#bc they don't like each other at the end

[icharchivist]

i’m still not talking about the game i’m playing and obsessing over (sorry, one look at the fandom means it’s typically the type of games i don’t want to connect with people over unless they’re people i already trust) but i’m laughing so hard 

because, there’s one chara i was obsessing over so hard that when i found his figurine in the manga store i somewhat bought it right away while i was still very early in the game, and i knew people hates this chara because of something he did later in game (i’m calling, betrayal and murders) and i had vague spoilers about what his deal was about but i couldn’t completely put those spoilers back in context

so there was a moment of fear of, was buying the figurine a good idea? would i finish the game thinking his crimes are too much for me to bear? (i mean i do have figurines for characters i don’t really like so i doubt i would really resent the buy since it’s a pretty figurine, but yaknow?)

But now i’m at a point where, they didn’t reveal what his deal is yet, but i have most of the pieces to know more or less what his crime is, and most of all, he’s currently lying extremely blatantly to everyone while going very 😇 about it (lies i only can totally figure out because of the spoilers i know), and i’m absolutely hysterical because it actually makes him even more my type than he was at the start of the game where he just seemed cheeky yaknow?

i was told everywhere this character’s twist is enough to have people hate him and instead the more i’m building to the twist the more i’m absolutely hysterical because he’s taking all the steps to be an Ultimate Fav Of Mine by checking all the boxes for my dubious fav character type (Sweet Talker, Criminal, and Massive Hypocrite Liar). I’m living. 

[sunnymainecoonx]

Can u guys tell I like setting up different interpretations of the same character together yet

I've done so with swap(he's the most obvious one) and I've done so with horror. And now dusts on that list too. I have had thought of others like ink but, maybe another time

[tzarrz]

to all people who said PART 1 made them laugh - i lov u 💗 this is for u

[isthatacalzone]

me: *seeing people yell about how they did Glintshore & Percy's death in the show*

also me: ..................anyway

[foxstens]

idk i just think their relationship is one of the most interesting in the entire series

[menlove]

one crazy thing about the "male loneliness epidemic" to me is that romantic/sexual love and companionship is not the be all end all. for many women, straight & queer, their friendships with other women are the most important ones in their lives. and yet somehow men not being able to make friends they can open up with and find emotional fulfillment from is women's fault lmfao. like no I'm sorry that you're lonely, but there's a lot at play here including the way men treat male friendships. go figure yourselves out and treat each other better before whining and stomping your foot that you're not getting pussy like cmon man 😭

[buddiesmutslut]

I know I've said it before, but I think this upcoming episode is going to be so interesting, even if we don't get Queer Eddie OR BT Bones (neither of which I'm fully convinced are going to happen on Thursday), & it's really for this one interesting phrase that Ryan & Oliver have both used.

They have both mentioned "rose-colored glasses" when it comes to Tommy & Shannon, and I would argue that they each have to reckon with these relationships before we can have any movement towards Buddie.

Eddie thinks that Shannon was the love of his life, that he failed her and has to carry that guilt with him for the rest of his life. I believe that Eddie placing Shannon on a pedestal is partially what's stopping him from realizing his queerness (along with the catholic guilt and repression, but a lot of that is also tied up in Shannon & their failed marriage.)

Buck's convinced that his big feelings last season were all about Tommy, and I'm not saying that some of them weren't, but I don't think it'd be too far of a stretch to say that he figures that he's in this relationship now and that obviously everything is fine now. He figured out this part of himself and he's dating a man and that means everything is Fine and he absolutely does not need to do any further digging or searching or learning, despite the fact that he and Tommy don't really seem to like each other all that much, nor do they seem to be all that compatible.

Buck has to reckon with the fact that realizing his bisexuality and immediately jumping into a relationship with a man that he wasn't even sure he wanted (his speech at the coffee date) might not be the solution to all the problems he's had, and Eddie has to deal with the fact that Shannon was not perfect, that what she did was not the same as what he did, that she's responsible for her own actions and that this romanticized vision he has clung to of their lives is not real and is not consistent with the actual relationship that they had.

