#i did not mean for this to get so long

[actuallyjustabiscuit]

Ok thoughts 👏thoughts👏Everyone gather around I have thoughts about this!

Episode 2 was clearly the Pomni episode. We got to see her character get a little more fleshed out and we also got a glimpse of what motivates her which is great.

With this tweet we have solid confirmation on who the upcoming episodes will center on (thanks for not making us guess, Goose) and this lineup is really interesting.

First fascinating thing is that Kinger and Zooble share a spotlight in ep 3. Why is that? Everyone else gets their own dedicated episodes so why are they unique in that regard? What connects them?

Well, I have one idea!

So we know since the pilot that Kinger has been the one to have lived in the Circus the longest out of all of them. We’re still not sure if he was in fact the 1st human to be trapped (maybe we’ll find out in the next episode) but he definitely has the most seniority, both in age and in length of entrapment.

We also know that Zooble was the most recent character to get stuck before Pomni (and considering their attitude, it may have even been quite a while beforehand) AND is the youngest character next to Jax (they even share the same age, which could be a coincidence but it feels too deliberate of a choice).

Which means ep 2 will simultaneously focus on the oldest and the youngest of the characters.

I’m actually curious as to what their dynamic will be because they haven’t really interacted much in the pilot (and like not at all in episode 2), if they end up interacting in ep 3 at all. But mostly I’m excited to see them more fleshed out with hopefully Pomni getting the chance to bond with them (either together or separately).

My guess is that the purpose for them to share focus on an episode is to get perspective from someone who’s been there the longest and has seen more people come and go than anyone else vs. someone who was just recently in Pomni’s shoes and had probably a much different first day experience (we know Zooble cared enough about Kaufmo to personally organize his funeral so they may have some…feelings about who’s essentially his replacement).

Ep3 is also supposedly Gooseworx’s most anticipated episode so I’m extra excited.

Next we have Gangle for episode 4. I honestly don’t have a lot to say about her or the significance in her episode placement outside of her being the closest in age to Pomni (being only a year older). The only hint we get about what her episode will possibly consist of will be on how reliant she is on her ComedyMask to feel happy, which will be very interesting and we might even get some confirmation on whether her avatar was programmed with that feature upon entering the Circus or if it was an add on of sorts by Caine to help keep her sane. A pretty shitty feature if it can’t last for very long but it does make for a nice metaphor about how fragile her facade is (girl is literally masking).

Actually I don’t think her and Pomni have actually exchanged words yet in the show. Wouldn’t it be funny if they don’t up until her episode. Like Pomni is so caught up in between whatever mess episode 3 has in store for Kinger and Zooble that the two of them never actually talk and it just keeps getting more awkward. Gangle wants to talk to her but is so self-conscious about her Tragedy self that she’ll only feel safe to have a conversation if she has her mask, but it just keeps breaking before she even gets the chance.

Again this is all just speculation, if they actually end up talking in episode 3 I’ll…make ship art of them.

Yeah

Anyway, episode 5. The one I’m personally waiting for because y’all should know what I’m about by now.

*Warning: Unhinged, borderline psychotic tangent incoming*

I swear to god if Pomni and Ragatha don’t have a fucking conversation before ep 5 I will launch myself into the sun. I’ll take anything, I just need them to get real for a second. I NEED to know the extent of this woman’s damage. It has to be explored, analyzed, and dissected and I will do so with gusto when the day comes. None of these characters will be safe from my scrutiny, but Ragatha oh ho ho, you have been living rent free in my head for too long, madame. You WILL pay your dues and I intend to collect in every episode until there is not corner of your unsound mind that I have not examined in great detail!

Ahem *Straightens tie* Ok back to business

So yeah, Ragatha.

It may be because we’ve only had 2 episodes but I can’t help but feel like we’re supposed to see Ragatha as a sort of deuteragonist since out of all of the supporting characters she’s so far been getting the most focus aside from Jax, and we’ll get to him in a minute (I promise that’s not just me being biased, or maybe it is, I don’t know, you tell me).

In just two episodes we’ve seen more of what makes her tick compared to anyone else. And of the main cast she’s been the ONLY one to make any kind of connection to the main character and have enough of a meaningful interaction with her to leave an impression.

But this is what really clinched her role as a deuteragonist for me, she’s so far been one of the few to have the narrative briefly shift to her perspective to give us significant character moments like these:

The show REALLY wants us to see just how NOT ok she is.

If she’s meant to be the heart of the group, her heart already can’t take much more damage. Her friendship (if you can call it that, it’s so painfully one sided right now) with Pomni clearly means a lot to her, so much so that her entire sense of self worth seems to be tied to it (and if you’ve been paying attention, she doesn’t have a lot of that as it is). It would be nice to see their connection gradually grow before her designated episode, where she might experience actual growth for herself.

And if episode 2 is any indication of how this show preserves friendships well…

Yeah, I don’t think she’s gonna make it.

In fact, I’m willing to bet actual money that she’s either gonna abstract in episode 5 or episode 6.

Which brings us to Jax’s episode! The other deuteragonist…tritagonist? He definitely shares some degree of significant narrative focus along with Pomni and Ragatha. He’s both an active antagonist force and one of the only characters to drive the plot forward every time he’s on screen (then there’s that weird thing where he keeps breaking the fourth wall).

He has so much significance in the story that Gooseworx gave him his own bullet point in her list of content warnings (this could also be a joke, but I mean it would be funny to see just how despicable they can make this character).

Gooseworx also described Jax and Pomni’s relationship in the show as “messy”. After episode 2, I don’t think she considers him as a candidate for any kind friendship like she did for the others, and who could blame her? In just two days the guy abandoned her to deal with an abstraction and chucked her out of a truck. He’s no one’s favorite person, and he relishes that. Bunnyboy definitely has some issues that Pomni would pick up on the more she’s forced to spend time with him. To the point where I can see her trying to eventually form some kind of bridge because, as her previously established character motivation implies, she’s not the kind of person to intentionally leave anyone high and dry. But unlike the rest of the crew, I don’t think Jax would be inclined to change for the better just because someone took pity on him. He seems like the kinda guy to dig his heels in and commit to his bad behavior out of spite.

And for his episode to come after Ragatha’s, why do I get the feeling the reason Gooseworx went so far as to preemptively apologize to bunnydoll shippers specifically is because he’s gonna cause something really really bad to happen to her (could be abstraction, could even be something much worse) that he would come to sorely regret.

And oh boy would that evoke some feelings in everyone!

I feel like if that is indeed the direction this show is going, the rest of the episodes will really be something.

I’m also certain Caine will get his own episode but right now he is very much an antagonist to these characters. I wouldn’t go so far as to call him a villain, but he’s certainly not someone Pomni is keen on sympathizing with, at least not currently.

Thanks again @lilyclawthorne for helpfully providing me with the tweet so I can give some context for my ramblings of the week!

[mooncalf87]

I could talk about Hetty and her death for hours. I could. And I have. And I will. Hetty rant under the cut if you please DFSDGSFDDS

I honestly don't even know where to begin with this. I have so much to say about Hetty to the point that I woke up at 4a.m today because I couldn't stop thinking about her.

Hetty is an absolutely magnificent character. First off- She is a Victorian Woman. Women back then wernt treated like people. They were thrown around, used and abused, before being thrown away. Hetty was forced into a marriage (with her cousin, none the less) and was forced to be the perfect high-class image her entire life.

She was probably forced into having Thomas, but even though all that, she cares about him. She killed herself to try and secure him a safe future. She thinks Thomas must hate her- resent her for what she did to herself and how she treated him- but you can tell the opposite is true. Even after Hetty is long gone, Thomas still went to her for advice. He asked her if he should marry a lady he was seeing, and he didn't know, but Hetty was there and she cared.

