#jojo (and all of us) will be happy to see he has been working out

[firstkanaphans]

[respectthepetty]

Dunk and Joong could have offered me anything in 2024, and I would have taken it, gladly, no questions because my ass is a Jaidee fan first and a human second. But to hand me The Heart Killers? Oh! Let me list all the reasons y'all gonna hate me when this comes out.

Joong plays Khao's older brother

Khaotung is older than Joong, but in BL Land that doesn't matter because Khao is playing the hopeless romantic little brother while Joong is playing his stern older brother. Someone already wrote it was 10 Things I Hate About You/The Taming of the Shrew, and Shakespeare would be thrilled to know one of his masterpieces is getting the queer treatment and it's not Twelfth Night.

Dunk is playing the crazy seducer

Boy wants a car and is willing to go to great lengths to do it, including distracting some dude, so his buddy can play house with that dude's little brother. But the whole point is they had to find a guy who was crazy enough to accept the offer in the first place >insert Dunk's character< so the guy isn't just wanting the car. He is doing this for the thrill of getting tied up, stripped down, and threatened.

And I respect that.

Jojo is apparently directing

I wanna have beef with Jojo after Only Friends, then I look at his resume and remember this is the man who gave me puppy play in The Warp Effect, poly in 3 Will Be Free, and a chaotic stripper named Judo in Dirty Laundry PLUS the YinWar trailer for their Partner in Crime concert which has now lead to YinWar doing Jack & Joker, so as a vegetarian, I'm gonna be like Elsa and let that go.

Which means Rath is probably the cinematographer

I don't give men compliments easily, so when I state that Cinematographer Rath has never disappointed me, I mean it. The man knows what he is doing, and if he is in on this series, I know if anything, it will be visually stunning.

First and Khao being the Beyonce of GMMTV

I'm in Jaidee's corner always, but I have eyes and First and Khao could really do whatever they want and I'd eat it up. I have believed them with whomever they have been partnered with in the past, and if they want to play high schoolers in an oppressed school system or a banker willing to see his ex and his ex's new man just to flirt with the boy from the market, I'm buying the tickets, I'm sitting in the front row, and I'm holding up homemade posters. Basically, I'm shutting the fuck up and experiencing whatever they want me to experience.

First and Khao tears

This is its own category because when they cry, they are in a league of their own. They claimed this series was going to be lighter than their previous work, but what is a First or Khao series without tears? I hope they are drinking water right now because someone is crying in this series, and JD's faces are already wet for other reasons.

DUNK'S BODY!

Not to objectify the man's body, but . . . it's a banger, and he has been done dirty by wardrobe for two solid years. His face card never declines. His arms are solid. His waist is snatched. His hair is perfect. Even Tay, New, and Jan were talking about him in the BTS for Peaceful Property because they were saying how New's character was based off of Dunk - pretty, fashionable, and COCKY! But wouldn't we all be that cocky if we were walking around looking like this?! Like shut up fives. A ten is speaking!

It's high time that man got to stunt like Force always does just taking off his shirt for no reason. Good for him. And good for us.

Oh, yeah, and the plot

Sorry, I mean the plot.

SHIT, THE PLOT!

You know what? Nah. I honestly do not give a fuck about the plot. Joong and Khao are hired killers. First is out to get them. Dunk gets involved (although, I think he knows a lot more than he leads on), and . . .

All will end well.

Because if anything, Jojo ain't never been allergic to a happy ending *wink*

So just know this show hit its target audience

ME!

¡Salud!

[vegasandhishedgehog]

Seeing a lot of upset posts about how the show ended with Boston and feeling like something really went over a few heads. Do I also believe Boston deserved better? Yes. But let's be realistic in the way Jojo and Ninew approached this.

Boston and his promiscuity have been the target of harsh judgements from episode one. And the writers have stated that he has a moral code, it's just very different from others. I was never expecting him to state it outright, that it would just be a thing worth paragraphs of speculative meta, but he does!

Boston stated his definition of boyfriend. If he wants to be exclusive, that's for all the emotional bonding that he desires with someone special, but does not deny him the ability to fulfill his physical desires with whomever he wishes. That's not just polyamory, it's a very specific kind!!! And it's entirely different from the traditional sort of relationship society has accepted. The thing is, he wouldn't have discovered that possibility without knowing Nick.

Boston did genuinely fall for Nick. But how could he have handled that properly when he has no experience being loved and has never learned how to love someone back? Moreover, how could he come to the conclusion that he likes being exclusive in one way but not another without absolutely fumbling the bag with someone who's on a different page? It's not exactly Nick's fault that he prefers physical affection to be exclusive as well, that's just how he is. There couldn't have been any discussion about this, it was a discovery in the making.

The truth is Boston would still have a hard time finding happiness in Thailand due to the political climate, especially with his father being a politician. He's gay and that alone makes achieving his dreams more difficult, but being as promiscuous as he is means even a majority of the queer community will shut him out. He's better off moving to the states where at least he has rights and better acceptance for who he is. And that's what happened.

Because having a sexual or romantic appetite outside of monogamy is still looked down on. I still see it in the BL fandom. I see it just in general. 3 Will Be Free is so often cited as a must-watch, but how many people stick to their comfort branded pairings?* How many people have made or heard jokes about the "Seattle polycule"? How many romantic aces and allosexual aros get othered and excluded and judged for their identity?

Jojo said there was no intended message, but that doesn't mean there isn't one to be found. Boston's arc is a prime example of how slutty queers get treated even by their own peers, even by people who care about them most. It's a cry from the cold and lonely dark that if we think these people deserve better, we need to change existing paradigms and find how we can give them that!

Nick wasn't prepared to do that because he is still hurting, and that's also okay. Not everyone has to change themselves to make the puzzle pieces fit. Boston and Nick's story centers around that so much. Nick being jealous and trying to copy Top, Boston trying to be what he thinks a boyfriend is - they only hurt each other because the parts that don't fit are digging in.

I hope we get a second season, but if not friends, remember Boston. He represents such a particular demographic that gets hated on and ignored constantly, and they deserve a chance. They're not easy, but that doesn't mean they're not worth it. Remember Nick too. We all have a Nick in some manner - someone that made us want to try, but no matter how much we cared for each other it just wasn't going to work. Family, friends, partners, whoever.

Instead of being outraged with the show, be outraged with society. Do something about it. Be kinder. Community is important, now more than ever. I cannot possibly overstate how much we need community, especially among minorities.

*this isn't meant to be judgmental toward fans who prefer branded pairings or aren't interested in that particular show. I know watching anything requires time and energy and scratching a certain itch at the right moment. It is, however, a concern that so many fans complained about numerous aspects of OF to the point where the creators went to the effort of explaining themselves on a weekly basis and editing certain parts to avoid backlash. I mentioned 3 Will Be Free because it's another example of Jojo's work. Many BL fans have heard of it, but only a small portion seem to have watched, and that can be an indicator of certain biases. This is not to imply anyone who hasn't seen it has said biases and is only intended to encourage reflection if needed.

[hongtiddiez]

my stand in ep 4 thoughts, feelings, etc

WOW WA WE WAA THAT SURE WAS AN EPISODE HUH - happy to report i went back through the episode slowly this week and took notes and really tried to gather everything i wanted to say (but i will inevitably forget something)

🌸 ok disclaimers because i have a lot of them for this particular episode 🌸

i'm just a silly guy on the internet, i'm not an expert in mental health, psychology, body language, whatever. most days i can't even take care of myself. i'm just saying things recreationally.

PLEASE do not put novel spoilers in my replies, reblogs, or tags without a warning notice. i've got an itchy blocking finger for it these days.

i am treating ming and joe and everyone involved in this show as if they were real life human beings. ming was not born some mustache twirling villain sent from hell to make joe miserable. joe is not some pure angel descended from the clouds to do no wrong. everyone in this show exhibits very human behavior and that can be distressing under certain circumstances. i'm just going to comment on them as humans. i'm not interested in a round table discussion on why a character is irredeemable, the scum of the earth, etc. i'm just putting my thoughts out there and you can take them or leave them.

🌸 alright yucky disclaimer time over 🌸

the episode really just picks us back up where everything left off - and yet joe still made ming breakfast, and ming isn't stupid (well right now at least,) he knows something is off.

i am confused why tong needs to get married on this specific day. and like bro how fast are you getting married? relax. the whole thing is just unstoppable force (trajectory of this producers career) meets immovable object (tong's fuckass stubbornness) and the collateral damage is massive.

and then there's the question of did joe ever want to play a lead? or did he let his impulsiveness and hurt put a target on his back? (only emphasized by the fact that everyone assumed joe would turn down the role)

i DO apologize for all my doubt surrounding wut. he, ja, and may are the only people in this show with any god damn sense. maybe jojo and yim. we'll see.

getting into the confrontation at joe's work, i really don't think it's that surprising when we keep in mind ming genuinely has no fucking clue what is going on. all he knows is joe woke up, was acting weird, didn't come home, and then told him to pack up his shit and leave with ZERO explanation. like, joe's completely in the right, but i'd also be confused as fuck. (i wouldn't go to someone's work about it but, y'know, we know ming acts in extremes.)

and to me this is where it really became obvious that joe has always been able to overpower ming, to get away from him, as we have seen joe's physical prowess, we've seen what he's capable of, but he never uses his body to move ming away from him - that's not who joe is, he's not someone that would put his hands on another person like that. it's just another way ming and joe are the direct antithesis of each other.

it's my thought that the argument escalates because ming is used to getting everything he wants - except for tong, and now joe. when joe begins to push him away and deny him his substitution for tong i think ming lashes out in his hurt with a thought of "it's happening again, why doesn't anyone want me?"

i will say while i do believe sol has good intentions for the most part his white knighting is getting a little irksome. while convenient, it just shows how much he's still hovering and laying in wait for a chance with joe - he, too, is not respecting joe's wishes. no is a complete sentence, sol.

and then things continue back at home and joe finally, finally throws ming's words back at him: if i'm so terrible to be with, if you're so great, why are you wasting your time with me?

and ming doesn't have an answer. what ming DOES have is another back embrace, arms wrapped around joe as he asks "don't you love me anymore?" but is he asking joe or tong?

"although i'm not as good as tong" even now joe's rampant self worth issues are still at play but at least he finally knows he's worth more than whatever this is.

then the phone rings and to me, ming looks skittish. he looks shaken. he's never seen joe so angry and he's scared and as the call progresses that fear morphs into rage when sol calls joe. and the thing is, regardless of who played the main role, ming was never going to be happy. it was either going to be joe or tong playing opposite sol and neither of those things would have been acceptable.

and then i said, out loud, in my quiet office: OH! and promptly lost my shit in the group chat.

ming doesn't look wholly present after his act of violence. his face is vacant, like he isn't completely seeing or grasping what he's just done. i get the impression that ming isn't mentally well; stress and fear and anger have a way of making people do really fucking stupid things and as these things happen you risk falling into the sunk cost fallacy - you've already gone this far, you can't stop now - which all aligns with the obsessive behavior we've seen from ming in the past.

as joe wakes up and they talk once again joe doesn't blame ming, he blames himself for not seeing the writing on the walls even though it was written in invisible ink.

"all these times we were together did you ever love me?"

