#but not as evil. it’s all quite innocent and wholesome

[padfootastic]

Tell us more about sugar daddy James pls 😏

sadie <3

so—this one comes wholesale from a random post i made a while back about sugar daddy james with a huge age gap b/w him and sirius. i’m talking, businessman james who comes into contact with sirius who’s just run away from home and is on the verge of homelessness. it’s about james being nice and kindhearted, offering sirius a meal which somehow turns into a place to stay which somehow turns into the spending a lot of time bonding with each other.

it’s about a little shit sirius who’s deliberately trying to seduce this saint of a man who refuses to look at him twice (spoiler: it’s not because james doesn’t want, it’s because he thinks it’s unethical. sirius is here to put all those worries to rest). just. a lot of back and forth, pushing and pulling, and getting together moments.

at least, that’s how i’d want it done lol

[theemporium]

Smut merry daquri with Luke and number 12?

thank you for requesting!🫶🏽

12. "No underwear?"

.

It was no surprise to anyone that the social responsibilities and duties were Luke’s least favourite part of being a hockey player.

He understood why he had to do it. He understood why management wanted to parade the players around sometimes, why they had to show face. He didn’t mind it all the time, when there were still links to hockey like coaching junior teams or meeting fans. But the fancy galas and events were a whole other story. 

He was shoved into a suit, slapped on the back and passed around a bunch of rich businessmen and businesswomen he did not know and expected to keep them happy. It wasn’t exactly the area he thrived in, not in the way Jack seemed to. 

He wanted to support the cause, he just didn’t like the superficial conversations and awkward small talk with people who thought they knew hockey better than the players on the ice. 

And yet, that wasn’t even Luke’s biggest issue at the annual Devils Charity Gala. 

No, his biggest issue was the fact he was expected to be sane and normal and so completely fine whilst you were parading around in a dress that looked downright sinful on you. 

“Hey, Moose, you good?” 

Luke blinked, turning his head to look away from where you were chatting away to Curtis and Reanne to look at his brother approaching him. “Yeah, why?” 

“Your face is all red,” Jack mused, hiding his smile behind his drink. “You’re not sick, are you?”

Luke narrowed his eyes. “Shut up.” 

Jack’s grin widened. “Maybe we should get the medics over—”

“Go bother Nico or something,” Luke grumbled as he placed his empty glass on the bar behind him, ignoring his brother’s giggling as he made his way over to you. His hands found your waist easily, his body fitting behind you perfectly. “Hey.” 

You turned back to look at him after Curtis and Reanne wandered off, smiling up at the boy. “Hey back,” you mused as you felt his arms tighten around you. “You good?”

“Mhm,” Luke hummed, his fingers skimming over the fabric of your dress. “You look really pretty.” 

“Yeah, you like the dress?” You questioned, smoothing out the lapels of his blazer. 

“Mhm,” he nodded, his cheeks burning red. “You could’ve given me a warning.”

“Where’s the fun in that? I wanted to see your genuine reaction,” you retorted, something quite like mischief shining in your eyes. “I like surprising you.” 

Luke’s lips twitched upwards, his tone lighthearted and joking. “Got any more surprises?” 

Your smirk widened. “Maybe.”

His interest piqued. “Yeah?” 

Your arms wound around his neck, sweet and innocent enough that if anyone looked over at the two of you, it just seemed like a wholesome moment between the couple. A moment to themselves, whispering sweet nothings as you leaned up close enough for your lips to brush against his jaw as you spoke. 

“Yeah,” you whispered. “Like this dress being the only thing I’m wearing.”

Luke blinked, his voice shaky. “What?”

“You heard me.”

He gulped. “No underwear?”

“No underwear,” you confirmed with a nod.

“Fuck,” Luke muttered under his breath, his hands squeezing your waist. “You…shit, babe, you can’t just say that.” 

“No?” Your smile was anything but innocent as you straightened his tie. 

“We still—” Luke could feel his face heating up. “We can’t leave yet. We still have the dinner.”

You mockingly pouted, patting his chest. “Guess you’ll have to wait.” 

Luke pressed his lips together. “You’re evil.” 

“Save the dirty talk for later, babe,” you snorted before pulling away from him. “C’mon, I promised Reanne we would sit next to her and Curtis for the meal.”

“It’s like you want to put me through hell.”

“Maybe.”

.

[vyfee]

From Eden - Hozier .

(analysis)

I did read what Hozier and genius had to say about the track so that also helped me gain a little more perspective.

It depicts the story of the original sin . The narrator is the devil in the form of the serpent .

He sings about idolising someone and wanting to pursue them despite knowing that the relationship will be extremely flawed and despite being aware that the methods he might use to pursue this relationship might not be ethical .

Babe

There's something tragic about you

Something so magic about you

Don't you agree?

Babe

There's something lonesome about you

Something so wholesome about you

Get closer to me

He speaks of her as if she's an otherworldly being . Someone who's personality is brimming with complexity brought about generally by sin but still somehow is pure .

By using the juxtapositions together , he might be creating a link between them as well. Maybe she's magical and wholesome BECAUSE there is something tragic and lonesome about her. He views even her flaws , or at least what people might view as flaws , with affection. Perhaps with more affection than her goodness .

In this, the more straightforward thought would be that he is singing about Eve , who was tempted by the serpent. This is a perfectly good interpretation of the situation, Eve was a pure being but she could also be tempted , which was considered a sin .

But he could also be talking about Lilith. In that sense the juxtapositions would have more links .

Lilith was associated with witchcraft and magic . Being cast aside all because she wanted to be considered equal to Adam , her story is quite the tragedy .

She stood alone against Adam and God himself and was considered evil in popular tropes where she is depicted as a demon who harms children .

In either case,

In spite of recognising that she isn't someone he understands or deserves , he wants to tempt her to get closer to him

No tired sighs, no rolling eyes, no irony

No 'who cares', no vacant stares, no time for me

Maybe he's simply accentuating the fact that she's ethereal. He doesn't get to see her potray these human emotions of tiredness, sarcasm or hypocrisy.

He imagines her as a person who would never tell him that she doesn't care and who he imagines would be by his side and understand him.

But he also notes that he isn't someone precious to her and she has "no time for him ."

Honey, you're familiar like my mirror years ago

Idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on its sword

Innocence died screaming, honey, ask me I should know

I slithered here from Eden just to sit outside your door

He sees who he was years ago in her , Popularly , Satan was Lucifer, a good and pure angel of light , and also god's favourite. Just like Eve.

He personifies idealism , chivalry and innocence . Saying that the world she lives in will inevitably crumble .

Idealism will forever remain in the prison of our mind or in the literary sense , but will never be practiced.

Chivalry , aka honest, moral and good conduct will fall over itself and destroy itself . Chivalry is also men's courteous behaviour towards women , this will deteriorate before her eyes. This could be true for both, Lilith and Eve , Lilith, who would lose faith in men after her equal rights being rejected and Eve, who made one mistake which was tempted but is used as an excuse for misogyny even today. After gaining awareness about the world , perhaps she would realise that she was considered inferior to Adam .

In either case , their innocence would hence shatter.

Maybe in a twisted sense , he wants to see these tragedies happen so that she can be more like him , perhaps then she would notice a being like him or maybe he would find peace in knowing that he's not alone .

Maybe he's simply jealous/unappreciative of her blissful ignorance and wants to open her eyes .

In such a world maybe he believes she would find solace in being with him.

Babe, there's something wretched about this

Something so precious about this

Where to begin?

Babe

There's something broken about this

But I might be hoping about this

Oh what a sin

To the strand a picnic plan for you and me

A rope in hand for your other man to hang from a tree

He admits that nothing about the nature of their potential relationship or his adoration for her is pure (tainted by lust and greed?) . In fact , he enjoys the degeneracy of their relationship or the love he has for her

He is willing to manipulate her and portray his obsession as well intended love

While keeping his underhanded ways out of her sight , like wanting to kill Adam . He might even guise his death as a suicide instead of murder so he doesn't get caught , which is why maybe he wants to hang him , specifically.

Honey, you're familiar like my mirror years ago

Idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on its sword

Innocence died screaming, honey, ask me I should know

I slithered here from Eden just to sit outside your door

Last line , He would leave Eden just to be closer to her , because her presence gives him more bliss than heaven ever could . Moreover he enjoys a grey world rather than the purity of Eden

Honey, you're familiar like my mirror years ago

Idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on its sword

Innocence died screaming, honey, ask me I should know

I slithered here from Eden just to -hide- outside your door

He says he'd hide outside her door instead of sitting there this time , here he reveals his sinful intentions of being a presence , Even if unwanted, in her life . He is desperate for her love and would even infringe upon her life just to be closer to her , stalker-ish behaviour.

One of my takes is also that -

The narrator could be Lilith herself instead of Satan . She could be referring to Eve and watching her tragic fate , similar to her own , as a woman who was made to be subservient to men. One who was forced to accept this system while the other who was kept unaware of it .

Some versions of the original sin do claim that the serpent was Lilith.

However the text itself does not confirm whether it was Lilith or Lucifer . It doesn't link either to the serpent

(P.s. if you guys haven't already, check out the 2019 Afas live performance. It's absolutely heavenly)

[the-expose-on-girls]

Isn't funny (funny strange, not funny haha) how the instant a girl marries and becomes just another cringey, "wholesomely" beige Instagram influencer wannabe, everyone magically forgets about her infamous past as a major hoe? All her sleeping around, bullying, backstabbing, manipulating, heart breaking, gossip starting, man stealing, and home wrecking is forgotten about by the surrounding community.

The metaphor commonly used to describe a good salesman is being able to "sell a cat to a mouse". But I argue that concept is far easier than people have always thought. It's easy to sell death and self harm to people, especially these days. Just look at the addictive substance industry, tanning salons, and even seemingly innocent addictions such as TV platform subscriptions, which suck away your life that could be spent on worthier activities. Or, to reference current events, a tour to the most dangerous depths of the ocean in a regulation-breaking, bargain basement plastic jug. People are constantly yammering like zombies for the next big, dangerous waste of their money.

No, what is a far more difficult persuasion achievement---though not to be admired---is the ability to make everyone forget about their filthy past and treat them ever after as a sweet, innocent, wholesome person. Even more preposterous is that no one even recognizes them as an "evil to good" story of reformation; the minds of the surrounding community are completely wiped of this woman's past misdeeds. POOF! Gone. It's like some sick combination of "retired mean girl" and a Witness-Protection-Program-level forged new identity.

This level of personal rebranding is what celebs with a scandalous past DREAM of and what big-time PR agencies can never quite achieve. They should be taking notes from these hoes-turned-housewife!

