#but thank you for the excuse to talk about this lol

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV S2 Ep3 Musings - Loumand

Last post, I promise; I needed another nap; this ep's a freaking rollercoaster. And these two queens nearly gave me a stress ulcer!

DEBATABLE, Louis. I can think of FAR worse vamps than you, love.

Why're y'all having this whole conversation where anyone can hear?

They got Sartre's wall-eyes down; good makeup this season, team! 👌

DreamStat's a Loumand bed-death truther, jfc. 😭

I wanna know EXACTLY what Armand sees--or "feels"--whenever DreamStat pops up in Lou's head. Cuz he clearly knows precisely where Les is; he looks right in his direction. But does he HEAR Les too? (God I hope not, this song would've had me SEETHING--Back to Hell with you! 😅)

"Oh dear" indeed; I was HOLLERING.

SAM WAS DEVOURING THIS SCENE HOLY GOD GO AWAY DEMON

Armand looked PISSED, I was scared for Louis' life! And he DOES know, actually, yes Lou. I can almost GUARANTEE that he knows PRECISELY where Lestat is AT THIS VERY MOMENT, yes Lou.

If only you knew.... 😬

Claudia's suffered more than Christ. And nice cut to Daniel sneaking around with Raglan James as Armand talks about Furies punishing "human wrongdoing." It's really interesting that Armand told the lawyer that LOUIS is the owner of the paintings. Is he the owner of the penthouse too? HOW MANY DEEDS DOES HE HAVE, ROLIN?

I wonder what AMC might be saying about Loumand's art collection, not just wrt what we know about art heist!Armand (which we'll likely see a nod to in Ep4 at the Louvre); but also wrt what we know about Dubai's godawful neocapitalist hellscape economy, and Loumand's "moralizing" about Parisian black markets in S01E02.

I wonder if that's the excuse Armand'll give the coven when Louis shows up for dinner in Ep4--very much NOT dead; and rips out Santiago's tongue.

WILD voice-over, cuz you KNOW that's what Santiago was thinking, too, LOL. (You wish, Francis.) But yes: Louis' finna end your whole career. XD

Another TERRIFYING jumpscare from the coven, like in Ep2 with Annika. Louis, I am shocked & appalled--can you not HEAR all these vamps planning your bloody murder around you? CLAUDIA! WTF!?

But this is how you know Armand's true personality--he hates getting his hands dirty. He kills all the time, but he makes his victims' deaths pretty. He'd rather sit back & let Lestat/Louis come in and wreck his whole coven, even though he has the power to just light those mofos up all on his own! I wish AMC emphasized a bit more that Armand not only writes/directs the plays--he's an ACTOR, too. And istg he's an expert at PRETENDING to be helpless, meanwhile he's the strongest vamp that's NOT one of the Children of the Millennia (thanks to how well Marius made him).

Armand, that is LOW; waiting until Claudia's stuck under the oaths b4 you tell her she's guilty of breaking Great Laws she doesn't even know about yet. WTF?

How TF you gon' hold Louis accountable for following the Laws when he wasn't even allowed to be in the effing room when they were read!? He's not even a member! WTF! (I get it--any rogue vampires are subject to death, yadayada; we know it's a stupid policy.)

I love how he plans to leave by himself here--it had nothing to do with picking "another one" over Claudia. He just didn't want to hold her back anymore. And his presence was causing problems. 😭 It's so cute that Louis' stipulation about London was that if it's "too large" he'd leave and go to Ireland (?!?)--he's become agoraphobic or something? He just wants to be alone in his hermit hole--MOOD. 😭

Good to get confirmation that the Fire Gift here is Armand and blessedly NOT Santiago--so why's he zooming around in the sewers?

Look, sometimes folks make terrible first impressions--Lestat was being hella racist, Louis' always playing defense, Armand was finna kill Louis in a gay public park. It happens.

Foreshadowing like crazy, as usual.

WILD thing to say. I'm gonna cry, please stop.

(What kinda hypocrisy is that, when you were made young your dang self!?) She's already 30+ years old--maybe she'll last a little longer if y'all (read: sexist, racist, ageist, ableist, etc society) don't eff around tryna make her life even harder! But AMC's deliberately cutting Claudia's life in half, compared to the books, cuz misogynoir's real and Claudia gets NOTHING out of vampirism, not even a fair chance. And y'all let her into the coven KNOWING how much she loves y'all, and KNOWING y'all were gonna kill her. EFF THIS WHOLE COVEN, ARMAND INCLUDED. (Lemme calm down--this kind of betrayal is exactly how Lestat must've felt in S01E07; I get it; they're getting a taste of their own medicine. But LESTAT EFFING HAD IT COMING. The coven should've just told them: y'all got til sunrise to GTFO our territory, you're not welcome here. This whole bit's unnecessary.)

THE PARALLELS ARE PARALLELING

SKILL ISSUE. Cuz Louis' got the least power, and he's finna clear that whole bish out in just a couple episodes. 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Louis, love, ARMAND DON'T GIVE A EFF ABOUT RAISING SOME OTHER MAN'S OFFSPRING. This is the call of the wild, as Alphas KILL the children their stolen Omega brides had for other Alphas/Betas, so he can restart the gene pool with HIS DNA instead. I know y'all had National Geographic back then already--READ A BOOK, Louis, it's what you're best at.

