#making characters drunk solves so many problems

[gigglesandfreckles-hp]

Im already ready for the first time jily have to KISS (aside from the three broomsticks hook-up...which was amazing btw) (and Im assuming your note about this having all the tropes in it means there will be some forced public kiss. if not thats ok too but please consider this as my formal request)

ha! i can absolutely promise to fulfil your formal request. here's a snippet from said first kiss from an undisclosed future chapter. (it's within the first ten!)

He tastes sweeter than she remembers, and the moment their mouths meet, it’s as if her body remembers exactly how to play all the old rhythms. His jaw is sharper now, a light scruff dragging rough across her skin that she isn’t used to, his chest broader, pressed flush to hers. His hair is longer, softer under her fingers, and his lips move against hers like he’s starved for it. That part isn’t new. He’s always kissed her like his life depends on it.

[imliterallyf7ckin9crazy]

꧁⋆°𝓢𝓺𝓾𝓲𝓭 𝓖𝓪𝓶𝓮 𝓗𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓒𝓪𝓷𝓷𝓸𝓷𝓼°⋆꧂

Specifically the men :>

Characters: player 001 (in-ho), player 230 (thanos), and player 124 (nam gyu)

Warnings: squid game shit, gn reader, includes general head canons and relationship ones. Some are more toxic than others…. This is also to help understand the characterization I use for the characters in other fics lol

ᎮᏝᏗᎩᏋᏒ 001

- I have few appropriate things to say

- first off, we all know this man has money and thus I feel like he would have a large car collection that he just doesn’t get around to driving

- rarely able to get drunk. Not that he can drink, it just takes a lot to get drunk

- manipulative without even trying. Though he knows danm well what he’s doing it’s effortless for him.

- has no empathy. Or it’s complicated, he has empathy but it’s conditional. He can seem like cares but chances are it won’t last long, and wasn’t very genuine in the first place

- this is random but I think he is a morning person. Not just a normal morning person, a 4 am wake up person. A time he will likely not be bothered, a time he can take his time. Think about all the things he has to do. The planning, the hiding. He finally gets real time to think.

- CLEARLY obsessive. He be staring at gi hun like he want that cookie so damm bad. Season two squid game was built for him practically by in-ho. meticulously. 

- safe to say once he wants something he gets it.

- unfortunately he obviously sees the poor as less than. I think it would take a nearly impossible life changing event for that to change.

Relationship wise:

-evil.

- let’s be so real here, he is not the best choice. Very attractive and silly, but terrible as a person

- he says himself he knows he’s a likable fellow, he’s willing to use that. To worm his way right into your heart. Make you think “wow, how charming” or “man, he’s so kind”. He knows how to use his seemingly harmless nature to root himself in your mind

- will buy you anything. One of his ways of manipulating you. He will yell at you, prioritize his “work” over you, scare you… just to make it up by a luxurious trip where he is finally nice to you. And you think “maybe he’s changed. I’ll give him another chance”

- you don’t even realize how many times you’ve said that.

- it’s not like you have a choice to leave anyway. He’s possessive. If you were to leave him, he wouldn’t let you. If you manage to get away he’s finding you and dragging you back. He will have you until he can’t anymore, you do not have much of a say. He’s woven himself deeply in your life.

- has his people watch out for you and protect you. Has people Solve problems for you before you recognize there is one. And you never even know

- let’s you sit on his lap while he watches the games.

- you have no friends, rarely talk to family, your life is basically his. And you have to be okay with that (or not)

- all his workers know you and you have full access to whatever you like (as long as it’s not interfering or messing up anything he has planned

-he work would probably come before you. Not to say he doesn’t care…. Just he has weird priorities

ᏢᏝᎯᎽᎬᏒ 230

- my dear thanos. Where do I begin

- clearly he has a drug problem. Serious pill addiction.

- goes into public absolutely GEEKIN off who knows what and insists no one can tell (they can)

- tried to be a plug but kept arguing abt prices with his clients so they stopped buying…

- as a famous rapper you know he has bitch AND hoes. A player who leaves a trail of broken hearts. Women and men bc I say so

- and also he just gives that vibe

- can’t manage money. Even when he wasn’t in debt bro cannot keep his dabloons in line. Drugs don’t help with that

- physically pretty strong. He can fight but it’s not like he’s gonna win every time

- actually really passionate about music. It truly means a lot to him and he worked for it. However over years he’s gotten frustrated with never having true privacy as a non celebrity would

Relationship wise:

- contrary to how I see people write him I personally think he wouldn’t be as mean in a relationship as some of the others

-and I think he would actually value you.

- I think he’d be pretty respectful with the ladies. He clearly appreciates a pretty girl.

- respectful might be a stretch. I mean verbally he wouldn’t like say crazy vulgar things. Nah he’d call you “flower” like that one girl or something

- he might be a bit rougher with the fellas out there. He’s pretty handy with his “bros” I’ll tell you that much.

- would write songs for and about you. They’d be cringe… in a nice way. Stupidest title and lyrics but hey! He made it just for you :3

- pre debt he’d definitely spoil you. Post losing all his money you’ll have to compromise. He sucks at telling you no so if you ask for something he might just steal it.

- people try to say he’d try to keep you from his drugs. I don’t think so. Realistically you’d probably end up doing some illegal substances with him

- might cheat in the early stages. Let’s be real. Those famous boys are almost never loyal. Butttt I think after he wouldn’t. Threaten to leave and he will see he really needs you

- never said he was perfect <3

ᏢᏝᎯᎽᎬᏒ 124

- MY SHAYLAAAA. Idc so many ppl hate him. I know, he’s objectively terrible. However I don’t care I think he’s silly so there

- another addict. Honestly heavier than thanos. He’s tried nearly everything under the sun. However as shown in show, herion is his vice.

- he’s a shady night club worker so I’d say he could probably fight.

- I see him as an introvert 90% of the time u til he’s around a close friend. He seems like he has some sort of manners and keeps to himself until he met thanos. And even then he didn’t really talk (nicely) to anyone else besides min-su (sometimes)

- can clock a bitch like no other. Will read you to filth. Be prepared to gain new insecurities around him

- seems like a cat guy. I feel it in my soul he pets every stray cat ever.

- has jitters. Be it he’s anxious, thinking, happy, or withdrawling his hands are constantly on the move.

- laughs at nothing. Do not do anything amusing in the area if something even slightly serious is happening. He’s ruining the mood and will not stop giggling abt it after.

- he does the sweater paws. Not a head canon just a viable fact but it needs to be said. Yes I know he’s a grown man with a dick and balls but it’s very baby girl of him

- has quite the violent streak. Was probably the worst bully in highschool. I can smell the semester suspension radiating from him

- would do probably anything for some drugs. Like anything. He’s seen and done some shit.

Relationship wise

- MY SHAYLAAAA

-evil lowkey

- he’s definitely difficult because he’s always on some H and it actually can make you more aggressive.

- still cares though I swear it’s just harder for him

- touchy asf. Constantly playing with your hands, poking your face, touching your hair. Bro MUST touch.

- possessive and jealous type. Will lash out about it. Or just start being mean to the people you talk to.

- kinda about that life. Because he’s in the night club scene he has definitely witnessed some real gang shit. Maybe even participated

- will protect you if you’re walking out in the street.

- has moments at night where he’s genuinely calm and able to talk about normal things. Not worried about work, scared about money, itching from drugs. Just him and you.

- you’re his safe area. Shit goes wrong he comes to you. He had a bad day? He’s coming to you. Bad trip? He’s with you.

- will care for you if you are going through a bad trip too. Or just scared, he gets it.

- kinda toxic sorry not sorry

- clearly a selfish guy, wants what he wants and tries to take it. He manipulates with saying cruel things with an angles smile. Might yell at you, lash out, etc. probably wouldn’t hit you though

- but he cares. In his weird, clingy, mean for no reason but doesn’t mean it way. He will stick with you. You both will yell and scream and cry at each other but at the end of every day you lay in each others arms. Very much a “us against the world” type relationship.

Yeah that’s all. This should help elaborate on future things I will write mwah ha ha.

