#so it’s all the more powerful when a dog actually moves me lol

[tomatoluvr69]

Unbeeeeeelieeeeevable sight in the parking lot at the gym

[bbokicidal]

Hello! The dick analysis was so 🤤🤤🤤 and you’ve become my virgin!skz dealer now! 😍😍😍

Speaking of which, what kind of subs would skz be? Could you write some hcs pls?

(Ps: I hope the headache you had has gone away! 🫶)

Have a wonderful day (or night depending on when you’re reading this)! ❤️❤️❤️

I'm about to do some bombass 5-STAR themed makeup but I'll write up some quick head canons, sure!! (Also my migraine has mostly gone away lol, ty for well wishes !!)

Chris :

Softest bottom ever, so compliant and eager to please.

Power... bottom? Maybe? Mm, not the right word. More of; He'll do anything you ask and he miiiight fuck you on his own a little if you're edging him and he knows he can't take it anymore.

So obedient. So so obedient, so sweetheart coded. Just there to make you feel good 'n gets soooo flustered with his ears and neck all red in embarrassment from having all your attention on him. <3

Minho :

Brat !! Brat I say !!!

So bratty, so mean. Cannot keep his mouth shut because he's always whining or biting back about how you're moving too slow or you're not going hard enough with him.

Be mean !! Spit in his mouth to assert dominance. That'll shut his ass up. <3

Changbin :

Pillow Princess Bin <3

The sweetest angel in bed. Less of an eager pleaser than Chris and more just - happy to be there, enjoying the moment, basking in the worship and adoration you shower him in.

Sit on his face and suffocate him. Man likes to eat, 'n that includes your holes. ;)

Hyunjin :

SO loud. So so loud, so whiny. Constantly moaning. Literally produces the PRETTIEST sounds you'll ever hear when he's subbing !!

The type to enjoy nipple clamps and wearing lacy lingerie for you because he knows just how much you like how lean he is <3333 (im tweaking out im just inserting my own fantasies in here now)

Looooves to be edged. Wants you holding a vib to the tip of his pretty pink cock until he's actually spraying cum and shaking so much he can't breathe. Also likes to have his ass ate, I don't make the rules. (I do.)

Jisung :

Bottom. BITCH.

Aka not a sub very often but when he does???? Mmm Mm MMMMM. So so so submissive, enters subspace so fucking fast when he's feeling a bit down. Also a very good communicator about what he wants/needs for the evening!!!

Honestly? I think his favorite thing to do while being submissive is dressing up. He likes wearing the big hoodies, the frilly socks, having his hair pinned back and sitting w his cute lil anime girl legs.

Felix :

Alright I'm gonna say on one hand, I can see him in cute pink clothing with garter belts and stockings and sleeves covering his hands, etc etc etc. Whimpering, hair in bows and pigtails, all cute 'n shit.

Another part of me says he's just so vanilla when hey subs and it's bc he doesn't prefer subbing. He really only subs when you either A) ask him to so you can experiment, or B) he needs you to blow him. :)

Definitely a moaner tho. <3

Seungmin :

An actual dog, bro.

Growls, bites, even spits at you sometimes. A brat, fr! Buuuuut if you put him in his place then he's sooooo compliant and whimpering like the good puppy he is.~

The type to hump your leg if you deny him his needs, biting at your thighs and even eating you out with long licks to get your attention until you flip him over 'n suffocate him by sitting on his face. <3

Jeongin :

I really don't see him as submissive,,,, ever. So I'm gonna say he's really only submissive when he's by himself.

Has definitely used toys before on himself, has taken it up the ass. Did enjoy it but won't admit it aloud bc he's too shy. <3 But !!!

He did let you in on his secret a lil later on, and now if you ask reaaaaaally nicely and have it all planned out, he might let you peg him until he cries. <3 (Face down ass up Innie?? MMMMM)

[put-them-thangs-away]

while i figure that out, not sure if anyone has done it yet, but i want to do a little dive into the basics of the tarot cards used in this jack & joker episode, now that i actually have a moment and can do more than just the basic off the top of my head readings. i’ll be using the golden thread tarot deck mostly because i like how concise it is and also its more accessible to me right now underneath my sleeping dog than my shelf of decks in my room lmao. this is gonna be,,,, real long probably so all the details will be under the cut, if you wanna join me for my rambling:

fun little sidenote before i get started: when i went to begin discussing why i love the use of tarot and nang’s characterization specifically, my card of the day that i drew was the Queen of Swords which is like 100000% The Nang Card™️ lol [complexity, perceptive, clear mindedness etc.]

“a woman of immense complexity, sometimes considered cold-hearted, but also sharp of mind and wit, independent and possessing great powers of organization and analysis.” i won’t go down the rabbit hole of sword suits as a whole bc that’s not the point of this post and so far the show hasn’t gone into minor arcana, so i’m just gonna say HMMMMM very inch resting timing,,,,, anyways,,,

now, of course i have to start with joke’s card and its myriad of double meanings. in just about any piece of media, if you see The Fool card it should automatically be flagged as a red herring. it’s meant for you to look at it and take it at face value based on the words and image…. much like our four little idiots did when first shown their cards. like JOKE YOU GOT THE FOOL BECAUSE YOU’RE A DUMBASS LOL! and he’s the joker so of course he would also be the fool, yes? unfortunately for our little baby clown, the actual symbolism of the card is childlike innocence and naivety, often to their own detriment. it speaks of blank slates, new beginnings, and the start of a journey. “he does not know the dangers that can beset him during his travels, and thus he stumbles forward with complete optimism, never suspecting that he may be walking in a thin tight rope.” oof yikes. sound familiar? nang rly read that boy for filth huh,,,, aside from the obvious heavy handed post-prison clean slate, we’ve also got the metaphor connected to jack’s forgiveness and starting their relationship over. there’s a lot more to be said here as well about how naive joke can be when thinking he’s doing the right thing and that his choices are for the sake of someone else, without clearly seeing the consequences their may be for that person as a result of his actions. at the risk of Never Shutting Up About It, i will have to make myself move on.

i’ll get into tattoo’s card next because it’s really interesting to me that he was assigned The World, which I kind of would have thought would be a card assigned to jack instead. i see what they were going for in this episode with it, i think, but it felt a bit shallow in comparison, so there may be more in relation to this that we have yet to see. as The Fool is the first card (0) in the major arcana, The World is the final card (21). this card symbolizes an ending of a cycle of life, specifically before the beginning of a new cycle of life. it’s an indicator of major and inescapable change. throughout this episode, we see the shift in tattoo’s heart and priorities being held up in comparison to their past heist through some pretty straightforward parallels, so from that angle, The World makes perfect sense. (especially since one reading of The World when in reverse is inertia & stagnation) tattoo wanting to run in and save joke when he thinks he’ll be caught in the heist is our window in to see The World changing. that being said i find it interesting that this card would be chosen for him since it sort of,,,, kickstarts the journey for The Fool and is generally somewhat,,,, final. so i’m just reeeaaaalllllyyyy hoping that this does not mean tattoo has to actually end his cycle in any way other than metaphorical for the other to continue. the man has grown on me, what can i say? 😭 we’re just gonna ignore all those warning bells in my head and choose to go with the “accomplishment and fulfillment from both inner and outer sources” reading. yup.

then we’ve got arun, whose card is The Moon, which is double fun because arun’s name means dawn/sunrise. there’s a lot of meaning that could be extrapolated here, but based on tattoo’s card seeming on surface level to be about the state of his heart and his involvement in this little found family, i’m going to guess that arun’s is the same. The Moon card symbolizes intuition, the unconscious, illusion, and deception. it can be read as a signal of something being not as it appears, a truth you cannot admit to yourself, instincts that we have buried in our unconscious, among other things. this card being chosen for arun actually actively makes me more nervous than tattoo getting The World lol. if we choose to read it at surface value, could just be that in this heist he had to follow intuition, and got himself turned around in the process (eagle statue etc), or just generally that he did not previously appear capable, but here he is helping this mission be pulled off. with the opening scene of arun crying about missing his dad and that,,,, not really getting resolved actually,,,,,, that makes me wonder about some alternate reading options, but like,,,,,, i don’t want to. so. Simply going to close my eyes on that one! no thanks!

then of course there’s everyone favourite head empty good boy, hoy, who was assigned The Star card. out of all the card readings, this boy got the most straightforward one and i’m trying not to read too much into that since they were all assigned by nang and my brain hasn’t quite caught up to [handwaves] whatever she and hoy have got going on over there. this card is symbolic of faith, optimism, and hope. so….. yeah hoy in a nutshell. not a whole lot more to add in there.

skipping The Heirophant card and The Tower card to come back to later because i have Some Theories there and they may make more sense after i go back and rewatch a few things

ANYWAYS if you read to the end of this thank you and i’m sorry please feel free to yell at me about it

[hisui-dreamer]

Eyy so can I request for fem!reader headcanons that she has a familiar that is actually the Stitch himself? With first years' reaction (Lol imagine Stitch literately gonna throw hands with Ace during their first meeting and still hold grudges-)

cute and fluffy!

Characters: First Years (Ace, Deuce, Jack, Epel, Ortho, Sebek, Grim)

Synopsis: how the first years get along with your cute and fluffy dog familiar

Tags: mostly platonic but can be romantic (except ortho), stitch!, fluff, crack

Word count: 1.4k+

Notes: definitely should have wrote this back in the summer, buuut now we all get to think of nostalgic summer vibes hehe

Masterlist

bond: 5/10

you can't tell me these two don't argue(?) every moment they have

usually it's ace trying to play a prank on him, get revenge on him

but stitch is way too clever, and always manages to shift all the blame onto ace

ace can try all his might to convince us, but his acting skills are way too flashy to be realistic

just look at those big innocent eyes! how could you accuse him like that, ace!

all the while stitch is just on your shoulder, smirking at ace

though there are times when these two team up, particularly when they're trying to prank other people

riddle and deuce get pranked... a lot

usually it's stitch either playing cute, or messing around to create a distraction for ace

they're a powerful team these two T_T

"Hey prefect! Have a little faith in me, okay?!" Ace says, his eyes wide in disbelief. "It really wasn't me, it was Stitch!" he points towards Stitch, sitting comfortably on your shoulder. You shift your gaze to Stitch, and he tilts his head innocently.

Raising an eyebrow, you look back at Ace.

"Argh! You're getting tricked by him again!"

"Haka taba, ika patootie!" your familiar exclaims.

(How embarrassing, stupid head!)

bond: 7/10

these two get along pretty well!

stitch really admires deuce for trying his best, even if his efforts aren't always visible

it reminds him of himself, so he's always enthusaistic about helping deuce when he struggles!

though... deuce is pretty much fooled by stitch's cuteness most of the time, so he still gets pranked by stitch

only deuce usually doesn't realise stitch was the culprit, and even if he does, he just ends up laughing good-heartedly

they're like the sweet elder brother and the genius little brother omg

"Hm? Oh, hi Stitch," Deuce acknowledges quietly, his gaze fixed on the textbook, unfazed by Stitch's arrival on the adjacent seat. Stitch makes a questioning sound, and only then does Deuce turn to face him.

