#but they'll be friends later on

[disastrousduckss]

SJSNSJSJJS scene from chapter 12 from "We Are In Sync"

[puppypeter]

I very rarely think about storylines for royjamie after richmond (because it breaks my heart a little to think of anyone of the team leaving) but like it's possible that jamie would choose to stay with richmond his whole career, it's also possible that the people at richmond itself would push for him to play for *insert the name of whatever other european football team is considered the best* and he becomes a proper super star, being invited for fancy events and shit.

(In a made up world where Ted stayed in London) Roy and Jamie got together while at richmond and now Roy travels with him everywhere as his own personal coach / PA / secret boyfriend / man behind the camera of every instagram post / personal grumpy cat / number one fan / emotional support teddy bear / personal chef etc He loves being with him 24/7 and finds it fulfilling to still be involved with football and helping someone be the best they can be but without the added pressure of having to constantly step outside his comfort zone that he'd have experienced being a manager to a whole team (he's doing good with being vulnerable with Jamie, he can do it with one person that he loves and he is still going to therapy for himself to work through his own trauma/CEN/grief and is focusing on learning to be in his skin as a human being and not this fucked up idea of masculinity he's got in his head) And Roy has a private instagram account under a random username where he follows and is followed only by the richmond team/coaches/Rebecca/Higgins + Keely + Georgie & Simon + his sister and he only uses it to post pictures of food, nature, weird shit he finds in the cities they visit, and his fit boyfriend. Since it's friends only he does use captions ("the muppet had a late night last night" with a picture of Jamie asleep on the floor) and all the himbos love to comment, especially Dani's "Sexy muchachos #JOY" under every single picture.

"night out post Milan fashion week with the muppet and some lovely faces i have missed"

"one handsome dressed-up muppet in Paris"

"Elopement fit check #MyMuppet" (which sends everyone in a melt down) Here's some pics of Roy that Jamie posts instead (in his photo dumps to be sneaky but there's really a lot of roy on his profile - also they 100% got a puppy!!). Also think the proper first post containing only Roy that Jamie would post would be after they elope and it would melt down the internet (the in-universe royjamie rpf-ers especially)

(the last one is such a slutty roy pic *cough cough*)

"Roy Kent always remains 💙🪢" (somebody feel free to make an actual ig posts edit of this with better pics/captions if you fancy I will do nothing but cry and thank you forever because I have no skills but I cannot stop thinking about these muppets getting married!!)

[egophiliac]

have you seen the new kamen rider series yet?? i think it’s super cute!!

my watch group has gotten behind (alas, scheduling tomfoolery), but I'm hoping to catch up on it soon! :D what I've seen has been fast-paced but really cute; the lighter tone and premise are a nice breather after the last few series, and the Chemy are just adorable. I want my own Hopper1!

[finnleyandsillys]

Google search:

How to tell a person on the internet that I really love their old man variant and want to squeeze him until he explodes but also pat him aggressively until he flattens and can I do both?

[mspaintbladie]

the trailblazer should(n't) really keep an eye on their warp trotter or they'll end up in the seclusion zone

[buttercupshands]

Chapter 419 Analysis or "How to make allies not pawns" a helpful guide from League of Villains (part 2)

This is now a second part of Tomura character analysis.

With chapter 419 being probably our last time seeing Tomura for a while, since we need to learn what happened with Aizawa now is time to remember that not only bad things exist it Tomura's life.

Warning of spoilers to the whole manga to the point of chapter 419! All of the warnings from My Villain Academy side of manga are applicable

So like... mentions of death, killing other people, manipulation, emotional abuse and many more!

This is Part 2 - See here for Part 1 of this depressing mess

With AFO being so sure that he knows better and actually controlled every single part of Tenko's life creating a Symbol of Fear without any redeeming qualities or even hope for saving after he destroys him. There's one thing that AFO still doesn't understand about Tomura and never did - and that's his allies, or the League of Villains that he created.

Even Kurogiri, being a Nomu who's views do not stray from what AFO thought was important didn't exactly understand what did Tomura think about his allies quick to assume that he thought of them as pawns all the was back in the Training Camp arc. With Tomura making game examples to explain the situation, he still didn't think of LoV as just pawns on a desk, like AFO does.

At the time of USJ arc there weren't many people Tomura called this, which could make you wonder how much it was just AFO's plan rather than Tomura's with him never worrying about those other villains yet getting so worked up over losing Nomu not only because he was strong enough to defend him from All-Might, but treating his defeat as something that must be avenged.