Incredible. After all of that Louis said Lestat never broke him. BENT BUT NEVER BROKEN, that's right! 💪😤

Boy, we're not talking about some little (unrequited) CRUSH over a man you only knew for a few months (which you've CLEARLY not gotten over yet). Louis was MARRIED to the man for 30 YEARS. This is his MAKER. Lestat knew his whole family; went to the Black cookouts and everything! They literally built a home AND business together! They raised a child together! WHATCHU KNOW ABOUT THAT!?

And that's LESTAT'S DAUGHTER TOO--how much can you possibly love EITHER of them while planning to knock her off!? I can't listen to too much more of this. *hands Louis the torch and scythe*

Beautiful end of this STACKED episode. Incredible work, AMC! Jacob acted his PANTS off; he excels at the trembling voice, agonized facial expressions, and utter mental breakdowns. He's pulling DEEP within him, holy god; it's so raw, it's almost hard to watch. EMMY WHEN?!

[petrovna-zamo]

What does it mean if Katya is putting up her costumes on depop already, new costumes? Their tour ain't even finished yet.. admittedly it's only the leotard/skirt from NY and the final number.. but im too emotionally attached to this tour that I don't want any of it sold 🥺

Well, if you want to commiserate about the fact that Katya will literally touch a piece of fabric for one second and then immediately sell it on her Depop… You’ve come to the right place! It makes me so sad too. I know she loves to immediately clean out her closet to make space for the new and she’s always done this but still it stings a little. Normally I’d say get the bag sis go ahead and overcharge for the privilege to smell your smoke and sweat soaked garments but in this case (and actually all cases because I’m sad every time she’s does this) I’m like… is nothing scared?! Katya you don’t need the money please save something! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again but in 10 years time Trixie will have a whole museum dedicated to everything she ever wore and Katya will be living in the woods without a trace to remember her by.

But if it means anything? Besides the fact that she’s definitely not as attached as us lol… No I don’t think so. She’s selling the previous versions of costumes she’s since updated and she’s done that before. Also I don’t think there will be a lot of new changes or updates for the last couple of shows since there’s only 11 left. You never know though! But it is sad that she’ll sell stuff she and Andrew/Astor Yang have made as well as pieces from drag and costume designers like Marco Marco/Dallas Coulter/Amie Sarazan… these are all very talked people and I want their work appreciated by all… but I don’t necessarily believe that means a resale is needed. The only perk is that we now know more about the clothes like the fact that she has at least two leotard versions (makes sense it’s good to have a backup). But all of this does give me an excuse to talk about the changes in the costumes she’s sold so far…

During the first leg of T&K live for the NY/NY number their dresses/leotards were a brighter pink/red sequined fabric but more high cut around the legs and they complained about it during the live pod in Austin (you can see their shapewear and after the skirt reveals they were always adjusting their outfits like it was uncomfortable) so it makes sense they updated those. The newer versions are more full coverage around the legs and are lined around the neckline. I will say I don’t like the almost silvery sheen to the sequin fabric they used this time because the dress colors look more muted? But maybe it was just what they had available. Just in my opinion the originals captured the light better in photos.

For the closing Chicago number they added the fringe to the bodysuit and gloves. 10/10 improvement. Turned cute leotards into flapper fringe mini dresses perfect for dancing. No notes.

Now for the robes they went from sequins to shiny and I think they look sleeker and more distinctive from all the other shades of red and pink they’ve previously used in the show. A+++.

The iconic Cекси outfit… loved the upgrade from the first leg to what she wore in AUS/NZ but this final version is the perfect combo of the original outfit and the more sexy update. Plus it fits better and she can move around in it more. All excellent choices here but they settled on the best for sure.

So while I’m sad about all of these original costumes being sold I don’t thing there’s anything deeper going on here besides it’s definitely ending and she’s definitely not saving anything despite all of us definitely wishing that was not the case!

If anyone has their eye on anything, especially the updated versions of the costumes, save up now and turn those notifications on because there’s a 99% chance she’ll sell them one day. Honestly there’s a lot I would be tempted to buy because I love literally everything she wears but I’d rather shes hang onto it in the off chance she wears it again. Maybe once this tour is all said and done I’ll do a full T&K Live costume retrospective and then a follow up with an in memoriam post once she inevitably sells everything…

[soosoosoup]

Funk branch au

Au and branch design by @bbc-trolls

[transgender-chiroptera]

Can you share some of your favorite bat facts? I wanna add more to my lil arsenal of cool random facts. :]

Of course! Apologies for the late response, I saw this at like 1am four days ago, forgot everything I knew about bats, and then fell asleep and only remembered I even got this ask today. Anyways! Some bat facts :)

Common Vampire bats are some of my absolute favourites, mostly because of their ability to run on the ground! They can gallop with their forelimbs and take off from the ground by leaping into the air and catapulting themselves with their wings, which is speculated to be how Pterodactyls took off as well! Most bats cannot take off from the ground, and must be elevated to take flight, so this is pretty cool. Makes sense too, since they mostly feed from the ankles of large mammals and so need ground maneuverability!

Here's a video of a vamp taking off, and here's a video of one walking around! I think their skittery movements and lil' faces are just the CUTEST, but I know I'm probably in the minority there. Also there's a large dish of blood in the second video, so fair warning there!

