#if anyone has anything additional or more intelligent to say please do so

[gay-edwardian]

I am not, by any means, an authority on this, but if you’ll allow me to share some thoughts as a lesbian and a huge ABBA fan, I’d be happy to do so.

The fabulous, flamboyant outfits that they wore for tax purposes read as something slightly queer to us for what could be a number of reasons:

1) we live in a less colorful world now. Not that we have less colors, but that we're so used to seeing minimalism and shade of greyge, or seeing the big heroes in black leather jackets and black t-shirts that any splash of color reads to us as something special. Now the 70s aren't my particular knowledge area fashion-wise, but I think they were somewhat more sparkly and colorful than what we think of as day-to-day wear today. However, their outfits were intentionally much more than daywear as I mentioned before because of tax reasons ('tis late for me and I don't feel like hunting down my sources, I'll either put them on tomorrow or "just trust me bro").

2) Spaces that allow for genuine silliness and joy today tend to be ones that have a lot of young (queer) people in them, and one thing I love about ABBA is how silly they and their outfits can be. But a lot of the time silly flamboyance is treated as something superficial or unimportant. The LGBTQ+ community reclaims that silly flamboyance either because we're taking something "unimportant" and making it important to us or because we see the inherent importance in being a little goofy sometimes.

3) Gay people are stereotyped have good fashion and who has better fashion than ABBA? (I oscillate between genuinely believing that and it being ironic)

All of those things contribute to us today seeing ABBA's magnificent, over-the-top getups as something a little bit fruity.

Additionally, your perception of them as queer coded could have a little bit to do with the camaraderie that they had (and not just between the ones that were married to each other). I'm going to briefly connect this to something else and then bring it back so stick with me for a moment.

In the past, people showed affection in different ways, Edna St. Vincent Millay addressed her mother as "sweetheart" "darling" "dearest" and many other words we associate with romantic love today. It is also what makes some historical relationships so hard to define. While Millay may have lived a hundred years ago, ABBA's peak was half of that (which is still a long time in the human lifespan) and times have changed. Although it is irrefutably a good thing that we have progressed so much that we can look at queer people with love and excitement, it also means that the way we see platonic love has shifted too. Relationships that existed completely within the platonic sphere seem on the fence or even outright queer to us today. Especially when we are desperately looking through history to see more people like us.

Finally, ABBA is beloved by the LGBTQ+ community and they know it! They love it!

In short: No, ABBA is not "intensely queer coded" (if they were trying to make it seem like they were queer without saying so, they would have been) but their music, outfits, vibes, what have you, are immensely important to the LGBTQ+ community.

I hope that made sense.

am i delusional or is abba intensely queer coded?

[mrsjellymunson]

If You Go Down to the Woods Today…

Summary: Strangeness occurs in a forest

WC: ~2.4k

CW: Suitable for all. Implied threat, very mild innuendo, food mentions and consumption.

A/N: Okay this is a total departure for me because this is not Eddie or ST-related, but I thought it would be fun to share a little Halloween tale that I wrote for my small offline gaming group. Before I stumbled into this place I would never have imagined I would write anything, let alone an actual sort-of original story, and much less share it, but here we are, and it’s all thanks to you guys. Happy Halloween!!! 🎃👻🦇🤍💀🖤🍄🧡🕯🕷🌲

Background (please read so it makes even the smallest amount of sense 😆): This is a medieval murder mystery. The characters have been thrown together to investigate, and have recently met for the first time in a tavern. Flavia is a low-ranking soldier who’s been unexpectedly promoted to de facto mission leader. Blossom is a chef and knife enthusiast who has a penchant for ‘charming the gentlemen’. Amelia is an inquisitive, rational alchemist with limited social skills and an intelligent/trained rat companion named Pancetta. The orphans, Ursula and Urchie, are two young street urchins who have recently become acquainted with the party. The story is wielded and guided by our Games Mistress/GM. The group is discussing heading into the forest, parts of which are said to be dominated by the mysterious Fae, to commence their investigations.

The noise and general clamour in the tavern steadily increases as the afternoon wears on, as more and more soldiers, guardsmen and assorted military types finish their duties and seek refreshment and relaxation.

Amelia is feeding Pancetta some small pieces of cheese, sharing the remains of their lunch, and Blossom is cutting up more cake, the others wondering quite where she’s managing to keep it all stashed. The latter comments, as nonchalantly as she can,

“So, does anyone have any thoughts about these forest people rumours?”

Flavia hefts her new weapon in her strong hands, feeling the weight and inspecting the workmanship.

“I think it’s just old customs. Tradition, y’know? I heard something about hangings, and a few most likely over-embellished stories regarding…” She clears her throat and tries to say the next two words as quickly as possible,

“blood sacrifices. But I’m sure it’s all gonna be fiiine.”

She spreads her arms wide, forgetting for a moment that she’s still holding her sword. Amelia ducks, narrowly avoiding receiving an accidental haircut, and the alchemist eyes her companion sideways, before stating,

“I do hope you’re right. One really shouldn’t undertake potentially dangerous investigations without at least a modicum of accurate information.”

Blossom speaks through a mouthful of cake, spraying crumbs across the faded tablecloth.

“Yes, I’m sure it’s all bluff and bluster. They’re just trying to keep outsiders away from their villages, that’s all. I’d be the same if people wanted to study me, or saw me as some kind of… curiosity.”

Flavia and Amelia eye each other briefly, before eventually nodding in agreement.

The three continue their discussions as Pancetta hops off Amelia’s forearm and makes her way to Blossom’s side of the table. She gathers the largest of the abandoned cake crumbs before settling into a crouch near the cruet set and beginning to feast with gusto, squeaking happily.

— — —

Myths forgotten and wheelbarrow packed, the investigators make their way into the forest. It goes reasonably well at first, barring unfortunate altercations with some shepherds, a boar (which did, advantageously, provide the party with a welcome addition to their rations) and the much-mourned loss of said wheelbarrow.

The intrepid band bed down for the night under the forest canopy, after a good meal of roasted boar meat and foraged berries.

A light mist is rolling in, chilling the air, and Amelia and Blossom offer to shelter an orphan each to share body heat, Ursula curling up with Blossom and Urchie lying next to Amelia, with Pancetta snuggling between them. All the blankets are put to use to help keep the party dry, and Flavia piles the fire high with wood to keep them warm overnight.

All is initially quiet and uneventful, save the snuffling of a few diminutive woodland creatures and the hooting of nocturnal birds.

But then, there’s some peculiar and unexpected noises.

Rustling.

Giggling.

The shuffling of feet.

Flavia rouses first, her finely tuned soldiering senses alerting her to the peculiar changes in their surroundings.

She’s quick to rouse Amelia, however, when it becomes clear that they’re not alone amongst the shrubs and trees.

The alchemist awakes from Flavia’s shove to the sound of low laughter and screeching and she sits bolt upright, taking the blanket with her, much to the disgruntlement of a grumbling Urchie.

Blossom is the next to rouse, blearily rubbing her eyes and absent-mindedly pulling a piece of cake from her tunic and starting to munch lazily as she murmurs,

“Woss goin’ on? Is it breakfast already?”

The noises continue. More shuffling, more giggling, rapid footfalls.

The adventurers glance between themselves, as Amelia states as assuredly as she can,

“Now, everybody just stay calm. I’m sure there’s a perfectly rational explanation for all of this.”

Her voice is steady, but the furrow between her eyebrows and the speed at which her eyes are flicking around their surroundings belies her rational and confident exterior.

The shuffling seems to come closer, and Blossom, ever one to state the obvious, mutters,

“It’s… it’s getting louder…”

Amelia’s eyes are wide as she clutches the blanket, Pancetta now taking refuge beneath it. Her pouch of alchemy supplies is just out of reach, but she reasons she could feasibly lunge for it in an emergency. Flavia fingers the hilt of her sword, and Blossom's palm rests instinctively over her tied roll of kitchen knives. Ursula and Urchie seem more intrigued than troubled, the others surmising that their years of living on the streets in the city was likely quite often scarier than this.

Suddenly, the form of a bipedal figure darts past, illuminated just enough from the firelight to momentarily be seen. It looks like a small creature with a pumpkin for a head, and it’s laughing maniacally.

Following it, there’s a slightly taller figure, covered in what appears to be blood, screaming and pursued by two others brandishing a carving knife and a small hatchet. Yet another figure is covered in fur from head to toe, has raised, clawed fingers, and is growling.

The small figures head in all directions and seem to encircle the small camp. Some are dressed in black with tall hats, others are in rags, yet more are wrapped in what look like torn sheets.

They move towards the camp and begin to chant, low at first but building to a disturbing crescendo,

“Trinkets or Trunks. Trinkets or Trunks! TRINKETS OR TRUNKS!!”

Suddenly, everything stops.

In the silence, and much to her embarrassment, Amelia lets out a small,

“Eep”.

Someone else lets out something different. It’s silent, but deadly…

One of the figures is the first to speak, and in a discombobulatingly light and high voice, asks,

“Come on, it’s Galloween! What’s it to be then? Trinkets? Or Trunks?”

Amelia sits stock still, unmoving, and Blossom takes another nervous bite of cake. Flavia’s communication skills are on top form, as she mumbles,

“Errrrrrr..?”

Two of the figures move closer, striding confidently into the firelight.

The taller of the two states quite matter-of-factly,

“You know, Galloween! Oh, don’t tell me you’ve never heard of it?”

It’s Amelia’s turn to attempt language now, as she looks between the two small figures and mumbles,

“Ummm…?”

Blossom swallows her mouthful of cake, and, suddenly the most eloquent of the three, murmurs,

“Erm, is this a forest thing?”

The smaller figure speaks with the voice of a small boy, as he shifts happily from foot to foot.

“Oh, so you’re not from around here? Now it makes sense! It’s All Gallows Evening of course, where we celebrate all The Outsiders that we’ve put to death on the gallows!”

He cackles and claps his hands, dancing in a small circle, and a few of the other figures cheer.

The taller figure, apparently an older girl, steps across and shoves him lightly on the shoulder.

“Shh, Bobbin! We don’t do that anymore. Do we?”

The boy looks suitably chastised, and clasps his hands in front of him.

“No, Mumpkin. Not anymore… But we still like to have fun! And we shorten it to Galloween now because it’s easier to say.”

Various other figures step forward now, and the party sees that they’re mostly, if not all, children. They speak over each other in a rush to explain.

“Trinkets means you have to give us something fun.”

“Like a toy, or a bell.”

“Or a nice rock.”

“I got a hat once.”

Some of the younger children pipe up,

“Or a scone!”

“Yeah, a scone!”

”Especially one with fruit or bugs in… mmm.”

All the children hum in agreement, and there’s much chatter amongst them all about who’s received the absolute best Trinket prizes.

Ever the inquisitive one, Amelia eventually asks,

“So, what about Trunks? What’s that?”

The small boy, Bobbin, speaks again.

“Well, if you don’t give us a Trinket, we get to take one from your trunk! Or, we hit you with a stick. It used to be tree trunks, but they’re way too heavy to carry around, so these days we just use sticks. See?”

He pulls something from his belt and brandishes a not-very-scary-looking tree branch, swishing it in front of him, making it whistle through the air. The other children ooh and aah, glancing at the boy’s twig like it’s a deadly weapon.

The three adventurers consider this for a moment. Sure, a stick like that could probably do someone a mischief, depending on how close it came to an ear or, especially, an eye. But generally speaking, none of them feel terribly… threatened.

Smirking at each other, they decide to play along.

Amelia screeches, voice comically high-pitched,

“Oh, brave sir, don’t be waving that in our direction!”

Blossom interjects,

“Gosh, I’ve never before seen one quite that big…”

But the pièce de résistance is Flavia, who, still dressed in her amour and imposing military finery, throws herself onto the ground in a shivering crouch and pretends to cower, shielding her face and head with her arms and whimpering,

“Oh, never have I faced such a formidable foe! Please, please, small guardians of the forest, take pity on these weak and lowly travellers. We shall choose Trinkets, and hope and pray that you will allow us to spend just one night beneath your mystical and protective canopy!”

The boy with the stick looks at it aghast, and his friends cheer and clap, one or two slapping him on the shoulder, and Flavia’s performance garners chuckles and even a smattering of applause from both the camp and the conglomeration of figures.

Discussion turns again to trinkets, and Flavia decides to make something, searching the undergrowth for a sturdy stick and using her dagger to whittle a simple pattern on its surface by removing some of the bark and exposing the pale wood beneath.

As she works, Amelia roots in her satchel, pulling out a small, semi-opaque stone. Its internal facets are slightly iridescent, and the children marvel at the multiple colours and the way it reflects the dim light. She spins an improvised tale about it being gifted to her by a powerful alchemist master, and that the children should be careful not to awaken its devastatingly powerful magical aura, to which they nod furiously, taking everything very seriously indeed.

Blossom offers a small object carved from bone. It looks like it could be an animal, possibly a horse, although it’s not entirely clear how many legs it has. Nobody asks and nobody comments, reasoning that only having kitchen tools available for such artistic endeavours not only limits one’s dexterity, but also allows the creator access to myriad forms of weaponry, should any offense be taken. The children don’t seem to mind, and immediately begin racing it up and over each other's shoulders and across the moss-covered rocks, making a variety of similarly unidentifiable noises.

Tension entirely dispersed, Amelia spends some time talking to the children and making notes about their costuming and customs in her leather-bound book. There’s much chatter as Pancetta feels brave enough to come out and perch on her shoulder, and the children delight in sharing some of their already-accumulated treats with her.

Flavia finishes her crafting by carving a smooth divot into the top of the piece of wood, turning it into a thumb stick, and Bobbin, still holding his twig, casts it aside without a thought as she offers it to him. She explains that it’s not for hitting, but rather for walking and trekking and going on journeys to make great discoveries.

He beams so hard it splits his face in two, and he stands up straight and marches around the clearing as if he’s leading a grand expedition. Some of the other children stride behind him, swinging their arms and chanting some variation of ‘hup, two, three, four’ but in a language none of the three women have heard before.

The children seem more than pleased with these simple offerings, passing them amongst themselves and cooing. Even Ursula and Urchie have been accepted into the throng, laughing and dancing and making animal noises along with them. The three travellers look on fondly, wondering quite how long it’s been since they’ve behaved like this. Like children.

As Bobbin strides past once again, he huffs, slightly out of breath,

“Next year you’ll have to come back to the village and have some special Galloween food!”

Blossom perks up significantly at this, and the children are excited to tell her all about the spread that awaits them. There’s candied turnips, mashed swede, onion and honey sweet biscuits, and if they’re especially lucky, squirrel burgers.

They explain that there’s also a special drink made from rotten fruit that only the grown ups are allowed to have, the children commenting that it smells weird and ‘makes them all dance funny’.

It all sounds delightful, and the three investigators decide there and then that wherever the next year takes them, they’ll reconvene to make a special journey this time next year. They’ll bear trinkets aplenty, and are already planning to justify it to their various superiors as a fact finding mission and cultural exchange.

As the children are winding down their antics and Ursula and Urchie are beginning to tire, there’s a bellow from within the forest.

“Gracie Groggington and all the rest of you Grogglets, you get your backsides back to camp this instant!”

One girl in an especially pointy hat gasps loudly as all the other childrens’ eyes widen, and they all leap to their feet as Amelia questions,

“Who’s that?”

Mumpkin explains,

“That’s Jiemme, she organises our playtimes, but we kinda went off track a little bit tonight…”

Bobbin adds,

“She’s good fun though. Comes up with all sorts of cool adventures for us.”

Another boy interjects,

“Yeah, she sometimes takes our Trinkets off us, mind you.”

Mumpkin continues,

“Well, to be fair Old Man Groggy did give Tiny Pete a flick knife for his third birthday, soooo.”

Bobbin nods knowledgeably.

“Yeah, you usually have to be at least 4 to get one of those.”

He turns and begins running into the darkness of the forest, waving as he goes.

“It was fun meeting you, and thanks for the Trinkets!”

The other children follow suit, and soon the clearing is as quiet as it was before, the only evidence of this most unexpected of shenanigans being some packed earth bearing small footprints, and a moderately impressive twig discarded off to one side.

Just as the weary adventurers are settling back down into their blankets, there’s yet more rustling from the foliage, and the exhausted team are almost too tired to care, assuming it's one of the children coming back to find a lost possession, or perhaps to play a practical joke.

Until there comes the disturbing rumble of a very loud, very guttural belch…

Afterword: this leads on to another adventure where we meet a drunken NPC with digestive issues… 😉

As always, I’d love to hear what you think of this. Especially as it’s so far removed from what I usually share 😙

Tagging my general list (open), but feel free to ignore if this doesn’t interest you 🤭 @joejoequinnquinn, @jamdoughnutmagician @guiltyasquinn @madaboutmunson @airen256 @sunshinepeachx @the-unforgivenn @skrzydlak @comeonatmebruh @jamiecb66 @80s-addict @abellmunsonmovie @definitionwanderlust @sheneedsrocknroll92 @munson-blurbs @wonderlanddreamer @daisy-munson @maedesculpaeusoubi @kurdtbean @mediocredreams @in2tswft @micheledawn1975 @littlebebebunny @12thatsanumber @alastorssimp @the-baby-angel @eddie-is-a-god @wolfqueenxxx @sassidykassidy @richter-raccoon @1deverland @bettyfrommars

[edenesth]

Undying Bonds (Part 11)

Pairing: Hongjoong x fem!reader, Seonghwa x fem!reader

AU: zombie apocalypse au

Word Count: 6.4k

Summary: What could be worse than being separated from the love of your life in a zombie apocalypse? Hongjoong was forced to leave you behind with his friend, Seonghwa, as he ventures out alone to search for the rest of his missing group members. Will Hongjoong be successful in his solo mission to find his members? Will he be able to return to you unscathed? And what happens when you're stuck with his caring best friend, who is hopelessly in love with you, for too long?

Part 10 | Masterlist | Part 12

"Please tell me this has been perfected."

In the large double-storey pet store that has now been completely transformed and used as the lab of Stray Kids' very own scientist, were several super zombies locked up in the glass cages that were previously there to hold the animals in the store.

Fortunately for the gang, the cages were sturdy and robust enough to now hold even physically enhanced zombies. Not only that, it was almost like the facilities were made for Seungmin because of the additional section which allows him to feed the creatures his solution without having to take them out and risk getting anyone bitten.

Seungmin rolls his eyes at Minho's impatience, the elder male has been bugging him endlessly about his latest zombie experiment.

While the existing ones had the speciality of super strength, this newer and more advanced version will possess the intelligence to tell its master apart from victims and will also be able to follow simple instructions by registering specific terms such as 'attack' which is obviously meant to kill, 'stop' to halt their actions and 'cage' where they'd obediently return to their designated enclosures.

"Even if I did manage to perfect the recipe for this version, it will only be a prototype. Further testing is still required, it won't be ready for field operations anytime soon."

Minho clenches his fists in dismay, he did not like the answer he was getting, "How long will it take then?"

The younger shrugged his shoulders, busily looking through a microscope as he tries to determine the next best substance that should be used in manipulating the zombie cells in order to achieve the goal of this experiment.

"I can't tell for sure, it could probably take up to weeks or even months. We have to be certain that it really is a success before we release it anywhere. You know we can't afford to repeat what happened with Jisung, the one that he was assigned to handle was obviously not ready for operation yet."

