#like no sometimes things happen with unique circumstances and unique jokes

[imflyingfish]

Fish you are so good at building to me your the Bdubs of people I know

Pheo ;w; ty

[comfort-character-central]

Being close with a tough f/o may include…

Deep talks with them, being vulnerable when you least expect it, and trying to be open. Even if it's hard, they do their best to try because they want to show you how much they trust you.

They bond with you their own unique ways. Maybe you both relax together in the same room, doing your own thing. Maybe you two have a particular activity you engage in, they could have a specific way of showing their interest in your bond that isn't necessarily traditional.

Their protective, helpful energy. If someone is hurting or upsetting you, they'll listen and remind you of your worth, letting you know that you deserve better. They could even stand up for you, if the timing or circumstance is right. They can't stand to see someone they care for so much being mistreated, so they'll absolutely do what they can to defend you.

Being close with a playful f/o may include…

They're always sending you memes, telling you jokes, and showing you things they think are hilarious. They do this partially to show your their sense humor, but they mostly do it because they want you to laugh and have a great time too. It makes them feel good when you laugh, so they're always down to help bring more silliness in your life.

Asking weirdly (but hilariously) absurd questions such as, "S/I, if I shower and I'm clean, then how does the towel get dirty after I'm done using it? I was clean after the shower!" and trying to make sense of it. Both of you have funny conversations about it, almost as if debating for 45 minutes about why something happens and how it makes sense. It's mostly entertaining and sometimes can make you both feel like you're sharing braincells.

Having them cheer you up when you're upset. Showing you things to make you feel better, uplifting you and trying to build your self esteem, comforting you by being fun and also kind. They want you to feel okay, but also want to support you and show you that it's alright to feel upset without shame.

[rancidjuno]

8,9, 12,13,14, 32, 37, 41, and 48 for the Kenduli ask game! 💚💙

tysm for the ask again!!! Any excuse to talk about these losers hehe – if anyone wants to play bailey’s ask game I’ll link it at the bottom <3

8.) Obi-Wan’s favourite thing about Luminara.

Probably her compassion, insomuch that most people who don’t know her wouldn’t immediately recognise it. She’s canonically accused of being uncaring by Anakin—a lot of people don’t like her because they perceive her as callous in my experience—but I have found the opposite to be true, and I think Obi-Wan would see that too. She goes to great lengths to protect people, too great lengths he would sometimes argue, but it comes from a place of care and selflessness.

Also, she just kind of funny? She’s clever and quick and can make him laugh in a way few can.

9.) Luminara’s favourite thing about Obi-Wan.

Patience. She watched him raise Skywalker and has endless admiration for him because of it—Luminara would not have survived with Anakin as her padawan. He stays very calm under almost every circumstance—even when she’s got a mind controlling worm on her face, but his joking was more to calm her than to cause stress—and it’s something she tries to emulate.

12.) Have they ever been caught in a compromising situation by either their Padawans, Clones, or fellow Jedi?

Oh, god, yes. Master Qui-Gon used to tease them about lack of subtly all the time, Quinlan inviting himself in for threesomes, Anakin rushing into the room without warning, poor Barriss at the wrong place at the wrong time. Luminara finds it hideously embarrassing each time, she’s got a rep to maintain after all, but Obi-Wan mostly finds it funny. Except for when it was Barriss. No one was laughing after that incident, Barriss was scarred for life and has had nothing but stilted conversations with Obi-Wan ever since.

13.) Luminara’s favourite physical feature on Obi-Wan.

I think she’d quite like the beard, but that’s a newer development. His hair in general then I guess, it’s a shade you would never find on Mirial so she sees it as unique and pretty. Also his massive dick, probably.

14.) Obi-Wan’s favourite physical feature on Luminara.

I think her eyes, which is super cliché, but she has very pretty and expressive eyes. She’s very good at keeping a neutral façade so it’s hard to tell what she’s thinking most of the time, but the second he makes eye contact it’s a dead giveaway. I hc that she practices makeup on him sometimes and he does it on her in return, he likes to give her orange eyeshadow and winged liner to make the colour really stand out. He’s gotten so good at that whenever there’s a formal event she makes him do her makeup for her.

32.) If Order 66 never happened, what would their futures look like?

I think Luminara would be pretty focussed on Barriss if Order 66 never happened because she still would have bombed the temple, something like rehabilitation and desperate attempts to prevent execution. This would probably be deemed dangerous attachment by the council and put a dent in her future as a member. Don’t get me wrong, Luminara’s as Jedi as they come, but that would put some distance between the Order—though Obi-Wan would be with her every step of the way.

Anakin would probably leave, Ahsoka already gone, so there would be very little keeping Luminara and Obi-Wan there too without the war. I think they’d allow themselves a relationship whether they left or not. If they left they’d probably leave Coruscant altogether for somewhere cooler, maybe Stewjon (I’d say Mirial but Obi-Wan doesn’t deserve another desert lmao). Maybe get a cat. Be Luke and Leia’s kooky aunt and uncle.

37.) Share your Kenduli headcanon.

They’re both bisexual. Maybe that’s me projecting but I mean it’s basically canon when it comes to Obi-Wan and Luminara looks like she’s kissed girls idk what to tell you.

41.) Describe what Kenduli fanfic you’d love to read.

I’d love to read ANY kenduli fanfic, that’s the truth—I’ll take any content because it’s so sparse. I have a few stories I’ll probably write at some point though if no one else does: non Jedi au because it’s fun to see everyone’s ideas about what they’d be up to if they weren’t Jedi, any post order 66 au (I’m writing one rn it’s horrifically angsty but I live for that) and anything with Barriss, Ahsoka and Anakin too.

48.) Obi-Wan’s favourite memory of Luminara and Luminara’s favourite memory of Obi-Wan.

I like to imagine that, whenever she could, Luminara was always over at Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon’s apartment and they’d spend long evening just talking on the balcony and looking over the city. Obi-Wan remembers these evenings particularly fondly because Luminara was never that carefree again.

There are lots of memories from their childhood that Luminara treasures—sneaking around and getting into trouble, him stealing her favourite dessert from the mess for her, building their lightsabers together—but her absolute favourite memory is later on as Masters watching how hard he worked to make Barriss like him. He cooks meals with her in mind if he knows she’s going to be around, offers to help with her form or research, sends her articles he thinks she might find interesting. He’s like an awkward stepdad trying to relate to his teenage stepdaughter and it’s not going well but just trying is a very quick way to Luminara’s heart.

[professorspork]

pain and love writing questions plz (on theme for sdau????)

35. PAIN - Has your writing ever made you cry?

I don't t h i n k so? I've been wracking my brain and I can't remember an incident of this happening, so I don't think so. I've cried writing, like, personal blog posts about painful circumstances, but never about a fictional event I was describing.

I think I keep myself at too much of a remove for that to happen; a part of me is always sort of hovering above the scene and thinking about syntax and wording in a way that stops me from being carried away with it. I've made myself sad writing sad things, but not to the point of tears-- much in the same way, I think, that I've made myself joyful when writing comedy but never to the point that I'd actually laugh aloud at my own jokes. At a certain point I can't do that because it's coming from within, you know?

30. LOVE - What is your best writing advice?

ooh. my BEST advice?

a few things came to mind, so I'm just going to say them all:

I've written about this before, but of course I can only find a single example of the many times I've done it because search functions on this website are garbage. When it comes to dialogue in fanfiction, having a good listening ear is absolutely key. every character has a unique cadence and vocabulary and your writing will improve SO MUCH when you take the time to unlock them. revisit canon dialogue and set it against your own; try to actually evoke the actor when you can. you know more than you think you do.

Write because you love it. I've never been one who responded well to advice that starts with "writing has to be disciplined! you'll never succeed unless it's habit and a daily practice, and you have to make x amount of progress a day!" because like. we're all neurospicy there's not gonna be any piece of one size fits all advice that helps us produce. the only thing that (hopefully) is universal is the fact that we're here because we WANT to be.

Don't stop writing because you're afraid of it. This is sort of the inverse corollary to item 2 but like. I know from my own experience and from my friends' experiences just how easy it can be to get locked in the vortex of "but i haven't written so i basically can't and it won't be worth it if it's not good and it won't be good because i'm so out of practice so why bother" and like. sometimes you have to push past that barrier and just DO it, because that's the only thing that's gonna prove to you that you can. it doesn't have to be good, it doesn't have to be show-offable. it just has to exist.

[onewomancitadel]

If they do canonize Jaune/Weiss, would you still stick with the series until it's conclusion?

I think the ordinary assumption is that it would be the product of a ship tantrum if I didn't, but because there's so much tied up in Jaune/Cinder and so much that Jaune/Weiss doesn't work with, it's not really just a ship tantrum. I won't deny that wouldn't be part of it, but the general assumption is that shipping is unserious and probably indicates, on some level, one being in a position of textual ignorance. I think that broadly speaking this can be true (I've spectated my fair share of fandom, and I have grown up in fandom myself) but equally it can also be levied as an insult, because romance is silly.

But equally so if I did quit the show in such a circumstance, I'm not working with a level of entitlement here. I wouldn't be mad at it in the sense of them owing me something; I would just have to acknowledge I was either wrong in assigning meaning where there wasn't, or there simply wasn't the thematic consistency there.

I think it's very likely that Ozlem does motivate all of the romances, it's just a matter of to what degree. It's very easy to write Ruby/Oscar, Ren/Nora, Blake/Yang, and then give Jaune a joke romance which kind of happens offscreen/all of a sudden. Just because you have x consistency here doesn't mean it's everywhere else because storytelling is organic and elastic, and sometimes, as an analyst, you can actually put together implicit parallels better than the author(s). Or as I've discussed previously before with Reverse Ozlem, you need to make a positive case for why Jaune/Cinder would be a positive resolution (and not a cautionary or altogether unromantic one).

It's worth mentioning that I have literally quit the show once before! I was inoculated in the shitty end of the fandom during V5 and when everybody was busy mocking the end of the volume (because Haven was admittedly messy) and then celebrating Cinder's death - and her apparent permadeath - I just shrugged and quit because I feared they were right and it was all over. This probably explains some of my antipathy towards fandom and fanon at large because it genuinely ruined my experience of the show and made me doubt my intuition. Does that mean fandom/fandon is bad for everyone? No, I needed to grow a spine, but I take issue with fanon at large anyway.

What accompanies Jaune/Cinder isn't just the romantic pairing but the way it realises Cinder's redemption arc and what I think the pairing represents for the major resolution of Ozlem. It might not be obvious, but I am really invested in the bad wizards who were once in love and made it everybody else's problem, and I want to see them be together again even if that reunion means they shortly pass after. The cosmic wound of Ozlem is one of my favourite things in the show (reincarnated lovers and ceaseless conflict... yummy yummy) and is genuinely what holds the story together thematically and foundationally. It's a huge deal. So the things that interest me about R/WBY are all tied up in Jaune/Cinder. Everything I really love about the show (its unique but totally flagged narrative direction) is there, and is part of what I think motivates the argumentation of the ship!

