#it goes without saying that to each their own and blah blah blah

[ananke-xiii]

You know Sam Winchester is trying to connect with you when he gives you something belonging to one of your (dead) loved ones.

He gives John's journal to both Henry and Mary (!!!) and Kelly's pendrive to Jack.

It's the old Sympathy vs Empathy debate.

Sam definitely lacks empathy but he can show sympathy. And no, I don't think the first is necessarily better than the latter, altough I do think that both things taken to their extremes can lead to disconnection with other people.

And yeah, there are things that Sam can't do in the sense that he lacks the skills to do these things. Like sitting down in front of someone and ask them "talk to me" like Dean does when he sees Cas struggling in s8. Instead, he goes and gives them something. When in s13 he tries to cheer Dean up with booze, food and strippers it's not because he doesn't know Dean but rather he doesn't know what to do with Dean. As in he literally doesn't have the tools to deal with grieving people. It's exactly the same stuff that happens with the victims of the MOTW episodes.

So if these are just skills they can be learnt, right? Well, I think yes and no. I mean, there are too many things to take into account that I find it difficult to just sum them up in few generic sentences. However, what I would like to say is that lacking empathy skills doesn't make a character bad or unfeeling or uncaring. It's just what it is.

On the other hand, I personally feel for this type of characters (and ofc people in real life) because I can see them struggling and constantly failing (which most of the times they're not even aware of) at making meaningful connections.

So yeah, Sam Winchester trying to connect by proxy with people always gets me.

[darkmatilda]

𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐟𝐟 | 𝐬.𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐝

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: spencer needs your help examining a crucial piece of evidence...but the moment he sees you, his mind goes blah blah blah...proper name, place name, backstory stuff...

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬/𝐭𝐰: spencer reid x diva!chemist! female reader, same reader as in pick your poison but you don’t need to read that first—there aren’t any major references, suggestion that the reader engages in casual hook ups, reader has a belly button piercing and a described outfit, spencer's pov only

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬: 2k

𝐚/𝐧: requested by @trulymadlydarling it was slowly gathering dust in my inbox 😭 sorry!

"I think the threshold of my lab isn't exactly the best place for camping."

A woman's silhouette cast a shadow over Spencer as she appeared right above him in the dimly lit hallway.

Spencer sighed in frustration and hauled himself to his feet. As he brushed off his pants, he kept his eyes off the woman in front of him.

"Well, I didn't think you'd make me wait fifty-eight—"

"Oh, just say the hour. Is rounding numbers really that hard for you?" she scoffed, her voice carrying a trace of genuine curiosity. She swiped her access card, unlocking the door to the lab. With her back turned to him, he took in her appearance—an oversized fur coat draped over her shoulders, a designer handbag hanging from one arm. His gaze drifted downward, and to his surprise, he noticed…pajama pants and slippers?

"You should be grateful I even bothered to show up at this hour," she added.

"This is really important," Spencer replied as she led him inside.

She moved through the space with effortless familiarity, heading straight for the light switch. Well, this was her domain, after all—the place where she spent most of her days.

"I don't care," she replied. "Unless you've found proof that Marilyn Monroe was the Zodiac Killer all along—then, well, I care a little. Honestly, you have no idea how much you owe me for showing up..."

He rolled his eyes.

"Should I be thanking you on my knees, or...?"

"I could have been busy. I could have been out with the girls at a club. I could have been having the night of my life..."

"I get it, you made a huge sacrifice answering my request, but can you now—"

"I could have been in bed already. My own. Or not my own," she glanced at him over her shoulder. "Though in that case, I wouldn’t have picked up."

Spencer simply sighed. By now, he was used to it—the way most of their conversations followed the same pattern. How she always set the pace, steering the direction as she pleased. How she sometimes deliberately ignored his words and didn’t care if it made her seem rude. How, in general, she didn’t care what impression she left on others.

He had witnessed it countless times, found it irritating every single time, and yet—every single time—he kept the conversation going. Funny.

She switched on only one of the lights, leaving the room bathed in a soft twilight. Her handbag landed on the long counter beside one of the microscopes, and she tossed her fur coat next to it, completely unconcerned about knocking something over.

Sometimes, he watched her with quiet fascination—the effortless confidence in her movements—and wondered if she had ever, even once, smacked her hip against a doorframe. Or stubbed her toe on a cabinet. Those small, mundane humiliations and everyday mishaps simply didn’t seem to fit with who she was.

He tightened his grip on the plastic bag he had brought with him, the one containing something that needed to be examined. The team didn’t know about it yet.

The thought, the theory, had quite literally yanked him out of sleep. He couldn’t function without checking this lead immediately. But he knew that if he went through the lab, he’d have to wait until morning for the results…so he decided to ask for a friendly favor.

Okay friendly was a big word.

They had known each other for a few months, worked together on several cases, gone on a date, slept together.

Not necessarily in that order.

He was just about to open his mouth, say something, hand her the bag… when, for the first time, he actually saw her in better light than the dim glow—or rather, lack of it—in the hallway. Against his own will, his gaze started its journey over her.

From the slippers on her feet, up the loose pajama pants that ended just below the piercing in her navel, the black camisole with thin straps, to her face—completely free of makeup.

Until now, he had only seen her in two versions. One was her usual, elegant work attire. The other was her evening look—form-fitting, designed to turn heads and keep them there.

On second thought, there was also a third version. Without clothes.

But he had never seen her like this. Casual, comfortable, dressed for nothing more than wandering the walls of her own apartment.

She lifted her arms to tie her hair into a ponytail, and her shirt rode up slightly.

“If my piercing fascinates you that much, I can give you my piercer’s number,” she offered dryly, a fleeting smirk on her lips as she caught his stare. He immediately snapped his gaze back to her face, cursing internally when he realized he probably looked like he had been caught staring. Which, of course, he hadn’t been. “Excellent work. Full professionalism. Experienced hands…”

"I need you to check this stain," he interrupted, raising the bag.

They had been talking too much, and he really needed to know if his suspicions were correct.

She stepped closer to take the bag from him.

“Is this a crucial piece of evidence, or can I touch it?”

“You can touch it…”

She stopped just a step away, shifting her weight onto one hip and tilting her head to get a better look.Spencer instinctively straightened, feeling a strange tension along his spine.Earlier, he had been looking at what she was wearing. Now, what caught his attention was how she looked.

There’s a certain kind of beauty you never quite get used to, no matter how often you see it. The kind that, every time, knocks the air from your lungs for just a second—that fleeting disbelief that someone like this actually walks the earth.

She had it. She radiated it.

And she was just a step away.

She took the garment out of the bag. It was a red turtleneck sweater. She lifted it higher toward the light, furrowing her brow as she examined the stain.

Spencer’s gaze fell on her beautiful face, her eyes shimmering slightly, her lower lip slightly pursed in thought.

Suddenly, she scoffed, snapping him back to reality.

"Mystery solved, and I didn’t even need a microscope," she said, shoving the sweater back into his hands. As he took it, his fingers brushed against hers, catching him slightly off guard. "It’s foundation. I’d recognize that stain anywhere. So, hooray, happy to help, no need to put me in the case report, have a good night, and see you—"

He grabbed her wrist before she could step away, stopping her in place.

"This isn’t a joke," he said, his voice dropping, tinged with sudden irritation.She raised an eyebrow at both his tone and the way he—unintentionally—closed the distance between them. As usual, she looked him straight in the eyes, and as usual, it was hard not to be drawn in. But he tried, because this case was really consuming his thoughts. "Listen, I called you because I need someone to actually test it. Not just glance at it. It'll only take a moment, and then you can go back to crawling into bed with whoever you want. Can you do that?"

The second-to-last sentence made her expression shift slightly.

For a moment, they stood there, unwavering, eyes locked without so much as a blink. Then, the corners of her lips tugged upward—just barely. But it felt more like a forced gesture, an attempt to maintain her carefully practiced expression, rather than a sign of genuine amusement.

"Alright," she replied softly. Not to be mistaken for shyly. There was nothing shy about her, a fact he was reminded of constantly.

"I’ll test it, since it matters so much to you. And then I’m going back to bed." A slow blink before she yanked the sweater from his hands. "With whoever I want."

Why did swallowing suddenly stop being an automatic reflex and turn into something he had to consciously work through?

"That’s great," he said shortly, dryly. He could feel himself slipping into the trap again, letting her toy with him. "Have fun."

"I will."

With that simple assurance, she walked away, and the very particles of air around him seemed to loosen, finally allowing him to breathe again. He turned after her instinctively, the way a swivel chair spins when someone sets it in motion.

She crossed the lab table and leaned over an empty workstation—empty, like all the others. The entire width of the counter separated them now, along with the return of cool detachment to her face. Slowly, Spencer rested his hands on the smooth surface, watching as she got to work. Watching as her hair bounced slightly with the shift in position. Watching as her jaw tensed in concentration. Watching as she leaned over the workstation slightly.

"So," she began flatly, not pausing her work or even looking at him.

Spencer gave his head a small shake, realizing that this time, he really had been staring. At least she hadn’t seen it.

"What exactly am I testing?"

His gaze drifted to her again.

"Something related to the case."

"Wow, I never would've guessed."

He was too distracted to mentally slap himself for how pathetic he was. 

"Uh, it’s not exactly groundbreaking," he began.

He could focus—he just had to try hard enough. He just had to clear the lingering trace of her scent from when she’d stood so close. Had to shake off the echo of her words. With whoever I want, she had said. The more he thought about it, the more accurate it seemed. He firmly believed she could have whoever she wanted. With that confidence. With that face. With that body…

"That’s why I’m checking it after hours. Just, you know…backstory stuff…"

A sound escaped her lips—somewhere between a scoff of disbelief and a startled laugh. She looked at him—no, she pinned him with her gaze.

"Backstory stuff?" she repeated, her lips curling into a smile. Not even a mocking one anymore. She was genuinely amused. "Did you, Doctor Spencer Reid, when asked what the evidence pertains to, actually respond with backstory stuff…?"

“No, I…I mean…”

“Oh God, it’s a good thing they don’t put you in front of cameras. Imagine you, at a press conference. Just casually dropping backstory stuff on national television…”

“I can handle myself in front of cameras,” he clarified, feeling an odd warmth creep up the back of his neck. “But there aren’t any here. And besides, I didn’t realize you wanted me to recite the entire case file from memory…”

“That won’t be necessary,” she said with another amused snort. “Backstory stuff is actually a surprisingly accurate term. You know, very professional.”

He rolled his eyes, feigning irritation, though what he really felt was more akin to embarrassment.

“Speaking of professionalism, maybe you could get back to work?” he suggested.

“I don’t have to,” she replied, flashing him a sweet smile. “I already checked everything. And I was wrong. It’s not foundation—it’s nitroglycerin.”

Spencer’s jaw practically hit the floor.

For the first time since stepping into the lab, his mind was running at full capacity.

"Nitroglycerin? Are you sure?"

"Well, I don’t get these things wrong," she said, almost offended.

