrap his explosives dealer had so carefully wrapped his merchandise in, and discarded it unsecured on his lawn.

Where Outdoor Conditions sometimes happen.

His process for unloading the fireworks is to 1. Climb up through the gate into the bed of his pickup truck (a feat made unusually difficult due to the slope of his driveway, and this man's fascinating decision to wear the world's Siffest and least Flexible Denim Overalls. 2. Once in the pickup bed, he selects ONE (1) box from the pile He is apparently from a niche religious institution that doesn't believe in stacking things. 3. Carries it awkwardly around the palette that barely fits in the truck bed 4. His wife yells "Be careful!" when he nearly falls out of the pickup. 5. He Yells "SHADDUP!" back at her. 6. The Large German Shepherd barks from inside the house. 7. He yells "SHADDUP!" back at her too. 8. He sets the (1) box down on the gate 9. Slowly and awkwardly climbs out of the pickup bed 10. picks the box back up, and carries it into the garage.

Question: Aren't you going to help this poor man? Answer: Absolutely Not.

There's four military veterans, MANY dogs, and several people with dementia in this neighborhood, all of whom are terrified by this chicanery every year and many neighbors have repeatedly asked him to maybe do the fireworks somewhere else. (This is the Eighth Year Running he's held a major demolition event in his driveway, and for those of you who can do math, you may be able to guess the precipitating incident to this little ritual) Additionally, I live in Colorado, a state marginally less prone to spontaneous and catastrophic conflagrations than a rotting grain silo, but only marginally. Our recreational explosives laws are written accordingly.

I am in fact calling the Non Emergency line to report Fireworks violations, and reading off the brand labels to someone named Dorothy, who is gleefully totaling up a SPECTACULAR fine for my oblivious neighbor.

However, while I'm on the phone with Dorothy, I notice the wind begin to pick up. and by "Notice" I mean "The Industrial Saran Wrap he left on his Lawn earlier is suddenly swept up about 100 feet into the air by an updraft intense enough to make my ears pop" And by "Pick Up" I mean "I look up to see the sky has turned a fun and exciting shade of glass green, and the bottoms of the clouds are bumpy and rounded, and the overall effect is not unlike looking up through the bottom of the cup at God's Matcha Boba Tea."

For those of you who do not live in places with Inclement Weather, these conditions mean "You have about 30 seconds before a Major Meteorological Event Occurs."

I move under the eaves. "Hang on Dorothy." I say, nose filling with Petrichor. "The show is about to be cancelled." "Oh, that doesn't matter!" Dorothy cheerfully informs me. "It's illegal for him just to possess those, no matter if he actually gets to set them off or not." "Terrific, because he's gotten maybe five boxes out of a hundred inside."

Sometimes, the weather gods are Merciful and give you a verbal warning, typically in the kind of thunderclap that makes your ears ring.

The Gods were not merciful today.

It's not often that I am in the time, place, correct angle or in a properly observational frame of mind to see this, But I got to see it today. Huh. I thought. I've never seen a cloud just DIVE for the ground before. Oh. I realized as it got closer. That's RAIN.

Sometimes, a thunderstorm will form in such a way that the rain that would normally be distributed over an area of say, five to tent square miles, is instead concentrated into an area of say, my neighborhood exactly.

So today, I was granted the rare privilege of being able to actually see the literal wall of water descend from On High and DIRECTLY onto my porch, my street, and my neighbor's truck, and his pile of unwrapped fireworks.

The sheer impact force of the downpour immediately scatters the teetering pile of fireworks boxes in the back of the truck, like the wrath of God striking down the tower of Babel. Boxes tumble, then are washed out of the bed of the truck by the deluge. Smaller Boxes are carried down the road in a little line by the stream forming in the gutter, like little impotent explosive ducklings.

My neighbor was definitely yelling something, but I could not hear what over the DEAFENING noise several million gallons of water makes upon high-speed contact with the earth's surface, but there was a lot of arm-waving and faces turning red as he went looking for the saran wrap that had probably blown to Nebraska by now, while his wife started disassembling the complex three-dimensional puzzle of interlocking material goods in search of a tarp. They do not have a tarp. They have one of those wretched Thin Blue Line flags though, and my neighbor jogs out in a futile effort to cover what's left in the truck.

Which is when the hail begins.

"HELLO?" Yelled Dorothy. "HI!" I shouted. "WE'RE HAVING SOME WEATHER!" "OH GOOD!" she shouts back. "WE NEED THE MOISTURE!"

I watch for a minute longer, but the loss was immediate and catastrophic- the hail is the size of marbles and dense and cares not for your pitiful cardboard and cellophane, ripping the boxes asunder and punching holes in the few things covered in plastic. The colors on the Thin Blue Line Flag are seeping all over the remains of that it was supposed to protect in a particularly apt visual metaphor. Not even the few boxes that made it into the garage are spared, as the German Shepherd escapes from indoors, and in an attempt to assist her humans, jumps directly into the small stack of not-yet-ruined boxes, scattering them into the driveway and deluge. She even picks one up so her humans will chase her around the yard, before dropping it in the gutter to be swept away.

So. I was raised Agnostic -but even I can recognize when God slaps someone upside the head and shouts "NO!" at them.

---

(If you laughed, please consider supporting my Ko-fi or preordering my book of Strange Stories on Patreon)

[luveline]

can I request more bodyguard James? he’s just the cutest and I’m happy to read anything about it!!

thank you for your request! you and James go shopping and get mistaken for a couple ♥︎ fem!reader 1k

James looks like your boyfriend, sometimes. There are moments that he deems low risk in your life where he won't wear his radio or his utility belt, opting instead for plain black civilian clothing. In those moments, you aren't proud of yourself for doing so, but you like to pretend he is your boyfriend. 

He's looking through broccoli's for you. You hadn't asked him to. His hands sift through huge trees until he's found the most vibrant, holding it up for your inspection. 

"Perfect," you praise, opening your small paper bag so he can drop it inside with the rest of your hand-picked veggies.

The only thing left on your list is extra virgin olive oil, but you don't want to go home yet. You like the way people look at you and James when you're together,  awed and a little jealous. They might wonder how you nabbed a man like him, and of course you haven't nabbed him at all. That's your secret to keep. 

You meander down the vegetable aisle, your eyes skipping over snap peas and cabbages, bags of wonky carrots and parsnips. James grabs a bag of rooster potatoes before you can stretch over the crates for them. 

"Gotta wake up earlier in the morning to beat me, angel," he says. 

"I don't think I could." 

James wakes up at 3AM every morning, if he's to be believed. It makes sense. He wakes up, does bits around the flat, works out, has breakfast, and is waiting smiley and bright-eyed when you emerge from your room at 6:30. You're never as put together as he is, usually in your nightgown or one of those matching pyjama sets that make him look you up and down (though you both pretend he doesn't). 

No matter how bleary your vision is, it's impossible to miss the way he smiles at you every single day, like you're the sun coming up over the horizon. His pretty brown eyes squint, his thick crop of eyelashes threading together at their corners, and he says some warm variation of, "Morning, princess. Is it me or did you get prettier while I was gone?" 

"We could try it out. Of course, if you wake up at three, I'll have to start waking up at midnight," he says now. 

"I don't know how you do it," you say. Your voice is softened by genuine admiration. 

"I get to see you. Makes it easy." 

He's flirting, but with James you can never make out where the line is. Does he want you to flirt back? Does he want you to want him? You'd say without hesitation that James is your best friend in the whole world. He'd say without hesitation that his best friend is actually a duo, Sirius and Remus. That makes it hard. 

But it's okay. You don't need anything more than this: his hand on your shoulder guiding you across the aisle to the fresh fruit punnets, the smell of his cologne a familiar treat. 

You pick up a couple of things you like, mostly stuff you know you can convince James to share. He likes oranges best, so you grab a bag of huge ones and drop them in your basket with the veggies. It's getting heavy. You can practically see James' holding in an offer to carry it for you.

You're somewhere in the spreads and grains aisle when an older lady approaches you, or rather James, tapping him on the elbow gently.

"Hey, hun, you couldn't help me reach something?" 

"I'd be happy to!" he says cheerily. 

"Thanks so much. I've never been very tall, and every year I seem to shrink. It's just over here." 

James legally isn't supposed to stray from your side, so he threads his hand under your upper arm and pulls you with him. 

The elderly woman points to a box bragging organic, dehydrated strips of applesauce. "It's those right there if it's no trouble for you, hun." 

"No, of course not." 

James grabs her box with little to no effort expended. He doesn't even need to go on toes. 

"God, he's so tall," the elderly lady says to you. 

"He's super tall," you echo, your sunny talking-to-strangers voice in play. 

"And very handsome. You're a lovely couple." 

You fall into silence with your lips parted, not sure what to say. It isn't worth correcting and potentially embarrassing her for a harmless assumption, especially when you like that she thinks it, but you don't want to embarrass yourself in front of James by looking to eager. 

"She's the lovely one," James says, offering the applesauce with a huge beaming smile. 

She presses her hand to her collar, basket proffered until James places the applesauce carefully on top of a punnet of plums and a TV magazine. 

"Thank you," she says. "Getting old's no fun when you're short. And my husband was even shorter than I am! You hold on to this one, love, you never know when you'll need something from a tall shelf."

You and James laugh in a mirrored delight at her easy-going joking, his hand falling against the top of your shoulder, fingers spread and clasping. You swear, heat radiates like the sun from his touch alone. 

"I'm holding on about as tightly as I can," James says, "she couldn't get rid of me if she wanted to." 

You look at him, startled, and meet his earnest gaze. "I don't want to. I don't think I'll ever want to." 

James smiles. 

The elderly woman nods like this is something she'd suspected. 

"Good. You're a perfect pair," she says.

James rubs the space between your shoulders affectionately while he finally steals the heavy shopping basket from over your arm. You're too flustered from his touch to kick up a fuss. 

