#to be clear i agree with what most people are saying: john would not have wanted that kind of a fuck up from himself this early on

[corkinavoid]

DPxDC John Constantine's How To: Ghost Kids (pt.2)

[<- part 1]

"Oh, yeah," John jerks his head up like he just remembered the fact people are supposed to have names at all. He gestures to the kids, pointing to each of them as he introduces, "Daniel, Daniel, and Danielle."

This time, all three kids flip him off simultaneously. Bruce clears his throat, trying to figure out if Constantine is messing with him and, if so, in which parts. Since, so far, everything the man has said sounds like a poor attempt at pulling his leg.

"I don't think they like those," he cautiously says, and the kids whip their heads at him, nodding furiously. Bruce can't help but be just a little enamored with the way they behave.

"Of, sod off, at this point I don't care what they like," John straightens up with a dismissive, albeit weak, wave of his hands, and rubs his face, "They are menaces. Sometimes by accident, but mostly on purpose. Their grandfather thought it would be easier to handle them if they were not teenagers, and while I agreed with his reasoning at the time, I-" he glances at the kids, who all have displeased grimaces of various levels on their faces, "I have been made to reconsider. I swear that ancient bitch is laughing his ass off wherever he is now."

The kids suddenly grin. They are not very friendly, nor polite smiles - if anything, they look a bit nightmarish. An old grandfather's clock in his study makes a very loud ticking noise.

"See?" John whips his head to look at said clock, the expression on his face bordering on insane. His eye twitches.

If Bruce doesn't do anything now, he might become one of the very few people who managed to witness John Constantine, the Laughing Magician, have a meltdown. So he sighs and decides to solve the problems one at a time.

Which means that no matter how alarmed or suspicious he is, his first move would not be to interrogate either the man or the kids.

"You can sleep in one of the guest rooms, I trust you can find it on your own," he tells John, almost softly, as he catches the girl from slipping away from his lap, "Is there anything I need to know about children before you fall unconscious?"

John slumps with relief, so obviously that Bruce almost smiles. Hardships of raising - or, watching, for that matter - kids, he understands.

"Yes," he breathes out with an air of exhilaration and turns to the kids again, pointing to the middle child, "Danny is the original. He is from this dimension and timeline, that is. Dan," he turns his finger to the older boy, "is in the wrong timeline, he's Danny's future evil self redeemed into older bratty brother. Dani," he switches to the girl, "is Danny's clone, made by his arch-nemesis of a godfather. If she starts melting at any point, wake me up immediately. If any of them start floating, sprouting tentacles, speaking to walls in static, or glowing, don't."

Bruce looks down to the kids. So, definitely metas, that would explain the government trying to get them... Or, no, it wouldn't because he is fairly certain no government is going to blatantly ignore the Meta Protection Acts.

"Don't let them raise the dead, and if you give them food, make sure it doesn't have a face. If you find more than three of them, it means one of them has duplicated, don't worry, they will absorb it back later. Absolutely don't let them touch any guns," Constantine is backing down to the door as he speaks, his gaze flickering from the kids to Bruce and back every second. Like he is leaving a ticking bomb in Bruce's lap, and not three children. "Danny is, comparatively, the most responsible one, the other two are up for any dubious trouble they can get to at any moment. Oh, and their memories are wonky because of de-aging, they remember some things but not others, so if they say something particularly disturbing, it's most likely some random piece of knowledge they managed to keep."

Bruce raises an eyebrow. He did get the part about the kids being, well, abnormal in the matters of their origins, but the disjointed set of rules and advices doesn't help as much as Constantine probably thinks it does.

"Allergies, preferences, ages they were before?" He tries to get at least some more info down before John disappears through the door. Actually, maybe he should send someone to handcuff the man to the bed lest he disappears completely.

"None, but don't let them eat cutlery. Danny likes space, Dani has a thing for exploring, and Dan likes violence." The older kid stirs in Bruce's lap and says something in the direction of Constantine. No sound comes out, but the man seems to get what he's trying to say anyway, "Okay, yes, that was rude of me, sorry. Dan likes... exercise," he ends up with, and that placate the boy enough to slump down and cross his arms. John sighs, "They were seventeen, fourteen, and twenty respectively. Now," he snaps his fingers, and suddenly Bruce can hear the girl - Dani - humming a tune under her breath. So, he lifted the silence spell, it seems.

"Good fucking luck," John wishes to Bruce, earnestly, and all but vanishes away.

Bruce sighs and looks down to the kids.

"Are you hungry?" He tries, and all eyes are on him at once, attentive and unblinking.

"Fruitloops," Danny says, and while Bruce is positive that's the name for a cereal, he gets a feeling that's not what the kid meant.

[cptsamerica]

I always thought it was about John's mistake with whatever drug knocked him out, yeah.

Interestingly, it brings up some cool meta to me about if this is what solidified John's stance on always giving people a chance to win their game, instead of rigging it or just being a serial killer.

I don't think before this he could truly see past his own sorrow and how he had no chance to win his game (life). He should have a chance to win his "trap" (life), but he has none, so why should anyone else get one?

In saving Logan, I think John finalized how he wanted to go about doing traps:

Just because he had no chance in life (and also because he knows how shitty it feels to not have a chance), that doesn't mean someone else should have the same fate (especially if it was not their fault like the drug with Logan). So he decides to make sure that (no matter how slim) there is always A chance/choice.

I think because that moment ties everything in the movie together and to John, it's the right way to interpret it, yeah! :)

Question about Jigsaw

So, when Logan says, "He thought I shouldn't die for an honest mistake" (or smth along those lines) does he mean the mistake of him mislabeling the x-rays, because I feel like that would be a genuine thing he would put someone in a trap for, or does he mean the mistake he made giving Logan too much anesthesia or whatever he used on him.?

[cemetegee]

Cemy's Masterpost for TLT Analyses

Analysing things is my love language, so it's clear that I have a whole lot of TLT analyses. I want to collect them in this post, because I have trouble finding them myself. Much fun!

I'm an Ianthe stan

Ianthe and ADHD (my favorite analysis post of mine, I'm serious, it's very me-core)

Corona, Ianthe and the Threat of Killing Oneself

Ianthe is the Underling (she is such a good girl)

Ianthe's the Most Repressed Nun Third I've Ever Seen (Emotionally)

About the Thoughtfulness of Ianthe's Lies

Dying as a Skill Issue (Dying is for suckers, bitch!)

Ianthe apparently knows more than she says

The Unwanted Guest is a Genius Mindfuck (my very first post, click here to meet baby cemetegee)

Ianthe Goes Poetry

Ianthe is not the pure evil, but a very normal person

Ianthe Lore

Could Ianthe see Cytherea's Corpse?

Ianthe Must be Borderline Horny in TUG

Ianthe's Pain "Resistance" is OP

Ianthe's relationship to Corona (not gonna lie, probably neccessary to understand the posts above)

The Tridentarii Power Shift Dynamic

"Corona's Con" | Who's in Charge? (Whooo is in ControOoOl?)

Family Ties (or Third House culture?)

Corona hanged herself in in front of her eyes

The Tridentarii & Lolita

A very smart user said the Tridentarii would maybe only *perform* their Tridentariicest (maybe to disgust everybody from further investigations in their relationship?), and I'm OBSESSED with that take

Ianthe's Relationship to Babs

Ianthe and Babs Were Best Buddies (well at least a bit :(...)

Does Ianthe Regret the Murder of Naberius Tern?

Babs Died for her Plot Armor (that's literally the whole post, you don't have to click on the link)

Coronabeth Tridentarius: An Approach to her Character

Coroniphis & Ianthe (the explanatation for Ianthe's name seems to be more connected to Corona than to her)

What in Hell has she Done to Babs?

Than to Love and be Loved by Ianthe the First, Saint of Awe

Corona is a Very Third Person (Nobody Notices Somehow)

TLT Mechanics

How Could Cytherea Infiltrate Canaan House Without Being Betrayed by a Missing Thanergic Signature

Who/What is Kiriona Gaia? (my poor saddest girl in the whole world :()

How Could Wake Use Cytherea's body? (Necromantic Explanatation)

Why can Cavs and Necros Use Each Other's bodies? | How Could Palamedes Use Babs body? (just some basic theories about necromancy my friendos)

John "Jod" Gaius

Why Didn't Jod Heal Cytherea's Lung Cancer?

