#i can and will write Essays on this shit

[daemon-in-my-head]

Gortash has a 'love' for humanity and it's making me sick cuz that's perhaps why I even like him. Cuz it's twisted and messed up and rotten, so fucking rotten, but it's there, and his every step and every plan of his strives towards the betterment of the status quo in some way and advancement of humanity in a way that's just making me sick.

In this essay I will-

[cosmicquilt]

"Is black the absence of light - or the presence of color?"

the darkness in his eyes is from the absence of any light that would usually find the color underneath...

[chilling-seavey]

Clash of Perspectives: Analyzing the Dual Narratives Behind the Verstappen and Russell Public Dispute

Disclaimer: This 'essay' is entirely my opinion, aimed to be from an unbiased point of view. I like both Max and George as drivers and as people; they are both on my 'favourites' list. This post is not hate and should not be read as such; this is supposed to simply offer a viewpoint from both parties, perhaps educate on what has been going on, and discuss what I believe is fair or unjust in this back and forth. This is essay is not about debating if the Qatar qualifying penalty was or was not fair; this essay is about the social and very public dispute between Verstappen and Russell.

Last weekend, after receiving a 1-place grid penalty after qualifying pole in Qatar, Max Verstappen spoke to the media about how the penalty discussion was handled in the stewards' room. He had many things to say about his counterpart, George Russell, who had apparently insisted upon Max receiving a penalty for alleged 'impeding' despite neither driver being on a fast lap. Since Max's words to the media, social media has been ablaze with F1 fans taking sides and at each other's throats over this back and forth. There can be a lot to say here and I through this essay, I hope to inform others about what has been happening while also offering my personal opinions on how both Max and George have handled this situation (as of December 5, 2024).

I have broken it down into three topics for ease of reading. Please read everything carefully before commenting or engaging in conversation; especially if your response differs in opinion than the ones written here. Discourse is always welcome but let's please be respectful if our opinions differ. At the end of the day, we're just fans of a bunch of millionaires who don't know we exist.

1 - George's Character

My main 'concern' from this last weekend is the comparison to how both parties handled themselves in the face of this situation and how they spoke about their counterpart. The main reason I decided to make this essay was because the main discussions (and, honestly, hate) I've seen across social media since this issue arose is mainly stemming from these initial comments delivered by Max.

December 1, 2024 — Max

This whole initial interview shocked me, honestly. It's been known that when Max was starting out in this sport, he could be very brash and his reactions were arguably immature. This season, I have been very impressed by how he has generally carried himself in the media from weekend to weekend. Even when the title fight with Lando got very heated, very tense, and words were said, Max always seemed very calm and collected and mature when asked about it by the media. He got major brownie points from me for this because it showed he was capable of understanding the time and place to be overly harsh or angry or critical and he held himself very articulately and maturely in interviews. There was no belittling of his counterparts [Lando, at the time] and nothing of the sort.

So, seeing this statement from Max as of this weekend, I was very disappointed in how he carried himself and how he treated the situation with George. Of course, Max has every right to be frustrated and upset and angry and whatever other emotion he had been feeling since the stewards meeting; I am definitely not arguing that. As I'll touch on later in this essay, what was said in the stewards' is never publicized for reason so we don't know what really happened in there. Maybe George was very angry and brash (and last weekend he already seemed to be in a grumpy mood re: McLaren sprint 1-2 situation) in that meeting, maybe he said some things he shouldn't have, but that's not an excuse for Max to speak to the media like this. Yes, Max has every right to be as angry as he wants at George, regardless of what went down! He could throw darts at a picture of George's face on his drivers room wall for all I care! That's his business.

Speaking to a disagreement with a fellow driver is one thing. Expressing disappointment, frustration, feelings that something was unjust is one thing. But this statement was entirely passed the line of mature or respectful or, frankly, professional. This isn't just some example of 'Oh, that's just Max just being Max and telling it like it is'; he can still be that way — true to who he is — but also be respectful. I've seen it throughout this season with how he carried himself in regard to the tensions with Lando. He is capable of it and I don't underestimate that he's smart enough to know that.

I've seen a lot of social media content now all content that Max 'brought the truth about George out' which I believe is incredibly unfair. Claiming that George is two-faced simply because he acts one way in media duties/in front of the camera and a different way off camera doesn't make him two-faced or conniving. It makes him a mature and respectful professional.

I think there’s nothing wrong with George or anyone acting differently on camera than behind closed doors. In order to put myself in the shoes of the drivers in instances like this, I always try to view this sport like a career…like a day at the office. The drivers being in front of the cameras is like me talking to my clients. I should be censoring myself, carrying myself politely, respectfully, maturely. I reflect the company for which I am hired. If I am super mad at my boss or a co-worker or a competitor or anything, I’m not going to be bitching about it to my client. That’s not right or appropriate. Hence, why George might 'appear more polite to the cameras’. He’s carrying himself professionally in a situation that requires it.

On the other hand, if there is an issue between co-workers and our boss, that’s where we can be more pushy, more ourselves, or whatever else we need to be to get our point across. We want to fight for what we think is right; it’s a private place away from our 'clients’ or the public in this matter where we can do this. Of course, we don’t know the extent of this specific situation because none of us were there, but I think Max (and, later, in his reply, George) laying all that out to dry on a public platform is still uncalled for. What happens in the stewards’ space isn’t publicized for a reason. Just like what happens in my 1-1 meetings with my bosses doesn't get spread all over the office and to my clients. That’s the behind the scenes work. Their private discourse.

I don’t see it like George being 'two faced’ as Max seemed to imply and how some fans have seemed to take it. I understand it to be he composes himself professionally in front of his 'clients’ to reflect the name of his 'company' to the best of his ability, and, behind closed doors, he can fight a little more and be a bit more open and brash for what he wants to achieve. That’s honestly incredibly mature of him to do. Never have I seen him be 'secretive' or 'conniving' or anything like that. I also believe that Max wasn't trying to be conniving or manipulative by stating these things about George; just that his emotions were high and he's human.

December 5, 2024 — George

I loved this response from George. I, myself, have had people — even in my professional life — try to come for my character and my integrity and I know how much that can hurt, especially when you, yourself, know how you carry yourself. In knowing this, George had every right to defend himself and I think he did so incredibly respectfully but firmly, and didn't slander or hate on Max in any uncalled for way in these above quotes.

"He's entitled to his own opinions" stands out the most to me; he's not getting angry at the fact that someone isn't a fan of him currently or is upset with him. He carried himself how he thought was best, did what he needed to do, and if Max needs to sit with those emotions and chooses to step away from him because of it, he has the right to. That is so respectful of George to say and honestly I was in awe by these screenshots.

