#He failed (which you can't do) and got really truly out (which you also can't do) and I have to imagine she resents him for it

[chronurgy]

Idk man thinking about Caleb and Astrid and breakdowns. How the one time we see her have a breakdown it's so neat and quiet and private in contrast to Caleb's messy, public, even violent breakdowns. Do you think she looks down on him for not being able to control it? Do you think she resents him because Trent still wants him back even after all of it and she could never get away with something like that (does the specter of the hysterical woman keep her up at night)? Does she envy him because that's what freed him? And does that just cause the resentment to pile even higher because she could never allow herself to fall to pieces like that? Because someone has to stay in control. Someone has to keep it together.

[bonny-kookoo]

Does cherry jk and Mc go further than just analyzing her tattoo? 🥴

A/N: Obv warning for NSFW. set right after the last drabble, it's basically a continuation of it.

He's torturing you. This is legitimate torture, and you're not sure if you'll survive this- and if you do, you'll probably die later because if he's already getting you to a point like this from simple touch alone, what else is he capable of?

Maybe it's the fact that you got a major crush on him that's making you more sensitive to things like this. Or maybe you've just never been treated like this.

He seems truly enamored by your body, most of all your tits that he's currently occupying himself with, lips and tongue combining with his hands, never staying in one place too long. You never really thought about a situation like this- typically, in the past, your chest had been nothing but aesthetics to past partners, something to maybe grab on during the act, but never really anything of importance.

Never something to focus on. Sex isn't about that- or at least it wasn't, back then, and it makes you wonder. What exactly does Jungkook get out of this himself?

But you fail to really concentrate on that topic, as he suddenly puts his teeth into the mix, gently biting one of your by now horribly sensitive buds to pull and let go, chuckling when your back arches off the couch. He's licking, kissing, now even biting- and you're by now convinced that you are one of those who can indeed cum from just this.

Maybe? Or maybe not? You're unsure, and you're also getting impatient. Your underwear must be soaking by now, thighs rubbing together unashamed. He's already sucking on your tits- there's really nothing to be embarrassed about.

"Wanna eat you out." He breathes over your chest, hands still fondling your soft flesh, and you whine.

"Please..!" You ask, because at this point, you can't take it anymore.

"Do you have a hairtie or something?" Jungkook wonders up at you at this invitation of yours, leaning up again to collect his hair with his hands.

"Uhm.. here?" You wonder, offering your wrist where a simple black elastic is resting around, one he takes with a grin, tying his hair back. You're not sure why exactly, his fingers brushing all of his hair back to collect as much of it as possible, getting most of it out of his face.

"Thanks." He grins, before he moves back to push down your shorts to let them fall down this time, hands moving over your thighs. "Hm.. what if we put some ink on those too?" He purrs, palms moving in between them before he changes his mind, leaving your fluffy overknees on after struggling a bit with the straps holding them up, which are connected to a lace garter belt. "Really pretty by the way. You like lingery?" He wonders casually, finally figuring out how to unhook the straps from your socks to be able to remove your panties, and you nod.

""I.. like to feel pretty.." You admit a bit quietly, and he smiles brightly at that, pulling down your underwear- and for a second you're confused why he stuffs your panties in the pocket of his sweatpants, but you don't get to question it for long, as he pulls your legs over his shoulders, body leaning down to dive in.

You don't care how he seems to know so well how to use his tongue and mouth- all that you do care about is that you're way too worked up to last very long.

Especially when his fingers join in and push inside you, you can't help but curl your toes as you summon all of your strength as to not push your legs closed. What you don't have any control over is the way your hips move- but it doesn't seem to bother him much, as he starts to suck, one drawn out lick with the flatness of his tongue enough to suddenly make you come undone.

His face leaves your core, but the heel of his hand gently helps you ride out your high, fingers leaving you after, the way you clenched around the digits giving him ideas for future endeavors-

and also enough material to make up scenarios in his head for days.

You can see him adjust himself in his pants a little, tent fairly evident- and you're not sure what you think of it. He's not asking for it- but isn't it something you should do?

Maybe the main reason you want to is both curiosity, and the fact that he doesn't immediately demand anything in return. He's nice.

You like him.

And you also want to see him- all of him.

"Hm?" He asks, wiping his mouth with his hand, before you sit up, cringing a bit at the wetness between your thighs. You slowly look down at him, gaze focusing on his obvious boner, and he chuckles. "Wanna see? We don't have to do anything, I can just rub one out later in the shower, no worries." He casually says, but you shake your head.

"I want to do something." You say. "But.. I might not be good at it?" You worry, and he laughs.

"Practice makes perfect." He shrugs. "If you wanna, you can." Jungkook offers, moving down his pants before he pulls himself out of his underwear.

Everything he does is always so.. normal. As if this is nothing special at all- but in a good way. There's no pressure to make things as perfect as possible. It's comfortable.

When you touch him, he hisses a bit, even his dick twitching a bit, as if startled. "Sorry- your hands are cold." He laughs, and you giggle along.

"Sorry." You apologize as well, moving around to see what makes him feel good. It's not like you've never given a handjob in your life- but this time you actually don't feel like you have to, and it's making you wonder how you can offer him the same as you've received.

But your next move surprises even yourself, because this, you haven't done before.

You lean down to take his tip into your mouth, causing a faint 'oh god' to breathe past his lips above you, hand finding your head as you circle your tongue over the head, feeling the rest of him twitch on occasion. You fail to really take him and deeper, so you instead let go of his cock to spit in your hand, unsure how else really to make movement any more comfortable for the both of you.

He groans at that. It sounds almost pained.

Hopefully your hands are now warm enough as you move, lick and suck, trying to judge from the way his balls seem to tighten in your palm how close he might be-

When his hand pushes a little, fingers digging into your hair to grab tightly, head and upper body leaning back on his unoccupied hand keeping him somewhat upright as he cums, thick seed filling your mouth in several spurts.

He breathes loudly, before he lets go of your head, surprised face clearly showing a hint of worry as he inspects you, thinking he might've hurt you as you cringe a bit. His hands hold your cheeks, eyes darting around to judge if he's been a bit too rough with that push, when you look at him.

"It's bitter." You complain, and he laughs in relief, resting his forehead against yours, grinning so hard his cheeks hurt.

"God you're cute!"

[mazeinthemiroh]

Hey!!❤️ I just saw that your requests are open and I was wondering if you could do a Stray Kids headcanon where they are always simping for reader who is a member just like those videos on youtube where the title is 'skz being a bunch of simps for each other' so that but to reader yk, also you can choose if reader is actually their crush or not.🤗

stray kids crushing on the 9th member

genre: fluff

warnings: none

please like and reblog if you enjoy <3

chan

chan talks about you. a lot.

every time he does a channie's room, without fail he will mention you

and when he does, he's got this dreamy look in his eyes and an adoring tone in his voice

of course, he likes talking about all of the members. but he spends more time dwelling on you without even realising it

it is only when stays comment 'you've been talking about y/n for a long time, chan' that he gets a bit flustered and shakes his head, apologising and smiling bashfully

minho

minho teases you the most but is also the softest with you

it's a weird mix but that's just how lee know rolls!