"Oh, I'm trying to figure this question here," he points to the page. "I just can't get my head around it... How did they get that answer...."

Stitch peers at the page for a moment, then reaches for Deuce's pen, swiftly scribbling away at a scrap piece of paper. Once he's done, he holds it up for Deuce to see.

"Wha-? Wait.. you solved it??" Deuce mumbles. His eyes scan over the page as a sudden realization dawning in his eyes. "So that's how you do it...! Thanks Stitch!" he says as he pulls Stitch in for a hug.

bond: 6/10

omg best workout buddies!!

yeah, he isn't really affected by stitch's cuteness

but his strength??? absolutely

these two love having competitions to see who can lift more weight

im sorry jack, it's stitch, you can't beat my six-armed alien dog familiar

but if anything, this just motivates jack to work on his muscles even more

positive loop i guess??

and stitch joins him sometimes! but he gets frustrated at the equipment easily

so make sure you stop him before he starts throwing things around

his dream is to see stitch and leona having an arm wrestle but we all know that's not happening soon T_T

sibling rivalry vibes fr

"Alright, you want me to move that bookshelf over there right? Where exactly do you-"

Before Jack can even finish his sentence, the bookshelf quickly moves to the other side of the room in a blur of blue, exactly where you wanted it.

"Pitcha! Stitch! Strong! Ahahahaha!" Stitch cackles, rolling on the floor with laughter.

(Done!)

You feel Jack tense up beside you. "Grrrr... Are you tryin' to show off??" he growls. He turned to you, determination evident in his eyes, "Prefect! What else would you like to move? Leave it to me!"

bond: 8/10

epel has a lot to learn from stitch!

anyone with a keen eye can tell stitch is really good at fooling other people with his cute appearance

and many times, he can use it to his advantage! mostly from you, lilia, and floyd who cannot resist the cute and fluffy

the poison apple is always observing stitch to see how he can use his features as his weapon

and stitch very glady teaches epel in alien talk but we've got body language, because epel always brings delicious apple snacks for him!

so you always find epel listening attentively while stitch does some dramatic recreation of a scenario

Perched on a cushion, Stitch begins to act out a scene, the crumbs of apple pie still lingering on his face.

"Uhh... some bad guy caught you in his arms?"

Stitch vigorously nods, then switches to a puppy dog face and executes a jump-kick in the air.

"You acted cute... and then you managed to kick him?"

Stitch nods again, transitioning between a sweet, innocent expression and a fierce, growling one.

"Ahhh... So you shifted between being cute to catch them off guard..." Epel hums thoughtfully. "That's really smart Stitch!"

Proud, Stitch beams, "Stitch! El kiyotay!"

(Good idea!)

bond: 7/10

in the same vein that ortho is a sweet kid who has a mischevious side, he gets along really well with stitch!

he loves how affectionate stitch can be with hugs, and also finds it funny how he can lose his temper very easily

he's also fascinated with the alien stuff, after all, stitch's existence proves there are extraterrestrial beings! he loves expanding on his database

the two of them also love building tiny gadgets out of whatever scraps they find, it's like a competition to see who can come up with a more useful gadget

not to mention, his big bro is dying to meet stitch! a cute alien dog who loves climbing onto other people's shoulders? sign him up!

but his social energy can't... so it's up to ortho to get more interactions with stitch!

"You're so cool Stitch!" Ortho laughs as he takes in the sandcastel Stitch built in seconds. "Idia would be so impressed..."

Stitch makes a inquisitive sound, prompting Ortho to explain, "Oh, Idia is my big brother! He'd absolutely be amazed by you, but he's too shy to make new friends," Ortho pouts.

Stitch tilts his head and asks, "Ohana?"

"Ohana?" Ortho repeats. "You've said that before... it means family right? Yeah, Idia is my Ohana."

"Goobaja! Meet! Ohana!" he exclaims.

(Let's go!)

"You want to meet my big bro?" Ortho asks. Seeing Stitch's enthusiasm, Ortho laughs again, "Hmm... alright then, let's go see him now!"

bond: 2/10

oh boy... these two should not be in the same room together

it all started when sebek was looking for malleus during one of malleus' late night ramshackle visits

and though malleus was endeared by how unstartled stitch was to just casually climb onto his shoulder, sebek certainly was not

"HOW DARE THE CREATURE CLIMB ONTO MY LIEGE'S SHOULDER!!!"

of course, first impressions really do matter, so whenever the two of them see each other...

they hiss at each other. both of them.

though sebek will behave if lilia or malleus are present, but the silence vanquishes almost immediately when they're gone

he will be impressed by stitch's physical strength and speed, just in a more condescending way as compared to jack

"Sebek. isn't it amazing how strong Stitch is? He lifted so many logs at once!" Lilia exclaims admiringly, while Stitch grins smugly.

"Yes., Lilia... It certainly is impressive..." Sebek mumbles, shifting his gaze to a glare directed at Stitch. "...for a creature of such moderate stature,"

Stitch, in turn, growls ferociously back at Sebek. "Meega, nala kweesta!"

"Oh dear..." Lilia sighs. "Young people these days are always so eager to get into fights,"

bond: 4/10

what do you mean his henchman has a familiar?! you're his henchman!!

ahem ahem jealousy

will argue about everything with stitch, and he could be completely wrong but still argues confidently

honestly, stitch finds grim amusing

it's kinda like a 'i don't need to prove myself to you' smug grin

fights about food! always.

stitch your favourite food isn't even tuna, stop bullying grim T_T

but stitch is still a sweetheart sometimes, and will be nice/help grim whenever he can

"Hench-man!" Grim exclaims as he jumps up and down. "Why does that guy get to sit on your shoulder? It's not fair~"

"Grim, didn't you complain when I carried you last time?" you ask.

Grim freezes for a moment. "Well... uh... That's different! I wanna see from high up too!"

Stitch laughs at his response, "Wahaha! Toga meega patookie!"

(Kiss my butt)

"Henchman~" Grim whines.

Sighing, you pick Grim up and have him sit on the other shoulder. Oh, the woes of having two 'familiars'.

Masterlist

if you liked this post, don't forget to reblog!

[starcrossedxwriter]

Masterlist

Here is the master list for all my fics! The date at the bottom is the last time it was updated (I try to keep it as updated as possible)

Thank YOU for reading, liking, reblogging, and commenting! I appreciate and LOVE the reception and feedback and commentary more than you could ever know - it fuels me and keeps the inspiration flowing!

All stories have a face claim. However, with all my OCs, I encourage folks to see themselves in the story! Also I love angst BUT all my stories are happily ever afters so enjoy the emotional rollercoasters knowing everyone'll be ok lol Thank you again for reading! Love y'all!

MBJ Fics:

Built for Love Series - Michael B Jordan x Famous OC Reader Charlotte Elsbeth Jordan

Series Summary: Charlotte Bennett was not looking for love when she moved to LA and landed her first role in Creed. Quite the opposite actually. However, her costar, Michael B Jordan, makes her question everything she once believed possible for herself and her future. As she builds a life and relationship with him, ghosts from her past threaten to destroy it all.

Series Warnings: Violence, Mentions of past experiences with DV, Angst, Mature Sexual Content

** SMUT

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6**) (Interlude**) (7**) (8) (9) (10) (11**) (12)

One-shots:

Completely random one shots that follow Charlotte & MBJ as they navigate the world as Hollywood’s Black power couple. Whether it be stardom, their work, parenthood, or relationship drama, the Jordans are building a love that will last a lifetime.

Protective

Oscar Night Part 1** (Part 2**)

Bleeding Through (1)

Falling Apart (1) (2)

Date Night**

Asks:

Nicknames

GQ Couples Quiz

Wicked Fantasies - MBJ x Black OC

Moodboard: coming soon!

Series Summary: Raven’s life, as of late, was one unexpected turn after another. It seemed as though every time she got a break and could get her head above water, something came tumbling to knock her back down. As she struggles to get her foot in the door of LA’s call girl scene to make extra money, she stumbles upon her big break: Michael B. Jordan, Hollywood’s most famous, talented, and notorious actor, director, and playboy. One night of pleasure for him would solve many of her continuously mounting financial problems. However, an unlucky trip to the hospital and an ill-timed flash of a paparazzi’s camera snag her the proposition of a lifetime, one that would solve all her problems and allow her to live out her most wicked fantasies with the sexist man alive. However, she forgot one cardinal rule: fantasies and pretend never last and reality would always come around eventually. 

Warnings: Mature sexual content (18+), HEAVY Dom/Sub storyline (the whole nine), this is for the kinky girlsssssss, angst

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11.1)

Asks:

Late Nights

MBJ Requests:

A Love That Never Fades (MBJ x OC)

Erik Killmonger Fics

Unbreakable - Erik Killmonger x Black OC

Moodboard: Coming soon!

Series Summary: Naja, the younger sister of the Queen of Wakanda, hated few things. And at the top of that shortlist: Prince N’Jadaka. Well, if she were honest, he was the entirety of the list. Once destined to be a princess of Wakanda, Naja was the picture of kindness and grace. Now, she is hailed as Wakanda’s most fearless, dangerous, and reclusive war dog. After more than a decade of putting as much distance as possible between her and the life she almost had, Naja is forced to come face to face with the person she hates most again. With a threat looming over Wakanda and lives at risk, Naja must decide if trusting Prince N'Jadaka is worth the risk before it is too late.

Warnings: Angst

(1**) (2)

Last Updated: May 31, 2024

[selfaware-bungou-stray-dogs]

I just had this thought, what if reader is from the time of when the real writers existed? Dazai would totally be jealous of his real self for being able to unalive lmao. And ranpo and his real self...

Yeah... It ofc wouldn't be possible since that means reader would have to be from the 60's? But I just had this sudden thought lol

Actually, I have an idea for that.

I kind off have a sub-au for Self-Aware BSD AU. "The Sandman" inspired AU.

Reader are Dream.

An eternal deity, Master of Dreams, Ruler of Nightmares, Patron of Artists, Architectures, Writers. The Muse.

They saw them all.

Visible for them and their families, Reader saw their lives and their deaths.

Reader's kingdom is accessible for both living and for deceased. So, BSD Characters up to some interesting encounters.

-Short idea time-

You and BSD Cast are having a tea party.

Y/N: Please, be careful while wishing for something in my kingdom. With powers of Dreams you can achieve many great things, but, at the same time, you can fall from grace by using it.

/Suddenly, everyone is hearing barking from the next room. You rolled your eyes./

Y/N: Not again...

