#but that doesn't fully explain the coworker thing

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

hi there, could I get poppy playtime (if that is to many characters then just catnap and dogday are fine) with a reader that has pica (if you don't know what that is it is where a person can tend to eat or bite on things not edible, like paper, erasers, eca)

I can do a few!

.....

Huggy (saved/rescued) + Poppy

While in his "idle mode" on the podium, he sees you munching on a piece of paper like lettuce and then plush stuffing like it's cotton candy.

And then you just snatch the key from him and move onto the next puzzle, and he goes "???????"

Why did you eat those things? Did they somehow sustain your hunger?

Huggy only gets to learn more after you save him from falling (and tame him with an actual edible snack you brought along), taking a breather after freeing Poppy from her box.

When he grabs one a random paper, you assume he wants to draw something as a way to communicate...until he starts chowing it down.

In his mind, humans DO eat paper and he's been starving and cannibalizing toys (and trying to eat you) for nothing...

But then he spits it out, picking shredded bits out of his teeth, before glaring at you as if you told him to eat that.

You're a little scared and confused until Poppy explains that he was only trying to mimic what you do, and she asks why you eat such random little things.

Eventually you explain to the pair of your condition called "pica".

You've had it most of your life, with an official diagnosis to boot, but it never really hurt your digestive tract.

Over the years you've cut the habit, although being stuck in this factory meant you had to find other sources of food...even those not even considered food at all.

Some of your coworkers knew about it, and their only complaint was the occasional eraser going missing thanks to you (which you deny stealing...most of the time).

"I always joke about having a cast-iron stomach," you tell the toys. "Food is the least of my......"

But you pause and look at Huggy, realizing he might be offended by you shrugging off food as negligible to your survival.

No matter what, though, it's not gonna stop him from trying different non-food items and seeing what tastes good.

He might've eaten pieces of clothing and plush fabric/stuffing over the years, albeit none of it was delicious by itself.

Dogday

"They want nothing more than to crawl beneath your skin and eat away at you bit by little bit--fill what feels empty inside themselves."

"Jesus, that sounds horrific." You say as you crunch on a piece of chalk (one of several that you got from the schoolhouse) nonchalantly.

Dogday takes immediate notice and is rather concerned. He knows the chalk and crayons here are made to be non-toxic, but insists they're not safe for human consumption.

He fears it's gonna kill you and begs you to stop, saying you needed to live.

Before you could fully explain your condition, the mini-critters are closing in, so you free him and haul ass out of the playhouse of horrors.

After making it somewhere safe where you could patch him up, he presses you on why you continue to eat all these foreign objects.

But he jumps to the conclusion that you got desperate after running out of food, going mad from hunger like the other toys did...

He recalls Picky Piggy going through something similar, and he gets a bad flashback to the Hour of Joy when he had to stop her from eating Crafty's paint....and the corpse of a Smiling Critter -

"Dogday? Hey stay with me..it's okay. I'm here, I'm here.." You console him, calming him down from his panic attack. "I'm not going crazy, alright? I just have this small condition called pica."

"...p-pica? Oh. I thought...kids grow outta that.." He mutters, finding familiarity with that term.

He's had his fair share of toddlers putting things in their mouth that could be choking hazards.

You shake your head, explaining that it stuck with you, but it doesn't cause your stomach any pain as long as you're careful about what you eat.

Dogday's relieved you're not losing it.

Even so, though, he's gonna feel nervous if he catches you eating another piece of chalk.

But it's just his instincts as a child caretaker, so you couldn't blame him.

Catnap

He hangs out in the shadows for the most part, watching your every move...and he does pick up on your strange habit of eating non-food objects.

It's something orphaned toddlers in the playhouse often did, and he'd see the other Smiling Critters hurry to take the items away from them before any emergencies happened.

But those memories mean nothing to him.

All he's doing is waiting for you to eat the wrong thing and keel over.

Unfortunately for him, you just keep trudging on, munching on a crayon like it's normal before throwing your gas mask back on.

He doesn't know how you manage to stomach so many things, and honestly is kinda envious.

Why can't he and the others sustain their hunger like you did?

It does make for some rather..amusing situations, though. Such as when you're in the smoke factory and use the elevator to escape him.

You just stand there as the doors close, eating some chalk and crunching it loudly without breaking eye contact with Catnap's horrific eldritch form.

Obviously, you're stress-eating at that point, but he doesn't have to know.

Miss Delight

The schoolhouse was like a cafeteria for someone with pica, aka you.

While looking for generators, you just pick up whatever you find: erasers, chalk, crayons, etc. and start biting them, or even chewing and swallowing them.

It only succeeds in angering Miss Delight right away, as she sees you doing all of this and snaps at how "childish" you are for eating things you shouldn't.

But you when shout back that you have pica, the PA system suddenly goes quiet.

Like Dogday and Catnap, that definitely triggered some memories for her, which she dwells on for a while before realizing you were still in the school..

And seeing you eating stuff makes her howling stomach grow louder.

"Barb" says you're mocking her own hunger, especially since she notices you gathering the notes she left around the place, and insists on killing you.

When you finally do encounter her, she is visibly disturbed by you crunching on a piece of chalk and throwing it to the ground to distract her, buying you time to break eye contact and flee.

She calls you "crazy", but you're not the one chasing her with a weapon made of a ruler and colored pencils.

[maleyanderecafe]

Tom (Visual Novel)

Created by: LayRain479

Genre: Horror

Tom is kind of interesting albeit confusing in certain places because of the aspect of the twin that's present. It's something that took me a bit to understand fully since it doesn't go too much into it and there's not really anyway (that I'm aware of) that you're able to differentiate them. That being said, this is a full game with 10 endings which is a nice thing to have.

The story starts out with the MC waking up in their apartment, and deciding to eat breakfast. She ends up going to the bus to get through her school day and realizes that she has work the next day. She gets really tired and frustrated as the day goes on before going back home. As she walks back home, she notices that someone is following her and can either continue walking or try to redirect them by walking into a circle. Both of these lead to meeting someone at her home, but redirecting them gives more options of interacting with the person following her.

If she does decide to walk around, she does confirm that she is being followed and eventually confronts him. If she asks who he is, he will compliment her, telling her she's pretty before introducing herself as James. She ends up finally returning home, either running before she learns his name or after and finds another man at her home. This man looks exactly like James, but it seems like he's actually a twin named Tom. The MC can either kick Tom out immediately or first give him a pen that he requests. Despite being creeped out, the MC eventually goes to sleep.

The next day, the MC goes to work at the convenience store with her coworker John. John seems worried about the MC, seeing as she looks very tired and out of it. The MC can either tell John or refuse to. As she's working, Tom will come into the store to greet the MC, buying something that the MC likes. If the MC does not tell John about the break in, Tom will offer the item to the MC as a gift, otherwise, John will turn him away.

While going home, Tom stops her again, asking if she will go out with him. Depending on your interactions with him, you can either respond only yes or no before you move away from Tom. While walking back, she ends up in a long alleyway where she finds a dead body. Upon closer inspection, you find that this body is actually James (or if you didn't get their names, the stalker), only to run into Tom as she tries to run back. The MC wakes up at home the next day, completely out of it, realizing that she actually has no idea how she got home. She ends up shaking it off and going to work however. There she gets a text that tells us that John is busy today and that the MC will be working alone (though we know he's probably dead). Here, Tom will come over and offer to hang out with us as there's not really any customers, leaving the MC to comply. He will eventually ask if the MC misses John, which you can answer yes or no, being more pleased if the MC states that he doesn't miss him. He will eventually bring the MC home, and eventually reveal what he's done: getting rid of James, breaking into her house, stalking the MC and of course killing his own brother after seeing that he too was stalking the MC. Eventually he also reveals that he did indeed drug the MC, causing her to panic about it, which leads to Tom drugging the MC (again). Upon waking up, she finds that she's been tied to the bed as Tom talks to her. Tom explains that he's made sure she can't escape, locking and sealing all entrances and exits in an attempt to keep her there. The MC stays there for an unknown amount of time before freeing themselves and exploring the place. After a thorough look around it seems that there's no way for her to escape. Tom catches her right away and as punishment, locks her in the basement until she apologizes. Afterwards, she plays nice until she can find another opportunity to escape.

If the MC attempts to escape, they'll find themselves in the woods, running and stumbling about. Depending on how good the relationship with Tom, the MC can either survive and be taken back by Tom, or survive and pass out, leading to Tom chopping off her leg.

If they decide to look into Tom's room, she finds that his room is exactly the same as their room. While searching, they can decide whether they should give up and accept her life here or continue looking for the password.

Giving up will lead to the MC accepting her life here, much to Tom's happiness. She stays with Tom and lives in the house from then on. She might also find a picture of Tom and James in his room, that Tom comments on upon going to check in on her. After a while, the MC feels really useless and finds a knife, and can choose to harm herself. The MC cuts and stabs herself into her arm until she passes out on the floor. As she bleeds out, she sees Tom who panics and then decides to die next to her, stabbing himself in the chest. If she decides not to, she can decide to either try to kill Tom or not. If she decides to kill Tom, she is able to convince Tom she's fine until she stabs and kills him. She can then decide to either call the police, get rid of the evidence or run away.

Calling the police leads to the MC being able to succeed in convincing the police it was self defense, allowing her to leave and live her life again. If she decides to get rid of the evidence, she'll end up burning the house down and getting a taxi to leave the place. When she gets home she can either feel great regret for what she did or realized she actually enjoyed killing him. Finally running away will lead to the MC running out into the woods, falling and dying alone in her demise.

Trying to find it will lead to the player not being able to find it and Tom watching them for the rest of time.

