#but I tuned in literally seconds before the goal

[ohmypuckingod]

Tuned into the game right in time for a Nico goal and a cheeky tongue-out to Jack and Bratter!!??

[bananaactivity]

My one goal with Carlos is to make him literally the coolest member of the core four. 🙏😔

For some reason I’ve been hiving the vast middle names idk why… But Carlos is Carlos Glenn de Vil after Glenn Close who plays Cruella in the 1996 live action 101 Dalmatians. AN ABSOLUTE ICON

I’ve also drawn up a couple of fits for Carlos too

This tiger print fit is based upon one of Glenn Closes costumes from her movie. I love this color on Carlos likeee dayummmm 🫣

I am struggling a bit keeping his features consistent but this fit is a slay… I’m toying with the idea of Carlos always wearing red gloves no matter the fit… his cigarette stick I’ve decide will always be red.

(Boyce had the most doe eyes I have ever seen on anybody so I really wanna keep those consistent toooo)

I think I’m going to write the Jay scene from Carlos’ point of view. I’m really loving his redesign and the way he views situations is very analytical which I love to write for ( I think I might like him more then Harry 😰)

Here is a small excerpt from a wip I call “Sonata” , it’s the story about Mal taking Uma’s Shell necklace, and Carlos telling her she Goofed big time:

Like a blur Jay was on his knees, his scimitars splayed out far from reach. Harry’s hands were stuffed to brim with slick brown hair. The edge of his cutlass pressed to just below his Adam’s apple, and the tip of his golden hook caressed the soft of Jays cheeks. “ I told yew Gorgeous, it’s ney so simple.” Jay swallowed as sword dug deeper into his throat, and Harry looked up the hall towards Mal, Evie, and Carlos. Carlos knew Harry so well, he gave only one warning to anyone crossing him, Carson hanging from his entrails had seemed like that warning but maybe he was giving Mal a second chance. It confused him, Harry’s methods were strict, every situation a do or die no second try, he didn’t give more choices than that.

Mal couldn’t spell him she was too slow and by that time Jay would have been minced meat. To Carlos absolutely agony she didn’t offer Harry the necklace, it couldn’t be clearer that he was giving them, no MAL, the chance to save Jay. Was she really that prideful? Then Harry laughed, a loud crazed noise, the resulting tremble giving Jay a cut the size of a hair. He gasped and Harry quieted and crouched lower, tilting his sword and jays head to opposing angles, and most peculiarly soothing him as he did so.

Jay strained but let out no more sound. Harry’s smile returned as he gazed deeper into Jays wild eyes. “ I like yew gorgeous~ Ye get straight to the point yur strong and I’d say the fairest challenge I’ve ‘ad in ten years.” He was whispering soft enough to be intimate, and loud enough for the spectacle. With a curious glance at Mal he lifted his brows a bit and continued “ If this is to be yur fayt I ‘ope to give yew one final swan song tou yur crew~ A… beautiful sonata o’ sorts, strung by my sword on the cords of yur throat ringing tru from the vibrato o’ your trachea, the final breaths yew gasp as you cling to the thinnest strings of your life, the gurgling o’ yur blud drowning out the final cords of your death and the grand finale: the deafening silence as yew slip swiftly into the unknown. I will do yew this service and remember the beautiful dulcet tunes o’ yur dying breaths. Lest yer crew find it in them to spare yur life, though I’m sure the sounds o’ yur death may be as beautiful a tune as I have ‘eard yet, ney they very well mey be so Id be in deep regret to take yew so soon Jay.”

That’s all I’m giving youuuu rn 😻

(Of course Jay survives this takes place before they get picked to go to Auradon Uni but you do nt know HOW he survived 🙄 Did Carlos plead for his life, did Mal give Harry the necklace, or did Harry chicken out of making an example of him, find out next time on dragon ball z)

[lover-of-mine]

The funniest part to me is even IF Tim had planned on “breaking the Buddie shippers hearts” there’s 0 chance he would give that away to anyone. He knows that a huge number of people tune in for that will they won’t they dynamic. Plus if a BT “I love you” in 8b was really happening they would feel secure…not attacking Ryan.

Here's the thing, objective point of view, coming from me as a writer not a shipper. After the cemetery scene, the show added a lot of space between Buck and Eddie, so much so that we spent a solid amount of time during the last hiatus wondering how they would bridge that in canon, I actually hit a moment of speculation at some point wondering if the plan wasn't to separate their storylines permanently because the opportunity was right there. So "breaking the buddie shippers hearts" could've been very easy to write during season 7. You make Eddie and Marisol real solid, maybe even introduce Buck's bisexuality and give him a boyfriend and drift them apart. But they opened season 7 saying distance? what distance? how about we use this episode that reintroduces dynamics to let everyone know Buck is Eddie's co-parent with all the letters and pretend we didn't create a gap last season? Then we have 704, if the goal was just giving Buck a boyfriend and stir him away from Eddie for real, Eddie wouldn't be as tied to the narrative as he was. They would've made Buck reach out himself, not go batshit insane over Eddie hanging out with his crush. After making it clear to the audience that T and Eddie have similar interests and making Buck act the way he did during Under Pressure, establishing that's how Buck acts when he has a crush and forcing you to reevaluate the way Buck reacts to Eddie at first. Then you have Eddie inviting Marisol to move in and Buck and T going on their first date. Again, they could've made that the "breaking buddies heart" episode, establish that Eddie loves Marisol, make Buck and T THE perfect love-at-the-sight relationship. But what they actually did was make Eddie crash the date, T leave Buck on the curb, Eddie has literal erectile dysfunction about his girlfriend, Buck is more worried about lying to Eddie than being walked out on, and both Buck and Eddie were ready to hide in the loft forever and actually only go back to their respective love interests because the other told them to. Then we have the bachelor party. They could've had Buck and T be all lovey-dovey and Eddie be the odd man out. Again, this is a story, T having to work is a writing choice that works to get him out of the bachelor party AND the wedding. But what actually happens is T doesn't dress up even though they make a point of letting us know how much effort Buck put into the situation, then they make a point of showing us Eddie suggesting matching costumes right after. They make a point of showing us Buck and Eddie getting drunk and stupid, then make a point having Eddie with Buck while Buck helps make things easier for Maddie while they look for Chim. Then they didn't let T be at the actual wedding ceremony. Then Eddie meets a copy of his dead wife and the show makes a point of showing us Eddie lying to Buck about it. Not Eddie's girlfriend. Buck. Then the show made a point of panning the camera from Buck to Eddie. Then, Buck had plans with T that he immediately dropped because he realized something was off about Eddie. An Eddie who immediately gives up his second girlfriend after Buck calls him out on it. Eddie calls Buck for help and Buck is just there no matter what he needs. Then somehow Buck is everywhere while Chris is leaving and no one questions it. Not even Eddie's parents. Buck is there every step of the way to support Eddie and Chris. That scene could've had Pepa or Abuela. Both people we've seen stand up for Eddie before. But no, Buck is the family Eddie needed at that moment. But somehow, I'm supposed to believe that means nothing because of that weird ass dinner when bt hasn't even held hands since the kiss in 706? Oh, be fucking for real. Buck and Eddie are somehow more intertwined now than they have ever been. After they were presented with THE perfect opportunity to separate them. Unless something awful happens, they are not dropping buddie.

And, honestly, yeah, if they are so secure because an "I love you" is coming, then why THE FUCK are they attacking Ryan??????

