#I am more than happy to discuss ideas for how we can come together as a fandom to have an impact

[chirpsythismorning]

This is everything the Stranger Things writers have posted publicly about the WGA strike:

TIMELINE

May 3rd:

Stranger Things writer Caitlin Schneiderhan tweets picture from personal Twitter account of sign from the strike that reads 'Pay us or Steve Harrington is toast'

May 6th:

Official Stranger Writers Twitter account makes post on behalf of the Duffers Brothers. They have since pinned this tweet to their profile. "Duffers here. Writing does not stop when filming begins. While we're excited to start production with our amazing cast and crew, it is not possible during this strike. We hope a fair deal is reached soon so we can all get back to work. Until then -- over and out. #wgastrong

Bonus:

May 12th:

Stranger Things writer Kate Trefry posts picture from personal Tumblr account of sign that reads, 'Byler won’t write itself'

As far as I know, the two writers that posted on their personal socials are the only writers from ST that even have personal accounts that are public, whereas the rest of the writers do not.

What does make me take a pause though, is that, while yes they did post these pictures from their personal accounts, which is about as official as it gets, they also cryptically did not include themselves in said pictures...

This just got me thinking about how Stranger Things is quite literally Netflix and vise versa. They are practically one in the same, where one without the other just doesn't make sense.

While this conflict of interest might run deep for many writers out there fearing to speak out against their employer, for us, the consumers, the fans, we as a collective have so much more power than we realize.

In contrast to the writers, streamers can't just fire their consumer base sometime down the line, out of spite for speaking out. Without consumers, neither Stranger Things nor Netflix would be what it is today.

We have the affordance of being able to speak up the loudest of anyone. And so why wouldn't we take advantage of that?

There are so many people out there protesting: writers, actors, others in the industry and even outside of it who are also taking a stand, many who need support so that they can continue to fight in the upcoming days, weeks, months, without being deterred by corporations that are making them feel greedy for demanding a contract that at most, asks that they be paid fairly.

And so I want to encourage anyone that is reading this, but fellow fans of Stranger Things especially, who have so much power in this strike when it comes to getting Netflix's attention, to consider taking the time to do whatever you can individually + with the masses as a community in order to best support the strike.

Follow the Strike! If you're active on various social media already, please be sure to follow the official accounts advocating for the strike via Instagram (@writersguildwest/@wgaeast), via Twitter (@WGAWest/@WGAEast). Engage with posts from folks that are out there daily, many with whom you can find by following tags like #WGAStrong, #WGAStrike and #WritersStrike. Although most fans are not able to join in picketing themselves, we can at least recognize all of those out there's individual efforts and do our best to show that we're paying attention and listening!

Spread the word! Show support any way you can by sharing posts and articles about the strike, or even fun memes to inform others in a more engaging way. This is the official site for the WGA strike if you want to learn more about what’s going on before diving in! And make sure to stay up-to-date here as things continue to unfold!

Donate! The Entertainment Community Fund is endorsed by the WGA for anyone that wants to support those affected by the strike financially. And this thread on Twitter is an incredible resourse, as it provides an ‘easy, one-click, stress-free, accessible-to-all-budgets’ ways you can support folks on the front lines.

Also! Consider donating through this link for the Entertainment Community Fund, where the money donated still goes directly to that fund, this is just an organizing page for Stranger Things fans specifically! By allowing fans to see how much of an impact we make as a collective, in real time, this could encourage even more ST fans to want to contribute. In a best case scenario, if this GoFundMe were to reach impressive proportions of donations from fans, that could lead to news outlets reporting on it, which could allow an opportunity for even more eyes on the strike, while also even more importantly being able to provide financial support to those that need it.

Trend! On social media, use #StrangerFansforWGA to trend or even just to reach other fans also looking to come together to support the strike!

While I know this post probably wont reach anywhere outside of Tumblr, I want to make a point to encourage those of you that are on other platforms to inform fans in those spaces about the strike and what they can do to help!

We might not all agree on everything, but I think we can agree on at least one thing... @Netflix & all major streamers and networks out there, who are still refusing to make a fair deal: PAY YOUR WRITERS!

In the mean time, if you're interested in working on different ideas for initiates we can carry out as a fandom, please reach out to me! I might only one person and I might not have all the answers and solutions, but I do know that with more of us working together, our odds of making an impact are much greater!

Over and out!

[belovedmusings]

Poppy red.

Choso Kamo x You x Suguru Geto

Explicit Themes (🚫Minors DNI🚫)

Part six of the 'Two + One' story. Click for story masterlist.

Guitarist! Choso Kamo is your boyfriend, and today, after having gone no-contact with his bandmate, Suguru, for a month, you have him over at your house while Choso is visiting his brother. The two of you need to discuss your relationship...and hopefully exhibit much-needed self-control.

Relevant tags: sexual tension, thoughts of infidelity, characters with questionable morals, Suguru is hot, but so is Choso, slow burn, no "y/n" for immersion, 2nd POV, reader has no defining characteristics, explicit smut, missionary, oral sex (fem receiving)

Recommended songs to listen to while reading: HENTAI (Rosalía), Animal I Have Become (Three Days Grace)

A/N: Life has still been busy but I still am so in love with this story so I'll continue to update!! Here's a rather spicy chapter, enjoy :)

Read below cut:

The two of you take either side of the couch in the living room once you’re inside with the groceries all put away. 

Suguru had been watching television while you restocked the fridge and pantry, so once you join him, he faces you properly, beginning to speak.

“I want you in my life,” Suguru tells you right off the bat, seeming to want to avoid wasting time, “And before I…tell you how I really feel, I need you to know that I don’t want to take you away from Choso. I understand that you two are happy and I have no ill-feelings towards him.”

You nod, waiting for him to continue.

“That being said,” Suguru looks you deeply in the eyes. “I…what I feel for you isn’t like anything I’ve felt for anyone else. You’re constantly on my mind and I…I just want to be near you all the time. I want to hold you and…kiss you. Since I want to be completely blunt, I…I want more than that, too. I’m physically attracted to you, but also, I…I can picture us together.”

Hearing it out loud is a crazy experience, but Suguru is being open and honest with you. You want to meet him halfway. 

“I feel the same way, but I haven’t lost any feelings I have for Choso. It’s very confusing.”

“That’s another thing—I don’t want to hurt Choso. I really like him, and I’d never want to betray his trust.”

You sigh, looking down at your hands, which have begun fiddling with each other in your lap. Then, in one fluid motion, you feel Suguru move closer, his hand covering both of yours. 

“I…I don’t know how to move forward from here,” Suguru confesses as your eyes meet, your heart fluttering in your chest. “But I can’t say ‘goodbye’ to you.”

”Look…um, I just think it’s a good idea if we only see each other when he’s around,” you tell him, his palm warm over your skin. Your eyes are fixated on the sight. “We…can’t control ourselves when we’re alone together.’

Suguru sighs heavily beside you, giving your hands a small little pulse, his thumb gently running in small strokes. It makes you nervous, filling you with a pulsating warmth that ebbs and flows in rhythm with his touches. 

“See?” You say, “Even this…this is intimacy we shouldn’t be sharing. We wouldn’t do this with Choso around.”

He looks into your eyes, nodding minutely. “That’s true. I know what you’re saying is true. I just…have this urge to not keep my hands off of you. If you were my girlfriend…should you want it…I’d have trouble staying off of you.”

You suck in a slow, deep breath. “When you say things like that…”

“I know,” he shakes his head, “I know, I do. Just…why couldn’t I have found you first?”

“Suguru,” you look away, pulling your hand out of his. “I shouldn’t be entertaining you like this, but I just…there’s something about you that I just…”

“Why haven’t you told him about what we’ve done so far?” He asks suddenly, causing you to look at him again. Your lips part for a second in thought before the honest words come pouring out.

“I don’t want to hurt him,” you say, “He has a tough exterior but he’s incredibly soft and vulnerable on the inside. If I told him…it would…grow. Like a weed. Even if I assured him it was nothing to worry about, it’d be there in the back of his mind. It would make him see you differently too, and it might ruin the band. I can’t do that, Suguru.”

“So, your plan is to never tell him how you feel about me?”

“How can I?” You stand up, gesticulating as you speak, “Suguru, I can’t tell my boyfriend, ‘I think I have feelings for your bandmate even though I’m still every bit as in love with you as I was when we first got together.’ If he did that to me, I would be devastated.”

Suguru frowns. “But the longer this goes on…the worse the lie.”

“I can’t hurt him.”

“So tell him the truth. Tell him how you feel about me, but that you have no plans of ever leaving him.”

“Then what? Then he leaves the band and hates you?” You ask, the idea absurd to you.

“Then I talk to him, too,” Suguru says, “I tell him how I feel, and that I have no plans of taking you away.”

“You tried to kiss me the last time we were alone together.”

“I know,” He says, “but maybe if it’s out in the open…”

“He won’t want me ever near you again,” You protest, “it’s better if this stays a secret.”

“I don’t like secrets,” Suguru shakes his head. “What if I dropped hints? Let him figure out that I have feelings for you? And we’ll see what he does.”

“What good would that do?”

“Then he could control the situation. Would that make you feel better?”

If Choso was the one who picked up on it, he could approach you first, and then you could get a read for how he feels about it based off of the way he broaches the subject with you. 

You take a breath before nodding. “Yeah…it would.”

“Okay,” Suguru nods. “Then we’ll do that. It’s going to be okay.”

Your heart throbs painfully in your chest, and suddenly those words of comfort have a lump growing in your throat. Why? Do you like Suguru that much? Is it really having such a great effect on you?

His palm touches your cheek, and you look up at him to see his golden eyes staring into yours. His voice is soft as he says, “tell me how I make you feel.”

There’s a flutter in your chest and you breathe out shakily. “I…I feel a pull. You’re always on my mind, and your music is all I play. When I’m with you, I just…I want to do every bad thing in the book with you. I want to know how you kiss, how it feels, how you…”

Your words trail off as you realize how insane it sounds out loud. Still, he presses on. 

“How I taste?” He fills in for you, deep voice low and syrupy, just above a whisper. It robs your own voice from you. You nod your affirmation.

His hand soothes your hair back. “What else?”

You inhale slowly to try and gain miniscule composure. “How you’d hold me…what it would be like if we were together…the sort of things we’d say, how we’d act, if we could just be a couple…”

“You like me bad,” he teases you lightly, and it commands a hot flush to your face.

“Don’t…”

“I’m right there with you,” he murmurs, pressing his forehead against yours. “I want to wake up next to you, to see you wearing my clothes, to make meals for you, to go out with you and spoil you…I want to make you happy.”

Your eyes close, and he takes the opportunity to ghost his lips over yours, the metal of his lip rings prompting a hitch in your breath. You begin to pull away, but he chases you, tilting slightly to plant a kiss to your cheek instead. You meet his eyes, and his own hold such an intimate gaze within them that you feel it sear through a layer in your heart. He keeps going; his lips meet the skin of your jaw, hands holding you by your back, and soon he’s trailing a line down your neck, arising goosebumps over the flesh he touches, the soft clicks indicating the cadence of each kiss only heightening your insanity.

Having lost a part of your conscience in his embrace, you return it, holding him close to you and relishing in his affection. You thread your fingers through his hair, pulling it from the tie it had been in, and he breathes out in relief, the warm air brushing over your skin.

His mouth stops at the neckline of your shirt, eyes glancing up at yours. 

“I want to keep going,” He states, lowly and softly. You swallow thickly, afraid of the lack of control you might display if you told him what you really wanted to say. Luckily, he doesn’t put you in that position, and he takes a breath, straightening up and putting some distance between you. “I won’t, though.”

Your eyes hold his for a moment, and then you move to speak.

The lock in the front door turns. 

Choso.

You hurriedly sit on the couch, an appropriate distance from Suguru, and understanding the situation immediately he follows suit on the other end. The door opens just in time, and your boyfriend walks through the door.

“Chos’,” you greet with a smile, standing and moving to kiss him. 

“Hey,” He kisses you back before noticing Suguru on the couch. “Oh, hey. I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“Oh, yeah,” Suguru puts on his signature disarming smile. “We happened to be out at the same grocery store. I had to get more tea for Larue, and the place I usually go was out so I came over here.”

“Yeah, I ran into him and invited him over,” You corroborate. Nothing we said was a lie. Just not the entire truth.

“Cool,” Choso smiles easily, not phased or suspicious in the slightest. He removes his shoes and drops his keys in the basket near the door.

“How was hanging out with Kechizu?”

“Ah, same old,” Choso shrugs, “just played games and had pizza.”

“That’s good,” You say, moving to sit back down on the couch. “I got us restocked for the week with groceries since I got a little bored.”

“Oh, good. We can just use Sunday for a lazy day then,” Choso states, moving to sit where you were sitting on the couch. That leaves one spot; between him and Suguru.

Seeing the turmoil flash behind your eyes, Suguru stands.

“Well, it’s getting pretty late. I should get going home since it’s a little far from here.”

“Oh, you sure? You don’t want to stay for dinner?” Choso asks, “we can just order in and hang out, you’re not imposing.”

You take a breath, and Suguru shakes his head. “I appreciate it, but I gotta run some more errands before I go back. I’ll take you guys up on that on another day if you’ll have me.”

“Sure,” Choso shrugs, “you’re welcome any time.”

“Thanks,” Suguru smiles, then walks to the door. He passes you, and you get another whiff of his jasmine cologne, your last dose for the night. He starts putting his shoes on. “Thanks for having me over.”

Recognizing he’s talking to you, you smile in a way that you hope is convincing. “Sure, it’s no trouble. We’re friends now too, after all.”

Something gleams in his eyes at that. The denial you’d given him last time has been overwritten. “Yeah? Sweet. Hey, would you mind if I got her phone number, Choso? It’s not weird, right?”

What?

You look at your boyfriend, who shakes his head. “No, it’s not weird,” He chuckles lightly. “Go ahead. It’s probably a good idea in case of emergency anyway.”

“You’re right,” You agree, moving over to Suguru to take his phone and put your number in it. You text yourself so you have his. 

“Thanks,” He says, taking his phone back. “Well, I’ll see you Monday, Choso! You guys have a good night.”

“You too.”

Choso raises his hand in a wave, and you close the door behind him once he leaves, locking it.

Once you turn around, you see your boyfriend’s eyes traveling over your figure, and it makes you feel warm.

“Chos’?”

“You look really beautiful like that.”

You take a look at yourself. Your hair’s kind of messy, and all you’re wearing is one of his sweatshirts and shorts. 

“Thanks,” you laugh, moving to sit beside him. “I’m not wearing anything special.”

“So?”

That catches you by surprise. He’s usually not this bold. He reaches out and puts a hand on your leg, running it up your thigh. 

“I’ve been thinking about us…” Choso says, “and…that time when I got a little flustered after you wanted me to choke you.”

Your mouth dries up. “…oh?”

“Do you want me to be rougher?”

Your next breath is uneven. “W-well, I…”

“I need you to tell me what you want,” He says, voice dropping a bit in volume. “You know I’ll give you anything.”

“A-anything?” Your voice is thin. He nods seriously.

“Anything in the world.”

You find yourself nodding. “I want…I want to try it rough.”

His lips are on yours in the next instant, and everything after that is a blur of bruising touches, the hurried removal of clothes, and an insistence in your boyfriend you've never seen before.

He has you laid out on the couch, both of your clothes strung around the room unimportantly, his mouth trailing kisses down your neck. A reminder that Suguru had been there not even an hour ago has you feeling a whirlwind of emotions; the shame gives way to arousal.

Choso’s teeth near your nipple has you gasping right back to the present, and you look to see him sucking marks into the soft flesh of your chest. His hands are on your thighs, spreading them, and without warning you feel the glide of his length against your mound. 

He begins grinding against you as he marks your breast up in hickies, pulling noises from you that you don’t recognize. 

His tongue runs over your nipple and you cry out, arching your back as he doubles down and continues to run his tongue over the hardened peak, your sexes rubbing intimately together in a way that makes your heart feel close to bursting.

It’s like he’s a new man tonight…he’s never this into it.

His teeth graze the tip of your nipple and you shudder, wrapping your legs around his waist and beginning to move your hips with his. He groans at that, moving to the next breast and giving it the same attention the first one got. 

“Chos’,” you moan out, feeling one of his hands find the apex of your thigh. It’s only a second before two of his fingers find their way inside of you, slipping in with no resistance due to the way he’s masterfully turned you on. He starts pumping his fingers at a pace, the long digits reaching deep within you, making you shiver again. 

