#just a lot of tyrus

[bearenjoyers]

sorry im just thinking about bcs but like. why not add a few smaller scenes of gus interacting with his own men? why does it seem like, in comparison, mike is almost immediately elevated to a higher status than those two in bcs purely because we actually get to see him having normal conversations with gus? like i understand they might not keep the plot moving as well because of the fact obviously if victor is currently doing something it’s because gus told him to etc. but for the most part all of the smaller interactions gus does have with those two ends up being in a somewhat high stress situation where it feels very tense between everyone. and it’s just like damn! is it always like that?? why do those two even care that much about their jobs if their boss is a bit of a dick? etc. i think even an additional scene or two with those guys (either alone or the both of them) talking with gus in a more normal situation could’ve both added a bit more depth into how gus treats his employees (we got a lot with how he treats lyle and co., but not a whole lot with the illegal side of things), how comfortable vic and tyrus feel around him in a calmer setting, and exactly why they both feel the need to be as loyal as they are to the guy.

and also on the other side of this i don't think it'd hurt to maybe elaborate on their pay just a bit..? i'm not saying to randomly put a number out into the atmosphere but i just mean some smaller things like. do they buy nicer things for themselves? what's their housing situation? what's their car situation? are the escalade / yukon their own vehicles or does gus just use those two for business situations? do they use them when they're doing their own stuff off the clock or do they have their own cars? etc. that can also help with understanding their motivations a bit. don't get me wrong i don't think they should be visibly rich or something because that's not what gus would want but just smaller things! cause it's easy to write their loyalty off as Well they probably get paid super well, which i'm sure is true, but if they don't show a single hint of that then what's the point. even something as simple as giving tyrus a nice watch, or maybe victor having a nicer looking gun, etc. something small like that. because as it stands right now the average 41 year old viewer who watched the show once only knows and will only ever know victor and tyrus as those two guys in the background who do random stuff for gus with no clear motivation. just the personification of "On it boss (salute emoji)". and to be honest this is true for a whole lot of fans who do watch the show multiple times and enjoy thinking about it more in depth, because on screen we barely have anything about the two.

and to be clear i'm not trying to say we should have an episode just for them or something like no i understand they're side characters. i understand we don't need all that. and i understand this is also primarily Jimmy's show. but it's not like these two are on the same level as like, arlo or paige and kevin etc. these guys have been around since brba. victor was literally introduced in the same episode gus was. and they are a huge part of gus's story, especially in brba. s4 wouldn't have been what it was without victor and tyrus. and in bcs, ignacio's situation wouldn't have been the same if it weren't for victor and tyrus as well. and i just personally believe that if their goal with gus in bcs was to go back and elaborate on how everything came to be and show what he was like a few years younger, they could've dragged victor and tyrus into that. and i think his character would've benefited from taking that extra step with those two.

[imagineitdearies]

~ A Flawed Eternity ~

(AKA drabbles set in the Perfect Slaughter universe)

In which Tyrus and Astarion enjoy modern literature.

-

“Not interrupting I hope, darling?”

If not for immediate recognition of the voice, Tyrus may have dropped his book and cast Fire Bolt first, asked questions later.

Two days outside of the palace and he still felt—well, only a bit more safe, amongst a thousand other emotions. Luckily the person to thank for the majority of that safety now stood just past the door that had somehow opened without Tyrus hearing, who was grinning and holding a larger bag than he’d returned with the previous evening.

Tyrus relaxed and laid the book on his lap, gesturing at its pages as he answered, “Oh, just judging your choice in literature for me.”

Astarion brightened further at that—he’d brought Tyrus an impressive pile after his first shopping spree yesterday—and was quick to shut the door and hurry into their heavily curtained room above the Elfsong Tavern, leaning over Tyrus at the side of the bed to see what exactly he was reading.

Tyrus sighed and flipped it to show the cover, though he watched with a small smirk at how ecstatic Astarion was to see its title, The One that Got A Thay.

Astarion put on a playful pout right after, throwing a hand out in dramatic gesture as he spoke with playful shock, “You read most of it without me! I expected this to be the last book you picked from my selection, love.”

There were three arcane books that looked useful, even could teach Tyrus a new variety of spells now that he wasn’t confined to Cazador’s purposes. And besides a few general adventure books Tyrus had spied two more volumes of the Drizzt legends, though he wouldn’t dream of reading those without Astarion. Last, he’d noted the smut book, read its description and scoffed a bit—and ended up devouring it over the last three hours.

“I suppose I wanted a break from studying important things, after . . . so long,” he shrugged, smoothing a finger down the crisp pages.

Astarion’s face gentled. He discarded his cloak and bag and sat more properly next to Tyrus, pulling him in with an arm around his shoulder. “You’ll just have to catch me up, then,” he replied with a quick kiss to Tyrus’s ear. “I want to hear all about this dark, brooding necromancer and the pure-hearted, muscled beserker who changed his life.“

Tyrus was happy to oblige over the next few minutes: “Well, the two wasted half the book arguing with each other, the necromancer doesn’t know how to talk about feelings—no, much worse than you’ve ever been, Astarion—and the author kept describing the berserker’s size over and over again during the first sex scene, why does that even matter? But otherwise, it’s a rather interesting story and the plot entails a lot of history . . .”

They spent the next few hours reading the last third of the book aloud, laughing at the wrong parts, critiquing every unrealistic aspect of the sex scenes, and having such a lovely, relaxed evening together that Tyrus felt nothing but pleased to find a book titled A Pleasurable Deal added to the pile after the next shopping trip.

Maybe it was a strange thing to enjoy, given everything they’d both been through . . . but maybe a little escapism was healthy, every now and then.

[juxtaposed-nerd]

aapi heritage month headcanons pt. 3 !!!

just in time for s3 of dndads, let’s get into it! this one will probs be a lot but so much has happened in the past year 😭

- taylor LOVES chinese new year, he looks forward to it every year as the favorite (only) child and he eats all the dumplings he could ever eat and gets tons of red envelopes

- cassandra and morgan become best friends/mother-daughter relationship vibes post-doodler, like they are the most badass and cool women in the world and i do think taylor grows to love morgan so much and even though his relationships with nick/glenn are strained, at least he has the best mom and grandma

- as a voice actor for anime/cartoons i think cassandra really did fall in love w the art of anime and i’d love for her to guest at a con (make her the j michael tatum of her world PLEASE) and taylor gets a free ticket to weeb out as much as he wants <3

- in my heart glenn is trying his best, like he really wants that closeness (haha) and i think now post-doodler it's like literally what started as a father/son duo of him and nick now is genuinely a huge (kinda fucked up) family that is trying to mend itself and i do think it starts with chinese takeout !!!

- sidenote i think the close/foster/swifts etc are a great example of how freddie has subverted asian stereotypes fr and also how a family stuck in an absent/neglectful cycle has the ability to come together again

- the mending includes hermie too, hermie definitely deserves something more in his life and the chance get to be a kid w a home in the form of a big family w his bio dads (his normal parents are invited too) (and i also love the idea of normal being like 'grandpa henry! this is the guy!' and hermie being an honorary oak would be so cute 😭)

- hermie went and saw joy ride (2023) bc it was marketed as a comedy and came out bawling his eyes out from that one scene y’all adoptees know what im talking about

- tbh thinking about taylor's closeness w his mom and francis's w kimon wan literally asian moms are holding this show together

- the farnsworth’s are thai and german and they came to peachyville at a young age to give their newborn son a better life very starting nuclear family vibes, ed definitely learned thai for her, and now their son is a bowling champ!

- francis farnsworth and taylor swift are lowkey the spectrum of asian upbringing where it's like midwest asians vs socal asians 😳🤭 they live in different worlds

- kimon wan is an immigrant mom just trying to raise her family and her damn son wont stop being a loser 🤦‍♀️ literally milf w a shotgun (ed is a lucky man FR) (sorry anthony burch)

- when francis is having a really tough day then kimon wan will leave a plate of cut up fruit at his door so he knows he's still supported

- luo's golden wok is the first and only chinese restaurant in peachyville and they have to have the best pepper steak ever im calling it now

- tony collette would love and hate both jodie and glenn i think for different reasons but instead of calling them formosans he’d call them orientals 💀

- also tony collette is 0.0001% asian (chinese) and tyrus luo either DEFINITELY knows which is why he puts up w all the bullshit tony does or tony is determined to make sure that tyrus NEVER finds out ever

- they have a 'throwback' silent movie night at the drive-in and they show a meryl streep film and literally everyone falls in love w him 🥰

- billion millions was a crazy rich asian and he was an icon

- once again they mean the world to me! might end up posting more at some point who knows lol

-

checkout past headcanons: 2022! 2023!

