#or at least very loud subtext

[demonprincesuteishi]

Live show Stacey after everything went black, the stage lights came back on, and the audience caught him and Kaito like this

[fumifooms]

Quick Falin analysis. Congrats on her going along with her loved ones’ wishes becoming explicitly canon and not subtext btw!

Thinking of it, becoming a chimera and literally being puppeteered around by the will of the dungeon and its lord is such an… Explicit visualization of her demeanor in life of letting others’ wants and whims dictate what she does and where she goes. Shows the most extreme & worst version of it, of where that could lead her down the road. Dunmeshi loves often showing that with everyone, with the winged lion warping even the most selfless well-intentioned desire into something intense and destructive.

If Faligon is her retreating into that comfortable role of just on-pilot mode following what others want, that’d be an interesting angle too. Because we see like with the dragons fight at Thistle’s house that the monsters CAN act rebellious, meanwhile Falin was just so on board with the commands she got ever since she got transformed.

Chimera Falin doesn’t have a strong will? Oof

I do also think that Thistle is something that her nursing reflexes latch onto easily, when it comes to comforting and protecting others. It’s unsure how much of her is dormant as Faligon, or how being bound to the dungeon and the dungeon lord’s will affects her, but it’s undeniable that she acts with care when it comes to Thistle. On one hand, she fights ferociously for him, when protecting him or even just sent out to scout, but you can’t really say she’s being assertive either, not when she doesn’t complain or act when he eats all the berries and she’s hungry. She’s still that silent, sidelined guardian, only now very, very literal.

I never bought the angle that chimera Falin mostly represented her repressed anger at the world personally, like yes now she’s loud and big and imperfect, but again, socially she falls into the same pitfalls, it’s just that now she’s top dog, below just one person, and so she’s allowed to be aggressive with everyone else. If anything, it’s the dragon soul pushing her to want more, making her act out, giving her a taste of how it feels to be powerful, carefree and impossible to oversee, but it couldn’t be called catharsis I think. In general, she seems more passive with a "as long as I have what I love, everything else can go burn for all I care" mentality rather than actively(or repressedly) angry to me. Not that she couldn’t have complex feelings over being lonely and cast out either of course, but personally I never got the sense that she resents the world or society at large. I do feel like the dogs treating her like she was at the bottom of the hierarchy also shaped her a lot

Not only cast out by other kids and classmates, but also treated as someone that can be disrespected and roughened up by the dogs at home. She was really pushed into that go with the flow, make yourself scarce and quiet attitude. She’s never really been allowed to hope for better, or to have a dream of her own, her life path being decided for her by others. Besides with Laios, everything she learned everywhere in group dynamics was that she was at the bottom and should be content with whatever others gave her. Maybe that’s why she was so forgiving of her parents too, because at least, to some degree they did care and didn’t want to cut contact, and she takes what she can get.

Thank you @thatsmimi for the fantranslation of the new leaked content, the opening and ending pictures in this post. Their original post about it is here, and as mentioned it is not the official translation.

[moki-dokie]

reasons i will never forgive the showrunners if they don't at least acknowledge jjpope by the end of s3

featuring: ✨✨✨queerbaiting✨✨✨

wearing each other's clothes:

jj taking every opportunity ever to touch pope (god there are SO many more examples too):

jj getting sexual with, to, or about pope and ONLY pope, ever:

INTRICATE RITUALS:

(with coincidentally well timed lyrics right as it cuts to this scene sorry not sorry editing choices like that are done for a reason)

jj very often gazing at his lips instead of his eyes while talking to him:

(seconds before going in for the kiss)

jj constantly putting himself between pope and danger or being protective of him:

KISSING:

INTIMATE NECK KISSING IN A HOT TUB FOR WHICH THERE IS NO HETEROSEXUAL REASON FOR????:

I RAN OUT OF ROOM FOR IMAGES BUT LETS NOT FORGET ALSO

how jj has quite a few pet names for pope but no one else, how pope and jj are almost always paired off together, how jj has explicitly said 'i love you' to pope TWICE, how jj calms pope down when he starts spiraling, how jj and pope have more physical contact and affection than the two romantic leads, how jj is supposed to be a manho from how he's introduced and yet the opening shot is the one and only time we've seen him with someone in a romantic or sexual manner. how about the multiple accounts of people sharing gifs of them to people who have never seen the show with 0 context provided and damn near every time the consensus is 'they are not straight/they are hitting on each other'. I've covered most of this before. the list goes on.

we could even get into film editing choices from the perspective of my bestie who has a degree in that very field and how SO many of their scenes are shot, lit, scored, and all around edited with romantic intent,.

but then wait, there's more! how about how multiple members of the cast (including rudy!!) have stated they support the ship and think it's cute? or how multiple netflix socials heavily suggested jjpope was going to be canon? how so many of the key jjpope moments were improv that could have been cut and redone (like the fucking hot tub scene) if they didn't want it going in a possible homo direction??? or how jjpope was the first major ship to come out of obx BECAUSE of such heavy handed subtext?? and then the showrunners have the audacity to pivot to jiara at the last second because of a handful of fucking rabid stans that harassed the cast so severely it drove most of them off of socials??? with the paper thin excuse of 'oh we never expected that lets explore it'???????????

and whats the definition of queerbaiting again? "Queerbaiting is a marketing technique for fiction and entertainment in which creators hint at, but then do not depict, same-sex romance or other LGBTQ+ representation. The purpose is to attract ("bait") a LGBTQ+ or straight ally audience with the suggestion or possibility of relationships or characters that appeal to them."

right.

i still have a sliver of hope that their 'exploration' of jiara is just like, 2 episodes of them giving it a shot and realizing they actually suck together. i still have hope they aren't gonna do us so blatantly dirty and might give us something even if it's just crumbs. most of the cast are loud and proud queer allies, the showrunners have so far been pretty fucking cool and extremely supportive of the queer community, even refusing to film in north Carolina because of transphobic bathroom laws. it would feel especially dirty if they really did bait us because of that. but man. MANNN. it just ain't looking good. i'd hate to give up on the show. i love it and love the actors even more but if they do it, i might just have to.

[andreafmn]

Kinktober ⛓️ Day 12

Word Count: 2.4K Paring:  Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader Prompt @kinktober2023: Costumes WARNINGS: SMUT 18+ (minors DNI), oral (female receving), dom/sub subtext, p-in-v sex

Summary: Spencer's love for Halloween knows no bounds. He plans his costume weeks in advance, he hosts parties at his apartment, and decorates everything, even his desk at work. (Y/N), on the other hand, couldn't care less. But for Spencer, she'd do anything. Even if he goes incommunicado during a case.

A/N: I'm trying my best to get back on track, but life... this past weekend really killed all my writing inspo. Food poisoning is no joke.

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All Hallows Eve was a day that Spencer Reid enjoyed to no end. A day when anyone could be whatever they wanted, hiding behind masks and costumes. There was a thrill to seeing people let out a side they normally would keep hidden. Between the spooky decorations, the scary movies, and all the terrifying marketing surrounding the holiday, Spencer couldn’t think what the best part was. 

Unfortunately for the young doctor, no one in his close circle shared his love for Halloween. Not even his girlfriend, (Y/N). Having grown up in a very religious family, she missed out on all the fun of being a child during the holiday and had found it too much work for one day in her adult years. Meeting Spencer had only made her excited about movies and candy, but her enjoyment never reached Reid level. 

After two years of relationship, though, (Y/N) thought it was time to put in a little effort for her boyfriend’s favorite holiday. While he was away on a case, she decked out their apartment with cobwebs, skeletons, and anything else she could find. She changed lights to colored lightbulbs, changed beddings and decor pillows, and even went as far as to buy a costume. It wasn’t clever or scary, but she had to admit, it made her look unbelievably good.

It had been a week since she had decorated the apartment, and Spencer still wasn’t back. And with Halloween day approaching, she was growing discouraged at all her work. So much invested for no one to enjoy it, she thought.

At least she had somewhere to wear her costume to. Her coworkers had invited her out to a bar on the eve of Halloween where they would give out a round of free drinks to anyone who came in costume, and maybe she had never gotten the chance to go trick or treating, but she didn’t mind free drinks. Maybe Spencer wasn’t home yet, but there was no reason she couldn’t have some fun. 

She had slipped on her green vine short dress, accompanied by a red wig and knee-high boots, and her Poison Ivy costume was complete. With her friends, she danced and drank, ate and sang, pushing her worries and concerns to the deepest corners of her mind. If Spencer didn’t feel the need to call, she didn’t feel the need to leave another single voicemail. (Y/N) would have fun and forget that it had been three days since her boyfriend had felt the need to check in. 

Hours passed, and finally, she felt the urge to go home. She was already sobering up, and the loud music and chattering were getting to her. Her costume gripped at her sweat-covered body, and her wig made her scalp itch. It all made her wonder how people could endure being dressed that way for more than a night. 

With sleep heavy in her bones, (Y/N) turned the key to her apartment’s door. Her cold and lonely bed was calling for her, and she would answer. 

“Spence,” she gasped as she noticed the figure standing in the middle of the dimly lit living room. “You’re back.”

“I am,” he chuckled softly. “And I owe you an apology. I didn’t have cell reception those last couple of days, and I didn’t get a chance to send an email, baby. I know it’s no excuse, but I did try to call you as soon as we landed, but you weren’t answering.” 

“My phone died. I was out,” she said matter-of-factly. “Some friends invited me out for drinks.”

“And you went out in costume?” he smirked. 

“Costumes got us a couple of free rounds,” she shrugged. “It was supposed to be a surprise for you. I went through all the effort of decorating the apartment and inviting our friends over for tomorrow night. But I was mad you weren’t answering, so I decided to use my costume tonight.”

“I really am sorry,” Spencer said, slowly closing the distance between them. “And for the record, you look ravishing as Poison Ivy.”

“I looked better a couple of hours ago,” she pouted, crossing her arms around his neck as he snaked his onto her waist. “Now I’m all sweaty and tired. But I am relieved that you’re finally home.”

“I’m home, and I’m really, really sorry,” he smirked, kissing her softly before whispering in her ear, “and you are making me very hard.”

“Are you serious, Reid?” (Y/N) chuckled. “The only reason I didn’t think you were dead was because no agents had come to our door yet. And I find you here, after days of no communication, and you’re telling me you’re turned on?”

“What can I say, baby?” he grinned mischievously. “Something about you in this costume is doing things to me.”

“So a cheap wig and a green dress is all it takes to get you in the mood, huh?” she snickered. “That’s good to know, baby.”