The combination of his mouth and hand are enough to make your head spin. 

He adds a third finger and begins moving down, sliding to his knees off the couch and readjusting you so that he supports your legs with his shoulders. 

His lips scatter kisses and marks over the insides of your thighs as he continues to finger you, and not wasting any time, his mouth finds exactly where you need him, lips wrapping around your pearl and sucking as he pushes his fingers in deeper.

“Fuck,” is what leaves your mouth in a hiss, your hand gripping the couch tightly as he starts eating you out with gusto. “C-Chos’…”

He hums, tongue working wonders on you, and you think for a moment that you might actually lose sanity. 

It’s not like he hasn’t done this before. It’s just that you didn’t think he could be so bold. Usually he goes slower, he never really leaves marks, and he sure as hell doesn’t curl his fingers inside you as he’s doing now—but you’re falling even deeper in love with him.

“Oh my god,” a moan leaves your mouth, and he licks a fat stripe up your swollen bud before attacking it again with a kiss. “Choso…”

His free hand finds your breast again, and it’s over soon after that—the way his fingers pinch and tease at your nipple combined with everything else he’s doing sweeps you over the edge swifter than you’re prepared for, and your orgasm slams into you with a cry of his name. 

Or, rather, your first orgasm of the night.

He doesn’t stop there. He straightens up and climbs back between your legs on the couch, kissing you deeply as he lines up. Instead of asking, he takes, driving himself inside of you and making you take him despite the sensitivity of your walls.

You gasp as he begins moving immediately, nails digging into his shoulders. When you clench around him he groans, right in your ear, and you look up at him to see his face flushed prettily, sweat dripping down his forehead.

Another wave of lust for him takes over and you kiss him hard, nails dragging over his back. He mewls into your mouth and picks his pace up, the lewd, wet slap of your skin tell-tale to anyone who may be walking by the front door of your apartment. 

That reminds you…the two of you have never done it on the couch before. He couldn’t wait long enough to get to bed. 

Another one of your flutters around him causes his hips to stutter, and he ducks down, dragging his teeth over your ear before leaning up on his hands above you.

Then, one of them finds the base of your neck. Your lips part as he squeezes gently, focusing more power on the slam of his hips into yours. You feel him deep inside of you, the dull, harsh stretch of him forcing you to accommodate, and your eyes roll to the back of your head, voice reaching octaves you didn’t think you were capable of. 

“I love you,” he breathes, kissing your open mouth, and you shiver from the contrast of his rough-fucking and the gentle declaration of devotion.

“I love you too,” it comes out of your throat like a wrecked sob, and amidst his panting, he reaches down and starts rubbing you in time with his thrusts, doing exactly what you need in order to finish for the second time. 

As soon as you do, you feel him twitch, pressing deep into you to give you his load. Your own body shakes at the feeling, a sense of euphoria washing over you akin to the rush of opium. 

When you open your eyes, his own mahogany ones are looking at you, a loose, dopey smile on his lips.

“Fuck,” you rasp intelligently, and he chuckles, burying his face in your neck.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you nod, hugging him close. 

No one is on your mind but him. What else happened today? You can’t remember. You can’t think at all. 

Right now, Choso is your world. 

___

A/N: calm before the storm me thinks. Seriously though, if you're sticking with this and still waiting for the updates, thank you so much, I appreciate you. I still plan to post on AO3, I'm just not sure when I'll have the time. Keep your eyes out for the next update!

Please don't copy or repost, but feel free to reblog and share! Taglist (comment here or my masterlist if you want to be added): @jaegerstan222 , @cosmicstarlatte , @dabisdolly , @moonriseoverkyoto , @propheticfire , @bontensbabygirl , @crlyhairedwxtch , @alittlebirdahgaselx , @okkovtsu , @notbellasstuff , @uchihabbynic , @polaroidnana , @childofilluvatar , @shadowfoxy , @jordan-network , @dreamtravelersade , @unmatchxd , @lucyrocks86 , @spineyy , @k3lbade , @xxbuckpoppi , @naughtygobbo , @slammynics , @roseambers , @luvingyouwasreallyhard , @hinachaaan , @redladyrae-blog , @spiteless-xo , @slutforaz , @bellaabee082 , @thedorklingqueen , @delayedrage , @poopwons , @pandisastergod , @username23345 , @sleazymac-n-cheesy , @forest-haven , @midnaamethyste , @bihanspookies , @mysteriouskiller1 , @liyahthings

[walliedarling]

your characterization of wally not being malicious and just a... weird little guy is my new favorite thing ever he's so silly.. but i have a question! :)

since wallly doesn't understand the concept of crushes or having feelings for someone, and you've already made a post about how he deals with his feelings for us, but how would he react to us telling him about what it really means? would something click in his head, and he'd realize that that's what he was feeling all this time? would be attempt to confess to us then, or would he continue to be oblivious for the rest of his little felt life?

i think it would be an interesting concept for him to be rather weird in his approach to confessing if it ever came to that, since I don't think we would ever really explain that in detail- so he would just have to figure it out himself! as i assume, anyways.. and by that I wonder what means he would do to tell us how he feels, albeit odd or in any other way it comes across to us.. maybe he'd ask for some advice from his other lovely neighbors or just dive head in, whatever his forte is in that department @:)

this was longer than i originally intended, but i love your writing and enjoy reading through it!!<3

I'm glad you're enjoying my characterisation of him :D!! I'm not sure how popular it is (I've been a bit busy, so haven't read TOO many fics other than my own), but I am always happy to elaborate more on the way I see him!

You can explain to him what romantic feelings are, and it still doesn't immediately click for him, nor does he fully understand the significance of any of it. He doesn't have romantic fantasies in any traditional sense of the word, after all. But he does really want to be close to you, and he does think about you a lot. So, maybe…? He has to know more first, so he'll ask lots and lots of question. He'll ask more questions. How does it differ from friendships, exactly? What are things you would not do with a friend, but would do with a partner? How do you know if the person you 'like' also ' likes' you? (He makes quotation marks with his fingers every time he says it.)

Wally doesn't get embarrassed or flustered while discussing this at all, because he doesn't know that he's Supposed to be! He's just curious about this whole new type of relationship and love he's never considered before. It puts some things into new perspectives for him, though. Mainly any and all interactions between Eddie and Frank. He thought that was just something exclusive to them! Honestly, the whole explanation is likely brought on by him making a comment about something they were doing together.

He figures out what 'confessing' is when you tell him that's how you usually figure out someone likes you back. For a moment, he's tempted to ask you directly how you feel for him, right then and there, but he gets a little nervous. His usually calm demeanour does have its limits. Wally realises he's nervous because he doesn't want you to say that you don't feel the same way. So… That means he likes you, right? He guesses he'll have to confess!

But he feels completely lost on the subject after that, and is most likely to ask Eddie for advice. He introduces Wally to the concept of love letters, and the idea of what he wants to do is born from there. (If he hadn't gone to him for advice, it's likely he would've just blurted out the question 'Do you like me?' at a random point during the day.)

His confession letter is written in crayon, with little hearts at the edges of the paper. Wally writes in choppy, short sentences, not unlike the way he talks, that he's been thinking about you a lot, and even more since you told him what a crush is. He likes talking to you a lot, and he wants to talk to you a lot in the future as well. He still doesn't fully get what people do 'in a relationship', but would you like to show him? Do you like him as well?

Instead of having Eddie deliver it though, he will deliver it directly to you himself, and insists you open it right in front of him. It's… A unique experience, to say the least, because he's staring hard at you the whole time, even more so than usual.

[kiteblue42]

Part 4 of - what the heck is going on with Mobius anyway?

S2e5 - the one with where they get the band back together

Disclaimer- I’m a single parent and found it hard to be objective watching this one. For me this episode was a very perfect reflection of how hard, lonely it can be to bring up children by yourself and how you willingly give up so much of yourself for them. They did this very well - I hope they don’t screw this up in the final episode.

A good life, but not a happy one

Mobius timeline life is good but not super happy. He comes across as struggling and lonely. Mobius works 6 days a week, he tries to sell Loki one of his jet skis that he no longer can use, he’s constantly being interrupted at work by his kids, the house is chaos and he had to leave the boys to fend for themselves selves while he was at work (therefore he has no friends or family to watch them or money to pay for childcare). This is a person struggling to keep it together, but he does manage to do so for his boys and he manages to stay kind and positive towards them. The boys are the top of his list of priorities “I can’t leave my boys”/ “I need to check on the kids” “I got to get back to my boys” “I’ll know”. This all speaks of someone who has given up his own wants for the kids and feels guilty about doing anything for himself.

Given the slightly flippant tone of “long gone” when discussing his wife I think it likely she left rather than died (or blipped) - as that’s not how a grieving widower is likely to speak (especially if he might be overheard by the boys).

The whisper of adventure

There are a number of signs that Mobius has a desire for adventure. His love of jet skis, the fact he immediately agreed to try out the time door, how much he loved the idea of being “Mobius.” (“Mobius is a pretty cool name”)

The idea of being your better self

It wasn’t just adventure for fun that’s calling his name though but also the idea of being something more. Mobius reacted emotionally to the idea of himself as someone that would “save my life when I first arrived”. His delivery of “I sell Jet Skis man” showed how little he thought of himself, but also a desire to be something more.

Loneliness

This exchange killed me:

Loki “you saved my life when I first arrived. You saw something in me I hadn’t seen in myself”

Mobius “Are you really my friend?”

Loki “I am”.

Just the way Mobius says this tell us how much he really really wants to believe he could have a friend like this.

Loki’s view of Mobius

Once again the major topic of conversation between Sylvie and Loki is Mobius (this is becoming a theme - and if they do get Sylvie and Loki together it’s just mad and funny).

Anyway this conversation tells us that Loki believed Mobius when he said the TVA was the “only life he knew” and that he “liked it”. Of course there’s an element of this being wishful thinking on Loki’s part, but he is pretty insistent that Mobius should be given the choice. So Loki thinks (at least until Sylvie talks him out of it) that there is a good chance Mobius would chose the TVA - and himself. And as Frigga once said (Thor: dark world) Loki is “.. so perceptive about everyone but yourself”. So I don’t think we should dismiss Loki’s perception about Mobius. (He is also pretty insistent in his conversation with Mobius that “this is not the life of the man I know”. And there’s enough for viewers to see “Mobius” is more at ease with himself than “Don”.)

Sylvie undermines this and persuades Loki he is being selfish. (Side note - Sylvie puzzles me this season and in particular in this episode- if you watch closely she sees that her McDonalds meal disappears and Loki’s drink in the bar disappear too - but says nothing to Loki and does everything to stop Loki from trying to fix it - is it just denial or something more sinister?)

Last episode

So some theory based predictions for Ep 6

Themes that still need payoff:

- order & chaos

- Partners & Friends & loneliness

- Hard choices

Th end of the last episode has me thinking we may get a happy ending because it would be narratively neat to leave Loki surrounded by his new TVA family - especially after the way last episode was concluded.

It would pay off the themes positively as follows:

order & chaos - Loki (chaos) working with TVA (order) to give balance

Partners & Friends & loneliness - Loki and his misfit friends get to stay together so they don’t have to be alone

Hard choices - this one worries me but it would be possible for a number of hard choices to be made that still ends up in a good place (even if it doesn’t seem like it will at the time).

Hard choices Mobius

I think this is aimed specifically at Mobius - Loki made his hard choice in Ep 5 when he was willing to let this team go. I’m hoping they will be able to square the circle with Mobius and his family, because he’ll *not* be ok without the boys or without Loki (& the TVA).

Given this is a time travel show with magic I don’t see why they can’t find an solution to that - because the issue is about not having enough time to both look after the boys and look after yourself. I’ll be super disappointed if they make this unnecessarily miserable by making Mobius give up either his fulfilling life & friends at the TVA or his boys. Though I also won’t be surprised to see this as a plot point. If they try to sell it to me as Mobius being super happy to return to his life I’ll be doubly annoyed.

In theory the boys timeline should be long gone so this choice should not exist, but they seem to be setting up this hard choice for Mobius in particular ( so maybe the loom explosion was meant to be a full reset).

Hanging threads & wild cards

X5 /Brad /Zaniac - is still in the TVA - is he going to cause chaos as they try to fix the loom?

Renslayer - is in the void - will she tame Alioth? Is Miss Minutes really gone or does she have another instance in the citadel at the end of time?

Kang - is HWR really behind everything? Are all the events just one pre-planned trap of HWR?

Sylvie - Sylvie knew more than she has told anyone (eg she saw the disappearance of items and said nothing). She has HWR tempad. Loki treats her like she has words of wisdom so we also tend to accept she is right or benign, but her last piece of advice was completely wrong. She has been acting pretty oddly all season too - what’s up with that? (Worth remembering she is a Loki variant and they are generally not to be trusted).

Romance

My own reading of Mobius remains that he lost his heart to Loki sometime around S1e2. By S1e5 he’d accepted this, but concluded it wasn’t going anywhere - so conveniently he didn’t need to exactly work out what the feelings were. Mainly because Loki was focused on Sylvie. This episode doesn’t change that since we don’t get any TVA Mobius.

Loki on the other hand did give more away this episode - and it was the first one (for me) where it looked like his feelings could be romantic or at least headed that way. Whenever he talks about saving his friends we all know this primarily means Mobius. I mean how much interaction has he really had with the others? The discussion in the bar was particularly instructive- he wants Mobius to have the choice (this is *after* seeing him on the timeline when he knows what Mobius would be giving up) and he desperately hopes Mobius would choose to stay with him. But Sylvie persuades him otherwise.

Sylvie - there is really no sign of the romance from last season left here. Loki does still greatly admire Sylvie. I’d say Loki almost hero worships her - and especially takes what she says about free will and choice as authoritative (as if she were an expert on it). This is consistent with his romantic feelings from s1e4,5&6 which seemed to grow out of his admiration for her radical / free spirit nature. But by this episode it didn’t seem to be romantic any more - rather a mentor / mentee conversation. Loki did not declare he wanted Sylvie back or even anything close to it - and it would have been the obvious time to do that.

Sylvie has never seemed particularly romantically interested in Loki to me. She kissed him to distract him in s1e6 and no doubt thinks he’s quite hot, but that’s all I’m getting. I actually like this about her as a character (she’s just not that into you Loki sorry). I hope she is a bit more villainous than we know (a bit more basic Loki if you will) otherwise she has been a bit of a spare part this season.

I am not expecting any romance from the last episode though mainly because:

(1) I don’t think there is time to do either romance option justice with all the other plot points to be resolved (2) romance is not central to the plot of season 2 - they have pushed the friendship / found family theme hard and that will do for plotting & emotional payoff purposes, and (3) if you want to be commissioned for season 3 you don’t resolve romantic tension. We’re on Tumblr so we all know there are a significant chunk of fans of any media that follow the stories for the romance aspect - and we all know this audience is likely to be very loyal, vocal on social media and will predictably turn up to watch the next season just to see how it plays out. If they resolve a romance arc either way too early they kill a lot of interest in season 3 - people are always more interested in “will they won’t they” than an established relationship.

[genolover]

So I read @aughtpunk 's cotl forgiveness au in like 2 days and now I'm hyperfocusing on it. I just keep thinking of cute little things. Particularly between Shaun and kallamar. Aughtpunk probably shouldn't read this.

Like they have regular are-we-still-engaged chess matches. The first time kallamar wins, they regretfully tell the others the engagement is off. Most everyone is like, you were engaged?? How?? Since when?????? The next day they're engaged again. It great and not at all confusing. Pretty soon no one is sure if the engagement is even real or not. Don't ask kallamar, he's not 100% sure either. Like they play games to see who's responsible for the flowers or menu decisions but is it real? Half the group is sure it isn't until it's the night before the wedding and Holy shit this is actually happening wtf and Shaun is just so disappointed in them. Kallamar is too, right my love? Kallamar is like, yeah, I can't believe they doubted the seriousness of this situation. Internally he's screaming. Shaun also didn't think it was that serious but over time he got sick of people shit talking kallamar to his face so he was like, now I gotta marry him in the biggest most amazing wedding ever. I just gotta.

