#which is more like the shows i tend to go to

[dextivestudios]

No, no, people don't get it.

Doctor Who (1963) was EXTREMELY feminist for its time, and it apparently had an actual card-carrying communist working on it in the 70s.

Barbara White is amazing and I love her. She was the one with the braincell, and freaking ATE. Meanwhile, Ian was a parody of the "breadwinner manly man don't worry, ladies, I got this!" type. (Spoiler alert: it was the lady who had things handled.)

Like, if Ian was created today, he definitely WOULD follow Andrew Tate and unironically call himself an alpha, only for that to...not be the case. At all.

Alt-right "Whovians" literally look at characters like Ian and the joke just flies over their heads completely.

We are meant to admire Barbara, and we are meant to laugh at Ian.

I should also mention it tended to get very preachy about anti-colonialism.

Classic Doctor Who was far from perfect. Disabled and queer people virtually don't exist, and it's very much a racist show with there being more yellowface than actual Asian actors. (And it takes an embarrassingly long time for them to finally cast a black actor. I noticed a darker complexion for the first time during the FIFTH DOCTOR's run. Which is....YIKES!) And the amount of cultural appropriation/orientalism would be shocking to modern audiences.

I do think more people should watch more Classic Who. It's not as good as nostalgic Classic Who fans claim, and there are episodes far worse than even the Timeless Child incident in the modern show but watching Classic Who does expose you to amazing stories, and it does improve your viewing experience for the modern show. Like, so many jokes and references go over your head if you don't watch the Classic show.

It wasn't even perfect with the feminist aspect and there are plenty of counterpoints where companions, and the writing in general, fell victim to sexism.

And, yes, the bad/offensive episodes should be watched, too. It's a part of Doctor Who history, and even harmful art has value to it. And the fact that it sucked in other aspects does not devalue for many things such as feminism.

My only recommendation is to watch Victoria Waterfield's run in its entirely. You will want to skip her. But trust me on this one. Don't skip an episode. The more you see of her, the funnier her departure will be.

And, honestly, I think the original creators would be proud of what Doctor Who has become, especially in the representation aspects. It is queer and not asking for forgiveness. The TARDIS has wheelchair access now, we have two black Doctors with one of them being a main Doctor, two LGBT Doctors BACK-TO-BACK.

Though that's strictly talking about the characters. I know that Ncuti himself is gay, Jodie has a husband and I don't think she made any public announcements about any labels she may identify with? That's to her discretion and I don't really care that much. All I can say for certain is that she is married to a man, and appears to not mind depicting sapphic women. I won't speculate because that is an asshole thing to do, and this tangent has gone on for long enough already.

All in all, Doctor Who has always been woke. It has a flawed past, and its focuses have shifted overtime. Heck, remember when it was big on anti-guns all the way back at Tenth Doctor?

But, yeah, the problem is that it has a focus on groups that the Nazis are currently actively targeting. Which would be both queer and disabled people, it also doesn't help the cast is heavy on POC at the moment (note: not a bad thing.) and the women characters are currently being respected. But it's primarily the queer characters and disabled characters.

Nazis are not real Whovians, and I'm glad that Doctor Who is making an effort to make them as uncomfortable and unwelcome as possible. Because tolerating Nazis and taking them seriously, like giving our time and energy to them is worth anything, is exactly how they are gaining power in the USA.

Remember: the only nazi who deserves peaceful interactions are dead nazis. And even then, feed their bodies to the dogs, as not even death is redemption for them.

[siddyyyyyyyy]

New Side

Bruce Wayne x fem!Reader

MDNI

wc: 3.1 K warnings: 18+, established relationship, thigh riding, p in v, creampie, tits play, possessive!Bruce, overstimulation (?), hairpulling, cnc (?), praise, sweet aftercare, no y/n used, petnames such as "sweetheart" summary: After being hesitant about your suggestion, he finally gives in and tries a different way to release his pent up frustration. a/n: This is a little different from what I usually write and I am deeply ashamed of it, I honestly think I will never post this so,,,, have fun! if you don't like it, please scroll, idk if this is cringe or not,,,,, Also, sorry for only posting smut drabbles about Bruce, but I am also writing a series about him with way less smut → ˗ˏˋhereˎˊ˗

Usually, Bruce doesn‘t let his frustration and annoyance show that easily around you, preferring to keep it to himself, and later on punch the life out of a poor punching bag. But tonight, there was no punching bag avaible, being stuck in a hotel room for the night until you can both fly back to the Manor. Luckily, the gala hadn‘t brought as much difficulties, it was the planning and organising that gave him a constant headache. Bruce couldn‘t allow to get dissatisfied reporters, who complain about his slight change of tone during the thousands of questions they tend to ask. It felt especially difficult last evening, which resulted in him growing quiet on the way back to the hotel room, an upcoming headache threating to attack him soon enough.

Of course, you notice every little twitch and light exhale of irritation, trying to think of something to make him feel better afterwards. Not wanting to add onto his weariness, you go about your usual night routine before settling into bed beside him. Bruce lays back against the bed frame, having his tablet in hands to check up on the news and possible new cases waiting for him. As you take him in, you scoot closer to his side under the blanket, shoulder pressing into his. Without second thought, his arm wrap over you shoulders, pulling you into his side.

»You know, about that idea I once proposed… now‘s the perfect time.« You muse gently, your lips lightly trailing against his bare shoulder, eyes focused on his side profile. He gives a short grunt back, unsure if he acknowledged your words or not. After a brief silence, he speaks up too, eyes not straying from his display.

»I remember.«

He muses back and lets out a quiet sigh, relaxing his muscles a fraction under your light touch.

»So? You don‘t wanna try?« Another silence stretches between the you both, the only sound being the light pecks you leave across his shoulder at your side. After what feels like an eternity for you, he speaks up, his voice measured and eyes carrying a hint of curiosity.

»I don‘t want to hurt you. Besides, I can just wait until we get back, I don‘t have a punching bag for nothing.«

Right. He is hesitant again — not because he doesn‘t want to try something new — but because he can‘t, and won‘t, allow himself to hurt you during a pleasureable time. But with that look you give him, the way you bat your eyelashes at him oh, so sweetly, lips tracing gentle paths against his shoulder —

No. Surely, not.

»Please? I wanna try. I really do.«

Yes. A hundred percent, whatever you ask him to.

»Are you sure you wanna try that? I tend to get… intense when I am tired out.« He prods again, not entirely convinced of it yet and wants to be as sure as he can be before possibly agreeing.

»Very sure. Besides, we haven‘t had some action for quite a while.«

You answer back and lift your head off of his shoulder, face being at level with his own. The sheets rustle over you as Bruce finally lays his tablet away and shifts to face you better.

»Okay… but we‘ll start slow. And I want a safe word between us.«

The fact that he considers it all and starts to get more engaged in the discussion feels like a little success. But thinking of a safe word gets a little difficult at first, having to try to find a word that you usually don‘t say when he is balls deep inside you.

»Pineapple? Or just apple? It‘s shorter.«

Bruce nods after a small consideration, seeming satsified with the suggestion. »Apple it is.«

Oh god. Did he just agree? Are you going to— okay… this is totally fine, he isn‘t being absolutely hot for no reason at all. His hand brushes along your upper arm, eyes raking subtly over your form before settling back on your face; taking in the soft light glowing over you face.

Without any further words, you take the first initiative and settle yourself over his lap, straddling one of his thighs. A small sigh leaves him, relaxing his body and settling his hands on your hips.

»Comfy?« His voice husky and quiet, eyes settling on the way your panties shine under your big shirt. You feel his warm palms rake higher up your hips, tugging the material of your shirt up. He sees your light nod to his question, feeling the faint warmth of your core against his bare thigh.

The air around you both grows more intimate again, the only source of light being the warm lamp above the bed, and the soft glow from the LED lights around the ceiling of hotel room.

With a soft hitch of your breath, a familiar shiver runs down your spine once your hips start grinding against his thigh. Using his chest to lean your hands on, breaths growing heavier. Bruce encourages you, hands controlling your movements to make sure you get proper friction.

»That‘s it...« He murmurs softly, eyes locked on the way your lacy panties rub against his bare thigh, as he is clad in boxers. In this moment, he realises he could watch this scene for hours, if not days straight. The way your hips fit so perfectly into his hands, how easily you give yourself to him without second thought… his eyes are already hazy, the only thing on his mind is your pretty cunt.

The grinding starts to grow easier with how slick you are, the wetness soaking through the thin material and right against his rough skin. »Look at you...« his words reach your ears, your core clenching at his rough voice, »you are a mess, and it‘s all because of me, hm?«

You shiver as his thumb traces over your wetness, gently rubbing against you. The added friction causes your eyes to close tightly, trying to restrain a small whimper. His eyes stay glued on you, clearly devouring every little sound and reaction you give.

It is only a matter of time until he loses his patience and decides you are worked up enough, the way your slick covers his thigh is enough to make him groan. Your hips stutter and pause, too focused on the way his fingers rub you just right, the tight circles against your core make your heart race. Bruce sees it as a sign to take charge again, swiftly moving you to lay on your back, his broad form hovering over you. The loss of his warm hand leaves you frowning up at him, his own mind growing frenzied with the way you stare up at him.

»Be good for me, sweetheart...«

The words roll off his tongue easily, making your body relax again and be patient. Your eyes drink in the way his muscles flex under his movements, landing on his throbbing and slick cock. The pair of boxers get discarded to the floor and he focuses his attention back to you. Finally, able to get relief, Bruce wastes no time to lean down on you, his lips finding your nipple and sucking on it shamelessly.

Your back arches off the bed with a soft gasp, not a moment later, his hands strip the panties off of you and settles between your legs. The needy suckle and nibbles on your perky breasts makes you want to shy away, but his hands hold you down, set firmly on your waist. A low growl leaves him, his lips travelling to the other breast, »Be still… wanna feel you.« One hand leaves your waist, instead kneading at your chest, thumb circling around your nipple.

The room spins around you and you are only able to focus on the gentle sucks and kneading of your breasts, trying to stay as still as possible for him. Your breathing gets heavier, chest burning with desire and arousal. Bruce doesn‘t let up, pressing his sensitive tip against your entrance and exhales heavily against you.

A soft grunt leaves him once he pushes in, able to get a smooth entry without needing much adjustment. Your slick is enough to make him fit perfectly, not needing any more prep than that.

»Taking me so well, aren‘t ya?« He mutters out as he leans back, settling deeper into you. His cock stretches you out so well, fitting and pressing into you in all the right places. Your fingers dig into the sheets underneath you, holding in your breath to hold back any screams. His burning gaze stays focused on your face, waiting for you to adjust and be ready before he can shut his mind off and take responsibility later.

The first thrust takes your breath away again, a sharp exhale leaving you. His eyes lock on yours as he slowly starts up, building a gentle pace at first. The only thing he can focus on is how snug you are, the way your eyes can‘t even focus on him properly — that‘s when his control slips for the first time. His hips snap harder against you, hitting you deeper with less gentleness behind his actions.

You feel the deep strokes up your spine, your jaw going slack as your mind goes blank. The pace is a delicious mix between rough and steady, big hands holding your hips down in a vice grip. Soft grunts leave him as he feels your cunt clench tightly around him, his brow pinching in pleasure and focus. A sharp gasp leaves you once he angles his hips again, able to hit your sweet spot over and over again. Warmth spreads over your lower stomach, down to your thighs, making you melt back into the mattress. After a few deep thrusts, your thighs tremble at his sides and he knows you are close.

»C‘mon, sweetie… doin‘ so good, jus‘ a little longer,« He breathes out between thrusts, angling one of your legs up to reach deeper. Despite wanting to hold out longer for him, you release and orgasm before him. Soft moans and whimpers fill his ears as he watches you come undone for him, watching your chest heave as he slowly eases out of you, hands rubbing along your sides.

Your mind is still reeling, spinning and unable to calm down even after he pulled out. You clench and squeeze around nothing, eyes trying to open and find him again. Meanwhile, Bruce watches the way the white cream slowly eases out, the sight enough to make him cum on the spot. He manages to reel himself back in and wait until you seem ready for more.

Your breath comes back and you feel reliefed, but a small spark forms in your abdomen once you see how he looks at you. Seated back on his knees, keeping a hand wrapped around his length to keep himself hard.

»Ready for more?« He shifts and keeps his eyes trained on you, waiting for your answer before continuing. But the only thing you can manage to do is nod, staying still on the bed.

»Use your words. I wanna be sure.« His small command makes your brain clear up, finally speaking up, albeit still hazy.

»I want more,« »Yeah, you want more, don‘t you? Want me.«

A new warmth spreads through your abdomen, able to feel your legs tingle in anticipation again. His hands guide you to roll onto your stomach, one arm snaking around your shoulders to keep you leaned up. Another shiver runs through your spine as you feel his hard length press against your backside, feeling the light slickness of it from earlier.