Moving to jot down some notes, Seungmin fixes his glasses before pursing his lips, "Speaking of which, do remind me again why you put poor Jisung in detention for that incident? If anything, it should be me in the timeout room now, it was my solution that malfunctioned and you know that."

The second-in-command pressed his lips into a thin line, "Don't act like you don't already know why. I say I don't play favourites but you're the only one on this team personally hand-picked and recruited by me. It would hurt my pride too much to have to punish you, you're lucky Chan's occupied enough by Jongho to notice the fault was in you."

Seungmin nods wordlessly, despite his disagreement. He truly wouldn't have minded being the one receiving the punishment, it would only be the consequence of his own mistake after all and he was more than fine with that.

"Just do well from now on and try not to make another mistake, take Jisung's punishment as your lesson."

At the mention of Jongho, Minho was once again reminded of your problematic presence. He was beginning to regret his decision in recruiting Jongho; had he known that the entrance of the new recruit would bring them this much trouble, he'd have dissuaded the gang leader from doing so in the first place.

They should have just completed the convenience store operation swiftly; he should have just killed you then. If it weren't for you, Chan would still be Chan and not the mess that he's become now.

His expression darkened and he gritted his teeth when feeling the slight throb around his throat, the humiliation kicking in at the reminder of Chan's earlier act of aggression towards him, "Besides, I need you to perfect this new weapon for me soonest possible."

Minho was filled with determination to create some chaos, even if that meant costing a few measly lives. A small price to pay for his satisfaction, a sacrifice he was willing to make if it could serve as a reminder to Chan that he was no pushover.

Seungmin's brows furrowed as he scratched his chin in confusion.

"Why? Is that Chan hyung's order? Last I checked, he doesn't care much for this version so long as what we normally used still worked."

Finally looking up from his work to take a proper look at Minho, he sees the elder rubbing a hand on the skin of his neck that was now bruised, "Wait a minute, where'd you get that? Did you get into a fight with one of the new residents?"

The scowl on Minho's face was enough to send chills down the younger male's spine.

"What did I say about asking unnecessary questions about things that do not concern you? Save the curiosity for your job and just do as I say. Don't make me regret choosing you, Seungmin."

The team scientist settles for a quick nod, wanting nothing more than to put out the fire burning within his superior, "I'll be back soon to check on your progress, let me know if you need a restock for anything in here."

With a salute, Seungmin observes questioningly as the senior gang member marches out of his lab in a rather foul mood. He wonders to himself what could have possibly happened out there while he was stuck in here the entire day.

Huh, what's got his panties in a twist? He sure is extra grumpy today.

You see, being the resident genius had its perks. For instance, not having to risk his life and participate in any on-field operations but that also meant Seungmin remains holed up in his lab nearly all day every day.

As much as he enjoys the peace and quiet, excluding the zombie grunts he's now grown so used to that it's just become white noise to him at this point, it came with the price of constantly being out of touch with daily happenings.

He usually only receives updates during general meetings or occasionally during mealtime when he listens in on his teammates' chatters since he wasn't particularly close with anyone. Because would you believe it isn't easy to form close relationships with people you rarely interact with? Crazy, I know.

But yep, that pretty much sums up Seungmin's social life both pre and post-apocalypse.

Aside from being an introvert, his overly nerdy self has rarely ever appeared as appealing to most people. His former classmates tend to distance themselves from him and he'd consider himself lucky if bullies decide to leave him alone for a day.

He thinks people are complicated and he never knows how to please them. If you're dumb, you're automatically a loser but he's smart and yet, was still classified as a loser in their books.

So what does it really take to be cool then?

Seungmin has not the slightest clue about that and could honestly care less. That was probably why he preferred life post-apocalypse more because zombies were definitely much easier to understand compared to humans.

At least we all know that zombies only want one thing from us but humans, on the other hand, can be much scarier and more sinister.

He remembered being sceptical of Minho's offer when the elder first approached him back then but eventually accepted when he realises Minho sincerely cares only for his skills and nothing else. That much was easy to understand.

Sighing to himself, he decides to go back to focusing on his work and will leave the missing puzzle pieces until dinner time when he gets to listen in on conversations between the others.

He wasn't sure if he should be feeling excited, he'd be meeting the team's newest member along with the new residents by then as well. He hears there is a female amongst them, which easily sparked his interest since he hasn't interacted with or seen anyone of the opposite gender in a while now.

Should be fun, I hope she's at least pretty. Could use some eye candy around here, heh.

"I still can't believe that Christopher's the one- the mastermind behind Stray Kids. I mean, I know he hated his life before but I didn't think he'd actually take things this far. I guess I don't know him that well after all."

Wringing your hands together uncomfortably, you stared up at your boyfriend to convey your feelings of disdain.

"Being here doesn't feel right, Joong. I don't want to have anything to do with these people; these cruel and selfish people who prey on the weak for their own gain. Seonghwa got hurt because of them too."

The captain clenches his fists at the reminder, he was furious when he first learned of his best friend's near-death experience that had been carefully orchestrated by the gang.

"God, they disgust me. We can't let Jongho take part in any of this…"

Hongjoong nods, caressing his thumbs over your knuckles, "I know, baby, I promise we'll think of something. We're getting the hell out of here, that's for sure. But we can't be rash, Jongho's made a deal with Bang Chan and if we try anything reckless, things could turn out for the worst. You understand that, don't you?"

You gulped, tightening your grasp on his hands, "I understand, this must all be so stressful for you. I want you to let me know if there's anything at all that I can do to help… even if that means using me as bait, I'm sure it'll work well against Chris."

He immediately frowns at your words, holding your hands tight against his chest, "We'll never do that, don't you even think about it. I won't allow you to suggest such silly ideas again, we're all getting out of here together, you hear me? I… I can't lose any more of you, okay?"

A lump begins forming in your throat when his voice broke, you nodded quickly in guilt to calm him from getting too worked up.

"You're right. I'm sorry, Joong," He shakes his head, collecting himself before smiling fondly down at you, "You're always so selfless, I think that's your flaw if I had to name one."

With a scoff, you pushed him away playfully by the chest to which he cheekily fought back, pulling you closer to press his lips firmly against your forehead. You fluttered your eyes shut to cherish the moment, but your breath hitched when your thoughts suddenly drift to Seonghwa and your eyes snapped open at that.

Before Hongjoong could ask you about it, your interaction was cut short by a sheepish-looking Jongho standing by the edge of the bed where you and your boyfriend were currently lying on.

"Gosh, I hate to ruin the moment. But hyung, can we discuss strategies? If I'm not mistaken, Bang Chan called for a general meeting. I think he's planning to properly introduce me to the team soon, it's almost like he can't wait to trap me here for good." You winced at the youngest's conclusion, he was probably right.

Knowing Christopher, he'd stop at nothing to get what he wanted and he really did seem determined to keep you here.

Getting off the king-sized bed that you and Hongjoong earlier called dibs on, you pat Jongho on his shoulder, "No worries, maknae. You guys talk, I'll go check on the rest." You smiled at your boyfriend to assure him you were fine before leaving the two to their planning and strategising.

Walking back to the main area, you were nearly knocked off your feet being engulfed in bear hugs by Yunho, Yeosang and Wooyoung who repeatedly told you again and again how much they missed you.

"Yah, any tighter and you'll all suffocate her to death," Mingi told the three off, dragging them away and grinning proudly when his actions managed to elicit laughter from you. Wooyoung pouts at you before running to smack the tall male on his back, "Do you think we're idiots who don't know how to control our strength? You're just jealous the attention is not on you!"

The taller of the two cried out in pain from the smack he received before quickly defending himself from the accusation. Shaking your head, you watched endearingly as the two squabbled while Yunho and Yeosang did nothing but add fuel to the fire, enthusiastically egging the two on to fight.

God, I missed these idiots.

Your eyes darted around in concern when you failed to locate Seonghwa anywhere in the store, now remembering that his wound probably needed tending to. Biting uneasily down on your bottom lip, you headed to the washroom to check if he was there.

A loud gasp escapes your lips when you spot him bent over a sink in the male washroom in what seemed like excruciating pain.

His hand clutched onto the area of his wound where blood was beginning to soak the old bandage, "Hwa!" His head shoots up upon hearing your voice and he curses to himself, so much for not wanting to worry you.

"Oh my god, your stitches broke open! You need to sit down, come on," Pulling his arm gently over your shoulder, you guided him hurriedly into one of the stalls to sit him down on the covered toilet, "Wait here, I'll be back real quick with an emergency kit."

With a hand on his cheek, you pecked his temple before running out in hopes of getting your hands on an emergency drug and suture kit from the nearest pharmacy you could find.

Seonghwa lifted a hand to touch the spot where you kissed, feeling his cheeks burn up and his heart pounding twice as fast, his flustered state doing a good job of distracting him from the pain he was experiencing. The bloodied bandage and incision on his abdomen no longer bothered him at the moment.

He was beginning to think to himself that maybe getting injured wasn't all that bad if it meant you'd always treat him with such care, he was willing to be hurt forever if this was the case.

The heartache he felt when he witnessed Hongjoong holding you close, Hongjoong kissing you, Hongjoong just being your boyfriend; it was an indescribable feeling. No matter how much time has passed since you first began dating the captain, Seonghwa still thinks he will never be able to get used to seeing you two together.

His heart skips a beat when you rush back in with two different kits in your hands, not wasting another minute to sanitise your hands before you start cleaning out his wound.

Your soft and delicate touches made him dizzy, or perhaps it was the loss of blood but all he could see now was you.

He feels like he could face anything in the world fearlessly so long as he had you by his side and as morbid as it sounds, that included death. That's right, Seonghwa would even die for you, if only you knew how he felt.

"I need you to stay with me. Don't close your eyes, do you hear me?" Your hands trembled as you tried to steady yourself. It felt like a repeat of the convenience store incident, except this was less severe.

The cleaning of the wound was done and just when you were about to move on to the stitching, you start panicking when he sways lightly in his seat, "Talk to me, Hwa! Please, you promised not to scare me like this again!"

You took his face in your hands to make him look at you, that familiar warm feeling once again coursing through your being when he wraps his fingers weakly around your wrists.

"Okay, sweetheart, I'll do as you say. Just get it over with, yeah?" He mumbled, fighting to stay awake.

Smiling tearfully up at him, you ignore the butterflies in your stomach from the pet name he used, "Thank you, Hwa. Just… keep talking to me, it'll be over before you know it." Taking a deep breath to calm yourself, you immediately got to work after injecting him with a shot of anaesthesia to numb all the pain he was feeling.

You distracted him the whole time by asking him countless silly questions like what was his favourite colour, food, movie, etc.

Finishing up with the final stitch, you narrowed your eyes jokingly at him when you realised he'd answered the questions with your favourite things rather than his own, "Wait a minute, those aren't your favourites. They're mine, Park Seonghwa."

He nodded slowly, "That's right, I like whatever you like. Do you… want to know what's my favourite thing in the world?"

This is it, this is my chance. I'm sorry, Hongjoong, just let me be selfish this once.

All of a sudden, you were brought back to that night in the back room of the convenience store, back to the moment when Seonghwa was about to tell you something.

As much as you dreaded it, you might have had an inkling of what he wished to tell you. It seems like he was planning to pick up where he left off now. Seeing the desperation in his eyes, you couldn't find it in yourself to stop him from saying what he so badly wanted to say.

Hands busy securing a fresh bandage around his injury, you took your eyes off his face to focus on the task at hand instead.

"I don't know, Hwa, what could it be? Is it your precious Star Wars Lego collection or Animal Crossing?" You answered in a lighthearted tone, hoping for your hunch to be wrong for once.

Satisfied with your work and relieved that his condition was stable again, you handed him some water to drink before heading out to the sink to cleanse your hands more thoroughly.

Distracted by that one stubborn strand of dirt stuck in your nail, you don't notice Seonghwa staggering towards you from behind until his front touches your back. He plants his hands on the edge of the sink right by your sides, basically trapping you between his arms.

With wide eyes, you look up to stare at him through the reflection of the mirror and exhale shakily when he moves to rest his chin tiredly on your shoulder.

The closeness sends your heart into a frenzy, "Damn, you know me so well. I do love my Lego collection and Animal Crossing but... none of those can compare to you, sweetheart. It's you, you're my favourite. It's always been you."

You stilled, your heart beating so loudly against your chest that you could hear it in your own ears.

"I know you belong to Hongjoong and… I have no intention of stealing you from him nor do I have the confidence to do so, everyone knows you're a match made in heaven." His words sounded bitter despite the smile he tries to keep on his face.

"I just… wanted you to know, I've been in love with you for a long time now. I honestly can't remember when it all started but I've loved you since before you even met Hongjoong."

Tears begin to well in your eyes and your heart aches for him, you had no idea he had such feelings for you and for so long too. You couldn't imagine how painful it must have been for him all these years to have to see you be with his best friend.

Poor Seonghwa didn't deserve to feel this way.

He deserved the world for all the kindness he's shown to not only you but to all those around him, "God, I'm so sorry, Hwa… I didn't know."

Seeing your tears, he instinctively moved to circle his arms around your frame from behind, ready to provide comfort as always, "You don't have to apologise, you have nothing to be sorry for. It's not your fault that you don't feel the same… I'm happy so long as you are, I'm just really glad it's Hongjoong you fell for. I'll… continue to be here for you as your friend, unless you no longer want me to."

The panic you felt when he loosened his grasp on you was incomprehensible. You turn around quickly in his hold to face him, "What- of course, I'll want you here still. You're important to me too, how many times must I tell you that?"

His smile doesn't seem to reach his eyes this time when he moves one hand to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear before cupping your cheek tenderly.

"And what did I tell you? You can't keep saying things like that to me, it's cruel…" Seonghwa contemplates shortly before continuing, "Tell me, have you ever felt like there's a chance that you could love me back? No matter how slim that may be, even if it's only just once..?"

If he had asked you this back before the zombie apocalypse had started, you would have told him no without hesitation. But things were different now, especially after the separation with Hongjoong.

You've relied on Seonghwa like you never have before and somewhere along the way, he slowly began to mean so much more to you than he ever did. Or maybe he always did but you just never had the opportunity to realise that up until the moment when you were this close to losing him forever.

It would be a total lie if you said that you never once thought about Seonghwa in that way, you've thought to yourself more than once what a good boyfriend he'd be to whichever lucky girl gets to be called his someday.

Without even yourself realising it, he was always the first person that you'd go to whenever Hongjoong was unable to be there due to whatever holding him back; that may be his work, family or friends. Seonghwa, on the other hand, never failed to be there for you regardless of what he had going on with his own life.

At times, you undeniably felt like you could trust Seonghwa to be there for you more than you could Hongjoong. Knowing how busy your boyfriend could get with work, there were times when you opted instead to contact his best friend without him even knowing.

And there has always been something that sets Seonghwa apart from the rest of your friends; while the rest of the boys were naturally like brothers to you, it somehow felt wrong to call him a brother. You could never put a finger on it then but now, things seemed clearer.

Perhaps somewhere deep down, he's always been special to you too.

Upon the realisation, your trembling eyes meet his familiar and gentle ones. He was waiting patiently for your answer, the same way he always waits for whenever you needed him and he never let you down even once. The warm feeling you now felt when you were with him, all points to one thing.

Your feelings for Seonghwa are now clear as day. But this was also the part where the major problem comes in, because how could you love two people at the same time?

You still loved Hongjoong the same, or did you?

Of course, you did, but how is it possible that you also feel the same way about Seonghwa?

"I…" You croaked out, the words stuck in your throat. How could you tell Seonghwa that you love him back without ruining things with Hongjoong?

This is wrong, I can't do this to Hongjoong... but Seonghwa deserves to know the truth too. Oh god, what do I do?

Caught in the crossroads of your emotions, you find yourself ensnared in a web of conflicted feelings, torn between the love you feel for two people who hold different yet profound places in your heart. In the quiet moments of introspection, your heart feels like a battleground, where each beat is a reminder of the entangled affections you've come to grapple with.

Your thoughts wander to Hongjoong, the one who has stood by your side, who's offered comfort and support, who's shared his dreams and vulnerabilities. Your love for him is familiar and steady, a relationship that's been cultivated over time.

But then, your mind drifts to Seonghwa, a person who's been your confidant, the one who's understood your quirks and idiosyncrasies like no other. Your connection is a deep well of shared memories and laughter, a bond that's woven from years of shared experiences.

You feel an internal tug-of-war, each emotion pulling you in a different direction. Guilt settles in your chest like a heavy weight, for you never intended for your heart to stray. You question your loyalty, grappling with the enormity of your feelings for both.

Fear creeps in too, the fear of hurting either of them.

You worry about the repercussions your newfound awareness might have on the relationships you hold dear. Doubt gnaws at you, as you contemplate whether your emotions are valid, or whether you're simply betraying the trust placed in you.

You long for clarity, for a clear path forward.

But answers elude you, as you navigate the stormy sea of emotions that surge within you. You wondered if you can continue down the same road, torn between your boyfriend and his best friend. It's a decision that feels impossible to make, for each choice seems to carry its own set of consequences.

In this emotional turmoil, you grapple with your own desires, fears and the implications of your choices. You know that whatever path you take will alter the course of your relationships, and it's a weight you carry heavily.

Noting your conflicted look, Seonghwa couldn't help but feel a sliver of hope growing within him because if you did not feel the same, you would have said no in a heartbeat but the fact that you were having trouble giving him an answer... says something.

Does that mean there's a chance she actually returns my feelings?

Moving his other hand to now cup both your cheeks, he made you look directly up at him, "Do you… love me too?"

The indisputable urge to say yes to his question was enough to answer your own heart.

I do love you, Seonghwa. I know that now.

Just as the answer lies at the tip of your tongue, a voice calling out for you both immediately snaps you out of it. You feel your heart about to jump out of your chest at the person gaping at you by the washroom entrance.

"Umm... guys? What's going on here?"

"What do you mean you're backing out of the deal?"

Bang Chan slams his palms against his desk as he shoots up from his seat in fury. His actions, unfortunately, do little to intimidate Jongho or Hongjoong. The duo expected no less from the gang leader.

The two had made the decision to pay Chan a visit in his office; where they, fingers crossed, would be able to talk things out civilly in hopes of avoiding resorting to any sort of violence that could possibly endanger their friends.

"I said what I said. My captain calls the shots and who am I to go against his orders? Besides, you already know I was never a fan of your gang, to begin with." Hongjoong nods in approval, patting his youngest member on the shoulder to signal that he's done well.

"Look, Chan, I understand you promised Jongho to provide our group with a safe haven in exchange for his services." The captain begins, raising his brows expectantly for the gang leader to calm down, which he thankfully did as he settles back in his seat.

"But you must understand that Jongho only did what he had to do for our group at the time, I'm pretty sure you know better than anyone we wouldn't have stayed put for long. I trust you're well aware that our principles and beliefs do not align, yes? Conflict is sure to arise between us sooner or later anyway, and I think the last thing you'd want is for there to be a war happening within District 9."

Chan looks away from the other leader's patronising gaze, huffing to himself in frustration because Hongjoong was right.

"Don't worry though, we won't be so unreasonable as to still expect hospitality from you and your gang. I also won't be foolish enough to assume you'd be down to form an alliance after this but I'm suggesting a peace treaty of some sort."

Hongjoong does his best to maintain an amicable tone.

"Along with Jongho's departure from your gang, the rest of us will be leaving District 9 as well. You can keep whatever you acquired from the convenience store, we don't want any of it. In fact, we'll pay you back with more resources that we find on our next hunt as a thank you for the generosity you've shown us so far."