"I've been thinking the same thing," he says. 

[ddollfface]

oh my god. i loved your lovesick!sailor. just a thought, could reader's child have given his mother's escape plan? i mean hes such a sweet sweet child but what if he's finally tired of the neglect?:( dad loves him so much, sailor dad tells him that mother loves him too but poor baby can't help but start to lose hope.

maybe a sharp sense of feeling made him suggest the idea that, 'i think mom is going somewhere' to his dad?

he doesn't want to but- he needs love from his mother too:(

what abt sailor just trying to trap reader with yet ANOTHER baby, just so happens to be a girl this time, one who looks exactly like her. but baby girl wants to stay on land and refuses to aid her mother anyhow.

JUST A THOUGHT. I MAY HAVE INDULGED WAY TOO DEEP INTO THIS😞🙏

YES! You got exactly what I was putting down!!!

That's what I was trying to insinuate with that little line, but I was trying to be sneaky with it -- I'm just happy that someone caught onto it!

I like to imagine that your baby boy was slowly climbing the stairs, looking over his shoulders every few seconds, just to see if you'd follow after him. He wants his mama to tuck him in, to lull him to sleep with soft humming, instead of the crashing of waves and heavy thumping of thunder.

His tiny feet patted against the splintered stairs, old and creaky wood making the slightest noise under his weight. His stuffy held close to his chest, his nose stuffed into the soft material, inhaling your scent that clung onto the toy seal. Sniffling as he walked through the cold halls. The walls a light tan, cracks creeping along every corner as dirt and old salt filled all the crevices. No matter how much his Pa cleaned, there was always the looming scent of sea salt and the earthy grains of sand throughout the Lighthouse.

But that's expected, especially since this Lighthouse has been around for decades. If anything, it's surprising it's still standing. The wooden floorboards covered by a burgundy carpet, one that's long and stretches far down the hallway, and only ends at the foot of the ladder, which leads up to the top. The carpet has golden borders, and little tuffs of wool frame the carpet at the ends. Depictions of the sea string along the floor. Naked women with the bodies of seals lounging on the rocks have always caught the little boy's eyes, seeing as he's never seen such a creature before.

He hopes they are, they seem so beautiful. He would love to meet a woman who had the body of a seal, he's sure they'd be lovely to talk to. The little boy would continue down the hall, letting his eyes linger on the depictions of sea life, wondering what the waves would feel like, or how the sand would move under his feet. If only his Pa would let him go to the ocean; what was he afraid of?

His small feet quicken their steps, creating a small thump against the floor, but it diminished by the soft carpet. His mind wandered to the ocean, longing for what it was like. He wants to feel the sand through his fingers, to swim with the little fishies, or to jump over waves. His Pa always talks about the ocean, about his voyages across the seven seas, and how he stopped all that for his Mama.

But... his mama didn't talk about the ocean often. Though she did sit on the window seal, staring off into the distance. Sometimes she'd even let him sit with her! Oh, how he loved to sit with his Mama, laying between her legs as she detangled his long curls. He loved his Mama so, so much...

"God dammit! Where the hell is she?!"

The door at the end of the hall slammed open, revealing his Pa. The boy's eyes widened, surprised as he'd never seen his Pa act so sporadically. He held the stuffy closer to his chest, keeping eye contact with his father as he rapidly approached him, his Pa's hands grasping his shoulders.

"Did you see her, baby? Where's Mama?" His Pa's eyes were wide, filled with panic and fear, causing the boy to become worried as well. Should he have stopped his Mama? Cried for her to stay with him and come up the stairs? Was his Mama okay? Why was Pa so worried?

The boy licked his lips, looking off to the side. Though he wanted his Pa to make sure Mama was okay, he had a gut feeling that something wasn't right. His Mama wouldn't leave him, right?

He gulped, his gaze flickering from the ground to his stuffy seal, tightening his grasp around the toy. Sniffling, he shook his head, peering up at his Pa through his blonde lashes.

"Nuh-uh, Pa... I didn't see her, I was just getting some water..." He mumbled, lying through his teeth. Something in his gut churned, something wasn't right, and he knew it. His Mama wasn't one to act irrationally, and she'd never do something that wasn't in his best interest, right?

For some reason, the boy thought that the ocean had something to do with this. He could almost hear the waves crashing against the rocks, a soft melody that lulled him to come closer. His eyes perked at the sound. his nostrils flared. Suddenly, it felt as if the ocean was right in front of him. He could almost feel the wind blowing through his hair and the sand beneath his feet.

He felt distant as his Pa ruffled his hair, ushering him to bed, before running down the stairs. His body felt different as if something had changed. Something was wrong, and he could feel it in his soul, heart, and mind.

Throughout his whole life, he's longed for the ocean, always calling out to it from afar, but it seems that the ocean has heard his pleas.

Maybe his Mama heard it too?

.

.

.

But yeah, that's kinda of a small drabble of what I imagine to happen. I've always been interested in mythologies around the world. Selkies specifically have always caught my eye, so I just wanted to write a small story about the myth.

From my various readings, I've seen a couple of stories about how the children of a selkie, specifically if their father's a human, will usually have some type of aquatic features (EX: webbed fingers, slit pupils, or being born with a pelt of some kind).

There's not a lot of literature focusing on the children of selkies, but there's a lot of speculation that the children are born with a pelt (like their mother). Some think that the pelt comes as a type of afterbirth, or they're born as a seal and shed their pelt (possibly the reverse as well). But I like to think that they earn their pelt from greeting the ocean or something.

I don't know where I read this, but I heard that if they have a daughter, then she's going to be a selkie. But if the baby is a boy, then he'll just be a regular human with a love for the ocean. I literally have no clue where I heard this, but I saw it somewhere (I cannot find it anywhere, SOS).

So I think it's an interesting idea that reader and LoveSick!Sailor had a little boy who longed for the ocean and a daughter who despises the ocean, though she's a selkie or something. It's kinda like their roles are reversed, which is an interesting thought.

[simpingforblackfire]

i LOVED the aggressive babying. reader is humiliated and they just doesn't understand why

mabye because you want to dress? and bath? an adult??

how would they punish reader for misbehaviour/for trying to run away

orrrrrrr

for trying to harm herself? the babying and overprotectiveness will be intensify like crazyyyy

A/N: My bad this took so long. I decided to do both scenarios because I probably would eventually anyway :)

Where reader tries to run away:

"If you think this is going to be forgotten you're mistaken"

Dick knew that technically he didn't really need to punish you for you to get the message. Not encouraging Starfire to tone down with you so she doesn't smother you would be punishment enough. But this hurt. This hurt and for him to forgive you he needed you to understand just what you've done to him.

You didn't get far. But the fact that you got anywhere was enough for worry to creep and break the dam of their fears loose. It took hold of them like a poison.

Starfire's initial thought was to break your legs.

It would be so easy. You were so young and weak and feeble. Your legs were weak anyway. You didn't hold a grain of the strength she possessed. It was hard to sympathise with your loss when there was so little strength in what you had anyway.

But she loved you. She loved you and she didn't want to see you hurt nor did she want to clip your freedom. Humans couldn't fly and she couldn't imagine a world in which she couldn't fly. But to immobilise her by preventing her from walking? That was a cruelty she wouldn't wish on anyone. Still she wanted to. You might not think it but she felt guilty sometimes keeping you in the house all of the time and not letting you out.

But then she would remember how you were when she first met you. So young, and wide-eyed, vulnerable and completely unregulated. She needed to take you and keep you here where you were safe. You didn't belong in a world as cruel and dangerous as this. You didn't need your legs to live. You didn't need your legs to be happy. It was a small sacrifice if it meant ensuring you would live.

But she wouldn't stand to see you hurt and she couldn't bare the look of hate in your eyes that you would give her. You might have washed her trust away with ease but no matter how hard you scrubbed you couldn't get rid of her love.  

She had mused the thought of breaking your legs to Dick, who said that was tempting but would be a drastic action, as it would harm you so significantly and would lead to your distrust of them. They had not hurt you physically. Dick intended to keep things that way for as long as possible. You would not see them as monsters.

Dick had known your running away was inevitable. He'd been anticipating it happening since they decided to keep you. A voice had whispered in the back of his mind that perhaps you wouldn't. That you wanted to stay more than you missed your old life. But he dusted away those thoughts and found he was right to. It hurt. He loves you. But he knew that you would. That's why they had to keep you with them after all. You were too naive and ignorant and unknowing of the true ways of the world to be on your own. Of course you ran away. Of course you made the wrong choice. You didn't know any better. 

He'd seen too many people have their innocence stolen from them. No one got to be innocent. You either bloodied your heart or your hands. Only monsters got to live. He'd ensure that you'd never lose that childish naivety of yours. The glint of youth in your eyes would never leave. He'd always be there to polish it and make sure it would never fade to the dirt of the world.

They had to punish you. You were but a child. Children had to be taught. So, they kept you immobile. They hadn't broken any bones or physically harmed you. At least not on purpose. You arms were littered with bruises where Starfire had gripped you too hard when she grabbed hold of you. Your waist too was lined with shapes of blue and purple where Dick had pulled you too forcefully in his desperation to get you back.

They kept you locked up more than you had been. They carried you everywhere you went. You weren't allowed to so much as move on your own. You were kept still at all times. 

Eventually you broke when they wouldn't let you feed yourself. Starfire smiled and it was almost cruel that it was so tender and genuine in its sweetness as she pushed the spoon of food against your lips.

You burst into tears and screamed at them. But they would just smile fondly as though you were nothing more than an amusement. Nothing to take seriously. Just a child throwing a tantrum.

They'd take turns watching until you exhausted yourself, before scooping you up and shushing you "that's right sweet girl just calm down. I bet you were so very cross" their words were gentle and demeaning "it's okay honey its all over now. You don't have to think up anymore anger. That's it just lean into me. You really tuckered yourself out"

Your anger had simmered into soft sobs of a hopeless sadness. You were so tired you couldn't help but succumb to exhaustion. "That's right baby just relax into me. You must be so sleepy after that tantrum. You're such a silly little girl making yourself all mad like that. It's okay I'll forgive you. I always will"

The kisses on your head that felt more mocking the more filled with their love they were.