The side of your neck gets covered in soft kisses, travelling from your neck to your shoulder. A low grunt escapes him as he lines up and pushes in without further warning, not even waiting for you to get used to him before he starts moving in a slow pace. The stretch feels like it is ripping you apart by your seams, a burning pleasure creeping all over your body. It‘s difficult to keep in your sounds in when he is dragging himself in and out of you so slowly but deliciously, panting heavily under him.

Bruce feels you growing weaker under him and gives him a push, laying you back on the mattress and instead grabs a fist full of your hair to keep your head up. His pace quickens, getting harder and rougher like before. Due to the position, it feels like his cock is rearranging your insides without a care in the world, leaving you pinned underneath him.

There is nothing you can do but take, take, and take, unable to squirm away or even yell for his name. The wind keeps getting knocked from your lungs with every new thrust, small helpless whimpers leaving your lips.

»Jus‘ like that… takin‘ me so well,« His gravelly voice sounds from behind, tightening his grip on your hair before letting go and instead pushing his index finger into your mouth. »Suck.«

A light whine leaves you before taking his digit between your lips, starting to suck and have some sort of distraction from his careless pace. He feels the way your tongue swirls around his finger, his other hand keeping a strong grip on your hip. The room fills with the sound of skin slapping against skin, muffled moans coming from your side. Heavy pants leave the both of you, quickly making your head spin again as you suck harder on his finger.

You grow closer to the edge, gasping at the familiar but intense sensation. Bruce notices but won‘t let up, instead speeds up and forces himself harder into you. A small squeal leaves you and try to squirm, but his weight presses into you a little more, keeping you trapped under him.

It feels like your stomach gets ripped apart as you topple over the edge, eyes squeezing shut, body trembling under him as needy whimpers leave you.

»My girl, c‘mon— take it.« He pants out over you, locking his arm around your shoulders again to keep you from squirming away while he hammers into you. He is not nearly done with you, still needing to release.

Your breath catches before you grow quiet under him, jaw going slack as you start to feel overwhelmed. He never just kept going after one of you had orgasmed, and it seems like he finally got the idea of it. Mentally, you are praising him for just continuing, finally putting himself first and chasing his release.

His hips continue to snap into you with a relentless pace, soft pants brushing against your ear from behind. Light growls and grunts leave him while he keeps going, a light sweat forming over his brow.

»Take it, just a bit more— « You hear him barely grunt out, leaning back up and pushing a hand on your middle back to push you down into the mattress.

»‘s too much,« You try to warn him, feeling yourself edging closer to your limit, but it seems like he won‘t let up soon enough.

»I know, sweetheart, just— a bit more for me.« His hips pause briefly before he picks his pace up again, making you groan and shiver under him. You clench hard around him, unable to do anything but to lay there and take him, feeling like he is ripping and shredding you apart.

»Please, stop—«

He doesn‘t listen, instead keeps hold of your hips again and speeds his pace again. You groan, grabbing onto the sheets to try and have some support.

»Take it. I know you can.« Finally, his hips seem to stutter as he grows close to the edge, burrying his head to the crook of your neck. Only a few more thrusts and you feel his hot cum spurt into you, filling you up to the brim. His hips finally still and he groans out in satisfaction, trying to catch his breath. A low whine leaves form your side, legs trembling under him.

His head swims in the haze of the sweet pleasure, being still burried deep inside as he comes down from it. You are about to shift in silent request for him to lay off of you, but he already leans off your body and carefully eases out of you. Another bigger amount of cum oozes out of you, watching as your sensitive cunt clenches around nothing and slowly gets covered in the white mess. Once he finally snaps back and doesn‘t focus on the sight, his hand rubs gently along your spine.

»You okay? I‘ll clean you up in no time, hm?« His voice is way softer than before, genuine worry and gentleness shining through. You notice him getting off the bed and retreat into the bathroom for a moment, closing your eyes and trying not to doze off while waiting for him.

Soon enough, he is back by your side and gently makes you lay on your back again, laying a water bottle and a bottle of lotion you usually use, beside him. His hands gently start to clean up the sticky and hot mess between your legs with a damp towel, making sure to keep his touch as light as possible.

»Feel okay?« He checks in again, eyes going over your features as he lets go from you.

You give him a nod back, too tired to speak up, or let along move. Bruce understands, a faint smile gracing his lips as he goes away to get rid of the towel, before sitting back on the bed beside you. He takes the bottle of lotion and takes a little into his hands to rub it along your thighs and legs. Your muscles relax more, making you sigh softly and grow pliant. The gentle massage makes you feel like in you are heaven, getting to be treated so gently in contrast to the previous moments. A while goes by until you can finally lean back against the headboard, getting to drink a few sips of water until you feel yourself getting more tired. Bruce, ever the observant, notices your fatigue, but also feels his own eyes starting to grow heavier.

He shifts you around to spoon you from behind, tucking you both in as tightly into the blankets as possible before his nose nestles into the side of your neck. With a deep exhale, his own form relaxes into you.

Your heartbeat steadies, breaths becoming even and light as you fall into a restful sleep. He manages to stay awake and listen to your calm breaths, and steady heartbeat under his palm, until he also drifts off; falling into a deep sleep.

←MASTERLIST

taglist₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆. @143637-hrrm @dollyure @ibreathesmut @dreamzaremyrealityy @aceoffates

[ayamari-no-goshi]

Been thinking about my "Not All There" AU again. Basically, the idea that the Lazarus Pit fixed everything BUT Jason's memories (I'm going with the explanation that memories are complex and even magic has a hard time with it). But, Jason still returns to Gotham as the Red Hood, but he's not as overtly antagonistic. Instead, he likes to watch the Bats.

Here's what I had written:

He didn’t understand why he continued to watch them. Every time he saw the Bat or one of his Birds, anger seared through his very being, but it was always followed by a numbing mix of sorrow, pain, and loneliness. The emotions tended to set off nightmares and memories so fragmented they did little more than distract him. Yet, there had to be a reason those feelings existed. Perhaps he once knew them, or maybe they were somehow directly related to how he ended up half-way across the world in the care of a woman who seemed to know his past. She told him he’d been unavenged, but never provided further details. Perhaps he did know her once. Or maybe he just had a talent for reading people, but he knew she would not harm him, even if she sent him all over the world to train how to fight and kill. And once he seemed to be ready, she sent him to Gotham. She told him his enemy still hurt the people he once tried to protect, and that the protectors of the city continued to allow that to happen. He didn’t know who that enemy was, but it felt like coming home when he stepped foot into Gotham. Somehow, he knew her streets and her people. And he knew things had only gotten worse. How he knew, he had no idea, but something told him it was true. So after setting himself up a safe house, he took time to watch and learn before he acted. The Bat claimed he protected the city, but the cries of the people constantly hurt by his temporary measures fell on deaf ears. The people were tired and scared. They wanted, needed, something different. So, he decided to be that difference. … “B, our stalker showed up again,” Dick stated as he caught sight of the man who wore a red helmet on a nearby building as he helped Bruce disarm one of the sloppiest put together bombs he’d ever seen. Bruce grunted in understanding as he continued his work. “Any sign of movement?” “No… wait, he’s tilted his head.” He turned just in time to catch Bruce’s expression harden which made him smile. Teasing Bruce when he was being a hard ass was always worth it. But it was strange. The man in the helmet tended to just watch them, especially Bruce. When they first spotted him, due to lighting and stature, there were concerns it might have been Deathstroke. It wouldn’t have been surprising due to the sheer amount of run ins they had with him over the years. However, they quickly realized that his behavior didn’t line up with the mercenary’s. There were never any attempts at approaching them. Instead, he just watched from a nearby location, almost as if he was curious about what they were doing. It made all of them uneasy as they had no idea who he was or what he was doing. What they could see of his gear suggested he’d been well trained, and the one time they chased after him, he was one step ahead of them the entire time before vanishing into the shadows. Dick was dead set figuring him out. “Do you have this? I’d like to see if I can have a chat with our stalker.” “Don’t take any unnecessary risks,” Bruce responded, not looking up from his work. Gripping his heart, he made a show of being wounded. “Me? I would never.” Years ago, it would have at least made Bruce smile, but the man had lost most of his humor when Jason died. But it still got a reaction out of Bruce via a sigh, and for now, that was good enough.

[felinefractious]

In reference to your maine coon health post. What is the more extreme maine coon, the American or European version?

When looking online, I've seen people get confused themselves (like two photos below) and now I'm confused which is which myself.

I personally hate the extreme type, it looks ridiculous, like a cat took cartoon gym steroids. It just doesn't look right. I don't even want to think about the health implications.

Also does the British fancy follow the European or American version? Most likely European, but I don't know.

I tend to think of the more extreme type as European-style, a lot of the worst offenders come out of Russia… but a lot of American breeders boast of European-lines and imports so it isn’t like there’s a distinct line drawn between the two.

A well-bred Maine Coon should be able to place well in the American and the European show circuit, public preference for type aside the actual standard within the registries largely aligns.

There are amazing American breeders and there are terrible American breeders, there are amazing European breeders and terrible European breeders.

I think rather than regional the type difference is generational - the extreme type is more a more modern development - and related to quality, bad breeders are going to be more likely to produce non-standard extreme style cats that cater to what’s popular over health and sound conformation.

[iambeees]

Prev is absolutely right and I want to expand on it a little more!

In the masculinities studies world, we often discuss "doing" gender or performing. We all know gender is not innate to a person, so in order for it to be perceived it must be performed- and thats what gym selfies are. No really, men post pictures of them flexing and sweating to show off their gender to *other men*. Because mens bodies are a contradiction- they're "naturally" stronger, faster, more powerful than women BUT they *have* to go to the gym and have massive muscles and eat nothing but protein powder because That's What Men Do.

In the past, men were seen as stronger than women not because of natural or biological reasons (even though this is what they will tell you) but because men were the ones doing physical labour. Yes, raising children and upkeeping a house takes a lot of work, but its hard to compare it to someone slugging rounds bags of bricks all day.

But (in the western world) this kind of intense physical labour and manual jobs have quickly disappeared- men don't need as much physical strength to be the bread winner (See Gill, Henwood and Mclean, 2005, Body Projects).

So they have to find new ways of physically dominating women- so they go to the gym!!

Showing off your gender like this is called "Body Work" (see pretty much anything by Butler) and they do this because they're obbsessed with each other doing it. They can never be complete, the perfect body and domination over men and women is impossible so they keep doing it, keep flexing, keep restricting their diets, keep posting those selfies. It's just another form of surveillance (see Norman and Bryans, 2022, Embodying Aesthetic Entrepreneurialism)

Under the patriarchy, women are completely 100% heterosexual (because to reject men is to not be controlled, which men enjoy- so men tend to assume all women are straight) and men are 100% straight too. And these straight men are completely utterly obbsessed with each other's bodies (without knowing it) and so they assume that women must like it to.

Again- for men, the ultimate goal is to ascend the social hierarchy and become The Patriarch. Women *do not have this goal* so they do not obsess over the Patriarch and instead tend to find bodies that belong further down the hierarchy more attractive, as these men are less likely to dominate them.

This is what we mean when we say the patriarchy sucks for everyone- men are sent down spirals of hatred of themselves, but they are told this cannot be, so instead they channel this hatred into women without doing the work to unlearn why they hated themselves in the first place.

i think the reason a lot of men are screaming, puking, and crying about this is bc it forces them to acknowledge that the reason they can’t get women to like them is not actually bc of their physique but bc of their shitty personality

[sweetestberryofthebunch]

𝒜𝒜𝒜 𝒲𝑒𝑒𝓀 𝒟𝒶𝓎 𝟣: 𝒥𝑒𝒶𝓁𝑜𝓊𝓈𝓎

I Get So Jealous (BloodPotions)

They made it off the Road alive, but not unscathed. When Alice seeks help from her Coven with the Scars from her Curse, Jen insists she’s the person who can help her, better than anyone else, even Rio. Especially Rio.

Happy AAA Week everyone! Really wanted to contribute some Bloodpotions because I think they deserve more love. I pretty much put on Tegan and Sara and just went at it for this one.

Divider from @bernardsbendystraws

Content/Warnings: Mention of Injury and tending to wounds, Alice has Trauma Jen has PTSD they’ve all been through it, Jealousy makes people mean sometimes, Hurt/Comfort, YE OLDE WHUMP

Read on ao3

@agathaallalongweek

It started just a few days after they left the Road. A hot, singing pain in her shoulder, where the deep scar of her broken curse sat, pulsating on waves of pain.

Alice lay in her bed, her own, warm bed, safely at home, far, far away from the recording studio on the Road, from the fire and the curse. And yet all she could do was writhe and shake until the episode was over, the memories flashing before her eyes like highway lights.

If she could trust the clock on her phone, all of that had taken merely a few seconds.

