#we love a backstory lol

[virtuoshosh]

{ you went to the dogs & I lived by my charms }

Rosalind switched on the lights to the sound booth as she entered, then shucked off her sweater and rested it on the back of her chair. She pulled the top half of her hair out of her face, securing it with a claw clip, before she headed into the studio, and started to set up. Shosh needed so much, she was so particular. The bench set just this way, the keyboards and piano arranged like that. But she paid the most attention to the music she made, with nauseatingly meticulous detail, which Ros had to appreciate.

She was winding up an aux cord that was no longer needed, when she felt the wards to White Witch Studios be disturbed as someone entered—two someones, if the wards were to be believed. Assuming it to be Shoshana and Eric, Rosalind placed the cord in its compartment, then headed out of the booth, pulling out her phone to check an email as she walked down the hall towards the entry way.

“Set up is done,” Ros said, not bothering to look up from her phone, “Shosh, you can head straight to the booth. Eric, if you could—” 

She looked up in surprise, raising her brows when the person accompanying Shosh was definitely not Eric. 

“Ros, this is—”

“—Sascha.” Rosalind breathed, tears immediately filling her eyes.

Sascha froze at the studio door when they heard the voice, letting Shosh wander further in, oblivious and still chattering away with the same nervous energy that had kept her talking for the entirety of their walk through the winding labyrinth of the Den of Magic.

Vampires were creatures that were granted long memories—a gift or a curse, depending on the vampire you asked about it. And Sascha, who for decades had no weapon nor comfort to rely on but their memory, had labored to ensure that each and every memory they possessed, from their undead life and the one that had come before, was crystal clear—polished like precious gems in the depths of their mind.

And so time had not dulled the memory of this voice, a songbird’s refrain, as it stopped the vampire where they stood.

“Rosalind?” Sascha said, disbelieving even as they trusted in the inability of their senses to lie. Something stirred in Sascha’s chest, in the place where their heart used to beat, as they watched tears fill up familiar grey-blue eyes, set into an ethereally beautiful and equally familiar face, framed by that familiar cascade of golden blonde; the groaning of some ancient abandoned machinery that had long sat dormant and lifeless, a dull ache like pressing on a bruise—the whispering ghosts of feelings that could no longer be truly felt.

Shoshana, at last realizing something was amiss, furrowed her dark brows and looked warily between Ros and Sascha, still stood in the gaping doorway. “You…know each other already…?” she guessed.

Ignoring her, Ros strode towards Sascha, her arms outstretched to embrace the other.

“Das ist nicht möglich, you look—” Sascha muttered to themself as Rosalind approached. She’d hardly aged a day from the naive teenager Sascha had last seen in New York—almost half a century ago. As she moved toward them, a crisp breeze swept in from the open doorway, carrying her scent to Sascha’s nose. Immediate understanding deepened the crimson color of Sascha’s eyes as they gave a reserved, knowing smile. The gemstones that gilded Sascha’s memory shifted, glinting with new light, and it wasn’t a question when they stated, “—a Veela. But, of course…”

Rosalind pressed her cheek against her friend as she embraced them, the top of her head pushing against a cold, angular chin. She tried to ignore the creeping worry that settled in her stomach when she took note of Sascha's sudden lack of heartbeat; to focus on the now. Sascha was alive. Sascha was here. Alive. Someone made it.

The grief was unsurmountable, evident in the way Ros was, for the first time in years, crying.

Just like that, in an instant, it was 1965 and they were back in their favorite Greenwich Village haunt; Rosalind’s head pressing against Sascha’s chest, her tears wetting their shirt, was so viscerally familiar that Sascha felt the strangest urge to breathe—for no biological benefit beyond the ingrained urge to comfort her.

