#Probably not since everyone doesn't seem to know whats going on but worth paying attention to

[caterpillarinacave]

Well, you suppose, no point in hanging around their home, not unless you'd wanted to search the place, but the unfamiliarity with your environment and its odd creatures makes you hesitate to be left alone, so you join them on the creatures as they ride into town, sitting behind the older, friendlier person, the path from the hut takes you past the trees and onto a road, it looks like asphalt similar to your world which explains why you didn't think it odd before when you first went into town, though now you're curious about why they have it if they just ride these creatures, you observe the woods and can see a variety of trees, all looking autumnal, you find yourself wondering about the structure of the seasons around here, just how different is this world anyway? The walk is slow but pleasant, leaving you far too much time for thinking, the two you ride with chat amicably, though you can't determine the topic, you've resisted the urge to check your phone valiantly up until now, conserving the battery, but you've decided a sleeping phone still loses its charge, so you might as well fiddle around with it before the inevitable strikes, as it powers on you are surprised to find that the battery is actually at full power, as if you'd left it charging rather than turned off, but after a moment you really can't be bothered to care especially since you're already maxing your brain space putting one foot in front of the other as is, what's one one more oddity to the shenanigans? Still no service unfortunately, you flick open the camera and take a look at yourself, a little tired, a bit messy, but stunning as always, you flip the camera around and take a photo of the younger rider, looks the same even caught on a digital screen though, you can't say you're disappointed but you were kinda hoping for something more just for the heck of it, the two look at you curious and you show them the picture, the older one seems excited and pulls out a black box about the size of your palm and shows it to you, gesturing between your phone and it, you stare confused, the older one passes the box to the other and with a put upon expression the younger takes the box, holds it out in front of themself, almost like...a camera? They hold the box pinching a corner and the other hand pinching diagonal to each other and then pull, the box breaks apart into two triangular pieces, between the two pieces thin silvery strands appear and then solidify into an image, an exact reflection of you and your fellow rider, it's a picture, they hand it to you and close the box, putting it away, the photograph feels like a soft fabric, it acts like it too allowing you to fold it, on the other side is an image of the younger person who took the photo in the same pose as when it was taken, you have no idea what to do with this information, but luckily you guys are now riding into town so you tuck the photo away and refrain from overthinking it.

The town looks as it did before, the architecture is odd, not in that it looks horribly strange, just in that it isn't what the town you were from looked like...you are very knowledgeable on architecture of course, but it's about here your narrator fails you, suffice to say, the buildings are building shaped, taller than the structures from your town, the people seem to appreciate multiple stories more than your town did, and the rooftops are more sloped, perhaps this environment gets a lot of rain comparatively, the riders stop at what you would guess is probably a downtown sort of area, you didn't really see much of the town or its people in your panic before so you enjoy observing here, the people meander freely going about their day, if it weren't for the unfamiliar language and other minor changes you could honestly forget you were in the midst of some other world, you all climb off the backs of your creatures, the friendlier one goes to put them away, when they get back they say something to the younger and then shoo you both away indicating that you two should stick together while they take care of some errands, feeling a little wrong footed you follow the younger person around, they enter shops, clean and organized, they feel like local shops at home, the younger wanders with you in tow, they don't seem to be buying anything, between shops you notice a group of kids, unlike all the adults you've seen they all have bright colorful hair, including colors unnatural in your world, pinks and greens and blues alongside your standard blondes and redheads, you wish you could ask why all the adults have dark hair, if it was a fashion thing or a natural aging thing or if the children dye their hair maybe, but that's a complicated topic for how little you can communicate. The two of you enter another building, it reminds you of a thrift store, everything seems randomly placed on shelves, less organized, there's writing you take note of but can't understand, on the shelves are many items which you don't recognize, but as you sift through a basket you find a hair brush, just a plastic bristled brush with some brand name you can actually read, it looks so odd sitting there among the box of long spiky sticks, so you pick it up and head to what you presume is an employee or something at the back near a counter to ask where this came from but alas, you still don't speak the language and they unfortunately do not know what you want, they do take the brush though and tap it to the counter, a square appears on a screen you hadn't noticed and the employee stares expectantly, you're hit by that one feeling of being left at the cash register when you aren't the one paying and realize that's because you are exactly in that situation, before you can embarrassedly turn and walk away, your companion walks up and taps a space beside the screen which glows and the square turns to a circle before fading away, the brush is handed to you and you both leave, of course you refuse to be impressed or flustered, you're sure if any of them saw how tap to pay worked in your world it'd be pretty confusing too.

You inspect the brush but find nothing interesting about it, as the two of you finish wandering you end up back where the creatures were left and settle in to wait, you figure your hair could use a brushing and get to work, your companion gives you an odd glance but you pay it no mind, at least until you look down and find a streak of blue in your hair where you just brushed, confused you check the bristles but they seem clean, yet your hair is blue, you put the brush away annoyed, you feel a headache coming on, instead of brooding you pull out your bundle of berries feeling hungry, you inspect them each carefully remembering how they tasted before and pop one in your mouth, immediately your headache disperses and you feel less hungry and tired, you put away the berries and go back to waiting, once the older person comes back with a cart of boxes they hook one of the creatures to, you all head back to their place, on the way the friendlier companion hands you a black box which you recognize as the camera like item, indicating that you should keep it, you guess they got it for you while shopping earlier and you accept it bemused but thankful, when you all get back you help unload the boxes and when you're all done you're offered a place to stay, you aren't sure for how long they mean, but you have a feeling that understanding your predicament they mean quite some time, they show you a smaller, yet still cozy hut off to the side of the main living house with what you can easily identify as a bedroom and bathroom, not having anywhere to go you accept for the night and enjoy an evening meal with them before going to bed, but as morning approaches you have to decide what to do next, do you plan to accept their offer to stay longer?

(Feel free to expand on your choice either way. :) )

Yes.

[txttletale]

My question about growth/the venture capitalist mindset is like … how have venture capitalists and the like not figured this out already? It’s been a decade, give or take a few years, since the internet started being monetized to hell and back, and if we all know they’re not really making a profit (bc no one clicks on ads, obviously) then why are the structures still in place?im looking at all this and I feel like a dunce bc I just don’t get how ppl can keep ofunelling money into something that we all know doesn’t work lol ! :0

there's a couple reasons for this, but the tldr of it is that if you're wile e. coyote and you're running in the air over the edge of a cliff, it's in your material interests not to look down

let's say you're a venture capitalist and you've put $10 million into hypnospace, the hot new social media site. when you invest into a company, you invest at a certain price--the company has an idea of how much it's worth, and that determines what price they'll sell their shares at. let's say you buy at $10 a share, so you have a million shares in hypnospace. that $10-a-share-valuation was based on hypnospace telling you (in, say, 2012, when this was still believable and even seemed self-evident) that becuse they were seeing huge growth in daily active users, they'd eventually become insanely profitable.

now usually even you, a venture capitalist, a lifeform mostly resembling a parasitic flatworm, might be a little cautious about this investment. will they really become profitable? it seems risky. however because it's 2012, the US federal reserve has been giving out loans at their ZIRP (zero interest rate policy) for four years in a response to the 2008 financial crisis. what that means is that it's incredibly cheap for banks to borrow money, which in turn means it's incredibly cheap for you, a venture capitalist, to borrow that money from banks. when money is cheap, risky investments make a lot of sense--when you can get an extremely low-interest-rate loan, throwing that money down the toilet is unfortunate but no longer catastrophic. so you put your $10 million into hypnospace because the risk is artificially lowered by the ZIRP, making it well worth the reward.

now it's five years later and it's 2017 and it's becoming increasingly clear that hypnospace.horse is probably not going to became the new facebook and that perhaps there will in fact only be one facebook. bummer. but you've still got a million shares in it. this means that you're directly invested--not in the company becoming profitable, but in the valuation of that company going up. if people can be convinced to buy hypnospace shares at $12-a-share, you can make off with a cool $2 million even though the website never did anything useful or made any money. on the other hand, if people start thinking 'hey, this website has never made any money and it's obviously never going to, why would we buy shares in it'--shares plummet to $1 a share, and you're out $9 million! worst case scenario!

so even if you, the venture capitalist, realize that the website's a boondoggle, it's in your best interest to convince everyone around you that no, it really will become profitable, and its shares (that you hold some of!) are really valuable and you should want to buy them. and this doesn't just mean lying to other venture capitalists (although they love doing this)--capitalists pay close attention to sales of stocks. if you realize that hypnospace is never going to make money and decide to cut your losses and abruptly offload all million shares, other capitalists will interpret that for what it means--that you've totally lost confidence in seeing return on your investment--and many of them will panic and also start selling their shares, while capitalists with no hypnospace shares will think 'boy, this hypnospace thing seems like a real wash, i don't want to buy shares in that'.

so what do you do? you keep putting money in. if the company's increasing in valuation the more it grows, then even if you're crystal-clear aware that growth has no path to profitability, you still gain wealth for every month that the business stays afloat by burning money, because the valuation goes up and your shares are worth more. the ideal outcome for a venture capitalist investing into a tech company is to make a big investment, let the company bleed money while it grows for several years, then sell--not all at once, not abruptly, and not while the price is in stagnation or decline. it's one big game of hot potato for when the gig is finally up. not every venture capitalist has to be a totally credulous dipshit--just the last one in the line.

[milkytheholy1]

TMNT Masterlist

2003:

Leo:

Third base - Leo x Female Reader

Hey everyone, I currently have two requests left to do but I really want to get some stories that I personally came up with as well. I really want to try writing for different versions of the turts besides 2012 and Rise even if they are my fav versions. Sorry if the character interactions are a bit iffy in this one, I haven't seen much of the 2003 series I'm only up to season 2.

Donnie:

Drawn to you - Donnie x GN Reader

No, the tech-savvy turtle was drawn to you by your persistence, by the way you poured yourself into your work, how you understood the need to complete something no matter how long it took.

Mikey:

Turtle titan to the rescue! - Mikey x Female Reader

Okay so far warning, I haven’t really watched past season 3 of the 2003 series, I have been working my way through it though. So some characters might not sound or act like how they should from the show and I might end up getting some stuff wrong, so sorry in advance. This story will flip between 1st and 3rd person narrative.

2012:

All Turtles:

Turtle Power part 1

What if you included even more turtles in the hit tmnt movie, TMNT:Turtles Forever? This isn't an X Reader fic and takes places in the 2012 universe...well, for the start at least.

Leo:

Dear diary - Leo x GN Reader

Leo practicing how to ask them out with many many scripts for acting in front of a mirror:") or maybe they find out about his diary! You can pick

A confident strut - Leo x GN Reader

Went with the first one since it's been some time since I wrote for my 2012 boy! This is going to be set before the whole sister reveal, but I wanna make it clear that I do not ship Karai and Leo together cause that shit is gross. Enjoy!

I heard you - Leo x Female Reader

The reader,who has a crush on Leo, waits by Leo's side for him to wake up in the farm house and she is so relieved when he wakes up after months

Not traditional - Leo x Male Reader

The reader is giving Leo a whole sexuality crisis so Leo asks April if it's weird for a guy to like another guy and April reassures him that it's perfectly normal, and later that week Leo accidentally slips that he likes (y/n) and in a flash the have this little moment of understanding that they both like each other and want to be more than friends.

Goodbye Leonardo part 1 - Leo x Female Reader

I know what you're thinking, two stories in one night? This is somewhat based on the season four episode: Broken Foot. Also sorry it's so long but I had to fill in some blanks to get to the build-up of the story and sorry for the rushed ending it's currently past midnight where I'm from and I'm very tired.

Goodbye Leonardo part 2 - Leo x Female Reader

Okay, okay, you'll get your stinking part 2. This is probably one of the most requested fics I've ever done, the original intention was to leave it as a standalone fic. But, because you all seem eager for more I eventually broke and decided to do it. This is set a few years after the original and doesn't follow the episode 'Broken Foot' like the original oneshot. In my opinion, it's also waaay more angsty and it might actually be sadder than the first one. So I hope the wait was worth it, enjoy!