The captain leans back in his seat comfortably, confident in his suggestion, "That way, your operation would still be considered a success and you'll even be compensated for Jongho's exit."

Clenching his jaw tight, Chan hated how reasonable the opposing leader's proposal had sounded. If it had been any other person putting this forward, he probably would have agreed in a heartbeat but things were different on a whole other level now.

Hongjoong's group leaving District 9 would mean you leaving too.

And Chan has only just gotten you back after all this while thinking you were dead, he can't possibly let you go so soon. Especially not in this zombie-infested world, he wasn't sure he trusted Hongjoong and your friends enough to protect you well.

Sure, you had Jongho with you but anything can happen out there. Or perhaps he was just making up all sorts of excuses for himself to justify his need in keeping you around.

Besides, Jongho truly was one of a kind. It would be too much of a shame to not have him on the team but as Hongjoong mentioned, Chan knows that his resistance to cooperating and taking part in any of their work would eventually become a problem to the gang.

But still... he must fight to keep you here somehow.

Taking a deep breath, the gang leader composes himself before he speaks. Thousands of ideas run through his mind as he tries to think of a way to convince the two to reconsider and stay.

"That sounds fair to me but captain, have you really thought this through?" Chan sighs dramatically, "Once you leave District 9, you'll be back on the streets full of dangers and insecurities. You'll be worrying about things like where to settle for the night, what to eat if you can't find food, or what happens if there are undead lurking about again. Do you really want that?"

No shit, Sherlock. Thanks for pointing out the obvious.

Chan chews anxiously on his bottom lip when he sees Hongjoong raising a brow sceptically, "I mean, I'm sure you guys could handle yourselves just fine. But... more importantly, think about your poor girlfriend. Things must be extra hard on her, no?"

The captain almost laughs out loud and resists the urge to roll his eyes. Of course, this all circles back to you. This was the real reason Bang Chan refuses to release them, the bastard must be kidding himself if he still thinks he had any chances with you.

The gang leader's persistence was doing nothing but to further intensify your boyfriend's already overprotective energy of you.

Hongjoong plasters on a sarcastically huge smile, "Trust me, I have thought this through well and I assure you, we'll be fine. We have allies ready to help, and I can take care of my own girlfriend just fine, don't you worry about a thing."

Chan was left speechless, at this point realising how firm the two were with their decision. They must have planned everything out carefully and were fully prepared to leave at any time. They didn't feel the want or need to be in District 9, that was new to him because no one has ever denied the offer to stay here.

And here these people were, turning him down left and right. He didn't know how to explain the aura that the two exuded but it was one that demanded respect and Chan was beginning to feel like if he were to be in a fight with them, it'd be one where he'd lose.

In fact, it already feels like he's lost quite miserably.

But Chan didn't become the leader of Stray Kids without his unrelenting attitude; so he continued pressing on with a few more desperate attempts to change their minds, only to be met with smart answers from the duo that were enough to shut him up for good.

Getting up from their seats, Hongjoong and Jongho bowed slightly out of courtesy. The last thing they needed now was to make an enemy out of Stray Kids.

"If there's nothing else, we'll be taking our leave for now."

At the sight of them turning to leave, Chan panics and reaches a hand after the two before blurting out his last resort, "Wait, Jongho! You're already a part of the gang though, you can't just come and go as you please. We have rules to abide by here."

The younger male scoffs out loud at the pathetic attempt to keep them, "You don't actually expect me to buy that now, do you? I'm not even officially initiated yet. I don't have your insignia tattooed on me so technically, I'm barely a part of the gang."

Hongjoong couldn't hide his amusement at the dumbfounded look on Chan's face, Jongho's cleverness only once again proving himself to be a valuable asset.

At that moment, the gang leader has never been more envious of the captain. Hongjoong really does have everything, doesn't he? He's got Jongho and you, everything Chan desires to have as his own.

"Listen, Chan, there's no use trying. We've made up our minds, we're leaving no matter what you say. And... I thought you should know; she begged me to get us out of here. If you care about her, I hope you could at least respect her wishes."

That was the final blow.

It was all Hongjoong had to say to get Chan to quit.

With shoulders slumped and a heavy sigh, the gang leader stood in a quiet resignation that seemed to permeate the air around him. His eyes, once filled with determination, now held a glimmer of defeat. As he looked at Hongjoong, he saw the resolve etched in his expression, he knew that the decision was final.

There was a subtle, heartbreaking grace to his acceptance—a sense of surrender that came from a place of deep understanding. His jaw clenched momentarily, his emotions held in check but the lines of disappointment were etched on his face. The weight of the moment settled in his chest and though his heart ached, he knew there was nothing else he could do.

He eventually nods slowly, giving up, "Fine, you win. But Hongjoong…" The captain straightens up at his name being uttered in such a grim tone, watching as Chan tiredly rubs a hand over his face, "Can I please just speak to her one more time?"

Your boyfriend stills when he senses the heaviness in your former childhood friend's tone.

"I know what I did was unforgivable and trust me when I say, I'll never forgive myself for leaving her either. I just… really need to apologise to her properly for that. And I'm also sorry for how I disrespected you earlier… Thank you for being there for her when I wasn't."

Feeling like this conversation no longer required his presence, Jongho slips out of the office after excusing himself.

Hongjoong crosses his arms over his chest and contemplates for a good minute, "You know, you don't have to thank me for that. It's only my job, I'm her boyfriend. And… I don't think you understand what exactly disappoints her. She's completely moved on from all that's happened back in Australia, but what she can't accept now is who you've become..."

The hopelessness that Chan now felt was endless.

If only he could turn back time, he would have done everything differently. Perhaps then he would have been able to understand the true meaning of happiness that no amount of luxury can ever measure up to.

Deep down, he knew it was a lost cause trying to win you back now. Part of him didn't understand why he bothered trying so hard. Things will never be the same, he's done too much evil to deserve having you back in his life. He supposed he should just be grateful that you were still alive and well, and most importantly, you were happy.

With a faint, sad smile, Chan nodded, a gesture that conveyed his acceptance. He didn't plead, he didn't argue. He had reached the point of understanding that love meant wanting what was best for the other person, even if it meant sacrificing his own desires.

Against his better judgement, Hongjoong actually felt bad for the gang leader, "Look... I'll see what I can do, it's not up to me to decide whether or not you can talk to her. There's nothing that I can do if she refuses to see you, you know that."

Chan's eyes rounded at the unexpected kindness he was shown by your boyfriend, "Th-thank you, Hongjoong... You're a good man, I can see why she loves you so."

Huh, guess he's still human after all.

The captain flashes a small but genuine smile at the gang leader.

"Perhaps we can properly discuss your departure at a later time. You see, Minho was quite eager to have Jongho on board. It'll be a pain in the ass to have to break this news to him. Just... stay for a bit more until we sort that out, yeah?"

Chan winces, the thought of his right-hand man's possible burst of outrage already giving him a headache.

Hongjoong nods, "Sure, I understand."

Keeping his fingers crossed, the captain hopes they'll be able to get out of District 9 with little trouble. If all goes well, you should all be in the safety of Soyeon's place soon.

Damn, this was a long part. I'm still having a hard time deciding who should end up with the reader just like me trying to pick a bias. Anyway, I thought it'd be interesting if you guys got to pick who you prefer (see the poll below). Thank you for reading and as always, I love reading your thoughts, reviews and feedback so feel free to leave a reply, an ask or even a message! <3

Tag list: @aurasblue @tmtxtf @park-simphwa @sunnyhokyu @felixs-voice-makes-me-wanna

All Rights Reserved © edenesth // DO NOT REPOST, TRANSLATE, PLAGIARISE OR REPURPOSE.

[dongslinger--420]

Thoughts on the chicken for days episode?

I used to skip it on all my rewatched of bojack after maybe my third rewatch because I think I got it in my brain that it was an unimportant dumb episode. But then on my last rewatch I made the effort and realised that it's actually better than I remembered. Still dumb lol. But not "bad dumb." It's like the Todd episode before the Actual Todd episode.

And I'll big admit that the joke in this episode where people keep asking Becca the chicken questions and taking her varied buck sounds as legit responses got me xD

Hi! Before I get onto anything else, I'd like to ask you to please not use the word "dumb" on my blog. I really don't like that word and I've mentioned it a couple of times before, but I understand that you probably didn't know, so I'd just ask you to not do it again.

Moving on to my actual answer, I have two things that I'd like to talk about in regards to Chickens:

1. Social commentary

I'm vegan, and so is Raphael Bob-Waksberg, although I'm unaware as to whether the writer of the episode, Peter Knight, is. As a result, this episode functions as a commentary in favour of veganism, and when I first watched the episode, this really struck me, because it was the first time I had seen this in any show.

Yes, this is a world where humans and anthropomorphic animals coexist, and as a result they couldn't make a one-on-one comparison (on that note, I would love to watch an episode that shows how they reached this conclusion in the first place). However, the comparisons that they do make are generally handled very well. Many people do think that eating animals is justified simply because they are of lesser intelligence to humans. Yes, the livestock in this episode are bred to be of lesser intelligence, but the justification is still there. Many organisations (including the RSPCA) refuse to acknowledge the hypocrisy of eating animals while claiming to care for them, using the fact that it is legal as justification. And lastly, it tears into the whole concept of "humane slaughter", by taking the stance that as long as anyone doesn't want to die, no slaughter is humane (in addition, it also talks about how people who work in slaughterhouses are traumatised, which is another reason not to fund them).

All in all, it achieves its purpose just as well as any other social justice issue this show covers, and it's INCREDIBLE to me how Bob-Waksberg and Knight were gutsy enough to cover a social justice topic that is far from the dominant ideology. It frustrates me to no end whenever people say that "this episode was fucked up" because the real life equivalent is just as fucked up! Please unlearn your cognitive dissonance!

2. Character work

It's interesting that you mention Todd in this ask because I consider the episode as being more focused on two other main characters: BoJack and Diane.

BoJack's overall arc this season is heavily connected to Kelsey, because Kelsey reminds him of two people: Herb and Beatrice. The Herb comparisons tend to come later on in episodes like Fish Out Of Water, so I'm going to be focusing on Bea here. Bea's personality is established to us in Brand New Couch, where we see how her abuse and undermining of BoJack has affected him. Chickens functions as a development of this, with BoJack's shitty upbringing meaning that he is naturally drawn to older people who are cold to him. As a result of this, BoJack spends the entirety of this episode trying desperately to impress Kelsey, while she continues to give him the cold shoulder. And here's the kicker: Kelsey genuinely believes he's incredible. Everyone, including us, already knows this, because why else would she have hired him? He never needed to impress her. And as a result, the fact that he spends so much time trying to impress her is deeply tragic and ironic. He doesn't even learn how she feels about him until four episodes later. No opinions change at the end of this episode, because it's the second of three acts in this overall story arc.

Diane's utilitarianism is given much more focus this season than in the previous one. It was briefly touched on in Yesterdayland, but in this episode she is directly forced to face the sad truth that she is a failure in her own eyes. First, she meets Irving, who reminds her deeply of herself when she was younger, and she realises how little she has achieved since she was Irving's age. Next, she gets branded as "the maid" when running away with Todd, thereby causing Irving's opinion of her to lessen as she realises how much she is actually useful for. Finally, the episode ends with the bittersweet notion that actually, Diane didn't do anything. Against her best efforts, Diane was completely powerless to save Becca, and Chicken4Days continues to go even stronger. Nothing is resolved in this arc, with the brief exception that she forms a genuine connection with Todd, as well as earning Irving's approval on her own terms. The issue doesn't go away, and two episodes later she tries again, even harder this time, only to be faced against the entire world, and eventually be forced to give in.

Chickens is a silly buddy storyline that hides a DEEPLY tragic core, in which seeds are spread for two major character arcs for us to uncover.

[himehikoshrine]

The Central Nation of Kielce - a History

[I/D : Screenshot for Sissia of the Central Nation showing Levi, Adra, and Crowley on the wall. Crowley is saying "Hahaha! How have you been, little wall?! It’s like you’re a part of our origins!"]

Having now read through every route's game script of the Central Nation of Sissia, I figured I'd tried to put together all the Kielce lore across the different routes into one. If you want to read them yourself, you can do so either on the game menu if you've finished the game, or [here]. This will contain details unique to most of the routes, so technically, there are spoilers, but they are discussed entirely within the world of the play. I will edit in a few minor clarifying details with no route plot information from routes as I find them now that I'm going through things with a finer tooth comb. It will spoil some things that are in the stage script only epilogues too, so please read at least one of them before reading this, or you'll be really confused. Two, ideally, especially if the first one you picked was Crowley's.

Don't ask me why a rather big piece of character information, that is kind of a twist, is hidden within epilogues only on the stage script in the menu. We're nearly the full year into Havenna Lore drops, apparently this is just how Neji writes. (And given all the lore hidden in weird bonus material, also how Ishida and Towada write.)

The Nation of Arbine and the Republic of Quatra, which is to its east, were at war for 77 years. Many lives were lost on both sides, and there were plenty of children made orphans in the process. We know little about Quatra before the end of the war, but Levi describes it as having "warmth" and Crowley says it had a very strong culture in the arts, including song and dance. After Arbine wins the war, 20 years before Sissia joins the troupe, Arbine begins calling the 77-year-war the 'War of Joy.'

They force the people of Quatra into servitude, build a wall around the country, and mark them with a tattoo of a horse on their shin. The hostility gets so bad in the upper military ranks of Arbine, that they begin calling Quatra "the nameless country" or "the nameless servant country." The culture of Quatra is stamped out within the nation, possibly beyond simply forcing everyone into labor for the sake of Arbine, and anyone in Arbine who even discusses it with anything but scorn is suspected of treason.

Arbine is ruled by its "commander and king" (always said together like that) who has the surname "Arbine" like the nation he rules. His top advisor, confidant and strategist is Major Azur Hybird. The military elite make up the aristocracy of Arbine, and their positions are expected to be passed down.

Arbine is a strict military state, with border patrols and street patrols in addition to a standing military that citizens are quite acquainted with. They are able to freely interrogate and detain anyone, but murder seems to be considered a crime in Arbine, regardless of the nationality of the person killed, even, seemingly, for low ranking patrol officers. (We only have Crowley's potentially joking word here, though). The high ranks can order and carry out death sentences sans trial of any kind, of course.

The military aristocracy is also the high society of Arbine, and they attend parties and engage with what they consider 'high culture' including national dances - Arbine does have a national dance troupe.

Arbine's language is called "Arbine". It appears to be different than the language of Quatra or at least a different dialect, though one suspects they have some degree of mutual intelligibility. Carlo says the further east one goes in Arbine, the simpler the pronunciation of its language gets. Accents are shared to some extent in the border region, as well as words. Carlo says Arbine has 'a certain roundness' and that the first letter of Carlo is pronounced 'more elegantly' than Sissia's accent usually does.

Carlo illustrates the linguistic drift with the word Kielce - which is the Arbine term for Circus, a word used in Quatra. Carlo says no one but a historian or a suspected traitor would know that word these days, so maybe once it was also used in Arbine, or maybe a historian would merely be more familiar with the arts from Quatra.

So, 20 years ago, the war ends. As for the future members of Kielce at this time, Chance, at least, wasn't born yet.

Levi Caineman, who was born to Arbine parents, was orphaned by the war and was taken in across the then-wall-less border when he traveled there in search of food. Once the war ended, he was taken into an orphanage on the Arbine side of the wall, while his foster mother, a Quatra, was left behind it.

At some point, Levi will meet Crowley. Crowley is, though it's unclear who knows this but him, an illegitimate son of the 'commander and king' of Arbine, so his full name is, in fact, Crowley Arbine. It's never explicitly stated in the play if Crowley creates Kielce as a troupe or not, or the origin of its name "The Central Nation of--" but in the practice dialogue it is confirmed that Crowley and Levi are the founding members of the troupe.

As for when it was founded, Crowley considers the first Border Performance, which takes place ten years before the present of the play, and thus ten years after the end of the war "part of our origins." It is likely the name, too, partially a form of protest. Given the troupe's founders - an openly avowed revolutionary with a personal connection to the throne, and a fascination with Quatran arts, and an Arbine boy raised for a time by a Quatran foster mother, I'm sure this was very much part of their motivations.

Crowley is, after all, enthusiastically a traitor. (He maintains everyone in Kielce knows this, and no ones statements fully discredit that assertion in other routes. No one ever quite says the first performance WASN'T an act of rebellion or treason.)

Crowley says he's the one who brought Levi in and raised him up to be ringleader. At some point, Kielce, including Crowley and Levi, ends up performing at a party for military aristocrats. How this happened or how it went down, we don't know, other than apparently everyone was thoroughly amused. At this point, they aren't suspected of anything treasonous, but are considered 'low' entertainment.

In attendance is Major Azur Hybird's son, Adra Hybird. At this point, Adra has already been dancing for most of his life. It is unclear how old he is. But he decides that this is the kind of dancing he wants to do. He leaves the life of a Military Aristocrats son behind and runs away to join the circus -- Kielce.

(It is not implied Adra is younger than the other two - on Levi's route, Adra remarks that Levi has grown into quite the man, which, if anything, implies Adra may be a bit older than Levi.)

By the time of the first Border Performance, which is ten years before the present, Adra is a well established member of the troupe, enough that he is involved with choosing to do it. He seems to be one of the senior members in the troupe.

Fan Carlo Albus, on the other hand, is a newcomer to the troupe ten years ago. It seems she joined enough after Adra that she's talked about as another sort of 'generation' - when talking about Kielce's style being a talent showcase, Crowley says its more pronounced now that Carlo and Chance have joined.

Carlo watches the border performance from the side, not on the wall. Also watching that day is Isaac Bazmaz, an Arbine child from the border region who lives near the wall. He is watching with a friend of his. On Isaac's route this friend is explicitly Sissia, a girl from Quatra who he met through a crack in the wall. Isaac talks about the wall as having always been near his house, suggesting that he is under 20 years old, or at least, not much older. Chance Orlando, as stated, is under 20. He doesn't watch the border performance, but hears rumors about it as a kid in Arbine that later inspire him to join.

Crowley is one of the leads in the performance, which he also wrote. This is, to him, intentionally an act of rebellion and revolution. The fact that it doesn't overthrow the nation makes it kind of a failure in his book. Adra says his motivation is sort of to stick it to the military aristocracy and their backwards ideas, both about Quatra and discrimination and their authority and control in general. Adra is also quite annoyed at their elitism. Levi doesn't give an explicit reason for it the first time, but when asking to do it again, he mentions love of theater and love of freedom as absolute principles he leads Kielce by. One imagines his foster mother on the other side is a motivation, as well.

The performance is seen as treasonous and puts the entire troupe on a watch list. According to Major Azur, the 'commander and king' of Arbine has pushed to imprison everyone in the troupe since that day. (It is completely unclear if either the Major or even the 'commander and king' himself have any idea who Crowley is.) Every member who was around at the time tells Sissia that it was quite the controversy and ordeal, and caused a lot of trouble.

Isaac makes a promise to his friend to one day stand on the wall with Kielce together. Sissia, watching from the Quatra side, is already being forced into labor, despite seemingly being a child. Sissia dreams of one day standing on that stage, too. Both Isaac and Sissia will eventually follow that dream to Kielce.

It seems that despite the displeasure of the ruling elite, Kielce continues to operate and have many fans. Their popularity is seen both as a threat, and, one assumes, a bit protective, as it's quite clear that Arbine is aware of the precarity of it's absolute control.