All three true Vampire bats have evolved special grooves in their mouths in order to act as a gutter of sorts to funnel the blood into their mouths, but the exact arrangement differs between them. The Hairy-Legged Vampire bat has a groove along the roof of the mouth, whereas the White-Winged and Common Vampire bats have lingual grooves under the tounge! Speaking of White-Winged Vampire bats, they're the only bats in the world with 22 teeth, for some reason (likely no reason since the molars are vestigial), AND they have scent glands in their mouths that might be used to deter predators. Pretty cool stuff!

Finally, all three species of true Vampire Bats are cute as hell. Look at these lil' guys!!

(left to right- White-winged, Hairy-legged, and Common Vampire bats!)

[houseofscribbles]

HATSUNE MIKU? Is that you?

Some Spark L's in Miku inspired outfits!

Bonus under read more

[topnotchquark]

I am new to motogp, but what the fuck is the deal with Uccio and the rosquez drama in 2015.

My brother in Christ are u stupid? Why don't you tell Vale to put all his stamina and mental games on f.ing Lorenze, the actual threat to the 10th? You could scheme the divorce in 2016 or sth you stupid Ipad stand!

Oh my god! An opportunity to analyse Uccio! Persona non grata and public enemy number 1 on motogpblr (btw, are there any Uccio shooters on Tumblr? My inbox is a safe space, I wanna hear your side of the story).

There is no way for me to know for a fact why Uccio ended up being the first domino to fall that led to Sepang 2015 but I did look around to see if I could find a bit more about the relationship between Vale and Uccio.

These two go all the way back to the crib, literally. Uccio mentioned in an interview that Tavullia is a small town and they were only a few months apart in age so they ended up at the only day care in the town together.

Uccio has been called a bumbling fool and a freeloader and what not (look at this post openly roasting him for being Vale's Lackey) and despite my dislike of him I won't do the same (for once lol). Vale shot to stardom at a young age doing the death sport that required him to travel extensively. What better way to feel grounded than to have your childhood friend near you at all times (the fact that Vale didn't leave Tavullia for flashier places like Monaco or wtv has been reiterated in so much writing about him, and Uccio has said the same). There is definitely an element of familiarity and comfort that both Vale and Uccio seek from each other. Uccio mentioned that they would come back from a weekend of racing, put down their suitcases and immediately get on the phone with each other, which, teenage bestie-ism is such a force lol it could power cities if harnessed.

Anyway, back to racing. The consensus is that Vale didn't have the best rivals in Biaggi and Gibernau, they were inconsistent and susceptible to mind games. Vale enjoyed the initial years of his career as an untouchable, peerless talent. And then..... the winds changed direction :)

Vale was 36 in 2015, most pro athletes are considered done and dusted at that age. He had been putting his body through years of premier class motorcycle racing. Add to that how bad the Ducati years had been and just, so much life had happened. I don't want to talk about Sic's death, but that too and while racing at that. Vale had already started working on the academy (Franky was signed in 2013 afaik). Vale had moved on from the glittering, ebullient, darling of every circuit personality. Imo choosing to be a mentor and doing that well is among the most impressive things Vale has done but when you mentally cross the rubicon to accept your youth is decidedly over, it changes things. For starters, it's a real question of whether you've already chosen to hang your boots. What I'm trying to say is, a lot was at stake in 2015 for Vale. The kind of, calm and bemused, quietly malicious as and when required public persona that Vale has honed over the years needs the solid bedrock of consistent winning to seem graceful. It wasn't just a championship at this point, it was a question of pride and cementing your legacy and being the architect of how the world perceives you when the odds have been stacked against you for a while.

Back to Uccio. He simply didn't trust or like Marc. Or anyone who was on the racetrack at the same time as Vale (he didn't even spare sweet nothings for Viñales). I have no concrete theory for said distrust short of just saying Uccio is a bit of a slimy character (this interview of Uccio when he's doing his best impersonation of henchman from an old Hollywood western). Uccio wasn't even happy when Marc made the infamous visit to the ranch in winter of 2014. Guess the whole "Marc is helping Jorge win" thing was Uccio's attempt at reminding Vale of his ruthless nature that he thought Vale was finding hard to tap into (Vale did say Marc was an updated model of him). A friend once said that a lot of time public facing figures aren't as cruel or rancid in their interpretation of the world as much as the followers of said people. So Uccio started talking shit and given the circumstances of 2015, it made an impact.

Ultimately the odds were stacked high and Vale made a mistake. I suppose Vale knows a thing or two about how pressure can make someone succumb to errors :)

So that's my take on the whole deal. Uccio, croney par excellence, used Vale's desperate title bid in 2015 to purge some of his misplaced blood lust. He made Marc his target because according to him the young ones on the grid were nothing but a nuisance. Vale fucked up and let it drive his paranoia and made a big fucking mistake.

[your-local-grinning-cat]

Hey love! ♡♡♡,

I'm curious, what is your grandad like? How was it growing up with him around?

(Also, because of course I should ask this as well, do you think he'd like me-?)

Darlinnnnnnnnnnnn~!!!!! 💖💖💖💖💖

*pounces on you in a hug*

My favorite Heartslabyul-shaped Diasomnian! 😹

Hmmmm…

As for my Grandpaw… I didn’t just grow up with him around, I grew up with only him around. I don’t really remember my parents. They were unfortunately lost to what every Cheshire willingly and lovingly makes their worst enemy, so I was raised by my Grandpaw!

