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captain-mj · 8 months

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Love Potion <3

Hey, think of the consent issues you can think of when a person is under a love spell. Take that into consideration moving forward. Keep an eye on Roach.

Soap had been wanting to be part of the guard since he was old enough to hold a sword. He finally had been accepted, though it took a while to be able to. Not just because his age, but also his history of trying to sneak into the guard made them not believe him when he was actually of age.

Mostly, he was looking for purpose in life. Some thing outside of himself that he could believe in. And what better than protecting his people from the evil things that tried to destroy his kingdom?

Elves were constantly going to war with them. They seemed to despise them constantly and Soap did find their looks to be… alarming. The long pointed ears, the odd makeup most wore as well as the unnatural paleness they had. Being as they were the main sources of most magic as well, Soap found himself hating them.

At the current moment, the current evil creature terrorizing them was a weird thing that stalked the woods at night. Soap was not sure if it even existed but he knew that most of the citizens of their city thought that and in the end, that was really what was important. Even if his presence was more symbolic, he eased their minds.

Soap got up and started to pull on his armor. It was not a full suit, as he likely would not be going into battle today. Maybe some basic sparring but he wasn’t up for a lot at the moment. He planned to mostly just patrol and see if he could maybe get a glimpse at his Lieutenant.

Simon “Ghost” Riley.

Everyone was interested in him, but he only paid his Lord and Lady attention. He was quiet and sharp when he did talk and he struck both fear and… something a little closer to infatuation in almost everyone he met. Something about his presence…

Soap was not immune to this effect. Not one bit. Sometimes, it felt like he got it more than anyone. When Ghost was in the room, it felt like the only way he could breathe is to look at him.

He was sure that everyone felt this way a little bit.

Soap finished his musing and left their barracks. He went straight to his favorite baker. In all honesty, the only retreat he was interested in was Roach’s company. He was lovely company, though he was cursed to be unable to speak. Soap had never seen a nice, cooler person. Even if he had a strange choice in headwear, constantly having a mask on to cover his mouth and a helmet on.

Roach noticed him and he perked up, quickly scuttling off to get him a cup of coffee and some form of…

Soap wasn’t sure exactly. Just that it was a form of bread and had meat on it. He was skeptical until he took a bite.

“Roach, if i was allowed, I’d marry you in a heartbeat.”

Roach blushed a bright cherry red and smiled even brighter somehow visible through his mask. He took his money, counting it quickly before dropping it in the cup he used for collection.

Soap didn’t understand why so many found him off putting. Despite his curse, he was pleasant. He made idle chat, careful not to interrupt his business, just there to enjoy his company.

“MacTavish.” Ghost whistled and Soap quickly turned around to look up at him.

“Lieutenant! Need something?” Soap smiled politely, hands behind his back in a perfect parade pose.

Ghost glared at him. Presumably. He never took off his headgear, meaning no one ever saw his face.

Soap thought about it. Had drawn different versions of him more times than he could count to see if he could possibly get close. Like always, Ghost drew all of Soap’s attention.

“No…” Ghost brushed him off and got some food from Roach. “Hey, Sanderson. Nice to see you.”

Roach fluttered his eyelashes at him and quickly made him a cup of tea and a… scone? Soap was man enough to admit that he didn’t actually know the words for most of what Roach sold.

Ghost… lifted his mask.

For a moment, a bright beautiful moment, Soap thought he’d take it off completely. That he would see the scarred gruff man beneath.

What could he expect? Salt and pepper hair? Stubble? Dozens of scars? He was probably much older than Soap.

Ghost lifted his mask to just barely reveal his mouth as he started eating. He dipped his biscuit into his tea before taking a bite. When he paid, he gave Roach a thankful grunt and ruffled Roach’s hair.

Roach looked enamored, face bright red. He noticed Soap watching and quickly started to clean, looking very embarrassed.

Soap tried to ignore the jealousy he felt at this entire situation and made himself scarce. Ghost was too obsessed with his job to ever entertain any of them. Least of all Soap. But seeing the rare moments where he gave out affection and it wasn’t directed at him…he felt so ignored.

During the day, Soap mostly stood in one place and looked intimidating. At night, he hesitated between going back to his barracks and guarding the house of the town’s lady and lord. Logically, he should go to the barracks as he hadn’t been told explicitly he was on the night shift but it had been roughly four days.

Just to be safe, he went ahead and went to their home.

Home was… well. It was basically a small scale castle. He thought it was honestly a little grandiose for his taste.

There was no one around. Just a very soft silence.

Soap gritted his teeth. Yeah. He was definitely supposed to watch them. Why the previous watch had not waited for someone to relieve them was beyond Soap entirely.

He went inside to check if they were okay, but was unable to find his lady or lord.

It didn’t occur to Soap that continuing to look may make him stumble on something he shouldn’t. He was too focused on making sure that his charges were okay and safe.

A cracked door.

Never good.

Soap stared at it, hearing… something.

Breathing.

Anxiety rolled in his gut but he had to make absolutely sure his charges were safe. That was his whole job. The place reeked of roses, chicory root and jasmine. Nothing directly sinister but definitely seemed like the components of magic.

So he silently looked through the door, just to make sure.

Soap covered his mouth.

His lady was in a knight’s lap. He knew the moment he saw the armor who it was.

Ghost.

That would explain his one track mind when it came to this.

She had taken off his helmet, having tossed it to the floor at some point. Her hands ran feverishly over him as her husband spoke. He seemed to be ordering them both around.

Soap felt a tiny bit better than she wasn’t sleeping with Ghost outside of her husband’s knowledge, but the entire situation was disturbing. While he’d never fault someone for their kinks, he would’ve never guessed his Lieutenant would have such… proclivities.

She shoved him down on the bed, due to his size, his head lolled off of it and hung down, giving Soap a sudden and very aggressive view of his face.

Three things were noticed in very quick succession.

One, Ghost was more beautiful than Soap could’ve guessed. Soft lips. Beautiful curly hair. A chest and taught stomach that made Soap wish more than anything that he was the one currently making his way down his body instead of the lady of the town.

Two, he was an elf. Long pointed ears. Unnaturally pale features.

Three, perhaps most horrific, his pupils were wrong.

Heart shaped.

Meaning he had a love potion on.

Ghost didn’t smile. He didn’t enjoy this. Even under the influence of magic, they couldn’t force him to pretend.

Soap fled like a coward.

#Johnny “Soap” Mactavish #Simon “Ghost” Riley #Gary Roach Sanderson #Soap Cod #Ghost COD #Soapghost #Ghostsoap #Soap x Ghost #Ghost x Soap #Macriley #Call of Duty #Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2 #ghost x roach #roach x ghost #roach x soap #soap x roach #ghost x soap x roach

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judasgot-it · 9 months

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Headcannons: What kind of lover are they? (Sigma, Mushitaro)

Continuing this series a little cause these characters get NO love and they're among my favs.

SIGMA

He's the type of guy to spoil his lover rotten since he really dreams of a TV style romance. It's borderline silly sometimes, but his person would be someone who would be as cool as he is - possibly cooler. No amount of money can buy the easy style and fashion that him and his lover have.

He'd be the BEST omg

Type of guy to send his lover money and be like "buy yourself something nice" and it's like 2k

This man spoils but he also has the mindset of looking rich and being rich cause he doesn't wanna be poor

He smells better than handmade leather

He probably expects his lover to look good enough to walk around the casino though so he does have high expectations - he's a career guy. Also he cares about that place a lot (before you know....)

Although he's the type to be like "you don't want me...I've killed people" stfu bro you're favorite food is cookies

He's like a killer Teddy bear compared to the rest of the BSD cast tbh

He'd be a sweetheart but he needs praise and 100% if he has a lover they're in on all of his life drama too

You probably know more about him than he does himself lol

Will try to protect you from anyone he knows is weird and a killer - dazai, fyodor, nikolai, even the hunting dogs (he has serious beef)

Honestly he'd be a great BF but you'd need to carry a gun on you 24/7 or something so sigma feels better with him not around

He is probably needs security the most out of anyone

MUSHITARO

Certified loser, this guy really just wants people he can depend on and won't betray him considering his past. He'd never cheat, he just wants to enjoy the day to day with his lover even if he seems like a sour apple all the time.

He's a fucking loser (no offense, just a fact. The washing machine manual did it for me) so this guy is guaranteed not to cheat tbh

Like. He has 2 friends if you count ranpo and poe and maybe anyone associated with the detective agency. And none of them are touching his weird astrology obsessed ass (I love him)

This guy would date someone and is loyal be default, plus if he opened up then like. Bro idk how he's moving on from that

Marriage. Point blank. He wouldn't move on from a breakup at all

Also as depressed as he is ik he'd probably enjoy day to day life instead of focusing on the long term anymore. You can't be assured of the future, so he'd always go get whatever sweet treat you want

Honestly he'd be an amazing bf tho like this man APPRECIATES the people in his life

If you're in. You're IN

He'd be chill about it like. Probably would do a whole lot of stuff like sight seeing and all of that. Maybe he'd be sour about it, but he'd enjoy being forced outside of his shell

Inside he's a sweetheart and would think about his lover a LOT

Probably gets them their favorite snacks on his day to day

Cries during sex tho he can't help it

#anyway happy new years #im writing fanfic on new years yea im a degenerate #anyway #where are the mushitaro fans hes literally one of my favs???#do i have to pick up the mantel once again #i will write fanfic for him....if i must #bsd x reader #bungo stray dogs x reader #bungou stray dogs x reader #bsd x y/n #bsd #bungo stray dogs #mushitaro x reader #mushitaro x you #sigma x you #sigma x reader

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lizzibennet · 1 year

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i’ve always lived among people who had much more money than my family because my mom worked for rich people and my brother and i always got scholarships because of good grades. and so one of the things that always kind of bothered me was that my friends always had much cooler, cleaner, tidier houses than i did. we’d go to their places after school for homework or just to hang and there wouldn’t be a hair out of place. one of my friends had a mezzanine with comics and a nintendo wii especially for her to hang out with friends. the other lived in a corner house with a tennis court which i always admired when passing in front of and i literally freaked out when i realized he lived there. one of them had a barbie house taller than us, one had a pool, one had a rooftop pool and cherry trees that were blossoming when i was over, etc. and i would tell them wow your house is so cool. mine is so messy and always dirty, and if i want it clean i usually am the one who ends up cleaning it, and i do my own laundry whereas you even have maids everyday! and they’d shrug and be like it’s cool i guess. but it’s not my house, it’s my parents’.

and that would always give me pause.