Jod is not Obliged to See Gideon as his Dauther, as Hard as it Sounds (Hear me out) (mostly about questioning blood relation as synonym for family in this case, what is also interesting to me in regard to found families)

Strange Pre-Ressurection Behavior Against Mercymorn

John is not the pure evil, but a very normal person

John was Pretty Fucked Up when he Decided to Kill the world (Correction to what I said in the post: he *did* technically kill her. Pulling out the soul of a body is dying by definition)

Hugs for John (I don't agree with his actions (such as for example killing the world) but his live can't be easy since then)

Any Thoughts About the Theological Implications of the character John "Jod" Gaius?

TLT Meta

Determinism in TLT

I Would Like to Talk About the Implications of TLT pls pls 👉👈 (pls ignore how much I sound like a snob in that post lol. I AM NOT, that was just me trying to formulate my wish in English :D)

The characters of TLT aren't the pure evil but very normal people

TLT Lore

Pyrrha is a Genius

Alecto Predictions

Alecto X Anastasia: Eightfold Word Light-Light??

[the-froschamethyst4]

When You Tell Them About The Older Men You Liked

————

COD Men Headcanons

————

König

Legend of Korra: Tenzin

"HE'S A CARTOON!" König yells.

"I know."

"WHY!? AND HOW OLD WERE YOU!?"

"I don't know why? I think I was...13?"

"Scheiße, Baby (shit, baby)." He curses under his breath.

"Yeah, I think that's when I knew I liked older men."

König was still speechless. He learned something new now, how you like older men, and the reason why you two are together because she like him because he was older and larger.

The topic was brought up due to him saying one of his daughters favorite cartoon character was a bit hot, so it was only right you brought up an old crush of yours

————

Ghost

Robert Downey Jr.

"I mean that makes sense," Ghost says. "Could have been worse."

"How worse?"

"You know, I'm not gonna say, but I get it. I mean it's fucking Iron Man, of course a lot of people are gonna like him, like fuck, I fucking like him, love, I will marry him if I could."

Honestly you learn that Ghost is basically secretly gay for Robert but I mean come on, agree with the man here.

The topic was brought up because you asked him, if he a celebrity crush on a older person and he said Julia Roberts, so it was only right she said Robert Downey Jr.

————

Price

Hugh Jackman

"Do not get me started," Price says.

"I mean you saw the movie! His body, come on now, John."

"I know, love, I saw it, and I saw how you looked at him, you like Hugh? I fucking love Hugh, baby." Price says, he was jealous that you told him Hugh Jackman was hot and sexy, and how you had a crush on him

"Baby deep down, I gay for Hugh," Price says, as you laughed and lightly tapped his shoulder

The topic was brought up when Price and you saw Deadpool and Wolverine and the part where Hugh had his suit shocked off him and you see a clear view of Hugh's body and his hairy body, he became a bit jealous

————

Soap

Gravity Falls: Stanford Pines

Honestly, I would say don't ask but the topic was brought up because he said the assistant from PowerPuff Girls was sexy, so you pulled the 6-fingered Grunkle from Gravity Falls

"JK Simmons has a tight hold on me." You tell him.

"Seriously?"

"You said Sarah Bellum was hot, so it only fits I say, Stanford Pines is hot."

"HE'S 60 YEARS OLD!"

"You're point? SARAH DOESN'T EXIST!"

"NEITHER DOES FORD! AND I'M PRETTY SURE HE'S MARRIED A TRIANGLE!"

AN: This is off topic (sort of) but he also voice acted for Tenzin (in case you didn't know).

————

Alejandro

Keanu Reeves

"Have you seen him in John Wick?"

"Yes. mi amor, I know." He chuckles. "He's a badass."

"Exactly, like Jesus, he can kill me all he wants to as long as I get to look at him."

"God, amor," he chuckles again.

The topic was brought up because you two finally had the time to sit down and watch the John Wick movies and now you understand why middle aged women love Keanu Reeves

————

Gaz

Shemar Moore

You two talked about Criminal Minds, how you love Spencer Reid but you mainly loved Shemar Moore the most, and how it feels like every time you watch something he's always in the movie or show, and you like it

"I see it," Gaz says. "Jesus." In the show, Shemar didn't have a shirt on and Gaz finally understood.

"See what I mean."

"You've definitely have a type, hot men," he says through a laugh and you light punched his arm.

————

Alex

Bruce Wayne

"Bruce...Wayne..." Alex says.

"Yep."

"Are you...Are you okay?"

"Definitely not," Y/n says, in a serious tone.

The topic was brought up after you two discussed comic books and which characters you two thought were hot or sexy, he brought up Selina Kyle which who was suppose to be Bruce Wayne's girlfriend/Fiancé.

[klbmsw]

Superstar Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg goes viral for a knockout takedown of Donald Trump's collapsing presidential campaign.

This is one for the books…

"I think you were exactly right to describe it as distraction. The challenge of course is you have to say something if he attacks the service of military service members who earned the Medal of Honor," Buttigieg said to MSNBC's Joe Scarborough.

"If he, you know, goes to the National Associaton of Black Journalists and blurts out something racist, obviously you have to deal with that," said Buttigieg. "But you have to deal with that quickly and then come right back to our message."

"Because I do think this is a kind of strategy. You might ask why would a politician do things like that but you know going all the way back to the days of him denigrating the service of John McCain, it's very clear that he does this for a reason," he continued.

"It's a twofold reason," Buttigieg explained. "One, is he wants people talking about him. And then two, he wants people not talking about the difference between our agenda and his agenda especially when you look at Project 2025."

"It's an amazing thing that Project 2025 is kind of the scandal of the year for the Republicans, the thing that they have had to do the most damage control around," he went on.

"Because look at what Project 2025 is. It's just their policies. It's nothing but a write-up of what they plan to do and they really don't want the American people focused on how Trump is about tax cuts for the rich and we're trying to make sure we have a fairer tax code," said Buttigieg.

"Or Donald Trump demolished the right to choose in this country. Now, Kamala Harris will lead the work to restore that right to choose," he continued.

"Or any other issue from climate to gun safety to education. You name it. Where the American people strongly agree with us and strongly disagree with him," he went on. "They don't want us talking about that. They don't want us talking about his record, results that even if you go by the measures that conservatives tend to pay the most attention to — like crime rates — that was worse under Donald Trump."

"If you're one of those folks who thinks of the economy in terms of the stock market — you know there's a lot more to the economy than the stock market but to some people that's pretty much the same thing — the DOW and S&P were worse under Donald Trump than they were under Biden and Harris," said Buttigieg.

"Energy production! One of the things you hear Republicans talk the most about. Domestic energy production is higher under Biden and Harris than it was under Trump,” he continued. “He can't afford for us to be talking about that so every couple days he's going to blurt out something outrageous so that we're talking about that instead."

As usual, Buttigieg's analysis is incisive and spot-on. Trump has no popular policies to run on so he's resorting to cheap tricks and distractions.

Meanwhile, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are offering a vision of a brighter future. Under their leadership, America will flourish and leave the fascist MAGA movement in

[nanamissuit]

Hey love, it's me again! *hehehe*

How would TF141 react to finding out that their girlfriend comes from old money and is filthy rich and her parents are hell-bent on getting her married off to some other old money dude whom she does not like.

Money problems - 141

Pariring: 141 x Rich!Fem Reader

Warnings: Violence?,Marriage arrangements,Fluff

John Price:

Well First it was the money…How the HELL did he not know?

He always saw you in designer, you always had your nails done and hair done, people always gave you looks in public and whispered.

And you didn’t really go out to eat unless the place was practically empty.

So when he found out to say he was shocked was an understatement he was astonished. But you then had to introduce him to your hell hole family that you hated.

He dressed his nicest and acted the exact way you told him to but your family seemed so bored and unimpressed.

“Right so…This is only temporary because we know a man who has agreed to marry you-” Your mom spoke up and you rolled your eyes tucking your tongue under your lip and Price knew that look he just sat there and let them have it.  “I’m not getting married to some stuck-up rich boy jesus christ! Every time I visit we have this conversation.” Your mom tried to reason with you, “Well we wouldn’t if you had just found a nice man-” You cut her off and practically screamed at her. “I DID HE’S RIGHT THERE!! WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU NOT SEE? SURE HE MAY NOT HAVE A MILLION DOLLARS LAYING AROUND-” “Listen ma’am I understand you want your daughter to marry someone with your kind of wealth but rest assured I can take perfect care of her-” You glared at John and he closed his mouth and let you talk. “See my point is I’m happy, how old is he?” “56.” “EXCUSE ME??” You spit your wine back into your glass and John held your hand under the table as he stood up with you.