George made great points in his interview with SkySports (One | Two) in reminding us that F1 drivers 'fighting' for penalties against their rivals isn't new. He even mentioned how during the Qatar GP this same weekend, Max was insisting on the radio that Lando be reported for not lifting under the yellow. He had every right to do that, just like George had every right to push for a penalty where he saw fit after the qualifying incident. Whether George was quiet and submissive in the stewards or if he was raising his voice and being very persistent is irrelevant here; it doesn't justify Max publically slandering his name and his character.

Whether Max is 4x WDC or hasn't earned a single point in the sport, that doesn't excuse anyone to come on public media and slander someone's name to unjustifiable amounts. Expressing discontent, disappointment, frustration is one thing — it's understandable and appreciated by the fans to see that insight where necessary — but to this extent is nothing short of rude. Max is human at the end of the day and he's not a perfect person; no one is. In knowing this, it wouldn't be fair to hold this situation against him for the rest of time, but being disappointed in how he handled it is valid.

2 - Max's Character

Although the initial situation here was surrounding how Max spoke to George's character last weekend, George's response from this week contained a lot of things to analyze as well. It wouldn't be a comparative study if I didn't look at both sides fairly.

December 5, 2024 — George

Although George did deliver the above statements in a way that was still generally respectful and professional, I believe that he was getting a little bit too into the discourse here. Sure, there may be another argument to have that there was some truth behind his claims of Max being a harsh racer, willing to do anything and everything to get to where he is at the top, and a few moments this season (at least, that I can speak to having witnessed) on the radio where Max might have come across pushy/whiny to 'get his way'. However, I never like to use radio messages as examples or to hold against someone, because that's when everyone's adrenaline is at its peak and its easy to say things in the heat of the moment, in a rush of passion.

One one side, there can be an arguable bias in George's statements here as a rival driver also fighting to be the best but also as a die-hard Lewis fan and as Lewis' teammate. I think — and this is my personal opinion and assumption — that George may 95% of the time take Lewis' side. That doesn't make George wrong or a bad person, that's just his own preferences and biases. Just like how you reading this might be a die-hard fan to one driver but your friend might adore someone completely different so you sometimes clash heads on certain topics. That's your individual biases arguably altering your arguments. Again, that's not to say it's a bad thing. It's just what it is. You fight for what you are passionate about.

Looping back to my main point of this essay, however, I will reiterate the fact that George is going a bit off topic here and I don't necessarily agree with how specific and in depth he went. Especially saying that "people have been bullied by Max for years now". Max isn't the first driver to say harsh opinions and statements about fellow drivers to the media and I'm sure he won't be the last. It's borderline too 'personal' and, yes, although he delivered it respectfully and there may be an arguable truth behind some of the words, I don't think any of this above statement was necessary for the situation at hand. It made it feel almost too 'political'.

I have also seen people using the clip of George and Bottas from 2021 as a way to claim George is a "hypocrite" for saying the above. That is a weak and lazy excuse, just looking for something to use as ammo to had more hate to the fire. Looking at the bigger picture and how someone has grown and changed over the years and through their experience is important. If George was crashing into people and then hitting them for it on a monthly basis, perhaps your argument for this would stand. George wasn't here saying Max sucks and he's always rude and violent and a million other things, he made a few fair points that have proof for backup from the past, albeit was unnecessary to bring up in this instance.

My above statements stand here, too. Maybe even more so here. This feels very gossip-y to me and, again, uncalled for. I wanted to make this quote have it's own notes because the ones above here borderline too far, this one is very much too far. Very unnecessary and unneeded.

3 - The Alleged Threat

I first heard of Max's alleged 'threat' towards George on a SkySports broadcast (I can't currently find the link, if you have it, please let me know so I can add it in) where the commentator was saying many people had overheard Max threaten George. This was brought up by George upon his media interviews this week and then immediately responded to by Max as well.

About this threat, George is quoted in a SkySports interview as saying: "I don't want to bring this to the stewards...I had no intention of bringing this up [...] but he made it personal". In my viewpoint, this quote shows that despite this supposed threat (whether it's 100% true or not, we don't know and we might not ever know), he was willing to move on from it without blowing it up and coming for Max publicly. This is a fair statement given that George felt is necessary to defend himself against the slander towards his character in a situation where otherwise there might have just been big feelings but leaving it on the track.

December 5, 2024 — George

December 5, 2024 — Max

At the end of the day, what hasn’t been publicized is a game of he said/she said. We can hope they’re being truthful but we have to remember that they haven’t been sworn under oath to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help them God, so both will ultimately have their personal biases that will skew their recollection of the reality of the situation. They are also humans who will often express themselves of come across to other unlike how they indented. Max saying "he's exaggerating" might be the truth, or it might simply boil down to how his confrontation or his words might have come across to George in terms of his tone or underlying meanings. It doesn't mean that one is more correct than the other.

Overall, I think we should take the claims of what happened off camera with this understanding. In all honesty, it’s none of our business. What happens in the stewards isn’t publicized for a reason. We can hear either side tell their story but the only people who know what really happened are the two involved. We shouldn't come at George for being a 'liar' when we weren't there. Just as we shouldn't come at Max for being a 'bully' because, again, we weren't there.

This leads me to my next point in mentioning that Max claims here that you don't have to share everything that happened behind closed doors. I agree with this. As I mentioned above, the stewards is not publicized for a reason, and George took it a bit too far with the information there, going far into details from the past that weren't necessarily relevant to share. Yes, he was respectful in delivering this, but it wasn't needed.

And, yet again, Max has returned with throwing slander on George's name. "Loser", "backstabber", "dramatic". Instead of owning up to how he handled the initial media statements from the previous weekend, he kept at it. Once can be easily excusable; boiling down to a bad day, maybe he had something going on behind the scenes, maybe he's just human and made a mistake in how he handled it, simple as that. But twice? Days apart? This really disappoints me. I really like Max and his tell-it-like-it-is style of honesty but there comes a time where it crosses a line between honesty and rudeness.

Additionally, there is something to say about Max staying true to himself no matter where he is, that can be a positive thing. He's not swayed by outside forces. However, in such a media driven career that he has, where everything is publicized and scrutinized and can have such intense consequences, I think he needs to remind himself of 'time and place'. Like I mentioned earlier, he was great this season in handling questions about the fights and 'name calling'/'finger-pointing' from Lando, always aiming to be respectful and mature, so this is very jarring to me. He can still stay true to himself but be respectful. He can still be blunt and straight forward but not tear someone down at the same time. One does not excuse the other.