He is very fun! I still haven’t guessed his first name, even after all these years, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out eventually! 😼 My Grandpaw likes to tell lots of stories and you’ll never know if they’re true or not… sometimes the ones you’re so sure are the lies are the truths.

One time, he told me a story about this giant egg man sitting on a wall that was so well-to-do that a KING gave him a cravat (or was it a belt? 🤔) as an Unbirthday present and promised to fix him if the egg man broke his shell. I was pawsitive my Grandpaw was just telling tall tales with that one… nope! Learned years later that it did happen… in a different universe. Grandpaw is just sneaky like that! 🤭

He’s great with kids - he’s who I want to be when I am as old as he is. He was always so patient with teaching me how to appear and disappear, teleport, and [REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED]. I don’t know where I would be without him. 🥰

And I think he would adore you, Darlin! You’re important to me, which means he’s already going to like you, but also? You gave me earrings. And I’m wearing them. He’s gonna know that means I really like you. So that means he won’t just like you as an accessory to me, he will sit you down and get to know you so he can say fur sure that he likes you. 💜

[muzzleroars]

Hihi me again before I forget!! What kind of angels are the siblings? are they just archangels or would they all be different like seriphum, powers, dominions etc?

This may be too niche. I’m really into angelology

connecting on the angelology wavelength....i consider the archangels to actually be cherubim, in specific the "living creatures" that accompany god in ezekiel's vision. they each default to a singular head, michael as the lion, gabriel as the eagle, uriel as the ox, and raphael as the man, creating a unique "unit" even among the cherubim. i decided to go with this interpretation since it is made clear in ultrakill that gabriel, as an archangel, is quite high in status (being man-shaped and above the virtues, who are middling in rank according to traditional christian hierarchies) but is also not at the top, as he takes orders from the council. so i figured they wouldn't be traditional archangels and instead are archangel in title, to denote their leadership roles in heaven. no matter what, their ranking is unique, acting as the bearer of god's throne and having much more sweeping responsibilities than most. these are based on a mix of their biblical jobs and their roles in paradise lost - it may be a BIT of a mess, but how the archangels fit into the heavenly choirs is tricky in general!!!

[despairforme]

Doing his best Ulquiorra impression, voice flat: ❝ Trash. ❞

[skydemonizark]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who reblogged something from you! get to know your mutuals and followers 💜💜

Video games (currently playing so much Stardew Valley and terraria, but story of seasons, rune factory, and dragon age always bring me joy)

Manga/ webtoons (mainly bl, but anything with any kind of supernatural/ fantasy/ or sci-fi elements are my jam. Also everyone needs to read from far away it's the best manga I've ever read and not enough people appreciate it)

Youtube (so many youtubers make my day better, tho rn I'm binging so much drawfee)

Dropout (kinda youtube adjacent but since they aren't on there much anymore I'm counting them as separate. My fav series they do is game changer, make some noise, and um actually)

sweets (literally anything with added sugar that doesn't give me a headache (so no dark chocolate or citrus baked goods))

[francy-sketches]

Look I love alicent she’s my meow meow but why are some of her stans so against her being compared to cersei they just objectively share similarities it’s not an insult to her I prommy. Like seeing them get upset at the comparison between the eye funni in hotd and the trident oopsie in got is just. Girl calm down nobody’s saying they’re the exact same but the pararell is so obvious lmao. Not everything is an attack on your fave hotd twitter is rotting your brain please go oustide we’re worried about you

[supercantaloupe]

happy sleepover saturday!!! next will question will be photos of lulu BUT would you like to draw your fav opera npc? i understand there arent npcs in operas but one w npc vibes. also. badass women in opera for the uneducated?

i would say that operas Absolutely have npcs, we just call them supernumeraries lol (supernumeraries are nonspeaking/nonsinging roles, like an extra in a movie or tv show)

anyway my fave has to be donna elvira's maid in this production of don giovanni. the maid is referenced once or twice in the libretto and in most productions she shows up maybe once but doesn't really do much, if she shows up at all. but in this one she's onstage a LOT and practically gets her own arc, despite the entire time being completely silent. i think it's a FASCINATING addition to the opera and i love it so much

[ask meme]

[lispenardst]

3, 12, 14, and 15 for FT asks? :D

Okay so to start with I’m sorry that I took so long to answer this!! Thank you for asking you lovely person and also I’ve been drinking for hours (merry christmas ho ho ho 🎅🏼) so these answers may be a load of unintelligible shit but lol whatever lets go

3. What is your favourite episode and why?

It might be a controversial one but honestly? Episode 1. I just love beginnings. The hope and potential and possibility of a fresh start, the excitement and thrill of the unknown, the electricity of new connections, I’m just a sucker for it. I watched episode 1 when it first aired and honestly felt as though it could’ve existed as a stand alone short film. It was the perfect way to set the scene for the series but also was such a beautifully told story in its own right. Idk if any of you have watched Weekend by Andrew Haigh? Idk if I’m chatting nonsense here but it gave me a similar vibe to that… all the emotion and potential and unspoken truths simmering under the surface, intense feelings manifesting as sexual interplay… all of it culminating in what felt like somewhat repressed and wasted potential. I’ll shut up now lol but it was such a perfect first episode. I could babble about it endlessly.