[namig42]

Was chatting with my lovely mutual @mortalasystem about my Wyllstarion fic Just One Yesterday and some of the inspo that got me started on it, and I thought why not share those things with people who might be looking for good recs? With that, here are some of the biggest inspirations for my super involved story!

Friday Nights by @sadinasaphrite

So the first and probably most prominent inspiration for a modern au is this wonderful Bloodweave fic called Friday Nights over on ao3. I really loved the chemistry between Gale and Astarion in this one, and Gale's perspective was very interesting, especially with the mix of magic still in this au. Wonderfully written, very considerate of Astarion's circumstances as a sex worker, and a happy ending to wrap it all up nicely!

Read it on Ao3

Sex worker/Charity worker Halstarion AU by @malacandrax

This comic has nine parts as of now that are all little snippets of Halsin being a concerned social worker and Astarion as a sex worker in a 70s/80s UK setting. OP really took a lot of consideration writing this one and portraying realistic steps that someone in Astarion's situation could take, and I love how they really captured both characters so well. The progression between the Astarion and Halsin is really nicely done, even in such small snippets. 11/10, definitely recommend.

Link to Part 1 here

Perfect Slaughter by @imagineitdearies

This is a Tavstarion fic that honestly captivated me so much from beginning to end. It's a long form fic that is incredibly compelling and is an alternate au prequel to the events of BG3. Tyrus, the protagonist, is a very compelling original character, and his relationship with Astarion in the hell that is Cazador's palace was so well crafted. This was the story that had me wanting to explore more relationships with Astarion in my own writing, focus on dark topics and give them the respect they deserve such as trauma, abuse, and torture, and try my own hand at writing something long form. It's gotten a great deal of praise, all of which is well deserved, and I cannot recommend it enough.

Read it on Ao3

The funny thing about my Wyllstarion thing was that there was actually very little Wyllstarion inspiration. I saw some good art here and there on tumblr, but not very much at the time. My dash was mostly bloodweave if anything. Still, there was just enough of an inkling in my head of Wyll and Astarion, and then a dumbass idea came to me one day.

I wrote it in the first chapter's notes on Ao3, but the thing that kicked this multi chapter obsession into gear was...

Just One Yesterday by Fall Out Boy

A song off a ten year old album. That's what did it. Specifically the lyrics:

Anything you say can and will be held against you,

So only say my name. It will be held against you.

Those two lines had my brain swimming with a one-shot smut fic of a police officer Wyll and a sex worker Astarion, but a one shot wasn't enough for the romantic that is Wyll. I couldn't write him having a first meeting kind of fling. I wrote out the original one shot idea, let it sit for a couple months, and then suddenly, something clicked in my brain and the whole thing took off from there.

Still, without this lyric, the story wouldn't exist at all. Honestly, going back and listening to the whole song after everything I've written so far, I think it's a fitting title and song in its own way. Highly recommend giving it a listen if you aren't familiar!

---

That's all the big ones. If other things come to mind that I missed, I'll reblog this and add onto it. In the meantime, I highly recommend checking these things out and showing the artists some love! Thanks for taking the time to read, and I hope you found something new to enjoy!

[paracosmicat]

HELLO ! feed me tyrus date headcanons please !! or literally any andi mack headcanons i love seeing everyone’s thoughts <333

I WOULD LOVE TO

- TJ’s family tended to go to McDonald’s a lot so now he thinks going anywhere besides McDonalds is super fancy.

Cyrus: Should we go to Wendy’s?

TJ: Woah there, I would have worn something nicer than a hoodie if I had known

- I still love the idea of Tarty exes, that still lives in my brain, so I would love the idea of Buffy and Cyrus planning a double date and then TJ and Marty sit down like “what are you doing here?”

- TJ asks Andi to help him make a gift for Cyrus for one of their monthiversaries and it is about as awkward as you can expect because TJ keeps getting so frustrated and Andi isn’t the best teacher but eventually they have a breakthrough and it results in the best gift ever

- TJ keeps coyly asking Cyrus to come to the swing set with him and Cyrus is kind of avoidant about it until eventually he confesses that he saw him and Kira there and that it really hurt him and TJ gets to explain and apologize

- They stop trying to have milkshake dates at The Spoon after the tenth time it’s crashed by the entire GHC plus Amber plus Jonah plus Libby and so on and so forth

- You better believe that next costume day TJ goes all out to apologize. He makes the two of them do several costume changes throughout the day and each of them are disgustingly sweet couples costumes. There’s not a single person at Grant High that doesn’t know they’re together.

- TJ and Cyrus movie dates consist of High School Musical 1 2 and 3 just because I said so

[nightblightowl]

Hey there. I really like your art. You are a gifted artist. :)

Who or what was your biggest inspiration to become an artist? :)

I know I've been drawing since before I can remember. My mom said I picked up a crayon at 2 years old and never put it down. It was only at 6 years old, when I watched Bambi for the first time and saw how the artists worked on it in the after-credit scenes did I realize "I want to do THIS" Bringing a drawing to life was MAGIC to me. And while I did work in the industry for 6 years, I realized that, while I loved it and had a passion for animation, I did not have the patience... I couldn't sit still. Easily distracted. And in my last year, due to working just one small part of production, I wasn't getting any satisfaction from my work. Then I found out at 29yrs old that I'd had undiagnosed adhd my whole life which made working in an office at a desk on a tight schedule with high demand difficult and it was getting worse. I couldn't find a way through it so I had to change my career. I draw for my own enjoyment now. And I've transferred my perfectionist mindset and attention to detail to my work in woodwork, carpentry and framing houses ;) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Artists like Frank and Ollie, Tyrus Wong, Milton Kahl, Glen Keane, James Baxter had big impacts on me growing up, to name a few. I had a lot of anime/manga influence in my teen years as well, Rumiko Takahashi and Masashi Kishimoto being the biggest ones.

[averagesizedperson]

what your favorite wrestling company says about you

wwe: you think all wrestling is the wwe. either that or you are below the age of 12 aew: you're queer and/or British. you have a rant about cm punk in your drafts somewhere impact wrestling/tna: you miss when they had the six sided ring and when they were on a network people actually watched. you despise vince russo with a passion new japan pro wrestling: you have torrents of every tokyo dome show and at least 5 different Bullet Club shirts. you may have wept tears of joy when the first forbidden door was announced ring of honor: you always like to remind people that this was where every great american pro wrestler of the 21st century got their start. for you seth rollins will always be tyler black. you kind of resent that they spent the 2010s being new japan's bitch before becoming AEW's bitch aaa: you really miss lucha underground cmll: you actually are really into lucha libre and hate that nobody talks about the oldest company devoted to it chikara: you think wrestling should lean into the fakeness more. the slow motion match always makes you laugh. you will never forgive mike quackenbush for what he did. combat zone/game changer: you like to watch people bleed. you downloaded cameo just so you can pay nick gage's rent. he's been through a lot, he needs it. ddt: like the chikara fans but without the resentment of the company founder's horrible actions. pro wrestling noah: every time someone mentions wrestling, you always bring up that kenta kobashi did the Go To Sleep first. all japan pro wrestling: whenever you talk about wrestling, you always have to preface with "yes, all japan still exists!" you miss fighting opera hustle. wcw: you hate vince russo even more than the impact wrestling fan. ecw: you are 30 or 40 years old and get misty eyed whenever you hear "enter sandman". nwa: you're either really into wrestling history or you're a smashing pumpkins fan who just found out billy corgan owns a wrestling company. you wish nick aldis got the championship instead of fox news pundit tyrus mlw: you are jim cornette. global force wrestling/xwf/control your narrative/wrestling society x/heroes of wrestling: your favorite website is the lost media wiki

[dr-futbol-blog]

Underground, Pt. 1

Introduction to the Genii. Lots of lovely interaction in this episode, as Genii-episodes are often real McSheppy.

In Underground (S01E08), we return to the theme of food, hunger, and Sheppard observing McKay like a hungry hungry hippo hawk. The expedition is running out of food, which is why they have to start meeting new people. It begins at a team-meeting where Sheppard has, in fact, started leaning on his hands so that he can keep doing the same thing he has apparently been doing for a good while here once the episode starts: watching McKay.

He can't look away. He is not even blinking. Oh, he tries to. He just can't. He is gazing at McKay through this entire meeting.

Eleven is an interesting number in this context. If someone wanted to make a comical exaggeration, ten cups or a dozen cups would make sense. Eleven is oddly specific which means that it's the result of actually counting the cups he's been drinking, it's the result of observation. Also, while he chastises Rodney, it doesn't sound so much annoyed as it does tender. The kind of 'Oh, you' that's born out of familiarity and fondness. Like he's fascinated by his observation that the other man is drinking a lot of coffee and not like he's drinking them all to ruin. The way Sheppard looks at him is contrasted by Teyla, who looks at McKay eating as though she's put off, even disgusted. That's sure not what Sheppard was doing. We can also contrast it with Ford, who is completely neutral. Also not Sheppard.

