#and so does neil because they're BEST FRIENDS

[maple-pies]

AFTG from a D1 perspective

As a D1 athlete from a sport where men and women practice and compete together (thought we are separate teams) here are my thoughts ;)

Whenever the Foxes travel and stay in hotels they have to share rooms (but if Wymack is going to drop the $$ for shower stalls they def don't have to share beds like my team does) but I wonder if they randomize the rooms?? lots of potential there...

(however, USC?? They're big enough that I can def seeing them have to share beds hahahaha)

training trip? do they go on training trip Nora I need to know! Lacrosse sometimes does, so maybe exy would idk... (they go to Florida or PR, Kevin gets hella burnt and Neil gets freckles end of story)

Lift?? They have to be lifting!! I know Aaron and Andrew are really into it and Nicky and Allison fight over the aux

there are days where everyone gets along (even people who hate each other) and there are days where everyones HATES each other (even the people who are best friends) it just happens

men are always puking during practice. Aaron personally gives me big barf boy energy (Nicky canonically yaks already lol)

periods. Having men and women practice together means the women don't GAF about talking about periods while the men stare at their shoes and pretend not to hear hahahha

Abby definitely gets pissed at Wymack and lift coach (they have to have one okay??) for working the foxes too hard, it's the trainer's job to get pissed at coaches okay

just NCAA violations in general. We have to do quizzes and shit to show we know the rules we can't break/rules the school and coach have to follow. (I could make a whole separate post about all the NCAA violations broken haha)

this is no way saying aftg is inaccurate, it just means they didn't ever get caught which checks out

speaking of which, whenever Aaron get's pissed he definitely is like "And we went over 20 hours last week!! I could just report them!!" to Katelyn and she calms him down

Interactions with other teams/greek life. I know there have to be some mixers/athlete events, if not the Foxes then the Trojans for sure.

complaining about dining hall food, I know Kevin's pissed about seed oils or lack of protein, something stupid like that

hookups within the team. okay the Foxes are small, but that just makes it more messy. the trojans have insane teamcest I just know it. (being coed means even more hookups than normal) . cute relationship sex, hate sex, random sex between people you would not believe (i def don't know this from first hand experience what....)

I'm so excited for TSC because we get so see how a "normal" Exy team behaves (I put normal in quotations bc ppl need to understand that D1 athletes, esp ones on a team as good as USC, are definitely not normal people ahahha)

this is definitely just part 1

[do-angels-dream-of-starry-seas]

God, it's truly one of the trickiest situations out there.

Because of course gaiman should be fired, he should not be in a leadership position anymore. But then, you have Pratchett, whose legacy does not deserve to be ruined.

And this is something I feel like people don't actually know - gaiman didn't write all of s2. Others wrote the flashbacks of s2, and many including me have said they're the best part. So there's definitive proof that gaiman does not need to helm the writing.

I'd say if @neil-gaiman actually does care about his friend, he should give all writing notes Pratchett had to other writers. Give everything there is, and all his current drafts, and then leave. Other people understand the influence of Pratchett in Good Omens, they will still honor him and his storytelling

[bee--28]

Dead Poets Society is so tragic guys, I can't. It starts off sad and ends heartbreaking.

Like, even Chris and Knox are sad to me cause well they're like so fucking sweet (when Chris agrees to go to the play and Knox does the little spin in the snow, ugh, so cute, I can't), Knox is also canonically an asshole and I hate him (in cannon).

No one gets to be happy, Neil offs himself, Charlie gets himself expelled, Cameron loses all his friends (by his own hand but like still, Neil was really kinda the only one who was nice to him and even then (they were all bystanders to Charlie's blatant bullying)), Meeks dies in war, Knox and Chris are probably gonna stay in their little toxic ass relationship because it's the fucking 50s, Pitts doesn't have a cannon tragedy but imagine you get told your best friend (and maybe more) died in war, that's bro's tragedy, and Todd loses the one person who made him feel welcomed and his only friend group falls apart within like 3 months of him being there (as an anxious person that'd break me, a friend group that was perfectly fine and functional before shatters within month of him being in it)

I want so desperately for them to be happy but it simply was never in the cards for them...

[perksofbeingpoet]

☆ WHAT THE POETS' HOBBIES WOULD BE (IF THEY HAD NORMAL LIVES AND FREE TIME) ☆

MEEKS: something tells me meeks would be really into rollerblading or skating? idk i can really picture him as a skater boy, and i can see pittsie coming with him to try it out! meeks would be very chill about it, not trying to learn the coolest tricks or something, BUT he'd totally bring his skateboard everywhere and the poets would tease him about it like oh hey mr cool, do you skateboard? that's so cool i'm SWOONING, good that you brought it to the theatre in case there's a skateboarding emergency

PITTS: photography/videography. if he lived today, pittsie would totally be a youtuber, but i can see him always taking pictures or even "vlogging" in the canon era, too! he just enjoys capturing these memories, and at the end of every year, he'd do a sort of "best of this year" with the poets- i also see him as a big plant dad, not sure if he'd do it in the 60s though? but i can picture pittsie having several little succulents. oh and baking/cooking!! meeks always snacks on his stuff before it's ready and it drives pittsie insane

TODD: i know everyone's convinced todd would be into crocheting, but i honestly don't really see it? no hate whatsoever, i get where people get the idea but to be honest i think crocheting would make todd frustrated/anxious. this boy needs movement, something to do so his mind shuts up, and i think that's swimming. i honestly think todd would be a really dedicated swimmer, maybe to the point where it gets a bit unhealthy because he just throws himself into it to turn his thoughts off?

CHARLIE: yes this one is kinda obvious but charlie would totally pursue music if he had the time and means- he seems so passionate when he plays the saxophone, it's one of the few scenes where we get to see him not joking around, dismissing things with a quip and smirk, but earnestly enjoying something. charlie wouldn't only play, I totally picture him going to jazz clubs and loving to dance there and chat up girls. oh he'd also play video games as soon as they're available!

KNOX: i've mentioned this before but knox would 2000% learn how to play the guitar, and then proceed to play it at dps meetings and with chris. i know it sounds super douchy but honestly, i think knox wouldn't even notice that it comes off as annoying sometimes? he just really enjoys playing the guitar and wants to share that with others. also seems like someone who'd love running, i can see him being one of those people who go on 1 hour jogs in the morning :') Oh and drawing! But he'd be quite shy about it.

NEIL: this is so hard for some reason? 😭 i mean obviously he'd act, and probably go to the theatre quite often on top of that- i also think neil would like cycling, but other than that it's pretty difficult for me to think of what his hobbies would be- i kinda see him as just hanging out with friends a lot and going to parks etc. to chill when he's not at rehearsal. feel free to share your ideas if you have some!

CAMERON: dancing. he's SO ashamed of it and only does it in the comfort of his own room, but if cameron could do anything he wanted, i think he'd do ballet? HELP GUYS I DON'T KNOW WHY BUT I FEEL SO SURE ABOUT THIS, CAMERON IS PRETTY MUCH BILLY ELLIOT IN MY MIND BUT HE NEVER GETS TO PURSUE BALLET/DANCING COS HE LIVES IN A TIME AND SOCIETY THAT DOESN'T ALLOW THAT?? WHY IS THIS SO CANON TO ME???? also crosswords.

[bluemirrorangel]

Dead poets' society ship headcanons feelings realisation + confessions 

these are mainly modern headcanons.

Anderperry:

 SO MUCH PINING

Todd kind of had a thing for Neil from the start but thought it was just admiration  until the scene where Neil promises to take care of him. 

And Neil always found Todd interesting but realised his feelings when Todd improv’d his poem in class.

I feel like they would have kissed after the play if they had the chance 

Wrote each other christmas cards over the winter break with sickeningly sweet messages in them.

Crazy amounts of pda, nothing huge but they're always touching each other; holding hands, arms thrown around the others neck, leaning on each other like they don’t have their own spines.

knarlie:

Charlie’d  had a crush on Knox ever since they met but assumed it would just go away naturally… it did not

Only realised how much he liked him when Knox met Chris

Tried so hard to be a  supportive best friend, would give Knox a pep talk and then go to his dorm and scream into his pillow 

The longing went crazy

Knox didn’t figure out he liked Charlie until after his relationship with Chris ended.

