#and no don’t even go there there’s no evidence correlating that

[galaxymagick]

I forgot to mention it because I was in the moment .. but not even his feet can escape the grip of smoothing and editing like leave his hairy 30 something big toes alone, aaaaand they’re not that pink, he’s already graced us with his feet phalanges in the past

These are not the same persons feetsies

we’ve seen his feet many a time look at my tag of *jtw feet

[clairedaring]

why is ming such an interesting character - a thoughtful essay originally posted in the my stand-in mdl comments section

By MDL user Liltsu (reposting with permission from OP, just added some gifs to illustrate OP's points) - original comment link

Probably an incoming unpopular opinion ahead (read with caution lol, disclaimer that I am not attempting to justifying Ming's wrongdoings to Joe, more so trying to understand for myself and anyone else why I find his character so interesting):

Am I the only one who doesn’t hate Ming, and wouldn’t consider it to be a sad ending if Ming and Joe ended up together? At least as of now, especially from what I’ve seen currently and how I can imagine the direction the rest of the series might take. Let me expand.

For context, I went into this drama not expecting very much, and felt extremely sceptical of the trope of the ‘stand-in’ it uses, because one of my pet peeves in romance dramas is the ‘transfer’ phenomenon. If you haven’t heard that term before, it’s basically a psychological term about how a person (let’s call them A) will ‘imprint’ on someone else (person B). So to have a ‘transfer’ regarding someone else, for example, would mean that person A might have liked a person in the past (person C), and then meet someone new (person B) who resembles that person (C) in some way, and purely because of that, person A starts to also like or believe that they genuinely like person B. The problem with transfers is that they typically are rooted in a person’s (A) unwillingness to let go of the past person, and don’t truly love/hate (whatever emotion it is) the new person (B). This drama, reverses that trope.

This will link to why I find Ming’s bond with Joe to be more genuine than I’ve seen be believed on here (just based on a few comments tbf). My theory is that, ironically, it was Tong all along that was Joe’s metaphorical stand-in from the start. Why? We see a short flashback of Ming going to the cinemas and seeing the ad/clip of ‘Tong’s’ back, doing a martial arts scene, but we only see his back. That very shot/scene is what made Ming feel entranced by Tong and motivated him to seek Tong out with his sister for an autograph. He even mentions it himself to Tong. However, I believe that the ‘back’ that Ming saw, was Joe’s and not Tong’s. Ming « fell in love » with Joe’s acting/aura/presence on the screen first, but mistook him for Tong who is the ‘known’ actor of the film he saw. So all along, his feelings for Tong are somewhat illusory, and obsessive. Tong, who in my opinion gets off of happily at the notion of someone being infatuated with him, simply strings Ming along (and uses him), as we’ve seen.

In my opinion, Tong represents the side of Ming that was raised in a classist, materialistic family that rather obsesses about ‘spectacle’, in a way that harms Ming in the long-term. That kind of lifestyle or way of life makes him petty, distrustful, overtly and unreasonably jealous, and aggressive. Behaviours that manifest very evidently when Ming sees Joe with Sol, but particularly in correlation to scenes in which his affinity for Tong has been strengthened (Tong only sharpens the conditioning Ming has been raised through, that of being sceptical and always needing things to go his way, and fuels this, either by being in his direct company or feeding him seeds of doubt indirectly). Tong represents attachment and obsession but not love. Particularly the scene in which Ming renders Joe unconscious and keeps him captive is the most blatant example of Tong’s influence, which brings out all of the qualities of Ming that reflect the wealthy and entitled background he is born from and still lives off from.

Ming’s interest in Joe is different in my opinion, and the series carefully points to this in a nuanced way. If my theory is correct about Ming having been drawn to Joe first, rather than Tong, and the feelings that were initially meant for Joe came to be directed toward Tong (and became twisted due to that fact), we can assume that Ming’s feelings for Joe are more…instinctual. They awaken something in Ming. And to me this is perfectly shown in their first interactions: Ming hugs Joe from behind, believing he is Tong, but if my guess turns out to be true, he subconsciously went toward Joe and embraced him with the original feelings that he felt at the cinema (when he truly ‘first’ saw him), rather than the other way around, which the series makes us believe at first glance. Then, in their interactions after, Ming is consciously reluctant to open up to Joe (showcasing the walls he has up, even toward Tong), but is still intuitively interested in Joe, wants to be around him, and cares about what he is up to. In my opinion, he sets unfair and unequal conditions in their relationship at first because of the self-défense mechanism he has kept up (someone with his background would find it difficult to trust and be vulnerable with someone else easily). This is why the most crucial interactions between Joe and Ming, in my view, are the scenes at Joe’s home. We see that Joe had said that Ming had fulfilled HIS dream to come back to a lit home and with someone welcoming you back warmly. I believe this is something Ming has long craved as well for himself, and Joe expressing this, and being the way he is, makes Ming feel safe and allows him to become more open, more intimate, more honest, more ‘himself’.

I feel that Ming struggles to fully understand these sides of him, and has even more difficulty communicating it to others (especially Joe), but that his gentler moments show indeed the equal, and dare i say, even ‘healthy’ potential of this couple. We see this from the last scene of this episode. Instead of Ming indulging in luxuries for someone of his status, or succumbing to some kind of greed, he has pertained to what he has truly desired all along in his heart: a warm home, where he can lead an honest and loving life with the person who sees him past his social persona of the rich, pampered, entitled and obsessive kid. This is symbolised by the fact that he has continued to live in Joe’s home, waiting for him for the last two years, which reflects his commitment and earnestness which he had gradually developed for Joe, even before.

I think what people get (understandably) confused or feel betrayed by, is the scene in which Joe realises he has been a ‘stand-in’ for Tong by Ming, especially during sex (because this is somewhat what Ming consciously believes for himself too). For me, I saw it more so as, on one level, the revelation of what I just mentioned about Ming’s prior conscious intention (which evidently is form of betrayal to Joe), and on another level, it is a defining moment of transition, where Ming is still somewhat clinging on to Tong (because of the feelings he first felt for him at the cinema, which could really be Joe again), but also clinging still to what he knows and about his way of going about things (through manipulation and violence).

So a transition from that, into the growing feelings, appreciation, and warmth Ming did start to exhibit at Joe’s house (the symbol of vulnerable space). We see this through Ming buying the couple mugs with THEIR names (Ming and Joe), or the meaningful moments of genuine happiness that Ming feels in the simple, non judgemental moments between the two of them. This is something his sister comments about, that seeing Ming with Joe is surprisingly pleasant because it is the fist time in a very long time since she has seen Ming happy and so smiley (this is one of the biggest external piece of evidence to the idea that Ming’s « feelings » for Tong have a very different nature to his feelings for Joe). And we see this very clearly in the scene in which Joe bought a watch to Ming (and which I believe we see him promote now two years later on the poster he is). That scene is extremely significant because it shows the shift and differences of Ming alone with Joe compared to with Tong or how he is used to being. The watch is a gift from Joe, who believes it to be the « top » watch in terms of ‘quality’ and price, something we see Ming ALREADY HAS (and doesn’t have particular personal feelings toward). The top watch he has reflects his status, his wealthy background and the expectations on him by others and himself (to be considered societally the ‘best’, but in a rather vain way). However, Joe’s watch isn’t the top watch in a societal, classist sense, but it holds more value to Ming because it represents Joe’s sincerity and that matters more to him. The watch, which is typically a common symbol of time, also reflects, in my opinion, the difference in how Ming spends his time. By taking Joe’s watch and wearing it, his way of using time is also more personal and sincere, wanting to lead a life of authentic connection with someone on the same wavelength as you. In his act of taking of his old watch, which was the ‘top watch’, Ming leaves behind his old lifestyle, or at least takes on more step toward exiting it (the life of vanity and falsehoods). So all these signs of Ming’s genuine interest, endearment and feelings of care for Joe are sprinkled there from the beginning, and the series deliberately is setting a constraint between his potential for warmth and healthy sincerely with the baggage he still has from his past through Tong and his family (something he both feels and is to some extent very much controlled by).

The series has really made me invested, and that has really been invigorating for me (as I binged the episodes today) because I haven’t really felt that as much with a lot of BL series lately - not that there aren’t don’t get me wrong, just that it feels like fewer have my engagement than usual. And to me, the series’ strength at this point (excluding the very good acting etc) is the writing, so I am very hopeful that for the parts of Ming that would require a form of redemption, or improvement, that the series would allow him to have that arc by the time that Joe and him supposedly get back together (if they do). In the case where my interpretation is close to the series’ intention, then i believe that although it doesn’t make the previous scenes justified, that it would be very much possible for Joe and Ming’s relationship to take on a healthier, more mature turn, where their relationship would become more patient, communicative and understanding, just like the interactions they shared in their own shared home.

I’ll probably end my train of thought here, but would really like to hear if anyone disagrees or agrees with my opinions, would be happy to hear from anyone hihi. Thank you to those who read this whole e s s a y, i’m appreciative of that :).

[spider-gem]

Alright, you know what time it is: THEORY TIME!

In Hazbin Hotel, everyone’s name correlates to their character (such as Angeldust, Vox, Sir Pentious, etc). As a writer and reader, I firmly believe that names are important and can give us a deeper look into characters. Alastor, despite keeping his real name from life, is not an exception.

In a series where names reflect their characters, I would bet that Alastor’s gives us a hint into who he was before he died. This, along multiple other reasons, leads me to believe that Alastor only targeted guilty or corrupt people in power.

Hear me out:

We don’t know much about Alastor’s past, as nothing has been confirmed in the show. So for now, let’s analyze the lore we’ve gotten from Vivziepop over the years and the context clues in the show. Let’s look at the hazbin wiki:

Now, that “weird moral code” could be directed at anyone, but here’s my reasons for believing he went after corrupt people with power:

1. I’ve never seen the show, but I know that Dexter was about a vigilante serial killer that targeted criminals that haven’t been punished by the justice system due to corruption. So I would say, seeing Alastor is being compared to Dexter, Alastor likely went after the same type of people.

2. He grew up and lived in New Orleans, Louisiana in the early 1900’s as a mixed man. If you don’t know much about American history, just remember that this during a period of segregation and heavy discrimination against Black Americans, and Louisiana was one of the most racist states at the time. I’m not going to go through a whole history lesson right now, but note that lynchings reached their height by the late 1800’s to early 1900’s as a way to enforce white supremacy and intimidate minorities. Some cases, if not most, were not regarded as homicides by police and the overwhelming majority of lynching perpetrators never faced justice. Even if they were tried, all white juries ensured that they wouldn’t be convicted. Seems like a good target for a Creole serial killer, right?

3. In the series, so far, we’ve seen that Alastor’s closest connections are with female characters, such as Rosie, Mimzy, and Nifty. He’s also been described as a “momma’s boy” before, so it’s safe to say he has high respect for women. During the period of his life span, women had little rights. Sure, they gained the right to vote in 1920, but that was about it. It wasn’t even until a few years after Alastor died before women had the right to divorce their husbands, and were often stuck in abusive households. For this reason, I could see Alastor going after domestic abusers as well.

