#i should be allowed to be a bit of a freak on here (refering to the userbox)

[arsene-fixates]

Hello!!!

I’m Arsene!! I go by they/them pronouns, I’m 18+ and I’m chinese ^_^

I interact from @/milkmallow28 but it’s only for reblogs

Currently I’m awfully fixated on The Informant (as you can tell from my blog) so you’ll see many many drawings, analysis and me simply talking about our relationship :3

By the way, you should go follow My best friend in the WWW (Whole Wide World) | my stimboard blog <3

F/Os, DNI and Notes under the cut!

Main Romantic F/Os

♡ The Mysterious Informant (Seekers Notes)

♡ Matsuno Karamatsu (Osomatsu-San)

♡ Wilhelm Adler (OC)

(Wilhelm belongs to @/raininmytea)

Secondary F/Os

♡ #sitting by the rain 🌧️

♡ Silver Mask (Chef & Friends)

♡ #🌑✨ -> Oobja (roblox)

Couple things to note!!

I’m not comfortable sharing my f/os because i selfship to cope!! so if you do have them on your list or if you are close with mutuals who have them, I most likely won’t follow you back

I also talk about Seekers Notes on this blog :3

Tags

#art tag!! <- my art ^_^

#my writing 💌 <- writing that I rarely do

#arsene-blogging <- I speak here

#「Love Note Unfolded in Secret」 <- my relationship with Informant

#Informant Under A Microscope <- Informant analysis!!

#S/I: Mellilla <- for my Seekers Notes self insert

Do Not Interact If:

you fit the basic dni

if you share my F/Os & follow people who share my F/Os as well

Proshipper

Comshipper

Age up characters or age down self insert

fully NSFW blogs

[gayhoediaz]

"I - I'm sorry for showing up at your station in the middle of the night, I - I should have called, but I knew you had a shift, and I-"

"Didn't want to do this over the phone," Tommy guesses gently, watching as Evan nods, face flickering with recognition.

"...or in a text or something, yeah," he confirms - then he clears his throat, frowning at the ground for a moment. "Look, I - I know that - that maybe I should just... walk away, and - and take no for an answer, and I - I will," he says, and when their eyes meet again, Evan's are glossy with emotion - even from ten feet away. "I promise."

Tommy crosses his arms over his chest, exhaling gently as he waits for Evan to gather his thoughts.

"I know I fucked up by going all... bro-dude on you on our first date," he says, trailing off with a self-deprecating, sad chuckle. Tommy swallows, forcing his feet to stay glued to the concrete flooring. "And you don't wanna deal with that, I get it, I know that you probably didn't sign up for... all of this," he continues - and somehow Tommy has a sinking feeling that he's not only referring to his newly discovered bisexuality. "Didn't sign up for someone who is just... so new at this-"

"-that's not it," Tommy can't help but interrupt - the same way he can't help but take one step closer - and then one more. "Evan, I don't have a problem with being the first man you're with, it just seemed as if you weren't sure that you wanted a man at all, and that's the thing that I'm not sure that I-"

"I - I know that," Evan interrupts him right back, his voice growing thicker, tears seemingly dangerously close to passing his waterline as he takes half a step closer to Tommy, his hands in front of him, frustratingly grasping the air as if the words he wants to say will be somewhere in there. "That's what I came here to say - look, my entire life, I've just been... searching for something, you know? Something that felt right, someplace where I could... belong," he says, forehead decorated with a deep line of frustration. "And then I found it."

"Firefighting," Tommy guesses - and the crease evens out - just a little bit - as the corner of Evan's mouth twitches up.

"Yeah," he nods. "Yeah - and I thought that was it. And - and then I realized that I still felt... wrong? And I - I felt stupid, you know?" he says, tapping the pads of his index and middle finger to his own temple. "'Cause I have a job that I love, people that I love - and I spent so long trying to find the thing that was missing, and I just - I - I had no idea what it was..." he says - and then he straightens up a little bit, swallowing. "...and then you kissed me," he concludes.

Tommy feels himself melt.

This goddamn kid is going to be the death of him, isn't he?

"...and it was like..." Evan brings his hands up in front of himself again, mimicking something like an explosion - but the sound effect he chooses isn't an explosion. It's a sharp, unmistakable, loud exhale.

"That was it," Tommy hums, allowing himself a few steps closer. Evan's eyes remain on his own as he moves, trailing him every single step of the way.

"That was it," Evan confirms. "So if you think that I - that I'm somehow gonna - gonna change my mind, or - or run away, or freak out, or decide that I don't like men, that's never gonna happen," he shakes his head. "I'm - I'm a lot, I know that, I've always been a lot, I don't think I totally know how to be anything different, but Tommy, I am... I'm very, very bi. I like men. And I like y-"

Tommy finds a gentle grasp on his chin, guiding him into a kiss.

Shut up, is what the kiss says. You have me. I'm yours. I got you.

[marlshroom]

i will never ever stop thinking about the disability allegories in gravity falls. i cant ever stop thinking about disability allegories in other media and gravity falls is no different. im feeling chatty today, so lets see if i can articulate all my feelings on the matter.

the most interesting thing that stuck out to me with thisisnotawebsitedotcom.com was this snippet on fords medical paper:

we hear about this kind of attitude towards disabilities often, maybe you have heard about autism being referred to as the "next evolutionary change in humans." we can especially see this when a person has a disability, but is also very capable in other fields. there are so many cases in the medical or educational field of a child having specific needs, yet they are ignored due to them being "gifted".

in a vacuum, ford's extra finger may not be considered a disability, the sixth finger allows him more movement and dexterity, and ontop of that, he's a genius. its just an extra finger right? its not like it hurts him. but it does hurt him. he is a child living with a limb difference, he is constantly ridiculed by his peers. they call him a freak and physically harass him.

this is where we dip into the social model of disability here. i know sometimes that can cause a little bit of discourse, but i think its interesting to note here! please if you have a limb difference feel free to add your perspective or correct me where you see fit. if you don't know what the social model of disability is, its the perspective that disabled people would not be as limited in their abilities if it wasn't for the oppressive society that they lived in(think people in wheelchairs could do more things if infrastructure had disabled people in mind). ford wouldn't be experiencing abliesm in his life if limb differences were something people were educated about. then we get to bill cipher. in theory, his ability to see the 3rd dimension is almost a super power. but in the book of bill its literally stated that it is illegal for anyone to mention the possibility of "up". he is forced into abusive medical practices where he is being drugged to suppress his ability. no one in his dimension has the same perspective of him, he is completely alone, and even worse, the people who should be protecting him like his parents and doctors are abusing him(not that his parents are evil for this obviously. they don't have a choice and i assume they want what is best for him, what were they supposed to do? yet it still had this horrible impact on bill).

this social model can be applied to bill cipher. he has this ability that in a vacuum would be considered amazing, but he lives in a society(rip) that oppresses this. they have to, because bill trying to let his dimension see the stars killed every last person. which makes me think that whoever was in power here probably knew this would happen. its unsure if bill cipher knew the true extent of his damage would be, but i am of the belief that he didn't know how bad it would really be.

i just find all of this very interesting. i really love when a story tackles a topic such as disability. its so obvious this is what alex hirsch is going for and its such a unique take that i don't see often in media, as a disabled person myself. feel free to lmk your thoughts :)

[thr0wnawayy]

Midoriya's Delusion

This is post that builds upon my previous one, I've copied many of the points I made there to here. Albiet with some corrections and tweaks.

To summarize, I have a bit of a crack theory that chapter 430 isn't as real as we've been led to believe. (As for when this actually takes place, that's up to you but I like to imagine the start of his third year marks the beginning of his mental decline.)

(As an update, I find it dubious whether 8 years have actually passed or if that's also a part of the fantasy. I can see Midoriya becoming so attached to the lie that his reference of time begins to warp)

This theory mostly comes from some inconsistencies in regards to the hero rankings and some other things I've found.

Corrections:

It's left ambiguous whether Best Jeanist and Endeavor are still active. However the fact that people view these two in a postive light (especially after Dabi and the war) still seems absurd.

2. Midoriya wasn't outright abandoned, rather their busy schedules make it hard for their days off to coincide. This falls apart when you look at this panel

"The rate of new villains keep decreasing and the number of heroes have stabilized"

Besides Ochaco who's funding a quirk counseling project, the rest of the class should be able to make time. Again it's stated that they aren't actually fighting.

There's no real threat to face. Besides PR and Community Service there's bot a whole lot else (besides the occasional natural disaster)

One could argue it's because the scope of what heroes do is increasing, thus keeping them busy. But again, we see heroes doing exactly what they did before, PR, Advertising and (implied) Showboating.

This leads me to believe that the lack of contact is based in reality, to some extent.

Whether it was by choice or forced by their (1A's) respective PR teams to preserve their images (can't be seen around the "freaks" for too long, now can we?).

The lie comes in the form of busy schedules.

Now whether that's what Midoriya tells himself or what he's been told, I cannot say for certain.

Disturbia:

For those of you who didn't read my last post, you may be wondering, so what's going on?.

Simply put:

Midoriya's having a breakdown fantasy to cope with the fact that he won't be becoming a hero due to the loss of his quirk.

Im aware it sounds crazy but consider the following:

1. Midoriya subconsciously knows the way he's been treated was wrong.

This manifests within the escapists fantasy in Bakugo's drop in the rankings + the attitude surrounding him (as well as his damaged hand never fully healing)

He meets a kid who just so happens to be in a near exact same position as he once* was (and still is to an extent). One could take this as his mind's way of trying to cope and heal itself, by having Midoriya do what he does best and help others, henceforth working though his trauma by using the kid as a stand in.

*Even the kid's "bully" seems to be a warped version of Bakugo (perhaps this is how Midoriya tries to fool himself into believing how it was)

2. We see Kota.

I believe that here, Kota serves as what Midoriya thinks he could have been had he not failed. Kota is the idealized version of Midoriya here, the unobtainable.

3. A lesson ignored

Apparently people forgot the connection between Endeavor and Shoto. You'd think this would be a good thing as Shoto would be able to become his own person.

This falls flat when you remember that also includes people forgetting the reason and happenings behind Shoto's existence, it feels like Midoriya is trying to have his cake and eat it too

To elaborate, this is a major copout, it allows Shouto to be unaffected by his family's past bith career wise and emotionally. While also feeding into Midoriya's rather toxic belief that forgiveness is required to be a good person.

(The fact that killing Tomura violated this only adds to my theory that this whole thing is an escapist coping mechanism.)

(You can also add the idea that Tomura didn't forgive society for what they did to him and his friends. That likely broke all the "rules" that Midoriya knew.)

4. The Mech Suit is a massive cope, it's the dying whimper of Midoriya's childish hope that All Might will save the day.

This time there's no magic quirk, no garrish mech suit, no plot twist.

No. There's only Midoriya and the consequences of his, his classmates and hero societies actions. It doesn't matter how shiny and seamless the illusion, how sweet the lie.

You can't hide the blood.

Concerning Aspects:

That was mostly the revised stuff, let me introduce you to some new points

1. A Frozen Lake

Something I noticed was certain characters seem to be almost frozen in time, as if someone tried to continue a story using scraps of the original text.

The curious case of Rei Himura:

This scene seems almost stagnant, what was most noticeable was Enji's bandages still being on and Rei still being there.

It's as if Midoriya hasn't seen them in years (or perhaps doesn't want to acknowledge what happened). So his mind uses what he last saw/heard of them, creating a sterile, static scenario. Little better than props.

Those surrounding her (with the exception of Hawks) also seem to be stuck in the past.

It's definitely strange.

2. See No Evil, Hear no Evil, Speak No Evil

Shigaraki is a representation of Midoriya's repressed guilt and his fears. I believe deep down Midoriya knows that, inevitably the cycle will repeat, so long as the system is allowed fester and wallow in it's complancy.

I find the fact that he's behind Midoriya to be ironic, as if to say: don't look back, don't think about what you've done.

A Symbol of Stagnation:

I should warn you that it does get lengthy from here, however I think it's important to get the full picture. Even if I tend to ramble here.

It's implied here that Lemillion's the top hero. This is awful for a variety of reasons. Mirio is a horrible symbol.

All Might was flawed for a variety of reasons, but a majority of these were byproducts rather than directly being his own doing.

Mirio on the other hand, has such a cancerous philosophy that it actively harms all who interact with it.

Mirio is a follower, he follows orders first and asks questions never.

Eri is the best example of this. Even after Nighteye's death, Mirio never truly reflects on the damage his actions could have caused ( only saved by the narrative, seriously it's a miracle Eri trusts anyone besides Midoriya after being abandoned like that)

You see, the difference between Toshinori and Mirio lies in their actions and principles.

Mirio left Eri to die, all for the sake of the "mission".

For all the heroes knew, Eri could have been a trafficking victim and either have been killed or relocated. But no, appearances and "gotta catch em all" take priority even after knowing Eri is in the Yakuza's clutches.

Lemillion made the worst decisions possible. He followed a known murder into a secluded, restricted area (with a hostage mind you) bringing his pupil with him.

Willingly ignored blatant signs of abuse (just look at the girl) and played hooky with thre leader of a criminal organization, who is known for his short fuse and willingness to kill.

He did all of that, when he could have easily detained Overhaul at any point (his quirk being a direct counter)

Toroshinori would fight tooth and nail in that situation. Consequences be damned if it meant saving Eri.

Part of the reason Toroshinori was so effective as a hero was 1. His sense of justice and 2. His compassion.

Mirio is a symbol that can be controlled, a weapon if you will.

The fact that Mirio is at the top shows that things haven't changed and are even beginning to decline. So this brings me to my next point

You may be asking, if Midoriya's losing it in his own mind, what's the outside world look really like?.

Allow me to set the stage.

4. Speculation

Within Midoriya's muddled mind, Lemillion represents both his toxic optimism and a subconscious understanding that nothing has changed. It represents denial and acceptance, a dysfunctional middle ground that's easy enough for Midoriya to stomach.

The truth of the matter is, delusion or not, the reality is soon to sink in.

Something that I don't see discussed is the lack of reactions from other nations or really any insight into how they were affected by everything that happend.

Here's the idea: Most likely they are foaming at the mouth.

Particularly it's the countries who suffered under Imperial Japan in the past (Korea, China, Singapore etc), however this also applies to every nation Nedzu brow beat into aiding with the rebuilding efforts, albiet their reaction would be latent.

Not not only is the attitude painfully reminiscent of how Japan handles it's past atrocities, Japan has had them clean up their messes. seen below:

(you cannot tell me Big Red Dot over here is having a good time)

From an outside pov. The Commission never told anyone about AFO, rather they suppressed any information, locked him up in Tartarus and then sat on the whole situation until it blew up in their (read: everyones) faces.

He then proceeded to: kill over 8000 people (+ those killed during the Blackout period), kill the top hero of one of the world's most powerful nations and incite mass panic. Destroyed massive amounts of infrastructure and transport nationwide, broke thousands of criminals out of prison, destroying those prisons in the process.

