#my first pinup on here guys hi

[raycani]

anatomy study excuse

[willyoubemycherryy]

❥𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐽𝑜𝑒 𝑅𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑧’𝑠 𝑠𝑒𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑔𝑓 :) ❣︎

(i loved the boys in the boat movie but Joyce went wayyyy to easy on him, id have rode him until every boat on the docks broke)

Warnings: teasing, fem but neutral everything else, she’s a horny nuisance who MUST drag her hot boyfriend down with her your honor, dirty talk, Joe is secretly a freak and I won’t hear otherwise because look at him, some petting, smutty :) ⚠︎︎MDNI⚠︎︎

. . . .

“𝑯𝒆’𝒔 𝒔𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒆. 𝑮𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒏, 𝒆𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒚 𝒃𝒍𝒖𝒆𝒔…”

It all happened in small moments that, in all honesty, were never innocent.

All the flirting, the times you would bend all the way over when he’d drop something to get it, the lip biting, the way you’d look up at him through your lashes, even coming to watch him row with no bra on.

Then the first time you went to see him study, sitting on his table in the library looking cheeky as ever. Tight sweater with a mini skirt, pinup heels and sweet perfume that made his body hum.

Making sure he’s looking at you, you slowly cross your legs in front of him and his heart stops before dropping straight to his cock when he sees your bare pussy. Your tight little hole twitching before being hidden by your thighs. By the time Joe looks up, you couldn’t wipe the satisfaction off your face if you tried. He tries to look unbothered but his red cheeks, ears, and blown pupils give him away.

“How goes the reading big guy?” speaking soft, you look down at him coyly through your lashes. Heart pounding as he bites his lip with a lazy smile, nodding,

“It’s good. Or it was. Don’t think I’ll read much now with you here distracting me, Doll”. Joe raises his eyebrow, but you catch the double meaning and try to school your expression back.

“Whatever do you mean? I simply came to check on my lovely boyfriend and bring him the lunch made by yours truly. That’s all”. Lying, trying to sound as innocent as possible. Even though you know and he certainly knows, you’re anything but. Still, he entertains you. Looking around to make sure nobody is watching you two, he wraps his big hand around your thigh and leans in.

You’re typically wet the second you lay eyes on him so you’re dripping now when he touches you, and what comes out of his mouth makes you pray your slick doesn’t pool onto the table.

“I mean…you coming to see me with your pretty little cunt out. Just begging me to lick you until you’re crying. That what you want? Huh baby?”. Gripping your thigh even harder, pecking your open mouth when you whine at his vulgarity.

All you planned to do was tease him a little. Really.

“Answer me.”

“Yes,” so turned on that it hurts. “That’s what I want, what I need ”. Moaning quietly when you feel his big, rough palms run up your legs. You uncross them and consider letting him finger you in public.

“Then I’ll give it you”, and finally touches your clit. You slam your hand against your mouth to smother the moan that comes out. The firm circles on your throbbing bud have your legs shaking in pleasure.

“This soaked just from havin’ me look at her…dirty girl.”

Gasping, you tense your body to try and keep still. Keep from drawing attention but its a losing battle.

Joe sees and decides to have mercy on you. Removing his hand and looking at the wetness coating them…before sucking it off, looking you right in the eyes.

You thought you were wet before? Ha.

“But I’ll only give it to you when you’re good. You gonna be good f’me pretty?”, hypnotized and too horny to think straight, you nod obediently.

“That’s my girl,” he coos and you’re positive he’s trying to kill you, “so go on and I’ll catch up with you soon”. Joe pulls you down to kiss you, your lips sticking together even after you begin to pull away.

You hop off the table and your eyes widen when you see your wetness on the surface then feel it run down your thighs now that you’re standing. Your face must have gave it away because Joe looks down and sees it too.

The look he gives you sends heat pulsing through your lower body to the point of you being flushed. Swearing under his breath, blue eyes completely eclipsed by black in his arousal lets you know that “soon” just became now. You hold your breath when Joe rises, gathering his things before leaning down to whisper against your lips,

“I’ll give you a headstart”.

[hauntedhokage]

more tattoo shop!au stuff because my brain literally will not stop

More about Diavolo and the boys than Barb, but here we go.