[chipen]

Denki was listening attentively to Shinsou’s voice, concerned, as if he were balanced on the edge of his seat awaiting the worst possible news. ❝ dude, you really don’t think i’m dyin’ do you ? we haven’t even finished aizawa-sensei’s homework, if i don’t die from this i’m pretty sure imma die from that.❞ he angled forward so the other’s hand could rest against his forehead, a totally normal temperature; he wasn’t clammy, his skin wasn’t pallid or flushed. There was something about the other’s rapt attention being on him that made his heart race, an erratic, raucous beat thrashing against his ribs, his throat. He almost recoils involuntarily, taking notice of how his chest seizes, how his breath doesn’t feel quite so even anymore. ❝ it’s getting worse … should we call someone ? ❞

HITOSHI  SHINSOU  DIDN'T  CONSIDER  HIMSELF  to  be  a  particularly  good  person.  sure  he  had  a  quirk  that  the  world  expected  him  to  use  for  evil,  and  sure  it  would've  been  easy  as  pie  to  breeze  through  life  with  it.  but  it  was  almost  out  of  sheer  spite  that  he'd  chosen  the  moral  high  road  -  accepting  no  accolades  for  it,  instead  simply  working  hard  -  harder  than  nearly  anyone,  and  what  he  had  to  show  for  it  was  a  new  class  and  the  human  embodiment  of  pikachu  vibrating  into  his  life  like  a  livewire.  it  was  fine.  this  was  fine.  he  could  handle  this.  what  he  could  not  handle  was  denki's  sheer  density  towards  what  he  was  feeling  and  how  it  hurt  shinsou.  it  was  cute  -  he  had  to  admit  -  charming,  wholesome,  utterly  innocent  in  it's  own  way  at  face  value  (  he  was  lying.  he  was  just  playing  with  him,  right?  denki  was  an  exceptional  actor  ).  but  when  his  own  emotions  had  been  all  jumbled  -  fixated  and  down  bad  on  the  other  since  the  joint  training  exercise,  it  was  hard  for  the  future  hero  to  not  let  his  anxieties  get  the  best  of  him.  maybe  denki  really  was  sick?  what  if  it  was  all  a  joke  dreamt  up  by  the  class  at  his  expense?  was  shinsou  really  the  type  of  someone  so  bright  and  effervescent?  someone  so  clearly  heroic?  maybe  denki  was  just  interested  in  his  'bad  boy'  exterior?  he  couldn't  actually  like  him,  right?

yet  he  finds  his  palm  against  kaminari's  forehead,  pressed  beneath  blond  bangs  and  flush  to  his  skin  -  he's  not  feverish,  but  he's  warm,  and  close  like  this  shinsou  can  see  the  flecks  of  gold  in  his  topaz  gaze.  he  swallows  thickly,  before  allowing  himself  the  liberty  of  trailing  those  same  fingertips  to  denki's  cheek,  as  if  testing  the  heat  there  too,  when  all  he  really  wants  to  do  is  savor  the  moment  a  bit  longer.

❝ you  don't  need  to  play  this  game  with  me,  denki. ❞  he  says  then,  very,  very  solemnly,  and  removes  his  hand  with  much  regret.  here,  in  the  dim  light  of  the  dorm  at  1  AM,  shinsou  paints  a  haunting  picture  -  the  bags  under  his  eyes  heavy,  the  darkness  of  his  gaze  macabre  next  to  denki's  light.  but  as  the  other  leans  away,  he  lets  his  own  fingertips  sink  into  his  darkwash  jeans,  making  sure  the  batteries'  gaze  is  fixed  upon  him.  ❝ if  it's  some  kind  of  joke  to  you  -  whatever,  but  don't  pretend  my  feelings  haven't  been  clear. ❞  imperious,  there  is  the  slam  of  his  textbook,  shinsou  rising  to  his  feet  quickly,  towering  above  the  electric  user  with  barely  concealed  hurt.  ❝ m'not  some  exotic  circus  act  for  you  to  play  with,  kaminari.  thought  you  were  better  than  that. ❞   with  haste,  he  begins  shoving  items  away,  ready  to  scurry  off  to  the  sanctuary  of  this  room  and  pretend  this  whole  night  hadn't  resulted  in  something  confusing  as  hell.

[collymore]

The pleasantly anticipated extirpation of Lizzie Bourne of Bournemouth, England!

By Stanley Collymore   “Whoever decided that the date   of the coronation, should also   be the very same as Archie’s   birthday deserves a medal!” publicly   states obnoxious tart Lizzie Bourne   of Bournemouth England; furiously   castigating in her rampant diatribe   a very innocent three year old boy   for literally having ever been born   and, furthermore expressly doing   so actually, on the essential lead   up to his fourth birthday on the 6   May 2023. Moreover, Liz Bourne   further, and evilly espouses that   suitable medals should aptly as   well, be most approvingly given   to those whom she exuberantly   and rather fulsomely, applauds;   but who I rather regard as sick   saddos who rather like herself   irrefutably, most self-evidently   intellectually challenged quite   clearly, monarchical, plebeian   brownnosing morons; literally   quite unaware of any bounds   relevant to their undoubtedly,   quite obnoxious, sycophancy   and whose only and actually   basically useless purpose in   life being the rather toxically   embedded putrid verminous   excrement that they fittingly   undeniably are, is to usually   incessantly please, and too   very disgustingly fawn over   a discernibly quite immoral   and an essentially, criminal   family that the odious likes   of Lizzie Bourne firmly and   aptly obsessionally believe   are not only their very own   but likewise also everyone   else’s so characteristically,   superior betters; firmly too   and inevitably irremovably   in situ, of course, crucially   by the distinct, universally   Divine authority and clear   approval of God Almighty.   Little wonder then that these   so-called medals in Britain   in all truthfulness, have   no meaningful value; and basically     why should they, when effectively,   they’re very essentially, lauded in   this obviously, asinine fashion by   distinctly mindless idiots and too   easy, whoring trollops, like Lizzie   Bourne. I really didn't know what   the actual, realistic complement   of discernibly quite feasible and   effectively applicable machetes   there were within Bournemouth   as I’ve never previously, felt the   basic need to effectively check   out this information before but   totally in very marked contrast   I was absolutely fully aware of   their all imperative magnitude   and crucial importance within   London Lizzie Bourne. And as   well, a most exhaustive check   characteristically very relative   actually, to the current voters'   register in Bournemouth, and   with the relevant information   quite specifically well known,   this vitally rather appropriate   journey naturally undertaken   to Bournemouth ought quite   easily, and appropriately too   deal with your obviously evil,   surely rather offensively vile,   and undeniably horrid racist   exhortations, Lizzie Bourne!   (C) Stanley V. Collymore   13 April 2023.   Author's Remarks: Over population and specifically those who shouldn't be breathing, or allowed to do so, God's wholesome air, is quite undoubtedly the very specifically and so-called western world's major environmental and distinctly societal problems! With some people their entrenched and utterly odious behaviour is such that no humanitarian efforts whatever should ever be contemplated far less so be utilized on or with them! And thus, the only sensible and practical remedy truly relevant in their case is their complete extermination; and brutally frank that equates to calculatedly killing them; murder very unsentimentally carried out! This regardless of who these toxically verminous bastards and bitches are, or ludicrously self-entitledly, actually do think they are. We unconcernedly put down for instance, and distinctly cheerfully so, rogue dogs and rabies infested ones, and this happily so by Britons and their genocidal kin who most categorically get on with the task of doing so. So why then, if you're the least bit honest, shouldn’t distinctively likeminded scum specimens ludicrously masquerading as so-called human beings being treated differently!

[wsancho]

Thanks for the great recommendation!! I was like "ok I see, ok, ok… Oh SHIT they went there!" 😳 I do agree with every point made in the review!

As a kid I sympathized with Cid because he says he's sorry 🥴

It's quite easy for media to manipulate audiences into loving the despicable and hating the righteous, especially if the audience are children. But I see adult gamers quickly comparing Cid to Professor Mengele, as they should, because all the Nazi references are there.

But the game pushes for forgiveness and tolerance:

In Edgar's words, "The Empire's evil. But not all of its citizens are".

Imperial Generals are honorable, but unaware of the true nature of their Emperor.

Cid was so driven and passionate about knowledge that he didn't stop to see the moral tradeoffs he was making.

The ninja assassin is a good guy because… Eerrr he helped us? and he's like, really cool and likes dogs??

Actually the Returners are warriors and murderers that we are siding with and rooting for... Because they are reacting to threat, standing for integrity and overall fighting the good fight. But fighting, even when it's just fighting back, calls for atrocious acts.

As Jocko Willink put it, when you go to war you have to be willing to kill (collateral damage will happen, so a soldier must be able live with himself when accidentally killing innocents) and to die (some of your fellows or maybe yourself, will only make it back home in a coffin). I dare saying that the acceptance of these harsh truths can only be obtained by sacrificing part of one's "humanity": lose some of that compassion, or else you'll lose your mind.

This fanfic shows some of that in an elegant way, which invites reflection 👏🏼

To paraphrase JBP, there's no virtue in doing no wrong when one is not even capable of wrongdoing (physically or morally). But being capable of wrong and still choosing to do right, now that's virtue (also self-mastery). Our heroes are very capable of atrocities, but that capability becomes heroic when properly mastered and channeled.

And that is also the greatest of burdens I can think of: being a kind, caring and truly compassionate individual who must live on having done so much wrong, just in order to create the opportunity to do some right. Moral algebra is not for the faint of heart.

A character like Cid is not only evil, but is probably the most dangerous type of evil: incredibly talented but with a herd mentality, has no discernment and just goes about life in autopilot allowing others to leverage his inability to take ownership.

…And yet reading the fic still made me uncomfortable about all the characters.

I think the game makes good cases for Celes and Leo. Their atonement feels genuine because they risk their lives to actively go against the Empire. The game tries to redeem Cid as well, but having a closer look, it's just too little too late.

As for mah precious bois, they were the ones keeping it together when all the other teammates fell apart, they're the comedic duo, the wholesome pair that can overcome any pain and challenge because both have such huge strong generous beautiful hearts... And this fic has the nerve to show the shadow that is cast by their light 😭

So yeah, it throws me off and even breaks my heart a little bit, but I still feel it's perfectly in character. Fair enough!

Fanfic: Every King Needs His Guard (by Rynling)

I found this story on Archive of Our Own. Approximate read time is probably around two or three minutes (unlike this blog post of mine, which is now probably clocking in around ten minutes of read time because I can't stop having thoughts).

Here's the author's description:

Cid finds his way from his outpost on a solitary island to the kingdom of Figaro, where he offers his services to the king. Edgar is duty-bound to protect the people who come under his care, while Sabin will do anything to protect his brother.

SPOILERS AHEAD

This story has stuck in my brain in a very uncomfortable way, which is an odd way for me to begin since my goal with sharing fanfics is to highlight what I liked about a story. But this one took me a bit to appreciate, I think, because it was much darker than I was expecting.

This story made me ask myself a question I had not given any prior thought to before: Given all his history and his actions that took place before we meet him in the game, does Cid deserve to be redeemed? He is, after all, the primary scientist through whose work and "genius" an entire species was subject to torture, experimentation, and death - to say nothing of the human cost of his work for the Empire.

This question had never really occurred to me because by the time we meet Cid in-game, he's already shown to be remorseful about what his work has enabled. There seems some level of obfuscation - either deliberately through the game's designers, or by the expectation of traditional allyship that the "Cid" character plays in each Final Fantasy title, or perhaps both - that separates Cid from the monstrosity of the Magitek factory and its purpose. To me, the horrors of Magitek science were more associated with Kefka, although in retrospect, that association may have been due more to my own biases - associating the obviously evil factory with the obviously evil man.

After the factory section of the game, Cid isn't really seen again until Celes' introduction into the World of Ruin. That entire sequence frames him very sympathetically; he first functions as Celes' caregiver, then as her adoptive "grandfather", then as her first palliative charge, and finally as the catalyst for her own emotional nadir (or alternatively, as the much more boring guy-who-points-her-to-the-staircase-with-the-escape-raft).

All in all, the framing of Cid throughout the entirety of FF6 paints him as a misguided but lovable father figure, who rescues the Returners and then Celes before quietly and nobly succumbing to the mentor's death required for our hero. A "good guy" death.

But is Cid really a "good guy"? Moreover, should a "good guy" be allowed a chance at redemption if all his prior work arguably led up to the destruction of the world?

"Hey, this is a blog about Sabin! Why are you yammering on and on about Cid???"

Okay, fair point. Although also, shut up; I can do whatever I want.

If Cid's redemption is the question posed, this fanfic provides an answer as seen and carried out by Sabin.

(See? I was going to bring it back around!)

This fanfic is presented mostly from Sabin's viewpoint in third-person. Although he doesn't say a word the entire story, we get tremendous insight into how well he knows his brother Edgar, and how far he'll go to protect him not just physically, but emotionally and - with surprising awareness - politically.

This story stuck in my brain in a very uncomfortable way because Sabin gets his hands dirty in a way we've never seen. By the end of the story, on a surface level, he appears as nothing more than a hit man, a thug, or a goon. I thought it was very out of character for him to simply be the brutal "muscle" for doing dirty work.

