#okay small rant incoming but

[whimsicalcotton]

thinking about rachel&kate some more

[breach-of-conduct]

i keep seeing people saying jrwi is bad? Which i dont get? I cant tell if ive just missed something though

[sableeira]

adding to that: Asagiri tweeted in January 2022 that he already finished plotting the Decay of Angels saga. He wouldn’t gatekeep that information from bones.

I don't get the stress over the anime overtaking the manga for the final episode in the sense that it would be an "anime original ending", they're not animating the episodes a week ahead, these have been done for months, the script and manga panels have been in their hands this entire time, Asagiri is sitting at the table with them, it WILL be going according to the story Asagiri wrote. We're literally all in this together.

[zumek0]

draft 05; fushiguro, m.

↪︎ angst but very mild?, comfort, college/university au, no curses au, reader is very stressed.

↝ summary: megumi comforts you after you break down due to academic stress.

There’s a feeling of pressure on your chest, and a growing pit of despair in your stomach. You fucked up. Big time. Your teacher had given you a topic to make a presentation about a month ago and yet here you were, a week before your due date, not even having a clue of what the hell the topic was. As you stare into the google calendar tab open in your laptop you realize that not only were you supposed to present the topic in a week, but also turn in two different group assignments and an individual one. On the same day.

Almost mechanically you pick up your phone and open the messenger app. 

Megumi’s always been more of a night owl. His body is used to staying awake until sunlight threatens to spill over the horizon. He knows it’s not healthy but even if he tries to sleep at a normal, decent hour his mind remains restless. So he does what he’s able to: assignments, projects, pre-reading for lectures, reading books he enjoys or has been wanting to read, listen to music, make playlists with songs that fit the vibe of a very specific picture of you he has in his gallery, watch a movie, etc. 

It’s 11:56 p.m. when his phone starts vibrating over and over again. He can’t help the feeling of irritation that bubbles up inside him, thinking that Yuuji or Nobara are spamming the group chat with TikTok slideshows of “ask your friends which ‘blank’ are you!”. Although the feeling is immediately replaced with worry and slight curiosity when he sees it’s you who has been spamming him for three minutes straight.

His eyebrows furrow when he notices you’re texting with correct spelling, no emojis, no jokes in the middle of the conversation and capitalizing the first letter of every text. He reads over the messages you’ve sent so far to grasp an understanding of the situation. When he gets to the bottom of the chat, he gets up and grabs his shoes and keys while still paying attention to the still incoming messages you’re sending him.

You’re startled when you hear a soft knock at your door, stilling your fingers from expertly moving across the keyboard on your phone. Your eyes remain on the door while you wait for the sound to repeat itself, just in case you misheard or imagined it. Your phone vibrates softly on your hands, displaying a text from Megumi: “open the door”. You get up and do as he ordered. 

Once he’s inside your small campus room, he speaks. “Okay, now tell me everything slowly.” You do.

“… oh, did I also mention that I have two midterms that same week? And that quiz that we were supposed to present last week but the teacher changed last minute.” You can feel the headache creeping up your spine. You bring your hands to your head and rub your temples.

“And I know what you’re gonna say: ‘complaining about it isn’t gonna help you at all’” you make your voice sound deeper and more monotone to make it sound like his, “It’s just- It’s really frustrating. I don’t know why I can’t seem to just sit down and do things, like you do!”. 

He doesn’t say anything and you’re thankful for that. “It’s like—I know I have stuff to do, and I know it’s very important that I do it right. But I just can’t seem to ever find the motivation to do it. And then I’m left in spots like this one where I’m gonna have to pull a miracle out of my ass to actually turn in everything I have to turn in this week.” He listens to your rant patiently. Even rubbing your thigh when he notices your eyes crystallizing and tears starting to well up in the corners of your eyes.

After sitting in silence for what feels like hours, he finally speaks. “Do you want reassurance or a solution?” “Both. More reassurance though.” You both move to make yourselves more comfortable. 

He’s sitting down in the floor with his back against the side of your mattress. One of his legs is bent and the other is stretched. Your head is now resting on his outstretched thigh. His long fingers find themselves running through your hair, an action that you commonly direct towards him whenever he finds himself unable to fall asleep while sleeping over in your room.

“I think you’re gonna make it out of this.” His voice Is soft, but assertive. “And yes, you have some awful time-management skills that we need to work on,” a snort leaves your nose “However last time you were able to give that other presentation while only having studied two days prior. If you try hard enough, everything will be okay. We’ll be okay. I’m gonna help you.”

You’re pretty sure the tears are running down your face at this point. You sniff tour nose. “Thank you.” Megumi leans down and gives your forehead a kiss. “But now, we need to get some rest. We both have early clases tomorrow. Well, today, technically.”

You get up from your position and make it to your bed. He’s hugging you while your head is on top of his chest. From this position you’re able to hear his heartbeat slowly lulling you to sleep.

can you tell i’m proyecting with this one? i literally wrote it at midnight. stress is eating me alive, so please excuse me if this seems like a self insert. i know people who are currently dealing with a lot in uni, so i hope this can help you if you’re going through the same.

—han

[pearlesscentt]

of cool guys and part-time jobs

mark x reader, college!au, fluff, 752 words

having a job at a small bookstore was relatively stress-free compared to other part-time jobs you’d had in the past. this particular day was slow; you spent most of your time taking care of incoming shipments and doing inventory, with only a handful of customers coming in occasionally.

you loved days like this because they allowed you to put on some music and just do your thing. as if today couldn't get any more perfect, you and mark were able to squeeze in a lunch date.

mark worked at a café a few blocks away. on lucky days when they weren’t short-staffed, he visited and brought sandwiches and drinks for both of you to share—like today.

currently, you were munching on a caesar salad sub while listening to him rant about a regular who rotated between five different coffee orders and somehow expected them to know which one he was in the mood for during each visit.

“babe, we get hundreds of customers daily! does he think he’s special? why can’t he just—” something caught his eye. “wait, are those minions?”

“huh?” your eyes darted in the direction he was looking. you raised your eyebrows at him, confused about why he’d be distracted by minions.

he stood up, making a beeline toward the area where blind box toys and figures were kept. “oh, they’re not minions,” he said, leaning down to see the display closer. “what are these guys?”

they were smiskis. you walked over to his spot where he continued staring at them. “i can’t believe you cut your story short because of these,” you said, giggling.

“what are they? are they like shortcake?” he reached for one to examine the box closer. “like sonny angels but a different edition? they have similar packaging.”

“they’re smiskis.”

“smith-skis?”

“smiski,” you repeated, dragging the letters for emphasis. “i guess they’re kinda like sonny angels ‘cause they come in blind boxes too.”

