#as an example of how extraordinary it is that will is just... not scared of hannibal in the way one would expect

[fatalism-and-villainy]

Piggybacking off of my thoughts here a bit, here are some further musings on the distinction between Will and Bedelia in how they relate to Hannibal -

To put it briefly, they’re both afraid of Hannibal, but Bedelia is afraid of what Hannibal will do to her, whereas Will is afraid of what Hannibal brings out in him.

That Bedelia is afraid Hannibal will eat her, and that her general objection to his entire deal is the risk he poses to her, is pretty obviously established. She’s intrigued by his extra-moral tendencies, but balks when confronted with the reality of what he is. In Florence, her therapy is motivated by a genuine desire to help him, imo, but also by self-preservation, pitting him against Will and continuing to be useful to him so as to prolong her survival. And once she gets away from him, she’s got no inclination to see him again - as she tells Will, “I’ve seen enough of him.”

But while Bedelia certainly has trouble stomaching actual murder (as seen in the cases of Neal Frank and Anthony Dimmond), she doesn’t seem particularly fazed by the mere fact that violence appeals to her. When talking to Will, she owns her urge to crush a wounded bird without any compunction. She might not actually do it, but she’s not troubled by the impulse itself. She doesn’t believe in thoughtcrime! Hannibal recognized her sadistic and destructive impulses, and perhaps even helped make her more aware or accepting of them, but they don’t instill guilt in her or destabilize her sense of identity - she simply finds acting on them disturbing and unpalatable. So the horror in her relationship with Hannibal stems not from having to confront herself, but in the creeping threat of what he’s capable of - and the fact that it’s so much more than what she’s capable of, that she's bitten off more than she can chew.

Will, on the other hand, is surprisingly unconcerned with Hannibal’s murder and cannibalism - at least, insofar as he himself could become a victim of it. He snarks about the cannibalism a few times - “I haven’t been gorged, drowned, plucked, and roasted” in Ko No Mono, and “If you’re partial to beef products, it is inconvenient to be compassionate toward a cow” in Wrath of the Lamb - but unlike Bedelia, he doesn’t seem seriously preoccupied the threat of it. When he discovers that Hannibal has had other murder protégés in Randall and Margot (and makes a connection to Bedelia), what upsets him about the implications as to his possible disposability to Hannibal seems to be less the idea that Hannibal might kill him, and more that the authenticity of their bond is in question - that Hannibal might not be wrestling with the same conflicted feelings that Will is, and that Will is nothing but another toy for him to play with (“wind me up and watch me go”, etc.)

The horror of Hannibal, for Will, initially comes from the shock of the realization of his true nature - starting with Savoureux and continuing into early season 2, the stag man indicates the terrifying dissonance of the fact that someone Will trusted and opened up to so much could have such a monstrous nature, without him realizing it. But in the second half of season 2, it shifts into the horror of Will’s own transformation, and of the blurring between him and Hannibal. He comes to feel, as Chiyoh sums up, that he has to kill Hannibal to avoid becoming him, and that’s reflected in a lot of the most overt horror elements of the latter season 2 arc. The beginning of Ko No Mono - imo, one of the most genuinely unsettling nightmares sequences in the show - features the imagery of Will emerging, screaming, from the stag, which is rendered chrysalis-like - Hannibal’s nature is secondary to the horror of Will’s own becoming. That same episode features the extraordinarily uncanny few seconds in Hannibal’s office in which Hannibal’s face is swapped with Will’s, seemingly listening to himself talk, and then Will is in turn swapped with Hannibal - like the blending of their faces in the final shot of Naka-Choko, the unsettling horror elements are centered on the fear of Will’s loss of himself, of not knowing where he ends and Hannibal begins.

The summation of this is Will’s rejection of Hannibal in Digestivo. It’s not on the basis of Hannibal trying to eat his brains, which in a different story would easily be the “you’ve tried to hurt/kill me too many times” last straw. It’s “I don’t have your appetite.” Yes, it’s deliberately chosen because it would hurt Hannibal the most, but I’d also say it’s true in that it’s the main reason Will wants to be able to walk away from Hannibal - the fact that Hannibal brings out a part of Will that Will himself doesn’t want to face.

To put it another way, Bedelia is pretty thoroughly amoral, and in this she’s actually more akin to Hannibal than Will is. Will does have system of morals - one could even say an overly rigid and punitive one - but his moral compass just starts going haywire whenever Hannibal is around because of Hannibal’s irresistible magnetism (really getting some mileage out of this metaphor). Hannibal sees himself as God, and his values are centered on his own whims and aesthetic preferences. Bedelia’s values are centered on her own self-preservation first and foremost. But the fact that she has this particular quality in common with Hannibal is exactly why it’s so easy for her to walk away from him when she’s had enough. She’s self-possessed enough that she doesn’t need him the way Will does. For Will on the other hand, Hannibal brings about a rupturing of his sense of self. So he’s inclined to set himself up for pain and violence, over and over, in seeking Hannibal out, just to find some kind of clarity. And whether he rejects Hannibal or embraces him, there’s always a sense that he’ll lose some fundamental part of himself.

I would say this is part of why it’s important to Will that Hannibal take something from Bedelia, as she puts it in 3.12. Part of it is his belief that “if you play, you pay” and his moral outrage over her ability to escape without consequences. But I think another part of it is more personal resentment - resentment of the fact that she’s able to let Hannibal go so easily, using her experiences with him for monetary gain without much emotional turmoil. That she doesn’t dwell on Hannibal, doesn’t struggle with her feelings about him, doesn’t feel the same confusion and anguish and longing that Will does. The fact that it’s possible for anyone to have a brush with Hannibal without feeling that.

[theemporium]

[REQUESTS OPEN—based off this request]

[7.3k] the five times your secret relationship with your brother’s best friend was almost exposed to him and the one time it was. 

. 

The first time your brother almost caught you and Sirius, it was a miracle he was as gullible as he was. 

Growing up with a brother like James Potter had its highs and lows. 

The highs: someone who loved you unconditionally, who was there for you regardless of your mistakes and flaws, who had your back even if the whole world was against you because that was just how he loved. 

The lows: he was an overbearing, overprotective helicopter busybody who seemed to make it his goal to make sure you didn’t have a life. Well, not really but his interference sure did make it difficult to have any sort of social life without him getting involved.

A keen example of such would be your dating life. 

Being just under a year younger than him, you didn’t enrol in Hogwarts until the following year where you were sorted into Slytherin—much to your brother’s dismay. But it seemed like a blessing in disguise when you realised it was the one way you were able to escape him and his domineering ways. Despite all his weaselling and bribing, even James Potter couldn’t get loyal spies in Slytherin. 

However, the different houses only saved you from so much and it seemed like James had made it his mission for every boy in the school vicinity to know you were off-limits. He didn’t outwardly state it—he would never do something so brash and obvious to the world that your mother would hear about it—but he would do a damn good job of showing it. 

The poor bloke who tried to give you a Valentine’s Day card in second year was the unfortunate victim, with his walk of shame to the infirmary to visit Madam Pomfrey. It only got worse the older you got. Dances and balls and Hogsmeade dates passed and James scared away any possible prospect you laid your eyes on. 

However, what James would have never expected was for it to be none other than one of his best friends to be the one to make a move on his little sister. 

And he definitely wouldn’t have expected you to go for Sirius out of the bunch. 

“Who are you and what have you done to the real Sirius Black?” you remarked with a faux scandalised look on your face as the boy tugged you, one hand intertwined with yours whilst the other moved to wave his wand at the set up he had created. 

“You should know by now that I’m a hopeless romantic, love,” Sirius grinned in response, a smile that was nothing but boyish and wild. 

You snorted. “You’re only romantic when you want something, Black.”

He looked back at you, dark eyes glimmering with pure mischief. “Maybe all I want is a day to spend with my girl.” 

You would be lying if you said your heart didn’t swoon a little at the sight in front of you. The torn piece of parchment had been tucked into one of your textbooks, found yesterday morning during your potions class. The familiar scribble and small heart signed at the bottom made it clear enough who the message was from. 

But you didn’t think Sirius’ desire to meet on a Friday evening after classes would have anything to do with a romantic picnic setup out by the lake. 

Your gaze moved over the setup: the large picnic blanket, pillows and throws spread across the surface and the basket lying in the middle with a bottle of wine (that you were sure he somehow smuggled in) popping out one side of it. 

“You like it?” he asked, though the boy sounded awfully smug like he knew you liked it.

“You’re pretty extraordinary when you try, Black,” you mused, enjoying the way he tugged you closer until your back was pressed against his chest. You leaned back into his embrace, nuzzled against him as his arms tightened around you. “Why the lake?”

“Because it’s a romantic spot.” 

You raised your brows. “And the real reason?”

You could feel his grin against your skin as he leaned down to kiss under your jaw. “Maybe I wanted to take a swim with my girl, is that such a crime?”

“I don’t have a costume with me,” you told him with a knowing sigh.

“Guess we are just gonna have to go naked, love,” he whispered, nipping your ear before guiding you towards the blanket. 

You were already making yourself comfortable on the blanket as you began to pull at the tie around your neck, unbuttoning the top buttons of your shirt and shedding the robes that had felt heavy all day. You sighed, kicking your shoes off and leaning back against the blanket as you enjoyed the soft breeze that came with the warming, spring weather. 

“M’lady,” he handed you a glass of wine, the giddiness radiating off him only infectious as you took the glass along with one of the chocolate strawberries he had laid out. 

“It feels weird,” you murmured as you took a bite, tongue darting out to catch the strawberry juices dribbling down your chin.

Sirius raised a brow. “What does?”

“Seeing you be a normal boyfriend,” you said.

He frowned. “I’m not a normal boyfriend?”

“Sirius,” you snorted and shook your head. “You snuck into my room—still as a dog, may I add—to cuddle with me because you were lonely.”

“I missed you,” he shrugged.

“We weren’t dating yet,” you added. 

“I had a shy time admitting my feelings,” he retorted, lifting his chin though you could see the hints of a smile growing on his face. “Plus, you always had a soft spot for me when I was a dog.” 

“Except when you pissed on my bag,” you grumbled.

“You kept reading, it was offensive.”

“To who?” 

“My ego, love. I was sitting next to you all day and you just kept reading,” Sirius huffed, leaning back on his elbows as he took in the sight of you. It wasn’t often you both could share moments like this, out in broad daylight—even if you were far away from the castle—just enjoying each other’s presence and nothing else to distract you. 

Sirius Black didn’t think he could ever love silence so much until he shared it with you.

“Your ego is coping just fine,” you assured him, glancing down at the boy who was already staring at you. 

“I preferred it when you’d blush and get all flustered around me,” he muttered. “Now you just bully me.” 

“It turns you on,” you remarked with a grin. 

“Nah, that’s just you, love,” he bit back. “But I do miss how cute you used to blush when you were crushing on me—”

You rolled your eyes. “I didn’t have a crush on you!” 

“You practically ogled me all last summer!” he barked out a laugh. 

“Maybe I was looking at Remus,” you teased. 

His eyes narrowed. “Low blow, darling.” 

“Yeah but you like me anyways,” you murmured as you leaned down to press your lips against his. One of his hands slid around your neck, keeping you in his embrace longer than you intended. 

“I’m not finished,” his voice was a little whiny when you pulled away. 

“Five minutes and then I’m all yours, Black,” you assured him as you slid your shoes back on, heading towards the wooded shrubbery. “It’s your fault you dragged me straight out here before warning me we were going somewhere with no toilets.” 

“The ice cream would’ve melted,” he pointed out, a boyish grin on his face as you shot him a look that told him you knew he placed a cooling charm on the basket. 

You shook your head. “You truly are a romantic, Sirius Black.” 

“Only for you, darling,” he grinned as he watched you disappear into the overgrown bushes and trees. 

Sirius leaned back on the blanket, hands tucked under his head as he laid there quite content to just count the passing seconds until you returned as he aimlessly hummed some muggle tune he heard during his last visit to muggle London. What he wasn’t expecting was to hear a familiar voice calling out his name for hundreds of feet in the air. 

“OI, PADS! THERE YOU FUCKING ARE!” 

It wasn’t easy to make Sirius Black feel fear, but seeing your brother descend from the sky on a broomstick with an unreadable expression on his face came pretty damn close. 