But because the story kept bouncing around my brain, I've since realized that it's exactly in character for him. Sabin loves Edgar to the extent that he's willing to be his unofficial, unsanctioned executioner. He wants Edgar to keep his hands clean so that he can be the ruler he needs to be. He understands Edgar's true desires without needing them to be spoken, without needing to make eye contact, without Edgar needing to break a part of his own soul by even acknowledging the darkness he desires. Sabin reads this darkness solely by watching his brother's face, and by knowing Edgar's soul as well as he knows his own.

It may be Sabin's attempt to repay Edgar for the sacrifice he had made for Sabin. Edgar shouldered the burden of the kingdom so that Sabin could have his freedom, and now Sabin will shoulder the burden of retributive justice so that Edgar may have his peace.

I'm not sure whether I'll adopt this version of post-game events into my own personal head-canon; I honestly think I need more time to reflect on it. But I'm very glad I read this piece. It's one of those works that challenged me in a surprising way, and will likely color how I think about the world and characters of FF6 forever.

Rynling has several other pieces that I've also enjoyed tremendously, so I highly encourage everyone to check them out. I can't wait to write up about "The Queens Tears" later.'

You can find Rynling on AO3, as well as a couple of Tumblr accounts:

https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rynling/profile

https://pocketseizure.tumblr.com/

https://rynling.tumblr.com/

[officialaemondtargaryen]

Age Of Consent [part four]

Summary: Dustin’s older sister thinks Eddie Munson could be a bad influence on her younger brother due to their history. Can he change her mind?

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Henderson!Reader

Word Count: 2,514

What you’ll find in this series: big angst, wholesome fluff, sexual content, drug usage, tobacco usage, and a lot of profanity.

A/N: Tags are closed for this one, y'all, I'm sorry. We got a little flashback in this one! I'm sorry but the thought of a little, freshman Eddie just makes me smile. The whole 'first crush' thing gets me every time. Let me know what you guys think! Part 5 is out tomorrow at 12:00 PM EST.

Read Part Three || Read Part Five

"It'll be like he doesn't even exist."

Your brother's words rang through your mind on repeat over the next few days. Truth was, the only thing that you could think about was Eddie fucking Munson.

Sitting in your room by yourself? You're thinking about all of the nights you snuck him in through your window. At work stocking the shelves? You're thinking about when you would spend hours making out in that dimly lit classroom. Watching a movie with your family? Your mind was most definitely replaying the lazy Saturdays spent in Eddie's trailer getting high while The Evil Dead played in the background.

The door to your room was open as you lay on your bed with a book in your hands. You were trying your hardest to keep yourself distracted, but it was a Sunday afternoon, and you were bored out of your mind. To your annoyance, you found yourself reading the same sentence over and over again and threw your book across the room in frustration.

Groaning, you rolled off of the bed and made your way across the room, picking the paper-back up and placing it back on the shelf. Your eyes fluttered down and noticed your freshman yearbook tucked in among the other books; the green and gold lettering along the spine taunted you for a few moments before you fingered it out and carried it back to your bed.

You placed the yearbook in your lap and began thumbing through the pages, searching for the freshman class of 1981. Your index finger glided over dozens of names; Liggins, Martin, Morris. Finally, a dorky, black and white photo caught your eye, smiling up at you from the page. The corners of your lips turned upwards as you smoothed your thumb over his picture.

Eddie's innocent, boyish features- his short hair, reminded you of the day that you had first met. You were both fourteen, almost fifteen- just two acne-ridden teenagers trying to navigate high school. He was already a non-conforming hellion and you were invisible. Somehow, though, Eddie was the only one who was able to see you.

It was April 1981.

The Spring Musical was two weeks away. You had been spending more time than you would like to admit in the costume department, going over each individual detail, and making sure that every little thing was absolute perfection. Being a freshman in high school, and trying to make a name for yourself among the drama kids, you had to make sure to perfect your craft. And since you weren't able to get a part in the actual musical, your craft was costume and set design.

Wasn't your first choice, but you were determined to make the most of it. Which, for you, meant six or so hours after school in a dark classroom, alone, by yourself.

Journey played softly from the small radio sitting on the fold-out table across the room; your dad's tape was on a constant replay. You had your lead protagonist's first outfit sprawled across a desk, a magnifying glass that you had stolen from Mr. Fritz Science class, and a headlamp strapped to your forehead as you looked over the costume carefully; checking each thread, searching for any stains.

"Uh, excuse me?" You heard behind you- the voice making you jump.

"Holy shit!" You gasped, clutching your chest.

The boy laughed; his shaggy head of curly brown hair, not yet quite past his ears, bounced around his face. "I didn't mean to scare you," he replied. "I knocked three times but I guess you didn't hear me."

"I'm working," you replied to the stranger, reaching up to click off your headlamp. "What do you want? What are you even doing here? It's almost 8:00 at night!"

"I'm Eddie," was all he said as he extended a hand out to you, but all you could do was stare at him. This was probably the first conversation you had ever had with a boy that wasn't your little brother. He pulled his hand back with a frown. "I was helping set up equipment for the pep rally tomorrow, for extra credit."

"But what are you doing here, in this room?"

"I've been trying to start this club, for uh- Dungeons and Dragons, it's a game, you probably haven't heard-"

"I know what Dungeons and Dragons is." You replied flatly, a little offended that he assumed you wouldn't.

Eddie's face lit up instantly at your words. "Well, maybe you can join the club! Whenever I can get the approval for it, that is. We need a place to hold the meetings. Someone mentioned that maybe the theater department might let us share this room with the drama club."

You nodded your head in reply and turned back to what you were doing. "You can try asking Mrs. Kemp tomorrow morning, she'll be here."

"Sweet, thanks, uh- you didn't tell me your name."

"Y/N," you answered.

"Nice to meet you, Y/N." Eddie placed an arm over his middle and bowed before turning on his heel and heading back towards the door. He almost tripped over his own feet, causing you to giggle, and turned back around with a goofy smile. "Hope to see you around."

You closed the yearbook, pushing it off of your lap and onto the floor. Tears began to form in your eyes as the memory played in your mind. If only things were still that simple. If only you could go back. Alas, you were not Cher, and you could not turn back time.

"Y/N," you heard from the hallway and looked up to see Dustin standing in your doorway. "Mom said to ask if you can take me to the arcade."

"Can't you ride your bike?" You asked, slightly annoyed.

"It's raining," he whined.

You rolled your eyes so hard it was painful and Dustin knew he had gotten what he wanted. Taking Dustin to the arcade meant that you would have to hang out there while he spent literal hours trying to beat Max's score on Dig-Dug, which he would never be able to do- you even had a bet going with Keith. Usually, you wouldn't bet against your brother, but Maxine Mayfield was a little badass.

"Oh, wait," Dustin said as he followed you out to your car. "I'll be right back, I gotta call E-Lucas!"

"Hurry up, Short-stack!" You called back to him.

Moments later, Dustin came running out of the house, holding his hat to his head. He pulled the door open and threw himself into your passenger seat, his excitement practically seeping through his pores.

"Today's the day," he smiled, bouncing in his seat. "Today is the day that I beat her high score."

"You think so?" You asked, eyes never leaving the road.

"I know so."

"Whatever you say," you taunted. "You want to bet on it?" You glanced over at him to see him nodding his head. "If you don't beat Max's score today you have to do the dishes for a whole month. Starting tomorrow."

"And if I win?" He asked.

"Name your price," you replied.

"There's a concert that I want to go to next Tuesday."

"On a school night?"

"Yep, so if I win, you have to convince mom to let me go and you know she'll only do that if you go with me." He was too smart for his own good.

"Deal," you held out your hand and Dustin shook it firmly. "But only because no one will ever be able to beat Max's score, so I hope you're ready to do the dishes."

The arcade was almost empty. Not that it was surprising. Sundays weren't their busiest days, and that was precisely the reason that Dustin loved going then- he was able to concentrate more. He made a beeline for Dig-Dug and you stopped by the front counter to exchange some dollar bills for quarters, knowing that he would eventually come whining to you, asking for more change.

Your favorite game was pinball. It always had been. It was your dad's favorite, as well. He taught you everything that he knew- though, there really wasn't that much to it; good timing and a few other secret tricks that you would take to your grave. You held the high score and as far as you knew, no one else had even come close.

As you rounded the other games and saw your favorite machine in the back corner, you couldn't help but think of Eddie again. Flashes of the two of you playing that very game; Eddie standing behind you with his arms around your waist, chin on your shoulder as you punched the buttons trying to keep your ball from sinking. You pushed a quarter into the coin slot and pulled back the lever, sending the small, silver ball flying through the shoot. Your fingers tapped mercilessly on the side buttons, doing your best to stay alive, but time and time again your ball sunk- you just couldn't focus.

"You know," a voice came from behind you. It was your time to freeze up; another life lost as your ball dropped right between the two blockers. "I heard the girl that holds the high score is a bit of a legend around here. A real 'Pinball Wizard', you could say."

You couldn't help but smile at his corny reference. He came into view, stepping around the side of the pinball machine and leaning up against its frame. He looked so incredibly good that you couldn't take your eyes off of him, you didn't even care if he noticed the way that your gaze trailed down his neck to his belt buckle. Which he did- the smirk on his perfect lips giving it away.

"What are you doing here, Eddie?"

"I was bored," he shrugged. "Got tired of sitting around."

You caught his eyes and felt your stomach explode into a million butterflies. His eyes were a weakness. They were perfectly brown and when the sun hit them, it reminded you of all the days you spent in the back of his van on the shore of Lover's Lake, watching the reflection of the light on the water's surface. You could drown in them.

Realization hit you that the two of you were just standing there, staring into each other's eyes. You panicked, quickly looking away, and swallowed the rock in your throat.

"I need some fresh air," you muttered and took off towards the back exit of the arcade so that you didn't have to pass by Dustin who was still deep into Dig-Dug and hopefully oblivious to what was happening a few rows of games over.

The early October air was refreshing as you stepped outside and took a deep breath, trying to level your spinning mind. You were once so confident that you were over that fucking boy, but now you weren't so sure. Twice now you had seen him, and both times he had completely unraveled you without so much as batting an eye.

You took a seat at the picnic table, knowing that he wouldn't be far behind you- and you'd be lying if you said that you didn't want him to follow you. Soon enough, after a few minutes, the back door opened and Eddie stepped out, lighting a cigarette the moment his boots hit the concrete. You were envious of the way that he was so effortlessly cool; with his gaudy metal rings, chains, and leather- a cloud of smoke surrounding him as he took slow steps over to where you were seated. Fuck, he was so irritating.

"He's so sure that he's gonna beat that girl's score," Eddie mumbled, his cigarette hanging from his lips as he motioned towards the arcade.

"He won't," you retorted. "We have a bet going that if he loses he has to do dishes for a month, probably could have made it a little worse for him."

"What'd he bet?" Eddie asked, exhaling smoke.

"Some concert that he wants to go to on a school night," you replied. "I think he said it was this Tuesday." Eddie pursed his lips together so as not to laugh and you made a face. "Don't laugh. It's you rubbing off on him, isn't it?"

He held his hands up in defense and you rolled your eyes. A silence fell over the two of you, save for the sound of Eddie taking drags off of his cigarette and the drizzling rain. It wasn't awkward, which was nice, you appreciated that fact. It was just comfortable between the two of you; a familiar feeling that you truly missed.

"D'you know he was my brother when you approached him to be in Hellfire?" You asked softly, mindlessly playing with the sleeves of your sweater.

"How could I?" He asked, fidgeting with one of his rings. "I never had the pleasure of meeting your family because you were ashamed of me." You wanted to roll your eyes and make a comment, but the pain that laced his voice kept you from becoming argumentative. "But no, I didn't know at first. I figured it out though," the smallest smile crept to his lips. "Total nerd, practically a genius, plays D&D, and his last name is Henderson- there was no way he wasn't related to you."

"Trying to flatter me, Munson?" You asked.

"I don't know, is it working?" He countered, fidgeting with his hair.

"Not at all, try harder."

