#in theory i guess at least you get an outcome that shows you good things exist out in the world and nourishes some positive hope

[aeide-thea]

thinking abt how like. ~recovery~ sort of necessarily involves going against yr maladaptive instincts to some degree but also if yr bullying yrself into it out of, like, guilt or whatever (as opposed to some degree of actual positive hope) it doesn't really qualitatively feel any different than the dynamic that overrode yr autonomy and crushed yr spirit in the first place…

[sendothetaurus]

How to write good dialogue

Almost every story needs dialogue - obvious right? Well, this post is about the not-so-obvious sides of conversations. I've struggled a LOT with snappy and realistic speech, so I've made it my mission to collect some handy directives. Here is what I found:

Contents

Information Dumps

Setup And Payoff

Characterization Through Dialogue

Three Simple Questions

Four-Sides Model

Depth

About Answers

Sources And Credits

⮮ Let's go! (^▽^) ⮯

Information Dumps

Everybody knows them, everybody hates reading them. But how do we avoid them? Something really clicked for me when I understood context. If your character talks about something that happened in the past, they don't need to explain what happened. They were there. Here's an example:

"It would be nice if we at least got a B for that paper. Since I will go to college next year, I feel that this is important to me."

The speaker and the listener should be aware of the exposition (regarding their last year at high school). During dialogue, these conditions go without saying.

Setup And Payoff

Instead of dumping everything at once, let the reader guess what's happening. This is done by mentioning something that is not answered right away. Also dropping hints can increase tension.

Scene 1 "Why do you always carry that with you?" she asked and pointed at the box cutter. Her friend eyed her with suspicion. "For cutting." "Yeah, but why?" "Might come in handy sometime." Scene 2 An ice cold shiver ran down her spine as her fingers felt around the bag, searching for the familiar shape. There was nothing. The other tossed the thing onto the floor between them. "Care to elaborate?" She couldn't have known. "How could you!"

Someone definitely has a secret here that they don't want uncovered. It makes the reader speculate: Does she carry the knife to defend herself or does she plan on hurting someone with it?

Characterization Through Dialogue

The general rule of thumb is: Show not tell. If a character is shy, self-absorbed or chaotic, make them act like it. Also, readers take part in the characterization of your protagonists. Make them guess why a character acts a certain way.

"C- can I have your pen?" She twirled her thumbs and looked at the ground. "What the hell, no!" Disgusted, he brushed off his hands on the front of his jeans. "I'mma better disinfect that."

Notice how the girl is stuttering and the boy has a loose tongue. Mannerisms help identifying traits in a character. Everyone has a distinct way to speak (e.g. relaxed, polite, malignly) which makes it easier to tell them apart. Sometimes there is a difference between speech and behavior. This can be quite useful to highlight conflict inside a character.

Three Simple Questions

Who wants what from who?

Why now?

What happens if they don't get it?

These questions ensure plot consistency. For question 3 the only other outcome is conflict. Conversations thrive off of conflict and it is of benefit to have a supplicant and potential provider for a solution. It's basically intention versus obstacle.

1. She wants to be his wife. He doesn't want a marriage. 2. She is pregnant. 3. She needs to provide for a baby all on her own.

Tadaa, a conflict ensues.

Four-Sides Model

The four-sides model is a theory on communication. It assumes that a message has four distinct ways of being conveyed:

Facts -> data, facts, truth and relevance

Self-Disclosure -> explicit and implicit information about the own mindset; likes, dislikes, opinions

Relationship -> information about whether the person is liked or detested; approval and disapproval; "I assume you have [this] opinion of me"; body language

Want -> a direct attempt to influence the behavior of another person; advice, desire or instruction

Since this is highly technical stuff, I'll provide you with an example:

Customer: "I always drink my coffee black." 1. Fact: The coffee I drink is black. 2. Self-Disclosure: I like black coffee. 3. Relationship (POV of the waiter): Did I do something wrong? OR It's their fault! They ordered the wrong thing! 4. Want: Bring me black coffee.

Controlling the message through sender and receiver gives a new level of influence to an author. The relationship-level is the bottleneck in a conversation that holds the most potential for misunderstandings. I'm trying to be aware of it when I write subtext (see below).

Depth

On the nose dialogue is what we want to avoid at all costs. For this reason subtext is created in stories. Read this:

Scene 1 A: "I like you." B: "Nah, I don't like you back. You're so annoying." A: "Ouch, that hurts. I'm not sure if I heard that right." B: "We were never friends. Go away."

This is not how conversations work. Thankfully, dialogue like this is not entirely useless. It conveys what the characters really want to say. The challenge is to think of a way to not say the thing but keep a similar meaning.

The true meaning behind the dialogue is called subtext (scene 1). If I don't know how to continue after a certain line, I write down the subtext first before I decide on how to paraphrase it.

Finally, I add a fitting description of expression and body language if needed. I try to keep it short and simple.

Check this out:

Scene 2 She tucked her hair behind her ear. "I need a ride home later. Are you free?" -> I like you. "Sorry, all seats' re taken," he said without looking at her. -> Nah, I don't like you back. You're so annoying. "Uhm, okay. But I'm small. You could fit me in the footwell, honestly." -> Ouch, that hurts. I'm not sure if I heard that right. He leaned forward as if he had the urge to stand. "Ha, funny. But no, I'm not planning on doing something illegal tonight." -> We were never friends. Go away.

A character's action depends on their own intention and the other's response. I feel it is easier to keep track of what's happening behind the curtains when it's written alongside the dialogue.

Simultaneously, you can keep habits and traits in check. Does the the character apply all criticism to themselves? Are they disregarding or constantly marginalizing others? Do they worry only for themselves or solely for others? Subtext truly is the most powerful tool in conversation-writing.

About Answers

Did you know that you don't have to answer every single question? In fact, there are two other ways to show an emotion without telling it.

The first one is called sidestepping. The character ignores the posed question and carries on with an entirely different topic.

A: "Do you still love me?" B: "We should get going."

It's very obvious, right? By sidestepping the question, we can assume that the character is uncomfortable or angry with the other person.

The other way to answer is actually a bit paradoxical. Through silence, a great variety of emotions can be displayed. It is recommended to refrain from actually describing silence with words like "he remained silent", "he refused to say anything", "he never responded".

- The laptop hummed. - The birds chirped in the trees. - She felt her legs going numb from sitting in an uncomfortable position. - His eyes wandered around, searching the parking lot for a familiar face.

It feels more natural to explain the things that grab our attention when we sit in silence.

This is it, folks. That's all I could find on the topic - for now. If there's anything missing, I'd love to hear it.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ Anyway, thanks for reading, I hope this helped ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

My sources are this and this video as well as this article.

Also a big thank you to @zoropookie for helping me with the colors ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

[seeminglydark]

1. would caro and john be into the tv show, the x-files? would they buy tapes of the episodes and talk about their own conspiracies and guess about the outcomes of the episodes.

2. also your comic has help peak my interest for the supernatural and conspiracy theories. what are some stories or theories that you’ve learned about that you have found the most interesting? and were you a believer before starting your comics or has your interest grown as you’ve continued with your comics.

3.lastly, i’m trying to buy more secondhand items and become the diy punk that i’ve aspired to be since high school (too afraid since i was a closeted trans man and living with an unaccepting family), any tips?

i, like john, try to stay away from modern tech as much as i can. i’m able to stay off my phone for the most part and rarely use my computer but i’ve been looking around and audiobooks on cassette are kinda expensive around me so i like to narrate book as i read them in paperback. i was wondering if canonically john uses resources such as the library and what his favorite books and movies are. i love horror and am just now getting into sci-fi and i love watching movies on my vcr + tv combo and i sometimes use a blu-ray player for more rare or expensive (at least in vhs format) movies.

sorry for the long winded paragraph, i’m unfortunately unable to escape my strict household (despite being an adult) until i find a job and am able to save every cent. i also tend to isolate myself so i have no friends to help me out. sorry to vent to you about this but i just wanted to end this by saying your comic and characters inspire me and give me hope that i’ll be okay once i’m free.

YES. John is obsessed with x-files. every once in a while you can see he has the iconic 'i want to believe' poster in his younger years on his walls. He still has it as an adult. both caro and john like watching those together, they also enjoy the twilight zone, charmed, Buffy (they they agree the corny movie from '92 is the best) and those old Bruce Campbell shows noones heard of, re: Brisco County Jr. I think as kids they theorize, and as adults they talk about everything everyone gets wrong, now that they know how these things really work. John can always guess WhoDunnit.

Ive always been interested in the idea of the supernatural. im a big skeptic though, ill be honest there, even though ive had many 'experiences' myself. i kinda like the idea of the unbelievable. definitely making the comics has peaked my interest in things i wasn't too keenly aware of before, like cryptids. im fascinated by the concept of Missing 411, and missing people who reappear somewhere else, but Liminal Spaces hold my heart specifically. ive always been keenly aware of the off feeling in those places before i even knew what that meant. i love scouring the internet for images of things like abandoned hotels that give me a weird kind of uneasy, most of the things people tag as Liminal aren't really that, so its a scavenger hunt to find something that fits my idea of it. coming up with the lore of my stories has been an adventure. my interest has definitely grown, more in places and phenomenon than in ghosts specifically.

there are so mnay things you can do to diy punk stuff, in my opinion thats the best and most rewarding way. it sounds to me that you need to start small and slow for your safety, so let me reassure you right here anon, that punk is a set of ideals, and not just fashion. youre still punk no matter what youre wearing. a jacket or vest is always a good place to start, you can literally buy ANYTHING at the thift store that strikes your fancy. this is a canvas you will be adding too for as long as its yours. once you have your canvas, its time to create, and there is literally no wrong way to do this. you can use paint markers, embroidery, bleach, ect. dont have money for spikes and studs? you can use soda can tabs and bend them, metal lighter caps, hell even staples and safety pins always look cool. you can make your own badges by bending metal soda or beer caps around a soda tab with a safety pin through it and then paint whatever you want on the cap. dental floss is what you usually see when punks have the white stitching on their pants and jackets, its durable and doesn't break, since crust and gutter punks need tough clothes that last. if you're worried about your family, i would personalize it first in small secret ways that are just for you, such as a message beneath your collar as seen here on my friends jacket. and here, and here! he hides patches on the inside as well! Im including a pic of john hiding a patch on caros varsity jacket as well. i will post my jackets one day, my camera is broken but i figured id share his since he hides things more than i do!

John absolutely uses the library, its a fantastic resource for SO many things, depending on where you're located. He would also probably use a digital reader later, because many of them you can get library cards on and borrow books that way. he is not a strong reader so he mostly reads books that may be under his age level, like goosebumps, but who cares, do what you enjoy. movie wise hes very obsessed with cosmic horror (hence the UFO tattoo) his favorites are Alien, The Thing, Killer Klowns from Outer Space and the Blob from the 80s. both he and Caro love the original Evil Dead franchise, horror comedy like American Werewolf in London, lost boys, etc.

Thank you, Anon, for the long winded paragraph. You asked some really fun questions for me to answer, i love nothing more than to talk about my characters, it was a really nice little break from editing a new podcast episode. I am so so sorry about your situation, and i am sending you all the best and all the love and strength that you can come out of this free and on the other side and live as yourself. If my comics and characters stories can provide a tiny bit of hope that its going to be ok, than ive succeeded at what i set out to do. wishing you all the best. and look into your library, they may have resources to help you with this as well.

[gunsli-01]

Hii! Just a quick thought but when I read your post about the worst outcomes for mahiru's case, I misinterpreted your point of "mahiru dosent love her boyfriend" as her resenting her boyfriend instead of being in a relationship for the sake of it.

However, I do think it's very very likely mahiru has at least subconscious resentment of him.

I saw you used the point "I guess we can just say that this feeling is happiness. I can’t stop feeling like there’s something missing- What do you think? I know it's not the type of question you want to be asked." As mahiru pestering her victim to be in a relationship, but I can't help but wonder if this mahiru asking why she dosent feel totally happy while being in a romantic relationship with her victim. He's bothered by it so she backs off and claims she said it cause he's cute confused. Even her tone while saying "I know it's not the question you want to be asked" comes off as meek and shy, like she's scared of him getting angry (her being scared of/anticipating him getting angry gets referenced again- "we both get lonely sometimes, but I wonder if you'll get angry soon?")

Mahiru seems to cover up all her distress under toxic positivity. Like the "we fought sometimes, I was happy to be hurt" line is the most obvious example to me (something something love is pain, or maybe receiving any form of attention from her partner is good attention?) Even in the voice dramas when she gets upset, she quickly changes the topic (like going from talking about her murder to es to Mahiru trying to get to know Es better and talking about love)

From the diary entries, we know that mahiru is copying her bf to try and appeal and it seems he isn't putting that much effort back into that. Day 9 she mentions him getting black out drunk in their date but covers it up by saying he was cute drunk, mahiru mentions him not ever paying attention to her efforts of beauty but just calls him dense, ect.

Also the fact Mahiru's boyfriend never shows up in the mv until he's giving her something in day 14, thats the only time he shows up at its only his hand. Mahiru's lines in undercover have her complaining about wanting to recieve instead of always give. So maybe that was one of the few times Mahiru's boyfriend went out of the way to do something for her expecting nothing in return, and that's why he appears that day.

the fact Mahiru's mind chooses to represent herself in a birdcage is interesting as well, like she feels trapped in her life.

Mahiru also barely even mentions her boyfriend at all in her voice drama, portal convos, and I think mentions him like once in interrogation. While she does say she would bring him back to life, that dosent automatically disprove Mahiru felt upset with him. It's possible she had mixed feelings and still loves him, or simply feels bad for causing someone's death.

Sorry if this is poorly worded, I wrote this in a rush!

Firstly, I think it's important to state the reason that I made that post was to go over every possible interpretation of Mahiru's actions.

Secondly,

TL;DR- All these theories mine included only showcase a facet of the sort of person Mahiru could be not the whole picture. Swinging between glamorization, flanderization, and vilification over and over. When the fact is there's no speculation that will ever outweigh the truth of the matter. There is no framing of the circumstance that will overshadow an objective truth.

Sadly or maybe luckily the truth of a situation is usually far more interesting than anyone expects. Honestly, that's the most exciting thing about all this.

As I have already covered what you are referring to here before, multiple times I saw no point in retreading those topics there. This framing of events while reasonable and valid to a degree gives Mahiru a lot of the benefit of the doubt. To the extent that it can appear bias in her favor to more objective observers or too simple of a case thus lacking the ambiguity that Milgram is known for.

The purpose of that post was to highlight how everything within Milgram is up to individual interpretation and that there is no definitive answer for what the prisoners have done as of now. It's simply all speculation and as such it can be as in favor or out of the character's favor as the one speculating permits.

It doesn't need to be fair, reasonable, or even heavily backed up by the source material for one to speculate what they believe to be is the case. This is why I tend to not debate other's theories and just stick to writing up my own observations on the information presented. I enjoy having facts from the source material lead me in my observations. Because I am not one to deviate from canon naturally and tend to enjoy adhering to it even if it does something I dislike. This is the only reason I back up my statements with information from the source material.

As you pointed out with your recanting of my use of lyrics in This Is How To Be In Love With You for the points of my previous post. However, to avoid a misunderstanding I will try to put this simply-

The purpose of the post you are referencing was to:

A. Analyze the idea that Mahiru was not dating her victim through as fair and objective of a framing as possible. Meaning not implying the state of her relationship with her victim made her crime more forgivable or less.

B. Highlight how the information Milgram has provided leans itself to various interpretations depending on the person, highlight why that may be the case, and examine what those interpretations were.

To my knowledge, Mahiru was voted Guilty during trial one because people believed her to be a stalker due to her first cover song. I believe that the weakest evidence was chosen to push forward this interpretation but that the concept in and of itself was not unfounded given the rest of the information surrounding her character.

This seems to be supported by the fact that she and every other prisoner outside of Kazui were given an Es cover. However, that is me working under the speculation that Kazui has yet to get an Es cover because the fans beliefs about him were o incorrect that it didn't matter if his song hit a million or not it just wasn't happening.

Something that seems to be supported by how his character has developed from trial one to two now telling Milgram to figure out his lies. However, this could be incorrect. However, if it is true that would mean that what people speculated about Mahiru was close enough to the truth to warrant an Es cover.

Outside of this reasoning I genuinely believe that it's not only important to highlight the more positive interpretations but the more negative ones as well. Because Milgram has left things vague to give space for both of those interpretations to exist.

In your ask, you point out that we only see Mahiru's boyfriend on day fourteen stating,

"So maybe that was one of the few times Mahiru's boyfriend went out of the way to do something for her expecting nothing in return, and that's why he appears that day."

This is inherently false. They had gone out drinking together previously and to the filming locations of one of the films they liked together. However, in those photos Mahiru is the only one shown.

This could be because she wanted to highlight how happy he was making her as the line shown with that image implies,

"I suck at pretending to smile- But see! I feel great because of you!"

However, she could have purposely highlighted herself to make the outing seem more romantic than it was.

It is possible that day fourteen is the only time Mahiru could have highlighted her and her victim doing something together that appeared like a date without only focusing on herself. This would be possible if day fourteen is the only time her and her victim were alone together during an outing. If he was hanging back surrounded by others, then of course Mahiru would be incapable of highlighting him during these other instances because it would become readily apparent these other times were not dates.

