#I also didn't know how to continue from here

[aaronsrpgs]

The Tight 90

(This is a continuation or a fractal reviewing of what I've written about in The Worksheet Manifesto and The Quickstart, The Home Game.)

THE TIGHT 90 is a 90-minute RPG session. It riffs on the perfect length/density of a movie, and I think it's a term I learned/stole from will jobst.

WHY RUN SHORT GAMES?

Short games are easier to fit in a schedule. (We're all so fucking busy.)

Short games are easier to pay attention to. (We're all so fucking mentally ill.)

Short games focus on the good stuff and discard the bad stuff. (We're all so fucking tired.)

HOW RUN SHORT GAMES?

Tell everyone, "We're only going to play for 90 minutes. Because of that, I'm going to focus on the things that are most interesting and exciting for everyone at table, and I'm going to skip over everything else. I would appreciate it if you would do the same. If there's something you're really excited to do, tell the table! And if things are dragging, offer an alternative that moves the game along."

But then we actually have to do that. :( How?

SET SCENES AND STAKES

Don't start in a place where nothing is happening and ask your players "What do you?" Give them something to latch onto! Give them an immediate problem! Here are the first four pages of an issue of Uncanny X-Men by Chris Claremont, Dave Cockrum, et al:

In four pages we get a fatal problem, introductions, flashbacks on how they got here, and spotlights on everyone's powers. Awesome!

And while you don't have to have your players' characters falling out of the sky, at least start them at the dungeon entrance with a couple clear things to DO.

(For more on setting scenes and stakes, check out Primetime Adventures by Matt Wilson, which Sam Dunnewold was kind enough to run for me.)

Of course, if they're falling out of the sky or standing at a foreboding dungeon entrance, some player is bound to ask, "What do I have with me?" To which I say:

CUT THE BORING SHIT

Shopping? Don't do it! If someone would logically have something, they can have it. And if they try to exploit that, they're no fun to play with! Tell them no. (More on that later.)

Conversations on meandering horseback? Don't do it! Comic writer Chuck Dixon said that if Batman and Robin needed to have a heart-to-heart, they should never just stand around talking. They should have a heart-to-heart while training on top of a speeding train.

(The example was actually Nightwing and Robin, but I didn't want people to click away and look up who Nightwing was. Also, Dixon is a shitty guy! But at least in this, he was right.)

Basically, almost anything you can get out of a shopping scene or a campfire chat, you can get from everyone falling out of the sky or trying to escape a wildfire. ALL SCENES SHOULD PULL DOUBLE DUTY AS PLOT AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.

BE GENEROUS WITH INFORMATION

Imagine a scene at a gaming table. The characters walk into a house in an empty town and ask what they see. The GM tells them to roll perception. The highest result is middling at best. The GM says, "You think you can see some blood." Someone else asks if they can roll investigation. They get a middle high result. The GM says, "There are some bullet casings on the floor and claw marks on the walls." Are the claw marks big? Roll perception again. Do they look like any local animals? Roll nature.

THIS SHIT SUCKS. It's a way to take 30 minutes to poorly tell the players that something interesting happened, and it doesn't give them anything to do after.

Instead, try this: the walls are splattered with blood and empty shell casings lie cold on the floor. The blood doesn't line up with what you know about bullet wounds, though; it lines up with the huge claw marks that tear the walls and floor. And blood drops continue in a line outside...

AND THEN if a player has a cool ability or is an investigator or druid or whatever, you get to write them a cool note that says, "These claw marks are bigger than any animal from around here. Maybe bigger than any animal you've ever seen."

Other examples:

The prince says he doesn't feel threatened by the king. He's clearly lying.

Moving stealthily, you make it to the general's bedroom, but it's clear that he has some sort of sensors or security system set up there.

As a wizard, you know they're casting some sort of summoning spell, and if at least half of the cultists aren't hurt or incapacitated in five minutes, the spell will succeed.

GIVE THE SESSION AN ENDING

It could be an exciting cliffhanger if you think everyone will be there next session to pick it up. But if you're not sure, end with a calm moment where the players have a clear next step. That way you can start next session with, "Last time you'd promised the Cult of Mirrors that you would lead them in war against the Skeleton Army. They're ready to go and ask you what your plan is."

FURTHER HOMEWORK

"How To End Things" by Jason Morningstar. On cutting scenes. Don't be fooled by the Patron link; it's free.

"Grand Experiments: West Marches" by Ben Robbins. The ur-text of running player-motivated sessions that don't require everyone to be there.

BUT WHAT IF!!!

What if rolling investigation rolls are vital to building tension in my mystery game? What if knowing the exact inventory and distance are vital to my high-stress dungeon game? What if campfire stories are my favorite part of our cozy travel game?

COOL! There are lots of resources out there for you, so this isn't for you. But maybe I could tempt you into considering a different style of game sometimes?

(Special thanks to @ladytabletop for supporting my Tight 90 obsession.)

[mjldx7]

Blind!Shen Yuan Idea

(Fair warning, the OP made this at 12:37am on a random Tuesday night, wendsdat? Morning, and is in an annoying amount of pain, so this might suck. Also cause this shit is coming from the far right back corner of my brain with a very amazing headache, good daye)

"His pulse is weak-"

"Without-a-Cure was supposed to be blocked off from his meridians so why-"

"-that doesn't matter! Shit, he's Qi Deviating, someone get Mu-Shidi!-"

...

"-en-shixiong, ar... you awa-"

Why is it so dark? Why can't I see anything, who...?

"Shen-Shixiong!"

...

Shen Yuan woke up with his whole body in pain. Shen Yuan was always good at ignoring pain. Maybe that wasn't an option this time when he couldn't see anything but pure black. He couldn't hear anything around other then the quiet sound of wind drifting inside, somewhere, wherever he was, and his own breathing. There wasn't much else to focus on other then the pain.

His arm was burning, the same one that had gotten poisoned from Without-a-Cure. But, this felt wrong, the burning feeling was spread throughout his meridians. Shen Yuan knew that the original Shen Qingqiu's meridians were damaged, of course he did, living in the originals body. This was worse, the burning feeling flowed through his meridians, scraping the blackened and twisted paths.

Shen Yuan felt trapped in his own body. Trapped in his own mind. Trapped in a darkness that wouldn't go away no matter how many times he opened or closed his eyes. It felt like he was dying again, maybe Shen Yuan was, but woukd that be so bad? Maybe then he wouldn't have to play the role of the villian...

"I understand your concern Zhangmen-Shixiong but Shen-Shixiong's qi deviation left his body in a bad state. It wouldn't be best to talk to him until-"

"Xiao-Jiu!"

Oh, so Shen Yuan must be in Cian Cao then. But, what qi deviation-

Shen Yuan could feel gentle hands helping him to sit up when he had failed to push himself up. His arms didn't have the strength.

"Zhangmen-Shixiong, what-"

"Xiao-Jiu... you're eyes, what happened?"

His eyes? What happened with his eyes? Sure he couldn't see, but what-?

"Shen-Shixiong, please look over here, how are you feeling?"

You know, it is pretty hard to look over at wherever 'here's is when you can't see.

"Apologies Mu-Shidi, but this Master isn't quite sure where you want him to look. This one's vision seems to be failing him."

Pain issues can be dealt with later, he can 'ignore' it for just a bit longer, Shen Yuan would much rather know why the world decided to look like just a empty black void.

"Hmm? What does Shixiong mean by that?" Shen Yuan could feel what he assumed to be Mu-Shidi's hand touching his wrist and checking his meridians. That didn't make the feeling of not being able to see what was happening any better.

"This Master can't see anything even upon opening his eyes. It just looks... like a empty void I suppose? It is, hard to describe."

Mu-Shidi had let go of his wrist by the time he had finished talking. He could only image what his expression could be considering he couldn't see it himself. God, not being able to see isn't fun.

"Is Shen-Shixiong about to explain what he last remembered doing then? Before the qi deviation."

If Mu Qingfang was assuming that Shen Yuan even remembered qi deviating, then he was expecting just a bit to much of him.

"Of course. The last thing this Master can recall was talking with Shang-Shidi about a previous mission on An Ding Peak before Liu-Shidi and Qi-Shidi had barged in, asking about something to this Master, but I can't fully recall what they had asked about."

Shen Yuan could hear clothes shifting besides him as either Yue Qingyuan or Mu Qingfang had moved around the room. Could he tell which one? Absolutely not.

(To be continued)

[kewpiekitty]

✧.* who knew ? *.✧

demon brothers x mc !

── ʚ ɞ a/n: omg this is my first request i can't believe it ! thank you sm for this idea ! i was unable to do belphegor because i don't really know enough about him yet ! once i learn more i'll come back n edit this post ! if anyone has anymore wonderful ideas feel free to message me or request ! i did kind of change it up a little bit so it's their reactions to you being a sub ! i hope that's okay, if not please let me know and i'll fix it right away !

also i apologize to all my male n gn readers for this one but i can't write smut like that cause i make it bad :(

── ʚ ɞ how the demon brothers react when mc, someone who is strong, prideful, calm and collected, is actually a big sub !

you are basically the defender of the weak here ! you help those who really need it. you don't stand for any kind of bullshit, which is what makes the brothers like you so much. you never cower in the face of danger, or fall for any of the other demons tricks ! from all they have seen so far, nothing can bring you down or stop you ! until they find out that you're actually the biggest sub ever who melts with the slightest touch. 

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨ ʚ asmodeus ɞ ୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

asmo would be the least surprised to find this out, he is the avatar of lust after all ! he can tell when someone has a sexual secret. it would definitely catch him off guard at first because you're the type that beats up bullies. but finding this out is a big turn on for him !

he'd find out by trying to show you a new line of merch he wanted to create. but he hears weird noises coming from your room and just has to take a small peak. 

instead he'd end up getting a whole show of you with your ass in the air and a pink dildo stuffed in your pussy !

he didn't mean to be such a pervert though ! he couldn't help but be hypnotized, watching you pump your slick toy in and out of your wet hole. 

he can't help but get hard watching you pleasure yourself to the thought of him. it makes him even harder realizing that you're just a little subby slut behind that big tough girl act ! 

this could be his chance to finally have his way with you ! i mean it's so obvious you want him, by the way you're practically begging him to fuck you. so why not take this chance ?

Asmo slams the door open and moves at an inhuman pace. Before you could even process what was happening, his body was right beside yours, replacing your hand with his own. Taking the base of the dildo and shoving it into your tight cunt. 

You gasp attempting to get up from your position, but failing miserably. His free hand grabs and pinches at your thighs, making you wetter than you already were. 

"My...what a little whore you are darling. This whole time you had me fooled with that big girl persona you had. Seeing you like this, all vulnerable and soft. It drives me crazy Y/N." He thrusts the toy in and out of you, watching your hole swallow it. 

You can hear the delicious squelching sound the faster he goes. He sits up on his knees and uses his other free hand to rub your clit in circles. The added sensation makes you thrust your hips upward, causing his fingers to hit the soft little spot that makes you go crazy. 