Diavolo’s father is still asleep, tucked away in a private room in at the family home where he’s not to be disturbed except by Diavolo 

Diavolo apprenticed under Barbatos as a tattoo artist, occasionally takes on a client to keep up appearances but he’s more into running business with Lucifer

Their group doesn’t have an official name, but they’re often referred to as those devil boys - which has led to them all having a devil related tattoo on their body 

Diavolo has two devil horns that peek out along his hairline. They blend in with his red hair nicely except for the gold tips

Lucifer has the cliche pitchfork along his forearm next to a tattoo of a peacock - it almost looks like the peacock is holding the pitchfork

Mammon has ‘$666’ tattooed behind his ear

Levi has an anime devil girl on his bicep, pinup style. It’s something he drew himself but has Diavolo clean up before it’s permanent 

Satan is the funny one, he literally just has “devil boy” tattooed on his wrist in typewriter font. His name is Satan, after all. 

Asmo has a heart with horns and a tail on his shoulder blade

Beel has a goat’s head on his shoulder. It’s positioning almost looks like its staring at the pizza slice he has on that same shoulder

Diavolo and Lucifer have the appearance of being upstanding citizens, do a lot of volunteer work and donate excess funds to community programs but they’re absolutely getting into things they shouldn’t be to upset the House of Lords and Michael’s family. (Diavolo still wants to unite his family’s work with Michaels, and is trying to get Solomon more involved in the effort but that guy is slippery)

Mammon is still a model, but does a lot of work listening to what the others around him are saying. Acts as a plant for a lot of parties to get information for his brother (and Barbatos)

Levi is a hacker. There isn’t a system he can’t get into (after a couple failed attempts. He’s not the best but nobody can do better than him right now)

Satan handles most of the organization of information that comes through. Nothing happens that he doesn’t hear about, and he’s an excellent information broker. 

Asmo knows everyone. Mammon is always at the parties but Asmo is always hosting them. He’s in charge of one of the clubs in town, the one that is under Diavolo’s ownership but is rarely around. 

Beel is the muscle. Lucifer’s first line of defense always, but spends his free time at the underground fights. He’s undefeated.

Simeon is Michael’s right hand, technically opposition for the brothers but he’s very interested in their quick ascension to power in town. As long as they stay out of Michael’s way, he won’t have to intervene.

Luke is Michael’s adopted son, notorious for escaping Simeon’s watchful eye to sit at Barbato’s shop and learn more from the artist about his various crafts. 

[brawltogethernow]

Who is your least favorite spider-man writer and artist and your most favorite artist and writer of spider-man?

Picking favorites feels surprisingly tricky, not because I can't but because Buscema edges out Romita on art but Conway edges out DeMatteis on writing (by dint of spending thirty straight years + 20 more off and on kicking my ass and how when he falls on his ass it remains fun for me), and these names next to each other are nothing. This is a stupid combination. Really highlights how superhero comics are made by teams and a single dude cannot guarantee quality if they're not vibing with the rest of the carpool. But if I'm picking a team the seventies beats the nineties, and it's sooo disingenuous to try to narrow down one pair of names when that era was Lee/Romita bleeding into Lee/Conway/Romita into Conway/Romita/Kane, also every few issues Mooney dips in to push the Peter having pretty eyelashes agenda and then leaves. Like some of the best art in this era had Kane doing pencils and Romita inking, and I like their combined style more than Romita penciling his own work if we're talking the period where he was still a full time illustrator, but I midkey dislike Kane's pencils inked by everybody else. I looked up who was illustrating 90's Web with Conway on scripts and it turns out the art I like best is a penciler and inker team and the quality takes a dive whenever either of them takes a month off and leaves the other one in a substitute's hands. You know! Team efforts! Anyway here are some iconic combinations in no order cherry picked to cut out overlap and sneak more people in.

Yes Please:

DeMatteis/Buscema

SSM #180

There's a rhythm to this team's work I've full stop never seen anywhere else.

Lee/Romita

ASM #83

The Vibe.

Conway/Andru

ASM #145

The number of times Gerry Conway has kicked my ass. u_u With Romita Sr. and Andru the most distinctive art trait is the faces - Andru's were never as doll-perfect as Romita's, and that's kind of the best thing about them?

