#it used to be fun and life giving to be around these people and now it is so exhausting and seriously alarming in many ways

[zhelin-thames]

A Growing Circle of Bats (wrong number)

Read the previous posts to know what happend before Masterpost

Danny was sitting cross-legged on his bed, sipping a soda while reading over one of Tim’s million texts about ghost technology. Jason had texted earlier to warn him that “Tech Boy’s enthusiasm can be dangerous,” and Danny was starting to believe it.

Then his phone buzzed with a message from yet another new number.

Unknown Number: Hey, are you Danny?

Danny groaned, setting his drink down.

Danny: ...Yes? Who’s asking now?

Unknown Number: I’m Dick. Jason and Tim wouldn’t shut up about you, so I thought I’d say hi.

Danny blinked.

Danny: Wait, let me guess. Another one of the Bat-family?

Dick: Guilty as charged. I’m the oldest, so I have to make sure Jason and Tim aren’t harassing you too much. They’re... persistent.

Danny: That’s one way to put it.

Dick: So what’s your deal? Jason said something about ghosts and a billionaire villain?

Danny: Ugh, yeah. That’s the gist of it. My life is basically one long supernatural sitcom, featuring a half-ghost me, an undead billionaire weirdo, and a lot of property damage.

Dick: Sounds wild. Do you ever get a break?

Danny: Not really. Ghosts don’t exactly take vacations.

While Danny and Dick were chatting, Tim and Jason were having their own conversation.

“Did you seriously give Dick Danny’s number?” Jason asked, staring at his phone.

“Why not?” Tim replied, not looking up from his laptop. “He’s part of the family. Besides, Danny could use more normal conversations, and Dick’s the most sociable.”

Jason snorted. “Dick’s about as ‘normal’ as a flying acrobat who fights crime in spandex can get.”

Back on Danny’s end, the conversation had taken an unexpected turn.

Dick: So, are you into acrobatics? Or martial arts?

Danny: Uh, I mean, I’ve fought a lot of ghosts. Does that count?

Dick: Definitely. Fighting’s a skill. Jason said you’ve got powers too?

Danny: Yeah, I can go intangible, invisible, and shoot ectoplasm. Oh, and I can fly.

Dick: Flying? Okay, I’m officially jealous. That’s way cooler than grappling hooks.

Danny: It’s not all great. Flying makes you a bigger target when you’re fighting people who can fly too. Or when you’re dodging ghost lasers.

Dick: Fair point. But still, flying’s gotta feel amazing. Have you ever raced anyone?

Danny grinned at the question.

Danny: Not really. But I think I’d win. I’m pretty fast.

Dick: Challenge accepted. If we ever meet, I’m racing you.

Later that evening, Jason’s phone buzzed with a group chat notification.

Group Chat Name: Danny Phantom Appreciation Club

Members: Jason, Tim, Dick, Danny

Danny: What is this?

Tim: A group chat. Easier than texting us all individually.

Jason: It was Tim’s idea. Don’t blame me.

Dick: Hi, Danny! Welcome to the club.

Danny: You guys are insane.

Jason: And you’re stuck with us now, Little Ghost.

Danny: Why do I feel like this is the start of something terrifying?

Dick: Because it probably is. But we’re fun terrifying.

Danny: ...I’m doomed, aren’t I?

Tim: Yep. Welcome to the family.

Danny couldn’t help but laugh, shaking his head. For all their chaos, the Bat-family was growing on him. Maybe having them around wouldn’t be so bad after all.

[the-universal-sun]

little lee being scared/having a phobia of the doctors? your stories are such a comfort to me and i have a doctors appointment tomorrow 🙁

Oh no! I hope your Doctor’s appointment goes well! I have one on Tuesday :/. Thank you for your request! I had fun writing it! I hope you enjoy reading it, though it’s less phobia than you might have wanted! TW: mention of needles, bloodwork, and medicine

As always, I’m open to helpful comments and feedback! But also just to talk if you need to! I hope every one has a good day!

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“Stanley Caryn Pines get out from under those covers right this instant.” Ford’s voice was stern, having tried to get Stan to leave to room for nearly half an hour now. His patience with his brother, usually so endless, was running thin. It was awful that they had to do this on a day when Stan was regressed-but then again, neither of them could control when his brother felt small or not.

“Mmmm-No! No Doctor-no!” Came a muffled shout from under the blanket, a figure huddled underneath it for protection and safety. Safety from the scary doctors and needles and icky icky medicine. Stanford was trying to make him see a doctor and let them steal his blood! He needs his blood, doesn’t his brother know that? How could he betray Stan like this?

“It’s just to make sure you’re fine before we go traversing the seas! I had to do it, so you do you! We don’t need either of us getting sick or running out of medicine when we’re weeks away from land, that’s dangerous. Life threatening even!” If Ford could change the day of this appointment he could, he knows Stan’s terrified of doctors, he always has been, but to see him to scared when little? Beyond his annoyance, it brings an ache to his chest. He hates being the one to do this, feeling like he’s betraying his brother to the highest degree again, but they have no choice. They’re leaving in a month and this was the only appointment they could get in for Stan. The next available slot is in February. How, Ford doesn’t know, Gravity Falls only has a population of around 1,000 people, give or take, and he seriously doubts all of them are seeing the Doctor every day. Then again, there’s only one Doctor, and while he was thorough, he was questionable in his bedside manner and execution of his physical. But, alas, this is the day of his brother’s appointment, and he will make Stan go.

Ford’s train of thought is cut off by the sound of a muffled whine-one promising tears if Stan isn’t consoled soon. He sigh, moving to sit beside his brother’s blanket clad body, resting his hand on his back and just patting softly, trying to think of some soothing words to ease his Little Lee’s mind. Because he still needs him to go to the appointment, but he’d rather not do it with the other man kicking and screaming. And crying, no doubt. After a few minutes of silence and some stolen glances at a clock in the corner, Ford finds the words to hopefully calm Stan down.

“Lee, I’m sorry. I don’t want to make you go, I hate to see you so scared, but I have to-“ another whine cuts in and Ford lowers his head until his brow is touching the back of his brothers head, “I know, I know. It was hard for me, too, after 30 years of taking care of myself. But I want us to be safe and healthy for our adventures on the Stan O’ War, and that includes bloodwork and medicine.” He sighs, changing his hand from patting his brother’s back to rubbing it, thinking through his next words. “How about this, Lee, you stay for 30 minutes, and not only can you get a whole roll of fun stickers, we can go get lunch at the reopened Greasy’s, is that a deal?” Ford hopes Stan takes this deal, he loves stickers and Greasy’s diner. While they have an abundant amount of stickers left over from Mabel, Greasy’s just opened yesterday after having been closed since Weirdmaggedon-it’s been a month and a half since Stan’s had food from his favorite diner, he’s been itching for it.

“Gweasy’s?” Stan popped his head out, voice muffled from chewing on his shirt, which Ford promptly pulls out from his mouth. Stan loves Greasy’s, and he’s been wanting it for so long, maybe 39 minutes isn’t so bad if he can get a treat. But stealing his blood, hmm….he’s still not sure, the needles are bound to be big and scary, and while Stan is a super brave boy, he doesn’t know if he’s brave enough for that. Stanford must have read his mind, because he offers another bribe-that’s what they are after all, Stan knows all about bribes-one that has him far more interested than stickers.