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you—” James paused, both feet now on the grass and his eyes now focused on the sight in front of him: Sirius sprawled on a tartan blanket with a picket basket and two wine glasses beside him. “—and clearly you’ve been preoccupied.” 

Sirius cleared his throat. “Why were you looking for me?”

“I wanted to see if you wanted to get in some laps before dinner,” James said, a grin breaking out on his face. “You didn’t tell me you had a date tonight.” 

“I didn’t? Must have slipped my mind,” he laughed off, waving his hand dismissively but he should have known that would not be enough for the boy.

“Who is she?” James asked, eyes glimmering in interest. “Or he? Is it that bloke from—”

“It’s none of your business, Prongs,” Sirius interrupted, knowing the seconds were ticking down until you popped out of the bushes and straight into the eyeline of your brother.

James’ eyes narrowed. “Since when have you ever not made it my business? I know more about you than I care to admit, mate.” 

“Consider this me setting boundaries now!” 

“You’re being weird,” his friend muttered with a small frown. “But fine. Be dodgy. You’ll probably tell me when you end up getting your ass bitten by the squid like the last time you tried hooking up with a girl in the lake.” 

Sirius scoffed. “That never happened!” 

“But I sure like telling people it did!” James retorted, his legs kicking off the ground and his broomstick flying through the air before Sirius could even think about standing up. 

Sirius watched as your brother’s figure disappeared as he flew beyond the castle, most likely heading towards the quidditch pitch like he said he was. But he didn’t tear his eyes away until he knew for sure James was nowhere nearby and then—only then—did he let out a shaky breath. 

“That was close.” 

His head snapped around as he watched you step out of the shrubbery, giving him a slightly strained smile as he tugged you down onto his lap. 

“You heard him?” 

“I could hear him from a mile away,” you snorted in amusement. “He’s gonna find out one day.” 

“Do you want to tell him?” Sirius asked cautiously, because truthfully speaking whatever you wanted the boy was willing to give you. 

“Not yet,” you murmured, shaking your head. “I wanna enjoy you for myself for a little while longer.” 

He grinned. “Well, how can I say no to that?” 

…

The second time James almost caught you was purely Sirius’ fault—or at least, that’s what you say. He would disagree. 

Assignments and essays were starting to pile up, and between quidditch practice and sneaking around to meet with your boyfriend, you hadn’t devoted near enough time to get your work done. That was why you had decided to spend your weekend in the library—and that was why you had given Sirius a simple rule. 

Don’t distract me. 

A simple rule. A simple, simple command. Something he should’ve been able to follow for the weekend. 

So, of course, in true Sirius Black fashion, he broke the one rule you set. 

In his defence, he lasted a lot longer than you expected. It was Sunday afternoon when he finally sauntered into the library, darting through the aisles of books and lingering students before he made his way towards the secluded table you had set yourself up on. 

“The bookworm look is kinda hot,” he remarked as he sat himself on the table, just narrowly missing the parchment you had already scribbled your herbology assignment on. 

“Watch it,” you muttered, eyebrows furrowed together in concentration. 

There was a small moment of silence before your head snapped up, staring at the boy sitting in front of you with wide eyes. 

“What are you doing here?” you whisper-yelled, unable to help yourself from glancing around to see if any lingering students this far back in the library had spotted you both yet. 

“You know, it’s this funny little thing called missing my girlfriend—” 

“I’m serious,” you interrupted. 

Sirius couldn’t help but grin. “So am I.” 

You shot the boy a look. 

“Hey, sorry, sorry,” he murmured and raised his hands in mock surrender. “But I did miss you. I haven’t heard from you all weekend, I was worried. Just wanted to make sure my girl was alive.” 

Your face softened. “Don’t start making me swoon when I’m meant to be mad at you, Black.” 

He wiggled his eyebrows. “Is it working?” 

“Yes,” you said with a heavy sigh. “But I really have to finish this assignment.” 

“Later,” he waved off. “We still have a week.” 

“It’s due in two days, love,” you murmured and watched the boy’s eyes widen. 

“Huh,” he muttered before he shrugged. “I’m sure I’ll pull something out of my ass in time.” 

“You stress me out,” you shook your head. 

“But you still keep me around,” Sirius mused as he began to lean down, his eyes locked on your lips and the itching urge to grab your face and kiss you was getting unbearable. It had been too long since he kissed you. 

Sirius was mere inches away from your face when a voice sounded behind you. 

“Pads?” 

Both of your heads swivelled around to find James standing there, eyebrows furrowed together and a piece of folded parchment in hand. 

“Hey,” Sirius sang, clearing his throat a little as he quickly shifted back. 

“Hey,” James repeated, looking between you and his best friend. “What’s going on here?” 

“Take a guess,” you deadpanned as you nodded towards the parchment, quills and ink pots sprawled over the large wooden table. 

His eyes moved to Sirius. “And you?”

“I was looking for Moony,” the lie slipped past his lips easily, you would’ve believed him yourself if it weren’t for the fact he had his nose brushing against yours less than a minute ago. 

“Right but Moony is doing prefect rounds with Lily,” James muttered. 

Sirius blinked. “Oh yeah! So he is. Must’ve slipped my mind. 

“And you didn’t think to use this?” 

His eyes fell to the parchment in his hand, knowing full well what it was. Sirius cleared his throat again and smiled, “I was in a rush, mate, must’ve forgot about it.” 

“Right,” James repeated, something different in his voice. 

“Can you both fuck off now? It’s bad enough I had one idiot bothering me before but I need you both,” you piped in, keeping your voice utterly bored as you spoke. Though the annoyance wasn’t totally a lie, you did really need to write your essay. 

Whatever James heard in your voice seemed to work as the boy only grinned at you. “I think we make fetching company, don’t you, Pads?”

“I agree, Prongs,” Sirius grinned as he turned to you, ruffling your hair as you tried to bat his hand away. “That’s what I was telling little Potter here. Everyone thinks Moony is the brains in the group, but it’s all a lie.” 

“Sure,” you snorted before giving him a shove so he slid off the table. “Off you shoo now, go find Moony.” 

“Hey,” James piped jokingly, pointing an accusatory finger at you. “Our Moony, only we get to call him that.” 

“Remus lets me,” you retorted. 

“Whatever,” your brother grumbled before throwing his arm over Sirius’ shoulders. “We have things to do. Business to attend to.” 

“Whatever prank it is, just warn me in advance please. I don’t need permanent pink hair again.” 

Both boys just grinned. “Now where’s the fun in that, dear sister?”

…

The third time your brother almost caught you and Sirius had to be the worst situation of the lot. 

Sirius hadn’t intended to go home that weekend, it would never be a willing journey back to the one place he felt constricted and restrained and under a constant microscope of judgement. However, when he received the owl with his family’s crest on the envelope, he felt a stronger urge to open it rather than just throw it into a fire like he usually did. 

Whatever the letter contained, it was enough to convince Sirius to go home on Friday after his classes ended. 

He didn’t want to talk about it when he came back, and you didn’t want to push him when you saw just how drained and exhausted the boy was. He looked like a shell of himself, as he usually did whenever he spent more than five minutes in his mother’s presence. 

You hadn’t been able to get him alone since he came back, the boys hounding and cheering him over the last few days until he was starting to look like the Sirius you knew. 

Yet, the perfect opportunity arose on a Wednesday evening and you snatched it, because you were selfish and needy and wanted to be alone with your boyfriend after you had spent the last three days pretending to only be causally concerned. 

“Fuck,” Sirius moaned, his words vibrating and humming across your bare skin. “That feels good.” 

“Good to know you like scratches behind your ear as a dog and a human,” you mused as you dragged your fingers through his hair, nails scratching against his scaly until he was practically purring. 

The prefect bathrooms were completely empty of a Wednesday evening—information you came aware of after eavesdropping on a conversation between Remus and Lily where the latter mentioned the weekly prefect meeting would be longer this week than usual—and who were you but a Potter using the resources around you? It was practically screaming your name.

Sirius hadn’t even questioned you as you dragged him through the corridors, marauders map in hand so you could avoid Filch and any other teachers who could catch you. You had barely made it through the doors before Sirius began tugging at your clothes, eager and impatient to get them off. 

However, as bouncy and eager as the boy was, he practically melted under your touch when you sank into the hot water, scented bubbles making it easy to just sit back and close your eyes for a moment longer than you intended. It didn’t take long for him to tug you onto his lap, his arms locked around you and his head resting against your chest as lazy murmurs and hushed whispers were shared between you. 

“I am a simple wizard to please,” Sirius retorted which caused you to snort. You could feel his smile against your skin. 

“There is nothing simple about you, Sirius Black,” you murmured honestly and watched as he lifted his head, eyes clouded with an emotion you couldn’t quite read.

“Does that bother you?” he asked, voice thick with doubt.

“Not at all,” you answered honestly as you took his face in your hands.

His eyes softened. “You mean it?” 

“I mean it, baby,” you smiled, leaning down to press a kiss against his lips. 

SLAM!

“PADS, WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN, MATE?” 

It was pure instinct and fast reflexes that had Sirius’ body moving before he even processed his best friend’s voice bouncing off the walls of the prefect bathroom. And it just so happened that his instinct was to dunk your head under the water before James rounded the corner towards the baths and saw you situated on his lap.

“James!” Sirius yelled, wincing a little at the volume of his voice but the other boy didn’t even seem to blink an eye at it.

“Listen, I was thinking we could—” 

But Sirius couldn’t focus on a word his friend was saying. Not with you underneath the water, pinching at his thigh and most likely holding your breath by your own account since there wasn’t enough time to mutter a spell before your brother barged through the doors. Not when whatever James was suggesting was the last thing on his mind when he could be spending time with you. 

It was his justification for the lie that slipped past his lips. 

“Hey Prongs, did you ever find Evans? She was looking for you earlier.” 

James’ ramble came to a quick stop, his cheeks flushing a little. “She was?” 

“Yeah,” Sirius nodded. “She said it was urgent. Something about Hogsmeade or—” 

James didn’t even bother with rambling off an excuse before he was already making his way towards the door. “I have to go! I’ll see you later, mate!” 

The second he was out of sight, Sirius tugged you above the surface as you broke through, gasping and coughing a little as you sent your boyfriend a glare. 

“Really?” you deadpanned. 

“I panicked!” he sputtered out, a sheepish expression on his face. “I’m sorry, love.” 

“Next time, I’m dunking you under,” you grumbled under your breath as Sirius pulled you closer, pressing a line of kisses along your neck and jaw, all over your face until he reached your lips. 

“You can do whatever you want to me, love,” Sirius murmured against your lips. 

“I hate how hard you make it for me to be mad at you,” you sighed. 

“Ah, there’s still resistance? I guess I gotta use more convincing tactics,” the boy grinned as your cheeks flushed in response. 

Sirius made a mental note to apologise to Lily later. If he remembered. 

…

The fourth time your brother almost caught you two was pure, dumb, sheer luck that James wasn’t the first person to walk through the door. 

At this point, you were firmly under the impression the universe had it out for you and Sirius. There were far too many close calls over the weeks that had you on edge when all you wanted was to be with your boyfriend without your overbearing brother hovering around the corner. 

And the perfect opportunity seemed to fall straight in your lap when Lily dared James that he couldn’t last a weekend muggle camping. 

Of course, in true James Potter fashion, the date only grew more exaggerated and everyone began to get roped into the trip until it was a full-on getaway for the whole group. 

Which meant it was a perfect opportunity for you and Sirius to hang out freely for the weekend without fear of your brother popping out of nowhere. 

“This is nice,” you murmured, face nuzzled against his chest and eyes closed in content. 

“The silence?” 

“Being able to cuddle with you on an actual bed,” you answered, lips tugging upwards when you felt his chest shaking with his laughter. 

“Mark my words, love,” he hummed, arms squeezing around you tighter. “One day we will be able to do this every day.” 

“Every day?” you mused. “Plan on keeping me around that long?” 

“Not even gonna let you go when you’re sick of me,” he responded, his lips pressed against the top of your head. 

It had been easy to convince the group you couldn’t tag along for the weekend getaway, throwing in that you had assignments and tests and you wanted the extra time to study between quidditch practice and games. 

Sirius, on the other hand, had a little more difficulty. There was no excuse that would’ve worked for James Potter since he was a relentless, persuading little shit. So, he had to go to extremes and it was a horrible hour of pain and nausea induced from the potion that convinced James he truly was too sick to go. 