Eddie smiled, his eyes squinting as he studied you; trying desperately to read your mind, figure you out, and decide if this whole charade was pointless or if, by the grace of God, your brother was right. He hated putting himself out there, he was so vulnerable, and it wouldn't take much for you to absolutely destroy him.

"Let me take you out," he offered, taking a step out onto that metaphorical tightrope. You gave him a look. "Come on," he dragged out. "You know deep down in that ice-block that you call a heart that you want to. It'll be good for you, who knows, you might have some fun."

"Funny of you to insinuate that I even have a heart," you toyed, a smile playing on your lips.

"I was being nice."

"I'm not going to go out with you, Munson." You rolled your eyes as you stood up from the table. "Nice try, though."

You saluted him and flung open the door to the arcade. The moment you stepped inside, your eyes immediately saw Dustin playing Donkey Kong instead of Dig-Dug.

"Give up?" You asked feeling accomplished, standing behind him. Your little brother turned and gave you a slick smile and your eyes widened. "You did not."

You rushed over to the Dig-Dug platform, a state of shock washing over you as you saw Dustin's initials at the top of the leaderboard.

"Holy shit, he did it." Glancing over your shoulder, you saw Eddie standing behind you once again.

"Looks like we're going to a concert," you muttered in disbelief.

Tags (closed):

@fangirling-4-ever, @nojamsonmytoast, @munson-burner, @slvdsjjk, @kiszkawagnerwhore, @bitterplacebrokendreamsmaegan, @katxn15, @itswormtrain, @itsallnonsens3, @aashy723, @buginktsworld, @in-this-minute, @peachyxholic, @colbychu, @bilbobag9ins, @cat-mak20, @bumpbeaded, @liv4193, @thisisntmyrightera, @chloepart03, @creativedogs, @simp4fictional, @serrendiipty, @equuleus86, @morganasimp26, @evewithluv, @1980shorrorfillm, @you-makeme-crazier, @icareabouteverythxng, @cyberneticfallout, @eddiemattress, @bethii1, @immybx, @sortafictional, @bbyharlow, @persona-lreference, @michaelfuckinglangdon, @cvmtitss, @1800-fight-me, @brain-of-nekoma, @eddiesgoodgirl, @eddie-swhore, @16bruises

[timetobeaghost]

Evil El

Watching sad edits about how shitty a time Eleven really had in the first few eps of S4 Vol.1, before obviously the nightmare of the later eps... I think they might be setting her up to be evil for a bit. I had already changed my mind from the breakup with Mike being wholesome (as I imagined it before the season) to it being very sad and bitter on her end (because, I mean, it already was, and it's not as if she cares what he has to say, if it isn't that he loves her, which he won't. He can absolutely shove any suggestions of friendship rn), but now I think losing Mike might be part of her really losing it. Also consider how depressed Max was probably a really awful distance bestie, which is reflected in Mike and Will's fight, but I think it was even worse for El.

Speaking of Max, we all remember El yanking her skateboard, because Mike smiled at her for a second and were reminded of it during Max' montage. Together with the Angela escalation of violence, also the early almost innocent attack on Lucas etc. This arc wil lead to a bad place before it gets resolved. I think she might hurt Mike tbh., that's so foreshadowed. "You're scared of me too"

Maybe then she will figure good old One is her best chance at belonging. Or he'll just possess her really easily and instead of killing her obviously choosing to use her. Good chance for the girl with superpowers not swooping in and saving everyone this time, quite the contrary. And this really has to be subverted, after Steve and the gang referenced this usual solution twice.

It wouldn't make sense for the plot of tricking Eleven back into the lab and her choosing to take Papa's hand to just be a wholly good thing, would it?

And then we have a reason why Hopper had to be gone and come back. He'll probably be he only one to get through to her.

[sageinacage]

Hey idk if ur prompts are open, but if they were, would you maybe want to do a Wilbur vs Charlie in who can wreck Tommy better like thing? 👀👀👀

"Friendly" Uno summary: tommy gets a bit too sassy in a game of uno with him, charlie, and wilbur. a/n: i was originally gonna write this in the dsmp but i literally just couldn't figure out how to do it without it being super ooc KSDFSKJ also just pretend charlie came to visit them in the UK LOL warnings: swearing, playful teasing/mocking (they're playing uno its bound to happen BAHAHA /lh) w/c: 1.6k IRL, Platonic

~

“C’mon, give me a green!” Wilbur growled, continuously picking up cards from the middle pile. He and his two friends, Tommy and Charlie, were playing a friendly game of Uno together on the floor of the living room. Well, “friendly.”

“HAH! Aww, poor Wilbyyy, so bad at Unooo…” Tommy cooed, his face painted with the biggest shit-eating grin. Wilbur scoffed, finally putting a green card down. “Tommy, every day you remind me of all my mistakes.” Wilbur jested, smirking at Tommy’s surprised face. “Yeah? Well-”

“Aha, draw four Toms!” Charlie interrupted, Tommy looking down at the middle pile to see a colorful “+4” card right in front of him. After a dramatic groan, the boy drew the cards. “You are horrible to me, Mr. Slimecicle.” Tommy pointed his finger in Charlie’s face, the dirty blonde only shrugged, chuckling at his antics.

Wilbur put down a red card, smiling at Charlie’s huff. “Really, the only color I don’t have?!” He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “Don’t be all grumpy, it’s how the game works, yeah?” Wilbur gave a smug smirk, watching his friend reach for the pile to scout for a red card.

After more banter, the game started to move more smoothly… until they decided to start stacking “+2” and “+4” cards. The pile of them now added up to 14, but they still kept going. “Holy shit, this better not end on me!” Wilbur sighed, placing his final card he could stack. “Me neither.” Charlie agreed, placing his last card that could be stacked.

“This game is against me! I swear to god, this is rigged! You’re both cheating.” Tommy cried, huffing to himself while he started to pick up the 18 cards they all stacked up. “Tohohommy!” Wilbur broke into laughter, leaning his head back as high-pitched giggles left him. “We aren’t cheheating, you juhust suhuck.” Charlie snorted up a laugh, patting Tommy’s back as he whined again.

“You two are both big stupid bullies. You should be thankful I’m even playing a little card game with you.” Tommy huffed, making eye contact with Wilbur. “You’re so sassy today, n’awww- don’t tell me someone’s grumpy over just a ‘little’ card game!” Charlie teased, causing Wilbur to smirk at Tommy. “Yeah, are you up past your bedtime?”

“I hate you both so much. I will fight you both and win- at the same time.” The blonde claimed as he slapped a card down with enough force to accidentally push the card pile down. “Baby rage.” Wilbur scoffed, earning a dramatic gasp from Tommy. “I AM NOT A BABY!” He shouted, Wilbur and Charlie breaking into giggles again.

“That’s something a baby would say!”

“CHARLIE.”

Wilbur covered his face, laughter building up from his chest, Charlie following right in his footsteps. Tommy furrowed his eyebrows, grumbling. “You guys are assholes.” He spoke in a more playful tone, indicating that he wasn’t genuinely upset.

“Yeah, are we, Tommy?” Charlie put down his cards, looking at the boy. “Compared to how you’ve been treating us this evening, I don’t think we’re that bad.” Wilbur raised an eyebrow, also placing his cards down. “B- Bullshit! You guys are twats…?” Tommy cowered a bit at their growing smirks, putting his cards down as well.

“Twats, are we?”

“Wilbur, I don’t like his tone.”

Both men stood up, still with suspicious smiles on their faces, causing Tommy to stand up as well. “I d- don’t trust this.” The boy shuddered, backing up until he hit the couch, falling back onto it. “Don’t worry Charlie, I can take care of this.” Wilbur nodded, towering over Tommy.

“No, I think I can do it, I can definitely do it better.” Charlie stood next to him, an innocent smile plastered on his face. “Yeah? Well do you know all his tickle spots? No? That’s what I thought.”

Oh. Oh. So that is what this was about.

“I’m called the tickle monster around here for a reason, Charlie!” Wilbur kept on going, placing a sassy hand on his hip. “You clearly haven’t met me then, yet!” He quipped back, looking down at Tommy; whose face was bright red and a nervous but excited smile on his face.

“Let’s have Tommy answer then. Who’s better at wrecking you, Toms?” Wilbur smirked down at him, the blonde just covering his face. “D’awww, that’s not an answer! Hmm, how about this. Wilbur, we’ll team up and Tommy will answer that question when we’re finished.”

“Deal.”

“Wh- what? Guys… guhUHUYS-!” Bubbly laughter already took over Tommy as Wilburs fingers kneaded his waist. “What’s up? Wha’tcha need?” Charlie chuckled, walking two fingers up his ribcage. What they weren’t expecting was the loud squeal that left Tommy.

“Looks like I already found a tickle spot, Wilbur!” Charlie exclaimed, gently pinching around his top ribs, causing the boy to let out yet another squeal. “Wow, do you want a medal or something?” Wilbur snarked back sarcastically, glaring at the dirty blonde before massaging his thumb into one of Tommy’s hip bones.

“Wiiihihill! NOHOhoho!” Tommy tried to twist left to right, but that damn feeling on his hip bone just wouldn’t secede. Charlie furrowed his eyebrows, seeing that Wilbur was back in the lead. He reached his other hand around and formed it like a claw, and then vibrated it into the other side of his ribcage as he kept up the prodding on the other side.

“CHAHAHARLIE! QUIHIHIT IT!” Tommy absolutely shrieked, unsure whether to attempt to push his hands away from his ribs, or to cover his face and obvious blush was creeping up on his cheeks. “Gotta admit I’m the better tickle monster first!” Charlie giggled, making little ‘tktktktk’ noises right in Tommy’s ear.

“N’awww, Tommy!~ You have just the sweetest giggles, and I know they’re because of me and not the slimy boy, is that right?” Wilbur teased, moving from his hips to the sides of his belly, scribbling his nails over the area. Hiccupy laughter began to emit from the boy, him kicking his legs into the couch behind Wilbur.

“He’s now all hiccupy! That’s so cute!” Charlie exclaimed, grabbing one of Tommy’s flailing arms. He sniggered to himself as Tommy’s laughter turned more high-pitched at the sudden vulnerability, a wide smile on his face nonetheless. “Uh oh, Tommy… someone’s in trouble now!” Charlie teased as he wiggled his fingers over his exposed underarm, not making contact now.

“DohoHOHON’T! WIHILBUR- *snort* HEHELP!” Tommy’s laughter grew an octave at his own snort, shaking his head as Charlie wouldn’t stop the stupid anticipation. “There’s no way I’m helping you, Toms. I mean- unless you say that I’m better at this.” Wilbur smirked, deciding to try a new spot as he turned around, fluttering his nails under Tommy’s knees.

The giggles it made Tommy produce were different. They were more flustered it seemed, almost like Wilbur just found a certain melt spot. “Tommy, you’ve gone all soft now! Let’s change that, shall we?” Charlie chuckled mischievously, his fingers crashing down and lightly scribbling into his underarms.

Feeling both his death spot and melt spot being tickled at the same time was definitely a different feeling. “NOOOHOHO- *hic* PLEHEHEASE!” His voice began to sound slightly strained, so Charlie retracted his hand in response. “Looks like I found your worst spot, eh?” He smiled, but it was more of a fond smile this time- compared to all his evil ones.

“Hmmm, Charlie. What if we worked together, just once?” Wilbur offered, and Charlie gladly nodded. “What do you need from me, boss?” He smiled playfully before Wilbur went in to whisper something into his ear. ‘What were they planning now? My demise?’ Tommy thought curling up on himself.

In one swift movement, Tommy found himself leaning onto Charlie being held in place with one of Charlie’s arms, and Wilbur looming over him with a grin that did not look friendly. It looked quite evil, in all honesty. “You ready, Toms?” Wilbur cooed, wiggling his fingers at the boy. The blonde whined, looking away from him. “N’aww, don’t want to watch the show, Tommy?” Charlie cooed in his ear. Just their words and actions alone made him want to squirm and laugh, and they haven’t even done the tickling yet.