Hetty had all these windows put up around her for all her life. Windows specifically because you can see her, but you can't touch. You can admire, but you can't love. You can see the display version of her that was put out to see, but you never get to see the Real Henrietta Woodstone.

Until Hetty died, and met the Ghosts. Slowly, one by one, they broke down these windows and Hetty was finally able to become herself. She allowed herself to enjoy the afterlife- to indulge in everyday things like TV, smelling foods, sex, jokes and laughing, and so much more that she wasn't ever allowed to do when she was alive.

She allowed herself to love and to be loved.

She made connections with the ghosts, she had a best friend, she had arguments and betrayals, she allowed herself to feel real love for Trevor. She did this all because she knew she had nothing to fear, that no one would be able to come back and hurt her.

But then Elias came back. Actually, it turns out he had been there the entire time. Waiting and listening the entire time, underneath the very house that Hetty was haunting. Though all the years she felt safe and at home, her terrible husband was there waiting the entire time.

They were able to get rid of him, but I can only imagine how terrified Hetty must've still felt. All this time that she felt safe, he was there.

But still, she allowed herself to live, even after this. To change and grow, even though she is a hundred and fifty years old. We have watched her experience new things, we have seen her get a chance to live again through the Arondakers and their BnB.

Then, Flower got sucked off. Or so they thought, anyways. The house wasn't the same without her, whether they liked it or not- they were incomplete. Until they found out Flower had been down a well this whole time.

Desperate to get Flower out and back to the group, Hetty revealed her deepest darkest secret. Her death- suicide. She killed herself to try and save family, but then she finally let the secret of her death out to do the same thing. She saved family.

No one knew, either. Pete knew they had a telephone, Hetty even talked to him about it. When Hetty told him about her phone, all along, she had those cords tight on her neck underneath that dress. And no one knew.

Her and Trevor were having sex for MONTHS, and they probably will again someday soon. But still, he had no idea. Not once did he see those marks or that cord, not once did he ever ask any questions.

I imagine that Hetty was glad. Glad that her shameful secret could hide safe under her collar. But I think she was also hurt. Hurt that a man she has spent countless hours with doesn't realize that there is a secret under there. She works hard to hide it- the fake story made up about her Morphine induced death, so Trevor would truthfully no reason to question it- but Hetty is only human.

She feels real sorrow and real pain, but she still hides some of it. When she pulled down that collar, you can see that she is looking at Isaac. Isaac watched her grow up and pass him in age, Isaac knew her from when she was just born, Isaac is her best friend.

She looks away and looks at the ground, you can see the fear in her face. Fear that no one will treat her thr same anymore, fear that all she will be shown is pitty and apprehension. But that's not what happens. They don't pitty her, but they try to help her. She is their friend, and they don't care how she died a hundred years ago, all they care about is who she is now and if she is okay.

...

...

...

OUGH HETTY MY BABYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY AUSGHHHH

[vale-writes]

smutty wyll thoughts pt. 2

HORN HANDLEBARS. HITS POST.

tags: gender neutral reader, reader’s genitals are not described, some fluff/hurt-comfort, top!wyll, bottom!reader, soft dom!reader, sub!wyll, light dom/sub dynamics (reader is just spoiling and taking care of him), mentions of act 2/3 spoilers, unprotected sex, creampie

wyll was really insecure about his devil horns. most nights, when he thought you’d fallen asleep, he’d look at himself in the mirror, wondering how you could ever see him as anything other than a monster. he’d spent his teenage years and entire adult life hunting devils, and now he was one of them? the thought was too much to bear.

you stirred in the silk sheets and came up behind him, gently hugging him from behind and kissing the back of his neck.

“you know i love you, right?” you murmured into his soft skin.

“even if i look like.. this? even if i’m a monster?” his voice quivered slightly. his words were barely above a whisper. he feared if he spoke them too loudly, he wouldn’t be able to stop the flood of emotions that’d follow. he sacrificed everything for baldur’s gate, protected the innocent, and this was his repayment? this was how a hero was rewarded?

“wyll, dear,” you said as you placed a hand to his jaw, pushing his face to meet yours. “you’re not a monster. these horns, your eye, they only show me how much you love the people of the sword coast. i don’t see a devil. i see you, wyll ravengard. the man who spared karlach, against everything you’d been told, because you saw the innocence in her eyes. the man who made an impossible deal to save baldur’s gate. the man who walked in step with me the entire way to the netherbrain and fought to save all of faerûn.”

you held his face in both of your hands, gazing into his eyes. “so no, you’re not a monster. you’re love.”

he stared into your eyes for a long moment, not saying anything. “you really think so?” he asked quietly.

“i don’t think so, i’m telling you so.” with that, you put out the candle illuminating the space in front of the mirror.

“well, who am i to argue with you?” a small smile flitted across his face in the dark of your shared bedroom. he pulled you into a deep kiss, sliding one hand behind your head and the other to your hip, pulling you in close. your hands fell down to his chest. he let out a small gasp as they traced over the sensitive ridges on his neck and shoulders.

“good boy,” you whispered and felt him stiffen in surprise. “glad you know not to argue, dearest.” you gently pushed on his chest, making him walk backwards until the back of his legs hit the bed. he immediately sat down, pulling you in to straddle him.

“please, gods, call me that again,” he said breathlessly between kisses.

“dearest? i call you that all the time, darling,” you teased. he could feel your shit eating grin against his lips.

“you know what i’m talking about, love,” he groaned.

“i don’t think i do. can you remind me?” you pulled off your night shirt with a quiet hum.

he buried his face in your neck and whined, “please, love, call me your- your.. good boy again.”

“ah, there you go, my love,” you cooed as you traced his horns, earning a shudder from him. “you’re such a good boy for me.”

the moan he let out sent vibrations through your entire neck. you started to massage the base of his horns with one hand while you ran your thumb of the other over the ridges on his neck. you could feel his warm breath speeding up on your throat, his cock starting to harden under you.

and then you started grinding on him.

his hands instantly flew to your hips, trying to regain some semblance of control. he let out a moan that almost sounded more like a wail. he’d never thought to touch his new.. sensitive areas. in fact, he’d actively avoided going anywhere near them, too afraid to accept the fact that a devil’s curse could ever make him feel good.

“shhh, baby. it’s okay. you can be a good boy for me and take it, right?” you said as you ground harder onto him. he nodded frantically.

“y-yes, of course i can do that-“ he was cut off by his own moans as you licked a stripe along his neck ridges. you helped him pull off his shirt, inhaling deeply and letting out a groan of pleasure at seeing his alluring body. you ran your hands up and down his torso, your fingers catching on the old scars and the new ridges. wyll leaned back onto his elbows to better drink in the sight of you on top of him. he let his head fall back with a moan when you started kissing and marking his chest.

“please, don’t tease me any more. i can’t- i can’t take it,” he said, his voice straining with desperation. “i need you. now.”

“well, who am i to deny my prince any longer?” you purred, standing up to pull yours and his pants off. you untied his underwear and slid them off his legs after he obediently raised his hips for you. you left a few kisses and nibbles on the inside of his thighs, earning whines and a hand in your hair from him.

“please, please my love. i’ve been a good boy for you, haven’t i? please just let me inside of you,” he begged through heavy breaths. you let out a content hum and pulled off your own (now soaked and sticky) underwear before returning to your previous position in his lap. he reached a hand out into the darkness and let out a small gasp when he felt how.. excited you were. just the idea of you getting this turned on from touching him got wyll even harder. his elbows dug deeper into the mattress when you dragged the tip of his cock over your hole a few times before starting to push it in. the so-called “ridges in unmentionable places” rubbed along your own unmentionable place wonderfully, ripping a few whimpers from your chest as you continued to guide him into you.

once wyll had bottomed out inside of you, you both sat quietly for a moment, just trying to adjust. he’d pushed himself back up off his elbows to wrap his arms around you and rest his forehead on yours. you inhaled his scent, one that always smelled like the forest, no matter what perfumes or oils he put on. your heat was so tight around him he felt like he could never- or rather should never- pull out of you. and his cock stretched you so nicely that you thought he might as well have molded you to fit him perfectly.