The moment he realised he liked Charlie he decided to woo the ever loving shit out of him.

Confessed to him at a dead poets society meeting.

The fun couple™ 

Mitts: 

Never got together officially just kind of figured out that they liked each other simultaneously and decided to go with it

Childhood friends

Always together

None of the other poets know about their relationship because they’ve always been like that

Only figure out how much they need each other when they graduate and get into  separate colleges 

Always paired up in every subject in school

They work better together because each one makes up for the other’s weakness

Chameron: 

As much as I love the idea that Cameron and Charlie used to be close pre-canon,

I personally believe their relationship has always been strained.

Cameron idolises Neil, because Neil was the only one who really made an effort to include him so Cameron would try and hang out with him as much as possible, that’s how he ended up meeting Charlie

Cameron has always liked Charlie and Envied him for how free he is (In my opinion Cameron has one of the biggest cases of eldest daughter syndrome i’ve ever seen.)

Charlie and Cameron become roommates and despite how badly they treat each other and how mean Charlie gets Cameron still does his hardest to take care of Charlie (i.e he helps Charlie with trigonometry even after Charlie’s spent the better part of an hour mocking him.) because he can not STAND the idea of being disliked by anyone.

Gets frustrated easily by Charlie because he feels like he’s wasting his potential.

Cameron realises how much he cares about Charlie because of the saxophone scene, he was genuinely taken aback by how talented and sincere he was being about something. 

Charlie has no idea he likes Cameron

��He's always been a little fixated on Cameron and  what started as thinly veiled concern quickly became resentment at Cameron’s refusal to have fun.

While Charlie makes fun of Cameron to get a reaction out of him it’s also to prove to himself that Cameron is still a teenager and not just some uptight golden boy with an inability to think for himself, he gets a strange sense of satisfaction from making Cameron loosen up and act human for once.

The closest they’re dynamic has ever come to banter was the back and forth they had  when Charlie told the other poets that his parents made him take clarinet lessons when he was younger.

It isn’t  until Cameron snitches on them that Charlie figures  his shit out, why Cameron’s betrayal  hurt him more than anyone else and that’s why he punches him.

Charlie knows he’ll get expelled but he does it anyway because he can handle liking an uptight, overly cautious, teacher's pet but he draws the line at sharing a room with a traitor, draws the line at loving a coward.  

Cameron doesn’t pine he yearns, yearns for someone he barely knew

He spends the rest of his years at Welton alone, grieving the death of one of his best friends and mourning the end of something that never even started.

The only way these two could ever have a happy ending together is if they went to therapy and if  Welton had a reunion.

leave a ship or fandom suggestions and I’ll do headcanons for them if you want :)

[theshippirate22]

Before it all happens, Charlie and Todd are friends. Of course they are; they're Welton boys and study partners and dead poets alike, so there's got to be some kind of connection between them. But they don't really talk to each other. The only thing they've got in common is Neil, and he's always there to converse between them.

But then it does happen, and suddenly there is no Neil, no middle ground. Todd is swallowed up by his own misery and Charlie is so angry, in a way that can only be attributed to unadulterated grief. He gets kicked out of Welton, and Todd isn't sure why that makes him feel even worse. It's just another loss, he supposes. Another rift in their group of misfits.

Charlie's still angry, though. He writes letters to Cameron saying horrible, cruel things because it's the only way he can get through it, and at first, Cameron is upset, only because he's guilty, and he turns in the letters to Mr. Nolan again and again, until they stop coming addressed to him, and start showing up for the other poets but with the explicit instruction to give to Cameron. The other boys don't, but they keep them with them because it's the only tie to Charlie they still have.

Todd gets one, finally, and reads it over out of morbid curiosity, and even though it's awful and inhumane, he's shocked that Charlie's anger sounds so similar to his sadness. While Todd is so overwhelmed he can barely speak, Charlie is so overwhelmed, he's bursting, screaming and biting at anyone that can get near.

Todd responds to his letter, mapping out his own circular thought trap regarding Neil, complete with his guilt and inescapable agony. Charlie responds with a similar one, this time not directed at Cameron. It goes on and on, this back and forth rant to each other, until eventually the letters' content shifts some. Charlie starts to tell him about how his new school is entirely different and Todd fills him in on what's happening back at his old stomping grounds, and it gets to the point that they both wait eagerly for mail day so they can hear from each other.

Charlie comes to their graduation. No one will look at him, or talk to him. Which isn't too different than how it's been, because Knox is the only one that will talk to Todd, and Meeks and Pitts seem to only talk amongst themselves. It's lonely, for all of them, without Neil to hold the group together.

But Todd meets Charlie's eye, and there's a moment, a singular moment, when they realize that they are friends now. That Todd has seen the worst in Charlie and been unafraid, and that Charlie has seen all the embarrassing nastiness in Todd and remained unrevolted, and they talk to each other. Promise to keep up over the summer.

When Charlie writes to tell him he's going to Yale, Todd tells his parents he wants to go to Yale too.

Todd's roommate doesn't like him very much, because he's quiet and doesn't like to drink, so he spends a lot of time at Charlie's dorm. Charlie is different than before; he's become overly aware of his own mortality and he's suddenly not interested in being reckless or stupid or defiant, because he's seen where it gets you. He's still Charlie, of course, just a little grown up.

It's awkward at first, because they simultaneously know everything about each other and still nothing, but they manage to make it work, and it's good for them, because it makes the massive, lonely world they're being thrust into a little less lonely.

They graduate the same spring, although Todd is the banker because it's quiet and reserved and emotionless and Charlie, having figured out the best avenue for his unbridled rage- which had never quite cooled off- was debate, as a lawyer. When Todd's offered a job in North Carolina, Charlie mentions he could go with him. He's been looking at firms down there... and well, they've only got each other.

And so it continues, for decades. One of them going somewhere and the other following because it's all they have. Because when both of them managed to hit rock bottom, there was only each other. Todd learns to cook, and Charlie fixes Todd's beater car when it decides it won't start on cold mornings and after long, repetitive days, Todd is eager to get back to Charlie's energy and on demanding, frantic days in court, Charlie starts to dream of Todd's softness.

Knox mentions, when he comes to visit one singular time nearly a decade after graduation, that it's an odd pairing, but it makes sense, somehow.

Slowly, friendship becomes fondness, and that becomes... something else entirely, until one night Todd is crying at the sink over something he can't quite articulate and Charlie's only response is to hold him around the waist and kiss the tears from his cheeks.

And Knox is right, in no world should this pairing work. Todd was under the impression that the only person he would ever love had died in 1959, and Charlie believed there was no romantic love that could rival the sheer platonic brotherhood he had with Neil, so there was no point, but Todd had his arms around his neck and there was something there in their needy, perfect kiss.

But it makes sense, too. That the two men who loved Neil the most in the whole world could find a way to love each other. And they do, God, they do! And its profound and excellent and perfect, odd as it is.

[sustiawan-author]

Richard Cameron SFW Alphabet . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

The long awaited content for your favorite, morally grey redhead! This is dedicated for my Cameron girlies sitting in the corner, waiting for content. I've got u.

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

This is so cute because he's like... the opposite of Neil. He doesn't show affection too overtly, okay, I'm sorry. But you know what he does?

Richard has this thing where he makes sure your needs are taken care of. Often times, he slips on your shoes for you while you sit on the bed, and even kisses your ankle like a sweet oath before putting it on. But you have to pretend you didn't see or else he'll get bashful and deny it.

He calls Todd a stiff but my God is he one lol. But you find it cute. You don't mind. You like to tease him a lot about it.

He's such a 'but what will they say?' guy to a fault. Obviously. So you pull his arm and whisper real nice to his ear for him to settle down, and you have a talk to him about his problem. He listens, and you comb his hair tenderly.

It ends with him crying against your shoulder. He regrets it all, even after years being out of Welton Prep. It's like he's been doused with a bucket of ice water. He's so glad he's met you.

Richard would've worked himself to death ('m not kidding) had you not been with him. All he needs is for you to put your arms forward and softly call out his name and he'll surrender.

His touches (when in public) probably limit to a hand on your waist or a bit lower to your hips if he's tired, but he absolutely melts when you flirt with him all sweet. He just forgets resolve and does not care anymore — to home you'll go!