This isn't something contrary to R/WBY's storytelling! Tonal dissonance is a common issue I see in shipping fandoms. But there's nothing about Jaune/Cinder that refutes R/WBY; it's actually the opposite. It's very playful conceptually. Built right into it is this sense of dramatic and cosmic irony with a very fun remix on knight and maiden which is painful but also very beautiful. Jaune is literally no Prince Charming, and Cinder is a villainess (who is very sad).

So I guess if the stuff I love about R/WBY isn't there, what's the point? Lol. You could try to argue that redeemed Ozlem is still possible without Jaune/Cinder, but I don't think it would be nearly as impactful without it, and like - separately - for Jaune and Cinder's characters, if he's paired with Weiss then they just don't get him the way I do and the way I thought they did, and if Cinder's alone I'll cry forever. The truth is that nobody's ever loved you. I genuinely do not know whom else you could pair her with, and it's very likely in this scenario there would be no one. Even if she got a redemption arc (which again, would be fumbled without the romance and not nearly as impactful. Jaune/Cinder is so unlikely when Cinder's redemption is similarly so 'unlikely').

I get it. This is a long way to cry and stomp my feet and say, "I'll quit if they don't make my dollies kiss!" and it probably comes off pretty poorly. But honestly, R/WBY won me over with Ozlem and it won me over with its story and its spirit. I find Jaune/Weiss insipid irrespective of whether I shipped Jaune/Cinder (long before I got into the ship I never liked it). It compromises both Jaune and Weiss' characters and I can't parse how it's supposed to work and it would just suggest laziness. It breaks a lot of modes of my analysis (e.g. Jung). I like Jaune/Cinder because it augments their characters, not weakens them. It actually gives Jaune something unique to do in the story that isn't stand there and look tall and actually explains why he's in this fucking story to begin with and why they'd spend so much development on him. I don't like that Jaune/Weiss turns Weiss into a passive recipient who's finally noticed the nice patient guy and now he gets the girl as a reward. It would speak to some serious storytelling stupidity.

I've quit once and I'll do it again. Lol. Maybe I would wait for the show to be finished to analyse the fallout a few years later. I take a while to get around to things anyway. But also like, my trust in storytelling is completely dead, and it's actually an extremely emotionally difficult position to be arguing for Jaune/Cinder and extremely uncharacteristic of me. So as much as people probably don't want me here, I kind of don't want to be here either. But I like the ship that much. Very sad.

On the other hand... let's define 'canonise'. I think that at this point, Salem/Ozma, Ren/Nora, and Blake/Yang are undeniably canon. Ozlem since V6 (but they broke up), RN since... I want to say they're canon in the sense they both have romantic feelings for each other and we've always known this to some degree (some childhood friend tropes in anime lead to them never admitting feelings? And the RN spin on it seems to be that they've acknowledged how they feel and will 'grow up' but likely end up back together), and BB, well I personally would've said it was canon back in V6, but most of fandom would definitely agree V9. Ruby/Oscar by contrast is a little more controversial, but I would say that it's canon if you're paying attention. The only reason to write Oscar in the way they did would be as a super special love interest looool. But say, Blake/Sun isn't 'canon' in the traditional sense of being endgame, Blake/Ilia isn't 'canon' in the traditional sense either, etc., and there are times the fandom has celebrated things being canon when they're not (reminder: the whole 'Cinder is definitely dead' thing, and largely I would say a lot of the discussion surrounding Blake/Sun at the time of V4/5 treated it like it was a foregone conclusion. Plus most of the bad fanon).

So I think a lot of people might think Jaune/Weiss is now canon after V9 - and I'm willing to allow that this is what the writers believe to be appropriate development because they abandoned that thread for so many volumes and never even had small interactions like Ruby/Oscar or fucking anything, and as such it effectively amounts to either an about-turn or lazy storytelling - I'm in the position where I'm willing to question it. Between now and V10, my only intention is to complete my fanfic, that is, my works-in-progress currently posted, and then assess how much I am able to write and complete in the interim. I just want to make the most of the time I've got. As I remarked in a V9 reflection post, there is actually... not a lot refuted about anything I speculated in the post-V8 period surrounding Knightfall and Cinder's redemption, if not it has been lent more foreshadowing. So I'm not needing to fashion a new position yet.

There are certain things I'm looking for with R/WBY canonshipping, and things like close and intimate hugs (Ruby-Penny) do not constitute that, and they do like engaging in shipbaiting, to my eternal consternation. But what I like about the R/WBY canon ships are the actual emotional stakes, not the superficial fluffy shit. So if I have some hope they are capable of that...

If Jaune/Weiss met my standard for analysing other definitely canon R/WBY ships (independent of Jaune/Cinder) I would give up the ghost and admit defeat with shipping Jaune/Cinder and then yes, I'd quit the show. I don't care if that sounds petty. Jaune/Cinder isn't just a ship to me. I only started shipping it because these are the things I like about R/WBY, not the other way around.

Thanks for your ask anon. It's a good one.

[asoulofatlantis]

Finally, instead of pretending that we do not know... Falcom makes a joke of it that we do in fact know XD They've learned their lesson with how they failed with the likes of Azure Siegfried ^^'

Falcom is known for reusing old ideas but I think they certainly did way better with copying this whole mask-ordeal than they did when copying Kloes "not royaltie at all" - acts over to Musse. They do not hide here that the same trick was used, while with Musse no one really ever mentioned that she just copied Kloe to get away with her plans. And I also like the idea of making it two sisters in dept here, instead of two very close friends on a lot of pressure here. It is still a reused idea, but they certainly tried harder this time to make it still somewhat more unique and surprising.

This sentence did not make much sense back then at all... and makes so much more sense nowadays...

Van has a "don't touch Agnes" - rule and most enemies love to push that button ^^' (Which leads to their demise because that usually summons Grendel...)

You've already got a shitload of Kai Spoilers from me at this point, so what is one more? (BTW... I did say I wanted to see what Daybreak has in store for me after watching Kai, so if you did come here not expecting spoilers, joke is on you!) Because someone Data-Mined Kai no Kiseki... and for whatever reason Falcom hide some Spoilers in there. Like the Identity of the Masked people who have not been revealed to us yet - and it makes no sense to me whatsoever to do that in Kais Data, if it wasn't needed there at all, but what the hell do I know about how programming works? So in any case. They did reveal there that Mare is in fact the Holy beast of the Time-Septerion. I am honestly not sure how this all works yet, but it puts one thing into question: HOW ON EARTH IS IT POSSIBLE TO INTERFERE WITH A HOLY BEAST LIKE THAT?! My only explanation would be that whatever caused Mare to be in this Hollow-Core-State has been binding her powers or something. The Genesis and Agnes as rightful heir has been resonating with her, for obvious enough reasons but it didn't manage to release her full powers? The question also obviously is how she became a Hollowcore and what happened to her actual body? Not to mention obviously also, how the hell get Marduk their Hands on her? SO. MANY. QUESTIONS! (And here we are waiting like two years for an answer...)

Poor Girl. It has been her job to gather the Genesis to ultimately fulfill her final mission but the cost was high. Every Genesis did cost at least one life, as far as I can remember and as we know from Kuro 2 that wasn't even the end of it all. Ultimativly, it had to be done. If not we would literally ALL be back to point Zero. But the price for saving our timeline was high. And so is the pressure on my poor girl.

Well... at least through that whole journey, "die Kleene" was never really alone. I am very grateful for that. Her time might run out eventually, but I think Van and the others, despite all the ordeals, helped her to make the best out of it.

I really can not blame the guy. Not one of his assistants has even asked if he wants or can afford another part-timer. I know its a running-gag and its supposed to be because Van by himself would likely not say yes, because of who he is and how he thinks... but it still is a bit mean sometimes and at this point gets kind of obnoxious.

To be fair... all the people studying under Epsteins Disciples are bit... uh... special ^^' (I do not even exclude my dear Tita here...)

Who or what even is Aldra? O.o I am glad to hear that ZCF are doing good and all... but who is that even that they are working with? ^^'

They did mention it here that the Calvardian revolution has been only 100 years ago but when it came up in Kai that Sheena Dirke was still alive when Judiths Grandmother was still a child it sounded absolutely ridicioulus to me because I was sure that happened like 1000 years ago or so ^^' Which makes no sense given circumstances but I wasn't the only one surprised. The whole chat was like: "What? She was still alive back then? O.O" So I guess that is one again an Information we totally discarded...

Now here is an interesting fact about Kai: The masked woman who took of her mask right at the end was first believed to be Agnes mother, do to a simular Hair- and Skincolor. The Data-Mining revealed that it was Sheena Dirke tho, probably in a younger state then when she met Domenique tho. HOWEVER the game makes a big point out of Van mentioning that Agnes Mother and Grandmother basically look just like her... I would not fully agree with that but what if Agnes is related to Sheena Dirke? She might not exactly be her great-great-grandmother but some sister of her great-great-grandmother maybe? I mean, we needed the name "Claudel" apparently but... I don't know... things seems odd here. The game made a huge point out of not showing Sheenas older face, even tho we have seen her younger face in pictures before. Like there were trying to hide something we would not have paid attention to before.

I am just fishing for answers here... but... giving everything we know it certainly is not out of the question ^^'

I'd say XD Not just that her biological family lives there, she also is close to the SSS and she has been living there for a while herself. Going to Crossbell would not be educational, it would be like going home XD

No one would do it like the society XD Heck, to this day no one even gets how the society survived with those kind of "rules" ^^'

I found it quiet funny that Marduks high in development came ultimately from finding her and she had no idea about it until close to the end of Kai.

[esotericfaery]

What’s More Important Than Retrogrades?

No retrogrades.

At all.

I'm not joking.

I've never found a single instance of myself actually experiencing anything that matches what people say happens on any of the retrogrades.

I've tried.

I sort of almost convinced myself a few times, back when I knew little to nothing about Astrology.

I used to make memes about them, trying to teach myself by trying to feel retrogrades as different.

Everyone else seems to be feeling them, but what if that's just people being Neptunian? We're all Neptunian sometimes; not just people like me, with a Neptune chart ruler.

Then I started noticing more and more that all of my transits and prominent degree changes were explaining in specific detail why I was experiencing certain patterns and circumstances, and what to do for self improvement. I started making changes.

Now I don't blame Mercury retrograde or any of the others.

I can’t.

I deleted all of my retrograde memes, and felt a huge weight lift off; an easily noticeable energy shift. I was confusing myself on some level, attempting to work with or validate energies which aren’t necessary - at least for some of us.

It seems that (in certain ways; not in all of the ways propagated in modern Astrology) those who have a lot of retrogrades, or even just one prominent retrograde in their charts, are more sensitive towards them, and so they benefit from working closely with those planets whenever they retrograde.

I vaguely remember something lost in the mail during a Mercury retrograde, though I don’t know for certain whether or not that was coincidental. Again, that could be because my natal Mercury is direct.