Where reader tries to harm herself:

Starfire's heart broke, as she just couldn't understand why you would do such a thing.

Where Starfire's heart froze, Dick's heart roared with an angry fire. 

He'd lost so many and he knew he would continue to. But not you. You were his. You were the one person he got to keep. He would not lose you. Nothing would take you away from him. Not even yourself. You didn't get to just opt out.

In all they did to protect you they only had one oversight. Yourself.

It'd be a similar punishment to if you tried to run away. They'd have you on absolute lockdown. Blaming you, but not properly blaming you, because you're just a little child incapable of making your own decisions.

This is just further proof that you need to be taken care of. You can't even handle and regulate your own emotions. 

Your thoughts had led you into this. So, it's better that you don't think at all.

This is when they wouldn't let you do anything by yourself at all. Anytime you tried to speak they'd just shush you, pretending they couldn't understand you, like you couldn't speak English. 

They'd try to cut off your senses. Keeping cloth over your eyes so you can't see. Maybe even making you wear noise cancelling earphones. They wouldn't physically damage you in anyway that hurt you. But they would make you rely on them entirely.

It's better that way after all.

[allastoredeer]

I think I should clarify that I did not at all say that he wouldn't wear a dress because of his pride, I meant he wouldn't wear a dress for his own enjoyement because he doesn't seem like he would do that IN my opinion.

Like in the pilot when he was changing everyones clothes he was feeling excited and guess what, did he make himself wear a dress? No he changed into a different suit. Him wearing a nun outfit was for a bit, he does not seem like he'd make himself alluring in a sexual way while wearing a nun outfit, like?? He was just using that as a symbol.

And Vox already has Valentino who would most definitely wear all kinds of dresses and skimpy clothes as he already is wearing, so why would Alastor wear a dress to tease Vox? Like Vox already has a crossdressing hoe that is Valentino, he's not flabbergasted by a man in a dress.

That's why I included this:

Basing it off his ego was how it was reading to me. I'm aware that sometimes the message gets lost in translations, thus the disclaimer. Most of the time when people say Alastor wouldn't do something their reasoning is based on his ego, which is what I was getting from the ask.

I didn't say that that is what you were saying, those were just the vibes I was getting. But hey, you corrected me, and I love me some good communication. Good job everyone 👍

I also added in my notes:

I know you meant your opinion specifically. And you're opinion is valid, you're allowed to view a character however you want. If you don't think Alastor would wear a dress, then that's that. I don't expect to change your mind, and no matter what I say, I doubt I even could.

I, however, think Alastor would 100% wear a dress.

A lot of people in the show change their outfits and other people's outfits, like Alastor, Vox, and Lucifer, for example. And out of the three, Alastor is the only one who has canonically and willingly worn a dress - the nun outfit, you know the one, yada yada yada I already made that point. (Also, I think I heard something about Viv saying the pilot's not canon anymore - take that with a grain of salt, I'm not 100% sure it's true. But if it is, that's such a shame. I'm going to miss pilot Alastor. What an icon. He was built different 😔)

The joke was for us, the audience, but even then, considering the characters, Alastor was using it as a means to appeal to Charlie. His motives, to me, were more along the lines of playfully reminding her just how faithful and devoted he's been, not so much going "Ha ha! Look! I'm a nun now!" Though, I don't doubt that he would that too. As for always wearing a suit, everybody in the show wears the exact same outfit - with specific exceptions, like mid-song costume changes and the finale battle.

Also, I do want to make a point that not everyone wears dresses to make themselves alluring in a sexual way. Some people wear them because it makes them feel confident and more comfortable. They might just like how they look in them. There's a myriad of reasons why someone would wear a dress outside of looking sexy - and not all dresses are made to look sexual either. (Can a dress even be sexual? Or is merely seen as sexual by the people observing it? Things to think about). Alastor doesn't have to wear a dress to make himself appear sexual, but I do love the juxtaposition of it in comparison to how modest his clothes usually are. He's the epitome of you can look but you can't touch (malicious)

When I said I could see Alastor wearing a dress to trip someone up, like Vox, it doesn't have to be in a teasing and/or flirtatious way. I agree that Vox wouldn't be flabbergasted or flustered by just any man in a dress.

But Alastor? The last person he'd ever expect to wear a dress? Mans would be tripping over his feet trying to get photo evidence. And then he'd go crazy because he can't get any evidence, and everyone he tells thinks he's delusional. (All part of Alastor's nefarious plan to make him suffer).

Also, I do want to add, from your original ask, I agree that Alastor would wear a dress as a joke. Like I said, I think he'd do just about anything for the bit. Can't get in trouble if it's funny, right 👉👉but I still think he would wear a dress just because.

I don't think he cares about what people think of him - well, in some sense. We know he cares about his power and appearing in control at all times, but his physical appearance? Nah, I doubt he actually gives a shit about peoples opinions on his clothes. The entire hem of his coat is in tatters, after all (which is a style he purposefully chooses).

I think he cares about his reputation, but not in the same way others, like, say, the Vee's, care about their reputation. Their model is perfection. Even a step away from that could damage their brand - which is what they essentially are. They're a brand. Alastor cares about maintaining his power and appearing in control of his or any situation he's in, and if wearing a dress gives him more power and control in any given situation, 100% believe he'd do it without hesitation, even if that advantage is as small as catching them by surprise.

[nori-the-cat]

RIIZE Dynamic: Shotaro & Sungchan (Requested)

OP asked: Many BRIIZE (RIIZE fans) including myself who is a fan of SungTaro (Sungchan & Shotaro) noticed that they were barely interacting and avoiding each other. Do you think SM told them to? How did they feel about it during that time?

Remember, take this tarot reading with a grain of salt. This tarot reading is my interpretation using my intuition and information from the cards.

How is Sungchan and Shotaro doing?

Card(s): nine of wands reversed (9oW rx) , king of cups reversed (KoC rx), king of swords reversed (KoS rx), four of cups reversed (FoC rx), and six of swords (6oS)

Since this is an energy-checking reading, the cards talks about their current energy. Currently, Sungchan and Shotaro are having a hard time in their relationship (9oW rx). There seems to be something that is bothering them about each other (KoC rx).

As much as fans would like to believe it’s or was SM’s doing. Sometimes Kpop idols have problems in their relationships because it’s a personal thing. SungTaro is one example. So, in this case, it looks like SM has got nothing to do with them.

Interestingly, all the cards are reversed. The only card in the upright position is 6oS. I was somehow concerned when I saw the cards were in reversed positions. However, this doesn't necessarily point to a negative situation, but rather a period of change and growth in their relationship (friendship).

Personally, I think something might have happened to them. Perhaps some kind of argument or disagreement had strained their friendship.

However, this is looking like it's only between the two of them. There is also a power struggle between the two (9oW rx). One of them is more dominant than the other (KoC rx). This person is emotionally unstable, can be dishonest, and manipulative (KoC rx).

There are two king cards here. They are king of cups and king of swords. The cards suggest a supportive but potentially strained relationship. The reversed King of Cups and King of Swords could hint at misunderstandings or disagreements.

I'm certain this is something only the two of them know. I doubt the other members know about this, but they might pick up on the energy or something is off with them.

I sensed arguing, sulking, withdrawing from each other (4oC rx), rolling their eyes at each other, sighing, and periods of silent treatments. It's like there was or is a cold war between the two. Again, I doubt the members know what is up.

While there might be some tension and frustration, the cards don't necessarily point to a negative dynamic. They still care about each other, but communication seems to be the key issue (KoC rx).

One might feel discouraged, leading to withdrawal (9oW rx). The other might misinterpret this as emotional unavailability (KoC rx). Difficulty expressing themselves clearly leads to confusion (KoS rx). Feeling unheard or overlooked could lead to a sense of dissatisfaction (4oC rx).

There is some competition between the two too. One of them might feel jealous or envious that the other is getting more lines or spotlight. This is certainly something they both can't do anything about because they know SM is the one with power and they are the one who can change this situation.

Looking at the cards alone, I'm even more certain Sungchan or Shotaro is struggling with personal matters or insecurities, leading to mood swings or bottled-up emotions that affect their interactions with each other.

King of swords reversed, alongside the King of Cups reversed, could point to a situation where clear communication is lacking. Maybe they're unsure about their direction in the group or have unspoken concerns they haven't addressed. This card (4oC rx), contrasting with the previous two, hints at a positive shift. Maybe they're starting to move past any negativity and are open to new experiences within the group. Despite the presence of reversed cards, offers a hopeful outlook. It suggests that despite any challenges, they're moving forward together, seeking solutions and finding a sense of calm within their friendship (6oS).

Reversed cards sometimes signify a shift in energy. Maybe their initial enthusiasm is waning, but the reversed positions suggest they're actively trying to reignite their spark and find a new balance in their friendship. The reversed cards could also indicate a period of growth as they learn to communicate and support each other. The Six of Swords suggests a smooth transition, hinting that they'll overcome these hurdles and emerge stronger.

How does Sungchan feel about Shotaro?

Card(s): the world and queen of cups

The World and Queen of Cups together suggest that Sungchan feels a deep sense of fulfillment and appreciation for Shotaro's presence in his life. They seem to have a strong bond built on shared experiences, mutual respect, and emotional connection. He likely sees him as a talented and supportive teammate, someone who brings out the best in him both creatively and emotionally.

How does Shotaro feel about Sungchan?

Card(s): ace of cups and nine of wands

The combination of these cards suggests Shotaro is open to a strong emotional connection with Sungchan. He might feel a sense of admiration for Sungchan's perseverance and find their bond strengthening as they overcome challenges together.