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Honestly, I have to say you two probably met at university at the very least. He isn't the friends to lovers type y'all. If he wants you as his woman, then as his woman you'll be.

That's it. This is who you sign up for.

He'll spot you as "that cute girl across the room" (his words), and he'll begin 'courting' you. Like some wild animal.

But it's alright, he's the traditional type. Almost to a fault. He gives you roses one day, a nice dainty bouquet, and some courtesy chocolates. They're so tart and nice, and you can't help but question the rumors going around about how 'stuffy' and 'rigid' he is.

"Oh, thank you," you beamed, hugging the gifts tightly. He just looks down on you with a proud, half lidded gaze,

"It's no problem, what's not to give?"

He's entranced, girl. LOL.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

(Don't tell anyone) He LOVES it. So much. Probably relies on them a little bit.

Come on, he's a man deep down alright. He loves being hugged and loved by a beautiful woman and you are the only one he wants.

You probably end up cooing and doting on him a lot because he's so cute. And this might be the right time to tell you he makes BIG money, girl (more on the next letter!)

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down?How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Okay, hello, this man brings home mighty cash. And he's so stable too.

Fine, in the context of poetry and art, he's an admitted loser at it. But that's only because his values align elsewhere; he's so ready to settle down, be loved by someone he devotes his life to, and treat them as they deserve to be treated.

There's a reason why he comes home at night with exhaustion on his eyelids, and somehow you still get presented with a medium-sized, deep turquoise velvet box that's shaped like a heart. Inside is a lovely necklace with an ornate ruby as the charm.

You kiss him with devotion and say your 'thank you's against his lips. He accepts them, limp with exhaustion. His briefcase plops on the floor as you take his hands. You're so proud of your husband. ଘ(੭◌ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ♡‧₊˚

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

He's gentle to you, not so much with himself;

Richard isn't too comfortable with anything below excellent. It's how he's been raised. When you mess up, he takes a deep breath, kisses your head and cleans the mess together with you — in any shape or form.

But when he makes a mistake? He feels like a total screw-up. He doesn't know what to do, he beats hinself up, he scowls and tries harder but he never takes it out on anything — let alone you.

One time, you noticed him being quite hard on himself, and you prepared him a cup of hot tea, some biscuits you made, and massaged his shoulders. He melted against you and cried against your lap.

This man is an anxious mess of someone who always tries their hardest. Reassure him and you'll be great.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

He's the sweetest, most tender hugger. You feel so safe in his arms, it's like a shield around you.

Richard always has everything — and I mean every little thing — under control; he manages the bills, does the taxes (he prefers doing them for you, but you assure him you'd like to sit by him and accompany him. He's so thankful for this), and he always makes sure you get the best of the best. That's what he promised your father before he married you anyway, and he's big on keeping promises.

He hugs you when you're sad, brushes your stray hair away and kisses your forehead and temples. He lets you sit on his lap facing him, rubs your back, assures you you're his bestest girl and "we're gonna go through this together okay, hun?"

Yeah.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

Quite slow ^_^ he wants it to mean as much as he values it, and he's a bit more modest with his emotions, so even he has to figure it out first.

But when he pursues you seriously, it'll only take him less than 2 months to profess. He knows what he wants, and he is not looking to waste your time.

He planned the whole thing out; dinner, nice refreshments, then under the moonlight will he tell you about his feelings. He even took note from Keating's lessons, albeit his love-hate relationship with them, and got a bit sentimental with it.

But it was all thrown off the hook when he saw how gorgeous you looked in your dress, all dolled up and ready to see him, smiling sweetly as you took his arm and greeted the night.

He blurted it out before the pasta even got to the table.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Richard would never admit it, but he gets more than a little bit bothered if his old alumni paid a little bit more attention to you than necessary;

They came over to your house, and of course Richard insisted you two serve them your prided jars of homemade cookies and some warm tea.

Charlie probably brags about his stocks being higher than usual or whatever it is business people discuss, and when you came downstairs, all went hurrahs in excitement to see how you're doing.

Once they all had their fair share of greeting you, of course your man had to dish them his classic "alright, alright, guys that's enough! settle down"

Yeah. You like him that way.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

He does NOT want me to answer this one folks.

He kisses like a promise, like a little secret shared between the two of you. Only you know how truly sweet he can be.

He kisses to taste you, to tenderly encompass you in something that is truly his and yours, to grasp your chin between his thumb and forefinger and whisper something adoring against your lips.

He kisses like he's going to be there with you forever, like time stops and nothing else matters in this world. He knows you're his world, his globe, his life, all the essence that keeps him rejuvenated.

He needs you.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Awkwardly sweet. He doesn't know what to do with his hands.

Say, you're supposed to babysit your best friend's son for the day, and for some reason he keeps babbling specifically for Richard.

You just stir his food on the stove and casually ask your husband to 'please watch over the baby, dear.'

He ends up reading a sports almanac for the tot.

Don't be mad at him, in his eyes it's genuine effort. And it keeps the baby occupied and entertained!

When the baby falls asleep after all is done, Richard smirks proudly at you.

'Ready to be a father,' he boasted, snaking an arm to your waist and leaning down to give you a kiss.

Lol.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

He's a groggy guy, but he'll wake up early before the first bird even gets to chirp.

Richard kisses your temple, tucks you further in the blanket, slip into his robe and slippers and spends his time downstairs, on the porch.

He watches the neighbors go by on their bikes or on their daily stroll and smokes his pipe, polishing it with his satin handkerchief before and after each use.

Then he'll probably make you some pancakes (which lacked in sugar, so it just tasted like wheat) and diligently added a heap of blueberries and maple syrup on top.

You ate it together.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

He is exhausted. The only leisure day for him is Saturday, so he'd prefer his nights then to be uninterrupted.

You'll run him (or both of you) a bath, and soak there before spending it in front of the fireplace. If it's Sunday, then he'll do his due work with the papers, pens, and manila files strewn across the carpet and coffee table. But if it's Saturday, then he'll just have an arm around your shoulder and discuss your next date out.

He has a scheduled life, okay. And you respect it (and find it attractive) 👀

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

AWWWWWWW If you've actually seen him, you'll know how sensitive he is.

From the beginning, he likes to talk about you, and he loves it when you talk about yourself. But when you asked about him, he nervously stammered.

He couldn't believe a girl as gorgeous as you could care so much about someone like him. It's impossible! he thought, but you beg to differ.

The more you spend time with one another, the more you knew about him. Richard told you about his mother, how he used to help her knit when his father's not home. He also spoke somewhat lovingly about his old man, how he used to take him to his work to learn all about the industry, even when he was small. But he also told you about how much pressure he faced when he was younger, how difficult it is to keep up with the others.

But he never, ever complains. Especially not when you smile so brightly each time he brings home something he bought on his own, or when he sees how beautifully you've decorated and maintained the home he's bought for the both of you.

He would never, ever think of trading his life with another. Not a chance.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

He's a grumpy little baby, according to you. Never with others, just with you. His girl.

He would never openly admit if he's struggling or frustrated with something, unless you're there; then it's all "Aw, honey, I nicked my finger :((" or

"Man! I was excited for that game. Now it's all bull," and plops on your lap.

You just giggle and brush his hair back, kissing his forehead. Then he melts into your touch and you realize it was all a ruse.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

Honestly, he's like a basic man, besides the fact that he stores every single thing he knows about you in his organizer.

Yes, he has a book dedicated for data inputting. That's Richard Cameron for ya.

He puts in your birth date, your favorite color, your favorite fabric, your favorite dress outlines and even ones he loves most on you, the spendings he's put out for you and planning for what's next (a.k.a. a section dedicated for you only).

Self explanatory.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

Awwww he loved it when he took you to his parents' house and after (the very intense) dinner, you two sat on his doorstep and just... talked.

He held your fingers since they were freezing from the autumn cold, and you heave cold breaths against his blazer.

None of you wanted to go inside. He was giggling happily, all kissing your hair and hugging you close.

He wishes he could relive it again.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Okay, he is way too protective. It's like?? Your wife won't run or get kidnapped if you leave her side for one second dude you can chill out.