And I’ve made a few memes about it and laughed a bit, but the masses of Astrologers who sit around bitching about retrogrades (especially Mercury), when they could be making (even funny) posts about, for example, the recent Neptune squares I’ve mentioned, really annoy me.

I get it that most people don’t know much about Astrology; I used to be one of them and I used to think loads of stuff was because of Mercury retrograde too.

But practicing Astrologers should know better. They should know that propagating so much negativity about one part of a vastly complex artistic science as Astrology is harmful for it’s dissonance and stagnancy. And what’s more, they often don’t even mention what else is going on and the various ways we can work through things, or at least cope easier, depending on what circumstances allow for.

I've studied a lot and have loads more to study. I don't remember exactly which old books or articles I read where there's much knowledge and wisdom, yet retrogrades aren't covered, but there have been a bunch. I have a couple of Charles E. O. Carters books and don't remember him placing any particular significance on retrogrades. He's considered among the most influential Astrologers of the 20th century and his work is still widely considered important.

If I remember right, Rob Brezsny's Free Will Astrology doesn't work with retrogrades. He's both insightful and poetic.

What should we pay attention to, if not retrogrades?

For those interested in anything beyond your Sun, Moon and Rising signs: Prominent transits by age, your chart rulers (both regular and Pullen chart rulers), critical degrees (and possibly decans; I’m not certain about whether or not they have as much importance as critical degrees), stellium (if you have one), house composition / shape.

In no particular order, because we are all vastly unique, with different chart compositions, and as we have free will, we don’t always make the decisions and take the actions which are best for us. We don’t always make the best choices, when we’re not paying attention to our Astrology and all of the various options it provides us for things like (yet not limited to) personal growth and reaching our goals.

[beckysblogs12]

Villain Origin Story/ Blog Post 1

I really do feel for Coriolanus because he is put on a pedestal to be great and held to different standards than the rest of the senior mentors from the start. When we are young it is so easy to see the world as something it is not, we sometimes see ourselves as invincible because of our given youth. The main character Coriolanus is kinda the same in that way because his living circumstances seem like something he can fix.

The constant comparison of him being his dad and being the only male in his household drives him to wanting to save his family. The mostly empty and unfurnished house symbolizes the living style of the Snow family and how Coriolanus already feels a duty to his family to serve. Bringing on such a daunting responsibility to his family at only 18 establishes his motives and determination to win the Plinth prize, which could pay for his tuition if he won. For me, sometimes it can feel like we have a liability to the people who take care of us to help out. Just like most people,  his youthness also holds a sense of naiveness to not know what is actually going on behind the capitol, which also happens in real life. For instance, we only look at things we want to see, but if we see something ugly we can choose to ignore it and turn it off. 

The innocence is still alive, he feels emotions deeply for the people of the districts. His initial reaction of seeing Lucy Gray Baird made me giggle and kick my feet because it really captures the connection he feels right away once he sees how she reacts when her name is called for the reaping. For some background information, when the district rebels attacked the capitol it was commenced months later that something like this catastrophic would never happen again. Once the war came to an end, leading to the capitols victory it was made that every year moving forward each district would choose a boy and a girl to fight in the hunger games and at the end there would only be one winner. Now the senior mentors from the Capitol would be granted one of the chosen tributes to be granted the Plinth Prize. 

Ensemble: a group of musicians, actors, or dancers who perform together. “Her colorful ensemble drew the eye, as to a tattered butterfly in a field of moths.” 

Growing up I was set with the lines of good and bad, having the consciousness of right and wrong. People influence people, it's a simple fact. Coriolanus is surrounded by good people, but sometimes the pressure of being great can turn into negative actions. What is really ironic though is how he first reacts to him being granted the district 12 girl, he thinks of her as the “joke district” and the “smallest district”, but once the reaping begins she sings to show the entirety of Panem she is the strongest and unique person there. I was so surprised she had that much bravery to sing and shared her voice even though normally something like this should be terrifying. For goodness sake she is so cool, putting that snake in that girls shirt when she was snickering at her was crazy. I would be scared out of my mind if I got chosen for the reaping, I really do wonder how I would react? Also the fact when she got slapped by the peacekeeper and stood up and sang was so brave.

Innumerable: Too many to be numbered

[mylordshesacactus]

Do you ever homebrew magic items? And if so, what's an item you're particularly proud of?

All the time! This generally takes the form of altering the aesthetic of an item to make it more thematically appropriate, more level-appropriate, or just more unique and memorable.

For example, the party found a Figurine of Wondrous Power in the dragon's lair; but rather than use the pre-made options in the DMG, I made the figurine a jasper hippogriff. It has almost the same restrictions as the official gryphon figurine, but fits the aesthetic of Suncrest and the Shatterspine Mountains better.

There's also the Hat of Holding, which the party did not purchase but which is literally just a Bag of Holding, except it's a furry mountaineering cap. (Your head does not go inside the Bag of Holding; the BoH seals with a drawstring, and you then put the hat on with no issue. To access the bag you remove the hat, open the drawstring, and it then operates like a normal BoH.)

When the party killed and skinned a young blue dragon, I also fiddled with some magical items to convert the dragonhide into--one breastplate of lightning resistance (which I let them choose whether to count as scale mail or studded leather when deciding who would get it, with the stipulation that once they'd decided it would stay that way), dragonhide gloves based on a hoard item from Fizban's that let the wizard do extra lightning damage with her spells under certain circumstances; and a dragonhide helm that gives no direct mechanical benefits but which, with a bonus action, makes the wearer's eyes glow and crackle with lightning.

On a whim, during the session, the party asked if they could get a dragonhide whip as well, and with just a brief deliberation I decided that frankly, a 1d4 damage item is not gonna be gamebreaking and you know what? That's fucking cool and if they want it they can have it. So its magical ability is that it normally does the standard 1d4 slashing damage, but the Fighter can use a bonus action to make it deal id4 LIGHTNING damage instead.

It's not really a powerful item but it's cool, it's flavor, and they KILLED a DRAGON at LEVEL FOUR, they EARNED that shit.

Though I think my favorite thing I've done with magic items thus far is Arlette Starstrike's "bargain bin", a no-refunds pile of joke items, stuff with a high possibility of failure, or just Common magical items that I think are cool but have minimal mechanical benefits.

These include the infamous Ring of Detect Fire (range: touch), the Potion of Happening (which the party has not used yet), the Healing Soap (restores 1hp per user per 24-hour period, must be used for ten minutes uninterrupted), probably a Cloak of Billowing will show up in there sometime, etc.

It's a fun way to fuck around homebrewing magical items without actually damaging the integrity of the game.

[nukacoola]

Companions react to Nick Valentine in a gen 3 body

Ada: 

Ada would not really understand why Nick Valentine would want to get a more human body. She supposed his circumstances were different than hers but she had never wished to be human and her robot-ness never affected her quality of life. She couldn’t deny that the look suited him though. 

Cait:

“Well ain’t you a sight for sore eyes, Nicky!” Cait likes Nick but is a bit creeped out by synths so she’d find this version of him a lot more pleasurable to look at and be around. She’d probably make some jokes about him being ‘a real boy’ now but not much would change as she didn’t spend an excessive amount of time with Nick before either.

Codsworth:

“Why Mr.Valentine I must say you look stupendous! A very fine look for a very fine gentleman.” Codsworth is quite content with his robot body but he thinks Nick is much better suited to this new one. He’s one of the few who remember the old Nick Valentine and the resemblance of him and this new synth body is actually pretty close. He sees it as the perfect fit for Nick the synth as it’s similar to his old body while being different enough to give him a unique sense of self. He was a bit worried about Nick’s and Sole’s adventures now though as he knows Valentine often finds trouble where he’s not looking and human bodies are a lot more delicate than a generation two synth one is. He’d be sure to give the detective a good talking to about safe and responsible adventuring before the two headed off anywhere.

Curie:

“Oh mon Dieu monsieur Valentine, you look amazing! Zis body suits you!” Curie would be very happy that the procedure she had discovered with Sole was able to help so many more people. Not only does she find the mechanics behind it fascinating, she loved to be able to hug her dear friend without worrying about his hand getting caught in her hair. She really liked seeing how glad Nick seemed to be with the transition too. He seemed very happy to have a new sense of self which in turn made Curie happy. 

Danse:

Before Blind Betrayal:

Danse is not ok with this. At least before he was able to tell right away that Nick Valentine was a threat but now he just looked human as anyone else. It was very disturbing to him that a synth could so easily hide in plain sight and look like a real human. Of course he already knew about this problem before but Valentine’s transformation reminded him how easy it was for synths to fit into normal life in the worst way possible. He would be staying further away from the detective now more than ever. Valentine already creeped him out anyways. 

After Blind Betrayal:

Danse is not ok with this. Even after the truth about himself was revealed he still hated the Institute and was freaked out by synths if not outright hateful towards them. Nick’s transformation reminded him how he was just as real as Danse. They were the same. Inhuman, freaks of nature who were built and programmed to do evil. If he had it his way, he’d never look at or talk to Nick again. He felt bad as he knew there was no good reason to fear or hate him but he couldn’t help it. Danse was programmed twice. Once by the Institute and once by the Brotherhood. That second programming would never allow him to feel comfortable around the robot who is now just as “human” as him. Maybe as he works with Sole more to accept himself and his humanity things will change but for now he’d stay away from Valentine.  

Deacon:

“Looking good Nicky! Not that you weren’t the most handsome guy I knew beforehand too!” Deacon wouldn’t be too surprised at Nick’s transformation as he would’ve known about it long before it happened. Working as the main info gatherer for the Railroad meant that he knew all the happenings of the Memory Den. It was really rough whenever a synth’s mind was destroyed by a memory wipe but ever since Sole had realized you can transfer a robot’s consciousness to an empty synth there was always a nice little silver lining of helping someone else gain humanity from someone’s loss. First Curie, then Edna and now Nick. It was a chance at a real life for those who couldn’t fully experience it before. The body definitely suited him. Real hardboiled looking guy with mousy brown hair and a five o’clock shadow. Deacon might make some jokes related to the changed man and might fall in love with him a little bit more but overall things would stay the same between the two. 

Dogmeat:

Dogmeat wouldn’t really be able to tell that the new man was the old man so it would be a rush of emotions at losing one friend and gaining a new one. He would like getting belly rubs from a softer hand though!

Gage:

Gage didn’t really give a shit either way. He thought it was weird that a machine wanted to be human but he never spent time with Valentine so he didn’t need to think about it too much. 

Hancock:

“Nick! You look amazing! Hard to believe you were just an ugly bucket of bolts before.” Hancock would love the new look and be very happy that Nick is happy but he would be a bit disappointed that he’d have to get new joke material. He’s always seen Nick as a sort of father figure and this new human form will only enhance those feelings.

Longfellow:

Longfellow has no thoughts on the matter. He tries to just keep to himself and stay out of all that synth business.

MacCready:

“Damn Valentine! Guess this means you won’t be needing that WD-40 I got for you, huh?” MacCready, like Cait, is a bit weirded out by all the synth stuff but he likes and trusts Nick so he’s happy for the upgrade. It will definitely make him feel more comfortable being around him. He’d probably hang out with him and Sole/him and Hancock more often now.