he feels you understand him better than anyone else and that brings you guys closer to him

you have an unspoken understanding with one another. a simple glance across the room is enough communication for you both to feel reassured

he always has your back, and he knows he can trust you to do the same

that's why he feels he can be vulnerable with you, despite his avoidance of doing so,

changbin

denies he likes you

but smiles like an idiot when your name is even so much as mentioned in a conversation

and he praises you A LOT. whether you're there or not, he's always got something nice to say about you

he likes being your workout partner

mainly so he can show off his glorious arms and make you flustered

because, as much as he tries to deny it, he can't help but feel flustered by even the smallest things you do

he doesn't let it show easily though

hyunjin

he feels like you're the only one who truly understands him

he's a bit of a mystery to many. as much as he is close with the other members, he feels that he has a special connection with you

and hyunjin thrives on deep connections with people. it's not a usual affair for someone to come into his life and completely embrace who he is, flaws and imperfections as well as the good stuff.

so his feelings naturally grow because of this

being the emotional artist he is he channels his feelings through his artform in order to understand them. which means... a lot of painting of you. and he's embarrassed by how much you linger on his mind when he's painting but your face is all he sees.

jisung

hyper around you

but also tones it down when you tell him to

respects you more than anyone!!

he's pretty much putty in your hands tbh. like he is chill and casual with you but at the same time would do absolutely anything for you it's crazy

the other members take the piss out of him because he has never acted this way before

probably makes a conscious effort to calm down around you because you just get him happy and excited

felix

literally in awe of you

loves having deep conversations long into the night

he gets a little flustered when you give him eye contact for too long, perhaps looking away and clearing his throat

he essentially acts the same way towards you as he does with changbin ngl 💀 but perhaps more touchy and bold

very clingy and cuddly

you're his comfort person, and he is yours <3

seungmin

he wants to conquer his feelings

he's very mr. darcy about this whole scenario, really

will be quite cold or reserved near you, just so he can try and figure out his feelings by himself

doesn't ask for any help

you end up confronting him for being so cold around you which is not very hard to notice, considering he used to be so close with you before

and then he feels like an asshole and just ends up confessing to you anyways

jeongin

he's a shy bean

but has been getting better and better at hiding his shyness, and is pretty chill for the most part

can't help but feel his cheeks heat up when you go near him

i mean... stray kids in general is quite a clingy group, so cuddling is something unusual for any of you

but as much as jeongin pushes everyone's affection away, he doesn't put up as much of a fight when you're concerned

which you feel quite honoured about!

[jadeee]

Christmas with Dad!Nanami

was gonna wait to post this but i said 'ah, wth, why not 🤷🏾‍♀️'

Had never hated Christmas or particularly favorited it... until you have your kid. Something about seeing their little face sparkle at the lights and sight of snow, whether real or fake, really gets to him.

Kento's not the biggest fan of the traditional family Christmas cards. He prefers to keep sentimental, off guard photos you captured to yourselves and maybe share with close family/friends. He has a picture he secretly took of you and your little one decorating the house. You were entertaining your child's theory about how the elves make sure pets behave too.

Definitely, lets your kid sit on his shoulders so they can put the star at the top of the tree. One year, your little one abandons all the previous steps and tugs on Kento's shirt begging him to let them go ahead and put the star up. Kento tries to explain that it's for last but he can't tell them no. When you come back to a tree with a star and three ornaments, he looks at you guiltily.

For someone who preaches about not spoiling your child, he does it every single year without fail. But it's in the most wholesome of ways. He'll stay up with them to wait for Santa, only to end up falling asleep right after they do. Of course, he bites the cookie first to leave proof Santa was there. One day he actually forgets and you manage to catch it as your kid walks into the kitchen so you take the biggest chomp and try to look innocent.

"SANTA CAME!" your little one bounced up and down then pointed at the plate. Kento's eyes went wide at the realization. He glanced up at you and you gave him a small nod as you chewed quietly.

His favorite part isn't the gifts sicne he picked those out months ago, but it's baking with your little one. He loves to break out the aprons along with the step stool so they can help him out.

In terms of gifts, he makes sure to buy practical things that'll last and won't end up stuffed in the closet somewhere. Your kid is appreciative nonetheless and always says "thank you" and gives you two the biggest hug.

"I got you something too." they hand you both an oddly shaped bundle of wrapping paper. You exchange a quick glance with your husband before unwrapping it.

"What is it, lovey?"

A giggle filled the room "Just open it, silly!"

Kento's eyes went wide as he held a seashell in his hand. You chuckled as you looked at buttons on a string.

"Is it a bracelet?"

Your child nodded and rambled about how they found the buttons under the couch then pieced it together with some string. "Lemme do it," little fingers tied the yarn around your wrist.

Kento watched with joy then turned the seashell over in his hand. "Little one, where did you find this?"

"It's from Santa!"

He wished he didn't entertain the childhood myth then but he simply he listened to them explain the odd gift.

"I got it so when you," they wiped their face which was flushed with excitement " when you're working and sad, you go like this" they pretended to hold something up to their ear then made a relaxed facial expression.

Kento smiled softly as tears stung the corners of his eyes. Your child noticed his face and frowned slightly "Do you like it?"

He hugged them "I love it, thank you." he could've burst when he felt those little arms clasp around his neck and the small "You're welcome, papa" that followed after.

Author's Note: This would truly become his favorite holiday. I can see your kid getting excited for Christmas right after Thanksgiving and Kento being a bit restless from all the festivites but also excited. I think having a child would remind him of all the youth he experienced that was buried underneath the ugliness of his adulthood. It would soften. Domesticity would remind him of who he wanted to be, even if you two don't have children.

[silvergarnet12]

Splatoon was the first Nintendo game to push me out of my comfort zone of single player games, and with the closure of it's servers I wanted to draw a tribute to a game that really means a lot to me.

Some long rambles about the game under the cut.

When I first played the Global Testfire I was 15, and the only mutliplayer games I played were with friends in the same room.

Splatoon was also the first shooter I ever picked up, as I always liked bright colours over more realistic graphics in my games, and back then the only shooters I knew about were Halo(and that was only really a name to me!) and the CoD games.

Any worries I had about being bad quickly vanished as the sheer vibe of chaotic fun the game had, particularly when no one had played it before, got rid of any worries, and all I remember is having fun. And choosing to play as the guy instead of the girl for the first time, solely becuase I wanted a ponytail like in real life(I would continue to use the guy through the series as a tradition, a contrast to what I saw most people online doing).

When the game came out I binged the single player, and vividly remember the first time I fought DJ Octavio, and the first time I heard Calamari Inkantation. If ever a game was to convince me that a song could irreversibly change your life, it was Splatoon. Because to teenage me, in that moment, with Calamari Inkantation playing in the background while I fought an octupus DJ, it did.

It gave me terminal brainworms for this series. And here I am, 8 yrs later. Older and more tired, been through some shit, had some good times, tried, succeeded and failed in things throughout the years.

I've always been grateful that they made the decision for the player character from 1 to return, everytime they've shown up it's felt a bit like seeing an old friend, especially since as the games time skips have always had them close to my age(which probably helped my attachement back in the first game). So hi Three, can't believe we both probably pay taxes now.

I have the original two Inkling Amiibos, in a collection that is slowly building, I'm still attached to Marie, and yes I was on her team for the Final Splatfest.

I cried when it was over, just like I did in 2's Final Fest(I was team chaos, two for two baby!) and will probably do so for 3's as well. Something about this series just makes me super attached to it's world and characters.

So booyah Splatoon, my final online game of yours was well and truly years ago, but I replayed story mode to share you with a friend recently, and I think I'll refight Octavio tonight in honour of the good times.

You encouraged me to try out games I wouldn't have otherwise(hello Overwatch and Deep Rock Galactic), and outlasted one of the other major games of my teenage years(...Overwatch 1 I miss you). So thank you for that.