The next morning, she dropped her mug of boiling hot tea in a cry of pain, curling up on her tiled kitchen floor, the faint, blood curdling cries of the curse being broken rushing through her ears. The beat of the ballad drumming in her ears was suffocating. That time, it took hours until the phantom pain was truly gone. And Alice knew she had to do something about it.

All of them had returned back to the real world with scars of their own.

Lilia looked like she had fought off a whole forest of wild animals, which, in a way she had. There was a bite mark on her leg where the Salem Seven wolf had sunk its teeth into her, and a gnarly scar above her right eye where the crow had pried at her face. But she held her head high nonetheless.

Billy seemed even paler than before, and a lot of Coven meetings were spent on reassuring the poor boy that they all forgave him. He was more determined than ever to learn and practice his magic, so something like the Road could never happen ever again. But there was the unmistakable emptiness in his eyes that you only saw in a kid that had seen things it shouldn’t have.

Agatha‘s arms and chest were littered in thin, black tendrils, the remains of Death Magic entering her body, even for just a moment. However, she seemed to be the only one who approached the change with a sense of pride. The next time Alice stopped by the Bohner residency, Agatha wore a low cut shirt, sleeves rolled up to show off her newest battle scars, including a single, dark purple hickey sitting right between her collarbones, between dark tendrils of black on her skin. Whatever consequences her short encounter with Death (actual Dying, not whatever her and Rio had going on) had, the two had certainly figured out their differences since.

Jen did a good job at pretending everything was fine, after all, she made it out unscorched, unlike her coven members. But the first night back, when they’d all collectively decided to crash at Agatha‘s place, the potions witch had cried in her sleep. Curled up on Agatha‘s (technically Ralph Bohner‘s?) worn out couch, sharing a thin blanket with Lilia, her body had shaken with gasps and sobs, tears staining her makeshift sleep mask.

Billy, the poor, exhausted boy, was out cold on the floor besides Alice, and Lilia slept with ear plugs. But Alice had heard her, and the sound wrapped around her heart like a cold, clamping fist.

One of Jen‘s hands had fallen off the edge of the couch. And silently, carefully not to wake her up, Alice had reached for it, fingers lacing through Jen‘s, thumb running little circles over the back of her hand. Even before falling asleep on an old couch after the wildest adventure of their lives, Jen had somehow found lotion for her hands, the skin soft to the touch, smooth underneath Alice‘s callused fingertips.

She‘d held her hand until the crying stopped, and then she kept holding it as Alice herself drifted back to sleep.

The next morning, neither of them said a word of it, and if anyone else noticed, they did not mention it either. But, Alice knew that Jen, too, suffered from what they’d been through on the road. She was just determined not to let it show.

A luxury that the younger woman sadly didn‘t have.

The day after her second episode in the kitchen, Alice texted their coven group chat, and got in her car to drive out to the Bohner House again.

They assembled around the kitchen Island, each of them a steaming hot drink in hand (Black Tea for Agatha and Lilia, peppermint for Rio, hot cocoa for Billy and Alice, Jen had bought herself a matcha on the way here).

As Rio was stirring a mysterious stew boiling on the stove, Alice explained what had happened.

„Has anyone else been getting … pains?“, she glanced at Agatha, once again sporting a shirt that showed off her newest scars, and the marks of teeth right underneath her right ear, to Lilia, who tried her best to cover up the scar on her brow with powder, but to no avail.

„It feels like I‘m being cursed all over again.“

„You‘re not“, Rio turned around at that, her tone unusually serious. She hadn’t talked a lot to the other coven members since the reveal of her true identity. It was just somewhat of a big, deadly elephant in the room. But the other night Alice had sent her a meme about a succulent, and Rio had replied with a blurry selfie of her laughing.

Now she stood across the kitchen island, dark eyes fixed on Alice not menacingly, but with genuine concern, brow furrowed in deep thought. Even Agatha seemed surprised at the deity’s intensity

„Your curse was broken when it burned out, I felt it die.“ Her dark eyes found Alice‘s shoulder, like she could see right through the fabric of her shirt at the scorched skin. Ever since the Spirit Trial, Alice‘s scar had taken a slight purple colour, something the entire coven tried hard to just never point out.

Suddenly, Agatha was extremely busy playing with her hair, shuffling ever so slightly behind her partner.

„You said you can hear the cries of the breaking curse? And the ballad we sang?“ Rio asked, and Agatha opened her mouth to interrupt, but The Green Witch merely had to lift a single finger in her direction to shut her up.

Besides Alice, Jen watched the interaction with a smirk on her face. „I think I like having her around.“

Eyes darker than the woods at night rested on Jen. Rio’s stare was unreadable yet intent, and part of Jen wished she’d just stayed quiet. Right beside The Green Witch, Agatha smirked at her like Jen just got caught taking the last cookie in the jar without asking.

„Either way“, The Green Witch’s voice was sharp and left no room for further bickering, from either side of the table, „If there are remains of the Curse still stuck to Alice“ - Jen noticed the shorter girl next to her flinch at the words. She wanted nothing more than to wrap an arm around her, but Rio‘s unreadable, sharp gaze on her stopped her - „The only thing I can think of to help is-“

„Cleansing“, Agatha finished.

„Like an exorcism?“ Billy chimed in.

Lilia shuddered in horror, then swatted him gently on the back of the head. „Goodness, Teen, we are not the Catholic Church!“

„And we aren’t dealing with an active possession either“, Agatha added on, matter of factly, „The curse itself has been defeated, as you may remember. What is happening to Alice right now, I believe to be a dissonance of energy. Blood magic that has existed only in tandem with a curse now left on its own. We need to scrape out the last bit of cursed energy, so her own power can take up the newly acquired space safely.“

A deep cleaning of Alices magical potential. Purification of her scar. A straight forward, but powerful healing process.

“I’ll do it.“ All eyes landed on Jen. Almost surprised at herself, she bit her lower lip. „I may not be able to ease the pain, but if the problem is a dissonance of energies, I can mix up a cleansing oil. Something to purify the scar of the remnants of foul energy.“

At that, her eyes pointedly glared at Agatha, whose jaw immediately tightened.

„Foul energy? Come on Kale, now that’s low even for you!“

Jennifer felt her jaw tense, leaning over the table ever so slightly, eyes narrowing. „Those are some brave words from the woman responsible for all of thi-“

„Now that that‘s taken care of,“ Lilia raised her voice before the two women could bicker any further, „I‘m going to excuse Billy and I. We have a Divination lesson to get to.“

As the Sicilian witch pulled Billy towards the living room by his sleeve, Alice turned to Jen. It was only now that she noticed how close they seemed to stand to each other, close enough that Alice had to tilt her head up slightly to find Jennifer‘s eyes.

A genuine, grateful smile curled her lips upwards as she rolled her shoulders backwards, tongue darting out to wet her bottom lip, a nervous habit she just couldn’t shake off. All while Jen just stood there, watching her with that look in her eyes that made it impossible to know what was going through her head.

„Thank you“, Alice muttered, only now noticing the sweet scent of jasmine and honey radiating off Jen. She must be wearing a new perfume.

„It uhm.. you have no idea how much you‘re helping me.“

Jennifer‘s hand came up to her shoulder, the left, unharmed one. Her long, sleek fingers were adorned with golden rings, squeezing gently. The contact left Alice breathless. A silent, unspoken energy seemed to form around you, in the way it had that night Alice had reached for Jen‘s hand. The way it had on the road, when they had sat around the fireplace, Jen sitting close enough that Alice felt goosebumps rise on her skin. Just like now.

„If you ever need anything like that“, Jen said, her eyes flitting from Alice over to Rio, who was humming a made up tune while stirring her stew on the stove, not paying attention to them at all, „Just come to me directly. Don‘t-“ Jennifer swallowed, voice dropping low, „Don’t try to consult with Death. Just let me help you.“

„Alice?“, as if she had felt her name on their tongue, Rio suddenly appeared right behind the protection witch. Her hair was pulled up into a bun now, a scarf swung around her neck. The keys to Alice‘s Peugeot dangled off her fingers. „Are you still up for another driving lesson? I think I’m good enough to leave the parking lot today, and we have to buy new kibble for Scratchy on the way!“

And in the blink of an eye, Jen was gone. Her hand retreated from Alice‘s shoulder and she was already halfway to the door pulling her phone out of her purse. And all Alice could do was stand there, missing the warmth that Jen took with her. She swallowed, trying to push away the confusion bubbling up in her chest.

After a small sigh, she turned to Rio, snatching the car keys from her hand. „You are not leaving the parking lot yet, you can barely switch gears! I actually thought today I could teach you parallel parking.“

~

Agatha's guest bathroom was so small, even just two people standing inside felt crowded. Two weeks of intense research, growing rare and even extinct herbs in the greenhouse and a lot more trial and error than Jen would like to admit had passed. Finally, she’d gotten the mixture right, a small, tear drop shaped potions bottle resting against her palm, inside it a shimmering, mildly glowing oil. The labour of countless sleepless nights (actually it’s exactly 4, they ruined Jennifer’s beauty routine), of staying at the Bohner house way more than she liked to, of watching Alice teach Rio how to drive, how to use her phone, how to set up an E Mail and a Spotify account. All things that, in Jennifer’s opinion, should have been Agatha’s job.

But right now, Rio wasn’t there for once, and it was just the two of them in this tiny, confined bathroom that you could barely turn around in without knocking something over.

Alice stood so close, Jen could smell the minty scent of mens sports deodorant.

She immediately wondered if Alice could smell the rosewater Jen wore on her pressure points, or the distinct scent of Dior perfume.

She couldn't help but wonder if she liked it or if she thought it was overwhelming. If the latter were the case, Jen would no doubt rub it off immediately, until her skin was raw and irritated. The thought hit her with unexpected might, and Jen had to clear her throat to ground herself in the moment. A sound that came out way sharper than intended.

Alice flinched, a more minimal movement of her shoulders, but Jen noticed nonetheless.

„I‘m sorry“, Jen immediately said, fumbling nervously with the freshly brewed potion in her hand. She’d taken weeks to perfect the serum, and yes, maybe she did consult Rio about the brew she‘d concocted one time, but only because she had to make sure it would be the best possible result for Alice.

Jen bit down on her own tongue. All for Alice.

„You need to take your shirt off“, her voice sounded rough even to herself, and Jen bit the inside of her cheek harshly. “So I can see better, I mean.“

Alice‘s eyes widened for a moment, mouth falling open just the slightest bit, before curling into one of those smiles she did where her nose scrunched up just a little.

„Chivalry is dead!“ she announced dramatically, „Gotta do everything myself these days!“

As the blood witch peeled herself out of her sweatshirt, Jen had to resist the urge to grab the distressed fabric and tear it off herself.

Underneath, Alice revealed a simple black tank top with thin strands. When she pulled the right strand off her shoulder to leave the scar tissue resting beneath it bare, Jen felt her stomach twist.

They were standing so close, tips of their shoes almost touching, their distinct scents mixing in the air. Alice had to tilt her head back to look Jen in the eye, a few strands of bright orange fringe peaking over her brow.

Jens hand twitched to brush it away, run her fingers over the pale skin on Alice‘s forehead, feel the warmth of the other girl beneath her fingertips.

However, before Alice could notice her twitching hand — or maybe because she did — the girl spun around in place. A little awkwardly, due to the constricted space, her hands found the cool surface of the sink, bent over just the slightest bit. Jen behind her stood completely unmoving, unable to do anything but stare at the woman in front of her, at the skin exposed, the slight arch of her back. She had forgotten how to breathe minutes ago.

Their eyes met in the mirror and Alice's face was as brightly red as Jen felt.

„Is this okay?“, Alice's voice was very quiet all of a sudden, and Jen must have stared at her utterly confused, because the short woman tapped her bare shoulder. „I mean, can you work like this?“

Work, yes. That was something Jen knew, something she wasn’t just good at, but marvellous. So, after a small shake of her head she rolled her shoulders back, focusing on the task at hand. The thing she knew for sure she could do for Alice. And, by all gods in the sky, she was going to do her best.

The scar was gnarly. Deep dark red and purple discolouration scorned her ivory skin, thick layers of scar tissue pushing up against each other. A satchel of memory permanently burned into her shoulder, a reminder of the road.

No, Jen thought, of her family curse. This scar run far deeper than any of the other coven members could understand. The original wound so old, the protection witch rarely ever talked about it.

Suddenly, Alice flinched.

Jen‘s hand pulled back immediately, biting her bottom lip as she stared at her own fingers. She hadn’t even realised her fingers had grazed the damaged skin.

„'M Sorry“, she mumbled, glancing down at the tips of her Birkenstocks apologetically. Not her favourite shoe, but enough as a slipper for inside the house.

„It‘s okay“, Alice voice was hoarse, but she gave Jen a small smile over her shoulder. „You‘re the expert here.“

Yes, right, the healing ointment.

Jennifer grabbed the small glass bottle that held a thick, swirling oil concoction.