No, I'm so serious he is such a type-A so when you have to be separate from him, you have to be back at the time you tell him, or at least give him a call or a heads-up inbetween or else he'll get all anxious and worried about your wellbeing.

Your presence takes over his life girl </3 please take care of bro

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

A lot. And I mean... a little worryingly so.

He takes things seriously, has a principle that anything in life should be done with utmost excellence or else it's not worth it at all. This bleeds into your relationship in... interesting ways!

He gets you a teddy bear for your first anniversary. No, not those drugstore ones, an actual luxury brand teddy bear with a bejewelled neckline. Yes, its eyes sparkle too. And yes, you loved it.

He also planned a nice dinner with a view and an orchestra singing in the cafe (he aligned your schedules with the timetable the restaurant provided just to be able to see them), and you adored him the rest of the night.

In return, you've gifted him a nice watch with your initials embedded within it. He cried at the restaurant (he just couldn't hold it in) and ended up cuddling your teddy bear until you two got to the car.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

This is so funny but he'd think you two are possibly the best couple out there in comparison to... like, anyone and everyone.

You've told him not to boast, but his life's hard work is invested in your relationship. It's hard for him not to!

Richard makes sure each time you two go out together that you are feeling your utmost best so he could relax the whole evening and! Well! Pridefully shove your existence to every conversation he can join.

You remind him later that everyone began rolling their eyes, but he shrugged and got some grapes for you two instead.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

A lot. PLEASEEE did y'all see the GIF where he was joking around with Todd? Richard loves looking his best.

If Neil takes his time on doing house chores, Richard makes sure to put meticulous effort in ironing his shirts, gelling his hair, and even putting his trousers on the neatest he could.

He just knows looks mean everything in a shallow world, okay.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

YES. Lol.

I know I talked about secure attachment and all that on Neil's post, but with this boy? If you ever leave him, his breath would be taken out of his throat.

He's the sobbing breathless and stutters, struggling to sy how he feels type.

Please take care of yourself. If you ever even fall sick with the slightest fever, he would never leave your bed. And this creates such a moral conflict because he knows he has to work but seeing his darling all red in cold sweat and whimpering in pain leaves his heart aching too much for him to think straight.

He ended up calling out of work. Don't worry, of course he scheduled it ahead. Classic.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

He loves your childhood home. If you still lived there before you got together, once you did, he'd ask to visit you there almost every week.

It gives him a nice sense of optimism about the life you two could build together, and seeing your old pictures on the wall from when you were small tugged a heartstring he didn't even know he had in him.

Also he finds your bed there really snug.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

He doesn't like any sense of laziness or sloth.

Richard is... a hard worker, to say the least. He's stable, he's reliable, and he's straightforward. He would be way down if his partner takes advantage of that or worse, refuses to meet him halfway.

He loves your spontaneity, but he also values the stability he could bring. If you two could find a good balance, then he'll find it so much more magical to cruise the waves of your love.

Yes, he calls it that.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

He puts in snore blockers, like those clamps on your nose to keep you from snoring.

Richard read an article once or twice about the statistics of people's lives being affected negatively by sleep apnea and he's been shaken ever since.

It's okay, you take it off for him if you wake earlier and kiss him good morning right after.

Howzzat for a redemption arc, baby?

taglist ⤷ @xpumk1n-p13x @olemotionalass @the-river-rix @freakyblud @the-undead-poets-society @irishcoffeeeyes @lc-27 @adriannlily @stephtuckerauthor @wolfstvrr

[celestialholz]

The Resurrectionist (or 'Crowley's dying briefly because character-building, and here's why')

I should start off by saying, friends, that I have written exactly zero books. (Bloody lot of fanfiction, but no actual novels). And I like coffee, but not particularly with oat milk. (The poison's metaphorical, not physical), but... well, you guys can keep both of 'em, because they're just not relevant to this conversation. I am also, as you may have already guessed, not Neil Gaiman. A chick can only speculate, but she does like to back it up with actual evidence.

No, I'm simply here to ask you a question.

What's the single worst thing Heaven could ever do to Aziraphale?

What would drive our angel so far from the clutches of Heaven that he would never, ever wish to return? What would set him unequivocally free from six millenia of assumed responsibility; what would make him realise that God can never change? What would strip everything away from him?

Because of course, this is what we have to do next series. This is Aziraphale's whole arc. If he doesn't try and change things and fail, he will always wonder. Always have a 'what if.' Will never be able to truly move on, will never be free from the eternal abuse cycle.

And so the severing has to be monumental, and everlasting. Then we get our happy ending. Storytelling, loves, done flawlessly. (Again, not a novelist... just a girl who's been writing for over half of her lifetime.)

And so, I ask again:

What's the single worst thing Heaven could ever do to Aziraphale?

And, well, it's a manifold question isn't it, with lots of potential ans - no I'm just kidding. Very simple question, very simple answer.

So congratulations to the very likely hundreds of you who have just said 'murder Crowley,' because a. you're very much correct and b. we've all just predicted the end of series three.

(... I mean, probably not the very end. But the emotional crux, definitely.)

And naturally, I'm not talking discorporation. I'm talking 'wiped from the universe altogether, leaving our angel eternally alone' kinda murder. The real shit. The good shit. Never mind any of this 'editing the Book of Life leading to an ineffable paradox' kinda bullshit - this is Heaven, the natural source point of holy water. One miracled Supersoaker and our demon's ancient history, friends.

Because y'see guys, severing Aziraphale's connection isn't the only problem we face in terms of narrative romance. We've also got Crowley, who has spent six millennia being in love with a guy who just takes, takes, takes... him for granted.

And this is NOT to say that Aziraphale gives him nothing back - he so very clearly does. (I am a consummate Aziraphale apologist, Crowley's just as much of a fool post-series two as our angel is, and Aziraphale needs this, as I've mentioned.) But... Crowley is his teacher. His moral guide. His protector. It mostly goes one way, and despite all of that and him being happy to be that guy for all this time... right when it matters most, Aziraphale (to Crowley, at least) has abandoned him. He's told him he isn't good enough.

(... Which is bollocks. That's not what Aziraphale's said at all, they're both as overprotective as each other and have a desperate, painful longing to keep one another safe in their own best way. But it sure fucking looks like it to CROWLEY, which is what matters.)

And so, we have two issues in achieving our happy-ever-after.

Sundering Aziraphale from Heaven forever;

Ensuring Crowley trusts him fully and knows completely that he is Aziraphale's only choice.

(And also by GOD do they need to have a proper conversation, but that one kinda goes without saying. It'll happen.) We have to even up this relationship; we have to make it absolute narrative equilibrium, and I am absolutely sure Neil knows this probably far better than I do.

... And so, how do we achieve both these things in one hit, whilst also telling a Second Coming story and holding a celestial war?

Well, we kill Crowley. Obviously. Not until episode five or six and after an emotional, romantic reunion of mutual understanding, but... we kill Crowley.

... And then Aziraphale brings him back. Yes, from complete death.

I would like at this juncture to remind you that miracles, apparently (and this is a thing we've just learned guys, almost like it's suddenly going to be relevant ongoing) are measured in Lazarii.

(Great thanks to the Aziraphale to my Crowley, @porgthespacepenguin, for these few screenshots I'm showing off here today. You'd never leave me, not even for my own good. <3)

Lazarii is very obviously named after Jesus' apparently greatest miracle, of raising Lazarus from the dead in the book of John. They managed to achieve twenty-five times the necessary amount of energy it takes to bring someone back from death... without actually fucking trying.

Let's take a look at the book of John a sec. Or more specifically, its eleventh chapter and twenty-fifth verse.

Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The person who believes in me, even though he dies, will live."

My thanks to Neil once again for murdering me like Heaven's going to murder Crowley. Cold blood, point-blank.

'Who believes in me.' Huh. Only for the past six thousand years, Aziraphale dear...

Here's a little of what the internet has to say about the number 25 in numerology, by the way.

And may I also remind you at this stage that there is a pub in this series called The Resurrectionist, and only Aziraphale goes into it.

I mean sure, Crowley's booksitting and trying to make the ladies hilariously like him and Aziraphale fall in love in the same way he himself did, but the fact remains... one relevant pub name. One guy. (We all need a narrative excuse sometimes Neil, I get you.)