/RL! Dazai Osamu stormed into the room and, somehow, jumped on your shoulders. A small pack of pugs is following him. RL! Nakahara Chuuya is glaring at Dazai from the next room./

Y/N: looking at RL!Chuuya, trying not to move so much, so RL! Dazai won't fall down. Chuuya, how many times did I tell you not to wish for dogs so you can scare away Osamu? with a wave of a hand make pugs disappear. RL! Chuuya still looked pleased, left without the world.

/You look up. RL! Dazai seems pretty content with staying up on your shoulders. He is looking at BSD Cast with slight curiosity. You continue talking to BSD Characters, not paying attention to their shocked gazes./

Y/N: Where were I.... Right, dream powers...

/BSD Dazai raise his hand/

BSD! Dazai: [Y/N], is that..?

[Y/N]: nod Mhm. Our Dazai Osamu. The one, who succeed. slightly clap RL! Dazai on the ankle At least say 'Hello', if you are planning to stay on my shoulders.

/RL! Dazai takes another look at BSD! Gang. Pinches your ear./

RL! Dazai: Dream, why is a redhead in a hat makes me feel so angry?

[Y/N]: sighs Because I overdid it, when Kafka and Harukawa asked for more stories about writers.

/BSD! Dazai is speechless. On one hand, he felt jealous for looking at hos namesake, who succeeded. On the other hand, it was so weird, looking at your double? Prototype?/

/You looked up at RL/Dazai/

[Y/N]: I will tell everyone what is happening later.

/RL! Dazai hopped down on the floor./

RL! Dazai: Waiting for it. Well, see you around. /ready to leave, when he remembered something/ By the way, two lovebirds were looking for you. Want to have a shooting competition and asked you to be the judge.

/You hide your face in both hands./

[Y/N]: If you are talking about Verlaine and Rimbaud, remind them, that they still not allowed to touch any sort of weapon. cover both of your wrists under your shirt¹ If you are talking about Ranpo and Iwata, then I will free in a few hours.

/RL! Dazai nods and, after saying goodbye to BSD Cast, leave. The room is silent./

BSD! Ranpo: barely a whisper I have so many questions... And I am so afraid to ask...

/You smile/

[Y/N]: Don't think about it too much. You will get used to it.

/RL! Oda Sakunosuke barge into the room./

RL! Oda: [Y/N]! Goncharov and Turgenev got drunk and start arguing about plagiarism!²

/You stand up and hurry after the Oda/

[Y/N]: Stay here! I will be back in a few minutes.

/BSD Gang looked at each other. They have a feeling, that their lives will be interesting/

______

¹Real life Verlaine shot Rimbaud in the wrist once. Apparently, Dream also was shot by him.

² Real life Turgenev and Goncharov had a huge argument, that ended in court. Goncharov thought, that Turgenev stole the plot of "The Precipice" for his novel "Home of the Gentry". Goncharov shared his ideas about "The Precipice" with Turgenev, so he had the reason to think about it. Judge make Turgenev took too similar plot points from the book.

[shyphonics]

Salad Days Chapter 5: We Are The One

This chapter is certified 18+™ for smut and light mental health crisis (we've all been there... right?)

I'm sorry if I'm rusty lol. Also, I made a tag list! Let me know if you want in :) this is looking like it's gonna be pretty long.

one | two | three | four

It’s your turn for soundcheck now, and… Jesus, you’re actually nervous. It’s been forever since you’ve been nervous.

You’ve played The Strike every week for about a year now, slowly creeping your way from dead Monday shows, to decent Thursday shows, to electric weekend shows.

You’ve worked your ass off to move from the merch table spot in the dark, at the edge of the dance floor, to one of the spots under the lights and the AC unit.

You know every person here, at least by face, and they know you. Either from the band or the bar. Except for Rodrick and his friends, that is.

You’ve never headlined before, though, and something about your first time is making you shaky.

So, here you stand, face to face with yourself in the bathroom mirror. Jessica, your lead guitar, is against the wall, cool as can be in her vinyl pants. She blows out a long puff of smoke, and fluffs out her short, green hair with one hand.

“We’re gonna be fine. It’s like any other night.”

But it’s not like any other night, not to you.

Is it Rodrick? Are you trying to impress him? That’d be really fucking stupid. You don’t do what you do to impress people.

That, and you’re pretty sure he’d be impressed no matter what you do.

But…

You don't quite know what's happening to you, whether it's how good he’d looked on stage, or the feelings that overcame you when that douchebag sucker-punched him.

Maybe it's a combination of both.

On stage, he'd been sexy and self-assured. Playing those drums like it was nothing. Making your heart flutter with a wink and a smile, like you were a dumb lovestruck teenager at her first concert again.

After that guy had hit him… he got vulnerable. He'd looked so sad, defeated almost. Hurt, not just physically, but emotionally. It made you wonder if those two had a history. It made you want to latch onto him and make him all better.

It seems like Rodrick, whether he’s aware of it or not, knows just where to hit to take down your walls.

“We gotta go,” Maureen pops her head into the restroom.

You push your little emotional breakthrough back in and take a deep breath.

This isn't the time for that.

You climb the side steps, as you have a hundred times, and start fighting audio cables until everything looks right.

Pink cord goes from amp to overdrive pedal. Black cord goes from tuning pedal to bass.

Fuck. Is that even right? You don’t know anymore.

Low notes come from your amp, and you breathe a sigh of relief.

Everyone else is all set up, and you look around. It’s time.

Soundcheck is quick. Too quick. You adjust your setlist with your foot, and stretch out your fingers.

Eddie pushes his glasses up and gives you a thumbs up.

You just gotta start, and then you’ll be fine.

“Hey fuckers!” Your voice comes out more powerful than you'd expected, “We’re The Shrieks!”

The crowd comes alive. Deep breaths.

The lights are up, the crowd is buzzing and you- wow. You're glowing. You look so confident and fucking cool, all lit up in gold stage lights.

Rodrick watches as you and your bandmates give each other a nod.

A note rings out. A second. A third. A fourth.

The song explodes, and Rodrick’s mouth falls open. You’re hopping, and shaking your hair out, really hyping yourself up.

Then you open your lips. Rodrick is enamored. No high school crush he ever had could compare to how he feels right now. He gives in to the movement of the crowd, and it feels like being in the ocean. Bodies all moving as one.

There’s a smile on his face that just won’t go away. He’s never been to a show quite like this.

He holds on to the front of the stage just to watch you, taking in the absolute power you’re giving off. Trying his best to read your lips and hear every word.

I am the one who brings you the future

I am the one who buries your past

A new species, I come from the ruins

I am the one that was made to last

We are not Jesus (Christ!)

Oh, no, we are not fascist (pigs!)

Oh, no we are not capitalist (industrialists!)

Oh, no, we are not communists

We are the one

We are the one

We are the one

We are the one

The party’s still going, even after everyone has shuffled out and the doors are locked. Mike has commandeered the sound booth and is playing “some shit from the good old days.”

You're up in the storage loft above the stage, wrapping up cables and boxing up mics. You close a tackle box full of neatly rolled cords and notice Rodrick down by the stage.

You sit and just watch him for a minute, trying to figure out if your bathroom mirror crisis was just pre-show jitters.

He looks like he's looking for you, craning his neck around and slowly spinning in place.

He's just such a dork.

You’re not sure if you can even be snarky with him anymore.

It's been a really long time since you had a crush on someone. Especially one like this. You're used to being in control, giving no more of yourself than you want to. For all you know, when you get down there, you'll be giggling like an idiot at his mercy.

Pull yourself together.

“I love this song,” you drop down from the storage loft, hopping off the stage, landing in front of Rodrick. Trying to play it cool.

He jumps when you appear, a smile spreading across his face.

“You were amazing.” He sighs.

“Back at you,” you restrain yourself from grinning.

You're still buzzing with adrenaline, and it spurs you on to try something. You step forward, and clasp your arms behind his neck.

His eyes widen, but after some hesitation, he brings his hands to your waist. The two of you begin to sway, a little uncoordinated, to the music. You look up into his eyes. He looks nervous, but a small smile is beginning to form on his face.

Your giddiness starts to fade away, and you feel a little more in control of yourself.

“Did you go to your prom?” You ask.

“Hell no,” Rodrick scoffs, “Did you?”

“I didn't even graduate,” you laugh, “so no. But it explains why we're kinda bad at this.”

“I don't think we're that bad,” He attempts to spin you. You both break out in a fit of giggles as your back hits his chest and you recenter.

“I wanna do that, like, every weekend forever.” He sighs.

“That's not a hard ask. I can show you some of the other venues when I'm free. You guys will be working the circuit in no time.” You look up at him.

Rodrick’s smile is so genuine. He looks completely content.

The world disappears around you as you get lost in the song, swaying and spinning, staring into each other's eyes. You've never been so glad to have taken a chance on someone.

“How's your lip?” You ask.

“It's okay,”

“Does it hurt?”

“Not really.”

You hesitate, then lean upwards, testing the water.

He seems to be thinking the same thing, and he leans down to meet your lips.

The kiss is warm and familiar, all traces of awkwardness are gone. It feels like you know each other. He brings a hand up to cup your cheek and pulls away.

“So am I allowed to like you now?” His voice is lower than before. He holds you close to him, one arm tight across your lower back.

“You feel like you could pass a field sobriety test?” You smirk.

“Yeah?” Rodrick raises an eyebrow.

“Okay. You're allowed.”

He laughs, rolling his eyes, and leans in to kiss you again, but you both quickly turn to the sound of someone clearing their throat. It's one of his bandmates, the blonde one. He's avoiding looking at either of you.

“Hey, Rodrick, uh, you two…” He clears his throat again, “The other bands invited us out to eat, and we were gonna go… but it looks like you're busy.”

Rodrick blinks at you, “Are you gonna go?”

“Yeah, let's go. You should get some carbs in you. Soak up all that booze, or you're gonna have a bad morning.” You detach from him, and walk towards the back door.

Your car is parked right next to their van, and Rodrick looks like he's hesitating getting in with his friends. You roll your window down and raise your eyebrow at him.

“Do you… wanna ride with me?”

He looks surprised, “Can I?”

“Yeah, get in.” You lean over and pop the door open, butterflies swirling in your stomach.

He bounces into your passenger seat, beaming.

“You know where to go, right?” You shout into the van. Rodrick’s friends give you a thumbs up.

You roll the window up, and pull out of the parking lot.

Rodrick is drumming on his knees to a song playing in your car. You watch him out of the corner of your eye and smile a little. You think of the day you met him, all pent up energy and rock n roll, baby!

Big, dumb dog.

He moves a hand to your thigh and continues drumming the rhythm. You feel a blush creeping onto your cheeks. His eyes are locked on your thigh as it bounces to the beat.

You pull up outside the old Waffle House, and it looks like you're the first to make it.

“Let's wait,” you sigh, leaning back, turning up the music.

His hand stills on your thigh. You close your eyes, honestly exhausted from the show.

His hand moves upward to rest in the crook of your hip, and the corner of your mouth curls up. You turn your head to look at him.

“What're you doin’?”

“Nothing,” he says, trying to sound inconspicuous.

