#any of them could've reasonably known y'know

[raayllum]

other theories i'm tossing around in my brain:

on the note of the celestial elves being a little bit too dedicated to startouch ways / the possibility of rayllum/the trio bringing the prison with them to the starscraper, a fanatical celestial elf being the one to free aaravos (or at least attempt to)

[queenofbaws]

Hello again! I hope this prompt finds you well. I've been meaning to send it in for a while, but life's been... well, it's certainly been. Also, this one is meant for a long prompt weekend, if that's okay. Inspired by the end of the Chrashley cable car series, the subject is... love poems! I'd really like to see Chris stumbling upon something Ashley wrote about him - poems or otherwise - followed by a sweet confession/kiss/all that jazz (pre-relationship for some DELICIOUS feelings realisation).

He didn't notice it right away, because that would've been, y'know, convenient. It just lay there, innocuous to the point of invisibility, until Ashley was gone-gone, far enough into her trip home that there wouldn't be any catching her. Which figured, didn't it?

"Aw dang, I told her to check that she had everything!" Chris groaned as his brain finally registered the battered old notebook. He grabbed it up before either of the twins could (or, worse, Josh), and promptly started paging through it for no reason other than to hide his expression.

Had it been anything else, sure, he could've waited to return it, but...this was Ash's notebook. Her writing notebook. She'd need this ASAP, wouldn't she? Which meant, of course, now he had an actual-factual excuse to stop by her place on his way home. An excuse to see her again.

"Maybe she left it on purpose so she'd get to see you again," Beth droned, draped over her beanbag chair in such a way that she almost hung upside-down from it, her socked feet skating along the wall.

Chris couldn't stop the shiver that ran down his spine at that, and he snapped the notebook shut, whirling on her instead. "Why do you have to do that?!"

"Do what?"

"Be all up in my brain and crap! It's creepy! Spooky! You're spooky, you know that?"

"No one's reading your mind, Cochise," Josh snickered, lazily flipping through streaming services as if there would be anything worth watching. As if there was ever anything worth watching. "Hate to break it to you, my guy, but you're what we in the biz call an open book. Obvious." He made a grab for the notebook and Chris only barely managed to snatch it away. "A hopeless romantic at heart."

He rolled his eyes, then stood, moving from the couch to the loveseat to avoid any further games of keepaway. "Ha ha, you guys are hilarious. Hi. Larious. You know, one of these days someone's gonna start making fun of you the way you make fun of me, and what's gonna happen then?"

"Torture dungeon," Josh answered.

"Throw myself off a cliff," Beth replied.

"...I think it's sweet, for what it's worth," Hannah said from the other side of the room before going back to gnawing on her pencil's eraser.

He did his best to ignore the Washingtons as they did the sibling-thing, teasing each other, poking and prodding and playing their little improv games, turning instead back to the notebook. He riffled through it, appreciating the cramped, slanting scrawl of Ashley's handwriting, and -

Whoa, hang on a second.

"Hey, uh...guys?" he asked after a beat, raising his voice to be heard over them. "What...what're the odds, you think, that Ash likes me?"

He should've known better. He should've. But he opened the door, and God help him, Beth walked through it.

"Well. She hasn't stabbed you yet, despite having, just, countless opportunities, so..."

"Again, I repeat: ha ha. Hilarious. I'm being serious! You don't think...I mean...the chances of her liking me back - like-liking me back - they're not...you don't think..." When he raised his eyes from the notebook that time, the chill returned.

All three Washingtons stared at him as if he were the dumbest creature on God's green earth, their dark eyes pinning him to the spot.

"Cochise," Josh said, slower that time, more thoughtfully. "You care to shed a little light on what you found in there, maybe? Share with the class?"

"Uh," was all he had time to say, and then they were on him. Three against one. He didn't stand a chance.

*****

His heart was in his throat as he rang the doorbell, hands hands nervously moving from his hair to his bag and back again. He couldn't find the right way to stand either, constantly shifting his weight from one foot to the other, and how had he let them talk him into this?!

Just as the urge to flee spiked inside of him, the door clicked open and there was Ashley, looking surprised but otherwise delighted. "Uh, hi?" she laughed, leaning in the doorjamb as she glanced behind him, acting as if she expected Josh to jump out from behind the bushes.

He didn't, of course. That would've been ridiculous.

Him and the twins never would've been able to eavesdrop from that far away - they were standing flush to the garage, just out of her view.

"Hi," Chris said back, trying desperately to remember the scripts they'd had him rehearsing the whole walk over ("You left this, I thought I'd return it, hey by the way, do you maybe want to, oh, I don't know, get dinner tonight?" "Hey, you forgot this at Josh's. I figured you'd need it. I didn't read any of it, I promise, that would've been weird." "Hey, found your love letters, want to get married or something?" Admittedly, some of them had been better than others). They were lost to him, though, gone the instant he saw her looking up at him like that, and what actually came out of his mouth was: "I like you too. A lot."

One of the Washingtons - he couldn't say who without turning, and he couldn't turn, lest he blow up their spot - audibly smacked their forehead. Or one of their siblings' foreheads. Again, he couldn't exactly turn to see.

Ashley blinked, everything about her expression frozen in place. "I - " she started, and then the color went out of her in a sheet, her eyes widening until he swore he could see his reflection in them. "Oh my God, I left my notebook."

"I, uh, yeah," he stammered, "yeah, you, uh, you did."

She slumped against the door frame, her hands coming up to cover her face, and withoout so much as peeking through her fingers, she groaned, "And you read...?"

"Yeah," he continued to stammer, the picture of suaveness and eloquence and suave eloquence. "I mean...yeah. Yeah. Accidentally, sort of. But. Yeah."

"Oooooooooookay," she breathed, her face still hidden. "Okay. Great. Cool. Um. Well. Thanks for. Bringing it back. I guess. I appreciate it. Now, if you don't mind, I think I'm gonna go, uh, find a bridge. To live under. For the rest of my life. Actually." And then her hands dropped. The deer-in-headlights look remained, but some of the color had come back to her cheeks, and, even with his chest and stomach so full of terrified butterflies, he couldn't help thinking the flush suited her. "Wait," she said as if it had only just occurred to her. "You...you like...me...too?"

He swallowed hard, but he was in it now. Even if he tried to run, it was a little too easy to imagine the Washingtons taking him down before he made it to the mailbox. Better he do it on his own terms.

"A lot," he repeated. "Like, uh, a lot, and, uh, for a long time, and, I-I mean, I don't maybe have a notebook full of love letters to prove that, but, uh, I could...I could try?" It occurred to him then, again, conveniently, that he hadn't actually given her the notebook back yet, so he awkwardly fumbled with the closure of his bag, rummaging around until he found the spiral of its spine, pulling it out and holding it towards her like an offering. "I could try," he said again, his throat tight.

She watched him for a long while, or at least so it seemed, her eyes never once flitting to the notebook. After what felt like an eternity, she reached out to take it, their fingers brushing, and a shy, tentative smile pulled at her lips. "Do you...want to come inside, maybe?"

"I, uh...yeah. Yeah," he laughed, the sound anxious in his own ears.

"Can we come in too?" Josh called from the garage, causing him and Ashley both to jump out of their skin. "I have got to see where this Hallmark movie goes from here!"

[beauzos]

YOU'VE ACTIVATED MY TRAP CARD

(ID under the cut)

[ID: Three screenshots from Reddit. The first one is a comment from Tobi_1989 that reads as follows: "I see he was just as smart with money as he was in military tactics. Any other useful talents which managed to completely miss that man?"

The next two screenshots are the response to this comment from peixcellent. The messages read as follows: "Y'know, the crazy thing is that he actually was quite a good military leader. He's gotten a bad rap in popular culture for being a foolish, if not downright moronic, egomaniac. And, granted, I think that assessment is pretty fair all in all, but of course it doesn't account for just how wildly complex the man really was. I don't think he was an idiot, he was just a damn fool sometimes.

Military leadership was probably his only talent, aside from maybe networking. He was God awful to his men outside of battle, but he commanded respect in battle even among men who despised him because he genuinely did know his stuff. He was famous for his bravery in battle, always being the first to charge with his men instead of commanding from the back. He was very adept at handling battles. He became a famous celebrity because of his victories and leadership during the Civil War. Custer became a brevet brigadier general at just 23.

The reason he failed at Little Bighorn was a mixture of mistakes; he understimated the amount of Native peoples camped at the river as they had been discovered by some of the warriors before Custer could properly execute his planned surprise attack. Lacking proper information on the population there due to the incomplete scouting, he split up the 7th Cavalry between himself, Major Marcus Reno, Captain Frederick Benteen, and a small column for supplies. Had he realized the size of the attack, sticking together could've potentially increased the chances of more men surviving the battle. He only took around 200 men with him after he divided up the 700 or so men they had.

The second reason the Little Bighorn was such a spectacular failure was because of Reno and Benteen. Reno was extremely drunk during the proceedings of the battle and spend much of his time hiding in the trenches while his men fought blindly to defend themselves at another point away from Custer's column. Benteen received a runner from Custer begging him to come to his aid and bring supplies. Benteen pretended not to know what the message meant, and refused to assist Custer as he deeply despised the man. This undoubtedly helped cause the deaths of every man in Custer's column.

When Benteen met up with Reno, he asked if Reno had seen Custer, and he hadn't, so Benteen let it go. Benteen, doing one good thing in this entire battle, took over for the drunken Reno and helped rally the men to fight off the warriors and thus managed to escape with their lives. Reno would later be court martialed for his behavior at the Little Bighorn in 1869, and Benteen justified his own failures with conflicting stories when he was called to the stand; he didn't go because he thought Custer was already dead. He didn't go because Custer was alive. He didn't go because Custer had it under control. He didn't go because the Natives were overrunning Custer. Nothing was ever his fault.

