#but people getting upset when you flat out them you want them to die is not about respectability politics.

[labyrynth]

it’s always “harassment is bad” and “wishing violence/death upon people is terrible” until it’s someone y’all don’t like or think is Bad. then it’s “they deserve it” and “they can’t take a joke”

[ghoulfuckersincorporated]

Pls More general sfw headcanons of cooper and reader? Ghoul or pre war whichever you prefer honestly.

General SFW Prewar!Cooper Howard Headcanons 2

(I'll do some Ghoul SFW in a follow-up; this got away from me a little.)

Clearly he enjoys film and theatre, but he has a fairly secret soft spot for musicals. Pretty much any musical will pique his interest, and you'll spend a fair few date nights out seeing shows. You find it very endearing that he wants to share his interests with you. He's got an especially soft spot for some of the older, cheesier musicals though; hope you're ready to see "Brigadoon" like a half dozen times! He's got that one on tape.

"Old Yeller" is banned media in the Howard household (as are most things about dogs who die), as well as books like "The Velveteen Rabbit", which he read to Janey when she was four and never truly recovered from. Coop cries like a baby every time and gets so embarrassed. You once asked Janey if she'd ever seen it, and she tells you, rather conspiratorially, that she once watched it at a friend's house.

The old man actually cries quite easily when he's moved by something. He'll try to hide it away, but every once in a while he fully loses it (tbh it's the 'child death' type stuff that really upsets him; to this day, he's still a little mad at Barb for showing him "Bridge to Terabithia" on family movie night and thinking he would like it). You think it's the sweetest thing and you always reassure him that it's nothing to be ashamed of.

I imagine that, like a good, engaged father, he takes a particular interest in Janey's likes and hobbies; if you ask him what she likes, he can give you an entire list of things you can engage with her on, every single one of them accurate and up-to-date. If Janey really likes a book series, he'll read it (or maybe listen to it if he's short on time). If she really likes a band, y'all have fun at the concert! Every group comes through LA so you may be going to several concerts a year eventually. He even knows who her favorite member is! He only falls in love with you more when you do the same with her.

He's a true romantic at heart; despite being really torn up about the divorce and thinking he'll never fall in love again, he does, and hard. It's not long before he (unbelievably, to him especially) finds himself wanting to propose. He waits a while, though, wanting to feel out the dynamic between you and Janey, worrying about how Barb will feel when she ultimately finds out. He doesn't want to be married to her anymore, but he still cares for her, and he doesn't want to hurt her.

I'd like to think that he and Barb had a pretty nice, large wedding (as I've said before, likely at an older age than many of their peers, even if, canonically, it seems they were already dating during Cooper's military service; they both strike me as the type to want to wait until they were better established to actually marry). Not anything too crazy, but since Cooper's career was really starting to take off, she did want to use the wedding as an opportunity to rub elbows, so there were quite a few people in attendance that he flat-out didn't know. It didn't bother him much at the time; Barb always loved an opportunity to network and Coop could never deny her anything. But, given a chance to do it over, I think he'd do things differently.

With you, he'd wanna go to the courthouse. He'd be happy to have a nice, private ceremony eventually, maybe a little vow renewal for your one-year down on the beach in Mexico or something. But when you get legally married it'll be at the courthouse, just the two of you and Janey. You wouldn't have it any other way.

You try your best to keep it under wraps, but, well...marriage licenses are a matter of public record, and there are people whose whole job is to unearth things like that. The fallout (ha) from it may be stronger than you anticipated, but, at the end of the day, you have one another, and you're happy with that.

[semipreciousgemstonejade]

Voyage of the Outcast

Xavier

TAGLINE:

This time, we're finally standing on the same side.

My Ramblings -

Part One

Xavier seems like he's more open to questions, but he's still pretty evasive. Quite frankly, can we blame him?

The secrets he holds about MC are so enormous, how would you react to hearing them?

Hearing you are capable of reincarnation.

Hearing what his family discovered about you and the plans they had in store for you to keep Philos alive.

And then the guilt after hearing of what Xavier sacrificed, that he defied his birthright and his duties as Crown Prince, his father, his kingdom, his people and left everything behind...

To save you.

To save his people.

To save his home.

All because it was the right thing to do.

He did not agree with sacrificing Philos' people or the one that he loves. He is more noble than the crown he was born to protect.

A true king.

Though these are all choices he made, he still did it all and did not look back. How would you react to hearing all that? Honestly.

That's not something you reveal over a coffee or blurt out to someone.

Where would you even begin?

MC is already suspicious of some of his behaviour because he's so guarded. Would she believe him? Would you?

Would she trust his feelings? Would she believe she's not just anyone to him?

Because to him...

She's the classmate that pretended to stare at the clock to sneak a glance at him only to be caught red-handed.

"Perhaps I caught him red-handed as he stared at me. That's what I tell myself, in any case." - MC, When Shooting Stars Fall - Anecdote III

The one that tried to resonate with his dreams to get to know him better.

The one that could see when he was upset just from quietly observing him when she barely knew him.

The one that rescued him from his suffocating royal bodyguards.

The one he would poke in the back to share one of his earbuds with.

The one that passed notes to him in their botany lecture to say she forget her umbrella.

The one he stuck around to help clean up in detention when said notes were intercepted by the teacher... and to give her an umbrella.

The one who wanted to stand with him at the centre of Skymirror Salt Flat to observe a once-in-a-century meteor shower event mentioned during their astronomy lecture.

The one that made him the star tassel for his wooden sword that he practiced with everyday.

The one he asked permission to hug under the stars.

The one he could not help but fall in love with.

The one he ran to, hurt, red light glowing around his neck whilst trying to save her with a protocore that she asked him to return.

The one he held in his arms until her very last breath.

The one he promised to always be by her side and to always wait for her. That he will see her in her next life. That he will always find her wherever she is.

So far, he has kept those promises...

She is also his junior.

The Moonchaser Prefect who defends him, covers for him when he sneaks onto expeditions and always has his back.

The one he wanted share the newborn planet abundant with flowers that he named, Uluru, with.

The one who unknowingly gets jealous of herself because of the tassel on his sword.

The one who gives him another handmade star tassel so that he'd look at it longingly whilst thinking of her.

The one who pricked her finger putting on his brooch for him.

The only one capable of besting him in a sword fight to become a Grandis Knight.

His Grandis Knight.

His Queen.

His future.

The one who kept the kingdom going for 200 years under her leadership. A thankless task she was never asked to do.

The one he found when she was lost between light and darkness...

Shooting Stars Myth

Embraced in darkness,

Time and space dissolved into nothingness.

Whether I opened my eyes or not, it mattered not.