Piper:

“Holy crap Nick is that you?! You look great!” Piper would be amazed at the extreme change. She’d also be very worried though that Nick would might face more discrimination in Diamond City now given the citizens are more scared of gen 3 replacement than anything else. She’d probably try to post more articles focusing on the Institute being the enemy rather than the synths and she’d stop fear mongering so much about replacement given the worries about her friend’s new look.

Preston: “Good for you, Nick. The new look suits you!” Preston, of course, would be very accepting of the new Nick and would be glad that Nick is happy with his new self. He would also probably recommend a lot more potential clients to him now that he wouldn’t scare off the average wastelander. People who had problems the Minutemen couldn’t fix would be sent to the new and improved Valentine.

Strong:

Metal man now meat man??? Strong is confused!!! Metal can not be meat!!

X6:

X6 would be very concerned about the loss of an escaped synth and he would question Valentine on how he got access to the body and how he transferred his consciousness into it. He would report the whole situation to the SRB unless a Sole with a very good relationship with him convinced him not to. He might also be able to be convinced that this body upgrade is better due to the future of the Institute sometimes traveling alone with Nick. A better body can provide better protection right? Either way he’d be a bit anxious about the situation as all of his train is telling him to bring the gen 3 back to the SRB.

Sorry some of these are kinda short I didn’t know what to write!

[comicaurora]

hey Red, i wanted to stop by to say thank you. a while ago I watched superpowered and evil side and I was reminded that Inu-yasha exists. and just now I finally finished watching it.

and when I listened to the podcast of that episode (i think), you mentioned being obsessed with it at some point. and my question was, can you put into words why you liked it so much?

again, thanks! I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed it.

Hhhh good question. The short answer is I don't get to choose the hyperfixation. The longer answer is it was a character-driven ensemble cast monster-of-the-week story with a lot of tropes I liked, including in no particular order

I am an Asshole and I Hate Everyone and Suck now excuse me while I go out of my way to do something very kind and helpful (this happens about once an episode)

I am a Cold-Hearted Monster to whom Humans Are Nothing More Than Ants and I have forged an entire identity around the superiority of my Pure Demon Blood and this is my human Rin she likes naps and never shutting up

hello this is our friend, he acts like he's mean but actually he's incredibly loyal and selfless, aw look he overheard us complimenting him and now he's threatening us

more broadly it is truly hilarious to me how everyone in the group genuinely just don't buy inuyasha's "I'm a big scary jerk" act and are nothing but friendly and chipper while he's trying to brood. peak dynamic.

the villain tricked you and/or held your loved ones hostage to make you fight us? man I hate that guy. what? no I'm not mad at you just because you "stabbed" me "several times" now get in the friend group already

we're in love with each other, we KNOW we're in love with each other, literally everyone knows, we're just both incapable of expressing it outside of life-threatening danger (applies to every canon couple in the show)

flexible tone! sometimes things are really chill and goofy and somethings things get Dark As Shit! applies more strongly in the manga, lots of stuff got toned down for the anime

some dang clever plot devices to justify a lot of variance in the overall power level and threat level. This bit verged on being tedious (naraku must always be juuuuuust too strong/well-hidden to stop) but worked very well in a lot of smaller ways - weapons break or get new powers that are hard to figure out or are temperamental in general, characters have more trouble fighting when they're injured or depowered, environmental hazards affect different characters, etc. This contributes to the flexible tone thing, since a threat that'd be a joke in normal circumstances might be a big problem with one little situational change.

on that note, characters getting injured is a lasting plot point? surprisingly uncommon for fighting anime where there'll either be magic healing or single wrapup scenes of characters swathed in anime bandages. slowing things down to let characters heal gives more time for characterization and keeps the pacing balanced.

monster of the week format plus biiiiiig rotating supporting cast that can just Show Up Sometimes contributes to a formula that allows for a lot of unique episodic adventures

there's a couple episodes early on where scary demon shit shows up in the modern world! that's awesome! I wish more of those plots happened!

[commonwealthoccurences]

Companions React: Sole and Companion Have A Pet Goose

Request: “How the companions react to sol having a pet goose who likes both of them but no body else?”

Cait:

Confused but if it’s got Canadian Goose energy, she thinks it’s hilarious

An attack goose? C’mon, that nearly competes with Dogmeat

All in all, she thinks it’s great

Curie:

Somewhat concerned about the fact that the goose may bite

Will not let the goose follow them into the wasteland; it’s going to pick a fight with everything it encounters

Relieved it likes her, at least

Danse:

Has to take a moment to wonder why Sole attracts the weirdest and/or most unique circumstances the wasteland has to offer

The goose isn’t leaving Sanctuary and that’s final

Insists Sole tries to change it

Kind of wary

Deacon:

The day he meets the goose he declares it the best day of his life

He thinks it’s the greatest thing and will sic the goose on people he knows as a joke

They’re best friends and you can’t change my mind

Gage:

Why wouldn’t Sole come through as Overboss with an aggressive pet goose

At this point everything about them is so confusing that it just makes sense

Really doesn’t do much but sometimes he just shakes his head

Haylen:

Not impressed

Sure a pet goose is cool, but get it under control before it hurts someone

The same way everyone should train their dogs, she thinks Sole needs to get the goose under control

Takes her a while to pet it

It grows on her, though

Hancock:

Thinks it’s hilarious

A little disapproving if it bites someone in Goodneighbor, but at the same time, he sees the humor and has to suppress a laugh

Overall approves

MacCready:

Another member of the “This might as well happen” party

If the goose can keep quiet out in the wasteland, he’s fine with it travelling with them

They fully bond eventually and he would kill for that goose

Nick:

He really tries to keep the facade of the responsible, disapproving figure, but once it bites McDonough he has to turn around and put a hand over his face to keep from laughing

He suppresses it well enough until they’re back at the office and he ends up unable to speak for a solid fifteen minutes because he’s laughing so hard

Will let the goose sit in his lap while he does paperwork

Trains it well enough that it doesn’t attack unprovoked and sticks close to him or Sole while walking through Diamond City

Piper:

Will threaten to sic the goose on anyone who crosses her

As long as it’s kind to Nat it can stay

Preston:

Concerned but intrigued

Wants it trained well enough that it’s not going to bite settlers or run at them

As long as those conditions are met they’ll bond eventually

X6-88(Post-Institute):

Having a goose with anger issues means people tend to leave X6 alone; he thinks it’s a perfect arrangement

As long as the goose doesn’t go after the kids in Sanctuary, they’re best friends

[annecoulmanross]

Top Ten Historical Figures Done Dirty by The Terror (2018)

So, we all know and love Dave Kajganich and Soo Hugh’s beautiful show, right? Of course. But it’s important to set the historical record straight, especially when there are real people’s life-stories and legacies on the line. 

(NOTE: this list is biased heavily toward upper-class individuals because the historical record does a better job preserving those voices for us. Was the real Cornelius Hickey as nasty a person in real life as he was in the show? Almost certainly not – which is why we’re given “E.C.” as a nod to the fact that we shouldn’t assume these characters represent real historical villains, even when the narrative makes them antagonists; HOWEVER, not everyone in the show was given the same courtesy as the OG “Cornelius Hickey.” Which is why this post exists – to show you the best sides of some people you might not otherwise appreciate for their full humanity. That being said, keep in mind the sources used – and, for instance, who has surviving portraits and who doesn’t.)

Thus, below the cut, I give you this list, (mostly) in order from #10 (honorable mention, only somewhat slandered) to #1 (most hideously maligned) – my list of characters from The Terror who deserved better. 

(Please don’t take this too seriously – I know there are reasons why choices had to be made in order to make this show work on television, and I do very much love the end product. But I also genuinely think it’s a good idea to remember the real people behind these characters, and think critically about how we depict them ourselves.) 

Bottom Tier – The Overlooked Men of the Franklin Expedition

#10. Richard Wall – & – John Diggle

We’re combining these two because they had a lot in common, historically speaking! Both were polar veterans, having served as a Cook (Wall) and an AB-then-Quartermaster (Diggle) on HMS Erebus under the command of Sir James Clark Ross in the Antarctic expedition of 1839-1843. Certainly we do get some good scenes with them in the show, but there was plenty more to explore there – for instance, Captain Ross was apparently so taken with Richard Wall that he hired him on as a private cook after the Antarctic expedition. (One imagines that Sir James may have regretted letting his friends of the Franklin expedition steal Wall out from under him.)

(If you want some more information on Diggle, the brilliant @handfuloftime​ found this excellent article on him – fun facts include the detail that Diggle’s only daughter bore the name Mary Ann Erebus Diggle.) 

#9. John Smart Peddie 

Now, I don’t think we should go as far as the Doctor Who Audio Drama adaptation of the Franklin Expedition, which makes Peddie into Francis Crozier’s oldest friend, someone “almost like a brother” to Crozier (no evidence of ANY prior relationship between the two existed, contrary to whatever the Doctor Who Audio Dramas would have you believe!) but Peddie probably earned his place as chief surgeon, however fond we may all be of the beautiful Alex “Macca” MacDonald, who was, in fact, the Assistant Surgeon, historically speaking. It’s hard to find information about Peddie, but someone should go looking! I want to know about this man! 

(If you want to know more about the historical Alexander MacDonald, there’s a short biographical article on him from Arctic that you can read here.)

#8 James Walter Fairholme

The only one of the expedition’s lieutenants who doesn’t really get any characterization in the show, which is a travesty! The historical Fairholme (pronounced “Fairem”) was, as they say, a himbo, and the letters that he wrote home to his father are positively precious. He loved the expedition pets (lots of kisses for Neptune!), and he needed two kayaks because he couldn’t fit into just one with his beefy thighs. Fitzjames loaned him a coat when all the Erebus officers had their portraits taken, and then called him a “smart, agreeable companion, and a well informed man,” and Goodsir singled Fairholme out as “very much interested” in the work of naturalist observations. Just a lovely young man who could have gotten some screen time, you know? 

(Also, as @transblanky​ discovered, four separate members of the Fairholme family gave money to Thomas Blanky’s widow when she was struggling financially in the 1850s, making them, combined, the most generous contributor to her subscription.) 

Middle Tier – Franklin’s Men Who Didn’t Deserve That

#7. William Gibson

Alright, I want to talk about how uniquely horrible the show’s William Gibson is: this is a character willing to lie and accuse his partner of sexual assault that didn’t happen. I get there were extenuating circumstances, but if I were a historical figure who died in some famous disaster and someone depicted me doing something like that? Let’s just say I’m deeply offended on the real Gibson’s behalf. 

What do we know about the historical William Gibson? Not much – but we know a little. Gibson’s younger brother served on an overland exploratory venture across Australia in the 1870s… from which he never returned. (God, the Gibson family had the worst luck?) This description of a conversation that young Alf Gibson had with expedition leader Ernest Giles only days before his death is VERY eerie: 

[Gibson] said, “Oh! I had a brother who died with Franklin at the North Pole, and my father had a deal of trouble to get his pay from government.” He seemed in a very jocular vein this morning, which was not often the case, for he was usually rather sulky, sometimes for days together, and he said, “How is it, that in all these exploring expeditions a lot of people go and die?” 

