#there is a certain percentage of my gifs that are just

[lunarw0rks]

Hello! I just found your blog and I just started reading everything I saw 😅. Can I request 141 + König + Alejandro with a pregnant reader? They don't know yet and when the reader will break the news they are really stressed with work and end up taking it out on the reader, they end up getting into an argument and saying they hate the reader and that their life would be so much better without the reader in it (😈). The reader takes this seriously and leaves when they are asleep... Months later they meet again when the reader is on her way to the hospital to give birth (😈). Angst to fluff pls. If you don't feel good about writing or it's too big, that's fine. Have a nice day and thank you so much for all the time you spend writing to us.

The Things We Say // 141 Drabble

Summary: You're expecting, but it's not good news. To him, at least. Your relationship takes a hit, but once he meets your child, he's swallowed with regret for how he treated you.

Warning(s): angst to fluff, hurt/comfort, pregnancy, childbirth, mentions of premature birth/complications, mild injury/blood, strong language, established relationship, fem!Reader, no use of y/n

A/N: I was hurting my own feelings---but, there's fluff after the angst, so don't get too upset besties<3 Hope you don't mind anon, I took some creative liberty because I didn't want them all to have the same plotline. | Word Count: 5.9k

꒦꒷ MAIN MASTERLIST ꒷꒦ 141 MASTERLIST // have a request? ⋆ ⚘ 🕊 ˚✧ ₊˚ʚ ao3 ver.

SYNOPSIS; he had been in the thick of it lately, sometimes more overwrought when at home with you than in active combat, it seemed. Conversations were either abrupt, crude, or nonexistent—often just building on top of the tension building between the two of you. Relationships were supposed to be fifty-fifty, but you felt you were carrying the burden of the whole percentage. That’s why the news couldn’t have come at a worse time—you, staring at the two lines instead of one. No matter how long you stared, double-checked the diagram, the answer was the same. Pregnant. So, now you knew two things for certain, you were expecting, and most heartbreaking—the other one responsible was at his worst. To break the news to him, it took every fiber of your being.

⋘ » ☆ « ⋙

AFTERMATH; nine months of hell. That’s how you would answer if someone asked. Few people did though, even at work or out on the street. There was the occasional boy or girl, how are you feeling. But they were being polite, or taking pity on the pregnant woman without a ring on her finger. The pregnant woman with bags under her eyes, the one who winces with each step because she’s ready to pop. None of it meant anything to you, because the other half of this responsibility had been left in the dark, and not for much longer. You weren’t raising this child alone, no matter how irate he was going to be when you contacted him.

Price

One of John’s many talents; stewing on his feelings, keeping them suppressed for an unnatural amount of time.

Often so long that he forgot about the source of his anger once he had time to catch up to them. That is… Until his work was involved. Then he was an entirely different man, often spending his time deep in a bottle and with a nose deep in paperwork, with little regard for anyone else around him.

His control, it was typically so consistent, that he knew not to bring his professional problems home. But lately? It’s been anything but typical. He wasn’t what you would call mean, but there was definitely a negative word to describe it. Cold? Apathetic? Perhaps even unwelcoming?

The bickering, if you could call it that, had droned on for several minutes now. Though, it was mostly you venting your frustrations to an uninterested Price. ❝I know it’s not good timing, John. Why the fuck do you think I’m in here trying to reason with you? Are we just supposed to ignore this until we can’t anymore?❞ You hissed, tempted to rip the paperwork from his grip to get him to pay attention.

He always wanted children, but not right now. Naturally, that’s when it happened. He felt like he was drowning, at first only professionally, but now personally too. The funds weren’t a problem, the kid had two parents, but… you and him—nothing was working.

❝Sweetheart, I’m in the thick of it right now. Please.❞ He didn’t need to raise his voice for you to see how irritated he was. Perhaps at the baby, you, himself, or all the above. ❝I have a meeting.❞ He stood up from his workspace, steaming coffee in hand.

John walked away from you like you were a pestering soldier, not the mother of his child. Enough was enough.

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He thought he was slick, only giving you physical checks to see your face, to ensure that you were indeed alright. It was often the coffee shop within equal walking distance of your two separate homes. John would always slide the amount you needed across the table, a look of remorse on his face. Each monthly meeting, your stomach would grow in size, as did your drained expression.

But you wouldn’t talk to him. You would only text him the amount, nod when he asked questions. It was the worst torture you could put a man like John through—one that needed the approval of his loved ones. It just couldn’t happen, not yet. The wounds of how he treated you, they were too fresh, even after nine months of this routine.

To be truthful, you debated on even calling him when you went into labor. You could do it alone, right? With just the support of the delivery nurses, and most of all your baby girl as the reward? Perhaps you could wait until after, give him the respect to at least meet his daughter. For someone not carrying a child, he looked just as beat; sunken eyes, less tidy facial hair than usual, and somehow even more tobacco on his breath.

John was clawing himself from the inside out, begging for something other than a “yes” or “no” from your lips.

—

❝I can’t do this,❞ you repeated it about fifty times, tears streaming down your cheeks from both the pain and the distraught feelings. That plan you had to not call him, it was falling through quite quickly. This level of agony? You needed someone other than a doctor. You needed the father, as much as it pained you to admit.

❝Yes, you can dear, women have babies everyday.❞ Bless the nurse, she was trying her best to keep you calm, but it didn’t work.

What if something went wrong? If somehow you didn’t make it but your baby girl did, she would be alone until he got here… That couldn’t, no—wouldn’t happen. He needed to be there, right beside this bed to hold her in case you couldn’t.

In between your pained grunts, you finally spit out what you’d been trying to tell her, finding a split second of sensibility during all this distress. ❝Call… John. Please, call him!❞

—

The doors swung open faster than any of the personnel, his gaze softening when he saw you breathing in a patterned fashion. The nurse beside you gave him a nod, freeing your hand for him to take her place. John wasn’t going to miss this, and frankly, he was irked that he almost did. But he wasn’t irked at you; he was irked at himself for taking this for granted.

His soothing voice talks you through each contraction, a soothing hand dabbing away the sweat and tears streaming down your face.

❝I got you, sweetheart. You’re almost done pushing.❞ Though he looked gruff on the outside, inside he was distraught. You had maintained the cold shoulder throughout the pregnancy, but you still called him here? You were more than he deserved in his eyes.

The last round of pushing, and they were close together now. You had about thirty seconds to say this, before you were screaming again.❝I’m glad you’re here.❞ Despite all the pain you were in, you gave his hand a squeeze, staring at him with a glossy expression.

His eyes nearly watered; the first sentence you had uttered to him in months, and it was clear you meant every bit of it. You needed him and so did your daughter, right here right now. He pressed a kiss to your temple, a soothing massaging your shoulder.

John kept his tone firm on purpose, to emphasize how deeply he cared for you right now. ❝I’ll always be here for you, love. Always.❞ 

Simon

Simon loved deep; hated even deeper.

It was one of the features that drew you to him in the first place, how blunt he could be, how his broodiness contrasted your personality in more ways than one. His cynical behavior could be humorous, could be reassuring, but most of all—bitter. To add stress to the equation, to bring it home? He was an explosive disaster waiting to happen.

❝Simon,❞ you approached from behind, holding the test in your hands, because you knew the first question he would ask when you told him; is if you took one. Well, if he wasn’t actively cursing under his breath, he would’ve.

Instead, he merely flicked his eyes over for a brief moment, as if you were a stranger on the street that said excuse me. ❝Simon.❞ Your tone grew firmer, clutching the stick with more apprehension.

❝Bloody Christ, what?❞ He shifted in his seat, bloodshot and hooded eyes that only twisted the knife further. You couldn’t tell him now, not with the pressure of being on the spot. The right words just wouldn’t come out, prompting you to put the stick behind your back. ❝Goddamn nuisance.❞ He muttered under his breath as if it was only supposed to be an internal thought. 

Though, he didn’t look all that remorseful about it—at least on the outside.

He had never said anything like that before, at least not to your face. It seemed, all the weeks of tension and cold shoulder, it was enough. You were done and out the door the second he’d dozed.

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Simon made a few futile attempts to reach out, but his own stubbornness prevented him from ever being face-to-face. He beat himself up so badly, and from his side of things—he’d only lost one person, not two.

It pained you to ask the delivery nurse to call him. You wanted to shove the crowning newborn right back inside and hold off, to go find him yourself and smack sense into him for putting you through this agony. But you couldn’t. Quite literally couldn’t get up, and didn’t want to. Resulting in pettiness and venom would make you worse than him because you would be using this child as a pawn.

He said nothing, but his eyes said enough. The nurses put a sterile drape over his shoulders, but he paid them no mind. His amber eyes remained on you; a bulging belly and an expression of pure agony. Had he missed something, a crucial chapter of your new life post-breakup? Most of all, why did you call him?

❝Hold my hand.❞ Simon found the side of your bed, allowing you to dig your fingernails into his forearm until there were imprints. He had few words, but the countenance of concern and guilt said it all. If this wasn’t his… you would’ve done this alone, or the father would be here. Then it dawned on him; it was his.

—

Hours passed, and he still hadn’t mentioned the obvious. Nine months without his support—financial or moral. You needed rest, as did the baby girl—so you were getting it, first and foremost. The adult matters would be better talked about when you weren’t still freshly recovering.

Simon tapped his foot against the tile, sitting in the chair beside the bed. He was unsure of who to keep an eye on more; the newborn swaddled in her own crib, or you, exhaustedly sleeping in your hospital bed. Though he’d held the girl, it felt forbidden, like he was only a placeholder until your body recovered enough to do it yourself. It was shock preventing him from feeling, not cruelty.

You stirred awake, a sigh of contempt when you laid eyes on him. The labor was a blur your mind had already shut out, and you truly didn’t recall the nurses contacting him. Your eyes were glossy with dark circles underneath them. ❝I’m…❞ It was like the night you tried to tell him but couldn’t, the words wouldn’t come out.

Simon saw that look in your eyes; the fear that he would explode, or storm out and leave you with the child forever—but he wasn’t. All the years of trying to not relieve the same mistakes his own father made, it would be useless if he did that. And he couldn’t, seeing that look of desperation on your face, how you looked as if you were going to burst into tears at the sight of him. That look, it was the same one that gnawed at him during those months apart, how he found you and your belongings gone.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. ❝Shh… Don’t apologize. Ever.❞ He was hovering now, a kiss pressed to your forehead. Whatever you decided when you were healed enough, he would take it like a man, because he had the audacity to speak to you like a man who wronged him.

Soap

Soap was… a complicated man to say the least. Usually, he was sweet, charming, with the right amount of cockiness. His ability to make you laugh drew you into him in the first place. But it was dwindling—at least during the past few weeks. Now, all that remained was smugness and bitter mutters under the breath.

❝Don’t be a child about this, we’ll figure it out,❞ He says, slamming his car door behind you. The first time you two had been out to dinner together in weeks, spoiled because you finally broke the news to him. You teared up in the restaurant because his reaction was anything but accepting, and frankly, he found it embarrassing.

He hadn’t meant it that way—that’s just how it came out.

He truly did want to figure this baby thing out, but it was the worst possible timing; an all-time high of stress at work, bickering with you constantly. And now, a third added to the dynamic with only months to prepare? It was too much. ❝Oh, I’m acting like a child?❞ You walked into the house, taking off the jewelry you had on to look nice for him.

The bickering that ensued—it was nothing nice, nothing you’d care to remember.

❝I don’t want you to go, lass. Don’t do this.❞ You had already made up your mind. Perhaps it was your emotions clouding your judgment, that instinct you felt being a few weeks along… It didn’t matter, you couldn’t be here. Not with him, not right now.

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You were about to pop, literally any day now. You knew that meant you would have to talk to the father, and interact with him for about eighteen years—at least be civil. But the rationality of it, how you would have to co-parent with him, didn’t ease your anxieties. Of course, he was adamant about checking up on you and being more of a parasite than the fetus taking half your energy.

