#and i genuinely thought i was gonna throw up at least twice

[goodnightwindy]

did i ever tell you guys about heatstroke river

[a-memory-a-distant-echo]

ok, you know what, fuck it, fic recs post. historically i try not to rec works in progress or things i haven't commented on and i'm throwing that fully out the window for this because honestly, fucking whatever.

if you're on this list and i haven't been fully unhinged at you in the comments, please know that it's because (1) i'm the worst and (2) i'm trying desperately to calibrate so i hit 'enthusiastic' and not 'kind of frightening, actually'. i swear that i have written at least several sentences of a comment for every fic on this list, it's just that i'm genuinely impossibly slow, sometimes. it's me, not you.

my previous rec post is here, in case you missed that. as a bonus, special for this rec list and as a concession to the horrors, i am attempting to guess how much any given fic will fuck up the average person. obviously this is a ymmv kind of situation, but i'm trying, at least?

everything else under a cut because i am longwinded.

and found by @dangerouscommiesubversive, explicit, every possible combination of di feisheng/fang duobing/li lianhua | li xiangyi; bless, but i am not typing all that out. starting off with a wip where i haven't left a comment in like four fuckin' chapters, breaking those rules real good. this fic is a fucking ride. i will admit that i wasn't entirely convinced by the premise when i saw the blurb, but i am nothing if not willing to admit when i was wrong, and i was—once again—totally wrong. this is the fic where i was like 'ok but…is anyone really, like, desperate for gen z li xiangyi?' and then i read it and i was like 'ohhhhhh fuck yeah, ok, i get it, i was actually fully desperate for gen z li xiangyi.' he is. such a little prick. i love him. there has been something unexpected and delightful in every single chapter of this so far, plus a number of impressively memorable one-liners. this fic is fun and distracting and at least as of chapter seven, i'm gonna say it's not even gonna fuck you up. (please note that this is only through chapter seven!)

and the days are bright red by @junemermaid, explicit, di feisheng/fang duobing/li lianhua. rip to my beloved tumblr mutual @junemermaid, because they're getting called out twice in this list, but: tough. this fic is so delightful. featuring: memories of slut era li lianhua, the mortifying ordeal of being known, an entire box of historically accurate sex toys, fang duobing and di feisheng communicating (sometimes silently) in a way that unsettles li lianhua (back from his months-long sojourn), some very hot sex that is both very much about sex and also about trust and being perceived, casual intimacy, and fledgling tenderness. there are Emotions in this, and they get moderately intense, but it's a very kind and surprisingly gentle feel-good fic.

a drink under a clear window by @momosandlemonsoda, explicit, di feisheng/fang duobing and fang duobing/qiao wanmian. a fic that tackles the dreaded v-shaped polycule and makes it work. it seems like perhaps it shouldn't: fang duobing as the hinge, with di feisheng and qiao wanmian on either side, but actually it works perfectly, and is a lovely little glimpse at who they could become and the relationships they could have. i love the thought of qiao wanmian having come into her own as a leader in her own right, as more than just the representative of the ghost of li xiangyi, and this does a wonderful job of letting her be her own person. also, yes, ok, passing fang duobing back and forth like a party favour. this is a post-canon fic in which li lianhua is dead, but the fic itself a straightforward delight that is not at all fucky uppy.

the floating clouds, no resting place, again by @junemermaid (not sorry), technically gen and no ship, but functionally pre-di feisheng/fang duobing/li lianhua. the hair-washing fic. ohhhhhh. i started jotting notes for this post the day that i finished this fic, and i really thought that they were in any way comprehensive, but instead, what i typed and left as a note to myself was this:

and honestly. you're right, hypothetical reader, that doesn't totally make sense, but i stand by it regardless, because i apparently had that thought in [checks date i last saved the file] fucking august, and i'm still nodding along with myself. that is that this is like. this fic is very beautiful and will make you ache and will leave you slightly better at the end of it than you were at the beginning. it may also make you cry; this seems to me a fair enough trade.

the floating lotus by @anndramarama, not rated, di feisheng/li xiangyi. pre-canon stuff doesn't always work super well for me, but i really enjoyed this one, featuring di feisheng and li xiangyi when they're both so young and arrogant and full of themselves—and stupid and naïve and young and almost hopeful in a way that they're often not, in fic, for all that they were barely but children at the point of the donghai fight. they just seem…vulnerable, i guess, in this, in a way that i find touching. seasonal bonus: a ghost story, of a sort. given that this is set pre-canon, i think it's hard to come in any softer than bittersweet, which this very much is.

from here one's hand could pluck the stars by @howlingmoonrise, explicit, di feisheng/fang duobing. sex pollen fic! also featuring, a little surprisingly, given the premise, incredibly explicit and enthusiastic consent. look, this does what it says on the tin. di feisheng gets sex pollened. fang duobing is left to stay with him. the obvious ensues. unfortunately, it is also devastatingly charming? fang duobing is earnest and sweet; di feisheng is suffering beautifully terribly and trying so hard not to impose on fang duobing. they're both trying so hard to be respectful of what the other person needs, but they're also still bratty and argumentative and exasperated/exasperating, and it's very entertaining. this will fuck you up none percent, and may even make you laugh.

my war is done by @orchisailsa, explicit, di feisheng/fang duobing/li lianhua. another wip, with the first of three chapters posted, but please understand that this chapter is nearly 15k and so fucking good and compelling. li lianhua lives! and returns to find that things have changed in his absence, and perhaps that he has also changed in his absence, and now wants things that he had told himself he didn't mind not even having to lose. bonus: road trip and—delight!—only one room at the inn. also some other stuff that i'm not spoiling, but that made me absolutely gleeful. this is definitely a work in progress, and while i don't think there's anything particularly upsetting in the chapter, it does end on something of a cliffhanger. i personally do not feel that this is an upsetting cliffhanger, given the information about the fic that's presented in the tags, but it is technically a cliffhanger.

awkward paragraph break, but it's also important, i think, to mention the absolutely stunning (and not at all safe for work) companion piece to my war is done, you'd be there calling my name, by saki the cup bearer, who i don't think is on tumblr. it's fucking incredible; i am very decidedly not an artist but i cannot begin to imagine how much effort went into this. just. holy shit.

not unlike him in shape and form by @philologicalbat, explicit, fang duobing/li lianhua. ok look. i fucking love when things are deeply emotionally messy, and this is so emotionally messy. li lianhua who's been attracted to fang duobing and not doing anything about it, then discovering that fang duobing is shan gudao's son and is very much going to do something about it. he wants in this, and he's cunty and manipulative and mean about it, and sometimes also almost sweet, almost tender, and i love that, because i feel like li lianhua is very often an object of desire and very rarely gets to desire. i love how human he gets to be in this fic. this is not a sweet or gentle fic, but it does end in a moderately tender place that is tentatively hopeful, i think.

unbecoming heir by @bettercostume, explicit, di feisheng/princess zhaoling. i am taking your hand in mine and begging you to trust me. i know what this fic looks like. it's noncon and a weird pairing and you might look at it and expect it to go in the obvious direction and: it does not. this fic is so good that it makes me angry. it makes me miserable and everyone in this fic is trying so miserably, miserably hard, and it's fucking devastating. i spent literally thirty minutes earlier today yelling at my wife about it. i cannot rec this fic strongly enough. this is not a happy fic, but it is a good fic. it will absolutely fuck you up. this is very complimentary but also you will be fucked up.

until you are its primary evidence by @ilgaksu, mature, di feisheng/fang duobing/li lianhua. the single most effective use of what is effectively a prologue that i've ever seen in fic, are you kidding me. this fic is nothing at all like what i expected it to be, and is something far better than what i could have imagined. it's fang duobing's point of view, which is a rarity already, and it's so well done, and it allows him so much humanity and so much anger and grace alike. there are so many tricky things about this fic—the prologue, the fact that it's set in the amnesia arc, fang duobing's pov, the fact that it actually addresses canonical disabilities and illnesses without being fucking weird about it, the tension between the three of them—and it's all balanced so well. this has some emotionally heavier moments but ends tentatively happily; tentative only because it's set during the amnesia arc, and, well. we know what comes next.

as a final note: if you wrote one of these fics and feel that i've wildly misinterpreted the emotional tenor of the ending, please message me in whatever way you prefer and i will correct it. i would not normally presume to guess how things are likely hit people, as i am in many ways not anyone's ideal reader, but today it seemed like it was kinder to at least try.

[tw1l1te]

The Final Promise₊˚✩⊹

Chapter 6

Linked Universe x reader

Warnings: Negative mental health, trauma flashbacks, angstangstangst, some comfort

This chapter is heavier in terms of angst and trauma, just to put it out there.

₊˚✩⊹

This felt nice. Stomachs were full, a few of the boys were playing a card game, you were wrapped up in an old quilt sitting on the couch in the main room. Malon hands you a cup of tea, which you cradle in your hands, occasionally sipping on. You could feel Time’s eyes on you and it was making you nervous again. You needed air.

You whisper to Malon that you’re gonna step out for a bit, needing some alone time. She nods, a worried expression crossing her features, but you wave it off as “needing a breather from the rambunctious boys”, and she nods with understanding. 

Closing the door behind you with a soft ‘click’, you walk outside, arms wrapped around your waist. It was a bit chilly, but you didn’t want to go back in to get a jacket or blanket. You sit at the edge of the wooden porch, floorboard creaking from age and the amount of times people have walked across it. You placed your head on your propped knees, tracing the grain of the wood, thinking about your current predicament.

Almost as soon as Time crossed your mind, it seems as if fate was hearing your conflict. Time shut the door behind him and walked up to you, draping the same quilt you were cuddling with inside just a few minutes ago.

“Thought you might get cold out here.” Time stills for a moment before speaking up again, “Well, I’ll leave you-” “What was that kiss a few nights ago?” you interrupted, not wanting to miss another opportunity to talk to him about your thoughts.

The air was still for a moment, the only sound being the occasional bleat of the sheep or rustle of leaves. You hear a sigh behind you, Time coming down and sitting next to you on the porch.

“Didn’t think you wanted to talk about it, if I’m being honest. You’ve been so overwhelmed and stressed since the news of the possibility of going home and I didn’t want to overwhelm you een more.”

“I was, and still am, stressed out about it, I guess I just didn’t know how to bring it up or if you even wanted to talk about it.” you chuckled, “I guess we’re not the greatest at communication, as ironic as it is.”

He let out a breath of air. “... I did want it, if that’s what you were worried about. I liked it. I like you, Y/n, and more than just travel partners or as a friend. I want to be more than that, if you want that, that is.” he said, looking straight at you.

You’ve never heard anyone sound so genuine about admitting they like you in your entire life. Despite probably being at least twice your age (nobody knew how old he actually was, because the younger looks throw them off), he looked almost like a young teenage boy telling his crush that he liked them. It was melting your heart. 

His hand stroked your face, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear, not tearing his eyes away from you. In the low lighting, his eyes almost looked black. His thumb made his way down from your cheek, softly brushing against your bottom lip. You felt like you were about to cry from how gentle he was being with you. The physical touch and affection should’ve scared you, but you didn’t dare move. 

Before you could blink again, his lips were on you again. You didn’t realize how much you missed the feeling until now. You softly moaned, placing your hands on his shoulders for some sort of support. You felt like you were in the clouds, weightless and no worries. 

He tilted his head to kiss you deeper, a quiet groan leaving his throat. Both of your breathing picked up a bit, the kiss becoming deeper and more desperate, as if he was scared you were going to pull away from him. 

You reluctantly pulled away for air, chest heaving a bit from the lack of oxygen. You kept your hands on him, placed flat on his chest, feeling his racing heartbeat. Moving up to his face, He was warm too, not fever warm, but warm enough to insinuate that he was blushing, even under the near pitch-black sky. 

He suddenly cleared his throat, “We should head inside Y/n, the others might get… ideas.” he trails off, eyes still on you.

You inhale, “Time? Can we… keep this between us? For now?” you ask.

He nods without a word, offering a hand to help get up. Taking his hand, you stand up, holding the quilt under your arm. He lets you go in front of him, back into the house.

~

A few hours later, you were in bed, sharing a room with Twilight and Wild. The two had already stripped off their armor and had their comfy underlayers on for bed. You sifted through your pack, looking for your pajamas.

“So where’d you and the Old man go earlier?” Wild asks. Shit. You didn’t think it was that obvious, but they were heroes for goddesses’ sake. They noticed the smallest things.

“I-I wasn’t feeling well, mentally I guess. He just comforted me about my worries.” you mumbled, trying to look busy.

“Oh you both looked comforted,” Wild says, rolling his eyes. You stilled. He knew, they both knew.

“Was it that obvious?” you asked, anticipating the answer.

Twilight stood up from the chair in the corner of the room, “I’ve never seen the Old man so red and embarrassed. Either ya revealed his most embarrassin’ secret or you both got busy.” he smirked, leaning against the door frame.

You stared at him, “What are you implying?” you asked, eyes slightly narrowing. You wondered where this was going.

“I’m not implyin’ anythin’, just teasin’.” he said, but that was only half true. You could tell. You hear shuffling behind you, and a soft thump on the bed. Wild was sat on the bed, busy with his Sheikah Slate. You turn back to Twilight, finding a shift in his eyes. Something was off, but you couldn’t tell. He seemed to look past you.