Now guys I hate on the other hand. Way less complex. Debated whether to answer this because I try not to go on about who in the industry sucks at their job but this is not because I couldn't.

Please No:

Spencer/Otley

ASM (2018) #30

It should have been difficult to outdo the preceding run, but writing that was simultaneously nonsensical and insulting, deflated pacing where each issue achieved about as much as a single newspaper strip, a teeth-first art style where every face sports a pained grimace and the meandering composition always scores a D-, and the finishing touch of colors that I can only describe as Averaging Out to Oatmeal...combined to create some of the worst comics I've ever seen. Spencer and I appreciate so many of the same comics and his understanding of what makes them good is so poor that it's almost like receiving a personalized hate letter.

Slott/anybody

ASM #546

He can write well which just makes it worse. I don't even know where to start enumerating his crimes. Like do I just pick one anecdote? When there are so many?

Land (the porn trace guy)

Symbiote Spider-Man: Alien Reality #2 but I could have opened anything and found a bad traced yelling face

You know. The guy. Who traces from porn. That guy. He remains gainfully employed despite being known for this. Does he have dirt on an important executive?

Campbell (yes he watermarked the one on the left two separate times AFTER signing it)

ASM (2018) #2 variant, Renew Your Vows #11 variant

If you're distant from the recent comics scene it's hard to convey how omnipresent this guy is. He's like the comic sans of artists. After having the way he draws women ripped to shreds by social media over a decade ago, Campbell doubled down and has since then drawn hundreds of pinups of identical women in invisible high heels making the exact same face. Singlehandedly a huge factor in how people visualize MJ becoming "skinny carrot top with a pointy chin and freckles". He's proud of this.

[newtonsheffield]

Molly,

The real question is, Kate sees the tattoo and loves the lewk and dresses as a pinup, and purposefully walks into the shop. Anthony loses it…👀 Maybe too spicy 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ for us 👅

Lololol

And Benedict told him it was a bad idea. Benedict sat there, watching Anthony tattoo it on his forearm like-

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Yes," Anthony scoffed, dipping the machine in more ink. "I think this is a great idea."

"Let's recap." Ben tutted, "Your girlfriend found out she was pregnant two weeks ago, she's been feeling really nauseated and not herself and you think... Hey why don't I tattoo her as a pinup, that'll help!"

"I'm showing her that no matter what," Anthony flicked his brother's ear, "I'm committed to this relationship, and I'm always going to see her as the hottest woman ever."

"This seems like a flawed plan."

"What are you even doing here, Edwina?!"

"Telling you this is a bad fucking idea."

So he was nervous, honestly, to go home. He was nervous to go next door to see Kate at the end of the day with his forearm wrapped in plastic film and his jacket already on.

"You feeling okay?"

Kate nodded though she sighed tiredly, her arms snaking around his waist. "Yeah, I'm just... tired."

"Let's go home then, I'll make you dinner, whatever you feel like."

"I just really want a cheeseburger."

"I'll get you ten cheeseburgers then."

"You're my dream guy." Kate reached around, and before he could stop her she squeezed his arm in a soft gesture, the way she always did.

"Ow!"

He couldn't stop himself and he saw Kate's eyes go wide. "Are you okay?"

Anthony stared back at her for a long moment, her eyes searching his and then he sighed, She was going to see it soon enough anyway, he might as well get it over with. "So, I had a reason for getting you to drop me here before you went to the flower market this morning. I gave myself a new tattoo."

Kate's brow furrowed, confused by the seriousness of his tone. "O...kay?"

He shrugged off his jacket, twisting his arm so she couldn't quite see the tattoo yet. "I know that you're... not feeling yourself right now but I am... so fucking excited to be doing this with you and I just wanted to show you that I love you. And nothing's ever going to change that."

She took his arm, turning it gently and tugging at the plastic wrap. Her lips parted in surprise when she saw herself inked on his skin, her long legs stretched down his forearm, a bucket of tulips at her feet, her own face winking back at her.

"I've now been assured this is a terrible idea so I can cover it up but-"

Kate cut him off by dragging him forward, her hands twisted in the front of his shirt and their lips crashed together.

"Don't you fucking dare."

Anthony breathed a sigh of relief as she pressed her forehead against his, her fingers playing gently with the ends of his hair, "Okay."