To me, the way someone carries themselves in their professional life versus personal life is so important. George seems to have a good grasp on this and I thought Max had started to develop this too.

4 - The Takeaways

I hope this was at all helpful in gaining a better understanding of the situation. I am just so tired of seeing blatant hate on my social media pages about Max and about George. Discourse and expression of opinion on a topic is one thing but taking to the level of making jokes on someone's behalf or being straight up rude is unneeded. From what I have seen so far, the Max 'hate' has been more on the discourse and disappointment side whereas the George 'hate' has been so incredibly brutal. This surprises me given that the issue Max had with George in the first place wasn't even publicized. We have no idea what happened, so why is everyone feeling the need to agree with him when you don't know these people in real life and you weren't there to witness the situation in the first place?

To those who are making posts with digs at George such as belittling his skill, persona, or performance (i.e. "George has no trouble putting himself in the wall, he doesn't need Max's help with that" or "george would [be dramatic and] say that max told him he hopes he dies") are incredibly uncalled for and presumptuous and, yes, I stand by my prior claim that it is immature. You think that is funny but it's really not. You can not like a driver and still be respectful on public forums. You can disagree with a driver, express your opinions, and still be respectful. Just because you think the person won't see it doesn't mean a) they won't or b) their fans want to see that. It just makes you look petty.

I don't anticipate either party apologizing, which is their own prerogative. Honestly, I'm just glad this happened at the end of the season so we can let it go and let the two involved parties deal with this as they see fit. It's only theirs to deal with anyway.

Let's have a safe a respectful final race of the season.

Additionally, I would like to hear from those who genuinely believe George is two-faced. If you have tangible proof of these claims, please feel free to slide into my ask box. Please be respectful though. I will delete any messages that are unnecessarily rude or hateful. We don't have to agree, but don't be offensive either. I don't have the time or patience for that.

Sources, Max: independant.co.uk | motorsport.com Sources, George: motorsport.com | racer.com

[simcardiac-arrested]

wait, that elias?

[sea-buns]

Never did I expect myself to be mourning the absence of english essays and writing exams and theatre class critiques. Do you understand how fucking amazing of a grade I could get on an analysis of trauma in Critical Role? On Lou Wilson and Emily Axford's finesse in portraying the heavy expectations and double standards placed on children? On Ylfa Snorgelsson's relationship to death? On the journey of a man's relationship to violence? On an analysis of grief in Dimension 20? On the pitfalls of youth? On the dynamic between humanity and religion? On the journey of self-discovery and acceptance? On love in all its forms? On the nature of choice? On everything Brennan Lee Mulligan has to say about capitalism? On the tragedy of im/mortality? On Gerard and Elody's divorce? On the unfeeling and aimless happenstance of the universe? On the role of fate and destiny? I'm not saying it would be easy. I'm saying can you imagine how fucking cool it would have been to turn in 5 pages about a dnd show, feeling good about it?

[lovesickeros]

☆ decadence divine [ act I ]

{☆} characters arlecchino, neuvillette, furina {☆} notes yandere, drabble, gender neutral reader {☆} warnings yandere content, stalking (implied), kidnapping (implied) {☆} word count 2.3k

ARLECCHINO

Arlecchino was wont to leave social gatherings to her subordinates– the private meetings were where she thrived. It was so much easier to lure your prey into a trap when you didn't have prying eyes and ears waiting for the barest hint of blackmail.

She clicked her tongue in distaste, her eyes narrowing beneath the mask of the fox as she set down her cup sharply. It was difficult as it was to draw them from the safety of their bubble– at the slightest hint of danger, her quarry would run. A chase would be fun, but she couldn't risk getting caught here. The political nightmare it would cause..it already gave her a headache. She had to be discreet.

They weren't making it easy, however.

Which is why she never liked crowds. But this chance didn't come by every day. She wasn't going to simply let it pass by because of a little danger. She'd have them eventually, it was just a matter of how. There were already numerous of her own lingering in the crowds, hidden beneath the masks that every patron bore. It was difficult to stand out amongst the flurry of masked patrons constantly shifting around the room, moving from one conversation to another, gliding from one dance partner to another.

Her heeled boots clicked sharply against the tile as she stalked through the crowds, keeping a wide berth yet always lingering nearby– she was sure they could feel the vague sense of being watched, but with the huge crowds..her lips quirked into a grin with the barest flash of teeth. There were a great many ways to break them in– she'd spent a great amount of time and mora to get anything she could for blackmail, if she so wished. She had the backing of the Fatui as well if she played her cards right– it wouldn't be difficult to convince them that they were a valuable target, and none of them would dare to question just what she did with them afterwards.

Perhaps a bit of play, first. Test the waters. She was familiar with playing the polite gentleman, despite her status as a Fatui Harbinger. Stage something for her to intervene, perhaps, to look the hero. The look of shock when she revealed the wolf beneath the wool..she could see it already. That wide, doe-eyed look as they realized the monster they've followed blindly like a lost lamb..she was beginning to see the appeal.

All it took was a few hushed words and subtle signals before the tiles started to fall in place, her hand gliding along their lower back as she leaned over their shoulder with a thin, predatory smile. She'd have to organize for the agent to be released later, her eyes following as the Gardes dragged him out of the room in a flurry of curses, but for now..she tilted her head to peer down at them, polite and almost apologetic.

"You aren't too startled, are you? Now now, there's no need to look so..scared, poor thing. I won't let another lay a hand on you," She cooed in a sickly sweet tone, the husky rasp of her voice whispered in their ear like dripping honey. "You have my word. Now, why don't we get you some fresh air? Come. Allow me to escort you."

Her lips pulled into a jagged grin at the relief in their eyes– the blind lamb following the shepherd as it led them into it's maw. Just a little longer, and she could finally have her own caged bird– a pretty thing to admire, to protect, to possess.

Something no one else would ever touch again. Something hers.

NEUVILLETTE

Neuvillette was not one for parties. The intricacies and delicate handling of public relations he oft left in the capable hands of Furina, rather then himself. It was only at her behest he even attended at all, but he still felt rather..out of place amongst the bodies constantly shifting through the ballroom like a constant rush of water from one end to the other, no rhyme nor reason to the flow. The only thing that kept him afloat among the tides was the mask of the deer obscuring his face– even if it was exceedingly difficult to truly hide himself among the crowds, most passed over him without second thought.

Though he had to be honest with himself, even if he couldn't bring himself to admit it to Furina despite her insistence that his attendance was mandatory. He had his own reasons for coming– selfishness that left a sour taste in his mouth. It was purely by chance he'd seen the briefest glimpse of them prior, and he..was intrigued, that was all.