Being fed up with his confusing behavior, you grabbed your clothes and went into the bathroom to change. You made sure to lock the door, as lately certain members liked to ignore the door. You did not want to deal with being walked-in on tonight.

~

Twilight knew he’d gotten a bit too bold there. He didn’t know what he was thinking, accusing you of being affectionate with the Old man. It was none of his business, and he knew that. Then, at the same time, why did he care? Why did he care if you liked Time? Or anyone else for that matter? You aren’t his. He doesn’t own you. No one does. You can do as you please.

But… he wants you. 

He doesn’t know how or when he’s thought of you in that manner, but he can feel it. He can feel it patching up his heart piece by piece ever since Midna left him on that day, oh so many years ago. She may have felt the same, he never truly knew, but she’s long gone. You saw her leave. But you were there with him when she left him. You didn’t leave him. You didn’t leave when you saw him turn into a beast. You didn’t leave when you saw him fail over and over again. You didn’t leave when Midna did. He could hear you talking to him, consoling him, talking to him.

You stayed.

You came back. Back to him. 

And he didn’t want to lose you. Not again. Not after all he’s been through and fought for. 

He wasn’t fighting for Midna, or for the princess, or even for Hyrule.

He did it all… for you.

~

You settled into bed, which was huge, but felt constricting with a man on either side of you. Wild placed his slate on the nightstand and blew the candle out, muttering a ‘night’ to both of you, turning away from you.

Despite being in a soft, plush bed again, you couldn’t sleep. You stared at the ceiling, your thoughts running at 100 miles per hour. You and Time’s shared kiss earlier. That moment with Sky in the bathroom. Now Twilight’s sudden interest with what you were up to earlier.

What the fuck is going on with everyone?

You turn to your left, needing to lay in a different position, the last thing you were expecting was Twilight still being awake. 

You frowned, he wasn’t usually the type to be awake this late at night, especially with all the exhausting and physically taxing adventuring the Chain has been doing.

He was looking at the ceiling, what you had been doing just a moment earlier.

“Twi.” you whispered, poking his shoulder. He jumps a bit, turning his head to face you.

“You ok?” you ask. He takes a breath.

“Just thinkin’.” he whispers in response. He’s lying.

“Don’t lie to me, Twi. Please.” He closes his eyes, biting his lip in frustration.

Exhaling, he turns his entire body to face you. You were now laying face-to-face, about a foot of space between you. 

“You remember that one time we were running from a couple of Lynels while in Wild’s Hyrule?” he asks.

You roll your eyes, remembering the absolute insanity that you and Wild decided to pull.

“When ya used Wild’s Master Cycle to distract the Lynels into a different direction, all while laughin’ yer ass off? I was starstruck.”

You stopped breathing. This isn’t the direction you expected the night to go. No, not at all.

“In such a tense situation where we were all runnin’ for our lives? You were lightin’ up Hyrule with that radiant smile of yours, speedin’ away while two of the most dangerous monsters were racing toward you.”

“I mean… I wasn’t about to let you all get trampled. Regardless of how experienced y’all are, I could see the panic in all of your eyes.”

“Still, I was both so scared for you and amazed at your courage to distract the beasts. Not just anyone would do that for us. For me.” he whispered, taking your hands in his.

“I want to be there for you, Y/n. Protect you. I couldn’t bear losing you, not after all we’ve been through and all you’ve done for me. It’s my turn to be there for you.”

And with that, he closed the small distance between you two, propping himself up on his elbow to slightly hover over you and reach a comfortable angle.

His lips were soft, contrary to how you thought they would feel. He smelled like pine and wood, a musk that was dark but comforting. The slight stubble on his chin scratched slightly against your chin, but it felt nice. You’ve always liked stubble on men, but especially on him. It ignited something in you.

You wrapped your arms around his neck, giving him the signal that you were enjoying this. That you wanted this. You continued kissing him, kisses as soft as a feather, and yet as hot as the lava in Death Mountain. 

When you felt his fingertips go under your tunic, you nudged him away on instinct. 

“Why won’t you let me touch you, Y/n? You’re mine, and I should be able to do as I please. What, you fucking scared of me-”

“Darlin’? You ok?” he murmurs, worried eyes flicking across your face.

You nod, not saying a word.

Rough hands pinning you down.

“What, you don’t want me to touch you? I bet you’ve been seeing that bitch-”

“Y/n?” Twilight asks again, “Are you sure you’re ok? Did I go too far?”

You shake your head, “No, sorry Twi. Just got lost in my thoughts again. And, no, you didn’t go too far. I liked it. I wanted it.” you said, giving him a small smile. He hesitates.

“I promise, Link. I liked it, I like you. A lot.” you said, cradling his face in your hands. You almost never called any of them ‘Link’, it got too confusing in the group. You only called any of them by their birth name when talking to them alone or if you were upset at them.

He kisses your palms, eyes still on you. He was way too good at making you red. A feeling that was rare and unusual, but more than welcome.

“Right, well, as much as I want to continue, we should get some rest. Plus, we don’t wanna wake up Wild with any… romantics.” he whispers, tossing a glance behind you at the sleeping hero.

You smile, already nodding off in Twilight’s warm embrace. You felt safe. Happy.

₊˚✩⊹

[sister-lucifer]

Hey I love your work you’re one of my favorite writers on tumblr!! If you want to I have an Idea! Could u do obey me headcanon or fic on an mc who is sick? I love Lucifer so anything with him is perfect! TYSM!!

Demon Brothers With a Sick MC 

The Brothers x Gender Neutral Reader 

Genre: Fluff, could be read as platonic or romantic depending on your mood 

Content/Warnings: He/She Asmodeus, no warnings, just tooth rotting fluff 

Like my writing? I take requests! NSFW or SFW for any fandoms in my bio! 

Also, please reblog! it’s free, takes two seconds, and really helps me out 

Feedback is encouraged and appreciated:)

Not fully proofread! Let me know if you see any errors!

Lucifer 

Being the dad of the house, he’s definitely the most prepared 

And he’s able to keep calm when the others are overreacting 

It’s just a little flu, it happens to humans all the time! 

It’s not like you’re dying or anything! 

…You’re not dying, right? 

No, no! Of course not, that’s a silly worry 

But he’ll keep a close eye on you just in case 

While simultaneously having to keep his terrified brothers at bay so they don’t disturb your much needed rest

He’s already ordered plenty of human world things for you as well since demon sickness and human sickness are incredibly different 

Nothing in the Devildom would work for you 

He’s keeping track of all your meds and when you have to take them 

He’s got a whole schedule and he will make you adhere strictly to it 

But it’s for your own good 

Overall the most responsible caretaker, even if he can be a bit rigid 

It’s only because he cares about you and wants you to get better 

Mammon 

Wait 

You’re sick?! 

This can’t be happening! 

His precious human has fallen ill! It’s the end of days! Its— 

Oh wait it’s just the common flu? 

…Oh 

But what if that flu gets WORSE?! 

And you DIE?! 

WAAAAH—

(Yeah he’s freaking out) 

He tries to hide it at first but soon his worry completely takes over 

He’s practically SOBBING at your bedside as if you have days left when in reality you’re just a little sniffly and have a kind of fever 

He accompanies Lucifer on EVERY trip to your room and has to practically be dragged away from you

He knows you need rest but he needs to watch over you just in case! 

And you better not throw up or anything because that will have him convinced you’re at death’s door 

He’s gonna be an absolute mess until you’re 100% recovered, and maybe even a while after 

And he’ll definitely be camping out on the floor of your room to make sure you’re okay and to get you anything you need 

And that means ANYTHING 

Mammon can swindle his way into just about anything 

If Lucifer somehow hasn’t gotten you what you need already, Mammon has it 

And it was totally worth the debt it put him in

Leviathan 

He’s the second most worried 

But instead of outwardly freaking out the way Mammon does he lays in his bed worrying about you 

Logically he knows it’s not that big of a deal, and in a few days to a week you’ll be all better 

But his anxiety keeps reminding him of that slim chance that you won’t ever get better 

And the thought is just too much to bear! 

He’ll be visiting you a lot too 

And he’ll probably sleep on the floor once or twice too 

He cant do it as often as Mammon since the hard floor is too uncomfortable for him to actually get any sleep 

But it’s the fact that he tried that matters 

He’ll be supplying you with warm blankets and plenty of little puzzles or games to keep you entertained while you’re stuck in bed (Lucifer’s orders)

He’s simply nice to have around and great gaming partner 

After a bit of reassurance he’ll stop being so worried 

And he strikes the perfect balance of being fun company while also knowing when you need your rest 

Satan 

Genuinely the least worried 

Obviously that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care, but he thinks his brothers are overreacting a wee bit 

It almost makes him a bit jealous to see them doting on you the way they do 

Even Lucifer! 

Like, what?! 

But that’s okay, because he can out do them all 

When he finally gets a moment alone with you, he makes sure to bring some books 

He’ll read to you for as long as you’d like 

He likes the way you smile up at him as he reads, he can really tell that you’re enjoying not only the story but just his presence itself 

And he gets to share his favorite stories with you! 

It’s a big fat win-win 

He especially likes to read to you at night before you go to bed 

He loves how peaceful you look as you slowly drift off to his words 

Sometimes even the other brothers will join in to hear the stories 

Of course they all leave once you’ve fallen asleep for good, bickering on the way out about something or other concerning your health 

But when he’s sure no one is looking, Satan sneaks back in to your room to give you a kiss on the forehead and a goodnight before heading off 

Oh, and he always leaves a few books on your bedside table in case you want to read them 

They always make him feel better, after all

Asmodeus 

Lucifer has the medicine covered, but Asmodeus takes care of you in a more glamorous way 

Bubble baths are his go to remedy! 

The right mixture of salts and scents can clear your sinuses, soothe your body aches, and even help bring down your fever 

Self care is always important, but it’s especially essential when you’re feeling under the weather! 

She puts together the most amazing bubble baths too; bath bombs, essential oils, candles, all the fixings 

And with a bit of well done magic she can ensure the water never gets cold 

So you can enjoy the serenity of the dimly lit bathroom without a time limit or getting chilly 

And he’ll even write you little notes on the fogged up mirror 

Of course, though, he’s going to ask to join you 

And if you say yes he’ll absolutely spoil you 

She’ll insist on washing your hair for you since you’re so sickly and weak 

You shouldn’t have to lift a finger 

Just relax and let the rose petals in the water drift through your mind 

She’ll take care of you 

For the avatar of lust, he actually manages to be surprisingly sweet 

There are even times when you can tell he’s genuinely worried 

But she knows you’ll pull through 

After the bubble bath it’s right into the comfiest pajamas a Devilgram brand deal can buy 

And then some beauty rest for the both of you 

Beelzebub 

This sweet boy is so kind but so clueless 

He doesn’t even totally realize what’s going on until you tell him yourself 

Of course, he’s handling your meals 

At first Lucifer has to monitor him to make sure he doesn’t eat it all before it gets to your room 

But Beel really does want to take care of you 

Everyone else is doing their part, so should he! 

And that is enough to give him the willpower to make you three meals a day without eating a single bite! 

(Okay well— Maybe he did have a tiny bite, but it was so small even Lucifer didn’t notice! That’s pretty impressive for him!) 

Plus, he always makes double so he can eat with you 

Please remember to tell him how good his food is 

It’ll make his heart skip a beat 

He’s not well thought out like Lucifer or comforting like Asmodeus or even as sneaky as Mammon 

But he cares for you just as much as any of his brothers, and he needs to pitch in and get you back to full health 

He’ll even feed you if you’d like 

Rest is important, right? 

So just lay back and let him do all the work 

Don’t worry, he’ll blow on it to make sure it’s not too hot 

And he’s cut it all up to make sure the bites aren’t too big 

He won’t leave until he’s 100% sure that’s your tummy has been adequately filled 

And if you give him permission he’ll gladly take care of your left overs 

Belphegor 

Belphie is the absolute best cuddle buddy on a normal day, but it’s especially great when you’re not feeling well 

Demons can’t catch human sicknesses, which means he can cuddle up on you all he wants! 

And he will 

Every chance he gets 

Lucifer will try to keep him out of your room, but once he sneaks in there’s no getting him out 

All it takes is one minuscule slip up and he’s taken up permanent residency in your bed 

He’s so warm and soft, just what you need when your sickness is making you too uncomfortable to properly rest 

He’ll rub your back and whisper softly to you, telling you stories about the Celestial Realm and the beautiful things he’s seen there 

You’ll have the best naps of your life with Belphie 

Hell, I’d even go so far as to say the naps were so good theyd probably speed up youre recovery process! 

Although, once he’s in the habit of waking up by your side it’ll be hard for him to stop 

You’ll have to humor him for a little longer 

Maybe even forever if he has it his way 

[1waveshortofashipwreck]

heyyy love ur stuff btw! Could you maybe do hc’s of how our boys when someone is being mean to the reader? Thanks ;)) Maybe like a modern AU? Or any AU you’d prefer, thank you!

Aaaaaaaa thank you for the ask friend!! I love this idea!!! So I pictured this in a Modern!AU where the pair is at a coffee shop waiting on their order. The Boy puts his arm around them and the person next to them just sneers and goes “Can y’all get a room? Or at least be with someone nice to look at?” OBVIOUSLY referring to y/n with just a palpable amount of spite and venom.