Adra notes that even members of the military attend the shows. Not all the fans share their ideals, of course, and will report things to the authorities.

Kielce has a standing theater within Arbine, but their base seems to keep a very 'traveling circus' aesthetic. It is possible they are both a traveling company and one with a home base. It's unclear when this was built.

Chance and Isaac are recruited the same day by Crowley. Isaac says that if it weren't for Kielce, he'd 'still be working at a factory'. They are still considered relative newbies by Carlo by the time Sissia is recruited, but they seem to have been around long enough to be pretty established as staples of the troupe.

[snootlestheangel]

Cheers to the Unknown Pt.4

Monster/cryptid au ft. Just A Dude!Ghost; canon-divergent, alternate universe. More details here (parts are not a coherent story necessarily just scenarios as they come to me !subject to change!;all tagged under "cheers to the unknown") TW: language; being subjugated to the most precious Siren to ever Exist; self-deprecating statements; some sexual themes (Ghost is a monster fucker, okay y'all?); angst

Some Siren!Gaz to Soothe the Soul (And Official SoapGhost)

Random, yet necessary information dump on Gaz's siren form! In the initial post (link is 'more details here' above), I briefly mentioned that Gaz's siren form is more shark-like than just a typical "mermaid" type. So, here's a quick, more in-depth analysis of what this means! (if you can't tell I'm autistic and like sharks after this, you should get your eyes tested /jk)

Gaz has a lot of extra sensory organs to make him an elite predator! One of these organs are known as lateral line system. These appear in both his human and full Siren form as small ridges that run (vertically, so like top to bottom of his body) along his sides, including his neck and onto his legs, stopping just above his knees. There are very small ones that make it seem like his cheek bones are just sharper than the average person. This "line" system helps him detect pressure changes around him, making him very good at knowing when Ghost enters a room because he senses the change! He's just enough of a snarky little shit to not say anything to anyone else or to immediately rat the lieutenant out.

Also on his face, but only in his Siren form, are ampullae of Lorenzini, which are electroreceptors! These help with sensing the energies other creatures give off, as sometimes being a water based predator provides different challenges! Additionally, when in the water aka going Siren, he has an additional protective eyelid that still allows for great vision, but keeps his eyes safe! (I feel it's important to let everyone know I literally happy clapped after writing all this XD)

After all the time he's spent with the 141 and around a large variety of non-human species, one would think Ghost had seen it all. That Ghost wasn't phased by anything anyone did.

But after the one time Gaz used his Siren voice on Ghost in order to get out of recruit duty, he made sure to keep his guard up.

Granted, in Gaz's defence, voice is a poor term to describe the mystical power Sirens possess that allows them to influence their intended target however they please. Gaz, in this particular case, had merely just asked Ghost if he could take the next week instead of this one, and at first nothing had seemed wrong to Ghost. But then the sergeant walked away, flashing a wide grin with eerily perfect teeth and Ghost just knew. He knew that switching weeks had been banned by Price after an argument got physical. He knew that the answer to Gaz's question should have been no, but instead he had reluctantly agreed to swap weeks with him. Ghost knew the little shit had basically batted his pretty eyes and instantly persuaded his hardened lieutenant into bending a rule.

Ghost always admired Gaz, from the moment they met back when Gaz was only a corporal to now. He admired the man's confidence without seeming cocky or arrogant. He admired Gaz's intelligence, his cunning and snarky nature. While he and Soap had banter with each other, Ghost often found himself in what Soap lovingly dubbed "sass-offs" with the siren. The two would get caught up in being smart-asses with the captain, almost trying to outdo the other. Ghost never could tell if Gaz was doing this to mess with him or not.

But the more time he spent with Gaz, the more Ghost couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Ghost knew that deep down his jealousy was rooted in the natural way a siren's presence affects humans, but he never could stop himself from letting it bother him. Ghost wanted to blame the jealousy on himself. He wanted to be jealous not by natural causes, but because of his own insecurities. At least then, he would have no reason to hate Gaz.

It's not that Ghost hates Gaz, in fact it's the opposite. He admires and trusts Gaz, he would never want to hurt him, much less hold anything against him for simply existing.

He's jealous because Gaz is so effortlessly gorgeous. It's a silly thing for Ghost to be jealous over, especially considering the other is indeed a Siren, but it doesn't change a damn thing. Ghost is jealous of Gaz's inherent charm, the way he can win people over without ever using his Siren abilities against them. Sometimes, he wished so desperately to be like Gaz that he felt his heart slowly melt into a painful desire to love Gaz.

But above all, he was jealous of Gaz's relationship with Soap. They weren't together, at least not to Ghost's knowledge, but then again, neither were he and Soap. That didn't change the fact that Soap was always seen pressed against Gaz, each doing their own thing during downtime. Didn't change the way the two were constantly talking and laughing together, so effortlessly together on base whether it be training or filling out paperwork. Ghost was jealous because he wished it were him there next to Soap. He wished it were him being the nymph's grounding presence. And he would've rather burn than ever admit that sometimes, most of the time, he wanted nothing more than to be right there between both of them. Safe, content, and loved so effortlessly it was almost second nature.

What a fool he was for thinking he would never get that.

~~~~~

It was difficult for Ghost to ever sneak up and catch the sergeants by surprise, as both were very in tune with the world around them. But, there were times where corners and walls became his friends, and he would use them to hide when he didn't want to interrupt. One of these times he stopped to listen as he heard his name suddenly spoken by a familiar Scottish voice.

"As if Ghost feels the same." Soap snapped, assumingly at Gaz. Ghost frowned, leaning closer against the wall to hear. He didn't know what they were talking about, but clearly it was a rather heavy topic given the aggression in Soap's words.

"You don't ask him out, I will." Gaz spoke, golden confidence practically dripping with each word. Ghost couldn't breathe. He couldn't tell if Gaz was being serious, if Soap genuinely reciprocated the feelings Ghost had, if Gaz even felt that way.

"You'll ask him out for me or ask him out yerself?" Soap asked, suddenly a lot less angered than before. Ghost tried to still his beating heart for just a moment, afraid the racket it was making could be sensed by the sergeants.

"Well, I was going to ask for you, but honestly? Might just have to take him for myself." Gaz replied, and the gentle, yet taunting way he spoke the words twisted a warm knot into Ghost's stomach.

"Nope! Yer nae gettin' him first!" Soap shouted, and Gaz let out a loud laugh as he was tackled by Soap. Ghost stepped quickly away from the doorway, hoping to pretend as if he were never there. He walked to the end of the hall he came from, took a deep breath, and turned back around. He needed to get to his office, and in order to do so, he needed to pass the sergeants.

He can do this.

"Hey, Ghost!" Soap said, quite literally lighting up as he stepped around the corner and almost directly into Ghost. A soft blue glow emanated from the sergeant's chest, and it gave him such an appearance that Ghost would liken to an angel, an otherworldly creature made of light and beauty.

He cannot do this.

"Johnny." Ghost stiffly replied, and Soap's smile faltered slightly.

"Yeh nervous or somethin'?" Soap was taunting him. Did he know? Is this all some cruel joke to make him more miserable than he already was? Ghost should have known. He should have known better than to be close to anyone, to allow himself to be vulnerable with people he supposedly trusts.

"Dunno. Do you think I am?" Ghost calmly replied, doing his best to ignore the way his hands trembled ever so slightly. The familiar, yet almost comforting sensation of the hairs on his arms standing up swam over him as Soap took a step closer, grin morphing into something cocky as he tilted his head.

"Yer heart certainly says so." Fuck.

"Oh yeah? Think you know why?" Ghost asked, practically egging on the nymph. Soap chuckled, the sound deep in his chest and resonating in a way that felt like thunder.

"I think yer nervous cause o' me, Lt." Soap purred as he invaded Ghost's personal space. Ghost swallowed past the conflicting sensations running through his body; the knots and the warmth. It all blended together in a dizzying blur of emotion he didn't understand, wasn't familiar with.

"Got an idea on how to change it?" Ghost asked, and given the way Soap's eyes sparked, he knew the nymph had picked up on the slight quiver in his voice.

"Aye, dinner and a show. Tomorrow night?" Soap murmured as his fingers lightly brushed Ghost's chest, lightly shocking him without hurting. Ghost purposefully ignored the ever growing arousal that he was certain Soap had picked up on.

"What kind of show?" Ghost immediately regretted his question, if Soap's devious grin was anything to go by.

"Light show." God, he's so fucked.

"About damn time." Ghost whispered with a trembling breath. Soap chuckled again before placing a chaste kiss on Ghost's clothed cheek, barely brushing against the hard plate of his mask. He patted Ghost's chest before walking away, allowing the lieutenant carry on with his day.

What a fool indeed.

~~~~~

Gaz found Price along the shore of the lake close by the base. He had put on a different appearance, most likely so he could remain unbothered by the men under his command for a few hours, but Gaz still knew it was the captain. He's got a sensitive nose, after all.

"Soap finally asked Ghost out." Gaz called out as he came close enough. Price's head whipped around to face him, his natural appearance fading into existence.

"He said yes, right?"

"Yeah, of course." Gaz responded with a laugh as he took a seat next to Price.

"Fucking finally. I was about to get involved it was that bad." Price mumbled, and Gaz couldn't help but shake his head with laughter. They fell silent for a brief moment as Price sipped his drink.

"How are you feeling about it?" Price asked, and Gaz rolled his eyes. He confided in the captain with a lot, and his feelings for both being the most recent of topics. Of course Price would ask how this made him feel.

"I mean, I told him to do it. 'S'long as they're happy, I don't care." Gaz muttered, picking at the grass in order to avoid Price's calculating gaze. Gaz gently nudged Price's shoulder with his nose, the older man's worry starting to irritate him.

"I'm fine, Cap, I promise. They need a little time before I try to get involved." He mumbled, keeping his head resting against Price's shoulder.

"Unless that's not what they want." Price's deep rumble always grounded Gaz, but this time he couldn't help but think of how Ghost's voice would feel. How the deep, gruff rumble would feel against him as they laid there. Gaz shook his head as he sat up again.

"I don't know, Price. We'll just have to see." Gaz said, picking at more grass. Price hummed from next to him, knowing the sound alone was enough of a response for the siren. They stayed quiet for another few minutes as Price continued 'fishing' and Gaz picked at the grass. Fishing was not the best description of Price's restful activity, as he more or less kept a line casted while he read and drank. Eventually, Price must've grown tired of Gaz's pouting, as he suddenly sighed and shoved the siren's shoulder.

"Go for a swim, I'll keep watch." Gaz didn't need much more convincing. He typically hated swimming alone, as Sirens were targeted everywhere for their tears and their scales. Gaz even has a rather nasty scar on his stomach from a close encounter he had as a child. He also often avoided swimming around most people, as for his typical swims he would strip down and be his fully fledged siren form, and the act of getting in and out made him feel a different kind of vulnerable.

But when Price offered to keep watch? When Gaz knew he was under the careful guard of his captain? He never hesitated to abandon his clothing before diving gracefully into the water. A lake is not the ideal environment for a Siren, but it's the best Gaz has, lest he wanted to spend half his time in a bathtub just lying there.

Gaz stretched once under the water as his body shifted and morphed into something less human and more shark-like. He squirmed a bit as his tail developed, but the awkward sensation didn't last long. Clawed, webbed hands ran over his scales, all sparkling in the light. Dark, iridescent scales covered his body along his back, neck, and face, just barely stopping along his sides. Lighter scales adorned his stomach, and his fins were mostly solid with a bit of flashy blue fans trailing behind, making them appear weightless. His eyes had now completely blacked out, yet he still maintains impeccable vision, and his teeth had grown longer, sharper, and a bit jagged as a second row formed behind them. Large navy sails covered his ears, sticking up above the top of his head, now covered in dark purple scales.

As menacing as he was like this, Gaz was still the spitting image of beauty personified.

He stayed in the water for another couple of hours until his stomach growled. Price jumped slightly as Gaz suddenly launched out of the water and onto the shore next to him. Price shook his head as Gaz beamed at him, sharp teeth snapping together slightly with the motion. Gaz let out a sharp whistle as Price threw a towel at him, and Price winced in response.

"Watch your language!" Price snapped, as was common for him to say to the Siren while in this form. Gaz's ability to speak wasn't necessarily gone, but if he were to speak, it'd be nothing but his Siren voice, so he often stuck to the shrill whistles and clicks Sirens used to communicate with each other. The sounds, however, often felt painful for non-Siren ears.

"Thanks, Cap." Gaz said as he gently touched his nose to Price's. Price didn't bother looking up from his book as he patted Gaz's head.

"Yeah, yeah." He mumbled as he dropped his hand.

"Gaz." Confused, the Siren looked back over at the captain, only to see a few purple scales on the man's palm. He snorted and fell back into the grass with laughter.

"Fucking warn me next time." Price grumbled as he wiped the scales onto the grass. He packed up his possessions as Gaz finished drying off. Price let out an annoyed sigh as he stood and looked down at Gaz, whom was laid out on the grass, the towel still wrapped around him.

"Put your clothes on, son." Price said while kicking the sergeant's pile of clothes closer. Gaz groaned and rolled onto his stomach, sticking his face into the grass.

"Fucking hate clothes after swims." Gaz mumbled, the noise muffled.

"I'd hate clothes, too, if I were from the water. But we land dwellers have rules about such things. Quite frankly, I don't want one of my sergeants walking around in the nude." Price said, to which Gaz giggled a bit.

"Sometimes, I wonder what I can get away with before you actually send me off." Gaz commented as he finally sat up and grabbed his briefs from the pile of clothes.

"It wouldn't take as much as you'd think." Price responded, politely turning his back as Gaz dressed.

"Yeah, right. You asked for me." Gaz teased.

"Can always send you back, kid." Price quipped right back, and turned to smile at Gaz after being nudged on the shoulder by the Siren's nose.

"Let's get some food in you, yeah?" Price said as he wrapped an arm around Gaz's shoulders.

"Yeah. Thanks for watching my back." Gaz mumbled as he leaned into Price.

"Anytime, son. Anytime and always."

Taglist (want added?): @tacticaltaxonomist @cthulhusstepmom @cathnoneofyourbusiness @thorougly-melted-brains @sp4z-4tt4ck @49saltpeppershakers @bluebrryice

(Side note, at the time of posting this, I am in the process of withdrawing from college for, at least, the semester cause health comes first. So, I have a few more parts that will be scheduled to come out around the same times this weekend so I don't have to worry about that. I mean, this is only part 4 and I have another 3 parts written and one in the brain drafts, soooooo.... Yeah! And don't worry, I'm actually very happy about withdrawing from college for a bit, cause like I said, health first.

[fixer-mixer]

Hello, Tumblr!

today, we’re gonna be talking about my head cannons (in my Transformers AU) about BlitzWing! Yay!! [below keep reading, it’s a long one]

Lets get one thing clear…I DO NOT HAVE D.I.D.!! I NEVER HAVE, AND ONLY KNOW ONE PERSON FROM THAT ONE CAMP THAT ONE TIME!! I DO NOT SPEAK FOR, OR REPRESENT ANYONE WHO HAS D.I.D.!! PLEASE DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH AND DO NOT TAKE WHAT I SAY AS FACTUAL ABOUT ALL DID INDIVIDUALS!! Any refrenced information is mainly from [here]

Next, I’m not sure if BlitzWing in TFA is actually stated to have DID, but in my AU, we’re making it some-kind of thing like that, but with alien war robots in space. The TFA BlitzWing (seems to) switch based on emotion, but to make it more accurate, that won’t be how it works in this au.

Finally, to not misrepresent anyone, (As a person with very mild childhood trauma,) We will not go into depths about why BlitzWing has this. The only ‘hint’ I’ll give is it’s one of a bajillion reasons he hates the Quintesson, and the main reason that sends him into a rage.

Lets set some basic information for BlitzWing first

-BlitzWing has three alters, though the alters and BlitzWing doesn’t give them names. Mostly, others will just call all the alters BlitzWing. In addition to this, all Alters have understood they are one body, and know that they are all tied to one form. BUT!! Just to make it easier to understand in this post, we’ll be calling them by their main emotion, Icy refers to the base personality, Anger refers to the more aggressive personality, and Crazy to the…crazy personality. (Though, crazy might be offensive in this way, I hope we’re not becoming Twitter and making everything a big ass deal.)

-They choose to refer to sleeping/recharging as ‘a meeting’ or something similar to that. Because when sleeping/recharging, all the alters meet in the void that is their head and talk until they get back up and one of them fronts for a while.

And…Lets meet the people!

Normal/Base/Regular BlitzWing

Thoughtful, Observant, Straightforward, Calculated, Calm, Stern, Intelligent, Quick-Thinking, Reserved, Creative, Cooperative, Antisocial, Serious, Mature, Reliable, Blunt, Diplomatic.

He’s AroAce, and sees love in any way as a distraction for their important position. However, he does acknowledge his alters do not feel the same way about this, and doesn’t prevent them from seeking it out.

He hates functionalism, and generally wants to free all cybertronians from any kind of oppression, to be free and do as they wish with no judgment. Not only was he oppressed because he couldn’t control his alters (in the past), but he was also oppressed for what he used to do for work [unspecified].

He struggles to remember all of what his alters do, but he can remember snippets of what happened. Not even ShockWave can force him to remember them. Along with that, he also struggles to remember some of the trauma they have, remembering his work and being with the triple changers, but not explicitly what happened. But, he remembers enough to keep it away from Crazy.

As the Decepticon’s tradesman (or tradesperson? Tradesmech? Idfk), he’s gotten good at being straightforward and unmoving. He may not be Swindle levels of bargaining, but he knows a bad trade when he sees one. He knows exactly what anything is worth, and what is best to risk.

Though he keeps a face a seriousness and holds emotions back to keep his profession appearance, there is a part under it all—usually only reserved for his alters and special friends—that wants some kind of relax, to not have to be serious all the time, though his way of being unserious is being boring. (He doesn’t think it is, but it is to others.) He wants to do art just for fun, even if it just doesn’t many any kind of sense. But his other main priorities is keeping his alters safe and content, so he likely won’t get to any time soon.

He’s good friends with SkyWarp, having been for a while, though he doesn’t have anything romantic with them. He knows they identifies as a femme, but in all honestly, he couldn’t care about it. It doesn’t mean anything to him, but it’s not going to affect him.

Anger/Emotional/Persecutor

Strong, Firm, Incisive, Irritable, Emotional, Irrational, Inconsistent, Illiterate, Dauntless, Independent, Protective, Critical thinking, Thorough, Unpopular, Brave, Serious.

He says he knows why they have three personalities, but he absolutely refuses to say why, and ShockWave wasn’t able to find anything while in this alter, as all three of them have the same memories from their past, and it seems to be erased and/or corrupted beyond recognition.

He can be triggered into coming out by any mention or seeing any figure or picture that looks like or similar to the Quintessons. He is usually sent into a blind rage by it, and if—hypothetically—a human showed him an image of the Quintessons, that human would by nothing more than a puddle on the floor in the next two seconds.

tentacles also make him uncomfortable (especially ones from the Morphobots since they look very similar to Quintesson ones).

On the surface, he’s rude to everyone, especially sparklings. (The living embodiment of the “Yoo Xan Get Your Boy Dawg” meme) He’s upset by nearly everything, and is hardly ever in a good mood. Nobody really tries to talk to him or get in his way, especially because they know how badly he’ll react.