Rodrick’s heart is going a mile a minute. He'd been so confident back at the bar, but here, with you, just you, he’s freaking out a little.

He studies your face in the glow of an orange street light. Your eyes, the slope of your nose, the curve of your lips. He wants every feature burned into his memory forever. His hand is warm against your hip. You put your hand over his and he smiles.

“What, did you get scared or something?” You smirk.

“No…” Rodrick lies.

You kiss him again, and he melts into it. He slips one hand into the back of your hair and pulls you closer. You maneuver over the center console to get in his lap, and he breathes out deeply. The kiss gets messy, like all the energy of the night is coming out between your lips. Your hands are shaking. One rests on Rodrick’s shoulder, the other in his hair, and you make a noise as he bites your lip lightly.

“Sorry, is that okay?” He whispers.

You pull him in, and bite him back harder.

He groans, and his hold on your waist tightens.

He's snaking a hand under the hem of your shirt, when there's a tentative knock on the window. You pull away from each other.

“God dammit!” Rodrick pants.

It's Ward, with a hand over his mouth, feigning being scandalized.

“Oooooooh,” he taunts, when you're both out of the car, “I knew it.”

You roll your eyes, and keep the door open with your foot as the guys pour in. People from the show are everywhere, this is a decently common occurrence. You find a seat between your band and Rodrick’s at the bar. Maureen, your drummer, offers you a fist bump, and leans into your ear.

“He's cute,” she whispers, “did you drive here with him?”

You nod, suppressing a goofy grin.

“Do you think you're gonna…?”

You shrug.

“Up to him,” you whisper back.

The waitress, a blonde with a buzz cut and a face full of piercings, greets you by name, and asks, “Usual?”

Once your orders are in, Rodrick puts his hand securely on your thigh.

“Do you guys come here a lot?”

“Oh yeah, at least every weekend,” you lower your voice, “That's Jeanine, she's our regular. Then Martin and Rosie, who have worked here since the beginning of time. Then there's Carla. She's new. Last weekend, she and Martin were fighting because she kept getting orders wrong.”

He narrows his eyes and looks at each person you point at.

“Do you just come here to eavesdrop?” he asks quietly, suppressing a laugh.

“It's fascinating. Just watch.”

The two of you eat in silence and observe the inner workings of Waffle House.

Rodrick nudges you as Carla scrapes a plate into the trash, and Martin yells, Dammit, Carla! Chunked and covered! Not scattered!

Carla throws her apron to the floor and flips him off with both hands. Fuck you, old man!

“Oh shit,” you whisper.

“Damn,” Rodrick turns to look at you.

As your eyes meet, and the bell on the door jingles aggressively, you can't hold in your laughter anymore.

"He's such an asshole." Rodrick whispers, giggling in disbelief. Does every diner job just suck ass?

"I know, this Waffle House is under a dictatorship," you laugh

You both calm down, and end up just staring at each other.

“Rodrick, I don't wanna be too… forward, but…” you trail off.

His face goes blank.

“Do you wanna… get out of here? With me?”

Rodrick drops his fork, and snatches his tab off the counter.

“Yes,” his voice is feverish.

You follow behind him, and wave goodbye to everyone on your way out.

You'll absolutely get teased for this later on, but who gives a fuck?

Now, I've drunk a lot of wine and I'm feeling fine

Gotta race some cat to bed

Oh, is there concrete all around?

Or is it in my head?

Rodrick’s hands are on you the moment you shut your front door.

He backs you up against it, bringing his lips to yours once again. His lips creep down to your jaw, then your neck. Then he's on his knees, pushing the hem of your shirt up, kissing your stomach, your hip bones.

Your hands are in his hair, stroking and tugging.

“I don't know what it is about you,” Rodrick murmurs between kisses, “I just knew, I had to…”

“Me too,” you laugh a little, “I'm not usually this easy.”

He grins deviously up at you, undoing your bottoms.

“So you don't bring someone home like this after every show?” He gives your waist a little bite.

“No, god, no,” you chuckle, “this should be too fast, but something about this, you just feel right."

“Why me?” He pauses, looking up at you.

“You're just,” you look down at him. His dark doe eyes drill into yours, plump lips slightly open. You feel his hot breath on you, and it sends a shiver up your spine, “Jesus, you're just fucking hot. And you're not, like, an asshole about it. You could've taken any girl in that bar home tonight.”

“I wanted you,” his lips twitch, and without hesitation, he lifts you up, and sets you back down on your kitchen counter. He plants soft kisses on your thighs, and pauses to look up at you. It makes your head cloudy.

“Can I try something?” His voice is breathy.

You're still recovering from the shock of being lifted like that.

“Yeah,” you say, in slight disbelief, looking down at him.

He plants a kiss on your panties, and then removes them completely. You heartbeat skyrockets.

“I might be kinda bad, but… I've always wanted to try.”

You watch him gaze over your wetness. You truly cannot believe what's happening right now. He looks lustful, but focused, like he's trying to form a plan. Then without warning, he just dives in.

You hadn't expected much from him, but damn, he knows what he's doing. A shocked moan leaves your lips.

Your body feels electric as he snakes his tongue through your folds, finding all the places that make you whimper. He grunts, and you practically feel it reverberate through your whole body. You wrap your legs around his head and pull him closer. His tongue circles your clit and you throw your head back. His plush lips cover so much ground as he gives you a light suck.

“You sure you've never done this before?” Your weak voice teases him.

He pulls away with a pop, making you shudder.

“Nuh-uh,” he shakes his head, “I’ve just thought about it a lot.”

“Well, you're doing fucking great.”

He gives you a sly grin and goes back in.

Your back starts to arch as he flicks, and sucks, and swirls his tongue. Your moans mix with his soft grunts and you realize you're starting to come undone. You grab a handful of his hair and roll your hips.

“Keep going,” you gasp, “I-I’m…”

His eyes flick up to meet yours and that does it. Your body jolts, and you squeeze your eyes shut as an orgasm rattles through you, the counter cool against your body.

He slows his actions, and comes to rest on your thigh again.

When you're recovered, you sit up, and put your hands on his shoulders. You kiss him hard, tasting yourself, and feel a new arousal awaken in you.

“Was that really okay?” His eyes plead with you.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” You pant, holding his face in your hands, and he looks bashful, “Best I've ever had.”

You hop down from the counter.

“Your turn.”

“Are you sure?” He stutters.

You take him by the hand, and lead him across the small apartment to your bed.

Rodrick’s breath is shaky as he leans against the edge.

“Take your shirt off,” you tell him, and he does.

His eyes are hazy with lust, and he grunts when you kiss him. You run your hands over his chest. The muscles in his core are tight, and you can feel his heartbeat. Hard and fast.

You kneel, and your hands find the tight bulge in his jeans. He bites his lip as you unbuckle his belt and free him from his boxers.

It's a good length, fairly weighty, and he groans when you take it in your hands. You look up into his eyes and lightly roll your tongue over the tip. His knees buckle, and he sits back on your bed. You chuckle and scoot closer, steadying yourself between his legs.

“So… safe to assume you've never done this either?”

You fit him further into your mouth, trying to wet as much as you can.

“One time… almost,” he says, labored, “we were in a car and the cops knocked on the window.”

“Fuckin’ pigs,” you shake your head, then take him in as far as you can get him.

He lets out a long, low noise. You grasp the rest of his length with your hand and pump lightly. His thigh shakes under your other hand as you swirl your tongue.

You catch his eye and come up for air, licking him from base to tip. His eyes roll back, and you laugh.

“Should I keep going, or is this gonna take you out of commission?” You tease.

“Please… keep going,” Rodrick breathes.

His mind is foggy as he feels himself enter your mouth again. He can't even process what he's feeling, all he knows is he never wants it to stop. He doesn't feel in control of his own body. His hands desperately search for a grip on your comforter as you bob your head.

He tries his best to focus, to keep his eyes on you, but he feels something in himself start to slip. He throws his head back and closes his eyes, barely keeping himself up on his elbows. His legs tremble as he feels himself hit your throat and he lets out a long moan.

Then your mouth is gone, and he opens his eyes, desperate for the feeling to come back.

You crawl on top of him and straddle him.

“Scoot back,” you murmur, and he obliges.

You lean down to kiss him, and his hands come to rest gently in your hair.

Something still feels weird in his head. He doesn't think he's drunk anymore, but even the low light of your apartment feels too bright. His ears are ringing, maybe still from the noise of the bar. He feels his heart start to beat out of his chest, and he holds on to you for dear life.

It feels like he's dreaming, but maybe as long as his hands are on you, he'll be okay.

You're saying something. The words don't quite reach him, but he nods anyway. Eager for something to pull him back into reality.

A little voice in the back of his head is hissing. He tries to blow it off, but it's persistent, fighting him.

You don't deserve this.

Fuck his stupid brain. He wants to be present with you. He wants to hold onto every little second of this, keep it forever. It feels like you're far, far away from him, even as he watches you take your shirt off and feels your hips, warm on his.

The ringing in his ears subsides a little as your lips touch his again.

“Let me know if you want to stop, you look a little overwhelmed.” You whisper.

“No,” Rodrick urges, “I never wanna stop,”

You laugh, and start to kiss a trail down his chest.

He sighs into the feeling and closes his eyes.

The fuzz in his head isn't gone, though.

Yet.

It'll go away, he knows it.

He just needs to focus. On you, on how good you're making him feel.

On how good he'd made you feel, he's pretty damn proud of that.

Just stay in the moment.

Please, just stay in the moment.

And now I'm ready to close my eyes

And now I'm ready to close my mind

And now I'm ready to feel your hand

And lose my heart on the burning sand

And now I wanna be your dog

And now I wanna be your dog

And now I wanna be your dog

Well, c'mon

~

tag list: @crumpets-are-better-with-jam

[artistsfuneral]

Hello! My current project is a ciri x Roche- lol sorry, I couldn't resist, what is with this girl. 😂 I'm working on a jaskier/Geralt fic today, or I will when I'm permitted to move. Right now my labor is required to pet a very good cat. He is orange and very fluffy. Do you have a current project you're excited about? If you're still taking prompts, how about something with cutagens? :3 Do you think cat wtichers, or witchers in general, scent mark the way real cats do? Now I'm picturing Geralt rubbing his jaw against Roach lol. Or you could do something with Jaskier discovering that wolf witchers all sleep together in piles in the winter, like puppies. Whatever you feel like. Have a good day!

VERY THIN ICE my dear 😂😅 [they had us in the first half, not gonna lie]

I hope you got into safety from your hostage situation and managed to work a bit on your fic!

My creativity is a bit all over the place right now, I'm doing lots and lots of things. I returned to journaling, did a lot of crocheting, drew a bit, wrote a bit, got into fantasy map making, consumed a lot of Gab Smolders horror Let's Plays, started learning norwegian for no reason, etc. etc. Chaotic, but I'm having fun!