Shosh’s mouth had been hanging agape as she watched this baffling exchange unfold, and she promptly snapped it shut just as Sascha opened up their arms to embrace Ros (seriously—when had Shosh ever witnessed either of these intimidating and untouchable Beings hug anyone, before??). She gave a frustrated huff at both her lack of understanding of the situation and the fact that she was being so thoroughly ignored. She flailed her arms up in the air in a demanding gesture and said, “Can someone please tell me what the fuck is going on right now?”

Shosh interrupted their embrace and Ros straightened, brushing her tears away with the back of a slender hand, then turned to the girl.

“You were asked to go straight to the booth, Shoshana. Don't make a habit of wasting my time,” she said, slinking back into her skin as a stern producer much easier than managing whatever this other thing was. When the girl didn't move, she raised her brows, “Or is there another studio you wanted to record in?”

“As you wish, Frau Albany…” Shoshana drawled sarcastically, spreading her arms and dipping low in a mocking curtsy before Sascha tsked at her sharply and scolded, “Sei nicht unhöflich, mausebär.”

Rosalind Albany had been mocked by artists of higher caliber than Shoshana Edelman, that was for sure. She was unlikely to be rattled by it, given artists natural propensity to be achingly dramatic. Still, Ros felt something purr in victory in her chest, when Sascha defended her.

Shosh glared at them, aghast at being ganged up on by Sascha of all people, the betrayal reading all over her face, but Sascha merely gestured at the booth and waited calmly for Shoshana to stomp her way in there, slam the door, and prep for her session.

Smiling lightly to themself as they watched Shosh take her leave, Sascha said wryly to Ros, “Would you be terribly offended if I said she reminds me of you?”

Ros raised her chin as the girl stomped away, then raised her brows at the other. She was offended at first, and then she sighed, watching in the girl’s direction. “She is… Frustratingly talented, that’s for sure. How did you two connect?”

Sascha glanced at the closed door behind which they could hear the faint, muffled sounds of a piano as Shoshana warmed up, her distinct, lovely scent wafting in her wake. Would you believe me if I said something ridiculous, like fate? they mused. But instead, enigmatically, the vampire replied, “A story for another time, I think. Right now…”

They shifted their gaze back to the blonde, and Rosalind turned to her old friend once more. Truly unable to help herself, Ros reached up to press a hand against Sascha's cheek, then one on the other as well. She framed it perfectly, staring, as if trying to capture every detail in her mind to hold onto—and trying to compare them to what she remembered. “You grew your hair out,” she commented.

Rosalind, it seemed, was still processing seeing Sascha again, alive and well (relatively, anyway, on both counts)—which Sascha couldn’t blame her for. Sascha had just assumed that everyone from their First Life had perished or forgotten them, when their short leash of freedom from their Sire had loosened after many years in seclusion, and Sascha had never bothered to look anyone up. The losses they’d suffered had already been so painful that Sascha had been too much of a coward to willingly seek out more.

Sascha smiled at Ros, taking her in; the same incandescent beauty, but hardened—refined like a diamond. “In imitation of you, freilich, darling…” Sascha replied, “…though I see you’ve outgrown those Shirley Temple curls, as well.”

She smirked, briefly running a hand through the strands of her blonde hair that she hadn’t clipped away. “It is definitely not the fifties anymore. I don’t think my fingers could make a pin curl work anymore even if I tried.”

As desperately as Rosalind tried to change the topic, to focus on her natural proclivity for work, she was so taken by Sascha’s appearance. Not only there, and alive, but grown, changed. Sascha stood with the same certainty that she’d always admired of him. But as she brushed her thumb over his cheek, she noted deep bags under his eyes, like he was in desperate need of a long sleep. And while Rosalind hadn’t connected with another in decades, she noted the distinct lack of energy under her fingertips. A lifeforce, a pulse.

Her face softened. “... When did it happen?”

The unspoken, harsh question lingered between them: What killed you? Was it.. what she thought?