Donnie:

Wrong about me - Donnie x Female Reader

Donnie gets cheated on by April and (y/n) finds out and hurts April's feelings then comforts Donnie?

Hot - Donnie x Female Reader

Donnie was talking about some science stuff the last 20 minutes, but reader can't fully pay attention to what he's saying because they're just thinking about his voice, his gestures and everything. They think "don't you realize how hot you are?", but Donnie stops talking and reader realizes they just said that out loud and now they want to die.

Happy birthday - Donnie x GN Reader

it’s the reader’s birthday and the turtles just find out and they have to quickly set up a surprise birthday for the reader.

Well done science boy - Donnie x GN Reader

Had this idea in my head for a few days so thought I'd post it, I wanted to make it a shorter story than what I normally do but I got too lost in it and it ended up being just as long, oops. Hope you enjoy!

Hello nurse - Donnie x Female Reader

Literally did this so I could pull off one reference, that's all. Enjoy!

Raph:

Hots for you - Raph x Female Reader

Raph finds out that his girlfriend is bisexual?

Heard you from a mile away - Raph x GN Reader

not going to lie I had to search up what it meant, decided to do Raph since i've never written for him before in the 2012 version. So if this comes across as out of character, apologies. Anyway, enjoy!

2014/2016: Leo:

Red lips - Leo x Female Reader

“Don’t give me that face, it’s so cute I might not be able to hold back.”

Donnie:

Five years - Donnie x Female Reader

Donnie creates a portal that transports them to 2021.

Five years alt ending - Donnie x Female Reader

It’s weird how many people have asked me for them to have kids, but I guess if that’s what you guys want to see then here is a short version 2, if you will, of five years. Be sure to read the original or it won’t really make much sense, this is just the ending. Enjoy!

Life is a dream part 1 - Donnie x GN Reader

You felt the small vibrations of your phone in your pocket, pulling it out you saw Donnie was once again calling you crap, "H-hey Donnie, I promise I'm on Allen Street. I'm like less than a minute away." you panted into the device. You could hear his sigh through the speaker, "Don't worry about it, I'm just wasting valuable pop tart time." he joked, your laughter was his reward.

Part 2 - Donnie x GN Reader

Speaking of the brothers, Mikey was sat playing some video games while leaning over to slurp his coke, you could hear panting and the sounds of something being destroyed coming from the dojo Raph. Finally taking lighter steps into the lair, you could smell a sweet fragrance waft through the air Leo.

Part 3 - Donnie x GN Reader

"Do you remember that video where the cat plays chopsticks with the chopsticks?" Mikey asked, pushing aside Donnie and getting closer to your face. You flinched at his close proximity, your mind still trying to adjust to your bright surroundings. "Can we focus here?" Leo argued, pulling Mikey away from you, he securely wrapped his arm around his younger brother in case he felt the need to jump at you again.

Final part - Donnie x GN Reader

"What?" he asked, "Can I ask you something?" You pondered why you were willing to tell Raph some of your deep, dark thoughts and not someone like Donatello "It's a free country," he quipped going back to his knitting. "Right," you said, glancing down to avoid making eye contact "It's just that...do you think- feel like something is off?"

Mikey:

Parading in style - Mikey x Male Reader

So I don’t know much about pride parades in NYC but I can only imagine they’re triple the ones from where I’m from, I’m also not going to give you a description of Mikey’s human form as that can be up to you. I’ve learned from experience that everyone has a different view of these characters and it’s unfair to the reader to force them to take my view of what he could look like, so yeah he looks like whatever you want him to. Hope you enjoy!

Raph:

A cold night in new  - Raph x Female Reader

Reader's apartment building's heat went out during a really chilly spring day, so when raph comes over he's all like "why tf does she have the thermostat on 5 degrees", but then he finds her cuddled up with tons of blankets on the couch, watching tv. after turning down the volume, reader explains the situation with the heat while shivering and clutching the blankets. raph has a brilliant plan for this.

Begging - Raph x Female Reader

Bayverse Raph and his S.O get into a huge fight and he hurts her feelings and Raph found her on the rooftop crying and he asks for forgiveness

Seeing you - Raph x Female Reader

The reader feels invisible and lonely, so she confides in Raph and telling him how her current boyfriend is using and abusing her. Then later on Raph confesses his feelings for the reader but her abusive boyfriend catches the reader and raph together.

I promise - Raph x Female Reader

The reader has scars from her mother and she shows Raph while crying about them and Raph listens and comforts her.tumblr

[mrs-monaghan]

I need advice, please, you never answer my asks, even though you do with tkkrs spewing lies and hate. Please, I used to love every Jikook interaction, but since a while ago, I can't do it without thinking about how 99% of the fandom are tkkrs and hate JM. I want to enjoy their moments like you do, but it hurts so much to see all the hate JM receives. Sometimes I wonder if JK is worth it...like JM would be free if he dated someone else...tkkrs only want JK to be TH's sex toy, and if JM is with someone else, at least we could enjoy Jikook even if it's them just being friends. Or JK could shut tkkrs up sometime and try to defend Jimin...I gave up on TH confirming Jennie, he's a coward and doesn't want to lose his fans (tkkrs), so he's going to keep doing fanservice namedropping JK everytime he needs it... please, what is your secret? how can I enjoy jkk again? why are there so many people that believe JK is TH's boyfriend if JM is the one he loves? really, everything is so frustrating. Poor JM, I'm tired

Maybe I dont answer your asks because you say things like "maybe Jimin should find someone else" Matter of fact, let it be known to everyone: I delete all such asks. Or any asks that sound remotely like anti JK. Jimin loves who he loves. He is head over heels for this man. Get with the programme or move the fuck on. Coz your fav aint never gonna drop JK just coz u want him to. And I personally figure that is common sense. So anytime I get an ask saying JK doesn't deserve Jimin I don't even finish reading that shit. I delete. So I'm sorry you're upset anon, but if this is how u talk everytime then that's why I have never answered u.

That being said, anon pointed out how I have time to reply to antis n tkkrs. I'm sure some of u who have sent me good Jikook asks probably wonder the same thing. Why does she reply to them but hasn't answered my ask from months ago? This is a fair question. Apart from my current situation 🤰🏽 I may not have time sometimes. And some of your asks require research. Some of your asks are so good they deserve time and thought put into them. Meanwhile insulting a piece of vermin or an anti is easy. I don't have to think when talking smack to these assholes. I don't need to research anything. Plus its very satisfying and takes 0 effort on my end. So that's why it seems like I prioritise them.

Answering a good ask and answering it properly, could take all day sometimes. As much as I love doing it, it requires a lot of time and effort. So yeah, incase any of u was frustrated about how u sent a good ask a long time ago and yet I seem to have time for antis, thats why. That, and people who send links. Those asks are easy n take no time at all.

I'm sorry guys. Really.

But anon, u asked for advice on how to enjoy Jikook moments despite the existence of tkkrs.

I will start by taking you back to this post I made when all hell broke loose that one time. It is incredibly important that people remember: your feelings are not Jimin's. This is the man who in 2018 was sent a death threat and he said that Armys were more worried about this person than he was. That he was alright and that no one should worry.

Quickly, lets pay attention to this part one more time

His fans were more concerned than he was. I do believe this to be the case 1000% right now too. You are more worried about the vermin than he is. You are more worried about Jikook antis, than he is. He doesn't care. If he cared he would pull away from JK. If he cared we wouldn't be getting a Jikook documentary. If he cared why would be continue providing Jikook content despite knowing some people will not receive it very well??? Despite knowing there are people who wanna kill him for hanging with JK?

If he cared we would be starved for moments on official content. He would keep away from JK if antis were affecting him. Period. There is no "poor Jimin." He's more than okay.

Anon, my advice is to keep this in mind. This is what I do. Jimin doesn't care, so neither do I.

So instead I laugh at them and mock them because they are just wasting their time and energy. No amount of hate and death threats are gonna stop Jimin from loving those he loves. And this is the truth.

Plus, why be concerned with people who believe members hate each other? Like in what world does that make sense?? Anon, you have seen the fuckery i share on this blog. These people are brainless and stupid. As we speak they claim that wasn't JK with Jimin in Tokyo. How can u take such people seriously??? I know I don't. I can't. For me to even consider the shit coming out of your mouth you have to make sense and tkkrs dont make any fucking sense.

So my advice, this is up to you and you only. Its is up to u to treat these people like the mental cases they are; by not taking them seriously. Report, block and move on. Go watch a happy Jimin compilation or something. If u can't take the hate, then unfollow all report pages, mute key words, stay on the clean side of twitter. Believe u me, it exists. Curate your timeline anon, it is possible. Even on twitter.

I promise you Jimin does not care. He used to but he sure as hell doesn't anymore. You remember this crucial part, and you will be able to enjoy Jikook in peace.

Plus, if you've been paying attention to JK, you will notice he doesn't feed tkkrs. He really doesn't. Not like in the past. And the dude has made it clear he doesn't like them... not even a little bit. And can u blame him? Look at you and how u feel. Now imagine JK, Jimin's boyfriend seeing this hate. Imagine how he feels. You can tell he ain't about tkkrs. Especially this year. Even they know it and so they rely on V for tkk content. (Denying them moments is the most JK can do. Interfering or trying to shut them up wouldn't work. If it didn't work with V, twice, it won't work with JK either)

This is the only advice I can give u. Hope u heed it. Because no one deserves their BTS experience taken away from them. Xoxo

[not-eli]

Some peeps asked for Heather character analysis and that's literally what I live for so let's go

pay attention this is long.

Heather is portrayed since the very beginning like the perfect example of the word brat. Her literal first line is, "I'm calling my parents, you can't force me to stay here!"

Even though this could hint that she has a very close relationship with her parents, at the same time in the extra clips for the parents from home we understand that her parents aren't really so caring for her, since they were celebrating at the thought of her leaving.

Even if this can seem controversial, there's a perfect explaination for this kind of behaviour:

As an example, my cousin is a goddamn brat (so glad my family doesn't know about my blog), always whining and asking for my aunt's phone, even cussing in front of his parents, and he's about 5. The thing is, due the desire of not hearing him protest my uncles tried to please him in everything, giving him what he asked so he would stop crying.

i think that Heather's parents kind of did the same: They complied with her every request so as not to hear her complain, not because they cared about her but because they wanted her to keep quiet. Heather of course got used to this and that's literally all she knows. She knew that if she conplained, she would get what she wanted.

We also know that her parents used elettro shock therapy on her in order to "make her nicer" which also hints that they didn't have a goddamn clue of what to do with her.

Furthermore, in tda when she thought she was about to die she wrote her will where she left most of her possessions to her mother. Plus, when Chris offered the team a chance to talk to the person they were closest with, who was the person suggested to Heather? That's right, the mother.

When she "opens up" a little to Harold she asks, "do you think it's good to be hated by everyone?"

I think that her bratty behaviour, maybe even in order to gain a little of attention from her parents, led people to stay away from her and to cope she became even worse, trying to convince herself that it wasn't her, it was them.

In an extra clip (cannot find it) we learn from her younger brother that she was used to be seen as "unattractive" when she was younger, which adds to the whole "no one likes me but who cares" thing.

I have the feeling that she closed herself off for so long to avoid being seen as weak, someone who can't provide for herself. We know that her number one objective is winning and only winning, she wants the money and for what? To start a life of her own, show the world that she's Heather and she's so worth it.

However, we sometimes caugh some moments of weakness: When she broke down while teaming up with Harold, when she looked upset when Lindsay and Beth stayed away from her (who, to remember, were the only friends she made on the show), when she comforted Courtney after the whole cheating thing and lord, even when Sierra the creepy crazy girl got hurt she showed to care for her. Also, did you see how happy she looked when Cody called her "the good guy"? (well not exactly but you get my point) or when she won?

And when she fell for Alejandro, she probably thought that was stupid - why falling for a boy that will just slow you down, break your heart?

Heather is hated by everyone, it's true. But deep inside she's just a girl that never understood how the world really worked. She never got how she had to actually behave in order to be liked. When she and Alejandro had that lovey dovey honeymoon phase she genuinely looked so happy because he was treating her like a literal queen. In my opinion, she finally felt respected and that was enough for her. Until Chris mentioned the money that is.

