#one person in the family LEFT that gives a shit about them

[larathia]

I laugh, genuinely but bitterly, at news of this kind, because it's so predictable. It's the schoolyard bully writ large, with the same dynamics, the same outcome.

Most people, you see, don't want to Cause Trouble. They don't want to Make a Scene. And mostly they hope if they're quiet and polite and Let Things Go, and Be The Bigger Person, that whatever horrible shit is happening to them will get bored and go away.

And the bullies take that as permission. And they grind a little more, and a little more, until Most People are backed into a corner as far as they will go. And the bullies don't see any danger in this because hey, nothing's happened up till now, right? Why would that change?

But see, when people have nothing left to lose, they go in one of two directions. They break, or they go fucking berserk.

Now, statistically, probably 80 percent of people - who have been raised to obey the law, to be polite, to Let Things Slide...they'll break. No judgment, I've been one of the broken and still have the cracks. It's just how a lot of people are. We don't WANT to be the bad guy. And we're raised to think that fighting back "makes us just like they are" and "even a horrible human being doesn't deserve xyz" and we'll break. We'll even choose to break.

But then there's that 20 percent or so that once they're backed right into the corner, once it's clear there's nothing more left to give, nothing left that the bullies can take, they'll snap. They'll fight. They'll kill, too, because you've already taken so much from them that there isn't a punishment left that would actually make their situation worse, so why not? Why not fight?

When you're talking about a schoolyard, that means maybe one or two students. Half a dozen at the outside, that're pushed that hard, that snap violently.

When you're talking about millions of people, however, it astonishes me (in a darkly amused way) that these corporate bullies think the solution is to press down harder. It's like swatting a snowflake onto a budding avalanche that just needed a teeny tiny push.

I have to laugh that they think adding terrorism charges will deter people who've lost their families, lost their savings, lost their entire livelihood and reason for having one. It may delay immediate copycats. People inspired, but who still have something to lose. But it won't stop the flood.

...I wonder how long it'll be, before we have enough datapoints on this graph to compare it to the rise in school shootings since the 90s?

[kiss-me-muchoo]

𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 || 𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐥 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

summary_ you find a thong on Joel’s backpack and you don’t know what to think, turning things awkward just before the holidays.

warnings_corny Christmas pick up lines, AGE GAP (20s/50s) but not specified, smidge of angst (reader’s fault) , fluff, chill mom!reader, pervy hubby! Joel, Christmas shit and a silly argument. NO PROOFREAD YET SORRY

notes_ fallacy family having their first Christmas together omg, it’s almost two years since I started the series and yet here we are, brb I’ll go cry.

• Fallacy series m.list (recommended to read)

♫ ♪ Pedro playlist

✰ Index (+ fics here)

⋆꙳•❅‧*₊⋆☃︎‧*❆₊⋆ ⋆꙳•❅‧*₊⋆☃︎‧*❆₊⋆ ⋆꙳•❅‧*₊⋆☃︎‧*❆₊⋆

Celebrating the holidays in the apocalypse was not easy. In fact, the world had forgotten about holidays. For twenty years, days like Christmas or New Year’s Eve had no longer meaning.

But not in Jackson. Right after thanksgiving, the town would start preparing for the lovely event. According to Maria, children received a little present and a big dinner was made. In the previous weeks, the town dressed up with ornaments, mistletoe everywhere and the smell of ginger and mint was all around. Almost like outside the world hadn’t change. But for you and your family, that came from a lot of suffering, you would not allow them to complain.

You had picked up your decoration’s box. One was given to each house of Jackson, to add more personal decorations. However, you picked up yours a little late, since it was your first Christmas in town.

You finished teaching early, giving you time to arrive home, meet your daughter and decorate the house with Ellie.

Cerise was about to turn three months old, she was growing, getting curly hair like her father, but she remained tiny, fussy and adamant. She kept doing the famous newborn scrunch and Joel often made fun of her farts, making you roll your eyes and criticize him for making fun of his daughter.

“Ellie, you’re home?” You asked taking off your boots and coat, placing your bag in the entrance. “Yup, Maria left like ten minutes ago”

Ellie appeared carrying Cerise, who was sleeping. The teenager handed you the baby and you smiled at her.

“Thanks. Hey, I got the decoration for the house, Wanna help me?” Ellie was not excited for Christmas but you could tell she loved being around you and Cerise.

“Sure”

“But-!” Then she rolled her eyes. “You must show me your costume for the charity”

“Oh f- you, y/n” you started laughing, trying to remain calm to not disturb Cerise “I look like shit in it!”

“Please!”

It was past midday when you were done making dinner. A warm soup made the whole to smell like winter and tranquility. Cerise had taken a bath, even Ellie was already in pajamas. It was then, while cleaning the kitchen, that you found Joel’s lunchbox in the little shelves you had beside the refrigerator.

“Silly man” you mumbled to yourself, grabbing the lunchbox.

In the living room, Ellie was reading a comic while Cerise was in her little baby gym.

“I’m dropping this to Joel. Mind if you stay here with Cerise?” The girls shrugs, eyes never leaving her comic. “Yeah, go on”

“Thanks, Ellie. I’ll be quick”

…

That day, Joel was working to build a new layer for the gates that protected Jackson. The team started the new layer before summer ended, even before Cerise was born. And now, near Christmas, it was almost done.

At the sight of your old man, you smiled. He went back to his short hair, just like when you met him in Boston. His belly was gone and his back pain diminished. Joel was in his best form, shape and condition.

“Hey, Texas!” You called him, making some of his buddies to look as well.

At the sight of you, the youngest started doing silly things to make your husband uncomfortable but truth is, Joel was only smiling at the sight of you. But soon turned worried.

“Whatcha doin’ here?” he asks, taking off his thick gloves, offering you a playful smile. “Are you alright? Cerise and Ellie?”

“We’re fine, dear. You just forgot your lunch…”

You brought him a sandwich and cranberry juice, it’s was cold and since your old man couldn’t get up early because he was so warm under the blankets with you, he missed his lunch.