You could feel your orgasm begin to bubble in your tummy, and Asmo could tell. He grabs your legs and places them on his shoulders, continuing to hit that same spot over and over again. With one final thrust of his fingers you begin to cum all over his hand. He pulls out his fingers, they're slick n shiny, and licks them clean. 

"I think we're gonna have some more fun tonight, right darling?" 

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨ ʚ beelzebub ɞ ୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

beelzebub wouldn't really be phased by you being a sub ! he's more focused on getting his meals in ! he would be more curious to find out exactly what that means for him though. 

he'd find out while trying to get his midnight snack. hearing a whimper stops him in his tracks. ignoring the growling of his tummy, he goes off to find where the sound is coming from.

nothing would have prepared him for the sight he would see though. you with your legs spread wide open and your fingers stuffed in your cunt. 

beel watches as you slide your fingers in and out, trying to find the right spot to hit. he licks his lips at the sight in front of him. his face growing red at the realization that he shouldn't be standing there watching you like that. 

he goes to move from his spot until he hears you moan his name. his dick hardens at the sound and as he goes to palm his erection through his pants, a loud growl erupts from his tummy. 

the sound snaps you out of your altered state, causing you to scramble and throw a blanket over yourself, attempting to hide the unholy scene. 

Beelzebub quietly steps into your room, his eyes staring holes through you. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to peek." His stomach begins to growl again. "I didn't get to eat my snack yet, would you mind helping me?" He asks, stepping towards you. 

"You want me to fix you something?" You go to get up from your bed but you're pushed back down by beel. He removes your blanket and crouches down, pushing your thighs apart. He dives in between your legs, digging his nails into the soft plush of your thighs. Eating you out as if it were his last meal. 

He sucks and licks your clit, while sliding his digits into you. His fingers make a beckoning movement, hitting that little spongy spot inside of you. His abuse to your pussy makes you gasp for air, and your body heats up all over. His tongue lapping at your juices like a feral animal. The disgustingly wet sounds are all that fill your ears as you curl your fingers in his hair and tug at every nibble of your clit. 

He takes his fingers out and slides his long tongue in, trying to taste as much of you as he possibly can. The feeling of his tongue flicking around inside of you and his rough fingers rubbing your clit push you over the edge. A rush of liquid streams out of your hole, covering beel's face. He licks his lips with a satisfied hum.

"Thank you for the meal, I think I need some more though." 

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨ ʚ leviathan ɞ ୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

(i very much believe he's a sub too, but a lil dom leaning)

he would be the most surprised to find out you're a sub ! considering that you've protected him from most of mammon's bullying. but he wouldn't really know how to react except for stumbling over his words at first. but once you help him out a bit he'll get the idea !

you two would be playing games in his room, both of you sitting in his tub. you move around trying to get comfortable, yet you end up putting your clothed heat right on top of his groin. 

his face flushes as he looks at you, your head turns to show your big doe eyes staring back at him. something starts poking your thigh and he fully expects you to jump up and slap him. 

to his surprise you begin to rub his erection through his pants. the more his bulge grows, the less he can bring himself to hold back. 

he's always had a fantasy of fucking you, shoving himself deep inside of you. maybe today will be the day that it happens !

Leviathan's hands tremble while playing with your breasts. You pull the waistband of his sweatpants down. His cock springing free from his pants, the tip an angry red. Feeling the heat between your legs grow, you swing your leg over his torso. Raising your skirt up and sliding your panties to the side, rubbing the tip of his cock against your wet slit. 

"levi...need you now. please lemme have it." Those words made him go feral. His warm hands grasp your hips, pulling you down onto his cock. You both whine as he bottoms out inside of you. You lift your hips up, and before he slips out you slam yourself down onto him. Your noises sound like a symphony to him, watching as you fuck yourself stupid on his cock. The sound of your ass slapping against his thighs filled your ears. As well as both of your juices mixing together making a plop sound. 

His hand started to make its way under your shirt twisting and pinching your nipples. While his free hand found itself on your clit, rubbing it with staggered motions. The extra stimulation causes you to clench around his length. Making it all the more pleasurable for both of you. He grabs your hips and raises his legs up, angling his dick right at your g-spot. He returns his free hand to your clit, rubbing it faster while ramming himself into you. 

All of the friction begins to make you dizzy, you start babbling incoherent words, trying to get anything out. His tip keeps hitting your most sensitive spot, and with one large thrust his cock hits your cervix. It makes you feel so full and you start unraveling, cumming on his length. The clenching of your hole has him shooting his hot load inside of you. 

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨ ʚ lucifer ɞ ୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

lucifer wouldn't care. he has other things to do than worry about what position you take in bed. but taking a second to think about it, he wonders what it'd be like to have you under him.

the only way he'd end up finding out is when you come into his study, trying to ask him a question.

you end up tripping over one of satan's misplaced books. preparing yourself for the impact, but it never comes. you feel strong arms wrapped around your figure, and you open your eyes to see lucifer mere inches away from your face. 

the close contact makes your face heat up and a small squeak slips past your lips. his hot breath on your face makes you feel foggy. 

lucifer helps you regain your balance, taking notice of your thighs closed tightly and your lack of eye contact. seeing your reaction makes him feel...different. usually you're so brash, throwing glares at every demon around and now you're unable to look him in the eye. 

you got all hot and bothered just from being a few inches away from him. seeing how he was the one that made you like this he feels that it's right to take advantage of such an opportunity. 

Lucifer gently grasps your shoulders, leading you down onto your knees. Your hands begin unbuttoning his trousers and then pulling down his boxers, his cock springing free from its confines. He reaches for your hand, guiding it to his cock. You start pumping it up and down, placing your lips on the tip and leaving gentle licks. 

His groans are like music to your ears, with each lick his breath hitches. He wraps your hair around his hand, forcing you to take his length down your throat. The sounds of your gagging and choking fill the room. Lucifer looks down to see your beautiful eyes looking back up at him, spit dripping down your chin. He removes your mouth from himself and takes your hand, guiding you to rise up from your spot on the floor.

He bends you over his desk and slides your panties down, and they pool around your feet. Rubbing his tip against your clit, gathering all of your slick to lube himself up. You whine, shaking your ass and attempting to get any friction you can. "P-please sir...need you to fuck me." How can he deny your request? 

He slams himself into your heat, his pelvic bone hitting your ass. "Doin' so good f'me beautiful." The cold wood of the desk beneath you begins to harden your nipples. Adding another feeling that makes your head start to swirl. You can't think of anything but how good Lucifer feels slamming himself inside of you. You're so wet that he has to readjust every few seconds to stop himself from slipping out. He loops his arm underneath your leg, lifting it up and forcing himself deeper inside of you. The angle he keeps thrusting at makes your vision blurry, drool drips past your lips, pooling onto the desk. 

He angles himself upwards, pushing his cock deep into your cunt. Each thrust creating a disgusting sloshing sound. The filthy noises echo through the room, your mind goes blank as you feel the knot in your tummy begin to unravel. Your muscles clamp and clench around his cock. Lucifer finishes inside of you, pulling your panties back up making sure to keep it from spilling out. 

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨ ʚ mammon ɞ ୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

mammon would be the second most shocked that you're actually a sub ! you've protected him as much as he hates to admit it from some of the people that have it out for him. 

he's seen you scare demons off just for looking at you weird. so the fact that you like being manhandled and 

he'd end up finding out when he teases you, except this time he goes a bit too far. the little grabs at your sides, getting close to your face, jokingly wrapping his hand around your neck─

that last one is what causes you to slip up. his hand around your throat causes you to let out a little whimper, and your thighs begin to rub together. 

a smirk forms on his face, his gold canines shining in the light. an idea forming in his head, something he never thought he'd get the opportunity to do.

Mammon guides you to the couch, sitting down first and placing you on his lap. His large hand plays with your breasts while his other free hand finds its way between your legs. Your small whimpers encourage him to continue. Attempting to save whatever dignity you have left, and you try to push his hands off.

What a mistake you made. The avatar of greed knows when he wants something, and right now he wants to please himself with you more than ever. He lifts you off of him with ease and lays you on your back, ripping your panties off your body. Grabbing your legs and lifting them onto his shoulders, giving him more room to fill up your insides. You're already so wet he doesn't even need to prep you. He slides himself in, making sure you're not in any pain first before slowly thrusting himself in and out. 

His fingers have a bruising grip on your thighs as he starts slamming himself into you. Needing to make you feel so good that you don't ever think of having another demon inside of you. It's obvious that he's doing a good job by the expression on your face, tongue lolling out of your mouth and your eyes rolling into the back of your head. Your loud whines and pleas to go harder and deeper making his head swirl. "more more more pleaseeee mammonn." 

Placing his long fingers on your clit, rubbing and occasionally pinching the small bud. The feeling brings you closer to the edge, causing you to clench around him. Resulting in him pouding you harder, his balls hitting your ass making a slap slap slap sound. He greedily chases his high, nothing else matters to him. Not the mess you're making on the couch, or the loud whines escaping your mouth, and most certainly not the fact that any of his brothers could walk in and see him breeding you. Nothing will stop him from reaching his goal of making you cum on his cock. 

The intensity of his paceyou has you seeing white, nothing in your mind except for how good he feels balls deep inside of you. He has you cumming with one particularly large thrust, sending shocks throughout your body. 

"I'm not done yet princess, how about a few more rounds?" 

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨ ʚ satan ɞ ୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

satan would be puzzled. because how can this woman, who's so cunning and strong, even going as far as bullying (lovingly) his own brothers from time to time, be so weak in his arms? 

he would have already known, he figured it out a while ago. from the books that he'd find missing from his room. soft romance and passionate smut books. things that would make his face redder than diavolo's hair. 

trying to come up with a way to ask you about the missing books but a better idea strikes him. the idea of acting something out from one of the books you borrowed comes to mind.

he's memorized when you go to his room to borrow one of his books. watching you reach for another one to take, unknowing that his eyes studying you like a predator studies its prey. 

he walks up behind you putting his arm around your waist. his hot breath near your earlobe as he whispers, "so this is where my books have been going." 

Startled, you jump, bringing yourself even closer to him. "satan! i'm sorry i didn't mean to─" His hand wraps around your mouth, effectively silencing you. You start melting into his touch and your knees become weak. "You know it's not nice to take something without asking, right lovely?" He hooks his arm under your legs and lifts you up into a bridal style hold. Moving you to his bed he lays you down carefully. He begins kissing your neck, trailing down to the mounds on your chest and lifting your shirt up. Leaving big bite marks and bruises all over you.

The feeling has you writhing around and bucking your hips upward, trying to get whatever attention he'll let you have. His hands caress your body taking in the sight of you all dazed and flushed. Needy from the lack of stimulation you begin to beg, "satan please please please i need you to touch me i'll take anything you give me ill take it all i promise." He doesn't say anything, but gets up to unbuckle his pants. The fabric falls to the ground making a soft thud noise. He moves from his spot and climbs on top of you, using his knee to spread your legs open. Inhaling the sweet scent that emits from between your legs. Lining himself up at your entrance before rubbing his tip, starting at your clit and dragging it down to your hole, repeating this over and over. 