There was a distinct sadness between them, pulled tight like a violin string, despite the joy of such a miraculous reunion. Sascha tensed at the question; it was far more tactfully phrased than the Rosalind Curiosity that Sascha had once known, but even so—it was painful, remembering the grief-filled haze of those last days. It still wrung Sascha inside out like it was yesterday. And for some reason, looking into Ros’ bright eyes and recounting how they’d gone from the sardonic young gay man in New York City to—this, made Sascha feel unexpectedly…shameful. 

But Ros was owed the truth, if Sascha could give her nothing else. So they took another unnecessary breath, and admitted, “It was in 1979. In West Berlin.”

Ros's hands dropped before she pressed forward to hug her friend again, heart sinking.

Sascha watched Ros’ face crumple with emotion, and they didn’t know why they felt the need to add, “There wasn’t anything you could have done. It…it was my own fault.”

The sad sigh that she released when Sascha explained his own passing escaped before she could prevent it. She shook her head insistently, “We didn’t know, then, what we know now. Political mess aside, there was nothing any of us could have done. Please don’t blame yourself, Sascha.”

And that was all Rosalind could manage of it. Which was just as well, because Sascha couldn’t bring themself to meet those piercing eyes any longer. Seeing Rosalind again was like seeing a ghost, an apparition from a life Sascha had long since buried. There was still so much they wanted to say, to ask—things Sascha hadn’t dared to even think nor feel, let alone actually confide in another in many lonely decades of solitude. 

But the guilt was drowning out everything else. Sascha’s death hadn’t been a tragedy—it’d been a weakness, a disgrace. They didn’t want Ros to discover the truth—that there was no one else to blame, and that Sascha lived with the shame of it every day.

Ros put her hands on her hips, then inclined her head to the recording space, “Are you staying for Shosh’s session? There’s plenty of space.” Sascha hesitated, but she managed to coax her friend through to the sound booth, then headed for her chair before the mixing board. Removing her sweater from the back of her chair, Ros placed it over her lap and tucked herself under the table. 

Behind the glass screen of the booth, Shoshana was banging away at some scales. As Shosh hadn’t put on her headphones yet, Ros tapped politely on the window, gesturing to the set. The girl looked annoyed when she was interrupted, putting on her headphones then turning her whole body to face them with a squint, “Are you two going to explain yourselves now?” she asked, her voice audible through speakers in the booth.

Ros turned to eye Sascha with a ‘Can you believe the shit I have to put up with’ expression, to which they smirked, easing the heaviness that weighed upon them somewhat. Ros looked back to the girl. “Not at all,” she said with a near-patronizing calm, and then added, “But Sascha has agreed to stay to observe your session, so maybe he’ll motivate you–”

The decision to reach out and place a hand on Ros’ shoulder was an instinctual impulse. And though they fully did not expect Rosalind to understand, remembering the naive young woman who’d needed constant and gentle explanations of just about everything, Sascha corrected, “It’s–it’s ‘they,’ now…”

She turned her head, studying them for a moment. But that telltale dimple in the center of her forehead was surprisingly absent, and after just a beat of consideration, Ros nodded once, then turned back to the musician on the other side of the window, pressed the button to send her voice into Shosh’s headphones and said expectantly, “What do you have for me today?”

These years had seen changes to them both, it would seem.

Sascha watched Shosh’s body tighten, her eyes narrowing into a glare that she held through the window as she launched into a series of staccato chords that she hammered ferociously against the keys, no sheet music to speak of, before the song’s introduction melted into something fluid and beautiful, but no less fierce. Sascha chuckled to themself; Ros may have believed Shoshana’s attitude to be that of a spoiled, petulant child, but Sascha saw defiance—a stubbornness in the face of adversity that had inspired them about the human girl since they’d met. 

She stretched her pale throat toward the dangling microphone and sang:

“If I’m a bad person, you don’t like me Well, I guess I’ll make my own way…”

She closed her eyes, her brow furrowing as she lost herself in the emotions of what she was singing and playing. Sascha gripped the back of Rosalind’s chair with long, ringed fingers, leaning in to remark, “That—right there. This is what I was referring to, when I said she reminded me of you. Not her temperament—though, truth be told, you could be something of a brat, too, back in the day, liebling…” They gave Ros a teasing look before adding, “…but the way she pours everything into the music, into her art…that is classic you.”