"Nitroglycerin," he repeated in a whisper.

Oh, for heaven’s sake. Suddenly, everything made sense.

She leaned her elbows on the table, watching him with interest.

He wanted to kiss her.

No—he did not—

"Thank you," he blurted out, her words becoming background noise as his thoughts raced. "Thank you for coming. This…this really helps. I have to tell the team—"

He turned toward the door, dazed by the realization.

Something stopped him.

"Spencer," she called gently.

She didn’t seem angry that he was leaving so abruptly. If anything, there was a certain soft glint in her eyes, a quiet fascination with his sudden revelation. Standing in the doorway, he looked at her one last time, feeling himself freeze in place again. He said nothing, sensing that she wanted to say something instead.

She tilted her head slightly.

"You owe me a favor," she said.

There was something about the way she said it—something that sent a slow, deliberate shiver down his spine. Not even a shiver. More like a careful march of cold fingertips down his vertebrae.

So, naturally, he did what any grown man with an IQ of 187 would do.

He parted his lips slightly and nodded.

[cryptidghostgirl]

hiii can i request a silly little scene i have in my head? ok so!

alastor x wife! reader- theyve been together since they were alive, legit partners in crime they both encouraged eachother to kill and when they reunited in hell after around 8 years they were independent once again UNTIL They got in trouble with Lilith and she took reader to be like her slave until Alastor finished helping Charie with her dream (until he helped prove that demons can be redeemed) so they didnt see each other for another 7 years (his absence)

And all throughout the first season hes like “I miss my wife, Husk. I miss her a lot” (while drunk-) like that one sonic dub meme and starts shaping his shadow creature into reader and talking to it and everyone is like “m yep he’s officially lost it.”

BUT then Sir Pentious is redeemed and Lilith sees and shes like “damn :/“ and send reader to the new hotel via portal and reader just. falls on the ground in front of the big entrance and everyone hears it and they rush out and Alastor is quiet, wide eyed and reader goes smth like “i know- i shouldnt have accepted it in your name but-“ blah blah she rambles on about it and Alastor just goes “Youre as beautiful as the day I los you.” LIKE THAT HEARYBREAKING SCENE FROM HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 ;-; and everyone reacts in their own way

I REALLY NEED THIS BUT I LACK THE ABILITIES TO DO IT HEEELP (love u)

A/N oh bestie,, i got you. I was actually planning on something similar where Alastor was getting drunk at a bar and talking about the love of his life (I'm still gonna write that one too but I really like this prompt!!) You guys really come up with the best requests, please keep sending them in.

Fuel and the Fire (Alastor x Wife!Partner-in-Crime!Reader)

Pairing: Alastor x Reader

Warnings: ANGST also bad words (idk why i wrote the warnings like this). Also Angel Dust is in this one and I love him but he is a warning on his own.

Word Count: 2,392

Master Lists:

Master Lists 

Hazbin Hotel Master List

Alastor and Y/n, partners in crime, the fuel and the fire. On a first glance, it would be assumed she was his fuel, the coal and dry leaves he fed himself by. Once anyone got to know them -- and god, what trouble a person was in if they got to know them -- they quickly realized it was the other way around.

Hand in hand from day one, from childhood. Running from the cops, washing the blood off one another's faces. In the living world and life after death, nothing could tear them apart. He was the soil she planted herself in, he was her rock and Y/n? Well she was Alastor's everything. He'd do anything at all for her, all she had to do was ask.

For a decade, they terrified the living world. They were the reason to double check the lock on the door before bed, they were the ominous shadow at the corner. When cold death wrapped them in his reckless grasp, they turned their terror on Hell.

The pair made a name for themselves quickly, filling up the airwaves and making waves in the underworld. For generations, they reigned supreme. For generations, they knew no fear. Then one day, they simply disappeared.

When Alastor reappeared on the streets seven years later without his shadow, the town was alight with gossip. No one knew where he had been, where she still was, or why he had returned but Alastor quickly rebuilt his operation, setting up shop at Lucifer's daughter's Hazbin Hotel along with several of the souls he owned.

The hotel's other residents and workers were distrustful of the man, to say the least. He was shifty, wore a constant smile, and rumors circled around him like birds of prey. That was until about three months into his stay, at least.

Angel hadn't meant to eavesdrop. He'd been coming down to the bar for a drink and a rant of his own when he'd heard the familiar, crackling voice of the Hotel's host.

"I just... I miss her so much, Husk."

He sounded sad, utterly dejected. Angel crouched down on the staircase, hiding his slim body behind one of the ornate posts supporting the railing.

"You keep saying that but do nothing to go find her. She disappeared the same time as you, you know." came Husk's gruff reply.

"I know she did."

"You keep saying that, acting like you know something. Admit it: you don't know shit, Alastor."

Alastor's radio waves faltered, squeaking slightly. Angel tensed in terror, wondering if he'd been found out. This was clearly a private conversation, and the Radio Demon was testy at the best of times. Right now he seemed positively furious.

"Don't test me, Husk." Alastor said after a moment, breaking the tense silence, "She... we both got roped into something. I am doing my part, she is doing hers."

Angel straightened himself up, deciding it was high time he entered the room. He still wanted that drink, after all. He let his feet fall heavily on the stairs, alerting the others to his presence. Husk turned toward the sound, meeting Angel's eyes as he entered the bar. Alastor, on the other hand, kept his back to the spider demon.

Taking a seat beside Alastor, Husk immediately poured Angel a drink and slid it across the counter towards him.

"So, tough night, Smiles?" Angel asked, turning to Alastor who downed the rest of his drink in a single gulp.

"I don't know what you're talking about, my good fellow." Alastor hummed in response.

There was a threat in his voice, but Angel could tell the demon's heart wasn't in it. Everything was just, odd.

"Yeah... sure..." Angel scoffed, taking a sip of his own drink.

"Radio man was crying to me about his wife five seconds ago." Husk grumbled and Angel's eyes went wide.

"You have a wife?" he asked, turning back to Alastor, "I mean, I get it. I'm in to the whole 'tall dark and creepy' thing too but, you care about someone? I don’t know if I can see it.”

Alastor's eyes narrowed as he turned on Husk. The cat demon rolled his eyes in a brazen display of disrespect. He knew his master well, knew this was the only thing he had any leverage with the man on. With a deep breath, Alastor placed his hands firmly on the bar top and pulled himself to his feet. Not saying another word, he disappeared into his shadows.

That had been the first odd occurrence. Of course Angel had told Charlie and Charlie had told everyone, had even approached Alastor about it. The Radio Demon brushed it all off with skill and for a while, things were quiet.

About a month later, the second strange thing began happening. Alastor had always had a certain sway over shadows, everyone knew that. However, he very rarely used them, brought them out if it wasn't to hide him or take him where he needed to be. Then, suddenly, one began to follow him.

"Uh, Alastor?" Charlie had timidly approached him the first time she saw this happening.

"Yes, Charlie my dear?" Alastor asked, turning to face her as he tossed his microphone in the air, catching it neatly in the center of the stand.

"Well, we were just wondering if everything was... okay?" she asked, her hands behind her back and a pointed gaze on the shadow.

"If everything..." Alastor trailed off, following the path of Charlie's gaze and realizing what was going on, "No, no my dear. Everything is quite all right, quite alright indeed."

"Well, okay... If you say so." Charlie had relented after a few moments, unsure of what else to do.

Eventually, the members of the Hazbin Hotel grew used to the shadows, they too slipped out of their minds. Overcome with impending doom of the extermination just a month away, Alastor's strange behavior was no longer a priority.

That had been until the third odd occurrence came into being. It was Sir Pentious who had noticed it first, drawing it to the group's attention as Alastor walked through the lobby and past the group doing trust exercises there on his way to some meeting or another with the other overlords.

"Sir Pentious?" Charlie had called, trying to bring him back to earth as he watched the place Alastor had occupied, "Sir Pentious?"

"Pentious!" Vaggie yelled and his head snapped to her, "You're not coming up with some new plan to attack Alastor, are you?"

"No!" he quickly exclaimed, waving his hands frantically in the air, "Not at all just..."

"What?" Vaggie asked through gritted teeth, advancing a step forward, her spear in hand.

"It's just... doesn't that shadow Alastor has had following him well.... doesn't it kind of look like a woman?"

Husk broke out into wild laughter while Angel widened his eyes.

"Oh, he's definitely lost it now." Husk exclaimed as he calmed himself, clutching his stomach, "If I knew Y/n was the secret to breaking him down, I woulda done something about it years ago."

"No you wouldn't have, ya big talker." Angel teased, elbowing the cat demon lightly.

"Y/n?" Sir Pentious asked.

"Alastor's wife. That was her name." Husk replied.

"Did you know her?" Charlie asked.

Alastor had left the hotel, the threat that had held their questions at bay for months was gone and the topic was right. Husk nodded.

"So, what's she like?" Angel asked suggestively, "Is she more of a dom? Does deer boy like to get dicked down by his lady?"

"Gross." Charlie shook her head, her hands to her temples, "I do not want to know that."

"She's a good kid." Husk said after a moment, "She's nice..."

He trailed off.

"But?" Vaggie prompted, sensing there was more that he wanted to say.

Husk sighed.

"If you think Alastor is trouble, she's a fucking house fire set for the insurance money."

"So probably not interested in being a guest." Charlie dejectedly stated.

Husk shrugged.

"You never know. It has been seven years since anyone has seen her. Alastor allegedly knows where she's at but, he hasn't gone after her. Just keeps whining to me about it so, I don't know. Maybe she's changed. I doubt it though. Sweet as a pea, sharp as a knife."

Charlie had never felt such relief as when she learned Alastor had not died in the chaos of the battle. The hotel was destroyed, heaven was pissed, Sir Pentious had died but, at least he was alright. They rebuilt the hotel, Alastor's same shadow of a woman trailing after him wherever he went. After about a week, thanks to all the angelic and demonic powers involved in the construction, the new Hotel was finished.

It was just as they put the finishing touches on the place, hung the portrait of Sir Pentious they'd commissioned above the fire place, that a portal opened in the lobby. Everyone tensed, banding together behind Charlie and Alastor. Angels were coming, they were sure of it.

A crash echoed from the other side, a sharp yell and then something tumbled through the portal. With a flash, the portal disappeared behind the shape of a person huddled on the floor. She coughed violently.

Alastor's eyes went wide. Everyone else was too distracted to notice, but if they'd have been paying attention, they would have seen his shadow disappear.

The girl was filthy, her clothes torn and her hair tangled. She let out another, sharp cough before slowly lifting her head. Alastor took a trembling step forward.

"Y/n?" he asked, his voice soft in disbeleif.

A smile, wide and sharp, split the woman's bruised face in two.

"Hey hun, I'm home."

In a flash, he was at her side, helping her to her feet, checking her for wounds.

"Jesus, Y/n." he sighed, "You're a mess."

"I know."