Like I said before, I think the most interesting part of this game is the fact that Tom and James are actually twins and that Tom kills James in the middle of the route. When I first played through, I was kind of confused given that I never was able to introduce myself to either of them, leading me (and the MC) to believe that they were the exact same person, at least until we saw Jame's body. Truth be told though, I could not tell the difference between the two twins at all. It would be one thing if the designs were simply the same, but the personalities are extremely similar as well. I think the only real difference is that James is a lot more lighter and a bit more shy while Tom is a bit more direct, but that's just an educated guess from me. I really do wish there was more interactions with them separately so that the MC could come to the realization (especially if the MC didn't know his name) or have ways to show various differences between the twins. I think it would be fun to have twins that have more distinct personalities, so that even if you didn't know their names, you could guess that the two are different people, and the strange death at the end would make more sense instead of just not realizing that the two were twins. It could go the opposite direction where the twins act similar but have subtle differences so that you can tell the difference between them (though maybe they did do that in the game and I just didn't notice it). Might be nice to influence which twin lives based on what you do, since then you could have two yanderes that fight for you and could have had different outcomes. Still, I do think that the ultimate endings we did get were pretty fun, I always like endings where the MC is able to kill the yandere and actually does enjoy it, so that's something that's always fun to see.

Tom and James are the two yanderes in this one. Both of them do about the same thing initially, stalking the MC, breaking into their house, stealing things and giving gifts. At some point though, Tom ends up killing James out of jealousy, as well as John, the person that the MC has been working with. Of course he does the standard thing of kidnapping, there's the leg removal ending and the murder suicide ending. Given the general tone of the game, I actually thought that James would be a lot more selfish in terms of yanderes, not really caring about the MC's desires, but he does seem to feel hurt when the MC gets hurt, though he does resort to more drastic measures like kidnapping when need be.

I'm not sure if this is my computer or not since I haven't had this issue with other renpy games, but for some reason the audio would sometimes completely stop and refuse to play until reopened the game. I'm not sure what caused that but I guess that was something to note.

In any case, it's a fun little game with a twin aspect. Although I do wish that the twin aspect was expanded on, I do like what they have in terms of endings and concepts.

[nabi-unveiled]

Hagiwara isn't off the hook.

He shares responsibility in the state of his and Kaori's relationship, and I'm not talking about the cheating.

Put down your pitchfork. Just hear me out.

I adore Hagiwara. He cheated. I don't care. I have mentally added him onto my list of "good boys". I will make a special category just for him.

I'm also not making excuses for Kaori. She must own up that she kept Hagiwara on a string while knowing it was hurting him.

However, their relationship was doomed to fail. They need different things. Kaori needs a relationship where sex isn't expected, and Hagiwara needs a relationship where he can be fully open and honest with his feelings and desires. Frankly, he needs something deeper than Kaori can offer, and I'm not talking about sex.

But the relationship shouldn't have lasted this long, and that's on BOTH of them. It's perfectly okay that Kaori doesn't want sex. It's perfectly okay that Hagiwara does want sex (and intimacy). The problem is that neither of them communicate about it.

Before we go further, there are some points that need to be established. Also note - the symbols are EVERYTHING to me.

1 - Kaori/Hagiwara's relationship is NOT the same as Fujisawa/Sei's.

Their relationships share similarities, but they are NOT the same.

Sei's relationship with Fujisawa developed as a trauma response to a violent car crash. It has carried violent undertones the entire time.

The symbols convey that Fujisawa has methodically trapped Sei in this relationship.

But Kaori and Hagiwara's relationship? It starts with a romantic meet-cute. It was warm. It had saturated colors.

Their relationship does not have a violent undertone. It has an undertone of passivity and complacency. Of note, Hagiwara didn't initiate anything in this relationship. He's waited on Kaori's lead.

The door is open. Hagiwara could leave at any point.

These two relationships also do not have the same power dynamic. Kaori DOES control many aspects of the relationship. However, Kaori has control of the relationship because Hagiwara lets her. Fujisawa has control over his relationship with Sei because Fujisawa demands it. There is a difference.

In fact, the show actually has already acknowledged that there are different types of "controlling". The coworker's relationship isn't painted as unhealthy. Some of us may see it as unhealthy, but the show doesn't give ANY indication of that itself in sound or symbols.

2 - I am in the camp that thinks Kaori DOES like or care about Hagiwara.

Not because I believe her words, but because I believe in the symbols. Kaori made Hagiwara rice.

The rice that represents home and affection? Kaori made it. It's just her version had a sour plum in the middle.

And when she offered it, Hagiwara willingly chose to eat it. He knew the plum was there, and he ate it anyways.

In this week's episode, Kaori explains herself, and she's in black. This is not a typical color for her. She may be smiling, but she is mourning.

We could discuss in length about whether emotional abuse is in play here or if it's just an unhealthy relationship. That's not really the point of this post. Either way, we know that Kaori was finally being honest and vulnerable.

WE SAW HER FEET.

Feet shots happens when our character's true feelings and motivations are exposed. Sei has beautiful heels (desires) but his toenail is broken (😭 Just like his Sim card, but I can't go there right now). Both Kaori and Hagiwara have feet shots too. No broken toenails. In this case, Kaori's feet stop moving. Unlike Fujisawa whose body moves on it's own, her body won't move. We haven't seen Fujisawa's feet.

Kaori can't make herself take action to deal with the situation with Hagiwara. Her choices are selfish, and they hurt Hagiwara. However, I actually think that's very realistic and very human. In unhealthy relationships (and even healthy ones), we can often hurt the people we care about. It's not easy leaving an established relationship. Especially, one that you want. We're not all as altruistic as Hagiwara.

But Hagiwara isn't off the hook.

He shares responsibility in the relationship lasting until this point.

Sei admits his relationship has problems.

But Hagiwara? He denies that they have a problem at first. He's choosing to ignore reality. A conversation with Sei later shows it too.

He wants to believe they've been honest with each other.

Even though he's not verbalizing his actual thoughts to Kaori. For those that don't remember, he has an entire sequence in his head at the BBQ with their friends of what he wants to say. But he doesn't say it. He's not being open and honest with Kaori.

He's also hiding what he truly desires. Kaori didn't say he couldn't drink the sweet coffee. She said it was unhealthy. Sei said it was unhealthy too. He drank it around Sei anyways.

He even bought it FOR Sei even though Sei thought it was too sweet. Hagiwara initiates with Sei.

It's actually been shown that Kaori doesn't care what Hagiwara eats. He's allowed to eat whatever he wants. Kaori isn't telling Hagiwara to go to sleep or eat the yogurt.

She controls sex (and maybe their social agenda). However, unlike Fujisawa, Kaori doesn't keep tight control on Hagiwara as a person.

Unlike Sei, Hagiwara isn't isolated. There's no traumatic backstory. He's more self-confident than Sei. Unlike Sei, he talks about the things he CAN do rather than things he can't. For example, in episode 1, he mentions that "he's good" at organizing parties.

Unlike Sei, he's not trapped in a locked room.

His affection might have been contained and hidden. I think he wonders whether Kaori has things she has to keep inside, because he knows there are things that he keeps inside. But...

He's not trapped. He's stuck. There's a difference.

Hagiwara didn't forget his ID. He didn't forget who he was. He lost his ID, because he's losing confidence in his relationship.

But he's still walking around this building freely. Apparently, he's been walking free without that ID for months. And when he gets a new ID? He chooses to put it back in the case that Kaori gave him.

He wanted to change his picture, but he hadn't taken the steps to do so. He could've changed the situation by being frank with Kaori at any point. Just like Kaori, he avoided. He has chosen to stay.

He chose not to call Kaori out. He doesn't like making people uncomfortable. His nature is to prioritize the other person. Unlike Kaori, his avoidance is inherently unselfish. But it got him stuck. I'm someone who was actively taught to avoid confrontation and to always think of others first. This hits hard.

Kaori was too selfish, but Hagiwara wasn't selfish enough. Being a little bit selfish is a good thing.

He chose NOT to talk about sex with her. He's not comfortable bringing it up with her, because he's not open with her.

Kaori doesn't communicate about sex, because she's afraid that not wanting sex makes her a bad woman. She's surrounded by heteronormativity after all. As @babyangelsky points out, this is what society treating libido as swamp does to you.

Hagiwara doesn't communicate about sex, because he's afraid prioritizing sex makes him a bad man. After all, wouldn't breaking up with his girlfriend just because of sex make him a bad person? Isn't his desire just making the river murky with swamp water? Stupid swamp. He doesn't realize sex is not the real issue. In the end, he has chosen to stay in this relationship even though he's unhappy.

It's why I had positive thoughts about the breakup scene. A lot could be said about Kaori forcing Hagiwara to be the one to breakup, but I was actually glad that Hagiwara said it. It was on both of them that the relationship lasted this long. Neither of them had been willing to speak up about what wasn't working. They both stayed stuck.

Hagiwara is finally speaking his mind. He calls Kaori out.

Hagiwara is no longer being passive. He's asserting control.

Hagiwara is no longer hiding what he wants. He's being open.

Hagiwara is now taking action to change the picture on his ID.

Previous posts about Hagiwara:

The Desire to Be A Good Man

I also have two additional posts about Hagiwara in my drafts. I'll try to get them posted this weekend.

[mj-iza-writer]

Hello ! hope you're doing well.

I had this idea with a caretaker who has the power to make ghosts tangible by touching them.

So he's kidnapped by some unethical lab, and used to make a ghost whumpee physical again.

For whumpee it's a complete surprise, they haven't felt anything since their death, a long long time ago.

And scientists can experiment on them !

Charlie frowned when another beaker was thrown across the room almost hitting their partner.

"We need to find that person", Manson looked at the broken glass, "this is getting ridiculous."

Whumpee snickered as they left the room and slammed the door.

The scientists had accidentally killed Whumpee during one of their experiments. They needed them back.

Whumpee now haunted the lab and haunt they did. They terrorized the scientists day and night. They didn't like that they had been killed, but they were happy to be away from the pain. Plus, they could pay the scientists back for everything.