The rich sound of Shoshana’s voice echoed through their speakers as she continued to sing:

“Don’t wanna hear your sad songs, I don’t wanna feel your pain When you swear it’s all my fault ‘cause you know we’re not the same We’re not the same, oh we’re not the same Yeah, the friends who stuck together, we wrote our names in blood But I guess you can’t accept that the change is good, it’s good Well, you treat me just like another stranger…”

Here, at the look Ros shot them, Sascha shrugged a bit sheepishly and explained, “We, ah…may have run into the boy—Cassius. At Plasma…”

She paused her rapid-fire texting and cracked a sassy grin that was new–but also fitting, somehow–on her face. “And she sees this as a classical arrangement…?" She scoffed, and resumed her texting. "I’m no sound engineer, but it would sound much better with a band…”

[a2zillustration]

I carried this thing for MONTHS with the EXPRESS PURPOSE of putting Raphael in it (knowing full well Larian wouldn't let me do that, mechanically) and I had one major miscalculation.

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[[ All Croissant Adventures (chronological, desktop) ]]

[[ All Croissant Adventures (app) ]]

[gunsatthaphan]

"how did you manage to stay alive until now?"

[niinnyu]

WHA #80 SPOILERS

.

This spread has had me thinking so much.

While this is very much Coco reminding herself that she's not alone and that there are people she cares about and has with her as she moves forward despite being scared, I also can't help but interpret this another way.

Talking about how one must etch the people important to you into you heart, imagination and mind. That can do anything if you have ink, paper and a pen. And how even if they're not there with you, you're not alone and they're with you.

Adding Coco as part of the illustration while showing another pair of hands separate from her, drawing it. Putting in Jujy, Sinocia, and Ermile; all people Coco has barely interacted with to have too much of a strong impression of.

It feels like a subtle 4th wall break on Shirahama Kamome's part.

This dropping close to the 8th anniversary of Witch Hat Atleier's manga serialisation, and so many years before of creating the world and characters interacting in the world, feels so special. Because you can tell how special these people are to Coco, and to Shirahama herself, who's put in so much work and love into them.

This page gave me goosebumps.

[98chao]

truly i love all of you and i'm so grateful for all the support i get on my vanilla milkshake posts here because i've just seen the way people talk about vanilla milkshake and mysticao on twitter and its genuinely taken 50 years off my life. now i've been reminded as to why i should never join the crk fandom on twitter

[storge]

WATANABE YUTARO as Tatta Kodai Alice in Borderland S2

[meepmeep19]

Out of all the Hunting Dogs members, Tachihara rly seems to be the closest to Jouno (after Teruko ofc) But why is that the case?

I mean just LOOK at how proud Tachihara looks in this panel after receiving that praise from Jouno! It’s sooo cute I-😭 But why is Tachihara so close to Jouno of all people?

Well I HC that when Tachihara first joins the HD, his criminal background makes him understandably very distrustful/fearful of everyone else. It feels less like the HD are his coworkers and more like they’re just cops keeping an eye on him, just waiting for when he’ll inevitably slip up so they can finally lock his ass away. He just can’t get that criminal-cop mindset out of his head yet.

Jouno was the only person that could understand and relate to Tachihara considering he was also a formal criminal (tho I don’t think he was ever scared of the HD, he still felt that same distrust in his first couple years as well)

And so to make Tachihara feel more comfortable/calm (cuz he’s actually starting to care for the boy getting sick of constantly hearing Tachihara’s too fast heart beat) Jouno decides to casually bring up all the stupidly profitable crimes Tachihara could’ve committed with his ability, going into suspiciously criminal amounts of detail. Most of the heists that he brings up r stuff that he himself was planning to do in the mafia before he got arrested. Jouno talks about this to help remove the whole ‘HD-dangerous-cop’ association that Tachihara has made.