“I thought- never mind. Thanks, baby”

Joel sighed, relieved. He grabbed the lunchbox and looked at you so lovingly, that it made you chuckle.

“What now, Texas?” You ask rolling your eyes, crossing your arms.

“God, I just want to get home, shower a you to give me a blowjob”

“A snowjob!” He glares at you with disdain and rolls his eyes before chuckling, catching the Christmas reference.

“Good lord, shut up” he had grown used to the age gap, but sometimes he remembered how full of life you were compared to him.“C’mere, baby”

He kissed you as usual because nobody was around. He would never hide his feelings for you again, but he remained reserved and preferred to be private when it came to you. Either way, everyone in Jackson knew he married you and had a baby together.

Cerise was a famous baby after all.

“There’s soup and flourless biscuits for dinner. I’m almost done with the Christmas decorations. I’m just saving the tree because I want to do it with you” Joel smiled, something you genuinely loved.

Ever since you gave birth, Joel had changed drastically, being open towards you and very understanding. Things had never felt so good.

“I’ll be at home before the sunset” you nod at him, standing on your tip toes, which he immediately understands and leans over to give you a big kiss. You felt relived and happy. Lucky you to stick along a grumpy unstable senior that turned out the most humble and loving husband.

“Don’t be late, Texas” he rolls his eyes to then kiss you again. “I won’t, baby”

As you walk away, you hear some chattering from Joel’s workmates, probably making fun of him for being a sweetheart towards you. And you don’t miss the female laughter calling him.

There is no reason to mistrust. Joel would never. The last time you both had a similar argument was when Freya, the town’s nurse, actively tried to make some moves on your already husband.

Either way, there are some days where you feel that too much positivity has a price. Like it’s not normal for you to be completely happy and in peace. Perhaps it’s the years of suffering and misery that remain haunting you. Making you believe that Joel would one day walk out, towards complete freedom like he once wanted.

…

Well, Joel was late indeed. You got mad and you started eating with Cerise and Ellie. You placed a plate with a big portion of food for Joel and then you sent your kids to sleep. As you were cleaning the dishes, you didn’t think too much about Joel being absent. Anything could happen at work, your take was that they had finished the new layer and decided to take longer than needed just to be done.

Whatever, you kept cleaning the dishes and didn’t hear your husband was entering the warm house.

“I’m sorry I missed the dinner. We finished the layer…”

Bingo.

“That’s okay, honey” you simply say without looking at him. “I thought of it…”

“Let me eat and then we can decorate the tree” Joel says, trying to make it up for his absence, standing behind you and softly caressing your shoulders.

“Just eat, Joel. You haven’t eaten anything after I dropped your lunch…” your hands finish cleaning the dishes, you dry up and finally face your man. “You sure? I’m up for the Christmas tree…”

“No, I’m tired. Let’s go get warm in the bed…” he nods, smiling at the sight of his wonderful wife. The same woman he met years ago, yet, so different.

“Hmm, then I’m up for a holly jolly

“Yeah? stuff my stocking with your big North Pole, Joel?” he bursted in laughter, trying to be quiet but miserably failed, making you start giggling as well. “Joel, shut up!”

“Well, baby… You’re bein’ a flirt” rolling your eyes, you had to go straight to hug him.

“Get my backpack, please…” you nod at him, approaching the entrance of the house, where Joel’s backpack was discharged in the floor.

You bend over to grab it and the soft sound of a box of band-aids falling makes you sigh.

“Close the fucking backpack, Joel” you try to be quiet while he distantly says sorry. And then you spot a sparkly red ribbon tangled in a zipper. When you pull it out, you realize it’s not a ribbon.

It’s a thong. And lurking from the inside, there an egg nog powder mix.

You have so many questions. You could’ve laughed. But you didn’t. Instead, your head starts questioning why he had a thong on his backpack.

“What the fuck, Joel?” You ask when he arrives at your side. “You have a whole festive fucking pack in your backpack?”

“Darlin’, Are you bein’ serious now?” He asks tiredly, which makes you sigh. “What? Do you think this is not for you and belongs to somebody else?”

“I don’t know!” You spit out frustrated, crossing your arms and realizing you had snapped. “I’m sorry, Joel. I just don’t know how to feel about it…”

You knew it was stupid getting mad over something so silly and immature. It could’ve been a joke from a mate, perhaps Joel actually got it for you. But why slip it like that?

That night you leave your husband all alone in the darkness of the living room wondering what he did wrong.

He stares at the empty Christmas tree and sighs, rubbing his eyes.

…

The next morning, it was Christmas Eve.

Joel got up only to find out kids had school. It was a short day and basically an excuse to gather all the kids and avoid interruptions for any final details to work on. Joel did not have any problem with having Cerise the whole morning. In fact, it made him slightly forgetful about the argument with you last night.

Ellie was gone, Joel heard her cursing as she was leaving, saying how shitty she looked with her elf costume.

Cerise and Joel had a good morning together. He made breakfast for her, then he bather her to avoid getting her later with lower temperatures. Then he paid Tommy a little visit to ask for advice and finally felt confident to face you and ask questions.

He felt hurt by your reaction and was eager to understand why you took things in such way.

He pushed the stroller carrying a sleepy Cerise through the streets of Jackson. Everyone seemed ready for the holidays, happy families everywhere. It made Joel to feel a bigger urge to run towards the little school. There was no point in having a silly fight during a special night.

So when he arrived with Cerise at the school, children were walking out, everyone holding a handcrafted ornament, others had snowflakes, others tried to do paper ginger-man cookies. It made Joel to think how would Cerise be in a couple of years while attending school.

When he entered the old building, he saw that there only were four classrooms. Only one was open. And as Joel pushed the stroller through the hall, he was able to see that the open door was decorated with little stars that had the name of some students. In the center, a baby pink paper that said “Mrs. Miller” and it made Joel’s heart to melt.

Everyone knew that kids loved you. The youngest always said hi or even hugged you, asking if they could see Cerise.

When he entered the room, it was empty, only you sitting in your desk. When you looked up to see, you quickly had to stand up upon seeing your husband and baby.