When Sheppard says "I guess it's always good to get to know your neighbours" in this weird sing-song cadence, he looks at McKay while he's doing it. He takes one quick glance at Weir, the leader of the expedition and chair of this meeting, but otherwise he is entirely focused on the man stuffing his mouth on the mirror opposite side of the table from him.

Have you been getting to know your new neighbour, Major? This man has absolutely no chill.

Once they reach the Genii homeworld, they come across what they think is a farmer and her beautiful daughter. The farmer is quick to point out that his daughter is betrothed, as though suspecting Sheppard might have designs for her. But the thing is, he actually expressed no interest in this woman what so ever. He doesn't even (jump to) introduce himself which is something we see characters do time and again when we're meant to believe they are interested in a hot specimen of the opposite sex variety. He's not even looking at her, really only makes eye contact with the father and briefly at that. Again, contrasted with Teyla who is beaming at the daughter, Sheppard is extremely nonchalant. If anything, he seems confused that the father would even think that. He even explicitly says that he's not interested:

Tyrus: My daughter, Sora. Sheppard: You must be very proud. Tyrus: She's betrothed. Sheppard: I wasn't hitting on your daughter. I just thought...

You'd be polite? Try to make a good first impression? Compliment you, my dude, by way of the fruit of your loins, the exceptionally good-looking Farmer Joe that you are?

Where Ford side-eyes the farmer as they part ways with him, Sheppard leaves him with a smile and a nod. Clearly, he's on what he later calls his "best behaviour".

But the father wasn't the only one worried about Sheppard's disposition toward the young beauty. When Sheppard turns to Teyla to comment that "They look friendly enough" in a completely neutral way, he gets this worried, searching look from McKay:

Beautiful young woman. Blonde. McKay has zero interest because none of the other guys show interest. He makes sure that Sheppard has no interest, here. Satisfied that this is not the case, McKay himself then proceeds to have no interest. Contrast all of this with the introduction of Perna in the previous episode, Poisoning the Well (S01E06). My guy has so little interest in women he needs other guys to point out when someone is hot.

As they part, we get another private moment between Sheppard and McKay. The fact that as soon as they depart, McKay seeks Sheppard out to make this conspiratorial remark shows us that they are in the process of creating their own little world together. This is also one of the first examples of what McKay will later call "the kidding," which is to say, Sheppard saying counterfactual things just to wind him up.

McKay: Maybe we should offer a sense of humour in trade. Sheppard: Sure. They can have yours. McKay: Oh, please, my side. You slay me. Sheppard: I'm thinking about it.

Again, he uses this sing-song voice to say it. Obviously, he's not literally thinking about slaying McKay. He sure does seem to love teasing the guy, though. I mean, later on (in Sateda, S03E04) he confesses he sometimes takes actual time to think up of ways to tease him about something. Of course, we could alternatively interpret Sheppard as saying that he's thinking about McKay's side here (that is, he often says things that he means literally and people merely interpret in their own way due to this tone of voice) but really he seems to be thinking about the entire package, pretty much all of the time.

But what's curious is that Sheppard actually kind of complimented McKay here, in a back-handed way. He's saying that unlike these people, the man does have a sense of humour, and that his sense of humour is something they could trade with. McKay is quick to interpret it as an insult but for a jibe, it's really weird. "Hey my man, you're much better company than these people." And the episode does go out of its way to show us that Sheppard really does enjoy his company.

The feeling is mutual since, as soon as he's faced with the choice of attending a harvest ceremony (where, one presumes, one might find a plethora of rosy-cheeked maidens) or following the Major, he opts to go back (alone) with Sheppard. Also notable is that while Sheppard orders Ford to stay behind, McKay gets to make his own decision about what to do and where to go.

As this is getting rather long, continued in Part 1.

[el-michoacano]

have you considered jesse taking gus go-karting and it's very much Not Gus's Thing but he knows how much it means to jesse and he's trying

I have! 🖤 READ ON AO3

"This is really how you want to spend you day?"

The go-kart track was bigger than Gus had expected, but the sounds of children and the smell of fried food wafting on the air was less than pleasant. At least Jesse looked happy.

"Yeah, man!" he said, grinning ear to ear. "It's fun!"

Gus had never seen him like this. Their little trip down Mexico way had changed a lot of things; They were much more comfortable around each other than they'd been before. Jesse was that much closer to choosing Gus over Walter. They'd get there, in time.

"Y'sure you don't wanna race?" he asked, suddenly looking shy.

"I think I'll sit this one out," Gus said with a gracious smile, surprised to find that it was genuine and not the forced smile he often wore at Los Pollos Hermanos. "I might be a little too tall for those." He and Jesse were the same height, but he doubted Jesse had noticed that. Despite his stature, Gus had a habit of looming.

Jesse only looked disappointed for a moment before he sprinted off towards the single red go-kart.

Gus kept to the sidelines as Jesse raced around. He was cuter than he had any right to be, and Gus smiled to himself as he watched.

He'd brought Tyrus along, just for the sake of security, and when an especially huffy mother started muttering to herself about adults having no place racing go-karts, his presence became warranted.

With a gesture no one else would have ever noticed, Gus prompted him closer. "Take care of her," he said, his voice little more than a whisper. "Leave no witnesses."

[i-am-church-the-cat]

you can always go home again (or for the first time)

This is my fic for the Andi Mack gift exchange! This is for @paracosmicat, I'm so sorry that it's late, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Summary: She ruffles his hair as she leads the way back through the apartment. It’s small and crowded with trinkets, books and shoes, basketballs and art projects, and something that must have exploded from the kitchen. Three more people are waiting for them in the living room, less than T.J. expected from the level of noise he’d heard. “Hey guys, this is T.J., the dude I was telling you about,” Jonah introduces him to the group at large and he offers a small wave. “T.J., this is Andi, Cyrus, and Marty.” WC: 2674 Pairing: Gen mostly, but with pre-relationship Tyrus and minor Amris Tags: College AU, First Meetings, T.J. POV, Amber and T.J. are siblings Rating: Teen

---

He knew it was saving him money, but sometimes living with his sister and her girlfriend could be really annoying. T.J. had been trapped in his room for ages, Amber and Iris having fought and made up over the past several hours, both things he would rather not be witness to. At this rate, he was going to be locked in here until graduation. 

Jonah 

Hey man, you looking to hang tonight?

Something like relief passes through T.J. when he gets the message. He and Jonah aren’t the closest of friends, yet. They hadn’t gotten along when Jonah was dating his sister - between the compulsory heterosexuality and Jonah’s constant avoidance of anything even hinting at romantic in nature, it had been hell from start to finish - but since they were both studying kinesiology, they’d tried to be friendly. Today, that work had finally paid off.

T.J.

Yeah man, what were you thinking?

Jonah

Some of my friends are holding a get together at their apartment, just a small thing. You wanna come?

Another noise came from the living room. T.J. didn’t want to know if it was a yell or a moan. 

T.J.

Send me the address, im omw

Since the path to the front door was locked, T.J. used the fire escape by his window. It dropped him right next to the motorcycle he probably shouldn’t be parking in the back alley. But hey, it hadn’t been stolen yet, and it made for a very quick getaway. T.J. set his phone to give him voice directions to the address Jonah texts him and then he’s off. 

--

The apartment building is nice, an artist-y co-op on the west side of town. T.J. heads up to the third floor after texting Jonah again for the apartment number - Beck wasn’t always the most aware person. Both the bike ride and the jog up the steps do a lot for getting T.J. in a better headspace than he was in earlier. 

He hears the apartment before he sees it. Jonah said it was just a small get together, but from the noise coming through the door, T.J. has some serious doubts. He considers bailing before remembering what’s going on at his own apartment and knocking on the door. 

Surprisingly, it’s not Jonah who answers. It’s a girl with tight braids and wearing a Utah Jazz jersey. She looks like someone he should know, but it slips his mind. She looks him over and must find him wanting because her expression is thoroughly unimpressed. 

“Can I help you?”

“Um, hi,” T.J. says, trying for a smile and probably failing short. “I’m looking for-”

“Oh, Buffy is that T.J.?” A thankfully familiar voice comes from inside the apartment. Jonah Beck pops his head around the girl - Buffy’s - shoulder and flashes his big signature smile. “Teej, glad you could make it! Come in, come in.”

“Just inviting people into my home now, Beck?” Buffy asks, clearly not amused, but she steps aside with a nod to T.J. He nods back, figuring it’s the best course of action, and he’s rewarded with Buffy’s expression going a little less intense and a little more accepting. 