“And we can go to Portland for the USS Blueback Submarine tour.” And Stan’s in. He’s been wanting to see the Blueback for ever! For ages, even, but he’s never been able too-not enough free time or anybody to watch the Shack. Or anyone to watch him, knowing how the excitement might make him regress, and he can’t do that by himself when in public. That’s bad, bad, bad and seems very scary. But if Ford’s with him and it happens, he’ll be safe and Ford can show his scary dog face to anyone who’s mean to him! Stan scrambles out of his bed and races towards the door, he’s got to go now so they can hurry and see the submarine!

“Slow your roll, Lee. You need to get dressed and ready first, that means dentures in and dressed in pants and a shirt with your hair brushed.” Ford pulls him to a stop, making him stand still before going to his dresser for clothes. Oh, guess Stan forgot to get dressed today, he’s still in his icky and itchy big Adult pajamas. Which he quickly shucks off, holding his arms out for Ford to help him get dressed. His brother laughs when he turns and sees Stan like that, but when he whines and bounces, Sixer quickly gets to pulling the shirt over his head.

“Okay now. All dressed, dentures in?” Stan smiles widely, his new dentures shining, “Perfect! Let’s go!” It doesn’t really hit Stan until they’re walking to his car that he’s going to the Doctors office and he’s going to get poked and prodded at. He freezes, stiffening up and clutching his arms, his body beginning to rock back and forth on the balls of his feet. Are his brother’s bribes really worth it? What if the doctor is mean or-or the needles are huge and take all his blood? Can he really do it? He wishes he could bring-A touch to his shoulder startled Stan out of his thoughts, Stanford looking at Stan with the most gentle look he’s ever seen. Well, if he’s here with Stan, maybe he could do this.

Stanley gasps as Ford presses Shanklin 2 into his hands, clutching the stuffed toy tightly as Ford leads him into the back seat and buckles him in. “I figured your friend would get much too scared waiting here for you, Lee, so he’s coming with us so you can teach him to be brave. Can you do that, Lee?” It’s a low blow almost, but by the way Stan resolutely nods and puts on his best brave face, Ford knew it had worked. For now at least, they’ll see how it goes when he gets blood drawn-he did request a butterfly needle for Stan, so hopefully he’s not as scared when he sees it’s not the thick needles they had as children. “I’m going to be right there with you, too, Lee. I won’t be going anywhere. I might need you to hold my hand if I get scared. If that’s alright with you?” He laughs at his brother’s stern nodding. That’s Stan for you, always willing to be a rock for his brother, his own feelings aside.

Ford buckled himself in, adjusting the mirror before turning on the radio, some old blues music softly playing from it as he slowly backs out onto the paved road. Internally he hopes, glancing back at Stan softly bobbing his head and rubbing Shanklin 2’s tail, that Stan forgets about the Greasy’s promise; the food there gives him such a stomach ache.

Stan does not forget about Greasy’s

[bekolxeram]

Unfortunately, I don't have the means to donate this time, (Stupid expensive health issues🙄) but I'd still like to express my gratitude to Bucktommy and this fandom for the occasion.

Not that my life has ever been sunshine and rainbows, but 2024 has been particularly difficult for me. I started the year the sickest I've been for years, then one of my uncles passed away in February. He was 88. He had been slowly succumbing to dementia for quite some time, so almost everyone agreed a cardiac arrest was a blessing in disguise.

I wasn't close with him, but my mother was, and naturally, I had to spend pretty much the entire March accompanying her to all sorts of traditional ceremonies for the dead. All my uncle's children, my cousins, came back from abroad as well. They enjoyed hanging out with me back when I was a toddler, but then I slowly grew up into this weird, moody kid of few words, and we kind of drifted apart from there.

Family reunions were never awkward despite my gloomy existence though, they had their fun aunt who never ran out of things to talk about. To them, my mother's the life of the party and an exemplary woman, who went through tragedies in life but still manages to come out stronger on the other side, who unfortunately had to re-enter the workforce later in life to support her physically ill husband and her mentally ill teenage daughter.

What they don't know, is that while she's a fun aunt, she's not a fun mother. She was dealing with the stress and frustration so well because she always had an outlet at home. Someone she had total ownership over, officialized by a piece of birth certificate. Someone she could do whatever she'd like to, emotionally and physically, because in my culture, it's simply an alternative, maybe outdated method of parenting, not a crime.

I've had time to process my messy relationship with my mother, I've come to (mostly) accept it for what it is. Watching my cousins all rushing over to my mother with open arms to console her, watching my cousins' children playing around, having fun with her, while my existence was barely acknowledged, was actually more triggering than I expected. It acted as a sobering reminding that not only do I have merely a handful of friends since I left church, I in fact don't have any family left either. They're all my mother's family, not mine.

It was probably the most lonely and isolating experience in my life. It's like I was trapped inside of my head, my head that was gradually turning into a bottomless pit of nothingness.

Then Tommy Kinard drove through cross town traffic just to clear the air in person. He expressed how much he wanted to be a part of a family. Then he took his shot and got the boy in the end.

I just felt... understood. Watching Bucktommy's story play out on screen gave me some rare moments of joy and much needed hope. I felt like if Tommy could find happiness later in life, maybe it wasn't too late for me either.

If you've had experience with depression, you'd know how sometimes getting out of bed, brushing your teeth feels like an uphill battle already. Motivation is precious and hard to come by. I was so motivated creatively by Bucktommy and people in the fandom who resonated with the story just like me, that I wrote series of posts analyzing every scene in S7, I learned how to make gifs to illustrate the humor I found in all of us, I figured out how to edit video especially for my vision of a Brad-nado, I even wrote and posted my first fanfic ever.

And I just love how we refuse to give up hope, even after the breakup. We cried, we whined, then we doubled our effort writing fix-it fics, continuing their story on our own terms. Now, we even manage to raise thousands of dollars for charities in 24 hours in the name of love.

Sorry for the wall of text all about myself, I hope I don't come across as a self-absorbed jerk. I always thought I would never make it to 30, it started feeling like a real possibility in March. What happened instead was that my 30th birthday came and go because I was too busy screaming about Buck batting his eyelashes at Tommy when he was receiving a medal.

I'm sitting here, typing this out, looking back at my 2024 at the end of the year, only because Bucktommy happened and I had the pleasure to cross path with you all. I know, it's stupid, it's just a TV show, but I can't really imagine how my life would turn out if I never had Bucktommy, where I would be right, or even if I would still be at all.

So, thank you, for making life worth living for me again.

[2000sangel]

⋆⁺₊❅. GuitarSpear x GN!Reader - This year, I give you my heart again ⋆⁺₊❅.

Self indulgent Adam x Lute x Reader fic I cooked up - Merry Christmas, I hope you enjoy <3 (Sorry for OOC Lute, first time writing her !!)

Divider credit : cafekitsune

Your eyelids flutter open, eyes easily adjusting to the soft light shining through the curtains of your shared bedroom’s French window. You stare at the ceiling for a bit, wondering what time it is, before being interrupted by a particularly loud snore coming from your left.

You make a face, looking at still asleep Adam, lying on his back with Lute on his left and you on his right, his wings sprawled out on the king sized bed and only his legs being covered by the blanket, but your expression softens when he mumbles something in his sleep that you can’t quite catch and nuzzles his face into your hair.