The Nine of Wands suggests Shotaro sees Sungchan as a reliable and dependable member. The Ace of Cups tells me they're in the process of mending whatever happens between them. He might feel a sense of new appreciation or love for Sungchan, alongside a desire to be there for him and offer support. This doesn't necessarily imply a romantic relationship, but a deep and genuine care for Sungchan's well-being.

Shotaro cares about Sungchan more than Sungchan cares about himself. This alone tells me SungTaro has a brotherly type of relationship or dynamic, whereby the younger brother would sulk and the older brother tries to comfort him. However, Shotaro would prefer if he can get as much alone time as possible. He thinks it's important to have some time apart as it will help him to grow into himself as a person. He also is in the phase of getting to know his members. So, maybe Sungchan could’ve felt Shotaro haven’t been spending time with him as much as he would like to.

Channelled song:

[burgerrat]

@hofnarrofficial said: gimme everything you got just bury me alive (only if thats possible ofc lmao)

Ok.

Turbo's favourite movie is Herbie: Fully Loaded

He has ALWAYS been flamboyant/effeminate like you see King Candy being. I hate seeing people portray Turbo as this perpetually grumpy/angry bitter person all the time all because of the revelation scene being the one 'real scene' we have of Turbo in his original form. The reason why Ralph wouldn't recognize the similar behaviour pattern is because he didn't know Turbo well enough since he rarely ever left his own game unless it was to go to Tapper's to have a root beer and brag about winning to anyone who'd listen (mainly Felix). Need a 'draw/write Turbo being silly and goofy like King Candy is' solidarity.

Contrary to popular belief, he does like the color pink- he just has a very specific preference for that particular salmon shade of pink.

Turbo and the twins all had racecar beds to sleep in back in TurboTime.

Candybug's desire to take over the entire arcade at the end of the movie is his new cy-bug coding speaking; all Turbo has ever wanted is to race again and be in the spotlight. He would struggle to control his bug instincts not just in terms of resisting beacons of light but also in terms of acting upon intrusive thoughts in general. Mix that with anger and hopelessness that he'll likely never be able to drive again in this new form and you've got the perfect recipe for disaster, because what more does he have to lose?

Do not misunderstand: I too dislike the trope of 'he's just misunderstood' since that is far from the truth, but that doesn't mean he can't have moments where you feel empathy for him (at least in my case): you are programmed to be the protagonist of your world, the best, that is your sole purpose in the life you have. You become addicted to the attention you recieve- foolishly not thinking once that it's possible that may not be the same thing tomorrow. Once that is suddenly taken away, you don't understand why- you're the best. And because you are the best, instead of processing your losses normally, you won't let go. You're instead determined to take back what was rightfully yours. By any means possible. Making the biggest mistake of your life- you kill not just your neighbors but your own home out of impulse. You are to blame for the choice you took- guilt becomes rage, rage becomes bitterness, bitterness becomes calculative; why cry over spilled milk? The damage is done, and your code is desperately crying out to do what you were made to do: race. All you can do is start anew... don't dwell on the past if you want to have the spotlight again, processing your mistake doesn't matter anyway; and so, once a new racing game is in town- you'd be frothing at the mouth to hop in after decades of isolation, wouldn't you? You'd do anything, if you were that desperate and awfully selfish.

This leads us to the following: Turbo had a mental breakdown during his years of isolation, mainly because he was unable to race; this is why he laughs and giggles no matter the mood he's in as King Candy. It's a form of tic.

This might be a bit OOC? But whatever. Hilariously enough King Candy is a somewhat decent(take that with a grain of salt, I'll elaborate in a moment) fatherly figure: he treats the SR racers like they're his adopted kids. I say somewhat decent because of course he completely excludes Vanellope and because he picks favourites; Taffyta, Rancis and Candlehead are his golden children and because of that, he's sometimes willing to swallow his pride and let them cross the finish line before him.

Taffyta is VERY competitive and sometimes will get unreasonably aggressive to win and that's something KC admires in her because it reminds him so much of himself and the bond he used to have with the Twins, especially when competing. Another reason why Taffyta bullies Vanellope is because she knows King Candy dislikes her wish to compete and she feels like this is something that would please him regardless of his approval of it.

Again maybe kind of OOC-ish but I sincerely don't think Turbo outright hates Vanellope herself like. As a person; she has done nothing, but she does pose a threat to blowing his cover and he is not going to allow her. The one thing that bothers him a lot about her is her stubborness to race and always finding a way to weasel into the Random Roster Race. During the tunnel scene where he straight up becomes violent towards her, you can tell she's never seen him this angry to her before; this leads me to believe he never blew up on her before because, regardless of how much of a threat she posed for him; in his mind- he figured she likely would never really be in a situation where she would actually cross the finish line, and she's just a child, so why bother? Of course. That is until she sprints right past him on the race track and the rest is history. (And I have to clarify again I AM NOT justifying his actions; there is no 'justifying' any of it. This is an observation because of the reactions/expressions/etc. seen in the scene.)

Writing that previous hc reminded me of this and I just had to include it because I can SO see this happening 😭 it's hilarious and wholesome in a way.

I saw something about this on @king-crawler 's blog and I feel like I should bring this up bc it rubbed me the wrong way: I donno about you but to me, Turbo programming himself as King of Sugar Rush is not ego thing (not the main reason behind it at least!); it's to avoid suspicion in general within the game because ALL of the SR racers are children. It would be suspicious and really fuckin' weird to have a character programmed as an adult that isn't an NPC/side-character like Sour Bill or the donut cops to just be among them like nothing, regardless if he wipes their memories they (or other candy subjects) will question it. He's not stupid, in the game there's supposed to be a royal figure, no? So, it'd make perfect sense for that figure to be a supposedly 'wise' King that looks after all his subjects and makes sure rules aren't broken. So to me it's less of something done out of selfishness and more of just being able to go by unnoticed, he programmed himself as King to fit in with the whole 'monarchy' concept within SR. At the end of the movie when Vanellope says she doesn't want to be a princess, you get a little glimpse of how much the candy subjects depend and rely on a 'higher figure' to function.

As King Candy, he believes himself to be cute. (adding this side note just in case bc I shit you not this is genuinely something people have argued and mocked me over: don't come at me for this. I have my opinion, you have yours and I'm not going to change it for you; as a fan for a whole decade who has known in tge past other fans, there ARE people that find him cute as I do /gen /lh) He shamelessly indulges in that and he WILL use that as a manipulation tactic to get what he wants- sometimes playing with your emotions as well by tugging at your heart strings and overall painting himself to be a 'frail silly old man' in sn exaggerated manner so you'll give in to whatever he wants- and once you agree suddenly the 'frail' old monarch has an outburst of energy and joy, completely shedding off this fragile-pitiful facade.

Turbo has somehow rescued the Turbo Twins before his game was unplugged and I have evidence to prove this:

He has their codes tucked into his own (bad example I know but kind of like how an opossum mom keeps her joeys in her pouch); he keeps them in a dormant state this way by not allowing them to have separate code boxes of their own. The reasons behind this are simple: he doesn't want two characters that very obviously don't belong in the game to roam around freely, he has enough trouble with Vanellope as it is; and he knows that if he lets them awaken and respawn, they will criticize him for the path he chose to go down- and he doesn't want to deal with that because, for him, it would be pointless and it'd only bring frustration he doesn't need. He would rather keep them as ghosts of the past hidden in his pocket.

Speaking of Vanellope: Turbo is awfully envious of her driving skills, she's the first racer that has bested him on the track. Another selfish reason why he doesn't want her to race- goodness forbid a child beating you at what you're passionate about and arriving in second place.

When overly emotional- be it positive or negative feelings- King Candy would sometimes temporarily glitch back to his original form as Turbo because his code is old, filled to the brim with stuff, it's bound to have a few crack and tears here and there, like an old but still functioning car with a rusty engine; this issue has only accentuated after the glitching-exchange during the tunnel scene.

Speaking of which- because there were little to no censorships in 70's videogames, Turbo bleeds. It's pixelated blood because it cannot be processed through the programming of Sugar Rush since the game was not made to have any graphic themes in it. If one of the racers gets hurt- they quite literally just bleed coding.

Turbo often smokes.

Turbo sometimes gets sick of eating nothing but candy and will send out Sour Bill to get him something salty to eat from another game. He has his own little stack of junk food and other non-sweets within the castle.

He's not just the King of Candy, he's THE LORD OF THE DANCE! (watch at your own risk I warn you /hj)

CURSED JOKES ASIDE I unironically like to think he is a good dancer. Nobody beats him at tap-dancing and The Bus Stop. (He's from the 70's so it'd make sense he's familiar with a lot of funky/disco dance moves)

[charles-leclerc-official]

Some commentators were saying that while Leclerc might be topping the FP2, Norris was the one who was actually fastest over one race lap. Is this true, you're my resident expert, I need you to tell me

Yeah no, this is the recency bias and British bias taking over. We saw them do the same thing for Carlos after he won too, they treated him like he was going to be the best forever. This is not shade at either Carlos or Lando, but if you look at the rhetoric used after their wins there are a lot of similarities. Especially with the British bias we see them cling to anything they can use to hype Lando. I don't think this kind of thing from the press serves either driver long term. It holds them to a ridiculous standard they are eventually going to fall short of.

But now to answer your question. Let's look at what the data shows.

FP1 - fastest laps Charles - 1:15.969 Lando: 1:16.980 I don't think Lando got a really good run in FP1 but that's the data we have for that session.

Here is the FP1 graph. Ignore Charles on the hard tyres because that was a pace test. What we want to look at is the soft tyres and the overall top speeds. Again Charles was not only fastest on one lap, he was consistently fastest.

Here is their fastest lap. Lando and Charles were matched in sector one, Lando picked up time on that low speed turn, but Charles really built the gap in sector three mostly due to better braking.