Once again it all comes down to framing. Every other thing they did together, including when she was invited over to his house could have been group activities.

It's easy to use the movie date to propose that Mahiru and this individual must have been dating.

Mahiru even frames it as a date in her diary entry.

However, this is the first and only outing between them she frames as a date throughout the entirety of her first song. You also said this is probably the first time he did something with her without expecting anything in return but Mahiru states in this day's diary entry she had to beg him to come with her. So, he probably expected her to stop asking or bringing it up at least.

In this picture we even see that there are only two chairs there. Unlike with every other picture in This Is How To Be In Love With You that heavily focuses on only where Mahiru is leaving everything else as background.

He's not even shown on the day of the confession, but we see that Mahiru is looking up at him as he's leaving first-

This is a possibility highlighted through her, "But see! I feel great because of you!" comment.

It's there to show us that these views of Mahiru we're seeing are the expressions she showed the person she loved. How she wanted to be seen by them. That's the reason he only appears in Day 14. Because before that all of these are images taken with the concept of being observed in mind. She's trying to look her best for him and those around her.

An aspect of her that is highlighted through the styling tips she has within her diary entries.

Mahiru states that she was invited to his house for the first time here. There's nothing inherently romantic about this- Until she adds on,

"It was my first time going to a man's house." Giving it the slightest hint of a romantic inclination. However, Mahiru is positioned at the front door after removing her outdoor shoes and putting on slippers, a nervous and confused look on her face hands placed in front of her as she takes a nervous bow in greeting.

There's even a bead of sweat on her face to emphasize her caught off guard confusion. As though she's going, "Huh, I thought it would just be us here." Mahiru has a habit of getting overexcited and jumping to conclusions along with being notably ditzy-

Chances are she just heard him invite her to his house and without very much thought agreed under the misguided belief their relationship was advancing. We know she's an airhead Milgram has told us this multiple times.

Q.26 Has anything interesting happened in MILGRAM lately?

Yuno: – Confirmed that Mahiru-san really is a natural airhead – Futa getting looked down on by Amane.

So, it's not out of the realm of possibility for her to do this and then be surprised when she gets there just to see other people are there as well. Then go,

"Ha, ha I'm just nervous because this is my first time being invited into a man's home! It-it's such a romantic thing, exactly like the books I've read. I was so nervous with anticipation that I didn't eat anything all day. I don't remember much else about it though! Couldn't tell you if it was just us or what happened while in there it's all a blur ha, ha...nerves, huh? *starts chugging alcohol to forget the pain*"

Then regarding the trip to the movie location that was overlooked Mahiru writes this in her diary,

"We went to one of the filming locations for a movie we both like! This sort of thing can only happen in Tokyo huh! It really must be fate that even our taste in movies lines up. I feel like a totally different person to before I met him……"

Day. 11

For a date when you’re walking around you definitely want pants and low heels so as not to spoil the day! Wear fake glasses for a change of pace to give off an intelligent air♡

"We" here can refer to more than the two of them. Once again, the only thing that makes this appear to be a date is Mahiru's framing of the situation. Even her saying she feels like a totally different person than she was before she met him could be because she's been pretending to be interested in the same things he is since they first began talking.

All of the entries where her alleged boyfriend is around she highlights him being there.

So, instead of asking why didn't he show up until day fourteen the question should be why didn't Mahiru show us him until day fourteen while blatantly telling us he was there beforehand? It has been shown that the prisoners have some level of control over what is extracted into their songs in various ways at this point.

So why did she only choose to highlight his presence there? On what to her own admission would appear to be the most date-like circumstances at that. I've interrogated her alleged partners actions and mannerisms already to hell and back but it's unfair to do that for him and never her.

Especially since news flash he's dead, he can't do anything else, he can't graduate college, he can't go back to his part time job, he can't have other lovers. Mahiru can. She states that she wants to live for love now, she's taking notes on how to raise her future children. She has a life to live that she's blatantly looking forward to after taking away someone else's.

Only interrogating his behavior or just hers isn't fair to either of them or the situation.

Then there's this-

This moment is to Mahiru's own admission, the first time they started speaking. Before this point she had only seen him around school and around town. The first thing she did was immediately lie to him about her interests in an attempt to get closer to him. This isn't inherently a bad thing, but nobody asked her for this lie and she was clearly doing it with an ulterior motive.

They are not dating at this point. If a man went up to a girl for the first time and feigned interest in one of her hobbies as a tactic to pursue them romantically that would still be creepy. Keep that energy here this is still something incredibly creepy and manipulative to do. It's literally just working to be someone's friend in the hopes that they'll chose to date you later which is super not okay and how people tend to friendzone themselves.

Then those same people have the audacity to get mad later like wait what do you mean you just want to be friends?! Like bitch exactly what I said I want to remain friends you are a friend to me- But I did all this in hopes you- Oh, oh okay well that's really fucked up I actually don't want to be friends either anymore please leave.

This is shit that really happens in adult relationships. People will pretend to be your friend and be interested in your hobbies, the movies you like, etc just in the hopes that you'll see how much you have in common and think ya know this is the individual for me I want to date this person.

However, it's manipulative, underhanded and tacky. I was being nice on Mahiru in the previous post that took into consideration the worst case scenario by not bringing this to attention. Because this is a thing that a lot of people have gone through universally. It would be so much easier to dislike her while taking into consideration she was doing something like this.

Simply because this shit is annoying, hurtful, disheartening, and can cause people to have severe trust issues where they'll go oh are you actually interested in this thing or are you trying to fuck me which is it because I'm not falling for this shit again.

Nobody asked Mahiru to feign interest in any of his hobbies. She went and did that all on her own. So, it's not up to him to be grateful to her for it in any way because at the end of the day he's the one being tricked. He didn't ask for this lie- Dude probably just said I like running I do it pretty frequently actually and then she went oh I've been interested in picking that up actually can you show me the ropes.

However, the fucking truth is- The truth that we know for certain is she wasn't interested in running she was interested in him.

We are told this from thirty-nine seconds in. We are told this before they even speak to one another for the first time. So, how does this work with the theory that she held resentments towards him?

Well, she resented him for not doing the one thing she wants anyone she loves to do,

Q.09 What do you want from a lover?

Mahiru: For them to accept my love! That’s all I ask for!

She could resent him just as much as she loved him because she put all this effort in, she didn't ask for much, but it didn't pay off. She put up this air of the mature onee-san, she took time out of her day to partake in his hobbies, she did all this and he still didn't love her the way she wanted. Yeah, people get resentful for that all the time- But, just because someone is nice to another person, just because they're in a romantic relationship with another person, just because they've known someone a long time does not mean that person owes them fucking anything more than they are willing to give. No means no always all the time!

No matter how much you believe you deserve a thing it means no! The fact that she boasts about begging this man to go to a place with her while heavily implying he'd already declined for his own reasons, and she continued to pester him until he conceded is a red flag in and of itself.

It's easy to highlight that Mahiru says,

Q.14 If there was one person you could bring back from the dead, who would you choose?

Mahiru: The person I love.

But it ignores other things she's said,

Q.08  Is there anything more painful than death?

Shidou: The death of someone you love.

Mahiru: No longer being able to love anyone.

Something that is only emphasized more through pairing it with Shidou's answer.

Q.07  Is there anyone you’d leave behind if you died?

Shidou: Not any more.

Mahiru: Nobody yet~

The information Milgram provides can be interpreted as being bad on both parties, not just him or just her for various reasons. It's like Shidou says in Throw Down,

"There are so many truths, as there are so many lives."

What seems to be the correct answer to one person very well could be incorrect to another. It's only true because we believe it to be.

All these theories, mine included, only showcase a facet of the sort of person Mahiru could be not the whole picture. Swinging between glamorization, flanderization, and vilification over and over. When the fact is there's no speculation that will ever outweigh the truth of the matter. There is no framing of the circumstance that will overshadow an objective truth.

Sadly or maybe luckily the truth of a situation is usually far more interesting than anyone expects.

[thepoliticalvulcan]

Trump didn't win, the Democrats lost.

As I write this on Friday November 8th at 10:29 AM, there are still votes yet uncounted but the overall shape of things is clear and they provoke interesting questions.

This was a low turnout election. Not 2016 low, but much lower than 2020. Even after all of Wednesday and Thursday to finish counting high population states, Harris is still trailing Biden's 2020 tally by about 10 million votes. Which is not as bad as the 15 million that internet arguments on Wednesday and into Thursday will be using, but its still quite bad.

Even Trump, while the winner, is still several million votes shy of his 2020 tally.

The temptation to blame Biden is real and I agree with it. I think he was a good President in the sense that he had some notable and worthy achievements despite intense opposition, but the failure to have the humility to honor the implicit promise to be a transitional figure and not seek reelection I personally feel is unforgivable. Its hyperbolic often to say unforgivable, but at least at this moment I do not foresee a Jimmy Carter style rehabilitation in Biden's future.

I think this is a shame, not just because Trump won, but also because I did like Kamala Harris at least as a person. I soured on her as the finish line approached but I recognize that she was presented a no win scenario and tried to make the best of it. She had to run a campaign in which she could not meaningfully go rogue without provoking questions about why she'd stayed in the administration if she held strong dissenting opinions or making Biden into even more a lame duck than he already was.

What does her heart truly hold? Would she have meaningfully distanced herself from Biden on any issue of consequence? I guess we'll have to wait for the inevitable post election rebuttal book.

Maybe the fact that I did find her charming is a reflection of myself. I've not liked every answer she's given to every question but as someone who is sometimes inarticulate and a bit of a wonky dweeb, I get it. This doesn't present as authentic outside the college educated liberal set, clearly. Which means I'm likely even more out of touch than I know but all I can do is explain my values and how they connect to my preferred policies and issues and hope for the best.

Its all any of us can do.

And we can do that better.

The moral cooties theory of communication and association needs to die. Now.

Harris should have gone on Rogan.

Walz should have gone on Rogan.

This would not have likely changed the outcome, because in reality liberals, progressives, and socialists should have been doing on Rogan for YEARS.

Rogan says transphobic, misogynistic, racist, and downright scientifically stupid things.

All true.

So fight him.

Don't outsource this to shitposters in the comment sections, go on his program, and make the case to his audience.

A host can be acting in bad faith but still be the gatekeeper to a large audience that is not reachable with a sit down on The View or the Ezra Klein Show and Harris didn't even go on the Ezra Klein Show! The most respected liberal intellectual pundit, one who burned a lot of credibility to say what everyone was already thinking: that Biden should drop out and he did it months before that stupid debate with Trump, someone Harris almost assuredly owes quite a bit to for creating the permission structure for people to advocate for dumping Biden and she didn't go on the show.

We cannot keep having candidates do this.

Enough "safe" interviews.

Enough "platforming" or "legitimizing" discourse.

Go argue with the transphobe on his own show. If you persuade even 0.1% of his audience, maybe that 0.1% will be in districts you need to win.

Having these millionaires go talk to unfriendly millionaires doesn't mean you're legitimizing them, you're using them to access their audience. Period.

And knock it off with the "platforming" discourse around media and allowing unfriendly people an opportunity to talk. If the electorate comes away with an interview with JD Vance or some other grifter weirdo liking them instead of seeing them as liars code switching for a more moderate audience, then we have bigger problems than the media doing a "both same."

And for the rest of us, tolerating misogny, transphobia etc. is not what's called for, but learning to talk to people outside our group chats is. We were wrong after 2016 to double down on "my labor isn't free" "its not my job to educate you" "Google is your friend" - you don't have to feed trolls, but its clear that after almost a decade, "cancel culture" and "platforming" discourse has failed. Completely and disastrously. The very people these ideas were supposed to protect are now going to get hurt the worst by the lazy virtue signaling of the rest of us who had the emotional and physical safety to make GOOD arguments on their behalf.

[writing-for-life]

@tickldpnk8 , you had to be serious about it 🤣🫂 (as you might have been able to tell, I couldn’t really help it either 😅).

I think it’s a both/and situation of sorts. The future pages aren’t set, but they’re there regardless—they are the options that fall away with every decision you make until only one is left at the end:

And Destiny is what was, is and will be. But most of all, he is what must happen.

I always presumed he indeed has at least some amount of foresight. Not as in, “This is what will happen, end of,” but rather, “This is what will happen if you do A, this is what will happen if you do B, this is…” So in theory, he knows all the options and the potential outcomes because he could read ahead. But you are the one who makes the final choice. He doesn’t read ahead though because… rules.

But every so often, something shows him stuff anyway (also: “In Destiny’s Garden, it is always now”. He perceives time more or less like his father, it is not linear for him like for the others):

This is Brief Lives, with definite foresight to The Kindly Ones.

Also: He doesn’t read ahead or flick ahead, on purpose or not, here. But he knows about that meeting with Thessaly anyway (and we have a similar situation in The Heart of a Star, where he also hints at events in the future):

So I think it’s near safe to assume he knows.

Again: He is what must happen, and that very much determines his attitude towards sharing what he knows in my view. Because contrast the above scene from Season of Mists with Overture:

[The book contains everything that will happen]

Death tries to coax him several times (always going ^jk because she knows she shouldn’t ask):

So I think it’s like you say: Whichever way you turn it, you can’t really win with him, unless he actively keeps you off a certain path/making a certain decision. Which he usually won’t because…

(It’s that darned sibling entanglement again. They are so similar, just like Dream and Desire. But they’re also not)

Fact is: We’re never truly told. It’s always a vague, “Maybe he knows, maybe he doesn’t.” But what with the often unreliable narration in The Sandman? Because honestly, if you just put 1+1 together over the whole course of the story, and just look at a few of the above and below panels, it’s hard to believe Destiny doesn’t know.

As for being a brother: I think this is as close as we ever see him get to breaking the rules:

That’s basically saying, “Stop it, this won’t end well for you.” Because if Dream had listened at this stage, the whole thing would end very differently. But Destiny also knows his brother (not least because they are very alike when it comes to responsibilities), and that he won’t listen. So I always saw this as a rare moment of compassion, all the while knowing it won’t change a thing. It was safe to say it because he knew he wouldn’t listen anyway.

There are also other moments when we might think he actively helped him. And maybe he did. But maybe all of it just coincides with what must happen. Or maybe he just didn’t like the fact that he couldn’t find the darned ship in his book (maybe those stories exist after all: “It’s not possible, and yet it is true.” Checkmate, Destiny 😜):

At the end of the day: What is cause, what is effect (as hinted at in TKO)?

And yet, he very consciously chooses not to tell him where Destruction is and ask Orpheus instead. Because it is what must happen. For the greater good (that stable time loop again, because: no Daniel, no Saeculum when it’s needed. No Saeculum, no saving the Universe etc etc. You can really go into the timeline at any point and shift something, and the whole thing would fall apart. Which it can’t for the greater good. Unless we assume Dream never would have messed up with the first vortex in the first place, but I don’t have the brainpower to go there 🤣), but also for Morpheus himself. Because sad as it is:

It is the ultimate redemption to make good with his son and release him, even if it means his own demise. But it also is beautiful in a way (I know some people won’t agree), because it ultimately makes him feel unconditional love. He is finally able to extend that unconditional love to his child—a love his own parents never extended to him. And the hurt ends with him. He won’t pass it on any further. It’s the most powerful message there is, I’m going to die on that hill.

We already had a discussion about the parts that Dream’s sibling play, how everything was stacked against him from the start (in good old Greek tragedy tradition) and whether he truly wanted to stay. Just throwing that in once more as well:

Would love to see a post about how Destiny is the worst older brother. Not like, actively, but just because he always fulfills his responsibilities and then treats Dream like a baby for having any difficulty with his. And he also visits the parents and doesn’t ask them for anything. Maybe you’ve already done so!

Oh you know, I totally think he is the worst brother, older or otherwise 🤣

Getting kind of cozy with the Fates in SoM and calling in that family meeting? Check.

Being the one who both saves but also somewhat dooms Dream several times over (and of course he’s NOT doing either because he’s just… Destiny)? Check.

I mean, do we know what would have happened if he had left Dream in that black hole in Overture instead of going, “Erm, actually, you dropped something in my garden, can you sort out your mess?” That looks so typically older brother who pulls up the little brother to sort out his shit, and then we’re made to believe, “Well, but he was helpful in a way, wasn’t he?” Yes, he was, but someone also had to help setting up that stable loop from which there would be no escape, right? The one where Dream had to be actively pulled out of some shit to land him in it even deeper (of course for the greater good, yeah yeah, we get it). And who better to do that than Daddy Time’s favourite boy Destiny, right?