A moment of silence fell onto them, Tommy still looking away, until a big raspberry was blown right beneath his belly button. The boy arched his back, a shriek ripping out from his throat as he weakly pushed at Wilbur’s head; but the stupid sensations just kept on going.

“YOHOHOU WIHI- *wheeze* WIHIHIN! ENOHOHOUGH!” Tommy managed to get out, his laughter nearly going silent. Wilbur sat up, rubbing Tommy’s tummy to help get rid of the tingles that still lurked around. “Who won? I didn’t catch it.” Charlie’s voice was gentle, but it was obvious there was some smugness there.

“Yeah, who won? You never stated a name, Toms!” The taller boy crossed his arms, smirking down at the boy. Tommy just let out a whine and covered his face, cuddling into Charlie as all the tickling wore him out. They both internally cooed at him, finding his snuggly antics so fond and wholesome, because for god's sake- it’s Tommy! You rarely find the boy getting all soft for anyone.

“Let’s just call it a tie, shall we Charlie?”

“Yeah, for now, that is.”

[pencilofawesomeness]

Meet the Blorbos [Part 2/2]

(The propaganda continues)

KALIM AL-ASIM

The incredibly wealthy heir of a merchant family, Kalim is so wholesome it hurts. He’s based off of the sultan from Aladdin, but he is just as easily Jasmine if you look at the context. Either way, Kalim is an extremely optimistic individual who stubbornly refuses to accept the trauma he probably should have on account of countless attempts on his life due to his status and maintains his sunshine disposition through willpower and a painful amount of obliviousness. He wants everyone to be able to be happy and to live life to the fullest, and he has a endless amount of compassion; unfortunately, despite his belief to the contrary, Kalim lacks quite a bit in the understanding department, often leading to innocent, but not inconsequential, mishaps. Much like a golden retriever puppy, Kalim is a very pure-hearted extrovert who unfortunately does not realize that not everyone is an extrovert. Or a fan of parades.

JAMIL VIPER

Jamil is quite possibly the most stressed individual you will ever meet. This is largely due to the fact that he is in charge of Kalim’s well being, a duty assigned to him from a very young age, and made difficult both by Kalim’s often threatened safety and his tendency to be kinda airheaded. Jamil is based off of Jafar, but being that his one life goal is to have a damn break, and his Type A tendency to do everything on top of being expected to be able to do everything, he is also largely Genie shaped. Jamil is constantly under pressure, both external and internal, and lives in perpetual stress and anxiety. Unfortunately Jamil is allergic to asking for help (though he also has a lot of built in fear that this is a failure, and failure leads to consequences for him and his family) and also to being honest about his feelings, which leads to him bottling up all of his resentment until it explodes. A totally healthy coping mechanism, to be sure. He is very intelligent, both functionally and when it comes to navigating other people. Often times this means schemes, as Jamil is perfectly fine with manipulating people and situations into being calm and favorable. Outside of the ongoing struggle that is his life, Jamil is the type to treasure his alone time or his hobbies, be it breakdancing, cooking, or travel planning. (Somebody get this boy a nap, a hug, and a weighted blanket.)

VIL SCHOENHEIT

Vil is a young man of many talents—acting, modeling, fashion, Being a Queen... For someone based off of the Evil Queen and generally concerned about his image, Vil is not a vain person. He simply believes in hard work, and that being your best self—both outwardly presentable and in decorum—is a natural conclusion of tenacity, an uphill journey that will never end. (Yes, that does sound exhausting; it is.) His tendency to project his own impossible standards onto other people is a bit frustrating, but Vil himself is easily frustrated by people not being their best selves. That said, he is the reasonable sort, and Vil does try really hard to look out for those around him. And, just as Vil wants everyone to be their best self, he would like people to see that of him too—and... to stop being type cast as a villain, even from back when he was a kid. Turns out, that does funny things to your self-esteem. Although Vil has a wonderful grasp on his sense of self and his gender security, so he’s got some good stuff going on.

EPEL FELMIER

Epel is the most feral gremlin in this entire game, and it is a game full of feral gremlins. He is a tiny lad (often mistaken for a girl, even) but he possesses the rage only a farmboy from the middle of nowhere can. Much like the poison apple he is allegedly based off of (he’s one of the looser ones), Epel dreams of a world where he can solve all of his problems through violence, and he would love to be big and buff enough to do that. (Yes, he does have self-image problems, like all good Pomefiore students.) Unfortunately for Epel, he’s in the fancy fashionista dorm (and he lost a fist-fight with Vil) so he has to pull back and be a respectable member of society. Though Epel does learn the merit of speaking softly and carrying brass knuckles. Epel is also a generally active guy, and isn’t one to idle about; he likes being helpful, especially to his friends and to those he respects.

ROOK HUNT

Quite possibly the most insane character in this game, Rook is an Experience. (Both to viewers and to the other characters.) He is both based on the Huntsman from Snow White and a literal hunter, but what kind of “hunter” perpetually remains unclear. He has a habit of stalking people and cataloguing every detail about them, and occasionally says off-the-wall remarks about hypothetical violence, but Rook is far more likely to end his sneak attack with a riveting poem in your honor than a killing blow. (Not that the latter is out of the question for him.) Rook may be just a wee bit completely unhinged, but he means well and he hands out compliments unbarred. He appreciates life in all aspects, and the beauty thereof, and seeks to study and discover everything there is. He is extremely optimistic and is the giver of the best honest-to-goodness positive reinforcement one can receive, even if they are not asking for it. (Especially if they are not asking for it.)

IDIA SHROUD

Idia is the poster child for geeks, weebs, and introverted gamers everywhere. (And for soul-crushing grief and depression. And anxiety.) The game claims he is derived from Hades, but he’s actually Megara; either way, it’s not important. Idia is a full-blown genius who dedicates his talents to gaming, geekdom, avoiding people, and to his robotic little brother, whom he loves very much. Despite being a tall, shark-toothed individual with flaming blue hair, Idia is not the brave sort. He has terrible social anxiety and a habit of going non-verbal when he is stressed. Not to say that he doesn’t have a stubborn streak and a habit of pushing people’s buttons. Due to very unfortunate family circumstances, outside of everyone’s control, Idia’s life is pretty much set for him, and he’s accepted this. If he had his way, he would just hunker down and live life day-to-day and game-to-game. However, his lack of ambition is belied by the fact that he can and will move heaven and earth for his little brother.

ORTHO SHROUD

Ortho is Idia’s little brother in every sense of word, even if he is a fully robotic being. The game is absolutely unclear as to who he represents, but depending on which aspect you look at, he is either Hades or Hercules. (Yes, those are contradictory; yes, it makes sense, I promise, but spoilers.) Regardless, Ortho is the most wholesome bean, and his willingness to deal hilariously lethal levels of laser-based damage does not change this. Ortho constantly wants to learn new things, and he is always willing to help people out in any way that he can, be it patching injuries or being Google. He especially wants to help his older brother, who he thinks the world of, even if Ortho is often frustrated by his antisocial tendencies and negative outlook. (Ortho is often the one nagging Idia into self-care, to mixed success.) He is a ray of sunshine to be protected at all costs—except for the fact that he is literally an entire state-of-the-art arsenal.

MALLEUS DRACONIA

A lot of characters in this game are quite powerful, but as one of the Top Five Mages in-world, Malleus takes the case. He is a dragon-fae and the crown prince of an infamous yet mysterious fairy kingdom called Briar Valley, and—you guessed it—based off of Maleficent. Being a super powerful (magically and politically) and super scary dragon prince, as well as possessing an intense RBF and a penchant to attempt to be jokingly threatening, often means that pretty much everyone is scared of him. Anyway, Malleus is a huge dork and he can talk about gargoyles for hours if given the chance. He is rather introvertive and he values his long walks and alone time, but he also craves companionship and doesn’t want to disappoint people or be a letdown. He is the fae equivalent of a (sheltered) teenager, despite being older than most humans, so he gets the double-whammy of being young and old and thus is bad at social situations and at technology. He doesn’t even know how to send emails. All in all, he is a bit of an air-head, and time management eludes him, but he means well.

LILIA VANROUGE

He may or may not be a reference to that little bat henchmen in Sleeping Beauty, but it doesn’t matter. Lilia is the Dad of the Diasomnia squad—quite literally. Also belonging to the fae, his eternal smol-ness belies that he is actually probably centuries years old. He just most likely missed out on a high school education on account of being a military general and the right-hand to the Queen of Briar Valley. He raised Malleus as a surrogate parent and he also raised Silver from infancy, and as Sebek’s mentor he is parent-shaped yet again. Not that this stops Lilia from being a chaotic gremlin. He loves to joke around, sing heavy-metal, play video games, and jump scare people, enjoying life to the fullest whenever possible.

SILVER [VANROUGE]

A human raised by Lilia in a nation of fae, Silver is a very earnest and straightforward character, often unconcerned by his lack of fitting in. He might be based off of Aurora, or maybe Philip—or if you ask me, he’s Mulan—but regardless, Silver is a pure-hearted hard worker. He loves his father very much, and as a palace guard, he is wholly devoted to Malleus as well. He is most likely narcoleptic, but that does not stop him from diligently training himself to improve in his duties. Sometimes he can be a bit airheaded, whether it be his tendency to follow instructions literally or his assumption that others are as honest and straightforward as he is, but that doesn’t mean that Silver isn’t a capable guard and friend.

SEBEK ZIGVOLT

He’s probably a reference to that crocodile-goon from Sleeping Beauty, considering how many crocodile jokes are made at his expense, but it doesn’t matter. A fellow guardsmen and attendant to Malleus, alongside Silver, he takes his job seriously. Far too seriously. Sebek is rather over dramatic in most everything he does, because he wants nothing more than to (make his prince and mentor proud) ensure the glory and safety of his liege. His dedication to making sure everyone knows how great Malleus is often leads to him being sort of racist against humans, a fact which exasperates literally everyone—and is extra unfortunate because Sebek is half-human himself. (Yes, he has some self-worth issues.) For all of his ability to drive people up the wall, Sebek does everything he does with 120% effort and sincerity (and volume), and even if his tunnel vision makes him miss the obvious, his efforts pay off. Once Sebek figures out how to start to make friends, his intensity reveals a rather pure-hearted enthusiasm.

What is Twisted Wonderland and how would you sell someone on it?

Ohoho. Ohohohoho. Anon. You have activated my trap card >:D

(I'm about to be soooo annoying/unhinged and I'm sorry. I'm not.)

Alright, so:

Twisted Wonderland is a Disney mobile game made in Japan and co-produced by Aniplex. (Yes, that Aniplex.) I'm not here to sell you on the game, so much as the story, but it is a sort of story-book rpg with turned based fights and rhythm games, where you build character units from a gacha pull. As far as gameplay goes, it's very simple, and most of the emphasis lies on the characters and the story. And it's wonderful.

The on-the-box description of this game doesn't do it justice, per se, but that might be because Disney has a little bit of influence on it and they suck at knowing who their target audience is. It is about a high school based on classic Disney villains—but no, not in the way you're thinking, because I once made that mistake too. It is not a villain school. Rather, the world of Twisted Wonderland is its own entity, with characters built as sort of nods or foils to classic Disney characters. The world itself is somewhat built with these films as its past, and history has become so twisted (ha) that modern society views some of these classic villains as the heroes or supporting characters of their stories, and respect them as The Great Seven. (The seven in question being the Queen of Hearts, Scar, Ursula, Jafar, the Evil/Raven Queen, Hades, and Maleficent. None of them are remembered by name, though.)

The game takes place in the modern era, a society with both technology and magic. Specifically, it takes place in a magic high school called Night Raven College, an all-boys dormitory prep school where the only requirement to get in is a magic mirror that peers into your soul and determines whether or not you can a) do magic and b) kin the Great Seven. And, of course, the player character is a regular-ass human who gets isekai'd in and gets stuck with a talking magic cat direbeast named Grim.

Now. That is the general synopsis. I, on the other hand, affectionately call this the Mental Breakdown game.