“can i move?” he whispered breathlessly into your ear.

“oh, darling, don’t lift a finger. just be a good boy and take it,” you moaned as you started to move, rising up and slamming yourself down onto him. both of your moans filled the room. the air got hotter from your bodies and breaths. as you ran your thumb along wyll’s wet lips, you thought, “is he.. drooling?” you giggled a little and kept going faster and faster, wanting to hear those broken moans fall from his lips forever.

“i can’t-“ he gasped. “it’s too much- you feel too good, i’m going to-“ wyll fell back onto the bed, grabbing your hips and bucking into you wildly, desperately chasing his release. his dick hit a new spot inside you that made you see stars, but you had to snap out of it and get a hold of yourself.

“now, prince, did i say you could cum?” you asked with fake sympathy. “don’t you want to be a good boy and cum with me?”

“i can’t-“

“you can, and you will.”

he swallowed down his moan as his dick twitched inside of you. he was too embarrassed to admit it, but he got ridiculously turned on when you took control of him like this.

so, you can imagine the amount of self-control it took for him to not cum right then and there when you grabbed him by the horns to face you again. he let out one of the loudest moans you’d ever heard from him when your gripped his horns and started using them as leverage to get him deeper inside you.

“there we go,” you moaned, panting. you were close and he knew it.

“yes- yes please use me however you want. please let me make you cum, my love.”

it was one, two, three more thrusts before you came all over him. he suddenly had a death grip on your hips as he pulled you down onto his cock so he could finish inside of you, letting out a wail of pleasure before burying his face in your neck again. you felt his warm cum fill you up and then some. it dripped out of you and onto the shaft of his cock while he softened inside of you.

you pulled him into a passionate but gentle kiss, holding his face in your hands while you both caught your breaths.

“i think- i think i’m starting to like the horns and bumps,” he chuckled.

“i’m glad we’re on the same page, then.”

[wheels-of-despair]

@funsonmunson-again's Birthday Week Writing Challenge Oliver Soon-to-be-Munson and the Best Birthday Ever The Eddie: Janitor!Eddie The Prompt: #6: write me something domestic. use your eddie of choice, reader pregnant or not, just give me something for my ovaries to combust to. show me dad!eddie Words: 3.8k? It just kinda... happened. 😳 Contains: Oliver's first birthday with Janitor!Eddie and Teach. Notes: I did some bad math and figured they'd get Oliver in about 1994, so this is meant to take place that summer, while they're just fostering him. Then somebody dropped new Eddie Age info and I was too far into it to recalculate. Disregard if this conflicts with the official timeline. This contains no I Love You's - because I don't know if they're there yet at this point, and those firsts aren't mine to write anyway. (But I'd love to read them, hint hint.)

"Ollie's got a birthday coming up. Any ideas?"

"Hmmm," Eddie hums, crawling into bed after a long day. He settles his head on your chest and wiggles the rest of his body so close, he's nearly on top of you. You smile and wrap your arms around him. You both lie there and think quietly for a moment.

"I don't think we should do anything too big," he says thoughtfully. "Just something normal. If his mom gets him back, we don't want his next birthday to be drastically different."

"Good idea," you agree, twirling a strand of his hair in your fingers. "What's considered normal these days?"

"You're asking me about normal?" he chuckles.

"Nevermind," you laugh. "What was your most memorable birthday?"

"The year it was just me and my mom," he answers quickly. "Dad was in jail. Mom made me a cake and gave me a little red matchbox car. It was all I played with for months."

"Aw," you coo, scratching his scalp gently.

"Then Dad got out and stomped it 'cause I left it in the floor." You kiss the top of his head and hold him a little tighter.

"What was yours?" he asks.

"We were never really big on birthdays. Just dinner and a present or two. Cards from relatives. Very low-key."

He hums and nuzzles into you. You let out a sigh.

"I kinda feel like we should just ask him, but I think it would put too much pressure on him. Poor baby's still afraid to ask for seconds at dinner. Even if he had something in mind, he probably wouldn't tell us."

A sad silence falls over the room. You want to give your sweet boy the world, but you don't know if he could handle it just yet.

"Wayne used to take me to the movies," Eddie says.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Dollar Days at The Hawk."

"The Hawk?"

"There used to be a theater on Main Street, before the mall moved in and turned it into a ghost town. When times were slow, and there was nothing good out, they'd show old movies. A double feature for a dollar. It was old black and white stuff, mostly. The first time Wayne took me, it was pirate movies. That's what kicked off my pirate era."

"Pirate Eddie, huh?"

"Oh yeah. Talked like a pirate for almost a year. Badly. Every stick was a sword. Surprised Wayne didn't make me walk the plank." You chuckle, and you can feel him grinning into your chest.

"I bet you were adorable."

He scoffs. "Pirates are not adorable! They're rough and tough!"

"If you say so, baby." You kiss the top of his head again with a grin.

"Anyway, that was our thing. My birthday's a movie dead zone, so there was usually a Dollar Days promotion going on. I don't think we ever saw pirates again, though. It was mostly westerns after that."

"Was there a Cowboy Eddie era?"

"You bet there was, little lady," he drawls. You cackle and quickly quiet yourself, hoping you hadn't woken up Ollie. "I was gonna move out west and live like the good ol' days. I wanted a ranch with horses and cows and a good dog and a pretty lady."

"Well, one out of five's not bad, I guess." He looks up at you in confusion. "You got the lady, at least," you tease with a wink.

"That's all I need," he whispers. You give him a kiss on the forehead, and both return to your previous positions.

"So, making Oliver a cake and taking him to the movies?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Good morning, birthday boy!" you smile from the stove, where you're keeping an eye on the bacon.

Oliver has finally wandered in, still in his pajamas. He's hugging his teddy bear with one arm and rubbing his eyes with his free hand. This child is the cutest little thing you've ever seen.

"Happy Birthday, bud," Eddie says, coming in from the living room.

"Thanks," Oliver says shyly, looking at the floor.

"What do you think: Breakfast first, or a present?" Eddie asks the boy with a mischievous grin.

Oliver's eyes light up, but he shrugs.

"What do you think, sweetheart?" Eddie asks you.

"I think I'm not quite done over here yet, so you should probably start with a present. That alright with you, Ollie?"

He nods, and you grin at him.

Eddie ducks back into the living room and returns with a neatly wrapped box, which he sets on the table with an exaggerated grunt. Oliver looks from the gift to Eddie to you, silently asking permission.

"It's okay," you encourage him with a smile and a nod.

He sits at the table and carefully unwraps it, almost like he's afraid of what's inside.

What's inside are ten Hardy Boys books.

The school library had a few random volumes left over from the 50s, and Ollie always had one checked out. They were his favorites; he would read the same four or five mysteries over and over again.

You'd never seen a child so happy about getting a book. His jaw dropped, and he reached out and ran his finger along the spines. You'd found a boxed set of the first ten books at a thrift store. They looked almost like new.

"They're really mine?"

"Of course, bud," Eddie assures him.

"For keeps?"

"Yup," you chirp.

First, he hugs his books. Then he hugs Eddie. Then he runs over and hugs you. (You step away from the stove when you see him coming, not wanting him to get too close to the hot pans.) And then he returns to his books, staring at them like he's afraid to take them out.

Eddie seems to sense this, and pulls his chair closer.

"Have you read any of these yet?" he asks.

"This one," Oliver points to a spine, "and this one. I think."

Eddie pulls out the first book Oliver pointed at and reads the summary on the back.