"you can't tell?"

again, so much of the blame and emotional responsibility of their situationship is put on joe and ming refuses to communicate any of his feelings, perhaps because he doesn't know how to after repressing everything for so long.

WE DIDN'T GET HOT KINKY CHAINED UP SEX THOUGH, WHY DOES GOD HATE ME SPECIFICALLY

but the way joe looks at ming as they linger there in the wake of joe's request looks like a goodbye, the way his eyes soak in every detail of ming's face. despite all of this and the nightmare it has turned into he did love ming, perhaps still does, and he does have some of those good memories he was so desperate to keep.

though like.. joe.... maybe we could consider a different career path??? instead of just jumping to risking our lives? like sure food service sucks, cashiering sucks, etc. but you aren't in danger of falling off any cliffs, you know? and let's be real, he could just go into modeling with those looks.

it's my impression that when ming calls joe he looks haggard, like he's lost numerous nights of sleep (and we really don't know how much time has passed) but either way it does seem like he's at least done some amount of reflecting. his voice comes across soft, subdued, and sincere.

and after everything, back in the present, we see ming. he's still in the apartment, desperately calling joe's name all these years later, still unable to sleep and waiting for joe to come home just like he asked him to years ago.

maybe ming never wanted to enter the entertainment industry before, but he has now. perhaps it was never for the attention or the money, maybe he chose to promote those watches because it was a reminder of the gift from joe. and maybe this job, in this specific industry, is the closest he can feel to joe now. and maybe with new influence and connections ming can find out why he was never able to tell joe he loved him before he lost him.

WHO KNOWS, NOT ME, CAN'T WAIT TO FIND OUT THO

[twig-tea]

Only Friend Finale Reaction

I want to write this down now because I suspect my feelings on this will change over time. In this moment, immediately post-finale, I am satisfied. I feel happy. I am glad this show got made, and that I watched it.

Only Friends was billed as the messy gays show. I went in expecting something close to Friend Zone but with more gays, and that's what we got. Not a Warped Effect with explicit morals and lessons about sex, consent, sexualities, kinks, etc., not a GayOK Bangkok which is grounded in realism.

And because this was Jojo and Ninew and Den and Best, it's still more realistically queer than any GMMTV BL to date, and there were some absolutely stellar moments that stand alone as moving, and powerful, and beautiful, and genre-changing. And so near the beginning of the show airing, I raised my expectations; maybe this show was going to do more.

But was clear by the penultimate episode that it wasn't. I wrestled a lot on here with my need for this show to be the one that finally broke up the mixed pair expectations, and let sluts be sluts, and finally showed a threesome, and maybe even gave us consensual non-monogamy. It didn't go that far in any of those realms, but it took a step closer on many of them, and considering where BL has been to date that's still pretty huge for GMMTV, and I don't want to lose sight of that or judge it for what I wanted it to be instead of what it ultimately was.

The other thing I wrestled with a lot in this show was what other people were seeing in it, and my frustration that people were taking away moral lessons that the show wasn't giving. I think I was successful in that I watched this finale with satisfaction for what I was getting, even though I know a lot of people won't see what I saw (and btw I'm not even claiming that what I saw was what the creators intended! I am not claiming superiority here, just bias lol). So I watched this finale deciding to take what I wanted from it, rather than what I thought it was actually trying to say, and for that reason I enjoyed the hell out of it.

So. Here are my takeaways from the Only Friends finale:

We got a three-way kiss, even if it didn't lead to a threesome, after teasing us all series that was still satisfying and we got it as part of a branded pair in a GMMTV show. It was fun, and messy, and I loved it. I appreciate that it was also...maybe necessary is too far lol but it was actually in service to the plot--we all knew Sand still had feelings for Boeing, or else he would not have still been so mad at Top that he was willing to use Nick and Ray to get his revenge. Not every emotional loose end needs to be resolved with kissing, but it was kind of fun that they tried (and I also really appreciated that it didn't work lol).

I loved that Mew and Ray talking as friends got them to compare notes on and eventually team up to take down Boeing. Their friendship really is the backbone of this series, and I'm glad it survived everything. Mew is so relieved to have someone else taking care of Ray because he never wanted that role and wasn't good at it, but he does care about his friend's happiness and is more than happy to step in when there's drama. I appreciate that he made really clear to Sand that his feelings for Ray are platonic, in the bar, that's the first time I've really seen him be truly supportive of Ray, and it was nice to see.

The Mew and Top scenes were fascinating. I think this is where I'm going to differ from the bulk of the audience and I've made peace with that. I do not find stories like theirs romantic--where both partners need to be in control and play games to stay in control the whole time--so for me, the fact that these power struggles were still present in all of their scenes satisfied my desire to see them stay together, happy but on edge. So. That scene with Mew and Top in which Mew agrees to live with Top but then asks him to apologize to Sand right afterwards; I read that as pretty manipulative on Mew's part, and Top's uncomfortable face at the end means that he felt it too. Maybe I wasn't supposed to read it that way, but that's why it worked for me. The ring, too, "now or never", it's not a promise of forever, it's a promise of the present [such a strong ephemerality statement]. The conversation in the bath in which they outline their needs and identify that they have contrasting needs, and say "I'll work on it / we'll deal with it when it comes" is exactly what I was expecting of this relationship. They're not perfect for each other, and they're going to continue to push one another. Right now they're agreeing to try, without a guarantee that it will work. Talking about their needs is good, but we don't actually see them trying, so it didn't hit as romantic as it would otherwise for me either. And Mew daring Sand to kiss Top in order to get them to be chill was such a Mew power move I loved it. He asked Top to apologize to Sand, and then forced them to be in close proximity before getting confirmation that Top was ready. Top apologizing to Sand in that last second before they kissed was him clinging for power while Sand was hovering over him, and it was a perfect Top volley. Constant power struggle, that's how I read these two. Mew teasing Top with whether or not he's slept with anyone else was so interesting considering their history around that--I was probably supposed to see it as growth in their relationship that they can joke about it? Or maybe they were trying to undo some of the sexual morality nonsense that made its way into this show by pointing out that actually it doesn't matter if Mew had been with anyone before? But what I saw was Mew still struggling to have a power foothold over Top now that he's moved in. I will admit the fire scene, at first, I was so confused by. Were we supposed to be moved by Top getting past his trauma? What was that scene even about? I think, in the context of Mew's struggle with his place in Top's life, and his power in this relationship, it was about Mew understanding the invisible support he provides for Top, and why he's important to Top. Mew watched Top be competent and collected in the face of a triggering event, and was impressed at how Top had it all together, but Top credits Mew's presence for that. I think it helped Mew start to actually see a future with Top, because he understands his place in it a bit better. Even if he feels like he's not doing enough, Top sees his presence as strength, so maybe he doesn't need to worry quite so much about keeping score. But that's honestly me reaching, I struggled with that scene and think it was the weakest in the finale [and @lurkingshan I read your post and could believe that your read is true, that it was there to prove Top did have trauma].

Can I tell you how much I love how this show ended, with Mix's character smiling at Mew, and Top's nervous look? Because I think we've wrestled with Mew's confidence in this relationship for the whole show, but it's clear Top still feels unsettled/uncertain in this relationship and I love that we ended with him feeling threatened. This for me was the perfect ending for this couple, and what I've wanted as their ending all along--they're happy right now, they know there are potential bumps on the road in their future, and they're not certain they'll make it through, but they're willing to try--but the threats are real, and present, and not going to be easy because this relationship is not solid.

I also really appreciated what was happening with Boston and Nick, even though I wish it would have been more explicit or done better; what we got was still better than I expected from a GMMTV show. I loved Boston dissuading Nick from following him, and finding the romantic asks to be too many/too much, and having a different definition of "boyfriend" (but not different enough to not like to Nick's face about where you were, Boston, I see you). I love that Nick didn't get mad at Boston for "cheating", understood what Boston was offering for what it was; I also really loved Sand's advice to Nick that just because what's on offer is laid out honestly and fairly, that that means he has to accept it if it's not what he wants. I didn't love Boston trying to backtrack when Nick decided not to take him up on it; but I did love Nick's response, telling Boston to own who he is rather than trying to be someone he's not.

I think this is where my attempts the last couple of weeks to let go of what people will take from this show has helped, because yeah, you can see this as the narrative punishing Boston for being a slut, but this has never been a morality play, and so I'm taking from it how I see it. And I see it as Boston getting a clean slate with a bit more perspective going to New York. What I would say to Boston if he were my friend: This friend group was a mess and they always judged Boston for his sex life more than was deserved; they also violated his privacy by passing around his sex audio and never apologized for it. Boston also didn't take their feelings into consideration when he decided who to have sex with, and he messed with their relationships which was not being a good friend either. Does he actually want them back, or is he just feeling lonely? My hope for him is that he takes what he's learned about other people's feelings--that not everyone sees the world he does, and he has to understand that people will be hurt by different things whether or not they would hurt him, if he wants to retain relationships of any kind including friendships, and decide whether or not they're worth making concessions for before hurting them so that he doesn't lose people he doesn't want to--and finds folks who fit better with his worldview and morals, and then is better able to keep them in his life. But also these people are hypocrites, and he should not take their opinion as a statement of fact about his worth. He didn't do anything worse to them than they did to him or each other.

I know a lot of people are going to see this storyline as a punish the slut story. I was wrestling with this two episodes ago, maybe that's why I'm willing to be chill about this now. I was hoping we'd get Boston as a reason to discuss consensual non-monogamy in a GMMTV show, but I am actually ok with Nick saying listen, I need to be honest about what I want and it's not that, and Boston you shouldn't be trying to give me what I want because that's not going to make you happy either. Boston being alone isn't a sad ending; to me it's the ending he was expecting and aiming for this whole time. The only difference is he's surprised by how he feels about it now that he's in it, and he's panicking a bit. Boston was not just a slut, he was a slut who didn't care about who he hurt; it's that latter piece that he's wrestling with in this finale, and I love that Nick told him he didn't have to stop being a slut to stop being an asshole. Honestly, he'll get to New York and be fine, I really think so. And I took the Nick/Boston goodbye conversation as Nick saying "I love you as you are, a slut, and it's ok to be that. Go be a happy slut!" Do I wish he'd said that more explicitly so that people would understand that? Yes. But I've given up on that.

Cheum not going with the group to the fireworks was so interesting in the context of our conversations about Cheum over the past couple of days. I took this to be the show acknowledging explicitly that she's not actually a part of the core friend group; she schemes to keep the group together (unsuccessfully), and we don't ever get a sense of why she cares so much about that--maybe it's guilt for helping push out Boston for something he didn't do, maybe she needs the security of the group she's got, we never get that insight and I'm still a bit sad about that. But she's not there for the big fireworks finale, so we're at least clear that the show never intended her to be a Main Character. And I was so happy we got her saying her plan worked in the pool. Maybe that still won't be enough to convince the audience that she's an unreliable narrator, but it was satisfying for me! Also loved her unwrapping the photo from Boston and the group's uncomfortable reaction to it. Maybe Chuem's going to keep pushing that they reconcile; maybe she's just delusional about how well her plan worked. Either way, the tension was fun. I didn't get the full resolution of her character that I wanted, but the show nodding explicitly to the fact that she keeps herself apart from the main group so I shouldn't expect it was helpful to me getting over that. And we got a kiss! And another tiny insight into their relationship; again not enough to go on, but i did think it really interesting that the two things we know about April and Cheum are: April appreciates Cheum's positive energy, and April has asked Cheum to be more honest and not just positive for the sake of being positive (about her films). So I'm reading this as that these two are just as messy and as likely to continue to have problems as the rest of the group.

