#yeah but i just can't get over his personal reaction right after leaving in ep 17

[astarlightmonbebe]

i'm only at the beginning of li tongguang's descent into obsession (eps 17-18), but already it's both hurting and hitting. hurting, because we know li tongguang's capabilities, and his level headedness, and the potential he has, that he seems to throw out due to this obsession. hitting, because when you think about it, the obsession storyline and characterization does make perfect sense. obsession like that is a double edged blade, which can turn from love to hate, childish belief and joy to embittered rage in a second.

on one hand, it's painful to watch ltg's childlike desperation when faced with ruyi again. we want to grit our teeth and think of him as idiotic, unable to take a hint. but the reality is that it's a completely normal response to be expected from him. i mean, it's a dream come true, to see the person you 'love' the most in the world to be whole in front of you. it's probably what he could only dream about, especially being the one to apparently find her bones and bury them.

on a deeper level, ltg's initial reaction is very much a manifestation of his inner child, almost peter pan-like in the 'child that never became an adult/grew up' way. by that i mean to say the desperate urge to please, the constant worrying, and the oscillation between hot and cold moods are all so indicative of someone who grew up in an insecure/unstable environment, usually with volatile or simply unavailable authority figures. from what we can gather, he had no father, his mother wasn't in his life ("she doesn't want him around, nor can she bear for him to be away, so that's why he's like that" per empress zhaojie's words to ruyi). the one authority figure that entered his life to offer some semblance of guidance was ruyi, and even though it's clear that she held care for him, she was also a twenty year old assassin used to training subordinates, not children. her mentorship style is clearly so different when you hold ltg and yang ying side by side, and we know from ruyi's own mouth that she doesn't consider herself to have taught ltg well, and wants to remedy that through/with yang ying (i'll probably make a whole different post comparing this and the affects of this after watching some more episodes lol - there are bullet points in the drafts). so even though ruyi was his authority figure, she was still an emotionally unavailable one who couldn't meet ltg on the level he probably needed at that time in his life, and which no one probably ever did. hence his up and down reaction and actions.

it intrigues me, too, because i think, in a very subtle way, ltg is very much a character foil to ruyi in that he reflects some of her worst attributes, or more accurately represents the sort of person she was, or at least acted like (yuan lu's comment about how ltg has ruyi's gaze was meaningful outside of the jealousy arc - to me at least). i saw someone make a really interesting comment on how ltg's devotion to ruyi parallels ruyi's own devotion to empress zhaojie, which i'll also probably comment on more later.

obviously, ltg's obsession stems from an issue much larger than ruyi herself - she just happens to be the unfortunate target of it. and, clearly, i know his descent into it will be ugly, if understandable. i understand ruyi wanting to leave that part of her life behind, but also - to think that maybe many of the issues faced in future eps could have been avoidable if she'd been upfront with li tongguang about her identity early on.

[cartoonrival]

Keeping Up With The Uzumakis!!! I read that years ago! I can’t believe it’s back! I just went through the entire With Cheese tag and it has some gold in it, the gender sexuality headcanons especially are golden! Idk if they’re still canon but I love them.

Trans Nauto and Hinata is both inspired and accidentally canon (wisker marks coming from being in the womb on jinchuuriki and all) because of how careful you are with canon I’m sure it’s intentional

Sasuke being gay, we been knowing this since he was 12

I need Sakura to start sleeping with everybody at the hospital the second she find out about the affair. She must have so so much repressed sexual energy that can only really come out by sleeping with Ino, but Ino’s married and actually happy about that so the blonde nurse assigned to ward 4 will have to make due.

Kakashi being ambiguously bisexual is great, you never know what exactly he is feeling except that he’s feeling something about Guy (And also Obito and Rin during the war, but that’s in his PAST and therefore NOT his PROBLEM anymore)

Guy being gay, perfect no notes

Rock Lee’s gender and Sexuality being Rock Lee, perfect. Nobody is doing it like Rock Lee.