“Oh, yeah, sorry Buffy.” Jonah’s apologetic grin is too cute for anyone, even Buffy, to hold a grudge against. She ruffles his hair as she leads the way back through the apartment. It’s small and crowded with trinkets, books and shoes, basketballs and art projects, and something that must have exploded from the kitchen. Three more people are waiting for them in the living room, less than T.J. expected from the level of noise he’d heard.

“Hey guys, this is T.J., the dude I was telling you about,” Jonah introduces him to the group at large and he offers a small wave. “T.J., this is Andi, Cyrus, and Marty.”

T.J. opens his mouth to greet the group but the guy he’d thought looked familiar beats him to it. Marty hops up, big grin on his face as he offers up his hand for T.J. to slap.

“Hey, Kippen right? Aren’t you the new freshman starter for the basketball team?”

T.J. grins but can’t help the flush that takes his face. He’s proud of himself, yeah, but he finds it’s not always the best to introduce himself with his sporting career. It hasn’t always worked out the best in the past, which was mainly his fault to be fair. He hadn’t been a nice person on the court when he was younger.

“Yeah, I remember you from tryouts. You’ve got a great three-pointer, man.”

“Oh god, Jonah don’t tell me you brought another jock,” whines the other girl in the apartment, an Asian girl with short hair and paint on her t-shirt. “Now Cyrus and I are outnumbered 2-to-1.”

“I also invited Walker and Libby, but they both had things,” Jonah tries to defend himself, flopping down on the floor and grabbing a handful of popcorn from that half-empty bowl on teh coffee table. “It’s not my fault T.J.’s the only one free enough to join us.”

“I’m not totally sure if that’s an insult or not,” T.J. admits, looking around for space to sit. Andi and Buffy are sitting on the couch, Marty going back to sit in the third seat. Jonah’s on the floor. The only seat left is the loveseat, next to the only person here who’s voice T.J. hasn’t heard yet. 

“Hi,” he greets, moving towards the other boy. “I’m T.J. Can I sit?”

The brown-haired boy has big eyes that seem to suck all the air out of the room. Either someone just started hitting a bass drum, or T.J. could hear his heartbeat in his ears. Soft freckles dusted the boy’s nose and his pink lips had teeth indentations in them, as if he’d been biting them only seconds before. Those same lips lift into a smile, crinkly his Bambi eyes at the edges. 

“Sure,” the angel fairy boy said. “I’m Cyrus.”

“T.J.,” he mumbles, sitting down on the cushion. The other boy’s eyes fill with mirth.

“You said that already.”

“Right.” T.J. blinks, wondering it this is what deer felt when they get stuck in headlights. “Sorry.”

Cyrus is clearly laughing at him but he has the decency not to show it. Instead, he leans forward and grabs something off of the pile of snacks on the coffee table. 

“Muffin? It’s chocolate chocolate chip.”

“Oh.” T.J. looks down at the muffin in surprise. It’s big and rich and somehow exactly what T.J. needs. His stomach growls in appreciation as he takes the treat in gentle hands. “Thank you, these are actually my favorite.”

Cyrus’s eyes twinkle. “Mine, too,” he says, grabbing another one and holding it out to cheers against T.J.’s own. T.J.’s grin is huge at the simple gesture. 

“So, T.J.” The voice draws the two out of the little bubble they had gotten sucked in so quickly. T.J. turns to Buffy while his fingers tear off a bit of muffin and pop it in his mouth. “What do the T and the J stand for?”

He snorts, used to this line of questioning. T.J. leans back in his seat, one arm going across the back of the couch. He doesn’t the notice the way Cyrus looks at the arm in surprise, face going slightly red. 

“Sorry, but that’s highly privileged information. Only four people on Earth know it.”

Marty leans forward with eager eyes. “Is it really that bad?”

T.J.’s face and voice are deadpan when he says, “Worse.”

“Amber told me it changes every month,” Jonah says from his spot on the floor. 

“Oh wait, are you Amber’s brother?” Andi says, eyes going wide in recognition. Shoot. If she knows his sister this could either be really bad or… nah, just really bad. His sister’s kind of a dick. 

“Yeah, younger, by two years.” 

“How come we never met you when she and Jonah were dating?” Buffy asks. The way she’s looking at him is different now but T.J. can’t tell if it’s better or worse. “We met Iris.”

“And she was so nice, though obviously in love with Amber,” Cyrus says. This gets sounds of affirmation from all except Jonah who shrugs. 

“I never saw it.”

“You never see it,” Andi, Buffy, and Cyrus all chorus back at him, different levels of fondness or exasperation. T.J. wonders what the story is there. Though, if it’s anything like the one he heard from Amber, he can probably guess.

“They’re actually dating now,” T.J. says, hoping to steer the conversation away from his and Amber’s relationship. He loves his sister, and even likes her these days, but that wasn’t always the truth. “They were roommates and finally admitted their feelings. When Iris moved out of her room, they had an extra, so I moved into their place when I went to college.”

Andi is nodding. “That’s smart. Cyrus, Buffy, and I all the split the rent here and we’re still eating mostly junk food we get on sale.”

“The stipend they give us on sports scholarship is not enough,” Buffy sighs and T.J. can commiserate with that. He holds up his half-eaten muffin in a toast. 

“Hey, at least you and Cyrus are on scholarship,” Andi pouts. “Liberal arts college is the worst financial decision I’ve ever made.” 

“But it’ll all even out when you’re a world famous artist and we can fly out to France to see your new art gallery in the Louvre,” Cyrus encourages in a way that feels more sincere than most. 

“Yeah, and you can represent Jonah when he gets sued for what he’s done to his apartment,” Marty snickers.

Jonah kicks up a fuss and the others fall into bickering over something T.J. clearly does not have enough information on. Instead, he turns his attention back to Cyrus, where it had been threatening to float all evening. 

“You’re going to college to be a lawyer?” He asks, taking a bite of his muffin. Cyrus turns to him as if surprised to be T.J.’s focus once again. 

“Yeah! A civil rights lawyer, though, not a defense attorney.”

“That’s really cool.” He hoped he sounded as sincere as Cyrus had earlier, cause it’s true. T.J. wished he had a career path that was at least half as good for the world as Cyrus’s. He was only studying kinesiology because it’s what a bunch of student athletes did and his parents wanted him to have something to fall back on. He wasn’t going to be changing the world anytime soon.

Cyrus shrugs and blushes, ducking his head. He’s clearly not used to taking compliments which is a shame because they’re filling T.J.’s head like helium in a balloon. One poke and they’ll all come spilling out. 

“Yeah, well, it was either that or become a psychologist. All four of my parents are psychologists.”

“Four?”

“Mom, dad, step-mom, and step-dad,” Cyrus says with a shrug. This topic of conversation he’s far too used to. “You know how it goes.”

“Nah, actually,” T.J. glances away for a second before back to Cyrus. “My parents are the kind that should’ve split up but never did. It kind of left a bad mark on Amber and I’s relationship with them, and each other.”

Cyrus looks up at him curiously. He’s curled towards him, leaning against the back of the loveseat and subsequently propping his head up on T.J.’s arm. The weight is nice, grounding.

“Is that why we’ve never met you before?”

“Yeah,” T.J. admits. It feels safer to tell Cyrus here, where they’re practically alone, instead of to the whole group. “I left to live with my grandparents in high school. The distance helped Amber and I a lot.”

“I’m glad.” Cyrus smiles up at him. “I don’t have any siblings but Buffy and Andi are basically like my sisters. We’ve been best friends for as long as I can remember.”

T.J. smiles, feelings bittersweet. “I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone like that.”

Cyrus considers him quietly. His face is serious and strangely more confident than it had been when their conversation began. “You should.”

They fall into silence then, just observing each other, gathering their thoughts and basking in the feeling their bubble had created. T.J. was still impressed by how quickly Cyrus had sucked him in. There was just something about the young man that felt authentic and calming, like everything was going to be okay. It’s a feeling T.J. has rarely ever felt in his life.

“You know, you’re weirdly easy to talk to.”

Cyrus smiles, teasing. “It’s the four therapists as parents. You get used to listening.” 

--

Cyrus and T.J. don’t have an opportunity to be quiet together for the rest of the night. Once the other’s finished bickering, they drew the two into a game of Trivial Pursuit, and then Truth or Dare, and then Charades, which T.J. and Buffy weirdly dominated at, to Marty and Jonah’s chagrin. By the end of the night, T.J. was exhausted but happy. He’d left the house to escape the private going ons of his sister and her girlfriend and ended up meeting people he’d never believe he felt so at home with. The way they opened up and welcomed him in felt amazing, like nothing he’d ever experienced.