In addition, Native warriors were known for hit and run-type battling. The Cavalry would have been more used to fighting warriors who were easily driven off if they did not believe they had a complete and utter upperhand. This was unlike American military forces, which would fight to the very end, no matter the losses. However, after the Battle of the Rosebud, which had taken place nearby just eight days prior to Little Bighorn and resulted in another U.S. loss under General Crook, the warriors were not retreating as they were known to do. They kept fighting, and so the columns never had a chance of driving them back when they were split up in that way.

This isn't all to say that Custer did nothing wrong, or that he didn't fuck up that day. He did. He made a serious mistake and it resulted in not just his death, but 267 more, including numerous family members. He made a critical error in judgment when he split up his men, but not all the fault lies with him. I feel like Custer gets misrepresented a lot. He was a terrible person, deeply flawed and often foolish, but one thing he was not is a bad leader."

End ID.]

[falinscloaca]

absolutely fucking hilarious to me (aka i'm actually no joke mad whenever i think about it) that a "maligned" yuri bracket that as the creator admits started about lesser known or disliked femslash just about IMMEDIATELY derailed as soon as the creator allowed leniency for "oh well a lot of people seem under the impression that something is 'maligned' (synonyms: vilified, slandered, infamous) if its UNIVERSALLY FUCKING BELOVED by the fandom but the story itself gets in the way of it for reasons ranging from "author is a dipshit" (perhaps a valid reason to consider it maligned) to "its a fucking tragedy and the fact they can't just live happily is MEANT TO BE SEEN AS FUCKING SAD *YOU ARE THE DIPSHIT HERE*" so like, all these polls are just popularity anyway so who can say if "most popular out of a succession of lesser-known, shitty, not-shitty-but-people-act-like-it-is, etc" is any more meaningful than "literally just the most popular ship we put on the bracket. like you could've answered this without even doing the polls just go over the initial bracket and choose the most dedicated fanbase and extrapolate"" and now its just a succession of Farcille sweeping every single matchup despite the fact that i've never met a single fucking person worth caring about who actually dislikes it. like i assume the pervs who just write the usual isekai monster x innocent girl "fanart" (...did they even read it...?????? i kinda feel like they got maybe 2 volumes in lmao. fake fans) don't really care for it but who gives a shit about them they should die. its not unpopular in the slightest aside from *probably* i assume overexposure or the one sad little laios x marcille shipper sitting in the corner who doesn't simultaneously also ship farcille in that kinda wierd freudian-isn't-the-right-word way that makes my stomach churn. FUCK THESE SENTENCES BRO WHY DO I WRITE LIKETHIS ok i wrote ahead but didn't address a point bc i my skull turned off but- Farcille doesn't even get like, morality discoursed much??? Like theres always those ships out there which are popular but get picked apart for potential patterns of abuse or unhealthy behavior or if you *think* about it Adora and Catra were both raised by the same (nonconsentually adoptive) parental figure which can make it incest Which Is An Argument That I Struggle With Completely Disregarding Because Of The Subset Of Incest Shippers That Do In Fact Take It That Way (But As A Positive), y'know. that kinda shit. Not even getting into the cases where a ship is more unambiguously fucking bad on a morality standpoint fandom popular or not. I could use this opportunity to soapbox but I won't.

hell even some of the contestants that actually have some leg to stand on are still an ill fit - kyosaya is from Madoka, which means that while fans can feel whatever way they please there Is a certain malicious element to their existence which isn't just excusable as "part of the tragedy/conflict", but its STILL one of the two "heavy hitter" ships outta the original series's fanbase (i don't know dick all about magia record). HELL madohomu at least gets the "is there discourse about it being dysfunctional/abusive/one-or-the-other-involved-painted-as-a-predator" treatment, despite being like... THE relationship the series itself fucking circles around. idk maybe madohomu was in there and i didn't notice. still wouldn't really fit though (maybe back in 2014....)

anyways delia x jessie would belong on there more than like 90% of the bracket just for the "they're basically canon" sweep-kerfuffle (if they WERE in this bracket. lol lmao that'd be hilarious actually wonder who they lost to)

[storylocke]

Turning Point: Family

Moneychu:

I can't believe you didn't even notice it wasn't me! Didn't even notice I was missing!

Gardevoir:

Oh, we noticed! Not that you had been replaced, but we were certainly booking it out of there as soon as we got hit by that Skuntank. Or at least I was. Nasty Poison things.

Toxicroak and Drapion:

[Turn to her with Toxicroak crossing her arms in offense]

Gardevoir:

Don't give me that look. You *are* nasty, and I know you love it. I'm just grateful you're not hard on me.

One:

Tch, because you're ~so~ fragile, right, Princess?

Toxicroak:

No, no. I'll give her that one. 

Puuyun:

[Let them duke it out then, the Houndoom goes over to the Pikachu and sits next to him so he can drape a paw on his tiny shoulder] Money, my man, do you know how many Pikachu were around there? How would any of us know that in the thirty or so running around there that one of them was just you getting left behind? 

Moneychu:

Yeah. I know. That's why I left that place, remember?! [Throws him off and starts to storm off] Just one of the reasons to hate the place. So crowded, so enclosed, and no one would even care if something happened to me. And guess what! You didn't!

Everyone:

[Huddled around the campfire when he storms past them. Overlapping calls after him "aw, buddy!" "That's not true!" "Oh come on!"] 

Moneychu:

Don't even start! It wasn't even another Pikachu I got swapped with, it was a damn SKUNTANK and you didn't notice! They aren't even native to the Trophy Garden and you didn't think something was up?!

Auguste:

Yeah, I screwed up, I get it! And you know what? We spent over a day looking for you! And that should tell you something, *we came back for you*! Do you know how hard that is? And I don't just mean the three ring circus act we just did to find you! I don't look back! 

[He waits for a response but the Pikachu merely keeps his back to them. His ears sink down with the weight of the words, betraying his emotions that he realized that.] 

Auguste:

[It hurts actually saying it out loud, even if it's something he'd known for a long time. Memories of the dozens of teammates he'd had try to flood his mind as he struggles to keep himself on track.] When someone leaves, or dies, or gets taken away, or an "accident," I. Don't. Go. Back! I don't question! I've found it's a lot less painful that way. But when we saw you were gone… I don't know, Money, it just hit differently. [Gardevoir comes over to place a hand on his arm, but he motions to her that he's okay.] And it's not because you're the strongest, or super rare, or even because of any type coverage I'm aware of. Heck, some of the Voices said that French chick would have been better if we trained her up and fits right along with the rest of the Poison-Dark theme I have going! [Mockingly] "Oh, but having another Poison means we're super weak to Earthquake" like an Electric type is any better-! [Gardevoir gives him a hard nudge as this speech really isn't making it sound any better] Sorry. The point is… Truth is I don't know why I did it. There was a big hole in the group, y'know? We need you. **I** need you. [Glances back at the group] Heck, I think I need all of you way more than any of you need me. Can you forgive me?

Moneychu:

What's there to forgive? I know you're right. [He softens a bit at his tone, but keeps his gaze to the ground before him] Look, we all know I'm the weak link on the team. I could've been dumped at any point in the last month, holding you back against Cyrus, being absolutely useless there at the League. The problem is, I don't know where I'd be without you guys. [Finally turns around] I'm not even mad at you guys, really. When I got pulled away, watching you all disappear into the grass and realized I was literally right back where I started. Part of the collective, the high walls… It scared me. And maybe [fidgets a bit with his paws] brought up some bad feelings that got nothing to do with you guys. I was mad anyway. Mad at myself. But then it got dark. [He looks like he could just cry] And then I didn't even have my siblings around. I was being carted away somewhere, and *that* had me petrified. It was one thing if you all somehow left without me, but then to be taken away, I had no hopes you'd ever be able to find me! And now that you're here, I just… I should be elated to see you, but I don't know how I'm supposed to feel. I'm *still* scared, I'm *still* angry, and I *still* can't believe it was all so easy! 

Toxicroak:

Sheesh. We're the ones who got sprayed, and you're the one making a big stink about it. [Walks over to him, warmly] Maybe we could all use a little bling after all this. [Playfully grabs him by the shoulders and shakes him to get a smile] Put that Light Ball on a gold chain around your neck, we'll be able to see ya for miles~! 

Moneychu:

[Soft hmph, but he's fighting off a grin as it would only give her the satisfaction] 

Gardevoir:

I'm sensing you may still be in a state of shock. Maybe it hasn't set in yet that you've actually been rescued. 

One:

Yeah, no offense, but you're kind of a pet. Most of us are little gremlins that came from a hole in the ground. You're not used to that kind of action. 

Puuyun:

And even when you do see action, you tend to black out. 

Moneychu:

[Huff] You know you're really not helping. Even if it is true. 

Auguste:

We'll work on that. 

Puuyun:

Eh, we've all got our problems. But at least we already know some of yours if you ever need to vent. 

Moneychu:

Careful, I might take you up on that. 

Auguste:

Come on. Might be time we all did. 

[Auguste motions for them all to settle down in a circle around the campfire.] 

Gardevoir:

We truly are glad to have you back. As soon as I saw you were gone, I was afraid you went the way of Pachi. 

Toxicroak:

Hmph, how come you of all Pokemon didn't know he'd been switched?