Rather than his usual tank top and boxers, he’s wearing a pretty thick black sweatshirt and a pair of matching sweatpants; he claims to not feel the cold, but you can see him visibly shivering every time he opts to wear his usual attire around this time of the year, so you and Lute force him into cosier clothes.

His brown hair is a mess, and his mouth is slightly open and- ew, is that saliva on the corner? With a sneer you decide not to dwell on your messy sleeper of a boyfriend, and focus on your girlfriend Lute instead, who on the contrary still looks like an angel, even if you now reside in the depths of Hell.

She’s lying on her right side, her head gently resting on Adam’s bicep. Not exactly a fan of physical affection, she’s not properly cuddling up to him, rather she’s curled up on herself. One of her wings is tucked under her arm, while the other is stretched out on the mattress much like Adam’s. The fact that she’s wearing one of your sweatshirts makes you smile, she had forgotten that her warmer one was in the washing machine last night so she opted to rummage through your wardrobe and pick out something from there instead. Her leggings match with the colour, she likes going for combinations even around the house.

Cute, you think. They’re really cute. You almost forget your drowsiness, and that you struggled to fall asleep last night because today is finally Sinsmas.

...

...wait.

You sit up, and you’re sure that if music accompanied your every action, a jolly tune would be playing in the background right now.

With an excited grin, you ponder on whether to sneak into the living room and put the gifts you’ve gotten for your loves under the tree or to wake them up so you can all just exchange them together. Hardest decision of your life, clearly.

Another idea pops into your head...what if you put the presents under the tree and made them a tasty breakfast? Spoiling your two favourite people in the world and on Hell, that sounds like a wonderful plan, yes. This is what you settle on.

You do your absolute best to avoid waking them up; you were half laying on Adam’s wing while you slept, so you have to basically do acrobatics to get out of bed without at least him noticing. You eventually manage, though, and quietly dig into your own closet in search of the various packages you’ve prepared for them.

Once you get a hold of everything, you finally sneak out of the room and into the living room, placing everything under the Sinsmas tree like you intended to, thinking up some good ideas for a fun breakfast that you could prepare in the meantime.

Doing that is way easier once you’re in the kitchen, with a large recipe book in your hands; it was technically a gift for Adam, since he can’t cook or bake shit, but all three of you use it regularly because the stuff that you can make out of it is just that good.

Chocolate chip cookies...too long to prepare, you’re not even sure you have the chocolate chip. Blueberry pancakes...you could try, you’ve got all the ingredients after all, Lute loves blueberries so you always have a few bowls of those in the fridge. Hm...maybe some scrambled eggs could work too...no, you’ve settled on the pancakes by now and you also had the genius idea to make smoothies to accompany them too.

You quickly close the book and get to work after glancing at the clock hanging above the entrance door; 10:05 AM, they could wake up soon!

Flour, baking powder, sugar, eggs and everything else are set on the counter, along with the blueberries that need to stay out of the fridge for a bit or else they’ll be practically frozen...wait, you have other fruit too! Adam loves banana, so you grab one of those from the basket in the centre of the table.

You multitask with a big goofy smile on your face; you make a good amount of pancakes for you three while preparing smoothies with a mix of fruits that you have around the kitchen, and some milk. You assign different tall cups to each one of you, as Adam likes his smoothies with bits of fruit in them while Lute prefers them smooth and liquid.

You hear them shuffle in the bedroom after a bit, just about when you’re done with the last plate of pancakes- yours.

Adam comments on the gifts under the tree before smelling the air and following an imaginary scent trail leading to the kitchen, where you’re already sitting down at the table, grinning up at him and at Lute following right behind.

“Good morning!” you greet them in an almost sing-songy tone.

“Holy shit, good morning babe, what’s this?” Adam asks you, gesturing to the sweet treats laying on the already set kitchen table.

You shrug and look away, with a smile on your face still.

“Oh, nothing...just sit down and tell me how these taste!”

Because of your averted gaze you don’t notice Adam walking up to you, until he’s close enough to plant a big kiss on your temple. Lute simply fluffs up her wings at the sight, and stretches a bit before sitting across you where she recognizes that you’ve placed her plate and drink. Adam follows her example and sits at the head of the table, immediately digging in.

Your girlfriend hums pleasantly as soon as she starts chewing on the pancakes, sleek eyebrows rising.

“I don’t remember you ever making pancakes. They’re so good, dear, especially if it’s the first time,”

You fake sob at her sweet compliment, and mutter a thank you before taste-testing your own creation. Adam is too busy choking on a banana slice to agree with Lute, which makes you giggle and your girlfriend roll her eyes.

---

Putting the dirty dishes and cups in the sink, you all agree that you can take care of those later- right after opening the presents, which you are all super excited about.

Lute claims the couch right after she and Adam go get their presents for you and each other, she lies on her stomach and rests her arms on the armrest while she waits for the unwrapping to begin. Adam chooses to sit on the floor near the tree, he’s known to be lazy and everything is easier to reach that way, while you sit at the foot of the couch with your back resting against it- Lute’s wing gently grazes your shoulder.

“Alright! Who’s starting?” you ask, randomly grabbing a small flat package all wrapped up in golden gift-wrap. Adam smirks;

“That one’s for you, nice packaging, ay?” he brags, and you snort while second glancing at it. It’s a bit messy, but you appreciate the effort.

After a bit of a struggle to open it –he’s put an excessive amount of tape on it- you eventually manage, and if your smile could grow bigger you bet it would. It’s a videogame that released very recently, and that you haven’t had the chance to buy for yourself yet...Lute is not a big gamer, so of course Adam is the one who knows all about what genres you’re interested in, since all the consoles you own he’s bought.

“Oh, videogame?” Lute tilts her head to see better, “Nice, I didn’t know about this one actually.”

“Yes! I’ve been avoiding spoilers for a while because I was waiting to get paid to buy it...” holding it close to your chest, you thank your boyfriend, who nearly melts at how cute you look.

The next gift that gets unwrapped is for Lute, from you; as she carefully removes the paper around it as if to avoid ripping it apart, you turn towards her;

“Premise: I’m not creepy for remembering about this, okay...” she makes a face, “You just never really talk about what you’d like so when you mentioned this months ago I had to write it down on the spot...”

Lute seems to realize what you’re talking about, and suddenly her efforts to not rip the paper are no more. She skilfully tears at it, revealing another see-through package with a PJ set in it.

You and Adam know about your girlfriend’s love for the paranormal that she’s developed in the past few months, so when she brought up how her favourite clothing brand had released a line related to it you immediately knew what you had to do.

Both the deep purple blouse and pants are made of silk, and look extremely comfortable even though they’re a size small. The pattern is gorgeous, colourless drawings of moths and skulls intertwine with each other in a manner that makes the design look busy yet tidy at the same time.

Lute doesn’t show excitement very often, but as she feels the soft fabric against her fingers and admires the patterns she indulges in a thrilled flap of her wings and a pretty smile.

“Fuck, I finally have this! You remembered huh?” because your forehead is easily reachable for her, she holds your face with one hand and kisses you right there, you can feel her smile against your skin, “Thank you, I love it...if you couldn’t tell.”

Despite her trying to play it cool, you know she’s genuine, and it makes your heart slightly flutter.

Then, Lute reaches for something a bit hidden behind the tree; it’s the biggest gift yet between the ones you’ve unwrapped, and you recognize the thunder pattern on the paper that you both have been using for a while to wrap stuff up for Adam. That roll never ends, you both swear.

