#big fan of couples just parallel playing together

[okaydays]

Colin was out with friends for the evening, so Penelope reheated some leftovers for dinner, and then assembled all the things she needed for a quiet night in - lit candles, soft music echoing from their new bluetooth speakers, a cup of tea that was still hot on the coffee table, a comfortable blanket. 

She’s sitting on the couch with said blanket and her carefully chosen book (Love in the Time of Cholera), and she should be having a great time. Back when Penelope was at her mother’s house, with all the commotion and whining, this was the kind of evening she’d dreamt about. Just her, quiet and cosy. No one to bother her.

But she lives with Colin, now. And while he is, occasionally, a bother, it’s never really unwelcome. Not when he could bat those blue eyes, shoot her a winsome grin and spin her around to the music like they’re ballroom dancing.

A quiet evening to herself seems boring in comparison. 

What Penelope wants, in truth, is exactly what she has now - a little comfortable moment, but with Colin’s arms around her instead of a blanket. Leaning against him, maybe with his own book, instead of just the sofa arm.

She misses him, really. And it’s only been an hour or so. 

Oh well. Penelope nestles back further into the couch. He won’t be back for a while, so the book will have to keep her company for now.

“Tell him yes,” She reads. “Even if you are dying of fear, even if you are sorry later, because whatever you do, you will be sorry all the rest of your life if you say no.”

Around fifteen minutes later, the front door opens. Penelope almost knocks over her mug of tea with how violently she jumps. And then - oh, it’s just Colin. And then - oh, it’s Colin!

‘Colin!’ she exclaims, interrupting her internal monologue by just stating it out loud. ‘What are you doing back so early?’ 

He’s leaning against the doorframe, flashing her that grin she adores. ‘Got all cosy, did you?’ he asks, looking around at the lit candles and bluetooth speaker and the blanket they got from his mother as a housewarming present. ‘Mind if I join in?’ 

Penelope moves along the sofa and lifts up the corner of the blanket in invitation. Colin slides right in, and they adjust - he’s now sitting where she’s just vacated, arm slung around her shoulders, and she’s leaning into him with one leg over his and one on the coffee table. 

It’s even better than she imagined.

‘Missed you,’ Colin says after a minute. She’d gone back to her book and he was on his phone, reading an article, but she looks up at that. 

‘They were talking about sports or something, and I thought, ‘I’d rather be home with my girl,’ so now I’m here,’ he says, looking right back at her. 

Something warm unfurls in Penelope’s chest at that. At the pet name, at the fact that he’d preferred her boring evening to a fun night out, at the fact that he was now here and that it was exactly where he’d wanted to be. 

Colin kisses her once, gently, and when she leans in again, he moves over to kiss her forehead instead. 

‘We can do that later. You were prepared for a quiet night, right? Don’t let me get in the way of that,’ he says, equally as gently, and Penelope shakes her head.

‘You don’t get in the way. You make it better,’ she admits, and he smiles. Pulls her in closer. 

‘Glad we moved in together,’ he says, and puts his phone on his thigh so he can reach over and carefully open her book back up, from where she’d been keeping track of her page with her thumb.

So Penelope goes back to her book, and Colin goes back to the article, and the track switches to a new piano piece. And then when her tea gets cold, he goes and makes her a new one, just the way she likes it. 

Tell him yes, the book said. She’s so glad she did.

(Also on ao3)

[burningcheese-merchant]

You have fully covered me into a burningcheese fan. I absolutely love how you write these ships with them!

But one question if burningcheese ever decided to have a wedding, what do you think it looked like and play out?

*inhales deeply* MY FRIEND! MY GUY! I'M FOUR PARALLEL UNIVERSES AHEAD OF YOU! (also, welcome to the cult and thank you so much for your support! I'm happy to bring people joy with my stories!)

I'll just give a few bullet points, because a) I have a lot of thoughts, and b) I haven't finished planning their wedding in full lol

Biggest. Wedding. Ever. Not exaggerating at all. It would be the biggest, most grand and beautiful wedding in the history of the world. Eclair will be there and he won't even be fully enjoying himself; he'll be too busy taking notes on EVERYTHING he sees, because it's such a fascinating culture mix/clash, there are so many guests (many of which are important figures), there are so many unique traditions and rituals and artifacts on display and and and... This isn't even his field of study, but he would absolutely be remiss to NOT document the wedding extensively, if only to pass it along to colleagues that actually specialize in cultural history (and help author some textbooks lol)

As said above, a big, fun culture clash. Members from both of their kingdoms worked together and went above and beyond to blend Egyptian Golden Cheese Kingdom aesthetics and with Indian Wild Spice aesthetics to create something traditional, yet brand new and exciting. Who would've thought they would work so well together? (You can say the same thing about the bride and groom tbh lol)

Our lovely couple's outfits would have bits and pieces from each other's cultures as a respectful homage to one another (and to show that they will be unifying their peoples through their marriage). Golden Cheese will dress mostly in her own traditional style, but with a good handful of pretty, tasteful Wild Spice accessories to accentuate her look. Same with Burning Spice; traditional Wild Spice wedding clothes, but with a touch of GCK to honor his wife

Also, they would both have matching henna (or mehndi, as they're actually called in India) tattoos. Very elaborate and beautiful, done by Wild Spice artists. (Henna/mehndi are mostly for women/brides, but from what I understand, men/grooms can get them too. I want to do this because I LOVE the idea of GC and BS having matching tattoos/makeup)

Everyone is invited. Literally everyone. They don't even have to know you. Just show up and have a good time (and be in awe of their love and devotion lol). It's very common for Indian weddings to be big ragers with many, many, MANY guests, and I thought that would suit a BurningCheese wedding too (especially for GC, she honestly probably would want EVERYONE to show up, both to show off and because she genuinely wants to share her joy with others)

Wedding party(ies) is their closest homies. The other Ancients plus the Cheese Gang (Smoked Cheese, Burnt Cheese and Mozzarella) for GC, a handful of his best subordinates for BS (Nutmeg Tiger, Saffron Buffalo, Pepper Pangolin, maybe Cilantro Cobra too).

Burning Spice thought of having Pitaya Dragon as a best man equivalent of some sort because they're Crime Besties (in my headcanon lol) but Hollyberry walked him through why that's a terrible idea and just left Pitaya as a regular guest

Wedding lasts a whole week, the main ceremony plus other rituals and a whole lot of dancing and drinking and laughing and having a blast together and with their loved ones

A+++ food, both GCK dishes and Wild Spice dishes, plus an assortment of delicacies from other lands (there's food from the Dark Cacao Kingdom, Faeriewood, the Creme Republic, etc). Hollyberry came in clutch and provided most of the booze (her kingdom has the god-tier alcohol, it was a welcome choice)

You can rest assured that they enjoyed their wedding night very, very much lol. Especially because there were technically seven of them. (One of Mozzarella's wedding gifts to them was soundproofing GC's bedroom no strings attached. She Knew™️. She's a girl's girl lol)

I'll stop there for everyone's sake, but TL;DR: it's a enormous, gorgeous event that perfectly encapsulates and celebrates their love. (And I envision this as part of Burning Spice's redemption arc, so it's like the reward at the end of a long, arduous journey. The breathtaking sunrise waiting at the mountain summit.) And they live happily ever after and have a family in the future, but I'm not spoiling that for any of you just yet :)

[d3pressed-caffiene-addict]

Hazbin Hotel Ep 5&6 Oh My God (Major Spoilers)

I am having so many thoughts, this is just a brain dump

-LUCIFER. He’s so pathetic I love him

-Jeremy Jordan you fucking legend. I’m a big fan of a lot of his work and was excited to see him in this but I was slightly unsure if he was the right casting since I expected Lucifer to be more of a high and mighty/snobby figure, but with the way they characterised him HE IS PERFECT.

-“TAKE THAT DEPRESSION”

-The Lucifer vs Alastor rivalry is beautiful

-“Ha ha, fuck you.”

-Father figure Alastor

-HIS EARS GO BACK LIKE A CAT WHEN HES ANGRY I CANT

-MIMZY’S ARRIVAL. I know most of us know the lore about her and Alastor being developed as a couple before it was scrapped but I really like how they are in the show

-Even if it’s just crumbs I’m so excited to be getting snippets of Alastor’s lore. It’s wild to keep going back and forth between “aw he actually cares for and protects his friends” and “oh my god he’s a fucking psycho”

-Speaking of that the scene with Husk holy shit. Poor man looked terrified

-The confirmation that Alastor’s also stuck working for someone, it has to be Lilith surely. I know some people will call it predictable because a lot of theories are coming true but personally I think it’s from good worldbuilding/foreshadowing

-ALASTOR IN FULL DEMON FORM JUST ANNIHILATING EVERYONE and then he just goes “Ah that was fun, now back to it”

-I kinda like the parallel between Al and Mimzy & Angel and Cherri where they invite their friends to join them if they want to, even if neither of them take it up initially maybe we’ll see them join the hotel in the future?

-BABY CHARLIE

-I really expected Lucifer to be a dickhead and a shitty dad, but he seems to be an overall better guy than most people in hell

-CHERRI BOMB ARRIVAL! And she’s Aussie now fuck yeah represent

-I still love her and Angel’s friendship even if she is a terrible influence. Everyone’s got that friend who’s solution to a bad day is just self-destruction but they mean well at least

-DARREN CHRIS TOO, THE MUSICAL THEATRE/BROADWAY ACTOR CASTING IS STACKED

-Emily is so sweet I love her

-The Molly cameo is so sweet, I was waiting for her to appear somewhere but lowkey forgot she was in heaven. Honestly though how did she get there when the rest of her and Angel’s family got condemned for what they did together? Maybe she left the mob or something idk I just hope we get to meet her properly at some point

-Heaven’s real fucked up? Yeah not shocked

-VAGGIE?? FALLEN ANGEL REVEAL?? AND SHE WAS AN EXTERMINATOR???? I know most of us called it but holy shit I didn’t expect it to be confirmed this soon

-Adam is such a dick but he’s so much fun

-I love that Charlie was gonna start her court presentation with definitions like a high school essay

-“Consent is a good name for a sex club” the gentleman Husk truthers gonna have fun with this one

-Pentious hitting on Cherri is hilarious and totally not the same level of subtlety I flirt with when I’m drunk

-Hearing more and more about how Val treats Angel is so sad especially with how casually he talks about it since it’s just another day for him

-Him parenting drunk Nifty is beautiful

-“You wanna play with the kitty?”