i’d think about the completely out of place shell dish that lives on top of the living room rack for the sole reason that my mom puts the earrings she steals from me there so i can retrieve them if i leave before she’s woken up. i think about my dad’s “mess closet” which is precisely what it sounds like but it’s where he goes when i ask him for the shoemaker’s glue to fix my jelly shoes and for the mini electric saw he used to saw through one of my dolls’ neck (long story) and where he goes when my brother asks him for specific sized screwdrivers to open up his childhood remote controlled toys. i’d think about the laundry closet divided in two because my mom owns a lot of delicate work shirts and swears i wash them better than her (it’s the same washing machine at the same cycle). i’d think about the four little giraffes besides the tv - according to my mom, tallest to shortest representing my brother, me, my dad and my mom, which my dad has never loved because Obviously He Is Taller Than Me but encourages the cat to curl up next to them to sleep so he can take a picture and send our family whatsapp group named “grimy family”. i’d think about my brother’s car’s engine laying open in the garage because he couldn’t finish it in time before returning to uni and my dad carefully picking it all up and tidying before he returns except my dad really is kind of shit at tidying so it’s all just kinda. laying there. i’d think about my mom washing my clothes on the weekend and laying them at the foot of the stairs because i don’t like when she just shoves my stuff into my room even though clothing in the stairs obviously makes the living room look even worse. i’d think about the medicine books lining the living room table because my mom saw them at an auction and picked them up for me even though i’m not in med school yet and i’d think about the socks my dad leaves besides the cat besides the giraffes besides the tv because my mom often falls asleep watching the novela and gets cold feet and i’d think about the hideous rio de janeiro postal my brother brought me one day when he was on break that hangs in the kitchen and i’d think about the air fryer and the juicer my dad never fucking puts away and permanently now live atop the cooktop which has been broken since 2015 and i’d think about my jelly shoes under the chair where the cat likes to sleep with my smell near and my hair clip that broke the first time i went out with my girlfriend which my mom kept, you guessed it, on top of my representative giraffe because she thinks she wears it better than i do, even if it’s broken, that’s fine, doesn’t it still look so pretty? and i’d look around at the pristine white pillars and granite and impeccably kept real wood and the techy dishwashers and color changing lamps and king sized beds of my friends’ and i’d finally cave in and text grimy family and be like can any of u guys come get me. and 5 mins later my mom would say “your dad and i are on our way”. and i’d breathe a sigh of relief. and come back to the messy house in front of the square. it was either this one or the one between the family that owns the range rover and the police chief that owns the old reformed cadillac and i wanted this one and my dad immediately agreed even though he loves both cadillacs and jeeps and campaigned for the other house before. and i’d lay down in my silly little square front house in my bed with my cat and my parents next door and my brother’s empty room full of his correspondence next to my bathroom full of hair masks atop the cabinet. and i wouldn’t have it any other fucking way

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robintherobiner · 3 months

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This is an interactive story. The next part will be based on what you guys choose.

Warning, the story heavily revolves around dark topics, like suicide, abuse (all types), bullying, all that jazz. It's an au, HEAVILY canon divergent. So, idk proceed carefully

"If you're watching this, it means I'm dead."

Suddenly, Jason wished he'd never bought the sticker covered camera. He'd seen it in a charity shop, looking all lonely on it own little table. All the other camera were old, and had dents and scratches, but this one looked almost new and bursting with personality.

It had cost a lot, of course, and Jason had considered putting it back down. After all, he didn't need a camera. He was pretty sure Bruce had one at home anyways.

But then he'd seen a sticker, right under the shutter button, and he'd recognized his own costume. Whoever had owned this camera had liked Robin, his Robin, with curly hair and freckles instead of tanned skin and sparkly shorts. He had to buy it now, he thought, and so he did.

Jason pressed the play button again, and stared at the kid on the screen. He looked pale, and far too skinny for someone who, if his Bristol accent was anything to go off of, clearly had enough money to buy food.

"Sorry. I realize that was probably, like, a really big thing to say. Or, not big, I guess, it was only eight words. Tough? No.. Eh, whatever." The kid shrugged. "Point is, sorry. You picked up my camera though, so you have three options."

The whole situation is bizarre. He sort of assumed there would be pictures of nature, or videos of some cool tricks if the skateboard stickers are anything to go off of. Not a fucking death announcement.

Still, Jason is curious. Is the kid in danger, and thats why he thinks he's going to die? Or is he sad? Jason lived on the streets, he's not a stranger to people who's heads are clouded, people who think things will never get better. He's never felt that way personally, but he's known lots of people who ended up hurting themselves.

"First, you could just throw the camera away. A bit of a waste, since it's pretty good quality, but whatever. Second, you could delete everything on here and just use it yourself. I'd be okay with that. Photography is fun. Or, if you wanted, you could watch these videos."

Here, his cheeks flush, as though embarrassed. Its hard to hear, but Jason thinks he can hear the boy mutter something along the lines of what a dumb thing to say.

"Even though I'm going to die, I still sort of want to do cool things. Have a coming-of-age movie moment, you know? But I can't have one, so the next best thing is to try give it to someone else." Camera Kid paused. "I think coming-of-age movies are only for teens, though. It would be cooler if I, like, changed the life of someone who's already an adult. Cuz people my age aren't fully developed. That's shaping a life, not changing it. Changing a life would be much harder than shaping one."

Hm. Maybe Jason should give the camera to Dickhead. He's an adult, legally. Give the kid, whoever he is, his wish to try change a life.

Jason would never admit it, but he can't help but snicker. There's no way some random kid can shape or change a life. Especially not with a... Jason checked. Not with a one and half minute video.

"But if that doesn't happen, it's fine. Not like I'll know anyways. I like this camera, so I'll only give it away just before I die. Unless I come back as a ghost who's like, tethered to this camera, I'll never know if anyone watches these videos."

With those words, Jason sobered. It didn't feel funny once he remembered that whoever this kid was, dumb hopes aside, was clearly certain he'd die. If what he said was true, then he already was. That made Jason feel really bad for laughing, and even a little sick.

He'd seen dead bodies before, even his own mom's. He'd watched, smelt, and heard people die. He'd talked people off the ledge, both metaphorically and literally. But this? Holding the beloved camera of a boy who was most likely dead? It made death feel melancholy in a way Jason had never felt before.

"So, yeah. You have three options." The boy says, and reaches out to end the video.

Jason didn't know what to do. Really, he has four options.

#dc comics #dc universe #batman comics #jason todd #dick grayson #batman fanfiction #interactive fiction #is that what this is called?#I hope this doesn't flop i'd cry

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firephoenix23 · 5 months

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So I know a lot of the pilots of Disney shows have been going around but someone sent me the pilot of what slugterra was going to be and I thought I would talk about it because it is interesting. First off it’s really short only about 3 minutes but basically it’s Eli or Elias Stone chasing what looks to be Dr. Blakk with Pronto or Pinto as he is called in the short

I want to apologize in advance some of these photos are not the best quality but I did what I had to. First off Slugterra was not originally called that it was called Subterrainea which thank god they changed it that is kind of a mouth full and it was a lot more western than sci-fi western we get later. Like even the blasters look like guns.

But let’s address the elephant in the room, why does Eli looks so ugly in this show 😂😂 and so much younger too. I feel like in the current show they make Eli look younger by making everyone around him look jacked as fuck even though all the younger male models look buff as well. But in this show he literally looks like a middle schooler. And I guess Trixie is like his friend from school who is the only one who knows about his adventures to Subterrainea. We don’t know if she goes with him or not but she at least knows. But thank god they changed Eli’s color scheme to blue, orange, white, and black. He’s a little better to look at than green, red, and pale yellow. I do wonder why all the changes though. I’m going to be wondering that the whole time

Which is the other thing I want to address is that Eli or well ELIAS and BEATRIX go to SCHOOL! We don’t know if Elias is like the protector or just goes down for the lols but we do know that he is trying to juggle this secret double life of going to school like a normal kid but also protecting the secret of Subterrainea like wow NEVER heard that premise for a kid show before 😒

That’s why I’m glad they cut out the surface all together but kept the secret part. I think it makes more of an impact in slugterra especially since it’s like who knows what. Also it just makes more sense. Like what kid would escape the world of slugterra travel 100 miles up just to go to middle school. Like nah fam couldn’t be me. Also I don’t actually know if they are in middle school but come on look at them.

Pinto is literally just Pronto even down to the voice acting. I like that they had the comic relief character down first before the main character. Also funny note did you know that Pronto in canon has a twin brother named Pinto. In ROTE Will Shane says like oh I’ve met you before and Pronto says no you’ve met my identical twin brother Pinto. I just think it’s funny that it’s a little nod to his pilot name

Uh Dr. Blakk kinda looks the same except for the hat and the mecha beast. It didn’t look like he was using ghouls just regular slugs so I’m not sure what Elias is chasing him down for. Elias shows Beatrix that he got a slug from him and then she touches it and the school lights go out which brings in SOOO many questions. Like is the surface electricity powered by slug energy???

I was gonna mention the slugs next but they are relatively the same except design wise. They look a lot more stylized and detailed than in the show which makes sense gotta save money where you can. Be honestly I’m glad they changed them some of them are kinda ugly like the joker looking one.

There are so many other things like why did they change Eli’s last name, why did they give him a white wolf mecha instead of the white horse (probably because it looks cooler not gonna lie), why is Elias Stone so ugly 😂😂 so many questions. But I think it’s just cool what slugterra could have been. It gives me such nostalgia for the late 2000s/early 2010s DisneyXD shows like Randy Cunningham, Kick Buttowski, Max Steel. Like all the EdGy boy cartoons that I somehow ended up watching as a little girl 😅

I mean I just looked and season wise and success wise Slugterra stomps them all. I mean which show has its own Roku channel the one and only Slugterra baby! 😂 But anyway I’m glad they made the changes that they did.

#slugterra #I think there were some people who posted about the old slugterra a long time ago on tumblr #I gotta find them I know I liked them a long time ago

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itsyagurlchip · 4 months

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QUESTIONS FOR YOUR OC CHIP

#1: what is one secret she hasn't told anyone

#2: how do you think she met Amor? And what were her first impressions of Amor?

#3: What is her home life like? Is it good? Bad? How does she feel about it?

#4: How did Chip react to the Superfly thing? And where was she when it happened?

alright-

A secret she hasn't told anyone?

After the attack of Supa Dupa Fly, despite the warnings from the government, Chip still went to the beach to get some of the ooze. The reason why no one has found out yet was because she uses it as a lava lamp.

How did her an Amor meet? First impressions?

Like any other person at a school. During the 15 min recess (sobs) Chip was just being goofy by her lonesome until she saw Amor and Bea chillin out in some part of the yard, walking and talking.

She thought it was cool that mutants were let in school (cough cough racism and specism cough cough) and wanted to become friends with them!

At first she was nervous- she understands how people work differently than her- so she didn't really want to bother any of them.

But then she saw how Amor's fur would fluff up when she laugh, or how Bea's arms would stretch out and gesturing to something- and threw that all out of he window.

Chip excitedly ran up to the two mutants enthusiastically, her snack bag sitting on her hip and ready to share. She tripped and fell face-first into the chalky dirt.

Springing back up, she ran on the two excitedly, shoving fresh snacks at them as a welcome. Despite the suspicious glitter and paper scraps falling from them, Amor accepted the gifts.

Bouncing up and down, Chip just knew that this would be her best year of highschool ever.

