#don't starve thesis

[waokevale]

A Clarification to Wormwood's Age (And why he's fully fledged without a shred of doubt)

So, as we all know or have heard some at point, there are still people out there, who think the peculiar lunar plantation is an infant, solely due to the way he speaks, behaves and of conviction that he was literally born yesterday. Which by all means is false.

That's why I'm here to finally dismantle that belief. I'll present you with several compelling arguments of mine based on throughout research I did on his character overall, and if by the end of this post, you'll still hold firm to that same opinion, then I'm afraid that's out of my hands by that point.

If you're willing to stay for the duration of this thesis, and hear me out, I'll be very greatful. And please do listen, so we may not make any more misconceptions as such about him in the future.

I'll be splitting this post into 5 segments, one with additional subcategories.

General Appearance

Behavioral Pattern

Intelligence

Character Interrelations

Canon Information

First of, let's start off with the obvious:

General Appearance

If we're going to interpret his appearance based on 'human qualities', then physically, compared to actual child characters, Wormwood's design is vastly different.

The easiest way for me to prove that, lies in one of the recent animations: (Swine & Dine), where all the (live) children are gathered in one place, alongside Wormwood and Wes.

Here, you can distinctly pick apart the difference between the three preteen characters, Walter, (who's likely supposed to be a teenager on the younger side; around 13-14), and the last two.

The most obvious difference is the jawline. Wormwood, for one, has a massive jaw, easily rivaling that of Maxwell's (while technically, this feature isn't reserved solely for adults, it is moreso common to see an adult with a define jawline, rather than a child.)

This, alongside his torso being usually depicted as an inverted triangle (at least in the official animations), seem to be features added intentionally somewhere post his release, as he looks much more childlike in his animation video, where he's still technically a sapling per se.

Even Several of Wormwood's skins showcase, that he is in no way meant to be seen in a juvenile way.

The best example of that being his Victorian skin.

Look me dead in the eye and tell me that's a child. That is one of the most indisputable old man portrayals, you can get from an anthropomorphic plant character in media. Do not try and argue, how a child is meant to look like that, because neither of the four actual child characters has a skin, which makes them appear that much significantly older than they actually are.

So what reason would Klei even have to make his skin look so apparently elderly, if they saw him as a child?

More examples of his mature skins could be said for the Roseate and Guest of Honor. While they're not outright elderly, as is the former, the general vibe is similar to that of other adult characters' portraits.

Now that we've compared him to human characters and their characteristics, we should take into consideration what he actually is. Let's remember, that at the end of the day, he's partially a plant organism and partially an inorganic crystal from the moon , certainly he ages much differently than us humans, or even most other constant species for that matter.

I'm pretty sure he was also formed with a fully developed body (since he seemingly bloomed shortly after forming, which is a trait reserved primarily for mature plants)

But then again, appearance alone isn't enough to make one truly adult, is it? Thus we're moving on to:

Behavioral pattern

Few things you'll immediately realize about Wormwood is his alleged naivety, playful nature and seldom use of grammatical correctness. Due to this, many immediately assume that he's a child, which is understandable, but not a good enough reason to make such an assumption.

There are many factors involved in building one's disposition, and in Wormwood's case, there's plenty of reasonable causes for his behavor:

As previously stated, he's quite literally a sentient amalgam of vines, brought to life by a jewel from the moon. His origin far disparates that of any known being, especially a human.

His mind develops much differently than that of an average person. This correlates with the point above (since its a big green gem in his chest and not an actual brain). Plus, he likely hadn't had the chance to have a proper education. While he seems to have picked up on a lot of mannerisms from the pigsfolk in Hamlet, I doubt anyone went out of their way to actually school him.

He's feral. The majority of his upbringing, he likely spent surviving in the jungle. In a way, he reminds me a lot of Tarzan (A human, who grew up raised by a troop of gorillas after his parents were killed. He can communicate with the local wildlife just fine, but deeply struggles understanding and relating to the outsiders; other humans, who one day arrived on his land.) That's likely the reason why Wormwood refers to certain creatures with mimicking the sounds they make. Perhaps he can understand them to a degree, or at least is trying to.

Just because he doesn't speak English, doesn't mean he's slow. It is plausible he speaks a different language, while English doesn't come naturally to him. As is the case with Wolfgang, who has similar speech impediment issues and struggles with saying full sentences, but that's quite literally because English isn't his mother tongue. It's been a running gag that Wolfgang is the embodiment of a European man, and whichever country/countries he might've originated from, it's definitely not the UK. As might be the case for Wormwood and whatever constant language he actually thinks in.

He has certain traits akin to people with autism/Asperger's or ADHD (Nonverbal communication, delayed language development, lacking social cues, sensitive nose, short attention span, hyperactive and somewhat impulsive behavior, wild or overexaggerated movement, struggle with fitting in, little sense of awareness etc.) And I'm speaking from experience with this one, he's quite relatable to me, and many of my friends on the spectrum.

With that let's move on to the third segment.

Intelligence

Just how smart is he truly?

Wormwood isn't regarded for his high intellect, that's for sure, but remember, intelligence isn't defined by just the book smarts society imposes on us. Therefore it doesn't always correspond to a person's age and experience.

Wormwood, while definitely not on a level of a Harvard graduate, is extremely intelligent and a quick learner at that.

Let's digest what we generally know about intelligence and what it really means for Wormwood.

With the main question at hand : What differentiates a child mind from an adults'?

While he certainly shares some personality traits with Webber, their mindsets are rather different.

I'd like to present my point with a simple method.(From that one Quora post, believe it or not, it was the most convenient out of all the theories and tests I found) Dividing that, which is known as thought process into five subcategories, of which are:

Cognitive Development

Life Experience

Responsibility and Independence

Emotional Regulation

Social and Moral Development

So let's start with Cognitive Development/Psychology

(Definition : The process of growth and change in intellectual/mental abilities such as thinking, reasoning and understanding. That includes: the ability to interpret information, verbally communicate ideas, appropriately apply words and gestures to given situations, recognize and differentiate various sounds, comprehend your surroundings, use past experience to resolve current or future problems more efficiently, etc. TLDR: How thought process changes with age ; Talking, hearing, reading, remembering, problem-solving, understanding, You get the point. )

By this point, Wormwood's acquired plenty of general knowledge of the world around him and what to expect from it. (In some cases, he seems to know things without realizing it, or simply wishes to not provide more info of what he's already aware of.)

He is capable of understanding various different things, applying appropriate words to them, when given the chance. He often struggles to properly phrase what he means, but you can still get around to grasp it.

And you know what? He's especially good at deducing things not every character can point out. Here are some of the more obvious to least obvious things he's mentioned:

Leaky teacup - "Can't drink from it"

Beaten Beater - "Hmm... Can't use it"

Start tower kit - "Need to plant it on the water"

Compass- "which way?"

N- "North

S- "South"

E- "East"

W- "West"

NE- "Northeast"

SE- "Southeast"

NW- "Northwest

SW- "Southwest"

(The direction one would seem pointless to add but let's remember that there literally are characters in this game who don't know which way is which cough cough Winona cough)

Clippings - "Can sell this hair"

Sapphire Medallion/Tenpiece oinc – "Can buy things now"

(the plant understands capitalism 👍)

Winona's GEM-erator (out of fuel) - "Oh. Needs sparky"

Telelocator Focus (missing gem)- "Needs Purple Shiny"

Telelocator Socket (missing gem)- "Where shiny things?"

The Queen of Moon Quay: "Oh...she thinks Night Ball is friend hair?"

(He might know who They are after all)

Beast of Hunger (1) - "Oh. Not alive"

(This, plus any other quote of his mistaking a statue or an object with distinguishable features as alive, does not make him dull; this world literally has statues coming to life. He simply uses a reasoning he acquired from living in the Constant.)

Rose-Colored Glasses – "Friends show Fixer friend secret things"

(Most character, barring Maxwell, Wendy and Wigfrid don't know about the glasses' true purpose)

Ancient chest - "Put stuff in there!"

(One of 4 characters to have an inclining what to do with it)

Greater Gestalt- "Protect"

Enlightened Crown - "Helps hear them"

(Okay, he definitely knows who They are)

Hound Corpse (reanimating) - "Coming back"

(He seems the least bit of surprised or disturbed by this, compared to everyone else)

Antlion (upset) - "Oh no. Needs gifts"

(interestingly, no one else seems to mention why the Antlion is upset)

Mysterious Energy- "Seed"

(...?)

Distilled knowledge- "Plant this in funny floor"

(he's the only one to have figured out what to actually do with it)

I think what we all can realize from going through his quotes, is that he's in no way as clueless as he initially seems. He has his moments, but so do the rest of the survivors.

Life Experience, Responsibility and Independence

This plant has lived through a lot, but then again so have the rest, a lot of them have faced countless hardships most of us can't even fathom.

From what we already know, the fandom generally believes he is very naive and trusting, which really isn't the case. The thing is, it's not that he's naive, he may not react especially negatively to a creature or thing because he's used to seeing bizarre things, or because he's not afraid of them, unlike the majority of the survivor cast, who are alien to the constant.

Barring the in-game mechanics which force characters to be competent regardless of their experience, we're going to focus on his reactions to mobs and items that might pose actual threat to him or others, or are considered as questionable by him.

Inflatable Vest - "Safe?"

Shadowcraft plinth - "Scary hands helping?"

Fish steak - "Watch for bones"

Candy Apple - "Careful! Don't eat stick! "

Platapine (sleeping)- "don't wake it"

Sentrypede husk - "Sleeping. Shhh"

Sea Stack - "Oops! Watch out!

Great Tree Root - "Oh! Don't bump into friends!"

Worm hole (open) - "Deep. Dark"

(When deerclops is near) - "Something scary coming!"

Pressure plate - Hmmm...Odd rock"

Dread mite (about to explode) - "Look out!"

Shadow Reaper - "No...Wants to hurt friends!"

Depth Worm (lure) - "Hmm... not safe"

Depth Worm (burrowed) - "something hiding"

Meat bulb - "Careful!"

[The fish quotes in DST + the candy Apple are giving me an image of him saying that to the child characters (and definitely Woodie for the latter)]

Independence-wise, the one thing I especially took notice of, is how much the child characters seek guidance from the adults in the group, mentioning them by their formal titles too. That's especially frequent with Webber, Wurt, and Walter, though Wendy rarely does this. On one hand, she claims she considers toys and fun to be behind her, but contradictory, enjoys playing with other children and some of the adults. (Besides we canonically know she's 10-11 years old)

Wormwood isn't known for wanting to seek guidance either. He's sometimes confused about how certain things work and thus will ask about it, but that's understandable given his predicament. (As @thebleedingalien once mentioned, he's like an extraterrestrial experiencing bits and pieces from 2 different worlds at once)

He doesn't really care to play with toys either, (barring a couple of instances, one being Bernie and the others; toys with wheels and Antlion's sand castle. But c'mon, I know some of you grown adults own toy cars/collectibles or build sandcastles when you have the tools, you can't lie to me and say neither of these things is fun. Plus, this post is literally about a video game character, and those, not too long ago, were considered childish.