Your legs wrap around him trying to pull him closer, his tip bullying its way into your cunt. It spreads you open deliciously, the stinging mixing with the full feeling his cock gives you. His pace is slow and steady, his pelvic areas slapping against your ass. His hands on both sides of your head, staring deep into your eyes while plunging himself in and out of you. 

"I don't think we'll be stopping tonight honey." 

[pinkthrone445]

-What we used to be-

Pairing:Melissa Schemmenti x Reader

Gender:hurt, reconciliation

Warnings:insults

Summary: a mistake from your past pushes you to remember your ex and what you used to be, making you realize how much you really missed her.

AN:I don't know if somebody is still here on my profile, but I will just leave this here and go. I hope you like it

Your eyes were closed, the darkness of the room still kept you company when you started to feel soft fingertips outline the shape of your cheek and nose, very carefully, almost like the the gentle touch against your skin that a feather getting drafted by the air would leave behind, so soft that you weren't completely sure if it was really there. You couldn't avoid the smile that formed on your lips, and then, between the silence of the room, a little but deep laugh escaped from her lips

-"Good morning Hon..."-The redhead whispered softly, you could feel the air of her nose against your skin, her voice deep from the sleppyness of the night still attached to her body. You didn't said anything, pretending to be asleep just to enjoy a little more her soft and carefull hands giving you caresses. Her fingers traced your eyebrows and lips, it felt so innocent and intimate at the same time, so perfect, like if it was meant to be. Her perfume taking over your senses and your hand searching for hers between the sheets, still with your eyes closed, trying to force her closer, force her to stay a little longer. But after a few seconds of searching, you couldn't find her hand and all of the sudden the soft caresses stoped, and the bed felt cold, the sunshine slipping trough the curtains forced you to open your eyes, only to find the other side of the bed empty, almost perfectly placed, like if nobody had used that side in a long time. You couldn't avoid to sigh and touch the empty and cold pillow beside you, forcing yourself to swallow that knot that formed on your troath.

You turned to the side and saw the time on the clock, fuck, it was so late, you didn't had time to even cry or feel sad about the dream you just had. You were fucking late for work.

You ran out of the bed, trying to get ready as fast as you could, and kept running to your car.

After a fast but still legal drive, you got to school, ready to have an amazing day with your highschollers students...

-"Oh my fucking god... This is our future generation?... They don't even understand what they are trying to say... 'The Existences of Life and Deep Thought: Why Everything Is Something'" - You sighed looking at the paper in your hands and continued to read out loud-"'

In this paper, I will explain the importance of things because when we look at the world, things are really important. Many scientists like Einstein and maybe also Shakespeare have explained that thinking is crucial to the human species. If we don’t think about thinking, then what are we even thinking about? The theory of existentialism proves that existence exists, which is very meaningful when you really think about it. Furthermore, according to many philosophers and people on the internet, being is better than not being, unless not being is part of your being, in which case it depends. This paper will demonstrate that life is a metaphor, and also literally not a metaphor, depending on how you interpret the facts that I will soon discuss but haven’t yet...'"-You sighed again-"' Thinking is crucial to the human?' They should try some of that..."-You commented out loud to the empty room-"'Existence exists?' What is wrong with this kids?"-Your eyes hurt from squinting so much in confusion, one paper was worse than the other, and even the ones that used artificial intelligence were bad and no coherent at all after they tried to 'fix' it so you wouldn't notice they used AI-"Oh goodness I need a coffee"-You took off your glasses and rested your head against the desk. Since the moment you woke up today, or even before waking up, everything seemed to be against you, you had a lovely dream with your ex that made you feel so shitty, your alarm didn't ring, the coffee maker broke, you ran out of gas, you forgot your badge at home and the new security guard didn't want to let you in. And now, in your free period you had to check this horrible amount of bad written papers. While you were trying to rest your eyes a little, your phone rang with a notification taking you away of your tired thoughts. When you opened the messages the nickname "Captain Ally" pooped out, it was your old time friend Jacob, you put that nickname because he always wants to support, even when he has no idea what’s actually going on. Even if you didn't went to college with him anymore, he always tried to invite you to things like if you were still part of the gang

-"Usual bar tonight! You coming?" - You could almost hear his voice when you saw the message

-"Drinks and being away from grading papers? Count me in"- Before you could press the send button, the principal's voice cracked from the speakers

-"Miss (Y/N) please come to my office, immediately" - You sighed and got up putting the phone on your pocket, wondering if all the swearing you did when you were alone was heard by someone and they snitched on you and got you in trouble. When you got to the office the principal pointed at the chair in front of him, so you sat down. He was reading a folder with a few pages on it, and after a few seconds of murmuring to himself, he finally spoke-"Yeah... So you are being investigated..."-you frowned in confusion

-"Investigated, for what?" - Your voice came out higher than what you wanted

-"A mom... Linda Throne..."-he started to explain

-"Throne? I know that name..."-you mumble to yourself trying to remember from were

-"...Alleges that you kissed your girlfriend in front of her daughter..."-he continued

-"Oh my god!" - You knew where this was going and you didn't liked it one bit

-"...and in front of a whole class of other high schoolers at the end of school year of 2022"-he took off his glasses

-"Come on! You talked to me about it! It was nothing" - You complained

-"I know. But now she's made a formal complaint, and I have to read this..."-the principal seemed exhausted about it

-"Wait a minute that kid graduated, she is in college now. Why is she doing this now?..." - You were so confused

-"I don't know, why does anybody do anything? Attention? Money?" - He took a sip of his coffee

-"Wait a minute, Linda Throne, I remember that name. That's the mom that complained about the grade system when her kid got and F... And she complained about the books assignments... And..."-You started to remember, she was a piece of work

-"Oh my god" - The principal seemed more frustrated now than before

-"This is insane..."-You rolled your eyes

-"I know, but you did kiss your girlfriend in front of her daughter...This is serious now because she can have proof and help from other parents or students"-he was upset, almost as much as you

-"Come on, it was barely a peck. I'm not even sure if our lips touched... Do you understand? This is homophobia, this is homophobia behavior right here..."-You started to do a lot of hand gestures, angry ones

-"I know, but this is bigger than us now, you can get suspended by this, even loose your teaching license... She has a lot of money and power and she is a pain in the ass" - He got up from his desk- "You didn't hear the last part..."

-"So what do I do? I just wait for my fate to be decided?..."-You were frowning so much that your forehead started to hurt

-"Look, you are a good teacher. I want you to keep your job... You... You could write a statement in defense of your position and I will submit it on your behalf, that's all I can do to help" - He grabbed his suitcase

-"A defense? I'm not writing a statement, this whole thing is bullshit..."-You complained

-"This is not bullshit, you are lucky they are not suspending you right now and they are waiting for a trial" - He tried to make you see the gravity of the situation and you sighed trying to calm down

-"Let me ask you something... Her kid, remember that kid?" - he nodded- "Is she gay now?" - he didn't said anything, he just looked away- "She is in college and she is gay now, right?" -he didn't confirm or denied anything-"Am I right? I am right! She thinks that we turned her kid gay... Oh my god! This is insane..."-You laughed at the situation

-"Please I can not discuss it further with you, my only job was to read that notification to you... Please take the rest of the day off" - He said and insisted on it, so you grabbed your stuff to leave, calling Jacob to let him know that you definitely need a few drinks on your system.

When night time arrived, you got to the bar, finding Jacob and Janine on a table with drinks already waiting for you, the music was almost loud enough to drown your thoughts as you made your way to them, almost enough, but not enough at all...

-"You guys are amazing" - You took two big glups of your drink after saying hi to them, feeling that sweet burn on your throat

-"Oh wow, you weren't kidding when you said you weren't feeling okey..."-Jacob said seeing your glass half empty already.

After a basic chit-chat, they gave you the opportunity to explain everything that happened that day, always exited for any tea that you had to spill, and by the end of it, they were as shocked and mad as you were

-"That's definitely homophobic" - Jacob said and you nodded, already sipping on your third drink

-"I can't believe it, there should be something more that we can do besides writing a paper... What if we get Melissa's help? She is involved in this too, I bet she knows someone that can help, she knows a lot of people..." - Janine comented and you felt pain in your heart when you heard your ex's name

-"You should both go talk to the school board together, you are both involved in this and you are both teachers..."-Jacob also insisted and each minute of thinking about her, your pain grew

-"Yeah,but, first, we are not together anymore, second, she is not being investigated so I won't bring her to this, I could put her on risk of losing her job too. And third, Melissa changed schools to yours a long time ago and we haven't talked ever since..."-You sighed thinking about the redhead, seeing your reflection on your own drink, you seemed so sad thinking about her.

The redhead and you had a beautiful relationship a few years back, when you and her used to work on the same school. She was almost everything that you needed, she was kind, protective, hot, passionate, lovely... It was the perfect relationship if you only ignored the fact that you knew almost nothing about her. You tried to ignore how closed she was, trying to convince yourself that she would open more to you after a time dating. But when weeks became months, and months became a year and you still knew almost the same as when you started dating, you couldn't ignore it anymore.

You tried to talk to her about it, but she always brushed you off saying that she was that way, and there was nothing wrong in having a few secrets. You pressed further after, but nothing changed. You kept trying to make her understand, to make her see that when she didn't opened to you that hurt, "I keep opening up, but it’s like talking to a mirror" ; "How can I connect with someone who won’t let me in?"; was a few of the things you said to her. But she didn't seemed to understand or she didn't wanted to understand.

You even got frustrated and felt guilt, "Maybe I’m asking for too much. Maybe I need to be patient...", you kept repeating yourself.

But you reached a breaking point when you went to a teacher's weekend and a lady came to fight with the redhead out of nowhere, only to find out that it was her sister, a sister that you knew nothing about, not even her name, a sister that she never mentioned.

That night when you got home, you tried to talk once more... You could still remember the conversation almost completely

-“I like you. I really do. But I’m realizing that I’m the only one showing up fully here. I keep trying to get closer, and it’s like... you won’t let me. And maybe that’s where you are in life right now, and I respect that, but I need more than walls and small talk. I need someone who wants to be known.”- where your words between a few tears. And Melissa, instead of being understanding, she got offended

-"Wow. So now I’m the bad guy because I don’t spill my trauma on command? You don’t even know what I’ve been through. Maybe I don’t open up because I’ve learned what happens when I do. Not everyone has the luxury of being emotionally raw all the time. I was showing up the best way I could. Sorry it wasn’t good enough for you"-she said, almost screaming.

You both tried to fix your relationship after that, but no change was made and what she was giving you wasn't enough anymore, and the relationship worn out a few weeks after.

Soon Melissa changed schools and you tried to live your life with the emptiness she left behind, pretending to move on.