Wondering how the father/son meetings between Destiny and Time go. I mean, they’re hardly ever happening, because our boy is not annoying. Not as annoying as Dream anyway (but then again, Dream is the one with the mummy-issues, the daddy issues are just the cherry on top). Destiny will probably just check in for that half hour visit every couple of billion years, and Time will go, “Alright son?” And Destiny will be like, “Yup, never better.” “Want a coffee or something?” “Nah, need to run.” Quick awkward nod, done. And Time will have more fuel to go, “See Dream [I can literally hear the contempt in my head], your brother never asks for anything. Not even a coffee.” And Dream will go, “But but… I didn’t want mum’s food either. I didn’t even ask, man, she just tried to force it on me.” <insert mild sob> And all Time will say is, “Don’t call me man, son! Bit more respect, please…”

Or Destiny’s, “I’m your big brother, be sensible”-speech in Brief Lives. Where we all go, “Wow, he actually advises him. Sorta. The way he can. Tells him stuff. Gets rebuffed by Dream, so it’s his own fault really.” But then he turns round and goes, “Yeah, but that most important question, the one about how to find Destruction—sorry mate, we all know I know how, but you’re still on your own and need to ask that oracle. Crap it’s your son, eh? Sorry, I abide by my rules and responsibilities. Shit, do I recognise this somehow? Never mind…” And when Dream goes, “Nope, I don’t want to do this,” Destiny says, “Atta boy, finally you’re being sensible, well done. Knew you’d get there in the end.” And then Del steps in, tells Destiny off for always doing everything by the book (d’uh!) but unfortunately also gets Dream back on his feet, and Destiny just turns round, shrugs his shoulders and inwardly goes, “Guess I tried, huh?”

They’re a funny bunch.

Also, the real dilemma is they have ongoing beef about a coffee spill on a dream record, but that’s info Dream only shares with his therapist…

[If we wanted to be serious about it for a sec: I’d love to see more people exploring how we always talk about Desire as the main antagonist but sort of never about the others. When they are all fairly good at putting the final nails into Dream’s proverbial coffin by mere being their function (when Desire is the one who actively disengages when the shit hits the fan). Never mind, always getting carried away with that one 🙈]

@hyperboreancomics ask answered

[mercy-burning]

Fake Fiancée

Pairing: Spencer Reid x fem!Reader

Summary: Spencer is left waiting at a bar when he gets in some trouble, and meets a woman who offers to help him out in more ways than one.

Category: SMUT (18+)

Warnings: Language, virgin!Spencer, car sex/exhibitionism, handjob, brief mention of edging, penetrative sex, unprotected sex, degradation kink, minor voyeurism kink, dirty talk (If I missed anything, please let me know!)

Word Count: 7k

MASTERLIST

NOTE: Hi, there!! Most of you have been extremely excited about this one since I shared the idea for it a few weeks ago, and so I’m glad to finally get to release it for you!! There’s a playlist here for you to check out if you’d like some ~vibes~ and over on @mercy-midnight I shared a few visual inspirations last night, so check them out if you want! Thank you for all your enthusiasm over this fic, I hope it lives up to your expectations!! 🥰

***

I've always loved the rain.

And it was definitely going to rain soon. How soon, I wasn't entirely sure, but as I made my way into the bar, taking one final breath of fresh air before it would inevitably be taken over by alcohol, greasy food, and way too much cologne, I could smell it. Cool and fresh, waiting to serve as some type of fresh start, to wash away all the hard shit and give me a clean slate.

The gaudy ring on my finger was one of those hard things I wished I could wash away. At least, it had been for a long time. Patrick never asked for it back after he left, and I'd had every intention of pawning it off, but I started noticing—after a few nights out where I'd tried to get hammered and nailed—that it scared everybody off.

I guess no one wanted to fuck a married woman—and a drunk married woman at that. Even if she technically wasn't even married anymore. Which I found all particularly odd considering my experience with men in the past has proved to provide me with extremely low standards.

It'd turned out to be a blessing in disguise, though. Sure, it might have taken me longer to completely get over Patrick and the mess he left me, but rather than losing myself in the lonely company of strangers, I forced myself to reflect and move on, to take each day in stride and take time for myself. Could I have just taken the ring off and gotten laid? Absolutely. But being on my own like that was the wakeup call I didn't know I'd needed.

And now, almost a year later, the ring sat tucked away in my jewelry box until I wanted it— usually when I knew I was going to the bar with every intention of getting hammered and not nailed. There were the occasional persistent players, but they were few and far in between, and if all else failed I resorted to smiling sweetly at them and lying, saying my "husband" was a cop. That shut them up pretty quickly, and by that point I was ready to leave anyway.

Like I said, blessing in disguise.

After a long day at work being called in on a Saturday, a few drinks at Waterson's sounded like a perfect way to end the night. I'd gone home, showered, ate dinner, and got dressed before taking a walk down the block and crossing the near-packed parking lot. The air was quite muggy despite it only being around forty degrees, which was the first indicator of rain. The second was the smell, of course, which I'd always been fond of, and the cobbled pavement had some type of haze around it that served as the final confirmation of my theory.

Honestly, I was hoping to get caught in the rain on my way home. I couldn't tell you why, exactly, just that the idea of walking home in the rain gave me the most excitement I'd felt in a long time. Life was great at the moment, of course, but between work and my less than ideal commute there on the train every day, I think I was due for a little excitement.

That excitement, naturally, started once I opened the door to the bar, taking a step inside and quickly being smacked in the face with the smell of fried everything. A small smile crossed my lips as I went in further, jumbled conversations, glasses clinking, and music humming softly behind the sharp snaps of pool balls being shot forward with the cue completing the picture.

I walked up to the bar to find Carla standing behind it, and I smiled at her. "I didn't know you were working Saturday," I called to her as I approached.

The brunette looked over at me and beamed, her teeth as perfect as ever. "Y/N, I didn't know you came in on Saturdays! How've you been?"

I took a seat at one of the barstools, nodding as I set my wallet and my phone down. "Alright... Work's a bitch, of course, but when is it not?"

"Yeah, I hear that. There's only so much relentless flirting I can take." We shared a good laugh at that before she nodded. "What can I get you?"

"A beer?"

"You got it."

I turned around then, surveying tonight's crowd. Waterson's was decently sized— definitely not as big or popular as the other bars in the city, but it got enough traction on the weekends, and even on Tuesdays when they had open mics. As my eyes wandered, they passed over all kinds of people. Women in tight clothes and men all over them, large groups of friends over by the pool tables who were betting and yelling with large smiles on their faces, old men by themselves in some of the tucked away corners... Anyone you could think of, name it and they were there.

One scene in particular caught my eye, though, and I thought about leaving it alone, but my gut twisted when I noticed how obviously uncomfortable the person was and how there was no one around who seemed to care enough to say or do anything.

Sitting alone at a rather large table was a guy who... no offense to him or anything, but he didn't look like he belonged here, not alone anyway. With a formal button-down short sleeve, meek stature, and a pair of glasses sitting atop his nose, he was an easy target for the two men that were towering over him as he sat, eyes averting them while they conversed. It could have been nothing, but occasionally the man in the glasses would flinch or look around nervously like he was waiting to be rescued.

Not that I wanted to rescue anyone or anything tonight. But he reminded me of someone being stood up, and from experience I knew how embarrassing that was, especially in a space crowded with other people who could obviously see what was happening to you. I hated Patrick for standing me up time and time again, and it wasn't until this waitress once intervened and offered some advice that I started to understand just how fucked up it was. That didn't make it hurt any less, of course, when he inevitably said he was moving across the country and dropped divorce papers on my desk at work, but still... The talk gave me some clarity.

Whether or not this man was actually being stood up or not, it was obvious that he was uncomfortable, and I figured he could use some help.

And I had just the plan.

I watched the scene until Carla came back with my beer, at which point I turned to her with a smile and got money from my wallet.

"Hey, could I get another?"

***

"No, you specifically told me 8pm..."

"I'm pretty sure I told you 9..."

I sighed, glancing around briefly at everyone and everything around me before speaking again, almost yelling into the speaker over all the noise. "Maybe you meant 9, but you told me 8, so I'm here. Alone!"

"Hey, look, I'm sorry, Kid, alright? But we're not gonna be there until 9, so... keep yourself busy until then? Let loose, have a couple drinks..."

I could hear the smirk in Derek's voice just as easily as I could picture it in my head as I sighed out a, "Fine," and hung up. The whole situation significantly raised my blood pressure, not to mention my anxiety— It wasn't hard to see that I stood out here. Bars were most definitely not my scene, and the only reason I'd agreed to go in the first place was so that I could try something new. Expand my horizons, as Penelope had told me right before I caved and agreed to accompany her and Derek on their little outing. I'd even drove my car here, a move I rarely made, as a start.

But now I was sitting alone at a booth, a glass of water in front of me and this twisting sensation in my gut that usually came to me when I didn't know what was going to happen.

I leaned back in my seat and sighed, staring down the glass of water as my cellphone tumbled around between my hands. All I had to do was wait here for an hour and remind myself over and over that eventually I'd be with people that I knew, people that I felt comfortable around. Only an hour.

One hour...

One hour, one hour, one hour... It was a chant in my head that went through different pitches and speeds until it was interrupted by a loud, "Hey, you!"

It could have been for anyone, but it was right next to me, and I knew when I wasn't wanted somewhere.

Sure enough, I turned my head to see a rather large man, a football player-type if I had to guess, wearing a grey tee shirt that hugged every muscle. There was a beer in his hands, and someone next to him, another man slightly shorter but still definitely athletic, held what looked to be a glass of hard liquor. By the looks on their faces, it was obvious that they were looking for a fight.

And it was also obvious that I was the easiest target in the whole bar.

One glance at the clock across the room and above their heads told me that I still had 54 minutes until my friends showed up, and that meat I'd either have to give these men whatever they wanted, tell them I was just about to leave, or attempt to pull the "I'm a Federal Agent" card, which I knew would probably get more laughs from them than a simple, "Sorry," and an exit.

I was about to run through every outcome of tonight's events in my head when the bigger guy spoke again, making me jump.

"Hey, m' talking to you!" He was drunk, most likely toeing the line between sobriety and a fist fight if I wasn't careful.

"I—Is there something you need?" I asked, hoping that if I could get this over with quickly, they'd leave me alone and maybe I could get out of here...

He mocked my voice in a way I'd heard more than once while growing up, and though I knew it was childish of him, saying more about him than me, the action got to me more than I cared to admit. Call it intuition, but when a nearly-drunk guy two times your size starts picking on you like a kid and you know he's just looking for a fight, the odds aren't very good when you're someone on the smaller side like me— Federal Agent or not. And he wasn't an unsub. He wasn't someone I could pick apart and just hand over to my team once I pushed back his defenses. If I picked this man apart, he'd likely throw a punch at my face.

Of course, I could get him arrested for assaulting a Federal Agent, but... Obviously I didn't want to get punched in the face.

As soon as his mumbled mockery of my words ended, he punctuated them with his own. "Yeah, I'm thinkin' I need you to find a new place to sulk. Go to the library or somethin'."

His friend laughed beside him like he'd just said the best comeback anyone's ever heard, and that alone almost made me laugh. Though, I knew that might have gotten me into more trouble.

Speaking of, I probably should have just got up to leave. That would have been the perfect time to say, "Okay," get up, and drive home. Sure, Penelope and Derek would have probably given me crap about chickening out, but I'd have avoided getting beat around or ridiculed further by these morons, so it was overall a win, right?

But my stupid mouth didn't agree with what my brain was thinking. "Oh, well, um... I'm waiting up for some friends, they should be here soon—"

"You have friends?" the other guy retorted before I could finish, and he looked proud of himself for it.

"Look, I don't care who you're waitin' on, pal, Right now you're alone, so I want y—"

I didn't see it coming. I couldn't have seen it from a mile away, never dreamed of anything like this happening in a million years. It was certainly not one of the possible outcomes to the night that I'd had in mind. And actually, even if I'd had any time to prepare for it, seeing the woman walk up to us with two beers in her hand and the biggest smile on her face, I still wouldn't have believed what was happening.

She blocked me from the men's line of sight, sitting herself promptly on my lap as she set the drinks down. "Hey, babe, I'm back with our drinks," she chirped, leaning forward and stopping just under my ear, whispering. "If you play along, I can get them to leave you alone..."

She didn't even give me any time to process, quickly pulling back, but not before kissing me firmly on the cheek, leaving my face in a warm flush as she turned back around to survey the men, who I'd quite frankly forgotten about once she pressed her soft lips to my skin and set her hands on my chest.

What the fu—

"Who're you talking with?"

Her voice was so... low and smooth, and it sent a flood of warmth throughout my whole body. If I could have bottled up her voice to drink, I would have. But instead, I settled for the beer she'd brought, grabbing it and chugging down four big gulps even though I hated it.

"You're with this... loser?" the bigger of the two men said, and truthfully it was the first time all night I'd well and truly felt inadequate in front of them. Sure, I knew I'd stood out, that physically I was weaker than them, but I also knew that deep down they were just drunks looking for a fight. I was better than that, regardless of whether or not they'd almost bullied me into leaving the bar.

I didn't have a problem with who I was, but when it came to women, I was pretty much a total wreck. I'd only ever kissed someone once, and much like back then, this woman was absolutely stunning and completely out of my league.

The man was right to be suspicious.

"Excuse me?" my savior retorted, standing up off my lap and removing herself from me completely. I exhaled, trying hard not to look like I was just as shocked as they were as she tore them a new one. "This loser happens to be my fiancée. And I'd watch what insults you're throwing around— You're the ones going around some bar picking on someone you don't know like you're middle schoolers. Now grow the fuck up and back off before I take your drinks and shove them so far up your asses you'll still be able to taste them."

Truthfully I was surprised when they didn't back down. The bigger guy scoffed, his eyes raking the woman up and down with a wicked glint in them. "Y'know, maybe if you ditched him and got fucked by a real man, you wouldn't be such a bitch."

And once again, I was stunned by her ability to quip back quicker than lightening. "Maybe if you weren't such a childish prick, you'd actually get fucked in the first place. Now back. The fuck. Off..."

While I should have been more grateful that her words got them to scoff and turn away, a small, absolutely random part of me wanted to hear her yell at them some more. The longer she did it, the warmer my body got, and the second I started to put together why that was, I chugged more of the beer that was currently resting in my shaky hand.

It was even worse when she turned around to face me again, her radiance and beauty intimidating me in an entirely different way than those men. She wore a simple black dress that complimented her figure extremely well, minimal makeup and jewelry, and her hair was pinned back, showing off her neck and collarbone.

If she hadn't just helped me out, with the way she was looking at me I probably would have wondered if she was... trying to pick me up.

The thought made me all warm again.

"Y—You didn't have to do—"

She stepped forward and sat on my lap again, and I swallowed hard, the beer almost slipping from my hand entirely. "Don't worry about it. You looked uncomfortable, and those boys were absolute meatheads. But they are still here, so we should probably keep up the act, huh?"

I couldn't tell if she was joking or not. Either way, I set the beer on the table, though my hand still kept it firmly in my grip as I looked down at the ring on her finger. "I—I wouldn't want to get you in trouble... with your husband..."

"Oh! Uh, funny story," she laughed, leaning in and running her hands over my shoulders, most likely to keep up the façade. "I'm not actually married. Or engaged. I um... I wear this to deter people from trying to take me home."

I actually laughed a little, though my stomach still flipped at her touch and her proximity. "And that... actually works?"

She laughed with me, bringing her hands up to cradle my face as she tilted her head and looked me over. Her pretty, pillow-y soft lips quirked into a smile before her eyes flitted up to mine. She looked like she was entranced, like she was in a dream, and honestly I felt the same way. Because there was no way in actual Hell this was a real thing that was happening to me, right?

"Not always," she answered in a whisper, her face inching closer to mine. She smelled a little like beer, but mostly some type of fruit, probably pear. I didn't eat pears, but maybe I should start...

A gentle tug at the roots of my hair pulled me out of my thoughts, a soft sigh escaping me at the sensation. The woman laughed, brushing her nose against mine for a moment before pulling away and grabbing her beer. "So, since we're engaged, I feel like I should know a little about you. At the very least, your name?"

"O—oh," I laughed nervously, swallowing as she sipped her beer. And I tried not to let it get to me, but the way her lips wrapped gently around the bottle had my mind going a mile a minute, laser focusing on one image in particular of those perfect lips wrapped around something else. I wondered if she could hear the longing in my voice when I whispered my name. "Spencer."

With the beer still in her hand, she lowered it and rested it on my knee as she smiled. "Mmm, and what's my last name going to be?"

The thought of actually marrying this woman infiltrated my thoughts as I answered, louder this time, "Reid."

See hummed again, using the hand that was currently massaging the back of my scalp to gently tug at my hair again. "Y/N Reid... I like the sound of that."

I do, too, is what I thought, and I almost said it, but she started talking again.

"So, Spencer, what do you do?"

I would have gone into my entire spiel, but she was so pretty, and so close, I didn't want to scare her off. So, I simply stated, "I work for the FBI..."

Her eyebrows raised, and I felt her hand slide down my neck and settle on my shoulder. "Really?"

"Y—Yeah, I'm a profiler. We aid law enforcement in catching serial killers."

"So, Agent Reid, huh? That's hot..."

I should have just left it alone, because it was common knowledge that if a woman has any reason to call you hot, you just let it happen, right?

Well, like I said, when it came to women I was a complete wreck.

"A—Actually it's Doctor... I, um... I have 3 PhDs."

As soon as the words left my mouth I regretted them, but the hunger in her eyes deepened and her free hand roamed my shoulder and the front of my chest as she scooted even closer, her mouth coming up right under my jaw. "Mmm, even hotter..."

This time I didn't hold back, my voice audibly whimpering as I sighed out a simple, "Oh..."