I also just like the idea that they would use games to settle most disagreements. They watch eachothers strategies and moods to figure out how serious they need to be. If it's a lighthearted thing then they joke the whole time and whoever wins, wins. Gg. If it's something more important to one than the other then they give a good game but let that person win since clearly this is a significant matter. If it's an important matter to both, they use the game as something of a distraction. I can't kill you for not understanding exactly where I'm coming from by magically reading my mind if I'm too busy trying to figure out if the move you just made is even legal. By the end of the match, whomever wins, it comes out as more of a compromise.

They do have this problem where if they don't have a clear goal for a game, it can escalate into terrible ends. Like Shaun makes a flirty double entendre about calamari, kallamar says something gross about cannibalism, suddenly its 3 am, they're in the kitchen with heket who is waaaay too happy about cooking some of her brother's flesh with the intention of giving it to his ex-fiancee to eat (shaun being grossed out by cannibalism made him lose), and questioning all of their life choices.

Oh and after wedding thought. Shaun asks narinder for a life flower (that what I've been calling them in my head). Narinder is grossed out but Shaun gives this whole speech about how they aren't gonna use it now, he just wants to show kallamar that he did notice that he wasnt sure how serious he was about the wedding but he is very serious about wanting to have this life together with him and growing their family together. Narinder does reluctantly give him a flower. Little while later kallamar asks for the same thing. His explanation is a little more based in logic. They've talked about children before and he's probably gonna be the one carrying them so it just makes sense for him to have the flower. Everyone is like aww they're gonna present these flowers to eachother and it's gonna be cute or something. Meanwhile kallamar is confirming that he and his husband aren't needed for anything else tonight and maybe the flower might work if brewed into a tea but eh it's better to not chance it and just. Fucking. Eats it. Right there. Infront of God (poor jake) and everybody. Did his husband see that? No, of course not. That would prevent any miscommunication drama. It's like, dude, did you guys plan on that or...? And kallamar is like, we've had some of the most important discussions about this already, I fail to see why we can't start trying now. And then he leaves to go spend his wedding with Shaun in private and now the whole family has no idea what to do with themselves. They did not need this information.

I also have thoughts for their kids. First set is twins. They are cute. They look like normal lambs just tinted blue. At first. They actually have tendrils they hide amongst their wool. They're also good at team hunting. If you see the both of them, it's safe. If you only see one, it's a distraction, turn around, you are being ambushed.

These are just fun little thoughts I had. Feel free to ignore me.

[kess-in-the-perthchimzone]

Kang’s bids for affirmation

Since Kang and Sailom officially got together, I think Kang would leap to say that he’s happier than he’s ever been and that he feels loved and supported; I’m kind of shocked he hasn’t gone so far as to say that Sailom ‘completes him’ or is his ‘other half’ as those seem like the kind of ridiculously romantic things he likes. In the past two episodes, we’ve repeatedly seen him giggling and throwing out ridiculous pick up lines and draping himself over Sailom like an eager puppy.

But what’s stuck with me is the sheer number of times Kang has now asked Sailom for emotional validation. A little out of order—

First, the moment above. He was happy being cheesy and then abruptly got serious when he asked “Do you love me?” He even followed up to make sure Sailom understood he meant it:

He often asks questions like this, although that was probably the most explicitly he’s worded it to date:

(There is more happening in this ^ particular scene but he’s throwing Sailom’s own words back at him, so it’s clear he needs Sailom’s assurance specifically)

Those are all emotional bids. He also makes frequent requests for physical affection (asks for consent to be intimate), which are undeniably related on some level — but he’s also a teenage boy who wants to touch his boyfriend so they stand a little apart! I only captured two screenshots as I wasn’t initially looking for this so I know I’m missing more:

What all these asks tell me is that on some subconscious level Kang has recognized that Sailom is maintaining walls beyond them and it is making him anxious.

One of those walls came down last week when they had sex (putting in a screenshot just because I can and because I’m in love with this scene):

The bigger emotional walls — the ones that will be harder for to Kang recognize, let alone vocalize — remain, however.

The closest Sailom has come to admitting the depth of his feelings (that we’ve seen, not including the offscreen discussion about how long Sailom has liked him that I am STILL SALTY about missing) are these two moments:

But the first was truly a crisis situation. And the second one is a metaphor! He is not using the word “I” anywhere in there. He’s still keeping his feelings at a distance.

While Sailom is happy to be supportive and affectionate in many ways — cheering Kang on at football, coming on this trip with him, giving him so, so many hugs — those times are always focused on Kang. If Kang needs him for reasons that don’t have to do with their relationship, Sailom is there.

But Sailom has not given Kang the opportunity to repay that in any way (yet!). He pretty consistently acts like he does not need anything from Kang. He doesn’t admit to fears or insecurities or anything that makes him vulnerable.

In that very first scene above, Sailom never says “yes, I do love you”. He doesn’t even take a bite of the fruit Kang offers. Although he very much plays it off as a joke, this is what he says:

He’s now turned down Kang’s concerns about his debts twice. The first time, he left a door open — he focused it on his concerns about Kang giving up his football dreams and Kang was able to take comfort in the idea there was still a path for him to help Sailom:

The second time bears a deeper look because I think it genuinely upset Kang.

When they arrive at Khorat, Kang says this:

WE are super rich. He thinks of them as a package duo. What’s mine is yours.

But when Sailom shuts him down, he says this, with no further explanation:

Essentially — no, it’s YOUR money. (We are not a team in this)

And watch Kang. He physically recoils. He opens and closes his mouth like he wants to say something. And he’s silent for a pronounced period of time.

You can see him starting to think something along the lines of “I love you so much, why won’t you let me show you that?”

And then he asks what is an objectively bizarre question after Sailom has just TURNED DOWN HIS MONEY — ‘would you like me if I didn’t have any money’. He is starting to recognize that he needs more from Sailom — things he isn’t fully ready to put into words — and it misfires as this. It really feels — to me — like Sailom has been trying to prove, whether to himself or to Kang, that if he didn’t have Kang he would be “fine”. That he is self-sufficient and he could make his own way in the world.

On some level, this is admirable. But on another level, it’s drive by fear. He’s so scared of losing Kang that he’s actively keeping him at arm’s length.

And Kang is noticing.

When Sailom finally willingly lets Kang in — because he has to — I think he’s terrified that it’s going to scare Kang off. Instead, Kang is going to be so desperately grateful for the opportunity to be there for him. What Sailom thinks will ruin them will only heal an ever-increasing divide between them. It’s going to be beautiful to see.

[ultrasonicbath]

as the u.s. tour comes to a close, i want to take a moment to talk about a phenomenon i’ve seen taking place within mcr internet fan spaces these last few months, my thoughts on it, and how i think it relates back to digital media literacy.

(before we start, i want to make it clear that i’m just some guy and i am definitely not the most qualified person to talk about this, but i think some of the things in this post really, really need to be said. my hope is not necessarily to change your mind or to “get you on my side,” but to encourage you to think critically and independently, even during your daily scroll on social media.)

————

so, what is this ominous phenomenon i’m talking about? i’m referring to some of the comments i’ve seen mcr fans make regarding gerard’s gender—specifically the public, speculative, and seemingly unironic ones that attempt to put a label or a semblance of a label on his gender nonconformity.

(i think now’s a good time to mention you should read this entire post before engaging with or commenting on it. stay with me. we’re in this together.)

here is a post that i think does a good job of explaining this a little more in-depth for anyone who’s out of the loop.

regardless of my personal opinions on all of this, i understand why it’s happening. much of mcr’s fanbase is trans and/or non-binary, and seeking out representation from familiar, comforting figures is not out of the ordinary. i don’t think anyone involved means harm, and this isn’t a callout post. i’m just adding to a discussion i think has been largely one-sided up until recently.

————

what is the point of me making this post? to put it bluntly, i disagree with how much of the discussion around gerard’s gender identity and expression is being conducted.

(again, please stay with me.)

what is it, specifically, that i disagree with? is it the celebration of gerard’s gender nonconformity? is it the possibility they might not identify, partially or wholly, with their gender assigned at birth? is it the joy their gender expression has inspired in many mcr fans?

no. it’s none of those things; not even close. i can’t even put into words how i, a gender nonconforming trans man, felt when gerard wore his cheerleader dress in nashville. it was a special moment and i was so happy to see him happy.

but something that bothers me about the “gender wars” narrative is the idea that anyone who’s not all-in is, if not an outright transphobe, someone with deep-rooted biases they need to work through. i haven’t seen this from everyone, but it’s floated around here and there.

nuance in conversations like this is incredibly important. the human experience is rarely black and white. and i believe the notion that it must be, especially when it comes to topics such as queer identity, largely stems from closed-mindedness and fear, conscious or unconscious.

i have certainly witnessed people online assert that gerard must be cis, and there’s no way he can’t be cis, implying if he ever identified as anything other than cis that would be bad and gross and weird. i strongly disagree with that viewpoint because it’s transphobic and gerard is a real person who none of us know personally who can do whatever the fuck he wants. in the same way, i disagree with the viewpoint that gerard must be trans, and there’s no way he can’t be trans, implying anyone who disagrees is a transphobe who refuses to pay attention. because gerard is a real person who none of us know personally who can do whatever the fuck he wants.

i’m aware gerard has also made comments in the past about his journey with gender identity, the connection he feels to women and femininity, and even his experimentation with drag while he was in college. he’s said he should be referred to with either he/him or they/them pronouns, he’s an earnest supporter of the trans community, and he’s historically rejected the sexist shithead rock-dude stereotype.

i’m not here to downplay any of those things, nor am i trying to invalidate anyone who has taken comfort in or identified with those things. just a couple of points i would like you to think about, though:

some cis people also question their gender identity and/or use multiple sets of pronouns for a multitude of reasons (i’m not saying gerard has to be cis, i’m just giving you an extra viewpoint to chew on);

i’ve personally met plenty of men or male-aligned people who strongly identify with women and femininity. i strongly identify with women and femininity and i’m still 100% a trans man and will throw anyone who tries to tell me otherwise directly into the sun (again, i’m not saying gerard must be a man or male-aligned);

gender nonconformity and transness are complex, nuanced topics. labels can be useful, but they are not a be-all-end-all;

and i’m going to be blunt here—assuming and/or declaring someone is transfem when they haven’t publicly referred to themselves as such, just because they are comfortable discussing their own femininity and sometimes have a feminine presentation and feminine mannerisms, is basically an upgraded form of gender essentialism and completely disregards the existence and experiences of amab cis-passing queer people and gender nonconforming people. i understand it’s a tough pill to swallow, but intent doesn’t always equal impact, and just because someone may not see it that way doesn’t mean that’s not what they’re doing.

even if gerard is transfem, he’s still a real person who has a right to privacy and autonomy, and he never has to publicly label himself if he doesn’t want to. no one is entitled to seek out the details of his identity, but least of all us, a bunch of strangers on the internet who will probably never have a full conversation with him.

not one of us is an “authority” or “expert” on gerard way or my chemical romance. we can learn about the band’s history and public personas or laugh at the funny, quirky parts of their lore or cry when we think about how far they’ve come in the public eye, but what gives us the right to dig into every tiny crevice of gerard’s work and interactions and public existence searching for “clues” as to whether or not he’s trans? what gives us the right to label his gender identity for him—a process that is incredibly personal? i know “parasocial” is basically just another hollow internet buzzword at this point, but let’s not forget the very real consequences that parasocial relationships can certainly have.

do i think it would be fucking awesome if gerard came out as trans tomorrow? absolutely. do i also think it’s fucking awesome that they’re an older gnc person? that so many queer people have discovered and accepted themselves in part because of them? that they now exude joy onstage and bravely dress and act the way they do? one million times yes. and we can celebrate those real, concrete, factual things without tinhatting, overstepping boundaries, or jumping to conclusions. if they were to come out as trans tomorrow, that wouldn’t invalidate any of my arguments or make the behavior i’m critiquing acceptable, because the point isn’t about whether or not gerard is trans, the point is about how some of mcr’s fanbase is treating them.

gerard has uplifted and respected us time and time again without even knowing us as individuals. so i want you to take a moment to sincerely reflect and ask yourself this question: where is our respect for him?

————

alright. i’m glad you’re still here. let’s talk about what can actually be done about this.

i think a lot of this problem boils down to a lack of critical thinking. yes, that’s thrown around a lot as a clapback on this website, but i don’t mean it as an insult. we’re all guilty of not thinking critically, myself included. especially in the age of the internet, it’s impossible to be perfect all the time, when we’re bombarded with information from every angle.

this is why learning about and consistently practicing media literacy is so important. it’s something i’m passionate about because i’ve seen firsthand, time and time again, how it can make or break a person and their worldview, to the point that i spent hours writing about it for my upper-level journalism courses (before i dropped out lol) and worked for two semesters as an editor for a college newspaper.

if these conversations about gerard were happening in private group chats between friends who already know one another, my opinions on the topic itself would still stand, but it wouldn’t be any of my business and i obviously wouldn’t think to write an entire post about it. but everything changes when these discussions are had on a public platform with little regard for nuance.

“misinformation,” or the unintentional spread of false information—not to be confused with disinformation, where the person spreading it knows what they’re saying isn’t true—might not be a totally accurate descriptor for some of what’s going on here, honestly. none of us can prove what gerard is thinking or feeling. but based on what we do know, what he’s publicly and concretely shared with us, i think it’s as close as we can get. a lot of the posts i’ve seen don’t read to me as “hehe funny celebrity headcanon that’s obviously just for fun.” or even “i relate to this person’s art and/or publicized experiences, but i understand i don’t know them and at least some of that is just projection.” rather, they seem to make invasive leaps and use inaccurate vocabulary while simultaneously taking themselves very, very seriously, and that concerns me more than if a random tumblr user was just trolling to start fandom drama or something.

to put things into perspective, this is why every single one of my journalism professors drilled it into my head that you have to get your news from multiple sources. those sources must have differing perspectives and you need to look at every single one with a critical eye, no matter how trustworthy they may seem (listen, i get it’s way more complicated than that and i could go off on a whole other tangent about the glaring problems with mainstream news media in the united states and not in a cringefail right-wing way, but this is an mcr blog, so let’s just focus on the basic principle here).

obviously, i don’t think anyone should engage with transphobes unless it’s for the sake of making stronger counter-arguments, because their beliefs are provably harmful and false. but someone making good-faith criticisms of speculating about a stranger who has not publicly come out as trans and/or non-binary is markedly different. i’m not the only person who’s written something like this, and i encourage everyone to seek out similar posts and think about the points they’re making, even if you don’t agree with every single one of them.

this speculative commentary on gerard’s identity has spread like wildfire and created a polarizing echo chamber, from what i’ve seen. i understand why. but it’s still deeply worrying to me. seeing as this is primarily happening on tumblr, i’m concerned less because i think gerard will ever see or care about these posts (that’s obviously still important, though), and more because of what this says about how people in mcr fanspaces view celebrities they feel strongly about and engage with information they see online at large.

please do research on digital media literacy, and please use reputable sources with authority on journalism and communications to do so. don’t take what you see on social media at face value. don’t trust any one social media user to feed you commentary or shape your viewpoints, and that includes me. read with a critical eye. think about the possible implications and intentions behind the words other people use, big or small, and why those might be there. be aware of your own biases and blindspots. remember that you’ll never be perfect, not even close. and while you’re at it, learn more about the experiences of gnc people, and the experiences of queer people of all different ages, backgrounds, cultures, races, identities, perspectives, lived experiences, etcetera. if you can, engage in diverse irl lgbtq+ spaces. they put things into perspective in a way the internet never will.

but i still use tumblr in 2022, so what do i know?

————

if there’s anything you think i overlooked or misconstrued in this post, tell me! i want this to be a living, breathing conversation, not a monologue. these are important issues and they deserve our time and attention. thank you so much for reading.

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Hello BPP,

I've been a BTS addict for more than a year now, and I'm trying to find the reason why me (a happily married and a mother of a wonderful teenage boy) became so obsessed with a boy group. Before my encounter with these young korean lads, I only bought albums from 5 artists: Enya (all of her albums, I 💖 her since 1995), Michael Jackson (some), Backstreet boys (sue me those were my teenage years), ABBA & QUEEN greatest hits. That's not much isn'it? But since 2023, I try to buy at least one BTS album every 6 months, and that in itself is HUGE for me. Why do I do that ? What do they do, more than others, to make me want to spend money on them?

I've never been interested in fan voting before and now, I try to vote everytime I can. Even I find myself insane, but I can't help it. I want to support them all the way... 🤯

At first my husband thought my obsession was temporary, but after a year, despite of making fun of me, he's trying to find BTS albums or else for me (what a sweetheart 🥰). He supports me but doesn't understand it either.