Ending in Sand and Ray because I think this is the least ambiguous; I appreciated that Sand started doing what Sand always does and saying "yeah I"ll sacrifice all of my sources of income for you no problem" (WHAT) and Ray waiting until they're alone again to say "actually that's ridiculous don't do that". I appreciated that Sand's new year plans were all about Ray because he hasn't had anything push him into actually being more selfish, and the resolution with Boeing was done for him so he didn't have to set boundaries after all (called that one), so he's had zero character growth, actually. I appreciate that Ray pushes him to try to be a little selfish, that's the best sign that Ray is finally actually caring about Sand's needs, and that their relationship might work, that I've seen the whole series. I'm taking it with a massive grain of salt, because the plan is for Ray to constantly expose himself to alcohol and partying. I think this is set up to be just as tenuous as the Mew/Top relationship, but it reads a bit more lovey-dovey because they're in a less problematic place at the moment (where they have just resolved one of their insecurities so they're more confident in one another--but it's not clear how long that will last, especially with the threat of Sand's self-sacrifice and Ray's fierce boundary-violating in the face of any threat looming in the background unresolved). Sand expressing his uncertainty around his role in the Hostel was also perfect, because he is an outsider in this project and doesn't have a role, and it's a perfect point for tension in the future between them.

Even the way Yo warns the group of friends in the very last scene that they're going to have to be better to one another and less dramatic in the future if they want this hostel to last felt ominous to me rather than preachy; have this group learned enough to make this business work? That definitely remains to be seen.

Nobody should be watching Only Friends with the idea that it's going to give them any kind of lesson about what to do; at best it's a list of what not to do's lol. None of these characters are perfect, they're all incredibly flawed, and young. So their choices, including whether or not to stay together, whether or not to stay friends, whether or not to stay in business, should not be read as a moral judgment by the showrunners. I definitely agree that this could have been more effective as a message if folks weren't happy at the end. But I've given up on it needing to be effective for everyone; they stayed in character to me, and it was effective for me.

I recognized so much of my friends and my youth in this series, and I am so grateful to have gotten to see that portrayed in a show that felt like a rollercoaster while I was watching it; I literally screamed aloud, I cheered, I laughed, I applauded. This show had characters casually snort coke, hook up, flirt with their exes, kiss their friends, make mistakes, forgive one another heinous shit, be mean, kiss outside their branded pairs, and in some cases let one another go.

There are a LOT of ways this show could have been better. It was close, so close in some cases, to being amazing, and it's fallen short in a lot of ways. It could have been a subversive and compelling narrative about slut shaming and the toxicity of fandom branded pairs. Instead, it was just a show about flawed people being flawed. But I had fun, and I'm not taking away from this show that any of these characters were in the right, or that sluts are bad, or need to change--whether it was the intended message, I've given up on that because I legitimately can't tell and if it is the message, I don't want to know. I don't think it overromanticized these flawed characters, but I can see how folks could see it that way. I'm choosing to remember that these characters have all been flawed and shown to be flawed throughout the show, and notice the ways in which they are still flawed, and the hints that things will stay messy. Maybe this is a bit like those experiments in which they found the way people in incarceration watch Die Hard very differently from how other people do or how it was intended LOL maybe I'm working too hard to justify what was just bad writing and gross moral judgments and toxic relationships being portrayed as romantic. But it didn't land that way for me, so I'm going to celebrate that and enjoy the feelings this show gave me.

[0hwonderboy]

I had the absolute honor and pleasure of meeting Tim Downie, Samantha Béart, and Amelia Tyler this weekend at 2D con!! Got pics and signatures (Amelia art cropped down bc I found out afterwards that the artist has me blocked, lol)

ok now for some stupid funny stories regarding meeting Tim

so when me and oomf went up to him on the first day, he saw me and went “oh GOD. you-“ and i just freaked out. he RECOGNIZED ME. i immediately was like “hey oh my god Tim I am so SO sorry for the. everything that I am oh my god this is so augh I’m so sorry-“ and he said, “don’t worry, I’ve come to terms with it now” 😭😭

BUT he did also say that he was so excited to meet me and that since he knew I’d be coming he was LOOKING FOR ME IN THE CROWDS and he was so glad I was there and he said I was a pleasure to meet and he was so happy to finally meet after 6 months (which when I told him he went “there’s no way it’s been that long!”) and oughshdh i was freaking OUT

also- as pictured above, I gave him a print of a drawing my best friend (tepidti everywhere) did of the absolutely abhorrent creature i edited a while back. which, for context, was because i misheard my friend (jojo/bonjeacon, also known as peak_deak) when he was streaming and long story short, “pikmin” turned into “peakmin” which turned into me making “Peaktim” which turned into my friends buying a cameo of Tim reacting to it. when I gave him that drawing he said he’d use it as a bookmark which was so fucking hilarious

ALSO. back in April, my friend (tutterwutter on twt) made me this t-shirt, which I ended up showing Tim on twitter. I knew I was gonna bring it with me to the con bc I’m crazy and thought it’d be funny- didn’t think much of it though…

APPARENTLY

this fucking man. told me. HIS OWN, ACTUAL, REAL LIFE WIFE, THAT HE IS MARRIED TO IRL AND THEY LITERALLY HAVE CHILDREN TOGETHER- SHOWS HIM THIS PHOTO “all the time” AND THEY BOTH LOVE IT SO MUCH.

WHAT. THE FUCK.

absolutely fucking crazy. CRAZY!!!!!

also also- i ended up getting a second picture with him cus the first time I just threw the “this is my wife” shirt OVER my shirt and i didnt love how it turned out due to that (neither did my mom, she was very upset) so i told him “my mother doesn’t approve of my wife!” which he was veryy offended by

but also this man was so sweet and when I told him he has to come to my state next time and not me flying across the country for him he said “oh yes I’LL put in the work for YOU! what’s a lil distance between friends?!” i just died… when saying goodbye i told him “i’ll see you on twitter and other social medias with my terrible edits” and he choked 😭😭

what an interesting man, had an absolute blast finally meeting him.

[wri0thesley]

disciplinarian - prosciutto x reader (3k)

you have made a mess of things - and prosciutto is not going to let that pass without punishment.

cw: yandere prosciutto. dubious-consent/non-consent (reader is well on the way to stockholm syndrome if not already there). afab reader referred to as 'spouse', no other gendered terms used. captive reader. spanking, exhibitionism, allusions to prosciutto using his stand on reader in the past. use of pet names, use of 'slut'. minors dni, not sfw.

[a/n: a fic in which a random number generator was allowed to choose some of my favourite kinks and characters for a little birthday event i did for myself! this one threw up 'prosciutto', 'impact play' and 'yandere!' it's been a while since i published jojo but oh, i could never forget about my love for One Old Man Mafioso!]

It’s your own fault. 

You stare at the ruined dinner and feel your breath start to come in short little pants; a tell-tale sign that you’re about to panic. About to start crying. You should have checked on it more often! You should have double-checked all of the temperatures, stayed in the kitchen instead of going into Prosciutto’s study to read and imagine you were somewhere else--

The front door swings open. Prosciutto’s voice, warmth seeping from every syllable, calls out into the hallway; 

“Tesoro? I’m home.”

That warmth will quickly dissipate when he sees what you’ve done. Even now, as he calls out your name once more, you can hear a mounting frustration; Prosciutto likes you to be ready to rush up to him when he comes home from work, peppering his cheek with kisses and chirping questions about his day, every inch the adoring little house spouse that he has mercilessly drilled you into becoming. You ought to be fussing over his jacket, stroking his cheek and telling him you missed him with heat in your cheeks - offering to fetch his slippers and a whisky for him to unwind with . . .

Instead, you are in the kitchen in front of ruined dinner, your apron a mess and tears rolling down your face as you face the facts; Prosciutto is not going to be happy with you. 

“There you are.” The mafioso’s voice has a sharp edge to it as a shadow falls across the doorway. You start guiltily, trying to hide the tray of burnt food from his ice blue gaze, but there’s no real escape from a man like Prosciutto. You know he’s seen it the moment that his elegant lip curls and his eyes flicker back to you. “ . . . Really. Is this how you greet your husband, amore mio?”

You want to bite back at him that he is no husband of yours - that it is hardly husbandly of him to have snatched you from your life and installed you into his like you are an asset to be owned and bossed about, a caricature of what a traditional man would expect from a spouse. It is hardly husbandly of him to have taught you to cook and clean and serve him by belt and by threat and by the strange power that he possesses that you hope never to experience again--

(You can still remember it, at night, when Prosciutto is still on a mission and you are alone - how it had felt to have your bones age and crack all rapidly at once, your skin sag from your frame, your heart to suddenly have years and years of use and wear piled upon it in what felt like moments. You never want to feel it again. You’d promised him, afterwards, tears still drying on your face, that you would be good from then on in.)

“I’m sorry,” your words all come out in a rush. “I-I didn’t mean to, Prosciutto. Amore. I--I just got distracted, it burnt, I’ll cook it all again--”

His expensive shoes (gotten for a bargain, or so he claimed, though you know that half of the boutiques in the city cower when he steps into them and rush to offer him staff discounts and anything he desires) squeak on the tiled kitchen floor as he steps closer to you. You force yourself to breathe. 

“And waste another day’s worth of ingredients?” He asks you, calmly. “Do you think I am made of money, amore mio?” The pet names are a deliberate choice - they serve only to make you even more frightened. He casts his eye over the spread again. “It’s good for nothing but the trash now. Tell me--” And then your chin is being grasped by hands that have murdered and killed and God knows what else. “What did my pretty little tesoro have to occupy their mind that was more important than being good and taking care of their husband, hmm?”

Your voice cracks.

“I-I’m sorry--”

“Not good enough,” he says, his voice still calm. Prosciutto is cool and calculated in all he does; he does not shout and rage at you. His quiet seething, his way of keeping his handsome face a visage of serenity even when he is doing depraved things, is far more frightening than anything else. “Come. Leave the food for later. I think you need a reminder of your place.”

Your breath catches. You know what he means by this, and as if your body is already protesting the coming punishment, you feel last week’s almost-healed bruises on your buttocks sting. And, too - because Prosciutto has trained you to be that way - you feel a heat low in your abdomen, a clenching of the part of you between your thighs that Prosciutto equally adores to torment. 

Prosciutto senses your hesitation and clicks his tongue at you, motioning towards the upstairs of the little home you two share (some holdover from his family connections, though it is not quite as well-maintained as it ought to be). 

“I’ll give you five more strikes for every moment you dawdle,” he says, and he gives you a smile not without a hint of his teeth. When you had first met Prosciutto, you had thought his overbite and the gap between his teeth handsome - now, you wonder if they are on display so often if only to warn you that this is a man who will bite if he is threatened.

You pass by him - and on cue, one of Prosciutto’s hands comes down and squeezes your ass as you walk, his hands strong, fingers digging hard into the plush of your rear. You whimper, and Prosciutto lets out a hiss of pleased breath through his teeth. 