“Is Cerise okay?” You ask worriedly. “She’s fine, y/n. I just needed to pass by”

You nod, already understanding what he meant. You stare at his red sweater, the color resulting foreign on him, yet, welcoming.

“It was silly and-“ you try to start saying but Joel shushes you. “I’m the one talking darlin’…”

“Earlier in the morning, Tommy and I went to the mall” you only can tap your index finger against your desk, starting to feel completely embarrassed. “We passed by the store and thought it would be silly and fun to grab a pair of festive underwear along the eggnog. I also grabbed a pacifier for Cerise….”

“Now what the fuck? I completely overreacted” you admit avoiding his gaze.

“Do you really think I could possibly cheat on you?” he asks, sounding very hurt, which made your twist in remorse. “Don’t you think we’ve suffered enough to just fuck up everything for nothing?”

Your eyes water and you have to look down, ashamed.

“God, I’m so sorry, Joel. I know it was stupid…” He sighs, crossing his arms, also looking away, to the window of the little classroom. “I normally feel so confident about us and our life here. But occasionally my mind goes back to the beginning and it terrifies me that someday you’ll get tired of everything and just be free. But alone…”

Joel eyed you as you were speaking, and it broke him. Sometimes he forgets you also went through traumatic experiences along the way. You love him unconditionally, yes. But that doesn’t mean sometimes those traumas will not try to arise. And it’s okay to have doubts, the world was broken.

But Joel would give his life to never see you broken as well.

He pulled you closer, holding you tightly. His chin finding a home at the top of your head. And it made you feel safe. Like you weren’t insane for causing nonsensical arguments.

“I’m sorry” you repeat and he shushes you softly. “Having doubts is valid. But I can promise you, my darlin’… that I would do everything again if I had know since the beginning that my reward was you. And I will never get tired of it…”

“Intrusive thoughts aside, everything is perfect. I will let you know whenever I’m feeling odd and hopefully we’ll talk” he nodded, making you feel even more safe. “Of course, baby”

“And I love you, Joel. Like you have no idea” you hear him chuckling, then kissing your hair. “Oh, I think I do. I think we both know we’re down bad for each other”

“Even Cerise knows it. She stares back and forth between us whenever we start talking and she’s fully awake” at the comment, Joel chuckled, looking aside where he left the stroller, noticing there was movement inside.

“I think she’s already doing it” you say smiling.

Joel uncovered the stroller and indeed, Cerise was fully awake, her chocolate eyes scanning the place before landing on her parents. And upon looking at you and Joel, she started cooing.

“Aww, my baby, come here” it would never be not amusing for Joel to finally seeing you as a mother. As you peppered Cerise’s face with wet kisses all over, she seemed to be laughing. The moment the three of you started sharing were foreign, a little over a year ago, everything was so different. Joel was unable to admit that he loved you, you were extremely insecure, Ellie was a stranger. You had zero hopes of a family.

The odds were in your favor. Very much.

“I think she’s growing your nose” Joel said, softly pinching one of the baby’s cheeks. Cerise was in heavy, sandwiched between the warmth of her parents, in a red onesie that had a reindeer in the center and stars in her tiny foots.

“Well I think she’s growing your hair. Messy and curly…” Joel smirked and then kissed you.

“Let’s go home. I want to try that eggnog mix even if it kills us”

“I don’t think syrups and fake powder will kill us, y/n” he took your hand and lead the way out of the school.

…

It was very cold when you got out of the shower. The smell of turkey and butter was filtering through the small gap of your open window. At the dinning hall people were slowly gathering to share a meal and celebrate the night prior to Christmas. And as per usual, you were slightly late.

You had a brown dress that you carried since Boston’s QZ. You had never worn it and you had a second pair of boots reserved for special occasions, which were waiting for you at the foot of the bed along your coat and some thick black thighs. It wasn’t elegant, just classic. An outfit that even in the apocalypse seemed decent or fair.

“Cerise is ready…” Joel says entering the room. His smile grew at the sigh of you, which made you blush and shyly look away.

“No, don’t look away, darlin’. You look like a little doll” he hurried to give you a little spin and kiss your cheeks.

“Calm down, Texas” he steadies his hands around your hips, smiling again “Now, gimme that nasty thong before I change my mind”

“What?” Joel completely forgot about the thing. But soon he went to the basket of clean clothes and handed it to you.

The asshole had washed the thong.

Under the lamp of the room, you were able to appreciate the details of the thong. It was bright red, with some lace details in the crotch, shiny beaded sequins and a fine embroidery.

You slipped into the fabric, hunching the dress around your stomach. Joel let out a little gasp after finally seeing you with the lingerie.

“Merry fucking Christmas” you had to laugh loudly after seeing him almost poking out his tongue, then, you are pulling down the dress and sitting on the bed to put on the thighs.

“That’s lewd, Joel”

“Shut up. I’m getting what I deserve after dinner”

“Your first present to unwrap” you say rolling your eyes.

It is then when you look at Ellie passing by the door and after hearing you burst out laughing, she huffed, standing on the doorway.

“Can you please stop?” The girls asks, but it’s very funny to see her with the elf costume and silly hat.

“Why I was forced to do this?”

“Because you are a pain in the ass for Tommy and Maria” she rolls her eyes.

“Okay, it’s getting late. Let’s go, everyone” Joel leads the way downstairs, where he picks up Cerise from her baby gym and wraps her in blankets before getting her into the stroller.

When he approaches you to help you put on your coat, you can’t stop smiling at the sight of him.

And he notices it, offering back another smile.

Ellie walks out with Cerise in the stroller and turns back to ask who was the keys, but rolls her eyes after seeing you two lost in each other’s eyes.

“HEY!” Both of you snap out of the moment and turn to look at Ellie. “Yeah, yeah, we all know both of you are so in love. But who has the keys?”

“Joel” you reveal, chuckling at the girl’s words and moving away.

Joel locks the door and walks out to the street. He follows closely bu he prefers to savor the moment of you and Ellie making Cerise to babble and coo from inside the stroller. With all the Christmas decoration and the snow falling, Joel wants nothing but a camera to capture the moment. But his old ass would always remember that type of moments.