The between life and death blurred.

Did I… die?

Death was so quiet, weightless.

I’m… a feather floating in the starry sea.

I didn’t need to be afraid of dying.

Still my only regret was…

I wasn’t able to see Xavier one more time.

“It’s you isn’t it?” - Xavier

That voice… it sounds familiar.

“Answer me! Where are you?!” - Xavier

Before I could sink into my dreams, a blinding white stung my eyes. A… beam of light. It was like watching the universe be created. Light split the darkness and swirled. From light everlasting the world unfolded. I opened my eyes, unsure if this was still an illusion…

“Don’t fall asleep. Please, wake up!” - Xavier

In a fathomlessly bright world, I saw Xavier’s face again.

“You can’t fall asleep. Let’s go home. Together.” - Xavier

Did MC have a vision from the past...?

And in the current timeline, she is the one who stands beside him in the face of danger.

Her best mission partner.

She is prepared to use the Aether Core's power to protect him, despite the risk of being devoured by the Protofield.

The one she entrusts her life to, whether or not she knows deep down that he would do the same for her.

"I need you." - Xavier

The one that trusts his judgement...

"Trust me." - Xavier

... and uses her Evol to resonate with him...

"Your power will keep me safe." - Xavier

... so that he can use his Evol as fuel for his spaceship.

"All right. Let all your power flow through me. I'll keep you safe, I promise!" - MC

And he trusts her, too.

"I know." - Xavier, Voyage of the Outcast

Every version her wanted the same thing. Xavier. Just Xavier.

The fact MC is even hesitant to ask more probing questions despite Xavier encouraging her to do so means, to me at least, that deep down she's not sure she's ready to hear the full truth.

"But there are some truths you have to see and decide for yourself." - Xavier, Voyage of the Outcast

[callahanisms]

your desire

got inspired, so here's something for steven grant. because i love awkward autistic oscar isaac.

pairing: steven grant x gender neutral! reader

for vibes: "venus" by bananarama

you were in london for a phd program. you wanted to pursue a doctorate in art history and work with repatriation. after all, every place deserved their stuff back.

especially from the british museum.

you lived in a simple flat across from the sweetest man you've ever met: steven grant.

now, aside from how tired he was and the sometimes weird things you'd wake up to coming from his apartment, he was a good neighbor.

at one point, he even helped you unlocked your door after you had left your keys in the apartment. you rushed to get out of the apartment as fast as possible and came back near 1am without your keys.

"i didn't even know i could do that." is what he said when he successfully gets your door open. you were sure he was joking. he was being genuine.

the dating scene in london wasn't...well, the state of dating was bad in general. especially considering that half of the world literally disappeared and then came back, including your own brother. your father died thinking he was dead permanently, leaving you with a soft spot and a desire to pursue a fulfilling relationship.

why wait if you might die tomorrow? there was always another world ending event around the corner.

perhaps developing a crush on your attractive neighbor was not the way to go.

none of the people you went out with had steven's smile. had his curls. had his smile. had his nose. had his little information dumps that you adored.

but from the interactions you guys had, it seemed the destiny might be platonic. which hurt your soft, romantic heart.

you were about to retire for the night since you had class the next day. that's when you heard mumbling outside your door. peeking through the peephole, you can see the man looked downtrodden. he was holding some flowers and a box of chocolates.

you opening the door surprises him. he nearly jumps out of his skin. "(y/n)!"

"hey." you lean against the doorway and cross your arms over your chest. you were wearing some comfortable lounging clothes: a tank top and some fuzzy pants with hello kitty designs. "everything okay?"

"huh? yeah. i mean..." he purses his lips and sighs. "got stood up on a date." again.

you understood all too well. you lost count of how many dates you went on and they just didn't show up. not even a text to tell you they weren't coming, or to ask for a rain check. wasting your time. and being general dicks.

the state of dating was not it.

"i'm sorry. i'm sure there was a reason." perhaps there was. perhaps there wasn't. there was no point in thinking about it.

"yeah. well, good night!" even when upset, there was still a pep in his voice.

watching him pull out his keys made you feel...sad. you didn't want him to spend time alone.

"how about you come in for a cup of tea? that way you don't have to eat the chocolates alone."

steven turns around. there's a sparkle in his eyes when he looks at you, making you melt.

"i'd like that. a lot."

you move aside to let him in and close the door behind you. he removes his shoes, setting them on the side and you take his jacket to hang it up.

steven sits at one of the seats at the kitchen island, watching you pull out your kettle and fill it with water, before placing it on a burner. you adjusted the flame to a medium.

"you want some cake? i have some left. it's lavender lemon." you ask, pulling out two mugs. you love the way his face perks up. one of them was a mug from the gift shop with an egyptology theme.

"i think i'll be fine. but it's kind of you to offer."

"okay. what about tea?"

"do you have chamomile? kind of...basic but..." he would like a sleep aid.

you don't say anything. you just smile at him and grab the box from your cabinet. you place a bag in each much, discarding the proper trash. "so...you wanna talk about it?"

steven spends the next few minutes talking about his feelings. it felt good for him to unload and vent just a little bit. he held no ill will towards his date. just some frustration about how his romantic life has hit a brick wall. something was always getting in the way of him pursuing a relationship. something was always happening. he was always screwing up. perhaps he was the problem.

in the middle, your kettle was screeching. so you turned off the burner and poured it into the mugs, letting the tea steep.

you can't help but relate. with all the people who stood you up, you wonder if you are the problem. were you that unlovable, that undatable, that people can't even tell you they weren't coming?

steven stops talking when he notices the way you're looking at him: with intensity. you look like you want to tell him something. "what is it?"

"what? you can keep going."

"you want to say something. your lip is twitching." he gestures. he takes a sip of his tea.

"well...i don't know if..."

"go on. you can say it."

you take a sip of tea before looking at him. "it's not your fault. none of it is."

steven's smile is sad. "you don't have to say that."

"i mean it. steven...i know it feels like it is. hell, i relate a lot. sometimes it feels like you're the problem because no one else wants you. but it's not your fault. i think you're...pretty cool. and amazing."

he blinks slowly, almost like a cat. he's busy just looking at you, admiring your features. your beauty. and your warmth. not many people would invite people over just to vent.

"it's all good to vent. but i also think it's important to...think of it as redirection. like my dating life sucks but my studies are going well. and i'm going to be published."

"r-really?" he watches you walk over to the record and set your mug down. you look through the vinyls and pick one.