"Yeah, that's my favorite!" Oliver says in amazement when he sees the cover of the book Eddie holds, which is facing him. He excitedly pulls the rest out, one at a time, and carefully inspects each cover.

While he's busy poring over every detail of the cover art, Eddie gives you a smile that almost makes you forget the breakfast you're supposed to be cooking. The ding of the oven timer brings you back to reality.

Turning back to the stove, you hurriedly pull out a pan of biscuits and start turning off burners. Eddie gets up and pulls down a stack of plates for you.

"Alright bud, ready for breakfast now?"

Oliver nods, carefully putting his books back into their box, in the correct order. He tries to pick it up off the table, but struggles until Eddie swoops in. He's just a little guy, after all.

"Wanna put these in your room for now?" Eddie asks. Oliver nods and follows him to the bedroom; Eddie with an armful of books and Ollie with his teddy bear. By the time they get back - the books had to go on a shelf, obviously - breakfast is on the table. Bacon, and eggs, and biscuits made from scratch. The only person who was a bigger biscuit junkie than Ollie was Eddie, so you had two very happy and full boys that morning.

"What time's the thing?" you asked inconspicuously, washing the last of the dishes.

Eddie, who's on drying duty, looks down at his hand. He'd written down the showtime when he double-checked the paper that morning. "11:20."

"You wanna get Ollie dressed while I hop in the shower? If I go out smelling like bacon grease, every dog in town's gonna be chasing us."

He laughs and kisses your forehead, hanging up the dish towel and heading for Ollie's room. You drain the sink and make your way to the bathroom, smiling when you overhear Eddie teasing a fun birthday adventure while trying not to spill the beans.

After you're all dressed (and de-baconed), you hop in the car. Ollie watches curiously from his booster seat in the back.

"Where are we going?"

"Do you really want to know, or do you want it to be a surprise?" You turn around and give him a smile while Eddie drives. "It's okay either way. It's your call, bud."

Oliver shrugs.

"Do you want a hint?"

He thinks about it, then nods his head. A nod instead of a shrug. Progress!

"We're going to the movies."

Confusion clouds his little face.

"Have you ever been to the movies before?" you ask with a smile, hoping that it's disguising the panic you suddenly felt. Had he really never been before? Is this going to be overwhelming for him? Why hadn't you thought of this?!

"Like when we rent tapes?"

"Not exactly. We're going to a theater."

His face is blank.

"It's a big room in the mall, with lots of seats and a huge screen."

"Muuuch bigger than our TV," Eddie adds.

"And we watch the movie there?"

"Yup, on the big screen."

"Why?"

You look at Eddie helplessly, and he chuckles at you.

"Because it's fun," he says. "My Uncle Wayne used to take me on my birthday when I was little. We'd get a bucket of popcorn, and a drink, and then go sit in a comfy chair and wait for the lights to go down. They show you previews of other movies coming out soon, just like on the tapes we rent. And then they turn the real movie on. You've never seen anything like it. It's so big! It doesn't even matter what the movie is. It's just a cool thing to see, and a cool place to be."

"Especially when you're there with your favorite people," you add, looking at Eddie with a smile. He reaches over and squeezes your hand.

"So, sound like fun?" you ask, turning your attention back to Ollie.

He nods. You'll take it.

Oliver is understandably nervous when you arrive at the theater. It's his very first time, after all. He clings to your side from the minute you help him out of the car. Eddie buys the tickets at the box office out front, and sticks them in his front pocket. You walk Oliver around the lobby to look at the posters while Eddie waits in line to buy a bucket of popcorn and a drink from the counter inside.

Ollie's eyes linger over the candy counter when you come to meet Eddie, but he doesn't say a word. That's alright. You'll hook him up later, you think with a smirk. Moms have their ways.

("Their ways" meaning you bought candy at the dollar store a few days ago and hid it in the bottom of your purse. You feel no shame about this. Movie theater candy is highway robbery. Just the facts.)

With a bucket of popcorn and a gallon of soda, Eddie leads the way into the theater. He picks a spot in the back, away from everyone else, and you all get settled in. You check your watch.

"Ten minutes to go. Probably a good time to hit the bathroom," you note. Eddie nods.

"Wanna hit the head before the movie starts, buddy?" Oliver shrugs. "C'mon," Eddie says with a smile and a tilt of his head. They leave together, and you guard the popcorn.

They come back just in time. Oliver sits between you, munching on popcorn and looking around. There's not a whole lot to see in here; it's a morning matinee, and the movie's been out for a while, so there's only a handful of other people. Then the lights go down, and Oliver tenses.

"It's alright, it just means the show's about to start," Eddie whispers to him. Oliver looks to you, and you nod in agreement. He sits back in his seat and pulls his knees up, resting his chin on them. You and Eddie share A Look over his head.

And then the screen comes to life. Oliver's eyes widen. You and Eddie are both trying to watch him without being obvious about it, and failing hilariously. You watch him all through the previews, completely transfixed by the clips on the giant screen in front of him.

When the theater chain's roller coaster intro came on, you thought Oliver was going to lose his mind. His eyes were the size of saucers, and his jaw was dangerously close to coming unhinged. You and Eddie grin at each other. This was the show you came to see.

And then the lights dim more, and the movie starts. Oliver perks up at the Disney logo, which he is very familiar with. You and Eddie's traditional Friday night plans of "dinner and a movie" looked a little different these days, but you loved them just the same. Maybe more.

A song blasts through the speakers scattered throughout the theater. Oliver leans forward, seemingly possessed by the music, inching closer and closer to the empty seat in front of him as each new animal appears. By the time the lions show up, he's standing, grasping the top edge of the chair in front of him with both hands, like it's all that's keeping him from falling into the movie.

You cover your mouth and look over at Eddie, who is grinning so hard, it looks like it might actually split his face.

After a few minutes of letting him soak it in, you reach forward and hook your finger through his belt loop, pulling him back to his seat gently. He lands on his chair with a light bounce, but doesn't seem to notice. You and Eddie share another grin, and start digging into the popcorn.

You've never seen any child pay such close attention to anything for so long in your life. And you've spent quite a lot of time around them. But Oliver remains focused throughout the entire movie, from the opening sunrise to the final scene where the good guy triumphs. He didn't even get scared during those freaky hyena scenes.

When the lights finally come back on, Oliver sits back in his seat and breathes for the first time in an hour and a half. He looks up at Eddie, then at you.

"Well, what'd you think?" you ask.

"This was the best birthday EVER."

The cub's ruling may have come a little early, because the day was still young.

Oliver had been too captivated by the movie to eat anything, and you and Eddie had only eaten half the popcorn, so you brought the bucket home with you. You looked back at him, munching on a handful and staring thoughtfully out the window. You wished you knew what was going on in his head…

But you soon found out. After he'd eaten his fill of popcorn and had time to process the mind-blowing event of going to the movies for the first time, and he started talking. And he didn't stop.

He told you about his favorite scenes, and his favorite characters, and what his favorite song was, and that he knew all along that the good guy would win in the end. He'd memorized so many details from the movie, after only one viewing, you were extremely impressed. You and Eddie nodded along happily, laughing and gasping in the appropriate places of his passionate re-telling.

By the time you got close to home, Oliver had nearly talked himself out. His blinks were becoming longer, and he leaned his head back against the seat. Eddie, who'd been keeping an eye on him in the rearview mirror, took the long way around instead of his usual shortcut. Oliver was asleep when you pulled in the driveway.

Eddie handed you the keys and opened the back door to unbuckle Oliver and pull him out. You led the way up the front steps and unlocked the door, holding it for your beautiful boys. Eddie carried Oliver into his room and came back out with a grin.

"You think he liked it?" he asks, causing both of you to burst into a fit of hushed giggles.

"Wayne'll be here in an hour and a half. Wanna get stuff ready, or lay on the couch for a few?" Eddie asks. You look at each other for approximately three seconds before heading to the couch.