“cool, cool, cool.”

“wanna know something cooler?” you asked. he nodded in response, still drawn to the bright yellow boxes. “they glow in the dark.”

“what? really?” his eyes were wide with excitement as if you’d just told him the best news of his life.

“cool, right?” you smiled at his reaction, then started walking back to the desk where you were having lunch.

he jogged to catch up with you. “babe, should we get one? let’s throw shortcake out and swap it with a cool guy.”

“shortcake is a him, not an it."

“can he glow in the dark?”

“he can’t, but so what? he’s cute!” you argued. “you can’t glow in the dark. should i throw you out too?”

“i was joking!” he chuckled, raising his hands in defense. when he saw you trying not to smile while playfully rolling your eyes, he pulled you by the waist and nuzzled his head on the crook of your neck. “baby, don’t throw me out. i’ll be good so you can keep me forever,” he whined.

giggling, you pushed him away playfully. “speaking of throwing you out,” you paused to point at the clock hanging on the wall, “your manager probably will if you don’t leave now.”

“oh shit,” he muttered. “i’ll see you later, okay?” he gave you a quick kiss on the lips before gathering his things as fast as he could and making a run for it.

you watched him with a smile as he disappeared from view. after making sure he was gone, you walked back to the smiski display and picked up the box mark was holding earlier.

“shortcake, let’s get you a new friend.”

after your shift at the bookstore, you headed straight to the café where mark worked; he only had fifteen minutes left, so it wasn’t that long of a wait. when he walked through the back door, you immediately held out a small paper bag for him.

“ta-da!”

he quickly made his way to give you a hug. “gift?” he asked when you pulled away to put it in his hands.

“open it, open it!”

when he did, he saw a familiar box. “no way! wait, no, don’t do this to me. dude, no way, you got me a cool guy!”

“yes way, i did!” you laughed. it was like watching a kid on christmas day, his eyes sparkling with excitement and a smile so contagious that it made your cheeks hurt.

“i think i’m gonna cry. i really wanted to get one earlier,” he chuckled, wrapping his arms around you again. “thank you, baby.”

click here for more of mark and shortcake! 🍓

nct masterlist | navigation ── reblogs and feedbacks are highly appreciated !

© 2024 PEARLESSCENTT. please do not steal my works.

[bemusedlybespectacled]

Question: I enjoyed s1 OF OFMD, but for various reasons I never actually got around to watching s2 (pick up most of the plot from tumblr tho). What exactly went wrong in s2 that got so many people upset?

Oh, boy. Very long rant incoming.

So, for context, S2 had a significantly smaller budget, which necessitated moving the filming location to union-unfriendly New Zealand, reducing the number of actors/number of appearances of established actors, and cutting down the number of episodes from 10 to 8. In a show where each episode is only about half an hour long, that last one alone was enough to seriously hamper any character development or plot. I am very comfortable putting the vast majority of the blame on HBO because of these financial decisions.

The short version is that Jenkins et. al. needed to address and build on the problems left hanging in S1 while also getting the characters to the end of their character trajectories in case there was no S3 while also leaving room for additional episodes in case there was a S3, in a grand total of four hours, and failed.

The long version is that there were a bunch of what I'd consider small problems in isolation that came together and exploded in the S2 finale.

The reduced cast necessitated breaking up the crew (ex: having Swede marry Jackie and stay on land with her, so they don't need to pay Nat Faxon for all eight episodes) and not spending as much time on their relationships as S1 did.

The reduced time meant that the entire season was rushed (in contrast to S1, which takes place over at least several weeks if not months, most of S2 takes place in roughly five days), leading both to a lot of telling rather than showing (because they don't have time to show you), including vital character and relationship development.

This includes:

Having the Kraken half of the crew beat Ed to death after months of being abused by him – abuse that is clearly shown to have given them PTSD and a well-justified fear and hatred of him – only for them to be okay with him two in-universe days later;

On that note, having Stede dismiss the crew's concerns about Ed because he loves him and also we only have three more episodes left to fit in everything so we need to get over it really fast, even though Stede is supposed to be well-meaning and caring (even if he's not good at it all the time);

Resolving the issue of Stede abandoning Ed in one day, then having them "go slowly" in their relationship for two days and then have some spur-of-the-moment sex, and then the next afternoon have them break up over their diverging career aspirations, and then the day after that resolve that problem and retire on land while the rest of the crew sails off into the sunset;

Stede becoming a fantastic pirate captain over the course of one day, becoming wildly popular in the piracy world two days later, and then deciding the day after that to never be a captain again because he is retiring with Ed;

Having Ed and Stede decide to retire together as what is implied to be the end point of their relationship arc, when none of Stede's issues from S1, like his poor self-esteem, have been so much as mentioned by anyone, implying that he's either magically gotten over them or they don't matter all that much, actually, even though they were the catalyst for basically everything he did in S1;

Ed having two separate character crises – "I am an unlovable person" and "I want to do something with my life other than piracy" – not spending a lot of time on either one, having moments that clearly indicate he is still working on both problems and they have not been resolved, and then apparently having them both be resolved in the final episode despite nothing occurring to actually make that happen, and in regards to the latter, despite the story actively undermining it by repeatedly showing he can't do anything other than piracy;

Related to the above, Ed ending the series as allegedly being loved by the crew as a family (thus solving Crisis #1) despite this never actually being shown, demonstrated, or even fucking alluded to onscreen. If anything, it shows the exact opposite.

This last point is especially galling to me because of what is probably the most divisive issue in the fandom right now: killing off Izzy Hands after giving him seven episodes of character development.

The show begins with the Kraken crew clearly trying to use the skills they learned as part of Stede's crew to cope with their incredibly shitty situation and care for each other, which includes Izzy. Izzy, on his end, tries to protect the crew and speak up for them, which results in him being repeatedly hurt (both implicitly, as Ed at one point says "that's another toe" in response to Izzy advocating for the crew and we later see he's missing more than one toe already, and explicitly, as Ed shoots him in the fucking leg in front of the crew when he stands up for them).

This camaraderie is shown again and again and again. Frenchie, Jim, and Archie take care of Izzy while his leg is infected, at risk to their own lives. Izzy's misery over losing his leg is what unites the PTSD-ridden Kraken crew and the well-meaning-but-ignorant-of-PTSD marooned crew, who are initially at odds, to make him a new prosthetic leg. Izzy gives Lucius advice about forgiving Ed. Izzy is introduced to drag and opens up enough to sing at a crew party, and the whole crew is having fun together while Ed and Stede are in their cabin having sex for the first time. Izzy gives Stede pirate captain lessons and bonds with him when Ed leaves him. Izzy provokes the season's villain into focusing on him and then gives a big speech about how piracy is about belonging to something, giving the rest of the crew time to try to escape.