He’s a good solider, being strong enough to overpower most, thorough with his kills, brave enough to dive into any situation, and treating it with seriousness, but he likes to work on his own, and will get more upset with any kind of taunting or teasing. Though no matter his anger, he’ll always be precise.

With battle smarts comes a downside, and his downside is his illiteracy. He does feel embarrassed he’s the only alter who can’t read, but he doesn’t know that a lot of Decepticons share the same problem. (Maybe not ‘i literally can’t read a single thing on this page’, but certianly ‘uhhh…One….Fisuh…Twoh…Fisuh…’)

His only close friend is AstroTrain, as they both fought (Autbots and each other) on Earth, with a lot of time to spare. Though, he only sees him as a friend. He might be willing to give romantics a shot, but he doesn’t know, as nobody would be willing to do that. (More than one reason why)

Crazy/Childish

Kidish, Commanding, Carefree, Creative, Blissful, Uplifting, Annoying, Intolerant, Energetic, Adventurous, Jovial, Effeminate, Irritable, Clingy, Venal, Messy, Innocent, Undisciplined.

Unlike the other personalties, he feels a much larger range of emotions. He can be angry, calm (as much as crazy can be), but he can also be sad, happy, bored, scared, and will love anyone and anything. And since he’s the most emotional, it’s a lot harder for the other alters to take over when he’s fronting, and they have to catch him off guard (crying, sleeping, etc) to get control back, and keep him down for a while.

He was suppressed while in the hold of the Quintessons, both Icy and Anger not wanting him to come out and be ruined by what was happening, and they somehow managed to do that for years.

His friend is BumbleBee, yes the autobot BumbleBee. They met during the earth wars, and ever since, He’s been enamored by him, even bringing him to his base and accidentally making him a prisoner. (He had good intentions)

In human terms, he’s very dog-like. He’s clingy to anybody who’s nice to him, overly happy, energetic, playful, and messy. Looking at their room, it’s clear BlitzWing lets Crazy out the most there, probably because he keeps him cooped up in his head for long periods, and their room is the one place where BlitzWing is fully comfortable letting him go wild in. He’s drawn on the walls, has his things all over the room, but the one place HE KNOWS not to go near, is their shared self, where all three personalities share VERY PERSONAL things to remember.

He isn’t disciplined by the Decepticons, being treated more as a child than an actual member, knowing eventually he’ll switch back to a different, more competent one. He’s easily bribed to doing anything, but doesn’t always get what he’s promised because usually they’ll switch before they have to. (Usually convincing him to do missions and jobs.)

ALSO because he isn’t disciplined, he doesn’t understand what anything he does is wrong, unless the alters go out of their way to tell him. If someone ignores him, refuses to do things with him, or doesn’t let him do things, he’ll get upset. (Though more times than not, he doesn’t get his way anyways.)

He assumes that anyone who’s even slightly nice to him really likes him. To anybody who isn’t firm or stands up to him, he will not shut up, will not let go, and he has no dignity for himself.

so, that’s all we got so far! This post will be updated if new information comes about, and if anyone does have DID and wants to correct me on something, please do so! I don’t want to offend any of you! I strive to be well informed!

[sweetlikehoneystingslikeabee]

Could I request riddlers with a s/o who has vitiligo?

"S/O with vitiligo" Riddler party ask

Of course! Just be aware as I do not have vitiligo or know anyone personally with vitiligo my understanding is based upon research and not experience. That being said, if I make mistakes please let me know so I can correct them. A little shorter on these!

tw: none

Gotham

Have you ever wanted an info-dump about vitiligo? Because you're going to get an info-dump about vitiligo. What potentially causes it, the different treatments, the historical origin of the word Vitiligo- Did you know vitiligo used to be associated with leprosy? Which is simply ridiculous since they're nothing alike-

It may come off annoying or even incredibly tone-deaf but it's because he finds you as a person so fascinating. He wants to show his interest in you and that he cares! Redirect him if it gets to be too much and he'll apologize and move on.

60s

He knows what vitiligo is. But more in the sense of textbooks and medical journals. He's never met someone quite like you and, embarrassingly, he at first thought it was a new fad of theater makeup. He'd wondered how you made the forms so fluid and unique along your skin...

Now that he's aware though, expect a constant stream of creative compliments relating to the "artistry" of your markings. How they curve and accentuate your being. There's something almost scandalous about touching you- to him, you have the beauty of a painting in a museum.

Btas

Well, sweetheart, aren't you a beauty? Have you the wits to match? He makes a point of being clear that appearances are low on the rankings of things that matter. However, it's certainly a nice bonus that he can look at you for hours on end <3

There will come a time you both forget sunscreen and both of you burn. You because of the lack of pigment making your skin vulnerable. Him because he is a white man with red hair. At least you can rub aloe on the others sunburns and take care of each other the day after!

Arkham

Honestly at some point he's seen a bit of everything so vitiligo, while rare, he doesn't even give a second glance. Were you expecting some kind of reaction? Sorry to disappoint you.

While it goes without saying all of them would defend you if some asshole decided to make a comment, Arkham is ESPECIALLY ready to go off when needed: "Do you know how rare vitiligo is? Not only do they possess leagues more intelligence than you, in addition to their attractiveness- they're also more interesting and unique than you could ever hope to be."

And if anyone asks any intrusive questions? He's going to tear them a new one.

Telltale

Honestly he's incredibly neutral about it. He doesn't say much about you having the condition unless you bring it up. It might seem standoffish but for him that's how he shows respect for you, by not making a deal out of it.

Expect him to be testy about you taking any potential autoimmune medication and sunscreen, though. And downright hostile if anyone thinks to make any comments or "cute" nicknames you didn't ask for.

Zero year

Oh, his cute little rabbit- Hm? The pet name? After the harlequin rabbit, of course. A rare breed prized for their unique dual-colored fur patterns. It's fitting for his Aphrodite/Adonis. His extraordinary love who should always recognize their beauty.

Guess who ALSO has skin really sensitive to sunburns? Like BTAS, his red hair and fair toned skin means he BURNS in the sun. So you'll never forget sunscreen... because he'll be applying his right before offering to do yours.

2022/Nashton

If you're self conscious about it at all, he's going to kiss every single mark. Drag his fingertips along the edges where the soft white patches begin. You're going to feel loved if he has anything to say about it. He knows what it's like to feel that self-loathing that sits in the pit of your stomach.

He's going to actually literally murder anyone that makes you uncomfortable or hurts your feelings. Or at minimum sick his online following on them and ruin their day if not week, month or year. Put you down?! How DARE they? They aren't even worthy of looking at you!

[theoddshq]

RIGBY MATTOCK (jonathan daviss fc) the odds are in your favor! Please report to your nearest Capitol Agent to be prepped for the 74th Annual Hunger Games!  

ooc

Alias/Age/Pronouns/Timezone: mark, 27, he/him, est Triggers: [REDACTED] If you had to describe your muse as a canon Hunger Games character, or mix, who would you compare them to and why? another unhinged combo, but he’s a mix of peeta and gale. his entire life has been about his family and taking care of others and being responsible, and now he has to be his own person and do whatever it takes to return home. it’s…jarring for him Anything else? i did it :-) 

basics

[JONATHAN DAVISS, CIS MAN, HE/HIM] The 74th Annual Hunger Games are upon us and here comes RIGBY MATTOCK, a DISTRICT 11 TRIBUTE. Word around The Capitol is that they’re INTELLIGENT AND DIRECT but can also be CALCULATING AND FLIPPANT. According to sources, they’re 29 and were once described as the weight of the world on your shoulders, unhealthy coping mechanisms, clothing patched over and over again, always thinking three steps ahead, smiling so hard your eyes squint. What a character! As we always say, may the odds be ever in their favor!

biography

the mattock family was never quite the poorest of the poor in district eleven, but they were close. perhaps the top of the lower class, if such a spot existed. not that anyone in district eleven would ever make the distinction. poor was poor, but they all helped each other out.  rigby is the oldest of seven, an accident born when both of his parents were still of age to be reaped. it was no secret that he wasn’t planned, but they never loved him any less. after they were both safe from the games, they had another child, and another, until their farmhouse was crawling with kids and he was helping his father build a shoddy excuse for an addition just to fit them all under one roof.  he never formally went to school, spending his days helping his father on the farm as soon as he was old enough to hold a hoe. his mother taught him to read and write as best as he could, something he has always clung onto. she instilled a love of books in him he never expected, and as the years have gone on, it’s become an escape to him.  life was never easy for the mattock family, but the past couple years have been downright terrible. his mother died shortly after the twins were born, and his father couldn’t cope. he worked himself to the bone, unable to let himself grieve. six months ago he became ill, and he never recovered. at only 23, rigby became the man of the house. more than anything, he worries what will happen to his siblings if he doesn’t survive the games. sure, they have aunts and uncles and neighbors to watch over them while he’s gone, but if he doesn’t make it back? what then? 

writing sample

[REDACTED]

stats

Deceive - 1 Fight - 2 Lore (knowledge) - 3 Notice - 1 Physique - 2 Provoke - 1 Rapport - 2 Resourcefulness - 3 Stealth - 2 Will - 3

[pillow-anime-talk]

tears.

request: hello there, idk if requests are open cuz it says open and then closed but here i am, trying. if not, i dont wanna bother :c but, could you please do some rengoku angst? still not over it, love him and your writing ♡♡♡.

# tags: scenario; current relationship; light romance; drama; hard angst; crying; mention of blood & death; mugen train; snow hashira!reader; rather sfw

includes: gender neutral reader ft. kyojuro rengoku + tanjirou kamado, zenitsu agatsuma, inosuke hashibira and akaza in the background {kny}

author’s note: hi! hope this is what you asked for :D thank you so much!

The moment you heard a terrified voice, or rather the scream of a young swordsman with slightly burgundy hair, made your heart stop for a short moment. As soon as possible and with the last of your strength, you ran towards your partner, who at that moment was fighting against a young demon. With the Eighth Form, you froze the ground under your feet, thanks to which the front of the train stopped burning, and Akaza’s legs were trapped in the ice.

“Kyojuro!” Your loud scream made each of them turn towards you. The blood dripping from your right collarbone and the visible scabs on your forehead were a painful sight for your fiancé, but he was glad you were safe. After all, he was the one who asked you to annihilate the second demon, and he had a feeling that you would cope with this task. As soon as you shielded the three children and the Flame Pillar with your body, you made a slight amusement on the demon’s face.

“Is this another toy for me? King Muzan didn’t say anything about you... Are you a new addition to the Demon Slayer Corps?” His mocking voice only caused more anger in your body. You immediately took advantage of his moment of inattention.

Third Form: Snow rain

Your quick cuts with blue weapon quite effectively chased the demon away from the five of you, so you ran to the injured men as fast as possible, asking if everything was okay. After all, you were also a good medic, and you always enjoyed talking with Shinbu about healing people and potions against demons. Fortunately, apart from a few scratches and bruises, everyone was fine.

“Y/N, please take the boys and get out of here.” Kyojuro grabbed your left arm and you immediately shook your head.

“You know that I’ll never leave you.” You smiled softly and the man just rolled his both, shiny eyes.

Your moment was destroyed, of course, by a nervous demon that ran towards you. You instantly grabbed Zenitsu and Inosuke by their clothes, jumping to a safe distance. Rengoku did the same, but saved Tanjiro from a rampaging demon.

“Boys. Listen.” You turned to two teenagers, and they turned their attention to you. “I let you swear and destroy nature around us, we have to beat this freak.” You kind of made a joke, and in a way your voice seemed to be the most serious tone in the world. The two younger people just nodded. “However, if you feel threatened, please step back.” You added at the end and then moved towards Akaza using the other Forms of your Breathing.

Your cold snow and your fiancé’s hot flames were a perfect match. The Water Breathing along with yours made sharp needles of ice, while Zenitsu and Kyojuro were great at working on the fiery lightning. Inosuke has been an amazing support to all of you, straining his own hearing and physical strength.

“You two. You’d be nice demons.” At one point, your opponent turned to you and the second Hashira, and you just laughed.

“You know, hardly anyone would want to reduce their strength and intelligence. You, as demons, are quite weak and extremely stupid.” You spoke honestly, which only annoyed the monster; he focused on you once more. Luckily, your partner reacted and pushed him away again with his katana.

Your fight continued for a few more minutes; although time passed very fast, for the five of you passed slowly. You felt like you were in a time loop where the temperature and lighting changed every short second. Each of you bravely pushed the demon off the train, and you even cut off his arm. At some point, however, you and Kyojuro, seeing that the swordsmen younger than you were getting more and more tired, allowed yourself to use your techniques to push them away from the battlefield as well. Although Tanjirou and Inosuke have sworn they still have the strength to fight, you did not allow them to continue the battle by your side.

With your hot heart you fought side by side with the Pillar of Fire. At one point you decided to use your quite similar techniques which together created a kaleidoscope of colors and water vapor.

Fifth Form: Flame Tiger

Fifht Form: Snow Leopard

You managed to hurt the demon, however at one point you noticed a strange bloodlust in his both eyes, and the movement of his hand was enough to protect the second Pillar with you whole body again.

Suddenly you felt a strange feeling of chill that wasn’t caused by your Breathing Style. It was something... different, unknown, strange.

“... Y/N?”

“My dearest...?”

When the flames were gone, the snow melted and the dust fell to the dirty ground, three young swordsmen shouted your first or last name.

“I guess the demons aren’t that weak after all, are they?” He asked with a huge smirk and you just spat out some light blood from your mouth. Your lungs and head ached, and for the first time in a long time, your eyes, feet and stomach stung so much.

“You’re still weak. The sun is about to kill you, you stupid creature. For me, it’s pleasant, so relaxing. This is what makes us different from each other.” You whispered and the demon looked up. He quickly took his hand out of you and then ran towards the dark forest. Blond-haired immediately followed him, and the boys younger than you ran up to your body, slowly laying you down on the sand and damaged grass. “Boys, don’t cry. Next time you’ll beat him. I believe it.”

“... We’ll beat him together, Y/N-san.”

“You are definitely right.” You smiled. “Take care of Kyojuro, okay? He’s very sensitive, although he doesn’t look like that.” You whispered, and they just nodded. “I love you all very much. Eat a lot and grow up healthy.”

When your fiancé returned, his eyes were full of tears and blood. Your delicate body, or more specifically your head, lay on Tanjiro’s lap while Zenitsu covered your belly with his black-yellow haori. Inosuke didn’t know what to do at the very beginning, but then he took off his mask and touched your hair as gently as he could. They were still soft and shiny.

Kyojuro simply fell to his knees at the sight of it and crawled to you, screaming towards the sky for someone to take him, not you. He shouted that he should die, not you.

Definitely no one had ever seen the Flame Pillar like this before; always joyful, full of energy and love for people, the man was now a bundle of sadness, guilt and tears. And as he hugged your increasingly stiff body tightly, he felt a stronger and stronger feeling of hatred, anger and fear within him, and there was one sentence in his head that spoke of his desire to avenge you.

[whiskeyswriting]

Always The Second Choice Chapter 2: Last Resort

{ Masterlist } | { Previous Part }

As soon as the doctors gave her the all clear the next morning, Lily went home to her apartment. She knew Perry would yell at her, so she just logged on to work without letting anyone know. She takes her time reviewing the layout of the newspaper articles.

Lily is starting to nod off with her laptop on the verge of falling when a knock at her door startles her. “Coming,” she calls out to whoever is at the door.

“Delivery.”

“Be right there,” she stands slowly, careful not to open the wound on her side. When she opens the door, the man before her is just as surprised to see her as she is to see him.

“Mr. Luthor? What are you doing here?” Lily asks and carefully tightens the robe around her.

The man before brings his arms from behind and gives her a folder. “Your hospital bill is paid for. Why didn’t you tell me you were being discharged?”

“Because I don’t usually talk to strangers about what’s going on in my personal life… And I’ll pay you back for the hospital bill. I never asked for you to pay it.”

His only response is to smirk and stare at her until she relents and accepts. Lily catches on to his game and crosses her arm and raises her brow at him. “Two can play this game.”

He leans forward and kisses her cheek. “Well I’m glad you’re home and that your injuries were not severe… If you ever need anything, my number is in the folder. It’s also saved in your phone,” he says before he turns and walks away.

She stares in disbelief at his retreating figure. She has no response for him. Huffing in annoyance, Lily steps back inside her apartment and checks her phone.

Sure enough, Lex Luthor was saved on her contacts list. She opens the contact and shoots him a text. 

Lily: Alexander Joseph Luthor! Sir please don’t feel the need to pay any additional medical bills for me. I can pay them off on my own. Even if it takes me a while.

Lex: First off, call me Lex. Not Alex or Alexander. But Lex. 

Lex: Secondly, I made a donation to the hospital and that’s how the donation was used. I don’t pay stranger’s bills.

Lily: I mean this with all respect but I don’t know you. I…

Lily: I know how it is with rich people. They pay off your debt and then treat you like they own you.

Instead of a text reply, Lily’s phone starts ringing. “Is that truly how you think of me?”

“I’ve seen the news articles. I’ve seen parts of the police reports. You, Lex, have given people plenty of reasons to not trust you.” 

Lex remains quiet for a moment. “Ah. I know. You’re more into the silent hero type. Into the Clark’s of the world… Well doll, let me be honest with you: he’s not worth your time. He won’t know how to treat a woman like you. In due time, you’ll tell me I was right.”

Lily hangs up on Luthor. Grumbling and mumbling under her breath, she finishes work and goes to bed. 

When she wakes up, Lily knew she had to try her last resort and decided to outright ask Clark out on a date. While nobody could see it, she wore her sexiest lingerie for a boost of confidence. 

Just after lunch, she walked up to Clark and asked him out for the next night. 

“Oh… Uh,” Clark looks at her a bit bewildered but then nods. “I… Yeah. I’ll go on a date with you.” From behind Lily, Jimmy gives Clark two thumbs up. 

Lily smiles widely. “Okay! Cool. We can meet up at the cafe downstairs and then head to a restaurant or movie or the museum…”

“It’s a date,” Clark says.

Once Lily leaves, Jimmy goes to ask Clark about what the plan is. Jimmy knew Clark just needed to get out there again to start moving on from Lois. Who else would be better for Clark than Lily? They had the same likes and interests. Both were highly intelligent. 

“I just… I don’t think I’m ready for anything.”

“She didn’t propose marriage, Clark. It’s just a date. Maybe she just wants to spend some one on one time with you and see if there’s anything there… Or maybe she just wants to feel needed and wanted.”

“I gave her my word. I’ll go.”

Jimmy just nods but thinking better of it he knows the plan he had would work. He returns to his desk and finishes nominating Lily for the charity date auction.

******

As she changes, Lily feels the excitement and nerves hitting her at full force at the same time. She slips on her coat and heads to the agreed upon coffeeshop. She orders her latte with lavender syrup.

Waiting for Clark, she takes out her tablet and opens the latest ebook she was reading. Lily drowns out the noise and loses herself in the book. The story of unrequited love and duels and dragons was too good to stop reading.

When she comes back to reality, she realizes that it had already been two hours and Clark never showed up. She checked her phone and there was no missed call or unread text messages explaining his delay.

She can feel the heat of people staring as she walks out alone, after being stood up. Instead of heading home, she heads to the hotel down the street and heads to the bar. 

Once inside, the televisions were all playing the news of Superman saving a plane from crashing. The news reporter, who is live, asks for a statement from one of the plane passengers. That’s when the camera pans over to Lois. Lois throws her arms around Superman and he flies off with her.