Gardevoir:

They replaced him with a Dark type. My sensing abilities have no power there. The only member of the team I keep constant detection on is Fic. [The little Manaphy by her side just looks up at her with a quiet wide-eyed innocence about what she could mean. Oh to not because Psychic when the Voices are around. She smiles down at the babe anyway and runs a paw over its head in a motherly kind of way] Auguste is right though. [Cheeky grin] If we come across a Ground Trainer, you all are screwed~~! 

[There comes a collective outcry of various forms of "Oh, shut up, Gardee!" as she holds up a Psychic shield as Moneychu and Toxicroak pelt her with whatever pebbles they can grab. Puuyun and One were laughing at least. Dr. Fic moves to snuggle up beside Auguste. And even if he should say something, Auguste just basks in the playful snarking that follows as it seems things were back to the way they should be.]

=+=

A/N based on a fairly late game incident where we were hunting for a Light Ball in Brilliant Diamond.

I like to think this whole lost Moneychu arc is the mansion owner finally being done with Auguste and his trespassing. That was his Pikachu anyway and the Skuntank aren't local to the garden, so think of Frenchie slipping into the party like a nasty surprise for our little thief to teach him a lesson. But where is our Pika?! We fled the mansion ~~but can't flee the stench~~ and because Auguste can talk to his Pokemon, probably found out from Frenchie that the rat has been sent elsewhere. Maybe she'll even tell us where if we do something for her. We helped her win a beauty contest, so she leads us to the shop where we found our boy!!

[siryouarebeingmocked]

Something tells me that story is heavily slanted. Burning research that happened to be pro-trans is not the same as making trans people the first targets. Which was the original claim.

Especially since the place was apparently better known for being pro-gay and pro-LGBT in general, not pro-trans specifically.

And it ignores many other things the Nazis did, like get in fights with communists before Hitler was even elected.

It also seems unlikely that the one German institute had literally all the pro-trans research on the planet.

As far as I can tell, there weren't any specific marching orders to prioritize the institute. It could've happened first entirely by chance. The attack on the institute might not actually indicate priority, just opportunism.

And Goebbels speech at the scene referred to "extreme Jewish intellectualism", and the authors of the books as "Intellectual filth" and "Jewish asphalt literati".

At best, the Goosestep Jerries were explicitly targeting a great deal of crimethink books. There was a gigantic list of thousands of titles, for lots of reasons.

Also, this whole thing is trying to imply that pro-trans people are always justified now, because of something dead people did to them almost a century ago.

Which is a tad ironic coming from the political team currently mad at Israel and Jews around the world.

And the one that, y'know, sent death threats to streamers because they wanted to play Hogwarts Legacy without being aware of the controversy. And also credible death threats (according to the cops) to JKR and her family.

Also, what exactly did Rowling say that led to this? We don't know. We're just supposed to assume the person breaking Godwin's law is correct because they're on the correct team, and Rowling is a designated crimethinker, and some progressive celebrity leapt into the ring.

Also, I'm pretty sure Holocaust denial requires actually denying the Holocaust.

Not just disbelieving someone who just called you a Nazi, making a claim with no evidence.

Turns out that when you personally insult someone by equating them to the most infamous regime in human history, they tend to not believe anything else you say.

Also, the first thing the Nazis did when they got power was the Reichstag Fire Decree, which suspended civil liberties like free speech for everyone, and was a blanket ban on things the Nazis didn't like. Including Reds.

Who got tossed into jail, under the claim that they were a threat to everyone.

Why do you think the poem starts "first they came for the communists"?

if you're just joining us, george takei is having to educate jk rowling on holocaust denial

[blookmallow]

alright lets finish this

----

so. things came to a head and i finally hit a point where i had to commit to one side even though ive been kind of just playing by my own rules and helping whoever i felt like rather than taking any Side particularly

what i wanted the most was to take down the legion so ive been working mostly with the NCR. but i hit a dead end in both the ncr line and the house line (i dont trust him but i felt like being in mr. house's good graces was a wise move lmao) where everyone wanted me to destroy the brotherhood of steel. and i dont... really Trust them, and i understand they're potentially a formidable threat, but i didn't want to make enemies with them for that reason, and just, like, i don't know, i really don't see why murdering everyone in there unprovoked is a good decision. i couldn't justify that. the only thing they've ever done to me is threaten me and briefly bomb collar me into doing them a favor which, while admittedly fucking rude, who HASN'T tried to kill me for one reason or another around here, y'know,

so i decided in the end if i absolutely must decide between murdering a ton of people for no clear reason either because a rich capitalist dictator told me to or because an army known for not really being there for people when they're needed and kinda serving their own needs told me to. or, y'know, not doing that. i figured. we're not doing that

so i killed mr. house. which i don't feel great about. i don't really feel like i needed to do that either. i could've left him powerless but technically still alive but he said he didn't want that, so i guess i made the best choice i could given the options but it still kinda feels like murder with an unclear motive or purpose. don't love that for me

i don't understand why the securitrons didn't immediately turn on me this feels very passive aggressively threatening. i feel unsafe

OH NO VICTOR.... what did i do. did i do this? could i have prevented this? i don't know. i feel like this is my fault. im sorry victor

i feel like putting the ai specifically designed to say yes to everything/give unrestricted access to just whatever you ask him for in this kind of position is extremely reckless at best but what do i know. i guess we're doing this now

OH boy here we go

i didn't really want to go against the NCR directly. i was hoping to be able to do this to take out the legion myself, i know i have all those fucking robots right under caesar's camp, i saw them, i do not fucking understand why i didn't get to just unleash chaos and burn them all to the ground. i killed that one really dramatic officer but it didn't feel like enough

i guess in the end independence probably is the best for everyone. maybe my courier was able to make a difference. i had hoped to negotiate and work with the NCR but i guess this is where we ended up

also turns out new vegas has my video game ending pet peeve of when you finish the game you just go back to immediately before you did the Final Quest and none of that actually happened. if you want to keep playing you just get to be stuck in "technically i resolved all this already but since that's The End it hasn't happened yet" limbo forever. i fucking hate that lmfao

ANYWay. that's that. i also played dead money but i really really want to get going on my fallout 4 liveblogs so im probably going to focus on sorting through all that next

[swiftbell]

Just have some very personal stuff I felt I needed to write down and get out into the world, feel free to ignore.

tw: childhood trauma, tw: emotional neglect Actually coming to the realisation that both of my parents were emotionally neglectful to me as a kid feels... weird to say the least. Part of the reason being that they did provide me with everything I needed physically or monetarily, and it feels as if I need to be very grateful for that, but I just can't. I've been reading and watching some stuff on the internet (link, link, link) and one of them mentioned that you had a relatively good life, but you also feel resentment towards your parents. Which yeah. There were also just a lot of things that hit hard, like the one linked video where he goes through signs of childhood trauma and I recognise everything as things I've either struggled with a lot, or to some capacity am struggling with.

The sources I find talk about recognising yourself in some of the points, but I recognise myself in almost all of the points. And honestly it just fucking sucks. On one hand it feels validating for someone to point out and say "hey, what you're feeling isn't normal, and things can be better", but on the other hand I feel angry because it means that I could've had such a better life. My mental health could've been so much better, there are so many situations I could've handled better. I could have been younger than almost 30 before I started feeling like maybe I can get my life together.

And honestly I don't want to hear people talk about how "everybody struggles with this in some form" and "nobody had their life together by 30" because I don't care! I care about the fact that I have it bad and that I could've had it so much better! My feelings and experiences are valid.

And then there's the fact that I really don't think there'd be any difference if I told my parents about it. Both would be defensive, my dad would be angry that my worldview doesn't line up with his and that he thinks he's done good and given up a lot and that I should be more grateful (I have heard him say that he wouldn't change anything about the way he raised us). And I know my mum would be hurt and blame herself, because she's gone through much and given much, but then she'd put it on me to explain to her what she should do and just say that she doesn't understand - problem is that she won't because I've tried to explain things to her a dozen times and she still doesn't understand. It's either disappointed anger or woe is me I don't understand, and neither will want to go to therapy or actually fix it with the hard work it would take, and I just don't want to deal with that. It's not like either of them would actually hear what I want to say to them.

I talked about it a bit with my therapist, and I just remember that in my childhood (7th-8th grade or thereabout) we had a thing in school where we had a list of things we had to put prioritise, and I was the only one who put my friends before my family (excluding my sister, because she's always at the top). Which honestly just shows that I've known this for a long time, but thought I was probably exaggerating because it couldn't be that bad, and it's not like they were actually abusive y'know.

I feel as if I had some point I wanted to make when I started writing this, but I don't know what that point is. Maybe I just want someone to say that what they've done is in fact fucked up, and that I am valid in my feelings, and that people don't try to downplay it, or try to fix it, or try to get me to see their side. Believe me, I have seen too much of their side, and I understand it better than they do. Arrogance? Maybe. But I have 0 hope that they'll ever change.

I'm just not sure what to do now. I am gonna talk more to my therapist about this. I just needed to get this out into the world.

[hopeymchope]

What do you think is the reason why Sayaka disliked Homura even back when she was still Moemura? I will admit that sayaka had good reasons to dislike and distrust Homura in the PMMM anime because Homura was acting quite callous and overall pretty shady, but why did she dislike her so much even in the older timeliness?

I want to open by saying: I don't think Sayaka has come off as being too harsh towards "Moemura" in the timelines we've seen. Certainly in the Magia Record game storylines we've seen with both of them, they seem to get on relatively fine? I guess it might be a little snippy at times. Hence: "relatively." But even so, it's not too bad? Maybe you remember some examples better than my brain can pull out right now.