Fandomwise I'm also all over the place, but maybe returning a bit to the witcher? Honestly I just love this fandom so much, that's why I keep coming back. So many talented people. ❤❤❤

I have SO MANY cutagen thoughts. So many. So, so many. Have you read my stories? You should totally (re)read my cutagen stories! My main... focus? when I think about how different schools interact with each other is to think about how each school should have different cutagens to make them unique and kind of to keep things interesting? (a cut here because this got long)

See, I've had cats for most of my life and currently we have one cat and two doggos, so I can get a bit particular about cutagens. So whilst I definitely love the thought of all witchers purring when they're happy, part of me says NO! only kitties purr! (which would include Griffins and Manticores) What do wolves do then? Dogs and wolves have this kind of happy growl that's not really a growl just a kind of noise they make that varies from dog to dog. Some have a barky-howl, a soft awuu, others whine or huff. It's a bit hard to describe if you never heard it, but if you watch enough funny dog videos you know what I'm talking about. Especially some of the more vocal wolves just growl constantly which sometimes sounds like a dangerous growl, but they just have these... gravely growly voices.

Cats playing versus dogs playing is also super interesting. Both chase each other around the house, swat and paw at each other, biting is on the table but cats will just use their paws a lot more and dogs definitely bite more. If your cats get loud while playing, 60-70% of the time that's an angry noise. Dogs are almost always loud when playing rough and they're having the time of their life.

I actually fell in love with dogs when my friend took me out to walk two of them and she let them off leash and they immediately started playing like two feral viking gods- It looked so rough, they were so loud and fast and you could see the power behind it when they tackled each other with their full body weight. Absolutely chaotic. But they were having the time of their lives. (they were very well matched strength and size wise and had known each other for years, so it was totally normal for them to play this crazy)

Okay getting off track, you did this to yourself nonny. ❤😂

My favorite wolf witcher cutagen headcanon is that they have hackles. Just- a row of really dense, thick fur that starts just above their shoulder blades and grows along their spine/neckline up and into their hair. And it first starts to grow in when the mutagens slowly settle into their genes (there's this whole eating magic mushrooms thing before the Grasses) and some of the wolves decide to shave it off (especially those that spend more time in cities - makes them appear more normal) butthe hackles actually help a lot with communication. A raised hackle means distress of some sort and depending on how high it's raised the higher the level of stress is. But it's also great for character design- A dog's hackle depends on their fur texture and length. Really short hair means a spiky little hackle, icredibly long hair means you can't really see it rising and some dogs (like my own :3) have a type of fur that makes their hackle look like a hyena/dinosaur monster. Very prominent, very obvious and easy to read. (Lambert would have one of those.) I actually drew you some fanart that I will add to this post if I remember, where you can kind of see what I mean. 👀😁

Scent marking is a dominant trait in the cat cutagens. Everything and everyone has to be marked as someone's. No argument here. I don't really know if wolves do it as much as the cats, but at least a little bit. (I do like to write it into my stories because it's the right kind of possessive behaviour *swoon*) I think from a logical standpoint the big difference would be that dogs/wolves smell very strongly when wet and that anything they use a lot (like a favorite blanket or Jaskier) equally starts smelling like wet dog when wet. Can't say I noticed that with my cats. Also wet dogs are more prone to rub themselves against you? Don't know if that's a scent thing or a "you make a great towel" thing.....

Yeah, I think I will leave it here for now 😂😂😂😂 kudos if you've come so far. If you have anything else cutagen wise that you need my opinion on let me know XD

[siover]

i may be just gasping at straws here but there is something just. so insane about how the nature of kendall and shiv’s relationship is somewhat cannibalistic. like shiv spitting in his drink and kendall drinking it anyway and the ‘i love you but i cannot fucking stomach you’ and the idea of kendall being the sacrificial lamb in 2x10 + shiv’s ‘can’t eat’ . like the whole consumption aspect of it all.. just wondering if you had any thoughts on it i suppose!!

YES very true. the kitchen scene is a callback to their childhood in more ways than one--it reflects the siblings' relationship with each other and with food and how they're linked (dyou remember the summer of competitive eating disorders:)). its notable that only shiv and kendall say they're hungry despite none of them having eaten dinner, and that kendall is the only one who ends up eating anything. roman licks the cheese as a joke, passes the ingredients to shiv, who actually blends the discordant foods together, and together they feed kendall this drink that is definitely terrible for him. siblings ! no but i do think its an unsubtle metaphor but it works ! kendalls position as the heir has always relied on roman being the weaker dog bolstering his position, on shiv being the baby who will never get it bc shes a girl. and if he wont drink the rest, they'll drench him with it, turn his own promised position against him in jealousy and self interest and a mistaken notion of love

and shiv spitting in it was very much foreshadowing, yeah. i liked how it was a callback to her spitting in kendalls notebook after the "rape me/i'm not the only one," incident during her speech--it was a childish act then, and its one now, and it shows how any attempts at enmity or solidarity come from the same place of shared abuse, of seeing someone better than you see yourself and punishing them for the traits you share. kendall drinking it again reflects how his position will never be untinged by shivs simultaneous understanding as well as animosity. mirror traps real

the way this all relates to the characters' relationships with food is also ofc very interesting. roman doesnt eat at all, he denies his body and sees it as evidence of his failure to be logan's son. he never wanted ceo, it couldn't have been him, dad's death cements the impossibility of the love he craved by which proximity to the ceo position was made valuable at all. shiv admitted she was starving but never ate anything, only asked her mom if there was food. she brings up food only as a move, only as something that can serve her, because to acknowledge it otherwise would be weakness. ofc this is reflective of her relationship with power, and love--she'll bring it up first so she's noted as being aware of the cards at play without showing her hand. but she never actually gets it because when she's said the quiet part out loud, voiced her ambition, there's nothing stopping the quiet parts of her weaknesses in this world from being consumed i.e. her womanhood :) in the end all she can do is acknowledge the fact of her starvation, and spit into the poisonous food bowl while still hungry.

ofc its kendalls bowl she's spitting into. he sees food as fuel, as something that gets him where he needs to go, but never actually enjoys it, and sees such enjoyment as juvenile--we're not at buckley anymore--but his firm belief in rationality and health corresponding to awareness means its another step to the ideal position that doesn't really exist. at the end of the day he will drink the concoction because he considers himself stronger for it. i did a fucking year in shangai, i'm ready, etc

ultimately this is reflected in their choices in the endings. roman says yes first then retracts with shiv. i think hes the one who says shiv has no stomach for admin which is like, him pinning the decision to support kendall as well as the consideration to kill him onto shiv lol. SHIV doesnt have the stomach for admin, and SHIV cannot stomach kendall, and it comes down to the same thing--shiv shutting kendall out bc she's never been able to digest his choices. this DOES relate to pierce ofc and logan throwing up at the breakfast and ultimately waystar being a declining corporation that could never have eaten up pierce. do you see what im saying do you see how it makes sense from this angle that shiv was the only one who ended up still "in," even if only as the ceo's wife. shiv being unable to stomach kendall is the final nail in the coffin--its acceptance of this fact. of the death of waystar, and by extension logan. anyway i keep thinking about how when they all trooped into the kitchen, wet through, kids again, there was never really any real food in the fridge :)

[barb-l]

y’all hear me out: sinner Adam and Clara Carmine. *BOOM, explosions* 💥 🎇

This is the definition of a crack ship if I’ve ever seen one. you guys might be wondering about the inspiration for this? Well, season two of the US television show ‘Euphoria,’ with the crazy ass Cassie/nate storyline. lol.

Think about it: Clara is out running errands for her mother (going out and looking/shopping for new parts for her mother’s weapons for improving them, doing expeditions around Pentagram city for whatever reason, or just going out shopping in general) and she’s spotted by Adam. Adam being the horn dog he is, makes his move and propositions her. This can be without knowing who she is since he is still new to Hell or it can take place after he’s been there for a bit and knows of the overlords there.

Anywho, he flirts and talks about her crop top and hot pants, invites her to his place (wherever that may be), and just outright lusts over her and brags about himself. Of course, she declines and goes on about her business. Time passes and one day, Clara has a big argument with her mom about how overprotective she is and that she feels smothered. In the middle of arguing, Clara storms out before Carmilla and Odette can catch her. Carmilla insists that they go look for her, but Odette tells her mother that they should give her space and that Clara’ll come back when she’s all cooled down (kind of like Charlie did in episode 4). Carmilla reluctantly agrees, but is still feeling uneasy.

while Clara is out, wandering Pentagram city in anger, she finds a bus stop bench and sits on it. Mulling the argument over in her head and her frustration with her mom, she begins to cry. She’s crying so much that she doesn’t notice that someone’s walked up

in front of her.

It’s Adam. He says something like, 

“what’s with all the tears, babe?” 

Startled, Clara looks up at him and sniffs. She ignores the ‘nickname’ and wipes her eyes, then lets out a choked, “My… my mother and I kind o—of got into a fight.” Call it her being too emotional  to think clearly, but why did she just tell him that?

Adam’s brow furrow. “A fight?” He thinks for a moment, then it clicks, “wait, you’re Carmine’s kid, aren’t ya?”

That leads Clara to squeeze her eyes shut with a grimace and confirm his thoughts. They then go back and forth with questions and answers; Adam asks, Clara answers. He then asks her if she wants to walk a bit and take her mind out of it - to clear her head. She immediately says no and questions why he thinks she would want to go or do anything with him of all people. He replies that he can’t do anything to anyone down here since he has no power, nor is he interested in harming her in any way because he knows Carmilla would kill him with no problem. They are in Hell, so nothing’s off the table with that. 

“Just trust me.”

Trust him. Trust him? Bah! “Yeah, no thanks, Adam,” she dismisses with a wary tone and an eye roll.

“Ah, come on - I don’t bite, girlie. And I’m sure I can’t do anything worse than what that ‘fight’s’ done to you.” He sees Clara’s frown get deeper and tilts his head back a bit. “Okay, fine. Your choice, babe.” He walks off and leaves her to watch his back as he makes his way down the sidewalk. She turns her gaze back to lap and thinks it over: she can stay here and sulk and then go back home and awkwardly face her mother and give an even more awkward apology, or she could take Slimy Adam up on his offer and actually talk about how she feels and get rid of these pent-up emotions before she goes back. when in the heat of the moment, the mind can make the body do funny things because she stands up from her seat and makes her way behind him, then beside him.

They walk in silence before Adam asks her if she feels a bit better. She shakes her head, then ever so softly says, “I just…it’s my mom. I get that she cares about my sister and I and just wants to keep us safe, but it can be a bit…much, you know?” She pauses. “Or maybe you don’t know.” Realizing her mistake, she gasps and widens her eyes in embarrassment. “Or…you do because you were a parent once and— ugh..sorry.” She puts a hand to her forehead and sighs, exhausted. “I’m really just—“ 

She hears Adam snort and looks to him. “Nah, it’s fine. I get it, though. Eh, your mom, I mean. I wanted nothing more than to keep my sons safe, and, well, I couldn’t even do that. Shit.” 