Immediately, Lily asks for a shot of tequila and she downs it as soon as it’s placed in front of her. She orders another and then another. 

Lily feels her shoulders drool and her body relax as the liquor takes over. She asks the bartender for two glasses of water. “Actually can I also get two Long Island iced teas?”

The bartender places the requested drinks in front of her, along with a few bottles of water. Lily sits at the bar nursing the drinks. 

She starts humming to herself “I want her long blond hair… want her magic touch… Yeah, 'cause maybe then… You'd want me just as much.” 

“A bottle of your finest whiskey please and two glasses,” a voice says next to Lily.

“You have a habit of following me… Are you a stalker?” Lily slurs teasingly at Lex. 

He chuckles and takes in her outfit, letting his eyes linger on the exposed skin of her leg. “I don’t have to stalk you in my apartment building. You’re the one that came here to the bar.” 

“Hmmm. I had a date… But I’m not… I’m not as beautiful as HER… I’m giving up on Clark. I’ll never measure up to perfect Lois,” Lily says under the influence of the tequila. 

Lex has the bartender take away the secon, untouched drink. “Close out her tab and add her total to mine.” He then has Lily drink two of the bottles of water. “Come on. We’re getting you up to a room to rest. You’ll be hungover soon if you stay down here drinking.”

Lex helps her down from the barstool and wraps an arm around her waist as he helps her up to his apartment. 

“You smell expensive,” Lily mumbles as she has her head against his chest. “Comfy,” she says as she nuzzles into him. 

He clears his throat as they’re not alone in the elevator. “Babe. I know it’s our honeymoon but don’t get too comfortable on my chest.”

Lily looks up at him and smiles and then gasps. “We’re married?”

Lex nods. “Mhmm. You just drank too much in celebration,” he says for the benefit of the other passengers in the elevator. He also knew his conversation would make front pages of The Daily Planet. 

Once they make it to his floor, he picks her up bridal style to carry her to his apartment. Lily nuzzles in closer to him for warmth. Lex unlocks the door and walks her to the master bedroom and gently lays her on his bed.

Lily struggles for a bit but she manages to fall asleep. The scent and warmth of the comforter keep her asleep. When she woke up the next morning, she found a sleek three-piece suit with a note for her.

Lily went to the bathroom and decided to shower to freshen up. She changes into the suit and heads to work. Before leaving she left a note to Lex thanking him for his time and care.

Upon arriving at the office, Lily finds a breakfast sandwich and a coffee on her desk. Sitting on her chair was Clark, holding a second bag with a pastry. “I’m sorry about last night… I… I have no excuse.”

She wants to yell that she deserves an explanation. That a call would have been nice. Hell. Even an outright rejection would have hurt less. Instead, she just says in a whisper “I know she’s back. I saw you two last night. I’m glad her plane landed safely.”

With those words, Lily tells Clark she knows that he’s Superman.

- -

🏷️ List: @askmarinaandothers @dragon-kazansky @bayisdying

[sleeping-on-cracking-ice]

Hi, I have an idea for Chishiya if it's okay! He have something going on with Kuina's friend, and after she didn't came back from a game everyone thought that she died, but she actually just left (she didn't want to become too attached to Chishiya maybe?) and 1 month later the militants found her and Chishiya is rather cold toward her because she left him without saying anything. Happy ending if possible, please

Thanks for requesting, here you go. Enjoy! 🥰

Home | Shuntaro Chishiya

{Alice In Borderland Masterlist}

Character(s): Chishiya (ft. Kuina, Niragi)

Summary: You run away from the beach, but soon were found by the militants again. Chishiya, your closest companion, is mad when you return for not saying anything.

Warning: mention of sexual harassment, swearing, grieving, heavy angst

Word Count: 4.8k

*reader is female

Author’s Note: I’m sorry if the ending is a bit cliché, but I really enjoyed writing this one!

“I’m so sick of this shit Kuina. She’s gone. What the hell do we do now?”

Chishiya and Kuina sat on the top roof of The Beach. Their legs were dangling over the edge, above the groups of people who sang their hearts out over the loud music. They couldn’t be down there themselves, not that night.

“It’s so unfair,” Chishiya grumbled, rubbing his stained eyes with his hands. “I hate how everyone just moves on like nothing happened.”

Kuina sniffled, trying to control her runny nose as she listened to Chishiya’s pained words. “Look Chish, it was going to happen to one of us three at some point, it just happened to be Y/N.” Kuina tried to keep her voice stable, but the occasional voice crack gave away her sadness.

“Yes I know, but it still hurts so fucking bad.”

You hadn’t returned from your game. You hadn’t returned back to Chishiya and Kuina. You hadn’t returned home.

*******

“Oi Y/N! Slow the hell down!”

You heard Kuina yell out to you from down the hall. You laughed at her desperate attempt to catch up while Chishiya walked at his own pace watching you guys.

“Why are we suddenly having a race?! We have all day to get down to the pool!” Kuina called out. You stopped in your tracks and turned around to face her. “I want to get down there before the sun comes out and everyone wakes up! Don’t you want to have it just for us three for a while?”

“I suppose so,” Kuina breathed out heavily.

Chishiya’s lips pulled up into a smile as he watched you too bicker. “Oi you two. Be quiet. People in these halls are still sleeping,” he said.

Kuina turned to Chishiya and pulled a mocking bored face towards him. “Well you’re fun this morning,” she muttered in a sarcastic tone.

All three of you made your way to the pool on the bottom floor of The Beach, tripping and shoving each other playfully while giggling. You hardly ever did this together, because Chishiya always slept until noon, so you were excited about having the pool to yourselves before the sun came up.

When you reached outside, your chatters and the sound of your bare feet on the pavement broke the silence of the night. You hoped that Hatter kept the windows closed to his suite because you knew if you woke him up he would come down and beat your asses for being awake so early.

You looked over towards the pool that was still lit up with underwater neon blue lights from the night before. You’d think that they would shut all the lights off at least to save a bit of electricity, but apparently not.

Kuina had thrown her towel down carelessly on a nearby deck chair and was now chasing after Chishiya, who powered his short legs to try and escape her.

“Chishiya you’re going in the pool! You can’t chicken out forever!” she yelled as she caught up to him and wrapped her strong arms around his waist.

You could tell the years of martial arts training paid off for Kuina as she lifted Chishiya into her arms like he weighed nothing. “Bitch, put me down! I don’t want to go in the pool! Why is that such a crime!?”

You doubled over in laughter as Kuina held the cat-like blonde in her arms, him squirming more violently as she got to the side of the pool.

“Goodbye!” she yelled and dropped him into the pool. His screaming cut off as he was submerged into the water. You walked over and placed your stuff down, listening to Kuina and Chishiya bickering in the background.

It was a shame that you were planning on walking out on these guys. But in a world like this, the bad moments really outweighed the good ones.

“Alright you’re next!” you heard behind you, making you snap out of your short daze.

“Wait, no!” you bellowed as Kuina repeated the same thing she did with Chishiya. This time, it was his turn to laugh at you.

“Jesus christ woman. The fuck got you so lively this morning?” you laughed at Kuina, who gracefully dived into the pool to tease you two.

You felt Chishiya tuck his chin on your shoulder gently, taking you by surprise. “I guess we got to act as happy as we can now. Our five day visa ends tonight.” Chishiya mumbled to you two.

The air around the three of you suddenly became stiff at the mention of the games. You lifted your hand and placed it on Chishiya’s damp hair. “It’s alright, it was a fun and relaxing five days while it lasted,” you said cheerfully.

“Don’t say that like as if you’re going to die,” Chishiya scolded you. “You won’t die, none of us three will.” He was trying to reassure himself that he would come back from his game with you all happy and healthy waiting in the lobby for him. He hoped for that exact reality every time he had to leave you to restore his visa. He panicked even when you were ten minutes later than usual. It was a constant battle with anxiety when it came to caring for you in a world like this.

But unfortunately, while Chishiya was willing to fight against the growing anxiety that came with loving you, you didn’t want anything to do with it.

You and Chishiya have been as tight as two peas in a pod since Kuina introduced you. Kuina and you happened to meet at a diamonds game that was further in the centre of the city which was where you appeared in the game. She was nice enough to take you back to The Beach, because she thought that your intelligence and gentle personality would be useful.

But the plan of using you for Kuina and Chishiya’s own personal gain went out the window when both of them built a strong connection with you. They tried so hard to stop it, but in the end, they decided to make you an addition to their little manipulative games with the others. A mysterious duo became a peculiar trio.

That’s when Chishiya began to notice other things he felt.

He began feeling an irrational attachment to you, always wanting to be around you and always wanting to make sure that you were safe. You began noticing his additional little quirks as well, as soon you both fell for each other, without the other knowing of course.

Kuina obviously knew, as she was incredibly observant. She always kept her mouth shut though, wanting to see the drama play out in front of her. It was entertaining at times.

“You two are cute,” she gushed at you and Chishiya, holding a cheeky smile on her face.

Chishiya tucked his face into your neck to hide his blush, but it only made your heart skip a beat. “Shut up,” he mumbled into your skin.

You sighed heavily as he kept his place there, snaking his arms around your waist. This was honestly normal. The closer you’ve gotten with Chishiya, the less shy he’s been to convey physical affection. You loved and hated it at the same time, because you knew the more he made your heart race, the harder it would be to leave him.

At times you thought you’d rather deal with his cold and untrustworthy personality, like how he was when he first met you. It was easier to dislike him then, but now that his real personality has shown through, you realized how good of a person he actually seemed to be.

Chishiya never became close to someone, because he knew it would be hard to pull away when he needed to use them for his own survival. So he’s just always chosen to keep everyone at a distance.

You on the other hand, you hadn’t fallen down the deep whole of caring fully for someone in this world, but you knew you were about to stumble off the edge.

While Kuina and Chishiya waited to renew their visas, you waited to run away from the stress of waiting for your friend’s potential deaths.

******

You, Kuina and Chishiya trudged down the steps that led to the lobby. Hatter had called everyone to meet there a few minutes ago to prepare for the games. Hearing the familiar bell ring throughout the so-called paradise made your heart weaken. It was calling you to your end, every single time.

The trio of you took your usual place towards the back of the lobby, leaning against the cement walls and looking over everyone’s heads. How weird it felt, that by the time you gathered here next, the number of people would reduce by a couple dozen. It made your stomach sink in remorse. You truly were nothing more than soldiers fighting a war that wasn’t your own.

You looked down at your own feet, beginning to feel guilty about your plan of running away. The people you would abandon, the friends who would miss you. And even they can’t come find you, but you knew it was for the best. For both you and them.

You felt something tickle your hand. You glanced your eyes down to see that it was Chishiya, trying to sneak his hand into yours as Hatter began his booming speech across the crowd. You looked up to the blonde’s face, but he was focused on Hatter. You smiled sadly and accepted his hand into yours, earning a soft squeeze from him.

Kuina placed her head on your shoulder, leaning closer towards you. It was as if they knew, and they were trying to get you to change your mind. You felt tears building up in your eyes, but quickly wiped them away with your hoodie sleeve before anyone noticed.

Damn. You were never going to forget them.

******

Chishiya sat in the leather lounge in the lobby. He had just arrived back from his spades game. Wasn’t too difficult, for him at least.

Only now he was stressing inside, leg bouncing up and down on the carpet quickly. He knew you wouldn’t return for a good while, but yet he always was worried about you. No matter the situation.

Niragi didn’t help the situation. He strolled over earlier with a few of his militant mates and roughed Chishiya up for a bit. He honestly wasn’t in the mood for their antics, so he didn’t fight back much. They eventually got bored and walked away.

There hardly was anyone in the lobby, it was strangely quiet.

Chishiya looked towards the entrance to the lobby where a small group of people just walked in from. He recognized them as the group Kuina was placed with, so he stood up from his seat and quickly made his way over.

He managed to spot Kuina walking by herself at the back of the group. Chishiya let out a relieved sigh and strolled up to her. “Thank god you’re okay,” he said, giving her a short hug. “You too,” she replied.

They walked back over to where Chishiya was sitting beforehand and sat down. “Do you know who Y/N went with?” Kuina asked.

“No idea, I had to leave with my group before hers,” he answered.

They both sat in silence for a while, hearts squeezing in on themselves from tension.

As group after group piled into the lobby and moved to go to the back pool to celebrate their wins. While their hearts and minds were overflowing in joy of surviving, Chishiya’s and Kuina’s slowly became heavier and heavier with grief.

One of the last groups finally came back, being a few hours later than everyone else. Chishiya searched the small crowd for your familiar face, but didn’t see it.

“Kuina,” he started with a tense voice. “Don’t say it,” she immediately cut him off. “Don’t say anything Chish. She’s fine, I know it.”

That became harder and harder to believe the later into the night it got. Soon enough, no one was left in the halls and the lobby, either gone to bed or stayed out in the pool area.

Chishiya didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t feel anything. His body was tired from the constant tensing, the constant anxiety.

He stood up abruptly and looked towards Kuina, who had her head in her hands. He gave her a sad smile, and reached his hand out to help her up. “Come on, let’s go to the roof like old times,” he smiled, fighting the tears building up in his eyes.

*********

When they reached the top of the building after climbing many annoying flights of steps, Chishiya tilted his head back to feel the wind blow around his head. He opened his eyes and saw the galaxy of stars above him. ‘So weird,’ he thought to himself. ‘In a horrible place like this, such beautiful things can still exist.’

Kuina and Chishiya sat on the edge of the roof, feet dangling off the edge. Complete silence took over them. Neither of them knew what to say.

Kuina broke her gaze off the staggering height of the drop below them and glanced at Chishiya. He was staring straight ahead of him, hoodie covering his face so she couldn’t see what he was looking at.

“Chish, are you okay?” Kuina asked quietly, leaning forward to try and see his face. It felt strange to her, having Chishiya be completely silent for a change. Usually he would be making a smartass comment or a teasing joke towards her or Y/N. It was like the happiness in him had drained out.

He didn’t answer for a short moment, but then he turned his head to look at Kuina in the eyes. Kuina was taken back.

Chishiya had pools of tears cascading down his pale face, mixing with the sweat that he still endured from the game. He let out no sobs and no cries. Just dry, empty tears running down his cheeks like doves flying down the edge of a cliff.

“No, I’m not okay,” he muttered to her. “This fucking sucks.”

*******

It had been a few weeks since your death, not that there was a huge difference at The Beach from your disappearance. Everyone carried on like normal, everyone except Kuina and Chishiya.

They became secluded, more than usual. Kuina spent most of her time in the hotel’s gym, trying to distract herself from everything that happened. She wanted to get stronger so she could win games, she knew that’s what you would have wanted.

Chishiya however, he wasn’t taking your death well at all. Chishiya lost his fire, his headstrong attitude and snappy remarks. He kind of disappeared himself, but only his body stayed.

He felt stupid at times. What would he have expected? Of course you died, knowing his luck. He began irrationally thinking, believing that the world took you away because he didn’t deserve someone as warm-hearted as you. He felt cheated almost. It was like the universe had you dangling on a string in front of him, and when he finally had the courage to reach towards you, it yanked you away out of his view.

When he was having particular hard days, he would lie on his bed in his room for hours, not bothering to get up for food or the bathroom. He felt numb inside, he honestly thought nothing would be able to hurt him anymore, because he’s endured the worst of his emotions.

The mirror in his room was smashed, due to his own doing. He broke it a few days after the incident, screaming into the stuffy air of his room and throwing one of his makeshift knives at it. He watched in pain as it crackled and crumbled under the impact, seeing his own reflection fall into a million pieces, much like how he was feeling at that moment.

He had never experienced this kind of hurt before. He always thought other people were being dramatic when they broke down crying after hearing their significant other or friend didn’t make it back to The Beach. He thought that it should’ve been expected, that they shouldn’t be surprised that it happened. But he guessed you never know what another person is feeling unless you experience it yourself.

But god, does he wish he didn’t, because it hurt more than a thousand knives to his cold, stone heart.

**********

One day, Chishiya was standing on the edge of a balcony that looked over the entrance to The Beach. He enjoyed standing up there because he loved the spectacular view of the ocean. It reminded him of his real home, when he used to ride his bike down to the beach with his friends and swim in the water for hours. He missed life when it was so easy for him.

The breeze was cool on his skin, giving him goosebumps. It felt refreshing and somewhat free, a small taste of bliss for him. His eyes were shut as he listened to the crows screech in the distance and the ocean waves hit the shore. The sound of nature rang in his ears, making his endorphins swirl in his brain.

It was a good break every now and then from the usual melancholy emotions that swarmed around him, keeping his happiness locked down in chains. While he was on that balcony, actually breathing fully and normally for once, his demons decided to let loose of the chains that held his sweet happiness trapped.

Chishiya opened his dark eyes and glanced downwards towards the bottom level and saw something that caught his eye.

A group of three militants seemed to have a young woman in their grasp, one of them being Niragi himself. Chishiya watched as they tried hard to hold the smaller person at bay, as she was thrashing around trying to escape.

He frowned, confusion painting across his face. That girl, she looked oddly familiar.

Niragi told the militants to bring her around the side of the building, where a small alley was located beside the entrance. Chishiya knew that’s where the militants dragged people to kill them off, they were planning on killing her.

Chishiya wondered what she did that was so bad. Hatter hardly ever gave the order to kill someone, unless the situation was betrayal or anything worse.

He moved himself along the balcony towards where the commotion below him was occurring. He wanted to hear what they were saying, because who knows what shit Niragi gets up to without Hatter knowing. It seemed a little too suspicious to be dragging someone to their death in broad daylight, especially where everyone could see.

Chishiya heard slight fragments of what they were yelling: “You thought- … run away?!” Niragi screamed in his psychotic voice. “Let go of-...! …could have just left me there!”

Chishiya felt his heart drop. That voice, it was all too familiar. How could he have forgotten what your voice sounded like.

He lifted his head and stared forward in shock. That couldn’t be right, you’ve been dead for weeks!

He thought for a second, trying to come to a possible conclusion with the horrific yells in the background of his mind. How is it possible you could still be alive?

That couldn’t be you, it just couldn’t be. Chishiya shook his head and chuckled. “The fuck am I thinking? Great, now I’m hallucinating. No one told me that was another stage of grief.”

He turned his body to walk back inside to look for Kuina, until he heard the young woman getting attacked yell again, this time, clear as day.

“Chishiya! Kuina!”

That was it. That was definitely you.

Chishiya lifted his legs and began sprinting towards the staircase inside. There was no doubt in his mind that that wasn’t you. The way you said his name was too real to not be you.

He tripped and stumbled down the stairs, almost falling flat on his face on one flight. He had to get there before you were dead, for real this time.

As he pushed his entire body weight against the entrance doors to the hotel, he pulled a small knife out his white hoodie pocket. He had made it out of glass from his broken mirror, considering that Hatter wouldn’t allow him to have his own weapons.

Your screams were much more prominent now, more desperate sounding and more fearful. The sound pierced through Chishiya as he made his way quickly around the side of the hotel.

There you were, being pinned against the wall by two militants while Niragi held the barrel of his rifle against your chest, right over your heart.

Chishiya yelled out, which probably wasn’t the best idea considering his current situation. It was three tall men with guns against a small, frail man with a makeshift knife.

“Chishiya! The fuck you doing here?” Niragi asked with a cheeky smirk on his face. God, Chishiya wanted to punch him so bad.

“Let her go Niragi, you don’t want this to get ugly do you?” Chishiya threatened, holding his glass knife out.