And besides, adult characters in this game also goof around. There's the whole sand castle building thing in Shipwrecked, which curiously Wormwood doesn't have a strong opinion on.)

But if we were to compare his maturity to other adult characters…

(Wilson) [aside his many, many jokes]: Silk- "It comes from a spider's butt."

(Willow) Portal Exit - "It's fun to watch OTHER people fall on their butts."

(Wolfgang) Coral Nubbin - "Haha. Rock is bald."

(WX-78) Regular Jungle Tree (normal and stump) - "THIS DUMB TREE HAS A DUMB FACE"

(Wickerbottom) Weregoose - "My! What a silly goose!"

(Wigfrid) Plant (ready to be picked) - "Ugh, vegetables. I'm nöt sure what I expected..."

(Woodie) Ghost - "Boo! Ha ha!"

(Winona) Kingly Figure - "It's BUST-ed! Ha!"

(Maxwell) Frazzled Wires - "I might hide those in WX-78's bedroll if I get bored"

(Wortox) [But if we were to pick an example of many] Potato Sack- "Hyuyuyu, wouldn't it be fun to hide inside and give him a scare?"

Yeah, I think he's good.

In this section I don't really have much else to say. He can be cautious, he can be daft. He joggles the braincells alongside the rest of the survivors. But all in all, I would not consider him any more reckless or goofy than either the child or adult characters. Independence wise, while he can absolutely manage just fine on his own, his desire for companionship far outweighs that.

And since we've already talked about maturity, let's move on to:

Emotional Regulation

Despite common belief, Wormwood is not overly emotional. While, yes, he is excitable and easy to impress, he doesn't usually display intense negative emotions, unless something (more often than not wooden) is destroyed, or unless a plant or a creature he likes, suffers. But then again, in those situations, it's logical to display panic, worry and grief. Imagine if your family member or friend suddenly caught on fire and burned before your eyes... Yeah, I bet no one morally adjusted would be the slightest bit of composed in those kinds of situations...

Worse yet, the majority of the Constant is filled with plants, most of whom are his friends, the closest to his kind, beings which display varying amount of sentience...

In actuality, the children, including Wendy, display a shift in emotions much more often than Wormwood does.

Then there's Willow, WX-78, Woodie (birds) and Maxwell, who all have even less emotional stability.

In comparison, I'd say he handles most situations much more maturely and nonchalantly.

Social & Moral Development

Ah yes, the ability to difference right from wrong, morality, patos or however you would call it. Now this one's a little tricky, on one hand, while he may react strongly to a plant's demise, his reaction varies, when it comes to animals and structures. Sometimes, he doesn't really bat an eye, frankly, other times, he displays intense amounts of grief.

I guess that's the definition of selective empathy.

Curiously, he has 2 separate quotes for a pigeon. One from Hamlet, where he seems a lot more distressed when it perishes, and the other, from The Gorge, where he simply states the fact "Oh. Dead."

I'd like to think this was intentional to sort of give him that fading care many of us experience as we grow older.

Here's another example:

[Hamlet] Glowfly (dead) - "(sob)"

[DST, Host of Horrors update] Koalefant Carcass - "Braump...? Not anymore"

Regarding the other survivors; for the most part, he sympathizes with them. Though he doesn't panic much when they die from average constant shenanigans. He knows it's not permanent or consequential.

He does show sympathy, when some of the others' precious belongings get destroyed or damaged.

Winona's Catapult (burnt)- "Fire bad"

Winona's Spotlight (burnt)- "Oh. So sad"

Mighty Gym (burnt)- "Oh... poor muscle man..."

Or in some instances, when a character strongly disapproves of something/is emotionally hurt and he takes notice of that:

Nautipilot - "Robot friend doesn't like Pull Rock"

Mocking Bird - "Mean tweeters, hurt friends' feelings!"

What's interesting, is that, while he calls many creatures his friends, he specifically avoids calling Maxwell that. He even considers Lucy, Willow and Woodie his friends, which is just... wow. May he harbor a grudge against him for what he did to the other survivors? Something more personal? Or is it moreso related to the fact he's fully siding with the shadows... Most likely the former.

Overall I would say he's definitely more empathetic than not, and one doesn't have to care for every living being after all.

Character Interrelations

Regarding what other characters think of how old he is...

It's debatable, keep in mind, the characters don't have to be fully aware, or can misinterpret his age based on his behavior alone.

Most people just refer to him as "plant", unsurprisingly.

There's characters like Winona, who seem to intentionally downplay his age. Winona in her quotes refers to both Wormwood and Wilson (who's officially in his 30s) as 'bucko' (a lively, young fellow. Or in some cases a friend, or another version of buddy). As for her quotes for Bramble trap and Compost wrap, she refers to Wormwood with the terms 'lil plant fella' and 'little guy'. She pretty much just teases people who are younger than her or seem younger. Or she genuinely believes he's actually that young.

There's plenty instances of people calling him a variation of little, small or sapling, which might just be how they see him. Keep in mind, just because a character may think he's on the younger side, does not mean their interpretation is the absolute firm belief you should uphold.

Then, there's Wolfgang and Wurt, who both firmly believe that he's a grown adult.

(Wolfgang) Generic - "Is leafy green man, %s! Hello!"

Firestarter - "Leafy green man did a fire booboo."

Syrup of Ipecaca - "Will leafy green man be sad if Wolfgang doesn't have a taste?"

(Wolfgang only calls him little once in his quotes, because he calls everyone little, children though, he refers to as very tiny + boy/girl/child, so there's that.)

(Wurt) Attacker - "Ow! You mean old weed!"

You might think; why would I care about what a child and a man who's considered to not be so bright think? Well, my previous point about language barriers explains that. Besides, Wurt is a constant-born creature who builds an entire kingdom in her play style, by no means, is she clueless. She also refers to Deerclops and Antlion as 'She', while most of the other characters use he or it.

What's interesting is that Wickerbottom also tends to avoid referring to him with youthful terms, aside the obvious general one she uses for everyone and everything. If anything, she's more patronizing towards Woodie, Wilson, Winona and Wigfrid. (All of whom are in between their late 20s-40s)

Lastly, we have:

Canon Information

While there isn't much information relating to his age, there are hints in the game canon that explain that.

In the game's compendium, where reside the survivors' profile, backstory and description, three of the four kids have 'young' in their introduction. Barring Walter, who instead has 'boy' which is as much of a youthful term. Wormwood's simply stated as 'an amalgam of vines' not a seedling, sapling nor a young/little plant.

From his backstory, we know that:

"A green gem fell from the moon, landing on an ancient stone monument in the middle of overgrown rubble. Over a long period of time, a vine encircled the gem and eventually formed a humanoid figure sitting on the monument. The figure, Wormwood, opened his eyes and looked at his hands. (...)"

(Now this simply explains, that a lot of time has passed as he was forming, unlike what's shown in his animation, where his body instantly forms.)

There's also this part of his bio.

“Though the circumstances of his creation were unusual at best, Wormwood came into this world full of optimism and curiosity, ready to make new friends and see all that life had to offer. But as time wore on and he experienced the cold sting of rejection, he came to learn what the moon above had always known: Wormwood the Lonesome does not belong here.”

It's implied that a while has passed since his birth. Everyone assumes that he was just created recently and that he doesn't know anything, but as I've shown you previously, he's very perceptive when it matters. He has the knowledge and experience, even insight or a hunch. He is able to determine things others can't. Ever since Hamlet happened, his quotes gradually became somewhat more apathetic towards creatures dying, as opposed to the worry and care he previously displayed.

I wouldn't say he's exactly an adult the same way the human characters are, but he's in no way a child as many presume him to be.

(It actually kind of reminds me of how certain Greek gods are created; some are formed as adults, some grow and then eventually stop, and some come to be under very strange and specific circumstances, Aphrodite. But overall, you can't exactly compare their maturing process to that of a human.) Meanwhile, Wormwood is an alien plant with a crystal for a brain

So by the end of this post, are you still inclined to believe he's a child?

Was this completely unnecessary and took far too long to construct? Yes.

Do I regret making this? Nah.

[violetrainbow412-blog]

Day 17: "I hate it" "No, you don't"

Masterlist flufftober 🎃

Reblog if you liked it!

It was late when you received the call from your boyfriend. It wasn’t unusual for him to call and ask if he could spend the night at your place after work (when there wasn’t a case that took him to another state), and of course, you gladly accepted, eager to see him for a bit longer. Your relationship was relatively new, just past the six-month mark, but Spencer’s noble and chivalrous character had allowed you to trust him quickly enough to let him into your space.

You had met in a book club, and he had captivated you with his analysis of "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl. His eloquence, the way his hands moved, that whole vibe of an intelligent college student... it was inevitable that you would approach him to talk. That’s how you both started chatting occasionally, and as the months passed, what was meant to happen, happened.

“Good night,” you murmured softly as you saw him standing at your door. “Come in.”

He smiled widely when you took his hand to guide him inside, and he made sure to respond to your greeting. The first thing he did was take his briefcase off his shoulder and place it on one of your wooden chairs, accompanied by his checkered scarf.

“Were you already asleep?”

“No, I’m just finishing some things. You know, my thesis work and all that,” you exclaimed, lacking much enthusiasm.

Not everyone was a genius like him, so if Spencer wanted to hang out with people his age, he had to endure the academic struggles of a college student.

“Poor you.”

You enjoyed his compassion, and it was at that moment that you moved closer to hug him, a contact he reciprocated with great pleasure. You didn’t want to be rude enough to say it out loud, but from the very first moment you formalized your relationship, you realized how starved he was for touch. And not explicitly in a sexual sense, but simply to be caressed in any way. To someone from his usual circle, it would have seemed extremely strange that Dr. Reid, so well known for his aversion to germs, constantly sought out someone’s hand, asking for kisses on the lips or pleading for a warm hug.

When he told you, slightly embarrassed, that you were his first girlfriend, some things started to make sense in your mind. But it was sweet if you thought about it because it meant he was choosing you to teach him many things about love.

To be honest, you were willing to give him whatever he wanted. After all, he was a good-hearted guy who devoted himself to adoring you, a type you don’t find easily. And it had to be said that his intelligence wasn’t the only trait you had noticed, as his physical attributes were also quite (too) appealing.

Once you both felt satisfied with the contact, you separated, and then you looked at him with a smile.

“How was work?”

“Same old,” he expressed as you guided him to one of the dining chairs where you had been working. “Today we did reports and reviewed some cold cases, just in case we could still help in some way.”

“That must be so exhausting. I wouldn’t have the willpower.”

“For what?”

“To endure so many cases. To know how horrible humanity can be and keep going as if nothing’s wrong.”

“Everything leaves its mark, even if it doesn’t seem like it.”

There was a hint of pain hidden behind those words that made you feel compassion for his work. He tried to keep you at a distance from everything that was happening to him, and he still didn’t dare confess many of the things that troubled him at night. He didn’t want to scare you, of course; that’s why he thought it prudent to wait a little longer in the relationship.