“With or without a costume, you can get me hard in a second, (Y/N).”

“Doctor,” she gasped as he kneaded the skin of her ass. “You’re being quite riské.” 

“I am in my home. With my beautiful girlfriend. Surrounded by amazing Halloween decorations. And an erection that is making these pants more uncomfortable than normal.”

“You’re so dirty when no one can see you,” she teased, kissing him and taking his bottom lip between her teeth. “What do you think your coworkers would think if they knew their resident boy-wonder was a dirty, dirty boy in private?” 

“They don’t need to know,” Spencer smirked, his hands running up and down her body, feeling her curves under her dress. “There is only one person that I care about who knows how I am in the privacy of my home, and she already does.”

“You’re right about that,” (Y/N) sighed contentedly. “But I’m tired tonight. I was thinking of heading into bed.”

“And waste this masterpiece you have on?” 

“Well, it was supposed to be a surprise for my boyfriend, but he kind of wasn’t returning my calls, so I spent all my energy tonight,” she sighed. (Y/N) wanted to tease him, though. If he wanted to take her to bed that night, she would make him work for it. She ran her hand across his bulge, squeezing his length. “I went out dancing and drinking, so many Batmans and Robins trying to get handsy with me. Even a few Harleys tried it.” 

“And why didn’t you go home with any of them?” Spencer asked, his voice strangled as she continued her strokes. “I’m sure they would have definitely answered your calls. Not like that dumb boyfriend of yours.” 

“Mmm, well, he’s good where I need him to be,” she grinned, nibbling on his ear until he winced. “Although, I do agree that with how he acted this week, he should be punished.”

“He should,” he panted. “He really should.” 

With a devilish grin on her face, (Y/N) pushed Spencer’s body down to the ground so his face was directly in front of her weeping cunt. She spread her legs far enough to fit him between them and pushed his mouth onto her aching bud. 

Spencer knew exactly what he had to do after he slid her panties down her legs. As soon as his face was buried between her folds, he stuck out his tongue and got to work. He traveled across her entrance, separating her labia, and landed on her clit. He sucked and lapped, he circled and pulled, all in an effort to hear the enchanting mewls that left her mouth.

One of her hands snaked into his hair, taking a handful of curls tightly between her digits. She pushed his head further into her, cutting off his air, just like he liked. Only when she came around his mouth would he be able to come up. 

“Oh, baby, keep going,” she moaned, her grip tightening around his hair. “I’m so fucking close.” 

Spencer hummed in approval against her, the vibrations sending shivers through her body. His mouth worked on her as adeptly as always, finding just the right spots to make her quiver under his touch. He could feel his mind growing hazy from the lack of oxygen, but it was only her pleasure that mattered. He has messed up, and he’d do anything to show her how sorry he was. 

In moments like those, he was thankful for his training. He could last minutes without his breath. And for her, he would last hours if necessary. He knew (Y/N) would keep him there until she thought it was right; she would go without her climax until she decided his penance was enough. 

And minutes that felt like hours were time enough for (Y/N). As Spencer’s jaw grew tight and sore, the woman above him finally let herself unfurl on his tongue, wailing out his name as she came. 

“Good boy,” (Y/N) panted, using a finger under his chin to bring him back up to her face. “At least I know you’re good at doing as you’re told. Now, let’s go to the bed. I think you might deserve a treat this Halloween.”

“Will you keep the costume on?” Spencer asked, trailing along behind (Y/N) like a lost puppy. “Please, will you keep it on?” 

“It wouldn’t be a treat if I didn’t,” she smirked. “As much as I would love to take this off, I love what it’s doing to you so much more.” 

(Y/N) pulled Spencer to their room, letting go of his hand as she laid her body across the bed. After she rested her head on her pillow, she would not move another muscle. Spencer knew that. He knew it was his job to bring her to absolute pleasure. And only when she allowed him to would he join her in the bliss of his climax. 

The woman spread her legs just enough to fit her boyfriend between them. Sluggishness was rapidly taking over her, but she fought against the grasp of sleep. It had been a week without him, and she wanted to enjoy every second awake. Well, for as long as her mind would let her. 

Although, it wasn’t like Spencer was about to take his time. 

With his eyes firmly set on her, Spencer removed his clothing quickly, layer after layer. He didn’t care where they landed. All he cared about was the quickness of his moves. There was a tiredness they both shared, exhaustion from an already long day. But one climax was all he wanted. It was all he needed. 

Spencer crawled up her body, careful not to disturb a single leaf on her dress. Once at sue level, he cradled her cheek softly and pressed his lips to hers. He savored the taste of cheap alcohol and mixer with the cherry taste of her lip gloss.  

“Baby, hurry up,” (Y/N) muttered against his lips. “I’m not gonna last much longer awake.” 

“Your wish is my command,” he chuckled before kissing her again. “I’m close to passing out, too.”

He reached a hand between their legs, grabbing his cock and lining himself up with her entrance before sinking into her warmth. Spencer sighed as he felt her walls hugging him, welcoming his length like he belonged there. 

His hips moved slowly into her, calculated and angled. He knew exactly what she needed to reach completion as quickly as possible. On any other night, Spencer would have been striving for longevity. Calculating the best way to make their time last. But at that moment, they wanted good, quick, and easy. 

It wasn’t long until they were both panting, the tempo of his thrusts slowly increasing as the minutes passed. A thin sheet of sweat had formed on their skin, glimmering under the soft light of their bedroom lamps. Their breaths and their hearts were synchronized, the moment unifying theme as one. 

“You’re close, baby,” (Y/N) chuckled softly. “The vein in your forehead is pulsing.” 

“That’s because I’m focused on one thing,” he responded. “And you always make it hard on me.” 

“Well, you can always do what you want,” she smirked. “But you know you’ll be punished later.” 

“And that’s supposed to be a bad thing, right?” 

“It can be.” 

“That still sounds good to me.” 

“That’s because you’re a sucker for pain, my darling,” (Y/N) snickered. “Now, hurry up and make me cum. Because you can’t until I do.” 

With a focused stare sewn into his face, Spencer moved even more determinedly. He propped his body up with one of his arms, using the other to find (Y/N)’s clit, maneuvering the swollen bus until the moans that left her throat were strangled and consistent. He knew every part of her body, and it was impossible for him to forget how to work around them. 

Spencer continued his attack, using only some of his strength to hold off the explosion that wanted to exit him. All he needed were a few more thrusts and a few more circlings of his fingers to have her come undone around him. 

“Oh, fuck, Spence,” she cried as her back arched away from the bed, her nails digging into the soft skin of his arms. “You can come,” (Y/N) panted. “Go ahead, baby. You can come.” 

It was just the instruction he needed to paint her walls white, shooting strand after strand of his seed deep inside her. “I love you, (Y/N),” he panted as he restated his forehead against her. “And I really am sorry for not calling sooner.” 

“It’s okay, Spencer,” she smiled softly. One of her hands raised to caress his cheek, pressing her lips tenderly on his. “You made up for it. But the next time, I won’t be so… giving.” 

“I would never dare,” he grinned. “Or maybe I would. It’s not like I don’t enjoy my punishments.” 

“Oh, you kinky doctor,” she chuckled as she played with a curl that had fallen over his eyes. “Now, help me get out of this costume. It should be illegal to sell something so itchy.”

“But you’ll still wear it tomorrow, right? I mean, it is Halloween day.” 

“You and your Halloween fever,” she laughed. “Fine. But you’re gonna clean up the apartment after. November first is officially Christmas.” 

Next ->

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[emblazons]

Honestly there will never be ANYTHING realer than the clip where David, Finn, Winona and Caleb all just flat out deny any possible romantic undertones for WillEl's relationship while confirming they're set up as siblings and heavily insinuating that Will is in love with Mike...before S4 even dropped. Like?

Finn's dead eyes with the 'wow' shaking his head and trying to smile as Winona is like 'oh my god?! WHAT" while Caleb goes wide eyed and David says 'WILL and ELEVEN?'

—and then David and Finn laughing while David says "if you've been watching the show, you know that Will isn't interested in El—he's interested in someone else in the group" with the "you'll see, you'll see soon, that he's interested—HE'S VERY INTERESTED" + Winona yelling " THATS JUST WRONG" kflkdsjfd add in David being like "Will wants to be in the basement playing DnD with Mike FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE" with Finn's "AND HE SAID THAT" and there's not a single way you could miss the insinuation unless you were being willfully obtuse ��️

Even now though...at this point Noah has confirmed it and the Duffers have even giggled about it...but some people still act like it isn't obvious or canonical fact because no one used the word "gay" out loud to describe him? Just...someone take this show away from at least half its audience, because if the most basic subtext confuses you, its probably not the right fit ☠️

also love that Finn and David are both "they haven't set it up in the show or narrative, pay attention" truthers just like me LOL

[rollinouttahere-writes]

yandere jabra x woman reader

I'm on the Hunt, I'm After You

Yandere Jabra x Fem!Reader

Chapter 1

3.6k words

Warnings: harassment, unwanted advances and touching, implied stalking, yandere

“Oh (Y/N), your favorite regular is here~!” Gatherine called out in a singsong voice.

“No! Come on! He was just here for breakfast, you can’t be serious!” You slapped the order ticket onto the table and spun around to face her.

“Yes, and now he’s back for lunch,” she snickered, absolutely no sympathy for your plight. 

“My entire section is packed full, you’re just trying to pawn your customers off on me!” You hissed.

“Oh trust me, he’s in your section. When the hostess tried to explain that there weren’t any openings in your section, he went over there and threw out the people at one of your tables.”

You gawked at the woman, aghast at how casually she was telling you all of this, “Are you kidding me? I don’t suppose he got them to leave the money for their bill behind first, did he?”

“Probably not, but I’m sure you could get him to pay it if you play your cards right,” she winked at you, and the subtext was heard loud and clear.

“Ew, no thanks,” you had to suppress the urge to gag. “He’s so sleazy, how in the hell did you ever date him?”

“I mean, it wasn’t for very long, but he really wasn’t bad or anything. Kinda clingy, though. But now I’ve got my sights set on someone else,” she sighed dreamily.

“And how’s that working for you?” You asked dryly, rolling your eyes. How anyone could want to pursue someone like Rob Lucci was beyond you. Sure, he’s good looking, but that ice cold look in his eyes was extremely off putting.

“It’ll happen,” she spoke resolutely. “These things take time, you know.”