There's a Divorce Arc this episode - which I'm begging does something with Eddie - and an uncomfortable truth learned about Tommy's past; it's not completely out of left field to assume that the Rose-Colored Glasses come off this episode.

And the fact that it's happening for them BOTH, at the same time? In the relationships that I think are the biggest obstacles to them realizing/accepting their feelings for each other???

I'm never fully convinced they're actually going to go there with these 2, but it will be SO interesting to see how this episode plays out, regardless.

[necrotic-nephilim]

What's so fun about BruJay as a ship is Jason's sheer obsessive devotion to Bruce. Jason is possessive over Bruce, to the point he doesn't care about the deaths of others so long as he has Bruce's attention. A part of the UTRH arc this isn't talked about enough is that Bludhaven fucking explodes mid-way and Jason won't let Bruce see if Dick is alive.

batman (1940) #650

A lot of discussion about UTRH paints Jason as this anger-driven cold, calculating machine up against Bruce when it's so clear that his love for Bruce is what drives him at his root, even if he won't acknowledge it. He says it himself, he would've done anything if it was Bruce who'd died instead of him and his anger is rooted in that possessive devotion not being reciprocated.

batman (194) #650

BruJay as a ship always to be, to some level, unrequited. Even if Bruce loves Jason back in that way, he'll never be that obsessed with Jason. Jason will always view Bruce's love for Dick or Tim to be a distraction, proof that Bruce isn't dedicated enough to him. Jason has the need to always have Bruce's attention, even when it could come at the cost of Bruce's other loved ones. Something something cannibalism as a metaphor for love in how Jason wants to consume Bruce's whole existence. He can't let Bruce leave him again, can't let Bruce love or grieve anyone else. Forcing Bruce to choose between Jason and the Joker isn't just about confronting Jason's killer, it's about confronting the other person who exists as this duality with Bruce and consumes so much of Bruce's life. That's the role Jason wants to fill, calling himself Red Hood and forcing Bruce to look at what he's become. But still loving Bruce and wanting more than anything for Bruce to reciprocate that love in the way that Jason understands. I just think it's good soup and rife with Dynamics that are underexplored with them.

[millidew]

sometimes a family is you, your girlfriend, her husband who's also your boyfriend, your mutual son and his electric rat, a mr. mime, and a baby

[coquelicoq]

what i love about the Famous Actor Natori Shuuichi of it all is that...it's not just that he's famous and therefore widely recognizable wherever he goes. like yes that is very funny because he was an exorcist before he became a famous actor, which means he CHOSE, on purpose, a day job that would make it harder to hide his double life/secret identity from the hordes of his adoring public, but it's more than that. it's not just that he's famous, it's that he's famous specifically for being an ACTOR, aka a person whose job it is to dissimulate, to make believe, to inhabit roles and emotions other than his own. like he decided he was going to become as visible as possible (which again was literally not necessary! he could have gone into any other career for his day job!!) but in such a way that everyone would see him but no one would see him - they would just see his various made-up personas, including the Famous Actor Natori Shuuichi persona. i can't decide if he's a genius or if he just made so many absurd decisions that they canceled each other out and circled back around to working out. he's either playing 9-dimensional chess or he's eating the pieces. too soon to say.

[aeb-art]

We're Both Still Here

Loop x Siffrin

Summary: Siffrin kept trying touch therapy with people who wouldn't remember and no longer reacted. Why didn't he just do it with Loop instead? (This starts from the third touch therapy conversation.)

CW: Depersonalization (briefly in the begining) and Body Horror (it doesn't go into too much detail, but I took liberties with Loop's anatomy)

(ao3 link)

Siffrin was visibly panicking and he felt exponentially worse knowing there was an audience.

Loop had only wanted to know how his touch therapy was going and not only was Siffrin not getting any more comfortable with physical contact, but he stopped getting any reaction to his attempts at all. Loop definitely had a feeling about all of that, they were either really good at theorycrafting or he was right about them being able to read his mind.