Her home life? Good or Bad?

She has a good home life. Both parents have jobs so she has a two story house and some extra money to spend (sadly, only on snacks and the occasional necessity).

Despite that, she gets in trouble with her parents a lot due to her poor decision making, as well as her belief that she can bounce back from anything.

Personally, she just wishes that she could invite people over more often, but Chip isn't the most organized person there is. Projects all over the house, piles of unfolded clothes in her room 80% of the time, and art supplies bits stuck in almost every part of the carpet.

How did Chip react to Superfly and the mutants situation?

Chip was at the park when it happened. And soon after hearing the news, she ran back to her house to find her parents.

Despite having one part of her house caved in (the one with HER room!!) , she is glad that her parents are alive. Not so happy that she has to restart her random doo-dads collection and restore some of her art supplies and pieces.

Hearing that the giant mutant came from the shore, she instantly ran to the docks with a jar out of curiosity. Even with her silly nature, Chip understood that this substance was dangerous.

That didn't stop her though,

Careful not to touch it, she collected a fair amount and placed the jar on her desk. And after she got enough money, she transferred it to a cooler looking container, lest someone be suspicious of what a 16 year old was doing with a DNA altering liquid.

(๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و tags: @kittykittyanon @radicallxser @oleander-nin @towomatos @thealphagirl

@ziipzeepzop-eez @spongejuice @nuncscioquidsitamor-13 @cyb3r-st4r

if you would like to be added, check my blog. if you would like to be added, check my blog. SEE? I SAID IT TWICE!!

#yagurlchip❤️#chip roleplays #chip secret info #chip answered your question!#mutant mayhem #tales of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #tottmnt

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milfzatannaz · 11 months

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Goth wardrobe advice

hiiiii baby bats!!!! I just wanted to write a lil post on how to start building a goth wardrobe! I started around 6 months ago and I’ve been very happy with the looks I’ve been able to create, and I thought to just write down how I was able to rlly curate my aesthetic! (though I will tack onto this post that goth is a music based subculture so you can be goth without fancy elaborate looks)

when it comes to shopping for clothes, my personal advice is buy individual pieces, not outfits. meaning you buy clothes with the intention of mixing and matching which will save money and help you from over-buying. plus flexibility in your wardrobe allows for more fun and creativity!

the look

The first step to creating your style is to envision what kind of look you want to go for. goth style pulls from so many different sources! Trad goths from the 80s evolved from punk, and subsequent iterations of the style have Victorian, glam, etc sentiments. you can lean more romantic or more edgy, it’s up to you! the first step is to create a vision board. I love Pinterest personally. from there I typed “trad goth” “casual goth” “90s goth” and streamlined what I want to emulate. Don’t forget to watch goth rock music videos for style inspo- siouxsie is my personal icon and wore such interesting things, as well as Patricia Morrison! there’s also a level of gender nonconformity in goth that you can lean into. for instance, I’m femme but with a shaved head that really compliments my style and makes me feel really confident. It’s all so variable and individual. one of the original tenets of goth was the DIY aspect, which I think is super important. don’t be afraid to rip, cut, add safety pins, or paint on clothes you buy.

shopping

shopping for goth clothes has a lot of misconceptions. you really don’t need to ever buy from a fast fashion site like killstar or dollskill to get the looks you want. In fact most goths would prefer that you look elsewhere at first, bc a lot of us aren’t comfortable with the way our subculture has been commodified and commercialized. thrift stores have given me tons of luck. I typically prefer red white and blue, but goodwill can have good stuff too! (now, thrifting is more environmentally friendly, but that doesn’t mean that the company is ethical, like Salvation Army and goodwill. it’s a matter of choosing what’s right for your personal values.)

you can buy black clothes at pretty much any store which makes creating outfits somewhat easy. shop where you can afford it and what has good options for your body type and comfort level. I buy most of my stuff secondhand but I own a few things from H&M and Pacsun. pacsun has amazing corset tops that are affordable during their sales, and H&M has foundational pieces for okay quality. Try Depop too because I LOVE vintage clothes and you can find amazing things on the app, like dresses from the 90s and 70s blouses!

General wardrobe items

here’s what I bought when building my wardrobe:

- black trousers

- black skirts (midi AND mini. I prefer long skirts but I like to have choices)

- band tees for my fav goth bands

- a white button down blouse

- bustiers/corsets. I have incredible luck thrifting them but some I’ve gotten new. They’re sexy and fun on their own but even cooler layered over something!

- tights! fishnets are a must as well as solid sheer black and other fun patterns

- dresses in plaid or solid colors. you don’t have to JUST wear black, in fact siouxsie wore tons of color back in the day. black is just what we’re known for but maroon, purple and white are great too.

- long sleeve sheer tops. I have one black mesh and one black lace top. These can be worn over bras for an edgier look or under band tees to add texture and complexity.

- SHOES! I don’t buy secondhand shoes only bc I have wonky feet. My two main pairs are my doc martens Jadon platforms and Mary janes. Shoes are an entirely personal decision so do your research! A lot of ppl like Demonias but I haven’t swung for those yet.

- accessories, accessories, accessories. Perhaps what makes someone recognizably goth is our funky accessories. I have multiple belts, ranging from the standard black with grommets to a triple belt and a corset waist cincher. I buy my jewelry off Etsy or I buy them from flea markets, and I lean towards ankhs bc I’m a sandman nerd lmfao. (I own 3 ankh necklaces, a bracelet, and two pairs of earrings oops). I also have a few silver crucifixes and a spiked collar.

- outerwear. I’m a leather jacket aficionado and I hand painted a trad goth jacket, but other options are black long coats and blazers. vests are pretty great too.

final notes

I’m a baby bat myself so I, too am learning the ropes and exploring my style. remember that it’s about self expression and making yourself stand out, not uniformity. there are so many unique alternative subcultures and no one is stopping you from pulling from all sorts of inspo! Remember to have fun when shopping or getting dressed above all else!!!!

other great resources can be found on r/gothfashion and from goth YouTubers!

#goth tag #IDK IF THIS IS HELPFUL BUT. I TRIED

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thatonebirdwrites · 2 months

Text

This chapter is long. It covers Kara meeting Jack and Sam for the first time. Which means Sam enters the timeline much sooner than in Canon. So readers can chew on that. It also starts Sam's Tale. Meaning we're entering the horror sections. Then we'll dig deeper into what the Superfriends decide to do in the present time to aid our Trio in their healing journey.

I admit, my homelessness experiences played a role in how I wrote Sam's Tale. I did not sugarcoat it.

As always, I have done my best to portray these experiences thoughtfully and well. My end-notes include thoughts, research, and life experiences to help readers better understand DID, C-PTSD, panic, and other heavy topics.

EXCERPT:

Sam Arias makes perhaps the worst decision of her life at age fifteen. A charismatic boy literally sweeps her off her feet at a party, and she learns that sex with boys is not really her jam. It’s not bad. She definitely can be attracted to guys, but the sex is just not that great.

So when over a month later nausea sets in and she misses her period, she starts to panic. She can’t be seen buying a pregnancy test. Her mother is already on her ass for going to the party instead of studying. Perhaps a terrible plan, but she has no recourse. She goes to the store, stuffs the test into her pants, and buys a candy bar. Her first theft and hopefully her last.

The test is positive.

Sam sits in the stall at her high school and stares at the test. She blinks a few times. Closes her eyes and counts to twenty, but each time she looks, it’s definitely positive.

She’s fucked. Majorly fucked.

She rubs her face and wishes she could call Jack, but he’s in England and they’ve only ever written each other since the penpal program matched them. Sometimes she’ll make a mixtape for him, and he’ll send his own. Even though he gave her a number, international charges would have her mother yelling at her for wasting money.

So she calls the only other person she knows might help.

“Yo, Sam, what are you doing calling during school?” Lucy Lane’s voice ripples into her phone. “Isn’t there like rules or something—”

“Luce, I’m pregnant.” Sam puts her face in her hand. The test’s plastic feels cold against her forehead.

“Oh shit.”

Sam isn’t entirely sure what she expects from the friend she’d made at a theater camp. Sam preferred the calculus of the mapping out the set and its measurements to acting. Lucy quickly took her under her wing, and Sam learned she’d ran off with some girl to National City, broke up, and now builds theater sets. Sam isn’t sure if Lucy ever graduated high school or not. Talking of her past isn’t a thing Lucy does.

So okay, maybe she does expect Lucy to pull a ridiculous feat like sneak her off school grounds without anyone catching them.

Sam doesn’t question it. She’s learned better. When Lucy sets her mind on something, she makes it happen, no matter how ridiculous the steps she takes to get there.

The wind sweeps Sam’s curtain of brown hair back, while Lucy shouts ridiculous jokes over the roar of her truck and the loud rap music. Lucy pulls onto the highway entrance ramp, probably way above the speed limit. Sam has no idea where they’re going, but who cares? Her mother is going to kill her when she finds out Sam’s pregnant, so why not take a moment for herself?

Lucy pulls into the Sierra State Park and drives up a narrow road to the mountain peak’s parking lot. She pulls to a stop, cranks up the brake, and turns to Sam. “So, uh, you really are…?”

Sam hands her the test.

“Damn. Was the sex good at least?”

Sam shakes her head.

“Well fuck. That sucks. I’m sorry, girl. Look, there’s a few things we can do.” Lucy taps her driving wheel, nibbles on her lips, then nods. “I’m getting out the beer.” She throws open her door and dives into the bed of her trunk where her cooler always is.

Sam steps out and walks to the edge of the gravel lot. Benches form a train of seats that overlooks a massive cliff. To her left, a trail winds up a rocky expanse to the fairly flat peak. She can see National City in all its glory with the ocean beyond, sparkling in the noon sun.

“Beer or Sprite?”

“Beer but only one.” Sam needs to take the edge off her sizzling nerves.

Lucy hands her a beer and guides her to a bench. She takes a swig and sighs. “So, uh, you got two choices. Abortion or keep it.”

Sam sniffs the beer and wrinkles her nose. “Couldn’t get the good lager?”

“Hey!” Lucy pretends to look affronted. “Best stuff I could buy on my stupid theater salary. Just you wait until I sign up for the Airforce. I’ll come home with the best beer you’ll ever taste.”

Sam hates the idea of Lucy going off to the military, but her friend seems determined to follow in her father’s footsteps. Considering how good she is at hand-to-hand combat already, Sam could see her excelling there, but it hurts. She’s one of Sam’s closest friends. She takes a long swig of the beer and grimaces. “Probably bad for any baby,” she mutters.

“Look, you don’t got to keep it.”

“And what if I do?” Sam snaps.

Lucy holds up her hands, the beer in her left. “Hey, I’m not saying you can’t keep it. But you’re young.”

“And you’re not?”

“I’m two years your elder, thank you very much.” Lucy takes another swig and wipes her mouth on the back of her hand. “Look, I’m just saying being a teenage mother is hard. You sure you wanna sign up for that?”