I'll miss Squid Jump, Inkstrike, the og kit for the NZap 89(why does it's new one not vibe with me ;-;), the Squid Sister's broadcasts and the more saturated colours. At least I can always return to the Plaza in 3, and that Spyke isn't dead like I was concerned he was when 3 released, and see the Squid Sisters perform during Splatfests again.

I have so much more to say in my heart about you but no more ways to word it.

You've been a fantastic game, and will always be a treasured experience that I am grateful to have been a apart of from the very beginning.

Now bring back Moray Towers in 3 damn it! It's in 2 but I DON'T WANT TO LOSE MY FAVOURITE STAGE IF IT"S NOT IN 4.

[ticklinglady]

The Guild's actions during the story are so insane, when you think about them properly, you know? When I first read the arc with them, this moment hasn't really occurred to me, as I was too busy going nuts over finally seeing the names of the familiar writers, but now when I think of that... I am not sure, I comprehend how they managed to achieve such a ferocious reputation. I have already made a little post about how extremely dysfunctional the DOA members are, but at least those guys have a plan, which actually makes sense more or less, even despite the gang using cheatcodes/the Book. The same cannot be said of the Guild however archghhjkn. Like, what the hell were these guys even doing??? XD

So here are just some moments, which weirded me out the most

At first I'd like to address the entire story with everyone's favorite tsundere, Lucy Maud Montgomery. Her introduction leaves quuuuite an impression in the best way and nothing makes me happier than the fact, that she gets a chance to find happiness in the following chapters and actually becomes a reoccurring character! HOWEVER, her entire involvement with the Guild is super odd... I still can't wrap my head around her getting fired. She is a girl with a hella powerful ability, who got taken to the Guild from a terrible, terrible orphanage in order to fight for them in the war for the Book, so not only is she very strong, but she's also immensely dependant on the organisation and wouldn't do anything outside of its interests. Yet Lucy is also put under extreme pressure. As she herself puts it, the Guild doesn't tolerate failures and will kick her out the moment she screws something up.

Later we see that this is exactly what happens, when she messes up her first mission. Fitzgerald himself confirms that, since she failed and revealed her ability to the enemies, she's no longer useful, so now a powerful esper, like Lucy works for free as a... laundress?

EXCUSE ME??? WHEN HAVE THE GUILD MEMBERS EVER DONE ANYTHING, BUT FAIL AND REVEAL THEIR ABILITIES?

Let's be real, these dudes were successful like only once or twice...

This fact not only makes Fitzgerald look like an idiot for wasting such a talented and useful worker, because of one mistake, but also as one hell of a hypocrite, cause he is more than fine with everyone else fucking up. And in case of Lovecraft and Steinbeck: fucking up twice. To add to the oddity, we later learn, that Louisa genuinely cares for Lucy and despite her social anxiety actually stood up for her during the entire story, but even that wasn't enough to change Fitzgerald's mind on the issue, though Louisa is one of the few people, whose opinion he respects. Honestly, this is such a waste of a truly useful subordinate. And speaking of which....

The Guild has never even tried to implement Edgar Allan Poe during the war...

This man is actually rather op when you think of it. He can capture and neutralise literally any ability user in Yokohama (besides Dazai, Mori and Ranpo ofc) just by throwing a book at them. Seriously, as we see with Chuuya, they don't even have to read it, they just need to see the pages. Plus the book can be actually sent via email!!! So why has there been an absolute zero amount of strategies with the use of this ability??? They could actually try to catch Atsushi by sending him such email containing any of Poe's mystery stories and then safely carry him back to their base. And it doesn't have to be just Atsushi, it could be literally any of their enemies. Non-combatant, like Ranpo could use this pretty damn well to his advantage and it doesn't take a genius to understand the potential of the "Black Cat in Rue Morgue". But nooooo, it seems like everyone has just forgotten of Poe!!! (Tho to be honest, I can actually see this situation in a funny extra awfgbfggfjj. Not the main story however) The agency would never even learn of his existence, if he didn't personally decide to try to fuck Ranpo's life up. Like, what does Poe even do in the Guild? He's the master architect and, according to him, the third ranking man in the organization, but we never see him be of any use, so Idk. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Lucy at least got to do something, unlike this poor man.

Then there's the entire drama with the Guild's decision to destroy Yokohama. Where do I even begin...

First of all, Fitzgerald has no way of knowing that Atsushi is going to come to Moby-Dick to fight him. Poor guy is the Guild's primary goal and has already gotten himself captured once, so it would have been safe to assume that the ADA decided to hide him somewhere and not send him on any dangerous missions for the time being. That basically means Fitzgerald could have burned down not just Yokohama, but also the only person, who could actually help him find his precious Book.

But if we're to ignore this, let's also go with Wikipedia then~

"Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu. Yokohama is also the major economic, cultural, and commercial hub of the Greater Tokyo Area along the Keihin Industrial Zone."

..........................

Good luck making up for the destruction of THIS, Fitzgerald 🖕

And if this in itself wasn't bad enough, most people, including me, tend to forget that all Guild members are actually big shots in the American government, which I think is very sad. Because first of all, can you imagine any of the Guild members actually working as politicians?!! The sheer idea makes me hysterical avshbgj. Like, just consider Lovecraft working as a senator or something. This eldritch horror of a man leaves the ocean once in three years at best LMAO. Second of all, I have a feeling, that the destruction of Yokohama at the hands of influential politicians from a foreign country would have resulted in an international conflict or two~ Like as if random deranged rich Americans arriving in Japan, wreaking havoc over there and destroying the second largest city in the country wasn't bad enough, these Americans just HAD to be super influential businessmen and politicians. Louisa, my dear, I understand that it wasn't your intention, but it's as close to a declaration of war as it can get, you know? Fitzgerald may be ready to do anything to resurrect his dead daughter, but I'm not sure, that the execution of himself and the rest of the Guild at the hands of the Hunting Dogs is something he'd like.

(And here's another funny thing that stems from them being politicians 🤭 As @originalartblog wittily pointed out, Fitzgerald wasting all his money fighting sskk has probably resulted in a market crash and recession over in the USA)

I also have some other questions in regards to this entire plan, such as why did they have to waste Moby-Dick just to destroy Yokohama? Yes, it works in the short term, but in the long term they loose a super powerful fortress with the stealth mode and as the practice shows, you better have a safe base, unless you want another lemon freak to blow it all up. I mean, you could just ask Lovecraft to destroy everything for free. Or, if the device is the only way to stop the giant whale from crashing, why didn't Fitzgerald just take it to a far away bunker or something and waited things out there without the need to spend millions of dollars just to survive the explosion? (And it would have been extremely funny, if during the fight with sskk he just threw the device overboard) But I think I have already rambled for long enough already atxhghbgv XD

The Guild is an even bigger mess than the DOA and I think that's glorious 🙌

[cocoagenie]

𝙄ñ𝙖𝙠𝙞 𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙤𝙮 𝙭 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙛𝙚𝙢 | 𝙃𝙀𝘼𝘿𝘾𝘼𝙉𝙊𝙉 <3

[P💕: i crave bro]

[Dividers by @animatedglittergraphics-n-more !]