I said, “I don't know, Gibson, how it is, but there are many dangers in exploring, besides accidents and attacks from the natives, that may at any time cause the death of some of the people engaged in it; but I believe want of judgment, or knowledge, or courage in individuals, often brought about their deaths. Death, however, is a thing that must occur to every one sooner or later.” 

To this he replied, “Well, I shouldn't like to die in this part of the country, anyhow.” In this sentiment I quite agreed with him, and the subject dropped.

(From Giles’s Australia Twice Traversed which you can read here) 

Beyond that, one thing we do know is that William Gibson was probably friends with Henry Peglar – they had served on ships together before, and Gibson may possibly have been the poor fellow found cradling the Peglar Papers, according to researcher Glenn Stein. So we might imagine the historical Gibson as a much kinder man than the show’s depiction of him – this was someone who befriended the clever, playful Peglar we all know and love from the transcriptions of his papers, so full of poetry and linguistic jokes. It’s a shame we didn’t get a chance to meet this real Gibson, who actually knew the Henry Peglar whom we love so well.

#6. Stephen Stanley

Look. There’s that one famous line in James Fitzjames’s letters to the Coninghams about how Stanley went about with his “shirt sleeves tucked up, giving one unpleasant ideas that he would not mind cutting one’s leg off immediately – ‘if not sooner.’” And certainly Harry Goodsir had some mixed opinions of the man, saying was “a would be great man who as I first supposed would not make any effort at work after a time,” and that he “knows nothing whatever about subject & is ignorant enough of all other subjects,” whatever…. that means…. 

But Fitzjames also had some rather nicer things to say about him, that he was “thoroughly good natured and obliging and very attentive to our mess.” Also, the amputation comment? Very likely had a quite positive underlying joke to it – Stanley may not have been much of a naturalist, but he was actually an accomplished anatomist, who won a prize for dissection in 1836, on account of his “bend of the elbow,” which was “a picture of dissection,” according to Henry Lonsdale, who also called Stanley his “facetious friend” and “a fine fellow” (Lonsdale 1870, pg. 159). So, the real Stanley probably was rather droll, but the perpetually cruel Stanley of the show misses some of the real man’s major historical virtues and replaces them with historically unlikely mass-mercy-murder. 

#5. John Irving

Now we’re getting into the territory of characters who did get some good development, but are missing a bit of historical nuance. As I’m sure many of you know, the historical Irving was indeed very religious, but the flashes of anger (i.e. against Manson) we see from Irving in the show don’t seem terribly consistent with the Irving depicted in this memorial volume, where John seems more like a quiet, bookish, mathematically inclined young man, with a self-deprecating sense of humor and a gentle sweetness. It’s really not at all far off from the version of Irving we see with Kooveyook in the show – I just wish we could have seen more of that side of Irving. 

Top Tier – The Triumvirate of Polar Friends

So, these three DO have many good things to recommend them in the show, but because I’ve done such deep research on them, it can be quite jarring to watch certain scenes in which they behave contrary to their historical personalities, and I find myself pausing when watching the show with friends or family to explain that NO, they wouldn’t do that! 

#4. Sir James Clark Ross

First thing – we LOVE Richard Sutton. He did a beautiful job with the material given to him. (This is true of all the actors on the list, frankly, but it’s doubly true here.) But that scene at the Admiralty where Sir James tells Lady Franklin “I have many friends on those ships, as you know,” to shut down her argument for search missions? At that time (aka 1847), historically, Sir James Clark Ross was actively campaigning for search missions, planning routes and volunteering his services in command of any vessel the Admiralty even vaguely contemplated sending out. You could see this real-life desperation in Sir James’s morose attention to his whiskey glass in that scene if you’re really trying, but I think the more historically responsible thing would have been to make vividly clear that James Ross risked life and limb, as soon as he possibly could, to try to rescue Franklin and Crozier and Blanky, men he’d known and cared about and bitterly missed – and, in the case of Crozier, “truly loved.” 

#3. Sir John Franklin

The historical Franklin had plenty of flaws – his contributions to British colonial rule certainly harmed no small number of people, and we should question the way that heroic statues of Franklin are some of the only memorials that serve to honor the lives lost on Franklin’s expeditions – especially considering the steep body count of not only Franklin’s final voyage, but his previous missions in Arctic regions as well. (DM me and I’ll scream at you about counter-monuments! Is this a promise or a threat? Who knows!) With that said, most contemporary accounts agree that Sir John Franklin treated his friends, his family, and those within his social orbit with kindness, and his cruelties were systemic, not personal. In this light, the image of Sir John viciously tearing into Francis Crozier’s vulnerabilities in the show feels very off. Though there was certainly some friction over Crozier’s two proposals to Sophia Cracroft, historically speaking, there’s no evidence at all that Sir John discouraged her from marrying Francis – Sophia may have had many reasons of her own (*clears throat meaningfully in a lesbian sort of way*) for not accepting any of the several marriage proposals offered to her (from Crozier as well as from others), and we ought to keep in mind that she remained unmarried all her life. The notion that the real Sir John would have considered Crozier too low-born or too Irish to be part of the Franklin family isn’t grounded in historical fact.

#2. Lady Jane Franklin

Again disclaimer: the real Lady Franklin left behind a legacy with much to critique. Those who rightfully point out the racism of her treatment of the young indigenous Tasmanian girl Mathinna should be fully heard out. Observations of her own contributions to imperialism are important and valid. Though I tend to see her feud with Dr. John Rae as somewhat understandable – given that Lady Franklin didn’t have the benefit of our hindsight knowing Rae was correct – the levels of prejudice that she enabled and even encouraged in the writing of Charles Dickens when he attempted to discredit Inuit accounts of Franklin’s fate are inarguably deplorable. These things being said, everything noted for Sir John re: Sophia Cracroft goes for Lady Franklin as well – there’s no reason to imagine a scene where Jane would bully Francis Crozier within an inch of his life, seconds after a failed second proposal, when, historically, Lady Franklin felt the situation was so delicate that it required the quiet and compassionate intervention of Sir James Clark Ross, a dearly loved mutual friend to all parties. Tension does not imply aggression; conflict is not abuse. We know this can’t have been an easy experience for the historical Francis Crozier, but the picture is a lot more complicated than what can be shown in one small subplot of a ten-episode television show. Because of this complexity, however, Lady Franklin’s social deftness suffers in the show. (I could also write an entire essay about Jane Franklin’s last shot in the show, at the beginning of Episode 9: The C the C the Open C – TL;DR is that framing is very important, and, at the very last moment, the show reframes Lady Franklin as a mutilated corpse, a speaking mouth without a brain, which is….. a choice.)

And, at number 1, the person done most dirty by The Terror (2018) is….

#1. Charles Frederick “Freddy” Des Voeux 

Look. I’m biased here because I am fed daily information about the historical Freddy Des Voeux from @frederickdesvoeux​ so I’ve become, I think understandably, a bit attached. 

But this is very plainly the clearest cruelty the show does to a historical figure – the historical Des Voeux was a very young man (only around 20 when the ships set sail) known always as “Frederick or Freddy” to his family, and described by all parties as bright and sweet – Fitzjames said that he was “a most unexceptionable, clever, agreeable, light-hearted, obliging young fellow, and a great favourite of Hodgson’s, which is much in his favour besides,” and described him cheerfully helping to catch specimens for Goodsir. Des Voeux is named “dear” by Captain Osborn in Erasmus Henry Brodie’s 1866 poem on the Franklin Expedition (43) and Leo McClintock reported the young man’s well-known “intelligence, gallantry, and zeal” in his 1869 update to his account of the Franklin Expedition’s fate (xlii). None of this is consistent with Des Voeux’s behaviour in the show, especially in the later episodes. 

To reduce Des Voeux to an easily-detested figure, over whose death one might cheer, is not a kindness – the creation of a narrative where his death is satisfying does damage to the memory of a real person, a barely-more-than-teenager who died in the cold of the Arctic and left behind only scraps of a shirt and a spidery signature in the bottom margin of a fragmentary document. 

Television shows may need their villains, but it’s important to remember that real life isn’t like that. Surely the historical Frederick Des Voeux was most likely not a perfect person, and, as an upper class officer contributing to a British imperial project, he does bear some responsibility for the harm done by the Franklin expedition, but it’s not accurate to assume he was any less worthy of sympathy than the other officers who considered him a friend – those men whom we now venerate, like James Fitzjames. So as far as I’m concerned, Freddy Des Voeux deserves at least as much consideration, care, and compassion from us. 

[kaisa-ryo]

Sukuna Ryōmen NSFW Alphabet

Warning: English isn't my native language!

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*

A = Aftercare (What he likes after sex)

Lie on your back with your arms crossed under your head. Most of the time, Sukuna looks up at the ceiling and thinks about something; sometimes he talks to himself, asks himself if he really loves you or pretends to love you. But when you start to cuddle up to him, he looks at your sweet sleeping face and, smiling for some reason, gently squeezes your hand, which rests on his chest, and snuggles up to you.

B = Body part (His favorite body part)

At first you thought he was joking when you said he liked your whole body. But he was not joking. From the outside, he really admires your whole body, because for him you are the most perfect specimen in the world, and he was simply mesmerized by your perfection. Perhaps it will surprise you, but you began to realize your sexual attraction only with him. Before him, you had no idea how good you are. Yes, there were those types who said that your eyes should be mesmerizing and your hair should be long. Or that you must have big lips. Naturally, for a long time you considered your appearance as your biggest flaw. But against the will of fate, as in a typical love story, one possessive brute appeared and made you love yourself. You haven't confessed to him yet that you are grateful to him for teaching him to love yourself. And even if every day he notices some flaws in you, you still don't listen to him, because you know that he still likes your body, it's just that such an egoist has a habit of influencing you and the people around you.

C = Cum (Everything about sperm)

Anywhere, as long as it is your body.

Yes, inside, too, is no less horny, but hell, you seem so spoiled and dirty in his eyes when you are covered in his cum. He will not let you go to the shower right away, because he wants your body to be more saturated with his scent. And he doesn't care that you are indignant, that you are uncomfortable. If he needs it, he will do it.

D = Dirty secret

Public sex.

Sukuna moans at the thought of how he is leaning you as much as possible against the panoramic window so that everyone can see how you wriggle and groan. You feel his tense flesh, watch how he digs more and more into your buttocks, and feel how his penis, increasing in size more and more, pierces your pussy. It seems as if in the whole universe there is nothing but his rhythmic movements inside you. Everything else: people outside the window, cars, barking dogs - nothing compared to this powerful electrical discharge that escapes from your body at that moment.