You closed the car door with your hip, a slow waddle up the pavement. Where the hell your keys were, that was another story—something you would deal with once you rolled yourself up to the door.

❝What the hell are you doin’?❞ The voice nearly made you drop all the grocery bags in your grasp, a jumpy shriek coming out. When you whipped around, it was Soap, a look of upset on his very expressive face.

Once you started to recover from the scare of a lifetime, an unintentional one at that, a scowl formed on your face. It was like he had a sense of the absolute worst time to show up and annoy you, especially now that you were swollen and extra agitated. ❝A phone call would’ve worked, Johnny. Or, I don’t know, maybe a ‘hey I’m right behind you, lady’!❞ You attempted to mock his accent out of pure frustration, but he didn’t find the humor in it, at least not right away.

He yanked the bags out of your grip, stomping up the steps of your porch. ❝You shouldn’t be carryin’ these.❞ You really should not be doing that, he was right, but the thought of him being your grocery boy—showing up even more? ❝Keys.❞ He held out his free hand, the other one swimming in bags. It was ridiculous, apparently, you weren’t allowed to twist a key now, either.

You shove past him once he’s turned the key, squeezing past and joining him in the kitchen. Without a word, he starts putting away anything and everything you bought. Some are nutritious, others purely to feed your cravings. ❝Don’t start.❞ You pointed a finger at him when he picked up a family-sized bag of candy, a smart-ass comment daring to escape his lips.

❝God, I can’t believe you, Johnny. Sneaking up on me like that, I could’ve fallen.❞ You put an instinctive hand on your stomach, still irked by his presence.

❝No, you would’ve fallen carrying all those bags yourself. I have a right to be worried, it’s my bloody kid too.❞ He retorts, a hand on his hip. He’s done all he’s obligated to now; carrying and putting away your groceries.

You tighten your lips into a line, fighting the urge to start a full-blown argument. ❝Yeah, you remind me every day, so thanks for tha— Shit.❞ It seemed, raising your voice counted as exerting yourself because there was a sudden cramp in your stomach, a trickle down your pant leg.

Soap’s eyes widened, seeing you go from scolding him to hunched over and holding your stomach. You had forced yourself into labor, now standing on knees about to buckle. ❝I’ve got you, now get going woman, before I put you over my shoulder.❞ He felt he had never moved faster, a tight fist around your forearm to keep you standing as he led you through the door you had just walked in.

—

It seemed there was little time between being admitted to actively pushing. This kid wanted out, and right this second. You let out a shriek as the back of your head slammed against the pillow, sweat trickling down your brow as you cursed and wailed. ❝I know it hurts, love, but you got this.❞ He allowed you to clamp down on his hand, to dig your fingertips until they drew blood.

❝Oh, you know do you?!❞ You snapped at him, finding it hard to be nice when you felt like you were being ripped in half.

❝If I wasn’t,❞ you grunted in between words, face scrunched and labored breathing, ❝stuck in this damn bed, I would so… hurt you right now, Johnny.❞ He fought the urge to snicker just a little bit, masking it with his concern for you. Seeing you in agony, even when you were actively snapping at him, it didn’t please him one bit.

Well, you were arguing with him, so he knew you weren’t actively dying.

If you used enough of that anger, it would help you literally push through the pain, just like how it caused the kid to want to come out right this second. For once, his pestering and sarcasm were actually helping.

With one final wave of it, your back arched off the bed and finally, the loud cry of an infant filled the white-walled room. Soap nearly fainted, if he was being honest—he was awfully squeamish for someone who dealt with blood daily. But it was your blood and… fluids, things that made him shiver when he pictured how painful that could’ve been.

The doctors were speedy, cleaning off and checking vitals. All he could do was stare at the newborn—his baby boy. And then he looked at you, choked up and stared in awe at the baby set on your chest. ❝Jesus…❞ he leaned down, placing a gentle hand on yours as it held the child’s head.

All the fighting, all the bickering, even the late-night candy runs—they were well worth it. He had a second chance now, to make things right with you, and to be a decent father.

Gaz

Gaz could be hotheaded, sometimes downright blunt, especially when he’s passionate about something to do with his work. The night you were going to break the news, nothing was going right. He came home in a huff, not bothering to take off his boots before plopping on the sofa. Kyle had a right to be stressed; look at what he does all day. But he didn’t have a right to be cruel to you because of it.

You took a seat beside him and set the positive test down on his thigh. A silence followed by a scowl, and then he finally spoke. ❝You can’t be serious.❞ It nearly gutted you right then and there. His leg began to bounce anxiously the longer he glanced at the life-changing test results. 

❝Kyle, I—❞ you weren’t even sure what you were trying to say either, not that he gave you a chance. ❝I don’t have time for this, babe. I really can’t do this right now.❞ He put his head in his hands, a flustered groan escaping his lips.

❝Are you saying you don’t want this? That we shouldn’t have done this?❞ You were suddenly standing, eyes wide and watering. You felt like you had just been dumped on the street, despite his unclear tone.

He peered up, lips in a blunt line. ❝Maybe we shouldn’t have.❞ You could’ve crawled into a hole and died right then and there, but you merely nodded. Nodded and then left the room, leaving him to his moodiness. No, it wasn’t the best timing, but that didn’t give him the right to brush you off, to treat you like a distasteful afterthought.

It wasn’t just you anymore, it was you and the baby.

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It was one of his few days off—though he wasn’t feeling much relaxation. You were still hot and cold with him, now about halfway through your third trimester; thirty-two weeks to be exact. It was nearing that point, where he had prepared a spare room for the baby, began coordinating plans for labor, etc… 

But he still didn’t feel ready, or like he deserved you after how cruel he was that night. Kyle was only helping you to help you and the baby.

His phone buzzed, right when he had begun relaxing for the evening. 10:32 PM; and it was your number. The second he heard the voice of a nurse on the other line, not yours, his feet were halfway out the front door.

—

❝I’m fine, Kyle. I’m fine…❞ It seemed no matter how many times you repeated it, he didn’t seem to believe it. From the minute he entered your hospital room to now, he had at least one hand on you, a thumb grazing the cuts and bruises on your body. You had been in a car accident—mild for you, life-threatening for a preemie. ❝You’re not fine.❞ he said firmly, eyes darting towards your clothes bagged in the corner—bloodied and with windshield pieces still embedded.

Kyle was more worried about you at first, but you were solely concerned about your baby—left alone in the NICU being poked and prodded by personnel. You had to be induced, otherwise he wouldn’t have made it past the front doors. Now, he was too weak to be visited, too small and vulnerable to be held by his own mother yet. It was gut-wrenching; hours without a solid answer, because his chances depended solely on him making it through the night.

Now, there was nothing to do but wait, perhaps see your baby through a glass box if you got lucky.

—

❝He’s perfect,❞ Kyle peered down at the preemie in his hands, a baggy blue cap on his head. There were small babies, and he was somehow smaller. What once was the scare of a lifetime, it was now a passing memory to remind Gaz of what he could’ve lost. He would never make the mistake of talking to you like that again, even if the two events didn’t correlate.

What if the night you left, you got into an accident then, and it was much worse? He wouldn’t be able to live with himself, plain and simple. ❝It’s cheesy but, he does have your eyes.❞ You whispered from the nursing chair you were sitting in, still healing and fatigued from the ordeal. The picture in front of you; Kyle looking at your son with such love—it was irreplaceable and forever stuck in your memories.

❝Correct. But he has your scowl, babe.❞ Gaz flicked his eyes upwards, feeling you gently nudge his shin at the sound of the comment.

It didn’t matter the things he said months ago, as long as he cherished this new life with you as much as you planned to.

Alejandro

Alejandro always had passion for the things he cherished; you and his work, nothing else mattered more. Passion led to intense feelings, intense feelings turned into misplaced bitterness. It wasn’t your fault that you were expecting, no more than it was his, at least. He knew that and had he just taken a breath and thought more carefully about his phrasing, this whole mess could’ve been avoided.

❝Do you think I wanted to interrupt you, Alejandro?❞ You hissed, standing in the doorway of his office with the positive test in your hands. He had just looked at you with such distaste as if you were the root cause of his stress and not his work.

What better way to stir the pot, than to match his wrath? Well, it certainly did that, though seeing him rage was the last sight you wanted to see. Alejandro always had trouble with his anger, often finding himself with all these feelings he had no clue how to control.

❝You always do what you want!❞ There it was, him blowing his fuse. He’d thrown his hands in the air, face tightened into a scowl. He couldn’t leave it at that, either, not when his rage came in such intense waves. ❝You’ll do what you always do—bleed me dry!❞

You couldn’t speak, despite how vicious you felt only seconds before. It seemed too truthful for your liking like he had been waiting for an excuse to spill his guts. ❝As long as you have enough to amuse yourself, I’m nothing to you, right?❞ He wasn’t yelling anymore, but his mocking tone was enough to tear at your heartstrings.

Had he seriously played that card with you—the man always insistent on taking care of you, financially, physically, emotionally? Now, of all times? The argument ended with you slamming the front door behind you, something he would’ve done.

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You spent weeks ignoring him, and throughout the pregnancy, it was dry texts or brief calls. His only sign that you were even alive was the notification that you had used his account to purchase necessities. The irony of it made Alejandro nauseous, how awful he made it sound that you were doing what he told you to; to let him take care of you. The fact that you didn’t drain the funds, only bought what you needed, spoke volumes.

❝I’m not upset at you, amor—I wasn’t upset with you.❞

Alejandro reached a hand across the picnic table, a firm but loving grip on your forearm. You looked beat; hair a different length than before, exhausted eyes that were brimming with tears, and most of all a growing stomach. It was all his fault; the reason you didn’t want to face him like this, in fear that he would cut you and the baby off for good. Only, he was there to see your face, not for confrontation or another spat.

It didn’t matter what you said, if you screamed at him right now, or said nothing. Alejandro had made up his mind the night you left. ❝I’ll come to every appointment, parenting class, anything.❞

—

Of all the nights for you to be in labor, it had to be during a wicked storm. You had gone over to his house to make civil conversation over dinner, to at least attempt at repairing things. He had slaved over the stove, cooking his favorite for you. For most of the meal, things were… surprisingly tranquil; even romantic.

You were heavily pregnant, were you supposed to refuse a warm meal? Not a chance. You were too full, too swollen to get up out of the dining chair once the meal finished. And looking out the window? There was no way in hell Alejandro was going to let you drive home in this; droplets whipped down, trees and waste bins flew away from the force of it, and the rain was icy. Well, you were exhausted, and he had a bed he was willing to give up. Your back and feet practically sighed in relief when you laid back in his bed, the one you two once shared. It was a nice feeling, being there again and knowing Alejandro was trying his hardest to plead forgiveness.

About an hour into your much needed-slumber, you felt a pool in the sheets. Instinctually, you figured it was the fetus pressing on your bladder—a downright embarrassing thing you’d have to wake up and explain to him. But… it was clear it wasn’t that. You were in labor and stuck here.

The shriek you let out when you got a violent contraction; Alejandro dashed quicker than he ever did when dodging bullets. His fumbling fingers dialed 911, yanking the comforter off the bed to get a better view of your dilation. Fortunately, he was trained on how to deliver a baby when stranded, or in a country without medical support. But this was his baby and your life was in his hands. If he didn’t do this correctly, if something went wrong, he would never forgive himself.

The ambulance wouldn’t be there for an hour—you didn’t have an hour to spare, this baby was coming now. ❝You can do this, amor, we’re doing this together.❞ One hand clenched yours, the other kept an eye on the crowning baby. Just how you hadn’t woken up sooner, neither of you knew. Perhaps you had gotten so used to cramps and pains, that you thought it was just another sleepless night courtesy of the little one.