The biggest example of this sort of Anti-Moemura tension that I can remember is from the main PMMM series when Sayaka's just instantly dismissive of Homura when Moemura tries to straight-up just tell the group what Kyubey is hiding. And I could go off on a whole tangent here about why that scene bothers the crap outta me... but I'll save it for the end of this post and put it under a cut. I go off-topic too much as it is in these answers. :P

Okay, so why does Sayaka instantly shut Homura down when Homura is just telling her the truth (and pretty gently at that)? Why is there that undercurrent of snippiness between them at times? My instinct is: Probably jealousy? Moemura quickly gets close to Madoka and seems to "replace" Sayaka as Madoka's closest friend. Sayaka's known Madoka longer, so that's gotta sting. Plus, y'know, the yuri undertones are strong with this show. Could be a little bit of "jilted lover" layered in there.

So I think that's the crux of it. But I confess that, to me, the most awkward relationship among the "Holy Quintet" is actually the one between Regular/Edgy Homura and Mami. Those two... even before I got to see Rebellion, I was reading the manga spinoffs and thinking, "Wow, they don't like each other very much." At their very cores, they are diametrically opposed forces. Mami is largely selfless whereas Homura is largely focused on selfish desires. Mami is always doing her best to look past her regrets and make the most of what she's got even when things are tough, whereas Homura refuses to be satisfied with fate's design and is a pile of regret and angst. And then the two of them going at each other in that amazing Rebellion battle felt like a big payoff to that tension.

Fair warning: I’m now gonna go off on a side rant about why the scene/timeline where Sayaka just instantly shuts down Moemura's truth-telling just bugs the crap out of me. :P lol

The short version is: That scene makes zero sense if you think about it for one minute. It's pretty obviously just a quick-&-dirty patch to wallpaper over the question of "Why doesn't she just tell them?" Urobuchi would've been better off showing us some bad consequences as a result of just telling them up-front... but in fairness, I suspect he knows that. I think he probably went with this hyperfast/full-of-holes way to say "Nah, wouldn't work" due to the time constraints of the medium. So I kinda get why it needed to be this way. I just wish we could've handled it more smoothly.

Anyway: Why do I insist that Sayaka's instantaneous denial of there being any possibility of Homura telling the truth make "zero sense"? Because they can literally just agree to ask Kyubey. That's all it would take to clear this up - a single, short conversation. Low effort, high return. I seriously doubt the entire team would just refuse to even fucking talk to him if Homura were to say "Why don't you just talk to Kyubey?" or something to that effect. That'd be ridiculous.

So yeah, literally just ask him about it! History proves that he won't even deny anything! He may avoid sharing information or imply things that aren't true without ever saying them, but he doesn't outright lie. That's kind of a major character trait for him/them.

In a perfect world, there would've been time for us to see that conversation play out, and then show how directly sharing that knowledge is ultimately still disastrous for the team. But hey, whatevs. I understand that we were working within the confines of a 13-episode series which — at the time — had no reason to assume it'd be expanded upon.

[polbongojahnjoj]

THIS. jane literally kept even cheating on paul either way during her acting in usa so that's probs also why he didn't want such a girl like she was so shit he made the right decision i also don't think jane broke up with him first i think paul did it cause they weren't much of a powerful couple tbfh i hate them together cause paul just wanted a nice person girl who would always be there for him and just be normal and caring and bs and trustworthy as well but jane def pretended being such a person just because he was a beatle and the only way she can get fame and everyone's attention worldwide - which didn't work much not until 1966 after alfie - is through someone more famous and bs than her so like the only reason why she's known is cause of alfie + the fact paul was her bf for a while but honestly i think it's just her sorta using him for fame in some way but shit

anyways linda is just BEYOND PERFECT and is one of my fav beatle wives ever (cynthia, pattie, maureen & may my beloveds <3) since y'know she was always there for paul and has made his life a lot better than it was back with jane and tbfh she was such wife material and they both were the best parents like ever in the entire history of parenthoods i just wish i could've been their daughter or something as well lol 😭

anyways yeah that's it from me 👀

also before any of y'all start attacking me saying how i'm one of those overly-protective paul mccartney fans and jane was a cutie pie and linda was an L woman tbfh idgaf cause i'm just being logic bout all of this even tho i'm aware all 4 beatles have dark shit when it comes to their relationships (not ringo MUCH tho he was 10/10 with maureen until that one time 💀) and like paul can't be the only innocent person but dude ringo was innocent as much as paul like he did nothing for maureen to be with george later on or sum he was practically in his own fucking bubble and there went the sex addict to take her

and i'm also a beatlemaniac ever since 2013 so like uh pls stop tysm 😃

“After Jane Asher dumped Paul McCartney he literally used to cry on my shoulder. We hit the bottle together. Hard. ‘I had everything and I threw it all away’ he’d say.”

- Alistair Taylor

“I knew I was selfish. it caused a few rows. Jane left me once and went off to Bristol to act. I said OK then, leave, I’ll find someone else. It was shattering to be without her.”

“We nearly did get married. But it always used to fall short of the mark and something happened. And one of us would think it wasn’t right….Jane and I had a long good relationship.”

- Paul McCartney

“I haven’t broken it off, but it is broken off, finished. I know it sounds corny, but we still see each other and love each other, but it hasn’t worked out. Perhaps we’ll be childhood sweethearts and meet again and get married when we’re about 70.”

 - Jane Asher

[kadencrafter78]

A Villain Deku scene

Katsuki woke up, his head spinning. His gauntlets were missing from his arms. Looking around, he realized he was tied to a chair. Nearby, watching a screen, was Deku Izuku. Izuku turned around, moving his body to face Katsuki.

"You're awake now, good," Izuku said. "Now tell me exactly why you were here." He delivered the last part as if it was a threat, with a wave of his knife to show just how dangerous he could be. Katsuki already knew that, though. He had seen the reports, the videos, of Izuku fighting even seasoned pros with the quirks he had at his disposal.

"I wanted to tell you something-" Katsuki began, but he was quickly cut off by Izuku speaking again.

"Is that why you showed up in your hero costume? Is that why you brought these?" Izuku questioned, pointing towards Katsuki's gauntlets that Izuku had placed aside.

"Yes. I was scared, because I thought something like this might happen." Katsuki answered.

"Something like what?"

"A misunderstanding. I was worried you'd think I was coming to attack you, and I wanted to be prepared in case you decided to go after me preemptively," Katsuki said.

"Alright. But what did you want to tell me?" Izuku asked.

"I wanted to tell you I was fucking sorry," Katsuki said. Izuku seemed a little shocked at that admission.

"Really? Now that's unexpected Kacchan," Izuku replied.

"What?" Katsuki asked, "That I'm sorry or that I'd admit it?"

"Either one, really." Izuku replied.

"Well it's true. I don't expect you to forgive me or anything, I just wanted to tell you. Now let me fucking go," Katsuki said.

"No," Izuku said, bringing back the threatening tone he had earlier.

"What do you mean no? I told you what I wanted to tell you, now let me go!" Katsuki replied angrily.

"Do you really think I'm just going to let the heroes' best assests just go? Kacchan, it's only thanks to that little admission that I'm not killing you right now." Izuku said.

Even now, Katsuki had failed to see Izuku as a threat. He knew what he could do, sure, but he hadn't even thought that Izuku could threaten his life. But he realized it now, that throughout this conversation, he was talking to someone who had killed or injured dozens of pros. He should've known from when he came that it wouldn't be easy to walk out alive.

"Well then what are you going to do with me?" Katsuki asked, only now having any hint of fear in his voice.

"Oh, I'm not sure. This is a big base. I'm sure I could find use for you somewhere. Although I might just put you in the vault," Izuku said, and for the first time Katsuki thought there might be a fate worse than death.

In fear, he let sparks fly from his palms, igniting the sweat that had gathered there since the beginning of the conversation. The chair broke apart, and Katsuki was pushed forward from the explosion. He ran to the nearest window, using explosions to propel himself further.

"What are you doing?" Izuku asked incredulously, not only worried that Katsuki would escape, but worried that he could die from whatever fall he hoped to take.

"I'm following my own advice. Taking a swan dive and praying," Katsuki said as he jumped out of the window. Katsuki fell until a winged hero swooped in from above, catching him before his fall could seriously hurt him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hawks held a caring glare towards Katsuki through the flight. "That was a stupid plan, y'know."

"It worked," Katsuki grumbled, regretting the fact that he had left his gauntlets with Izuku. He was going to have to get the Support Department to make him new ones. At least he had a good reason for redesigning them.

"You could've gotten yourself killed, Bakugo," Hawks said with a twinge of caring anger. "Did you at least get to say what you wanted to say?"

"Yes."

"And do you feel any better?" Hawks asked.

"Not really," Bakugo replied. This was the first time he held fear for the other boy. Not Izuku Midoriya, his old friend, but Deku, the villain he helped create.

[dourpeep]

PEEP PEEP I FINISHED THE EVENT LAST NIGHT AND CAME TO SEE WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ON IT WERE

Partly because I keep seeing people saying how Joel’s father is actually the fake Albedo but while it sorta would make sense it also doesn’t sit quite right? I actually got kinda sorta spoiled before I got around to playing act 3 but when I actually played it I was expecting him to be the fake Albedo but like… the vibes were not right. Like, memory loss is a perfectly reasonable explanation for what’s actually not having any memories of his “family” in the first place because he’s an impostor, and it would explain how he appeared so suddenly after not even so much as a hint that he was there, but… we saw him pretending to be Albedo, and we know he’s smart enough that he could’ve known or figured out at least some things instead of just pretending he doesn’t remember anything.