And that was long before Stain even entered the picture, the first of three people who greatly affected Tomura's view of his own motives alongside AFO's manipulation of literally everything else.

Tomura was terrified of fighting All-Might seconds before this and yet as this goes on it's becoming more noticeable - Tomura doesn't care for his own fear or worries as long as he's fighting for someone else's good. Not so different from how Izuku is ready to disregard himself for the sake of others, resulting in many injuries and being so close to dying so many times.

It never was a secret that Tomura is highly dependent on others to keep himself from losing confidence, or even will to fight, getting either too anxious to continue without anyone's reassurance.

And while AFO's "help" was mostly given only with some kind of lesson as we saw in "Tomura Shigaraki: Origin", with AFO literally sitting there, saying how Tenko is weak for not killing but showing some restrain instead suffering himself, never actually helping or comforting him. Only offering what he deemed nessesary for his own plan of making Tenko kill those thugs not caring that he's feeling sick from those hands.

But in USJ it's not AFO who's there with Tomura, it's Kurogiri, who was shown to still have some care that Shirakumo had that even Aizawa and Mic couldn't argue that it's similar to how Shirakumo couldn't just leave a kitten in the rain. No matter the responsibility that it would bring with taking a little one in.

A helpless little kitten that didn't get the help it needs from anyone else. Sounds way too familiar.

This never was a direct order from AFO other than he needs to "tend and protect" for Tomura, which can mean anything from just looking out when Tomura's sick, or protect him from any tread like someone trying to kill him.

Not helping him getting over his anxiety to fight or helping him and guiding him to do better as a leader of the League calming him if it got out of control. Which is somewhat opposite to the way AFO deals with Decay and Tomura's temper - letting him destroy anything even the hands that he gave him, just offering new ones when he succeedes and never really caring for his pawns, he can always get new ones.

And surely not asking if Tomura's well the first thing while talking to Heroes.

Which then leads us back to how Tomura never viewed anyone that he chose as pawns calling them his allies, with the word '仲間' which can even be translated as friends in needed context, but usually used as comrade or ally when Tomura says it. And the same thing is usually translated as "friend" when used by Twice.

In any case Tomura never once doubted his allies since he saw them as reliable, even if his first meeting with Toga and Dabi went so wrong that Kurogiri had to stop them from killing each other.

Up to the point of Training Camp AFO describes as him teaching Tomura to be independent which was at that point too far from the truth than he thought. If Tomura begging for AFO to leave with them is any indicator he actually was even less independent after All-Might almost caught them, making him doubt his own worth as a leader. Even if AFO's defeat finally let him think and wonder about himself and his past.

AFO believed that Tomura just knowing how to recruit people would suddenly make him great at using those new "pawns" which was proven wrong by Overhaul no so long after that. Showing how Tomura believed the same thing AFO did as well, fully trusting his judgement of anything including himself, all the while parroting what AFO says without fully understanding what it means.

Only after losing both Magne and Mr. Compress arm does Tomura slowly start making progress in becoming someone more than AFO tells him to do. Even if as we see in part 1 it used Decay as the ground to make it stable since he believed it was his quirk. And yet.

Even if Tomura didn't simply instruct his allies how to choose who to recruit, he never blamed them for it. On the opposite, when Twice was hard on himself after bringing Overhaul to them Tomura just looked at them for the first time without a hand on his face, or even on himself at all, showing how he trusts them as much as he would trust himself and believes that they can do it.

Taking off hands of his family would mean not relying on the conflicting feelings that they bring into the picture, something AFO would very much dissaprove, since he was now like an equal to everyone in LoV instead of being above them. He

And with this instead of making them blindly trust his decisions and following him from fear or adoration like people had been following AFO or Overhaul, he instead was an equal to them both in failure and victory that wasn't even all that guaranteed yet.

Each one of them had their own somewhat selfish goal that just seemed like they were just using each other without any worry being each other's pawns. Or maybe that's just how AFO would see them.

Yet it doesn't explain why did Toga care for Twice's trauma response of not having his mask on, since he already did his part and all that they both needed to do was done. But LoV was never about following orders or giving them, expecting for the pawns to follow without question. It was about a leader of the group that would stand up for his allies while allowing them full freedom, except when they needed to also accept that something is needed to be done for their own sake.