„Since the wound itself is technically healed, it makes no sense to make you a potion“, she explained, shaking the bottle gently. The content began to shimmer, single particles of pale pink and gold catching the light. She pulled the cork out with a pop, the scent of roses filling the room.

Jen swallowed, her shoulders relaxing. This was her element, this was what she was good at. And god, did it feel good to be able to help Alice with her talents.

„So I made you an ointment to apply on the scar once a day. Massage it in thoroughly, and it should speed up the healing process and regenerate the skin. I also added some herbs to ward off evil, just in case. And some dried roses because they smell nice.“

And a dash of crushed gold leaf, but that was merely for aesthetic purposes. Because if Alice was going to glow from the inside out, her skin might as well reflect that.

Alice smiled to herself, watching Jen hold the small bottle in her hands, the golden manicure she‘d treated herself to coincidentally matching the treatment.

The younger witch swallowed, before shrugging slightly, as if to shake off some quiet thought she refused to share.

„I‘m gonna ask Rio to plant some roses in the backyard. I didn‘t know you used them for your potions!“

At the mention of the Green Witch, Jennifer‘s face soured, even just for a second. Ever since they had returned from the Road, had established this new, shared life with each other, Death seemed especially comfortable around Alice. Rio had been the one to task Jen to make a potion to relieve Alice of the Curses remaining aches, whenever Alice texted their group chat that she was on her way, Rio naturally began boiling water for Alice‘s favourite tea (Roibos Vanilla with a spoon of honey, Jen paid attention) and when Agatha had grown frustrated that besides Billy, only one of them had a functioning car, Rio had started to take those god damned driving lessons from Alice.

They had spent a lot of time together in and around their Coven‘s little home, and Jennifer would lie if she said it didn’t leave a sour taste in her mouth. And now, at Alice off handed comment, she bit her own tongue, hard enough to taste the metallic tang of her own blood, and just shook her head.

Rio already had Agatha, wasn’t that more than enough for her? That woman certainly was a handful.

„I have a stash with everything I need at home“, she simply said, giving the potion bottle in her hands one more shake, slightly more violent than necessary, before glancing back down at Alice‘s bare shoulder. Not exactly the perfect view to distract her from the tight knot in her chest, bit at least she had a task her.

Shifting back into focus, her eyes ran down the grey, thick scar tissue bulking from Alice‘s skin.

„Does it still hurt?“, despite being alone in the bathroom, Jen was whispering. The silence between them felt fragile yet sacred. Like a wordless spell of protection, wrapping them in their own little bubble. A moment where there was none of the tension Jen felt flimmering around her every time Rio sat next to Alice. Every time they excused themselves for a driving lesson. The last thing Jen wanted was to burst this moment. Cut through the air in the small bathroom that for once, only the two of them shared. No one else.

Alice sighed, shoulders rising and slowly falling again.

„No“, she replied just as quietly.

Jen looked up, searching for Alice's face in the mirror before her, but the shorter woman kept her eyes lowered. Her brows creased.

„I mean, I get this … phantom pain sometimes. Like it‘s still there, like … like its claws are still inside me.“

Chocolate brown eyes found Jens in the reflection. Jennifer‘s eyes were a deep but refined brown, like a rare piece of solid wood vintage furniture. Alice's eyes were a warm, all encompassing brown. Like a swirl of pure dark chocolate, or a tunnel underneath a mountain. Unspoken secrets hidden deep within them. Jen wanted to know them all, if Alice would just let her.

When their eyes met in the mirror, Jen felt her jaw clenching. Her breath came slow, the slightest breeze brushing over Alice's exposed skin. She saw the goosebumps rise, where the scarring gave into pale skin, purple veins hidden beneath.

Alice looked so vulnerable, Jen had the sudden urge to wrap her arms around her, pull the shorter girl's lean shoulders into her embrace and keep her there, far out of reach from any forms of demons, curses, conjured roads. Far away from Rio, who no matter how charismatic, was still Death incarnate. Away from Lilia‘s predictions of doom and despair, and god forbid, the furthest away from Agatha and Billy, and their raw, concentrated chaos magick.

But then she remembered the way Alice always made sure the plans at the Bohner house were watered when Rio was gone, the way she did her daily Italian lessons on Duolingo because Lilia ��missed her mother tongue“, her little shoulder checks every time Billy successfully cast a spell. The way Alice drew salt circles around their little headquarters, made sure Agatha‘s bunny had a small protection spell on him whenever he roamed freely around the garden. The blood witch was a light to all of them, and the more she helped others, the brighter she seemed to shine. Jen could never take that away from her.

So she kept her hands to herself, dribbled a few drops of ointment into her palm before rubbing them together. The floral scent in the room intensified, and as the oil warmed up between her hands, a soft, pale pink glow rose from Jen‘s palms.

„The curse is gone“, she said after a long moment of silence.

When she glanced at Alice again in the mirror, the pink glow of her hands reflected in her deep dark eyes. Jennifer‘s stomach did a little flip at the sight.

„You survived, and you freed everyone who will come after you too.“

Glowing palms ghosted over the scar on Alice‘s shoulder, before her warm hand came to rest on the scorned skin.

The smallest gasp left Alice‘s lips at the contact, and at first, she flinched, before slowly leaning back into the touch.

„Thank you Jen," she whispered, breathing deeply. „It tingles but … it feels good.“

Slowly, Jen began to rub the ointment over Alice’s shoulder, working her way over her shoulder blade and down her back, up towards her neck, along every ridge and bump of scar tissue.

Alice was warm beneath her palms, her breathing slow and even as her eyes fluttered shut. Her head rolled over to her other shoulder, exposing her neck to the woman behind her.

So close, Jennifer could see the hair‘s on her neck dance as she breathed over them. Her hand stilled, resting right in the crook between Alice‘s shoulder and neck, where the Curse had struck the deepest.

„Alice“, Jen gasped, glancing up at her in panic, „I-“

The shorter girl interrupted her before Jen had time to think about what she was about to say.

„I wish you‘d just do it“, she murmured, keeping her eyes pressed shut, as if she was scared of what she‘d find in Jen‘s eyes.

Jen stared at her, mouth opening and closing multiple times without a sound coming out. Like a fish out of water.

„But“, finally her vocal strings complied, „I thought, I mean … Rio.“

At that, Alice turned around in her position. Her eyes were wide, mouth agape in disbelief, and the corners of her mouth were twitching, like she had to fight back a smile. „Jennifer Kale“, she said unexpectedly firm, „Excuse my choice of words, but what the fuck?“

Her hands found her hips, and she looked at Jennifer as if she‘d just exclaimed the sky was green, not blue. There was a slight sass in the melody of her voice, and all Jen could do was stare and listen.

„Rio? Who either doesn’t show up for days on end and when she does, its pretty much only to see Agatha? Who almost wrecked my car in the Walmart parking lot? Please“, a faint blush crept up Alice‘s face and she shook her head. „Did I tell you how Billy and I found her and Agatha making out in the Greenhouse the other day?“

Jennifer‘s eyes widened. „They did not!“

„They absolutely did. The poor boy was so embarrassed.“

Jen couldn’t help the laugh tumbling off her tongue, shaking her head at the scene in her head. Alice low, melodic chuckle joined her, and for a moment, they were just two women laughing together, without any of the tension Jen had cultivated between them.

But then, Alice quietened down, and she turned around again, facing away from Jen. Her gaze was focused downwards, but in the mirror, she could still see her furrowed brows.

There it was again, tension between them thick enough to cut with a knife.

Alice kept her eyes down. Her voice was low and raw, barely audible. When Jen noticed Alice‘s slight shiver, she instinctively reached up, placing her warm palm on her shoulder.

„The only reason I spend so much more time with Rio is because she almost took me. I was done for, Jen. I saw my own body on the floor, and Rio was there ready to take me to the other side. I died… I felt Death.“

Almost in perfect synchrony, they both swallowed. Jennifer‘s palm rubbed up and down Alice‘s shoulder gently, and a soft sigh escaped the shorter woman‘s mouth. Jen imagined she leaned closer into the touch.

„Rio spared me, and I still don‘t exactly know why. Maybe … maybe there was so much fight left, maybe it wasn’t my time. But still, I will forever be grateful for that. But,“ dark brown eyes caught Jennifer‘s in the mirrors reflection. Alice chin was raised, jaw tight. „That has nothing to do with anything going on between us, Jen. Rio was there for a very scary moment in my life, but she doesn’t make me feel like you do. And she doesn’t want to, either. We both know she only has eyes for Agatha. And I only have eyes for you.“

Jen stared at her like she had just been hit over the head with a shovel. Her palm on Alice‘s shoulder stilled, perfectly fitting into the slight crook. Like it was meant to be there.

Alice bit her lip. „There, I said it. I‘ve been looking at you for a long time now. Hell, I‘ve been nervous around you since we met, the first time the Coven assembled. You‘re gorgeous, confident, and you‘re the only one out of us who talks back to Agatha. You saved so many of our lives on the Road and you have beautiful lips that always look soft and when you stand behind me like this and I can feel your breath on my neck I … I just want you to lean in.“

And Jen did.

Her lips brushed over soft, warm skin cautiously, like she was scared to break it. Merely a small peck to her neck, barely enough to smudge Jennifer's tinted lip gloss. And yet, she felt the blood rush to her head.

A small, high pitched sigh that escaped Alice‘s throat. It washed over Jen like pure honey. So sweet, it was almost sickening.

Growing more courageous, Jen pressed another kiss to her neck, just slightly above the first spot. This time, her lips lingered in position, sucking the soft, heated skin between her teeth for the fragment of a second.

Alice whined, and Jen felt like she could get drunk on the sound. A hand came up to her head, short nails digging into her scalp as Alice pulled her further up. She turned her head to meet her face to face, and the next thing Jen knew, their lips met.

The angle was less than perfect, Alice‘s neck craned to the side, Jennifer on her tiptoes to be able to lean over her shoulders enough, but the sparks flew just the same.

„I had no idea“, Jen murmured, words wandering from her lips directly into Alice‘s, „That you felt that way.“

„I figured as much.“ Jennifer felt Alice smirk against her lips before pressing one more kiss to her. „I didn’t think you did either, but you‘re kind of shit at hiding your jealousy.“

„I‘m not the jealous type," Jen retorted. But even she had to admit she did not sound convincing at all, bottom lip pushed forward into a slight pout as her arms wrapped around Alice‘s waist, pulling her flush against her.

„Sure, you just decided to dislike Rio on a whim one day.“

Jen’s perfect manicure dug into the fabric of Alice jeans. „Don’t say her name right now.“

That made Alice snort, and Jen couldn’t deny the irony either.

„Okay“, she sighed, brushing a strand of bright orange, box dyed hair behind Alice‘s ear, „I‘ll admit to a little bit of jealousy.“ Her fingers ran along Alice‘s jaw, coming to rest on her chin. Tilting her face up just the slightest bit, she pulled her into another slow, sweet kiss. Alice pulled her closer by the back of her neck, smiling into the touch of Jen‘s lips against hers.

„I‘ll take it“, she murmured, „You’re cute when you get like that.“

Jen felt her nose scrunch up, glancing away from Alice’ adoring eyes. “You are definitely the only one who thinks so.“

[sam-keeper]

Hey Look At This Comic: Quincy

I can't remember the exact jumps it took me to get to Quincy. I know the starting point: Randy Milholland's guest appearance on Behind the Bastards for a couple episodes on Dennis the Menace. guests on that show tend to be a bit of a live studio audience, there to go "wow" and "yikes" and "[noise of discomfort]" at the right moments. not Milholland, who knows his comics history. boy, I would listen to a whole podcast of him just talking about newspaper strips! anyway, I don't think he mentions Quincy while talking about integrated casts in newspaper comics, but someone he did mention sent me off on a search and someone else mentioned Ted Shearer's Quincy, and well.

you can see, right, why this comic Got Me so fast? what a cartooning style! I'm not going to dwell on Shearer's history--you can read the Comics Journal article on him just as well as I can summarize it. I want to talk about how Shearer draws.

it's hard to do that without reference to other comic strip artists, in particular, standing as foils for Shearer's style. Ernie Bushmiller of Nancy fame is maybe the paragon of an ultra clean iconic style, where everything is almost like the platonic cartoon of what it is. (I've seen Schultz placed in this tradition as well.) not Ted Shearer's work. everything's got little flourishes and elaborations and bends and variations in outline. his comics jiggle. there are times when I'm not totally sure at a glance what his marks are meant to represent, which is a problem if you think the highest calling of comics is to relay information clearly, and a lot less of a problem if you're in love with the sheer artistry of mark making. look at that snowball fight comic, for example, and the wild mess of lines, or the way Quincy's shoes and socks are sketched, in the last panel of the letter to the president comic, with just a few confident pen blotches and a bunch of negative space. even when it's economical, it somehow feels so unsatisfied with the schematic, always searching for a way to make the objects feel a little off kilter, a little dynamic.

check out that first strip there, the one about where Quincy's granny frets over the neighboring building getting demolished, because it's crucial infrastructure for her clothesline. I just paged through a collection of Bloom County I have cause I was like, well Berkley Breathed has pretty dynamic panels too right? nope! Bloom County has a dynamic brushed style that feels similar to Shearer's style, but the panel compositions and the arrangement of characters and camera and environment are typically much more static. even Calvin and Hobbes, aside from the often completely crazy sunday strips, tends to have compositions that might employ a closeup or a distance shot, but tend to have relatively cohesive shots. this three panel strip starts with a panel where Quincy, instead of standing static, listening into the phone call, seems to pop in from the left, tie fluttering with movement. (also, scope the nice tilt on that lampshade, echoing the angle of Quincy's body!) panel two seems to pull out to an unmotivated ultra long shot, that not only gives us the apartment buildings but the fence partly blocking the view! Quincy's environment is so packed that there's no room for the kind of clear view of a building you might get in a Nancy strip. and then the point of that long shot is revealed in the final panel, a CRAZY dutch angle on the two leaning out the window towards the other building, as Granny reveals the other side of her washing line is going to get torn down. to accentuate this, the sheets on the line billow, again at an angle counter to the window, Granny, and Quincy.