12. Which song, used in soundtrack, you liked the most?

Ooooh such a good question - are we talking about the score, or are we talking songs that were included? Whatever I’ll do both

Score wise can I just say it is the most fucking gorgeous soundtrack, I am such a slut for a good soundtrack and this one has me in a chokehold I love it. It’s so emotional, I cry just listening to it. Paul Leonard-Morgan I loge you you’re a genius

My favourite piece of music from the score has to be Waiting for Tim, it makes my heart ache. I’d love to say something a bit more eloquent about it but honestly it just makes me want to throw up from emotion ✌️ omg and Forbidden Joy that plays during the game of charades in ep2, that scene makes me feel like someone just scooped out my insides

Aside from the score I loooove anything by Arthur Russell, especially Love Is Overtaking Me. If Its Magic by Stevie Wonder is also amazing, especially as a choice for the opening scene. Also You Turned The Tables On Me by Anita O’Day. And omg Found A Cure by Ashford and Simpson that plays when Tim and Hawk are dancing in the club, so so so good

14. Do you have any unpopular opinions about Fellow Travelers?

Hmm….

I don’t think it’s controversial, but I do think that all the people on TikTok and the like who comment like ‘Fuck Hawk he’s evil and never loved Tim!!!’ must either be emotionally constipated or like 14 years old. Like how can a fully grown adult watch this show and come to that conclusion???? And whyyyy are people so obsessed with good vs bad? ‘Tim is an innocent baby and Hawk is a BAD MAN’ like how is that all you see?? Surely that is the least interesting thing about these characters? The most wonderful thing about this show is that everybody is painfully human, they hurt and hurt others and make mistakes just like we do. How can you boil down an entire human being to being ‘good’ or ‘bad’? It’s boring and I have no interest in it. It’s so telling of the time that we live in, that people immediately want to categorise human beings based on their perceived morality. All the characters in this show are just shades of grey, they are nuanced complicated human beings carrying all the complexity that a human being should carry. The focus should not be on bad vs good. It frustrates me!! That is surely the least interesting thing about these characters!! They have such rich inner worlds and such complex motives and you want to reduce them down to “Hawk is bad man and Tim is innocent baby and Lucy is evil lady” ugh it’s so BORING how is that all you see

15. What is your favourite relationship from the show (could be romantic or platonic)?

Oh this is so easy. Obviously fav romantic is Hawk and Tim - pretty self explanatory, I won’t elaborate or we’ll be here all day

Favourite platonic is Tim and Jackson without a shadow of a doubt, I’ve talked about this quite a lot on here already (I think? Or was that on reddit?) but yeah, I just feel as though they were connected from the moment Jackson was born and, similarly to how infrequent Hawk and Tim’s interactions were, Tim and Jackson remained connected for life, regardless of how much time and distance was placed between them. They were kindred spirits. I feel as though their scenes together were some of the most pure and honest and powerful in the entire show.

[mehoymalloy]

For the character ask game: 2, 12, and 13 for Otohan, please!

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

I love that they're implied to be on the shorter side. Five feet of whoop ass. While I don't have an exact height headcanon for them, Matt has said that they take up a lot of space even though they're lithe and compact, and look down their nose at people despite the fact that they're not actually taller. And while the character art isn't exactly to scale, I like to think Imogen has a solid two inches on them at least.

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

They take meticulous care of their armor and weapons. Like I'm talking a daily routine that is never skipped, no matter what odd time that means it might get done. When Orym can't sleep, he does push-ups; when Otohan can't sleep, they clean and oil their swords.

13. What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?

I firmly believe that if Otohan Thull had a cellular device they would use perfect grammar and spelling, never use an emoji or even old school emoticons, and maybe even sign off their text messages with whatever their official title is (if they texted at all; they might be one of those "if you can't say it aloud in under two minutes then I don't want to hear it" types lol).

With that said... 🤨⚔️🩸

From this character ask game!

[creativenicocorner]

WELL! I heard it was SOMEBODY’S birthday today!!! And I’ve been having a lot of Hanazawa Teruki and older brother/weird uncle/father figure Reigen feelings lately ;~~;  <3

So A GIFT!! A silly yet wholesome interaction between Teruki and Reigen from my upcoming Serirei case fic (that still needs an official title but is currently called Glow Worms[working title] in my docs) 

Happy Birthday Teruki you sparkling mad lad you! 

For context: Teruki is getting some last minute ‘hanging out with Reigen time’ the night before Reigen and Serizawa travel four hours away up north for a very curious case (something that may or may not be affecting a small village and plants- I’m sure it’s fine).  This involves last minute packing, movie watching, and   usual shenanigans. 

❧❧❧

Teruki watched Reigen vaguely wander about his apartment, a carryon suitcase, half finished, and open in one of the few walking spaces the studio apartment allowed. 

Teruki fished for another prawn cracker from its bag. “How long is this going to take, Reigen-san?” Teruki considered the cracker, and wondered if he could catch it if he flipped it in the air. 

“Not much longer,” said Reigen distractedly. He was considering a pair of shorts, and whether or not the way the pockets were sewn would make it bulky to fold into his little carryon. Especially if he wanted to bring backup shoes. His old galoshes would have to be replaced. Then again, despite the spring, the temperature would still be chilly where he and Serizawa were heading for their case. Now, if he wore his scarf on the way there tomorrow he wouldn’t have to find a way to fold it into the carryon…

“You shouldn’t have waited until the last minute.” Teruki watched Reigen change his mind on the shorts, while muttering something about jeans.