And the next day he can hardly believe it when he hears the bell ding at the front counter and he tossed out a

"Won't be a sec!" as he unpacked his new ick from the box, displaying it neatly on the shelf behind his station.

"I just have a delivery for you."

His head snapped up at the sound of Kate's breathless voice and his stomach dropped as soon as he saw her, leaning against the doorframe, in the same blue and white striped dress as the first time he'd seen her, the same one immortalised on his arm. She was winking at him, standing on one leg, the other popped backwards with a bouquet of flowers in her hands.

"Oh, please, don't tell me you liked that tattoo!"

"Ben, get the fuck out of here." Kate sighed, "Edwina's waiting to commiserate next door. She also has a plan to get Hyacinth's teacher to like you?"

"Bye!"

[birchbow]

Did these start as pinups?? yes, so they do get the mature tag, lol. But also I got really excited while I was drawing them about the concept of "ratemyprofessor" for clown aliens, so here's a bunch of various chests of various genders lol

Karkat has the highest positive rating in the fleet. is it partially because he's new and has less ratings?? yes. Is he also going to stay very highly rated, to everybody's annoyance??? yes obviously lol.

Transcripts of my chickenscratch below the cut

UDERAK, IANCHE - "INQUIRER", 55% positive, 45% negative

"Kind of a creep, but he does know what he's talking about." "Don't get on his bad side. Motherfucker holds a grudge." "Great ass and he knows it. 9/10 because you can't honk it." "Finding his schoolfeed is the hardest part of taking it." "Fucking douche just likes to piss people off." "Don't even joke about girls being better laughsassins/ contorturenists, he'll chew your fucking face off."

KRELLE, VENENO - "UNTOXXIC, 73% positive, 27% negative

"Hard to tell what they're saying." "They won't go easy on you, but they have their shit on fucking lock." "If this was smash or pass, I'd smash." "I heard anyone they kiss dies." "Thinkpan like a steel fucking trap, just let them talk their own pace or they'll kick you out of class."

STELOS, ARELUX - "SUNGAZER", 82% positive, 18% negative

"Great feeder! Bring sponge-clot protectors." "Best schoolfeeding you'll ever have screamed at you." "She'll tell your fortune if you ask her! Know your patron saint first, she'll ask." "Do NOT try anything. Her matesprit's fucking cracked." "Don't try it. She's just as cracked as her matesprit."

TRAVYE, HALORE - "STÆDFAST", 43% positive, 57% negative

"Hardass motherfucker!" "You'll sure the fuck learn the scriptures, if you survive." "Best rumblespheres and worst bitchface on the Dark Carnival." "I have never once seen this motherfucker smile." "Bluh bluh, huge bitch." "Best scripture feeder in the fleet, you guys are just mean. And weak. Get good."

VANTAS, KARKAT - (UNTITLED), 98% positive, 2% negative

"This motherfucker can TALK, holy shit." "Prepare to get hot for feeder. He'll say some steamy-ass shit straight up and you'll get stupid." "Heretic overstepping piece of shit doesn't belong here." "^^^ Eat my nook, feeder Vantas knows what's up." "Watch as many old romcoms as you can now, or he'll make you do it later." "I wanna put my face in his rumblespheres." "Seconded but stay the fuck on topic."

[eruden-writes]

Sexy Robots & Pinups

I opened the cards!

I do want to say that I really dig Hajime Sorayama's work and looked him up further. If you like his rendition of robots here, check out his website! I find the art super beautiful.

I did record myself opening them, but I haven't put the videos anywhere yet.

Highlights:

No repeats!

A mispack

2 cards I considered iffy

no chromium cards :(

So, onto the pictures!

These were the packs I opened. They're from 1993.

I'm not going to show all of the cards I got. Just the ones I liked.

First, the robot ladies:

Of the 30, 10 were robot ladies. (But there were plenty of other interesting ones!)

My favorite is this Venus/Aphrodite robot. Just a sucker for a mash-up of classical and modern/futuristic.

Here's a better picture of this one:

These two being landscape are pretty notable.

I love the pink/yellow dress combo.

I like the jacket on this one and the faint gold coloration on her hip. Almost like a faint tattoo. Also, visor eyes. <3

I like the intimacy of this one. There's a fire in the background, she has a drink. I don't know, just gives me cozy sexy vibes.