Sam wants to scream at her shitty luck more than anything else. “How much time do I have to decide?” she says instead.

#supercorp #lena luthor #kara danvers #supergirl #Sam Arias #Jack Spheer #lucy lane #lois lane #superfriends #samantha arias #We're gonna dig into Sam's past which canon only gave us inconsistent glimpses #So let's goooo #Sam's Tale is the third set of tales in this fic #Lena's and Kara's Tales we've gone through but don't worry more of their tales will appear

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hchollym · 1 year

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Hello! So, this might seem like a weird ask. The whole thing is based on the canon world, that is wizards and stuff. Everything that's going on in the books is still happening! I just don't want you to confuse this with a Muggle/No magic AU.

My question is, if Percy—for some random reason please suspend your disbelief here—decided to become an EMT in the muggle world (without using magic that is), how would his family react to it?

Again, the things that happen in the books are still happening, the only thing is that Percy's decided to go into muggle EMT instead of the Ministry.

Like, would they be kinda mad because Percy is putting muggle stuff/outside stuff over the war they're fighting?

Or would they be much more understanding? Maybe think Percy's cooler? Ngl, I'm asking you this for the sake of my daydreams.

Sorry for taking so long to respond! 🙁

Oh wow! That is a very unique idea/question! 😄

Do you mean that Percy became an EMT right after Hogwarts (instead of working for Barty Crouch)?

That would be super interesting!

Hmm... 🤔 You know, I surprisingly don't think most of them would react badly.

Arthur

Arthur is obsessed with muggles. However, he does not seem to see them as equals. In his mind, muggles are poor fools that need to be protected. It's less like fighting for racial equality and more like people fighting for animal rights.

In Book 2, he states:

“Just Muggle-baiting,” sighed Mr. Weasley. “Sell them a key that keeps shrinking to nothing so they can never find it when they need it.. Of course, it’s very hard to convict anyone because no Muggle would admit their key keeps shrinking — they’ll insist they just keep losing it. Bless them, they’ll go to any lengths to ignore magic, even if it’s staring them in the face…"

Then in Book 4, when Fred gives Dudley Ton-Tongue Toffee, he says:

“It isn’t funny!” Mr. Weasley shouted. “That sort of behavior seriously undermines wizard–Muggle relations! I spend half my life campaigning against the mistreatment of Muggles, and my own sons —”

So he probably doesn't think Percy is making a good decision to actually work in the muggle world, but I don't think he gets too upset about it either. If anything, he may see this as an opportunity for him to learn more about a topic that he clearly enjoys, and it could potentially help his cause by having proof (from Percy's testimony) that muggles deserve to be treated fairly.

Molly

I definitely think Molly reacts the worst out of everyone. She doesn't hate muggles, but she certainly isn't overly fond of them either.

She definitely dislikes Arthur's obsession with them (though in her defense, that probably has more to do with him wasting money on it/focusing on it instead of helping her with the kids/house).

In Book 4, Arthur says,

“Ah yes, I can see the plugs. I collect plugs,” he added to Uncle Vernon. “And batteries. Got a very large collection of batteries. My wife thinks I’m mad, but there you are.”

Also, what's even more telling is that in Book 1, when the Weasleys are at King's Cross Station, Harry overhears her say:

"-- packed with Muggles, of course --"

I know that JKR included this line so that Harry could identify another wizarding family, but she should have used something else (like Platform 9 ¾) instead, because they are literally in a muggle train station, so the comment seems unnecessary and rude. Think about if you went to Chinatown and said "packed with Chinese people, of course."

Plus, Molly wants all of her children to work at the Ministry of Magic. This is a comment in Book 4 (about the twins):

“And then there was this big row,” Ginny said, “because Mum wants them to go into the Ministry of Magic like Dad, and they told her all they want to do is open a joke shop.”

This is the same instance where she literally burned all of their order forms. She seems to have (sort of) accepted Bill & Charlie's choices, as well as Fred & George's joke shop (after they make a lot of money), but Percy is the child that she expected to go into the Ministry the most.

There would definitely be a massive row with her.

Fred & George

They likely wouldn't care much, because they clearly don't mind muggles either. In Book 4, after they gave Dudley the Ton-Tongue Toffee and Arthur yells at them, they say:

“We didn’t give it to him because he’s a Muggle!” said Fred indignantly. “No, we gave it to him because he’s a great bullying git,” said George. “Isn’t he, Harry?”

If anything, I think they love that Percy is now the family "disappointment" because they've spent so long getting yelled at by Molly that this is a nice change of pace. Plus, it takes the pressure off them. Even if they open a joke shop in the wizarding world, Molly still won't be as angry with them as she is with Percy.

Suddenly "Perfect Percy" isn't so perfect anymore, and it probably (ironically) improves their relationship.

Bill, Charlie, Ron, & Ginny

They are probably all rather incredulous about the entire thing and think Percy is mental for not wanting to work in the wizarding world (and Hermione encourages this idea because she clearly wants nothing to do with the muggle world anymore), but I really don't think they treat him badly over it.

They probably just think he's finally cracked under all the pressure he puts on himself, and if this gets him to loosen up, then it's not all bad.

I do think Charlie & Ginny would find it a little cool though, and they're both more likely to actually talk to Percy about his new life, whereas Bill & Ron will probably avoid the topic altogether.

Other Thoughts

One of the most interesting parts about this AU is that is has the potential to drastically change the story. If Percy doesn't work for Barty Crouch, then chances are, whoever is in his position doesn't do as good of a job running the department on their own, so people figure out something is wrong with Mr. Crouch much sooner.

Once that happens, they (i.e. Dumbledore) may very well be able to put the pieces together about Barty Crouch Jr., and then his plan fails, Harry never goes to the graveyard, Cedric never dies, and Voldemort never officially returns in a body. So is the war even going on anymore? Possibly not for a few more years while Voldemort tries to capture Harry!

Even if the war continues in the exact same way as canon, I think Percy's job in the muggle world could actually be beneficial. He could be there to prevent some of the damage & protect the muggles, and he could help muggleborns & their families escape through the muggle world in a way that wouldn't be traced back to them.

There's a lot of potential there for a great fanfic! 😉

Thanks for the ask! 😊

#ask me #anon ask #percy weasley #percy weasley defense squad #EMT percy weasley #AU #canon divergent au #weasley family dynamic #hp #my thoughts #my opinion #molly weasley critical #anti molly weasley #anti arthur weasley #just to be safe

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deke-rivers-1957 · 11 months

Text

Clambake Review

This is often considered to be the worst Elvis film ever made. Even Elvis himself allegedly hated making the film. However, it's most likely because of the fact that Elvis suffered from that infamous concussion just before filming started. A lot of fans who watched this film say that you can see Elvis is ailing. Does his acting suffer because of it or just fan projection? Let's find out.

We immediately start off with the titular song "Clambake". For a movie that takes place in Miami, you wouldn't associate the city with clambake. Or oil rigs. But we don't live in this movie's reality because both of those things exist in Miami apparently. While it is true that Native Americans in Florida developed a technique referred to as a "clambake", a traditional clambake is predominantly held on the Northern East coast. They could've just as easily reused New Orleans if they wanted to include both of those elements.

This is easily one of the worst outfits Elvis ever worn. Scott would never wear this. Based on his character he'd want to be as far away from it as possible. It makes more sense for Tom Wilson to buy this when they switch identities. I know he has to wear something at the beginning to show that he's rich, but I would've used a different outfit.

Charlie Hodge cameos at the barber and gets a line. Imagine my surprise to see that we have an actual character arc that's setup. We understand who Scott is and why he's here in Miami. He's the son of an oil tycoon and wants to make a name for himself. He had a fiancee but he left her when it was clear she only cared for his money. We now have a clear reason to support his identity swap.

I don't hate this Prince and the Pauper type of plot, I just don't like how it's executed. Heyward Oil is everywhere somehow and yet no one recognizes Scott just by the face alone? Sure he's not the head of the company but they recognize his name so they had to have seen him at least once. Maybe I'm missing something, but I think this would've been better if Tom Wilson was played by an actor that looked more like Elvis. Impossible I know, but if Elvis had body doubles in movies, I think it could've been done.

"Who Needs Money" is a terrible duet. Elvis' vocals of course are fine but Tom Wilson's dubbed in vocals just doesn't work. The film doesn't grind to a halt because of this duet, but it's still not a rememberable song. I get that we needed a duet to show that Scott and Tom are both doing this for their own personal gain, but Tom Wilson needed different vocals for this song to be just average. It's also made abundantly clear that Elvis isn't in Miami to film this with the overuse of rear screen projections.

When we get to the hotel, the scene where Jamison is talking with the women is so bizarre. Some of the women's dialogue sounded either effected (meaning they purposely put on a type of voice that suggests bad acting or bad direction) or were dubbed in. It just didn't sound like they were recorded the same way Jamison's voice was recorded. The water-skiing scene also has so much dead air that we're watching Elvis' and Shelly's doubles ski at a far angle shot with no audio outside of the boat's motor. It lasted too long and could've been redone as it just wasn't engaging.

Given that Elvis wasn't actually in Florida, at least this scene has a real background. The lighting naturally matches the time of day it's supposed to be in and they all look like they belong there. I really like Elvis' outfit though as you can at least justify long sleeve shirts with "it's night time so it's going to be cooler".

"A House That Has Everything" is fine. It allows for Scott to seemingly bond with Dianne over being poor. As much as I love Scott's part of this relationship, I just don't understand why he's in love with Dianne. She basically admits to being a gold digger, which Scott wanted to get away from. I understand the point of the movie is that she falls in love with Scott for who he is, but Scott being interested after she admits to being the one thing he wanted to avoid just doesn't make sense to me.

I do appreciate that the movie wants us to dislike Jamison by making him act like a pig for ignoring Dianne's pleas to go away. I also appreciate that this movie didn't go down the path of most Elvis films and have Scott try to fight him ultimately getting him in trouble. Instead we get shown that Scott disapproves of Jamison's actions, but also acknowledges that Dianne's a grown woman who can take care of herself.

For once we have a mid 60s Elvis film that has him have the emotional maturity to know when to pick his battles. I also admit that as much as I don't like his romantic interests in Dianne, I really enjoy seeing him wanting to respect her choices and help her. He's willing to just be a companion and doesn't let any negative feelings for Jamison interfere. A cliched love triangle would've had Scott try to sabotage Jamison to make him look bad in front of Dianne, or Scott try to convince Dianne that Jamison is no good only for her to ignore him. He doesn't do any of that and instead just let's the chips fall where they lie.

This song was easily the worst scene in the entire film. "Confidence" is embarrassingly over 5 minutes long. The editing is just bizarre with a shot that is completely upside down and a clip of the US Calvary. It's so long that there was a stretch of time that Scott isn't even singing. We're just following him and Tom Wilson play with children. Even Red West, cameoing as the ice cream gets involved in playing with the kids for literally no reason. I kid you not, it was so bad that my besties who saw the film with me all had a mini breakdown at how awful and long it was.