“Fucking finally! Was starting to get worried there was nothing for me here.” He’s obviously playing, but you both sigh at him.

He rips through it with not a single care in the world, cursing under his breath when some pieces of tape don’t come off right away. Lute reminds him about your package from Hell, which was more tape than wrapping paper, and he waves her off with a ‘yeah, yeah’.

Once the gift is fully out, he holds it up in the air with a whistle.

“Fuuuuck! This bangs, what the Hell!”

It’s a backpack, which you fucking wish will replace the one he’s currently using since it’s basically falling apart. He brings it everywhere, to concerts, trips, just to go out for a walk down the street or do groceries...the old one is black and plain, with no design on it at all, while the new one that Lute has gotten for him has a personalized print with his name and a guitar underneath, all in bright yellow, which contrasts nicely against the black fabric.

He starts rambling about how he finally has enough space to put his guitar pick holder inside, since the backpack does look bigger as well, and about how he wants to know where Lute has gotten the design printed since he loves putting his name on things.

“Thank you so much babe, I love it,” he finally says, which alright, it was clear enough...but it is nice that he’s finally got some manners, in both your and Lute’s opinion.

It’s midday when you three finally finish unwrapping everything, and the amount of stuff just lying around on the floor is astounding. Gift-wrap, tape, various tags and even boxes make it hard to walk around in your living room.

But you three look extremely content, each of you with a different loot;

Adam holds his backpack, a plethora of guitar picks, those fuzzy socks that you either love or hate (he’s a lover, Lute’s a hater), hair gel because he claims his natural hair isn’t voluminous enough, a pair of alt shoes that he’s been eyeing for a while and a cool holder for one of his various consoles. He’s the most open about what he wants, so getting him presents isn’t that hard, really.

Lute has got her PJ set, some gym tools that she was missing, some makeup since she’s been experimenting more with that instead of sticking to her usual simple eyeliner, a specific lotion for her wings since she likes keeping them neat and a couple pieces of jewellery- you’ve figured out that she really likes minimalist silver necklaces by observing what she wears on dates.

And you’ve got your new videogame which you’re super excited about, a shirt with the print of a show you’ve been obsessed with for weeks on end, some food actually? (Adam’s idea, he knows your favourite sweets and snacks by heart), a portable phone charger in the shape of your favourite animal and two tote bags, each matching with one of your fave outfits that you wear the most.

Adam kicks a box aside, making you and Lute frown; this is your cue to tidy everything up before getting to cook lunch...together, you’ve decided.

You chat and laugh the cleaning session away, wondering what some friends back in Heaven have gotten for, well, Christmas, and pondering how to spend the afternoon and evening. You notice in the corner of your eye that the window has slightly fogged up;

“Mh? What’s the matter?” Lute asks while folding her PJ;

You step closer to the window and wipe some of the condensation away from the glass, your face lighting up at the sight of what’s happening outside. Your partners curiously approach you, Adam engulfing you both from behind with his large wings.

They both understand your excitement upon noticing that it’s snowing.

Leaning against your boyfriend’s broad chest a bit and pulling Lute closer to you –she doesn’t really mind either of you doing that-, you perk up;

“Alright, let’s hurry with lunch, this literally calls for a movie marathon while wrapped up in blankets...!”

[mapoeggplant]

skip to loafer chapter 66 analysis // spoilers

the school trip is over, but the changes are not yet: chapter 66 is full of cute moments that remind us how skip to loafer likes to treat its characters with great affection, leading them to a much brighter and gentle future.

i really love chapters like this one, where we have the famous “conversation between the girls vs conversation between the boys”. it’s very clear to me how sensei has fun using a lot of the adolescence and innocence of her characters to explore such cute and fun moments like this one, and i'm very grateful for that.

i think there is nothing better than starting the discussion by focusing on the girls! it is so good to see the four of them so comfortable with each other. this moment of them all together sharing a bed reminded me a lot of when they all went to mitsumi's hometown and gossiped all night. it is cute moments like these that we will remember forever as we grow up and lose the freedom we had when we were young, so i am very happy that they have the opportunity to experience something that they will carry inside their hearts for as long as they live. 

i also really like seeing how mitsumi is gradually opening up and becoming more and more adventurous. i never would have imagined that such a responsible and rule-following girl would agree to meet her friends even after curfew. of course, it wouldn't be such a peaceful moment without the stress of finding one of the teachers on patrol, but the fact that mitsumi got carried away and ran away with the girls already shows how she has been letting herself be carried away by the lightness of life.

it's beautiful to see how they understand each other so well and are always willing to face anything together — and “together” has to be the highlighted word for this episode. just like makoto said, whether it's running through the hallways or getting scolded, what matters is that they are facing everything side by side, without leaving anyone behind.

meanwhile, in another room, shima is cornered by his friends, especially mukai, who knows exactly everything that has happened for some time now. seeing shima getting involved with mitsumi again awakens in him a concern that is both new and old: old because he has already had a similar conversation with shima and knows about all of his doubts and complex feelings; new because, for him, it is as if shima is once again getting involved in something selfishly and without thinking much about the consequences. what he did not expect is that shima has changed much more than he himself imagined.

it is very good and gratifying to see how shima has been changing so much in this last arc. he has been increasingly true to himself and increasingly builds a desire to change his own relationship with his past. in my opinion, i believe that he is not only looking for a way to forgive everything that happened to him and finally accept that he does not have to carry as much guilt as he believes, but that he also sees a new life in his future without having to be completely tied to what happened in his past. he no longer wants to hide everything that happened and wear a mask, but rather forgive what happened for the sake of a future where he can be the one he seeks to be. 

and this is also reflected in the way he treats two people around him: mitsumi and his mother.

in the previous chapter, we had the chance to understand a little more about how shima understands his relationship with mitsumi and how he believes she sees/understands him. of course, there is still a very foggy barrier that makes it very difficult for him to truly understand and see everything with greater clarity, but little by little, i believe that the kindness that mitsumi sees in him will begin to be much stronger than the contempt he feels for himself, giving him the opportunity to take care of himself with more affection.

or rather: not only to himself, but also to everyone around him. and i believe that this has been happening little by little, since i see a lot of potential and growth in his plea to mukai, so that his friend will once again trust him and believe his words when he says that, from now on, he will no longer face his relationship with mitsumi with so much hesitation or fear.

now, the grand finale of this chapter, for me, involves the second person i mentioned earlier: shima finally manages to face his mother, but not in the way we readers expected. i always saw many people (myself included) expecting shima to face his mother in a much more firm and direct way, using the same aggressiveness and defensiveness that he used every time he talked to her before. i really believed that he would question everything she made him go through and would place much of the blame on her, but of course acting like that would make no sense after so many changes that shima has faced in the last few chapters.

inviting his mother to the next school festival not only shows that he is ready to start a new phase of his life with her, but it is also a way of showing her that he is much more willing to understand all of her reasons instead of questioning them aggressively. he no longer wants to keep their terrible relationship alive or point fingers, but rather to start something new and without so much pain, just like he did when he finally returned to the theater and found his passion again.

i believe that, from now on, there is a huge chance for shima's relationship with his family to improve and grow in a more positive way. i think that, in the future, we will finally have a chapter focused on his mother, where she opens her heart more to this son that she hurt so much, having a redemption arc for the sake of a healthier relationship with shima. i also think that we are close to seeing shima being even more open with little keiri, which fills my heart with joy.

and well, to finish, i think that all this change that we saw in volume 11, this hopeful beginning for volume 12 and the back cover of volume 11 being composed by chris and ririka, shows that these two will be the next people to have a greater focus, bringing even more light to shima's past and much more clarity so that he can walk towards a brighter future. this is all a guess, of course, but it would be perfect for me, since i love both of them and can’t wait to dissect them a little bit more. 

well, i do believe i will talk more about chapter 66 before the release of chapter 67, but for now, that's all i have to say!!! thank you so much for reading and for having the patience with me, it means a lot 💛 don't forget to buy vol 11 and chapter 66 on comic days!!!!!