So a simple question : what make BTS so addictive?

Their stage presence, charisma, uniqueness, talent ?

For a few weeks I tried to come up with a clear answer but I can't formulate it... daeng...

According to you, what distinguesh them from others groups or artists ?

Bisous et heureuse de vous lire!

***

You have no idea how happy it made me to read you love Enya as well. That woman is a timeless treasure. And yeah she's one of the few artists aside from BTS whose music I've invested time and money into collecting.

Part of what you're asking is: what makes us spend money, time, resources, emotional labour, and more, on seven men halfway (maybe?) across the ocean from us?

"Even I find myself insane, but I can't help it. I want to support them all the way..."

Maybe we are insane. What's so wrong with that? Maybe we're kinda nuts to be so taken by these seven guys. So what?

Or maybe we're just suckers for good marketing. I know I am. Of course, other things matter as well but good marketing is something that BTS has down pat. It's kinda easy for them too because the guys are as authentic as they come around these parts. They're solid. There's no other group that could withstand the kind of scrutiny they're under without bucking. Not one. And incidentally BTS' musical talent is peerless.

So, yeah, the marketing. :)

Or maybe it's the fandom... That's the thing about fandoms - the reason fandoms exist is not for the idol, but for other fans. 90% of what people do here is discuss what other fans are doing. Not the music, not the performance, not even the idol themselves, but other fans doing fuck all. I'm not saying this to indict you. My point is that there is constant covert persuasion within the fandom to act like the rest of the group a.k.a. ARMYs. I keep saying fandom is a pressure cooker environment, and one way that shows up is covertly forming behaviours in people within the shared space/group, and if you haven't experienced being in big fandoms before it will be overwhelming. If you constantly see people who express their love for BTS by buying albums routinely, then it's easy to see how you might want to try it for yourself.

Because you do love BTS. At the end of the day, that's what it comes down to. I don't care to try to explain why. At least not for me. It might be their "stage presence, charisma, uniqueness, talent" as you said, or maybe they're just worth the love by being themselves and giving us the music and experiences they have so far.

I still get fever dreams remembering Agust D on tour last year, you know. I still remember what it felt like to hear his music live and see him perform. He was a beast. Buying his music sounds like a no brainer lol. And he's just one of seven similarly talented men together in one group. Their music is worthy of every award it ever gets. And their performances...

(There isn't a single group active today that has surpassed this video)

I've said before I followed BTS for years before calling myself an ARMY. Sometimes when I think about it, I'd been buying their albums regularly since 2015 - three years before I started calling myself a fan of BTS. Their music was just so good I couldn't ignore it. And this is when for most groups I'm so picky with buying albums.

I have to commend you for critically assessing (sort of) your desire to spend on BTS though. If we're indeed insane as we said above, it's better to be self-aware of the fact. So again, kudos for attempting to dissect what's really happening here. But, not to be preachy, I think it's important to also just let yourself enjoy things. If spending on BTS is coming ahead of meeting your basic needs and responsibilities, then listen to your gut and pull back. Go cold turkey if you need to and spend on nothing at all. But if that's not your experience, (and I don't think it is), then just let yourself enjoy loving them. In that case, it's enough to know BTS are phenomenal artists and good people who make us happy, and some of us have the desire, means and time to support them, and that's okay.

Isn't it enough that you enjoy BTS for whatever reason and want to sustain this thing you enjoy by investing into it? So long as you're prudent and resourceful? Or maybe... not? Nobody else's opinion matters anyway. It's your money and your time and you know best how to use it.

[captain-mj]

I want the zombie roach AU we discussed.

I am holding your femur hostage.

This is exactly what I'm talking about. Steal my bones guys

Ghost remembered the exact moment he knew Roach had died. He woke up in the hospital, still nursing a bullet wound, with luckily only scant burns. Pain had followed him in a straight shot through his body, an overwhelming sensation. 

Price had come in. Or maybe he had been in there a while and Ghost had just now noticed. 

But Price hadn't looked happy to see him. He looked like he had been crying and Ghost knew immediately what it was. Ghost didn’t want to ask. He wanted to bury himself in those pillows and never ever know the truth. That way, he could pretend. Pretend Roach was alive and well and somewhere else. 

But Simon couldn’t put things away that easily. 

"Roach..." His voice sounded shot. Hoarse and harsh. Probably rubbed raw from smoke inhalation. It made him stutter and fall over his words, something he thought he had gotten over as a child. They wouldn’t leave his throat, but he managed to say the name and from Price’s expression, it was more than enough. 

"He's gone, Simon. We found his body along with his dog tags." Price sank to his level since Ghost was still laying down. “Burned in the same fire that almost took you.”

"How do you know... Maybe Shepherd just..." The look on Price's face made Ghost trail off.

"I took off his mask, Simon. It was him. I'm sorry, but he's gone." Price was gentle with him. So gentle. It was more than he deserved. He let him die.

"Ah..." Ghost needed to lay down. Maybe forever. He felt Price's hand on his shoulder but it was distant.

"Rest, Ghost. You're hurt."

"Can you get Johnny for me?"

"Yeah… I can get Soap for you. He already knows. Been helping me with arrangements." Price left and it was agonizing wait until Soap came. He sat next to him on the bed, gently tracing the new burns on his body.

Ghost didn't cry. He physically couldn't thanks to some injuries to his face, along with a  lot of psychological stuff. But he felt it regardless. A burning behind his eyes and along his nose. He leaned heavily into Soap, into his lifeline.

Soap had clearly been crying. His eyes rimmed with red and there were small tear tracks down his face. But for Simon, he still held it together, not wanting to lose him to Ghost due to grief. 

"I really am so sorry."

Ghost felt shaken. The idea of Roach.

His Roach.

Gone.

He hid his face in Soap's face and shook hysterically. Soap hugged him close to him, petting his hair.

"I know. I know." Johnny held him. "They think it was fast. He would've been dead before the.. the fire..."

"How bad is his body?"

"You're not going to want to see it." Soap told him gently. "I found it. And you're not going to want to see it."

Ghost continued to lay with Soap for a long time. But he knew already that he wasn't going to let Roach go this easily.

He would do something. Anything. 

-

Ghost was discharged two weeks later. It was excruciatingly long. He counted the days slowly. 

His bullet wound healed in 10 days. The perfect, typical timeline of a bullet wound. It almost made him sick. 

One of the nurses offhandedly mentioned how lucky he was. That the burns were healing so well, stitching themselves back so easily. And that he avoided third degree burns. She seemed so surprised by it. 

Ghost bit back a harsh word about how his gear was there to prevent those wounds or maybe a sharp retort about how having his Roach die was not by any means lucky.

His… 

So he did the only thing he knew how to do. 

Ghost went to a bar and started drinking. He made sure Soap and Price didn’t see him because he knew they would want to stop him and he wanted to put himself in a fucking coma. Maybe he’d get alcohol poisoning and die. If he kept drinking, he could die by morning from it. 

Death didn’t like him though. He knew it didn’t. If it did, he would’ve died in Vernon’s grave. Or in the scorpion’s cage. Or by his dad’s hands. 

Instead, he had to keep living. 

He downed the bourbon and stared at the screen that was playing above his head. He wasn’t actually sure what was playing, but he hoped that between his tattoos, his mask, his size and also the fact he was clearly busy, no one except the bartender would pay him any mind. 

The bourbon burned. After a moment, he ordered a virgin pina colada. He made sure the stupid umbrella came with it and he pushed it to the empty seat next to him where Roach would sit. Roach didn’t drink. Ghost had no idea why. 

Maybe he was a flirty drunk? Or he had bad experiences with it?

Ghost got another shot and downed it too. The burn went down his throat and he could feel it in his stomach. 

Someone sat next to him. 

“Waiting for someone?” 

Ghost turned to the man sitting next to him. He was… hmm. Tall. Older looking. He had a face similar to Pedro Pascal, if a bit taller with blue eyes. More facial hair like he didn’t have time to clean it up. 

Ghost had daddy issues. Never said he didn’t. And right now, he was all alone. He had been dancing around his feelings towards two of his sergeants but one was dead and the other was not here. 

This guy was giving him attention and he was maybe a little too drunk. All the wrong things. 

A one night stand might help where the alcohol was failing. 

“Not anyone that’ll show up.”

“Really? Stood up on a date?”

“No. He’s dead.” Ghost downed the shot, noticing the guy take the straw in his mouth and drink. His dark eyes focused on him. Dark brown around pupils. Something about them made him feel uneasy. Weren’t they just blue?

“Ah. Shame. What’s his name?”

“Gary. Though I never used that. Always called him Roach.”

“Military?” 

For a moment, Ghost felt a skittering paranoia before remembering his dog tags were out. Laying on his chest. They were slightly burned. He knew how to clean them. Or even just get a replacement. But he hadn’t. And he wouldn’t. It had burns just like him and Roach. 

“Yeah. Military. You ever serve?”

“Can’t say I have.”

“Don’t. Don’t let anyone you know join if you can help it.”

“If you could leave, would you?”

“No. I don’t have anything else.” Even Soap, Johnny, Sergeant MacTavish, as much as Ghost romanticized the soft idea that he’d have him, was so intrinsically tied to the military. Roach had been as well, but Roach was more intrinsically tied with being dead now. If he left, he’d have nothing. No family. No home. No one to know. He’d start over and at the ripe age of 28, he couldn’t do that. Didn’t have the energy for it. “That’s what the military does. It’s like a toxic partner.”

“I see. So your buddy Roach. What would you do to get him back?”

“Fucked up question to ask a drunk person that’s grieving.”

“I know.” The man leaned in. He smelled weirdly sweet. An overwhelming, almost toxic sweet smell. Ghost remembered being in the coffin. He didn’t know why but the smell brought him back.

“What cologne are you wearing?” He mumbled.

That man smiled and Ghost’s vision grew a tad blurry. Shifting around like he was black out drunk and yeah he hadn’t been counting his shots but he was a big guy and he doubted however much he had drank would’ve been enough. “I’m not wearing cologne, Ghost. You’ve killed a lot of people haven’t you?”

“Try not to think about it.”

“Saved any?”

“That’s the hope. I like to think I’ve saved more than I’ve taken, but I don’t let the numbers keep me awake.”

“I’m going to ask again. What would you do to get him back?”

Ghost thought about it. “I don’t know what I wouldn’t do.”

“You should go visit him.”

“He’s in the morgue. They said I shouldn’t.” His vision was blurring more like they were filling with tears. 

The doctor examined his face, looking at him with scrunched eyebrows. A surgical mask covered the bottom half of her face.

“You suffered some horrible injuries. How did you drag yourself across Mexico to get here?” Her accent was thick. Undeniably Texan.

“You’re safe now, sweetie? Okay?” He could see it. The pity. He hadn’t seen himself yet. He didn’t know how bad the scarring was. Simon was not aware that he had died in that desert. Not yet. 

He smiled. And this time, Ghost noticed that he had a few too many teeth. 

“Go visit him and tell him how you feel.”

“He’s dead.” Ghost bit out. “I don’t know what sick fuck you are, but he’s dead.”

“Is he? Have you seen his body? Do you trust everyone that much?” 

Ghost trusted Price and Soap. He did. Didn’t he?

No. No, he did not.

Ghost was suddenly moving. He went to deck the guy but he was gone. 

Somehow, he did find himself walking to the morgue. It was attached to the base. He didn’t know why. The army hospital was right next to it. That was probably why. 

He found himself looking through the different metal cabinets. Trying to find him. 

Roach looked unbearably tiny. If Ghost remembered correctly, they had embalmed him, but not held the funeral yet. They wanted Ghost to be up and at em before they did it. The embalming kept him from rotting. But it didn’t make him look alive. 

He shouldn’t be exposed like this. The thin sheet over him wasn’t enough. 

Ghost grabbed a trash can and threw up. He blamed it on the alcohol and not the scent of formaldehyde. 

Crying was never something he wanted to do before. But he wanted to now. He wanted a way to get all of these stupid emotions out of his body. 

There was a rustling. Probably one of the attendants finding him here. That was going to be an awkward explanation. 

A hand on his shoulder made him finally look up. See the pale flesh of Roach’s arm. Even paler than normal thanks to the embalming fluid now running through his veins instead of blood. 

His head tilted unnaturally and his eyes had a whitish tint to them, but it was clearing as he blinked. 

Ghost felt like throwing up again, but there was nothing to throw up. He stood up slowly, towering over him. Roach blinked a few more times before smiling at him. The scars on his face tugged slightly with it, just like they always did. 

“Roach?” Ghost said slowly.

Roach raised his hands, his fingers trembling. Simon. He signed it. Like most people who used sign language, he had a special sign for the closer people in his life. Ghost’s was the sign for ghost where instead of holding an F sign, he held an S. It was an odd thing, but it was so clearly Roach. 

Ghost wrapped his arms around him. He felt so cold from the cabinet. 

“Are you cold?” 

Roach nodded. He was also very naked. He looked like he was made of glass. 

“Let me get you to my room.” Ghost slid his jacket off and put it on him. He tugged it so it covered as much of Roach as possible. Hysterically, he worried he’d get a cold.

Ghost pulled him along gently. Roach followed him, looking up at him with shaking legs. His eyes get drooping like he was tired and Ghost didn’t even think before trying to lift him before stopping. Roach felt so heavy in his arms. Way, way heavier than normal. 

Apparently the embalming process added some weight. He instead just ushered him faster and gently put him in his own bed. Ghost wondered what this was. If it was some cruel hallucination or delusion. 

Roach made the sign for him to lay down and Ghost did without question. He pressed into him, his freezing body leeching warmth from Ghost. Ghost didn’t care. He’d freeze to death if it meant whatever this was would last longer. 

At some point, he fell asleep. 

Soap yelling woke him up. He sounded horrified at first before something shut him up. 

Ghost reluctantly pulled himself together enough to open his eyes to look. 

Roach was standing up. Dressed luckily. He had Soap’s face in his hands and Ghost couldn’t see his expression but judging by Soap’s it was a calming one.

“I saw you die. You died. You were…” 

Roach made the sign for Soap. It was the regular sign for soap but he made the sign for J with his hands. Just like on Ghost, it worked like a charm. 

Soap pulled him close, crying quietly. Ghost noticed that Roach was still pale and he reached over, feeling his skin. It felt wrong. Not as cold as before, but more of an ambient room temperature. 

Roach shoved them both away and rushed off to Ghost’s bathroom. He could hear him hacking something up. The sound of liquid falling from his mouth. 

“How.” Soap looked at him. “Being dead for a few minutes can destroy a person’s brain. A few hours? They’re wrecked. Resuscitation is almost pointless because its a miracle if they even start breathing let alone have a quality of life. He was dead two weeks. Two full weeks. And that’s just counting the time in the morgue. That’s not even considering that he was next to your unconscious ass for who knows how long.” He was speaking so clearly, suppressing his accent as if using Scotts would make Ghost not be able to understand him. Ghost already couldn’t understand him. He didn’t get the question.

“I don’t know. I just… went down there. And he woke up.”

“What did you do Ghost.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Ghost. This doesn’t… make sense. He was dead a while.” 

“I know. I don’t get it either. But he’s awake.”

“We’re…” Soap ran his hands through his hair. “This is fucking insane.”

Ghost stood up and grabbed him. He cupped his face in his hands just like Roach did. This was madness. Mania to the goddamn extreme. He knew, deep down, that he shouldn’t be taking this so easily. But they were all alive. After two weeks of being confined to  a hospital bed, forced to do nothing but think and think and think about the missing part of himself, he didn’t want to think anymore. 

He had his pieces. 

Ghost was whole again. 

Simon kissed Johnny, not lifting his mask to do so. He could feel Johnny’s lips through it and that was enough. “We’ll figure it out.”

Johnny stared at him. Maybe it was because he didn’t want to crush Ghost. Or because he also wanted nothing more than to have everyone alive and kicking. “Okay. We’ll figure it out.”

-

Roach had laid awake the entire night. He didn’t feel like sleeping. In all honesty, he was very confused. One moment, he had been shooting at an enemy with Ghost. Then he was alone, somewhere very cold with a sheet over his face. It was even more confusing when he stood up and his body felt like he was wearing his gear even though he was naked. There was also this chill down to his goddamn bones. 

Roach kept having to get up to cough up all the embalming fluid. When he left the bathroom, Soap and Ghost were there. He felt lighter now. Finally having rid himself of most of it. Under his skin, he could see the very start of pink as his body tried to make more blood to replace what was drained. 