But I LOVE your Rubedo theory! The Albedo at the end still had different vibes from the first appearance of the impostor at the entrance of the cave, but feels much more like that but a few steps sideways into being less bitter, as opposed to Jouserf, who just feels completely different. And I agree that Albedo would definitely try to come to some sort of agreement with someone who’s basically his sibling instead of killing them, and that could definitely contribute to the Rubedo not being as bitter thing. I do hope we get to see more of him later on nodnod

- insomniac anon

nodnodnod

my other other reasoning for Joel's father being his actual father is that he was found in the same place that he fell--but ofc Rubedo could've easily followed the trail of notes left by Joel's father and decide to stay there until someone finds him (or even causing Pallad to fall and 'find' him) buuut I think that this whole part is a red herring nodnod

I have also heard stuff about the possibility of the Mond Bedo being actual Albedo too because of Albedo's penchant for coding what he wants to tell traveler--but!!! It's also more fun to think that Rubedo is still around and fine

And I feel sad about Rubedo's situation too--it's relatable, if that makes sense?

Ah, but there's also the whole thing that Albedo doesn't really...seem the type to joke about something as serious as his mark. Especially when he was so serious when talking about it? And there are times where Albedo's been pretty playful and joke-y, but we can very clearly see that Traveler themselves isn't happy about it and-

While Albedo isn't entirely well-versed in social interaction, I highly doubt he's so obtuse that he wouldn't know when and where to joke. He has a pretty good sense of appropriateness, y'know?

That and then there's also the idea that Albedo thinks he's a monster. He doesn't view himself as human--

So if he can help someone who is essentially just like him to be human...perhaps it'd be comforting to Albedo himself. Ahhh man that part where he's essentially talking down on himself was painful OTL I want to give him a big hug, tell him that being human is incredibly complex and that most, if not all the time, those lines are blurry even for 'true' humans ueue

Like--like the idea of Detroit: Become Human or the Bi-centennial Man!!

Though an android is a simulacrum of humanity, you wouldn't say that the androids in DBH or Andrew (Bi-centennial Man) aren't human in the philosophical/social aspect.

They hold complex thought, are empathetic, create their own decisions based off their views of their surroundings, they create bonds with others, experience the same emotions that we do, and though they are fictional...would you say that they are not human in the sense of having humanity?

And if that's the case, why?

Is it due to their artificial nature? Because they are created by humans? But then could you not also argue that humans are man-made--yes in a different way, but aren't there always variations?

You could go incredibly deep into this and I absolutely adore how they touched on this idea in Genshin because it's my hands down absolute favorite thing to talk about!!

AND THEN THERES OTHER THINGS LIKE--

Now, as we speak, in real life, we're seeing artificial intelligence and androids being created who are virtually human in appearance--ones that can converse like it is second nature, ones that adapt based off who speaks to them, ones that can create ideas and thoughts ahhhh

It's so incredibly interesting!!

Then then---you have the idea that people fear this. The idea of an artificially made being gaining this sentience, this humanity, and turning on humans. But then you're faced with the dilemma. Does this mean that humanity and humans are innately war-based? Does this mean that the nature of people is to destroy? And of course, you'd say no--there's an incredibly wide spectrum to cover where humanity is neither innately good nor innately evil.

We are our experiences, after all-

okay okay this is starting to get long so I'll stop here but ehehehe I love talking about this stuff!!

[asknarashikari]

Continuation of the photographer being handsy thing.

Emu: Sougo, I know you're an adult and all, but aren't your students kids and teens?

Sougo: Yeah? Why?

Emu: Why are some of the photographs on the poster are of you shirtless?

Geiz: What?! Sougo!

Tsukuyomi: I told you so!!!

Sougo: Can we please not jump to conclusions again?

Tsukuyomi: sorry

Sougo: Tsuku, I know you mean well, but I know what I'm doing, alright.

Sougo: It's not like I can't beat that photographer black and blue if he does try something.

Kadoya: You tell him, Zi-O

Shinnosuke: Onore Dikeido! Should have known you were involves.

Shotaro: Actually he wasnt.

Philip: Someone in an AR had the great idea of sending an evil version of Shotaro and myself and spread the Gaia memories.

Shotaro: So yeah, he was busy helping us and Terui.

Sougo: In any case, remember the loud gossiping boys and girls that Tsuku chased away as soon as the dance class ended.

Geiz: Don't remind me.

Tsukuyomi: You did not! Sougo!

Sougo: And some ballet dancers do end up shirtless in one of their performances.

Tsukasa: if you have it, you flaunt it

Natsumi: I don't see you going shirtless for more than one minute in the AR worlds where you do end up shirtless.

Natsumi: You're lucky Yusuke doesnt mind letting you borrow his shirts because he always wear two layers of them.

Emu: So Sougo, is that the only reason?

Sougo: Not really.

Shotaro: You forgot to bring one of your costumes didnt you?

Sougo: Yeah.

Sougo: I swear I remember packing it on the way to school.

Geiz: Oh so thats why it was on my bag.

Tsukuyomi: You had it, Geiz?

Sougo: I still have no idea, how it got into Geiz's bag.

Shotaro; Hojo, Tomari, why dont you two just drop it? Philip says that most ballet performers do end up shirtless during the course of their careers.

Emu: But why is Geiz-kun shirtless?

Geiz: There are some hip hop dancers who go shirtless while performing.

Shotaro: Wait a minute, why don't Geiz and Tsukuyomi know the contents of the poster.

Sougo: That's because I already posted them around the city as soon as they arrived on the doorstep.

Sougo: I'm guessing Emu-sensei saw one.

Emu: That I did.

Shotaro: So Hojo, are your maternal instincts calm now?

Shotaro: Same question, Tomari, are your paternal instincts quelled?

Shinnosuke: He is an adult. He can make his own choices.

Emu: But he will always be a baby rider.

Sougo: Oh come on! (>.<)

Y'know, I wonder if Sougo's lackadaisical attitude towards this whole thing just justifies Emu being protective of him. Forgetting his costume, not getting the okay from his partners (who also co-own the studio btw) before he put the posters up...

As for Tsukasa... him being off-world doesn't mean he can't suggest bad ideas to the Baby Rider. He could've DM'd him or something. And he's generally still a bad influence anyway.

[angst-fairy]

Named after anyone? Yes, my middle name is named after one of my moms pen pals she'd had since she was in her teens I think. Either way they've known each other for years, and are still friends. My middle name also happens to be my great grandfathers name, though my mother didn't intend that. I like it because it's kind of gender affirming to be named after a girl and a boy, since I'm bigender. But he also wasn't a good person, but then again he's not as bad as most people in my family and one of the very few who actually cared for their children.... soooo, missed feelings.

Last time I cried? Fuck, the day before yesterday? I barely know what I did this morning, or afternoon... or most of the evening. All I know is that I had a good day yesterday, and a boring day today. I cry a lot though, and I think I cried recently because I felt really happy, and I ain't used to that shit. The only specific time I remember crying recently was after my dr appointment, and the only reason I remember that is because I made a very poor attempt at offing myself.

Children? I call all my stuffed animals my kids, my parents are there grandparents, my grandma is their great grandma, and my siblings are their aunt and uncle. I'm also aunt/uncle to my siblings teddies. And since my siblings often voice them, they can become very realistic and say, wake me up or eat shit they shouldn't, or try to jump into the ceiling fan, or run away, or keep me from working, or *I trail off into frustrated mumbles, with a few louder and accompanied by angry hand gestures* I love them though.

Sports? If the devil didn't DESPISE me! I would be running and figure skating rn. And if the medical system didn't DESPISE me! I'd be doing both those things but in a wheelchair.

Sarcasm? With my parents? It's hard not to be. Honestly, society is lucky my parents are religious, because if they didn't believe violence was wrong, they'd be going around punching people right in the nose instead of dipping their words in poison (which is still technically wrong by their religion, but apparently they don't give a fuck).

First thing I notice about something? If it's a person, what are they generally like, and how can I manipulate them or our conversation if I need to get away from them because my intuition or just general knowledge deems them unsafe. If it's a place, usually how to safely get myself and as many other people out/hidden incase of emergency. If it's an object, it depends on where it is, because if I find it on the ground I'm first gonna check if it has blood, urine, drugs or anything else harmful on/in it. If it's in a store or someones house, I'd probably try seeing if there's any words on it and reading them.

Eye colour? (finally a web site that doesn't say I'm spelling colour wrong) Brown. It can look like hazel in certain lighting and dark brown in other lighting. I like it when it looks like a dark chocolate brown.

Scary movies or happy endings? I don't mind horror's or thrillers, I just find them boring. Not in the predictable way, they just don't really affect me. I stayed miles away from them as a kid because I thought I'd be terrified of them, but I finally saw one (or it could've been a video game) I realized I'm not scared of them in the slightest, and therefore don't find them appealing. I've always like when someone dies in a movie though, even if it doesn't have a happy ending. Though, if the persons death doesn't cause like a domino affect or it doesn't lead to anything, like they die, then there's a sad scene and after that they all just move on. Then they're just killing off people willy nilly. Death is supposed be used for storytelling, not just thrown in for no reason. The only exception is if it's a true story ofc, but then I get actually sad because real people did really die. And even then it usually has an affect in the story, because y'know, people are affected when ones they know and maybe love die.

Talents? Writing, as I'm sure you can tell. I'm starting to realize why my teacher always said I was writing an essay when writing answers to questions. I suppose drawing, but I need to practice a lot more to get as good as others. Then acting, analyzing basically anything and everything, and I'd like to think I'm a good problem solver.