Y/N pressed a featherlight kiss to my neck before dragging her lips to my ear again. And I'd been so hyperaware of her proximity to my face that I hadn't even noticed she'd set her beer down and took that hand to rest firmly at my hip, her palm pressing into my lower stomach. I only felt it when that hand moved over, the tips of her fingers hovering just above the buckle of my belt.

"Tell me something, Doctor," she whispered just under my earlobe. I was nothing short of putty in her hands as my brain tried to focus on what she was saying over the more prominent desire to focus on the way she pressed her whole body into mine. She was everywhere, taking up every ounce of air that found its way into my lungs, and I'd never breathed in anything sweeter. "Are you saving yourself for marriage?"

I found the question odd at first, but remembering the circumstances of our fake situation, my body suddenly flared to life at her implications. "N—No..."

Her hips shifted against my lap, and I swear I could have fainted on the spot as she hummed in my ear, "Good."

***

I certainly didn't expect for the night to end the way it did.

I mean, I knew I was going to be wet when I got home, but damn. We hadn't even made it out of the bar before my panties were soaked through at the thought of fucking my fake fiancée. Who worked for the FBI and called himself Doctor...

Not to mention he was fucking dreamy as hell with those honey doe-eyes and pouty lips... And his hands? I had taken one look at the one tightly holding his beer bottle for dear life and instantly went white-hot with desire, visions of them disappearing inside of me swimming in my head.

And then he had to fucking whimper when I called him hot.

Yeah, I definitely didn't expect the night to go how it did, but I wasn't mad about it in the slightest.

After explaining to him that I'd walked, and that my house was only a few blocks away, we decided to just hop in his car. Though, by the time we got there, I think we were both so eager to "get to know each other a little better," as I'd said before we actually left, that we didn't even make it out of the parking space.

Spencer fumbled around with his keys for so long, and he kept dropping them, so I just said fuck it and kissed him when he came up the third time. The sound of his keys hitting the ground for a fourth time excited me almost as much as his the way his hands trembled as they rested on my forearms.

"Pull the seat back?" I mumbled against his mouth, sliding my hands down the sides of his face and over his shoulders.

He let out a strained, "Uh huh," and fumbled around with that too, his urgency and nerves all rolled into one adorable spectacle that had the pit of my stomach in desirable knots. The seat sprung backwards, and I laughed lowly as I climbed over the center console and right into his lap, my dress riding up incredibly high.

The way Spencer looked up at me then, his eyes just as pouty as his lips as they practically sparkled with adoration and need, gave me this feeling I hadn't experienced in a long time— something that filled my bloodstream with fire and made me feel... wanted.

And that's not to say I hadn't slept with people since my divorce, but every time it happened there was hardly any connection besides the obvious need to get off. Here, with Spencer, it was different. And realistically I knew it was most likely the fact that a beautiful woman came to his rescue and pretended to be engaged to him just to get some morons off his back, but... In his eyes I saw this vulnerability that I'd never gotten with another partner. He was open and willing to take advantage of our situation to the fullest extent, sure, but within that was a pure longing to be close to someone after going so long without that connection.

I knew that look so well because it was exactly how I felt. We wanted to have sex with each other, that much was obvious, but less so was the fact that we could feel each others' loneliness. It was a shared bond that ran deeper than sexual desire, and in his eyes in that moment, I knew he could see it in me.

"D—Do you know... what it's like to feel alone, even... when you know you really aren't?" he asked as though he was reading my mind. His voice was soft, so curious and hinted with a little sadness that it made me want to hold him tight and rock him to sleep more than anything.

Still, I nodded. "Mhm... After my husband left I haven't... really been the same. I act like it's okay, and I... I really am better now that he's gone, but I just... I've spent most of my life with him, and now it's like I don't know what's out there beyond... loneliness."

It wasn't the most sexy conversation in the world, but Spencer reached out, his hands less shaky, and ghosted them over my bare arms. He looked up at me with those pretty eyes and let out a relieved breath before he spoke. "I kinda know what you mean... Not to that extent, but... I get it."

Seeing that he was more comfortable with me, I leaned in closer, bringing my fingers to brush the underside of his jaw. "And that's why you make the perfect fiancée."

I felt the laugh leave his lips before I kissed him, soft and steady, and reassured that I was in this for as long as he wanted me to be. Obviously we weren't actually engaged, but the connection that came with a real engagement felt pretty damn close to what we had going on.

And he conveyed that in the way he kissed me back, stronger than he'd been before and most certainly more skilled than he'd let on. His tongue expertly caressed mine with just the right amount of pressure and precision, and it made it easy for me to fall into him. Over time we grew more hungry, but for the most part our dance of mouth and tongue was so slow and intense, it felt like we really had known each other forever.

Eventually though, I did feel him grow harder underneath me, and the feeling kickstarted this more primal urge that caused me to groan into his mouth and rock my hips forward. Spencer's hands rested firmly at my lower back the whole time, though when I moved, I could feel him tense a little, like now that it was actually starting to happen, he was suddenly nervous again. So I brought my hands around my back to grab his wrists, gently sliding them down over my ass as I pressed myself into him and nipped at his bottom lip.

"Mmm, your hands are so big," I purred as I kissed my way over his jaw. "They feel so good all over me..." He relaxed a bit at my reassurance, but I wanted to give him more. So I helped him slide his hands underneath my dress, feeling him shiver under me when I assisted him in squeezing them into my skin. "You can touch me however you like," I whispered into his ear. "I'm all yours, Doctor..."

He squeezed my ass then, of his own accord, and I hummed happily before kissing my way back to his mouth, running my hands through his hair.. "Just like that, baby, whatever you want..." He swallowed my words with his tongue, taking a deep breath and inhaling me like I was his only source of air. Respectfully, I gave it all to him, happy to be of service as long as he wanted me— and in that moment, I hoped it would be forever.

Maybe that was cheesy. But he was an excellent kisser... And I was sure there'd be something equally as excellent waiting for me once I got the clearance to get my hands down to his belt.

Thankfully, that clearance came pretty soon. I would have waited as long as he wanted to, but with the way his hips jolted upwards and the needy whine that erupted from his throat at the contact it provided, I knew now was the time.

So I smiled over his lips and then kissed his jaw again, one of my hands staying threaded in his hair while the other snaked down his chest and lower, undoing each button on his shirt as I went down... "Forgive me if I'm feeding into the stereotype by asking you this, Spencer," I said, leaving small bites on his neck in between words. "But have you ever done this before?"

His hands continued kneading my ass as he let out a shaky breath. "N—No. But I've um... I've p—practiced..."

"Hmm, how so?" I wondered, sucking a big hickey into his neck. Meanwhile my hand traced along the waistband of his pants, not quite dipping underneath but teasing the skin just above the material.

"U—Um, well... I regularly t—try to edge... myself, just... I—I want to last longer, and... And I thought it would help..."

God, the images of this man lounging in bed, training himself to last longer in the event that he had sex with someone? I groaned into his neck, taking the initiative to move my hand lower and gently palm him through his pants. "Fuck, that's so hot..."

"Re—really?"

"Mhmm... You really wanna make a girl feel good, huh?"

"Of course..."

"So eager to please?" I cooed, starting to undo his belt. He gripped my ass tighter like he was holding on for dear life, like he'd some how fall out of the car if he didn't hold on to me tight enough. The way his fingers dug into my skin brought me almost the same amount of joy as the sound he made when I finally snuck my hand down the front of his pants and pulled his dick out, gently stroking it and getting a feel for him. "Obedient?"

"Y—Yes, Y/N, please, oh God..." he jumbled out, his hips bucking into my hand. I sighed into his neck, kissing him again as my hand slowly jerked him off.

"Is this how slow you go?" I asked, making sure to memorize how every ridge of him caressed my hand. "Hmm, you wanna draw it out? Feel every ounce of pleasure as you possibly can before you come?"

He didn't answer so much as he let out a loud, whiny breath that sounded very much like a broken, "A-hh."

"I'm clean... On birth control, too... So what do you say we trade this hand in for something a little more... wet..."

Spencer grabbed my underwear then, pulling at the fabric and bucking his hips again. Taking it as a good sign, I adjusted myself so that I could slide them to the side and hover above him. Meanwhile I pecked at his lips and he did the same, meeting me with urgency and anticipation.

And when the head of his dick finally came in contact with my pussy, he threw his head back and exhaled, exposing his neck and the front of his chest, which was lightly glossed over with sweat already. The only source of light in the car came from the neon bar lights and one single streetlight outside, which gave us this dark, aesthetic lighting that only made what we were doing even hotter.

I sank slowly onto him, letting out the longest sigh of my life until he bottomed out in me. "You doin' alright, Doctor?" I asked, pulling his shirt open some more to get a better view of his skin.

He sat his head up a bit and looked at me, breathlessness in his eyes. "F—Fantastic. You f—eel so good..."

I ground my hips in slow circles, nodding down at him with a wicked grin. "Feeling's mutual, babe... You stretch me out so good... It's like we're a perfect match."

The moment I started lifting myself only to sit back down, Spencer shut his eyes, his hands roaming my ass and my thighs as I rode him. It looked like he was concentrating on lasting, and I was going to tell him not to worry about it, but then he opened his eyes and started to speak.

"Will, um... Will you be m—mean to me? Please?"

I halted my movements for a moment, taking in what he just said, but then it came to me immediately. And my discovery turned me on way more than I would have liked to admit.

So I grinned and circled my hips again, leaning forward to practically crawl up the front of his body. My hands tangled in his hair as I studied his face, which was ridden with worry and maybe regret at what he'd just confessed. But I kept circling my hips all the same, clenching myself around him as I spoke against his lips.

"Ohhh, did hearing me insult those guys in the bar turn you on?" I drawled, gently pecking his lips.

"Uh huh," he breathed in response.

I smiled, rocking my hips a little faster and feeling him start to relax again— The worries he had about his desires faded into nothing as I gave into them, feeding them with an open palm and embracing them with great pleasure. "I bet you just couldn't wait for me to take you outside and fuck you after that, huh? For me to treat you like a needy little slut..."

With every word and every quick rock of my hips, Spencer started to pick up his breathing. He leaned back completely and let me take care of him, gave me every green light, every go-ahead... I never got to be like this in bed before, and the fact that it came so naturally sparked this confidence within me that was hard to quell once it got going.

"Is that what you wanted?" I asked him, picking up my pace and bouncing steadily back on his dick. "You were so desperate to get fucked, too, you couldn't even make it out of the parking lot before you gave into me... And now everyone in the bar could see us out here..."

He groaned out at that, his hands digging into the flesh of my thigh, which already burned from straddling him like this, but considering everything, a little burn never hurt anyone.

"Ohh, you like that too, huh? The thought of everyone seeing us?"

"Y—Yes... Y/N, yes... o—oh, fu..."

I took his face into my hands then, grabbing him by the chin and making him look at me. "And what about your friends, huh? What would they think if they showed up and saw their precious Doctor Reid getting fucked like the dirty little slut he is, huh?"

Even though his face was in my hands, he still managed to lean his head back with a loud groan. His hands were now sliding over to my waist, where my dress was bunched up. His nimble fingers slipped just under the fabric and explored the planes of my stomach as I continued riding him, and the feeling of it all coupled with the looks on his face and his reaction—verbal or otherwise—to my words grew the fire simmering in the pit of my stomach.

I wasn't sure how mean to him I could be anymore now, though, considering we were both so close to finishing, and the closer I got the more it became harder to focus on stringing together the perfect words.

Still, I tried the best I could, because it was his first time, and it's what he deserved.

I leaned in and kissed his neck and collarbone, simultaneously riding and grinding for extra stimulation. "You're doing so well, Doctor... Taking this pussy like a good little whore..."

Okay, so it wasn't entirely mean, but it was the best I could come up with on the spot.

Though, it seemed to have done the trick, because Spencer drove his hips up to meet mine, panting and whining out my name as his eyes fluttered open and he looked at me with the most desperate look. I almost fell apart right there.

"That's it, baby, take it," I cooed, leaning over and kissing him. One of his hands came out from under my dress to rub tight circles into my clit with an expert thumb, and it started to break me down immediately. "Ohhh, I'm almost there, honey, just like that... Show me what a good little slut you are, baby, c'mon... Just like... that... Ohhh..."

I kissed him hard as I shook and clenched around him, holding still as he drilled his hips upwards into me. His thumb kept up at my clit until I was whimpering into his mouth, and then he just held it there, a few grunts of his own rumbling in his chest before he stilled and filled me with his warmth. I kissed him through it, gently swallowing all his whines and sighs as he gradually came down from his high.

Immediately after we both settled, with his dick still sheathed inside of me and my hands rubbing gently over the planes of his chest as we slowly and softly made out, the unmistakable sound of raindrops hitting glass covered us on all sides.

I pulled away from Spencer with a small smile, resting my head on his shoulder and looking off to the side, out the window at the sea of cars slowly getting covered up by a multitude of rain droplets. "I hope that was okay," I whispered against his skin, willing myself closer by draping an arm over his shoulder and using my hand to twirl some of his hair around my finger.

"That was more than okay," he responded contently. His chin rested on the top of my head and I snuggled closer into him. "Thank you, Y/N... For... For everything."

"It was my pleasure, Doctor."

We sat in comfortable near-silence for a while then, letting the rain tapping gently over the car be the steady sound that grounded us and washed away everything we had until there was a clean slate.

That was the one bad thing I found about the rain. I loved it, yes, for all its cleansing properties, and as I came into the bar tonight, I looked forward to them— to clearing my head with alcohol and a walk home in the rain.

But as I laid there, breathing in every ounce of Spencer Reid, I watched the rain roll down the windows and actually dreaded the moment it would stop.

"I wish it would rain forever," I sighed wistfully, playing with one of the buttons on Spencer's shirt.

He drew patterns into my leg all the same. "How come?"

"Because... I have to walk home. And the longer it rains, the longer I can stay here with you..."

He chuckled. "That's a nice sentiment, but you know I can drive you home, right?"

"Yeah, but... I really don't want this moment to end."

He was silent then, and for a while I thought maybe he was just going to leave it be. But then his soft voice broke through the rain and cut into me like a piece of glass. "You know you're gonna be okay, right?"

I broke away and looked up at him. "How do you mean?"

He sighed, thinking before continuing. "I mean... I'm guessing it's been rough since your husband left, and... being here with me has given you some companionship and comfort, but... Even after we part ways, you're going to be alright... It's still going to feel lonely, sure, but if there's anything I know for sure after tonight, it's that you're going to get through it just fine."

My heart swelled, though it still broke all the same. "How do you know?"

Spencer smiled, bringing a hand up to gently brush the side of my face. "Because you're my fiancée and I know you better than anyone."

As I laughed at the joke, he looked back at me with sparkles in his eyes. And then minutes later, I was haphazardly cleaning myself up in his passenger seat with a wet-nap that I'd kept tucked away in my wallet while he fumbled around for his keys.

Even as I stood on my porch that night, under the rain as I watched him drive away with the lingering buzz of our final goodbye kiss on my lips, I wondered if I'd ever see him again.

And I wondered if he would ever notice or do anything about the sparkly diamond ring I left behind, sitting beside him in my place— a reminder of our time together, the comfort he provided me with, and the clean slate that always inevitably came with the rain.

***

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[maddieinwonder]

A Lesson In Romance #3: The Cast

Spencer Reid x Fem!BAU!Reader

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1.5k

Plot: Reader keeps getting caught in rom-com situations with Spencer Reid. This time, the team figures it out.

A/N: I'm guilty of writing too much Morgan and Garcia but I can't help it — they're so much fun! I think them plus Emily would have the most dramatic reactions to Spencer in a (potential) relationship, though I'm excited to write about the rest too.

(Also, the reference at the end is from Lord of the Rings, because I love Lord of the Rings.)

Masterlist | All chapters here!

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If you've learned anything from rom-coms, it's that every romantic lead needed a supporting cast. Whether they were siblings, parents, or childhood best friends, the main character needed somebody who would drop everything to talk to them — preferably showing up at their doorstep with face masks, nail polish, and a bottle of wine.

In your life right now, you suppose those people would be your teammates from the BAU.

Of course, this hypothetical scenario didn't require your potential love interest to be from work, but let's say for the purposes of the discussion that they were. Then you hoped, at least, that they would have an IQ of 150 or higher and a propensity for wearing mismatched socks.

But you were getting ahead of yourself. You were simply imagining the hypothetical scenario where your life was a rom-com. Hypothetically, you would need a love interest, and hypothetically, you kind of already had one.

“Hey,” Spencer waved you over from across the coffee shop. It wasn’t difficult to spot him when the place was nearly vacant. Everything was slow and quiet this early in the morning, and you weren’t going to make an exception.

“Morning,” you greeted softly as you sat down, relaxing into the smell of freshly roasted coffee and baked goods.

“I already ordered yours.” He smiled, tucking his book away in his messenger bag. “They had bagels this morning. Yours is cream cheese, but mine is strawberry jelly.” He looked overly pleased with himself, and you couldn’t help but crack a sleepy smile.

You eyed the spread in front of you, before lifting your gaze to meet his. “So your theory that you can predict my taste in desserts seems to be getting better.”

"Yes!" He shout-whispered, silently raising his fists in victory. “I knew I was right.”

You giggled at his overexcitement over something as small as getting your dessert order right. Although, he did once spend ten whole minutes explaining to you why dessert for breakfast was an underrated concept, so you couldn't say this was beyond your expectations for Dr. Spencer Reid.