“So soft,” he murmurs to you, slapping you on the rear now as if he is urging you to move faster. “Mm . . . as much of a shame as it is to punish you, tesoro, you’re such a very lovely canvas for the discipline.”

Despite your will, the compliment makes your insides clench once more. Heat gathering between your thighs in hot little shocks - there’s something about the clipped way that Prosciutto speaks that makes you want to get on your knees and do exactly as he says, even if you do hate him. Even if you do wish you were somebody else, somewhere else, away from here. 

(Hate is a difficult thing; you hate Prosciutto. You hate what he has done to you. But his fingers are clever and his mouth is tender and the frissons of danger being his give you are more of a lure than you’d like to admit. Even if you could escape, sometimes you fear that you are so thoroughly under his spell that you would miss him). 

He chuckles as if he can tell what you are thinking - his hands rest upon your hips as you walk, guiding you upstairs, the movement at once gentlemanly and possessive. Those are two things that the mafioso excels in. 

Prosciutto’s bedroom. 

He leaves you standing in the middle of the floor as he slowly, leisurely, crosses the room to sit upon the bed. You stand there for him, tension brewing, even as Prosciutto lets out a slow sigh and removes his ascot with elegant fingers. As he unbuttons his jacket and shrugs it off shoulders, showing the sculpted muscles of his scarred chest. You barely stop yourself from trembling. 

When the jacket is shed, he rests back upon the heels of his hands and looks at you with that handsome, disaffected air - mouth parted, eyes half-lidded. His command is simple. 

“Strip, and then come here and bend over.” 

Prosciutto likes you to look the part of his little spouse. You wear clothes that are well-made and prim and a little old-fashioned, with fiddly little buttons and awkward zippers that you sometimes need his help to get into in a morning. He offers you no such help now, as your fingers slip on the buttons and you miss the catch of the zipper three times from your clammy palms. He breathes out through his nose in a flare of irritation, and you make a squeal of apology as you finally manage to shed the last layer of your clothes and you stand before him in nothing but your underwear, white satin patterned with deep red roses that Prosciutto had picked out for you. He looks at you in satisfaction, noting the damp patch at your gusset.

“My underwear too, amore?” He likes it when you use pet names for him - when you call him ‘my love’ or ‘my soul’ or ‘husband’. He likes ‘Signore’, too, but he prefers that when the two of you are playing one of his favoured little roleplay games. Right now, he is a husband disciplining a wayward spouse, and he wouldn’t react well to it. You hope the little term of endearment softens him. 

“Just the top,” he decides, and you obediently reach behind yourself and unclip it with only a little difficulty. You feel your cheeks heat as Prosciutto looks at how your chest is released from the satiny cups, but manage to keep your composure. “Ah. How lucky I am to have such a pretty spouse, hmm?” He reaches forward, pinching one of your nipples roughly. A soft noise of surprise falls from your lips as he continues to pinch, twisting it just enough for it to edge the line between pleasure and pain, forcing the bud to pucker and stiffen beneath his ministrations. He repeats the process with the other, making you press your thighs unconsciously together. “Maybe I should use a cane on these, one of these days.”

“N-no, please,” you breathe out, but you’re already losing track of the thought of anything but Prosciutto’s fingers upon you. He chuckles, tugging at your nipples again. 

“Maybe some pretty jewelry, then?” He suggests. “One of my associates is very skilled with metals--”

You whine as he pinches just a touch too hard, and, satisfied, he lets go of the sensitive buds - stiff and already aching from a mixture of fear and arousal and the pressure he had exerted. 

“Very well,” he says in amusement. “Come bend over my lap and let me give you your punishment.”

You have no other choice, really - you arrange yourself exactly the way you know Prosciutto likes you, bent over his lap, your ass in the air. Your sore nipples uncomfortably rub against his slacks and the bedspread, and you know that they will chafe between both as you move with every hit of his hand or his belt or the hairbrush, chest swaying with the pressure--

His hand rests lightly on the curve of your ass. 

“You’ve been well-behaved other than today,” he muses aloud, rubbing warm circles onto the heated skin. The touch of his calloused palms on your soft ass sends more little electric shocks to that place between your thighs, satin sticking to the folds of your cunt. “Just my hand, hmm?” 

“Thank you, amore,” you say, automatically. For his mercy. He chuckles, rubs his thumb over the seam of your ass through the underwear and stops just before your sex. 

“No more than you deserve,” he says. “You’ll count, yes?” 

You nod, and Prosciutto seems satisfied enough with that. You hear the sound of his hand pulling back - the displacement of air as it whooshes back towards your ass, and then the calloused meat of his palm collides with your bare flesh. You cry out in surprise at the feeling, despite knowing it was coming. 

“One!” You say. “Th-thank you!”

He pauses, hand still upon your ass. Heat radiates from the spot he has just touched, like waves lapping upon a shore. 

“Thank you, what?” He asks, his voice dangerous - and you know it is a test. You take a great shuddering breath. 

“Thank you, carissimo--?”

You hope you have made the right choice - that the pet name will soften him and soothe him and remind him that he is your husband and you adore him (or, at least, you do because you know what is good for you). The question hangs in the air for a moment that feels like it lasts for an eternity, before Prosciutto lets out a grunt of pleasure. 

“You’re welcome. Don’t forget next time.”

So you don’t. 

You do not forget to count or to thank Prosciutto or to call him all of the sweet things you can think of; thank you carissimo, thank you caro, thank you amore, thank you mio re, mio amato--

And Prosciutto’s blows do not stop coming, each one slower and more lingering than the last. Palm slapping against your rear and thighs until you are all over sore, fingers digging into tenderised flesh, Prosciutto’s hand taking delight in the way you whimper and whine and your voice goes high and reedy as you reach seventeen, eighteen, nineteen . . .

At twenty, he leaves his hand upon your ass for a beat longer. Luxuriously and slowly slides it down, further than he had before - and laughs a little meanly as his fingers dip between your thighs, feeling just how wet your underwear is. 

“Oh, amore,” He breathes, in that damnably low and seductive voice. “You like being punished, don’t you?”

There is no real argument to what he’s saying. With every hit of his hand, you had felt those sparks and shocks that had resonated all through your body and landed squarely in your cunt, between your legs. With every number that had fallen from your mouth, you had felt yourself pump out more slick, until the satin was utterly saturated and it was a wonder you were not dripping all over the floor. 

“You’ve made a mess,” Prosciutto breathes against your ear. “Mm . . . I’m going to have to replace this nice lingerie. Do you know how much it cost?” 

“. . . I . . .’m sorry--”

“Oh,” another chuckle. “Don’t be. It’s nice to know what a little slut my pretty spouse is.”

“I’m not. . .”

“Ah. So you’re not desperate for me to do this?” He slowly, deliberately, presses his fingers against the seam of your sex, rubbing it through the satin. Against your will, a whine falls from your mouth - the pressure is perfect, his fingers so good against your heated core. “You’re not moaning like a bitch in heat?”

“Prosciutto . . .”

“You’re a very lucky little slut, at least.” Prosciutto’s fingers begin to rhythmically slide backwards and forwards, over your cunt - you whimper as he finds your clit, rubbing the satin against the swollen little nub in a way that makes you squirm and hot tears spring to your eyes. “I don’t mind that you’ve gotten off to me punishing you. In fact . . .”

He doesn’t bother to go beneath the fabric - just finds your clit, swollen and stiff through satin as thin as spider silk, and begins a rough, mean assault on it that has you gasping and panting. 

“I’ll even help you along.”

It’s too much. It’s all too much. The position - blood rushing to your head. The way that your ass aches and stings from his discipline, the way he’s practically trained you to get turned on by being hurt, the confusion that you feel about all of this . . . Sometimes you want nothing more than to be the thoughtless little whore of a spouse he wants you to be. Things would be so much easier, wouldn’t they? 

Your breath comes in short sharp pants as Prosciutto increases his speed, roughly circling your clit. You squirm hotly as the pressure follows suit. All of the feelings inside of you - the confusion and the heat and the arousal and the hate and everything else - all tangle together in your mind like old embroidery threads, a mess impossible to unravel--

Until they do. The threads are all suddenly pulled apart in different directions, and your insides explode in an orgasm that is partly pleasure and partly pain. Prosciutto’s fingers do not slow, hot hard circles that guide you over yet more hills and more peaks. You don’t know if it’s good or if it’s overwhelming, all of the sensations creeping up on you at once like ivy overtaking an old house. You sob out a dry, whimpering noise that makes Prosciutto sigh. 

He slows his fingers as the last ebbs and flows of your peak flow from your thighs to your feet to your fingertips and out of your body and lets you lay there limply upon him, breathing hard.

You are suddenly aware of every part of your body. 

Your underwear clings wetly and uncomfortably to your folds, the gusset utterly soaked from the painful orgasm that Prosciutto had wrung from you. Tear tracks are drying on your face, your ass aching from every spank of Prosciutto’s hand. Your nipples ache from how they had rubbed against the fabric of Prosciutto’s slacks with every body-shaking hit you had taken. 

“There,” Prosciutto says, pushing you off of him so you land in an ungainly sniffling heap on the floor. Beads of your arousal and release are streaming down your inner thighs. He acts as though what he’s done has had no effect upon him, though the stiff tent of his erection tells a different story. You will get that particular part of your punishment later, caged underneath the unending snap of his hips and snarl of his voice about what a good little thing you are, taking your husband’s cock like you were made to do. “Now. I think it’s dinner time, don’t you?”

You sniffle again and look up at him with beseeching eyes. 

“I-- I burnt dinner--”

“Well,” he says. “I suppose you’ll have to make it all again, won’t you?”

It’s almost a pardon. You nod frantically at him, and go to reach for your abandoned brassiere, your other clothes - only for Prosciutto to stand up and bring one well-heeled foot right down upon the pile of fabric.

“I don’t think you deserve those, tesoro. Do you?” 

“B-but . . . the window--”

He looks down at you with a glint in those deep blue eyes, a devilish smirk playing about his lips. 

“You should have thought about that before you made such a mess of things.” His eyes slide over your figure - your bare chest, your rapidly bruising thighs and ass, the thin and soaked excuse for underwear you’re currently wearing - and he sighs in satisfaction. “Don’t you dare close the curtains, amore mio. Maybe this will be another lesson for you.”

[waitmyturtles]

GMMTV 2024 Part 2, let's go

I've had my MULTIPLE cawfees and I'm watching the GMMTV Part 2 trailers. @my-rose-tinted-glasses, this one's for you!

TL;DR what I'm excited for: Ossan's Love with trepidation; Revamp: The Undead, I'm first in line; The Ex-Morning with open arms; Us, once we have a better sense of the screenplay; Sweet Tooth, Good Dentist, drop it like it's hot, Mark; Thame-Po, boys look gewd

****

1) Ossan's Love: THE KEY WORDS BEING "INSPIRED BY"

If I take away the inclination to do any sort of comparisons to the Japanese version whatsoever ("INSPIRED BY"), I'm thrilled that EarthMix get to do romcom. Earth at this level of baka is utterly unbelievable to me, you are too smokin' hot, boy, but try to bring it, because if you do, and it's a success, then I'll be fucking really impressed.

2) Leap Day: Looks scary. Gun!

3) The Heart Killers: ...