Place of birth? Alberta, Canada

Hobbies? Researching medicine, genealogy, and psychology. Reading, writing and drawing. And then there's the hobbies I have that's called "collecting everything under the sun", which includes old dolls, coins, rocks, vintage anythings, stuffed animals, books, jewelry, and probably more.

Pets? I have a black kitty! Her name is Ravenna and we've had her for about a year. We used to have a black lab named Duke, but he died when I was a baby. My parents had him since before they were even married, so he did live a long life.

Height? 5'4 or about

Fav school subject? Science if they don't make me do dumb lab reports about basic knowledge I already know. English if they actually let me write and not just do random stuff about society. Math if it's all similar to algebra and they actually explain why those specific steps work and others don't and how. And probably psychology once I get there.

Dream job? Inventor/scientist, writer, and youtuber. All at the same time.

I'm so sorry to make you read through this, but if I got my pages in a book, I might as well read them to you

Tags: @garbage-floof @unicornpopcorn14 @fixation-central @toomanyfandoms11 @shank-ey @le-dormeur-du-val

tagged by @wolfsangel

1. named after anyone? no but my grandma chose my current name 2. last time I cried? today 3. kids? my plushies 4. sports? sleeping (n skating in winter) 5. sarcasm? hard to understand 6. first thing I notice about something? shape 7. eye color? that weird grey color that either looks green or blue to people 8. scary movies or happy endings? scary movies 9. talents? communicating with anything that has a soul 10. place of birth? c++ compiler 11. hobbies? programming, drawing, music, reserching topics no one cares about 12. pets? da dog, da hamster, soon da stickbugs 13. height? 5'5 or somwthing 14. favorite school subject? i dunno 15. dream job? something programming or osint related

tagging: @fvckinnefor @disruptxrr @ttattp @necoboberarc @poorpastel-pain + any1 who wants to do this ^__^

[sebstanseabass]

Afterglow (A Bucky Barnes AU fan fiction) - Chapter 21

Afterglow chapters

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

NOTE: Again, the third person POV starts after this sign: ✪

Tag: @maladaptivexxdaydreaming

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Still covered in nothing but sheets, Bucky was sleeping in your arms by the time you woke up. Little snores were coming out from his mouth. You smiled at the fluttering sound and planted a small kiss on the top of his head. You laid there listless, legs still shaking from what happened last night, and mind still clouded by Bucky's past.

Peter's annoying coffee bean grinder started filling your ears. They echoed against the apartment walls. You internally groaned at the sound. You looked on your right to take a peek at the small gaps between the curtains and the window. It was still quite dark out, the sun almost waking up. The time on the clock read 6:00 in red blinking lights. You let out a sigh. Peter hated mornings, more than Garfield hates Mondays. The only logical explanation of him getting up early in the morning and making loud, annoying noises with that old grinder was that he didn't sleep through the night or he woke up too early with too many things in his mind. You wanted to choose the latter. If he didn't get to sleep last night, there was a tiny chance he could've heard you and Bucky — might've even walked right in the middle of a very heated, wild sex between his best friend and his stepbrother, seeing as you stupidly left the door unlocked (by this time, you were already out of bed, your naked body wrapped with a cheap bathrobe you've had with you since your college days).

You made a mental note to yourself to lock the door all the damn time, now that you and Bucky were being careful.

Last night might have not been the best thing you've ever done but it sure felt so good.

You stepped out of your room and approached the kitchen. Peter had his back on you and was just getting a filter paper from the top shelf.

"Good morning, Peter Parker." You said, earning a genuine shock from your best friend. Your voice came out groggier than you'd expected.

He turned around, a filter paper in his hand. "Jesus, y/n Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry," you replied, "but it's six in the goddamn morning and you've probably woken up the whole building with your grinder."

He went back on his filter paper, placing it inside the coffee machine. That was probably the most expensive thing he'd ever gotten himself. "I ran out of coffee grounds. I had to make them."

You stayed quiet for a while, leaning against the counter and watching Peter pour the grounds into the filter. You watched as he smoothed the grounds with his finger. After a while, he placed both his hands on the edge of the counter, looking at the coffee drip. The whole time, you prayed to God Bucky didn't stir or make any noise in the bedroom. Thankfully, he didn't. He looked like he would be sleeping for a while, anyway.

Biting your lip, you walked to where Peter was standing and stood beside him. You waited for him to say something — anything about any noises he must've heard from last night but there weren't any. If he did, you'd be dead. You and Bucky would be dead.

Moments have passed. The coffee machine whirred on the table. The coffee pot was almost full. The dull kitchen smell was replaced by the inviting coffee aroma. Then, you found my voice

"I'm not sorry for taking the job, Peter." You started, your voice weak, barely a whisper. "I need it. But I am sorry for not appreciating you and your efforts to help me with my career. You have to know that. It's just... you know I feel about the corporate life — "

"I know, y/n." He cut you off. His gaze was now off the coffee maker but at the tiled wall in front. "I'm sorry for reacting that way. I was just tired from the trip." He faced you. A somber look crossed his face. Even if he was, just as he put it, "tired from the trip", you knew he was still hurt. And the more you looked at his baby-like face, the more you wanted to tell him about you and Bucky. You stifled yourself from doing so in your head.

Baby steps, y/n. Baby steps.

"I am proud of you." He stated. "I always have been. I hope you know that."

"Of course I do, Parker." A smile started to settle on your lips.

"It's one of the reasons why I want you to come work in the company. You've got a business degree, and you're a good photographer. And I'm proud of that. But," he paused, "I don't want to upset us both — especially you — by forcing something on you that you clearly don't want. If you're happy, then I'm happy. That's what matters, y/n."

That was a good opening, right? Usually, that was it: the perfect time to tell him that you were dating Bucky. If I'm happy, then he's happy. End of discussion. But things that don't go as planned also usually don't end up as well as you'd hope. After that, all you could utter was:

"Thank you. I am happy."

"And I trust Sam and Bucky."

You nodded, shying away at the mention of your lover.

Trust. It truly was a big and powerful word. The more you looked at Peter, the more the word "trust" started to blur all around him.

You shook your head, dissipating the thoughts swarming in your mind. "I'm starting today, by the way." You said.

"That's great, y/n." He replied. "And who knows, maybe you'll get bigger clients after this. I know Sam has a lot of connections when it comes to independent business owners. Bucky too! He probably knows a lot of models. Maybe he can help you with it, y'know? I mean, he's already helped."

"Maybe. Let's see." By this time, Peter was already pouring the coffee in his favorite mug. The words "Bucky" and "model" weren't sitting right with you. Was it a hint of jealousy on my end?

"Oh, how's it going with Wanda, by the way?" You asked, stirring the question in a different direction. Albeit liking that Peter was warming up to the idea of Bucky helping you, you didn't want to further the topic anymore as it was making you all shake up.

"She's coming in for a meeting today as well, actually. I really hope it goes well. This is the biggest account we've landed."

"That's good." You replied, nodding. Hoping that she wouldn't get Sharon Carter'd during the meeting. But then again, she was Wanda Maximoff — already known for her unremarkable talent. No one would ever think twice to question what she was capable of.

And who am I compared to her, anyway? You thought.

"So... you're starting today!" Peter exclaimed, stirring his coffee after putting in some milk.

"Yes. I have this pitch presentation for Sam and the team. But there's nothing to worry about. The last meeting went well and Sam and I have The Falcons' best interest." Then you told him about how you butted heads with his assistant, Sharon Carter.

"Oh, she's a Schmidt!" He commented, laughing. "Everyone's got a Schmidt."

You laughed alongside him, reminding yourself to beat Schmidt's ass when you see him.

"Man..." he trailed off. "How Bucky could convince you... it's still a mystery to me. You're kind of a hard shell to crack."

You chuckled nervously, gazing down at the floor. You didn't answer. You didn't know what else to say.

You and Peter chatted for a little while, burying the little hatchet you had. You talked more about the trip he'd had with his colleagues, the shocking truth about Steve's past ("Who knew he could write?"). Here, you made a mental note to yourself to perhaps check some articles he had written in the past. You also hoped some of them were online. By the time you and Peter stopped talking, he had already finished his cup of coffee and the sun was almost all the way up in the New York skies.

Before you even got out of the kitchen, you turned around and asked him one thing: "Hey, you still in love with that girl or did the whole retreat thing help you forget her?"

His back was turned to you once again as he was washing his mug. But his actions stopped once you asked the question. His head tilted. "Very much so."

You frowned, crossing your arms. "Very much in love with her still or..."

He turned around, his eyes meeting yours. "I'm still in love with her. Nothing's changed."

"See." You snorted. "The retreat thing was complete crap. Didn't do you shit. My advice for you? Tell her how you feel."

His eyes averted to the tiled floor, continuously nodding his head. "Perhaps."

With that, you left Peter with his lingering thoughts and wished him good luck. You must admit, the curiosity of who this girl he had been in love with for years was eating you. He was the kind of best friend who practically tells you everything that goes on in his life: all the good ones and the shitty ones. But you counted it fair, knowing that you too were keeping a dirty little secret from him. The only difference was your secret involved someone dear to him; whereas, his involved, perhaps, some girl you haven't even met yet. Maybe he met her in the office. Who knows?

You came back to your room, finding Bucky still asleep in your bed. You locked the door behind. The little snores coming out of his mouth were now gone. You woke him up quietly by kissing his temples and his forehead. After a few moments, his eyes fluttered open and a small curve by the corner of his lips started to show. The sun shone on half of his face, his ocean blue eyes absorbing all the light.