“It’s a great feeling, right?” Marty had said, halfway through the night, when they’d both stepped into the kitchen to grab a drink. “Andi, Buffy, and Cyrus have always been this trio. It should feel like an impenetrable wall to cross but they always open up and offer space to anyone who needs it. Jonah and I in middle school, Walker and Libby in high school, and now you.” 

T.J. had blinked in surprise, looking back out to the living room. The three roommates were doing weird poses, trying to convince the others they were real formations used in yoga, or just trying to make the other two laugh. He watches with a warm feeling in his stomach as Cyrus laughs so much he topples out of the position he was in, sprawling across the carpeted floor. 

“Can it really be that easy?”

Marty had shrugged and given him a welcoming smile. A beckoning smile. “Only if you let it be.” 

And T.J. was going to let it be. He wasn’t going to question the new familiarity between himself and these people. He was just going to accept it and holds on as long as he could. By the time he left, he had four new numbers in his phone. When he got home, there was a text from one of them. 

Buffy the Basketball Slayer

You better ask Cyrus out soon

He’s not known for making the first move and I can not handle three months of pining

Hop on it Kippen

T.J. grinned. He sent back a thumbs up emoji before pulling down the fire escape. He stumbles through his window and onto his bed, feeling dazed from both the climb and the night he had.

“Hvae fun?” Amber asks from the open doorway. That had definitely been closed when he left, but T.J.’s proud of the fact he didn’t startle at her sudden appearance. 

“Yeah.” He knows he’s grinning like a madman but he just can’t help it. 

“Good,” his sister says. She ruffles his hair, blonde matching her own. “Good night, little bro.”

“Night,” he calls as she exits the room. He sits up a little to make his next words heard. “Good night to you, too, Iris!”

There’s a pause, then, “Good night, T.J.! Sweet dreams!”

And well. There’s no doubt that they will be.

[pikapitou]

dog eat dog

tyrus kitt/victor | 2.7k | rated t | ambiguous relationships, character study

"People will do a lot for family," he says with humour in his tone. No response, but that's the usual. The desert stretches ahead of them. Nothing to pay attention to, just dunes and dead bodies.  Tyrus is starting to check out when Victor says, "I have a sister."  All of his words sound like they're forced, but these are practically ripped out of him. Tyrus glances over. He doesn't say anything, but Victor continues with almost a wince, "Her name is Ana." A warning comes to Tyrus' mind, but it's just them, nobody around to put a gun to their heads. Alone in a car racing down the empty desert.  "Ana,” Tyrus repeats, and Victor nods, gritting his teeth. There's nothing else to say. Tyrus looks back to the endless road that still ends somewhere, and realizes he's in danger of getting used to this—being on somebody's side. 

(read on ao3)

[imagineitdearies]

Battle Log for Chapter 37/38 of Perfect Slaughter!

**Warning! Spoilers for ch37 and 38 ahead!**

If you guys haven't noticed yet what a total nerd I am, this will make it abundantly clear. I showed Cazador's monster stats a couple months ago that I homebrewed/crossed from BG3 and our classic D&D vampire, but I hope you didn't think I stopped there. If you like battle logs and getting into the nitty gritty of D&D mechanics, please enjoy this breakdown below the cut!

First, if you want to reach peak nerd about it with me, take a look at all the details for our main three! (*Note: I did mix Astarion and Tyrus's BG3 stats with a vampire spawn's ability scores, considering it's canon that Astarion lost a lot of things like strength and healing ability after being tadpoled)

Monster Stats: Cazador Szarr

Tyrus Aman'del's Character Sheet

Astarion Ancunin's Character Sheet

Or otherwise, as you look over the battle log, just keep in mind a few things:

"Legendary Actions" are special actions available to powerful monsters in 5e combat, such as vampires. Besides his normal actions, Cazador can take three legendary actions between turns, but only at the end of another creature’s turn.

Cazador has "Legendary Resistance" as well, which is simple but quite powerful: when he fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead, three times per long rest.

At the top of each round, Cazador receives 10 temporary HP per ritual source.

Thanks to Magic Circle, all of Cazador's attacks are rolled with disadvantage.

In his diseased condition, Tyrus rolls with disadvantage on attacks and saving throws, and his movement speed is reduced by half.

Pre-Round

Cazador: 270 HP Tyrus: 100 HP Astarion: 115 HP Ghouls: 35 HP each (four) Skeletons: 27 HP each (thirteen) Chatterteeth: 74 HP Godey: 74 HP

Cazador steps onto trap and speaks the words to trigger it ("Ecce Dominus!") All at once: Glyph of Warding (7th level) - 43 fire damage (succeeded saving throw, only takes 21 damage) Glyph of Warding: Magic Circle Glyph of Warding: Silence Glyph of Warding: Sunbeam - 38 radiant damage *Cazador spends his first legendary resistance to succeed saving throw, only takes 19 damage) Glyph of Warding: Phantasmal Killer (7th level) - 49 psychic damage

Round 1

Cazador: 181 HP +70 temp HP Tyrus: 100 HP Astarion: 115 HP Ghouls: 35 HP each Skeletons: 27 HP each Chatterteeth: 74 HP Godey: 74 HP

Ritual Circle: 29 radiant damage on Cazador from Sunbeam ray Cazador: Two unarmed strikes, 5 bludgeoning damage on second hit *Takes 20 radiant damage at start of turn because of Sunbeam **Fails save for Phantasmal Killer again so spends his second legendary resistance to succeed it Tyrus: Dash to Astarion *Cazador Legendary Action at the end of his turn, Bite attack for 18 total damage on ghoul Astarion: Paralyzed Ghouls collective hits: 26 slashing damage on Cazador (resistant; takes 13) Skeletons: Dash into range of battle *Cazador Legendary Action, Move without opportunity attacks Godey: 13 slashing damage on Cazador (resistant; takes 6) Chatterteeth: Casts Eyebite: Frightened on Cazador

Round 2

Cazador: 183 HP +70 temp HP Tyrus: 100 HP Astarion: 115 HP Ghouls: three have 35 HP, one has 13 HP  Skeletons: 27 HP each Chatterteeth: 74 HP Godey: 74 HP

Ritual Circle: 30 radiant damage on Cazador from Sunbeam ray (succeeds saving throw; takes 15) Cazador: Calls three swarms of rats (arrive in 4 rounds) *Takes 20 radiant damage at start of turn because of Sunbeam Tyrus: Help action to rescue Astarion *Cazador Legendary Action, Vampiric Bat Swarm!! All take either 21 piercing damage or if they succeed the dex saving throw 10 piercing damage; Cazador heals 21 HP Astarion: Casts Expeditious Retreat and pulls Tyrus out of radius Ghouls collective hits: 21 slashing damage on Cazador(resistant; takes 10) Skeleton collective hits: 44 piercing damage on Cazador(resistant; takes 22) Godey: 16 slashing damage on Cazador (resistant; takes 8) *Cazador Legendary Action, fails to Bite Godey Chatterteeth: Casts Chill Touch for 13 necrotic damage on Cazador (resistant; takes 6), Cazador can't regain hit points until the start of her next turn

Round 3

Cazador: 193 HP +60 temp HP Tyrus: 79 HP Astarion: 105 HP Ghouls: three have 25 HP (one dead) Skeletons: ten have 17 HP, three have 6 HP Chatterteeth: 53 HP Godey: 64 HP

Ritual Circle: 23 radiant damage on Cazador from Sunbeam ray Cazador: One failed unarmed attack, one failed bite  *Takes 20 radiant damage at start of turn because of Sunbeam Tyrus: Removes the glyphs from the nearest spawn/ritual source *Regains 10 HP at the start of his turn due to vampiric regeneration Astarion: Removes the glyphs from another spawn/ritual source *Regains 10 HP at the start of his turn due to vampiric regeneration *Cazador Legendary Action, Vampiric Bat Swarm!! All take either 16 piercing damage or if they succeed the dex saving throw, 8 piercing damage; Cazador does not heal Ghouls collective hits: 14 slashing damage on Cazador (resistant; takes 7) *Cazador Legendary Action, fails to Bite a ghoul Skeleton collective hits: 34 piercing damage on Cazador (resistant; takes 17) Godey: 15 slashing damage on Cazador (resistant; takes 7) Chatterteeth: Casts Chill Touch for 21 necrotic damage on Cazador (resistant; takes 10), Cazador can't regain hit points until the start of her next turn

Round 4

Cazador: 169 HP +40 temp HP Tyrus: 73 HP Astarion: 107 HP Ghouls: four have 17 HP, one has 9 HP (one dead) Skeletons: three have 9 HP, seven have 1 HP (three dead) Chatterteeth: 45 HP Godey: 56 HP