4. He probably killed bigots that attempted to tear down his radio show as well. I don’t really have much evidence for this claim, but note that Alastor was a famous radio star. He’s also Creole. While some Creole people were considered as “white-passing”, interracial marriage was prohibited in Louisiana during this period. Alastor very likely had to struggle to succeed, and there’s no doubt that certain people in power attempted to tear him down because of his heritage.

5. Let’s look at his life in hell now. Who has he been rumored to have targeted ? That’s right, powerful overlords. Even in hell, Alastor still went after people in power. Sure, this was arguably to gain power, but the point that he only went after corrupt powerful figures still stands. Anyone else we see him kill, such as the loan sharks or the angels, threatened him and the hotel first.

To conclude, there’s no saying what sent Alastor on his path as a serial killer. I personally favor the popular fan theory that his first kill that sent him on this path was his father, likely after his father harmed/killed his mother, but anyone’s theory is as valid as that one at the moment. I suppose we’ll have to wait and see.

It could just be the social justice warrior in me saying, “Oh yeah, Alastor TOTALLY killed corrupt cops and domestic abusers”. However, I do believe that my theory on Alastor’s moral code is true based on my observations.

[yougavemeyourheartyouknow]

Love me or hate me, both are in my favor (Miguel O’Hara x Fem! Reader [HS Academic Rivals AU])

Y’all ready for Miguel to finally kiss (Y/N)’s ass??!?!?!? Not proofread enjoy lol, I had a lot of fun writing this. I tried to be a bit artsy near the end it it’s too cringe I’ll probably delete it and redo it lmao.

Cursing, Miguel finally getting his shit together, lol he’s ooc but it’s okayyy lol

(Y/N)- Your name, (L/N)-Last name, (N/N)-Nickname.

Word count: 2.1k

Series Masterlist Series Playlist

Chapter 12: What a wicked thing to say, you never felt this way

—

You hated to admit it, but you kind of missed throwing away those stupid little apology notes from Miguel. Oddly enough, they had stopped appearing on your desk the day after your last little “date” with Spider-Man. Though you doubt there was any correlation, you couldn’t help but wonder why all of a sudden he would stop after what was about two or three weeks of nothing but notes after notes of apologies.

“He probably realized that you aren’t going to forgive him and decided to finally give up.” Mj’s voice sounded through your phone speaker, lying next to you as you laid on your stomach on top of your bed. Checking over your new manicure you had just received that morning, before letting out a huff as you dramatically dropped your head down on the mattress.

“Can we stop bringing him up? I don’t need reminders of his existence, not like I didn’t have enough reminders before…” You grumbled, you're sure if she was there with you she’d roll her eyes at your theatrics.

“I feel like we talk too much about you two.” She teased, the end of her sentence trailing off in a chuckle.

“Yeah because now that you're dating Peter, I can’t tease you about how you act like a nervous wreck around him anymore.” You shot back, picking your head back up and raising your brow, your smirk evident in your tone.

“Don’t be bitter that I got a boyfriend before (N/N), I’m sure spidey will ask you soon enough.” Your cheeks flared as your best friend tease, despite you starting it first you couldn’t help but feel yourself becoming a bit more shy at the mention of Spider-Man. You know not to take it to heart though as you let out a small laugh.

“Hey aren’t you supposed to be getting ready for that date right now.” You point out, having remembered that she mentioned to you during your last class together that Peter was planning on taking her to some movie after his photography club.

“Oh shit- you’re right! I got to go, I’ll text you later!”

“Okay bye have fu-aaaand she hung up, welp.” You drop your head on your bed once more after grabbing your pillow to place underneath you. Deciding taking a nap would be better than spending the next few hours doing something else, too tired from school to even attempt to watch a movie or tv show, let alone read or do homework. A sigh escapes through your nose, closing your eyes as you snuggle against the pillow, waiting to succumb to your own exhaustion. The white noise of your air conditioner running in the background lulling you to sleep.

—

“Maybe this is too on the nose…” Miguel mumbled to himself as he glanced down to the wrapped item in his hands, trying to compose himself as he stands in front of your dorm room, gathering the courage to knock.

It was almost embarrassing, that he was going to grovel at your doorstep in order to get you to even look at him again. He was already bruising his ego enough with the countless apology notes that you didn’t even bother to glance at for longer than a second before tossing them, let alone read. Still despite his… complicated feelings towards you, he’d rather you bruise his ego then anyone else.

His eyes came back to stare at your room number that was etched into your door, before nervously shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

You were a smart girl, a very smart girl. Miguel knew that. So he knew he was potentially playing with fire with his apology gift, he knew more than anyone else how your brain worked, he knew that you could take one glance at it and all the pieces would fall in place. He just hoped that for one, he would wave away any suspicions that you might come up with. Worst case scenario you outright declare him as Spider-Man, but then what? You weren’t one to tell secrets, you weren’t money or fame hungry so you weren’t going to go off and tell the media for a check.

Miguel shook his head, trying to shake away all the possibilities that were now coming to the forefront of his mind. Close his eyes to take in deep breath before opening to them once again to stare at your door.

‘If I keep thinking about it, I’ll end up walking away, just knock damnit.’

Finally, with a sharp exhale through his nostrils, he brings up his enclosed fist to tap lightly on your door. The edge of lips pulling downward after not getting any confirmation that you heard his knocking. After another louder knock, his ears finally picking up the faintest of annoyed groans, making his tensed shoulders slip down just a few centimeters.

Miguel thanked whatever dumb constructor decided to not give the ancient dorm building doors peepholes, because if they did, he knew you wouldn’t have opened the door for him. That’s why he stuck his foot out to act as a stopper, preventing you from closing it in his face once you realized who had decided to interrupt your short lived nap.

What a relief to be able to see your face up close with the mask on to counsel his. Despite the fact that your fake polite smile quickly melted away from your face once you realized who was at your doorstep, leaving a scowl to come and take its place. Miguel barely had time to open his mouth before your frame was once again covered by the wooden door, his school assigned leather shoes certainly getting scuffed from it hitting the side of them. Not even wincing as you attempted to push his foot out with resting your weight against the door.

“(L/N), Come on. It’s been weeks, you can’t keep ignoring me. Just… I-I know I fucked up okay? You were trying to be civil with me and I… Look I’m sorry okay? I’m sorry.” His free hand came up and pushed against the door lightly, not enough to knock you off your balance or anything but enough to peak his head through the door to meet your glare once more. “You know more than anyone else that I don’t do serious apologies. Just hear me out. You’ve-You’ve already got me begging here (L/N), to just be in the same room with you so I can admit I’m an asshole. You don’t have to forgive me, just hear me out! Please-“

He was able to squeeze himself through the crack of the door, closing it before him and leaning against it as he attempted to catch his breath from his babbling, chest raising up and down rapidly as his pleading eyes turned a bit more intense, you took a step back and crossed your arms over your chest, letting out an irritated huff as you kept your eyes on him.

“Get out O’Hara-“

“I’m tired of you ignoring me, what do you want me to do, huh!? You and I are too intertwined into each other’s lives for you to ignore me forever. You know that-“

“Unfortunately.” You grumbled under your breath, rolling your eyes a bit. Miguel, now standing up straight, took a step towards you, a hand flying to his chest as usually narrowed and bored eyes suddenly turned wild and frantic almost like a confused puppy.

“I-“ he paused, letting out a huff, before lowering his voice down to just above a whisper. “I’m not going to leave until you listen to me please just-“ He stutters, taking another pause as his eyes flutter shut tightly, you haven’t even noticed that his eyes were turning glossy and red until he opened them again, had you ever seen Miguel cry before? Well if you hadn’t, this might be a first for you both. “Please (Y/N).”

The use of the first name between you both was rare, you had been in more near death situations then you’ve heard your first name uttered from Miguel’s lips. So hearing it with such… desperation… it made your heart jump up to your throat. Your eyes never leaving his as he took another step towards you and… oh my god… is he kneeling?

“Please I-“ He choked out, the wetness that was threatening to spill out from the corner of his eye finally came down, his hands reached out to yours in desperation, you were too much in shock to think about pulling them away as you blinked down at him almost stupidly. “I can't… take it anymore. I feel like I’m going mad.”

He was being completely truthful with that statement too. He was jealous of his super powered alter ego from getting more attention from you then he was just as himself.

You finally pull yourself back into the current moment, clearing your throat as you shake yourself to help gather your words, neither of you noticing during the whole ordeal that Miguel’s apology gift had landed a few feet away from the door. Tugging at his hands as a signal to get up and off the floor. “O-okay, okay fine. Just-get up Miguel, Jesus…”

You wanted to keep holding onto this grudge of yours, but how could you when you had brought a man who is twice your size and four times your ego down to his knees? Reducing him to nothing more than a crying begging mess. Simple answer, you couldn’t. Whether it’s simple petty or if you felt like you were truly ready to hear him out, it honestly didn’t matter to you anymore. It’s clear from his breakdown that he had suffered enough.

He let out the biggest sigh of relief, sniffing a bit as he finally brought himself back up from your floor. A large hand of his coming up to wipe away a few lingering tears of frustration once he was up on his feet again. A silence fell over you both as you gave him a few seconds to collect himself properly before he could start explaining himself. Finally, with a clearing of his throat, bloodshot eyes met yours.

“Look, I know that… we haven’t been anything more than tolerant of each other… but I should have never,” his hands went to find yours again, grasping tightly as if he was afraid that you’d disappear in front of him. “Ever. Said that stuff to you. It was… too much even for us, if I could take it back, I would. I have no idea what snapped in my mind to say such vile things to you, it was wrong, it was stupid-so stupid-and I regret it. Regret it more than anything I’ve ever done in my life. You don’t have to forgive me, I don’t expect you to. Hell, say the word and I’ll walk out of here and I’ll disappear from your life forever. “

You have honestly never felt so speechless before. Miguel has never made you feel so speechless before.

“But god do I want you to forgive, to take those words back. I'll do anything, and when I tell you that I’ll do anything, I mean anything.”

You couldn’t help the breathless chuckle that escaped your throat, uneasiness bubbling up in your lower gult, despite laughing being your first reaction, you could tell he was all but joking. Your tongue stuck out to lick your suddenly dry lips.

“I can tell you’re being quite… erm, serious, so,” you pause, inhaling the tense air in hopes it’ll help calm your nerves, “I accept your apology.” Miguel took a deep breath to keep himself from turning into a babbling mess again, he could feel that heavy pressure on his chest filling up, he could finally breathe agai-“but I don’t forgive you.” He could feel his airways clog back up, he felt like he was blue screening as his ears heard the words but his mind didn’t want to accept it. He wants to do nothing more than to grovel at your feet again for you to take those words back.

But he couldn’t, it made him a little happier to know that there is something he can build off of, still as he finally was able to drag himself out from your room after putting on the facade of countenance , he felt the need to release all his pent up emotions out. He wanted to cry till his tear ducts stopped working, sob till his throat felt raw. But he couldn’t get himself to do it, his body simply wouldn’t let him, refusing to undo all of his years hiding his emotions more than he’s already done in your room, you're the only one who could make him feel again. What was that book his class started reading last week?