Recall that Season 1 had some pretty well-established universe rules, one of which was that it runs on Muppet physics/magical realism. People can jump off yardarms, hit the side on the way down, and be perfectly fine. People can get stabbed in the liver and it's totally okay because it's probably not that important, and even can stay pinned to a mast all night that way with only mild discomfort. Buttons can talk to birds and see long distances without a spyglass and put hexes on people. Good people can be hurt (Stede is stabbed repeatedly), bad people can die (the Badmintons, Geraldo), but no one we care about is ever killed.

This is repeated in Season 2: Ed is beaten into a coma with a cannonball and wakes up like Sleeping Beauty after a spirit journey, with no injuries to his face or body. Buttons turns into a seagull after spending an episode doing a magic ritual and is never seen again (because they couldn't keep paying Ewen Bremner due to the budget cuts). Jackie microdoses her husbands with poison to build up their immunity, so that she can later pull a Dread Pirate Westley and poison the British with shared drinks.

So: in the finale, the villain of the season is taken hostage by the pirates (for reasons? unclear how that fits in the plan), happens to have a gun on him (no one checked??), shoots Izzy on the right side and then leaves with no repercussions. The entire crew stands around silently doing nothing while Ed cries over Izzy and tells him that he's his only family.

And Izzy fucking Hands, the guy who just spent eight episodes bonding with and protecting everyone, uses his last words to reassure Ed that him becoming Blackbeard/the Kraken was Izzy's fault and that the crew is Ed's family and they all love him. No one else says anything to Izzy or tries to comfort him or help him in any way.

I repeat: in a show predicated on the idea that bullies and bigots die stupid deaths while queer people and POC are basically magic, a show that was praised for being kind to queer people by not making them worry about their faves suffering or dying, a show founded on the strength of the relationships between the characters, the guy who went through a season-long arc of learning to embrace his pirate found family and his own queerness is shot for stupid reasons on the side we're told isn't important and dies while everyone just stands there. His last words are about the whole crew loving Ed when the only person that the whole crew has loved all season is him.

Anyway, never mind all that, let's cut to Lucius and Pete getting married and Stede and Ed retiring!

Complicating all this is that people who liked Izzy (or even said anything insufficiently mean about Izzy) were harassed for months in between seasons with insults, slurs, and actual fucking death threats. Izzy's growth was kind of a vindication for liking him: it meant that, despite all the harassment, we were right to like him and care about him as a character. Even people who didn't like him initially started to like him during Season 2.

And then he dies, and now there's a bunch of people saying that Izzy fans are big whiny babies who can't handle fictional death, and actually his death was so meaningful and beautiful and the only logical end to his arc, and it can't be bad writing because people die in real life all the time, and also he admitted he fed Ed's darkness so actually he was a terrible person all along anyway and they were right to hate him (and his fans)!

So, yeah, there are a lot of reasons why it's so hated, and I'm probably only addressing the problems of the pro-Izzy people (from what I can tell, BlackBonnet shippers who don't like Izzy think Ed and Stede's relationship is fine and dandy, but I'm sure that there are other criticisms they have that I have not addressed). I'm not even addressing the issues with Jim and Oluwande's relationship this season (and whooo boy are there issues).

It wasn't a universally bad season. There were episodes I really loved and still do. But the finale was a train wreck, and because it was a train wreck, a lot of people are looking back at what happened before the wreck and realizing that, oh, the train lost its brakes and steering because of the budget cuts and the engineers kept throwing fuel in the engine to make it go faster, and huh, now that I think of it, that part earlier in the trip was really wobbly but I didn't pay much attention to it at the time because I was sure the engineers had everything covered.

[demonzoro]

none of this is proofread but here's my ideal modern au for the goth fam. wall of text incoming, sky is blue, etc.

mihawk: World's Most Reluctant College Professor. history/archaeology. reluctantly employed because his place of residence (half-wrecked castle) is owned by the university and one of the terms for him to live there for free is to teach classes. initially hired as a publicity stunt that petered out. actual respected swordsman in the modern age but the reality is "swordsman" is... not very lucrative. really important to me that he is forcibly employed while having gigantic unemployed energy.

his ass is not showing up to a lecture hall unless under extreme duress (shanks showing up to his place unannounced again🙄). fully aware his papers are only taken as a credit filler (robin lectures the papers that are more practically applicable). almost exclusively "teaches" by emailing out reading lists and assignments. actively trying to get his students to drop his paper so he can do fuck-all for the rest of the year.

zoro: phys ed major. he's so serious about his main courses as well as mihawk's stupidly niche paper. probably the first person the "Dracule Mihawk Teaches Here!" publicity stunt has worked on in years. has trouble with the heavy focus of book-smarts this paper requires but powers through it best he can until mihawk sets some indecipherable tome as part of a reading list and zoro is like. okay. you leave me no choice.

he fully shows up on mihawk's doorstep at 9:44PM on a tuesday night brandishing this tome. mihawk answers the door because he is two bottles into his wine.

zoro, furious that this piece of shit tome has no audiobook alternative: this. YOU. explain. NOW. mihawk: a student. at my doorstep. did shanks blab to you. zoro: your address is publicly listed as a minor tourist attraction. mihawk (<- didn't know that): hm. come in.

zoro is treated to a full drunk history session and the supermarket gift wine mihawk has been avoiding but accidentally opened. he wakes up the next morning and zoro is still there in one of the guest rooms. he's like what are you doing here and zoro is like. i don't have a whole day to waste getting back to my dorm i need to do your assignment.

mihawk, fully aware the dorms should only be a max twenty minute walk away: interesting. get out.

safe to say, zoro thinks visiting mihawk's home is easier than emailing him. which is true in some ways since mihawk takes small joys in putting unread emails straight into trash.

perona: fashion major OBVIOUSLY. really interested finding vintage/archival sewing patterns/designs and modernising them. LOVES using essays as outlets for her rants. blase on everything else in life but takes her course so seriously. HATES zoro ever since he almost made her fail an assignment because he had checked out a book she needed and held it for fucking aaages.

similarly zoro hates perona bc she almost made him fail an assignment by hogging the only lightbox on this side of the campus that makes it possible to read some of the archival material mihawk puts on his impossible reading lists.

zoro gets lost in mihawk's castle and meets perona in-person for the first time outside of a name on a booking sheet and they have a huge stupid argument. zoro storms off and accidentally finds mihawk again this way and he's doubly mad because he can't believe mihawk has been chasing him away all this time while letting another student just live in the east wing.

mihawk (<- didn't know that): there's a what.

turns out perona just said "umm dorm fees? rent? in this economy? there's a wrecked castle 20mins away from campus it's free real estate". and she's right. she also finds out mihawk has staff access to archival materials not readily open to students and she immediately whips out a wishlist.

anyways i imagine perona graduates and becomes a fashion designer. zoro decides booksmarts is not for him and drops out to focus fully on a professional athlete career or make his way as a stuntman. models for perona on occasion. mihawk fully quits his job after those two leave bc they were the only ones in years that made it interesting. retires but robin recommends him as a consultant to the museum society and he does some work there. ALWAYS calls zoro or perona if he's restoring smthng cool he thinks they would love.

jfc are you still here. i kiss you on the lips

[vibingpyro]

I don't get jealous

For once, on the way home from watching Hobie and his band play down at the new pub that has opened up, McGregors, Hobie is silent on the ride home, only murmuring soft replies to whatever question or comment I say to him, an deep in thought expression on his handsome face.