It had worn off less than ten minutes after the group left, and it had taken less than five minutes after that for Sirius to drag you up to his dorm and pull you against his chest. 

“Can we just stay like this all weekend?” you asked, words slightly muffled as you pressed your nose against the soft fabric of his shirt, his smell overwhelming you in the best way possible—pine, cigarettes and a hint of something sweet, like vanilla. 

“If you leave this bed for more than five minutes, I would consider it a failure of a perfect weekend,” he retorted and you didn’t even need to lift your head to know he was smirking. 

“Five minutes seems dramatic to—“ 

“It’s fine, James! I can grab the bag! It’s just one bag!” 

“Lily, darling, it could be—“ 

“It’s a bag of clothes, not bricks. Calm down!” 

You and Sirius stared at the door, eyes wide as the footsteps approaching got closer and you barely had a chance to even react before the door swung open. You braced yourself to see your brother on the other side, to see you both cuddled up on Sirius’ bed less than an hour since they had left. 

You braced yourself for your secret to be exposed. 

But when the door hit the wall, it wasn’t James’ shocked face you saw—it was Lily’s. 

You blinked at her. 

She blinked at the two of you. 

There was a pause as you all remained where you were, frozen in place as she took in the sight in front of her. 

“I forgot the bag, it’s only fair that I hold it, darling.” 

Lily’s lips parted. “What the—“ 

“Lils? Is everything okay?” 

Your face must’ve shown your fear because she paused before answering, eyebrows furrowed together as she mouthed a ‘what?’ at you. But it took less than five seconds of aggressive, incoherent hand gestures before you finally hissed out. 

“James doesn’t know!” 

Lily’s eyes widened as the realisation hit her too, with your brother now just down the hall and seconds away from entering the dorm room himself. She threw her hands in the air, glancing around the room before she pointed vigorously at a bundle of fabric lying on the trunk at the end of one of the other beds. 

It was a comically short time between you diving off the bed, grabbing the invisibility cloak and scrambling to throw it over your head to Lily turning on her heel, grabbing James’ face before he could even walk into the room and kissing him on the lips. 

Sirius let out a garbled noise of surprise, blinking and gaping at the sight of his two friends kissing that it completely washed away the dread he felt moments ago from almost being caught. 

When Lily eventually pulled away, she looked momentarily shocked at her own decision before clearing her throat. 

“You can get the bag,” she said in a slightly high-pitched voice, patting his chest awkwardly a few times before she slid past him and quickly rushed out the room. 

James stood there, staring blankly ahead with red cheeks and parted lips. 

“You good there, mate?” Sirius asked cautiously, trying to keep his eyes on his friend rather than the spot where you were hidden under the cloak. 

“Yeah,” James muttered airily as he moved to grab the duffel bag lying a few feet away, his eyebrows furrowed together slightly before he walked out the room, still in a daze as he did so. 

It was a solid few minutes before you finally shrugged the cloak off, looking at the doorway where Lily and James stood moments ago before turning to Sirius who looked just as shocked as you still felt. 

“So…” you murmured, letting out a heavy breath. “Lily knows.” 

“I think that’s the last thing on Lily’s mind right now,” Sirius commented. 

“I’m almost jealous I’m not gonna be on that camping trip now,” you said honestly, thinking of a million different ways you could thank your friend for helping you hide your secret. 

“I’m sure Prongs won’t shut up about it when he’s back.” 

“Merlin save us now.” 

…

The fifth time your brother almost caught you was most definitely your fault. It pained you to admit so, but the blame was firmly placed on your shoulders. 

From the second you and James picked up broomsticks at the ages of four and five, Euphemia Potter had taken it upon herself to set up boundaries so her two highly competitive kids wouldn’t fall into the habit of bad sportsmanship and petty sibling arguments. 

And in the grand scheme of things, it worked. 

No matter what, no matter the outcome or the plays or the results, you and James had a tradition after every quidditch game you played against each other to keep a strong hold on that tradition your mother set up for you when you were younger. 

Today’s game would be no different. The game would play, one team would win and then you’d meet James outside the changing rooms to hangout with ice cream and cookies and whatever sweet treats you could get your hands on. 

It had been the tradition for years, and it continued when James became Gryffindor’s star chaser and you became one of Slytherin’s best beaters.

But this game was a little different, not that your brother or anyone else in the school knew. It was different because you were more restless than usual before the game. It was different because what was usually a close game ended up with Slytherin a good hundred odd points clear with their win. It was different because the second the Slytherin changing room was empty, you had dragged Sirius inside without a single care about how risky you were being. 

You were riding the high of the victory, body buzzing with need and adrenaline and sinking your fingers into your boyfriend’s hair whilst he pressed you up against the lockers and kissed you senseless seemed like a pretty damn good way to celebrate your win. 

“I shouldn’t be this attracted to you when you just humiliated my house out there,” he muttered against your neck, his hands pulling at the quidditch leathers you wore in desperate need to feel your skin against his. “Not very loyal of me, or redeeming for my house spirit.”

“Or maybe you’re seeing that green is much better,” you teased, tugging his hair until his eyes found yours again. “I think you’d look pretty hot with my name on your back, Black.” 

“Fuck house loyalty, boyfriend brownie points are more important,” Sirius grumbled before kissing you, hands squeezing your thighs when you wrapped your legs around his waist. 

Your hands were already making move of undoing the buttons of his shirt, more than ready to tear his clothes off and have him fuck you up against the lockers just like you had been fantasising about the second you saw his smug face on the Gryffindor bleachers with red and gold stripes painted on his cheeks. You wanted to make him moan and whine and whimper in the Slytherin changing rooms like you owned him (because truthfully, you did and he would have been more than happy to play along). 

But that finicky little tradition came to bite you in the ass at the worst possible time. 

Three knocks rapped against the changing room door before you heard your brother’s voice on the other side, calling out your name and asking if you were ready. 

Your eyes widened, your hands on his chest as you pushed Sirius away before muttering a string of curses under your breath. You didn’t give him a chance to even start panicking before you were shoving him into a locker, slamming the door shut and pressing your back against it before you called James in. 

“Congratulations,” James greeted, walking in with a softer smile on his face than most people were used to. “You guys killed it out there today.”

You raised your brows. “You’re not salty?” 

“Only a little,” James shrugged with a dramatic sigh. “Guess I’ll just have to thrash your ass next time.” 

You snorted. “Good luck doing that.” 

“You don’t think I will?” James questioned, that competitive spark in his chest flaring a little. And you knew because you were just the same,

“Oh I know—” 

ACHOO!

James frowned, eyebrows furrowed as he glanced around the changing rooms. “Is there someone else in here?”

You flashed him a confused look, pretending your head wasn’t beating a million miles an hour. “Hm?”

“Someone just sneezed,” James said. 

“Did they? I didn’t hear anything,” you shrugged.

His frown deepened. “It sounded like it was—”

“I think the loss is getting to your head, making you hallucinate nonsense,” you teased your older brother before you waved him off. “Let me just change out of my jersey and I’ll meet you outside in five minutes.”

His confusion was still evident on his face as he nodded, muttering a response before he glanced around the changing room one more time. He shook his head, letting out a sigh before he left the room, muttering away to himself as he did so.

When the changing room doors swung closer, you yanked the locker door open and watched your boyfriend stumble out of the small space. 

“Really?”

“I can’t control my allergies, love!”

“Do you think he bought it?” 

Sirius snorted. “With your acting skills? Probably not, sweetheart. But you better get going before he gets even more suspicious.” 

You groaned but didn’t disagree, making quick move to change out of your quidditch gear—slapping Sirius’ hands away as you did so—before you rushed out to complete the tradition with your brother like you planned. 

Sirius snuck out the Slytherin changing rooms ten minutes later, much to the amusement of the students who did spot him.

…

The one time James finally caught you and Sirius hadn’t played out the way you expected, though that was mostly due to the fact he didn’t really catch you at all. 

It was a simple miscount and muscle memory that led to your relationship with your brother’s best friend being exposed. 

The Potter Manor was not an unusual place for everyone to convene during the summer months. Euphemia and Fleamont Potter adored their children’s friends like they were an extension of their family, and they loved to have the manor bustling with rambunctious teens during the hot, summer days. It made their house feel more like a home. 

This year was no different as one by one, each of their friends arrived at the manor to enjoy blissful weeks of freedom and stress-free days before they returned to Hogwarts in the autumn. Sirius was no different, more than eager to get away from his family home and live under a roof he didn’t fear to be himself. 

And as much as he adored James and his other friends, he was eager to see you too. It had been weeks of letters and secret calls through the fireplace that had got you both through the weeks apart until he finally visited. He wanted to see his girl but it was truly the universe’s irony that the only time he would get to see you was when everyone you both cared about seemed to be living in the same house.

The first few days had been chaotic in themselves, everyone simply eager to catch up and hang out and sit out in the large garden behind the Potter Manor until the sun had firmly set and Euphemia was calling them all in.

But Sirius was itching to have you in his arms again and you were just the same. So when you had slipped him a note, a number scrawled on the paper of how many doors down your room was from his, he was eager to sneak out that night. 

The manor was silent, barely a noise sounded through the whole house when Sirius slid out of his room just minutes after two in the morning. He whispered a soft ‘lumos’ under his breath as he used his wand as a guide, making his way down the hallway with soft steps. He counted each door as he passed them, stopping short when he reached yours. 

He quickly slipped his wand into the back of his sweatpants, quietly turning the door handle and opening the door enough for him to slide inside before closing it behind him. The room was dark and even when he squinted, it was difficult to make out anything beyond the bed a few feet away from him with a trunk at the foot and a broom sprawled across the top. He noted the dresser and wardrobe on the other side of the room, but his attention was focused on the lump lying under the sheets. 

Sirius smiled to himself as he made his way towards the bed, knees pressed against the mattress as he leaned over to softly shake you. “Hey baby.” 

“Pads?” 

“James?!” 

There was a moment of silence before he heard the noise of sheets rustling and a small click before a bedside lamp was turned on, and he was met with the very confused face of his best friend staring back at him. 

“Mate, did you just call me baby?” 

“Uh,” Sirius’s lips parted as he gaped at his friend, mind reeling with the stupid mistake he had just made. “I didn’t realise this was your room, I thought it was—”

James’ eyebrows furrowed together. “Thought it was who’s?” 

“Mine!” he blurted out. 

James blinked sleepily in response, trying to string everything together. “What? Why are you acting so weird?” 

“I’m not acting weird, Prongs, you are,” the boy scoffed, clearing his throat a little before he took a few steps away from the bed. “Anyways, I’m gonna go to bed—”

“Woah, woah,” James grumbled as he pushed the sheets off his body, moving to stand up too. “You can’t sneak around, call someone baby and not tell me what the fuck is going on? Are you seeing someone in the group?” 

Sirius was silent.

James’ eyes widened in delight. “And you didn’t tell me? Dude, what the hell? Who is it? Does anyone else know? Is it Marlene? Mary? Dorcas? Fuck, is it Moony? You two always were kinda flirty—” 

Sirius remained silent.

“C’mon, Pads, you gotta tell me!” James whined, though there was an eager smile on his face. “The only other people on this floor beside me and you is Evans but there’s no way she’d go for you, and—”

Sirius flashed a sheepish smile.

“Sirius,” James said in a low voice. “Who’s room were you sneaking into?” 

“Mate—”

“THAT’S MY LITTLE SISTER, SIRIUS!” 

Sirius winced a little, the words getting stuck in his throat as he extended his hands out towards his friend. But James didn’t give him a chance to explain himself before he pinched Sirius by his ear, dragging him out the room to the one next over and barged inside without even bothering to knock.

You shot up from the bed, your lips parting when you saw your brother burst through the door with Sirius by his side. 

“James—”

“Really? My best friend? You’re trying to steal my best friend from me?” James exclaimed, not a single care in the world at the fact it was three in the morning. 

You let out a shaky laugh. “That is not the case—” 

“And you!” James continued, turning to look at his friend who was trying to soothe his pinched earlobe with a small frown. “How could you, mate! My little sister! You know she isn’t allowed to date until she’s thirty-two!” 

You scoffed. “Nobody agreed to that rule.”

“I did!” James retorted, his voice a little high pitched as he glanced between you both. “Merlin, I can’t believe this betrayal.” 