Dick Winters

I see him just hugging you tighter and maybe turning his back to the guy, like, if he's gonna be an ass about Dick's favorite person he doesn't deserve the time of day. He'd say something so sweet too like, “if you think anyone could be more beautiful than them, you need to get your eyes checked,” before planting a kiss on your cheek and grabbing your drinks.

Lewis Nixon

I can see him definitely getting irritated but also seeming kinda baffled? Like I can see him just saying something like, “Are you serious right now? You see how gorgeous they are, right? Who hurt you, man?” Like he’d be so genuine about it too, even scoffing and shaking his head while y’all walk out with your drinks - like, how tf can someone say that about the most perfect human on earth???

Ron Speirs

I have a strong feeling that the guy’s words leave his mouth before he saw Ron, because I just imagine the dude being Christianson in Bastogne, like, he see’s Speirs’ face and just feels as though he has Met His End. So all Speirs does is put his arm around you and say, “you wanna try that again?” the guy just stutters and replies, “you make a lovely couple,” before scurrying away. I can soooo see Ron just having a smug smile on his face before giving you a kiss.

Harry Welsh

Ok so considering this man got demoted from sergeant to private three (3) different times due to getting in fights I have a feeling he would just be like “OH ITS THAT KINDA PARTY HUH? YOU WANNA TRY SAYING THAT AGAIN ASSHOLE??” Like this dude could be twice Harry’s size but your Boy can and will throw hands to defend you and he’s not afraid to get hurt while doing it. 10/10 needs you to help with his bruised knuckles after but he apologizes and y’all enjoy your drinks (specifically savoring it because y’all got banned from the coffee shop).

Eugene Roe

I feel like this could go two ways - A) he tells the guy off (“why don’t you mind your business asshole”), holds you close to him, and grabs your drinks without saying a word, or B) he grabs you by the waist and just goes to town trying to merge your mouths into one. This man would just do everything in his power to put on display his love and passion for you. Soon enough the dude will get weirded out and leave, but not before Doc performs award-winning CPR.

Bill Guarnere

Oh boy we got Party Boy #2 over here. “Why don’t you shut ya yap before I shut it for ya?” Your mans would square up to the dude no questions asked. If the dude steps down, Bill would just say, “yeah, that’s what I thought,” before proudly putting his arm around you. If the dude makes a poor decision and steps up to Guarnere… next thing you know poor Bill is apologizing to you while you hold his cold brew up to his black eye to keep the swelling down… the dude apologized though! All thanks to Ol’ Gonorrhea.

Joe Toye

I feel like his reaction is betwixt Guarnere and Nixon. Like, for one thing, he’s genuinely confused. He just gives the dude his classic Eyebrows before pulling you close to him. At first he won’t say anything, but if the dude keeps going he’ll just say to him in a low voice, “you looking for a fight pal?” Honestly that would be enough to scare the dude away while Joe just hugs you tight and kisses your temple before the barista calls your names.

George Luz

This boy would twist the dude’s words perfectly. “Oh you’re absolutely right, they could get someone WAY hotter than me!” before smirking over at you. You can’t help but give George a playful smack on the chest before laughing with him and laying your head on his shoulder… then he’d totally just look at you and think “how’d I get so lucky???” we love a silly soft boi

Joe Liebgott

Fighty Boy #3 and you can’t tell me otherwise. It’d be similar to Guarnere on the ship - he’d have to make sure he heard the dude right at first… “What’d you just say?” like you can feel his angy levels rising by the second. The dude just goes, “you heard me,” and before anyone can even blink the dude is knocked out on the ground, like, the swifest punch known to man and it came from your boyfriend (kinda hot ngl) and you just give him a Look before he smirks and kisses the air from your lungs and… why were you mad at him again? And why are you getting thrown out of the cafe???

Floyd Talbert

Ok so remember how Roe gave you life-saving CPR? Tab’s first instinct is life-taking CPR, like, this man just glares at the dude before pulling you close by your waist (and maybe a hand on your ass because its Tab) and just going to TOWN on your lips, neck, wherever he can reach just to show the idiot dude how in love with you he is and how stupid he was to make that comment… of course instinctively your hands to Tab’s hair and y’all just get Lost in the Sauce and when the barista calls y’all’s names you don’t even hear them.

Shifty Powers

Asdf sweet baby angel would just hold you close and whisper to you, “I’m sorry you had to hear that, you don’t believe him right?” Just keeping all his attention on you and hugging you close with both arms just lovingly wrapped around you, both of y’all forget everything else exists and you just happily hold each other for a bit before you get your drinks (this is all unless shifty has his rifle then the dude’s Time Has Come courtesy of Darrell C. Powers).

ngl this might've been the most fun I've had writing something 🤣 Thank you again for the ask love!! Hope you have a wonderful day!

[frogcoven99]

My Thoughts on Wish 💫💜🌳🐐🫧

⚠️SPOILERS AHEAD⚠️

FUCK I’M SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG

First of all, this review is dedicated to that one Wish stan on Twitter who said I have "no media literacy" when I tried to say that Magnifico wasn’t really threatening, but wasn’t trying to start off a big fight or anything.

I hope that person is having a wonderful day, and I hope this review proves that I do actually have media literacy 🥰🥰

Now, back to the film:

I really wanted to like this movies guys. A film about the origins of the wishing star sounded amazing!

And after I saw the film TWICE in theaters, I was in love. I thought surely my opinion wouldn’t change.

But…the more I thought about the movie, the worst it got.

For example, the songs. I don’t think I need to explain to you guys why "I let you live for free and I don’t even charge you rent" and "throw caution to every warning sign" and "watch out world here I are" DO NOT WORK.

I don’t blame the songwriters for this, because I’m sure they are very talented people.

But they were clearly not the people who should have been in charge of the music.

Not to mention the fact that Julia Michaels was given TWO WEEKS to write “This Wish”….

The Characters

Asha 💜

I like Asha’s design enough, like her braids. But her personality is as bland as a scoop of vanilla ice cream (jk, vanilla ice cream is goated).

Lots of people have complained that the “adorkable” leading lady trope has worn out its welcome.

I used to disagree since those “quirky” characters were some of my favorites (Like Rapunzel, Mirabel, and Moana), but Asha has definitely reached my limit with them.

Rapunzel, Anna, Moana, and Mirabel all feel like distinct characters from each other (yeah stfu ModernGurlz), but Asha feels like an imitation of them, like the cheap Walmart version.

And she’s not really interesting either, she has a passion for art, but the film doesn’t do anything with it. In fact, nothing about her feels genuine. She feels so hollow and like she only has two personality traits: Quirky and the protagonist.

Like, during “This Wish” (which is probably the worst Disney “I want” song ever) I never felt connected with her. It just felt like, oh this is the Disney “I want” song because this is a Disney movie.

I didn’t understand what Asha wanted, “something more for us than this”? Okay…what about you? What do you want?

With all the other Disney “I want” songs, I could feel a connection and what the character wanted.

So yeah, Asha is probably the worst protagonist in the modern era of Disney. At least in terms of writing.

And while I did say I like her design, I prefer her concept arts.

King Magnifico 🫧

Chris Pine seems like he is having a blast in the recording booth, and I gotta say his performance was pretty good. But it wasn’t enough to save this character :/

So, the main problem with his character is that I can kinda agree with him on the whole wishes thing. But, I also barely found him threatening.

The most threatening things he does in this movie is crush a bunch of balls (that’s what she said) that make people feel sad and chain everyone to the ground.

Not only that, Magnifico’s use of his magic is SO LAME! Another major reason I was never intimated by him is because he never did anything really scary or threatening with his magic, all he could do was create giant hands and chain people up. Like…ok? Is that all you got? Really? 😑

Also, I don’t think I need to tell you that his villain song SUCKS ASS. You know it, everyone knows it. I’m not getting into it. Go listen to a real villain song like "Hellfire" or “Friends on the other side" instead.

As for the other characters, I don’t have much to say about them unlike Asha and Magnifico.

Star ⭐️

The Star was really really cute, even tho they were just a Luma/marketable plushie. And also REALLY reminds me of a squish mallow, am I the only one who sees that?

I should definitely mention how he was originally gonna be a StarBoy, but we’ll get to that later don’t you worry. That is a VERY important element in our discussion.

The Other Characters This Movie Has

Amaya is so BORING! She barely has a character outside of being the queen and Magnifico’s wife, she was just…there. You could remove her from the movie with very little tweaking and nothing would change.

I would’ve preferred it if she was also a villain like Magnifico, which WAS originally in the script. But like StarBoy, that is something we will get to later.

The Teens are fine, but really forgettable. I like how they are all based off the Seven Dwarves, that’s cute. But it feels like they didn’t have any character outside of that.

Yeah, Dahlia is Asha’s bestie, but there wasn’t enough scenes between them to show me their dynamic to make me feel like their friendship was genuine.

Simon ended up snitching out on Asha and betraying the Teens in the middle, but I literally couldn’t have cared less because what do we know about this guy other than he’s sleepy and gave his wish to Magnifico?

As for the other Teens, just like Amaya, they could’ve been removed from the script and barely anything would change. The grumpy one had some sassy moments, and he’s voiced by Harvey Guillén (Perrito’s VA) so that’s something I guess. The shy one had this one gag that had comedic potential, but wasn’t really expanded.

And as for the other Teens…uh…I can’t remember a single thing they did honestly.

And then there’s Valentino…fuck that goat man. 😑 I love Alan Tudyk and his roles in other (better) Disney movies, but yeah Valentino is definitely my least favorite role he’s ever done.

All of his jokes were unfunny, and were mostly butt jokes. Which is probably my least favorite form of comedy ever that I cannot stand for the life of me.

Speaking of which, this movie just was not funny. None of the jokes made me laugh or chuckle or even smile.

Raya and the Last Dragon is a Disney movie that I really don’t like, but there were some jokes that got a chuckle or smile out of me. Wish didn’t even have ONE good joke.

Uhh…Asha’s grandpa was build up as someone important but he just peaces out in the middle of the movie with Asha’s mom, who did not do a single thing other than a ball getting shattered making her sad.

And that’s all the characters in this movie.

Legacy Nods, why they do not work

Alright, what else is there to talk about?

Maybe the endless amount of Disney references? I get it’s the 100th anniversary film and all and Disney has had Hidden Gems like that in their films. But the difference is the ones in previous films were subtle and hidden in the background, and it would probably take you a rewatch to see it.

But in Wish? They all feel shoved down your throat. It’s like: “HEY REMEMBER THIS MOVIE??" “REMEMBER THAT??” “DON’T YOU WANNA WATCH THAT MOVIE???” It’s so exhausting.

When I heard the movie was gonna have “legacy nods” as they liked to call it, I was excited and thought it would be so much fun to point them all out and to pay closer attention to the background.

But instead every nod was thrown at my face and was heavily obvious. Disappointing 😔

The Animation

Let’s get to the animation now. It’s probably (one of) the most discussed things about this movie, especially when the teaser first dropped last year.

Lots of people were complaining it looks like a Disney Junior show or Ai and said it looks unfinished. Even one of my best friends who was just as excited for this movie as I was admitted it looked weird.

At first, I loved this art style and thought it was beautiful. And I was determined it would look even more beautiful on the big screen.

And now? I…actually still like it. I definitely don’t hate it, and thinks it gets some getting used to. I think it’s actually kinda pretty.

Apparently it’s supposed to be watercolor and combined with 2D animation, which is neat.

But compared to the films like the Spider Verse films or Puss In Boots 2, yeah it’s not the best.

I personally would’ve preferred it if the film was in 2D, Disney’s 100th anniversary would’ve been a PERFECT time to return 2D animation! But, nope 😒

Yeah it’s bad, but…

I know I’m making it seem like I hate this movie, but I really don’t. I’m disappointed in it more than anything.

If anything, I’m thankful this movie was still made.

Why?

Well, easy.

It allowed many people to be able to tell their own version of the story.

I’m sure we’ve all heard of StarBoy and the cut Evil Amaya.

And yeah, these concepts could’ve made this movie 1000x better.

But because of these concepts, so many amazing people have been given the opportunity to rewrite the movie and give amazing stories.

I have read so many wonderful Wish rewrites, which are so much better than the film.

At the end of the today, Wish is a bad movie.

But, I’m glad it exists.

Without it, we wouldn’t have gotten so many amazing stories.

I’m gonna give Wish a 4/10, still bad, but I appreciate its existence for the rewrites alone.

[boomer293]

Congratulations Between Friends

Short story propaganda featuring Wilder and @tatonslice 's Galacchio for this year's @kirbyoctournament ))

Galacchio stared in complete disbelief at the results of their round one group. Wilder was right, he made it through. Not only that, but he had won by a landslide.

"Atta boy! I told ye people'll love ye!" Wilder quickly appeared behind his friend and gave them a pat on the back, laughing.

"A-Ah! Wilder! Don't scare me like that." Galacchio adjusted his hat after jumping in surprise.

"I can't help it, just look at dat! Ye did it partner! What? Can I not come over to congratulate my best friend?"

"I guess not, still, keep it down a bit..."

"Fine...." Wilder fiddled with his whip, wrapping it back up after it had came undone. "How was it buddy? I still didn't see ya around much these past few days."

"It was terrifying! I don't know how I won when I avoided anyone I saw..."

"What! Still not trying to meet anybody? What about yer opponent? Didja not talk to em'?"

"...No, I...got too nervous..." Galacchio rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, looking down ashamed.