After all, if you truly loved him, it would be with all those flaws and traumatic events that his life entailed.

“Well, I admire you for helping capture those despicable people.”

Your sincere tone was pleasant to your boyfriend’s ears, and he thanked you with a smile that spoke volumes.

Suddenly, your gaze drifted to the laptop on the table, and he hurried to murmur:

“Do you want to continue? I don’t mean to disturb your schedule.”

“Doesn’t bother you?”

“Not at all.”

“I have to submit a progress report this week, analyze some data, strengthen the theoretical part…” You sighed, letting yourself drop into the chair, ready to continue with the task. “Have you eaten yet? You can go to the kitchen and prepare whatever you like. The place is yours.”

Spencer took you up on your offer, and while you continued typing away on your laptop, he took the liberty of preparing something light for dinner and serving it on two separate plates.

When he finished, he brought them over to you, placing your plate beside you in silence. You murmured a small thank you, and he ate while seated in one of the adjacent spaces, watching you from time to time simply because he liked you so much.

At some point, he gathered your empty dishes and carried them to the sink, washing them himself. He was so sweet.

“Do you need help with anything? You know I don’t mind,” he offered.

At that, he stood behind you, able to embrace you since you were sitting in a rather unnatural position in your chair, and the wooden backrest wasn’t a hindrance.

“I need a new brain; this one’s dried out.”

Spencer laughed at the exaggeration, knowing that it was impossible, and shortly afterward, he left a kiss on your cheek. A small giggle escaped you as you felt his hands sliding toward your waist, knowing what was coming next.

“Spencer…”

“Yes?” he replied innocently, as if he didn’t know what he was doing.

Doing that had become a constant habit since he discovered that you were extremely ticklish. Literally, every time he placed his hands on you, you would burst into laughter.

“Spencer,” you repeated, more seriously this time.

But in the smile you wore, he saw that your threats didn’t really carry any weight. Carefully, the tips of his fingers began to drum against your waist, your belly, the area of your ribs. Simultaneously, his lips began to leave fleeting kisses on any skin they could reach: your cheeks, neck, jaw, shoulder.

The room filled with laughter from both of you as a sort of game ensued, where he tried his best to tickle you, and you desperately attempted to escape him. His face was buried in your neck, and you had lifted your legs onto the chair in a futile attempt to defend yourself.

It wasn’t until you gasped for air, complaining that you couldn’t breathe, that he finally showed you mercy and stopped. You inhaled heavily, trying to catch your breath, and even though he stopped touching you, he didn't move away.

“I hate it!”

“No, you don’t.”

It was obvious that you didn’t hate it. You both knew it, and it was a silent pact that this kind of playfulness was part of your love language as a couple. Every time Spencer held you in his arms, he felt he was holding the world —his world— because after so much time, he felt he had something to love and to be loved by. You were his treasure.

He kept hugging you from behind, exhaling warm air into the crook of your neck. When you were finally able to calm down, you turned slightly to ask for a kiss on the lips. He gladly obliged.

“You know? I think I’ll leave this for tomorrow. For now, I just want to rest…” you continued, closing your eyes and stealing another kiss. “Take a bath, spend time with you…”

“But you have to work on your research.”

“And how can I do that if you’re here? Everything about you distracts me,” you complained, raising one of your hands to hold his cheek and receiving a kiss as a reward.

“What if we do it together? It’ll be good for both of us; I want to distract my mind.”

“Only a brainiac relaxes with data analysis,” you huffed playfully, and he scattered another kiss before pulling away. “But I accept, with the condition that afterward we only focus on sleeping.”

“Deal.”

You didn’t know how lottery winners felt. But you assumed it was something similar to what you experienced every time you looked at Spencer.

[ghostofhyuck]

NCT Dream finding out that you're not eating. 

Mark Lee ; lying about not eating

Mark would be disappointed that you lied to him about not eating. He knows how you're cramming your thesis and at the same time rotting in bed. If it wasn't for your roommate snitching you to your boyfriend, he wouldn't know that you're starving yourself. He'll go to your dorm and bring you not only food but also groceries that you can cook easily. "Most of these are instant noodles, but! it's better than not eating at all, don't make me worry okay?" 

Huang Renjun ; caught you not having a dinner

When Renjun left your apartment, you were in the middle of studying for your exam. He's going out with Dreamies and promised that he'll be home late. But before he left, he reminded you to eat dinner. When Renjun returned, you're still in your seat, not even moving. When Renjun asked if you ate dinner, you stopped. You totally forgot about it but it was enough to be nagged by Renjun, "Okay time out, get up and come with me, you need food. How can you review well with an empty stomach?" 

Lee Jeno ; not having energy

Jeno noticed how quiet you are when you two met. He picked you up from your Uni and while walking home, he noticed how you barely respond to his stories. He asked you what's wrong and you shrugged it, that's when he began poking around. "Why are you pale today, did you eat anything?" you were caught-off guard with his question, you remember not having a decent meal since yesterday. When you confessed it to Jeno, you can see how disappointed he is, but then he drags you to the nearest restaurant to feed you. "Stop starving yourself, it's unhealthy! Look at you, you don't even have the energy today."

Lee Donghyuck ; stomach growling

You visited Haechan during his practice and just in time, he's all alone while the rest of Dreamies went to buy food. When he asked if you want some, you quietly rejected it, but your stomach sudddenly growled. It was embarrassing but Haechan laughed and even teased you that you're hungry, but you became quiet, making your boyfriend suspicious. "What do you mean you haven't eaten yet? It's almost midnight!? What --- okay I'll text the boys to buy a portion for you, that's final. You think I'll let you starve?"

Na Jaemin ; fainting

It was an accident. You attest to your boyfriend who's worried sick. You look pale and your lips are dry. "You fainted," he pointed out. "It's because I played sports," you rebutted. "Without eating anything! You're bound to faint." He justified, and then proceed to give you an earful leacture of not eating and how you should engage in sports with a full stomach. He couldn't be angry that long, but asked you to promise him to never do it again. "Do it again, and I'll deliver food to your place everyday." 

Zhong Chenle ; seeing the fridge empty

Chenle decided to visit you even though you're in the middle of exams week. He just wanted to spend time with you even though you're focused with your studies. It was nearing dinner when he volunteered to cook dinner for both of you. As he went to the fridge, he was surprised to see your fridge empty. Chenle looked at every cupboards in your kitchen and found nothing, not even a cup of instant ramen. He asked you about it and that's when you realized that you haven't done any groceries yet. When asked when did you had a decent meal, you were quiet. Chenle could only shake his head in disbelief, grabbing his phone to order food for you two. "We should buy some groceries for you tomorrow, you shouldn't be starving yourself you know that?"

Park Jisung ; not having any appetite

When asked what you want, you only shrugged. Jisung was confused because usually, you're the one who chooses what food to buy. He scrolled through the food app and since he's indecisive, Jisung let you do the decision. "Anything Ji, I'm not hungry," you said quietly. Jisung asked why but you only shrugged, when he asked if you had any meal today you repeated your words again. "That's unhealthy you know that!? You should eat something, okay I'll choose this time, and you need to eat! You can't just starve yourself just because you're not hungry." he nagged, choosing the nearest restaurant at your place. 

[shiki-jin]

YOUR CELESTIAL MAJESTY • SAGAU

(part 0 here)

was listening to TruE on loop while writing the last part of this, it's genuinely such a good song ugwvdya

also can you spot the contradiction ;D it's plot relevant i promise

not proofread, dont bully me ill write a thesis on why youre a meanie

—

you had long deleted genshin, since you had other things to do. you had wanted to go back to the game for a while now, now that you were less busy, but there was just one little problem.

it was now taking up nearly triple the amount of space that it was when you uninstalled it. around 300 whole gigabytes.

jesus christ, what phone can even handle this???

your phone, apparently. because as you opened the game to see if maybe a miracle would happen and that if maybe they would just, like, remove half of the things in the game, it just… kinda loaded?

no installing new files, no checking for anything, no nothing…. just an immediate pan to the gates of celestia.

you decided to check if it was the right genshin since this was just way too weird, but countering your judgement, every link you found led you to the same game, leading you to believe it not to be a bootleg or an illegal version.

guess i’ll trust it then.

you clicked on the gates which opened smoothly, and your screen turned white. then, the symbols of the seven elements appeared in gray.

and then the game just… opened. no loading time, once again. no getting stuck on the geo symbol, nothing. nada. just a smooth entrance into what you had to assume to be teyvat — but your surroundings didn't really support that claim.

the grass was brown and just looked off, the sky was gray. a darker shade than, say, mond’s walls, but it was like one of those game crashes.

well, except you could still move around.

you moved your current character around (the traveller? since when were they the only one in your team?) and decided to open the map after not figuring out where you could possibly be.

hold on, this is springvale? since when?

eveything looked dead, like it had been rotting for a century. you tried to ignore it though, and teleported to the inside of mondstadt. surely this was just some glitch, right? one that would fix itself if you teleported?

maybe the world loaded incorrectly, maybe the fact that nothing took time to load meant that it couldn't load, maybe this or that, maybe…

maybe this really was how the game looked normally. you hadn't done any quests though, so you wondered if it could be restored.

you took a screenshot of the your surroundings — the stone, worn down and dirty. the houses which looked to be in a horrible state, and… the npcs, all sickly and pale, like they were starving.

you went to reddit (yes, reddit), and posted the screenshot, asking if it was normal.

you closed the game and decided to take a nap, too tired to really deal with this shit any further.

while you slumbered, people replied to your post.

╰┈➤ lol me too anon, me too

╰┈➤ isn't the game closed or wtv? how'd you get this wtf

╰┈➤ they're trolling

╰┈➤ o makes sense oops

╰┈➤ So we’re all still mourning huh

╰┈➤ jokes aside that's a super impressive edit ngl

you remained unaware of the truth, but you'd find out soon enough.

actually, you'd find out now, apparently…

what the fuck?? why is my bed so hard now?

you groaned and forced your eyes open, seeing a dark, nearly black sky.

the only light was a single star, lingering right above you.

“since when was i outside...?"

a voice spoke to you, answering your question.

“you always have been, have you not? but would you like to head inside, my lord?”

... huh? i recognize that voice...

—

p.s. place your bets on who it is, i’m thinking of one specific character but if there's a fan fav i'll make it them instead since i haven't written anything beyond this point (⁠・⁠_⁠・⁠;⁠)

p.s.s. don't expect updates to this series too quickly, i wish i could write as quick as i think of ideas but sadly that's not the case orz

[mmikmmik]

I kind of don't feel like getting the endings of Slay the Princess that don't involve Shifty and the Long Quiet having their final argument, followed by LQ agreeing to leave with her and their departure in their fully godly forms. I definitely don't want to kill her or starve her. And I guess I can see the appeal in the ending with the Princess and the Hero, but it doesn't feel like the right ending for me.