Meanwhile the heroes:

Abandoned civilians in mass by quitting in the middle of a war.

Left the public in the dark for months and allowing crime and paranoia to grow rampant, even (forcibly) bringing someone they knew was being targeted by AFO and his forces to the one place they could find shelter.

Mutilated a seven year old girl. Who has a history of being mutilated for the gain of others and patted themselves on the back. (Also having no holdup on how that may effect her physically via her quirk or mentally via her trauma)

Mic: tried to kill a docile prisoner who could be considered in comatose, based off of his emotional attachment to a dead man + viewing it as justified if it meant Spinner couldn't get to him.

Used hospital staff and patients as meatshields (Central Hospital) during a riot.

Most had no qualms supporting a child beating eugenicist and implied marital rapist, even with his one of his victims exposed him and citing it as his main reason for turning to villainy.

Held an illegal questioning* with said abuser while ignoring his main victim (Rei, who is probably the most reliable source of information there)

(*which effectively is like conducting an investigation on yourself and declaring you are not guilty)

And so much more! (But this post is getting too long)

My point is by the time everything was said and done, it seemed everyone but Japan was paying for it.

It's outright stated that the US president risked national security by sending every hero they had to help Japan. (Impeachment worthy if you ask me)

Endeavor's little plan to kill himself and Dabi in a blaze of death ended up disrupting the weather. Very likely it'll end up resembling an El Niño phenomenon, only vastly off schedule and even more destructive than normal.

For Reference [https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/ninonina.html]

Very likely it'll lead to an agricultural drought in the northern America's and mass flooding in southern America's, likely starting at the west coast and bleeding inland. Leading to a domino effect where cost of living surges due to the sudden displacement of people and the rapid loss of products.

Worse still, because the US had no heroes (likely for months on end), crime has likely surged in the America's, which will further impact the rest of the world.

The rebuilding efforts likely emptied the wallets of most participating countries, leaving them unable to help anyone, including themselves.

Also keep in mind that Japan incriminated themselves with the Business Course footage. I don't think the general public (outside of Japan) is going to take too kindly to a known murder and abuse apologist being in charge of a system already known for it's corruption.

The end result is likely be a world that detests Japan, either from a moral perspective (Rei's treatment + the treatment of those society abandoned), a financial perspective (we can't afford shit and you contributed to that) or historical perspective (you do this everytime and ignore the consequences).

A world divided by struggle and united by an immense loathing for the Commission's Japan and the culture surrounding it.

Oh, don't forget there's no finding left for quirk research. Meaning that it's very likely no one will be prepared for quirk singularity to start manifesting in the upcoming generations (Thanks Nedzu).

_______________________________________

Update: Can I just say that Aizawa's lack of ownership infuriates me even though this is likely a fantasy and not grounded in reality.

Like what the fuck do you mean "with the way he talks, it was pointless" Fantasy Aizawa.

Because "Hey Asshole", You deliberately ignored his attitude and offenses!. And what? Now your just gonna shrug it off like it wasn't your fault. To hell with that you had two years, most teacher are said to only get one. As you so graciously mentioned at the start of this shit show of an epilouge.

Heres the moment I'm referring to btw:

While we're at it. Are you telling me it was too hard to get Momo some proper attire all three fucking years she was at UA for.

Not to mention Toru is still naked, how the fuck hasn't she died yet, she is literally exposed to the elements (and lord help her of she gets a cut)

Kirishima's costume is still his biggest liability considering it exposes his chest and back (also seeing as even when hardened he can't repell bullets)

Does Denki still fry himself with his quirk?

Before we move on Aizawa. How's that daughter you neglected, her horn still broken?.

Speaking of which let's look at the rescue team:

What the hell is this!?

Let's see, we got a guy who can only do damage (and his sweat detonates on contact, destroying whatever it touches.)

A brainwasher who only got into the hero course via nepotism and who can only brainwash people who directly respond to him!. A person trapped underneath rubble either frantic or groaning in pain isn't going to be able to respond or even just give consent.

(On a side note what are the laws regarding mind control quirks, does some sort of waiver have to be signed, can a person sue for being controlled against their consent?)

Oh, but wait there's more.

Midoriya running headlong with experimental tech that has, very likely never seen the light of day. Let alone preform in an actual high stakes situation before.

You're trying to carry someone and oops! Something malfunctioned or was miscalculated, now there's an even bigger mess (hooray!)

Who could forget Mezo "they'll come for your kids" Soji. Who climbed the ladder and pulled it all the way up.

Yeah forget that Heteromorph's were getting hate crimed long before the war, ignore the fact that you yourself were maimed by an angry mob after doing one of the most heroic things a person can do. Dismiss Spinner's comment about being sprayed with Pesticide for walking in public.

Nah screw it, let's all sing Kumbaya while the Creation Rejection Clan runs wild outside the reach of the cities, then ignore that the discrimination still is prevalent in the countryside and it's only a matter of time before somone gets fed up and takes matters into their own hands. (talons, claws, you get the picture)

But your a hero now Soji, you got your's. So fuck the rest of 'em

And don't even get me started on Hawks. Congratulations you ignorant bastard, way to kill time and by that I mean for everyone but the heroes.

"Yeah life is great!, everyone hates us, we're rapidly falling into debt from all that rebuilding 8 years back."

"Speaking of which some of those buildings are staring to fall apart due to being rushed to meet deadlines set within the month they were started."

"Social darwinism is on the rise and people are becoming more complacent that ever before due to heroes applying bandaid solutions on decade long, deeply ingrained problems."

"All so the average person doesn't have to think about what's festering beneath society's floorboards, so thank you Safety Commission. Here's your star of positivity ⭐️." - Some random anti-hero civilian

So much for greatest heroes, huh.

_______________________________________

UPDATE 2:

A dark thought I just had, is that the main reason Izuku killed Tomura was because Tomura broke the rule of "Forgiving Your Abusers makes you Good".

When Tomura refused to relinquish his hatred, when he stood his ground, that is when Midoriya decided he had to die. If not to "stop" him, then to preserve Midoriya's perception of the world .

Shigaraki + The LOV by their very ideals went against everything Midoriya has had beat into him by Bakugo and Aldera over the years.

Makes me wonder how'd he react to a person refusing to forgive their abuser. If he interacted with Natsuo or Rei, I could see that delving into a complete mess.

Now that I think about it, The Midoriya we know now, he would have never tried to hold onto Eri back when they first met.

Ironically, he became what he named himself after, a Deku. A puppet attached to thorns of liquid gold, glistening and burning hot.

A slave to his own biases and belief system, now trapped in a stage of his minds own making.

First bound by his past, then by legacy and finally, now by his own hand.

木偶.

[johnbrand]

Joining the Flock

Trying something different, please enjoy

With @henrypreppy

JD flipped the meeting invitation back and forth between his hands, the thin paper material an illusion to the actual weight its writing held. He could not believe he had actually agreed to this, let alone thinking about following through with it. It was not like his parents would have ever known. JD could lie about the entire ordeal and get away with it. But now he was officially registered for the first meeting of the year, his name practically carved into stone.

“Hey there, sorry I don’t mean to interrupt.”

JD rotated his head to the door, eyeing down the black-haired freshman standing patiently at the door. Slim, lanky, and could use tweezers, but by his posture JD could already discern that he was a casual fellow.

“I’m assuming you're Michael Freedman?”

“Mike will do,” Mike grinned. “It’s nice to finally meet you, I’m assuming you’re my roommate?”

JD stood up and extended his hand. “You got it, I'm JD.”

The physical exchange allowed for their first day jitters to transmit like a frequency between them.

“JD huh, is that a nickname?”

JD did his best to hold back his embarrassment. “It’s short for Jeremiah Delgado.”

Mike’s eyebrows rose, “A little bit of a mouthful.”

“You should hear it with the middle names,” JD quipped. “It’s what you get when you combine a Hispanic father and Biblically-obsessed mother.”

“Then no wonder you stick to JD,” Mike replied.

Taking a seat back on his bed, JD decided to steer the conversation elsewhere. “When did you move in? I didn’t see you this morning when I’d hauled everything up those four flights of stairs.”

Mike chuckled, “Perks of the top floor right? I assume I moved in right after you left. You’re not a clean freak or anything, are you?”

“God no,” JD answered, the tone shift catching him off guard. “I don’t have time to care about stuff like that.” JD had already picked up on Mike’s disorganization when he had arrived back at the dorm. It was a bit of a shock to see the place had already become a lived-in pigsty, even though they had just moved in. But JD truly did not mind the clutter, he was a bit on the uncleanly side too. Speaking of which, he realized he had forgotten to get a haircut before he left. The dullish chestnut mop was reaching shoulder-length now; JD was a bit curious to see what would happen if he let it grow even longer.

“Sorry if that was a bit blunt,” Mike plopped onto his own bed. “I just saw the invitation and I was curious.”

“The…?” JD paused, before picking up on what Mike was referring to. “Oh this? No sorry, it was pushed onto me at the club fair.”

The event had been just short of organized chaos. Practically a hundred booths had filled the auditorium, each of them advertising different clubs that the freshman could get involved with. Student Council, the Events Commission, even the CIA (which JD learned stood for “Chemists In Action”). He had been casually browsing, the only thing minorly interesting to him being the Pride organization, but somehow had accidentally strolled in front of the wrong stall.

“Looking to join the Campus Ministry?”

The man calling out to JD was rather put-together, probably the only person in the entire event showcasing a three-piece suit. As JD approached cautiously–hoping the man would not grab any more attention then he already had–he was able to inspect the stranger a little further. Late thirties, athletic, a ring on his finger and of average flair. He was not JD’s type, but he could still appreciate that the man held some appealing characteristics.

The man introduced himself as soon as JD drew close enough. “My name’s Peter, I’m the Campus Minister.”

JD replied accordingly, loathing his luck. He had chosen a college as far away from his parents and their strict lifestyle as possible, and yet now here he was, conversing with the very people who abided by their same morals and guidelines.

“Well Jeremiah, are you inclined to learn more about the mission of the Baptist Church?”

Wincing at the use of his full name, JD replied, “I actually grew up Baptist, but I’ve grown away from the faith since.” As soon as the words left his mouth, JD realized his mistake.

“Well you have come to the right place!” Peter exclaimed, a bit too over joyous. “The Campus Ministry is welcome to all, especially those returning to God’s graces.”

Before JD could protest, Peter had already handed him the formal invitation and written his name on the sign-up form. “The meeting is tonight, you won’t miss it!”

“I can’t believe you got sucked into that crap!” Mike was laughing after JD had finished replaying the scene for him. “Are you really planning on going?”

“I mean I have to, right? They’ve got me signed up.”

Mike shrugged, “It’s up to you man, but you don’t have a lot of time to decide.”

JD quickly eyed the invitation and then his phone and realized Mike was right. If he was going to make this meeting, he would have to leave now.

“Crap!”

———

By the time he got to the chapel, he had worked up quite the sweat. JD was not an active person, and as he entered the building, he realized he was also not properly dressed. Everyone else adorned their Sunday bests, some even more formal. The button-ups and slacks were a complete contrast to his own indie band tee and distressed jeans. JD shamefully placed himself in the back pew, hoping no one would notice the black sheep.

“Mind if I sit here, brother?”

JD obliged without acknowledging the stranger, cursing to himself as Peter ascended to the podium at the front of the chapel.

“Brothers and Sisters, I want to welcome you all to our first meeting of the year. As the Campus Minister, it is an honor to be able to guide you in our journey together, and with your trust lead you on the path towards God.”

All the members of the group came together to a round of applause. 

“Let me make one thing clear right away, brothers and sisters,” Peter began assuredly. “At the heart of the Campus Ministry is community. God did not create us to live alone in isolation. He specifically designed us to live together as like-minded beings. To thrive in Biblical communities where people who love Jesus Christ can enjoy fellowship with one another. To help each other grow in the faith, to become more alike. To learn from each other, incorporate a need for each other. God uses others to help us grow individually, and God uses us to grow other people.”

“I am reminded of a verse from Matthew 18:20: ‘For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.’ It is here that Jesus calls us to be sheep, His sheep, flocking under His name in likeness and in aspiration to fulfill His teachings. As a Biblical community, we find ourselves in Jesus. He is our center point, what draws us together, the common bond that we share. And as Baptists, we find ourselves following our shepherd, assimilating as one when we name ourselves a member of His church.”

“So why is community at the heart of the Campus Ministry? Whether you are eighteen-, nineteen-, twenty- or more-years-old, you came here searching for guidance. Guidance to tell you where to go, what to do, who to follow. Guidance found through relationships, through our collective relationship with God and His church. The Campus Ministry offers that guidance and more. Our community of brothers and sisters will help you navigate classes, properly study, and make wise decisions. They will eat with you, spend time with you, bring you into the fold, our flock, no matter what former walk of life. They will help you embody the classic look of a Christian.”

“Now, I would like to invite you to embrace that first step towards community. Take a moment and turn to your neighbor, introduce yourself to your new brother or sister.”

Finding himself slightly absorbed by Peter’s sermon, JD broke out of his haze to finally acknowledge the stranger he had allowed to sit beside him. However, JD found himself rendered speechless by the beautiful man before him. With coppery hair, a diamond-cut jaw, and inviting green eyes, JD gawked a second too long at his traditional counterpart. Pairing pleated trousers with a crimson sweater vest over a simple white button-up, the stranger exuded refinement. From his Ivy League haircut to his natural woodsy smell and even by the way the stranger sat, JD could feel heat rising from his own cheeks.

“Jackson Sanderson,” the stranger offered, and after a uncharacteristic stutter JD replied with his own.

JD was then introduced to other members of the club as they came around to introduce themselves. There was a Colton, a Bryce, a Jared, a Stanley. Eventually the names and faces began to blur together, each of them almost identical to each other. Attractive by traditional standards, reeking of arrogance and privilege. JD found himself almost unable to hide his large erection, loathing his existence. It was times like these he wished not to be “blessed” as his father had once grotesquely put it.

After everyone had returned to their seats, Peter finished his monologue. “Before you realize it, each and every one of you will become bonded through our Campus Ministry. It may not happen right away, but once you begin to know each other, you will begin to shape each other too. Now, let us end in prayer.”

———

JD’s first day of classes flashed by in an instant. Undecided, his schedule was mostly filled with the required objectives. A standard biology course, base level statistics, even a communications class–all of which had no actual assignments for the day besides reading the syllabus. But by the late afternoon after his final seminar, JD found himself ready for a lazy evening. He drafted plans involving picking up fast food, watching an episode or ten of some raunchy sitcom, and then drifting off to bed.

“Jeremiah!” 

The minister’s assertive baritone cut through JD’s headphones, which were slowly lowered to passive-aggressively demonstrate his annoyance.

“I wanted to thank you for coming to the first Campus Ministry meeting last night,” Peter explained as he approached. Today, he was dressed in a brown suit with a pattern meant for a man twice his age. “I was hoping to discuss some other things as well. Have a moment?”