Gotta love the splash of red against the silver body. Also, this is one where her feet aren't heels. Oh, and she has visor-eyes!

But that's about all I got to say for the robot lady (ladies?)

They were pretty much what I expected. Beautiful art, but the same kind of robot in each iteration with small differences.

Here are the human pinups that I thought were notable:

This lady is all dressed up like she's in a post-apocalyptic hellscape, but her titties are syran wrapped? Why? lol

Maybe a distraction technique?

This one just looked like a creepy pasta. I think it's the way they chose to shade it, but made the whites of the eyes and teeth white.

This one is actually in a completely wrong pack. Still love the art, though!

For reference, the back of this one is on the left compared to the back of this Sexy Robots pack:

I forgot to include this one in the group shot, but her expression is very somber. I just didn't expect somberness from this pack.

These are additional ones that I wanted to add, upon re-perusal.

Love the Typical Tinder Guy With Fish pose here. Also getting lesbian vibes from her.

Some sort of cyber punk goth cowgirl?

I was just surprised to see a muscle lady in this pack.

And to top it off, I really liked this one. Her expression, the color of the background, her pose.

But, yeah, that's it!

Of the 30 cards, 10 were robots and 20 human(y) ladies. (I mean, you could make an argument about a few of them.)

1 card was from a totally different pack. lol

The art is beautiful, but - as I expected - definite male fantasies. The longer I stare at some of these, the more the anatomy mistakes/choices become evident.

[finnitesimal]

bdubs looks like he's judgementally looking at you over his glasses like those librarians in movies

"Everyone clap" if u don't cheer and clap for the specialist fucking boy right now or I explode this fuckitm meeting room or how that bit goes.

Hotguy glasses are a passive act of resistance. As is aiming for the king's head

"also I take screenshots of my abs if anybody wants that we're also doing calendars" thoughts on this one first off imagine walking into a shop and finding books for sale and they're of the shopowner's superhero oc cosplay in an artfully torn shirt. It's sold nine copies so far

secondly who is we. you and who king. Who is snapping these shots. does cub have the raw footage somewhere

"bdubs I know you love calendars. Anyway carry on" legally can't say anything about that on main something about pinup calendars traditionally being hung from the wall across a bed. Anyway when I said. Lol beds and now clocks scar's shops have had a target market lmao! I didn't really think um. Yeah

Promoting your shops during a meeting is an active form of resistance

CLEO CUT THE SCITTIES AD OUT NOOO

I think it's a very funny visual that they're asking ren where the diamonds are. You're looking through them. They're on your face

How did he lose all the diamonds. Well if you're a man of keen observation like me you may notice that the table you're all sitting at is a 120 inch flatscreen tv

"thats one point for cub" I didn't know we were fucking. Grading this

Iskall 85th of his name. Cubfan 135th of his name Smajor the 1995th of

"none of you were at this party right" somehow this is exactly the plot of the john mulaney sketch. And I said no you know like a liar

Joe I deeply appreciate you cutting out the bit where Ren talks about the violation of his private area

Burning the flag can't wait to make a side by side of that. I'm very glad Doc decided to bomb every block of his independent state to bedrock before it got tragically paralleled to. Yea. Can't wait for the next arc where the king threatens to build obsidian walls around th sorry

"one point for me bdubs!" What does that mean. Why are u addressing this to him. What is the competition here

"Minus one point for iskall" iskall I'm so sorry you finally log back on and the disrespect u get

"I've saved the worst for last. The brussels sprouts of the news, if you will." "ooo I like brussels sprouts"

The king's court trying very hard to not laugh in his face looking at his statue

"look at what they did to my statue!" Stop the video. Look up "look what youve done to my peonies!" Exact tone and intonation

I'm sensing some very quick passport renewals to move to the perimeter

"I'm hunting impulse Right Now" juxtapositioned with him wearing his head in the crastle halls

bdoubleo100 right hand of the king being told "you loudmouth, go sit in the corner," actually goes and does it. Is it just anyone with a marginally firm tone of voice that does it for you. Sorry didn't mean for that to come off so slutshamey but I am in fact doing that

"he said they were one-to-one" "based on his words?" I mean. As opposed to diamonds? The currency also based on an agreement that they have value in a commercial market? I do wonder what theyre gonna do with the diamonds now.