I frown as the bus we're on stops and Hobie gently grabs onto my hand and leads me to the front, and down the steps, and off of the bus giving a small two fingered salute to the bus driver, who Hobie knows and is allowed free rides from.

I give a polite wave to the bus driver and the man in the black cap nods before driving off and Hobie begins to walk, moving his hand from holding mine to gently holding the loop on the side of my pants as we walk together towards our apartment.

Its about a five minute walk but still Hobie is silent, brushing his thumb over the hip part of my pants in casual affection and that only makes me think harder. 'he doesn't seem angry at me...so what is going on?'

Once we reach our apartment, Hobie swiftly grabs onto the key ring on his own belt loop, taking if off and unlocking the door with familiar ease before replacing the key ring back onto his belt loop gently pushing me inside before himself.

"Is everything alright, babe?" I ask softly, taking off my jacket and placing it on the wooden coat rack beside our door. Hobie merely gives a small dismissive hum, "Yeah, I'm alright, keen as a peach." He murmurs, shedding his own jacket, placing it beside mine before walking further into our apartment.

My eyebrows furrow together at the dismissive tone, and I begin to trail Hobie, following him into our bedroom to where he's sat on our bed, untying his boots.

"You haven't said an actual sentence that isn't dismissive, since we left the pub. What is going on?" I ask, kneeling in front of him with concerned eyes.

Hobie looks up from untying his boots, and there's an small scowl on his face but I already know it isn't directed at me. "One of the blokes had the gawl to gauke at you after the show, I seen him in the crowd watching you like you weren't nothing but a pretty face." He huffs, tone coming out more irritated, but he continues. "Then, the new guy on bass, Archie or whatever asked if you n' me were serious-" Hobie's rant is cut off by an irritated groan, finally untying both of his boots with more than needed force.

I put my hands out in front of me in a calming gesture, "Woah, woah, sweetheart. It's okay." I say, trying to cool Hobies irritable and upset mood, I bring one hand up to cup Hobies cheek, gently stroking my thumb over his flushed cheek.

"It's alright to get jealous, I get jealous sometimes too-" I'm cut off by Hobie narrowing his eyes at me, as he tongues the inside of his cheek. 'oh boy'

"I dont get jealous." He scoffs lightly as if the mere idea is ridiculous, crossing his arms over his chest as he glares at me half heartedly.

I quickly begin to backtrack, nodding. "Of course..but it isn't a bad thing that you might be." I say, trying to reassure him but that doesn't seem to be a good enough answer for Hobie as he keeps his narrowed gaze on me, jaw clenching and unclenching.

I don't have a moment to react before Hobie leans forward, placing his hands behind my thighs as I'm still kneeling in front of him and gently lifts me up into his lap, effectively making me straddle his thighs.

I can't get a word in either as Hobie leans his head into my neck, breathing in my scent and the tension practically melts away from his body. "I don't get jealous." He repeats softly, pressing soft kisses to the pulse point of my neck, his hands finding my hips to bring me closer to him.

I only breathe out an agreeing "Uh-huh" as my hands tangle in the back of his hair. 'this is going to be an interesting night' I think to myself, cheeks flushing from the incoming thoughts as Hobies lips go lower...

[munsonomenon]

⛧☾༺’Casual’༻☽⛧

Chapter II: Call It What You Want

⛧ pairing: rockstar! eddie x alt! fem reader

⛧ contains: angst, fluff, pining, slow burn, fwb

⛧ word count: 3.4k

⛧ previous chapter: here

⛧ warnings: allusions to smut ! mdni !

“Ugh, Robin I just don’t know, neither of these feels right.” You groan with your voice full of frustration, standing in front of your full-length mirror glaring at your reflection knowing you’re running out of time to make a decision. You have a hanger in either hand. Both are holding up two almost identical long black gowns, at least to Robin who never cared too much about these kinds of things. You take turns switching between the two comparing how the fabrics would compliment your silhouette.

Robin is sitting on the corner of your bed on the opposite side of the small room, sitting up on her elbows as she giggles quietly. “I don’t understand, you know you’re gonna look good in either of them. Just flip a coin or something.” She says with a caseous smile knowing that it’s not the response you’re looking for. You’ve changed your mind on what would fit your persona best almost every day this week. It took Robin only ten minutes in the men’s section of the local thrift store the two of you frequented, so you’re sure at this point she’s heard all but enough of your ranting.

“This isn’t a decision a coin can make, Robin! I’m ‘Elvira, Mistress Of The Darkness’. I need to be tantalizing!” You say dramatically with your voice low dragging out the end of your words, holding both arms out. Robin sits up laughing at you, turning to grab one of your throw pillows and hurls it towards your direction. “You are absolutely ridiculous.” She half-way shouts at you, letting another laugh slip through her words. You bend down to reach the pillow before sloppily tossing it back at her chest. She grabs onto it and holds it in her lap. “It’s only one night. I can almost guarantee you this isn’t an end-of-the-world, life-altering decision.” You roll your eyes, sighing at how relaxed Robin can be about every situation. “Okay, Fine! You be the coin then,” you state. “Heads… or tails.” switching between the two dresses hovering in front of your frame.

Robin has been your best friend for as long as you can remember, specifically since your seventh-grade band class. You two have seen each other’s endless cringe phases, every heartbreak the other had endured, and nursed each other back to health after more nights out than you can count. You’ve always thought she was the one person who truly knew you inside and out. Moving in together over the last summer really solidified that idea.