She deserves to win again :(

@math-is-math

@cass-hector-simp

[lazinesswrites]

Since it's Star Wars day: Headcanon time!

I've seen a lot of people talk about how Hunter's enhanced senses sometimes give him migraines/sensory overload, and I am 100% with you all on that. But. Hear me out. Crosshair has a similar problem.

So, okay, this is getting longer and a bit more ramble-y than I meant for it to be, but bear with me.

I'm... a little unclear on what Crosshair's enhancement actually is. In s01e01 Tech just calls it "Crosshair's sharpshooting skills", and I haven't reached the part of Clone Wars where the Batch is introduced yet, but from what I've read/seen on tumblr, Hunter introduces Crosshair as someone who's 'not much of a conversationalist' but who can 'hit a precise target from 10 klicks' (as I remember it). My understanding is that, if Crosshair can see it, and it's within range of whatever weapon he's got at the moment, he can hit it.

But how?

The general consensus seems to be that Crosshair has enhanced vision: He can see further, sharper, more than others (I do have some questions about that, actually; some of them more serious than others. For example: Does he need reading glasses? Can he see shrimp colors? But that's another post.).

But here's the thing, though: Being able to see something isn't enough to be able to hit it. So this is where this post reaches headcanon territory: Crosshair is incredibly smart. Maybe on level with Tech, just in a different way. All those split-second calculations for distance, angle, wind, movement (direction and speed, of both himself and his target), gravity (which varies! depending on the planet/moon/whatever!), and probably a bunch of other things I haven't thought about? Yeah. Our boy is smart, okay. Maybe it's more instinctive, where Tech is more, well, technical, but. Anyway.

So that's one headcanon/Thought, which leads into the next: Crosshair is processing A LOT of information at once, all the time. We all are, when we move about in the world, or even just exist in the world - more than we realize. But I think Crosshair probably processes even more than almost everyone else, at least of visual input. Same way Hunter is constantly processing everything he takes in from his enhanced senses. It's maybe easier for Crosshair to deal with an oncoming migraine or whatever, if all he needs is to... close his eyes for a while, or go somewhere with less visual stimuli (the halls on Kamino must have been Hell). But that's just not always an option: When on missions, during training, hell, even just getting a damn meal in the mess hall with the bright lights and all the other clones.

Which leads me to the third (and final, for tonight) thought: It's probably part of the reason Cross doesn't talk much. There's more to it, most likely. Some people just don't talk much, for no particular reason other than that's who they are. But part of it is probably also that his job is to see things; to hang back a little and observe, and strike with deathly precision when the situation calls for it. But also... You know how sometimes it can be a little difficult to pay attention to a conversation while the TV is on? Or how you can't always read while the people are talking on the radio? Or how you can more or less follow along with several conversations in the room at once, but the second you have to take part in one of them, you can't pay attention to the rest? I figure it's a little like that for Crosshair. He sees so much all the time, and sometimes (often) he has to choose between talking or processing what he's seeing. And on a mission, processing less of what he's seeing might mean missing a danger to his squad, so then it's a necessity. When not on a mission, well. With the read I've gotten on his character from what I've seen so far... probably he just doesn't find most people outside his squad worth the energy.

[evelhak]

Feeling daring today - Haizaki for the character and ship bingo ;)

Your takes are much more interesting, so there may not be anything illuminating here but I tried. xD

*Non-sarcastically normal. Haizaki is a pretty neutral character when I think about him by myself, I just don't have that special connection to him.

*However I love him when you talk about him and I'm sure I would love him more if I just had an incentive to write about him. But I don't feel anything like that because you're already giving him justice. My brain doesn't really work unless I feel like I have something substantial to contribute, which I don't.

*Haizaki definitely still gets a lot of unjustified hate, because he was framed as a villain and people then interpreted his every action as coming from the worst place imaginable, while other characters' actions get understanding just because they can see those characters' sides but can't see Haizaki's since he wasn't written in a sympathetic way. On one hand, that's fair to me, if your fic needs a villain it makes sense to pick a character whose motivations were not discussed deeply, so you can turn him into as much of a villain as you want, because you have no need to think about that particular character so deeply. However, the rate at which this happens to Haizaki perfectly exemplifies how the same dynamic happens in real life, especially at schools. He has the outward characteristics of the person who is always the easiest to blame. Not that there isn't stuff to blame him for, it's just that when he gets blamed for more than his share, it becomes a vicious cycle. Not to say it would affect his likability to me even if he never grew less violent or got his shit together, because my like and dislike for fictional characters is not based on morality or whether or not I would like that character in real life. 😂 I didn't pay that much attention to him solely because I just overlooked his story as pretty been there done that. Any character depth he has is implied at best, because he's a side character. I would much rather see an actual depiction of the dynamics that get projected onto him. And you are doing that, so, I'm not complaining.

*I do think Haizaki is pretty silly, he's so macho but he's also kind of wishy-washy about it. Like, one minute he can be thundering on like any of the other macho characters but then his line for changing his mind and going like "you know what, not worth it, actually" is much lower. And somehow he gets depicted as pathetic for that, even though it may actually just be common sense and self-preservation.

*Honestly I need to remind myself that Haizaki exists, sometimes. I'm sorry. He just wasn't that compelling to me initially. I didn't demonise him (I'd like to think that I don't demonise anyone) I just wasn't interested enough. I knew there were reasons he acts the way he does but I didn't make actual effort to find out. You've done some good to me, reminding me that my perception is more limited than I would like, because I tend to pride myself for considering everyone's viewpoints. (Not 100% possible, but I try.)

*Well you said it, Haizadick is not an inaccurate term, no matter what way you look at it.

I didn't ship anyone with Haizaki because I didn't think about his life much before talking to you, so...

*Congrats, your Haizaki and his relationships are now basically canon to me. : D

*I just put that second tier text there because I imagine it's where the relationships that last a bit longer would go, and I think Haizaki just has many short relationships before maybe ending up with his end game.

*I mean I assume he has had fun short relationships with many girls.

*And probably many one-night stands.

*I literally just got it in my head that maybe he experimented with a guy once, while I was making this. He seems like a curious type even though I'm kind of assuming he's straight.

*Yeah, I theoretically get why these are ships but no I don't really get it, I would be lying if I said I truly deeply understood it.

I know my shipping tiers are a mix of "I actually root for it" and "I just sort of think it would happen" but that's what you get from me. : D

[thedo0zyslider]

I Love You (I'm Not Supposed Too) - Chapter Five: Swampy Vacation - 7k Words

Fwhip embarks on a journey to the Codlands, courtesy of Grimlands Count. Safe to say he is less than pleased with the idea

A03 Link

Several weeks later, after dozens and dozens of tense days in the house, Fwhip finds himself being shipped off to the Codlands for two weeks. His father says it was a planned trip, so he could learn about their culture and what not. The ginger doesn't quite believe that.

Fwhip is pretty sure it’s because of the fight he and his sister had. And because Gem was scheduled to visit the day after he left too, which is pretty convenient timing if you ask him. He's almost grateful that their parents seem to be keeping them separate, because he's still feeling miserable about the whole thing. And he doesn't want that to lead into another fight again, then he really wouldn't know what to do with himself. 

He knows his fight with Gem isn’t over that one bad day. It’s god knows how many years worth of problems all exploding at once, because they suck at emotional stuff. And they're family is a big old mess too. One so full of issues that it makes him wanna bang his head into a wall half the damn time. 

He hasn’t seen Gem since she left for the Cliffs, right after their fight, which was over half a month ago at this point. Fwhip hasn’t messaged her on the new communicators they were gifted with either. Just another thing on the problem pile now, he supposed. Even if he didn't want it to be. The ginger isn’t really upset that his sister hasn’t spoken to him though, for he’s still pretty upset at her. She had called his one and only joy in this life dumb and stupid after all.

Fwhip is upset at himself too. The future Count knows he was being an asshole with most, if not all. of his comments, even if some were the truth. Yet at the same time he had no idea what to do, or how to talk to Gem about it. How do you even recover from a fight like that, really? They’d both called each other's greatest passions stupid .

He thinks about all of this, and arrives at the Codlands a lot grumpier than he expected to be. Part of the young Count wants to go back home, but he knows Gem is probably there. And the rest of him doesn’t want to confront that whole ordeal just yet, so maybe being in the dumb smelly swamp empire for a week or so would be bearable; if his other option was that much worse. Maybe .

Jimmy greets him as soon as he, and the guards his father had annoyingly sent, arrive. There is a fake smile plastered across his face, and when everyone turns their back he gives Fwhip the naistest glare the cod could probably muster. The half dragon returns it with a glare of his own, and feels his tail angrily thump against the ground. Well then, this is going to be a splendid trip, since the Cod Emperor’s greeting was oh-so friendly . 

Fwhip and his guards are giving a small tour, the teeangers keeping a good distance between them and the rest of the group. The tour was uncomfortable for both of them it seemed, as Jimmy awkwardly pointed out and described most of the buildings in the empire; even with the Grimlands guards giving him death glares the whole time. Fwhip tried to pay attention, since he would be living there for the next few days or so, but found it was rather hard too. The people they passed were giving the half dragon some nasty stares, stares he couldn’t shake no matter how hard he tired. He drew his wings even closer to his body as they walked, shifting uncomfortably with nearly every step. The cod beside him waved to someone else, then raised an eyebrow at the half dragon’s suffering. The dickhead. 

“Not used to getting stared at like an animal, are you?” Jimmy mutters to him, having leaned in a bit to do so. They are much too close for the young Count’s liking right now, able to feel the blonde’s breath falling on his skin..

“No.” Fwhip mutters back, shifting just an inch in the other direction. Personal space and all, especially when he was being ogled like he was some creature . “I’m not.”

“Now you know what my life feels like.” Jimmy responded, waving to someone he knew as they continued to make their way through the small town. 

Fwhip avoided everyone's gazes still, and tried to fold his wings closer to his back. “Do you deal with this everyday?” He asked, not missing how the few cod he did catch a glimpse of looked at him. It was…..a look he wasn't used to, that's for certain. 

“Yeah.” The cod answered after a moment, his response strained. Again, Fwhip had to wonder once again what went on in that damn ocean. “For a lot of reasons, yeah.”

The ginger doesn't respond, just holds back a sigh, and accepts the fact that he will be subjected to some….rather nasty looks. But if complains to Jimmy the cod will complain about his treatment in the Grimlands, so he just keeps his mouth shut and suffers in silence. Sometimes doing that is better anyways.

Fwhip follows Jimmy around in mostly silence, only giving the occasional word here and there. Partly because a good bit of the codfolk's conversations are in codlish, a language he cannot even try to understand right now. But he learns a little from what he can gather, about the people's religion, the sea gods they worship and their cultural festivities related to it. 

He learns about recipes and their foods he will never remember fully, the style of dress in the empire, how they farm and use the land's natural resources for most things, everything . He also learns a lot of little details too, like how Jimmy will have to wear this head once they appoint him as the Codfather, and how he won’t be able to take it off in public ever again after that. Jimmy mumbled something part way through, about how his mother had instructed him to be so detailed in the tour, because normally he wouldn't care so much. And well, he's doing a damn good job at it, out of fear or otherwise. He makes it a little interesting, at least. 

Their little tour is eventually interrupted by some commotion in the docks, and the two young royals have to rush off once they hear the sounds of yelling. Thankfully no one got truly hurt, other than a few bruises maybe, but one if the castle merfolk and two codfolk had gotten into a pretty heated engagement. Apparently one of them had said some nasty comment about the other species, and it had escalated from there. 

Jimmy tells him it's the fourth incident like that today, and noon has only just passed. 

Not even twenty minutes later, they have to stop an argument between one of the Grimlands guards accompanying Fwhip, and another codfolk Jimmy had been talking to prior. It was his guard who had started it, and while the future Count didn't necessarily disagree with their comments, it would not be good for any of them if a fight broke out. So he decides they're done with guards, actually, and pulls the one with him off to the side. 

“Sir,” The guard protested, surely unhappy about losing their post. “I can't just leave you here alone in an enemy empire!”