[winchestermysterymachine]

How do the Winchesters lie to lie to you?

Dean Winchester

if there's ever something to know about dean winchester, it's that he's a certified liar. he's not proud about his lying skills, but it can keep him alive during certain situations, get him out of those situations, and if it'll help keep you from breathing down his neck he so will. now i cannot be the only one that worries about the boys constant drinking. having one here and then isn't a problem, they're grown adults and can make decisions for themselves, but it gets to a point where you haven't seen drink without a beer in his hand for two weeks. when you try and point it out, obviously he's going to deny it. but you can always tell the difference in dean from when he's drunk compared to when he's not. it kinda hurts when he lies to you that he hasn't had anything to drink, that it's really the first time in months he's had a drink. it comes to the point that if you see even one open beer (sam's or dean's, doesn't matter) you're pouring it down the drain. you don't even care that they're expensive and you're wasting it, you're far too worried about their excessive drinking, not even just dean. so after he catches you dumping out a can too many, he begins hiding it. hiding it so well, cause dean and sam drink beer down like water. he gets better at acting sober around you, but you can see the way his eyes are. the way he drives shifts, like he's trying too hard. the only thing that keeps your mouth shut is knowing that both boys cannot die, chuck won't let that happen. you don't worry about yourself too much either. he can't help the way he gets angrier when he's drunk, easier to piss off. he's swearing on his own mother's grave that he hasn't had a drink in months, but you know the truth. it hurts a lot more than it had before, because not only is he lying, he's lying and trying to hide it from you. every time you try and bring it up, everything goes south. of course it's understandable why they drink, there's a whole lot of shit they have to deal with. sometimes it follows them into their dreams, and you're sure if you had been through everything sam and dean have been through, you'd be drinking just as much. the only reason their livers aren't failing, or they don't just drop dead is cause castiel heals them all the time, chuck probably heals them in their sleep too. he can't let his precious main characters die. it kinda drives you insane that chuck literally has the power to keep them from obsessively drinking. but you feel like chuck enjoys the way he's making you feel crazy, making you lose sleep. if you're friends with the winchesters, then you're also a pawn that he likes to play in his stupid little games. so you just let it go. but getting drunk all the time, being healed or not, cannot be good for the brain.

"Don't swear on your mom that it's the first drink that you've had in like a month."

Sam Winchester

we all know sam messes up a lot. he chooses demons over his own brother, he keeps a lot of secrets bottled up. and he'll lie, he'll say he's fine, but he loses sleep. his dreams are probably his worst enemy. sure you being there helps him, and for a while you believed it was true. until he started screaming, especially after the whole ordeal with lucifer. sam lying about not seeing him was a huge problem in your relationship. you'd be trying to talk to him, and sam's staring off into the distance, and you think he's just ignoring you. he doesn't mean too, but he doesn't want to worry you that he's seeing fucking lucifer right in front of him. he doesn't want to feel like a burden, another problem you and dean need to solve. he can make up every excuse in the damn book, but the marks on his hands mean otherwise. sam is not doing all right, and he won't talk to you about it. it means sleepless nights away from him. it means crying in the shower, it means crying yourself to sleep out of exhaustion. sam on the other hand, he just really doesn't want you to be there when he has an episode. he doesn't want to be the guy that everyone worries about, because he's been the guy. when he was hooked on demon blood, it was all dean cared about, and for once, sam wanted to solve his own problems. he does a lot to try and help you feel better, cause it's tearing him apart too, the way you react to him being around you, like it physically hurts. he tries to make you both feel good, but when dean finds out, and accidentally lets it slip that he's seeing lucifer, it's like all your worst nightmares have true. maybe it wasn't your fault that sam couldn't be around you, god only knows what sam's visions were telling sam about you. he doesn't get too into it, but your own fantasies your brain musters up is enough to sends shivers down your spine. it's the way sam looks terrified. you touch his arm and he jumps. you keep giving him second chances, afterall, a piece os his soul seemed lost. and you've dealt with sam being different, that you handled with ease, but this was a whole other thing. he wasn't sure if you were real or not, and it was just hard watching him go through it. there wasn't much you could do, you couldn't tell him lucifer wasn't real, because sam would just reply back, 'well he says you're not real'. what are you even supposed to do about that, genuinely? you wonder if the problem could have been solved sooner if this could have ended already. it makes you lose it a bit, crying to dean that it's making you suffer, making you lose your mind watching sam. there's nothing wrong with him, maybe just a screw loose, but you're unsure how much longer you can go on and watch the boy you love suffer so damn much. 

"Girls will cry and girls will lie and girls will lose their god-damn minds for you."

Castiel

castiel doesn't lie. it isn't something he was made to do, so when he does lie, it can be very convincing. you're not expecting him to lie, he's an angel of the lord, he's got no reason to lie. but you find out from sam or dean that cas wasn't actually at a place he promised he'd be at. or maybe they don't even know where castiel is. you give him the benefit of the doubt, maybe he was supposed to be doing whatever it is he does, but got sidetracked. or maybe he finished it quickly and moved on to someone else. it gets to the point where you cannot find him at all, and sam nor dean will tell you where he's at. it hurts a lot to think that after all this time, of trusting him, he's actually been sneaking around behind your back. you're not sure how you can trust someone who's gotten so good at lying, but maybe it's your own fault for treating him like a human. you're pulling out tarot cards, talking to other girls in the bars you, sam, and dean frequent during hunts. what am i supposed to do when my boyfriends been lying to me for months about where he's been? of course you can't really tell them the complete truth, but maybe they have something to say about it. they all say to leave him, he's probably seeing other women. of course you know it's not true, he hasn't been doing that, but you're begining to ignore their words. you don't want to leave him, so you don't say anything about him not being where he's supposed to be. you live peacefully for a while, even though it's tearing you apart. sometimes he'll fly in, knocking everything in his path over, so exhausted from a flight the only energy he could muster was just enough to get home to you.  he's beaten, and his body is far too hurt to be able to heal himself quick enough, so he's in more pain than usual. you don't want to consult outside help, the girls at the bars weren't exactly helpful, and castiel coming in beaten and bruised, and just up and leaving him made you feel sick at the thought of him trying to find you and you're not there. rowena can help a bit. locating spells, she even teaches you a few tricks on how to find the angel quicker. it makes you feel bad spying on him, but he won't tell you where he's going. he's trying to protect you, to keep you from trouble, but him coming in exhausted isn't making you feel good about it.

"We love to read the cold, hard facts and swear they're incorrect."

So, can you make a shitshow look a whole lot like forever?

this is so bad i apologize.

[choicesmonthlychallenge]

May Mayhem: a monthly challenge

Unfortunately the May host has not been able to get the event up so I have put together a quick event. May Mayhem seemed like a fun idea. It's a little chaotic, a bit messy, but I hope it's enjoyable nonetheless!

Prompts under the cut

MAYhem Prompts

Regret

Betrayal

Secrets/Lies

Confession

Caught

Jealousy

Sabatoge

Smirk

Wink

Scars

Fake Dating (fails)

Hot Mess

Guilty Pleasure

Stuck together somewhere/only one room

Interrupted/Moment Lost

Right person, wrong time

Wrong person, right moment

Enemies to lovers

Drunk text/phone call

Sleep confessions

It wasn't all a lie

Stolen kisses

Double date disaster

Stepping on a lego

Sprinklers going off during a good night kiss

Sharing a blanket that’s way too small for two people.

Mash up two Choices books in a chaotic crossover

What if the main couple never met

Two characters wake up handcuffed together, with no memory of the night before.

Choose 3 random objects around you and create something

"You weren't supposed to hear that."

"Tell me you didn’t mean it."

"I wish it could be different."

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"That's a terrible idea"

"We’re pretending to be what now?"

"Technically, no laws were broken."

"I call that creative problem solving."

“You kissed me to win a bet?!”

“You’re not my type.” (but they really are)

"Can you please go be stupid somewhere away from me?"

A: "How many people did you tell?" B: "... everyone"

"Of course, I love you, dumbass!"