He refused to let his thoughts linger on the sleepless nights he spent prying every piece of information he could from loose tongues and obscure documents, every moment he managed to squeeze in between trials spent lingering in their most favored locations– cafes, stores, restaurants, the like.

Now a masquerade.

He tried not to let the guilt gnaw at his conscious, but it lingered like an age old scar that still ached.

So he relegated himself to simply residing in the further corner, nursing a goblet of water like a fine wine, trying not to let his eyes stray to the brief glimpses of them through the ever moving bodies filling the center of the room, dancing like puppets in music boxes.

Still, his hand twitched in an instinctual desire– a need to clasp his hand in their own, to touch his lips upon their knuckles, to indulge in a moment of reprieve and unshackle himself from the mantle that bears heavy upon his shoulders. He seeks reverence, worship, but not of himself– but towards the one who had drawn the eye of the dragon amongst the waves of humans he'd seen come and go for a great many years.

No one could compare, he is certain. None have left him as breathless, as hopelessly infatuated, as the one who made him wish only to kneel at their feet in senseless reverence until he could no longer speak. A hopeless man, indeed, if he has never even truly met them.

Instead he's spent his time prying into their life from the shadows. Caution, or simple cowardice?

He dares not ponder.

Yet in his ceaseless pondering he'd blocked out the world without, failing to notice the figure stepping up beside him until their hand brushed against his elbow– just the briefest touch, but it had his pupils narrowing and his entire body tensing like a coiled spring. That touch..bliss. It left him breathless and lightheaded as he tilted his head to regard them, his lips parting in a shaky sigh. They are as beautiful as he remembers– even with their face obscured beneath the mask, he would never forget them.

"Greetings, Monsieur– I hope I didn't frighten you too much." Their laugh made him feel rather faint, just the sound of their voice making his hand tighten around his cane. "..Not at all. I was simply lost in thought." He admitted apologetically, trying to reign in the urge to cup their face between his palms. A dangerous thought. He didn't want to scare them off when they'd provided him a priceless opportunity.

"My apologies, you must have needed something. It was rude of me to have been so absorbed in my thoughts to have ignored you." He continued, gently turning to set his goblet down– offer them his full attention, be a gentleman. The words rang in his skull like a ceaseless alarm, blaring and rattling his thoughts as he gently took their hand in his own. It was a split second decision– an indulgence, but he could simply not help himself. Even with his gloves between them, he felt like he was going to lose his composure just from such a brief touch..

He truly was a hopeless man before an altar, praying for a salvation he intends to bury deep beneath the waves– to keep it hidden in the darkness of the depths that only he can reach. A selfish man, he must be, to even think of it, but it is an itch that he cannot scratch. A need that must be satisfied. He cannot allow any hands but his own to tend to them, to know what it feels to touch them, to hear their voice and see their eyes as he prays– prays like a man starved, devotion born of desperation.

"I hope I did not make you wait too long." He smiles, soft and affectionate, like the bloom of spring beneath the winters chill– yet just as deadly, only masked by the sweet fragrance of flowers.

He had waited too long.

No longer.

FURINA

Furina was right at home amongst the crowds– where the masks obscured the identities of most, it was impossible to not recognize the charming banter of the Hydro Archon beneath the mask of the lamb as she graced the masquerade with her presence, speaking with a silver tongue to any who would listen. A truly enthralled audience fitting for the grandest of performers in Fontaine.

But her eyes lingered not on the people who's praise dripped from their lips like honey– yet so very bitter upon her tongue. Even the mask obscuring her expression did little to hide the longing that had her visibly deflating like a popped balloon. She hated all the eyes on her, really– it was suffocating. She was only putting on a show in the foolish hope that they'd finally pay attention to her. Just her luck, she supposes, that instead she's had to throw herself straight into the role of Archon without a pay off..

They hadn't even spared her a glance! It would be infuriating if not for the fact she couldn't even keep her composure just seeing them across the room. They didn't even have to look at her and she could feel the heat rush to her ears as she forced another smile at the crowd gathered around her. It was unfair how easily they could fluster her without even knowing it– her heart was thumping so hard against her ribcage she felt like it might burst.

Her only solace was the fact none of the patrons seemed to realize she'd clocked out of the conversation, her thoughts and eyes lingering on the distant figure– what a lovestruck fool she makes..it was a chance encounter she'd seen them during one of her outings. That was all it took to enthrall her, evidentially, try as she might to have ignore it for months.

They never left her mind for longer then a day, in the end, and she had to face the fact they had managed to enrapture her so deeply she felt like a newborn lamb learning to walk whenever she so much as thought of them. What an embarrassment! She..she was the Archon, she had a reputation to maintain, she couldn't be seen fawning over a human.

But oh, she still longed for it, beneath the veneer of a God. She'd watched them more times then she'd admit even to herself, wishing to find herself in place of those who'd hands were cradled so casually in their own– to hear their voice, their laughter, as often as she pleased..like a fine delicacy she so badly wished to taste, yet so far from her reach.

Would they think her pathetic for her infatuation? She pursed her lips at the thought, trying to bury the sour mood beneath her faux image of the Archon. Yet it lingered, and with only the quietest of excuses, she slipped into the crowd like a ghost– she needed to leave before she did something..stupid. Neuvillette would surely have a few choice words with her if she did, and she was inclined to avoid such a fate.

She..she just needed a moment to collect herself was all. That was it. She could go back to playing Archon for a little longer, she just needed a moment to herself. At the very least, the balcony had been regarded as off limits so late into the party– which gave her an opportunity to slip out of the public view for the briefest of moments. A welcome reprieve– she was starting to feel suffocated amongst the crowds.

Perhaps on instinct, she reached for the mask, lifting ever so slightly away..only to let out a startled yelp at the touch of a hand on her shoulder, the mask slipping back into place far too easily. It made her lightheaded, even now, but she dared not to dwell on it.

But when she turned sharply on her heel to chew out the person who'd followed her and had the gall to scare her..oh, she was done for, her ears flush with heat. The brief glimpse of their eyes beneath the mask, the curl of their lips as they smiled– her heart stuttered in her chest, and she was certain it had stopped all together when they clasped her hand.

"Y–you.." She wanted to be angry, to brush them off and leave with her rationality in tact, but the warmth of their hands on her skin rendered her speechless. She was no better then a fish on land, struggling to fill her lungs with air as she drew in a shaky breath. "Ahem, you caught me off guard. That's all. Surely you do not make it a habit to sneak up on people?" She huffed in indignation, trying to mask the fluster that threatened to break through her carefully crafted facade.