"Y/n-"

"I know. I shouldn't have done it, you don't need to lecture me. I didn't have a choice. It was you or me, Al. I couldn't... I can't... I had to. You've gotta understand."

"Sweetheart-"

Y/n cut him off again, her speech a single, constant, stressed-out stream.

"It was stupid, I know. I know. I really do but, she gave me the option and I couldn't say no cause then if I said no you'd really be the one in trouble a-"

Alastor raised a hand gently to her cheek and Y/n's words caught in her throat. She looked up at him, meeting his eyes at last.

"You're as beautiful as the day I lost you."

His voice was soft, so quiet the others could barely hear him. Y/n's cheeks flushed a bright pink. Her hands found the lapels of his jacket, holding them lightly.

"I.." she stuttered, her mind racing.

With a sigh and a slight shake of her head, she gave up in the search for words and buried herself in his chest. Alastor wrapped his arms around Y/n, pressing her tightly into his frame.

"God, I missed you." she said, her voice muffled by the fabric.

Alastor pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

"I love you." she continued, "I'm so sorry."

Alastor pulled her off of him, leaning down the slightest bit so they were eye to eye. Y/n, wiped a stray tear away, letting out a slight, sad laugh. Alastor's eyes traversed her face, caressing every crevasse.

"I'm so glad your alright but, I don't understand." he said at last, "How are you back? The deal..."

Y/n nodded and Alastor's eyes went wider still. Leaning on Alastor's shoulder for support, she turned her eyes onto the rest of the group.

"You must be Charlie." she hummed softly, meeting the young demon's gaze.

Taking a deep breath, Charlie stepped forward and nodded.

"Yes, I am. I run the Hazbin Hotel, which is where you are, to help rehabilitate sinners."

"I know." Y/n nodded, her voice quavering slightly, "I've heard so much about you. You... my dear, it worked."

"I- what?" every other question died in Charlie's throat, shock shot through her body like a bullet.

"It worked." Y/n confirmed, "You did it. I had a deal, a deal which Alastor went to your side to get me out of. If you succeeded in redeeming a soul with his aid, I would be free. And here I am."

"Here you are." Alastor repeated, spinning Y/n to face him once again.

She wobbled unsteadily on her feet. Catching sight of this along with the numerous wounds all over her body, Alastor scooped Y/n up into his arms like he did when they had first been married, when they had crossed the first threshold together. Y/n looped her arms around his neck, exhaustion seeping in with the relief as she let her head fall on his chest.

"Vaggie..." Charlie began as she turned to her girlfriend, "you don't think..."

"Pentious?" Vaggie asked and Charlie nodded.

"It's gotta be." Angel confirmed.

"You did good, kid." Husk smiled, patting Charlie on the back.

Y/n raised her head at the sound of a familiar voice, her eyes opening.

"Husker?" she asked with a smile.

The cat demon stepped forward, bowing slightly.

"Husker! I-"

"Enough of that, my love." Alastor cut her off, tapping her nose gently, "You need a shower and some rest. You can meet everyone in the morning."

Y/n crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes as she looked up at her husband.

"Promise?"

"Yes, I promise." he sighed.

"Does that mean you're staying?" Charlie asked tentatively and the couple turned to her.

"Whatever the little lady desires." Alastor stated, looking back down at his wife in a lovestruck daze.

"Yes, Charlie. We're staying." Y/n laughed, "Things need to start changing around here and I don't see anyone else doing a god damn thing to make that happen except for you."

"I.." Charlie was speechless, the kindness this fear inspiring woman was directing towards her, having never met her before. What Husk had said made sense, she smiled, "Thank you. I don't know what you did, but that you both so much."

"Anything for my favorite girl." Alastor kissed Y/n softly.

"Oh, get a room." Angel scoffed, rolling his eyes.

[always-a-king-or-queen]

C 👏 S 👏 LEWIS 👏 WAS 👏 NOT 👏 MISOGYNISTIC

IM SO SICK OF THIS TAKE

“But he said girls shouldn’t fight in battles—" No, actually. What he said was “Battles are ugly when women fight.” Which literally translates to “in a war where women are required to fight to help win it, it means the war itself is really bad.” And this literally just means that the war has gotten so bad that women have to fight, not that women shouldn’t fight. Just that they shouldn’t be forced to. Anyway, remember Lucy?? Lucy who rode to battle in The Horse and His Boy?? Lucy who fought as an archer?? “But Susan didn’t—" Yeah. Because she didn’t want to. No one was forcing her not to fight. She had free will to fight or to not fight, and she chose not to because she didn’t want to, not because a man made her stay home.

“He punished Susan for growing up—" S i g h. This is the one I see the most often. “He did Susan dirty” “he made her suffer because she liked lipstick” “etc etc blah blah blah” First of all Narnia is a children’s book series. For CS Lewis to delve into why Susan forgot Narnia, talk about her dealing with the death of her entire family, discuss her grief, and write about her eventual return to Narnia (more on that in a second), it would’ve made for a pretty dark and heavy children’s book, and Lewis said that he didn’t think that was something he wanted to write. But he also encouraged people to finish Susan’s story themselves, and said she might eventually make her own way back to Narnia. Not only this, but Susan’s name means lily, and the waters around Aslan’s country are covered in lilies. Coincidence? I think not. I think it symbolizes she was going to go back. (Especially considering I think Lewis was very careful in choosing each of the Pevensie’s names, since they all relate to their character).

Also, Lewis did not condemn Susan simply for growing up and liking makeup and clothing and boys. If so why would he have written about Aravis and Shasta/Cor, or Caspian and Liliandil? Why would he have written about Susan and Lucy being beautiful and having many suitors? So no, he wasn’t condemning her for that, and in fact he wasn’t condemning her at all. It’s extremely probable that her family’s death would have brought Susan back to her senses. Because here’s the thing: she forgot. She threw herself so much into the world and approval and convinced herself that her life as a queen and her acquaintance with Aslan was all a silly game they played as children, that it wasn’t real. But, she very well could remember again, and I 1000% believe she did.

“All his female characters were weak and did nothing—" My friend. Lucy Pevensie was a female. She discovered Narnia. It was because of her. Her siblings would never have found it without her. Lucy is one of THE most important characters in the entire series. And her title? The Valiant. Lucy’s very title as queen denoted her bravery and fortitude without one even knowing her. As for Susan, she was not any weaker for being “The Gentle.” I would say gentleness is honestly one of the strongest traits a person can have, because it takes a lot to live and be gentle. Also remember Aravis? A major character in The Horse and His Boy and future wife of Shasta, Aravis literally nearly killed herself to escape an arranged marriage. She was not someone to be dictated to; she made her own choices and escaped rather than submitting. And in the end, she’s still fiery, just a little more humble and with less of a chip on her shoulder. Then there’s Polly, who is the more logical person in The Magician’s Nephew and tries to stop Digory from ringing the bell that wakes the White Witch. A boy causes her to awaken, not a girl. It was Digory’s fault she woke up, not Polly’s!!

Also, Peter and Edmund do not ignore their sisters because they’re girls. They listen to what they have to say and speak to them as equals. They don’t forbid them from fighting; Susan chooses not to, but Lucy goes straight into the heart of the battle with them! So don’t even say Lewis made his female characters weak. They were the backbone of much of the series and without them much of the plot would never have happened!!

So don’t you ever say to me that CS Lewis was misogynistic because it’s the furthest thing from the truth

[kingkaisen]

HISTORICAL || LEVI A.

you & levi are historical figures.

OVER ONE HUNDRED YEARS AFTER THE BATTLE OF HEAVEN AND EARTH . . .

Eliza Harper was not particularly interested in history.

In fact, she often dozed off in the middle of class, right at her desk, listening to her teacher explain what exactly a titan was.

“Ugly monsters that have been extinct for like a hundred years now, I know, I know!” She would think, resting her chin in her palm as she watched the clock tick.

Every second that passed by was one second closer to being able to go home and hang out with her friends.

But, today, she learned about a group of heroes. A group of rather dashing heroes.

Her best friend, Anna, rambled on and on about being the descendant of an Eldian hero named F/N L/N, who — according to paragraph 3, section A — married another hero named Levi Ackerman.

And, well, that led to Eliza and her friends all hovering over a history book in the middle of their lunch period.

“This guy right here is really cute,” One redheaded girl said, pointing to a photograph of a blonde-haired man.

Eliza scanned her eyes over the tiny paragraph below his photo, squinting as she read his name aloud, “Armin Arlert . . . fifteenth commander of the Survey Corps . . . blah blah blah . . . oh! He’s the one who killed Eren Yee-gar!”

“It’s Yeager, idiot,” Anna said, playfully rolling her eyes. “But that’s not what really happened. This woman right here,” Anna leaned over, flipping two pages ahead. “This woman right here is named Mikasa Ackerman. The story in my family goes that she’s the one who really killed Eren! Such a shame, too. Eren was pretty handsome.”

“Okay,” the redheaded girl scoffed, “you did not just call that mass murderer cute.”

“How would you even know that?” Eliza blinked up at Anna, who took a bite of her sandwich, getting crumbs all over the history book. “There aren’t any real pictures of him. Just drawings. How can you say whether or not they’re accurate?”

“Have you been listening?” Anna took another bite of her sandwich. “I’m pretty much related to these people! I know everything. Did you know Levi Ackerman and F/N L/N were the strongest titan killers ever? And I’m related to them, so you guys should be a little nicer to me.”

The other two girls giggled.

Truth be told, Anna had often brought evidence to school regarding her family status in the form of old letters and pictures. But, even without the evidence, no one would dare question her story, as it meant that not only did she have some Eldian blood running through her veins, but she was related to former Island Devils as well. And peace was a funny thing. Not everyone in Marley had picked peace over hatred, and they raised their families to have the same poisonous mindset.

Things were better, certainly, but they weren’t perfect.

Even so, Anna was undeniably proud of her ancestors; she flipped through the history book eagerly with glistening eyes that shined bright with admiration.

“Tell us something else about these people,” Eliza smiled at Anna, who leaned in instantly with a wide grin of her own.

“Okay, so,” flipping a couple of pages, Anna paused as she spoke, “F/N L/N and Levi Ackerman didn’t get married and have children until after the great battle, but they were in love with each other for years before then! Both of them were in the Scout regiment together, fighting titans and saving each other’s lives — it’s so cute! And-And decades later, Y/N died of old age, and Levi died of a broken heart right after.”

“Well,” the redhead darted her eyes between her two friends, “that’s depressing.”

“Can you imagine someone loving you so much that when you pass away, they die soon after because they’re so heartbroken? I hope I can love someone that much someday,” Eliza sighed softly.

“Me too,” Anna said.

The three girls continued to flip through the history book together, even bothering to plan out who they’d want to dress up as for their school’s upcoming Dress Up Day.

As Eliza looked down at your photograph on page 57, she so desperately wanted to dress up as you, her favorite historical figure.

And, as she flipped the page to take a look at your deceased husband, she so desperately wanted to experience an adventurous love story as great as yours as well.