More inspired trans headcanons with Boruto and Sarada, once again hitting male characters with the Tranfem-ification beam and also Sasuke leaving Konoha with a son and coming back to a daughter. Sakura totally wrote to him about her transition with all of the medical and personal details but Sasuke never read them because he was too busy reading Naruto’s Horny Letters tm.

Ps, will the next chapter/episode/installment thing take over a year again? It’s fine if it does there’s so much gold in it it’s completely worth the wait.

IM GLAD YOU LIKE IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!! <33 having read kuwtu "years ago" seriously scared me but yeah ig ep 0 was a year and a half ago .... SCARY ........

most of the gender/sexuality stuff is either the same or adjacent to my actual headcanons outside of kuwtu which are mostly either canon supported or compliant (my usual hc for naruto is trans and bi aroace, sasuke is arospec gay, etc. i initially made naruto trans because i'm trans and i thought it would be awesome, i did realize a little after that the whiskers thing implied that he was lol. i like trans sakura in canon but she can't be trans for kuwtu because that wouldve required sasuke to be also trans and be the one to carry sarada which he could never do. the complexity of naruto's canon sexuality wrt romantic vs platonic love is unnecessary for kuwtu and complicates things in a way that takes away from the reality tv humor. aroaces aren't known for relationship drama).

i don't currently have any plans for sakura or hinata to find out about the affair because i can't really figure how to make that funny since it would be such a massive and terrible betrayal. sakura and naruto have sort of drifted apart atp, but at one point they were best friends, and learning that her best friend was sleeping with her husband would be so fucking insane that i just don't really have the heart to write it unless i get blessed with some really hilarious idea for it, lol. hinata's pov in kuwtu is already depressing as is-- you all haven't seen much of her and idk how to integrate her pov in rn, but the humor from her end comes largely from the tonal dissonance rather than from her actually having funny reactions to her shitty marriage like sakura does.

that said, if sakura DID find out about the affair, i don't think that she is the type to sleep around because she is waaaay too tied down by responsibility. the whole reason why she hasn't divorced sasuke is in order to maintain the status quo for sarada, so while she would definitely go more than a little crazy at this info i don't think she would be sleeping with any employees. you are 100% right though that she has repressed sexual energy because she hasn't had sex in 12 years.

my usual hc for kakashi is aroace with bisexual tendencies specifically because he has a weird gay thing going on with gai. in kuwtu the kakagai joke is that they have a weird gay thing going on and they're always attached at the hip but never explicitly romantic, which tbh is basically true about boruto canon as well. again i haven't found a good opportunity to work kakashi and gai into kuwtu ... but i think about it because they're really important to me. im a kakaobi anti but that is neither here nor there.

transfem boruto is important to me, i have a comic that vaguely touches on it scripted but idk if im ever gonna actually make it. if i get to a point where i know im never gonna draw it then ill post the script. i'm not entirely sure what the circumstances for his and sasuke's training vacay is since kuwtu has, as far as ive considered, literally none of the conflict elements that boruto canon has, so they might just go off cuz boruto wanted to be taught by sasuke (he admires sasuke as a ninja even if he thinks sasuke as a person is lame as fuck and cringe).

i don't currently have any plans for the next installment. since ep 0 and The Truth were both rewrites of actual events in boruto canon, atp i have to be like fully original which is harder, lol. so i don't know..... i really love the kuwtu cast but i don't have any full comic ideas for them rn.

anyways THANK YOU! IM GLAD YOU LIKE KUWTU BECAUSE I DO ALSO ... <3

[hils79]

Hils Watches Oh No! Here Comes Trouble - Ep 2

A few people have told me how excited they are that I'm watching it and telling me how good it is. I remain a little confused about what's going on but maybe things will become clearer in this episode.

I love that they keep making it look like something spooky is happening only for it to be a fake out. Except there also is something spooky happening because the last episode ended with what looked like a zombie

The most zoomer thing. Dude bumps into her and gets blood on her shirt. Gotta take a selfie and upload it with some nihilistic poetry

This is so fascinating. Everyone using social media to track the dude.