His eye was blown wide looking down into the dirt, but unable to see anything at all. Sitting there in silence, his mind spiraled down into a pit. His thoughts grew so deafening, the world around him disappeared.

His friends used to react when he touched them. Why weren’t they reacting now? Poke, poke, poke, poke. He kept trying and trying, loop after loop now, but nothing changed. It was like he wasn’t even there anymore, it was like he was being erased. Was he there? Was he even alive?

Someone, anyone... Please......

A voice cut through the overwhelming static in his head. “I see you, Stardust.”

Siffrin’s head shot up to look at Loop, still sitting across from him. Even without a clear head, he could see as Loop tried to not shrink under the intensity of his haunted stare.

“I see you. Y-you’re still here, look!” Hesitantly, they reached out a hand. It was just a quick poke, just a press of their finger to his palm, just enough pressure that it could be felt through his glove. They were warm… “Stardust. You’re here, with me.” Loop seemed to smile at him with their eyes.

Siffrin took in a big shaky breath, before exhaling. Then he repeated it again, steadier now, more stable. His face grew a bit more relaxed as his breathing evened out, though his shoulders remained tense.

“You’re also here,” Siffrin finally smiled back. “with me.”

“...!” Now Loop’s eyes widened and their posture straightened abruptly. Their head seemed to glow a little brighter. A surprised laugh escaped them as they struggled to respond to his words or even process them. “Ha... I sure am!!!!!!” Their voice got way too loud, completely out of their control.

Siffrin tried to hold back a laugh, but couldn’t help it when he got to see them flustered for a change.

Sparks flew from Loop’s head and fizzled into nothingness before they hit anything. They crossed their arms over their just with a huff and turned their eyes away from him. “Here I was trying to comfort you and you laugh at me? I never knew you to be so cruel, Stardust!”

“Thank you, Loop.” He relaxed more in his seat on the root. Normally he’d leave after this, but this actually turned into a nice distraction from his usual thoughts, so he decided to push it. “I just thought of something actually.”

“And what might that be?” They gave him the most bombastic side eye he’d ever seen.

“I keep trying touch therapy with people who don’t know I’m doing it and won’t remember. Even if they were still reacting, I wasn’t really making any progress, was I?” He looked away from them now, his resolve almost dying under their scrutiny. Get to the point, Siffrin. He exhaled. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to try it with you?”

Loop just stared at him silently, eyes wide. Their head grew even brighter. They were really off-kilter today, weren’t they? Siffrin was on a roll.

“I’m not gonna force you, obviously...” His own cheeks darkened a little. He wasn’t really thinking about Loop’s comfort when he asked that. That was a little insensitive, wasn’t it? They definitely weren’t used to being touched.

“I don’t see how touching me would help you touch them... I’m not them.” They rubbed at their upper arms as the skin there frizzled in and out of shape. “I wouldn’t react like them.”

“If it helps me not flinch, then I think it’d be worth it.” He shrugged. “Besides, physical contact apparently makes people more... normal... I think we both need that.”

“...You could’ve worded that a lot nicer.” They glared at him before their shoulders slumped. “But I suppose I am getting rather stir-crazy. At least you can walk around.”

“How come you never leave the tree?” Siffrin scooted over on the root where he sat and patted the spot next to him.

They groaned, but hopped up from their seat anyway and gestured down to themself with a flourish. “I don’t exactly look human, Stardust. I don’t want to deal with the townsfolk mistaking me for some wandering Sadness or anything like that.” They had a skip in their step as they closed the distance and twirled around before they sat beside him, thankfully on his right side. He assumed they’d move like that, but he’d never seen them get up until now.