Reluctantly, JD obliged, and soon he was following Peter to his office. Once inside, JD was able to discern a bit more about this man who had strangely taken an interest in him. Basic wooden cross on the wall, pile of materials on theology beside the desk, a picture of a woman around the minister’s age holding three children. JD accepted the seat in front of the desk, hoping this would not take long.

“Seeing the instantaneous bond that we have created over the past 24 hours,” JD restrained his eyebrow from visually questioning this statement. “I took it upon myself to become your academic counselor. As your minister, it’s my role to offer you structure and guidance during these impressionable years.”

JD was a bit startled by this statement, but said nothing.

Peter continued, “I’ve already taken a gander at your schedule and noticed all gen-eds. As you are undecided, I was curious if you had any majors you had in mind.”

“Not particularly,” JD answered, finding himself a little more relaxed. “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to think about it until a bit later, honestly.”

Peter’s direct eye contact intensified slightly. “Maybe it would be best to spread out your electives and place you in some courses designed to determine a major. Considering your passion for the faith, you could look into some classes in the Religion Department.”

JD found the minister’s wording a bit odd, almost belittling in a way. His response came out a bit muddled, “I never said that I had a passion for the faith?”

“Well, Jeremiah, I think it could do you a lot of good. As the Campus Minister, I’d be happy to offer you some additional resources as well.”

“‘Resources’?”

“Of course,” Peter’s face broke out into a big grin. “I’ll connect you with one of our students in the department. I have one in mind already, a sophomore: Jackson Sanderson.”

A blush broke out onto JD’s face. He could not perceive if the minister had noticed it or not.

“Jackson is one of our finest men,” Peter resumed. “You will immediately find him as a brother, perhaps one of your closest. After a while, you will feel the desire to emulate him, as he has the classic look of a Christian.”

Again, JD noted the strange diction, and a repeat of a phrase he had heard last night. But JD also noticed that he felt a certain calm when he listened to Peter. His voice just had a quality that kept one at ease. That was probably why he had become a minister.

“I’ll notify Jackson to get in contact with you shortly.” Peter then took a stand, prompting JD to do the same. “Until then, let’s begin thinking about your major and where we’d like to see you next semester. And further along, when you graduate.”

———

Jackson reached out to JD hours later, and after a bit of texting JD found himself roped into a study session the following day. He did not know what to expect, but he decided to put his best foot forward. Sure, he had no desire to engage with the church after his high school graduation, but JD rationalized that he could still be there to make friends.

“Jeremiah!” Jackson called out from one of the pews. He was surrounded by a swarm of men, all wearing outfits appropriate for more conservative times. JD had prepared for this, although his khakis and short-sleeved button-up still did not fit the bill.

“It’s JD,” JD corrected politely. “Thank you for letting me crash your guys’ study group.”

“Of course!” one of the men replied. JD should have known his name, but the person’s features were almost unrecognizable from the next. “Any brother is welcome to join.”

“Especially once Peter told us you were enrolling in the Religion Department,” Jackson added.

“I’m not enrolling in the Religion Department.”

“We get it, you’re ‘just interested’,” a second man insisted, to which everyone else began to chuckle as if he were referring to some inside joke.

“Anyway, don’t worry about it.” Jackson replied. The smooth quality of Jackson’s tenor settled JD’s nerves. “Let’s get to studying, shall we?”

The group agreed and promptly found themselves absorbed in their literature. While JD stuck to his reading and recording notes, the other men held a shallow conversation: one that any person could easily flow in and out of without paying too much attention. It began with simple topics at first; professors, extracurriculars, sports. None of these would typically entice JD, but he found himself occasionally tuning into the group’s monotonous channel. Eventually however, the topics converged into a singular subject: the Bible.

“I just think John’s interpretation is by far superior to the synoptic gospels,” Colton countered. JD could not believe he had remembered his name. “His use of monological writing is what makes Jesus more engaging to the interpreter.”

Jackson shook his head, “That may be true, but the synoptic gospels offer parables, short stories that people can relate too.” Jackson’s presence was different now then when they had first met. Before, frankly, JD had taken eroticism from Jackson’s standardized beauty. But now, he sensed something else. Rather than affection, JD recognized admiration.

“Enlighten us, Jackson, what parables can you relate to,” Bryce teased. “If we looked under your bed, would we find oil? As we already know you are a virgin.”

All of the men, including Jackson and JD, took joy in that remark.

“Perhaps you will, perhaps you won’t,” Jackson finally replied. “But take our group for example, are we not fulfilling a parable right now? I would situate ourselves in the story of the Prodigal Son.” Jackson motioned to his peers, “Are we not the father?” And then to just JD, “And is Jeremiah not the Prodigal Son?”

The group pondered this thought, turning expectantly towards JD for an answer.

“Um…” JD stumbled, not expecting to be put on the spot. “I mean, that’s one way to look at it.”

Once again, the group exploded into laughter, their volume ascending to the roof of the chapel. JD chuckled along too, his nervousness fading as he became more comfortable with the group. By the end of the night, he found himself pleasantly surprised as he accepted the invitation to the next study session.

———

“Hey dude, are you interested in going clubbing?” Mike asked, having just exited the shower.

“When are you thinking of going?” JD was reorganizing his desk. For some reason, its cluttered nature had begun to bother him.

“In a few minutes here, hopefully.” Mike dropped the towel on the floor and grabbed some clothes off his bed. He gave a strong sniff to each item inspected, those too dirty were then tossed onto the floor. JD observed this but said nothing.

“Man, sorry but I can’t. I got a study group tonight.”

“On a Friday night?” Mike questioned. “This is like the fourth Friday in a row.”

“I know, but I already said I was going to be there.”

Mike frowned, scratching at his lower regions a bit. JD swiftly averted his eyes. “But don’t you study with these guys three times a week, and have lunch with them everyday too?”

“Yeah, but they purposely choose Friday nights to not be tempted,” JD finally answered.

The partially-answering statement held in the air for an awkward moment. Eventually, Mike responded. “Right…”

JD turned back to his task at hand, throwing out trash that should have been discarded earlier.

“Well,” Mike grabbed a jacket and his keys. “I guess I’ll see you later then.”

“Uh huh,” JD’s response was dull. Once Mike shut the door, he released the long breath that he had subconsciously been holding. He wondered when Mike’s presence had become so taxing. Perhaps he compared his roommate to the study group’s austere quality. JD found those straight-laced men ironically soothing.

This theory was proven once JD arrived into the chapel, the smiling faces of his peers sending a warm tingle across his body. The study session went similar to the rest, beginning with actual work before simply devolving into lighthearted, yet engaging discussions. If these conversations were not surrounding the Bible, then they focused on a topic JD was even less familiar with. 

“I think I’m going to propose to Hannah,” Jared suddenly said, to which everyone in the group audibly gasped.

“Are you ready, brother?” Jackson inquired, to which JD nodded along. 

“He’s already got the ring,” Stanley answered. Weeks ago, this development would have shocked JD. Two twenty-year-olds marrying in this day and age? But now, the thought was not that unfathomable to him. He was becoming more accustomed to the men's ideology.

“I booked reservations for her favorite restaurant,” Jared announced, his typical stale manner of speaking almost giddy. Almost. “I’ll pop the question before dessert of course, it’s all arranged.”

To that, the men applauded Jared, shaking his hand vigorously and giving brotherly pats on the back. JD high-fived him, embracing the honest excitement for Jared. Once they cooled down, Colton continued the conversation.

“Now you’ve got me inspired, thinking I should finally pop the question to Mary.”

“You’ve been thinking about doing that since you first met her in private school,” Bryce retorted.

“And have you not pondered the same with Julia, brother?” Jackson smirked, to which the other men piggy-backed off of. “Speaking of women, have you set your sights on any yet, Jeremiah?”

JD blinked, unbothered by the use of his full name, “Uh…not exactly. I just haven’t  been looking for anyone I guess.” 

JD was telling the truth. Before college, he had planned on finally finding a male partner to love and hold. And to lose his virginity to. But since the first day of classes, JD had not felt a connection to any male in particular on campus–or in general. JD assumed his sex drive had been lowered, that he was just growing out of some awkward teenage phase.

“Perhaps we’ll have to set you up then,” Jared’s grin held an impish edge. “I believe Jessica is still looking for a potential husband.”

Jackson shot Jared a glare, to which all the other men hollered at. “Jessica is only a freshman.”

“And so is Jeremiah,” Stanley pointed out. JD tried his best to stay quiet, although he had to admit that he was having fun too.

“We’ll see if Jeremiah proves to be everything the minister has promised,” Jackson offered. “After all, Jessica will only take a man who has that classic look of a Christian.”

———

“Jeremiah! Thank you for meeting with me again. Please, take a seat.”

JD followed the instruction, placing himself on the other side of the minister’s desk.

“Already halfway through your first semester, isn’t that unbelievable?” Peter started.

“It certainly is,” JD’s response was friendly. “Can’t believe two months have already flown by.”

“I can’t believe it either, but I can see it,” Peter noted. “I’m assuming you’ve been having meals with your other brothers?”

“They’ve got me going to the gym now too,” JD sighed. “An hour every morning before class since last week.” 

JD had been dining regularly with his study group, at lunch and dinner and even the occasional breakfast. And since this habit had begun, JD found himself eating like his peers too. No more ramen and late night fast food deliveries. Fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins were now the major facets of his diet, leading to his cleaner skin and an overall healthier glow. It was strange at first to recognize how much of a difference this better diet–and as of recently the exercise–had improved his body. JD found himself a bit more muscular, a bit more jovial, and overall more energized.

“That’s not surprising, our men do like to stay in proper form, physically and spiritually,” Peter chuckled. “Speaking of which, last we talked, you had discussed that you were contemplating committing to a major in the Religion Department. Have you thought more on that topic?”

JD considered this for a moment, not remembering if that was what he had actually said or not. But something about the minister’s confident tone assured him that Peter was correct. That was why he had come to this college after all, as his parents had approved of the strong Baptist connection. At least, to appease their wishes.

“A little bit I guess,” JD replied, causing Peter to grin. JD at first thought of it as smug, but then corrected the thought to Peter simply being excited for him. “I mean I’ve attended all four of the Campus Ministry events so far, and being around the guys has certainly been an influence.”

“A positive influence,” Peter amended.

“Yeah…a positive influence,” JD slowly repeated back, before coming back to speed. “As of right now though, I’m still undecided on it all.” Peter carefully leaned back in his chair, spreading his legs out a bit to accommodate. It was almost like the minister was trying to size him up, assert a bit more control.

“You are apprehensive because you still identify yourself as an outsider to our community.” Peter’s response was measured, continuous yet firm with every word laid out. “One thing that can be addressed is your attire. At the material level, you will follow the direction of your peers.”

JD tried to process this, although his brain felt a little hazy. “That might help, yeah.”

“That is something that can be addressed too, your intonation.” There was a particular glint in Peter’s eye, but JD found it easier to focus on the minister’s voice. “Just like your brothers, your inflection will remain in control and moderated. Your pitch will remain even and your vocabulary will become more refined.”

“Certainly.” While just one word, each syllable had required additional effort to come forth from JD’s mouth. The colorless articulation however obscured this exertion.

“It’s good that you’re taking my advice, Jeremiah,” Peter affirmed. “You have placed your trust in me to lead you on the path towards God.”

JD did not know if this was true before, but after Peter had said it, it felt as such.

“You will want nothing more than to become a part of our community,” Peter finalized. “I’ll inform Jackson of such, and he’ll help you along.”

———

JD stepped out of the bathroom, steam pouring out from behind him. He had never taken such a long and luxurious shower but it had felt so right. Jackson had recommended it, saying it was the best way to get rid of any excess hair that may have stuck to his skin after visiting the barber. He could not see it now, but JD already loved the shortened cut on his head. Once it was dried, the sides would naturally fall into a tight bowl-like shape. Then, JD would have the pleasure of applying the product–prescribed by Jackson–to fluff his bangs up into a traditional, conservative quiff. A proper style for a gentleman like himself.

In nothing but a towel, JD peered cautiously around the room. All alone, he allowed himself to freely disdain his roommate’s messy style. He had remained civil around the topic with Mike, but had secretly grown to loathe it. JD knew better than to say anything however, as that would have been pompous. Carefully placing his feet into open spots on the floor, JD tip-toed his way to his dresser, surprised to find a small note taped to the drawer.

A final gift, the classic look of a Christian -JS

Not thinking twice about the phrase, JD was surprised to find his boxers had been replaced with starchy, high-waisted white briefs. But his confusion quickly dissolved into recognition before fading into a simple, charming smile. The cotton fabric went up and over each of his legs in a matter of moments, the traditional cut making JD feel grounded somehow. Controlled.

Turning to face the mirror, it was almost shocking for JD to see the new reflection of himself. Only weeks away from the end of his first semester and the man before him was much different than the boy who had come to campus. Tanner, more muscular, an image of young masculinity. But those were explainable thanks to his improved diet and exercise. Other factors, like his wider jaw, broader shoulders, and inched-back hairline, were not as identifiable. JD questioned if it was incoming maturity, or perhaps something else.

Before he could reflect on the thought further, his body mechanically moved along to his wardrobe. A rack once filled with tees and crewnecks was now stuffed by dress shirts, vests, and blazers of assorted varieties. Tamer colors and patterns, only distinguishable to the distinguished eye. The rest of JD’s dresser now contained a variety of slacks, along with many different types of dress socks and ties. Loafers, oxfords, brogues among others sat in alphabetical order at the bottom. It was practical, and practically perfect.

When his peers had first offered to makeover his closet, JD had been apprehensive. Something in the back of his mind rang an alarm, whispering that he would also be sacrificing a part of his individuality. But JD’s body had decided for him in that moment, his head nodding in approval and with an amiable grin. And now after the swap, which JD later learned was in part financed by the Campus Ministry, he realized there was nothing he should have been afraid of.

After all, all of the brothers were remarkably different. Colton rocked a business cut with his blond hair, a style no one else had. Bryce had the most suits of the five, almost as many as their minister. Jared was the only one officially engaged (although JD predicted that fact would not last much longer. Stanley had his thick, time-honored black horned rims. And Jackson held his affinity for sweater vests, a Bonafede professional at styling them. They were truly all unique.

Quickly assembling his hair and a tasteful outfit–a white button-up, French navy-hued trousers, a currant colored tie and chocolatey derbies for his feet–JD assembled his school bag and made haste for the chapel. When he arrived, it was only Jackson awaiting him in the pews. The others had gone out to grab a quick meal.

“Jeremiah! I was beginning to think you wouldn’t make it,” Jackson nudged as JD took a seat beside him in the pew.

“You know I would not miss our study sessions for the world, brother!” JD’s rebuttal was chipper and authentic. Since Mike’s first proposal of clubbing, the offer has never been made again. But JD had received other invitations for outings with his fellow peers. However, none of them were ever accepted. To JD, it always felt more appropriate to stick to his group. Their presence felt familiar, grounded. Right.

“‘They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship’,” Jackson started. “‘to the breaking of bread and to prayer.’” 