Like following Overhaul for a while all for cutting off his hands leaving him with nothing. Did that sound like something reasonable to do? No! They literally lost their chance at having sushi instead of just living at some abadoned building all the while occasionally searching for money or food, stealing and killing just to survive all while Tomura was just... waiting.

Nothing was really stable at the start of what we call My Villain Academia and yet no one from the LoV left while their state was... bad at the very least. No matter how AFO was teaching Tomura he was still left mostly waiting for something to happen rather than doing something to change the situation himself.

Sure, Tomura now was a famous leader of League of Villains that suddenly needed to be stopped rather that underestimated like before. But that was in the future, now LoV was laying low on funds and slowly Tomura showing his face became the norm, with him usually never wearing hands around LoV.

And with Tomura becoming more and more comfortable around LoV, the LoV itself was becoming more like a place that had one core value that accepted anything else added without anyone wondering about the past of others, like Compress said. Just some selfish people, who still followed their own needs first.

And yet somehow Toga, who joined just because she loved Stain and disliked how life was too hard found her place in the LoV alongside Twice who just needed to be trusted and trust in return. If Tomura only followed what AFO deemed to be the best way to lead no one would actually feel like they're accepted in the LoV as much as they were.

Goal or no goal Tomura succeeded even without having the whole world at the palm of his hands by just never pressing anyone to actually follow him - if they wanted to they could've just left here and there, but since they chose to follow he did what he thought was the obvious best - let his allies do what they wanted.

Which was okay for someone like Toga or Dabi who were either already comfortable by just being allowed to be themselves or being free to plan their own things for their own goals.

But not exactly that for Spinner. Who was instead literally searching for someone to show him what to do, not so different from Tomura, who still only followed whatever 'his Sensei' deemed worthy for him to look into, like letting Kurogiri go find unknown "power" that AFO left along with contact with Doctor.

And while Spinner was not fine with still being hollow even while following Tomura pretending that it's the same thing as following Stain... all it took for him to look differently at how exactly was Tomura thinking was the last real "barrier" that there was - Tomura basically spilling his whole backstory and motivations mostly for LoV to listen to, since Doctor was just testing Tomura's will all according to AFO's plan.

And after that it didn't took too long for Spinner to now follow Tomura, even if it was still not the time to really see the 'warped horizon that was waiting for them'. And yet in times where Tomura still showed some doubt over his decisions - that one old trait of his showing up like it was always at the back of his head not so different from USJ, only thing changing that Tomura got better and better at not letting his emotions control him so easily.

Since the price of that would literally be lifes of his allies.

And neither that or using their emotions to his own benefit was ever in his plans, contrast to AFO manipulating Tomura to do just that. Letting his emotions consume him completely just for his own goal and for his own sake. But as a person who was so familiar with this Tomura still was adamant at NOT allowing something like this to happen to his friends allies.

Effectively creating a bond between all six of them, including Toya that in the end kept them together until the very final arc, with Spinner keeping what Tomura would've thought and with him waking up and calling Machia to get LoV first and foremost Spinner did understand their's leader wishes, as well as Twice's who literally died for his friends.

With all that happening in the War arc the moment AFO returned with both being in control of Tomura's body and just abadoned anything that Tomura would care for like leaving Mr. Compress and Machia behind just to punish him for not getting OFA or not even caring to show any actual respect for Tomura's wishes. Instead showing how little he actually cared for anything but his own good.

But while AFO made so many pawns that he could change like gloves at any given moment, threating them and manipulating them with his power and quirks, Tomura only had 6 allies who stayed after AFO was caught and who were willing to die just to live the life they wanted.

And AFO couldn't give them that.

Even if Decay isn't Tenko's quirk and even if he has so much guilt for killing without it being a little bit justified by it...

LoV still followed him as a person who allowed them to live as they please and so what they want, not some all-powerfull overlord but an ally and a leader who had his flaws and fallings.

[another-goblin]

SPOILERS for 2.2 and Aventurine's message

So his stone was completely destroyed, and the IPC knows about it. I've also got the feeling that he wanted to free himself from the IPC. So why, at the end of 2.2, does he act as if most of 2.1 didn't happen? I mean, why would he expect a rise from Diamond? He clearly still has full support of the IPC too.

Can you even be Aventurine the Stoneheart without aventurine the stone? Is Diamond going to give him a new one? 

I hope he's up to something. Otherwise, it doesn't make much sense.

I'm also a bit confused about this. Didn't it all happen exactly according to his plan? How was it foiled?