“First off, we're not technically enemies right now.” Fwhip hisses, shoving them off to wherever the other two or so Grimlands guards had been ordered to stay. “And do you think these people are gonna attack an emperor's kid? They're not that dumb.” 

The guard mutters something under their breath in response, something about him sympathizing with the fish folk, and reluctantly walks away. They know when to walk away and follow orders, but not when to shut their mouth, it seems. The half dragon glares at the back of the retreating guard, and has to stop himself from stomping back like a child might. To say the comment got under his skin would be an understatement. 

Fwhip exchanges a glance with Jimmy when he walks back over, and sees the same troubling look reflected on the young cod’s face. It seems the two of them are on the same page then, about why they are here and what they are being taught. 

They are both starting to understand the need for the marriage. Fwhip still doesn't like it, he never will, but he can at least understand why it's happening. And that is exactly why they were brought here, to see and understand their duties to the people. The duties they both do not want, yet have no say in. The duties their parents do not want to do, so now it's both of their jobs.

There's a sinking pit of despair opening up in Fwhip's gut as he realizes it, and sees the same feeling reflected in Jimmy’s eyes as well. And the feeling is persistent, it won't go away. It's the feeling that will define every thought of the future after today. 

“Pix!” Jimmy exclaims, sounding all happy and relieved. He nearly runs over towards the other, his tail basically wagging with happiness behind him as he moves. Like a puppies tail would. 

“Pix?” Fwhip parrots, confused, yet he follows the young cod regardless. Don't get him wrong, he's very happy to see the new Pixandrian King, it's been a while since their last meeting, he's just unsure of why exactly he's here. 

“Hello you two!” The Copper King says, reaching out to ruffle both of the boy's hair when they're in range. Jimmy laughs, and lets him, already well used to such affection from the man in the few times they have spoken. Fwhip lets his hair be ruined as well, but not without many confused noises. 

“I'm happy to see you but, why are you here!?” He asks, barely caring how messy his curls are now. Even if his hair was rather annoying to keep tidy. Again, he's very excited to see his friend, he just doesn't know why he is seeing him!

“He visits sometimes!” Jimmy explains, cheery. And then he leaned in closer to Fwhip, to add on quietly. Like no one was supposed to hear this, in case something bad came of it. Like Jimmy was treading some ground he wasn't supposed to around the cod and all the royal advisors hanging about. “And mum isn't giving me any help making an empire, so Pix made it his job instead.”

“Oh, okay.” The ginger mumbled, somewhat surprised at the information. He knew the Ocean Queen wasn't....a great parent, but he hadn't been expecting her to just throw her son info leadership like that. Jimmy, on the other hand, seemed unphased by it, like this stuff was normal, and happily turned his head back towards their older friend. 

“The Queen actually requested my presence, and said she wanted me to be here today specifically.” Pix said, also seeming very nonchalant about the whole neglectful parent thing. Fwhip wondered how out of the loop he was, and if Lizzie was either involved or okay with all this. Or if she even knew it was happening. 

Jimmy looked puzzled, like his mother didn't request Pix's presence a lot. Like he just showed up of his own accord, out of the kindness of his own heart. “Why?”

“I don't know.” Pix shrugged, a small smile forming on his lips. “Maybe she thinks I'll keep you both in line?” Both of the boys giggled at that suggestion, and exchanged a knowing glance. No one in the world could stop them arguing, or being individual little troublemakers. You'd either have to separate them or lock them each in an all white room to achieve such a feat. 

Not even two minutes later, like they had summoned the Devil herself, the Ocean Queen arrives. She has guards of her own trailing her as she approaches them. Fwhip is surprised when he sees her, but his two companions are not. Jimmy seems to be trying to control his facial expression, probably from scowling or something; while Pixl plasters one of those fake, polite little smiles across his lips.

“Hello, your majesty.” Pix says, with a polite dip of his head. He sounds a lot less friendly than he did on him and the Queens last meeting a few months ago, that's for sure. The Copper King has undoubtedly learned some information recently, information about what really goes on behind closed doors in the Ocean Empire. It's nothing good, either. 

“Pixlriffs, good to see you.” The Queen says, stiff as ever. In the few times Fwhip has met her, he doesn't think she's ever been relaxed. Or casual. Or just generally not nerve wracking to be around. “How has everything been going?”

“It's been going well. Your son has quite the knack for this stuff, you know.” Pix hums, casting a fond glance over his shoulder at Jimmy. The young cod does not beam up at him like one would expect him to, his face being neutral and controlled instead. Like he would be punished if he didn't. That uneasy feeling Fwhio has about the Ocean Queen is growing every second, honestly. 

The Queen flicks her gaze towards her soon for a moment, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. Jimmy’s expression doesn’t shift and inch.  “Does he now…”

“Yes, especially once you let him learn what he needs to.” Pix's tone appears casual on the surface, but there is an undertone of accusation. Of weeks old frustration and annoyance with his fellow royal. It looks like the Ocean Queen is doing everything in her power to be civil right now. 

The Queens hums, her tail flicking behind her, probably not as discreet as she would like it to be. “Well. I was just here for a report and a look around. I think I'll be going now, if that's okay with you.” She hasn't even gotten the report yet, and she already wants to leave. Fwhip has to stop himself from rolling his eyes at the statement, and instead forces himself to look wholly disinterested in the whole conversation. Just as people would expect him to be, after all. 

“That's perfectly fine with me, ma'am. I'm sure you're very busy indeed.” Pix responds, placing a calm hand on Jimmy’s shoulder. The cod doesn't seem to notice it, everything he does is still controlled and precise as ever. But his posture does seem to relax, just the tiniest bit. 

“Yes, busy.” The Queen responds, almost distantly. Like her mind is very far elsewhere at the moment; perhaps it is back at her Castle, where she clearly would rather be instead. “I need a word with my…child very quickly, if I may.” She adds, her eyes still trained on her son. Almost like some kind of predator. 

“Of course!” Pix's smile seems a bit more forced after that, and he slowly removes his hand off Jimmy’s shoulder. For a brief second, the young cod looks a little terrified, but he doesn't say anything at all. He just lets his mother whisk him off to the side, a few feet away, while their guests wait behind them. 

Fwhip wants to ask something, anything about what's happening, but he doesn't. Pix is…oddly stiff as they watch the two Merfolks exchange, and whatever question Fwhip has dies in his mouth. He knows not to pry when his friend gets like this, because the answer he will get will only be stony silence. The King watches the ordeal through narrowed eyes, observing Jimmy and his mothers body language as they talk. The whole ordeal seems to be a rather tense one, and Fwhip can't help but eavesdrop. Just a little bit. Though he doesn't hear much, and can only catch the last few snippets of the conversation.

The Queen crouches down next to her son, so that they are eye level. Her hands are firmly placed on his shoulders, so he cannot move or pull away. It looks like her nails are digging in, and Fwhip really hopes that's not the case. Her lips move as she whispers something, voice rising slightly with every new word. Until Fwhip doesn't even have to try too hard to overhear it anymore. And if he can hear it, so can King Pix besides him. Whatever the consequences of that are. 

“You do what you've been told, K-,” The Queen hisses, and Fwhip chooses to stop listening right about that point in the discussion. He feels like one of those words isn't for him to hear, now or ever. Like Jimmy doesn't want him to hear it. “Remember that.” 

“Yes ma'am.” Jimmy says, his gaze firmly fixed on the floor. His mother glares at him for a moment more, as if assessing him. She huffs, then loosens her grip enough for Jimmy to wiggle free. He doesn't try, and doesn’t move until he is let go fully. Jimmy only moves when she starts to walk back towards them, and follows behind the Queen more obedient than he had the first time. Whatever bad feeling Fwhip had about the ruler was now confirmed, and was taking form in a rather strong dislike. He could see why everyone else detested the woman so much, and why his mother always complained about having to deal with her. (Which was funny, considering how similar they seemed to be. But that was a train of thought for another day.) 

The Queen and Pix have a small word, and then she is off again. Fwhip pays that exchange no mind. Instead, the half dragon focuses on Jimmy; who is now just standing next to him. He seems a little zoned out, and won't respond to the small nudges Fwhip gives him. He doesn't fully relax either, not until his mother is out of sight, even though her attention had never returned to him once it left the first time. 

“You okay, Jimmy?” Fwhip mumbled, seeing the breath he let out at her departure. He doesn't really know why he did it, but the half dragon slipped a hand into the cods. It's something he does when Gem gets a little rattled, and does it without thinking. Maybe that's why he did it, because Jimmy seemed all rattled from whatever his mom had called him. Maybe it was just a habit just a habit at that point, he didn't know.

“Yeah, yeah I'm fine.” The blonde answered, not making any comment in the hand holding. But he did briefly lace their fingers together, and squeezed the other's hand just a little bit. “Can you two go get something? From all the storage areas? They need to fix up some parts of the church after last week's rain…” He mumbled, now talking to Pix as well. Fwhip ignored how the ruler was looking at their hands with a small smile on his face. 

“Sure thing.” The Pixandrian says, nudging the half dragon lightly. He lets go of Jimmy’s hand more reluctantly than he thought he would. “C'mon Fwhip.” The half dragon follows, sparing only half a glance over his shoulder as they walk away. He figures Jimmy just needs a moment to regroup himself after his mother’s visit, and nothing more. He’ll probably go and help them with the Church later, if it doesn’t get too late.

He and Pix head towards said church, and ask around about what materials are needed for the repairs. Once they have a small list of that, the two royals start off to the empire’s storage area, Fwhip prepared to rummage around a probably very disorganized mess. Since storage areas tended to be just that. But it’s there that the day went further downhill, as someone had questions that they needed answers to, and subsequently started to question his young friend about it. Answers the future Count would never be able to ever give.

“Fwhip.” Pix hums out his young friend’s name after a few minutes of quiet work, scanning over the list of materials they had been given for the third time. He doesn't look up from the paper as he speaks, scanning over it still. 

“Yeah?” The ginger asks, turning to look at the older man. The Pixandrian’s tone is….more suspicious than it normally is. Or ever is. Fwhip doesn't exactly know where this is going, but he does know that he doesn't like it. 

“Are you really…interested in Jimmy?” The brunette says, the words sounding oh so innocent when they spill from his lips. To Fwhip they are one of the worst things a man could say to him.

The young Count feels his hand stiffen over whatever he's holding at the question, and what also feels like all his blood turning to ice and dread pools in his stomach. Still he tries to stay calm and controlled when he speaks. Like the question never bothered him. “What do you mean?”

Pix hums again before he speaks, humming one of the tunes he likes to hum when working. “Well there's been rumors about you two being a couple. That's something you don't see everyday, two young royals pairing up…of their own accord.” The Pixandrian says, his tone only holding curiosity. And some mild suspicion buried deep down, to anyone whose head isn't clogged with fear. To Fwhip this is the scariest conversation he will ever, ever have with this man. “I knew you two didn't particularly get along before, so I've just been intrigued about what I've been hearing.”

“Well, you've been around us all day,” Fwhip shrugs, trying to act nonchalant the best he can. He doesn't think it's working very well. “What do you think?” 

“I think you're acting like they are true, in a way.” The Copper King says, and finally turns his head to look at the young half dragon. His gaze is not met like he perhaps expected to be.

“Why'd you even ask in the first place? It isn't really your business.” He huffs, having turned back to the materials he was sorting through a while ago. Fwhip decides to ignore the piercing blue eyes burning holes into his backside for the next few minutes. 

“I know it's not, trust me.” Pix reassures, finally finding some of the materials they need. Fwhip is so off-put by this whole conversation, he knew looking for whatever he previously had been would soon be pointless. He already wanted to leave the storage buildings as soon as possible anyways. “Jimmy just informed me about the deal between your two kingdoms, and I wondered if it came with any strings attached. He didn't seem to be happy about it when he told me.”

“And then I was here today?” Fwhip asked, hand tensely resting over some type of wooden plank that was probably on the list. Probably.

Pix hummed in quiet confirmation. “And then you were here today.”

Fwhip let out a small sigh, and decided he could tell a half truth. It wouldn't hurt to spill some of the basic stuff, not as long as he was vague about it.“My parents thought that us spending time together would be a good idea after the deal, since we used to argue a lot.”