“‘And all the believers were together and had everything in common.’” JD finished.

“The Book of Acts, I’m impressed,” Jackson smirked. “I now understand why Peter was so serious about you.”

JD should have questioned what Jackson was referring to, but instead sunk into the warm glow of his brother’s approval.

“But there’s still one thing you have to do,” Jackson noted.

JD’s heartbeat hastened rapidly, something he had not expected.

“You have got to come to church with us!”

JD felt a glimmer of hesitancy. He had not gone to church since he had come to college. He tried to remember why, but a subtle pain clouded his thoughts. Was it because of his parents? No, they just wanted what was best for him. Then was it because JD did not feel accepted by the church? JD tried to follow that thread, but the deeper he ventured, the stronger the ache in his head became.

“Come on, what have you got to lose?” Jackson gave JD a playful shove. “Plus, the minister will be giving a blessing to all students before finals.”

Something was telling JD to reconsider. Something urged him to do otherwise. But JD could not figure out what was so wrong about attending a simple service.

“Alright, I’ll go.”

Jackson’s perfect smile was wider than JD had ever seen it. “That’s it, brother! Then you’ll be just like us.”

That statement triggered something in JD. As if following out a code downloaded into his vital operating systems, he made a note to schedule an appointment with his academic counselor.

———

“What can I help you with today, Jeremiah?” 

Unlike the composed minister sitting before him, JD was irritable, prickly. Words were begging to escape his mouth, although he could not figure out what they were. He tried to express them as best he could.

“I want to become a part of the Campus Ministry, a part of your Biblical community.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because I want to be another sheep in the flock.”

A small smile tugged at one corner of Peter’s lip. “In other words, you are saying…”

The words flew out JD’s mouth: “I want to embody the classic look of a Christian. I want to fit in.”

That heavy, revealing truth tumbled before the two men, its release absolving JD of a burden unaware to him had been accumulating for months. Ever since his first meeting with the minister.

“It’s much easier to be just another piece of the puzzle, Jeremiah,” Peter began. “Never having to worry about anything else when you have a place to belong.”

The minister reached into his desk and pulled open a drawer, removing a small folder with JD’s name on it. Opening it, Peter pulled out a single sheet of paper and placed it in front of him. JD’s eyes scanned the page before focusing back on Peter’s own.

“Your schedule that I have already drafted up for the next semester,” Peter replied, grabbing a pen. “You will join the Religion Department as a Theology major with a minor in Baptist Ministries. After graduation, you will continue your studies to receive a Masters of Divinity. By then, my proselytization will no longer be necessary as you will have become a permanent traditionalist.”

JD knew better than to say anything. Instead, he let his actions speak for him, his hand accepting the pen from Peter and with a delicate cursive, signing his name.

“Welcome to the flock, Jeremiah.”

———

“A healthy Christian learns and grows through community. A healthy Christian experiences spiritual and relational growth when surrounded by an affirming group of like-minded believers. Jesus spent a significant amount of time with his small group, the apostles, molding them and teaching them how to love and support one another and how to function as a healthy small group. Today, we do the same for our brothers and our sisters.”

Jeremiah sat in the front row next to Jackson, Colton, Bryce, Jared, and Stanley. The group was expertly dressed. Jeremiah’s baby blue button-up was paired with a matching tie underneath his charcoal suit. The tie, with cornflower polka dots on top of a banana cream yellow, was particularly chosen for its “vibrant and exciting pattern,” as Jeremiah had thought of it. Along with caramel wing tips that coupled nicely with his soft yet stiff quiff, Jeremiah felt dignified by his outfit. 

“It’s great to be part of a healthy, well-functioning group,” the preacher, an older, handsomely well-off man by the name of Dr. Ernest Holloway, continued. ���However, our individual wishes can sometimes interfere with the overarching needs of the congregation. For our Christian community to remain intact, we need to come before God with an earnest desire to help others, and therefore maintain the needs of the group to truly experience the richness and glory of His intentions.”

“Being in a group is committing to one another by saying, ‘I want to laugh with you, share with you, study with you, and pray with you’.” Taking a deep breath, the doctor made his closing statement. “Being in a group is saying, 'All I want is to be like you’. Amen.”

“Amen,” Jeremiah and the congregation replied. The rest of the service went by quickly, and before Jeremiah knew it, he had finished singing the final verse of the closing hymn. Soon, the church was bursting with lively energy. Joyful conversations broke out between the Baptist brothers and sisters, nobody in a hurry towards the exit. Jeremiah found himself in a similar manner, following behind his peers as they sauntered their way towards the door.

As Jeremiah followed Jackson outside of the church, a young female voice rang out from behind them. “Well look at these fine, upstanding, proper young men!”

The pair turned around, now outside, to see who had beckoned them. Jeremiah caught the eye of the young lady, her coppery hair and conservative sense of style somehow familiar to him. 

“Both of you are so dandy and traditional,” she remarked. “A classic look for a Christian.”

“Jeremiah,” Jackson sighed. “This is my younger sister, Jessica.”

It took Jeremiah a moment to compose himself, a bit of scarlet peppering his cheeks. His hand nervously shot forward. “J…Jeremiah Joshua Manuel Delgado…nice to make your a...acquaintance.”

Jessica accepted his greeting. “I’ve never had quite this effect on one of your friends before,” she smiled to Jackson. “I think he fancies me.”

“Don’t flatter yourself so, Jessica,” Jackson denied. But all three of them knew Jessica was telling the truth. Jeremiah had gone nonverbal, the blood from his brain redirected to another destination. There was a tingling sensation around Jeremiah's genitals, his member slowly inflating. It was times like these that he was thankful to have “not been blessed” as his father once put it. If his package had been larger, there surely would have been an indecent scene.

Jeremiah knew what he had to do. With all the strength he could muster, he drew the only words he could think of to his mouth. His perfect jaw shifted, heavy brow furrowed, and he forced the sole sentence out of his mouth.

“Jessica Sanderson, will you marry me?”

———

“JD…Jeremiah, is that you?”

Jeremiah had finally grabbed the remainder of his items, the last bags of his belongings ready to go. Mike was standing at the door, blocking his path.

“Where are you going?”

Jeremiah scoffed, disapproving of Mike's irregular radicalism. “Somewhere that is cleaner, fresher, prim and proper. Somewhere where I can remain a dignified man dedicated to preserving tradition and culture in this world. If I am to embody the classic look of a Christian, then I ought to do so with like-minded brothers.”

Confused, not only by the fancified words but by his roommate’s overall preppification during their first semester, Mike asked a simple question. “Why?”

With a pleasant smile, Jeremiah handed over a small sheet of paper. He then exited the dorm, leaving Mike to flip the Campus Ministry’s invitation back and forth between his own hands and consider the harm of attending just one meeting.

[samoankpoper21]

JJK Men When You Get Your Period

A/N Split their reaction into 3 categories: freaking out, this is nothing, and wHAT 🤣 don't know if these would be considered "canon" but it's what I think may or may not be their accurate reaction 🤣Enjoy~!!

Gojo Satoru: This dude is high key low key freaking out I'm not even joking 🤣 he's seen blood but why is it coming out of there 🤣 "Babyyyyyy," Satoru's sweet voice rang throughout your shared apartment. You exited the bedroom in your robe, Satoru's smile dropping a little. "What's wrong honey? Why aren't you dressed?" "Satoru, I don't think I can escort you to your company's all white event." "Eh? Why? What's wrong? Talk to me." "In the state I'm in I'll end up cursing the whole event." "What are you talking about? You're scaring me Y/N-chan." "Everyone knows you don't wear white, especially now." "Make it make sense." "Babe I just started my period." "O-oh...ooooooooohmygawd are you ok?! Are you hurt?! Should I call in?! Yeah ima call in." "Satoru, stop being dramatic." you chided. "Go in my stead. This is the school's founding anniversary and plus you guys are honoring those who we lost. Can you imagine how Yaga and the rest of the staff will feel knowing one of their most prominent members doesn't show up?" "But what about you?" he pouted. You grabbed his face planting a kiss on his forehead atop his blindfold. "I'll be fine love. I'm just bloated and bleeding." "You're bleeding?!" "Satoru, I swear to gawd we go through this every month."

Yuji Itadori: Much like his (adoptive) father he's freaking out too. This is uncharted territory for him. "Megumi! Have you seen Y/N?" "She went home early, said somethin' bout not feeling too good." Yuji rushed off telling Megumi to cover for him. He ran to the store and brought you a bouquet of daisies, quickly paying the cashier, and rushing to your apartment. A flurry of knocks could be heard at your door and you groaned knowing who it was. "Y/N! Y/N! Hello? Y/N!" He reminded you of a puppy, albeit an annoyingly cute one. You cracked the door and you swear you saw his eyes light up with stars. "Y/N!" He quickly hugged you allowing himself in. "Daisies?" "Oh," he offered the bouquet towards you. "These are for you." You chuckle. "Yuji, I'm not dead, though I do feel like I'm dying." "Huh? What's going on Y/N-chan? Are you alright? Do you need to go the hospital? Where does it hurt? On a scale of 1-10 how bad is your pain level?" "Yuji," you chuckle again. "Calm down. My period started today." "Eh?" you kissed his cheek reassuring him. "Don't worry I'm not gong to die off of a little bit of blood." "Little blood?!" "Yuji I bleed from my vagina once a month." "Oh," he blushes at how you can nonchalantly refer to your genitalia. To this day he still blushes when you say dick. "Lay with me? I need your warmth as my personal heating pad."

Yuta Okkotsu: He wouldn't freak out per se but he is a bit confused as to what to do. He'll try to help you out as best as he could while trying to keep Rika at bay 😅 "Rika-chan, please!" "I swear to gawd Yuta if you don't get her out of here I'll make her disappear for you." Your patience was at an all time low as the pain from your cramps intensified. It didn't help that your boyfriend was low key clueless so he thought it was a bright idea to summon his former lover to 'help' him. You couldn't blame him though, he isolated himself growing up so obviously he missed out on 'the talk'. You took a deep breath and ask through gritted teeth, "Rika dear, be a doll and give us a second hm?" She looked to Yuta and he nodded, you letting out the breath you were holding. "I don't understand-" "Yuta-kun, please. Let me say this first. I don't blame you for not knowing what do with these situations due to your upbringing but I've said this before: this is normal. To bleed every month. It lets us women know that 1) we are not pregnant and 2) prepares us for the pains of child birth." A blush spread across his face. "O-oh, is that so?" "Yes and I would appreciate it if you asked me instead of relying on Rika. Part of being on my period means I'll be experiencing mood swings like now and weird cravings. I'm your girlfriend Yuta. I'm in the here and now." "I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was like that." "It's ok." A moment of silence passed when he asked, "Is there anything I can do for you?" "Get me a pint of rocky road ice cream and we'll call it even."

Toge Inumaki: This poor baby would low key be freaking out 😅 he understands that you're bound to be in pain once a month but he still can't help but fret around 😅 "Mustard leaf! Mustard leaf!" "I'm fine Toge-kun. You don't have to worry. This is normal hunn'." "Bonito flakes!" "Toge-kun this. is. normal." "Salmon roe." You chuckled grabbing his face planting a kiss on his forehead. "Baby, the pain is nothing. It's just preparing me in the event that we have kids." His eyes grew big as he shyly says, "Salmon." You chuckled again kissing his forehead.

Kento Nanami: This man is a GOD SEND 😭 you want ice cream? He'll get it for you. Need a heating pad? Say less. This man is literally attentive to your needs especially when it's that time of month for you - he's those boyfriends that'll have a basket full of your favorite snacks ready for you 😭❤️ You walked into your shared apartment, body feeling heavy. Today was a long day at work and it doesn't help that you were on your period. You dropped your keys in the tray setting your purse down when you realized the scented candles, lights dim. "Baby?" Kento came around the corner mixing chocolate chip cookie dough in a bowl, your heart swelling at the image of him still in his dress shirt apron thrown over. "Hey love. Go ahead and take a bath. I ran the water so by the time your're done the cookies should be ready." You could feel your lips trembling as you walked to him enveloping him in a back hug. "Honey?" "You're such a blessing to me you know that? Too good for me." He turned around hugging you to him kissing your forehead. "I love you." "I love you too."

Megumi Fushiguro: This is nothing new to him, he's had to deal with Tsumiki when it was her time of the month. I feel like Megumi would be the one to get the sanitary napkins for you, no shame in his game 🤭 2 girls passed by whispering about how good looking Megumi is, Megumi not paying them any mind. He stood there pondering between the boxes of super tampons or ultra. "Would you like some help?" One of the girls offered. "No thank you. These are for my girlfriend." "Lucky girl." She purred as she moved closer. Megumi stepped back shoving the box of assorted pack in her face. "Thanks but I've found what I've been looking for."

Geto Suguru: Unlike his husbando counterpart Satoru, Suguru handles you with ease. He pries into your feelings trying to understand what it is that makes you tick during the time of the month and tries to help out as best as he could. A warm hand on your forehead rouses you from your sleep. You peel your eyes open to see your boyfriend. "Suguru?" "Hi love." he whispers. "How long was I out for?" "Couple hours," You try to sit up but wince at the pain in your lower abdomen. "You need another heating pad?" "No thank you." You look at your boyfriend small pools of tears welling at the corners of your eyes. "What's wrong love?" "I'm just-you're so good to me thank you, especially when my emotions are all over the place during the time of the month." Shushing you, he kissed your forehead gently reassuring, "Of course love. I'll always be here for you."

Ryomen Sukuna: This dude is a little shit ngl 🤣 when you're on your period he calls it your devil week because apparently that's when you act out 🙄 The King of Curses is usually never afraid of anything unless it's you on your period; he gets the concept of it and tries to steer away from you. There are a few times where he teases you about being on your period but he knows it never ends well 😅 You have a condition called menorrhagia so when you bleed you bleeeed. You had just got through changing out your pad for the 4th time within the last hour and a half when Sukuna snarkily remarks, "I've seen way more blood than that. What you got going on is nothing." You fling the used pad at his head. "What the hell Y/N!" "You see those clumps of jelly? That's my blood coming out of this vagina. Wanna know the worst part? Those jelly like clumps are blood clots, so don't you DARE FUCKING TALK TO ME ABOUT HOW LITTLE MY BLOOD IS BECAUSE GOT DAMN IT SUKUNA I WILL BLEED ALL OVER YOU IF I HAVE TO! "Ok ok chill it with the theatrics." "I swear to gawd Sukuna I will kill you with my own bare hands so help me God. If I can't kill you with these hands I will pour some holy water down your throat" "On that note let me go buy your favorite ice cream."

Choso: Choso is practically a blood bender 🤣 nah but in all seriousness when it's that time of month for you Choso is just 😅 his reaction is just 🤦🏽‍♀️ You groaned at how heavy your flow was. You were changing your pad while your boyfriend Choso was stepping out the shower glancing at your full one. "Ew babe, don't look at it. It's gross." "That's a lot of blood." "I know it's so annoying. Like how the hell am I bleeding this much and I'm still living and breathing!" "I can manipulate it you know, make it go back in thinner or something." "What?!" "Huh?"