He felt like he had no mouth, and he had to scream.

—

Taglist: @famouscattale @strawberryjuice9 @loser-alert @maomaimao @franceseca-the-1st @mcmiracles @mangoslushcrush @queerponcho @yournextbimbogf @tinybirdhideout @oharasfilipinawife @mxltifxnd0m @homewreckingwreck @dumb-gemini @cowboylikeevie @thedevax @codenameredkrystalmatrix @reader-1290 @laysmt (to be added click here)

[multiplicationdivision]

Transfiguration

Vic laughed as Chuck cheered at the tv screen.

He had been boisterous since Vic had put him there, excited to spend some free time with his buddy and a few games of prerecorded basketball. Typically, Chuck would be watching these alone at night, coming home at odd hours from work.

It felt good every time Vic could make some time for him. His excitement was always infectious, pushing Vic to be just as invested in the games. Of course, Vic would cheer for the other team to keep it interesting.

The past two games had them cussing each other out numerous times, all in good spirits of course. Vic would mirror his best friend in energy as they both took goals far too personally, shouting at each other to “get fucked” or “suck it nerd!”.

It was a lot of fun every time. Didn’t hurt that these hang outs were directly correlated with the lack of Richard in the apartment. He was an awkward guy and knew it. Got along fine with Chuck but when it was just him and Vic in the apartment, time just dragged. That was unfortunate considering Chuck was the only of the three with an in-person job.

Vic didn’t hate the guy, he was nice in his own right. Never a single problem in their living together, but both men knew they held zero chemistry. Richard was the type of guy to spend his time reading, while Vic just needed a little more fun as a companion. Someone who would go with him to go rock climbing with or to get some wrestling in.

Vic could appreciate Rich though on days like this. Rich was the only reason he got Chuck on weekdays, when the guy was typically so busy. He’d wracked up a big debt to the guy just for the opportunity of getting to kiss his buddy when the big man should be rewiring a house or something.

Vic was just shifting to make a move on the guy when he heard the door lock click. That was a shame. A post-game makeout sesh was his favorite part. When they were both still far too energized to sit with it.

This fun was over though. Chuck groaned beside him, realizing that too.

A familiar face opened the door. That same fluffy brown hair and scratchy stubble that Vic was just fantasizing about, now on a tired face. He still looked fine as hell, but working in cramped spaces with heavy equipment all day always drained the man.

It didn’t help that his eyes immediately locked onto Vic and the other Chuck, face immediately grimaced into annoyance.

“Seriously man” he said, gesturing to his clone. “Stop doing this”

His clone snorted, rolling his eyes. “Shut up man, you're bringing down the vibe”

“Don’t tell me to shut up, you don’t get a say” Chuck snapped, “You’re not even supposed to exist”

That riled up the Chuck on the couch. “Well Vic thinks I’m pretty great! Spent the whole day with him when he needed me”

There was some humor in that, Vic could sort of see. The word need was maybe excessive. Did he need to do this, no. Did he want to do this, yes. Either way, he didn’t feel that bad about it.

“Richard was fine with it, so I don’t see the problem” Vic spoke up.

“You never see the problem and Rich is always fucking fine with it” the uniformed Chuck argued. “You two always end up doing this shit when you’re alone”

That was true. Vic and Rich just couldn’t stand the weirdness between each other. Vic got quickly annoyed at every conversation with the man that was stunted and weird. They’d awkwardly inhabit the same living space and be stuck in that unbearable situation of each other’s presence. Vic was pretty sure it was just some unrelenting sexual tension between the two, but Rich was about his straightness despite the way he evidently got hard watching Vic lift in the living room.

Honestly the fact that they could probably fuck and fix the whole rotten vibe was all the more frustrating to Vic. Rich was just too unfixably emotionally distant.

Fortunately, Vic wasn’t just an excellent at home worker.

Magic ran deep in his family and transfiguration was a specialization of his. Turning one thing to another was easy as pie, with just the snap of a finger.

Vic typically didn’t abuse it, although according to Chuck, he’d been abusing it more and more. Vic personally didn’t think he was at fault for it though. He didn’t even ask Rich this time if he could do it.

Chuck had left in his tight little electrician uniform, leaving nothing to the imagination. Vic had sulked as he was left to his devices, finishing his work super early as usual.

He’d just been about to head off to the gym when there was that oh so familiar knock on his bedroom door. The only time Rich ever really came to his door, equally bored. Coming to lean on the same vice they both used time and time again when they were both lonely and done with work. Rich had even already raided Chuck’s closet for an outfit, ready for what Vic would do.

He’d snapped and Rich’s body expanded and sculpted into the same Chuck that had left just an hour or two before. The distant gaze of Rich smoothed over as that jovial confidence took over, replacing the man in body and soul. The only thing remaining from Rich being that excitement in his eyes at the prospect of free time. Actual enjoyable free time, rather than the lonely free time all three of them would typically spend apart.

It was always wild facing the Chuck that would get angry about his creation of duplicates, considering that every fresh Chuck seemed so happy to be created. They’d come into existence with a roll of their eyes and a quick kiss before they pulled him off on whatever activity Chuck had been waiting for time to do.

The work Chuck would always argue with his double when they met, demanding that Vic turn the other him back into Rich.

Like now.

“You had your fun Vic, just bring Rich back” the uniformed Chuck said. “I just don’t want to deal with this”

“I don’t fucking want to be Rich” his twin argued back. “It’s not like you’re even the original Chuck anyways”

“Fuck off thats not true”

It was probably true. Vic had definitely forgotten which was which after a couple instances of this arguing. Sometimes the uniformed Chuck would shower and change, then go back to bickering with his clone. He’d always dress practically the same as his clone and then it was nearly impossible to differentiate the two. He’d just wait for the two to inevitably pass out and pick at random.

Vic didn’t really understand the drama of it all. There was still always one Chuck in the end. That was far better than what his family did most of the time. Hell his oldest brother had permanently replaced his father with a copy of himself. It wasn’t even a big deal, that shit was common. Now he just had two big brothers and one less shitty father.

Thinking about it, he should probably visit those guys soon. He missed them and they would find this shit funny.

Vic felt the need to butt in again.

“You know, Chuck, you’re not really convincing me that you’re MY Chuck” he said, putting his arm around the Chuck that had spent the day with him. That Chuck preened at the contact. “I quite like this guy”

The uniformed Chuck’s eyes widened in frustration. “I know you fucking like him, because he’s me. Why can’t you just wait for me to come home and hang out?”

“You always come home at like 1 am, I need more than that” Vic argued, using the edge of the basic commitment of a relationship.

Both Chucks cringed at that. For all that Vic probably abused his power, it really could be prevented by them making some time for him. They were more than just friends with benefits.

Chuck seemed to relent a bit. “I know…. It’s just I rather we figure that out than you give me an existential crisis every week. Its fucking distracting”

Distracting was the key word. Vic knew his buddy deep down. Not distressing or terrifying, but distressing. Vic wasn’t a sociopath, even if his views of transfiguration had different ethics than what a normal person would think. He’d seen his family drive people mad with change their minds and bodies before, unable to cope with their identities being putty.

Vic knew his friend wasn’t like that, no matter this weird charade he always put on. Chuck was like Rich in that way, always wanting something without being able to be honest with himself.

Chuck had a knack for that adrenaline, finding way too much pleasure in impermanence. It was the reason they always had such killer sex when there were two of him, Chuck riding high on the feeling of being so deep under Vic’s sway. Knowing that at any moment, Chuck could be shifted into a completely different person.

Chuck was at conflict with himself though and a degree of self preservation always stuck around to make him pissy whenever he discovered another him. It would be frustrating to Vic if he didn’t himself get a good time at watching the two Chucks get hard as they argued.

“I think I should stick around at least for the night” the clone Chuck argued. He definitely was planning to try and switch places with the “original” Chuck.

“Yeah like that’s gonna work”, the “original” argued back, knowing the strategy because he’d used it himself. “I’m gonna take a fucking shower, I don’t want to feel gross and continue this bullshit”

“Yeah well I wanted to take one too”

“It doesn’t matter if you want one, that would be wasting water. It’s not like you’re going to be around for much longer”

They both sprinted to the shower. Vic had seen it before, they’d inevitably go in together. Chuck was competitive like that and both would competitively get each other off. Vic couldn’t understand how Chuck convinced himself that he didn’t enjoy this.

Vic called his bros as the two audibly fought in the shower. They didn’t pick up, the call going to voice message at the sound of both of his older brothers’ pre-recorded message about calling again. He wondered how his brother stayed so invested in keeping another him around. Vic had done it a couple times as a freshman in college, but it had been only interesting for a bit.

He couldn’t keep it exciting like Chuck seemed to be able to. He could hear them audibly fucking in there, arguing with each other about being quiet. He was glad they were bad at that part, rubbing his own dick as he listened to them.

It was times like this that he fantasized about just keeping the two of them. Rich was great but he could always just turn another guy into Rich. Rich probably wouldn’t care, considering the man loved Chuck. There were a couple dicks at the gym that Vic could imagine would make a good Rich. Maybe even Rich(s) plural. Maybe Rich spending time alone with himself would fix his stupid masculinity crisis.

He was almost at completion at that idea when the two Chucks came stumbling out of the shower, fighting over the single towel. He glanced over at their wet brown hair, the two actually towelling each other off even as they still played at not enjoying it.

He focused again on the tv as they got dressed.

As he expected, moments later they were out again. Both were dressed in nearly identical clothes, both wearing comfortable tank tops and joggers. He turned his brain back into their bickering.

“You’re not even the original”

“I’m pretty sure I’m the original”

“I was the one who went to fucking work today, you’re Rich”

“Do you have any proof? Vic just turn him back”

“Eh pass” Vic said, pretending not to care. “Might just turn you both to Rich if y’all don’t feel like actually giving me proof”

The Chucks balked at that. Unconsciously as they both turned on him and not each other, one of the Chuck’s wrapped his arm around the other in solidarity.

“I have work tomorrow, you can’t do that”

“Yeah you can’t do that to us!”

“Again buds, not seeing any proof that you deserve to stick around” Vic said with a mocking threat. It wasn’t a real threat that he’d turn them into Rich. He’d quite decided on keeping the two around. At least until they all got bored of it at least. “need some convincing”

The two Chucks glanced at each other before fighting as they both fell on the couch. This was when the actual fun began. Vic gestured at his cock and the two pushed at each other, taking “turns” sucking him off. Vic sat there taking it in before pushing them off when he wanted a turn, reaching under both of their pants to grip their cocks. Having the two completely at his mercy as they collapse under his rough touch.

It went on like that for what was probably an hour. Vic would push them at each other and in their lust they would fuck as he watched. He made one of them watch as he held the other down, threatening to transfigure him if he couldn’t take it. The whole time the other Chuck taunting his double as he demanded Vic to change him mid fucking.

This was their routine, this weird edge of an identity crisis and an orgasm. Brought back Vic’s memories of the past months, repeating variations of this same scenario over and over in the bedroom. Making Vic fall deeper and deeper in love with this crazy man who revelled in Vic’s twisted little power.