Siffrin hadn’t really considered that Loop looked unusual, he’d gotten way too used to being around them. If it wasn’t their glowing star head and night sky patterned body, it would be the unnaturally stretched out limbs. When they first met, Siffrin thought it looked like their bones were too long for their skin, but after months stuck with them, he was pretty sure there weren't any bones in there at all. Their body vibrated sometimes when they got emotional, like they would literally tear themself apart if they didn’t calm back down.

What was touching them going to feel like? Maybe Siffrin could take his gloves off to find out? No, no, Loop would think that was out of character for him and they’d be right. Loop was normally right, and he couldn’t let them be right about another thing.

“So how are we doing this exactly?” Loop turned to face them. “You aren’t just going to poke and prod at me all afternoon, are you?”

“Well, I mean... What am I allowed to do?” Siffrin shifted to face them better too, if felt rude not to match them.

“Oh, so I’m expected to lead this dance then? Typical.” They scoffed and held out their hand. “Give me your hand before I change my mind.”

Siffrin immediately, obediently, lifted his hand up and put it in theirs. They both flinched, but Loop grabbed him before he could pull back. They loosened their grasp when he settled and their thumb softly rubbed the back of his hand. Even through the glove, he could feel they were comfortably warm. Actually, being this close to them made him feel warmth radiating from them. Just having them near was like waking up in a warm bed in a cold room.

“See? We’re both still here, Stardust.” They seemed to smile again.

Siffrin squeezed their hand and smiled back. “We are.”

“This is probably already more than you’re used to, so... I’m not sure how much you want to push this.”

“Mira’s been brushing my hair near the end. That’s more than this.”

Loop just blinked at him for a moment. “You want me to play with your hair?”

Siffrin’s cheeks darkened. “Well, no? I mean, that’d be... nice... But I just meant that I can handle more.”

“Ugh...” Loop abruptly stood from the root and pulled Siffrin to stand up with them. “C’mon, we’re gonna go sit up in the canopy.”

“Huh? Wha- why?” He tried to get an answer out of them, but they already let go of him and started climbing. He knew they probably hid up in the tree when he wasn’t around, but watching them scale it so easily was still jarring to watch.

“Show some hustle, Stardust!” They looked back down just to tease him. “You don’t have all day!”

They had all the time in the world, but now didn’t seem like a great time to bring it up.

Siffrin sighed and started climbing. He hadn’t climbed a tree in a while and it was even worse feeling Loop’s eyes on him the whole way up, but he managed! He only slipped up twice!

Loop reached out a hand when Siffrin got to the top and helped him the rest of the way. There was a comfy bed of leaves at the top, perfect for napping apparently. Siffrin had been up there before, for their unfortunate little hangout… That day had actually been really nice until the end… Nowhere near nice enough to repeat though, not even close.

“Come here.” Loop was sitting down and patting their lap. Their head was glowing brighter again, their body betraying their empty expression. “Lay down.”

Oh, they were really going to play with his hair, huh?

Siffrin, with hesitance and excitement in equal measure, scooted over and rested his head down on their legs, setting his hat down beside them. They jolted, but put a hand on his head before he got back up. This was fine… There was absolutely nothing weird about this…

Loop’s fingers gently brushed his hair out of his face. Their fingers felt like… like a soft sand almost? It was weirdly grainy, but not uncomfortably so. It definitely should have been uncomfortable, but the moment their fingers scratched a little behind his ear, Siffrin was practically melting in their lap. Thinking about Loop’s weird body could wait until later, when his brain turned back on.

“Pfft- you are like a cat.” They held back laughing too hard, so they wouldn’t shake up too much. “Your allies don’t know what they’re missing.”

That comment certainly soured Siffrin’s mood. What was Loop’s problem with his family? They always got so weird about it! Before he could say anything though, Loop’s hand brushed his neck and he squirmed.

Loop paused. “Stardust... Did you just squeak?~” They would have the most devious grin on their face if they had a mouth.

“No!” His cheeks flushed and his hands covered his mouth as he glared up at them.

“You’re soooooo cuuuuuute!~” One of their hands pinched his cheek while the other twirled some of the hair at the nape of his neck around their finger.