Niragi laughed along with the other two militants. You still struggled against their grip, seemingly more calm with Chishiya distracting them.

“How cute ‘ey? Little blonde twink coming to save the love of his life, how sweet of you.” Niragi pressed, pushing his rifle harder against you just to push Chishiya’s buttons.

“If you haven’t noticed Chishiya, she ran away! She never died like you thought she did! She ran away from The Beach, she ran away from you!” 

His words were like bullets in Chishiya’s chest. He felt belittled and mocked, he hated it.

“Shut up! She wouldn’t do that!” he yelled frustratingly.

“Oh really?! She wouldn’t?! Then explain why we managed to find her strolling the streets of Tokyo! Not a scratch on her, and she seemed smart enough to run away when she saw us.”

Chishiya’s scowl dropped on his face. He looked at you to see if you would deny it, but you had stopped struggling against the two men and hung your head low, not looking into his eyes.

He shook off the hurt he felt from this fact. He had to focus on getting you away from Niragi before he took time to think about other things.

“Niragi please. Just let go of her, I promise I’ll make it up to you,” Chishiya begged. He felt small, never has he ever begged for something in his life.

“Hmm? How though? I was just about to have some fun with her before I killed her off. Why should I give that up just because you want me to,” Niragi spat at him. Your eyes widened in fear and you thrashed around in the grip that the militants had on you, panicking from Niragi’s threat.

Chishiya thought for a second. He would honestly give anything to bring you over to him. “My cards. You can take credit for every card that I collect for a couple of months. If Hatter or Aguni asks, just say I’m slacking. I’ll take any punishment they throw my way.”

You saw Niragi consider it before lowering his weapon off of your torso. You breathed out heavily in relief.

“Fine, but don’t expect me to do this again. You can’t bribe me with everything you sneaky fuck.” Niragi growled. The two militants let go of you and followed him out of the alleyway and into the entrance of The Beach.

You leant against the wall, staring at Chishiya as he stared down at the ground below him. The air between you two was tense. You could tell he was mad, Chishiya was always silent when he was incredibly angry.

“Chish, I-”

“Don’t talk to me. Just come.”

Don’t get me wrong, he couldn’t have been happier to see that you were alive and well. But the betrayal he felt from the fact that you ran away from him greatly outweighed his happiness.

He walked briskly ahead of you, you didn’t dare walk next to him or too close to him. He was scaring you a bit, and you wanted nothing but to sprint to your own room and hide from the rest of the world.

You were embarrassed and also frustrated you were caught. Trust Niragi and his cocky ass to find you.

Chishiya stopped in front of his own room, opened the door and gestured for you to walk inside. You hesitated before slowly making your way through the door. You hated how tense it was, it was the complete opposite of what you usually felt when you were around Chishiya.

You sat down on his bed, sitting in an awkward position and looked towards Chishiya. It was complete silence as he was frozen at the door, back towards you and holding the door handle harshly.

“What the fuck Y/N?” he mumbled. It was almost inaudible, but you could hear pain in his words, which made you immediately feel guilty.

“What the fuck was that? You ran away!?” he turned and yelled at you, tears building up in his eyes.

You flinched as his loud voice. You had never heard him yell in anger before, usually he kept his calm. You looked down to the ground, feeling your own eyes fill with hot tears. You felt like you were back in high school with your parents screaming at you for running away from home.

“I THOUGHT YOU DIED!” he shouted louder, “DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH PAIN YOU PUT KUINA THROUGH?! HOW MUCH YOU PUT ME THROUGH?!”

You couldn’t breathe. Pain and suffering dripped off his words like rain on a roof, coming together and creating an atmosphere that held air that was unbreathable. You suffocated on the oxygen, making you choke and cause tears to begin running down your cheeks.

“Why!?” he cried. “Why did you run!? There was no reason, me and Kuina could have protected you if you were too scared! Why did you think that running away was the only option!?” Chishiya stumbled closer to you, almost tripping over his own feet.

You flinched heavily as he placed his cold hands on your shoulders roughly. They were shaking from trying to hold your sobs in.

“WHY DID YOU LEAVE-” “Chishiya!” you interrupted him by snapping your head up to meet your eyes with his. His face dropped as he saw the sadness behind yours, replacing the wonderful and cheerful happiness that once swam in your eyes like dolphins in a sea.

“I l-love you,” you mumbled out between your shaky breaths. “That was the problem Chish. I-I’m in love with you and it hurt too fucking bad to know that you could disappear out of my reach at any moment. I ran because I didn’t want to watch you and Kuina die!”

Chishiya’s own hands shook violently against your shoulders. He gazed into your eyes which were red and puffy from your tears. They were shining more now than they had ever before.

“You don’t have to leave Y/N,” he whispered, still trying to control his own breathing. “I want you here, next to me. Not out there, because when you’re out there, I can’t be with you.”

You nodded and smiled sadly. Chishiya pulled his hand from your shoulder and cradled your face gently. He swiped his thumb over your cheek to get rid of the tears there. “I love you too, but I can’t be without you.”

A grin crept onto your face as you looked into his eyes. You felt safer than ever in his arms, why did you think of ever leaving?

Chishiya wiped his own tears with his hoodie sleeve and put on a happier smile. “You want to know how pathetic I am without you?” he giggled and held your hands in his.

“I almost threw myself off the top of the hotel the night you didn’t come back. Kuina had to tackle me to the ground to keep me away from the edge.” he laughed at himself.

You chuckled along with him. “Imagine if you did! What a shocker it would’ve been if I came back and Kuina saw me alive after you killed yourself because you thought I was gone!”

You both sat on Chishiya’s bed and laughed at each other. You had to do it, humour is best in times of stress and anxiety.

*********

You opened your eyes slowly, only to be met with the blinding light of the sun seeping through the blinds. You hissed and turned your head the other way.

Chishiya chucked at your reaction, making his chest that was underneath your head vibrate. “So cute,” he muttered to himself.

You pushed your face deeper into his chest and breathed in his scent. It felt good to be back with Chishiya. It felt good to be home.

Author’s Note: oKaY so this ended up being a lot longer than expected. Please send in some requests if you have any! 🥰🥰

[deadpoetsmuses]

"inspiration". | neil perry, dps.

in which a summer is spent with the poets, with a significant feature of neil perry.

✧ title: "inspiration".

✧ pairing: neil perry x fem!reader.

✧ genre: fluff, with slight mentions of angst.

✧ word count: 2,733.

✧ warnings: written in headcanon format, home life mentions, the reader lives in meeks' grandma's house, knox being a simp for chris.

✦ author’s note: requested by @mybabysweetascanbe! it's kinda funky how i wrote this as a headcanon but it still ended up being my longest fic lmao. also i wrote the poem that neil made for the reader myself so i'm sorry if it's kinda cheesy 🗿 but i hope you all enjoy this one !! don't forget to take care of yourselves guys <3

✎ The summer holidays had always been a time for the poets’ relief.

✎ Their academic year was constantly filled with difficulties for the poets, but it was harder for some when they were home for the summer.

✎ Neil felt as though he couldn’t be himself-- he loved reading and writing even more so than he did with accomplishing any of his parents’ wishes, like heading into medical school. He especially loved to act, and it was rough to keep that concealed around his dictatorial father.

✎ Todd’s older brother would be at home as well, and it was worse enough being in his shadow; but it had gotten worse with every one of his parents’ daily proclamations.

“We were quite disappointed with your grades from last semester, son,” His father reprimanded, looking down on him with stern eyes. “I just don’t understand what’s gotten into you. Your mother and I raised you quite well and you have your brother to guide you along. You know that he’s remarkably intelligent and well accomplished. Why can’t you be more like your brother?”

✎ Charlie and Knox had been just like Neil. The constant pressure that their parents put on them about becoming a banker and a lawyer was daunting; and all they wanted was to simply live as regular teenagers without concern for their future.

✎ Fortunately, Meeks’ grandmother was a woman who had a colossal and motherly love for the poets with a sizable residence in which her grandson’s friends could inhabit during their vacation.

✎ Thus, the poets resided in the Meeks household in the summer before their senior year so as to escape the stress and troubles brought to them in their own homes.

✎ Even though the summer was fleeting and their time was short, the poets found their time to be everlasting when they met the student boarder of the house.

✎ She went by the name of Y/N, which was a name that sounded just as sweet as the lady to whom it was attached.

“Hello, everybody! I’m Y/N!” The girl said, reaching out her hand to shake one of the poets’. Truth be told, it had been quite some time since any one of the boys had been in close contact with a woman; so they found themselves to be quite the martians in the situation. It took a few moments before one of the poets-- Neil Perry-- could offer his hand and shake hers. “I’m Neil! We’re friends of Meeks and his classmates from Welton.” The boy swore that he felt a spark as their fingertips touched, but he tossed the feeling aside; along with the apparition that he saw of a faint glimmer in Y/N’s eyes.

✎ The boys instantly took her in to their little group, and they all fell in love with her personality-- which was a platonic statement of course; but Neil Perry found this to be otherwise as he actually began falling into love with the new girl.

✎ He loved the way she cared for her new friends, the way she projected her personality through the clothes she wore, and all of the little smiles she gave him.

✎ With every beam and twinkle that she delivered, Y/N found herself to be falling for Neil as well.

✎ He provided a feeling for her that made the blacks of her eyes expand and butterflies to quiver inside-- which was the very same one Neil had felt when he first laid his eyes on her.

✎ She had been a fantastic addition to the band of poets, and the boys could not have had it any other way.

Despite the summer coming into fruition, the poets did not fail to meet up in their little cave every once in a while to read poetry, discuss girls, and laugh. The first meeting of that summer was simply like any other. “Guys, what do we think of Y/N?” Meeks questioned. A clamor of answers that ranged between “I think she’s great,” and “Do you think Mrs. Meeks has any more people in her house like Y/N?” echoed in the dark cave. Clearly, the boys had favored Y/N; but certainly not to the point where they’d be infatuated with her. “Yeah, I think she’s nice. She’s really pretty too,” Knox added. “Woah there Knoxious,” Charlie replied, expelling out a chortle. “I don’t think Chris would like to hear that. And besides, she looks more like she’s Neil’s type than yours.” Charlie’s words weren’t incorrect, but it was needless to say that Neil had strongly agreed with that statement.

✎ Over the summer, they would all begin to get to know each other better.

✎ The poets eventually introduced Y/N to the intricate realm of poetry, and she wholeheartedly fell in love with every line that was recited.

✎ They enjoyed every moment of their fleeting time together. Of course, there would be times where the boys would get into small fights and bickers.

✎ Pitts would always be yelling at Charlie for taking an ungodly amount of time in the shower, while Charlie would be yelling back about how Pitts always seemed to inhale the food that Mrs. Meeks provided for them before he himself could even take one bite.

✎ Cameron did his best to do some summer reading at night, but he found it quite hard as his room was beside Knox’s room, and Knox would spend hours on end talking to Chris over the phone.

“Oh, Chris. How do I love thee?” Knox sighed, lacing the telephone cords in between his fingers. “That’s the title of a poem we learned in Mr. Keating’s class. It reminds me of how lovely you are. Of course, she’s not as pretty as you are,” Knox’s giggles not only erupted through the phone; but it travelled through the walls as well, disrupting Cameron from the climax of his novel. “We get it, Knox! You’re a romantic poet! Now why don’t you go tell Chris about how you finished with a D minus in English!”

✎ While all of the little squabbles took place, they hadn’t even noticed the slight change in Neil and Y/N’s behavior.

✎ Y/N seemed to be keeping to herself more often, while Neil appeared to have possessed an undying smile on his face around the poets; particularly in the mornings when everyone gets up early except for him and Y/N.

✎ Little did they know, Y/N’s room had been vacant for the past few days since the arguments began-- which was approximately three weeks after the boys had arrived to the Meeks’ residence; and Neil seemed to be giggling in his room every night when the rest were asleep.

✎ In the duration of those three weeks, Neil had become more familiar with Y/N than any of the other poets had been.

✎ They’d walk along the nearby river every morning, discuss poetry in the late afternoons, and eventually fall asleep in each other’s arms at night.

“How long have you been living here?” Neil inquired, peering into Y/N’s eyes. His vision didn’t have to stretch too far as his face had only been a breath away from Y/N’s. The pair laid together under the warm covers of Neil’s bed with their legs entangled in one another’s and their hands interlocked, talking about anything and everything that came to their minds. “It’s been two years since Mrs. Meeks took me in,” She replied, gazing over Neil’s chiseled face. “In the whole time I’ve been here, I think you’re the most interesting thing that’s happened to me,” Y/N added, beaming up at Neil. Hearing her words, Neil slowly leaned his lips onto Y/N’s forehead, giving her an endearing kiss. She too had been the most interesting thing to happen to Neil in a long time.

✎ For each and every day that they were together, Neil wrote love poems.

✎ His poems revolved around his time with Y/N and included detail of all sorts; such as how colors appeared to be more bright and more vivid when he was with her and how lovelier the birds had sounded in the morning during their walks.

"My love,

The luminosity of the golden sun

does not compare to the radiance

of your glowing skin.

In this air full of morning dew,

the most beautiful scent in the air

is still you.

The sounds we hear of the melodious

birds are all because of your presence,

and they sing only for your beauty.

I look into your eyes and I see nature

reflected back at me; but it is much more

pleasant to perceive than if I were to do so

through my own set of eyes.

Though the morning lasts for a mere set of hours,

My fascination for you can go for as long as

this smooth river flows.

✎ Neil felt embarrassed about being so infatuated with Y/N, so he kept his poems hidden for the time being.

✎ Somehow, the boys had failed to notice Neil and Y/N’s constant disappearance.

✎ Although, they’d make little remarks from time to time that ran along the lines of “Ooh, Neil found a muse!” and “Y/N definitely likes somebody here. It’s probably me.”

✎ The last comment came from Charlie, which later earned him a smack on the head from Neil.

✎ So, Neil and Y/N did their best to keep their relationship hidden throughout the summer.

✎ The two were rather domestic in their relationship; they did all of the typical-couple activities that everyone else had done.

✎ To anyone else it would have been rather common to witness, but to them it was simply extraordinary being with one another.

It had been a scenic day at the river that morning. The beauty of the nature surrounding it had been ordinarily pleasing to Y/N; but all of its best qualities were magnified for Neil as his hand was in hers and the only thing he could smell was her fragrance. He had been quite nervous for the entire morning as he promised himself the night before that he would finally gather the courage to say those three magic words he’d been imagining to say for quite some time. Unbeknownst to him, Y/N had been thinking the same and had been visualizing how she would say it at that moment for the past few hours since. Just when the cascading waters began to relax and the chirping of the birds started to quiet down, the pair stopped on their trail and those three words were finally professed by Neil in a sudden manner while Y/N had spoken the same in a clear and gentle tone. They looked into each other’s eyes, recognizing the same look of love and eventually realizing what was said. As it was acknowledged, the two lovers simply smiled at each other and kept walking along; their hearts now beating on the same rhythm and their minds thinking of nothing but one another.

✎ Time to time, they would go up to the attic and listen to the music from Mrs. Meeks’ old gramophone, caressing one another as they slowly dance along to the lyrics of Ella Fitzgerald’s songs.

✎ Neil would always sneak a flower out of Mrs. Meeks’ rose garden and leave it on Y/N’s bedside table for her to wake up to.

✎ One of Y/N’s ways of communicating her love would be recommending books to Neil that she thinks is encompassed with his personality. Since then, Neil’s library had enlarged to a great extent.

✎ There would also be some occasions where one of them-- mostly Neil-- would get a little cheeky and try to express their love for the other out in the open.

“Eat up, boys! You know there’s plenty more of where that came from, so don’t be afraid to dig in!” Mrs. Meeks endorsed, setting down a bowl of mashed potatoes. With a jubilant ‘thank you’, everyone at the table promptly began to tuck into the mouthwatering cuisine. The boys soon found themselves distracted with the heavenly taste of Mrs. Meeks’ cooking; and Neil took this opportunity to covertly sneak his right hand onto Y/N’s thigh under the table. A scarlet blush crept its way up to Y/N’s cheek as she sent Neil a glare. Though her eyes expressed the message of “Not here!”, every other signal in her body sent the message of ‘Yes, Please’ to a very triumphant Neil.

✎ The summer inevitably came to an end and the boys were forced to return to Welton, much to their dismay.

✎ They couldn’t stand ending their summer; and they especially couldn’t stand leaving their new friend behind while the rest of them stayed together.

“Oh God, How are we supposed to leave this beautiful girl all alone in this big house?!” Charlie pleaded, theatrically dropping down to his knees and shouting out loud to the heavens. “It’s all just too emotional for us,” Pitts added as he went along with his friend’s act, his head bowing down to the ground in grief as he placed a comforting hand on Charlie’s shoulder. “Just take me with her, God! Let me be with Y/N at her all-girls school!”

✎ Despite all of the inconveniences they put upon Y/N, the poets really did leave a mark on her. These boys showed her a new way of life-- she knows what ‘Carpe Diem’ means, and she knows how to seize her days because of them.

✎ Of course, Neil had a harder time coming into terms with their departure more than anyone else.

✎ Leaving the Meeks’ residence meant that he was leaving Y/N, which was something that he hadn’t prepared himself for.

“I’m not ready to leave you,” Neil confessed. Tears were beginning to form in his eyes, but he quickly blinked them away. After the individual hugs and goodbyes Y/N had given to the rest of the poets, the ill-fated time had come when she had to bid her own farewell to her lover. Neil believed that though their time was short and fleeting, it truly had been something special and something that he’ll never forget. Y/N was his first love, his first muse, his first everything; and no amount of riches could ever sum up to the prominence of that. Y/N placed her hand on Neil’s face, stroking away his tears with her thumb as she felt her eyes begin to swell up as well. “I’ll write to you every day, Neil.” Naturally, Y/N was on the brink of tears as well. She couldn’t bear to leave Neil after everything he’s shown her. It feels like she’s known him forever, yet everything felt so new and exciting with him. She loved him too much, and she knows she’ll continue to love him long after.

✎ Neil was afraid that she would forget about what they had soon after she had left, so he decided to give her all of the poems he had written about her.

✎ As her hands clasped the thick set of parchment, the tears she had been trying so hard to conceal had all poured out, staining the paper and her hands.

“Neil… these are beautiful,” She croaked. Her eyes skimmed over every title and date, realizing that there had been a poem for each and every splendid day that they had been together. “You’re beautiful, Y/N. That’s why I wrote these,” Neil corrected. “Everything I love about you is in these poems, and all of the love I have for you is written in each letter. I just don’t want you to forget about me while we’re apart.” The absurdity of Neil’s words made Y/N chuckle softly before she stepped forward and linked her hands around Neil’s neck, reducing the space between their lips. “I love you, Neil. You’re always going to be in my mind and you’ll always have my heart in the little pocket of your Welton blazer.”

✎ Y/N felt truly fortunate to have met Neil. This summer had come as quite a surprise for her-- she did not expect to fall in love so soon and with such an extraordinary person like Neil Perry. He was everything she’d ever looked for and he gave everything she deserved.