[babydollmarauders]

have u seen the video of jason kelces daughter pointing out aj browns pink shows during the nfl game? anyway, theres definitely a video of little el pointing out her daddy on screen and its the cutest thing ever. shes like "daddy again! i see him mommy! oh! i see him again!" and jack literally melts when he sees the video because its literally the cutest thing ever

i love this so much 😭

it’s definitely when she’s like 3 and he’s on a roadie, Lovie just thinks it’s too cute to not record

***

it should’ve never surprised me how focused my daughter could become whenever a hockey game is involved.

with every male in her life being a former or current player, there’s constant hockey around her. i guess i just never assumed that at three years old, she could be so content in watching a hockey game.

El is sat on the couch when i return from the nursery, her bowl of fruit next to her and her eyes laser focused on the Devils game that plays on the tv. she looks over as i sit beside her, taking note of my empty arms.

“my Leo sleeping?” she wonders, her eyes wide and curious.

i wrap an arm around my daughter, pulling her close to me as my other hand runs through her wild blonde curls.

“yeah, lovely. Elio is asleep, so we can’t be too loud, okay?” she nods at my words, laying her head against my chest and dialing back into the game.

i tune in as well, noticing the score has yet to change from 0-0 since i left to put my son to sleep. it’s well into the second period, and i know my husband and his teammates must be frustrated.

i’m proven correct when the camera pans to the bench, where Jack heatedly converses with his brother.

“mommy!” El’s head pops up from its spot, her sticky little hand patting my cheek to make sure i’m paying attention. “it’s daddy! and uncle Luke!”

“yeah?” i laugh, pressing i kiss to the top of her head.

“yeah! i see them, mommy!” her voice is near yelling, high with excitement as she leaves my arms, bounding closer to the television.

the camera is back on the ice now, where the ref calls a penalty on the other team for tripping.

sliding my phone out of my back pocket, i swipe into the camera app, discreetly propping the now recording phone up on a toy on the coffee table. the camera captures the expanse of the half of the living room that El and i currently occupy, providing a good shot of my daughter that stands at the tv, and of me where i sit on the sofa.

i focus back on the game, my husband on the current power play unit.

he passes the puck back and forth with his teammates around the opposing teams net, and in a matter of seconds, he’s got the puck back and he’s shooting it straight past the goalie.

a wide grin spreads across my lips, a squeal escaping me in excitement.

“GO DADDY!” El cheers, jumping up and down in front of the tv. she turns back to look at me and runs over, climbing back up on my lap. “he did it, mommy! daddy got a goal!”

“he did, munchkin!” she climbs back down, looking back at the tv.

“daddy again! i see him mommy!” she calls out as the screen zooms in on a closeup of my smiling husband before panning back out to show him skating over to the bench.

the game cuts to media break and i look back at El’s smiling face, a spitting image of Jack’s smile.

when the game returns, it opens on a shot of Jack sitting on the bench, talking animatedly to Nico.

“oh! i see him again!” El cries out, pointing at the tv as she bounces around. “that’s daddy! that’s my daddy!”

i gather my phone from the table, cutting off the recording as my daughter rejoins me on the couch. she curls up in my lap, pulling the bowl of fruit on the couch back into her own lap.

i quickly send the video to Jack, for him to watch when he gets back to his hotel, and then set my phone down on the arm of the couch, wrapping my arms around my three year old.

we sit like this for the remainder of the game, El falling asleep during the second intermission, and only once the Devils have won 3-1, do i move her into her bed.

i turn the tv off, cleaning up the living room and placing the empty bowl from El’s fruit into the dishwasher before retreating to my own room for the rest of the night. i plug my phone in, changing into my pajama’s, brushing my teeth, and washing my face before climbing into my bed.

i’m just about to turn my lamp off when my phone begins to ring, and i look over to see an incoming facetime from Jack.

accepting the call, it’s no more than a few seconds before it connects, his smiling face filling my screen.

“hi, love.” i greet, smiling back at him.

“hi, lovie. El asleep now?” he questions, and i notice his hair is damp, apparently freshly washed, but he’s not in his hotel room, rather sitting on the plane.

“yeah, she fell asleep during second intermission.” i tell him. “pretty sure she was just waiting for you to score before she let herself crash.”

he chuckles and i speak again, “i thought you guys weren’t coming home until tomorrow afternoon?”

“no, we’re about to take off. i’ll be back by the time you wake up, i just wanted to talk to you before you go to sleep.”

my heart flutters in my chest. eight years together and he still never fails to make me feel like i have a schoolgirl crush.

“i loved that video, thank you for capturing that. and for sending it.” his eyes are soft, and i know he must be missing El a lot right now.

“yeah, well, i wanted you to see your number one fan.” i laugh, and he feigns offense, holding his free hand to his chest.

“i thought you were my number one fan.”

“i think El’s got me beat now.” i exaggerate a pout and he chuckles.

“i gotta go, we’re about to take off.” he sighs, and i nod in understanding. “i’ll see you when i get home. i love you, beautiful.”

“i love you too, love. see you when you get home.”

[janus-cadet]

The second card according to last week's poll- Husker, our dear old cat man, as The Hermit! It's also the eleventh card for the Hazbin/Helluva fandom. Which is- the most consistent I ever been in drawing for a fandom? Hurray!

The next one, Adam, is already decided- but I'm planning to do two more cards before maybe, eventually, taking a break. So, before we go under the cut for the explanations for the choice of card...

Yes indeedy. It's the mothers' poll.

Back to the grumpy old man!

The Hermit Upright is a card strongly linked to self-discovery and inner wisdom. It invites you to retreat into your private world and experience a deep sense of instrospection- a journey you have to do alone, to find you inner guiding light, and choose the next steps you'll have to take.

It might seem strange to chose Husk to represent it- but as much as his character seems stand-offish and disgruntled, he does strick me as someone who has done a lot of self-reflecting, and is able to see each other characters' situations with a clarity that no one else, in the show, seems capable of. He is aware of who he is, of what mistakes he make: this is a man who knows himself, and who finds wisdom in his own flaws.

And much as the Hermit of the card, he's a man who walked on this path alone (thinking that no one could relate- prefering the quiet and the solitude to the company) until he reached the point when he was ready to let others in, albeit in a small, careful way. Finding, despite himself, a place in the small group of the hotel, and a soulmate in Angel.

But the Hermit card often appears when you are at a pivotal point in your life, and maybe considering a new direction. Would that be, for example... redemption? Now, Husker is not quite there yet- but it's undeniable that his mere involvement with the hotel places him on a pivotal point in life, and one that encourages him to deepen his self-examination. This time to also accept the good in himself, and re-evaluate his personnal goals.

Finally, the Hermit may appear in your life as a spiritual mentor- one that may be an expert in his own right (a wise old bartender, who've seen it all), but who will teach you to find your answers within yourself. Which. Loser, Baby.

Okay, it's a lot of talking already. Bear with me, we're now going on the Reverse Hermit.

For as much as I feel like Husk's character is the most in-tune with himself, the struggles is still undeniable. The Reversed Hermit, therefore, encourages you to search deep within your sould, to help you find your way again, to find your way out of the bottle, and focus on rebuilding yourself. You may be damaged, but you can still go on with your life, and improve your situation; it all starts by working on yourself. Be careful not to isolate yourself too much, too. You should not be fully cutting yourself off from others, like a literal Hermit; do not underestimate the value of the connections you can form with people around you. And really, our dear Husker is getting there!

The Hermit Reversed can also indicate an unwelcome isolation in your relationship: one person may want to be alone or withdraw from the relationship, while the other wants to deepen the connection. You will need to respect each other's request for space (not by pushing your partner off his chair, Husker), but also be there to support as appropriate.