Shearer seems never content to just have a series of characters in situations talking to each other. his viewpoint is always swinging around, his characters always turning to show new angles of themselves. the letter comic here is the most conventional strip of the lot and even this has only two relatively similar poses. all three standing poses are in wildly different positions and angles, front, then spinning to the side, then back, tilting left, tilting right.

he also has this tendency to have characters pop up almost as though they can see the camera. it's not enough that a straightman in Quincy should turn to the audience--they tend to pop towards the foreground. in that clothesline comic, Quincy doesn't look to Granny but to us, as though inviting us to join him in wondering about the phone call that has Granny so worried. in the composition of that circus comic, Shearer finds room for the characters, despite the size of the animals, at the borders of the comic, and is willing to embrace way more pronounced perspective than I'm used to seeing in daily gag strips to do it. look at that kid just sorta peeking over the bottom edge of the frame in that last panel! there's other comics of his where inexplicably another kid in Quincy's class, for example, will just pop their head up in the last panel, somehow accentuating the punchline with their non sequitur appearance. like real kids, Shearer's kids are unruly. like a real poor urban area, the very material of the landscape is unruly.

that TCJ article lays out what Shearer's motivation may have been, for such a vibrant and lived in strip:

"My first idea is to get people to like Quincy, to get them involved with the character, and then they can see for themselves the broken-down home, the torn sneakers, etc. Then perhaps readers will say, ‘Gee, maybe we can help.’ Or even the poor white can say, ‘Gee I went through this same thing myself.’"

that approach can only work because of the detail Shearer's panels overflow with. one more comparison: don't Shearer's landscapes sometimes feel a bit like George Herriman's wobbly, shape-filled landscapes in Krazy Kat? just, less weird cacti and more scrungly fire hydrants and snaggle-toothed fences. the move from panel to panel doesn't always make diegetic sense, much like the landscape moves around Krazy, but it's so lush that in total it creates a place that feels lived in, enough that it still connects with me 40 or 50 years later. that seems a testament to Shearer's strategy, and probably has some lessons for the Clarity of Communication school of comics theory.

it all adds up to a work that should be in the pantheon right alongside someone like Bill Watterson. I don't think I've ever heard anyone talk about Shearer, though. the broadest history I have--Harvey's Art of the Comic Book--doesn't cite him; nor Wolk's Reading Comics. like a lot of histories, Gardner's Projections loses track of newspaper strips sometime between the rise of Stan Lee and the rise of Comix With An X. some of that's the way the history's been canonized, but some of the way the history's been canonized is surely due to institutional racism and the pinning of the modern Art History of Comics on white men like R Crumb.

what Quincy deserves is a way of following it now... but that's not an infrastructure I can imagine anyone is interested in building. sites like comics kingdom or gocomics have snubbed rss technology for presumably the same reason social media increasingly gates all content from non-users: gotta juice the numbers and make sure direct access is the only business in town. which is sorta bizarre when it comes to a strip like this because who is signing up for a comicskingdom account, sitting down, and reading through a decade of Quincy strips? if they're already just putting the lot online for free (which, hey, I'm grateful for that, especially from a historical access perspective!!), why not set up a way to cycle through that history in a feed, shipping out the strips in the format they were meant for: something you'd see daily? but, I'm the weirdo who thinks basically the whole internet should be embracing a more broadcast syndication model. at least the comics are readable online, which means that maybe bit by bit Ted Shearer's work can get the wider cultural attention something this virtuosic deserves.

this post originally ran on Cohost on Jul 31, 2024. you can read more reviews in the Hey Look At This Comic tag and support me on Patreon.

[rederiss]

in my head you are jeremy knox's number one fan and I wanted to vent about something regarding the treatment of "sunshine characters" and such. very brief i promise.

one complaint I kept seeing about Jeremy from other fans was that he "has no personality" and I'm like halfway through TSC and... that is just not true lmao. He's packed with personality. The darker edges of his character are definitely more subtle (like he blatantly disassociates at periodic intervals it's pretty rampant) but he's also...

There's this scene where he kind of puts his foot down and goes, "hey we are accommodating as well as we can you need to meet us halfway" when talking to Jean. And I found that interesting. Because for all Jean has been through he's definitely in the mindset of "this is what needs to happen and how things need to go" and there's only so much they can do before it directly collides with what Jean needs to heal. Which is someone challenging his perspective. Challenging his viewpoint and having the spine not to back down from it. And I see Jeremy as being very self assured in regards to his team (and less so to himself. I think it's a specific thing of "I am confident and assured and stands straight when it affects people in my team but I tend to run and avoid my personal and familial problems.) And that's like... the first eight chapters.

So, to come back to my point, the whole boiling down of Jeremy to this "bouncy happy sunshine boy" is already frustrating because he IS good but he's got a lot buried underneath that surface and that is legitimately compelling. But fandom is where gentle and good characters with nuance go to die ig. Was that salty? Maybe I'm just remembering my roots. I have a particular venom for characters who aren't allowed to be multifaceted because they happen to wear a smile.

GOD Im Kevin’s rival!! I am sorry but I will fight Kevin for #1 Jeremy fan. He can take #2 where he belongs, which is behind his queen tattoo…

Can I just say I am so glad someone else notices how often Jeremy dissociates. Made a post about it specifically with TGR, but he does do it in TSC. I say it’s a point of his characterization where people need to pay attention the most because it really shows so much of Jeremy Knox. I could go on and on about this, but I won’t. Instead, I will say that focusing on what Jeremy is attempting to omit in his narrative actually will clue us in with his deal.

The next thing I am going to say will be controversial but it’s actually the truth… People do not know how to read anymore. And I mean read with a critical lens and be able to understand the complexities of the words in front of them. Unless those words are explicitly stated (like in Neil’s and Jean’s POV), then they will not understand the complexities of a true unreliable narrator (like Jeremy). There have legit been studies that people’s critical thinking skills and reading skills are declining within each generation. Why do I mention all of this? Because it’s important to know why this is happening. Jeremy is the type of character where we HAVE to focus on what he is attempting on omitting, especially in the first book.There is another side to this whole issue where people believe that characters like Jeremy are boring because they aren’t edgy. We see how the fandom treats Neil, Jean, Andrew, and Kevin (love my edgy boys) vs Jeremy (Love my sunshine boy) and its very clear what the common denominator is for the other four. Jeremy is just as complex (and dare I say he can get just as edgy) as the others, but he has his reasons to not do this. Most people either a) don’t want to see that a sunshine character can have nuance or b) genuinely did not understand the breadcrumbs he dropped in tsc.

Okay, now that I got that long spiel out of the way. Let’s rave about my boy. Jeremy is such a character. He is the captain of the top 3 college exy team. He is caring and loving and understanding but he knows how to put his foot on the ground and stand up on business. I think the reason why he seemed not as nuanced as Jean is because we only get 5 (and a half) Jeremy chapters in TSC and the whole time he is avoiding his whole deal. He puts the focus heavily on Jean for a lot of reasons, which by now you should alreaady have the sense on what he’s doing. Essentially, he is playing a role in jean’s “rehabilitation” by stopping the platform from shaking so that jean can step on it. So, he isn’t focusing on himself. You’ll learn more about the logic behind this in TGR btw.

Fandoms generally dont like sunshine characters. Even with ATLA, the most liked character is Zuko, the most edgiest character in the whole damn show. He has so much complexity but they ignore that Aang (a sunshine characters) also has the same amount of complexity since they do mirror each other. Unfortuantellyyy Jeremy got that. People equate edgy to nuance and sunshine to 1 dimensional when that is not even the case. This goes back to my point of people not understanding complexities unless it’s stated directly to them. Edgy characters do tend to state everything under the sun while sunshine characters bottle up. It’s harder to crack open a sunshine character so they pass them off, but I guarantee you if figure out how to crack those characters open, a whole world will come out. I am hoped that TGR would remedy some of this, but I still see people falsely characterizing Jeremy in their posts or saying off hand comments about him that don’t make sense. It disheartens me as Jeremy lover.

[lastflunky]

It felt like a lot of people really wanted SU to be a show full of constant cool fights and then killing the final bad guy with a big laser beam.

While Akira Toriyama was cited as an influence in the shows design. In terms of story, SU has more in common with Magical Girl shows.

This is why we get a lot of Beach City episodes (which aren't a waste of time). Within Magical Girl genres conventions, you get slice of life antics as well as magical hijinks. It tends to be 50/50. The normalcy is a key part of the genre. Cardcaptor Sakura is like that. E.G. Let's go to the library so Sakura can finish her summer break homework. Oh no! The book she needs to do a book report on is possessed by a Clow Card!

These shows tend to be about friendship and the connections we make with people. How a kid learns to deal with new responsibilities and will make mistakes along the way. Cat fingers is about Steven trying to learn shape-shifting with disastrous results.

Villains in Magical Girl shows are sometimes redeemed like the various Sailor Moon villains or the aliens from Tokyo Mew Mew. Even if the bad guys die, there's a bit of sympathy for them. Of course 100% evil villains exist but it's clear SU is playing with that grey area. Characters like Usagi want to give people a second chance. There are villains that change their minds and want to be better.

Also Revolutionary Girl Utena is full of really flawed teenagers who do awful things but are also sympathetic. If people can't handle SU, I think RGU would make their heads explode. We know that SU was influenced by RGU. Sugar has stated this.

It felt like a deliberate choice in Steven Universe Future when Steven asks Jasper to train him. We get a training montage and a DBZ-like fight. Steven powers up (becomes perfect Steven, if you will) and shatters Jasper. This is a breaking point for Steven and starts the end of Future. Congrats to the people who wanted Steven to go super saiyen and kill someone. Steven regretted it instantly, revived them and is now having a mental breakdown.

I'm not criticising Shoeun anime but the kind of people who only care about flashy fights and power levels. I feel like in addition to people obsessed with shows/characters being their vision of perfection or believe in the idea that might makes right. They wanted Steven Universe to be a different type of show entirely. Dragon Ball is an influence on SU for sure (Vegeta is one of the most famous redeemed villains after all) but it was inspired by a lot of different shows as well (Future boy Conan, Dr. Slump and I think the Simpsons?).

sometimes i worry that *i'm* wrong and SU is bad/rushed/blah blah. then i remember whites fragile need to be perfect and ego defense of thinking she's fixing things. i remember how its perfectly mirrored by stevens need to fix others. how its both beautifully symbolic in CYM an made more explicit and heart-rending in future.

yeah that shit rules. white being reformed is great. its the ultimate rebuttal to the ideology that only good/useful/perfect people deserve to live- which is exactly the standard white held herself and everyone else to. it mirrors stevens arc of selfless heroism. it mirrors the toxic, insecure selflessness thats plagued everyone from pearl to jasper to rose about what it means to "deserve" to live it ties into "love like you" of how learning self-love is intertwined with loving others. it ties into how steven can't let go of his hero role until he's confronted by *literally* having his own mind in white's body, hating the idea of being like her yet ironically reacting exactly how she would - "this is someone bad for society, they should be shattered, this is what's best for everyone." trying to hurt her only hurting him. trying to help her helping all of gemkind - from the corrupted gems to dismantling a system that was held up by those exact ideals.

yeah no SU is fantastic. i'm so sad that its reputation is "oh well it wasn't that good, but it had some lgbt+ rep :)" which is just about the most condescending crap ever. i would gladly flip it. i think most cartoons that have come after SU haven't been that interesting, they've just been mostly generic stories with some lgbt+ rep.

[enden-agolor]

Something that always made me curious is what is the difference in the FBAU? It's clear something happened before the cannon timeline that caused Lukas to not be present in the FBAU timeline.