Ghost left the room. Soap sat with him, moving closer. Roach leaned into him, still so very cold. Soap wrapped his arms around him.

“What happened?”

Roach didn’t fucking know. He made the sign for the idiot and Soap laughed, though he was clearly tense. 

“Sorry for asking.”

Ghost brought back food. Other than the bacon, Roach couldn’t really stomach it. He did drink down the tea Ghost brought him though. It felt so warm. 

Ghost sat on his other side and it felt so nice. They felt so nice. 

They smelled really, really nice.

Roach blinked. Huh. That was weird. 

During the night, Soap stayed in Ghost’s room, which he thought was cute. He couldn’t fit in the bed so the two of them had a small disagreement over who would take the floor and who would take the bed. Roach tried to offer and they glared so hard into his soul he thought he’d drop dead again. 

After an hour of watching the two of them sleep quietly, Ghost managed to argue that he had the bed the night before so Soap laid next to him, Roach got… impatient. He was too bored for this. 

So he got up and went outside. The smell wasn’t helping. His own body had the horrible chemical smell that a shower hadn’t gotten rid of, but his… 

What were they? Friends he guessed. His friends smelled divine. It made him so hungry. He knew the kitchen wouldn’t have anything worthwhile but his card had a lot of money on it, like his friends, he didn’t really use it for anything, mostly just hoarding it all for retirement. 

Roach found a diner and after looking through the food, he settled on a steak. The waitress didn’t know sign so he had to point to it. Luckily, the waitress had a good head on her shoulders because she held up her hand and pointed to her fingers, saying the different doneness so he could just hold up the finger he wanted. 

She was nice. Short and accommodating. She put the food in front of him and he had took his mask off to eat it. He had asked for medium rare, but it was very well done. He thought of complaining, but the idea of having to both get her to realize the mistake without being able to verbally explain along with bothering her was … He decided against it. 

Roach bit into the steak, not bothering with a knife because it was getting on his nerves. He sank his teeth into it. The inside was red. 

Roach was in the diner’s kitchen, holding someone’s arm. Their body laid out on the floor with several giant chunks missing. 

The waitress laid just a few feet away. Her shirt had been ripped open and he could see the empty chest cavity where her torso should be. 

After a moment of thinking, he kept eating. Finally, he felt warm. Their blood replacing his own. He didn’t feel so hungry. 

Their lungs tasted bad. He ended up skipping over them and going to the muscles in his chest. They melted like butter. 

He’d have to order his steaks bloody. 

[jpmarvel90]

Don't let me down - part 2

Masterlist Scarlett Masterlist

Part 1

Relationship: MamaScarlett x 16 yr old Reader

Summary: Will Y/n decide to be fostered by Scarlett and Colin?

Word count: 5339

Y/n's POV:

"Scarlett, I don't know." I admit, dropping my head. This is all too much right now. In the last three hours everything in my life has turned completely upside down. I've met my biological mom, the truth behind the abuse we've suffered at the hands of Mr Woodstock has come out, and now we're all being moving to new homes. In my case, my biological mother's home.

"We met less than three hours ago. We were meant to be getting to know each other first. Now I'm meant to just move in with you and your family." I say, trying to keep my breathing calm, but not succeeding. Scarlett carefully steps forward and places a hand on my shoulder. "Hey, look at me. Can you take a couple of deep breaths for me?" She asks quietly. She takes exaggerated breaths herself and I try to match her, which is difficult when I can see the stare of Colin and Danny on me.

"There you go. You're doing such a good job." She compliments me when I manage to get my breathing back under control. She gives me a small smile and steps back slightly to give me space again, something that I'm grateful for. "I know this is all a lot to take in right now. But we can still get to know each other. We won't rush anything. But I meant what I said.  We would like to adopt you. I'm aware that I can't make up for the decision I made 16 years ago, especially considering the impact it's had on your life. But I'd like to try and make up for it now and make sure that you are safe and happy." She explains to me. I look at her face, trying to see if there is a lie in there, but when I can't find one, I let out a sigh.

My mind is torn. On one side, I  don't know what I want when it comes to my relationship with Scarlett. We were supposed to get time to do this the right way. Spend some time together, know more about the other. This is all so rushed and what if she spends time with me and doesn't like me? I'll be back to where I am now, waiting for my next home.

But on the other hand, I don't know what would happen to me if I'm moved to another group home this evening. Would I stay there, would it just be temporary. What if they're no better than Mr Woodstock? At least with Scarlett I'd be safe right? Almost as if he can sense my turmoil, Danny steps forward now and gains my attention.

I like Danny, for some reason I feel completely safe around him. He has kind eyes and I get the idea that he's a person that spends his time helping others. "Your placement with Scarlett is just for a couple days until we can get their foster status assessed by a judge on Monday. I know that's not long to establish a relationship between you both, but I can see you're a smart girl. You've spent your life having to act older than you are. You'll know in that time if it's somewhere you feel safe and if you want to continue living there if they get their foster status approved." He explains calmly, though I can see Scarlett glaring daggers at him for even suggesting it. Which makes me fight to hide a giggle.

"She's glaring at me, isn't she?" He asks at a whisper, a smirk on his face. I nod, laughing, which takes Scarlett by surprise. "You've got my number, if you ever feel uncomfortable, you call me, and I'll be there." He offers, returning back to the serious discussion. "Ok, we'll see how things go this weekend." I say, sighing as my brain isn't sure if this is the right decision. But by the looks on Scarlett's face she couldn't be happier.

"Why don't we go and collect your things from your room. Then you can head off." Danny suggests, pointing towards the house. I nod and lead them on the way. As we're climbing the stairs, I can see that Scarlett and Colin are looking around. It's not the nicest of places. It's run down and there are too many kids that are living here for the space there is.

I direct them to the room that I share with 4 other girls. "I don't have much." I mumble as I point to my bed. "That's ok, do you have any bags?" Scarlett asks, her eyes glossy as they look over the room. "Uh, everything I have is in that box and I have some clothes in the wardrobe which I can fit in my duffle." I explain. "Ok, well, you point out what you want to take, and we can pack it up. Colin, can you take the box?" Scarlett directs, taking control.

I grab the couple of things from my bedside table and go to put them in my box. "Who's that?" Colin asks when he spots a photo in my hand. A smile grows on my face. "That's Laura. She's my best friend." I reply. I love this photo. We're in our soccer kit and she's on my back cheering as we had just won the match. (A/n: I just have to say how hard it is writing soccer when I'm English! Please understand the pain lol!)

I notice Colin smirk and I raise an eyebrow at him, but she shrugs and goes back to making sure everything in the box is secure. "You play soccer?" Scarlett asks me with a smile. "Yeah, I joined at the start of last year. I love it." I share, a smile now appearing on my own face. "Rose is going to love you. She's just started playing. She'll love being able to play with you." Scarlett shares as if it's the most natural thing. But for me, it's a reminder to me that she has a ready made family. That thought makes my smile disappear in an instance.

With everything packed up, we head downstairs. It's sad that everything I own in life fits in a box and a duffle bag. But I try not to dwell on that. Life isn't determined by what we own. "Ok, well I've spoken with the social worker. They're happy for you to leave. I'll be in contact tomorrow when I have a confirmed appointment with the judge." Danny says, returning to us. "Thanks Danny." Scarlett says, pulling him in to a hug.

Colin shakes his hand and then he turns his attention to me. "Remember what I said kid. I'm at the end of the phone if you need me." Danny says places a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Thank you. For helping us. You saved a lot of kids today." I point out to him, but he shakes his head. "No Y/n. Your bravery saved those kids" He corrects, making my gaze drop. Maybe if I had talked to someone sooner, I could have stopped them having to go through the same pain.

Scarlett brings me from my thoughts and guides me towards their car. Colin puts my things in the trunk whilst Scarlett holds the door open for me. I climb in and see the child seat next to me. "Are the kids at home?" I ask, realising that I might be having to meet them this evening. "No, I've asked my mom to have them for a couple of days until we know more about the situation. I don't want to overwhelm you." She responds, as Colin pulls away.

It's quite a long drive as we go through the city to the Upper East Side. I don't think I've ever been to this part of the city. I mean I've never had a reason too. I've certainly never known anyone who is rich enough to live here. They pull into a private under ground garage of a big townhouse.

I follow behind Scarlett and Colin and they enter the house. "Please make yourself at home. We'll show you to your room and then give you a tour around the house." Scarlett smiles at me. She seems more relaxed now we're in her home. But I've gone the other way. This is somewhere new and alien to me and my nerves have picked up.

After two flights of stairs, we stop at a door. "This will be your room." Scarlett informs me pushing the door open. "It's pretty boring, but you're welcome to decorate it how you like. We can go shopping next weekend perhaps to get some more personal things and some new clothes." She starts to excitedly ramble until Colin places a hand on her shoulder and raises an eyebrow at her. "Sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself. If you decide you want to stay, that is something you may wish to do." She corrects herself, her shoulders deflating.

Colin has placed my things on the bed and Scarlett is showing me the ensuite. "Colin and I's room is upstairs with the nursery that Cosmo is in. Rose's room is opposite yours." Scarlett notifies me, pointing towards a door with the letter R on it. "Let's show you around so you can make yourself comfortable." Colin jumps in sensing my change in demeanour.

We spend the next half an hour going around the house. It's incredible. I've never been in anything like it. But what surprises me is how homely it all feels. I can tell that it's lived in and made for living in. It's not some statement home. That makes me feel slightly more comfortable at least. "How about we order in for dinner. Do you like Chinese?" Colin asks and I nod. "Yeah, I'll eat anything. You don't get to be picky in a care home." I reply with a chuckle, but they don't see the humour in it, their faces dropping.

"Can I shower?" I ask and they both nod quickly. "Of course, there are toiletries in the bathroom along with towels. But let me know if you need anything. Otherwise, I'll come and get you when food is here." Scarlett smiles. I thank them and head back upstairs to my room. That sounds strange. I take a moment and sit on the bed. Letting the events of today sink in.

When I look up, I catch a glimpse of my black eye. Scarlett and Danny were pretty shocked when they saw that. If only they had seen what else he had done to me. I push up off the bed and make my way into the bathroom and turn the shower on to get to temperature.

I then slip out of my clothes and observe the bruises to my body. He really didn't like that a lawyer saw him drunk. Each kick or punch had a specific reason behind it. He got a bit carried away when he struck me in the face. He normally keeps to the body to hide the evidence.

Not wanting to look at myself anymore, I slip into the shower, allowing the hot water to stream over my body. Hoping that it might wash away some of the trauma from today. But it doesn't. Instead, my thoughts grow. I feel like I'm intruding on their family. There are pictures all over this house of them as a happy family. They were fine without me. Why do they need me now? Scarlett could have waited two years and I'd be an adult and she needn't worry anymore.

My mind spirals as I wonder if Scarlett really wants me to be part of her life. I know she said she did, but she wouldn't be the first adult to lie to me. But then when I looked at her, she seemed genuine. I'm second guessing myself and I hate it. I can't take the loudness of the voices in my head, so I finish up and wrap myself in a towel. I'm shocked by the fluffiness of it. I never knew a towel could be comforting. I'm used to a coarse worn towel.

Once dry, I slip into my sweatpants and hoody, letting it engulf my body. Thankfully, most of my clothes are clean, not that I have a lot. It was something Mr Woodstock was sure we kept on top of. Not because he wanted us comfortable, but a smelly foster kid would bring unwanted attention.

I sit on the bed with my back against the headboard, taking my phone and calling the one person I need right now. Laura. I fill her in on everything that has happened and it's safe to say that she's shocked. Considering just a few days ago, she was excited about my mother being THE Black Widow. She now has a strong distrust for Scarlett and wants to make sure that I'm ok.

I've liked Laura for a while. She is the only person that can make me smile on my darkest day. She is so kind and caring and I love every minute that I spend with her. I don't know if she feels the same way, but I don't care. I'm just grateful to have her in my life.

I knew I liked girls from a young age. I talked to my mom about it, but she wasn't happy and told me that it was just a phase and that I wasn't allowed to like girls. It earned me a beating for admitting it. I tried so hard to like boys instead, but it didn't work. So, I just hid how I felt. It wasn't really a problem at the start as I didn't have any friends, let alone anyone I liked. But once Laura came into my life, that all changed. But that is something to deal with later. I don't think I could add on rejection to everything else that has been happening.

Whilst we're talking, there's a knock at the door. "Come in." I say and Scarlett's head pokes around the door. "Dinner is here sweetheart." She smiles. "Ok, I'll be right down." I say, and it's then she notices my phone in my hand. "No rush. Take your time." She says and closes the door behind her.

I finish up my call with Laura and she promises that she'll meet me at cuppa Joe's tomorrow morning so I can talk to her before we have to see the judge. I just hope that Scarlett will let me go.

I hang up the phone and slowly make my way downstairs, pulling at the sleeves of my hoody nervously when I see them sitting in the dining room, a place set up for me. "Hi Y/n. Come and help yourself." Colin greets me, standing up and pulling my chair out for me. "Thank you." I respond, looking over the food on the table. "We didn't know what you'd like so we got a few different things." He explains the reason for the vast amount of food on the table.

Whilst they tuck in, I just sit waiting. Not really sure how to act. "Y/n, like Colin said, please help yourself. Eat as much as you like." Scarlett tells me with a warm smile. I hesitantly reach out for the sweet and sour chicken. I put a little bit on my dish and then grab a pork rib. "You're welcome to have more. As much as you like." Scarlett encourages me when she sees that I stop with a small amount on my plate.

Knowing that I'm safe here, or rather praying that I am, I take a few more spoonful's of food to try the different dishes. I notice that both Scarlett and Colin smile at the act and then start to eat their own food.

It's a bit awkward as we eat. No one really knows what to say. I'm still overwhelmed by everything and not even sure if I'll be staying here for long. Do I want to stay here more than a few days? How ungrateful do I sound. Any one of the kids in that home would kill to be in a place like this and here I am wondering if I do.

"I spoke with Danny, and he managed to get us in with a judge tomorrow afternoon at 4pm. There is nothing to worry about. They're reviewing our foster request and might ask you some questions on if you want to stay with us or not." Scarlett starts to explain, and I'm actually grateful that she's being open about this. "Of course, you don't have to feel like you have to stay here. Both Colin and I would love that. But we understand if you'd rather go to an alternative foster home." She follows up, but I can see the pain in her eyes as she suggests that. "Ok, thank you." Is all I can say. My mind is conflicted and I'm sure it'll be keeping me up tonight, so I'll have plenty of time to think things through.

After we've finished eating, I sit back in the chair. "Thank you for dinner. It was lovely." I tell them with a genuine smile. "You're welcome sweetie. I'm glad that you liked it." Scarlett returns. She seems to naturally use terms of endearment for me when talking and I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it. But if I'm honest with myself, it only makes me uneasy because I know deep down, I like it.

"Today has been a long day. Please don't feel like you have to stay up with us. You're more than welcome to head up to bed. But you're also welcome to join Colin and I in the living room. We'll probably just be watching some TV to unwind before bed." She informs me. I think for a moment, and I do feel tired. Although I know sleep won't come easily, I don't think I could cope with sitting with them at the moment.

"I think I'll head to bed and try and sleep if that's ok?" I ask and she nods. "Of course." She smiles. "Uh Scarlett?" I call her as I start to walk away from the table. "I uh. I was w-wondering. If I might uh. If I might be able to meet Laura at the café tomorrow morning?" I ask through a stutter. I have no idea how she's going to react to my request, and I can feel my palms getting sweaty.

"Oh Y/n. Please don't be nervous to ask anything like that. Of course, you can meet her. In fact, I can drop you off if you like? It would make me more comfortable to know you're safe, rather than you getting the subway." She responds and I let out a sigh of relief. "I uh. Thank you. That would be great." I respond. "No problem. Just let me know when you need to go." She tells me. I go to walk away again but stop as a question pops in my head. "Don't you have work tomorrow?" I ask her. She had mentioned that she is working on a project right now, which is why she was late on Friday.

"No. Colin and I have taken the week off so we can make sure you're settled." She replies and that seems to make me happy. No one's ever done anything like that for me before. "Ah ok. Right, well. I'm going to head to bed." I say, nodding my head towards the stairs. "Ok. Goodnight sweetheart." "Goodnight, Y/n." They both say at the same time.