"I'm gonna kill 'em", Charlie glared at the door.

Manson's phone vibrated just then.

"We got the person", Manson celebrated, "he's been apprehended."

"Oh good", Charlie grinned, "I already know what experiment I want to do first, and if it kills Whumpee, we have a way to bring them back to life all over again."

Whumpee hid behind the stair well while they brought someone in.

"Who's that? Looks too old to be a test subject", Whumpee frowned.

"Welcome to our lab", Charlie greeted.

The person looked around nervously.

"You must be Caretaker", Manson wiped their hand off before stepping over.

"I-I am. Uh, what's going on?", Caretaker frowned, "who are you?"

"Well, I'm Manson. This is my partner Charlie. We are scientists. We study some amazing things here", Manson explained, "we really need your help."

"I'm sorry... in doing what exactly?", Caretaker looked around, and caught a ghostly spectator watching them.

"One of our beloved coworkers died a few years ago. We know you have a great ability to bring them back", Charlie frowned.

"I didn't die accidentally. They killed me", Whumpee yelled, "yo-you, I know you can see me. They are not good people."

"I'm a necromancer yes, but I don't mess with the dead like that. You won't like what it cost you, I promise", Caretaker turned back to the scientist, "I'm sorry to waste your time, but something doesn't seem quite right here. I'll be leaving now."

"I don't think so", Charlie hit a button and caused the door to close and lock.

By habit, Whumpee even jumped away from the door.

"They built that so I wouldn't escape. I can just walk through now", Whumpee giggled.

"See, you don't get a choice in the matter. You either die and join the other ghost, or I allow you to live."

Caretaker gulped, "what happens to me if I do it? Do I get to leave?"

"No", Charlie frowned, "with you here, I can do whatever I please to Whumpee. They die again, I just drag you out, and everything is all good again."

Caretaker turned to see Whumpee staring at them sadly.

"Death doesn't work like that", Caretaker frowned, "it's nothing ea..."

"You will do exactly as I've told you", Charlie threatened.

Caretaker turned slightly to Whumpee.

"Yo-you wouldn't", Whumpee pleaded, almost grasping the situation fully, "please, I-I... you don't know what I've been through. I'm finally free."

"Where is the ghost?", Caretaker frowned.

"I know you're looking at someone over there", Manson sighed, "just get it over with."

Caretaker looked at the ghost sadly, "I-I don't have a choice... I'm sorry."

"No please", Whumpee backed into the door. A blue light shown behind them, "I-I can't phase through", they banged against it.

Caretaker's hand also shined in the blue color.

"Impressive", Charlie commented, "we may have to run a few tests on you."

Whumpee hid in the corner.

Caretaker slowly walked to them.

"No... don't", they pleaded.

Whumpee screamed as Caretaker reached a shaky hand at them.

Manson gasped as Whumpee began to form in front of them.

Whumpee continued to scream. They turned to the wall again and banged their fist against it.

"That's Whumpee", Manson chuckled. "You know that door won't budge."

Whumpee looked back at them. Tears streamed down their face.

"You have a lot of explaining to do. Plus, you've broke a lot of equipment these last few years", Charlie grinned evilly, "you'll pay for that."

"Of course... if you get in your cage willingly... we might go a little easier in the beginning", Manson smirked and pointed.

Whumpee shivered as they looked at their cage.

"Cage?", Caretaker frowned.

"You just resurrected our lovely lab rat. We thank you so much", Manson grinned, "we already have your room ready."

"Th-they get a room?", Whumpee whimpered.

Charlie grinned as they approached Whumpee.

"You were going to get a room, but you had to die on me. Now... do you really think you deserve a room now", Charlie squeezed the back of Whumpee's neck.

Whumpee winced, "I-I've.... done... a... lot.... for the.... both... of you", they gritted their teeth.

"That was a past life", Charlie's voice dripped like venom, "cage...now."

Whumpee fell forward when Charlie let go.

Manson followed them to the cage and closed it behind them.

Whumpee scooted up to the front and held onto the bars. They glared out at Caretaker.

"Ca-can I at least eat something? I guess being brought back makes you kind of hungry. I haven't eaten in years", Whumpee sighed.

"You're asking for a lot of stuff. Did being dead give you some sort of power trip?", Charlie slammed on the side of the cage.

"Why are your hands still glowing Caretaker", Manson frowned, "you can put those away now."

"No I actually can't", Caretaker sighed, "you can't just revive someone. It's not that easy."

"How do you mean?", Charlie frowned.

"I did say it would cost you. That you wouldn't like it", Caretaker lifted their hand, "you have to give to get. Normally, it's soul for soul. One for the other. Whumpee is alive now, but that means the universe has an extra person it shouldn't have. Death is willingly taking both of you. Your souls are full of bad intentions. Death says your souls will be able to add up to the one brought back. That way, we will be able to leave here safely."

"We", Whumpee questioned.

"You can't do this", Manson yelled.

"It's not by my choice. I warned you that it would cost you. Death says one of you wasn't enough to trade for Whumpee, but both of you would be fine", Caretaker held up their hands. The blue light shined brighter.

"I swear I'll kill you", Charlie ran at Caretaker.

Caretaker dodged and pressed one of their hands on Charlie's back.

"I am not able to be killed while holding these lights", Caretaker smiled.

Charlie collapsed onto the floor. They gasped for a few moments until their body shriveled into a dried out corpse.

"It seems death has been waiting for you both. You've killed many people and animals. Death doesn't like to be kept busy", Caretaker looked up at Manson, "I suppose that's how you got my name. Death needed a necromancer to trade souls for them."

"Don't get near me", Manson yelled as they backed away.

Caretaker's hand continued to glow.

"You won't be getting away from me", Caretaker smiled, "you might as well get it over for yourself."

"Take them if you must. Just leave", Manson yelled.

"I wanted to leave earlier. Now I'm working", Caretaker stepped closer, "I don't have anywhere else for this glowing light to go."

"Take Whumpee then", Manson pointed.

"That wasn't the trade deal. Plus, you said earlier that you wanted your beloved coworker revived. You have to pay for it now", Caretaker frowned.

Manson ran around a table and tripped.

Caretaker managed to catch them before they got away again.

"No no", Manson yelled as Caretaker's hand slammed down on them.

Their body shriveled away quickly.

Whumpee cowarded into the back of the cage. They stared in terror as Caretaker opened it.

"Please don't hurt me... I'll do whatever you want", Whumpee pleaded.

"Don't worry. Nothing is going to happen. I won't hurt you. Your soul is free from them", Caretaker reached a hand to Whumpee, "they can't hurt you anymore."

Whumpee stared at the Caretaker's hand.

"It's not glowing anymore. See", Caretaker shower their hand, "I won't do anything else."

Whumpee finally reached a shaky hand out to Caretaker and was helped out of the cage.

"I decided to revive you to get you away from them. I'm sorry I scared you", Caretaker sighed, "death brought me here to help you. Death wants me to take care of you now. Will you allow me to do that?"

"Take care of me?", Whumpee cautiously looked at their mummified captors.

"Yes, you've been dead for a while. Plus, you've been here for longer", Caretaker smiled, "I'll be able to protect you and take care of you. Unfortunately you are still connected to the other side since youve been there for so long. You won't be able to be on your own."

I will tag people on this later. I couldn't finish it, and needed this cleared

[indignantlemur]

If you’ve answered anything like this before, feel free to ignore this ask! I don’t think you have, but I could be missing something 😅.

Anyway, my question is: How do Andorians view human family systems, and our lack of keths? I’m rereading Emigre rn, and there’s a part where Thoris asks about Dagmar’s Keth, and she reiterates that she doesn’t have one; but Thoris just kind of walks away, and we don’t get to know his thoughts on the matter. So I guess what I’m asking is: if you feel comfortable doing so, please tell us what Dagmar’s friends and coworkers were thinking when they first find out she has no family or keth. Did Thoris really not care, or did he just feel too awkward to voice any thoughts? I get the distinct impression he *does* care, at least a little, about Dagmar, but is just a grumpy old man that doesn’t know how to show it within the constraints of the strict Andorian social hierarchy. I’ve been dying to know the answer to this for a long time now.

Hello, hello! This is a long one, so the bulk of this is under the cut!

Andorians are a bit confused about how Human families work, to be honest. Most Humans seems to live in singular family units, all separate from each other - and yet they also claim to have keths, which makes no sense.

At one point in Emigre, Dagmar explains that Humans do have clans, but they're not huge entities in politics and the world at large like Andorian Clans are. They're still about family, still about shared blood and kinship, but they're not movers and shakers in the Human world.

Compared to what Andorians are used to, the things that Humans think of as 'clans' are isolated, powerless, and tenuous associations based on shared heritage and little else. There's no reason to stay in a Human clan, beyond sentiment.

The very idea is uncomfortable to imagine, but a growing number of Andorians are beginning to think that this is why Humans are so alarmingly friendly with everyone. Their own Human not-Clans simply don't provide the security they need, so Humans must constantly seek out other sources for it! And, of course, it was only natural Humans would be drawn to Andorians, who are fierce and strong in their own right! Really, it's all to their benefit that Andorians are also generous allies and have agreed to shelter the hapless things under their auspices! Truly, one shudders to think of what might have become of Humans if they had not met Andorians when they did.

(Humans, of course, have a very different recollection of events. And no one asked the Vulcans for their opinion. Or the Tellarites.)

So, when it comes to Dagmar and her total lack of family, reactions from the Andorians around her are a little mixed. Andorians unfamiliar with Dagmar don't view the information as anything more than a simple fact, and largely don't think on it much - if at all. It's not their problem, and they're not invested in an alien they don't know. Some of her coworkers, however, might find themselves feeling a kernel of pity for her, all alone in the world as Dagmar is. It's a terrible thing to be; for Andorians, to be alone is to be unprotected and vulnerable.