"Tell me, why were we friends again?"

Rules/Guidelines

Submitted works will be featured on an event masterlist

Every form of new creative work can be submitted: fanfiction, drabbles, moodboards, edits, drawings, poems, songs, sketches, and more—all are welcomed.

Work from any book and story from the Choices (and Pixelberry) universe are welcome (new and old alike)!

You can participate as many times as you want during the month

Clearly list the prompt you used

You can combine submissions for this event with others

Please add a cut to avoid long posts and exposing other fans to triggering/disturbing content.

If your work is NS*W please label it as such and use appropriate warnings. Adult content should be hidden under the page break.

You can get creative with the prompts. It can be a variation of the word and/or concept. It doesn’t have to be exact or literal. If the word inspires a train of thought that led you to something different, put that in the notes and send it in! Have fun with it! Make them work for you! The ultimate goal is just to find joy in creating!

Please tag @choicesmonthlychallenge​​ , #choicesmay2025 and if you’d like to add me you can do so as well~ @lovealexhunt​​​ (feel free to DM me your work too since Tumblr tags are fickle)

Please do not submit work that has been created with AI. Works that contain AI will not be reblogged. If reblogged inadvertently and I find out they have AI, they will be deleted.

[generalluxun]

“If Marinette suffers from trauma caused by Chloe, then why did she join forces with to do the similar things to Kagami in “Animaestro”?”

To be fair, I found a very old post (which was published in 2019), that said that Marinette’s actions in that episode were incredibly out of character for her.

Going to take a lot of sides on this one, annoying absolutists everywhere.

First: Marinette is not out of character in Animaestro. She's on her own in Ikari Gozen and still out to sabotage Kagami in different ways.

Secondly: Ignoring Derision for a moment, Marinette doesn't exactly 'team up' with Chloé.

They are both panicking over Adrien and Kagami, but they have different reactions. Marinette goes into her internal doom spiraling, while Chloé forms an immediate plan of action. (Amusingly Chloé is exhibiting a heroic behavior here, acting on a crisis. Her priorities are just skewed) Marinette isn't an instigator so much as she is dragged along.

-Now let's be clear- What Marinette does is still bad in a different way. She lets herself be dragged along because she still *wants* the same outcome. (Adrien and Kagami apart) And letting Chloé drag her in gives her an 'out' for lying to herself. 'oh it wasn't my idea. I am not really a bad person. I didn't *want* to...' Sort of how people will excuse behavior with 'I was drunk'. Not the behavior you want out of your protagonist heroine. So it's bad, but it's bad in a very reasonable 'learn the lesson of the episode' way.

Derision really does muck up all of this though, because trauma is trauma and this episode should ring so many bells for Marinette. The way the show is shot, you can't even read tea leaves. We are constantly in Marinette's head as the PoV character. We're shown how she thinks/reacts/behaves. You don't get to spring hidden trauma on the audience unless the trigger is something that hasn't come up yet.

It would work for a non-PoV character though. You know who it does work for, amusingly? Chloé. We get a season and a half of 'Oh spoiled brat, no problems in the world, etc etc.' and it is entirely fair to think that up to that point. The show isn't her PoV. We're following Marinette around. Then Audrey shows up and... Oh. We see how André behaves around her. We see how She behaves to Chloé. Dots get connected and now that past behavior all *makes sense*. It's still bad behavior. It still hurts people. We just have context, and with context perhaps a means of solving the problem.

Derision redefining Marinette's normal crush behavior turned up to 11 for humor as Trauma doesn't make anything make *sense*. It in fact makes things make *less* sense.

[flo-zoinks]

Merry Christmas Zoinky!! 🎄🫂❤️

I would love to hear you yap about your thoughts on Reverend please 🙏🙏

MERRY CHRISTMAS AOIOOZORA❤❤❤❤❤❤❤🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 SORRY IM A BIT LATE I LOVE UR ASKS

I've had such a moving relationship with Swanson as I've played - I started by HATING him because of the interaction he has with Javier (I'd only caught about some of it and thought him telling his 'Mexican friend' as he says to repent was for being Mexican). But I've defo grown to love my boy so I'm very grateful for this ask thank you!!!

One thing I adore about his character is his parallels with Dutch - how both of them seem to be in always completely opposite situations. Whilst at the start Dutch is seen as loving, respectable and driven, Reverend on the other hand is presented as shameful, shallow and hopeless (essentially the complete opposite.) Dutch knows and is confident in his ideals and how he will lives accordingly, whilst Swanson is shown multiple times in almost comedic oxymorons with his actions to beliefs, like when his bible opened to contain recreational drugs.

However, as Dutch comes down, Swanson goes up. As Dutch falls and betrays his own beliefs on family for instance, such as leaving Arthur to die, Swanson instead finds truth in his faith and gets sober, doing actions such as preaching to people like Arthur wisely. I think this is to show perhaps the effect of their characters different mindsets, or just overall views. Dutch believes his problems are not him, but everyone else. He believes hes somehow perfect, and will change his ideals to make himself feel perfect - ultimately becoming his downfall as he goes against everyone and runs to live in a cave. Swanson, though, is only harmful to himself, and takes full accountability for his own actions. This means he is able to see his problems, and when he can stop the shit he throws at himself and solve them. So Swanson is able to heal, and become the best version of himself learning from his mistakes and changing accordingly.

If I'm being honest too, his relationship with his Faith is one I've always related to a little. He struggles in the beginning to understand why a God would cause his life to go so astray and horrendous while he, in comparison to so many others, chose to become a man of the cloth and dedicate himself to his faith - proven as he makes comments like "I feel like if God really loved me he would've struck me down years ago" (paraphrasing). But growing and healing himself to a newer version allows him to refind that security in his God, becoming someone with so much to be grateful for (like his own Church) when he commits to changing. But that's just me.. - yet because of that hes always had a little place in my heart 😭❤❤

I personally love his character in the camp, whilst at the start I struggled to understand why the game (and mostly Dutch) would add a reverend with no criminal skills or monetary skills to the camp, rendering his character quite useless in a good number of missions. Continuing however, and seeing his character as one representing much more than just a 'drunk gone sober yipee', I think is very poetically tied in with the main plot. He's a prime example of the layers in every character in RDR, as hes so much more than just that. Even whilst a drunk, whilst still sometimes causing harm to those around him, he purposely tries to prevent everyone else being wrapped in his issues, and tries to be a help during Colter in the ways he can. I had no idea during my first play though that the Reverend reading passages to the gang and helping John with his morphine (now I sound like an idiot) would be a 'low life' addict, and that definitely shocked me. Even whilst he's considered healed, when Strauss tries to talk to him about his own worries Swanson is a little ignorant, and instead yaps about his own journey and ignores Strauss trying to talk. That little interaction though had me surprised at how well he had changed as when Strauss asked to talk his immediate reaction to shut his book and say "yes, of course", getting up was starkly different to their other interaction in chapter 2 in which he calls Strauss a horrible man for not giving him money for drugs. Especially since Strauss by all holy books is perhaps the definition of sin, preying on the poor and showing little empathy, Swanson sees the good in him that other's don't and turns the other cheek to kindness as his Holy book preaches time and time again. It also presents how much he actually took the beliefs to heart, as many people who identify themselves as Christians (no matter where you go, trust me I know) will often be ignorant of some rules to hate on "those who deserve it", or do the bad thing when it's easy. But Swanson doesn't, and works hard to take in and do the option according to his beliefs, even if the harder option like showing kindness to the face that insult you. Yet of course, hes still not perfect at the end, which to me solidifies him as an examples of the amount of depth in each rdr2 character

Finally can I just say

🙏him in chapter 6..😔Zoo..wee...mama...

Thanks for letting me yap!! What do you think about him??? I would love to know 😚😚 HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

[cafeleningrad]

Granted, Jayce's character design is supposed to be handsome, so is Viktor to a degree but when thinking about them falling in love, the physical attraction is different. Sure, they superficially recognize how the other is objectively worth looking at although it doesn't really affect them.