Okay obviously I have no idea but I am going to hazard a guess that this sole fan of Pu Yiyong's comic is the kid he bullied in school. They have to be connected somehow, right?

Of course he's going to get a job writing passages for the family of a loved one who passed away. And that will help him deal with his own grief over losing his dad. I don't know what I was expecting from this drama but it definitely wasn't this.

Poingnant scene about processing grief immediately followed by Pu Yiyong fainting as soon as he sees a zombie. Which is understandable I suppose but they are definitely playing it as comedy.

Wait is this going to be a buddy zombie drama?

Apparently zombies have no concept of personal space

This has nothing to do with the drama but I just hit pause to take a bite of my sandwich and 😂

Now they're going to solve his death together. Okay this is fun.

Uh....I kind of ship them?

You can't leave him at the spot where he died like a sad abandoned puppy

Look he's even doing the sad puppy head tilt

Oooooh! Interesting! I was wondering how the cop was going to fit into it. She saved Pu Yiyong's life by giving him CPR at the bus acceident site. But also I think she thinks he killed the zombie dude.

Can you imagine? Hi, yes, I woke up to find this zombie dude in my bedroom

Her: Shit if there's no body we can't prove that he killed this guy Him: Shit if there's no body that just makes me look even more sus

This is so fun

I'm not sure going straight back to the scene after you got released is the best idea

I thought for a second she wasn't going to be able to see zombie dude and just assume Pu Yiyong was lying. I forgot that zombie dude was on all those cameras and bumped into people.

I kind of want to hug him

I love everyone fainting when they see him for the first time. I feel like that's a normal reaction.

Pu Yiyong: Here is a cop, here is the victim who just happens to be the walking dead. No need for me to be involved anymore. Okay, bye.

Ah hah! So he's not a zombie he just possessed the body.

I regret looking that up

Look at them working together to solve crime. I mean his mum did say she didn't mind what he did with his life so long as it wasn't illegal and this is basically the opposite of illegal

Yeah, I am 100% on board with this now that we've got beyond all the setup. This was such a fun episode.

[impossiblelibrary]

Today's rant brought to you by: Queer Eye Japan, can we all just try to be as kind as they try to be?

After watching the Queer Eye Japan super short season, I wanted to google to see the overall reaction to the show, make sure that my western eyes were correct in seeing the care that was given to the culture. Were cultural taboos, other than being outwardly gay, crossed? So I find this article in the top results and other than the perspective, why tho? Tokyoesque.com had an article with a higher reading level, with surface level appreciation but at least better written.

I can't get over this hate article though. Unfounded, dumb, wrong and incorrect. Do not go forward unless you like that blistering kind of anger from me.

But the reasons just get weaker as the article extends: "Hurts the country it set out to save?" Looking for white savior much? They did not go to save Japan, they gave some free shit to like 4-5 people, think smaller.

Their culture guide wasn't gay enough.

You want to suggest any lgbt insta models or celebrities, use your platform to raises some up?

"There is a growing sexless culture in Japan for married and unmarried people, and it is perilous watching Queer Eye present this without any context behind what is driving this behavior."

Sexiness is what the fab 5 embrace, unfortunately and it was probably discussed behind the scenes of how much talking about sex was allowed or polite and the conversation of not having sex is closer to the tip of the tongue rather than the feeling of sexiness. The West is not the ones blasting that information. It is across multiple Japanese printed newspapers and online stories by now and the "context" is still being discussed and debated amongst Japanese. So I don't think any outsiders should be weighing in or "explaining" this phenomenon. We can repeat what we have been told but guessing at the reasons is not our place. The reasons illustrated by the author of the article seem lacking, a take but not the only one, but who am I to speak on that being in a sexual relationship with someone who pulls from that culture?

Kiko begins to lecture Yoko-san on how she “threw away her womanhood” (referring to a Japanese idiom, onna wo suteru) by going makeup-free and wearing drab, shapeless clothes.