__________

[bladefuck]

It had been weeks since the incident. The two best friends had gotten drunk after a Rebel Mission together. It was all a bit hazy to Dylan, honestly. They almost wrecked someones car, laughing and taking pictures, before just managing to bolt back home before anyone could spot them. Wouldn’t want a repeat van incident, after all.

Eric had asked to stay the night at his place, seeing as it was the weekend and they had nothing else planned. After much begging, Dylan’s mom had said yes to the two and given them control over the house as she left to stay with a friend.

This meant the two could get freely drunk, and drunk they got.

The most Dylan remembered was the two stumbling down to the basement after nearly half a bottle of vodka had vanished into their systems. The feeling of skin against skin, rough hands grasping him, the desire to take and take and the lust for more and more.

So it was no surprise that, in the morning, the two both pretended they remembered nothing from their drunken stupor. And though Dylan believed Eric and Eric believed him, the two both knew themselves that those memories and lingering feelings never would vanish.

That wasn’t the only problem, however. Dylan frequently found himself harshly woken up in the morning with swings of nausea and forced to hunch over as he retched his insides out.

The mood swings didn’t help, either. He thought he was going insane with the stress of knowing what he had done, his mood swinging faster than a drunken man on a nightclub floor.

He tried his best to contain them, but it didn’t help when he saw who he blamed for all this nearly everyday, Eric. He had slipped up once, and yelled at the other harshly. But once again he felt the swinging of the pendulum and a familiar wave of despair befall him at the sight of Erics widened eyes and his legs taking a few steps back. He tried apologizing, but nothing came out.

He eventually decided to get to the bottom of it, researching online whenever his mother wasn’t home. But the only answer he found seemed so rediculous he felt himself laughing until there were the formations of tears in the corners of his eyes.

Yet as he continued with these bouts of nausea, mood swings, even odd cravings here and there, he got more and more desperate.

So he tried clearing his thoughts and ignoring the dread gnawing at his heart and frontal lobe as he stood at a pharmacy section of a local store, package in hand as he walked away as quick as possible.

All this had led to him not having much time for Eric, and when factoring in his sudden session of yelling at the other boy one day as school ended, he had expected the other to be pissed with him. Though Eric normally seemed pissed about most things these days, it seemed.

So it came as a shock to Dylan when Eric asked to come over one saturday, weeks later. Though the two could pretend nothing happened, the anxiousness of being near the other remained constant.

As Dylan put the home phone down after giving him permission, he couldn’t help but smile despite the crushing sense of anxiety that fell over him.

Dylan couldn’t stop the pacing he found himself doing as he awaited his best friends arrival. Eventually, he forced himself to stop. He marched into the bathroom nearby, taking out the package and tearing it open.

“Better get this over with before he gets here,” Dylan said to himself. He made sure the door was fully locked despite the fact he was, as of now, the only person in the house, the rest of his family gone at some dumb restaurant outting.

…

The blonde haired man looked deeply into the mirror, as if daring it to stop looking back. When it stayed the exact same, he sighed and pushed back with the palms of his thin white hands.

“Shit, how will I ever tell him?,” he murmured to himself. He knew he could tell his best friend anything. … Right? Yet at the same time, the eternal fear of judgement and abandoment crept over him, its shadowy claws grabbing his body and feeling as if it would tear him to shreds.

“You okay in there, dude?”

Dylan jolted at the sound of the other males voice. He had been so caught up in his own little world he entirely forgot that he invited the other over just now.

“Yeah! Just, uh, give me a second!”

He yelled back. This seemed to be an acceptable answer, as Eric didn’t respond.

He slipped the item he had just finished using into his pocket. Dylan looked up, letting out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, and stepped out.

His shorter friend smiled at the sight of him. Dylan saw he already made himself at home in his room, but he supposed it made sense, what with the two being almost inseperable.

Dylan casually sat down at the edge of his bed, which Eric was sprawled out across.

The older man must’ve saw his expression, as his eyes narrowed.

“Something’s up. I can tell,” he put simply. Dylan smiled nervously, but he knew he couldn’t just talk his way out of it like he did with others.

He took a deep breath. He knew Eric better than anyone, he knew he could confess this… he just knew it. Like a pull in his gut that drove him to the man.

“Just- Just promise not to get mad,” he said tentatively, carefully watching the others expression for even a hint of malice in Erics face.

“Okay, fine, you fuckin’ anxious wreck. Promise.”

Dylan smiled at his sarcastic remark and smirk.

“So, you remember how we got drunk a few weeks ago and, uhm, well…”

Dylan trailed off. Those memories were still fresh in his mind like an iron press ingrating it onto his brain. Eric tensed. He expected the other to have forgotten all about that night, with how often he got drunk off his mind. He looked away from the younger man, but after a few moments looked back.

“… Yeah. Why?”

Short and simple, he told himself. Don’t freak Dylan out or anything, don’t scare him off after they’ve already come so far.

He paused when Dylan gulped and fumbled with something in his pocket.

“Whatcha got there, V?”

Eric sat up as he asked this, looking curiously. Dylan sighed. Standing up and on the side of the bed, he looked down at Eric.

In his hand lay a pregnancy test, its sleek white design unmistakable. On a small screen lay two lines, forming the shape of a cross like object.

“Do you want a boy, or a girl?”

Dylan asked meekly, grinning

[nobleelfwarrior]

I have an unfortunate take on the cait/vi sex scene on arcane and it’s that this is totally in character for Vi.

Vi is codependent, which I recognize as a symptom of her trauma from losing her parents young. She not only holds herself responsible for Powder/jinx getting wrapped up with Silco, but also can’t accept the truth of what Jinx has done since in Season 1.

In season 2 she does a hard about face, but still feels like she needs to stop Jinx because Jinx is her sister and she is responsible for her, not because Vi has a healthy motive. Then Caitlyn risks hitting a child and Vi is completely alone, just like she was in prison.