And that's it for today! We'll see each other again tomorrow, when I'll drop the first man himself- Adam, as the King of Pentacles. I hope this silly bird would apreciate the irony.

This is not, actually, the first time I drew the Hermit- but the first one, eh, I really did not like it. So, Husker becomes the official Hermit of the deck!

(If you have time,consider checking my friend @mimmixerenard 's version of humanized!Husker, it's very very good. Here is the link)

[ratskinsuit]

OMG your velvety eye friendship headcanons were so cute!!! Can you also do some with angel dust?? Like him and the reader are besties and the reader has a contract with Vox. I think it’d be so cute if Angel stood up to Vox for her since she’s a total pushover compared to him and is super protective of his bestie 😤😤

Angle Dust And Bestfriend!Reader

———————————————————————

A/N: I’m so glad you liked the Velvette headcanons! I also love the idea of reader being in a similar situation as Angel but with Vox. I have been so exited to do this assskkkk! Ahhh I just love this idea!

———————————————————————

You and Angel had first met (before he went to Hazbin Hotel) when you found him high and passed out in an alley way.

You took pity on him and were worried that something would happen to him, so you took him back to your apartment.

When he woke up he was so confused until you explained.

He was so suprised you didn’t do anything and just took care of him, and my boy is SO THANKFUL.

Like you gave him food and water and let him take a shower, and you two just talked talked and you eventually became friends.

Your probably the person that convinced him to try the hotel out in the first place.

He goes to you for advice, or just to talk about struggles and lets you do the same. (VENTINGG BUDDIES)

Your one of the only people he lets babysit Fat Nuggets while he’s out for like a shoot or something because he doesn’t have many people he trusts :)

MATCHING OUTFITS MATCHING OUTFITS MATCHING OUTFITS

You better not be insecure or you will get a 3 hour lecture on how amazing you are, he knows what its like to be insecure and so he never wants you feel that way.

You two will regularly go hang out together.

Gets so happy if you join the Hazbin Hotel with him.

You honestly give him some more faith in humanity.

If you ever express romantic interest in someone expect him to be on you in a SECOND because he will be asking alll the questions (unless you don’t experience that then that’s okay too)

If you end up dating someone expect him to force you to let him meet them

Will be like a judgmental brother towards them.

He has to make sure they are good enough for you lol.

The most supportive person of you and your goals (surprisingly more than Charlie)

Like you boots eachother up so mucchhhh

(So wholesome)

You two would be best friends, with a hint of sibling relationship vibes

If your in a similar relationship with Vox like he was with Valentino, expect him to go crazy

While with Valentino he took a while to stand up to him, but with you he will not HESITATE

He will be so pissed. Will go confront Vox.

Will literally put his life in danger for you 😭

It will be the angriest angriest anybody would have ever seen him, anybody

Screaming, yelling, my guy is so protective of you holy moly.

Does not care about his own safety when it comes to you, because he knows you would do the exact same thing for him.

You helped him get away from Valentino now it’s his turn to fuck someone up.

SHORT DRABBLE

———————————————————————

Angel dust was chilling on the couch of your apartment. You and him had planned to hang out after you came home from work. He’s listening to music with one earbud in, bopping his head up and down to the tunes, his leg kicked over the couch.

He hears the lock turning and smiles, leaning over the couch as you walk in.

“Heyyyyy! Your finally home! How was…” He begins to say, happy to see you, yet he trails off short as soon as he sees the bruise and the dejected look on your face.

“Oh my god are you okay!?” He asks, immediately getting off the couch to go to you, fat nuggets trailing behind him.

You goes up to you, and you flinch a bit as he takes a hand and moves your hair to see the large bruise over your eye, concern written all over your face. Fat nuggets oinking below you, rubbing against your legs. “Yeah uhm… I’m.. fine..” You say quietly.

He frowns, obviously seeing your not, and he drags you over to the couch, sitting you down. “Okay what the fuck happened?!” He demands, as you sit there quietly, your hands in your lap.

“Vox just got a bit mad today that’s all, it’s nothing I haven’t handled before” You say, not wanting to worry him. Yet Angels face scrunches up in worry.

“Excuse me!? What do you mean; “nothing you haven’t handled before” is he hitting you?” He asks, sitting next to you.

“Just… s..sometimes… b-but only when he’s really pissed!” You say, trying to save yourself at the end, but it obviously not working.

Angel just stares at you silently for a second, before grabbing your hand. “……how long…..? How long has he been doing this to you..” He asks quietly.

You hesitate, “Since I started…” you murmer.

Angel looks at you sadly, glancing down. And he notices your arm. Before you can say anything he pulls up your sleeve to see dark bruises on your wrists, and his face twists in anger.

“I’m gonna fucking kill that stuck up asshole.” He says, standing up, beginning to walk. You stand up after him, grabbing his wrist. “Angel don’t! He’s is much much more powerful than us, and I don’t want him to hurt you!” You beg.

He turns around, and places his hands on your shoulders. “I will not let anyone, not even a stuck up prick like Vox, hurt my best friend.” He says, hugging you.

You try to speak, tears welling up in your eyes, and tears begin to fall down your cheeks as you bury your face into his shoulder. “P-lease don’t… I- can’t see you get hurt..” you sob.

He rubs your back soothingly, before he says. “You helped me before. Now it’s my turn.”

———————————————————————

A/N: Would anyone be interested in my continuing this where we get to see Angel Dust confronting Vox? I’ve never written a confrontation/fight scene before, but I could try! But anyways, hope you enjoyed! Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

REQUESTS ARE OPEN

[miroslavcloset]

The day Thomas Muller became a national hero in Colombia (South America)

Because of my husband Thomas Muller's NT retirement, I decided to remember that time when he became an icon in this unknown third-world country~

Storytime~

Get something to eat because here comes my longest post ever and one of my favorite things to ever happen in this hellhole <3

No introduction is needed for the 2014 World Cup. So let's just skip to the good part. One of the breakthrough teams was Colombia, a humble but passionate team, they were having their best run so far, and literally everyone in the country wanted them to go as far as possible.

In a country where literally every day the government makes you hate every part of living here, the NT is always a beacon of joy to make us feel proud of being Colombian. And even more now, that we had the Best goal of the match and the Top scorer of the whole tournament.

After an amazing run against teams like Uruguay and Ivory Coast, the day came, when we had to play against Brazil. I don't know how it was perceived in the rest of the world, but here in South America, almost everyone knew Brazil was winning the whole thing, even with rumors of the WC being fixed to favor them (ofc rumors or not but still).

In the Colombia V Brazil match, 3 important things happened.

Neymar was Injured

Thiago Silva was suspended via accumulation of yellow cards

And the catalyst of this story

3. An equalizer Goal from Mario Yepes was mistakenly determined as offside and annulled.

Due to this last event, Colombia was automatically eliminated without the chance of going to penalties.

THIS is Colombia's Trauma™, you can ask any of us. We even have a popular saying we use to this day because of this 'Era gol de Yepes' (Like saying that goal was always legit). But we weren't sad. We were infuriated. We demanded vengeance, we wanted vengeance (We're way too passionate about this, what do you want me to say).

After that, yeah, there were the other quarterfinals, whatever, we didn't care. All of us were waiting for the Germany V Brazil and due to the rumors I spoke about before, we were very scared of Germany losing.

As an important note here, while we were very angry, a very good portion of the Colombians just dropped the whole thing due to idk post-elimination depression. On a personal note, never in my life did I see my country in such silence. I went out to visit my family and the capital had the most depressing silence I've ever experienced. When I tell you this WC meant the world to us I was very serious, a lot of Colombians went to Brazil in buses or walking to see the matches, and some even slept on the streets or stuff like that to keep on supporting.