Ah, what a cruel twist of fate..she'd slipped away to escape their allure, but here they were, dragging her back into their orbit without even knowing how deep her infatuation ran. They were alone, too..it was a chance she wasn't sure she'd ever get again.

Maybe, just this once, she could do something for herself rather then everyone else.

She buried her guilt, the fear– buried it beneath the need to be seen.

"But if you want to make it up to me.."

[bmpmp3]

sorry to be a bit of a hater but i do wish youtubers weren't so scared of making their videos just like, "reviews", whys everything gotta be a "video essay" all the time. every day my recommendations are filled with 40 minute videos titled "_____: An Underrated Masterpiece" where the first like five minutes are reading the wikipedia definition of "masterpiece" in a somber voice with dramatic themed text on screen. please just tell me how good or bad you think something is and use the rest of the runtime to explain why. you dont need to put on all these airs

[youssefguedira]

I wish you would write a fic about irreconcilable artistic differences on a movie set between Joe and Nicky.

not really irreconciliable as in not solvable at all but you know i had fun with this

Joe squeezes his eyes shut, covering his face with both hands, and leans forward. His shoulders tremble uncontrollably. He takes a short, sharp breath, and another, and another, but he can’t quite seem to get enough into his lungs. There’s a lump in his throat and a weight in his stomach. He leans forward with a low, wounded sound and–

“Cut,” Nicky says softly. Then, because it takes Joe a second to hear him: “Joe, stop.”

Slowly, Joe raises his head. Wipes at his eyes and takes a few deep breaths to steady himself. Nicky’s already up, frowning ever so slightly as he looks at the camera. 

“What is it this time?” Joe manages. His voice is hoarse; he has to clear his throat once or twice. Nicky doesn’t look up. The clock on the nightstand reads 01.34, but Nicky’s changed it a few times over the course of the shoot. He has no clue what time it really is, only that it’s dark outside.

It’s just the two of them in the room. Nicky had wanted to keep this one small, just him and Joe and the camera. The apartment they’re in is nice, if a little empty, though Joe supposes that’s the point. They’re in the bedroom, Joe sitting cross-legged on the bed, shirtless, sheets bunched up over his lap, a phone lying on the nightstand behind him. One entire wall of the room is taken up by a floor-to-ceiling window which lets the moonlight in, though there’s a few low lights set up behind Nicky to send bars of silver light across the bed, because the natural light hadn’t quite been strong enough for the effect Nicky wanted. It’s otherworldly; it’s beautiful. 

Nicky still isn’t looking at him, so Joe says again, “What?” It comes out a little harsher than he means it to, but it gets Nicky’s attention.

Nicky runs one hand through his hair. Joe can’t see him well, not with the light behind him and the shadows in the room. “I don’t know,” Nicky says. “It’s missing something.”

Joe has worked with Nicky enough times before. It’s not that he doesn’t like working with him - they’re friends - but he can’t fucking read him, and so after the sixth take of the same scene he can’t help but take it a little personally. 

Joe reaches for the bottle of water hidden just under the bed and takes a long drink, mostly to keep himself from snapping. What time is it? “I can try again, but I can’t do this indefinitely, Nicky.”

“I know, I know,” Nicky says, fidgeting again with the camera, “it’s not you, it’s just–” 

“What else could it be?” Joe interrupts. He’s not stupid. This scene doesn’t work if he can’t get it right, which means the entire film doesn’t work if he can’t get it right. More than anything else, this one depends on him. No music, no camera movement, no dialogue, nothing but him and the camera. And he wants to do it right, he loves this project almost as much as Nicky does, but there’s a hollow feeling in his chest and he’s spent the last however-many-hours having a near-complete breakdown over and over again and it’s still not right. And Joe doesn’t know what it is he’s doing wrong.

“I don’t know,” Nicky says quietly. Now he is looking at Joe, and Joe can’t tell if he’s disappointed, or angry, or – or what. He’s perfectly expressionless, as always. 

Joe loves this job. And he wants to get this right. But it doesn’t mean it’s not one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do, and he’s tired.

“I don’t have much more left in me, Nicky,” he says, and this time he does snap. He wipes at his eyes again, can’t look at Nicky. He’s supposed to be making himself vulnerable, above all in this scene, but suddenly he can’t stand the way Nicky’s looking at him. “Pass me my hoodie.”

“Joe–”

“I can’t. I can’t keep doing this.” He kicks the sheets off and gets tangled trying to do it, grabs his hoodie when Nicky offers it, pulls it over his head in one fluid motion and gets out of there as soon as he can. Thankfully, there’s only Andy and Nile in the other room, Andy lying back on the couch with her feet up and Nile perched on the arm of it. They both look up at Joe as he enters, both look like they’re about to ask, and Joe can’t stand it, can’t be in here a second longer, can’t–

“We are done for the day, I think,” Nicky says behind him, startling Joe. He hadn’t realised Nicky was there.

Andy raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t argue. It’s already the second day of trying to shoot this scene: they’re running the risk of falling behind schedule. 

“We’ll find something else to do tomorrow,” Nicky says. “I’ll look over everything tonight. We will try this again on Monday.”

Andy and Nile look at each other. Nile shrugs. 

“Get some rest, Joe,” Nicky says. 

Joe shoves his hands in his pockets and doesn’t say a word.

–--------------------------------

He doesn’t get called in the next day at all, and he doesn’t interrogate it too closely. Takes the day off, pretty much, because they’ve only really got one scene left to film, and there’s not much more he can do for that. Nicky had wanted to leave it to the last, and Joe had agreed, at the time.

At about nine pm, someone knocks on his hotel room door, which is unusual on a day where they don’t have a night shoot to do. When he opens it, Nicky is on the other side. Joe lets him in without a word. 

“I wanted to apologise,” Nicky says, standing in the middle of the room and looking as uncomfortable as Joe’s ever seen him. “For last night. I was pushing you too hard, and I should not have done.”

Joe closes the door behind him. Nicky fidgets with the sleeve of his hoodie. 

“Sit down,” Joe says. 

Nicky does, settling himself on the edge of Joe’s bed, not quite looking him in the eye. Joe joins him, after a moment. 

“At the risk of sounding cliche,” Nicky says, “it’s not you, it’s me.”

Joe laughs, mostly because the phrase sounds so strange coming from Nicky and also because out of everything he’d thought Nicky might say, he hadn’t expected that. 

Nicky smiles slightly, too. Then he gets up and heads for the minibar. “Mind if I have a drink?”

Joe shakes his head. Nicky gets out a little bottle of wine, glances at the label, and takes a swig straight from the bottle without bothering to get a glass. 