FP2 - fastest laps Charles: 1:15.906 Lando: 1:16.980

Here is the FP2 graph

Lando didn't do much on the softs so I don't want to do a fastest lap comparison here because he didn't really have much of a chance to really test that this session. However look at the far right on this graph where they are both on the mediums. Again across multiple laps Charles is consistently faster. There are a few where Lando has the edge, but it's not a majority. Lando being faster than Charles on 3-4 laps over the course of 2 free practice sessions in my opinion does not make him the fastest overall and it certainly does not show his pace is better.

Charles has been a full second faster than Lando, what are they talking about? Now Mclaren might not be going for all out top speed runs yet. But that doesn't matter here because the issue is what commentators and reporters are saying, and it doesn't line up with what we are seeing on track and in the data.

I have no idea why they wouldn't highlight Oscar more as he is currently the fastest Mclaren on the field for these sessions thus far.

Take all of this with a grain of salt because teams are testing things etc. I don't think this is the best of what either Charles or Lando have to offer this weekend. We will probably see both of them better come race day. The issue here is how this data is being reported on.

Sometimes commentators just say things. I really could not tell you why. Obviously Lando is in the spotlight because he's coming off a win, which I am sure is exciting for his fans and British fans especially. But they don't need to artificially hype him up, he's just in free practice and he's doing fine. Is he putting on a jaw dropping performance of speed? No. But it's free practice it doesn't matter.

Hope this helps!

[psalmsofpsychosis]

(still the same anon from all those Batman/Joker asks)

Be ready with those empty walls, pal, I'm on my way!! I've already thrown my suitcase in the car and filled up the gas-

You blew every expectation I had with that answer of yours and I don't know if I'll ever recover. I will absolutely respond to your answer but first I need to put my brain back together from being rearranged like a jigzaw puzzle. I'm definitely looking forward to reading that Jesus/side wound meta whenever you post it.

Until then I have a different question. I don't remember who said it but it was along these lines: "There are only three people in the world who find the Joker funny. Joker himself, sometimes Harley and lastly Bruce. And he feels so fucking guilty for it."

They pointed out how Batman does a lot of bad puns, same as the Joker, except he does it with a straight face and serious tone. For example: Bat-terry, Bat-bucket, Bat-arang, saying "hang in there Alfred" while Alfred is dangling off a metal beam. (Those are my rushed examples, not something the original poster brought up, so if they're unaccurate, that's my fault). Bruce will also just say the craziest shit and nobody is sure if he's serious or not. (Happens all the time)

I have a vague suspicion who it was but I'm not sure enough to @ them.

Joker and Batman's sense of humour and how they are somewhat opposed but still similar will drive me into an early grave I swear. Like that post that's still circulating somwhere that mentions how Bruce "lives and dies by the fact that nobody can ever tell when he's pulling their chain" and how Joker "craves to have his comedic genius acknowledged [but he's just not funny]".

I don't know about Joker wanting to be acknowledged as funny because I don't think he considers himself to be in the clown business. He definitely ranted about this to a captured Damian in a comic once. But he does make a lot of bad jokes. Maybe he doesn't think himself funny, either?

Any thoughts?

(Btw I'm not done pestering you yet, be ready to receive an ask about the Batman: I Am Suicide comic and about Martha and Thomas Wayne in the next few days. I still have to gather my thoughts though.)

(Can I just say that every single one of your answers has made my brain release a huge amount of serotonin? Or is that too much? Eh, whatever, it's the truth anyway. You've brightened my week considerably, thank you so much!!)

❤️❤️ hi friend, i adore receiving your asks and getting to exchange interpretations with you, and i can only hope that my superturbonexus unhinged answers have brought half as much joy to you as your questions have brought me 🥰

I kinda took my time with this ask (sorry!) because it's a rather big bite out of an intricate can of bat worms for me, can included. I also found and reread this particular post by @distort-opia , which put more a dozen more interesting worms in my metaphorical can— i'm not sure though if it was the post you were initially referring to.

So! The concept of jokes and generally being a funnyman is a subjective talk, and my personal preferences regarding where Joker and Batman place on the funnyman scale deviate considerably from what the general consensus in batman fandom seems to be (or the lot i have seen of it), so i guess i'll just take this opportunity to do personal talk, probably more than usual 😂 take it all with a grain of salt! (an ingradient that you'll find this answer contains a fair bit of actually—)

I dont think Joker is funny one bit, and i dont think he's particularly trying to be in the general sense of the word; to imply that he's "funny" both in-world and on a meta level would mean that being funny is his core motivation and the heart of his actions, that it's the foundational component, and to me it's not. A bit more a matter of personal taste on my part, but i actually feel lowkey irritated with Joker portrayals that lean too heavily on the "HE MAKES JOKES HE'S SO FUNNY!!!!!" act at the expect of every other significant characteristic he has, because like, funny is not who he is, it's just one of the 500 things he does. Sure he started as a fun character meant to bring in a dash of psychopathic delight to the early Batman works, but he has evolved to become so much more than that, which i like better than the more simplistic "he's a funny fun guy!!!!" characterizations. To me Joker is not funny, he is not supposed to be the way you pour salt on your dish but it's not supposed to taste salty, it's supposed to taste /right/. His jokes aren't the main dish, they're an added flavour meant to bring home a certain act: the performance. He's a showman, he's here to put on a good show, and that show doesn't have the end goal of being "fun", it has the goal of being iconoclastic and real and raw. But he can't exactly do raw, raw and sincere scares him, in a way he's a slave to his fear and tries to cage it and tame it and understand it the way Batman is scared of bats and everything they represent and he made them his very persona. Joker tries to be true and geniune and sincere but he can't, so he infuses his actions with jokes to soften the blow, shift the taste a bit. He also has the genius' disease; he wants to be seen through, interpreted, understood and reimagined, mirrored, and it's an itch only a certain fellow fucked up intellectual can scratch for him.

Batman deeply understands the value of a good performance and a viciously planned persona, he is a performer both as Bruce Wayne and as Batman after all. And he has the expertise to dissect and bring out all the nuance in Joker's performance, it's probably why he finds him funny. He understands the theatre piece, both when it's executed in a stellar fashion and when it falls flat on its face. noone else can bring this level of discernment to interpreting Joker like Batman does because what other villains do is actually less performance and more.... outright insanity. I think this is also the reason why Batman enjoys saying the most insane shit and making weird jokes at weird times and have everyone be confused by him, it's part of the performance. There are these little almost invisible acts that Batman and Joker catch of each other, that they want to catch of each other, "i'm shaking the persona a bit", like when an actor improvises a moment to keep the role fresh, but only the people in on the script catch it, to others it feels in accordance, not off enough to catch attention. It's one of their core points of connection and similarity actually, they both have their performances and they both wiggle in its frame, sometimes threatening to break through the confines.

[kfanopinions]

Hyunjin (Stray Kids) Ideal Type - Astrology Based

okay so because i am not working with hyunjin's birth time this is really going to be surface level information. i will be looking into his moon as well as his venus.

Virgo Moon

you are special virgo moon men can be hard on themselves. their partner should remind them that they are special and that their flaws are what make them special

perfectionists someone who is just and pardon my french, anal as he about things lol i don't believe he would want someone who doesn't care if things are messy or go unexpected

getting hot in here his partner should have things to add that extra pizzazz and wow factor in the bedroom. now i'm not talking fifty shades of grey red room of pain pizzazz but maybe something along the lines of sensory play. nothing crazy!

receiver virgo moon men give affection on the daily so someone who doesn't like that wouldn't be ideal for him

you got it! this is more on hyunjin's side - he can adapt to what his partner wants and needs. if his partner wants someone adventurous let's say in the bedroom, he can do that. if they want someone who leaves love notes, he can try (see further down to understand why) so he will need someone who knows what they want in the relationship and what they want from him. just to make it easier on the man

ambivert/extrovert (?) take this with a grain of salt. virgo moon men can be very shy people. they don't want to draw any negative attention towards themselves and be judged by other people so they can be quiet and withdrawn. perhaps, he could use someone who is both an extrovert and introvert depending on the situation or an extrovert to help him learn that it's okay to be goofy and silly and crazy - and not to give a sh*t about what people say

great sense of humor we've all seen how weird and funny hyunjin is (and overly dramatic) so someone who can laugh along with him (and possibly at his goofy ass) will be nice

your happiness matters too! virgo moon men and i mean this in the most loving way possible, can be pushovers. they like helping people but they can sometimes forget that their health and happiness matter as well. he could look for someone who can remind him that he needs to think about himself too

cheerleader he needs a partner who will remind him to dream and to actually go for those dreams because they could of course not come true or he could miss a chance at something amazing

jealousy much he's a natural chick magnet so his partner should be prepared

also, here is an added bonus i had no idea where to put...hyunjin or should i say virgo moon men...are not the greatests flirts. they can be downright awkward around women (if he's interested in women) so perhaps if he's looking for a woman she may need to do the flirting and be direct haha

ideal partner he is looking for the right person and by right person the epitome of perfection! whatever he has in his mind is what he will go after. nothing more and nothing less

abandoned he's so hard on himself to the point of self-loathing and being so overly critical of himself that he can drive people away. his partner will need to either learn how to get him out of this funk or be prepared to pull their hair out when he gets like this - if worse comes to worse they could leave him too : (

domestic if his partner wants someone to help with the chores hyunjin is that man. he's very domestic. laundry, dishes, rearranging the furniture to bring in positive energy - he's down for it all

be your own person hyunjin could want a partner that can think, do, handle their own business themselves. to go for whatever they dream about going for and he would love to be there for the ride as well. cheering and offering a helping hand if needed (like seriously if his partner needs ANYTHING he will do it for them...well within reason lol)

t.l.c he needs a partner that is loving, considerate, and someone who can handle his self-deprecating ass (sorry had to say it...virgo moon men really need to suck it up a little lol) when he is in those moods he needs a shoulder to cry on, or a loving embrace to be wrapped in. he will need someone to remind him (like i said earlier) that he is enough and perfect as is

tough skin as i've said he's critical of himself, well guess what, he's critical of his partner as well. so his partner should be able to handle criticism. he doesn't do this to make them feel bad about themselves/have self-esteem issues but to help them be the best they can be. remember he is looking for perfection so...he will do his best to help it along!