“Yeah, sure.” You had your doubts about her most recent romantic pursuit, but that really wasn’t your business. You ripped another order ticket off your pad and scribbled down your regular’s usual lunch order before placing it with the rest. Fortunately, that man was predictable in what he ordered, so you could spare yourself at least one trip to his table.

Gatherine was continuing to wax poetic about Rob Lucci behind you, but you had your own problems to worry about. You grabbed a bottle of sake from the liquor cabinet and an ochoko to bring with you to the table. 

The kitchen door stood before you, acting as the last barrier between you and the customers. You took a deep breath, forcing yourself to relax. It’s just another customer. A creepy and annoying one, sure, but it was nothing to get so bent out of shape over. You’ll be fine.

With a nod, you confidently walk out and scan the room to figure out which of your tables had been evicted. It didn’t take long to do so, Jabra stuck out from the other customers. Much to your chagrin, he made eye contact and flashed you his typical wolfish grin. As per usual, he was happy to see you.

Making sure to keep your face as neutral as possible, you approached the table he had commandeered. He was here alone this time, which was less than ideal for you. If he was with one of his colleagues, the experience was much more tolerable since they would tend to keep him distracted. Kumadori, as dramatic as he was, kept Jabra more than occupied with his antics, and Fukuro was fun to have around because he would always let loose some piping hot gossip. It was especially funny when the tea he was spilling was at Jabra’s expense.

Alas, you would have no such fun today. 

The ochoko is set onto the table and you pour a generous helping of sake into it, “Good afternoon, sir. I don’t suppose you would know what happened to the people who were here before, would you?” Of course, you already knew what had happened, but you wanted to make the bastard explain himself in hopes that maybe, just maybe, he would feel a bit of shame.

Their plates and glasses were still on the table, though they had all been pushed to one side. You’ll have to flag down a busser to get that cleaned up, lest the manager complains about looking “unprofessional”.

Jabra grins, “Oh, them? They were already done eating, so they let me have their table.”

Your eyes drift over to the half eaten meals, “Is that what happened?”

“What? Are you calling me a liar? That hurts, you know!” Taking a page out of Kumadori’s book, he dramatically clutched at his chest as if your words were so sharp that they actually cut you.

You rolled your eyes, not caring if he saw it, “I would never.” Every syllable was completely flat and monotone.

“Well, maybe I pressured them a little,” he snickered. “Did they not pay before they left?”

More like before they were kicked out. Whatever, you don’t want to prolong this interaction by arguing with him, “Nope, can’t say they did.” 

Jabra gasped in mock outrage, “How could they do something like that to you?! Some people are shameless!” He could say that again. He dug around in his pocket, “Tell you what, I’ll cover their bill. I would hate for you to have to pay because they ran out on you.”

Thank god, you had been worried that you were going to have to foot the bill. Jabra acting like this wasn’t completely his fault was certainly annoying, but you could take it if it meant not losing a chunk of your paycheck over his stunt. A wad of cash was held out to you, but all you did was stare at it.

“That is way too much.” Without even counting it, you knew that was easily three or four times their bill.

“C’mon, just take it. It’s a nice tip, isn’t it?” Undeterred by your hesitation, he holds it out more, trying to force the money into your hand. 

You took a decisive step back. You know what game he’s playing here. He isn’t being generous to make up for evicting your table, he’s trying to make it so that you feel like you owe him. Your hands fidgeted with your apron, “It’s too much, I can’t accept that.” The last thing you wanted was for him to have some perceived leverage on you and try to use that against you.

“Since when do waitresses refuse tips?” His fingers drummed against the table, the once relaxed smile had become rigid. “How about this: You can use this to cover my meal, too.”

Even if you took what his bill would be into account, it would still be an absurdly large tip. Now you were torn between standing your ground so as to not give him an in, and caving so that he doesn’t get upset.

Apparently, your internal debate was taking too long for his liking. Jabra reached forward suddenly, grabbed your apron, and yanked you towards him. You yelped as you stumbled and scrambled to stabilize yourself. The first thing that your hand found purchase on was his shoulder. If you hadn't grabbed onto something you would have fallen right onto him. Now that you think about it, that was likely what he had hoped would have happened. 

Sleazy pervert.

Jabra took advantage of the close proximity to stuff the money into your apron. Rather than retracting his hand now that his mission was accomplished, he rested it on your hip, thumb tracing circles over it, “See? You’ve got the money and nothing bad happened”

You begged to differ. Between the smarmy smile on his face and the unwanted touches, you had to fight the impulse to slap him. He deserved it, but unfortunately that would absolutely get you fired. You had to settle for wrenching yourself out of his grip and taking several steps back this time. Through clenched teeth, you mutter out a ‘thanks’.

Taking a moment to calm down, you try to excuse yourself, “I need to go tend to other tables now.”

You try to hurry past him, but he catches your wrist, “Hey, wait! You haven't taken my order yet.”

“You get the same thing every time, I already submitted the order to the kitchen.”

His smile widened, “Well maybe I want to try something new, you never know.”

This man was definitely trying to get a rise out of you. You haven’t bothered giving him a menu after the first time when he waved it off and said he didn’t need one. But if he wanted to play stupid games, then you suppose it was your right to let him have stupid prizes. For once, you found yourself to be the one grinning. Albeit maliciously. 

“Alright. I’ll cancel the lamb chops and fetch you our vegetarian menu to look over.” His smile dropped and he looked downright panicked. Deciding to take it a step further, you reach for the sake bottle, “My bad for bringing this out, I’ll switch it out for some water. Good on you for making healthier choices.”

Finally, his hand abandoned your wrist and snatched the sake bottle out of our other hand, “Whoa there, I was just joking!” Once the adrenaline rush of almost losing his precious alcohol passed, he chuckled, “Didn’t know you could be so funny, rabbit.”

The nickname made you scowl, you hated when he called you that. Any attempt at expressing as much only seemed to encourage him to use it more, so you’ve learned to bite your tongue.

Jabra leaned forward and propped his chin up on his fist, “It’s sweet of you to remember what I like.”

“I’m just doing my job,” you explained flatly before bolting out of there. You wiped your palms on your apron, they had become uncomfortably sweaty during that whole interaction. Him being touchy wasn’t anything new, but he was escalating it beyond the point where you could grin and bear it for the sake of employment. You don’t remember him being this bad when him and Gatherine were still together. Then again, you really hadn’t been paying that much attention, so maybe you just missed it. 

What had you done to be forced to endure this treatment? Even if you did get fired, you couldn’t escape. Working at a place as secretive as Enies Lobby came with pros and cons. Sure, you were being paid extremely well, but that came at the price of not being able to leave freely. If this job didn’t work out, you would be shuffled to a different, less desirable position. Waiting tables was among the better positions given that you made tips on top of a decent wage. You were only five months in on a ten year contract. 

Based on what you’ve heard from your coworkers, you would be pressured to renew your contract after it ends, and if you did choose to leave it was a grueling process involving being thoroughly interrogated to ensure you hadn’t overheard anything you weren’t supposed to. It’s been said that being allowed to leave was virtually impossible and unheard of, they always find something to justify keeping you here. Hell, you wouldn’t be surprised if speaking to Fukuro was an immediate disqualifier in and of itself. 

The odds of ever being able to leave were unlikely to say the least. This was something you hadn’t known until after you were hired and signed the contract, but that seemed to be the case for everyone. It was scary and disheartening, but you’re trying to stay positive.

If you could just keep this up, your family would be set for at least the next ten years. You sent them almost everything you made, only keeping enough for the most basic of living expenses. Even when you were living as barebones as you were, it felt luxurious by comparison to what you were used to. Your home island was so poverty stricken that your family’s only hope for survival was for as many of you as possible to leave and send back money to those who couldn’t. A handful of your cousins had also applied to work here, but only you were hired. Presumably because of your brother being a promising marine that was climbing the ranks. No doubt he put in a good word for you.

Was it selfish to wish he hadn’t? Probably, but there’s no point in dwelling on that, is there?

After you finished checking on your other tables, you went over to the register with the bill from the guests Jabra had thrown out. You paid it and couldn’t help but be awed by how much berry was still left over. It was enough for a month of groceries back home. You can’t fathom being paid so well that this would be seen as disposable income.

As uncomfortable as Jabra made you… your family needed this money. Maybe it wouldn’t be the worst thing to indulge him at least a little if it meant keeping your loved ones from starving. Maybe you could learn to take it in stride and not let it get under your skin when he leered at you like you were a piece of meat.

You shoved the money into one of your pockets and lightly slapped your face. You’re on the clock, now isn’t the time to be getting hung up on your unfortunate situation. Spinning on your heels, you head for the kitchen to see if any of your orders are ready yet.

Someone was coming up on your side, and you turned slightly to see who it was. William, one of the busboys on shift today was heading for the kitchen as well with a tub full of dishes. Oh right, you needed him to clean off one of your tables.

“Hey, Will. After you drop that off could you clean off table 13 for me? Jabra’s at it, but he kicked out the people who were there and their plates need to be taken away.”

He stopped dead in his tracks and gaped at you, “He kicked them out? The fuck is his problem?”

You snorted, “Do you think I know?”

The tub was unceremoniously dropped on a nearby counter and Will less-than-subtly looked out over the dining room. His lip pulled back in disgust when his eyes landed on Jabra and the leftover remains of the previous diners’ meals. He ran a hand through his frizzy red hair and huffed, “What a fucking creep, he’s lucky he’s so high up because if he wasn’t I would kick his sorry ass myself.”

The bold threat made you chuckle. Will was like this with all of the staff here. He didn’t give a shit if someone was a high ranking marine or government agent, he would call out anyone for making the wait staff uncomfortable. Well, almost anyone. Even he knew better than to confront a member of CP9.

“Thanks for worrying about me, but it’s fine. I can handle it.”

Just like that, his attention was back on you. His arms crossed over his chest as he regarded you with an exasperated expression, “Just because you can “handle it” doesn’t mean you should have to. That asshole needs to learn to leave you the hell alone. He didn’t get handsy again this time, did he?”

The way that you immediately averted your gaze and grimaced answered his question. His expression darkened and he began untying his apron, “I’ll kill him.”

“No! No you will not! It will be the other way around, calm down!” You latched onto his arm and tried to talk some sense into your hot headed coworker. “It’s fine, really!”

Will was glowering in Jabra’s direction. His chest heaved with each agitated breath and his hands clenched and unclenched repeatedly. Sharply, he turned his attention to you. His rage contorted face slowly relaxed into a deep scowl and he sighed, “Fine. Whatever. He’s lucky you’re holding me back.”