“Hm,” was Reigen’s only reply.

Teruki frowned. Then watched as Reigen picked up a vibrant red button down that had yellow and brown accented stripes that occasionally dipped into black and pink when those stripes collided. Which wasn’t often. It wasn’t strictly plaid, but an erratic zig-zag idea of plaid. 

While watching as Reigen considered the material between his fingers, Teruki wondered what else Reigen was considering.

Mischief compelled Teruki to theatrically suck air through his teeth and say, “really you’re going with that choice? Pretty bold Reigen-san. I don’t know…”

Finally Reigen looked up. “What do you mean?” 

“Don’t you think it’s much?”

Reigen held the button down defensively to his chest. “There’s nothing much with this.” In fact, he thought it brought out his eyes nicely. 

Teruki shook his bag of prawn crackers while idly considering this. “Alright, maybe not much. I mean I think it’s fine.” Reigen watched as Teruki’s grin grew even wider, “but, I’m just worried for poor Serizawa-san. So used to seeing you in gray.”

Reigen clicked his tongue, glancing away. “So shameless. Rude in my own home,” muttered Reigen, without any real bite. Then paused, and said, with a sincerity that shocked even him, “you think he’ll get seasick or something?”

Teruki threw a pillow at him. 

“Fool!” Reigen fumbled with the pillow. “I was just,” he hesitated then said, “committing to the bit.”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Teruki acting the part of a brat. He rested his chin in his palm with a grin. “So was I. It’s a perfectly fine shirt for,” Teruki rolled his other hand vaguely, “whatever it is you have in mind.”

“Thank you,” said Reigen, folding the button down into the carryon with a snooty sort of vindication. He ignored how warm his cheeks were.

“So is this for like, a fancy case? Or is it one of those ‘excuse’ date- I mean cases.”

“It’s a very real, very serious case. That’s going to take us out of the city. In fact, a little farther out than usual.”

“Ah-huh.”

“No, really,” said Reigen dropping his previous airs. “It’s perhaps one of the bigger ones we’ve had yet. People have reported going missing, then coming back as if in a haze. Some report growths. Lights in the wilderness. A spike in insomnia and accidents. Farmers are at risk, just as much as the crops.”

“Oh,” said Teruki, “that does sound pretty serious.” Teruki set the prawn cracker bag on the short excuse of a coffee table. “What if it turns out to be some conspiracy?”

“Then we hand whatever information Serizawa and I managed to gather to the authorities,” said Reigen blandly. 

“Boooooring.”

“Respooooonsiiiiibleeee,” countered Reigen, matching Teruki’s tone despite the deadpan.  

“Do you think it’s dangerous?”

“I don’t know,” Reigen shrugged, genuinely, “anything is possible. But it’d mean quite a lot if we can manage to help them.”

“Weird stuff happening in the deep countryside doesn’t bode well.”

Reigen made a non-comital sound. 

Teruki brightened, “can I come?”

“Tempting, but you have school.” Teruki stuck his tongue out with full teenage abandon. Reigen returned the gesture in kind. “Anyways,” he continued, “we don’t know how long this will take, hence,” he gestured to the carryon before zipping it close and motioning a silent ‘ta-da’.

“FinALLY!” Teruki cheered.

Reigen turned, and allowed a smirk to grow as he put the carryon away, allowing for more space. He then considered rolling out the extra futon. 

It was planned, since they had to leave early in the morning, and Serizawa’s classes weren’t too far from Reigen’s apartment, that it would be practical, and very pragmatic, if Serizawa stayed the night. That way they could leave for the train together. Something any friend would plan with another. It was the Responsible Thing to do. There was nothing deep to think about it, or tack on. Heck it wouldn’t even be the first time Serizawa was spending the night, in a friendly capacity. Or shared a hotel room for economic pragmatism, likewise in a friendly capacity.

But that was all over long periods of time, and the more they got to know each other, and their, well, tentative work-friendship deepened, well…

Reigen could tell he was going to start thinking himself into a spiral. He scrubbed his hand over his face, as if that could rub out or mask in some way the powdered pink hue that was warming over his cheeks. 

The futon set up could wait. 

“So,” huffed Reigen as if about to take on an impossible task, “what movie are we watching tonight.”

Unperturbed by Reigen’s antics, Teruki held up a an old dvd case. One could instantly tell it wasn’t an official dvd, especially with the lack of cover art replaced by a white paper strip that had handwritten the movie title in the sleeve. In short, it was a torrented dvd burned onto a disc.

“Man, you must have dug deep in my collection, kid.” Reigen turned the case over, and read the title handwritten title: Only Yesterday directed by Isao Takahata. "Really? This movie?" He tried not to sound too judgmental, in his genuine curiosity. "I thought you'd want to watch Death Pig: The Screaming Oink, or, something."

Teruki shook his head, "I know, but," he looked at the handwritten title, and shrugged, "I saw a gif of it online and the animation looks nice. And, well..." he trailed off trying to find the right words.

Reigen opened the dvd case, and took out the burned copy. With his head down, he conspicuously slid his eyes over to Teruki who was still struggling to find words. Even bombastic teens had moments of feeling embarrassed. 