Shenanigans

☆ Iñaki can definitely be troublesome if he's bored. I'm talking face/body paint cosplays, hiding your things, pranking you with his perfect acting skills type of trouble

• its truly hilarious and a bit concerning to catch him with his whole face green and a dinosaur stuffed hat clipped around his head

☆ "ki.." he has his back to you and stares at the walls like there much more important

• will scream over games in his phone, for instance if iñaki runs out of time and fails a challenge you can here him crying out from the bathroom

☆ he suggests the craziest things on tiktok and you are a sucker for a good time despite you both hating to clean up behind yourselves. You have an eighteen minute long video of you both slipping on the soapy kitchen floor btw ;p

• iñaki often walks around your apartment a bit weirdly so he's bound to stub a toe or bump his shoulder into the edge of the wall, always cursing in Spanish which makes you burst into laughter

☆ you both truly are unfiltered around eachother and hes feels so lucky that he got two for one, (you're not only his best friend but your his girlfriend too.) Iñaki thinks that's epic

• skating time is sublime.

• "you– geezer, just hold onto me?" You laughed as Iñaki rolled around the skating ring like an elder on life support, he obliged but that cost you with the way he gripped your hands.

☆ "Damn, kiki!"

• "Slow down!!" He wobbled.

☆ "We not going no damn where!"

• on the court he will demolish you. Iñaki's always in your face, running around you as he dribbles the ball and shoots, it hits the rim sometimes

☆ "you're ass.." you kick some pebbles as he jogs for his rebound and runs back to you with a grin. Sweat beading at his forehead and wetting the roots of his curls.

• "oh? well then you make the hoop" you both are nearly the same height but he's still slightly taller. (He looks scrumptious in loose tanktops fyi) The basketball is pushed to you as you roll your eyes and take it. Iñaki situates beside you and watches you move forward but hands on your hips pull you back.

☆ "Do it from here." You got ready to argue but just huffed and dribbled the ball once to make sure it was hard enough and not flat. Your dominant arm bended and launched the ball for the edge of the square. It rolled around the rim but fell off and Iñaki suppressed a laugh.

• he talks so fast in English and Spanish that you often tell him to slow down. He laughs at that because he's still getting used to someone truly listening instead of talking over him

☆ iñaki flexes his facial hair and that often gains your attention so he ends up getting his mustache and sideburns cleaned up while you're on his lap

• "please amor, don't cut it too much."

☆ "shh shh, look?" You raised the mirror and when he saw the results iñaki felt ten times more flashier and he thanked you with a big kiss of course

• bro looses his marbles when he can't find his glasses and you love to watch him suffer as he looks everywhere while their RIGHT ONTOP OF HIS HEAD.

The sweet things

☆ he needs to have you by his side but doesn't like to really admit it so when you're doing something or simply lounging around he'll come to you like puppy and lean on you, or play with/link your hands

• iñaki bites and asks before hand too lol

☆ teaches you his first language and loves how you have your way of pronouncing certain words, he also praises you and says you sound like a natural after correctly saying a sentence

• love love lovesss your cheek kisses since your lips are already plump and soft. Fall is here and it tends to get chilly so iñaki jokingly asks you to prescribe him with some so he doesn't freeze to death

☆ let's you play in his hair especially when it grows out, you put it in ponytails, side cornrows and twists until he's snoring against you

• iñaki doesn't have a foot fetish but will massages your feet when their sore. He's the best at it, courtesy of the practice with his mother

☆ since you love vinyls and CD's he brings you shopping with him at special stores that sell hand me downs, movie cds or song records

• you both enjoy a good thrifting spree!

☆ picnic dates are sweet but getting something to eat downtown and exploring the lower city makes you feel like jasmine and iñaki is obviously your aladdin <3

• "should we jay walk?" You look at the currently empty street as iñaki's hand is gripped in yours, his eyes keep flickering down both ends of the street before he suddenly tugs you across with him

☆ "Vamanos, vamanos!" You snort and run across as you both eventually make it to the car.

• he often asks you why you fell in love with him and you're always ready to provide an answer.

☆ "You have this weird charm that I'm drawn to.. plus you were kinda mysterious with the way you used to sta-"

• "okay okay I get it!"

☆ "Nah you used to stare into my soul remember?"

• Iñaki felt incredibly shy around you, he still does now that you're both together he just knows how to hide it now ;)

☆ matching charm bracelets and rings. 😭

• he's the pure embodiment of "just happy to be there!"

☆ will always polish the hand you can't do

THE END ♡

[A/N: I AM SATISFIED.]

[bearhugsandshrugs]

I think you all know how much I love Halsin, but replaying the grove missions I can't help but think what kind of a bad leader he was. And I'm being dead serious.

First off, Kagha. He put someone as second-in-command who easily got desperate and trusted the wrong crowd. If you play out the Shadow Druid line, you hear how there suddenly appeared a letter to her and it didn't take much convincing for her to join them. But also, you can rather easily persuade her to turn on the Shadow Druids, too! So you're left with a deputy who can't hold her own ground, is easily swayed, and basically let her power fantasies get the better off her at the first chance. Now, you might ask: why is this Halsin's fault?

Aside from the obvious bad pick as his stand-in, he apparently had not developed her to perfom better as a leader at all. He set her up to fail: He left her, on short notice, in the middle of a crisis (already a bad call – he should have asked someone else to go with Aradin). But even before that, he apparently never taught her what kind of measures would be appropriate during duress, or she wouldn't have jumped at the first best chance to betray him.

But more. Many of the druids comment on how Halsin is "weak", not only Kagha. You can hear the idle conversations when you walk the grove. And they're not only about taking in the refugees. So there seems to be general discontent amongst his own community about his leadership, even portrayed by the fact that Halsin felt the need to hide his thoughts in a diary only carried by himself. You can also find a note which says that he asked the Emerald Enclave for help and they won't send any. Plus, last but not least, you seriously have not put any effort in developing a worthy successor (Kagha aside)? Really? Sure, you can get someone from the outside, but why, if you're leaving anyway? That play would make the most sense if Halsin intended to return and then step down, which seems telling in itself.

Even more. Because right outside the grove there are several harpies with literal bodies and skeletons piling up on the beach. You have a whole ass community of druids yet no one thought to actually walk, what, 15 minutes down to the beach to see what's going on down there? You couldn't be bothered to do something about it?

And it pains me to write this, because he's supposed to be our guidance-giver, a retired leader so to speak, but what he leaves behind in the grove is little to show for. He remarks himself several times that he wasn't truly happy there, and later you find out that he had to step up as arch druid when his previous leader was killed. And then he took the community to the grove and established a community there. A community that was made up entirely of refugees, and then is all too eager to turn on tiefling refugees the second those strangers come into the same scenario Halsin once led them out of.

Of course he can't be responsible for everything, but he is (or was) responsible for the culture there. And what we see of it? No thank you, actually.

It's probably because for a hundred years he was restless, seeking to figure out the shadow curse, weighed down by guilt and desperation of not finding any answers. Add to that his whole trauma-response of his whole laissez faire lifestyle – do as you wish, basically, as long as it won't harm anyone – and you get the Emerald Grove. At the same time Larian is trying to sell us Halsin as this wise man who has seen everything and can't be shaken easily, but man. Yeah maybe that's true. But maybe he should be shaken up more easily. Actual lives are at stake. This is not the time to be so chill.

Last but not least: I think Halsin knows this. But he can't get past the doubting himself stage. He can't just admit it to himself, admit that his avoidance of deeper bonds caused this. He voices doubts, sure, and says that not solving the shadow curse sooner was his biggest failing. YET. How could he have done that without allies? And that's the thing: In a century of not properly settling down to develop stronger bonds – to his own community of druids, to others, hell even to Jaheira, who he knew of was there! – he had no allies to cure the shadow curse. No allies meant there was no one to seriously grieve over if they should die, like he did with Thaniel and his former arch druid. At the same time no allies meant also that he was destined to fail. But instead of seeking said allies, he stayed in the grove, sought refuge in books and tests, and shied away from befriending others.