Ritual Circle: 26 radiant damage on Cazador from Sunbeam ray Cazador: Two unarmed strikes, 5 bludgeoning damage on second hit *Takes 20 radiant damage at start of turn because of Sunbeam Tyrus: Removes the glyphs from another spawn/ritual source *Regains 10 HP at the start of his turn due to vampiric regeneration *Cazador Legendary Action, Vampiric Bat Swarm!! All take either 20 piercing damage or if they succeed the dex saving throw, 10 piercing damage; Cazador does not heal Astarion: Removes the glyphs from another spawn/ritual source *Regains 10 HP at the start of his turn due to vampiric regeneration *Cazador Legendary Action, Vampiric Bat Swarm!! All take either 10 piercing damage or if they succeed the dex saving throw, 5 piercing damage; Cazador does not heal Ghouls collective hits: 0 slashing damage Skeleton collective hits: (dead) Godey: 15 slashing damage on Cazador (resistant; takes 7) Chatterteeth: Casts Chill Touch (crit!) for 29 necrotic damage on Cazador (resistant; takes 14), Cazador can't regain hit points until the start of her next turn

Round 5

Cazador: 142 HP +20 temp HP Tyrus: 53 HP Astarion: 92 HP Ghouls: one has 2 HP (three dead) Skeletons: (all dead) Chatterteeth: 25 HP Godey: 36 HP

Ritual Circle: 21 radiant damage on Cazador from Sunbeam ray (succeeds saving throw; takes 10) Cazador: Hits magic circle barrier for 0 damage *Takes 20 radiant damage at start of turn because of Sunbeam Tyrus: Removes the glyphs from another spawn/ritual source *Regains 10 HP at the start of his turn due to vampiric regeneration *Bonus action takes a healing potion at Astarion’s insistence (13 HP) *Cazador Legendary Action, Vampiric Bat Swarm!! All take either 18 piercing damage or if they succeed the dex saving throw, 9 piercing damage; Cazador does not heal Astarion: Removes the last glyphs from another spawn/ritual source *Regains 10 HP at the start of his turn due to vampiric regeneration Ghouls collective hits: 8 slashing damage (resistant; takes 4) *Cazador Legendary Action, Bites last ghoul for a total 14 damage Godey: Fails to hit Chatterteeth: Fails to hit with Chill Touch

Round 6

Cazador: 128 HP + 10 temp HP Tyrus: 57 HP Astarion: 92 HP Chatterteeth: 25 HP Godey: 36 HP

Ritual Circle: 24 radiant damage on Cazador from Sunbeam ray Cazador: Hits magic circle barrier for 0 damage *Takes 20 radiant damage at start of turn because of Sunbeam Rat swarm 1: Fail to bite Chatterteeth Rat swarm 2: Fail to bite Astarion Rat swarm 3: Bite Tyrus for 8 piercing damage Tyrus: Casts Message and speaks to Chatterteeth *Regains 10 HP at the start of his turn due to vampiric regeneration *Cazador Legendary Action, Vampiric Bat Swarm!! All take either 18 piercing damage or if they succeed the dex saving throw, 9 piercing damage; Cazador heals 18 HP Astarion: Kills rat swarm 3 with 31 total damage, bonus action Bite for 7 HP healing *Regains 10 HP at the start of his turn due to vampiric regeneration *Cazador Legendary Action, Vampiric Bat Swarm!! All take either 6 piercing damage or if they succeed the dex saving throw, 3 piercing damage; Cazador heals 6 HP Godey: 12 slashing damage on Cazador (resistant; takes 6)  Chatterteeth: Casts Chill Touch for 17 necrotic damage on Cazador (resistant, takes 8), Cazador can't regain hit points until the start of her next turn

Round 7

Cazador: 104 HP Rat swarm: two have 24 HP (one dead) Tyrus: 42 HP Astarion: 81 HP Chatterteeth: 1 HP Godey: 36 HP

Ritual Circle: 24 radiant damage from Sunbeam ray Cazador: Arcana Check to find Sunbeam rune in the ritual circle *Takes 20 radiant damage at start of turn because of Sunbeam Rat swarm 1: Fail to bite Chatterteeth Rat swarm 2: Fail to bite Astarion Tyrus: Reanimates all thirteen skeletons with Animate Dead, 7th level *Regains 10 HP at the start of his turn due to vampiric regeneration *Cazador Legendary Action, Vampiric Bat Swarm!! All take either 14 piercing damage or if they succeed the dex saving throw, 7 piercing damage; Cazador does not heal Astarion: Kills rat swarm 2 with 28 total damage *Regains 10 HP at the start of his turn due to vampiric regeneration Skeleton collective hits: 33 piercing damage (resistant; takes 16)*Cazador Legendary Action, Vampiric Bat Swarm!! All take either 21 piercing damage or if they succeed the dex saving throw, 10 piercing damage; Cazador does not heal Godey: 0 slashing damage Chatterteeth: (dead)

Round 8

Cazador: 44 HP Rat swarm: one has 24 HP (two dead) Tyrus: 14 HP Skeletons: four have 10 HP, two have 3 HP (six dead) Astarion: 74 HP Godey: 36 HP

Ritual Circle: 22 radiant damage on Cazador from Sunbeam ray Cazador: Successfully finds Sunbeam rune in the ritual circle and removes it *Takes 20 radiant damage at start of turn because of Sunbeam Rat swarm 1: Bite Astarion for 3 piercing damage Tyrus: Reanimates six skeletons with Animate Dead, 4th level *Cazador Legendary Action, Vampiric Bat Swarm!! All take either 14 piercing damage or if they succeed the dex saving throw, 7 piercing damage; Cazador heals 14 HP (Three skeletons go down, Tyrus goes unconscious and gets thrown off the edge of the platform) Astarion: Grabs Tyrus's hands before he's too out of reach, lifts him back up from the platform *Regains 10 HP at the start of his turn due to vampiric regeneration Skeleton collective hits: 33 piercing damage on Cazador(resistant; takes 16) *Cazador drops to 0 hit points, which activates Misty Escape to his coffin

Bonus Round

Astarion: Throws Cazador out of coffin Tyrus: Uses class feature "Command Undead" on Cazador(see Tyrus character sheet or necromancy subclass for details) *Cazador fails the saving throw, but spends his last legendary resistance to succeed) --after a bit of angsty dialogue and commands-- Tyrus: Uses class feature "Command Undead" on Astarion *Astarion does not resist/chooses to automatic fail on saving throw Astarion: Slashy slashy dagger dagger!!! (All it took was 1 point of damage, Cazador had not healed yet) Tyrus & Astarion: Hug 🩵🩵🩵

[annboch]

I did this little thing to explain my insert's relationships with the characters within the series ^^-!

📌 He doesn't like Walter from the beginning, deep down he knows he's a good man but he will never forgive him for the times he took advantage of Saul and even threatened him, who does he think he is doing that? Enough that Saul is helping him with his foolishness.

📌 Jesse is almost like his best friend, they are about the same age so every time he visited Saul, they spent a lot of time talking about mutual likes in common. On one occasion he even lent him his Nintendo DS to play for a while while the lawyer was free.

📌Saul well … Anael admires his boss a lot, he helped him in an unconscious way at a point where his life had no more sense so he is eternally grateful to him, even though he owes him three months of salary he will continue loving him and believing blindly in him.

📌 Mike is a really special friend from his boss, he saw him very few times and even exchanged a couple of words with the man but he likes him very much although he is certainly a bit scared that he is so serious but he knows he is a good guy, he knew it the moment he shared a piece of gum with him in one of his visits to the office.

📌Gustavo is Anael's most personal confidant in Albuquerque, he was his boss at Pollos Hermanos for a year and a half so he trusts him blindly, plus he's the one he was able to come out of the closet to without being judged. Getting that weight off his shoulders was very important for Anael at the time. They still maintain a good relationship despite no longer working under him. 📌 Victor and Tyrus he knows from Gustavo, he certainly knows them very, very little but the few things he has talked to them they seem like nice guys. Victor once bought him a drink together, it's nice to be able to speak Spanish with him.

📌Huell and Kuby are indispensable characters in his day to day life, just like him they work for Saul so he knows them pretty well, too well. They both know he's up to something with the lawyer but they don't say anything, on occasion they go out drinking, Anael being the heaviest drinker.

📌Francesca is literally his best friend inside work, when Anael is tired of the lawyer he turns to her to complain and criticize him a little…. He loves Saul very much but sometimes it's impossible not to hate him even a little bit. They both have good communication, after all they have to be aware of each other's stuff for the lawyer.

📌Hank is a special case, he has met him few times and in those few times he recommended him to stay away from Saul if he didn't want to get in trouble. "You know dude? There are better part time jobs than being an assistant to this idiot." And he was right.