You doze for about an hour, then get up and start working on Oliver's birthday dinner. You've got a salad to make and a cake to ice. Eddie's got grilling to do. After all the vegetables are washed, Eddie goes to wake up Oliver. When they return to the kitchen, you send them both outside with a pan full of vegetables wrapped in foil. Eddie might not be great with the baking, but the man can grill anything.

A few minutes later, Wayne knocks twice, then lets himself in as you're starting to frost the cake you baked late last night.

"Hi, Wayne!"

"Hey, darlin'. You need help?"

"Nope, just finishing up. You need a drink?"

"Eddie's got the cooler outside. Uh…" You look up from the cake to see Wayne rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, just like Eddie does. "You got wrappin' paper?"

"Yeah, hall closet." You point, and he shuffles over and pulls out a roll of blue striped paper.

"Scissors?"

"Scissors and tape are in the top drawer closest to you," you point again. "You need help?"

"I can wrap a damn present, girl."

"Then why didn't you teach Eddie how?"

"Boy wouldn't sit still long enough." You both grin, and he pulls something out of his flannel pocket and drops it on the table, turning his back to you and getting to work.

You slather the last of the frosting on your cake as Wayne walks the roll of blue paper back to the closet.

"I, uh… I didn't have any."

"That's okay. I've always got plenty, appropriate for any gift-wrapping occasion. Help yourself, any time."

"Thanks. Uh... all I had was newspaper, and I didn't have time to make it to the store and back… I, uh, didn't want the boy to feel like he was an afterthought." Your heart swells, but you can already hear Wayne's "don't go gettin' all emotional on me, girl", so you take an alternate route.

"Wayne, you know it's what's inside the paper that counts," you say with a wink. He chuckles, and Oliver peeks his head inside the door.

"Eddie says to bring him some dang meat."

"Tell him to hold his dang horses," you laugh, reaching into the fridge for a plate of burgers and hot dogs. Oliver relays your reply out the door, and you can hear Eddie cackle from his place by the grill. Wayne stuffs the little package back into his pocket and reaches for the dang meat. You pick up your salad and follow him out the door, which Oliver holds for you like a gentleman.

While Eddie cooks his dang meat, Oliver tells Wayne about his day so far: breakfast, books, the coolest movie ever. Wayne grins, then pats his pocket with a questioning look at you. You nod. He pulls out his present, and hands it to Ollie.

"Another present?!"

"Yup. Happy Birthday, little man."

Oliver looks at you, and you nod, giving him the go-ahead. He tears off the paper to reveal two matchbox cars: a red one, and a blue one.

"What'd you get, buddy?" Eddie asks, leaning over to see. He freezes when he sees the two little cars.

"I figured you needed two so you could play with your-- with Eddie," Wayne corrects quickly.

"Thank you!" Ollie says with a grin, holding his cars closer to inspect the details. Eddie shares a look with Wayne, then looks to you. You give him a warm smile, knowing exactly what this reminds him of.

Dinner went great. You had burgers, hot dogs, roasted veggies and corn on the cob, salad, and potato chips. (Eddie insisted that having a cook-out without potato chips was against the laws of America. Wayne and Oliver backed him up on this. Who were you to argue with the laws of America, as decided by the people?)

You brought out the cake and stuck the candles in it. Eddie insisted that everyone sing "Happy Birthday" to Ollie, and proceeded to dramatically air-guitar his way through it. Oliver laughed so hard at Eddie, and at Wayne rolling his eyes at Eddie, he had to hold onto you for support. He finally caught his breath and blew out his candles. While Eddie was removing the candles and preparing to cut the cake, Ollie looked up at you with his big eyes. You leaned down closer, sensing that he wanted to tell you something.

"Do you want to know what I wished for?" he whispers.

"If you tell, it won't come true," you whisper back. He looks thoughtful for a moment, then grins.

"Cake?" he asks.

"Cake!" you repeat.

"Cake." Eddie says, placing a piece in front of Oliver, then handing you one across the table.

"Cake?" Wayne asks, not wanting to be left out.

"Cake!" Eddie says, giving Wayne a piece, then settling down with his own.

After everyone was properly caked, Wayne went home to get ready for work. You and Eddie performed a hasty clean-up (thank you, aluminum foil), and you put away leftovers while the boys played on the living room floor with their new cars. Ollie's favorite color is blue, so Eddie laid claim to the red car. (Even though you heard Ollie tell Eddie he could have the blue one if he wanted, like the sweetest boy in the whole world.)

You leaned on the counter and watched them play, racing and doing daring stunts and making hilarious sound effects as they recklessly 'drove' over any surface in reach. You could watch them for hours, but that would interfere with a certain birthday boy's bedtime.

Ollie never complained when you told him it was bedtime. Maybe because bedtime here meant he got to wear clean pajamas and crawl into his own bed with a full belly and his favorite teddy bear, and have a bedtime story read to him by people who loved him.

He was struggling to keep his eyes open when Eddie finished tonight's chapter of the fantasy book they'd picked out together. You tucked him in while Eddie turned on the nightlight.

"Good night, baby," you whisper with a kiss to the top of his head.

"Good night, buddy," Eddie said quietly on his way to the door.

"'Night," Oliver mumbles sleepily, "was best birthday ever."

It really was.

Bonus: Oliver's wish was that he could stay with you and Eddie forever. I can tell you that now, because it already came true. 😉

Double Bonus:

[symbioticsimplicity]

What are some Hazbin Hotel/ Helluva Boss head canons you wanna share? (Yes, I AM asking for you to ramble to your heart's content about the blorbos!)

I love you so much. 💚💚💚💚💚💚

This got real long so its going under a read more.

Hazbin Headcanons:

The sigils that float around Alastor when he uses magic are not actually a part of his powerset. They're part of the leash on him.

Lilith is not in Heaven relaxing, she's spying on them

Husk hasn't preened his wings properly in years and its actually a big part of why he's so goddamn grouchy

Lucifer has the same problem but make it part of why he's so depressed

Charlie has wings but even she doesn't know that yet

Alastor DOES have a deer tail but he either keeps it hidden inside his pants so it can never been seen or continually removes it

Angel can in fact spin webs but hates to because its fucking weird and instinctual and he does not like having his thorax out

Angel is venomous

Contracts by nature nerf the sinner they're attached to unless otherwise specified, and by that logic almost every member of the Hazbin cast are significantly stronger than they're aware of. With the exception of Husk, who held onto his power, and Alastor who knows EXACTLY how much power he's missing.

Valentino legitimately loves Vox but it isn't mutual (the IRONY)

Velvette doesn't change hairstyles, she changes her whole head

Lucifer’s blood is both addictive and toxic to demons in the long term. It tastes like apple cider and FIRE

Alastor absolutely hates it, he tried it once and it was far too sweet for him

Music is ACTUALLY a legitimate form of magic in the Hellaverse and particularly powerful because it can have unintended effects and it is irresistable.

Alastor IS redeemable (ask me about this only if you want the essay)

Helluva Boss Headcanons:

Millie was a prison guard at the jail Moxxie and Blitzø met through.

Octavia's powerset is routed in precognition, but she hasn't begun to explore it enough yet to have realized that

I don't think this is a headcanon exactly but I'm manifesting Loona/Tex/Bee

Fizz tops

Verosika still has lingering feelings towards Blitz and she is PISSED about it

Stolas has been watching that same soap opera since he was a kid

Literally none of the other sins like Mamon its not just Ozzie

MOST of the sins are cool with each other, or at the very least like coworkers about things

Its possible to BECOME a Sin since in this verse they're not fallen angels

The current sins are (mostly) not the original demons to hold those titles

Blitz's Dad is still alive

Striker is demi and TIRED.