“I can’t seem to get it right,” Nicky says. “You know I wrote almost fifteen different versions of that scene?”

The scene in the script itself is barely a page long. “No,” Joe says. 

Nicky nods. Rubs a hand over his face. “I wanted it to feel real. I thought if I could get it right, it would… help, somehow. I don’t know.”

It’s the exact same reason Joe said yes before he even read the script, when the whole thing was just an idea in Nicky’s head, when they were talking about it over drinks at Andy’s and Joe was in love with the idea almost immediately. He knew exactly why Nicky was writing it; he knows, now, exactly why it needs to be right. But at the same time – “I don’t know if that’s possible, Nicky.”

Nicky sighs. “I know.” He crosses back over to sit beside Joe again, takes another drink from the bottle. “But there is something missing, and I cannot seem to find it. And so it does not feel real. And I know this is not easy for you.”

“It’s not,” Joe says plainly. 

“But you know,” Nicky continues, “I could not have trusted anyone with this but you. If you had not said yes, I would not have done this.”

That, Joe didn’t know: he knows he’d been Nicky’s first choice, but he’d assumed that’s because they know each other well enough already. But it makes sense: the reason Nicky wrote the script is the same thing they’d bonded over. 

Even still, it’s a lot. “I don’t know if I can do it the way you want,” Joe says. 

Nicky looks up at him from where he’s been running his fingers over the label on the bottle absentmindedly. “If you want to stop, I can–”

“No,” Joe says quickly. “But I don’t think it’s ever going to be exactly the way you felt.”

Nicky looks away. “It is a lot to ask,” he says. “I know this.”

Joe doesn’t think; just reaches over and takes Nicky’s hand. “I know,” he says. “Trust me.”

Nicky takes a deep breath. Then he nods. "Okay."

[mcybree]

I prepared this ask in the Notes app only for Tumblr to not let me copy and paste the text so here’s a screenshot bc I’m not typing all that again lol

there’s this funny trend i see in trafficblr art, in that, when there’s a lineup of every past winner, most players will be surrounded by symbols that were relevant to their POV, and perhaps drawn with the last emotion they’d felt just before death (or maybe just whatever emotion the artist most associates with the character). The winners might be doing something, or in a pose that reflects how they won—there are a million ways to make a life series winners’ piece. What’s funny about it is that no one ever seems to know what to do with Scott. He’s most often just standing there looking mildly disgruntled. And for the symbols he’s most depicted with, it’s typically poppies, which are only relevant to the first season; last life scott does not place any importance on poppies, poppies dont ever come up beyond a brief interaction in episode 1, and jimmy as a whole is less relevant to scott’s pov in last life than he is in every other season.

not that this is an issue with the art; the pieces are beautifully done, it’s just representative of how little fandom discussion there is about scott’s win thematically. Most discussion I see are about the watchers and how they hate scott for defying him or whatever, but watcher lore is not discussion of the series itself as much as it is a fan creation that is retroactively applied to create meaning.

Scott’s Last Life win, to me, was achieved through accomplishing what Third Life Scott could not.

Scott spent 3L waiting for his day one ally to die. He kept Jimmy at a distance, often fully gearing himself up first before backtracking to help Jimmy along. There’s a funny disparity in episode 5, where Jimmy spends the entire episode trying to get good enchants on his iron armor, while Scott sets up a villager and gets good enchants for the full diamond set that he’d already had in storage, in about half the time Jimmy took trying to accomplish his own goal, iirc. This disparity is also something scott acknowledges with the “I’ll always be more powerful than you” line, but it’s been a while since ive written a post like this so i unfortunately do not have the episode number memorized on that one anymore. But Scott goes on to explain that he’ll always have better armor and weapons, which is why Jimmy could never kill him. This is all to say that Jimmy and Scott do not stand on equal grounds in their alliance, and, more importantly, Scott does not depend on Jimmy. The progress Scott makes in Third Life is entirely his own, with Jimmy as more of an afterthought than a teammate.

This is what landed Scott his all time lowest placement. After Jimmy dies first, Scott loses sight of his priorities and dedicates his remaining time alive to avenging Jimmy, rather than focusing on his own longevity (like he’d go on to do in future seasons). And, in that way, Scott’s attitude towards Jimmy (disposable, going to die, unreliable) was an indirect contributor to Scott’s low placement.

In contrast: Scott could not have won Last Life without Pearl. Scott has to rely on Pearl from day 1, having only two lives to start with himself. Pearl gives Scott two lives total. Pearl and Scott are almost always together. They made it to the final four by each other’s side. And that forced day 1 reliance on pearl breaks down the role scott typically assumes (*he’s* supposed to be the person people rely on, he’s supposed to be the one bringing everything to the table) which curbs his tendency to see himself as above others, which then allows for the most genuine happiness i have ever seen him have in an alliance.

The comparison between the way Scott talks to Pearl and the way Scott talks to Jimmy is like night and day. Scott doesn’t compliment or otherwise say anything supportive towards Jimmy (save for the “I believe in you! MCC has trained you for this moment!” during Jimmy’s dare to flare attempt) until after Jimmy has already died. With Pearl, however, Scott is much more open about his care towards her, saying that she’s his best friend and that he loves her as early as episode 2. There’s more examples but between last life and third life, Scott’s attitude towards his primary ally is completely different, and i think it’s symptomatic of Scott allowing himself to love and be vulnerable rather than keeping himself at a distance. And i think that it’s so special that scott won the season where he was so close with his day one alliance, directly because of his day one alliance.

because, to me, one of scott’s defining characteristics is his self reliance. He will have allies, yes, but he often assumes a supportive role and acts as a supplier. He doesnt like taking things from other people. Last Life is different because Scott relies on Pearl, too. It’s also not a coincidence that last life is the only season where scott is normal about jimmy but that’s a different post

tldr yes scott won last life with the power of love but not in the way people say he did (ignoring the boogeyman curse was strategy ☝️)

I SHOULD NOTE, though, that the boogeyman curse was still a fail. Although purposeful, Scott receives the penalty and apologizes to his team. He says he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. I do think that his words here aren’t fully honest— he’d admitted earlier that this choice was fully for strategy. But I also think his apologetic attitude here is genuine. Scott is a perfectionist, he needs to succeed; failing, though purposeful, still hurts. He feels the need to apologize. It means so much to me that his win in last life directly follows the choice to fail on purpose. I’m insane though idk

third life scott embodies scotts flaws while last life scott is him overcoming them 👍 is what im trying to say 👍 last life scott is everything that third life scott could not bring himself to be, in allowing himself to love and depend on other people and overall just be a person.