“Oh, Fun!’. Robin squeaks out hopping up to her feet being fully sarcastic. She crosses her arms over her chest giving a dramatic thinking face as if this was the most important choice she’s ever had to make. “Wow, and you think I’m bad at making decisions.” You scoff jokingly. “Tails. I like the sleeves. Kurt approved!’. She points to the second option, referencing her own costume, Kurt Cobain. The dress she picks has long off-the-shoulder sleeves and a slit up one of the legs. “You’re talking about yourself in the third person, as your Halloween costume, and I’m the ridiculous one?” You scoff. “You just referred to me as a coin, I think all options are on the table here.”

Amid the silence between your words, you’re startled by the sudden loud ringing from an incoming call. “Jesus, that’s like the third time today. He really is relentless.” Robin says. “You don’t even know that’s him.” You say defensively walking over to your nightstand grabbing your phone, laying both of the dresses down onto your comforter. You look over to Robin who is staring you down with her eyebrow raised, doing her best to bite her tongue. “So…?” She almost whispers. “Yeah okay, it’s him!” You spit out.

“I’m just gonna answer.” Walking over to Robin and grabbing her hand to lead her to the door, opening it in a way to kindly kick her out. She stops halfway through the doorway “How long are you gonna keep putting up with his ‘wannabe tough guy rockstar’ shtick?” She knows how these things go, and has seen the aftermath from each one. “Goodbye robin…” you drag out, putting the phone up to your ear and shutting the door on her. “You know, that wasn’t a very nice thing to do!” You hear muffled from the hallway outside your bedroom door. “Robin!” You protest, shouting through your teeth.

You turn, taking in a deep breath. “Hello?” You say sheepishly trying to play innocent. “Hey! There you are!” You can’t help but smile at the familiar voice on the other line. “Thought you had been dodging my calls.” He laughs out sarcastically, oblivious to your actions. That’s exactly what you had been doing but he didn’t need to know that. You pause for a second trying to gather yourself to avoid blowing your cover. “Oh, no, I’m sorry I- I just guess I’ve been caught up trying to get everything ready for tomorrow night. What’s up?” Attempting to sound sincere.

“You’re really still doing that Halloween thing with Harrington? I thought you would’ve given up on that by now.” He says almost judgmentally, which didn’t surprise you in the slightest, Eddie always had this territorial claim on you, as much as he didn’t want to admit it. You roll your eyes and sigh quietly moving the phone away from your mouth before speaking again. “It’s more just for Robin, but we do this every year Eddie, I don’t know why you seem surprised.” you scoff.

“It’s whatever doll, as long as you’re still gonna make it tonight. Me and Gareth just finished up on soundcheck. Want you here tonight.” You can feel his excitement through the phone. Fuck. Tonight, it completely slipped your mind with everything going on. Maybe you were being more sincere than you had realized.

Corroded Coffin’s typical Tuesday night just happened to fall the night before Halloween. One of the only holidays Eddie ever really showed any interest in. It’s the one day out of the year where he can fully embrace all of the weird shit he’s into and everyone just goes along with it. He always played into that, you never knew anyone else so excited for an excuse to wear a cape and fake plastic fangs out in public, but he did it. Every. Single. Year. Without fail.

Eddie has had tonight’s date circled on his calendar for months, you were there with him as he did it. The child-like gleam in his smile as he realized they would have a show the night before his favorite day of the year was unforgettable. He circled the date obnoxiously large in red pen, adding ‘most metal night ever!!!’. The two of you were sprawled out across his bed, half nude from the intimacy you shared earlier in the night. Eddie had his guitar in his lap lazily strumming whatever tune had found its way into his mind at the moment and a lit cigarette dangling from his swollen lips. You are on his he opposite side resting on your hips, propping yourself up with your elbow. All you’re able to do is stare, completely entranced by the scene before your eyes, lost in the high of his presence. He springs up quickly moving his guitar under his arms and his cigarette between his index and middle fingers.

“What if I played you your favorite song at our show that night?” He whispers devilishly. You scoff in response “You don’t even know my favorite song, Eddie.” He places a hand over his chest, putting on his best show of being dramatically offended by your remarks. “You really think that, huh? I’m hurt sweetheart- of course, I know what it is.” He smirks his words in full defense. “For Whom The Bell Tolls. You told me the first night you came out to see the band. No surprise to me you can’t recall that, you were all over me.” He laughs blowing smoke from his last hit. You lean over and playfully punch him in his upper arm. “I was not all over you I was just-“ He cuts off your words, inching closer to closing the space between you two. “Just what? Hm?” His voice dripped with seduction. “Just getting to… know you better.” Lying through your teeth. “Maybe want to get to know me a little more, right now Doll?” His voice fizzles out slowly with every word, finally closing the gap between both of your lips.

You knew how much that night meant to him already, and he wanted you included. A perfect example of one of the many ways he had your heart tied down. No matter how long he strung along the idea of what you two could become if he could just give his ego a rest, you were completely wrapped around his finger.

“Dollface? You still there…?” Brought back to reality as his voice rings through your ear snapping you back to your conversation. “Yes! I uh- I’m sorry, what were you saying?” You spill out quickly, overwhelmed and caught up in the memories of the night you planned this all. “Our show tonight, you’re gonna be here right?” he almost pleads. Your hand swipes over your face as you crinkle your nose. “Oh yeah! You’re talking about that group Corroded coffin aren’t you?” You joke attempting to ease the tension. “Hm… I’m not sure if I’ll make it, heard a lot of sketchy things about their guitar player you know? Left a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth.” Hoping he doesn’t catch on to the fact that you completely blanked on your shared plans.

All he can do in response is chuckle in a way you can hear him smirking through the phone. “Oh, that right? Interesting you bring that up actually because the last I heard, their vocalist is kind of sweet on you.” Playing along with your game. “Is that so? Never would’ve guessed such a thing” you say with your bottom teeth between your teeth, sitting down on the edge of your bed. “Think he’s even planning on taking you back to his place tonight, take that bitter taste right out of your mouth, sweeten up the deal.” He almost growls in your ear. You feel a hot flush pull its way up to the surface of your cheeks, rolling your eyes at how cocky he can be. “Very smooth Munson, guess you’re just lucky you’re good at more than one thing.” You hear him chuckle again.

“Seriously though, be here tonight. Swing by early? Around seven, if you can make it by then. Share a couple of drinks with me before you’re forced to admire me from afar the rest of the night.” You can already sense where his mind is at for his plans for the two of you once their set is over. “Coudnt miss out on seeing if that little rumor you’ve heard is true or not. I’ll see you soon Ed’s.” Your face now fully embracing the flush he brought upon you, he always found a way to reel you right back in. “Looking forward to it, Dollface. See ya.” His voice is sweet as he ends the call.

You flop back down on top of your mattress as a wave of emotion surges around you. Eddie was the one vice you could never force yourself to kick. There was just something so intoxicating about what you two shared. For as long as you two had known each other there was just something about Munson that just did it for you. You and Eddie were never remarkably close in High school, but you always liked to think you two both had this mutual agreement that there was something more sincere between you than either of you liked to lead on.