Vic felt so good as they were slumped there, relaxed in the aftermath of it all. The two Chucks on top of each other, having fallen asleep in near perfect synchrony. They’d wake up tomorrow to see he hadn’t changed one of them back into Rich. There would be a whole lot of fun from that. He was so spent but even his dick couldn’t help weakly hardening at the idea of the two of the Chucks doing their morning runs together.

He was definitely gonna have to go to the gym to get another Rich. He couldn’t imagine ruining this shit when it was proving to be such a good idea.

Part 2:

[twopoppies]

I do not want to be that person and it’s paining me to even put this in an ask but you seem like a reasonable person who wouldn’t mock or get angry about it, but there’s been things piling up and I need to vent

If it comes out even with the Euros something is going on between Louis and Krystle I can’t be sure I’d be surprised

does Louis look to the left a lot yes but then when you see Ks posts she’s on the left, (I’ve been to his show I’ve seen this) and when he sings “I love him” he would look up there nervously, the mountain of art about loving someone or wanting their love or an unrequited love (apparently she is separated but it could be about him too because you marry someone their love had been requited at some point) her posting a pic in her IG stories with “beloved” and it was rams skulls and Louis is a Capricorn and few other pics she’s posted lately.

Maybe they suffer from the curse of coincidences.

I understand they’re friends but he’s her employer and she’s always right there.

I know the very small, tiny bit of possible evidence sounds foolish but there is just this vibe there I can’t put my finger on it, if they (Harry and Louis) broke up (I’m not sure they did) I think they would be the reason for it. Maybe they have an arrangement like a lot of people think they do, but with K it’s not a one night thing with a woman, a relationship would be established, definite feelings there let alone he was at her wedding.

If it’s true I think it’s been since just before his Euro tour started or during it, could be the reason H took the pearls off finally and never put them back on or why he shaved his head. More than a few times Louis looked like he was going to cry even on stage and Harry looked miserable and it was more than him stunting at the time.

Or it could be very recently who knows

When I said I don’t want to think this and I do think they could be together I meant it, but with them everything seems to have two possibilities

Love, you seem like you’re really serious about this question, and I can’t help but think you’ve got to be a newer fan because literally no one except handful of teenagers who wanted Elounor to be real, has ever thought Louis was anything but gay until maybe the last year or two that he’s been pushing this ridiculous image.

As for Harry’s pearls, fans made up the idea that they represented something about Larry. There was nothing to indicate that other than the supposed number of pearls correlating with the supposed number of years the two of them have been together. I don’t see how him changing that piece of jewelry means anything.

It sounds like you’re linking together all sorts is really random things. I don’t recall Harry looking miserable recently, nor Louis looking like he was going to cry. And I’m sorry but there are so many reasons Harry could have shaved his hair… Louis breaking up with him to date Krystle is so far down the list it’s not even on the list.

Whether or not Harry and Louis broke up, I’m sorry but I can’t in a million years ever believe it’s because of a woman. I’m not mocking you at all, but there’s literally nothing about Louis’ behavior, his signaling, his songs, etc. that have ever given me the impression that he’s interested in women. All of this stuff about Krystle seems so nonsensical to me, I don’t think you’ll find a single fan who’s been here since before 2019/2020 who would buy into it.

[morbidology]

Just after 3:30 AM on September 20, 2015, the 911 dispatch center in Sunrise, Florida, received a frantic call from a man reporting that his girlfriend was having trouble breathing and was going to die. The caller, in a state of panic, shouted, “I don’t know, man, she’s not breathing! She’s gonna die, man! Come on, someone help her!”

Police and paramedics were immediately dispatched to the apartment on 128th Drive. Upon entering the dimly lit apartment, they were confronted with a gruesome scene. Blood smeared the hallway walls and floor, accompanied by fragments of what appeared to be human tissue, creating a grim trail leading toward the bathroom.

The officers followed the eerie sounds of wailing, growing louder as they approached. They observed that the bathroom door had been torn off its hinges. When they entered, they found 24-year-old Fidel Lopez, the caller, sprawled on the floor. He was clutching the lifeless, naked body of a woman, his tears mingling with the blood on the floor. She was identified as his 31-year-old girlfriend, Maria Nemeth.

As the officers approached closer, the full horror became apparent. Maria was not just dead; her intestines had been ripped out from her vagina.

Lopez was immediately arrested at the scene, and he was transported to the police station, He told detectives that he and Maria had been drinking tequila together in celebration of moving into their new apartment. He said at one point, they began having “violent” sex and Maria asked him to put a beer bottle and his fist inside her vagina. He said that he complied, and that it had been her idea and that she enjoyed it. He said afterwards, she went into the bathroom and vomited, and that he later found her in the bathroom struggling to breathe.

However, Lopez’s story didn’t correlate with the evidence found at the crime scene.

Lopez eventually broke down and changed his story. He told detectives that he had become a “monster” when Maria twice said her ex-husband’s name as they were having sex in the closet. He said that after hearing another man’s name, he became furious. “She called me the name of the other fucking guy,” he said. “And she said it twice, and she was wrong and she was confusing me with him. At that point, I get mad, I get really, really, bad.”

He claimed he left Maria in the closet and then began smashing things around the apartment and punching the walls. What he said next horrified even the most seasoned detectives....

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞:

[ingravinoveritas]

The people that keep saying not to ship Michael and David together in real life because of their relationships to Georgia and Anna are also the same ones who keep begging to have the two girls appear in the next season of GO as a couple because of Anna’s little joke of making out with Georgia. Seriously people saw that tweet of hers and immediately decided to ship them together and call them the “ineffable wives” but Michael and David have come out with soooo much more adorable moments of the love and joy they have for each other and everyone starts saying that it’s disrespectful to ship them when their “married” to females in real life 🤷‍♀️ I mean…. The hypocrisy is astounding and disturbing on levels I can’t even comprehend. The fact that Georgia, who is known to search her and David’s name on Twitter and answers back to anyone that tags or even mentions her didn’t even acknowledge Anna’s tweet says sooooooo much about this “best friend dynamic duo”. The fact that Anna is resorting to jokes about kissing another woman just for attention also…. WHEW. If this isn’t the biggest cry for attention I don’t know what is. And the fact that people feed into her attempts also and are petitioning for them to kiss and show up in GO!

Lord. I've seen so much talk about casting female actresses in regard to fem-presenting Aziraphale/Crowley over the past week, and while it is disappointing, I am not at all surprised. The first inkling I had was upon seeing the reactions when a behind the scenes photo of Crowley as Bildad the Shuhite was posted just before the release of GO 2:

It seems that a lot of folks were expecting/hoping for fem!Crowley, as we saw in Golgotha in season 1 (on the right), and when that turned out not to be the case, the reaction was to call Bildad!Crowley ugly, to say that he should shave, and other comments essentially making fun of this particular look. Obviously, much of this could have (and likely was) made in jest, but the overall consensus was clear: You can't be feminine with a beard.

(Which...I'd like to see someone tell that to Michael Sheen, because yes, the fuck you can...)

So from the outset, I was already bothered by what seemed like the hypocrisy of on the one hand celebrating a show where the characters are genderfluid/nonbinary by definition, and then on the other hand getting upset when one character doesn't fit into a prescribed, conventional idea of femininity.

When Neil subsequently mentioned that there had been a storyline for female-presenting Aziraphale and Crowley in the 1960s, it was dismaying (but again, not surprising) to see these same fans casting female actresses in the roles. Never mind that you already had David playing female!Crowley and Nanny Ashtoreth in season 1. Never mind that both Michael and David have played...well, "drag" doesn't seem like exactly the right word, but they've played women, and brilliantly subverted gender roles in their own ways. There is no reason to think that they couldn't do a fabulous job as fem!presenting Aziraphale and Crowley, except that (again) some fans seem to have a specific idea of femininity that they think does not or cannot apply to Michael and David.

Which then brings us to the apparent clamoring for Anna and Georgia as female Aziraphale and Crowley, which has again left me scratching my head. In all of the tweets and hubbub, I have not seen one person say why they think AL and Georgia would do a good job in said roles--like, "Oh, Georgia was so good as [insert role]" or "I loved Anna as [insert role]"--only that they would be "so amazing." This leads me to think that the only reason these fans want AL and Georgia in the roles is because they are Michael and David's partners. They are assuming that this is somehow a guarantee of the same profound understanding of the characters and their connection, despite there being no evidence of such a correlation. (I mean...I fooled around with my former grad school professor last year, but that doesn't mean I have a PhD...)

What it also seems to indicate is that these folks are not thinking of what is best for the characters, either, or indeed if playing female!Aziraphale and Crowley is something AL or Georgia would even want to do. Neil recently said that Georgia turned down a role in GO 2 supposedly because the character was older than her and she didn't feel it was appropriate. If this is the case, why would Georgia want to play the role of a middle-aged character? Because that is what Aziraphale and Crowley are--ageless celestial beings, yes, but beings who have chosen to present as middle-aged. That is a key part of who they are, so to have the female versions of them played by younger actresses makes no sense and seems downright disrespectful.

There is also what you said, about AL's cringey tweet from a little over a week ago. Georgia could have absolutely responded to or acknowledged it by now, as she has responded to several other tweets since then...but she hasn't. Not a reply, not even a 'like.' And I agree with you that that seems to speak volumes, and that it would probably be a good idea if people looked beyond the Staged-driven narrative of "Georgia and AL are BFFs" to see how Georgia actually seems to feel about her.

(And to echo another thing you said, I will never understand how it is somehow completely fine for fans to ship Georgia and Anna/want to see them make out despite neither of them showing that level of affection toward each other or having any visible chemistry, yet not okay to ship Michael and David who do have that chemistry and have been making their feelings for each other very obvious for the last several years...)

So yes, those are my thoughts on the whole female Aziraphale/Crowley fancasting situation. I just hope that if we do get them as fem!presenting in season 3, that it is Michael and David, because there is no way any other two actors could give us what we got with Aziraphale and Crowley the way Michael and David did. I guess we'll see what happens...

[sophieinwonderland]

Experience is subjective. I 100% believe that people experience a sense of multiple selves or identities. Identity itself isn’t fixed for even the most basic person. Identity is complicated, hence why finding oneself is such a common theme across movies and literature.

I don’t believe that the various identities exist in the brain as their own people. It’s just not the way the brain works. Brain scan interpretations should be taken with a grain of salt. Correlation does not imply causation, essentially.

Honestly that it likely isn’t various identities existing in the brain as their own people just highlights how incredibly mysterious and wondrous the human brain is.

That said, negating others’ experience because it makes you uncomfortable is cringey af. Like it has absolutely nothing to do with you.

I don’t believe that the various identities exist in the brain as their own people. It’s just not the way the brain works.

How does the brain work?

Do you know something we don't? Last I checked, neuroscientists were still trying to figure this out.

There are a lot of hypotheses we could discuss but we currently just aren't able to really see how the individual neurons interacting in the human brain. At best, we have these brain scans that can show activity in certain regions, but as some researchers have put it, this is a bit like trying to tell what's happening in a city by watching when their lights are turned on.