He couldn’t stop the whine that left his throat before he could slap their hands away. He sat up quickly holding his hands around his neck. “My neck is off limits now.”

“Boooooo! You’re no fun!” They whined and reached out for him as he backed away. “You were doing so good!”

“How would you like it if I touched your neck, huh?”

“I don’t think that qualifies for your touch therapy, Stardust, unless you plan on choking that Fighter of yours.” They held a hand over where their mouth would be as if that would at all prevent giggles from escaping them. “Not that your tiny hands could ever fit around his big neck anyway.”

“I would never do that.” His face scrunched up in disgust.

“Buuuuuut... I suppose fair is fair.” They sighed and beckoned him closer. “Though I reserve the right to push you away from me.”

“Just don’t knock me out of the tree...” He grumbled and crawled back to their side. It would be quite the embarrassing way to die, wouldn’t it? That was assuming it killed him though. He could wind up simply injured, which would be more embarrassing if he was being honest; he’d have to hear Loop laughing at him for far longer if he lived.

Loop leaned down a bit, which offended Siffrin more than he’d like to admit. They weren’t that much taller than him, they didn’t have to rub it in. He tried to hide his pout as he reached out to them, but he could tell they seemed pleased as punch about it.

Gently, Siffrin brushed his fingers along where Loop’s collarbone would be. They shivered and little spikes popped in and out of their form, poking at his hand. They didn’t pull away, they didn’t move at all, so he kept going. He trailed a finger slowly up the center of their neck before scratching where their chin would be between the star’s spikes, watching with rapt attention as Loop’s head tilted up and their back arched.

“Oh, now who’s like a cat?~” He teased them, squinting his eye as their head grew brighter.

“Shush...” Loop’s voice didn’t have any heat to it at all. They just leaned further down so he’d keep scratching, though he doubted it was a conscious decision.

He brought his other hand up to try and see if the spikes near where an ear might be would feel good scratched… Apparently it was, because Loop was immediately melting with a happy little hum. They almost fell forward and had to hold onto his shoulders so they didn’t completely collapse. Siffrin flinched when they did it, but they were far too out of it to notice.

“Uhh... Are you still with me, Loop?” Siffrin’s scratching turned into petting, running his fingers along the spikes and watching as sparks of light flew off and fizzled into nothingness. It was weird, the spikes were solid at first, but as Loop relaxed, his hands passed through them until he touched the core that was their head. It felt like his hand waded through the light, before it eventually felt like there was nothing there except the warmth they radiated. Even weirder was that Loop’s head never looked any different, the shape remained the same, but he could see his hand floating in it.

“Mmh...” They hummed and their eyes slowly opened, not even realizing they closed them at all. “Sorry, it’s... nice.”

“This is the happiest I’ve ever seen you.” Siffrin smiled at them.

“I’ve been happy loads of times.” They seemed to be pouting at him.

He laughed fondly. “You’re not as good an actor as you think you are, Loop.”

Very suddenly, Loop’s hand was on Siffrin’s face and they were shoving him away from them. He shrieked and flailed as he was forced down on his back.

“Loooooop, c’mon!” He whined and smacked at their arm. Their hand was still pressing his head down against the tree. “You were doing so good!” He couldn’t help but throw their own words back at them, perhaps they were rubbing off on him.

“This is supposed to be about you...” They were blushing harshly now, which is to say that Siffrin couldn’t see anything for a minute.

“It was still helping me! I don’t think I’ve held anybody’s face before and- and... you got really close... so...” Siffrin petered off, flushing. Loop did get pretty close to his own face, huh? It didn’t feel that intimate until it was over, but reflecting on it had his heart pounding in his ears. “A-anyway it helped- er, helps?”

Their hand moved away from his face, but before Siffrin could sit back up, a weight on his chest held him down.

“For your crimes, I’m making you the pillow for my nap.” Loop’s voice was somehow muffled against his cloak despite the lack of mouth… He tried not to think too hard about it.