[junwritten]

my blogger

pairing: choi yeonjun x f!reader

genre: fluff, mutual pining, slice of life, light academia vibes

warnings: light swearing, mild academic stress, adorable yeonjun being adorable

summary: you’re sitting at starbucks with your crush doing homework when he invites you over to a friend’s place—and drops a line that just might ruin you forever.

MDNI . txt masterlist

you don’t really mean to fall in love with choi yeonjun.

it just kind of… happens.

it starts in your elective media studies class, where he shows up with fluffy hair, chapstick shimmer on the edge of his cup, and opinions on blogging that make the whole room sit up straighter. you don’t talk to him for the first two weeks. you just write about him.

because, well—your professor made you start a blog. and not just a pretend blog—a real one, with actual weekly entries about digital culture, personal reflections, media consumption, blah blah. most of your classmates do the bare minimum.

but you? you write essays about yeonjun.

not directly, obviously. that would be unhinged. you just refer to him vaguely as “the boy with the soft laugh who sits by the window.” and “gloss boy,” once, which is embarrassing in retrospect.

you write about how he talks with his hands, like he’s painting ideas in midair. how he doodles on the sides of his notes. how he reads blog posts out loud with this half-laugh in his voice, like everything is secretly funny to him.

so when he turns to you one day and goes, “hey, wanna get coffee and study sometime?” you nearly choke on your own breath.

but somehow you say yes. and even more miraculously, it turns into a habit.

starbucks becomes your thing.

you get the same drinks each time—he orders some ridiculous iced monstrosity with extra whipped cream and strawberry drizzle, and you get a boring latte and steal sips from his cup when he offers. he always offers. you always pretend not to want it and then take it anyway.

you work together, side by side, laptops open, headphones half-on. he makes you laugh more than you probably should during a study session. you keep writing blog entries about him, even though your class only requires one a week and you’re way past the limit.

and okay. maybe you’re delusional. but sometimes it feels like he’s writing about you too. not in blog posts—you’ve never seen his, he’s secretive about it—but in the way he looks at you when you’re not paying attention. in the way he saves the seat next to him with his jacket. in the way he texts you at midnight like, “send me a pic of your notes i zoned out thinking about waffles.”

you’re so down bad it’s painful.

today’s no different.

he’s waiting for you at the usual table when you arrive, spinning his iced drink between his hands, eyes lighting up when he sees you.

“you’re late,” he says with a grin.

“you’re early,” you shoot back, sliding into the chair across from him.

your laptop’s heavy in your bag, your brain foggy from too many late nights, but something about being here—being next to him—makes everything feel easier. he always does.

you sip your drink, scroll through your notes, make it exactly fifteen minutes before he distracts you again.

“hey,” he says suddenly, glancing at his phone. “soobin just texted. he’s having people over. wanna come?”

you blink. “oh, i thought you were just heading over to his place.”

“yeah,” he says, like it’s obvious. “but aren’t you coming?”

you pause, caught off guard. you were fully prepared to say goodbye, to sit here alone with your homework and your unspoken feelings.

“well…” you start.

but before you can finish, he’s looking at you with that stupid, goofy smile. the one he only ever really gives to you. and he says, with zero hesitation and all the dramatic flair of someone who absolutely knows what he’s doing.

“i’d be lost without my blogger.”

you freeze.

your heart skips three beats. maybe four. your brain explodes.

“you—” you choke out. “what?”

he just sips his drink, unbothered. smug. “what?” he echoes, voice light.

“you know about my blog?” you hiss, leaning across the table like it’s a secret government mission. “how do you—”

“you write like you think no one’s ever gonna read it,” he says, all soft and honest, like he hasn’t just upended your entire existence. “but i read it. every post.”

you are going to die right here in this starbucks.

“you’re the reason i passed that midterm,” he adds. “your notes? immaculate. your media takes? unhinged but smart. your entries about ‘the boy with the soft laugh’?” he wiggles his eyebrows. “flattering.”

you cover your face with both hands. “oh my god.”

he laughs—actual, full-body laughs—and reaches out like he’s going to tug your hands away, then thinks better of it and just lightly taps your wrist.

“you’re a good writer,” he says. “and a terrible liar.”

you peek through your fingers. “how long have you known?”

“first week,” he says. “you posted about my ‘strawberry crime against coffee.’ i put two and two together.”

“why didn’t you say anything?”

“i dunno,” he shrugs. “i liked being your secret muse.”

you groan. “yeonjun.”

he tilts his head. “what?”

you lower your hands, exhale, and look at him—really look at him

he’s so annoyingly pretty. he’s so bright, and funny, and stupidly clever, and he’s looking at you like you’re something worth reading twice.

“you’re lucky you’re cute,” you mutter.

“oh?” he says, smirking. “so you do think i’m cute.”

you shake your head, laughing despite yourself. “are we going to soobin’s or not?”

“only if you sit next to me the whole time,” he says. “i need my blogger.”

“you’re never gonna let me live that down, are you?”

“not a chance.”

you pack up your stuff together, sipping from the same drink, your shoulders brushing as you walk out into the golden haze of late afternoon.

it’s a little ridiculous. a little romantic. painfully soft.

you don’t know what’s going to happen next. you don’t know if this means anything real, or if he’s just teasing, or if you’re dreaming this whole thing up and you’ll wake up in your dorm bed with a dead phone and a missed alarm.

but then he slips his hand into yours without saying a word.

and you think maybe—just maybe—you’re not the only one who’s been writing love letters between the lines.

later that night, when he falls asleep halfway through a movie at soobin’s, curled into your side with his head on your shoulder, you take a picture of him and post it to your blog with no caption.

the next morning, he reblogs it from his burner account.

the tags say:

#i’d be lost without her

#yes this is about me

#no i’m not embarrassed

and you just sit there smiling at your phone like an idiot, typing one final entry for the class.

“there’s a boy i wrote about once. i thought he’d never know. i thought if he did, it would ruin everything. but it didn’t. it made everything better. it made everything real.”

you hit post.

and for the first time in a long time, you don’t feel like you’re writing for a grade.

you feel like you’re writing for the boy who sees you.

the one who reads between the lines.

and honestly?

you’d be lost without him, too.

[raziiyah]

I have a question: why did SO MANY people think Randall had a crush on Johnny? I mean, how come Randall supposedly sees Johnny not as the grown up spoiled brat he needs to think for ? Randall literally abandoned Johnny completely and just saved his own ass and escaped from prison himself.

honestly i feel like the idea of randall having a crush on johnny comes from headcanons over what's shown in canon for the most part

i mean i see where it comes from, in all monsters media, johnny is like the only person that randall's been shown to actually like. yes he was mike's friend but i think their current relationship goes without saying, and sulley is, well, self explanatory. but them aside, randall either hates or, at best, is indifferent towards everyone else. he has been shown having a few positive interactions with other monsters, but they are either very early on in mu when he was friendly or lasted for like 2 seconds

on the other hand, randall wanted to join the cool kids from day one, who johnny was the leader of, so he already admired and wanted to be friends with him from the very start. then, he actually did become part of his circle, and so they had some kind of relationship there that could be speculated on. you could go the route of saying that randall was johnny's friend, or that randall would do things to "impress" johnny by doing tasks that would make him more likable in his eyes, etc. then you have maw making it so that randall supposedly rejoined ror and they actually became best buds, and supposedly were on good terms for several years. i feel like their dynamic involves a lot of speculation because they didn't actually interact with each other on screen very much, so their dynamic is mostly based off of the viewers perception. isn't it fcking insane we only saw johnny talk to randall directly only like twice in mu like randall didn't even say anything back

and randall's referral to johnny as his bestie could be one-sided, but maw johnny does actually seem to genuinely enjoy his company and he pushes away his former right-hand man chet in favor of randall so i mean there is some truth to that

also randall did abandon johnny in prison, but i suppose everything up until that point he was pretty loyal to johnny. and im sure he stayed with johnny bc he owed him and wanted power and payback for what sulley and mike did to him blah blah blah but even so, if randall can escape prison, than he could certainly leave johnny if he wanted to. but he stayed, upholding his promise, and he looked to have a good time doing it. and randall just says he owed johnny one as an explanation for working with johnny so he could've been the one to suggest staying with him. randall and johnny genuinely looked like they enjoyed each others' company too and randall looked happier than ever which im ngl was nice to see (but made me laugh the first time bc i thought randall would've hated johnny after mu 😭) also randall could've spent his nights somewhere at fear co and hid out there but there could be a tiny chance johnny could've let randall stay at his house (though i don't agree with this because i don't think johnny would let this literal criminal stay in the house with his wife and kids also there)

don't get me wrong their relationship isn't the strongest at all 😭 and yeah randall did abandon johnny; and i'd be surprised if he came back for him, but for randall, this is the closest relationship he's been in (onscreen) plus the aspects that make their relationship toxic or messy etc could make the ship for interesting or appealing for some

i guess one way you could say that randall doesn't see johnny as a spoiled brat is bc even though he certainly got a head start with his family name, johnny is still naturally talented and was initially shown to value honest hardwork and skill (just think of how he reacted to sulley' bad grades in mu despite his family name) and being a ceo of a major company is respectable. and randall also is shown to value genuine skill as he got offended when mike accused him of cheating to get his scream numbers up. taking maw into account they had also become quite likeminded. they were both shitty but maybe that's why they deserve each other. aside from randall being some kind of a friend to johnny, randall could've also been blinded by his admiration to think of johnny in a negative light, he looked up to him already, not to mention the fact johnny possibly saved his life after randall got banished and was the only one there for him

their stories also intertwine with each other as they greatly affected each other's fates and wouldn't be the same monster if it weren't for each other's influence (i made a post about this here) before randall met johnny, he was sweet, timid and friendly, and before randall was revealed to be working with johnny, johnny was deemed as respectful, honest business and family man. but in the end they both ended up as criminals, their names both forever tainted. and considering randall left without johnny as soon as he wasn't useful they were never truly in it together. doomed yaoi for real/j

here's the kicker: tbh i uh also kinda had the hc that randall did have a lil crush on johnny at some point 💀 i honestly don't know where it came from though lol like i think i was exposed to enough ship art a long time ago that i just made up that hc and it just stayed lmao. don't get me wrong though i don't actually ship them; i just see it as a former little one sided thing from randall's side and nothing too serious. canonically i wouldn't say for sure that randall did or does have a crush on johnny but i occasionally like some of the ship stuff of them

and i know at some point even back then i began to hc randall as bi but between all the ship art of him with dudes like sulley, mike, fungus, whoever, randall x johnny was like the only mlm ship with randall where i could see him actually liking the other person so that could also be why

though i didn't really like much of the dynamic of their ship back then which is probs why i saw it as a one sided crush, i felt like most fan content of it at least at the time was just johnny being manipulative to a young freshman randy which i wasn't fond of

though i'll say this, i think i like more of the art of randall and johnny's maw selves together better. firstly maw gave their relationship a lil more background and actually provided more content for the ship. like now we know that johnny's implied to have forgave randall and gave him a second chance, so they were friends in uni for much longer, they would've grew to be close friends, maintained that relationship years later, and worked together for a while. plus they feel more equal now idk, and i like their partners in crime thing more than what they had going on in mu (canonically) even though i don't personally ship them for real i do have a bit of nostalgia?¿? for it (idk what word to use) and so i still personally like to hc that at some point randall had a lil crush on johnny. plus i like to joke about the ship at times

[hiddencityhijinksau]

I'm totally gonna create art for this - already have - but in the meantime I should probably explain this concept lol.