She knows what he’s referencing and can’t help but feel even more helpless. She tells him that what happened wasn’t his fault but Adam stays silent. Soon after, they talk again about Hell and his time there, how she’s used to her home and the expected along with the unexpected that comes with it, and turn the conversation back to her mother. Little by little, she feels the sadness and frustration ebb away as she walks and talks with Adam and then they make it back to Carmine Industries. Clara thanks Adam, but hastily tells him to leave lest he wants to be obliterated by her mom and sister.

His eyes get as big as craters. “Shit! That’s right! Uh, bye …or whatever.” He turns and runs off the property and Clara can hear him say “how the fuck do I get back home?” She turns back to the entryway and watches the door slide open after typing the code into the pinpad. Before she takes a step in, she thinks on her walk-and-talk with Adam and lets the corner of her lip curl in a subtle smile.

Whew, this was long, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a bit. 😂😅 this ‘relationship’ is shocking, toxic, and messy - just like Nate and Cassie’s. 😂

I’m sure you probably think I’m crazy for this, but that’s the point of crack ships, right? ;) The ex-leader of the Exorcist army and the daughter of Carmilla Carmine?! This has so much potential to be maddeningly good. 😂

I'm sorry, I mean this with no disrespect, but you may need to relay this concept to somebody else. Maybe to an Adam stan, bcuz I'm not a big enough fan of him to wanna think about shipping him with anyone

[mrhowells]

Smallville 4x14

I love this episode a lot🥹

THAT'S ADORABLE😭😭

"You're gonna be fine. I know you're gonna be fine. Everyone I've ever hit was alright."

Lois -everyone I've ever hit was alright- Lane:

Clark really sleeps on the couch now that Lois lives there? LMAOOOO

the way he immediately smiles when he sees the dog I can't🥹🥹

"You hit him? With your car?" "No, with my fist🙄🙄"

CLARK YOUR FACE-

"Actually, I think it might be fun to have a dog around."

HE'S A MENACE, HE'S A DISGRACE, HE'S A FUCKING CLOWN, I LOVE HIMMMMMMMM

I'm crying

"I don't know. It's just kind of hard to be myself with her around."

that's so ironic though because apart from hiding his powers he is VERY himself around her

I need Tom Welling to stop smiling on my screen please and thank you, I'm not strong enough for this😭

ugh😩

Chloe helping Clark with his excuses, love to see it🥹 He's so bad at them he needs all the help he can get💀

Let me introduce you to my parents who have been married for about 30 years now:

"Let's see. He's annoying, and I can't get within ten feet of him without getting sick. I think we should call him Clarkie."

have I mentioned how much I love them before?

"I spent all morning on these."

they're both so cute🥹🥹

LMAOOOOOO he finds her so annoying

hsajaksjaksj LOOK AT HIS HAND IN THE SECOND IMAGE, HE'S SO DONE I'M SCREAMING

No because if I keep going like this I'll screenshot every single time they say something or even look at each other💀

Lois: You could be Skipper😇

Clark: *fake ass smile* anyway-

STAHP I'M SCREAMING

he's about to throw hands💀

This is so confusing, I thought Jason's mom orchestrated the entire meeting with Lana but now she wants him away from her?

"Paranoia is not a very attractive quality in a woman."

Umm okay, AND? I mean I don't give a shit about Genevieve but this is such a dumb statement, as if she's supposed to give a fuck about what's "attractive" to Lex or others, like what?

Sometimes he sounds like one of those "pick up artists" that the internet makes fun of all the time, I'm sorry💀💀

I. LOVE. THIS.

That's the way someone talks to their own kid, not their guest and I love that because Lois clearly lacks parental love. Martha & Lois will always be so special to me😭😭

"Remember when Clark did that? He was only... three." LMAOOOO

Lex is clearly losing patience with Clark😬

Can I join this family pls look at themmmm

Martha is such a badass actually

I'm glad Lana overheard that whole conversation between Jason and his mother, now I'm just hoping they'll give her more agency instead of making her a passive character and her own storyline.

(edit: so she did NOT hear what they were talking about🤡🤡 At least she saw it)

Clark is such a little shit😭

Still arguing about dog names🤡

"Hold on there Forrest Gump, what are you gonna do, run?" LOL

She's like nuh uh, get in the car dude AND HE LISTENS💀💀💀

How are they acting like they're been married for decades???

NOT AN ACTUAL QUESTION BC I KNOW HOW AND I'LL TELL YOU: they're comfortable around each other even if they don't realize it

🎶and I will go down with this ship🎶 (EXCEPT I DON'T EVEN HAVE TO BECAUSE IT'S FUCKING SAILING, IT WILL NEVER GO DOWNNNNN)

let's move on

"What is this, another one of your famous hunches or are we just on a little scenic route?"

"Okay, stop here."

"Wha- where??"

"HERE. Stop here."

"OKAY."

>>>MARRIED.

they sound like my grandparents💀

LOOK AT MY LIL POOKIES INVESTIGATING STUFF TOGETHER🥺

YEEEEET

I need to know where Clark gets his clothes bc that stuff withstands literally anything💀

AKJASJKAKSL STAHP😭

"He (the dog) saved my life. I'll take my chances on his loyalty." Ooof, is he calling out Lex👀

what is Lionel trying to do?🧐

CUTE.

CUTE.

Clark is happy = I'm happy, it's really that simple

this episode is premium, top tier chef's kiss EXCELLENT

[ravenwolfie97]

okay so initial thoughts on honkai star rail after i played like half of the tutorial bit this morning before work

first off, for the record, i have not played or heard much of anything about honkai impact 3rd and i have only played genshin impact pretty much since launch so my expectations were "genshin but sci-fi fantasy" but i can say that's not quite what i got (here’s a read more if you don’t care lol)

- immediately i notice that the graphics fidelity is gorgeous, very sleek and clean - it startled me a bit but also made me happy that the lip flaps are synced to the english dub! it seemed to flow really well even with the expression changes. the dialogue system doesn't seem all too different from genshin or. any other system like that. but it's got a pretty nice polish on the transitions between different states - the animation in the cutscenes and battles are really good, clearly they had a real talented team working on them. the characters feel so bouncy and expressive and it is pretty darn satisfying - the UI and interactive language is pretty much exactly the same as genshin with a sci-fi coat of paint. that's not a bad thing necessarily but like. it's pretty obvious - so the way combat and elemental powers work is very different from genshin, which frankly i should have expected, given this is a turn-based rpg. and i shouldn't have too much trouble with it, since turn-based rpgs are kind of a staple in my game roster, but for some reason i had trouble connecting with it. obviously finishing the tutorial would help, but it didn't feel as intuitive as i expected elements are presented in more of a traditional jrpg type of way where there are clear weaknesses you can exploit on enemies if you attack with a certain element. idk if i fully mean this but i think it kind of ruins part of the fun of discovering an enemy's weakness when the game itself just. tells you what it is off the bat also the types are weird in that they have pretty static effects in terms of what they do, the variability in moves is probably also explained further in character profiles but i haven't found how to look at that yet bkjljl - i'm fascinated by the ideas of Quantum and Imaginary types. what does that even mean. how do those manifest - i think it was a bit of a bold move to start the game off with two random characters talking about the world as if things are normal and known, and then having them influence your player character into. being in the plot not that i didn't like kafka and silver wolf. in fact i love both of them a lot. but i also had no context and had no goddamn idea what was going on so i was thrown pretty off-guard first thing which isn't exactly the greatest first impression lol - why is she named March 7th. does anyone know. is there a joke lost in translation or is it because she's like a pseudo-mascot character or. what - speaking of march actually i really want to like her but so far her character reeks of "hi i'm a girl". her skill is called "The Power of Cuteness" and one of her abilities is called "Girl Power" and so far her personality is cute, kind, and kinda stupid. it's a bit much. but she's neat - i have no big opinions on dan heng except he's neat and people keep saying he's the kazuha of star rail bc windy maple leaf boys but they're wrong bc dan heng has a stabby not a slicey and he can only hit one person at a time while kazoo thrives on the multi-hit AoE damage - i do love that the MC's weapon is just. a future baseball bat. that they get to smack people really hard with. no element, just big smack - oh yeah hyv loves to queerbait i guess cuz that wasn't CPR honey the twitter crowd wasn't kidding - i can’t think of anything else rn cuz it’s past midnight but star rail is neat and i like the little train rabbit dog mascot it’s cute and i wanna get past the tutorial hkjbjk

[shallowseeker]

srry for the giant wall of rambles I got too thinky bc I was chopping apples and having a suspiciously nice day

do you think cas actually likes bees or if its a fandom trait based on Crazy!Cas who liked bees because of the hivemind resembling heaven?

also i imagine heaven and angels like parasitic creatures while hell is leeches/fungi/deep sea type scavengers

You're apologizing to ME about giant walls? Now, that is a little funny.

BEES & THE QUEST FOR MEANING I've gone back and forth on the bees, but mostly I think it's harmless, and I've made peace with the fact that I'm just not that into it.

Over time I've landed on putting the bees in a more biblical/theological space and leaving them there. I don't even think Cas liked them so much as he was desperately checking out of life and struggling to find meaning in a universe that felt monotonous and horrific -> the wars and sex and the unhappy dogs that can only think in ovals.

Because of his shame and depression, Cas could find no meaning or joy in the rat-race of life. He wants to be a non-participant because, “I destroyed everything and I will destroy everything again.”

Here, I view Cas as Ecclesiastes. He was despairing over meaninglessness and the useless "striving of wind." I do think it was a motif that was 100% on purpose, too, because war, work, and career dealings are accompanied by fans, windmills, and industrial stirrings a lot in SPN!

It's very cool. It even appears in The Winchesters companion series, when Mary is facing her childhood!

//

Other Cas Things Interest Me More

Anyway, Cas and bees. Cas doesn't ever really return to them again after he moves past his struggle with his season 7 nihilism/meaninglessness. He seems more enamored with trash TV than bees. "I missed television," is the very first thing he says after getting out of Purgatory, lol.

He doesn't seem like much of an environmentalist either and seems perfectly willing to hand-slaughter pigs and eat shitty food. (To me, Lucifer seems like more of the environmentalist or even AU Zachariah from season 13's Good Intentions.) Or even Cain!

I think in later seasons, Cas seems vaguely aware of and attempting to be appreciative of the fleetingness of the time he has with his human family.

We see this theme in Naomi's words sometime in season 14 (I think?):

NAOMI: "Everything ends, Castiel."

We see it again in Cas’s words to Jack in season 14’s Ouroboros:

CAS: "The point is that they were here at all and you got to know them, you. When they're gone, it will hurt, but that hurt will remind you of how much you loved them."