So, the day of the Germany V Brazil match arrived, and oh boy we didn't have an idea.

At this point, very few of us were still watching the tournament. In the beginning, they were very balanced... And then the game started.

We already knew what happened in that legendary game so let me just tell you the story from our point of view. All of Colombia was rooting for Germany, we wanted, no, we needed Germany to win. Brazil started attacking first so we were quite nervous.

Then a certain player bested Brazil's clueless defenses and scored the first one for Germany.

Everyone was celebrating as if it was our own country, we started calling other people to turn on the TV, our family, neighbors, everyone. The stores and cafeterias tuned the match to see the ones that (in our eyes) did us so wrong, get humiliated by such a great team.

Of course, almost no one knew who this guy was, but Javier Hernández (the most popular commentator here) felt exactly the same as everyone else and loved every second of that first goal, making sure every single Colombian heard this player's name loud and clear, the one that avenged us. Thomas Muller.

Here you can hear what all of us heard that day: (Turn on audio to witness the insanity)

(Sorry for the quality of the video, I know it's ass but this was a recording from a fan from a TV 10 years ago lol)

Then the goals came one after another, and the rest is history. But to us it was special, we celebrated as if it was our own country. Here are some comments from Colombians:

T: Thanks for avenging us Germany

T: Forbidden to forget this match, when all of us were German for 90Min, Thanks! (Germany x4 Trophies) I'll never get over him and neither any colombian, Thomas Muller 7-1 / 8-2

T: Muller 2014: 7-1 Muller 2020: 8-2 He's always in every historic scoring in football

T: In that match All of Colombia was Germany

And like those you can find hundreds and hundreds. The day after the match we kept on celebrating, the memes were everywhere, especially one where James (our star player) called Thomas and asked him to score against Brazil (ofc that never happened, was a silly meme that reflected the general feeling). Also, I clearly remember the news and variety shows on national channels opening their broadcast greeting in German (or at least trying lol). It was so funny and at the end, we received our NT and celebrated their progress and Germany won the cup.

Pretty much a happy ending for everyone.

[deadmomjokes]

Do you have any adventures of bean to share before you sign off for a bit? good luck with the move!

I wish I had more specific ones, but life is all blurring together at this point so I must settle for Tidbits: Moving Edition

She loves to pack stuff. I have no idea where it's coming from, but holy cow this kid. She's going to be the only reason we're completely packed and ready to go on time. Every morning, she hops in my bed and goes "Can we pack another box?" And any time we're not actively doing something, "Should we pack more boxes?" Her dad whispered to me earlier, understandably dumbfounded, "What is with the packing thing? Why is she so into this?" And she somehow heard it from the next room and merrily hopped in holding the roll of packing tape and said "I dunno, I just really like packing things." So... yeah. She's keeping us on task.

She has Plans for the drive. -First, we need to eat at Subway (she was very excited to learn she can, in fact, have Subway in moderation). -Second, we need to stay at one of the number hotels-- those being National 9, Super 8, and Motel 6. (She is bummed there's no 7 hotel.) -Third, if we successfully get a number hotel for one night, we also need to do a Red Roof Inn some other night. -Fourth, she wants to go inside a gas station and look at the maps. (She means the visitors guides and brochures that truck stops have when they're near-ish to state lines and/or tourist destinations.) -Finally, she wants to borrow my phone to take pictures. Unbeknownst to her, we are getting an old digital camera tuned up and outfitted with a child-proof case so she can have her own camera, because when she starts taking pictures it's an hours-long affair, and I kinda need my phone for GPS purposes. We're presenting her with said camera next weekend when we get the trailer, so hopefully she'll stay occupied while we do the part of packing she can't actually help with. But yeah, she knows how to set realistic, attainable goals, and I honestly think we can make these things happen for her.

She's been obsessively watching that Bluey special every day, and it Concerns me. See, she's generally quite media literate, and knows how to separate fiction from reality, and we had our big group cry about leaving our friends the first time we watched it. But. I am deeply worried that she's under the impression that we'll get all packed and ready to go and then do what Bluey's family did and decide to stay. I desperately hope not, but hoo boy, if that is the case, that's gonna be one heck of a 4-day drive. We've tried bringing it up and talking about it, but we still can't tell what's going on in that little noggin.

She is really, really sad about leaving her friends. I know that's not fun to hear, but honestly, I'm really impressed and proud of the way she's been handling it. She's come up with some great coping mechanisms all on her own: asking if we can get everyone's parents' Facebooks so we can do video calls, asking if we can do a party before she leaves so she can play with her school friends again (both yes, of course), and the one that truly floored me-- she asked if we can find "a new therapy place" when we get to where we're going. My four year old asked if she can go back to therapy, y'all. She's been 'graduated' since before Christmas, but she remembered that it helped when she was feeling anxious all the time and wants to do that again after we move. I just... Holy moly! I am so, SO proud of her for how she's so in tune with herself and her needs.

Her requests for our next housing situation have been few, but very specific. It has to let her get a pet, either a rabbit (maybe two so they can be friends), or a ball python, or both. It needs stairs so she can bumslide down them. It needs a pantry with a shelf she can reach for her snacks. And she'd really prefer if it had hard floors so we can get a fuzzy rug. We don't have it on lock yet (fingers crossed!), but the place that looks most likely meets all of these criteria.

That's all I've got for right now, because I need to go pre-plan what tomorrow morning's packing adventure is going to be so I don't have to think about it two minutes after opening my eyes.

[toomuchracket]

how about matty convincing d word girlie going to a football match with her?? (Maybe she doesn’t really like football that much, or even at all, idk?)

HA yeah ok so you and matty go for a little long weekend up the north-east to visit some of his family, and newcastle are playing at home on the saturday and before you go tim phones to say he's got tickets for all of you - you included. matty giggles when he tells you this, because any time he talks about football or watches it in the house your eyes just glaze over out of disinterest, despite your best efforts to pay attention, and he knows you'll wince at the thought of actually going to a match; you do, but quickly plaster on a hesitant smile and say "ok", and matty's like "you'll go? really?", and you're like "... yes. it would make you really happy, wouldn't it?", and matty kisses your head and says "it would, darlin', it would mean a lot to me if you were there", and you're like "so it's settled. i will go to the football". and matty's like "can you say that again? i need to film it and send it to your dad so he'll believe me when i tell him" - you point at him like "don't fucking push it, matthew", and matty laughs and takes your face in his hands to kiss you like "sorry, baby. thank you for doing this. i love you. it'll be fun", to which you're like "i love you too, and that's the only reason i'm ACTUALLY doing it. and i guess seeing your family will be fun, at least, lol". but as the weekend gets closer, you do actually start to get excited, just because matty's so hyped about taking his girl to see his team lmao (he is such a boy). he's like "try on one of my football tops to see if it fits, and you can wear it to the game. that would be cute", and you're a bit 😐 about the idea; that is, until you pull one of the black and white tops over your underwear and step into the living room to show matty, and he reacts by... literally pulling one of the sofa cushions over his lap and breathing heavily. your jaw drops like "babe you did not just get hard at the sight of me in a newcastle united shirt lmaoooooooo. it's that easy? wow", and matty groans into his hands like "shut up how else am i meant to react? the most beautiful woman on the planet, my beloved girlfriend, in MY football top? this is teenage wet dream material, sweetheart" - you go over to kiss him and say "well, if we have sex now with me wearing it, will that make it better or worse?", and matty thinks for a second like "better. i'll get it out of my system" lol.