Still, most of the Andorians at the embassy are well aware that Humans are different in a number of ways. For the most part, since Dagmar doesn't seem to be outwardly bothered by her situation, most assume that it must be fine. Perhaps Humans are a hardier sort, in these matters? Who can say?

I'd like to think, however, that Dagmar's friends feel genuine dismay for her, at least. As proud as Andorians are, it's difficult to imagine how a Human should feel in such a situation; among their own kind, an Andorian would be devastated to be found in such dire straits. Close friends, like Thelen, are a bit more aware of Dagmar's feelings on the subject, but even so they don't fully mesh. An Andorian thus isolated would quickly seek to join a new Clan, if they were able, but Dagmar only seems to grieve and grieve. There's no progression, no action taken to deal with the matter as an Andorian might. She is alarmingly stagnant.

✨✨✨

The scene you're asking more specifically about in chapter five, for reference, goes like this:

"And what became of them? Your people?"

Dagmar suppressed another flinch and dragged her eyes away from the floor to look at the shorter Andorian male. "Dead, sir. A long time ago. I'm the last one."

Yes, she supposed she was. She was the last of her family. There were a few descendants - from her brother, from her cousins - but there had been no connection between herself and them, when she had tried to talk to them. Umpteenth-great grandnephews and grandnieces, and cousins so distant as to be almost without relation. They might as well have been strangers, bearing bits and pieces of her family in their faces and within bodies. Her brother's eyes or maybe his pianist's hands, her father's nose and clever smirk, her mother's smile and chortling laugh - all scattered like old, dead leaves amid unfamiliar traits. She had to look long and hard to find the familiar, hiding behind someone else's cheekbones, someone else's ears or brow. There was so little of her blood in them, after so long, and they saw nothing of themselves in her.

No, she had no one. She was the last. 

Thoris inquired, imperious and demanding, his antennae lashing minutely before curving forwards, "And your keth?"

Dagmar blinked, wondering what part of her response the male hadn't understood, what part hadn't made it across the cultural gap. Slowly, deliberately, she repeated herself. "I'm the last."

There was something truly horrible about the words –like nails holding a coffin shut while you were in it, still alive, still breathing. It was like suffocating and breathing too fast at the same time, dizzying and frightening.

Thoris left without another word; Andorians did not waste time with unnecessary small talk.

At this time in the story, Thoris had not yet been fully debriefed by the Terran government at that point, so he (and his staff) were largely unaware of Dagmar's precise circumstances beyond some vague mutterings from the Terran public media now and then - and those are not sources Thoris paid overly much attention to at the best of times. Even Shral and Thelen didn't really know, though they both paid a little more attention to the Terran side of things and noticed that Dagmar seemed to be on the wrong side of some public opinion or another. As she was a diligent worker and had never made any trouble during her time at the embassy, they let it go - a fact they later rued, to their chagrin.

The thing about Thoris in this scene is that he didn't quite know Dagmar yet, but he'd interacted with her before and found her to be reasonable enough as far as Humans go. He liked Dagmar better than the other translator who usually handled his paperwork, at least, and she was much more respectful of Andorian culture as well. She collected weapons herself and admired his arsenal with a keen, appreciative eye rather than the vaguely worried expression most of her compatriots sported. So, in short, Thoris was not entirely fond of Dagmar at this stage, and yet not entirely dismissive either. (And, of course, his personal aide had been making a fool of himself over the woman for a few months now, so she couldn't be completely useless.)

(This turned into a story fragment instead of an explanation, somehow... Enjoy!)

All that considered, hearing that she lacked keth and kin was a surprise to Thoris; he was compelled to wonder why? Was she an orphan, perhaps? If so, then why was she not adopted into another family? Or perhaps her parents had passed naturally, due to age - but then, where were her siblings, her cousins and nieces and nephews?

Thoris had been in politics for far too long to let anything obvious slip into his expression, but as he turned on his heel and stalked off the lack of information irritated him. He sent Shral to deep dive into the personnel files to see what could be found, while he himself reviewed what he actually knew of the Human translator.

When Shral came back with barely enough information to fill a single page on a datapad, all of it altered in the days after initial submission, Thoris did what he did best; he bullied the information out of some cowering politician, and kept going until he was read into whatever nonsense these Terrans thought was worth keeping secret.

And then, because the Vulcans had clearly found a way to bug his communications (bastards) they demanded to be included in the debriefing as well.

Finding out what, exactly, had happened to Gunnarssen was a shock. Thoris would never have guessed he was dealing with a Human from what was purportedly a much more uncivilized era in Human history - but even though the claims were outlandish, what evidence could be found was solid. Moreover, the reports answered his questions in full.

The Vulcan interim-ambassador had a snit about vital information being withheld, or as much of one as Vulcans could have without having some kind of aneurysm, and Thoris - Thoris processed. The implications of the report were profound, and he would be going over the detailed reports very thoroughly in the future.

Meanwhile, the Vulcans demanded that the Human be dismissed for gaining employment under false pretences, despite the fact that the woman's documents had clearly been altered after being submitted to the embassy, and none of the alterations changed the fact that Dagmar Gunnarssen still had all of the correct qualifications and clearances for her position.

Truthfully, Thoris was furious that the information had been withheld from him in the first place, and he made that perfectly clear to everyone in the room. Then, when the fury passed, Thoris began to turn the information over in his head. Perhaps there was a way to turn this into something useful? No keth meant no ties - no security, no sanctuary, yes, but also no prior bonds or obligations. Clanless Andorians couldn't be wholly trusted, everyone knew that, but Humans were different, weren't they? A Clanless Human wasn't a saboteur or an infiltrator waiting for an opportunity. A Clanless Human was just... alone.

(Thoris rarely felt pity, having had that beaten out of him during his early years as a Guardsman a long time ago, but even so... there was perhaps a flicker of it, then. Just one, very briefly.)

He could, perhaps, use such a creature to his benefit. Gunnarssen got along with his staff, after all. She spoke their language, ate their food - and she didn't seem to mind the cold overly much, either. His chief of security spoke well of her, and his aide wasn't going to stop pining any time soon from the looks of it. They'd want to keep her around, if they could, and the other translators had no complaints about her work or her conduct. She was, barring today's incident, a model employee. Furthermore, Gunnarssen came into his employ of her own free will, and overcame quite a few obstacles to do it, as he was just now beginning to understand the full extent of.

So, why not? Why shouldn't he keep the Human? Indeed, the more he lingered on the Vulcan interim-ambassador's demands, the less inclined he was to dismiss Gunnarssen.

Besides, Vulcans had no business dictating who he employed, or any other Andorian citizen for that matter. Thoris certainly wasn't going to be the one to set that precedent! How dare they even try to meddle in his affairs! The very idea was intolerable!

Scowling, Thoris told himself he primarily was doing it to irritate the interim-ambassador and had Shral draw up the necessary paperwork that night.

He would see what, if anything, he could make of a Clanless Human. As an experiment, he thought. A trial.

(He didn't expect to actually start to like her, somewhere along the line.)

TL;DR? Thoris' POV in a nutshell:

Hope this answered anything! 💙

[iwonderwh0]

Toxic codependent coworkers (more like sentimentally attached. I really tried but it didn't turn out toxic, but rather everything but)

(AU where Hank and Connor work as partners for years(or at least months) prior to revolution, and not on deviancy cases)

Despite being an android Connor has apparent lack of respect to Hank's superiority status, and at first it drives Hank nuts. He thinks he must be broken and fills the form for condition tests, but they come back normal, and as Hank finds out he's pretty much the only one having problems in making his android partner listen to his commands. After that Connor becomes even more annoying, as if specifically messing with Hank.

Hank, spends month begging to be partnered with someone else. Finally gets his wish granted and for one case he gets partnered with someone who is actually listening to him with respect and doesn't do or say weird shit. And it feels so off and boring that the next week or even day all he does is quietly asks to get Connor back.

This change made him aware that although sometimes annoying, his work has become much more fun and bearable with the presence of this specific android in it. It actually helps him forget things and distracts him enough from his regular thoughts for him to almost feel like fully-functional human again. Despite how much he hates overtime work, he's now occasionally taking some, especially on some holidays that he couldn't bear the thought of spending alone. This change of character is a bit shocking for everyone to witness, but Connor pretends to not notice, sparing him sarcastic notions this time.

Connor, being an android basically never leaves his work place. He leaves sticky notes on Hank's desk to report to him everything minor that happened in his absence, like overnight. The observations he's sharing aren't exactly worthy of a report, it's just things like "Someone had broken the coffee machine again (can you guess who?)", "That guy who came to report his stolen bike had a living rat in his pocket 🐀", "I've counted 12 spiders in this room alone, do you think I should give them names?"

He does that just out of boredom. He used to message Hank before, but the other threatened to block Connor's number if he keeps messaging him about work in his spare time, so now he's just leaving him notes. Sometimes they're just "Your shirt is ugly today" and Hank goes "How did you know which one I'll be wearing?" to which comes the response "Hank, we both know that they're all ugly"

In Hank's phone Connor is named as "smartass", periodically being renamed into other names. What Hank doesn't know is that Connor is aware of every name change. One time he makes it clear by saying something like "I can't believe I finally got promoted to Connor in your contacts. Not plastic asshole or smartass. I'll miss robot emoji tho."

One time Connor mentions that he charges his battery in the morning before Hank arrives and this fact now consumes his thoughts. So much that one day he shows up an hour earlier just to see that. When he doesn't account for is that Connor is deeply moved by this his decision and is like

"You hate waking up early, but you came here today an hour before your shift starts just to see me? Oh..."

For a moment Hank is embarrassed and half-expects his snarky partner to make fun of it, but instead he's just...so glad to see him it almost makes him feel bad.