See, here's the kicker. The magic system is pretty nifty; while it's functions as a standard magic-is-magic sort of soft system, it has ✨consequences✨

Magic has this byproduct called blot. It's this icky stuff that builds up when you a) use too much magic and/or b) are emotionally distressed. But less so in a "I'm panicked right now" sort of way and more so in a "I have chronic depression and/or anxiety" sort of way. And, when a mage is powerful enough, and sad boi enough, and then goes and uses way too much magic and sad boi juice in one sitting, this amazing phenomenon occurs called "overblot"—which is pretty much a super-powered evil form that turns the mage into the darkest form of themselves and then uses magic until they die.

Naturally, this happens in the game. A lot. The formula is pretty much that each "book" of the story, there is an overblot. One for each of the seven dorms, which are based off of the seven villains/the movies they come from. (And "based on" is pretty loose. Yes you can see the similarities, but these are dumb teenage boys with their own hopes and aspirations, and, sometimes, the game completely lies to you about what character they emulate the most. The guy who's Jafar? Well yes but he's actually just a really stressed out Genie stand in. The Hades guy? Whoops that's Meg. Is that a card soldier or the White Rabbit? Doesn't matter, he's got problems.)

The characters are so well written. I could gush about them forever, and they are the driving points of this plot and it means everything to me. They are some of the most traumatized and messed up individuals, but also, they are dumb teenage boys who do dumb teenage boys things. It is all incredibly well balanced and startlingly realistic for a game that amounts to beating the emotional constipation around people. Mostly because it cannot be beat out of them. The blot can, but they have to deal with their emotions with their own two hands, with varying levels of success.

And the shenanigans!!!! Oh, the shenanigans. I call this the Emotional Trauma game but I have once laughed so hard someone heard me through the floor. It's not all doom and gloom for sure. Sometimes you're watching your friend fall apart because his toxic mother instilled debilitating perfectionism and slowly start making enemies of everyone and sometimes you're sending three of the most gremlin students plus one cinnamon roll to infiltrate a gala that a bunch of weather fairies are throwing in the greenhouse because they stole your temperature regulating magestone to be shiny jewelry and you want it to stop snowing inside your dorm room. And sometimes you can have the exact same character who experienced losing his little brother right in front of him gush about a magical girl sledding anime and all of his gacha games. It is the best of both worlds.

And, that's not all! No, no. We get amazing character interactions. Not just pre-determined friend group interactions, but also random interactions. Yana Toboso (the writer/artist) really likes to stick names in a jar sometimes and make them interact and it is the best thing ever. Every single one of these characters I hold in my hands. Every single one of them gets to have their moment to shine. You can emotionally invest in all of them and be rewarded for it.

The game itself is free and pretty easy to get into. There's not really a bad power creep so you can get through it with what you got. Of course the fun part of collecting cards is that there are stories attached to them that you can watch, and those are also sources of joy. (And it's well documented, so you can find things online pretty easily to catch up and see more.)

I just think it's neat. (Read: I accidentally became wholly obsessed with this game and its characters and they are all blorbos to me.)

You should definitely fall into this rabbit hole with me :))) It's so worth it :)))

[jojostylesposts]

Josuke playing video games with fem reader scenarios?

Hello, hello! Thank you for your request and my apologies for the long wait. It came out a little cheesy but I hope you like it💜

.・゜゜・.・゜゜・.・゜゜・.・゜゜・.・゜゜・.・

Video games: Josuke💟☮️

“You still coming to my place after school right? We need to try the new game I just bought!” Josuke asked with a hyper tone. A new game he had been waiting on finally came out and he thought what better way than to try it with you. “Yea!” You assured him along with an excited nod.

You two loved video games and you two met through it and would hang out at his place after school pretty often along with your mutual friends, Okuyasu and Koichi.

“Yo, bro! You wanna hang out with us? We playing video games after school.” Josuke said as he placed his large hand on Okuyasu’s broad shoulder.” “Ah, bro. I gotta take care of Dad today.” He answered with a sad tone. “Well, better for me. I get to have Josuke all evening for myself.” You smiled innocently while locking eyes with Okuyasu just to get him jelous on purpose. It’s not like Josuke and you were dating, the three of you were just very close. A wholesome pure friendship of three... and four whenever Koichi joins back after spending a lifetime with Yukako.

Okuyasu’s face twisted into confusion, nothing new of course. “No way...you two?” He asked with flushing cheeks while along with a smirk. “Ew! No way! You are so dirty minded!” You pushed his shoulder playfully and you two laughed and giggled. But, Josuke’s face was red. “Oi, Josuke. Cats got your tongue?” Okuyasu teased while pulling his squishy soft red cheeks.

After teasing and mocking your friend in a loving way, all day due to his cute reaction, it was finally the end of the school period. Josuke’s house has always been so comfy and inviting to you, not just physical but emotional as well since the atmosphere was always so relaxing and calming.

“That test was pretty hard, wasn’t it?” You sighed while placing your bag down trying to make a random chat. “Well.... if we weren’t playing video games almost everyday and studied....” he started only for you two to share glanced and burst out laughing. Did I mention you two played almost every day after school? Tomoko already sees Koichi, Okuyasu and you as part of the family!

After munchies, you two immediately sat down and started the console. “I bet I’ll beat your ass in this one.” You said choosing your character, equipment and customization. While you mumbled about your character, yo two a minute to look at Josuke. His luscious hair was a little messy, not exactly styled perfectly since it’s been a long tiring school day. His school uniform’s blazer was off revealing his yellow tank and the famous star like birthmark near his shoulder. His eyes were fixated on the new game’s packaging reading the information on the back.

“Hey!” You said throwing a decorative pillow from his sofa to his face completely ruining his hair. You got yelled at. “You did not just ruined my hair.” He said panicking touching his hair, which were now longs strands of hair instead of his pompadour. You had never seen him with his hair not styled or gelled...it was quite the view, you thought. “You better be sorry when I beat your ass.” He said as he took the controller and started the game.

He was very focused on destroying your character. We all know how he is with his hair, so let’s just say he took his annoyance into being the crap out of your character “Give me a break, damn!” You yelled while pushing his shoulder trying to make him unfocus only to get a smirk and a low evil chuckle from him. He puts his heart and soul into video games, he takes it very seriously.

You two played for hours, ignoring any homework you had due for the day after but, like always, it was worth it. You played until late night and he walked you home afterwards. Your friendship was worth everything and you were very thankful to have such gentle soul in your life.

[archived-kin]

you are hopelessly in love with one (1) librarian

note from kin: i’m (kinda) back baby!!!!!

i thought i’d start with something for myself to get back into the ~groove~ so i chose lisa since i love her so much

in this one you’re venti’s accompanist bard buddy and play the flute! whether or not you’re a vision-holder isn’t mentioned but i like to imagine that venti gives you an anemo vision after the two of you bond as fellow musicians (though of course you don’t know it’s him who gave you it, you basically just woke up one night after a performance and found it in your pocket)

fandom: genshin impact

character(s): gn!reader, lisa, kaeya, venti, razor

pairing(s): lisa/reader (+ some wholesome best friend venti content)

warning(s): none!

genre: fluff

“She’s so pretty,” You groan into the table. “I’m going to die.”

“You probably shouldn’t,” Kaeya replies through a mouthful of hash brown. “Your bard friends would be rather sad without their favourite Buoyant Balladeer.”

“What difference is it going to make?” You raise your head and stare at him with soulless eyes. “My life has no meaning anyway.”

“Oh, now you’re just being dramatic.” Kaeya slaps your shoulder so hard that you swear you feel your bones dislocate. “Cheer up.”

You groan, but sit up and take the hash brown he offers you anyway. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” He responds, already shoving another one into his mouth and beginning to chew.

You let out a heavy sigh and begin to nibble miserably on your own hash brown. “Sorry about all this. I probably sound like an idiot.”

“Don’t worry about it,” He reaches over and gives your hair a playful ruffle. “And you don’t sound like an idiot. Lisa’s a very beautiful lady, after all.”

You raise your head in a snap, glaring at your friend through narrow eyes. “Hey, watch it.”

“I’m uninterested, not blind. Calm down.” He flicks you in the head with a chuckle. Raising his eyes to the sky, he gives a content sigh, as if the sun that he appears to be staring directly into isn’t burning his eye. “You know, a sky like this really calls for a nice glass of dandelion wine…”

“You have beyond enough problems to deal with right now without becoming a day drinker as well,” You shoot back. “Don’t you still have a report to file about those Treasure Hoarders over in Windrise?”

“Oh, that’s taken care of,” He says dismissively, taking a sip from his cup of water. “All dealt with.”

“Careful, Mr Kaeya,” comes a familiar honey-sweet voice from somewhere behind you, and you immediately tense. “Lying is a sin.”

“Miss Lisa!” laughs your blue-haired companion as the librarian pulls up a seat at your table, leaning forward and resting her chin on a single gloved hand. It’s an innocent motion by all means, but it still makes your heart skip a beat. “So kind of you to join us. What brings you here?”

“I simply saw two familiar faces while out on a stroll,” She smiles, stealing Kaeya’s mug and taking a sip of his Wolfhook juice. “How have we all been doing?”

“I-I’m doing great,” You quickly reply as her eyes land on you, unable to form a more intelligent response under her clear green-eyed gaze.

Much better now that you’re here, you add silently as she turns her attention to Kaeya, sliding his mug back over to him with such ease that you get the impression she does this a lot.

Kaeya himself either hasn’t noticed Lisa stealing his drink or doesn’t care, since he promptly curls his fingers back around the tankard and takes a long drink without any indication that he’s noticed anything out of the norm.

“Craving some wine, but I suppose I’m fine,” He sighs, tilting his head slightly to the side and swirling the contents of his mug around. “[Name] here says I shouldn’t be drinking during daylight.”

“And [Name] is very right,” Lisa shakes her head, the little rose accessory on the end of her hat tinkling with the motion. You can’t help but silently compare the sound to the ringing of heaven’s bells. Curse your stupidly romantic heart. “You drink more than enough in the evenings.”

“Then what of you?” Kaeya counters, smirking playfully. “I know for a fact that you can drink most of Angel’s Share’s patrons under the table within a single night.”

“Perhaps so, but I spend far less nights in front of the bar than you do.”

You stare determinedly down into the bottom of your water tankard as Lisa and Kaeya continue their little back-and-forth, feeling an odd sensation tugging at the pit of your stomach. What is this? Anger? Jealousy?

Tapping your fingers agitatedly on the tabletop, you kick yourself firmly in the shin. You’re being ridiculous. Kaeya knows just how head-over-heels you are for the Witch of Purple Rose, and even if he is a sneaky little snake who swaps around the chess pieces when he thinks you’re not looking, you know that he’d never do something like… that to you. Besides, you know full well that, even if they’re close friends, they don’t harbour any romantic feelings for each other.

As the songs say, though, jealousy is a green-eyed demon that will listen to irrationality over reason any day, and so you can’t help but glare subtle holes into the side of Kaeya’s head as he continues to converse with the object of your affections as if you’re not even there.

“... I jest, I jest,” He laughs, waving his hand about as Lisa giggles into her glove. “Anyway, as I was saying to our friend here earlier - the weather’s been beautiful recently, hasn’t it?”

You raise your eyebrows at him, a signal that Kaeya clearly sees and pointedly ignores. The both of you know that the weather was far from what you had been conversing about earlier, but you’re glad that Kaeya isn’t giving you away, at the very least.

“Quite,” Lisa agrees, tossing a lock of hair out of her face in a way that knocks all the breath out of your lungs. “Pleasant weather for a stroll around Starsnatch Cliff, wouldn’t you say, [Name]?”

You jolt in your seat and heat up so abruptly that you wouldn’t be surprised if you started smoking. Kaeya sniggers not-so-subtly into his hand as you hurriedly stutter, “U-uh, yeah, totally!”

“Is that an invitation?” Kaeya raises an eyebrow with a coy smirk, and you’ve never wanted to punch him more than you do at this moment. “I’m sure [Name] would be glad to accompany you.”