The mistranslation by the subtitles fixed by this author was necessary information. But Kiko didn't lecture her on it, it was brought up by Yoko before any of them arrived, that was her theme, that was what she had decided to focus on. Meanwhile, if you watched Jonathan, he understood there was no time to spend on makeup and skincare so provided her a one instrument, 3 points of color on the skin to feel prettier. That and the entire episode being the 5 treating her like a woman on a date, not trying to hook her up, which is what they did in American eps.

"In teaching a Japanese woman, who already struggles to find time for herself, how to make an English recipe, Antoni is making great TV and nothing more."

So Antoni shouldn't have taught her apple pie because it's too exotic for a Japanese woman. (Can you smell the sexism?)

He didn't make an apple pie, altho Yoko did mention her mother made that for her when she was a kid. He made an apple tartine after going to a Japanese bakery who makes that all the time. Then highlighted the apples came from Fuji in true Japanese media fashion. Honey, American television doesn't usually highlight where the ingredients come from. A Japanese producer told him to do that. So all worries handled within the same ep. She got Japanese ingredients, had the recipe shown to her and then made it for her friends in her own house. Did the author actually watch this show or nah?

"beaten over the head with his western self-help logic. “You have to live for yourself,” he says."

The style of build up the 5 went for was confrontational but in a "I'm fighting for you" way. It's hard to describe, but the best I can say is, a person has multiple voices in their head, from parents, siblings, society, and maybe themselves. By being loud and obnoxious, American staples right there, they are adding one more voice. You deserve this, you are amazing, you are worth it. I know this is against most Japanese cultural modesty, but maybe it shouldn't be.

Sarcasm lies ahead:

Apparently: mispronunciation is microaggressions, not just someone who had a sucky school system. Yea okay, They're laughing at the language not at how stumbling these monolinguals are with visiting another country. Mmhm. Japanese don't say I love you and don't touch and that should stay that way instead of maybe, once in awhile, feeling like they can hug. Yeah, let's just ignore Yoko's break down that she had never hugged her lifelong friend after hugging strangers multiple times. Maid cafes are never sexualized in Japan ever, just don't go down that one street in Akihabara where the men are led off by the hand sheepishly blushing. Gag me. And Japanese men love to cry in front of their wives and would never break down once the wife leaves. I have never seen a Japanese movie showcase that move. Grr.

"I identify as many cultures."

So you're a Japanese man when it's convenient for you to get an article published? Are you nationally Japanese or just ethnically or culturally?

Homeland is an inherently racist word?

"After the Bush administration created the Department of Homeland Security after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a Republican consultant and speechwriter Peggy Noonan urged, “the name Homeland Security grates on a lot of people, understandably. Homeland isn’t really an American word, it’s not something we used to say or say now.”

Yes, let's use a Washington Post article rather than a etymology professor. Yes, the google search results increased after 2001 Homeland Security was used but the word has been around since the 1660s and I've read multiple turn of the century lit on white people returning to their homeland, i.e. the town off the coast they were born in.

"But" is not disagreeing. I think the repeated offender for the author is the not acknowledging the makeover-ees feelings. But, that is how LGBT have decided to deal with the inner voices that invade from society. They are just that, not our own, they are the influence of society, and we can choose, we have to choose, to be influenced by someone, anyone else.

Karamo can't speak about being black when an Asian is speaking about being Asian, even though the Asian gay man was feeling alone. It's called relating bitches, and I'm done with people saying that is redirecting the conversation, it's extending the conversation. That's how we talk, the spotlight is shared, especially when someone's about to cry and doesn't want to be seen as crying, time to turn the spotlight.

The gay monk wasn't good enough, you should have invited the gay politician.

Yeah, causes I'm sure a politician has all the time in the world for a quick stint and cry. They picked a Japanese monk who travels to NY because they had a guest who travels to the West too. Did you want him to stop traveling back and forth? Did you want a pure, ethnic and cultural Japanese gay man who has no ties to the west to talk to this Western educated young man? Seriously?