“James—” you started but the boy didn’t let you continue. 

“A betrayal I say!” 

You rolled your eyes, fingertips pressed against your temple as your brother continued to theatrically throw his arms in the air, truly living up to his name as the most dramatic Potter sibling.

“And I thought he was bad when Mum told him she was making Shepherd's pie instead of Sunday roast last week,” you grumbled to yourself, shoving your duvet off before you slid off the bed and moved closer to both boys. “Jamie, it’s really not that big of a deal—”

“He’s Sirius Black!” James spluttered like that was a solid enough reason. 

“Yeah, and I love her, mate!” Sirius yelled back. 

There was a pause as both Potter siblings stared at the boy with very different expressions, making Sirius squirm a little under the intense focus. 

“You love her?”

“You love me?”

“Yeah, well,” Sirius cleared his throat, his hand scratching the nape of his neck nervously. “This wasn’t exactly the way I wanted to say it, y’know?”

Your eyes softened, pressing your lips to hold back the grin that wanted to spread over your face. “I love you too, baby.” 

“Bleh,” James gagged. “I don’t know if this is cute or disgusting.” There was a pause. “Yeah, no, definitely disgusting.” 

“Shut up,” you grumbled and reached over to whack his arm. “Lily thinks we’re cute.” 

“EVANS KNOWS?!” 

“What in the bloody hell is going on in here?” A voice sounded from the doorway, three heads turning around to see Euphemia Potter standing there in her dressing gown and slippers, hands on her hips. “It’s three in the morning, why aren’t any of you asleep?” 

“They are trying to sleep together!” James blurted out as he pointed between you and Sirius. 

“James!”

“Prongs!”

Euphemia glanced between the three of you, looking unamused. “Yes, honey, that’s what tends to happen when you’re in a relationship.” 

James blinked. “You knew too?”

“Your father and I had our suspicions,” Euphemia stated with a shrug, though there was a knowing smile on her lips. “I won the bet. Your father thought your sister would have gone for Remus. He clearly never saw the way Sirius looked at her, even when you were all younger.” 

Sirius’ cheeks burned but he didn’t deny it. 

“I–” James started again but his mother shot him a look.

“Let your sister live, James,” she said in a pointed tone. “I am sure your sister knows how to be safe and use a contraceptive spell–”

“Mum!” you blanched, arms wrapped around yourself in hopes you could curl into your own body to avoid the embarrassment of the situation. 

“Oh stop being such a prude!” Euphemia waved you off before nodding her head towards her eldest. “Leave them alone, you can wail about it in the morning at a more reasonable hour.” 

“But—”

“Bed, James. Don’t make me repeat myself,” she said and watched as the boy shuffled out the room, heading back towards his room. She then turned to look at you and Sirius, a warm smile on her face. “Whilst I am happy for you both, I don’t want grandchildren just yet.”

Sirius coughed to cover his laugh. “Of course not, ma’am.” 

“Don’t be silly, Sirius, you’re a part of the family more so than before now,” Euphemia grinned as she reached for the door handle, ready to close the door behind her. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t shatter you if you hurt my little girl.” 

“I would expect nothing less from you,” Sirius admitted with a nod. 

“Goodnight. Don’t be too loud, you may scar your brother.”

“Mum!” you huffed, listening to her laugh cheerily as she headed back down the hallway towards her own room. You then turned to Sirius who was already looking at you, something unreadable on his face. “Guess the cat’s out of the bag, huh?” 

“You really love me back?” he asked in a soft voice, his hands finding your waist like magnets. 

“Of course I do,” you answered with a smile, one hand pressed over his racing heart and the other cupping his face. “You’ve weasled your way into my heart, Black.” 

“I intend to stay there for a while,” he told you.

“Good. You can start by being the big spoon.” 

Sirius snorted. “Always, love.”

. 

[illmetkismet]

Leon in re4r has to be the most touchy feely goober i have seen yet.

I find it so endearing when he goes to comfort Ashley and also like in general the way he was with Luis when he was dying is just 😭

I think he's just very touch starved. What do you think? :)

i got this ask in the morning and i was like, 'i gotta think about this....' and i've been thinking about it all day because..... there's so much going on with leon and touch....

both with ashley and luis he doesn't let himself touch - really touch, the way he wants, to take their hand and hold on - until the situation is desperate. luis is dying, and ashley is in so much pain she's screaming with it. look how scared leon looks:

the halfhearted pat, pat, 'ok', he does in response to her hug later, when he wakes up and sees that she's alright, is such an interesting contrast. she's fine, she's alive, and now he doesn't have an excuse anymore, you know? he's not overcome with worry or grief. he's reigned himself right back in.

even here, where ashley's panting and almost crying after they run from the ganados into the cabin:

he lets himself rest a hand on her shoulder to comfort her and check in for like a second, because she's clearly very distressed, before he turns to deal with luis.

he does allow himself casual little touches here and there, when the situation calls for it. again, it's when ashley is really upset after the mind control incident that he lets himself give her that encouraging pat on the shoulder:

or when she's unconscious and he just administered the suppressant, and he needs to reassure himself that she's going to be ok:

so yeah, he's 100% touch starved, but i don't think he realizes it. the frequency with which he does reach out in re4r, however briefly, makes me think that he was probably a lot quicker to touch, to hug, to hold on, before raccoon city (his little bright-eyed rookie face makes me think that for sure). but after? there's this sense i think he has about himself that there's something wrong with him. that he survived something horrible against all odds, and now he's in this awful line of work - all the things he sees, all the people who keep dying around him - and it feels like he's carefully trying to contain himself, to isolate, to keep others safe from... whatever it is that's wrong with him now. like maybe he thinks of himself as cursed, somehow?

there's that tidbit i remember reading in a post @highball66 made, where one of leon's hobbies is listed as watching movies alone in the dark. on the one hand, cute and cozy! but on the other hand, is the 'alone' part really by choice?

so yeah, i think his natural inclination is to be a touchy feely goober, as you say, but he's almost all but killed that instinct in himself. now it takes extraordinary circumstances for him to reach out: either a situation where he needs to offer reassurance and understands that words alone won't do, or something so terrible happens that it overwhelms him to the point where he slips and doesn't keep his genuine need to reach out in check. which is.... so sad. because the only other way we see him touch in re4r is with violence, or to menace. his fist on luis' chest, pushing him back against the wall until he winces, for example. leon's been trained to leverage his strength to do harm, and though i think he hates that, that's probably how he sees himself now - as a damaged person whose only worth is that he's good at this violent work. i think he hasn't had a hug - a real hug - in years, in large part because he won't allow himself to have it.

haha oops this turned into a leon essay again... i just can't be normal about him. can't even answer a regular little ask without monologuing about his emotional damage.... thanks for the ask and for giving me this opportunity to TEDtalk about him :)

[combustiblegarbage]

you know i was thinking of how remarkable it is that fma03 really dives deep into this idea of like. avoiding "respectability politics" with scar. scar is an ishbalan, and everyone is afraid of ishbalans and thinks of them as criminals, and scar kills people. he does the thing that people are afraid he will do! i'm thinking about how france here and how as a country they have made it a uniquely national crusade to be insanely islamophobic in all walks of life; and how over the past 10 years there have been several very public attacks and/or incidents which claim to be associated with ISIS or some other extremist group (i am thinking of the paris nightclub shooting and specifically charlie hebdo too because hoo boy was that an example of french white folks going "see we TOLD YOU you should be scared of muslims!")

and like. this idea is present in fma03 too, that an ishbalan person committing crimes and killing people is like a self-fulfilling prophecy, is something that can and should be used to politically justify more policies against them (the ishbalans we see are constantly being shuffled around and "resettled" to different areas by the state!). but what's extraordinary for a tv show like this, esp in 2003, is that instead of turning around and saying "so this is why you have to be careful/cautious around ishbalans/this is why these policies are justified" etc the show explicitly and quite clearly says, "these policies are what CREATED scar."

HE IS CALLED, SCAR! he is a physical representation of the painful bodily gash left in the corpus of his people, he is the embodiment of their trauma. AND HE'S COMING TO GET YOU, BARBARA! he's the boogeyman! the state is terrified of him! he is their own nightmare made real - not just an ishbalan that fights back, which would be one thing - which could easily be crushed in war - but a walking dead man, a zombie, the corpse of his own people who is not permitted to die until he has exacted his revenge. his RIGHTEOUS revenge! his revenge he DESERVES! the revenge the narrative paints, at the end of the day, as something noble and triumphant. scar! who in any other world would be called a terrorist! every time i think about it too much i really am shocked at how explicitly the show places itself on his side.

it's just crazy to me that this media from 2003 (TWO THOUSAND THREE!) refuses to engage in "look at this evil scary brown man; this is why we need to oppress the evil scary brown people, because one of them will attack us" and rather says, "oppression has CREATED this creature, and now he's fighting back." he's frankenstein's monster, created by the state! and that is exactly what imperialist policy in the global south does; it creates its own justification for violence. scar interrupts that cycle. he starts off as a dead man walking, and then slowly the audience begins to understand him as a person - as a priest, as a brother, as an injured human being in pain. as an angel of vengeance!

anyway fma03 did it better!

[hajihiko]

any hajime headcannons?

-this guy's got anger issues too, he's just slightly better at hiding them

-completely oblivious to the fact that everyone crushes on him it's hilarious

-His relationship with his parents is not good, not bad, just... average. They just never connected and conversation was usually just polite. It's kind of ouch to feel how your parents just don't really feel particularly strongly about you as a person beyond being their child, but he's fed and housed and schooled, so it's not like anythings wrong per se. This is partially why he was so obsessed with being extraordinary

-The only person to rival Imposter in how much imposter syndrome he has

-runs hotter than the average person (miggy gave me this one lol)

-dimples!! And sharper teeth than the average person

-interested in philosophy, art and the supernatural, post-wakeup, because it's all things that are impossible to do "right" and the supernatural hasn't been proven yet. (Cue ghost Junko)

-hes an only child and sometimes you can really tell.

-if he was a flower he'd be a 🌻... To Face Another Day and such...

-he is at risk at having a bit of an alcohol problem post-wakeup if he had access to that sort of thing. No one operates at 100% when drunk and it's the only time he can be dumb and clumsy and bad at things anymore.

-Brain empty no feelings chemicals (samesies) means he's also gotta be careful with drugs (forcibly dousing brain with Chemicals) but (thankfully??) he actually has an aversion to drugs in general, even strong painkillers.

-strong aversion to needles post-wakeup, and absolutely can't stand having his wrists held or restrained. No sexy handcuffs for this guy thankyouverymuch

-his hands are like. Flat? Wide? His fingers splay out far and the thumb is extra curved.

-he didn't inherit everything that the other kids have, that didn't come by talent but rather is individual based. Ibukis hearing, Akane's danger sense, and Fuyuhiko's pain tolerance for example.

-hes hairy but he doesn't like having a beard.

-kinda has that thing where you're really resistant to being told what to do even if you were gonna do it anyway. Like "ok well you told me to so now I won't"

-mentally checks out sometimes. Just runs on autopilot. It's hard to tell the difference and it scares him. One of the methods that help are aromatherapy and meditation

-he and Impostor have like, a very unique relationship. You couldn't tell from the outside but he can feel the difference

-sometimes the emotions just aren't there. When they're super strong though, they can overwhelm him to the point where he forgets to be the best at stuff and can make human mistakes once again. FX if he was absolutely furious he'd punch someone with normal strength instead of Ultimate Boxer form or whatever

-he is pretty good with people, he's just a guy you can trust! but they still get on his nerves often.

-if he doesn't get something he CANNOT let it go until he understands it. Thankfully people are hard to neatly pin down so being around his friends keeps him from being so bored.

[justenjoythegossip]

Will Chris’ “psychotic” fans be held responsible for the end of the shitshow?

Recently an article regarding Abba’s near ”abduction” story resurfaced, or I should say was reposted. It seemed pretty random of course. But was it? Because you see, this story hints at an original trauma that she might have suffered as a kid. If you combine this (real or fictitious) traumatic experience with the narrative that Chris’ fans are psychos who really can’t stand to see him in a relationship, well then you have created the perfect storm for their separation. Will that excuse be used to explain their divorce which couldn’t come soon enough by the way? 