So basically, in one way or another, the turtles each stumble upon the Hidden City at around age 8 to 10, and decide to keep it a secret from their bros >:3

Leo is the first one, technically, when he goes out to explore NYC when he's eight, and discovers Run of the Mill Pizza, because I'm obsessed with the Uncle Hueso idea, but he doesn't go to the actual city until much later, though he knows of it's existence.

I actually kinda started writing this starting bit? It's totally unedited and missing bits but whatever, I'll include it under the cut.

Leo peered up at the manhole cover from the bottom of the ladder, imagining what he would see if he climbed up and lifted it. The young turtle mutant didn't get long to think about it, hearing his brothers call for him.

"I'm coming!" The 8 year old ran to catch up with his family, sending one last considering look at the rungs of the ladder.

Later that night, after his brothers were asleep and his father was dozing in front of the TV, the red-eared slider crept out of bed, utilizing all the stealth skills he'd learned from the lessons Splinter thought he hadn't been paying attention to. Once safely out of the Lair, Leo practically sprinted down the route to the manhole cover he'd spotted earlier. There were entrances closer to the Lair, of course, but this way, if he got caught sneaking back in he could say he was just wandering around the sewers.

Reaching the top of the ladder, the slider paused for a moment, savoring the adrenaline of what he was about to do. Splinter never even let them explore the sewers without him, nevermind letting Leo venture out on his own. And now he was about to go Topside!

Shoving at the metal disc with all his strength, Leo cautiously poked his head out, eyes wide to take it all in. Of course, this wasn't his first time on the surface – Splinter had taken all the boys with him once or twice for scavenging trips, especially when they were younger. But now, Leo was here on his own! This was so exciting!!

The slider climbed out of the manhole, tugging the cover almost back into place, but leaving a small gap so he could get in later, as he wasn't sure how to lift it from the top side.

Bouncing in place, Leo looked around the alley he'd surfaced in with a wide grin, wondering what he might find.

Hmm. There wasn't much in this alleyway. In fact, it was pretty much empty. Nothing but a few scraps of cardboard and a colourful graffiti tag decorated the concrete.

Well, Leo didn't come here just to hang out in one measly alleyway! Full of confidence, the eight-year-old marched to the end of the alley, pulling up the hood of his sweater as he rounded the corner.

Even with the late hour, there were still people on the streets, eyes focused on getting to their destination. No one paid attention to the small figure in a battered green hoodie hurrying along, sticking close to the wall.

Leo ducked into the next alley, heart pounding. Okay, so that was a lot more nerve-wracking without Dad or Raph than he'd thought it would be.

Luckily, he realized as he took in his surroundings, this alleyway was much more interesting than the one he'd come out of. There was a huge dumpster on one side, and the walls were covered in graffiti. Even better, the far end of the alley was actually a corner, meaning there was more to explore!

Leo started poking around, kicking at the small piles of trash and inspecting the locked dumpster. Not finding anything cool, he moved on, admiring the graffiti.

He ended up turning two more corners while following the trail of graffiti, and found himself facing the street again. The constant something of spray paint broke off at the corner, meaning the skull painting in this alley stood out sharply.

Bla blah blah some yokai open the door to run of the Mill while Leo watches from behind a dumpster or smth

Leo's eyes sparkled. Was that actual magic?! Donnie said magic was impossible, but Donnie also said it was impossible for the two of them to be twins, and Leo knew that wasn't true. The turtle bounced forward with glee, eager to see where those people had gone, only to stop short when the portal closed in his face.

Leo frowned. Clearly, he just hadn't been fast enough. Wait, what was that gesture they used to open it? Leo lifted his hand, trying to mimic the pose he'd seen, and wiggled it with great concentration.

Nothing happened.

Huffing, the boy tried again. And again. And was glaring at the wall, ready to shout at it to let him in, when he heard someone approaching the alleyway. Eyes lighting up with an idea, Leo darted behind the nearest dumpster and peeked out, watching carefully.

Sure enough, another mutant-like person entered the alley, heading for the graffiti tag. Leo stared hard at the gesture they made, but instead of waiting and trying to copy it, he darted in behind them as soon as the portal opened.

As soon as he was inside, Leo stopped. And stared.

There were so many people! And none of them were human.

"This is the coolest place I've ever seen," Leo whispered to himself in awe. He slowly started walking further in, craning his neck to stare at every little detail.

So entranced was he, that he didn't see the bony figure approaching until he nearly face-planted into their suit.

"Where are your parents, little pepino?"

Leo froze and looked up at the sound of the voice. Towering over him, arms crossed, was a frowning... skeleton?!

Instantly forgetting to feel guilty at being caught, Leo blurted out, "are you dead?!" His eyes were wider than they'd been all evening, he was sure. Because, come on, that was a walking, talking, skeleton man!!!

The aforementioned skeleton man, somehow, raised an eyebrow. "No, I am not dead. Have you never seen a skeleton yokai before?"

"No," Leo responded, eyes still wide. "What's a yokai?"

"Que pasa con este niño," the yokai muttered under his breath, then continued in a normal tone, "Yokai is what we are. You, me, and everyone in this restaurant is a yokai."

"Oh. Hey, what was that language you were talking in?"

The yokai looked at him weirdly, but Leo really did want to know! He'd only said one sentence but it sounded so cool! Leo already knew he wanted to learn it.

"Spanish. Why are you here, niño?"

"Uhhhhhh... Dad... sent me?" Leo cringed a little at the blatant lie, and decided to distract him with another question. "Can you say something in Spanish?!"

The yokai sighed. "Tell me your name and I'll consider it."

He beamed. "I'm Leo! What's your name?"

"You can call me Señor Hueso."

"Whoa, is your name in Spanish?! Wait wait wait you gotta say something in Spanish now! I told you my name!"

"Deberías estar en le cama, tortuguita."

"Coooool! What does that mean?"

"It means 'you should be in bed, little turtle'. Let's go, out, time for you to go home." Hueso began pushing at Leo's shoulders, nudging him towards the door.

"Whaaaat? Come on, you can't kick me out! I just got here!" Leo dug his heels in, refusing to be pushed.

"This is a restaurant, not a daycare. I do not have time to be babysitting lost children. Out!" With one final shove, Señor Hueso let go of Leo and prepared to shut the portal.

The turtle mutant stumbled and whirled around as soon he was free. "Wait! You're just gonna let a child wander around New York alone? At night? Isn't that illegal?"

"Well, since you won't tell me where your parents are..." Hueso trailed off with a raise of his eyebrow, waiting to see if Leo would offer any more information.

Leo huffed in defeat. He didn't want to admit it, but he was getting tired, as it was already far past his usual bedtime. "Fine, fine, I'm going! But I'll be back tomorrow!"

----------------

Leo did in fact come back the next day. Hueso wasn't there when Leo scampered in behind a weird frog yokai, so the slider was quick to scurry off into the restaurant, hoping he could hang out for a little while before Hueso found him and kicked him out again.

To be continued...?

[averyangrypossum]

Fuck it, ratmeat fankid and spooky month OC

Meet Melanie Rosita Velseb, daughter of Bob Velseb and Dexter Erotoph-Velseb. She is eleven years old and currently is living with her uncle (Jack), after Bob went to jail/died, Dexter disappeared, AND her grandmother disappeared as well. Yeah, she isn’t doing too great… shes schizophrenic and managed to survive a fire when she was 7 which damaged her eye a little.

I should explain how Jack is her uncle real quick btw huh.

In my AU, Jack, Dexter, and Streber are all brothers. Who all kind of went their own ways in life, hardly speaking to each other after Streber went off to college and Jack became a police officer. Meanwhile Dexter was living with their mom and making a living being well…an exterminator. Until he meets lovely Bob at Boys & Grills, where they start dating blah blah blah you get the gist.

He moves out of his moms and in with Bob where they plan to start a life and family together, because not only does Bob love him unconditionally, something Dexter never really felt like he had in life, but he can “fulfill his needs” without Bob judging him bc Bob is…Bob. Then they had sweet ol Melanie. (Fun little fact, Bob calls her his little piglet) But then Bob got arrested when Melanie was 8 years old. This led to Dexter moving back in with his mother. and now instead of just giving Jack the cold shoulder, he now has a full-on grudge against him. Sort of blaming Jack for the loss of his husband and straining their already difficult relationship. Then Dexter goes missing, Streber gets his arm eaten, Bob dies, and Melanie's grandmother also dies.

Leaving her in the care of Jack.

He's trying to be a good stand-in parent figure and often goes to John for help since he's the one with an actual daughter, but Melanie really doesn't like Jack, sharing the same resentment Dexter had.

Also, how exactly she came to life is kind of a mystery…one day she just poofed into existence with Bob and Dexter saying they “adopted her”, but with no previous records of her existence at all and no adoption papers.

Thats all, lol - ☆

[sincapjelly]

Being both delulu and a writer is bad. Because I can make my delulu actually work with realities that I can shape...

If you know, you know, I have a Ninjago oc, Liann, who is Cole's daughter in one of my au's. Lego already has a character named Liann, in Friends, and I actually named my oc way before learning about the Friends reboot. So it was pure coinsidence, as my character's full name isn't even actually Liann.

But well, this still made me a little upset when I found out. I really liked the name Liann for my oc, it was a perfect fit for the story. She was named after Cole's mother, as her full name is Lilianne, but to give her her own identity she was called Liann blah blah. I hated that the name was already in a Lego show.

But I also loved Friends as a kid, so when I learned about the new show I did watch it, and I love the show so much now. The more I watched, the more Liann also sit with me. As someone with adhd myself, I saw so much of myself in Liann, watching her has become very healing. I thought I needed her so bad when I was in middle school.

Well, where is delulu, you might ask. This is where things get twisted. Because she shares her name with my oc, when I first started to watch the show, my brain almost couldn't differenciate her and my oc, tried to mix them. And I ended up coming up with similarities between Cole anf Friends Liann. It was fun beibg delulu on purpose. But the worst part is, it grew on me. The idea of them being the Friends universe counterpart or something, even though my oc is quite different than Friends Liann, it was so fun.