“Sure he is. Now get back to work before Mal catches us slacking off.” The manager, Mallory as she preferred to be called, was a hardass. You did NOT want to be caught being idle by her.

“Yeah, you’re right. But hey, you better let me know if that creep tries anything else. Even if I can’t beat his ass, maybe we can get something worked out so that you’re less likely to see him.”

You shook your head, “Okay, mom, will do.”

Will grumbled at you to watch it, but ultimately decided to drop the matter for now. You approach and go through the kitchen doors, keeping them open just long enough for William to slip in before they can close. You check the counter and find that fresh plates of hot food are being piled on and one of the cooks slaps the bell a couple of times to signify that an order is ready. From the looks of it, there are a few orders done. 

A quick glance at the tickets confirms that most of these are for your section, so you waste no time piling them onto a tray so you can haul all of these out at once. One of the completed orders was Jabra’s, much to your dismay. You just got away from him and now you’re going to be forced to go back. Lucky you.

Wanting to prolong the inevitable, you saved his table for last. None of the customers you had leading up to him were feeling particularly chatty, so this wound up not being as much of a buffer as you had hoped.

Sucking in a breath and plastering a fake smile onto your face, you hurry over with the hope of dropping off the plate and running before Jabra could harass you again. The table had been cleared, and you can’t help but wonder if Will was mean mugging Jabra the entire time he was there. 

“Here’s your meal,” you state plainly.

You tried to just keep going, you really did, but Jabra’s arm snaked around your waist, effectively keeping you from running. Your mind was screeching for him to stop touching you, but such comments had to stay in your mind.

“What’s the rush? It’s like you’re trying to run away from me,” Jabra’s tone was teasing. If only he knew how right he was. Or maybe he did and this was all some sick joke to him.

“We’re in the middle of the lunch rush, I have a lot to do right now,” you’re surprised at how calm your voice is despite how irritable you felt. Hopefully he’ll accept the answer and let go of you. His grip was so strong that you couldn’t easily step out of it.

“I guess you’ve got a point, I won’t keep you here long.” If only he wouldn’t keep you here at all. “It’s a shame you have to work so hard. Why don’t you let me take you somewhere nice tonight?”

There he goes again. This was far from the first time he made this proposal. He’s nothing if not persistent, you’ll give him that. Your nails dug into your palm as you mulled over your excuse this time. Hanging out with Gatherine? No, you’ve used that too many times. It’s not like he was going to stop if you gave a masterful excuse, you suppose anything would work, “Sorry, I’m going to be busy cleaning tonight.” This wasn’t even a lie, you’ve been meaning to do a deep clean of your apartment for a month now.

Jabra huffed, “You’re going to work all day here only to go home and work some more? Come on, let me treat you to a fun night. It’ll be nice, I promise.” His arm constricted, forcing you even closer.

“I’ve been putting this off for a while, I really want to get it done,” you insisted.

A tense staredown ensued, and you weren’t sure who would win. Would you lose your nerve and break eye contact first, or would he give up? The hair on the back of your neck felt like it was standing up from the tension in the air. His jaw was tight. It appeared your string of rejections were starting to get to him.

“Alright, I get it,” Shockingly, he let go of you and looked down at his food instead.

For a moment, you were too stunned to move. “I get it”? Did he finally get the hint? He shot a questioning look over his shoulder when you didn’t immediately leave, and that was enough to prompt you into scurrying off. You’re not sure what made him see the light, but who were you to look a gift horse in the mouth? 

Despite the discomfort you just felt, you went about your shift with a skip in your step. The possibility that Jabra was going to leave you alone was downright euphoric. You felt bad for whoever was going to be his next unlucky target, but at least you were in the clear! The tips would be missed, but you would allow yourself to be selfish just this once.

The lunch rush slowly came down to a trickle as customers filtered out (of their own volition this time) and weren’t immediately replaced with more. One of the guests that left was Jabra, but you were surprised to find more money left next to his empty plate. You had already covered his bill with the money he’d given you previously, like he’d suggested.

Your fingers ghosted over the berry, then quickly slipped it into your pocket. Maybe it was an apology for his behavior? Unlikely, but not impossible.

Maybe things are going to get better for you now? You had a rough start, but it’ll be smooth sailing with Jabra having called it quits. Everything is going to be fine, great even! You’re finally going to be able to relax.

Surely that sensation of feeling like you’re always being watched will go away now that you’re no longer paranoid about Jabra.

[booksandpaperss]

How Stranger Things (poorly) handles racism as a topic compared other heavy topics it successfully tackles

before we get started, I would to direct you all to some other accounts who have already discussed this that you should check out either before or after reading this post: @wewebaggit @googoogagaeyes @elekinetic and anyone else please feel free to tag yourself or another account that’s discussed this and I’ll happily boost it

Content Warning for in show examples of racism and discussions of racism, as well as mentions of homophobia and the AIDES epidemic

.

. While we're discussing historical accuracy in stranger things and homophobia + ignorance being present even in well meaning characters, I want to point out that if the writers of the show weren't so squeamish about addressing racism in any in depth way, than this type of historical accuracy would be for racism too.

what I mean by this: in this sense, the show is not consistent. It's clear that the writers have done their research on 80s homophobia and how openly prevalent it was, if the AIDES allegory in season 2 and the way homophobia was very clearly present in seasons 1 and 2 (it still is in seasons 3 and 4 but the first 2 seasons showed it in the scope of the entire town), but racism was just as overtly prevalent, and yet the writers have neglected to address it in the same thoughtful and coded way. if the show was just as consistent about racism as it is about homophobia, than the white characters would be at the very least shown as ignorant just like the straight characters are.

and I'm not going to say that it's completely ignored, because that's not true:

-in season 2; mike makes an ignorant comment that implies Lucas should have been Winston because he's black, and Lucas calls him on it. There's also the very racist undertones (that are practically overtones) of Billy's treatment of Lucas. -There is almost nothing in season 3 except for a jokey joke when Nancy says the whole party is her family and the receptionist, who is a black woman, gives Lucas a skeptical look.

-Season 4 is a little better, with the implications (key word: implications, I'll come back to that in a moment) of Lucas's season 4 arc being that he was trying to fit in because he didn't want to be racially targeted and bullied for being a nerd at the same time anymore, that he felt like even more of an outsider compared to the rest of his otherwise all white friend group who, as far as he knows, are all cishet and giving him shit for wanting to lessen how much he's perceived as an outsider because he's automatically seen as even more of a "freak", and his friends just weren't getting it because they were white and ignorant. So the writers aren't blind to race and racism.

However. None of the examples that I've just listed are addressed later in any in depth way; not like the homophobia is. The only one that's even remotely delved into instead of simply being glossed over is Lucas's s4 arc, and even that is still very flitted around and left up to interpretation of the audience.

The writers seem to have a very "hit and run" sort of policy with addressing racism. They clearly know they should, and they at least seem to know that having a black character in an 80s setting with a cast of mostly white characters inherently creates a lot of racial subtext-

-for example, the very loud subtext of Jason (a white boy much older than Lucas) seeing Max (a white girl) in a trance alone with Lucas (a black boy) and immediately assuming the worst + Jason's white friends tackling an 11 year old black girl to the ground: subtext that I'm still not sure if the writers and directors were even aware of bc they never addressed it and their track record isn't great-

-but they hardly do anything about it.

I'm not surprised, considering this show is headed by two white men, but what really gets me is that they all truly could have tried harder. Like I said earlier, it's clear they've done research and put thought into addressing homophobia (it still could've been handled better but that's an entirely different conversation), and it's evident from Max's s4 arc that they also did research on Depression, PTSD, and the impacts on someone of their abusive family member dying. So the lack of care and thought put into addressing racism in the same way is clearly more than ignorance (which would still be bad, when you're writing a show this big in 2023 with topics like this you're actually, shocker, responsible for making sure they're addressed properly, ignorance is a choice at that point), its just fucking lazy. they don't care. And this not caring is inherently harmful on a show this big and frankly, I'm tired of so many viewers and people in this fandom straight up ignoring this fact, just like the show runners.

And I haven't even covered the complete lack of effort put into Patrick's backstory, or the fact that Erica is very much the sassy, mature for her age black girl stereotype (she deserves so much better). Oh, And we can’t forget the copaganda.

I'm glad that season 4 started to explore the dynamic between Lucas and Erica and expand on both their characters, and from the looks of things that will continue in season 5, so the writers have a chance to do their research, actually put effort more effort into the sinclair sibling’s characters, and improve, and I'm hoping they will but as of right now I don't trust them to, and won't unless they prove me wrong.

TDLR; the main issue is that Stranger Things is clearly a show that addresses topics like depression, abuse, homophobia, and racism, but the racism part is neglected compared to the others, just like how Lucas and Erica's characters are handled poorly compared to the white characters,. it's lazy, horribly insensitive, and racist in and of itself. There's a clear bias, and even if it improves in season 5 we still should be talking about it, and more white people (yes white queer people included, we are not exempt from this discussion, if anything we should care just as much about it as when we’re talking about homophobia) in this fandom need to start listening when black and brown people do talk about it instead of just waltzing through and ignoring it for your own peace of mind.

also I should clarify that I myself am white, I made sure I did research before making this post in order to talk about this accurately and consciously, but if I made any mistakes or said something insensitive or used an incorrect term or anything else, feel free to correct me and I will readily fix it

as a final note: please check my rebligs of this for links to more posts that talk abt this issue

[chinashio16]

Stay With Me is a censored BL

Honestly speaking I’m flabbergasted by the fact that viewers still question whether Stay With Me is just a bromance or a BL.

I’m not even gonna talk about previous episodes in which it was already pretty obvious in my opinion with all the subtext (and even if it wasn’t Wu Bi’s “Su You is mine!” should have done the job) but okay, even if we ignore all of these...

Episode 13 has done it. This episode confirmed that it’s a BL. And you can’t even question it anymore. 

Exhibit A:

Su Yu dug up the box from episode 9 in which all three of them (Wu Bi, Su Yu and Duo) put in papers or “letters” with their own wish. They agreed to wait 10 years to open it together.

Whoever digs up the box first is a puppy. Su Yu couldn’t wait that long though. He had to know what Wu Bi wrote in his letter.

He reads Wu Bi’s letter and he is very pleased about what he finds out.

By reading the letter he figured everything out. How? I’m pretty sure Wu Bi’s letter mentioned something about the fact that he’s in love with Su Yu or at least that he is in love. When they were writing the letters Su Yu’s ex wasn’t even in the picture so even if Wu Bi didn’t explicitly mention Su Yu’s name in the letter Su Yu should be smart enough to suspect that he’s the one Wu Bi is in love with. 