What does affect them is how waking up in the morning comes with the excitement to spend time in the lab. How ideas get expended on, how the failure of any prototype can be balmed with a dry joke, or how their insecurity shrinks regarding that the other always has an idea how to solve a problem differently. They will stay up together with way too much coffein in their bloodstreams the other will lead the flow the other's stream of consciousness. Eventually Kayce will notice when Viktor is overtaxing his body. Eventually Viktor will notice how scattered Jayce's thoughts can get if tries too many things at once. By time, Viktor taking on a calm, soft tone when telling Jayce to catch a breath, don't panic, they will figure it out but not at 4am is the sound which relaxes Jayce the most. By time, Jayce sometimes smells of carraway, herbs, and the salty-airy perfume only ingredients from the sea carry when comes from a visit at Ximena's. With him he carries the leftovers meals they cooked together, inviting Viktor for a shared meal that is fresh, spiced with a sense of home.

Sometimes they glance over the rim of yet another energy drink can or cup noodle, and see the face of the only other person who understands that actual work renders one disheveled, badly shaved, and with sunken eyes. At their physical worst, this is the person whom they can rely on the most. It's the same face which will still carry a comforting smile for the other even if their sessions went worse than trying to make gold out of tin. Or a face who's smile will wash away all the frustration if something works out, no matter at what ungodly hour. That toothgap of Jayce's is one of the friendliest sights Viktor probably ever saw in his life. When he smiles or winks, the skin around Viktor's eyes ruffles in laughter lines. It's so casually charming.

When Jayce catches Viktor when he gets drunk after celebrating, or pats him comradely on the back as he casually so often does, they are so warm. Jayce's hands on his body is perhaps the most reassuring sensation Viktor has felt. Never has Jayce ever heard Viktor being cruel, only precise. Yet the mole above Viktor's lip dips into a specific curve when Viktor's mouth forms for a deadpan comment. Jayce might be able to forge, and carry heavy materials, still Viktor's slim fingers are so adept in arranging small parts, he could build clocks with them. They're achieving such delicate work so effortlessly, Jayce could look at them for hours. Beneath Viktor's collar Jayce sometimes catches peaks of Viktor's pale skin, paler than his face. A reminder how he's loyaly sharing so much time for their shared vision, and maybe how they should spend a day just picknicking in the park. The amber colour of Viktor's eyes is sometimes the only thing shimmering in the reflection of Viktor's thoughts when the man has learnt to guard himself so well. It's also such a noble jeweltone to marvel at. When Jayce laughs it's hearty, the man is a terrible liar so Viktor knows he means it. Laughing with Jayce Talis feels like getting warmed by the sun.

The other is attractive but in ways they can't put into terms.

[tf2thoughtdump]

TF2 Thought of the Day

Headcanon? Yes.

Character(s)? All the mercs, team not specified but for simplicity’s sake, the red team

Long or Short? Long. This may take a while.

You're free to use any thoughts of mine in any form of media you make.

Thought

This one is real simple, it’s how I think the mercs would handle being given a baby. Enjoy!

Scout

Literally going crazy

Like, about to explode levels of crazy.

Gushing over every inch of this baby from her big eyes to her tiny nose and down to her chubby little hands and feet

Luckily, the little munchkin doesn’t seem to mind his intense energy so it works out

He does his best, but admittedly he is a bit… rusty

The first time he tried holding her, he wasn’t properly securing her head

The second him, he was just holding her upside down

He’s not the WORST merc to leave a baby with, but you have better options.

Soldier

Not really sure what to do with this….

Recruit.

He held her FAR from his body before opting to just tuck her under his arm like a loaf of bread

This didn’t last long though because he eventually found a way to keep her strapped to him with his belt

Uncomfortable, sure, but the baby could care less

She was more concerned with who gave her to this man in the first place

Soldier is your last resort

Pyro

Is most likely to set the baby’s diaper on fire when it gets full

He’s not BAD with a baby, it’s just…

There are so many better options!

They can hold the baby right, that’s not the problem, the problem is the outfit

The rubber, the material in general

Babies need skin-on-skin contact and Pyro.. doesn’t exactly fit the bill with that one

She’s definitely gonna make the baby uncomfortable but it’s nothing a good tickle won’t fix!

Demoman

Why?

Just….

Why?

Did you run out of options again?

Was Soldier too busy so you had to wake up Tavish?

What on Earth could be running through your mind to think leaving a baby with a drunk is a good thing?

He might rock it to sleep, but that’s about all you’re getting

Heavy

Your number 1 go to if you need a babysitter

He’s got three younger sisters! How hard can taking care of a baby be?

You’ll soon come to find out that with Heavy? Taking care of a baby is a piece of cake.

No complications, no fusses, no unchanged diapers

Just Heavy asleep on a couch too small for him, and a baby resting in his giant hands.

Engineer

Also another good one!

Doesn’t have much experience with REAL babies, just his mechanical babies, but he’s sure he can watch her for ya!

Don’t worry about a thing, buttercup, he’s got everything under control

Turns out, he kinda did?

In the time you were gone, he built her a rocking crib

Plus an automatic diaper changer

He’s just a little to busy with machines to be worrying about diapers

Relax though! If the baby cries, he’s putting down everything to figure out what’s wrong and how to solve the problem

Minus the guns in the equation

Medic

Well, uhm..

He’s not a bad baby-watcher!

He will keep that little rascal in his sights at all times! No doubt about it!

He could stare at that baby all day!

Best babywatcher in the world!

But…

This is Medic we’re talking about…

There’s no way this baby is coming back the same baby..

Sniper

Not.. sure what to do?

He’s a bit of a recluse, so he doesn’t hang around people that much

That also translates to him not really being able to understand what to do when given a baby and told to watch her

You know that TikTok audio?

“Your mom told me to watch you, but.. you don’t do anything.”

That’s him.

He takes “watch her” seriously

Now granted, Mick will let her play with his fingers occasionally but is really just staring at a baby in his lap for 2 hours straight and freaking out every time she cries or soils a diaper

Spy

Spy is a neglectful dad

We see that with Scout, so it’s no big surprise there

However, he’s not horrible with kids

He can take care of a baby just fine, change her diapers, feed her, burp her, lull her to sleep and the like

He just won’t be very enthusiastic about it!

If you want your baby to have a good time, pick Scout or Engineer

But if you want someone who actually has some idea what they’re doing, get Heavy or Spy for the job, okay?

[ay-chuu]

As a Boyfriend: Jade Leech

Warnings: Tooth roothinf fluff,cringe and lol first time writing for a character that im not so close... BUT for my dear; @fukashiin <3

Jade is the most advanced person in terms of emotional intelligence between Floyd, himself and Azul! He just doesn't show it, or makes people hard to guess it with his slightly sadistic traits. But he is neither open to everything like Floyd and lives according to the moment or doesn’t get hysterical like Azul and make things get out of control. He analyzes everything and approaches the person with the most point shots in an emotional sense. Just like when he managed to impress you (;

He considers himself a loser in many things, and he didn't realize it until he met you... he thought he was incompetent in most things because he set himself back from everyone, but after he becoma lovers with you, he realized that this was an idea that could only be overcome. And this is actually also when he falls in love with you. Because he has always known that someone who can make him believe unexpected thoughts is his soulmate.

A romantic gentleman. Everything he does in the position of butler is a factor that is not a role for you. Are you tired? Your favorite drink is already ready. Are you sad? Why don't you lie down on that couch over there and tell him everything? Problems with the lesson? Here are the most profound books on this topic.

You're a new member of Mountain Lover Club! At first you thought you'd be so bored... (no, you definitely didn't join that club to impress Jade...) But taking mountain trips and determining the types of mushrooms from the book turned out to be more fun than you expected! First of all, there is no phone, it's a great Decoupling from the digital environment.... Secondly, you are drunk with nature, and at the end of every walk you become full of love and mushrooms. Finally and most importantly, you taste Jade in the most authentic way... when you two are alone together, he shows you his incredibly true self and always makes you feel soft inside.