Man. Man! First in muscle shirts and an earring, kisses pushed up against walls, etc. Where have we seen this before. Lemme guess, they all get together in the end. I would like to force myself to be excited about this somehow, Jojo on 10 Things, but. I haven't been there with JoongDunk yet, either, so actually, they seemed kinda refreshing against the FK vibes, ha. Anyway, this reignited my OF burnout, which I'm honestly trying to ignore as I get close to re-watching The Eclipse for my Old GMMTV Challenge project. @my-rose-tinted-glasses, my trust issues switch is flipped to "on."

(Get Jojo away from ships, please. He had Tay kissing Joss and Mild in the same year AFTER Dark Blue Kiss. He fucking doesn't need to use ships.)

4) Friendshit Forever: no subs, seems intense, the gals are smokin', NEW AND BOUN?! Hate to say it, but even without knowing what this is exactly about, I'm intrigued? My Boun! New and Boun!

5) Perfect 10 Liners: They're letting New Siwaj do 30 episodes, folks. I have no predictions on this one, y'all will have to tell me if it's good. Perth is back with New Siwaj directing after 2018's Love By Chance. If they give Chimon a little comedy, I'll be happy. I asked for Junior again, but maybe I wasn't expecting him to go to school, but I will admit I like JuniorMark together, and if they get to helm 10 episodes as the center stars, then good for them! Maybe that'll be the bit of this series that I watch.

6) Us: I believe in this screenplay more than how 23.5 is working out. I think Fon Kanittha needs more stuff on her plate to play around with to make a great show. This trailer was great. I'm watching My Precious the Series now (after having watched the movie this past weekend, which I was disappointed by -- the series is MUCH better, and going better than 23.5), and I'm seeing that Fon does stuff very well, background community building that gives us macro- and micro-level understandings of her characters. If those levels are Sing Harit, I'm here for it, that was an unexpected appearance, but if he's recalling the strength he brought to Todd in Not Me, then I'm a happy camper.

7) Hide and Sis: I love Piploy. Wednesday Club was a total holiday trash watch for me last year, but I loved her a lot. Looks like they're promoting this as a multi-generational show with known older actors, the approach of which I like. Everyone hates each other and maybe tries to kill each other; Keeping Up With the Thai Kardashians, maybe? Surprise, Gawin's a cop. Chimon as murderer, I'll support that.

8) Thame-Po: This looks cute. I'll consider a pre-order! Separately, I happen to adore cute Lego from LYKN, so good on those dudes for getting a show, and I like that William is pushing his boundaries outside of music.

9) Break-Up Service: I am happy that Off has gotten this kind of sneaky love romcom (?) role.

10) Revamp: The Undead: I'm here for it. I'm so happy for BounPrem. I'm happy to see some strong support dudes in Kay and Mark in this project. I haven't watched My Only 12%, so I don't know from Santa, but I know a lot of friends love him. I am totally seated. GMMTV is really the BL Machine, huh, absorbing this project.

11) Sweet Tooth, Good Dentist: Do not get me wrong, I am very excited about this; I am just wondering if Baby Ohm needs a little workshopping to get more diversity in his expressions. But I am very excited, Mark looks SO DOWN and ready to lead. View! Jimmy! I'm good with this.

12) The Dark Dice: High School Squid Game, I can't

13) The Ex-Morning: I gotta admit. This kind of moment is one of the reasons why I'm so happy doing the OGMMTVC. The big-ass smile I had on my face seeing KristSingto again, even though I really wasn't the biggest fan of SOTUS -- I've done a whole accountability turn on Krist after seeing him in Be My Favorite, and I appreciate that this show will go meta on the KristSingto background. It fucking sucks that Shadow sucked, because Singto is such a good actor, just seems like his scripts are here and there lately, but anyway. Aof Noppharnach writing this? Last Twilight ended cringe, but I'm still an Aof girlie, so I am 100% excited for this.

14) Scarlet Heart Thailand: That wasn't really a trailer, but considering the reputation the base story has in Asia and globally, I like, business-wise, what this means for GMMTV, a historical that will have appeal to multiple generations. I understand the original novel for this, Bu Bu Jing Xin, isn't translated into English, and that's a bummer, because it seems like this Thai version, which has already been dramatized in China and Korea, is based squarely on the novel. Fuck Win. These were the kinds of shows I loved as a kid when I watched Asian shows with my folks, so I have to admit that I'm intrigued, but I would have liked to see a meatier trailer.

That's it!

[randoimago]

The Art of Learning

Fandom: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure

Character(s): Fugo

Type of Request: Self Indugent

Note(s): Fugo is a great character and I feel like he doesn’t get as much love as the rest of the Bucci gang so I wrote this!

Summary: Your grades have been slipping a bit in class, nothing drastic, but the teacher is a bit disappointed so now you have the smartest person in the class tutoring you. Unbeknownst to you, Fugo has a huge crush.

Fugo currently sits at a desk, reading a book. He's waiting for you, the person he's been asked to tutor. While he tries to act like this is just something he decided to do to be nice, his heart is pounding at the thought of being alone with you.

His eyes glance up from his book as he sees you walk in. Fugo takes a deep breath, almost, really preparing himself for spending this time with his crush.

“Hey, Fugo. Thanks for agreeing to tutor me. Sorry that you have to take time out of your plans though,“ you say, giving Fugo an apologetic smile as you take a seat across from him. You start getting your schoolbooks out to prepare for this lesson.

Fugo gives you a nod before asking, “So what do you need help with?” Fugo tries to keep his expression friendly, but his eyes shine a bit brighter as his heart beats faster. He is rather happy to be able to spend this extra time with you, even if it is supposed to be tutoring.

“Well,” you begin, “I’m really struggling with note taking. I just can’t keep up with the professor and when I do write, it’s usually just names or dates but it’s hard to get all the information to piece them together,” you explain as you open your notebook to show Fugo.

Fugo takes it from you to look at the notes before his eyes catch on the little doodle in the corner. It looks suspiciously like him. Fugo tries to clear his throat to focus as he glances to your notes, but his eyes glance to the doodle.

“You drew me?” He can’t help asking, causing you to notice and give a sheepish smile.

“Yeah... I just get distracted and decided to draw instead. You sit in front of me, so I guess I just naturally began drawing you.” Fugo blushes a bit at your words as he can’t help a small smile, glancing back to the words you wrote instead of what you drew.

“It’s cute...” He can’t help but say as he gives a hum when he does realize your note taking could use work. “I could ask the professor if he can go slower with the lecture?” Fugo offers and you give him a bit of a confused look.

“You would ask?”

“Well yes, a lot of people have a bit of anxiousness of attention being drawn to them so if I ask then you don’t have to deal with that,” Fugo explains, blushing a bit as your expression turns to gratitude. He’s not really one that likes attention either, but he can deal with it for you.

“Thanks, Fugo.” He smiles and continues giving advice and helping you with little things before time runs out of your tutoring session for today. Fugo can’t help but be a bit disappointed, but he still gives you a smile.

“I’ll see you in class tomorrow, and we’ll have another session, right?” You ask him and he gives you a nod. His heart pounds in his chest at how happy you look as you wave at him before walking out of the classroom. Fugo gives a sigh after you’re gone, beginning to get his things together when he sees a small piece of paper.

Fugo can’t help the blush as he sees there’s a doodle of you on it saying, “Thank you!”. A soft smile crosses Fugo’s face as he opens his notebook and slips your doodle into the front cover before continuing to pack up.

[ethereal-bumble-bee]

come with me- Crutchie

(Note: I know, I’ve already written like three oneshots that are just letters from Crutchie, but I absolutely adore his character and letters are one of the best forms of expression in my opinion- it’s just something about someone’s heart poured out onto a page that inspires me. This is in a world where Jack moved to Santa Fe after the strike, leaving Crutchie and the others behind. Enjoy!)

    Dear Jack,

    It’s been a while hasn’t it? Almost ten years now, if I remember right… damn, it’s almost surreal to think of all the time that’s passed since I last saw your face. We miss you, all of us do, Racer and Dave and hell, even Spot Conlon. Santa Fe’s a long way away.

    I guess you really had to go away, though. It was a long time coming, I’m sure- you’ve been dreaming of the plains and desert of New Mexico since we were ten. Right now, I’d guess that you’re settled somewhere outside, sketching the landscape with a broken charcoal pencil and a scrap of stolen paper as the world flies by you, your heart full of happiness and relief. 

    No more talking about that, though. I need to ask you something, something that’s been eating at me since the moment we said our goodbyes. I’m sitting in Miss Medda’s theater, where you used to paint sets for her, because I can’t keep wondering any longer. 

    Do you miss us?

    Do you miss the days when you were free, when all the responsibility you had was to survive until your next meal? Do you miss the fights, the jokes, the laughter and the tears, all experienced under the roof that nurtured the man you are today? Do you miss us newsies and everything we went through together? 

    What about Katherine?  Do you think of her often, that girl with the fiery red hair and a way with words that would make Shakespeare tear up with awe? Do you miss the days you spent reminiscing about that first kiss up on the rooftop, the fit of passion and anger that made you fall in love for the very first time?

    Davey- that beautiful boy, shaking like a leaf when you first met him, growing into the bravest and most dedicated leader Manhattan had ever seen- do you still love him? He never moved on after you, Jack. He’s got a job with the Journal, editing articles and making enough to support his family now. He’s got enough money to have a nice house in the suburbs, a wife, and a litter of youngins, but I think he’s holding onto the hope that you’ll come back.

    We all are, if I’m honest. It’s been different around here without you.

    You’d be proud, if only you were here to see how well we’ve done. Race made it big betting at the races and now he and Spot have got this little business opened together, living off of the winnings plus the profits. Specs has got himself a job working on a steamboat and now he’s seeing the world, and JoJo’s a pastor now, preaching every Sunday. You wouldn’t hardly recognize us, I don’t think- we’ve all grown so much, so far past the scared little kids we used to be.

    Sometimes I wonder if you ever changed that much.

    I have to go now. If you ever get this letter, please respond. I’d love to know that you’re okay, that Santa Fe was just as beautiful as you thought it would be, that you’ve got a lass and a good sum of cash in your pocket. If you haven’t already forgotten us, please write back. I miss you.

    Your brother,

    Crutchie

[oneatlatime]

The Siege of the North Part 1

I'll be watching parts 1 & 2 separately.

Once again, audio commentary is off. Saving that as a treat for rewatches.

Hey look! A giant breach in an otherwise impenetrable wall! Bet that's plot relevant.

This episode has already won. It's already perfect. This face is the last thing the patriarchy sees before death. Katara has so earned this.

And then they pan to the casualty line as well! This opening would have had me hollering at the screen if I had seen this as a kid. Doing my Spice Girls Girl Power pose and everything.

Pakku is still Poophead. At least his writing is consistent.

This is what Aang's all about. This is who Aang is. Just a goofy kid indeed.

Try Off.

Yue! Sweetheart! You're allowed to be confused but you're pushing this mixed signals stuff a little far. "This is wrong; I'm engaged!" *Does the bison-riding equivalent of the yawn and stretch like two minutes later.* I get it and I'm sorry, but you can't literally put the moves on a boy you've explicitly stated it's wrong for you to see. Excellent recovery from Sokka though. Totally not awkward at all.