The fact that both Liann and Cole in later seasons do silly dances when happy, having binge problems with sweets, sometimes making similar poses or faces, it just fueled my delulu. And please, look me in the eyes and say she doesn't look like him at all. Not to mention the sassyness they both have. Like that's his daughter y'all! The genes are way too strong!(/hj)

But jokes aside, I actually do like the idea of them being father-daughter in some way (and I know Cole's gay, I never imagine him being not gay, just bare with me.). What if the reason we don't meet Liann's father is because she lives with her mother only, her father is absent or whatever. Or what if Liann doesn't have the same father as her little twin siblings? I know they look similar to Liann, but Liann doesn't look similar to her mother. So she probably looks more like her father, whoever that is, delulu or not.

Welp, if you wanna listen the rest of my delulu, here goes the most delulu story ever.

I AM CRINGE, BUT I AM FREE. THESE ARE LEGO PEOPLE WE ARE SUPPOSED TO USE OUR IMAGINATION AND I AM DOING EXACTLY THAT. YOU CAN'T CRINGE-SHAME ME.

Anyway:

For some reason, just like in the Ninjago Movie universe, I like to think Cole was making music in this universe as well. Maybe in a rock band? I could see him in a band. (XDINARY HEROES SO COLE VIBES IDK)

And well, fame comes with consequences, and bad mental health, especially if you are very young.

What if Michelle, Liann's mother, and Cole did know each other when they were younger, I'd assume maybe Cole was trying to figure out himself, if they were so young back then, what if he just was confused or in denial of his sexuality and he let things go so far (won't explain, you know what I mean). Later being trapped because things went too far and he blames himself and now he just couldn't stop it without outing himself to the world.

Though this all just came back to hit even worse at him, as his bad mental state caused him to not do his job as he used to before, the band split at some point and Michelle did end up accusing him of everything that happened. Though her claims were forgotton not too long, it was enough to crush Cole and his presence, because Cole did not fight the damage at all, already blaming himself.

So he disappeared like that. Leaving the world wonder what the fuck did they just witness.

Cole maybe named Liann himself, I like the idea. ("I know your name, I named you!")

So uh, Michelle grew hateful towards Cole, and couldn't differenciate those feelings from Liann, only made worse with how similar Liann is to Cole. There came being a strict, prohibitionist mother. Which even carried to her current relationship and twins (I'd assume she married someone else and Liann assumed that was her father too. So yeah the twins have a different father.).

Also while Cole stayed in the city, where he was his entire life, while Michelle went back to Heartlake city.

And since they never married, Cole had no custody nor any legal claims on Liann. He couldn't track her, he didn't know where Michelle was, he couldn't find Liann.

On top of all that, his health started to deteriorate, he fought terrible illness, had to solve that issue before he could do anything else with his life. Career, finding his daughter maybe, none could happen if he died. He was so terribly ill most of Liann's childhood.

Towards Liann's teen years, he left this sick chapter of his life behind, gaining his health back, he wanted his life back. But it couldn't start before he faced his past mistakes. He had to find his daughter and Michelle first.

Welp, knowing Michelle came to the big city from Heartlake, he most likely tried to fact check if she was there, and she was. Now he has to face them somehow.

Though once he is at Heartlake, he realises that Liann might not even know him, and it's more possible than her knowing his connection to her. While he still thinks she deserves the truth, he also isn't sure if Liann wants the truth. So even though he finds her, he can just not face her. Ends up accidentally stalking her when trying to talk to her. He comes to her school, Charli's diner, you know, crowded places so she feels secure, but he just can't. So he ends up running away.

Which... Liann notices. She even tells this to her friends at some point.

"I saw that guy again."

"What guy?"

"There is... this one guy that I keep seeing around, I don't want to be paranoid but it started to feel like I am being stalked."

"Are you okay? Should we call the police?"

"No, I don't even think he is dangerous. Like he can be, but he doesn't feel dangerous. I feel like he is more scared of me than I am scared of him."

"Huh??"

Welp! That's sorta what happens. If you wanna know if they meet or if Cole just ends up running away, I would talk about it! Come join me in my delulu, it's fun. Let's bs cringe together 🫶🫶🫶🫶

[cosmicjoke]

The funny thing was it was a shipper that said that about Levi. Like I’m confused do you even like him if you’re saying that?? And to defend their argument they basically said Erwin would have prevented the yeagerists rising up to power, yes. As if Erwin would solve every problem. As if Erwin hasn’t been outmaneuvered before like in the battle to retake Shiganshina. Erwin is incredibly smart but he doesn’t always have all the answers and taking on the rest of the world would be a big task for anyone. But to defend their argument, they’re using a Kamiya Hiroshi interview as proof to why it’s Levi’s fault Paradis became what it did. Since I can’t insert a picture this is word for word what the interview said:

Interviewer: What did you think of Levi’s choice between saving Erwin or Armin in that scene where only one could be saved? 

HK: What struck me during the recording was when I was told, “You don’t have to speak to Floch. It’s fine if you just talk to yourself.” Director Mima always said on set, “You have to look at who you’re talking to and think about what happens after you finish your lines (or you’ll die on the battlefield).” There was an option to direct some comforting words to Floch, but they wanted it without that. This direction made me feel that for the first time Levi pushed forward his own feelings, which influenced Floch’s fate and led to a new tragedy. Well, if Erwin had been chosen here, then Eren and Mikasa would have probably ended up in Floch’s position, so either way, it would have likely led to a tragic outcome. 

The bolded text is what they highlighted as proof to their argument. The thing is they are completely ignoring the sentence that follows that goes against that. I don’t understand why people take VAs words as canon. I also don’t understand why some people always hold Levi to such a high standard compared to everyone else. And I’m confused why we are thinking that if Erwin lived, Eren would act completely rationally and not enact anything he later did after he lost one of his closest friends…

How about the people responsible for Paradis falling to the Yagerists were Eren and Floch? Because those two are the ones actually responsible. Throw Yelena and Zeke in there for good measure. It has nothing to do with Levi.

And of course, I'm not surprised to find out it's a shipper. I'm assuming it's one of those eruri shippers that love to make Levi look bad in order to hold Erwin up, for whatever reason. Maybe because they can't reconcile the notion that, if Erwin was really with Levi romantically, and he didn't share the truth of his motivations behind his leadership with him, regardless of that romantic connection, it would reflect horribly about Erwin's character. It would mean he kept his greatest secret from the man he supposedly loved, and that he didn't trust Levi enough to share it with him. It would show sociopathic tendencies. But if they can paint Levi as this morally compromised, morally ambiguous character, then they can drag him down to that level and say 'see, they're perfect for each other', or some shit. They can pretend that Erwin's withholding of that information from Levi wasn't horrific because Levi didn't care anyway and would have followed Erwin to the ends of the earth, and blah, blah, blah. The problem for them is, Levi DID care. He cared a whole hell of a lot. He cared so much that it nearly destroyed his relationship with Erwin, before he was able to push his disappointment and doubt aside and continue to trust in Erwin, despite his flaws, not because of them. He knew, despite Erwin's human frailties, he was still a good man, deep down, who wanted to do the right thing. He just needed a little help to get there.

Levi wasn't responsible for Floch becoming what he did. The circumstances Paradis was pushed into, through Marley's actions, is what led to Floch's true nature coming out, and, as I said before, Floch's own actions and weakness of mind. To blame Levi for that on any level is absurd. You might as well blame Levi too for Eren becoming what he did because 'oh no, Levi told him to make the choice he'd least regret', or he told him in Shinganshina that it wouldn't be over until their enemies were dead (meaning Reiner and Bertolt). How about we blame Levi too for the Rumbling, because Zeke blew him up and was able to meet Eren and make contact with him? Give me a fucking break. Eren became what he did because that's what he always was. The same for Floch. I don't care what Levi's voice actor, or any other voice actor, has to say. What I care about is the text, what Isayama wrote and what his panels conveyed. Floch was always going to become radical, again, because he was weak of mind and spirit. He was a bad person, in his heart. Someone prone to extremism. A coward and a fool and bloodthristy.

The moment he wasn't killed in the charge against the Beast Titan, we saw the vengeful core of Floch, when he found Erwin, dying on the field, and dragged him up onto the roof, wanting to punish him for leading them into a death charge by forcing him to continue to live and lead. He wanted to make Erwin suffer, just for doing his job, and for leading the rest of the scouts that day to do theirs, something they had willingly signed up for. That tells you all you need to know about what kind of person Floch was. He was cruel and ugly.

And we see that cruelty and ugliness all the more clearly in contrast to Levi's compassion and kindness, in wanting to put an end to Erwin's suffering. The two of them are juxtaposed against one another for this reason.

Levi puts compassion over ideology, and Floch puts ideology over compassion. That has everything to do with who they already were, not with what either of them did or the circumstances surrounding it.

This idea that Levi not offering words of comfort to Floch is what led to him becoming the massive piece of shit that he did is such a joke. No, Floch was already that, long before Levi ever made his choice. Floch joined the scouts only after he thought the hopeless nature of their mission had been overcome and there was only glory to be found, and his anger and resentment and hatred came to the fore when he realized that wasn't the case, that he wouldn't be able to reap all the rewards of being a soldier in the most dangerous branch of the military while remaining safe and unthreatened.

Everybody loves to blame someone else for the way things turned out or the radical, bad actions certain characters took in AoT, but ultimately, every character is responsible for their own actions. Nobody is responsible for what Eren did but Eren himself. Nobody is responsible for what Zeke did but Zeke himself. Nobody is responsible for what Floch did but Floch himself. The circumstances and environment may have put them in a position to act out their true desires and natures, but the circumstances and environment didn't put those desires or nature in them. That's just who they always were. That's true about every, single character in AoT.

These idiot shippers love to use these meaningless interviews by voice actors as "evidence" that their ship is real, or that their interpretation of the text is right. But the voice actors are only interpreting the text themselves, with their own, biased view influencing that interpretation. It doesn't mean anything. It has no bearing on objective reality. It's just a personal reading. The scene where Levi tells Floch that Erwin deserves to rest, and Kamiya being directed to have Levi talking to himself instead of "comforting" Floch, that in itself is a personal interpretation by the director of the text. It's not objectively true to the text itself. And even if it was, it still wouldn't serve as proof that that was the moment Floch became radicalized. Again, Floch was always going to become radicalized, because he was always a shitter.

The only thing that would have stopped Floch from becoming radicalized that day is if Floch had died with the rest of the scouts that charged the Beast Titan. It's too bad his joke ass didn't.

And finally, Erwin couldn't have stopped the Yeagerists from taking over Paradis. There's nothing he could have done to change the course of events. Floch wanted Erwin to suffer. He thought Erwin would be the "monster" they needed in order to "win" against the enemy. But what would Floch's reaction have been had Erwin not become that heartless monster he wanted, willing to stamp out all of humanity for the sake of one island? Either Erwin would have been willing to do what Eren did, or he wouldn't. He either would have become extreme and led Paradis down a path of militarization and nationalism, or he wouldn't. And if he wouldn't, Floch would have turned elsewhere, because that's what Floch was gunning for, long before Levi ever made his choice. And we know, already, that Erwin never would have supported such a course of action. And so Floch would have, like he did in canon events, turned to Eren and helped facilitate his plans. He would have believed Erwin was no longer what he wanted or needed. Erwin wasn't a monster. Eren was. Beyond that, if anyone tries to argue that Erwin's skill as a negotiator and politician would have allowed the Survey Corps to convince Marley to stand down, no, because Eren didn't allow the Survey Corps to even try. He disappeared before the scouts could even attempt negotiations. Erwin being there wouldn't have changed any of that. It all would have played out exactly the same way.