"yeah. academically too. so i get academic validation. which isn't everything, but it's certainly nice." it was important to get your work out there. you turn the player on, place the disk, and then drop the needle.

your body movies instinctively. you recognize the synth beat, picking up your mug and moving your hips. "this was my dad's. he really like british 80s synthpop." you turn to steven and take a sip of your tea.

he was trying his best not to stare, not to watch the way your hips moved. it was mesmerizing. he wasn't one for dancing. he was not the best at following a rhythm.

you dance over to him and gently take his hand. "come on steven."

"i don't think so." he sees your pout. "okay, okay."

he gets off the stool and lets you guide him to the middle of the room.

your hips move. your body is unchoreographed. you weren't really a dancer. but you can't help yourself. you spins a few times, bathing in the casualty of it all. and unknowingly bathing in steven's love filled gaze.

you look deep into his eyes. his soft brown eyes. and your eyes glance down to look at his lips. his soft looking kissable lips.

could you be bold? could you make a move? was it appropriate to make a move? you take a sip of her tea and sets the mug down. "steven..." you bites her lip as the music keeps playing.

"y-yes (y/n)?" he could feel his cheeks warm up. especially as you step closer. your bodies are nearly touching.

you gently cup his face with one hand and pull him by his waist so his body is against yours. you could feel your own body against his. it was quite arousing.

you leans forward and kiss him softly, pulling away for a second only to kiss him again.

"i like you." you mutter against his lips.

steven doesn't know what to do. he's hesitant. because you want him. and maybe he wants you. but do you really want him? was it just the heat of the tea? or the music?

"you...you like...me?" surely there were better men. better people.

your eyes soften. "yes. i do. i like you. i like you a lot steven." the music appears to fade to a soft lull. your heart beats in your ears. perhaps you made a mistake.

"i know this is sudden. and maybe it's inappropriate considering that...you just got stood up and i invited you in my home and it seems weird and terrible honestly. and if you don't like me back that's fine. you can just tell me and i'll stop and you can go..." you begin rambling nervously. your mouth runs faster than you could comprehend.

he has to set his mug of tea down.

you stop talking when he presses a finger against your lips. he feels how soft they are. and is tempted to trace your lips with his finger. "don't...don't you dare stop."

your lips curled into a smile and he removes his finger to kiss you. his hands rest on your hips, trying to bring your bodies closer.

a small moan escapes you, feeling him grind up against you. his kisses are fervent, as if he's trying to taste you.

your back hits the edge of the tv stand, causing you to giggle. you let him kiss you, parting your lips so his tongue slides in. they dance for what feels like an eternity.

you manage to pull away and turn around so he's against the tv stand. then you tug him along, heading straight for your bedroom.

[the-marron]

Confession: I like the ending of Guardian drama.

And yes, whoever just thought "because you like angst, you sick cryptid, you" - yes, yes, guilty as charged.

But there is more to it than just "my favourites die and I like that for some reason", and I would like to share my other reasons.

Now, those of you who don't like it because of the emotional impact it caused them - I hear you and I won't attempt to change your minds, it is upsetting when people who deserve everything don't get it, especially if it's because they are not the "correct romance". So this is not me trying to convince anyone that this ending is *happy*, far from it. Or that you should like it, you do you.

I just want to tell you what I see in it. Spoilers under the cut.

Sorry, no pictures because I will try to be concise.

See, Priest is a fascinating author who not only weaves amazing stories with endearing, complicated characters, but who also aims her pen at different injustices and flaws of the reality she observes. Whoever read Mo Du, or Guardian, probably noticed that she points out different social issues that she finds concerning or worth talking about. Some of them even made it into the drama, and got elaborated on.

An incomplete list:

- illegal immigration problem (Dixing/Haixing tensions)

- nepotism (ZYL, GCC)

- children left with elders not equipped to care for them (Li Qian)

- healthcare that depends on money and connections ( the Zu Ma arc, the entire Merit Brush arc)

Just to name a few.

Now, one of the things that is shown to be a big problem from the very beginning is the Xingdu Ministry - they want ZYL to stop causing trouble, to keep the existence of Dixing hidden, they conduct their own shady experiments on Dixingren and Haixingren too.

Now, when Ye Zun starts appearing in Haixing and the team already knows that his goal is to incite the Dixingren to attack, ZYL goes to the Minister and tells him that he wants to warn the people, to prepare them for what's coming and to try to dissipate the tensions before YZ comes.

The Ministry declines.

They try to cover it up, even when the Minister gets kidnapped, even when Zhao Xinci was kidnapped, the Ministry's policy is: deny, deny, deny. "Let's wait it out, let's not cause panic, let's not make any hasty movements"

Then Ya Qing uploads the files and reveals everything about the SID to the world and... Xingdu Ministry allows the hunt for everyone in the SID.

And then, the finale happens, Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei give their lives to save the two worlds and...

Nothing changes.

Dixing and Haixing are separated, and yes Dixing gets light again, the clock starts, but these two worlds did not learn to co-exist, no.

The Ministry didn't change their tune any - they cover up the cost of victory. Shen Wei is no longer a concern anyone speaks about for long, and there is a stranger walking in Zhao Yunlan's body, assuring people a year later that everything is fine, that the crisis will not be repeated, that the heroes of the day, the SID, are still here.

That's the tragedy of the ending and also the part that points an accusing finger at the people in power. The real heroes are swept under the rug, the word 'sacrifice' is not uttered in the open, it's a 'victory'. Sounds familiar, if you look at history.

Lin Jing and Da Qing come to Yunlan's flat because this is the only place where they can still mourn, where they can say out loud "these people are no longer here and we miss them."

But the official narration is different.

According to the official version of events, there is no professor Shen and Zhao Yunlan is alive, the hero is still here.

Except he isn't. The drama ends up in a lie, Dixing changed but Haixing didn't. Officially there is no one to mourn.

I am aware that I am approaching it through the lenses of someone who watches propaganda pieces and analyses them for fun, but I find this ending really interesting, because it is a real tragedy consciously wrapped into a pretty present - "look, nothing happened! No one died, life goes on", but the inclusion of Zhang Shi walking around in ZYL's body with a heartbreak on his face is here for a reason, I believe.

This is a propaganda in the making, happening before our very eyes.

And I think it's a very Priest thing to do, to draw our attention to how horrible it is. Because we, the viewers, know the real costs - Shen Wei, Zhao Yunlan, Sha Ya, Wang Zheng - we know these characters, we spent 40 episodes getting to know them and care about them. How dare you say they are acceptable numbers. How dare you say there were no sacrifices?

And yet that's what the Xingdu Ministry wants you to accept.

And yeah, we, the viewers should absolutely be angry about that.

[y-rhywbeth2]

While it might be an interesting enough topic to explore, personally I don't think attachment issues are going to be much of a problem for Astarion, ultimately. This particular angst is sort of a non-issue to me. He's most likely going to have them, yes, but he will work through it.