This is just not how it works in Japan.

Being in a multi-cultural marriage between two rebels, discussions on facets of culture are plenty in my household. Culture should be respected enough to be considered but not held on a pedestal like we should never adjust or throw some things out. LGBT being quiet and private for instance. "Being seen" was Jonathan's advice, and a good one especially for a Japanese gay man that was called feminine since he was a kid. Some gay men can hide, but as Jonathan said, he couldn't hide what he was, he couldn't hide this. So fuck it. Don't hide. It's actually more dangerous for a feminine man to come off as anxious rather than gay and proud. It makes you more of a target if they think you won't fight back. Proud means, Imma throw hands too, bitch.

This is also from the civil rights playbook going back to Black America: never hold a protest or a fight without the cameras, without being seen. LGBT have found the more seen they are, in media, in the streets, the better off we are. When LGBT Americans were being "private" about our lifestyles, we died, a la 1980s. They won't care if you start dying off if they never saw you to begin with.

And hence why I think the author's real anger is from these 5 being seen dancing flamboyantly in Shibuya, in Harajuku, afforded the privilege of doing this safely because of their tourist status, cameras and very low violence rate in Tokyo, loud and obnoxiously. Honestly, they wouldn't have been invited or nominated if they didn't want that brash American-ness coming into their home, just for a taste, at least.

Here's my real anger, my own jealousy: Japan's queer community currently does not have marriage or adoption rights. US does, so we have progressed further. But we are also not that many years from being tied to cow fences with barbed wire, beaten with baseball bats and left for dead overnight. If things are so bad over there, maybe take a few pages from the civil right playbook we took so much time to perfect and produced by the Black Americans who fought first. But so far, I only hear loss of jobs and marriages, which we still have here too. Stop trying to divide us, we are one community, LGBT around the world and we are here to try to help. Take it or leave it, it's not like we're going to go organize your own Pride parade for you.

Rant over? I guess. Is this important enough to be put in the google results along with his. Hell no, anyone with half a mind can see he's reaching more than half the time. And any argument about: this wasn't covered! There are a shit ton of conversations that are not covered in the 45 min they have. They are not a civil rights show, it's a makeover show, doing their best in that direction anyway. Know what it is.

Next blog post, what research I would guess was happening behind the scenes for each of the 5? I'm pretty sure I saw Jonathan doing Japanese style makeup there...

[just-a-girl-and-her-ships]

Slibbs Writers - Scott Williams

(If he wrote it, chances are it's a good story, with some great Slibbs.)

Season 15

Ready or Not (15x09) dir. Terrence O'Hara

Gibbs, Jack and Bishop try to take down terrorist Andre Yorka. The first real case where we see Slibbs together in the field. Great scene in autopsy as Gibbs assures Jack that they will get the man responsible for the death of her friend. The look on his face when she pulls the bullet out too? So proud. 😍

This is also the ep when McGee's twins are born.

One Man's Trash (15x17) dir. Michael Zinberg

Gibbs and Ducky realize, while watching their favorite show, that an antique war stick may be the weapon used in a cold case many years ago. Such a great episode. Ends with Gibbs inviting Jack over for steaks and showing her his dad's razor.

Also, the character of Kasie Hines is introduced.

Date with Destiny (15x24)

Cowritten with George Schenck and Frank Cardea

Directed by Tony Wharmby

Season Finale of season 15. Jack goes on a date and runs face to face with Nigel Hakim. After confronting him in Vance's office, Gibbs checks in on her which leads to Jack revealing what happened to her as a POW and literally revealing her scars to Gibbs. Gibbs then tells her about killing the man who shot his family. Jack is the one person he told.

Season 16

Love Thy Neighbor (16x02) dir. Terrence O'Hara

The team is called to a crime scene in a suburban neighborhood. The deceased is found in the hot tub in the backyard. Great Slibbs scenes!