Wilder quickly put a hand on his forehead and sighed. "What am I going to do with you, boy..."

"Hey!-"

"No heys, Galacchio! You gotta at least congratulate your opponent!" Wilder interrupted.

"Fine...I'll go find them later."

"We'll find then later buddy, I don't trust ya to actually go and do it."

"W-Who do you take me for, Wilder! I-I'm not just going to flake out on that!" Galacchio stomped his foot in flustered frustration, Wilder could learn to be a bit less blunt now and then.

"Buddy, yer so flakey that I could touch yer cloak and 'ave it crumble."

"Says the one with the whip that's falling apart!"

"No way! It's just a style thing!"

"As if! I-I've seen straws more durable than that!"

"Whatever, wizzrobe!

"Alright, McCree!"

Both of them devolved into a fit of giggles, throwing a few more playful jabs at each other before turning back to the results of Galacchio's group.

"Still...I don't understand why I made it through, I wasn't even going to be here originally." Galacchio stared at nothing in particular.

"That don't matter! You won in the end, first round's always the biggest hurdle!" Wilder winced as he said that, knowing it was one he couldn't overcome himself.

"Well...it was really because of you." Galacchio turned back to Wilder.

"Ah! What did I tell ya 'bout selling yerself short!"

"But really, Wilder! You're the one who invited me in the first place, you're the one who's been running around telling people about how awesome I am, you're the one keeping me here..." Galacchio shushed Wilder before he could retort. "Wilder, thank you, I thought I'd be done for already."

Wilder just tipped his hat, smiling. "Aw, shucks. Someone had to do it, partner, it ain't a problem."

"No one had to it, Wilder, you just did it anyways. That's what I want to thank you for."

"Seriously buddy, I didn't even think twice."

Galacchio laughed, a genuine, tender smile on his face. "I think that's one of the few times your impulsiveness worked out."

"Never doubt me partner! This here gut o' mine never leads me wrong!"

"Except that one time when you threw yourself into the-"

"HEY HEy hey! We don't talk 'bout dat right?"

"Ahaha! You might not, but it's my favourite story to tell!"

"Well I ain't going around tellin' everyone bout the time you fell asleep during-"

"W-W-Wait! Ok, I see your point now." Galacchio rushed to interrupt what Wilder was about to say, their flustered reaction getting Wilder to chuckle.

"Or what about the time when visiting your momma when you-"

"W-Wilder! Save it for when we're gonna face each other, alright?" Galacchio stumbled, unaware that what they said wouldn't ever happen as Wilder looked down.

"Yeah...about that, buddy. You ain't seen the results o' the other groups, have ya?"

Galacchio tilted his head, he didn't really think to check. After all, the only person he was really rooting for was Wilder, and there was no way he'd lose with the amount of charisma he has. He was the one who got Galacchio his win after all. "No? I mean, you won by a landslide right?"

"Well...buddy, the thing is-"

"I mean, I got through Round One by a lot, there's no way you didn't completely dominate it-"

"Galacchio, listen to me...I don't know what to tell you-"

"You're funny, really nice, everybody you meet loves you. You make people smile, you just ooze charisma, there's just no way you'd lose and I'd win."

Galacchio started talking over Wilder, he did not want to believe it. He understood what Wilder was trying to say, but he just couldn't believe it. He needed Wilder to still be in the running, he needed Wilder to keep fighting for the both of them, he needed to believe that Wilder was going to the next round with him.

"Galacchio, I lost."

Everything came crashing down like a ton of bricks, for the both of them.

"W-W-What?"

"I'm out buddy, lost Round One."

"You mean...I'm...there's..." Galacchio suddenly brought Wilder into a hug, and Wilder dropped his whip is surprise. "I'm so sorry, I should've helped you as much as you helped me."

"Hey...partner, it's ok..." Wilder tried to convince Galacchio, but it was clear he was downtrodden from his defeat.

"It's not ok! I should've done something. I know how much you were looking forward to this!"

"It's not dat big a deal...really...I'm fine."

"Wilder, I can tell you're not..."

"But what am I supposed to do 'bout it? 'M out o' the runnin'! Das it, bar's closed, git out!" Wilder was angry, he lost by the smallest percent, just a few more could have made the difference, but now he's done. Truth be told, he'd been angry since he first found out, even when he came over to congratulate Galacchio on his win, he was angry.

"Wilder...they aren't throwing you out...you can still have fun, right? Isn't that what you came for? Not t-to win...but to have fun."

After lashing out, Wilder quickly calmed himself down. Galacchio was right, just because he lost, that doesn't mean he's done with this.

"Well...I guess I'll be a part of yer entourage den! Yer still in, so that practically counts fer both o' us, right?"

"Wilder...I didn't mean it like that...I just mean you could keep running around and talking to people like you usually do."

"Well, too bad! I'm now team Galacchio's number one fan!"

Galacchio sighed and face palmed. Wilder's ability to rebound from a bad mood was astounding to him. "You really...really don't have to do that!"

"Too bad! M' already making banners!"

"Wilder!"

"I can see it now, you walkin' in to the finals, people following behind ya with flags, banners and other such things!"

"Oh please god no...I don't think I could handle that."

"Welp! Ye better learn! Cause now I'm gonna do everything in my power to make dat happen!"

Galacchio grumbled as Wilder put a hand around his back, pulling them in while laughing heartily. It's good to know that Galacchio's got the support he needs, for better or for worse.

[elvenbeard]

Mind Games

Cyberpunk 2077 Fanfic Summary: Kerry struggles to understand what's going on with V lately, but at the same time he's just as scared of the truth and what lies ahead. Back at the penthouse a difficult conversation awaits them. (Post-Sun-Ending, Chapter 4/?, 6278 words, Kerry Eurodyne/V, warnings for mentions of self-harm, depression, suicidal ideation and similar canon-typical dark stuff!)

>> Previous Chapter >> Read from the Beginning

Kerry had to suppress a gasp when V dropped the hospital gown, revealing huge bruises across the side of his chest, ranging in color from reddish yellow over blue to dark purple. There were a few more across his sternum that were suspiciously steering-wheel-shaped, but the ones on the side were a lot more severe. He had the sneaking suspicion that they were not from the accident.

It wasn’t the first time Kerry had seen V beat up after a gig. Hell, he’d seen him in a lot worse states. But it still took him off guard every time it was so viscerally demonstrated to him what this job was doing to his body.

“It’s alright,” V said quietly, as he must have noticed Kerry’s momentary hesitation and stare.

“It’s not, no,” Kerry responded, voice also lowered. He didn’t want to lecture, neither scold or even try to convince V that he couldn’t keep going on like this. He knew, at least at the moment, it would be in vain. V could be horribly stubborn, and in that regard he and Johnny were fully alike, no matter how little V wanted to hear it. Kerry hoped though that the state he was in now would at least slow him down for a while, however terrible that thought was. He needed a break from worrying about V throwing himself from one gig into the next, without stopping to think twice, getting some rest. Not only did he not have to do this anymore, from a merely financial standpoint alone, it also wasn’t helping his cause in any way. At least Kerry couldn’t see how.

Back when Johnny was still around, the Relic’s side effects were worst after V had gone through a lot of stress. Always when he finally had a moment to wind down. Maybe he was hoping, if he’d just never let the stress end, things wouldn’t get worse again?

Kerry carefully reached out, rubbing V’s arms, and pulled him closer just slightly, to make him actually look at him properly. Lately he seemed unable to face him.

“I love you, and I worry about you, and you’ll never stop me from either,” he then said, reminded once again of the messages V had left him yesterday, “And I know you love me, you gonk. Never doubt it.”

The faintest smile appeared on V’s lips. He looked to the floor briefly, then back up at Kerry. He nodded slightly, then flinched, his right hand shooting up to his neck.

“Ow, shit… this whiplash is gonna get old real quick…” he cursed.

“Awww, my poor Vince,” Kerry laughed full of pity, in all actuality sorry for the bad state V was in. Very gently he pulled him into a proper hug, resisting the urge to squeeze him too tightly, and making sure not to put too much pressure on his ribs. Instead, his hands wandered down to his naked butt. So he got something to squeeze at least. V snorted, resting his head against Kerry’s shoulder, leaning into the embrace.

“Y’know, this might not’ve happened if I hadn’t stopped to get you the biggest jar of nasty-ass olives I could find on my way home,” V muttered against his neck.

“No, you didn’t…” Kerry was genuinely surprised, and even though he knew by V’s tone that he was joking, he simultaneously felt a little guilty in this whole affair now.

“Mh-hm,” V hummed, “And now they’re all over my fuckin’ car and I’ll never get rid of the smell again.”

“I’ll get ya a new car.”  

V laughed, but then just groaned in pain again, his body tensing up against Kerry’s.

“’bout time we get you home and into bed,” he decided, reluctantly letting go of V and picking up the clothes he’d brought with him to finally help him get dressed.

V was still rather wobbly on his feet when they walked out of the hospital. Kerry gently guided and supported him down the stairs by the entrance, holding his hand, or putting an arm around his waist or his shoulders all the way to the parking lot, whichever worked better given the terrain. He remotely opened the passenger side door for V and helped him in.

“Who’s the 89-year-old here, I wonder,” V hissed as he sank into the seat, and Kerry chuckled.

“Can give ya a referral to my plastic surgeons. They offer a package deal if ya replace more than two joints at once.”

“Sometimes I wish you were joking when I know you’re not,” V sighed and Kerry laughed, softly stroking V’s cheek once more before he closed the passenger door and walked to the other side of the car.

Home wasn’t far, just down the road quite literally, but they were in no rush. It was just past 10 a.m. by the time they pulled into the private garage that came with the penthouse. Kerry parked his Rayfield in its usual corner, between The Beast and an empty space that would have normally been occupied by the V-Tech. V made a sad face at the spot.

“Got a message from the insurance,” he said, “They’re still waiting for the police report to see how much of the damage they’re gonna cover, if any at all.”

V really loved that car – but he loved all his cars and bikes for various reasons. The V-Tech though was special, even though Kerry hadn’t figured out yet why.

“Come on, let’s go upstairs,” he suggested and went around to the other side to help V back out of the car again. They hobbled to the elevator and finally a sense of relief washed over Kerry when the doors to their penthouse opened.

 V was back home. A little roughed up, yes, but in one piece. Alive. They still had time. And Kerry would do everything in his power to keep it that way.

Once the elevator doors had closed again behind them, Nibbles perked up from her spot on one of the big floor cushions in the living area, got up to stretch, then lazily walked over to them.

“Hey, good girl, how are you?” V asked, and he wanted to bend down to pet her but froze, face once more twisted with pain. Nibbles rubbed against his legs purring and croaking, then went over to greet Kerry, although not nearly as extensively.

“Playin’ favorites again, I see, see… Yeah, fuck off right away,” he complained as she trailed off into the kitchen to her bowl, “But I get it, he’s my favorite person, too.”

“Hey, no fighting, there’s enough of me for both of you…”

V threw a quick smile at Kerry, pushed his shoulder gently, then slipped out of his shoes and walked over to the sofa to sit down. Kerry followed suit after a brief pause, his heart beating faster than before. They sat in silence side by side for a couple of minutes. Kerry kept looking at V, who just stared into the void for a long time at first, probably still processing all that had happened. All that Kerry still didn’t have a single clue about. He began playing with his rings, considered lighting up a smoke.

“Shit, I could really use a shower still,” V eventually said, breaking the silence, and finally meeting Kerry’s questioning gaze.

“Me too,” he smiled, “Wanna go right away?”

V seemed to consider it for a moment, but then he carefully shook his head.

“We need to talk first, or I’ll just keep finding other ways to avoid it all day.”

“Okay, then… I’m all ears,” Kerry said, a little disappointed about the delayed shower time with V, and nervous now about what he was going to tell him. V restlessly fumbled with his cast, a 3D-printed plastic construction that would keep his wrist still while still allowing airflow. Kerry remembered when he broke his arm as a kid and had to wear a thick plaster cast for six weeks in the worst Night City summer heat. It was hell. Not all things were better in the old days.

“I told you I did gigs for government people a couple times, right?” V then slowly started.

“Yeah, I remember,” Kerry nodded, “Specifically that you were pretty adamant about not tellin’ me who and what it all was about.”

“Mostly to keep you out of harm’s way,” V said, looking up from his hands. Kerry shuddered slightly at how serious his expression had gotten all of a sudden.

“I’ve been running this through in my mind over and over,” V said after a short pause, “’cause I still think the less you know the better but… But it’s hard to really explain the scope of this without getting’ into details that’ll eventually give away who it’s about anyway.”

V let out a long sigh, let his head sink slightly. Kerry wished he knew a way to soothe him, wished he could confidently say “don’t need to go into detail if you don’t wanna”, but at the same time he knew he needed to know everything to finally get a sense of where they were at in this whole mess. For a moment the realization scared him… Where were they at in their relationship, really?

“I can handle it,” Kerry said, a lot less confidently than he sounded, “Whatever it is, and wherever it’ll lead… if you think it can help you...”

V looked up at him again with a sad smile. He remained silent for a few more seconds, then he cleared his throat.

“It was… about a month and a half before we met,” he recounted, “I got a call from a woman. Introduced herself as Elizabeth. Said I’d been recommended to her for an important job that required discretion…”

The story that followed sounded like a bad political thriller to Kerry. The kind of stuff he and V would make fun of if it was on TV for being unrealistic. Underground sex-clubs, spiked braindances, and cyberpsychos weaponized against political enemies – the worst kind of intrigues for something as lousy as the title “Mayor of Night City”. But from there on things only got crazier, and not in a fun way either.