Toji Fushiguro: I know there are some sharks out there and Toji is one of them 🤧 I don't know what it is about that time of month but it makes him twice as horny for you. Toji sniffed the air closing his eyes, inhaling deeply at your scent. He knew that it was that time of month for you. You were laying in bed when you felt your feet being dragged to the edge of the bed. "Toji!" you squealed. "I need you." "Babe," you tried pushing him away as he began leaving hickies on your neck. "I-ngh-I'm on my period right now." "I know." You grabbed his face asking, "Are you sure?! You're not going to be grossed out by all the blood??" "The fuck? Hell no. Besides I know you get just as horny as I do." You paused. Well there's no denying that. "Don't worry I bought the dark towels."

[itsnotiss]

Anyone who follows me on here with a Twitter/X account:

In case you haven't heard, the Twitter Privacy Policy is changing on September 29th. The new policy states that any public content uploaded there will be used to train AI models. This, in addition to the overarching content policy which gives Twitter the right to "use, copy, reproduce, process, adapt, modify, publish and display" any content published on the platform without permission or creator compensation, means that any original content on there could potentially be used to generate AI content for use on the platform, without the original creator's consent.

If you publish original content on Twitter (especially art) and you don't like or agree with the policy update, now may be the time to review the changes for yourself and if necessary take things down before the policy update is published.

Edit: I wanna offer a brief apology for the original post, my wording was a bit unclear and may have drawn people to the wrong assumptions! I have changed the original post a bit now to hopefully be a more accurate reflection of the situation.

Let me just clarify some things since I certainly don't wanna fearmonger and also I feel like some people may take this more seriously than it actually is!:

The part of the privacy policy I mentioned regarding "use, copy, reproduce, process, adapt, modify, publish and display" is included in the policies of every social media site nowadays. That part on its own is not scary, as they have to include that in order to show your content to other users and have it published outside of the site (ie. embedding on other sites, news articles).

The scenario I mentioned is pretty unlikely to happen, I highly doubt the site will suddenly start stealing art or other consent and use it to pump stuff out all over the web without consent or compensation. I simply mentioned it because the fact that the data is being used to train AI models means that stuff on there may end up being used as references for it at some point, and that could then lead to the scenario I mentioned where peoples content becomes the food for new AI content. I don't know myself how likely that is for definite, but I know many people still don't trust the training of AI, which is why I feel it is important to mention.

I cannot offer professional or foolproof advice to people on the platform who have posted content before, I'm just some guy! I don't wanna make people freak out or anything. If you have content already on the site, chances are its probably already floating around somewhere you wouldn't want it. That's, unfortunately, the reality of the internet. You don't have to take down everything you've ever posted or delete your accounts, however I wouldn't recommend posting new content on the site if you are uncomfortable with the changes.

THIS POST WAS MADE FOR AWARENESS ONLY!! I AM NOT SUGGESTING WHAT YOU SHOULD AND SHOULD NOT DO, I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE!! /lh

TL;DR: I worded the original post slightly poorly, for clarification the policy being changed to allow for AI training doesn't automatically mean that all your creations will be stolen and be recreated with AI or anything, it just means that those creations will be used to teach the AI to make things of it's own. If you don't like the sound of that, consider looking into this matter yourself for a more detailed insight.

[rainbowsky]

Here's a bit more fandom history for everyone.

It's been a long time since I've heard this incident talked about, but I guess turtles are reminiscing a bit about the kind of things GG's fans subject him to, and this has come back up.

Back in 2019 when GG was in Nanjing for The Untamed fan meet, a hotel staff member left this adorable Jianguo pillow with a little note 'from Jianguo' wishing him success with the concert. GG clearly enjoyed it because he posted it on his Oasis.

At first shrimps were enjoying it because they assumed it was a shrimp who'd done it, but when they realized it was a turtle they freaked out and launched a major cyberbullying campaign against the turtle and flooded the hotel with hundreds of phone calls complaining and trying to get her fired. Some of them threatened to keep calling the hotel every day and overwhelm the phone lines until she was fired.

GG had no choice but to delete the photo. He replaced it with a solid black image, and put the line, "post whatever you want" in his profile.

Just imagine how awful he must have felt, that his fans attacked and harassed a sweet fan who'd made him a lovely gift, nearly getting her fired - all from a post he made showing his appreciation for this cute, thoughtful gift.

If you wonder why GG and DD don't acknowledge turtles and why GG hasn't mentioned XFX by name in years, this is a bit of a clue as to why. GG especially has a lot of reason to be wary of being too personal and open with fans (and no doubt 227 didn't help with that at all). GG and DD know that acknowledging turtles will only harm them and lead to more hate and war from solos.

And GG has repeatedly said - including in his statement on the anniversary of 227, which was the first time he made a direct personal statement about it - that he doesn't believe anyone should identify as "I am ___'s fan."

"I want to tell my fans, everyone has the right to like and hate. No matter if you like or hate, it should be respected and allowed in their own spaces. Of course, this right should be based on rationality and not hurting other people, while following accurate values. I hope that my fans can understand that no matter what field or age, your personal likes and actions shouldn't cross the line or go against that field's ethics or morals. No matter if it's on the Internet or in real life, everyone should be responsible for their own actions. Even more, hope that none of us should be represented by the label 'xxx's fan.'"

GG realizes something that XFX can't seem to get through their heads: when you speak of "fans of Xiao Zhan," that is not synonymous with "XFX," no matter how much they would like everyone to believe that they're his only fan group. Actually, turtles are GG's fans also, as are all people who love and support GG, regardless of how they identify themselves and regardless of how deep or casual is their appreciation for him.

So pretty much ever since this era, and especially after 227, you never hear GG refer to his solo fandom by name. And I don't think that's because he has contempt or disregard for them (although I don't doubt he must harbor 'feelings' about everything they've put him through), rather I think it's because he wants to be inclusive toward all of his supporters, and not let it be thought that he doesn't appreciate everyone, regardless of 'affiliation'.

[missnight0wl]

I wasn't going to complain about Agatha All Along finale, but you know what? I will complain. Because it still bothers me, and I still don't really understand…

What exactly was the point of making The Road Billy's creation?

To be clear, "having cool pop culture references and a surprising twist at the end" is not the answer I'm looking for. What it did for the story? Because I honestly feel like it did nothing. In fact, The Road was kinda unnecessary in general.

Let's start with Billy himself. Billy wanted to go to The Road to find Tommy. Did The Road end up helping him with that? No. Sure, he did give Tommy's soul a body, so you can argue it's even more important because it'll allow him to find him. However, it was possible because of Agatha. And here you can argue that Agatha agreed to help Billy because of their bonding on The Road. But I'm just not convinced it couldn't have happened under different circumstances, y'know?

Moving to Alice, here you can say that The Road allowed her to see her generational curse in physical form and therefore break it. But I think what was really important for Alice was that she finally had her coven by her side. That they were like: "Girl, your generational curse SUCKS, but you're not crazy, and we're gonna help you deal with it". Alice said it herself, that she thought the curse was not real, that she was just a screw-up. Now she finally could face it while having support. This, plus Agatha making her realise the truth about Lorna's protection, of course. So, again, did we really NEED The Road for all of this?

Lilia's story was beautiful, and Lilia herself is perfect. But again, it was the coven that was crucial for her. Sure, her path was very closely connected to The Road, but at the same time, I don't feel her story couldn't have been told without it.

Jen's arc was also great, but once more, was The Road really needed to tell that story? Couldn't she catch Agatha's suspicious behaviour under different circumstances and therefore conclude she was the one who'd bound her?

Imagine this. After the ritual in episode 2, the door doesn't show up, but the coven somehow manages to escape the Salem Seven. The thing is that now it's very clear from the beginning that they're after all of them, not just Agatha. Because remember that after they entered  The Road in the show, they commented on the Salem Seven, and they acknowledged that they're after Agatha. Only later it became clear that no, they wanted to get the whole coven. Anyway, the point is that they escaped somehow. Now somebody wants to leave because screw that, but eventually, they all agree that they'll be somewhat safer if they stay together. Billy of course is still fascinated by The Road, so he wants to find out why the ritual failed. The rest decide that if they’re already in this, they might as well try to investigate it. And Agatha still needs to play along because otherwise, she'd have to reveal her scam. If the show went in this direction, would it really have to be significantly different, story-wise? I honestly think it wouldn't.

Don't get me wrong, I love the practical set they had for The Road, the themed trials and whatnot. But I really don't like the implications connected to the fact that it was created by Billy (or rather Billy's mind). And I'm not even talking here about people actually dying. I appreciate that Billy freaked out about this realisation, but I also have to admit that Agatha kinda had a point that she was the one who killed Alice, and Lilia chose to die. It's a bit different with Sharon, but I'll come back to that a little later. The thing is that, in my opinion, what Billy should actually freak out about are all the visions from Jen's trial – which are not addressed at all, for some reason. Because… how are we even supposed to interpret it? I saw people saying that they were also created by Billy's mind since earlier Jen mentioned the rumours about Nicky, and Billy talked with Alice about her mother (hence Agatha's vision of the Darkhold and Alice's of Lorna being unwell). However, Lilia didn't mention her Maestra at all, and Jen said nothing about the mysterious doctor at that point. So, how would Billy create their visions? It has to mean that:

he subconsciously scanned their minds to get the information, or

he "gave" The Road enough power that it became semi-conscious (and therefore it created the visions on its own).

I assume the second option is closer to the writers' intention, but… it's pretty fucked up. Because it means that Billy basically created a sophisticated torture device that uses very personal and intimate information against you. And unlike Wanda – who created her Hex because of OVERWHELMING GRIEF – Billy kinda did it… just because. To be clear, I'm not saying that Billy wasn't under stress, or that he didn't really care about finding Tommy. But you have to admit it wasn't quite the same level of emotions that Wanda felt when she created the Hex. Interestingly, Billy's emotions matter again when he shows his Wiccan powers after Alice's death. But creating a psychological torture device? I guess being scared of the Salem Seven is enough. Well, to be fair, their appearance was scary as fuck, and I'd probably shit myself in that situation. Still, it somehow doesn't feel comparable to Wanda's grief or Billy's own grief later on.

Also, I think the visions become especially problematic when you look at Sharon. Because while it's the only vision we didn't see, the implication was pretty clear that she's reliving the moment when Mr Davis was choking in Wanda's Hex. Something that Billy's mother put her through. In fact, it's basically the last thing she experienced in her life because she passed out right after that. She kinda woke up for a moment when she drank the antidote (I think?), but then she just died. And Billy had to figure out what she saw, more or less, right? Ralph told him what it was like to be trapped in Wanda's Hex.  And mind you, while it was Agatha who dragged her along, it was the wine created by Billy's mind that directly killed her. With all of that in mind, it almost feels weird to me, that it's all summarised with "Who's Sharon?" joke. I know it's Marvel and whatnot, and I actually don't mind this joke in general. It's kinda funny, really. But it does feel different with the reveal that it was Billy all along.

Also, there was this part in The Wrap interview where Jac Schaeffer said:

The road and our show is practical is because Billy Maximoff is a baby witch. And he can’t be creating thousands and thousands of miles of forest. So he created a backdrop, and he created forced perspective, and he created models, and all of the practicality of our sets is because of him, and because of his limitations of physically creating this world underground, underneath Westview.

(The whole thing can be found here.) And I get what she means in this context. Truth be told, it's a pretty damn cool thought. But at the same time, I feel like you can't really say "Oh, he's a baby witch" and "He can create complex devices that will torture you with your most personal fears, without even trying". I mean, I can't be the only one who feels those ideas are kinda contradicting.

Also, speaking of the visions from episode 3 being ignored, I have to point out something else about Jen's trial. All other trials have quite a lot of references to Billy and his room in particular. In Jen's case, though… we pretty much have just that one picture.

And they're not even that similar. I guess the amazing kitchen in the house can also be seen as a reference to Mr Kaplan who apparently loves to cook, but in comparison to other trials, it still feels... underwhelming. Almost like an afterthought. Now, am I saying that it's proof that Billy creating The Road wasn't the original plan for the show? No, I'm not. But I do find it interesting, and the more I think about it, the more episode 3 feels separated from the rest. I know a lot of people also feel that way about episode 1, because it focuses so much on the Darkhold (which basically leads to nowhere). And I do agree with that, too. I dunno, it just seems that there might've been some changes along the way or something.

Honestly, I probably wouldn't talk about all of that, but my issue is that The Road being created by Billy basically adds nothing to the story. Yes, it shows us that Billy is very powerful, but as I pointed out, it's somewhat inconsistent. They could've at least continued the plot of Billy's identity crisis. Remember his question during Lilia's trial: "Am I William or am I Billy?"? I don’t know about you, but to me, it felt like a pretty damn important question. And I really thought that a part of William might still be in Billy. Yes, I know his death in the accident seemed pretty definite with his heartbeat stopping and all, but I still hoped there's something left. Maybe not a soul, but rather an echo of a soul, or memory. It could explain why Billy left everything in his room and just added new things to it. It was not only out of respect, but also because William was never really gone. Also, if you showed me William and then Billy, without the accident scene, I’d totally buy that it's the same character. They're both just… good geeky eggs. And before the finale, I really thought that the ritual with Agatha might be about joining William Kaplan and Billy Maximoff into one person: Billy Kaplan. Now, the creation of The Road would be a pretty good representation of such an identity crisis. Because it was created with Billy's power, but it was built with things that William loved. And the conclusion of such journey for Billy would be that he's just both, William and Billy. Even Jac's comment becomes quite heartwarming in this context because it could be said that baby witch Billy was just playing with William's toys. On top of that, it could (and should!) lead to the scene where the Kaplans finally learn what really happened. Because they do deserve to know. They're amazing people, and I really don't think it would make them turn against Billy, but they just should know that their son is gone.

But nope, the whole identity crisis was kinda dropped…

That being said, if it was entirely up to me, I'd just say The Road is a real thing. They could even keep all of the references from Billy's room and all. They'd just have to say that there's some kind of mystical connection between WICCAN and The Road. I mean, we know there is a prophecy about the Scarlet Witch in MCU, so why not add another one? Especially that Wiccan's statue was at Wundagore. In fact, it could even still work with Agatha's scam plotline. I see two explanations for that (and they can work together):

Agatha was never able to access The Road because it's accessible only if (future) Wiccan is with you.

Agatha was never able to access The Road because she never cared about gathering the proper coven. Unfortunately for her, this time Lilia forced her to get the proper coven by giving her the list. And jokes on her for trying to cheat again with Sharon because Billy was always meant to be the last member. Also, something caught my attention during the Agatha through the Ages montage. Every time other witches blast Agatha, they use the same colour lighting. I realise that it's just a technical simplification made because it doesn't matter. HOWEVER, when we look at "our" coven, they all use different colours. Agatha obviously has her purple, Alice has orange-y, Billy gets blue, Jen's is pinkish. We don't see much of Lilia, but when Agatha tries to provoke them to blast her in her basement, you can notice that her hands spark with yellow. So, again, I know it's meaningless, but it could be used as an explanation.