[gabessquishytum]

Hob Gadling is good looking, fun-loving, and has a certain charm of his own, but he's never been the smartest. One day, he ends up - through no fault of his own -

In jail.

(the real murderer needed a fall guy, and Hob was just too trusting, risk-confident and convenient.)

Hob is stunned by his misfortune, but there's no time to mope. He's by no means a hardened criminal, and he's heard enough horror stories about life in prison for softies like him. He needs to find a way to survive, stat.

He gets into prison and immediately starts asking around for the gang leader in here. If he can offer his services, the gang leader might find him useful enough to keep him untouched. He figures that it's probably the only way to get some protection in here. But from the way several people eye him up and down, top to bottom, lingering as if assessing him for themselves before they shrug and offer up the name, Hob gets a bad feeling about exactly what it is the gang leader might want from him.

There's no dispute over who's on top - there's not even a second runner-up. Hob hears the same name over and over again, each time in that hushed, fearful tone that borders on reverence. Apparently even the most brutal guards are civil with him. And although Hob starts to get second thoughts through second hand fear alone, his overzealous cell mate Matthew, probably hoping to get some spillover protection, all but shoves him into an introductory meeting before he can clarify his plan. Hob ends up staring mutely at a tall, very handsome man with golden hair and a smile like a knife. Hob swallows hard and the words stick in his throat. The fucker's wearing sunglasses in prison, for god's sake. He's scary enough, but then Matthew clears his throat and clarifies that that's not the top guy. That's just the Corinthian. Hob needs his approval if he wants to meet the boss.

"Hey there, little cow. Heard you were trying to get a meeting with Dream of the Endless."

Hob nods mutely, not trusting himself to speak. Hopefully it's the Corinthian who's actually the scary one, and not Dream.

---

Dreamling prison AU because I can't help thinking that shot-caller Dream would be a fantastic spin on his canon imprisonment!

I'm now completely and totally obsessed with this anon, thank you so much.

The Corinthian gives Hob a proper once over. Walks around him in a circle, feels him up through his assigned prison uniform. At last he hums, considering, and tilts his head on one side. He can see that Hob is fresh meat, that he probably won't last long without protection. And that's a good thing - it'll make him so much more grateful and easy to manipulate. So he agrees to let Hob see Dream for a little tete-a-tete.

Dream has his own cell, of course. It's full of contraband items. He's smoking a cigarette when Hob comes in, and scrolling on a phone. He gives Hob this long, cool look, like he's just a spek of dirt. Hob takes the hint and gets on his knees. This makes Dream smile slightly. Usually those who come to him for protection are not so pretty, or so willing to submit.

Hob desperately tries to wrack his brains for a way that he could be useful to this powerful, beautiful creature. But... he's not scary or big enough to be muscle, like the Corinthian. He's not clever enough to help Dream’s "business" inside the prison. He can only resign himself to offering up his body. Which doesn't seem like such a terrible thing. Dream is gorgeous, sitting like a king in his cloud of cigarette smoke.

Now he's known to be Dream’s "wife", nobody bothers Hob - in fact, they avoid him. It's a relief to know that he'll eventually make it out with his pretty face intact. A life sentence of bouncing on Dream’s cock doesn't sound so bad either... its a very nice cock, and Dream himself has a beautiful heart under his slightly terrifying exterior. Of course it would be terribly stupid to fall in love with him, but... Hob has never been the smartest. That's why he's there in the first place.

One thing's for sure - if Dream ever manages to escape prison, he's definitely taking Hob with him.

[tonguetyd]

Chemical Mess

A Sleep Token Gift Exchange present for @sleeptokenpuppy 🥰

"What's the point? If life is fleeting, should I just hang with my friends? Should I spend more time with the people I love instead of in my head?"

Tags: Sitcom AU, Inhuman Vessels, Not Platonic or Romantic But a Secret Third Thing (Bonded By An Eldritch Being), Winter Solstice, Minor Existential Crisis, But Friends and Tentacle God Help You Thru It :::)

IV hummed as he balanced another 3 sticks of butter on the precarious tower of supplies retrieved from the fridge. Sure, he could take multiple trips back to the counter with less food, but what was the fun of having super strength if you didn't use it to carry as much as possible?

Deciding he had everything he needed, he shut the door and turned slowly towards the counter, making sure none of his supplies would lose balance and fall do-

"MOOOOVE!!!!" yelled II as he bolted past the guitarist to grab a Red Bull can, knocking over every one of IV's carefully stacked items to the ground.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as to not yell at the drummer. "We really need to keep your caffeine in a separate part of the house."

"We shouldn't give him caffeine at all, he's already supersonic," chimed in III from the stovetop.

"Notmyfault, lotsathingstodotoday, needmyenergy, sorry, iiiwillhelpcleanup!" II said between gulps of his drink. "Oh! Happysolsticebytheway!" He scrunched up the empty can and tossed it to the bin.

"III will NOT help clean up, III has risotto on the stove thank you very much," the bassist sassed.

Huffing at his friends, IV began setting his supplies from the floor to the counter. "It's fine, leave it all for the non-flexible AND slow one, not a problem there..."

"Seeyougotit, dontevenneediiishelp, okaybye," II replied before running back off to wherever he had come from.

IV grumbled something about "rude motherfucker" while III walked over laughing. "Don't worry, we'll figure out some way to get revenge," the bassist said, stretching his arm to keep stirring the pot on the stove. "Little man won't know what hit him!"

An unnatural cloud of fog rumbled with amusement as Sleep watched His younger vessels prepare for His sacred night. He turned His attention to His First, expecting to see a similar sense of entertainment from his eldest.

Instead, Vessel's six eyes blinked joylessly at the wall, oblivious to his friends' antics.

The solstice was upon them once again. Another year had gone by. Were the years always so short? How was time continuing to slip away from him? It had just been summer yesterday. Was life passing him by? Should he be doing more by now? Accomplished more than what he already had? How much time did he even have left?

Futhermore, what was the point of having all this time anyway, if it was just going to fly by him? If he was constantly running out of time anyway, what was the purpose of filling them with...anything? The clock and calendar didn't care what he did to fill them. They marched steady onwards.

Emo shit. As IV would affectionally call it.

Vessel's brain spiral of Emo Shit continued as his friends worked around him to bring light on their shared sacred day.

Sleep was displeased at this. It would not do that His First should be melancholy on the Holiest of nights. His fog form swirled around III.

“Hey Sleep! If you’re looking to help I think IV needs it more,” the bassist said, affectionately twirling a finger in the mist.

The fog grew denser and lowered Itself to obstruct III’s vision.

III frowned and tried to fan the fog away with his hands. “Yeah yeah I know it’s your special day, I’m trying to fry stuff though and would rather not get burned because you’re blocking my sight!”