It's why he needs Tav so much and why he stays back in camp for most of Act 2. He can't get too close. He is literally unable to form stronger relationships to people he can rely on. I think it's past trauma preventing him from it. Does he know this, deep down? Probably. Will he ever admit it? Not in the game. Unfortunately.

[demonslayedher]

Things that went through my head while watching this episode:

--The episode in which Kamado Tanjiro tries and fails to be a supporting character

--And he tried really, really hard too! After all, Genya is his friend (according to one of the two parties involved), and now he understands his dream. I do kind of wish they had a moment when Genya could explain, "I want to be a Pillar because only Pillars can meet Pillars" so that Tanjiro can reply, "No you don't, you just have to be in trouble! Here, Nezuko and I will help you stage doing something bad!"

--Genya makes the best confused noises--as well as the best desperation noises. But the way his confusion is so abject that it slows down the whole pace of a tense episode so we can truly feel the way the gears in his brain (which pounds super fast with how powered he is by adrenaline) is great, and it's even better how many times that happens in the span of a few minutes.

--Still, the difference between Tanjiro and Genya, when it comes to capability in battle, is palpable. Genya is not incapable--not by a long shot!!--and has earned this rank in the Corp by doing a whole lot more than eating demons. He isn't afraid of hard work, and his isn't willing to give up, but he is not as adept at analyzing a fight and fight and adapting on the fly. He is a throw-everything-got-and-then-keep-throwing-anyway kind of fighter who wins based on his own gumption, but being so driven by that heightened emotion has its limits.

--And what's key to Genya's character is that he knows it. While Himejima has surely had a good influence on his temper, but Genya accomplished character growth in a matter of minutes which Inosuke took more time to begrudgingly sort of figure out. In this episode we see Genya go from "I'm going to be a Pillar (and I hate you)" to "I can't do it. I'm leaving it to you." Way to be a bigger person, Genya!

--I wish we knew how old Genya and Sanemi were in that flashback. In order for Sanemi to have had enough time to go through Wind Breath training, climb the ranks, and becoming a Pillar colleague to Kanae, this was at the very least six years ago. What was Genya doing all that time before he entered the Final Selection?

--Also, I love Genya's maturity so much in recognizing that if Sekido kills him there, he'll leave Sanemi with those hurtful last words exchanged between them, whereas Genya's gets to comfort himself by seeing Sanemi's kindness and smile as the last thing in his life flashing before his eyes. Only a kind person would find that unfair.

--Remember how this episode aired, like, on Mother's Day? Yeah. Yeah.

--This....... flashback, man. It was done good but that's why I'm sad.

--One some other notes: Tanjiro's swords still glows hot red, he pulls the mark back on with ease and the effect is noticeable, and in that chase scene with Hantengu, I love how we see his expression change and adapt as the situation changes. I also love how among all his ongoing analysis of Hantengu and his weak points and how to avoid being overtaken by the Ki-Do-Ai-Raku attacks and how to locate the true body and catch up to him, he has not bothered to analyze what's going on with Genya whatsoever. It's a non-issue.

--Little Nezuko wave after "don't kill my sister, btw," ily.

--Skimper-skampering little Hantengu is still something I find very, very funny.

[yuikomorii]

♡Valentine’s Day♡

// I present to you Ayayui Valentine's Day cg because they're adorable together and I really wanted to feed their stans uwu. I got this idea from something my bestie drew last year, and I'm not one to brag, but I love how this one turned out! It almost looks official, which makes me happy! ٩̋( *ˊᗜˋ* )و

I also wrote a special Valentine’s Day story regarding this cg! Despite being my best boy, I don’t really consider myself good at writing Ayato but I tried my best, therefore… if you’re into fluff and cheesy moments, click on “keep reading”! <3

~Ayayui Valentine’s Day scenario~

Yui: “Limited edition Pocky”

(That’s what I got yesterday when we went to the Demon world. Kanato-kun was surprisingly kind enough to recommend a good candy store, so I’m sure he must know best, right?)

(I can’t believe it’s already Valentine’s Day…)

(If I remembered it sooner, I would have tried to bake something special for it but I suppose these pocky sticks should do the trick as well. It’s still chocolate after all and it’s really interesting how once you finish them all, you’ll get a message at the bottom of the box!)

Now, all I have to do is wait and——

Ayato: Whatcha doing there, Chichinashi?

Yui: Wah…! Geez, Ayato-kun, you scared me!

(And he almost saw the pocky box too—!)

Ayato: Tch… stop screaming, will you?

Yui: Ah… I-I’m sorry! It’s just that… Ayato-kun, there is——

Student: Hey, you’re Ayato-san, right? I was told to give you these. They are quite a lot, you must really be popular, huh?

Yui: …!

(Eeh!? A bag full of chocolates!)

(I know Ayato-kun, as a member of the Sakamaki family, is popular but when this thought crosses my mind, my chest… it somehow tightens…)

W-Woah, the amount is really impressive!

Student: Right? I wish I received such gifts on Valentine’s Day too but haa… not everyone is lucky enough.

Ayato: Y’know, if you really want them, you can have them.

Yui: Wha—!

Student: E-Excuse me?

Ayato: I don’t need them, they can’t satisfy me in any way so what’s the point of keeping useless trash?

Yui: B-But Ayato-kun, it’s the thought that counts! Besides, they spent money on them!

Ayato: If they can afford to attend a private school, buying chocolates will not bankrupt them. Let's go, or what now? Do you prefer to walk home all alone in the dark?

Yui: That’s… I-I’m coming!

— Timeskip —

Yui: (Ayato-kun… Does he refuse Valentine's Day gifts? But if that's the case, I can't guarantee I won't be rejected as well...)

(Nevertheless, thinking negatively will accomplish nothing. I bought the box with the thought of him in my mind because Ayato-kun is the person I like the most. If I don't take a shot, I might regret it later, so it's now or never!)

Hey, Ayato-kun.

Ayato: Hm?

Yui: (Here we go…!)

Will you be… my Valentine?

— Yui blushes and hands him the pocky box —

Ayato: Heh…

Yui: (C-Come on, is he laughing at me now?)

— Ayato teleports —

Yui: Eh?

(We’re at some sort of dessert shop?)

Ayato: Took you long enough, Chichinashi. I would have much rather preferred to receive Takoyaki but pocky doesn’t sound half bad either.

Yui: Wait a little, so you knew!?

Ayato: Obviously? I noticed you hiding something from me a few hours ago and waited all day for you to make your move. At some point, I even thought you were scared based on my reaction to that bag of chocolates, which… wasn’t my intention.

Yui: It’s alright, don’t worry. I should have guessed you don't like Valentine's Day gifts. I mean, I'm sure there are a lot of disadvantages to being popular. You probably grew tired of receiving gifts from people with whom you had little or no interaction.

Ayato: That too but those chicks also lacked courage. If you're going to make something for me, give it to me face to face. I wouldn't have turned down their gifts otherwise; I'm not that kind of person, y’know?

Yui: (I see, so that explains his reaction. I failed to look at what was actually bothering Ayato-kun but on a positive note, I’m glad I took action, because that’s what he truly wanted.)

Ayato: Besides… I… I would have accepted it anyway from you.

Yui: A-Ayato-kun…!

Ayato: S-Stop screaming already, will you!? Tch… whatever!

Yui: (Am I not seeing well or is he really blushing? Fufu, that’s somehow cute~!)

Ayato: Pocky, huh? Let’s give them a taste test then, hm?