Exhibit B:

Su Yu’s ex wants to know why he’s cold towards her and why he’s trying to get rid of her asking if it’s because Wu Bi likes her. Su Yu confirms that it’s because Wu Bi likes her (altho at this point Su Yu definitely knows that Wu Bi doesn’t like her but he’s tired of her and he wants to get rid of her without having to explain any further).

The ex thinks that Su Yu is upset because he thinks that she likes Wu Bi back. So she tells him she doesn’t like Wu Bi back. 

But Su Yu says he doesn’t give a flying fuck whether his ex likes Wu Bi. 

There is only one reason why Wu Bi liking the ex bothers Su Yu but why Su Yu doesn’t give a damn whether the ex likes Wu Bi.

The girl doesn’t get this. (I guess the rainbow colours didn’t flash in her mind yet and won’t for a very long time.)

The ex says there is no way Su Yu doesn’t like her (oh my god, the amount of self-confidence she has!) since Su Yu punched Wu Bi “for her”.

But Su Yu easily explains to his ex that he punched Wu Bi “for himself”. 

Why? Because he was jealous. But he wasn’t jealous of the person the ex thinks.

If it still didn’t translate well I’ll explain: 

Su Yu was jealous about the possibility of Wu Bi being in love with his ex. That’s why he punched Wu Bi. Because they (Wu Bi and Su Yu’s ex) stood so close to each other in episode 12 and Su Yu thought the ex was telling the truth about Wu Bi liking her. 

But Su Yu doesn’t have any feelings for his ex. He said so in previous episodes and said so again in this one. 

A bit harsh but Su Yu needed to say it out loud like this. The girl just couldn’t get the hint. 

Su Yu also explain that she helped him “see his own heart clearly”. 

Meaning: Thanks to her intervening he finally understands that Wu Bi likes him (and that Su Yu likes Wu Bi).

Exhibit C:

Su Yu goes to see Wu Bi who tries to explain the entire situation to Su Yu but it doesn’t matter to Su Yu. Why? Because he doesn’t care about the ex. He knows that Wu Bi doesn’t like her, that Wu Bi likes him and that’s enough for him. Nothing else matters.

Su Yu is also finally clear with Wu Bi about his feelings for his ex.

Now all cards are on the table. 

They’re not talking about the lies of the ex. Su Yu already established that he doesn’t care about any of it. They’re talking about something else here.

Wu Bi leaning in and asking how he figured it out is also pretty telling. The cat’s out of bag. 

They’re talking about Wu Bi’s feelings for Su Yu.

Now Su Yu’s is also trying to save his face. He doesn’t want to admit he was so desperate that he decided to dig up the box to find out what Wu Bi wrote in his letter. 

So he just focuses on the fact that Wu Bi did tell Duo about his love struggles and he figured the rest out. 

Honestly speaking no matter how you look at this scene, it reads as romantic with the music in the background, the lighting around them, Wu Bi leaning in more and more... and it’s that way on purpose. It is a romantic scene because the main characters finally confirmed their feelings for each other. Now, to be exact, Su Yu wasn’t as clear to Wu Bi about his feelings for Wu Bi but he told Wu Bi that he figured out Wu Bi likes him and therefore he doesn’t care about the ex anymore. It should read as “i don’t care about her because you like me and I like you too”

I truly do not need a tv show site to tell me if something is a BL and I truly do not need a kiss scene between characters when we know that the show is heavily censored for certain reasons. All I need is to watch the show. Even if the heavy subtext isn’t enough for you the text and everything that was said in episode 13 should have done the job. 

Bonus:

I think Su Yu wrote something in Wu Bi’s letter and I truly wonder what it is ( In my opinion he confirmed his feelings for Wu Bi in whatever he added to the letter). But I’m sure we’ll find out later on what it was.

[theamityelf]

(Kamukuras AU Masterlist)

"So, Kamukoto," Junko says, twirling a strand of her voluminous hair around one manicured finger and smacking her gum in a way that is meant to downplay the inside knowledge she's just demonstrated by half-using the name 'Kamukura'. "What do you think of my nails today?"

He is sitting beside her on a bench close to the main school building. He's wearing the hoodie the class gave him. His thick, brown hair he has taken to trimming at just past shoulder length and tying back in a ponytail, with a bunny hair tie that Junko also gave him. The bunny has a tracker inside, which he knows and allows. (It's not as if Byakuya's nearest home address was classified in the first place.)

His eyes are still bright red, because he eventually decided against using colored contacts for his classmates' benefit.

Perhaps his first demonstration of personal identity, though the choice itself was a passive one.

"I think I...don't like them," he answers honestly.

"Color me deeply offended," she replies, with barely a veneer of offense. "Why not?"

"Well, that seems to be the same polish that was used to ruin the personalized comic Hifumi made for me, which heavily implicates you as the one who did it. Also the saturation doesn't quite match the color of your lipstick. An extra coat would have rectified that."

"Oh, good, you picked up on that first one. I was worried I hadn't done enough to take credit for my gift. When did you know it was me?"

"Within a second of Hifumi tearfully showing me his ruined comic. Was I supposed to mention it out loud?"

"No, but a glance or wink would be very validating for me."

"By validating, you mean reinforcing the behavior?"

"Maybe."

"What kind of acknowledgement would you find least validating?"

She hoots with laughter, pinching his cheek hard enough to break the skin. "Ice cold, you lab rat!"

"Kyoko said I'm allowed to be unaccommodating with people when I feel like it. I wasn't sure what kind of feeling she was talking about at the time, but I think this is it. Was that good, for you?"

"Aww, you even negotiate your kink after the fact! You're so precious, I'd cut you open if someone hadn't beat me to it. Still might," she adds in singsong.

He gently removes her hand from his face. "Speaking of, I've also been asked not to let people hurt me."

"Uh-oh! Am I in trouble?"

"My friends have said they won't harm my classmates unless..." He trails off. "You'll be fine. I might have to make this minor injury look like it was caused by something other than fingernails. Next time I'll remember to stop you."

"What else were you asked not to let people do to you?" Junko purrs.

He blinks, considering her and deciding what to make of the subtext of her question.

"Makoto!" Nagito greets, walking up to them (having presumably stealthed over until he announced himself at ten feet away) without even the pretense of having to look around.

He's dressed in bright-colored, loose-legged pants and a crop top, with jewelry in a seemingly-random subset of the many piercings he's given himself since escaping the labs. His hair is about as thick as Makoto's, but not as curly, and he's allowed it to grow just past the small of his back with only a few streaks of dye throughout (in a rare show of restraint, which is unlikely to last). In one hand, he is absentmindedly twirling a closed umbrella.

"The Ultimate Yakuza mistook me for this body's former occupant on my way here," he continues. "I kissed him on the mouth, of course. His reaction suggested that was incorrect. Ready to come home? Because I'm allowed to use force, if you're reluctant."

"Oh." After a few seconds of sustained eye contact, Makoto says, "I'm...reluctant?"

"Thank you!" Nagito says, picking him up and throwing him over his shoulder.

Junko opts to interject, now. "Hi there, Kamukomaeda. Remember me?"

"The noisy, impudent one who forgets she's beneath us!" Nagito says delightedly, his bright red eyes actually landing on Junko for the first time. "Good afternoon. I see you've slightly injured my favorite compeer. I wouldn't want to be you when our predecessor sees it."

"Why? Do you think Izuru-sama will finally grace me with his presence? Because don't get me wrong, botched experiments are totes my type, but I am just itching to get my hands on the original; my sources say he actually came out as intended."

"You put a lot of stock in the intentions of our inferiors," Nagito muses (still carrying Makoto on one shoulder). "Understandable, as one yourself. But you're mistaken if you believe provoking our predecessor's wrath will earn you his attention for very long. If he feels moved to confront you, it's unlikely you'll have time to talk."

"And here I thought you were the fun one."

"Also understandable. I present as such because I frequently entertain myself." Nagito casually puts up his umbrella just in time, as someone empties a bottle of formaldehyde out of a window above them. The angle of the umbrella causes the fluids to trickle down the back of Junko's shirt. "Good afternoon, Ultimate Fashionista."

"Bye, Junko," Makoto adds, as Nagito turns to leave. "You should soak those clothes in a bucket of hot water with a cup and a half of baking soda for at least eight hours, then rinse them with cold water and leave them to air dry."

[royboyfanpage]

That issue where Roy threw soda in Garth’s face still gets me heated. He legitimately needed to get drop kicked

Hhhhhh this is gonna piss people off I fear. I'm gonna do it anyway.

...In his defence-

Now, I'm not saying I think he was in the right, and I'm absolutely not saying Garth doesn't have the right to get mad at that. And actually, I think if Roy had been dropkicked in that issue, it probably would've helped resolve the wider issue earlier, so I am also yay for dropkicking him. I think the issue comes with Roy's inability to pick up cues. He's a very loud person, sometimes abrasive, and he does act without thinking sometimes. He's also pretty bad at moderation. He has a tendency to take things to their natural extreme, which can cause conflict in his relationships. On top of that, he's not always the best at interpreting people's feelings when they don't match their actions.

Combine those all together? The five are all bantering, kinda making fun of each other. He'd see this as a good environment for joking around, there's not gonna be any real hostility, everyone there knows that they're just messing around. Roy makes some fish jokes, Garth doesn't really tell him to stop. Sure, he corrects Lian when she calls Garth 'gillhead', but maybe Garth just doesn't want a kid calling him that. It's fine, Garth's smiling, everyone's still having a good time, the jokes continue. The opportunity comes up to prank Garth. He takes it without thinking, because they're all joking anyway. Garth storms off, but then comes back like a minute later, and he's smiling again. The situation's resolved itself. Everything's good.

I've already talked about it a bit in this post, I would definitely word it better if I rewrote it now since it was quite rushed at the time, but I think it sums it up pretty well. And the fact that immediately after Roy throws it on Garth he splashes Lian furthers the idea that Roy didn't see that he was doing anything wrong in my mind. He was just having fun and messing around with his friends. But Garth wasn't explicit enough in his discomfort, at least not for Roy. I'm not saying that's Garth's fault whatsoever, he doesn't owe an explicit explanation for everything he does. But Roy's issues with subtext isn't a trait that makes him a bad person. Is it a character flaw? Yeah. Possibly also a trait of neurodivergency (He's listed as having ADHD in his wiki but the context I've seen for it is Wally somewhat joking about it so I'm not sure how canon you'd say that is.)