We then see that as Jinx becomes a better, less murderous person, and that Vi does come around, she is so happy to have her sister and her dad back, even if they’re all broken because broken is better than gone. Then her dad dies (again) and her sister uses her hope that they can be family together to do a literal gut punch and leave her.

Now Vi has no one to blame for this situation. She can’t blame the enforcers or Silco. Jinx is separated from her because Jinx wanted to leave. What is it about Vi that makes Jinx want to leave?

So Vi is at the bottom. She lost everyone after getting them back and the only person in the world left came back and said “I still care about you.” It’s hardly surprising that Vi got super affectionate. I’m not saying Cait and Vi don’t love each other - they do - but they wouldn’t have sex in a literal prison cell if Vi wasn’t desperately clinging to the one person left in the world that gives a shit about her.

Edit because people keep saying this and I wasn’t trying to start a fight and I wish people with the point of the post: I didn’t get the impression that Cait and Maddie were seperated. Maybe I missed something. I get it.

I also think some of the hate for the scene is homophobia but that’s a different post.

[v0dkasrighthand]

It had been weeks since the incident. The two best friends had gotten drunk after a Rebel Mission together. It was all a bit hazy to Dylan, honestly. They almost wrecked someones car, laughing and taking pictures, before just managing to bolt back home before anyone could spot them. Wouldn’t want a repeat van incident, after all.

Eric had asked to stay the night at his place, seeing as it was the weekend and they had nothing else planned. After much begging, Dylan’s mom had said yes to the two and given them control over the house as she left to stay with a friend.

This meant the two could get freely drunk, and drunk they got.

The most Dylan remembered was the two stumbling down to the basement after nearly half a bottle of vodka had vanished into their systems. The feeling of skin against skin, rough hands grasping him, the desire to take and take and the lust for more and more.

So it was no surprise that, in the morning, the two both pretended they remembered nothing from their drunken stupor. And though Dylan believed Eric and Eric believed him, the two both knew themselves that those memories and lingering feelings never would vanish.

That wasn’t the only problem, however. Dylan frequently found himself harshly woken up in the morning with swings of nausea and forced to hunch over as he retched his insides out.

The mood swings didn’t help, either. He thought he was going insane with the stress of knowing what he had done, his mood swinging faster than a drunken man on a nightclub floor.

He tried his best to contain them, but it didn’t help when he saw who he blamed for all this nearly everyday, Eric. He had slipped up once, and yelled at the other harshly. But once again he felt the swinging of the pendulum and a familiar wave of despair befall him at the sight of Erics widened eyes and his legs taking a few steps back. He tried apologizing, but nothing came out.

He eventually decided to get to the bottom of it, researching online whenever his mother wasn’t home. But the only answer he found seemed so rediculous he felt himself laughing until there were the formations of tears in the corners of his eyes.

Yet as he continued with these bouts of nausea, mood swings, even odd cravings here and there, he got more and more desperate.

So he tried clearing his thoughts and ignoring the dread gnawing at his heart and frontal lobe as he stood at a pharmacy section of a local store, package in hand as he walked away as quick as possible.

All this had led to him not having much time for Eric, and when factoring in his sudden session of yelling at the other boy one day as school ended, he had expected the other to be pissed with him. Though Eric normally seemed pissed about most things these days, it seemed.

So it came as a shock to Dylan when Eric asked to come over one saturday, weeks later. Though the two could pretend nothing happened, the anxiousness of being near the other remained constant.

As Dylan put the home phone down after giving him permission, he couldn’t help but smile despite the crushing sense of anxiety that fell over him.

Dylan couldn’t stop the pacing he found himself doing as he awaited his best friends arrival. Eventually, he forced himself to stop. He marched into the bathroom nearby, taking out the package and tearing it open.

“Better get this over with before he gets here,” Dylan said to himself. He made sure the door was fully locked despite the fact he was, as of now, the only person in the house, the rest of his family gone at some dumb restaurant outting.

…

The blonde haired man looked deeply into the mirror, as if daring it to stop looking back. When it stayed the exact same, he sighed and pushed back with the palms of his thin white hands.

“Shit, how will I ever tell him?,” he murmured to himself. He knew he could tell his best friend anything. … Right? Yet at the same time, the eternal fear of judgement and abandoment crept over him, its shadowy claws grabbing his body and feeling as if it would tear him to shreds.

“You okay in there, dude?”

Dylan jolted at the sound of the other males voice. He had been so caught up in his own little world he entirely forgot that he invited the other over just now.

“Yeah! Just, uh, give me a second!”

He yelled back. This seemed to be an acceptable answer, as Eric didn’t respond.

He slipped the item he had just finished using into his pocket. Dylan looked up, letting out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, and stepped out.

His shorter friend smiled at the sight of him. Dylan saw he already made himself at home in his room, but he supposed it made sense, what with the two being almost inseperable.

Dylan casually sat down at the edge of his bed, which Eric was sprawled out across.

The older man must’ve saw his expression, as his eyes narrowed.

“Something’s up. I can tell,” he put simply. Dylan smiled nervously, but he knew he couldn’t just talk his way out of it like he did with others.

He took a deep breath. He knew Eric better than anyone, he knew he could confess this… he just knew it. Like a pull in his gut that drove him to the man.

“Just- Just promise not to get mad,” he said tentatively, carefully watching the others expression for even a hint of malice in Erics face.

“Okay, fine, you fuckin’ anxious wreck. Promise.”

Dylan smiled at his sarcastic remark and smirk.

“So, you remember how we got drunk a few weeks ago and, uhm, well…”

Dylan trailed off. Those memories were still fresh in his mind like an iron press ingrating it onto his brain. Eric tensed. He expected the other to have forgotten all about that night, with how often he got drunk off his mind. He looked away from the younger man, but after a few moments looked back.

“… Yeah. Why?”

Short and simple, he told himself. Don’t freak Dylan out or anything, don’t scare him off after they’ve already come so far.

He paused when Dylan gulped and fumbled with something in his pocket.

“Whatcha got there, V?”

Eric sat up as he asked this, looking curiously. Dylan sighed. Standing up and on the side of the bed, he looked down at Eric.