Android doesn't rest and Hank can't help but feel kinda bad for him, even though he knows he's just humanizing him and shouldn't bother. Sometimes he's almost certain that he looks tired, but can't really explain what gives him such an impression.

One time Connor fucks up bad. For a regular reason of deciding to do something without being given a command to do so (which in absolute most cases was resulting in their favour before). For all Hank knows, such cases should be reported and usually result in temporary detention. But Connor is an android. He apologies frantically and visibly panics thinking about what it could mean for him. Hank ends up taking all the blame – the report on the case doesn't mention Connor doing anything out of line.

After that Hank can't deny feeling a sense of responsibility for his partner. After deviancy cases started to spread out, every android at the station is required to be tested weekly. As his partner, Hank is required to run those tests on Connor. The really first time results show "deviant".

Hank looks at him for a long moment

"I knew it."

"You're a good detective."

He marks the results as negative in the record. From now on they both keep pretending that everything is as usual. Hank never missed the day of assessment to keep marking "negative" under Connor's deviancy status, but Detroit is becoming more and more unstable. They start to get assigned their first deviancy cases. They let everyone escape and wonder how long they can keep doing this before they're both replaced. One day Connor receives the key to Jericho. Hank encourages him to get the hell out from DPD the same day it happens.

He gives him his gun and some money, they both dispose of his android uniform and Hank helps him to remove his LED. He says to throw it away, but actually saves the LED in his pocket in case it happened to be the only physical reminder he has left. They hug goodbye and part ways.

Hank fills the resign form the next day.

[ozzgin]

I've been rewatching One Punch Man and the thought about a painfully average looking reader being so strong is stuck in my head

Like maybe the reader works at like a small restaurant that she's been working at for basically all her life and she just get so strong from doing basic chores and having the mental capacity to deal with bad customers

Maybe like one of the baki characters went to try the restaurant out and maybe gotten a big crush on the waiter, whose being harassed by some rando

But before the can tell the guy to scurry on out of here or get a swing at him, she just completely knocks him out with like a punch to the face or something, and maybe the guy was really big like nearly the size of a bear

Or we can take the Garou route and say that Yujiro decided to try the restaurant out just cause' and is like really demanding, enough to get the reader pissed and correct their behavior

And their way of correcting behavior is basically "stop that" and then BAM, they suddenly he's transported in an alleyway somewhere, conveniently forgetting what happened before

Ooo, just imagine the reaction of the baki characters like your crush basically is the strongest person in the world, Yujiro doesn't even compare

Knocked him away with a simple punch even when he's fully prepared for her

This silly idea basically was brewing in my mind, and since this has lots of Yuji bullying, I thought you might like it

Funnily enough I have an older request that was in queue to be answered with basically the same concept! By the way, turns out I've already written a reader knocking out Yuujirou in one blow! I hope I haven’t built myself a reputation as a Yuujirou bully, although this post won’t help my cause.

Also, the whole idea of reader being insanely strong from menial labor reminds me a lot of Hajime no Ippo. Main character turns out to have top tier boxing potential from working at his mom’s fishing business and carrying heavy crates for the clients. Safe to say I like the reasoning a lot!

Baki Headcanons: One Punch! Reader

I’m leaving Yuujirou as a final opponent so to say, because otherwise the whole thing would be finished in 5 minutes. Imagine the anime intro with slideshows of nature scenery, and the narrator dramatically elaborating the plot and explaining why Yuujirou is the strongest creature on Earth. And literally the next panel he’s unconscious and reader awkwardly stares at the camera. Narrator coughs and has to mumble “Well I guess that’s it” and the curtains fall. That was it. That was the whole story.

So I’m going to go for a random buff stranger to showcase Reader’s strength. You have just finished taking Baki’s order. Maybe he took some of the men out to discuss certain matters. Maybe he wants to ask Retsu, Katsumi, Jack and Hanayama about their encounter with Pickle before his fight, to get some insight. He’s heard Katsumi has a big crush on the waitress here, so he picked the spot more as a joke to tease the Karate master. While attending the table there’s giggles, side glances and elbow nudges and you can only wonder why Katsumi refuses to speak (usually he’s very chatty with you) and the others have a grin on their face.

As you walk away, you notice your newer coworker struggling to handle a customer. He’s bowing repeatedly and apologizing for his mistake to a man wearing an indifferent yet sour expression. The large man begins to raise his voice and throws in a few inappropriate insults, so you gently push your coworker away, hinting that he should leave it to you, and you promptly take his place.

The customer seems to think you’re some higher up, next in line to beg for his forgiveness or perhaps suggest a discount as a peace offering. Nonetheless, he wants to make sure you understand your situation, so he stands up. Before he can open his mouth, you loudly and curtly exclaim “We unfortunately do not accept this kind of behavior. Leave, now.”

Several people have now turned their heads as the tension increases. Katsumi is uneasy and the rest of the men are also quiet, observing the unfolding event. Baki discreetly exits his booth, ready to interfere in case the situation escalates.

The man is visibly angered by your lack of fear. Once several of his threats go unanswered, he lifts his hand. By this point Baki is walking towards you. You sigh, not wanting to cause a scene. The whole thing happens rather fast, no one is entirely sure what they just witnessed, but the window is shattered, the stranger is crumpled on the sidewalk and covered in glass shards and you’re standing next to his table, fist clenched and bloodied up.

Calling the men ‘baffled’ would be an understatement. You have to explain several times that no, you’re not a professional fighter and you’ve never trained a day in your life. In fact, you’ve been working at this restaurant from the moment you could walk. It’s your family’s treasured business and you can’t see yourself doing anything else. Retsu is bewildered and demands to have your skills tested, because you could turn out to be a fearful martial arts user. A whole argument ensues and you compromise on joining them to the Underground Arena to demonstrate how far your strength goes. This evening only, and then you’re back serving customers.

Once you defeat Yuujirou, however, you’ve sealed your fate. You can’t just demolish the Ogre with one blow and walk away as if nothing happened…

*Now this is just a random thought that immediately came to mind when reading the request. Since Reader can easily beat Yuujirou, imagine the amount of people feeling like they’ve finally been avenged. It could even be a whole arranged spectacle. You know those fairs from cartoons, where one person sits above a small pool and you pay to throw a ball towards a target in order to drop them into the water? Same concept, really. There’d be a never ending line of people that have been wronged by Yuujirou somehow, so they throw some coins and Reader goes in for another punch. Yuujirou destroyed your gym? Threatened you on the street? Scared you so much you wet yourself? Gather around and enjoy the show for a small price.

[bonny-kookoo]

Jungkook

𝓣𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓒𝓪𝓻𝓮. [Teaser]

Jungkook loves his job, his life, his coworkers. He loves the smell of rain, loves the coolness of his bedsheets when he comes home and falls into his bed after a long day, loves the sometimes angry drunk people he's got to deal with, and loves the quiet children he takes care of when they've got into trouble. But you? That's gonna be a whole different level of love.

Tags/Warnings: Hospital/Medical AU, Doctor!Jungkook, slightly aged up!Jungkook, Hybrid!Reader, Dog Hybrid!Reader, another slightly heavy one but the comfort is strong with this hurt, angst, fluff, romance, strangers to lovers, blood, medical stuff, mentions of domestic (physical and mental) abuse, corruption, more TBA

Length: story is currently split into 5 parts, but could end up longer if you guys want.

-> Masterlist

⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅

Jungkook has given an oath to protect life, and he's aware of that- but he hopes whoever's up there above makes an exception for him when he has to commit a murder in the next few minutes.

"You better have a real good reason to ping me out of my bed at 3 in the fucking morning.!" Jungkook growls under his breath, walking into the staff room where Namjoon seems to have already been waiting. "The ER is empty- so is my bed, when I should be in it! Why am I here?" He whines, changing out of his clothes and into his scrubs- his shift is gonna start at 5 anyways, so it won't really be smart to go back home after whatever is going on that needs his attention so badly is done.

"Trust me, I hate ringing you out of your sleep." Namjoon sighs, as he slides a clipboard towards the young doctor, who slips on his shoes before he takes it to read over it. "Take a good look at it, and tell me what's fishy about it." He asks, and Jungkook adjusts his glasses, reading through all the medical jargon written down in handwriting he used to be unable to read.

"Are you trying to test me here?" Jungkook asks annoyed, though he keeps his attention mostly on the clipboard, moving page after page to find what his friend and coworker seems to be hinting at.

"No, I'm serious." Namjoon questions, crossing his arms.

The seriousness in his voice makes Jungkook focus a bit more, looking through everything when he flips a page back and forth. "Wait, that doesn't make sense.." He mumbles to himself, and Namjoon seems relieved that his best friend has seemingly found the issue as well. "How the hell does one get stabbed three times 'on accident'?" Jungkook questions, shaking his head. "On the thigh, too?" He wonders, looking at Namjoon in front of him.

"Owner said the patient had 'moved around' while he tried to remove the butter knife, forcing it back in twice." Namjoon offers, and Jungkook scoffs.

"Come on, stabbing someone with something as dull as a butter knife is already pretty impossible to achieve." The young doctor questions. "But really? And anyone believed him?" He wonders, looking through the vitals once more.

"Read the name again. The owner's, not the patient's." He asks, and Jungkook's eyes widen.

"Jo Dongsun? So that's why they're just gonna shrug it off?" He asks. "Cause he's an actor?"

"Probably." Namjoon sighs, walking back to take a sip from his cold coffee on the table. "But that's not.. entirely why I pinged you." He says, peaking Jungkook's interest as he's finally awake and alert enough, fully back in work-mode. "The patient- poor thing is refusing any up-close treatment, has to be put on local anesthetics, and you know that's not ideal." The young doctor says, walking out the door with his friend at his side, walking back into the ER. "And you've got a hand for things like that. Maybe you can try and make her feel more comfortable so we won't have to medicate her this much?" He asks, and Jungkook nods.