— Ayato puts pocky in his mouth and gets closer —

Yui: Eh? R-Right now? But this is a public place!

Ayato: And? What’s the point in having a Valentine if you can’t show them off ? Now c’mon, open your mouth.

Yui: Uuh…

(He’s lifting my chin!)

(When Ayato-kun looks at me like that… I simply can’t resist anymore!)

F-Fine… Mn..

Ayato: Mn… Mn… Mn…

Yui: (W-Wait, slow down!)

Ayato: *kisses*

Yui: …!

Ayato: Heeh, your face is turning bright red; are you really that easy to heat up~?

Yui: “E-Easy”, you say, but that's a normal reaction when you decide to kiss me unexpectedly!

Ayato: And now that I've done it once, I demand a second round!

— Timeskip —

Yui: (I can’t believe we finished the whole pocky box. Gosh… that was so embarrassing!)

(Thankfully, the people around us preferred minding their own business rather than looking at us.)

Ayato: …

Yui: (Ayato-kun became unusually quiet; could he be sleeping?)

Ayato-kun…?

Ayato: …

Yui: (No answer at all? Did he really fall asleep?)

(However, I shouldn't wake him up. We'll be asked to leave when the dessert shop closes anyway, so I'll let him nap for the time being.)

Come to think of it, now that the box is empty, a message was said to be at the bottom of it, no?

— Yui finds a piece of paper and starts reading —

Yui: “Thank you for purchasing our limited edition pocky! In honor of this release, we have a special treat in store for you too: if you share a pocky stick with your beloved, both of you will be able to drown in pleasure afterwards! The reason is simple because our secret ingredient is… aphrodisiac”!?

(N-No way, this can’t— Kya! Something is touching my leg!)

Ayato: Change of plans. Come with me, Yui.

— Ayato picks her up —

Yui: W-Wah, wait, Ayato-kun—!

(Uuh… what will I get myself into?)

[copperbadge]

Cleaning out my Google Drive archive, I happened to stumble across the original spec Hallmark Movie script that Fete For A King was based on -- not that I had lost it, I'd just kind of forgotten about it. And it occurred to me you guys might enjoy seeing a scene or two from it.

I wrote Fete basically from the script -- I made a copy of the script and rewrote it into prose as I went, then did a second pass to make it less Scripty, so most of it would be very familiar. The plot came through basically intact. The one thing I significantly altered was Jerry and Alanna's subplot -- in the script, as often happens with Hallmark films, the supporting characters also have a love storyline. I took that out of the book because it didn't need the padding, and it allowed me to give them a book of their own later, but the script scenes were pretty fun. :D

(In this version Jerry still attends the Agricultural Cabinet meeting for Gregory, but mentions this fact to Michaelis, which gets Gregory in trouble for blowing it off.)

ALANNA, spying on the lunch meeting through the door to the Prince's office, leans back behind a column or wall. DUKE GERALD (JERRY), looking apologetic, winces.

ALANNA: How could you, Jerry?

JERRY: I told you, I didn't mean to! I thought if I told the king I stepped in for Gregory, it would show I'm taking an interest. Turning over a new leaf.

ALANNA: Nobody asked you to take an interest.

JERRY: Least of all me. But I was interested, really, Alanna. We could be doing so much more with olives. I didn't know crop planning was such a precise science.

ALANNA: And that's great, but you could have just said you went WITH Greg to the meeting.

JERRY: Why would I go with Greg to an agricultural meeting? Anyway, I would have but I didn't think of it. Don't be mad at me.

ALANNA: It's not me you have to worry about.

JERRY: But Greg knows I wouldn't sabotage him. Besides, uncle Mike would have heard about it eventually anyway. Everyone in town was talking about the Prince coming to try that cheese shop with the social media chef guy.

ALANNA: He's under a lot of pressure.

JERRY: I know.

ALANNA: And now unless that cheese REALLY impresses the king, he's going to start following Greg around everywhere and trying to offer his opinion.

JERRY: He's been king for forty years. His opinion's probably useful.

ALANNA: Not if the prince wants to make his own way.

JERRY: Well, what do you want me to do? I can't make uncle Mike like cheese.

ALANNA: I want you to keep an eye on them and keep the king distracted. Can't you do something mildly embarrassing?

JERRY: More or less embarrassing than visiting a cheese shop in a "Truly Tasty" hat?

ALANNA: Fix it, Jerry!

JERRY: Fine, I'll do my best. But I want you to make Greg make me his vizier when he's king.

ALANNA: We haven't had a vizier in a hundred years. What does a vizier even do?

JERRY: Nothing, but with drama.

ALANNA: Fine. I have meetings. Stay here, keep spying, report back when they leave.

JERRY gives her a thumbs up and watches her leave, then turns to spying on the meeting.

***

And then Alanna has a realization....

ALANNA is still leading JERRY away from the picnic.

JERRY: I thought you wanted me to keep Uncle Mike off Greg's case.

ALANNA: Not tonight. Eddie's pitching his new high-concept for the coronation feast, so they've got to be there together.

JERRY: Well, I wish someone would make up their mind around here.

ALANNA: You could set a trend.

JERRY: What's that supposed to mean?

ALANNA: You're not interested in olives, Jerry.

JERRY: Of course I am.

ALANNA: You're interested in the fact that my dad heads the cabinet board that supervises the olive harvest.

JERRY: Olives are very interesting to me. (deflating) And I wanted to impress your dad.

ALANNA: He's known you since we were kids running around the palace together.

JERRY: Is that good?

ALANNA: My father has literally watched you fall out of multiple trees you were trying to climb.

JERRY: Failing to climb, mostly.

ALANNA: So why are you trying to impress him now?

JERRY: Well, isn't it obvious?

They stare at each other.

ALANNA: I cannot go on a date with you.

JERRY looks crestfallen. ALANNA pulls out her phone.

ALANNA: There's too much to do, Jerry. Between now and the coronation every hour I'm awake is booked. The best I can give you is three weeks from Tuesday.

JERRY: What?

ALANNA: Three weeks from Tuesday. Does that work for you? Never mind, your calendar's on my phone. I'm booking us in. Dinner okay?

JERRY: Uh. Yes.

ALANNA: Good. I'll send you a calendar invite, you pick the place.

She walks off, still typing in her phone.

JERRY: What just happened?

[raytorosaurus]

I hope it’s okay to ask you but you seem to know everything about MCR so you might know. But I read recently that they were the designated bbq band on their first Warped in 2004 so they had to cook for everyone. Have you ever heard of that being the case? It just feels like a weird thing, with Ray apparently being a hermit in the bus and Frank being vegetarian and Gerard being blackout the whole time. I can’t imagine Mikey or Matt Pelissier holding down the fort.

haha yeah apparently so! warped tour was designed to be as efficient to run as possible because its primary purpose was to book up-and-coming bands and put them out there. it had a lot of weird components as a result - e.g. the sheer number of bands and locations, cheap tickets and free tickets for parents, and a constantly changing lineup schedule so attendees couldn't plan their day in advance around specific artists (so the artists were on a more ~equal footing and to encourage ppl to show up when the gates opened and stay all day). it was also notoriously gruelling and uncomfortable for the bands - really demanding schedule, no showers, etc etc.