V recounted the second meeting with the Peralezes, secret rooms, secret agency bullshit, even Johnny having a bad feeling about it all… that was what concerned Kerry the most out of the whole story so far. Johnny rarely had bad feelings about anything that didn’t have to do with Arasaka directly… at least not the Johnny he remembered.

“You’ve been in the city for longer than anyone else I know,” V wondered, “Did you ever hear anything about ‘the people with glowing blue eyes’ or somethin’ like it?”

Kerry considered it for a moment.

“Not even Rogue has anything on them?” he then asked, and V briefly and again, carefully, shook his head.

“Not even Rogue, neither Viktor, no-one can find anything concrete,” V said, “Lots of gossip and hearsay, and I guess there is probably some truth here and there, but… yeah.”

“Was gonna say, think I maybe heard a rumor at a party now and then, but that’s as deep as it gets. Sorry,” Kerry said.

“Don’t be, was a long shot,” V shrugged, “Johnny guessed they’re some kind of rogue AI. And you know, the longer I think about it, the more plausible it seems.”

He sighed.

“But dunno… there’s so many possibilities really, and none are good.”

Kerry rummaged through his memories for anything that might be useful, something he may have picked up on and disregarded at the time, or someone he knew that might know more or could figure something out. He wondered if this was something Nancy had ever come across or would be interested in working on… He’d have to give her a call later. But right now, something else interested him more.

“Okay, fine. Let’s just accept we don’t really know who these people are or what they want. What does all that have to do with your gig? With savin’ your life?”

Kerry could guess the answer already, but he still hoped to be wrong. He didn’t like where this was going one bit.

“About two weeks after Mikoshi…” V recalled, “I think it was the first night after that we spent at the villa together.”

Kerry immediately remembered the evening he was talking about. It had been a hellish two weeks. The first couple of days after walking out of Arasaka Tower V had been more dead than alive, constantly drifting in and out of consciousness. Once that had improved and he’d started to physically recover from the worst of it all, he’d been out of it mentally. Even more distant than he was now, unable to really speak some days, utterly numb. It had been incredibly painful to watch, for everyone involved at the time. And once V had finally found back to reality again, the news he’d had about his condition, about Alt’s prognosis, had been another heavy blow.

The night V referred to had been the first to feel somewhat normal, all things considered. Vik had been looking into a possible treatment, full of hope to at least stop V’s health from declining now that they didn’t have to actively work against the Relic anymore. V had been slowly finding back to himself again, was smiling, talking like normal, not just staring into the distance without a single emotion in his body. They’d driven out to Kerry’s villa to get some distance to the city, just be themselves and enjoy the silence for a few days, celebrate that Arasaka was in shambles and would be at least for a little while. Appreciate the fact that, against all odds, V was alive.

It had been during that night, when they were both half-asleep on the sofa already, that V got a call he didn’t really want to take. They called again, and again, until he finally picked up just to shut them up. He actually left the room to do so, so Kerry couldn’t listen in. When he came back, paler than before, quieter, he insisted it was nothing and he had no interest in working with whoever had just contacted him, and to leave it at that.

The pit in Kerry’s stomach grew even deeper.

“You lied…” he blurted out, not able to hide his hurt, “You took their offer…”

“No, not that night, I didn’t,” V quickly interrupted him, reaching out with his left, cast-covered hand and put it on Kerry’s right.

“I think that call was them testing the waters, figuring out if my brain was mush or if I’d still be useful,” he then added slowly, as if he’d only just realized it himself. Kerry forced himself to relax his shoulders again.

“What did they want you to do?” he asked.

“No specifics back then,” V said, “Once I realized who was calling, I already didn’t want anything to do with them. Didn’t give me even half the specifics of what I’d needed to even consider accepting a gig anyway. The guy said ‘what a disappointment’ and hung up, and I thought that would be it.”

V shrugged and lowered his head.

“Damn was I wrong.”

Kerry pulled his hand out from under V’s, causing him to look up at him again as he then carefully took and held it. It was awkward with the cast, they couldn’t really lace their fingers, so Kerry just loosely grasped his palm and hoped it was enough to show V he had his back, that they were in this together.

“What next?” he asked, and V thought about it for a little while, then continued his story.

“I think it was the first or second week of July when they tried to get back in touch again,” he said, “Vik’s therapy wasn’t working out, and somehow they knew it, I… still don’t know how.”

Kerry shuddered.

“They started with ‘you have seen what we’re capable of – we might be able to help, if you’re willing to let us…’ whatever.”

“Yeah right,” Kerry laughed dryly, “They’re just gonna help ya out of the good of their hearts.”

“My thoughts exactly then,” V nodded, but he still had his head low, his voice distant and quiet, “But also… I started considering it.”

“They caught you in a weak moment,” Kerry shrugged.

“Honestly, Kerry, I doubt it was a coincidence,” V said sternly, “There is crazy coincidences, like… your dying friend slotting an experimental biochip into your head, and if he hadn’t, your traitorous fixer might have killed you for good. No one saw that coming, not Jackie, not me, not Dex. But there are no coincidences with these people. They didn’t just happen to call me the moment I stepped out of Vik’s clinic with more bad news and no clue on how to go on now. Coincidentally presenting me with the solution to my problems on a chrome platter? I doubt it. That’s not how Night City works.”

Kerry remembered the day now. He hadn’t been able to accompany V to Vik’s, because he’d been stuck with the label bosses and that bastard Kovachek, re-negotiating contracts for hours. It had been a crap day all over, and finally coming home to V all desperate and with more bad news had been the icing on the shit cake.

“Sounds like they were playin’ with ya,” Kerry muttered after processing this new bit of information for a moment.

“Think so, yeah…” V croaked, “But people like that, they leave you no choice but to play along.”

Kerry wanted to disagree, spurred on by the pain in V’s voice, a pain he knew only too well… but he knew V was right. You’re forced to play along, there is no way around or out, and even then, you have no guarantee to even win. Those with enough power played with you like a cat with its prey.

Kerry had long accepted this was part of the deal of surviving Night City. But it had also been what so majorly contributed to his numbness, the sense of pointlessness of it all. If everything was predetermined for you by others, what purpose was there in fighting back and trying to do things your way, when every aspect of your life was in vain, when every move you could make would lead you further away from yourself and the things that mattered?

That was the mindset he’d been stuck in by the time V walked into his life. That he still fell back into now and then, whenever the next shitstorm hit. It had almost pushed him over the edge before, being so completely at his wits end, seeing no way out, no way to continue, nothing to achieve left, and everyone he’d ever loved dead and gone or no longer part of his life.

He could hear his own pain in V’s voice now, could see it in his eyes, his sunken posture, and it was like he was looking at himself on his worst days. He hated seeing him like this.

“I get it,” Kerry said quietly, “I hate it… but I get it.”

He grabbed his hand a little tighter, as tightly as he managed around the cast. V didn’t look up at him, he probably couldn’t – that Kerry understood as well now – but there was a hint of a smile curling at the corners of his mouth, for a split-second at least.

They sat in silence for a couple of moments, until Nibbles came strolling back from the kitchen and settled down in front of them on the floor cushion again. She already felt right at home, despite the still unpacked boxes here and there, despite them still rearranging the furniture every other day to make a better use of the space. Making it their home as well. They still spent a lot of time at the villa, but it was so huge, and in some ways so much more impractical than this place. The penthouse felt just right for the two of them. Kerry had almost forgotten how fun it could be to live together with someone – sure, argue sometimes about how to organize the cupboards (or not), about the other making or leaving messes, or what table to get for the dining area, things like that. But it felt so good to make their lives fit together here, occupy the same space, everything beginning to seamlessly blend over, their tastes, their belongings, their movements around each other… It was like he was getting to know V all over again, many new sides of him, too. It was exciting to fall in love with him over all the little things over and over again. And yet…

When they first looked at the place together, V had been so reluctant. Not spelled it out like that, but his worried expression, his undertone had said it all: “What’s the point of getting a place, building a life together, when I’m dead in a few months?”

Yeah… Kerry had asked himself the same question. What if there was no way out of it, what if V only had the time Alt had estimated, and they could find no one that would be able to help before he was too far gone? This place wouldn’t be the same without him, not the penthouse, not the city… nothing, really. Kerry feared what V’s death would do to him, should it come untimely, or even should it come exactly when it was predicted. They’d had a few close calls behind them already, and every time he almost lost his mind right then and there. That couldn’t be healthy, he knew it himself, but also he couldn’t just let go of V like that. Not after everything they’d been through together, good and bad, pretty and ugly, in such a short amount of time. The more he seemed to push him away lately, the tighter Kerry grasped at him.

He refused to just accept there was no way to give them more time together in their little realm here. More time to ask him about why he loved the V-Tech so much, learn more about Jackie, hell, even his time working for Arasaka and how he even ended up there. Get to know all his little quirks and habits that no one else would ever get to see that didn’t wake up in the same bed with him, shared a shower, a kitchen, a sofa with him playing games or watching stupid movies. More time to tell him how much he meant to him, give Kerry the time to let down his walls and his guard a bit more. Let V closer, stop hiding all the uncomfortable truths about his past behind jokes, tell him about his wildest dreams and his dumbest childhood memories. Ask him what he wanted to be when he was still a kid. Show him how rewarding it can be to accept your own culture instead of resenting it, no matter how painful it was going to be in the beginning. Compare scars just how they’d compared tattoos before, share hurt, and joy, and let them go on many more crazy rides and impromptu adventures, wherever life would lead them together.

Let it be just a few months more, or a year. Just a little more time… what Kerry wouldn’t give for that. Hell, he’d happily trade half of what was left of his own life to give it to V, however selfish the thought was. Only enough to have him around for the rest of his own life. Just because the thought of losing him was too much to bear most days.

Regardless he’d egged V on about the penthouse, kept pestering him with all kinds of half-assed reasons, until he finally agreed to sign the lease contract with him. Kerry felt a little guilty about it in hindsight, but he didn’t regret it one bit. Sometimes V needed a decent push to make up his mind. And he got the impression that whoever these blue-eyed people were, they knew that only too well.

“What did they want in return for helpin’ ya?” he eventually dared to ask. V remained silent for a couple more moments, either struggling to find the words, or still reluctant to get Kerry involved by telling him. But then it burst out of him like a waterfall, and he told him the whole story from start to finish, leaving nothing out.

A plan to rob the Crystal Palace of its clients’ data, as crazy a gig as one could imagine. Using Arasaka’s defenseless state to rob them blind of their equipment and resources – Johnny would have loved it. Hell, for all they knew, maybe he’d even helped them from wherever he was now, with Alt, beyond the Blackwall. It would only be fitting, Kerry thought. V told him about how everything had been planned down to the minute, by himself, and with Rogue’s help, with many of the Afterlife veterans, and with the man that finally introduced himself as Mr. B. The man V had been on the holo with exclusively up until a few days ago.

“Believe me, there were times when I just wanted to quit, especially the crazier his demands got about what we’d need. I didn’t know what the actual target was until he said ‘we need a space shuttle’,” V recounted.

“Fuckin’ hell,” was all Kerry managed to say, still trying to digest how long this had been going on without him knowing.

“The actual heist was…” V paused, “With all the preparations we’d made, with my background and experience... It wasn’t that hard to pull off, objectively. The timeframe was narrow, and what really sucked was the overall conditions. Movin’ around in that clunky space suit... But data extractions like this I’ve done dozens of times before. All things considered… it worked out exactly as it should have.”

“What about that bruise on your ribs?” Kerry frowned.

V finally looked up at him again, smiling sheepishly.

“That was… stupidity,” he said quietly, “I had to use a different way out than the one I’d taken to get in, to get close to the mainframe. You’ve gotta picture this as this intricate labyrinth of access tunnels, vents, actual airlocks, and whatnot. Like, straight outta your cliché sci-fi movie really.”

“Okay…”

“It was a constant switching back and forth between areas that had artificial gravity, and zero gravity, or something in-between,” V explained, and Kerry began to realize where this was going.

“Oh no…”

“Yeah… I didn’t pay attention, fell, it hurt like fuck. But at least I was close to the exit already and didn’t draw any unwanted attention.”

“Fuckin’ hell, Vince…” Kerry pinched the bridge of his nose, then ran his fingers through his hair.

“It’s alright,” V said gently, inching a little closer, “I’m here now. There is so much that could’ve gone wrong, on the way there, while I was there, on the way back… I’ll gladly take a few cracked ribs over the alternatives.”

Kerry looked up at V, but V didn’t meet his gaze, still staring at the floor. He wanted to believe what he was saying, but there was something… off. Again. The whole time he recounted this. Proud of what he’d accomplished, as was his right… But numb still, blind almost, to all the dangers he went through. V was one of the bravest people Kerry knew, a little bit crazy, an adrenaline junkie… but not careless, not reckless to this degree. Throwing himself into this near-suicide mission as if he had nothing left to lose.

“Vince…” he said slowly, “This whole thing was one hell of a risk to take… for a promise of help that these fuckers still have to fulfill by the way.”

He had to muster all his willpower to prevent his leg from bouncing. V must have noticed how clammy his hand was getting by now.