Player: "I care for you a great deal. That's never changing." Astarion: "After all this, I've realised it's all right if it does change. If anything changes."

If you break up with him obviously he's upset, but as he tells you, he is living again and will continue to do so. He can and will dump you, and has multiple opportunities to do so and be perfectly fine on his own afterwards (assuming Cazador isn't still alive, which has nothing to do with his potential romantic attachments).

Nor does he appreciate the notion of relying on somebody for anything, including his lover. He appreciates the sentiment of wanting to keep him safe, but he's clearly irritated by the notion: "It would be nice not to have to rely on you as my great protector". He wants his freedom and his self-determination and he's going to have it.

Note that if you fail to convince him not to ascend and then try to stop him, which he perceives as robbing him of self-determination/freedom, he either tells you to "die screaming" and walks out or tries to kill you himself. No amount of approval will stop him: Your love is not more important to him than his freedom and ability to determine his own destiny. The only reason you can talk him out of it is by pointing out that he's being ruled by fear, that ascension will rob him of that and turn him into someone he hates. The fact that ascension is not on the table anymore might knock that drive back a bit while he takes the time to recalibrate and find his feet again, but I highly doubt it will stick: He didn't suffer 200 years of misery, come out the other end ready to fight, and then claw back his freedom, then decide it's time for him to reclaim his life only to sell it to somebody else, no matter the pedestal they might stand on.

If he does ascend and you leave him he gets over it in a few days. He might think of you from time to time between schemes and blood orgies, but he considers it beneath him to seek out your attention. If you turned illithid then the dev notes will happily point out that he didn't think of you or miss you at all. Possessive as he might be of his property, you're not actually that important to him compared to himself.

He tells you he will be fine without you, and if he loses you he demonstrates that he will be fine without you. He's a very self-interested person, and imo, at his core remains so when romanced (people can talk about how sweet he is with Durge all they like, but as a durgestarion enjoyer I find he's actually incredibly insensitive a lot of the time. It's a bonus. Get the feral ending and he flat out tells you your relationship is doomed because you'll remind him too much of the aspects of vampirism he hates the most and he's going to prioritise his wellbeing. Sure, he'll carry you in his heart forever and grieve your horrific ending, but he's clearly ok enough in life to go to the party, dressed up nicely, and share a toast with other people he cares about: He'll live). Selfishness is a flaw and a strength of his.

Astarion wants his partner: he doesn't need them. If he identitifes co-dependent behaviours in himself he will want to unlearn it. He sets boundaries and he expects them respected, and he will enforce them - as he does in-game. The lover is not that important in the grand scheme of things.

[gretahayes]

44 and/or 50 for timkon or platonic timbart?

50. “Nothing is wrong with you.” + platonic timbart

"Rob," Bart starts, and says nothing until Tim hums absently, "what's wrong with me?"

Tim pauses at that. He sets down the case file he'd been working on, and turns in his swivel chair to look at Bart properly.

Bart's on his bed, laid flat on his back with his limbs starfished, and he's staring up at the ceiling. He doesn't look like someone who just asked what's wrong with them.

"...could you run that by me again?"

"I think there's something wrong with me," Bart says, instead of asks. He's resolutely still staring up at the ceiling.

"Okay." This is- Tim did not think he'd have to have this conversation today. He carefully stands and moves to sit next to Bart's leg, then changes his mind and just lies next to him. "Why do you think there's something wrong with you?"

Bart turns his head to blankly stare at Tim for that. Which, fair.

Tim sighs. Bart looks back up at the ceiling. Tim stares up at it too. "Nothing is wrong with you, Bart," he says softly.

"Everyone else says there is," Bart says, quiet. "Max...he didn't say it, but I know he thought it."

"I remember when you didn't doubt me," Tim says, just for the snort Bart gives. "There's nothing wrong with you, you're just different. It's how you are. You weren't built for this world."

"Different sounds like a nicer way of saying wrong."

Tim sighs. "When I first became Robin," Tim starts, and Bart turns to look at him in interest. "I had to get a new cape, because the one the Robins before me had used with no issue made me have a panic attack if I wore it when I didn't have to. The color, the weight, the fabric- it was all wrong. But I liked the feeling of a cape, just not that cape, and it was a Robin staple. So B had a new one made for me."

"Didn't know Batman cared so much."

"He does, he's just got odd ways of showing it," Tim says. "The feeling of satin makes me want to curl up and die. I'm bad at talking to people cause I don't always consider what I'm saying and the implications of it, which can make me sound like an asshole. I self-isolate when I'm spiraling, even though I'm really bad at self-isolating. My brain sometimes moves so fast the rest of me can't keep up, and when around me is loud and hectic, and I'm already worked up, I get overwhelmed which makes me angry and upset."

"Me too," Bart says. "I've got a short fuse when I'm overwhelmed. I lashed out at Jenni when we first met cause I was going through a lot and she wasn't helping, and it wasn't fair to her."

Tim hums. "Sucks, doesn't it?" Bart makes a noise that Tim takes as a yes. "Um, I've got a hard time with boundaries. I lie a lot, but I don't like when people can't just say what they mean in regular conversation instead of making me guess. I go through these periods of obssession with things, and they can last for months, or even years." Tim stops, and asks, "is there something wrong with me?"

"Well...no," Bart says, sounding baffled, and glances at him briefly, "you're just you."

"My point exactly." Tim grabs Bart's hand; squeezes. "You're just you, Bart. Nothing is wrong with you."

Bart squeezes back.

(ask game)

[snowblack-charcoalwhite]

Condal and Co basically managed to destroy the green fandom and I hate it so much . Now everyone is stanning one specific TG character and hate all the others. And when the leaks came out, many were saying how the writers' bs won't change anything and that they would always love Aegon, Aemond, Alicent... But we got this situation. You are one of the rare blogers who actually kept their word about supporting these characters and I really respect that. Do you think that something could change in the future regarding this or TG fandom is dead for good? I'm not optimistic, honestly. 9 don't get why such a big chunk of the fandom is eating up every bs Condal serves and give his team a pass while hating on the characters and thus making the experience in this already unbearable fandom even worse.

Hello!

First of all, thank you so much for your ask! Every time there is a proof that one more person in the fandom does not roll with the writers' BS feels like getting a gift, truly.

Being in the HotD fandom has never been easy, and right now it's nigh unbearable indeed. Seeing some bloggers making posts in support of the entirety of TG the day before episode 4 aired and writing something along the lines of "This is an Aemond hate blog now" after they watched it was disheartening to say the least. Not to mention the general rise in numbers of "Aemond should have killed his bitch of a brother long time ago", "I can't wait for this one eyed freak to die" and "Alicent is the worst mother ever, what a disgusting woman" posts.