“Ah, I couldn't impose myself like that,” Lisa shakes her head, and you want to cry because if only you weren’t such a coward you could tell her that she’d never be imposing on you. “Razor could do with some new scenery for his training. I might as well show him the sights.”

“How is training with your protégé going, then?” Kaeya asks. “He seems to have become quite the loyal little wolf since you first took him under your wing.”

“Oh, he’s an absolute darling,” Lisa says breezily. “He still isn’t very verbal, unfortunately, but he’s learning to communicate like a star. And he’s becoming a dab hand at using his Vision more effectively, too.”

“Sounds like you’re a wonderful teacher, then,” Kaeya compliments, then gives you a side-eyed look. “Wouldn’t you agree, [Name]?”

You nod vigorously. “Absolutely!”

“You flatter me,” Lisa sighs, “But a good teacher is nothing without a bright and willing student.”

Kaeya gives you a subtle dig in the side, and you hurriedly go to reply. “H-hey, give yourself some credit. Razor never would have been able to open up so much without you.”

“You’re too kind, darling.” She gives you a brilliant smile, and you very nearly pass out on the spot, but Kaeya helpfully keeps you conscious by stomping hard on your left foot like the little shit he is. You’ll have to get him back for that later - when your heart rate isn’t so rapid that it feels like you might just ascend to Celestia any minute now.

Lisa doesn’t stay for long after that, conversing with Kaeya for another five minutes or so while you stew in your own flustered chagrin and silently continue to freak out over just how… perfect she is. It’s honestly ridiculous. How is she even human? How are you worthy of even being in her presence?

“Well,” Kaeya says as Lisa disappears back down the street, presumably to return to her place in the office. “That went well.”

You glare at him. “You think?”

“You spoke to her, didn’t you?” He counters, grinning cheekily. “That’s a start.”

You open your mouth to give him a grumpy response, then give up and slump forward on the table again. “I hate you.”

“No, you don’t,” He hums, draining the last of his Wolfhook juice and setting the mug down with a sharp thunk. “Anyway, shouldn’t you be preparing for your performance tonight? You should probably go find your partner.”

“Our friend Kaeya is very right,” calls an all-too-familiar figure from atop a nearby roof. “You’re late.”

If it had been any other occasion, you might have jumped, but right now you’re too emotionally exhausted to do anything but let out a long, tired sigh. Ignoring Kaeya’s evil little cackle, you look up and turn to see Venti grinning down at you. “Bard.”

“Accompanist,” He imitates your monotone address, hopping down from the roof and landing softly on the pavement without so much as a click of his shoes. Flicking out his cape, he sets his hands on his hips and offers you his usual cheeky grin. “What’s got you so gloomy?”

“Nothing,” You reply, standing up and dusting off the front of your clothes. “Let’s go.”

Venti doesn’t move. He raises a single, suspiciously perfectly-shaped eyebrow, cocking his head to the side, then looks to Kaeya, who not-so-subtly mouths something at him. You pretend not to notice his obvious hand gestures in the corner of your eye.

“Ah,” Venti says suddenly, his expression taking on a mock-wise air. “Love troubles once again, I presume. Is our dear [Name] still ailed by a paralysing infatuation with one Miss Lisa?”

Kaeya claps enthusiastically, as if he isn’t the one who basically just told Venti the whole story through poorly-done charades. “Correct! I keep telling them to make a move, you know, but they’re too much of a coward.”

You aim a kick at his shin under the table that he dodges easily. “I’m not a coward! I’m just… gauging the territory.”

“You’ve been ‘gauging the territory’ for months now,” Venti whines, holding his fists in front of his chest and giving you the widest-eye look he can muster. “Come on! The eagle that never dives will never catch its prey, after all!”

“Lisa isn’t prey,” You counter. “And I’m not an eagle.”

“Hopeless is what you are,” comments Kaeya, leaning back in his chair and toying absently with a lock of his hair. “Hmmm, why don’t you write her a song? That’s your strong suit, isn’t it?”

“A song?!” You practically combust right there and then - if you’d been a Pyro Vision holder, you have no doubt that you’d have erupted into a column of flame on the spot. “No way!”

“I think that’s a splendid idea!” Venti exclaims, hopping up and down excitedly on the spot, hat threatening to fly off his head all the while. “You write the lyrics and melody, we compose the instrumental part together, and I’ll sing it for you! We’ll be an absolutely unresistable duo!”

“Easy there,” Kaeya teases, holding up a hand. “Our friend here is the one trying to win Lisa’s affections, after all.”

“Then I’ll be sure to try to direct as much of the spotlight to them as possible,” Venti replies, completely unaffected by Kaeya’s attempt to fluster him. You wish you had his coolheadedness sometimes. “C’mon, [Name], what do you say?”

“I said no!” You holler as he jumps energetically up at you like an over-excited puppy. “No way! There’s no way I’m going to just— broadcast my feelings like that!”

“You won’t be,” Kaeya explains, infuriatingly calm in the face of your explosive embarrassment. “Write the song so that only Lisa would be able to understand the true feelings behind it. It shouldn’t be difficult - you’re the master lyricist, after all.”

“Plus you have me to help as well,” Venti chimes in, holding up a single, proud finger. “The Windborne Bard himself - with me by your side, you can’t possibly fail!”

“Look—” You sink back into your seat and hunch forward, burying your face into your hands. A moment later, you raise your head again to see Venti giving you a concerned look. “I appreciate it, I really do, but… I can’t.”

“Of course you can,” Kaeya says unhelpfully, giving you a hearty slap on the back that is also unhelpful in every way. “You’ve performed all over Teyvat - this would be a small feat in comparison.”

“You aren’t helping, Master Kaeya,” Venti says, not-so-subtly elbowing Kaeya in the side. “We need to be cautious here. Like coaxing a young hatchling to fly the nest… we must take baby steps.”

“No baby steps!” You protest, leaning away as he takes a threatening step closer. “No steps at all!”

“Surely writing a subtle confessional song would be much easier than playing an intricate ballad in front of some of the most influential figures of Liyue?” Kaeya doesn’t show any signs of relenting. “Archons above, [Name], it seems that you’ve channelled all of your courage to entirely the wrong places.”

You drop your head into your hands again and glare at him through the cracks between your fingers. “Kaeya, I’d die for you any day, but for the love of the Archons, please shut up.”

He shrugs and obligingly places his finger over his lips, but you can clearly see him hiding a laugh behind it.

Venti hums, leaning over and giving your shoulder a comforting rub as you sigh miserably into your hands. “Hey, relax. I’m not going to drag you out on stage and force you to confess in song, much as I’m tempted to. If you don’t want to do it, we don’t have to.”

You ignore that middle part and choose to focus on Venti’s earnest attempt at consolation. “...thanks.”

“No need to thank me!” He winks playfully and gives your knees a firm pat. “Now come on! Confession or not, we still have a performance to practise for!”

You sigh and smile. “...sure.”

Leaving Kaeya to pay the lunch bill in retaliation for his teasing, you and Venti head off to your usual practice spot in the gardens outside the Cathedral. There’s some debate over who gets to wear the ‘Star of the Show’ Windwheel Aster pin today, but Venti relents quickly and gives you an easy win. You’re pretty sure it’s out of pity for your romantic plight, but you don’t care. The pin looks a lot nicer fastened on the lapel of your coat, anyway - the colour doesn’t match Venti’s cloak at all.

“So what’s the quota for tonight?” Venti asks, giving his lyre an absent-minded strum. “Celestial Destiny on repeat once more, I presume.”

“Shut up,” You groan, flipping open the latches of your instrument case and carefully lifting out your flute. “I’ve just been… lacking inspiration.”

“What you’ve been lacking is emotional fulfilment,” Venti sighs, reaching over and flicking you in the side of the head. “All you do is wander around Mondstadt, practise, and perform. Surely you could compose something flavourful if you had a little more excitement in your life.”

“I have excitement enough just as I am,” You bring your flute to your mouth. “Now shut up and start practising.”

Venti huffs, but begins strumming the opening chords anyway.

The two of you work your way steadily through your usual repertoire for the next hour or so. It goes smoothly as always - you’ve performed these pieces so many times that you could probably play them in your sleep - but you can’t help but feel like something is missing throughout the entire practice. Venti seems to be fully aware of it as well - rather than closing his eyes and swaying along to the music like usual, he just keeps glancing at you when he thinks you aren’t looking, wearing that frown that says ‘I know exactly what’s going on here but I don’t know if I should bring it up’.

Finally, he has enough, abruptly stopping his strumming in the middle of Early Dawn and setting his lyre down on the bench with a huff. “Alright, that’s it!”

You lower your flute and stare at him blankly as he stands and turns to glare at you, hands set firmly on his hips like a scolding parent. “You’re far too dismal! What happened to the Buoyant Balladeer? There’s no breeze in your playing at all!”

“I’m sorry if my heart is too heavy to play as light as the wind,” You retort, setting your flute back in its case. “I’m afraid I’m a little preoccupied.”

Venti looks at you with a furrowed brow as you shut the case with a harsh snap. After a moment, his voice much softer, he asks, “Are you alright?”

You hesitate for a moment. “...yes.”

He raises an eyebrow at you and doesn’t say anything else. After a pause, you groan and concede. “Alright, I’m miserable, so what? Let’s just get on with it.”

“We are most certainly not getting on with it,” He shoots back, turning to face you directly and crossing his arms stubbornly across his chest. “I can’t have my dear [Name] walking around with such a heavy heart. Come on, talk to me. What is it that weighs you down so?”

You stare at him for a long moment. He looks back at you almost unblinkingly, and try as you might to turn away and dismiss him again, there’s something about his wide green eyes that just compels you to tell the truth.

“I’m...afraid.” You say quietly. “It’s such a cliche thing to say, but I’ve really never felt this way before. I don’t… I don’t know how to deal with it.”

Venti smiles reassuringly. “There’s nothing wrong with that. First loves are always scary.”

“I understand that, but…” You bury your face in your hands and groan. “...she’s just so perfect and I’m just so me and it just feels like it’d never work out.”

“Hey, I don’t like that tone!” He scolds lightly, reaching out and flicking you in the cheek. “No talking bad about yourself. Besides, who says it’d never work out? As far as we know, your feelings are mutual.”

“I seriously doubt that,” You sigh, raising your head once again.

Venti raises an eyebrow. “Have you ever asked?”

You’re quiet for another few moments. “...no…”

“Then how do you know what her answer will be?” He asks. “Why assume that it’ll be no?”

You open your mouth to respond, but something suddenly compels you to look over to the town square. Venti goes quiet beside you as you see Lisa, standing beneath the Anemo Archon statue with Razor beside her. She seems to be explaining something to him.

Razor seems to feel your gaze almost as soon as it lands on him and his mentor. His hair bristles, and he abruptly whips around to look at you, but as soon as he sees you, he seems to relax. He lifts a gloved hand to send you a brief wave; you hesitantly return it.

He turns around and tugs on Lisa’s sleeve; she pauses and turns around to follow his pointing finger. You hold your breath as your eyes meet hers.

She raises her hand, and there’s no mistaking it - she’s smiling. An eternity seems to pass within those few seconds of eye contact, and for once your heart isn’t beating in your throat, your breaths aren’t becoming shallow and uneven, you aren’t heating up and boiling over. Instead, you feel a kind of pleasant warmth well up inside you, and you can’t help but beam and wave back.

Lisa looks at you for another moment, smiles once more, then turns around and begins walking away, gently tapping Razor’s shoulder as she goes. He glances back between you and his teacher, then turns around and follows behind her.

A long silence stretches between you and Venti.

You take a deep breath and turn to look at him, and he immediately grins. Somehow, you get the feeling that he knows what you're going to say.

“I need you to help me write a love song.”

[betterreads99]

I could probably go all day and night talking about this book...

As an avid reader, I haven’t encountered as good a book as this one in quite a while. I have often called it Neo-Gone Girl and no one can tell me that Rosamund Pike wouldn’t be the perfect actress to play Verity. 