“You threw yourself out there again and again, and they didn’t move a finger yet to actually help you.”

“They helped plan and set everything up…” V said, but Kerry shook his head.

“Not what I mean.”

How to phrase this in a way it wouldn’t hurt V even more, but make him realize how fucked up all of this was? Especially, him being so… accepting of it? So readily keeping this all away from him, leaving him in the dark? He’d never felt this much of a need to “protect” him – it felt more like, these people were trying to protect themselves from something by giving V only half the deets, by only letting him know half the story. By ordering him around like a pet dog who had to obey their demands.

“They did nothin’ but help themselves so far,” he said, heartbeat fast and angry, “Helpin’ you with the preparations also only served their plans. And besides that - …”

He caught himself just in time before blurting out something he might have regretted. But then again… fuck it. He had to get it out, or he’d explode, or worse, start resenting V for it. He took a deep breath.

“Besides that… you knew how risky all of this was, and you went on with it anyway,” he said as calmly as he managed, “Without tellin’ me shit. You could’ve died up there and I’d forever be sittin’ here wondering what the fuck happened. Fuck.”

“Kerry…” V said quietly, looking up at him with big eyes, and his expression hurt Kerry more than the thought of losing him for a moment, “I… had no choice.”

“Yeah, keep tellin’ that yourself,” Kerry said, only half able to swallow his anger, “There’s always a choice. Hell, you keep going on and on to me about how I still have options, I still have choices and opportunities whenever I just wanna quit, whenever I’m tired of the medias and the label and everything. I didn’t have to almost blow my brains out, even though, let’s be completely fuckin’ honest, it wouldn’t have made a difference to anyone that mattered at the time whether I was dead or alive. You made me take matters in my own hands, showed me how I let others use me as their plaything, for their own agenda. And now you’re doing exactly that! Even worse, you have so many people who care about you, not even just me, and you act like you have nothing left to lose? Like you have no choice? I don’t get it!”

The silence that followed was so heavy and all-encompassing, it seemed to push the air out of the room, out of his lungs, drown them in it. V was looking to his feet again, he did not move. Kerry was half tempted to take it all back after thinking it over, he’d been quite harsh in his word choice… But also, not wrong.

V had once told him that so much about his upbringing, his whole life so far really, had been about being used or being useful. But only now he began to understand what he had meant with it. Kerry hated how desperate V must have been this whole time, and what this despair might still drive him to do. But most he hated that he had felt like he couldn’t tell Kerry anything about all this, that he needed to protect him, when what he would have really needed was just open communication for once. Letting him hold his hand and lead him through the darkness, like V had been doing it for him from the very beginning.

 “Sorry, I… I wish you’d just said somethin’. Anythin’,” Kerry stammered eventually, but V shook his head.

“Don’t be sorry…” he said quietly, “To be honest… I don’t get it either. As I said, feels like… I’m not really myself anymore sometimes.”

Another long pause followed, but it felt less tense – or at least tense in a less heavy, devouring way.

Kerry scooched a little closer, their thighs and shoulders touching now, and he let go of V’s hand to put it around his back.

“Ya never told me that you saw Johnny in the mirror sometimes,” he then said.

“… no?”

Kerry shook his head.

More damned silence.

“You know you can talk to me, right?” Kerry made sure, “About everything. I can handle it.”

Then he noticed that V was suddenly breathing faster than before… almost as if he was scared.

“Vince?” he asked, reaching over with his left hand to force him to look at him now. Kerry shuddered at the cold sweat beading on V’s forehead, eyes wide and fearful.

“What is it?” he was beginning to panic as well.

“Did I… did you notice anything about me being different?” V then asked breathlessly, “Or… did you have any strangely realistic dreams, had people around you act weirdly?”

“What, no, I…,” Kerry stammered, but he paused to think for a moment. The people at the studio were as normal as studio people could be... And those were really the only ones he’d been around lately, besides V.

“I mean, we had that earlier, you’ve been a little off lately, yeah,” Kerry said, “But that’s to be expected, and I understand it now, if all this has been goin’ on in the background…”

V shook his head, quite vehemently, but not even flinching this time from the pain it must’ve surely caused him.

“No, no, not even like that,” he said, “Did I forget things that I shouldn’t have, did I… Oh, fuck, I think I’m gonna puke…”

“No, no, easy now, just breathe,” Kerry tried to calm him down, still reeling slightly from this sudden shift in his behavior. He was having a proper panic attack. Then it began to dawn on him.

“You’re not thinkin’… they’ve been messing with your head? Like they did with the Peralezes?”

His heart beat hard and fast, he could feel it in his throat, and an icy rush ran down his spine.

“I dunno,” V said, leaning forward now, hands on his head, grasping his hair, “I don’t know anything anymore…”

“Come on, over here,” Kerry said, jumped up, pulled V to his feet quickly but as gently as he managed, then helped him lie down on the floor.

“Flat on your back, okay?”, he instructed, grabbing a pillow from the sofa to put under his head, propped V’s legs up on his own as he knelt down by his side, “Catch your breath first, okay, focus on my voice. Breathe in, and then out, slowly, take it easy…”

He didn’t remember the last time he’d talked someone through a panic attack, if ever… But V did calm down again after a couple of minutes, his breathing normalized, and at least a hint of color returned to his face. He rubbed his eyes with his healthy hand and exhaled deeply.

“What if they did mess with my head…” he said slowly, much calmer now, but his voice still brittle, “What if they tried to drive a wedge between you and me, because it’d be easier to use me on my own? Physically stop me from tellin’ you stuff, prevent me from sayin’ what I wanted to say, makin’ me say things I don’t mean… cause their dirty disgusting corpo-fingers were all over my brain, pokin’ around where they shouldn’t be? Fuck… maybe that’s why they know so much about my past… the car, and the meeting spot…”

His eyes fell shut, but his expression remained pained. Kerry didn’t hesitate any longer and lied down on the floor next to him, scooched up close, just how they’d woken up in the hospital bed together earlier. He squeezed his arm under V to be able to put it around his shoulders, pulled him even closer, his other arm loosely draped around his waist. Almost automatically V shifted, a little more stiffly than usual, but he snuggled up closer as well and pressed his forehead against Kerry’s, their noses touching.

“What if they know so much about me, know what buttons to push, cause my own thoughts and memories are their primary source…”

“I’m not gonna try and sugarcoat it… yeah, maybe, with all you’ve told me,” Kerry said quietly, “Dunno how they would’ve pulled it off though.”

He paused, really considering this option for a moment. Wouldn’t he have noticed? But what if they’d gone about it differently than with the mayor? Was there a way they could have messed with him, too?

“But again, you’ve been goin’ through hell all on your own for quite a while now,” he then said, relativizing, “When we should’ve been doin’ this together.”

Quiet fell over them like a blanket, the only noise the silent whirring of the fridge, the AC, Nibbles gently snoring behind them. The soundproof windows blocked out the noise of the city completely and the sun was high in the sky, bathing them in golden warmth.

“I don’t want you to go through hell again,” V then said, his voice barely more than a breathy whisper. He could’ve stabbed him right in the heart then and there just as well.

“I’ll gladly prop up a fuckin’ tent in hell as long as I’m with ya, gonkbrain,” Kerry responded after a moment, kissing V’s forehead quickly before returning to just holding him, “I told you. I’m not done with you. I’ll be there, ‘til the end. If only you’d let me.”

Ending notes: Thanks so much for reading ♥ I know this was long and sad... I promise the next one's gonna be a bit more light-hearted! Need some fluff (and maybe, if I'm feeilng brave, smut) after all that angst xD

>> Next Chapter

[true-blue-sonic]

How would The Councilmembers react to werehog Silver? What would each of them think of this new form?

Sheer unshakeable terror would probably be their first thought, haha. These people are used to nothing XD

For a more serious answer, the Council really is used to basically nothing: I figure that how the higher-ranked the scientist, the less they are taught about the suffering and problems of everyone with lower ranks (which is many people; I've tentatively put the amount of Teal Classers at around 80-85% of the populace, and the scientists themselves are also split up in many different ranks based on intelligence, of which the lower ranks also contain the most people. These scientists do live a better life than Teal Classers... but not at all by a lot.). It's completely opposite to the Council leader's interest that the smartest people in his city know there's civilians struggling and begin using their intellect to help out. Also, Onyx City kind of runs on unethical experiments, so the less his scientists see their snatched-off-the-streets subjects as sapient creatures deserving of respect, the better. But that does mean that Eliza, Albert and Porter already had to get tremendously used to the mere idea of being around Silver, a Teal Classer who simply does not care for all these unspoken societal rules and actively opposes them on top. For him to become like taller and twice as big and wayyyyyy more fluffy and even more aggressive than usual will shock them completely!

I honestly think Gold would manage the best out of the Councilmembers: she knows Silver most closely, and even if she's terrified of his new form at first, it takes minutes at best for her to see he's still mostly just himself. Plus, I think she'd secretly find it funny that he's finally taller than she is, haha! Sonic's Werehog form is 125 centimeters... so assuming Silver is the same, he's got 5 centimeters (2 inches) over her. He'll take that!! I figure Porter and Albert both share second place in dealing with this situation: Porter's the Councilmember who's best at remaining calm and rational in a socially constructive sense (Albert is calm and rational too but he's terrible at communicating with people), so he'll be able to ask Silver questions and figure out what's going on best. Albert meanwhile figures that this might as well happen amidst the absolute tomfoolery he finds himself exposed to on a daily basis (he's been Eliza's best friend for years), so he can ignore the strangeness of it all easily enough to focus on finding a solution. And Eliza, who is not at all a paragon of calm and rationality... Once she stops screaming, I think she'd be the most vocal about how fluffy Silver has become XD She's definitely gonna be the loudest about how surprised she is and will take the longest to accept Silver isn't going to eat her now, but once she does, I think she might be his main supporter in making sure he doesn't feel bad about everything that's been happening. Mostly because she thinks werewolves are cool and that Silver's also cute like this (Eliza likes cute things, which Silver tentatively falls under, except the fact that he's down to throw hands with basically anyone at any given moment if they tick him off enough. This includes Eliza, who wouldn't know what a verbal filter is if it slammed right into her face.), but she does genuinely want to help him out. Porter also thinks Silver's increased fluffiness is cute, but he's at least got the right idea that a teenage boy might not be so willing to hear such things, lol. And Albert is Albert: if Eliza were to ask him whether he also thinks Silver is cuter now, he'd just shrug. The right choice, because then Silver shows off his long stretchy arms and punches a hole into a wall by accident and it is right back to sheer unshakeable terror for a bit! XD XD

[fatestayyuri]

Finished Ward Act 2.

thoughts under cut.

I live in hell, lament.

I don't mean to be a hater more than like, what's comedic in the liveblogs to sell the bit. but also whenever i give this fucking serial an inch it throws sand in my eyes and spits on my face. when i go "oh this interaction with children is sweet, i'm glad that Vicky is at least to get some measure of comfort vicariously" they hit me with the "actually one of them might be powered so we have to funnel them into the paramiltary death squad fasttrack" and "Victoria is now going to be a freelance strikebreaker, but this time with Less Oversight". she also wants to fuck her therapist so like, sure. fuck it. i guess we're at that point now.

it's so fucked up very clearly seeing the artifice surrounding the actual genuine compelling core of the story of someone with terminal copbrain due to her trauma and upbringing learning to heal get fucking, impaled fourteen hundred times over by Wildbow moments. There's nascent themes here! of healing! of loss! of taking uneasy, shaky steps forward and trying to mesh the inherent hypocrisy of knowing your abuser deserves a second chance but feeling like that you'd rather kill both of you than be the one to give it to them. I Get It. i really do. but also please stop framing the strikebreaking like it's a good thing.

Sorry i just need to go on here to say that it's supremely funny to me that throwing cars in front of people during a panicked evacuation because they disrespected her Special Baby Girl authority is AFTER all of the conflict counselling is so fucking good. Like??? this is after, huh. it's okay since civies aren't people i suppose, just cargo and luggage

I'm not actually sure if wildbow knows what a strike is. "they're not striking, the two construction groups have just banded together to withhold labor", you say? I don't know maybe it's an intentional oversight on the character's part but at least mention that, goddamn. was he really that proud of the insult Glory Hole to use it twice, too? every time he tries to be witty i genuinely sink into my seat and start boiling alive in second-hand shame. that flirting scene was fucking terrible and the "wow so witty" he gave himself was fucking terrible.

^Wild thing to put slip in there, by the way. "yeah they acted like a union, y'know, making sure the kids were educated, sane, not being SLUTS, not being abused, etc etc"

These writeups aren't edited or like cohesive or coherent at all almost entirely because if wildbow doesn't feel the need to why should i. fuck off, it's ward.

oh right! the therapy group! the therapy group pisses me off so much dude I hate that i love them all i hate that their dynamics are good i hate that they have good chemistry and play off each other and that they feel believable and I hate that i'm gonna read more of this just to see them. Fuck me

uhhh lemme just go down the list... I haven't been given enough information on Chris but I'm liking what i'm seeing tbh, he's cagey and kind of idealistic but also he's like. 13. that's just how they are it's very convincing

Kenzie is good! i like her! she[realises i'm gonna write "is very convincing and compelling for all of these] uhhhhh mirrors a lot of the hangups i had as a kid but also I do in fact completely understand why everyone else wanted me Not In Danger back then

Ashley is too good and hot for Victoria "Cop" Dallon. that is all.