At first Tachihara is very suspicious and hesitant to answer, assuming this must be some sort twisted way to set him up. But then he realizes Jouno just genuinely enjoys talking about crimes as if they aren’t surrounded by Japan’s elite police force. And yet no one ever actually does anything to Jouno, even tho everything he says is so illegal, that he should’ve already gone to prison 20 times over just for even uttering half that stuff lol.

These conversations rly help Tachihara to stop seeing the HD as just ‘cops’ and he immediately begins to open up. Soon he and Jouno r having like hour long conversations, literally just discussing various heists in great detail.

They make Tetchou slightly uncomfortable with their blase view of big time crime so every time they start talking about this stuff, Tetchou just silently walks out of the room lol (Jouno 100% teases him for that, constantly inviting him to join their conversations, to which Tetchou always politely declines lol)

Ofc, to remind Tachihara that at the end of the day, they ARE still just only coworkers (not friends), Jouno likes to end their conversations laughing, saying ‘Of course, if you were to actually try any of this, I would not hesitate to gouge your eyes out and feed them to the dogs’ which always keeps Tachihara from being too casual.

Despite that tho, Tachihara can’t help but still see Jouno as older brother figure. A terrifying brother figure, but a brother figure nonetheless. In some ways, he actually somewhat prefers his relationship with Jouno than that with his actual brother. Don’t get me wrong: he still loves his brother but… unlike with his brother, no one pressures him to be like Jouno; if anything, they actually discourage Tachihara from becoming too much like him lol.

The HD never make him feel like he HAS to live up to anyone. Instead they actually want him to become his own person so he can add something unique to the team. They never make him feel like he’s not enough. And that just means so much to someone like Tachihara, who spent his whole life feeling so inadequate compared to perfection of the dead.

So yeah, that’s how Jouno and the Hunting Dogs became Tachihara’s found family

[orcelito]

i've seen ppl talking about Meryl & how little we know about her family, but the geo-plant arc of trigun chapters 10-12 gives us some really useful pieces of info, i think

first, we see her thinking of herself as Cold Blooded, just like the dude that wanted Badwick to kill his own parents

[ID: Meryl stands with her gun drawn and a troubled expression on her face as she thinks to herself, "Exactly as you described him... the cold-blooded type..." In the next panel, she closes her eyes and wonders, "Am I really... any different?" End ID]

at the start of this arc, Milly wrote one of her massive letters to her family, while Meryl mentioned not knowing what she would write to hers. then we see Milly get PISSED at Badwick after she learns he threatened his parents at gunpoint, which leads to this page:

[ID: Meryl, held back by Milly, tells her, "Milly... I envy you... My father would have wanted me to get justifiably angry at a person who points a gun at his parents. That is an important thing." She flashes back to the moment in the chapter before where Milly is attempting to punch the son, Badwick. Milly calls in concern, "Ma'am?" Meryl continues, "But I... I just stood there and took it all in without even budging. I am such a cold person. I chose this path of blood and tears without thinking about the rest of my life. All I can see is what is right in front of me." The page shows the face of the father, dressed in basic battle gear, who is watching silently. Now in tears, Meryl laments, "Why could I not see... that when I closed myself off to him, something was wrong? I..." In the last panel, Milly stares down at Meryl in surprise as Meryl slaps her own cheeks and exclaims, "No... Nevermind!" End ID]

this entire situation is obviously striking something in Meryl's heart. some kind of insecurity she has about her distant relationship with her own parents. she shakes herself out of it, determined to not fall into a funk, and then jumps into defense of the land.

after the battle's over & the father's fallen to his ass, we see these pages:

[ID: In the first page, the father, off screen, tells Meryl and Milly, "There are no words to express how thankful I am for your help." Meryl replies with a smile, "Ah. There's no need." The father goes on to tell her, "Ms. Meryl... I know it was rude of me, but I overheard your conversation earlier. Having raised that rebellious son, I don't know if I have the right thing to say, but... All people are different, but the bonds between parents and children are inseparable. It is a great burden, but also the most precious thing in the world..." In the second page, the father concludes, "... Choose your own path, and walk it with confidence. All of life... is connected. You must live your own life, and your parents will love through you." As he speaks, we see Meryl listening to him with a surprised expression. End ID]

this entire arc feels like a metaphor for Meryl's own situation. after these pages, we see Badwick turning in the deed, then finding out that his parents were entrusting the property to him after all. he's the problem son, someone who separated himself from his parents due to his disagreements with them (likely stemming from his dead younger brother). yet at the end of the day, his parents still love him and entrusted their life's work to him.

Meryl sees all this go down, hears these words, and it touches something in her heart. so we see her go from talking about writing to her family like this in chapter 10:

[ID: A single panel of Meryl with her eyes closed and a peaceful expression on her face. She tells Milly, "That would be the normal thing to do... especially when I've been away from home for so long. But I don't know what to write beyond 'it's dry'..." End ID]

to this bit at the end of chapter 12:

[ID: Meryl approaches a mailbox with luggage in hand. She slips a letter inside, then sighs with a smile. Milly yells, "Maa'aam! What are you doing?! We're already late!" To which Meryl replies, "Ok! Ok! Ok! I'm coming!" End ID]

the experience was enough for her to accept that she might not be the closest with her parents (or just father? considering she only ever mentions a father in this all), but it's still worth reaching out even if she doesn't have much to say.

this arc is the most we see about Meryl's backstory in the manga, but I think we can draw a few things from it. we have a definite mention of a father, but no others. no mention of siblings or any other family members. she's distant from her father, too busy following her heart & goals, but she doesn't have a bad relationship with him. just Distant. she feels disconnected from him, even Cold, for her focus on her work & the practicalities in front of her. but even with that disconnect, she still cares enough about him to feel guilty when she realizes she's been doing this.

and then considering later, when we see the flashback of a man giving her the gun... i'd assumed that was possibly a senior at her work (probably tristamp giving me that perception, from Roberto), but keeping all the rest of this in mind... it really could have been her father.

i went looking to try to find that part. did not find that one exactly, but i DID find this one from trimax chapter 34:

[ID: A nearly bald man with a kind face and what appear to be shooting ear muffs around his neck tells Meryl, "Consider guns delicate. Women, most of all, should make use of them. One shot will level the playing field between you and a big, strong man." End ID]

if this is indeed her father, it would explain why she knows how to shoot like she does. perhaps her father taught her as she was growing up out of the wish to help her protect herself. maybe they weren't incredibly close, but he still clearly cared about her & wanted what was best for her and her safety. the kind of father that's content to let her do whatever her heart wishes, since her happiness is his happiness.

and then chapter 12 ends with this page:

[ID: A black framed page with a single panel at the center. The panel shows Meryl from behind, running with her luggage in hand. The text boxes to the sides state, "All of life is connected by a river... And the beginning of the river... is now." End ID]

she continues on her own path, not looking back, but she is still connected to the ones in her heart... including her father.

(Manga panels referenced from @trigun-manga-overhaul !)

[lunar-years]

Okay because it was briefly mentioned in this post speculating on Roy's parents I really want to hear people's thoughts on Keeley's parents/childhood and why she had no prior family obligations on (Sexy) Christmas!

Similarly to Roy we only get very brief mentions of their existence in canon (and they're notably just about her mum, never her dad):

"I did used to worry I was gonna end up like my mum. She spent years tirelessly working at the same company just for a man to take all the credit. She wasn't brave enough to dream big. So I decided to do things very differently" - Keeley "We didn't open [the champagne] when your mum moved back up North" - Roy

The headcanons I've got are:

Keeley's parents are divorced and she isn't particularly close with either of them. Her mum irritates her literally every time they see one another. Her dad has a new wife and (step)kids he treats as his "real family," and Keeley is always the afterthought; she rarely sees him.