So many breadcrumbs pointing to Abba being scared… 

The narrative that Chris’ fans are crazy and don’t want to see him with anyone has been going on for years. His brother Scott alluded to it not so long ago during an interview. Yvette Nicole Brown tweeted about it as well, in a very over-the-top and unhinged way just after Chris and Abba made it official with their first papwalk. So there have been many crumbs pointing to his fans’ problematic behavior being the cause for concerns. And indeed, there have already been several articles pointing to Abba being scared for her safety. Here are a couple of examples.

https://www.thenews.com.pk/amp/1119789-chris-evans-jealous-fans-pose-safety-concerns-for-his-wife-alba-baptista

Recently, that excuse has been used to explain why Abba couldn’t attend an event for Warrior Nun.

We all know of her extraordinary professionalism. She has promoted the show so much so that we can only imagine how terrified and heartbroken she must have felt to turn down this event. (read sarcasm) And it probably explains why she refused to talk to the media at the GQ event. You see she was not being rude and a diva, she was just being shy and afraid…

Also remember during Chris and Abba’s last papwalk when they allegedly had dinner with Rob Pattinson, Suki, Adrien Brody and Harvey Weinstein’s former wife, they were escorted by Guillermo who is Chris’ bodyguard. Sure it was meant to sell that they are a very famous and popular couple but maybe it served another purpose. Maybe it was meant to sell the narrative that she is terrified of Chris’ fans and needs the protection of a bodyguard. So the question remains: will they be blamed for their divorce?

The ending of this shitshow isn’t likely to happen soon…

Crumbs and hints are in place but that doesn’t mean the end of the shitshow is near. In fact, I would be very surprised if he doesn’t mention his “wife” during his next con at Seattle on March 2nd. Indeed this con is overseen by the same company that did C2E2 and NYCC last year, and let’s remember the NY con was used to confirm the 2 kinda of ceremonies and to show off his ill-fitting ring. We can suspect this company is one of their sponsors, just like the jewelry brand or airline company. But I am just speculating. 

It’s safe to assume there will be similar shenanigans in Seattle anyway. Will she actually be there? It’s a real possibility. Especially, since the Oscars’ ceremony is on March 10th. Like for the Golden Globes, it’s a time when celebrities try to be seen. And it will be one of their last occasions to make a splash for a while and have their names in every publication since Chris is supposed to start shooting a new movie in March as well. Unless we get pap pics of them on his movie set. They haven’t done it yet and it would be another box to check off in their PR games.  

The manufactured psychotic fans…

For sure there are some crazy fans out there. But I have little doubt as well that most of his crazy fans act this way on purpose because there are plants on the payroll. Even recently, we have seen a ridiculous fake drama around Dodger. An account even published an old picture of Dodger at Daycare. So this mod either hacked into the security cameras of the dog daycare center 6 years ago. Or by some off chance, a crazy stalker fan who worked at that center leaked that pic and sent it to that mod? I should probably specify that this account also got the exclusive (and very believable) story that Renner and Hemsworth told two strangers that they were in Boston for Chris’ wedding. Obviously the most logical explanation is that this blog was fed real info (and that pic) by his team or is working directly for his team. But officially they will pass as crazy fans who crossed the line… And this narrative has proved quite useful in the past.

Playing the victim card is unlikely to get them any sympathy… 

I personally think that this strategy won’t benefit either of them. 

Particularly Abba. First of all, people are unlikely to believe she needs protection because nobody knows her in the first place. We all remember that ridiculous cringe moment at the Ghosted premiere where a paid actor pretended to be her fan and screamed her name. Also and I don’t mean any disrespect but she is not only unknown to the public but she is also totally unremarkable. She is so unremarkable in fact that when that influencer got the video of them at Walt Disney (the video where you can hear the influencer say at the end: “got it”) she had a pic of Abba’s back tattoo on her screen to make sure she recognized her. 

As for Chris, blaming his fans for the end of this shitshow is unlikely to gain him any sympathy either. We have seen so many fan pages disappear, so many fans leave. He has alienated so many loyal fans and a part of the general public with this relationship that isn’t on brand for him. It wouldn’t be wise to alienate the fans that have stuck around. 

Also playing the victim card is just not as popular as it once was. First of all, most normal people have troubles feeling sorry for out of touch celebrities. And why should they? They live in the real world and have real problems. Like having to hold on to their low-paying job, to take care of their kids or to put food on the table. Look at Harry and Meghan. Most people can’t stand them anymore. So Chris’ team would be wise to look for another exit strategy. They have time…

[justletmeramble1701]

Has anyone talked about how each of the three specials represents the three eras if NuWho (as in the three showrunners)?

The Star Beast felt like a classic Russel T Davis era introduction. The doctor disrupts the companion's boring domestic life, introducing them to a new, exciting, and very dangerous life. While, yes, this is the story of most NuWho companions, but Russell's version focused on how boring mundanity is (his companions are thrill seekers, especially Rose and Donna) and the companion's familiar life, which this episode does with the reintroduction of the Noble's.

It also has a "Davis-ex-machina", but all three episodes have that, so I'm not gonna mention it.

Wild Blue Yonder felt like a Moffat idea box (a dark fairy tale/cosmic horror). High concept scares or ideas that force the Doctor to drop his mask and confront truths about himself. I'm specifically thinking of series 6, where The Doctor relearns responsibility by the strange and usually terrifying situations he falls into, dragging his companions along for the ride. In this story, the Doctor is reminded how beaten down they are, setting us up for the conclusion in the finally. It's basically this Doctor's "The God Complex"! While this is how the franchise does character development, it feels uniquely Moffat because of its horror influence (its "Alien" and "The Thing") and the level at which it explains itself (it explains as much as it needs to have a monster with a gimmick, but not too much that they stop being scary - and also in a way that confuses most people).

It also has seemingly innocuous lines that are actually horrifying in context. "My arms are too long..." feels so much like "Are you my mummy," "Don't blink," and "Who turned out the lights," but it lacks the ability to be repeated more than once, so it can't become the quote for the creature. Instead of a singular quote, the episode goes for a series of chilling one-liners ("Oh, we get hungry, don't we..." being a great example).

The Giggle had that late Chibnall charm. Bringing back past elements in highly action-packed finales or specials to attempt to excite or "wow" the audience. While it pulls things out of nowhere to keep the plot going, you don't care because of how much fun you are having! I was specifically thinking about "The Power of the Doctor" while watching it. Half a "Flux" worth of ideas crammed into an episode, but with just enough fun, character, and heart that you allow it to do whatever. Let the episode drive you in whichever direction it needs to go to reach the destination, trusting that it won't get lost or crash. While this is, basically, the concept of the show (remember, we are watching a walking deus ex machina in their magic plot generating box, waiving their magic wand around until it is time for them to solve the problem), it feels like Chibnall because of how compact it is. Like I said, this has enough ideas that it could have been all three specials.

The thing that sets these three specials apart from the last three eras is the power dynamic between the Doctor and their companion. 14 and Donna are equals. While Donna is being reintroduced to the extraordinary, 14 is being reintroduced to the mundane. While Donna is trying to escape from the lovecraftian creature they've encountered, the Doctor is right beside her, scared of what they shouldn't comprehend (the episode even punishing them for their comprehension). While Donna is being toyed with by a dark god, the laws of reality failing her, the Doctor is facing the same, at the wim of an entity that operates by a different set of rules. The Doctor and their companion, their friend, is finally operating on the same playing field as them, which means that, by extension, so are we.

Donna, like all companions, represents the audience, but, in these stories, she specifically represents the fans of the last 20 of Doctor Who. The ones that grew up watching NuWho. We are older now, still as loud and snarky as ever, but we are adults now. Just like Donna, we have lives, responsibilities. We can't experience the world (or the program) the way we once did. Even though the adventures never truly end, it is our turn to join the previous generation (reprented by Mel) watch the next batch of whovians discover this exciting universe for the first time, our Doctor by our side.

This was the best conclusion to NuWho that we could've hoped for!

[q-gorgeous]

They Had Been Afraid of Their Own Parents This Whole Time

fanfiction

ao3

word count: 1346

The Fenton Parents are the best parents in the world, but even they've noticed how much their kids have changed since the Portal activated. At first they think it's their logical fear of the ghosts that now attack Amity and they redouble their efforts to create weapons and defenses to keep their kids safe. But it only seems to make their kids grow more distant and Danny. Danny looks downright -terrified- at some of their weapons. It's not until one of their kids throws themselves between the Drs Fenton and a ghost that the Fentons realize--it's -them- their kids are scared of. @akela-nakamura

more fic wooooo

Jack and Maddie Fenton always prided themselves in being the best parents they could be. 

They had always encouraged their kids' interests. They were well aware that their own interests seemed a bit eccentric to most people, so they wanted to give their own children undivided support when it came to the things they were interested in or wanted to do. 

Jazz had always loved learning about how the mind worked. She’s been a bright young girl from an early age and once Jack and Maddie started noticing how many times Jazz would check out certain psychology textbooks from the public library, they eventually bought her her own copies. 

And Danny. Danny had the brightest imagination. He was always reaching for the stars, quite literally. He wanted to be an astronaut someday. They bought anything space related that he wanted. Glow in the dark stars, model rockets, posters. He decorated his entire room with it all. It was what he dreamed of, to be able to be among the stars. 

But something was different now. Danny didn’t seem to be as interested in becoming an astronaut, if his grades were anything to go by. Becoming an astronaut took a lot of knowledge and book smarts and it was something Danny seemed to lack these days. He was always skipping class, missing assignments. It was like he didn’t care anymore. 

Ever since the portal turned on he was different. They knew he was down there for some reason when the portal miraculously turned on one day. It had given him quite the electric shock. They’d taken him to the hospital to make sure he was okay but the doctor said he was perfectly healthy. But still, something had changed with Danny that day. They just didn’t know what that was. 

Then the ghosts appeared. With every ghost that came through the portal, Danny had a new excuse about why he couldn’t go with his parents to capture it, or why he didn’t want to be in the lab when they were doing experiments. He even avoided all mentions of ghosts that he could. There could only be one thing wrong.

Their son was afraid of ghosts. As he should be! Ghosts were very dangerous, especially to people who could be easily manipulated, like teenagers. 

One prime example of a ghost coming to Amity Park that targeted teenagers was that Ember Mcclain girl. Danny was lucky to not have fallen for her ploy, but Jazz did. For all of Jazz’s smarts, she was still tricked by a ghost. 

So Jack and Maddie had to protect them. They needed to do everything in their power to keep their kids safe from ghosts. 

They spent day and night building new weapons and defenses. With the ever increasing ghost problem, it was necessary. 

They’d take their new inventions up to the dinner table with them and proudly show them to Danny and Jazz. At first, Jazz would roll her eyes. She never believed in ghosts herself. Not until she had a close call with one at the school. Now, Jazz looked just as terrified as Danny. But they didn’t have to be afraid anymore. Not when Jack and Maddie could make whatever they needed to take down, capture, and defeat the ghosts. 

That’s when the real fun would begin. Once they captured the ghosts, they had an extraordinary opportunity to study it. They planned on doing experiments, examinations, all sorts of things. This would be what would help spur their research on. 

But no matter how much Jack and Maddie tried to comfort their kids, they still looked terrified. But that was okay. Being afraid of the ghosts would protect them. 

Especially Phantom. He flew around and pretended to save the town, pretending that he was the good guy. But he caused just as much damage as the other ghosts and he had even committed crimes! He stole from a jewelry store and attacked the mayor! This ghost’s expert manipulation didn’t work on Jack and Maddie. His near perfect mimicry just made him the perfect ghost to capture and examine. They wanted to see his insides, what made him tick, how long he would keep up his charades. 

Phantom was too good at tricking them. Even their kids, who were terrified of ghosts, were fans of Phantom. Jazz was even going as far as to start arguments with Jack and Maddie about him. Telling them that they just needed to give him a chance. They should have an actual conversation with a ghost, maybe they would learn something. She was so convinced that what he put on display for the town to see was genuine. 

Not long after this, Danny and Jazz became more distant. They could tell that they were upset that they couldn’t sway their parents' views. They eventually stopped arguing, but they also stopped coming to breakfast and dinner. They’d make excuses for why they couldn’t eat at the table or why they wouldn’t be home that night. 

It infuriated them. Phantom had put such a rift into their family. How? What could he have possibly done to convince Danny and Jazz that their parents were in the wrong?