Now, what about Nicky in this scenario? Well, I really don't want to erase Nicky creating the song with his mum. I'm not gonna lie, it was touching. But… what if Nicky was showing early signs of divination powers? And by that I don't mean that he knew the song he creates with his mum will eventually open The Road someday etc. But maybe he saw glimpses of The Road in his dreams and that inspired him? The rest could stay all him and Agatha. I don't think it'd take away from it, but I do find it a pretty fun idea, mostly because Agatha seems to be quite sceptical about divination. I mean, she actually says that Tarot is a scam. So, imagine her realising that her little boy could've grown up to be a divination witch. I dunno, it's quite an interesting possibility, in my opinion.

And yes, it'd mean that Agatha accidentally created the ritual to access that real place. Or hell, maybe the song never mattered. I mean, you know how in "Turning Red", Mr Gao says that they have to sing from their hearts during the ritual, but it doesn't matter what? It could work like that!

Anyway, there's one more thing that bothers me. And that is… how the hell Agatha figured out that The Road is Billy's creation? Yes, I know that she knew it's not real, and therefore somebody had to create it, but how she connected it to Billy, exactly? Like, girl… You've been trapped in Wanda's spell for the last three years. Somebody might've physically dug that whole thing under your house as a prank on you, and you wouldn't know it. I realise that Billy's sigil might've made her think of Billy, but… it was more of a lucky guess than a deduction if you ask me. And I really don't like it. Because keep in mind that Agatha didn't see all the things in Billy's room which helped the audience to figure it out in advance. And what bothers me the most is probably the inclusion in the reveal that moment when Billy says: "It's exactly how I imagined it!", to which Agatha replies: "It suits you". Which basically implies that she was suspecting him back then already, as soon as they entered The Road. But like… HOW?? I'm sorry, but if you asked a group of goth teens how they imagine a place called "The Withes' Road", I bet a big part of them would describe a similar image to what we saw at the very beginning of The Road.

I just wish there was something that could give Agatha this idea. But as I said, it feels more like a guess. Like, why she doesn't suspect Rio, for example? I know that Rio most likely knows The Road isn't really, and that Agatha knows that she knows. But there's at least more to support it, in my opinion. I mean, the last time they saw each other, they agreed that Rio would wait until Agatha got her purple back, right? And look at that, how convenient: here's something that IN THEORY can do just that! And why Agatha enters The Road without thinking about it twice? Because of the Salem Seven. And who sent the Salem Seven?

I am very biased about this idea because I actually had a theory that Teen and Rio worked together to get Agatha to The Road – but like I said, there's at least something to support it! And yes, I know Agatha admits she wasn't "sure sure" at first, but at the same time, she doesn't mention any other possibilities. I dunno, it's just… eh. Perhaps it wasn't an afterthought as much as with Jen's trial, but I'd say it's still missing… something.

So, I guess that's it. My main issues with Agatha All Along finale. It's just… underwhelming and quite disappointing. Maybe it's because I genuinely enjoyed the first seven episodes. I really want to appreciate it for what it is, but it still feels more like it was done for the sake of the reveal than because it served an actual purpose.

[justmeinadaze]

Take It Out On Me Part 11 (Steddie X Plus Size Reader)

A/N: It's about to go down. Ya'll ready?!

Enjoy <3

Warnings: Dom Steddie & Plus Size Sub Y/N and all that implies (I regret nothing!), Smut and ALL the angst. These three confront the parents and as you can imagine it doesn't go well. Steve's dad is a douchebag and Y/N is referred to as a whore a few times. Eddie gets hit *cries*. He in turn gets a little rough with the reader but Steve intervenes. A bit of a cliffhanger ending... I mean I guess lol I think that's everything!

Word Count: 3335

A heavy sigh escapes your lips as you slowly open your front door and enter your house, Eddie and Steve following close behind. 

Both your parents are standing in the living room and to your surprise so are Steve’s. His dad visibly looks a mess, his hair and suit completely disheveled.

“Oh, Steven!”, his mother exclaims as she runs to give him a hug.

“You can leave.” Your dad gestures towards Eddie.

“I could but I’m not. Do I need to call my uncle so we have everyone who needs to be here present?”

“It’s not like you can call his dad.”, Mr. Harrington sasses under his breath as you angrily glare at him. 

“Mr. Munson, you don’t need to be here. I asked for my daughter to come home with Mr. Harrington here—”

“Yeah well, my understanding is you have a problem with me to so…”, Eddie shrugs. Your dad turns to your mom and whispers something to her before she rises to head for the kitchen to use the phone. “He works at the mill up there. He should be in by now.”

You three sit on the couch as you try to keep your emotions in check. The way everyone is staring at you guys terrifies you but you were also extremely angry, knowing how this conversation was going to play out. No matter what they said, you loved Eddie and Steve. You weren’t leaving them. 

“Wayne said he would be here in 15 minutes.”, your mother notified the room. 

“Good. He can take his nephew when he gets here. Now while we wait, Steven, I’m just going to say this out right, stay away from my daughter. This thing you two have is over.”

“Dad—”

“And as for you, you disobeyed us. We told you to stay away from him especially since he’s associated with this one here.”, he points to Eddie. 

“Which ends today to. I don’t want you spending any more time with this freak.”, his dad adds.

“Well, what does it matter, dad? According to you, I’ve already tarnished our name by not making into college, right? I’m too fucking stupid and lazy. Isn’t that what you said?”

“You’re goddamn right! We raised you to be better than this.”

“You didn’t raise him at all!”, you defended. “He’s spent half of high school alone in that big house.”

“Y/N!”, your mother scolds and you immediately fold back into yourself. 

The boys glance your way before looking back down at the floor. “I guess we see now why she was so meek and scared before.”, Eddie softly smiles as he reaches for your hand. 

“Hey! Don’t touch my daughter.”

“I love your daughter! No one has ever cared about me or made me feel the way she does.”

“Wait…”, Steve’s dad rubs his palm over his eyes. “I’m confused. Steve, you told me you were dating Y/N.”

“I am and I love her to.”

“But he just…”

Your eyes meet your mother’s before hers drift towards the ceiling. “Jesus fucking Christ.”

A knock on the door brings everything to a halt and your dad quickly answers it to allow Eddie’s uncle entry. “Get your nephew and get out of my house.”

“Wait. What is happening?”

“You to, Bill! Get your son and leave. It’s obvious we need to have a long talk with our child.”

“We can talk as long as you want, dad, but that’s not going to change how I feel. I love them to and after we graduate, we’re moving in together.”

“Huh…well that explains some things.”, Wayne smirks as he looks at all the other adults in the room. “I mean I had a feeling but didn’t want to assume.”

“You’re ok with this?!”, your mom shrieks. 

“Yeah, I mean… they aren’t doing anything wrong. They aren’t a gang or something. They’re three people in love. It’s nice and rare at such a young age.”

“Exactly! ‘Young age’! You three are way too young to understand what you are feeling!”

“ENOUGH!”, your dad booms as all conversation ceases. “This is over.”, he points his index finger towards you. “End it now. As long as you are under my roof, you will follow my rules. You are not allowed to see either of these boys again.”

“You can’t keep us from her.”, Eddie responds as he grips your hand tighter. 

“I sure fucking can! I’ll call the cops! I’ll send her to live with family in other states! I’ll—”

“You’ll call the cops and tell them what? Your daughter is spending time us? And you can send her anywhere you want, no matter what, we would follow her.”, Steve interrupts reaching for your hand as well. 

“Steven Harrington, you think about this now. If you insist on staying with this…whore…I will cut you off—”

“Hey now.”, Wayne cuts in. “No need to be rude or disrespectful. If you say something like that again, I’m ending this and taking all three of them back to my home.”

As Eddie’s uncle spoke, your eyes scanned your parents. Their angry eyes were staring into a void they seemed to stuck in. What killed you most was while Wayne defended you, your mom and dad remained silent, seemingly agreeing with Steve’s father. To them…you were a whore.

“Cut me off, dad. I don’t care. I’ve spent my whole life trying to impress you and be what you wanted me to be. Now I just want to figure out who I am and I want to do it with this woman here. I may not be the best student, man, or even fucking son but I am good at taking care of baby girl here.”

“Do you agree with his dad?”, you blurted your question as you addressed your family. “Do you two think I’m a slut?”

“What-what are we supposed to think, Y/N?”, your mother stutters. 

“It’s not like I’m-I’m opening my legs for all of Hawkins! I’m in a relationship with these two. I—”

“Stop it, Y/N.”, your dad warns.

“No!”, you suddenly rise to your feet. “I’ve never done anything wrong or given you two any reason to worry before. You both always said I was smart and knew how to make my own choices! Why is this ONE suddenly wrong?”

“Sit. Down. Y/N.”

“Sweetheart…” Eddie tries to pull at your hand to get your attention, getting to his feet as well. He recognizes that look and tone from your father; he’s seen it before on his own. 

“Dad, they are both so good to me. If you just got to know them—”

As your dad’s arm rears back, the metalhead slides between you two, taking the slap that was meant for you. Wayne moves forward as Steve stands, tugging you behind him. 

“We’re done here. I’m taking them to my trailer until Steve and Y/N feel safe coming home if at all.”, Wayne growls.

“You can’t do that.”

“Oh, I assure you I can. Unless you want to call Hopper down here so we can explain to him how you just assaulted my nephew.” His uncle reaches for Eddie’s arm and guides him towards the front door. “You kids get a head start. I’ll be right behind you.”

Without speaking, the three of you exit the house and quickly move to Eddie’s van. 

“Do you want me to drive?”, Steve asks.

The metalhead shakes his head, opening the passenger door for you before slamming it shut. As he begins the drive back to the trailer, you start replaying everything in your head. You knew your parents weren’t going to approve of this relationship but you never expected them to be this angry to the point where your dad would react the way that he did. 

 Eddie got hurt, Steve was cut off, you and he didn’t have a home anymore. Then everything that happened last night… this is all my fault… 

You tried to hide the tears that flowed as you curled into the window. After a while, the trailer came into view but even after the man parked no one moved. You glanced over at the driver, suddenly realizing his chest was rising and falling rapidly. 

“Eddie… are you okay?”

Steve followed your eye line as he shifted to the other side of the van. “Munson. It’s okay, man. You’re okay.”

Eddie’s eyes shut as his mouth opened to release a loud scream as he repeatedly hit at his steering wheel. His hair blocked his face as his head hung to his chest. The driver’s side door gradually opened as Wayne leaned against it, reaching for his nephew’s arm. 

“Come on, son. You’re okay.”

Gently, he tugged his nephew out and the rest of you followed suit. As you entered the trailer, you and Steve sat on the couch while Eddie’s uncle looked him over. 

“He got you pretty good but…it would have probably done way more damage to her. That was a brave thing you did, Eddie.” The metalhead’s shoulders deflate as he exhales. “You two are welcome to stay here as long as you need to. Y/N, I can give you some cash and after school tomorrow you and the boys can go into town so you can buy some essentials.”

“I’m sorry…”

Wayne came over and bent down on his heels beside you. “You have no reason to be sorry, honey. You are not a whore; you’ve done nothing wrong. Okay?” He smiles when you nod. “Ed, I have to get back to work. Are you three going to be alright?”

“Yeah, we’ll be fine.”

As his uncle straightens up, he reaches over to pat Steve’s shoulder. Once he leaves, Eddie abruptly turns and heads for his room. You two trail after him, finding him in a chair with a cigarette dangling from his lips as he tries to light it. 

“Fucking…piece of shit…lighter…”, he growls before angrily throwing it to the floor. 

Slowly, you place yourself in front of him, extending your hand out to run your fingers through his hair. Eddie sighs again as he leans forward and rests his forehead on your stomach. 

“I’m…thank you…” The tears start flow again as you hug him to you. His hands glide up to your lower back as his lips press against your tummy. The metalhead’s eyes glance up to meet yours for the first time since you left your parents house and the pain you found within them killed you. It was like the man now was fighting with the scared little boy he was back then, trying to remind himself that he was in control. You lean down to kiss his lips before nodding you head, whispering against them. “Use me.”

With incredible strength, Eddie lifted you under your arms and all but threw you onto his bed. He tore off your clothes, rapidly trying to do the same with his own. After opening your legs, he spit into cunt, gripping the base of his cock and guiding himself roughly into your body. His hips pounded aggressively into yours as he remained pushed up on his palms, long hair blocking his face from your view. As you reached up to move it out of the way, his hand flew to your wrist, pinning it flat to the mattress. 

You winced at the feeling of each hard thrust; he had never been this rough with you before. He began muttering things under his breath you could barely hear as you caught every other word. 

“Fucking…asshole…I could…knock him…out.”

“S-sir?”, you whimpered as Steve knelt by the bed, scanning your face.

“Color, honey?”

“Yellow, Da-daddy.”

“Eddie, she needs a minute.”

“They think…tell me…what to do…no. I’m…in control.” Your eyes widen as his hand suddenly flies to your throat, gripping it hard between his fingers.

“Eddie! Stop!” Steve quickly shoves him back and he tumbles off you, releasing you from his hold. “Y/N, are you ok?”

You cough as you try to catch your breath. 

“Fuck. F-fuck, Y/N. Sweetheart, I’m so fucking sorry. I didn’t even hear you. I…fuck!”, he shouts as he hits the trailer wall with his fist. 

You glance over at him before looking up Steve, assuring him you were alright. “Take these off, Daddy.” You tug at his shirt collar and he nods, rising to his feet.

“Don’t. Don’t touch me. I don’t want to hurt you again.”, Eddie’s voice shakes as you turn and place your hand on his chest. 

“Do you trust me?”, you whisper.

“Yeah, I just…don’t trust myself.”

Leaning forward, you tenderly kiss his lips as you push him carefully on to his back and straddle his waist. “I do, Master.”

A moan escapes his beautiful lips at the title, his palms coming to rest on your thighs as you carefully slide his cock into your entrance. Balancing above him on your hands, you grind your hips as you tilt your upper half closer to his chest.

“You’re always so protective of me. I feel so safe with you and Daddy.”

Steve climbs on to the bed behind you as you crane you neck to watch him spit in his hand and stroke it along his length. His eyebrows raise as if to ask if you’re ready and you subtly nod, allowing him to grab your waist and push himself into your ass. 

Once again, you felt so full by both of them immediately, moaning at the delicious stretch of them inside of you. Steve’s arms came into your field of view as his chest pressed against your back and his hands rest near yours against the mattress. 

Your eyes rolled as he began rolling his hips into yours, panting against your skin. 

“You both feel so good. Oh my god… Please, Sir. I NEED you to move.”

“You need me, princess?”

Eddie licks his lips as his hips thrust upwards eliciting a loud moan from you both. Steve leans back onto to his knees, guiding your movements with his palms as he glances between your bodies.