get ready for exams! hyunjin is a water sign, he's going to want devotion from his partner. he'll put them through a series of tests to be sure that THEY ARE THE ONE (trust your unnie scorpio here *wink*)

no need to be mushy hyunjin will need a partner who understands that he won't be all over them with lovey dovey type of love. virgo moon people will express their love and affection in practical ways not in "big displays of affection"

slow and steady wins the race please take this with a grain of salt...virgo moon people may feel intimidated with aspects revolving around sex. they could even be uncomfortable with their own sexuality.

people with a moon in virgo are body aware and can lack confidence in what they're working with. but there is a bright side... his partner will need to take things slow and when he's comfortable around them he'll be able to show his love for them in all senses of the word

forbidden fruit when a person with a virgo moon are comfortable let's say this just like i said above...they will be down and ready and with hyunjin's "wanting to please others" and "be useful" side... good luck to his future partner *wink*

serious! hyunjin isn't looking for a one-night stand or a quick fling. he want's a relationship with this placement. so someone who is serious and wants a relationship as well will be perfect for him

PISCES VENUS

don't judge a book by it's cover but the contents inside those with a pisces in venus will not judge someone by their status. they don't care. what they care about is the person inside. so, hyunjin will most likely look towards his partners heart more than anything on the outside

play the victim (?) just kidding but pisces venus people can have a tendency to like people who need "a little help" or those who are the "underdogs"

this can mean that he either wants to "save" his partner or would want his partner to "save" him. it can go either way

inequality this can mean that he wants to be in charge and handle things which would make sense with his moon in virgo being sort of like the "i'll do it" "i'll help" "i've got this" added with the "saving" portion - he may want someone whom he can take care of. again, it could be reversed where he may want to be the one to be taken care of instead. either way one person may take on more of the dominant role instead of things being equal

hard to love commitment issues can be hard in terms of tying people with a pisces venus down. it's like they want to be in love, they want to be in a relationship but at the same time it doesn't sink down to the heart level. it's like seeing an iceberg floating in the water. what you see is just what is above the surface. there is MUCH more to that iceberg below the water

i've lost the map it can be hard for hyunjin to map out the relationship or to know what he wants and why with this placement. his partner will need to keep this in mind and be understanding that he may never really know..."what he wants" this seems to contradict his moon in virgo since that placement is looking for the perfect person - but at the end of the day no one is perfect, so it in a roundabout way makes sense with not knowing what you want or "who"

greatest desire finding this special someone is going to be a pisces venus' biggest desire. again he will be looking for THE ONE. when he finds that person his feelings will be real and there will be so much love there

emotions taking me over hyunjin will be attracted to a sensitive and emotional partner. someone who accepts and embraces their femininity (i do want to warn...someone who is not "too sensitive" will be ideal considering his virgo moon) (believe me, my mom is a virgo in her sun and she can be SUPER CRITICAL) lol

walk instead of run anyone that is impulsive, who acts before thinking can be annoying to hyunjin with this placement. like in his moon, he analyzes situations and wants things to go over smoothly to utter perfection. someone who is a "dive in head first" may find themselves getting the side-eye

cabin in the woods a man with a pisces venus may be prone to being out in nature, or being one with nature. if they live in the city i can see them wanting to go to a park or to be a plant dad lol he may want a partner that likes nature as well or doesn't mind being around it (sorry fellow allergy sufferers)

wishy washy his partner will need to keep up with this part. hyunjin may have a tendency to like something one second and disregard it the next. he could be flying high then riding low. he can be appreciative then he can be spiteful. this up and down behavior is something to look out for

diplomacy hyunjin could possibly be a dreamer. with his moon in virgo i stated that he needs someone who can give him that little push if he needs it to go for his dreams/ambitions. this comes up again here, but it's in the sense that he may have crazy ideas so someone who can balance out the crazy and lead him in the right direction calmly may be perfect for him

don't be fake look water signs are intuitive okay. scorpio, pisces, cancer, they are all ruled by water which means: emotions, creativity, relationships, and you guessed it INTUITION. hyunjin will be able to see through any bullsh*t so his partner needs to be real with him. even if that means being vulnerable from the get go. not let me tell you my whole life story from day 1 but more like looking into his eyes and showing him who they are in their heart. the love, happiness, hurt, pain, and etc.

traditional take this with a grain of salt. he could look for someone that has traditional values when it comes to a relationship. what i mean is: meeting, testing the waters, dates, taken status, engaged, and marriage, turning into old farts together. something like this. he really and i do mean, boy do i f*cking mean REALLY wants to find the perfect person (getting tired of seeing this lol) so someone who can show him what the future with them will look like is probably going to get some extra bonus points

cool calm and collective harmony, peace, no conflicts. this is what hyunjin desires in a relationship. he doesn't want to fight with his partner. doesn't want to compete with his partner. he really wants that zen "all is good in your arms" type of relationship. someone hostile, aggressive, extra naggy, or even short-tempered may not be the person for him

perfection...is not a word so, take this with the finest grain of salt. despite wanting the perfect relationship. despite looking far and wide and over yonder, he may end up cheating. this is if (i said this in the moon) women are around him too much OR if he is surrounded by people who are very lax in their commitment towards people. sort of "you're a product of your environment" type of thing

also, if his partner and i hate to say this...isn't ideal or living up to his standards he may find himself in someone else's arms

all he needs is love affection, love, caring, straightforwardness, devotion. loving him for him. that is what hyunjin needs in a partner

indifferent okay i'm putting this here because i think it's important. even if hyunjin may like someone if he personally can't see it going the full circle he won't even bother trying. for an example, if he meets someone that is damn near close to the perfect person but they live in another country he may just walk away because of this obstacle. if he can't see himself or the other person getting over it he may never go through with it

[those-late-night-feels]

Letters

Part 3

Summary: Writing everything down should help you process your feelings. Somehow it always turns into letters to him.

Warnings: Grief, angst, eventual smut.

Feb. 23

Time since you've left doesn't pass like it used to. I find myself staring out, my vision blurred at moments–grains of sand, waves crashing in, the starry night sky–spans of seconds and hours feel the same. Everything now overlaps, past with present, like a palimpsest, everywhere I look traces of you remain. You're like a ghost that haunts me and I ache for one of those visions to be real.

Are you still out there, somewhere in the vastness in front of me? I've heard the stories of your multiple deaths, only to come back again somehow. Is this another trick? Sometimes I feel like I'm going insane.

Fingertips drew lines in the sand, making patterns that would soon wash away with the tide. The cool breeze was welcomed as the sun dipped into the horizon, waiting until you could count the stars again, search for a planet (maybe two). He once told you how many different planets he had been to in his lifetime, at the time you were only half listening while studying for a mission. Did he say 200? Or was it closer to three?

As the sun's last rays passed below the curvature of the earth and the stars began to appear, it brought you back to your last mission with him. The Quinjet flew in stealth mode at dusk, and the team would arrive in Lichtenstein by nightfall.

The mission would take a few days, first surveillance and then infiltration. A hotel room was booked for you and Loki under the cover of a traveling couple.

It was cold when you arrived, the wind biting through your layers. Loki had changed appearances, donning a dark cropped haircut and a pristine suit. When he emerged from the Quinjet, he held his arm out. "Ready darling?"

Tucking a red strand of hair from the wig you wore behind your ear, you took his arm. A private car waited on the tarmac to take you to the hotel where you'd set up surveillance.

The hotel room was large, a living area, kitchenette, and a luscious separate bedroom adorned with fluffy pillows and blush roses. Sleeping arrangements ignored, you focused on setting up the surveillance, preparing for the long night ahead.

Time passed by slowly while watching with long lenses from the window, earpieces to pick up anything unusual. Loki stretched in the hard wooden chair, exasperated. "This is it, this is how I'm going to die."

You side eyed him from the surveillance lense. So dramatic. "Is this work below the means of a god?"

"I thought when they requested my skills, it would be for fighting and deception. Not whatever this is," he said, waving his hand in front of the window. "Please, regale me with tales of your life. Anything would be livelier than this!"

"I'm flattered you think my life story would be slightly less dull than this. But, I thought you already knew everything when you invaded my mind…" you said flatly, pausing to listen in on your headphones and take notes.

He pursed his lips and studied you. Adorable, trying to ignore him.

"Despite what you think, I barely touched the surface." He propped his legs up on the table in a flourish, head cradled in his hands. "Please, how is it that you've never allowed a man or woman to experience you so intimately? Do you…not have that desire?"

The clicking of keystrokes on the laptop were the only sound for a moment, focusing on a steady breath as your cheeks warmed. He wouldn't get the satisfaction of making you cringe, pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth. "I doubt you would understand," you said flatly.

His lips turned up in amusement, it was evident without even looking up. "Because I'm a god? Or because I'm ravishing?"

The look you gave him was less annoyed, more matter of fact. "Because I haven't found anyone that matters enough."

There was no snarky comeback, no witty retort. Had you finally silenced him for the night? You turned back to the work and attempted to focus again, the hairs on your arm standing up as you felt his stare heavy upon you.

Did you have desires…what kind of question was that? Of course you had them. But it was hard to hold onto them when everyone either disappointed you or left. Your heart was secured in an impenetrable fortress. For your own protection.

It was hours into the night when exhaustion started to weigh in, fighting the oncoming yawns and eye strain. Loki watched as you rubbed your eyes, trying to shake the need for rest. "Go lie down for a bit," he offered. "I can handle this for a few hours."