[concerningwolves]

even if shows like S.W.A.T or Brooklyn 99 are written as good faith attempts to examine & raise awareness of institutional bigotry in the police, they are always going to fail in that premise. They can't fix the (deeply flawed concept of) police by creating a fantasy in which marginalised people change the system from within – but they will fix the police's public image, whether that's the intention or not. And that is not a public image that anyone should be trying to fix, especially not in the current sociopolitical climate that much of the world is experiencing.

[rambles-on-dragon-age]

Varric doesn't give you the nickname Rook, your whole faction calls you Rook. It makes no sense to give you a faction specific last name and then your faction doesn't even use it, but yeah.

Hi hi!

This will be a bit of a ramble, sorry.

Varric, as a character, gives nicknames to those he's around for any length of time. (Solas is Chuckles, Merrill is Daisy, Vivi is Iron Lady, etc. Very few people in close contact with him will escape earning a moniker. I can go on about how I think it's one of his ways of telling people he sees them, but I digress.) The player character has been traveling with him for a year/the better part of a year. Varric would have definitely given them a nickname in that time. (Honestly it shocks me Harding doesn't have one by now but maybe he tried and she shut that down like Aveline once did lol) When you're putting out your things in the Lighthouse one of them is his shaving mirror and you have a moment of reflection about what he said when he hands it to you. There's also the whole time where he's giving you advice and guides you (IYKYK) and it's clear he means a lot to a Rook and they're close.

That is to say, no matter what faction you were with, you left in disgrace. You broke some code the higher ups held dear, messed up well laid plan, ignored orders to save people, etc. You didn't "fit the bill" for your faction and were summarily "adopted" by Varric to help in his hunt for Solas. Those things that made you a bad fit for your original faction? Made you perfect for what he's doing. A good person that doesn't let the potential costs stop them; they see what needs to happen to help people and will run head first into it and manage to figure a way through the most fucked up situations possible.

When you first meet Neve, you're introduced as Rook. "Like the chess piece?" Yes! One of the most powerful pieces on the board, "but tends to think in straight lines". Which becomes evident in all our shenanigans as Rook through the game. Rook's ability to claw their way through the worst situations and be flexible and creative means that Solas wouldn't be able to predict them or what they'll do. Which turns out to be right; he doesn't expect you to drop a statue on him in the middle of a massive ritual. Rook saw only "this ritual needs to stop NOW" and found a way, no matter the consequences.

I didn't hear that dialogue my first game, though, because I did my first run as a Shadow Dragon. Neve doesn't comment on the naming convention because instead Varric says you both do work with the Shadow Dragons and she just skims past the naming convention to say "Oh, what a coincidence." You are still introduced as Rook at first; it's not until later when you're in the Lighthouse where you can have the conversation that you've heard of each other even though you've never worked together.

Because even if I've worked in the group beside you under the same boss for 20 years, if you're introduced to me as "Rook" instead of "_____ Mercar" I'm not going to know who you are. It's not until later, probably while you're unconscious and she has a chance to speak to Harding, that she says she knows who you are. (Based on what Bellara says when you find her in the forest, you've been out cold for two or three days. Can you imagine what our detective figured out in two or three days?)

All that to say, if "Rook" was given to you by the Shadow Dragons, Neve would have said "Oh! I heard of a Rook." instead of just "Oh! What a coincidence we're both Shadow Dragons." She doesn't comment on who you are and what you've done until later when you have a chance to talk to her in the Lighthouse.

And throughout the game, you continue to be introduced as Rook. Even if you started as another faction, if you're written a letter about "Rook" and not your real name, why would anyone know who Rook is until they meet and go "Oh this lil shit right here. I know this asshole."

[clownery-and-fuckery]

I dont think I'll ever get over Tech's face during his and Omega's talk.

The way he was so open and genuinely showed Omega he was hurt by her words, and thought hard to articulate what he really wanted to say. He didn't understand at first, at first it didn't make sense why she was so angry. But once he did, once he realised it why she had a hard time, he tried.

He didn't know exactly how to say it, because he's used to his brothers knowing- but you can hear him use less neutral "We'll move past this" language to "It's hard. I dont always like how i do it, but I care."

He reaffirms that he understands he doesn't have a conventional way of showing his love, but he still loves infinitely, like she does.

It makes his line "there are many like us" line mean so much more. Because this is him saying I love you. This is him showing her he looks up to his brothers- he sees them, he always looks to them and he adores them. They've always been the most important thing to him, and with Omega he learns to show that. It's beautiful, it makes me sob.

I could write so much more on him.... on this scene, on all his scenes. I am him and he is me, it's so- I can't describe how nice it is to really see yourself and know that it's okay. That people understand and even enjoy those qualities. Getting mushy but he really does hold a special place in my heart.

[yakultii]

holy shit that report I finally did yesterday that was literal torture already got marked and got 97 tfffff

[nicomoon69]

every time I’m forced to see this image bc I have to describe what’s wrong w it to dumb ass ppl a small part of me dies

cw: ugly ass emo whitewashed genshin man

[sanjiafterhours]

Punk Hazard children & sanji

People like to say sanji was ooc/rude/selfish in the scene of biscuit room but I'd say that sanji wasn't any of those at all and he was right on point as usual

Now onto the scene, they were all asking around as to what that place was, a nursery? A daycare? A hospital? (See? speculation because the children were healthy and happy playing in a safe environment). Now Let's analyze the situation :

Context for the children : Sanji explicitly says that they didn't know if the kids're there for treatment or not... sanji's logic seemed reasonable to me because a hospital/treatment facility would be a boring place for a child and they'd naturally be homesick and wanna go outside (even if it's dangerous). They didnt know what was going on with the children. They didn’t even know about the existence of Caesar. Hell, they didnt know Caesar was a bad person until Chopper discovered drugs in the candy much much later. Also sanji's reasoning was explicitly stated, and even Nami agreed with him on the very next panel

context for the enemy : They had ZERO context at the time. Even if punk hazard was Sketchy and something WAS going on for sure, they didnt know what type of enemies they'll be facing. They didnt know about Caesar or doflamingo or who is there. Moreover sanji was the main combatant in that group and he had the responsibility of keeping them safe. And with sanji's tendency and foresight to take every possible bad outcome into consideration (that has saved the strawhats' butts several times that i wont elaborate here), it was obvious that he wouldn't take these children with them. Sanji is kind, not dumb.