-Back to the present on the bar-

By the end of the nigth, when you were more drinks on you that you could count, you took your phone off and opened the app note, planning on writing the statement that you needed

-"To whom it may concern... I (Y/N), I'm being invested for showing apropiated and short love affection to my partner. I pecked my girlfriend on the cheek, perhaps making momentary passing contact with her lips, in front of a class of my students while we were on lunch break. We were a serious relationship at the time, and it is clear to me that this behavior would not be tolerated, but encouraged if a straight couple did the same... "-while you wrote it, Jacob, sitting besides you, read aloud-"Do you think it sounds defensive?" - You asked to your friend, your eyes barely open

-"No! I think you are on the right saying all of that...Will you talk to Mel about it?" - he asked, hopping to trick you while you were drunk to talk to her, planing to be a little cupid if the chance presented

-"I won't... Don't insist or I will punch one of you"-You insisted, seing double by now

-"Okey Okey, I won't... But tell me, what happened that time, did you really kissed in front of them?" - he asked, being as nosey as ever

-"We..."-You closed your eyes, letting your mind go back to the place that you have been avoiding since the moment you broke up with her, the moments when the love overcame the bad things. You could still feel her lips on yours if you focused, the way they perfectly fit with yours and how soft her hands were when she was holding your waist. You still remember that day perfectly, you were on lunch duty, making sure everyone eat at peace, and Mel went to keep you company for a little bit. You were still happy for the morning you had that day before school, she made you breakfast and you end up having a steamy kiss session on the kitchen and on the car... And when she came to keep you company on the launch break, you both kissed before she went back to her classroom, you couldn't avoid to suck her bottom lip into your mouth and the redhead let her hand wonder a little to the back pocket of your jeans, grabbing you closer, squeezing your ass for a very briefly moment before leaving. You sighed remembering her and her perfect lips- "We... We kissed..."-thats all you said, with pain on your chest, missing her more that you wanted to admit.

The night kept going after that but you were too drunk to remember any of it, taking advantage that it was Friday, you kept drinking until you passed out. You couldn't even remember how you got home or who dragged your ass to your bed, you just assumed that it was your friends.

The rest of the weekend passed in a blur, and school started again on Monday. While you kept having anxiety about your situation on your school, just a few blocks away in Abbott Elementary, Janine and Jacob were talking about you and all your problems on the teacher's room. When Mel came in, they shushed up immediately, thing that didn't went unnoticed by the redhead

-"Spill it" - she said, knowing that whatever they were talking about involved her

-"Spill what? We have nothing to spill. Do you have anything to spill?" - Jacob asked Janine, pretending to have dementia

-"Nothing to spill besides my favorite juice that's here on the table" - Janine pretend too, very badly by the way, with a very bad fake laugh at her bad joke. Melissa just stared at them, with a very serious face, and they panicked, folding under no pressure at all after just a minute under the redhead stare-"(Y/N) is under investigation for unproperly behavior, because she kissed you in front of her class on lunch time a few years back, her carrier is on the line and she doesn't want to involve you because she is scared you might get under investigation too and losse your job"-Janine talked so fast that Mel wasn't sure if she heard correctly

-"What?"-Melissa asked confused

-"Please don't make me repeat it" - Janine said and the redhead grabbed her jacket and purse immediately running outside.

-"What do you think she is going to do?" - Jacob asked Janine

-"I don't know, but if (Y/N) asks, we didn't said anything..."-The girl said and her friend nodded.

A week after that, your statement was finally ready and with shaking hands you took it to your principal

-"Here is my statement... I hope it really helps my case..."-You left it on his desk and he looked at you confused

-"What case?..."-he stared at you

-"I'm being investigated...remember?" - You explained and he let a little laugh escaped

-"Oh that! The lady dropped the charges. I forgot to tell you... I'm sorry" - He kept laughing and now it was your chance to stare at him. You have been worrieng sick for a whole week because he forgot to tell you, and he was laughing when it had nothing funny about it?

-"Dropped? Why?..." - You asked, still without understanding

-"I don't know exactly, something about focusing her time on other things that were more important that sue a teacher with minimal wage... Wait, but the district did said something" - He took a paper out to read- "First, you can not date any members of your work place anymore, and second, to avoid any sexual connection you might had formed with any colleagues here to go any further and create another problem, from next month on, you will be transferred to Abbot Elementary to help with the oldest students there... And since you were under investigation, sadly you don't have a saying on this..."-he finished reading and you left the office without saying another word, confused, barely understanding what he said.

When you managed to get your brain working again, you called Jacob to tell him if you could meet him at the bar that night, that you had news to give him, and without any further questions, he agreed.

When night came, you made your way to your usual bar, but after a few minutes of waiting, none of your friends showed up. Worried, you took out your cell phone to call, but before you could even unlock it, someone placed a glass of your favorite drink on the table in front of you, a wave of a perfume filled your nose and a wave of nostalgia flooded your chest, you knew that perfume very well

-"The woman over there sends you this" - a voice said, a voice you could recognized anywhere. You lifted your view to meet those green eyes that you haven't seen in so long, they still shone in the same way and had the same makeup as always, the only difference after all those years was a few more age lines around them. Your brain stop functioning for a few seconds, even forgetting how to breathe, she bit her lip nervously because you didn't said anything-"Hey..."-her voice snapped you to react

-"What woman?" - You asked, playing along for a moment. If you were going to work together again, you at least had to be able to have a basic conversation with her

-"Me, it was a little joke to break the ice... I'm the woman that sends you your favorite drink, who else would know exactly what you like?" - she smiled softly and you frowned. In front of you was the Melissa that you knew, but at the same time she seemed someone different, she looked more relaxed and open, more soft that all those years back. She even seemed nervous around you, not the confident redhead that pretended that nothing could get through her tough skin. Again, because you didn't answer, she forced herself to keep making up conversation -"Thank you for trying to not involve me in that investigation that they were making, that was really sweet of you..." - she said with a soft voice and sat beside you

-" How did you..." - You were about to ask

-"Jacob and Janine told me..." - she confessed ordering a drink for herself and you nodded

-"Of curse they did, I don't know why I was hopping they would keep their mouth shut..." - You took a sip of the drink she ordered for you, it was just the way you loved it

-"I'm glad they didn't tho. I couldn't let you lose your job for something that we were both involved at... It was the fault of both of us..." - she whispered playing with the straw on her hand- "I regret nothing of that by the way... Well almost nothing..."-her voice was weak, almost like if she were on pain

-"What are you talking about?" - You asked in confusion

-"I'm talking about us... I regret loosing that. I know it's too late now, but you were right... I should have let you know more stuff about me... I was just scared and I end up pushing you away" - she looked at your eyes and you sighed, those words that you always wanted to listen were too late now

-"It doesn't matter... We... That was a long time ago, we were not the same back then, it doesn't matter anymore..."-You whispered

-"I know we are different people now... But it's to late for a second chance? Would you like to meet the new me?" - she extended her hand to you and you just stared at her - "I'm Melissa Ann Caterina Schemmenti. I'm 51 years old" - she mentioned her age, you knew this was serious- "I have 8 siblings, 5 sisters, 2 brothers and one half brother. I love to cook and watch housewifes, also build tiny display puzzles... I..." - You stoped raising your hand

-"I appreciate your effort... But as I said, it doesn't matter anymore..."-You repeated and she gave you a sad smile

-"I know... I just realy regret my past behavior and all I did to you, you didn't deserve any of it... I just thought that if I fixed the problem with the mom that made that complaint, I would be able to fix some of the damage I did on the past..."-she seemed really sad and you felt pain in your heart for seeing her like that

-"What do mean by fixing the problem with the mom that made the complaint? That was you?" - You asked surprised

-"Yeah... I couldn't forgive myself if, because of me, you end up hurt again... So I payed a little visit to that mom and convinced her to drop all the charges after a friendly conversation..."-she played with the straw on her drink again. You knew that by friendly she must have dig out some dirt on the mom and used against her to make her drop the charges, but still was a sweet move

-"That was you?... And my transfer is also your doing?"-You asked further

-"What transfer?" - now was her time to see confused

-"They ask me to transfer to Abbott..."-You whispered and she smiled with surprise

-"Really? Oh wow... I promise it wasn't me, I wasn't even expecting that to come out of your mouth... It will almost be like old times... You and me in the same school..." - she whispered the last part very happily

-"No, it won't. This time, you and me are just coworkers...there is no 'we' this time..."-You clarify and she nodded

-"I know... I'm sorry... I'm just happy that you get to keep your job..."-she smiled softly-"By the way... Who invited you to the bar? We have been talking a while now and noone seem to be looking for you...-she made an observation and you remember the phone on your hand

-"Jacob did... I was about to call him when you arrived..."-You finally dialed the number and after a few rings your friend picked it up

-"Hey! I was about to call to let you know that I'm sick and I can't go..."-he was lying, you could even tell through the call, specially when he faked a cough-"I'm so sorry... Raincheck?" - he asked and you sighed turning to the redhead, covering the mic of the phone for a second

- "Who invited you here?" - You asked her

-"That's what I was about to tell you, Jacob invited me too, is he okey?" - Melissa asked and you rolled your eyes, a few pieces clicking into place now. Jacob knew that Melissa defended your ass so you could keep your job, and being the cupid that he always tried to be, he invited you both to that bar so you had no other chance to talk, hopping that what Mel had done to help you, was enough to forgive her. You put the phone on your ear again-"I'm with Melissa..." - You heard an exited little scream behind Jacob, confirming all your suspicious about them making a plan-"We hope that you get better soon, because next time I see you, I will kick both of your ass" - You said to your friend, hearing two different kind of screams on the phone, being pretty sure that Janine was with him too, playing cupid together.

[chaifootsteps]

https://youtu.be/qZ_ivo5W6S8?si=0Qe0vsP0pwUCMLPs

I keep seeing this therapist channel analysing hazbin/helluva characters. I always ignored it but this time I decided to give it a try by watching this therapist analyse Stolas and Blitz 'break up' in Apology tour. I actually live typing this out while watching the video, it's messy and super long but be prepare for the hot searing pain I went through

-therapy lady says good for stolas for telling blitz off he doesn't want him here cus blitz caused stolas more pain. what a great start

-saying it's soothing for stolas to go to a party that hates on one guy. she does retract it's not the best way but "~misery loves company~" kms rn /j

-the therapist does acknowledge Blitz self hatred and his personal trauma (she has a separate vid on that but I don't wanna torture myself more)

-awares stolas is verbally hurting blitz to feel the same hurt he's feeling right now as a way to know if blitz... cared??? wtf am I watching

-believes stolas doesn't look down on blitz but instead put him on a pedestal (oh boy) all because stolas always sees blitz with lovestruck eyes *my ears are hot red now*

-also awares how stolas treat his imp butlers less respectfully BUT she still believes that's not how stolas treated blitz

-the therapist is heartbroken blitz didn't tell stolas striker tried to kill him the first time and it shows blitz cared little for stolas AUDUDHFNFJDJD

- she does understand why blitz didn't told stolas about the first assassination attempt but oh poor little stolas thinks protection means care so that means blitz never cared for him

-the part stolas questions blitz if he ever feel remorse what he do, okay I like the part she said stolas is being unfair cus he's dropping all of this onto blitz all at once and it's too much to process. but for the rest sigh we'll see...