[achjira]

💜💜💜

[strawberrycamel]

ninjago seabound hurts. so much. what the fuck

[longagoitwastuesday]

I am liking Jujutsu Kaisen, way more than I imagined I would, but I foresee it will let me down and it's keeping me from enjoying this as much as I could haha

I think the characters and dynamics are well set, and I think many of them have an incredibly good and deep potential, but I would be willing to bet they'll not get a proper development, enough for them to really hit. A well assembled set of gears is not enough to make the movement go, you have to wind the clockwork.

I think Gojo and Megumi have a fascinating and very complex dynamic, but I doubt it will be given the time and care that imo it needs to actually work. And it is going well enough for now! One could see the intimacy between them was deeper than the one Gojo had with, say, Yuji and Nobara ever since the very first few episodes despite the fact Fushiguro too was a first year. But the pieces forming what they have are extremely complex, and it just wouldn't be realistic if it doesn't show, even if in a not showing way, or if it doesn't have consequences or implications.

It's one of those dynamics that shape one's life, the way one regards the world, the way one establishes or not relationships with other people. It's one of those dynamics that could be full of fondness, gratitude, resentment, admiration, trust, and that imply intimacy, the good kind or the bad, even if in just the knowledge of someone who's been a constant through your life. It could, and would, imply a myriad of feelings, and probably in such a mix it could imply contradictory feelings too. Even the nothingness would weight, even the nothingness would be significant and meaningful.

Gojo took Megumi and his sister under his wing, the son of a man who murdered him, because of both selfish and selfless reasons. Megumi looks like Toji. What does Gojo feel about this? How does Gojo deal with this? How does Gojo go about taking care of Megumi? Would he walk him to school? Make him breakfast? Celebrate his birthdays making him blow candles? Did he take him to the zoo? Does the relationship between them feel professional or is it something more? Gojo appreciates his students, but is Megumi to him just another student? When Gojo faces Sukuna in Megumi's body, did he see the kid he raised, or does he just see Sukuna in one of his students' body? Did he have one faint wavering instant? And how does Megumi feel about this? Is he resentful of him? Resentful of the situation? Of the selfishness behind his actions? Does he feel like a pawn? Is he grateful? Does he resent feeling grateful? Would he rather not? Does he love Gojo? Does he feel nothing about him other than what he could feel about a teacher that sort of annoys him but knows he's reliable in his strength? Does he think it unfair, cruel or unfeeling that Gojo is close, closer perhaps, with Yuuji or Yuta, considering their story? When Sukuna slices Gojo in two, does the remnants of Megumi's soul tremble?

And not just Megumi and Gojo. Yuuji and Nanami, Gojo and Nanami, Yuuji and Fushiguro, Nobara and the boys, or Nobara and Maki, Todo and Yuuji or Yuta, Gojo and Yuta, Megumi and his sister. Gojo and Geto, even! If the pieces are well set, the dynamics are intriguing, interesting, and have potential to be deep, but then the characters have like two plot relevant scenes that punch you hard, but little more, it's not nearly enough. Especially not nearly enough for the enormity that is shonen dynamics and situations. And the potential existing at all, and then not delivering, makes it all the more frustrating when you're left with something mediocre that could have been so good.

The development of dynamics through not only a few plot relevant gut wrenching moving scenes, but also the smallness of life, is important. The friend who recommended this to me said that those things were just unnecessary filler, but I disagree. I think there's a big difference between a large amount of anime-only filler episodes whose existence is based on the fact they had run out of manga chapters to animate, and moments of quietness. The low stakes character-driven moments of quietness can be so telling and so insightful, and they are so satisfactory when brought back later in higher stakes situations. My friend teased me there was no scene of Gojo making breakfast to Megumi, that it would be an idiotic idea, but it would be so telling. How he makes breakfast, what they eat, if he tries hard or if it's all mechanised, if they have personal bowls or if they use whatever, if he just buys them some pastry on the way to school, if the way they have breakfast changes through the years, or if he doesn't make them breakfast at all! All that would be very insightful on their dynamic and its evolution. All that would give a glimpse on how they regard each other and why, even in the present. All that could become meaningful in tense situations and high stakes scenes.