Risk for the children : Again, when they realized it was a hospital, from their pov, it was a specialized facility for children with a rare disease. And taking 'patients' out of their safe sterilized environment could even kill those patients (they could get infected and/or spread the disease to others), esp in an island like punk hazard where it's like a warzone outside, half of the island is tundra while the other half is covered in LAVA. I'd say NAMI was the irrational one in that situation, because she decided to just barge outside in the snow with a bunch of supposedly sick kids not appropriately dressed or prepared for the weather. If kinemon did not have his dressup ability, the kids would've died from hypothermia. Secondly, The kids were very easy targets (given some of them are LARGE sized and they are literal CHILDREN) and if you consider vergo Monet etc showing up attacking the kids, all of the children would be dead INCLUDING THE STRAWHATS.

The children's condition : the group did break the children out and what happens? When the kids start going through withdrawals, they start attacking them. If Law wasnt present to form alliance and take chopper inside to find the antidotes... the children, nami usopp all would be dead because of nami's rash decision. They didn't even know how to restrain those children and almost died like 20 minutes into rescuing them.

The pirate stigma : even nami says it as she hands over the kids to tashigi (navy). A pirate crew carrying a bunch of children would just bring more risk and problems for both parties involved. (Again, she was impulsive in the biscuit room). They would be kidnappers if shit actually was different.

At the same time sanji is the one who risked his life to save the men and tashigi from the gas. He fought vergo, he saved kinemon, he protected his friends, he was perfect.

[corviiids]

THANKS @kimdokjafan you are so kind and generous. ok im cashing in the first of three blank checks to talk about faith trust and pixie dust (most recent chatfic) because the last two directors commentaries were too serious so let's do a silly one.

some p5r spoilers, and this is mostly about sumire, and it's long again. do i need to keep disclaiming that these are long? you should know me by now.

i had this written for a while before i started formatting it because i wasn't really sure if i should post it? i feel like silly chatfic is something people go to for predominantly lighthearted nonsense so i was like, maybe there's too much plot and dramatic misunderstanding and i should just keep this one for myself. but then i was like well nothing matters and maybe someone will have fun with it. it's kind of terrible how much fully or mostly completed fic there is my docs that just doesn't see the light of day lol. write for yourself etc but i like sharing! too bad it comes with the mortifying ordeal etc. anyway that was a tangent

potato counter is a neopets game. there's no deep lore i just like neopets. i guess in this universe ryuji doesn't play neopets? or maybe he's just never played potato counter specifically. i also have a different fic where ryuji DOES play neopets. it's about neopets and ryuji and goro talking on neopets.

i think this might literally be the first time ive written sumi in a fic because i haven't actually written that much fic for royal, like, now that im looking, literally almost none? and none that had a group dynamic. so it was kind of fun to find her voice for the first time in a silly groupchat like this. i was worried people would find her exclamation marks annoying but i personally thought it was endearing so i added it in there.

every time i do a gag where a character corrects their own typo i have to code more stupid little bubbles to make it happen but i think it's worth it. all the effort that goes into making tgis look as much like a real chat as possible

this obviously doesnt take place in the canon p5/r universe, but im imagining sort of a postcanon sumi personality where she's more comfortable being herself and isn't borrowing kasumi's brand of confidence, but she's visibly a really anxious person without that kasumi veneer. i also think in this universe sumire is a fairly recent addition to the friend group, and while everyone likes her a lot and she really likes them, i kind of wanted to emphasise that feeling of being in a friend group where everyone's established and you're sort of a plus-one? you don't really fit yet. part of that is her being new, part of it is her anxiety, part of it is just the kind of person sumi is where she's so polite and self-conscious she ends up taking herself out of things with her own good intentions. stuff like her interrupting the flow of an existing conversation by greeting everyone instead of jumping straight in because she doesn't feel comfortable inserting herself, which means everyone else stops to greet her even though that doesn't normally happen in a friend group, or making a point of thanking everyone for being invited to events while the others take it as a given.

idk i love that she feels a bit out of place with the phantom thieves in p5r. and part of that is a natural consequence of being a new addition in royal who can't be naturally integrated with an existing dynamic but i honestly feel like the writing team realised that and acknowledged it, and really leaned into it, and that made it work incredibly well for me. like, it's part of her character that she's sort of an outsider. it's not like p4g's incredibly clumsy integration of marie and subsequent attempt to shove her down everyone's throat as the canon love interest in p4ga (knife). sumi has that outsider vibe on purpose and it makes me really like her dynamic with the thieves as an individual

goro also feels slightly out of place in these chats, but his conversational style blends more naturally with the other thieves at this point and he even uses their codenames sometimes. i keep saying my chatfic series isn't a real Series because the lore keeps changing, but if we accept that they're all kind of following a General Continuity, assume this takes place some time after the last fic in which ren added goro to the groupchat and they made an effort to integrate him into their friend group. he's kind of there now and has settled into being the weird boyfriend. that's his role.

every time goro says something like "ren and i" assume it's the text equivalent of him talking to the group with his arm around ren's waist.

ok i got really fond of this silly running joke where sumi brings up the weather when she's feeling uncomfortable. she's so polite. i like this thread because setting it up meant i got to tie it off like this:

this just made me happy lol i liked writing this. i tried to use it to demonstrate that despite goro's abrasiveness he obviously knows sumire pretty well, he's attuned to her quirks and knows how to tell when she's having a bad time with her anxiety, so he uses her little weather habit to ground her.

i honestly dont think goro and sumire could be considered close in p5r and as much as i like the "royal trio" in canon they're not really... like... friends? with each other? they're both attached to ren, so it' more a V shape than anything else. but that said, i really LIKE goro and sumi's canon dynamic. he takes a really grouchy but politely attentive supervisory role to her during their few forays into the palace as a trio where he doesn't really know her well but clearly identifies her as a harmless little tryhard who needs some guidance and steps into that role grudgingly, and she immediately looks up to him despite being very wrong footed by his ruthlessness, which i find incredibly charming. i think given time they could be good friends, they just didn't get much chance to know each other very well in canon. so i tried to kinda do that here.

once goro stops being evil and joins the group they all kind of tiredly accept that his role is to occasionally push a cup off a bench while smirking and refuse to clean it up. emotionally, i mean.

wait i need to backtrack chronologically to talk about akeshu.

in this scene they're in the same room lol talking and snickering while typing. im trying to get at that vibe of the annoying couple who is flirting with each other, via you. you know? like ostensibly they're talking to you (sumire) but everything they say to you is part of their stupid game. sumi is incidental to goro and ren teasing each other about flirting with someone else, goro is reporting everything ren says because his boyfriend is so eye-rollingly foolish in a cute way. they're very tickled by how amusing and charming they are. gross. disgusting. sumire im so sorry for putting you through this

anyway here are too many of my favourite jokes from the fic