-Valentino is my #1 enemy

-Seeing Angel stand up to him to protect his friends is making me feel feelings. Like he knows that he’s gonna be treated even worse for it but I think he’s reaching his tipping point and shits gonna go down soon

-Also I know there’s a popular theory that he’s gonna die soon and a lot of the theories are coming true so I am scared. I kind of don’t think this one’ll happen though since he’s the fan favourite and its just too soon to take that much of a risk. Plus Vivsie’s admitted he’s the best written character and it’d be such a waste of all that development

-More sweet moments between him and Husk, they’ve gotten me so invested in this ship so fast

-The fact that most of heaven didn’t know about the extermination?? Wild

-Idk how I feel about the timeskip between Ep 4&5, they’re only a month away from the extermination now. Yes it’s making the stakes feel higher but I do wish we’d been able to see more of that time for the relationship development, all the characters seem much closer than before and we’ve only seen bits of how they got there

-I really wish they’d greenlit more than 8 episodes to pace things a little better but I’m glad we have season 2 confirmed

-That last minute ‘reveal Vaggie’s past to Charlie, boot them out of heaven and then cut to credits before she can react’ is gonna torture me until next week

-I don’t disagree with past criticism that Vivzie’s female characters can feel a bit underwritten but I think it’s getting better

-“We’re coming to the hotel first” plus all the theories that someone’s gonna die are fucking stressing me out man

Anyway hope you enjoy the brain dump, this show has once again consumed my thoughts

[morganski-19]

For any of my buddie shippers or gay eddie truthers who feels like episode 5 is a massive blow, it's not over yet. I think that we've really been harping on episode 6 being the big coming out getting together scene, and that has let us fall into false hope. And I honestly have had the stance that buddie, if it does happen this season, will be in the latter half of the season.

This is not a story that should be rushed. Oliver talks about how he wants Buck to have a slow burn. Eddie needs time to figure out himself, and deal with his trauma. That can't happen in the first six episode where three of them are just the opening emergency. It just wouldn't make narrative sense.

Let's remember the three act structure that is so prevalent in a lot of media. Because I am terrible at explaining things, I’ve put in a picture.

This season has 18 episodes, so we are very much still in the set up stage of this season. I think that since most of the plot points from season 7 are wrapped up except for Eddie and Christopher's, it is a good bet that their story line will be driven in this narrative.

I think the inciting incident was that scene with Weston's dad in episode 4. It shows how Eddie feels about this situation more, and can bring out a lot of growth and movement as he tries to get Chris back.

Episode 6 would be 1/3 of the way through the season, and considering it is a direct parallel to eddie begins, I am considering that plot point 1.

Now here is where the speculation really starts. The mid point would be the episode before the winter break, and I think that will involve Eddie going to El Paso and getting Chris back.

Therefore, the rising action for this would be Eddie working through his own issues. Learning how to love himself, and starting his path to discovery. However, I honestly don't see him figuring it all out before Chris comes home.

No matter how this storyline will play out, Chris will be mad at Eddie the whole season. Their resolution will not happen until the end, after the climax.

I think the climax will be Eddie figuring out he is gay, and coming out to his son. Then, the two of them figuring out what that means for the both of them. Eddie grappling with how he can be gay and still have loved Shannon in the past. And Chris dealing with how his dad dated all of these woman for his betterment. Also dealing with the fact that his parents were not in love the way he thought they were.

Buddie, if it happens this season, will be part of the denouement. Because, while all of this is happening with Eddie and Chris, Buck will have his own storyline. One that will be very in line with Eddie's, because of how involved he is in the Diaz's life.

I think that, even if Buck and Tommy don't break up in episode 6 like I hope, their relationship won't last. Putting my hopes for Buddie aside, they are simply just not compatible as a couple. Buck will realize this on his own, whether that be his plot point one, or the climax of his story. It would then, allow for Buck to truly understand his feelings for Eddie, and give the audience that longing that a slow burn needs.

Because although us Buddie fans consider their relationship as a slow burn, the general public might not. They need to create that longing for all audiences, and not just us.

It is also good to mention that there is no Buddie without Chris. It almost wouldn't make sense to have Buddie happen without Chris in the picture.

[accio-victuuri]

Sugar Rush : November CPNs

What started out as a relatively quiet month after a chaotic October, turned into something else because of a few candies. Especially the whole 11/19 fiasco that surprised us all. LOL. As usual, this is for cpn-loving turtles only. Keep an open mind but still clown responsibly. I can’t believe we only have one month left for this year!

If you wanna recap other years I have archived : 2021 ( one | two ) 2022 ( one | two ) 2023 ( one, july, august, september, october ) 2020 candies and some other sweets before I was doing round up posts may be found on my masterlist.

Let’s review the past month…

• Some side by side / parallel photos of GG ( Tod’s Milan ) and WYB ( Chanel Shenzhen ). They are both photographed with the very beautiful Liu ShiShi. Also the way they are the center of attention. KINGS! 👑

• hoping they play tennis together 🎾 ; there is also a cpn out there about yibo being fully prepared for the game cause he had lacoste shoes and bag then a jacket that he used in wuzhen. people are speculating that XZ bought stuff for him to use cause he is the one who knows more and thought of this brand. this may seem like a stretch but you never know with this fandom when a seemingly insignificant observation becomes a big candy along the way.

• 2021 vs 2023 beach photos similarities + xiamen coincidence and it’s connection to ZZ’s ideal life painting

• LHK ( Liu Haikuan ) giving clues about BJYX? + Part 2 of comments

11/7, GG was announced as Boucheron’s global brand ambassador, then people remembered that one time WYB wore stuff from the brand. So now we have an unintentional couple jewelry incidence😂😂

• the sound of an eagle 🦅

• some similarities in forwarding 119 message, yeah i know celebrities like them are sort of required to bring attention to stuff like this. however, WYB is known to support this cause and even made a VCR specifically for it. if you look at the actual post, theirs is the top 2 in terms of likes and the rest of the celebrities are not the usual ones similar to the boys’ caliber. Another clue that this is WYB’s advocacy of sorts, most, if not all top comments are from his fans. so ZZ joining in on spreading the message seems ( to me and some cpfs ) like influenced by WYB.

Next is they both filmed VCRs for "People in My Heart" - "Classic Characters" series. We just love seeing them support the same projects ^^

• NARS live drawing

• Candies from WYB’s 11/12 douyin post. Mainly the parallel about the same walls and floor.

• XZ fell asleep on WYB during the golden core scene

• Interpreting YBO’s 11/16 weibo caption

• 11/19/23 double update candies

• similar necklace??? ( cough in vain )

• the full story ( so far ) behind 11/19 📝

• Talking about this a bit late considering when the whole CPN started about this GG mural for GG. There are side by side comparisons of the eyes on the mural and Yibo’s. The CPN being they used WYB’s eyes for that mural.

I usually let people have free reign on clowning but this one isn’t for me personally. just because it’s obviously a mural commissioned by GUCCI which a big brand that couldn’t care less about the CP. Maybe it’s a coincidence how similar it is? Because there is a reference photo that should be followed. Also, this is GG’s time to shine. This mural is his & him. I think this is an example for cpfs to learn to separate the boys as individuals, especially for things that are work related and most especially their achievements. While I do believe they influence each other greatly, it’s important to not make every single thing a romantic relation.

• the mystery driver is seen again 👀

• 11/22 Yibo scenery post 🍬

• One night in Beijing Song + 11/23 XZS post

• I don’t really wanna clown with Redmi but the black and white theme from XZS and then the next day it’s Redmi. I was surprised with this cause all the promos were supposed to be related to the scifi themed ad blockbuster!

A coincidence 👀👀👀👀

• small candies form IQIYI scream night 😱

• wyb acknowledging light signs and calls us wangba

• XZ’s 11/27 Airport and Selfie Clues

• there is some talk with BXGs regarding WYB’s redmi appearance, it looks like he was bitten by the mosquito again. lol. I usually just find cpn like this funny cause there is always deniability. also hello to the mosquito who loves to bite the center of his neck.

I’m separating these next entries cause it’s not new. I just found myself revisiting bts content and clowning about it. old candy still tastes good! 💯

WYB signs 520 to GG

WYB’s small steps to GG but robe gets caught

Something is funny and XZ has to tell WYB

Flirting and Fighting? “WYB’s love you”

XZ got hurt and WYB said he is gonna kiss it better?

-END.

[riddlerosehearts]

idia/vil is such a sweet and interesting ship to me and does not deserve to be a rarepair i'm serious. this might end up a bit incoherent and disorganized because i'm not great with words, but listen. the thing is that while on a surface level idia shroud and vil schoenheit--a nerdy shut-in with anxiety who likes to game all day and a mega famous celebrity who's strict about self-improvement--might seem completely incompatible, their actual interactions show us that that just isn't true!!

like, for example idia's starsending robes vignette is a big one!! the way that vil sees idia trying to hide when he's supposed to be at the ceremony, and idia says he's terrified that people will make fun of him, that he's not like vil and can't just go out and not care what anyone think the way he does. and then vil... tells him he's wrong, that it's the opposite, that he cares so much what other people think but has enough of a grip on himself that he can ignore it and appear confidently in public. the way vil admits to idia that they are so much more alike that he thinks.

also, the way that (in this fan translation at least, as well as in other TLs i've seen--the localization translates it to have the complete opposite meaning, for whatever reason) idia then says "so in other words, you've got to level up your ignore skill", and instead of getting annoyed at him for translating his advice into video game terms vil just says "isn't that obvious?". he's going out of his way to try and give idia genuine advice and is willing to speak his language to get him to understand it. he even does a similar thing later on in book 6, when he tells idia that it's worth taking chances because after all, the star rogue protagonist took his chances and went from zero to a hero.

and on that note, book 6 is so good for them. book 6 has idia get all excited and carried away while infodumping about star rogue, only to abruptly lose his enthusiasm and start talking quietly and stuttering. and who is it that tells him he shouldn't act so embarrassed and that they weren't judging him? it's none other than vil. vil who also shows an interest in gaming, much to the surprise of idia who believed, in his own words, that a "sparkly, gorgeous supermodel" like vil couldn't possibly like any of the same things as him! but no, vil wanted to try out the games they had and vil expressed a desire for idia to talk about his passions without fear of being judged. vil enjoyed playing star rogue and he was glad to discuss the movie adaptation with idia and ortho.

it's also vil who, when idia expresses his disappointment at the star rogue sequel being canceled and his wish for the original team to get back together and create a sequel that would be made with passion behind it, is the only one to genuinely understand where he's coming from (as opposed to jamil who's like "is it really that complicated?" and leona who suggests that he just throw money at the creators). vil is the one who encourages him to take a chance at doing what he can to make that wish a reality, to let the original team know that there's a passionate and loyal fanbase waiting for a sequel, and tells him that he just generally shouldn't give up on changing his future and achieving his dreams before he's even tried. of course ortho heard this advice too and took it very much the wrong way, but vil showed a surprising amount of understanding and support for idia and i feel like it was exactly the kind of thing he needed to hear.

also. remember the scene in disney's hercules where hercules temporarily gives up his godhood and his youth by diving into the underworld to save megara? because vil literally did the same thing to save idia. yeah, he may say he only did it for plot reasons, but like come on, how am i supposed to just not ship them after they parallel one of my favorite disney couples like that? vil is a world famous actor and model who was terrified of aging, and he still took such an insane risk!! i'm sure idia would have a crush on him after that.

i'm trying to wrap this up now because it's already too long but also idia has actually been said to have great fashion sense as his online persona and shown to enjoy cosplay and dressing up on occasion (for example, he went all out on his pumpkin knight costume and this hasn't made it to EN yet but he liked wearing the masquerade outfit). vil had pretty high praise for his design sense when he saw ortho's burst gear. and vil gets along incredibly well with ortho and is in the film club with him post-book 6, which is something i imagine idia would appreciate a lot. the contrast between them and the things they unexpectedly have in common are just so neat to me.

so, in conclusion,

i love them and i think they should be boyfriends

[earthearthearththearth]

Tf2 demo, scout and sniper cuddling headcanons?