Anyway, the entire claim is a joke. Some Erwin stans are massive assholes who can't admit that Levi was a morally superior person to him. But he was and he is. Levi, ironically, encapsulated what the Survey Corps was meant to stand for more than Erwin ever could. That's why Erwin entrusted Levi with making the decision, ultimately. Because he knew Levi would do the right thing, even as he himself couldn't, and he was grateful to Levi for that, because he wanted to do the right thing. Like I said, Erwin wasn't a bad man. He was just flawed.

Floch was a bad man. He was weak, and just like Zeke, just like Eren, just like Yelena, that weakness is what allowed all those bad qualities in them to take control and dictate their actions.

They have no one to blame but themselves, let alone a truly good man like Levi.

[lost-inanotherlife]

Lost Rewatch S3 - Random Thoughts

As I've stated before, in stops and starts season 3 was quite cringe-y. Of course, we're still navigating high-quality storytelling waters but you know there's something a little wrong when writers admit to being in shortage of creative ideas by episode NINE (the much-talked about "Stanger in a Strange Land"). As a result this post might sound a bit S3-negative although, as I've just said, I'd never question the writers' command of the narrative. It's just that some stuff didn't really work out for me this time, that's all. I'll sprinkle-sprinkle some positivity too 'cause this season gave us all some mind-blowingly intense and beautiful moments, too. We can never forget those.

Starting off strong with our lovingly island-made love triangle: Jack/Kate/Sawyer that's not so slowly becoming a love square. Not a fan of how Kate and Sawyer got together, I'll be honest. Yes, the trauma of being kidnapped, forced to haul rocks and live in cages makes a human do crazier things, still... They put on a pretty dress on Kate and all of a sudden everybody goes "woa" (very 90's "chick flicks", didn't they have EYES before?), Sawyer is smashing rocks under the sun, sweating his own weight off but can't seem to resist the urge to look at her ass and kiss her, Kate herself is working her ass off (sorry for the pun, couldn't resist haha) and, well, the shots very much highligthed that by focusing on her ass... Guys, it was cringe to watch. And yes, the kiss was a distraction and blah, blah, blah. Again: cringe. All of a sudden Kate's madly in love with Sawyer which, you know, I'd have dug if they'd continued to show how their flirty relationship evolved instead of going from their sarcastic banters to extreme "I love yous" desperately screamed at gun point. Same goes for Jack by the way: for most of S2 Jack and Kate are on looser terms compared to the closeness of S1. after their kiss Kate's way closer to Sawyer because she chose him. Jack and Kate are not together and don't speak very much for, possibly, the whole duration of s3 and all of a sudden Jack's all "I love you". I don't see the crescendo of this love, therefore I don't fully buy it. Not gonna lie, the scenes were beautiful and very well-acted but these guys have spent weeks without talking to each other lol. They did the same exact thing in S2 as I've said before and I didn't particularly enjoy it in S2 so it's not like I wasn't gonna see it repeating itself in S3.

The majority of the flashbacks shown in this season are... how can I put it? Not au pair with the usual Lost-esque quality. Particularly not excellent, let's say, were the already mentioned "Stranger in a Strange Land", "Enter 77" and "I Do". Also, please but Desmond's and Kate's wigs in their flahsbacks are plain awful. Please stop.

Conversely, "Left Behind" was a fucking good flashback story. Kate-centric episodes are either meh or extremely good for me. I think she's one of those characters that when you find the right vein to write her, you write an incredbily layered, unbelievably complex character. When you don't, her character feels quite flat and it's a pity.

I might be in love with Juliet?! When I watched S3 for the first time in 2007 I deeply disliked her. Maybe I was too young to appreciate her character, she's not a clear-cut archetype like the other main characters are: more lived life helped me understand her better and now I'm deeply in love with her. I love how you can never predict what her little cute smirk means, she's a bit of a mystery but, unlike Kate, she's as such not because she has something to hide from her past (at least until now lol): she's enigmatic because that's who she is, she's very "torn-in-two" character. Love it.

I'm not liking all these dead women on my screen. Locke couldn't kill his father, couldn't kill Jack but he could sure as hell plant a knife in Naomi's back. The two persons guarding the submarine hatch had to be women and they had to die, didn't they? Of course, the mothers are dying on the island, of course the mob in "The Cost of Living" had to shoot just a woman, of course Bea Klugh had to be killed by Mikhail, of course "Tricia Tanaka is Dead". I was quite growing fond of Tom and was saddened by his death but I ultimately think that if they kept sparing white guys while killing off women and black people in general in the blink of an eye they'd have a real problem. Well, as a matter of fact they still do. They should've done better.

John's "shamanic journey" in "Further Instructions" is very offensive. Shamanic practices are serious things that must be done seriously. But hey, here's our "connected-with-the-island-lazarus-rising" white old man, let's have him enter a sweat lodge, prepare a slop of something so that he can have a vision and resolve this knot in the plot. No, thank you.

I don't agree with people bashing on "Exposé": I think it's a good episode. In fact, I appreciated the Other Losties' POV (Arzt you won't be forgotten!). The real problem is that it's just that: other, plot-unrelated people's pov, nothing really new was added and the characters were eventually killed off so what's the point lol? What I want to say is that it's a good filler episode and I enjoyed it but at this point in the series, filler ep for filler ep, I'd have preferred one that was "-centric" to one or more of the main characters. But hey, I get what I can and, all in all, good ep.

Now, I know that one of the main themes of this season is the impossibility of going back: it was very artfully written to lead us to the season finale's big reveal. Fine, good, intellectually I love it. Instinctually when in a story I see characters going from point A to B and then going back to point A in the span of the same episode or the following I... well, I don't take it well lol. It's a pet peeve of mine, really, but COME ON. It's a way to milk a narrative thread for all its worth. It's a way to buy narrative time without resorting to fillers. But sometimes you just need to let it go and come up with a better idea presto. I'm talking about Kate going back to find Jack as soon as she arrives at the beach. How in hell did Kate know that Jack was on the main island and not still on Hydra? And how did John connect the dots between the writing on Eko's stick and Jack's whereabouts? And why did the Others just leave their barracks, in which they had lived for years, instead of just killing Kate, Sayid and John? Come on. These guys have killed for way less.

The best fucking line of the whole season is Charlie's: "It's the five best moments of my… sorry excuse for a life. My greatest hits. You know, memories. They're all I've got." Chills, literal chills.

"Flash Before Your Eyes" is a totally cringe episode. Everything feels exactly what it is: a set, a prop, a wig on the actor's head, lol. Twenty years ago I was still a naive girl fangirling over Desmond and Penny's relationship but now I know better. Des was a lot of a dick toward Penny, let's be real. He was obsessed with this "honor", with feeling "worthy" and totally took it out on her. She was right, he was indeed a coward. I wish they had given a different backstory to Des. Maybe it's because it's so similar to (re it's the same as) Jin and Sun's story but it didn't land for me this time. I don't see the same "epicness" in their love story that I'd first seen back in the 00'.

Eko's "Redemption-Not-Redemption" arc is the best thing of this season. I have no words to describe it so I'll just leave his final speech here. INCREDIBLE.

I ask for no forgiveness, Father. For I have not sinned. I have only done what I needed to do to survive. A small boy once asked me if I was a bad man. If I could answer him now, I would tell him that... when I was a young boy, I killed a man to save my brother's life. I am not sorry for this. I am proud of this. I did not ask for the life that I was given. But it was given, nonetheless. And with it... I did my best.

[numberonetacostan]

HOLD ON ARE WE TALKING ABOUT TACOMIC ARGUMENT IN POST CANON? BOY DO I HAVE THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS HEHEHEHE >:3

this was before episode 18 released if you couldn't tell. the thing here also is knife is the one going to look for her and dragging her back into the hotel kicking and screaming LOL I was writing a fic about this too but I stopped because I didn't felt like finishing it

might keep writing it soon who knows!

Hi Kiara!!!!^^ Welcome back, and thank you for submitting your idea!!!! :D We can absolutely talk about post-canon Tacomic argument!!!

I fully agree with you that they would have this hypothetical conflict before they start dating, if Taco is to run back into the woods. I think that by the time they do formally get together, they will have built up enough trust and, just as importantly, communication and conflict resolution skills, that Taco won't run off if they do argue.

OOOO, angry smooches!! Okay, full disclosure, I am very asexual so I do not give nor receive mouth kisses, but I have seen this in fanfictions so I get what you're going for and agree with it for pre-romantic tacomic!!! These two have a lot to learn about proper communication with a romantic partner <3 (or in Taco's case, just in general). Yeah, I can see them making out mid-argument, though I would say I'd have to see Mic starting it between their height difference and the greater ease in which she gives physical affection. Yeah, if they're arguing and Taco starts getting intense in her self-loathing, Mic would totally just start kissing her. They make out for a bit, snap out of it, and then Taco is out of there. I can see them avoiding each other too after an argument, later down the line, but for this rather early (I'd say their first since they reunited) argument, I think Taco would be so panicked that she'd run right away.

Knife and Soap would probably go for taking care of Mic first, since she's still in the mansion (and would be their first priority anyways)!! Also!! They do not know where Taco went. Mic is the one who best knows the places in the woods that Taco would frequent, although I'm very willing to bet that even she doesn't knows all of Taco's haunts, but she isn't ready to talk things out with Taco right away because of the intense emotions she's feeling!!! I'd say they wait for Taco to come back on her own, but she just... doesn't. And after a few days it's a serious concern?? Mic is super worried, even quite a few of the other former contestants are worried at this point. And Mic goes out in to the woods to fi just kidding you are not getting through this post without me including propaganda and in this it will be Toico!!!!!!!!!! Don't get me wrong, Mic does go out and look for Taco, namely by turning up her volume and trying to call for her!! But this is Taco, and she is very scared after they argued, so she's using Mic's voice as a warning to avoid an area rather than as a beacon to follow.