and he's right, actually - a week later, when you appear in his cousin's kitchen with the same shirt visible under your coat, all matty thinks of is how cute you look lmao (but he does smirk a little bit when everyone says how sweet you are for wearing it, considering you did some arguably non-sweet things to him in it before lol). the actual day itself is quite nice; you all go for food and a couple of drinks before the game, during which you literally just share really cringe anecdotes about matty with his dad and brother, and then matty takes 948482 pics of you outside st james' park (and makes one his lockscreen) before you go in. he hugs you tightly before the game starts like "this is really special to me, sweetheart, thank you for doing this", and you're like "it's chill i actually am having fun lol". he stays holding you through the start of the game, too, because it's chilly, but pulls back to look at you in bewilderment when you hum along to the local hero theme as the players come onto the pitch; you're like "what? i've seen the film. it's good. so is the tune", and matty kisses you quickly like "you never fail to amaze me, honestly". anyway, the first half of the game is... kinda boring? nobody scores, there's not a lot of action, and the most exciting thing is you nearly burning your tongue on a bovril at half-time lol. it picks up in the second half, though - you spend the first few goal attempts looking and smiling at matty getting really into it, because he's so cute and animated, but then the tables turn and you catch him grinning at you when you swear at a near miss from newcastle. when they finally do score, you both cheer, and matty gets so hyped that he picks you up - well, he tries to, in the limited space between rows of seats lol. you have to ask him to clarify ref decisions at bits (fuck if i know what constitutes a yellow card btw), which he RELISHES doing, explaining them and kissing your cheek when you're like "ok cool. i see". in the end, newcastle win, and when the home support stands go into joyous uproar you're a part of it, hugging matty and tim and all the rest of the family as if you were an avid fan lmao; matty also probably tries to fully make out with you in excitement and just general happiness that you're with him, which you indulge in briefly before being like "come on, we need to move now so the people behind us can get out lol". but you continue the making out in the smoking area of the pub you all pile into to celebrate the win, matty like "this has been one of my favourite days ever, sweetheart. i'm so grateful for you, and even more in love with you, honestly" - you're like "i love you! and i really have enjoyed myself. don't think i could do it every week, in fairness, but i had fun. thanks for bringing me, baby". and matty's like "anytime, darlin'. and feel free to borrow the top anytime, too. in fact, i'd encourage it" lol <3

[transdunbar]

for @theoraekenapperciation Day 1: Mistletoe

It started after a pack meeting. There was some new threat to Beacon Hills, because the universe was steadfastly against giving the residents of the town a break from the supernatural, and Theo had been called in to help. Like always, he had stood in a random corner of the McCall house, trying his best to turn invisible while the McCall pack debated on what to do. Like always, Liam (and sometimes Scott, ever the peacemaker) piped up to try and loop him into the conversation, and, like always, the pack neatly looped him back out of it after he had answered. The meeting couldn’t have ended fast enough, and as soon as Scott gave the dismissal he was making a beeline for the door and ignoring Liam calling his name.

He had just closed the door of his truck, keys barely in the ignition, when someone quite literally slapped the roof of his car. He jumped, turning to find Stiles practically leaning in through the driver’s side window. His freckled face was unreadable, but Theo could smell the contempt rolling off of him, something that never completely went away whenever he was in the chimera’s presence. There was also a hint of amusement and mischief, but Theo was beginning to think that was just this baseline scent at that point.

“What do you want, Stiles?” Theo asked.

“There’s an abandoned warehouse on Sunnyside Street, about two miles past the train tracks. The deputies don’t have it on their patrol route, so if someone were to, say, park their obnoxiously large truck behind it, they wouldn’t be disturbed or brought into the station every three days for loitering,” came Stiles’ response.

It was very obviously some sort of olive branch, he could tell that much. Even so, Theo found himself frozen for a second, brain turning and twisting to try and come up with a reason why Stiles would voluntarily help him. He wasn’t as good at hiding things as he used to be, however, because Stiles took one look at his (probably very confused) face and huffed out something that resembled a laugh.

“You look like hell warmed over, dude. You’re obviously not taking care of yourself, and even someone as evil as you deserves to have several hours of uninterrupted sleep a night. It’s not gonna completely fix you, but it’s a start.”

“And you’re just telling me this out of the goodness of your heart, not because you want to know where I am at all times, right?”

“Hey, it serves a dual purpose. Now get going,” Stiles said. He thumped on the roof of Theo’s truck twice more, inspecting something that he apparently found there, before wandering off again. Theo blinked once, twice, then started his truck and peeled off down the street, the human’s weird antics all but forgotten.

--------

There was someone tapping on the glass again. Theo groaned, shaking himself out of his sleep and cursing the Stilinski name. Stiles had said that the deputies didn’t patrol this part of town, but he should have known that Stiles would have pulled something like this and had lied to get him arrested again. Maybe his goal was to kill Theo via sleep deprivation by putting him directly in the deputies’ path.

The tapping sounded again while Theo was brainstorming ways to hide Stiles’ body, and he groaned again as he sat up.

“Alright, alright, I’m—”

Theo opened his eyes, intending to placate whichever deputy had found him this time, only to be met with wide, concerned blue eyes belonging to one Liam Dunbar.

“Liam?”

“Theo, what are you doing out here?” Liam asked after Theo had rolled down the window. “Shouldn’t you be at home?”

“I know academics aren’t really your strong suit, Dunbar, but I would have thought you’d be smart enough to put two and two together,” Theo sighed, flopping back down in the seat. Liam was blessedly quiet for all of five seconds before the yelling started. Theo sighed, tuning most of it out by putting the sweatshirt he had been using as a pillow over his face. He wasn’t sure how long the werewolf went on, whining about how Theo should have told someone and how the pack would have helped, but eventually he seemed to realize Theo wasn’t listening and petered off.

“Theo? Are you even listening, dude?”

“Not really,” Theo answered.

“Why not?”

“Because you woke me up just to yell at me. Of course I’m not gonna listen to that.”

Liam huffed, and Theo didn’t have to take the sweatshirt off of his face to imagine the way he crossed his arms, or his face scrunched up in irritation in a way that Theo secretly found adorable.

“Why are you even here, Liam?” Theo asked.

“This is part of my patrol route. You would have known that if you had paid attention at the pack meeting. Now why are you here?”

“After the meeting, Stiles told me this part of town was deputy-free, so I could get a decent night’s sleep and he could know where I was sleeping in case I ever did anything evil and he needed to kill me,” Theo answered.

“... Stiles was the one who made the patrol routes,” Liam mumbled. “I wonder if—”

“Yeah, he obviously did it on purpose, Liam. Now can I please get back to sleep?”

“No way.”

Theo groaned. He sat up again, but only to reach out and attempt to roll the window back up, but Liam’s hand was faster. He grabbed Theo’s forearm, using his werewolf strength to keep Theo’s hand from reaching the buttons as he fixed Theo with a stern glare.

“I’m not letting you sleep in your truck, Theo. Come back home with me.”

“If you wanted to get me in bed, all you had to do was say so.”

Liam rolled his eyes, but Theo still caught the rising blush on his cheeks, the way his chemosignals gained just the faintest hint of arousal. If Theo were any less tired, he would have grabbed hold of that thread and elaborated on it so he could see how flustered he could make the werewolf, but as it was he just sighed and turned away.

“Hey, by the way, why do you have mistletoe taped to your car?”

“What?” In a flash, Theo had stuck his entire upper body out of the car window, twisting around so that he could see what Liam was referring to. Sure enough, someone— Theo had a sneaking suspicion as to who— had stuck a sprig of mistletoe to the roof of his car with thick, black duct tape. He was vaguely impressed that it hadn’t fallen off on his ride around town earlier trying to find the warehouse.