[peachyxboy]

A Love so Sweet, it Hurts 🥀 - Hello Hello 💐

El Michoacano - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Circa 2004

Lalo never thought himself to be an anxious man. He never had a reason to be. Despite all the things he's done, and will continue to do, he never really had nerves in his stomach or a tightness in his chest. He always had a calmness and joie de vivre that just came naturally to him. However, the feeling of anticipation didn't leave the whole time. The excitement of knowing by the end of the week, he would finally get to see her. Though, as much as he wanted to spend the time thinking and planning out their evening, unfortunately, Lalo had some bigger fish to fry. He still knew his reasons for being here, and that his real goal was to run the business as smoothly as possible, while also trying to get to the bottom of what Fring was planning. Specifically, his business with Werner Ziegler. He knew there were no associates with that name, or any plans of expanding to Germany. At least, they (the real cartel) weren't. The more Lalo found out about Fring, the more questions seemed to turn up.

Nevertheless, there was still business to be done like today's count. Nothing was out of the ordinary, aside from Lalo's thoughts. "Werner Zeigler...Werner Zeigler. Zeeiiigler," he murmured to himself, not caring if Nacho found it annoying (which he did), "You know how many Werner Zeiglers there are in Germany? Twenty-seven. Twenty-six now, according to Mrs. Zeigler.

Nacho just shook his head as he fidgeted with a salt packet. "I told you, I never heard of the guy."

"What about 'Michael'?"

Nacho leaned back in his chair, "Like I said, I only know the names of two guys over there."

"Yeah, yeah. Victor and Tyrus," he rapped his fingertips on his thighs, before his gaze landed on the street dealer and he pointed towards him, "You."

"Y-Yeah?" he asked anxiously.

"Werner Zeigler, you ever heard of that guy? Werner. Zeigler?"

"Uhh, no."

"What about Michael? A bald gringo. He's in the game."

The dealer just shook his head, and Lalo dropped the subject for now. However, he did continue to talk out loud, before turning to his two men and trying to sniff out if there was anything else. "So there's nothing new going on, huh? Nothing...different?"

"Like what?"

"Like anything."

Nacho was silent, but Domingo shot him a worried look before turning to face forward again. Lalo immediately noticed and turned his gaze to him. Unfortunately for Nacho, Dom couldn't keep a secret with that baby face and doe-eyes. "What?" Lalo asked sternly.

Nacho could see the other start to grow nervous from the pressure, so he tried to quickly interject, "It's nothing."

Lalo gave him a look, to which he only tried to explain it away, "It's nothing, man, couple of skells on Fourth have been complaining that this stuff is stepped on."

"Stepped on?" he looked towards baby face, "You hear that too?"

Domingo finally turned to face him and shrugged, "They say it's different."

"Different how?"

"Skells complain," Nacho tried to reassure him, "It's what they do."

Lalo thought for a moment before standing. "Okay. Show me."

Nacho and Dom gave each other one last look, before Nacho stood to drive him. Just as they were about to leave the restaurant, Lalo turned back and took out his wallet, "You know where Lovelace Hospital is, right Domingo?"

"Yeah, why?"

Lovelace Hospital

Tala on the other hand was not fairing well with the anticipation. She had already misplaced two of her pens, and it wasn't even lunch yet. A million things were going through her mind, and while plans of cocaine distribution and possible rivals weren't one of those things, she still had a very full plate. The thing that was bugging her the most, were her feelings towards Lalo. She would be lying if she said there wasn't an attraction, but what Tala didn't know was how far that attraction went. Obviously, she could only speak for herself when it came to her feelings. She liked Lalo a lot, probably more than a lot if she were being honest, but there was still things she had to consider. For all she knew, she could just be a fling Lalo wanted to distract himself while here in America. Additionally, she didn't know if and when Lalo would return to Mexico, and she didn't wanted to get too ahead of herself in thinking what that would mean for them.

As much as her mind wanted to stay on the topic of her love life, Tala still had a job to do. She was doing her rounds when she noticed a familiar face standing at the nurse's station: "Dom?"

He turned and she could see in his hands were a bouquet of roses, "Hey, doc."

"You visiting someone?" she asked.

"No, these are for you," he said as he handed them over.

Tala smiled as she took the flowers in her hands, "Confessing your love already?"

He blushed and laughed, "No, they're from Lalo. I'm just delivering."

She immediately paused and looked at the card attached to them:

Two more days.

This time, Tala's cheeks went flushed as a smile formed on her face. "I-I...tell him I said thank you. Sorry that he made you deliver these all the way here, though."

"No, it's cool. I'm not the only one."

Tala's expression turned puzzled, "The only one?"

Just then, the elevator had opened and a procession of eleven of Lalo's street dealers came in with a bouquet of all different kinds of flowers. The sight was definitely something to behold as these rough-looking thugs all had a bouquet in hand, before placing it on the desk in front of her. Everyone had stopped to look at the commotion, the nurses giggling with excitement at the new material they would gossip about later. Tala stood there in utter shock, but her heart did flutter at the idea of Lalo planning this romantic gesture.

During her lunch break, Tala had stepped out to make a call.

"Hello?"

"I thought we agreed on no more causing scenes at my hospital?" she teased.

"Doctora. So you got my flowers?"

"Yes. All twelve of them."

"I didn't know which ones you likes the most."

"You know, you could've just got one of each flower for one bouquet."

"And why would I do just the bare minimum for you when I can always do more?"

Admittedly, Tala did feel the familiar fluttering in her chest again when he said that. "Well, I just wanted to thank you. They're all lovely."

"I'm glad you think so, I wanted something that could try and match your beauty."

"Are you just saying that so I'll see you sooner?"

"Depends, can you?"

Tala chuckled, "Unfortunately, I can't. I have another late night. Sorry."

"Don't be, I enjoy waiting for you."

Just as Tala was about to say something, she heard her pager go off. She sighed, "I have to go, but I'll try and call you when I can."

"I look forward to it."

Nacho's Car

Nacho had tried not to vomit while hearing Lalo speak with the doctor over the phone. Honestly, he wished he traded placed with Dom and didn't have to sit through all this lovey-dovey shit. He had spoken with Fring regarding the doctor, and Gus had advised to try and see if there was anything serious going on. And if the doctor was to get involved more than just physically, that he should report it immediately. For Tala's sake, Nacho hoped she wouldn't. He had only interacted with her in passing when she was still Hector's doctor, but she seemed like a good person. And way too smart to get involved with a Salamanca. He was relieved though when he finally hung up.

"Are you in a relationship, Nacho?"

He glanced over at his boss for a second before back on the road, "No."

"No girlfriend, wife? Nothing like that?"

"No," he repeated.

Lalo just hummed as he looked at the passing buildings, "So you wouldn't know a place to take someone on a date? Somewhere nice? Not a club, but maybe a lounge or restaurant."

Nacho was about to reiterate himself when he got a sudden idea.

"I might know a place."

[ivestas]

Can I request some gus fluff or atleast hurt/comfort?? if you could, maybe do a part 2 to this?

the broken hornet nest

Part one: LINK 

Summary: You’re told to drive Fring back to his house. 

Word count: 1.3k

Warnings: spoilers for BCS s6 (entirety), very mild canon divergence, yet another mental breakdown(?) 

Note: anon, I propose to you something even better; a hurt/comfort part 2 of that fic??? jhehehehhehe i think thats a good idea 

It was evening time.

“You think they killed him..?” Victor muttered to Tyrus, whose face remained contemplative—then again, he always looked contemplative and calm. “There’s no way they’d believe Hector? Right?” 

Tyrus exhaled, almost bored. “Who knows?” He shook his head. “Probably not, though. Hector doesn’t have anything. Lalo’s buried, and so are the cameras and shit.”

“Mm.” Victor seemed unsatisfied with the answer. He opened his mouth but clamped it the moment a car appeared from a distance. 

Its lights blinked, and it only took you a second longer to realize that wasn’t just any car, but Gustavo’s. 

Suddenly, the silent buzzing of your brain erupted in noise. 

But, you were conscious of how your body presented itself; masking a face of calm, you waited as the car drew forth into the lot of the chicken house.  The same one that his lackeys and he had forced you and Nacho into submission, to join. 

“You took what I wanted, and now, your lives are mine and mine alone.” The venom in Gustavo’s voice was unfamiliar but commanding, and it stuck fear into you—not for death, no. 

But him. 

He had stared at you for a moment too long, and when you looked into his eyes, an abyss of dark and fire reflected back. There was no kindred brush of humanity—this was not a man, but a being bundled together by blood-laden promises. 

Someone called your name.

Your head snapped up, and it was Mike who stood there. 