“Odd, because I actually have a huge announcement.” And that's the story of how he proposed. In front of your pissed off parents and they were even more pissed when you said yes. But when your father got too old and had to pass down the family business to him? Man the look on his face was worth mass amounts of money.

What pissed him off the most is the business has never made so much money until John ran it. And you loved every bit of his sour expressions and dirty looks.

John 'Soap' Mactavish:

So it was pretty hard to keep any secret from Johnny, not that he was invasive or over-jealous. No not at all it’s just because he’s so easy to talk to and he’s caring.

So when you told him about your family and money he wasn’t too shocked I mean he noticed the designer stuff and the people whispering, he absolutely adored you though and didn’t wanna make a scene on it.

But when you practically dragged him to a suit store and then made him meet your parents he was shitting his pants.

You all went out to a fancy dinner and he shook your fathers hand and your mother as well but they didn’t seem impressed then you all sat down and looked over the menu.

“So, we found you a man. 56, he’s agreed to marry you.” John looked up from the menu, shocked as he gave you a side-eye of worry. “What? Absolutely not. I took time out of my day to introduce you to my boyfriend who by the way I LOVE. I shouldn’t have even bothered coming, I knew this would happen!” 

John watched you yell at your parents and fight back and forth until he was snapped back into reality. “SO WHAT IF HE’S NOT RICH HE’LL TAKE OVER YOUR FUCKING BUISSNESS ONE DAY!!” And he cleared his throat and grabbed your hand under the table. “Well uhm…Nice meeting everyone here. I think I’ll take my leave with my lovely girlfriend.” And he waved them an awkward goodbye as he took you into the car, opening your car door for you and making sure you were settled as he got into the driver seat and put the car in drive.

“Let me guess..Taco bell and your favorite movie?” “Please. I can’t stand my family.” Tears streamed down your face but he rubbed your thigh and comforted you and made sure you were okay.

And to your word, he did end up running that company about 7 years later.

Kyle 'Gaz' Garrick:

Now he knew you were loaded, he just put two and two together and he didn’t care, even if you didn’t have any money he’d still love you the exact same.

So that being said, when you guys had a movie night and your mom called you and you put her on speaker he decided to listen in while he paused the movie.

“Hi mom, what's up?” “Hey sweetie! I have some amazing news!” You rolled your eyes and looked at Kyle but he seemed interested. “What? What is it?” “Well…We found you a husband! He’s 54 and he owns a very nice business-” Kyle’s jaw dropped and you were speechless. “Not that you’re interested in my life unless it benefits you but I have a husband.” “WHAT? And you didn’t tell us?” Kyle choked on air when you said this and you encouraged him to speak up.

“Hello ma’am…I’m Kyle.” He spoke shyly and nervously and it seems like your mother wasn’t impressed. “Well hello Kyle and what do you do for work?” “Oh nothing special..Military.” Your mother gasped and hung up and Kyle just looked at the phone and then you.

“Marry me?” “What?” “I said, marry me. Your mom thinks we're married so let's get married.” You just shook your head yes as he stood up and put his shoes on. “Where are you-” “A ring, What’s your ring size sweetheart?” “Uhm..I’ll just come with you.” You put on some slippers and followed him outside to the car and went to go get a beautiful ring.

You got married officially around a year later and yes he formally met your family and they got accommodated to him and when he took over the business for your dad the family just put up with him for money.

Your sister being the worst constantly asked but Kyle always declined due to the fact you didn’t like her so he listened to you and didn’t ask questions. He didn’t have a death wish. He loves you.

Simon 'Ghost' Riley:

He knew about the money, matter of fact he knew your family but did he wanna spoil the fun? Course not.  

So when you told him about the money he told you straight up he knew about the money, but since you didn’t mention your family he didn’t either.

But when you mentioned meeting your family he came clean, told you how he was your fathers security before joining the military. You gasped but you didn’t remember him for some odd reason.

But that’s maybe because he lied, he knew your father because he may or may not have been a hitman back in the day..But we’ll get into that later, maybe.

So when you took him to meet your parents he presented himself nice and your father seemed off, but you decided to keep quiet. But then your mother started speaking about marriage

“Ah, Sucks she’s already married to me.” “WHAT? IS THIS TRUE?” You nodded and showed your ring to her and he showed his wedding band like a trophy.

Was it maybe set up because you knew your parents would go nuts? Yeah but did you guys actually get married a year later? Yeah!

You and Ghost did eventually take over the company but you do most of the work due to his deployments but whenever he’s home he does as much as he can and he does whatever you ask of him.

Did it now come to light about him being your fathers hitman? No. He never told you and neither did your father.

Ghost didn’t wanna see his sweet angel worry about old problems that were already taken care of.

He loved how innocent you were, he didn’t wanna ruin it.

I loved this so much, your requests always EATTTTT🙈!!

[envolvenuances]

we watched the lily philips documentary on youtube yesterday

I was already disproportionately uncomfortable on the first half of it from just how familiar her behaviour and language was. the way she kept trying to get him into her humourous flirting and degradation of herself ("only good for one thing" after she slips too much milk on tea on accident) and seems offended he doesn't. the way she gets even more offended and uncomfortable when he praises her for something that isn't her looks of shaggig skills. the very tense atmosphere when she looks likes she's daring him to make a serious critique of her father's friends watching her pornography content and he backs down. the way she calls herself different from "normal girls" right until she gets seriously upset then the others are "weak girls". the comment on realising sex wasn't special so what she does isn't that different or a big deal. and especially the "I realised all men would always sexualize me anyway so I might as well make some cash out of it"... which I found the most telling phrase in all of it btw. and is she so wrong when even the men capable of producing such a sensible video is selling an "uncensored" version on his patreon? (found that one in the comments later)

it does remind me of what I mean when I mention struggling with hypersexuality and the impact it has on your perpection and all relationships. she mentions being lonely and of course it's much worse as a millionaire OnlyFans woman but I wonder if it started early. I remember a time of trying to "pay back" any kindness from my friends with sex then whining about not having any meaningful friendships. I would call it a vicious circle but it's more of a downward spiral. but it does speak of detachment.

but as for the day itself... didn't expect her to be able to pay nine workers on her team and for all of them to be that incompetent and inhumane about bare minimal security and comfort. really went in for the meat grinding spectacle. claim to have given her snall breaks for "showers and electrolytes" but couldn't minimally clean the room wanted all the used condoms piling on the floor for the shot. but then the woman hiding her face in the video is essentially a madame.

101 and only 2 willing to talk while also hiding their faces and real voices for anonymity. one fake crying about all the money he spent flying international just for it. the other real crying about the apparent moral injury he just inflicted on himself. both belonging in a registry. the man who made the documentary also doesn't ask them any meaningful questions but I get he's an amateur who wrote no script. pity. he could have learned some tips from Bettina Flitner or Gail Dines. not hard to get Johns talking.

liked the piece with the other woman Alex who does Only Fans. bit crude but overall older and with a much clear picture of things wish we had heard more from her. agree with her you could only hope it's not the future of it because it was bad enough already but it seems like the grim scenario. which is exactly the problem with leaving these "amateur" pornography platforms legalized and unregulated like this.

hearing many say this story exposes the limits of both choice model and consent binary in "liberal feminism" - tho I would much rather call that backlash. and it's not that I disagree. something we might never know exactly what is keeping that woman in and it is both sad to see and revolting for how she admits the impact goes a little beyond her (tho it's less on those she's calling"normal girls" and more immediately on other women on Only Fans). she probably already feels like she's reached a no return point. but my thing is we already have a pile of bodies some even younger and more vulnerable many who have been on camera as life was drained of them.

it's not a story without direct feminist and communist action that will put a stop on the sex trade. so if this gets people talking I hope we can be the ones bringing them to think locally and meet existing projects and activists

[ryuseiired]

"wait, why does jackalope say mikoto is at the top of murders?"

I've seen a lot of people confused about this so I thought I'd make a post on why I personally think this comment makes sense and isn't, like I've seen a few people get worried about, implying anything new or even especially large about his murder count.

My take, heavily influenced by this post, is that Mikoto has killed three people. The post referenced points out that MeMe shows three murder scenes with discrepancies– using the images they do as reference we can see two clear and notable differences in location, and one scene where the outfit has changed and lacks the hoodie.

(As a side note, if we take that post's proposal as to who committed which murders– one by Mikoto and two afterwards by John– I wonder if this shot from Double with two mannequins next to him implies John's actual kill count? Not particularly relevant to the overall point but I thought it was interesting.)