The thing is, I can understand becoming emotional over a character's fate or their actions. But when so many people flat out ignore the fact that the actions in question are, first and foremost, the result of a terrible writing choices and choose to hate the character (and much worse - the people who support this character) - that's when it gets really bad. So, as to your question, I'm not really hopeful about the future state of affairs in the fandom either. Things will hardly get much better - not with the way many of particular TG characters' supporters simply do not wish to see anything beyond the fact that their fave was somehow wronged.

And the worst thing about it is that it looks like the hate wave is hitting not only characters but actors as well. I deliberately didn't look for details (I am already upset about the general situation and don't want it exacerbated) but according to a few posts I saw here and info from people I trust some of Tom's fans started to attack Ewan on Twitter and Tiktok - and IMO it's both vile and stupid. Are they expecting Tom to give them a pat on the shoulder and a kiss on the cheek for talking shit about his friend and colleague because he's doing his job? Is it really the best way (or any way at all) to support the actor you admire?

Given all this, one begins to cherish those who remain respectful even more.

[promptling]

STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS ( 2011 ) change pronouns as needed.

that was our ride!

what the hell did you take?

we have to do this now.

if we're doing this, we've got to do it now.

you sure you don't want me to go instead?

i was kidding.

they're trying to kill us!

i can't hold this position.

i am, surprisingly, alive.

i can save her.

what did you say?

who are you?

you're not actually going to answer that, are you?

you filed a report?

are you giving me attitude?

i am expressing multiple attitudes simultaneously.

you have any idea what a pain in the ass you are?

what's the lesson to be learned here?

you think the rules don't apply to you because you disagree with them.

what was i supposed to do, let them die?

you think you're infallible.

it's a pattern with you.

why should i listen?

you don't listen to anybody but yourself.

you got your ass handed to you.

i don't know what to say.

it's fortunate that the consequences were not more severe.

do you understand why i went back for you?

the truth is, i'm going to miss you.

tomorrow's too late.

spit it out, don't be shy.

there is no regulation that condemns a man to die without a trial.

i'm not going to take ethics lessons from a robot!

this action is morally wrong.

i wasn't asking for your opinion.

i don't have time for a lecture.

this is clearly a military operation.

is that what we are now?

i'd rather not talk about it.

your ears burning?

let's go get this son of a bitch.

i was simply attempting to use your vernacular to convey an idea.

you don't rob a bank when the getaway car has a flat tire.

enough with the metaphors.

remind me never to piss you off.

i would prefer to discuss this in private.

are you really gonna do this right now?

i'm not the only one who's upset with you.

don't drag me into this.

you mistake my choice not to feel as a reflection of my not caring.

the truth is precisely the opposite.

i am here to help you.

you and your people are in danger.

how the hell do you know that?

i will consider that an apology. and i will consider that apology.

the nerve of that guy!

i am not doing that man any favors.

are you out of your corn-fed mind?

you're actually going to listen this guy?

don't agree with me, it makes me very uncomfortable.

when were you going to tell me that?

you're much cleverer than your reputation suggests.

may i remind you, you are not there to flirt.

you're going to want to see this.

you are a murderer!

my crew is my family.

you already knew that, didn't you?

i don't take your meaning.

i'll do anything you want. just let them live.

we cannot fire and we cannot flee.

the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

i have no idea what i'm supposed to do.

you coming with me or not?

just give me two seconds!

try not to get shot.

your path is yours to walk, and yours alone.

did you defeat him?

i got you, i got you.

you'd better get down here.

that's a nice move.

i'm scared, _______.

how do you choose not to feel?

there's too much damage.

go get him.

you saved my life.

it's nice to have a family.

i defer to your good judgement.

[tobiasdrake]

Do you think that optimistic stories are gonna be needed more than ever in these incoming dark times?

Probably. Art tends to reflect culture and also, to some degree, shape it.

It will be interesting to see what sort of media this new political landscape produces. I'm expecting a lot of "Fascism bad" that gets derided as preachy. "Do we really need to be told for the eleven billionth time that Nazis are evil?" people will ask aggravatedly while literal Nazis march in the streets behind them.

There are a lot of people who are shocked, scared, and horrified about what the right has become. Who were maybe willing to give it a pass when Americans elected Trump the first time, that maybe they just didn't know better, but saw the writing on the wall when Americans eagerly rushed back to Trump for a second serving of racism, violence, and misogyny.

And I'd expect to see that shock and fear reflected in the art that the evolving culture produces moving forward.

But I'm also expecting a lot of "Jack and Jill have different political beliefs, but it's important that they be able to come together as family and community." Because Americans think politics are as inconsequential as which set of jerseys wins the Super Bowl. A lot of people really are just out there to win it for the Home Team and don't think policy actually shapes our lives in any meaningful way.

To many Americans, being upset about the election is worse than electing the wrong guy. The problem is you for taking it so seriously, for actually caring about the consequences. They see themselves as enlightened for thinking that the government does nothing, all politicians are the same, and who you support says nothing about you personally. Why let something so trivial as voting MAGA break up a friendship? Or a family? Or a marriage?

And I'd expect to see that centrist condescension and "Why So Serious" trivialization reflected in the art that the evolving culture produces as well.

What I don't expect to see is a lot of pro-fascism stuff. The Right's cornered the market on news punditry but have never been very successful at mainstreaming their fiction. Because.

Well.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but Alt-Right fiction sucks. They've written books and produced movies and TV shows, and it all sucks. Because it isn't made creatively. It's created in anger. The Alt-Right is just angry. Fascists are just angry. They don't want to participate in culture. They're mad at culture and want to shoot it with verbal guns.

And that gets reflected in their media, which is too often more focused on trying to dunk on somebody than on telling the story that they're ostensibly here to tell.

There is good conservative media out there. Hell, live-action Sonic the Hedgehog is surprisingly conservative. It's a story about a cop learning to appreciate small-town rural living and stop yearning for the glamour of the big city, while being harassed by Big Government Overreach. There's a lot of conservative values in their interpretation of the video game.

But there isn't any good Alt-Right media out there, because they're too angry to write. Lady Ballers is an offensive piece of shit, but it's also a bad movie. Its story is flat and self-defeating, its characters are uninteresting and fail to grow or change in any meaningful way, and its comedy wildly misses the mark.

Because that's what happens when the only thing you're interested in as a creator is, "How many people can I offend with this?" You end up writing a protest sign stretched out to the length of a novel. The audience for Ben Shapiro's "teen girl goes Die Hard against a school shooter and proves the merits of gun ownership" action movie is very niche.