What Child Is This? (16x10) dir. Michael Zinberg

Oh so good, right? But he also leaves you wanting more. Jack gave him a bottle of "Kentucky's Finest " but what did he give her? When the baby, Nick and Ellie were at Gibbs' house, and Jack arrived....what made her go to Gibbs place really? And she looked so at home there! Next stop, MTAC....and they arrive together?

Then when it's time to bring the baby to his new parents, Gibbs stops by Jack's office. "Hey Jack. Ya still coming?" There are definitely scenes off camera between these two that we are missing.

Also, this is the first introduction to her daughter, Faith, when she is checking out her social media.

Bears and Cubs (16x16) dir. Diana Valentine

Main focus is on Jimmy's father-in-law and the case but Slibbs are working well together here, talking to the dad of the deceased. When they need someone to go undercover who can play poker...Gibbs knows the perfect person. Because in her words "I beat him once in one of his friendly poker games and now he calls me the Cincinnati Kid." Yeah. We need to see THAT game!

Lost Time (16x23) dir. Diana Valentine

Teleplay by Scott Williams

Story by Williams and Frank Cardea

Gibbs is having a hard time after he told his team about murdering Pedro Martinez. He seeks Grace's help in a bar. We find out later that Grace was in the middle of a breakthrough with another patient....Jack. At the end, they continue that session with Jack revealing that she feels alone and wants to let someone in, but isn't sure the other person feels the same way. Grace gets all 👀👀👀 and then 😍😍😍

Season 17

Going Mobile (17x03) dir. Thomas J. Wright

Oh they so have a thing. 😁 Nick and Jack have an interesting conversation in the elevator. She's trying to counsel them to improve their morale, but since Gibbs won't approach her, she goes to others to make sure he's ok. Which leads to their conversation in her office. Which ultimately leads to Gibbs replacing the ink blot with an elephant painting.

There are also multiple references to What Child Is This?. Nick references how "tight" they seemed to be back then. And then Gibbs gifts her the painting with the note "Merry Christmas"....a few months too late mind you. 😊

In The Wind (17x11) dir. Rocky Carroll

The search for Phineas. When Gibbs sees that Jack is on the other line, he ends the call with Ziva. Jack comes over quickly (because she is already there!). She's by his side to help find Phineas and comforts him when he can't remember the details. They later share a moment in the elevator, but the hug just wasn't enough!

At the end, he can't believe what she's done and she states "miracles happen". Oh how we wish they would.

And let's not forget Jack's line, after Ziva thanks her for taking care of Gibbs' heart...."We take care of each other's. "

Blarney (17x19) dir. Rocky Carroll

Not a Slibbs episode but great nonetheless. And Gibbs' reaction when he realizes it's HIS diner that is the site of the hostage situation....no words are necessary.

[salfisherandfriends]

My insert/OC is named Maggot, 21, curvy plus size queen, 5'2", long copper red hair, brown eyes, blue glasses, gold septum ring. AFAB uses they/them pronouns. I'm the mom jeans and tucked in Hawaiian shirt type gay ;^) Could I have a fic with ep 4 Sal? (So we're roughly the same age lol) Maybe one of our first late nights together that turns into a sleepover and I just can't sleep because that sweet sweet Insomnia rules over my life.

[Sal and Maggot’s Late Night (Requested OC)]

“Dang, I’m bored.”

Sal startled out of his sleepy haze, blinking away the darkness from his vision and realizing that Maggot was still, in fact, sitting across the room from him. He made a questioning sound and they just let their head fall back against the chair, sighing. Sal stretched his limbs down to his fingertips and toes before slumping back into his beanbag.

“Shit, sorry to fall asleep on you. What time is it?” he asked, his voice groggy with sleep. He ran his fingers through his tangled blue locks, nails catching on the straps of his mask. Maggot stood up and walked over to him, obvious fatigue in their movements. They squinted into the dark, making out the faint red of Sal’s alarm clock.

“About 2,” they replied and sat down next to Sal, “it’s pretty late.”

“Mhmm,” Sal hummed, “you planning on heading home soon?”