“I’ll bet you five dollars it was Stiles,” Theo muttered as he climbed back inside of his truck.

“Well, uh,” Liam mumbled, his face turning even redder, “you know what they say about mistletoe, right?”

“That it could kill us?”

“You’re a fucking idiot.”

Before Theo could defend his honor, Liam was leaning in, and oh. He must be really tired to have missed that.

Everything made sense the moment Liam’s lips touched his. Stiles telling him about the warehouse, the patrol routes, the mistletoe— Theo was either going to murder him for real this time or get him some sort of gift basket. Stiles had wanted this to happen, had known that Liam would run into Theo and would take the bait with the mistletoe. Theo wondered how Stiles had deduced that they had been harboring feelings for each other, since apparently neither of them figured it out without his help, but then Liam’s tongue was sliding against his lip, asking for entrance, and Theo found that he didn’t want to think about Stiles anymore as his hand came up to gently cradle the back of Liam’s neck.

“Now will you come home with me?” Liam asked when they finally broke apart.

“I might need a little more convincing.”

--------

When Theo woke up the next morning, warm and comfortable with Liam curled up half on top of his chest, he found that he had a new text on his phone, something that hadn’t happened in months.

Stiles Stilinski: im guessing the mistletoe worked, then?

Theo: you would make an excellent evil genius with a brain like that

Stiles Stilinski: you’re welcome, raeken

Stiles Stilinski: also, if you and liam start making out in front of everyone like he did with hayden, i’m ending you myself

[xerith-42]

now the question is: how would vincent deal with the doll symptoms every now and then while sailing the seven seas?

~pirate vincent anon

Hhhhhg The Doll Headcanon will continue to do it's damage (@gonedreaminggg @laurancezvahlslefteyebrow @cinnamontoastcroonch )

Vincent trying to show off his sick pirate skills in order to woo some twink in another crew but partway through his demonstration his arm goes limp and refuses to move. He's in the middle of some showy maneuver of jumping from one ship to another but a sudden stabbing pain in his back makes him completely fumble the landing and land in the water. He's in the middle of barking orders and then his mouth gets sewn shut and he can't even explain to Zack or Cloud why this is happening it just is.

It's fine when the symptoms kick in while he's alone, Vincent can handle it on his own. He's totally okay with his body going limp while he's alone, because in the worst case scenario he wakes up shipwrecked on some island and starts from zero. He can do that. But when he's around others he doesn't quite know how to tell them that this is happening. He doesn't even fully understand why this is happening, and he doesn't want to scare away others by telling them the truth.

If he was drunk or high enough he might confess to being a Shadow Knight, but even then, there's no guarantee that who he's talking to even knows what that is or what it entails. He told Zack and Cloud when they first asked to join his crew, hoping to deter them, but it uhh... Didn't work.

Zack once made fun of Vincent for a time that he absolutely ate shit on the deck because his leg was suddenly filled with stinging pain and then went numb. Vincent literally just said "It's a Shadow Knight thing," planning to elaborate, but Zack instantly apologizes and feels awful about it. It's at this point that Vincent finally opens up about all the symptoms, the ones he understands and the ones he doesn't.

Cloud quietly pipes up "Sounds like a doll with its mouth sewn shut," when hearing Vincent explain where his scars come from. That's what finally makes Vincent realize what his symptoms really are. Why they happen. And what specific doll he is. He finally realizes that The Shadow Lord probably doesn't just treat him like a doll, but any Shadow Knight could fall victim to this. Suddenly his tune on being open about this aspect of his life changes a little.

Holy fuck. I wasn't sure if I should tag the council before but I definitely am now. Vincent is the first Shadow Knight to put it together but he isn't the last. He asks Laurance what kind of doll he is in a very casual way and Laurance is just like "Wait what??" Vincent just stares at him for a second. "You haven't figured that out yet?"

Laurance who literally never thought these random ass symptoms had any greater connection beyond Shadow Knight Things TM:

Sorry this turned into me Laurance posting (as most council posts do), I just think Laurance and Vincent interactions are so neat. Vincent interacting with either of the Zvahl siblings is peak content.

Cinn said they were turning into a Vincent fan and it's my goal as MCD Vincent's biggest fan to turn everyone else into a Vincent fan as well. Look at this guy. Look at him go. How can you not love him?

[yurisorcerer]

I've compared Jellyfish to other anime *a lot* while writing these off-the-cuff Thoughts posts, but to pull from an otherwise very different series, the ending here almost reminds me of that of Witch From Mercury? Decidedly good, and definitely fine-tuned to make you feel happy that our main pair are back together, but with just enough that doesn't quite add up that I feel remiss not to mention it.

To be clear, if the series' representational efforts outlive the actual text of the show itself, as may well happen, that's not actually a bad thing. Most anime would be lucky to have that legacy.

I want to zero in on Kano during the concert though, where we're early in the episode and she's clearly nervous. Flashbacks, intrusive-thoughts-as-voiceover. The literally-faceless masses. This is imagery we've seen associated with her before, as she's clearly reliving her trauma from her days with the Sunflower Dolls.

We see her basically bomb; the backing track kicks in but she can't sing, and suddenly the sound cuts out entirely, putting her in the bottom of the ocean. Mero, surprisingly, is the one who calls out to her to egg her on, although it's Mahiru's jellyfish that she looks at as Mahiru calls out to her as well. We get our big, swelling concert song, and then the moment is over. Jellyfish's narrative ends the second the music dies.

A mirror of the first episode as the two meet again for the first time in a while after Kano's performance. Ultimately, the conclusion they come to is that they kept their promises to each other, so everything's basically fine. This is clearly to some extent what the show wants us collectively to think, as well. Kano as the aimless singer who's finally found something to sing for, Mahiru as the ever down-on-herself visual artist who's found someone inspired by her paintings.

Kano says she wants to be a reason for people to keep looking forward, an interesting thought.

In the Sunflower Dolls / JELEE show's credit roll, Kano is credited under her preferred name. Yukine seems to mean this as---and certainly the show wants us to take it as---a gesture that Yukine, despite her past treatment of her daughter, respects her now. (An analogy is also drawn between the virtual audience the show draws and the 50,000 person capacity of the Tokyo Dome. Originally referred to several episodes ago, having one of her artists sing there was a long-term goal of Yukine's.) Clearly, not all is forgiven, as Kano playfully spurns her mother in the finale's closing minutes. Still, something about this feels…a little wishy-washy in a way I can't entirely put my finger on. It's a good ending, maybe the best ending this iteration of the series could've had, but not a great one. There's a distinction there, and this is the sort of show that practically begs rumination on distinctions of that nature. Yukine herself says, and I quote directly, "The difference between buzz and backlash ultimately hinges on an idea being meaningful." *Are* Jellyfish's ideas meaningful? I think that's an open question. Despite everything---Kano's trauma, the falling out with Mahiru and Mahiru's own impostor syndrome, the show's own strange pacing, Kiwi being bullied for their gender expression and for being "weird", the discrimination Mei faced---this ends as a feelgood story. That may be a bit too neat for me, I'm not sure.

I hate to bring up That Other Music Anime Airing Right Now while writing about this one yet again, but the main distinction between the two, I've finally realized, is that Girls Band Cry's emotional material feels much more raw. Jellyfish's best episodes do as well, but the show *on the whole* feels like it can't quite thread the needle in the same way. The comparison is perhaps unflattering to both anime, but I can't help myself here.