So the Alt-Right will be encouraged to keep producing furious dogshit, and it will continue failing to gain any real ground among the mainstream entertainment market. But we can probably look forward to a lot of antifascism and a lot of condescending centrist finger-wagging in media to come.

That's my prediction, anyway.

[all-pacas]

now go ahead and do some cameron headcanons please, preferably what she was like in high school and college

Cameron and her older brother have a decent age gap. 4-5 years. They get along alright, but they're not super close, they didn't have any real overlap at school or anything.

Her parents are Super Normie. Mom is a housewife who dabbles in all sorts of charity work and church groups; dad is a vaguely resentful middle manager type. A high school teacher who had aspired to be a university professor, that sort of vibe. He always felt like he deserved better, and lowkey resents his children for their successes. He's not a bad person, he's just… difficult.

Cameron was always a top student. She was always on honor roll, got perfect attendance awards, did extra-curriculars, really kind of got off on being considered a Gifted Kid. When she got into med school, she kind of had a nasty shock: she wasn't the smartest kid in the room anymore, she wasn't the best. She really struggles with perfectionism, she does not like to fail, she gets really upset by mistakes. She compensates with working her ass off and twice as hard as the next guy.

Her first love was some random 10 year old when she was also 10. Cameron has always been prone to wild crushes and romance and was honestly a little boy-crazy, she (luckily?) was also too driven and Goal Oriented to date much in high school, although she definitely fell in love with at least a couple classmates and her english teacher. (Unrequited, thankfully.)

She met her husband in a very unremarkable way, at some college party thrown by mutual friends. They went on a couple dates and it went fine. Probably that would have been it, but then he didn't call her after the date and she got super mad and felt stood up and so tracked him down… and of course it turned out he hadn't called her because he'd just gotten diagnosed. In Cameron's head, she knew she had feelings for him and so tracked him down because she couldn't let that go; it's a self-edit. Really she was kind of annoyed with him and wanted to tell him off.

She and Joe never slept together, never kissed. She completely ghosted him after the funeral. Which, you know, kind of sucked. They never spoke again.

(She thought Chase was cute right away, and she hated that. Completely repressed it into nothingness, because she absolutely thinks she's better than this, she does not want to be attracted to annoying rich kids, and therefore she will not be.)

Her lauded criminal record is for like. Breaking curfew. Getting caught with a high school boyfriend at makeout point. My point is she's always been a little bit nuts and horny.

She's not much of a drinker — she goes from giggly to fast asleep in three seconds flat — but she's experimented with more casual drugs. She's less uptight than she likes to pretend to be, you know? She just also doesn't love the feeling of losing control.

She always wanted to be a doctor. Despite what House suggests, she didn't really go through a veterinarian phase, although she did briefly consider nursing. She did briefly reconsider the whole idea after her husband died. She doesn't really feel strongly about immunology, it wasn't her lifetime passion or anything. It's more that it was interesting, and useful, and she wasn't sure she was up for something like oncology or emergency medicine where people die left and right, in front of her, daily.

She took French in high school because she thinks it's a romantic language. She retains none of it.

She's a pretty heavy sleeper. When she has to work insane shifts, she'd rather just try to power through with coffee and running laps and willpower than take a nap, because she knows she's going to be cranky and unhappy if she has to drag herself back out of bed.

Her parents were fine with her first marriage (she didn't exactly tell them she already knew he was dying when they got married), but her in-laws kind of hated her: they thought she was stealing her son away in his literal last days. Cameron went on a very stubborn charm offensive to try and win them over, which only sort of worked. She still sends them Christmas and birthday cards, and actually felt vaguely guilty for their sakes when she and Chase got engaged.

She could not draw a stick figure to save her life. No artistic ability whatsoever. It's actually kind of funny how bad she is.

[thisisntreaver]

okay so first of all I want to say that I have absolutely no intention of starting any kind of fight and everyone is fully entitled to their own opinions.

and second of all let me comment on the state of things in fandom spaces that make me feel like that disclaimer was necessary before actually sharing my opinion

but I never really saw Theresa as evil or 100% selfish or anything? I do feel like she actually means well? we know she can see the future, but it's never really explicit how detailed it is and what she does and doesn't see? unless I missed that somewhere.

the way I thought about the whole logan and hobw thing was that she knew that there were only so many ways it was possible for Albion to survive, and she told logan this, but he reacted to the information by becoming the tyrant he did. so then you step up to tske his place, and you're faced with some of the same choices he is. kind of like she can see the different paths there are, and tries to steer people in a certain direction, but she can't force anyone to make a specific decision.

it's like 2 am for me so this might not be all that coherent but the whole thing boils down to this; I think Theresa does know shit about the future, but she doesn't know or forsee everything. so she tries to make certain things come to pass and to prevent others, but sometimes there are still outcomes she couldn't have predicted.

sidenote, which I think is also why she wants the spire, because then she can have greater control and accuracy in her visions

I didn't take this as you wanting to fight, but I do love a good discussion so thats why this reply is kind lengthy. You're also fully entitled to your own opinion on this but this is why I view Theresa the way I do.

So the thing is you are right in your last paragraph. Thats why she wants the spire, she all but says it to us in the see the future dlc, for her visions to be more accurate and have more of a reach.

That is an inherently selfish want though, as much as she tries to justify it, it wasn't a necessity. In order to get it she takes Luciens grief for his wife and child and twists it whispering to him to push him over the edge to be willing to do anything to get them back.

Then she goes and manipulates Rose into buying the music box so that she and sparrow get called to the castle. Rose is very realistic, she says that they could eat for a week, which would be monumental for them, and Theresa fires back with "and at the end of that week you won't be any closer to your dream of being in the castle." She uses Roses childish fantasies against her and it gets her killed.

In only two actions shes absolutely decimated Lucien as a person by taking advantage of his mental state at the lowest point in his life, and pushes Rose to her death by putting it in her head that this music box can change her life.

With Logan and by extension HOBW I do think its a bit more complicated. At that point she could see all the possibilities. She told Logan flat out that the darkness was coming to Albion, immediately after he watched al his men die by the Crawler. It makes him paranoid, and he goes down the tyrant path because he doesn't know what to do, and she isn't really helping him. Then with HOBW she over corrects and doesn't tell them anything, gives them not even the smallest bit of information about the darkness so that they focus all their feelings on Logan, and think hes just evil for no reason, then drops a bomb on them about the darkness. When the hobw is upset about that she tells them "I told you what you needed to know" or in the case you choose to execute Logan and HOBW upset about that she says "well that was your choice."

She is steering people in certain directions. The ones she deems correct with very little thought in how it effects them or what they would do without her input.