“L-Loop, you know I still have to get back to the clocktower for dinner.” His hand hovered over them. Was he allowed to hold them? They were literally laying on him, so probably? But should he ask?

Loop’s arms squeezed him to shut up his thoughts (he squeaked again). “When your allies come looking for you, you can wake me.”

“O-okay...” He hesitantly wrapped his arms around them. Their skin prickling against the bare skin on his wrists made him shiver, but they didn’t tell him to let go so he didn’t.

Honestly he hadn’t had a restful sleep in a really long time, so maybe… Maybe napping with Loop would be better. It was worth a shot, right?

He only closed his eye for a minute before he was out like a light. (Ehhh? No? Okay, tough crowd…)

---

Siffrin almost fell out of the tree when he woke up to Bonnie and Isabeau calling for him. Loop, with widened-eyes, had to have a death grip on him to keep him steady, before letting him climb down. Of course, his allies were laughing and poking fun at him for falling asleep in a tree (again apparently, though Siffrin couldn’t remember the last time he’d done so). He actually forgot to grab his hat at first, but it conveniently floated down from the canopy the moment after Odile commented on it. [You’re welcome, Stardust!!!]

He looked back to the tree as he was led away and upon seeing that familiar light in the opening between the branches, he smiled and waved good night.

Siffrin really didn’t expect any of that to happen, how could he? But he couldn’t shake the smile off his cheeks for the rest of the night. Hopefully he could convince Loop to do this again next time. Afterall, they seemed to enjoy it too.

[C’mon, time to focus now, Stardust. It’s showtime! You could always come back during intermission. I’m not going anywhere.~]

He tripped and fell into a tear that loop.

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

A Dark and Drowning Tide

gothic fantasy romance

a folklorist is chosen as the co-leader of an expedition to find a fabled magical spring for the king, along with 6 nobles

when her mentor, the other leader, is found dead on their boat in the middle of the night, she has to figure out who did it; while continuing the mission through the wilderness and navigating the potential political fallout

and the only one she can probably trust is her academic rival, a naturalist, who she hates

dark folktales & creatures

Jewish lesbian MC

arc from netgalley! out sep 17

putting both covers here because they’re both so beautiful!! (artists: Audrey Benjaminsen, & Erica Williams)

[feroluce]

I wonder which of these two learned it from whom?

[lunarharp]

thingies

[romansroys]

i'm so sick of these two 😭😤🥵

[evilkitten3]

ranking the hokage by how much i care about them

tsunade. obviously she's number one no explanation needed i love her she's wonderful. no questions no criticisms i love her. should have killed those two elders instead of just dropping them on the floor but i guess making them live with the shame of not being worth her time to kill is good enough. straight up deserted and was so cool they made her president anyway

hashirama!!!!! he's insane. i think he could have been worse frankly but nobody's perfect. worst divorce of all time. married to a woman he may not have even known existed bc he was too busy staring at his bestie's ass. enslaved and traumatized nine sentient chakra creatures for political purposes and never felt bad about it. causes problems just by having dna. would forgive him for everything instantly bc he's a cutie pie

hiruzen. absolute nightmare disaster shitshow of a man. old fuck who tried his best but his best was absolute horseshit, which just so happens to be one of my favorite kinds of characters. never made a decision he didn't regret. first person to get appointed president of the military police state by volunteering for a suicide mission in the middle of the woods. obsessed with him

kakashi! world's most saddest wet dog man. genius but also an absolute doofus. has the aura of a man who could wake up drunk in a dumpster without having imbibed a drop of alcohol. first konoha shinobi to (legally) get on an airplane. second konoha shinobi to get on an airplane at all. somehow married to the single greatest ninja of all time despite literally everything about gai being so far out of kakashi's league it's not even funny

tobirama. thought the whole "it's my jutsu!!!" thing was pretty funny. otherwise i couldn't care less. literally just some guy to me. no interest whatsover

the other one. kushina's boytoy. whatshisface. bad luck with rocks