I can see why fans say you can see Elvis is struggling in this film. Watching this scene is like watching a man mentally regress to a child's age right before your eyes. What makes it worse is that this scene has absolutely no impact on the plot. Him singing with the kids doesn't make Dianne see Scott in a new light the way, nor do any of the kids help Scott with his boat in anyway. Outside of a throwaway line about having confidence, nothing from this scene was ever mentioned again. This scene's only purpose is to provide filler to pad out the run time.

A ride up of over 2 inches or so should never happen with clothes. That's a sign of how cheap this film was. They couldn't even bother to give Elvis a turtleneck sweater that properly fits. This whole scene is just cringy mid 60s beach party aesthetics. "Clambake" as a song is bad in that I literally couldn't understand a single word of the beginning.

The dancing in this scene isn't good and the colors in the scene hurt my eyes. The only reason why I say this song is better than "Confidence" is that there's an actual reason for this song to exist. Despite being geographically inaccurate, a clambake event was mentioned earlier in the film. Scott would want to be there because he knows Dianne would be there and just in general wanted to have fun.

I like this montage of Scott developing the goop. The whole concept of Scott wanting to make his own product is brilliant. He wants to prove that his idea can work even if his dad didn't. It adds another dimension to his character without having to include his dad. He's a genuinely intelligent man who isn't depicted as a pathetic dork or an absolute kill joy.

This gives us a rare showing of Elvis playing a character that doesn't just rizz up girls, or fights people. He also isn't a bumbling, misfortunate character that is passive to the events around him. Here, Scott's actively choosing to do this. He's making the best use of his privilege and education to not only help out a struggling boat owner, but also create a product that shows that he's more than just his dad's money.

This dynamic only makes me think that Scott is too good for Dianne. He isn't just being a decent human being and therefore deserves to be with her by default. He's actively helping a woman he barely knows get with another man by giving her advice. The fact that she's still interested in Jamison after he refused to respect her boundaries indicates that she literally only cares about his money. I know that's the point of her character arc, but watching this only makes me think that Scott deserved better.

"You Don't Know Me" only solidifies that opinion. The entire song is literally Scott lamenting that Dianne doesn't know who he is. While part of it is on him for purposely hiding his true identity, Dianne basically uses him as a tool to get Jamison to notice her. She doesn't really take the time to get to know Scott on even a friendly basis. That one night on the beach just isn't enough to say that she knows enough about Scott to even be his friend. You really feel bad for Scott because he's in a one-sided relationship with someone who doesn't seem interested in him outside of what he could do for her.

It's little moments like this that make me appreciate Scott as a character. He's so dedicated to making this product work that he works through the night and falls asleep at his work station. He isn't even doing it to impress Dianne either. He's had this idea before he even met her. He genuinely wants to help Mr. Burton and prove that his product can work.

"Hey, Hey, Hey" is a terrible song. It's similar to "Clambake" in that it has bad dancing and similar to "Confidence" in that it just comes completely out of nowhere. It also just doesn't work with Scott's character. He's only shown interest in Dianne so even though he's not committed to her, it doesn't make sense for him to give every woman a kiss. I get that it's meant to be a montage of Scott getting help to finish the boat, but the song just feels unnecessary. Each woman's reaction to his kiss is obviously dubbed in as the actress' reaction doesn't match the noise she makes. You could just as easily convey that in a way that's similar to when Scott recreated his goop.

I was absolutely shocked at how good this dynamic was. Mr. Heyward had a big beef with Scott for leaving the way he did. He was so upset that Scott took stuff from his company without asking him, that he had to be confronted. At first you think this is the cliche dad that just doesn't get his son wanting to be his own man or even bothered to know what Scott liked. Scott's relationship with Mr. Burton made me think that this was the case. However, Mr. Heyward ultimately isn't that cliche.

Mr. Heyward knows his son more than anyone else. When he found out that Tom Wilson was acting like a party animal who smoke and drank, he immediately knew that this wasn't Scott. For a time period where it was more common for a man to smoke and or drink, Mr. Heyward outright being confused to hear that "Scott" did this shows he knows his son. He really does care about Scott, but is just upset at the way Scott chose to handle his feelings. When given the chance to confront him about it, Mr. Heyward said his part and let Scott have his say too. Even though he still didn't fully believe in Scott's product, he still wanted to let Scott try. Ultimately a very well written tension that didn't give you the idea that these two outright hated each other.

This part of the movie has the most amount of tension. There's a proper build up of the audience and Scott realizing that Jamison wasn't a good person worth Dianne's affection. Watching Jamison put the moves on her when she said no, is the nail in the coffin for the audience. For Scott, since he didn't see the same things we do, he wouldn't get upset at Jamison for that reason. He knew Jamison wasn't the best person when he forced Dianne to go out with him in exchange for her missing bra. He didn't interfere because he knew that he would've gotten in trouble because Jamison was rich and he was working as an employee.

Here he had the emotional maturity to not put up a stink when Dianne was with Jamison. He didn't even fight him after she left the room. It wasn't until Jamison essentially threatened him first, that Scott had enough and punched him. As soon as Jamison went down, he left. He had the emotional maturity to know that he put Jamison in his place. Nothing else needed to be done as there was no reason to keep punching him. Punching an unconscious man is no longer self defense and is just meaningless violence. Scott understanding that in spite of his own feelings is a refreshing thing to see in a character.

"The Girl I Never Loved" is the best song in the movie. Scott's lament that he'll never be able to tell Dianne how he feels is so sad. He's so adamant about not wanting to interfere in her relationship with Jamison, that he's willing to make himself suffer. He accepts that she doesn't have feelings for him, but he also still lets himself feel hurt about it. That being said, Dianne giving up her scheme and wanting to just go home feels a little forced. Like she doesn't even want to stay because Scott was a good friend. She just wants to go because Jamison ended up not working out.

I just feel bad that Scott went through all this work only for Dianne to not seem that enthused. Mr. Heyward only wants the best for his son so if the goop works, he couldn't be any happier and supportive. Tom Wilson and his girlfriend are genuinely excited to be at the race watching him. They really want Scott to win because they know he worked so hard on the boat. Dianne just doesn't look all that emotional for him and I wonder what would've happened if Scott ended up losing. Mr. Heyward and Tom Wilson I feel would've still supported Scott. They know how hard he worked on it even if it didn't pan out as he thought. I just can't say the same for Dianne. I'm not sure if it was an acting issue or a writing issue, but I just don't feel the same passion she has for Scott that he does for her.

This hurts me. When I think about the low production value of this movie, I think of this. First off no license would ever have a picture like that. If it has a picture it was to be front on not at this weird angle. Also his name's spelled wrong! If you look at the signs for his father's company it's spelled Heyward. The worst mistake though is that Elvis has blue eyes! Why do you mark Scott as having brown eyes when he clearly doesn't have them? This whole scene summarizes the lack of effort put into making this look like Miami. Florida doesn't have any mountains and if anything, Miami is actually prone to flooding and sinkholes because of the low altitude.

Regardless, I actually like how this film ended. The whole point of Scott switching identities in theory was to find someone who loved him for his personality and not just his money. Was doing that right at a stop light the best time to do that? No but in general for a mid 60s Elvis film, we didn't get a stereotypical final number to close out the film. It could've been executed better but we actually get the plot point of Dianne not knowing who Scott is wrapped up. I still don't think Dianne and Scott will work out. They don't know anything about each other and Scott kisses her once after he asks her to marry him. I'm happy for Scott that he got what he wanted, but I honestly think he still deserved better regarding his love interest. It really shows just how much of a real person this character was that you would feel something like that.

This movie is so baffling. On one hand yeah, I totally agree with fans that say this is the worst one. The complete lack of attention to geographical detail and the most blatant case of run time padding make this absolutely frustrating to watch. On the other hand Scott surprisingly has one of the most complete character arcs I've seen where every choice he's made has made sense to his character. His ballads and emotional maturity were quite refreshing to see. He actually makes me care enough to say "you deserve to find someone who loves you. Dianne isn't good enough for you king".

That being said, I give this film a 5/10. There's just too many issues to say that this is a good film. However, I truly think if this script was redone and a different creative team made this movie, it might be one of Elvis' best ones. In fact, as long as you skip "Confidence" and are someone who can forgive production errors easily, I would actually recommend watching this Elvis fan or not. Scott's character arc has enough good elements to make it worth watching.

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AN: Thank you @georgefairbrother for requesting this film. Also shout out to @arrolyn1114 and @xanatenshi for watching this film with me. Your input was much appreciated. I currently don't have anything planned on what to review next. If anyone wants to request an Elvis film feel free to send it in.

Tagging: @lynettethemadscientist, @motht-eeth, @ash-omalley, @spooky-hazex, @oh-my-front-door, @father-of-2cats, @stormie-ryan23, @yksuwyksud, @tacozebra051, @alienelvisobsession, @vintageoldsoul, @ohmygiddd, @lovininapinkcadillac, @stephthestallion, @mistyspresley, @bisexualwvtson, @karel-in-wonderland, @moonchild-daniella, @musiclover712, @worldofyns, @sillybookmarks, @g00d2balive, @leighpc, @generoustreemystic, @peskybedtime, @thetaoofzoe, @renegadewarrior, @vintagepresley, @tupelomiss, @myradiaz, @pinkcaddyconfessions, @kiankiwi, @presley72elvis, @delulubutidontcare, @elvispresleywife, @ilivebecauseiamforced, @jaqueline19997, @richardslady121, @if-i-can-dream-of-elvis and @lookingforrainbows.

#elvis film review #elvis presley #elvis film #scott heyward #clambake #1967

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jav-uni · 4 months

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This fandom proves daily how unbelievably ignorant they are about everything basic in the entertainment industry . I’ll tell you another secret, most celeb relationships are not real. //

I really don’t understand snarky comments like this because if one wasn’t in the industry they’d probably be unaware of how deep this shit goes while second guessing if they are right or not about basic level shit as the anon mentioned but ultimately they’d probably fall for the same shit and two if majority of the public was aware of what those in the industry knew…..then there’d be no Hollywood.

It’s not fully ignorance in the sense that most should know this stuff, most people have lives and aren’t focused on if Ben or Jen are real, yet in the same breath they will eat up “are Ben and jlo divorcing”. We all do the same shit at times but love to act as though we have right to be superior compared to others. That’s called pride.

Most folks assume things about the industry but some stuff is bs and other stuff is true but Hollywood fans it so regardless if true or not they ensure they can profit from it and if it’s bad, they make sure the truth is hidden in lies then it leaves people speaking truth but getting labeled as conspiracy theorists. On top of human nature and people being fake asf in and outside of the entertainment industry, it’s the perfect formula for drama and for people to take advantage and get taken advantage of. 🤷🏻‍♀️

There’s a percentage of people in the world who do indeed see Hollywood for the fake shit it is and you know what they do, they simply live their lives and try to ignore things, media, etc. but you really can’t escape hearing about celebs though, but you can choose to not entertain it.