I think a big part of why I think of the Shfiting Mound as the "real" "love interest" is because I judged the Damsel a bit unfairly - she falls apart if pressed, but I don't think that means she's not real, you know? All of the Princesses are only one aspect of the Shifting Mound, but they have their own complete hearts nevertheless. But I didn't really get that when I was first playing the game and got her as my first princess, so I definitely thought of the Shifting Mound as "more real". But I think my near-immediate "oh I see! this is my beautiful wife who I love very much" would have occurred anyway. I just really like her! She's beautiful and patient and contemplative, and really successful imo as a truly divine character - an embodiment of a powerful idea/force of nature, who can express a form of kindness but can't really be "good" or "bad" in a human sense.

I also, throughout my first playthrough, felt strongly that the interactions I was having, and the resulting princesses, were like gifts to Shifty. I really liked having a little chat with her and hearing her evaluation of their hearts, and I chose dialogue options for the Long Quiet as though he wanted to bring her vessels and would, if he remembered her at the start of each Chapter 1, have actively chosen to help her complete herself. So leaving together as the Shifting Mound and the Long Quiet, not as the Princess and the Hero, felt like what they were both working towards all along. And they only sort of argued about it because that back-and-forth, rough as it can get, is a natural part of how they relate to each other as gods who embody "opposite" concepts but love each other and want to be together (thesis, antithesis, synthesis...?). I wasn't even really arguing with Shifty, she just went into that spiel because I spent a really long time asking questions before we left. It was more of a passionate explanation than an attack. (And I let her keep going because it was awesome, not because I disagreed with it.)

Putting it like that, "bringing her vessels", it is rather cold, isn't it? I can see the case that the Princess and the Hero deserve more respect than that, that by leaving them behind Shifty and LQ are abandoning something worth having, something they could have explored together at that scale.

Anyway, what I want to say with this post is that like... Slay the Princess has, more than any other game I've ever played, given me the sense that the "true"/"best" ending is really up to the player. I feel like the story + central relationship changes really really dramatically if you don't perceive the Long Quiet as enchanted by the Shifting Mound and happy to be with her and learn more about her, and the dialogue options definitely give you a ton of room to play it either way. I feel that you can play the game so that the Shifty and LQ ending is the true ending, and you can play the game so that the Princess and Hero ending is the true ending.

It does make me more curious about the ending where... I haven't even looked into it enough to really know what happens, but you can kill the Shifting Mound, can't you? Or you can "starve" her by withholding vessels? My gut reaction to the Narrator is "lmao dumbass" - I don't think he understands what he's talking about, and I don't trust his evaluation that a world without the Shifting Mound would be worth living. Just the way his scenario immediately got fucked up makes it seem to me like he doesn't have a strong grasp on the metaphysics. You can't just pick out all the parts of a major universal concept like "change" that you like and throw out all the bits that you don't! But I also don't think this game, with its writing philosophy, would really have a "bad ending" in that kind of sense, you know? I seriously doubt there's an ending that would just be like "you fucked up". But I also feel like... the way the game is written, I kind of feel like I have the freedom as the person engaging with it to say... "this ending is bad, For The Game As I Played It". Does that make sense? I'm definitely touching on complicated questions of narrative theory that smarter people than me have definitely engaged with more substantively haha.

[sugar-grigri]

Like Prometheus, the heart will be bruised

When Fujimoto makes a revelation, it's important to remember that this revelation never comes out of nowhere; there are always clues to it in the previous chapters. These clues don't serve to make you want to know what happens next (which is difficult with CSM), they serve above all to make your experience as a reader more gratifying, especially on rereading.

Well then, let's get started! In chapter 146 Fujimoto introduces an exceptional new demon, the Fire Devil.

What I find particularly interesting is the extent to which his power and this chapter are based on the same way a fire works

Barem's statement to his contractors alone makes sense, because to take the form you desire is to escape your condition in the same way that humans in prehistoric times began to use fire, moving away from their ape-like status.

In the same way, the fact that the fire demon gains in power as the number of its followers increases makes perfect sense. It works like a kind of fire that goes up in flames.

Now let's take a step back. It was while I was rereading the last few chapters that I realised a number of things...

Let's start with the fact that the fire demon was right under our noses, as shown by the presence of fire every time Fujimoto placed this false demon of justice, whether with the class president literally pulverised by Yoru or Yuko burning her neighbour's body.

But above all it's clear how the fire demon fulfilled the expectations of these two contractors

The President wanted to be seen by Mr Tanaka, hence the plurality of heads.

As for Yuko, she was an intrusive person (although I like this character) who wanted to know Asa's secrets, their exchange of secrets being for her the proof that they had become best friends.

Yuko seemed like an isolated person who was desperate to get into people's heads, hence her mind-reading powers.

This also works with the old man from the church who also contracted the false demon of justice, his thesis was that he could fight demons by becoming a demon... which he did.

The other point I want to make is that Fami's plan is bound to have flaws, not only because it would be more interesting from a narrative point of view, but also because we sense that she's trying to find the right tactics.

Her first tactic was to starve Yoru to get complete control of the war demon, but that didn't work.

Every time she tried to starve Yoru, Chainsaw Man or Denji were around, which gave Fami the idea of a possible partnership between the two, rather than fighting each other.

Hence the fact that she explains to Yoru that cooperating with Chainsaw Man wouldn't prevent him (or at least the black Chainsaw Man) from being killed, as this cooperation is more than necessary.

I'm also intrigued by this line because, in the light of the last revelation, it only implies even more that Chainsaw Man must become this super-powerful champion.

The church is really trying to help him, in other words the church is really trying to restore his power and even increase it.

But what I find even more incredible is the fact that Asa and Denji are in the same position

They're both at the heart of Fami's plan, but they're also both host to one of those demons that can kill the Death Demon.

But their situations were different; Asa fell into the trap by tying up with the church, while the passivity that could be taken from Denji was in reality a form of resistance.

This is particularly striking in several chapters

Denji had not succumbed to the temptation of becoming a divine being with the church, whereas Miri Sugo could despise him for only wanting to remain a chair, to act like a chair - this act of depreciation goes completely against the veneration of the church.

The fact that Denji belittles Chainsaw Man by acting in a humiliating way is in itself an act of protest against the fact that he is becoming a hero incarnate in whom the church will project itself.

I'm well aware that Denji wasn't aware of all this, but it's precisely his personality and deep-seated nature that allow him to go against this plan.

The fact that Denji wants people to find out he's Chainsaw Man defeats the whole purpose, because giving this mechanical monster an identity, a human head, makes it impossible to identify with him.

Yes, the impostor is pretending to be Chainsaw Man, but this generic character with his abstract and broad speech means that everyone can admire him and continue to project themselves as Chainsaw Man.

What Fujimoto has done from the start is underline Denji's flaws, his deep humanity and his own self-deprecation, he's too strong a character and so far removed from the imaginary Chainsaw Man that it would make any admiration and identification collapse.

Above all, Denji and Asa are cannon fodder for their own demons, Pochita is subject to Denji's dreams and wills, which are always in pursuit of integration among humans and literal contact, and when the heart isn't split in two, the brain is, Asa with her moral dilemmas, her intellectual capacities that escape the law of retaliation how advocated by the war demon

That's why the rest of the plan is as follows: Fami knew that the public hunters would fight back, so she deliberately let them.

The public demons immediately set about neutralising Chainsaw Man, so she wanted to kill two birds with one stone, Asa, i.e. bring back as many followers as possible with a new figure. But above all to draw the attention of the public hunters to Asa. Wouldn't Fami take advantage of the fact that Asa could be massacred by Yoshida to force Yoru to change host...... to Yoshida?

Just like the fact that Barem is quite close to Denji.

Remember when Fumiko said she was a fan of Denji, Barem intervened and said he preferred Chainsaw Man?

Time to separate

Barem propagated the fact of becoming Chainsaw Man like a fire that would spread, this time the punishment was not for Zeus to make humans mortal but rather immortal and monstrous demons.

But the fact remains that the rule will continue to apply and, like Prometheus, a heart will be sacrificed and bitten by the birds

A heart bitten by a bird

[bibliophilicstranger]

Since these are basically the same ask, I've just screenshotted them to combine them.

I am once again requesting that if you want to start an argument you do your part a bit better and give a thesis and some supporting arguments.

I think Hermione does deserve Harry.

Hermione Granger is amazing. She is incredibly smart and magically talented. She has a huge heart, cares deeply for others, and is one of the most loyal individuals in the entire series.

Hermione could have escaped the conflict. She could have gone to her parents after her fourth year and told them that Voldemort was back, she was in danger because of being a muggleborn, and asked to leave the country then. She could have asked to leave after year five, when she was injured at the Department of Mysteries. She could have left on her own after year six, when she was of age in the wizarding world, and gone to any other country that would have her. She could have taken her parents with her to Australia, making it Wendell, Monica, and Jane Wilkins (I do think she'd change her name from Hermione-- it's too uncommon). Hermione could have found another magical school or abandoned her magical studies for the muggle world, where she likely could have caught up to her peers and then moved on to University. Hermione had options. Instead she charmed her own parents to make sure they were safe, knowing she was putting herself in the maximum amount of danger by staying in Britain at the side of the most wanted wizard in the country. She chose to stay at her friend's side when he needed her the most.

She chose to stay at Harry's side in year four, when no one else believed him, not even his first friend. She chose to stay at his side in year five, when most of the school thought he was a nutter. She chose to stay at his side in year six, even when she thought he was wrong. And she chose to stay at his side in year seven, when the government had fallen, they were cold, starving, and facing a near-impossible task with few clues and fewer resources.

I simply don't understand where you're coming from if you think Hermione doesn't deserve Harry.

[thatonebirdwrites]

Heroic

Lena Kieran Walsh knew her plan was perhaps the most ridiculous and ludicrous plan of all time. Yet her mother's last wish before her death had been, "become a menace to our enemies."

Lena, in tears, holding her mother's hands, vowed, "I will. Be at peace, Mammy." Her mother exhaled few ragged breaths with a faint smile before she slipped away. As if she'd only needed Lena's vow to finally let herself go.

The funeral had been a quiet affair, mostly due to her mother's instructions. Lena invited those on her mother's list, but she also added Sam Arias and her daughter, Jack Spheer, and Andrea Rojas -- her friend group to help support her.

They stood on the Cliffs of Moher that day, and as requested by her mother, she spread her ashes amongst the dirt by that trail and planted the oak. It had taken a week to get permission for the planting due to the area being a park, but the week had given Lena time to secure the ingredients for one last spell.

Lena herself didn't believe in magic per se. She was a scientist to her core, preferring to study biology and physics at the university, her thesis on the use of nanotechnology to target and destroy cancer cells. A project she shared with Jack and Sam. As much as university had set her apart from her mother’s lessons, she still remembered the old ways.

Traditions taught from mother to daughter, magic and stories that mustn’t be forgotten. Her Mammy was a self-professed druid within a larger druidic coven. She'd been highly regarded in the community as the caretaker of Ireland's history and myths, and Lena had been expected to take her place until she’d flounced off to uni.