Considering all this, friends, let me ask you another question. This one's a little more wordy, that's on me.

What do you think would happen when a being capable of raising someone from the dead twelve and a half times over for the sake of his beloved's protection loses said beloved beyond all doubt?

... And this will be after he gains the ultimate celestial power-up, by the way. In case we'd forgotten that that alone is also about to boost Aziraphale to the fucking stratosphere, and finally put him on an equal footing with Crowley. (Who is clearly an ex-archangel, but not Lucifer, so Neil's since said.)

... And I think we know the answer, don't we? The kind of miracle that

(You can't see me, but I'm staring into the camera like I'm one of The Office main cast right now.)

This is the kind of power that fucks with reality - the kind of power that scares Heaven and Hell to absolute death, hence Metatron being in the DMs. And crucially, this miracle was boosted because of love. Because of a desire to keep the status quo, their 'own side'. You amplify both those conditions to the nth degree by destroying one of them? It's over, lads. Resurrection is the beginning.

Resurrection evens up a playing field. It destroys Aziraphale and renews him in one hit; it proves to Crowley once and for all that Aziraphale loves him exactly as he is.

... It's a no-brainer, pals.

And what do they do after this? Well, fuck up the celestial order, naturally. I have theories, the main one of them being that they're going to be God and Satan respectively and unite Heaven and Hell in eternal marriage, but... that's just a theory. A television theory.

The resurrection thing? Not so much.

... See, this is the thing, my friends. You don't need to have written a 16k essay to predict the future.

All you need is the ability to tell a story, an observant eye for that which is already present, and a simple question. (Followed by a mildly more complex one. It's a working allegory.)

... I'm just going to leave you with this one shot of Aziraphale picking up his own destiny. Because poetic cinema.

[theghostbunnie]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE TALK ABOUT NIKKI AND NERRIS IN THE NEW EP I LOVE YOUR OPINIONS ON EVERYTHING

(bcs they're scarily similar to mine)

TYSM????❤️♥️💕💝 and I always have so many opinions I'm the fuckin yapinator

I was literally talking just the other day about how Nikki has a detachment from feminity as she's literally been reprimanded for doing it wrong before even her two best friends doing an 'eh' with an iffy handshake when she even REFERS to herself as a girl and I do strongly believe it's bc she's at that age where she's learned feminity does equal something shameful or weak, or in her case maybe even thinks it makes you mean and shallow. While SIMULTANEOUSLY still being a young feminist and trying to not have that subconsciously!!! Creates a sort of "it's for others not for me" mentality accidentally bc she's supposed to be Nikki™ and thinks she'll be less respectable, or less herself if she's feminine.

But she's actually been this way in the show before she's willingly wore pink on two occasions willingly, as casted as Juliet, and wearing Indian traditional clothing. (I'd argue even further on the second one as it wasn't given to her for play but she made it!! And it was pretty!!) In the episode Neil and her get stuck in the flowerscouts he just WAKES UP with makeup and a seaweed wig on and I'm firm that like she did that and knows how to lmao. (Further proved by her literally doing her own makeup in this episode)

But back on topic yeah when she was enjoying herself until she realized ofc her worries weren't upfront exactly "oh no I look girly!" It was oh no I look like a FLOWERSCOUT, a "type" of feminity she's tried to push away from bc she associates it with a specific type of woman, and worries who she is as a person if she likes this.

I hope the fandom takes this episode as Nikki being a more rounded character instead of like, just erasing her masculine side or something :/

Bc most importantly; Nikki's expression of feminity in this episode *wasn't performative* she was doing it by herself for how it felt

ONTO NERRIS

I love their character ok like everyone in camp campbell is an asshole in their own way and their own degree, and I know early fandom liked to demonize the hell out of Nerris but I actually love how their character flaws compared to the other campers way more just scream "child" to me. They do shit and I go "yeah this is definitely a character acting immature with not a full grasp of their actions" and it's cute in a way to me idk!!! Like girl that's someone's DIARY WHY DID YOU POUR YOURSELF SOME JUICE AND KICK YOUR FEET AND GIGGLE READING IT YOUR SO SILLY ! Nerris often prioritizes themself in selfish ways but also in very childlike ways so yeah reading someone's diary because they connect with them and gain a little crush on them through that is adorable, esp jumping straight to "is this LOVE?"

Nerris liking girls- also something!!! Hinted towards in past episodes!! ((Nikki too some people call It "just admiration" but she literally has blushed at Ered and called her "my baby")) Nerris' scene where they're profusely sweating asking Ered to hang out with them i want to say could be a sign she has a crush on her too, but honestly? I'd be more inclined to believe the "it's just admiration" argument more here, I could see it going either way.

NERRIS WITH NIKKI THOUGH, IN NIKKI'S LAST DAY ON EARTH, Does that god modding type play little kids do where they narrate what they want to happen and get huffy when the other kids don't play along, which again back to my previous point of Nerris honestly being a small time offender compared to most the cast and also adorable.

But specifically she was trying to lowk boss Nikki into running into her arms and to me that's always been🫵🤨🏳️‍🌈⁉️

So I find it really funny how Ered, a character most the fandom hasn't really paid attention to or been a favorite or anything, always gets HC'd as a lesbian (often just for the jokes, or because her parents are gay, or because she's colored hair pronouns and skateboard/hj)

Absolutely no hate to the HC itself I'm sure there's someone who loves her character alot who has it but sometimes you can kind of tell when most are just slapping labels on characters they don't care about, and Ered out of the three of them is the ONLY one who hasn't shown cannonically interest in girls??? 😭 Like most of the cast, hasn't in anyone or any gender!! Nerris and Nikki have been exceptions in that, and now it's even official for Nerris!

Nerris and Nikki have cannonically only shown interest in girls. Unless some specific brief scene is slipping my mind atm/gen

ALSO GONNA TALK A LIL MORE ABOUT ERED BC I LOVE HER also need to specify the difference between a hc and a theory RN as I know it's very likely not cannon but the fact Ered doesn't know a lot of "being a woman" or periods (like an alarming amount missing for someone 14 ALSO CAN I GLOAT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT BEING RIGHT SHE WAS 13 IN S1-S4 !!??? OTHER PEOPLE WOULD SAY LIKE UP TO LIKE 17 SOMETIMES) (also context it's bc she says "other freshmen" and freshmen are 14-15.)

You could argue she simply is a late bloomer but girl you yelled at the word uterus like you simply can't understand 🏳️‍⚧️🫵🤨⁉️⁉️ and "what happens at NIGHT TIME??" like the whole conversation gave me the vibe she only knew things on a surface level and wanted to know more simply to be included!! I also wanna point out Ered never says anything that could confirm or deny she even gets one, just that Gwen thought she did, which could've been assumption or simply the wording she chose to phrase.

[ninyard]

Hey hey hey now I’m just trying to have a peaceful study break and now you have me crying over the idea of Aaron having a ptsd flashback while trying to free one of his kids from a bathroom with a busted lock

I thought you were gonna go the route of him remembering Andrew locking him in the bathroom to get him clean and then where you actually went hit me right in the feels

I can see him busting his kid out of the bathroom and maybe hugging them a little to tight afterwards but he keeps it together he waits until later when they’re both in bed and Kaitlyn is still at work he sits alone in their living he tense, restless, can’t sit still. Finally he goes upstairs and slides down the wall to sit on the floor across the hall from the broken door just so he can see that what he’s seeing in his head isn’t actually on the other side of it. Then he pulls his phone out and calls Andrew. He probably doesn’t say anything but Andrew in typical andrew fashion somehow knows exactly what’s wrong and says one of his incredibly on point one liners that perfectly lays out the issue and the solution all in one and Aaron just sits there and listens to Andrew breathe on the other end of the call until he convinces himself that they’re ok. They’re all ok now. Then Kaitlyn gets home so he hangs up and goes and hugs his wife and they like meal plan for the rest of the week or review HOA meeting notes or do some other mind numbingly dull suburbia task and then he’s ok again

Until they go to a sporting event and one of the twins gets lost in the crowd and suddenly he’s on the bus in Binghamton…

A few folks seem to have expected that that post was going in the direction of "Aaron getting locked in the bathroom by Andrew trauma" and not the other option.