Hybrids are pretty sensitive to most human medications- their bodies still being studied, many side effects still being explored and explained. But until they're understood to the degree that the world understands the human body, they have to work with that they have- and adjust everything else. It's why people like Jungkook are so vital to today's medical system- he's talented in creating solutions for problems no one else would think of, keeps his studies up to date, and is most of all compassionate and kind even to the wildest of patients.

He's also got a certified degree proving his top knowledge when it comes to hybrid care specifically. It's why Namjoon had even proposed the idea to everyone to move you into Jungkook's care instead, though some aren't really on board with it, considering his rather.. wild attitude so to speak. He won't back into whatever the man will try and tell him happened- he will try and get to the bottom of this, no matter how much impact that guy has.

If he has to ruin a career to save a life, he will.

"I'll do my best. If it's a domestic abuse case she's probably pretty terrified." Jungkook mumbles more or less to himself, before he seems to arrive at the corner you're hidden in, curtains giving you some privacy. He doesn't know what to expect, really- even though he's read all of your data, everything he needs to know about your physical and mental state- he still won't know what he's dealing with until he goes behind that curtain.

And nothing in the world could've prepared him for what's behind that said curtain, as he pulls it back and catches his first glimpse of you.

[diagonal-queen]

omg! please i want to aks hunting dogs when s/o blows them a kiss, well, just baby tecchou and tachihara cuase someone would not be able to see it...

i had to read this like a million times before it hit me that you were referring to jouno. i thought you were just a fukuchi hater and you meant like he didn't deserve to receive your blown kisses (true)

When you blow them a kiss

♡ pairing: Tecchou Suehiro, Tachihara Michizou x gn!Reader

♡ synopsis: How do they react when you blow them a kiss?

♡ cw: Absolutely none!

note: I really don't wanna jinx anything, so I won't talk about how excited I am that my large and inescapable writer's block is seemingly passing. I will simply not say a thing. Apologies for errors and I hope you enjoy x

Tecchou:

He's a little confused at first ngl. He probably hasn't received treatment like this very much in his lifetime so he kinda just stands there and looks at you like a lost puppy T-T

You have to explain to him what it means. Then he's like 'Ohh...' and then his face just slowly starts turning red lol

If you do it any time from then on he goes along with it (either 'catching' the kiss or returning it), and after a while it just becomes instinct to him

Nobody dares to question him about it. Why would they? He's a Hunting Dog, and his heart is reserved for you only.

If you blew kisses to anyone else he would get super jealous lowkey. Like he might try to hide it but he'd be so bad at it and he'd ask you to reserve it for him because he feels that it's your guys' special thing

If you blew him a kiss while the other Hunting Dogs were around most of them probably wouldn't pay it too much mind. TERUKO on the other hand-

She'd start bullying you guys so bad omg. It'd be like a legit problem she'd mock you so hard she would forget to do her damn job

Overall though? Tecchou loves it, but he's more enamoured with the person blowing the kiss rather than the kiss itself (that's you!)

Tachihara:

He's a member of the strongest military unit in the country. He's a solider. He successfully infiltrated the mafia. He's taken many lives. He's Tachihara freakin' Michizou. And when you blow him a kiss, he is flabbergasted.

I mean fully taken aback. Red faced, wide eyed, eyebrows raised, frozen in surprise. Altogether adorable.

Tachihara acts so suave and charming all the time but when you reciprocate it by blowing a kiss? He honestly gets so shy

If you did it in public, especially around his coworkers (HD or PM), he'd almost have a meltdown. He's so flustered it's insane

He's like 'Don't do that! At least not right now!!' and he pretends that he didn't love it. He wants to maintain his 'badass gangster' image even though in reality he's so soft and goofy

Tachihara would one HUNDRED percent start doing it to you. He'd try so hard to get you to react the same way he did the first time. If he succeeds he acts like such a smug bastard, but if he doesn't he will never stop trying

You and he will always do it in private though. I mean he'd prefer to just...kiss you, but if for any reason he can't, blowing him a kiss will suffice

It may or may not become a regular thing. Either that or he'll forever do his best to one-up you and fluster you. Both outcomes involve affection from Tachihara so it's a win-win, really.

taglist~ ♡ @gettinshiggywithit, @fedyushka, @flower-of-darkness, @bejeweledgirl

[yumeka-sxf]

A chronological analysis on Twilight and Yor - Part 16

*This is part of an ongoing post series. If you missed the Introduction/Part 1, click here*

----------

Twilight must have realized that what happened with Fiona was still bothering Yor, since he decides to secretly follow her the next day. When he sees that not only is she still depressed, but the neighbors are starting to gossip about his integrity as her husband, he knows that he has to do something fast. But since understanding women's true feelings is not his forte, especially a woman as atypical as Yor, all he thinks this would lead to is her innocently telling Yuri her concerns about Fiona, and in turn, Yuri would want to arrest him for being an adulterer…he still has yet to consider the possibility that Yor cares enough about their (fake) marriage to actually feel jealous.

He decides that in order to clear up any misunderstandings, he needs to talk to Yor and explain to her that Fiona is simply his coworker. He invites her to the bar under the ruse of simply wanting to have a drink with his wife. At the same time, Yor doesn't understand why Loid suddenly invited her out, though she senses that he wants to tell her something…and right away, her imposter syndrome creates the worst possible scenario in her head: that Loid invited her out for a final farewell drink because he's going to make Fiona his new wife.

When he mentions Fiona's name (but doesn't get to finish his sentence because Yor freaks out), that's enough to make Yor see no other outcome besides what she had been dreading since Fiona first visited them at the house. She then tries to put things in perspective – she tells herself that their marriage had only ever been for self-interest, and if Loid really wants to be with Fiona now, she should accept that fact with dignity. But as she tries to tell him that she'll withdraw from the marriage if that's what he wants, the words just won't come out.

In the episode where Yor took cooking lessons, she was finally starting to realize that being part of the Forgers gives her happiness...probably the first happiness she'd ever desired for herself alone and not for someone else. But the realization that Loid's happiness may lie elsewhere, is extremely conflicting for her: on the one hand, she of course wants him to be happy. She even thinks to herself that it's not about her, it's about helping him find happiness because that's how she's always lived her life – thinking of other people's wellbeing before her own.

But now, for what could possibly be the first time, the desire for her own happiness is gnawing in the deep recesses of her mind, vying for attention too. And, even though she doesn't yet fully understand those feelings, they're what's preventing her from simply congratulating Loid on his new wife and moving on. In a last desperate effort to tell him what her "mind" but not her "heart" wants to tell him, she chugs down a ton of booze (much to his concern).

Ironically, she downed all that booze in the hopes that it would enable her to tell Loid that she accepts his decision to marry Fiona. But instead, it brought out her true feelings, enabling her to finally ask him the question that had been bothering her for days: what exactly is his relationship with Fiona?

Her uninhibited remarks continue as she insists that she's a bad wife and not pretty like Fiona. She even brings up the time when she and Loid first met at the tailors and he had said that she was pretty, which she now is thinking was a lie (which shows how trusting she was of him even way back then, and how quickly that trust can be shattered in a vulnerable moment). At the same time, Twilight finally starts putting two and two together, coming to the conclusion that Yor isn't upset simply because she feels inferior to Fiona, but because she's jealous of her…and to him, jealousy in a woman in such a situation could only mean one thing: romantic feelings.

At this point in the series, I believe that Yor has a slight crush on Loid (though she doesn't realize it) and Twilight has some kind of special fondness for her (though he doesn't realize it). So when confronted with the idea that Yor could be romantically in love with him, he does what he always does when feelings that he doesn't want to deal with start to well up inside – he reverts to complete "Twilight Mode." And with that, he brings out the honey trap method he's used with many other women in his career. He turns on the charm and goes through all the standard romantic cues – clutching her hands in his, staring deeply into her eyes, slightly shifting guilt to her by asking if she still trusts him, and maintaining a serious, earnest expression and steady voice.

Obviously he doesn't want to lose her, and he thinks that if he doesn't at least pretend to reciprocate her romantic feelings, that's exactly what will happen. He tells himself that a good spy would be remiss not to utilize her feelings to better his own situation. I'm sure, in his mind, the outcome would be obvious: she'd be taken in by his reciprocation of her love, and they'd continue their relationship without any further disturbance to his mission, just like it was with every other woman he honey trapped before. But unfortunately for Twilight, he still has yet to fully realize that Yor is not like other women, and all his by-the-book methods of wooing won't work on her. In fact, his actions have the opposite effect. Rather than calm her down, his sudden forwardness only makes her panic even more. After all, a romantic confession was not what she had in mind – all she wanted was the reassurance that Fiona is nothing more than a coworker to Loid and that he still wants Yor to be his wife. But Twilight, with his ever-calculating mind and insistence on compartmentalizing people's feelings, jumped several steps ahead, overly simplifying the situation as "jealously equals romantic love, and romantic love must be met with romantic love (even if it's fake)."

We know from Yuri's first visit that Yor is just not ready for any kind of intimately romantic contact, and because she already has some feelings for Loid, she gets even more flustered when he's involved. When she's that emotionally unstable, especially when she's drunk, the only way she can let out her pent up emotions is through (unintentional) violence. That's exactly what happened when she and Loid were about to kiss in front of Yuri, and it's what eventually happens during this disastrous date at the bar. Not only was Yor already stressed out from the anxiety about Fiona she had bottled up inside for days, but now she was also drunk and volatile. So when Loid suddenly pressures her with a completely unexpected romantic confession, that was her breaking point. But this time, Loid doesn’t have Yuri to take the hit for him and he gets to feel the full wrath of Yor's outburst head on (or chin on in this case…she really must have held back or he would have definitely lost some teeth!)