In his hand lay a pregnancy test, its sleek white design unmistakable. On a small screen lay two lines, forming the shape of a cross like object.

“Do you want a boy, or a girl?”

Dylan asked meekly, grinning

DYLRIC FANFIC DYLRIC 😩

[nfcv-saltmine]

I don't want to spoil your fun, but seriously? THIS is your favorite screenshot of the show? THIS is the big moment that makes you like their dynamic? It says a lot. Sorry but I'm going to be mean. It's nothing personal, I just so happen to have a very different opinion from yours.

Let me re-contextualize: Trevor just told Sypha and Alucard his tragic backstory. How he was a kid when his family got killed by the very people they were trying to protect. He spent his entire life after that, alone. No one to help him survive. He had to do it all himself, and due to this extremely difficult life, he became a rude alcoholic. But a rude alcoholic who still ended up going out of his way to help people. He doesn't know Sypha nor Alucard, and yet, he still brings them to the ruins of his childhood home, a place you can guess he doesn't visit often! And he leads them to his family's most precious secret. Centuries worth of knowledge and artefacts. This is an ENORMOUS deal. He's ready to go as far as expose his own vulnerability and risk to compromise what is left of his family's legacy, for the sake of saving people.

And what is the first thing Alucard does?

This. He insults Trevor's entire lineage. He insults his dead family to his fucking face. He sees the treasures accumulated and used to save innocents for centuries, wich was hidden behind a magic seal because of how precious it is... and he shits on it. KNOWING how damaged Trevor is after losing the same fucking family he is insulting with no remorse. And it's supposed to be quirky and funny because Alucard is Traumatized? TREVOR IS TOO. And do I have to remind everyone that Alucard himself commented on "having more of a childhood than him"? He knows what he's doing.

And the worst part is: Trevor is being incredibly calm here. He doesn't throw a punch, he doesn't scream, he just whispers to Alucard to shut up after he has been nothing but condescending to his whole bloodline, which honestly must be pretty triggering to Trevor so kudos to him for not getting more violent! But the MOMENT he stands up for himself because Alucard just can't stop spitting on him and everyone he ever loved and everything he and his family ever worked on, Sypha stops him. Trevor is shown to be in the wrong. Trevor is the one who needs to grow up and ignore his bully. He needs to be the better man. Friendly reminder that the worst thing Trevor did to Alucard was joking about Dracula teaching bloodletting to Lisa.

And that's not all! After Trevor did all this for the sake of saving the world, Alucard dares to call him, behind his back, "unreliable". AND HE ADDS MORE TO IT by calling him "emotionnally damaged" as well, because apparently that's something he should be ashamed of! Ah, but yes, it's actually funny because you see, he too is emotionnally damaged and probably projecting and scared and doesn't know how to deal with his own trauma... well I don't give a single shit because the cunt never once apologizes. We don't see him, at the end of the show, telling Trevor "btw I'm glad you're alive and so sorry for being a cunt to you back then", no. We don't see him express one bit of regret for his past behavior. In fact, not only does he make the handmade dolls of his "friends" say awful shit that shows how he's really seeing them, but he also look at himself in the mirror one day, see how dirty he is... and immediately compares himself to Trevor, showing us one more time what he thinks of his "friend".

And the term "friend" is way too big for whatever the trio has going on. The whole show severely lacks scenes of them actually bonding. We're offered a dynamic, and we're just supposed to go with it and accept that they are friends now, when they don't spend ONE moment actually growing closer as a group. It's worse, actually - we see them curse at each other and shittalk to each other... and THAT is what we're meant to see as bonding! The "eat shit and die" is a perfect example of that because Alucard and Trevor are still strangers to each other, yet they laugh at them cursing at each other as you would with your bestie. Except it works with your bestie, because you know each other very well. They don't. They did not earn that laugh. But it did establish very well that we were going to get fed an hostile dynamic between them and that we are just supposed to believe they are friends now. Despite not having any scene showing us that hey, they actually work together! They can talk nicely to each other sometimes! They care about each other! They respect each other!

And we're supposed to believe they are super important to each other? Please explain to me when, between the moment Alucard started to call Trevor's family "mentally ill hoarders", and the moment they killed Dracula, did they suddenly grow so close Trevor would give the man who has been insulting his entire legacy, said legacy?? (Especially if you think they spent two weeks being annoyed at each other.) It can be funny to see characters have banter and being overall nuisances to each other (granted character A doesn't literally shit on Character's B dead relatives!)... But unless they are supposed to be foes, you need to balance it with actual bonding moments. With actual moments of them being good to each other, to show they care. NFCV doesn't do that. And I can't for the life of me comprehend HOW are we supposed to be super happy and hyped for their reunion in s4, when it wasn't earned one bit! It was the OPPOSITE of earned! (The Arikado + Trevor reunion in Grimoire of Souls was way more impactful and heartwarming)

This is it, my favorite screenshot in the whole show.

It perfectly encapsulates their entire dynamic as a trio in the early seasons.

Sypha, she's just so sick of everybody's shit. They haven't been a group for more than two weeks at this point, and yet all she's heard from the boys are death threats and insults with a side of sarcasm. She has kicked one or both of them out of the wagon on more than one occasion.

Trevor, he's specifically sick of Alucard's shit. He's used to being the one who gives everyone else the shit. How the turn tables.

Alucard, he's learning what trauma is, and he's not taking it well. Better to entertain himself by giving Trevor record breaking amounts of shit than to reflect on his own suffering in any way, at least until the war is over.

[grimalkinmessor]

ACTUALLY back to my Lilo & Stitch MP100 comparisons, since I usually make Arataka's sister so much older than him, I see them as having a kind of Nani and Lilo dynamic—

Arataka: Why don't you sell me and buy a rabbit instead!?

Anehito: At least a rabbit would behave better than you!

Arataka: Go ahead! Then you'll be happy because it'll be smarter than me TOO!

Anehito: And quieter!!

Arataka: You'll like it 'cause it's STINKY like YOU!

Anehito: GO TO YOUR ROOM!

Arataka: I'M ALREADY IN MY ROOM!