It wasn’t until a day far after that that they finally understood. 

Phantom was fighting a ghost in the middle of the football field. He’d been fighting for a while already when Jack and Maddie had arrived and they could tell he was getting tired. The ghost he was fighting hit him and it sent him flying through the air. He landed on the ground in front of Jack and Maddie. They trained their weapons on him, preparing to shoot. 

This was their chance. They finally had him. They were going to tear him apart molecule by molecule and prove to their kids that there was no exception to ghosts being evil. Phantom was not some kind of good ghost. He was just playing a part. 

They were ready to pull the trigger when they heard a shout. 

Running from behind the bleachers was Jazz. She had a panicked look on her face. It was the most scared they’d ever seen her. 

She ran and planted herself in front of Phantom, her arms splayed out wide to put as much of a barrier in between them as she could. What was she doing? Why was she protecting this dangerous ghost?

But then they saw the fear on her face. She was standing closer to Phantom than she was to them. She wasn’t afraid of Phantom. She felt the need to protect him. What was she afraid of?

Jazz’s eyes flicked down to their weapons and then back up to their eyes. It hit them like a train.

Jazz was afraid of them. 

What had happened to make Jazz afraid of her own parents? Why was she afraid of them? Was this some new ghostly ability that Phantom had? The ability to manipulate their emotions? 

But then Phantom groaned and placed a hand over his stomach where a wound was seeping ectoplasm. A bright ring appeared around his waist and they charged their weapons, the ecto-guns they held in their hands whining. This wasn’t something they’ve seen Phantom do before. What was happening? What was this new ability?

They could see as Phantom tried to hold it back. The rings kept splitting, merging back together, and disappearing over and over again. They watched as Phantom seemed to give up, the fight left his body. He leaned against the back of Jazz’s legs and it seemed like he passed out. The rings finally appeared again. They separated and passed over his body and Jack and Maddie were stunned to see what was left behind. 

Their son sat bleeding out in the middle of the football field. Jazz still looked ready to hold her ground against them. Their weapons clattered to the ground. 

Their son was a ghost. Danny was Phantom. Jazz and Danny hadn’t ever been afraid of ghosts. No. 

They had been afraid of their own parents all this time. 

[itzkawaiiduh]

hello! I have returned to your blog, fellow Will enjoyer! question: do you think that we have little to no evidence for Will’s backstory, that he’ll have a large reveal that will ebb into him playing a larger role in the plot?

or do you think he’s been omitted because he is/will be very minor in terms of plot contributions?

Hello there!! Welcome to my blog, other Will enjoyer! Here I (re)post nothing but stuff I like! I will try to keep this as short and summarized as I can! Regarding your question, an amazing one as well: I say we don't have any crumbs for Mr. William's story, which interests me, and feels intentional! He definitely will have a larger role to play in the plot, it's why he's in the main cast! What interests me further is his character design and spectre. Even by himself, he's a typical guy. He's not a real threat until Montresor is by his side. There's nothing... extraordinary about Will's design; he's just a guy. Even on screen, the audience is diverted to someone else (take for example the bg characters in ep 80) and Will remains in the back. Also in the beginning of the story, no one remembered Will in those funny prompt charts lmao. Additionally, I think he is intended to be omitted/in the background because that's what William Wilson revolves around, except the plot is focused on the doppelganger now. And his spectre, oh my god! I have so many thoughts about it, if you're interested I can make a huge post about it!-- the role he plays in most of the plans, how he can shapeshift to look like others and CAN UNDERSTAND CHARACTER IF AROUND YOU LONG ENOUGH. (Buddy caught onto Duke's French words so fast and he looked like Monty FLAWLESSLY. makes me a little scared for Monty in the future considering the whole... cellar thing, and how Will came to the realization about how Monty may just not care about him.) Careful, Monty!

tldr; i lose my shit over will and how he is designed to look basic but actually could have a complex ethos

(also gonna drop the fact we don't see his reaction at the one life/dinner scene so....)

[eretzyisrael]

by Bruce Bawer

Indeed, in his heyday as a slick apologist for villainy and a merchant of lies, Said was downright awe-inspiring in the extent to which he ignored brutal Islamic actions while accusing the West – Israel included – of precisely those kinds of actions. In his Guardian essay, Bayoumi quotes the following passage from Said – not as a sample of his hero’s extraordinary duplicity, but as an example of the Great One at his eloquent best:

I cannot understand how raw, naked evidence can be overridden by American intellectuals just because the “security” of Israel demands it. But it is overridden or hidden no matter how overpoweringly cruel, no matter how inhuman and barbaric, no matter how loudly Israel proclaims what it is doing. To bomb a hospital; to use napalm against civilians; to require Palestinian men and boys to crawl, or bark, or scream “Arafat is a whore’s son”; to break the arms and legs of children; to confine people in desert detention camps without adequate space, sanitation, water or legal charge; to use teargas in schools: All these are horrific acts, whether they are part of a war against ‘terrorism’ or the requirements of security.

First of all, full points to Bayoumi for – in the wake of October 7 – quoting a passage in which Said put the term “security” in scare quotes, as if Israel’s concern for its own security were a myth, a lie, a ludicrous pretext. Having thus dismissed that concern, Said went on to accuse Israel of several kinds of transgressions. Recall that Said has elsewhere charged Westerners with crying “terrorism” without ever seeking “explanation[s]” or “mitigating circumstances” or context; but when it came to charging Israel with a litany of crimes, Said had no interest in discussing what might have led Israel to commit them – if, indeed, it did commit them.

If Bayoumi – who, not incidentally, is co-editor of The Edward Said Reader (2001) as well as of The Selected Works of Edward Said: 1966–2006 (2021) – quotes Said’s j’accuse, it’s obviously because he wants us to see it as applying to Israel’s conduct of its current war on Gaza. Typically absent, however, is any acknowledgment that Israel gave Gaza to the Palestinians, let them elect Hamas to run it, and looked the other way for years while Hamas spent international humanitarian aid on weaponry and tunnels. Absent is an admission that the Israeli government allowed Gazans to hold jobs in Israel proper, where many of them worked for families who trusted them and, in many cases, surely loved them – families to which, early on the morning of October 7, those trusted and beloved Gazans led Hamas terrorists, step by wicked step, so that they might commit acts of rape, slaughter, and dismemberment.

Hospital bombings? If Israel bombs a hospital, it’s because Hamas has used it as a cover; if Israel has killed civilians, it’s because Hamas has used them as human shields. Breaking the bones of children? It’s Hamas, not the IDF, that targets civilians. And whereas hospital staffs in Gaza have been shown to be heartless Hamas collaborators, Israeli hospitals consistently respond to Palestinian terror with compassionate medical care for sick and injured Palestinians. Then there’s the fact that Palestinians are taught from infancy to hate Israelis beyond all reason – whereas October 7 would never have happened if so many Israelis living near Gaza hadn’t been brought up to think far better of their Palestinian neighbors than they turned out to deserve.

Of course, as the pro-Hamas protests in the streets of North American and European cities have shown us in recent months, millions of people in the West firmly reject all of the above facts. Many of them are Muslims. Others are non-Muslims who attended schools and colleges where the postcolonial pap dreamed up by Edward Said is absolute, unquestioned orthodoxy. Islam is, in point of fact, a totalitarian, triumphalist ideology of bloodthirsty conquest; but Said managed to convince a large swath of the English-speaking world that it is, on the contrary, a peaceful faith whose adherents are innocent victims of irrational prejudice. The deeply unfortunate fact is that while Said is no longer with us, the intellectual snake pit that he constructed out of wholesale slander and evasion is, thanks to countless ideologically twisted professors, and to keepers of the flame like Bayoumi, a more powerful – and inimical – force than ever.

[fallenwhumpee]

Prompt: "If you don't behave yourself, I'll have to teach you a lesson"

That's a good one, anon. Enjoy!

Behave

• Masterlist •

Warnings: Knife, restrains.

They couldn't open their eyes. Their eyelids were too heavy, body stiff and neck sore. They couldn't remember what happened, but sharp pain in their wrists just added another red flag. They didn't move, slowly trying to understand where they were.

"Not all of you woke up." An unfamiliar voice came. They closed their eyes, head pounding with every step echoing. "But I can work with what I have."

"What do you want from us?" They heard Right Hand snarl. What had happened? Thinking hurt, but they had to do something.

"Just wanted to meet with the new team taking down my men. I should say you and your team made an extraordinary job with your latest missions."

"Me... and my team?" This time, their voice was confused.

"Are you not Leader I've been hearing?"

"Depending on who asks." They could tell the careless tone was an act, but they wished Right Hand just told that they weren't Leader. The talk wasn't going to a good direction, and Leader didn't want anyone get hurt.

"I'm Whumper. And in that case, I will just pick one of you. Then maybe the coward will reveal themselves."

They tried to speak up, but they only grunted, but it went unheard.

"Don't." Right Hand gasped. "Okay, you got me. I'm Leader. Tell me what you want, but don't touch them."

"Don't do this, please." They heard Youngest, a bit hoarse and barely above a whisper but voice not strained. They didn't sound like they were in pain. Leader trusted Youngest to expose Right Hand if Whumper decided to do something.

A scream tore their ears.

"Right Hand!" Youngest shouted.

"Oh," Whumper breathed. Leader could hear their smile. "My bad."

Right Hand's screams stopped.

Leader gulped, but they didn't regret their words.

Leader lifted their head, swallowing a groan. Their head was spinning, but they could see Whumper standing in front of Right Hand's unconscious form.

"Stay away from them, you monster!" Youngest cried, trashing against the ropes tying them to the wall.

"If you don't behave yourself, I'll have to teach you a lesson." Whumper turned to Youngest with rage, lifting their chin with a knife. Leader's heart stumbled.

"Why don't you play with someone in your size?" They spat without thinking twice. No one touched their team.

And it must've done a good impression, despite their hoarse voice.

"Sleeping beauty finally decided to join us! I usually don't let disrespect slide, but you can be a good example for the others." Whumper chirped. "Maybe you taking the lesson would be even more fun. I always appreciate a strong spirit that learns from the hard way."

"It's a pity that we won't get to play much. I have to deal with the mess you made at my base," Whumper leaned over them, their breaths whispering to Leader's ears. Leader shivered as they felt the cold knife on their neck. "Scared? One would think such daring sentences wouldn’t be told with desperation."

Leader breathed, slamming their head to Whumper's. They both cried with pain, Leader's vision blurring. Whumper stumbled, a hand reaching to clean the blood on their lip.

"How dare you!"

Leader smiled. They could behave like this and probably draw Whumper's attention from the team permanently.

"You will regret this."

Leader would regret more if they didn't do it.

[9800sblog]

i just found your acct and just read your readings! i would like to ask a reading if it’s possible! could you do a reading on san’s future marriage/spouse? will it be a love marriage or logic marriage? san said for him it’s romance bc he was raised in a family full of love. it seems like he doesnt care abt ethnic or culture. amongst the members, he seems like more open to date/marry a foreigner. in your 2026 reading, he seems like taking a break. i wonder if he’ll date a foreigner celebrity?-mel

Choi San tarot reading - who is his future spouse?

-> part of music group ATEEZ, Choi San answered some of my questions about his future marriage through tarot, this is how I interpreted the messages shown in the cards.