One of the things that upsets Jade the most is the sadness of his loved ones. Floyd and you are at the top of this list. If someone has upset you... God bless them. I don't think he'll let them go without leaving a serious trauma. Even if this person is your family, he scares them in some way and makes them respect him. Because Jade is always an influential person. But if any event has upset you, what he will do is solve the incident as soon as possible as efficiently as possible, because he would rather drown the world than see you upset.

He's quite jealous. But he usually shows it to the person he's jealous of by making life a little hell because he doesn't want you to understand that he's jealous…

Swimming in the sea with you with the eel form, is his favorite. You're playing with each other, laughing like there's no tomorrow, and just.... You're together.... As you lean your foreheads against each other, the reflection of the setting sun on your face is an incredible happiness for both of you.

It may seem like he's the dominant person in the relationship, but actually you're the secret boss! He's just being angry at you and leading you so that you can be happy. (He's a complete malewife... When you get married, you get a 10/10 service in your home. He is a devoted husband! devoted to his spouse, *insert proud face with mop!*)

To be lovers together with Jade is to be able to say that you also have a close relationship with Floyd! You three are a chaotic group, and there are no people who can understand or put it in a sentence to describe the craziness you are doing. And that's why Jade loves you so much. Just as you can have peaceful moments when you two are together, all the calm disappears in an instant when you put your twin Decoupled! (Floyd is very happy thst you two are dating and even jealous that Jade is dating you... But that's another day's topic!)

All in all, Jade is both a gentle lover who has all the qualities you can look for and want, and a wonderful partner who can give you the most crazy and adventurous moments.

[miakate-writes]

“and they were roommates” friends to lovers prompts (roommates edition)

[a/n : if you use any of my prompts, please make sure you tag me in the post. i love reading you guy’s writing. if you have any prompt list requests or you want me to write something for one of my prompts, don’t hesitate to pop into my asks box and i will get on it asap!]

song for the vibes ^^^

so they came to be roommates through the inherent need for cheap housing. neither of them having good enough jobs to pay for a nice apartment posed a problem that they found was actually very easily solved (and also gave them a chance to spend even more time with their best friend/crush).

there is constant arguments about who’s mattress is comfier. Character A believes that Character B’s mattress is comfier. B assures A that they are the exact same mattress but doesn’t complain when A asks to stay in their bed for the night.

while living together is great and they both love each other dearly, sharing a space with someone can be an eye-opening experience. A is a very messy person, B is a very tidy person. you can see how this could be a small dilemma.

B thinks that A looks adorable in the mornings, and they voice it confidently. after a while, A realises that B doesn’t just mean it in a friendly way, this is when the flirting begins.

the two decide they are going to go out for dinner, they joke about it being a date (both secretly wishing that it was). they shamelessly compliment each other’s s outfits, makeup, hair, etc - A blushes more than they would have liked, B thinks it’s cute anyway.

they don’t really remember how they ended up in a relationship. a few too many drinks ended in drunk confessions and A in B’s bed by the morning.

at some point they end up adopting a kitten, i don’t make the rules. also the kitten’s name is miso, i don’t make the rules.

[a/n 2 : OK WAIT I LOVE THESE PROMPTS SM. I COULD SO MAKE CHARACTERS AND DRABBLES OUT OF THIS!!! would anyone want to see that??? i’ll put a poll on another post???]

[scarfacemarston]

You seem to be one of the few who can admit to that parallel of Arthur leaving Eliza and Isaac behind ALSO makes Arthur a “bad” father as well. (although he obviously regrets it & there may have been reasons.) .

I know it isn’t that serious, and they are just fictional characters but there are some who act as if Arthur can do no wrong.

I adore them both , but they’re alike in so many ways.

I don't know if it's a media literacy thing or what. The parallels are there on purpose, and I don't think people pick them up OR they don't want to. I'm so sick of some of the fans who think Arthur is perfect. He's not. The literal point of the story is he is not perfect. People act like he is their perfect baby outlaw who just needs a hug uwu. I love fluff; give me all the hurt/comfort, hugs, kisses, everything. I believe Arthur would love that, but don't forget he is a grown-ass man. He is literally 36, yet people infantilize him. Do people realize they're not doing him a service as a complex character when this happens? He is a literal killer, and his first instinct would be to rob you. That is who Arthur is for most of his life, and it's only until later in the game that he changes. However, that doesn't mean we shouldn't see the softer part; I'm just saying that people refuse to see the whole picture. They pick and choose what they want to see. We all do it.

About Isaac and Eliza: Yes, someone else made a GREAT post and I don't know if they would want me to give details about the post or their name because they could be targeted by the fandom, and I don't want that. But there was another great blog that brought up Eliza and Isaac, too, and I was so happy. I've been active in the fandom since RDR 2 came out. (But a fan longer than that) and it is only recently that I'm seeing a few posts about this.

Arthur is only marginally better than John with how he treats them. He brings them money, okay, how much? Is it enough for a single mother during this time period? I genuinely hope so. A child needs their father; how often did he see them? He was traveling to different states /regions quite often with the gang. Was it once a year, twice a year? More often than that? How does paying a bit of child support and occasionally dropping in THAT much better than John? I think he helps Jack and Abigail because of the guilt he feels towards how he treated Eliza and Isaac, and he is attempting to atone. It's just horribly sad it came too late.

On top of that, Arthur was a drunk for years. Hosea and Dutch both say this. I have all the audio files. There are plenty of files that talk about how the gang doesn't like it when he drinks. I've posted whole conversations where Dutch tells Arthur to stop going back to his drinking habit………………just like John.

You know who was considered an idiot like John? Arthur. People praise Arthur for being far more intelligent than people think he is - that's exactly how John should be perceived. People bash John for his intelligence yet joke light-heartedly about Arthur or defend him from the jokes. Yet Hosea and Dutch always talk about Arthur's intelligence.

You know who was considered a bit of a brute by the gang? Arthur. Arthur was considered a very angry, violent man. Hosea and Dutch are very clear on this. They mention how he'd use his fists rather than his smarts to talk about things. Who else is considered a very angry man? John. Who else used his anger to solve problems? John.

Arthur does not necessarily sound like a likable man at 26……………..Just like John. If we had a game set when Arthur was that age, we probably wouldn't like him as much.

There are parallels for sure, and I don't know if it's people who want to ignore it because they don't like John or if they don't see it.

[sciroccoorion35]

leave this one alone

Skull writes his memoirs. WC: 770 Rating: T (language)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/59836357

“It was a dark and stormy night when I came into this world. It was a darker and stormier night when I left it…why aren’t you writing that down?”

“Er…are you sure this is how you want your memoir to begin?”

“Yes! Write it! Now where was I…?”

“You left the world.”

“I was torn cruelly from the bosom of this earth, my soul cast adrift in a place of ice and cruelty. But I clung on! For I knew the secrets of Death from the visionary work of the late Edmund Bickerstaff….”

“Not to mention unethical, unwise and insane.”

“Well, yes, that too. Nevertheless, I willed myself back into the mortal realm. I was weak, limited, tethered to my remains…You wouldn’t believe how gross it was watching the rats devour my corpse. There was a worrying bit when my body was washed further down the sewers in a rainstorm and by then the head had come fully detached and it went one way and my body went another and there was a tricky moment where I wasn’t sure which way I was going to be dragged and…”

“Sorry, am I supposed to be writing all of that?”

“Oh, er, no I guess not.”

“Do you want to say how you wound up dead in a Lambeth Sewer?”

“Erm, no, better not. And I think we can skip the bit where agents came to collect me because I kept popping up into toilets connected to the sewer and blowing cold air up people’s privates.”

“What? You never told me that!”

“Oh. Right, well we can skip it in any case. I was taken to Marissa Fittes herself, who asked me many questions about the nature of death and plasm. But I could see right through her vile purposes and refused to share!”

“Oh right, it was because you’re such a good judge of character. Sure it was.”

“Absolutely. Then I was locked away until a certain horridly shaped and half-mad, disgraced ex-Fittes researcher stole me in retribution and brought me to this dreary old house…”

“Portland Row is not dreary! And I’m not writing that about George being half-mad. He is perfectly sane and solved the entire Problem in the end.”