-thinks stolas believed he could change blitz for being hateful to others and to himself UH WHEN THE FUCK HE EVER DOES THAT

- now we're at the party scene yaaayyy... I'm sorry did she say stolas has so much EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE??!!! this video will be the cause of my death

-I HATE YOU I HATE YOU STOLAS I HATE YOU STOLAS I HATE YOU STOLAS I HATE YOU STOLAS I HATE YOU

-praises stolas for shielding blitz away from the party goers so they won't recognise the guy they all hate. IT'S TO SHOW STOLAS DOES CARE FOR BLITZ AWWW YAY FOR BARE MINIMUM EFFORTS (sarcasm)

-therapy lady creams her pants in joy how drunk stolas is being emotionally intelligent to say blitz was able to cared so much for so many people that they throw a hate party about him. and this is stolas way to soothe the hurting blitz. uhh okay fuck you.

-saying it's interesting stolas says "somebody" when explaining what he wants in a relationship. WOMAN BLITZ FUCKING ASKED WHY WOULD A ROYAL BITCH BIRD STOLAS WOULD LOVE AN IMP LIKE HIM AND THE TWIG BIRD ONLY TALKS ABOUT WHAT HE WANTED INSTEAD FUCKKK YOOOUUUU

-oh look more stolas praising because he's oh so polite to gesture to blitz if he can go with the succubus guy....

-the video ends with a sponsor ad... wow...

-oh wait she's still continuing, her afterthought how great... she believes there's still a chance of blitz and stolas relationship can be fix.....

now that I'm done with my self punishment, what are my thoughts on this video? honestly I should've seen it coming with the therapist not seeing stolas is genuinely the worst and mainly siding with him giving a middle ground with also understanding blitz's struggles too. that I will give +5 aura.

the main obvious reason why I'm angry at this vid cus this licensed therapist lady does sees flaws of stolas but using it as an excuse why he behave this way. "there's a reason why he acted this way. it's trauma! so don't be angry at him after he killed your whole family in front of you" type of vibe.

she really thinks his 'love' for blitz is innocent and romantic when it's clearly not. Stolas was constantly sexualising and harassing blitz with gross words, especially in public and in front of his own daughter. and blitz is always ALWAYS expressing he HATES when stolas does that. but noooo blitz never cared so pity the owl putting so much in this 'relationship'. like this woman REALLY believes stolas doesn't look down on blitz meanwhile there's tons of videos of hypocrite stolas compilations on YouTube.

but at the same time I myself feels at wrong to badly judge this professional lady. but the fact she has these firm beliefs of stolas always being good and the tragic 'ex' in this situation is mind boggling. idk chai what are your opinions on this?

I'm never gonna watch this woman's videos again. It made me wish youtube has a real block button.

Just goes to show that you've got to vet your therapists carefully, because they're human like anyone else and just as capable of spouting pure horseshit.

[timeslipcamp]

thoughts on episode three

jabberwock here we come!! time for invasions of privacy and workplace frenemies. ren and haru's dynamic is so funny to me and it's one of my favorites to read. i love the jabberwock dudes. let's go!

spoilers through episode 17

not to break my spoiler rule immediately but it is SO apparent now that haru was an entertainer. like the way he teases and talks and just keep going...i can't believe i didn't think he'd be from dionysia sooner. granted i didn't know it was a fuckin nightmare carnival land but whatever

also does he say why jabberwock was in such disrepair? did it get fucked up during the clash?

another underrated dynamic? ren and sho's one sided beef lmao. like cmon dude hes not that scary i promise!! you two would probably vibe!! don't be scared!! there's a timeline out there where i wrote the enemies to lovers slowburn fic for them but alas

what a freak <3

janitor's first appearance!!! actually i feel like we saw him before but whatever i love that mc thinks he's hot hahaha she doesn't comment on good looks very often but i'm glad the janitor did it for her. i remember the first time we saw him i was SO suspicious. honestly i'm still on the fence with where i think his loyalties lie, i can see him being a double agent on either side, but i have no idea. i just know that he's hot and i don't trust him lol

"such a sweet little thing" UGH stop

anyways back to towa. his introduction is so funny dude they really just said "here's a goat man he's gonna eat this flower." 10/10 no notes, they made sure from the get go that we knew towa was a goofball. oh and scary! always a great combo!

ren is really having the worst day of his life every single day, huh? lol i remember the first time i was reading through this chapter i was fucking CRACKING up every time he spoke. poor guy lol

jabberwock dynamics are top tier honestly

i do also really appreciate how chill haru was about us not knowing anything. he's one of the ghouls that are super kind to mc (if a little goofy) but he still takes the time to explain things to her. ugh love that clown

also i believe it was in eset's timeline post that it was mentioned that in english, haru says it took him six months to learn the jabberwock ropes, but in japanese it said HALF A MONTH?? that's honestly insane, but with how hardworking he is i can believe it. he throws himself into everything and i'm sure transferring into jabberwock (that he now sees himself as the sole protector of) was no different

ren you're so funny and you don't even know it

the first sho and subaru meeting (insert elmo fire emoji here) god i fucking LOVE them i'm so interested to see where this dynamic is going to go. we can already see as early as episode two that sho gets fed up with leo and this just echoes it completely. something about his and leo's friendship feels so...forced? like they have to hang out together, not want to or something. idk. feels off feels weird, especially as we can see sho continue to progress towards this righteous vengeance figure while leo stays shady in his tactics. idk idk that's a different post for another time. but sho and subaru interacting is so good

"They're not my biggest fans." what beef does haru have with vagastrom? this is right after mc suggested asking them for a boat. did dionysia and vagastrom have beef in the clash? or was it haru personally? is it because he's friends with romeo?

its also soooo funny that haru says jin won't answer his calls and then we have a dialogue option that essentially says "nah he'll answer for me" like pls 😭

this fox anomaly has not left my brain. ever since we saw it pop up again and have beef with lyca i've been trying to figure out why that symbol on its snout feels so important but im at a complete loss. i even did a whooole deep dive on kitsune mask markings and NOTHING. ZIP. NADA. maybe it's kanji? or a different symbol?? Or it means nothing and it's just a fox and i'm crazy. both things can be true i guess

the whole towa zenji thing is wild too. like we don't find out until later that zenji's a ghost but it still seems like towa can see him. and he's watching him walk away while he's scratching his numbers on the cave walls. are they dates?? i'm still not sold on that but i have zero idea what else it could be ugh

hyde what the HELL does this mean. were they missing???? did you lose the dionysia kids and that's why the house went defunct??? was haru the only one left??? WHAT DO YOU MEAN FOUND THEM?? WHAT DO YOU MEAN USE

this is from the prologue, when nicolas answered a phone call before we ditched him. so this was the dionysia students?? HOW DO YOU LOSE STUDENTS

god the clash and everything that happened after still drives me crazy with the possibilities. either they ran away to avoid punishment or they were running from something else. or! fun tinhat option! haku's flute scattered them!

anyways back to episode 3

"no i wont, i'm a legend!" me before doing anything stupid ever. towa is so funny i love that this episode is really where we start to hear him talk. also this totally slipped by me the first time but towa 100% caught mc with the water. he can manipulate the ocean water too. hes so STRONG god his powers drive me insane

another thing that drives me insane is leo looking into why everyone else made their pacts because honestly i would be doing that EXACT same thing ugh i'm so nosey. leo's focus on pacts and making bets with sho is so interesting to me and i feel like there's something there. but i don't know what yet. i'm leaning towards a couple ideas but i can save that for a different post, we're talking about episode three right now. love the sho cameos though hi bby

ren's one sided beef with sho will never not be funny

also LOVE that jabberwock gets so dark and cold while towa isn't there, like he's directly tied to the weather of that place. sooo fascinating i can't wait until we can find out what his deal is

"hi haru, it's me the hot janitor that's your biggest fan. you've been asleep but don't worry i've been watching over you. you're such a good tamer and strong but you need to take care of yourself, yeah? want an apple? oh btw towa and mc have been missing for a day"

I STILL WANT TO KNOW WHAT RENS DEAL WITH THE OCEAN IS it has literally been bugging me since i first read this story. i think it was a water demon. OR! OR. or. an accident in the water and he got desperate and accidentally made a pact. ugh ren you drive me crazy I NEED TO KNOW

haru is so fucking funny dude. between this and telling jiro not to do drugs in ep 17 what kind of life was he living before darkwick???

"did you seriously just slap my ass? that's harassment!" - "probably." jabberwock continues to be funny as hell. this episode also really feels like a really good balance between the mystery of the anomaly, solving it, and character moments. the mystery lasted all the way through and wasn't like, 30 seconds of the episode like in ep 17 lmao. no shade because every show needs a beach episode but this one combines it all really well

it feels really deliberate the way towa has to do things this episode. he asks if we need help, he asks haru if he can do this, etc. why does he need permission first? that being said his whirlpool is terrifying lmao i love this freak

still thinking about ren--how poetic would it be if he became a ghoul because he lost someone at sea and then the artifact that chose him is a life raft :')

haru thanking mc at the end is so sweet dude like YES encourage her!! she's doing great!! she's helping!! i love that all of them were literally like "no the kraken and the baby disappeared idk what you're talking about." comrades 🤝

episode three is such a good episode. love the hints we get about ren and towa, LOVE haru just in general, the jabberwock part of campus is gorgeous--just a fantastic episode in general. 10/10 no notes.

well. a lot of notes. this is a long post lmao

onto episode four! asks and dms always open

[mamasplat]

i have no organizational skills. 3am (by the time im finishing this: 4am). i am jane real life. courtney.

save for very typical room things, a laptop, a banner, and the tm for dark pulse, it's easy to see: courtney's room is very empty.

we know this is courtney's room because the laptop contains many images of maxie. many maxies is a telltale sign of courtney cacophony.

technically, there is an easy way to explain why this is the case: when a place is not as important as others, the game designers will not focus on that thing. some describe it as "gamefreak lazy as shit 😭😭😭" they are probably right.

but i will attach meaning. i am jane from real life. common belief is only belief: i can do anything. i am god. i am jane from real life, and with what we know about courtney, the empty room makes perfect sense.

on a surface level, you can attach the room with courtney's devotion and obssession. the lack of anything in this room can imply a lack of material attatchment. this can mean many things, (foreshadowing is a literary d-) but it can be interpreted in a way that communicates that courtney's obssessions with the things that fascinate her run deep enough to make her disconnect with everything else around her. an unstoppable force that tears through reality itself, screaming "nothing to me matters when you are in my mind."

you can also kind of interpet it as like. a kind of way to describe her kind of , "less-is-more, direct, yet mysterious" character in an abstract sense or something. idk. does that even make sense?

but we can go much deeper i think. if you're as absolutely off the wall as i am when it comes to intepreting anything, i think the empty room can say a lot about how courtney's own upbringing could've been like.

the lack of anything at all can imply that courtney is very used to an environment where she wasn't able to have (or just didn't have access to) much in her childhood. that scarcity was basically the norm and that she continues to perpetuate this norm because she doesnt really know what to do.

one thing that really struck me personally was how very neatly everything's placed. perfect, virtually untouched. that says a lot to me. personally, i like to think she could've had parents on the stricter side that emphasized neatness and other such things. strict parents can also kind of explain why she doesnt have much too, as stricter parents tend to kind of hold things off from their kids for one reason or another, along with other non-room things like her intelligence.