To that extent, I'll agree that brain scans may not be perfect and have a long way to go.

But I also do fully believe that headmates are encoded in the brain at a neurological level, even if we might not be able to detect it and read what's happening with current technology.

Without more neurological evidence, we may have to agree to disagree on this though.

Correlation does not imply causation, essentially.

I really wish this phrase would stop being applied to circumstances where it's not relevant.

What the Standford tulpa study did was look at the brains of tulpamancers during possession. (When a tulpa controlled limbs without fronting.) This was compared to the tulpamancer simply imagining someone else controlling their limbs or dictating their movements as a control condition.

What was found was that there was reduced activity during possession in regions of the brain associated with control over your actions.

That's causation. The researchers give an instruction. The subject follows the instruction. And that causes a difference in brain activity.

Perhaps other explanations could be made up that don't involve multiple people in the brain to explain this phenomenon. (Similar activity is shown during hypnosis.) But those explanations have nothing to do with the difference between correlation and causation.

[bitchapalooza]

The uwu soft boy babygirl twinkification of Abe, especially in correlation to Tophabe, honestly irks me but not enough to make me piss blood about it. It’s just. It’s so funny. I admit it IS cute because how some of y’all draw him though.

Personally I see him as being too dumb to pay attention to most things around him so he APPEARS to be naive— again, he’s literally not paying attention. He’s too in his own world. Not daydreaming. Just in his own head, barely registering everyone else around him. He’s thinking of himself, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say he’s like selfish. Probably just having a conversation with himself in his head. Or paying attention more to his surroundings than the people in front of him.

He probably would come off as uwu soft boy babygirl twink next to Topher— or hell, let’s say any relationship partner— but really his ass is a doormat and he continues to be head empty 24/7. Probably can’t think for himself either because he’s so absorbed with pleasing his partner— which isn’t a bad thing as long as he doesn’t take it too far and comes off as obsessive or neglects his health.

Abe can be fruity. He really can be. I have no qualms with this iteration of the character. But being that uwu soft boy twink? I’m sorry but this bastard is a head empty white privileged and he knows it dumbass who just happens to be a twink. He would offend you on accident but he would accuse you of like. Cheating on purpose. And over exaggerate the drama of it too. I mean we saw his overreaction with Cleo and not believing her when she said she DID wear his jacket. He might be turn out to be a nice guy in the future if he slips up even once. He might even be the type of partner who would look through your phone to find evidence of cheating because he already IS convinced your cheating. He’s not possessive, but probably just extremely anxious and in dire need of constant approval.

I don’t know if any of this makes sense. I don’t date. I don’t understand people in real life, I get most of my analysis from media because it’s easier to understand. So if this is jumbled around, the summary is I think Abe is shitty person but he’s a lovable shitty person. And I find it really fucking funny when Abe is portrayed as a cute fruity uwu owo soft boy twink. And also he’s a teenager so he has time to grow—

[naneun-no]

Hi! So... Am I the only one who thinks Jikook haven't been living under the same roof for quite a while now? I feel like some people, esp Jikookers, don't even want to see it as a possibility, but if we don't want to start acting like a cult we need to start developing some critical thinking (which I think is healthy and needs to be done) Also, I've seen a lot of people say "JK is having a hard time, imagine not spending every second with your partner like you used to bc of his crazy schedule" and tbh, I was thinking just like that at first, but now? Jimin is busy, yes of course, but he clearly has time to hang out with Hobi or even going to visit Jin (which was so nice to see btw, not complaining) I honestly don't think JK and Jimin are hanging out much, actually, I dont even think they see each other often, since JK seems to be living his best introverted life and quite isolated from the rest of the boys (except Tae, which Im kind of glad, at least he is getting out of the house and having a good time) Maybe we should start considering the possibility of them just not sharing time bc they simply chose to and not bc Jimin is busy with his album. I now what they chose to share with us is just a small part of their lives, and there could be a million other possible scenarios, Im not saying Im right or wrong, just what's been on my mind lately. Im not coming here as an insecure Jikooker to seek for aproval, or with bad intentions, Im just sharing my thoughts and genuinely curious to know if anyone else thinks on a similar way. Thank you for taking the time to read💜

Hey! I appreciate the kind way you phrased all of this. In short, if you’ve ever read anything I’ve posted you know what I’m gonna say next: maybe that’s true and feel free to think that 🤷‍♀️

I still don’t get why the idea that they’ve chosen not to spend any time together (which we have no evidence of except for a lack of evidence the other way) is more compelling than the idea that they do in fact spend plenty of time together and just don’t share it (which we also have no evidence of except for the way they treat each other when we do see them). Both have a dearth of evidence, except one seems out of character.

Does that make sense? Like it’s perfectly possible they don’t hang. But also, they were like magnets on all the final Run BTS episodes. Not just magnets but affectionate, touchy, best-friend-or-more type magnets. But also, Jung Kook asked Jimin to come over during a recent live, while being all giggly and cheesy and excited to see him. It didn’t seem like a “it’s been so long, I’m saying this just out of an awkward sense of duty,” to me — it seemed like something that probably happens often. Jimin said something to the effect of “I’ll come after work” or something close, right? (He said many other things too but that was the only one that correlated directly to hanging out other than the one where he expressed desire to tie back JK’s hair which could be innocuous or could be something he does when they hang out, who knows?). But also, JK told his boxing instructor that JM would come soon, but also JM talked to that same instructor like he knew him well, and likely has gone with JK to lessons in the past. But also, it really hasn’t been that long since JK’s weirdly sexual/teasing birthday video for Jimin and now several members have had birthdays pass and nobody else got that treatment. But also… the list goes on, I’m sure there’s more but my coffee’s getting cold.

So, I can’t speak for all Jikookers because we are in fact not a cult, so there aren’t established patterns of belief that we all must adhere to. You think maybe they’ve stopped hanging out cause they haven’t shared it with you. Cool. Many others, myself included, think it’s unlikely that you would abruptly stop hanging out with someone who clearly means so much to you while still continuing to treat said person in a loving, flirty, domestic manner. They don’t act like exes, not even a little bit, so we have no reason to think they are. I think it seems much more in character for them to be preserving the final shreds of privacy they have to protect the relationship that means more to them than the other ones; or at least means something different.

Idk, but if you actually believed them to be dating at any point, or even just as close of friends as they appear, regardless of dating, think of how that would look if they suddenly stopped speaking.

Remember when Tae and JK did kinda stop hanging out? Remember how it was kind of obvious through their interactions that they weren’t as close, and then they full on addressed it in that conversation and talked about how they needed to put more effort into their friendship (which kudos to them, like you said, seems like they are). If anything, Jimin and JK’s relationship over the years has seemed even more close and symbiotic than almost any other friendship in the group except maybe vmin. So I would think if that was crumbling away, we’d see a lot more in their interactions than giggly, sweet, heart eyes and “eat well my baby” comments.

Feel free to disagree!

[world-of-fire-and-flight]

The Lair in the Woods

A/N: I meant to post this yesterday but my day got hijacked by a migraine😭 (I’m fine now but oof my weekend got away from me! I still have to finish making my Christmas tree topper…) (I did however schedule my Insta and FB posts for the week though so there’s that😎)

Warnings: Some anxiety and feelings of fear, reference to stalker, self-image issues, reference to (past) threats, confessions (of sorts)

My Masterlist | Taglist Info or Taglist Request Form | The Lair in the Woods masterlist

Civilian furrowed their brow. “What are you insinuating?”

The more Supervillain asked them, the more overwhelmed and helpless Caretaker’s heart became. They’d asked questions about their childhood, about their job, about the grocery store clerk that usually rang them up, and everything in between. Most of their questions Civilian couldn’t even answer, because how should they know if someone was watching them while they’d walked the dogs at the shelter they volunteered at or if they kept running into the same person at the pharmacy and then again at the mall when they went shopping?

“Maybe we should take a break,” Supervillain smiled warily, as if they should be the one to feel exasperated by their line of questioning.

“Was any of that actually helpful to you, or are we still nowhere near figuring out who my stalker is?” Civilian asked, their voice full of dejection.

Supervillain’s lips pressed into a thin line. They nodded slowly. “I think if we can piece some things together, like the timing of the letters and what…‘event’ we’ll call them, they correlated with, and try to discern a pattern and draw a list of suspects from that, we’ll find your stalker. They will not torment you forever, Civilian. I promise you that.”

Their savior’s words didn’t fill Civilian with any warmth. Their stomach churned with doubt.

Supervillain had asked them a lot of questions. They hadn’t been able to offer their companion many answers.

“It all just seems so random,” Civilian mumbled, leaning back into the couch cushions and resting their head against the top. “Nothing about it makes any sense to me. I’m…I’m really not that noticeable…or…well, you know. Pretty.”

Supervillain scoffed. “People are drawn to different art forms for a reason, so whether or not you’re attractive matters only to your stalker.”

“Thank you?” Civilian turned to look at them, not entirely sure if their words offered any actual comfort or if Supervillain had only offered them out of duty. But Supervillain’s eyes gleamed seriously. The lines of their face had softened with an honest expression. Swallowing, Civilian quickly added, “But I’m not a painting.”

“Who said you had to be painting? You could be a sculpture instead,” Supervillain teased.

Civilian smiled, glancing away. “All right fine. I guess my stalker likes what they see. That’s not very comforting though, given…Their letters were…I wish I could’ve burned them.”

“But it’s a good thing you didn’t. They’re still evidence, and we could use them. Writing is like another thumbprint. Everyone has their own style, so there’s going to be something there to help prove that the person we bring to justice is your stalker. That, and I’m sure we’ll find other evidence to help convict them.”

“They’re typed though. We can’t exactly compare how they cross their t’s.”

“No, but sentence structure, word choice, and spelling can all help us.”

Civilian picked at an invisible thread on their pant leg. They hadn’t thought of that.

“We’ll find them,” Supervillain repeated. “And I think I know exactly how we’re going to draw them out.” Civilian’s breath hitched, fearing what their savior was about to propose. They’d hinted at a plan forming in their mind, and if the excited gleam in their eye was anything to go by, it seemed Supervillain was ready to share it. Pausing at their panic, Supervillain offered them an assuring smile, “You’ll be completely safe, don’t worry. In fact, you’re going to stay right here, completely protected by my team of highly trained professionals and Medic. But…Well, it’s not necessarily a bad thing I suppose,” Supervillain paused, turning away from them and leaning back in their chair. “I have a confession to make before I can tell you my plan.”

“O-okay?” Civilian gripped the arm of the couch. Their muscles coiled, ready to vault them off the couch and out the door. “What is it?”

Supervillain sucked in a breath. “It’s…easier if I show you, but some people find it rather…unsettling.”

“That’s okay. You don’t have to show me,” Civilian stuttered, “I’ll believe you.”

Supervillain raised a brow. “If you say so. Either way, I know you’re not going to like what I have to say because most sensible people don’t.” Civilian watched as Supervillain slowly stood from their chair and stepped away from the cozy seating area.