Wowie my first request :3

💕TF2 Cuddling Headcanons💕

(Demoman, Scout, Sniper)

💣Demoman- If you consider him practically smothering you when drunk to be cudding, then he is the most cuddly of the mercs. However, if this does not suit your fancy, that would be understandable. He does like to be touchy with you, not as much as spy, but he always has a hand on your thigh if you’re sitting together, or a hand on your shoulder if you are sitting. Kind of like a stoic painting, even though he is anything but. But if we’re talking real cuddling, then he is a big fan of half spooning. Not quite spooning, but you know that thing couples do when they’re watching a movie together? When they’re like sandwiched. Sandviched. Yeah that. He likes to keep you close. Definitely a fan of picking you up and spinning you around, but unlike scout, Demo succeeds. When you guys have movie nights, which usually involves half the base, he likes to keep an arm around you. He usually ends up falling asleep like this-he’s not a movie guy. 

⚾Scout-He. Can. Not. Okay, he can. Sometimes. But he’s real antsy. His leg is constantly bouncing, he twitches in his sleep. He can’t not be doing something.. So cuddling is a bit rare, but in no way are you starved. If he falls asleep while you two are sitting down, then his head is on your shoulder, or you two are just tangled together. Mostly his cuddling involves being tangled together. Getting up in the morning is a real project. If it’s not him you’re tangled in, then it’s the blanket. He kicks a lot, like a dog dreaming. Normally he kicks the blanket off of himself and onto you, but on rare occasions it gets caught on his foot. Depending on how close to the edge of the bed you are, you might fall off. This scares the shit out of both of you, so you both end up apologizing for some reason. I know this is a cuddling headcanon post, but I just need you to know this. If you’re having a rough day he’ll stay in one place long enough to comfort you. Sometimes he just has a moment of clarity where he’s like ��omg my personnnn” and you end up staying at his side for however long it takes him to get over that(he does not get over it)

🦘Sniper-Even though he is deranged, he is surprisingly gentle with you. He is touch-starved and probably socially starved all considered, so you guys are attached at the hip whenever it is just you two. He’s not opposed to some parallel play-him shooting and you doing whatever it is you do, but mostly he just likes to sit and mess with your hair, hands, face, almost like he is observing you? It’s a little weird. But at least it isn’t your organs! As far as cuddling goes, usually you are just on top of each other honk shoo-ing and snore mimimi-ing. Despite being touch starved as previously mentioned, he doesn’t do a whole lot of cuddling. Mostly just being near each other is okay for him

[charlie-pippin-faraday]

my danganronpa v3 chapter 4 pre-investigation running commentary:

once again, i knew we weren't done with rantaro!

who did rantaro leave this message to? himself?

are we like, stuck in a time loop?

i am now suspicious that the tiny bugs gonta has been seeing are something else. surveillance cameras?

i'm so confused about the robot lab. keebo clearly hates it, and there was nothing i could even interact with in there. and why was it attached to miu's lab?

"do you want to live in a fictional world?" something about this line piqued my interest and made me suspicious

bro did tsumugi get me mocktail drunk?

that classroom set in tsumugi's lab looks suspiciously like the classrooms in the first game

oh it's my lab!!!!!!!! we finally got to my lab!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

why is the music here called "living in a lazy parallel world"? that feels incredibly suspicious

"this doesn't feel like an ultimate detective's lab. more like a criminal lab." is this implying that i am a criminal?

lmao didn't this game come out before covid? they're certainly predicting it in this flashback light bit

"the computer is surrounded by capsules big enough to fit a person inside." huh??? they didn't tell me that part before. what is this??? the plot of DR2 all over again??

bro WHERE is the caged dog village document??? i went back to kiyo's lab looking for money and it's not there anymore that is highly worrying

hm hang on. if we're following the structure from the previous games, chapter 4 murder is gonna feel sacrificial, isn't it? and then chapter 5 murder is gonna feel convoluted and heavily overarching plot-related?

shuichi was really judgemental that kaito's reasoning for becoming an astronaut was "because it's cool" but like i'm pretty sure that's the reason most people become astronauts

hmm so maki asked shuichi if he like-liked kaede, wondering if it's possible to like someone you didn't know after such a short period of time.......hmmm methinks someone is trying to sort out her OWN feelings

"then why did you bring it up?" because she's got it bad for kaito and she doesn't know how to deal with it

he did it, gang. after a couple failed tries, kaito FINALLY punched kokichi in the face

what did miu find in the computer?

the "training" scene with himiko and gonta and shuichi talking to tenko in his mind was really sweet. "you've reached her, tenko."

"that person has to be special. it has to be someone like kaito" "only someone like kaito could help me" shuichi plz

"i shouldn't be talking about another boy like that" hahahaha i knew he dug him. shuichi it's okay you can be bi

kokichi meeting privately with monokuma can only lead to good things

why was there a curtain that said "the end" after the morning announcement???

the reveal that himiko is a soap opera fan and actually was invested in the monokub drama/nonsense was the biggest twist of the game tbh

"we were completely unaware that an unspeakable malice was brewing" what an ominous start to free time!

i gave keebo a laser gun and he said "you understand me...i feel...happy" keebo i love you so fucking much

this free time event is wild. me and keebo are role playing as a caregiver out in the middle of the dorm hallway. and keebo threw out his back. keebo, i threw out MY back a few months ago, i understand you!

i love that in the final climactic free time event with kaito, shuichi tells him the story he already told kaede wayyyy back in chapter 1 lol

"he does so much for me...i could never turn my back on that. i will never break my bond with kaito!" bro shuichi just Kiss him you clearly want to

"kaito's smile was bright as starlight. i couldn't help but smile back" shuichi good lord keep it together

bro the way shuichi talks about kaito is so funny he is literally a teenage girl on his bed kicking his feet and giggling

this computer isn't the neo world program from 2, is it?

this virtual world is actually super cute ngl

of course the first thing kokichi does in the virtual world is punch keebo. when will keebo stand up for himself and beat the fuck out of kokichi? i've been waiting for it so patiently

okay that definitely said neo world program. and mirai falls? this is getting real fishy. and then all the references to murders/trials from the previous games, the gyoza in the shape of someone's face [i spend WAY too much time thinking about this particular object]. there gets to be a point when it stops being references to previous games and starts becoming incredibly suspicious

keebo is implying that we are ALREADY in a virtual world. i did have this thought previously

ah so kokichi DOES have a crush on me

MIU NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

i said i wasn't gonna handle it well when one of my faves died, and i was right. i'm not handling it well

also, after much running around looking for coins and grinding in salmon fishing, i did end up buying the key of love, but i think i bought it literally one free time slot too late. i was under the impression that when you go to bed that night after buying it it'll trigger the event. i knew i was on the last free time availabilities of the chapter, but if i remember correctly in the previous chapters we went to bed and then the murder stuff happened the next day. but this time these assholes NEVER actually WENT to bed. they just collected me to go to the computer room right after free time and we pulled an all-nighter in the virtual world like a bunch of freaks smh. and i don't have a convenient save file in this chapter i can go back to unless i wanted to restart the chapter, so i guess i'll wait and see if the key activates in chapter 5? or i'll have to wait and play this game again. damn, that sucks. ah well.

well, on to the investigation!

[dribs-and-drabbles]

✨2023: A Summary✨

Post your most popular and/or favourite edit/gifset/analysis for each month (it’s okay to skip months!)

Tagged by @daymork - Thanks for wanting to see how my analyses 'popped off and what my personal favs are!' 💖

January

most popular — Bad Buddy/My School President parallel - not an analysis but people do love a good parallel!

favourite(s) — Never Let Me Go discussion - I love when something I write inspires others and it sets off a long thread where people keep adding to it. | Another Bad Buddy/My School President parallel - not technically my post but I love the additions I brought together on this.

February

most popular/favourite(s) — The colour-coding of Bed Friend - another long thread where others joined in.

March

most popular/favourite(s) — A ramble about Moonlight Chicken - which includes a little analysis of the show as it ended.

April

most popular — "What exactly does being blue/red/yellow/etc. coded mean?" - I don't get asks often but I was humbled that someone came to me to understand what colour-coding meant.

favourite(s) — Chains of Heart colours series - I was late to the series, and it ended disappointingly, but the colours were brilliant. | Colour-coded folks in UMG - not a bl but they also colour-coded the leads.

May - n/a - I didn't really write any big posts/analysis this month.

June

most popular — "It's the right moment to kiss!" Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS - Aof calling himself out as well as us bl fans.

favourite(s) — Colours in Our Skyy 2 BBS x ATOTS - I couldn't resist writing about it since it stayed consistent to how they used colours in the original series.

July

most popular — The casting of Be My Favourite - the realisation that the 'odd pairing' of Krist and Gawin was integral to the story being told.

favourite(s) — Be My Favourite ep 9 - the ep that got me thinking about the characters even more. | Kawi and his sense of Self - where I dip my toe into philosophy, theories of The Self, and how memory plays a part in that.

August

most popular/favourite(s) — Laws of Attraction ep 5 - I loved everything about this series but this was the one that got the most attention - maybe because it featured Silvy a lot? 😂

September

most popular — Friends don't let friends go - which pairs with Only friends stay (posted in Oct), and which say a lot about the group and Boston.

favourite(s) — Clowned correctly Laws of Attraction - I just love when something flippant I say is (sort of) right in the end!

October

most popular — The Rainbow Best sweater - not an analysis, nor any created art...but the sweater itself is art, as is that so many characters and actors have worn it.

favourite(s) — Getting emotional over Kiseki: Dear to Me - this was the ep that hit me in the feels. | The Thai Communal Wardrobe items #6 and #3 - again not analysis or art but the start of the communal wardrobe list!

November

most popular — Mhok's Fart Proudly t-shirt - this had me going back to my Bad Buddy days of analysing t-shirts.

favourite(s) — Horney Hockey part 1 and part 2 - more t-shirts, more fantastic additions. | A thought on Night and Day - I'm still so curious about Day and Night's relationship and I can't wait to find out what their deal is. | Band aids on Rung's car and the goldfish slippers the symbolism of Mhok and day's 'damage' and the healing that they're doing. | "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly" | The t-shirts are definitely t-shirting - these last two are essentially reflecting on the same thing - the sentiments in The Little Prince story that Mhok reads out in ep 1 of Last Twilight.

December

most popular — Mhok is Day's eyes - a brilliant use of colour in Last Twilight.

favourite(s) — Couple bracelets - just me excited over possibilities. | Most memorable items of clothing in bl series in 2023 - looking back through the year. | The Thai Communal Wardrobe bl advent - this was a fun series to do...and it only encompassed about a third of the items on the list, so I'll be posting them in dribs and drabs throughout the year.

--

Tagging people who also tend to write analysis or meta posts, I'd love to see which were a hit with the masses and also which were your favourites: @wen-kexing-apologist @grapejuicegay @lurkingshan @btwinlines @twig-tea @rocketturtle4 @waitmyturtles @telomeke and @respectthepetty

[cafesweetvn]

ARTEMIS FLUFF ALPHABET

a = affection (how affectionate are they?)