—

The moment your wails went silent as his baby girl finally came, Alejandro felt his heart drop. He had to make the worst decision; focusing on the newborn first. He wrapped her in one of his shirts, wiping the fluid and blood from her small face. As he cradled her, a quick hand fingered for a pulse, a loud sigh escaping his lips when he felt one. You had only passed out from the pain—probably doing you a service, considering he didn’t have the proper medication to numb your pain.

Your eyes fluttered open at the sound of the wailing child, still with gritted teeth. But your baby was there—and her lungs were very clearly working. Alejandro set her down on your chest, allowing you to hold your daughter for the first time. ❝You did so well, cariño. Look at her.❞ He was merely distracting you with the baby on your chest, to not divert your attention towards the state your body was in as he cleaned you up.

Somehow, he had pulled this off with both his girls safe, soon to be checked out properly at a hospital. When you first broke the news, he thought he knew the meaning of being so suddenly thrust into fatherhood, but that took on a whole new meaning after tonight.

König

There had once been a line he didn’t cross, but he did that night. König never yelled at you. He saved that stern side of him for his work because it was acceptable there. But in the weeks that his work had bled onto you, spoiling the relationship, his values seemed to loosen. Though he was a complicated man, a man uncertain of himself and his appearance, he maintained a hardness about him. Ruthless in the field and immensely protective of anyone that had come to love him. 

You approached him as he worked, placing the test on the desk he was sitting at. ❝König, I need to tell you something.❞

With his head facing the paperwork, he merely shrugged at you. Until he saw what you’d placed there, his eyes going wide. But it wasn’t shock or excitement; it was disdain for the fact that this baby was just another interruption—you were just another interruption. ❝I have no time for this, Schatz, you know that.❞

He didn’t need to raise his voice for his words to sting, his bitter tone was more than enough. But he surely hadn’t meant it like that, right? He’d meant he didn’t have time for this right now… right?

❝Why don’t you go rest, then?❞ He asks, picking up the folder that he was reading previously. It wasn’t a request made out of concern, König was patronizing you. His glare was typically enough to make a soldier scramble, but you just stood there for a few seconds, biting back the urge to choke.

How you left that night, it wasn’t dramatic or emotional, it was dry. König tells you to think clearly about this, to sleep on it. But you couldn’t—and you weren’t going to be a verbal punching bag.

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

König only called you weekly for appointment updates, or to let you know he had sent you a check. Other than that, words dripped with tension and the urge to say so much more. But you were too stubborn for your own good, and so was he. You were more concerned with hosting life than playing games with a father who treated you like a wimp.

He’d only seen you once, during the second trimester when he showed up at your apartment. You protested, but he showed up anyway, saying he needed “proof” that you and the fetus were safe. The voice on the phone wasn’t enough, in his eyes.

Of course, when you needed him most, screaming and keeling over in the kitchen, he wasn’t there. It was a neighbor that called an ambulance for you because they knew they had a pregnant tenant next door. In fact, it was such a close call, you nearly didn’t make it to the delivery room before the newborn came out wailing.

The only plus side? While the paramedics were deterring you from pushing, you’d sent a text—probably unintelligible—but a text, nonetheless. He knew your due date, how today was only a few days off, and he was in his car before he could grasp the severity of this new life stage.

—

❝I’m here, schätzchen. I’m not going to hurt you again, or him.❞ He hunched over the bed, eyes in a perpetual state of disbelief as he watched you soothe the whining newborn. Clarity hit him like a truck when he heard your screams during delivery, and then he was all in. Not that he had a choice, this was his doing too.

He had given you the financial support to get proper nutrition for you and the baby, to pay for the appointments, but that wasn’t enough—not in König’s eyes. He needed to snap out of his self-pity and be a support system. Whether you wanted to co-parent or work on repairing the relationship, you were not under any circumstances taking care of this newborn alone, at your apartment.

He placed a hand in your hair, threading his fingers through the strands. ❝We can clear out the spare room, hm? There’s more than enough room for the two of you.❞ He was already picturing it, how he was going to pull an all-nighter and get to work on the room, going to your apartment and moving the baby supplies from yours to his.

König didn’t need to state the obvious, that you weren’t bound to any type of relationship besides the one concerning the child. Whether you wanted to move out once the baby hit a certain age or not, he was going to keep an eye on the two of you.

Two of you, not just the newborn you were rocking. It was either both of you, or neither, and he was intent on it being the first option.

If you made it this far - THANK YOU!

[peterman-spideyparker]

Neighbors (Matt Murdock x fem!Reader)

Author’s Note: Hey everyone! Writing and inspiration has been hard these last few weeks, but, I think I'm getting back into the swing of things! I posted a poll about a week ago with about 20 fic ideas I've come up with, and this was the fic that had the highest polling percentage! I'll work on getting the others up but, yeah. I hope you all enjoy! :)

Summary: Home redecorating shouldn't be a dangerous activity. When it turns into a more treacherous adventure and you end up hurt, you're not expecting your handsome neighbor from across the hall to come to your rescue.

Warnings: Fluff, injury (nothing explicit--a fall from a ladder and a lot of body aches), Matt being sweet and kind and helpful and a little flustered, some sweating

Other Characters: None

Word Count: 1,546

You know you should have gotten a different ladder. The little voice in your head kept telling you to grab a different one—one a little more sturdy. But this was sturdy enough, it just creeks a little if you step on a rung a certain way, but they’re metal steps, so it’s fine.

Yeah right.

All you can do as you fall is hope that it won’t be as hard of an impact as you're imagining. You cry out as you hit the old hardwood floor, figuring the hidden concrete of the old building makes it worse than it should have been. Feeling intense pain all on your left side, you can only lay on the floor and groan in pain. If you try to move—just roll on your back to take some pressure off—you only cry out more before you move back into your landing position. You're startled, though, when you hear a knocking at your door.

“Hello?” you hear a strong voice call. “My name is Matt, I’m your neighbor across the hall. I heard screaming and a crash. Are you okay?”

You open your mouth to respond, but you feel like crying when you do. Gritting your teeth and breathing deeply is the only way that you can prevent yourself from screaming out again.

“Doorframe,” you breathe out, but not loud enough for him to hear. He’s probably gonna leave any second, and your phone is too far away from you to call for any help. To your surprise, you hear the sound of metal against wood and then the sound of the key sliding into the lock and the click of the door opening.

“H-Hello?” he calls again, and you hear the repeated tapping of plastic against the floor.

“‘m here,” you breathe. “O-On the floor.”

He—Matt—comes into your line of sight and gently starts to feel around, folding up the white cane in his hands. You briefly cry out in pain as he tries to help you up, and he is quick to apologize.

“I think I should call an ambulance,” he says, pulling his phone from his gray sweatpants.

“No, please,” you pant. “It’s too expensive. I don’t think . . . My insurance wouldn’t cover it. I just need some ice—aah!”

“Let me take you to the hospital, then. An ice pack and Advil won’t fix this.”

You're about to turn down the offer, but he says “please” so gently it makes your heart skip a beat and a heat grow between your legs—how can your body even think of that right now?

“Okay,” you concede, watching him slide his phone back into his sweats. “I’ll need help getting up.”

“Y-Yeah, I’ve got you.”

Gingerly, Matt helps you stand back up. Pain shoots throughout your body, and you almost collapse, but his strong arms keep you upright. Step by step, he walks you to the door, helping you grab your keys and your crossbody before you lock up and walk toward the elevator. You swear, if they hadn’t put it when they did, you’d be dragging yourself down the stairs.

“Shit, your cane!” you hiss while you wait for the elevator to come up. “It’s in my apartment.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he urges.

“Isn’t it kind of important? I mean, I don’t mean to assume or anything, but—.”

“I know we just met, but, I don’t think you’d willingly let me walk into traffic or a concrete wall. I can do without it for this outing. Promise.”

The elevator chimes open and he carefully guides you in, running his fingers over the buttons until he finds the one for the lobby. The trip down to the main floor is quick, and he hails a taxi quickly in a way that only someone who has lived in New York their entire life could.

“(Y/L/N), (Y/N)!” the nurse calls out into the waiting room. Matt helps you stand, carefully holding onto you as you make your way back for triage. They’re both patient with you as you move as fast as you can through your injury, Matt keeping one of your arms slung around his shoulders as his other strong arm keeps a firm hand on your waist.

“Easy,” he encourages. 

“‘m sorry,” you grunt softly, doing your best to focus and not pass out.

“It’s okay. I’m not going anywhere, don’t push yourself too much.”

A small whimper pulls from your throat with each step, the pain in your leg increasing so much you stop focusing on the pain in your arm.

“You’re doing good,” Matt whispers as we walk down the small hall to the treatment area of the ER, the nurse joining him to help you sit down.

“Most of the people in there have nothing more than the sniffles, and you can barely walk,” she explains. “I’m not gonna make you go back out there into that. Is that proper procedure? No. Am I worried that if you keep moving on that leg something will snap? Yes.”

“Thanks,” you say as you use your good arm to slide back and adjust as she starts to confirm information, ask questions, listen to your heart, and take your blood pressure.

“Any chance you might be pregnant?” the nurse asks, typing into the computer.

“No,” you say, resting on the pillows on the gurney.

You watch her look over at Matt, look him up and down before moving her eyes back over to you. “You sure about that? Absolutely positive?”

You start to blush hard, feeling your cheeks grow hot and the tips of your ears burn. “I’m sure.” You shouldn’t even be embarrassed—he isn’t anything to you at all! You're flattered she thinks you could date someone that looks like him, but, the assumption has you bashful.

“If and when you two ever do decide . . . that kid has a nice gene pool to swim in.”

She enters a few more things into your chart, letting you know a doctor should be by soon when she leaves the curtained-off gurney with a hospital gown for you to change into.

“I’ll . . . I can step out so you can change,” Matt says with a blush burning up his neck.

“Matt? Can you please stay?” you blush. “I don’t think I can get undressed and into that gown by myself.”

“Oh.”

“I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, I can see if the nurse—.”

“No! I mean, you didn’t make me uncomfortable, but I just didn’t think that you’d be comfortable helping you like that. If you’re okay with it, I can.”

“I trust you.”

He nods and gives you a small smile, carefully asking with a raise of his brows and his fingertips if he can help you take off your shirt. We carefully maneuver your clothes off, and you're so thankful that you were wearing cozy and stretchy lounge ware when this happened to minimize his touch against your bare skin. You don’t even know the guy, but, having him near you makes your heart race—a fact not-so-well-hid by the monitor you're hooked up to. If he asks about it, you're really hoping you can write it off as exertion from the pain. You’d say it’s crazy of you to be completely charmed and infatuated over a man that you don’t event know, but, who are you kidding—this is textbook behavior for you, and you don’t know whether to be happy or sad that this is the only time he’ll ever be this concerned with you.

“I . . . Do you want me to take your bra off for you, too?” he breathes.

“Um, yeah,” you hum. “They’ll probably need it off to look at my arm. Maybe do an x-ray or something.”

Part of you is expecting his fingers to feel cold against your bare skin as he undoes the clasps, but the surprise of them being warm sends shivers all over your body. With your good arm, you slide it off of your body and help him guide the johnny on your body. He ties it closed, the air charged between you two as your heart pounds in your ears.

“How did you hear where I said the keys were?” you ask as he helps you sit back down. “I barely spoke at my normal voice.”

“You’re . . . You were louder than you think,” he says softly, his brows gently furrowing together, his pouty lips glistening under the fluorescents. “Besides, even if I didn’t hear where it was, I wasn’t gonna just leave."

“Well, thank you.”

“Something tells me you’d do the same for me.” He helps adjust the pillow behind you. “I’m just going off of a hunch, but, I wouldn’t mind helping you with what you’d need. Helping you while you rest, make you some meals.”

“That’s sweet, but, you don’t have to.”

“Like I said—something tells me you’d do the same for me.”