He noticed the hesitation. This mission was your baby. It was important. You continued to type up notes, another yawn, eyes straining. Your fingers stilled when the warmth of his palm rested on your wrist. He wasn't one to touch you often, and the sudden contact was a jolt to your senses.

"You need your energy for tomorrow." He spoke your name and your eyes traveled from where his hand stilled, up to his own eyes lingering above. The silence was palpable. Swallowing, you nodded and stood, only allowing an inch of space in front of him. His questioning gaze turned your stomach in knots and a nervous, tired smile crept up your face, giving a quiet thanks and slinking past him to the bedroom alone.

March 9

When it's dark and quiet and the world is still, my thoughts drift to you. It reminds me of that first night in Lichtenstein, laying in bed and you just on the other side of the closed door. Did you think about coming in that night?

I wasn't lying when I told you I hadn't found anyone that mattered enough. But I also hadn't felt someone look at me like you did. My body reacted in a way that wasn't normal. It made me confused. Uncomfortable. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed when you didn't come in that night. Instead, I was invaded by sunlight in the morning, well rested and ready for the green light to infiltrate that night.

It was a black tie event, which you took to with ease in a sharp suit and slicked hair. Even though you could dress with the flick of the wrist, you fiddled with your cufflinks when I emerged from the room, pausing to give a very obvious one-over.

And when I twirled around and asked what you thought, you gave me one word. "Ravishing." The choice of word wasn't lost on me.

Loki had turned, moving with a determined pace like a wild animal in hunt of prey. Frozen in place, his abrupt movement left you transfixed.

The crackling on your earpiece made you jump and Loki stilled, close enough to feel him near you, but not enough that he would step back. "Alright team," the voice in your earpiece said. "We are T-minus 30 for all positions in place. Do you copy? Over."

You quickly reached to your earpiece and copied, like a child being caught with their hand in the cookie jar. But Loki was much slower, enjoying how you almost squirmed under his gaze. "Copy," he said, his eyes never breaking yours, then to you, "Are you ready to play?"

The event, a charity ball for high profile elites and government officials, was held in a 13th century castle overlooking a lake. Ancient stone walls, moss covered bridges, candle lit chandeliers–if you weren't on a mission, you'd think this was quite a romantic night.

The mission was complex–accessing an official's credentials via their fingerprint and facial recognition, Loki would need to get in close to the subject before he'd be able to use his magic to mimic. After bypassing security, you'd access a main database on the locations of children who were kidnapped and currently being prodded and tested into becoming super soldiers.

A glass of red wine held, you mingled through the crowd with Loki by your side, speaking under your breath before taking a sip. "Mr. X just rounded the corner of the north pillar. You have your eyes on him?"

"On him. Give me two minutes."

You resisted the urge to comment on the amount of time he needed, it was too obvious. Taking a last sip of wine, you slipped through the crowd, down a hallway as Loki spoke into your earpiece. "Got it. Ready?"

You turned a corner and there he was, no longer Loki, but Mr. X, leading the way to an upper room, the door secured by an intricate security system that he unlocked swiftly with a retina and fingerprint scanner. Inside was a vault. You methodically turned the dial, listening to the clicks of the internal locking system. When a portal door emerged, Loki pulled a key from his pocket dimension and presented it to you. "Would you like to do the honors?"

The key slipped in, turning until the door released. Your heart palpitated when the door opened, knowing you were one step closer. Loki grabbed the flash drives, the hard drives, the papers, stuffed into the inside breast jacket pocket. It was difficult to hide your smile, that feeling of accomplishment, and then your attention pulled toward the shouts and footfalls coming toward you.

"Shit," you mumbled, feeling naked without your katana by your side, but it was hard to hide a 28 inch blade within the form hugging dress.

Rushing out of the vault, you followed behind as Loki turned to the left away from the commotion, trying every door down the hall, but they were all locked. Another corner, another hallway, down a stairwell, through the door and back to the crowded party. Your steps slowed while weaving through the crowd, keeping a low profile.

You grabbed a champagne flute, he grabbed your hand, going deeper into the room. He spun you to face him, pulled your hand up to his neck. The abrupt action startled you and he gave an entertained smirk.

"Smile darling, we're putting on a show," he whispered in your ear. Your lips turned up as your pulse raced. "Now, glance behind me and tell me how many there are."

You gave him the details, ten in all that you could spot and their exact locations. The two of you could handle them all fairly well, but any weapons they had might make it more difficult for you.

"Alright," he whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. "I want you to take this and head to the entrance. I'll be right behind you. If I notice you are drawing any attention, I'll divert them." He placed the smaller flashdrive in your palm and nudged you away. Head down, heart pounding, you counted the steps toward the exit. You could make it in two minutes. Right, left, right, left. Your eyes went up to two security guards on your right, neither looking at you. It was working, you'd be able to slip by. Sixty seconds. A security guard leaned to listen into their shouldered mic, and then his eyes looked up directly at you. You bent your head back down, turning slightly to glance behind you. Where did he go?

The security guard took a step forward in your direction at a determined pace. And then, behind you, commotion, a glass breaking, a woman screaming, the security guard running right past you, and you were 30 seconds to the exit. You'd make it out. Loki would be fine, he was a god you reminded yourself, he could take care of himself. And yet–fifteen seconds–you turned back and saw him fighting so many of them all at once. You had not been trained to slink away in the shadows to leave a teammate behind, it wasn't who you were.

Loki had dragged the flight out to the balcony overlooking the vast icy lake. He'd pulled his daggers from his pocket dimension, a wicked smile on his face as he fought off the pathetic mortals. They were no match for him. But behind him, you saw one with a baton and a taser at the end. Turn around Loki, watch your back. He was too focused on the three in front of him. Your legs took action before your brain could process, sprinting outside. Lurching at the larger man in a moment and wrapping your legs around his neck, he flipped to the ground with a hard thud. Loki turned to see you hit the ground, his jaw clenched. "What? I can't let you have all the fun."

He grasped you by the arm to help you up. "I recall telling you to go."

You grabbed the baton from the downed man and smiled up at Loki. "Guess I'm a bad listener."

He huffed, turning to fight two men in front of him, while you used the baton like your katana, knocking three men out while Loki easily handled himself, and you smiled to yourself. For some reason you and he made a good team.

Loki turned, feeling your eyes on him, and then a look of panic washed over him as Mr. X stood behind you, gun pointing at your head.

"Enough of this! Drop your weapons." His voice was authoritative. "Now!"

You dropped the baton, giving a small nod to Loki as the daggers clattered to the ground. "On your knees."

Loki rolled his eyes in annoyance, a guard shoving him to the ground. "You too little missy."

Hands by your head, you turned slightly to look back at the man holding the pistol at your temple, sizing him up. He was tall and wiry, he knew how to handle a gun, but not as well as you. In seconds, your hands were on his, first making him drop the gun to the ground, second to flip your body onto his. His balance lost in the surprise commotion, he flailed in an attempt to get you off of him, going toward the balcony railing to fling you off. But if you were going over, he was coming with you. The last thing you heard before your body hit the icy waters below was your name from Loki's lips.

[fabrickind]

Someone at a con suggested I use something they called inner facing on my costume what does that mean?

Hello there!

I assume, since this was presumably spoken aloud, that the person meant "interfacing" -- the T can often be silent when spoken -- and not "inner facing," which is....I guess a thing? But no one talks about it like that.

(Also hopefully this was consensual feedback!)

Interfacing is a material used to add structure to other fabrics. It comes in various types and weights, and is a useful tool to have in your sewing arsenal.

These comes in a few types: woven/knit/non-woven, and fusible/non-fusible (sew in). Think of these like a D&D alignment chart, with the first grouping on one axis and the second grouping on the other axis. You can have woven fusible, knit fusible, woven non-fusible, etc. These each have different properties and uses.

Woven interfacing keeps the properties of a woven fabric, such as a grain line, for when that is needed in your project for extra stabilization on grain. You probably aren't going to use this type much. Same with knit interfacing, which has stretch to it. This one is also uncommon, but is useful for stabilizing necklines, armholes, cutouts, and other areas on stretch garments when you want to retain stretch. Non-woven is going to be the cheapest and most common option. It is made from basically compressed fibers, and doesn't have a grain line, so it doesn't matter which way you cut it (you can save money by fitting some oddly placed pieces on there!). If you use a woven or knit, be sure to prewash it to shrink it ahead of time. (Some say to do so with non-woven as well, but I've never had an issue.)

Non-fusible interfacing (sometimes called sew-in interfacing) is just that -- you sew it to the garment as a separate layer. This leaves the original hand of the fabric intact and doesn't risk extra wrinkling or glue seepage that can be caused from fusible, and can be used on fabrics that cannot be ironed. Fusible interfacing has a heat-activated glue on one side that you iron to the wrong side of your fabric. This increases the stiffness and body of the fabric itself, since the interfacing and the main fabric act as one. This is useful when you are using a fabric that is more slippery or without as much stiffness or strength as you need in the finished product. Be sure that when you iron it on, you use a pressing cloth to protect your iron, don't move the iron, just leave it in place until the glue melts, and most fusibles require steam.

Here is a quick and dirty chart I whipped up with the types:

(Graphic design is NOT my passion haha)

All types of interfacing are also on a sliding scale of weight or body, from lightweight to heavyweight. Interfacing can be as light as a whisper, just to add a small amount of body or to stabilize a fabric prone to stretching without adding much weight, or as heavy as fusible foams and other materials that will make your fabric rock solid (sometimes as stiff as cardboard). Use the weight suited to your project: lighter weights tend to work well for simply stabilizing an area that tends to stretch or backing a very drapey fabric you want to be less drapey, mid weights are good for things like waistbands and button plackets where you need more structure but not too much added stiffness, and heavy weights tend to be used for specialty applications.

See also: this helpful chart from Wawak that shows the types of interfacing they sell and what they are good for. Even if you don't buy from Wawak (though they're a great source of sewing supplies for cheap!), it can give you ideas on what to use for what and to help you know what you are looking at when you go into a fabric store and touch the interfacings. Honestly, touching fabrics is the best way to learn about them!