These moments also let the plot breath; if a lot is happening all the time, if every character is always experiencing trauma after trauma, the entire story is so emotionally draining that at some point you don't even care all that much. Besides, these nothing moments or low stakes plot arcs, besides deepening and developing dynamics, also let some in-world time pass, which would make the intimacy and bond between characters more believable imo; between Yuuji eating Sukuna's finger and their last confrontation in December how much time has passed? A few months? Am I truly to believe these characters are so everything to each other in only a few months?

Without some smallness, some repetition, some daily life, some low stakes not plot-centric development, the dynamics don't hit, they don't truly feel fleshed out, and dynamics as complex as the ones Megumi and Gojo have, or as supposedly meaningful as the one Megumi has with Yuuji or his sister, should be fleshed out if they're going to exist at all. Otherwise they'd risk making the writing feel awkward and fake. Besides, if the dynamics felt well fleshed out and realistic, they would shape the way the characters interact and act, and how they deal with situations, thus being plot relevant.

The shonen genre has so much happening all the time, the stakes are so high, the dynamics are so rooted in big events and the relationships carry enormous weight and implications. Yet they barely get developed, and it feels so stupid, so plain, the absence of something so important noticeable like a constant void, a shapeless nothingness present in every scene. It makes the characters feel like cardboard figures. Jujutsu Kaisen is already getting a better job than many, but I doubt it will do enough for what I've heard, and I fear I am bound to feel let down, and bound to feel unmoved.

After all, if not enough time and care has been given to develop a dynamic, I am not going to feel pressured by the high stakes; if not enough time and care has been given to develop the dynamic between Megumi and Yuuji, as good potential as it has I am bound to feel little for this last confrontation between Sukuna and Itadori, and his effort in getting Megumi back.

[ki-flor]

The ribbon scene with Aang and Zuko?!

[guest0666]

OHHHHHH THIS REALLY SHORT SESS HAS BEEN BAADDDDD FOR MEDIC

[legolasghosty]

your one shot with willie and the sticky notes was so lovely, one of the first thing popped in my tl :)) especially the part where Willie says it began with Caleb sending him notes.

can i ask for a story of that? Willie and Caleb getting along and Caleb sending him notes inside his lunch to school, fancy handwriting and all? tysm it doesn't have to be short :)

Absolutely you may!!! I have had many thoughts about that since I wrote it! Here's the story being referenced if folks are curious! One note, Willie is in like 7th grade at the time of this story, and it's January. Willie came to live with Caleb in mid-December.

Willie bolted down the stairs, scared out of his mind. He'd overslept, and it was his first day of school since coming to Caleb's house. And while the man had seemed kind and understanding so far, Willie had seen his fair share of nice people who got less nice when they had to deal with Willie's inability to keep track of time.

He slid into the kitchen on his socks and almost ran into the kitchen island. The polished, hardwood floors that covered the downstairs area of Caleb's home were a lot slicker than he was used to. He stumbled and caught himself against a tall stool. At least no one had seen that little-

"Oh good, I was afraid I'd have to leave for work before you got up."

Whoops.

Willie looked up sheepishly to see Caleb leaning against the counter beside the sink, a cup of coffee in his hand and an amused smile pulling at his mouth. "Sorry," he mumbled, standing up straight.

But Caleb only waved a hand, as if to dismiss even the thought of an apology. "Please, I did the same thing when I was your age," he chuckled. "The only reason I stopped was because my hips started protesting at how often I ran into things."

Willie's mouth fell open in surprise for a moment before the voice of one of his old foster moms popped into his head, ordering him to close his mouth before he swallowed a bug. He wondered how long it would be before Caleb stopped dropping random bits of personal history and blowing his mind like that.

"-not an expert, but you did say waffles are your favorite," Caleb said, placing a plate on the counter in front of Willie and startling him from his thoughts. "Syrup?"

"Uh, yeah, thank you," Willie stammered, not sure whether to look at the plate of slightly burnt waffles or at Caleb. He'd overslept and he still got a special breakfast?

"Of course, William," Caleb responded lightly, smiling. "It's your first day at a new school, cereal would be a crime."

Willie opened his mouth to say... something else, though he wasn't sure what, but was cut off by a buzz from Caleb's phone. The man glanced down at the screen and sighed.

"Duty calls," he remarked dryly, slipping the device into the pocket of his slacks and reaching for his jacket. "You have your key still, right?"

Willie nodded around a mouthful of waffle and tugged the silver chain out from under his shirt to show him. Caleb nodded, satisfied.

"Good. Your lunch is in the fridge, and I should be home around the same time as you. Call me if you need anything, alright?"