Theresas not evil, but she is selfish. She doesn't tell anything she thinks could harm her cause, she manipulates others for her own needs, and she justifys it by saying its fo the good of Albion. But Fable 2 wouldn't have gone the way it does without her initial inferences, and Fable 3 wouldn't have happened at all if she hadn't made the decision that she wanted the spire and that Albion needed it.

[ryuichirou]

Replies

Some replies! About Crewel, about cheating, about Jamil stripping, about Sebek witnessing some life-altering things.

Anonymous asked:

Your kuroshitsuji art is just sooo good <3

Thank you so much, Anon! <3 I am very happy that we can post it and that people enjoy it.

Anonymous asked:

OMG HAVE YOU SEEN CREWEL SSR

Anonymous asked:

SSR CREWEL CARD DROPPING! Thoughts?

IT'S SO GOOD, BUT SO OVERWHELMING. I am so happy we're getting NRC staff cards. I want to see Trein…

I wonder what his groovy is going to be like; I wish we’d see the inside of his car, but I feel like it’s going to be something NRC-related.

It also kind of made us think and discuss just how much money Crewel might have, you know, with his fancy old car, his coats + that building behind him that could just be NRC, but could also be a wall of his own place. Cruella had that manor in addition to her flat/house, what if Crewel also owns a property? What if he comes from old money? And what if he doesn’t come from old money and just rents expensive shit every month to look fancy… I wonder if the salary is good at NRC…  

Anonymous asked:

How would the twst guys react to walking in on their paramours cheating on them.

To be honest, Anon, it’s always a bit difficult to think about cheating when it comes to the way we ship characters. There are multiple ways to go around it, and it really depends on what kind of scenario we want: an angsty one or a horny one (yay NTR!). And with some characters and ships, certain situations would be much more upsetting than the others…

In general though, I feel like everyone would get upset in their own way. I wouldn’t want to break the bottoms’ hearts too much (aside from intentionally mean scenarios); the tops would get horny though! They always do for some fucking reason.

But! Speaking of being upset in their own way: I also wrote a post on a similar topic before: the one about twst guys reacting to their loves calling them by the wrong name. Even though there are some specific (calling someone by the wrong name could be an accident and/or doesn’t necessarily apply that the person is actively cheating), I feel like the overall reaction would be pretty much the same… but twice as furious, yikes lol

Sorry if this is a disappointing reply. Thank you for your ask!

Anonymous asked:

Sebek should walk on Silver and Lillia one day and Lillia invites him to fuck Silver alongside him

Yeah, this is something that is bound to happen at some point because Lilia really isn’t careful about how secretive he is when he is with Silver. It’s honestly a miracle that it would take Sebek this long to walk in on them lol

He would absolutely get invited. And it’s not like he can say “no” to Lilia (and it’s not like he wants to, considering how good Silver looks in this state…).

Anonymous asked:

I was reading the stripper post and I saw the Jamil scenario so clearly in my head that I thought I was having allucinations. Picture this: in some unspecified future Kalim has taken over his duties as an Asim, and has just struck a major deal with some very important business partners, so he decides that to celebrate he'll treat them to anything they want. After some fake objections (Oh we couldn't possibly impose on you like this...) they suggest a strip club. Great idea! Kalim immediately books the location. As in, only the location... without the strippers. He just thought it would be more fun if they could do the dancing themselves, but... uh? Why does everyone suddenly looks so down? Oh, maybe they're just shy? In that case Kalim will go first to break the ice! Jamil of course would ask him to let him handle it (As the heir you cannot afford to embarrass yourself in front of these people!). Any complaints from the guests would probably die down pretty quickly (As expected from Asim, everything they offer is first-rate, even their servants!), with mission entertain-the-guests being a complete success. Although mission try-to-stop-Kalim-from-making-a-fool-out-of-himself wouldn't go as well... he would likely last less than five minutes before going "That looks like fun!" and deciding to join Jamil (mostly because he suddenly really really really wants to touch Jamil)

Oh my god, leave it to Kalim fucking al-Asim to think that strip clubs are for dancing. Just what one would expect from a guy that treats his harem like a bunch of cool friends. I have no idea how Jamil didn’t prevent this type of situation from happening, but we can’t blame it on him: the guy has too much on his plate… and now he has even more on his plate with this whole stripping thing + with Kalim joining him!

Of course he would suddenly really-really want to touch Jamil, I wonder why…

I can’t even say anything about Kalim’s business partner because I am super jealous of them: they got to witness the best thing ever. Jamil was born to strip and dance 😭

[theenbynightingale]

CLONE HIGH (2023) EP. 8 SPOILERS

Okay, I know I’m opening up myself to a bunch of arguing but like... We need to have a talk. I should preface this by saying I’m not a die hard fan of Clone High. I only caved into watching the original series a few days before the reboot dropped despite hearing about it for years. I think they’re both good but I have my problems with both.

But I wanna talk about Topher Bus, a Christopher Columbus clone in a Gen Z world. He’s kind of taken over the role of Ghandi as Abe’s best friend in the revival, since the creators don’t want to bring him back unless they know they’re gonna be able to make more seasons. He hasn’t had a lot of screen time or development because the abundance of characters in this version. However, him becoming somewhat close with Abe has resulted in some fans shipping them.

So imagine their surprise when Topher tries to blackmail (or white leverage) Abe at the end of the final episode because he is attracted to Joan as well. I’ve seen so many people actually get angry about this. Many found themselves disappointed that Topher wasn’t straight or that he’d do something so terrible to Abe.

To which I say... Why would you expect anything else from this guy?

Topher’s whole thing was that he was an asshole who tried way too hard to convince people he’s progressive or an ally or “woke”, a term he unironically uses. He goes on and on about how he’s looking out for poc and women because he’s just trying to survive in a world that has flat out rejected his clone father.

“But he has a ‘Everyone is Welcome Here’ rainbow flag in his room!” Yeah, he does. He also has a co-exist poster, too. Good for him. Except there’s also a poster that says “Not a paid activist”. It’s a front! That’s the point! 

“But he keeps trying to drill it into everyone’s heads that he’s straight, like a closeted person!” Yes, he does. But it’s not just closeted people who do that. I went to a Catholic school and I also live in the real world. I’ve seen dudes be afraid to drink tea or hug because it might make them look “gay” or “feminine” or whatever bullshit.

“The way he said he liked Joan and white women in general was so exaggerated that he must be forcing himself to say it!” This is Clone High! Everything in this show is so exaggerated. From the very beginning, it’s been a parody of teen satires. It was created by the duo that would go on to make Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street and The LEGO Movie. This is their style.