The series ends on a short run-through of denouement scenes, for the individual members of JELEE both apart and together as a group. Tellingly, it might be Kiwi's that works the best. The relatively straightforward nature of her arc makes her development feel the most earned and the most logical. At the same time, I'm having difficulty pinning down exactly *why* I don't feel quite the same way about the other characters. Perhaps because Mei was never particularly well-developed to begin with, and Kano and Mahiru's reunion feels....I'll say contrived? I can forgive letting a kiss on the cheek hang for six episodes. Letting that falling-out hang for, what, 3? Is a bit harder to stomach though. The entire plot there, I don't know, it takes away a bit from what the show is trying to do, and when what you're trying to do is this delicate, "a bit" can feel like a lot.

Anyway; The over-painting scenes being drawn as though they're shot through the phone is a cool touch, I like it.

What Jellyfish does manage to capture is the warm mundanities of friendship and life in the digital age, and I like Kano's little speech to the others at the end here. That's worth something, I think. Not many anime end with their casts literally waving goodbye to the camera.

Time, as my memories of the show crystalize and harden, will tell whether I end up truly feeling that those warm feelings are "enough" to rate Jellyfish particularly highly, both on its own terms and as compared to other anime that have come and gone (and will come and go) this year. But that's also sort of a way of looking at art that is ruthless enough to not always be appropriate. So I'll say it here if I never remember to again, the people who made this clearly cared about it a lot. There's love in it, and love does matter.

[sixosix]

𝐆𝐎𝐉𝐎 𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐔: 𝐍𝐎 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃, 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐁𝐀𝐃 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄

( ! ) an accidental date with satoru himself doesn’t turn out to be so bad, you suppose.

( ? ) just movie date shenanigans. shoko and suguru were definitely in on this btw. fluff! to make up for the angst oneshot:( gojo is WHIPPED

you skip down the flight of stairs with a happy tune hummed under your breath. the happy flutter in your chest has been quivering since you woke up this lovely morning, most likely the product of wonderful sleep, or the excitement of today.

not even the shrill of your alarm could keep the smile off your face, and that alone says more than words could.

today is a good day, is the only thought that comes across your mind as you prepare breakfast for yourself. you leave some in case shoko decides to come by early.

the humming doesn’t stop, even as you finish your food before shoko arrives—you don’t let it bother you, simply content with the blissful feeling of joy that you rarely experience.

the knock sounds a few seconds later as you muse over what to wear for today. a day out with your best friend calls for something simple and sweet to match her sleek clothes. unless shoko decides to just pull on a large sweater and call it a day—which you wouldn’t mind either.

“coming!” you call out, grinning helplessly as you bound over to the front door.

how long has it been since you had a break away from school? you wouldn’t be surprised if the calendar reveals 365 days and more—it certainly feels like it is.

the door opens. your smile falls.

you blink, and still, the man with the stupid white hair and devastating eyes stands before you.

no, wait, he probably has the wrong house, right?

“hey, y/n,” satoru grins, and apparently not.

you grit your teeth, the beginnings of a headache making itself known with only half a second of seeing his face. “what,” you hiss, “are you doing here, gojo?”

“can’t i visit a good friend of mine on such a lovely day?” satoru muses, and ducks underneath your arm to enter your home. he pointedly ignores the heated glare you’re drilling onto his head.

“hearing it come out of your mouth makes it even less believable,” you deadpan, slamming the door shut—kicking out a gojo with a goal in mind might as well be like talking to a brick wall.

it’s not often gojo goes out of his way to visit you. shoko holds that role, and geto sometimes does it because you two are well acquainted enough.

gojo satoru starts with lingering glances on school grounds and usually ends there. sometimes—and honestly, it’s a stroke of luck—you barely talk to him at all.

which brings the question: “what happened to shoko?”

gojo sighs, exaggerating everything with his slumped shoulders and defeated pout. “nothing escapes you, does it?” at your impatient glare, he lifts his hands placidly in surrender. “shoko had to attend a meeting with another student. yaga denied her permission to ditch this one, so she asked me, of course, to come here!”

“did she really ask you first?”

gojo laughs, making himself comfortable on your couch. he slings both his arms over the top, looking too much at home for a place he only visited once—and that barely counted because gojo just stood outside waiting for you to retrieve something.

“okay, maybe suguru was informed first, but details don’t matter right now!” he pats the spot beside him as if to coax you. you don’t even bat an eye and choose to keep yourself at a safe distance.

it wasn’t like you could even get close to him even if you tried. quite literally.

you make a face. “don’t tell me…”

“shoko asked me if i can accompany you to the movie you two were supposed to see!” gojo beams.

“what? no, shoko paid for the tickets—”

“and you want to waste shoko’s money like that? it’s showing today, isn't it?” the grin he flashes is knowing, because he’s already got you where he wants you and you both know it.

“...at least you aren’t wearing something flashy,” you mutter in defeat.

gojo beams brighter if it was even possible. “i wouldn’t complain if you still wear something cute!”

you flip him off and stomp your way to your bedroom.

the theaters are quite crowded, but there don’t seem to be traces of threatening curses you and gojo would need to take care of. which is a bit unfortunate, since you were hoping for a bit of a distraction before either of you proceed with this… date.

you spare a glance to the man beside you, walking in long strides with his frustratingly lanky legs. at least one of you is having fun.

surprisingly, despite gojo taking advantage of a free ticket, he insisted on paying for everything else. you aren’t one to complain when being spoiled, so you let him. he seems happy to do so anyway, so you don’t feel as bad milking him for all his wallet’s worth.

“hm… this one’s about a boy losing his childhood friend?” gojo ponders aloud as he surveys the poster plastered on the wall before the theater. “i think i see where this is going. i bet—”

you smack his mouth with your palm, narrowed eyes affixed on surprised blue. “don’t you dare spoil anything before we even sit down.”

unfortunately, you feel something wet and warm on your hand, and it takes you three seconds to realize that he quite literally licked your palm. appalled beyond belief, you withdraw your hand and gape at your assaulted skin.

“you taste like popcorn,” gojo comments, amused with your aghast expression. “hey, don’t tell me you already snuck in a few bites before we even sat down.”

you splutter, face warm with embarrassment. “i—i didn’t— no, why the hell did you lick me!? you’re disgusting, gojo!”

he laughs, all too delighted. “how did you even know i was going to say something about the plot? am i too predictable for you now?”

“you always do that whenever we watch something with the others,” you grumble, and belatedly recognize that you probably pay a bit too much attention to him for you to notice that. “just because i don’t have six of them, doesn’t mean i don’t have eyes.”

“i cede. i cede,” gojo chuckles. “i solemnly swear to zip my mouth for you to enjoy the movie, your highness.”

“good. if we’re going to do this, we’re going to do this right, got that?”

you really don’t understand how gojo’s face isn’t aching with how wide he’s been smiling for so long—then again, you doubt he even realizes that. “of course.”

you have a feeling he’s enjoying this too much and you should question him, but a day off is a day off. you’d hate to waste it.

he kicks open the door with his legs, both of his hands too busy carrying everything else that you didn’t want to. “after you!” he chirps, and you play along, thanking him.

you miss the way his smile softens as you walk forward, blissful with the atmosphere of the theater.

you hate to admit it, but this was possibly the most fun you had on a movie date. (not date. platonic hangout between two friends, platonically.)

it was quiet for the first few minutes, save for the munching of popcorn courtesy of the both of you, and the hushed chattering of the people beside you. the movie starts off slow and you were drifting off to wonder why your heart is pounding so loudly.

is there a curse here? did you eat something that expired earlier?

gojo—because nothing escapes him—notices this and prompts conversation, starting off silly by pointing out details that you think you wouldn’t even notice had he not said it first. his passion for films seems to come out the more he speaks, and he rambles and talks—but even more surprising than this is that you’re too in awe to stop him.

some people glare and throw disgruntled glances, but you’re too busy laughing as he mocks characters on the screen before the both of you.

you don’t even notice the way your hand brushes against his every time you both reach for food. you don’t notice that you two have slowly gravitated towards each other the more you two continue the conversation.

he still ended up spoiling the ending because you two were talking about obvious plot details that gojo seems to have a keen eye for. but you find that you don’t mind as much, because gojo is actually pretty cute when he brightens.