Willie nodded again, scared to trust the warm feeling in his chest but wanting so badly to let it travel through his entire being. To let it chase away the cold of forgotten birthdays and rushed PB&Js and angry words. Maybe this time would be different.

"Have a good first day," Caleb finished, pausing near the front door to grin back at Willie. "I'm looking forward to hearing all about it when I get home."

"Have a good day at work!" Willie responded, giving the man a thumbs up.

Willie finished his food quickly after Caleb left. He still had to get out in time to catch the bus to his new middle school. Once the dishes were in the sink, he grabbed a sweatshirt to shield him from the January chills and opened the fridge. There, on the middle shelf, was a big lunchbox with his name on the top in big, fancy letters.

He grinned, grabbed the box, and bolted out the door.

--- --- --- --- ---

It wasn't till two weeks later that Caleb wasn't in the kitchen when Willie got up for school. There was a text on his phone when he managed to turn off his alarm, explaining that Caleb had an early meeting and had to be in the office over an hour before he usually did. Willie sent him back a thumbs up and a smiley face, ignoring the voice of his old foster dad in his head, complaining that emojis were tacky and shouldn't be an entire message.

He found his lunch waiting in the fridge and hurried through his breakfast to be on time for the bus. It wasn't until he was entering the library at lunch time that he opened the little green cooler to see what Caleb had packed him. He found a BLT sandwich (with a sparkly gold toothpick stuck through it, cause that was the kind of person Caleb was), carrot sticks, a package each of mini pretzels and corn chips, a bottle of orange juice, and a folded slip of paper.

Willie laid out his paper napkin over the table, just like his third grade librarian had taught him, and unfolded the paper. It was a note, written in Caleb's flowy, steady hand. Willie felt that warm feeling in his chest again. He didn't fight it as hard this time.

But then he tried to read it. And it was clearly English, but all the letters were connected and some of them didn't really look like letters. He could get his name at the top, and words here and there in the middle, but the overall message... Willie had no clue.

He sighed, feeling cold. Did rich people have another lettering system they used or something? One more thing to look up online later, he supposed. Willie set the note aside and started eating. He tried to focus on the nice flavors of the sandwich and the sweet tang of the juice, but the note kept pulling his attention anyways.

"Um, are you okay?"

Willie jumped in his seat, almost dropping his food as he spun to see a blond boy, probably about his own age, standing behind him.

"You've been staring at that paper like it kicked your cat for like ten minutes," the blond boy added, shifting from foot to foot when Willie didn't say anything.

"Oh, yeah, I'm good," Willie said quickly, clapping a hand over Caleb's note. "It's nothing. Who are you?"

He wanted to groan, talk about being the awkward, suspicious foster kid. But there's nothing to be done about it now.

"I'm Alex," the other boy responded, not seeming put off at all by Willie's abruptness. "I think we're in the same English class?"

Willie nodded slowly, now connecting the boy in front of him to the quiet, curious kid who sat a couple of rows over from him. "I'm Willie," he offered, setting down his sandwich to offer a hand to shake like all the adults did.

Alex smiled when he shook his hand and Willie felt warm again. Not quite the same kind of warm, but warm all the same. People hadn't really been mean at this school, but well... there was a reason Willie was eating lunch alone in the library. It was nice to talk to someone who maybe could be a friend.

"Okay can I ask about the paper?" Alex questioned, his eyes straying from Willie's face to where his hand was still covering the note. "You can totally say no, but now I'm hooked and it's driving me crazy."

"I mean you kinda just did," Willie pointed out, surprised by the giggle that bubbled out of his mouth along with the words. "But um, yeah, it's just a note from my foster...dad." It felt funny to call Caleb that. Not bad, just weird. He didn't think he'd called him that out loud before.

"And that's... a bad thing?" Alex said slowly, brows drawing together.

"No, it's cool, it's sweet," Willie insisted. "I just... I can't really..." He bites his lip, not wanting to reveal the truth. But also, he was already weird. And Alex seemed nice. "I can't read it," he admitted quietly.

A short huff of laughter escaped from Alex's lips and Willie felt his face turning red. But then Alex dropped down into the chair beside him.

"You want me to try?" the blond boy offered. "My dad has lousy handwriting too so I'm used to deciphering."

Willie stared at him for a second, trying to comprehend the words he was saying. Was he really trying to help? Just cause? What did he want in return?