You propped your head up with your arms, a smile plastered over your face. “Have I ever told you that you’re a weirdo, doctor?” You teased.

“Why, yes. Yes you have.” He replied with a smile, gesturing at you to try the bagel. His own was almost-gone, so they must be good.

And it was. Your eyes fluttered shut as the heavenly combination of carbs and cream woke up your taste buds. It was made even better with a sip of the perfect cup of coffee.

"Perfect," you sighed happily, digging into your breakfast further as Spencer quietly caught you up on the latest news in classical art.

Two weeks ago, you wouldn't have guessed that you would talk to Spencer alone, much less spend your mornings together with him. But as it turned out, a lot could change in a few days.

After the initial awkwardness between you had passed, you found that the two of you shared a lot more interests than interdimensional doctors and space opera. You both loved coffee, obviously, but you also had a mutual love for desserts, classical literature, and history.

It didn't take long for these interests to seep into the weekend, resulting in a suspiciously date-like afternoon with Spencer at his favourite museum. But you tried not to think too much into it. After all, the day had ended with a "see you at work", and not a "would you like to come in?"

Still, your dance between friendship and something more continued to grow wilder as days passed, until it reached a point where it inhabited your every waking thought. The only time it didn't, ironically, was when you were spending time with the person in question and every stray thought seemed to fall away.

Your mornings with him brought a necessary reprieve to the dark realities of this job, and some days you almost had to drag yourself out of your seat, knowing that you were straying from the calm of his company straight into the lion's mouth. But duty always called.

Your sudden hesitance to be apart from the resident genius hadn't gone unnoticed by the rest of your team either; ever since the two of you walked into office one morning with matching coffee cups and smiles on your faces.

At first you enjoyed Spencer's company too much to care, but you knew that it was going to bite you back one day. And today seemed to be that day.

You could tell, because the lift doors to the BAU opened to one very determined Penelope Garcia with her arms folded across her chest. "Spit it out, you two," she said sharply without any greeting.

You and Spencer looked at each other, confused, before looking back at Penelope. "Spit out what, Pen?" You asked, a frown starting to form between your eyes.

"You know what I mean!" She squeaked, dropping her stern facade for a brief moment. "Are the two of you dating? The entire team has been dying to know, and I mean, d-y-i-n-g because there's a huge pot of money with my name on it if you are."

"Ah— No— I mean, you think—" Spencer stammered, his face instantly turning beet red in embarrassment, while your face began to grow red for another reason entirely.

"I think what he means is 'no', and what I mean to say is— what do you mean the entire team?" You half-yelled the question, while Penelope raised her hands defensively.

"What I mean, sugar, is that the two of you went from avoiding each other completely, to coming into work together everyday — and I know you spent last weekend together too, because you couldn't stop talking about it the next day at work and everybody noticed." She stated, pushing up her glasses.

"Not to mention, Dr. Reid here started wearing brighter colours subconsciously." She continued with her observations. "I know this, because in the almost four years I've worked with this man, I've never seen him wear anything brighter than violet. Or white. Or beige. But those don't count." She shook her head, getting back to her point.

"You get what I mean— and you," she pointed her pen in your direction, causing you to jump slightly. "You finally stopped doubting yourself as a part of this team. I knew this when you started talking more often during briefings — which I have nothing against, B-T-W, I totally support any effort in self-care and personal growth — but you also stopped shifting in your seat which you used to do when you felt nervous."

Penelope took a deep breath, preparing for the climax. "So all I can assume, is either you've been attending one of the 52 self-help classes that happen every weekend in Virginia, or somebody has been helping you find some serious zen."

"And my money's on the latter because every time you think nobody's watching, you're making eyes at Reid. But you're wrong. Garcia is always watching." She concluded triumphantly, raising one finger to point at herself.

"You might make a good profiler yet, doll." Derek remarked, walking up to the group with a smirk firmly affixed to his face.

"Expert at all things romance, and Cupid of the Behavioural Analysis Unit, Penelope Garcia at your service." She smiled, graciously curtseying to your other teammate.

"I know you're smart like that, babygirl," he grinned, draping his arm around her shoulder, "but you also don't know pretty boy as well as I do, because they aren't in a relationship."

He turned to you questioningly. "Are you?"

"No." You replied, glancing hesitantly at Spencer for his response, but his face simply looked blank with shock.

"See? Now it's time to collect my payout." Derek grinned at the tech analyst, making the motion of raining dollar bills.

Penelope tailed behind him grumpily as he walked into the BAU office, surely to share the "good news" with everybody else.

You hesitated to follow, imagining what teasing and looks would follow regardless of the outcome. Then you felt a tap on your shoulder. Turning around, Spencer gestured back at the empty lift with his head and you smiled, realising what he meant.

"That is the best hypothesis you've had all morning," you said. The two of you shared a laugh as you got back into the lift.

Even behind glass doors, you could hear a muffled "What?!" that you guessed came from Emily. "There's absolutely no way those two aren't together already. Have you seen them?"

There was a brief pause, then a loud groan.

"I know, that's what I told him!" Penelope's high-pitched voice was clear. "You know I'm going to be right about them eventually—"

The lift doors finally closed, blocking out the rest of their conversation. You looked up at Spencer, your gaze meeting his clear hazel eyes. He looked at his watch briefly before saying the next words.

"We've got time. Are you up for second breakfast?" He asked, referencing a movie from a conversation two weeks ago. He remembered. Of course he remembered.

You cleared your throat before replying the next line. "What about elevenses? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper?"

He laughed, and you felt a familiar peace return to you.

Whatever your teammates were yelling about, the two of you could deal with it later. Together.

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Tag list:

@blue-space-porgs @nobutalsoyes @lady-loves-a-lot

[potteresque-ire]

This is a response to @rainbowsky​ ‘s questions about BJYX, as the original post got too long for reblogging (I hope this is okay!). 1) Should we be worried about GG and DD being outed? I often think about what it’s like to be in the closet and I know how it feels to need to be SEEN. But I also understand the reasons why that might not be an option for them. Still, I worry about them being involuntarily outed. There are so many antis after them.

 2) What would you speculate is the likelihood of this ever happening, and what might be the consequences if it happened?Is leaving an option for them, even as a distant goal years from now?

3)Does their fame and popularity hold any protective power in the situation (i.e. if they were to come out or be outed, would public opinion about what might happen to them have any impact on the outcome given the nature of the regime)? To what degree would that depend on how much money they are still able to make for interested parties?

My response is under the cut, as it got long, as usual ~

@rainbowsky, you’re among the first BXGs I followed! I’d like to thank you for your insightful posts as well!

Your questions ~ I don’t think I’m qualified to speculate because I’m still a very new turtle and also because of the volatility as well as inconsistencies of China’s sociopolitical policies. I do have a better sense of China’s politics than most international fans, but I also don’t live there and the only way to truly understand how things work at the ground level in a non-transparent country like China is to be there.

(For example, China has officially banned Christmas celebrations  for the last several years, but as we saw last week, commercials remain very “Christmas-sy” and Chinese fans happily said Merry Christmas to each other. It takes someone who lives inside to know where to draw the line — what is permitted by the state and what isn’t — when the line shifts and adjusts accordingly.)

Here’re my thoughts, as of today (2020/12/31): if the perpetrator is only some segment of the fandom and the purpose is merely to knock them off the popularity pedestal, outing isn’t a particularly effective way to do so. Homosexuality, being a highly regulated subject in Chinese news and social media, is likely to mean limit transmission of the accusations. The accuser also has to run to risk of being banned themselves first. Also, with BJYX + ZSWW + LSFY being the sizes they are, the people who will most consider turning against gg and dd, ie, the solo fans, have probably already heard something. Some will leave, but the news won’t be a bombshell to them.

The next possibility is if a legal case becomes possible, ie. if China suddenly outlaws homosexuality. This scenario may seem the most dire on the surface but is also one that I least worry about, because with China’s judiciary system being very biased to those in power, if someone wants to frame gg and dd, they do not need to use sexuality as the accusation and subject themselves to the same restrictions as mentioned above. Tax evasion, as @peekbackstage has mentioned with the actress Fan Bing Bing, is far easier, because it tends the turn the audience against the defendant: these stars are making so much money and yet they’re not contributing their share! And as long as the accusers have sufficient power — remembering that commercial and political power are married in the country — the accuser can make up any evidence to suit their needs for any crime.

The third possibility is what I see as the worst case scenario: that the government decides they don’t want their major stars / entertainment industry to be *perceived* as queer — whether the stars are officially out doesn’t matter — and signals the media and commercial companies to stop using any “suspect” star altogether. (Chinese term: 封殺). This is the case of career murder without blood —  laws aren’t changed; all the fans will hear are rumours confirmed by nobody. I see this as a possibility because of the Xi regime’s view of The Ideal Men , and my admittedly limited experience with dealing with older generations of Chinese, who I’ve found tend to confuse perceived femininity in men with queerness. I think, and this is only my opinion, that the sheer amount of adapted BL dramas in production (the so-called “dangai 耽改 101” phenomenon) and the heated discussions of them on Weibo will at some point trigger the government (which is made mostly of older generations Chinese). Even if gg and dd don’t do anything, should the government decide these adapted BL dramas, even after the elimination of their queer element, are “non mainstream socialist core values”, all the major people involved with the Untamed—arguably the classic and the drama whose success all these follow-ups are trying to imitate—can be cast as the culprit. If the same officials become aware of BJYX and if they’re somehow convinced that BJYXSZD, it can be easy be used as evidence of the bad influence these dramas can do—“they can turn people gay”—and it doesn’t help that according to reports, gg, at least, used to have a girlfriend.

Something more to consider: Gg and dd are also in a very special position now, in that not only are they immensely popular in China, no other native mainland Chinese stars have achieved this level of international fame with a native mainland Chinese production (ie, not a production from Hollywood, Hong Kong or Taiwan, or with a Kpop band). As such, they are likely subjected to high levels of scrutiny from the state. Depending on who’s in charge in the appropriate department, they may decide gg and dd have to be China’s image; they may have a set idea of what image it is and most likely, it won’t be queer. 2021 and the first quarter of 2022 are special times for China, image wise, both at home and abroad. 2021 is the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, and gg and dd are both starring in its propaganda productions (dd as a police in BAH and gg as an army officer in AT). CCTV, the state-controlled TV station, is already promoting these shows. So, for 2021, gg and dd are slated to not only be the faces of Chinese entertainment, but also the image of Chinese uniformed forces. If gg and dd come out or are outed, their allowing themselves to be being perceived as queer while donning uniforms will most likely to be viewed by the current regime as an embarrassment; a career murder, then, is an apt response to such transgression. 2022 is the year of Beijing’s Winter Olympics, so again, it’s the time where image matters.

You may have noticed a pattern, as I have as I write this up: them being outed is something to worry about, but also ... nothing more than anything else. If someone wants to tear gg and dd down — and there will be, given their massive commercial power right now and the increasing evidence that they’re working more like collaborators than competitors (ie, they aren’t about to tear each other down any time soon) — they do not need their sexuality as a reason.

(And if these accusers really want to use homosexuality as a reason, the unofficial BTS is, IMO, more than enough, as long as the accusers have sufficient power.)

Your other question ~ can gg and dd’s fame, popularity, and ability to draw consumers protect them? My (slightly) educated guess of the answer, then, is that it’s very much a double-edged sword. Indeed, the one major thing that may be going for these adapted BL dramas, and for those who come to superstardom to it — with gg and dd being the prime examples — is the economic health of China, which, by some reports that can no way be verified, are far worse than what has been reported. This is the thing about countries lack transparency; without reliable news, there’s no way to get the facts. Reports on China outside the country tend to be either propaganda or demonising / filled with conspiracy theories, and the truth is probably somewhere in between. If the reports of poor economy are true, the commercial sector — which, again, is tied to those with political power; ie the money made in the former goes into the pockets of the latter — desperately needs stars like gg and dd to move products (based on those recent consumer reports!) and with that, it will want to keep gg and dd and these dramas that can potentially make more gg and dd around. This *seems* to be what’s happening so far, with the the state-run media happy to show gg and dd’s dramas (when it should know, at least, that they got to the height of their fame playing lovers-not-lovers) and gg and dd’s sponsors not-so-subtly wooing the BJYX segment of fandom, so I’m tentatively optimistic. However, the current regime has also shown a willingness to sacrifice the economy for the sake of political ideology, so it’s not something to be taken for granted. (What’s going on in Hong Kong is a good example of that.)

(I always think, eat each candy like it can be the last one. With this regime, it can be. We can wake up tomorrow and gg and dd have to break up BJYX to protect the fans.)

(I always think, treasure, treasure, treasure. Ask for more dy and lz and Weibo posts, but never anymore from gg and dd when it comes to insights of their relationship, even without considering it’s actually their private lives and they’re under no obligation to share.)

(They’ve shared with us far more than enough.)

There’s really no precedence for us to predict the future of an outed gg and dd from, as far as I know. Confirmed queer stars in Chinese entertainment (those with sufficient followers to make news) have all been from Hong Kong, Taiwan and other countries. The successful BL dramas before The Untamed — Addicted (2016) and The Guardian (2018) — didn’t have a real-person cp that truly took off. Addicted, a true BL drama (ie, it retained the queer elements), was banned before it finished its broadcast. The two actors were also banned from appearing together afterwards, and this “signal” from the government almost cost the two actors their career. Bai Yu from The Guardian, meanwhile, already had a girlfriend as he filmed, so there was never a Weibo supertopic dedicated to him and Zhu Yilong. gg and dd, along with their millions of turtles, are treading untrodden ground.

Something I should clarify ~ all the things I said above may sound very scary to international fans, but to those who live in the country, they understand it as the way things are, and they strategise and move accordingly. This is their way of life. What I wanted to say, in my first reblog, is that we who’re outside may not understand why they do things the way they do, why they don’t, for example, come out with all the candies they are spending so much effort to give out, but I do believe that gg and dd have a plan, not in the sense that they’re scheming or trying to trick anyone, but that they are moving things along at the pace necessary to meet the pre-requisites for the outcome they want. What this outcome is is anyone’s guess, mine being that they have the freedom to work together, not necessary in lover’s capacity — most of us are not required to perform our day jobs carrying our identity as so-and-so’s significant other and gg and dd shouldn’t be exceptions — but as colleagues, professionals and friends (lovers are friends). 

To some international fans, this may sound implausible, ridiculous: why do they need a multi year campaign for something as simple as this? As working together again? And I suppose, all these words I’ve typed so far is my attempt to answer this question, to ease the … unease, the frustration of those who may not understand. True to its marxist root, perhaps, many things that are considered mindless, effortless tasks elsewhere somehow become battles, grand struggles of sorts in China. That sea of sea lights on the night of Tencent awards, for example? It was the result of gg’s fans fighting, strategising in real time to smuggle those LED banners in when they realised the venue had forbidden their entry. They wrapped the banners around their bodies under their underwear because they were patted down by security at the underwear level; they hid batteries in their shoes. They ran batteries from one zone in the stadium to another during the whole show for whose who only managed to smuggle in banners or batteries. They fought the security guards inside the stadium, who continued to snatch away their banners even after seeing they were merely support material for the idols. They fought and fought, despite their identities were recorded by their COVID pass and facial recognition. Many confessed they had no idea what gg was singing during the show; they were too busy. They were there, some paying scalpers > 10x the ticket price, just because they promised the sea of red would be there for gg when he returned. When some realised dd’s banners were confiscated in high numbers because his fans happened to have seats right by the strictest security, they improvised, found an image of a green block to show on their cell phones to make makeshift green support lights for dd. They used Weibo to spread this trick to fellow fans. All these trouble, all these effort, all these planning and scheming and sweat and tears — all for one night, one concert and they laughed about it, called it a wonderful day.

(There are many ways for lives to be hard.)

The very first thing gg and dd need to accomplish, therefore, isn’t to announce what they do in the bedroom—the very first thing they need, for their plan to come to fruition, is to stay on top of the industry. How can they be on the same stage for the yearly Tencent Awards if either of them fails to make VIP? What’s their negotiation chip for a future collaboration, when the current norm is against cps like them working together again, if they cannot draw enough viewers and consumers, or if they offend Tencent and other media companies by refusing to see to the needs of the other side (for example, the need to promote new dramas)? So far, the two of them have accomplished this in flying colours. The other thing they need right now, the way I see it, is for their fans to get along. I think part of the reason they’ve made BJYXSZD so easy to believe in and love, in addition to their very human need to be seen when their careers may be safer otherwise (yes, I think they know what they’re doing, the candies they’re throwing), is because they want their fans to unite, as they have united. To make sure something like 227 cannot happen again, or at least, if it does happen again, their fans cannot be used as an excuse, as scapegoats. And this union is happening — slowly, but it’s happening. The size of BJYX (>2.8 million as of now, on Weibo supertopic) is a powerful indicator; I also had a wonderful time reading the comments of gg’s solo fans who went to purchase dd’s new song. This is the part gg and dd need their fan’s help. This is the one of the fews things we, as overseas fans who have limited access to their products, can help.