Encouraged by the distance they’d put between them, Civilian nodded uncertainly. “What is it?”

“I have superpowers,” Supervillain said slowly. “And not just any superpowers, I can shapeshift. So I can do this.”

Civilian watched, mystified as Supervillain’s features morphed and rearranged themselves before their very eyes. They weren’t sure if the rock in their throat was from their initial terror or because some part of them was repulsed by the grotesque display of skin and muscle rearranging themselves as Supervillain’s stature shrank, their hair grew out and changed color, and their entire appearance changed. The clothes became baggy and hung from Supervillain’s changed figure, a figure that Civilian had seen everyday of their life, every time they looked in the mirror.

Supervillain had become them.

Civilian gulped.

“You could be anybody,” they said, their mouth dry. “Even my stalker.”

“You’re right,” Supervillain said calmly, “I could be anybody, but right now I’m you.”

Civilian nodded. “So this is how you’re going to do it. You’re going to pretend to be me?”

“Yes…” Supervillain trailed off.

Civilian’s head hurt. They tried to focus, they really did. But all their mind could fixate on was the fact that a perfect copy of themselves stood in front of them, that that’s what their voice sounded like to other people, and that Supervillain had shapeshifted into them of all people.

“Close your eyes.”

They didn’t even think twice, doing as Supervillain said without question. It didn’t stop their temples from throbbing though.

“Okay.” Supervillain’s voice had returned to normal, and as Civilian opened their eyes, they were met with the sight of the figure of their savior as they’d been introduced to. Well-fitted clothes and all. “So yes, as I was going to explain, I—” Supervillain let out a heavy sigh and plopped back down in their chair. “Go ahead. Ask me anything you want.”

Civilian nearly burst, “Why that form? Is that what you really look like? Does it…” They glanced down at their lap, trying to calm themselves before they asked something insensitive.

“I like this height. It’s tall enough to reach the top shelf, but not so tall as to be noticeable and draw attention from people,” Supervillain said, amusement clear in their voice. “I plead the fifth on your second question, namely because telling you either way would risk my entire business, and no. It doesn’t hurt me. It looks worse than it feels. It’s more like…Well I guess it’s that I’m used to it. When I shrink it’s not so bad, but it can feel like stretching sometimes when I shift taller, but other times it’s like I’m pulling a muscle. The, uh, ‘joint pain’ I’ll call it because it’s sort of like that, as my bones shift isn’t fun, but like I said, I’m used to it.” Supervillain shrugged dismissively.

Supervillain avoided their gaze. From where they sat, Civilian could see how their hands clenched the arms of their chair. Civilian stared at them for a second, letting it all sink in and tried to wrap their head around everything.

“So…you can shapeshift and you run a private security firm that has a base of operations in an old ski lodge.”

Supervillain nodded slowly. They still hadn’t glanced their way. “That’s right.”

“I feel like you’re not telling me something,” Civilian said quietly. Supervillain tensed under their gaze, their eyes finally snapping to them. Civilian couldn’t hold their gaze, fearing the answer to what they wanted to ask—what they were going to ask. “Are you…I mean, I know you can’t answer this but…” They hesitated, debating with themselves if they should even ask. “Are you a hero or something?”

The Lair in the Woods Taglist: @just-a-space-rabbit @classicplesiosaur @pigeonwhumps @heninthegarden @kaiwewi @korejon @rivalriotrenegade @alpacamelons @averyconfusedhuman @amerementdoux @istealpants @sweetpeaflower01 @theimportantbreadtraveler @spideyholland @alltimelowing Let me know if you’d like to be added or removed (no reason necessary😊)! You can also fill out this handy dandy form if you’d like to be added too!

[hsvh-hp]

Hi! Thanks for all the responses -- I hadn't realized how many chapters I'd gotten through since your last round until I saw the emails lmao

I was wondering, in regards to this:

And omg, I totally feel you on being a trans person in the HP fandom. It's very weird how my tumblr dash is set up. I have mutuals still from old fandoms who are queer, and I feel so ostracized from them at times when they toe the line of 'anybody in the HP fandom supports JKR, you're a bad person if you're still engaging with it'. I'll spare you the essay on why I disagree with that, but oddly the safest place I feel on the internet as a trans person is in the HP fandom. Which is weird at face value, I suppose, given what JKR is doing, but we really are separate from her. I've yet to see substantial evidence that fandom, which is infamous for generating zero revenue, is floating trans peoples' demise. It's just a thought crime, I guess.

if you would, perhaps, not spare me the essay? lol

I feel the same sort of ostracization which is especially frustrating when I am in such "thought crimes are fake!" circles, and I'm interested in your perspective, if you want to give it!

Sure, I’ll offer my perspective on it! This is probably best broken down into bullet points:

1. JKR was already a billionaire before she came out as a TERF.

There is nothing in the world that will change this status. Even if every single person currently engaging with her various IPs immediately dropped them, JKR would still have a billion plus dollars to drop on anti-trans movements and whatever. A billion dollars is immensely difficult to picture. The easiest way is to think like this: if you make $50,000 a year, the equivalent of her dropping $75,000 the other day is you spending $3.75. How often do you spend 0.0075% of your income and give it any thought? JKR’s wealth is not directly tied to ‘levels of fandom engagement’.

Which leads to…

2. Boycotts don’t work.

Sorry. They don’t. Not against someone this politically powerful. If they did, the flood of people out of the HP fandom in 2020 would have had a measurable effect. What did have a measurable effect? People not going to watch the Fantastic Beast movies (because they were hot trash lmao). Not giving JKR any more money works in the sense that it cripples her future projects, but it has zero effect on what’s already in her purse.

Also, think of boycotts this way: wasn’t it hilarious watching conservatives try to boycott the Barbie movie, Nike, Bud Light, and whatever else they’ve systematically locked on to? But so then why do progressives/the left/whoever think it’s going to work the other way? Like with Hogwarts Legacy? Just don’t interact with the media, dude. And if you do, pirate it.

3. Fandom is not mainstream. I have never seen any data to substantiate that participating in a fandom directly correlates to dollars for the IP. Copyright literally prevents that from happening. To bring up to popular saying, “there is no ethical consumption under capitalism”, fandom exists outside of capitalism—for me, at least, as a fan fiction writer. This is a hobby to me. I have never seen a red cent for any of the hours of work I’ve put into my fics.

And I can probably guarantee that no one has stumbled upon Harry Potter through me, lol. They didn’t read one of my fics and go, ‘you know, I should check out what source material this is coming from’. Harry Potter is so well-known that there’s no way they came in blind.

Also, the TERF discourse is very much an online thing. I work retail irl and I’ve had conversations with customers who’ll say “you know, I really don’t get all this hubbub against trans people” but are too boomer to be anything more than tangentially aware that Harry Potter is a Thing. Like, ‘oh yeah, my kids read those books when they were coming out, but I never bothered’. One of my employees bought a set of the HP books because they were on a wicked deal at Costco, and when we were discussing it I told her that while I still enjoyed HP, I wasn’t comfortable giving JKR more money because she’s extremely transphobic and donates a lot of money to anti-trans causes. My employee was horrified and said that had she known that, she wouldn’t have bought the books. Lots of people just don’t know!

Which takes me to…

4. This type of online activism isn’t effective.

I’m talking specifically about being anti-Harry Potter or anti-JKR. Falling into those two categories does not automatically make you pro-trans. This was pretty blatantly obvious back when the books were being burned for promoting witchcraft. As far as fighting for trans peoples’ rights, screaming until you’re blue in the face about how anybody who engages with Harry Potter is a traitor and JKR BAD is wasting time better spent doing something productive - something that could actually benefit trans people rather than…I don’t know…virtue signalling that their blog or twitter account is a safe space?

5. I personally do not feel welcomed or vouched for by these people.

Listen, I’m going to break myself down into all my stupid little categories. I’m trans. Autistic. Intersex. Aromantic. Asexual. Basically, all the things that people love to try and cast out of the queer community, whether that means they’re trying to split LGBTQIA+ at the T or Q.

The anti-Harry Potter stuff, as far as attacking the fandom, feels like the latest strain of purity politics to me. As I’ve laid out above, abandoning HP will not right the wrongs of JKR in any measurable or tangible way. Boycotts don’t work. Fandom does not feed JKR’s coffers, and destroying the fandom will not cripple her. There are trans people inside the HP fandom, and what of us? Are we traitors? Are we not ‘really’ trans, because obviously we don’t care about the current political climate? Are we just confused and need to be enlightened as to what harm we’re doing? Where have I heard this rhetoric before?

One small thing, tangentially related:

6. I don’t care what JKR says about how engaging with Harry Potter tells her about who her ‘supporters’ are.

Seriously? She’s a lying dirtbag, and I’m just supposed to take her word on this? This is the one thing she just so happens to be right about?

When she started spouting TERF shit, I was really saddened by the writers who, upon leaving the fandom, also deleted their works in protest. Seeing as the majority of the HP fandom is queer, I’m sure that JKR was very pleased with the amount of queer media erasure that occurred. Why did we do that for her?

7. I believe JKR actually seethes and malds over the prospect of her fandom being queer and producing queer content.

As a writer, there’s a special kind of pain that comes from someone not quite interpreting your work the way you would have wanted them to. What do you think JKR’s first reaction was when she first learned about the Harry/Draco ship? The Draco/Hermione ship? If she didn’t live in a stone castle, I bet she would’ve punched a hole in the wall.

So, yeah. Transing and gaying all of her characters is a pretty nice way to get to her in a way that she can’t legally or financially retaliate. Every time she screams ‘WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?!’ at the queer people in her fandom, a trans person’s crops are watered.

8. The HP setting is very welcoming to trans people.

Potions exist that can change your body. Enough said.

That the Harry Potter books never really says anything specifically about trans people (NOTE: obviously JKR’s prejudices even back then showed through, but this isn’t about that) leaves the question on the table. Obviously trans people exist in the Harry Potter setting, because they exist everywhere. So, how did they never get any page time?

Well, who says they didn’t? In a setting where potions exist to change your body, trans people are just…people. I don’t even think that they would have a marginalized identity because gender dysphoria would be something very easily treated. Think of it like someone who takes medication for blood pressure. They need the medication, it’s life-saving, and while there isn’t a magical pill to ‘cure’ high blood pressure, it can be managed. The magical world revels in being strange. Why would being trans, while being considered strange here in the ‘Muggle’ world, be anything other than normal there? Why can’t it be?

And then there are Metamorphmagi. People who can literally change themselves at will! If that isn’t a trans person’s dream, I don’t know what is. I would personally love the option of being the biggest, hairiest dude with a dick so big an erection would make me black out, and then ultra femme and delicate the next.

Last on this point, Harry never notes anyone specifically trans in the text (NOTE: touching on things like the physical descriptions of Rita Skeeter and Marge Dursley, JKR tends to do the ugly=bad person thing. Although she describes Rita and Marge as mannish in appearance, they aren’t trans characters. They’re women that JKR wants to frame as bad people. Like I said above, this is JKR’s prejudice showing through). If Harry never notes anyone as specifically trans, that probably means that it’s impossible to tell at face value. The same as blood pressure medication, to return to that analogy. How do you know someone is on them? They tell you. You see the pill bottle and happen to know what that medication is for. They complain about side effects. They complain about the symptoms that led them going to the doctor in the first place.