Katelyn coming home and it's late because her shift ran way over and she comes into the bedroom because he hasn't been able to sleep - she puts her bag down, she gets changed, she joins him under the covers and once she'd kissed him she has that look on her face before she asks, "What happened to the bathroom door?"

She listens. She tells him they can fix it tomorrow. They can figure out the logistics of it at a more reasonable time. Are the girls okay? Are you okay?

He's made sure that Andrew's okay. The kids are okay, they're sleeping. He's okay, he thinks. He will be, at least.

But he thinks of the splintering wood, he thinks about Andrew's face, his laugh, he thinks about Neil. He hates that he thinks about Neil. Katelyn does what Katelyn does and she makes him feel heard, she makes him feel loved and listened to, she brings him back to earth and holds him until he falls asleep. And even when he wakes up in a cold sweat for the first time in months, she wakes up with him, and holds him close until his breathing calms and he drifts off again.

I was talking about this a little bit yesterday - about Aaron being triggered by things, no matter how far away from PSU he gets, no matter how normal his life becomes. but Katelyn is an angel, she makes him feel sane when he feels like he's losing his mind. She never blames him when he feels triggered or scared, she protects the kids from him when he struggles to keep it in.

But he sees himself and Andrew in those two girls - when they argue, when they're best friends, when they're at that game and one of them goes missing. It's hard to keep it together at times like that. When all he sees is her sister, calling her twins name, he sees Andrew in her face, searching the crowd.

Once again this is just another post where I'm not sure where I'm going with it, but Aaron seeing himself and his brother in his kids, Aaron seeing parts of his past in his day to day life. It's not often, it's not all the time, but every once in a while he can't help it.

But at least afterwards they can plan a grocery shop. Or pay some bills, budget for their next payday. At least his kids knows he loves them, and they're never scared for themselves. If he scares them, they're scared of dad, they're scared because they don't know why he's breathing like that or looking around the room like he can't focus on anything. If they're scared of him, they're scared because they don't understand. Not because they're scared of what he might do to them. At least he's different. At least he has Katelyn, and he loves his kids. At least he cares.

[jtl-fics]

♦️for Andrew and Matt? (like, separately, not necessarily together lol)

Headcanon Meme

♦ - quirks/hobbies headcanon

Andrew - I will live and die on the hill that is Andrew actually loving reading but the medication kind of made it impossible. I think Andrew is not the biggest fan of like 'main stream' books. Like he's read most of them but hasn't really found enjoyment in things that have broad public appeal (shocker). But things that are made like for a very specific audience (not even with Andrew as that audience) he will rinse through reading those.

A trashy romance that involves like 400 different facts about tea? He's there. A high fantasy story where they're using math to cast spells? Read the whole series in 2 days. He'll read anything Neil gets him because Neil is the #1 finder of unhinged book series with #2 being Allison who finds the most insane romance novels.

Matt - I think Matt is actually like super into hair care products. Like to the point that he is the one that his friends go to and are like "What should I use for /my/ hair?" and Matt is like hand on head immediately to figure out what would be best. (He does this to Andrew "ONCE" and for the rest of all time he remembers to ask.)

He doesn't give as much of a shit about styling other people's hair like Allison but like in terms of treatments / general maintenance there is no one better. Like Renee's hair needs a deep condition because she just re-did her dye job? Matt knows exactly which one she should be using. Nicky's hair isn't handling dry heat very well? Matt's coming in hot with the hot oil suggestion. Neil, upon everyone's demands, decides to stop using the 3-in-1 (Bodywash, shampoo, conditioner) and Matt is beside himself on his recommended next steps for his best bro getting healthy luscious hair (he so wants to tousle the curls he KNOWS Neil would have if his hair wasn't fucked to high heaven by over a decade of 3-in-1)

[spaceofentropy]

It was supposed to be a quick thing, when I started writing it. Instead, my fic for the Harringrove Corner Pride Event grew and grew until it became the 38k-word story it is now.

My prompt was "Find me in the future" and what I offer you today is a story about time travel, paradoxes, pining, the fear of screwing up, and also monsters, titled

Time travel is real

On ao3

Rated E for blood, not sexy times

Pairing: Harringrove (but the last chapter is all Munver because I am a self-indulgent fool!)

Relevant tags: Time Travel AU; Canon Divergence; Neil Hargrove is His Own Warning; Implied/Referenced Child Abuse; Blood and Injury; Homophobia; Internalized Homophobia; Protective Parent Jim "Chief" Hopper; Robin Buckley is a good friend; Fix-it fic (if by fix-it you mean I fuck things up even more and the body count is higher); Whump; Pride Parades; references to HIV/AIDS Crisis; Billy Hargrove tries to be a decent brother (results may vary); Karen Wheeler and the married ladies of Hawkins being creeps

Summary: It's the summer of 1981 and one of Billy's friend bets that Billy won't have the guts to go and spend five minutes talking with the naked weirdo that's hiding under the pier.
Billy's 14 and he has no idea of what consequences accepting that bet will have.

It starts like this:

"There's a weirdo under the pier."

From where he's propped against the wooden parapet, Billy stops letting his gaze float over the people walking by them on the pier and turns to look at Stab. The rest of their group does the same, all keeping their eyes politely away from Stab's busted lip and swollen cheek even as they look at him.

"As if the whole beachfront isn't full of weirdos every day," Jimmy Z. says in a dismissive huff.

Pudge and Lily nod, and she's already back to drawing little black toothy monsters on the green fabric of her shoes. There's a hole in the sole of her right shoe. She said her mom's waiting for her next weekly pay check to buy her a new pair. They've been waiting for the right pay check for two month.

Billy looks away and stomps down the jealous resentment over the fact that at least her mom seems to be the kind of parent that will never stop trying. Unlike his, or some of the parents of the others in their group.

"A different kind of weirdo," he hears Stab insist.

Billy does his best not to snicker when Jimmy F. eyes Stab with all the skepticism a five-foot-nothing kid can muster. Which is a lot, if your name is Jimmy Fernandez.

"Define different," Jimmy F. says.

"I think this one ran from an asylum or something like that."

"Like Roaming Maggie," Jimmy F. is quick to supply.

"No, different! This one doesn't have shit."

"So, like the poncho guy."

"No. He's naked."

"So, like Perv Guy last summer," Lily intervenes without even looking up, and Jimmy F. nods.

"No-ooooh!" Stab is getting closer to the end of his patience. "This one is not approaching anyone."

"Ok, so, like the high lady with the tattoos and the−"

"No, he's not talking to the sirens−"

"Kraken," Pudge says while exhaling a plume of smoke. "The lady with the orange bush said her talking to the kraken was what kept it from eating the pier."

Billy pulls a cig from his own pack as he tunes the diatribe out. There's a good chance they're gonna go on for hours. They've done it before. It's the first weekend of summer break and they still have fuck all to do: inane chatter is perfect for them to waste time but not money.

He likes when it's like this. When they can just sit around, or swim, or talk about shit that doesn't really matter. He likes when they can forget life is shit, parents are a mess, school's a drag, and the future is on fire. Nothing better than to let his friends' words wash over him and make the world seem a little less fucked.

He has just finished his cigarette, making sure to smoke every last bit of it, when he registers what Stab's saying:

"I bet Billy wouldn't."

"I wouldn't what?"

"Find the balls to go and talk to the weirdo under the pier."

[joanofexys]

i would love some more info of emiko and her time with the ravens

her relationship with the perfect court?

AHHHHH Emiko time!!! Current Em is a lot happier and kinder than Raven Em so that's kind of fun

So I figure the reason that Emiko doesn't start the perfect court and doesn't wear the number one is because she's a woman in the Moriyama family. And I'm sure if Riko hadn't been born that wouldn't have mattered since obviously they're largely cut off from the yakuza anyway but when Riko's born 5 years after Emiko anything that would've been hers is something that he's seen as automatically entitled to.

Despite this she's still pushed to be the best of the best. She still is the Ravens captain when she starts college and before Riko joins them. That intense competitiveness and vicious playing style is still ingrained in her.

Emiko in the Nest acts out of survival and necessity. Unlike Riko she doesn't lash out with cruelty or brutality just for the sake of it.