A few shared classes and small bursts of conversations in passing through the school halls were the main things keeping you two intertwined. Eventually, he had built up the courage to fully present his full self to you by inviting you to bear witness to his “satanic cult of Hellfire”. Your first real glace into his sickly sweet confidence that he couldn’t help but radiate once in character. You wish you could say this became a familiar practice, but to your surprise, Eddie had fallen victim to the high of the chase for the queen of Hawkin HIgh- Chrissy Cunningham. His first-ever real relationship, nearly squashing all of your newly found infatuation. From what you’ve heard through friends around town, they didn’t end up last much longer than a few months after that, once Eddie learned Chrissy had only been with him to score a cheap deal on whatever drugs he could offer her, he called it quits. Things between you and Eddie especially drifted apart after graduation. With nothing to force the two of you two together your fire slowly dwindled out with time.

Years have gone by since then but you still always felt a tug in your heart when you thought back to him. Around that same time you started a new part-time job over the summer, at the freshly opened record shop in your town. You had figured that the easy cash and your admiration and knowledge of music would make this chapter of life a breeze, even though barely any of the customers that came in bothered to browse the rock and metal bins you were so excited for. Today was like any other of the few shifts you’ve worked thus far. Checking out customers at the back counter, and going behind them to reorganize the various records the way they were intended to be.

You’re standing over the indie section of the shop as you hear the slight jingling of the front door opening. You turn to put on your usual “Welcome in, let me know if there’s anything I can help you with.” bit when you’re suddenly frozen in place by the sight of a familiar curl-topped silhouette that strolls through the door. Your breath hitches in your throat before you can ever open your mouth to speak. Every nearly buried feeling you had instantly rose back to the surface when your eyes met the brown doe eyes across from yours. You start to turn on your heel to make a quick exit but you aren’t quick enough, followed by a soft but confused grin from his plush lips. You shoot him a shy wave before he makes his way closer to you.

“You have to be shitting me, is that who I think it is?” He laughs out in disbelief. “The one and only.” you say awkwardly. He bites his tongue in his cheek before speaking again, tucking his hands in his pockets. “I really only came here to check the place out, but this is much more exciting than any album I would’ve found.”. You try your best to suppress the rush of fluttering throughout your stomach but it’s no use. Up until this moment, you hadn’t ever fully understood the extent of how much your silly high school crush was still stuck inside of you. “Well, you can’t come all this way and just not pick anything up.” Needing to change the subject before you melt. “Shit, guess you’re right. What do you recommend?” He purrs, swinging his arm out to the side and inviting you to take him toward whichever direction of the shop you need access to.

“Right this way.” you start walking towards the new releases section. “Yes, ma’am.” He utters seductively. You’re glad you’re facing the other direction because the rose tint of your cheeks would’ve been impossible to shield. Moments later you’re flicking the individual records between your nimble fingers before you find the one you’re searching for. “How about…this.” You sway your hips to turn to present him with the record of your choice. “just came out last month, a bit more underground and on the heavier side, but I figure you’re into that kind of thing.” you say confident in your decision. “Hell yeah, that’s perfect.” He mouths excitedly, placing the album in his hand. “I’ll have to uh- check it out.” His eyes traced the curves of your body, his words laced with a double meaning. Fuck, if he hadn’t realized yet he definitely knows the effect his words have on you now.

You both walk over to the cash register to finalize the sale. “you uh, you still in that band?” trying to fill in the awkward gaps with conversation. “Corroded Coffin?” he chuckles, eyes on yours as he reaches for his wallet in his back pocket. “Yes! That’s the one.” your voice full of joy. “Yeah actually, I am. We play over at The Hideout every Tuesday night. You should come out next time.” he offers. “I’d love that actually, oh uh- here is your change by the way. Thanks for coming by.” not wanting to end the conversation even though you have to. “Shit yeah, almost slipped my mind.” he says before walking to the exit. “Hey, who knows maybe one day I’ll come in here and buy my own record off of you.” he shouts across the small shop before moving through the door.

Holding up to your end of the bargain you show up to The Hideout the very next Tuesday. The band had already started playing by the time you made it. It wasn’t hard for Eddie to spot you from the stage once you walked in with there only a handful of people at the bar since it was a weeknight. His face instantly lights up in a big goofy grin as he tries to keep his composure for the rest of their set. As soon as he’s off stage he finds his way towards you and orders your drink of choice, a vodka redbull. There’s not much you can say about that night, most of it is a faint drunken memory of his tongue down your throat in his favorite booth and your hand tangled in his hair or gripping the sheet he laid over the mattress in the back of his van. What you can say is that night changed everything from then on.

You lean over the check the time on the clock on your bedside table and start to get ready for whatever tonight may bring.

You straighten your waist-length jet-black hair, leaving your bangs a little messy. Your eyes are dressed in a dust-colored smokey eye, a thick wing of black eyeliner, and bold lashes. To no one’s surprise, you struggle to pick an outfit. You end up going with a cropped white tank top that shows off your form-fitting black bra underneath and a pair of ripped-up black denim shorts. You accidentally rip through part of your fishnet tights putting them on when your zipper gets caught, but you decide it adds to your aesthetic. A thick black cardigan and loose beanie to keep you warm until you get inside the venue which you know from experience will be full of body heat, and a pair of platform combat boots finish off your look before you grab your bag and keys to head off.

Almost instantaneously as you walk through your bedroom door shutting it behind you, Robin spots you and knows exactly where you’re heading. “Wow, he really got you back that easy huh?.” you groan and roll your eyes. “Robin come on, it’s only one night, he invited me ages ago.” pleading for her understanding after you promised her you swore Eddie off for good. “It’s been one night for…” turning up her blank wrist and looking at an imaginary wrist watch “What?…almost a year now?”. You take a deep breath and walk towards the front door of your shared house. “One night Robin! One. Night,” you say facing the opposite direction of her and shutting the door. As you grab your keys from your bag to turn the lock you hear a faint, muffled “Use protection!” shouted from the other side of the door. “I hate you!” you tell back sarcastically before heading to your car.

Maybe Robin was right, and you should give up hope on Eddie coming around the idea of you two being more than just casual fuck-buddies, but you both know you are far too stubborn and hopelessly in love for that to happen. Whatever he wanted to call you, you were his.

༺ the end.

chapter III: ‘bite the hand that feeds’

coming: soon!