But that day, she asked Sam to hold her brolly, it being a soft day, the mists from the heavy clouds like pinpricks against her cheeks. She knelt in the dirt and unstoppered the growing potion, one she’d carefully made per her Mammy’s instructions. Sung the magical words and focused all her mind and heart on imbuing it with her love for her Mammy.

That day, on the Cliffs of Moher, Lena poured the potion into the roots of the oak and sung the activation song. Her voice clear and precise, the melody soothing with little runs, and her eyes closed to keep herself from weeping. Tears would shatter her voice, and she needed to this perfect.

She could do no less for her Mammy.

Later Jack, Andrea, and Sam would swear the tree had grown during that moment, but Lena had her eyes closed and missed it. Lena expected the coven’s agreements that growth occurred, but Jack, Sam, and Andrea? They’re the pragmatics and realists of the group.

In the following months, she’d think of that day often, while she quietly worked through her mother's grimoire. Partly to better understand but also to continue her legacy in a way, and that was what gave her the idea.

Her mother referenced several artifacts that had been stolen from Haitian tribes, who had contacted her out of concern the magic within them was being misused. Her mother's cancer had prevented her from doing much more than attempt wards on the exhibits in London to prevent misuse.

But Lena had a better idea.

Why not steal from the colonizers who ransacked countries, starved populations into submission or outright killed them? Lena knew the stories of her people well. Her mother had taught her of the potato famine, which had been caused by the British literally poisoning the fields. The trauma of that colonization never left her people, and she let the rage from those injustices fuel her plan.

The Haitian tribes would see their lost artifacts returned, and Lena would wear the color of blood as a symbol of the dead left in the wake of the colonizers. Yes, if she planned well, she could leave her mark, and live up to her promise to her Mammy.

"Lena," Sam argued, "You can't do this alone. Let me help."

"I don't want to risk you," Lena protested. "You have a daughter."

"And the risk to you?" Sam crossed her arms and frowned. "You're family, Lena. And we help family always. So if you're going to do this stunt, then let me be your getaway driver."

“She has a point.” Andrea sipped her scotch from where she sat next to Lena’s bar. She leaned against it, both elbows on the counter, while her hand swirled the scotch. “This is a grave risk. Besides, it’ll be way more fun with friends, Lena.” She smirked. “I am an excellent—”

“Don’t you dare say it,” Lena pointed her finger at Andrea in warning. Her ex-girlfriend smirked in response and leaned against Sam’s side. The two had become nearly inseparable since meeting, and Lena didn’t mind if it meant less jokes about her own sex life.

Jack, who had stayed silent up to that point, chuckled. "Luv, they’re right. Doing this alone? It's a bit much. You need a team. I'll see if I can rig up a program to keep the cameras off your movements."

Lena already had done some preliminary hacking to see the extent of the security, but now that Jack had mentioned it, having someone to control the cameras would be immensely helpful. And Sam was an excellent driver and had a pilot's license, mostly because Lena had needed a buddy to get through the lessons.

"Fine. You all can help." She made a show of rolling her eyes and sounding put out, but secretly she was thrilled that her closest friends had her back.

Sam turned onto Mare Street in London, and slowed to a stop near 11 Mare Street. She parked with a frown. "Lena, are you sure this is it?"

Lena stared at the rather small storefront. Victor Wynd Museum of Curiosities was emblazoned above the more stately letters of The Last Tuesday Society. The window overflowed with a grotesque display of shrunken heads, skeletons, and voodoo dolls. No wonder Mammy's Voodoo friends contacted her for help. This place stank of exploitation of their craft.

"Yup. It's smaller than expected."

"Are you kidding me?" Sam leaned over her steering wheel. "There's a cocktail menu posted on the door."

“What? Are they drinking out of the skulls?” Andrea quipped, a hint of disgust in her voice.

Anger seared through Lena's veins. "Of course. Typical British."

"Hey!" Jack protested from the back seat, where he sat with a laptop. His fingers danced across the keys. "I am mildly offended, Luv."

"Jack, you're more Scottish-Indian than British-Indian," Lena drawled.

“Still. Till the Scots gain our independence, we do not drink from skulls.” He sniffed dramatically, but she knew he wasn't really bothered. "Their security is a load of tosh."

"Considering how tiny this storefront is, I'm not surprised," Sam said. "So, uh, what's the best way to do this?"

“Too distracted to hear Lena’s hours long presentation?” Andrea teased, which elicited a glare from her girlfriend.

“The placement of your hands is the villain here,” Sam shot back, her cheeks reddening.

Andrea raised her hands and wiggled her fingers. “We all need exercise sometimes.”

Lena rolls her eyes. “Stop acting the maggot you two.” She nods toward the museum-cocktail lounge. “Three am is the goal since they close around midnight. Jack, focus on taking over their security feeds. I'll have a program ready. It'll erase itself within twenty minutes. If I'm not out by then, all of you leg it. If I’m caught, I’m caught, but I won’t have you three joining me."

"That's kind of tight," Sam said, uneasy. "And we can’t just leave you, Lena."

Lena sighed. "I mean it, Sam. This isn’t some grand heroic moment. It’s breaking and entering.”

“I beg to differ,” Jack said. “Heroic is indeed what this is. Lost artifacts returned to their homes? A modern day Robin Hood.”

Lena smiled and shook her head. “Look, I get in, procure the stolen artifacts, and get out. No sight-seeing or distractions. Twenty is plenty.” She turned to glare at Andrea. “Can’t trust you not to lob the gob with Sam, so you’re the lookout.”

Andrea smirked. “Fine. I’ll wear all black.”

“Good. Do that ridiculous whistle if you see any Garda.” In reply, Andrea gave Lena fingerguns. “Sam, use your electric car. The idling’s as silent as a grave.”

Sam nodded. “Can do.”

“Now remember,” Lena narrowed her eyes at Andrea but glanced at the other two in the car for good measure. “We’re scouting now. No getting banjaxed. I need you all as sprightly as a wagtail.”

“Being a craic vacuum today?” Andrea quipped.

“No more dossing around, Andi,” Lena said exasperated. She used that saying once about Sam being too uptight, and Andrea adopted i almost immediately to Lena's annoyance. “Or you’re sitting the rest out.”

“Wait, there’s more planned?” Andrea grinned. “Mina, you’re holding back.”

“Shut it. We have a job to do. Now let’s get cracking.” Lena opened the door and wished she wasn’t about to sully herself in the most exploitive, macabre cocktail lounge she'd ever seen.

The moment she stepped inside, she wished she hadn’t, as the jampacked walls full of macabre exhibits and the strange musky scent almost had her walking right back out.

But no, she needed reconnaissance. Locate exactly where to enter, nab the target, and exit. Surely her ancestors and the ancestors of her mother's friends will forgive her for having a short drink next to a taxidermy lion on a table made from a sarcophagus.

She needed the ancestors protection for this, not their fury. Besides, the cocktails turned out to be manky as hell.

Dressed in a red cloak, wide-brimmed hat, gloves, and boots, Lena felt a trifle ridiculous but also proud of herself. Time to finally live up to her vow, to do what her mother could not, and bring home what was stolen.

From their reconnaissance, she marked several windows large enough for her to slip through. All required a climb. It hadn’t taken her long to make a device to shoot the rope into the wood of the window. Climbing had been a bit stressful, but she’d made it. Below she could see Andi, leaning against a wall as she watched the road. Jack was still in the car with Sam, the program churning through the security.

It took three tries with her tools to unlock the window and push it open. The stench hit her first. She pulled up her scarf to wrap around her face. For feck’s sake, did the owner store poop here? She dropped into the attic and to her horror there was indeed poop here. Several glass jars labeled with celebrity names and dates sat in a container to her right.

It gave her an idea however. She gathered a few and carefully made her way down the rickety ladder to the main floor. In the bar area, she set up each of the jars and uncapped them. Two she dumped their contents in front of the main office.

She tiptoed out of the bar and gingerly entered some of the exhibits. She couldn’t take it all — her bag couldn’t carry it for one nor would the rope hold that much weight — but the staggering amount of human remains on display twisted her stomach with rage.

Maybe she could come back and steal it all, but for now she focused on the Voodoo poppets. They were arranged in rows three exhibits down the hall in front of a macabre set of shrunken heads, African Masks — the designs reminding her of the Igbo people actually — and several skulls.

She bowed her head and murmured the words she’d heard her mother say many a time, “Tagaim chun tú a thabhairt abhaile. Bí ar a suaimhneas.” Irish for ‘I come to bring you home, be at peace.’ Then one by one she wrapped them in the silk the Haitians had sent her mother for this, and tucked them in her bag.

A quick sweep of the other exhibits found her three more poppets, and a search of the attic another six. Her twenty minutes neared completion, so she scurried through the window, slid down the rope, and tapped the button on her belt. The bolt blew apart in a rain of metal, the rope dropping like a flying a snake.

She whistled to Andrea, and the two legged it to Sam’s car. As soon as they tumbled into the backseat, Sam slid out of park and the car silently pulled away from the curb.

"Five minutes to spare," Jack said with a wink. "Nicely done."

"I'll do better next time," Lena leaned back and patted her bag. "Mam's friends will be relieved to have these home again."

"Here you are, being the hero of our time," Andi said with a grin and poke of her elbow in Lena's side. "You need a name though." She looked over Lena's outfit. "Why red?"

"Carmen is the hue actually." Lena laid her hand on her bag and thought of her Mammy, how the cancer had slowly eaten away her life. How hard she'd worked toward causes of liberation. "I promised Mam I'd become a menace to my enemies. I wear the color of anger and blood."

"Right, and whose gonna know that?" Jack pointed out.

Lena smiled. "Oh, the world will know soon enough."

Three hundred Euros later and two days of searching flights, Lena was on her way to the Haiti, her prize carefully hidden in her carry-on luggage. As she watched Ireland fade from view, she took a deep breath and released it slowly. She’d done it.

She’d rescued priceless artifacts, and now they were going home. Smiling, she leaned back and closed her eyes. Already plans formed of improved methods of infiltration. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it well.