“F-fuck, baby. You take us both so well.”

The metalhead nods underneath you, agreeing with his friend. “Such a good girl.”

“Mmm—use me. Fill me up, please. I need you to. I need to—mmm-- feel you cum inside me.”

Eddie’s fingers reach up to caress your face before gripping the back on your neck, bringing your lips to his. 

“I love you, Y/N. You are safe with us. I’d never—God—I’d never let anyone hurt you like that.” His glassy, blown out eyes lock with yours as he pumps into you harder. Steve tries to match his pace, slamming his hips into yours. 

“Oh fuck, fuck, fuck.” Your pussy clenches around him as you cum. Eddie grunts below you at the feeling, clinging to your waist as he follows you.

The other boy holds you against his chest as he chases his high, his arms holding you tightly as he thrusts his spend into your body. 

Without a word, they each gradually pull out of you making you hiss and wince at the slight sting. The metalhead gently takes your hand and walks you towards his shower. After cleaning you and making sure you were comfortable, he places you back on the mattress in front of Steve who casually begins brushing your hair. 

“Wayne doesn’t need to give you too much cash. I, um, I bought some stuff and have them here for when you spend the night like that brush.”, Eddie gestures towards Steve. “We just need to find you some clothes more than anything. In a couple days, maybe my uncle can talk your parents into letting you swing by to get your stuff. You may have to wait till we find an apartment to bring everything… Trailer is kind of small.”, he smiles. 

You fingers reach out to move some of his hair back so you can see his face. 

“I’m really fucking sorry, princess. I didn’t mean to… Your dad hit me and I just felt like a boy again, you know? I got lost in my brain.”

“It’s okay. I understand. I genuinely do. I’m sorry he hit you.”

“I’m sorry for my dad to…talking down to both of you like that.”, Steve sighs. “You’re not a whore, Y/N. That goes without saying but…”, he chuckles. “I know you like to be called that in bed—”

“By you two. But even then, when you say it, I know you don’t mean it like they do.”

They nod at your statement, each man leaning in to kiss your lips. The rest of the night, they kept an extra close eye on you; making sure you were fed and comfortable before falling asleep in their arms. While Eddie leaned out his bedroom window smoking a cigarette, you shot up in bed, grabbing your heart as you panted. 

“Hey! Whoa, sweetheart. It’s ok, you’re ok. It was just a nightmare.”

Silently, your head feel back against the pillow as you sobbed. He tossed the end of his smoke out into the yard, closing the window, and enveloping you in his arms. The metalhead tenderly kissed your forehead as you rolled over, pressing your face into his bare chest. 

“I know, baby. It’s ok. I’ve got you. Master’s here for you.”

##########

That following morning, Eddie gave you a shirt to wear so you could at least have on something different than yesterday. All eyes felt like they were on you as you three climbed out of his van and headed for the campus. 

“Is it just me or are there more eyes on us than normal?”

“Well, King Steve did just show up with the freak so I imagine there’s a lot of gossip there.”

You squinted towards the metalhead, pursing your lips. “I hate when you call yourself that. You aren’t a freak.”

“Y/N?”, Masie called as she waved you to her locker. 

“We’ll see you in class, alright? Everything is okay.”, Steve soothes as he tenderly pets your head. 

“Hey Maze. What’s going on?”

“I was going to ask you that.” Your best friend takes a few steps closer to you as she lowers her voice. “Is it true that you’re fucking Steve Harrington AND Eddie Munson?”

“I—what—I mean—where did you hear that?”, you ask as you stumble over your words. 

“Y/N, Mr. Harrington went to the bar last night talking about how you ‘corrupted his son’ and how delusional the three of you are. The whole town knows about it. Is-is it true? I mean I know you spend a lot of time with them but I thought they were just friends.”

“I…um… what if I was in a relationship with them both? Would that be so wrong?”

Masie’s eyes widen as she takes a step back from you. “I-I-I don’t know what to say.”

Your eyes begin to water as you slowly back away. “No. I completely understand. Um, take your time and I’m just, um, going to go to class.”

“Y/N, WAIT!”, she screams after you as you run away from her down the hallway. You don’t stop till you’re outside your first classroom which is currently being blocked by students.

“Move! Everyone out of my way!”, Mr. C pushes through the crowd and you follow close behind. 

A couple of boys were on the floor wrestling with Steve and Eddie. The desks were pushed out of the way and blood had already began staining the linoleum. A few other teachers with campus security ran in pulling everyone apart. 

“What is going on?!”, your teacher shrieked. “Mr. Munson? Mr. Harrington? Care to enlighten me?”

They were furious, you could see it reflecting in their beautiful eyes even as they tried to avoid your gaze. Another student finally piped up and pointed towards the blackboard where you and Mr. C quickly turned to look. 

In big bold letters, written in yellow chalk read the words, “Y/N Y/L/N. CLASS SLUT OF 1984.”

#########

@manda-panda-monium @sherrylyn628 @needylilgal022

@local-stoner-bitch @katethetank @danandphilequalsmemes

@alienthingstwo @sidthedollface2 @mandyjo8719

@bexreastoomuch @chelebelletx @shayeddie @anaibis

@wroteclassicaly @fireeyes-on-teller-dixon-grimes

@siriuslysmoking @raptorbait529 @miarosso

@micheledawn1975 @paleidiot @unfocused81

[ashintheairlikesnow]

🧑‍⚕️ for Chris! Cookie treat:

🍪

CW: BBU, sickfic, ableism from Luke Petrus, general Luke Petrus warning, minor whump (OC is 17), brief implied noncon references

-

"What the heck did you do now, Petrus?" The doctor - barely out of med school, still young and learning the twists and turns of the Facility's labyrinth of hallways - sighs. He's been here barely a year, and already learned that Luke Petrus has a reputation for quick turnarounds because he runs his trainees into the ground. Metaphorically speaking.

His trainees aren't generally allowed to actually run much of anywhere at all. Or get out of bed.

Petrus rolls his eyes, crossing his arms. "Nothing. He was being a little shit this morning, breaking all his rules. I checked and his forehead was hot, so I brought him in here."

"Well... at least you didn't OD him again."

"That was one time, and he should have been fine, it's not my fault his body metabolizes the drugs wrong-"

"Maybe don't use our freaking supplies without speaking to a doctor first to make sure next time?" Dr. Ross glances into the exam through through the window cut into the door.

The trainee lays on his back on the exam table, staring listlessly up towards the flickering florescent lights overhead. His hands are moving, constantly crushing the crinkling paper beneath him or touching himself at the throat, the collarbone, the stomach. He's humming, audible through the door. A toneless, tuneless ah ah ah ah through barely open lips.

"Okay, well. I'll take a look. Any specific complaints other than the fever?"

"Clammy as fuck, coughing, sneezing... all that shit. Complained about his food, earlier, and I know he knows better than that." Petrus narrows his eyes, and Dr. Ross tries not to feel a shiver down his own spine. "He better be burning hot enough to hallucinate or he is going to fucking regret talking shit to me about the food."

Dr. Ross pauses. "The food is pretty legendarily... um, crap, though," He points out. The look Petrus gives him is so derisive he can all but feel it eat into him like acid. "I'll take a look. Probably he'll need an overnight in the clinic."

"I only have a few weeks left to finish him up. So you get him able to take training tomorrow night, got it?"

"I can't promise-"

"This one is going to a personal friend of Karen Renford's," Petrus says in a low voice. "A personal. friend. Got it?"

Dr. Ross swallows, trying not to look unnerved. "Got it."

"Good. Message me once he's good to go back, I'm going to head home for a few hours. If he's faking this..."

"Handler Petrus. How exactly would he fake a fever?" Dr. Ross looks into the exam room again. The trainee is still humming, watching his own fingers as he moves them between himself and the light. His skin is pale, a little grayish. His freckles stand out like paint splatters all over his body.

"Wouldn't put it past him. Trainees figure out all kinds of shit. Get him better and get him to stop doing that... Shit with his hands, making those noises. Punish him if he keeps it up, it's part of his training plan."

"Hm," Dr. Ross says, noncommittal. "I'll send his test results over in a bit. Enjoy your time at home."

He steps inside just to end the conversation, walking idly over to a countertop, where he opens a cupboard above and pulls out a small canister of lollipops. "Hello, 223499."

The boy's voice cuts off like a radio. After a pause, he starts mumbling, too low for Dr. Ross to hear.

"... right. Well. Your handler says you're feeling under the weather. Mind if I take a look?"

The trainee turns his head then. He looks somewhere off to one side of the doctor, blinking a little dazedly. "... take a look?"

His voice is slow, sluggish, but each word is so carefully placed.

"Yes."

The trainee looks away again. Dr. Ross sighs and goes with it, checking his temperature. 101.7, not great, not the worst fever. Hopefully this won't be another flu like the last one. Pneumonia nearly killed three trainees that time. He checked ears, eyes - pupils reactive, ears clear - and then touched at the lymph nodes beneath his jaw. A little swollen.

"Okay. Next up, we need to take a quick look down your throat."

Another slow blink. The trainee seemed to suddenly tense up. "You... want my throat?"

"Uh, well-" Dr. Ross turns away to pick up a tongue depressor and the swab for the test. "Yes, we need to test you."

The paper on the exam table crinkles again. The boy hums, almost wistfully, and then goes silent.

When he turns around, Dr. Ross discovers the boy on his knees in a seamless Position Two, mouth wide open.

His green eyes are empty, somewhere far away.

Dr. Ross's face burns at the sight. His stomach turns sharply, and he has to clear his throat to try and cover the way bile rises. "Uh, n-no thank you-... I just need... you need to be tested for strep throat, Trainee, not that kind of-... back up on the table, please-"

The boy looks confused, in a faded sort of way, but follows orders. He manages to clamber back up, sitting this time, listing a little to one side, then the other. But he opens his mouth again, and Dr. Ross hurries through the test as fast as he can, trying not to think about how most people gag during the strep test, but the Romantics never do.

"Good, made it. Perfect. Now, does your throat hurt a lot today?"

"Yes, sir." The boy's voice is a little raspy, now that he's talking. "A... lot. Earlier, i... cried when my... handler-"

"Don't need to hear the end of that sentence!" Dr. Ross forces false charm and ease into his voice, plucking one of the lollipops at random from the jar. "Here, let me give you this. It tastes a little weird, but it'll numb your throat and keep you from coughing." He unwraps it and holds it out. The trainee blinks at him. He blinks back.

Then he realizes. "... oh. Do you have to be... do I have to..." He leans forward. The trainee opens his mouth obediently for Dr. Ross to place the lollipop inside. Only then does his mouth close.

"'ank 'oo, ir," The trainee says around a mouthful of fake sweetener and the numbing agent already going to work. His eyes are so sweet and so vivid, and he half-smiles around the treat.

"You're welcome, 223499. I'm going to go and do your strep test. I'll be back. You just relax, okay? You can sleep in a clinic bed and get a good night's sleep."

The boy's eyebrows furrow. "Is... is it night?"

"Oh right. We're not supposed to let you know, are we? Well... I don't think it can hurt... yeah, I'm on nights right now, 11 to 9. It's about one in the morning."

"Oh." The trainee lays slowly back down, on his side, closing his eyes as he works at the sucker. "... what, what does night... look, um, look like?"

Dr. Ross swallows.

He's a fucking coward, but he doesn't answer. He just leaves, and he doesn't let himself stop and look back.

He doesn't let himself think about a boy who can't remember the sky.

God, he only has a few weeks left on this residency and he just isn't sure he can make it.

[altschmerzes]

🌹any bit of angsty comfort from the torture fic?

oh you know it!! thank you i'm excited to share some of this :)

got uh. got A LOT of that coming up, so here's a section from shortly after they've been allowed to take mac home from medical. it's a long fic so this is gonna be a bit of a long clip sldfkj, enjoy!! gonna put it under a cut bc of, well, It Is From The Torture Fic, though he's home and nothing further bad is like. actively happening to him.

specific content warnings: a Lot of references to murdoc pulling mac's hair and the whole Pliers Situation from part 1. (also a generalized like... sense of shame and having been somehow Ruined by what happened to him.)

--

Jack is sitting there on the couch with him and has been since they got home, paying only nominally more attention to whatever is happening on the screen than Mac is. Most of his attention is on Mac himself, even though his eyes are on the movie. He’s got a hand on Mac’s head moving his fingers through Mac’s hair in slow strokes. The callouses on his fingertips brush Mac’s temple when he reaches the ends and starts over again.

It’s gentle and affectionate, the sort of thing that, on a good day, might make Mac blush and look away while he privately stowed the memory somewhere he’d always be able to retrieve it whenever he got to wondering if anyone had ever really loved him at all. That’s how it makes him feel when Jack touches him like this - loved. Safe, and important, and loved. Like he’s someone’s family. Someone’s son, he might even dare to allow himself to imagine sometimes.

Right now, though, it doesn’t feel like it usually does. Right now, Mac is fighting against a simmering panic that’s threatening to grow too large to tolerate the longer it continues. He knows that it’s Jack sitting beside him, knows who the hand on his head belongs to and even further knows that person is someone who would quite literally die before intentionally harming him.

Even so, the fear is strong and thick, taking over everything else until it’s all that’s left. Nausea stirs in his gut and dread hammers at the inside of his skull until Mac is certain that any moment the gentle stroking is going to turn into a vicious grip, yanking on his hair to twist his head back and around, wherever his captor wants him, because his body doesn’t belong to him and there’s nothing he can do to stop-

“Please don’t pull it,” he manages in a faint, nearly inaudible whisper when the vortex of anxious anticipation grew too strong to fight any longer and the only other option was lashing out in a desperate bid to get the man touching him to stop. The hand on his head goes very still, and Mac’s chest feels like it’s cracking into pieces. He closes his eyes and feels the hot trickle of a few tears coursing down the side of his face.

“What?” The question comes after a long beat of silence, and then Jack pulls away entirely. His hand leaves Mac’s head and Mac grieves acutely for its loss. A few more tears make it out through his squeezed-shut eyelids despite his efforts to stifle them. “Do you- Should I stop? If this is uncomfortable for you- if anything I ever do is uncomfortable for you, if it’s freaking you out, then I don’t have to-”

“No!” Mac doesn’t know where he gets the strength to say it, except that he feels like the alternative would be so much worse. “I mean, no, you don’t… You don’t have to stop, just- Don’t pull on it. Please.” The tone on please is practically begging, so close to the way he’d begged Murdoc to stop hurting him when he’d cracked and been unable to help himself, and Mac feels so ashamed of himself he might drown in it. Murdoc had laughed when he’d broken and started to plead, and it hadn’t even brought him any relief. If anything, the pliers had clamped down tighter, a thought that makes his side pulse in remembered agony.

You're not there, he tells himself, and tries to believe it. You're not there. You're with Jack and you're safe. He wouldn't do that to you.