It’s like us spending time online talking about this, doesn’t matter if it’s to bring awareness, get info, etc we are all taking time out of our day and discussing Hollywood bs and dealing with those who’ve fallen for it. But it’s our choice to be here so we don’t consider it a waste, others would disagree but then they won’t realize the water cooler talk or lunch discussion is talking about who’s dating who, who’s going to break up, etc we’re all deep in this mess but it doesn’t feel that way all the time. Most grew up in celeb culture dating back to old Hollywood, it’s ingrained in us.

People use media and entertainment and pr and real relationships of celebs as an escape, as a fantasy, inspiration, etc from own lives. People hate watch the kardashians but wish they had their lifestyle or get lost in living vicariously through them.

This will never end because the general public gains (entertainment, distraction, money, jobs, etc) and Hollywood celebs gain more💰 and publicity from this mess.

I think that anon meant to say it was that during this shitshow Team PR blogs besides being very vocal about this being PR from the start, because of their sources, experience, etc., have used their blogs as a platform to back everything they have said with a lot of resources, like immigration docs, and even PR articles for people to be informed and to make their own conclusions to why this is PR. Even @acircleofstars pinned a really good post about why this is PR and it's backed with a lot of articles, even one about PR marriages. And no matter how much information they post to prove that they are right, some people don’t see that, don’t read it, and prefer to believe unfunded posts from other blogs.

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cookies-over-yonder · 1 year

Text

Fun and Games

CO-WRITTEN BY @silverlistenstothings

Taylor takes Hermie to the arcade! ... Things don't go as planned.

Part 15 of The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Roommates

ao3

When Taylor insists on going to the arcade, Hermie reluctantly agrees. They’re really not that interested in doing anything that involves being around people other than Taylor and maybe the rest of the Leading Cast—not that they showed any interest in being around them, though they suppose that’s only fair—but Taylor is incredibly enthusiastic about some newly imported game cabinets straight from Japan and Hermie is, at their core, a pushover. They arrive soon after it opens, with Taylor’s hand wrapped around Hermie’s as he eagerly leads them inside.

“Do you know where you’re going?” Hermie asks, skeptically glancing around the arcade. It already smells sticky-sweet and sweaty, the air stiff and just barely cooler than it is outside.

But Taylor is practically bouncing as he leads the way over to a claw machine and presses his face to the glass.

“Look! Hermie!” Taylor points out a round pink plush bird wearing a green hat, half buried amongst the other plushies. “Bun-chan…”

“Who?” Hermie asks, circling around to the other side of the machine.

“It’s a plush bird from the UFO Catchers in Yakuza ! It looks just like that!” Taylor says, tapping his claws against the glass. “I need it.”

“… I assumed, from the title, that that was a game about organized crime?”

“Uh-huh! But it’s also about playing baseball and card games and crane machines!” Taylor explains, before glancing at Hermie and giving them a look. “You should play Kiwami sometime, I think you’d like Majima.”

“… alright,” Hermie says, helpless to dispute it one way or another. “I don’t have any money on me, so you’ll have to get your own token card.”

Taylor gives one last longing look to the plush bird, before trotting off towards the card machine. Hermie remains by the crane game, glaring at the little plush bird. It seems entirely unrepentant in its position.

Taylor returns, pressing a card into Hermie’s hand and pushing them out of the way in one movement.

“I’m gonna get that bird,” Taylor vows, sliding his own card into the reader.

Hermie looks down at the card in their hand, quietly baffled. The bright logo of the arcade shines up at them.

“You didn’t need to—“ Hermie starts, and their voice comes out sounding so pathetic that they give up on the sentence altogether. “You know these things are rigged, right?”

“Not to me! I’m great at crane games!” The machine beeps, and Taylor maneuvers the claw over the bird.

Hermie circles over to the other side, where they can see that the positioning is way off from this angle. Before they can say anything—not that they were planning on saying anything anyways—Taylor slaps the button and the claw descends. It pokes uselessly at the top of the next plush over, before it moves over to deposit a whole lot of nothing in the prize slot.

Hermie claps mockingly. Taylor glares at them.

“You have a go if you’re so good at it!”

“I’m not,” Hermie says, though they circle around the machine to take over the joystick anyways. “Nobody is, that’s the whole point.”

They move the claw over top of the bird, checking from all angles and carefully nudging it into place, before reluctantly tapping the button to descend. The claw lowers around the bird, wrapping around the little green hat and tipping the plush to the side, before ascending with nothing to show for it. Taylor gasps.

“Told you it was rigged,” Hermie hisses, glaring at the claw as it deposits its empty bounty into the receptacle.

“But you were so close! Try again!”

“I’m not going to get any closer,” Hermie scoffs, even as they position the claw for another try.

And then another. And then another, and another, and another, swiping their card again and again and hissing at anyone who tries to form a line behind them. They will get that stupid bird. It’s a matter of pride. It, of course, had nothing to do with the way Taylor’s eyes lit up when he first saw it.

Speaking of Taylor, he’d wandered off at some point to play any number of games that were better than this one. If he’d told Hermie where he was going in the first place, it’s long since been forgotten, because Hermie is incredibly focused on this damn crane game. Nothing else matters.

Hermie isn’t sure how long they’ve spent nudging the joystick and slamming a fist against the button before the claw finally closes around the body of the bird and holds firm all the way until it drops it into the receptacle. Nearly in disbelief, Hermie scrambles to retrieve their prize.

“Fucking finally!” Hermie shouts, lifting the bird above their head.

Their exclamation earns a few disapproving looks from the surrounding parents, because there’s a lot of parents, and a lot of kids, and a lot of people. Taylor was right to get here before it got crowded, because it’s crowded now and it sucks.

Hermie holds the bird to their chest as they suck in a sharp breath. The sweet-and-sweat scent of the air has only gotten stronger and it’s nauseating now that they’ve noticed it. It’s also fucking loud , people yelling to be heard over the noise of the arcade cabinets. Lights flash and people move around, an endless blur of sights and sounds. It’s not so crowded that it would be hard for Hermie to move, but they will risk running into people, and the very thought of touching anyone, especially a stranger, makes their skin prickle.

They check their reflection in the glass of the claw machine to ensure that it’s not literally prickling. The shade of the left side of their face is midway between that of their scars and their unblemished skin. Something bulges beneath the skin just before their hairline.

They tap the horn back into place with the heel of their hand, harder and harder until it sticks, then a few more times for good measure. It’s hot in the arcade but suddenly they're wearing a hoodie anyways, pockets to hide their claws in and sleeves to cover their arms. It’s so fucking hot but it’s better than anyone noticing just how much of a freak they are, and it’s better than letting their bare skin touch another person’s.

Hermie throws the hood up over their head, and glances longingly at the door.

They could leave. They couldn’t get home on their own, obviously, but they could leave, just until they calm down, just until the arcade clears out a bit.

They hold the plush bird closer to their chest, take a deep breath, and delve deeper into the arcade. They need to find Taylor. They don’t give a shit what he’s doing, they just need to get out of here before Hermie kills someone.

Their legs hurt, now that they’re forcing them to move. Their shapeshifting had returned their ability to bend half the joints below the hip after they were sealed in place by scar tissue, but they seemed to have locked back up. It happens sometimes, but they sure wish it wouldn’t happen now.

They limp through the arcade, hissing and snapping their teeth at anyone who bumps into them. None of them notice, none of them move out of the way, and each time Hermie brushes up against another person they feel their scarred skin writhe , trying to create an additional barrier between them and the rest of the world.

They pass the food court with no sign of Taylor. The overwhelming scent of grease and sugar makes them sick, a nausea that follows them even once they leave the scent behind. Their tail coils tightly around their leg, hidden beneath their pants. They’re glad they ditched the sweatpants in favor of something lighter, but it’s still so fucking hot. They shouldn’t be able to feel the sweat collecting along the back of their legs through all the scar tissue, but they swear that they can .

God, they wish they were dead.

Everything is so loud, but they can hear their wheezing breaths and the pounding of their heart over it all. They’re sure everyone around them can hear it too, can hear just how pathetic they are.

They’re staring. Nobody ever pays attention to Hermie until they don’t want them to. Everyone is staring. Of course they are, they’re disgusting.

They run a hand down their face. They feel the way the left side of it shifts beneath the pressure. The sensation makes them gag, and they snap their mouth shut against it. Their fangs catch on their lower lip and they bite down until they taste blood. They had hoped that the pain and familiar taste would give them something to focus on, but it’s just another sickening addition to the sensory onslaught they’re already subjecting themself to.

God, they’re gonna fucking kill Taylor when they find him—

As soon as the thought crosses their mind, their eye catches on the familiar colors of Taylor’s cane. It’s laid across the floor between two arcade cabinets, and Hermie feels their stomach drop before they stumble a step closer and their eye lands on the tip of Taylor’s shoe, peeking out from between the cabinets.

They take a deep breath to prepare to voice the rant they’ve been writing in their head, but the words die on their tongue the moment they see Taylor in his entirety.

He’s pressed against the wall in the narrow space between two arcade cabinets, entirely ignored by the people around them. His knees are curled up to his chest with his head buried in them, hands pressed over his ears. His breathing is sharp and shallow, and he’s shaking badly.

Oh.

Alright, Taylor’s off the hook this time.

Fuck.

Okay.

Hermie kneels down to match his height.

"Taylor, hey," they say, in a voice soft but hopefully loud enough for him to hear it over all the other various overstimulating sounds.

"Mmmnnn," is all Taylor replies with, a mix between a groan and a whine.

"Taylor, come with me, it's quieter outside."

Another whine.

It's at this moment that Hermie remembers that Taylor likes touch when he's panicking. But this is sensory overload… so it would make the most sense for him to be averse to it, no?

Well, he's barely responsive right now, and despite every fibre of Hermie's being telling them to not, not, not touch anyone right now, the state Taylor's in and the opportunity to do something about it is all overpowering.

Hermie puts a hand on Taylor's… head. It's hot and his hair is so sweaty and oh, god, touch makes Hermie feel sick to their stomach, but this is Taylor .

Somehow, it kind of works? Taylor is lifting his head, opening his eyes, and looking at Hermie, and Hermie is moving Taylor's hair out of his eyes, and his forehead is so sweaty and gross—

And Taylor has clearly been crying. There's a fresh set of tears in his eyes. And he's still covering his ears. And he's squinting, which makes sense, because everything in this place is too fucking bright.

"Taylor, can you come outside with me?"

Taylor's head tilts in the smallest, tiniest fraction of a nod. Hermie pulls their hand away from Taylor's hair in favour of passing him his cane.

Taylor hesitates, but then he slowly pulls one hand away from his ear—wincing at the noise—to grab it. Then he pulls the other hand away, just as slowly, and puts it flat on the ground in an attempt to lift himself up. He's shaking from head to toe, so Hermie isn't surprised when that doesn't work, and he crumples back to the ground.

And starts sobbing.

"Okay, here, take my hand."