[mxltifxnd0m]

RANT INCOMING

i’m aware this is just a me thing and a headcanon but…

you can’t sit here and tell me that sam and dean don’t exclusively go after white women as love interests 😭😭

we only see them be paired up with white women and it lowkey irks me.

and yes i know geographically that the show mostly takes place throughout the country in small towns in the midwest where it’s predominantly white people with some minorities sprinkled throughout.

but the only POC that we see either of the guys with is dean with cassie and that’s it 😭 (i may be wrong and that’s okay).

i would have love to have seen dean or sam with a POC as a love interest (or just a little more poc representation in general).

(this is a me thing and biased bc im half asian) but sam would have been into asian women (THERE I SAID IT).

i’m highly aware that i’m complaining about POC representation for a show that ended almost over 4 years ago, but as i watch the show, i can’t help but notice this.

don’t get me wrong i LOVE the show but it doesn’t mean that i can’t criticize it.

but yeah that’s my 2 cents on this (i def have more to say but i just wanted to keep this short lol)

[lunar-cerulean]

Father’s Day doodles.

I honestly don’t like how these came out, mostly the Brando one. I drew at such a small scale details were hard to do (for context each drawing is like a little bigger than the size of my thumb). I would like to redraw both someday at a larger scale.

I vent/rant a little bit below for anyone who cares to read.

Today was also my first father’s day since my dad has passed. I have been a little sad. Yesterday at work while I was closing the store they were playing a song he liked and I felt emotional but also happy because it brought back memories.

I’m feeling okay now in that aspect but I’m just… really mad with my work for making me close two weekends in a row and now last minute making me work the morning after when I wasn’t scheduled before. And also giving me Monday thru Friday next week. Like I push carts outside in nearly triple degree weather and will be in the 100s in a week or two. I push carts and do trash and the mosquitos like to hang out in the outside trash and bite me. I work by myself and my body is having a hard time keeping up because the heat drains me so fast and leaves me dazed. I need anther position soon or I’m going to work somewhere else even if they pay less. This is ridiculous and I hate it when people try to justify it’s okay to be overworked because I’m young and “my body will be fine”. My youth is valuable and not be cast away to do grunt work for some company that doesn’t care about me as an individual. I know that God provides for me and He provided that job to me and provides my income. I don’t need to work there, I need to trust God wherever He’s leading me, I just don’t know where I’m supposed to go right now. But I know that I should let go when He calls me to. Anyways. Yeah I’m doing okay I need to go to sleep now and work my tail off again tomorrow 🥲👍

[spacedoutman]

Here’s Eric Carr

Possibly triggering art rant incoming:

I feel horrible about my art, if I’m being honest. I had an idea, but it went the opposite way and it resulted in me throwing away everything I know and half-assing it because I just can’t feel good and I just can’t see it.

This has been happening more often than I’d like to admit and I’ve got an idea of what I want my art to be but I keep stopping myself from getting there. I also can’t differentiate sizes very well.

But as long as I keep trying to find ways to improve, I feel a little better even if it’s small, because that amount of effort goes such a long way and things really do get better.

No matter how bad you feel about your art, it’s never as bad as you might think it is or what your mind tells you. I know that feeling so damn well. Just like crashing a train, for instance. It feels like everything’s crashing because.. for instance, you were so proud during the process.

But it’s never as bad as you think. Your art is beautiful. What your feeling is completely valid and I fucking see you. Just don’t stop. Keep looking for ways to improve but don’t burn yourself out.

Even if it’s looking up tips or just fixing a line! It’s okay and most importantly, it’s okay to feel bad. You’re not alone.

[corffiser]

okay i'm sorry for the incoming rant but i need to get it out of my system ( spoilers for greedfall , idk ) .

i know that people have written about this already but the tragedy that is constantin and his relationship with de sardet .. where do i even begin ? multiple entries in his codex tell us that he values de sardet more than anyone . his dearest cousin , his only childhood companion ( that we know of ) , the one he relies on and the one who shields him from all he perceives is evil . he may be used by his mother for her to gain more influence at court and his father may seem disappointed by his actions but de sardet is always there by his side , making his small world a little better . and because we know so little yet so much at the same time , my mind tends to wander and think about how their youth was .. when they trained with kurt , who was better at it ? did they make secret bets about who'd lose to him this time ? did they ever try fighting side by side ? when studying under sir de courcillon .. how was it ? we know that he taught them well but .. did they always pay attention ? did they ever skip class , hiding from the servants . did they ever pass each other notes during lessons , make faces at each other , scribble things on paper that only they would understand ? just imagine dinners with their family where they tried their best but always cracked a smile at one another , sweets stolen from the royal kitchens shared in secret , sleepovers .. and so much more , whatever else comes to your mind . when petrus told my character that instead of showing interest in his magical talent , he preferred to chase constantin around with a wooden sword , something inside of me broke and never healed . because at the end of the day , de sardet is truly his only friend . a friend he's so afraid to lose and .. in his mind , is losing . you can see it through the course of the story , constantin getting more and more desperate . desperate to keep the only person he truly loves in his life . de sardet slipping through his fingers with each passing day . they make new friends , connections , fall in love .. they travel the land and get to experience it all . yes , de sardet is still there for him but .. after they leave the governor's palace , he's left alone . alone with his thoughts growing darker and darker as his illness slowly takes over , the fear of death gripping his heart . surely he can't die . surely he can't be all alone . surely de sardet , the only person he can truly trust , will save him . but then the cure comes , in a form he'd never imagine ; twisting his features and bonding him to the land . and so the desperation grows , the anger grows , everything is too much . constantin asking his dearest cousin to give him more time , to trust him , breaks my heart every time i play through this game . the " but for you , for us " is such a raw and powerful line , because at the end of the day .. it is just them against the world . two young people who are so dependent on one another , who had to lift each other up from a very young age , who , in constantin's eyes , now pleading you to join him , can rely on no one but themselves ..

[gracetoldmeto]

really long rant: why am i so scared of everything?

note: the rest of this post was a draft i made a few days ago, and was going to let rot forever, but today has messed me up so much i just said *why not* and posted bc idk... why not...

im not like 'BOO!!! jumpscare' scared just like... there are so many things in life that could go wrong that are entirely out of your control and theres absolutely nothing you can do about it, ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NOTHING, because shit happens and sometimes that shit is BAD and permanently fucks you over for life and thats just the way it is bc fate is a game of chance (this is my dramatic ass way of saying 'a forever change') but everyone says "oh if you cant control it then why worry?"

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?

NO. THAT IS NOT THE POINT. THE POINT IS I DO WORRY.