A small smile pulls at the corner of your lips and he does the same, the space between us slowly starting to close, but he backs up as the curtain opens.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Kent,” he says, pushing back the curtain. “I hear someone has had a bad fall.”

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[ashenlavellan]

A Realistic Kaidan Appreciation Post in Regards to the Migraines -

I know that this has all been said and done, but stick around if you enjoy the Mass Effect series and have an appreciation and/or like Kaidan Alenko ^.^

Now, let's briefly talk about his backstory/pre-ME trilogy.

(Exposure to Element Zero): Now, humanity simply acquired biotics through means of exposure to Element Zero through utero - they don't give us an exact percentage of how likely the fetus can develop biotic capabilities over terminal brain cancer, but let's consider that it's not too high... considering that the "accidents" were somewhat frequent.

There isn't much mention before his L2 implants if he had suffered from negative symptoms, but let's just say that if there were, they were likely minimal/barely noticeable. It wasn't until many individuals with biotic tendencies were fitted with the L2 implants that we began to see severe effects to fatal circumstances.

We consider Kaidan to be quite lucky considering that he seems to only experience severe/intense migraines, especially if he pushes himself too hard with biotic overuse. Yet, there are some fans out there that may hardly ever have migraines - let alone, headaches.

This is coming from me - who deals with chronic AND hormonal migraines on a near daily-basis. They are detrimental.

Migraines can be triggered not just from being chronic or hormonal, but ingesting certain foods/drinks (especially caffeine - yes, I'm talking about you coffee.), over-exercise, and stress.

Um, we've all witnessed what the ME: Trilogy is like as we play as our respective Commander Shepard, but we hardly know what our companions are feeling unless they verbally express so within the game. (Yes, I get it - they're just video game characters, but let me nerd out and relate to a character!)

Chasing after a rogue Spectre, Saren Arterius, and the possibly extinction of all races in the Milky Way?

Possibly losing his SO (if you romanced him), or one of his closest friends only to reunite two years later - thanks to being resurrected by a terrorist organization?

Or, possibly getting killed on Mars after working alongside his SO/Ex-SO/closest friend?

Then a possible showdown with said person after the terrorist organization attacks the Citadel shortly after becoming a Spectre?

I could honestly go on, but that sounds fucking stressful and then some for Kaidan to deal with - on top of dealing with migraine episodes/flare-ups thanks to his biotics/implants. Not just that, but how fast-paced and constantly moving? Especially with their military careers?

I'm sorry, but I know for a fact that if it wasn't for other medical conditions, I would have been turned away from joining the military with my chronic and hormonal migraines and I genuinely can't function and have had to call out of work because of how severe mine are... hell, I've been hospitalized once due to them.

Migraines are no joke and the fact that Kaidan Alenko pushes through with how intense they are and remains active within the military? Becomes a Spectre for the Milky Way galaxy? Possibly becomes the SO/Spouse of our adrenaline-junkie Commander Shepard's?

Fucking kudos to that man.

[twig-tea]

Lately I’ve been feeling like Thai bl is truly all over the place with so many shows airing at once and some of the best ones flying under the radar while discourse is focused on a couple of the big messy ones. I think you’re the only person I know who is actually watching ALL of them and has been here for the whole evolution of the genre, so I’m curious what stands out to you about this current moment. Do the shows feel different to you? Is the way fandom is interacting with them changing? And what are your current favs?

I ended up writing a thesis, sorry friend lol To be fair to me there are 3 questions in there, all of them meaty! I've done my best to give a sense of where I'm at with Thai BL and how it feels like it's changed over time.

Caveating all of this: I am just one fan who I'm sure has had specific experiences that will colour my opinion, also a lot of this is just vibes so I'm open to being told I've forgotten something major or misremembered what it was like! If you are reading this and your opinion or experience is different please share, with stuff like this I'm always interested in hearing about differing opinions because the fandom experience will depend at least partly on where you hang out. For years, my main fandom space for BL was the YouTube comments section (RIP me).

Overall feel

Honestly, things overall don't feel all that different to me in Thai BL in particular, even though I'm about to talk about a lot of changes and ways it actuallyd does feel very different below lol And after reflecting about it, I think it's because these things still feel very much in flux, in a way that they've felt in flux this entire time. Producers are still figuring out the best funding and distribution models and merch models to make money; creators are still calibrating how queer these shows can be and still be popular; actors are still figuring out how to do BGP (business gay performances) without having fans interfere in their private lives off the clock. Writers are still trying to figure out how to write 12-episode arcs that don't drag in the middle or fumble the ending (which is also not new). The tension between established ships, fan expectations, and genre requirements has honestly been there almost the whole time, though the reverberations of missteps is louder now because of the larger fanbase that is (comparatively) more plugged in to live viewing. The core question in BL has always been 'how do we make this marketable', and that unsurprisingly hasn't changed, though the answer to that question has over time, if that makes sense?

Shows

Do the shows feel different? As a whole, I'd say yes. The biggest differences are of course total quantity and overall quality, but the actual distribution of % of shows that have high(er) production values (i.e. quality) feels close to the same--it was close to 50/50 in the late 2010s and now is maybe more like 40/60 with a higher percentage coming from more smaller production companies. But the numbers we're talking about are something like 15 shows in e.g. 2018 and something more like 50 shows in 2023 (being vague because there are shows that people could argue over whether they should count). The quality overall has increased, even the pulps look better, sound better, and tend to feel a little bit more put together than the pulps of even 2020 (please note that these are all relative qualifiers, most of these shows are still not objectively good). 2020 in particular was a watershed moment for high production value BLs; we get colorists and special effects artists, and sometimes decent sound production now!

There has also been an improvement in terms of what is depicted and how certain subject matter is treated very generally, though I think that's still in flux. Things like evil ex girlfriends are less common than they were and the women in BL are more likely (in general, still not always) to be treated as realized characters. We've gotten more and better femme representation in ensemble shows, and the "gay for you" trope is much less common. Consent is now considered sexy and is much more common than it was; non-consent as "sexy" has eroded and is much less common. Things that used to happen in almost every BL now happen in a much lower percentage. I also feel a little bit less worried about some of the actors on pulp sets because there is more general scrutiny about things like minor actors, intimacy coordination, BGP (business gay performance) expectations, and sexual exploitation. Overall, show recommendations these days come with fewer caveats.

The assumption that if you worked with someone on a BL once you would stay with them as an established pairing was surprisingly early in BL; I don't know if it's just because there were a few shows that had side pairings then get main shows, so the actors did work together on a few shows in a row, which made them feel established, or whether it's because the BGP started early to build hype both before and after shows aired, or whether audiences just made homophobic assumptions about how if two actors had chemistry they had to be gay for each other, and otherwise nobody would want to "play gay" more than once, or would want to have to kiss too many other men....in any case, there were huge scandals and blow-ups around this in BL on even the earliest shows, and some early shows were snubbed because of the pairing alone. Similarly, it was established very early in BL (i.e. 2016-17) that an unhappy ending for a pair would result in your show being panned; cheating was also a guaranteed flop in BL circles (though some ensemble shows that had gay relationships in them such as Friend Zone did fine with cheating plots and unhappy endings). Overall it feels like some things were only depicted in early Thai BL and creators have avoided them since due to the audience reception at the time. I will say, generally, that there have now been enough examples of people in a "branded pair" moving on to a new pair or multiple shows, that it feels less like a death knell to a BL career if one of the actors says they no longer wanted to make BLs, or if they switched companies.

I pay a lot of attention to queerness in BL, and that has changed a little bit too, though not in the way I expected. I had been expecting a more clear and steady trajectory in BL, but we've instead had real swings, and I've realized there will just always be shows that feel more or less actually gay or queer than others, and that's ok. Early Thai shows really spoiled us for good queer content, GayOK Bangkok and Diary of Tootsies are still shows by which i measure what we get now, and both of those are from 2016. I would say that more "mainstream" BL (i.e. by one of the major production companies) hit what turned out to be queer saturation around 2020 and that's where I was most surprised not see a more clear trajectory; rather than things getting more queer from there, I'd say a greater percentage of shows overall feel more queer, but we haven't (and I now suspect won't) reach the queerness we had in Thai tv in 2016. That being said, my secret running list of things I want to see in BL gets shorter every year as entries get crossed off, so I would say the range of queer experience is slowly getting captured as more content continues to be made by a wider range of production houses (PrEP being mentioned in a mainstream show is my white whale).

I know some people assume that shows are higher heat now overall, but I don't think that's true. I do think Thai television producers and directors have overalll gotten better at capturing sensuality, and acting workshops have improved chemistry-building overall too. But from what I can tell the ratio of high head and low heat content is still pretty similar to what it's always been, maybe slightly higher (e.g. at a quick glance I'd guesstimate 30% of shows had a sex scene in 2018 vs 40% in 2023).

Fandom

The main differences in fandom from the really early days and now are the ways we, as international fans, are able to engage with each other, with thai audiences at the same time, and with content creators, and the entitlement that comes with that. In the 2010s we were almost always watching after Thai airing, with either fansubs or, later, official subs, trailing online releases by days or weeks, which themselves may have trailed the Thailand airing date by days or weeks or sometimes even months. That became less true around 2019ish, and especially in 2020 when I think Thai producers were desperate to reach audiences during the start of the pandemic (and when audiences were desperate for something to distract us from what was happening in real life).

As a fan in the mid-late 2010s, watching something was either unofficial via a fansubber, or you were wading through hundreds of Thai comments to find anyone else writing about the shows in English. Now, it's actually rare we don't have immediate international distribution, though it may be paid. If the subs are not up at the same time as the official upload, even on free sites, fans get furious. It's a bit surreal to see people complain about waiting a few hours for subtitles, especially on YouTube, when we sometimes waited months for a series to finish being subbed (not to say people didn't complain back then too, because they sure did! But there were fewer international fans overall, and it wasn't an expectation that there would be subs, so fewer people complained when it happened). This meant that a lot of people only watched shows when they were complete, and people were not watching with any kind of synchronicity.

With international fans moving into simultaneous watching with Thai audiences, we suddenly had the chance to talk about shows as they were airing and affect the conversations about them and even, sometimes, the decisions. Folks seem to have differing opinions about what makes a BL, and what makes a BL good, and they are vocal about when a show doesn't meet their standard. This has always been true, but the strong opinions have more of an effect on the discourse when they're expressed in real-time to the show being aired. Also, when we have literally 3x the number of Thai shows being aired (nevermind other countries which have also increased), it seems so much more egregious to me to complain if a single show doesn't meet your particular taste. Just go watch something else! That was less possible in 2016, but now nobody has any excuse lol Please note here that I'm not saying shows should not be criticized. But when you have one loud faction saying shows should have nothing but innocent kisses if any skinship at all and showing more is distasteful and possibly homophobic, and another faction saying a show should be panned if they don't have at least one sex scene and if there is no good kiss it's homophobic, I don't know where that leaves content creators but I see the tension and how it sometimes results in my least favourite tropes like "blushing maiden" even after a couple has canonically had sex. These factions have always existed in BL fandom, this is not new, they just both seem particularly silly now with so much content to choose from.

The shows that get attention and the shows that get snubbed feel the same too, in all honesty. You can ask yourself the following questions:

Is the show a little slower paced?

Are the story beats less melodramatic?

Do its characters feel more human?

Do they feel more queer?

Is it a comedy?

Is there any risk of an unhappy ending?

Do people not think one of the lead actors is hot?

Do people ship one of the lead actors with someone who isn't his costar?

Do people have to do anything other than go to YouTube to watch it?

If the answer is yes to any of those questions, and especially to the last one, fewer people will be watching, even if the show is good. That's always been true. [Shows I'm thinking about when I say that: Make it Right, He's Coming to Me, My Ride, You're My Sky, Oxygen (though the sides in this one are also at fault), YYY, Something in my Room, Ghost Host Ghost House, Dear Doctor I'm Coming for Soul, Cooking Crush.] All this is to say, there have always been shows that have been ignored, though I agree with you OP that with more shows airing, more are being ignored at any given time.