"Good morning, handsome." You whispered, smiling at him.

He chuckled and closed his eyes once more, letting his head dip into the pillow, as if shying away from a compliment. "G'morning." He lazily replied. "Is Peter still out there?"

"Yes, he's getting ready for work. You can go out after he leaves."

He rolled towards you, one arm dangling on your waist. "I don't want to go."

"You have to, silly." You giggled.

He shook his head on your tummy, tickling you. You laughed at the way he behaved. Different from the one you had witnessed last night. You stayed in bed for a little while, just in each other's arms, the silence closing in. It was a comfortable silence. One you could get used to. After what had transpired last night, silence was all you needed. Sometimes, it speaks louder than words could. We listened to each other's heartbeats, the sound of Peter's footsteps a few feet away from us, your shallow breathing, and the ongoing traffic just a few stories below

Then, Bucky broke the silence. "I never noticed how loud the traffic could be."

"It's either you've been living in a jungle or in a penthouse that almost reaches the sky."

"I'd like to live in a jungle." He continued. You prepared for his little ramblings, smiling to the wall in front. "So peaceful and quiet. I'd be swinging on vines to vines to vines like Tarzan. I'd like that."

You wanted to tell him a jungle isn't peaceful and quiet, with wild animals lurking around. But perhaps, compared to the human world, it was peaceful. Humans are behaving more like animals these days — or worse than them, even worse than the wild ones. But you liked that he was comfortable enough to tell you all the little weird things that were going on inside his head, all the good and bad, all the big and small. Things he had never uttered to others.

Perhaps it was good that the child in him was still there. At least he still sees the beauty in the world.

His phone vibrated somewhere on the floor, making your thoughts dissipate. He quickly picked it up as soon as he saw the caller ID.

"I have to go, doll." He sighed after talking to whoever was on the other line, picking up his boxers and his pants. You tilted your head to the side as he bent down, subconsciously biting your lower lip. "Tony's in the penthouse."

"Stark?" You frowned. "What's he doing in there?"

He pulled his shirt over his head. By this time, Peter had just finished showering. The water in the bathroom had just stopped dripping. "I'm about to find out."

"Peter's still out there. How are you gonna go out?"

His eyes moved to the closed window in front of him. "The same way I got in last night."

I raised your eyebrows, standing up. "In broad daylight? When people could see you? You're crazy."

"Well baby, I'm crazy for you and I see nothing wrong with that." He smirked, making his way towards you. "What's one more crazy thing to do?" He sped towards the window and quietly opened it, letting a cold breeze inside the room. His foot was just outside the window when you grabbed him and placed your mouth on his.

"Thanks for telling me about your past last night." You said, pulling away. It needed to be said. Now, you felt that you knew him better, knew the deep parts of himself he had been keeping, rather than the parts you already know about him. "I really appreciate it."

A soft smile landed on his lips. His hand caressing your jaw. "Thanks for listening, doll."

Then, he climbed down the fire escape, vanishing like Aladdin on his magic carpet.

--

The inviting smiles of the marketing team invited you into the conference room (the same one as last week) as soon as they saw you walk in. With your head held high, red lips, stilettos, and a bunch of papers and a laptop in hand, you shook all their hands with your free one, introducing yourself. Your eyes landed on Sharon who just gave you a nod. You turned around and fixed all the things you needed for your pitch on the table and felt a bit sad about you and Sharon's little exchange.

You were the only women in the room. The least you guys could do was to back each other up but clearly, it wasn't the way she usually goes. Or maybe she just really hated your guts.

While waiting for Sam to arrive, you practiced the speech you've had prepared a few days ago in your head as you skimmed the slides you prepared — all the color schemes, the tones, the framing, everything were on there.

Sharon approached you hesitantly. You looked up and gave her a questioning look, your fingers suspended in mid-air against the touchpad of your laptop.

"Barnes not coming with you today?"

"No." You briefly replied.

You went back to your presentation but Sharon didn't budge. She just stood there, looking down on you. "Can I help you with something or are you just gonna stand there?"

"You're not so bad, Ms. y/l/n." She said, startling you.

"What?"

"I saw your online portfolio." She answered. "You're good. I mean, you're no Maximoff but yeah, I guess you have potential. You just need a bit of push and the right audience."

You looked back up, giving her a small smile. Albeit the backhanded slap, it was the nicest thing she had ever said to you since day one. "Thank you."

"I'm looking forward to what you might bring to The Falcons."

"And I as well."

Sam arrived a bit later, having had some problems with the shipment of the next batch. You asked if this was going to be a problem in the production for the shoot but assured you and everyone else that it wouldn't be. Not anymore.

Bucky sent you a short text message right before you started the pitch, attached with a photo of him in a black hoodie with an unamused expression crossing his face. The hood perfectly framed his face in a weird way.

The day got dragged in seconds. Even though your pitch presentation about the production and post-production of the photos ended in a New York minute, with no further questions asked (surprisingly), the interview with the countless models and athletes took longer than you thought. Some even flirted with you (and not so subtle, you might as well add) to get the job. That alone just said a little too much of their work ethic and professionalism — which none of them had.

"She's taken, buddy." Sam glared at the model right across from you. "Move along now."

We watched the Australian model get up with a huff, mumbling something incoherent under his breath.

"I could've taken care of that, y'know." You sneered. "I don't need you looking out for me when Bucky's not around."

He scoffed, crossing his arms across his chest. His eyes on the papers lined up on the table. Beside you, Sharon was scribbling something on a piece of paper, double checking all the resumes, and couldn't care less about your conversation.

"Bitch please. I ain't looking out for you, kid. I'm looking out for Bucky."

"Sure, you are." You smiled, your eyes following the next model entering Sam's office. "Admit it, you care about me."

"Ha! You wish." His body language did say exactly that but his smiling eyes said otherwise.

The series of interviews went well after that, less people flirted. If not with you, with Sam and Sharon as well. Despite that, you've met people from different walks of life; people with stories to show and tell through photographs, stories worth telling, people who have been through success and failure, who have been marginalized by people who think of themselves as superior beings, people who are still finding purpose in life. And this is what you adored in this project and what you loved about photography. It was more than making money, more than a business, more than a face. It's all about the stories behind. And you couldn't wait to capture these stories in your lenses once you've chosen the twenty models and athletes.

After the long interview, you bid goodbye to Sam and Sharon, thanking them for the time and the work you've had today. To your surprise, you saw Sharon curve up a small smile as she shook your hand. Maybe you'd get along after all. Who knew?

You hailed a yellow cab in front of Sam's building and went straight to the bar, texting Bucky that you were on your way. You smiled, sitting closer by the window, looking up at the sunset hues in the sky. Now, whenever you looked at the sunset, all you could think of was Bucky.

As you looked above, some striking letters caught your eye: Stark Industries. The biggest, most famous business franchise there ever was not just in New York but in America. Tony Stark had hotels, restaurants, clubs -- you bet there wasn't something he hadn't owned yet.

Upon getting at the bar, Bucky was already sitting on the high stool by the counter. You were getting ready to hug him from behind but seeing Peter get out from the toilet stopped you. Instead, you went for a small smile and a wave. You would've killed to hug him and kiss him after a long day.

Nat wasn't around for her shift tonight, so it was just Nick and the other guys going around for orders. You wondered if Steve too was around or not but it looked like he wasn't. Well, that explains things. It wasn't that hard to put two and two together.

The bar's atmosphere was different without Nat around. Everyone was nice.

"Hey, it's Miss Big-Shot!" Even Nick was nice. "What can I get for ya?"

You ordered a non-alcoholic drink while telling Peter and Bucky how things went through today, secretly wishing it was just you and Bucky. You would've been sitting close together, thighs grazing each other, fingers brushing against each other under the counter, like a couple morphing into one entity.

You secretly kept glancing at Bucky, wondering what was in his mind, wondering if he too wished the same thing you had wished for, wondering if he would kiss me every chance he'd get to. You weren't a big fan of the whole PDA thing but when it came to Bucky, you'd let him do anything to you anytime, anywhere.

After you told them how your day went, you decided to ask a stupid question: "Oh hey, Bucky, how'd it go with Tony?"

Silence filled the counter. Bucky's eyes filled with horror while Peter shot you a questioning look. Then, he looked at Bucky. "You saw Mr. Stark today?" Then, back at you. "Wait, ho-how did you know about that?"

It was a good thing you were quick to think off the top of your head. "Bucky and I ran to each other in Manhattan and I asked how he was doing and then he told me about it! Right, Bucky?"

"That's it!" He replied, smiling awkwardly. "We did and yes, I told her."

"Aw, man. Mr. Stark never answers my phone calls or messages." Peter pouted. "What did you guys talk about?"

Bucky shrugged, taking a sip of his beer. "Business stuff. He says he wants me to be more... present. You know how he is."

But Peter didn't seem to mind about Bucky's reply. "How come he doesn't call me?"

"Oh my god, Parker, are you jealous?" You laughed, nudging his shoulder.

"Well, he never calls me!"

"Aw, is daddy too busy for his little boy?" You joked, pinching his cheeks which he slapped away.

"Ew, don't call him that!" Peter exclaimed, playfully glaring at you. "And he's not my dad! He's his dad!" He pointed at Bucky with his thumb."

"I'm adopted."

"Which technically means he's your dad." He replied. "Did he say anything about me?"

"No, not really." Bucky chuckled at Peter's whining, putting a hand on his shoulder, as if reassuring him. "Don't worry, kid. We'll go pay him a little visit and you can curse him out if you want. I'll be happy to back you up."

"Oohh, I can never do that to Mr. Stark."