Frustrated, Sleep continued to His Second. If anyone would be in touch with His First’s emotions, it would be his oldest friend.

The mist descended upon II as he raced up the stairs. “SLEEPICANTSEE!” he exclaimed as he missed the top step, tumbling back down to the bottom.

He sat up and rubbed his head, glaring at the fog. “Thathurt! Becareful! Notallofusareimmortal!”

The fog continued to swim around him, forming an opening to direct II’s sight to Vessel.

II huffed when he saw his friend. “Ves. Talktoyourgodandtellhimtoleaveusbe!”

Vessel glanced up towards II and shrugged.

IV bellowed from the kitchen “OI, SLEEP, WE’RE BUSY! GIVE US A COUPLE HOURS!”

The ancient one’s frustration reached its peak. The fog condensed and shot over to Vessel before disappearing from sight.

Vessel suddenly didn’t feel so good.

His eyes grew blurry and his head heavy. His limbs began to move of their own accord, and suddenly he felt another presence in his mind.

The jerky movement from Vessel’s body caught III’s eye first. “…Ves?”

Vessel’s head snapped to III’s, his six eyes glowing red.

“MY THIRD.”

“…oh. Shit. Not Ves.” III reared his head back, creating space between himself and his now-possessed friend. “UH…GUYS? I THINK WE MADE GOD MAD…”

II and IV made their way over to the other vessels. “Whatdoyoumeanwema-oh. Fuck.” II’s eyes grew when he saw the already looming presence of his friend expand to house a god.

“MY VESSELS. YOU SEEK MY FAVOR UPON THIS HOLY DAY, YET YOU IGNORE MY ATTEMPTS TO OBTAIN YOUR ATTENTION. EXPLAIN.”

“Shit…we…we didn’t mean anything by it, honest,” III stammered out. “We just have to watch what we’re doing, or we’ll make a mess. We would never intentionally ignore you, Sleep.”

“YOU ARE IGNORING MY FIRST.”

IV tilted his head in confusion. “Ves has been sitting right there? He hasn’t said anything to ignore…”

“MY FIRST’S BRAIN IS RESTLESS. HE IS QUESTIONING HIS PURPOSE, FEELING AS IF HE HAS TOO MUCH YET NOT ENOUGH TIME.”

“…andstubbornasscouldnttellusthishimself?”

III elbowed II from across the room. “Oi, don’t be a prick.”

“HE IS SUFFERING IN SILENCE, AS HE OFTEN DOES, AS TO NOT BE A BURDEN ON YOU. I WILL NOT TOLERATE MY FIRST BEING UPSET WHILE SURROUNDED BY HAPPINESS. FIX HIM.”

With His command given, Sleep detached Himself from Vessel’s brain.

When Vessel blinked his eyes again, he felt more like himself. His three sets of eyes were met with another three sets.

“Why didn’t you tell us you were feeling badly?” II asked, deliberately slower than he had been all week.

Shame rose up in Vessel’s cheeks. “I…uh…well…you’re all busy…and I just…it’s stupid anyway.”

“It’s not stupid Ves, it’s something we all feel at times,” IV assured him.

“Yeah! Friendly Christmas existential dread!” III nodded.

Vessel huffed. “I just. You’d think if we all go through this that somebody would’ve figured it out by now.”

IV scoffed. “Yeah, yet here we all just fucking around anyway. Nobody’s got any idea what they’re doing.”

“Mmhmm. We’re bumbling around just trying to get…somewhere?” II offered.

“Or maybe not even go anywhere at all. Just enjoying the ride, wherever it takes us!” said III.

Vessel stared up at the ceiling as Sleep’s fog took shape once again. “I guess.”

“Listen Vee, yeah we don’t know if there’s a point to any of this, and yeah it might be over in the blink of an eye,” IV shrugged. “But instead of wasting that limited time we’ve got trying to figure it out, let’s just. Like. I dunno.” He gestured around their space.

“Eat rice balls!” III exclaimed.

Ves laughed for the first time all day. “Who needs a meaning in life when there’s rice balls?”

“Exactly!”

“III is right,” II said. “We’ve got rice balls, and more than that, you’ve got us!”

“If we’re to be submerged, let us be submerged together and all that shit, yknow?” IV joked.

And as Sleep watched his vessels pick their First’s spirits up, he hummed in agreement. Not even the ancient ones know what the future holds. All any being can do is enjoy time with those that make them feel less alone.

A part of a whole, no matter how messed up it may be.

Just a picture perfect, lovable, positively shitshow, chemical mess.

——————————

Matt’s song offers no answers, nor can I, nor can Sleep probably! There’s no right way to do the holidays or life. All we can do is try to be good to each other! This is my attempt to be good to y’all, and I hope you enjoyed it!! ❤️

[reddevilmcnt]

Reggie’s soft, goofy laughter peeked through the shed tears, offering him a fragile sense of hope. Dmitri watched with quiet sympathy, his melted dark amber eyes warm and a gorgeously sunlit smile gracing his lips. As Reggie scrubbed at his tear-streaked face with his hands, Dmitri couldn’t help but think, Poor thing. Poor, pretty, thing.

But Dmitri didn’t mind. He knew Reggie would show the same support for him in a heartbeat. Sure, Dmitri internalized his struggles more, that was just his nature. Fight camps could stretch into painful, grueling months of mental hell, and while Dmitri didn’t necessarily expect Reggie to be there for him, he always knew he was. The trust between them was unbreakable, a powerfully steady presence that Dmitri found comfort in.

It felt good, knowing that Reggie wasn’t blaming him for anything or bolting out the door at the first sign of conflict. Maybe Reggie could sense Dmitri’s confusion, his quiet apology wrapped in unspoken words and a longing for clarity. Dmitri was used to his girl friends immediately flocking to him to vent about the terrible guys and gals they’d dated, but maybe other men handled things like him by also bottling it up, swallowing it down.

Did it piss Dmitri off, though? A little. But that had more to do with his inexplicable possessiveness over Reggie than anything else. Not that it made sense.

“You good? You sure?” Dmitri asked, his brow arched as he handed Reggie a napkin from the counter. The holiday fun wasn’t over, not by a long shot, but he was prepared to give Reggie all the time he needed to recover.

“Ehhhh… I didn’t have a lotta friends, either,” Dmitri admitted with a soft, sweet chuckle that rolled intoxicatingly through his chest. His shoulders shook slightly with the sound. “Kinda kept beating people up.” He was glad things were different now. Without Reggie, life would’ve gone on (his MMA career would still be intact, sure,) but there’d be a lot less sunshine. Dmitri didn't even want to think about life before Reggie, though the memories had a way of creeping back to haunt him anyway.

A part of him secretly burned to tell Reggie to stop apologizing for no reason, but he knew it wouldn’t stick. Instead, Dmitri just shook his head and let it slide. They were okay. At least, he thought they were----- until Reggie, in an awkward, last-second pivot, muttered a compliment.

He’s kind of… you’re kind of great.

Dmitri’s grin widened, every pearl-white tooth on display. “I know,” he teased, basking in the random moment of appreciation. But then the words settled in, and his expression faltered, his brows knitting together slightly. Could Reggie mean...? No, no way in hell.