Taylor grabs it, and Hermie pulls him up, keeps a tight grip, and guides them to the exit. Taylor's sobbing the entire time. The sound of it is somehow even more grating than the beeps and shouting children. The sensation of Taylor’s sweaty hand in their own, even more sweaty hand makes their stomach roll, but Hermie is sure that if they release him he’ll crumple back down to the floor.

The arcade is even more difficult to navigate with Taylor trailing after them. They don’t want to pass the food court again- they’re fairly certain they won’t be able to keep themself from throwing up this time- so they alter their course to avoid it. This, of course, means that they have no idea where they are and how to get out. And they need to get out.

Something touches their shoulder and Hermie jumps. It retreats as they whip around to find the source, which is probably for the best because Hermie was moments away from sinking their teeth into it.

An arcade employee stands behind them, hands held up placatingly. They’re saying something, and their face reads as concerned, but Hermie can’t catch the words. Something about ‘okay’ and ‘brother’ and ‘help’. Objectively, Hermie knows that they probably could help, but they can’t get their mouth to form anything other than a wordless snarl. The employee reaches out again, and Hermie snaps their teeth at their approaching hand. They’re already suffering through Taylor’s touch, they can’t stand a stranger’s.

The employee pulls away, face dropping from concern to something like fear or disgust, but Hermie has no interest in dissecting the intricacies of their expression. They turn on their heel and continue towards what they believe to be the exit. It feels like an eternity before they finally see sunlight and manage to escape the arcade.

They expected everything to be better as soon as they got out, but it’s just as loud and bright and stinky outside as it was inside, just in a different way. The sunlight is overwhelmingly bright and the cars rushing by are overwhelmingly loud and the scent of gasoline and hot asphalt is… well, overwhelming.

There’s no way either of them can get on the bus right now. They need to find someplace quiet to calm down. Hermie’s brain scrambles uselessly for a solution for far too long until they remember the library they passed on the way over.

“Close your eyes,” they tell Taylor, linking their arms together to pull him closer even as the increased contact makes them want to tear their own skin off. “I won’t let you bump into anything.”

“‘s loud,” Taylor sobs, squeezing his eyes shut. It’s an undeserved show of trust given the last time Hermie navigated the Leading Cast blind, but they’re not really in any mood for mischief at the moment.

“I know it is,” Hermie agrees as softly as they can while still being audible over the sound of cars. “We’re going to the library, it’ll be quiet there.”

“Wanna go home,” Taylor whines, burying his face in Hermie’s shoulder as he clings to them. Hermie tries very hard not to flinch.

"I know," Hermie says, turning them in the direction of the library, walking slowly but with a steady pace so Taylor can follow, and they can get there quickly.

As soon as they enter the sliding doors to the library, Taylor shudders. There's strong air conditioning in here, and they both run hot, so they're bound to get cold faster.

Fucking hell, the library is bright too, and Hermie scans the area before their gaze finally lands on a spot in a corner where the light doesn't quite hit it. Hermie starts toward it, guiding Taylor along.

The library is nowhere near as crowded as the arcade was, but there are still a few looks shot their way. Hermie's glares seem to make them avert their gazes, and whether or not it has anything to do with their figure becoming less uniform and more grotesque is the least of their worries right now.

After what feels like an eternity, they reach the darkest corner in the library.

"Taylor, let's sit down, okay?"

"Okay," he mumbles, opening his eyes the tiniest bit to see where he's going, and then he crumbles against the ground, leaning his back against a bookshelf and drawing his knees up to his chest once more.

He's breathing fast, and breathing loudly, and then it's muffled by a hand in his mouth that he's biting, and he's definitely piercing the skin with his fangs, but Hermie would be a hypocrite to make him stop that.

Hermie sits across from him, holding their hands up, but not quite sure what to do.

And then he says something, but it's muffled by his hand, and Hermie has no idea what it is.

"What's that?"

Taylor seems to realize this, and pulls his hand out of his mouth in favour of burying his head in it, covering his eyes. "It—it… loud."

It's significantly quieter in here than outside, though Hermie can hear the low chatter of people scattered about, and the AC running, and yeah, it is a little loud.

"Okay, I'm going to cover your ears," Hermie says, and when Taylor nods, they bring their hands around to cup his ears.

Hermie feels the shift as their hands morph to close the little gaps left after they cup Taylor's ears, and they get a little thicker. The odd sensation of their hands shifting does nothing to ease the nausea still roiling in Hermie’s gut, nor does it protect them from the unpleasant prickle of contact.

While he's still very much panicking, Taylor seems to loosen up ever so slightly, and it reassures Hermie that their somewhat noise-isolating hands are helping a bit. They can suffer through.

As they fight to get their own breathing under control, they reflect on the day’s events and try to determine where it all went wrong. Getting out of bed was probably their first mistake, followed by agreeing to go to the arcade. They probably shouldn’t have let themself get quite so enraptured by the crane game either, so they could have noticed their own signs of overstimulation, found Taylor, and left before things got this bad. But then, Taylor should have done the same.

… but who's to say he hadn’t? If they hadn’t noticed how overwhelmingly crowded and bright and loud the arcade was in the depths of their hyperfocus, who’s to say they would have noticed Taylor? Had Taylor come to them and asked to leave, only for Hermie to brush him off? He didn’t seem like the type to give up that easily, but what if he was already shaken and struggling at that point, enough that he couldn’t force Hermie to focus on him? It was easy to blame Taylor for bringing them here in the first place, but this all could very well have been Hermie’s fault.

The familiar weight of guilt settles in Hermie’s chest. Even if Taylor hadn’t come to them, they still could have— should have prevented this. The realization has their eye stinging, but they can’t break down, not when Taylor’s busy doing it already. It’s fine. They can—and will—beat themself up over it later. For now, they can perform their greatest role yet: a pair of noise-canceling headphones that can touch people without wanting to remove their flesh from their body. Not that most noise canceling headphones have flesh, an attribute Hermie very much envies at the moment.

… they wonder if they could shapeshift their flesh away entirely. Now probably isn’t a great time to test that out, though. They put the thought out of their mind before their body can get any ideas.

They’re not sure how long it takes, but eventually Taylor’s shoulders stop hitching with muffled sobs and hiccups, and his breathing starts making an attempt at evening out. Hermie still isn’t sure if they’re allowed to move away yet, but Taylor’s hands slowly begin to lower from his eyes, and that’s probably a good sign.

Hermie looks away from Taylor to scan the area once more, and they spot an array of headphones on a rack nearby.

Slowly, Hermie pulls their hands away from Taylor's ears, feeling the instant relief of no contact at the expense of Taylor's exposure to the noise.

Another pang of guilt.

They slip their hand into their pocket and pull out the plush they won earlier—something once so rewarding, and now so, so insignificant compared to every horrible thing that obtaining it has caused.

Taylor's hands are further away from his face now, and he's lifted his head up slightly. His eyes are still closed, but when Hermie places the plush in his hands, they open.

He looks at it with a half-lidded gaze, says nothing, and holds it tighter.

"I'll be back in a second."

Taylor nods, still not tearing his eyes away from the plush.

Hermie grabs the headphones as swiftly as possible, returns to their spot kneeling in front of Taylor, and slides them on his head.

Taylor lets out a little sigh, and closes his eyes again. That thought in the back of Hermie's mind creeps up again: the thought that Taylor trusts them enough to give up his sense of sight. It’s so entirely undeserved that it makes them sick.

But it’s fine. Hermie’s not gonna worry about it right now. With Taylor reasonably comfortable, or at the very least not getting worse, they need to figure out how to get home. The bus still isn’t an option. They really don’t want to call a Lyft, considering it would be on Taylor’s dime and they’d have to interact with a stranger. According to the clock across the library, it’s about an hour past when Ms. Swift said she’d be home, so that’s… an option. It’s not one they like, at all, but it is an option.

They hate asking Ms. Swift for anything. It calls to mind all the times their adoptive parents refused, all the times Hermie had asked, then pleaded for them to go to his performances, to come and see the one thing he’s good at, only for them to sneer and turn up their nose. Besides, they know they don’t have any right to. She’s given them too much already.

But this is for Taylor, not for them. Hermie could suffer through the long bus ride back to the house, but Taylor probably couldn’t without another meltdown. They can call Ms. Swift if it’s for Taylor’s sake.

They stare at her name in their contact list for far too long. She gave it to them when they first moved in, and it has since gone entirely untouched. They’re pretty sure she has their own number registered as well, which means their stupid fucking name would show up on her phone if they called.

She’d probably ignore it, if she knew it was them. Luckily, they know what pocket Taylor keeps his phone in, and they can grab it from him easily enough. He doesn’t even notice, distracted as he is by… everything else that’s going on.

They know his passcode, no shapeshifting for the sake of Face ID required, which is probably for the best considering they still don’t feel like they’re entirely in control of that part of themself.

Most of the recent calls are to his mom, so it’s easy for Hermie to find her number. They don’t let themself think about it for too long before dialing and bringing the phone up to their ear.

“ Hey honey !” Ms. Swift answers after the second ring. “ You at the arcade with Hermie ?”

Hermie swallows, and then in their best approximation of Taylor’s voice, “um, we’re at the library now, actually. It got kinda… loud and overwhelming at the arcade, so we’re hiding out here until… I was wondering if you could pick me up?”

“ Yeah, of course, baby ,” Ms. Swift says immediately, voice going soft. “ Is Hermie with you ?”

“Mmhmm.”

“ He’s okay ?”

What? What ?

“Uh—yeah, yeah he’s fine.”

“ Alright, you two stick together alright? I’ll be there in fifteen. ”

Oh. That makes sense. She just wanted to make sure Hermie was there to look after him. Why she trusts them to do so is a mystery, but it makes more sense then her being worried about them .

“Okay. Thanks Mom,” they say, glancing at Taylor. Luckily, he doesn’t seem to be paying attention to them at all.

“Of course. See you soon. I love you .”

“… Love you too.”

Ms. Swift hangs up. Hermie breathes out a sigh of relief, and slips Taylor’s phone into their pocket. They slide to the floor beside him, and Taylor immediately leans into their shoulder. Hermie just barely manages not to flinch. It’s a little less sickening than it was at the arcade, but it still makes their skin roll. They wonder if Taylor can feel it through the fabric separating them. If he can, it doesn’t seem to bother him. They can’t force themself to lean back into Taylor the way they usually would, but they tolerate the contact.

They tap their claws against Taylor’s knee. He slides the headphones off one ear, looking at them.

“Your mom’s coming to pick us up. She’ll be here in fifteen.”

“M’kay. Thanks, Herm.” Taylor mumbles, hugging the plush bird a bit closer to his chest as he cuddles nauseatingly close to Hermie’s side, using Hermie’s shoulder to nudge the headphones back over his ear.

Hermie continues to bite at their lip. The pain is much more pleasant to focus on than the contact. The coppery taste of blood only makes their nausea worse, but it’s fine. Hermie’s fine. They’ll have to be until Taylor’s safely on the way home.