... or maybe the emptiness and tidiness is something more simple like "courtney is a minimalist" or "courtney is a neat freak." idk man do whatever with her.

but the room is fascinating. little things like this can say a lot about a character, you know. and little things like this fascinate me greatly. like dude. oh my god.

umme thatse it.

i can totally keep rambling bout other stuff though the courtney obssession is crazy.

ALRIGHTY I like it. Empty. Under stimulating. Don’t need to linger here anyways there’s work to be done.

When it came to how I wrote Kagari (trade off, this is turning into Courtney trivia trade) I actually gave her the other admin room because the file on the desk was Tabitha’s admin approval paperwork and i couldn’t understand why he’d keep that laying around if Courtney had to approve him due to her long term position in team magma

Her desk is messy much like her mind, cluttered like her busy schedule.

Courtney vs Courtney, one is aggressive vacuuming and the other is throwing balled up paper at the other so they’ll shut the damn thing off.

[enkays-den]

i guess if you want my continuing stance on skizz here you go

tl;dr I'll still be a majority imp and skizz blog, doesn't mean i don't have feelings about Everything but I feel I did all I could by voicing my opinion calmly and logically. Feel free to act however you want, find your local queer community outside of a fandom, I'm begging.

Trans rights!

knowing how youtube revenue works, I know that my single view on videos and vods aren't going to affect Skizz's income, and certainly not that of the mods (if they're paid. I know joe pays his mods, unsure about any other hermit). His main income is from twitch subs and donations, and I didn't contribute to that anyways, aside from the occasional small dono.

I hope people still talk about this in a non-invasive way in fan spaces (don't spam skizz or impulse's chat). I do hope Skizz notices that his trans fans don't feel safe in certain spaces. I hope he comes to the conclusion that it's a lot easier for him to take the L than to keep this awful status quo and to act accordingly and concretely. I hope he understands the points myself and other fans made (the nice ones, not the ones calling for blood).

But I also know we can't force his hand. He said it himself, he doesn't like being told what to do. And I'm fine with that. I don't think a single hermit aligns perfectly with my views, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. I've been fans of content creators that have done AWFUL things. This isn't going to kill me.

as for writing: I write fanfics for the FANS. it's never been for the cc's. They're lab rats running around a maze, I watch. It's no moral conflict to me what I write. I can create my own little queer safe havens with the content I make and by interacting with queer people irl and supporting the queer people around me.

I'm not telling anyone to feel or act a certain way, I honestly get most people's pov's. but if you don't like my decisions, feel free to unfollow.

[moonfang256]

My thoughts about Deltarune, Chapters 3 & 4 (Part 5)

"sigh" Oh man, here we go:

--------

❤️ <( "Hey freak, yeah you little freak!

So, this is the morbid game you want to play, huh? Bad move. Now pardon me, I'm gonna show Susie the kind of "friend" you are."

❤️ <( "Heh, did I hit a nerve?"

❤️ <( "Pff, pathetic."

❤️ <( "Don't think you'll get away from this by closing my escape. I'll find my way idiot and you'll be done for."

❤️ <( Well, as you can see, my attitude toward Kris changed to a slightly more nasty one after the revelation of that phone call.

It was like when Susie thought Lancer had betrayed her in Chapter 1. A feeling that fills you with rage, disappointment and sadness.

If there's one thing I don't like it's when people lie, hide things and pretend to be your friend so, before you even can know it, they may stab you in the back or use you as a tool without care.

This isn't the first time this has happened to me in my life, and seeing this happening again in this videogame, was simply the straw that broke the camel's back.

Guess that was my reward for be nice and caring too much...

❤️ <( As I tried to process my emotions, I got back to the vent to find Kris and face them again, but… I heard piano music...

❤️ <( I decided to stay still and listen everything in silence. At that moment, I became very emotional and cried…

How can someone so messed up can play so beautifully? What drives a good child to go into the depths of the abyss and act in such an awful way?

At that moment, I didn't quite understand because I was still in shock, but it wasn't the time for sentimentality.

❤️ <( I needed to move on.

❤️ <( I continued floating through the vent and saw Asgore talking weird stuff in the bathroom, so I followed him to Carol's room and continued listening to his conversation.

❤️ <( Well, it was obvious he would also know about Carol's secret and the Dark Worlds (having been an ex-cop), although I wouldn't be surprised if this goofy man will go too far to create a Dark World in his "Flower Shop" to prove his point and bring the families together.

Then, what he said that time would make sense:

❤️ <( And if I had to guess, it seems Carol fired him for meddling where he shouldn't and bought his silence at some cost.

"sigh" This old man is living too much in the past and he's going to cause a lot of trouble in the future. I can see it.

Back to the main plot…

❤️ <( I kept going until I reached a basement full of Christmas decorations. From there, I could hear the girls chatting a bit, but it wasn't the time for distractions.

I cut the power to get the girls' attention, but…

❤️ <( I ran into that stupid tree and the angel ornament fell on me, so I ended up in a silly situation...

"sigh" Oh well... "Forgive me, Susie!"

❤️ <( Yep, I deserved that…

❤️ <( "Look Barney, I wasn't planning on touching your tail, but I need you to…! Do you seriously want to hit me with that...?"

❤️ <( Luckily, Noelle picked me up and thought I was just a mouse (I don't want to imagine what she would have done if she had discovered I was something else) "sweats nervously"

--------

Okay, I'm ending this post here.

Next up, get ready to see a silly and sassy confrontation.

[bloodyjuls-blog]

NOT SO BAD

P1 OF NOTHING MUCH

(Russo's sister X Leah Williamson)

Winter in London was beginning to subside, but the cold remained deeply ingrained within Kay. Life with Leah was more loving than ever: attention, tenderness, unexpected smiles. But for Kay, guilt followed her, or rather, the lack of it. The doctors had said she would never walk again. But the constant rehabilitation, the strength with which Kay faced the pain day after day, was beginning to bear small fruits. A slight tingling in her thighs, then an involuntary twitching… until one morning, as Leah helped her change, Kay felt something new. “Wait,” Kay murmured, looking down at her legs. “What’s wrong?” Leah asked, worried. “Wiggle my toes. … touch them.” Leah, puzzled, knelt and gently touched Kay’s right foot. To her surprise, the little toe moved. Kay burst into tears. “Did you see it? It moved!” Leah immediately hugged her, unable to hold back her tears. “I saw it, my love. I saw it.”

Although it was a moment of hope, it also brought with it a new kind of pressure. Kay became obsessed with recovery, multiplying her exercises, seeking out new clinics, and new techniques. She wanted to walk, needed to. To show everyone—her family, Alessia, the world—that she wasn't a burden. Leah, however, was starting to feel displaced. Although she understood, it also hurt. One evening, while preparing dinner, Leah broke the silence. “Kay… can we talk?” Kay, sweating and with her hands shaking from the last routine, barely looked at her. “Now?” “Yes. It's important.” Kay nodded and settled into the dining room chair. Leah sat across from her. “I love you, Kay. And I'm so proud of you, for everything you're doing… but I feel like you're drifting away.” “I'm not drifting away,” Kay responded defensively. “I'm trying to get my body back. I don't want to depend on you forever.” “And who told you you're alone in this?” Leah raised her voice for the first time. “I'm here because I want to, not because I have to!” “What if I never walk? Will you still be here?” Leah looked at her pained. “Of course, I am. But you don't seem to believe that. And that hurts, Kay.” Kay lowered her gaze. The silence weighed heavily. She said nothing. Leah got up, went to the bedroom, and closed the door.

A few days later, Leah received an unexpected call: Alessia wanted to stop by the apartment. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Kay asked, already tired of the back and forth with her sister. “She's not coming alone,” Leah explained. “She's here with her partner, Nora. They want to talk to you.” “Now they see me as a person. Because I have something to show?” “It's not that.” “It's not that?” Kay repeated sarcastically. “Let's see how long the pity lasts this time.” Leah didn't insist further. Kay reluctantly agreed.

Alessia entered with her gaze lowered, a gesture unusual for her. Beside her, Nora—tall, with a calm smile and warm gaze—gently ushered her inside. “Hi, Kay,” Alessia said softly. “What are you doing here?” “I came to talk. To listen, too.” Kay crossed her arms, still wary. Nora took a step forward. “I asked him to come. I told him how Leah saw you… and how I saw you since I learned everything you'd been through.” “So?” “And I asked her if she'd ever really looked at you.” Nora turned to Alessia. “And she didn't know what to say.” Alessia swallowed. Her voice trembled. “I never knew how… to love you as a sister. I was always selfish. And cruel. Because I couldn't stand feeling like I wasn't enough. I thought if you shone, I'd lose my light.” Kay was frozen. The words hurt… but they also felt real. “And now… are you coming because she told you to?” she asked, pointing at Nora. “No,” Alessia said. “I'm coming because I don't want to continue being the sister who destroyed the only person who ever loved me without asking for anything.” Kay didn't respond immediately. Leah, behind it all, watched silently. Kay looked at her sister and, for the first time, didn't feel anger. She felt sadness. “I don't know if I can forgive you. Not yet.” “I'm not asking that. Just… that you let me start over.”

The news that Kay was starting to move her legs brought her parents to London. It wasn't her idea. It was Alessia who convinced them. Kay didn't know if she was ready… but she agreed. The meeting was tense. Her mother carried a bouquet. Her father avoided direct gaze. "Kay," her mother said, sitting down slowly. "You look… strong." Kay looked at her, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "I didn't come to fight," her father chimed in. "I came to listen to you." Kay watched them as if they were ghosts from a past life. "Listen to me? Now?" "Yes," her mother said, her voice breaking. "We didn't know how much pain we had caused you… until we heard from Alessia. And… we want to apologize."

Kay felt a lump in her throat. “Forgive me for what? For the years of comparisons? For laughing at me? For not coming to see me when I came back from the hospital unable to walk?” Her father was crying. He didn't hide it. Her mother, too. “For all of that. And more. Because we weren't parents. We were judges. And we never saw the incredible woman you became.” Kay began to cry, unable to stop herself. “I just wanted someone to tell me… that I'm worth something.” Her mother knelt in front of her, holding her hands. “You're worth more than we ever knew how to tell you.”

As the months passed, Kay went from small movements to standing with the help of parallel bars. Then took her first steps with a walker. The process was slow, painful… but every step was a victory. Leah was there for it all. The setbacks, the cries, the breakthroughs, the small celebrations. Their love never wavered. One night, as they watched the sunset from a park, Kay clung to her arm and managed to walk three steps unaided. Then he looked up at her, breathing heavily. "I'm walking, Leah." Leah didn't respond. She held her tightly, crying, kissing her as if life had begun from that moment on. "And I… am with you. For every step you take."