“Well,” said Reigen, breaching the hanging silence sympathetically, "there's no harm in branching out."

Teruki lifted his head, and brightened. "Yeah! Thats what I was thinking."

"Though, if I remember the movie right, the pacing is a bit slow."

"I can do slow."

"True."

"And if I, we," Teruki corrected, "really don't like it we can change it." 

Reigen smirked, amused, "Sure, no trouble.” He started the procedure of setting the movie up. “Topical too.”

“Oh?”

“The countryside discussion? The case?” Reminded Reigen.

“Ooh. Right.” Teruki paused then said, “wait there’s farming in this?”

“You didn’t read the summery?”

“Nah, going in blind.”

Reigen shrugged, “respect.”

“So,” said Teruki, a little softer, like when someone was trying very hard to be casual about something that actually held great meaning, “are you going to be gone until the weekend? Longer?”

“Mm, maybe, depends.” 

Teruki willed his jaw not to clench. “On what?”

“How long it takes to ~solve the mystery~” While adding dramatics, Reigen positioned his head so he could watch Teruki from his peripheral. Which was how he was able to spot the slight shoulder slump from the teen.

“…oh.” Teruki tried very hard not to sound disappointed. The result was a strained brittleness. 

“Something up?” Reigen turned from his squat position by the dvd player, and rested his elbows on his knees, “sink blocked? Or something?”

“No!” Teruki was very quick to say. “Everything is fine!!” 

Reigen lifted an eyebrow, and hoisted himself back upright with the help of his hands on his knees. “Yeah?”

“Oh, totally!!!” Reigen walked out of Teruki’s line of sight, much to Teruki’s relief, he wasn’t sure he could handle that appraising deadpan. 

“Don’t you have that, uh, that test coming up?” There was the sound of a terracotta pot being shifted. “What was it in again?”

“Math, so I doubt you can be of much help!!!!” Teruki internally winced at his phrasing. “Cause uh, well,” he tried in vain to backpedal, deflating all the more in the process. 

“Yeah, yeah, liberal arts, whatever. I biffed it trying to help Mob.” Then in a slight barely audible mutter, “not my fault they keep finding weirder ways to do math. Geeze.” 

“Well, you were helpful for that one literature essay,” said Teruki, loyally.

This earned him a small snort from Reigen. “So nothing’s up? School-wise?”

“Nope! Everything is, a-okay.” Teruki finally started to turn around from his seat on the couch, “just what are you doin-”

“Catch,” said Reigen, already throwing the tiny jingling object.

Teruki scrambled to catch the cold little thing. It was only until he looked down at his palm that he realized, “keys?”

“Yep. Spare keys.” 

Teruki stared at the ring of keys in his palm like they were bird’s eggs.

“The one with the blue band is the apartment, orange is the office,” said Reigen, pointing.

“For me?”

“Yeah, kid. And don’t take this lightly! I’m going to need a set of eyes on this place,” Reigen waved his arms in full showmanship, "no telling what could happen.” He paused, then said, far less dramatically, “that and this place stinks if a window isn’t cracked now and again, and I don’t want my plants dying on me by the time I get back.” Reigen poked the top of Teruki’s head, as if to be sure what he said next would truly get past Teruki’s skull, “cause I am coming back.”

“I just,” said Teruki to the keys, hoping he didn’t sound brittle, “never heard of you taking on a case so far away, with no fixed end.” 

Distantly Teruki’s imagination started to fabricate a movie of Reigen and Serizawa, hand in hand, running off together, suitcases packed, never to return. Which Teruki knew was silly. For one the two adults were so blind to the other’s feelings it was painfully comical. Yet some irrational, fearful part inside Teruki scratched the back of his brain, taking the vague form of his parents who were galavanting across the sea who knows where. 

Teruki didn’t have to look up, he could feel the weight of Reigen’s eyes. It was then replaced by a very real weight on the top of Teruki’s head. Reigen was casually using him as an arm rest. 

“Hmm, yeah that is pretty out of the normal,” Reigen nodded, looking at the hanging spider plant that was fixed above the edge of the tv. “Normally I’d happily assume, what, three days? Especially with Serizawa’s skill. But there’s so many particulars about this case. More variables than usual, and a whole lot of land to cover.”

Teruki angled his head lower. “Yeah.”

Reigen shrugged, “if it takes more than two weeks, then I’ll just have to bring in backup.”

Teruki dared to smile. His head tilted up. “Backup?”

Reigen scratched the side of his face, brows pinched together. “Yeah,” he drawled. “Gosh, but who?” Reigen added a pinch more weight onto his impromptu arm rest. 

“Hey!”

“Maybe I can get a hold of Joseph,” said Reigen, now making a point of not looking at Teruki, or his growing smile. “Though it might be last minute.”

Teruki was now fighting against the growing weight on his head, “he chain smokes! It’ll get in the way of your progress!”

Reigen, master of the deadpan, ignored Teruki, “If only I knew someone else, damn I’m drawing a blank here…”

“You’re breaking my spine!!” Teruki laughed. 

“Thats it! I’ll see if Dimple would want to tag along.”

“No! He’ll mock you every time you look at Serizawa-san.”

“Damn. He’d mock me every time I look at Serizawa, huh.”

“At this rate you’ll stunt my growth!”