E = Experience

It was several times before you. Only now, none of them wanted to start a relationship with him. As, in principle, he is. Yes, baby, sex without obligation is still in fashion. You yourself can no longer remember why it was you who decided to take such a brave step - to meet with the curse, and even with their king. Probably because even behind the veil of selfishness and dependence on power, you could see in him one pitiful, but still a drop of humanity. Naturally, Sukuna did not disregard this and even imbued with your enthusiasm. And this splinter is still amazed that you have not left him yet.

F = Favorite position

His most favorite is missionary and doggy style with a squeeze of your wrists over your head. So he can do whatever he wants: change speed, pace, bite, and you cannot stop him or push him away.

G = Goofy (Serious at this moment?)

No.

During the process, he can throw something dirty and humiliating. Can slap, bite or hit. He cannot stand it when it is quiet and only spanking and your moans are heard. He needs to create a whole performance, whatever, just to fill the room with something passionate other than silence.

H = Hair (Is the hair okay?)

Not at all.

The king of curses does not see the need for this at all. If you're uncomfortable with giving a blowjob, he doesn't care. He's not going to waste time making you comfortable. Only throws a short "bear with it." But one day you still managed to persuade him to at least try, smirking him with cute eyes. Then he “limped” for a long time and was angry with you, because it was as if his skin had been ripped off below him, and now everything became sensitive. You laughed at him until everything grew back again, and Sukuna vowed that he would never shave his pubic hair again.

I = Intimacy (Romance)

Oh, he has a problem with that. But don't be in a hurry to despair, he just started to learn!

Most recently, he stopped making a grimace of disgust after kissing you on the cheek or kissing the back of his hand. There were some compromises - now he began to inhale your scent into all his lungs. Then you asked why and why, and received in response what he liked, how you smelled, adding that for all the time that he was on Earth, he had never felt such a unique and intoxicating scent. Not to say that it did not bother you at all, then you really felt a pleasant feeling of goosebumps.

He has no money for gifts, but if you try, he can take you to any place. If you want - to the forest, if you want - to an amusement park, if you want - to a park of culture and rest, if you want - to a museum. In general, such a good guide. Lazy and does not immediately agree, but still a guide.

You push him to all these (however, there is no one else), forcing him to watch dramas, musicals, family comedies, throwing fleeting glances at him when the romantic scene begins. He will cast a second glance at you and guess your goal, sighing in disgust and rolling his eyes.

J = Jack off (masturbation)

It happened a couple of times. That same dirty secret.

To be honest, he didn't react in any way when you caught him doing it in the middle of the day. Unless he just wanted you to "help him." You rolled your eyes and slammed the door, leaving for another room. He grinned maliciously with such a predictable reaction. He was sure that you wanted it, it was just that you didn't have the courage.

K = Kink

If you only knew how languidly he sighs when you give yourself pleasure. Especially if you do it for him. The way you do it turns all his ideas about sex upside down. How you moan when you play with your nipples and stick thin fingers into your hole - it makes his mind melt in an ocean of pleasure. How he fidgets, waiting for your orgasm when you start kissing him. How do you hold his shoulders, snuggling up to him so that he can feel all your hidden virtues. He asks for more and more. And then suddenly he sharply grabs the hair and digs his lips hard into your mouth. He has very strong arms, it seems that even a pinch of effort, and your head will be ripped off. Yes, power and the elements of BDSM are also on his list of favorite things about sex, as are bites or wet sucks.

L = Location (Favorite places to have sex)

To be honest, he has no preference.

If he wants to fuck you on the kitchen table, he will. If he wants to fuck you on the couch, he will. In the laundry, he'll do it. It's no secret for you that he would not mind trying a couple more places and he will never get tired of coming up with new ones.

M = Motivation

He likes it when you suddenly start to dominate or suddenly rub against his cock.

He realizes that he has a competitor and this idea turns him on as hell. Sukuna naturally loves to compete, and you also add fuel to the fire. Naturally, he will not give in, because you are still a pitiful person in comparison with him, and your power must be defended. Therefore, do not be surprised if he begins to act more efficiently than usual in order to assert his own greatness. And Sukuna will try to show you how small and insignificant you are, unlike him.

N = No (Which will not do)

Greed and the desire to completely control the process, of course, is what he aspires to, but when he sees you suppressed and constrained by some thought coming directly from your subconscious, it worries him much more. Such vulnerability literally tears him apart. Under the pressure of circumstances, he turns, in a sense, into an evil, but caring mother. The king of curses first looks at you, as if expecting your gaze on him. Realizing that this is useless, he starts the dialogue first:

— Well, what is different?

Now you didn't want to answer him. I didn't even want to see him. This is not the first time he has shown waywardness. It started to exhaust you in order. The thoughts in your head were dark and your voice sounded cold and indifferent. I thought that it would be better to kiss you or touch you tenderly, but his hands at that moment were too persistent. It infuriated, but it was already impossible to leave. And he did not stop talking to you.

— Sor..m.. - the words from his lips sounded somehow strange. He seemed to have eaten the last syllable.

— What? - you responded.

— Sorrmm...!

— I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.

— Forgive me already, fucked up!

He rolled his eyes after you started either laughing or crying (you laughed and he realized it almost immediately).

O = Oral (Likes to receive or to give)

Receive. Definitely.

What else can you expect from a cursed spirit like him? He will definitely make sure that the blowjob is the longest process in sex for him. Moreover, he will do this persistently: winding your hair around your hand, forcing you to swallow the penis as deeply as possible, so that later as deeply as possible and finish. He doesn't care if you gag, cough or provoke a gag reflex. Sukuna insists that you have to endure, adding "for my sake" with feigned tenderness. You have no choice but to succumb to his pressure. After all, if you do not do this, do not expect that he will please you.

P = Pace

Very lively.

There is hardly a second when you can completely relax. He will hammer into you like a jackhammer, dig his nails into the skin, leaving red streaks on it, and whisper something viciously at the same time. In order to somehow soften these moments, you intensely squint and succumb to his tricks, allowing you to lull your vigilance and give an outlet to the accumulated tension. But you still feel a growing wave of excitement inside you. And Sukuna knows it, as if he reads your thoughts.

Q = Quickie

Immediately starts high. And if because of this you end up quickly, he will require a second round, then a third, and so it will continue until he gets tired of it. Your sex play can last for hours. His "come on, I know that you are already at the limit" will be repeated so often that you will not even be able to think about anything other than orgasm. And he fucking loves it.

R = Risk (Ready to experiment)

Always ready.

You have such compelling requests almost every day. You refuse the majority, because they sound too crazy, but he does not despair and continues to whisper details in your ear, if you nevertheless agreed. And this is, surprisingly, really a working method.

Did the baby suddenly want sex on the roof? Why not!?

On the director's desk? Oh, how can you refuse when you ask him so sweetly, moaning into the phone speaker and squeezing around the air, instead of which there should be yours and only your Sukuna.

S = Stamina

Fuck with him until the morning? Easy! If you are free all weekend, he will definitely find time for you to have fun (if you understand what I mean).

T = Toys

Bad attitude. It's just bad.

— This crap can't take and replace my dick like this! — shouted the King of curses, — Or do you think that she will be better!?

— No, that's not what I mean! — you yelled, — I just suggest you try.

— In that case, I'm against it.

He turned around and left.

You rarely managed to convince him, and this time he was seriously opposed to it. Well, if you want to try them, then you have to do it alone in secret from him.

U = Unfair (Does he like to tease)

It is already difficult to remember at least one sex in which he would not tease you.

Yes! God yes! He knows that you want him at any time of the day or night. Every minute ... He knows all this and feels as if it is a part of him, as if he was destined to constantly touch, squeeze, lick and caress you. Feelings are heightened more if you tell him this directly. For this, he is ready for almost anything. He is ready to give up and just melt between your legs. His skin is so sensitive to your touch that every movement of yours creates desire in him. And an ordinary "dirty slut" excites both of you no less than any other intimate intimacy.

V = Volume (How loud is it)

Loud.

The kisses that descend on your goose bump, lower and lower, turn into a marathon of moans and screams. Whichever of you tries to sound quiet, at times like this it becomes useless. Sometimes you even thought that Sukuna just wanted to shout you down. Such thoughts make you smile involuntarily.

— Why are you smiling? Are these days over?

W = Wild card (Random headcanon)

One neighbor lives next to you. Kind and friendly. Every day, there is a new gift for you - a cake, a cookie, or even a garden gnome. In general, he loves you very much and is constantly interested in when you will marry.

One night you were especially noisy: the bed was reeling back and forth, its back was banging against the wall, and you were screaming with pleasure so that the glass trembled. In general, it is not clear how the house sustained both of you, but you woke up in the morning as if you had slept for a whole month.

You were lying around, unable to even pick up your phone or go to the toilet. And then there was a knock on the door.

You quickly pulled on your panties, threw a robe over your naked body and with small steps ran to open the door. There was a neighbor at the door. It turned out that she had heard the noise from your house all night and decided that they were burglars or worse. The morning head, with difficulty digesting information, finally woke up and at that very second you felt so ashamed that you winced and closed your eyes.

— The guy and I had a fight a little. But it's okay. Rampaging is the norm for him.

She was a little taken aback by this answer.

— Was it me who was on the rampage? — There was a hoarse voice from behind, — Yes, you rode on me like a stallion! Although, to be honest, I liked such a filly...

The neighbor stares at Sukuna, dumbfounded.

You wanted to put it in a blender right now.

X = X-ray (What's under the clothes)

20 cm. During erection ± 2.5

Y = Yearning (How high is the sex drive)

As stated earlier, Sukuna is not good at compliments or gifts. And he himself constantly claims that this is not necessary at all. He acts on the following principle: good for you, good for him, then everything is fine and nothing else is needed. You want something romantic, not depraved. Sometimes he gets bored with his reproaches and requests to spend the evening in bed again. One gets the feeling that he is not capable of anything else.

Sukuna wants to change for you. Listens attentively when you say anything about the human world. What are the customs, countries, traditions, sights. He remembered everything that you said to him and remembers, too, what you tell to this day. He wants to prove that you were not mistaken by discerning humanity in him, towards which no one ever dared even look. She looks at other men, studies gestures and tries to repeat them. Now you do not understand this, but one day you will realize it, and you will love him like you never did before.

± 8/10

Z = Zzz (How quickly falls asleep)

He does not fall asleep and does not sleep. And he goes to his tomb and sits on the throne while thoughts of you visit him. The more he thinks, the more he wants to touch you. Take it and never let it go Any philosopher would say that you are the same as all people. She is as ordinary as millions of others, with her weirdness and naive dreams. Anyone would say, but definitely not him. He doesn't care if you’re ordinary or not, but he wouldn’t date you if he thought the same way. Even if you don’t live a thousand years like him, you’re ready to give you half of your life force, just to die with you.

He doesn't like such thoughts. They don't like the fact that you tied him to yourself, just once you smiled sweetly. He gets angry and screams that he allowed himself to get too carried away by you, and everything around, the whole world is just a pitiful soap bubble, which does not exist even in such a seemingly huge format as your most human soul of all.

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*

[ddarker-dreams]

🎀 scarlet ribbons.