[kidspawn]

wip wednesday

hello! thank you for the tag @ronanlynchian this is incredibly sweet! i'm also very honoured you thought of me! this week has been really odd for me in terms of getting work done, even a little bit, so my wip progress has been all over the place. i hate being busy (i love being busy).

tagging (no pressure ofc): @rederiss @witchbitchadam @tartadxfresa @fieldsofred (you don't have to i swear to god i can't tell if i'm being held at gunpoint or just tagging people) @fredddoloso @sunflowersandscreams (none of you have to, ignore me if you want i just think you're all neat that's all i love your brains i wanna know what you're writing)

even if i didn't tag you please feel free to jump in and share. i cannot stress enough how bad i mean that. yes, even you. do not doubt me. i mean it. i wanna read your words.

I have three snippets here, two aus, one NSFW i may or may not finish. I'm still figuring the mechanics out.

so, my vigilante fic is almost almost ready to post, the first two chapters are being edited right now. i do have some later chapter snippets i've been ironing out for continuity purposes, so here's some of that:

==

“Yeah.” He settled for. “You're right.” It made his tongue numb. 

“Could you sound pissier?” Ronan snorted. “Jesus. I'm trying to be helpful.”

“No, but Blue had the exact same argument.” Adam scowled, “I hate both of you.”

“Maybe we just don't want you to crash and burn.” Ronan reached out and pinched Adam's arm. “Those eyebags would need checked in at an airport.” 

Adam slapped his hand away. “Nice. Love the concern.”

“Oh its not concern it's self preservation.” Ronan yawned, feigned and over the top to accentuate his point. “I already told you, it's a carry down. I'm cutting the stress off at the source.” 

“No of course. Nothing else.” 

“Never.” Ronan grinned, rolled his head to flash teeth Adam's way. There was a sincerity behind the cut of his grin, tucked beneath levity.

“Well, good to know where you stand.” Adam looked away to cover the warmth flooding his face. He knew, objectively, his flushes and emotions weren't transparent, subdued by complexion. But it felt like exposure all the same. “Thanks.” He said, to the window. 

“Yeah sure.” Ronan said, and Adam resisted the urge to turn and analyze his expression. “You saved me from boredom and eavesdropping on Gansey's midnight club.”

“Club?” Adam raised an eyebrow, directed it the other's way, “Has it grown?”

“Cheng has started chiming in.” Ronan scowled, “Proper three way phone call.”

Adam bit back the frustration at Henry for not telling him, and fought down the shame over not noticing. “Oh.” He said. “Well.”

“They're unbearable.” Ronan said, “So your problems are a blessing in comparison.”

“Well as long as it's a blessing, I'll just keep at it.” Adam scoffed, “Since you enjoy them so much.”

“Only over the musketeers.” A tap on the radio. The car flooded now with the thrum of electronica, a soft bass and syncopated synths. “They're a nightmare.”

“I'm flattered to take priority.” 

“Obviously. Why wouldn't you?”

There was something to be said about how earnest Ronan could be, despite all his dancing around and his half truths and sardonic deflections. Not because he was free of emotional obscurity, but he saw nothing wrong with the admittance of something that stripped his intentions to their bare bones. Adam felt a curl of envy, and wondered how he'd be capable of matching such a vulnerability. It was the push and pull of it, the way he'd been coaxed into such a relaxed state by the joking and sneering and quips, then marked by stark honesty.

It wasn’t a trick, he knew. It couldn't be. Not from Ronan.

The music was just loud enough it dulled the more abrasive edge of his thoughts, sanded away the hits his mind took at his self esteem. By all measures, it would've been easy to reach over and give his equal effort. He felt wholly unprepared, had no idea what to do, paralysis and indecision.

It was easier to expose yourself to someone who kept themselves at arm’s length. Or, in some fucked up recess of Adam's mind, he felt like it gave him the upper hand, the high ground. The fact he felt more at ease with platitudes and discretion was one of the many things he catalogued with the many, many reasons why relationships were a particular trial of his.

“We haven't known each other long. That's why.” He finally answered. It hadn't been a long silence, but it had stretched time enough to wind a rope of tension over the radio. 

“So?” Ronan began chewing the cord at his wrist, a habit Adam once again knew he ought to find repulsive, but on Ronan it was tantalizing and evocative. Something in the action of mouth and teeth.

“That doesn't scare you? Getting that attached that fast?” Adam said, attempting honesty. It left an open hole in his chest.

“No.” It was immediate. An answer born from confidence. That gaping wound began to scald and fester.

“How?”

“I don't know.” Ronan scowled around his gnawing. “I'm not scared of Hennessy or you or Gansey. I'm not... I don't know.”

“You're scared of something, though.” 

“Seriously?” Ronan shot him a scathing sneer.

Adam slacked his shoulders up and down, going for casual. “Showed you mine.” He said.

Ronan wormed a finger under his bracelet and began to snap it against his wrist. Up, out, snap. Up, out, snap. “Myself, probably.” He bit, like it hurt him to admit. It was said less like a confession, more like tugging a knife from a gaping wound, knowing you'd bleed out.

“Why?”

Another glare. It felt like a gift in its own way. Adam blinked, unfazed.

“The way I make people feel. The things I do.” He started fiddling with one of the AC flaps. Up, down, side to side. “Things get fucked up when I'm around.”

Adam didn't know the best response for that. He licked his lips up buy himself a moment, though Ronan was too busy fiddling with the car to notice or even care. The sentiments of self hatred were deeply relatable, though that opened opportunity for worse topics still. 

“What exactly have you fucked up?” He settled for, because inquiry was safer than assumption. 

Ronan shrugged. “Stuff.”

“Descriptive.”

“You want an itemized list?”

“Laminated.”

Another glare. “I just make things messy. Spiral. Hurt people. Whatever. Point is, I fuck things up.”

“Gansey.” Adam pointed out. “I think he'd disagree. And Hennessey, from what you've told me. I think they're both grateful you're here.”

“I didn't say anything about not being here.” 

“Don't have to.” There were two places that line of thinking went, when your self worth fragmented and convinced you to disappear.

However inappropriate the statement was, it struck enough of a cord for Ronan to start fidgeting once more. “I don't think like that anymore.”

“Just telling you.” Adam hummed, “Feel like you need the reminder.”

Ronan took a second. His silence always drew attention, his paucity of noise magnetic. “I think I've done things I'm not proud of. For the wrong reasons.” He drummed a finger against the radio dial. “Hurt people.”

“Did they deserve it?”

“Some of them, probably.” It was an easy admittance, unlike the rest. 

“I already told you where I stand on this.” Adam said, “Intent is everything. If you did it for a good reason-”

“I don't know.” Ronan said, “If the reason is good. I just know people got hurt and it was because of me.”

Adam watched him pick at a cut in the leather of the wheel, honing in on its grooves and imperfections as if it’d distract from his own. He had nothing to say that would ease his hurt, lessen that ache. Gansey would have had the right words, he knew. Hennessey would’ve distracted, or related on some level that clicked just so. Blue would have had a gentle hand, a compassion Adam didn’t think he was capable of. Even Henry would have been, at least, armed with few words and even more syllables, a turn of phrase to be dissected or misinterpreted. Even a fight would have been a sufficient solution. 

“We all hurt people.” He settled on saying. “Everyone hurts someone. That doesn’t make you bad, I don’t think.” He picked at one of his too-short nails, peeled a layer too close to the bed, stopped when the sting grew too fierce, “I think it’s... how you feel about it. Bad people might feel guilty, but they’ll still feel right.” He glanced up at Ronan, “I don’t think you’re a bad person. You wouldn’t be so torn up over whatever you did if you were.” Because he knew bad people, and he knew people who deserved revenge, and he didn’t think Ronan was either. Didn’t spike the caution signals installed in the back of Adam’s head. 

Ronan met his eyes, indiscernibly softer than Adam had ever seen. He held his breath, watched Ronan glance from his hands, to Adam’s face, the car window. His jaw tightened, eyebrows scrunched and furrowed and twitched. He was the picture of turmoil, painted in sharp, bold lines. Adam waited for him to do something in the silence, but knew whatever kept Ronan quiet was suffocating and consuming. A flick of his wrist, the snap of a wristband. He glanced at Adam and back to the dash once more. 

==

on a lighter note, i do have this workshopped thing i might commit to in the long-term revolving around Blue and Adam and witches and maybe sorta i was watching old supernatural tv shows and thought that a fun little witch story would be fun so this is obviously au and i messed with dynamics a bit but Persephone dies and leaves them this mysterious house on the countryside. Adam left for college and kind of dipped on Blue, who had to stay for familial reasons (Henry and Gansey were not there, either, to convince her to try leaving Henrietta. So she's felt trapped in her hometown.) Tensions arise.

=

“I swear to god,” Blue murmured, nudging at the attic door with a slipper-wrapped toe. “I heard something up here.”

“Like what?” Adam deadpanned, arms folded and glowering at the door like it had been the thing to wake him. “A ghost? You heard something go bump in the night?”

“Don't be an ass.” She scowled, “And maybe. It could be. We don't know.” It would be unfortunately in character for Persephone to leave them a haunted house. The frustration of it all numbed the grief magnificently. 

“Except we do.” Adam cut in, “Ghosts aren't real.”

“You don't know that.” She pointed up at him, had to raise on tip toes to properly get in his space, but watching his eyes go criss cross made the effort worthwhile. “You don't know they don't exist.”

“You could say that about anything.” He argued. “You don't know they do. There could or couldn't be a ghost behind there.”

“Schrödinger's ghost.” She suggested.

He wrinkled his nose. “I mean... I guess? You're not...” His eyebrows knit, “Yeah, you're not wrong, on principle? Kind of sounds like you're implying the ghost may or may not be dead, though. Technically, it’d be hey this person could or could not be dead in there. It’s about the cat maybe or maybe not being dead.”

“Hush, psych major,” She waved him off, before he got carried away regurgitating that laminated degree of his, “The saying worked, didn't it? You got what I meant.”

“I’m just pointing out-”

“You’re being pedantic.” She scowled, “It’s condescending. We get it, you went to Harvard. God, you weren’t like this before. It’s like you want me to feel stupid.”

“There is nothing wrong with making sure you’re using the saying right!” He tugged at an uneven cut of hair jutting out by his ear, working at it as his wrist bone rolled and flexed beneath prominent veins. 

“No, but you’re nitpicking. And you know it. And when did you become all oh there’s no such thing as ghosts? You know better than anyone-”

“No, I don’t, actually.” He hissed, “Blue, it is three in the morning and you’re pulling me over here to...what? Maybe find a ghost that probably doesn’t exist? It’s an old house, it’s not some great sign from beyond the grave. She’s not leaving us a message. It’s a house.”

“How can you say that?” She asked, “Adam, how can you think this isn’t significant from her? I get you’re all science guy now, that you just had to go out to the city and leave the rest of us behind-”

“No, good, I was hoping this would come up.” He snorted, “Don’t get shitty.”

“Let me finish.” She snapped, “Do you know how frustrating it is to hear you dismiss all that time you got with her? As, what, childhood fancy? You had something with Persephone I would have killed for. No one in the family would even try teaching me magic. You had one on one lessons, and you think... what, she was making it up?”