Byron and Tristan are a really interesting character concept to me actually; I have cogent thoughts whirling around in my brain but the only joke i have is that what if they starred in a variant of All or Nothing wouldn't that be fucked up

Rain O' Fire Frazier. She's so trans-coded it's unreal. I love her and how fucked up she is and how she's literally just in this to not get Murderized by her metaphorical family. Girl Same. It is really funny that she gets introduced with a functional kanji pun,

shows up with all her shit fucked up and cracked,

and then leaves with the closest thing of explicit lesbianism that Wildbow has written other than Victoria Dallon's weird thing with the milf therapist.

but from what i hear of Wildbow i'm pretty sure he'll add in a passage about her wanting to settle down with a nice Decidedly Male guy and get pregnant or whatever.

the main thing about Sveta is that she goes "well i *see* myself as disabled" while being like. a quadruple amputee. girl if you are not disabled who is

god. i love these characters. it's such a shame that they're gonna become cops. i hate it here. i hate that i'm gonna read like 1.8 million more words of this. fuck me. fuuuuuuuuuuck.

all in all 7/10 so far

[forcebookish]

ok sorry I have a lot of thoughts about this ep so hope this is ok 😭

1. I am genuinely hopeful for a topmew reconciliation and I think the beginnings of it could start as soon as next ep? I don't think it'll be quick or easy but I do think a lot of things are gonna click in place for mew when top is taking care of him while ray is nowhere to be found. also I think he needed to self destruct a bit before he could forgive top. 2. FUCK RAY AND I MEAN THAT!!!! his stans can victimize him all they want but he is the nastiest character aside from boston. the way he treats sand and mew is downright vile but he keeps getting excuse after excuse. (Also sidenote as much as I hate it I think raymew needs to happen once just so they can both get it out of their systems and quickly realize it'll NEVER work). also I know I'm a mew apologist but is no one gonna talk about how ray knows mew just got his heart broken and is still gonna try to be with him while he is kind of seeing/has feelings for sand? he's gonna put mew through hell again?? but he's SO much better than top apparently.

totally okay, anon, let it out. i mean, i'm going to let even more out lol megarant incoming:

1. agreed, i'm sure that topmew can make it through, especially based on the next episode. i think mew just has to go through it a little bit. i'm really bummed that top ended up hitting mew, but at least it wasn't on purpose... unlike the other couples😒 and you know what? i'd want to hit ray that badly too, because

2. SAME!! FUCK RAY! i have hopped onto the ray hate train and i am riding it until the wheels fall off. idk what kind of work or what he's going to have to go through to earn even neutral status again, because his still thinking that he doesn't have an addiction after ALL THAT is truly some next level bullshit. yeah, it's realistic, and that's why it pisses me off so much. you don't, at least shouldn't, keep that kind of toxicity (ACTUALLY TOXIC I KNOW FANDOM DOESN'T KNOW WHAT THAT WORD MEANS BUT THAT IS LIKE, THE DEFINITION OF TOXIC) in your life. everyone's going to get burned AGAIN by him. he's not on his second chance he's on like his tenth chance and they better not give him an eleventh.

mew, sand, and his dad have all told him he's an addict; he drove while drunk AND high, after throwing all of his friends under the bus and INSULTING sand TWICE... AND HE THINKS HE DOESN'T NEED REHAB??? HE THINKS THOSE ARE THE ACTIONS OF SOMEONE NOT ADDICTED TO DRUGS AND ALCOHOL????!?? you said it, anon, FUCK HIM. if he had actually woken up and seen reason, i would have at least have given him a chance but he's run out of my sympathy. he's not a baby, he's an adult who needs to face some real fucking consequences. oh wah wah he hurt his shoulder? fuck off, he could have killed someone and he hardly blinks, pouts when he's barely even scolded - AND CONTINUES TO DRINK!?!??? has the gall to say that he doesn't have an addiction?

that's the definition of an addiction, asshole. oh he's "stressed?" yeah no alcoholic has ever been stressed and used alcohol to feel better🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄 oh wait, that's EVERY ALCOHOLIC EVER

i really hope that whatever ray's dad asks of sand is to find a way to get him to quit, but it doesn't look like it based on the preview. maybe sand calls the cops, idk.

i can't beLIEVE that everyone's wearing kid gloves with him. i get that his dad is neglectful and not affectionate, but he could have, and honestly should have, let him go to jail. i hope he gets arrested in the next episode and he finally goes through withdrawal and sees what he's doing to the people he supposedly loves, especially based on what it looks like he's going to do to mew, is unacceptable.

and he already treats sand like trash!!!! all he does is take advantage of his kindness and then throw him away when he doesn't need him anymore. like LITERAL TRASH. did he even apologize for calling him a whore? oh wait, he probably doesn't remember because he was SO drunk and high.

AND YEAH I CHECKED HE DOESN'T APOLOGIZE TO SAND AT ALL IN FACT SAND IS THE ONE TO APOLOGIZE WTF

i mean. sand should apologize but still. jesus christ, ray.

AND YOU'RE RIGHT ABOUT THIS THING WITH MEW. after all this talk about ray not wanting to be mew's rebound and "knowing" it wouldn't be good,

he still JUMPS at the chance and doesn't think about how this would hurt mew. he waits for one little moment of weakness and FUCKING LEAPS.

(which... i don't want to get into it but this scene reads as extremely sus to me. it's the same position they were in when ray kissed mew when he was asleep. i don't know if that means they're meant to parallel it as ray taking advantage of mew again or if mew's playing him. the way mew talks sounds like a trap; it seems out of character that he would blame himself for ray drinking. and the scene where they're dancing is so... weird... it gave me the same bad vibes i got when topmew got home from the party but maybe i'm wearing my topmew goggles too tight idk)

and this!?!????

i haven't seen ANY evidence that ray has EVER taken care of mew EVER. tbh i would love to be proven wrong, show me the receipts, but mew is ALWAYS the one taking care of ray (probably one of the reasons why top was so appealing: someone was finally taking care of him for once). and now he thinks that he can take care of mew when he can't even take care of himself? please.

he's just selfish. sure, unlike boston, he may care when he hurts people but not enough to stop apparently.

i've been saying it from the start, both boston and ray are shitty friends who take advantage of mew's friendship. just because boston is shittier doesn't make that any less true. mew is going through all of this shit because of both of them. none of this would have happened if it weren't for both of their bullshit.

thanks for stopping by and giving me a chance to rant, anon💖 let's pray for some consequences for ray together🙏🙏

[nothingunrealistic]

and what of 15 for kleinsen...

15. things you said with too many miles between us

“Nothing but hiking and yoga and kayaking and having to wear a dress shirt to eat inside.” The background of Jared’s end of the video call shifts from a rapidly receding doorway to a bedspread and pillows. “And I don’t even get my own room. It’s fucking ridiculous.”

“Hiking’s not so bad.”

“That’s just, like, your opinion, man. If I’m gonna be stuck in the Catskills with my parents for a week, the least they could do is get Patrick Swayze to show up.”

“Why Patrick Swayze?” Evan sits down at his desk and rifles through his memory. “I thought he died.”

“Because otherwise it’s not a Dirty Dancing homage. And yes.”

“It’s a what homage?”

“The movie. Dirty Dancing. ‘Nobody puts Baby in a corner’? ‘I’ve had the time of my life’?” Evan’s confusion must show on his face as clearly as frustration shows on Jared’s. “Do you watch anything other than nature documentaries?”

“I watch documentaries about other things.”

“Typical,” Jared mutters, as if he’s genuinely disappointed in Evan and not at all excited to add a new title to his mental list of Movies To Make Evan Watch When We Hang Out. (Well, he claims it’s a mental list. Evan suspects he has a spreadsheet.) “Are your finals done yet?”

“No. I still have two left.” And as he discovered last semester, finals for three college classes somehow require as much studying as eight high school finals. Especially when he’s studying by himself while Jared, whose semester ended a month ago, is on the other side of the state complaining about a vacation that’s rewarding him for making the dean’s list. That’s what Mom said Jared’s mom said it was for, anyway. Jared insists it’s because going away to college made his parents realize they missed having someone to order around.

“That sucks.”

“Yeah.” Evan shuffles through the papers on his desk one-handed. “Um. My mom looked up the place where you’re staying, and she said they had, you can throw tomahawks, as an activity.” He had the printouts about it just yesterday, where did they go? “That sounds cool.”

“Yeah, but they only have it twice a week, and we missed the Monday session, so Friday’s my last shot. And that’s if my mom doesn’t convince herself that I’m gonna cut my own head off throwing an axe.”

“Tomahawk.”

“Whichever. Besides, they have, like, safety precautions and training. But if we were here in the winter, she’d say we have to check out the ski trails. That shit isn’t supervised, and statistically…”

Connor hated skiing.

It pops into Evan’s head and stays lodged in there as Jared goes on about all the ways you can be horribly maimed while skiing. It reminds him that a year ago he was counting the days until graduation and wondering which of his classmates he’d ever see again, and a year and a half ago he was literally sick with dread waiting for either Jared or the Murphys to turn his world upside down by going public, and two years ago —

“…are you even listening to me right now?”

“No,” Evan says, then cringes. “I kind of zoned out. Sorry.”

“I kind of figured.”

“I was just thinking that, um.” That if a thousand things hadn’t happened just right, they wouldn’t be having this conversation. “I’m glad we’re friends again. Or still, or, however you think of it.”

“Uh, okay. Same here, I guess.” Jared rubs his eyes with the heel of his hand. For a while. They look pretty red.

“Jared, are you —”

“My contacts are probably expired,” Jared says quickly. “And the pollen here is insane. How am I supposed to see straight with a thousand trees jizzing in my eyes?”

“Gross.”

“But accurate.”

“I mean, not exactly —”

“If I wanted a botany lesson, I’d go on the nature tour again. And I wouldn’t learn anything this time.”

(send me a ship and a prompt and i’ll write a mini fic)

[arthurhonda]

Hetalia Rarepair Day 2

@hetalia-rarepairweek

Romano x America Prompt: Comfort

“What the hell is this?” Savino asked loudly, gesturing the box in front of him.

“I was gonna make pasta.” Alfred replied innocently.

Savino scrunched up his nose with a large frown.

“I come all the way from Bari, and you’re making Kraft mac and cheese…and you have the audacity to call it pasta!”

“Well, why don’t you show me how it’s done properly.” America asks with a grin.

Savino grins widely and rolls up his sleeves.

“Just watch.”

Approximately 5 minutes later, Alfred found himself thrown out of the kitchen by an indignant Italian. He attempted to return at least twice but was met with the same fate every time.

Meanwhile, when he wasn’t throwing Alfred out of the kitchen, Savino went about making fresh pasta and a savory sauce to go with it. He had been in Alfred’s kitchen often enough that he knew his way around it, very carefully crafting a delicious meal. The only time he paused was to ask Alfred where something was before kicking the blonde out of the kitchen again.

About an hour later, there was a lovely meal with a lovely wine that Savino happened to find in the cabinet as well. The wine just so happened to be a nice Italian wine that went perfectly with the Braciole that he just finished.

With that done, Savino needed to have a little chat with Alfred. As Savino let him back in, Alfred rushed past him to take in the scent of the pasta dinner that was sitting on two plates.

“Smells great ‘Vino.” He said happily, completely disarming the brunette with his genuine smile.

“Al-” Savino tried again.

“I’ll go set the table!” Alfred shouted as he ran back out of the kitchen into the dining room to set the table.

This was yet another thing that tipped off Savino. Usually, neither of them wanted to set the table. Alfred seemed a little too eager today. Plus, the guy seemed pretty nervous for no reason. He also seemed very insistent to be the one who said grace.

Finally, Savino had enough.

“Alfred, we need to talk.”

“’Bout how awesome this food tastes?” Alfred said clearly attempting to avoid a conversation.

“If you’re not going to be honest with me…I’ll…do something.” Savino attempted to threaten, not being able to come up with a realistic threat towards the man he loved, but he stood up to make a point.

Alfred sighed and muttered something under his breath before stuffing his face with pasta.

“What was that?” Savino asked genuinely.

“I just wanted to eat your cooking.” Alfred finally responded, looking like a kicked puppy.

“Why all the fuss then?” Savino sighed tiredly. “Why not just say ‘Savino, can you cook tonight?’”

Alfred began poking at the pasta that was left on his plate.

“You’d say no. Your cooking is always so good, and I look forward to eating it. It’s like comfort food, ya know? I thought since you just flew in you wouldn’t want to cook, so I figured I’d have to trick you into cooking for me.” Alfred said sadly.

Savino brushed his hand through his hair in frustration. Had he really come off that way?

“Look damnit, if you want me to cook and you’ll do the dishes I’ll do it. So long as you’re not interrupting my siesta or anything stupid like that.” Savino replied in a grumpy tone.

“You’re not mad at me?” Alfred asked one last question, his bright blue eyes piercing into Savino’s heart.

“No idiot, I’m not mad at you. I-I love y-AAAH”

Savino was interrupted by a very excited American glomping him. He began half cursing the American out in surprise and attempted to peel the taller man off of him.

“You are getting pasta sauce all over my shirt!” Savino complained.

Still, Savino wouldn’t have it any other way though. He was spending a comfortable week with the man he loved, even if that man got pasta sauce on his nice shirt. The shirt could be replaced. These memories couldn’t.