Now, we all know Colleen knows what she’s doing. We can usually count on her to tell a compelling story involving characters with gut-wrenching backstories and incredible trauma. Another thing we have come to expect of Colleen’s novels is a wholesome ending (note that I didn’t use the term “happy ending” but more on that below). 

Verity is quite a detour from Colleen Hoover’s other books, yet she did not disappoint. I think that taking a chance on this indie novel that differs greatly from her previously quite successful stories was a great idea and I'm sure she would agree. 

Note that if you are thinking of reading this book, please check the trigger warnings first. 

Warning: Spoilers Ahead ‼️

The idea of the “villain” is a recurrent theme in Verity, if not the most poignant concept of the novel. As you dive into Lowen’s “adventure” at the Crawford house, her budding romance with Jeremy and reading Verity’s manuscript, you are certain that Verity is indeed the villain of this story. I mean, she hated one of her children, killed the other and is currently faking being completely indisposed due to an accident. Through Lowen’s eyes, we learn how truly vile Verity was and surely still is from the looks of how unhappy she was when she witnessed this new woman cozying up to her husband. The same husband that planned her attempted murder, might I add. 

Analyzing all of the scenes in Verity would probably take countless posts but we can all agree that Verity is not a normal, sane, kind woman. She is the bad guy. Right?

Anyone I have spoken to about this book says that they do not believe Verity’s final letter, the one Lowen finds much after her and Jeremy kill Verity. If she even had half a mind to write such terrible things in her manuscript, then there is no way that that letter was sincere. But we’ll never know. Colleen knowingly wrote this book without a definite ending, reflecting the way Lowen will carry this burden with her for the rest of her life. Will she tell Jeremy about that letter? Does she regret ruining it? Could the letter have actually contained the truth? Will Lowen and Jeremy tell their child that they are murderers? 

Which they are. Lowen and Jeremy killed Crew’s mother out of pure rage. Did she deserve it, even if the manuscript did represent her true feelings? And, if we're keeping score, Jeremy already previously attempted to get rid of Verity, resulting in her “incapacitation”. That gives him a point or two. 

What I’m trying to get at by all this is that this book was written in a way that you are sure you know who the villain is and you would not doubt that because how could the main character - the character whose point of view we are reading from - be the villain? Let's remember that Lowen didn’t care much for her mother, emulated the very definition of anti-social and didn’t blink an eye when an innocent bystander got run over right in front of her on the street. The most noteworthy outcome of that incident was that she met a hot guy that cleaned the blood off of her in a café washroom. 

Now, I’m not saying that Verity is the hero here, but Lowen and Jeremy are definitely not innocent. Maybe this has to do with the fact that none of us are the villains in our own stories; we are the innocent Lowen’s while our enemies are the evil Verity’s. Either way, Colleen wants us to mull this story over in our heads until we can’t anymore which is what we shall do. 

Finally, would you say that Verity (the book) has a happy ending? This is quite different from the ending of, say, Ugly Love. Should Lowen and Jeremy go on living happily ever after with Crew and their upcoming newborn baby? I think this will haunt them for a long time and the ghost of Verity will loom over them for the rest of their lives. 

As you can tell, I can talk about this book forever so I'll stop here but don't be shocked if I post a random rant here and there. 

Rating for Verity by Colleen Hoover: ⭐️ 6/5 ⭐️

[theggning]

I'd love to hear some of your thoughts on Curie, if you have any.

Sure thing! Apologies in advance if I get any of this wrong, I don't personally hang out much with Curie so I had to do a bit of brushing up on her.

Curie's key role in the meta is another facet of the theme of "what makes a person a person." She single-handedly displays the differences between robots and synths and through her we get a lot of what we know about the nature of synths and how it feels for her to become one.

But before Curie becomes a synth, she's another example of a rather unique robot. She starts off quite sophisticated and unusually intelligent-- though unlike Codsworth, her unique personality and knowledge were programmed into her, not developed over time. The Vault 81 scientists loaded into her all of the great academic works they had on hand (she lists Kant, Einstein, Born, Darwin, Curie, Faraday, Turing, and Braun) along with her initial capabilities as a medic and a doctor. Also unlike Codsworth, she hasn't become accustomed to the wasteland, nor traumatized by it-- nor does she even have the capability. Curie has spent the past 210 years trapped in the secret section of Vault 81, and since the deaths of the scientists, she has been completely isolated from human contact. Thus, she is incredibly booksmart, while being... quite unprepared for the horrors that greet her in the wasteland outside.

My favorite description I've ever seen of Curie is "a doctor coming to the slow, horrified realization that nobody washes their hands." She has a picture of the world in her mind that's dictated by science, math, logic, reason, and ethics-- and as a still, quite basic robot, she's baffled when reality doesn't match up to this. Just like Sole, she emerges in a world that resembles what she knows and yet is completely strange and oftentimes very hostile-- she's just doing this with the capabilities of a robot reconciling observations against what was literally programmed into her.

I think there's a fandom tendency to infantilize Curie to some degree, or to play up her naivety to the point of farce. But Curie isn't clueless, or stupid. In addition to her scientific knowledge, she has a very firm set of morals and ethics and will speak up or push back if she feels the Sole Survivor is behaving poorly. She is one of the "good" companions who approves of kind acts, and she is a pacifist, if she can help it. She's philanthropic, but also more scientifically-minded than the other "good" companions-- notably, her approvals all lean in favor of helping scientists and supporting the advancement of knowledge. She supports the Minutemen and the Railroad-- but also the Brotherhood of Steel, since their knowledge and preservation of technology strike her as more important than their feelings on synths. She is pro-synth and disapproves of the enslavement or mistreatment of synths, but when the Institute is destroyed, she chiefly expresses sorrow for how much knowledge was lost. She disapproves of Dr. Chambers' cruelty, but dislikes it if you kill her-- cutting short any contributions to science she could have made. Curie is kind, but she's also ambitious, logical, and values "big picture" scientific advancement.

Really, if there was any companion besides X6-88 who could fit an Institute mindset, it's Curie. She has more compassion for people than anyone in the Institute does, but it's interesting to compare her logical, pragmatic beliefs to the faction that has taken them and twisted them to evil purposes. (Am I saying that Curie would make a terrifying villain if she were to slip too far down that road of logic and pragmatism? Maybe I am...)

This pragmatism extends to her desires to become a synth. Curie comes up with the idea mainly because she feels her scientific ambitions cannot be reached unless she feels inspiration, which she's not capable of as a robot. She insists that her new body will allow her to do good for humanity, and to her, this justifies any ethical problems around transferring her into the braindead G5-19 (Curie doesn't understand Glory's hesitation to let her friend's body be used in this way-- because as a robot, she's literally incapable of empathizing with her.) It's only after Curie opens her eyes in her new body that we understand what a stark difference it is, and how many new and frightening things she's feeling for the first time-- emotions, wayward thoughts, urges to breathe and eat and sleep-- hell, fear is a new concept for her. Her robotic brain worked in numbers and data and programming, and all of a sudden she's capable of all these other things that could never be replicated by data. Curie's transition clearly illustrates the difference between a robotic brain and a synth brain- a human brain, for all intents and purposes.

(I've always thought it takes a special kind of dingus to travel with and befriend and even romance Curie and yet still proclaim that synths are "just machines." You'll see PLENTY of them, but boy oh boy, that's quite a load of cognitive dissonance going on there. Or creep, depending on the argument.)

Which leads me to one of the hot-button topics when it comes to Curie: the romance. While Curie's romance does fall under the umbrella of the "Born Sexy Yesterday" trope, I think this aspect of it is a bit overblown. Like I said, there's a real tendency in fandom to infantilize Curie, or make her seem more clueless pwecious uwu cinnamon roll than she really is. But the difference between Curie and most of your standard issue Born Sexy Yesterday waifs is that Curie isn't helpless, nor childlike, nor incapable of standing up for herself. She's both extremely intelligent and fully confident in her morals and beliefs. She asks for the Sole Survivor's support with her emotional transition because she already trusts them as her friend, not because she has no one else or can't handle it on her own. From early on in her affinity convos, Curie expresses attraction to the Sole Survivor, and approaches learning about these new feelings with the same enthusiasm and curiosity that she does everything else. It's her attraction, not begun by the Sole Survivor manipulating her or tricking her into it. I feel like a lot of surface-level descriptions of the romance disregard Curie's agency, as though she's a bubble-headed innocent who's completely vulnerable and clueless about the mere prospects of attraction, romance, or sex.

Now, that said... did Curie have to transfer into the body of a conventionally attractive woman for her plot to work? No. Does her romance scratch the itch for people who like Born Sexy Yesterday? Yeah, probably. Is she designed to be Prime Waifu Material*? Undoubtedly. Is it my cup of tea? Nah. But different strokes for different folks**. I don't think Curie's romance is inherently bad or anyone should feel bad for enjoying it, or her as a character. She's extremely intelligent, cute, and wholesome, and if that's your type, then embrace her!

* Like oh my god, this is video games, Curie's entire character and romance could have been done so much worse.

** And seriously, I'm not about to judge someone for falling in love with the cute waifu-bait romance when I'm over here lusting over Strong Flawed Sad Tragic Himbo Whom I Can Save With My Love.

It ain't like they didn't cater to my tastes, too.

[spongki]

Looking back, My Own Private Idaho (1991) really was the gateway film that got me into more "esoteric" queer classics like Nowhere (1997) by Gregg Araki, Party Monster (2003) by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, and even much older flicks like My Beautiful Laundrette (1987) by Stephen Frears or Pink Flamingos (1972) by John Waters. Rather than saying queerness no longer remains as subtext (because it unfortunately still does), I'd prefer to say I grew up in a generation where queerness does a better job of mimicking heteronormativity in film that even "queer" films feel... straight? Not to say that the four films mentioned above didn't have queer characters because they obviously do. The key difference is that they just so happen to exist and be queer. 

You can say that the '90s and 2000s were more liberal than their predecessors, but a lot of the queerness in media were still covert and "coded". We've come so far in pushing limits and breaking barriers to what we can show to the larger public (and I cannot not acknowledge that) yet somehow, I've observed that queer cinema is becoming less and less "transgressive". Is it because we’ve come very far as a society in accepting queer people? No, not quite so.

I'm definitely not the pioneer of this sentiment, but there's no harm in reinstating that it seems filmmakers have begun to forget that there's more to queer people than their queerness. Sometimes I'll watch a film and think, "This is a gay film made for gay people," and sometimes I'll think, "Oh. This is a gay film made for straight people." Nowadays there's a burden that queer people have to carry—it's that they're expected to be the spokesperson or representative of their entire group. More than that, they also have to be a role model. It has to be good representation. Emphasis on good, because god forbid gay people on media be portrayed as someone remotely evil, more like morally grey. It makes me wonder, has a "good" portrayal ever swayed the minds of the intolerant public? Does it have to take either a tooth-achingly innocent portrayal of a gay couple or a heart-wrenching story of a gay person chastised by others to respect us? Is this why filmmakers continue to churn “palatable” in order to pander to the cisheterosexual public? Not to mention films that attempt to do whatever is otherwise receive criticisms from both ends, from the cishetero general audience and the rather vocal minority of the queer community.

Just like very much, real queer people, I don't think that every LGBTQ+ film has to step on a soapbox (or at least think they do) and have the story be an attempt to "explain" ourselves to others. I have nothing against the extremely saccharine picture they're trying to paint us, but "sweet" doesn't equal "wholesome". Love doesn't have to aspire for respectability. I find that our existence being portrayed and/or expressed in a multitude of ways be it punk, gross-out, or irreverent, are more subversive than modern media that ironically talk a lot but say nothing at all.

Films can speak to us without needing to spell out everything for us—that's the magic in them. Perhaps this is also why we find that most queer people gravitate towards films that aren't necessarily about them because they tend to speak for them instead of speaking to them.

When we can have films of with queer people without being questioned of their existence or purpose, maybe then queer people in real life can also just be.