So... three total murders would technically mean the Kayano system meets the criteria of "three or more" murders to be a serial killer. But I don't actually think it's as bad as a lot of people assumed from Jackalope's words. He's not a super prolific serial killer or anything, only just barely meeting the criteria. Three isn't that big a number in the grand scheme of things, it's just that it's large enough to put him at the top of MILGRAM.

Most other prisoners only have one victim. Haruka, excluding what's implied regarding animal death, appears to only have one human victim, that being the little girl who appears in his MVs. Meanwhile Fuuta, Muu, Mahiru, Kazui, and Amane all have made it pretty clear at this point that they have singular victims– Killcheroy, Rei, Mahiru's boyfriend, Hinako, and Amane's mother, respectively.

This leaves only a few others with unclear victim counts.

Yuno isn't clear on how many abortions she's had, only states that it's her crime and that it was the result of "lots of sugar-daddying". Whether or not she actually got pregnant and had an abortion more than once over the course of the compensated dating is left uncertain. She could be among the prisoners with one murder, or could have multiple.

Kotoko could either have one kill or two kills depending on what you believe about Deep Cover. If I remember right the guy she beats up in the alleyway during Harrow doesn't die, we only see a news article saying he's been hospitalized? I can't find the source on where I saw this though so take it with a grain of salt. The fact she did kill the guy in the hoodie, Kaneshiro, is indisputable.

The question becomes, if she was tried and found innocent for it already before being put in Milgram, was that really all she's in for? Most of Deep Cover takes place afterwards. Either believing the theory that she indirectly or accidentally got Lucky killed, or simply using the circumstantial evidence that it seemed like she was going to hunt down someone else towards the end of the MV and the prisoner card doesn't look like the warehouse she killed Kaneshiro in, I personally believe Kotoko has two victims.

Nobody seems to really know how many people Shidou killed, but it's also pretty heavily suggested that it's a lot, judging by how many people and/or organ donor cards we see in Throw Down and Triage. He is usually assumed to have the most murders out of anyone in Milgram, which I personally agree with.

This leaves us with a kill count ranking that looks something like:

Shidou (many, many victims)

Mikoto (three victims)

Kotoko/Yuno? (one or two victims?)

Everyone Else (one victim)

This puts Mikoto, assumedly with three kills, at the second-highest kill count in Milgram, but Jackalope isn't implying an unreasonably high number by pointing out how far up he is. Nothing more than what was already shown to us in MeMe, anyway.

And while I can't speak on this. the exact wording Jackalope uses in Japanese may not imply he has the most or is at the top anyway, just near it. Which would be consistent with him having second most!

[bluelolblue]

The Ecstasy of Temptation

Summary: During the celebration that the D'Antonio siblings organized, with a bit of too many glasses of wine, the young omega, Santino, unexpectedly went in heat. The only one who could help him handle that was his alpha bodyguard, John, even if that meant breaking the rules of the contract. And he took great care of Santino in his heat.

Rating: Explicit

Relationship: Santino D'Antonio/John Wick

Note: August 12th, (12.8.) 2023 was the day I got registered on ao3, became LittleRealSimp. The day I officially joined. The lore behind this silly username is literally me and my irl bestie sitting in a park and talking about how we're gonna name ourselves there. And we both came up with silly usernames ehehe :P. I can't believe it's already been a year, like what, A WHOLE YEAR! I was lurking on ao3 for a VERY long time, and during summer 2023, I got enough courage to start posting.

This fic is a gift for @mrssimply because really her fics were the ones that helped me get through that summer and inspired me to start working on my own fics. I remember reading those fics on the terrace, at evening, so those are really some of my favorite memories from my vacation. BUT ALSO thank you for being my beta reader, a friend, a support, helping me out so much, and all our conversations, that really means a lot to me! Thank you for reading this, too! I'm so happy you like it! <3

Ahh this all made me emotional. I'm just so happy and can't believe it was already a year, and so much had happened. What a journey, and it's still going!

1 year anniversary of me officially joining on ao3, celebrating with a new fic!

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Snippet

The D'Antonio siblings threw a celebration over gaining more territory. Gianna was in charge there, greeting guests and having everything under control. Santino, on the other hand, regretted even being there.

He usually liked those celebrations only because he actually felt included and he could drink more wine. The guests were annoying to him probably because most of them were alphas and only a few people knew Santino was an omega. Gianna, his family and John who was assigned as his bodyguard. Who was also an alpha.

John knew he wasn't supposed to have anything with Santino. The contract made that very clear and Gianna's order to him not to react at his heat or his actions during it. He listened of course, but he had to admit, Santino was tempting. The omega didn't want to play by the rules, always teasing John when he had a chance to.

Tonight, John had to keep Santino in his sight all the time. With other alphas around, powerful people, anything was possible. Santino was wearing blockers, he always did when he was around people. He hated the way some alphas would look at him as if they knew.

John kept his distance, watching how Santino was on his second glass of wine and accompanied by a younger alpha. Santino didn't seem interested in the guy, he was just pretending to listen to whatever he was saying.

Luckily, Gianna came to check out the situation. She excused Santino for a moment, going to a private room.

“Don't drink too much, you know how wine affects you,” Gianna reminded him, not looking very pleased.

“I know, don't worry,” Santino reassured her, “Thanks for getting me out of that situation. That guy was not shutting up.”

“Yes, I could tell.” His sister agreed, “Just go easy on the drinks, it could trigger your heat. After all, alphas are all around.”

“I'm wearing blockers, they can't scent me.” Santino fixed his tie, checking himself out in a small mirror on the wall.

Gianna sighed, walking over to him to fix his hair, but the omega moved away.

“Your heat is supposed to come… tomorrow? Or in two days?” Gianna tried to remember his last heat, she has lost track of his cycles ever since he kinda snapped at her for doing that.

Read the rest on ao3

[edosianorchids901]

A Lie Agreed Upon

@flashfictionfridayofficial prompt - "noticing small things"

Cw: PTSD, depression

Sherlock Holmes noticed practically everything, especially the small things. It hadn’t taken Watson very long to become aware of that feature of his new roommate.

He had only assisted Holmes with one very interesting case, and listened to him chatter about a few simpler ones, but it was abundantly clear that this was a man who paid attention to all that happened around him. Even when it seemed as if Holmes was lost in thought, he picked up on so many small details that it made Watson’s head spin.

And if Holmes noticed all those small things, as he surely did, then he must have noticed that Watson was utterly falling apart.

Falling apart wasn’t new. The wounds that Watson had suffered in war had plagued him since, and a bout of fever nearly claimed his life. Nightmares struck often, and he sometimes slipped into what seemed to be waking dreams, dreams of the battlefield.

Holmes must have noticed. They had been living together for nearly two months now, after all. But he hadn’t pointed it out, or even shamed Watson for his weakness.

That was not to say that he ignored the problems completely. Sometimes, Watson awakened from a nightmare to the sounds of his favorite violin music being played downstairs. And when his leg and shoulder nearly incapacitated him, Holmes would casually fill his pipe or pour his tea. This, too, was never commented on.

Watson said thank you, of course, and received a quick flash of a smile in return. But no questions, no judgement, no pressure.

Another month passed in the same fashion before something changed. As he sat in his armchair reading, something came loose in his mind, and he tumbled back to the battlefield. To the blaze of agony in his shoulder and leg, screams of the dying, stench of blood. He couldn’t find his way home.

A hand settled on his uninjured shoulder, a featherlight touch. “Watson.”

Watson jolted out of the memory, trembling and gasping. He looked up at once, and found Holmes hovering beside him. Intense eyes gazed down at him, full of concern.

“I’m all right,” Watson said quickly. There were tears on his cheeks, and he wiped them away with a rush of shame. “I’m fine, my dear fellow.”

Holmes blinked once, studying him, and squeezed his shoulder so gently that it was hardly perceptible. Then, with a quick smile, he sprang into his own armchair and sat cross-legged. “I have just received a fascinating telegram regarding a possible case, Watson. Would you care to hear it?”

“I should like to, yes,” Watson managed, still shaken.

Immediately, Holmes launched into reading the telegram, and Watson relaxed. What a relief it was to be with someone who would allow him the small lie of pretending to be all right.

---

John Watson was not, in comparison to Holmes, a particularly observant man. He had no ability to distinguish between types of mud or tobacco ash, and was startlingly unaware of vital things like footprints.

In comparison to most people, however, Holmes found Watson refreshingly bright. And not only bright, but eager. He may not understand the significance of a slightly deeper left print, but he happily listened to Holmes’ explanations. And when he listened to the explanations, some of that dreadfully haunted look left his eyes.