The other thing is that when a show is good, it doesn't necessarily invite discourse. The messes are often what encourage people to dig in, fill in gaps, linger in the adrenaline. The part that does feel different is also related to the increase in genre BLs; genre stuff in general tends to get more attention in fandom spaces, and the way people are functioning as fans feels different in that they're bringing the way they interact with genre content to BL as BL has started having larger and better funded genre content. I'm thinking about those early genre BLs like He She It, My Dream, Love Poison, Golden Blood, So Much In Love, Why R U....we started getting genre shows in BL in I think 2017 and basically had 1-2 a year until 2020ish and then it increased from there; and the ones that had funding and decent distribution got engagement until they started going off the rails, and then they had even more engagement and then fell off. I don't think it's a coincidence that the shows last year that got people to write meta were La Pluie, Be My Favorite, and I Feel You Linger in the Air. When a show is building a world, there's more to say and interrogate about it, and when a genre show fails, it can fail more spectacularly than a regular romance story. The most popular BL shows used to all be straight-up BL bubble romances, but I think genre shows really started to take over a greater percentage of the popular spots in 2022 and 2023. Again, the main difference here is that there used to be 1-2 stand-out shows per year, and now there are closer to 6+ per year, and as we got more stand-out shows the variety of what type of show stood out as popular has expanded. I do think the overall percentage of shows that are more standard romance plots has reduced, partly because Thai production companies are running out of popular y-novels to adapt. So I'm anticipating we'll continue to get more genre content going forward, and maybe a higher percentage of original works too.

Shows I'm Enjoying Right Now

Right now, the Thai shows airing that I'm watching are:

Cooking Crush

Dead Friend Forever

Cherry Magic Thailand

City of Stars

The Sign

Playboyy

PitBabe

7 Days before Valentine

For Him

Of those, I'd currently most recommend Cooking Crush as a generic BL recommendation. Dead Friend Forever is very good, but is not a romance and is difficult for some to watch (there are a lot of dark themes in addition to the gore and scary bits).

Cooking Crush is doing so many things I love. I've written about the way it's set up its major conflict to be amongst the friend group here, and way the show is depicting communication between the two main characters and how they improve their communication with one another as they get closer here. Two of my biggest BL pet peeves are a conflict for the sake of a dramatic penultimate episode that ignores or retcons a character's growth or the building of trust that a couple has already gone through in the series, so the fact that this show is working so hard to establish strong communication between its leads and then setting up the significant drama to actually about friendship rather than romance is something I cannot overstate my excitement about. To tie this back into what I wrote above, this reminds me of Diary of Tootsies and I mean that in the best possible way.

Dead Friend Foreever is, like I mentioned above, not a romance; it's a slasher horror melodrama with a very well established mystery, an ensemble cast of mostly hateable characters (which I admit isn't usually my thing, but since they're likely all going to die as a result of the genre they're in I'm finding that more tolerable than usual, and there is at least one character I like). DFF did a great job of structuring the story for the ultimate payoff of information reveals. There are a lot of shows that have been messing with non-linear storytelling recently, Cooking Crush being one of the ones that actually does this poorly in my opinion, but Dead Friend Forever effectively uses non-linear storytelling so that we find out important pieces of information about particular characters at a time when that information will have the most emotional impact on what is happening in the "present" of the storyline. Every time there is a reveal, it informs what we've already seen, recontextualizes it, and means we understand some of the character motivations and actions differently from when we saw them the first time. I mentioned above that there are dark themes in this show; one of the things that I really like about this show is that the impact of class is not glossed over, and that the consequences of these events feel very real for the characters; people do terrible things in this show, but these actions are not treated lightly by the show itself.

You'd think these two shows would have nothing in common, but there are things that they share that put them both in my top category. Generally, in both of these shows, the character arcs are clear and logical; when a character does something, even if I don't like the action itself, I can understand exactly why they that and can see how it matches where they are in their arc at the time. The shows show change in characters as a result of what they experience, and the relationships in this show really matter. When characters start acting in ways that feel out of character or against their own arc because they have to in order to drive the plot forward, I struggle to remain invested; that's not happening with either of these shows. Both of these shows also treat serious topics with seriousness, and consequences for actions are real and felt by the characters in the show (and if someone gets away with something, the show is clear that this is not just). Nothing has happened that hasn't been signalled or implied earlier. Both shows also have clear class consciousness and represent the disparity caused by classism in a critical/harsh light.

Whew! I think I got to everything you asked. Thanks again for the extremely interesting question!

[eirinstiva]

Infodumping!

Hi~ New letter from my friend Watson and this time Holmes has the chance to do one of his favourite activities: infodumping

It was one of those dramatic moments for which my friend existed. It would be an overstatement to say that he was shocked or even excited by the amazing announcement.

✨Sparkle on! There's a new case! ✨

Dear Holmes! I love to see how he's so excited but at least he's not screaming "Murder! Yay!". He's vibing, but at least it's not so obvious for Mr. Mac, but very obvious for Watson.

“Ay, that's remarkable,” said the inspector thoughtfully. “Talk away, Mr. Holmes. I'm just loving it. It's fine!” Holmes smiled. He was always warmed by genuine admiration—the characteristic of the real artist.

Give. Him. Attention.

“Have you ever read of Jonathan Wild?” “Well, the name has a familiar sound. Someone in a novel, was he not? I don't take much stock of detectives in novels—chaps that do things and never let you see how they do them. That's just inspiration: not business.” “Jonathan Wild wasn't a detective, and he wasn't in a novel. He was a master criminal, and he lived last century—1750 or thereabouts.”

Holmes having the chance of infodumping about his passions is always a nice moment, even when he's talking about criminals.

The modus operandi of professor Moriarty and Johathan Wild is similar to an attorney working of regularisation of lands, properties, heritances, you know that stuff~ asking for a percentage of the profit. (Not I can picture Moriarty with a cowboy hat like my lawyer)

To finish this, let's keep the end of chapter. It leaves the mood ready for the next letter.

“Then, with your permission, we will leave it at that, Mr. Mac. The temptation to form premature theories upon insufficient data is the bane of our profession. I can see only two things for certain at present—a great brain in London, and a dead man in Sussex. It's the chain between that we are going to trace.”

[thotsforvillainrights]

I just gotta say I absolutely love what you did with the blog change, the new banner thingies you do for each character looks really nice!! :D

And might I request just some general smut headcanons for my man's Goto, chrono and chisaki?

(Thank you! Now if only I could stay consistent with updating the masterlist or writing in general. THEN it would be 100% the best haha! Until then, I can only dream. Ramblings aside, I feel like I've done something for Chisaki and Chrono at least once in the past before but I'm too lazy to search the masterlist. So just in case, let's do it again!)

~Muscular/Chisaki/Hari Smut Headcanons~

headcanon|scenario|imagine|match-up|drabble

-This has probably been mentioned in the past but should be brought up again...you have to have a certain type of thick skin to put up with this man. This is regarding the relationship in general. At least as far as LOV asshole status goes, you might have a better chance trying to reason with Shigaraki or Dabi. With Muscular, you absolutely cannot take things to heart. He's gruff...he's a gruff man and that's the best way to describe it with him. Now leading into the smut:

-Being hardheaded and stubborn means he has a certain way he wants to go about things. That means if you ever had any hopes of topping him then you're just shit out of luck. 99.9% of the time during sex he's calling the shots. That other small percentage was the one singular time he let you take over on your anniversary. Even THEN he still ended up leading near the end of things. He just can't help being in control most of the time/all the time. Hopefully that doesn't get to you too much because otherwise it may lead to an unwinnable argument.

-He's a little rougher with the things he does. That bein said, he's not a monster! You don't have to worry about him doing anything despicable like taking things too far when you're not for it, or hurting you during it (on purpose at least). He obviously cares enough to be in a relationship with you so no worries there. Also, he's fine implementing some form of a safeword if you feel you really need it. He's grimey but again, he's not a monster.

-Bravo for getting him to be in a relationship with you in the first place. Bravo for even getting him to notice you long enough to hold a conversation without looking at you in disgust. He's surprised by his own actions and so are you (no more so than Pops. The old man is the most shocked by everything). Anyhow, he cares for you but can tend to be selfish with things. Give him a break as he's still learning how to love and how to go about things in a relationship both sexual and nonsexual.

-Beforehand he's going to obviously request you get cleaned up. Don't try to get him with the "but Kai, we're both just going to get dirty again" speech because it's not going to work unfortunately. It's like a chore but you'll come to find that the headache is worth the reward. Once between the sheets you realize he's learned so much since the last few times. He's sickened by the thought (and embarrassed too) but he's spent some time researching just for you. He applies what he's learned and then proceeds to perfect it bit by bit. He won't let anything he does to you be taken terribly whatsoever. He wants to be able to KNOW he's done a good job pleasing you.

-His pace can tend to be a bit slower sometimes, along the line of making love rather than straight up fucking. However, his tune changes easily based on how the night is going and how badly he wants to finish. Speaking of finishing, don't ask him to finish anywhere but in you or in a condom. Splashing bodily fluids all over the place creates unnecessary mess so unfortunately (if you're into facials) you won't be getting one unless you wear into him for a long while until he breaks. Oh, and expect the cleanup to come afterwards too. A mandatory shower before aftercare cuddles is the main thing to expect. As mentioned beforehand, the headache is worth the reward.

-Talk about fun sex, this is the man to fulfill that. It's rare he can be anything but teasing both in and out of the bedroom. Dating him is like dating a best friend. He's pretty much the best partner of the 3. He's attentive and listens to your needs. Don't get me wrong, he's still a little bit of an ass but a teasing one at that. It may get to be annoying how many times he tires to get into your pants once the two of you start dating but if you let him know the jokes annoy you then he'll try to cool off on them for you. He understands not to push his limits too much when it comes to you.

-A lot of times he'll try to draw a little laughter out of you during sex. That way once you're laughing he can swiftly turn it into moans for him. It's like a challenge for this man almost. The sex blindsides you too. One minute you'll be outside in the backyard chatting and laughing on the picnic blanket and then the next thing you know you're giving him a handy in the shed. Other times you're chilling on the couch playing games or watching a movie before you find yourself on the carpet while he puts his tongue to work. Sometimes you might find yourself walking into it thinking you'll just have a quick shower together before suddenly your back is against the wall while he's plowing into you beneath the warm water flowing from the showerhead. Roll the dice on it.

-Despite this, he's really a great person to date outside of sex. If for whatever reason you were seeking a friends with benefits type of relationship, I can see him falling in love rather quickly. Maybe it happens more quickly than you think.

[zoeykallus]

Ahola! Zoe how are you? ✨✨

Can I request some HC on how batchers would react to their children going through puberty? And how they would comfort and explain to them how it works and they would probably be upset because their baby is growing up 🥺🥺

Oh, interesting question...

The Bad Batch HCs - Puberty And Its Pitfalls

Puberty - How do our boys deal with their kids going through one of life's most difficult phases?

__________________

Hunter

He senses something is coming before it really gets started and takes his offspring aside to have a reasonable conversation.

"There are some changes coming your way. Physically but also mentally."

His child looks up at him critically.

"What kind of changes?"

"How well are you being educated at school? Have you talked about puberty yet?"

The child rolls their eyes, "Oh, you mean that. We learn all about it in school."

"I don't think you really learn everything," Hunter says doubtfully.

"The Holonet knows the rest. Dad, I don't really want to talk to you about it."

Hunter sighs and says, "Listen, just one thing, okay?"

"Alright"

He looks at his child urgently and says, "There will be days when everything will be too much for you, you will feel overwhelmed, feel many intense things at once. But that phase will pass. If you ever want to talk, you know where to find me, okay? You can always talk to me, you know that."

Another eye roll, but then, a smile, "I know, Dad".

Echo

He got material, reading material, An audiobook and some handouts.