9. Queer HP fandom content can potentially be how a Harry Potter fan realizes that they’re queer (or that queer people are just regular folks).

Hey, the first one happened to me!

If someone comes into the Harry Potter fandom unaware of JKR’s politics - maybe they were gifted the books for their birthday or happened to catch the movies on TV - it’s good actually that this person doesn’t fall right into an echo chamber of JKR’s politics. I’ll be happily here to correct her record in a way that isn’t shaming or policing them.

Anyway, I think that’s everything lol. To summarize:

- The HP Fandom is a neutral setting. Engaging with it doesn’t help JKR, and not engaging with it doesn’t help trans people. Just don’t spend money on official HP merch.

- If you want to be a pro-trans activist or trans political ally, please just ignore JKR and put all your focus on the real world.

- There are trans people in the HP fandom who are left feeling awkward and uncomfortable due to virtue signalling.

- Generating queer HP content is good, actually.

[the-travelling-witch]

HOLLY HOLLY CONGRATS ON UR 1K !! i saw ur event (which looks super good btw :o) and i cannot NOT request smth !!

i am here to present you with my request: 3 + you guessed it, alhaitham !! pls feel free to make it whatever genre u want <3

i finally finished this oml, it sat in my drafts for so long half-written smh, i hope you enjoy the result though!! ♡

⇢ ˗ˏˋ Snapshot ﾟ☾. ࿐

trope: taking photos [space nr. 20]

pairing: al-haitham x gn!reader

genre: fluff, suggestive at the end hehehe~

warnings: none except for al-haitham (i believe he should come with his own warning)

genshin masterlist

second constellation event masterlist

“Look at this flower, isn't it pretty?” you excitedly exclaimed, kamera in hand.

Somewhere in the depths of Avidya Forest, two scholars were documenting the flora and fauna there for their project. One highly motivated to get this over with, the other—

“Is it?” With his eyes barely glancing over to the flower, Al-Haitham merely shrugged. “It looks like a rather average specimen to me.”

“That’s probably because you wouldn't know true beauty even if it stared you right in the face,” you scoffed.

Sometimes you really wanted to kick him where the sun didn’t shine; once for being a pain in the ass to work with and twice for making you fall for him all the same.

And maybe once more for always leaving you guessing, just for good measure. One day, he’d barely give you the time of day to accept the papers you handed him, the next, he’d come and seek you out to have lunch with him.

Seriously, what was his problem? Make up your mind, you dumb—

“Oh yeah?” Al-Haitham’s tone was cocky, challenging even, as he crossed the space between you in long strides. Grabbing a hold of your chin between his thumb, index and middle finger, he effectively made you meet his eyes. “I know you though, don’t I?”

“I- What?” You spluttered, heat flooding between his fingers up your cheeks. Blinking up at him repeatedly, you were trying to gauge his reaction. “What are you trying to say here, Al-Haitham, it's not funny-”

“What am I trying to say? I’ve made it rather obvious, haven’t I?” Cocking an eyebrow at your reaction, you could see the infuriating ghost of a smirk dancing around the corner of his lips. “And I know you’re smart enough to pick up on it. So don’t disappoint me, (y/n), tell me which conclusion you came to based on all the evidence laid out in front of you."

In that particular moment, you had good mind to take a swing at his stupidly handsome face. He was really going to make you repeat that? This jerk, he was enjoying this more than he should have been. Normally, he should be the flustered one after proclaiming something like that!

“Well, do correct me if I’m wrong, Scribe, but it almost sounded as if you called me beautiful. It seems something about my research must have gone amiss, the results simply do not match the gathered information.” You did your best to maintain an even tone and mimic the snobbish speech mannerisms you and your peers mocked your superiors for. “If you’d be so kind as to enlighten me where I might have been led astray in my analysis, I believe your insight would be of utmost importance on this matter.”

“Perhaps you should review your gathered information again, I do believe it matches the presented results, wouldn’t you agree?” Studying your expression carefully, one large hand settled on your waist and you suddenly realised how small the gap between you two had become. „I‘ve been conducting a similar research as of late, all evidence pointing to an outcome not unlike yours; your thoughts on the matter?“

„I concur,“ you breathed out, lost in the depths of emerald and amber. „It seems there might be a correlation between our findings.“

„A most intriguing hypothesis indeed.“ Al-Haitham‘s voice was low, barely above a whisper, but from how he leant closer, you heard him perfectly fine. With your hands on the tight material spanning his solid pectorals, you put up no resistance whatsoever as you willingly let him guide your face closer to his, your noses barely brushing. „Tell me, (y/n), are you willing to put your theory to the test?“ 

„Only if I‘m working with a willing partner,“ you matched his tone as one of your hands slid up his shoulder and under the fabric of his cape. 

Meanwhile, his fingers left your chin in favour of cupping the back of your neck. Between half-lidded eyes, Al-Haitham still couldn’t tear his gaze away from your lips almost touching his. „Haven’t I made myself crystal clear? I wish to explore all possibilities of this experiment with you.“

A gentle tug was all it needed for him to connect your lips with his. At first, his movements were almost timid, cautious in a way you weren’t used to from him. When you pressed your chest closer to his, however, his actions grew bolder as well, stringing you along in a sensual dance. 

The heat radiating from both his front and the hand which had sneaked to the small of your back, holding you firmer against him, made your head spin. To combat the dizzying sensation, you dug your fingers into the grey strands in his nape, hoping to ground yourself as your heart soared.

Even as Al-Haitham pulled away until only his breath fanned your cheeks, your mouth stayed slightly parted, eyes fluttering open slowly. 

Then, you heard the shutter of a kamera go off as you blinked into the lens of Al-Haitham‘s device. You watched incredulously as he examined the image of your still dazed expression. When he saw you gaping at him, a smug smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. 

„A truly beautiful snapshot indeed,“ he mused. „Now, let’s finish up our task here.“

Wrapping his hand around your wrist and bringing it up to his lips, he pressed a fluttering kiss to the sensitive skin.

„After all, my roommate will be gone for quite some time and I have important research to conduct.“

tag list: @mccnstruck @teyvattales @silentmoths @ainescribe @meimeimeirin @dustofthedailylife @nsojbbkkm

[anderscim]

welcome to wild theories with bagel

this one is… quite unlike the other posts as this is almost entirely speculation and probably has a lot of room for rebuttal

(it’s a theory after all)

this is mainly about teruko and her (possible) connection to the killing game.

take this with a grain of salt as always

//drdt prologue, chapter 1, and chapter 2 spoilers

// blood warning from about the second half of the post.

also i go on a giant tangent here. so quick warning about that as well

i’m just thinking back to this motive secret:

“How could I even select what secret to be your motive? Just about everything you’ve done in your life is worth killing for. This killing game is all your fault.”

as of now, we’ve been told (by David) that this was Xander’s secret, but I highly doubt it. for me, this is mainly because when everyone was sharing who’s secret they had at the 2nd trial, David hesitated and asked to go last—there’s really no reason to do that unless David wanted time to think about what to do and/or fully process the situation before taking action (plus going last would give David the added benefit of knowing whose secrets are already revealed).

not only that, Xander’s bonus episode and secret quote seems to imply that his secret is actually the one Min has (“You’re constantly blaming yourself for the death of your parents and siblings. It doesn’t matter that it’s not your fault, just that you didn’t go with them”). Xander’s survivor’s guilt seems to be a major motif for his character, so logically it would still be plausible for his secret to be related to the Chariton incident and his guilt.

in that case, who’s secret does David actually have?

unfortunately, it would be quite difficult to try to deduce this through that last sentence (and i don’t think i have to explain why), so i decided to go back to the first sentence—which implies that whoever this motive is about has too many secrets that they don’t want to remember and/or discuss.

i can clearly recall one character that explicitly mentions this:

i don’t recall anyone else saying something like this, but please correct me if someone did actually say something similar

additionally, each one of Teruko’s accidents that she’s survived as a result of her luck can become “secrets” that are worded to incriminate her and give her a motive to murder. after all, whoever wrote these secrets have done so in a way that paints the other characters in a bad light—there’s really no reason to exclude Teruko’s “secrets” from that treatment.

but if that were the case, is there a proper explanation as to why “this killing game is all [her] fault?”

as i’ve mentioned before, the secrets are specifically written in a way to incriminate the participants and taint their image. even Hu mentions this at one point:

and to be completely honest, if someone were to explicitly write that a killing game was a specific character’s fault, it would probably be to throw the cast off. it would be extremely imprudent to specifically implicate someone as a potential mastermind otherwise. after all, that’s essentially putting the entire killing game at stake.

however, despite the fact that these secrets are written to implicate the cast, most of them do have factual evidence to justify some part of it.

here’s where i get into wild theory territory:

what if Teruko is indirectly responsible for the killing game, just not in the way that we’d think?

let me elaborate on how this could actually happen (and this is gonna get long):

think back to the opening scene of the prologue. whoever it was that was injured here, they seemed very… determined to end the killing game “all by [themselves].” or kill teruko.

// (pink) blood warning from here on out

•

•

•

from here i’m going to pay a lot of attention to specific wording and such so please take this with a grain of salt

oh also this is gonna go on a tangent lmao

as seen here it seems that Teruko and the killing game are directly correlated to each other. this person here says that even if the killing game doesn’t end, Teruko must die—which seems to imply that her death could be a possible solution to the killing game, even if it is eventually revealed to not be one. after all, in a situation like this it wouldn’t make sense for this person to mention two seemingly separate things one after another if they weren’t related to each other somehow.

also this might just be me, but i just wanted to bring attention to this line:

“all by myself… i must end this killing game.”

this implies that whoever this person is, they want to end this killing game independently, by their own effort. specifically asking Xander to kill Teruko with no justification or reason why, in that case, doesn’t really make sense as it’s entirely dependent on the decision and whims of another person.

and besides, this may again just be me, but Xander mentions how he needs to “trust in [him]self” that killing Teruko would be worth it:

this may imply that Xander attempted to murder Teruko out of his own instinct, and/or Xander deduced that the person who wrote that note to kill Teruko was himself. whether that’s because that note was in his own handwriting, or something from his memories told him so, i’m not sure.

also, recall the fact that some of the cast’s memories have been removed. for example, Xander doesn’t actually recall when he lost his eye.

someone else said this in a YouTube comment (that i unfortunately cannot find, but i’ll see if i can find the screenshot and put it here later), but—in that original prologue cutscene, there’s a fork under the person’s hand.