Artemis really struggles with affection, physical affection at least. He Isn’t the best at receiving affection at all and he doesn't really know how to give physical affection. He does like to give verbal affection through praising, and eventually he’ll give you headpats as a sign of praise as well.

b = beginning (what was the beginning of your relationship like?)

Awkward. Artemis hasn’t been in a lot of relationships and the ones that he has been in didn’t last very long, he was just never really into relationships until they met you, he was more focused on other aspects of his life. He kind of just treated you like he did before you two started going out, he doesn’t feel a need to rush things and start being all touchy like other couples do.

c = cuddles (do they enjoy cuddling? how would they cuddle?)

Once again, super awkward! Not super comfy initiating it and can’t stay cuddling for too long, for multiple reasons. One, he’s too tense and it ends up making him sore. Two, he’ll have a heart attack, he’s not used to affection and it makes his heart race. Three, he’s a workaholic, he NEEDS to be doing something productive. He’s also not one to initiate cuddling, unless he’s drunk, then he’s a HUGE cuddle bug. Anyways, most of the time, you’ll have to be the one to initiate and be the big spoon.

d = domestic (what’s domestic life with them like? do they plan on settling down?)

Housewife material right here! He’s great at chores, once again, he’s a workaholic and needs to be doing something productive at all times, of course he’ll still encourage you do do some chores on your own, like rinse off your own dishes, and do your own laundry, but if you’re ever having an off-day he’ll help you no problems, though he’ll try to make some joke about how you owe him, not that you’ll be able to tell he’s actually joking. He would love to settle down with you if that’s what you want, he honestly hasn’t thought about marriage a lot!

e = ending (if you were to break up, how would it go?)

Like all his other relationships. He wouldn’t try to beg you to stay, you’ve made your decision and honestly if you just broke up with him on a whim without really thinking it through, then you aren’t someone he wants to date anyways, that’s why he knows you’re certain. If you still wanted to be friends with him, then that’s fine with him, and if not then he’d just go back to being your strict manager. Of course he’s upset, but he knows he’ll move on and he’ll still keep protecting you.

f = favorite (what’s their favorite thing to do with you?)

He really enjoys doing anything domestic with you, like cooking or doing the dishes together. He already enjoys doing those things and he’s always preferred to do it alone, but he’s found ways to make it more fun and interesting with you! He’s also a fan of quality time, in the parallel play style, he likes being around you but likes when you two can just do your own things but can also be in each others line of sight and if you guys wanted each others attention for a few minutes, then you two are right next to each other!

g = gentle (how gentle are they, physically and emotionally?)

Physically, He’s very gentle with you, He would never want to hurt you physically. Now, emotionally, he wouldn’t ever want to hurt you in that way either, it’s just he’s VERY blunt and brutally honest, he does not hold back on verbal punches. If it’s on his mind, he will say it, no matter how rude it is. So although he never wants to hurt you in any way, he does end up hurting you a lot emotionally, of course he always feels bad, but he’s not going to lie to you either.

h = hugs (how do they feel about hugs? how often do they happen? what are their hugs like?)

He’s really awkward when it comes to physical affection so chances are he won’t initiate it often, but he also won’t pull away if you hug him(At least not for a good 2 minutes, and if you need him longer then he’ll pretend to be annoyed but he’ll just slouch back down into your embrace, wrapping his arms around you again) He prefers to stay pretty fit, especially his upper body(So he can help out at the cafe), so his hugs feel very secure. He also wears the comfiest clothing in all of existence so that's a plus.

i = i love you (when do they first say it? how often is it said?)

He probably wouldn’t make any moves honestly, especially not at first. If he ever did make any plans to confess to you, it would be only after he’s 100% certain you like him back. Then he would plan everything thoroughly, everything needs to be just PERFECT! He WILL have a breakdown if one thing doesn’t go as expected. It’s not said super often after he gets in a relationship with you. He’s not really the best at showing his love. But when he does say it, it just makes it more special.

j = jealousy (are they the jealous type? how jealous do they get? how do they act when they’re jealous?)

Artemis likes to think that he doesn’t get jealous, that he trusts his partner 1000%, but he can’t deny that he DOES get jealous. It takes him a while to get jealous, but he still does get jealous. He mostly gets jealous of Sanka and Hyun-ae since you’re closer to them and have been for longer than you’ve been closer with him(wait till he meets your childhood friends LMAO) He does trust you, sometimes though he can’t help but let his insecurities get the better of him, his relationship with you has made him realize he has plenty of flaws, and he HATES it, so when he sees others who are better at socializing and making you laugh and happy, he thinks you deserve better.

k = kisses (what are their kisses like? how often do they happen? where do they like to kiss you? where do they like to be kissed?)

So inexperienced, but also he’s a quick learner. His kisses start off really flat and awkward, you’ll probably have to do the leading in the beginning but he’s very hyper aware of how you kiss and he’ll end up copying you. He’ll also do his own research on kissing, he takes things very seriously LMAO He won’t initiate them often simply because he’s just not a physical person, but he doesn’t mind if you want to kiss him and he’ll kiss you back. He enjoys kissing your hand, anywhere on your hand, He finds it romantic. He would like forehead/temple kisses.

l = language (what’s their love language?)

Quality time and parallel play, they go hand in hand, although he’s more of a parallel play type of person. He enjoys being around you but also he enjoys doing his own thing. I went into this a bit earlier but he likes that you two can do your own things but if something comes up you both are just right there for comfort or just if someone has something interesting to say. I’d say they’re more of a “words affirmation type”. I don’t think he’d mind a lot of different love languages though, words of affirmation are just his favorite, I’ll get into that more in V.

m = morning (what are mornings like with them?)

Chances are, he wakes up before you. He likes waking up at around 5 am and starting his day nice and early. He starts his day by getting a shower and brushing his teeth before heading to the kitchen to make breakfast for the two of you. Since you two work at the same place he plans some of his morning after yours, like making breakfast. On any day you have off he makes leftover breakfast for you. He’ll also call you at around 10 for you to wake up, he doesn’t want you sleeping too late but also if you nap later he understands, but he will wake you up shortly after so you can sleep that night.

n = night (what are nights like with them?)

He also probably goes to sleep earlier than you. Early sleeper, early riser type. He goes to sleep at 9-10. His night schedule is about the same as his morning schedule. He gets a shower and brushes his teeth. He enjoys reading before sleeping usually, sometimes though he’ll lay in bed with you as you guys talk about how your day went :)

o = open (are they an open book or more closed off?)

He’s more closed off. He doesn’t really enjoy talking much about himself and he’ll be as vague as possible when explaining personal things to you. With time he’ll eventually open up more.

p = patience (how easily angered are they?)

He gets annoyed very quickly, but more so with incompetence, not really if you’re loud or have an energetic personality. His annoyance can build up easily as well, so small outbursts may be common, but rather he’d prefer to talk to you if he has a problem with you. Outbursts are more common when you two aren’t dating.

q = quizzes (how much do they remember about you? do they remember every little detail or are they forgetful?)

It might be a little creepy to some, but it’s how he remembers people who are close to him or that he has to spend time around them often well. He has little notebooks that he writes in filled with information that others have told him and stuff that he’s observed himself. So whenever he learns something new, you’ll often see him pulling out the notebook(specifically yours in this case) and writing down what he’s learned. That being said he remembers a lot about you! He probably goes back and reads and rereads his entries so that he just remembers most things off the top of their head.

r = remember (what’s their favorite moment in your relationship?)

One time in your relationship, Artemis bought a joke book. It had been a rough day at work, dealing with Archie and then having to see Sanka and Hyun-ae making you happier then he ever could. Artemis had started telling you the most awful, corniest jokes, it was embarrassing. He was even more humiliated when you walked in on him reading it and started laughing at him. Still, your kind and reassuring words you spoke to him that night, he holds them close to his heart as a reminder he can make you happy.

s = security (how protective are they? do they like being protected?)

Artemis is extremely protective of you, it might not be outward and you definitely gotta dig deep, but it’s there. He’s been protecting you, Sanka, and Hyun-ae since all of your first days. No matter how closed off and strict he acts, he really does care about you. Artemis doesn’t like being protected as much though, Artemis can handle himself.

t = try (how much effort do they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, etc.?)

Artemis? The person who puts so much effort into every day? Safe to say Artemis goes all out on your dates, only the best for you. If you want more chill, stay at home dates, he still puts a ton of effort into it!

u = ugly (what’s a bad habit/trait of theirs?)

Definitely the perfectionism. He needs everything to be perfect and go the way he planned things to go otherwise it’s straight to breakdown town. If something doesn’t go perfect, then he gets annoyed, and then it builds up and builds up until he just can’t take it anymore. He gets very snappy, very quickly.

v = value (what’s their biggest priority regarding you in your relationship? ex: your safety, your happiness, etc.)

Artemis really values communication, he thinks it’s the most important thing in a relationship. He really wants you to feel comfortable enough to communicate with him if that’s something you struggle with. Despite his initial personality being all about being perfect and getting annoyed easily, he would never dismiss your feelings, or invalidate you or interrupt you and tell you you’re wrong. He would just sit there quietly as he listens to you vent/rant, even if it’s about him. He doesn’t get defensive(At least not outwardly). When you’re done talking he may try to explain his own side, making sure that you know he isn’t trying to dismiss your feelings, just letting you know his side of the story.

w = whole (do they feel incomplete without you?)

Not really. If you guys are just away from each other then he just goes about his day, knowing that he’ll see you again soon. If you’re talking about breaking up though, then he would be upset for a couple days(Not that you would be able to tell) but he would just get over it, there are other people in this world.

x = xtra (random headcanon!)

He’s blind asf. His glasses are super thick, and if you remove them he can pretty much see nothing but blobs. Don’t wear his glasses either, instant headache unless you’re around the same prescription. Because of this, he always has to put his glasses in a particular spot(Which he would’ve done anyways, but even more now) so they are easy to access when he wakes up.

y = yearn (what’s something they want from you but will never admit to?)

It’s really toxic and more so during early phases of your relationship(Strangers, acquaintances, friends, early dating) but he wishes you were perfect, like how he views himself. Now, he still loves you and begins to accept the fact that you aren’t perfect and that in itself makes you pretty perfect to him, but before he came to accept the fact that the world isn’t perfect, he isn’t perfect, his parents weren’t perfect, and you aren’t perfect, he wishes that you also held yourself to high standards, to be as perfect as he saw himself. Ofc after a bit in your relationship he realizes how unhealthy that mindset is, and he just wants you to be you!

z = zzz (what’s a sleep habit of theirs?)

They sleep on their back with their fingers interlocked on their stomach. Also has those grandpa pajama’s 100%. The silly little hat, the old looking nightgown, and a plain but cute sleeping mask to top it all off. Other than that, he sleeps normally, no snoring, no tossing and turning, no drooling, no eyes open, no bedhead, literally nothing.

[bigmouthlass]

Title:  Weeping Into Our Beers

Author:  BJ

Fandom:  Big Sky, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, World of Darkness

Warnings: Graphic Descriptions Of Violence

Rating:  Explicit

Pairing:  Beau Arlen/OFC

Synopsis: Wounded warriors from very different worlds find some comfort in each other.