ITS SELF INDULGENT FRIDAY BOIS !! time for scarlet ribbons headcanons that i’ve been working on in between commissions, this is essentially just a reverse harem ...  there’s no yandere here for once, just some vibes... click here for an explanation ! the reader described here is the same in all the scenarios. i’m using she/her pronouns for this reader.

Bruno Bucciarati;

He forms a special kind of attachment to you, seeing as you’ll be the second person to join his team. You won over his compassionate heart, preventing a much crueler fate. As a foreign exchange student, you had taken out a loan with Passione to complete your education. The problem is, the egregious amount of interest being too much for you to pay back on time. Bucciarati had been ordered to collect your debt. Instead of following through with his orders, he used his favor with Polpo to let you pay back your debt by working for Passione under his leadership.

Appreciates the dynamic and resolve you bring to the group. While he tries his best not to show favoritism to any members of his team, you’re someone he always looks out for extra much. Not because he thinks of you incapable, but because his care for you runs deep after knowing you for years. He’s definitely going to catch onto the others holding similar feelings for you though.

Acts a bit different towards you in one on one scenarios, versus when the others are around. He’s more relaxed when it’s only the two of you, speaking of matters not relating to work and checking up on your well being. Bruno realizes he could listen to you for hours, enjoying your unique perspective. He also finds your foreign accent endearing, and has mentioned it to see how you blush at the compliment.

Super sweet with you, always has looked out for your best interest. He’s your go to when you feel stressed about your situation, providing the support you need, since he’s the only person aware of your circumstances. Bruno is reassuring, helping you in the moments the debt to the organization feels impossible to overcome. He’s offered to help pay for part of it, but you always refuse, feeling grateful enough to him as is. It pains him to see you hurting, but he does anything he can to make you feel better. Always pays for your meals though, no matter how much you raise a fuss about it. 

Giorno Giovanna;

There’s a certain warmth in you that he wasn’t sure what to think of at first. Giorno is an astute individual, making observations from afar, watching you joking and smiling with the rest of the team. He eventually comes to the conclusion that your presence fills his stomach with butterflies, seeing your more lighthearted approach to life. There’s something intoxicating about it, and he’ll jump for any opportunity to spend time with you much to the annoyance of everyone else, they already had enough competition wtf.

He’s a coy little shit at times. Giorno sees how the others look at you, especially how obvious Narancia and Mista are. When they get defensive over how much Giorno is talking to you, he’ll just flash a faux innocent smile and ask what the problem with it is. It’s more effective on Narancia, who just ends up sputtering before slinking away in defeat. Mista can kinda deflect the accusation better, though there’s still a blush on his face. Giorno knows what he’s doing lmaoo

It infuriates Abbacchio how obvious he is with you, like, the audacity of this man. Just swinging into Bucciarati’s team, trying to woo you away. Giorno is always asking for your opinion on how to proceed with certain things, even if his mind has already been made up. Anything just to talk to you. Most likely going to receive Abbacchio’s scorn the most for this, especially since Giorno will lean closer to you when you’re answering his questions. Giorno is just going :) , meanwhile Narancia is furiously taking notes. (”Okay, so if I ask [First] about this, I have an excuse to get closer to her...!)

He did strongly in school, maybe not as well as Fugo but is definitely academically gifted. So that means when he enters the picture, Fugo has some Competition for the English speaking buddy role. Giorno can understand most simple phrases and is capable of following the conversation, occasionally interjecting when he feels confident enough. Fugo might try and make his conversations with you more complicated because of this, since he’s petty and wants all your attention. You’re meant to be his English speaking buddy >:( !!

To be honest, Giorno’s not really sure what he’s doing, despite the suave impression he gives. Giorno has charisma, sure, but this is all very new to him. He’s still learning as he goes, and pays very close attention to how everyone else interacts with you. Anything to see your preferences, so he can use it to his advantage later. Has a large mental file on you, that comes in handy. He isn’t so much flirty, but more seeking out your company and thoughts on things.

Guido Mista;

Poor Mista almost friendzones himself in a way... he doesn’t mean to, but he wants to warm up to you in his own way!! And that way is through joking around and a lot of “friendly” banter. The friendly banter is more like thinly veiled flirting. He tries so hard to act cool and mysterious around you, like a Clint Eastwood character. Ends up being super goofy, though it works in his favor since he gets to see your cute smile!!! Victory!! 

Mista has no shame. He’ll show up outside your apartment, food in hand, saying he wants to come over and hang. He even lets you pick the movie if that’s what you want to do!! A true honor, since Mista is willing to sit through stuff he wouldn’t normally be interested in all for the sake of winning you over. <33 

Probably tied with Narancia for the most Unfortunate Mishaps to occur when attempting to woo you. Some favorites include, but are not limited to: when he tried giving you flowers but they kept making him sneeze, that time he was leaning against your door frame and fell over, and basically anything that happens when the Pistols come out. They wanna be his lil wing men, but they keep screwing him over... :< 

“[First]!! [First]!! We’re bored, come hang out with us instead!!!!” You’ll end up with a flurry of Pistols swirling around you very often, putting Mista’s affection for you on full display. It irritates Fugo the most, he almost wants to smack them away like they’re flies lmao. They might start sweatin’ when they see Fugo’s eyebrow twitch, the Stand often interrupting your conversations with the blonde. Mista tests his patience for sure. 

Pannacotta Fugo;

A bit of a typical tsun towards you at first. He’s all acting high and mighty, huffing about the newest member of the team not being as bright as him. In reality he just thinks you’re vvv cute, and doesn’t know how to process it. You greet him and his brain just kinda short circuits, and he gives a standoffish insult before running off to hide his blush. Bruno would find it endearing if not for his feelings for you lmao.

How he gets over this initial stump at the start of your relationship is by acting like you need his help. Especially if you stumble over any Italian words, namely Naples lingo being more difficult to master. He takes it upon himself to help you out... in reality he just really wants to spend more time with you. Also, seeing you stumble over words is precious, he tries not to tease you about it though. Does occasionally...

You end up being roommate at the start!!! To save money, but it’s whatever, who cares about the practical reasoning behind it. What matters is that he gets to spend even more time with you than the others. The problem is that Narancia and Mista make a point to come by often, which he finds to be very irritating. They even crash at your shared apartment at times, but because of how messy they are, don’t get an invitation to live permanently. Fugo is smug about how you picked him due to his cleanliness >:)c

English speaking buddies !! He might not be fluent in it, but he’s better at it than everyone else. Also a lot more capable of learning it, just for the sake of impressing you. Gets this very pleased look on his face when you two speak in simple English, Narancia staring over, pouting for being left out. It’s like a special connection or something, not that Fugo would ever admit to saying that to you. He’s flexing his academic muscles. 

Narancia Ghirgha;

Anyone could look over at Narancia and see his huge heart eyes for you. You like the same foreign music as him!! You can speak another language!! He wants to learn English from you, and keeps asking. Sometimes butchers the pronunciation but god it’s so cute who cares. Teach Narancia one phrase and he’s gonna be saying it nonstop for the rest of the week. Fugo, the only other member to understand English on a decent level until GioGio, is gonna be miserable whenever this happens. That’s his thing with you! Why can’t Narancia get something else, smh ...

If you recommend him a song he will not stop listening to it. Also expect a lot of discussions about different artists, mostly hip hop ones when Narancia is leading the conversation. He thinks it’s so cool you understand what they’re saying!! Is gonna ask you to translate them a lot. He kinda just stares at you, mouth agape when you’re singing along, like woah!! His crush is so talented. 

His most treasured moments with you, is when you recommend one another music, and share headphones. Sometimes you just bob your head to the rhythm, or sing along. Whatever the case, he gets to be close to you, and his brain is practically turning to mush at the fact your thighs are touching. 

Fugo did him dirty once in the past. Before Narancia realized he had Competition for your affections, he went to Fugo, asking how to compliment you in English. He should’ve known by how Fugo was staring at him with the most malicious smirk that he made a mistake. The next day, when meeting up at Libeccio, he came up to you. Chest puffed out, proud after a night of practicing his phrase. Then proceeded to say to you in English, “I am a fucking idiot!!!!” looking all smiley and excited. Needless to say, you almost spit out your food and laughed about it for a long time. Narancia has been planning his revenge on Fugo ever since...

Narancia follows you around like a lost puppy at times, but he’s a lot of fun to hang out around!! He’ll buy you gelato, and even lets you have a bite of his food if you ask. No one else has this special privilege. There is a time you offered to let him try a sip of your drink, and he almost melted. All his brain could think of is, indirect kiss, indirect kiss!!!! One of the best moments of his life tbh. 

Leone Abbacchio;

Abbacchio put a lot of effort into distancing himself from you. Why do you smile so much?? It makes him uncomfortable being around you, someone who is basically sunshine stuffed into a human body. It reminds him of all his shortcomings, which he feels he has no shortage of. But when you make the initially irritating decision to keep speaking to him, only giving space when you felt he really needed it, it won over his little grinch heart. 

He’s been wrapped around your finger ever since. Unlike the other bumbling buffoons who are tripping over themselves to get an ounce of your attention, he plays it cool. More of a Bucciarati approach to things. Asking about your interests, letting you do most of the talking so he has no chance to embarrass himself (like *cough* Narancia *cough*).

Next to Fugo, is most likely to call other members out on their nonsense. He wouldn’t dare do so for Bruno, but everyone else is fair game. The main victim to this treatment is Giorno. Abbacchio might even offer some “advice” to him, giving false information all under the guise of assisting Giorno’s pursuit of you. He takes a more hands off approach on everyone else. 

He doesn’t want to invite you over to his place because of how dreary it is, so he has to find other ways to get one on one time with you. This mostly happens by talking about things no one else finds of interest to you, namely makeup or other fashion things. 

You are the only person who gets to call him any nicknames, the one you lean towards typically being Abba. Narancia once made a mistake of calling him this, only to earn a very threatening glare. When you do it though, he has to push down the urge to smile. How cute!! 

Trish Una;

Gay rights time . Trish looks at you and immediately thinks wow, perfect girlfriend material right there. Still acts a bit reserved at first, considering her complex situation and how she’s still piecing it all together in her heard. Since you’re the only other girl on the team, she gets the benefit of Bucciarati assigning you to be extra close to her. All according to plan heheh >:) 

When she flirts, she goes all in. Asking about what kind of perfume you wear, your favorite shade of lipstick, what kind of outfits you like the most. All of it is under the pretense of getting to know you better, and while she does enjoy that aspect of it, she might start adopting some of the things you find appealing. She is 100% gonna ask to borrow your shirts and makeup, and extends the same offer to you. 

Trish is far more playful with you than the others, who all just kinda stare at the interactions like ??? When you were her bodyguard, she always subconsciously went to sit down next to you. No one else on the team can say anything, since she’s the boss’ daughter after all !! She considered you more of a distraction from her anxiety inducing situation at first, seeing as you had shared interests to speak about. Over time, your doting nature over her won out. 

Would be pissed if you ever got hurt trying to defend her. You might joke around about how you’re her bodyguard, not the other way around. Trish just can’t bear the thought of losing someone important to her, after all she’s already lost. 