I climb up the stairs and get changed into my pyjamas. I've never slept in a double bed before, and I feel a little lost in it. Though the duvet is so comfortable. I feel like I'm being engulfed in a good way.

I spend the night thinking through the pros and cons of staying with Scarlett. In the end, I decided that maybe it is best to stay. We can get to know each other whilst living together, right? I'm not sure that I could cope moving to another foster home and try to navigate a whole load of new people.

The only thought that is left niggling at the back of my mind is if things don't go well with Scarlett. What if I decide I don't want to stay, or she doesn't want me here? What if I don't fit into their family dynamic? Do I even want to be a part of that? Ok so I lied, I have more than one thought left niggling in my head. Besides, I may have no control if they're not approved for an emergency fostering certificate tomorrow.

By about 6am, I decide that I can't lie in bed anymore, as comfortable as it is, and TikTok is no longer able to entertain me. I decide that I'll change and head outside to the garden. It'll be nice to get some fresh air.

After brushing my teeth and finishing up the minimal parts to my morning routine, I move back into the bedroom to get dressed. I slip my top off and stand in the closet trying to figure what I want to wear to meet Laura later. My clothes look a little pathetic in this huge closet. I really don't have much to offer, but I decide on a loose band T and ripped jeans.

Before I have a chance to put the shirt on, I hear a gasp from behind me and a pair of cold hands on my side. I instantly flinch, cowering back into the closest away from the surprise touch.

Scarlett's POV:

It was strange having Y/n in the house. A good strange, but still strange none the less. The whole time we were with her, I could see her thoughts whizzing around her head at a million miles an hour. I wish I could do something to help reassure her that Colin and I are all in for this.

I know it's not ideal with her moving in with us like this. Don't get me wrong, I want nothing more than for her to be back with us. But I thought it would be after we built up a relationship after getting to know each other. Then on the other hand, I wouldn't want her anywhere else after what has happened to her.

Whilst Colin and I are watching TV, we discuss what we want to do over the next week, assuming we get to keep Y/n. We end up deciding on doing some simple things, not wanting to overwhelm her. From things like coffee shop visits or walks around the park. Time out of the house so we can talk, and I can learn more about what she likes. I'm desperate to learn more about what her interests are. I also can't wait to go and watch a soccer game of hers and meet Laura properly.

I have a feeling that she doesn't like me, and I can understand why. I'm glad that Y/n has someone that is so protective of her. It seems like she hasn't had many of those through her life, so I want to make a good impression on the one that has, and hopefully prove to her that I want the same.

I don't really sleep much. Even when I drift off, I dream of Y/n. Sometimes us living the perfect life together as a family. Other times it's nightmares where I just see her being hurt by her so-called parents and her foster carer. I give up and head downstairs to make some coffee.

Today is going to be a long and emotional day, so I'm sure this cup is not going to be the last of the morning. Whilst I'm cutting up some fruit for Y/n when she wakes, I hear the floorboards creek. I wonder if she's already awake. I'm sure she didn't have the easiest night herself.

I decide to go and check on her. I knock on the door but don't get a response. I try again, a little louder this time. Maybe I misheard earlier. So carefully, I open the door, just to check that she's ok and she hasn't run away in the night. But the sight that meets my eyes breaks my heart.

Before I can even control my actions, I'm rushing towards her, gasping as I see the extent of the bruising on her body. My hands touch her skin, and it causes her to violently flinch away from me. That breaks my heart that she instantly thinks a touch is to cause her pain.

"Y/n. Sweetheart. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I would never hurt you." I try to reassure her as her eyes dart around the room. "I knocked but you didn't answer. I assumed you were still asleep." I explain my sudden appearance, hoping she didn't think I was intruding on her privacy.

When I don't get a response, I kneel down in front of her, my eyes glancing at the bruises, but I try to focus on her eyes. "Hey, can you look at me. I'm so sorry." I tell her, gently reaching out and taking her hand. That touch gets her attention, and she finally looks at me. I can feel the tears building in my own eyes to see her in a state like this. "S-Sorry." She apologises and goes to stand up.

"You have nothing to apologise for Y/n. Here." I reassure her, holding the t-shirt that was on the floor out to her so she can put it on. I'm sure she's not comfortable being without a shirt on in front of me. She nods gratefully and slips it over her head. "Here, come and sit on the bed." I direct to her, taking a step back so I'm not encroaching on her personal space.

She pushes herself up and moves slowly to the bed, her head hanging low. I sit next to her, but ensure I put some distance between us. I don't want to make her uncomfortable. "Did he do that to you?" I ask her carefully but getting straight to the point.

I watch as she fiddles with her fingers, waiting for a response. I notice a couple of tears drop to her wrists and I just want to engulf her into a hug. Then she nods and it breaks my heart. I knew it was him that caused that, but having it confirmed by her hurts more than I can imagine. "Would you mind if I take a proper look to make sure you're ok? I noticed some cuts and I don't want them to get infected." I explain to her, and I see her body tense.

"I won't do anything to make you uncomfortable, I just need to know you're ok." I reiterate, trying to hide the pleading nature to it. "Ok." She agrees at a whisper. "O-ok." I respond, surprised that she agreed. "I'm going to grab the first aid kit and I'll be back." I tell her, resting my hand over hers and giving it a squeeze, hoping she gets some comfort from it.

Colin is awake as I rush into our bathroom and grab the first aid box. He notices my red eyes and worry washes over him. "I'm ok. It's Y/n. Uh, he hurt her more than we thought." I tell him, knowing that it's unfair to rush out on him without an explanation. "Oh Scar. Go. We can talk about this after." He sighs sympathetically, placing a kiss to my head.

I rush back to Y/n's room, but take a moment before going in. I don't want to scare her again. I knock and wait for her mumbled response before pushing the door open. She's still on the bed, but she looks up to me, her eyes puffy, probably matching my own. "Shall we go into the bathroom?" I suggest, watching as she stands up and moves into the ensuite.

"I know this is awkward, but I'll be as quick and as careful as I can." I comfort her. "Are you ok to take off your shirt?" I ask. She hesitates, but then her hands move to the hem of her shirt. She lifts it over her head, and I fight to stop more tears when I get a proper view of the damage done. "Does it hurt when you breathe?" I ask her first, wanting to determine if she might have broken ribs.

She shakes her head. "They're not broken. I've had that before and it doesn't hurt as much." She explains, avoiding any eye contact. That admission continues to break my heart. She never should have had to experience any of this, let alone enough to know the difference by pain level. "Ok, well I'm going to clean these few cuts first and then put some antiseptic on. They don't look deep enough for stitches, so I'll place some Band-Aids over them." I explain what I'm going to do before doing it so she's not taken by surprise.

I place the first aid kit on the counter and grab out what I need. I talk her through each thing that I'm using and what I'm doing. When she hisses in pain at the antiseptic, I apologise and give her a moment to adjust. "There, all done my sweet girl." I tell her as I finish applying the last of the arnica cream to her bruises. "Do you want some Advil or anything?" I ask her, making sure she knows that she doesn't need to suffer in pain. "Yes please." She replies quietly.

That takes me by surprise. She seems like she can be stubborn. Something she would have definitely gotten from me. I thought she would have tried to push through the pain. But I'm so glad that she's comfortable to admit she's in pain and wants to do something about it. I grab two pills and fill up the glass passing it to her. She quickly takes them, and I hand her, her shirt back. She puts it back over her head, her eyes finally meeting mine as her head pops out the top. "Thank you. And sorry for not telling you." She smiles at me.

"You're welcome. You don't need to apologise. I understand why you didn't. But please know that you can always come to me about stuff like this. I want to make sure that you're ok." I reply and she nods. "Do we have to talk about it?" She asks and I sigh. "I would like to, but I won't push you. Colin and I want what is best for you and knowing everything will help us do that to the best of our ability. But we won't ever push and make you uncomfortable. You come first." I express honestly and I can tell it takes her by surprise.

"How about I give you a moment. I'll get some pancakes on the go and we can talk over breakfast. It can be about this, or it can be about the weather. Whatever you're comfortable with." I suggest and I see her smile. "Ok, yeah. Thank you." She agrees. I smile in return and nod, fighting the urge to hug her. "Take your time. We'll be downstairs when you're ready." I tell her before leaving her to it.

When I reach my bedroom, I let out a small sob, the emotions overwhelming me. I'm so ashamed of myself. I could have prevented this if I put her before my career. I need to do everything in my power to make sure she spends the rest of her life happy. And I know part of that might mean letting her go if it's what she really wants. I won't be selfish this time. It's what she needs that is most important.

Part 3

[wingzie]

Behind the Screen

The Beginning

On 20th September 2020 I posted my first ever Live Reactions on GCF in Tokyo. I was very nervous. In a world full of so much hate, would my attempt to go back in time to reminisce together and spread positivity be accepted? I wasn’t so sure. My idea behind the very concept of Live Reactions was because I was sick of so many fights about GCF in Tokyo. I wanted to show the true loving reactions to these moments, without all the drama that ends up going around in a vicious cycle. Thus, I started doing some research.

After I finished advanced searching on various social media platforms, I got ready to make the thread. I found myself quickly enjoying looking through old posts. It was fun and I think that’s a big part of why I am still making these now, nearly three years later. Plus the support. Once the thread was made, I posted it and actually hid my phone. I came back to it about an hour later and was very surprised to see such a huge response to it. At the time, it was one of my most popular posts and instantly there was a desire for more. 

I decided to throw myself into it.  If people wanted more, then I was happy to help with that! Especially when it was making so many people happy. I made a new Google Drive account and a spreadsheet to go with it, so that I could keep track of which Jikook moments I had already done or not. Over time, I would start formatting my posts properly and understand how the advanced search function worked on Twitter. I am a History and English major, so being accurate is very important to me. This gave birth to my second style of posts: Discussion and timeline threads. The Unexpected

Though these threads are well received and made with a lot of love, there was a dark side to this that I have never really spoken about before. The jikooker hierarchy is a strange one and is one that I try to ignore, but with that comes consequences and a certain isolation. A group of jikookers did not like that my account had apparently grown from out of nowhere and started spreading rumours about me, my posts and my identity. This hurt because I had never spoken to these people before. I would love it if we actually conversed, because I enjoy talking to people and I like to think that I am a pleasant person. But they were not interested and instead they continued to try and tarnish my name. I decided to come out to my closest friends and just continued what I was always doing.

I mostly ignored the bullying and it soon stopped once they realised that I was really not interested in the drama. I never have been and never will. After all, that was the main reason I started this journey of making threads. To try and counter the hate and drama, I just never expected it from my own side. It made me more determined than ever and I also made a promise to myself, to make sure others NEVER experienced what I did. A good friend of mine recently revealed that I was one of the only ones that would reply to their curious messages about Jikook. I feel like this is also something important: How we are seen from the outside. We want Jikook to be recognized for their bond and their talent. But how can we do that if all we do is fight or act better than others? I will always be here to talk or help others, it’s just in my nature to do so.

The Present and The Future

In the last few months or so my life has changed dramatically, in real life and also online. I have lost family members, got a new job and I am currently on carers leave. I decided to bring my laptop in the hope that I could work on some posts whilst everything was happening. I have (somehow) managed to find a balance between both and now have a loose schedule that I try to follow. I also try to not pressure myself whenever there is a new Jikook moment to instantly start working on it. I used to get really stressed, but now I am much better. One thing, however, is making this whole process rather difficult. Twitter. Or “X” as it’s now called. I can no longer just work on a post whenever I want to, I have to be time conscious. I currently have four accounts and have to rotate between them. Last night Jungkook went on We-live, with Jimin active in the comments. Jikookory happened. It was around 2am my time, but I’m still struggling to sleep in case I am needed. I decided to work on getting screenshots and it was hard. The search function does not work as well as it used to and my timeline is messed up on my backup accounts. There’s probably a case study that can be done here, but I just really wanted to work on a post without being restricted. I continued though, determined to show what others see. Sometimes we’re only aware of what is is happening in our own circles and not what is going on around us. Those that are in personal spaces with me know my deep frustration with all of this. On my Birthday, my main account got double limited and then my second account got locked. It was not fun. However, I refuse to give up. I have already completed my scheduled posts for August and September and am (very slowly) working on posts ready for November and December. Assuming that “X” is still around then. If not, I’ll post elsewhere or here. And for those asking why I haven’t been posting on here, my account seems to be bugged and won’t let me post links or videos in text posts for some reason. No idea why. Guess I don’t have much luck with social media platforms. With the way things are right now, this is a promise. I will continue to keep doing what I have been doing over all these years. It might be harder but I still have that same goal that I’ve always had: To spread postivity and appreciation for Jikook for all in a safe environment. Love you all.

[hisui555]

Hazbin Hotel thoughts Bonus 2

Heaven's side : "how are they with kids" + "react to a drawing of themselves"

(Hazbin Hotel thoughts : How are they with kids, main cast here)

(Hazbin Hotel thoughts : Reacting to a drawing of themselves, main cast here)

Masterpost here.

So, uh, I've seen there's been likes, and reblogs (seriously where do y'all come from), and that hypothetically you may be interested in Heaven's side of the same thing -- Oh who am I kidding yes I came up with ideas and couldn't resist sharing, let's go.

(On that note, I'm editing the previous posts that started it all so that y'all have links from one to the other, because a funny thing I realized is that I have completely different people liking each post each time, there's absolutely no common name - which is funny to me given that one is the bonus of the other.)

Without further ado, here we go :

Emily is just the friendliest babysitter around. Not unlike Charlie, she'll react with glee to anything the kid does, especially when they're progressing on something. She's very encouraging and supportive, also accomodating : unless the child is okay with her less humanlike appearance, she'll keep her extra eyes closed, and will only gradually insert the change overtime, while mostly keeping her casual disguise. Touch her fluffy wings ? Her equally fluffy hair ? Even her halo ? Sure ! Just don't nab on them. She'll gently break down what's okay from what is not, that respect is a thing and boundaries too, and for each and every person they're different. Tantrum ? She'll be gentle but firm about it, because while she is nice and caring, she also has limits and reasonable authority. No Bad Things on her watch, and she'll explain why they're bad at length. Doesn't matter if the child is a Sinner, a Hellborn, a Living soul or a Winner. Always eager to let the kid try new things, give the maximum of options, and free choice is a big deal to her - she'll be here to help anytime, and interacts a lot with the kid. Expect a lot of what we don't know, we can find out together ! Might be a bit too coddling at times, though not to Charlie's levels, probably. Affection is given by the gallons.

A drawing of her ? For her ? Why that day in Heaven is super-happy amongst happy days ! Ironically, given the art-style, it's closer to her true form, but nonetheless, she adores it, and can't wait to show Sera. If she can't pin it somewhere, she'll keep it on her own person, in a nice pocket dimension or accessible through summon magic, so she can whip it out at anytime and show it to whoever's asking. Might give it a glance or look at times before turning in for the night (do they have nights in Heaven ? If Hell does, probably yes), squealing out a delighted giggle for herself. She'll presciously keep it safe and spotless.

Sera is poised and regal no matter the circumstances. She's gentle and patient, and while she will take the role of a guiding hand too, contrary to Emily who's happy to let the child steer and put herself on their level, Sera will never leave the role nor status of The Adult and guides away instead of towards. There's a delimited, arbitrary comfort zone the child shouldn't ask questions out of, and she won't be keen simply answering that she doesn't know the answer, deviating it towards something else or just put an end to the discussion (That's not important. What you have to know is that you can't do that). That's not to say that she's uncaring, or harsh, it's just that her worry overwrites the child's choices at times. A demon or Sinner child might be met with a bit more condescention and less roaming freedom than a Living or Winner soul, but Sera will take great care of them nonetheless, and make sure no harm happens to them. Tantrums are met with the time-out corner or cold shoulder, but she doesn't like to punish the kid, only seeing it as a necessity - and she'll still be around to talk in case things get better in the meantime. She's compassionate, but her emotional distance mostly turns it into pity and a dash of coldness, her affection is more subdued. She'll keep her most humanlike form at all times.

Drawings of her ? She'll gladly accept them, giving a soft but genuine smile. She appreciates the attention, and will politely listen to the child explaining how they drew the pic, not really commenting nor asking questions but still sincerely listening about it. She might keep it in a folder or hang it somewhere private, somewhere that doesn't interfere with her work, but still somewhere visible in her own quarters - and that, no matter the type of soul who offers.