Something I've noticed is that maybe Lukas is just a bit more closed off. All of your Lukas' before this one have been, not eagered, but happily open to the idea of being kind to everyone and making connections. While FBAU Lukas prefers to not talk to people and may see these connections as a liability.

My question is why? Did Lukas get hurt by people much earlier in this timeline? Or is that just how he was spawned in differently.

You can see this version of Lukas turning into the one we're used to because of Jesse, does that mean Jesse is the reason for this?

Also the FBAU Lukas seems very passionate about this ecological book while your cannon Lukas is already ready to put down the feather pen and take a break from writing. (Going based off Recovery AU)

Do all your Lukas' have a personality shift I haven't noticed? And if so, what's the reason for them? Are they the reason for choices made?

I would say that mine and Andy's Lukas' all tend to have a personality shift because of Jesse's positive influence on him.

I have always headcanoned Lukas as autistic, but he will never be labeled as such in our stories. We try to show those traits rather than just out right say it as is. That, and I don't think autism would even exist as a concept in the mcsm world. The world thinks you're weird. They don't care what kind of weird you are. Just being different is enough for them to give Lukas the cold shoulder.

FDAU Lukas struggles with that immensely.

In canon, he seems to have a hard time figuring out where he belongs and seems to share a hint of jealousy towards Jesse's group with how well they all manage to get along. He finds difficulty in connecting with others, and seems to be conflicted with his emotions towards the Ocelots. Having second thoughts on if they are a good team for him, but then wanting to prove he is a good friend by wanting to go after them, despite them being awful people. It's like he wants to prove to himself that he is just as much a good friend to his team as Jesse is to his own. He wants to prove to himself that he can grow and change and that influence comes from the kindness Jesse shared towards him. It gave Lukas the confidence to take on the idea of going out on his own to find his friends, only for Jesse to express deep concern in his well-being and talk Lukas into staying. That is the kind of connection Lukas has been striving for.

In FDAU, Lukas spawned at The Citadel, which is where Aiden, Maya, and Gill also happened to spawn. This is where I like to headcanon they all met. In the canon world, I like to think Lukas struggled with what he wanted to do in life and kind of just forced himself to fit in with others. He took up building as a hobby and ended up traveling a long ways away until he'd eventually land himself in the town at the beginning of the game. He'd teamed up and formed The Ocelots on the way here, and they all settled down in town since.

In the AU, Lukas didn't buckle under the pressure to fit in and instead found his passion for writing and nature. But in the world that he lives in, if you aren't someone who is a hero or a builder, basically someone who isn't directly contributing to society, you're viewed as a weirdo and outcasted. Which is what happened. Lukas was ridiculed for his interest and barked at relentlessly by many people that his chosen role in life was a waste of time. People, especially Aiden and his friends, would even hurl insults that someone like him should be left out in the dark for zombies to get so maybe it would open the opportunity of an actually useful individual spawning and taking his place in the world.

Lukas disconnected himself from society because of this and focused on his travels, even if that meant commiting to a life of loneliness. Of course it's not what he wanted, but for a long time, it is what he felt like he deserved. He spent many years traveling alone until he eventually found Dewey and Dewey accepted to be his travel companion.

Unfortunately for him, he felt a deep hatred for heroes along the way. The way he was treated back at his spawn city was a deep rooted trauma that followed him for a long time. It was only until his Villagerese mentor soothed his frustration towards heroes and had Lukas looking towards them with a different outlook. He doesn't like feeling hatred. It's an awful feeling, so at the beginning of the fic, you see he's actually excited to see the famous town built up by the world renowned heroes. He's trying his best to live a positive life depsite all that bad stuff that happened all those years ago, and it's that positive outlook that helped him cope and eventually forget about those feelings, which is why he'd completely forgotten who Aiden was until he was reminded of his aggression one fated night.

Lukas can connect with Jesse so much better than he has ever been able to connect with anyone, because for the first time in his life, he's found himself a listener. Someone who wants to hear him out and understand what his motives in life are. Lukas loves yapping about his nature knowledge, and he's never really been able to do it with anyone before! Everyone would just roll their eyes or laugh at him for being enthralled in such useless things. Plants? Nature? Who cares. Pick up a sword.

Jesse is the first person Lukas has ever been able to comfortably spill his emotions for. He's been choked up on so much for so many years, having no one to talk to but himself and Dewey, that it's pretty explosive once his emotions get out of hand, brought upon by Aiden and Lukas' own self hatred alone.

He's been in denial all these years. He wants to love himself, but he cannot help but hate that he is different. That people hate him for being different. That he truly believes he will be alone for the rest of his life just because he can't seem to fit in anywhere.

Jesse is the only person who made him feel comfortable with being himself, and because of that, Lukas invested his heart out into Jesse. Jesse is the reason he can believe in himself again.

[inseparabiles]

I have so much going through my mind about the first and second film of Gladiator. Like how Lucilla and Geta’s costumes are kinda similar and Commodus and Caracalla’s costumes are similar too.

Lucilla and Geta is more light, like whites, gold, orange, red. Commodus and Caracalla having darker colors tending to wear blacks, blues, and purples. In film, Geta is SEEMINGLY considered the “eldest” like Lucilla, by just being more percipient than Caracalla.

I kind of see the siblings as dualities of themselves. I think back on the line in the first film where Marcus Aurelius said to Lucilla; “if only had you been a man” and “your brother needs you more” or something on the lines of asking Lucilla to aid Commodus. I could only imagine if Commodus had not died (film), Lucilla would have shared the same madness as her brother. Much like Geta and Caracalla.

Whoever the hell Lucilla would be if she'd been born a man? Just the same as any of the others, spoiled by the privilege and entitlement and the expectation of all falling to her feet.

This reminded me of something I've been thinking about recently which absolutely kills me and isn't... strictly related to the parallels between Lucilla and Commodus and Geta and Caracalla, but the way the twins were flipped sometime in production; how Caracalla was meant to be the one in lead, and Geta the pathetic and weak one. Much more akin to how history has painted their namesakes, maybe; Geta as the unfortunate victim who lost in the power struggle against his more aggressive and dominant elder brother.

At the same time, their actual characters were not flipped. Geta retained his personality despite rising to the top of the dynamic. Caracalla retained his, despite assuming the weaker and effeminate role.

It's fascinating to me, because when I first learned about them being flipped, I assumed the characters themselves changed. But no - comparing between history and movie, you can easily connect these two in their characteristics to their inspirations. Caracalla is erratic, aggressive, bloodthirsty, and ruthless. Geta is quieter, observant, and comes across as someone who was not trained into his duties but could have easily been competent at his role if not for that neglect and his twin's influence. It is so interesting to me that he kept that, despite their dynamic changing in the production, that regardless of his position in the relationship, be that presumed follower or presumed leader, he is still the more astute one. He didn't need to assume also Caracalla's violence to be that. It's been driving me INSANE for like... a week straight. Kills me.

Of Caracalla: Caracalla, whose reign contributed to the decay of the empire, has often been regarded as one of the most bloodthirsty tyrants in Roman history.

The byname Caracalla was based on his alleged designing of a new cloak of that name. Another of his nicknames, Tarautas, was that of an ugly, insolent, and bloodthirsty gladiator whom he was thought to resemble.

Of Geta: Geta was the younger son of Emperor Septimius Severus and his wife Julia Domna. Unlike his more aggressive brother, Caracalla, Geta was known for his gentle and studious nature. He was raised in the imperial household and was groomed for a life of power and responsibility.

This difference was only enhanced by the fact that Geta suffered from a slight stammer. In his time, he became quite literate, surrounding himself with intellectuals and writers. He showed his father much more respect than Caracalla and also was a far more loving child to his mother. He took great care of his appearance, liking to wear expensive, elegant clothes.

Kill me? Now? DO YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN.

Anyway, to the parallels - they are so. Specifically in attire, in attitude; Lucilla has always been cunning, sharp, observant. That is exactly what Geta is, too, with the only difference being that he's fucking stupid and Lucilla is not. But the more I've sat with Geta, the more it's because... he has never had the chance to be smart. He's never been taught the first thing about his position or what he should be doing with it. And that is what makes him dumb as rocks, not any inherent lack of intelligence. Rather, he seems to hold immense potential which could be forged into just about anything - if he hadn't been raised with violence. If he had been taught trust. If Caracalla wasn't his only frame of reference, his only ally, his only security, safety, certainty. And when we meet them, those things are already crumbling, and this boy is just totally at a loss with what to do with himself or anything else, and he doesn't trust anybody. He's totally unfit for his role not because he couldn't be raised into it, but because he's been raised by wolves, and become a wolf himself.

Caracalla and Commodus, on the other hand. Commodus is a weird parallel to both twins: with most people, he's got the sly, terrifying, conniving wit that Geta seems to grapple for. On the other hand, particularly with Lucilla, he is everything that Caracalla is. Unpredictable, emotionally driven, torn between deifying admiration and fits of rage and distrust and violence. He has no spine when it comes to Lucilla, which is an interesting mirror to Caracalla, who seems to draw his courage mostly from Geta and doesn't fear confronting him - but fears everything else, when Geta isn't there to protect him. On the other hand, Caracalla's and Commodus's mistrust toward their siblings is more or less equal. The ways they're intertwined to them is different yet just as twisted. Caracalla in so many ways comes across like a child to Geta, and Commodus has this same trait with Lucilla, regressing to that whiny, tantrum-prone thing when he's with her, but both of them have a desperate love for their pair and it is anything but healthy, even though you can tell it is strong. Of course, Caracalla's not quite plotting to make Geta his pureblood imperial wife but like. How far are we from that really. Geta exists to serve him and both him and Commodus are equally torn apart by (perceived, in Caracalla's case) betrayal from the one they put on this pedestal.

I'm going to quit here because I'm going feral. Like I'm climbing walls I'm not okay I fucking. Hate. The imperials in this franchise why are they this way why do they make me feel things I'm RARWRARWHWUHG.

Oh, on one last note? CARACALLA AND COMMODUS + CRIMSON CLOTHES. Being showed literally wearing the blood they love to spill. With Lucilla and Geta, as you say, both being set against light, tones of pale gold and moonlit silver, ivory, tones that are associated oftenmost with purity or enlightenment.

[tokyo-daaaamn-ji-gang]

Not sure if this was done before, but could u give any rindou bf headcanons🥺🥺

Here are mine for Rindou as a boyfriend!

Loves showing you all his music and getting your opinions on it (he tries to act nonchalant during this but he's normally pretty nervous).

He also frequently chooses to play songs that remind him of you, sometimes he'll send you them too.

There's a heart next to your name on his phone (no ones allowed to see it though).

Has 0 hesitation in throwing hands for you

If you go with him to the gym then he will secretly glare at any guys he thinks is staring at you for too long

Would get a tattoo of your name

He's very good at remembering things about you and things which you may forget. Will text you to drink water during the day.

Spends a lot of time and effort when choosing a gift for you. Normally actually ends up with multiple because he has a hard time choosing.

When he's drunk he talks about you so much, goes on and on about how great you are.

Get's more clingy when drunk too, hugs you and refuses to let go etc

Rindou tries to show off to you while also acting casual about it. He'll offer to carry anything you're holding (even if it's just a water bottle).

Rindou was actually a little bashful at the start of your relationship, you do something like grab his hand to lead him somewhere and he'll go bright red (he will deny it though, says it's allergies or he's hot).

His actions always talk louder then his words, he tends to express his love for you through gestures more often.

If you shiver even the tiniest bit he'll give you his jacket

Will give you his food sometimes and offer to share his drink (tries to act calm after he remembers the indirect kiss thing)

Always trying to invite you to his club so you can watch him perform. He hopes you'll like it.

And finally, says a lot of little phrases like "stay safe", "text me when you get there", "I care about you" as well as a few pet names for you.

[thirtyknives]

OH MATE I WAS HAVING A BITCH ABOUT THIS WITH @glitchyvoxel THE OTHER DAY. One of the things I hate about Binge Format is how it fundamental changes the economy of storytelling.