They wish they could close their eyes too, but people keep trying to enter Hermie’s little section of the library, so they have to be on guard. Luckily, they’re fairly easily dissuaded by Hermie’s one-eyed glare and, perhaps, Taylor’s pitiful aura. The fact that Hermie’s horns have grown out enough to distort the shape of their hood and that half of their face looks more like hot wax then human skin might also serve as a deterrent.

Fifteen minutes is a remarkably long time when you and your companion are sitting, overstimulated, in a corner of a library. Hermie tries to spend the time forcing their skin back into human form, but every time they try to focus on shifting their burns into something more regular, they’re forced to acknowledge the weight and warmth of Taylor against them and they end up not making any progress at all. They can’t even force their horns back beneath their skin, and even if Hermie can pull the hood up far enough to hide what they are, they still form a strange shape on top of his head.

There’s no hiding them. They’ll just have to find a way home that doesn’t involve Ms. Swift. They can take the bus on their own. Sure, it’s about 4 and it’ll be stupid crowded from people trying to get home from school or work, but it’s better than letting Ms. Swift see them like this. They’ve already failed to carry their own weight like they promised, finding out just what her tenant is would surely be the last straw. It’s a miracle that she hasn’t found out so far, but Hermie is a very good actor. Still, even the best have their limits, and this will be theirs.

“Taylor?” Ms. Swift’s voice.

Hermie hunches in on themself, raising their unscarred hand in a feeble wave. They jostle their shoulder to get Taylor’s attention. He perks up immediately upon seeing Ms. Swift, jumping to his feet and stumbling into her arms. She catches him, wrapping her arm around him and peppering kisses onto the top of his head.

“Hey, baby, hi, let’s get you home, okay?” She runs her hand soothingly through his hair, pushing it back so she can kiss his forehead when he pulls away enough to let her. He moves to her side, clinging to her arm with both hands and burying his head in her side.

For a moment, Hermie thinks that they’ve been forgotten about entirely, and they’re very glad that they won’t have to explain themself. That hope is immediately dashed when Ms. Swift looks up and meets their eye. She looks startled for a moment, before she schools her expression.

Well. They’ve certainly been caught.

“I um—“ their voice comes out strained and weak, trembling like they’re about to cry. Fuck. Goddamnit.

“Can you grab Taylor’s cane for me?”

Hermie’s mouth clicks shut. They nod helplessly, unsure of what else to do, and grab Taylor’s discarded cane. They shakily rise to their feet, and follow Ms. Swift as she leads the way out of the library. Once the entrance is in sight, they stumble to a stop.

“Ah, um—wait, the headphones—" they gesture over to the rack they snagged them from.

“I was wondering where those came from,” Ms. Swift muses, pulling Taylor out of her side enough to take the headphones and whisper reassurances all the while.

Taylor immediately melts back into her side once she’s done, and she offers Hermie the headphones. They return them to their place, and hesitate beside it. Maybe they can still slip away, to avoid the worst of Ms. Swift’s scrutiny. Unfortunately, she remains where they left her, looking at Hermie expectantly. A furrow has formed between her brows, but Hermie can’t read into it before they’re ducking their own head and following like a scolded dog.

“I—I can take the bus,” Hermie says, worrying their claws over the handle of Taylor’s cane. “I know that I—"

“Hermie,” she says, sharp enough for them to flinch. “You don’t have to do that.”

“… okay,” Hermie agrees, voice quivering. They’re so pathetic. They should be a better actor than this.

She leads the way to her car parked illegally outside, one tire run up partially on the curb. Taylor takes shotgun, leaving Hermie to tuck his cane under the seat and crawl into the back. They sit behind Taylor, curling up against the door as soon as their seatbelt is clicked into place.

Ms. Swift starts the car, turns the music all the way down, and flicks the AC off. There’s the rumble of the car, but beyond that it’s so quiet. It’s almost unnerving after the constant background buzz of everything happening outside. She pulls away from the curb, and Taylor whines as it drops off it—a sentiment Hermie shares, but doesn’t voice. They need to be quiet. They can’t attract attention to themself, not right now.

Which is what makes the tears building in their eyes so inconvenient. Hermie isn’t great at crying quietly.

They continue to chew at their lip. The pain just makes them want to cry more. Hermie recognizes the post-adrenaline desire to break down, but they’re not safe yet. They can’t give into it.

A tear trickles its way down Hermie’s cheek, searing hot and embarrassing . They wipe their face on their inner hood against their shoulder, but it’s followed by another, and another, until their shoulders are hitching with it. They sniffle and struggle fruitlessly to keep their breathing even, teeth grit against any pathetic noises they might make. Their lips aren’t enough to muffle it, so they raise their scarred hand to their mouth and bite.

They wonder if it’s a demon thing, to bite at your hands like that, considering it’s a trait they share with Taylor. It would make sense as some kind of teething instinct, given that Taylor’s fangs seem to still be growing in, but Hermie’s teeth are probably as big and sharp as they’ll get. At least, they hope they won’t get any sharper, considering the damage they can do now.

It’s a fair amount of damage. They’ll have a lot of blood to clean up later. They’re not really worried about that now, though. For now, it’s doing a passable job at muffling their sobs while also giving them something to focus on.

“Hey, Hermie?” Ms. Swift says from the front seat. Hermie flinches hard, releasing their hand and hiding it in their pocket. They quickly wipe the blood from their mouth, before glancing up to meet her eyes in the rearview mirror. She doesn’t meet theirs, eyes still fixed on the road. “It’s okay. This doesn’t change anything, you know that, right?”

How can it not? They’re more hot wax than human at this point, complete with demon horns and animal ears and a stupid fucking tail that looks just like their dad’s. They don’t understand how Ms. Swift can just take that with little more than a raised eyebrow.

Perhaps she just doesn’t want to show how disgusted she is in front of her son? That would make sense, Taylor is already so stressed out. Surely there’s something worse waiting for them when they get home, once Taylor is tucked away safely in his room. The anticipation is just making their anxiety worse, but their muffled sobs have tapered off into just hiccups and silent tears, and it stays that way for now.

The Swift household is a comforting sight, despite everything. Hermie knows they’re just an intruder there, but even a mouse makes its home within the walls.

Ms. Swift pulls into the driveway. Hermie retrieves Taylor’s cane from beneath the seat. They step out of the car on shaky legs, prepared to hand it over, but Ms. Swift beats them to the car door. Hermie shies away, only glancing at her face before ducking their head.

“Hermie, honey,” Ms. Swift says, reaching to place a hand on Hermie’s shoulder. Hermie manages to fight down a flinch. “It’s fine. You’re okay. Thank you for taking care of Taylor today.”

Oh. That’s not what they expected at all. If they weren’t already so exhausted, they might start sobbing again. It still might be in the cards, actually.

Ms. Swift gives them her best attempt at a comforting smile, before opening the passenger door for Taylor.

"Taylor, sweetie, let's go inside," she says, leaning inside, and Hermie hears the clicking of the car buckle.

Taylor whines.

"What is it, baby?"

"Can you carry me?" he mumbles in a tear-laced, wobbly way.

Ms. Swift hesitates. "I can try," she says, and she doesn't sound sure at all. She's adapted to many other activities with only one arm, but Hermie suspects that carrying Taylor isn't one she's practiced.

Taylor throws his arms over her shoulders, and she scoops him up, with her arm wrapped around his back, and her hand reaches under his knees to hold them up.

"Mommy…" he mumbles, burying his head in her shoulder.

"I know, baby, it's okay," she hums, pressing a kiss against the top of his head.

The familiar feeling of envy rears its ugly head at the sight.

Why does Taylor get a loving mother and decent father when you get four parents who all hate you ? it growls, but Hermie knows the answer to that. For all the differences between the King of Hell and a trickster deity and two completely average upper-middle-class human doctors, there’s a single common factor, and that’s Hermie. Skill issue , as Normal might say. They’re not entirely sure what they’ve done, but they’re certain it’s their own fault.

Hermie watches Ms. Swift carry Taylor toward the entrance and notices his breathing pick up again.

"Taylor, honey, breathe," she hushes him, to no avail. In fact, Taylor gets dangerously close to hyperventilation. Again.

Hermie, trailing behind them, notices that Taylor's hands are shaking. It looks like he's grasping for something.

And then Hermie's gaze lands on the plush, left behind to face the elements on the concrete driveway. They’re a bit bitter about how easily their gift was discarded—not that they expected anything different—before they put two and two together.

They pick it up with their unbloodied hand and catch up to Ms. Swift and Taylor.

"Here," they say with a voice quiet, rough, and most prominent of all, weak .

Ms. Swift turns to face them, and her eyes cross theirs before they land on the plush.

"Taylor, look," she says softly, and he pulls himself away from her chest, and once he spots the plushie, he's reaching for it.

Hermie hands it to him, and once it's safely in his grasp, his breathing starts to slow.

Ms. Swift shoots Hermie a small smile, one that is so incredibly undeserved.

“Keys are in the front pocket of my purse,” Ms. Swift says, pivoting so the purse resting against her hip faces Hermie. “Could you unlock and open the door for us?”

Hermie nods, a bit too eager to have a task. They carefully unzip the front pocket and fish out the keys, fighting against the urge to root through the bag for anything else. Ms. Swift isn’t even looking at them, still focused on Taylor. They could swipe her wallet, no problem.

But they don’t. They’d probably be the first suspect anyways. They just take the keys and unlock the door, holding it open for Ms. Swift to enter through. They don’t even do the facetious little bow they usually do when holding the door open for people. That would require an amount of energy that they don’t possess at the moment.

“I’m gonna take Taylor upstairs, but we can talk afterwards. If you want, I mean. Whenever you want. Just know that I don’t care about…” She turns back to tilt her head at them meaningfully. “I’m not gonna kick you out or anything like that.”

Why not , Hermie wants to ask, but it’s a kindness they can’t bring themself to question. Instead, they follow Ms. Swift up the stairs, darting ahead to open Taylor’s room for her, before they duck away and go to their own room. Their legs feel weak the moment they cross the threshold, and they barely have the presence of mind to close the door before they’re stumbling over to their bed and collapsing on it. They feel like they’re in desperate need of a shower, and they definitely should clean up their hand before they make a mess, but they grab a pillow with their unbloodied hand and bring it up over their face instead.

Finally, they’re free to wail into their sobs, loud and ugly and exhausting. They have a headache that they won’t be able to sleep through without medication, and they really need to wrap their hand before it stains something, but going into the bathroom means getting far too close to Taylor and Ms. Swift, and they can’t risk being heard when they’re finally letting themself sob.

It feels so stupid to be breaking down over a bit of overstimulation and undeserved kindness after everything they’ve been through, but there’s some comfort in the fact that Taylor’s doing the same on the other side of the bathroom. After everything, it almost feels good to cry over something any other teenager might.

#angst #hurt/comfort #taylor swift dndads #hermie unworthy #cassandra swift #dndads #dndads au #fic #arcades #the mortifying ordeal of being roommates #cookies writes and cookies wrongs #autistic taylor and autistic hermie so real ♡

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