Given the isolation of the Northern water tribe, are the Gaang the only ones who know what the black snow means?

Zhao the asshole's ego has been turned up for the season finale. And since when can he order Iroh around?

"Do you have a plan?" "I'm working on it Uncle." Translation: Nope!

I get it. She's under the massive pressure of her whole society's expectations and traditions and she just wants to be happy for a bit. But seriously, hot, to cold, to hot, to cold, in five minutes of run time? Not to mention last episode's flip flops too. At what point does it go from teenage angst to stringing the poor guy along?

"I like you too much. It's too confusing to be around you." Ouch. Talk about a no-win situation.

"You don't understand. I have duties to my father, to my tribe. I have to do this." AHEM

These two should sit down and really talk to each other instead of making googoo eyes. I think they would find they had a surprising amount in common.

RIP eleven arctic foxes.

When the chief talks about faces disappearing from the tribe, it pans to Yue, Poophead and some guy with a large amount of chin. Foreshadowing?

Is this the total population of the Northern Water Tribe? Why is the Fire Nation bothering to attack? All they have to do is wait 40 years and the isolationism will do the job for them.

I've been ragging on the Sokka x Yue Knots Landing melodrama, but this is just sad. Real talk, it's ouchy.

"The stillness before battle is unbearable." How would you know? Haven't you been behind your walls for decades? I guess it's set up for Aang's line, but it's a bit clunky.

One fireball just displaced their entire defending force. That inspires confidence. These guys are going to get flattened, aren't they.

One man army Aang is back!

The hammers used to trigger these catapults are making inches deep dents in the catapults' frames. That metal is way too soft. There's no way these things wouldn't tear themselves apart under the stress of operation.

Tying the catapults to the ship and to each other is clever. I wouldn't have thought of that.

OH MY GOD

Hang on what's her name

Jojo Siwa works for the Fire Nation ?!?!?

Appa murdered Jojo Siwa?!?!?

Math time! There are five waterbenders in each boat, five boats on this side, and judging by the ice spikes on the other side of the ship, five boats on that side too. That makes ten boats of five waterbenders, which makes 50 waterbenders, one Appa, and one Avatar to take out one fire nation ship.

Not the clearest shot, but I see 117 ships. So it's going to take 117 Appas, 117 Avatars, and 5850 waterbenders to take out this force. I bet they're regretting not training their female benders now.

You and me both Sokka. The Chief praises Sokka and calls Han on his behaviour twice in this scene. Makes me think that he knows that Han is an ass. Which makes me wonder why he's letting him marry Yue? I was ambivalent about the Chief until now, but if he's knowingly shackling his daughter to that, then I think the Chief is a jerk.

More math time! I count nine waterbenders here. This includes Poophead, who's apparently good enough to teach the Avatar, so let's round up and call it ten. Ten waterbenders per fireball.

Jojo Siwa's ship has five catapults. Assuming that all 117 ships have five catapults each (which is a big assumption, because some of them must be support ships), then that's 585 fireballs without reloading. At ten waterbenders each, they're going to need an additional 5850 waterbenders behind the walls to catch incoming fireballs. I bet they're really regretting not teaching women how to bend now. And with the fireballs, how many of the healers have already been pancaked?

Interesting exposition from Iroh. Waterbenders are werewolves.

It's the problem from a century ago in The Storm episode again! The world needs a fully realised Avatar; the best Aang can do is just one (goofy) kid.

Ooof. Zuko is far from my favourite character, but the dynamic between these two is so comfortable, so well-worn. They feel like they've had no one but each other for years, which has made sense from Zuko's side of things since The Storm, but apparently Iroh has a dead kid (?!!?) and suddenly his side of things makes sense too.

"Remember your breath of fire." "Put your hood up." "Pack a lunch." "Bring a sweater." "Listen to your teacher, learn lots, have fun!" "Call me when you get home" "Eat your vegetables" "Call your uncle. He misses you already."

Han is so well liked that when the guards see him getting attacked, they all collectively decide not to do anything about it. "Should we interfere?" "Nah, it's been a long time coming. He deserves it."

Zuko approaching the wall is accompanied by Blue Spirit music, but he's not wearing his Blue Spirit costume. Thoughts?

HYBRID ANIMALS!!!!! HYBRID ANIMALS!!!!! HYBRID ANIMALS!!!!!

Zuko is such a dumb smart guy. He can figure out that the turtle seals are coming up for air, but he can't figure out that marine mammals and humans might have drastically different lung capacities. Then again, if what the deserter says is correct and firebending is all about breathing, then firebenders probably have training on the kind of breath control that lets you hold you breath for extended periods. On the other hand, they probably learned that in water that wasn't so cold that it made you gasp involuntarily, so we're right back to dumb smart guy.

Does the Avatar world's moon cycle not work like ours? Our moon is out pretty often during the day, but Katara's waterbending is stronger at night. So the Avatar world's moon only appears at night?

Is there a connection between the spirit world and bamboo? The giant panda grew bamboo in the village gate, now we see a gate with bamboo behind it.

Strange face. Do not like.

You smack turtleseal? You smack turtleseal like a football?

Thought that was a palm tree for a sec.

Couldn't the Chief have reassigned Sokka in a way that didn't embarass him in front of all the other warriors?

Zuko's got some crazy swimming skills. He's also frozen to death at least three times by now.

"SHADDUP!" -Aang.

Avatar hypnotised by fish, more at 11.

How does Katara know that Aang's body can't be moved? Last time he went to the spirit world, she was sitting in a village gate cradling her brother's boomerang and Aang was ragdolling into a giant panda statue.

Might want to check your ego there Katara. You may be crazy skilled now but there's nothing wrong with backup.

Zuko having the same problem as Sokka and Aang with announcing his sneak strikes.

I love that when Zuko shows up Yue's just like Biyee!!! I wish I could make that into a gif. She ZOOMS.

It's a good thing that Katara knocked Zuko unconscious because otherwise there's nothing permanent she can do to stop him. Ice cage? Melt it. Water cage? Turn it to steam. Fire always undoes water.

Firebenders are powered by photosynthesis. Zuko one shots Katara here. Even powered by a full moon it took Katara a whole lot of moves to incapacitate him, then he gets one sunbeam and knocks her out with the recoil of one blast. Katara may be the best student Poophead's ever had but Zuko's got years on her.

Clever use of the otherwise counterintuitive ship doors: combination battering ram and landing ramp. Neat.

I normally don't agree with Zhao on anything, but my math shows that inevitable is the right word for the outcome of this battle.

"Where did they go?" How about up the giant very obvious path that is the only way out of the oasis that isn't through a city full of waterbenders on high alert?

Verry cool image to end on, but wasn't the fact that it was brilliantly sunny two minutes ago actually an important plot point?

That's it?

Well. Ok. That's a bit of a cliff hanger.

Final Thoughts

This one's really an obligate two parter huh?

How long has the Gaang spent in the Northern Water Tribe? It feels like maybe a week? Zuko couldn't remain undetected indefinitely on Zhao's ship, so it can't have been too long. I feel like Katara's amazing skills would make sense even after just a week, because we've seen how she progresses quickly when she has the opportunity (the waterbending scroll really did work, loathe as I am to admit it). But I feel like Sokka and Yue's story arc, particularly Yue's changes of heart, would work a lot better if it was established that they'd been around each other for a while. They're both aware she's engaged, but they both make the resolution to just be friends, and before they know it they've spent countless hours together and fallen into horribly deep love and now they're in too far and they have to quit cold turkey but they just keep pulling each other back in like their love is inevitable and before either of them know it, they can't stop loving each other. Yue panics and the scene on the steps of the palace as soot falls happens. They both know that maybe it's wisest to stop seeing each other, but then the Chief assigns Sokka to protect Yue and now they're unavoidably thrown together and they're right back where they started and they can no longer even pretend to deny their feelings and the sheer strength of their love acknowledged wipes out the entirety of the fire nation fleet and when the firelord hears the news he has a heart attack and dies so the war's over and Aang goes into the jewellery business and everyone lives happily ever after and Aang and Katara get married when they're both 35 and Sokka and Yue rule over a joint north-south water tribe matriarchy.

Seriously. Yue is giving me Eowyn vibes. I am WORRIED.

I have my suspicions about the Chief. He'd rather a stranger from the southern tribe guard his daughter than her fiance? I wonder if Han was the politically powerful choice. I guess having only a daughter in a patriarchal society doesn't make for a firm power base. I wonder if the Chief's council or whatever picked Han, and the Chief didn't have the power to refuse. So instead he sends Han on a suicide mission and arranges it so that Sokka can spend time with Yue. Is the Chief aware of Yue's feelings for Sokka and trying to help sneakily? If that's the case, I rescind calling him a jerk. Maybe he has to be seen to favour Han in public, so he takes Sokka off the mission when he and Han fight with an audience, but assigns Sokka to his daughter when it's only Sokka in the room. Maybe the Chief ships them as much as I do?

Anyways...

The Northern Water Tribe have been staying out of the war completely, so why are the Fire Nation even bothering to waste resources on them? Their mandate is to capture the Avatar alive, so a full-scale indiscriminate assault on where he's staying feels dumb.

Zuko's one-sided banter with Katara recalled their interactions in the Waterbending Scroll with the pirates. Kind of off-putting, kind of insulting, kind of creepy.

Aang had a neat fight scene, but not much beyond that. I have a feeling he'll be the star of the next episode. Congrats to Appa on the murderous assist. Air nomads may have been pacifists but their bison sure weren't.

This episode set up a lot of dominoes. The next one is going to have to do a lot of things very quickly.

[kerubimcrepin]

Episode 30 - Bonta Folie's (part 1)

This says: "COCO PEOPL PLAQU"

I wonder what this magazine is about, as someone who doesn't read magazines. Swimwear? Beaches?

Guys are we sure she was shaving "him" off, and not "it"? Because I'm scared, Mr submaker.

There are multiple things to point out here:

Simone is basically Joris's babysitter whenever Kerubim leaves. And by god, Kerubim seems to leave a lot.

Living/working across from Kerubim, Julie is familiar with him and Joris, and has a prior relationship. She is an ecaflip, and a fellow business owner, — besides that, being an ex-hairdresser, Kerubim probably has taught her a thing or two. So, she's very happy to see him. Cute.

She discussed Simone's hair, and how to style it with him, without Simone's knowledge.

It's so sad that Simone is trapped in a reality where at times Kerubim Crepin really is as cool and knowledgeable about everything as he likes to present himself.

Imagine if the world's most entitled person entered your coffee shop and turned out to be a 30-year-in-a-row winner of the coffee making competition. Imagine if this happened every day to you at every single place you went to, with the exact same guy.

He's recommended your girlfriend what dresses to put you in, and they're all amazing. Yesterday he forgot a knife on the table, his son began running around with it. You want to beat his ass for both.

The translation here doesn't really carry across that he's saying that he wasn't a male hairdresser, but a Female Hairdresseresse.

"I was a Girlboss, my Jojo! A girlslay, gaslight, gatekeep one!"

Here Julie confirms what I already supposed: that she knows this story, and that he's taught her things.

I want to believe this is Ecaflip's doing, because Kerubim slipping on a banana peel that evil fucking cat left behind twice, and it making his life better each time, would be the funniest brick joke to date.