"Why not?" You asked. "He's not your father. I say go curse him out."

"He's Tony Stark!" He exclaimed. "You'd be crazy to do that."

"You are such a baby, Parker." You groaned.

"I know." Peter smirked. "That's why women find me adorable."

"Gross." You cringed at him, throwing a cashew nut to his face. "Never ever say that again."

After about an hour of catching up, you three went to the apartment, the awkward silence during the elevator ride killing you each passing second.

You and Bucky stood behind Peter as he struggled to open the door, a little too close for Peter's liking (if he could see us now). Bucky slowly hooked his pinky with yours. You looked at him with a small smile on your face, then down at your pinkies hooked together.

They looked like a little knot on a string.

Bucky looked straight ahead, a sly smile playing on his lips as his hand moved from your hand to your ass. You slightly jumped at the contact, a small blush covering your cheeks. He removed it immediately when Peter managed to open the door after mumbling a few profanities under his breath. You quietly whimpered at the absence of Bucky's touch.

You went straight to your room after that, leaving Bucky and Peter in the living room. While changing, you noticed a gift-wrapped box sitting on your bed. It was a sleek black medium-sized box, adorned with a thick black ribbon, and thin silver ribbons. You frowned at it as you unbuttoned your blouse. You brushed your hand against the ribbon, looking for a note but there was none.

Once you put on some house clothes, you sat on the bed and carefully opened the box. You gasped as you carried the lid. Inside was the Nikon D850 — exactly what you've been wanting — and three different lenses, each with a different purpose.

"Bucky, you son of a bitch." You mumbled, adoring the equipment laid out on the bed.

On the bottom of the box, was a little white note that read:

For the most talented person I know.

Yours,

B.

You glanced at the door as you heard Bucky's laugh echoing against the apartment walls and immediately got out of your room. Peter was already walking to his room to change, leaving you and Bucky in the living room.

"You're welcome, doll." He whispered.

You wasted no time to push him towards the kitchen, and trapped him on the counter, your lips already smashing his. "You don't know how much I've wanted to do that since I saw you at the bar." You breathed out.

"Oh trust me," a quick peck on the lips, "I know."

"Bucky, the gift — "

"Is not too much."

"I was going to say I appreciate it." You smirked. "I think I know you well enough now not to say those kinds of things. But — "

He groaned, throwing his head back. "No buts, baby, please. Unless it's your butt." Then he, the cheeky guy he was, moved his hands on your ass, squeezing them.

"But..." You placed his hands back on your waist, giving him a look. "You don't have to do this all the time, okay?"

"I'm not making any promises."

"James, I mean it."

"Y/n." He smirked. "I mean it too."

"You're never gonna stop, aren't you?" You sighed, gazing into his eyes.

"You know me well enough to answer that question yourself. Now, what do you say when you've received something from me?"

"That's not fair. When you give it to me," you pushed your crotch against his, earning a slight groan from his end, "I normally don't say thank you. How come I should say it now?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "You're really something else. You know that, right?"

You rolled your eyes. "The amount of times you've told me that, Bucky, I swear — "

Then, he shut you up by kissing you softly on the lips. "Where's my thank you?"

You giggled, pressing against him harder. "How about I say thank you in a different way? How's that sound?"

"Right here? Doll, y'know I'm not one for a quickie. If I want to fuck you — "

The sound of Peter's door opening made you jump off Bucky faster than the speed of light. Peter entered the kitchen as you pretended to grab something from the fridge.

"So... this was nice." Bucky said, peeling himself away from the counter. "But I have to go. It's getting kind of dark now plus Howard's waiting for me downstairs."

You watched as Bucky and Peter exchanged their goodbyes by the door, and watched your lover walk away from you without a short hug.

As soon as you went back to your room, your phone rang. You immediately picked it up seeing Bucky's name on the screen.

"If I want to fuck you — and trust me, I always want to — I'd be doing it all day, all night. My place tomorrow. I'll be waiting for you, my little devil."

And with that, you laid on your bed, together with Bucky's gifts, with the thought of Bucky pleasuring you in all ways possible running through your head.

✪

Steve Rogers strode in the mirrored hallways of the Stark industries with Jarvis right beside him, dreading for this spontaneous meet to end. Keeping his head low, he asked Jarvis:

"What does Stark want from me now, Jarvis?"

Jarvis gave him a side-glance, not uttering a single word.

"Oh come on, now." Steve looked at the blonde beside him. "Don't be shy. Usually, you have the right words to say."

But Jarvis didn't budge. He knew Tony well enough not to talk to Steve. Besides, it wasn't any of his business. He was just Tony's little errand boy -- alright, perhaps errand boy was a bit degrading. His... assistant. Someone who does the dirty work for the boss.

"The silent treatment? Really?"

Jarvis internally groaned. Steve didn't use to talk that much back in the good old days. Almost reaching Tony's office, Jarvis showed him the way but Steve stopped him.

"Yeah, yeah. I know where it is." Steve huffed.

"Very well, then."

"Oh, now you talk." Steve said, stopping right outside Tony's tall metallic doors. Jarvis offered him utter silence. "Always a pleasure, Vis."

Tony Stark sat on his cushioned throne, trailing a little yellow cab with his fingers, as if playing with toy cars. Once he heard the door close behind him, he turned around and met Steve's cold blue eyes.

"Mr. Rogers." Tony acknowledged, eyeing Steve from his head to his feet. "Please, sit down."

"I won't be long."

"I'm afraid that's not for you to tell." Tony's voice was firm. Authoritative. Something Steve never missed. "We have much to discuss."

Steve sighed, defeated. He had no other choice but to sit across from the jerk.

"If you're here to tell me to shut up about that thing you don't want Bucky to know, don't worry, I will."

"So..." Tony trailed off, pulling himself closer to his table. "You know that I know."

"It was more of a guess." He replied, frowning. "But knowing you, I just knew it to be true."

"Alright," Tony exhaled, minding Steve's cockiness, "let's cut to the chase here. Your little bar? Captain Brews? I want to buy it."

"No."

Tony was taken aback by Steve's swift answer but he didn't show it. People always said yes to Tony. Always. "I'm afraid that word isn't a part of my vocabulary."

"See, that's where we differ 'cause in mine, it is." Steve answered, keeping his voice strong and steady. "I don't want anything to do with you. I did everything you told me to. Leave me and my bar alone."

"How much do you want for it?"

"What?"

"Ten million? Fifteen?"

Steve scoffed, biting his lower lip. "I told you, I won't tell Bucky what I know. I've burned all the papers, all the articles, all the drafts. There's no evidence left. Buying the bar just to have your strings on me won't do you any good, Stark. I won't allow it. You've already had my word before, right? What's one more?"

[dev-nxbody-h3re]

Deep Dive #5: James Watson!

(Note: Unlike previous installments, this character is primarily an OC. This is NOT canon!)

hey fuckos and bitches it's me. idk why I still keep making these but hey here we are.

so, actually, for this one we gotta go back farther than his creation. Allllll the way back to the very first Non-Canon AU I made, the DID AU. Before you murder me, it will Never see the light of day (it was literally Michael angst hour for no reason and as a young lad I was like "heeheehoo d.i.d. funnie" but hey I learned from my mistakes yee)

Back then, in the before times, I was solidly in the bandwagon that "tormentors EVIL" and so, because I wanted to be original, I wanted to create new tormentors to torment Mike with. I didn't want to use the regular Frederick, Mark, and Simon. Bleh, Boring!!!!

So I created the Evil Tormentors! I named them Trevor, Alex, and Kaden.

For this one, we'll be focusing on Kaden. He was the Bonnie Mask Bully and idk why but he handcuffed Michael to a chair. While Trevor and Alex murdered Evan (known as Chris). Fun times lol.

Anyway, I made my Percy Jackson AU and I decided I wanted Michael to have good pals for once.

So, as one does, I created a second version of the Tormentors. One that was dedicated to Evil and one dedicated to Good.

James was a part of that. Wowww!! His name was almost Andrew, actually.

I was originally just going to have them be Michael's previous friends, but...

guess who got attached????

James was largely the same as he is now. A dorky, gay disaster so deep in denial he's having tea in Narnia.

Y'know, while I was creating the tormentors I debated on having all of them date Michael or just one of them. It was a difficult decision, but I decided to have him date just one. It was either between Matthew or James, but I picked James just because I hadn't seen anyone on YouTube ship Mike with Bonnie Mask.

Just think... It could've been Michael x Matthew...

Anyway, I got so attached to James and the rest I decided to kill the Evil Tormentors off. They don't appear again EVER.

Then I made the Old AU, and James was actually Nightmare Bonnie. He didn't do much, but he and Michael actually had a sort of rivalry.

Yadda yadda yadda, fuck the Old AU, blah blah blah. Figment AU came around and I rewrote James' story. That was actually where I got the idea for James to drown and possess his mask. Figment James looked like:

This is... Old. And ew. This was in my amongus oc phase so obviously this isn't me now... I've grown...

When I rewrote the Old AU to make my current AU, I killed off Fritz Smith (who previously was separate from Michael and DATED HIM AHH-) and replaced him with James :)

Instead of a ditzy softboy, James became a manipulative, jealous bitch not afraid to get his hands dirty. But still, he's a twink femboy. I don't know how that happened but just look at him and tell me he's not a TWINK FEMBOY???? you can't. I don't make the rules.

I don't have any art of present James, which is frankly a crime, but this is what Past!James looks like now:

Look at this man... His arm is a bit short but we don't talk about that lol ok??

Anyway, thanks for reading, and join me next time for the deep dive into Matthew Bennett!