“Did it turn into something more?” Pix asked, genuinely curious. Because he truly cared about them. Both of them. It's what made walking on eggshells around the subject so hard, lying to the people who wanted nothing more than to help. (Some of the very few people who could actually help them too, no less.) 

The ginger blushed at that, and averted his gaze to the side. Goddammit why was he blushing. He shouldn't be blushing over a stupid fishboy that he hated. “Maybe.”

He felt Pix’s warm smile on his back, and relaxed slightly under it. His smile always had that effect, even in the hard moments like this. “Well if it did, I'm happy for you two.”

“And how do you know it didn't?” Fwhip asked, even though he barely dared to do so. Even if the possible answer scared the life out of him. 

“I know when you're lying to me, young Fwhip. You're not very good at it.” Pix repsonded, which, yeah, he was right about all that. Fwhip wasn't the best liar in the world, and the Pixandrian had known him for far too long. Pix had seen more of his horrible lies than anyone else had, other than maybe his sister. “But I also know when to keep my mouth shut.”

“Could you….tell me about cod history sometime?” Fwhip mutters, a little embarrassed that he has to ask such a thing. Especially to Pix, who doesn’t even live anywhere near the ocean. He is just making the correct assumption about how well read the man is about everything.

“Why not ask Jimmy, or Lizzie?” Pix inquires, handing him some supplies to carry back. So it looks like he did more than he actually did, and wasn’t just the Grimlands dead weight. Probably. At last that’s why Fwhip thought he did so, if he just didn’t need help. Ya know, the far more likely reason out of those two.

“Jimmy doesn’t like talking about it, I think. Plus he seems lost on how everything works still. And Lizzie doesn’t get to see me much.” Fwhip explains with a shrug, taking the items he's handed. It's quite a heavy load of stuff, that's for sure, and he has to wonder how bad the damages to the church truly were. 

“Yes, I will. One day.” Pix agrees, starting out of the storage area and back towards the damaged building. Fwhip follows after him, stumbling a little under the weight of his supplies. 

“Thanks.” The half dragon mumbled, taking longer strides so he could keep up with his older friend. Once Pixl noticed this, however, he did slow his pace down. “Do you…do you know where Jimmy is?” He asked after a moment, feeling the redness start to flood his face. This wasn’t helping the earlier assumptions, that’s for sure.

“I think he went back to his shack for the day.” Pix hummed after a thoughtful moment, before giving his younger friend a teasing look. “Why? You miss him already?”

“No.” Fwhip muttered, quiet and embarrassed. He knew the Pixandrian was gonna tease him about his “ crush ” for forever now. Dangit. “And thanks.”

“You're welcome.” Pix said, looking like he wanted to ruffle the half dragon's hair, but couldn't for once. Fwhip appreciated the sentiment regardless, and was sure he'd get another head ruffle as soon as possible. “Now give those back to me, so you can go see your little boyfriend.”

“ B-Boyfriend!? He's not my-” Fwhip stammered out, his wings puffing out behind him on instinct. He was sure his face was as red as his hair by now, the flush having reached the tips of his ears. Pix did nothing but giggle at his own successful quip, and watch as the young royal struggled to regain his former composure. “..Are you sure you can carry all this? I don't have to go…”

Pix shakes his head, and reaches out to take the stuff from the young half dragon. “I'll be fine, Fwhip. I've carried a lot worse in my day.” He hums, and Fwhip slowly starts to hand his share of the materials over. “Besides, I think you have something to talk about.” And well, he is right about that. There is something he wants to tell Jimmy about….

“Right, um.” Fwhip says, all of the materials now out of his hands and into Pix’s. He was still worried about the other carrying all that weight, but knew the other would give him the exact same response again if he protested. “Thank you, again.”

“Anytime, now run along. Jimmy’s shack is just by the docks.” Pix said, managing to nudge him off in that direction. Fwhip huffed, threw yet another thank you over his shoulder as he started his return trip to the docks. It was a little tricky to find his way back, and he had to deal with quite a few nasty stares as he wandered around the swamp. But eventually, the half dragon does spot the shack eventually. And it is indeed a shack, too small to be called a house, and it’s not particularly pretty either, so of course it’s Jimmy’s. Once he sees it, he beelines for the door, and slips inside as soon as he isn’t fumbling with the lock. “Pix just asked about us.” Fwhip said, locking the door behind them as quickly as he can. The half dragon leaned against it too, for extra measure. He distantly hoped no one walked by and heard them, because that would be extra, extra bad. “He asked if I was actually into you.”

Jimmy’s head shot in his direction, eyes wide like a baby deer’s. He was standing halfway across the room when Fwhip entered, doing who knows what, and stopped it as soon as the words processed in his little fish brain. “Did you tell him?” The cod asked, clearly fighting back the fear in his voice. A small tinge of sympathy went through Fwhip for a moment, but then he pushed it right back down again.

“I wanted to, but I didn't.” He said, now moving off the door. The half dragon made sure it was locked before he did so, and moved closer to where Jimmy was standing. Both of their tails flicked across the ground in near sync, anxious and worried.

“Thank cod.” Jimmy mumbled, running a hand over his face in momentary relief. He hugged his arms to his chest again, and a frown settled onto his face. One that wouldn’t really leave for the rest of the day, rather unfortunately for the blonde.

Fwhip gave a small sigh of his own, and a  nonchalant shrug to accompany it as well. To make it seem like he cared a little less than he did or something. Even if the amount he cared was pretty small to begin with. “I figured your mom would have your head if I did. Even if I really, really trust him.”

“So someone’s onto us?” Jimmy asked, hugging his arms tighter to his chest. 

The half dragon let out a huff, and pretended not to notice when he did that. Like he did everytime, even when it was a pretty noticeable quirk of the cod’s. “He even asked if they arranged a marriage.”

“Oh no….” The blonde mutters, and Fwhip feels the same dread that is in Jimmy’s voice. He feels it very deep down in bones at the moment, and knows its the kinda dread that won’t ever go away.

The both of them are….decently terrified of what will happen if the news is broken suddenly, and not slowly overtime like they planned. Fwhip is scared of what the people will say, what all his salmonfolk friends would think. What the people working in his family's manor would say to him and to his father. And that fear is just over the current plan, let alone whatever would happen if the truth was revealed. Jimmy, as he'd admitted before one night, is deathly terrified of his mother's reaction; more so than any merfolk or codfolk's. Especially if the marriage doesn’t go as planned. He says the Ocean Queen does not like it when she doesn't get her way, and Fwhip feels like he has the emotional scars to prove it too. 

There is also a new sense of duty tying them both down after today. Duty to their kingdoms, their people, their parents. Duty to a lot of people. Duty to the world and the peace this arrangement would undoubtedly bring. Duty to the lives and the grief that would be spared by avoiding war. There was….a lot of duty riding on this, and it had taken them years to realize that fact. Now that they had, it had become something of its own heavy burden on both of the boys shoulders’.

“We have to sell it better.” Fwhip said after a moment, shuffling his weight from side to side. He didn’t know what to do, standing in this house talking to Jimmy. But he needed to do something, something with his hands or his body. Something to get all that nervous energy out before it exploded.

“I know,” Jimmy agrees, and looks like he’s about to start pacing. The ginger really hopes he won’t do that, because that would be stupid and pointless and annoying. Like almost every other thing the blonde does, actually. “But how do we do that?”

Fwhip hums, turning the idea over in his head for a bit. Even if he knows there’s only one logical solution to it, a solution he doesn’t want to admit. But he says it anyway, just to get it out there and out of his thoughts. So it won’t linger in the back of his mind like a little pest. “Acting like a couple, maybe…but.”

“We both don't want to.” Jimmy mumbled, sparing a glance at him. There was some emotion in his eyes, and Fwhip didn’t even dare to put a name to it. There were a lot of things he wasn’t daring to do, or didn’t like doing today it seemed. And this was just yet another one.

“Yeah.” The ginger mutters, glancing back at the blonde. He blinks in surprise, finding that they are…..very close. Close enough to touch. The cod says nothing, just blinks back at him all wide eyed.

For a moment, as he and Jimmy just stare at each other, Fwhip lets his mind wander. He wonders what it would be like to kiss him, just a little bit. He wonders what it would feel like, if it would feel like anything at all. His eyes flick downwards, and wonders if Jimmy’s lips are soft, or if they would be rough and horrible to feel against his own. He wonders if they’ll ever share that moment together.

“What are you staring at?” Jimmy says quietly after a minute. Fwhip jumps in surprise, feeling a blush start to spread across his cheeks. The half dragon moves his eyes away from the others lips, and focuses them on somewhere else in the room. He…..didn't know why he was thinking that. He shouldn't be thinking about kissing Jimmy. 

“Nothing.” He muttered, tail flicking slightly in embarrassment. “It's nothing.” If he wasn't mistaken, Jimmy's face was also starting to turn a bit red as well,  and his eyes had started to wander too. Meaning that they had…..maybe been thinking similar things. Just maybe. Maybe he wasn't totally weird for that one then. 

The cod doesn't give a verbal response, cheeks a decent shade of pink. Instead he gestures for Fwhip to sit down somewhere, and the half dragon does so. He practically curls himself into a little ball, taking up residency on one of the couch cushions. The left one by the arm, so he can further sink into the material and be miserable. Because today has been pretty shit, generally, and he just really wants to go home. But unfortunately, a certain someone can't understand social cues, and won't just let him suffer in peace. 

“So, why was your dad so eager to get you out of the house?” Jimmy says, plopping himself down next to Fwhip on the rather small couch. He curls his tail around his legs, making a pointed effort to keep all his limbs in his own personal space as best he can. The sentiment is somewhat appreciated. 

Fwhip looks up, shame already starting to form in the bottom of his gut. “You heard about that?” He mumbled, resisting the urge to hide his face like a child would. He’s not going to do that, especially not around the dumb codboy , because he’s not a child.

“Yep.” Jimmy says, leaning his head against the back of the couch, his gaze now foxed on the brown ceiling that seemed so far above the both of them. “Your dad was so eager he even surprised my mum when they talked. She said he was never that…. happy about getting rid of his kid for a few weeks.” 

“We had…..family issues. To put it lightly.” Fwhip gives a brief explanation, figuring the other can probably guess that much. Handing over information would probably shut him up as well, to be fair. “And now that's an excuse for dumb arrangement shit to go on.” 

“No, I think this visit was always going to happen.” Jimmy shakes his head, and gives the most sensible explanation Fwhip thinks has ever come out of his mouth. Especially about their…. situation . “Letting your child spend a few weeks in your enemy's land is something they wouldn't do, not if there wasn't a political thing behind it.” 

“It makes the peace treaty seem more believable when it gets announced, you know? It makes it seem like we've been genuinely repairing relations for the past few years.” The cod’s eyes stay distant, and trained on the wall as he speaks. Like he’s known the reality of all this the whole time, and it’s been choking him to death. “Even though it's all fake.” 

“When did you get so smart?” Fwhip snorts, considering all that. And yeah, he’s right. Not only does that make sense, it’s also something both their parents would do. The ginger knows that without a doubt, and it’s part of what makes the whole argument so horrible. That their parents don’t care enough to not use them as scapegoats, and don’t care enough to solve all their kingdoms' problems literally any other way that the cruelest and easiest one presented to them. 

“A lot of stolen books on diplomacy.” Jimmy mutters, and Fwhip files that away for later, so he can ask why the idiot has to steal books when he’s gonna be the leader of a whole damn country. Even if the answer is as simple as his mom being a horrible person, but still, the ginger likes knowing details about things. “But I'm here to talk about you, not our stupid arrangement.”

“....Me and Gem had a fight. A pretty bad one.” He admits with a sigh, and buries his head back into his arms. It’s easier to talk this way, if he doesn’t have to face the person he’s being forced to open up to. (Forced, like he couldn’t just cuss Jimmy out and be left alone afterwards…)

Jimmy lets out an understanding hum, their shoulders now somewhat touching. Fwhip pointedly decides to ignore that. “Is that why my last visit was canceled?”