"LOU PRESENTE

LA _RAIE"

It doesn't look like a V at all, but it would make sense if it said "La Vraie," and they simply didn't bother to add any detail to the letter under his finger.

I think Lou is bisexual, and told him repeatedly about the cool sapphic cabaret she went to, to him, and this man who has never before been interested in cabaret was like "yeah that's probably the best one, the most renowned coolest one." and never understood it's a., lesbian thing.

I think this is the easiest way to explain how he knows about it, yet knows nothing about it.

I will be real, it's heart-warming to see him drink something that isn't beer while in a bar. Though the little artistocratic pinky thing he's doing is... very distracting.

Thank you, ecaflip psychiatric ward, for making him a bit saner, yet insane in new, weirder ways.

Feminism.

(Eric Andre voice) Oh you think the Bontarian Sapphic Cabaret has girl power? Well then, do you think the Bontarian Sapphic Cabaret effectively utilized their girl power by propagating the Bonta-supremacist view among their viewers using their sex appeal, in service of the corrupt nobility?

God, redressing from that costume in five minutes sounds hellish.

A lot of shows would have made an episode, where their male protagonist cross dresses, and infiltrates a "female space", one filled with Goofs about him being a pervert, or uncomfortable, or would have him act visibly flustered. Because it's "funny", man in drag fails at being a woman, laugh.

...I am very happy this one doesn't go in that direction, for many, many reasons.

Realistically, after losing his fiancée, after weeks, or months, in a psychiatric ward, he really wouldn't have "this is a place full of pretty women", of all things, on his mind.

Beyond that, the whole concept of drag as a joke at the expense of the person wearing it, is, well, offensive, and to see it being something more than that, is quite refreshing.

His nerves come from how much he has to do, and how out of depth he is.

This guy has never worked in a high-stress environment like that, he's never done a girly thing before either! He just fucked up a woman's wig, and is about to burn a hole through these clothes. Things are bad.

The real Lili wasn't fucking lying: this really is hell.

Your daily reminder that, for all the jokes of Joris being a manlet, Kerubim is almost the exact same height as he, give-or-take like, ten centimetres.

The thing is that, he used to hate himself so much, that he developed 30-50 addictions and gave her magical amnesia about it.

Now he wants her back so badly that he's drinking tea in taverns, dressing up as a woman (despite, y'know, his incredibly fragile sense of masculinity), and he's chasing her despite knowing how badly he fucked up and that she may never forgive him, simply because he wants to try to make it work anyway.

What he hadn't solved, is his issue with lying, but it is a nice sentiment, — for him to be ready to toss aside his previous identity that used to serve as his shield, in favour of this more vulnerable, girlfailure-esque one.

He can't even muster it in him, to feel bad, when Lou's teasing him here.

I think it's also important to point out that this episode is, funnily enough, one where we see young Kerubim at his most carefree and happy, and his relationship with Lou at it's peak.

He isn't forcing himself to learn how to do make-up through gritted teeth just to get closer to her. He's learning that his girlfriend's interests are fun, and that he likes it. That he's been missing out all this time.

Yes, as an old man he views it as "forgetting who he really is," but to say this didn't affect him greatly, would be a big, big lie. He is still implied to, at times, do drag. He's far more emotionally open with his peers, and doesn't really view it as a weakness anymore. He knits, for god's sake.

Also, and I'm sorry for this., but he has an actual fucking Single-Mom Syndrome. A fatal case of it, in fact. So that's just one last nail in the coffin, proving that this really was one of the most profound thing to ever happen to him, and one that changed his brain chemistry forever, for better or for worse.

[sleepy-the-loz-enthusiast]

So out of nothing but vague inspiration, I drew my personal headcanon designs for various Links. This is inspired by Linked Universe, but these are not the same characters and while I deeply admire Jojo's work, this is not the same thing. It's not even an au, just how I headcanon them-

So far it's only sksw and botw Link, but I might post more. Maybe?

Anyways, stuff under the cut (in case people aren't interested)

My personal design for Skyward Sword Link:

For the most obvious changes, I made him chubby and also dark skinned because my dude lives on an island in the sky. Above a cloud barrier. So he'd be getting a lot of unfiltered sunlight, and pale skin would likely result in cancer, so he's got dark skin. He's chubby because Skyloft is probably extremely cold and it'd be a biological advantage to have a thick layer of fat as insulation to protect from the cold. Plus, I like the idea of him getting some well deserved rest after thd stress of his adventure and gaining some fat.

In terms of personality, I imagine him as both an absolute sweetheart and a complete gremlin when he has energy. He's helpful and a kind soul, but it doesn't take away from the fact that he partakes in (mostly) harmless mischief. But, a lot of the time he's exhausted.

Constantly overexerting himself on his journey has permanently damaged his stamina levels. It's also given him joint pain, a fear of lightening, and nerve damage in his right arm and upper back. On bad days, he can barely get out of bed without nearly passing out and he can't move from the pain in his joints. But regardless, he is helpful when he can be, and is stubborn about sitting still and resting unless it's really bad.

For relationships, I'm definitely thinking he's in a relationship with his Zelda. But also, Groose? Idk, these are just random thoughts lmao

My design for botw/totk Link:

I made his scarring a lot worse and got rid of his arm because I think it'd make a lot more sense. I was talking about this with my sibling and they pointed out that they wished Link would keep Rauru's arm, so I'm gonna say that's what happened, but it was strong enough to carry Zelda out of the pond in totk's ending, but deteriorated over a period of time and eventually disappeared. He also lost half his face from guardians when the Calamity struck, and while the shrine of resurrection healed the flesh, it could not replace what was lost. For all of botw, he had one functional eye and ear, but post botw Zelda and Purah made a glass eye to fill the socket and something or other he can see out of it, though it's poor. He's still deaf on that side though. Also, for the most part his ribs are protected only by thick scar tissue and a bit of muscle, so he's haf a fair share of broken ribs and occasional breathing difficulties. He has very little sensation on his scarring, which has lead him to sustain a lot of injuries but be blissfully unaware until he's like "why am I dizzy...? Oh, I'm bleeding-"

On the braid going over his tunic, he has four beads to represent the four champions in their colours. I see him as a sentimental person and kind of a hoarder. Like, he gets all of the Champions' weapons and keeps them in his Hateno house, he stores an ungodly amount of food and materials in his slate, and he collects outfits.

He gives off the vibes of someone who doesn't really understand the concept of gender and love because through his journey, people only really wanted him to save Hyrule and he was useful to them. Even when his friends explained everything, he just can't be bothered, so he's aroace and his gender is *shrugs*. He's chill with being seen as a guy, even if he doesn't feel like anything in particular. Also, he's extremely good friends with all of the sages, Zelda, Purah, and Robbie. He's happy with his life, even if it hasn't been kind to him.

His hair is extremely long and he likes dressing up in his free time because it's his way of self expression and having control over his life. He can't control or change the fact that he has scars, or that he's the hero of Hyrule, or that he'll never be able to experience life like his friends. But he can control if he wants to cut his hair short or keep it long, how he styles it, and the way he dresses. Idk, just for funsies

[haisayonaraa]

Holding back tears

(WARNING: this is going to a not so happy story, it's not going to be for anyone looking for a cute upbeat story.)

[story below]

Ever since his reincarnation (thanks to writer logic) Jonathan has been well aware of age regression. At first he was slightly confused, but luckily his family was able to explain it to him. Afterwards he unintentionally picked up the role of a caregiver due to his 'magic fatherly abilities' to make littles feel small. Now a days Jonathan has been quite comfortable with this job and has even redesigned his new mansion to suit the needs of each little that he may need to care for. Seriously, this man went all out, especially after learning out how credit cards worked (he doesn't understand the fact that he has to pay it back, Speedwagon's been paying off the debt quietly).

But lately things have been different, lately Jonathan has been different. Recently he's been having thoughts about his father. Even after things where settled with Dio, and after Jonathan accepted and forgave him, he couldn't quite forget what he'd done to their father. He wasn't mad at Dio, or anyone, he just feels empty in a way he can't explain. This emptiness has sometimes caused him to feel like curling up and blocking it out. It also made him feel needy for the company of his family. But he dare not mention this, after all, he's the head of the family, the one everyone looks up to. What would it show them if he was growing upset over something he didn't even understand? And so, he pushed the feeling away until today.

Today the mansion was empty, with his family having their own personal things they where up to. This left Jonathan alone to think, reminisce, and hopefully calm down. Luckily, he did calm down, until he realized he was alone, for some reason, this felt awful.. he didn't  know why, he'd been alone before and was content with it.. maybe he just missed his family  being around him? What ever it was, the feeling of loneliness grew so heavy on him that eventually,  he broke. For the first time since his accident, he cried.

Jonathan's crying became more then just loneliness,  everything  in his life that had happened just came tumbling down on him. The loss of his father, his dog.. even the very place he grew up in. While in his sorrow, he didn't realize that he was no longer alone, that his sobbing had caught the attention of the only other person there. 

Speedwagon usually came over to the mansion  to help out with the many Littles that came and went. Sure Jonathan was usually fine with the large numbers, but speedwagon couldn't help but want to assist him. He'd  been ready to talk to Jonathan about leaving for the day, due to the lack of people, but he grew worried when he heard crying from his room. 

Speedwagon quietly entered and sat beside Jonathan  on the bed. "...Jojo?" Jonathan finally realized Speedwagon  was there,  and looked at him, "S-speedwagon- I'm so sorry you have to see me like this! I don't know what's come over me!" Jonathan looks away. "Why are you apologizing?" Speedwagon puts a hand on Jonathan's  shoulder "b-because- I'm not supposed to cry over silly little things like this.." Speedwagon looks at Jonathan,  "like what?" Jonathan meets Speedwagons eyes with his own, and there's something deep inside that could make even the toughest man's heart crumple. "I-im all alone! A-and I don't have father a-anymore, o-or danny- o-" Speedwagon  pulls Jonathan  into a hug "shhh, Jojo, it's ok" Jonathan  cries into Speedwagons shoulder, "Jojo, you know you're never alone, you have me and Erina, and the rest of your family too." Jonathan  quiets down a bit, "I don't want to bother them... they've been through so much-" speedwagon rubs Jonathan's  back,  and you've always been there for us, now it's our turn. You know Joseph always asks if you need anything" Jonathan  sighs, "but-" "but nothing. You deserve to be heard and taken care of just as much as everyone  else. Please let me help you, I want to help." Jonathan  looks at speedwagon before returning the hug.

And this is the start of something  very small for Jonathan :')

(Later, Jonathan  finds out he's  a flip. Speedwagon  and Erina both enjoy spoiling and taking  care of him. Sometimes the other Littles even get in on taking care of Jonathan :3 and for anyone  wondering,  Jonathan is the sweetest little baby, though he still needs help realizing  crying is OK, no matter what it's about)

Realized I never finished this, so I finished typing it up on my iPad here, hope you all enjoy! 

[heliads]

In the Future

Based on this request: "A oneshot for Jojo with a marriage pact, like if we're both single by the time we're (age) we'll get married"

masterlist

It is late by the time you finally manage to make it to the fire escape. Third floor of the Manhattan newsies’ lodging house, on the side facing the west, two windows down. Same one as always. Same boy as always waiting for you there, too.