If he had taken the deal, Striker actually would have followed through with what he'd told Blitzø

At the circus, Blitzø didn't actually have a room (was given to Fizz though he wasn't originally angry about it) and often times he slept in their horse stable. The horses would let him sleep on them and its a big part of why he loves them so much

Fizz also fucking hates Blitzø's Dad

The agent that got possessed can now see demons as they are despite glamoring

Blitzø is actually genuinely hilarious he just has this issue where if he TRIES to be funny he CANNOT do it.

Moxxie doesn't cuss because his Dad cusses A LOT and he sounds too much like him when he does

Millie is one of those people who is good at literally anything they try the first ir second try and it pisses off both Blitzø and Moxxie, but Moxxie at least tries to hide it because he loves her.

Loona is ticklish as FUCK but if anyone ever learns that, they die

Octavia actually wishes she had a sibling

Millie is the only person who doesn't think Striker is all that hot and does not understand the hype

[chloesimaginationthings]

The FNAF Mikes talk about their extended family..

[muckablucka]

uh so basically in January I was jamming out to tally hall and stuff while cleaning my pet birds' room, and the soul eclectic came on the autoplay thing and I was like "wow, what is this masterpiece, this is amazing i love this" and I looped it for a really long time while pacing around the room imagining an animatic with my oc to TSE (that i will likely never make), it was epic

fun fact: in the same month I found out about it I listened to it 41 times 😊✌️

pretty sure one of the reasons why i am very very biased towards soul is bc TSE was my first jash song ever if you get what i mean

anyways, a couple days after I found out about TSE i decided to listen to some of his other songs. I vaguely remember having Variations on a Cloud on loop while playing a game on my computer lol

I think maybe a week after that I decided to listen to the entirety of CCCC, and only after that was when I found out abt all the lore and here we are now. ive become obsessed. absolutely consumed. recently ive become very demotivated to work on a story that ive been working on for like years, and so ive resorted to HMS for the time being. i cannot express with words how much i love these goobie snooberts (im going insane)

anyways thank you for coming to my ted talk

chonny jash/cccc fandom PLEASE rb + share how you got into chonny jash i wanna know!! thru his covers, animation, a recommendation or somethin else?! can be a super long or short explanation, im so curious as to how we all ended up here lol

i'll go first(kinda lengthy so its under a readmore)^-^

I had a whole miracle musical/tally hall phase in the summer of 2022, was obsessed with The Mind Electric, and i made a yt playlist w like 50+ versions. fastforward a year later, in the middle of 2023, i found a crazy 12 minute cover by this weirdo named Chonny Jash(what kinda name was that??) and gave it a try and holy shit my mind was blown, the three songs were easily the best covers i'd ever heard and i fucking loved them so much

at first i was just a fan of those three songs, but slowly thru the end of last year but surely i started listening to his other covers, like Hidden in the Sand, Variations on a Cloud, Ruler of Everything, The Bidding, and The Whole World and You, in that order(they all have a soft spot in my heart cus of it). I realized thru The Bidding that the songs were actually all connected so on the last day of 2023 i gave the whole album a try and fucking loved it, both song and lore-wise and from then on I was a huge fan. i've since listened to a lot more of his music tho not everything yet

it's kinda crazy that I've only been super into it not even for that long, but my journey def started like almost a year ago now lmao. you could say i fell very slowly into a hole i couldn't s

[egophiliac]

Hello ! I positively adore the running joke of Idia unknowingly finding Lilia to be the coolest guy ever whenever he doesn't know it's him, like when Silver described his father, or obviously with muscle red. I can't say what'd be funnier, Idia finding out his online best friend is actually Lilia, resident spooky hyper fairy; or them both never finding out, and it'd become even more ridiculous as time goes on. How do you think it'll play out ? You're always so on point

(Also, though it makes sense, I'm still devastated bat boy didn't get a ticket for the Halloween skeleton train : ( does anyone mentions him at some point ? Like how he'd have fit right in with all those Halloween town little freaks, and how he'd have impressed them with his spooks and scared techniques; after all he's been every Briar Valley's children worst fear on Halloween for centuries. I'm on the eng server and I didn't wanna spoil myself by watching the whole thing on youtube)

Have a nice day !

you and me both, Idia and Lilia being oblivious online BFFs (+ Idia being incredibly intimidated any time Silver brings up his jock gamer dad) is my favorite running joke/subplot. 🤝 it's SO good, to the point where I also am unsure if I actually want it to ever be resolved or not...maybe, like, as a post-canon stinger or something? everyone's standing around covered in overblot ink, and Idia and Lilia's phones go off at the same time...

(legit I do think this is part of why Idia couldn't be present for Lilia's dream, because for some reason Lilia decided he was going to just. embody his past self online. he probably quotes his own battle strategies or whatever in the middle of boss fights. Idia didn't pick up on the whole "oh how weird that we both live on a super remote island" thing, but he would spend thirty seconds listening to General Lilia describing siege warfare and be like "w-wait")

all that aside, however it does end up happening, I do see Lilia being very blasé and all "oh! cool!" about it. y'know, taking it very much in stride! and Idia...very much not.

(can't tell if tumblr is going to chew this into illegibility or not, this will be a fun surprise ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ)

as for Lilia sadly missing out on Halloweentown shenanigans...he does get one little mention as part of an offhand reference to the light music club, but so far no one has brought up how this basically is just Lost In the Book of Liliatown (Sebek's been too busy yelling about not getting to be in the same group as Malleus). 😔 honestly though, it's probably for the best that he got left out, because he would just settle right in and refuse to ever leave. canon would shatter. we would miss out on all the delightful angst of episode 7 because Lilia is too busy eating poisonous shrubbery inbetween practicing his very best screams, and no one can pull him away from it.

(I can hope for a sequel next year though...)

[bacchuschucklefuck]

they licensed his ass

my finished piece of the FWMS (official name definitely 100%) thing we started a few days ago! I had fun I hope folks had and/or continue to have fun with the sketch as well.

[lalluviadeanoche]

Merlin *on four hrs of sleep for the past week, dirty from a fight, definitely has a concussion and at least two untreated injuries, one of which he’s bleeding out from, leans over on someone’s shoulder*: Arthur has no idea I have magic!

Arthur *still blushing from Merlin leaning on him and is now very confused w his emotions*: YOU HAVE MAGIC?!

Merlin: oh… sorry.

Merlin *moves to Lancelot’s shoulder*: Arthur has no idea I have magic!

Arthur: I can still hear you!! You’re right next to me and you’re yelling!!

The knights:… you didn’t know??

[aestheticallynotdeerlightful]

Thoughts and doodles

.

(Please do not use, or repost my works anywhere without explicit permission from me thank you <3)

[lbhslefttiddie]

honestly i don't think sqq (jiu) would have minded the accusations of preferential treatment from yqy if they'd felt true. like as children he guarded the title of being yue qi's Favorite with teeth and claws. why shouldn't he be given preferential treatment? everyone ought to know just who qi-ge likes and trusts over everyone else. and for good fucking reason--who else here is watching out for qi-ge? as peak lords he's literally 2nd in command and chief tactician, if yqy values his word over yours, then its both what makes most sense and also what he deserves.

the thing is that to sqq, being accused of being favoured by yqy over others now just feels like a sick joke, because obviously (to him) that's not the fucking case. if he actually gave him preferential treatment you'd think he'd listen to what he has to fucking say, instead of believing what anyone else tells him about sqq. you'd think, if he was yqy's favorite, he wouldn't have left him to rot.

so i think, in a setting where they reconcile after becoming peak lords, that sqq would very much slap yqy's love for him in everyones faces as a kind of power move. a kind of, "oh, you thought that was favouritism? you havent seen yet what it looks like when qi-ge lets himself favour someone."

[cuddlytogas]

So I accidentally almost got into an argument on Twitter, and now I'm thinking about bad historical costuming tropes. Specifically, Action Hero Leather Pants.