And then in #15, they actually have a talk about it-

And, again, I think Roy's being sincere when he says this. He didn't think about how his actions were being perceived, he just went off what he thought was funny in the moment, there was never any malice involved. Does that mean he did nothing wrong? No! But I think intent is important. Roy didn't mean any malice when he threw his drink at Garth. Garth did mean malice when he called Roy a junkie. It's just something to think about.

And then they actually end up communicating and making amends at the end of #16, which i think is so important.

I really love Garth and Roy's dynamic, and I think that the issues with miscommunication are really compelling to read. Roy's very good at communication, he's great at listening and explaining himself, but that primarily relies on the explicit rather than the implicit.

So yeah, I do agree, Roy should've gotten dropkicked for the drink thing, because that would've been a clear communication that resolved the issue quicker.

[harveyguilleniconodelamoda]

i've noticed that harvey tends to go for wide leg pants for 'fancy' occasions and i wish he wouldn't

I honestly can't relate, Anon! He looks so fucking good in a wide-leg pant. That silhouette works soooo well on him, he's so gorgeous and present and powerful!

But like...I get it. We all have our preferences when it comes to clothing! Style is intensely personal. So if you don't favor a wide-leg pant, that's fine! You do you. He also rocks a skinny or tapered-leg pant at a lot of events, and looks amazing there, too! But I'd like to take this opportunity to talk a bit about why I absolutely love the wide-leg pant look.

Comfort

A wide-leg pant is just damn comfy, in my opinion. The ease of movement, the air between the fabric and your skin allowing it to breathe. It's just comfy! Comfort only helps with confidence, and as we know...confidence is the single must-have ingredient that will make or break any outfit. Even more so, I'd imagine, when you're under bright lights with a hundred cameras pointed at you!

Legs for days

This is somewhat dependent on the waistline and hemline, but I think Harvey and his stylist(s) have that down. A wide-leg pant can really elongate your legs, which is great for looks where you want to emphasize your sense of presence (like, say, when representing yourself and your work on the red carpet). It also just looks very cool in motion!

Taking up space

Fashion can be used to emphasize features, change proportions, project a certain shape or image...and in general, I think that's fine. But the vast majority of fashion advice for plus sized people for decades has been centered around how to make ourselves appear smaller, as if we can become thin via the power of optical illusion. We're supposed to stay away from anything too eye-catching, anything too big or attention-getting. We can't (according to conventional wisdom) wear anything too tight, or too bright, or too loud, or too big.

No slouchy or oversized styles, wide-leg pants, big sleeves, sparkles, bright colors, loud patterns, billowy capes, bows, etc...anything with excess fabric, especially. These are all things we're often told to stay away from as plus sized people because it'll make us "look bigger." And the subtext of that in a fatphobic society, of course, is that we're already unacceptably large and should want to minimize that as much as possible. Like we have to apologize just for existing.

WelI, I say fuck that. The thing that finally made me feel good in my body? When I stopped trying to take up less space and make myself small. It wasn't doing me any favors. It just looked--and felt--like I was trying to hide. Because I was!

And apparently, Harvey shares at least some of that sentiment! He embraces all of those "forbidden" things and always looks fabulous doing so! He takes up space. He draws attention to himself. He is a presence that cannot be ignored, instead of fading into the background and radiating apologies for his size. He doesn't need to apologize. His size is a gift and he's beautiful.

Anyway...those are my thoughts. To close, have some photos of Harvey in wide-leg pants over the years, looking gorgeous and taking up space.

[novemberthorne]

When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let's spread the self-love 💞

Thank you so much for the ask! 💕 What a fun idea! I'd love to share some of my favorites! 🥰

Something Lost, Something Found (90k, rated E)

I've obviously gotta include this one, because wow, what an absolutely amazing experience it was to write and post this and to get to see everyone's thoughts and comments through the whole story!! ❤️

"I'm…" Steve starts, like he's actually about to tell him. Oh God. He's about to tell him. Eddie's staring, and Steve sees how his hand is searching the seat behind himself for the remote, probably to kill the movie, because Steve's being so weird it's making him worried. He sighs again, breath trembling from stress and he buries his face in his hands. Leg still bouncing in place. The TV gets turned off and the room fills with silence, and he hears Eddie shuffling around next to him. "Steve—" "I have a pussy now."

The Train Fic (23k, rated E)

This story was written as a birthday gift for my beloved partner ❤️ I worked on it for every single day for over two months. I was completely immersed in it, and despite the experience being very different than most my other fics, it's one of my favorite writing experiences ✨ever!✨

“Just… hang out together on the train?” Steve asks to clarify, because it was a strange idea. "Yeah. Let's indulge in a little escapism together, and I'll show you what the journey is all about. Okay?" Steve feels baffled. “Are you… high?” Eddie just laughs. “No, that’s not—” “Your thing?” “Exactly. Clever boy.” And Steve might just be the most naive guy on the planet, but he believes him. “It’s your choice, though. Trust your gut, alright?” “Right,” Steve says carefully, looking at Eddie with a careful look. At least he doesn’t look offended by Steve’s blatant hesitation. “It’s not a no, I’m just…” Eddie leans in a little, and he gives Steve’s arm a friendly nudge. “You don’t have to make excuses or explanations for being cautious, Steve. Think about it over the day, okay? You know where to find me.”

Who Embraces The Monsters (10k, rated M)

I love monster stories, and for some strange reason, this is the only one I've ever written! I need to change that...

"I'll never fucking forget you," Steve tells Eddie genuinely, letting himself feel all those vulnerable things he usually just swallows down. Eddie just looks. The black ink under his skin has spread into his face, and it's pulsing, shifting under the surface, moving like a living thing. It's seeped into his eyes, black bleeding into the white of them and starting to take over. Then Eddie smiles, and it's a monster's smile. "Go," he just says. And despite every cell in his body rioting against it, Steve leaves.

All I Do Is Want (11k, rated E)

The first fic I ever posted in the fandom 💕 and it got such a beautiful reception, it definitely sealed the deal for me to keep going!

"Eddie," he says quietly, because he doesn't trust his voice not to break right now. "Mhmm?" "Maybe we shouldn't. Tonight." He says carefully, and despite himself he shifts his hips back, depriving them both of the contact. It felt so nice, and he wants it so bad, but he thinks it would be a bad idea to have sex here. At least right now.

Secret Smile, Wistful Eyes (30k, rated M)

This fic was such an educational writing experience for me, and also such a personal, emotional journey. It was also my first chaptered fic I ever posted, very exciting!

"Seriously? You never even, like, suspected it?" "No?" Eddie says, feeling kind of like he's floating, maybe even dreaming. He's usually good at subtext, he can read between lines well enough to confidently put most things together. But this was something else entirely, another thing that would rock his entire understanding of the world, surreal to the point where he knows it's not actually going to sink in until Steve says it out loud.

[jedi-hawkins]

The Bad Batch "The Cavalry has Arrived" Watch Thoughts

spoilers (duh) I'm posting this now, after a first watch but I'll add more notes after my rewatch (I'm starting now)

medic Hunter

The sibling banter please I love them

So I had a thought… Hemlock’s eyebrow slit, yu think that’s natural or do you think he does it himself?

Rampart is so cocky love him

Their banter ugh

Emerie and Echo 😭

EMERIE!!

“Get into position” Omega immediately adopting the kiddos has me so soft

The signals!!

FACEPLANT SCARR!!

Omega’s theme playing!!

Wrecker no 😭😭😭😭😭 Don’t you DARE

ECHO WAS SO CLOSE TO GETTING INTO THE VAULT IM SOBBING

“Things are about to get very loud anyways” I LOVE HER

ZILLO BEASTTTTTT

THIS JUST KEEP reminding me of Tech’s “found her” in ep 2

ECHO KNOWS HOW SHE WAS TRAINED AND HOW SHE THINKS

“This puts him to sleep?” 😂😭💕

Crosshair you’re going to make me cry

“No you’re not”

This whole scene I’m going to throw up. Crosshair said the line and now Hunter’s “Plan 99”

“Echo’s handiwork, or Omega?”

“Omega.”

“My brother Wrecker hates heights too”

“Just focus on what’s ahead, not what’s below.”

Man fuck you, Disney

Aw their little shoulder taps

Damn Hunter’s good

“Not in your condition” I feel like there’s a subtext that Crosshair is also not in his game

I’m gonna throw up

(Later note) the “five deaths” quote Crosshair’s comment “Clone Force 99 died with Tech”

“Havoc five” 😭😭

“Hey kid. Hey other kids” Echo I love you

Noooooooo

Oh shit he’s trying to condition them

CLONE BOYOS

and they know Omega!!!!!!!!

I hadn’t even considered a Nala se death (?)

Hemlock wtf are you up to

Suicide bombing?

Fuck yeah Nala se

Echo noooo

“I have them.”

Fuck you hemlock, what’d you take off CX-2?

Okay. We’re on our feet…

Fuck you Hemlock

FUCK YES

the way they’re moving together

WET HUNTER

YESSSSSSSSS

CROSSMEGA HUG!!!!!

Project Stardust?

Aw the kiddos

Emerie doesn’t have her goggles, and she’s joining Echo’s cause

Echo’s leaving?? 😭😭

Her little lean into Hunter’s arm I’m so soft

Oldmega?!?!

Old Hunter, silver fox

“Thought you could sneak off?”

His little woven bandana and his ponytail

Batcher has a collar 😭

SHE HAS THE RED BANDANNA

LULA

TECHS GOGGLES

The two fingered salute

HE STILL HAS A KNIFE ON HIS BOOT THO

(Added Note) Wow, I haven't rewatched yet, but re-reading this yeah... I was definitely incoherent when I wrote these. I'm going to go back and give more context, don't worry, and I'll definitely type up my reflection review too. At the very least, I wanted to add this for Tech:

Rest easy, Tech. Your family is safe. Crosshair came home, you were right, his message was real. Though, you were wrong that he's unyielding, he changed. He healed. They all did. They saved the clones on Tantiss, and all of Hemlock's work was destroyed. Your brothers don't have to fight anymore, they were able to live out the rest of their days in peace. And Omega? She's a pilot, just like you. She never gave up on Crosshair, and they'll never forget you. We'll never forget you. Fly high, CT-9902.

[lurkingshan]

La Pluie: We Must Speak Our Love

La Pluie, my precious child, my perfect show, I could not love you more. You stayed true to your themes the entire way through, and you trusted the audience to use our brains to understand what you were trying to say. You stuck to your guns about focusing on the relationships and the choices the characters made as the driving forces of this narrative, not the mythology and not destiny. You knew exactly what story you wanted to tell and you told it with a clarity and completeness that is extremely rare in these drama streets. I salute you.