“you were right,” you were reluctant to admit, as the main character does in fact reunite with his long-lost childhood friend.

gojo grins, pinching your cheek softly while you grumble. “i hate to say it, but: told you so!”

“i didn’t think you’d get it because you said it at the start of the movie!”

he laughs, “don’t doubt me next time.”

next time, you echo, looking up at him as everyone else in the room starts to stand up and leave their seats. you almost forgot that this is the first time you’ve even done this with him.

it just felt too… natural. like it happened every day.

“that was…alright, i guess,” you tell him, and you notice your heart is doing that weird thing again.

gojo smiles. “i agree.”

gojo’s phone vibrates, and both of you read the text that geto sent. it read: sorry satoru. can’t go out today. invite someone else in my stead.

“hmm,” gojo hums, side-eyeing you with a smile too cheeky.

you huff, but unable to keep the smile off your face. “i guess i have to repay the favor, don’t i?”

today is a good day, you suppose.

[discet]

I think the core was a good villain in concept, but felt underdeveloped. And yeah, I believe the main reason for Darcy’s existence is because the writers wanted Marcy out of the plot, and chose the cruelest way possible to do so(because fuck Marcy I guess)

Yeah no, the Core had a whole mess of potential! It was this creepy alien force lurking in the shadows behind the throne! It had the loyalty of a really compelling antagonist in Andrias! It's design for both its giant robot body and Darcy was really cool! 

The fandom content ever since season 2 and especially after the season 3a hiatus was top notch. A lot of it would have to be toned down to be used in canon, but they all explored really interesting themes and how they could impact Anne Marcy and Sasha.

And its all just sort of left on the table. [Salt below read at your own risk. ]

And it turns out that the compiled intelligence of the most brilliant minds of a dimension spanning empire has the motivations of just like, an everyday jackass. It wants an army so it can do conquests, cause I guess war is fun? No seeming end goal other than violence? 

It’s not for the Glory of Amphibia cause its leaving that whole planet to rot. It’s not to live in luxury cause it guts the palace of all its art and finery in favor of extremely utilitarian tech.

And war for the sake of war would make sense if it was just this totally alien unfeeling hivemind. But apparently it misses the taste of bakegoods enough that it made itself extremely vulnerable by hooking itself into a teenage girl.

Like, a pure evil villain isn’t by default a bad thing, but from a series that brought us such interesting, nuanced, and compelling antagonists like Andrias and Sasha, the core feels like an afterthought. A thing to pun as much of the blame on as possible and defeat. Its existance was not even known to the protagonists until literally just before the finale.

And it wasn’t even like a ‘Ah yes! It was me all along!’ It literally just let Andrias handle everything for a thousand years, then immediately shit the bed once it was back in charge. 

And yeah, the fact that it benches Marcy and just ends her entire character arc is extremely frustrating. Again, lots of cool struggling from the inside plotlines you can do if the possession and they are just not explored. Marcy gets super traumatized twice once through a literal stab in the back and then by what looks like a horrifying possession and then does nothing for the season. Gets to do some cool anime stuff in the final fight but ultimately is not allowed to get any kind of victory over Andrias, her possession, or the core itself. 

And at the end she is just normal. All of that horror and betrayal and Marcy just takes it in stride cause its the end of the show and we don’t got time for her to feel anything other than okay about everything. Anne got two episodes about her coming to terms with Hop Pop’s betrayal with the box, and several more episodes/subplots focused around her wrestling with coming to forgive Sasha. Marcy gets a tense little ‘bye Andrias.’ as she’s leaving and that’s it. Marcy was a device for other characters arcs and the plot first and her own character second. And BOY am I salty about it. 

Salty to the tune of about 350k words of fic. 

[blindrapture]

progress:

besides sunsetters, I also have Coestts as my other music project, this one primarily my solo work. none of their albums are ready yet, though there's a surprising amount of material in place, something from at least four different albums.

if I play my cards right I might get to overwhelm you guys with another double release. two albums at once, their first and their.... last? admittedly I'm not all that sure where the glitch album fits, besides that it comes at some point after their first three albums. the lore is something I have yet to take seriously for coestts, and I think I'm at the part now where I can start doing so.

but so. progress.

album 1, Reinventing the Wheel. possibly eight songs planned, five of them are in more or less finished states. no album art has been figured out yet. and album ???, the glitch album. possibly eleven songs planned, six of them are basically finished and many of the rest are not far off. album art has been figured out for a long time now, I had meant to release this album last year but didn't have it ready.

one of these might release first for all I know. and whichever one that will be, that's literally going to be my first solo album. an artist needs a solo album, right? well I'm gonna have one. I'm gonna have quite a few of them by the time all is said and done, but soon I'll have one! or two at once, that would be fun if I somehow get them both ready together.

not the King Real album, unfortunately. that is coestts, that'll be their second album, if not necessarily my second album. Reinventing the Wheel is the Sounds of March album, the Crawl album, the Hermit album. and glitch album is the Gothic Egg album. :3 ("I thought that was Sunsetters!" yeah the lore has been in flux a bit! did have a good narrative for it before, had to change it, don't know quite how much. but like, even if it was a sunsetters album, it was never going to be a sunsetters album. it is an album released without explanation, falsely marketed, enigmatically produced, hiding a dark tragedy. it still is, only coestts are involved now.)

and yes, my ultimate goal is still something along the lines of "trick you into falling in love with midi." midi is my art, and I am always careful with my art. I will forge a space for myself in this world that refused to prepare for that. and I am much more patient than the world.

my art, coestts included, will always be there, just waiting for the hypothetical You to stumble upon it.

stay tuned, as ever.

[faithinchances]

Everyone always talks about Jamie changing his surname or having his first name on his shirt, but I just don’t see it

Fandom all seems to agree that Sr wasn’t around when Jamie was little, which meant he had years of having Tartt as his last name before his Dad ever came about. He probably dreamed of having that name on a City kit and the pundits saying “An amazing goal from Tartt” and the crowd singing his name

It was his name first

(obviously not literally but to him, definitely, yeah)

In some way, changing it lets Sr win; it’s another thing he was able to take from Jamie, something which he once loved, the way he took City.

On top of that, it would be a bad business decision and decrease brand recognition. Which isn’t necessarily a reason not to do it! I think it is a stronger reason for Jamie than it would be for others because of how distinct his song is. Jamie Tartt to the tune of baby shark. It just doesn’t have the same vibes with another surname (and I have looked!! The closest I got was Sharp or Blank, and the latter only because. The Vibes. Jamie Blank. You don’t disown me I disown you and I’m going to make it the entire country’s problem. They’ll all know you were shit without ever knowing who you are). And he would be the only person whose name they sang that way.

But it does pile onto the reasons he has to keep his name.

The closest real-life comparison I’m aware of is Dele Alli, who started using his first name on his shirt in his second season with the Tottenham Hotspurs, saying he felt no connection to his surname.

But Jamie’s a battler. I think he would hold onto it and make it his own because it’s his name, not Sr’s. And I think he’s really attached to his song.