He also, unlike characters like Sam, seems to not get too hung up on agonizing over moral relativism -> judging from his words to Claire in season 10's The Things We Left Behind:

CAS: "Yes, well, um… Before, I was very self-assured. I was convinced I was on this righteous path. Now I realize that there is no righteous path. It’s just people trying to do their best in a world where it’s far too easy to do your worst."

And then, there's also his words to Apocalypse-World Cas, "We're the same," & "Yes, we are."

My point is, Cas seems to have made peace with and understands that morality is relative to where your allegiances lie, and he seems good with preferring his allyship to humans.

He also seems to be more focused on the here and now rather than preserving the future indefinitely, which in my mind, goes with bees-as-work and bees-as-future.

You could argue that Jack changes that for him in 12x19 The Future, but I’m not sure… It still seems pretty family- and legacy-focused.

///

HEAVEN AS HIVEMIND This is another area where I really break from the fandom.

I don't view Heaven as a hivemind so much as I view it as a police state/military power, or else I don't think it would be structured the way it is. It's got this rigid party propganada, "We're heartless. Only humans feel emotions and true joy." I view it more as a surveillance state.

On the whole, I think Angelicity deals with the motif of epic, professional repression. On a lower level of existence, I'm reminded of the studies where men say they don't feel emotions but test as having them in equal or more intense measure when you measure psychological arousal and adrenal stress. I view Angelicity as a narrative exaggeration of traditional, brutal, stoic masculinity— a higher, Heavenly masculinity carried to its extreme.

It's got insanely brutal, inhumane emotional expectations. Grace, as my lovely father pointed out, looks a lot like traditional view on virility; it’s powerful and heals all sorts of emotional and physical ailments, but it’s finite and prone to performance issues.

//

In the show, practically every angel we see onscreen rebels, and angels are a huge motif for ongoing Civil War -> "brother against brother."

Despite what Lucifer and Cas and Naomi say, most angels are shown to have their own ideas, and on the whole, are shown to be reckless, angry, wrathful, impulsive, incredibly petty, and emotionally volatile.

I think what tends to happen is people hear the party line about heartlessness and obedience, and that clouds them from what the series actually shows us again and again: angels rebelling left and right and being brutally beaten down and lobotomized for it. (The lobotomies don’t even work all the way!)

Angels have constant, ongoing Civil War because they disagree with each other, even when there's only a handful of them left (Ex: Dumah Vs. Naomi in season 14).

Cas is not unique. That's the tragedy of authoritarianism. He only THINKS he is.

Cas's tendency to think of himself as unique and to think of his dealings with other angels as being "like teaching poetry to fish," is why he reaches for tyrannical god power in the first place. He thinks that, because they don't agree with him, they somehow don't have free will. Which is… kind of a flawed premise.

It's very complicated...but I think the reality is that until recently, Cas was right there with them, beaten down and hammered into shape. Hell, roll back a few years, and he'd have slaughtered himself alongside the others.

//

I think back to Anna's insistence that angels can't feel and are heartless, which is itself contradictory because Anna wouldn't have fallen in the first place if she had been emotionless to start with.

I prefer that she fell to be "allowed" to experience the emotions she probably already had…and had brutally repressed over eons of military dissociation and totalitarian training.

//

Being a soldier wears on you:

We see that, the longer Dean is a soldier, the more he too begins to lose sight of what is right or wrong. Season 15 Dean is so distraught and lost that he vaguely resembles season 4 soldier!Cas.

CAS: "I don't know what's right or wrong, or if you passed or failed here."

//

I LIKE YOUR COOL IDEA!

i imagine heaven and angels like parasitic creatures while hell is leeches/fungi/deep sea type scavengers

Deep sea creatures and fungi are wicked cool. See, you have ideas! You should just write them. I'd read that. Deep sea creatures would make excellent demons too, what with the whole "absence of light" and being down deep and all.

There's something horrific about being alive on all levels, isn't there? We all have to consume something to keep going. One of my fave religious essays is called The Horror of Eating, and it posits that Gods are so scary to us because we naturally put them above us, with us as the food/sacrifice to them. Brrr. This is why the sacrifice motif appears so often.

I guess...as humans, we empathize and humanize our food sources, which is a big part of our incredible neuroses...

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Pokemon and Hunter x Hunter as decided by my friend @doodle-storm after only seeing Hunter Exam and Zoldyck Family Arcs... Part 2!!! As always friend, add onto this post if there's any reasoning I've missed!

Netero: Medicham (I think the rationale here was that despite looking a little goofy, it's actually quite strong. I think this guy is very appropriate for Netero, for reasons I can't tell my friend yet.)

Hanzo: Greninja (It's a ninja pokemon. However, my friend laments the fact that Greninja is not bald enough, nor does it have "bedazzled eyebrows". She has therefore made an entire team for Hanzo that is purely comprised of bald and bedazzled eyebrow pokemon. She took this very seriously I'll have you know.)

Pokkle: Decidueye (An archer! She hopes Pokkle gets to finish his pokedex.)

Satotz: Omanyte (I honestly can't remember the initial reasoning but they both have mustaches and no visible mouth so that's cool.)

Menchi: Dachsbun (Bread dog. As befitting a Gourmet Hunter.)

Buhara: Snorlax (Probably needs little elaboration.)

Lippo: Rotom (Because of all the cameras in the prison and the fact that he operated from behind screens using electronics.)

Beans: Politoed (She can picture politoed in an identical suit.)

Tonpa: Trubbish (...she does not like Tonpa very much.)

Ponzu: Beedrill (Bee pokemon. She has bees in her hat.)

Bendot: Machoke (He's a fighter pokemon. Also he was going to choke Tonpa so there's that too.)

Sedokan: Litwick (It's a candle. It's also got one eye hidden.)

Majitani: Wishiwashi (We spent a long time trying to find a pokemon that sort of gives that impression of guy trying to look way more intimidating than he is... She decided on Wishiwashi because its school form is powerful but it also reverts back to weaker solo form when wounded.)

Leroute: Salazzle (I did not know there were pokemon people thirsted for and I don't think I needed to know that. Anyways, Salazzle is kind of an exotic creature and she was involved in exotic animal trafficking so. Checks out.)

Johness the Dissector: none. (She tried to think of one but really couldn't. We both kind of agreed that he probably wouldn't have any on account of... probably killing them.)

Geretta: Aromatisse (I don't know lol. I think this was just vibes.)

Agon: Galarian Farfetch'd (He appeared to have been a fencer so I think this was the closest thing. Plus eyebrows.)

Bodoro: Gallade (She was trying to think of an honourable type of pokemon. I don't think she was entirely sold on Gallade, especially since she gave Kurapika one later on, but we moved on.)

Bourbon: Seviper (Viper for the snake charmer.)

Nicholas: Abra (Abra just kind of sleeps, and though Nicholas tried to predict the Hunter Exam, he wasn't prepared for it, so I think that was the rationale here.)

Siper: Inteleon (A sniper pokemon for the sniper. I questioned why she was giving this minor character a pokemon when I'm pretty sure she didn't even have a speaking line, to which she replied, and I quote, "Yeah, but I want her to step on me.")

Sommy: Aipom (Mischievous monkey for the monkey trainer.)

Todo: Hariyama (Sumo pokemon for the sumo guy.)

Amori Brothers: Falinks (Yes, all three of them have the same pokemon. They work together for team attacks and so do the brothers. Do not separate.)

Zeno: Roaring Moon (I brought up Zeno's association with dragons. She liked the vibe of this one for him.)

Silva: Kommo-o (I think she wanted to keep the dragon theming. ...she also refers to Silva as "evil He-Man". Just thought you should know.)

Kikyo: Hatterene (She picked this one because of its elegant look... and the fact that it attacks anyone who is too loud or hostile within its home range.)

Illumi: Ferrothorn (It's absolutely perfect omg. She said it attacks using spikes and thorns, and it also "has the eyes". She also cheerfully informed me it's weak to fire. She does not like Illumi very much.)

Milluki: Forretress (Also has the eyes, and stays in a shell. It shoots things I think. She was trying to pick one that calls to mind Milluki's bombs.)

Kalluto: Kartana (I mentioned Kalluto's association with paper, so she picked this one.)

Gotoh: Meowth (For the coin association. Also she thought it'd be kind of funny if all the butlers had cat or cat-like pokemon.)

Canary: Espeon (Because it evolves based on friendship... augh... also vibes.)

Zebro: Cinccino (Zebro's kind of the janitor, and Cinccino likes to clean, if I'm remembering correctly? Also it's kind of disarmingly cute and harmless looking, which fits Zebro's "taking the key from the hapless guard" shtick.)

Seaquant: Watchog (Vibes, I'm pretty sure. hjdfkbvdshjvh)

[pynkhues]

I don’t know if you’ve seen the cut lines from the S4 script yet (where Stewy references some semi-ominous sounding games he remembers from when he and Kendall were growing up like Punch-Chess and Dinners for Winners) but this kind of made me think back on the games throughline (motif?) with Logan. We get to see how insane Boar on the Floor was in real time and we’ve gotten a pretty good sense throughout the series that Logan has a penchant for framing violence through the lens of games (not dishonestly might I add – I think there’s a reasonable read of Logan whereby he himself doesn’t view his games as a means for violence at all but just as tools or in some cases, truly just games).  

Recently I’ve seen some discussion that kind of lumps together games the kids played (Bitey, Dog Pound) with Logan’s games (Boar on the Floor, Dinners for Winners) and that struck me as kind of odd. Rightly or wrongly, I’ve been mentally distinguishing between the games the siblings play with each other as different from the games Logan concocts. It might just be me, but Bitey and Dog Pound read to me as within the realm of reasonable kids games (noting that a ton of kids play kind of insane games lol). I also just feel like the power structure is…different when it’s just the siblings? Does that make sense? Whereas when Logan invests games for his kids, there’s something more…uneven and off-kilter about it to me. Idk – do you think they’re all part of the same motif or that there’s some level of distinction?  Maybe I just to think about it more haha – I guess this is a super long round-about way of asking: how do you view the use of games (“games”?) within the context of the show?

Oh, yeah, I totally agree that the games the kids play with each other are very different from the games that Logan concocts, anon, but I’m not surprised to hear that people consider them in the same sort of discourse. After all, the games that the kids play with each other, now that they’re all adults, are viewed through the prism of the power dynamics in the current family unit.

In other words, even games that are on paper the sort that any kid plays (Dog Pound being a good example – my five and seven year old nephews actually play a pretty similar game at the moment called Puppy and Person, although I think their game involves more patting and cuddling than Roman and Kendall’s probably did, haha), because we’re encountering it with Kendall and Roman in their late-thirties and through the lens of undealt with sibling resentments and adult competition, they can be mistaken for the same sorts of games that Logan played / still plays with the kids.

In that sense, I think the clearest point of distinction is the fact that Logan is never really a player in the games, he’s the overseer of them – the judge, jury and executioner – and we’ve seen that twice. The first time with the baseball game in the pilot, and the second, of course, with Boar on the Floor. Interestingly, the only time we’ve actually seen him participate in a game as a player was in I Went Shopping in the Thanksgiving episode back in S1, and well, we all know how that ended.