Tags:  Beau Arlen, Emily Arlen, Carla del Lugo, Sarah Fights-The Mighty (OFC), Crossover, AU, Bar Therapy, One-Night Stand

AN:  Sarah is my longest-held and dearest personal avatar -- or Mary Sue if you wanna be a jerk about it -- from a Werewolf The Apocalypse phase I went through way back in high school. For the nerds who care, she's a Black Fury Philodox and practicing ecoterrorist, who's buried a lot of loved ones including and especially her only daughter. In case anyone's coming from that side of the tracks, Beau Arlen is the acting sheriff of Lewis and Clark County (county seat Helena, Montana, USA), a transplanted Texas whose daughter was kidnapped and nearly killed by a serial killer. In this headcanon Big Sky takes place in the World of Darkness and Beau's an innocent human who has no idea werewolves exist. All recognizable intellectual properties are owned by their respective creators and holders of any trademarks or copyrights. This is a not-for-profit work of fan art and is protected by Fair Use.

---

Beau Arlen wasn't above playing up to clichés, it helped people feel comfortable around him.  Like not code-switching to hide his accent, using informal-yet-courtly manners, exaggerating his bowed legs a little when he walked.  Someone could call this just another cliché, the hard-drinking Texan seeking truth in the bottom of a beer bottle.  Well better a beer bottle than a whiskey glass, he supposed.  And nobody who knew the story would begrudge him seeking a little chemical comfort.

Still, there was a reason he was drinking at Longhorns as opposed to the Boot Heel tonight.  He was in a weird mood, and it was the kind of weird mood that led to bad decisions.  If Mo Poppernack, Lord bless him and his offbeat cheer, hit him with any more well-meaning kindness he just might knock the poor guy's block off.

A few seats down the bar, a couple got up.  Beau studied them in his peripheral vision.  Not a couple-couple, the body language was wrong.  Family he'd guess, even thought they looked nothing alike.  The man was six feet of ugly, black hair and bad acne scars, with a New York City accent that sounded like sandpaper being rubbed together.  The woman was older, petite and stocky, long brown hair pulled back into a French braid, her voice deep with a rasp that said cigarettes.  They embraced.

"Take care of yourself Chainsaw," the woman said, soft and tender.

"You too boss," the man said, touching her face.  "Don't get too drunk, okay?"

"No promises."

The man left.  The woman stood there for a moment before hauling in a deep sigh and sitting back up to the bar.  She glanced around.  Beau noted her eyes were a fine blue-gray, sharp as she checked the exits and counted heads.  Her jacket fell open as she stretched, and Beau didn’t see a weapon.  Funny, she sure as hell behaved like a woman expecting a fight and a bloody one at that.  Beau also noted a wide scar across her left cheek, four parallel lines like Freddy Kruger had cut her with his glove.

---

"So, the question becomes,” Sarah said, picking up her beer, “how drunk is too drunk?"

"Well, that's more of a philosophical question, I find."  Sarah glanced down at the resident of the stool a few slots down the bar.  A charming smile shone out from a short beard, one that found an echo on her own face.  "Unless motor vehicles are involved in which case too drunk equals 0.08 blood alcohol content or over."

"No vehicles involved," Sarah confirmed, mirroring his folksy slant on VEE-hicles.  "I'm staying at the motel a couple doors down."

"Oh well in that case," he tipped the neck of his own beer in a little salute, "however much proves as needed to thoroughly drown your sorrows."

Sarah chuckled.  "Too bad my sorrows have gills."

He grimaced.  "Oooh.  Yikes."

"I just settle for taking them out back and giving them a bath every now and again," she added, finishing off her beer and asking the bartender for a glass of water.

"Sound plan.  Very sound," the charming man approved.  He lifted his bottle, "My sorrows,” he drank, cleared his throat, “they just refuse to drown."

"Bastards found submarines?"

He laughed and Sarah felt her heart do that liftoff thing it did sometimes.  He really was very handsome.  Reminded her a little of Mark.  Similar coloring anyway, those fine green eyes he’d given Charlie before he split.  "We're way overthinking this metaphor."

"Just a skoash," Sarah agreed, and they shared a smile.

The charming man gave her a closer look and Sarah let him.  Some company would be nice.  Pull her out of her own thoughts for a while.  "I'm Beau," he identified himself, stretching to extend a hand across the empty barstools.

Sarah took it, noting a grip firm enough to be friendly.  "Sarah."

"Mind if I join you?"

"Be my guest," she said, and Beau moved the few seats down.  Stood about six-two, jeans, boots, sheepskin-lined coat, silver belt buckle about the size of her palm.  Forty-ish, she guessed, and he wore his years well.  Better than she was at any rate, with gray threading her hair thicker by the week.

"So, my interesting new friend," Sarah said, "what're your sorrows that they're lurking in submarines?"

"That's a long story."

Sarah shrugged.  "I got time.  Who knows?  Maybe talking them out a little'll make the fuckers drown faster."

Beau considered her.  She saw him noticing her scar, making a mental note of it.  "You're not from around here are you?"

"Obviously," Sarah said dryly.  "You aren't either.  Texas?"

"Got it in one."  He signaled the bartender and ordered, paying for Sarah's like a gentleman.  "Friend of mine was County Sheriff when he got wounded on the job.  He called me to fill in temporarily."

"That must've ruffled some feathers."

"Not as many as you might think although that might be a case of delayed reaction."

Sarah listened and sipped as Beau unbottled and laid out one hell of a story.  It was a struggle to keep her poker face when he described the serial killer who'd kidnapped his daughter.  Revenge or justice or both-- burning the Panty Man didn't make Charlie any less gone, forever lost before she really had a chance to live.  "Thank the Goddess your daughter's all right," she said.

"I mean, yeah, Em's tough.  Shit she's doing better than her mom’n’me."  Oh boy, could Sarah relate, the pups taking in stride what broke their elders.  "Carla's moving back down to Houston, permanently.  Her family's all there.  She needs the support system.  Come to find out plenty of her friends were really Avery's friends and they didn't have much use for her with him gone."

"Assholes," Sarah gave her opinion.

Beau shrugged it off.  "Last time I talked to her Emily asked me point-blank if I was gonna relocate with them."

"You thinking of getting back together with your ex?"

He thought a moment.  "It's funny.  Ask me that question a year-- hell, even six months ago, I'd've leapt at the chance.  Carla . . . she's one of the most amazing women I've ever met.  I think I'm a better man than I was when she left me.  I know I could be a better husband to her.  I’ll always love her."

"But?"

"But."  Beau sighed.  "But the issues that drove her away, those haven't gone anywhere.  And I don't know if we'll be good to each other, after Emily goes off to college, starts living on her own."  After a moment's thought, Beau added, "Avery was a grade-A jackass but Carla loved him.  She's still in mourning.  I don't think trying to get back with her will do anything but end badly."

Sarah made an educated guess and said, "Besides, there might be someone else."

Beau's eyebrows lifted, just a little.  "Are you a cop in your day job or just really good at bar therapy?"

That surprised her into a chuckle.  "People open up to me.  Goddess knows why.  Who is she?"

"One my deputies.  Tubbs's undersheriff," he confessed.  Sarah winced.  "Yeah.  I mean, she's . . . beautiful, tough, smart.  Brave?  Hell she kicks down doors better'n I do.  I think . . ." he trailed off, shook his head.  "So yeah, there might be someone else.  But then there might not be.  She lost her husband little over a year ago, went through a real rocky patch right after.  I'm not sure . . . I don't know if she's really put all that in her rearview.  Plus, she's technically my subordinate and anti-fraternization regulations are a thing that exist.

"It's not just her though," Beau admitted.  "I moved up here pretty much done with ever’thing.  Not just from the job either.  Didn't see much point to doin' anything but the daily routine.  Some days not even that."  Sarah nodded.  She could relate to that too.  "Then Tubbs asked me to fill in for him, just until he got back on his feet.  Now it's looking like he's retiring completely and his job needs filling.  The City Council asked me if I'm considering running for the office next year.  I have to give them an answer by close of business Monday."

Sarah whistled.  "No pressure or anything."

"Nope.  I mean, it shouldn't even be a choice, really.  Any other candidates I can think of are local boys'n'girls.  Who'm I?  I'm just the out-of-towner who happened to be in the big chair when the murder rate spiked to the highest it's been in fifteen years.  And there's Emily to think of.  I . . . I lost a big chunk of her life when I was going through my bad time.  I don't want to lose any more."

"Buuuuuuut?" Sarah dragged out.

"But," Beau said, signaling for another beer.  "But I have a life here, a good life.  Last thing I expected.  I mean, I like the country.  I like the people.  I got a job that might lead to me doin’ some good, 'stead of just playing Catch Me Screw Me with the cartels all day ev'ry day."

"Okay," Sarah said, considering as she finished her beer and asked for another water.

"Ah," Beau said, lighting up like a man who'd just solved a riddle.  He really was unfairly handsome, Sarah thought.  "Pacin’ yourself?"

"Takes the curse off the hangover," Sarah lied.  "And I've made some dumb decisions while drunk."

"Mmm?  What sorta dumb decisions?"

"Aggravated assault decisions," Sarah said.  Before he could ask, she amplified, "Got in a bar fight with a couple of dickheads over a Lions game.  Put'em in the hospital.  Took a plea, did a year, completed my probation about fifteen years ago.  Luna's blood I feel old now."

"I'm impressed."

"Don't be," Sarah said, noting the closer look he gave her.  She'd admit to going to seed a bit the last few years.  "I took boxing lessons all through high school.  I've got a decent left for my size.  And the other guys were really drunk."  Being able to ignore pain at will helped there.  Shifting to Glabro to match their height helped too.

"Makes sense," Beau shrugged.  "What're your sorrows that they need drowning?"

"Nothing that can really be helped," Sarah said, thinking of Misty giving her pups suck and glowing with joy, Chainsaw taking his broken heart back to the solace of his people and trying so hard not to blame her for losing Tripwire.  Roger, oh Gaia and Her mercy Roger--  "The inevitable march of time.  Makes me mopey.  Your problem on the other hand, sounds like something that can be addressed plain and simple.  Stay or go?"

"What do you think?  You have kids?"

"Had," Sarah said, her heart throbbing along the scar.  Charlie had lived there once, under her heart.  "She died."

"Oh Christ, I'm sorry," Beau said.  It was fascinating, she could read his heart in his face.  "I feel like a dick, whining about--"

"Hey," Sarah said, twisting in her seat and reaching over to take his hand.  "We're not talking about me, we're talking about you.  Let me ask you this; have you talked to your daughter about what she wants?"

"Yeah.  She didn't come right out'n say so but she wants me close.  She feels safe with me.  God knows why."

"Because she knows for a fact you'll deconstruct anyone who so much as looks at her wrong," Sarah said.  She thought a minute.  "Your girl's how old, sixteen, seventeen?"

"She'll be seventeen in a few months."

"My advice, for what it's worth," Sarah said, "is call her tomorrow when you both have time to talk.  Ask her what she needs from you.  Does she need her daddy or does she need her father?"

"There's a difference?" Beau asked.  He hadn't moved to take his hand back.  Instead he gripped at her fingers.