Her mum is extremely conventional and thinks Keeley needs to fit into that same box. She was appalled by Keeley's choice to do nude modeling, refused to talk to her because of it (which Keeley was thrilled by, and once her mum realized that she got even more upset and immediately started calling Keeley up again) and has never treated Keeley's modeling career as a real career.

Keeley moved out of her childhood home asap, like age 17/18 after taking her first modeling gigs. She rented a cheap flat with a bunch of other girls.

Keeley has made some of her choices in part just to spite her, whether its subconscious or not. For instance, if her mum was complaining about her first topless photoshoot, where her nipples were strategically covered by liquor bottles, Keeley made sure the next shoot she signed on for was tits out, no coverage. When her mum complained about that she did full nudes, etc.

When Keeley started working for AFC Richmond it was a backhanded "finally you have a REAL job, thank goodness" instead of "congratulations, I'm so proud of you." everything with her mother is like this

It is even worse with relationships. Her mum thinks Keeley needs to settle down, get married and have kids in that order - none of which are things Keeley has ever intended to do with her life.

her mum was thrilled when Keeley introduced her to Roy because "finally my daughter is in a serious relationship and they will give me grandkids soon" she completely dotes over Roy because of this while asking increasingly intrusive, prodding questions about the status of their relationship. Roy of course sees right through this but is trying his best to stay polite because this is Keeley's mother. The whole thing slowly infuriates Keeley until she's had enough and abruptly informs them they're leaving. this is how roykeeley have the "I never want kids" conversation very early on in their relationship

with holidays like Christmas, at first Keeley would use the other parent as the ~reason~ she couldn't be at theirs for the holiday. Like, she'd tell her mum "sorry, i told dad I'd go to his" and she'd tell her dad the opposite. of course this only works a few times before it's "why do you spend every holiday with the other parent instead of me," and which point Keeley remembered that wait, actually she doesn't give a fuck! and straight up told her mother she isn't coming because she doesn't want to and already has plans with her boyfriend/girlfriend (whoever it was at the time) 🤷‍♀️ slay queen

Keeley is out and proud and always has been, but her mum treats her being bi as another lie she's telling for attention, even though Keeley has literally brought girlfriends home to introduce to her mother before. No matter what she does, her mum maintains that Keeley is only doing it to piss her off and basically doesn't believe her or acknowledge her sexuality, which is understandably very upsetting to Keeley

Bonus ot3: Not to make everything about ot3 but I have a very distinct scene in my head where Keeley introduces Jamie and Roy as her boyfriends and her mum is forcibly polite to Jamie (whom she is meeting for the first time) but then pulls Keeley aside to be like "enough with your stunts, Keeley, how could you put Roy through this nonsense, after he took you back and all, this is how you repay him, by dating someone else?" (because 1. she's adamantly ignoring the part where Keeley told her all three of them were dating, royxjamie included and 2. she acts like Keeley obviously did something to "cause" Roy breaking up with her). Keeley for once is totally speechless and all the retorts she wants to and would usually say die in her throat and she just wants to cry because she's tired of this. Roy and Jamie overhear the conversation and Roy steps in like "okay, that's enough, we're leaving." Keeley has a breakdown in the car before they've even gotten out of the driveway and after that she basically cuts off contact for a long while with her mother, with Roy & Jamie's full support.

[murdleandmarot]

The gang’s all here!! They’re on the case!! And there’s no ghost that they wouldn’t chase!!!!!

@mysticalcats’s Foxglove, @toki-toro’s Chaumet, @emimii’s Clownaire, and my own Bluebelle :)

[commandercoriandersalamander]

I love reading Locked Tomb fandom meta because it really lets me appreciate how little I understand of what happened in these books.