Of course, she didn't mean to hurt him and immediately apologizes. But Twilight continues the one-sided train of thought he had before – since his confession of love didn't work, the only thing that could mean is that he was wrong and she doesn't have romantic feelings for him after all. It makes sense for him to conclude this because now he no longer has to be burdened with the fact that he might actually have such feelings for her too – in his mind, her kick was a rejection, so no need to think about pursuing his relationship with her further, which is perfectly convenient for the spy side of him (but a cop out in all other respects). But as the full force of the blow he took begins to hit him and his consciousness becomes fuzzy, his "Twilight Mode" starts to break down. He's so used to having everyone figured out, but this time, his analysis of the situation failed. For what could possibly be the first time, he read someone completely wrong, which forces his already wavering mind to go into panicked overdrive. He begins rapid-firing second guesses about his previous assessment: If Yor really doesn't have romantic feelings for him, then why was she acting that way earlier? Was she trying to do a reverse honey trap on him? Is she actually a spy too? How could someone like him completely botch an emotional analysis that badly?

Finally, just as he's about to pass out, he has no choice but to conclude that being with Yor has thrown him off balance…probably the only truthful thought he's had the whole night.

Continue to Part 17 ->

<- Return to Part 15

[castleclerics]

ABSOLUTELY INSANE NINA PROJECT PARALLELS FROM FUTURE MAN S2 (2019)

so there i was…. minding my own business watching s2 of a show i watched solely for josh hutcherson. then suddenly… he wakes up out of a simulation in a bathtub.

anyways once he fully awakes he’s greeted by literal female brenner

i don’t even think i have to explain the next screenshots so just look at this shit

she tells him she's from the future and she went back in time because she believes he's the only person with "the skills to save our world" similar to how owens tells el the same thing in 4x03

this part is crazy to me because i already had a theory that if el did the massacre, that her sending one through the gate was something her own mind made up.

anyways so the reason they put him in the simulation was to ask him questions about this guy (its a really long story) but like in the og timeline this doctor creates a cure but it destroys humanity so josh wakes up in another timeline where he didn't save the world, where stu, josh's former coworker, takes place of the og doctor. but it's interesting to think about since brenner was trying to have el find henry all this time and what if he wanted to see what questions her brain could answer about him to collect info on him or something??

el saying to brenner "i came here to try and understand who i was." LIKEEE

he asks if he says no to the simulation process then what would happen so she tells him they'll wipe his memory and "the only side-effect would be the lingering sensation like something was off. it would just be gnawing at you never more than a shadow." which reminds me of el laying in bed and getting flashes of the massacre in 4x03.

anyways onto the twin/clone stuff !!!!!!

he escapes into the desert after this so og josh doesn't end up getting killed. so basically they clone josh to see which version of him will be the correct one powerful enough to take down stu. also og josh ends up stumbling into a room of all of his dead clones :)

AHEMMM el commiting the massacre........ (for backstory in s1 he blew up a building to save the world so it was for good) and brenner recreating henry over and over…..

also just look at all the screenshots it literally looks like it was filmed where s4 nina scenes were filmed...

btw i'm still making a masterpost thing of how el rly did do the massacre it's gonna take a while bc i still have to do a little more analyzing and go over alllll of nina

there's literally more parallels but i can't fit them in this post but they aren't too important, more just to show the writers genuinely got inspo straight from this. anyways how fun right my jaw was on the floor watching this

[sonicasura]

Kafka was in the Godzillia Monstervers for 50ish years?! Jesus Christ, once Kafka is back home everyone is in for a shock and a half! The himbo have had decades to get used to his kaiju powers!

9 is in for some real trouble in this univers than in canon.

Reno is the only one who knows about the whole thing once Kafka came back. The poor man hugged his clueless coworker cause he thought the plan to get home wouldn't work. (To Reno, he was gone for 10 minutes not 50+ years.) Kafka explains the story back at his apartment alongside put up some personal items he gotten.

Now he hasn't fully mastered his kaiju powers yet. That requires understanding the still dormant kaiju. However he can partially transform any part of his body, harden faster and even use some kaiju powers such as regeneration in human form. Kafka still fully transforms when he saves Kikoru alongside the fight against Kaiju 9.

He also has a more healthier mindset about his abilities thanks to the lessons from the Iwi. Basically 'I am thou and Thou art I' or the shitty live action Dragonball Revolution scene of 'I am Goku/I am Oozaru'. Kafka doesn't always want to rely on his kaiju powers though.

Even his human side needs to put in the effort. There is a slight change to Kaiju No. 9's escape. Kafka manages to nick the mushroom man's core before he escaped mushroom spore style. A personal reminder that the kaiju almost perished for his transgression.

[our-aroace-experience]

Hi! So this is probably going to be a long and messy rant, but I had a fight with my allo friends recently about the feelings I have for a co-worker, and I just want to know what fellow aroace people think about this situation.

For context: I have a coworker that I have feelings for, but I'm not sure exactly *what* those feelings are. I spent a long time overthinking whether my feelings where platonic or romantic, and I decided to tell my best friends so I could get their help or support.

When I mentioned my coworker has a partner, my friends shut me down completely.

They told me to forget about it, that I shouldn't be friends with my coworker, and that I needed to keep a distance from said coworker.

I explained to them that I just wanted to be friends. I told them I didn't want a romantic relationship with my coworker, I wanted a fully platonic relationship, similar to the one I currently have with my best friends.

None of it mattered. My friends were more concerned with how my coworker's partner would view the friendship.

They said since my coworker is in a relationship it doesn't make sense to spend time with them one on one outside of work. They even went so far as to say if my coworker developed feelings for me it would put my coworker in a tight situation.

It felt like they were saying if I felt romantic attraction then that meant something was going to happen, even though I have zero interest in a romantic relationship. And it felt like they were putting a stranger first before putting me, their friend, first. So I tried to further explain my feelings and why I was so confused about everything.

And my friends said that if I saw my coworker as just a friend then I shouldn't be questioning my feelings :')

I was heartbroken because in almost a decade of friendship this was the first time that I felt my friends didn't respect, or at the very least didn't understand, my aromanticism.

I feel like I can never talk to my best friends about this type of stuff ever again. And how am I suppose to? I can't express how much their reaction hurt me.

They said I was overthinking things, and they're right about that, but my friends also don't understand how much of a big deal this was to me.

They even kept conflating my aromanticism with my asexuality and making comments about my aceness, even though asexuality wasn't apart of the conversation at all. I know 100% I am not sexually attracted to my coworker. The question was whether I'm platonicly attracted or romantically attracted. And even if my feelings are romantic, I don't want a romantic relationship.

I want to be friends with my coworker. I want to hang out with them and learn more about them. Is that really such a crime when I don't fully understand my feelings?

I guess what I want to know is, am I in the wrong here? In this situation, am I the problem?

i don’t see why being friends with someone would be bad, but i hope it’s worked out for you!

[the-mandawhor1an]

Question tag game

I've been tagges by @djarins-cyare a while ago and finally get to it. Thank you for thinking of me 💜💜💜

Answers under the cut ⇓⇓⇓

Do you make your own bed?

Not on the regular. I am a human raccoon and live in eternal chaos. My bed is only made when we have people over and they might have a look into the bedroom to see the cat. Or when it hits me and I have one of these days where I feel the urge to deep-clean the bedroom.

Favourite number?

17. I dont know why but the number jus speaks to me. Also, kind of feel good about 12, it's a nice number. Very versatile. Probably the number I gravitate toward when I have to think of a random number.

What’s your job?

I am a development engineer to put it simply. My official job description will lead to me having to explain quite a few things. It's a niche industry and I am intentionally vague about it, as it's probably easy to find my workplace and in return me if I tell you. What I can say is, I am considered a photonics engineer and work with lasers daily.

I lovingly call myself 'smartass with a licnse'. Engineers are a little smartassy. Also, my 'expertise' will have some significance to the Reed Richards filth that still sits in my wip folder.

If you could go back to school, would you?

I'm not sure. The only 'step' I have left would be starting a PhD. Do I enjoy being an engineer? Yes. Are about half of my coworkers PhD holders and that makes me feel like the odd one out? Also yes.

Am I willing to switch my 40 hour work week to about 60 hours for the next 3 to 5 years? I'm not so sure. Also generally the pay for PhD students is not that great in good old Germany

Would I like to be a Dr-Ing one day? It would be cool. I bet my granddad would be proud, he was a professor himself. Kind of sad that he passed before I graduated.

Can you parallel park?

Yup. I do it rarely but my car is small and I am (mostly) confident in my parking skills. Unless Heehoo is with me because he has this talent to make comments about women's parking skills whenever I park my car perfectly and it annoys the ever-loving shit out of me.

Do you think aliens are real?

I think so. It used to scare me when I was younger but now the thought of being completely alone in this universe is a lot scarier. The universe is big. FUCKING BIG. It is next to impossible that there is no other life out there. There is the great filter theory but I don't fully subscribe to it.

Can you drive a manual car?

Not to bash the Americans on here but I believe most Europeans do? Yes, I learned in driving school, otherwise you're not allowed to drive manual after you have your license. Nowadays you can even do a hybrid of automatic and manual at driving school. Like 4 lessons are on the manual and the rest plus the exam are done on the automatic and you still get the license to drive both.

Also, my car (that has been running smoothly ever since it came back) is a manual. I've been driving mom's car for years before that which was automatic, it was a little difficult to get back into shifting gears but it takes one or two trips and it's all back and works on autopilot. Now when I drive automatic I find myself wanting to shift gears every now and then.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

I'm not sure I even have guilty pleasures. I enjoy my pleasures unapologetically these days.

Do you have any phobias?

Flying.

I know it's irrational as driving a car is infinetely more dangerous than flying but I can NOT stay calm when I feel the nose of the plane take a dive. I will claw into the arm rests and make the trip unbearable for Heehoo as well.

I have been on planes. I survived, obviously. It just doesn't feel nice so currently I can only stomach short flights.