-> do I have his energy permission to read and post? 6 of cups!

right from the beginning of the reading, I got this song:

-> to whom?

he gave me 17 cards to read!!!! and I had to make it stop cause they just kept coming... so much to say... 😮‍💨

oh this person is a lot! this relationship may cause havoc in his reputation/public perception, it's somebody that likes to stir up the pot, you know? not socially conventional at all. i get a sense that they talk without really thinking deeply, they act fishy but they don't hide it, in a very light-hearted way, like a prankster. i think this person is a celebrity because they have SO MUCH money and they always want more. a lot about this person feels very new, I think they have a childlike personality, but very very deep and intuitive, not childish. it's giving gemini, I actually got the king of swords, a gemini card, after I asked about zodiac sign, but overall the reading is giving water and air elements, specifically aquarius and gemini! number 7 is also really important here, reinforcing that this is someone really intuitive and knowledgeable, possibly born in july (San's birthday). this person is really beautiful to look at, I'm seeing many people like to admire them and san would see them like a beautiful prize, so they might be a model, for example. I'm thinking they don't come from a traditional type of family, their parents might be divorced, or this person had to grow up really fast so they don't have good childhood memories, but they have a found family, this relationship and/or their friendships with other people will make this person feel brand new. this person has gone through a lot and they struggle to rely on others, they look like the type to hide in public but secretly love to receive attention and wish for more >< they're learning to trust people and communicate well, they are just now realizing they dont need to lie for people to like them, they don't need to hide or pretend that everything is ok when it's not. they're still holding on to their old ways but slowly some of them have been left behind already. this person seems a little insecure like they don't realize how good they actually are, like someone who is so naturally gifted and talented, they don't see that what they're doing is extraordinary, they might be looking at what's lacking all the time. this person seems scared of their sexuality, like someone who rejects every single person without even looking and I'm again getting the message they do things without really thinking. somebody who is constantly defensive, they might struggle with mental issues, specifically anxiety. I think this person likes to plan and travel, they like to go to the middle of nowhere and listen to the silence. they'd like to travel the world, visit all beautiful natural places, I'm getting specifically deserted places, abandoned, isolated, they might like creepy things. they're full of beauty inside, but they're afraid so they hide, they're like an iceberg, you look at the outside and it's beautiful, enchanting and you have no idea that they hide a glorious inside.

the cards suggest this is a man or just someone who looks more masculine, like really muscly and/or straight body type. I still get a sense of femininity in their look, might be the way they dress or their face. I think they're tall and have low body fat, like their body is heavy but not from fat? they might be super muscly or super thin, they might carry something heavy and tall too. this is someone probably with tanned skin, I saw yellow so they might be literally anemic or fake tan or just have a gold undertone, which I think it's more likely. they might be obsessed with shoes and pay extra money to get good ones, I'm thinking rhythmic gymnastics now. almond shaped eyes, possibly colorful, but I'm thinking colored eye lenses because the colors look super unnatural, small lips in comparison to the eyes that are really really big, very small and delicate nose and V shaped face. they might have an unusual face, looking like a bug or an alien or a skull, theyre definitely not ugly, this is just a face that you don't see everyday, reinforcing that message that other people really like to admire them like they're something out of this world. they have really strong arms like they could walk upside down, if they're an afab, they have insanely huge boobs. they might like to dress up more than others around them, with fancy clothes and wear lots of necklaces, rings, just lots of gold jewelry.

-> is it love or practicality?

definitely love, there is a very delicate energy in this part of the reading, very very sweet and relaxing, there is that warmth characteristic of pure love and i saw the name of Whitney Houston's song 'greatest love of all', I know the song is about self love but the intensity described there is the same. this person is/will be his world, everything to him and I do think san plans to work non-stop even after ATEEZ ends because he wants to be a good provider for this person, there is this message here. like the time that he would decide to get married to this person would be very a practical decision indeed, when to propose and stuff but he does have immense love for this person and he would do anything for them. ugh so cute!!!

-> foreigner?

I'm seeing someone with double citizenship because they do seem like a foreigner but I think they are of Korean ethnicity and heritage. it kind of seems like this person was born during a trip of their parents to a different country because I see 2 people far away from home giving love to each other; might also be that their parents are from 2 different countries, because I see that they are very different from each other, appearances and customs are very different, like they're from different cultures.

-> are they a celebrity?

yes, they are exposed for the whole entire world to see, very likely since childhood. I see someone having to fight for their privacy and also making great connections. that might be how them and san bond, from those shared, similar life experiences :)

this is one of the cutest readings I have ever done, I was expecting him to be more closed off because of last reading I did on him, but he had SO much to say about this person, he is like so in loooooove. I think he already knows who this person is, they have already picked each other, i don't think they're quite in a relationship yet so they might have like promised to wait for each other, planted the seeds. and they're like the cutest little item in the entire planet, I don't wanna leave this energy, they're seem very emotionally and mentally satisfied into each other, they really match, he picked so well.

this is all alleged information, I do not claim that any of this is true or that I'm absolutely right in any way shape or form

[raspberryjellybrains]

Morpheus is a truly fascinating character to look at from a moral perspective because he's such a dick but about 50% of the time it's on accident and the other 50% it's on purpose, but not because of any genuine hate or malice just... poorly directed sadness. Neither of these reasons make it okay, but they make it damn hard to see where the lines are regarding guilt, blame, and forgiveness. As if this isn't enough, hearing Morpheus' take on things (or appalling lack thereof) along with some others makes it even harder to grapple with.

When I'm analyzing this first 50%, I often come back around to asking whether someone should punished for something they didn't know was wrong, which is a normal hard and fast 'no', but this someone has had millinea to find out it is wrong and correct it and hasn't, which then pulls me into questioning where the ignorance becomes willful. Especially when the individual is so blindsided by the idea that there might even be something wrong. Morpheus is cold and aloof, which I put down to a general temperament thing; the problem is that he can't afford to be. This is, quite literally, a major reason why the series ends the way it does. He wasn't particularly mean to Lyta, just not very kind or understanding. He was busy and distracted and hurting and didn't explain what was going on or offer much sympathy (none in the comics). Is it okay that he did that? No. Do I understand why and feel sad that a trait that is innocuous to most was deadly to him? Yes, of course always, yes.

The other 50% where Morpheus is trying to hurt people, it's born out of his own hurt, as most cruelty is. He is not a malicious being; cruel, but not malicious. The way he treats Destruction is from his own wish to escape the weight of their existence and a frustration that someone did it, someone did it and he couldn't stop or join them. He doesn't actually hate Destruction, Dream clearly blames himself at least in part for his leaving and seems to miss him as much he wants to respect or exile him for the deciding to do so. He's on the fence about how to act and overcompensates by being desperately terrible, which is what he always fucking does. That's the worst part! I chose Destruction specifically as an example because the situation lays bare the core of his cruelty very, very well. Nada and Orpheus are good examples as well. Dream doesn't like not knowing what to do, doesn't like being scared and can't stand the idea of being thought of as anything less than perfectly confident and controlled at all times (wow, so healthy!). He doesn't want people to look at him and see someone who needs comfort so he doesn't let them look at all, and ensures they don't by pushing them away at the slightest offense. If they brush against an insecurity or hurt, he's trained himself to lash out rather than lick the wounds. He condemns Nada to Hell when she sees who he is and rejects him for it; He leaves Orpheus on an island for a thousand years because he reminded Dream that he can't fix everything, or even keep those he loves safe; He's so unforgiving and rude towards Destruction because he did what Dream desperately needed to do but couldn't.

Thing is, these are both fixable flaws with obvious sources, but he has spent so long living by them that he doesn't know any other way to do so. Maybe it makes me an apologist—I'm willing to acknowledge that I can tend to hold a warped perspective on things—but I see his core personal moral failings as holding himself to an ordinary standard of behavior when an extraordinary one is needed and feeling that somehow his power and suffering makes him better than just about everyone else (now think about that and Lucifer and lose your mind briefly.) He isn't, on the whole, awful and irredeemable. He's flawed and he's trying, but when one is endless there is very little room for such a thing.

Then I end up asking the question: did he deserve it? does anybody? And that's... hard. Morpheus caused real hurt and damage, intentional or not, across space and time. Does he deserve to die for it? I would like to say no, but I would also see reason in saying yes. The questions get big, applicabilty of death penalty and impact of intention on action big, and that's usually when I stop the train. The point of Morpheus' weird and complex morality is to drive the train straight into the sunset, which I fully encourage those who can do it safely to do but if I did, we would be here until tumblr was ash.

So I can't offer an answer with a neat little bow, or even a particularly persuasive argument as to the final moral determination of Morpheus as a character, but that wasn't necessarily my goal. I can tell you one thing for sure: he would majorly benefit from one (1) positive and healthy friendship.

[luckybyler]

I know Noah's coming out isn't supposed to be about Byler, but I will take the liberty to make a comparison re: coming out.

Noah just came out now in 2023, at the age of 18 and in college, after spending his late childhood and teenhood playing a gay character (which means his family and manager(s) were fine with it), when he's rich and famous, living in progressive cities, surrounded by plenty of LGBTQ people (real and fictional), and still described himself as being scared in the closet. Judging by many reactions from the public, as well as the general situation in many parts of the U.S. and the world, it's safe to say that, while he found widespread support from his fans and those close to him, his fears are founded and his coming out is relevant today.

Now imagine how hard and scary it would be for 15-year-old Will to come out of the closet in a small town in Indiana in the '80s, at the height of the AIDS epidemic, with no sex ed or positive LGBT role models to speak of (for him or anyone else), in an environment where he was bullied by his peers at school and by his own dad for even seeming gay before he was old enough to experience sexual attraction, where homosexuality is seen as satanic and wrong, and where, upon his disappearance, him being the victim of a hate crime at the age of 12 was the first reasonable hypothesis. What can we expect from his situation?

Having a grand coming out scene and having people be all "yeah we know!" and exchanging $5 bills from their bets while many others come out as well would be wildly unrealistic. Even merely having him come out voluntarily without the influence of a substance or extraordinary circumstances, or without being yanked out of the closet (for example, by Vecna), before having left Hawkins, would be pushing it by a lot. Will will be terrified to confess to Mike (and vice versa), and they both are probably terrified by the prospect of anyone else knowing, even if they are their friends and they're good people. And with the AIDS issue, things get more complicated.

Having all the non-villain characters be some flavor of supportive or at least non-homophobic (still worried for them tho) might be realistic and doable because this story is about outcasts facing supernatural horrors and knowing truths that regular people ignore. Their minds are probably more open and their bonds stronger, in part thanks to trauma. What's having your male friends be in love with each other when you just faced real-life Satan? What is NOT realistic is that they're familiar enough with anything other than heteronormativity. This means that 1. they (especially the younger ones) wouldn't know how to spot the signs of homosexuality other than stereotypes, let alone see when someone is in love with someone else of the same sex, or when two people of the same sex are in love with one another; and 2. when they see something like two boys or two girls making out or having public displays of affection, it will shock them. If, for example, Dustin or Lucas sees Will and Mike kissing, it will form a core memory. They'll remember when and where they were when they saw it. They'll have lots of questions or assumptions, some of them insensitive (for example, "who's the man and who's the woman in the relationship?").

If I were to predict Will's coming out, barring Vecna or something else forcing him out of the closet, I'd say by the end of the show he and Mike will be explicitly out to each other after some emotionally charged scene (and Byler will be canon), and to Jonathan, Joyce, and Karen. And that "coming out" might just be like the scene between Jonathan and WIll in season 4. I'd say El finds out about Mike's feelings for Will and that causes her breakup with Mike, and there will be an implied understanding with Hopper (who tells El to not mention a word of it to anyone), Nancy and Ted (Holly's just a child). Maybe Murray will sense it or find out by himself. Mike and Will will leave town in the end, and the rest of the Party, as well as Steve and Robin (yes, Robin) and the rest of the town, will be none the wiser. It will probably be implied that they will find over the years because they're their friends and not dumb, but not by the time the show ends. I say Robin can tell that Will is gay, but she doesn't necessarily know about Mike, let alone their relationship, and/or she'll suspect but choose to not dig further.

Obviously, the Duffers can do whatever they want with their narrative, they can make Will come out and have everyone throw him a coming out party while the entire town sings Kumbaya together. I'm just talking about what would be realistic and faithful to the time period (since that's what they have been trying to do).

[alias-sam]

Pierced by a Golden Soul

Chapter 10. Elecrifying

Platonic Jojo's x Reader

Summary: Fate is a bizarre concept with countless more bizarre implications. In life sometimes such extraordinary events happen that the only reasoning left must be fate. The tragedies that constantly befall the Joestar bloodline for example may be the unluckiest series of cards drawn in human history, or perhaps the work of a greater power. There is no way to tell for sure. Had Dio Brando or Jonathan Joestar moved slightly on a divergent path the world itself would be left very different. The fate or luck of the noble Joestar bloodline has led to destruction of evil likes of the Pillar Men and DIO. This story is of a similar caliber to that of the other Joestars (as I am sure you are familiar with them). This is a story of lost souls, compassion, hope, and above all fate.

Word Count: 2,440

(Crosspost from Wattpad, full fic is already posted there.)

When you made it to the courtyard on Thursday the strange power surge from the night before was all that people were talking about.