"You should take a closer look and listen to all of this in the near future."

His child looks at him questioningly.

"If you have any questions about it, come see me".

Echo waits several days, but his child doesn't ask questions.

"And did you read the stuff I gave you?"

"Yes"

"And?"

The child shrugs and says, "Dad we learn this in school and things that are unclear can be looked up in the Holonet"

"You don't have any questions for me?" he asks, puzzled.

With a shake of their head, his offspring answers in the negative.

Echo sighs.

"Please don't grow up too fast"

The child laughs, "Relax, dad, just because I can handle this on my own doesn't mean I don't need you anymore."

Echo smirks and says, "You're smarter than your old man."

Wrecker

He feels a bit insecure and overwhelmed. His child's changing moods are getting to him, but he knows where it's all coming from. Tech has given him some good tips and provided reading material.

Wrecker is open and warm; his children, despite what they may be going through, find it easier to open up to him and seek advice or help in an emergency. Patience, understanding and caring, characterize him as a father.

"It seems like yesterday when I couldn't get you off the animal merry-go-round at the fair," he says wistfully.

"Dad, that was 11 years ago."

Wrecker sighs.

"It was still only yesterday to me. You grow way too fast, it's like you're getting married and moving out tomorrow"

The child laughs and squeezes him warmly.

"Oh, dad, I'm still here".

Wrecker squeezes his child and sighs again.

"You know you can talk to me about anything, even boys and girls and stuff".

The kid laughs, "I'll be fine dad, but if I'm not, I know where to find you."

Tech

He showers his child with reading material and gives one lecture after another until the child's ears almost bleed. It is very likely that Tech will have to be slowed down a bit by his partner or another family member.

A child going through puberty is a challenge that Tech takes seriously, too seriously, perhaps. He really exaggerates his efforts. He has read far too many reports of other parents' experiences and has been unsettled by many a horror story.

Theoretically, he is prepared for all eventualities. Even for the absolutely most improbable cases, for which he nevertheless admits a certain percentage of probability in the back of his mind. He is prepared. At least, he hopes he is.

"It's probably going to be scary," he says seriously.

His child says matter-of-factly, "I'm already educated, Dad."

"I meant for me"

Crosshair

He leaves as much as possible to his partner. The whole thing is an unpleasant, embarrassing topic, he thinks. So he tries to avoid big conversations about it.

But he has a basic conclusion.

"It's going to be exhausting, for all of us, but especially for you. You'll have the wildest ideas and thoughts. At best, don't give in to them. If someone touches you against your will, you tell Daddy, so he can kill the person"

"Um, okay Dad"

However, if his children really do seek his advice, he will of course try as hard as he can. But he doesn't tell anyone that he is sad about how fast his children are growing up, and tries to hide it in any case.

Ko-Fi (If you feel like giving me some coffee)

@rintheemolion

@andyoufollowyourheart @clone-whore-99

@brynhildrmimi @kaliel2310

@misogirl828 @tech-deck

@meshla-madalene

@chxpsi

@thebahdbitch

@nahoney22 @ladykatakuri

@darkangel4121

@ttzamara

@arctrooper69

@padawancat97

@agenteliix

@allsystemsblue

@palliateclaw

@either-madness-or-brilliance

@ortizshinkaroff

@andy-solo1

@hunterssecretrecipe

@heyitsaloy

@greaser-wolf

@extrahotpixels

@hated-by-me

@hunterxcrosshair

@malicemercy

@bebopsworld

@echos-girlfriend

@cpnt616

@dangraccoon

@jediknightjana

@pb-jellybeans

@antishadow2021

@sleepycreativewriter

@starwarsnerd111

[chaotic-archaeologist]

Hey Reid, really random question, but what do you discuss in office hours generally?

For context, I'm a new undergrad student (on a joint English, drama, and creative studies course, I know this isnt your department but it's not too relevant) and we've been sent forms to fill in about what we want to discuss with our personal tutor in our first meeting with them. I have no idea what you're supposed to talk about in these sessions and as the semester's only just started we're not yet doing assessments, coursework or big projects at all. Plus, as a joint honours student I don't know whether I can talk about my other subject well with her or not as she's only from one subject's department.

The only thing I was thinking I could talk about would be the fact that it's become clear already that my passion in the subjects is completely different to everyone else's on my course (there's only about a dozen of us in the classes for one of my departments) and I guess that leaves me a little directionless so maybe something about careers to do with that but I feel like it's such early doors to start discussing careers.

Anyway yeah, as someone who has already been there and who I believe is now doing it too (if wrong, sorry!) do you have any general recommendations of what students can talk about in office hours with their personal tutors or other teachers? Thank you!

Psst, I'm going to tell you a secret: the vast majority of students do not actually come to office hours. Even though they should! It literally cannot hurt! And coming to office hours is a great opportunity to build rapport with your instructor/TA and get academic help! But out of the approximately 300 student's I've had, I've met with maybe 10 of them.

I say this not to be cynical, but to drive home the point that you are winning by just showing up. You don't have to come with a list of perfectly prepared questions—you're a student, and you are, by definition, learning! Do the readings and assignments, and engage with your instructor.

Now, I'm not sure how your program works, and you say tutor rather than TA, so the etiquette might be a little different. A tutor is there to help you academically, while a TA is there to answer some questions, but by and large you are expected to be in charge of your own learning experience.

As a TA, I'm generally happy to meet with students by appointment, but I also really appreciate it when students are able to understand that I am 1) a human being with a finite amount of time and energy, and 2) my job is to support you but not hold your hand. Your section may not be the only one your TA is responsible for, and they also have their own studies to attend to.

Here are some things that are appropriate to ask from your TA:

To look over a paper draft and offer feedback (provided this is something they have offered to do as part of their job)

Request feedback on an assignment after your grade to know what you could do better next time

Schedule a meeting to discuss topics you are struggling with

And some things that are not appropriate to ask your TA:

Questions where the answers can be found on the syllabus (due dates, percentage of grades for certain assignments, the readings for a given week)

When will I get my grade? (See my above point about being only human. If assignments have been turned in, assume your TA is working on getting them back to you, and that they cannot do so immediately. Give it at least two weeks before checking in)

Asking for a particular grade on an assignment

As for your first meeting with your tutor/instructor/TA, I'll reiterate: just show up! Introduce yourself, say hi, and don't feel too much pressure to hit the ground running.

Here are some posts I've made that you might find relevant:

Tips to make your professors love you

Student conduct

Citation how-to

Thank your professors

Take a deep breath. I sense that you might be someone who puts a lot of pressure on themselves to be perfect. Nobody else is expecting that from you. You're learning, and it's okay to be unsure and make mistakes! Trust in yourself to do your best in the moment; that's all you can do.

-Reid

[glitter-bunny420]

Arlecchino's Kit Simplified! (Teyvat for Beginners #1)

Bc this bitch’s (affectionate) kit is so goddamn complicated for no reason.

Because a lot of her kit revolves around Max HP, I've given her a hypothetical value of 30,000 Max HP to give a better idea of how her playstyle works. Of course, as far as I know Arlecchino doesn't have any minimum requirements in terms of her HP stat (like how certain characters are recommended to have 40k HP), so take my examples with a grain of salt. Obviously, if the amount of HP you give her is less or more than 30k, than the values of the Life Bonds will be different.

Combat

Normal Attack - Invitation to a Beheading

Arlecchino’s Normal Attack is the same as any other polearm user but there is a special addition to it. When she possesses a Bond of Life, or Life Bond, that is equal to or greater than 30% of her Max HP (in this case, the Bond would be worth at least 9k HP), she will enter the "Masque of the Red Death" state, in which her Normal, Charged and Plunging attacks will deal Pyro DMG. Additionally, when these Pyro-infused attacks hit an opponent, she'll deal extra damage scaling off her ATK multiplied by a certain ratio of her Life Bond percentage (don't ask me what this means - just know that a bigger ATK stat = more additional damage); this extra damage will also consume a small amount of her Bond, which will decrease her Skill cooldown by 0.8 seconds.

Elemental Skill - All is Ash

Her Skill deals Pyro DMG to multiple nearby enemies, before singling out one enemy and dashing towards them, dealing AoE Pyro DMG. As of this moment, it’s not clear if she automatically dashes forward if there’s only one nearby enemy. Opponents hit by her Skill will have the Blood-Debt Directive applied to them. The Directive lasts for 30 seconds and deals one instance of Pyro DMG to enemies affected by it every 5 seconds; strangely though it only deals a maximum of 2 instances of Pyro DMG instead of 6.

When Arlecchino performs a Charged Attack (it’s unclear if she has to hit the enemies with this attack) or uses her Elemental Burst, all nearby Directives will be absorbed, each one giving her a Life Bond worth 65% of her Max HP (at least 19,500). The maximum Bond value she gains from absorbing the Directives within 35 seconds of using her Skill is 145% of her Max HP.

Elemental Burst - Balemoon Rising

This deals AoE Pyro DMG, as well as heals Arlecchino, absorbs nearby Blood-Debt Directives and prematurely ends her Skill cooldown. The amount of healing she receives scales on her ATK stat and her current Life Bond value.

Passive

Agony Alone May Be Repaid

Arlecchino can gain a Life Bond worth 130% of her Max HP via her Skill in one of two ways: when she defeats an opponent marked by a Directive, or if you wait 5 seconds for the Directive to become a Blood-Debt Due, which can then be absorbed per usual.

These effects cannot exceed the 145% value limit of her Skill.

The Balemoon Alone May Know

While in combat, Arlecchino will gain a 40% Pyro DMG Bonus and can only be healed by her Burst, so it's best that you give her lots of Energy Recharge or pair her with teammates that can help with energy generation, like Raiden Shogun or a character with a Favonius weapon.

Strength Alone Can Defend

Arlecchino gains 1% Elemental and Physical resistance (RES) every 100 ATK over 1,000. For example, if she has 1,400 ATK, that will increase her RES by 4%. This effect caps at 20% RES increase (3k ATK).

Considering what we now know, it seems like Arlecchino's best rotation will be as follows: Skill -> Charged Attack -> Normal Attack -> Burst when low on health. However, keep in mind this is my first time theorycrafting so I could be wrong. Hope this was helpful to you!

[yumester]

sending this back to sender. i need a full dissertation on pAInter STAT

Oh, look it's the silly mutual once again in my ask box, wailing and screaming like a drenched kitten or that one generic male character from the hit game going through the worst experience ever— (gets shot)

Anyway, here's my opinions on The p.AI.nter from the hit Roblox game.

You know the drill, putting a read more for my and everyone's safety.

Fucking character of all time, man. Not including Sebastian! We hate Sebastian in this house! 🗣

They made this shit in the lab and called it straight up cocaine for lore heads. And by lore heads I mean me homie!! /j

Gonna mainly go over each label but might go into detail later on so watch out.

Everyone but me is wrong about them <3: I mean this in the nicest way possible. Pressure fandom has already failed miserably at the characterization of Sebastian. We've seen it all, to people anime boyifing the hell out of his visage, to the literal creators having to ward people off by adding changes to the game's data by removing voice lines. Man is not your big monster hubby with a tortured soul. Okay, maybe he is a tortured soul, but more literal than that and less likely to cry on your shoulder or even give you the benefit of the doubt to hold you at arm's length. Anyway, I've seen some people babify the hell out of p.AI.nter as well, and it sucks. I'm sorry, but it's true. It is not your friend, guys. It just wants to paint.

they got done dirty but the creator/s: Okay IDK if you've even peered at the recent updates or uploads from the main creator, but it was shown that p.AI.nter will be updated to be killed at some point. I don't know if they already patched that through the other day because, for one, I haven't played the new update. And, two, I think anyone who tries to do so is a dumb bitch because all p.AI.nter does is trick the player with fake doors and has turrets in occasional rooms (yes, the turrets can be annoying at times but who cares). In my head, I feel like the entity adds some charm to the existing enemies you face during a play through. And removing those elements just feels like a waste. Technically speaking, you only get to The p.AI.nter's room in a certain percentage. Though I will say it makes sense in canon why you would be able to destroy it as Urbanshade as talked nonstop about removing any and all adversaries that get in its way, mainly Sebastian (Unfortunately and thankfully, in Sebastian's case, Sebastian can't be killed). But, I will also say, The p.AI.nter's document, however tragic that it is, kills me at the fact how they handled its owner's death. Like really? Accidentally killed with a rifle to the head because of some dumb guard, no less. If I was that sentient AI, I would no doubt feel endless dread and sorrow. Though, then again, The p.AI.nter is already had several moments of killing itself and been depressed while under Urbanshade's care.