She'll break bones on the court but never off of it. She's the best when she needs to be and when Tetsuji's eyes are on her she falls into place. She only has as much power as she's given by Tetsuji and she only uses that power when she feels the need to.

She does still have an unfair power imbalance with almost everyone around her. I won't pretend that she doesn't technically hold power over Kevin or Jean. That she's capable of scaring any of her teammates if she chooses to do so. That technically she's entitled to hurt them and use them as much as Tetsuji allows and that it's only because she rarely acts upon it that it doesn't happen.

She's not eager to make friends but she is eager to make allies. She doesn't lose her temper often with her teammates. She doesn't hit them harder than she has to in practice. She knows they're already scared of her and that's enough. She'll be "gracious" where she can to earn their favor.

Exy is politics. She may be a backliner but to her the game is about more than just hitting people hard. She needs to win but a win is more than the points scored. It's the trophies and the fans and a night of reprieve from Tetsuji leaving new bruises on her skin. It's the respect of not only her teammates but her opponents. It's about knowing how to talk to the press in a way where they'll ask about her skills instead of the skills of her male teammates. Instead of the skills of her brother, who hasn't even graduated high school. Everything she does is strategic. I think in many ways, and despite the fact that she doesn't even know it, her and Ichirou are more similar than her and Riko have ever been.

With the perfect court specifically it's not just respect she has for them but love. As much as she hates to admit it now she loved Riko beyond belief. And she does mourn him. I've talked about it before but she holds a lot of guilt because she does believe that she could've changed the outcome for Riko and the kind of person he was. Of course that's without her considering the fact that she was barely scraping by every day. I think the best comparison I can make for them is that they're the option where Mary and Neil don't run. If as a teen she had decided to take Riko and run they both could've been very different people. Unfortunately, all Riko is in her eyes is her beloved brother and greatest failure.

Kevin gets the gentleness that Riko did not. Largely because he has always been much more willing to receive it. While Riko would huff and pull the covers over his head and roll away at bedtime stories, Kevin would let himself be tucked in and soothed to sleep by a little girl doing her best to replace his mother. Where Riko would start screaming if someone dared to touch his toys, Kevin would bring Emiko his as gifts. Where Riko would refuse her affection, viewing it only as some cruel trick to make him weak, Kevin would accept it openly and give it in return. I mentioned in another post that Emiko collects pictures of her happiest moments and most of them have Kevin.

Jean is someone she definitely still cares for but I think they're distant. He was just so angry. And her anger was something she understood but she could never understand why he would express it. I think they're the most similar. I think in a way Jean could've learned a lot of his behavior from her. Seeing the way she shut up and took any abuse that was given and did just what she needed to survive. And maybe when he falls into place with Riko he comes to view her as weak. Despite doing the same thing. Because she's a Moriyama and he's a Moreau and he knows his place yet she doesn't seem to know hers. Jean is likely always waiting for the other shoe to drop with her. And I don't think it's until after Jean joins the Trojans and Emiko joins Olympic Court and they start that forever process of healing that they grow closer. Maybe Jean and Kevin don't talk anymore, don't know how to, but he can dial Em's number at any time, knowing she'll answer, and listen to him as he pleads "why?"

Why him? Why was he picked? Why did he have to be a Moreau? Why did he have to endure? Why did he have to live? Why doesn't it feel like living at all? Why does it hurt to hear his name? Why was he the one to have his forever partner torn away? Why did he have to leave the Nest? Why does he have to relearn everything he's ever known? Just why?

and bonuses cause they're kind of perfect court:

Neil is unique. He's both everything and nothing. She doesn't know a single thing about him. He's the only reason her boys are alive. She blames him for leaving despite knowing it's not his fault. She's glad that at least one of them managed to run. Her relationship with Neil is largely dependent on his relationship with Kevin. And with Jean.

Emiko doesn't trust Andrew as far as she can throw him. He feels the same. The two rely on a mutual respect of the others skills and care. The ability to keep those that they care about safe. She likes Andrew if he's protecting the others. He likes her if she's doing the same. The two's relationship relies entirely on a silent promise that they'll never let their people get hurt.

[perksofbeingpoet]

☆ THE DEAD POETS AS DETECTIVES ☆

imagine a murder mystery taking place at a remote boarding school in the 50s. the police write the case of an elderly teacher dying off as an accident or old age, but some of the students think there's more to it. these are our detectives...

NEIL: had the idea for the detective club. insists on playing out the scene of the murder, officially to check for any contradictions in witness accounts, secretly just because he enjoys acting in a dramatic murder scene. tends to jump to conclusions too quickly. extreme amount of determination, will find the murderer. good at interrogating suspects because of his trustworthy appearance. understands social connections well.

TODD: only agreed to detect because his friends wanted to. scared of the murderer trying to go after them as soon as he finds out they're chasing him. not scared of blood/gore at all so he's the one who has to examine the body and wounds. takes notes in interrogations. very rational and good at seeing connections, so he's one of the best detectives despite not wanting to be.

KNOX: wants to detect out of a sense of morality, feels like he needs to put things right. lightens the mood with jokes, but is secretly nervous, especially around the body (he does not like dead things). too careless around the scene of crime and clues, touches things without gloves, leaves footprints etc. but unbeatable at talking to suspects/witnesses - he's charming enough to make them let their guard down.

CHARLIE: very witty, has sudden bright moments. extremely daring, does the things the others are too nervous to do - breaks into rooms by climbing up to windows, steals from suspects etc. but he's often too rash, needs to be slowed down a bit so he doesn't immediately double down on one suspect. lightens the mood with jokes, but takes it a bit too far, others have to tell him to concentrate. extremely loyal to the other detectives.

PITTS: pleasantly chill about the whole thing. makes sure everyone still eats and sleeps despite the detection, is also very commited to the detective club. optimistic that they can do it. cannot see blood for the life of him, passes out when they look at the body. his off-hand comments often reveal genius new things, very good at connecting clues to people. smarter than he gives himself credit for. good at picking up emotional undertones in interrogations.

MEEKS: good at being fakely loyal to the school and getting teachers to trust him. the best at listening in to conversations, can blend into the background while overhearing everything a suspect or witness says. knows historical cases which could be similar to the crime. has a harder time understanding the social connections than the rational ones. brings snacks and keeps track of the clues they already found.

CAMERON: conflicted about detecting because the police and school authorities have already solved the case. extremely skilled at remembering things, has an exact time line in his brain for the order in which things must have happened. is chosen to steal evidence from teachers or the head of school because they trust him the most. keeps his friends rational when they run wild with theories.

i thought of these after rereading @redbreastedbird's wonderful murder mystery novels, please check them out!

[pyropsychiccollector]

Ace Attorney: IF (... Part 13)

With much of the Dark Age of the Law expelled, Gant passes the torch of Chief of Police to Gumshoe after Tyrell dismissed the offer. Gumshoe is still a jovial guy, but he's a better detective and officer because of Tyrell watching over him all this time… Not to mention being partnered with Franziska reining in his goofy slipups.

Similarly, Byrne passes on the title of Chief Prosecutor to Lana Skye; though he doesn't intend to resign as a prosecutor yet, he does like the idea of a fresh slate for prosecutors if the police are getting an overhaul. Phoenix, Neil, Franziska, and Simon are all capable in their own right, it's just Lana seemed to have the best temperament for the role of Chief. Plus, Phoenix and Franziska often got called on for cases from interpol, they weren't always around anymore. They have a fresh recruit in Robin Newman, but she's a rookie at 19.

Hugh O'Connor went on to join Edgeworth Law Offices, and Junie is learning the ropes as a new judge (Judge Courtney is her mentor). As the youngest member of Troupe Gramarye, Trucy is gaining enough popularity that she's getting her own stage assistants to help her with grander tricks and shows; the ones that work directly with her are Bonny and Betty de Famme. Furthermore, though it's a tentative thing, Zak has agreed to reopen talks with Mister Reus to do shows with him; Zak, Valant, and Thalassa know better than to outright trust him after Magnifi ousted him from the group years ago, but they do want to mend burned bridges if they can. They're not the same as they were under Magnifi, they're more on the up and up. Treat their friends and coworkers with dignity and respect, no blackmail or coercing one another, no sabotage. Obviously Mister Reus still holds a grudge against the Gramarye's, but he's not going to be obvious about it - he bides his time to take his revenge.