“Yep.” Fwhip hums, popping the p. He really doesn't wanna talk about this. Especially not with Jimmy, in an unfamiliar empire no less. But he guesses he kinda has to for a little bit, well that’s what he’s been telling himself. Because Jimmy won’t shut up about it if he doesn’t, probably, and he’s annoying as fuck all the time.

“I get it. Me and Lizzie always argue.” The blonde said, sounding so sure of himself. Like this fight wasn’t the worst thing to ever happen to the ginger, like he could’ve known that without being told so. “Gem'll come around, eventually.”

“How do you know it was her fault?” Fwhip asks, tail curled tighter around himself. He isn’t even sure if it's Gem’s fault anymore; honestly it feels like it's more his fault than anything. He had been the one to start the argument, after all. But maybe it's none of their faults, maybe it's their parents, Fwhip doesn't know. All he knows is that he kinda wants to cry whenever he thinks about the fight. He knows that he feels guilty. He knows he loves Gem so fucking much and that fighting with her hurts, but being at home and dealing with their family also really, really hurts. 

Part of him thinks he just wants his childhood back. When they were both small and whole and blissfully unaware of all the problems yet to come. 

“I just have a feeling our sisters are very similar. That's all.” Jimmy says, now fully leaning on him. Fwhip is still ignoring it, and couldn’t decide if the touch was annoying or comforting at the moment. He didn’t want to find out either.

“You're an observant little fuck, aren't you?” He snorts, finally looking up again.

“So I've been told.” The cod holds back a small giggle, the happiest he’d sounded all day, before and after this moment. “We're going back to the Castle before nightfall, by the way, and we'll be back out here almost everyday.” He adds, moving away from the half dragon. Fwhip tries not to miss the contact of their shoulders too much.

“Is this how you live now? Because it kinda sucks man.” He huffs, uncurling himself slowly. He can’t imagine having to basically run an empire, on top of living at his horrible house and dealing with his horrible family. All while being barely sixteen as well….

Sometimes, it was very, very, very hard not to feel bad for Jimmy. To not feel a kind of companionship with their horrible situations all the time. It was very hard.

“I know. But I like the swamp more, so it's okay.” Jimmy mumbles quietly, and it sounds like he’s lying. He then nudges Fwhip a little harshly, and nearly topples him off the couch. It seems the feelings talk is complete over then, and it’s back to business as usual. “Now get up, we don't leave the swamp after sunset, and the afternoon’s already halfway over.”

“Fine. Bossy .” Fwhip huffed, and managed to get to his feet. He followed the other across the small shack and out of the door, into probably a horrible first night at the Prisma Palace, with many more to come after it. Jimmy said nothing as they walked and were brought back to his home, not a single word, and it was all he needed to say.

[sophieinwonderland]

I'm just throwing our input in here since either way it seems to be the hot topic of the week but, well, we're taking a "do whatever you want but like, that is probably a scam," approach because we're pretty put off by the idea of selling headmates but also, people will do whatever stupid bullshit they like.

I think me being here is the only thing keeping us sane right now about this because most of the others I have contact with are either on the side of "save EVERYONE" (impossible) or "isn't that also trafficking in a way and kind of gross this should be super obvious, I don't even want to touch this subject" (fair but also I think that comparison might be going a bit too far? is that the word/phrase? depending on who you ask that's in a system).

Anyways, TLDR here is "the fuck?" and I will stand by that and just rebkig your things if I get around to it Sophie.

-🪲

Yeah, this is pretty much where we've been too.

I agree that a lot of the human trafficking complaints are going a bit overboard for reasons outlined before. And even though I think it's a more-or-less a scam... it's probably not even that severe of one.

I mean, by comparison, look at how a lot of fake psychics will use the promise of letting people talk to their dead loved ones to rope them in to paying tons of cash every month?

But this, I figure, will just be a small one-time payment. I assume the worst that happens is someone does something stupid, loses a bit of money, but probably isn't going to be too hurt in the long-term compared to most other scams out there.

Especially when people are only charging...

$1 for 6-10 headmates?

Wait, really? That's how little headmates are worth to you?

You're just selling headmates for the price of junk trading cards? 😲

(I genuinely like that they aren't charging until after the headmate shows up... you know, actually, even if system hopping isn't real and all you're getting is a placebo that helps you introject headmates, that's not a bad deal for that price... A dollar for an introjection placebo that you don't even need to pay for until after it works?)

Actually... on re-evaluation... maybe me calling it a scam was misjudging it. If this is the going rate of headmates, it's not ever going to be that profitable.

This user, at least, clearly isn't in it for the money. And they and users like them are going to drive prices down so severely that this will NEVER be profitable for real scam artists.

I'm willing to be open-minded on this.

So maybe what this actually is... isn't human trafficking or a scam.

Maybe it's more of a... pseudo-religious social activity.

Money is changing hands then, not as a means of actually making money, but of mirroring economics. But the real point is about the unique form of social activity rather than being a viable way to turn a profit.

Is it still problematic?

Yeah.

But more because of the fact it's mass-producing sapient beings and treating them like trading cards without giving them attention or caring about the gravity of sharing a body with them

And also, as someone who doesn't believe this works, I'm concerned about the fact that sellers who believe in system hopping may sell headmates, think they're gone because someone else introjected them, and then ignore their headmates's communication because "they're supposed to be somewhere else." But this is a potential issue with system travel regardless of whether money is changing hands or not.

I still don't like it... but I think my views on the sellers have evolved a bit from "evil scam artists out to make money from vulnerable and lonely people" to "confused teens doing something stupid and potentially dangerous because it sounds fun."

[marinerainbow]

Terry ^^

13, 14, and 27.

@wheezystan since you guys both share a number for the same character, I'm just gonna combine these two asks. I hope that's ok! ^^

13. Name one thing their parents taught them.

(If Terry was born and not drawn out)

"No use cryin' over spilled milk." The rat replied in his rough drawl, "The best y'can do is move on. All thinking about 'yer mistakes does is cloud 'yer head... Yeah, it's hard sometimes. 'Specially if it's somethin' that's not easily 'fergotten. But the sooner 'ya can take the next step, the better it is f'you."

14. Would they agree with the term ‘guilty pleasure’? Do they have any?

Kind of? Like, he knows that there are pleasures that not everyone will indulge in, but he's pretty neutral on it? "'Ya like what 'ya like." Is what he'd say with a shrug. He just... Doesn't really care enough to be bothered by what others are into. He unlocked the key to inner peace; it ain't his problem.

20. What do they like that nobody else does?

"He... 'Yer probably gonna cringe, but I like black licorice." Terry chuckled, shaking his head at all the times Shiny was disgusted everytime he mentioned the 'wretched crap'. "You can't even like the red stuff? You have to go for the black sludge flavor?" She'd always ask. And it made him laugh everytime.

Remembering something, he also pulled out a fresh smoke from his jacket pocket, "I guess the cigs count, too. Then again, they seem t'be wildly more accepted than my choice of movie snack. Hehe."

27. Forgiveness or vengeance (or…)?

Hm... It's more like a 'ignore, but don't forget'. If someone wrongs him especially. If his loved ones have been wronged, like Shiny is getting harrased by some punk, he'll pull them out of the situation, glare down the offending party, and offer them a cigarette or beer to forget about the asshole. He doesn't call attention to it, kind of silently saying that they shouldn't pay any mind to the jerk, but also giving them the opportunity to vent if they need to.

But that doesn't mean he doesn't forget either. If he sees the same asshole at the club again, he'll notice and let the staff know. The thing about Terry is that he knows to keep himself out of shit, and will try to make sure his friend won't get dragged back into the drama before they even realize anything was up.

Basically, Terry sticks to the age old break up advice of 'they aren't worth your time' no matter what.

29. What recurring dreams do they have?

He's silent now. His eyes lower to his ratty gloved paws resting on the table, and you could see his tail silently thumping against the floor. Terry took a drag from his cigarette, letting the smoke billow from the corners of his lips as he spoke, "Well, kinda hard to say since I don' remember much... Though a common theme, I think, might be how everythin' feels... Very thick and foggy? Like- you know the phrase 'thicker than pea soup'? It feels like the air in my dreams is like that. I can't move 'round easily, it feels heavy when I breathe... I don't know what that means, honestly."

I hope these answers were satisfactory! Thank you guys for asking! ^^

[psychelis-new]

well sorry again then for bothering you but it seems no one else want to discuss much anymore :/ all they do is just post for reactions rather than interactions so ofc it gets fckn lonely and boring at times as i have to constantly search for somewhere to fit in otherwise i might as well cease existing if i could cause no one exactly going to care if im not involved in anything relevant

(have i used enough paragraphs to ur fckn liking yet?)

modern society indeed sucks arse and i cant wait to get the hell out of it tbqfh

Listen, you really need to start seeing yourself not as a bothering useless person whose worth is only created by what they do and how productive they are, but for who you are and what you can offer to others (those near you, those you can reach) exactly as a "common nobody". But it doesn't matter what I am telling you, right? You're not even trying to listen to me or anyone really, you're only listening to yourself and your pain (your anger/resentment, more likely).

Let me ask you: where do you think my worth as a person resides into? Do you even think I am worthy, to start with? Or why are you writing to me if you don't think so?

Idk what do you really want from me or anyone else, and maybe you don't either (outside from entertainment and compassion probably, company...). So please, just try to find it out. And maybe... if you really want to interact with others, try to listen to them too, pay attention to them (and like... maybe do not be rude, cause it won't work with anyone ... js).

It's plenty of people who care about you just because you're a human alive on this planet (and trust me I have proof of this) and are cheering for you, but you seem to only care about those who don't care about you and make you feel bad. Those who can't see you (and you push away those who see you to confirm you don't deserve to be seen). I know it may make you feel safe to be in your "abandoned/hated by the world" comfort zone, but it's not where you belong and deep down you know it too. You're not here to be left out. But you're leaving out yourself first by keeping yourself into this negative mindset and place...

Now, my job ends here. I cannot do anything more nor I want to since you have been rude with me and you're just not listening to me.

I really hope you can see that you can make it despite everyone who cannot see you. That you change your mind and try to start interacting in a different way, cause in this way... I'm sorry but it won't do. And it's not just about others or generations. It's not just outside.

All the best!

[wordtowords]

The Fickle Fate of Being a Recording Artist

fickle - adjective - changing frequently (Google)

Although I am aware that I am dating myself here, back in the dark ages (late 1960s, early 1970s) of television when channels were few yet not far between, I liked to watch "Ronan and Martin's Laugh-In," a bizarre variety show that was all about comedy. It was oftentimes silly, but creative, satirical, and quite a few names synonymous with humor (such as Goldie Hawn and Lily Tomlin) became household fixtures because of it. The weekly award known as the "Fickle Finger of Fate" was presented to noteworthy individuals who received media attention for their dubious achievements. We could sure use it today. Right? Not much has changed, yet I digress.

As a recording artist who stands in the same room with 75.9 million music creators (Google) is a fate that is fickle, meaning that since there are so many releasing songs, no one can predict whose music will be embraced by hundreds, thousands, millions - even billions, like artists such as Taylor Swift, who won the lottery and probably has more luck than talent (or just a financier father to back her). Spotify alone reports that it drops 100,000 new songs a day. Will all of them find open ears that will stay alert and stream them more than once? Probably not. But you never know until you take the risk of releasing a heartfelt composition to the entire world.

The aforementioned numeral supports the fact that the competition is just beyond anyone's comprehension. It seems like everyone has a song or even a book to release, and it is easy to do either if you have enough money to pay the right people. But once the product is out there, you must either spend money on just the right public relations persons, or like me, spend a lot of time and a few dollars (way more than you are making) on every social media platform promoting. At the end of the day, I am fortunate to see any results at all. And critics overseas have called me "the real deal." Well, I'm not feeling that moniker, not at all. For example, I may get 2,000 streams a month on Spotify and a minuscule pay check. Imagine one record turning 2,000 times on the radio over the course of one month. Doesn't that seem to be a lot of rotations to you? It does to me, too. However, the amount is only worth a bill with a portrait of Alexander Hamilton on it. He doesn't go far. Thank Goodness I am not depending on Spotify or any of the others to pay my rent.