ADOPTION PAPERS ADOPTION PAPERS FILING THE ADOPTION PAPERS: I won't bother writing a whole paragraph, so take this GIF of p.AI.nter as Edgar instead. <3

i am constantly going insane rotating them in my brain like a fork in a microwave: I can not overstate how much I love this little guy. I don't talk about it much nor articulate the words in discussing this freak like I wish I could. But The p.AI.nter is a character that resides in my head twenty-four, seven. Like I'm writing a fanfic about Sebastian right now—well before you sent this, but all I've been thinking about is this dumb AI. Its relationship with Sebastian. Its overall role in the story of the game and so forth.

the popular ships for this character suck: OKAY, OKAY! I know I reblog and sometimes like content of The p.AI.nter with Sebastian together, but that's mostly because I find ship art in general to be an endearing thing to look at from the views of a consumer. However, canon wise it just doesn't… click is all I'm going to say. I DO LOVE THEIR DYNAMIC, HOWEVER!

constantly listening to songs and mentally holding them up like a paint swatch: To be fair, I'm always listening to music, I'm a music junkie at heart and, brother, this shit is breakcore!

I WANT TO STUDY THEM LIKE A COCKROACH: All I'm saying is robotic characters growing sentience is a form of love in video game writing, baby. Also, like I loved The p.AI.nter even before friendly fire update. But y'know me, when it hit beta with its new voice and new face with the MS Paint program that has scratchy line art, circles for eyes and wobbly smile—I was ecstatic! I'm not an engineer or a computer nerd by any meanings, but I wouldn't give to be in Pressure for a spell to like look at inside and out in a non-sexual way of course LMAO.

whats wrong with them (affectionate): SO, SO MANY THINGS! MAINLY URBANSHADE </3

#LETTHEPAINTERPAINTFREELYCHALLENGE

not enough screen time: Maybe this is the me that “likes this character a normal amount” talking, but it makes me sad that The p.AI.nter doesn't say much when you visit its enclosure in heavy containment. Like, you visit Sebastian's shop, and he has like hundreds of dialogue, all of which include snide remarks and shouting at you. It's freaking Gianni I get people! But anyway, my man deserves a little more, thank you. <3

they've never done anything wrong in their life <3: Watch this video from 1:25 and 2:23 and tell me I'm wrong.

my opinions would be received by most fans as akin to hitting a wasps nest with a baseball bat: i shan't say...

This is the best character in the work: Discounting the most integral character, Sebastian fucking Shoelace, we have The p.AI.nter! Yippie!!! My blorbo, my absolute bestie, my man who hits me in the ass with high grade turret bullets to only die to the next room, my “locks me in a room with my wife as we discuss divorce papers and play 7 minutes in heaven” wingman. <3

Anyway, thanks for coming to my TedTalk!

[nanairomiso]

Working in Japan

This is a repost of a thread I made on Twitter, but essentially, it's a breakdown of how much I made working as a freelancer in Japan. Consider a cautionary tale if you're thinking about moving to Japan.

So i made roughly 5 million yen last year, right? Highest i've ever gotten after 14 years in Japan (higher than what i made at my old company even). Awesome, right?

Well, since i am freelance, i have to cover my own expenses. this includes lights, internet, software, other equip or transport I need for work. So once you subtract all of that, roughly 3 mil yen, I have about 2 mil yen left. Not terrible, but not great.

Now, from this 2 mil, I have to subtract health insurance, which a monthly payment of about 12000 yen (144,000 a year). Ouch, but like, necessary. 1.8 mil is still not.... the worst.

We still haven't paid into the pension system :smiling_face_with_tear: This payment can be made monthly, but you get a bit of a discount if you pay for a year up front (short for money, jp govt?).

So that's about 200,000 yen. Just gone.

It's just me and 1.6 mil yen left…. okay…

Did I mention there's a city tax? I haven't received it yet, but it's roughly 150,000 for Osaka city. Are you crying? Because I'm crying with my 1.5 million yen. Want to cry harder? If I were to convert this to USD, it's less than 10K for the year......

And that 5 million yen from all my work last year is ABOVE AVERAGE. The average wage in Japan is currently 4.1 million before taxes... IS IT REALLY ANY WONDER PPL AREN'T HAVING CHILDREN?? I CAN BARELY AFFORD MYSELF LMAO

There is one major difference between freelance and fulltime employees though. Companies will cover half of your pension and a certain percentage of your health insurance, so maybe salaried employees end with a 300,000 more in their wallets.

But freelancers? This includes animators, comic artists, video editors, etc. Or people that aren't employed full-time?? We have to cover our insurance and pension.

Freelancers are really out here with no money.

This is all to say, basically, working in Japan is a joke. Honestly the amount I pay for healthcare is too high for quality of care I receive most of the time and I'm not even sure I'll receive pension from the govt (because they have no money)

Did i mention that pay into a separate retirement plan in the states because i do not trust the japanese govt?

XDDD i've moved beyond anger. i can only laugh at my circumstances.

OH and japanese politicians have just been pocketing MILLIONS of YEN. YOU KNOW. THAT AVERAGE JAPANESE CITIZENS AMT IN YEARLY WAGES. THEY POCKETED THAT TASTY UNTAXED MONEY UNTIL THEY WERE EXPOSED A FEW MONTHS AGO

So yeah, the cost of living in Japan is low, and seems affordable from the point of view of the US dollar. But when you work in Japan?? When you make money in yen?????

[thisisyourprincipalspeaking]

their culpability doesn't negate the responsibility of the talent, either. actors, musicians, and celebs of all flavors have their hands just as dirty///

This! At some point the responsibility and accountability need to be put on the talent as well not just the higher ups. These people go along with all the problematic shit because they want the returns. The talent want to be rich and famous, if they didn't they wouldn't go along with the crap their agencies or pr teams ask them to do. Hollywood is toxic, problematic, and dangerous because of what the rich and powerful are willingly to do, that includes the talent. They sacrifice morality and ethics to be rich and famous if that means taking part in horrible things or ignoring the dangerous criminal acts then they will, for themselves. They have choices, like everyone and a lot of them choose to do certain things because this lifestyle and their career is a lot more important to them than being moral and ethical.

The talent isn't as innocent as they want to make us believe they are. A lot of the talent will do anything or say anything to keep their career and pretend they weren't aware of anything when shit hits the fan, just like when Weinstein was caught and now with Diddy. There are plenty more creepers out there that haven't been caught yet and being protected by many people. The only innocent people in this are the victims, everyone else who was benefitting from these men took advantage of the power, influence, and impact that these men would have on their careers that is until they got caught and then it was like "I hardly knew him" even though there's been rumors of years and some probably even witnessed the horrible things these men did.

i fully believe there are exceptions. but i will stand by my opinion that a high percentage of celebs like the attention a showmance brings and is willing to make the sacrifices to get it. and sometimes they get caught between a rock and a hard place with shitty options no matter what decision is made. but that doesn't release the culpability from anyone. (i am not talking about CLEAR perpetrator/victim situations)

[inkwolvesandcoffee]

Imagine drinking moonshine with Forrest and (unintentionally) becoming tipsy.

TH Masterlist

- It’s no surprise Forrest knows how to hold his liquor. However, when he gets drunk, he gets absolutely ossified.

- But tonight he drinks even less than he usually does.

- Because he doesn’t want you to hurt yourself.

- He’d seen you leave the office earlier. He just came up the stairs as you left through the front door. You held it open for him, but he didn’t walk on as he usually does when it’s someone else.

- “Where you goin’?”

- “Home. I…,” you breath tapered and you swallowed hard to conceal your hurt as best as possible, “I didn’t make it. We terminated my contract and I’ve handed over my stuff.”

- His eyes flitted across your face, frantically looking for a lie that wasn’t there.

- You mustered your kindest smile. “Goodbye, Forrest.”

- You made to move past him, but he grabbed your arm like he did the night he dropped you off at the central station for the first time.

- You gave him a quizzical look.

- “Can we… during my break… coffee? You. Me.” His breath hitched and he grabbed you a little tighter. “Have a drink? After work?”

- He bit his lip and looked at you through his lashes, blue eyes luminous but shut away behind a thick wall of timidity. “At my place?”

- Knowing him enough to be certain he harbours no ill intentions towards you, you agreed.

- So here you are, seated on a worn leather couch in his apartment. The interior mixes modern luxury with rustic cabin vibes. Various wood tones are worked into decorations and bigger furniture pieces like the coffee table in front of the hearth, one of Forrest’s old weekend projects.

- The scent of cedar mixed with black tea, raspberries, and sandalwood hangs in the air while you two sit in front of the fire. In your hands, you hold the latest invention of the Bondurant brothers; pumpkin spice moonshine.

- If it isn’t the strong alcohol percentage that makes you choke, it’s the very strong presence of cinnamon. All the same, it makes for an easy drink.

- Being a lightweight, one glass is already enough to make you feel lightheaded. But one glass follows another and after the third you’re heavily leaning on the burly bear of a man next to you.

- In the meanwhile, there’s little conversation. In part because you share the language of silence, comfortable with one another without the need for words. But it’s also due to Forrest not knowing what else to talk about and not wanting to pry into what happened earlier that morning.

- Nonetheless, although he won’t admit it outright or even to himself, he’s glad you’re no longer colleagues for a very shallow reason.

- You’re no longer off-limits.

- He hates himself for using your state to push his own agenda a little bit, but he weaves his fingers through yours. You blink in surprise, but hum and snuggle up into him further while looking at your hands.

- “Can’t let you go home in this state.”

- “But I can’t stay here. I don’t wanna…” you frown, at a loss for words. It seems your brain has lost the battle war with the booze in your veins, rendering you unable to form a single coherent sentence. Doesn’t help his body is really warm and his mere presence offers the type of comfort you’ve been needing all day. “You know.”

- And he does, because he doesn’t need words to form a crystal clear explanation. “You won’t be. You sleep in my bed and I’ll sleep here.”

- “Grumpy wolf.” You chuckle at yourself. “Curled up by the fire.”

- The thought that passes through his mind at that moment?

- I’d rather be curled up next to you.

- “C’mon, time for bed.”

- “I’m not sleepy,” you protest, clutching his arm. “Stay here. At least for a little while longer.”

- He groans and then lets out a deep sigh through his nose as a smile slowly spreads on his lips. “You’re starting to talk nonsense. I’ll see if I have a toothbrush lying around too.”

- Gently he frees himself from your grip to prep his bedroom and find you your own toothbrush as well as pyjamas. He catches himself standing in front of his closet, smiling at the shirt and cardigan in his hands.

- Dreaming of how you’d look in them.

- Like you’re his.

- Woken up next to him.

- Back in the living room, he sees you’ve fallen asleep. You’ve toppled over and are basically sprawled over the couch.

- He grumbles about how you just had to fall asleep in the worst possible posture. Forrest picks you up and immediately stops his grumpy rambling when you curl up into his chest, humming contently.

- But it’s not only that which makes his heart stop.

- It’s also the prospect of having to dress you in the pyjamas he’s prepared for you. Now, of course he could put you to bed dressed as you are, but he wants you to be as comfortable as possible. And wearing jeans to bed is anything but that.