"I don't have to," Alex said in a rush when Willie didn't respond. "I just wanted to help but I get it if it's personal and stuff, you just seem really cool and I kinda wanted an excuse to talk to you and it looked like it was really bugging you so-" he said without seeming to breathe before cutting himself off. "Sorry."

"No you're good," Willie responded, feeling a smile forming on his face. "And... yeah, worth a shot." Steadying himself internally, he handed Alex the paper.

Alex returned his grin and took the note. He stared at it for a long moment, then laughed again. Willie hadn't noticed before that he had a really nice laugh.

"It's cursive," Alex said, looking up from the paper. "No wonder you couldn't read it."

Dang, had Willie been right about Rich People Alphabet?! "What's cursive?" he asked, confused.

"It's basically fancy handwriting," Alex explained, leaning his elbows on the table. "Nobody uses it anymore really except random adults. My mom made me and my sisters learn it though."

"Rich people are weird," Willie sighed, chuckling and shaking his head. "So does that mean you can read Caleb's note then?"

"Yeah, his handwriting is a bit slanty, but I think..." Alex mused. "Okay. It says, 'Hello William, I hope your day is going well. Sorry I had to leave so early this morning, I'm going to trust that you still ate breakfast. I can't wait to hear all about your day when you get home. Best wishes, Caleb."

Willie laughed and nodded as Alex read it out slowly. That sounded like Caleb.

"P.S.," Alex continued, holding up a finger before Willie could say anything, "Your horoscope this morning said people will surprise you today. I hope it's a good surprise."

Willie glanced up from the paper to the face of the boy holding it. "I think it's a good surprise," he said slowly.

Alex looked up and his ears turned pink when he caught Willie's gaze. "You should probably have him teach you cursive if he's gonna keep leaving you notes like this," he said quickly, handing the paper back. "I mean I can't always be around to translate. What if I get the flu?"

Willie giggled. "Nope, you're never allowed to get sick anymore," he declared. "I need you to read Caleb's fancy person handwriting for me."

"Wow, I see how it is," Alex remarked dryly, smirking. "I'm nothing but my skills to you."

Willie started to protest, to clarify that he'd been joking, but Alex burst out laughing before he could speak.

"Sorry," Alex said once he got his breath back. "I was just messing with you. I know you didn't mean it like that."

"Whew, I was worried there for a second," Willie admitted. Then, hesitantly, he added, "Friends?"

"Friends," Alex agreed.

Willie grinned, feeling all warm inside again. He couldn't wait to get home and tell Caleb all about how people had surprised him today.

[willowser]

willow everyone around me has a partner/fwb (we're in our 20s) and i'm still a virgin i feel so excluded 😔!! i want to have sex too i'm just scared and feel soooooo left behind. childish almost because i am an adult woman with a job and license and can legally drink and rent a car! grrrrr! and i know in my heart that it's silly to feel this way but i can't help it sometimes

oh my dear !!! 🥺 i think when we're surrounded by people that are involved in something that we're not apart of, it's very normal to feel excluded !! a lil' left behind !!! but 🥺 intimate relationships are not the same as hobbies or tv shows that our pals are into for the moment 🥺 and i think the fact that you do feel scared is !! v important !! and something that you should pay attention to !! 🥺🩷 regarding a vulnerable moment such as this, i think you would regret it more to rush into it with someone while you're scared, more than you would regret just waiting 🥺 until the time feels right 🥺

being a virgin does not equate to being childish, friend 🥺 you're right !! you're a grown ass woman with a job and a license !! that can drink and rent a car !! you're a multi-faceted human being 🥺 and you can't be narrowed down any one way !! 🥺 this is just another piece of you 🥺 and life is so different for everyone, you really can't compare yours or your experiences with others !! bc all that usually does is leave us feeling off-track, when really !! there is no track !!

it's not silly to feel this way 🥺 it's normal !! and i'm sure it will come and go and that's okay ! but know what's best for you 🥺 and if you're feeling a scared or unsure, it's so important to listen to that little piece of you ! 🥺

i am kissing you on the head friend ! and hoping that you don't feel pressured or left behind 🥺🩷✨️

[wastemanjohn]

on the subject of how friend breakups hurt just as much as romantic breakups... i'm sure someone was on the subject somewhere lmao... i'm having sads tonight even if it was fucking ages ago technically and its my own fault bc I read through some messages idk why i havent deleted... or why i did that. meh. i need a good everything shower and an early night.

[deeisace]

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