•

Anehito: Arataka, you open this door this instant!

Arataka: Go away...

Anehito: Arataka we don't have time for this!

Arataka, laying face down on the floor: Leave me alone to die.

Anehito: You are SO finished when I get in there! I'm gonna stuff you into the blender, push puree, bake you into a pie and then FEED IT TO THE SOCIAL WORKER!

—and then of course the soft moments too 👉👈🥺🥰

[bixels]

I'm not getting into The Giving Tree discourse...

[butnotbubblegum]

using the tags to vent my current emotional state into the void bc ig story feels like a bad plan for this, read at your own risk.

[dcggersedge]

"Don't." Where the same objection had come out sharp and jagged with Alcryst, this time it tumbles into the space between them, exhausted and flat and forced out by a voice that just wants to rest. He meets her eyes again. She breaks first, grimacing as she turns away with a shake of her head. She sits up properly next to him again. "Don't apologize to me for something out of your control. You're only barely older than I am. You couldn't have done anything when it mattered."

The people who failed her aren't even dead. They just don't care. She doesn't want him presenting his heart in the place of the people who would call him weak for it.

"Besides, can you imagine it? The dashing prince rides in to save the day and change my life, like some kind of stupid fairy tale?" Yunaka laughs, even as bitterness pulls at the corners of her lips. "I would've been pissed, probably. I hated you and your family then."

Never him or Alcryst directly, but the idea of them. Of the royal family, living strong and proud while people like her had to fight through mud with mine dust in their lungs to survive. If the royal family was so good, she wondered late into the nights in her cold bed, then why was there no one to help her.

If the divine dragon was so loving, why was she alone?

It's different, but similar. The blood on his hands doesn't matter when there's fancy gloves to keep them clean, but they both know their stains are still there, no matter how much they scrub or how many years past.

Each life was a star now, sent too soon back to the night sky above. A life cut down, unable to see what the next day would bring. She could cover ever inch of herself in all the stars in the world, but it wouldn't be the same, no matter how many different sights and experiences she tried to take them to.

"I understand if you want to see me punished." Above them, the maple leaves still on the branches sway in the breeze. Their shadows below dance, and through the gaps little beams of light sparkle like fallen stars. "Whatever agreement I made with Alcryst doesn't mean shit if the king decides otherwise, after all."

She smiles softly. "I...I know I avoided you for a while back in the army...y'know, cause I was scared you'd find out and drag me back to Brodia when I just left...man, the way you used to always show up at the cafe when I was eating would give me heart attacks!"

She bumps him lightly, playfully with her elbow. For a second, she doesn't feel like the worst person alive. Just for a second. "But...I always liked the way you talked about what Brodia could be. About how it could be better, about how you wanted to help people, about how you cared. I thought it was nice, even if it couldn't include someone like me."

She meets his eyes again. The smile she gives him this time is real. Small and tired, but real. "...I hope you make a Brodia where people like me don't happen ever again."

do you see what I see

return to brodia

[unloneliest]

the problem of the matter is i did internalize so much of what ex friend believed about me. even though i knew he was wrong and knew what was happening and tried to stop it and if i took more action to stop it would have been abusing power i held in a way i couldn't live with myself for.

[sschmendrick]

I kinda miss hanging out with old people. All my friends used to be old people.

But the older I grow, and the more I'm expected to behave well like a normal adult, the harder I find it to keep those links. I'm lost between trying to stick to a script I don't know the words of to have a proper normal and interesting relationship for them, and allowing myself to screw up a little, be boring, be interested in stuff they aren't, having opinions they don't agree with (for silly stuff like music, though yk me), not be cool. Cause the latter stresses me out. Cause I see no reason for people to want to be friends with me if not that.

[meatriarch]

specifically looking at the hewitts since granted i know more on the remakes than the others but,

the hewitts only got vague, limited police action looking into them in '03 after erin chops thomas' arm off and gets away. and even though theres' coverage of it and everything, that literally ONLY happens after 4-5 straight years of the hewitts doing what they do, from 69-73 in terms of solely the remake timeline.

that's still a shitton of time to be ACTIVELY killing people to y'know. not fucking die yourselves. then combine that with the sawyers - their additional family members, their own trails of ruthlessness added into the mix, and this entire combined family unit likely has kill counts all around in the hundreds if not even way past that.

but even with the police involvement in the remakes?

its all SO SLOPPY, its hardly conducted with any real CARE about their own well-beings. like??? ya'll went into that house while THOMAS was STILL THERE... didnt even SECURE THE HOUSE.....

and even with the found footage? no arrests, presumably. the remaining hewitts are still at large, thomas is still at large. like... all ya'll did was corral them to their fucking confusing ass tunnel system and made luda (if we count the comics) far more involved and ruthless in the actual killings than she was in the movies lol

and yes technically speaking with charlie's death that could sever the stronghold they've got on the police and sheriffs' around them - but at the same time - how bad would it look of them to SUDDENLY flip a switch and try to unpack the years worth of missing persons, cold cases, murders, kidnappings, break-ins, assaults, etc etc that they swept under the rug? that's WAY too much man power, esp for back then. no one is gonna do that shit.

so. i truly dont think they have much to worry about even in the event of charlie dying - because the fear and influence they've instilled stands for law enforcement to continue to do fuck all - to save and cover their own asses.