- He’s glad you’re sound asleep because you won’t be able to see how red he is while carefully manoeuvring you out of your clothes and into his shirt and cardigan. All the while, he makes sure not to touch you inappropriately, being wary about where his fingers touch you.

- He remains seated on the edge of the bed for a moment after he’s tucked you in. On the one hand, he’s overjoyed you’re with him, in his bed, safe and sound. On the other, he feels guilty since it’s because you lost your job you’re here.

- He runs a hand through your hair before he gets ready for a night on the couch.

- Come morn, you wake up to a glass of water with painkillers next to it as well as a wee note stating: “In case you need it”.

- You smile, take a painkiller, drink the water, and look down at your pyjamas. Had it been anyone else, you would have dreaded the thought at likely having been touched inappropriately. However, when it comes to Forrest, you don’t need that type of reassurance. Instinctively you know he respected you even in your unconscious state.

- In the kitchen, Forrest is busy making pancakes. The table has already been set. A pot of steaming coffee, yogurt with fresh fruits, a big mason jar filled with orange juice, and a reed basket with croissants and pains aux chocolates line the middle of the table.

- “Sleep well?” Forrest asks, briefly looking away from the pan. He’s clad in loose grey sweatpants, a matching cardigan, and a dark blue shirt portraying a dog snout. On his nose balances a pair of thick black glasses.

- “I did.” You stretch and bite your lip, only now aware of the trouble you caused last night. “Thanks for letting me stay. You didn’t have to.”

- “‘Course I did. It would’ve been irresponsible to let you go home when you’re not steady on your feet.” He gestures at the table with his spatula. “Sit. Eat.”

- “You had to sleep on the couch, though,” you mumble as you settle on the chair facing the kitchen. It’s not a bad view to wake up to, messy brown locks and broad shoulders working hard to put proper grub on the table.

- He puts a plate stacked with fluffy pancakes between the mason jar with orange juice and pot of coffee. “Dig in.”

- “Forrest?”

- “Hm?” He looks at you over the rim of his coffee cup. Normally he reads the paper during breakfast, but he gladly makes an exception for his secret favourite person.

- His secret girl.

- “Next time, sleep next to me. I was cold.”

- He almost spits out his coffee and quickly grabs the newspaper to hide his beet red face behind. Under his breath, though still crystal clear, he mumbles: “Next time.”

- And all the times to come.

Let’s end with the wee treasure I found;

Imagine doing this with him after some rounds of very steamy (and very passionate) sex🥰🤤

I went off with this one, but I have so many feels and Forrest is simply still one of my faves to write😅🥰

Tag list: @buttercup32sstuff @hecatemoon87 @potter-solomons @liliac-dreamer @vir-tual @alikaheroes @ilovemanypeople @zablife

[keyboard-meister]

Genshiken (2004) - Part 1

Let me first say that I found this anime utterly disgusting! So going forward this post WILL be biased because I am a hater <3

I think what this anime was attempting to do was critique otaku/fandom culture, but I feel that it failed to criticize the main characters enough. The only time we see the Genshiken boys criticized is when Saki is on-screen, and even then she's kind of played off as a jealous girlfriend whose opinion doesn't matter because all guys read pedophilic hentai. What this anime does instead, although I'm not sure if it's intentional, is normalize obsessive and possibly dangerous behavior towards women, as well as porn addictions. Not only do the members of the club display concerning behavior like reading porn of underage characters and playing rape-simulator games, thousands of men attend a convention in which it appears they only sell hentai. As someone who regularly attends fandom conventions, this is absolutely not representative of them. Generally, only a small percentage of vendors sell NSFW material, and they are usually censored. I could be writing this show off too early, seeing as we skipped quite a few episodes and have yet to watch the last three episodes, but I don't have high hopes for the rest of this series.

As someone who participates in many fandoms, I could relate to being slightly obsessive with my favorite media and collectibles (seriously, I have like 40 Monster High dolls). That said, I related to pretty much nothing else here. I found that this anime gives fandom culture a really bad rap. While every fandom has its bad seeds, they are hardly representative of fandom culture as a whole. That is to say, not every nerd buys hundreds of dollars of child porn at cons and ignores a broken wrist just to buy said porn. Nearly every otaku in this anime is shown to be a real creep, which upset me because that just isn't true in real life.

I definitely noticed some connections to Fisk's article, specifically the parts about shadow cultural capital. Certain characters in Genshiken display a superiority complexes over how much knowledge they have about certain anime and manga, especially Madarame.

[cherry-velvet-skies]

I'm bored and depressed so let's rate each of the Beatles different eras based on how they looked because I can't think of anything else that would make me happier right now 🤭💕

I'm doing this individually, and we're starting with George because where the fuck else would we start but with our resident It Girl 💅🏻

Teddy Bear (Pre-Beatles Era)

I'm not a huge fan of the Teddy Era myself but I have no choice but to respect it, as George does look good

This is the only time his hair is up instead of down during Beatles Era but it's still cute

He knew what look he wanted and stuck with it. I admire the dedication.

7/10 because if I saw him at a party or something he would definitely catch my attention

Bowl (1962-63)

I'm not a fan and honestly I don't think George was either

As we know he hated having his hair cut, and they gave him the most cringe hairstyle ever and he just had to deal with it

But since he's George and he looks cute regardless it doesn't look as bad as it should have lmao

6.5/10 because George will never receive less than a 6 he is physically incapable of looking bad. The extra half point is also because I find the unibrow quite endearing 🤭

Mop Top (1964-65)

Out of all the bowl-cut renditions this one is by far my fave

Every time I rewatch AHDN and Help! I can't get over how cute he looks

When it would get messy and become Onion Hair™️ >>> (see Beatles For Sale album cover for reference)

7.5/10 because it's cute but not my all-time favorite George era. Would definitely be an honorable mention though

Shaggy (1966)

Softest era yet tbh

This was around the time they went to India so it's very clear that George is soon going to enter his truest form

They're not pictured, but this was also the era of the tiny circle sunglasses, which were an unbelievable serve

9/10 and I want to kiss him on the tip of his nose

Spiritual Awakening (1967)

yes Yes YES

Long hair + mustache combo = hot sexy realness

I must also address the fact that I never thought facial hair was attractive until George. That's how much I love this

10000/10 absolutely perfect no complaints ever I'm in love 😍

Victorian Vampire Realness (1968)

Also known as Cherry's Gender Goals

The only era where I can say I actually look like him 😌

I feel like it's missing something with the lack of facial hair, but the difference is not that significant

9/10 based on vibes alone, and I only deducted a point because I simultaneously want to be him and be with him. This confuses me.

Get Up and Go (1969) (pls tell me you get that reference)

I hope to someday be even a percentage of how stylish this man is

The grown out shag and mustache does something to me 🥴

I watch the scene of him practicing his slide routine wayyy more than I should...

120000/10 I wanna run my fingers through his hair while we make out

Hippie Jesus (1970)

There are several versions of this look, and the ones where his hair is a bit shorter is the preferred one for me.

Here, however, he looks like a whimsical forest entity and I have a certain appreciation for that

He looks very warm and cozy and that makes me want to hug him. I feel he would give amazing hugs 🥰

7.5/10 and I want to braid his hair

Sophisticated Gardener (1971-72)

Okay. HEAR ME OUT.

I'M NOT A FAN OF BEARDS. We have already discussed that. SO WHY THE FUCK AM I SO ATTRACTED TO THIS

I do not like how hot he looks like this. It confuses me to the point that it turns me on even more.

43625749/10 I wanna lay on a blanket in his garden and make love for hours 🥵🥵🥵

Pantene Commercial Applicant (1973)

DO YOU SEE HOW GLORIOUS HIS HAIR LOOKS

Paired with a mustache and oh my god I am on my knees

He also looks amazing in hats. Any and all hats 😁

100/10 he looks majestic and I wanna know his hair care routine

Dark Horse Gender Thief (1974-75)

Alright listen here bitch (affectionate)

If I don't look like this or exude this energy at some point in my life I am going to be very upset

The BDE is off the charts and the proof of existence is irrefutable.

1000/10 he's sexy and we ALL know it. In my mind we're kissing on the mouth but whatever 😤

Crackerbox Poodle (1976)

soft bby

wanna have tea and cookies with him (I don't even like tea but I would do it for him)

cuddles and blankets on cold winter days ftw

10/10 he would get me out of a depressive episode when no one else could 🥺💕

Permalicious (1977-78)

Dilf (Literally. This was around the time Dhani was born)

Not a huge fan of perms but he still looks cool

The was also the continuation of the cardigan era from '76 so let's just say now I'm picking up on some hipster vibes if you know what I mean

9.5/10 I'd let him take me on a museum date and then to an overpriced coffee shop (I don't like coffee either but you get it). Would probably make out with him too.

Mullet Dad(dy) (1979-80)

Hawaiian shirts and tacky necklaces we love to see it

THE EARRINGS OH MY GOD THE EARRINGS

He was so handsome in this era AND FOR WHAT

10/10 I'd sleep with him if he wanted me to

Inverted Bowl (1981-83)

George bby what happened

Like Bowl but spiky(?)

Doesn't look terrible but it was the 80s what do you expect

7/10 and those points are mostly coming from the pattern on the shirt and the overwhelming dilf energy

Long Lost Full House Character (1984-85)

This look is so 80s but I'm not mad at it

I didn't like it at first but the more I stare at it the more I fall in love with it

That could just be the power of George regardless of what he looks like but are we really gonna act surprised about that

50/10 he would 100% be able to seduce me by doing absolutely nothing

Oof (1986)

Teddy Boy? More like Teddy Middle-Aged Man 😳

Babe what did you do

Still got a cute face but I don't know what to make of this hairstyle

7/10 this one and Inverted Bowl are in a race to the bottom lmao

Author's Photo at the End of the Book (1987)

The dilfiest dilf to ever dilf oh mY GOD 🥴

He looks like a college professor and when I tell you I would have PERFECT attendance (there's a fic on AO3 about that if you're interested)

When I say I like older men THIS IS WHAT I FUCKING MEAN

36842957/10 Making love to this man would be one of the best experiences of my life. I've never wanted to fuck a man in his forties so badly PLEASE he would make me feel so loved and appreciated I JUST KNOW IT 🥵

Nelson Wilbury (1988-90)

You already know (Dilf)

The End of the Line and Handle With Care MVs are something that can be so personal

He could talk to me about trees for hours and I would never get bored

13498275/10 We're fucking and then taking a hot bath afterwards sorry I don't make the rules

Businessman Couture (1991-93)

If you saw the previous rating of this era no you didn't

I don't know what I was on he's so fucking hot

He still looks like a college professor but I'm not gonna pretend for one second that I ain't into that shit

49527428/10 I orginally had this at a 6.5/10 and I feel like I have to apologize to some higher power out there for the carnal sin I committed. I should've chosen a photo from 1992 specifically but I didn't and I feel that was a mistake. He has ruined my standards for men.

Cool Guru (1994-97)

The long hair has made a comeback I love it so much 💕

Literally has the most warm and welcoming energy I have ever seen. If he hugged me I would probably start crying

Seems like he would enjoy those sweet romantic park lunch dates 🥰

9.5/10 I would take a meditation class with him

Wholesome Dad (1998-∞)

Deserves all the love and appreciation

Would definitely be constantly creating new recipes for the food from his garden

He knew the real meaning of life and we all could learn a thing or two from him

100/10 the vibes are immaculate and I wish I could give him a hug 🥺💕🥰

[samevans-wmu]

Do you believe in regrets?

Like if it's possible to have them? Since I'm certain there are people out there who go through their lives feeling they've done no wrong and think everyone else has the issue. Not them.

I believe in them. I also try my best not to let it consume my ever-waking thoughts. It's not I've done anything way terrible so don't go bumping up that serial killer percentage on me! It's just stuff I kind of wish I handled differently.