He had also proved surprisingly attentive in some matters. He noticed when Holmes was struggling to eat, and would often coax him by offering something more tolerable like biscuits. He even seemed to quickly become aware of Holmes’ patterns of mood, and struck up interesting conversations during the blacker moments.

In short, Watson might not notice every small detail, but he noticed enough to try to help. And that left Holmes with little doubt that he noticed when the despair of inactivity became so severe that Holmes fell apart completely.

This was one of those horrible, long stretches between cases. Darkness closed in, each action seeming increasingly meaningless. Why bother eating, or drinking, or even sleeping? It was not as if Holmes had anything to do. It was simpler just to lounge in his armchair, suffering. At the moment, he did not even wish to play his violin. He wished only to weep, and did so.

Anyone could have noticed this change in behavior—had they been paying attention. In Holmes’ experience, most did not. Mycroft did, but their parents had not paid enough attention to the mere existence of their own children to notice any change in habits. Most people were similarly unaware.

This did not trouble Holmes much, as there was nothing that they could do anyway. So when Watson’s bed creaked upstairs, and his footsteps thumped unevenly across the floor, Holmes attempted to find the willpower to collect himself.

He could not. He managed to stop crying, but even raising a hand to wipe his cheeks seemed utterly beyond him. No matter how much he wished to do so, he could not force himself to move. The melancholy was too strong, weighing him down.

Watson came into the room, and paused. Holmes kept his gaze down, hoping that Watson would assume he was lost in thought.

But then a hand settled on his shoulder, the touch careful. Watson had noticed that he did not like to be touched, it seemed. “Holmes? Are you all right?”

It was not a demand, merely an expression of concern. Holmes managed a quick smile, although not eye contact. “Yes. I’m all right.”

It was an utter falsehood, but Watson did not press. After picking up the ignored newspapers, Watson settled in his armchair with a groan. “Now, let’s see what we have in today’s agony column. Would you like me to read to you?”

Holmes gestured that he should, and settled back to listen. There were many ways of expressing care, and sometimes the best was to permit the occasional lie.

[m1ssunderstanding]

The thing is. I don't care for Yoko, or John after he ends up in that relationship. Simply put not a good couple for each other. That's clear. But I still can't believe everything I hear and read about Yoko is actually true. In fact it comes of as an evil Disney female viliain. I think she might not be a woman of the accepted norm, or is the Mother of the year. But she did much for women back in the day not letting men scare her from doing what she wanted to do. Thing is if she was a man I just don't think most of it would have been accepted. Or become a president. When I see her in interviews and photographs she doesn't really comes of that bad. I might think she's more autistic if anything with her lack of facial expression, emotion and limited social gift. I just feel that women of today should be more careful to spread white men's words and opinions about her. Just needed to vent a bit. What are your thoughts about this.

Okay I was so confused why I was receiving this ask for a minute. I was like "yeah I agree. Did I accidentally say something that came off as anti-Yoko?" And then I realized you are just venting to me and I'm not in trouble lol. I welcome your venting any time, anon.

Anyway lemme break this down into bullet points because I think that's what I do best on this website.

Yoko and John's relationship kind of sucked.

Yes. From what we know about them, they were both bad for each other. Her manipulation game was on like level 1000 and he was John so he could be really truly scary. The thing is, people generally tend to assume she is mainly at fault for the relationship being so toxic because we a) sort of take for granted what Cynthia did in sitting still and pretty through all of John's abuse and expect everyone in his life to do the same and b) idealize Paul and John's relationship and say 'well if John can be so sweet to this person anyone who he is abusive toward must on some level deserve it -- including Paul when John turns on him' so that Yoko kind of gets both the 'how dare she not be Cynthia' and 'how dare she not be Paul' treatment. But what people don't understand when they over-emphasize Yoko's horrible manipulation is that John had literally all the power in that relationship. Physically, momentarily, image-wise, theory friends, etc. So yes, what she did to control him through fear and isolation was inherently bad, but what he did to make her scared enough of him to feel the need to do that was also bad. AND. With all that said. They also seemed to genuinely love and care for each other and were capable of great genuine sweetness and romance and healthy dedication at the same time.

We shouldn't believe everything we read about Yoko.

Yes. Like you said, people -- including People who worked for her -- are biased and we need to read against the bias as much as possible.

Yoko is not a traditional woman in any sense, and part of that means not being a great mom.

I agree she's no Linda and the thing is -- that's okay. If every mom was a little more like Linda, we'd all probably be better off mental health wise but it's not a healthy expectation and men are not held to the same standard women are with parenting. Yoko literally just acted like most seventies dads, honestly. My husband's grandpas none of them know how to hold a baby to this day. I have photographic evidence because they wanted to hold their great-grandson to brag to their friends but they clearly didn't have any interest in holding their own children as is also testified by the grandmas lol. So yeah. I agree she wasn't great. But point a) neither was John. He was more present but Sean still had a whole staff looking after him and Sean also remembers, along with his sweet memories, John taking his anger out on him before he was five years old. And b) she was good enough that Sean absolutely adores her. And before people go "what about Paul loving Jim, hmmmmm?" Paul's love for Jim goes as far as to eulogize him as the man who played piano at family parties and said 'there's no hair on a seagull's chest.' Jim's death didn't even make it into many years from now. Sean on the other hand is putting as much work Mary and Stella are into their mother into setting up Yoko's legacy as an artist and woman for eternity. He doesn't have to be doing that. But every chance he gets, he plugs her, and you can see just how much he loves talking about her. Which is actually our of character for Sean's normal victim-complex, twitter-troll type vibe. So whether she made it up to him in later years or was just much better than people tell us, Yoko passed the test with her son, and that means something.

Yoko pushed the feminist envelope by having the courage to do what she wanted to do despite the patriarchal consequences.

Yes. Thank you Yoko! We love you for that! The woman has balls of steel. And as she would have me do I'll correct that to pussy of steel because pussies are factually much tougher than balls.

If Yoko was a man, particularly a white man, she might even have become president.

What i would give for a Yoko Ono presidency! Why would you put that idea in my head? Now I have to live with it and the fact it can never be. But yes you are a thousand percent correct. How people can vote Donald Trump into holding the buttons to nuking the world and eternally hate Yoko for marrying a celebrity is bananas. Such a good depiction of exactly how much racism and sexism she's up against to this day.

Maybe Yoko is autistic.

Another evidence to me that she's still fighting an uphill battle with fans and her prescription is that I've been sure Paul is somehow neurodivergent for years -- almost as long as I've been a real fan -- and yet this is the first time the idea of Yoko's neurodivergence has occurred to me. She very well might be. It reminds me of how when I was little and instead of playing baseball at my T-ball games, I spent my time climbing the backstop, my parents put that down as "girl behavior" and I struggled through school and work and didn't get diagnosed with ADHD until I took myself to the doctor in college. Whereas when my little brother climbed the backstop it was "get this boy a therapist and some pills immediately!" I've been doing the exact same thing to poor Yoko! A lot of the behaviors I've noted as clear markers for Paul I've just thought were Yoko being Yoko but you have an excellent point, anon, thank you for bringing this to my attention!

We need to be careful when we discuss Yoko.

AGREE!! So many of the talking points we still use are have down to us from old racists and sexists and it's much better if we, like you've said anon, weigh them carefully against the attitudes of their time. We need to read against the grain a bit, even primary sources, and make an effort to see things from Yoko's side or to factor in things people of the past may not have. Thank you for this vent/wonderful reminder when it comes to Yoko, and to all the women and people of color, and really everyone who gets stereotyped and pigeonholed in the Beatles story.

[leosficlist]

Post Series 2 Rec List

Compiled for you here is a collection of BBC Johnlock stories that diverge from canon after the Reichenbach Falls, and Sherlock's time away. A few include Johnlock pre-TRF, but most focus on their relationship developing after Sherlock's return.

Phantom Vibrations by camerasparring 2.3k words

John knows exactly how Sherlock functions. Sherlock constantly needs to know where John is.

notes: fluffy, follows John recounting all the times Sherlock has disappeared on him until he returns for good

Always by addicted2hugh locked 6k words

A study in Sherlock, or: The years it took John Watson to fall in love

notes: their relationship pre and post reichenbach

The Zebra Sheets by agirlsname @agrlsname 13.7k words

Sherlock is back from the dead and he's exhausted. So is John. They go on a holiday to a faraway cottage and unexpected truths are revealed.

notes: loved the pacing, felt so dreamy and sensual, they just adore each other so much

Hesitance. by Ireallydontcare443 3k words

Sherlock begins to notice certain parts of his behaviour have changed... drastically, and eventually so does John.

notes: Sherlock has ptsd after returning from the fall, and John fumbles while trying to help him the best he can.