[iridescentscarecrow]

while discussing csm 163, i'd mentioned how the fan's monologue revealed more about/reiterated asa & denji's character arcs. & i think that lays the groundwork for 164 very well:

the rules regarding intimacy being laid down by Nayuta (symbolic of family) during asaden's first date are really interesting. now you see nayuta (or rather, her absence) being determinant to denji's Compliance. the house & its rules are *burnt* (fire/dreams) to ruin.

within nayuta you can still locate makima's initial thesis with family as the location for control. the shattered husk of family, haunting where & how you form relationships, where you comply with state, with church, with structure.

and this quality is relevant to asa too. she specifically brings it up here, she was robbed of her family in the orphanage. family as context. asa is made uniform & outside narrative frame. her deprotagonism occurs in concert with the gendered labels she's assigned,

wherein she's pushed into the role of a Fan. even her harkening back to context is brought up in relation to denji: she knows how it feels *too*. this area of empathy is a point i'll mention later in this post, re: another Fan from part 2.

but even then: right now in the manga it seems apt then that we see asa's strain of self at its weakest. her strong individuation|aversion that marked her prior interactions are kind of bled away? we're given startlingly little writing re: her interiority, she's oddly passive.

the point of deviation here is her declaring that she hates sushi. it's unreasonable, absurd against the scene. you're reminded of the aquarium arc, where she'd said the same thing: her hating fish. her being stubborn.

this is at the same time where she hugs her knees & tells denji that making him into a weapon goes against her principles. she can't eat fish, even when cornered up & starving. neither can she make him into a weapon. or follow this script.

strangely enough, it's in the aftermath of this scene that i find asa's sense of self to appear the strongest. she's flushed and giddy with victory. she's entirely Protagonist, denji is relegated to the background.

which is why her shafting & the way this is seen alongside fanhood is extremely compelling when we consider the other character who'd brought up SUSHI: fumiko. fumiko categorises herself as the Denji Fan, at many points engineering her own exit from the narrative.

as opposed to asa who is thought of in association with the CSM almost involuntarily, tripped & restrained distinct from her selfishness. at the amusement park, fumiko attempts to relate her own family/background with denji too. it's a moment that particularly gets to me.

because denji's response to this is him trying to sort of find a commonality between their griefs, in an event where he lost his family as well. he turns to her but she's still talking about the fucking chainsaw man. not his grief.

& asa here, all of CSM's motely fanclub, wanting different things out of him, talking to him about family, like fumiko, within his home's burnt remains, one built out of the product of his Hunger for makima (quite literal) brought to culmination by cannibalism, nayuta's birth.

the home is torn down, & nayuta is gone. denji is hungry again, says kiga. he's hungry for sushi. fumiko The Fan, in her affiliation with denji, talks to him about sushi, tuning his hunger, in a manner. food underlies p2's narrative marvellously well with kiga & falling.

fire used in cooking & transforming fans into tools. & asa at many points finds this same fanhood sticking onto her, palpably gendered. her hating sushi is written as absurd instead of solemn as it was earlier. & fumiko, in her condensed fanhood *likes sushi*.

asa getting over her dislike of sushi for denji would be absolutely horrifying TBH. i don't know how else i'm meant to see it.

[dissvicious]

Ok ok I was wondering. What are the love languages of your ships? Redbomb or the band polycule. I feel like Osha love language is physical contact but I really can't see what it could be for those uglies messes called Trafalgar D Water Law and Buggy The Star Clown.

Love your work! ♥

Oooook now that's something I was starved to think about for a long time SO thank you so much (and thank you for loving my work!!! I'm glad that my completely delusional manic attacks aren't totally useless)

SO. FIRST. Easy one : Redbomb.

Let's evacuate the joke already their principal love language is throwing insults to each other and arguing and then fuck and repeating the cycle.

BUT more deeply : Buggy love language is mostly acts of service & gifts. It's kinda surprising at first because he obviously do it all over the top. AND he's pretty bad at it. Like, when Red get really sick, he spent hours in the kitchen making her what he thinks is the most comforting food ever. But you know, Blaze cooking skills were inherited from him, so she end with a plate full of Cheerios, smashed potatoes, cheddar and knackies (wait. Are knacki a thing outer UE?? those are really bad quality industrial sausages for the record), and her beloved husband looking at her all proud like "�� 😁 I made that!!". And he spoils his kids with really outrageously expensive gifts. (Skye abuses it a little sometime)

Red' love language is mostly words of affirmation! Acts of service too but unlike buggy she's skilled with it. Her major flaw with that would be that she's offering acts of services even when people she loves don't act for them. Mommy style you know ? Wipping something on Rory's cheek with her thumb in front of his very first boyfriend.

For the record : Rory love language is he don't have any because he hates everyone act of services, Skye's is offering gifts & quality time, Blaze's is physical touch! (which can be dangerous with his devil fruit powers)

NOW. BRACE YOURSELF BECAUSE THIS IS GONNA BE HEAVY. The worst polycule of all time is entering the chat :

G.R.O.A.R LOVE LANGUAGE

I'll try to make it short because I could write a fucking THESIS about them SO. I think that they all have kinda different love languages according to which relationship we are talking about you see ? Like :

Osha x Law : Osha love language is physical touch (as in: big bear hugs that break his spine every time) and acts of service (as in: they make sure he eats, drink, and bring him to the vet like the injuried cat he is. Oh and they're also Law's biggest protector. Always saving his damsel in distress ass. On the other hand I FIRMLY believe that Law love language is quality times AND, for Osha, and only for Osha (and maybe a bit for Bepo - NOT A LAWBEPO ACCOUNT plz love language like for his best friend who is also a polar bear, which is pretty rad if you ask me, would a loser have a polar bear??) act of services. Quality time as in : he just loves spending lazy afternoon lying on their lap with a bong ranting about the stupidity of everyone around him. Act of services as in : one day Osha's bakery oven was broken and he replaced it as a surprise, without telling them anything. This kind of thing you see? They never really confessed and they totally deny they are dating but - come on. Guys. That's obvious.

Osha x Kidd : what's going on between them like - nobody knows. They are bad for each other. No. Kidd is bad for Osha. Are they dating. Are they like... friends? with benefits? but the benefit isn't sex??? Wtf. Anyways : their love language is physical touch and quality time, but not like for Osha x Law, more like: Shrek and fiona fighting in this clip

Law x Kidd : "AHAHAHA love language! as if we LOVED each other??? we fuck and that's all. Friend...ship? with this pathetic loser? URGH DON'T KIDDING ME" - anyway Law shows Kidd affection by quality time, and here quality time means "I'm not as unbearable as usual when I'm with you" while Kidd love language is... idk, bullying? physical touch but like slapping his back really hard and stuffing him in a locker? scruffing him and yelling "hey that's MY twink è_é I'm the only one allowed to hurt MY twink è_é"

KiddKiller *chief kiss* The only stable relationship in this polycule. Which means... a lot, look at them. ANYWAY - Kidd love language toward Killer is words of affirmations, like, it's canon, look at the anime. Look how he talks about him. "WHO DID THIS TO MY BUDDY?" aaaah *cry and sobb* (didn't get there in the anime yet but was totally spoiled this scene and I KNOW I'm gonna cry my ass out). But since Kidd has the vocabulary of a 14 y.o it's still complicated. "brooooo you're like peanut butter to my jam". AND of course Killer love languages are act of services (understand : following him everywhere and protecting his ass and being his only braincell).

LawKiller & OshaKiller aren't really a thing in this AU soooo we're gonna put them aside.

Also this post is already too long.

anyway THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS ASK. ♥

[bellysoupset]

Not a lot of emeto, mostly just tooth rotting fluff.

----------------

Leo was practically buzzing with happiness. Today had been a roller coaster of a day.

He was supposed to present his graduating thesis to a group of 4 senior teachers in order to officially be able to graduate and take the bar exam. It had taken many hours of editing to cut down his astounding 89 pages back to 40 and Leo had been sleeping poorly for a week now.

He had spent the better part of that morning dry heaving over the dorm's toilet and then hadn't been able to stomach breakfast, which lead him to be shaky and dizzy by the time it was his turn to present.

However he had passed with flying colors. The relief had been so grand that Leo had staggered back and nearly fallen, causing one of the senior teachers to chuckle and stabilize him back on his feet, telling him "don't die now that you're so close, Mr. Wagner."

Once he was out of the presenting room, everything hit him at once: he was starving, dehydrated probably and he had just officially graduated. All he needed to do now was participate in the ceremony, but the important part was over.

Jonah had been pacing outside of the law building, looking just as nervous as Leo had felt just then and the blonde all but ran to him, throwing his arms around his boyfriend's neck, "I passed! I PASSED!"

Jon had kissed him, PDA be damned, smiling against his mouth, "of course you passed," his voice was so terribly soft, it had nearly sent Leo flat on his back. He loved when he could see these little glimpses of Jon, that normally were confined to the privacy of the bedroom, out in the open.

"I'm so proud of you," Jon pressed his forehead to his, hazel eyes sparkling "and I think we should celebrate."

And then the second part of his day began. While Leo was still bubbling with happiness, by the time Jon met him outside of the restaurant, he could tell that his boyfriend's excitement from earlier had fizzled out.

In fact, it looked like he didn't want to be there at all.

Much to Leo's displeasure, Jonah was hardly meeting his eye and he had reduced his answers to monosyllables, effectively killing all conversation halfway through dinner.

"Are you okay?" Leo snapped, feeling more than a little wounded. He was so happy, he just wanted Jonah to act like it too.

Jon looked up from his untouched plate, seeming surprised, "I'm sorry?"

"Are you okay? Are you feeling alright?" Leo squinted at him.

He frowned, nodding, "I am..."

"Then what's going on?" annoyance flared up, this was his celebratory night and he did not want to spend it playing charades about what had pissed off Jonah, "you're acting weird."

"I'm not," Jonah shook his head, although he seemed weirdly out of it, "I'm fine, I'm just- I am fine. Tell me what did Professor Clarke say about your thesis?"

Successfully distracted, Leo started to retell, probably for the third time, how Professor Clarke had called his thesis "original" and asked if he didn't want to join his research group.

It seemed him calling out Jon's attention had done the trick, because now he was enthralled in the conversation. Still refusing to touch his food and drinking champagne too fast for Leo's liking, but at least he was actively participating in the celebratory aspect of the night.

"I thought I was going to pass out," Leo giggled, "really, even though Dr. Miriam told me to calm down, I just thought- I messed ever-"

"Leo," Jon's voice was serious as he interrupted, causing the blonde to frown.

"Yeah? I'm sorry, I know I'm repeating myself, I just can't shut up tonight, I'm too-"

"Leo, I... Would you... Do you-" Jon shook his head, then gulped down, "...Excuse me."

The last line was said hastily, as Jonah cupped his mouth and shoot up, staggering to the gentlemen's toilet, much to Leo's absolute shock. He blinked, staring at the vacant spot.

Had Jon been sick all night? Had he missed some glaringly obvious sign?

Slowly Leo collected himself, walking to the bathroom and entering. It was empty, so he could perfectly hear as Jonah heaved, inside of the last stall.

"Jon..." Leo frowned, knocking on the closed door, only to find it wasn't locked as it opened.

He expect to find Jonah crumbled down, on his hands and knees, but instead he was standing, a hand pressed to his mouth, breathing deeply through his nose. Perspiration clinging to his temple.

"Hey, babe," Leo frowned, reaching in and undoing his tie, rolling it and stuffing it inside his pocket, then undoing the first button of his shirt so Jonah could breathe better, "what's wrong with your tummy? Did you eat something off?"

Jonah shook his head no, gagging against his fist and removing his hand in time to burp a thin stream of saliva in the toilet. He straightened up again, coughing.

"Sorry..."

"No, it's okay," Leo frowned, flushing the toilet. It was empty, he doubted Jonah had managed to throw up at all, "was this too much champagne?"