I could die tomorrow. I could get a terminal diagnosis tomorrow. Someone (else) I love could die (again) tomorrow. Maybe my house could burn down tomorrow. Maybe in some freak accident everything I've ever known is taken from me... somehow?

can i control any of this? no.

so what do i do about it??? anything i can to minimize the fallout just in case...

bc isnt that just called RESPONSIBILITY???

ie: house fire? -> ok. insurance.

medical? -> insurance.

death? (that isnt mine) -> stable income

(note #1: this is about the point in my writing of this post where i dont even have the motivation to finish it bc i just wanna sit down and cry... but i might as well)

so OKAY, guess what? i did something about all those possibilities, so my anxiety should be relieved, right? fear gone! all okay now!

WRONG!

all that structure ive created bc its the "rEsPoNsiBLe" way to live, is a slow painful depressing death of my mental health at the hands of my job

yes, id rather gain an inch than lose a mile, small sufferings over large,

but oh my god is that all life is? small sufferings???

if i keep only suffering one inch at a time im going to end up killing myself and i dont quite think anyone truly GETS that except my therapist

this isnt like high school where i knew jack shit about mental health, i know what help is out there, whether or not it works is a totally different story

(note #2: i have looked at my options, ive read the rules, and id actually rather take my metaphorical little plastic car you get at the start of The Game of LIFE boardgame and throw it out a fucking window)

im past the point of easy help and unfortunately the conclusion i keep coming back to is a quote from a fic i wrote last year...

whatever THIS life is, regardless of how much i worked my ASS off for it, i dont want it anymore

(note #3: i dont even think id be in this spot if i didnt have shit luck)

i am equally fucked by either...

1) being responsible, financially safe, insured, but sad af at my job and actively praying something kills me in my sleep

OR

2) quitting my job with no plan and being scared that fate is gonna fuck me over for the upteenth time and this time i wont be able to bounce back or (lets be real) even have a want to (but thats a discussion for another time)

this is no way to fucking live, yet here i am

why am i scared of everything? well, yes i know WHY (bc from personal experience i know what can go wrong)

why am i scared of everything? because you cant be scared of something if you dont know it exists BUT in order to be prepared and responsible it means you have to acknowledge that YES IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU

so how the hell am i supposed to be responsible when i hate what comes with it???

"hey alex, what do you wanna be when you grow up? (1) sad or (2) scared?"

actually neither, id rather simply not exist

why am i scared of everything? because how else am i supposed to act?

why am i scared of everything? because actually, there is no answer to this... there is no reason... its just another shit thing in life that iunno how to deal with

why am i scared of everything? because the universe said so and so thats how it is

and i fucking hate it

.

...ok thats all im gonna go make a quesadilla now

[monsterlimbs]

Colored sketch of my pretty boy :)

LOOONG thingy about Mordriel incoming!

I drew this a while back but spruced up the lines it all a bit more... red today, to get into the artsy mood. The red felt fitting for a Bhaalist vampire :)

Anyways here's a little rant about my Bhaalist vampire

When Mordriel impulsively allowed Astarion to turn him into a vampire, there's definitely a small... personality shift? Vampires in dnd have a Lawful Evil alignment, and Mordriel was teetering between True Neutral, Chaotic Neutral, Chaotic Good, and Lawful Evil BEFORE being turned. He definitely leaned more towards True Neutral above all else, but once he's turned, he begins to lean more towards Lawful Evil like the majority dnd vampires. I wouldn't say he's SUPER evil though? He holds his previous values, he's just a liiiittle more willing to take advantage of situations and a liiiittle more power hungry and a liiiittle more protective over his group. Also his Urges... are a little harder to control because now they tie into his general hunger for blood. Even before, he was hungry for blood, but now with regular food (...and limbs) tasting "okay" at best, he's pretty hungry and the Urges are able to take control of him a lot easier

And then the Orin duel. He gets Astarion's revenge first on Cazador, and now, with Astarion safe, happy, and more powerful than ever, he goes after Orin. Afterwards, he lets Bhaal back into his life. But he's hesitant now. Questioning. He's not devout or loyal or obsessed like he used to be. He only remembered Neil and Gortash from his past life until late act 2 and act 3. He doesn't remember the Lord he devoted so much to. And so Bhaal... tightens the leash, so to say.

So now, he's a vampire, hungry for blood, his Urges are insanely strong, he's tied to Bhaal with a leash so short it's choking.... So, yeah, he's not having a great time. But at least he has his companions. The Urges are loud, but his companions drown them out. Especially Neil, Astarion, and Halsin :)

[cadybear420]

The Crandall's are possibly one of the best written horrible families I have seen in Choices, in my own opinion.

(small rant incoming)

Mr & Mrs Crandall are one of the best reps of horrible parents (alongside Guy from MOTY), as I can see my own mother and family members in them.

Mrs Crandall being an affectionate and kind mother and talking over her kids at the corporate night, and seeing how horribly she treats both her kids if they mess up anything for them in private hits home hard. It helps make sense with Brian and Skye and how they became who they are.

I can't remember much of Mr Crandall, but I do remember how he'd do anything for deals and gain business partners that he would put his kids below this person they're gaining a business offer from, because his kids aren't exactly important unless they're "perfect" accessories who make them look good.

These parents who probably peaked in Highschool want their legacy to lead with children who follow in their footsteps of probably being perfect popular kids, and don't care how they treat people as long as they're good dolls who make them look great to other families and kids.

They don't even care if Brian's disruptive, only when he's at a corporate dinner. They probably hired a nanny to take care of him and Skye since they were too busy going to corp meetings and didn't even want to drop their work load so they could spend time with them. Hell, they probably only spent time with toddler Brian if he coloured in the lines and got praise from it at kindy and showed him off young which caused his ego-inflated young.

The fact that they exude "I am a horrible parent, but I have money!" Just on their sprites alone is phenomenal.

They yell at their kids, they make their favourites known pretty clearly, and they definitely only had kids to make their image of being the ideal "wife & husband home life" even more prominent. No wonder Brian is horrible to girls and has absolutely no redeeming qualities, no wonder Skye wants to run away with a band, they were never given good parents and they were never taught how to be a good human being. Only a heir to a company. They were given a mother & father, not a mum & dad.

Okay rant over, holy shit.

Send me unpopular or popular opinions about anything Choices and/or HSS related, and I will rate them on the aforementioned scale and elaborate if possible

My Rating of this opinion:

strongly agree | agree | neutral | disagree | strongly disagree

My Elaboration below:

Honestly, all of this is correct and I don't have much else to add. They're just good examples of verbally-emotionally abusive conditional-love parents.

Brian's parents are probably the only well-written antagonists in HSS:CA. And are one of the very few connections to the previous iterations that HSS:CA handled well. Although Brian was kind of a prop character in CA, it was still good to meet his parents and get a sort of background for why he's behaved the way he did in the OG trilogy.