[noneuclideanwhimsy]

@gmilfwhore I finally wrote something for Singulari+y! It gets a little sad but there’s a happy ending! They care each other so much…

“Thank you for coming, everyone! Goodnight, and we will see you again under new skies!”

Corey’s eyes caught the concert hall beginning to clear in little trickles as she made her way backstage, shaking her tired, slightly sore fingers in the air. They had performed for the better part of the evening, and even in the backstage room the air still smelled faintly of smoke and excitement. Throwing herself bodily onto a faux leather couch, Corey stared absent-mindedly into the dirty gray ceiling lit dimly by a couple of yellow lamps in need of being changed. She barely acknowledged it when the door swung open with a slight creak, and only when her fellow band member spoke did she break out of her stupor.

“Hey, Corey. How are you feeling?”

Zircon was clearly tired too, xir voice with its impossible to place accent not having quite the energy it usually does. Xe noticed Corey’s awkward resting place on the couch and brought over a plastic chair so xe could sit next to her.

“Tired, but okay. No twisted wrists this time, you can relax.”

She let out a dry chuckle, remembering that ill-fated rehearsal that had made her think twice before trying to play multiple tricky chords in quick succession without practicing slowly first ever since. Both Zircon and Sylvan had hovered over her, fetching her anything she might need, for several days after until the bandage around her right hand was removed, and for at least another day after that. While she certainly appreciated the gesture, that didn’t mean she didn’t get to tease her band members about it from time to time.

Zircon laughed too, xir glittery earrings jingling faintly as xe did so.

“Oh, by the way, where’s Sylvan gone?”

“He offered to help the stage crew pack up. I’m surprised he still has the energy for that after all that drumming.”

“Yeah… my heart’s still pounding from that closing segment.”

The sensation of keys beneath her fingers and the smile she gave Zircon as xe hit xir final note with xir hand over xir heart (or, where she assumed xir heart was) flashed through her memories, drowned in a tidal wave of applause but still vivid. Corey sat up on the sofa.

“Y’know, Zircon… I never thought we’d get audiences this big. When we first performed together, back at Finder’s Joy, there were, what, twenty people there? But today… today there were hundreds… and every single one of them had come to enjoy our music… it’s a bit crazy to think about, isn’t it?”

“Yeah… I have seen a few audiences as big as this before, but none of them were quite so… sincere. This planet has a way of making me feel like my voice needs to be heard, like I’m touching the hearts of hundreds of individual people rather than a unified crowd… the other difference, of course, being that around here I’m performing with you and Sylvan!”

Xe gave a wide, genuine smile, exposing xir row of unusually pointed teeth.

“Awww… my point still stands though, you’re gonna need to tell me about those tours you’ve done on other planets someday! You’ve got me burning with curiosity, little mx. starchild, and you know what happens when you play with fire!”

“I’ll tell you when there’s absolutely no chance someone else who’d believe me would overhear.” Zircon spluttered out through their laughter. “I should go check on Sylvan, we can’t have him getting lost on us.”

Xe rose from xir chair, still chuckling breathily, but something was wrong: Corey noticed with a start the way Zircon seemed to be struggling more and more to draw a breath, xir exhales turning to sharp and raspy coughs.

“Do you need to lie down?”

“No- I’ll- fine-”

Every word was punctuated by a dry cough; Zircon clutched xir heart, the same way xe had onstage, only more desperately, and collapsed back into xir chair, xir head jerking back and forth every time xe coughed.

Corey bolted to her feet and rushed over to Zircon, picking xir up as gently as she could and half-carrying, half-dragging xir shaking body over to the sofa on which she had been sitting moments ago and carefully laying xir down with xir head slightly elevated.

It was not the most comfortable position in the world; Zircon’s long, skinny legs hung awkwardly over the other end of the sofa, occasionally kicking air as xe shook, but Corey could hear xir breathing begin to stabilize over her own frantic heartbeat.

“Thanks…”

Another cough pierced the air. Kneeling down next to xir and reassuringly touching xir hand, Corey noticed Zircon looking at the belt buckles of xir stage outfit’s jacket, the silvery belts tight around xir chest…

“Should I loosen those?”

Xe nodded shakily.

Corey silently willed her hands to keep steady as she reached her hands over and undid first the lower buckle, then the upper one. Xe gave a relaxed sigh, the movements in their body lessening in intensity. Xir face was even paler than it usually was, but the glint in xir wide, sunset-orange eyes refused to fade from xir starburst-shaped pupils.

“What’s… doing this to you?” Corey asked, her voice low.

Zircon lay silent for a few seconds, then shook xir head. “'S nothing…”

“You almost stopped breathing! Clearly it is something!” Her tone sharpened involuntarily.

Another pause, even longer than the first. Zircon avoided Corey’s eye, gazing instead somewhere between the ceiling and the far wall as xe continued to take deep breaths.

“There’s… something, in the Earth’s atmosphere. Something we don’t have. You humans are probably somewhat used to it, but… it’s been attacking my lungs. I haven’t felt it much until today, but sometimes, when I’m really tired… I get these… sharp pains, in my chest, and I struggle to breathe. I’m sorry for keeping it under wraps, it’s just that… if someone finds out, they’ll take me to a hospital… they’ll take one look at me and they’ll know.”

Xe solemnly tilted xir head downwards, and Corey could almost see the tips of the pair of short, thin antennae buried in the wild puff of xir dandelion-yellow hair. She placed her fingers on her tear ducts to stop herself from crying.

“We’ll find a way out of this together, I just know it.”

It was Zircon’s turn to place a hand on Corey’s arm. Xir long fingers were adorned with rings and stone-cold; she wished she had a blanket to cover xir with.

“I’ll be okay. I’ve been to harsher places. I’ll live. For you, for Sylvan… for everyone.”

Corey very gently nudged xir in the side.

“Don’t forget yourself.”

“Yeah… I’ll live for myself too.” Xe tried xir best to smile again, and this was more than enough for Corey to return it.

They were silent for a few minutes, a much more comfortable silence than any that came before it, a silence in which Zircon’s once frantic breathing slowly but surely fell into perfect sync with Corey’s.

What broke the silence was another swing of the slightly creaky door, and Sylvan’s footsteps on the floorboards.

“Hey guys, sorry to interrupt but-” his eyes darted to Zircon lying on the sofa. “Zircon, is everything alright?!”

“Xe’s had a… bad coughing fit,” explained Corey. She couldn’t give Sylvan all the details, and she hoped he wouldn’t inquire her further. “I think xe’s alright now, but xe’s really tired…”

Sylvan tried to hide the worry in his facial expression, but his voice still shook slightly as he said “Our ride will be here in a couple of minutes.” He turned to Zircon. “There’s some more comfortable clothes in my bag in the corner if you’d like to get changed before we move out. Are you sure you don’t want to see a doctor about this?”

“No!” exclaimed Zircon and Corey in unison. Sylvan raised an eyebrow but seemed too tired to press it further.

“Alright then” he said. “Would you at least like some water? I’ll get it for you.”

Upon seeing Zircon’s nod, Sylvan immediately disappeared back behind the door.

✦ ✦ ✦

Endless window lights of shops streamed their colours through the windows of the car. Corey was the only one who took notice of them: Sylvan was fidgeting absent-mindedly with his zipper in the front passenger seat and Zircon had fallen asleep in the back seat next to her, too tall to put xir head on her shoulder, leaning backwards in xir seat instead.

The lights washed over xir face, illuminating xir features: xir ever-so-slightly pronounced cheekbones, xir long eyelashes, xir full pink lips, the cascade of fluffy hair, unbound from its braid, that fell beyond xir shoulders like clouds in a sunrise… Corey had to admit it, even in a grey hoodie that hung loose over xir thin frame, xe was beautiful in a most peculiar way, a way that was neither masculine nor feminine, a way that didn’t make sense but made her oddly happy when she saw xir all the same…

Corey had been a shade away from scoffing at herself. Really? She thought. Almost four and a half billion human beings on this Earth, and you are actually about to fall for an alien.

Corey turned her head back towards the car window. The dark shape of a factory loomed behind countless illuminated shops and apartment buildings, its pipes sending fumes into the sky like ominous torches that obscured the stars.

There’s something in Earth’s atmosphere. Something we don’t have.

She clenched a tired hand into a fist: her own kind were destroying the planet, and they were going to pay for it before they could take Zircon along with it. She had always loved the Earth dearly, so had Sylvan, and she knew Zircon did too, despite the fact that it was so, so far away from xir home.

Be it as lovers, friends, or just people who loved one another very dearly, she knew that they and their music would stand behind the Earth no matter what, and someday, the voices that always needed to be heard would make their difference.

[pisswizzard]

[Image ID: tags that read: “# i actually kind of disagree with this # or at least y’all need to be more specific about what kind of content is under discussion # because yes # engagement with ‘ironic’ right-wing content on the level of their actual beliefs and toxic worldview -can- affect your mental health # and is best avoided # but a lot of right-wing memes aren’t inherently right-wing # they’re just cultural things the right has appropriated # explicitly for the purpose of pissing off reasonable people # and making them seem crazy and paranoid when they try to explain to their friends why a certain emoji is ‘fascist’ # stop letting them do this! # the proper way to combat this is to Take These Symbols Back # if leftists reject every piece of culture that fascists claim # then you’re essentially -giving- fascists free culture # if you reject a funny meme because fascists have appropriated it # then sooner or later the fascists will end up with all the funny memes # and will use that to recruit among people whose politics are influenced by stuff like ‘who has the funniest memes’ # suggesting that engagement with anything related to fascism will hurt you and corrupt your soul is purity politics /end ID]

I definitely think i get where you’re comin’ from and agree in a lot of ways, and i really appreciate you for the good faith rebuttal.

That said, I took the point of this post less as a slippery slope argument and more along the lines of what @42questionsandaloafofbread was saying about normalization and how this works on a neuropsychological level as well as a societal level.

It’s in the same vein as how this this site has done a good job in encouraging folks to understand that making suicide “jokes” has a negative effect on your mental health, as well as that of those around you; even if you don’t really mean it and it never happens, there’s still the effect of making these serious concerns ‘not that big a deal’ or accidentally encouraging unfortunate or outright dangerous thought processes. And again, this is not a thought crime matter, but more of “a knife and can be a weapon or a tool depending on how it’s handled.”

It’s kinda like Poe’s Law, wherein satire fails in it’s objective if it is indistinguishable from genuine usage. It emboldens the right wingers who do mean it, makes folks targeted by right wing politics feel unsafe within their communities, and makes the general layfolk a little less wary of talking points that should at least be a red flag. This includes situations in the which folks at the edge of the pipeline could really use some community support and redirection but might not get it until they are much farther along simply because their friends thought it was just a joke.

I really don’t think this should be taken as a “if you do this, you’re doomed to become a bad person.” kinda dealy. (And i also have a long history of similar ocd thought spirals, so i really do understand that point.) It also doesn’t mean anyone should beat themselves up over having engaged in such things. It’s just, once you know that something has certain connotations, you should think twice before throwing them around.

You also mention reclamation, and i hear you on that. Tbh I have less to say as to how to navigate this in a more nuanced way. Cuz i do think this is gonna be a very case-by-case situation. Take Pepe the Frog, for example. The creator has long since come out vehemently opposed to the usage and it really sucks that it became what it did. That said, I know that I personally would not trust some rando using Pepe casually, and I wouldn’t confront them on the matter either; i’d block and move on. But if a friend did so unwittingly, i would talk to them in private about the matter and hope that they understood. I would also probably reconsider how close i wanted us to be if they didn’t really care about the fallout of their actions. For a lot of the more prolific symbols, it’s simply not worth it imo to risk the unintentional harm that using them could (and likely would) easily do, even if one has noble intentions.

But even this is a nuanced matter because I do think the tags are correct about right-wingers taking mundane symbols with the specific intent of obscuring the meaning and jeopardizing those who call them out. This tactic is particularly difficult to circumvent, but doing so is still a very worthwhile discussion to have.

All in all, this becomes a use your best judgment matter, but maybe do so with very well-considered risk awareness.

ironic right wing shit will erode your mind without fail. I don't touch that shit

[foolishfern]

hey it’s sage

sorry i’ve been offline for a couple of days, my girlfriend broke up with me lmao

turns out she was cheating on me with her ex boyfriend !

i’ve been in a bit of a depression pit but thought i’d keep you updated about everything

so, looks like i’m not going to manchester pride after all!

i still have to see her at work, it’s gonna fucking suck ass bro i might just quit instead

i genuinely don’t know what to do now, i thought she was my future

i feel so betrayed, she told me that she was sure she was a lesbian

i actually feel broken

-sage

Oh my god, sage, I’m so so so sorry. That is fucking awful. Don’t apologise for being offline, that should be the least of your stress.

I can’t believe she’d do that to you. It’s so fucking horrible. Like, I can’t even explain how sorry I am. You don’t deserve this :(

You shouldn’t have to quit your job, it’s so unfair, but I get wanting to avoid her. If you think that’s what’s best for you, and your health, then it might be the right thing to do.

thing is, I know it hurts twice as much because not only have you had your heart broken, but you’ve also had your trust broken, but if she was going to do that to you, and throw away everything you had together, then she truly was not worth your love or your future. You deserve someone who would never even think about doing that to you.

Please babe, feel free to reach out for anything. Even if it’s just to shut talk x