Jon winced as the item came to mind, but despite belching thickly on his fist, he shook his head no, "just..." he gulped down, "just nerves. Give me a minute."

Technically Leo was aware that nerves messed up with Jonah's stomach, he had mentioned it before. However Leo had never seen it happen, so this took him by surprise.

"Aw baby," he cooed, rubbing his boyfriend's arm, "take a deep breath, everything's alright."

Jonah opened his eyes, hazel filled with amusement, "don't do that," he said with a rough voice, a tired smile painting his lips, "can you get me some water? I'm-" he gagged briefly, once again breathing deeply in, "I really just need a minute alone."

"Of course..." Leo pouted. When he was sick because of nerves, Jonah's comfort helped. It calmed him down like nothing else, so Leo felt terribly useless that Jon didn't want this comfort returned.

He walked out of the bathroom, ordered two bottles of water, one sparkly, one flat, unsure of what Jon preferred and then waited. After five minutes passed without Jonah being back, he requested the check and then looked at the hour. He'd give the man five more minutes before going back to the bathroom.

Just as Leo was starting to lose his patience, Jonah walked out of the bathroom and back to the their table. He opened an apologetic smile, reaching for the flat water.

"I'm sorry about that."

"Don't apologize," Leo frowned, studying his face. He didn't look nauseous anymore, but still mildly spooked, "what's making you anxious? Talk to me."

"Nothing bad, I promise," Jonah took a large gulp of water, then grimaced, "I wanted to do this in a much better fashion."

"Do what?" Leo was beyond confused, only for Jon to take his hands on his over the table. He squeezed Leo's hand in his as the blonde attempted to pull back, startled.

"Jon-"

"Move in with me?" Jonah brought up Leo's hand to his mouth, planting a kiss on his knuckles, "I know you're looking for a place now that the dorms accommodations are gonna be over and I... I don't want you to move anywhere else, I want you to move in with me. I wanna wake up next to you every day..."

"I... Yes! Yes, of course!" Leo lurched forward, toppling over the empty champagne flute and swallowing the rest of Jonah's words with a kiss, "of course, yes!"

"Yeah?" Jon had a silly smile on, moving his hands from where they were still holding Leo's near his chest and cupping his face, "we need to talk-"

"Yeah we can talk logistics later," Leo rolled his eyes, pressing his forehead to his, "or the fact that we're getting rid of that horrible rug in the living room."

"The white rug?" Jonah cried out, only for Leo to huff and kiss him again, a huge smile tugging at his lips.

"Yeah, the white one."

[ghostofhyuck]

NCT Dream as your college boyfriend!

AN: Another self-indulgent from your local uni girlie. 

Mark Lee ; waits for your practice to be finished.

He'll be your number one hypeman! He will wait for you until you're finished with your practice for a theatre play. It usually ends around nine in the evening, but Mark will be waiting around the campus, perhaps in a gazebo, studying while waiting for you. And when you're finished, you'll go to him and will be pulled to a big hug. "Let's go get some dinner?" 

Huang Renjun ; food as love language.

Renjun is such a foodie, that's why food is his love language. He'll cook you lunch or dinner in his dorm kitchen, and he will never let you go starving. Renjun will be that type of boyfriend who will indulge in your stress-eating and midnight cravings. "You deserve it," he will say to you whenever you're hesitant to give into your cravings. 

Lee Jeno ; your almost live-in partner.

You just don't like living in your dorm because you don't get along with your roommates, that's why you spent your time in your boyfriend's place. Jeno lives alone, that's why it's easier for you to move around his place. It felt domestic and a place that you go home after a dreaded school day. You two are like live-in partners at some point even though you two are still in the university. Sometimes he would even pick you up so you two can go home together. 

Lee Donghyuck ; coffee shop studies!

You two find it easier to study at coffee shops. The bustling noise of coffee shops serves as a background noise for the two of you. Plus, you two can enjoy each other's presence and at the same time be productive! You two sometimes go home around three am but there's nothing more peaceful than walking around the empty streets while holding hands with your boyfriend.

Na Jaemin ; writes your name on the dedication page of his thesis paper.

If Jaemin wants to shout your name to the whole world, he would. That's why he wrote a short paragraph about you in his dedication page of his thesis paper. He couldn't resist it! You were his emotional support through the ups and downs, that's why he wrote your name on the page. Oh he was smiling proudly when his panelists pointed out your name during his defense.

Zhong Chenle ; the athlete bf and courtside gf.

You two are probably that popular student-athlete couple. Chenle's part of the varsity team, that's why sports seasons are very important for him. You're a very supportive girlfriend who's always there during his games, cheering and screaming his name. Students know you and they would gushed at how sweet and supportive you are. Whenever Chenle's team wins, you would let the spotlight be on him, knowing that after the game, the two of you will have a date. 

Park Jisung ; that subtle classmates turned couple.

Your classmates will ask you two nonstop if you two are together and as much as you want to deny it, it's VERY obvious that you two are together. It's not hard to connect two dots because whenever you're with Jisung, you two have your own world and though there's not much PDA going around, it's very cute from an outsider's perspective. You two are always seated together, and would go to class together. Your classmates would be jealous of your relationship but they wish you two to be together forever. 

[moviegroovies]

*shows up to the ghostbusters fandom after approximately 4653242345436 years of radio silence with 1500 words of my messy toxic dana/peter/ray thesis*

timeline: peter and ray meet at columbia in the 70's. they form a long-standing, on again/off again situationship and are lowkey the unspoken loves of each others' lives. around the time that ghostbusters starts up, ray grows tired of the status quo (never content with taking the scraps of peter's affection while he gives no concessions to ray in his pervasive womanizing) and peter meets... well, the other love of his life. maybe.

dana barrett.

they see each other for a few months, until she breaks it off when he starts to take her for granted (treating her the way he treats ray? anyone?), and ray puts his foot down around the time of the inevitable rebound game that peter always tries to play. so peter's alone, for really the first time since college, both of the people he loves best having told him that the way he loves is unacceptable (and it was!). maybe he even does some self-reflection to this tune. dana marries andre wallance, and they're well suited... for a while. well, they have work in common. not much else, it turns out. it's at this time that dana starts to realize that she may never have been interested in men at all, which doesn't immediately become the problem she fears that it might; they only rarely have sex, and it gets easier and easier for her to make excuses. he has affairs--other musicians--and she doesn't even have to pretend not to care. the realization that it genuinely doesn't affect her makes dana more sad than the fact that her husband is stepping out on her on a weekly basis. she gets a little wistful. and at the same time... she does want a baby.

andre doesn't want the strain on his career. dana can drop out, if she wants, but (and he does respect her somewhat as an artist) it'd be a damn shame, wasting talent like hers on something as mundane as motherhood. furious and hurt, dana packs up and leaves--and doesn't really know where to go afterward. her first thought is peter--she even kind of surprises herself with that one. only, when she tries to get in touch with him, she meets egon instead... he himself being a little fed up with venkman at the moment (these being the early days of his relationship with ray, in which peter is an undeniable spectral presence, no matter how much ray knows egon deserves better than second-best). when she explains her situation, he proposes an obvious solution: leave him. there are other ways to conceive a child. artificial insemination, and so forth. lonely, a little sad, and starved for companionship, dana proposes over a bottle of wine that they just... do it the old-fashioned way. he's a little surprised, but takes her up on it--not being overly constrained by societal restrictions and not opposed to pleasure-seeking on occasion. when she wakes up, dana feels somewhat foolish, but egon is courteous with her. she goes back to andre, who didn't even know she left. she tries to make it work for several more months, but in her heart it was over from then on. when dana finds that she is pregnant, she knows two things: that the baby is egon's, and she's not disappointed by that.

andre is offered a job in england and tries to move her there. dana refuses, but they don't part badly; he doesn't want custody (not with his career shaping up the way it has), and she doesn't bother telling him that the baby isn't is.

then, you know, ghostbusters 2 happens. poor oscar gets involved with vigo, and in the aftermath, dana does tell egon that he's a father. he doesn't grow paternal, exactly, but he does insist on paying her child support (though dana insists it isn't necessary), and follows oscar's life in a distant, but affectionate way. peter and dana reunite, and though they don't pick up their romantic relationship, she does appreciate the change in him. years later, andre comes back from england, perhaps with a new society wife, perhaps with a plateau in his career, and gets it in his mind that he wants to be a father to oscar. dana rejects the notion pretty soundly; incensed, andre challenges her in court, citing the lack of a male role model in "his" son's life and even potentially uncovering information about dana's sparse lesbian affairs, though she's kept them incredibly low-key for fear of exactly this. she actually does think about bringing egon in and petitioning the court for a dna test, but fears his recent shacking up with ray stantz might hurt her case rather than help her--instead, who to call but her old flame, peter venkman.

they get married (a sexless, but affectionate, lavender marriage) over the course of the custody battle, partially to throw off suspicion, partially for security. venkman has mellowed out somewhat, loves oscar and is good with him--even as he's growing up into somewhat of a sullen, rebellious teenager--and, rather than leveraging their positions into a resurrection of their past physical relationship, respects dana's sexuality and autonomy and cheerfully encourages her to pursue the women she falls in with. after things calm down a bit, dana has a couple of flings with some younger women and colleagues; venkman very quietly never takes advantage of their open marriage. maybe it's the catholic in him--he still sees it as a sacred thing. they all start to get used to a new normal, an acceptable stasis... and then, egon leaves.

he leaves everyone, of course, no notice, no warning, but he especially leaves ray. his bed is empty. in one blow, he loses his colleague, his husband, his second-oldest friend. and like dana, he's left with no one to turn to but peter venkman.

(this is the part that makes me crazy. hi.)

ray shows up at their apartment drunk, jealous. on the worst day of your life, how do you react to the fact that your 20-year situationship/the great love of your life (husband be damned), who you gave up on because he would never marry you... settled down and got married? and is an upstanding and loyal husband to a woman you know is a lesbian? so maybe it was just you he couldn't love?? dana, to some extent, is always THAT BARRETT WOMAN to ray, no matter how much he likes her on a personal level, or how guilty that lingering seed of resentment makes him feel. when they first met, she was just another fling to pull venkman away from him, and it's hard for him to acknowledge that over two decades, she's become a lot more than that. there's hurt on peter's side, too: ray, remember, cut him off. he, too, saw (sees?) ray as the love of his life. and it's not ABOUT his pain right now, not when he's long acknowledged that spengs was good for him (right up until, well, this)... but it is sort of a power moment for him, the knife handed back. egon left. it wasn't ray's fault, but it wasn't supposed to be like this with egon--peter's the one who was always going to leave him, but here he is. he's not going anywhere. and ray wants him--needs him--to make it stop hurting, but peter... is married. a great joke that cuts ray open; peter venkman, the monogamist. anger, from venkman. ray could have had this, but he didn't want it. [want him.] ray was protecting himself. peter, pretty tired of that line--how'd that work out for you?

and it's dana who steps in, who recognizes something in ray's pain, who tells peter to have mercy. who suggests an overdue consummation of their marriage. ray's a little cruel about venkman's blushing virginity. he doesn't want dana, but understands pretty quickly that if he wants peter, he gets her too. and even once it's in motion, the ugliness doesn't go away; peter needs ray to admit that he always loved venkman best. wants him to apologize for marrying spengler. and ray... maybe he would, but he needs something back. he needs venkman to affirm that he loves him more than dana, who is IN. THE. ROOM. would he? could he? and dana... she's not jealous for venkman necessarily... not in the way that ray is. she does pity ray, commiserates with ray to a degree. and she's been where he is. but. she has had certain things taken from her, and threatened against her. peter and dana's understanding protects not only her, but her custody of oscar. ray didn't show up here to threaten that, but he's callous in his grief, selfish, even, and... he could. and venkman's trying to keep it together even as this situation threatens to tear him in two, because he loves ray, he's always loved ray, but he loves dana too, and he conceives of this marriage as a legitimate one. and dana... i don't think she would think it on a conscious level, but suddenly ray has made her think that she owes peter something to stay for...

i'm sorry if anyone came to this thinking there would be an end for it. just. danapeteray. food for thought.