Games are integral to the show, and it’s interesting because I don’t think they have any one particular meaning. I think the writers like them as a shorthand to convey certain themes and relationship dynamics, I think they’re an efficient and compelling way to move plot forwards, and I think the writers like to use them to trojan horse the history of abuse within the Roy family, which is exactly what that new excerpt from the script of 4.04 demonstrates.

Critically though, I also think they’re significant thematically in depicting both childhood and masculinity, and I think that’s really where the distinction comes in when it comes to the games the kids play together (yes, even Dog Pound, as much as that game [and Kendall] wants to pretend to be about masculinity, I personally don't think it is at all), and the ones Logan does.

So, let’s talk about childhood.

Games are integral to childhood, there’s no getting around that. Games are what teach children social skills and curiosity, strategy and the ability to both win and to lose, which is, of course, also the skill to enjoy success and sometimes embrace failure too. One of my current jobs is in a company that does play-based theatre for children, with a special focus on traumatised children, so I could talk a lot about this and the evidence behind it, and how crucial games are in empowering children and helping them develop agency away from the family unit, but that’s kind of where this story stops, because while games should help children to grow into playful, empathetic and inquisitive adults, the Roy children do not play games with outsiders.

The Roy children have lived in a completely insular world – a playground their father has built them, as Marcia so aptly put it – and so these games don’t evolve. Instead, these games like Bitey and Dog Pound and even Kendall’s LEGO become manifestations of current anxieties, insecurities and resentments, and an encapsulation of Shiv, Roman and Kendall’s arrested development.

(Maybe interestingly, I consider Connor slightly less arrested than his little siblings, and I do think a part of that is from his parentification, but also a proxy result of effectively having been raised in those formative childhood years as an only child, especially if he was, as Alan Ruck has said, about fifteen when Kendall was born).

Of course, Logan encourages this.

Logan’s inability to face his own mortality or seal off his own legacy requires him to keep his children, well, children. He needs them under his thumb, sure, but he also, I think, needs to keep them young so that he can feel young. Needs the promise of his own future reflected in the length of their own, and his frequent infantilisation of all four of them is a part of what keeps them regressed and reading meaning into games they played and places they lived when they were too young to know any better.

Let’s talk about masculinity.

Funnily enough, I actually talked a little about this in the context of Tom and Greg back when s3 was airing here, but a few years ago, I read Anna Krien’s Night Games which is one of my favourite non-fiction books of the last decade.

The book itself is about masculinity, sport and sexual assault, in particular patterns of gang rape by teams in Australian football and cricket, but she goes a lot broader in terms of games and male intimacy, and in particular how team sports give men a sense of community which, as a result of toxic masculinity, is generally reinforced by ‘othering’ outsiders of the team / environment, whether that be players on the opposite team, perceived interlopers, women, or even members of their own team who don’t participate in the right way with the group.

I don’t know if any of the writers would’ve read Night Games (it’s an Australian sports journalism book after all, haha), but I think they do understand deeply the way masculinity operates in these circles and the ways games of any sort can be utilised as a shorthand to exert power and solidify connection. Boar on the Floor is, of course, the clearest example of this, where Logan utilises the context of the game to dig out his betrayers, and while the first round has everyone as an unwilling participant, once a smaller group of 'others' are picked in Tom, Greg and Karl, the safety of being on the right team makes everyone becomes complicit in the second round.

This is something Logan’s a master of and what he does routinely with his children in general, but also in the rules of the games Stewy talks about in the 4.04 script. Those games are about the othering of a person and the increased intimacy of the rest of the team. If Dinners for Winners has the loser acting like the help, the winners are the rest of the family celebrating their renewed bond as, well, winners.

I don’t think the kids are immune from this in their own behaviour. In fact, I think the biggest examples we see of the kids engaging in this particular type of game play is in Roman’s treatment of the child during the baseball game in the pilot (and I actually am reading the scripts [albeit very slowly, haha] at the moment and read 2.01 last night and was pretty fascinated to discover that the boy’s father is one of the landscapers at The Summer Palace), and in the sequence throwing back to Kendall’s bachelor party with the tattooing of the homeless man’s head with Kendall’s initials.

These aren’t complete games, and interestingly they don’t create the same sense of shared compliance and group intimacy in the way Logan’s games do – no one’s fully on board with Roman’s behaviour, and Roman betrays the group bond in terms of Kendall’s bachelor party by telling Gerri and trying to use it against Kendall – but I view that as more a reflection of Roman and Kendall’s failures in masculinity and authority than in anything else.

It’s that failure there though which, in many ways, further separates the games Logan plays with them to the games they play together. Roman and Kendall continue to fail to imitate their father in his particular brand of games, because Logan knows how to divide and conquer, which they simply don't.

That also though is a direct contrast to the games the kids play together, because those games, whether they be Bitey or Monopoly or even Dog Pound, those games are about shared connection. After all, Kendall wasn't the one who sent Roman away, Kendall was just playing a game with his brother, no matter what they both have inferred in it over time.

[lynxtopia]

Can I trouble you for your personal headcannons for the Dolls?

OF COURSE OF COURSE!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH

Well let's see,,, I have headcanons for most bits of the group as a whole (Löwenzahn included)

No particular order, I write them as I remember them lmfao 😭

Im so sorry if these seem all over the place, these are the ones I can remember off the top of my head with a few hours of sleep, I have a big document somewhere with a load of info in it for a project. I'll reference that when I get my hands on it again.

Also most of these are more lighthearted than you'd expect to some degree lol I'm better at remembering the stupid stuff rather than the angst stuff.

I personally believe Enero's got quite a posh background. That little interaction with Karin cemented that in stone for me. She's got a lot of money and likes to dish it out, although she occasionally relies on bribery to get her way.

The Löwenzahn are a mix of former infantry soldiers and kidnapped Doll candidates. The amount of troops is pretty much unknown because Bison likes to spread them out across the globe, moving them about more than the actual soldiers.

Février's visor is a cover-up for bad eyesight. A friend of mine mentioned it in a fic they wrote once and I stole the headcanon for myself. She didn't want to wear glasses because she thought they'd make her look like a nerd. Now she realises they make her look hot.

Santamu used to have a mini wardrobe of coats and other outerwear for Kiki whenever they got send out to colder areas. Aprile wasn't really the biggest fan of the whole thing.

Noembelu is/was very close to März. She knew she was quite shy and not very good at the whole socialising bit so she used to stick close to her to comfort. A bit like a cheetah/emotional support dog dynamic except the emotional support dog is secretly a cheetah with the same issues.

Xiayu, Jianyu, Cammy and Decapre have all tried talking to each other telepathically before, not that it's ever worked. (They got the idea from watching a cartoon about having twin powers or something like that.)

Prior to Kiki, the group had actually snuck another pet into the barracks. A fucking Komodo Dragon... at Satsuki's request.

Enero and Noembelu continuously try to have a conversation in Spanish, although, because of the differences between Latin American and European Spanish it generally becomes a huge mass of "What? Fuck you, slow down. Huh? What does that mean?" Etc.

The youngest Löwenzahn recruit was about 12. How she got there was unknown. All that mattered was that the older ones kept her as safe as they could.

A lot of the recruits (at least past-1991-2 recruits) are actually raised into the system. Same with the soldiers. They're taken at fairly young ages and raised within the facility. The distress this programme caused worldwide continued to feed Bison's never ending joy.

Noembelu hates her original name. After joining Shadaloo, she began to think that calling her family naming her "Little" was insulting. She doesn't see it like that anymore, but she still believes that Little Eagle was a different person to who she is now.

Xiayu frequently scares the others with her Opera makeup + skills. Practising Shua Ya has scared the shit out of Jianyu more than I can count.

Santamu used to do javelin and was really good at it, hence why she chose her weapon to be a spear. Although sometimes she wished she had chosen a weapon other than just that.

There was a group, a test group, prior to the main Dolls. Most of the information on them was burned. Some say there were two, others say three, five etc. Most people accept that the initial group are 6-feet under. However, the sites conspiracy theorists think otherwise.

Juni is forever crushing on at least three girls at the same time, whether she realises it or not.

Cammy remembers a lot of things the others don't, despite her amnesia. Only thing is,is that she remembers them only when under the influence.

Enero and Jianyu scrap constantly. No reason to, they just leap at each other at any given moment.

The rank system in place for the group is kind of complicated. There are a ton (sometimes a rank only having one person in it.) And difficult to go through just by memory. The main Dolls unit typically holds the highest, or highest achievable, rank in their selected area of expertise. The only ones that don't apply to this are Enero, Jianyu, Xiayu and Juni, as the last three don't really have an area of expertise aside from Close Quarters. Enero is excluded because she holds the rank just below General. Bison keeps her there because it keeps her loyal.

Jianyu and Juni hold Colonel-equivalent ranks, Jianyu having hers because Bison was very amused by her and Enero's constant fighting and Juni because she can be trusted enough to hold such an important title.

Xiayu is a Major. Jianyu promises not to tease her about it but sometimes she likes to test how far she can push her luck before she tries to break her nose.

März frequently has to be the one changing the HDMI cables and having to explain all the different channels. (She likes doing it when she has the confidence).

Whilst it is typically Mid and High-Ranks jobs to teach the Apprentice Dolls, sometimes the main group get assigned about a troop to train.

Février eats crayons... dun dun dunnn...

Decapre struggles quite a bit with anxiety. She holds some resentment towards Cammy, but can't bring herself to do any proper damage for fears of hurting her and herself. Although, this mindset changes during Ultra IV because now they've done some weird tests on her.

The girls have combined their weapons before. Satsuki and Février made Murasame (katana #1) into a makeshift bayonet, which worked as well as you would expect it to.

Aprile secretly wishes that she could've done more for the group whilst at Shadaloo, fearing she may have been too harsh on them during their time there. Nobody thinks bad of her, just she thinks they believe she's a failure, just a tiny remnant of her past that she's clung onto.

März' consciousness still exists, although where and what it was put into is unknown. Fangs torture machine? Seth 6.9? A spare body? Cammy has a feeling she's still out there somewhere, much like Bison. Although, unlike Dictator, she believes she'll come back against Shadaloo.

Jianyu and Xiayu currently get their funds via Contract Killing. Who or what they work for is unbeknownst to them. They just get paid... Also the reason why Xiayu still has the face paint. She's ashamed of their current state and wishes for better. Oh and because she doesn't want to be recognised by the police.

Santamu is part of Neo-Shadaloo, although on more of an external branch. She let them keep Kiki because she immediately connected with the drastic amounts of chaos.

Anne and Bess did exist, although, their records were wiped, anybody involved was forced to sign an NDA, and they were buried under the main Shadaloo site to avoid any civilian discovering them at some point.

And that's about it for now. Thank you for inquiring! I'll be sure to have my notes on me for the ones I didn't mention next time lol.