[meatriarchived]

me crawling out of bed to type this and disappear back to my cocoon right after but-specifically looking at the hewitts since granted i know more on the remakes than the others but,

the hewitts only got vague, limited police action looking into them in '03 after erin chops thomas' arm off and gets away. and even though theres' coverage of it and everything, that literally ONLY happens after 4-5 straight years of the hewitts doing what they do, from 69-73 in terms of solely the remake timeline.

that's still a shitton of time to be ACTIVELY killing people to y'know. not fucking die yourselves. then combine that with the sawyers - their additional family members, their own trails of ruthlessness added into the mix, and this entire combined family unit likely has kill counts all around in the hundreds if not even way past that.

but even with the police involvement in the remakes?

its all SO SLOPPY, its hardly conducted with any real CARE about their own well-beings. like??? ya'll went into that house while THOMAS was STILL THERE... didnt even SECURE THE HOUSE.....

and even with the found footage? no arrests, presumably. the remaining hewitts are still at large, thomas is still at large. like... all ya'll did was corral them to their fucking confusing ass tunnel system and made luda (if we count the comics) far more involved and ruthless in the actual killings than she was in the movies lol

and yes technically speaking with charlie's death that could sever the stronghold they've got on the police and sheriffs' around them - but at the same time - how bad would it look of them to SUDDENLY flip a switch and try to unpack the years worth of missing persons, cold cases, murders, kidnappings, break-ins, assaults, etc etc that they swept under the rug? that's WAY too much man power, esp for back then. no one is gonna do that shit.

so. i truly dont think they have much to worry about even in the event of charlie dying - because the fear and influence they've instilled stands for law enforcement to continue to do fuck all - to save and cover their own asses.

[mbat]

dude it is way too early for this, someone just told me to kill myself over something i literally dont know anything about

[corkinavoid]

DPxDC De-Aged Triplets and Their Tired Single Sister

Jason has seen the four of them a couple of times in Crime Alley now. They looked like a family, what with similar facial features- err, actually, the kids looked like carbon copies of each other, but their mom/sister/aunt/cousin looked similar enough to be related to them by blood.

Normally, Jason didn't care for each and every family that moved into Crime Alley. Sure, he cared about all of them as a whole, but there were a lot of people, and he couldn't possibly get elbow deep in every life story he came across. So all he knew about them were three things: a) they were on the run from someone or something, b) they trusted each other and no one else, and c) apparently, they have made it their life goal to never make any kind of sense.

The list of shit they have gotten into included but was not limited to:

• one of the kids biting a gun. Not the hand of the attacker who was holding it, no, the actual gun. And he bit a piece of it clean off, which earned him - or her, actually, Jason knew one of the triplets was a girl but he couldn't tell them apart - a lecture from their... mom? sister? parental figure. The lecture was about how chewing metal does not help with iron deficiency.

• getting kidnapped and creeping out their kidnapper to the point of him returning the kids back home. A few witnesses said one of the kids was actually driving, sitting on the kidnappers lap behind the steering wheel and cheerfully commanding the man to speed up or brake. Their mom actually apologized to the kidnapper for the incident and offered him homemade cookies for his troubles. He ran away without them.

• driving a lady at the laundromat insane by repeatedly walking inside and climbing into one of the washing machines. They never got out of it, just one kid walking into the laundromat, climbing into washing machine, then another kid, looking exactly like the previous one, walking inside, climbing into the same washing machine, then another kid walking into the laundromat- well, you get the idea. The lady claimed she's seen at least five kids do that in a row, but when she looked into that washing machine, there was no one inside.

• casually falling out of windows. Or, better, walking out of them like they were doors, at any given opportunity. The witness - an old man who was helping their mom with groceries - said the mom did not care in the slightest, and when he asked her about it, obviously concerned, she just said, tired and exasperated, 'they like the feeling of free fall, don't worry, they'll come back in a minute'. Sure enough, they did, not a scratch on them. The family lived on the sixth floor.

• eating insane amounts of food. Jason personally witnesses their mom give them her wallet, telling the kids, 'eat until you're full', and promptly passing out on the table, her head on her arms. The kids then proceeded to eat four whole pizzas, three burgers each, then seven brownies and at least five cups of soda. What was interesting about it was not only the amount of food they ate but the way they never left their mom unattended, one of the kids always staying beside her sleeping figure as the other two went to order.

And now, all four of them were standing in front of him. Not Jason Todd him, but Red Hood him. And he was... confused.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I said, can you watch them for a few hours? Three, maybe four," the mom, Jazz as she introduced herself, was looking at him like it was he who was speaking nonsense, not her. Because asking a crime lord to watch three kids in the middle of the night is not something a sane person would do.

"Why?" He asks, bewildered, because what the fuck else is he supposed to say?

"I need to kill a man, and if they come with me, it will take three times longer," Jazz tells him. Is she saying the kids slow her down or what? Jason can admit he's never been this confused in his entire life.

"You could ask me to kill a man, while you stay with them, no?" He tries to reason, but the girl waves him off:

"No, that will take even longer. Besides, no offense, but you kill people to simply end their life, and I need that man to fucking stop existing forever."

What's the difference he almost wants to ask. But instead of that, he just sighs.

"Why me? I'm sure you could find a babysitter-"

"No babysitter will handle them. The last one told me they have been running laps on the ceiling, which is, actually, not that big of a deal. They are kids. Kids like running around," she huffs, and Jason suspects she is missing the point here, but okay. He gets why babysitters are not an option.

"You do understand what they can witness if they stay here?" He asks, as the last attempt to reason with the girl, but she just nods and leans down, making all the kids turn to her.

"Okay, you menaces, tell me what not to do while you're staying with Mr. Red Hood."

"No eating people," one kid starts.

"No driving people insane," the other one continues.

"No, um, stealing eyeballs," the third one finishes, and what the fuck are those ground rules? Is this girl a mother to eldrith horrors? That would explain some shit.

Jazz turns to him, "See? They're all good."

In what world is that good? Jason debates if he should start running now or when she leaves.

"Do they have names?" He asks instead. The girl nods:

"Danny." His surprise must be evident even through the mask because she sighs and points to each kid, "Diane, Daniel, Dante. Dani, Danny, and Dan. Actually, you know what, let's make this easier," she rummages through her bag and gets a marker out before gesturing to the kids, "Come here."

As they do, she proceeds to draw numbers 1, 2, and 3 on their foreheads. Then she nods to Hood and puts the marker away.

"Okay, that's better. Behave, you monsters, I'll be back soon!"

After she leaves, Jason looks down at the kids. They also look at him, eerie and unblinking.

Finally, one of them - number 2, Dani, if he is not mistaken - asks:

"Do you want teeth? We have a lot."

"She doesn't mean her teeth," number 1 clarifies, "She means other teeth."

...This is going to be some very long three hours.