[lenskyq]

"Esteban would not want his sons to become what they became in Blood Brothers/live the life they live in Blood Brothers."

This is a really popular argument from those who criticize the ending of "Blood Brothers", but I don't think it works as well as it seems from the outside.

Esteban is, first of all, a loving father. Who takes care of his sons (both) and stood up for them in front of a police officer (which led to his death).

I really don't think Esteban would be happier with an outcome in which his eldest teenage son would spend most of his life in prison (Sean was 16 years old at the start of his prison sentence and 31 years old at the end of his prison sentence) for a crime he didn't even commit. Esteban would not be happier with an outcome in which Sean comes out of a long (15-year) prison sentence a mentally broken man with no real prospects. Sean's life is broken (like Sean himself).

I doubt very much that, as a father, Esteban would have preferred this for Sean. And that it's Sean's fate would be more comfortable for Esteban than Sean living in Mexico and working there as an auto mechanic (like Esteban, you know). It doesn't make sense to me.

Esteban would definitely prefer "Blood Brothers" to "Redemption."

It is also ignored that in addition to "Esteban taught his sons to be good" (they do not become bad people from doing what is necessary for their own survival), he also taught them brotherhood and wanted them to be close. What he told Sean about the importance of their brotherhood and connection.

Esteban wanted his sons to be close and for them to stay together (an outcome we only see in "Blood Brothers"). This is what happens at the beginning of episode 3, in flashbacks.

The idea that "this is not what Esteban taught them" comes from Sean's possible response during the dialogue with Karen, but even if he taught them to follow the norms of society (the path of high morality), he did it when they lived an ordinary life and nothing threatened them. Not when they have to constantly run away and pick up scraps from garbage cans so as not to starve to death.

Karen, a woman who had been married to Esteban for several years, never said that they could not go to Puerto Lobos and that Esteban would not want them to choose Puerto Lobos over Sean's imprisonment. On the contrary, she was the one who convinced Sean to cross the border with Daniel.

Again, I think he would definitely prefer this outcome to "Redemption."

But even if we take for truth the popular thesis "this is not what Esteban would like", the brothers have the right to build their own lives regardless of their father's wishes.

[wetcatspellcaster]

Hi! Are you a Dragon Age fan at all? If so, are you looking forward to the Veilguard drop later this month, and do you have any plans to write any fic in that world in the future? :)

Also, as a Solasmancer I just want to say that have been thinking about Pieces a lot as the vibe I imagine for a Solas/Inquisitor Lavellan reunion in Veilguard, if we do get one (a girl can dream, right?). Specifically, this part:

"I’m so tired, Astarion. And I’m sorry, but I can’t be that girl for you, anymore.”

The sombre silence that followed was unlike anything Rosalie thought she had ever shared with Astarion, in the times before. They had had their mute periods - fraught, tense, and full of unspoken hurt - but nothing quite so resigned as this. Rosalie felt all the ways she didn’t align with the woman he’d known - how if one was superimposed upon the other, they would no longer fit. And then she felt mostly just… old. She raked a hand through her hair, feeling a deep heaviness settle upon her. It was almost as if, in admitting how much she had exhausted herself to get here, all that tiredness came down upon her once more.

The similarities between the two situations just really hit me right in the feels. Anyway, I absolutely adore Pieces, if you can't tell. Thanks for sharing your wonderful work with us!

hey beloved! thank you for the question.

I am very much looking forward to Veilguard. Dragon Age was my first videogame series I ever fully got mentally unwell about, and it's also the reason I started writing fanfiction at all. I've written for nearly all my canon inquisitors and wardens :) i'm very very excited, and not exaggerating when I say it had become one of my reasons to live - even if it's a bad game or whatever, that character creation may become one of the threads i hang by

I don't know yet if I'll write fic. I have two active wips I want to finish and I am already teetering on the edge of burnout, alongside a desire to start focusing on original projects. I also can't play veilguard until my thesis corrections are in, and the deadline for that is november 15th. which is only two weeks of waiting, but it means i don't want to be thinking about the game at any point as something i *have* to write fic for, or feel any pressure around. So I have no explicit plans. I want it to just be my reward for finishing my PhD! officially!

ngl, it's currently nice to have a piece of media I'm looking forward to that I don't want to produce content for, only consume :) and I'll still have two other WIPs, so it's not like people will be starved of my writing!

ofc, if the mood takes me and I get swept up in the frenzy, there will inevitably be fic. I was very mentally unwell about inquisition lmao, I nursed that fic idea for 4 years before I ever wrote any of it down. I imagine I will steer away from game fic, and so if I write anything it will either be pre-game Rook backstory or AU stuff. I also think it will not be pushed out the way my bg3 stuff was pushed out, so don't expect anything from me and then maybe a year or two from now you'll get surprised by something :D

I am not personally a solavellan girlie, but I did accidentally second lead Solas so hard in my Inquisition fic quite without planning to, it just happened organically bc it made sense for the characters. so I infinitely respect Solavallen girlies' beliefs xxxx

[distilled-prose]

From Facebook - M. A. Rothman 9/26/24

If the English language made any sense, lackadaisical would have something to do with a shortage of flowers.

- Doug Larson

Writers don’t have lifestyles. They sit in little rooms and write.

- Norman Mailer

Learn to write. Never mind the damn statistics. If you like statistics, become a CPA.

- Jim Murray

The dubious privilege of a freelance writer is he’s given the freedom to starve anywhere.

- S.J. Perelman

Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.

- Gene Fowler

If you can't annoy somebody, there's little point in writing.

- Kingsley Amis

Real seriousness in regard to writing is one of two absolute necessities. The other, unfortunately, is talent.

- Ernest Hemingway

Writing is so difficult that I often feel that writers, having had their hell on earth, will escape all punishment thereafter.

- Jessamyn West

I was sorry to hear my name mentioned as one of the great authors, because they have a sad habit of dying off. Chaucer is dead, so is Milton, so is Shakespeare, and I am not feeling very well myself.

- Mark Twain

All autobiographies are alibi-ographies.

- Clare Booth Luce

The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair.

- Mary Heaton Vorse

The world is a hellish place, and bad writing is destroying the quality of our suffering.

- Tom Waits

The average Ph.D. thesis is nothing but a transference of bones from one graveyard to another.

- J. Frank Dobie

An autobiography usually reveals nothing bad about its writer except his memory.

- Franklin P. Jones

Long, hard slog today writing the Great American Tweet.

(That was it...what do you think? Pulitzer?)

- Greg Tamblyn

A bad review may spoil your breakfast, but you shouldn't allow it to spoil your lunch.

- Kingsley Amis

Unless a reviewer has the courage to give you unqualified praise, I say ignore the bastard.

- John Steinbeck

Asking a working writer what he thinks about critics is like asking a lamppost how it feels about dogs.

- Christopher Hampton

The only time I'll get good reviews is if I kill myself.

- Edward Albee

As far as I'm concerned, "whom" is a word that was invented to make everyone sound like a butler.

- Calvin Trillin

Listen up, Internet: there is no "h" in "wacky." Got that? THERE IS NO "H" IN "WACKY." Thank you.

- Dave Barry

Writing and travel broaden your ass if not your mind and I like to write standing up.

- Ernest Hemingway

About the most originality that any writer can hope to achieve honestly is to steal with good judgment.

- Josh Billings

Alimony is the curse of the writing class.

- Norman Mailer

Autobiography is an unrivaled vehicle for telling the truth about other people.

- Philip Guedalla

An autobiography is an obituary in serial form with the last installment missing.

- Quentin Crisp

Practically everybody in New York has half a mind to write a book, and does.

- Groucho Marx

Having been unpopular in high school is not just cause for book publications.

- Fran Lebowitz

Revising a story down to the bare essentials is always a little like murdering children, but it must be done.

- Stephen King

Never let a bad memory get in the way of a good memoir.

- Joanie Levenson

Everywhere I go I'm asked if I think the university stifles writers. My opinion is that they don't stifle enough of them. There's many a best-seller that could have been prevented by a good teacher.

- Flannery O’Connor

It's splendid to be a great writer, to put men into the frying pan of your imagination and make them pop like chestnuts.

- Gustave Flaubert

Writing is a socially acceptable form of getting naked in public.

- Paulo Coelho

All literature is gossip.

- Truman Capote

Your manuscript is both good and original; but the part that is good is not original, and the part that is original is not good.

- Dr. Samuel Johnson, to an aspiring writer

I can write better than anybody who can write faster, and I can write faster than anybody who can write better.

- A. J. Liebling

There's not much to be said about the period except that most writers don't reach it soon enough.

- William Zinsser

It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldn't give it up because by that time I was too famous.

- Robert Benchley

When I was a little boy, they called me a liar, but now that I am a grown up they call me a writer.

- Isaac Bashevis Singer

Never, ever use repetitive redundancies. Don't use no double negatives. Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.

- William Safire

Only kings, presidents, editors, and people with tapeworms have the right to use the editorial "we."

- Mark Twain

Writing is like prostitution. First you do it for love, and then for a few close friends, and then for money.

- Ashish Chauhan ‏@4shish

Did you hear about the little boy who ended a sentence with 5 prepositions? He said, "What are you bringing that book that I don't want to be read to out of up for?"

Let me see if I can put it in words that even the inebriated might understand.

- Tom Robbins

When Thoreau wrote: "Simplify, simplify, simplify!" shouldn't he have edited it down to "Simplify!"?

- CrankyPappy ‏@CrankyPappy

He does not so much split his infinitives as disembowel them.

- Rebecca West

I am a writer. If I seem cold, it 's because I am surrounded by drafts.

- (Unknown Author)

How many writers does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

Six:

One to screw it in,

One to sharpen all the pencils in the house,

One to make more coffee,

One to call a friend to chat,

And one to complain that there's never time to do any writing.

Wait, that's only five — that's why they need editors.