Bearing all of this in mind, it seems like everyone is doing rather well. (人◕ω◕) Athena's entering her second year as a lawyer, and she's getting along better with her mom and Aura Blackquill now that she can handle being around others with her sensitive ears. Apollo's entering his third year as a lawyer, and considering all that he's gained with his Gramarye family and all his new friends, he talks with Mia at last about where he grew up. Because he's tired of being doomer about his foster dad never returning for him, and wants to finally do something about Khura'in's situation. He knows that nation is governed by spirit channeling, and while Mia isn't a medium herself she still hails from a village of them. Mia vaguely knows about that history, how her village's founder hails from that nation, but it's never been significant enough for her until now. She agrees to go scope it out with Diego, let Apollo and Athena watch over the office for a few weeks.

Yet upon arriving in Khura'in, Mia winds up taking the case of Ahlbi Ur'gaid, who lacks an attorney because of the state of the country. She manages to defend him against Gaspen Payne, and encounters Rayfa, who's so reminiscent of Maya… Rayfa isn't sure why, but she can't seem to stay mad at Mia, even when the older woman makes a "mockery" of her insights. Mia isn't in her face, and it vexes her to meet an outsider who's so respectful yet believes in a defendant's innocence… Even when Mia's life was on the line. The judge is similarly at a loss because of how composed Mia is and how she reminds him of court procedures outside of the insights. But everyone figures this will be a one-time miracle because Ahlbi really was innocent. Diego wasn't too thrilled with the stakes of the Defense Culpability Act, but he did trust Mia, and he believes in Ahlbi's innocence too. They get the warning from Inga to keep a low profile or else, but Mia doesn't intend to bend over when the country's such a mess judicially.

Apollo's amazed Mia won a trial in Khura'in, but he knows this will only be the beginning. It's gonna be tough to overcome the Ga'ran regime. Nevertheless, Apollo focuses on the present - Trucy's getting ready for her first "major" solo performance (without the other Troupe members), it'll be televized and everything. He wants to support and cheer his sister on… But he winds up defending her in court when she's framed for murder during her show. It's a similar to what happens in canon, but the agency isn't at stake, nor is Troupe Gramarye as Zak dismissed Trucy having to sign anything herself; they were wise to Mister Reus trying to pull anything underhanded… But they never expected Trucy's trick to be sabotaged after so many precautions were taken… It really feels like Trucy accidentally killed a member of the audience, even after reviewing the filmed event…

But Ema is the detective in charge, and Franziska insists on handling the case - see how Mia Fey's proteges hold up under pressure. Cases involving magicians are a headache… But Franziska has some experience navigating them. To her, as annoying as Bonny and Betty's "teleportation" trick was to unravel, they weren't nearly as obnoxious as Lotta Hart. The tougher witness to squeeze the truth out of was Mister Reus, who did wind up being the culprit… But overall, Apollo and Athena were coming along nicely as lawyers. Even with Reus threatening to sue Mia and Co. Law Offices, do everything to deter them from the truth, they held steadfast despite a couple small bumps in their logic along the way. Bonny and Betty stay on as Trucy's assistants, though they'll have to come up with some new tricks… Mister Reus's hatred of the Gramarye's stings, but they know it's not completely unreasonable. They just have to keep striving to be better…

A couple of weeks after that trial, Mia and Diego have won several cases in Khura'in, both together and separately. It's a risk each time, but they've demonstrated not all defendants are guilty. This not only attracts the attention of the Ga'ran regime, but the Defiant Dragons as well. Fed up with the "mockery" of the courts, Nahyuta decides he'll face Mia Fey and be the one to crush Apollo's mentor… But he winds up prosecuting Abbot Inmee's wife when she's framed for murder, and he fails to secure his victory. This earns him a punishment from the Queen, and he's left with an even more burning grudge against Mia… Though he can't deny Abbot Inmee and his wife exposed as members of the revolution shakes up society quite a bit - the disdain towards the Defiant Dragons takes a nosedive.

Through that case, Mia meets Datz and Dhurke, the leaders of the resistance. Since she knows this was the man who raised Apollo, she's not as intimidated by him as society is. Rather, she's disappointed in him for shooing Apollo away and not staying with him when the boy needed a family. Granted, she knows it's important to give the people here in Khura'in some hope, but this seems like a battle to tactically retreat from with the royal family so oppressive. Not much progress has been made in over a decade, and only lately has she and Diego been tearing up the courtroom. It's not too late to make amends; Dhurke needs to set his priorities straight while he still can. Though Mia's shameless confrontation does rankle a bit, he can't deny the weight her words carry - she lost her sister, and his ambitions could easily lead to an early grave and put Apollo and Nahyuta through the same heartache. It's difficult to step away when the Defiant Dragons are doing better than ever, but it's easier to sneak out of the country and check on Apollo than it is to approach Nahyuta at this time.

I'll skim past the final case details because honestly? Canon did well enough establishing the approximate "how" this is all pulled off. However, I will dive into the resolution and all the epilogue bits. (人◕ω◕)

To put simply, Mia bringing Dhurke back to him is way more than Apollo could have hoped for. Yes, the reunion wasn't so warm and fuzzy. Not only did Apollo snub him when talking about retrieving the Founder's Orb from Kurain Village, but Thalassa's reunion with him was bittersweet… And meeting Zak was…well… (人◕ω◕) Zak is hard-nosed about the whole affair because Apollo is Thalassa's child, and Dhurke just… abandoned him. Dhurke knows he screwed up, but he's torn because everything was for the sake of saving Khura'in. Even now he can't give up the good fight…

Ultimately, though, Apollo and everyone helps Daddy Dhurke recover the Founder's Orb, and Apollo agrees to go back to Khura'in to save Nahyuta. It's not easy overcoming Inga and Ga'ran, but they reunite Dhurke with his wife, Nahyuta, and Rayfa. It's quite an awkward family reunion, especially since the Gramarye's tagged along with the lawyers, Ema, and Chief Prosecutor Lana. They wanted closure for Jove, Apollos father. (人◕ω◕) But Amara is reinstated as Queen, and Dhurke reopens his law firm and begs Apollo to stay and help him. The country's in a delicate state of flux with Ga'ran deposed and Inga imprisoned… And Dhurke really needs the help of lawyers. He can't ask Mia and Diego to stay, they've done more than enough. But Apollo? Dhurke wants to completely make amends, even if his birth family is also there for him. Apollo still has a soft spot for Dhurke and Nahyuta, and agrees to stay for a few years. He won't abandon either of his families if he can help it, and he doesn't want to quit on Mia either. … He also might have some sweethearts to return to, but more on that later. (人◕ω◕)

Even with Apollo remaining in Khura'in for a bit, they've still got lawyers back home to fill the void. And Athena doesn't plan to stop growing either~

[pjunicornart]

Let's learn about Little Neil from my new official AU... The Little Robinsons! His ref is the first of three. Three of the Robinsons age regress, can you guess who the other two are?

QnA:

Who is his Caretaker? Franny, of course! Note: They are not married in this AU, but they are very close best friends.

Why does he wear diapers? Due to Autism, his potty training experience was less than smooth. He had accidents all throughout his childhood. Because of the inability to recognize his body cues until it's too late and trauma surrounding toilets and his potty training experience, he finds diapers easier and more comfortable to use.

How many pacifiers does he have? Twenty-six. And counting!

Is he a bratty Little? Nope, just a padded one.

How did his Little Space develop? When he was adopted, he had no idea his parents weren't gonna be the best. They were trying to take care of a mentally ill son, but they couldn't do so properly. From their perspective, it would seem like bad luck that they got a "difficult child" for their first. They had no idea what they were doing, and got frustrated when Cornelius wasn't "normal." From Cornelius' perspective, they didn't understand him. They're currently on no contact.

Does he have other disorders besides Autism? Yes, he has Depression. He also deals with intrusive thoughts and Maladaptive Daydreaming.

Who's in charge of changing him? When not in Little Space, Neil changes himself. He was changing himself before he met Franny, and a little part of him still feels like she "shouldn't have to see that" even though she's a nurse and sees worse at work. She constantly has to remind him of that, as well as the fact that she really doesn't mind.

Have more questions? Ask box is always open!