“Okay,” is the response when it finally comes, delivered in a thick voice after a few moments of heavy silence. “I promise. I swear on my daddy’s grave, kid, I will not- I will never pull your hair.” The last part of the oath wavers, like maybe Jack was somewhere near being about to cry himself, and Mac’s throat throbs in a way that’s unrelated to the deep bruises ringing it.

So long passes with only the sound of the movie for Mac to pick up on, eyes still closed and face still turned nearly into the back of the couch, that he begins to feel strangely alone. He wishes he hadn’t said anything at all because the fear of his hair being suddenly and cruelly yanked is better than this. He would take that over the detached cold of feeling like he’s been split open and ruined so thoroughly that nobody could bear to let their skin come into contact with his when reminded of it. And then, just when he was halfway convinced that it never would, the touch returns. It’s even gentler than before and Mac’s chest hitches with something that might have been a sob of relief if it had the energy to be anything more than a slightly jagged breath. The hand brushes through his hair a few times, then Jack flattens it to the top of Mac’s head, his thumb stroking Mac’s temple.

[galaxysodapopdraws]

…you know, I should probably talk about blaze in my au since I promised to do so but I was busy. So here we go!

(Adding the blaze art I posted a week or so ago for reference again)

Blaze does NOT come from a different dimension in Sonic Genesis. Instead, her kingdom the Sol Empire guard the Sol emeralds which have the ability to hop to different dimensions and have incredible powers. The Sol Empire is sort of a mix of Eastern Asia and India for mobians. Having a rich culture and is one of the biggest mobian islands.

Blaze of course is princess with her mother (Ember, a bobtail cat) and father (Aries, a Maine coon cat) currently ruling and training her to take the throne. Blaze is also currently the main guardian of the Sol Emeralds but unlike knuckles, is allowed to leave them as long as she can find a replacement guard.

Blaze and Elias are actually childhood friends! They first met when both their parents were having royal meetings about eggman and other matters. They kinda threw them outside and said have fun. This resulted in them both making flaming arrows to shoot at targets, and their parents freaking out worried they’ll start a forest fire. They’re still friends to this day usually visiting each other when they’re parents are having meetings or royal parties.

Blaze was asked to join the Secret Freedom Fighters, also just known as Team Secret when Elias was invited in. Might as well have another royal kid on the team but with pyrokinesis. And of course Marine asked to join in as well after she figured out what Blaze was doing.

Speaking of Marine, the way Blaze and her met was a little bit different. Pirates we’re invading the main shipyard in the kingdom. And it just so happened that Marine was part of the crew, but mostly just swabbing the deck and keeping things in somewhat order. Eventually the pirates were defeated and fled, leaving Marine behind whether on purpose or accident. She was taken in by the coconut crew which is a group of koalas that help the community. She got the attention of blaze when she saved her from pirates that attacked the shipyard once again.

Back to Blaze, before the Sff, blaze was uptight and serious about everything she did. Making sure no matter what she was perfect and was the best role model a princess should be. Even if it meant aggravating others ordering them around. After both meeting sonic and joining the Sff, she began to enjoy more simpler things and relax. Though she still is the more serious and level headed of the group, she’s not afraid to make a joke here and there, as well as having fun with them on their adventures.

One last thing, she has a crush on Silver and he feels the same way about her <3

That’s all for now, feel free to ask questions about my au!

[causenessus]

GOOD MORNING NESS!! <3 i hope you have a good dayy :) the brown and green additions to the blog are so cute omg😋 it looks super cute!

i have picture day in a couple hours im literally tweaking out.. it's probably gonna be fine tho but THEY ALWAYS MAKE ME LOOK LIKE AN EGG TOO like they'll tell me "okay push back your hair a bit, brush your bangs to the side..." girl the bangs are the only thing keeping me from looking like a helipad NO NO NO GET AWAY 🤺 so yeah im here in my bedroom stressing about what to do w my hair and what to wear as i lay in bed, actively avoiding doing anything ☺️

ALSO AFTER YOU SAID A BIT ABOUT THAT PLAY I HONESTLY WANTED TO HEAR MORE?? like you accidentally BIT your phone and cut your finger? 😨 what else happened during that play??😭 AND ALSO kinda gave me flashbacks to being a theater kid when i was in elementary bc i would always do plays and musicals EVEN OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL i was a little nerd LMAOAOA but those plays were soooo much fun and in one of them i even got to wear a big poofy dress that was such a vibe... (no it wasn't i was so overstimulated after a while BUT THE DRESS WAS CUTE) i should go back to theater (no i shouldn't)

ANYWAY I HOPE YOUR SCHOOL DAY GOES WELL AND YOUR WORK (if you have it today, idk 💔)!! HOPEFULLY WE CAN TALK MORE LATER TODAY! MAKE SURE YOU EAT AND DRINK WATER AND DONT FORGET TO TAKE YOUR MEDS‼️

THANK YOU SO MUCH SAV!!! I MAY LIKE TAKE A SCREENSHOT OF IT TO MAKE IT LIKE A DIVIDER IMAGE YK </33 bc it looks perfect at least on my phone screeen and i think it's cute on my computer screen too!! but ik it's not like completely centered and everything if that makes sense 😭

NOT THE HELIPAD 💀💀 I HOPE YOUR PICTURE DAY WENT WELL LOVE!! LMK HOW IT WENT!! i remember there was one time my picture was so bad I COULD NOT HANDLE IT like literally could not tolerate it it was that bad i actually went in for like picture retakes bc usually like i don't care that much BUT THAT ONE WAS SO BAD 💀

AND OMG YES LET ME TELL YOU THE STORY so i've talked about this play a lot on here i think!! it was the one where my director got really mad and yelled at people backstage and the asm back there put his headset mic down so we could be nosy and listen in LMAO (while we were all hiding in the booth and then got jumpscared when his bald whiny head appeared outside the window) etc. it was that show!!! so also what happened was that bc i'm a little catwalk monkey lights kid freak i was always up there or asked to go up there to help with things!! and sometimes i have to do not osha safe things like climb on the batons!! (allow me to find a picture for reference)

OKAY I ALMOST COULDN'T FIND A PIC BUT THEN I FOUND EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR (i'm going to guess my school is just especially unsafe LMAO like when our theatre was constructed it was NOT done right we have so many violations and like not all of our channels work...some of them are double channeled...etc SORRY THIS IS ME RANTING DW ABOUT FOLLOWING ALONG)

OKAY SO ANYWAY IF U SEE HOW LIKE THESE "BATONS" ARE JUST THESE METAL RODS LITERALLY JUST SECURED BY CHAINS??? WE HAD A BUNCH OF THESE ON OUR CATWALKS (so not all of them had these curtains on them!!) and sometimes we'd have to hang lights on ones that were far out (like not easily accesible) so what i would have to do is climb over the railing of our catwalks and step onto these little tiny poles and basically sit on two of them (yes there was a lot of space between these batons. that's why it was not safe and not a job we trusted a lot of people to do. yes my director forced me to try and wear a harness my last year of hs [after an entire year of not wearing a harness doing this stuff] and no he did not succeed or actually care that much [so i basically never wore a harness risking my life LMAO]) BUT ANYWAY so basically during this show i needed to go out onto these batons to hang a light!! but i was just thinking about where i wanted to put the light and everything and i needed to hold my phone!! so instead of putting it in my pockets or on the floor like a normal person i held it in my mouth!! which i had done multiple times but apparently this time i bit it a bit too hard and so the screen broke and would no longer register touch!! a wonderful time honestly!!! and so then i had go back to my super ancient phone bc i didn't feel like trying to get the screen fixed and didn't even know if it was worth it but that phone was always on its last life and started giving out this summer so then i finally got it repaired yay!!! (AND ALSO FOR REFERENCE old phones were built different yk. like my old phone, the show right after this play where i bit and broke this other phone yk, i accidentally dropped this old phone from the catwalks bc my hands were really shaky one day and it SURVIVED LMAO)

tw for blood ofc!! so about my finger!! so also during this show!! in the catwalks we hung up a little curtain that reached like halfway to the ground or so so that we could project cute little patterns onto the curtain (this was a horror show btw. very cutesy. very demure.) but after we did the show, i was sent up there to take the curtain down, well that curtain had been a BEAST to hang in the first place like it had taken i think two separate groups over the course of two weeks to get that thing secure so like there was wire wrapped around one of the catwalk bars a thousand times PLUS there was tape all around all that wire so i'm like tearing through this all trying to get the wire undone but then it cut me!! :( so my thumb started bleeding and so one of my kids kept a blood covered wire (my blood ofc) as a souvenir and i left my bloody thumbprint on that bar :)) and then i think we literally just put like spike tape around my cut it was a crazy day but that happens often!! i remember moving a bed once and then i was like "EW WHY IS THE BED WET" but it was actually bc my finger!! was once again bleeding 😭 I HAVE TONS OF CRAZY STORIES ASK ME ANYTIME ABOUT THEM!!

AND I HOPE YOU HAVE A LOVELY DAY SAV!! MAKE SURE YOU TAKE YOUR MEDS AND EAT PROPERLY AND DRINK ENOUGH WATER ILYSM!!!! TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF OR I'LL HAVE TO POP OUT OF YOUR SCREEN AND DO IT FOR YOU!!

[enruiinas]

[Scattered In-Progress Headcanons:]

I'm on day 2 of one of those kicks where I'm not doing any actual writing, but I've been ooc screaming on the sidelines about muse and dynamic thoughts and just... every little thing in between to the point I get so hyped I literally can't keep up with all the thoughts I'm having. So I'm sorry for a bunch of ooc posts & to do list type things to refer back to when I calm down but I'm trying to write scattered thoughts down as I have them to revisit later or I'll lose them.

Some things on my mind today to explore further/write up properly when the ooc brainwaves I'm enjoying calm down:

Talking to @code01746/@mingos about Law having anxiety attacks & post-Minion Island PTSD. Exists in varying levels in verses where Cora lived or canon compliant where he didn't, but this ties into the "don't hide illness/injury from him" brainwaves yesterday. This part would definitely be worse in a verse where Cora did live but was still very badly injured at one point in time (unsurprisingly, he gets the most angry with Cora himself for doing this). That said, Law is still very much a hypocritical Little Shit and is the "I'm fine, nothing to worry about" type with his own condition - because of course he is.

Whether Rosinante lived or not, Law has recurring nightmares (or waking panic attacks) where he finds himself back in the treasure chest, screaming and helpless again, OR where he's seeing Cora covered in blood and collapsing again. He's not claustrophobic per se, but being in small/enclosed places can trigger the first and seeing anyone bleeding when they're otherwise pretending they're okay triggers the second.

He is confident in his medical knowledge and abilities but a panic attack could absolutely happen in a situation where he's treating a loved one in a life or death situation. This one is interesting to me because I've been talking with @gumpistol/@cptnslog a bit about Penguin, Shachi, and Bepo knowing at least a decent bit of basic medical/caretaking knowledge and I think they're all capable of stepping in if they ever happen to look up and see Law's normally steady hands shaking - at least until he recovers, because I think there would be a window of "yes, you're freaking out, but you are probably the only one here who can do this and you need to get it together right now".

He gets really frustrated & upset with himself after the fact. Even if he got it together and everything turns out okay, he'll be very shaken that he got to that state in the first place. (If Cora lived, especially, he'll think he should have "gotten over it" because "they made it and it should be fine" even though it... doesn't work like that.) When it comes to feeling heavy things like this in general, Law tends to "allow himself" a given amount of time (a few minutes) to indulge in them, and then no matter what it's like... okay those 3 minutes are up, you've indulged yourself, time to get up, brush it off, and keep going. Sometimes this is a good thing; often it's not enough and not a healthy coping mechanism.

[maguro13-2]

Winner takes the Cake!

[Area : Sweet Mountain - Mariko Nanba]

Scott : Hey, Ramona. I heard about the cake thing going on. You know anything about cakes?

Ramona : Cakes, you say. Well I say that this year's cake contest will be officially off the scales once we unveil the cakes. Cause winner will takes the cake.

Scott : I can't wait get a load of these losers how they feel about the cakes.

Ramona : Well, let's make sure that this cake situation is ready. Just don't get me started on this one.

Kim : Scott. You gonna unveil the cakes or what?

Scott : Umm, something like that. Not until the judge arrives. I think this cake will be great!

Kim : Hope it's gonna be worth savory.

Scott : Guys, guys! The Judge is coming! Act normal.

Judge : Scott Pilgrim and his absolutely video game logic cake style.

Scott : Yep. This here's my cake.

Judge : Should I mind having a taste just to see how wonderful the cake is?

Scott : Sure! It's on the house. Just taste test it. I do mind if I allow you to taste it.

Judge : Why absolutely.

(LOUD CREEKING NOISE)

Ramona : Uh-oh.

Kim : Not good.

Judge : Well, I do say that this cake will be the most perfect thing that has ever been--

(CRACK+BOOM+BOING!)

Scott : Oh boy. That can't be good!

Judge : Are those really cakes of yours?

Scott : Maybe...?

Judge : Well then...WE HAVE A WINNER! Scott Pilgrim wins this year's annual Cake contest festival!

Scott Pilgrim : Yes! My cake actually won this time!

Judge : No, not that cake. I am giving your first prize to "your" actual cakes.

Ramona : Oh, right! His "acutal" cakes. Well thanks, judge. I do appreciate that about Scott's cakes truly a winner to take, but did you say anything won about two cakes of ours?

Kim : Yeah, but can someone reconsiders on the cake thing in America and Canada? Because that is not the cake you won, he means the cakes you won are something that every Winner takes the cake and you just got yourself lucky for having the biggest cakes in the world, or should I say our "hyper cakes" that we made you win this year's cake contest.

Scott : What the...? Wait a sec, are you guys referring to your...(Ramona and Kim's colossal butts are shown) This is not good.

Duncan : Hey, look everyone! The two dorky girlfriends of Scott have such nice colossal asses! Oh man! I gotta take a picture of this one!

Mamimi : This is truly an amazing recipe for me!

(CAMERA FLASH!)

[Newspaper : LOCAL ROCK MUSICIAN WINS CONTEST FOR TWO COLOSSAL CAKES]

Scott : Well, at least we have officially won the contest, but at least the cakes are yours to keep. Now what was the last part that I am doing?

Ramona : This as your punishment for making our butts too big! As a reward for showing our colossal cakes which you used the hyper stuff from Rtenzo, I want you to scrub them real good every single bit of it.

Scott : Fine. I'll start scrubbing them (starts washing both Ramona and Kim's butts) Next time, don't use Hyper stuff from that Rtenzo fella, freaking amateurs. At least, I won first prize for having two cakes that are too colossal.

Kim : Just keep scrubbing.

Scott : On it! (scrubs fasters)

Ramona : Having cakes is not what every winner wants to take.

Kim : You said it.

Knives : Hey, guys. What's up? *BOING!* (whistles) Nice cakes you got there.

"later..."

Scott : [rings doorbell]

Rtenzo : Hello? *PUNCH!*

Scott : That's not funny! [leaves]

~ COLOSSAL CAKES ARE THE TRUE WINNERS TO TAKE! ~