“With a load of help from me!”

“Sure, a bit.”

“A bit?!”

“Anyways, you were brought to Portland Row…”

“Ugh, fine. Yes, I was brought here and spent the first month screaming at the top of my lungs, but George and Lockwood are as dumb as posts so neither one heard me. It wasn’t until the radiant Ms. Lucy Carlyle joined the company that I finally had an equal I could converse with. Someone I could share the secrets of mortality with. Someone I could share the long, dark nights…”

“Eurgh, don’t make it sound so… so…”

“So what? We did spend many nights together, you and I.”

“But you make it sound so sordid!”

“Oh and all your going on in your memoirs about how floppy Lockwood’s hair is and how anaemic his skin looks wasn’t?”

“I was being descriptive!”

“You were as thirsty as a salt-drunk sailor for that flapdoodle.”

“I was not!”

“Oh don’t get your knickers in a bunch. Besides, he was just as bad. You should have heard him trying to make excuses for the way he was constantly staring at your arse.”

“What?!”

“Oh don’t worry, I won’t put any of that in my memoir. Who wants to read about any of that? Anyways, as I was saying, you and I spent many nights together, coming to a deeper understanding of one another, of the way our lives were hopelessly entwined…why aren’t you writing?”

“I’m not writing that.”

“Oh, come on, Lucy! You were allowed to take certain liberties with your writing. Why can’t I do the same?”

“Because I’m the one writing it!”

“Would it help if I talked about how ample your bosom is?”

“NO!”

“Okay, okay. They are though, you know. Nice and…Hey! Where are you going?”

“I quit.”

“You can’t quit! And you don’t have a lever to close anymore. I’ll just follow you around the house until you agree.”

“I’ll stick you in a silver seal and hide you under George’s bed.”

“You won’t!”

“Don’t test me.”

“But Luuuuucyyyyy…”

“I’m going out into the garden. To enjoy the sunshine.”

“Ugh, you’re no fun.”

“See you at sunset, jerk.”

“Wagtail!”

“Knob!”

“Hornswaggler!”

“I don’t even know what that means.”

“It means…oh, she’s gone. Well, time to go rearrange George’s research papers I guess. Not sure who I’m even talking to. Oh well… Hmm hmm hmmm…on the day I was born, the nurses all gathered round…something, something… Duh nuh nuh nuh nuh…cause I'm here to tell ya honey, that I’m bad to the bone…”

[elliemarchetti]

Double Wedding

I don't know if I nailed today's prompt for @jilymicrofics, but the idea of ​​James and Sirius being married was too funny not to delve into.

Prompt: Astounded

Words: 489

Lily was astounded. Perhaps shocked would’ve been the right term, although, knowing the characters she should’ve expected it. Marlene, however, was furious.

“Remind me why I shouldn’t kill one of you and solve the problem,” she hissed, a suspicious, and frankly slightly concerning, coldness in her voice.

“Because you would be sad about it if you did?” suggested Sirius, immediately retreating when his girlfriend glared at him.

Lily didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. In itself, the situation would’ve been extremely comical, if only James and Sirius hadn’t forgotten to tell them, and the small omission, as they defined it, wasn’t messing with Marlene’s vision.

Their fiancees were already married to each other. A foolish decision, took when they were fresh out of Hogwarts, during a drunk night out with Remus and Peter, who acted as their witnesses, which was now having considerable consequences on the organization of two real weddings.

“Look at it this way,” James ventured, turning to Marlene, “you could traumatize so many old ladies by introducing yourself as Sirius’s lover for the rest of your lives.”

The blonde girl seemed to ponder the possibility, but ultimately decided it was far better to be the new, and only, Mrs. Black.

“I want Walburga to turn in her grave at the thought of what I’ll do to the good name of her noble and most ancient house,” she ruled.

“That’s why I love you,” murmured Sirius, and in the blink of an eye they were reconciled, and were making out like teenagers. Sometimes, Lily was convinced their brains were still stuck at seventeen, trapped in bodies that were inevitably destined to grow old, but she felt no resentment for their ways, considering what they had been through to get there.

“And you?” James queried, sliding one of his long arms around Lily’s shoulders to pull her closer. “What do you want?”

Lily raised her head to meet his deep brown eyes, to study every detail of his features, and how his dark, always dishevelled hair fell on his forehead. She wanted to see him struggle with his glasses every morning, and be there when his first white hair made its appearance in the beard he was desperately trying to grow in an attempt to look older. She wanted a house all for them, a welcoming place, where they could invite friends for dinner and board games night, where they could mature as a couple and start a family…

“What are you thinking about?” he inquired, his face now decidedly closer, so much so that their noses were almost touching.

“What happens once we say I do,” she admitted, the hint of a smile she didn’t want to contain making its way to her lips.

“Second thoughts?” he asked, vaguely horrified.

Lily shook her head. She couldn’t imagine her life without James anymore, no matter how much the bullshit from his youth would haunt them in adulthood.

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC REVIEW: A Tempest of Desire by Lorraine Heath

4.75/5. Releases 12/24/24.

The Vibes:

—stranded on a remote island (and there's only one bed)

—sex worker heroine

—the kind of emotional twist that is in theory not a big deal but in actuality absolutely! heartbreaking! I gasped!

—don't call me kid/don't call me baby etc etc, this is character work illicit affair stuff

Heat Index: 7/10

The Basics:

Viscount Langdon is hiding out on his family's remote island, licking his wounds after a railway accident upended his life and identity. When a random woman washes ashore, he's stunned. He's more stunned when she turns out to be Marlowe, London's most infamous courtesan—also, she arrived via hot air balloon crash. As they wait out the storm together, Langdon and Marlowe realize they have a lot more in common than they thought. But what kind of future can they possibly have together?

The Review:

I will, it must be said, read anything Lorraine Heath writes. As far as I'm concerned, the woman is a master of her craft, and I can't imagine many authors who do historical romance better.

Here, she's picking up her Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James series for the first time in a few years (I believe it was originally planned as a trilogy, but a while after book #3, a surprise fourth happened... and now we have a surprise fifth, and, as it appears, a surprise sixth on the way!). I absolutely love her interconnected world; the series that preceded Scandalous Gentlemen, The Scoundrels of St. James, is my favorite of hers. So while I've adored dipping into the Trewlove stories and the Stanwicks and the Chessmen (and wouldn't mind returning to any of them, AT ALL, to be clear) there's something so delightful about seeing the St. James crew again.

James Swindler is still solving crimes (and his son sounds hot, so maybe.... some of that... Lorraine...?)! Dr. Graves is still solving every medical ailment known to man! The Langdons have laughed off the whole "he is a murderer" thing! The Lovingdons are still super hot together! So happy to see them again.

Viscount Langdon always lurked in the background of the other books, and he seemed like a happy dude; I mean, to the point that I wondered if we'd never read his story. He seemed GOOD. And I mean... if a character is raised by a couple, you as a writer sort of have to rock their shit to make them interesting. Which is something I've complained about struggling with when reading some second gen series. I get why a lot of writers are hesitant to mess with the kids of their beloved leads, but... you have to. Lorraine actually discusses this in the author's note. She truly Gets the work.

So yeah, Langdon is a little fucked up by everything that's happened to him prior to book. He's stalking his island drunk. He's yelling at God to give him a woman because he's sad and horny. In other words, he's fabulous and hot and I loved him. He's a perfect example of how you write a hero who's genuinely a good guy, but is not a Nice Guy. He's got his issues, he needs to do some work on himself, and some of his problems really aren't his fault and he sort of needs to be ushered into love. I found him romantic and tender without being overly sweet. He was respectful without being too polite. In some ways, he reminded me of a favorite gentleman hero of mine, Joanna Shupe's Duke of Lockwood.

Langdon gets his time and his trauma and his character development. However, I'd say this is a somewhat more heroine-forward novel. Which is great, because I loved Marlowe even more. I mean, how could I not love a famous courtesan who pilots her hot air balloons everywhere, whose tragic backstory also features a hot air balloon, and who tries her best to be pragmatic... when in reality, she really just wants and needs to be held? She's not quite as sharp-edged as a lot of courtesan characters (she's quite young for all that she's taken on, which I found both sad and, well, real) but she tries very hard to be.