[thirtyskeletons]

chilshi is soooooo good because it’s two middle aged guys who are intentionally closed off slowly but surely opening up to each other. and also fucking nasty

[daisysmalia]

‘What the writers may or may not have written yet’ I’m taking that quote as another clue that he’s staying around lol

[akkivee]

kuukou has human sacrifice themes and i kinda wanted to draw something with that lol and googled if there were any instances of jp human sacrifice and interestingly enough!!!!! there are tales of drowning people in order to create structural foundations out of human bodies and crazy that kuukou has a fear of the ocean—

[rimouskis]

cross-generational friendships have been so important and formative and crucial to my adulthood. and i'm not talking about "oh I'm in my 20s and nearly all my friends are in their 30s ha ha ha" [true], I'm talking about "I labored side-by-side with people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s and became friends with them."

one such friend and I went to a funeral today to support a third friend and it really reaffirmed how important these relationships have been to me and how good they are for keeping perspective and taking advice from people with more experience than you.

tomorrow I'm going on a walk and then getting lunch with an old boss-turned-friend/mentor who's old enough to be my mother (like, literally her oldest son is my age) and I'm looking forward to it so much. having friends who you can bond with but also learn life lessons from is such a gift and it makes me lament my current work situation (everyone on my team is within a 3-year age range).

[meepmeep19]

The First Time Tetchou placed Jouno above Justice:

The Airport Scene TM is so significant for SGK cuz it marks the first major instance of Tetchou placing something above justice (Jouno). And while it is a 🤌 of a scene, I actually think this was the SECOND time Tetchou prioritized Jouno instead of justice.

When was the first time? It was during the first couple years after Jouno joined.

As much I absolutely LOVE current Tetchou’s unyielding devotion to Jouno, I honestly don’t think that’s how he’s always felt. In fact, I think that he originally hated him and that these two were actually enemies to lovers. This gradual shift marked the first time Tetchou placed Jouno above justice. Lemme explain.

Jouno was literally everything Tetchou stood against when he first joined. An unfeeling, murderous criminal who was allowed to basically get away with it all scot free. Not even JUST getting away with it, no, this filthy criminal actually got REWARDED with actual Hunting Dog status. In other words Jouno literally escaped justice. Ofc, Tetchou was gonna absolutely hate his guts. He swore he would never see this murderer as a Hunting Dog. In his mind, the only way this injustice would be righted is when Jouno finally paid for his crimes and faced capital punishment.

But then something insane happens; the ex-mafioso actually changes. Tetchou starts to see him casually risking his own life to save innocent civilians. He starts to notice the very faint, slightly flustered (and cute) smile on Jouno’s face whenever said civilians would thank him for rescuing them. In just a year, Jouno’s dedication to the HD manages to rival even that of his own. And that’s when Tetchou realizes he was wrong about Jouno and that somehow, this man has actually started to grow on him. (Don’t get me wrong; Jouno does still have his sadistic side that occasionally riles up Tetchou, but it’s rly more of a minor annoyance rather than anything serious anymore.)

But that’s when reality hits him. Jouno’s recent change in behaviour still does not erase his crimes. At the end of the day, he should still be on death row. Nothing about this situation has changed; in the eyes of justice, Jouno is still a criminal. Tetchou should still hate him. It shouldn’t matter that Jouno feels just so fun to be around despite because of his cattiness or that he has an utterly adorable smile, or that he never hesitates to protect the weak, or that he’s just become so stupidly endearing to Tetchou that it’s honestly overwhelming at times.

And yet… it DOES matter. Somehow the thought of Jouno dying has gone from something jubilating to utterly terrifying for Tetchou. Try as he might, he just can’t see Jouno as a criminal anymore; all he sees is a Hunting Dog; a hero. But again, he knows he can’t like Jouno and still claim to be a follower of justice.

And so, Tetchou decides to make an exception to his justice philosophy. Realizing that he just can’t hate Jouno anymore (and rly, doesn’t ever want to) Tetchou Suehiro, CHOOSES to place his love for his beloved partner above his love for justice, for the first (but definitely not last) time.