Your final question — sorry, this is getting so long again — about leaving. Of course, it’s always up to the government and It’s impossible to say what can happen so far ahead. But my perception, right now at least, is that gg and dd have no intention to leave, no intention to sacrifice their career for their personal lives and vice versa. After all, this is a pair who has answered those A vs B choice questions with a straight-faced “I want both” and “so annoying” without a follow-up reply. They’re right to want both. I like them for wanting both. And maybe, with their intelligence, charisma and hardwork and ambition and personalities that seem to clash but somehow complements each other’s, they will figure out a way. Maybe they are, as the Chinese turtles call them, the Chosen Pair, and they will be the ones who’ll change the perception fo queer artists in China, and we’ll one day get a biography about them and laugh at the candies we get right, laugh harder at those candies we get totally wrong.

(Dd ~ I want your honest opinion, in your own words, on the ones we get wrong.)

(Gg ~ videos of your expressions while reading the crazy theories the first time will be very much appreciated. By me.)

It’s a good day to look forward to.

[criminalmutantsins]

I forgot to say in my last reblog that I don’t think Liu Kang was at fault for everything that had gone wrong. Though he’s a god, Liu Kang is capable of making mistakes like a human. I do believe that there are events that can’t be changed such as the clans fighting, Tarkatans, etc. I actually wrote a theory post a while back on why I think Tarkatans couldn’t be erased. Basically, I believe Liu Kang tried getting rid of Tarkatans but couldn’t due to Time Keeper rules. So, he changed it into a disease that is pretty hard to contract. I think that Liu made a bad call giving Shang Tsung and Quan-Chi meaningless lives (as he put it in the story mode). I wish he specified his intentions with Shang and Quan-Chi’s life. It’s hard to tell if he gave them hard lives in hopes they’ll grow kinder or he gave them average lives and, unfortunately, he had no control with their lives getting worse (Quan-Chi being in the mines and Shang having a hard time making a living). Liu Kang definitely didn’t have a hand on Bi-Han’s betrayal because he didn’t expect the cyromancer to betray his brothers for his own interest. General Shao’s arrogance returned because of Shang’s manipulation. 

I’m the type of fan who sometimes overanalyzes things, especially when things aren’t explicitly explained. Because of this, I question which occurrences in the New Era are due to Liu’s interference or if it's meant to happen (a canon event). For example, Liu Kang interfered in Shang Tsung, Shao Kahn and Quan-Chi’s lives to make sure they didn't become their previous selves. He made sure Mileena was Kitana’s blood sister and not a clone. He also had the Lin-Kuei act as Earthrealm’s defense instead of continuing their assassination system that was for their own interest. That’s Liu interference. A mix of Liu’s ability to manipulate outcomes and his cryptidness definitely leads to questioning what else he’s done, at least for me. Time is a very complex matter so it leads to more questions than answers. I hope in the next story there will be an explanation on Liu Kang’s limits and what he specifically did to create the timeline. 

I don’t think I explained my reasoning on why I think having Kuai and Harumi together makes me feel like Kuai is kind of like “Hanzo with a different name” very well. 

My main reason for saying this is because they got together during a Tower Ending instead of the story. It feels rushed to add this relationship in 90 seconds so it feels like the writers did this to fulfill a checklist (have a Scorpion and Harumi together). I think I would like this relationship if the expansion story focused on them and I see why and what made Harumi and Kuai love each other. They could be in the beginning of their relationship and seeing their dynamic would be enough. But they are married so it wouldn’t happen exactly like that. I guess I’m the type of person who only really feels for a ship if I see their growth. From what I remember, all that has been mentioned about their relationship is that they are childhood friends and have mutual respect for each other, which is a good starting point though not enough for me to feel anything other than neutral. I’m very for the “Show don’t Tell” idea of storytelling.

I am looking forward to seeing Harumi in the story and what you listed about her makes me interested in her as a character. I hope she’s a badass who will be added to the main roster in future games. We need more female fighters.

I see your points on why you think Hanzo is an adult, but I still think Hanzo is underage. Not by a lot though, I think he’s at least 16-17. 

His arms are bigger than most teens but he’s been training and before that he had the minimum amount of skill to steal. Smoke stopped him because he’s trained longer but I am certain an average person would not defend themselves as well. In the image I added, you can see his muscles are smaller compared to the images you included. This shows that training and eating more (like you said Hanzo was starving before joining the Shirai-Ryu) were major reasons his muscles are larger, not age. What I’m trying to say is that it’s possible for a slightly underage guy to look like an adult due to physical fitness and eating right (I expect the Shirai-Ryu to have a healthy regiment). I think a time skip happened between my image and yours, but they are probably at least a few months to a year apart since Bi-Han doesn’t seem like the person who would wait very long. After all, he hunted Kuai and Tomas after Titan Shang Tsung was defeated.

Also we have to consider some things. Compared to a front view, a side view of muscles will look larger because of perspective (the second image you added proves it since his arms are slightly slimmer compared to the first image). Hanzo is flexing as well which makes muscles look larger. I also searched up what muscular guys (16-17 years old) look like and they look very close to Hanzo’s physique. 

With his voice, I agree that it’s deep though guys in my high school sounded very similar when they were 16-17 because of puberty. A deep voice doesn’t always equal being an adult. Also, it hasn’t been confirmed if the voice actor that did those grunts will be Hanzo’s in future appearances. They could’ve been another va who’s voicing another character that did those grunts because NRS didn’t want to hire a new va just for grunts. I’m going to wait for the voice actor hired for Hanzo’s official appearance in the games to see if Hanzo is a late teen or adult. 

I agree with you about adults being born shorts. Everyone grows at different rates and it doesn’t physically show someone’s maturity. I still somewhat considered it (though not as much as other points I mentioned) because the media usually use height to show age, especially in animated projects. Short adults or tall teens/kids are rarely shown unless for comedic reasons. I’m not saying Mortal Kombat is like that but I still keep it in mind in case they do use height = age formula. 

Although I see your points on why you think Hanzo is an adult, I’m going to assume he’s underage until the game confirms his age or at least gives strong enough hints to make an educated guess. 

Thank you for replying back to me! I appreciate your pov because it evolves mine at the same time. I enjoy our conversations. I apologize for taking the expected, life got a little hectic. Sorry for going into crazy specifics near the end. It was the only way I could think of to better explain my points. Also, I noticed in your tags that you don’t like being a Liu Kang apologist or something along those lines. I’m curious as to why. 

My Thoughts on MK1 Hanzo

(Spoiler Warning: Smoke’s Tower Ending is discussed)

I saw Smoke’s tower ending and was surprised to see Hanzo in the new timeline, let alone as a child. Although I’m open to how the writers will handle his character, I’m kind of disappointed that they went this route. When I learned that Kuai Liang would be Scorpion in the new timeline, I expected Hanzo to either not even exist or live a nice life with Harumi and their son. Instead, Kuai Liang is married to Harumi and Hanzo is much younger than them, which is so weird. I really hoped Hanzo would have a happy life and only be involved in the games through mentions at least.  Also, this decision paints Liu Kang in a bad light. It’s no secret Liu Kang made sure his allies had a good life while making some of his enemies’ lives (Shang Tsung and Quan Chi) insignificant to prevent them from turning into their past counterparts. So, it makes me wonder why Liu Kang didn’t think to give Hanzo a good life or at least watch over him. It’s shown that Hanzo is a starving orphan forced to steal for essentials. I have no doubt Liu Kang knows about Hanzo’s past since he met the older and kinder Scorpion in MK11 and Raiden has disclosed Hanzo’s past in MK 9. Plus when Liu Kang fused with the Hourglass, he most likely became aware of what happened in MK9 and MKX. He gave Shao Kahn the chance to be a better man by being the Kingdom’s general- a risk that didn’t pay off, yet didn’t give Hanzo what he always desired- his wife, son, and the Shirai-Ryu. It feels so out of character for Liu Kang to not make sure Hanzo had a good chance at life. 

If I had the opportunity to write Hanzo’s character, it would’ve been very different. I would’ve made him a former Lin Kuei member(he would be 5 or more years older than Bi-Han) who held the Scorpion title until he retired to Japan- where met Harumi and had their son. Hanzo would’ve also been the one to train Kuai Liang in his fire powers in the latter’s childhood. In his honor, Kuai would take the Scorpion mantle after Hanzo retires. Hanzo could also help Kuai and Smoke form the Shirai-Ryu but Harumi helps in recruiting and training while he takes care of their young son. 

Though, I still hold some faith that NRS will write the new Hanzo well. I guess I’m just disappointed because I wanted Hanzo to finally live a happy life where his family stays alive. He was one of my favorites in the MK9-MK11 era so I can’t help but feel a connection towards him.

[ablazenqueen]

and it scares me even more because PAA. Sweet, oblivious little Paa with her charm and rainbow little heart.

I can already see what might happen if they put her with wai. And then justify it as trying to ease things between pat and wai by having him date her sister.

And I’m new to all of this, but you guys trust this director so much and love him so I’m going to trust you.

Justice for inkpaa.

And they’re gonna have to try really hard to redeem his character after that. Because I’m not who I was three years ago. I know it when I see it now, and I’m gonna call it out when I see it. Wai was gaslighting Pran. How many times has he done it before. And wai’s friends with Pran’s mum.

This is trouble.

This is terrifying.

This is too much right now.

sending love,

gabi. <3

Okay, theorizing time! Because I have thoughts on this!

Wai has a little “ooh, she’s cute” crush on Pa. So far, at least, Pa has shown zero reciprocation to that infatuation, literally turning and leaving mid-convo. So do I think his crush will be reciprocated? Ha! No. I mean, that’s also on top of the fact that she’s so very clearly already smitten with Ink but that’s not what we’re discussing here.

It’s interesting to hear you theorize that Wai and Pa might date as a means to bond Wai and Pat because… the thought hadn’t even crossed my mind? And reading the words just makes it feel even more unlikely (no offence <3). In fact, I really think it’s going to be the opposite. I can almost guarantee you that Wai’s crush on Pa is going to be a point of contention between him and Pat.

Personally, I’m expecting one of two outcomes from this:

Theory 1: Wai is going to hit on Pa and she’s going to reject him. He’s going to find out that she’s Pat’s brother. Pat may or may not be involved in Pa’s rejection, but either way, Wai will blame him.

Theory 2: Wai is going to hit on Pa and she isn’t going to reject him. (This theory feels less likely but that could be the Inkpa shipper goggles talking.) Whether she’s just flattered or they actually date, this will lead to tension with Pat because they have unresolved issues and having someone you distrust hit on the sibling you adore with your whole heart? Yeah, that’s a no-go.

You make a super interesting point here that I hadn’t considered at all though. Wai is supposedly adored by Pran’s mom. I don’t want to expect the worst but… that could easily be hinting at him discovering that Pat and Pran are a couple and telling her behind Pran’s back? So let me tie my theories back to this point because I think it could easily be related.

Theory 3: Pa rejects Wai. Wai gets pissed off, sees it as Pat’s fault, and gets revenge on Pat by telling Pran’s mom that Pran and Pat are dating. (I mean, I seriously hope not but it’s a possibility.)

I also think there’s a chance of Wai asking Pran for help hitting on Pa, which could lead to a number of conflicts. If Pran says no, Wai will be upset with him. If Pran says yes, Pat will be upset with him. If Pran explains the situation to Wai, he’ll have to explain how he knows that Pa is Pat’s sister, which would lead to The Big Reveal™. Pick your poison.

But this is all real angsty so I’m going to end on a happy note because you mentioned P’aof and I just want to shower him with love for a second! The funny thing is that I didn’t know who he was until after I started Bad Buddy but when I find out, I looked him up and realized he was involved in a lot of my favourite shows (ATOATS, Still 2gether, Dark Blue Kiss, He’s Coming To Me). 1/3 of my rec list are shows by P’aof, I kid you not. He’s a queer man telling queer stories and I have a lot of respect for his work and his storytelling. His track record with shows is good and Bad Buddy has been beyond amazing so far. So yeah. We trust in P’aof. With good reason!

Does that mean that Inkpa will be canon? That’s… nearly impossible to guess. It’s possible the hints are P’aof giving the fans as much as he can because he knows they want it but he can’t give it. It’s also possible the hints are there because they will be canon but a GL couple in a BL show would be… correct me if I’m wrong, practically - if not entirely - unprecedented? It’s possible it’s happened before but I haven literally never heard of a single example. Bad Buddy has already been pretty groundbreaking in the BL genre. Making Inkpa canon would be… just wow. It’s one of a million reason I’m rooting so hard for them. I remain cautiously hopeful but like I said, let’s just trust in P’aof and see where he takes us!

[one-real-imonkey]

Well, you talked about the chips, so prompt:

Guard having their chips removed and what happened after

Not for the first time, my mind has created an AU of an AU, so this is another way things could have gone from the point where Hound revealed the footage.

Please enjoy.

———

Fox went into surgery alone, his siblings off planet or in surgery themselves. The Jedi with him was kind, but they weren’t who he would have wanted.

He woke with Cody by his side, and as he shifted to try to get more comfortable and get a better look, he saw Rex on the other, asleep in the chair in what couldn’t be a comfortable position, worry creasing his face.

Cody helped him shift but not sit up with a clearly relieved smile and he took in the recovery room he was in.

It was mostly empty, and though it was designed to hold up to 16 patients, only one other bed was occupied.

Hound was in the bed behind Cody, and next to him Pup, oddly in a chair not a bed, still sleeping. He couldn't see Thorn or Thire or Stone or any of the others, but he had to trust they were ok, because it was over and Hound, his oh so brilliant selfless little brother, had done it.

Palpatine was gone. The war was over, or at least on pause.

His vode were safe.

"Fox, you're awake?"

"Yeah Rex’ika, I’m awake. How are you?"

They both had bandages covering new scars, a scar he was sure he now shared, like all of them. Another way they were identical.

"I'm... shellshocked, but I'm coping. But what about you, how are you?"

"Headachy."

It was true, his head was killing him. But then, it wasn’t like he’d never worked through a headache before.

Wait...

"How are you two here already? No way you made it back to Coruscant that quickly."

"Fox..." Cody paused so he and Rex could exchange a look, and that never meant anything good, "you've been unconscious for a week. We both came back, went in and out of surgery, recovered, but you just wouldn't wake up."

“Well I had mine on the ship, but that’s not the point. You’ve missed a week vod.”

"Do… do they know what was wrong?"

He had a few ideas, none of them good.

"They have a few theories. It's happened a few times across the whole GAR, and they're comparing the chips they had to the rest of us, and... Fox all of the Guard took longer to wake up than any other unit, by a few hours. All your chips have been slightly different, they're not sure why yet but..."

"Use. Palpatine. Using them probably did something."

"Thats what the Jedi are guessing."

"Hound?"

"Get some rest vod."

"No, no!" Fox struggled to sit up against his brothers holding him down, "No, tell me what's wrong!"

"Fine, just calm down."

"Fox, Hound's chip was broken, literally split. They had to take it out in two parts. They're not sure how or why, but it also shows the signs of being active. They don't know why he hasn't woken yet, but his vitals are steady, the healers say it's when he wakes, not if."

"He's not the only one," Rex added, "one of my men is suffering some after affect issues, balance and dizziness and weaknesses in his left limbs, his chip was rotted. And while Wolffe went in and out of surgery no problem, his chip was broken, but then, chances were it was the same injury that cost his eye. There have been a few issues across the GAR, and the Jedi are helping all of us."

"Stone, Thire, Fix, Thorn? They’re ok. And Wolffe, Bly, Ponds?"

"All fine. Fix and Stone are bullying the medics for more intel and Thire and Thorn are resting with other members of the Guard. They'll be back soon. Pup isn't even meant to be in here, the healers tried to kick him out to make him sleep but..."

Fox looked over to where his vod'ika was asleep against Hound's bed. Like hells anyone was going to be able to keep Pup out, not with how much Hound had done. He was actually surprised the rest of the Guard hadn't shown up and refused to leave.

“And the others?”

“Wolffe and Ponds are with the Council, Bly is with General Secura in the lower parts of the Temple setting up accommodation for the Clones.”

“…tell me.”

He knew his vodes faces, knew their expressions. Something had happened.

“Palpatine was arrested, but some of his supporters have claimed he’s being framed. That Hounds footage was faked, that the Jedi and Clones were attempting a coup. It’s… people like Senator Amidala and Organa are on our side, quite a few planets have backed us, but… but for now all Jedi and Clones have been labelled deserters and for deserting traitors, and marked for death. The Temple is locked down and defended, and between the proof and everything we set up, there’s a good chance things will go our way…”

“But we’re having to prepare for the outcome that it won’t. Palpatine planned for everything.”

“Exactly, but we have it in hand, so you can get some rest. There’ll be plenty for you to do once you’re back on your feet. Take a few days, Vod, you’ve more than earned it.”

———

Ohh this is a fun AU AU, I might have to continue this. Some other POV of what’s happening, Hound waking up. Hmmmmm.

Thanks for the prompt. Hope you enjoyed.

Inbox is always open for prompts and headcanons and asks and all sorts. :-D

[theyreonlynoodlesmike]

It's Just a Movie: Part 9 (Poly!Lost Boys x Fem!Reader)

<- Previous Chapter Next Chapter ->

Warnings: cursing

Word Count: 1928

This chapter is nothing to advance the plot and is completely just some feel good lost boys flirting cause I think we all need it

You and Marko climbed down the steps into the cave, having discussed the fact that you could probably help David with his planning since you'd seen the movie more than they have. You could at least help him with a couple of theories.  He carried the food for you, and the two of you caught the tail end of the conversation Paul and Dwayne seemed to be having.