In a traditional once-a-week show, you need to have characters who have easy to identify, readily recognisable character traits in order to be memorable for the six days between airing. They need to be clearly defined enough so that when the viewers meet them again after a week apart, they still know who they are and where they sit in the story. This is especially true for older media with more homogeneous casting - like if all your cast is hot white blondes in shiny dresses, you have to put some work into making them stand out. The way this is achieved varies a lot from genre to genre - a comedy will give specific catchphrases or mannerisms, drama may use lighting, the turn of phrase, costuming and other things to separate its cast out. Your main plot points also need to be fairly clearly defined, or the story gets muddy over long periods. Even mysteries and thrillers did this - the X-Files was adept at providing strong story beats in a setting that prioritised obfuscation. Each episode also tends to be very neatly written, because it has to fit in its window of time and for a series to be successful they need to fit a satisfying start, middle, and end into their timeslot. Even cliffhanger shows still need to provide enough emotional payoff to keep people engaged over the length of the episode and during the time between them, too. This makes for good viewing, even if you take into account survivorship bias and all the shit episodic stuff written between now and like, the fifties. But it also gives fandom a lot of well made toys to play with. Shit shows that did the above poorly disappear and don't generate fandoms the way ones that did a solid job did. It also helps if there's gaps in the world building for fandom writers to have a play in, which is something you get by necessity in a longer running series, because when you have 45 min once a week you can't go into too much detail - streaming allows shows to get bloated due to a lack of restrictions on episode length, so some series over-explain themselves at the expense of producing a watchable program. But when you know your whole series is going to be dropped at once, and the viewers will probably watch the lot in a few closely spaced sittings, you don't need to take the time for that differentiation. You can structure your narrative like a thirteen hour movie with six intermissions, rather than as seven episodes or whatever. Even stuff that would be fun as an aside in a traditionally aired program (the russian stuff in the most recent Stranger Things) winds up feeling wedged in and pointless because there's been no decompression between episodes and you're still in the Hawkins headspace and haven't had a week of what-ifs and did-you-sees to pad it out. And it impacts characterisation and framing too, and fewer episodes are written to be self contained, and if you're someone who hates spoilers you're probably thrashing your way through it as fast as you can, too, so anything subtle - about the only thing binge has got going for it is that it can afford to do more subtle character work because they don't have to colour their characters as broadly - is going to get lost in the "shit, if I don't get this watched by tomorrow some dick will post on Facey about it and spoil the surprise." It changes the nature of how the stories are told, and even consumption becomes competitive rather than collaborative.

this this this

[ambwosialive]

on gabe: ghosts, grief, and wants.

before i get started: this is all my opinion! i've been into n2n since 2010 so i've had a lot of time to think about this (thank you dunmar warehouse thank you) the thing that those who are pro-poltergeist/demon/ghost/etc gabe don't consider, i think, is that i'm alive tells us everything that we need to know.

he is not just want diana wants him to be. he's what natalie wants him to be, he's what dan wants him to be, he's even what dr. madden wants him to be.

one of the reasons why he takes the melody in superboy and the invisible girl is (aside from the absolute juiciness narratively of her brother that she's singing about overshadowing her in her own song about him overshadows her) because natalie in that moment wants to feel validated, like she's correct in assuming that gabe Is More Acknowledged Than Her and in fact Is An Asshole, which is why he's smiling and bragging so much. (in my opinion!!!)

he isn't able to be seen by dan for most of the show, because that's exactly what he wants him to be: invisible. not there. the reason why he sees him at the end (other than the acknowledgement of grief as a larger symbol and made into a tangible form) is because some part deep inside of him wants someone at that moment; diana is gone, natalie is too. he wants to feel held, so he gets held. (in my opinion!!!)

dr. madden knows him as a baby who died, which is why in make up your mind / catch me i'm falling he's cradling himself in his mother's lap, why his voice becomes more childlike. (in my opinion!!!)

the problem is we are trying to define an abstract concept in simple terms, which is just not possible. not only is gabe a symbol of grief, he very much is a hallucination of diana's, and tends to side with her for that reason. (in just another day, diana is talking about how beautiful the day is, and the only one who agrees with her is gabe- "birds are singing, things are growing", etc.)

and then, of course:

guys, that's the point.

poltergeist? ghost? hallucination? symbol of grief? abstract? that's the point. we aren't supposed to know what gabe is. it's paradoxical. "what you want me to be / your worst fear", "i'll hurt you / i'll heal you", "your wish, your dream come true / your darkest nightmare too". that's how grief is. you don't know exactly what it is. is it love without a place to go? is it anger for losing them? anger at yourself for letting them be lost? gabe can be more than one thing.

especially with theatre! every gabe is going to be different! aaron's gabe is different than jack's gabe is different than kyle dean massey's gabe is different than a community theatre somewhere's gabe! that's the point! some gabes may play him as the all american football throwing jock, some may play him as an evil poltergeist, some may play him as a whiny child who needs his mom. that's the point! the interpretation means what it means to you and how you see it! he means what he means to you! we can discuss all day long about what is the objectively correct opinion on who or what gabe is (i am guilty of this. look at the previous paragraphs), but at the end of the day…

he is what YOU want him to be.

[chiyokococo]

Lucas Errant SFW Alphabet

Lucas Errant x GN! Reader

Author's note: For my love that resides in Tokyo Debunker. This post goes from A to H. It got a bit too long since I really like him (both as a character and in general) and also I ended up loosely following what was given, so I hope you enjoy! This template I borrowed from belongs to the-coldest-goodbye.

pt. 1 (you're here!), pt. 2, pt. 3

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Luca is an incredibly affectionate guy when you are in a relationship with him. His words expresses his love towards you in the form of compliments whenever he sees even the slight changes in you, though his affection towards you shines the strongest through his actions.

Luca is more of a person who prefers to show his affection behind closed doors, which are a lot more intimate and personal. That includes hugging, kissing, cuddling, or just even enjoying each other's presence. Of course, he would prefer if things go slow, and he would ask that so. He is sort of traditional when it comes to courtship and he is taught that these acts that he displays when it is just the two of you should be bound between couples and that there are levels of affection that are appropriate according to the type of relationship. So him showing his love towards you would feel more suited for old married couples than for a freshly-bloomed relationship. 

His affection, and also getting into a romantic relationship in general, is also a sign that he hopes to get married to you one day. Given his situation of finding his twin brother, he makes it clear when you two become a couple that he would like to get married to you one of these days. These all stem from the fact that he never considers romance as a light subject. His way of showing his affection will follow the textbook example of how a gentleman would court a lady. But those very same, cheesy acts of affection that are filled with all of his heart makes it all the more sweet.

In public, his actions are so wholesome and thoughtful. Will pull a chair for you, will ensure that you are not having any problem, is incredibly vigilant about your surroundings, and walking to match your pace among many other things. Though if you think you are being babied or that it is getting suffocating (and at times it might feel like that given how protective he can get) once you tell him, he will remember it and try to dial it back but that is a bit difficult for him to not stand just next to you. Unless something catastrophic happens that flares up his desire to protect you, he will try to make sure that you do not feel the same thing again. He loves you after all and because you have shown such great trust to get into a relationship with him, even after knowing his circumstances, he wants to make sure that you do not feel uncomfortable in the relationship. 

He is able to handle PDA, but again, it tends to be limited to hugs, handholding and maybe even a few sneaky kisses to the cheek. If you initiate it with these actions, then he will follow through with it. He will never be the one to initiate PDA since he thinks he would overstep your boundaries and also the fact that he is the epitome of of a gentleman so it ends up being your responsibility to hug him and stick next to him. Though the last one is already fulfilled by Luca himself.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Mr. Ride or Die. Sincere man with a sincere heart and mind. Just tell him the problem and he will do whatever that is within his power to fix it. That's what he wants in any given relationship— communication. This is what he needs to understand because even in a platonic or romantic relationship, it is sort of difficult to pick up on certain hidden agendas or ideas. If the friendship has been going on for a long while, then he might be able to pick it up since by now he understands what his friends are comfortable with but it is still always best talk to him about it. Even if he thinks this is for defending his friend's honour or worse, try to fight the ones who maimed his close ones, he is quick on setting things straight. He will try to talk it out but he is sort of hot-headed when it comes to these things. He is just a good-hearted man who wants others to know that his friends are kind of cool and to be respectful with them.

Just as how he has shown time and time again, especially in the beginning of the first chapter of Frostheim, he might impose his principals upon people. But that also makes him good at pep talking? Not in the sense that he would say weird things but instead he has an optimistic tone whenever he talks about it. Just like how he tends to lightly reprimand Kaito, Luca would also extend that towards you. However, he would also push you forward through his trust and sincere words of encouragement.

Please guide him in certain Japanese aspects. Even though he knows the language, it is shown in instances that Luca still has somewhat of a loose grip in Japanese culture. Like how he doesn't know a satsuma mochi, or when he needs help in understanding what Japanese words would fit better in certain parts of sentences, and also how he went full on severely apologizing when he wrote his speech because he thought that Japanese culture is big on politeness. Just, show him to be a bit less tense. Maybe tell him that his shoulders are tensing up a lot and he should loosen up a bit. But maybe even then he would say that he didn't feel any tension in his shoulder and would take it literally.

We all know how that friendship started, though it's interesting to think what happens in that friendship. He really appreciates that you and Kaito are his first friends in Japan. Maybe he felt a tad bit alien to a new place, and even though he knows the language, knows what to do and what not, things still slip past him and there are no close reminders for him about his home. When the three of you sit together discussing what food you want from the cafeteria, when he lightly admonishing you or Kaito (mostly Kaito) to focus a bit more in class, when you and Luca stare at awe whenever Kaito is carefully preparing cookies that would resemble the three of you, when you tend to complain about the aggravating things that happen to you during missions and both him and Kaito chime in agreement to what you say or get angry for you, it is those moments that make him feel like he has made a new home. In a place where he is running around to find clues for his lost brother and finding ways to subjugate demons, he really appreciates and values the friendship immensely to the point he will fight to protect and honour this bond, even if he has to crawl to continue fighting.

When it is just the two of you, he is attentive of what you do and say. If you feel a bit hungry or feel a bit down, have some biscuits he always carries to feel a bit better. It reminds him of his brother and seeing you enjoy something that his brother likes makes him feel happy, as if he is seeing the same joy that his brother would show. It also feels like this is usually how he cheered his brother. With a shortbread biscuit.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

In the affection part, it is mentioned that he is more of a behind the closed doors sort of intimate affection giver. And that includes cuddles.

It's sort of difficult to pinpoint when the two of you started cuddling, though most probably you have to be the first one to open up to the idea of cuddling. It wouldn't occur in his mind to cuddle you and would not ask for it almost every time when you two are alone together in either his or your room. It would only be after a while that he would ask whether it is alright for him to cuddle you, when it has now become a sort of ritual whenever he is a tad bit busy and you just wanna soak in his presence. On a cold and chilly night, he would put a blanket over himself and wrap his arms around you carefully since he wants you to be nice and cozy, so he thinks that his body heat and the warmth provided by the blanket would make you feel comfortable.

He would first be a bit neutral to cuddles since, after knowing what cuddles are, he would view them as an action that certain people who are close to each other do. But with you, his cuddles in the beginning would be a bit rigid. He knows where to place his hands but should he lean his head and press it next to your head? Should he squeeze you bit more since he thinks this hug might be a bit loose? Would you allow that? All these questions are swirling in his mind that it has to be you who has to ease him into cuddling. Yes Luca, you are free to lean your head. Yes, you can squeeze the hug a bit more, it's not like you will pop and if it does feel a bit painful you will tell him straight away. You will always tell him what is on your mind, after all, communication is key. And for the first time, Luca's heart fluttered more than usual when you inch closer to him to further get into the cuddle. After that, he is more into cuddles.

It will also become a tradition that when he would be reading a few books, if it piques your interest he will do his best to try and translate foreign words or context to help you understand. And if it is in Japanese, then be prepared to be asked a lot of questions about certain kanji being used and whatnot.

If some of the cuddles involves kissing, then his kisses will be shy and soft, but determined and sincere. He is more inclined to caress your back or head but kissing? You would surely hear his heart beating rapidly when you place your back against his chest when you ask for a kiss. But once time passes, he would be comfortable with it and ease into it more.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Here is the thing. He would be finding his brother and the thought of settling down does not bode well for him. He does not want to burden others. But it also feels like Luca would settle and also still try to find his brother. Again with the thing of him being self-assured and confident in his strength and capabilities that he tends to fail to notice intricacies and nuances of the situation. 

But in the end, it is more probable that he would be prioritizing finding his brother over settling. His partner would have to understand that he is separated from his twin brother that was with him. He can't just stop for a minute to arrange a wedding and all. So settling before Luca finds his brother is out of the picture.

When you do get settled in with Luca, just think of it like an old couple enjoying their retirement stage together. Maybe you two would be living together in his childhood home where he grew up in, telling you all sorts of incidents that happened in those nooks and crannies with such a cute smile. You would be given the freedom to get your own stuff too so you can also have a room to do your stuff as well. He would also be fine if you want to have a job or settle down. He will make sure that you are comfortable in the house he grew up in as you will now be a significant part of his memories that will now be attached to this place he grew up in. 

Of course think of afternoon tea time, or coffee time, with him as you two talk about your stuff that happened or topics you find interesting. He will be busy with taking care of the house as he is the heir to it and he was preparing for it ever since he was young. But he will always make sure to take out a part of his time from his schedule to spend time with you. He will always be happily greeting you with a smile when you wake up in the morning for breakfast, waiting for you to settle down before he eats his own food. Would you like to have a morning walk with him after the meal? The path surrounding the house is beautiful in the fall and he would love to see you enjoy the brisk chilly morning while seeing the soft speckled sunlight illuminating your way.