Now who in their right mind would give a child to take care of to Adam ? Yet, disaster dominoes lined up - or let's say it's an order from Sera, she's too busy to do it and Emily isn't available - and against all common sense a kid ended up in his... care. Welp, it's a disaster from start to finish, especially when the misogynist tendencies kick in : expect a lot of outdated and downright gross comments about you'll see when you grow up, and do you know how you came from these nuts ? flauntering his "Original Dick" status all over the place. He won't be hitting on a child (not his thing), thank hell, but he has absolutely NO censor, crossing the line all the way up to its deceased grandmother, getting her corpse pregnant and aborting the resulting baby (...QED). Worse if the kid is a girl, because he'll automatically deem her inferior, also did I tell you how the two first women are stupid bitches ? Guess where you come from. If the child is a demon, he'll try to weasel out, but an order from Sera will hold him back and anyway it's no fun when outside the right setting : there's no fight, no chase, no thrill. He'll just begrudgingly roll with it. Don't count on any healthy or child-appropriate food : it's junk food at all hours or nothing. Naptime - well, what naptime ? Can't a guy play guitar in peace ? Also, only pussies cry. Man the fuck up. Kiddo is his groupie whether they like it or not, his personal little hype-man. He will TOTALLY use them to try to hit on "chicks".

He also WILL forget the child in a parking lot, however more unintentionally than not (Wait, didn't I had a thing to take care of ?), rough them around by carrying them like a sack of potatoes, bring them to inappropriate places (tough to find in Heaven, I guess, but if he can have his way with a Virtue angel and brag about it there might be stuff going on, just not as much as in Hell) and just be his crass-mouthed self without much of a care. Might resort to the threat of physical violence as a scare tactic to get the kid to behave (the way he wants), though maybe not applying it (I'm ambivalent about that : I guess it can go both ways - just shaking to rough up and scare off or really giving a smack). Really, the only way to get along with him is to find him cool or admire him in some way, and he might soften a bit (...really a bit) and bond a tad (a tiny tad) over rock music : again, being his hype-man. If Adam gets to show off and have a fan, it'll be just one small metric less of a complete catastrophe.

Which brings us to : drawings of him. Nevermind the quality, he'll always ask to add stuff that makes him cool (No, you forgot the spikes !! And where's the guitar ? Add it ! Here ! Look, just take that bright yellow fucking crayon, it's easy as puss !) and might even rip the drawing material out of the kid's hands to add it himself. The guy will be competitive about it : either he's the coolest or the kiddo might as well redo the entire thing. Once he's satisfied, he'll keep it, frame it in the most extravagant frame he can think of, sign it over the kid's signature and pin it somewhere he can easily see it. With time, he'll forgot who did it (Got that from a fan, er... whatstheirface) and move on, not realizing that his mental age has been forever lower than the kid's he was supposed to take care of.

And as the answer to the infamous "can't get worse", yes it can ! Lute. Bohohoyyyy, LUTE. She's no babysitter, she's a fanatic fighter, a bloodthirsty warrior, and the only thing holding her back from skewering a demon child is a direct order from Sera. So she'll be as neglectful and abusive verbally and emotionally as she can get away with. Cries get on her nerves. Tantrums ? She'll boot the kid in a room and lock them up there for the rest of the day. Sinners and Hellborn aren't given any toys. Food is composed of rests. She doesn't have time for that shit. Even Winner children are barely worth her attention, though she can plaster a semblance of decency on her face towards them - don't expect her to smile, though. She's not here for that. She won't even think of the brat as useful to her, it's like a stupid assignment she got saddled with. A heaven-bound soul ? Bare necessities are taken care of, next to no interaction, no affection given, the sooner it's over with the better. A hell-bound soul ? She'll imprint their features into her mind and make sure to find them, down there, next Extermination. A wretched Sinner shouldn't even set foot near the Pearly Gates. The only thing keeping her from dumping that vile blasphemy of a soul is that she'd rather keep an eye on them herself, because she's the only one strong enough to not fall for any of their traps, for sure.

A drawing of her ? Don't accept anything from a demon and rip it into pieces right then and there. It's just a mockery of her, whatever the quality is, and don't you ever think I can't see what you're doing you little shitstain clinging at my boots. The same drawing from a heaven-bound soul ? Eh. Meh. Thanks I guess. She'll tuck it somewhere, forget about it, and if it has folds or coffee stains or whatever else damaging it, not her problem. Someone finds it ? She'll brush it off, tell them they can keep it, do her a favor, she doesn't have time nor thoughtspace for this. Better than to let it rot here. If it ends up falling in her line of sight again, she'll derive a wicked self-righteous confidence that she's fighting for the right thing. And the thrill of battle, of course, but hey, that one's not on the drawing, so she'll supply it herself, in her mind.

And because why the hell not, St-Peter. If it's a hell-bound soul, he'll ask if there's any mistakes, but nope, he's really gonna babysit a little demon today. Well in that case, no problem, Welcome To Heaven and all that jazz ! Just don't do demon-y things, okay ? Now what would you like to do ? We can go on a seminar about how to help grandmas cross the roads, or how to be parsimonious while partying and oh, oh, how about a coooourse - oooon - generosity ! Past that first hurdle, he'll be a genuinely sweet guy, treating all souls alike. His problem ? Well, two : first, unlike Emily, he has no authority and will get trampled on by any kid who's a bit more stubborn than the norm, and second, his Don't Do That (TM) sermons can. Last. Hours. He'll accidentally cause more naptimes by pointing out the 547 reasons of why littering is bad that when he'd actually asked the child to take a nap, or is too engrossed in his speech to see that the kid has given him the slip. Weak to puppy-dog eyes. He'll buy that ice scream with rainbow sprinkles, okay, okay, don't look at him like that ! But he'll be also a great guide and has a ton of ideas on activities, even if commenting a bit too much about them. Might catch on the fact that his sermon-talking induces sleep and appropriately uses it in a savvy way. He'll stay polite, but without hypocrisy : if a kid points out that he swore earlier when they told him they're Belphegor's 2nd cousin thrice removed, he'll agree, apologize, and explain why it's bad. Kind of cleaning-inclined ? Please keep the brimstones off the floor at least. He'll insist that things are tidied up after playing, leaving a mess isn't the politest thing after all, and will include the kid in that : they can clean up together, he'll help !

A drawing of him ? Depending on what he'll receive, he'll be elated, or really working out his optimism and trying to be as less judgemental as possible. Why aren't you the most precious, kindest soul. Your style is... uh... unique ? Why - why is blood - oh, ooooh, what a fabulous one-single-color rainbow, oh, ahem, that's so sweet ! And look at those little arms NOT up crying for help, but in what I'm sure is excitement ! And those... tears -- of happiness of course ! Ahem, do you need therapy ? But whatever it is, he'll keep it, because he considers it a gift. Just that, depending on the degree of disturbing-ness, it's either on a wall in his office at home, or in a folder under a looong stack of papers and other things he'd rather look at rarely. But he'll still shed a tear over a smile when his babysitting time comes to an end, especially if he actually managed to bond with the kid, whatever realm they're bound to. Awww.

Well, here you have it ! Dunno if I'll pour other ideas of the same type (cast + kids), but it's surely not the last speculative rant you'll see from me (I guess). Hope you enjoyed.

(And thanks for the likes and reblogs, it made my day.)

Again, Masterpost here.

[jodsx1x]

us next  ☙ d.h

i’m working my way through my inbox right now, but here’s a random idea i had which i thought would be pretty cute, it’s set a few years into the future after season six, i you guys like this one  ☙

derek hale x fem!reader. 

summary; you know you should be so happy for them, stiles and lydia, on their wedding day- and you are, but it leaves some sadness in you, wondering if it will be you and derek next.  ☙ please comment down below if you want a part two ;). i kind of want to make this a series as i just love it so so much. get ready to cry with happiness  ☙. 

tears welled up in my eyes, my hands flying up to cover my mouth as Lydia comes into the room, looking like a floating angel in her wedding dress. i sniffled, trying to stop the tears from ruining my makeup as i stared at this beautiful woman in front of me. 

‘oh my god, you look so beautiful’ i croaked out as i fanned at my eyes. she smiles, the biggest i have ever seen her smile. ‘i am never taking this off’ she exclaims, causing all of us, her bridesmaids and maid of honour to erupt in happy giggles. it’s overwhelming really, seeing your best friend ready on her wedding day. i walk over, hugging her as tightly as i’m allowed to, trying not to crease her dress. it’s gorgeous, covered in gold little flowers across her chest and down the sleeves. it matches the bridesmaids dresses so well, but stands out the most with the bright white fabric and small gold details. our dresses are strapless, gold and so beautiful. i feel beautiful in it, half of my hair is pinned back with a gold flower clip, the rest curled with bits hanging out to frame my face, matching the gentle gold and nude makeup the artist did for us. 

‘thank you for everything’ lydia starts, pulling back from our hug. ‘you’ve made this all so much easier for me, and it’s been so perfect. i have the best maid of honour ever’ she giggles, and i pouted trying to not cry even more. 

‘stop, i’ll ruin my makeup’ i croaked out again, and she giggles even more. ‘i love you’ she adds, and i replied back instantly. my heart is filled with happiness for her, but it’s also filled with sadness and anxiety. i feel extremely guilty, but i do feel slightly jealous. knowing that me and derek have been together for years, and we aren’t engaged. i want nothing more than to marry him, i just hope so deeply that he wants the same. 

it’s something we’ve hinted at here and there, but never properly discussed. i’m excited to see him today, in his suit and i just know he’s going to look so handsome. but i’m trying to ignore my feelings today, this day is about Lydia and Stiles. i don’t want to bring this up to Derek today, but i know he can sense and feel my emotions, i’m worried he’s going to sense the sadness. 

☙ ☙ ☙ ☙ ☙ ☙ ☙

whilst Lydia is getting her final touches done, i left that hotel room and walked down the hall to find where Stiles and his groomsmen, and best man are. of course, Scott is his best man. and Derek, Peter and the Sheriff are his groomsmen. knocking on the hotel room door, i take in a deep breath not ready to see Stiles all handsome ready for his big day. 

a loud, ‘come in!’ was yelled out, so i quickly enter. looking around, i see Stiles and Scott. ‘look at you guys’ i smiled with my mouth open, ‘looking all handsome’. they both grin proudly, running towards me for a little group hug. 

‘hows Lydia? is she okay?’ Stiles asks quickly making sure his future wife is okay. i nodded, with a big grin. ‘she’s okay, and she looks absolutely gorgeous. you aren’t ready to see her’ i nod, and Stiles lets out a deep breath. i giggle at his nervous antics, ‘but shes fine, i have never seen her so happy’ i add, and he relaxes a little. 

‘you also look beautiful’ Stiles adds, with a toothy grin. ‘thank you’ i laugh, doing a little spin for them. ‘where Derek?’ i asked, my hands interlocking. Scott nods towards one of the bedrooms. i smile, walking over and slipping into his room. 

he’s stood in front of the mirror, trying to tie his tie and appearing to be struggling. i stopped in my tracks, having never seen him in a suit before, my heartbeat fastening. he turns around, and freezes. his mouth drops a little, as he stares at me with a loving gaze. 

‘oh my god’ he says deeply, throwing his tie onto the bed, walking over to me and wrapping his arms around my waist. ‘look at you, my beautiful girl’ he spoke out, sighing as his hands roam my waist and hips, staring at the dress. 

‘you look so handsome, my god’ i choke out, smiling at him with a blush on my face. 

his eyes connect with mine, leaning down to press a light kiss on my lips. just as i thought, seeing him like this makes me extremely happy, but it also hurts my heart, wondering if i’ll ever be able to see him standing at the end of the isle, waiting for me. i pushed back my tears, my emotions all over the place today. 

‘hows Stiles been today then?’ i asked, knowing Lydia will want to know how he’s really been. ‘he’s been surprisingly okay, never seen him so excited and happy’ he explains, hands trailing up my waist to cup my face. ‘you look so beautiful’ he whispers, and he honestly looked mesmerised. my face went hot under his gaze, him still making me nervous four years later. 

‘i have to go back, but i just wanted to see you’ i pout, knowing the next time i see him will be at the end of the isle, beside Stiles. he sighs, thumb stroking my cheek. ‘are you okay?’ he asks, eyebrows furrowing together and my heart dropped. i knew he would be able to tell. 

i gulp, quickly nodding, ‘i’m amazing! just emotions all over the place today because i’m so happy for them’ i say, and he nods a little, not believing that i’m completely fine. i pressed a longer kiss to his lips, smiling as i stepped back. ‘i’ll see you in there’. 

‘see you soon, baby’ he says, grabbing his tie again. before i left, i told Scott to help him with his tie. 

☙ ☙ ☙ ☙ ☙ ☙ ☙

the ceremony was beautiful just as i expected. it wen’t perfectly, i was sobbing at their speeches and the dinner was also beautiful. i had to do my maid of honours speech, Lydia was sobbing and i was struggling to keep it together. Derek was giving me encouraging looks the whole time, which helped me so much. 

it’s now the after party, and i’m sat beside Malia and Lydia’s Mum, watching the couple on their first dance, tears threatening to spill for the one thousandth time today. it’s getting a little darker outside, the moonlight shining through and shining on the couple as they dance. i’m so happy for them, i truly am. 

but once again, in the back of my mind, i’m feeling really sad. my chest aches watching them, praying this will be me one day. all i have ever wanted, since i was a little girl, is to be a bride with my dream husband. i have a whole scrap book of how i want my wedding to be, it’s a huge dream of mine. and i have my dream boyfriend, i just don’t know if he wants the same thing as me. i am silently praying he does. after their dance, i sneaked off to the bathroom to try and hide the fact i’m almost breaking. my emotions are so high today, it’s all crumbling down on me. 

i fixed my face in the mirror, hoping nobody will be able to tell that i was crying. leaving the bathroom, i bumped into someone and their hands gripped onto my hips and i immediately knew who it was, i looked up, smiling when i saw my boyfriend. he grins, leaning down and pressing his lips onto mine desperately. 

‘i wanted to kiss you like this all day, but i couldn’t ruin your lipstick. now i can’ he mumbles against them, my hands wrapping around his neck. i pulled back, letting out a little breath with a flushed face. he chuckles, placing his forehead on mine. 

‘are you okay, baby?’ he asks, ‘and be honest this time’ he adds, looking at me intently. i breathe in, trying to quickly decide to have this conversation with him now. i know i need to, i need to be honest with him, but if he tells me he doesn’t want to get married, it’s going to break me. i don’t know what i’ll do, i’d have to respect his decision and stay with him because he’s what i want in life. if he doesn’t want a wedding, i’ll respect it and have to let go of that dream, to be able to keep him. 

‘shall we go outside?’ he speaks up, bringing me out of my own head. i nod with teary eyes, and he guides me to sit in the garden. it’s beautiful out here, the fairy lights illuminating the dark outside ever so slightly. he pulls me away from the music, so we can hear each other better. i smile at him a little as we sit on the bench, facing each other. 

‘can i have your jacket? it’s freezing out here’ i giggle, waiting for him to reply. he quickly shakes his head, looking a little nervous with a, ‘first tell me whats going on, all day you’ve been sad and i want to know why’ he says, his hands moving up and down my arms to cause some friction and warm me up. 

i sigh, looking away from him as i figure out a way to say this. ‘i just-’ i start, feeling my eyes sting a little bit as my nerves rise. ‘you can tell me, sweetheart’ he smiles kindly, ‘be honest with me, let it all out’.

‘i don’t know, it’s just,’ i sigh, ‘ever since i was younger, being at weddings for me was always a little hard, just because it’s all i have ever wanted. i feel so guilty for feeling like this because it’s their day, it doesn’t matter how i feel. but, we haven’t ever talked about getting married and i don’t know if that’s something you’d want, and it’s been hurting me thinking maybe you don’t want a wedding. ever since the night they got engaged it’s been in the back of my mind, but being here today and seeing it happen it just upset me more than i realised’ i let out a shaky breath as a tear fell down my face. ‘and if it’s not something you want, you can be honest and tell me. i know my dream was getting married for so long, but you’re my new dream’ i smiled through my tears as i connect eyes with him, his eyes softening from my confession. 