"-such a sap. You couldn't be more obvious." Paul teased, and you were able to hear a loud thwap, which you guessed was Dwayne as it was immediately followed with a,

"Shut up, Paul. I am not." His quiet voice seemed to be louder, but only because of the acoustics in the cave. Marko, perhaps to save the brunette from any embarrassment, quickly shouted,

"We're back, boys." And you watched as Paul sat up. They'd been laying on the other side of the fountain, apparently both of them opting to sprawl out on the floor. Dwayne half-sat up a moment later, and Paul greeted the two of you by saying,

"Good thing you didn't eat her, otherwise Dwayne would've been-" And Paul was quickly silenced with a smack to the back of the head. Paul whipped around gripping his hair and loudly remarked, "Ow, you ass." But Dwayne only muttered back,

"You're the ass." As you and Marko snickered. The two of you sat on the floor with them, and you weren't surprised to see that they had sparked another joint. You looked over to see that David had vacated his chair, and, before you could ask, Dwayne said, "He's feeding." And you gave them a nod. You figured as much. He hadn't eaten with the others it seemed, but he did have to eat eventually. Paul took a long drag, tilting his head back to blow the smoke up towards the ceiling, before he pointed at you with a lazy finger.

"Y'know what I just realized," He started, and you arched a brow at him to continue. He took another drag, letting out a small cough before he said, "You've totally seen our vampire faces." He said, and you gave him a look. Yeah, no shit. Before you could vocalize that exact thought, Marko said,

"Yeah, why didn't you freak out when you first saw us?" Marko asked, and you almost wanted to tell them that you had been. Internally. Instead, you decided to play it cool and gave them a shrug.

"They're not that scary." You commented, and the boys each shared a glance. Suddenly, you felt like that was not the best thing you could've said. Now, you weren't lying. If anything, compared to some of the modern versions of vampires and horror in general, the boys weren't the scariest monster faces you had ever seen. Still, you flinched when you heard Marko growl and turned to see that his face was barely an inch from yours. His face had shifted, his eyes almost sunken in and golden yellow. His brow jutted out, and his fangs, well- He opened his mouth to make himself look more intimidating, showing them off. After the initial flinch, you couldn't stop your smile. You reached out, booping his nose.

"Y'know, your vampire faces kinda make you look like lions." You commented. "Very feline. Especially Paul's." You said, and you weren't surprised to see that Paul had donned his as well. Probably to help Marko scare you, but, alas, you hadn't started screaming like they had hoped. The curly haired blonde leaned back. His brows furrowed, and he stared at you.

"Nothing? Really?" He asked, and you gave him a grin and another shrug. You knew that they were just trying to mess with you. Rile you up. The best course of action was to deny them that, even if they had surprised you. Though, you just had to push it a little too far.

"You guys are too handsome to be scary." You said, and you regretted the words the second they left your mouth. You knew, you knew, that you shouldn't have let them know that you'd been attracted to them. Hell, they already knew you liked their movie, they didn't need to know that you had crushes on them. It wasn't like it was really your fault. They had purposely picked handsome actors to play the characters, and, well, those very same faces were the faces of them in their universe. You could already feel your cheeks reddening before the teasing even began.

"You think we're handsome?" Paul was quick to exclaim, and you shut your eyes and covered your face. You were totally screwed. Paul erupted into a loud chorus of laughter, scooting closer to you and stealing your other side as Marko remained on his.

"So that's why you like our movie so much, huh?" Marko joined in, and you desperately wished that you'd somehow fall back into your own dimension. If you knew one thing for sure about either of the blondes, it was that they were ruthless with their teasing. Hell, they'd convinced Michael he was eating maggots and that they'd fallen to their death. You sighed and pulled your hands from you face. There was only one way to get through this. To get it over with.

"Who's your favorite, y/n? Is it me?" Paul asked, and, even with your flushed cheeks and embarrassment filling your mind, you were able to say,

"I don't have a favorite. You're all-" You paused for just the slightest of moments, having made eye contact with Dwayne. He was staring at you, an amused smile on his face. You instinctively looked away, glancing at the blondes on either side of you and found that their smiles weren't much of a surprise. You quickly looked away and finished, "Good in your own ways, y'know." Your words were quick to flow out of your mouth, yet, it didn't seem to satisfy any of them.

"Oh, c'mon. You gotta like one of us most." Marko said, reaching over and giving your arm a squeeze. When you looked to Dwayne for help, he sent you a shrug. It seemed that even he was in on it, or, perhaps, he was just curious. But you shook your head and reiterated.

"I don't- I like you all." But, again, you found that those were definitely the wrong choice of words. Paul was practically laying on you as he said,

"Oh, you like us, hm?" He purred, leaning in closer. He brushed his hand against your face, and you could see his shit-eating grin out of the corner of your eye. "I like you too, sugar." Before he was brushing his thumb against your bottom lip.

"Shut up." You murmured, and you reached out to push his hand away. You knew he was a flirt, it was obvious from the movie. As much as you had been attracted to them, and wanted to take advantage of the current situation, you couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. And like they were just pulling your leg. Especially when the boys on either side of you laughed. Marko, who seemed to be just as big of a flirt as Paul, brushed your hair behind your ear and asked,

“Why? Are you getting shy?” Marko teased, having leaned in to whisper it in your ear. Your face was burning red, and you placed a hand on his chest to instinctively push him back. He held your wrist, chuckling in your ear. “If you had to pick a favorite-” Marko started, and you only saw one way out of this. So, before he could even finish his sentence, you said,

“David. David’s my favorite.” And the blue eyed blonde besides you immediately began to whine. Of course, that wasn’t what any of them had wanted to hear, or that was what you assumed. Paul had, obviously, expected you to choose him, while Marko...Well, you couldn’t guess what outcome Marko had wanted. Especially when he started to grin wider than ever. When you looked over at Dwayne, he sent you a shrug. You liked to imagine that he was playing off any disappointment he felt, but then he quickly stifled a laugh. Quickly, you added, “Cause he isn’t a jerk who asked.” Which made the curly-haired blonde chuckle and shake his head. You gave him a confused look, obviously missing whatever he, and Dwayne, was laughing at, when you heard footsteps behind you. You looked up, just in time to see David towering behind you.

“What’s this I hear?” He asked, and you swore that you couldn’t have any worse luck. His face and neck had been cleaned, and the only tell that he'd just returned from a feeding was the slight dishevelment of his clothes. While the terror twins teasing was one thing, having David join in was another. You had lied a bit. David was, in all senses of the word, a jerk. When he wanted to be, at least. You had only made the decision because he was the only one who wasn’t there, but it seemed that even that hadn’t gone in your favor. So, now, you had the blondes, and even Dwayne, snickering at David’s discovery. 

The blondes seemed to decide that your face couldn’t turn any redder, and their teasing quickly died off in favor of letting David tease you himself. Though, they could relay over any information to fill in the blanks. Marko looked up at the spiky haired blonde, and smugly declared, 

“Oh, y/n said that she likes you best. And we think she can help us, y'know, not die." Marko said simply, and you had half a mind to throttle him. Even if all of what he had said was true. The cherub faced boy let go of your wrist, and his partner in crime was quick to add,

"And she thinks we're all handsome. Too handsome to be scary." He said pointedly, and you dared to crane your neck back up to see the look on David's face. He looked amused, his ocean blues staring down at you from his spot above. A gloved hand rubbed his chin for a moment, and a large smile donning his scruffy face.

"Is that so?" He asked, arching a brow at you. You were stuck. You wanted to argue and deny, but it would be three against one. And, you were positive that any attempts to deny it would only further the case against you. Even though you were blushing, you tried your best to play it off. It seemed like that was your only option, and you said a cool,

"Don't let it go to your head." Even though you were sure it was too late. The remark earned a laugh from the leader of the vampires, and he reached his hand down to you.

"I'll try." He promised, but you knew better than to believe him. You placed your hand in his, and he helped you stand with a little less force than Marko had used. Though, it still made you stumble forward, practically into the vampire. He chuckled, steadying you by placing his hands on your waist. With one hand remaining at the dip of your waist, he reached out to cup your jaw and caress your face. Almost as he had done in the beginning of the movie. You tried to stop your breath from hitching, but it was futile. It made David grin, and then his smooth, calming voice rang out, "So, how can you help us?"

[theravennest]

Hot Loki Take: Sylvie was Right

*Spoilers for all of Loki the series up to and including ep 6.

Sylvie was right to kill He Who Remains and free the timeline.

I’m deadass.

He Who Remains forced reality into an endless cycle between a time of Order (he rules as dictator) & a time of simulated and controlled "Chaos" (his Conqueror variants wage war). I say this “chaos” is simulated because when you think about it, it’s chaos that He Who Remains arranges himself by manipulating Lokis.

He Who Remains is so fucking sus but for some reason people are just tripping over their own feet to believe everything he says and vilify Sylvie for killing him. 

He literally tells them (and us) that his methods are deceptive and we know for a fact that he’s willing to murder trillions upon trillions of people, planets, and realities to get the outcome he wants. Yet some are still believing everything he says cuz he said maybe 4 things that were truthful, I guess, and cuz he’s cute. Some of us are so blinded by the fear/anticipation of Kang the Conqueror’s arrival, we are letting him bamboozle us.

He Who Remains perfectly and personally tailored the Ordered period of the timeline to produce this exact Sylvie and this exact Loki, had them meet/influence each other, and then had them travel to the end of time...to him.

Now Lokis by nature are agents of chaos and could suddenly swerve left, so to speak, for no reason. So let’s assume I believe that He Who Remains didn’t 100% know what they would choose once they crossed the Threshold (if the Threshold he described is even real, tbh). He also so carefully molded both of their entire lives for that moment in the Citadel. He may not have known 100% but he knew at least 90% of how they would react to everything he said and did when they were both pushed to this place/mindset.

Notice how he teed them up for the fight that ended in his death:

Manufacturing a scenario where they would meet via the TVA’s variant pursuit.

Manufacturing a scenario where they would travel to the Void and meet Alioth.

Kid Loki being in just the right place to give his sword to Loki.

Miss Minutes appearing to menacingly offer an obvious devil’s bargain.

Him slyly telling Sylvie that she can’t trust Loki, putting it into her head just before he gives them his ultimatum.

All of these thing practically gift wrapped that ending to the Loki on Sylvie fight.

Let’s elaborate.

What was even the point of Miss Minutes offering to re-insert them into the same Sacred Timeline with both getting their hearts’ desires there? 

Not more than ten minutes later He Who Remains told Loki and Sylvie to their faces that he manipulated all this for the sole purpose of making them choose between taking over as rulers of the TVA or killing him and ushering in a Multiversal War. Neither of those choices would result in re-inserting Loki and Sylvie back into the timeline.

So what is the truth? Why waste precious moments with a creepy Miss Minutes menacing them in that vestibule scene?

Notice how Miss Minutes’ words pushed Loki further onto his path of no longer wanting power or a throne but desiring to change his attitude about himself and the universe. Notice how her words conversely pushed Sylvie into balking at the idea of accepting another “fictional” life after a lifetime of being manipulated and made her double down on her mission to free the timeline and get revenge.

Sylvie has the ability to see memories but interesting how he kept her distracted by condescending to her and provoking her, just stoking the fire to make her react negatively. (Interesting how he was far more focused on Sylvie’s reactions than Loki’s, most likely because he needed her to kill him for his plans to work.)

Now I don’t want to completely shift responsibility for her choices away from Sylvie. In truth, if she had held in her vengeance for let’s say an hour and trusted Loki a bit more, they could’ve sat down to talk about things and maybe found a third solution other than starting a Multiversal War or ruling the TVA that still could’ve even allowed her to get revenge. (More on the ultimatum later.)

But I can’t blame her for losing her cool, either. He Who Remains made damn sure she would burn as hot as possible because he tailor made her life to give her the personality he wanted. And any other version of her out there who might have made a different choice would’ve already been pruned.

He Who Remains tells Loki and Sylvie straight up that he set them on their particular life paths because he needed them to be “changed by the journey” to ensure everyone in that room was in exactly the right mindset to do what was needed to “finish the quest” and presumably “slay the dragon,” aka Him. (Notice the parallels to the speaker narration just before episode 2′s fight at the Ren Fair.)

We don’t know! Sylvie never enchanted him to read his memories because she was so filled with rage and Loki was too busy trying to stop her, he didn’t think to do it either. And we’ve already established that He Who Remains trained them that way. Nothing that happened in that office was without He Who Remains’ influence and meddling.

Another nail in the coffin that convinces me that He Who Remains is a no good dirty liar is Renslayer.

If He Who Remains’ end goal was to either have the Lokis choose to rule the TVA or destroy it and thus end up with no memory of her previous TVA judge role/life, why did he send Miss Minutes to Ravonna with files that caused her to pack her bags and search for what she calls “free will,” AKA the one in charge?

I’d bet dollars to donuts that when the next season rolls around the only people who will know what’s going on and still have their memories will be Loki, Miss Minutes, Sylvie, and Ravonna. (Maybe Kang the Conqueror will know as well but I could see it going the other way too. I’m 50-50.)

He Who Remains was planning something by pushing Ravonna the way he did. Does he want her out of the TVA so she doesn’t lose her memories when everything resets? Does he want her to go find the Conqueror version of himself? I mean, at this point, practically everyone knows who she is to Kang in the comics, so let’s not pretend that’s not an option.

Another thing to think about...it’s super suspicious that he was so eager to make them believe he’s one of the “good versions” of Kang and all these others are much worse while giving absolutely no evidence of that outside of an interactive blob powerpoint, a quirky attitude, and a couple of sad, weary faces????

Who’s to say He Who Remains isn’t playing the long game and always manipulates his variants to eventually give him the chance to seize control of the multiverse?

Who’s to say he’s not one of the Kangs that wanted to conquer too? Funny how the “pure of heart” Kang is the one who still wrested control of all reality, killed off every other timeline with a weapon of mass destruction, installed a fascist time bureaucracy, and set himself up as the dictator. Sounds an awful lot like some conqueror shit to me, just saying.

Even wilder theory: what if this really is the same Kang the Conqueror but at the end of his life? We only have hhis word that he’s a variant. He Who Remains tells Loki that this fight is for the “young and hungry.” Maybe the “young and hungry” he’s referring to is not Loki and Sylvie at all but his literal younger self. Perhaps he set up this entire cycle of chaos and order so that he can perpetually live, conqueror, rule, die, and start all over again? Reincarnation, as he says...

But let’s set that wild theory aside for a moment. Let’s circle back to the Multiversal War debate and say it really is is caused by an infinite amount of his variants.

I think it’s hella sus that He Who Remains was so insistent that Loki and Sylvie only had two choices to resolve this riddle: Multiversal War or running the TVA almost exactly the way he did while maintaining only a single timeline. Those are definitely not the only two options they had. In fact, I could probably name 1-3 other options off the top of my head right now:

Keep He Who Remains alive while learning how he manipulated time and using those skills to slowly unleash the multiverse while killing every version of Kang to prevent him from existing as either conqueror or dictator.

Kill He Who Remains, take over the TVA, and slowly change it to something not horrific or even build a brand new system for governing time.

Kill or keep He Who Remains, still take over the TVA, slow rollout the Multiverse and kill or prevent every Kang along the way.

(I’m not saying these aren’t also morally questionable options, I’m just saying they are different from the two choices He Who Remains presented.)

But let’s say these options I suggested are not feasible. I just randomly came up with them ten minutes ago so it would be fair if they were picked apart logically. 

So let’s contemplate this, instead:

Why should we assume/believe that a Multiversal War is actually a bad thing again??? Why are we assuming that He Who Remains’ Sacred Timeline really saved reality from total collapse? 

Assuming he told the truth about his motives, maybe he was just...wrong about the end of reality. Maybe he saw what he thought was the conclusion to the Multiversal War coming and erroneously believed it to be the end of everything but actually it was the multiverse sorting itself out and everything would’ve been fine after.

We (and He Who Remains too) will never know because not only did he not show any evidence to back up his claim that reality was on the brink of collapse, but he himself never allowed things to play out naturally. Whenever the end of the war comes to the brink of something, he always panics, weaponizes Alioth, and traps the universe in his cage of Order with the TVA.

Even more controversial take...maybe the collapse of timelines and the end of everything should be allowed to happen. Maybe the natural cycle of reality is to build and build, splinter and splinter timelines, until it collapses and starts all over again from the void.

Nothing is created and nothing is destroyed, all things exist in a cycle so why should the multiverse be any different?

After all in all, in all three possibilities an infinite number of timelines is destined to suffer and die. Whether it be during the Kang-controlled Order period, Kang-controlled fake Chaos period, or the unrestrained natural Chaos that collapses in on itself...an untold amount of people are dying anyway. There’s only one of those scenarios that has actual unrestrained free will where those people get to exist how they want, make choices they want (even bad ones) for as long as they can.

(Personally, I’ll take that over what the Kangs have wrestled the multiverse into.)

I’ll just take this moment to re-iterate: trust nothing He Who Remains says. He’s a known liar and manipulator, and unlike Loki he has done absolutely nothing to actionably show he’s not still lying or to show that he’s trying to change outside of some sad looks. It’s all pantomime, bruh. Like, the pageantry of it all astounds me. 