"Talk about a light show last night"

"I'll admit it had me a little scared!"

"Man, your building had it too?"

"I'm pretty sure it affected the whole town."

"What could have caused something like that?"

You were just as curious about what happened, but it was put on the back-burner because of Learco's situation. Jaya and you had gotten to school yet decided to sit and talk before going to class. The two of you loitered near a wall in the court yard, and as always Jaya was leading the conversation.

"So, what do you think happened last night?"

"It was probably a power surge or something if I had to guess. I'm not an electrical expert or anything."

"Could it have been a stand?" She asked casually.

"I guess...maybe?" You looked at Jaya curiously. "Why was that your first thought?" It felt unnatural to be talking about stands in a public area.

"Last night you told me stands could do anything! Why not, I don't know, mess with electricity?" Jaya shrugged. Silently, you prayed it was just a power malfunction last night.

"Just because something weird happened doesn't mean it's because of a stand." There was no way yet another user was going to start trouble this soon. The chances had to be astronomical....right? As Jaya was about to ask you something else someone roughly brushed past you, it was hard enough to make you lurch backwards a step or two.

"Watch it." The guy sneered at you, before continuing on his way. You stood in a shocked silence. Was that...Tim!? You weren't expecting to see him today, especially after the rough shape he was in last night. Had you just imagined it? No, the wounds he had on the boardwalk were definitely real. As Tim walked away you saw the glitching aura again.

"I take that back." You told Jaya while keeping your eyes on Tim. "It might have been because of a stand. I'll talk to you later. I need to check on something." You didn't wait for her response as you immediately followed Tim into the school. "Hey! Tim!" You yelled. "Wait up! I wanted to...I don't know.... Check in with you?" Tim stopped in his tracks and slowly turned to face you.

"What makes you think I need checking up on?" Tim scowled. Under the intense gaze, you couldn't help but wonder what happened the night before. Was this even the same guy? The Tim you knew would stumble over every other word, and do anything to avoid a confrontation. He wasn't usually this callous.

"You weren't feeling well yesterday." You approached Tim carefully. "You said so yourself." Something was obviously wrong, you just had to be meticulous in figuring out what. "I was wondering what happened? You aren't acting like your normal self." You had a feeling he was a stand user given the freaky light glitching around him, but how were you supposed to tell for sure?

"I...don't know what you're talking about." Tim deflected, starting to walk away. You followed suite.

"What happened to you last night?"

"Nothing. Happened." Tim said through clenched teeth.

"If you tell me what's going on, I might be able to help." You said softly, trying your best to appeal to him.

"I don't need you." Tim shot a glare your way. "I don't need anyone else from now on."

"I'm sorry, what?" The heck was that supposed to mean?

"Forget it." The area around Tim glitched as he walked faster away from you. "Leave me alone." Tim pushed past a group of students and forced others out of his way. Against your better judgment, you decided not to follow him.

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

Trying to focus on your classes had slowly become more and more impossible over the course of this week. You were concerned for Tim, and alongside that, you had to figure out how to help Learco. There was too much on your plate for you to do geometry. By the time good ol' biology class rolled around you were too deep in thought to realize Learco was floating next to you. However, when you finally did notice him, you almost jumped out of your seat. You placed a hand on your heart and glared at him. In response, he simply stared back.

While pretending to listen to the lecture you pulled out a piece of paper, quickly jotting down a message.

'A little warning next time? You almost gave me a heart attack.'

"I'm bored." Learco responded.

'I'm in class.' You wrote.

"You weren't paying attention anyways."

'I'm trying to concentrate. What do you want?'

"I just wanted to talk for a little while." Learco looked away sheepishly. "The whole being a ghost thing has been really... isolating." A pang of familiar guilt shot through your chest at seeing the boy's saddened expression.

"Learco-"

"Who ya talking to?" You jumped as Vita took the empty seat next to yours and looked around curiously before setting his wide, unblinking gaze on you. The lecture had ended and now everyone was getting ready to change classes. Somehow you missed that.

"Vita! Hi!" You nervously watched as your project partner took a large carrot out of his bag and just started eating it. "Talking? Me? No! Why? What did you hear?"

"I thought I heard you say 'Learco'. I couldn't help but wonder...were you referring to Learco Martez?" Vita asked, but you were extremely distracted by the way he was sitting. Vita sat at the very edge of his chair, it looked like he would fall off any second. You glanced to the side where Learco was floating, he looked just as panicked as you.

"Y/n don't you dare talk about me with this guy!" Learco yelled at you, but nobody else was even capable of perceiving him, so it was okay.

"Yes." You answered slowly. Learco rolled his eyes. Honestly you were curious about Learco's reputation. Before your interaction in the alley, you had never seen him before. You were surprised to hear you went to the same school. "Do you know him?"

"Not personally." Vita stared directly into your eyes with his wide unblinking gaze, he took another slow bite out of his carrot. "We have some classes together." Vita quickly glanced around the room before leaning in closer to you. "Between you and me," Vita spoke in a hushed tone. "I think the guy's got some serious anger issues."

"I do not!" Learco gaped and childishly shook his head. Of course, nobody else could hear him, but you really hoped Learco would stop being so loud. Vita's eyes lit up as he continued talking, a mischievous smile braking out across his face.

"I heard he's part of a gang." Vita looked you up and down before sitting back. "Then again I heard you were part of a gang too so maybe my sources are a little shaky." You rolled your eyes at the mention of the dumb rumor. After a second you started realizing something, and it was the last thing you would have expected out of Vita.

"I.... didn't peg you for the gossiping type." You admitted, starting to wonder if Vita's supposed creepiness was all in your head.

"Everyone around here does it." Vita shrugged. "Hard not to join in." You were struck by an idea, you didn't like it, but maybe it could help.

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about what Tim Buggles has been going through recently, would you?" Vita seemed to think for a moment before answering.

"The most I know is he's even more of a crazed loner than you." He paused for another moment. "I don't think anybody really talks about him. Didn't he flake on class again today?" You curiously looked around the room, surprised to see Tim was nowhere to be found. When you turned back to Vita you found he was still staring at you. At this point it felt like he was looking inside you rather than at you. Vita suddenly smiled, it was probably meant to be casual, but came off incredibly eerie. "That aside, there is one little whisper on the winds I wanted to ask you to confirm."

"If you're about to ask if I'm the one who trashed the front office and security room, I'll just go ahead deny that." You sighed in unmasked irritation.

"I did hear about that, but you aren't daring enough for that." Vita laughed lightly. "I was going to ask if you and Lennia Heart are really dating?"

"Lennia who?" You asked, puzzled.

"What?!" Learco looked like you had somehow offended him. "Are you serious?!"

"You don't know her?" Vita asked, not being able to perceive Learco's freak out.

"She's the student council Vice President!" Learco was yelling directly in your face, you were actively ignoring the him at this point.

"Lennia Heart?" You confirmed the name, Vita nodded. "I guess I've heard the name, but I don't keep up with school politics or anything. What about her?"

"Interesting.... Word on the street is she's fallen head over heels for you." Vita laughed; it was cut off by a cough as he choked on a piece of the carrot he was eating. Just like that your little conversation with Vita was cut off by the bell. You smiled and waved to Vita as you left, he looked at you confused before stiffly waving back.

"Eugh!" Learco visibly shivered while floating next to you. "I really hate that guy. He freaks me out."

"I don't think he was that bad." You shrugged. "Maybe he's just misunderstood."

"Please," Learco scoffed. "I heard he hisses at people who piss him off."

"Now looks who's the gossip." You teased.

"All I'm saying is you shouldn't be giving that creep a chance to steal your fingernails or try to gift you his."

"I'm giving you a chance, aren't I?" You smirked, Learco growled in response. The metallic clang of something hitting a locker drew your attention down the hall behind you. One of the football players was holding Tim by the collar of his shirt. Both looked ready to go at it. A ring of students was already starting to form around the two. You glanced up and down the hallway.

"Of course, there isn't a teacher in sight." You muttered.

"This should be interesting..." Learco crossed his arms and watched the argument unfold. "Get him Jacob!" Learco yelled alongside the chanting crowd.

"What's your problem four eyes!?" The football player seethed, but it was nothing in comparison to Tim who looked nothing short of livid.

"I'll tell you my problem! You've treated me like shit every day this entire year! I'm sick of it!" Tim threw a punch at the larger guy. The unexpected attack forcing the jock to let go of him.

A roar of cheers and chants erupted from the crowd. You watched the scene in astonishment, simultaneously impressed and disgusted by the formation of such a mob mentality. Several people pushed past you to try and see what was going on. Meanwhile you were deciding whether or not it was your place to intervene. Due to everyone around wanting to catch a glimpse you couldn't see much of what was going on. Learco must have floated to the front of the crowd amongst the chaos because he wasn't next to you anymore. Tim tripped the jock, a sickening crack reaching your ears when he hit the ground.

Tim was just about to throw another punch, but you managed to push past the mass of spectators. You grabbed Tim's wrist mid swing, stopping him from beating the jock again.

"What are you doing?" You yelled over the chorus of chanting from the students around you.

"Let me go!" Tim struggled against your grip but you wouldn't loosen up even slightly. The glitching aura surrounded Tim.

"No!" You said sternly. "I cant let you do this." As Tim tried to wrench out of your grasp you felt something wrap around your wrist.

"Y/n look out!" Learco yelled. You didn't have the time to react as every muscle in your body went stiff. Before you could process anything, you started to faint. Your head roughly hit the ground; the noise of the surrounding crowd quickly fading away along with your consciousness.  

[heir-less]

New Royal PR Just Dropped

I wanted to comment on Kate's outfit, but since I think you guys know what I'm going to say already, I'm going to say something different that's probably more important.

I don't know why I always assign Kate with this type of political naivete. But the fact that she knows that there is a cost of living crisis in the UK surprised me. I mean, yeah, she probably knew but since it's not affecting her directly I didn't really expect her to say anything about it yesterday. And what she said . . . was silly but surprising.

I don't really care about this "oh she has four homes" hypocrisy or whatever (but, yeah, make note of that). I just kind of find it funny that she was like "there's a lot of desperate people out there." And ended it there. Something from the Wales visit that I noticed is that she's dipping her toes into more politically conscious talking points. For example:

'What's so wonderful about this place is that there is such a good mixture of young and old. It's extraordinary. You have 90-year-olds as well as youngsters. It's a real family organisation.

'We need places like this to bring people together, places where people can come and engage. It's what we need post Covid and with the cost of living crisis.

'Lots of people are too scared to come an engage so it's wonderful that you go out to see them too.

'Places like this are so needed. They bring people together, help them to connect, it's what we have missed since Covid. All gathering together under one roof.

'We all could do with a church like this where we live. I must come to a service once day. It's so remarkable here.' (x)

Now to be clear: Catherine wasn't completely remote back in the day. I think some of this stuff is largely similar to the things she was saying six months or even six years ago. Like, the parts about family is textbook Kate. However, I think there are some key differences that denote things that she would not be saying if she was still just the Duchess of Cambridge.

If Elizabeth was still alive I don't think Kate would be leaning into the COVID and cost-of-living angles so hard. I believe that this is a tactic being rolled out that is specific to what Charles wants. Lately, there has been very consistent reporting about how aware the royals are of the cost-of-living crisis. The Wales's saying that William isn't getting some grand investiture because of the cost-of-living crisis. Charles having a "scaled back" coronation because of the cost-of-living crisis:

The King is very aware of the struggles felt by modern Britons so will see his wishes carried through that although his coronation ceremony should stay right and true to the long-held traditions of the past, it should also be representative of a monarchy in a modern world (x)

I think what most people are missing is that Kate probably wasn't talking out of her ass when she brought up how desperate people are. Kate does not speak that way. She most likely was briefed on what to say as part of a collaborated effort to make the royal family seem more conscious of everyday issues. They want to come off as more modern and less tone-deaf. Charles has always been more politically efficacious than The Queen and has branded his political meddling interests as his way of caring for the British people. Slowly, the differences between Charles and Elizabeth are beginning to reveal themselves.

Now the question is how do I feel about this? Not much, really. While it's good that the royals are acknowledging this stuff instead of ignoring it (See their COVID start in 2020 if you want to compare). I don't think this is anything deeper than surface-level political gesturing. I still get the impression that the royals will continue to do whatever they want. Cost of living crisis or not.