“I was a terrified kid who had just gone through something traumatic.” He bit out. “She was trying to give me anything I could grasp onto. We never did magic, we looked at cards. We moved stones around. I’ve never been anything less than grateful for Persephone, but I have enough sense to know that was an illusion built for comfort. And don’t get mad at me for getting out just because you never tried.”

She flinched. It was a particularly brutal slash in the chinks of her armour, prodding a thumb on a yellowed bruise, squeezing a bone that had never healed right.

==

and finally this sickfic i started when i got COVID last week and couldn't leave my bed and it devolved into smut for some godforsaken reason. idk if i will finish it. but i like how the writing itself came out. (i don't post a lot of nsfw ignore this if this isn't your jam)

==

If he thought about it, the bodily sensations were the same. Heat that radiated from his center, his head, his mouth, hot and swampy breath in puffs where no other airways could allow. It made his responding gasp airier than usual, nowhere else to go and no energy to push further. That kick of his pulse, so harsh he could feel it breaching his chest. Tinged with an slip of pain, the crick in his neck, the stab in his tailbone. Worse still, when his spine curled in response, bending further than a worn system could take. That was a peculiarity he could reroute into pleasure, and the snap of his waistband gave proof enough. 

“What are you doing?” Ronan said, hand on the doorway, frown unsteady. It curled with a feigned disinterest.

“You're not touching me.” Adam accused. “Your loss. You can watch if you want.”

“Do you think jerking it will magically fix your cold?”

In lieu of an answer, Adam tugged his sweatpants - Ronan’s sweatpants, though they shared custody - to mid thigh. 

“Jesus christ.” Ronan groaned, tapped a curled first against the door's wooden frame. He turned, resting his forehead against the shell-curl of a distressed fist. 

“You're sick. We can have all the sex you want when you're not sick.”

“I want to have sex now.” Adam said, running a thumb along a vein. “And you don't want to. I'm compromising. Watch or not, I'm doing it.”

“That is not fair. Asshole.” Ronan refused to leave his fist's support. 

Adam frowned. “I'm not telling you to do anything.”

“I'm trying to be like... good and take care of you. Like, boyfriend shit. You're being...” He scowled at Adam, eyes pointedly on his face. Adam curled his hips up, inviting attention. 

“You can take care of me.” He said. 

“No.” Ronan's ears curved with a rosy flush. It formed a matching palette against the scarlet of his neck. “Yes. No. Stop it.”

Adam shrugged, “You can go. I don't care.” He lied. 

“I-” Ronan swallowed, breathed in and out in careful counts. That fluster kept rising, Adam curled a hand up in matching time, thumbing his head. He inhaled, sharp and audible, through his mouth. It came out breathier than from his nose.

There was little else to do in the absence of a response but slowly work at himself, eyes closed and mouth open to allow little sighs and hums and gasps. A languid pace, because all the heat simmered in his jaw, his throat, his temple, made movement and thoughts sluggish. Familiar coiling began in his gut, expectant and demanding, tingles along his lower half, electric under his fingerprints. A throw of his head, his crown scraping against the headboard with the shift of his hips into the motion. For all the work he could do, his hand an adequate substitute for desired touch, it was not quite enough, wrong size, callouses in the wrong spots, too-bony knuckles and wrist cricks from awkward ankles. For all the satisfaction it could have been, should have been, Adam hadn't ever dedicated study to this particular past time - walls too thin in puberty, evenings too packed at St. Agnes, having gone straight to the Barns thereafter and spoiled in touch until his own didn’t quite suffice. Harvard had been an especially brutal period, reacquisition of comfort in his own embrace with miles that made human contact impractical at best. In many ways, there'd been a strength in examining his own pleasure where he could apply lessons learned, where his instruction began and ended within the cradle of low thread polyester sheets. Something therapeutic in it, he'd rationalized, and ignored the ache, the fire in the pit of his stomach. Curling around Ronan and crossing back over the threshold of The Barns and the glowing heat of summer had been a stark reminder not to try substituting the real thing and expecting the same result.

==

okay i'm burning my hands now i'm trying to write my head is in such an odd place. pls enjoy i might continue these, depends on my mood. who knows. this has been a weird fucking week. sorry this is so much i couldn't pick a fic to share a snippet from.

[piece-of-pierce]

Bruce's Adoption Instinct

Basically, I was tired and had the thought of "what if the adoption instinct is actually like the Spider-Sense and a real thing?" and now this exists.

It started, as so much else had, with Haley's Circus. Bruce watched the acts, surveyed the crowd, and everything was normal. Then a small boy skirted past him, just barely stumbling before rolling forward into a controlled tumble and bouncing up into a few flips. The boy had made eye contact, clearly looking for some kind of applause or coin.

Bruce offered neither. Everything had frozen, time standing still for just a moment, as black and blue feathers filled every inch of his vision around that child. Something electric crackled in his ears as the feathers danced before it faded faster than it had appeared.

Later, Bruce watched that same boy rush toward the crumpled bodies of his parents, cameras flashing all around, and couldn't turn away. There was something about that child, who reminded him so much of himself in that alley, who had filled his senses with blue and black and flight and a shock of energy. He took the boy home.

-=o0o=-

Dick had moved out, taking up a more permanent role with the Titans and leaving Bruce's evening patrols feeling empty. He made his way back to where he'd left the Batmobile, only to find a small figure working at the tires, 3 hubcaps already removed and leaning against the alley's wall.

Bruce made his next step scuff on the ground, drawing the kid's gaze. They made eye contact and, for the second time, Bruce's vision filled. This time, the boy was outlined in red that seeped and stained the black metal shards all around him, a quick succession of gunshots echoing in Bruce's ears before it all faded. Bruce needed to know what that was. He'd never figured it out with Dick, but this was a second chance. He took the boy, Jason, home.

Weeks later, Bruce saw a blurry picture in the news showing Blüdhaven's new black-and-blue clad vigilante, electricity arcing from the escrima stick that swung in one hand. Something clicked in his mind, drawing a connection he'd been hunting for years.

Those vignettes, when he first saw the boys, were the future. Dick was always going to become Nightwing, at least since that first moment Bruce looked him in the eye. That meant Jason...

Spreading red, black scraps of metal, gunshots echoing in the night...

Bruce tightened the reins, shortened patrols, and encouraged Jason to stay in the house more. It wasn't hard, admittedly. Jason happily took to the new additions to the library.

Then he was gone and Bruce was looking for him and there was a flight to Ethiopia and Bruce was too late and he'd failed Jason. He'd failed to defy fate.

[barefeet-only]

Say Shawarma Right Now

It was a rainy August afternoon when Talia arrived in Gotham. It wasn’t a shock that it was raining, it always rained in Gotham. A depressing city with a depressing atmosphere. Why her love and son were so obsessed with it she would never know. So while Talia was prepared with her umbrella as she walked through the streets, waiting for her son’s compatriots to notice she was in town, she did not expect the humidity. This city always found a way to make her miserable. 

While she waited for her son to come find her, Talia made her way to her favorite local street vendor. A wonderful immigrant woman from Iran who had married a Turkish man and moved to the United States with hopes of grandeur. She had a talent for seasonings unheard of on this side of the Atlantic and it always made suffering through her chattering worth it. 

Talia noticed him as she made her way down the international market. A tall man with broad shoulders and a fit build. Not too muscular but enough to prove he went to the gym regularly. He was laughing loudly as he talked to the shawarma lady while she made his food. The cook was talking about how her son had finally gotten a girlfriend but forgot her birthday and was desperately trying to make it up to her. 

“Say wallah right now!” He jokingly exclaimed. 

“Wallah! Now I have a moping son and a no good husband stinking up the house right now. What I wouldn’t give to have a good boy like you as my child!”

Talia was on edge, something about this man was familiar to her. She couldn’t place where, but instinctually the assassin knew she knew this man. In her line of work, being able to place a face was the difference between life and death.

Talia took a seat at a nearby bench and began studying his side profile. He had thick black hair with an undercut and longer bangs on the front, a black stud on his lower lobe, and lightly tanned skin that would allow him to pass as white as long as he stayed out of the sun. While his piercing blue eyes should have been the first thing anyone would notice about him, it was the small curving scar behind his ear that instantly clued Talia in on his identity. 

“How much longer do you plan on staying in Gothman Danyal?” The cook asked. 

“Ah, I'm only here for another week now. Looks like we are closing the deal and I’ll be heading home.”

Danyal gave a cheerful smile to the lady as she handed him his food. 

“It’s partly why I came here to visit you, Mina. No one back home knows how to season like you do.” 

He leaned in and spoke low, “Or give me as good a discount.”

Mina tsked and smacked the man, “What a beggar! Got yourself a big fancy job and you’re still here asking for money off!”

Danyal winked at her and took a bite of his food, groaning in appreciation. 

Mina smiled, “Well I’m going to miss you dear boy. Please come visit some time.” 

“Boy?! How many times do I have to tell you I’m thirty!”

Danyal smiled genuinely and handed her a bright green business card, “But of course I’m going to visit. Here, this has my number on it, remind me to come visit in a couple months when you realize your best customer needs to help you pay your bills.”

She took the card and giggled. 

“Green? Really Danyal, you ought to be more professional with the job you have, this is why I call you boy. That and you barely look a day past twenty-three.” 

Danyal giggled and walked away, taking his meal with him. Talia was no longer hungry anymore. After a few moments she stood up and slowly followed him. She needed to know why he was in Gotham, she needed to know why he was alive. 

As they walked through the streets Talia noticed that Danyal was dry, the rain hadn’t stopped the entire time she had been in Gotham yet somehow Danyal had not a drop of moisture on him. He must have some device on him that allowed him to stay dry, there was no natural explanation. Dangerous she thought. Yet the moment the thought occurred to her, she recoiled at the idea. Danyal was a pathetic assassin, he had no talent for the craft at all and after all this time he finally instilled caution in her? Something was wrong, and Talia was determined to figure out what. If nothing else, she would finally achieve her greatest regret and kill Danyal herself. 

[nerdinsandals]

He is not one of us🎵

He has never been one of us~🎶

Have Amethio without all the lighting and effects too! Just because I'm pretty happy with how the hair turned out and you can't really appreciate it in the final version haha

[hyohaehyuk]

Lovingly gazing into your coworkers eyes while he's talking about the sexual and emotional tension of your characters is crazy 🙃

JA: Yeah, and then also playing that off against that tension and the aftermath of some of those fights. It suddenly rebuilds this sexual and emotional tension. Like you said, you get to explore the breadth of a relationship. But yeah, they’re each other’s endgame, aren’t they? In the books, they always come home to each other. I think it’s telling that that seems to be the denouement or the end of a lot of the novels: Louis and Lestat being petty and in love.

cut via wolfganglestat

transcriptions by greedandenby

Full video (unfortunately i can't find the original source so i am linking 2 videos posted by fans on yt):

Interview With The Vampire | Nicole Drum from Comicbook.com talks with Jacob Anderson and Sam Reid

[sysig]

Sounds fake. Source? (Patreon)