Practising by liriodendron 5.7k

"Sherlock Holmes’ return to 221B Baker Street had gone, initially, exactly as he had expected. Upon discovering him sprawled nonchalantly in the sitting room when returning from a shift at the surgery, John had punched him in the jaw. Twice. That had, of course, been a near inevitability and any other reaction would have been cause for worry."

notes: John is lovely, Sherlock goes a bit stir crazy with how much he loves John, John flirting and teasing Sherlock

as we are defined by the_arc5 4.8k words

People assume things about them, but nobody really gets it. Nobody really understands what they are. Of course, John isn't quite sure he understands, either.

notes: John thinking he is worth nothing to Sherlock and pining for him before the fall, getting together after Sherlock's return

Pulse by FinAmour 3.5k words

“I can’t believe you left me this way,” he says to me with an expression of immeasurable sadness. “And there are countless things I need to know.”

Heaving a sigh, he tightens his grip around my wrists. “But not now. All I need to know now, Sherlock, is that you're real.”

He stands there silently, eyes closed, feeling the beat of my heart at his fingertips, and he doesn’t let go for a very long time.

Sweet Thing by peevee 2.4k

In the living room, jars covered every surface.

Clusters of them - every shade from the palest gold to treacly black - on the floor and on the tables, piled on the mantelpiece and on the chairs.

notes: Sherlock nudging himself back into John's life after the fall, no Mary, kissing covered in honey

Survival Instinct by shirleyholmes 7.1k words

Prompt: After Sherlock's "comeback" John starts obsessing with constantly making sure he's alive (checking his heartbeat etc.)

“Don’t. Just- come in. It’s cold and—you look like you came—“

“Back from the dead?” Sherlock suggested.

notes: checking pulse, John coping with Sherlocks return, nightmares, overall fluff

Victory Shag by  loveanddeathandartandtaxes for scullyseviltwin 3.5k

It becomes habit. Solve a stressful case; have sex.

notes: fwb to lovers

Things We Swore We'd Never Do by liriodendron 2.7k words

After hunting down the last of Moriarty's network, Sherlock finally returns home to John. John's response surprises them both. Not entirely devoid of emotional content, but pretty much PWP.

' “Okay…” said John slowly, straightening his shirt. “That was…um…unexpected.” He cleared his throat. “Maybe we should…talk…?”

“Talk. Yes. Definitely,” Sherlock agreed absently, eyes fixed on John like a hawk’s, watching his every movement.

“Good, yes, quite… we should…sit and…talk…”

And then they collided again, as if drawn by an elemental force.'

The Mission to Flirt by MutedSilence 9k words

Turns out John has been staring at Sherlock like a love sick teen. Greg decides that John just needs to flirt. So, he does. Sort of. He certainly tried to at least.

notes: lighthearted, found from searching ‘fluff’ & ‘first kiss’, John figuring out how to flirt with Sherlock

All This Time by stopthat 3.6k words

It’s something we struggle with, still, after all this time.

“We share a life,” John says, eyes searching. “Have you ever wanted anything more from me?”

notes: first ch is Sherlock's pov, second ch is John's pov, stumbling love confessions and first kiss.

Quickly Run Away by stopthat 5.3k words

A few weeks after Sherlock's return, he drags John to his childhood home in Yorkshire. There's just something about the place. It says a lot about how Sherlock views their relationship, he supposes, that he’s brought him here—or it would, if it were anyone else.

Lush by stopthat 3.6k words

They stare at each other for entirely too long, suddenly unwilling to break their shared gaze.  John looks, as he often does, like he has something to say.  But then the barman flips on the overhead bulbs, dousing the pub in horrible fluorescent light, and with a small sigh he stands, a bit wobbly on his feet, and hauls Sherlock up with him.

[aro-geo-turtle]

Thinking about a potential angsty malevolent au that role swaps Arthur and Parker because I honestly don’t think Parker could have reformed John like Arthur did

Like, obviously this is super speculative cause we’ve never met Parker and only know a bit about him 2nd hand

But we know he looked at pathetic drunken mess Arthur Lester, decided that was the man he wanted to be detectives with, and then somehow actually managed to drag him back into being a quasi-functional human being.

We also know he and Arthur were a very effective investigative team, so he probably Arthur balanced out in a lot of ways. Arthur is very reckless and stubborn and throws himself at his problems, maybe Parker was more wary and cautious, more of a planner. Arthur has a remarkable talent for getting people to hate him in a weirdly obsessive way, perhaps Parker had the genuine kind-hearted charisma.

And we know from part 39 that Parker was the one who did most of the physical intimidation and brute strength parts of the job, so he wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty when it came to it.

And I feel like this paints a picture of a man who could get along well enough with the John Doe we have today…but maybe not the Entity he started as.

A big part of the reason Arthur and John’s relationship works is because they have basically the same response to feeling threatened: yell, scream, blame the other person for everything wrong in the world, hit where it hurts, give as good as they take, refuse to give an inch. And when they push too hard, this leads to some really horrible fights. But eventually they wear themselves out, all the feelings are out in the open, they pick themselves up, apologize, and move forward.

This dynamic is established very early on. In the first episode, John/the entity has all the knowledge, he knows more about what happened, about the supernatural, about Arthur’s surroundings. And he immediately uses this power to lie to and manipulate Arthur. But Arthur doesn’t let him keep that power over him for long. He gets his wits about him, establishes his own power as the one with the physical body here, and starts shoving back against John. Every time he does what John says, he makes it clear it’s because he has agreed it’s the best course of action. They establish a balance quickly.

This early in his independent existence, basically all John has is the King’s instincts of “humans are weaklings to be manipulated” and Arthur immediately asserts that that attitude is not going to stand with him, forcing John to rethink his relationship with humanity

Parker…likely wouldn’t have Arthur’s stubborn reckless audacity. I think he’s be more likely to respond with caution, bide his time and try not to make this thing mad until he can figure out how powerful it really is. With the lie that he was the one to kill Arthur, Parker might even extend compassion and empathy towards the entity, thinking that this thing has no memory of who he once was and no bodily autonomy at all, he’s probably really scared and covering it up.

This caution and empathy would serve Parker well in a whole lot of situations and probably save him from a lot that Arthur blunders into, but if he does a lot of what the entity tells him to do with little complaint…he’s going to be accidentally reinforcing the kings instincts that humans are to be bossed around instead of challenging them

And if bides his time until he’s fairly sure the entity can’t really hurt him and then starts pushing back and challenging him, that might feel like a betrayal or deception to the entity

I’m not sure exactly how things would go down, but I just think that Arthur was really the only person who could have set John on the right path by reckless challenging him from the beginning

(Parker paired with Yellow on the other hand… now that’s perfect and everyone needs to go read Refrain from the Surrogate AU right now)

[guizika]

Vampires!

Dean Winchester x Male Reader

Cw - Male reader, you/yours pronouns, fluff, Mention of death, violence, drinking, maybe it’s a bit ooc.

Synopsis - You decide to go to a bar to forget your problems, but unfortunately you end up finding more problems, but you also find a solution.

Word count - +1500

A love disappointment, problems at work and some encouragement from your friend were enough to make you go to a bar. The bar was located in a more secluded part of town, and most people went there at weekends.

You left the house wearing your favorite outfit, a white T-shirt and black pants. When you got to the bar, you ran into your friend, who was already drinking and hitting on the bartender. As you approach, you nudge her shoulder lightly and she lights up when she sees you. "You really came!"

"Of course I did, I'd never miss a chance to drink myself into a stupor." You say jokingly, smiling amusedly. Soon, you sit down next to her and order whisky to drink, chatting about silly things. Some stories have already been told, but they're still funny. You drink and laugh as you reminisce about your teenage years.

"Remember when you and Willian nearly blew up the school laboratory?" She says, laughing out loud as you let out a nasal laugh. "Firstly, that was far from an explosion and, secondly, it was all Willian's fault." You say defending yourself, laughing as you remember that day.

"Hey, do you remember when you flooded the bathroom at school?" Her laughter stops and then she blushes with embarrassment, drawing a genuine laugh from you. "It wasn't my fault, I was unfortunately in the bathroom and then disaster struck." You finish your whisky and then smile sarcastically at her. "Yes, of course, whatever you say."