so one of the things it did (along with showcasing local acts at each location) was invite a "bbq band" to join the tour for free and play every day if they helped run the nightly bbq that fed all the musicians. according to this podcast (around 17 mins in, but the whole episode is a short and really interesting listen, i recommend it!), mcr were that band in 2004 (they were only on the first half of the tour tho, june 25-july 18,24). i'm not sure exactly what his source is but he seems to know his stuff, and i'm almost positive i've heard gerard refer to it in an interview at some stage, though i can't remember when 😭. anyway, that doesn't mean they fully ran the bbq and were the only staff - they were just helpers! warped had a catering company and served a truly enormous amount of food every day, and apparently the artist's bbq was something like 300 hot dogs, 300 burgers, and 100 veggie burgers a night (all from that podcast). mcr definitely wouldn't have been doing that on their own, they were probably just helping out hahaha.

anyway, this was all in 2004, when the lineup included thursday, the used, tbs, coheed and cambria, the bouncing souls, etc. so revenge had only been out for like a month and they didn't have their own bus yet - i'm like 80% sure they stayed on senses fail's bus that tour, but i can't remember which one of them said that or where haha (they definitely shared a bus directly afterwards as they toured back towards nj).

after that is when they went to japan, came back, fired otter, and filmed inok, and went back on tour with bob and face to face all in the space of 2 weeks. that tour is when their van finally broke down for good and they got on their first own tour bus at the end of it.

the more ~famous mcr warped tour is 2005, which is the one with fob etc. i haven't seen lotms in a while but i actually assumed the bit where ray said he'd been a total hermit in the back of the bus was from that 05 tour, because that's the one they had the bus studio where he spent a lot of time writing parade demos. either way, he might not have been partying and socialising a whole lot, but i'm sure he would've sown up to bbq duty anyway! it was their free ticket, after all.

[scoobydoodean]

Hey there, I have SPN Thought Worms i thought you might appreciate: You know how there’s debate wether (in the biblical story) Abraham “failed” God’s test, if it was a blind loyalty test or to see if he’d put his moral and love over unquestioned orders? In the same vein, do you think Dean truly ‘failed’ Death’s test with the ring and carrying out his duties for the day? Like maybe Death actually wanted Dean to be unable to do it bc it proved he had limits or smth? Or did he just get Sam’s soul back despite the apparent failure because he has a massive soft spot for Dean? (relatable tbh). Hope I made myself clear lol, the concept is jumbled-up in my mind, and have a great day!

This is a really interesting question! I also have a feeling I'll have a lot better of an answer when I get to 6.11 on this rewatch and have the entire season fresh on my mind. That said, Death actually says in the end that the goal was for Dean to learn something.

DEATH Today, you got a hard look behind the curtain. Wrecking the natural order's not quite such fun when you have to mop up the mess, is it? This is hard for you, Dean. You throw away your life because you've come to assume that it'll bounce right back into your lap. But the human soul is not a rubber ball. It's vulnerable, impermanent, but stronger than you know. And more valuable than you can imagine. So... I think you've learned something today. (x)

I'd really like to watch through season 6 again to solidify this one for myself, but I have a feeling that this isn't about teaching Dean a personal moral lesson at all. I don't think Death is at all concerned with the fact that the nurse died because the little girl didn't from a moral perspective—he wouldn't have ever given Dean his ring if he was. That isn't why he said "good" when Dean said he would have acted differently if he could go back. We can guess it also isn't just a simple lesson about "bringing each other back" being bad and "letting go", because that'd be pretty hypocritical given Death is going to help Dean anyway with no one forcing his hand (and he tells us Dean has use). It isn't a moral issue Death's addressing. It's a lesson he's giving on the structure of the universe. It's about balance. As Death says cryptically later in the scene:

I think what Death wanted to get across to Dean is that souls must pass on, and their energy must be allotted to the appropriate areas in time and space. If one person doesn't die, passing their soul on as energy, another person must die so that a certain balance and energy level is maintained in the universe. Death plans to help Dean from the beginning, because "Right now, you're digging at something. The intrepid Detective. I want you to keep digging, Dean."

Death, as a person who can't ultimately involve himself without also disrupting balance, is ultimately hinting at Dean as best he knows how that he wants him to stop Crowley and Cas from sucking a bunch of souls out of Purgatory, creating absolute chaos. But he can't say that, so instead, he gives Dean a lesson. He tells Dean that human souls are extremely valuable, and that they need to go to the places the universe wants them to go and stay there. If they don't—if they are moved on a large scale—something terrible will happen. Death has to expect Dean to extrapolate all of this information, which is not an easy expectation to fulfill.

So I guess to summarize: I don't think Dean failed Death's test, because actually using the ring and experiencing what happened when Dean tried to change things was more of a lesson than a test. The test was how Dean reflected on the lesson after and evaluated his behavior. He passed when he said he'd behave differently if he could go back. Death wanted Dean to understand the idea of balance in the universe depending on where souls go, and how important it is not to disrupt their flow or move them around. Changing things makes bad things happen. When there's just one soul, the impact is small (something Death is willing to let Dean toy with by offering his ring for the day). But what if someone disrupted the flow of many many souls at once?

[fatuismooches]

(About the Dottore sugar tax)

I like to imagine that some members of the Fatui are very discreet in handing out the sweets.

Oh, one of their comrades is getting a scolding and it looks like it's escalating? Quick! Sneak a sweet nearby that the Lord Harbinger could spot easily!

And what happens is that mid-rant, the segment would glance just a little to the side behind the researcher and he sees - what the fuck?? Why is there a Charcoal-Baked Ajilenakh Cake on the desk??? How? When???

And he just gets so confused that he kinda momentarily short-circuits

The Fatui can't keep using the sweets tactics too often tho, they might accidentally pavlov their lord into hating sweets if he keeps receiving them when he's angry!

It happened with Omega already, he scowled at the Fatui Skirmisher and demanded if the agent thought of him as a dog that could be placated with a mere treat. Yeah that guy is dead now.

And of course the segments start to get suspicious by the sixth incident of receiving a sweet out of nowhere.

Zandik is baffled, because somehow everyone and their damn mother knows he has a sweet tooth and he is convinced that Pantalone has something to do with it (probably the ninth trying to gain his favour for a new gadget to sell)

Reader: sweating in the background.

Wait no I got pavlov's experiment mixed up: It would be more accurate to say that since Dottore keeps receiving sweets when he's angry - he starts to subconsciously expect sweets when he's frustrated. Which is even funnier because imagine how confused he'd be. He's stressing about failed results, why is he salivating???

OH MY GOSH... THIS IS LIKE THE FUNNIEST AND CUTEST THING EVER AHH!! When you work for someone such as Il Dottore, it is important to stick together with your fellow co-workers. Because you never know what will happen. And also, you don't really want to be carrying your new friend's dead body to the experimentation room. So it's important to look out for each other every now and then. This includes distracting the Harbinger's attention in any way possible from the target of his assault. Even if it means sneaking sweets into the lab. Yes, it is truly terrifying work, but it is necessary, especially when you were so kind to bestow this protection upon them.

THE WHOLE ASS CHARCOAL CAKE IS WHAT MAKES ME DIE... 😭 Was he really so caught up in his ranting that he didn't notice it? Actually, never mind that, how did they know he likes sweets, much less prefers Sumerian sweets compared to any other nation? All the agents have the exact same poker face, betraying absolutely nothing, for their lives are genuinely on the line right now. It was all riding on this Charcoal-Baked Ajilenakh Cake. Yes, this was 100% serious.

Ugh... if i was a regular agent think i'd rather die than present the OMEGA segment of all a piece of candy. The courage it'd take is insane. But oops. The other agents knew from that day they needed to be more careful with their tactics... yes, they have to add this to the handbook now. 😭 I imagine, the method begins to be used sparsely because the segments are not going to let their reputation be dumbed down to the guys who can be won over by mere sweets. Nope, not happening, they should be feared! Not known to the Fatui as being a sweets lover! So subduing the segments with sweets only happens on very violent days. Or if you happen to be in the room, you'll happily take the sweets offered by the agents and share them with the segment to make him calm down.