It feels difficult to imagine him living away from his house, to be honest. He is an heir of the family after all, he can't just leave it as it is. The reason he is far away from the UK is because he is finding a way to subjugate a demon and find clues about his twin brother, and that would be the only time that he would be far away from his home. It would have to take a lot of convincing from both sides for him to settle somewhere else. He would even insist that you come to his home and stay there. But if that doesn't seem doable for you, then maybe a long distance relationship? Though it hurts him a lot, he will try to make it work it out. You are your own person, and he does not want to stop you from achieving the best possible thing for yourself.

While settling down, in Luca's opinion, does entail living together, he does not want you to compromise in the name of 'settling down' on his behalf just because of his opinion. If it means that you two have to live far away from each other, then so be it. He won't let this cause a dent in the relationship and would double-down on showing his love for you even more than before, if that was even possible. He'll try to take it in a positive light, he can always call you anytime. He will still miss you dearly to the point of itching to just pick up the phone and video call you right there and then even after having a lengthy conversation with you. But the moment that hits him the strongest, where his willpower crumbles is when he one day, after having a particularly rough reminder that you are living far away from him, wakes up in his bed all alone with no signs of you in sight and the only way he could have seen your sleeping face is now replaced with the black screen of his phone. That is when the need to be next to you cannot be brushed off, and he will immediately notify you that he is coming to where you are and wanted you to know beforehand. His yearning for you made him realize how much he missed you, so he lets himself indulge in your company for a while before he has to force himself to leave your side again. But when Luca is about to go back to tend to his duties as an heir, he will always promise you that he will be there next to you, regardless of his situation, when you need him.

All in all, this is just him being duty-bound to his role as an heir to his family while also missing your presence in every step of the way. But he will still smile at you the same way that he did when the two of you first entered into the relationship, still holding the immense amount of love he has towards you that no amount of distance could dwindle that intensity.  (I honestly couldn't remove this part since, maybe it feels unnecessary, but I think this feels important about what I think how he would handle a relationship and the whole concept of settling down where it doesn't really fit a box??? I dunno, maybe I didn't explain it properly.)

When it comes to house chores, this man will do his damn best at cooking at cleaning. Cooking, not so much since he can cook a somewhat decent food, enough to make you feel full. It will always be nutritious and balanced so if you like that then he would be more than happy to cook it for you again. But leave cleaning to him, he would be so good at it. He will make the house incredibly clean and organized. He will also take cooking and cleaning as bonding time with you. Just imagine the two of you working together, having a small chat with each other while doing your own work. He won't sneak in any kisses and hugs, especially if either of you are holding a knife, near a stove cooking food, or any other dangerous objects. But he will be there right next to you when you need something that might be too heavy to lift or far away from you to reach. If you are afraid of oil splatters, he will handle the cooking from here on out for you until he sees that the oil splatter dies down. He will definitely ask you whether you are alright or not and ask you to show him any signs of burns. It might not feel like an affectionate time in the kitchen, but goddamn does he still make you giddy with his thoughtful actions.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

Luca would find it hard to break it up with you. He knows that if the relationship does not work, then it is better for both parties to mutually cut. But he also knows that he has to go around this topic extremely delicately. 

But before that even reaches, he would always think of reasons as to why this relationship is not working out. Is it his fault and thoughtlessness that is creating this rift? Do you feel something or somewhere is lacking that he is doing excessively or not doing enough? Is it because he got too focused on a particular mission or point that left you feeling that he did not value you? Just please tell him what is in your mind and what you feel that he is not doing adequately enough. He will do whatever is in his power to correct it.

Or was it him that you no longer want to be in this relationship?

The last thing he would even do when deeply contemplating on everything that happened up until now is to pin the blame on you.

And even after all the efforts he would put, if he thinks it still would not rectify, he might swallow the hard truth that continuing the relationship will hurt you and him. Especially you. He does not want you to suffer because of him wanting to be with you. So asking you solemnly after class to come meet him in a quiet place, he would express that it is best for the both of you to end this relationship. He might want to say that he still wants to continue protecting you, to get the curse lifted and to maybe still be able to see a smile when you two meet. But all of his other thoughts die down before he could even utter, forming a convoluted mess that pricks the insides of his throat, when he sees your expression. It could be anything— anger, sadness, acceptance, or maybe even bitterness— but regardless of what expression ultimately shows up on your face, it becomes a harsh reality and a haunting memory for him that he let you down.

Even when you do amicably break up, do know that he would still feel guilty for failing to notice your needs. Though, he is a bit more vocal about wanting to still be friends with you and wanting to lift the curse that plagues you. You might see his actions prominently showing that he still cares for you even after you two have separated.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Luca is very into commitment. It is that reason of wanting to marry you later down the line that he is in a relationship to begin with. As a man who is loyal to a fault, he also looks for a relationship that is driven by loyalty and commitment. He would never even think of going into a relationship with the expectations that it would not last long. When it comes to relationships, he is idealistic and that plays an extremely big part of it. 

If you even begin to mention how you would love to settle down with him in the future and discuss the theme of your wedding, he would blush, but he would also feel happy and reassured that you want him as your husband just like how he wants you as his spouse.

Getting married though is a different ballpark. Again, he is here to find his brother and he would put everything aside to find his brother and then get settled. So depending on how long it takes for him to find his brother, it would be best not to expect a wedding right after finishing the Academy. Though, on the off-chance that he finds his brother during his time in Darkwick, he would be the type to take things slow when it comes to you and the relationship you two are cultivating. He wants to do it right and would follow every step to ensure that you don't feel like you are rushing it out. It's just him being a gentleman and worried that he might make you feel uncomfortable if he misses a single step of the process of courting you. In his eyes, you deserve to recognize the fact that you are worth every single effort he puts into loving you.

If there is even the slightest of doubt regarding his commitment, please stay assured that he will be one of the most committed person in a relationship, especially if it is romantic. He would be telling his family how he has found someone who he wants to be with for the rest of his life and how he wants them to meet you to see how wonderful you are. He would also occasionally request his family to send something that he thinks would be perfect for you so he can give it to you on special occasions, all thoughtfully considered based on your preferences. That alone should tell you that his commitment towards you is immense.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Luca is incredibly gentle with you, it feels like he treats you like morning dew or the first snowflake of the winter. Maybe it stems from his knightly personality, he always has you in his mind especially when you two are together. He is always asking whether it is alright for him to carry your stuff if it looks heavy, he will be next to the busy side of the road or corridor so you are safe from all the traffic, he would be worried for your well being whenever you go on missions, and all that sweet, small stuff that he ends up fretting over.

When it comes to your emotions, he is once again such a gentle person. Even though he is kind and has a pure heart, his pure intentions driven by his pure-hearted impulsivity sometimes leads to situations where it might lead you to danger. Be it for keep your honour intact when someone says something demeaning to you or to ensure no one slanders his friends, he tends to get angry at these specific points. You might get dragged into these situations when you stick with Luca, just like how you were first introduced to Vagastrom. But at points like these, when you get hurt physically or mentally, Luca would feel like he failed you. It is best to tell him truthfully about how you felt, but do also keep in mind that getting you hurt was the last thing he wants, especially when he is at arm's reach.

This specific mental disposition he has— those actions he takes to ensure you don't get hurt conflict with the aftermath of when you do end up getting hurt, mostly indirectly by him, and then followed up by his need to rectify it— has him being more hard on himself. How can he let someone close to him get hurt when he was right there? He might look like a calm person who thinks everything rationally, and he is, but up till a certain point. When something goes awry even after he was there, he berates himself for not being thorough enough, and his desperation may come where he needs to save people as much as possible. Please ensure that he does not spiral down even further. Let him know that sadly, circumstances arises where he is not able to save everyone around him no matter how hard he tries but you know, as well as those who trust him, that he did his best and all he has to do next is to not linger onto that and move forward calmly for now till other potential victims may be rescued. It's the certainty in himself that he has that is both his biggest strength and weakness.

Also, there may come times where he is unsure as to how to comfort you. He knows when you feel angry, sad, happy or down. But sometimes, feelings swirl in such a way that he may not know how to help you. If you are willing to talk, he is ready to provide what you need. But if not, he will not question further and instead will stay with you. Maybe not that close to you, but near your vicinity. Enough to give you space but close enough to be there for you when your turmoil gets worse so he can quickly take actions accordingly. He does hope you tell him later what happened to you, but he will not push it. After all, he will always be there beside you.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

Luca is more comfortable with the concept of hugs and giving them a bit easily than cuddles since for him it feels more... formal and less intimate? Like you are meeting someone after a long time and one of the ways to greet each other is by a hug.

He prefers giving hugs than cuddling since he is more aware of what hugs are. In the end, he would be indifferent towards both of them, but he often finds himself hugging you than cuddling you when it comes to being the first one to initiate it. He likes hugs where he can feel your pulse near his skin, where he can hear your soft breath. Just.... he is reminded that you are still here. Don't get it twisted, he loves cuddling you too, but moments where he gets to feel your body against his while you two are not inside closed rooms, he is always strongly reminded of his duty to protect you both as an inspector and as his lover.

He thinks of hugs as a source of comfort and protecting others from danger. He would always hug you and let you bury your head into his chest or shoulders or even his hair if it means that you don't see the horrors and misfortune that those anomalies bring. He has promised to find a cure to your curse and even though it worries him that you are in this situation where anomalies run around, he knows better. He knows that you are the inspector entrusted with the duty of ensuring that ghouls like him complete the missions smoothly. All he can do, given the position the two of you are in, is to see all throughout the time that you are safe and sound. Those thoughts that run in his mind tend to flare up his protectiveness and it leads him to seek you out on the downtime where he knows that no anomaly can hurt you now. In those times, does he give you a hug that soothes his troubled mind. That hug tells him that you are safe and sound. You are here in his arms, your warmth seeping into his clothes and your hand patting him on his back while the other is busy ruffling his hair a bit. It feels like you are confirming it yourself that nothing has happened to you and that it is alright for now. Those are the most critical moments where he gives and craves for hugs.

His hugs are warm and firm. Not firm as in will break your bones and crack your spine, instead it is more like a shield from outside forces. And his warmth somehow correlates to melted butter because of the shortbread biscuits he carries around, but it fits really well. Like, you will melt in his arms because of how safe you feel, all your worries melts and leave your bones and his warmth would replace that bitter hollowness all your pain and sorrows left behind.

[numberonetacostan]

Autistic suitcase and/or taco headcanons? Possibly humanized? HCs with them together would be cool but I kinda see a few of the (groups of) II contestants splitting off with the rest after the show, in order to meet people that they weren't literally destined to have certain relationships with... so they wouldn't interact very much, but that's okay tbh! I feel like Suitcase in particular would try and find new friends outside of the II universe - with her having gained a ton of self-cobfidence and all - while Taco would travel with Mic a lot (and Mic would have Soap on standby). I also think that Taco wouldn't change her appearance much relative to what her humanization would be based off of (just because she doesn't really mind it/care), while Suitcase would be much more willing to experiment with ribbons and non-brown shades of clothing and makeup and whatnot.

Hi there!!^^ Welcome, and thank you for sending in your request!! :]

I think they'd both enjoy having little collections, being two objects that can carry items inside themselves, I like to think it may be somewhat instinctual for them to collect things that appeal to them, yeah? So please consider some lovely parallel play in which they go to a creek and sit on the bay examining and carefully selecting pretty rocks to collect. They could even have a special little rock garden back where they're living, to keep their precious treasures.

On this note, I think a lot of their hangouts would more or less be quiet time. They don't need to talk to do something enjoyable and peaceful together, yeah? It would be a good way for the others to know to give them some space as well, that Suitcase and/or Taco are having quiet time, which means Suitcase and/or Taco needs some quiet time, so they know to just wait until they've finished whatever they're engaged in to loop them into any shenanigans.

Aside from ToF, in which Taco was playing up her villain facade, her and Suitcase have made direct eye contact maybe 3 or so times, all of which were accidental. Though I'd personally think Suitcase is more the type of dislike eye contact and feel uncomfortable while Taco doesn't really care and simply doesn't see a need for it.

This is something I've thought about outside of typing things up for this ask, but I think Taco would start mimicking Suitcase when she's started to join the group again. Suitcase is very well liked and known for being kind, Taco knows Mic wants her to be nicer, so she starts copying her behaviour. She's an actor, that's what she knows how to do. Mic never said she had to be genuinely nice after all, just nice. And if Suitcase were to pick up on it, she'd actively start hanging out with Taco more.

Hm, Suitcase who tends to get a bit too close into other objects' personal space vs Taco who gets very upset if her personal space is breached by someone she isn't close with. An issue that would sometimes result in Suitcase and Taco ending up quite a distance away from where they started a conversation, with Taco stepping back and Suitcase stepping closer, but once they became closer friends and Suitcase becomes someone Taco is willing to allow in her personal space, it's less of an issue.