"Yeah, there is.  Daddy makes your problems go away.  Father helps you fight them yourself.  If you try to be her father when she really needs her daddy, you'll wind up making her feel alone.  Unsafe.  If you try to be her daddy when she needs her father, you'll wind up undermining her sense of herself.  That'll push her away, just when she really does need you."

Beau stares at you.  "That's possibly the least stupid thing I've heard in a long time."

"Oh thanks," Sarah snorted.

"No I meant-- sorry, I didn't say that right."

"What I mean is," Sarah said, "if you're making the decision for her sake, it might not be a bad idea to make her feel like she's got something of a say in it.  You got a life here that you like and want to keep, and that's okay.  But you got a duty to her.  Wise woman told me once, if there's a conflict between your head and your heart duty gets the tiebreaker.  At least then if it turns out you made a mistake you won't get eaten alive by your own conscience."

Quiet from her drinking partner as he finished off his beer.  He didn't let go of her hand and Sarah didn't take it back.  Been a while, since she'd felt warm at the thought of a man's hands.  His were nice, big and thick-fingered, nails clipped close and tidy.

"Thank you," he said as he put the dead soldier down.  "That actually helps a lot."

"What'd'you think you'll wind up doing?"

"I don't know," he admitted.  "Least now I can think the problem through instead of just brooding over it.  But now I got another problem."

"Mmm?  What's that?" Sarah asked.

A slow smile lit the other man's face, turning him from nice to look at to honestly breathtaking.  "I gotta think of another problem for you to solve for me."

Sarah laughed.  "Smooth."

"Sorry, been a while since I tried to be good company to a lady."

"Lady?  Lady?  What lady?  Where lady?" Sarah asked, miming a confused look-around.  "Shit I wish you'd've told me you were trying to be a gentleman, I'd've used my company manners."

"No no no," he deflected with a raised hand, "you've been delightful.  I'm just sorry I'm out of problems for you to solve for me."

"If you're having car trouble I can take a look--" Sarah teased.

"Naw, Pedro's running like a sweetheart."  No mistake now, his hand was holding hers.  His thumb swiped across the soft skin across the back.  Beau pivoted in his seat, opening his body more to Sarah.  "I, uh . . ."

"Is this the part where you invite me over for coffee or am I supposed to invite you for coffee?  I haven't done the coffee thing in a while," Sarah put it out there.  "Cuz if you don't mind a walk I'd love to have you over for coffee."

Beau considered.  His eyes were a little soft with the effect of the beers.  It made him look even cuter.  Luna's blood he must've harvested broken hearts by the truckload when he was younger.  "I'd like that.  Some coffee."

---

"Oh we need to make a pit stop at the 7-11," Sarah noted as they walked through the bar's parking lot.

"Oh yeah?  What for?" Beau asked.

"Coffee.  You take cream and sugar?"

That surprised him into a laugh.

---

Beau paused when he got down to her underwear.  "It's okay," Sarah reassured him as he looked her over.  At the roadmap of battle scars all over her body.  "If they're a mood-killer for you that's fine.  We can get a good night's sleep and no hard feelings."

"They're very much not," Beau said, touching her face.  "Just don't find it so weird you put a couple guys in the hospital all of a sudden."

Beau had a few battle scars of his own, some knife cuts and a couple of bullet holes.  He seemed to view them dispassionately, a source of neither pride nor shame.  "Mmm," he grunted as Sarah traced light fingers over his ribs.  "Tickles."

"Sorry."  She firmed her touch, slid her hand to caress his chest.  Firm definition under a healthy layer of squish, haired up a bit across his pecs and down his tummy.  She picked up his hand and examined the tattoo on the inside of his forearm-- a fleur-de-lis with a crown and anchor.  "This is French isn't it?"

"Mmm-hmm," Beau said.  "My mother's family's French.  My real legal name's Beaumont Theodore Arlen."

"Beaumont Theodore?  You poor poor boy," Sarah said.

Smiling, Beau put a hand on her shoulder.  "What about this?" his thumb rubbed over the tribal pictogram inked below her collarbone.  Faded with age, not that it mattered.

"Sort of a family mark," Sarah vastly oversimplified.  "The ones on my arms're relics of a gang I ran with when I was younger.  And what have we got here?" she asked as she put her palm over his zipper.

"Well darlin’ thishere's a fella love'ta meet you very much," Beau grinned.

"Luna's blood don't tell me you named it," Sarah groaned around her giggles, as she worked his button open and slowly lowered the zipper.  "On second thought," she said after working his pants down enough to get a look at him, "a fella this handsome probably deserves a name."

"We don't really blush in Texas, so let me," Sarah squeaked as Beau reared up and flipped them over, pinning her beneath his body and giving her a kiss, "demonstrate my appreciation."

"Oh my," Sarah sighed.  Beau kissed down the pad of tummy fat, carefully avoiding the straight line of her hysterectomy scar.  "Your mama raised a very polite boy."  Tipping her a wink, Beau split her with his thumbs and applied his mouth.  Sarah just shut her eyes and enjoyed it.  She couldn't remember the last time a man had done that for her.

"Such a mess for me," Beau noted when he came up for air.  Hot and flushed and panting, Sarah watched him squirm his pants off to land of the floor.  He belly-crawled and rolled to flop next to Sarah, hot and really unfairly fucking glorious in his birthday suit.  He had his wallet in his hand and with a little pleased grunt he pulled a condom out of the inner pocket.

"Allow me," Sarah said, taking the packet away from him.  Beau gave a little be-my-guest wave.  He fit in her hand just right, hot and firm.  Hearing him moan was lovely, as she clamped the condom packet between her lips and just played with him.  Easy to forget how much fun cocks were to just play with.

Beau seized Sarah's hand.  "Gotta stop a second," he panted.  "It's late, I'm tired, and I'm pretty sure I'm only gonna be able to do this once."

"Sorry, got carried away," Sarah said.  Wrapping him up was the work of a minute.  "How do you want me, cowboy?"

“Mmm . . . right about here I think,” Beau said, tugging her up and rolling her beneath him.  Sarah sighed as he pressed into her.  He was warm, warm and thick.  “Oh you make little sounds,” Beau said, because of course he was a talkative lover.

“Careful please,” Sarah said, breathing through the stretch, Little Beau wasn’t very little and it’d been a while.

“Accourse, accourse,” Beau kissed her.  “Lord Jesus you feel nice.  All soft and warm.”

“Careful, careful,” Sarah said as Beau braced his arm on the bed.  He lifted her leg and his hips moved in a wave.  Sarah sighed, he was moving inside her just so nice.  “Goddess yes,” she sighed.

Grinning big and bright, Beau brought her carefully to the edge and over.

As sparkles snapped along her nerves, Sarah flipped Beau over and returned the favor.

---

Glass cool and dusty under his fingertips, the heart inside still vivid red with the living blood it had once driven forth.  Twist slowly clockwise and the masking tape label bearing the single word in Sharpie -- EMILY--

Whirl around and there she was, the she become an it, laying with eyes open and empty right along with the chest.  And more.  There were other jars, other names.

CARLA.  RANDY.  BEN.  DENISE.  CASSIE.

Open empty eyes, open empty bodies, and the knife with her name was in his hand--

Beau woke up gasping.  Breathing exercises, breathing exercises, pull on the air there's plenty of it.  Beau pulled in for five heartbeats, pushed out for five heartbeats.  In, out.  His heart slowed as his breathing did.  Under the sheets his toes clenched and relaxed.  Beau let the motion ground him, pull him back to himself and the world where Emily was okay and it was just a dream.

And a world where he wasn't alone tonight.  How 'bout that.

Sarah wasn't any kind of beauty, a woman pushing fifty who'd lived hard and looked it.  On the other hand, she'd been kind without making him feel like he needed to be managed like Carla, and without the baggage of mutual attraction like Jenny, and not someone whose good opinion he cared about like Cassie or someone who’d been through enough already like Denise.  Beau got feelings about people sometimes, and his intuitions told him Sarah was good at carrying secret things.

He checked his phone, nodded at the lack of messages, and burrowed back under the covers.  As he did, Sarah grunted a bit.  Her muscles were rigid and her breathing was short and shallow.  Carefully, Beau spooned himself behind her.  "Hey there," he said softly, kissing her shoulder, "hey wake up, it's a dream, shh."

"I know that babe," she said, sleepy but clear, "I've had bad dreams all my life."  She rolled over and let Beau pull her close.  Kissing him, she asked, "What about you?  You okay?"

"Yeah."  He kissed the top of her head.  Stroking down her back and making a mental map of the scars under his fingers.  "My daughter's okay, the bad guy's dead."

"Right.  Just your imagination being a dick to you."  That made him chuckle.  "Go back to sleep.  Sounds like you could use it."

"Yeah," Beau agreed.  He took a breath from her hair, smelling cigarettes and beer and sex.  All that plus a warm body alongside his-- all of it pulling him far away from his usual and customary.  It felt nice, a little time-out from his reality where all the choices seemed bad for one reason or another. Beau shut his eyes and let fatigue do its thing.

When he woke up next the bed was empty and the room was full of morning light.  The bathroom door was shut and he could hear the blow dryer.  And singing-- Beau chuckled when he heard Sarah's alto voice singing something he didn't recognize.  Something sweet and melancholy, something that made Beau wish for his guitar.  God, there's something he hadn't thought seriously about in forever, just one of the many small joys that had died with Randy--

That's not true, something in his head spoke up, and for once the voice was gentle instead of accusatory.  Not dead, just put away for a while.  He wondered if Jenny sang, wondered if her voice went high and sweet or deep and smooth--

As he thought he sat up and found his phone.  No messages, thank the good Lord.  As he sent a quick good morning text to Emily, the blow dryer shut off.  "I alone, survived the sinking," Sarah's voice went softer, mindful that someone might be sleeping, "I alone, possessed the tools, on that ship of fools."

Sometimes a man is cursed with the need to know a thing.  Beau opened the browser on his phone and started typing.

The bathroom door opened and Sarah emerged wrapped in a towel, brushing out her long brown hair.  "Oh, good morning.  Shower's free."

"Thanks," Beau gave her a smile and hit the restroom.

---

Sarah got dressed as Beau got cleaned up and ready to face the day.  The day was shaping up beautifully, just right for a long drive down out of the mountains.  Been a long time since she'd been so by herself, not tied up in her responsibilities as pack alpha or sept warder or tribal elder or den mother.  And such lovely new memories to reflect on, she thought with a smile.  If tired and drunk Beau was this fantastic in bed she truly envied the woman who landed him long-term, scars and all.

She was just finishing up with the packing when the bathroom door opened.  "Hey," she said, "I'm on my way out the door but if you want we could grab some breakfast and I can drop you off somewhere."

It wasn't Beau looking at her, it was a cop studying a suspect.  Those beautiful eyes said very clearly bullshit me at your own risk.  "I know who you are."

"Really," Sarah said, pulling her bag up onto her back.  She stood straight and met his hard stare with her own.  "And who am I?"

"Stalinski, Sarah Michaela," Beau recited.  "Person of interest in the Chippewa Valley reactor bombing, person of interest in the Exxon Transit Pipeline sabotage, suspect in the murder of Willard Mikaelian--"

"AKA the Panty Man, and my daughter was his last victim," Sarah pointed out.  He never got to hurt another baby girl again, was the part she didn't say.  The law didn’t handle him for shit.  I did.  She left that part unsaid too.