Still, if my one hundred fans in Brazil like what I am putting out there on Spotify, every one of them counts. If all of them enjoy what I'm doing musically, all of the money that I am investing that I may never see back is worth sacrificing, especially since I could just be changing their worlds for the better in some minute sense. I'm sure all 75.9 million music makers are thinking the same thing except I don't give a you-know-what about fame as it only creates problems, but a little more compensation wouldn't be a bad thing as I could support more charities with it. 

I hope someday the music channels will up the ante on remuneration. Until that happens, check out my tunes on your favorite streaming service, such as YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@gwynnielsen5081) or Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2qiQLmWs81Zno7WFH4lLiS. My newest single "Another Woman Trying to Wear My Shoes" debuts on Friday, August 23rd. Who knows? You may be able to relate to it. 

Thanks, all! 

[puppy-the-uncensored]

SDJ au concept. I saw camp counselor aus before where Jack becomes a slasher, but what if YOU were the slasher? Two ways it can go, either y/n is a classic slasher that happens to target the camp Jack works at OR;

You're a camp counselor and all your coworkers this year are a bunch of irresponsible young adults who aren't taking their jobs seriously. I mean, you have to look after kids in a remote forest location with easy access to a lake, they could get into anything and hurt themselves or wander off and get lost or worse if they aren't properly supervised! So- after catching the other counselors shirking their duties to hook up or sneak a beer one too many times- and to the detriment of one of the children no less- you decide you're going to teach them the lesson of a lifetime. Teamed up with one of your friends you stage a slasher murder, just like in the campfire stories. You make a cool mask and wear some clothes that obscure your figure and with some shoddy sfx thag looked just real enough in the dark you make it look like you killed your friend and fellow counselor. You'd planned to meet back up and reveal the ruse in the morning but... your friend never came to the meeting spot. You eventually get to see the "body" and... those aren't the fake slashes and corn syrup blood you'd made.

Someone had gone in behind you to make your murder real

Unbeknownst to you, you weren't the only one fed up with the state of things. Only, Jack wanted a much more... realistic slasher case to scare the others straight. Of course, now that they're freaked out they're minding the kids less and less, which just means Jack's gotta hammer in the lesson even harder until they shape up and get the point! Meanwhile, you've got to cover your tracks and hide your own involvement while also investigating this new slasher that's using you as a scapegoat to hopefully avenge your friend and keep the campers safe all while picking up the counselors' slack with the only other person who seems to actually be doing his job.

It's a bit wild that he's thinking about dating at a time like this, but hey- when there's a chance you'll die tomorrow may as well have a whirlwind romance while you're at it, right?

Jack meanwhile thinks that one of these unhelpful lot of new counselors might just be worth sparing, and maybe- if they agree- he'd like to keep them for himself.

Some fun tidbits to point out, Jack doesn't know you're the original masked "slasher". He only becomes obsessed with you after he starts killing and the two of you start bonding while working together to keep the camp running. And you're also still going out in your slasher attire to hopefully either lure out the double or make it so if you're caught, nobody sees that it's you sneaking around and gets suspicious since your face is hidden. It's better they run from the "killer" than catch you and start thinking you're up to something when you're actually trying to be the good guy here and investigate/stop the real killer on the loose.

I'm thinking he's a spirit of a counselor that died in the 80's, his self appointed role is to continue protecting and looking after the children- so when the new wave of counselors come in and treat the job like a summer get away he quickly inserts himself into their ranks and takes matters into his own hands. They're hardly paying attention and it's not like any of them checked the employee roster, who'd notice an extra set of hands helping out? You don't remember meeting him when you were first taken around the grounds and introduced to everyone, but you figured he might just have been quiet. The kids seem to know and love him, and you swear you've seen him out of the corner of your eye around the camp a couple times, so it's probably fine. The camp was a big place, it isn't surprising you hadn't gotten to meet everyone in one go, and since he seems to really be working he was probably too busy covering the others to mingle with the other counselors and introduce himself.

EDIT: I think I actually like it more if he's just a normal guy instead of a ghost in this au. He's just Like This™️

[sojutogo]

secret lovers au prompt:

There's a boxed-cupcake sitting innocently at the edge of Seungkwan's desk one Monday morning with nothing but a smiley written on the office-standard sticky note.

Now, weirder things have shown up on Seungkwan's desk considering he's employed in a very eccentric start-up where its CEOs show up to work in Hawaiian shirts and pastel pink khaki shorts and actually bonds with their employees (Seungkwan got caught in an impromptu Pilates class with the CFO last week and wow he's never looking the guy the same way ever again.) Needless to say, a cupcake with no sender is no big deal.

Seungkwan doesn't have to guess who sent it, though.

The blond gingerly picks up the pilfered stationery and despite having to work on the first day of the week at a god forsaken hour with only coffee as a breakfast substitute, a smile worms its way out of Seungkwan's face.

“Ooooh, got an admirer?”

Jihyo sidles up beside Seungkwan while carrying a box's worth of paper work in her arms which she unceremoniously dumps on her desk.

“I don't know,” Seungkwan lies. “Might just be a prank by the founders.”

Jihyo shrugs as she grabs her swivel chair and plops on it with the ease of a five-year old office worker that's so close to being promoted into the top leagues. Seungkwan can feel it, Jihyo's going to get that promotion and as her desk mate for two years, Seungkwan will milk her joy for what its worth through copious amounts of jokbal and beer.

Seungkwan listened enough to her woes, he thinks it's high time for some consolation.

“Just don't forget to keep it under wraps, the higher-ups don't like fraternizing.”

And of course like Mondays are known for its proverbial character of being shitty as fuck, Seungkwan's mood dampens.

“This is nothing,” he laughs awkwardly and slips the sticky note at the back pocket of his pants away from Jihyo's hawk-like eyes, “It's probably just a prank.”

Seungkwan goes back to the paper work he left last Friday with a sigh.

The cupcake still in its kraft box, burns a hole in Seungkwan's desk.

-

“Did you like the cup–” Is how Mingyu greets him when they chance upon each other on the printing room.

Which is a lie when the two of them had meticulously studied their shifts and breaks to find a window of time where they can be in a room together and still look inconspicuous. They found out that Mondays at 2:30 PM while Seungkwan is off to printer duty for Jihyo and Mingyu is on his way to collect the reports he had printed earlier at 8:20 AM for his boss was their best shot if they ever want this dating thing to work without risking a flag from HR.

Out of all the things this company could ban, like maybe vaping in the damn cafeteria, they decided that their employees cannot live happy and fulfilled lives. Which, is to be expected from corporate but Seungkwan was hinging on the fact that they'd be different when he first got in for an interview and received a complimentary glass of Pinot Grigio afterwards.

Like what company does that besides theirs?

But as it stands, the dating-ban had been stated as early as when their company's first founder took out a loan from his Mom and built the company up with his bare hands and sleep deprivation and it seemed like it was going to stay.

Now, it's not like everyone follows the rule since Seungkwan knows a couple of employees fucking like rabbits in one of the conference rooms in the seventh floor but its pretty understood to keep things clandestine.

Which means absolutely no mystery cupcakes in Seungkwan's desk.

“Did you like them at least?” Mingyu asks, tall frame drooping like he's one of Seungkwan's dramatic houseplants he sometimes forgets to water. “I baked them myself.”

Now, if you put it like that it's quite hard to be mad at Mingyu especially when his metaphorical dog ears are pinned at the back of his head.

Seungkwan feels like he kicked a puppy, god damn it.

“I–” he sighs before looking around and when he sees that no one's actually paying attention to them, grabs Mingyu's hand and laces them together. “I loved it, thank you.”

The joy is instant on Mingyu's face and despite earlier's hiccup, Seungkwan finds himself smiling back.

“I'm sorry I wasn't discreet,” Mingyu mumbles as he tightens his hold on Seungkwan's hand. They're standing far apart to make it look like they're just a pair of employees talking but close enough to touch, “I'll leave the cupcakes at your door, next time.”

“Woah, getting bold now are we?” Seungkwan laughs as he squeezes Mingyu's hand back, “At least take me out on a date first!”

“Tomorrow after work?” Mingyu asks as they break apart when someone starts walking in the room.

Seungkwan, still feeling the warmth of Mingyu's hand on his own, mirrors the younger's smile.

“Yes, Mr. Kim. I'll have the files ready by 6:30 PM.”

[alirhi]

10 Sebastian roles as boyfriends

Because... I'm bored and I feel like it. 😂 Probably some spoilers for, like... everything? So yeah... That.

Putting it under here for easy scrolling:

10: Chase Collins

Who doesn't love a goofball? In the first half of the movie, Chase is basically perfect. He's sweet, funny, not all caught up in his ego, and actually pays attention to what the girls around him are saying, not just to what he wants to hear. If not for the whole... it was all an act to get close to Caleb and try to steal his magic thing, Chase would actually be a damn good high school boyfriend. He's adorable and would be a fun date, but he's also only 18 so best not to start making long-term plans lol. Also, y'know... the whole psycho revenge/power grab thing.

9 Jack Benjamin

Y'all. Y'all. Words cannot describe how much I love Jack. Pretty sure I've made this clear. As a person/character in general, he's absolutely in my Top 3 - not just of Sebastian's characters, but any character ever. ❤ But as a boyfriend? Boy's got baggage. It's what makes me so protective of him, but seeing as how he's trapped in the closet thanks to his overbearing homophobic family and the insane expectations heaped on him, as the show left him, he can't handle an honest relationship. He's too easily influenced by all the wrong people, poor babe.

8 Chris (Destroyer)

On paper, undercover cop sounds cool and exciting, but even if you ignore the fact that he, y'know, dies... Chris got in too deep and kinda lost the mission, so to speak. Best case scenario, you're his sexy partner and in on it all with him and end up on the lam for the rest of your lives. Worst case, this man lies for a living, so can you even trust him? And... yeah. The whole dead thing. Chris is hot af but getting involved with him is a recipe for disaster.

7 Ben

Min and Hathor have mercy, I love Ben! He's smart, he's snarky, he's caring and loyal... he's an absolute disaster. He's another one who seems allergic to honesty, until his lying and avoiding nearly kill his girlfriend. Not exactly relationship goals lol. Everything before totally was, though! Ben's adorable, and I love how he stayed up all night to protect his girlfriend (from a ghost/demon thing... with a baseball bat. I said he was smart, not perfect, okay? XD points for effort lol)

6 Mickey Henry

I. LOVE. MICKEY. Oml I love Mickey. He's a spazz and - even more so than Ben - an absolute disaster of a human being, but I love him. Pros for dating Mickey Henry: he's fun, he's carefree, he'll cook for you even though he's kinda bad at it lol, he loves his son and wants to be a good dad, he wants his partner to be happy and to love life as much as he does. Cons, and the reason he's not higher on the list: He's a pushover; easily influenced by the toxic people in his life, and it gets him into a lot of trouble. Being easily influenced by toxic dumpster fire of a human being Chloe almost lost him the partial custody of his son that he barely even had. He's an absolute sweetheart, but he's a complete man-child, and dating him would often feel more like raising him.