Mike was looking at you strangely, but his voice betrayed nothing; “Mr. Fring needs you to drive him home. He drank.” 

You saw that the car was neatly parked, and in the passenger seat, you could make out the vague silhouette of Gustavo. 

“Victor’s gonna drive your car back home,” he said. 

Ah. That’s why he and Tyrus were in your car..?

Why’d you not notice that sooner? 

“Just go, kid. He’s waiting.” 

You nod. 

Briskly, you walk past him and pause for only a second to see Victor drive your car off before slipping into the driver’s seat of Gustavo’s car. 

There was a hesitance that dictated your movements, making them a little jerkier than what you wanted, a little obvious. 

When you sat, you acknowledged Gustavo with a nod, quick to secure the seatbelt. “Hello, sir.”

He looked at you. “Hello.” 

And, like a nervous schoolgirl, you averted your gaze and set your hands on the steering wheel. 

You were hyperaware of every move, and you hated it, fuck—your breathing felt too loud, your face too fucking warm, and your heart?—God, he could hear it, couldn’t he?—

A deep chuckle paused your swirl of thoughts. 

“I don’t bite, you know,” Gustavo said. “No need to be so nervous.” 

You breathe, your knuckles whitening as you clutched the steering wheel and carefully turned it. “I’m sorry.” Guilt pressed against the back of your neck like the blade of a guillotine.

“Don’t be. I understand.” Warmth lined his words. 

“I’m forced to work with the man that killed him, just the way you are.”

Your foot pressed a little harder on the gas than you intended, shooting the car into the road. 

God, having him this close was madness—memories of Nacho, and then of Gustavo, they all slam against each other, hurling you farther and farther down an unclimbable pit. 

Self-hatred was what it has evolved to; you did well at pretending everything was normal and well back at home. Back where his presence didn’t burn you. Back where you could shove away memories of that night—

“I’m glad, because I feel the same.”

You nearly choked on the air. 

A part of you begged to turn away and hole out those sinful thoughts, each slathered in feelings of betrayal—Gustavo, Gustavo, Gustavo—

Nacho, forgive me.

Please, forgive me? Please? 

But that was merciful. Forgiveness, for you? You’re too far gone. Atonement came in blood, but you didn’t have the fucking heart.

“Something’s tearing you apart, isn’t it?” 

Again, your brain froze at the sound of his voice, pushing everything to a halt. 

But guilt lingered. 

“I…” Should you be honest? Or lie? Was there a ‘right’ to this? What do you even do?

“Just talk.” His words were gentle. “Say anything.” 

Your breath shakily. “Could we, maybe, park the car somewhere? I can’t—I might—”

“Yes. Just pull over here.” 

‘Here’ being the open desert field with nothing in sight. 

You didn’t care though. You were more than eager to pull over to buy time—time for what, you weren’t sure at all. 

But when you stumbled out of the car, you shut the door and lean against it for a second. Your body was actively working against you, sucking out all energy you possessed and leaving you heaving with unbreakable thoughts—and those thoughts compounding to hit your skull. It almost made you feverish, and the answer to why was there—

—just as that answer is the same antidote to your slow, proverbial destruction. 

The crunch of gravel makes your head turn, and you saw that Gustavo was approaching your side of the car. 

He, however, didn’t say anything, nor seemed irritated at your state; he quietly slid by your side, standing still and staring at the shadowed landscape. 

He only said one word: “Talk.” 

You hated how easy it was to follow that command—and you loathed the underlying flutter of comfort that shot through you, a warmth that washed the guilt away like water over a wound. 

“I… you said that you still worked with the same people that killed your brother.” 

He turned his head to you and nodded. 

It was hard to hold his gaze, but you did so. 

“Then, do you feel guilty? Because you’re working with them?” 

“No,” he smiled. “Because I plan to toss them away like stones.” 

“Oh.” 

You stare at the ground. When you spoke, your voice was small—almost pathetic. “I don’t think I’ll be able to function much longer. I—fuck, it’s hard to put into words, but…”

The words were scary, but you said them anyway. “But I feel as though he’ll never forgive me. As if, the longer I, uh, humor what’s between us, he’ll hate me more and more.”

The words became harder, and for a moment, you couldn’t help but freeze. Speaking so openly—it felt wrong. Especially to Gustavo Fring, of all people. 

But, strangely, it felt right at the same time. As if he were the only person in the world who could properly understand—or, perhaps, the only person you could…

Trust? 

“Sir?” 

“Just call me Gustavo—” 

“Could you tell me something? Please?” 

Now you looked at him, and what you saw was a dilemma. 

Betrayal, or atonement.

“If I trusted you, what would you do?” You fully turned to him. You decide. “If I gave you my complete and undying faith, what would happen?” Would I come to regret it? Or regret not doing so sooner? 

Gustavo regarded you with a strange expression, one you couldn’t decipher at all. 

But you just stood there, watching his face, watching emotion flash like a film reel—each emotion as unreadable as the next. 

And then, he extended an open hand, palm upward. 

“I would cherish that trust,” he said quietly. “As though it were my own soul.” 

In his eyes, at that moment, you knew what he said was no lie. It was truth, illuminated in the moon’s gentle light that cradled Gustavo’s face. 

You set your hand on his. Then, with your other hand, you hesitantly set it on the back of his. You glance at him. 

He smiled warmly, eyes crinkling at the corners. 

“You’re mine,” you whispered. 

His smile grew. “I always was.” 

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Matt Gertz at MMFA:

The right-wing media strategy of branding President Joe Biden as senile has always suffered from the major flaw that his public performance in major moments bears no resemblance to his depiction on Fox News and other Trumpist outlets. But with the president’s first debate with Donald Trump of the cycle looming on Thursday, the network’s hosts are building a rhetorical escape hatch in case Biden’s presentation once again exceeds the low expectations they’ve set for him: They’re claiming that before the event, Biden may take performance-enhancing drugs that conceal his cognitive decline. The right has baselessly pushed this conspiracy theory — for which no evidence has ever emerged — since at least 2020, when Trump tweeted that “only drugs” could explain Biden’s energetic performances in the Democratic primary debates. The narrative escalated earlier this year when right-wing influencers needed to concoct an explanation for Biden’s strong delivery of his State of the Union address. And it has reemerged as one of their preferred narratives in the lead-up to Thursday’s debate.

“The Joe Biden we’re talking about tonight I don’t think will be the Joe Biden we’re going to see on debate night,” Sean Hannity, a Trump political operative who also hosts a prime-time Fox show, told Lara Trump, the Republican National Committee co-chair and daughter-in-law to the former president, on June 17. Hannity added that Biden would be “hyper-caffeinated” and said he supports the idea of drug-testing the candidates before the debate. Hannity returned to the narrative all week long. He claimed Biden would be “jacked up” on “a lot of Red Bull, a lot of caffeine pills, whatever” to hide the “cognitive decline” which he called “obvious and troubling.” Those substances, Hannity asserted, would explain why Biden would be “screaming” and aggressive at the debate rather than “mumbling, bumbling, stumbling, and fumbling” and confused, as he is in the out-of-context video clips the host regularly shows his audience.

Hannity isn’t alone. Last week, Fox contributors Tyrus and Newt Gingrich both pushed the notion that Biden is using drugs. So did Trump adviser Stephen Miller and Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo’s panel.  On Donald Trump Jr.’s show Triggered, Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) suggested Biden would be on a “cocktail” before the debate which could include “amphetamine-type drugs like Adderall and things of that nature” as well as “things like Provigil, you know, that also just increase your alertness.” He reiterated his claims in a Fox Business interview over the weekend, demanding that the president “submit to a drug test before and after this debate, specifically looking for performance-enhancing drugs.” (Notably, Jackson’s medical operation as White House physician reportedly functioned as a pill mill for Trump White House staffers). 

“Biden always performs better than expected on big nights,” Fox host Jesse Watters said on Friday. “It could be that he’s well-rested, studies hard. Or maybe it’s whatever’s in that orange drink. What is in that orange drink?” (Biden says his “favorite drink is orange Gatorade,” and numerous media outlets have reported that he drinks it regularly as president.) Trump himself has repeatedly gotten into the act on the campaign trail. “He’s gonna be so pumped up. He’s gonna be pumped up,” said the former president at a Wednesday rally, before suggesting that Biden uses cocaine. He claimed on Saturday that Biden would get “a shot in the ass” before the debate and come out all “jacked up.”

The right-wing have a sick fetish for pushing the “Joe Biden is senile” narrative to distract from the fact that their champion Donald Trump is far more senile.

See Also:

Daily Kos: The right can't decide if Biden is senile or superhuman

MMFA: Study: Top newspapers fixate on Biden's age while mostly downplaying Trump's age