SO! Toico!!! Toilet would just stumble across Taco I think. He would be helping to look for her, he wants to be helpful and of course they're already kind of friends since they both miss Mepad a lot and were quite close with him and he was the only person who- okay sorry back to your idea that I've already propaganda'd enough. I can stay on track!!!!!! Anyways, I think Toilet is a really good object to find her though!! He has. Made some mistakes too!! He killed a bunch of them!! He messes up all the time, and no one's kicked him out!! So Taco can come back and talk to Mic and it'll be okay. But it's different for Taco because she's malicious and this was her second chance and she messed it up!! And an entire spiral of self-loathing!!!!^^ But you know what? She's been pretty nice to Toilet. And Mepad liked her, so she can't be all bad, yeah? Blah blah moral of the story here keep going even after you make a mistake. Mic can find them after this, once Toilet has helped Taco calm down a bit at least, and the two can talk things out in private, regarding their argument, the kissing, and Taco running away afterwards. It's an important step in their relationship!!! <3

[baronessblixen]

Nobody asked for my two cents on this but here it goes. I’ve been so deep into Gillovny shit for years that I feel I can guess what happened, more or less. Gillian, by her own admission, was attracted to dangerous boys. Comfort in relationships bored/unsettled her. 90’s DD was the perfect concoction for that: moody, a few emotional chips missing, never quite loving her enough and holding her in this limbo. The kind that could wear your lipstick all over their face one night (hint: ‘97 Emmy), and be fuming mad at you the next morning. If there was a dgaf war, DD was definitely winning. I’m pretty sure that somewhere during their push and pull, they got involved and it went south. They didn’t know how to deal with it given that they were forced to spend 12 hours/day together, so they dealt with it by not dealing with it at all. No closure, just passive-aggression. DD hurt her (unconsciously or not, idk). A while later he got married in a whirlwind and didn’t even tell her in the aftermath of their non-closure. I know homegirl says she doesn’t remember, but I think in addition to her fickle memory, she’s blocking all that hurt out. It’s her brain’s defense mechanism.

Today’s episode was very comforting. It felt like an ode to GA. The apology that came 20-something years too late, but was still cathartic. No matter how successfully they moved on from the situationship, it must be nice to finally hear all that. My Gillovny heart is in peace.

Happy to read your Gillovny heart is in peace. You know as much as I was looking forward to this, I didn't think it would touch me the way it did. Him apologizing and them making peace meant to much to me in a way. I grew up with them on the screen and reading how they hated each other and blah and if nothing else, it healed the 13-year-old inside of me.

As for your speculation on what went down: it's possible. They were so young. Gillian in particular. I think there was at least an attraction - and maybe more. I mean yesterday proved that they were awful at communication in those years and so of course things went down. I agree that maybe she blocked these things out. Or she really didn't want to get into it.

It was cathartic. I really hope it was for them, too. And I hope they do what they said and keep talking - without the mics. I think there's still so much that they need to talk about.

[homosexuality-and-morphine]

More people than I expected (more than zero) liked my post about the death loop au I made so I'm going to explain the dynamics of it bc they're all fucking stupid and I love them (I've dubbed their group "the loopers")

Piers:

First person to experience the loops, it started in edonia right after that first cutscene for chapter two. He immediately got shot in the head after getting out of the car and suddenly he was back right before he got shot and so he moved a little and was fine but the bullet went the same path as before and after a few other deaths he came to the realization that everytime he died he got reset to a point in time so he talks to Chris about it bc it's a very useful skill if we're being honest (although pretty traumatizing and painful since he can still feel the pain of each death) and it just so happens they got to the next "checkpoint" right after Chris says he believes piers but then piers dies again but this time at the new checkpoint. Later at the area where you first meet Carla he dies a few times before getting to the end area of that where she infects the others but this time he tries shoots her and she shoots him and he dies once again and he's right back at the beginning (he had already died about 10 times) and tells Chris not to trust the woman in blue and they set off to leave without her killing them all however Carla caught on each time and no matter how piers played it he would just die over and over and throughout those some times he would just breakdown and cry for an entire loop because who cares it's all going to reset again anyway and he ends up having to sacrifice some on their squad to keep going (his final death count for this section is in the 500's) which goes against what he says in that first cutscene. Later on after getting Chris and Finn out (Finn was the only preventable death here cause I love finn and he's like the only other soldier that has a name) Chris still looses his memories and piers still has to find him and blah blah blah china goes how you would expect a bunch of deaths but also once they got to the playground piers played on it for a while in at least 2 loops bc he was tired of dying and needed a small break. When the ending hits he still gets his arm ripped off because that checkpoint was always just right before he gets smashed with the thing (I forgot what it was) so after some trial and error he realizes he HAS to infect himself to at least get Chris out and so he does but when he sacrifices himself it resets the loop and so he figures he has to get out with Chris and so they do... With a few deaths bc piers suddenly gains his gills while out of the water and suffocates. Once they get out piers gets his own place in the bsaa to live and goes about dying to random cartoonish things (and heartatacks bc when Chris dies it immediately kills piers due to the mechanic of re6) piers has come to terms with the deaths and tends to make jokes out of it

Jake:

Jake was the second to be added to the loops and got added after the events of re6 happened and when he found out was when him Sherry piers and Chris were talking one day and he suddenly got killed by a falling light and it looped so while Jake was processing what just happened piers was like "hey Jake.... Did you just die" and it freaked Jake out and after a bit of fighting (which resulted in a few accidental deaths on both sides) everyone calmed down and piers set out on teaching Jake about the loops (and piers wasn't very enthusiastic about this bc he doesn't like Jake) Jake has come to terms with him dying but really hates when Sherry gets killed (bc just like for Chris and piers Sherry dying kills Jake)

Leon:

Leon may or may not have had one of the most traumatizing ways of being added to the loops because he was just hanging out with Chris and Claire when suddenly Chris is killed by something and slowly dies is Leon's arms and confesses his love cause what the fuck else are you supposed to do when you're literally dying and have had a crush on the person who's arms you're dying in and once Chris dies Leon suddenly has a heartatack aaaand woops he's sitting on the couch again and Chris is 100% fine! But also seems to have no memory of what just happened and neither does Claire and he chalks it up to being something his brain made up to fuck with him (but he does act more cautious and keeps Chris away from whatever killed him before) but then shockingly Chris dies! Again and the confession happens again and it happens a few more times and while Leon is dealing with that piers texts Jake and asks "dude do you need any help?? You keep dying" and Jake texts back "I thought you were dying?" So they brainstorm and assume Chris has been dying (bc Sherry was with Jake and she hadn't been dying and also piers kept getting pains in his chest before each loop) and so piers comes over and just simply goes "Chris you've been dying and it's getting annoying" and Leon gets freaked out bc this random guy he's only met like once and have never spoken to him knows what's been happening and they figure it out also every time Leon tries to confess or tell Chris about what happened in those first loops either him or Chris dies and he figures being able to kiss in any other environment than when Chris is literally dying is less important than keeping Chris alive. Leon has not come to terms with the loops and hates when him and Chris die (it's less hard on him when Helena dies bc he can just save her but when Chris dies it's always long and drawn out and it really gets to Leon)

Ada:

She has never died and never will bc even if agent is in danger she saves him however that doesn't mean she doesn't deal with the loops because Jake Leon and piers are notoriously bad at keeping themselves alive because when Leon dies more than 4 times he starts to just give up, piers is careless with his own life, and Jake rushes in to save Sherry a lot of the time and accidentally gets himself killed instead. She was then paid by the bsaa to work for them bc they somehow figured out she's also apart of the loops so her and agent are in the same team as the rest of them. She has come to terms with literally everyone else dying while she's the only one that holds the collective brain cell that the loopers share

Extra bits:

The bsaa created some technology that is able to detect checkpoints and how many deaths they have and is able to store stuff on it from past loops (it was made to help Chris know what happened in the previous loops so that if one loop was particularly rough the loopers don't have to talk about it) it also takes the data it gets from the mission and gives them all ratings based on how well they do (which means less deaths equal better score) and most of the time Ada always has the highest score while piers has the lowest. All 4 of them have gotten really good at being able to switch what they're doing very quickly because if they are walking when they enter the checkpoint but die standing still they would fall over when they loop back so they can easily switch between tasks seamlessly.

[mattnben-bennmatt]

Being protective of their friendship

"It was such a good publicity thing for marketing people," says Damon later at Affleck's house. "We ended up just talking about our friendship, which is really kind of a weird thing to do.... Hey, Ben," he asks, "what do you think about whoring out our friendship for personal gain?" "At a certain point, some things in your life shouldn't be used to sell movies," Affleck replies. "Hey, I have two sphincters! See my movie!"

— From Ben Affleck's interview for Vanity Fair (October 1999).

-

Well, the trick now is that we’re writing two movies at once. So whichever one turns out better will be the one we turn in first. We also happen to have been paid by two separate movie studios to write something. Not much money, by modern screenplay standards. But we’ve cashed the checks anyway, so we owe scripts. We’ve put off doing them because both of us, I think, wanted some time between Good Will and our next movie. We were sick of hearing about ourselves. And I assume everyone else was sick of hearing about us.

— From Ben Affleck's interview with Playboy magazine (December 1999).

-

Q: At first, your friendship with Ben was a good marketing ploy. But now that your careers are established, has that strategy gotten tired? DAMON: Absolutely. You reach a point where it’s your friendship and no one else’s.

— From Matt Damon’s interview for The Advocate (18 January 2000).

-

DAMON: Both of us were pulling for our own and the other’s movie, and the stakes had gotten so high. During press interviews, people would ask, “Whose movie is going to do better?” and I was like, “I don’t fucking care, as long as we’re both okay.” I honestly don’t care much anymore about the media stuff. Each of us got really leery talking about the other or about our friendship, because it felt cheapened when we saw it in print. At this point I just acknowledge to myself that I love him and he’s going to be in my life forever.

— From Matt Damon’s interview with Playboy magazine (August 2004).

-

Over the years, the two teenage friends have remained close, in a way that—as they separately acknowledge—far transcends the cartoon best-Hollywood-buddy way it can often be depicted. “Like, I don’t want to be his friend in public, you know what I mean?” Damon says. “It’s way too important a friendship for that, and it goes so beyond this career or anything. You know, it’s a significant part of my life and not for public consumption in that way.”

— Matt Damon's interview for GQ (September 2021).

-

AFFLECK: I don't know that that would've been possible for me alone, doing this job in this world without somebody I grew up with who I loved, who I knew loved me and had my back, who believed in me, and whom the popularity of my movies or what people said about me wasn't going to change what they thought about me. This friendship has been essential and defining and so important to me in my life. There were a few critical times, which are private and I don't want to share, but where your support was so profoundly meaningful to me that I don't think I would've been able to be successful without it. So let me take this opportunity to thank you.

— From Ben Affleck's interview with Matt Damon for Entertainment Weekly (January 2022).

-

Q: What's the maddest you guys have ever been at each other? [5 seconds of utter silence] Q: Have you ever been— has there ever been like a real, "I can't, I'm so mad at Ben right now, blah, blah, blah," or anything like that? Or have you always been aligned? AFFLECK: Ugh, nothing— nothing that is appropriate for a podcast. DAMON: Yeah. AFFLECK: Because it wouldn't be, you know, "Oh, I'm so mad," you know— DAMON: "Ugh, I'm mad because you did not take out the trash," you know. It's like— But, ugh— AFFLECK: Although, that Matt— I do remember a time that me and Casey, in Summerville, just being, "Let's see how long he can go."

— Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's interview for The Bill Simmons Podcast (March 2023). Transcription starts at 1:19:45.