5 Frank "Suffer Buddy"

Come on! You know he and Mickey had to be back-to-back - they're practically the same character! 😂 Frank is Mickey... slightly more grown up. He's still a disaster, but he's respectful of boundaries, he's caring, he's funny in a dry, witty way that I just adore, and hoo lordy that man is a giver! 🥴🥵 Honestly, if he didn't smoke and didn't ditch Daphne in the middle of a party hours away from everything familiar to her surrounded by strangers to go do drugs, I'd call Frank perfect. He listened, he respected her wishes, he tried to keep some distance between them when he found out she'd gone on a date with his best friend (it failed utterly and brought us to the "damn that man's good with his mouth" portion of the movie lmao but still)... I don't have a whole lot of experience with men who actually give a shit, okay? So Frank is like a goddamn unicorn to me lmao. But that drug thing... That keeps him at the bottom of the Top 5 for me. Sorry, bb

4 Bucky

I can already hear everyone on here raging at me for placing Bucky so low on this list, but hear me out: I love this man. I love all four iterations of this man. Flirty 40s Bucky was a doll (fun date, not commitment material). Post-POW camp 40s Bucky had a fire to him that set me on fire. The Winter Soldier can choke me any damn day. Unf. And TFATWS Bucky... Oh, lady above, 2023 Bucky is a gem! He's sweet, snarky, and broken. He feels utterly, wretchedly alone in the world, and everyone around him, including his only friend, is telling him to "man up" and "make amends" for shit that was never his fault to begin with, rather than helping him come to terms with all that he's suffered and all that he's survived. Bucky needs and deserves love. A relationship with him would be so solid, if he found the right person... But it would take a fuck ton of work. He needs someone strong, patient, and more stubborn than he is to prod him until he finds a better therapist and actually opens up, and to keep him on track because even good therapy comes with homework. He does have to "do the work," Sam was right about that much, but he was way off base with what that "work" is. Bucky needs help and understanding, and he would be an amazing boyfriend... if he found someone with the strength to help him weather his nightmares and flashbacks, and help pull him out of this PTSD pit he's been in since 1943.

3 Chris Beck

Big brains turn me on, okay? 😂This man is an astronaut and a surgeon! Yes, please! Come here, you sexy genius! He's smart, he's funny - pretty sure Sebastian is incapable of playing anyone who's not delightfully snarky lol. He's pragmatic when he needs to be but there's also nothing he wouldn't do or risk for the ones he loves. This man is husband material and I cannot be convinced otherwise! So why isn't he #1? Cuz of the whole... spending years in space, thing. Super cool job and I'd be his biggest fan on the ground, but god damn, I would miss him while he's away!

2 TJ Hammond

Look, I'm gender fluid and he's a little bit bi 😂😂😂 Let me have my fantasy, okay? TJ's definitely got a lot of shit to work through, but love brings out the best in him. Before that fucking closeted shitbag broke his heart and stomped on it for good measure, TJ was clean and sober for months, he was happy, he was playing piano again, he was pulling himself together. Not only would he be an amazing boyfriend, but his partner would get the extra joy of getting to watch their love and devotion to him be the thing that saves this beautiful man's life. It's not healthy overall to tie your self worth and will to live to a relationship, but if he found the right person who would be there for him through all of life's shit and stick it out, I think he'd be okay. Even after his lowest point and without the support of his family, TJ still had a dream and he still chased it. He's not just the sweetest person to ever grace our screens, but he's ambitious and business-savvy, too. Keep him off drugs and watch this man take over the world, I'm telling you!

So why is TJ only #2? Well, besides the fact that he's like 99% gay and I have no bits he'd be interested in lmao, there's also the fact that this guy owns my heart:

1 Will Franklyn

And not just because we get to see him wet and mostly naked lol. Will is fucking perfect. I would die for this man... because he's already shown that he would die for his love. He almost fucking did, and they weren't even together yet! He's smart and very aware, he's a writer so we'd get to bond/geek out over books together, he's not all full of himself (self-deprecating humor ftw!) and he's willing to help a total stranger despite actual mortal peril, just because it's the right thing to do. Fierce, intelligent, sassy, strong-willed, and a flawless moral compass? YESYESYESYESYES! Forget boyfriend - let me MARRY this man! 😍🥰

[parkerslatte]

Never Assume

Alive!Luke Patterson x Fem!Reader

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1.8k+

Summary: Luke has had a crush on (Y/N) for a while however every time she tries to talk to him, he dismisses her to not seem like an idiot by accidentally blurting out that he likes her. (Y/N) finally asks Luke why he doesn't like her.

MASTERLIST

*****

Luke Patterson had a crush on (Y/N) (L/N) and he had ever since he met her. Whenever she looked away, he was caught on multiple occasions by Julie, Alex and Reggie looking at her. Of course he always denied what he was doing, blaming it on zoning out but in reality, everyone knew the truth - well everyone but (Y/N). 

(Y/N) believed that Luke hated her. Whenever she would try to talk to him, he would dismiss her or only speak very few words to her. At first, she thought that he was tired or stressed but as soon as Julie, Alex or Reggie stepped into the room, he would perk up immediately. From then on (Y/N) assumed that Luke hated her. 

The reason why Luke ignored (Y/N) was because he didn’t want to make a fool out of himself in front of her. Everyone knew him as a boy who could flirt with any girl no problem, but when it came to (Y/N), he froze up, unable to form full sentences. Most of the time, when she was left alone in a room with Luke, (Y/N) would either walk out or play on her phone until the others came back. Whenever she walked out, Luke would feel bad, all he wanted to do was speak to her but he was afraid that when he opened his mouth, he would have no control over what he was saying and blurt out that he liked her. 

However, the times when (Y/N) stayed in the room, Luke would constantly look over to her. He would notice the way her eyes narrowed when she tried to read something on the phone screen. He noticed the tap of her foot when she had a certain song stuck in her head. He noticed the way she would blow air out of her nose when she found something funny. He noticed all the things he had grown to love about the girl.

(Y/N) sat in band practice. The band had a gig coming up and they needed to rehearse, the (L/N) girl was their biggest supporter, always turning up to every gig they played. The band had tried to convince the girl multiple times to join the band - she had the voice of an angel, however the girl refused every time, preferring to help Flynn out behind the scenes. 

Julie sang the last note of Bright and (Y/N) jumped up and clapped the band. She had probably heard that song at least a hundred times by now but she enjoyed it every time. She rushed up to Reggie and gave him a hug, followed by Julie and then finally Alex. (Y/N) returned to her seat not even looking in Luke’s direction. However, she missed the hurt look on his face as (Y/N) didn’t even spare him a second glance.

“That was amazing guys!” (Y/N) exclaimed.

“You say that after every song.” Julie chuckled at her friend's excitement.

“I know but you’re all just so talented. Like it’s unreal.” (Y/N) said sitting back down in her seat.

“You’re talented as well, (Y/N), remember our offer still stands.” Alex spoke from behind the drums.

“Yeah, your vocals combined with Julie’s - we would be unstoppable.” Reggie said.

(Y/N) smiled at the boy, “I’ve told you before, I prefer to be behind the scenes and besides, I definitely wouldn’t have the confidence,” (Y/N) shifted her gaze slightly towards Luke who was tuning his guitar not paying attention to the conversation, “But I also thing someone doesn’t want me in the band.” (Y/N) mumbled the last part, however Julie still heard it, she frowned. 

Julie, Alex and Reggie knew about Luke’s feelings for (Y/N), no matter how many times he denied it, they could tell that he was in love with her. The three of them had noticed his longing glances, when (Y/N) wasn’t around, Luke would always try to find ways to slip her name into the conversation, and he was the one who wanted to invite (Y/N) into the band in the first place. Everyone was aware of Luke’s feelings towards (Y/N) - all except for (Y/N) herself.

“Anyway, it’s getting late, I should really head home.” (Y/N) says.

“You can stay here another night, my dad won’t mind.” Julie says.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to overstay my welcome.” (Y/N) replied.

“It’s fine, you know that he won’t mind. I mean for a few weeks you basically moved in.” Julie chuckled.

(Y/N) smiled at her friend, “Okay, but I need to borrow some clothes.”

“Go on ahead, I’ll catch up in a second.” Julie says. (Y/N) bids the boys a goodnight before leaving the studio and making her way to the house. 

Once (Y/N) was gone and out of earshot, Julie turned to Luke with her arms folded, “Why are you acting like this?

Luke looked up to her confused, “Acting like what?”

“You’re ignoring (Y/N). You like her so why are you ignoring her?” Julie questioned, “And before you even try to deny it, I won’t believe it for one second.”

Luke looked between Alex and Reggie silently asking for help but the two shared the same look as Julie. Luke sighed, “Alright, I do like her but I’m afraid that if I talk to her, I’ll just screw up and look like an idiot.”

“And you’d think she'd care?” Julie questioned, “Luke, she liked you, she told me that herself.”

“Wait, what do you mean liked?” Luke asked.

Julie sighed, “Well, you’ve been ignoring her every time she tries to talk to you, you never participate in any conversation (Y/N) is in, but I know you’re listening.” Julie said.

Luke sighed and leant forward resting his elbows on his knees, “So I screwed up without even saying anything? Great, the one time I really liked a girl and she doesn't even like me anymore because I was being an idiot.” 

“I never said she didn’t like you anymore,” Julie says, “I don’t know if she still does, but it’s worth a shot, Luke. You need to try before she distances herself from you even more than she already has.”

Luke jumped up to his feet, “Alright, I’ll do it.”

“What now?” Alex questioned.

“Yes, if she is distancing herself from me, I don’t know what I would do.” Luke confessed and left Julie, Alex and Reggie in the studio in pursuit of (Y/N).

Luke wandered into the house and made his way up to Julie’s bedroom. At this moment, he may look composed but on the inside, his heart was hammering against his rib cage. Each step he took towards Julie’s room felt like a mile, he was tempted to turn back multiple times but he marched on. He knocked on the door.

“Julie, it’s your room, you don’t need to knock-” (Y/N) stopped talking, realising that it wasn’t Julie, it was Luke, “Oh, hi.” (Y/N) turned back towards the drawer she was looking through. 

“Hi.” Luke said quietly.

(Y/N) wanted to know what Luke was doing here. He was meant to hate her, so why was he coming to see her. The girl frowned at the thought of the word ‘hated’. (Y/N), herself hated the fact that Luke disliked her. She knew it sound stupid to have a crush on the boy that hated you, but (Y/N) just couldn’t help herself.

“Why do you hate me?” The question came out of (Y/N)’s mouth before she had a chance to stop herself.

Luke looked towards the girl in shock, “What? I don’t hate you (Y/N). What makes you think that?”

(Y/N) turned around to face Luke, “You ignore me Luke. Every time I tried to make conversation with you, you would either dismiss my comment or give me a one word reply. I really don’t know what I did wrong. I tried so many times to get you to talk to me, and right now is the most you’ve spoken to me in weeks.”

Luke stared at the girl. He had never wanted to make her believe he hated her. He hated himself for making her feel that way, “I don’t hate you, (Y/N).”

“Then why do you act the way you do when you’re around me?”

“Because I was afraid I would mess up.” Luke stated.

“Mess up? What do you mean mess up?” (Y/N) questioned.

Without realising he was doing it, Luke began to slowly step towards (Y/N), “I was afraid I would mess up and you would think that I was an idiot.”

“Luke, you’re not making any sense.” (Y/N) folded her arms across her chest, she hoped it would help with the nervous thumping of her heart.

“(Y/N), the reason why I acted the way I did was because I like you. I was afraid to talk to you in case I messed things up by blurting out that I liked you.” Luke confessed. 

(Y/N)’e eyes blinked open and close for a moment, wanting to make sure that what Luke said was real and not just a figment of her imagination, “Wha-what?”

Luke took a deep breath, “I like you, (Y/N).”

(Y/N)’s eyes flicked back and forth between his, trying to figure out if he was lying or not. 

“Well, are you going to say something?” Luke asked softly. 

“I liked you, Luke,” (Y/N) said, “I liked you and you ignored me, dismissed everything I had to say and do you know what the worst part was.”

Luke was afraid of the answer but he asked anyway, “What?”

“I never stopped.” Before Luke could process anything, (Y/N)’s lips were on his, her hands placed on his chest. It took Luke a moment to catch up to the present. His arms held (Y/N)’s waist lightly, his thumb occasionally brushing over the bit of exposed skin from where her shirt had ridden up. (Y/N) manoeuvred her hands from his chest and clasped them behind his head. Luke’s grip on her waist tightened, pulling her closer to him. He couldn’t believe this was happening. 

(Y/N) was the first to pull away from Luke. She looked at him in the eye. He looked down at her, adoration shown in his features. (Y/N) smiled at him and he smiled at her. 

“I don’t hate you, and I’m sorry for ever making you think I did.” Luke mumbled, pulling (Y/N) closer into a hug. 

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” (Y/N) mumbled against his neck, “Even if you did screw up, I wouldn’t have minded. I would never judge you Luke.”

Luke placed a small kiss on (Y/N)’s neck before burying his head into her shoulder, “I’m lucky to have you.”