Before you can order anything else to drink the Bartender hands you a beer, causing you to raise an eyebrow. "Uh, sorry, but I think you gave it to the wrong person, I didn't order a beer." The bartender smiles at you and then points to a man sitting on a bar stool by himself. "That man sent you that drink."

Your gaze goes in the man's direction, analyzing his face, he notices your gaze and smiles seductively at you, then takes a sip of his beer. "Oh my God, you have to go to him now!" Your friend whispers to you excitedly, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. "Don't worry, I've already found someone I want to stay with tonight." She says as if she knew what you were going to say, making you sigh with relief.

"Wish me luck." You smile and then walk over to the man, clearing your throat to talk to him. "Ah, hello, did you send me the beer?" He nods and then you sit down next to him, your beer in hand. "So, what's your name, handsome?" He smiles and then takes a sip of his beer.

"James Hetfield, but you can call me daddy, and what would your name be, sweetie?" he says, smiling seductively. He says, smiling seductively as you raise an eyebrow and laugh slightly. "Oh yes, you're the lead vocalist of Metallica, I'm John Lennon, nice to meet you."

He laughs, catching your drift. "I'm Dean, now, what's your name?" He takes another sip of his beer as he waits for your answer, after you reply he smiles and then looks around. "Right, well, what do you say we get out of here, sweetie?" His tone comes out suggestive, making you smile and then agree immediately. You finish your beers and then leave the bar kissing, you go to his car and then he takes you to the motel room where he's staying.

"Just don't make too much noise." He says between kisses, making you bite his lower lip and smile seductively, he lays you on the bed and you continue kissing.

…

The next day you open your eyes and see that the man is still asleep, so you get up and put your clothes on. After buttoning up your white T-shirt, you go out and then order a cab on your cell phone.

You see that your friend has sent you a few messages and you laugh, opting to reply when you get home. The cab arrives, you get in the car and say the address, driving home.

...

After two months, a lot of murders began to occur in your town, worrying most of the population. These crimes usually occur at night, so many people stop going out, but that doesn't stop you from going out to cool off.

The bartender looks at you and greets you, smiling and then placing a glass of whisky in front of you, already knowing what you were going to order. You finish your drink and the bartender hands you a Cuba-Libre. "That's the man who told me to give it to you." You look at who the bartender pointed to and notice that the man has pale skin and long black hair, he smiles and then walks over to you. His gaze never leaving your face, looking at you with a mischievous smile.

"Wow, what does someone like you do in this kind of place?" he asks, smiling and looking at you seductively. You take a sip of the drink he's sent you and smile kindly. "Just enjoying life, that's all, how about you?" The man seems to like your answer, looking you in the eye and then taking a sip of his drink. "I'm just enjoying life too."

After talking for a while, you leave the bar, he kisses you and takes you to his car. "Well, you're very handsome, I confess I'm sad to have to kill you." Hearing his words, your eyes widen and you try to push him away, only to be surprised by a blow to the back of the head, knocking you out. You hear other people's voices and then faint.

…

"What the fuck, ouch." You feel a strong pain in your head, probably because of the blow, you try to get up or move your arms but realize you're tied up, becoming more aware of your current state.

"You're finally awake, I thought you'd died from the blow." The barman's voice echoes off the walls of the shed, he turns on the light and your eyes close, opening only when you've gotten used to the brightness. "Where am I?" Your voice comes out hoarse, probably because your throat is dry.

He laughs, the laugh containing malice. "Well, you're in the nest." Your expression shows doubt. "Nest?" The man snorts, then opens his mouth and bares his fangs. "Yes, well, I'm a vampire and this is my nest, there are lots of vampires here." You stay silent, trying to process what he's said.

"Vampires?" You whisper, making him smile. "Yeah, I'd explain it to you, but there's no point because you're going to die soon." His words make you squirm as he approaches, screaming and begging for help even though you know it will be in vain. However, before he gets too close to you, the sound of a door opening can be heard and then he turns around to see two men.

You look too, relieved that someone has arrived, but after looking for a while you realize that one of the men is Dean. "Hey, bloodsucker, how about you come over here and face us?" Dean says and then the vampire charges at them, but he's easily defeated.

"Hey, how are you?" The taller man comes towards you, cutting the ropes that bind you and helping you to your feet. "Well, I almost got killed by a, uh, vampire, I guess, but I'm fine." The man smiles embarrassedly and then introduces himself. "I'm Sam Winchester and that's my brother, Dean." You smile and then introduce yourself.

They get you out of there and then take you to the car, you lean against the car and then cross your arms. Sam leaves you and goes to talk to someone on the phone, leaving you alone. Dean ends up explaining their work to you, causing you to let out a sigh.

"Well, I had no idea that James Hetfield also hunted monsters." You say in a joking tone, smiling in a relaxed way. "But seriously, that was super unexpected, like, I never imagined that these things actually existed." Dean laughs lightly and then lets out a snort, looking away.

"Well, I don't think anyone really wants to imagine that sort of thing." After he says that, you look at each other, until Sam arrives and clears his throat, making you look embarrassed and then look at him.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I need to talk to Dean." You just smile and shrug, watching the two of them walk away, talking about something you can't hear. After a while they come back and Dean lets out a sigh and looks at you.

"Looks like we have to go, another case has come up." His tone contains dissatisfaction, but he tries to mask it, you let out a sigh and then smile at him. "All right, but when you pass through this town, come and visit me."

Dean brightens up and then takes his cell phone out of his pocket, handing it to you. "I've got a better idea, put in your phone number, so we can, well, keep in touch."

After that you both get in the car, he drops you off at your house and then he drives off, heading for the place of the next case.

Maybe you'll meet again in the future...

Please don't translate or copy my work and don't repost on other social networks, if there are any grammatical errors I ask you to excuse me!

[clouds-soup]

My take on Dave's Bro

First of all, I separate Dirk from Dave's Bro. Dirk is an entirely different can of worms that would take me a million for years to explain. If I tried to do both in one post it would turn into a masters level thesis essay that no one wants to read 😭 Second, I have read through Homestuck twice, I've read the epilouges, and I'm currently reading hs2. This is all just my interpretation of it. THIRD OF ALL ⚠️ i kept getting 500 errors, so some of the screenshots are from some kids' blogs analyzing the Dave and dirk scene. But they ARE all canon.

ANYWAY!!!!

I've seen a few people getting upset at fans characterizing Dave's Bro as abusive, and I get it to some extent. I think the physical abuse is up for interpretation - I also agree that the strife they all have with their guardians is comedic, if that's what you're going off of. I don't think there is an intent for them to *actually* injure each other. But with Dave, this ISNT all there is to go off of. If I remember correctly, Dave is the only one who seems actually hurt after the strife. Based on the note, it seems to be a common occurrence. It could be made out to be brotherly roughhousing- except that it *isn't*. Dave says that he convinced himself that all it was for the first 13 years of his life because it was what was normalized for him, but it wasn't normal. Being trained sense birth to be on edge and expect to be attacked out of nowhere, to get into physical alterations with your guardian to 'prepare you' IS NOT NORMAL! It would have been impossible for Dave to feel safe and grow up normally in an environment like that. He talks about how he never felt at peace because he was always scared. He talks about being scared of metal sounds from the swords. He grew up in fear. He did not feel love - Bro did NOT love him.

However, I think that the neglect is undeniable. Neglect is a form of abuse. Either you think it's because bro had malicious intent, or because he just didn't want/know how to take care of a kid, the neglect still happened. I think the most obvious example of this in the comic is when Dave is talking to Dirk, and he mentioned that he didn't even know what a fridge was for - meaning he didn't have extra food at home. He doesn't even get to keep food and water in his house - he hides it in his closet. THAT is more than just negelct. He alludes to other things going on that he doesn't want to drag anyone else into. If you consider Paradox Space canon, he mentions being locked in a dark room alone. Dave was a baby when Dirk found him, so sense birth, he was fending for himself. He had to figure out mundane, domestic tasks like laundry and cooking by himself. If he didn't teach himself how to find food, he would die, it's as simple as that. So not only did he live in fear, but he also had to worry about his survival...Basically sense birth. Or ectobiological creation, I guess.

The relationship Dave has with his Bro is complicated. When grieving their guardians, John is sad, and Rose is angry, but Dave just feels conflicted. I think it's clear that he is still figuring things out at this point, and I think the separation from his Bro allows for him to think about everything that has happened to him. It is confirmed that his upbringing is set apart from the others - the other guardians genuinly cared for and loved their child. Bro did not love Dave. The lack of love can be just as hurtful as the other abuses he was dealing with. He is given the opportunity to explore what has happened to him, and how unfair it was.