“The episode would have been better if he blackmailed Abe into not confessing to Joan because he had a crush on Abe.” So you’re saying you would have liked the episode more if Topher had gone “Abe, the reason I almost got you molested by a teacher was because I’m in love with you”? I need you to realize how fucked that is.

Topher is a weasly little shit who tries to convince everyone how progressive he is when he’s actually a total asshole. That was the point. Y’all thinking he was in love with Abe or that he had Abe’s best intentions at heart just means that it worked. You took the bait. I’m not saying shipping Tophabe would be immoral (okay maybe after the whole statutory rape thing but that’s just for right now). There’s a solid chance that their friendship could be salvaged after this. I certainly never thought I’d ship Cleo with anyone but know she and Frida are my OTP. But you gotta stop pretending that this character is someone he isn’t.

I might delete this because I’m just trying to get my feelings out. I’m not calling anyone stupid or whiny just because they got upset by the new episodes. (Shoutout to my boy, @warcrimetime​. Sorry they took JoanFK from you so soon). This is just another case of me getting annoyed by people calling queerbait just because a ship didn’t become canon and me getting everything out of my system. (But also, if Joan does see Topher’s blackmail and her reaction is anger at Abe and not “HOLY SHIT YOU WERE MOLESTED?!” then that would actually be legit bad writing).

TL;DR:

Although, maybe I’m just not upset because I got Kahlopatra and you guys lost your OTP and I just don’t understand, I dunno. 

[countlessrealities]

@angelichooves - from HERE

✥✧∘* "Why? So youse can just avoid yer issues even more?" The sinner speaks bluntly, leaning against the wall as he stared down at the other with a rather flat look.

✥✧∘* "Listen, I know me and you...we don't always get along. But uh..." He trails off for a moment, eyes shifting to the side as he thinks about the next words out his mouth. "...It's not like I like seein' you upset." At least, compared to how he saw her before. Things changed. Who could blame him for feeling closer to these people--to her after all of that? She was a ride or die bitch at this point.

✥✧∘* "...So, tell me what's up. I'm a good listena'."

Vaggie shoots Angel a glare, lips curling down in a scowl. She's not truly mad at him. Deep down, she knows he has a point. However, she's furious at herself, too much not to unload the feeling on anyone who gives her an excuse to do it.

"Look at who's talking! Are you seriously judging me when you avoid all your problems trying to vanish them with drugs and booze?"

Alright, maybe that's a little too much of a low blow. She knows what having to put up a facade to cope with your trauma means. Just as the sinner, she puts on a mask every day, to be able to face the world. And also to be able to live with herself.

The former Exorcist pinches the bridge of his nose, sucking in a deep breath. She needs to get her shit together and it's obvious by now that she can't do it alone.

"...Sorry. That was uncalled for," she admits in a quiet voice, looking away. "It's just...things haven't been great with Charlie. After the whole...you know. I can't blame her for that, I messed up, but..."

Her voice trails off for a moment, as she struggles to put her thoughts into words.

"I want to fix it. I need to fix it. But I don't know how."

[sunonwaxyleaves]

A snippet of a fic based off a Tumblr post I made that I will probably never post called I Like to Feel His Eyes on Me When I Look Away…!

It’s important to know that it’s taken awhile for Sirius to warm up to Jack.

They’re at the table in their favorite secret corner of the third floor of the library when Remus breaks the news to Sirius.

It’s been a minute since Remus spoke, and all Sirius has done in response is stare at Remus, left eye occasionally twitching. Remus isn’t a big fan of eye contact, and he’s especially not a big fan of whatever it is that Sirius is currently doing.

“Are you quite alright?” Remus finally hisses, laying his hands flat on his open planner in discomfort.

Remus rolls his eyes and grabs his favorite sparkly pen when Sirius remains in his current state. He’s almost finished writing everything down — next he’ll pull out his highlighters to color code everything — when Sirius speaks.

“Sex?”

He uncaps the yellow highlighter. “Yup.”

“As in…sex sex?”

“Yes, Sirius.”

“As in—“

“As in I fuck him in the ass, yes,” Remus puts the cap back on and grabs the green highlighter. He ignores the way Sirius has begun choking on his spit. “Don’t be such a cunt, Sirius.”

“No, no, I'm not, I just…” Sirius is biting his lip, the right side not the left, which means he's trying really hard to think before he speaks. “Why not him?”

“What do you mean?”

“I just mean, like, why isn't he…?”

Remus breaths harshly out of his nose. “Why isn't he the one fucking me in the ass? I mean, he might. But I think I'd like fucking him better, in all honesty.”

Another pause ensues, only broken by Sirius’ dramatic huff.

“And why is that?”

The way Sirius says it is enough for Remus to stop his attempt at filling his planner for the week; his voice is sharp. It’s rather unkind, and it makes Remus’ brows furrow. “Why do you sound so upset?”

“I'm not upset,” Sirius says, clearly upset, leaning back in his chair, letting his eyes wonder. “I just don't understand why you have to fuck him.”

“Because I want to?”

“But…why?”

“I don't know, Sirius, why do you fuck girls? There's plenty of ways for them to fuck you.”

“Who says they don't?” Sirius retorts, his smirk cocky and mean.

It's very difficult for Remus to sort out if this new tid bit of information makes him incredibly sad or incredibly horny. On the one hand, Sirius apparently likes being fucked. On the other hand, it's just another thing to add to the list of intimacy that Sirius does with people who aren't him. People he can never be, but will die wanting to.

Remus knows his cheeks are red, can feel the heat of them and how it spreads the moment he becomes aware. He rests his elbows on the table and his head in his hands in an attempt to hide his slip up. He's wearing short sleeves today, is feeling brave, knows if he were to ask, Sirius would pull out a pen and draw pretty pictures across his scars.

“Anyways,” Remus scrunches his nose, “We're getting off topic. There's a reason I'm telling you this, and it's because I would really appreciate your help on the matter.”

Sirius' eyes widen to such an extreme degree Remus might laugh, if not for the fact Sirius Black is blushing. Heres the thing: his cheeks turned a pretty pink for only two reasons, and those two reasons are if he's drinking or if he's shy. Shy was not often a word accompanied with Sirius — it’s practically unheard of — and Remus wants to devour the moment out of fear that savoring would make it go away.

“Get your head out of the gutter, Black. I need your advice.”

Sirius shifts in his seat and takes a drink from his orange water bottle. Orange is Remus' favorite color. “And why might you need my advice?”

“Well, I don't know. You’re my best friend, and when Jack brought it up, my first thought was that I wanted to talk to you.”

“Your boyfriend asked if you wanted to have sex and your first thought was talking to me?” and just like that, he’s back to being cocky.