Her phone background is a selfie the two of you took, even after she eventually distances herself from Passione to advance her singing career. Expect lots of texts messages, checking up on how you’re doing!! Trish unfortunately has a busy schedule, that requires a lot of traveling for her concerts and other bookings. Though anytime she is near Naples, she’s messaging you and asking to meet up. <33 

[bluejayblueskies]

agony quiets to pain

Words: 2.1k Relationship: Jonathan Sims/Gerry Keay Tags: AU - Pre-Canon, AU - Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Tenderness, Burns Warnings: burns, aftermath of hospitalization, implied abuse/neglect, self-depreciation

Ao3 link in source!

.

Gerry aches. Which is a step up from total agony at least, but still, not pleasant. And then of course there’s the bandages, still covering nearly every inch of his body and hiding the mess that lies beneath.

 (Permanent scarring, the doctor had said with a plastered-on expression of sympathy. We’re very sorry. There’s nothing we can do.)

 It’s fine. He’ll be fine. He always is, isn’t he?

 And to top it all off, he’s lost the book—the Leitner he’d been sent to fetch. He fully expects to step out of the hospital doors to see cool blue eyes staring back at him, hard with disappointment despite the benign expression on her face and accompanied by a casual, “Let’s go home now, Gerard,” that he would recognize for the threat it is. 

 Instead, he sees a man, thin and tired-looking, sat atop the short wall outside the hospital doors with a lit cigarette held between two fingers and a scarf wrapped tightly around his neck to chase away the late December chill. And Gerry realizes that the nurse never said exactly who he was being released to. The relief that overcomes him is dizzying, and he barely registers the nurse handing him his discharge papers before disappearing back into the hospital.

 “Jon?” Gerry says, his voice cracking a bit around the words (though he tells himself it’s just from the lingering effects of the book, filling his lungs with smoke).

Jon looks up. When his eyes land on Gerry, he quickly snubs his cigarette out on the wall next to him, stands, and takes quick steps toward Gerry. He looks, for a moment, like he’s going to wrap Gerry in a hug before thinking better of it and simply fluttering his hands aimlessly in the air for a moment before dropping them back to his sides. Gerry’s disappointed and grateful in equal measure; given that his skin is still raw and sensitive, he doesn’t think a hug would feel pleasant. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t ache for one anyway.

 “Are you okay?” Jon says, then shakes his head before the words have even finished leaving his mouth. “Right, no, of- of course you’re not. What I mean is.” Jon pauses, as if considering, before saying softly, “Are you all right?”

 It’s the same question, technically. But Gerry knows it’s not. And so he decides to answer honestly. 

 “Not really.” Gerry rubs his left thumb over one of the tattoos on his right knuckles, the motion a habit born of nerves and anxieties. The skin there is smooth and unblemished. Funny, that. “All this, and I didn’t even get the book.”

 “Oh,” Jon says quietly. There’s a sadness there that Gerry doesn’t want to look too closely at. Mostly because it’ll look too much like pity, and he doesn’t think he can handle that right now.

 A sharp wind cuts through Gerry’s clothes, making him shiver and then wince as the sensation sends pain skittering across his skin. The unhappy expression on Jon’s face is erased in an instant, replaced by concern and determination. “Here, let’s- let’s go home, and we can figure everything else out after that. Okay?”

 Figure it out. As if Mary Keay could be placated so easily. Still, Gerry nods, and he follows Jon to his car, twinges of agony pulsing up his legs with each step that he tries to hide. Given Jon’s grim expression as he helps Gerry into the car the best he can without touching Gerry’s skin too much, he doesn’t quite succeed.

 The car used to be Jon’s grandmother’s, out of style by a decade or so with roll-up windows and a lingering cigarette smell that no amount of air fresheners seem to eliminate. Gerry leans his head back against the seat and breathes it in. It’s not something you’d bottle up and sell as perfume, but compared to the sterile antiseptic smell of A&E, it’s heavenly. Jon starts the car, looks over at Gerry once like he’s making sure he’s still there, and begins to drive. His hands shake ever so slightly on the steering wheel. Gerry pretends not to notice.

 Gerry isn’t surprised when Jon takes them to his flat. Of course he isn’t, Jon’s the one who picked him up, so logically they’d go back to his place. Still, Gerry can’t help the rush of dizzying relief that sweeps through him when they arrive, like he’d still expected to be faced with rusty red brick and a weathered wooden sign that seemed to laugh at him with every creak of its hinges. 

 “Thank you,” Gerry says. He doesn’t bother to hide the way the tightness in his throat chokes off the words.

 Jon’s quiet for a moment. Gerry can almost hear it—echoes of a conversation oft-repeated, useless and fantastical and irritating only because Gerry knows that Jon is right. I wish you wouldn’t go back, Jon would say. And Gerry would say, I know. And sometimes it would continue, if Jon were feeling particularly incensed at the moment. Sometimes it wouldn’t. Gerry almost hates that more, if only because of the expression that would come across Jon’s face, something profoundly sad and weary and, underneath it all, hurt.

 It’s almost enough to convince him.

 Almost.

 “Yeah,” Jon says, his hands tightening on the wheel for a moment before going slack. He removes the key and fiddles with it absently. “You know I…” Jon trails off, worries his bottom lip between his teeth, then says abruptly, “Well. No use just sitting here, I suppose.”

 It’s clipped, a bit brusque. Rude, if Gerry didn’t know better. But he does, and so his mouth settles into a small smile as he follows Jon into his flat, despite the burning, chafing sensation on his skin as his bandages shift as he walks.

 God, he feels like shit.

 As soon as they’re inside, Jon insists that Gerry sits on the couch, and Gerry goes without complaint, his aching body screaming in relief as he sinks down onto the cushions and finally takes weight off the soles of his feet, which did not come out of the experience unscathed. There’s clattering from the kitchen, a few muttered curses, and before too long Jon’s in front of him with a glass of water with a straw in it and a bowl of what looks like hastily reheated curry. He hesitates a moment before saying, “Can you… hold things?”

 Gerry flexes his fingers experimentally. His hands got the best of it, given the myriad of tattoos across the joints of his fingers. Still, the entirety of his palm and the pads of his fingers are red and inflamed, and though they’re no longer bandaged, the needles of pain that shoot through him at the motion draw a small gasp from his lips despite his best efforts to keep it contained. Jon’s forehead sets into a firm line at that, like he’s considering something, before nodding once. “Right.”

 He sets the dishes on the floor, disappears back into the kitchen for a moment, and reemerges carrying one of the wooden chairs from his kitchen table. He looks a bit winded when he sets it down in front of Gerry, which might be amusing in any other circumstance, but Gerry’s too busy wondering what the hell he’s doing.

 Then, Jon retrieves the dishes, sits in the chair, and holds the glass of water in front of him stiffly. And Gerry realizes, all at once, what’s happening.

 “Is this where I’m supposed to say ‘ah’?” Gerry says, because joking about it is preferable to protesting or staring at Jon in shock or—god forbid—getting flustered. 

 Jon seems to appreciate it because the tension in his arms dissipates ever so slightly, and he says primly, “If you’d prefer. Though I really don’t see how that will aid in the process.”

 “Prick,” Gerry says, not without fondness. And it’s only a little awkward when he leans forward and, while Jon holds the glass, drinks. He hadn’t realized how thirsty he was until that moment, and he should probably be a bit embarrassed by how quickly he empties the glass, but he can’t quite bring himself to care when he sees the little pleased expression on Jon’s face. The affection that accompanies it, however slight, is enough to squeeze at Gerry’s chest until he finds it hard to breathe, and he clears his throat slightly to relieve the pressure.

 The curry comes next, and it’s significantly more awkward to have Jon spoon-feeding him chicken and red bell peppers with careful precision so as to avoid any spillage. But Jon talks during it, which helps. It’s mundane things, like the case Jon’s currently working on at the Institute and what he had for lunch that day and the grocery list he’s compiling for the weekend. He transitions after a bit into a discussion of a documentary he watched recently about the origins of humanity, and Gerry gets to sit back and listen to Jon grow increasingly more passionate about bonobos and homo erectus and the unique structure of Neanderthal bones. 

 It’s nice, to learn about things like this. To learn from Jon. He spent his childhood chasing after cursed books, his mother giving him half-hearted studies in between that she deemed sufficient enough to be considered homeschooling. He’s just lucky he knows basic maths, honestly. But he knows a lot about books. Even if they’re mostly just the spooky kind.

 So Jon talks, and Gerry listens. And he tries so very hard not to label the warm feeling in his chest as love, but, well. It’s hard not to fall in love with Jonathan Sims. And he doesn’t particularly want to try to stop it.

 Soon the bowl is empty, and Jon holds it awkwardly against his chest for a moment before setting it aside on the floor. He’d stopped in the middle of a discussion about Stone Age tools, and Gerry wants so badly to ask him to continue. But there’s a weariness in him now, the food and water having chased away the gnawing hunger in his stomach and the dryness of his throat and leaving behind only bone-deep exhaustion. 

 So he doesn’t say anything. Eventually, Jon breaks the silence between them, his words stuttering and jagged, like he hasn’t quite figured out how to smooth them into shape. “I. I don’t really know. Uh. What else can I- can I do? To help. To make things easier.” He pauses, his fingers tapping a nervous rhythm on his thigh, before looking at Gerry with a fragile expression and saying, “I’m sorry, Gerry. I- I should have been there. I shouldn’t have let you go alone.”

 “No,” Gerry says firmly. The thought of Jon being like him—wrapped up like a mummy, all agony and raw skin and cracked lines across his body that promise to leave him blotchy and scarred forever—makes him nauseous. Better that it’s him. He can handle it. He always has before. “It’s not your fault. And I don’t want you to blame yourself, okay? I know how you get, so don’t. There’s nothing you could have done.”

 Gerry can see the protest written all over Jon’s face, in the way he purses his lips and fixes his eyes firmly at a spot over Gerry’s shoulder. But all Jon says is, “That doesn’t make it better. So please—tell me what I can do.”

 There’s a kind of desperation in Jon’s eyes at that, a need to categorize a problem and find the best course of action in order to resolve it. His hands are curled into fists on his lap; Gerry wants so badly to take them in his own, to uncurl Jon’s fingers and thread them with his and squeeze until all the tension’s bled out of Jon’s body. Instead, he says, voice heavy with exhaustion, “I think I’d just like to go to bed. It’s been a long few days.”

 Jon lets out a small, humorless laugh at that. “I suppose it has.”

 Gerry doesn’t protest when Jon offers him his bed, just offers quiet thanks before making his way relatively painlessly to the bedroom. He considers trying to remove his clothes, then thinks better of it and gingerly climbs onto the bed with them still on. 

It’s uncomfortable in every way possible. Gerry falls asleep all the same, the soft sleep well Jon had given him before disappearing back into the living room lingering in his mind until he drifts off into a restless slumber, his dreams filled with burning flesh and a fear he doesn’t think he’ll ever quite shake.