You have enough time to flash him an apologetic smile as you slide into a seat next to him. Jojo has been many things at many different times– insufferable, quick to a temper, prone to flights of fancy– but forever your best friend. That’s why you know enough to expect forgiveness for your tardy arrival even before he opens his mouth to speak.

Jojo’s still going to give you a hard time, at least for a minute or two. That’s just what he does. That’s what the two of you do, what you have done since the moment you met in this very same lodging house and what you’ll probably keep doing until one of you gets stuck in the Refuge for good or manages to move out of this city.

He arches a brow. “Y/N, do you know what time it is?” He asks it casually enough, but you can tell from the sarcastic glint in his eyes that Jojo isn’t just posing this question for fun.

“Half past six,” you admit begrudgingly.

Jojo’s eyes widen comically. “Is that so? Crazy. I thought we agreed to meet at half past five. You know, like we do every single day.”

You groan. “Oh, lay off already. I was busy.”

Usually, you’re as carefree as could be after work lets out, just like any other newsie worth his coin. Today, however, your tone is a little strained, your face a little exhausted. You try to hide it, but you should have known that you wouldn’t have that much luck.

Jojo leans forward. “What’s wrong?”

Straight to the point, just like always. You do your best to push off the inevitable for the time being, even if you have a feeling this tactic of distraction won’t work out. “Nothing. I’m great. Say, did you see Race? I think he said he stole a fresh box of cigars, maybe we should investigate–”

Jojo cuts you off with a sharp look. “You’se hiding something. Don’t think I don’t see it. Can you cut to the chase and tell me already?”

You shrug, the picture of innocence. “Nothing is wrong. I’m just a normal person behaving normally.”

Jojo sighs exasperatedly. “Y/N.”

“Jojo,” you repeat back, just as deadpan, “okay, fine. It’s just the job, that’s all. A pair of newlyweds had the brilliant idea to use newspapers as confetti for their wedding today, seeing as it’s a cheap source of paper. I was delivering the papes to them this afternoon.”

“That doesn’t seem too bad,” Jojo says cautiously.

You nod. “Yeah, and it shouldn’t have been bad, but something about seeing everyone together at the chapel, so happy, it reminds me that I’m never going to get something like that. I’m not stupid, Jojo. I know my prospects or whatever aren’t the brightest. I don’t have a dowry, I don’t have parents who are going to pay me through a nice ceremony. It just sucked watching those people be so successful when I know that’s never going to be me.”

Jojo frowns. “I know what you mean. We doesn’t have enough money to be that carefree.”

The two of you sit in saddened silence for a while before Jojo’s eyes light up again. “Wait a minute,” he declares, “I have an idea. A really good one, in fact.”

You grin. “What kind of good idea?”

Jojo stands, starting to pace back and forth across the narrow fire escape. You tuck your legs up to your chest so you’re out of his way.

“Hear me out,” he says slowly, “what if we get married? Not now, of course. Just, you know, if nothing happens. We can get tax benefits and all that stuff Katherine keeps talking about in her articles. If we’se both on our lonesome by the time we’re older, we get married. Easy as that.”

You think you might be hallucinating. “Jojo,” you murmur faintly, “you can’t actually be serious about this. Us. Getting married.”

“Yeah,” he answers, “And? It would work out. Just as a last ditch answer, obviously. I’m not, uh, doing it for any other reason. And it wouldn’t be for a very long time. Maybe you’d be on your deathbed or something.”

You snort. “I’m not getting married if I’m minutes from death.”

Jojo shrugs. “Then we do it earlier. What do you say?”

You stare at him in vague bewilderment until it dawns on you that this isn’t the worst idea, all things considered. You can only be a newsie so long, you can’t only live in the lodging house forever. At least renting some shoddy place in ‘Hattan would be easier if you had a lawfully wedded husband and all that nonsense.

At last, you swallow back your laughter and reach out your hand in mock solemnity. “Alright, then. We’re getting married at some point in the future.”

Jojo’s grin is as bright as any you’ve ever seen, and he shakes your hand with equal gravity. “Sounds like a deal to me.”

You’re not sure what to expect in the aftermath of that particular conversation. Jojo asserted that the wedding would only happen in the distant future, but it would still definitely be happening, and that’s really more than you expected in the first place. Would he act as if nothing changed, or either better or worse, like everything had changed?

At first, it seemed as if life would be normal. You go to work, you sell your papes, you talk with Jojo late into the evening just like any other day. It takes about a week or so before you start noticing the small differences in Jojo’s usual character, changes that most certainly only began to occur after that agreement happened.

The first sign comes on a Tuesday morning. You’re in line to get your papers to start the day, idly chatting to a few of your friends, when you realize that something is off.

Albert has his arm around your shoulder, complaining about how Race nearly decked him for no reason the other day just because he tried to sell at Sheepshead. When the redhead takes a breath, you whisper something to him, careful to ensure that no one else can overhear you.

“Is it just me, or is Jojo staring at us?”

Albert takes a surreptitious glance around, then nods. “No, you’re definitely right.”

Across the square, Jojo has his arms folded across his chest. He’s glaring at you and Albert, practically radiating fury. The only problem is that you have absolutely no idea why your friend is upset.

“Neither of us did anything to upset him, right?” You ask cautiously.

Albert shakes his head. “Last I checked, yeah. Maybe someone’s framed us.”

You chuckle at that. “Makes enough sense to me.”

The two of you have reached the front of the line, and Albert disengages his arm so you can go ahead and pay for your papers. You wave goodbye to Jojo when you pass him on your way out, and, funnily enough, the other boy looks far happier the second Albert is no longer within your line of sight.

A similar thing happened two days later. This time, you’re out selling papers in the streets of Manhattan, hawking your best (often false) headlines in the hopes of turning a profit. Buttons is right by your side, your selling partner since the very beginning.

This time, Buttons is the one to notice first. He taps you on the shoulder as you come back from selling a pape. “Why is Jojo looking at me like he wishes I was dead?”

You turn around, following the boy’s line of sight around a neighboring street corner. Jojo had been lingering by a streetlight, and although he quickly ducks into a shop to avoid detection, you’ve already seen him. More specifically, you saw the cold stare he was directing towards Buttons, the exact same look he’d been giving Albert the other day.

You shrug. “I have absolutely no idea. Let me guess, you haven’t done anything to upset him?”

“Yeah,” says Buttons, “he was talking to me like nothing happened this morning. Weird.”

“Weird indeed,” you agree.

By the third instance of this different attitude, you’re starting to get annoyed. It's been a week since the first time you noticed Jojo acting oddly. You’re in the lodging house after managing to sell all of your papers. Jojo walks in while you’re laughing over the day’s exploits with a group of friends. Usually, he’d stop to talk to you, but this time he walks straight by as if he doesn’t see anyone there. He gives you a polite wave, but nothing else.

Had it happened any earlier, you probably would have just brushed it off as the result of a hard day, but this time you’re mad. Jojo is treating you weirdly and you’re sick of it. You bid a quick goodbye to your friends and walk quickly after him.

Jojo looks surprised when you follow him into an empty hallway, but you’re not letting anything come in between you and some answers.

“What is this about?” You ask pointedly.

Jojo does his best to look innocent. “What are you talking about?”

You fold your arms across your chest. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. You’ve been acting oddly for days now. Did you know that some of our friends have started asking if they did something wrong? You’re treating them like they’re monsters and they have no idea why. Neither do I, for that matter.”

Jojo flushes and looks away. “That’s not– I’m not mad at them.”

“Then why are you behaving like this?” You question him.

His gaze snaps back to you. “Because they’re getting too close to you. I mean, you saw Albert that day, he had his arm around you and everything. Maybe I just don’t like that.”

You scoff. “I’m allowed to talk to my friends, Jojo. Last time I checked, we’re not getting married for another decade or two.”

“Don’t bring up that agreement,” he says heatedly, “that was for me. A last resort if I couldn’t tell you how I felt. If all else failed, that would work. I don’t know why I bothered, though, because you clearly seem way more interested in every other boy here.”

You stare at him. “Wait, you were going to tell me how you felt?”

Jojo looks unhappy, but it’s not as if he can get out of this now. “I like you,” he says simply, “I thought you already knew, but there. I do. Problem is, you don’t feel the same way.”

“Well,” you reply slowly, “who ever said anything about that?”

Now it’s his turn to be in shock. “What?”

You lift a shoulder. “Don’t be that surprised. I mean, come on, I spend way more time with you than anyone else. Surely you noticed that.”

“I’m noticing it now,” Jojo excuses himself.

You laugh. He’s certainly got all the time in the world to think about it now. You’re happy, he’s happy, and nothing could possibly be better.

newsies tag list: @lovesanimals0000, @misguidedswagger, @thatfangirl42, @amortensie

[bengiyo]

Our Skyy 2 x Never Let Me Go Ep 1 Stray Thoughts

WELCOME BACK MY BOYFRIEND! I'm excited to see Jojo and friends have fun with these characters, and really glad we're starting with Never Let Me Go.

I like that we're going to see them a few years into the long distance romance.

Pick him up from the airport? The reason Pran almost killed Pat???

I love Nueng being grumpy as shit as soon as they get together.

Nueng is so valid for wanting Thai food when he goes home. I'm the same whenever I go back home after traveling.

Thank you to Suzuki for sponsoring this episode.

Love the unabashed product placement of Our Skyy episodes.

I like watching Nueng calm down after realizing that the only reason Palm was busy was because he was thinking about Nueng.

Palm can fight. This man is lucky he didn't get his ass beat.

I'm absolutely here for this soulmates plot.

I like how Pond and Phuwin face each other. They stand in each other's space in a way that feels like they're together.

Oh lord is Palm about to get beat up by a bunch of dudes again?

"Go back to the beginning," has worked its way into my brain forever because of the Digimon Movie.

Jojo loves Pawin and is going to put that boy in so many situations now.

Oh, "faen" being a modern word is actually fascinating, and now I need one of you who knows Thai to explain this history to the rest of us.

I like Pond's hair in the past.

Oh, pratfall kisses, how you make no sense to me.

I'm trying to understand how Thai people walked around tits out with all those mosquitoes. Like I am happy to look at Phuwin, but it looks like you would get EATEN UP by bugs.

Nuengdiao being smart and quick to adapt has always been one of my favorite things about him.

Palm reversing the breakfast dialogue, and Nuengdiao being charmed and annoyed is *chef's kiss*.

Would love to get an approximate year for when this is going down. It's making me think about the history of mosquito nets.

Petch (Pawin's character) is going to try to kill Nueng.

Phuwin is quite pretty with that umbrella.

They are having a lot of fun with the camera work for the imaginary photos.

Suddenly Marc. Are he and Pawin going to interact?

Oh, Nuengdiao, please don't be smarter than you're supposed to be. Still, they like showing off how talented Phuwin is, and I won't complain about that.

I AM HERE FOR THE SECOND CHANCE FOR MARC AND PAWIN.

There's some interesting ideas about seeing the same people in every lifetime.

What if we kissed in ancient times?

Palm is right to be frustrated that they might spend another four years apart.

I'm glad I didn't have to watch Phuwin's back get destroyed. As a black person, I'm not keen on seeing folks get whipped.

I'm having fun with this! I'm glad Jojo got to play around with a different setting, and I'm enjoying the role reversal.