Beau blinked, but that was all.  "You've got an FBI file thicker'n the King James Bible and your name's on half a dozen terrorist watch lists."

Sarah kept his gaze.  She really didn't want to hurt him if she didn't have to, not as a cop doing his duty.  "So."

"So."

"Am I under arrest?  Being taken in for questioning?  Detained just for the hell of it?"  Because that wasn't happening.

He didn't answer right away.  "No.  No, the only thing I can honestly accuse you of is getting drunk in a bar.  Which isn't illegal."

"Then,” Sarah asked, clapping her hands on her thighs, “why the dramatic reveal?  You wanna feel like you got the upper hand on me?  You got it, you win, fair and square."  He hadn’t and never would, but if the Goddess was good he’d never know that.

"Fine,” Beau said, and Sarah made a mental note to check his bloodlines because a human should not have this much presence, “I want you out of my county, and I don't want to ever see your face here again.  If I do I will turn you over to the feds.  Clear?"

Sarah raised an eyebrow.  "Your county?  Sheriff?"

Beau blinked.

"Sounds like your decision's been made.  And message received-- Helena is a no-fly zone from now on."  Sarah opened the door, but turned to look back at her one-night lover.  "For what it's worth," she said, "you're a good man, and you need to cut yourself some slack.  Take care of yourself Beau Arlen."

With that food for thought plated and served, Sarah shut the door and headed for the car.  Stranger In Town went in the stereo and Sarah drove away into the risen sun.

---

AN2: The scene stuck in my head so hard, I had to write it out. I just got done watching Big Sky, and it's a deep shame the series wasn't picked up for a fourth season-- I'd've loved to have seen Beau and Jenny running head-to-head in the next sheriff's election. Oh, and gotten more Emily. I love Emily.

[frostfall-matches]

[ matchmaking... ]

@imjustsomegirlyblog : [ match report ready ]

your match is…

✧ Nanami Kento

-> [ You two make an interesting couple from an outside perspective. ] You’re bubbly, peppy, chatty, just warm and bright in general; he’s stoic and frosty, coming off as incredibly intimidating in most situations. Nanami’s colleagues and students don’t get it, but hype him up anyway (namely Gojo and Yuji, of course). They don’t get to see the full extent of how soft Nanami gets around you, but the amusement and affection in his eyes is clear as day, and he’s much gentler in the way he speaks to you than he is with anyone else.

-> [ His emotional restraint balances your tendency to act on emotion. ] There are certainly times where this causes the two of you to butt heads and argue, especially when dealing with sensitive subjects - but that’s not a terribly common occurrence, and you’re both able to communicate effectively enough to settle disagreements without too much fuss. That said, Nanami is able to help keep you grounded when you need that support, and he’s a good sounding board if you feel the need to see if you’re overreacting to a situation or not. And, genuinely, he doesn’t mind that you’re emotional and dramatic - you’re a breath of fresh air for him! But he may act (lovingly) exasperated when you’re being a bit of a drama queen.

-> [ Foodie that he is, he is very appreciative whenever you decide to cook or bake. ] With him, there is certainly some truth in the saying that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Before you two got together, whenever you baked something and gave it to him all nicely packaged up or whenever you offered to cook for him, he definitely thought you were trying to woo him. You were just being nice, though. But as your relationship progresses… you would definitely be able to use your cooking skills to your advantage! Besides that, Nanami enjoys cooking and finds making dinner with you to be surprisingly relaxing.

-> [ He truly does not mind if you can’t hold your own in a fight. ] Nanami seems like the type that wouldn’t care if his partner is another jujutsu sorcerer or a regular civilian; whether you’re a civilian or a jujutsu sorcerer that tends to largely play a support role, part of him is happy that you’re not in a position where you’re regularly putting yourself in regular fights. And if there’s a situation where he needs to step in to protect you, he’s certainly capable of that. Your safety is definitely one of his top priorities in any situation, dangerous or not.

-> [ Nanami likes physical touch when it comes from you - though he avoids PDA. ] He’s a very big fan of the more subtle and casual touches that you two share throughout the day, and it’s something that he naturally defaults to himself. A quick ruffle of your hair as he walks past you, leg pressed up against yours as you two lounge on the couch together, subconsciously rubbing his thumb across the back of your hand whenever you slip your hand into his. He’ll chuckle and tease you a bit when you demand cuddles from him, but never says no to you. Definitely loves falling asleep with you in his arms some way or another, even if you end up rolling away in the middle of the night.

-> [ Although he tends to stay busy at work, he fiercely protects his free time. ] So, when in a relationship with you, you can bet that he’s going to dedicate what time he has to you. Quality time is very important for Nanami, and he would really appreciate it if you could focus your attention on him when the two of you are actively doing something together. That said, he enjoys parallel play - there’s something really relaxing just being in your presence even when you two are doing different things. He adores having quiet nights in that consist of you gaming while he works through a book.

-> [ Nanami really enjoys watching you get all glammed up. ] It wasn’t something he thought much about until the two of you start living together. He knows that you put a lot of care into your appearance and you really enjoy styling your outfits and wearing makeup - he just didn’t really think about the whole process of it all since he tends to go for straightforward and efficient routines himself. He doesn’t mean to be weird about it at all, but he’s so enamored as he watches you get ready for the day. If it bothers you at all, though, he won’t be offended if you ask him to leave the room so you can get ready in peace.

-> [ Traveling together is a must! ] The idea of a long vacation with you sounds absolutely heavenly to Nanami. He’s good at keeping track of all the little details of traveling - when and how to pack, itineraries, flight and hotel bookings, finances… But perhaps surprisingly, he’s also good about just going with the flow. Nanami is the type to plan out a loose itinerary of things the two of you want to do in a certain area, but is very flexible when it comes to any changes in schedule. So, if you start dragging him off to check out something that suddenly caught your eye, he’ll have no complaints!

[toxicpineapple]

big fan of kirumaki :) i think they're such an acts of service/parallel play couple. kirumi launders and irons maki's clothes for her after difficult missions and maki finds kirumi up late working and just steps in behind her to massage the tension from her shoulders. they'll sit in rooms together for HOURS just in absolute silence.

i think they'd really get each other postgame too. with their like paired willingness to sacrifice the entire group to achieve a goal that they would feel such immense guilt over after the situation has passed... they can keep each other grounded.

definitely the starts dating without confessing couple. like they're a couple, they share beds and go on dates and give each other flowers, but they've never kissed (despite wanting to) and they don't know how to broach it. maki's like what if she doesn't like someone broken like me and kirumi is like i can't be allowed to have this... kaito and rantaro (best friends respectively) are like you guys need to touch some grass.

also they can pick each other up. smiles sweetly

[rappaccini]

smash 3 thoughts (glojay AND gwenjay 📈📈📈????)

oh man okay where do i start

with the obvious i guess

it's official. em jay having feelings for gwen is canon. it's no longer coding. it's no longer subtext. it's stated.

it only took ten years but we're finally here. and on valentine's day!

... and gwen's about to lose her world For Good. goddammit.

and depending on how gwen gets ousted from 65 it might even be em jay's big lesbian crush on her that drives her away. god. dammit.

well. one more issue to go. plus the giant size. we'll see.

anyway this is great.

the mary janes being loving and supportive of gwen. i have missed this SO much.

em jay's anger at gwen finally being confirmed to be partially based on her feelings not being returned. em jay's longstanding sapphic crush on gwen slowly turning toxic and consumptive the more she stews in it. em jay watching gwen and dazzler get close and getting jealous. i love it.

glory both demanding that gwen and em jay sort their shit out and getting to stand her ground about being mad that she's getting third wheeled. like YES. glory's whole hangup about getting together with em was anxiety that em's only using her as a placeholder for gwen so thank GOD we're calling that shit out. if we have to go the route of 'yes, em DOES have feelings for gwen that are interfering with her relationship with glory', glory can't just smile through it. LOVE that a writer both knows about glojay and cares about it. can't describe how much the gwenjay shippers who ignore glory piss me off.

it's a definite departure from mcguire glory's 'cracking jokes about em and betty fucking in the green room/chill about gwen and em having pda right in front of her' but if exclusivity IS going to be a part of the glojay dynamic, at least em's being called out

gwen chasing after em in a classic damsel in distress story that we finally get to admit is romantic and not just galpalling. love that.

em's feelings for gwen reawakening her symbiote. love that. perfect revival of how em got carnage'd in the mcguire run.

bruce banner's obsession with dazzler and em jay's with gwen being paralleled. hulk and carnage, both giant rage monsters triggered into rampages by unrequited feelings for someone. love it. what a great new take on the hulk.

the queer gwen fans won. if you like lesbian gwen, you won. if you like bi gwen, you won. if you like ace gwen, you won.

speaking of ace gwen, idk if gwen's obliviousness to em's feelings are indicative of her not reciprocating or of her being so repressed that she doesn't realize she does, but this is an interesting shift from the mcguire run-- where it definitely feels like gwen has caught on that em has feelings for her. still works i guess given that they couldn't say it and gwen spent basically a year bouncing from dimension to dimension.

i like that now that we're going there with gwenjay, they're not trying to make it a ~i was in love with you from the start~ thing like a lot of the shippers want. like, go read the latour run. gwen definitely wasn't. thank you for keeping continuity.

and thank you for not letting em off the hook for the years of shitty treatment she's been throwing at gwen. yes, she's pining but she's also been mean, demanding and unsympathetic towards gwen for ~4 publication years. if gwen instantly melted into em's arms and they were all flowers and sunshine about it, without acknowledging all the bad blood, the relationship would just have a toxic vibe and there'd be a real shitty double standard at play where male character's possessiveness of gwen is condemned while em's is rewarded. we don't need diet new 52 harley/ivy. new 52 harley/ivy is already exhausting enough.

.... that being said. in light of the gwiles-shaped axe about to drop on gwen's neck and the years of resistance to letting gwen be explicitly queer... it's still interesting that gwen is apart from the janes in terms of who gets to be queer on-page. glory and em are a couple. em gets to pine after gwen. gwen... doesn't respond. i have to wonder if the compromise that finally got onesided gwenjay over the hump into canon was: fine, em can have feelings for gwen, but gwen can't return them.

because the thing is, it's still not canon that gwen's queer. the subtext and coding's off the charts, and a girl being attracted to gwen is canon, but gwen still hasn't explicitly shown attraction to another woman or said "i'm ace."

..... and now another of gwen's friends has turned into a supervillain after showing romantic interest in her that she doesn't appear to reciprocate. man what a depressing theme. i'm into it.

part of me hopes em will come back to earth like harry did. part of me's staring at the upcoming ~stuck in 616 for good~ ongoing thinking, oh she won't.

... did they finally let the gwenjay vibe become canon because they plan on never using em-65 or any of gwen's supporting cast again after giant-size?

i guess we'll see.

but hey, still a big win. we're another big step closer to canon queer gwen. that's bigger than any one ship.

i'm very curious to see how smash 4 and the giant-size handle this.

[hezuart]

Are you a shipper?