Anyway, i guess my point is, that it is insane to claim that people characterizing Dave's Bro as abusive is unfounded. People are the product of their upbringing, and that argument is explored in Homestuck. Dave's character was shaped partly because of his upbringing- it sets him apart from the others and allows for personal development.

[artist-issues]

Hi! I've seen you comment a bit here and there about Pocahontas. This movie has had this quite messy reputation attached to it since it came out and hasn't been able to escape from it since then. Personally, I've always liked Pocahontas, but I do acknowledge that it has its glaring issues, especially when it comes to the context of what actually went down and Pocahontas's true story. I'm interested in reading your thoughts on the movie and what Disney could have done better regarding the whole "diversity" and historical accuracy thing. I genuinely believe Disney had the best of intentions when it came to the themes, message and depiction of Native American culture, but the execution unfortunately did not seem the most appropriate at times. What do you think?

I don’t know. I don’t have a settled opinion on Pocahontas. I will say I really enjoy it, and I think maybe the aesthetics of the movie are what appeal to me the most because it’s the one I want to have on in the background most often.

When you say “what Disney could’ve done better regarding the whole ‘diversity’ and historical accuracy thing” and “did not seem the most appropriate at times,” I don’t know if I understand what you mean. I don’t know if I understand what anyone means when they say that.

There are almost zero cold hard facts about the historical Pocahontas that EXPERTS agree on. Almost zero. So when people say “oh no, it wasn’t historically accurate,” it’s like, “no, of course it’s not. It’s a fairy tale based on a historical person that we know very little about to begin with.” Seems like what they’re mainly mad about is that Historical John Smith’s version of Historical Pocahontas saving him is the framework for the animated film, and we all generally agree that his version was fake. And people are mad about that?

But…why? If it’s already supposed to be a fairy tale loosely inspired by a historical person we know very little about…I mean, nobody is furious with the Robin Hood stories and going “how dare you misrepresent Robin of Lockersley, 1160, and King Richard I!!” Because we all know that they’re stories loosely based on—anyway. You get my point. Why would you have beef about a fairy tale being based loosely? Moving on.

You can say “because now generations of kids are growing up thinking that’s the real story of Pocahontas!! What an outrage!”

…All right, well, then you’re doing a terrible job teaching your kids discernment as a parent. When kids I’m responsible for watch a movie, I tell them “it’s a movie. It’s not real.” If it’s a movie about historical events, I tell them, “If you want to know more about the real story, let’s learn about the real story.” It’s not on Disney to teach your kids that a fairy tale is a fairy tale, it’s on you.

Anyway, you get it. Moving on.

Thing is, the Pocahontas movie’s message is “Love tries to understand, not to possess.” Great message. Especially good when applied to the problem of prejudice.

So then, they just shift the events, the character motivations, and the depictions around as needed, like they would any fairy tale in order to send that message in the best way. And because it is a fairy tale, not a documentary, great. Do it.

If Historical John Smith’s fake story makes that message more compelling, great. Use pieces of it. Why not? After all, they never claimed that this was the true, accurate history of colonization, the Anglo-Powhatan war, or John Smith’s interactions with Pocahontas. If they had made that claim, sure, let’s talk about historical accuracy. But they didn’t, so let’s not.

That’s all I had to say about the “historical inaccuracies” thing. Now let’s talk about “representation.”

What is it that people have an issue with here? Did they really want Disney to animate hundreds of Powhatan’s people dying of disease? Did they want Disney to animate heads getting chopped off and women getting raped? What’s the argument? That Disney should’ve made the colonists the clear and undeniable villains, the monsters of history, and the Native Americans 100% pure and innocent, wronged victims?

They’re not mad that Disney did a bad job representing Native Americans in a movie that was supposed to be a fairy tale. They’re mad that Disney didn’t represent Native Americans the way they would’ve.

Far as my eyes can see, people who call Pocahontas racist or misrepresentative just don’t want the story to be “Love tries to understand, not to possess.” They want the story to be “White colonists were unredeemable racist monsters and sub-human tyrants who deserved to rot in hell, while the Native American people were entirely innocent victims who did nothing wrong.’

The problem is that’s just not a true, or even helpful message for any movie to have. Sorry. The statement I just typed out up there in bold is not a true or helpful statement. And thank God the Pocahontas movie didn’t make it.

There’s nothing racist being said in the Pocahontas movie. There are depictions of the sin of racism in the Pocahontas movie. There is a difference. Characters in the Pocahontas movie talk and sing about each other as if the other people group is sub-human. That is a depiction of racism. But the message of the movie, and the way it treats Native Americans, is to treat them like human beings. Therefore, the message is not racist.

In terms of who is good and who is bad, who is right and who is wrong, the movie very clearly shows that the Native American characters did not start the violence. The Native American characters did not want war. The Native American characters were willing to be friendly and willing to defend their land and each other. The Native American characters were the first to try and make peace with the colonist characters. And they were all (Kocoum included) entirely human characters. They were even the good-guy-coded characters, in the movie’s conflict. All of the Native American side characters are noticeably smarter, kinder, drawn more carefully, and are more heroic than the white characters. (When Thomas is thrown overboard the other white side characters leave him behind. In contrast, when Namonteck is shot the other Native American side characters rescue him immediately and fall back.) And, not a caricature among them. Meanwhile, Wiggins, Ben, and Lion are all drawn with exaggerated characteristics. The heroine is Pocahontas the Character, not John Smith the Character. So what is the issue you have?

What people think is racist is the “idealization” of a Native American woman falling in love—or, as they like to say now—“committing herself to a white colonist.” But that’s like…a gross oversimplification of the movie. John Smith (the character) committed himself right back to her, nobody wants to talk about that? Also, they low key didn’t commit themselves to each other at all costs—he tries to, at the end of the movie, stay with her or have her come with him, and she won’t leave her home and her people?? So what’s the argument?

Not to mention, why is anyone even upset that the character Pocahontas falls in love with a white colonist character? Are you saying that this sort of thing would never happen? That a young woman who’s people are embattled with and mistreated by invaders would never find one invader who comes to an understanding with her, and then they fall in love? You’re mad because that would never happen? Incorrect. It happened all the time in history. It happens all the time in other stories you love, like West Side Story.

Who the heck cares if it didn’t happen exactly that way (even though maybe it did) with the historical Pocahontas? We already established that this wasn’t supposed to be a historically accurate retelling, it was supposed to be a loosely-based fairy tale. And the message “Love tries to understand, not to possess,” works perfectly with a fairy tale where the girl from one side of a racially-charged hate war understands and falls in love with a guy from the other side.

I mean people who talk about Pocahontas, the historical figure, with reverence and respect, all usually agree on one thing: she did help maintain some kind of peace between colonists and Native Americans. Whether or not you think the colonists should’ve even been there in the first place is beside the point—sorry, but it is; they were there, now let’s deal with the reality.

So when Disney makes a movie where the goal is to tell the message “Love tries to understand, not to possess,” and they have to be true to the universally-agreed-upon “Pocahontas probably helped bring some peace…” in their fairy tale…why on earth do you have a problem with Pocahontas the Character falling in love as a reason for bringing about that peace?

It’s because you don’t find “falling in love” to be anything other than demeaning for a woman. And it’s because you don’t want John Smith, or any white colonist character, to be depicted as human. You want them all to be unredeemable racist monsters.

The goal is no longer to have movies that say what Pocahontas said. We don’t want movies where there’s messy racism, but then it ends with attempts at peace and understanding. We want movies where there’s entirely one-sided racism, and then revenge for that racism. That’s what we want. We want endless apologies and zero forgiveness.

And for better or worse, Pocahontas is not a movie about endless apologies and zero forgiveness.

IN CONCLUSION: 1. None of the “you” statements were directed at you, idiosyncraticrednebula. 🫡

2. Anyone who wants to teach me where I’m wrong is welcome to, but you have to show your work, and you have to be consistent, you can’t just say “lol imagine thinking Pocahontas isn’t racist. You are the problem.” and then block me. 🙄 all right, well, you can, but all you’ll get out of it is an echo chamber.

3. If you want me to talk about the art, the storytelling, the quality of the movie outside of all this (and it should be outside of all this, because this was a fairy tale, not a historically accurate documentary) it’ll have to be in a different ask, and I’m happy to.

4. Should Disney have made it more clear that this was a fairy tale, a stylized story based only loosely on historical events? …Yeah. Definitely should’ve done a Prince of Egypt-style title card or something. But they didn’t—so now show me why it’s racist or misrepresentative.