See, I was light-heartedly pointing out the inaccuracies of the costumes in Black Sails, and someone came out of the woodwork to defend the show. The misunderstanding was that they thought I was dismissing the show just for its costumes, which I wasn't - I was simply pointing out that it can't entirely care about material history (meaning specifically physical objects/culture) if it treats its clothes like that.

But this person was slightly offended on behalf of their show - especially, quote, "And from a fan of OFMD, no less!" Which got me thinking - it's true! I can abide a lot more historical costuming inaccuracy from Our Flag than I can Black Sails or Vikings. And I don't think it's just because one has my blorbos in it. But really, when it comes down to it...

What is the difference between this and this?

Here's the thing. Leather pants in period dramas isn't new. You've got your Vikings, Tudors, Outlander, Pirates of the Caribbean, Once Upon a Time, Will, The Musketeers, even Shakespeare in Love - they love to shove people in leather and call it a day. But where does this come from?

Obviously we have the modern connotations. Modern leather clothes developed in a few subcultures: cowboys drew on Native American clothing. (Allegedly. This is a little beyond my purview, I haven't seen any solid evidence, and it sounds like the kind of fact that people repeat a lot but is based on an assumption. I wouldn't know, though.) Leather was used in some WWI and II uniforms.

But the big boom came in the mid-C20th in motorcycle, punk/goth, and gay subcultures, all intertwined with each other and the above. Motorcyclists wear leather as practical protective gear, and it gets picked up by rock and punk artists as a symbol of counterculture, and transferred to movie designs. It gets wrapped up in gay and kink communities, with even more countercultural and taboo meanings. By the late C20th, leather has entered mainstream fashion, but it still carries those references to goths, punks, BDSM, and motorbike gangs, to James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Mick Jagger. This is whence we get our Spikes and Dave Listers in 1980s/90s media, bad boys and working-class punks.

And some of the above "historical" design choices clearly build on these meanings. William Shakespeare is dressed in a black leather doublet to evoke the swaggering bad boy artist heartthrob, probably down on his luck. So is Kit Marlowe.

But the associations get a little fuzzier after that. Hook, with his eyeliner and jewellery, sure. King Henry, yeah, I see it. It's hideously ahistorical, but sure. But what about Jamie and Will and Ragnar, in their browns and shabby, battle-ready chic? Well, here we get the other strain of Bad Period Drama Leather.

See, designers like to point to history, but it's just not true. Leather armour, especially in the western/European world, is very, very rare, and not just because it decays faster than metal. (Yes, even in ancient Greece/Rome, despite many articles claiming that as the start of the leather armour trend!) It simply wasn't used a lot, because it's frankly useless at defending the body compared to metal. Leather was used as a backing for some splint armour pieces, and for belts, sheathes, and buckles, but it simply wasn't worn like the costumes above. It's heavy, uncomfortable, and hard to repair - it's simply not practical for a garment when you have perfectly comfortable, insulating, and widely available linen, wool, and cotton!

As far as I can see, the real influence on leather in period dramas is fantasy. Fantasy media has proliferated the idea of leather armour as the lightweight choice for rangers, elves, and rogues, a natural, quiet, flexible material, less flashy or restrictive than metal. And it is cheaper for a costume department to make, and easier for an actor to wear on set. It's in Dungeons and Dragons and Lord of the Rings, King Arthur, Runescape, and World of Warcraft.

And I think this is how we get to characters like Ragnar and Vane. This idea of leather as practical gear and light armour, it's fantasy, but it has this lineage, behind which sits cowboy chaps and bomber/flight jackets. It's usually brown compared to the punk bad boy's black, less shiny, and more often piecemeal or decorated. In fact, there's a great distinction between the two Period Leather Modes within the same piece of media: Robin Hood (2006)! Compare the brooding, fascist-coded villain Guy of Gisborne with the shabby, bow-wielding, forest-dwelling Robin:

So, back to the original question: What's the difference between Charles Vane in Black Sails, and Edward Teach in Our Flag Means Death?

Simply put, it's intention. There is nothing intentional about Vane's leather in Black Sails. It's not the only leather in the show, and it only says what all shabby period leather says, relying on the same tropes as fantasy armour: he's a bad boy and a fighter in workaday leather, poor, flexible, and practical. None of these connotations are based in reality or history, and they've been done countless times before. It's boring design, neither historically accurate nor particularly creative, but much the same as all the other shabby chic fighters on our screens. He has a broad lineage in Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean and such, but that's it.

In Our Flag, however, the lineage is much, much more intentional. Ed is a direct homage to Mad Max, the costuming in which is both practical (Max is an ex-cop and road warrior), and draws on punk and kink designs to evoke a counterculture gone mad to the point of social breakdown, exploiting the thrill of the taboo to frighten and titillate the audience.

In particular, Ed is styled after Max in the second movie, having lost his family, been badly injured, and watched the world turn into an apocalypse. He's a broken man, withdrawn, violent, and deliberately cutting himself off from others to avoid getting hurt again. The plot of Mad Max 2 is him learning to open up and help others, making himself vulnerable to more loss, but more human in the process.

This ties directly into the themes of Our Flag - it's a deliberate intertext. Ed's emotional journey is also one from isolation and pain to vulnerability, community, and love. Mad Max (intentionally and unintentionally) explores themes of masculinity, violence, and power, while Max has become simplified in the popular imagination as a stoic, badass action hero rather than the more complex character he is, struggling with loss and humanity. Similarly, Our Flag explores masculinity, both textually (Stede is trying to build a less abusive pirate culture) and metatextually (the show champions complex, banal, and tender masculinities, especially when we're used to only seeing pirates in either gritty action movies or childish comedies).

Our Flag also draws on the specific countercultures of motorcycles, rockers, and gay/BDSM culture in its design and themes. Naturally, in such a queer show, one can't help but make the connection between leather pirates and leather daddies, and the design certainly nods at this, with its vests and studs. I always think about this guy, with his flat cap so reminiscient of gay leather fashions.

More overtly, though, Blackbeard and his crew are styled as both violent gangsters and countercultural rockstars. They rove the seas like a bikie gang, free and violent, and are seen as icons, bad boys and celebrities. Other pirates revere Blackbeard and wish they could be on his crew, while civilians are awed by his reputation, desperate for juicy, gory details.

This isn't all of why I like the costuming in Our Flag Means Death (especially season 1). Stede's outfits are by no means accurate, but they're a lot more accurate than most pirate media, and they're bright and colourful, with accurate and delightful silks, lace, velvets, and brocades, and lovely, puffy skirts on his jackets. Many of the Revenge crew wear recognisable sailor's trousers, and practical but bright, varied gear that easily conveys personality and flair. There is a surprising dedication to little details, like changing Ed's trousers to fall-fronts for a historical feel, Izzy's puffy sleeves, the handmade fringe on Lucius's red jacket, or the increasing absurdity of navy uniform cuffs between Nigel and Chauncey.

A really big one is the fact that they don't shy away from historical footwear! In almost every example above, we see the period drama's obsession with putting men in skinny jeans and bucket-top boots, but not only does Stede wear his little red-heeled shoes with stockings, but most of his crew, and the ordinary people of Barbados, wear low boots or pumps, and even rough, masculine characters like Pete wear knee breeches and bright colours. It's inaccurate, but at least it's a new kind of inaccuracy, that builds much more on actual historical fashions, and eschews the shortcuts of other, grittier period dramas in favour of colour and personality.

But also. At least it fucking says something with its leather.

[riddlerosehearts]

and the universe said, i love you because you are love

[thesorrowoflizards]

↳ You never know when the good you do may come back around.