This show never intended to solve the questions around the workings of fate in this universe, and while the characters individually may or may not believe in soulmates, what matters is who they choose to love. Tai even said it a few times in this episode to make sure the point was extra clear:

As for the destiny and soulmate stuff, they are like a trap in our relationship.

Love is about two people. It doesn’t need destiny to pave [the way]. I don’t care whether you are my soulmate or not. The most important thing is our feelings…I love you, Patts. I don’t care if it rains or not. I do love you no matter what happens.

No one chooses to find an answer anymore [about hearing loss or soulmates]. Because whether or not we know, it doesn’t have anything to do with the path that each person chooses. At least, we get to choose our own path, instead of destiny determining for us.

With that theme (which has been present through the entire show) coming through loud and clear, in the finale La Pluie was able to turn to another very important theme and hammer it home: the importance of speaking our love out loud, and communicating clearly with the people we care about. The fantasy of romance novels–that your lover will just intrinsically understand you without need for you to speak–was fully dismantled. This show said it is selfish to hold back your true thoughts and feelings from those you love, and we can only really connect with each other when we are willing to use our words. Below, I break down the many places this theme showed up in the finale’s excellent resolutions for our characters. 

Dream and Nara

First of all, let me just scream again because AHHHHHHHHHHH. I did not dare to dream that we would actually get this pairing, not as subtext, but as actual text in this show. We got to see Dream ask Nara out! And importantly, we got to see Nara nudge her into doing so by asking her to be clear. When Dream started hinting about whether Nara was open to a new relationship, Nara said straight out:

Can I ask why you want to know that?

Dream then got shy, but Nara kept talking to make it very clear exactly what they were discussing. She didn’t want any uncertainty between them, so she told Dream directly that she was welcome to hit on her. We love a confident and direct communicator! And we see in the epilogue montage that this clear communication paid off for them, and they are now happily dating.

Lomfon and Tien

I have to start this section by giving mad props to Lomfon, because that boy: understood exactly what he did wrong, reached out to Tien to try to make amends many times despite being rebuffed, put his effort into a film project that would get Tien’s attention, and then when the crucial moment came, used his words and used them well.

Lomfon was determined to show Tien how he felt, which was an important part of their resolution. His persistence mattered because it proved to Tien that he was serious. But his actions alone were not enough. When Tien asked why he made that film, Lomfon said:

I have already told you. I would show you with my actions.

And Tien walks away. It is only when Lomfon opens his mouth and begins to speak, in no uncertain terms, about what he did wrong, why he is sorry, and what he wants with Tien going forward, that Tien accepts his sincerity (and lays one on him). 

The words mattered. Tien needed to hear them to know that he could trust Lomfon with his heart. And now that he has heard him, he will.

Tai’s Journey

When we first see Tai in this episode, he is still stubbornly clinging to the idea that Patts is going to reach out to him first, passively waiting for that to happen, and resigning himself to giving up if it doesn’t. Tien shares our frustration with this knucklehead, and tries one more time to get through to his brother:

For the past two years, you haven’t talked to him. He had tried to reach you so many times.

Tien said brother, I love you, but it is your turn to try. And he’s right! Patts has been doing all the heavy lifting in this relationship, and Tai is the one who was in the wrong. He needs to be the one to reach out to Patts this time. 

This inspires some further reflection for Tai, and he finally makes an important connection: he has been doing to Patts what his mother did to him.

You’re really not going to say a thing?! I can’t understand [if you] say nothing.

Yadfah’s silence hurt Tai deeply, and as he remembers his painful conversations with her in the aftermath of the divorce, he realizes he stonewalled Patts the same way his mother stonewalled him. He finally seems to grasp how unfair that was, and he immediately springs into action. 

Tai’s first stop is Dream, who he is hoping can tell him where Patts is. In his conversation with her, we hear him reflect again on how his silence harmed their relationship.

If I’d understood him and talked to him earlier, it wouldn’t have turned out like this.

He also learns about Patts seeing him with Lomfon, which clarifies for him why Patts hasn’t reached out and why he has cut off contact from everyone. His determination grows, and with only the knowledge that Patts is helping to open a veterinarian clinic somewhere in Chiang Mai, he hits the road. 

But we’re not quite done with Tai’s lessons yet! As Tai wanders aimlessly around Chiang Mai, checking every clinic he can find, he makes some new friends when he runs out of gas and a shockingly kind couple invites him to eat dinner with them and stay overnight in their home. Art and Phueng are lovely people who have been together for years, sticking it out through Phueng becoming permanently disabled. Tai asks them for their secret to being happy together, and Phueng tells him:

We listen to and understand each other. We listen more, and speak less…if we speak more but listen less, we don’t hear [each other’s voices]. Then we don’t understand each other.

Do we got it yet, friends? Communication is the key to a happy relationship. 

Tai and Patts 

After days of searching, Tai finally finds Patts by chance, looking like a dead man walking in the street outside his clinic. And Tai wastes no time, calling out for him, running to him immediately, and launching into his verbalization of everything he’s realized. Crucially, he starts here:

You don’t have to say anything. This time, please let me say it.

And y’all. Y’all! Those words meant so much to me, let alone how it must have felt for Patts. We see Patts draw in a surprised breath after Tai promises he will say it this time, and as Tai goes on his eyes get increasingly misty and he struggles to keep his face neutral–you can see how much it all means to him. To finally have Tai acknowledge that Patts has been the one doing all the communicating, that he understands where he messed up now, that he was wrong, that he is sorry, that he absolutely does love Patts and he should have been able to say it. 

I didn’t talk to you well. I let it slide until [it got] bad like now.

Tai finally understands that his refusal to speak was the core problem, and he is saying it all now.

And that is all Patts needs to forgive him. Just the words that Tai has been holding back. Tai’s silence was always the thing that caused him the most pain, and now that he is speaking his love out loud, they can move forward. They can choose each other with no further doubts and a commitment to keep talking.

(Thank you thank you to @wen-kexing-apologist for grabbing screenshots for this post for me, and an extra special shout-out to @bengiyo for grabbing me after episode 1 of this show and telling me in no uncertain terms that I needed to start paying attention immediately. It has been an honor to clown with you and work to bring so many along with us for this wonderful show.)

[geekgirl101]

Weird question, but what kind of music do you think billy would be into..? I’ve always envisioned him to Green Day or Rage against the machine…not sure why but I go between any sort of rock-ish like im finally free or found myself songs (queer subtext? Maybe I’m reading too much) or loud screamy, let my anger free, stick it to the big man, like lowkey loosing my mind song makes me see billy just finally letting loose with his powers and going apeshit on some enemy who definitely deserved it…

Full disclosure, I could very well be projecting my own music tastes. But I like the idea of Billy being into Rock n Roll. So a little Chuck Berry. But also Queen, David Bowie. Maybe some hair metal. Kiss, Twisted Sister. Very stick it to the man music. So I can definitely see him as a rock and metal kind of guy.

Billy doesn't strike me as the screamo type. He also really got into School of Rock the musical. And actually, we know Billy loves the Sound of Music, so he probably also likes, at least some Broadway music. Maybe some Phantom. Or stuff that combines classical music with metal.

These questions have been fun. I haven't had asks in a while so thanks anon.

[annaizscribbling]

Ch 1.

Wordcount: 2983

Content warnings: Horror. Gross descriptions. Obsession. Religious subtext. Hallucinations.

Virgil has some bad habits.

Lots of them, actually. He chews his nails. He grinds his teeth. He slouches. He stays up too late too often. He is self-deprecating to probably an unhealthy degree at times. He picks his skin. He snaps at people when he worries about them. He can be messy. He blasts music way too loud through his headphones. He tends to hiss at people instead of communicating his feelings. He still uses Myspace. Flaws.

But so what? Sue him. He’s got flaws. What are you gonna do about it?

Virgil never pretends to be perfect. He leaves that sort of bullshit to the others. Patton, Roman and Logan try that sort of thing every day in different ways, the pack of idiots. Maybe that’s what made them so easy for Thomas to handle at first. Perfect docile little sides with no real underlying issues. They were kinda adorable back then, those three. Virgil ruined that dynamic pretty quickly. Course he did.

The whole perfection thing for any of them went straight to hell pretty soon after. Virgil got to introduce Thomas to the fun fact that his beloved sides had flaws. And Virgil was a great example of that. Thomas had no clue what was coming, what he didn’t know about himself. Maybe deep down Virgil knew it wouldn’t last, but change is awful and uncomfortable. Ignorance is bliss, for Thomas at least. Virgil doesn’t like not knowing. Then they had to stage that damn fake courtroom.

It was the worst, and he means that. Even if he calls most things ‘the worst’ including but not limited to mornings, decaf coffee, himself, etc.

And yeah, Virgil doesn’t think he is the absolute worst (mainly because Patton would yell at him if he dared say such a thing, and yeah maybe eventually he started to believe it) but he certainly is not among the best. Maybe it’s childish or overly simple of him to even try and separate them into better and worse, but he is past caring. Anyone who accuses him of being stupid for that is the exact type that he would classify as one of the worst.

As long as Virgil put in enough effort, he can be flawed to a safe degree without having to live up to anything perfect. Middle of the scale. Unobtrusive. Second place. Perfectly passable without the pressure of trying to be perfect or anything. Half the time he’s accidentally Thomas and Patton’s most special little boy anyway, even when he’s being the actual worst. Whatever. He can have his moments and be a bitch here and there, and anybody who has a problem with it should check their expectations.

Or at least, that’s what he tells himself they should do.

They actually give him a lot of grace.

Maybe too much sometimes. It’s not like he’s very good at giving any back. It wasn’t something he liked to dwell on. There were a lot of things he didn’t like to dwell on, even though his job is to dwell on uncomfortable things. But sometimes Virgil just runs. Runs as fast as his legs can take him. Fight or flight. That’s him. Fighting is good, yeah, but he can’t fight forever. 

Damn it. He’s getting stressed.

Focus on the cave, Virgil.

Virgil takes in a slow breath, letting the damp dark air coat his insides. His soul is soothed by the moisture. Every deliberate inhale is a lulling comfort. It is like the antithesis to smoking. Or at least he imagines it is. Thomas never tried smoking a cigarette before, so Virgil can only guess. In his mind though, he imagines that it burns and claws at his raw throat. That it would dry up the moist, delicate lining of his insides. It would attack and steal. Not nurture. He can imagine painful, hacking coughs as his mind lit up with fleeting foggy joy that aches like scorched earth after he is all used up and discarded.