Is he maybe telling some truths? Sure. But that doesn’t mean he’s not using the truth to manipulate everything. It’s an illusion, I’m telling y’all! He was up to no fucking good.

Sylvie was far more right to kill him than to not. Loki, Sylvie, & team (prolly also the latest Avengers lineup too) now just need to find a way to break this Kang cycle.

[miniwolfsbane]

Sweet Tooth S1 thoughts (BIG SPOILERS)

First off, I am disappointed we were shown a PURRING PUPPY BABY in the trailer and had 0 follow up with it? Did he/she escape to Istanbul with it’s parents? Get captured? Live a nomadic life? Live in the forest? I WANT ANSWERS!! :( Also, puppies don’t purr, so I want answers to that too. Unless they were trying to go for a whimper or an animal noise and just went with that instead.

BIG SPOILERS under the cut

Anyway, the only two things, aside from the bits of gore and violence (Reviews are all like “IT’S A FAMILY SHOW!” And I counter back with “I would not let any child under 13 watch this and I have never seen a family show with three seconds of guts being removed and two scenes of implied, live vivisecting on sentient beings without anesthetic.”), the only things I didn’t like about this were using 2 overused cliche’s. One being the hero hanging off a bridge for what seems like 12 years above peril, and the other I can’t remember. It was Jeppard nearly missing the train. The only thing that saved it was the flashback.

The other thing was that, while dark, there’s a bit of predictably and not much depth to the story. I realized last night that the comic source material my have the depth I’m craving out of the story. Just because it has child actors doesn’t mean the story can’t be dug into deeper and have more meaning. I applaud them for what they did and how they handled it, mixing in human-ish vivisecting with neighbors burning down their friends houses and being murderous hypocrites into a story about children, but it wasn’t enough for me. I wanted more.  Edit: Not more violence, obviously, just more to the story. dig into the universe, hard. Like gardening, just shove both metaphorical hands into that story soil and root around in it. Find all the gems that are the interesting parts of this universe and answer our questions. 

Sadly, I see someone on tumblr called it...something. Like, were we even watching the same show?? A multi-racial cast that gives all it’s characters dignity isn’t...that.

Bobby isn’t creepy to most and not shown that much. If you really think Bobby is that creepy, you need to go see original Bobby and get back to me. https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=mv4YBZHa&id=071BD6BDAA183CA5965247E7F8F68E873375399B&thid=OIP.mv4YBZHau8dTzxGoK0L0ggHaHD&mediaurl=https%3A%2F%2Fvignette.wikia.nocookie.net%2Fmarvel_dc%2Fimages%2Ff%2Ffc%2FBobby_Sweet_Tooth_001.jpg%2Frevision%2Flatest%3Fcb%3D20150813115735&cdnurl=https%3A%2F%2Fth.bing.com%2Fth%2Fid%2FR9afe180591dabbc753cf11a82b42f482%3Frik%3Dmzl1M4eO9vjnRw&pid=ImgRaw&exph=616&expw=647&q=sweet+tooth+comics+bobby&simid=608026455638091252&ck=7A4DBACCF6BFE43E3B1E799F7F88C55A&selectedindex=0&adlt=demote&shtp=GetUrl&shid=3fb5000d-4d63-494a-986d-006fedeb28d5&shtk=Qm9iYnkgKFN3ZWV0IFRvb3RoKSB8IERDIERhdGFiYXNlIHwgRmFuZG9t&shdk=Rm91bmQgb24gQmluZyBmcm9tIGRjLmZhbmRvbS5jb20%3D&shhk=NjRWN4Jv1KDrxu8T30I3UN0IQ71oVtCAEnsLIeSmFl4%3D&form=EX0023&shth=OSH.nyb0RMh%252Bnm%252B%252B%252FIH1cnkhHw

Okay, kid does sorta look like a gremlin mixed with a Furby in the show, like one post said, but I’ve seen worse. https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=F9mlBjUo&id=49C0257935E4A941563E579C7E9DCF48B72BEC01&thid=OIF.eyTVbAuEqt0R%2bKFmrIK4gA&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fepipoca.com.br%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2021%2f06%2fE3NUK2kVoAE5Ct_.jpg&cdnurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fR17d9a5063528805f1ade0ea77464df86%3frik%3d%26pid%3dImgRaw&exph=675&expw=1482&q=sweet+tooth++Bobby&simid=297111136187&ck=7B24D56C0B84AADD11F8A166AC82B880&selectedIndex=49&FORM=IRPRST&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0

Sometimes stuff goes over my head. I had no idea that the babies were being born and not made in a lab. When they showed them in the maternity ward, I genuinely thought they had been experimented on and didn’t come out of the womb like that. Apparently I missed that it was a maternity ward in a hospital. That’s my other problem with this show I forgot to mention: It defies logic and you really have to turn off your brain to accept the hybrid concept. I’m guessing the virus or other means (possibly according to the comics, I tried to avoid big spoilers), mutated them in utero. That still doesn’t satisfy me. Thankfully, Gus was somehow lab created, so that helps. (More information and context would be appreciated. Was it, like, they were experimenting with in-vitro or what?) Edit: This article https://screenrant.com/sweet-tooth-theory-purple-flowers-cure-sick-virus/ explains that putting the virus in a chicken egg produced Gus. Which makes even less sense. Edit: This MAY or MAY NOT be right. Someone on YT pointed out they never said this in the show.

 IRL, Virus + chicken embryo=would never randomly produce a human/deer hybrid baby. It’s so freaking random it sounds like nonsense or the delusions of a madman, not a rational comic book author with a presumably sane mind. Just...I’ve said it before...things have to make sense, even in fiction. 5 step process of anything cannot equal random result. It goes against all science, right? And made up worlds have to have rules, even silly worlds. Like I said, you have to turn your brain off, but this stretches even my disbelief. Hybrids, I get, fine, but that? I’m sorry, what? *headdesk* I don’t know, maybe the comics had something I’m missing since I never read them.

I’m eager to learn the connection to the kids and the virus as we go. And if we don’t get a season 2, I’ll be getting the comics to satisfy my thirst for this show.

Gus is my baby and I don’t understand how a kid could be that cute. Jeppard is the GOAT (lol) Bear could use better line delivery at times, but her acting will improve I’m sure. Nice to see Diana Ramierez acting again, her character is likeable. Wendy is cute, but kinda just there for me. Needs more traits or character development to get on my favorite characters list. Bear also needs more than just backstory and a tough girl persona. She’s not bland, she just needs more spark to her as a character. More personality, if that makes sense. 

Lastly, I wanted a tiny bit more from the make-up department. Wendy and rabbit kids (yes, I took note of this detail and I love bunnies) make-up is on point, but the rest look like kids dressed up in dollar store feathers and fur for a school play. Get more creative if you’re gonna show these hybrids, even if it’s just for a few seconds. You have the budget!! (But I think most of that went to Bobby’s puppetry/CGI and Jeppard’s baby, to be honest.)

I wanted a cat girl or boy, because the lulz for the anime community (Also, because I have 2 cats and stuff), but at least we got bird kids, even if they weren’t cockatiels like mine. I’m ready for Season 2, hurry Netflix!!

I can see why people wouldn’t like this show or wouldn’t recommend watching it, but I see many have embraced it. It’s either you’re thing or it’s not, but you should give it a chance and see. Just don’t shoot it down if you hate it, there’s enough wet blankets out there and we all have different tastes.

Edit: One last thing. I do have a problem with hybrids being half-human. Like, you would think that being half-human, they’d still have all the problems humans have with causing wars and all. I know it’s a dark story with a good outcome, but there’s something too saccharine about hybrids having “The best parts of us.” What exactly are those best parts? Last I checked, humans are selfish and vain at their core. Even the most altruistic, giving person can be greedy about something or want more. It’s like Genie said in the new Aladdin, “You can have all the money and power in the world and it still won’t be enough”.  Wouldn’t bird people and pig people and deer people all want to side with each other instead of living in some grand utopia? Fighting over land and resources? Portraying hybrids as taking over the earth after people are gone from extinction and everything going peachy doesn’t quite work for me. Not that I’d want it to still be dark, but, eh, they’d have to have SOME problems, wouldn’t they?

[arcticdementor]

In a democracy, every vote is supposed to be equal. If about half the country supports one side and half the country supports another, you may expect major institutions to either be equally divided, or to try to stay politically neutral.

This is not what we find. If it takes a position on the hot button social issues around which our politics revolve, almost every major institution in America that is not explicitly conservative leans left. In a country where Republicans get around half the votes or something close to that in every election, why should this be the case?

This post started as an investigation into Woke Capital, one of the most important developments in the last decade or so of American politics. Although big business pressuring politicians is not new (the NFL moved the Super Bowl from Arizona over MLK day), the scope of the issues on which corporations feel the need to weigh in is certainly expanding, now including LGBT issues, abortion laws, voting rights, kneeling during the national anthem, and gun control.

…

As I started to research the topic, however, I realized there wasn’t much to explain. Asking why corporations are woke is like asking why Hispanics tend to have two arms, or why the Houston Rockets have increased their number of 3-point shots taken over the last few decades. All humans tend to have two arms, and all NBA teams shoot more 3-pointers than in the past, so focusing on one subset of the population that has the same characteristics as all others in the group misses the point.

I think one reason Woke Capital is getting so much attention is because we expect business to be more right-leaning, and corporations throwing in with the party of more taxes and regulation strikes us as odd. We are used to schools, non-profits, mainline religions, etc. taking liberal positions and feel like business should be different. But business is just being assimilated into a larger trend.

Corporations are woke, meaning left wing on social issues relative to the general population, because institutions are woke. So the question becomes why are institutions woke?

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Through the lens of ordinal utility, in which people simply rank what they want to happen, we are about equal. I prefer Republicans to Democrats, while you have the opposite preference. But when we think in terms of cardinal utility – in layman’s terms, how bad people want something to happen – it’s no contest. You are going to be much more influential than me. Most people are relatively indifferent to politics and see it as a small part of their lives, yet a small percentage of the population takes it very seriously and makes it part of its identity. Those people will tend to punch above their weight in influence, and institutions will be more responsive to them.

Elections are a measure of ordinal preferences. As long as you care enough to vote, it doesn’t matter how much you care about the election outcome, as everyone’s voice is the same. But for everything else – who speaks up in a board meeting about whether a corporation should take a political position, who protests against a company taking a position one side or the other finds offensive, etc. – cardinal utility maters a lot. Only a small minority of the public ever bothers to try to influence a corporation, school, or non-profit to reflect certain values, whether from the inside or out.

In an evenly divided country, if one side simply cares more, it’s going to exert a disproportionate influence on all institutions, and be more likely to see its preferences enacted in the time between elections when most people aren’t paying much attention.

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Here are two graphs that have been getting a lot of attention

What jumps out to me in these figures is not only how left leaning large institutions are, but how the same is true for most professions. Whether you are looking by institution or by individuals, there are more donations to Biden than Trump. Yet Republicans get close to half the votes! Where are the Trump supporters? What these graphs reveal is a larger story, in which more people give to liberal causes and candidates than to conservative ones, even if Americans are about equally divided in which party they support (and no, this isn’t the result of liberals being wealthier, the connections between income and ideology or party are pretty weak). Here are some graphs from late October showing Biden having more individual donors than Trump in every battleground state.

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In the 2012 election, Obama raised $234 million from small individual contributors, compared to $80 million for Romney, while also winning among large contributors.

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In September 2009, at the height of the Tea Party movement, conservatives held the “Taxpayer March on Washington,” which drew something like 60,000-70,000 people, leading one newspaper to call it “the largest conservative protest ever to storm the Capitol.” Since that time, the annual anti-abortion March for Life rally in Washington has drawn massive crowds, with estimates for some years ranging widely from low six figures to mid-to-high six figures. March for Life is not to be confused with “March for Our Lives,” a pro-gun control rally that activists claim saw 800,000 people turn out in 2018. All these events were dwarfed by the Women’s March in opposition to Trump, which drew by one estimate “between 3,267,134 and 5,246,670 people in the United States (our best guess is 4,157,894). That translates into 1 percent to 1.6 percent of the U.S. population of 318,900,000 people (our best guess is 1.3 percent).” Even if the two left-wing academics who did this research are letting their bias infuse their work, there is no question that protesting is generally a left-wing activity, as conservatives themselves realize.

People who engage in protesting care more about politics than people who donate money, and people who donate money care more than people who simply vote. Imagine a pyramid with voters at the bottom and full-time activists on top, and as you move up the pyramid it gets much narrower and more left-wing. Multiple strands of evidence indicate this would basically be an accurate representation of society.

Another line of evidence showing that the left simply cares more about politics comes from Noah Carl, who has put together data showing liberals are in their personal lives more intolerant of conservatives than vice versa across numerous dimensions in the US and the UK. Those on the left are more likely to block someone on social media over their views, be upset if their child marries someone from the other side, and find it hard to be friends with or date someone they disagree with politically. Here are two graphs demonstrating the general point.

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There’s a great irony here. Conservatives tend to be more skeptical of pure democracy, and believe in individuals coming together and forming civil society organizations away from government. Yet conservatives are extremely bad at gaining or maintaining control of institutions relative to liberals. It’s not because they are poorer or the party of the working class – again, I can’t stress enough how little economics predicts people’s political preferences – but because they are the party of those who simply care less about the future of their country.

Debates over voting rights make the opposite assumption, as conservatives tend to want more restrictions on voting, and liberals fewer, with National Review explicitly arguing against a purer form of democracy. Conservatives may be right that liberals are less likely to care enough to do basic things like bring a photo ID and correctly fill out a ballot. If this is true, Republicans are the party of people who care enough to vote when doing so is made slightly more difficult but not enough to do anything else, while Democrats are the party of both the most active and least active citizens. Yet while being the “care only enough to vote” party might be adequate for winning elections, the future belongs to those at the tail end of the distribution who really want to change the world.

The discussion here makes it hard to suggest reforms for conservatives. Do you want to give government more power over corporations? None of the regulators will be on your side. Leave corporations alone? Then you leave power to Woke Capital, though it must to a certain extent be disciplined and limited by the preferences of consumers. Start your own institutions? Good luck staffing them with competent people for normal NGO or media salaries, and if you’re not careful they’ll be captured by your enemies anyway, hence Conquest’s Second Law. And the media will be there every step of the way to declare any of your attempts at taking power to be pure fascism, and brush aside any resistance to your schemes as righteous anger, up to and including rioting and acts of violence.

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From this perspective we might want to consider this passage from Scott Alexander, who writes the following in his review of a biography of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The normal course of politics is various coalitions of elites and populace, each drawing from their own power bases. A normal political party, like a normal anything else, has elite leaders, analysts, propagandists, and managers, plus populace foot soldiers. Then there's an election, and sometimes our elites get in, and sometimes your elites get in, but getting a political party that's against the elites is really hard and usually the sort of thing that gets claimed rather than accomplished, because elites naturally rise to the top of everything.

But sometimes political parties can run on an explicitly anti-elite platform. In theory this sounds good - nobody wants to be elitist. In practice, this gets really nasty quickly. Democracy is a pure numbers game, so it's hard for the elites to control - the populace can genuinely seize the reins of a democracy if it really wants. But if that happens, the government will be arrayed against every other institution in the nation. Elites naturally rise to the top of everything - media, academia, culture - so all of those institutions will hate the new government and be hated by it in turn. Since all natural organic processes favor elites, if the government wants to win, it will have to destroy everything natural and organic - for example, shut down the regular media and replace it with a government-controlled media run by its supporters.

When elites use the government to promote elite culture, this usually looks like giving grants to the most promising up-and-coming artists recommended by the art schools themselves, and having the local art critics praise their taste and acumen. When the populace uses the government to promote popular culture against elite culture, this usually looks like some hamfisted attempt to designate some kind of "official" style based on what popular stereotypes think is "real art from back in the day when art was good", which every art school and art critic attacks as clueless Philistinism. Every artist in the country will make groundbreaking exciting new art criticizing the government's poor judgment, while the government desperately looks for a few technicians willing to take their money and make, I don't know, pretty landscape paintings or big neoclassical buildings.

The important point is that elite government can govern with a light touch, because everything naturally tends towards what they want and they just need to shepherd it along. But popular/anti-elite government has a strong tendency toward dictatorship, because it won't get what it wants without crushing every normal organic process. Thus the stereotype of the "right-wing strongman", who gets busy with the crushing.

So the idea of "right-wing populism" might invoke this general concept of somebody who, because they have made themselves the champion of the populace against the elites, will probably end up incentivized to crush all the organic processes of civil society, and yoke culture and academia to the will of government in a heavy-handed manner.

To put it in a different way, to steelman the populist position, democracy does not reflect the will of the citizenry, it reflects the will of an activist class, which is not representative of the general population. Populists, in order to bring institutions more in line with what the majority of the people want, need to rely on a more centralized and heavy-handed government. The strongman is liberation from elites, who aren’t the best citizens, but those with the most desire to control people’s lives, often to enforce their idiosyncratic belief system on the rest of the public, and also a liberation from having to become like elites in order to fight them, so conservatives don’t have to give up on things like hobbies and starting families and devote their lives to activism.