“Um, not yet, if that’s alright with you.” Maggot’s eyes darted to Sal’s face, instinctively watching for a reaction. They blinked and looked away a moment later.  

“Yeah, it’s all good with me.” Sal turned to look at them, a teasing grin in his tone. “I already told you it was fine.”

“I know...” they murmured

“You can spend the night.”

“I know! You already said that I could.” 

They sat in silence for a moment before Sal leaned back into his beanbag, yawning again. He reached over for his guitar and fiddled with the strings, chattering about recent events in their lives and how his college search was going for him. There wasn’t much to do at this time of night. Both of them were tired after a long day of pestering Todd to try out his new gaming console and writing songs with Larry. They knew they had plans to drive down to a nearby amusement park the next day but that didn’t inspire much motivation to get to bed. 

Maggot had become a recent addition to the group. Sal met them a couple months ago but everyone had been pretty busy for the following weeks so he never really got a chance to properly introduce them. They all finally had some time off from classes and wanted to make the most out of it, so he took the opportunity. Everyone had gotten along well enough, but Sal hadn’t expected them to stay over this long. Not that it bothered him–he just didn’t think Maggot would be down for it. 

“You wanna try and head to bed? I don’t mind getting the couch all comfy for you.” Sal offered and Maggot rubbed their eyes, glasses askew and coppery hair draped across their face. 

“I can help myself, I just need a blanket and pillow.” They trailed off, rising to their feet alongside Sal as he got up to find Maggot something to sleep on. He pulled out a blanket from his closet and grabbed a spare pillow from his bed, handing them over to Maggot.

“I’ll be right back!” Sal walked over to the bathroom to freshen up and left Maggot to do as they pleased. When he returned, they were lazing on the couch, pillow and blanket piled together. He seated himself next to them, picking up on the subtle snoring of his dad a room over. He idly hoped he wasn’t that loud in his sleep, glancing over at Maggot. They seemed a bit tired lately. 

Despite that, Sal noticed Maggot suddenly perked up, a grin pulling at the corners of their lips.

“Wanna tell ghost stories?” they asked and Sal hesitated for a moment. He hadn’t told Maggot about the paranormal activities he’d experienced recently and had been becoming more and more prevalent as the days passed. He smiled beneath his mask and nodded, gesturing for them to do first.

Maggot gave a pretty detailed recap of a ghost encounter that their friend had once at an abandoned house. Despite being accompanied by spooky sound effects, it was actually pretty creepy–especially when he could personally relate to the encounter. Random ghost sightings rarely phased him anymore, but he was always down for an adventure. As of late, however, his spark for it was dwindling. After Maggot’s story was finished, however, he felt that passion in him rekindle. 

“Alright, that was good,” he said rather nonchalantly, getting up to find a flashlight from the T.V stand. When he found it he returned to his prior spot, flicking it on. The light intensified the shadows on his face, eyes almost completely hidden. 

“But I’ve got something better.” He paused, feeling a wicked expression creep onto his face when Maggot’s features tensed. 

“You like bologna?” 

...

The next morning was unforgiving, but not as unforgiving as a sleep-deprived Todd. 

“Did you guys sleep at all?” Todd snapped from the front seat, a similar tire evident on his own face but his eyes remained glued to the road ahead. Maggot and Sal both caught themselves on each other as they were abruptly woken from their slumber. They were all stuck in traffic and dealing with Todd’s envious wrath of not being able to rest in the back seat. But, hey! He was the only with enough driving experience who was also not feeling like complete shit. Maggot and Sal were both high on sleep deprivation, Larry was still coming down from his high on something else–and Todd pulled the short stick. 

Both of them slowly turned to look at Todd with the same annoyed expression, promptly ignoring his question and tossing their heads back onto their seats. Larry snickered at nothing, turning around in his seat to look at them.

“Come on, now! I’m not gonna carry you two around all day, I’ve got rides to ride!”

“Just leave us be,” Maggot moaned, “I’ll be more alive when we get there, I swear!” Sal was already asleep again.