Sure, Dmitri could buy that Reggie might be kinda sorta attracted to him (because duh, look at the man!) but attraction didn’t mean seriousness. Dmitri had long resigned himself to the idea that his territorial nature over Reggie was mostly one-sided, and that was fine, as long as Reggie never found out. What they had wasn’t worth risking, not even for sex, no matter how much Dmitri loved it. ...And yet, no lover had ever emotionally connected with Dmitri the way Reggie did. That fact lingered with sharp and profound undeniability. It also meant that their friendship was delicate, something to be handled with care, not to be tested on a whim or a feeling alone.

Patting Reggie’s arm one last time, Dmitri reached around him to hook his phone up to the speaker. They needed the distraction, something upbeat to fill the strained silence and dissolve the bubbling tension Dmitri was still working hard to ignore. He wasn’t about to let his emotions turn him into the kind of fucking idiot who pounces on his best friend.

His music library was eclectic: heavy metal for fight mode, hip hop for runs or club nights, and pop and R&B for chillin' with the girls. But this time, he scrolled to the playlist Reggie had sent him. Knowing it would suit his friend's taste, he hit play, letting the cheerful tunes fill the kitchen as they got back to baking.

Periodically, Dmitri paused during their work, when Reggie’s words began pulling at the threads of his thoughts harder than he’d like. But he pushed them aside with pure logic; all relationships went through hell only to eventually fall apart, but friendships were different, they were almost always worth saving. With friendship, Dmitri didn’t have to put his heart on the line. He didn’t have to face the risk of rejection or betrayal and end up the one sobbing in the kitchen instead. Besides, why would Reggie even want to be with someone like him anyway?

With the music keeping them energized, the cookies were finally done after little over an hour (seriously, how could baking gingerbread cookies take so goddamn long?) They’d rolled out more than enough for two, so Dmitri grabbed a bottle of eggnog spiked with rum from the fridge to kick off their celebration. He carried everything over to the fireplace, transforming the plush sofa into a cozy nest of quilts and pillows---- a makeshift bed for two. Propping his laptop on the coffee table, he queued up one of those classic holiday flicks.

Bundled up and snug, they seemed to have found their rhythm again. Dmitri lounged right next to Reggie, his muscular arm draped along the back of the couch, fingertips resting just shy of Reggie’s shoulder. For some inexplicable reason, he was acutely aware of the contact (or lack thereof) as if electricity danced at his fingertips. It was invigorating but strange, and Dmitri masked the feeling well, taking steady sips of the spiked eggnog to ground himself.

“So,” Dmitri began, biting into a cookie that melted warmly on his tongue. “What you were sayin’ earlier… about me bein’ great and all?” A smirk tugged at his lips, his dark eyes gleaming with mischief as they flicked over Reggie’s face. “What makes you think that, huh? Like, what’re the specific reasons?”

He loved having his big ass ego fed, sure----- but more than that, he wanted to know exactly what Reggie saw in him. Even if he wasn’t ready to admit how much that answer mattered.

perhaps it's a testament to the raw emotion of the moment that, in a laugh that chokes out like a sob, reggie's tears turn to some kind of manic humor. because this, all of this, is so perfect and warm and comforting. the way dmitri wraps him up in his arms and holds him, the way fingers thread though hair that he's let go curly instead of trying to style to hell and back to flatten it out, the way his body presses against the other man for more contact, fingers curl into the back of his shirt to hold him there for longer, face disappears against the warm shoulder under it.

what an easy thing it would be to simply kiss that shoulder, to twist his head and find a soft spot on his neck to press his lips to, to pull back and finally kiss the big, dumb oaf on the mouth and get all of this over with.

but he's started to cry and that feels like the wrong time to do that. if he ever finds courage enough to kiss this man, he wants to do it in a way that's so romantic that dmitri can't help but feel his toes curl and his heart hammer the way reggie's is now, probably so hard that the other man can feel it thundering against his chest like a rocket. his joke is almost too perfectly timed, and another one of those manic little giggles slips out of him. "god, you're dumb sometimes." eyes close, and he presses further into that hug, holds the man longer, leans into every touch.

he's gonna end up with a serious problem if dmitri keeps grabbing his hair and his waist, sliding his hands all around his body like a playground. but god, does reggie wish he was doing it without this stupid apron, this stupid shirt, these stupid pants...

head shaking as he tries to clear the errant thoughts, he simply clears his throat, reaches up to scrub at his face when dmitri's hands are gone. "i'm good. i'm fine." he doesn't have to be and he knows that. but he is, because this is a mess of his own making. "you didn't make me cry. i made me cry. you know how i am, man. i get into my head, i think too much, i freak out over everything. i didn't have a lot of friends growing up, now i think we both know why." his laugh, self deprecating and shaky, is weak as he blows out a breath. "i'm sorry." he says again, for lack of something else to say.

he still feels like he's ruined the night, but he doesn't move from the kitchen, instead, finally forcing himself to look at dmitri, head on, in the eye. "you-- he isn't a weird ass guy, by the way." it would be so easy to just say it, to just lay it all out now. the warmth of that hug, as well as the flush on his cheeks, still linger, and his eyes roam a wall of hard muscle hidden far too much by clothing before he shrugs and meets those warm eyes again. "he's kind of...." coward. weak. loser. "you're kind of great."

not a confession. but close. ripping off a bandaid, chickening out at the last second. running into burning buildings is far easier than this.

[icewindandboringhorror]

It's always interesting to hear about people's weird/unexpected "alternate life paths". Like, something that you could have done with your life, a job you almost took, a school you almost went to, etc - that was still actually realistic enough that it could have happened, but NOW it seems to not suit your current personality.

Like for example, I currently hate advertising (how manipulative it is, brands trying to be 'relatable', social media amplifying it to an obnoxious extreme, etc.) so much that even seeing a little ad before a youtube video is grating to even witness, but there was a point in time where I was genuinely seriously considering going into marketing/making commercials as a career lol. Or like, I have a relative who was very inclined to be a pastor when they were younger, even though today they're a super strong atheist, etc. etc.

[cuteniaarts]

Small drawing collection of my latest creation Emran as a teenager/freshly minted Air Acolyte, for my dear partner in unhinged OC shenanigans @katkastrofa, as promised <3

[thebirdandhersong]

well mark that down as situation 2938489 that I don't know how to handle

[maddy-ferguson]

talking to new people again is making me realize that (this is gonna sound dramatic) i haven't lived in five years but what i have done is watch a lot of movies and read a bunch of books and believe it or not that actually makes me an interesting conversationalist in some ways (?)

[carcarrot]

hollywood bowl btw. if you even care

my most expensive event ever??? no one ended up buying my extra tickets. and i flew here and got a hotel room and the shoes and etc but concerts are forever!!!!! especially this one

friend and i worked HARD to nail our ron and russ looks. so many people complimented us and took our picture

got TWO official sparks shirts and the socks. they didnt have the pins :(

also got a hollywood bowl christmas tree ornament :)

tmbg show was SUPER FUN. but also very loud and a little harsh sound wise. they thanked sparks twice for having them open for them

sparks don't address tmbg at all when they come out lmao

the energy for the sparks show was insane from the start they were really giving it all

really hoping theres video of this little hip sway move russell did near the end of so may we start. really enjoyed it

he did a similar move during the groovy instrumental part of when im with you think. he was selling it

unlike ny this time i managed to remember to watch for russells shirt unbuttoning during shopping mall of love. all thoughts are redacted

the concert goes by so fast!!!! but what a time

stood up for music that you can dance to and just kept standing/bouncing for the rest of the show

no escalator :((((((

russell's weirdly long intro to we go dancing. thanks for the intricate context abt north korea

russell saying 'that looks beautiful!' in between lyrics of all that when everyone held up their phones w the flashlight on

edgar taking the band photo :)))))

weird al was also allegedly there (did not see him) and christi haydon was there (i was too shy to talk to her but she looked so fab)

just a general incredible energy of the show you could tell they made the hollywood bowl show so special

got a weird bootleg sparks shirt after the concert from a weird guy

[megansplants]

.