EBWKBEWEW DOTTORE BLAMING PANTALONE FOR ALL HIS PROBLEMS!! 😭 ah he would, despite how smart he is, it just completely slips his mind that you could have done this as well. Oh well! You just hope he doesn't find out! *nervous sweating intensifies*

Teehee him stressing not only over his failed results but his sudden urge to devour some sweets... it's really annoying for him though, usually, he ignores his growling stomach for a long time but, the taste of sweets is just haunting him and his tastebuds.

Maybe if he asks you, you can make some that lasts a few days... because at this rate, he expects to be thinking about sweets for a while with how poorly his experiments are going.

[extracurious]

Why heart's desire for you is the strongest than anything else?

Her transition from "I'll keep you posted" to calling Miles as her "friend " with so much strength in her voice when Miguel accused her for letting him escape away was amazing.

Why she chose Miles or why was she drawn to him from beginning and always telling everyone that he had potential and later calling him as spiderman when she knew he was an anomaly?Why was she so much bothered about him even though knowing he might act as a threat to her if she got too much attached to him?

Since the beginning only Gwen wanted to be with her favorite person ,Miles. This boy not even trying to do anything very grand still manages to make her feel emotionally safe and comfortable within his love for her. He patiently waits for her to realise the connection building between them and return back to him where she left him behind. He wishes to hold on to her by keep on drawing her in that sketchbook. He fears that even if he finds a way to see her ,that moment whether she will have enough time to reciprocate his feelings for her or not. While she is just scared of falling in love thereby losing the precious friendship with Miles also .

Even though trying hard to forget about this Brooklyn native, she still gets lost in his thoughts throughout their time apart. He is so close to her heart .She acts cool around him but truly is much more obsessed with him than he his with her. She wants to let Miles come into her life but is afraid of can't having him thus eventually hurting both of them.

If she clearly didn't want any deep connection to develop between her and Miles she didn't have to think about her cannon events of dying or a relationship ending badly just like other universes.

Miles make her know that both need to feel equally involved and loved to help their relationship to nurture and become strong in future. They became emotionally attuned to each other which brought them close and helped her to open up to that one person whom she found to be completely trustworthy and who wants to provide space and respect her opinions .

Her leaning on him, that romantic glance and smiling at him are genuine ways of her expressing "thanks" for understanding her feelings even though not asking many questions about her monotonous life.

Gwen got hurt by losing the connection with the last person ,Miles,who brought value and hope to her life during her darken times.

And Miles got hurt by trusting one of the persons whom he loved the most. He was just disappointed with Gwen's decisions because he was unable to realise whether there was actually any relationship developing between him and her or it was mainly one sided.

And during their time apart that sense of longing amplified to such an extent that they have failed to put each other thoughts out of their mind as if they are missing their other half.

This got connected with the Gwen's monologue "He is not the only one",which meant both are hopelessly into each other and did not know how to find their way back to where their beautiful bonding started.Thus Gwen risking her career to visit him and Miles following her through the portal even though knowing he might die due to glitching. He couldn't leave her in those awful conditions where her life would become miserable.

The choice she made was to fall for Miles and not for any boy of her age even in her dimension also. Her love for him was not for his spiderman identity,but she considered him as smart(physics class reference),loyal,courageous , ofcourse naturally charming and above all he fights for the people he loves the most. She couldn't help herself from slightly blushing when she saw Miles really wanted her to be happy atleast with someone who genuinely cared and loved her and that she shouldn't mind with the age gap. But Miles didn't know that "someone " was him only. Quite beautiful that whenever Miles talked with her she got lost in his eyes or glanced at him romantically or simply acted awkwardly reflecting her feelings for him. She finally accepted this whole thing and let her hesitation and fear go at the end of ATSV. Now she truly wants to be with him no matter what obstacles come in her way. She will not let her love slip away instead with every power hold it to herself.

-extracurious

"Not to be reposted" 😊

[boyfridged]

Do you have any more thoughts about Alfred and how to make him a more interesting character? And there's this tag "Alfred Pennyworth is a Saint", got any opinions about that? And what about some different portrayals like the Gotham Tv version, the multiple versions from comics (usually either harsh, sarcastic and emotionally repressed stoic or openly affectionate, offering actual advice and kind), or the super nice and kind ones from the various movies (live-action and animated)?

there's a lot of contradictions when it comes to alfred's character, even within the scope of individual works (that including current canon... post-mortem too): he's supposed to be both harsh and kind, extremely competent and yet - out of picture to a degree, both fundamentally against the idea of batman (mocking it at times) and supportive of it, professional and a parental figure, conservative in appearances but progressive in acts... most importantly, he plays a role of a "sage" -- he is supposed to be simply right.

but you probably already know -- i'm very interested in characters being wrong.

and i'd say the best angle to approach alfred is simply based on the question of who he needs to be in bruce's story for it to work at all. and one of these requirements is that he is not really there. he cannot enter the action too often, even if writers want you to believe he's invincible. he cannot truly make the residents of the manor a family -- there ought to be some distance, because it's bruce's job to be a father (this is interesting in moench's pre-crisis run also... where it is very clear that alfred leaves raising jay to bruce.) and, most importantly, for bruce to become batman -- alfred ought to fail him to some degree.

and i reckon that's why we don't see much of bruce's childhood. there are some conflicting narratives irt leslie and alfred, even in the 80s - on the one hand, it is suggested that they *both* do not know how to handle bruce as a child; on the other hand, you're supposed to believe that there was no way to do that (and to absolve them of their fault). but i'm interested in a compromise... in acknowledging that none of them were equipped nor ready to take that responsibility, but also realising that there was more they could do. because i think that, for example, alfred's conservatism did intrude on the task of providing care. for example -- in some versions of bruce's childhood (isn't it fascinating that we don't even have one official version at this point in canon... it's always so elusive. but that's a topic for another post) he is sent to a boarding school. and that works. he's an old british guy, of course he'd think sending a child even at age 8-10 would be not only normal but also a good idea.

also -- alfred at times comments on bruce's inability to perform house chores, which is obviously a comic relief. but it's interesting because it's alfred who raised him. if bruce does not do his own laundry, or can't cook - that's quite literally on alfred. and again, i do believe it is plausible that alfred would not teach him any of these things. once more, the reason for that is his conservatism.

what i just said does not negate that alfred is a father to bruce and family to other children raised in the manor. however, i think that his own realisation that it is the case should come with some regret... &that his biases and the role of bruce's enabler are flaws that could make him interesting if it was take seriously.

however, there's still plenty of gaps that are hard to fill - for instance, why alfred is a butler at all, given his background (there were obv some attempts at explaining it -- i wouldn't say they were very successful). i know some of it is simply a matter of editors and writers throwing bits of amusing/surprising lore into the story without really considering the wider picture, but it is frustrating. his development was, after all, quite strange -- if you read first issues of batman/tec, you will notice he himself was mostly a comic relief. the whole concept of his links to military, for example, came later... so i had quite high hopes for pennyworth (the show) in that regards, but it did disappoint me. i wish we simply got a well-written mini?

a complete sidenote -- i also quite like how close alfred & damian grow to be. it makes a lot of sense (i do think alfred would be partial to the "biological" child + the way alfred carries himself & the routine he sticks to would be comforting for damian i think...)