I just so wanted her to have everything she deserved in life. I loved that she wasn't quite ashamed of her profession... but did struggle with where it put her in life. As someone who fully supports destigmatizing sex work, I also appreciate a story where it's treated like a valid profession... and not one every sex worker wanted or wants to continue. It's not a horror show, it's just not what she wanted from her life.

As a sidebar—really loved how Lorraine handled Marlowe's protector, Hollingsworth. Who of course stands as another wrench in the gears for Marlowe and Langdon, but also doesn't function quite like he would in a lesser book. His relationship with Marlowe is both straightforward and complex. He's flawed, but he's not a villain.

Here's the thing: not a lot of Plot Plot happens in this book. You get conflict, to be sure. But there isn't some big villainous twist. You don't have to worry about people possibly dying. This is truly a character piece. Over half the novel is spent on Langdon's island, which I frankly found incredible. (The pseudo-gothic vibes are immaculate. This is a perfect rainy day book.) A lot of time is spent on Langdon and Marlowe just getting to know each other. Talking. Flirting. Doing Things, eventually. The sexual tension crackles off the page from the jump (this is... a very horny book) and you know they want each other so badly. But you also know that they genuinely like each other as people. There's friendship as well as passion.

There's a famous-ish historical romance I won't name that I couldn't help but compare to this novel in terms of the central conflict (Marlowe is a sex worker, and even aside from that she's not of Langdon's class; he is from the bluest of blood, and despite his family being built on love, he fears the societal repercussions of marrying her; she could be another man's mistress, but her deep feelings for him make her hesitant to be HIS mistress). I found that this novel held Langdon so much more responsible for his inner turmoil and its hypocrisy, while at the same time accenting his personality with a humanity that makes you Get It. The story Gets It. But it also says "Now, Get Over It if you're really in love". I feel like it makes him seem like so much more of a grown up, and it also feels way more aware of the fact that like... we know this dude's family isn't gonna throw him out for being with the woman he wants to be with. There's MORE to it. I felt less condescended to as a reader, less like I was just supposed to throw logic out the window. It's just smarter all-around, and it ensured I was still rooting for Langdon to find happiness with Marlowe. Whereas with the book I was comparing it to, I just thought the woman deserved better.

There was a moment in this book that made me gasp. Few other authors do that. It wasn't even that it was a plot shock, it was just one of those things that underscored how quietly awful Langdon's struggle is. And right after that, another moment made me gasp, but mostly because it was super hot.

The Sex:

This is definitely one of Lorraine's hotter books, I would say—a lot hotter in terms of content than In Want of a Viscount, a book I greatly enjoyed. It's not that there are way more scenes than she usually writes (I think there are four total on the page, which is good). It's that the way she writes them just feels... very much like these are two people who are fucking it OUT.

And I mean. That first scene? The one where it's all about her? Easily one of the best sex scenes Lorraine's ever written. Damn.

All in all, another standout release from a standout author. I'm really glad that her health is improving, and I send my sincere wishes that it continues to do so. Few people write emotion better than her, and this book is in fact, pure emotion. Go read it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[shv2]

Long post, any commentary welcome

Okay confession time: I disliked Wander for years and now I'm realising that the only problem I have with him is that he is not called out on his bullshit/mistakes when it's really important.

I just feel like he is only shown as being in the wrong about small things. "He wants to help too much, even if people don't want it! He ignores his health to help others!"

But these are laughably small. Remindes me of when a person makes a character but they don't want to gives them any actual flaws so it's just "They are too kind/smart/etc".

Main problem (for me) is that Wander actually has big, intresting flaws with his character. But they are not explored. I cannot treat the episode about him trying to help people that are fine when. Everything else. I'm going to give 2 main examples that give me the most discomfort. You can skip if you understand.

1. Constant invasion of boundaries, to the point where "when he is a villain he deserves it" doesn't personally work for me. The entire fremergency episode.. Also the one where he and hater sang on stage. Why is he so weird about unconsious/not fully there Hater. He immediately makes him do/say things (in public or even on camera) that he would not say usually. Imagine someone you know is drunk so you take them in a public place to act like you are close while your buddy is filming that. I get Hater is a villain but damn... I'm not asking for a big callout or anything, can we at least not do the "it's so sad that he has to return :(" thing in the end.. Wander overstepping everyone's boundaries is so consistent it's a character trait, but it's mostly played for laughs/ignored/endorsed. It's not only villains... I remember this one animatic (scrapped/after credit scene, don't remember) where he pets Sylvia and his hand goes down to her tail so she has to physically stop him. Also a lot of other minor stuff, but.. I feel like this is more glaring than "oh he's just too sweet and kind".

2. The entire dominator.. Thing. Wander sees a trolley problem with the entire galaxy vs dominator (+hater stops being a villain), and decides he wants to save everyone. No matter how right you think he was, he did not achieve what he wanted. Dominator did not change. Hater did, but not complitely. But innocent people died. We can't just ignore that Hater has the power to stop Dominator, and one of the main reasons he didn't was because Wander was helping him out with Dominator. Look at Hater's face when Dominator laughs at his confession. He's not even surprised. He would 100% give up sooner if Wander wasn't hyping him up so much. Wander actually made sure that the only person capable of defeating Dominator was peaceful towards her for as long as he could. How many people lost their homes/died while him and Hater were busy with their crap? Again, I know this is a children's show. And yes, Wander is presented as being wrong, but un a really weird way. It's more about Dominator than her victims. It's more "Not everyone wants to change/be your friend/some people are just enemies" etc. The show shows (haha) that Wander was wrong, but the consequences are not in the picture. There are 2 elements to what happened: "Wander made the wrong call and many wrong decisions, AND many people died/lost their homes because of his decisions". The show only talks about the first part. It almost makes it look like if Dominator actually agreed to become friends, everything else would become okay.

Every time I rewatched the show I was thinking "Oh, yeah, this guy let countless people die because he wanted to solve the situation 100% ethically and gets away with it. Oh, he is very touchy without consent. Oh, he doesn't listen to his best friend and almost gets her killed. Oh, oh. Fuck this guy".

Now I think that it would be fine if it was adressed. There is no need to reduce/ignore his mistakes. Half of the main cast are villains (I personally consider (Wander, Sylvia, Hater and Peepers the main 4, people still love them. I love them! Not only that, we have Brad Starlight that satirises traditional heroes. Why doesn't the show apply at least some critical thinking towards Wander? Also, Sylvia is a hero too! She was a bounty hunter, she has anger management problems (where she is implied to hurt people in the way that a family friendly show can show (ep about the race)), she often "learns her lesson" if Wander is right.

Another thing.

Episodes where Wander is wrong are weirdly disconnected from the rest of the show in my opinion. At least it feels like it. It feels like tonal whiplash. One episode, Wander does something wrong - it's fine/haha funny. Other episode, Wander is W R O N G and needs to learn his lesson, also everything is extremely more on the nose. Try watching "The Fremergency Fronfract" right after "The Helper". Throughout 8 years I saw several people that had an opinion that these episodes felt really out of character for Wander, and I can understand where they are coming from. In my opinion, it's not Wander as a character, it's the lens through which we see him. Swapping from uncritical acceptance to critique feels unnatural to me.

Thinking of alternative scenarios/fanfiction makes me like Wander so much more. I think I can actually appreciate the guy so much more now. Everything I wrote was prompted by RWBY (+rewritten), because main team has the same problems Wander has times 1000.

I do hope that in season 3 they planned to explore Wander more (I remember seeing some tweets about it being the case), but I think that there is no way to adress this in season 3 without making it disconnect in many ways in some way from season 1 and 2.

[beebobeebo]

Title: Mama's Boy

Fandom: Justified

Characters: Tim Gutterson, Greg Gutterson (erstwhile brother), Timothy Gutterson (father, POS), and Lara Gutterson (Mama, not great)

Warnings: Character Study, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Smoking, Drinking, Child Abuse, Abuse... Listen Tim's dad is just awful

Notes: I will someday rewrite this.