I ??? I suppose- I guess so??? Yes?? ///

~~~~

Here's a list of ships I like that no one asked for

List of ships I think should be canon due to story setup & chemistry (But I also appreciate that the story would focus on plot more than a relationship. Don’t always agree with how these characters are written at certain points though)

Rukia x Ichigo (BLEACH) Two misfits with a death wish from different worlds who find each other and learn how to live. Rukia gives Ichigo closure and reconnection with his estranged family that kept secrets from him, along with giving him closure with his mother. Ichigo teaches Rukia, a soul reaper who never got a chance to live IRL, a soup reaper part of the cold-blooded Kuchiki family, how to live. While Rukia teaches Ichigo about the new aspects of death and all the ghosts he’s been surrounded by as a child that he’s never understood before now. They’re two sides of the same coin. The hero and the heroine of the series.

(Also Orihime x Uryuu from BLEACH because they both lost a beloved family member when they were young and have been living alone ever since. They're both fantastic seamstresses, they believe in each other when no one else does, they've protected each other, and they spend a majority of a season together. Uryu drops everything to save her in season 2, and he has the most chemistry and reason to do so outside of anyone else. Orihime often compliments him and makes him blush too.)

Blake x Sun (RWBY) Both faunus with somewhat opposite personalities that play off each other. Blake is a broody book worm while Sun is almost a literal ray of sunshine. He has a few flirty moments with her. He follows her home knowing she tends to run off by herself, challenging her fear of hurting others I think? He spends a good season assisting her in tracking down her old terrorist group and even meets her parents. She kisses him on the cheek after they depart. Good friends with the potential for something more (If they were written a little more consistently.... its been a while since I watched RWBY so I might revise my opinions later)

Ruby x Oscar (RWBY) It's Red Riding Hood’s silver eyes (aka silver slippers) for Dorothy’s salvation. To help her get home. The analogy and parallels behind their stories are fascinating. They’re both the youngest of the group with the heaviest burdens on their shoulders. So far they’ve been pretty cute, wholesome, and over all supportive of each other.

Izuku x Ochaco (My Hero Academia) Not a big fan of this show but it's the first canonical (?) shounen pairing that has actual chemistry to me. Izuku is a good friend to her and gets flustered when she's close to him. They both give each other great Christmas gifts to showcase they know each other well. Where Ochaco is actually useful and supportive and has a crush on Izuku but has goals and friends outside of him, and both of them prefer to focus on a career rather than have time for a romance during the series.

Charlie x Alastor (Hazbin Hotel) I won’t disrespect Charlie x Vaggie, but Vaggie shoots down Charlie’s ideas and personality. She doesn’t partake in the singing, dancing, or the hopeful and innocent attitude. She’s bossy and nonindulgent of Charlie, albeit simply because she wants to protect her and reel in her ideas. Alastor on the other hand is just as eccentric and carefree. They’re both charmers, centers of attention. Performance artists. Alastor has the potential to corrupt Charlie while Charlie has the potential to purify Alastor. We could see a relationship develop onscreen, where as Charlie and Vaggie are pre-established and unlikely to get attention drawn to how they actually ended up as a couple. Even Viv herself initially claimed it “just happened over time as they started out as friends”, even though Vaggie was originally Angel’s girlfriend, believe it or not. Charlie and Vaggie are the main and only ship for Hazbin though. I just don’t care about them as much as I would if Charlie had something develop with Alastor.

Stolas x Blitz (Helluva Boss before season 2) Scumbag disasters. Prince and the Pauper. Cheaters. Liars. Unhappy guys with romantic baggage issues. Start off as work-fuckbuddies but start falling in love and then at that moment, everything falls apart around them. It's messy, its bloody, its angsty, there were staKES, I'm SO SMAD-

The Harry Potter series isn’t something I’m a dedicated fan of, especially after Rowling, but Harry x Hermoine made way more sense to me from the movies. Scorpius x Albus in the Cursed Child was rectified; the subtext hints it's now canon which thank god they fixed because Scorpius x Rose was terrible. Albus had a crush on Delphi which, yeah, who wouldn’t have a crush on Ebony Darkness Dementia Raven Way? But I prefer those two probably as a brotp. Delphi has lesbian vibes(and she’s over a decade older than Albus, so). Albus Potter befriending his dad's enemies? Like it's great. It breaks the cycle. It's a new beginning. A new family. All the HP kids being gay/LGBTQ+ is just really funny to me. Fuck you, Rowling (There’s an HP crackship I actually like a… lot, but I’m too embarrassed to say what it is aloud. It's a spicy angsty unhealthy ship...)

Otherwise crack ships: White Zangetsu x Black Tensa (BLEACH) Angel God vs. Devil God enemies turned roommates. One is feral and the other is reserved but both are equally dangerous and creepy in their own right. (used to like Ichigo x Zangetsu but now I’ve kinda lost interest because Ichigo’s personality changed. Otherwise interchangeable GrimmjowxZangetsuxIchigo I guess. And Harribel x Neliel. Sweet & silent level 3 Espada girls. Neliel is the gal Harri’s missing for her group. She deserves another queen at her side!)

Roxas x Vanitas (Kingdom Hearts) Also don't mind these two also just being a platonic brotp. But Roxas and Vanitas are both remnants of Sora & Ventus with faces that aren't their own. They both can summon monstrous beings, they've been through pain, and they've always been second to someone else. They were both manipulated and lied to. They both wanted access to Kingdom Hearts for power, for a wish to be whole again in one way or another. They're both half of someone else and this makes them struggle with their identities. Roxas however has a joy for life. He has friends and jobs to keep him busy. Vanitas on the other hand hates life. He has nothing to live for because he's always in so much pain and thinks friends would drag him down. Roxas wants life and freedom. Vanitas wants death and/or fusion. Two kins with opposite desires. Could they save each other or destroy each other? There's so much dramatic potential here. Literary gold.

Namine x Xion (Kingdom Hearts) Wish these girls had more personality and chemistry, but I think they've got a gothic x pastel prep vibe going on. Xion was a puppet controlled by the Organization and Namine was controlled by the same Organization, just a different branch and for a somewhat different reason. Xion can copy & steal powers and Namine can rearrange memories, making them both potentially scary if they were to fight back together. I think they are the only two that would ever understand each other.

(Dib x Zim ..??? or just Brotp because of reasons like Roxas x Vanitas. Basically two opposite beings with similar upbringing or social status, both arrogant hotheads with unmatched intellect. All they want is approval, acceptance, and praise. Which they will never receive from their worlds that reject them. They are the only ones who take each other seriously. When Dib gives up on paranormal hunting, Zim becomes depressed and rots away in his house until Dib returns. Zim even seeks Dib’s help with sabotaging Tak & the Planet Jackers. They could be great friends, if they weren’t on opposite sides. If they joined forces, they’d be unstoppable. Jack Frost x Pitch Black (Rise of the Guardians) Also don't mind them being just brotp. Both lonely and lost in their bleak immortal lives, rejected by everyone else around them. Their powers can be dangerous to children if given the wrong influence, like Pitch's. In the books, they both share a similar past. Both were warriors of light. A light that flickered out and changed them into what they are now due to a tragic loss of some kind. Jack is youthful, silly, but observant while Pitch is old, dramatic, and charming. It's like giving your old dog a new puppy. At first they're annoyed, but then they slowly start being more active to play with the puppy? Not sure that's a good analogy. But Pitch said what goes together better than "cold and dark", while "fear and fun" work just as well together. Thrill rides & Halloween? A lot of adrenaline junkies out there would love what these two could come up with together.

Lost my mind at the Jevil x Spamton (Deltarune) shenanigans, implying they’re divorced exes. It’s so funny. Otherwise Jevil x Seam, estranged magicians is pretty nice too.

Other honorable crack ship mentions I won’t explain: Peridot x Lapis(SU) , Pearl x Bismuth(SU) though honestly I even wonder if that's considered crack cuz.... them ladies.... they like each other... so obvious..., Charlie x Helsa (Hazbin Hotel) , Hiccup x Jack Frost (HTTYD & ROTG crossover) , Nicole x Sally (Sonic Archie) , Mettaton x Papyrus??? for some reason?? (Undertale), Also not crackship but Marceline x Bubblegum I’m just not a big fan of Adventure Time to mention it, not crackship but Chat Noir x Ladybug… if they were written well … , Gaz x Tak because why not… goth girls that slay (Invader Zim)... Also not crack ship probably some ships from Star vs the Forces of evil but I haven't watched that show in a long while and the ships got out of hand at the end.... also like Kallen x Lelouch (Code Geass) but genuinely think Lelouch is Aro Ace and therefore think he's perfect alone... and probably a handful of others I’ve forgotten about or just am not a big enough fan of the series or ship to really name

Though I was hanging out with @ciipher-arts the other day and we just??? Discovered??? An incredibly rare ship??? Sonia x Mina? (Sonic Archie x Underground) I feel like I just had my eyes opened. Omygod the internet is sleeping on this crackship. genius

Anyway u h

dont judge me too hard pls or i will cry

[cicaklah]

I watched good omens 2 and I have a lot of thoughts and feelings and I am going to write them under the cat.

so first up I did not like it, so if you loved it and don't want anything to harsh your vibe then thats fine please don't read it. but.

I didn't like good omens 1 all that much as a book fan. I thought it lost a lot of what made the book good i.e. the sense of humour. It wasn't funny. I did however like all the new parts and I LOVED the new ending. I always thought the ending was the weakest part, and the new ending was much more narratively satisfying. So there's no reason why I shouldn't enjoy GO2.

but GO2 was an incoherent mess that felt like it needed at least another revision round?? episode 6 felt like a payoff to a story that hadn't happened in the previous 5 episodes.

The head angel and the head demon are in love. the coffee shop woman and the vinyl woman aren't in love but maybe are MFEO. These are great threads that at the end should have been tied up into a big bow that is our heroes realising that they are in love, but tragically cannot be together because they want different things and aren't willing to compromise. That's great. Add in a couple of pastiches and you'd be golden! Have our heroes interact more and be all screwball comedy? Have them actually go to Edinburgh together in the car and talk?? Have there actually be 10,000 demons rampaging through London and it be a threat to the world?? Or play up the tension between heaven and hell both wanting an armageddon?? Have Aziraphale be sad about no longer being the official angel in London? Have him yearn for heaven? Have Crowley make the case for Alpha Centuri again? All of these things were there in the plot, but not in any really tight or obvious way?

The only reason I was anticipating the kiss was because I saw the posts about it a month ago when it was leaked. There was no romantic tension between them. But it was possible! We just needed some parallels?? Why weren't Crowley and Aziraphale caught in the rain under an awning, to echo that they were sublimating their relationship onto Nina and Maggie? The whole Jane Austen dance thing felt like it just didn't work and should have been scrapped rather than forced through.

ALSO and this is something that irked me from the very start, Maggie should have had a CD shop, not a Vinyl shop. Nina should have had a cool trendy cafe that also sells vinyl, that paradoxically would be doing very well. Vinyl is popping off. Soho is full of shops selling it. The whole fucking conceit that Maggie's shop is failing because she's selling vinyl makes no sense unless it was written in 2002 not 2022.

I'm just disappointed. This could have been good. Instead it was just meh. And we didn't even get a good kiss out of it? Was this a covid thing? I don't even know.

Either way I'm sure that there will be some baller fics come out of it but argh, what a waste.