✎ Even though the bright days of the summer had ended and the early falling leaves of the autumn was yet to arrive, the change was of no concern as the only thing that mattered was what had been consistent-- and for Y/N and Neil, the thing that stood still for the two of them despite all odds was each other.

dedicated to these lovely people!! @mybabysweetascanbe @disagreeingpoets @catflowerbean @galaxyrhytm @nananostalgic @ughgclden @towriteabetterlife @neilsemeraldsweater @yourpal @willowestelle

[ootahime]

what is utahime’s role in the future? — a prediction (manga spoilers)

part 1 (unedited)

I WAS ABOUT TO POST IT BUT I ACCIDENTALLY DELETED IT AND I WAS SO HURT FR!!!!! I HAD REWRITE THIS ENTIRE THING </33

part 2 is here!

in this post, i will be analyzing the information we’ve been given about utahime so far to form a prediction about her future role in the jujutsu kaisen series. if you’re as interested in utahime’s character as i am, please feel free to keep reading :3 (i’ll also be talking about her relationship with gojo a bit too)

soukatsu_ on twt!

kaikaikitan on twt!

utahime iori is a semi-grade 1 sorcerer working as a student supervisor/teacher at kyoto jujutsu high school. she loves drinking beer and going to karaoke. she’s also close friends with shoko and she’s not particularly fond of gojo most of the time. what else do we know about her?

hates sweets (funny she’s the complete opposite of gojo)

she’s great at singing and it’s a huge part of her technique

squabbling with gojo became a reflex :3

everyone absolutely adores utahime

loves watching soccer and baseball

a terrible drunk (worse than naobito zenin)

gojo is her main source of stress

let’s dive into her personality and abilities!

chapter 65

before i get into it, i think it’d be best if i were to explain the timeline because a lot of people seem to be confused about this one particular thing. utahime is born on february 18th, 1987. contrary to popular belief, she is not 3 years older than gojo. it is november 2018 in the story because gojo was sealed on halloween. if gojo was born on december 7th, 1989, that would mean that right now, he is only 28 years old. he has yet to turn 29.

the year is 2007. gojo satoru is a second year at tokyo jujutsu high school. the japanese school year begins in april which suggests that gojo is only 17 at the time (even if it’s not april, it doesn’t look like winter yet so it’s unlikely that he’s already 18). utahime is 20 because it is past february. she is a 2nd grade sorcerer at the age of 20. that’s not bad at all!

chapter 65 introduces young utahime and mei on a mission together within a cursed site. in real time, they’ve been gone for two days which is a cause of concern for gojo, shoko, and geto because the two haven’t contacted anyone since the beginning of their mission.  the two begin to suspect something is wrong because the hallway markers they’ve set in place disappeared, and no matter how far they travel within the halls, the end is nowhere in sight.  mei theorizes that the cursed spirit is overlapping the space as they travel forward.  utahime agrees with this speculation and proposes a plan to escape the cursed spirit’s grasp by moving erratically.  notice how she says that if one of them should escape, they can try to attack from the outside or call for help.  if utahime was not capable of inflicting damage on anything then she would have told mei to escape and attack if she can while she waited to be rescued.  however, she didn’t.  she included herself in the sentence which leads me to believe that she is capable of going on the offense if needed.  

keep in mind that at this point in time, mei is a grade 1 sorcerer.  she is knowledgeable about all things involving jujutsu because she is experienced and skillful.  we can see this aspect of her character illustrated when she theorizes that the cursed spirit is messing with the space they’re in.  she chooses to go with utahime’s plan because she agrees that it’s the best action moving forward.  this verifies that utahime is an intelligent girl that’s able to get along with pretty much anyone.  

her intellect is demonstrated once again in chapter 79.  she was able to deduce the possibility of there being more than one traitor and the fact that one is probably a higher up.  she also narrowed down the mechamaru as the mole of kyoto not because he was acting suspicious but by process of elimination.  she thought thoroughly of his technique and how easy it would be for him to manipulate devices small enough to be undetectable.  

sure you can argue that she should already know all her students’ abilities and whatnot but you have to admit that it’s hard trying to sniff out the traitor when no one is acting suspicious.  in addition to that, how did she know that there was a traitor in the top brass?  i would have never guessed that tbh LOL (maybe bc im an idiot).

okay, now that we have established that she’s intelligent, let’s answer a more important question.  is utahime weak?

chapter 33

if gojo calls utahime weak, does that mean there is some truth to it?  well it is true that she is weaker than him because he’s the strongest and all.  in my opinion, he’s just teasing her.  he probably found that calling her weak is what really riles her up.  maybe i’ll talk about why he loves teasing her so much in a later post.  but anyway, gojo calls everybody and their mom weak.  he even said jogo was weak and we know how powerful that guy is.  gojo’s words alone do not indicate much about utahime’s power.  in fact, i don’t even think he has seen her use her technique yet.  he’s probably only ever heard of how it works.  this is what i think their conversation about her technique was like:

gojo: hm?  ur cursed technique is singing?  can u show me?

utahime: what!  no way!  

gojo: why not?

*one of the classmates tells him that she can only use her CT once in a while because it consumes a lot of energy*

gojo: hahaha!  u have to conserve cursed energy to use ur CT?  why are u so weak, utahime?

utahime: i!  am!  your!  senpai!  respect!  me!

what i’m trying to say is that gojo loves poking fun of people.  we should not believe him when he calls someone weak because compared to him, everyone is weak.  

this is a little off topic but let’s examine him telling her, “and you don’t have the nerves, utahime.”  i think he’s trying to say that there’s no way she’ll ever do something like that because she’s not the type to put her students in danger.  remember the soft expression and relieved smile on her lips when she said that she was glad the students were safe after the kyoto incident?  gojo was directly in front of her so not only did he hear her say that, but he could have seen the look on her face too.  even if he told her that she didn’t have the guts to betray the school to get on her nerves, he knew that utahime simply cared too much about the students so he ruled her out as a suspect right away.  this is why he ultimately decided to confide in her and ask her to help him.  

i’m a person who loves over-analyzing things.  i really enjoy the dynamic between gojo and utahime.  they’ve known each other for more than 11 years and although they always bicker, there is an unspoken feeling of trust between the two.  gojo can do anything and everything by himself because he is truly the strongest person alive, but he still knows when to rely on others.  him deciding to entrust utahime with such a job implies that he believes in utahime’s abilities.

chapter 52

she’s not using any cursed energy here--not to our knowledge at least.  this is just pure skill.  she was able to swiftly evade the swing from haruta.  he was surprised himself considering the fact that he was right behind her.  how do we know her CT isn’t speed?  after haruta swung at her, we can see that some of her hair got cut off.  if she was using her CT then speed should be her specialty.  she should have been able to completely avoid the attack altogether but she didn’t.  of course this isn’t a wow moment because jujutsu sorcerers should know how to dodge attacks, however, i’m just trying to get the point across that she’s not a defenseless person without her technique or others.  let’s not forget that semi-grade 1 isn’t a weak rank either.  you can’t simply be recommended to be a grade 1 sorcerer if you only can support others.  

chapter 48

i want to bring up this panel. it suggests that utahime and takuma are sorcerers who have not experienced black flash and therefore, do not understand the essence of cursed energy as well as those who have like gojo and nanami.  i find it strange how takuma and utahime were used to represent sorcerers who haven’t experienced it yet.  is the purpose to demonstrate that there is a clear difference in skill between adult sorcerers like utahime and takuma compared to gojo and nanami?  i could be nitpicking but the order of todo’s statement doesn’t line up with the sorcerers being shown.  let me explain in depth.  todo starts off by saying, “for those who have experienced black flash as compared to those who have not...” wouldn’t it make more sense to show gojo and nanami on the right side to represent sorcerers who have experienced black flash?  that was mentioned first, after all.  gojo and nanami should appear when todo says “for those who have experience black flash” while utahime and takuma should be shown right after to personify the second part, “as compared to those who have not.”  i’m just making it more complicated than it actually is LOLOL i’m sure it really just means they haven’t experienced black flash yet, which is completely fine.  i also find it fascinating how they used utahime to contrast gojo.  with nanami and takuma it makes sense.  nanami is someone takuma looks up to, he wants to gain nanami’s approval before he deems himself worthy of a promotion. what about utahime and gojo?  what’s the purpose of comparing those two together when it’s obvious that gojo knows more about the essence of cursed energy more than anyone else?  i might be delusional whoops

----

let me know what you guys think?  this is only a part 1 so i haven’t gotten around to answering the question.  i’m pretty much done with the second part, i just need to revise it a little.  i think after i post part 2, i’ll try to interpret all the gojo and utahime moments in the manga >.<

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

thanks for the amazingly edited chapters and translations, i'm always elated when i see that a chapter has dropped on your twitter and i have a lot of fun trying to rap the lyrics out loud. on a lighter note, if the characters in hypnosis mic were animals, which ones do you think they would be? (don't feel confined to the rules of basic biology, siblings can be different animals and so can parents, also multiple characters can be the same animal if you so please)

Ahhh that's a really kind thing to say haha. Now I'll need to put extra effort into the raps... some of them are very much rappable, and some of them I look at later and go, "Wtf? How in the world did that come out of my mouth?"

Hmm... this is a very interesting question... I haven't thought about it much before, but let me give it a shot. Under a cut for length.

Ichirou - Ichirou seems pretty dog-like to me. He’s very oriented around the concept of family and would do anything to protect them. He’s also happiest when playing around with his family, loves food, and is happy performing services for other people.

Jirou - I think Jirou would make a good dolphin. He’s playful and athletic, very empathetic, and does best when surrounded by friends and family.

Saburou - Saburou is, I think, a young horse. He likes to show off and is very talented and flashy, but he can be a little skittish or fragile deep down.

Samatoki - Samatoki reminds me of a crocodile. He’s quick to lash out and very aggressive, but he can also be plenty social and quite friendly when he’s in a good mood.

Juuto - Juuto is a swan. He looks elegant on the surface but can be mean to make ends meet. He also becomes very aggressive whenever anything near and dear to him is threatened.

Riou - Riou is a capybara. He's pretty chill when left to his own devices, and he is incredibly social, capable of getting along with just about anyone.

Ramuda - Ramuda is a sun conure. I like using the caged bird image a lot for Ramuda - thanks, parrot outfit, for giving me a canon justification for this - and so I think a parakeet fits him well, especially the younger Ramuda. He's very inquisitive and likes mimicking human behavior in addition to showing off and being cuddly. He enjoys being around people and can end up depressed when left on his own. He's also loud and obnoxious but perhaps in a good way.

Gentarou - Gentarou's a chinchilla. He's very fastidious with how he presents himself, and he relies on his social groups for his own mental health.

Dice - Dice is a cattle tyrant, because he goes after thrills the way these birds make quick maneuvers in the air to go after insects. Plus, he often hangs around capy Riou to be fed, who enjoys his company.

Jakurai - My friend Cha suggested Jakurai would be an elephant. Besides the size, he also moves slowly and deliberately, is very intelligent and empathetic, and strongly cares for community and taking care of children.

Hifumi - Hifumi is a bowerbird. He can look flashy and delights in showing off for women, but he also takes pride and joy in building and maintaining a good home.

Doppo - He reminds me of a periodical cicada that spends much of its life underground, going about the serious task of feeding, then rarely emerges all at once to make a glorious display of sound.

Sasara - Sasara is a chimpanzee. He's clever, creative, and often playful, but he also boasts a more aggressive side. I think chimps also like melon if they can get it... melon soda...

Roshou - Roshou is an emperor penguin. He looks elegant from a distance but may be a little silly up close. He's very concerned about raising children right in a group environment and is perhaps rather more loyal than he should be.

Rei - Rei is a crow capable of making clever plots and creating complex tools to help him out. He likes horsing around and mocking other people in addition to collecting shiny bling like that gold necklace.

Kuukou - I think he would be a mongoose. He's a little guy, very fierce, and completely unafraid to take on even the most fearsome guys out there. He has a lot of courage and a heart of gold.

Juushi - Juushi would be an owl butterfly or another butterfly or moth with eyespots on his wings. Metamorphosis is a big theme for him, and he uses his flashy outer appearance as a means to confuse and throw off those who would hurt him.

Hitoya - Hitoya is a honey badger. He's tough and can fight to protect the ones he cares about. He also doesn't take shit from anybody and can be a little prickly at times, but his tenacity is what people admire about him.

[swinging-stars-from-satellites]

idk how many people would even want to see this BUT i wanna yell about Leela and Brax so here's a list of all their scenes togethr/scenes pertainng to them that i can recall (pLEASE add on if i missed anything/ you have any additional thoughts!! i could talk about these two all day!)

right off the bat in Weapon of Choice when Leela is on the outskirts of the Citadel and Brax goes to bring her back (which is interesting in and of itself, bc usually i would imagine a chancellery guard would go do that so what made Brax decide to instead??), Leela kinda goes off at him bc she's hurting and instead of trying to actually explain what's going on Brax doesn't even try to argue he just says "we need you" which is great bc Leela has that instinctive desire to be needed and to help people and he's speaking right to that -- also as far as we know, this is Leela and Brax's first actual meeting in canon? it's implied that they know of each other, which makes sense, but it doesn't seem like they've ever directly interacted before: Brax seems almost slightly uncertain, and Leela is combative, but when he's gentle with her she's actually quite receptive

the literal next scene after that, where the OT4 is all in one room for the first time (they still kinda hate each other at this point but still !!!). Narvin explaining Gryben and being a real jerk about it and Leela (understandibly!) questions if Gryben is a prison world, and Brax (who to this point has been mostly quiet as Narvin and Romana brief Leela) jumps in to both clarify Narvin's previous xenophobic statements while also maintaining the inherent questionable/negative connotations

(btw it's actually pretty important to note that Romana self-edits herself a lot when talking to Leela, especially in the earlier seasons; you can actually hear her revising the things she says to put it in terms that she thinks Leela will better understand. and i mean she does it out of genuine consideration for her friend associate but it often comes across as varying levels of patronizing. Narvin also obviously "dumbs things down" when dealing with Leela early on, but like... Brax never does that on any level. the only difference i can tell in how he addresses Leela vs how he talks to anybody else is that he seems much more kind with her than almost anyone else???)

their conversation about the Matrix in The Inquiry: this is REALLY important (and if you've ever talked to me on ao3 i've probably gone off to you about it lol) because it's layered. they're talking about the Matrix but they're also not because in answering Leela's question Brax is making a very thinly veiled allegory (which he outright states a minute later) to Time Lord society/politicians/most importantly HIMSELF -- he's actually strangely open about his morals/beliefs in this scene and i'm living for it tbh -- and i find it very interesting that even though he does directly explain what he means ("how do you know all this?" / "because i am a politician.") he also leaves it for Leela to work out the implications. like it's a very nuanced conversation bc there's double meaning in it and most people on Gallifrey seem to think that Leela is tone-deaf and can't pick up on that stuff (even Romana sometimes oversimplifies things to her) but Brax totally just lets her take from it what she will bc he believes her intelligent enough to understand. he doesn't think her any lesser because she's human.

ALSO on a secondary note to the above: the fact that Leela has a question/needed clarification (sorry, haven't listened to this in a while i forget how it actually happened) and actively sought out Brax to talk to about it?? like she knows Romana better she could have gone to her but i feel like Leela kinda imprinted on Brax and someone she can go to for help if she needs it; maybe it's partly bc she knows he's under marginally less pressure than Romana is but also the truth of the matter is that Brax was the most genuinely helpful person to her in the previous stories and that probably means a lot to her (esp. bc he acts like the essence of everything she hates about Gallifrey but he doesn't treat her the way she would expect from that). btw this topic is gonna come up again in a hot minute

that part where Brax gives her that information that might help her re: the Andred thing, even though he really probably shouldn't have done that -- it kinda makes me think about what he must have been like with Theta tbh???

actually this is mostly my own conjecture but there's some neat stuff in Spirit bc during the *waves hand vaguely* bodyswap dream sequence thing, Romana is very "!!!! Brax can help us !!!" which is tecnically Leela brain talking, so like there's the implications of the stuff i've said above about Leela having this idea of Brax where she knows he's someone she can go to for help

can u tell i'm soft for them

Leela sounding really sad/distracted when she talks about how Brax isn't there YES i'm grasping at straws but a lot of this relationship really is conveyed through the voice acting bc of how little direct focus there is on the characters. there's actually several scenes in Mindbomb where she mentions him and she outright says that she misses him during her discussion with Matthias

that implied scene with them in Mindbomb!! i have a Lot of thoughts about that!!! it's all conjecture and fanfic fodder!!! but the reason i mention this is because it seems pretty meta that out of the whole Gally Gang, it's Leela who first sees Brax when he comes back to Gallifrey and in turn she's the first person (besides Matthias, i guess) that he sees upon his return?? idk i just feel like that's somehow a meaningful detail??? also her reaction of utter shock after spending the entire episode missing him and how worked up she is when she tries to tell Romana, like I desperately need to know what happened in this missing scene MR RICHARDS PLEASE TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED

Leela insisting on going with Brax when Pandora starts hurting him and their whole conversation there is just. so good. like they're both just so soft and then when Darkel comes in Leela instantly goes into protective mode. like they just have such an open relationship bc Brax doesn't even try to be all pretentious with her, like he doesn't even try to keep up any facades when he's with her he's just very genuine and it really says a lot about both of them -- Leela is so good at seeing people, like getting down to the core of who people are and what makes them them (which is why she's good for Romana, btw, bc Romana has a lot of identity issues) and Brax is so tangled up in who he presents himself as that he barely knows who he actually is anymore but Leela can see that and she makes it so he can truly be himself and he doesn't have to hide. also she's so gentle with him when they talk about Pandora, she's very caring and empathetic and wants to make sure he's okay and i am WEAK

it's been a hot while since i listened to Panacea but I think i remember Brax being really soft with Leela when he first brings the gang to the Axis, like just sounding really glad to see her

ok other than the fact that Brax is lowkey relatable in Reborn (daydreaming fanfic about yourself/people you know? simping for Mary Tamm Romana? yeah mood, my man) there's that scene where they're first appraoching the Citadel on the alt!Gallifrey and it seems like none of them, and Brax specifically, have seen it from the outside in a good long while bc he's very in awe and he tells Leela that he wishes she could see it and he sounds sO hEcKiNg sOFT oh my word-

and once again with Leela thinking of Brax as someone she trusts for help: in Dissassembled when everything is going to crap she straight-up says that she wants to go find Brax bc he'll know what to do/be able to help

at the beginning of Annihilation when Romana is depressed and questioning if Brax truly was her friend and Leela INSTANTLY, NO HESITATION assures her that he was; i lost where i had her exact lines written down but she actually kinda goes off to make sure Romana gets the point

literally forcing myself to talk about this bc it makes my brain stall out but like,,, the Brax Hound in Annihilation,,, Leela being like "goodbye, Braxiatel... again" she sounds so sad and like UGH i always kinda forget how sad it actually is for them to lose Brax in Dissassembled bc like, it was so sudden and they didn't get to say goodbye and Leela is always losing people and i have many many feels about this scene and how all that emotion is made very clear in how they each respond to the Hound (might make a separate post abt this later if anyone is interested ::eyes::)

Enemy Lines is utter bullcrap about these two and I will never stop being salty about how they not only sidelined the very good, very subtle friendship they had in s1-4, but they??? made Leela acutally not trust Brax??? when literally this entire time she's been the one person who probably genuinely trusts him the most?? what the heck, David

I haven't heard TW3 or 4 yet but i'm assuming there's nothing worthwhile in those with regards to this duo (correct me if i'm wrong tho lol, i would love to be mistaken in this assumption)

TL;DR Leela and Brax mututally imprinted on each other and have probably the most open and healthy relationship within the OT4 and it is an absolute CRIME that nobody besides Gary Russell and Justin Richards cared enough to actually build on it in canon