[niuxita21]

I haven't done a proper long ass ramble about TV on here in a while, probably because the people who were most likely to read it are long gone from here so I am essentially now just shouting into the void (but aren't we all, really?) Anyway, now that I've had time to get acquainted with more of the Thai lesbian shows (I know they're called "GLs" but it feels weird to use that term, like I'm intruding on something that isn't mine or like I'm being a bandwagoner or whatever), I feel the need to do a little ranking with my opinions because, to the surprise of absolutely NO ONE, they are the complete opposite of the mainstream and I feel very alone haha.

8. The Secret of Us: This was weirdly the very first one I tried to watch back when I was still travelling around Asia and so it was available on Netflix. I've mentioned before that I couldn't get into it, and in truth I couldn't even finish the first episode. It didn't help that the couple started off as exes, which is already a hard sell for me because I need the slow burn or the enemies to lovers or whatever to really make me yearn for a couple to be together. That, plus the fact that they tell you the story of how they get together in a flashback in the first episode in which they basically sleep together after knowing each other for 2 days (if I remember correctly) just completely failed to hold my interest (not that there's anything wrong with sleeping together after 2 days, like I said, I personally just need the slow burn and the yearning. C'est la vie). Which is a damn shame, because the actresses are absolutely beautiful together, but at least I can look forward to their upcoming bodyguard-themed series, which definitely has all the markings of being a hit with me.

7. Affair: This one I did manage to finish one episode of and that was enough to realize I wouldn't be able to continue. It's weird, because it's not that it was bad. The acting was good, the characters were interesting, the relationship dynamic between the two leads was certainly something different than the typical storyline, and yet... I was SO BORED. Like I struggled to get through the episode, and I definitely was not invested enough in the main couple to follow their trials and tribulations for however many episodes there were. Again, I can't really explain it, but perhaps it was simply that I didn't see the chemistry between them that other people see.

6. Show Me Love: I literally only gave this one a shot because I found out it featured the same actresses that will be in Petrichor, that upcoming show about the cop and medical examiner who fall in love, so I was curious to see what the chemistry was like between them and whether it would be worth it to pay for the subscription to the streaming service if it's not available on YT. It was a struggle to get through because I just did not care enough about the pageant storyline, and the writing was very confusing at times like there were some things that just straight-up did not make any sense lmao. That being said, the leads are very very pretty together, and with a better script and storyline (and directing wrt the romantic/love scenes) I could 100% see myself rooting for them as a couple, so that was definitely not a waste of my time. Small wins.

5. The Loyal Pin: It took me about 9 episodes to realize that I was just... not into the main couple. I kinda figured I was wayyy out of the target demographic for them but I thought, they're so popular for a reason, so surely I'd be able to see it, too. Well, turns out I was wrong, haha. I got so caught up in crushing on Pin's lesbian aunt and her magnificent face from the very beginning that it was easy to believe I was into the whole show. However, at one point in episode 9 I realized that there were like 7 episodes left of Pin and Anin having couple scenes and for some reason my first thought was "Oh God, how repetitive" LMAO. That, plus the fact that Pin's aunt's subtextual, 3-scene love story made me more emotional than the show's main couple's most romantic love declarations was definitely a big clue that this show perhaps is not for me. I'm gonna see it through until the end, though, because far be it from me to deprive myself of looking at such an exquisitely gorgeous creature as Pin's aunt (plus it gives me something to do on Sunday mornings), but I don't think I'll be checking out GAP any time soon. Such is life.

4. Blank: This one is surprisingly holding my interest (this is DESPITE the age gap storyline, not because of it, in a completely unexpected turn of events. Perhaps I'd be more into it if they had the younger one act less like a child even though she's supposed to be 20). I watched the first episode of this one on the same day as the first episode of Affair and, in a stark contrast, I definitely wanted to continue, so that must mean something. It's probably because the older one of the leads is sooooo beautiful, and her character has such a cool style, like I adore every single one of her outfits. But there was also a moment in episode 3 or 4 of season 1 where they were all dressed up for an event and had a scene together and I definitely felt the chemistry. They really took their sweet time to get them together, which was fine by me, and now that they are formally an item they are surprisingly cute given my slight apprehensiveness in the beginning because of how the younger one acted, so I guess I am in this for the long haul. I also definitely would be interested in watching anything else the two actresses star in.

3. Pluto: Quite enjoying this one. I don't necessarily ship the main couple (although the actress that plays the twins is very very very pretty and the actress that plays the blind girl is adorable so they make a super cute couple), but I am VERY intrigued by the plot. In particular, what the hell is going on with the side throuple (??) situation and the fact that you KNOW the comatose twin is gonna wake up at some point, probably when it creates the most drama, and I am positively salivating at the potential conflict. I also can't even begin to predict how it will all be resolved as I have not read the book and I'm not planning to, so I like watching something where I don't need to speculate because I know that whatever happens will end up surprising me anyway. I hope it doesn't disappoint.

2. 23.5: I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I wasn't even gonna bother checking it out because I knew it was a high school romance, which is almost impossible for me to get invested in. However, I was bored one Saturday night so I gave it a shot. And while they're definitely not gonna go down as my ride-or-die pairing, the show was quite charming and hilarious, it had a surprising side f/f ship that I was very much into as well, and the lead was absolutely adorable. Their couple interactions were also super super cute. I found myself even wanting to pace my consumption of the episodes so I could live a little longer in the universe of the show. The entire friend group from the school was very enjoyable to watch, it was all around a very wholesome little show.

1. The Two of Us: Brilliant. Amazing. Fantastic. Showstopping. Spectacular. Invented love and relationships. Changed me on a metaphysical level and permanently altered my brain chemistry. What's that you say? It's only a low-budget spin-off of an m/m show with 15-minute episodes that barely allow for any plot and that are carried on the shoulders of the leads' insane chemistry? And your point is? Look, here's the thing. I started watching this one purely because the short episodes made it a small time commitment. I had just dropped my previous f/f ship on a show from another country and in another language, which shall remain nameless and only gave me angst, censorhip, and disappointment. And then I came across these two and they gave me all the trope-y, age-appropriate telenovela nonsense I had been CRAVING for so long. So yeah, perhaps if it hadn't scratched an itch I didn't know I had, I wouldn't have fallen so hard so fast, but also, really, it was like this pairing was genetically engineered to hit every single one of my wishes when it comes to f/f pairings. Older women? Check. Domesticity? Check. Sickening adorableness? Check. Of course I had to imprint on the ONE pairing that doesn't have like, a set commitment to star in things together and that seems to have such a small fandom in comparison to the behemoths from other shows, but you know what, I wouldn't trade that for the world. Even though I would give away one of my kidneys FOR FREE just to see them get a proper full-length, 8+ episode show where I can watch them fall in love slowly and tantalizingly, if this little show is all I ever get of them together as romantic leads, I will still cherish it and be forever grateful we even got this much.

[insanechayne]

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