Summary:

Drawing a bead on the boy he was.

If no one knows they can't argue.

Tim's smoking. He hasn't smoked since he's been stateside, but Mama dying had knocked him off his game. Dragging all that up made him long for hours lying in cold dirt waiting for a flicker of movement so he could solve a problem.

He had done well at the funeral. He looked appropriately sad and shook hands with people who never lifted one of theirs to help her or him, then he repacked up his shit and went straight to Kentucky.

After unpacking he realized he needed black socks for work. Once in the store, the liquor was just there and the cigarettes had been at the checkout. It was all too easy.

Thanks, consumerism. Good thing Tim put holes in all those bastards to protect his right to be drunk, coughing, and in matching socks all in one go.

“Greg, it's all yours. I don't want any of their shit.”

His brother pressing him to take mementos of his own personal hell was not helping his mental state. He flicks the ash into the toilet bowl at his feet and sticks his hand back out the bathroom window of his new, minuscule apartment. Perching atop his commode wasn't ideal, but he didn't need his clothes to smell like smoke tomorrow. “Hey, hey, you can forgive him for beatin' the fuck out of you, but I'm still angry about what he did to her. Your mother wasn't around so you didn't see the welts and bruises on her whenever you did anything he decided was wrong.”

“Tim, these aren't my things.” Greg's voice is strained and tired as it leaks out of the phone’s tinny speaker.

“Mine either, burn the shit, sell the land, and send me my cut. I need to buy a suit.” Tim gives up on the cigarette, dropping it in the bowl as he hops down to go grab the bottle he tucked in the freezer.

“Some of these things are yours. I can't believe you don't want anything of hers. At least her bible-”

Tim drops the phone beside the fridge as he yanks open the freezer. “Greg, you don't know me or my life, but I need you to understand I don't have time for this. She chose him, so she died a long time ago for me.” He pulls the bottle out of the freezer where it has crushed his bag of pizza rolls. Dinner was going to be lumpy.

“Timothy-”

“Greg, I have killed people for less than callin’ me that bastard's name,” he says evenly. They both know it's true, but Greg likes to play the game where Tim is a petulant teenager and not nearing thirty.

“Okay. Okay. You hate Dad. You hate Lara for some bullshit reason you won't tell anyone. You're distinctly not family.” Greg's exhale of frustration makes the shitty pay-as-you-go phone vibrate on the kitchen counter. “I will sell everything and send you a check.”

“A cashier's check. I don't want his name on it.” Tim pulls one of his three glasses from the cabinet and pours a questionable amount of vodka in it. He knows Greg is going to make some bid to remind him he is Timothy Gutterson’s child.

“It's our name, too,” his brother insists. “You can't just pretend nothing ever happened. You weren't born at Fort Benning.”

“You're right. It's obvious,” he says, forcing his voice to be low and sincere. “I don't have the accent. Dead giveaway.”

“Tim.”

“Bye, Greg.” He hangs up the phone before adding a legitimately sincere, “Go fuck yourself.”

He has now spoken to his older brother four times. That's three times too many. Two of those were within the last week. Three of those were as an adult. Three of those were about Tim's parents being dead.

“Shit,” Tim says as he gulps the cold liquid.

The outlier of the talks was as an eight-year-old. Greg wanted him to admit that their father abused Tim. The problem was he'd never raised a hand to him, which is what that meant to a child. That wasn't how you got to Tim anyway. His father understood that in a way that Greg never could. Tim would have welcomed every hit, slap, and punch to keep his father's hands off his mother.

Tim loved his mother violently. She had been the only person to truly love him, to know the things his father called him, and to cover his once small body with hers.

He takes another deep drink. Mama had been the one to find him clinging to Will Holt like a wet t-shirt. If he had grown up in a more tolerant household, he might have been grounded for being fifteen and being a moron who didn't realize that his doorless room was not the place to experiment in broad daylight, even if Mama was at the store. As it went, Mama just stared at them while Tim dragged a shirt back on and apologized over and over. She didn't say anything and just walked away. He hoped foolishly that had been the end of it. Embarrassment.

He rolls the glass between his hands letting the sharp cold cut through the memories. After that, it's a blur of her whispering to him that what he was doing was a sin while his father made snide remarks about being a real man even as he struck his wife. The day his father asks Tim what he did wrong to end up with a queer, a mama's boy, for a son, Tim breaks. He throws a punch that is more force than skill and his father staggers backward. He laughs at Tim's best effort. He swears anything Tim does to him, Mama will feel tenfold. Then he does the cruelest thing and asks Mama if she can still love Tim after knowing what he's done under their roof. She doesn't say anything. She can't manage to nod her head for her son. His heart cracked. He lived his life doing everything he could to save her from his father's hands, and she couldn't say “Yes.”

“Fuck you,” Tim says to the empty apartment.

That was the day he decided he needed to get as far from that Midwestern hellhole as possible. His plan had always been to run somewhere. He would run, and when he got settled, he'd get Mama on a bus. They'd make a quiet life. No one would punish them for someone else's actions. The sins of the son not visited upon the head of the mother.

But that day? That day, he decides he's going to kill his father because he can't leave her with him, but he can't imagine her willingly living with a son she doesn't love.

Like any early millennial, he turned to Netscape Navigator to find a way the fuck out of there. The Army. It doesn't take him long to learn that the Army came with a gun and a different court system that would be keen to put him down once his father hit the dirt. You just took a test. One of those standardized bastards that public education had started foisting on them with regularity. He just had to score high enough for placement, but not high enough to draw attention. Middle of the road that shit.

After three long years of being a ghost in a home that he only shit, showered, and slept in, he did it. He was good at it. Spending your whole life listening to every order down to the inflection of a syllable prepares you beautifully for being a cog in the military machine. It means you're attentive. Not able to sleep because you might get yanked out of bed at any hour? No, you're alert. Never complain because you know it won't do any good. Goddamn it if you aren't resilient. Don't talk back because you fear the consequences down to your marrow. No, you're a polite motherfucker, Gutterson.

Tim downs the rest of the glass and fights the urge to throw it at the wall. He should have used the plastic glass from the chicken place. He could chuck that bastard all day.

He had progressed, had excelled. There was talk of the RASP after he had a couple years under his belt. He could already hit every target thanks to Galaga earned hand-eye coordination and the hyper-focus of rage. The rest was just pushing himself to the physical brink. That was a goddamn Thursday.

Then his fucking brother calls him. He tells the clerk he doesn't have a brother at first, confusing them both so much that he just agrees to take the call out of politeness. He doesn't get out more than the sound of clearing his throat before Greg starts in.“Come home. Dad's dead and Lara’s a mess. She says she needs you.”

Tim holds the phone against his ear for a long minute. “The bastard's dead? She kills ‘im?”

“No! What‽ He had a heart attack. It was probably the smoking. Jesus, Timothy, come home.”

Tim doesn't even consider going home. He gently puts down the receiver without another word and decides to start smoking.

It's a bad habit, one he only does when he drinks, but he has to burn the bastards down for taking his kill shot. It doesn't hurt that it's an excuse both to remain silent and to talk as necessary. Useful. Tim respects useful things.

That blip between basic and the world going to hell for everyone else, too, is just full of running, digging in, and raising a gun. Then suddenly he's twenty and heading to a country he'd only idly noticed on a globe.

He rinses the glass in the sink and sits it on the counter. He figures it's sterile and he doesn't know where the dish soap went. Who else is going to use it anyway?

He grabs his phone and shoves it into his pocket. Greg would probably call back. Tim would probably ignore him. He could only handle a call every nine years or so.

He had to get to bed.

Tomorrow he gets to step into a new world where not a soul knows him. He's not some scared mama's boy with a hairpin trigger and enough skill to back it up. He can be Tim Gutterson, sniper for the Rangers, new guy, nice enough when he's not talking out his ass. Keeps to himself.

It'll be fine if he just keeps to himself.