As for where you use interfacing, anywhere you need stabilization, really. Look inside the button plackets of your button up shirts and the waistbands of your pants and skirts if you can -- see that extra bit of material in there? That's interfacing! It creates a stiffer and more stable material for things like button plackets, waistbands, collars, and anywhere else you need a bit....more from your fabric. I'm assuming the feedback you got was on something where it's obvious, such as a waistband, where the fabric can easily bend out of shape due to the pressure and heat of the body, or a cutout, where the bias of the fabric can cause it to stretch out in one direction and become wavy or misshappen, or a collar, where the lack of stiffness compared to the rest of the garment would create a limp rather than crisp effect.

Here is a good general guide to interfacing that might have more information than I have here (idk I only skimmed it but it looks good).

If they did mean "inner facing" they are probably talking about a facing. This is basically a partial lining that is used to finish an edge, or in some cases, add body or stabilize an edge. This is a piece that is shaped to match the edge it is being sewn to, often slightly smaller so it rolls to the inside, and sewn to the edge and then flipped to the inside. Think: a piece of fabric shaped to fit a neckline and sewn/flipped to the inside to finish the edge without doing a full lining. (These are also common as part of a lining in garments like suit jackets.) Facings are useful for finishing edges that have odd shapes (such as necklines or armscyces), need to be stabilized (like knit openings or cutouts on a bias), areas that need a bit of extra body (such as the top yoke of a suit jacket), or areas where an edge has extra small bits of fabric sewn into it that are hard to finish otherwise (such as sailor collars). Perhaps coincidentally, facings are often interfaced.

I hope that helps! :]

[goddesspharo]

fanfic writing asks: 2, 23, 49

[writing asks!]

2. Where do you get your fic ideas?

This is an extremely boring answer but sometimes you just have to write the stories you want to read because no one else is doing it. Which is annoying because no one else is doing it and you have to write it, but it's also kind of fun. Often, my story ideas come from random neurons sparking to life that have me going, "Hey, wouldn't it be cool if this happened?" or "I wonder how the story would change/the characters would react if this one tiny thing was different!" Other times, it's a matter of "I really like this one thing, but it would be even better if the hyper-fixation from this movie/show had to deal with it" and, thus, an AU is born. And then sometimes it's one line or scene or piece of dialogue that won't leave my head and thus I have to create an entire 20k fic around it just to exorcise that demon. (The real fic idea algorithm probably boils down to how much work would it take to turn these characters into spies banging their way across Europe and/or introduce space into the mix.)

23. Is writing the beginning, middle, or end of the story easiest? Hardest?

If I haven't figured out a beginning, I can't write the story. My brain just doesn't work any other way so in some ways that is both the easiest and the hardest because if I don't have it, the story doesn't exist. There have been a handful of times when I've known exactly how something is going to end, down to the final sentence, but usually I have to really think about how to end it and leave it on a memorable note. The ending should stick with you – and extra points if it hearkens back to something early on. Close those loops!

49. What fic of yours would you say is the best introduction to you as a writer?

You go through different phases of being a writer, I think? This current phase was kicked off with not every conversation is a new grenade (The Batman) so that'll always be kind of special to me, but the current writing vibes are make everything an AU because why the hell not so that aspect would probably be better served by reading against the grain of dystopic claims (Top Gun: Maverick) or put it in a zip-lock bag (The Bear).

[aerodaltonimperial]

Prompt: #1 in the woods

(This makes no sense and I have decided that I don't care, I do what I want!!!!)

She finds him in the copse of trees behind the hotel, the bend in the land littered with thick-trunked maples she knows must turn brilliant colors in the autumn breeze. It's enough of a walk to the line where the woods begin that she doubts anyone else will follow or stumble unwittingly, even if they can hear the ringing smacks of the iron bar against the trees.

She doesn't know where he got the crowbar; it doesn't really matter. He's slamming it against the bark over and over, creating dozens of sharp indents where the metal has bit into the wood grain.

It takes him a few swings to notice her presence, and when he does, he starts. Perhaps he had anticipated someone else. "Jesus," Jack gasps, and trips over one boot as the grass catches his heel.

"Did I frighten you?" Julia asks.

"Uh, yeah. It's dark, and you just..." He gestures up and down towards her a few times. "...came out of nowhere."

"Have the trees done something to make you angry?"

Jack stares at her for a long moment. Darkness whispers behind him, little tendrils of jealousy that have curled around his heart. "Are you being serious?"

"Well, if not the trees, something else then." She glances down at her nails; one has chipped at the end. "And you've decided to take it out on them."

"Are you here to warn me against hitting trees?"

"I'm here to warn you, full stop," she says. She raises her eyes once more.

"What the fuck," he says, eloquently. "Do you do this to everyone who changes their minds?"

"No. Only the ones who are better than the decisions they've made."

Jack laughs: an ugly sound. "And what would you know about decisions I've made?"

Julia regards him for a long moment. The inky tendrils behind him seem to wave, even in the darkness of the evening. He cannot see how they have roped around his heart and begun to squeeze. In time, they will steal everything decent about him, all the compassionate smiles and kind choices.

"You are enough, Jack," she says, finally. "Just as you are. You've never needed a belt to matter."

He visibly deflates. At his side, the crowbar hangs heavy. "How...how do you know?"

"You could know, too, if you would only stop listening to the whispers in the dark." She shrugs. "There are people who care about you. Some of them you have already discounted. And some you have never bothered to reach out to."

"Some of them turned on me," he spits, low and bitter, and the shadows around his lungs pulse in time with the pat-pat of his heart.

"No," she says. "They never cared, not in the way that mattered."

"You sound so sure."

"And you sound so scared," she snaps. "Stop running from the things you don't wish to face."

Jack looks her up and down. Julia might think it untoward if he were someone else, someone lesser. As it stands, he is sizing her up. She has rattled his beliefs, and it will take some time for him to decide if he wishes to believe her or not.

Then he looks away, at the trees he was just recently venting his aggression on. "How...how do I find the right people?"

"Ah, the right question." Julia sighs. "That, I'm afraid, you have to be able to feel."

"What if I choose wrong again?" Perhaps she is getting through to him. The cloud of darkness behind him has receded somewhat, the tendrils releasing their vice-hold on his heart.

"Sometimes that happens," Julia admits. "It's a part of life."

Jack looks very lost, standing there amongst the towering trees. He glances up, and then back at her. Something clears in his gaze. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," she says, and for the first time in a while, she means it.

She leaves him standing there, beneath the pale glow of the moonlight, but she suspects he will be fine.

[litfever]

ittosara / early twenties, building their home

<3 modern au

The first piece of furniture they buy for the new apartment is a dining table.

It's wood and old and they found it on Facebook Marketplace for a suspiciously low price, but it's the first thing in their new home that's wholly theirs. They buy it with both of their money- Itto's salary and the bit of money Sara gets from her scholarship stipend.

Itto watches a bunch of YouTube videos and he splurges on paint strippers and buffers and whatever tools he would need for building and repairing, because this was his home, and he'd be damned if he wouldn't take care of it.

He still goes to work, he's always mainly done consultation and remote working (computer/design) stuff, and he's thankful for the pay and flexibility since he liked that there was someone who could look after the apartment most of the time. Sara is still a full-time law student, and she's also interning at a corporate law firm. Once, she told him she was thinking about doing financial consultation work to help him with money, but he told her he could handle the bills and expenses in the meantime because he saw how tired she is all the time. He loves her and he knows she can support herself but he wants to take care of her, too. Whenever she feels bad about it he tells her she really shouldn't, and when she insists, he tells her she has the rest of their lives to make it up to him.

Whatever free time he has is dedicated to fixing whatever he can. He strips the dining table and chairs and sands them down until the beautiful grains of the wood can be seen. He uses a dark stain and Sara almost cries the first time she sees the finished product.

Sara buys new faucets and a showerhead the next day.

Before long, they have a couch (which Itto re-upholsters) and a bed frame (which he also spruces up). They decide to splurge on a nice mattress after about three months of saving (they've been using their college mattresses; squeezed together). Living together had felt like an extended sleepover at that point, like how they used to camp at each other's dorm rooms back in undergrad. But, sleeping on the mattress that they bought for themselves for the first time made everything feel so much more real. They both wake up earlier than usual the next morning, both planning on bringing the other breakfast in bed. They laugh and cook together, hip to hip, shoulder to shoulder, the morning sun illuminating them both.

Itto also starts a mini garden in their kitchen, just herbs at first, lined up on their windowsill and pleasantly green. Then, it grows, and before long Itto has potted plants all over their one-bedroom one-bathroom. Itto waters them and Sara dusts them off.

There is one corner of their apartment that's been designated as Sara's study space and another as Itto's working space. Itto leaves her encouraging sticky notes all over her sticky-note wall, and Sara cleans and prepares fruits for him so he can grab whatever he needs from the fridge when she's away.

At night, Itto usually cooks, and Sara cleans. Sometimes she tells him she's had a long day, so he turns his phone's volume the entire way (Taylor Swift and Radiohead and who else is in their shared playlist) and they dance and sway before they go to bed. When he tells her he's had a long day, they sit on their couch- or, Sara sits, and Itto lays with his head on her lap, and they talk. Or, Sara talks (about her classes or her internship or her friends or whatever book she's read most recently) and runs her fingers through his hair and he listens. Her voice has always calmed him, after all. He doesn't think it will ever change, no matter how many years pass.

In their second year in the apartment, they get a dog, and they name it Dog, which Itto finds exceedingly funny. Sara doesn't, so they get a cat the next year and name it Algernon.

When she graduates, Itto and his entire family hold a party for her. All their friends are there, too. She looks at him and the cake in his hands and thinks that she's never felt so loved before. Itto tells her he will spend the rest of their lives making her feel this way.