Xander’s eye injury, as we saw in chapter 1, has indents on it that look similar to claw marks. but based on those indents, it is actually plausible that those injuries were done by something similar to that fork (the fork in the prologue cutscene has four prongs, and the injury seems to have been caused by something that had four,,, uhh, prongs/claw bones). however this is purely speculation so this may be entirely wrong.

if this does happen to be correct, though, this could possibly imply that Xander was the person in the prologue cutscene. in that case, it is possible that Xander himself wrote the note to kill Teruko.

trusting “himself” to kill Teruko would, in that situation, actually make sense.

but as we know, killing Teruko is a challenge in on its own, whether that’s by attempting to incriminate her or attempting to directly murder her. she even declares this herself.

actually, little side note: “no matter what” is seen in both this scene and the prologue cutscene—and they’re highlighted in both cases. just thought it was interesting because it gives off “unstoppable force meets immovable object” vibes lmao

though this could definitely be more important than it seems right now

this has been kind of true. in the first chapter, we saw Teruko almost getting killed multiple times, and her surviving all of them. first with Xander attacking Teruko, second with Min attempting to frame Teruko to ensure her own survival (and don’t forget about the detail of two people voting for Teruko for some odd reason—not sure why, but this could suggest that someone other than Xander was aware of this situation? that’s the current weak point of my theory, unfortunately). so as far as we can tell, attempting to kill Teruko proves to be very difficult as her luck carries her though each incident, even if she didn’t want to survive them. it almost seems like an impossible feat with the amount of luck she has.

the thing is, the fact that killing Teruko is nearly impossible adds to my personal theory: “what if the killing game is only running because Teruko is alive? what if killing her effectively ends the killing game?”

look i can explain it okay

as far as we can tell, Teruko actually has a lot of advantages compared to the others in the killing game:

her distrusting nature makes her less vulnerable to being lured into a trap

her luck. that’s all i have to say

MonoTV is giving her some advantages himself, which seems a little… suspicious.

okay on second thought let me elaborate on that last bullet

think back to ch2 ep2-3. MonoTV is the one that asked Teruko to do some chores for him in exchange for MonoCredits—which are essentially tokens that allow Teruko to get others to leave her alone.

what’s interesting here is, MonoTV doesn’t set any restrictions on when she can’t use them (although that could be just because Teruko cut him off). in that case, couldn’t she theoretically use one if she’s about to get murdered or something?

and I also find it weird that MonoTV asks Teruko specifically (as well as follows her around) to do that chore. since there were so many other people that Teruko talked to when MonoTV was still following her, he technically could’ve walked up to anyone. therefore, it could be a possibility that MonoTV intentionally did that to give her an advantage.

just me? okay

anyways what i’m trying to say here is that the series itself seems to be gradually giving Teruko more advantages and opportunities that prevent her from being killed. although that could point to her being the mastermind, i kind of explained with the secrets why that seems unlikely.

but if my theory of “killing Teruko will end the killing game” proves to be correct, the true mastermind actually benefits from giving these added advantages to Teruko—it makes it harder for Teruko to be killed, which effectively keeps the game running.

which indirectly makes Teruko responsible for the killing game—by literally just being alive.

this. uh. was a lot of small speculation and details. that could probably be proven wrong.

besides we’re only mid-ch2 at the time of writing this

so feel free to refute me on ANY of these points—i will listen. for all i know i could be wildly wrong

and as always, take this with a grain of salt.

[cheezbites]

Chris McLean x Civilian

✎: Been wanting to drop this for a while :))

♡Summary: Chris McLean dating someone who isn’t famous.

━━•❃°•°❀°•°❃•━━

Bf!Chris enjoyed your alone time as much as you enjoyed his; he’d do the most to secure it for you both. Even going as far as emptying an entire movie theatre solely from his high status.

“What do you mean? You just told them ‘Yo, It’s Chris McLean here. I’m going to need the cinema reserved for me and my girl at 5pm stat.’ Like, that’s insane.” You quipped, walking into the vacant cinema whilst locking arms with him.

He chuckled at your poor impression of his voice as he gave a nod of approval to one of the workers behind the til, they seemed to instantly recognise him as they allowed him into the theatre.

“Pretty much, yeah.”

Bf!Chris would commentate the movie as you watched; not too often to be irritating, but not being quiet so he’s not too silent. You’d listened with genuine interest as to what he had to say, no matter how cruel and uncanny it was.

“I could do that for Total Drama,” he mentioned in the midst of rubbing the stubble on his chin.

“What? Camouflaged bear traps around the wilderness?”

“Totally. Wouldn’t it be cool?”

“Sure…!”

Bf!Chris was a busy man with a bad habit of constantly forgetting stuff, which wasn’t a good mix for him. For subtle yet noticeable reminders, he doodled anything that would even mildly correlate to what he’s trying to remember on his palm/hand. But he never forgot about you, it’s like you were the main distraction. Most of the time, he forgets other things as he’s too busy thinking about you, what you were up to, how other filthy men would try steal you from him, maybe you thought about other guys - to put it simply, it drives him insane.

“Aw, that’s so cute!” You pointed at the sloppily drawn and evidently rushed cat drawing on his hand in black marker.

“Oh… I was meant to do that an hour ago,” he murmured, leaning forward to grab baby wipe on the coffee table before erasing it.

“Do what?” your face lit up at Chris’s sudden sweet side, you never saw him being a cat person. More of a ‘hostile bears in a remote island to maul oblivious teenagers’ person.

“Y’know how cats and lions are basically the same?”

“Basically…”

“We were going to get lions instead of stereotypical bears for this season,” he added before eventually wiping the ink off his hand.

“Not so ‘Aww’ anymore…” You couldn’t complain, though. You knew what you signed up for the moment you started dating him; like an unspoken contract that you just know about.

Bf!Chris hates everyone else but you. And Chef, of course. How could he after he served him loyally for so many years? He was on set, getting ready to film a segment for a show without you. He was disdainfully scrutinising everyone and appeared moody. But the moment he heard you were going to be there, his face instantly lit up, and his demeanor changed.

The set was bustling with activity as Chris mentally and physically prepared himself. His brow was furrowed, and he seemed unusually bossy and irritable as he glared at the crew members scurrying about. He mumbled something under his breath that was barely audible, but it was clear he wasn't in the best mood.

Just then, a crew member approached him. "Hey, Chris, guess what?”

“What?” he pulled down his tie to reposition it without even sparing the crew member a glance.

“Guess!”

“‘Don’t have time for games, Elizabeth. Spit it out.”

“Y/N's going to be here today. She's joining us for this segment."

Chris's eyes widened in surprise, and his moody demeanor shifted in an instant. A wide grin spread across his face, and he practically beamed with excitement. "Y/N's coming? Is she here yet?”

As if on cue, you entered the room and Chris rushed towards you, scooping you up in a tight hug. His attitude from earlier seemed completely forgotten. The crew members couldn't help but smile at the sudden transformation as they continued to set up for the shoot.

Bf!Chris made you garner a couple of thousand followers on socials just by being associated with him, and you didn't mind it too much. You even enjoyed the attention you received from it, often engaging with your new followers through Q&A sessions and sharing behind-the-scenes stories from your life together.

Bf!Chris loved it when you defended him for his sadistic behaviour. He stumbled across a Twitter thread between you and some random drama seeking influencer:

LolazLife: "Why are we not discussing how Y/N is dating Chris and standing by his toxic behavior? She needs to be called out and held accountable, too."

❤️ 28.5k 💬 2.9k ↪️ 1.2k

Y/N: "Is he really toxic? Or is it just the entertainment industry? Let’s put this into retrospect, he wouldn’t be the man he is if you guys didn’t constantly obsess over the ‘toxic show’ you all hate so much."

❤️ 74.6k 💬 7.3k ↪️ 2.5k

LolazLife: "Um, he hospitalized teenagers!"

❤️ 19.8k 💬 1.2k ↪️ 890

Y/N: "Um, those teenagers should learn how to read contracts before complaining! Too bad they can’t sue, huh? #legalitysucks #wompwomp”

❤️ 118.3k 💬 13.5k ↪️ 45.7k

People would confront you on a serious note, you’d argue with them for fun and for the sole purpose of your amusement, wasting their time and embarrassing them on the internet.

Bf!Chris is an attention whore, a clingy one, too. Be needs your attention constantly - it’s like he cannot live without you. He needs to breathe the same air as you, sleep in the same bed as you and even insists on sipping your smoothie when he thinks you're not looking.

"In the savannas of Africa, a sleek and agile predator roams the open plains with effortless grace. The cheetah, the fastest land animal on Earth…” the documentary continued in the background as you occasionally popped a few M&M’s into your mouth.

You were wrapped in a cozy pink robe, your feet snugly ensconced in fluffy white bunny slippers, and a rose-scented face mask enriched your skin. Chris then strolled in wearing his own smug blue robe, the one you had admired during that time you went 'window shopping'. He settled down beside you, his arms encircling your waist as he rested his head on your stomach, both of you were watching the documentary together.

You toyed with his hair before he reached his arm out to take a sip of your smoothie.

“Oi!” you yelped, playfully hitting his head.

He continued greedily drinking, but what he was drawn to the most wasn’t the flavour of the smoothie but the flavour of your cherry lipgloss that coated the straw.

Bf!Chris incessantly smothered you with gifts and affection. It made you feel like the damsel in distress at times, but it was all pure intentions and you knew that. Most of your jewellery? from him. As well as your fancy dresses and those getaways to extravagant restaurants with exotic dishes.

"There's a new restaurant in town. I got an invite, let’s go together.”

Chris was a foodie through and through, always eager to try new and or trendy restaurants.

"That sounds great! When is it?"

With a grin, Chris handed you the invitation. "It’s tonight, by 7pm."

As evening descended, you both arrived at the restaurant. The warm aromas of spices filled the air as you were greeted with a luxurious menu with intricate patterns on the border. You settled at a table draped with vibrant fabrics, ready to embark on this culinary adventure.

As the evening unfolded, you shared laughter, stories, and delicious food, all while building your relationship and having fun. Chris's passion for food was contagious, and you felt privileged to be his +1, enjoying delicious meals without pay.

Bf!Chris was infamously known for his cruel and twisted ideas, he was ruthless with them at times. He needed someone to balance him out -

that would be you. He’d even encouraged you to speak out if he got a bit too ‘yappy’ as he called it.

You both were seated on the porch on a summer afternoon, brainstorming for the upcoming episodes. Chris was pacing back and forth, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he shared his latest concept for a challenge involving flaming hoops, live alligators, and a trapeze.

You listened patiently, but it became clear that his vision was spiraling into pure insanity.

"Chris," you said calmly, standing up and stepping in front of him, "I think it's a great idea, but what about an idea from you and not from Mr Yappy, hm?"

Chris paused, his enthusiasm slightly deflated. He nodded slowly, considering your suggestion.

Bf!Chris has a secret soft spot for animals, especially cute ones, and he can't resist petting every stray dog or cat he comes across.

"Right, we need some tomato sauce and cheese as well," you noted aloud as you read from the list. But Chris was on the other side of the sidewalk, crouched down and cautiously petting a fluffy cat that purred within every touch.

You couldn't help but smile, appreciating this side of him that often went unnoticed. When he seemed mean or unpleasant, it was mostly just a front for his show and for the sake of his image.

As you continued shopping together, you thought about how complex and enigmatic Chris was. His on-screen persona might be sharp and occasionally ruthless, but off-screen, he had a warm heart, a genuine kindness, and an unexpected love for cute pets.

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