“If only I knew a blonde shortie.”

“Reigen-san!”

Reigen finally stood up right, though not without ruffling Teruki’s hair, “yeah?”

Teruki half-heartedly batted Reigen’s hand away. Then looked up at him, daring to hope. “You mean it?”

Reigen blinked. “Mean what?” The pained look that flashed across Teruki’s eyes was enough for him to instantly drop his charade. “Yeah kid, I mean it,” he smiled, that crooked endearing smile that was a sliding scale between big-brotherly, caring uncle, and fatherly. 

Teruki gave a sigh of relief.

“And,” continued Reigen, “you can always call me, anytime, you know the spiel. Though don’t get discouraged if I can’t answer right away, the reception is bound to be spotty. I also want to know those test results you know. 

“Even if it’s math?” Teruki teased. 

“Yes,” sighed Reigen in faux exasperation, “even if it’s math. Don’t want you ending up like me. I mean, I can add and multiply and even, uh, minus fast.”

“Minus fast??”

“Subtract. Whatever. The point is, I don’t do trigonometry every time I have to handle the register. No. wait. The real point is, I want you to do well.”

Teruki snorted a laugh, “alright."

“No room for slacking, and all.” 

“I said alright!” It was Teruki’s turn to play faux exasperation. Basking in the normalcy of being a teen being bothered about his grades. 

“Oh, and I mean it with the plants,” Reigen thumbed to his impossible to kill Devil’s Ivy plant, “you gotta promise to treat these mad lads right.”

Teruki cringed at the use of ‘mad lads’, though not with his whole heart. His chest felt lighter, and his smirk was more relaxed. “Yeah. Alright. You can rely on me, Reigen-san."

The way Teruki clutched the keys a little tighter did not go unnoticed. Nor did the way his shoulders seem a little more squared.

“It’s a big responsibility.” Reigen clapped a hand on those slightly more squared shoulders, and said, “think you can handle it?”

Teruki clasped his hand around the set of keys, determined. “Absolutely.” Teruki leaned forward and very purposefully placed the keys on the same ring where he kept his own apartment keys. 

“I’m sure you’ll do well. And I’m sure the plants will thank you for your care”

Teruki gave Reigen a scrutinizing look, “were you planning this? Or did you just realize you forgot you’d need a house sitter?”

Reigen sunk his hands into his pockets, and stuck out his tongue. “I’ll never tell. Now. Scooch.” Reigen pushed Teruki lightly with his foot. “You blonde highlighter of a monster,” said Reigen, though not unkindly.  

“Hey!” Teruki laughed. 

“Oh, just one more thing,” deadpanned Reigen knocking his elbow amicably against Teruki’s, “about the apartment sitting.”

“Yeah?” Teruki imperceptibly leaned forward, anticipating something very important to commit to memory. 

“Don’t throw any wild parties while I’m gone, okay?” Reigen deadpanned. 

The mere idea that Teruki would have considered such a thing made him burst into another set of laughter. Relaxing again. Teruki grinned, and knocked his elbow back against Reigen’s, “no promises.”

“Tsk!! Oooo you shameless brat,” said Reigen, smiling. 

Teruki smiled back, and settled back into the couch feeling a little warmer.

The movie was nice, just as nice and scenic and thoughtful as Reigen had remembered. He was able to stay awake for an unprecedented fifteen minutes before falling asleep.

At some point Reigen felt a set of hands shake his arm. Then a pause, perhaps to consider using an elbow instead, only for the shake to return, a little harder.

“Reigen?” Whispered Teruki. “Reigen-san?”

“Hmm?” Reigen said in ‘I was awake the whole time’ tones.

“Do old people always get this reminiscent about the past?”

“Huh?”

“You know, all this, pensive stuff,” said Teruki gesturing to the screen. The protagonist was laying in a sleeper train cot, staring pensively at the ceiling.

Reigen blinked, then said, “I’ll let you know when I’m older.”

“You’re no use,” tutted Teruki, halfheartedly. His eyes slid back to the screen. There was something about a slow paced film that could be so compelling. 

It wasn’t long until Reigen was compelled back to a doze. 

It wasn’t that he found the movie secretly boring, or he was particularly exhausted (at least not more than the usual),  but that it was all so peaceful. Long stretches of quiet moments, the difference in recording styles between the in-movie’s ‘past’ and ‘present’. But, perhaps, most of all, were the ambient tracks of regional bird calls he hadn’t heard in a long, long time. At the edge of Reigen’s mind, in that hazy space between dream and memory, he thought of biking through a dirt road, shaded by trees older than generations. Bird song filled the air. 

Teruki was far too absorbed to notice Reigen’s light snores. 

It was a near miracle for Reigen to wake up again at all, and yet he managed to wake up, just before the end of the movie. He groaned as he stretched, blearily making out the scene on the screen. The protagonist was talking to the love interest in the car. 

Reigen hoisted himself up to his feet, purposefully noisy, and mumbled about getting a start on dinner. 

This earned him a, “Shh!” from Teruki, who leaned forward as if that would block Reigen out. 

“Tsk, shameless,” said Reigen, though a little quieter. 

❧❧❧

___〆(・∀・)  Thank you for reading! ♡ I hope you enjoyed it! Now, if you’ll excuse me I must go be insufferable to my younger sibling lol happy 4/13!

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