Favourite childhood sport?

Probably dancing? Unless horseback riding is also considered sport.

Yes, you read that right.

I was a horse girl. I wanted to buy a horse when I started working. Well, haha, funny thought. I am paying off my car rn and I can NOT afford a horse whatsoever.

I am by no means an active person. The only movement I somewhat enjoy is rollerskating and taking walks. Sometimes swimming.

Do you talk to yourself?

Occasionally. A lot happens internally but sometimes I just vocalize my thoughts when I'm alone.

Do you have tattoos?

Currently I have two, both on my ribcage. A little fox (that I should just call Fink tbh)

The stretch marks really came out to say hi in this.

and some florals with Mando's helmet.

Mando will get an extension all the way down my leg with my Maia helmet and more florals. It will take some time tho. I need to save up some money for it. Plus I'm not so happy wih my body rn. Working full time really takes a toll on the body.

Favourite colour?

purple. Easy.

Do you like puzzles?

Jigsaw puzzles? They're okay. I have two 1500 piece puzzles hanging on the walls as decor. One in the kitchen, one used to be in the hallway. Now there hangs a collage of wedding photos.

I still have a halfway done Mando puzzle waiting to be finished and put into a frame. Idek where to hang it.

That's it

npt: @rivnedell @evolnoomym @zaddymandalorian @guiltyasdave @djarins-wife

(if you've already done it I'm sorry, it's been a while since this came around)

[nyaagolor]

What is Geeta like as a person? What's her relationship with Nemona?

I couldn't think of a way to organize this so it's just a bunch of bullet point headcanons now, sorry. Also it got really long so it's below the cut :)

I always saw Geeta as someone who was extremely intelligent and pragmatic but who has very poor social skills. She's graceful and smart and appears extremely put-together but she has the same obliviousness and pushiness that Nemona does. I actually think they're extremely similar, but while Nemona is just friendly and extroverted in nature, Geeta is more quiet and unnerving

Nemona and Geeta actually share many of the same qualities, both positive and negative. The same things make them excel in their respective fields (drive, intelligence, workaholic syndrome) and the same things cause them to be isolated from their peers (poor social skills, obliviousness, strong personality). I think they're both ultimately friendly, but come across extremely strongly and are accidentally intimidating because of the power / talent they hold in comparison to those around them

Geeta is extremely ambitious and goal oriented, which makes her an excellent administrator and somewhat painful to be around. I think she's very nice, don't get me wrong, but she's just hard to deal with because she's a bit Machiavellian and not always the most considerate of others' feelings (in the same way Nemona can be)

A huge part of the gym leaders' Issues (tm) with her is because of her strong personality. She's not mean or even a bad boss, but she's so intimidating by nature that no one is willing to air their grievances because they think she'll punish them. Unfortunately, Geeta is as oblivious as Nemona in that respect, and doesn't ever pick up the hints they drop about things they want changed. Gym leaders think Geeta is ignoring them or doesn't care, but she has no idea about this and thinks everything is dandy. She needs them to be blunt, but she's so unnerving that no one feels like they can be with her

The OTHER reason she gets along so poorly with the gym leaders is because she's a huge micromanager. She's quite nice, but getting a million checkups and reminders about things from your weird boss, no matter how well-meaning, is enough to drive anyone nuts especially when you're a full grown working adult

Something else that Geeta doesn't realize pisses off her coworkers is her tendency to not explain herself. She has very clear and logical reasons for all the things that she does, from how she distributes work to when and why she'll ask someone to take over for her in certain tasks. She never actually explains this to her colleagues, however, so it comes across as senseless, lazy, or random, which isn't really a good reputation to gain when you're the boss

Geeta is a complete workaholic and one of those people always trying to "optimize" everything. Woman who needs a chill pill and a vacation so badly. I'm convinced she sleeps in her office a few nights a week because "I can use that time to do more work instead of wasting it going home and back"

She sucks at battling and knows this. She is here trying to do the bare minimum as champion for the Paldean League to function so that she can save money until they can get a proper champion. She'll never say it, because she thinks admitting so would be bad PR, but she's *fully* aware of her team's issues and has zero intention of changing it. It's gogoat or bust she will die for that thing. It's always chewing on her hair in her office

Geeta adores Nemona, and genuinely wants her to be the next Top Champion once the position is uncoupled from the League. However, that requires more money than they currently have so she's waiting, since she knows that Nemona is not very good with paperwork and would rather focus on being the best battler she can. In the meantime, Geeta is her biggest cheerleader: she's always there for her, gives good advice, helps Nemona not make the same mistakes she did, and just otherwise keeps an eye on her. Geeta is fond of everyone in the academy, but Nemona reminds her of herself and she wants to see Nemona turn out better than she did

Ok ngl I think Geeta is just a bit of a weirdo (I mean this in the most affectionate way possible). She's not evil or hiding something or an alien or a robot or a pokemon or whatever she's just Like That

Geeta 🤝 Nemona Autism.

[shiftytm]

Realized I can post anything so

Junkie timeline ‼️‼️

//CW for mentioned: Drug addiction, Faked suicide and mild amounts of angst (putting here just in case)

-Junkie is a normal dude, hanging on by a thread after being fired from their job with rent due. (Fired because chronic pain made them bad at job.)

-Junkie hears about the club and the dealer from their shady coworker when packing their stuff from the break room.

-Being desperate and anxious about their overdue rent they decide to go, either they make rent or die trying.

-Dealer is neutral to Junkie at first, only really finds them amusing at their massive lack of confidence and constant awkward smiling.

-Dealer grants them leave when they suffer a gunshot wound upon loosing the second round, the non fatal shoulder one. He finds them pitiful and silly, truly someone the universe finds glee in with pulling its constant sick jokes on.

-Upon being jobless and almost homeless the junkie decides to grab a few things from their apartment and leaves a fake suicide note so nobody looks for them and they have closure so it's not the agony of them just missing. (Police investigation ruled mental illness caused them to commit, body location unknown.)

-Junkie returns to the club, hiding out in the bathroom during the days and challenging the Dealer to buckshot roulette every night so they don't get booted.

-Dealer and Junkie grow to enjoy one anothers company, occasionally playing a card game when Junkie gets badly injured enough.

-Dealer could fully be cruel and follow the rules but the prospect of someone coming back nightly and never looking at him with fear or disgust is too good to pass up.

-Eventually Junkie is missing for three nights straight, the Dealer is worried but doesn't do anything until the third night.

-Dealer searches the club and finds them in a bathroom stall all beat up and weak, he's not too happy the person who plays with him is like this but doesn't show it.

-Dealer just takes them to his hide out deep within the club and let's them rest on his bed. He gives them pain medicine (the good stuff) and continues life as normal besides checking on them every few hours.

-Junkie takes about three days to come to properly, first freaking out they're somewhere unfamiliar before seeing the Dealer and calming down. (Dealer starts crushing here,denies it)

-Junkie explains they got beat up for trying to steal some guys wallet, just so happened that it was the wrong guy that time.

-Dealer thinks they're dumb and sad, forcing them to stay here until further notice. He gives the excuse that he needs someone to watch his guns for security.

-Junkie happily accepts, happy to sleep in a bed and get consistent food for the first time in months.

-Junkie spends the days sleeping with the dealer (like literal sleep, mind out of the gutter/lh), and gets lonely at night when he's gone since they're on temporary ban until further notice.

-Snoops through his bedside drawer out of boredom one night, finds a hand mirror and sees reflection for first time in months (bathroom mirrors were too dirty and cracked, only showed blurry reflection)

-Junkie assesses themself and breaks down for the first time in months, lamenting their old life that was boring but at least normal.

-Blames themself entirely (truly it is their fault even if they were desperate and just trying to get by)

-Dealer comes back and kinda doesn't know how to deal with crying so he just tries to tell them all the things he likes about him, everyone loves flattery.

-Junkie calms down enough, first night they do anything with any level of intimacy (they're hugging and whatever, Dealer is secretly terrified if he did anything now he'd scare them away)

-The two keep growing closer, Junkie gets the temporary ban lifted and all is normal.

-Both develop mutual feelings the other doesn't know about.

-All is well until they receive the eye injury, Dealer is upset because he's afraid he's getting soft when his automatic response is panic.

-Junkie is very much intoxicated, joking about how they can't feel it and it'll be fine.

-An argument is sparked, Dealer snaps when Junkie makes a self deprecating joke about how "I'm not with much more than the gauze you're patching me up with."

-The two bicker and Junkie ends up getting upset despite what they're on. They get taken back to the hideout where they further argue and Dealer ends up pulling the "Because I love you or something okay?"

-Junkie denies it, accusing him of just saying that so he keeps them happy and the two end up ugly making out after arguing in one anothers faces.

-Both feel awkward when they wake up, Dealer tries to move on like nothing happened but Junkie is getting clingy before Dealer leaves for the night.

-Junkie wallows and gets embarrassed, scared that them being vulnerable annoyed the Dealer to the point of kicking them out.

-The entire night is torture for them, making them scared that this is their last day before sleeping in the bathroom again.

-Dealer comes back and finds them panicked and begging him to let them stay, he's confused and decides to do something for them .

-Dealer takes them to the roof of the club for fresh air, Junkie hasn't been outside in about a year so they're beyond thrilled.

-Dealer ponders briefly if he messed up with Junkie, knowing he was the technical reason they stayed here.

-The two kinda just unofficially date at this point, Dealer buys them new clothes so he can take them places (weird bars and restaurants that never seem to have humans)

-Junkie seems to get better with a semi normal life, more lively during Buckshot Roulette and in general.

-They end up relatively happy, unable to win due to the Dealer's massive unspoken insecurity they'd leave but given a few hundred with every round so they can get nice things.

-Junkie runs secret late night games, they don't really loose the Dealer just drags Junkie off and tells the player to go home.