[hoshiina]

pairing: hoshina soushirou x gn!reader (no prns)

summary: he still dreams of you and wishes for another chance to make you his, some lines are inspired by hakujitsu by king gnu

warnings: reader is rather lively/bubbly,

notes: TYSM FOR 100 !!!, a/n (yapping) in tags

wc: 1800

Hoshina Soushirou still dreamt of you. Every once in a while, you’d come to visit him in his sleep and it would make him believe that a miracle had occurred, that he had another chance. Every time, he would tell himself that he would never let this go, that he would give it his absolute all this time.

Yet, every time, he would wake up from this dream.

And every time, he would feel his heart drop at the realization of that. He was disappointed, and he knew, but there was no reason to be. It wasn't like anything had happened between the two of you. He liked to believe there was something going on— something more than mere acquaintances or friends, but he knew there wasn't. It must've been all in his head because the last time he had heard of you was before you were moved to the first division. He hadn't heard a single word from you since then, nor has he said anything— but that was just the way it was. There was nothing to do at this point anyway.

He wasn’t with you for all that long, and it was probably just the fact that both of you joined at the same time that naturally started the first conversation. He was far more weary of everything and far less cheerful at the time, and you didn't even work with him most of the time being a researcher, but you didn’t mind that one bit. If you had something you wanted to say, you would tell him and he’d just have to listen. At first, he had no idea why you kept talking to him when he paid hardly any mind, but after a while, he found comfort in your conversations. He had started to look forward to talking to you.

It had only been a few months before the defense force noticed how spectacular your work was and quickly called you over to the first division. There wasn’t a tearful farewell, or even a casual goodbye for that matter. You disappeared along with a cheerful ‘I’ll see you around!’ while you were moving your boxes out and he would hear those words ring in his head for the years to come— in your voice. Yet, at the time, all he could do was force a smile and nod.

It had been so many years since you had moved, he didn’t even know what you looked like now. Probably still stunning. Definitely still stunning. Although he had the chance to see the 1st division officers a lot, you were a researcher who worked behind the scenes. Naturally, there was no reason he'd bump into you, and he didn’t. He never did.

He loved to remember you, but he hated to think about you. He loved to remember the way you would laugh at his silly jokes, the way you would ramble on about the work you had to do daily but would still put in your all, and the way you would always visit him with some cold tea when he trained late into the night if you were still up as well. Actually, he hated thinking about the tea— it would make him start thinking about you. He would think about how you were now, if you were still pilled with work, and if you remembered him.

If he bumped into you, would you remember his name? Maybe if he cracked a lame joke. Maybe if he gave you a few days to think about it. Maybe if he started listing the things you talked about— his most treasured memories. Maybe then you’d say his name again.

See? This is why he hated thinking about you— he had things to be doing.

It wasn't like this happened everyday and it wasn't that big of a deal. It just ruined his day a little when it did happen. So if he had to say, he hated dreaming of you.

As you took over his thoughts again, the emergency alarm started to buzz, as if to tell him to snap out of it. He was thankful, he couldn't still be daydreaming like this.

A smaller-sized identified grade kaiju had appeared near the first division quarters, so the third division was doing more backup work this time. Hoshina was taking care of the smaller kaiju in the vicinity that had spawned from the presence of the honju. It felt nice for him to be doing work, it took his mind off his ramblings and cleared his head. He wasn't too worried about the honju, however. Although it was an identified grade, it wasn't anything they hadn't dealt with before and as much as he liked to tease Narumi about how he was always better at smaller kaiju neutralization, he knew Narumi was extraordinary at what he did.

At least that would have been true for any other kaiju of that size and strength, but Narumi seemed to be struggling far more than expected with this one. From his earpiece, he heard Okonogi notify him that the 1st division was asking to send Narumi some help if possible, and he immediately rushed over.

Yet, by the time he got there, Narumi had already neutralized the kaiju in question, although horribly beat up.

“I don't need your help, Hoshina!” Narumi still managed to yell while on the floor, absolutely bleeding out.

“Oh, shut up, do you want to die?” Hoshina asked. It didn't take an expert to see that Narumi’s condition was concerning.

Narumi soon fell quiet, probably unconscious, while Hoshina found his earpiece lying on the floor near him. He picked it up, hoping it'd connect to the first division just in case they had lost connection to his vitals.

“He's unconscious right now, but he seems to still be breathing. However, he's bleeding dangerously from multiple spots. I think a few ribs might also be broken,” Hoshina said. “There aren't any kaiju nearby at the moment and I'll take care of them if any do come— bring the stretcher right away.”

He waited a moment, but there was no response from the earpiece.

“Hello?” he asked, hoping for a response. After another moment, he heard it.

“Hoshina…?”

It was you. He would still recognize your voice from anywhere. Oh, how he missed you. His eyes were wide and he had nothing to say all of a sudden. You remembered him. You recognized his voice.

You remembered his name.

“Thank you for your report, we lost connection to some of his vitals halfway through. The medics should be there in a few minutes,” you said.

“I'll stand by,” Hoshina said and kept Narumi's earpiece in his ear. He had nothing he wanted to tell you, not one thing in mind, but he wanted to be on the line with you— even in silence. The medics came in a few minutes like you had told him and took care of Narumi right away.

“They got here, he should be fine now,” Hoshina said, as if you didn't already know. He just wanted something to say to you.

“I missed working with you,” you said and he couldn't believe his ears. Perhaps he'd wake up from this dream again. Perhaps he'd open his eyes and be utterly disappointed again. But he knew there wasn't even a hint of romantic affection in your words, just the respect you've always had for the work he did, and how you missed doing this job with him. And he did too.

“Yeah, I did too,” he said. “I still do.”

You chuckled a little and he could still picture you smiling. “That made my entire year,” you said. “Probably not the time for this, but we should catch up sometime. If you don't mind, of course.”

Made your year. What did you mean by that? And If he didn't mind? Oh, you didn't know how many times he's dreamed of this day.

“I'd love to,” he said. While he was a little embarrassed to imagine the rest of the first-division team hearing this conversation, that was not going to stop him. He'd be an absolute fool to let this chance go. He has promised himself to give it his all this time.

“Are you seeing anyone?” he asked quietly.

“Sorry?” you asked, hoping he'd repeat that. You heard it, but you were afraid you were so delusional you were starting to hear things. Your heartbeat quickened and you waited patiently, hoping it wasn't all in your head.

“Do you have a lover?” he asked a little more clearly, but obviously still nervous and flustered. You had never seen him like this, ever.

“No,” you replied, a little too quickly. “I do not.”

Relief washed over him and he felt his heartbeat quicken. Oh, thank goodness you didn't have access to his vitals. He was going to make you fall for him somehow.

“…do you?” you asked quietly, after a moment.

“Me?” he asked. “No, I don't.”

“I see,” you said, but he could hear the soft delight in your voice. He would never miss it.

Perhaps he'd just go for it. There was nothing for him to lose at this point, and he had made his feelings plenty obvious already. If you didn't want him, he'd just try again. He's tried countless times in his dreams already, what's a few more?

“But I'd love to be yours,” he said and heard you gasp quietly. That one he couldn't read. Was that a little too bold? Far too sudden?

“Did I hear that right?” he faintly heard you scream, asking your fellow first division coworkers. That made him laugh, you hadn't changed one bit. “I’ve loved you forever, Hoshina.”

There was absolutely no way. He was going to wake up soon, he just knew it. Well, might as well indulge in the dream for now, then.

“I've definitely loved you for longer,” he said.

“Hoshina, I'm going to kill you if this is a dream,” you said, and that caught him off guard. Yet, even that sounded nice to him, and that made him smile. He'd get to see you, at least.

But it wasn't a dream. The way your voice fluttered his heart could never be felt through a dream. The way your laugh filled his soul could not possibly make him feel so warm through a mere dream.

“I cannot wait to see you,” you said softly, your voice so full of love it made him melt.

He couldn't either, but that wasn't exactly what he had on mind this entire time.

“And I cannot wait to kiss you.”