‘so if you don’t ever want to get married, it’s okay. i can let go of that dream, but i can’t ever let go of you’ i sniff, my hand going up to cup his jaw, ‘because you really are my new dream. all i want is to be with you, married or not,’ i finished, taking a deep breath as i stare at him with teary, loving eyes.

he stays silent for a moment, just staring at me with a small but sad smile. my heart dropped a little from his silence, but i kept on a brave face, meaning what i said. he’s all i want, married or not. 

he sits up straighter. ‘first off, i want to say thank you for being honest with me’ he smiles, scooting closer to me. i gulped, waiting for him to carry on. ‘and you kind of stepped on the speech i had prepared’ he takes in a deep breath. he stands up, and turns to me, hand going into his pocket. ‘and there’s a reason i didn’t give you my jacket’ he finishes, and my heart stops.

he goes down onto one knee in front of me, holding out a small black velvety box and opening it slowly. butterflied erupt inside of me as i stared at him in complete shock, more tears falling from my eyes as the man i’m so in love with gets down on one knee. 

he turns his head to the doors, and i followed his gaze, seeing everyone i love and cherish stood piled out of the doors, in complete silence with massive smiles on their faces. 

he turns back to me as i sobbed, hand reaching out to touch his face, wiping away a tear that escaped his eyes. 

‘all my life, i never thought i’d have been so lucky to meet someone i wanted to spend the rest of my life with. i always thought i would be a lone wolf, and i’d have to watch everyone around me fall in love and i’d be left alone, but then i met you. from the moment i met you, there was always something about you. in the back of my head, i wondered if you were the one for me, and it turns out you are. you make me happier than i ever thought i’d be, you bring out the best side of me that nobody saw for so many years. falling in love with you was the best thing that ever happened to me, and i fall more in love with you everyday. i know we never talked about this, but i wanted it to be surprise’ he says, taking a deep, shaky breath in. i let out a happy sob, covering my mouth as he carries on.

‘i promise to always protect you, with everything i have. you are the most precious thing in my life, and i want to spend the rest of it with you. you are my dream.’ he speaks, eyes locked with mine. there are so many people stood around us, behind him but it feels like it’s only him and i there. i wipe away my tears, smiling at him bigger than i ever have. 

‘so, with that being said, will you marry me?’ he finishes, holding the ring closer to me in his fingers, his hands shaking lightly. i sob, covering my mouth, nodding quickly and choking out a, ‘yes!’ as i hold out my left hand in front of me. he slides the most beautiful ring onto my ring finger. it fits me perfectly. 

he stands up quickly as i jump up, wrapping my hands around his neck as he picks me up. i sob into his neck, pulling back to stand in front of him with my arms still around him. i lean up, pressing my lips onto my fiance for the first time. he hums happily against my lips and mumbles an, ‘i love you so much’ onto them. 

‘i love you so much, Derek’ i say as i pull back from the kiss, looking into his glistening eyes with a massive smile. ‘thank you’ i sobbed out, and he shakes his head with a massive smile. 

‘don’t thank me, i want this just as much as you do’ he smiles, wiping away my tears for me. i look down at my hand, letting out another cry as i see the gorgeous ring on my hand. this is all i have ever wanted. i press another passionate kiss to his lips, before looking behind him to see all of our friends on the edge with suspense. 

i hold up my left hand, smiling as i show them all my ring. they all scream and cheer, Lydia sprinting over to me to embrace me in the biggest hug. ‘did you know about this?’ i ask her, sniffling as i pull back to look at my best friend.

she nods with glee, ‘yes! i know some people don’t want people getting engaged at their weddings but- you’re like my sister and this makes me more happy than you’ll ever know. i know how badly you want this’ he finishes, with tears in her eyes. 

‘oh my god, i love you so much’ i sob, my hands cupping her face. ‘and you are so going to be my maid of honour, by the way’ i add, with a little laugh. she sobs, nodding at me with a huge smile. ‘i love you so much’ she adds, hugging me again as we cry together. 

after hugging and crying with everyone, i turn back to Derek as people start going back inside. he smiles at me, wiping his own eyes. 

‘i love you’ he says, pressing his forehead onto mine. ‘i love you’ i reply, pressing my lips back onto his. i don’t think i’ve ever felt so much happiness. 

☙ ☙ ☙ ☙ ☙ ☙ ☙ ☙

omg i hope you guys liked this! i need to make this a series, a smut for when they go back to the hotel that night, their wedding day, the night of their wedding, ARE YOU KIDDING i love this ☙ 

[emperor-palpaminty]

Hello friend! You mentioned that you were looking for requests that weren't on the dark side, so I thought I'd leave this little plot bunny here and if it inspires you feel free to use it!

Tech and reader are snuggled up together having a very light hearted Convo about things they'd each like to try in bed. Maybe tech's making a list on his data pad, we all know cute nerds like tech love making lists. Maybe reader teases tech about how frank he is with sex talks and he teases her back. Idk I just think there needs to be more stuff where fluff and smut mix ya know? Anywho I hope you're having a good week! Sincerely Deeja dabbles

Eeheheheheh yessss, Deeja i know your bio has your age in it but Minors DNI! Discusses smutty topics heheheh😜

Also this is an important conversation to have with your partner and a list is a good idea of boundaries and what you want to try!

"Okay." You plopped on your back, still staring at the ceiling. "Bondage."

"Affirmative. I do not mind some restraints." Tech's fingers flew across his data pad, pausing only to glance over at you. "You?"

A hum left you as you dangled your legs over the edge of the bed, weighing your thoughts. "I'm open to trying it."

"Then I shall put it in the 'yes' list." Tech's middle finger swiped, sliding the text into the assigned spot. "This idea of yours is much easier than I believed it to be."

You sat up, propping up on your elbows. 'What does that mean?"

Tech shrugged as he spoke, the short sleeves slowing off how his arms rolled with the movement. "It simply means, darling, that you think of good ideas."

A pause.

You blinked, sitting up a little more. "But...?"

"There is not always a 'but', dearest." Tech chided. His fingers paused briefly before resuming their path. "... However,"

You groaned. When there was not a but, there was a however or assuming otherwise. You choked back any disdain in words, and you managed, "However...?"

"You do happen to be stubborn about many things." Tech stated. "I am surprised your wants are so pliable. You are not always that way. Normally, from you, there is more..." His fingers waved, gesturing the vocabulary to himself. "... Push back."

"Stubborn?"

"Yes. It is not an insult. You are not nearly as stubborn as Crosshair."

You chuckled, sitting up and making your way to him. You plunked by him, leaning back on the headboard of the bed, eyes skimming over the list. It was true, you supposed- but when it came to Tech, almost everything was okay. If this was your post-war life, together in domestic bliss... may as well take the time to figure everything out. Try new things. See what made him blush, or what he enjoyed. You were happy when he was happy.

If joy was a silly list, so be it.

"I'll take it as a compliment." You turned your head, planting a peck on his jaw. Tech smiled and raised his brow, lowering the holopad after your third, fifth, eighth kiss on his neck.

"What is it that you're getting at?"

"I'm thinking," Your hand moved over his chest, settling against it. The laundry was clean, smelling floral and soft, sweet. "We start knocking stuff off that list. Trying new things."

The man hummed, considering. He turned and lowered the device on the night stand, by his abandoned goggles. "I think that is the next best step we can take. Experimentation is key when it comes to trying new things, after all."

"Trial and error?"

He smiled, turning his head and pressing his mouth to yours. Somewhere in between the kisses, the slow hands, you found that life was good, even in the little lists and moments.

One thing you decided to always be stubborn on was this- your happiness, and that none of it would ever leave you without a fight.

[dotster001]

Hey! Congrats on your 1k followers! Going to give your a event a try. Keep up the great work. You are doing a great job! Let's do romantic Twst if thats okay. My first pick was Jade, he reminds me of another video game character. That character? That character is Loki from Devil Survivor Overclock. He did everything for his own amusment. Great game. I had Jade around for a while until Leona showed up. Though I sent Leona back because he is housewarden and Ruggie cant run the dorm for him. Jamil is curently with me on break from Kalim. I think about them all. But I also want them to focus and take care of themselves before come running to me. About me? I like a lot things, but I like ships most of all. In fact give me a chance and I will tell you the history naval warfare. Not just big ships interest me, small ones too. I tend to be a mother hen of my friends. I love animals, its just bugs I'm not very fond of. I think I would be on good terms with Jade and Leona. Might be fun to try a harem with the three of them. Oh I can see this one being a crack fic.

(Hope you like it, boo! It is a chaotic group, but I can also see similar traits that could work to make it better or worse depending on the day 😂)

In this Harem, We Self Care; A tale where Jamil, Leona, and Jade have to get their Shit Together

Three men stood outside of Ramshackle, glaring at each other. Jade held a single rose in his hand, and though his face was the calmest of the three, the stem was dangerously close to snapping. Leona held a gift bag that was full of things that probably cost more than both of the other boy's existence combined. Jamil had brought himself, he knew he was enough. But that didn't mean he didn't have the urge to throw the other two's gifts into the lake.

After a long tense stare down, the door opened. Grim looked at the three in shock, then rolled his eyes.

"It happened!" He yelled inside before leaving the dorm.

You came happily running down the stairs. "All three of you on the same day! I'm so happy! Sit. Sit."

Seeing your happy smile was worth having to deal with the other two. The three men sat on the tiny Ramshackle couch, shoulders touching, and resisted the urge to elbow each other.

"Okay," you said. "Who wants to go first?"

Leona stood up abruptly, tossed the gift bag at Jamil, and threaded his fingers with your, tapping one of your knuckles as he listed things off.

"I did all my paperwork, started regular therapy, did my homework, went to class, went to practice, and called my nephew three times."

You pulled a hand away and cupped his cheek. "I'm so proud of you Leona, good boy."

Then you pressed a soft kiss to his lips. He turned to sit back down with a smug smile at the other two boys. Jamil stood up abruptly, tossing the bag back at Leona.

"I had a discussion about my feelings with Kalim, started regular therapy, took up some offers to split the extensive work I have, and have built a self care day into my weekly schedule."

You wrapped your arms around his neck and gave him a soft kiss. "I'm so proud of you Jamil."

With his heart beating at 3 million miles a minute he sat back down.

The stem of the rose had snapped while he had sat there, but he knew he could work with that. He stood, put the rose behind your ear, then gracefully took your hand, pressing a delicate kiss to the back of your fingers.

"I delegated my extraneous work out to other students, scheduled a meditational walk into my day, set a reasonable sleep schedule, and spent some time doing things I love."

You nuzzled your nose against his, then kissed him.

"I'm so proud of you, Jade."

He gave a pleased hum and sat back down. All three men watched you in anticipation as you smiled like the sun.

"I just, you have no idea how happy I am! When I told you we should take a break until you learn to take care of yourselves, I had no idea you'd do so well! And you all came back to me on the same day? Wow, I just love you boys so much!"

"And we love you," Jamil said, probably a little too loudly, as he stood up and wrapped you in a hug, running his fingers through your hair, and pressing your face to himself. 

Nowhere to look but him, he thought to himself smugly.

"Yes, we'd do anything for our beloved herbivore," Leona stood up, looking for a way in to take you from Jamil. Finding none, he sighed and just decided to make it a group hug in order to get some contact with you.

"That said," Jade mused, "I believe the reward for the first person to take significant steps to take care of themselves, and make moves to heal, would be the sole recipient of your cuddles and affection for an entire week."

"Well, which one of you got here first?"

"I did." Three voices rang out unanimously, followed by arguing sounds

"Hey!" You shouted and the room went silent. "Okay, you all arrived at the same time so you'll each get a week. As to the order, I'm thinking of a number between one and five."

Jamil and Leona groaned, but Jade smiled. He always knew what number you'd pick. And the other two knew it.

"Three I guess," Leona groaned.

"Four," Jamil said.

"It's two," Jade said, and you nodded. He victoriously claimed his prize, by passionately kissing you. When he pulled away, he smiled sweetly at the other two, and said,

"Gentlemen, your services are no longer required," then he pointed at the door as you tried to hide an innocent giggle.

The other two sighed and walked out. Once outside the door, Jamil muttered, "I hate pick a number."

"Agreed," Leona groaned.

[prototypelq]

DMC Questions Anon here!

How would things go in a scenario where the twins weren't separated after the fire? How would the story we know go in this world? How would their characters be here? What about their dynamic?

Feel free to do this as Dante was still inside the house while Vergil was outside, they were both inside, they were both outside, or any idea you can think of for how this could go. Feel free to tackle multiple variations of this scenario.

Hi Ember, thank you for the ask!

I swear I had already written a post or reblog about this....I'll link it here if I ever find it again.

I'll answer the main question in short - I think if twins found each other after the fire, they would have been much better off in every way possible. First off, they would have each other for support against this horrible trauma, which would already like, eliminate at least 30% of canon twins issues. It won't all be smooth - I can see Vergil trying to take a more assertive/responsible role, as his mother taught him, and Dante buckling against that plus not being treated seriously, which would result in him doing something unbelievably stupid, but over all, I am sure the twins would handle everything afterwards just fine. They would probably be hunted, perhaps the demons would even find them faster than on their own, since there's now double the scent to follow, but nothing stands against Twin Sons of Sparda. They'll probably follow Vergil's idea in dmc3 and try to get their revenge on Mundus, hopefully this time their minds put together could figure a les bloody way for a hell-bound portal.

As a bonus, since this is uncharacteristically short, I do wanna tackle a scenario where V(ergil) reveals his cards to Dante, or Dante is not as blindsided to make use of his high perception skills and figure the puzzle out himself.

It would start out with an obligatory and very forceful hug, as it should with these idiots.

After that - they're probably going to lose their minds about Nero's health in the weeks of Urizen's absence. They'll probably sideline the discussion of Nero for their mutual benefit (Vergil is secretly offended Dante didn't keep Yamato for himself and passed it to Someone Else, still there would be immediate adoration of Nero, Dante does Not want to handle the fallout of his five years of lies from both Vergil and Nero) and try to brainstorm any solutions they can (most of them are hopeless, but perhaps something could stabilise Vergil's current state and win him some time.

(oh also they find actual clothing for Vergil)

Now, even with all the preparation, I don't think the Urizen-Dante match would come out any differently - Dante dies. (as per my personal interpretation that Urizen killed Dante, (unknowing sibling kill count 1-1), but he was able to hold out in the same near-death state that Vergil survived in, till the Qlipoth revived Dante and he was awakened later)

As you can imagine, Vergil is not happy about it. At all. He is being eaten by guilt of harming Someone Important, aka Nero, and the shame of having his """goal""" accomplished and having Dante defeated by "his" hand. This would likely make Vergil even more volatile in terms of his mental state, and he would not be filling around this time. Sorry, no Dancing in the Rain this time, Vergil is gunning to find his little brother.

(oh, it would be super cool if Dante lost his guns on the battlefield with Urizen and Vergil carefully picked them up. first - just to deliver them to their owner, but then to also tentatively use them (the recoil hurts like hell))

After that, the middle of the game is pretty much the same - Vergil awakens Dante (trying the near-stab as the last resort), the twins are forced to travel the crumbled family tunnel to the mansion, Dante figures SDT and flies off to catch Urizen, leaving Vergil to catch up. (not his best moment, but I don't think he would trust himself with new level of almost infinite demonic power around his frail brother)

Vergil probably is not as helpless as in canon, but he still very much appreciates Nero's help in getting to the last battlefield. He wants to believe his brother, but a lifetime of paranoia is not very kind and Vergil is still very desperate to see the battle for himself. I don't think Vergil would spill as much as he does in canon, but he would share that he and Dante are twins for sure.

Dante defeats Urizen, this time without desperate pleas, just sad about the dark thoughts that haunt Vergil's mind. Vergil catches up and is reborn after the battle. I think the events overwhelm Vergil and he bolts this time on his own. Dante sighs and feels rejected, Nero is overwhelmed, demands answers and Dante lashes out with them, then goes to follow Vergil "in case he does something stupid again".

From here...I'm not sure. I think in the scenario the twins talk it out without any battle and then fall into Hell. Vergil leaves the book as a promise and an apology. Nero doesn't get all the answers he wants, but at that point he has enough clues and the puzzle forcibly assembles itself. Dante spills the beans only in Hell, and Vergil is forced to deal with the knowledge there.

Not sure what to do with the familiars, or Nero's power moment in here, I admit. Nero could unlock his powers in the Urizen rematch fight, before SDT Dante intervenes, but it feels unfulfilling. Familiars have no reason to stop Dante in this, but in the game it's not like they really planned on it, it was more of a suicide mission, so maybe they could repeat that, everyone - them and Dante, thinking this would in one way or another aid Vergil? That's the best I can come up with at the moment.