Not like what he feels now. Like the warm wet air is soaking into his wet, fleshy insides. The sopping wet oxygen slathers on more to what was already there, making him feel heavy, like a soaked sponge, but in all the right ways. Like he is more solid. Like putting a smooth, buttery lotion on skin so dry it was starting to crack. Like licking dust off of chapped, splitting lips. Nothing is like being drenched in cool, sweet moisture.

Nobody and nothing can touch him here. Here in his beautiful haven where he can see through the haze. Virgil hates the haze. He hates the dry cloud of thick lies that sticks to the air up there. Upstairs, far up the stairs.

Virgil swings his feet lightly. Below his sneakers, one untied lace dangling past his soles. The fraying, dirty, once white string hovers a few inches above the water. If he tried sitting on the very edge of the jagged stone, and stretched his legs down, maybe he could kick the surface of the water. Maybe he could feel the water soak into his shoes and socks. Maybe he could feel the cool, balming temperature of the water. He could let the water cling to his damp skin, hugging his cells until the water warmed to his body temperature.

But he doesn’t.

He settles for just breathing it in. He’s laying down on his back, letting the cool smooth stone press against his back. Even through layers of black polyester clothing, he could feel the lack of give in the cold rock. He shifts his skull, feeling the imperfect unwavering surface roll against the bone that encased his metaphysical brain, if it even lay under the thin shell of bone, fake skin, flesh and tissue. He settles for moist rock and rogue falling frigid drops of dark water. He settles for knowing nothing lay in the dark above and below him.

Nah. He wasn’t settling. He was almost happy, actually.

There in the dim dark cave, he can breathe. Virgil likes the moist air and the gentle rumbling of a river that moves regardless of what anybody does. He likes the inky black water and the smell of freshwater with a hint of something almost spicy, in an earthy way. The gentle rushing and gurgling sound acts like a padding around his head, softening the rest of the horrid world.

The water flows unceasingly

Virgil hums, something soft and light, harmonizing with the babble of the water running. He likes how dark the waters are, how it reflects any light right back at him, keeping whatever lies below the surface to itself.

Such a thing should have terrified him. Not knowing potential dangers, not knowing the threats, not even knowing if something was dangerous, it should scare him. Sitting on a ledge overlooking an inky expanse should have scared him. It should have made him suspicious.

But it does not.

The water does not run fast or harsh, it is a gentle current. Virgil even knows there is a pretty convenient, solid little ledge he could climb up if he ever fell in. He stared at it many a time, not just because it was a comfort, but because it was almost enticing. He could jump into the water, and there would always be a way out. He could just jump in, join the ever sung song that beckons him with open arms. He wouldn’t, but he could. He would always have the option.

He fantasizes about it. That delicious moment when his feet come crashing through the surface of the water. When the tantalizing cold will refresh his tired skin. Not knowing where the bottom of the water is, like free falling into refreshing forever. It is lovely and murky and enveloping his body, mind and soul.

But he didn’t. Not today, but one day he could. 

Not seeing through the water was comforting. It was almost the water’s way of speaking to him. It told him that he didn’t need to know. That what lay below did not affect him, that it was hidden and not something he needed to worry about. Not a lie, just a shield. Like a pair of soft hands he trusts gently covering his eyes. The water was always there for Virgil.

Only for Virgil. An entry only for him.

Men do not enter by this one, but it is rather a path for immortals.

It’s hard to find the water, or at least it used to be. It’s not hard for him anymore, but for anybody else? Probably impossible. Because it is for him now,

The Mind is a strange place to try and live in. The well-worn paths are, for lack of a better word, far more solid than other places. It’s easy to exist in places where every inch is defined and well imagined. The rooms they stay in every day are almost as solid as reality. Every little surface has been touched at least once, each corner glanced at again and again. Each piece of wood or carpet or tile has been stepped on. It stays in place when you look at it. The Sides still have their imaginary bullshit like conjuring and teleporting, but the backdrop is pretty normal unless intentionally adjusted.

This rule of thumb only applies to the commonly used areas. Other places, places used only on occasion or constructed off of one of Thomas’ memories … aren’t so cooperative. Maybe at first they were, when they were shiny and fresh and new. But over time, it changes. Things flicker a little, or don’t look right up close. It gets old, fading with the memory or need for it. Sometimes the neglected hallways that adjoin their domains look funny the next time you pass through it. Other times, it branches off into a different direction. That closet you used that one time has a slightly different handle, but you can’t prove it because you don’t remember the old one, and the door certainly can’t remember if you don’t.

Usually, that crap isn’t a big deal. The Sides usually just rise up or appear in different places. Why waste time walking when they don’t even really need exercise? It’s mostly pointless. But when they do walk, chances are, the in between places might look a little funny. And the rarely used places might need some refreshers. Just think a little harder about the details, look at the corners for a sec, focus on the memories or tweak a few things. No biggie. The important, everyday rooms stay the same so who cares?

It’s the other places that are more uncomfortable.

Theoretically, Virgil could get up from any place, think of a door, and walk forever through an amalgamation of nearly anything. Memories, dreams, imagined daydreams, places from books and movies, colors, concepts, anything that Thomas’ mind has collected and dumped into a great big pot of imaginary soup. If Virgil walked far enough, he could probably end up in the idea of hair gel.

It’s one of the many, many, many weird ass things about not being real. And yes, Virgil has had many an existential panic about it over the years. But he tries to keep that sorta panic reserved for Thomas and not his own existence, if he can help it. Which he only occasionally can. 

The twins and Patton are so used to this fact of their life that they don’t tend to worry about it, it’s all any of them have ever known. Janus just uses it with the barely miffed countenance of a New Yorker using the subway, the pretentious asshole. Always a mild eye roll when the hallways act up or a condescending sniff when the walls warp.

It was Logan who was a completely different story, their poor Logic can barely stand it. The main reason Thomas knows so little about their strange daily lives is on account of Logan’s refusal to investigate it very far. He usually refuses to use it or touch it, he can barely acknowledge it most of the time. Their rather liquidy state of reality defies all common sense and is never quite consistent enough to understand. They’ve all acquired an instinct for it, but instinct isn’t always explainable. Their existence is hardly explainable, another thing that Logan can’t always cope with well. Logan will only walk down heavily treaded hallways, will only occupy strongly established rooms if alone, and will exclusively rise up to any space that has a hallway he does not trust.

It isn’t the type of thing anybody has ever really said out loud, but they all know. Virgil supposed they just spared Logan a little mercy. It’s probably hard being Understanding himself when the very fabric of his reality cannot be understood.

Virgil himself goes through phases of panicking about it and being too bored by it to care. He goes through waves. He can never remain stagnant, never get too used to any of the fears and worries that plague him. He must remain alert. Forever and always.

His cave is different though. The water flows unceasingly. His cave with his water and the river and the damp air. Virgil can’t prove anything, but it’s different. Something about it soothes his fears instead of multiplying them. It’s a secret though. It has to stay secret. In such a murky world, full of whispers and murmurs, the waters are a striking contrast.

The waters tell him about the whispers. The ever-flowing springs.

The waters warn him about the truth. The water is true. In a world that seeks to tear him out hiding and rip him apart with lies and cheap tricks, truth can be found. Hidden in those deep recesses lodged away in the shady corners of Thomas’ messy human brain. Truth can be found.

Home isn’t so safe anymore.

Virgil didn’t always call the place he lived now home. He was below, before, trapped where beasts like him must be. Now it was different. He lived among the doves now. Gentle little white birds roosting in a home lovingly built to house the little creatures. Virgil was not one of the intended inhabitants, but he’d earned his spot. He protected them. When careless fingers push through the holes of the enclosure, wriggling and stretching toward his delicate charges, he’s the one who bites. He’s the one who will scratch or urge the birds to run in a flurry of feathers and flaps. He is a protector. Call him what you want, passion, war, love, teeth. When the outside tries to put their disgusting fleshy fingers through the chicken wire, Virgil is there to bite. 

Now the threat lies among them, a wolf nestled between sleeping sheep. Yellow eyes lit with a false softness. Just beneath pale lips lie dripping venom, sharp teeth, a forked tongue.

It takes a lot for Virgil to keep his teeth to himself.

He’s a dog. A guard dog. Forever stretched out in a sunny spot, but never fully asleep. Deep sleep is a foreign concept. He’s always listening, always keeping an eye out. Blunt teeth in abundance, an iron jaw to wield them. Spiked collar meant to control him more than hurt another. The heavy, gruff animal lying at the foot of your bed, never more than a few steps away. Deep growls and a lazy huff when you want to play with him, but never quite above bringing that ball back to you. Corded muscle built out of a long day of laying in the grass, but always at your disposal. Maybe he’ll give you a bit of attitude when you deny him something, but deep down you know. He’d lay his life down for you. Your children. Beneath coarse fur and the long-winded sighs of a large dog, there’s an undying loyalty. Should the world fall to pieces and no loyalty be found amongst once good men, a good dog remains faithful.

The water flows unceasingly.

Virgil held the sides of his head. It was getting a bit much. The caves made him … contemplative. He gets lost in thought. His mind wanders so far that it’s hard to call it back sometimes. It grows in intensity after some time. He starts to get lost in a weird yet comforting sea of intricate metaphors and strange parables. It’s just the water trying to steer him in the right direction though. There’s no malice behind it, but it can get overwhelming. He’s probably hit his limit for the day.

Longingly, Virgil sits up and stares at the lonely waters below.

Beautiful.

The water flows unceasingly.

Virgil doesn’t usually like beautiful things. Maybe he doesn’t trust pretty things. Or perhaps he just secretly wishes he himself was a beautiful thing. Instead of the cracked marble that he imagines when he looks at his own two hands. The ornate and the gilded are out to get him. Sweet perfume is a cover for rotting meat. Gold paint drips from sharp teeth. A mesmerizing yellow eye that—

No. Stop it, Virgil.

He rubs his eyes. He was doing it again. He needs to leave before it gets weirder. He doesn’t wanna. But he knows he should.

But the water calls gently. The wisdom residing in caves shall deduce fountains of intellectual waters to him.The water beckons, with the gentle caress of one who cares. A mother with her beloved child. What is home if not a sense of safety, however frail? What is love if not an enveloping warmth you can drown in?

The water stares back up at Virgil. Every child dreams of a world built only for them. Eyes trained only on them.

This is the eye that he wants to exist within the center of.

Virgil shakes his head. Okay. Time to go.

Ch 2.