Hmmmmmmmmmm moss cloak emeralds. Alright hold on

Y'all voted him into this. technically bdubs put the crown on there but. Not his fault you guys took one look at bdubs' big wet sparkling eyes and said Aye

joe moving out of the way to quietly look at the painting when You Speak When Spoken To and Shut Up echoes past the barrier of the group call I guess

Gotta say the blatant favoritism for cub is kinda funny

He's paying them in the royal emeralds oh I see

"NEXT, MY LOVE!" "Hello, my love!" He's collected this court like the hermit tcg cards. How does he keep getting away with this.

Something about bdubs and the king and executioner scar and impulse's head being hung from the throne. Something there

[duskmite]

so a little under a month ago i volunteered at a food bank run by a communist organisation and decided to go along to the meeting afterwards because i thought hey! i'm a socialist who has been to socialist meetings and wants to be more politically active and become better versed in leftist theory so why not?

anyway it was an off the wall experience and i wanted to share it so people can tell me if other communist meetings are like this:

before i start, let me first say that one guy from the organisation called me every single day for five days to confirm i was coming. i understand maybe a second call the day prior to double-check i could still make it but christ. every day? i've already said i'll be there, my guy.

anyway! onto the actual meeting. the first red flag, albeit not a huge one, was that all the chairs faced a desk at the front so we could sit and listen to the speaker. i'm used to a more casual, open setting where everyone faces each other (eg. around a table), but i thought it might be because the room was pretty narrow.

while we waited for the meeting to start, i took the chance to look around the room which i'd only gotten a quick glance at before getting started with the work earlier. on the walls were several framed pictures of marx, lenin, and trotsky. i don't have a massive problem with that as, lenin aside (though obviously i recognise his importance), i admire those men and lowkey would have clement attlee as my pinup girl, but the level of idolatry was a bit unsettling.

the speaker, a young guy from new york, read a long prepared speech covering current affairs worldwide and the communist perspective on said events. i disagreed with some of what he said, but it was mostly informative and interesting.

the first thing that made me consider leaving was something i'll admit was extremely petty: during his speech, johnny new york said the phrase "here in the united states". for context, we were in london.

the speech ended and the floor was opened up for questions and discussion. it was vastly ideological with no talk of action plans for how to make things better. now, i've got no issues with debate! i love debate! but an organisation that puts a heavy emphasis on being anti-war just talking about israel-palestine and russia-ukraine felt strange. in my previously experienced socialist meetings, a lot of the time would be taken up with coming up with ideas, talking about collaborations with other organisations, and letting us know the schedule for actual planned events and demonstrations we could help with. those happened in a town. london is a CITY. there's loads more going on, so many more people we can collaborate with, so why aren't we doing anything? the food bank was great and i get that it takes up a lot of time, but why are you advertising yourself as a fighting force against war if all you're doing is talking about it?

among the ideological comments came a voice from the back of the room, a woman who appeared to be in her late 20s or early 30s. this was where things got truly wild. she expressed admiration for stalin. yes, that stalin. i can't remember where she said she was from (romania maybe?), but it was definitely a former soviet state as she talked about all the good stalin had done for her country while it was under his control. everyone in the room was - and this isn't a phrase i really use anymore - shook. nobody knew what to say or how to react to a bona fide and vehement stalinist. it was at this point my general discomfort turned to a desire to flee.

not long after miss stalin lover had finished her tirade, a young lad i'd been working on a team with at the food bank left. he was nice enough, but strangely out of place being as posh as he was. picture an oxbridge boy who got lost and ended up at king's college studying the bizarre combination of philosophy and maths. though he said he just needed to go home, he'd had some of the same reservations i'd had so i suspect that might also be what tipped him over the edge.

emboldened by his exit, i also left. the serial caller guy hurried after me while another member hurried after oxbridge, asking what we thought of everything before we left. i relayed some of my discomfort and he made sure i knew that he and the organisation disagreed with stalin girl. after some light pressuring, i agreed to come back and help at the food bank sometime, letting him know i'd soon be going back to my hometown for the holidays and would be gone for about a month.

that's where things ended that day, but homeboy called me again about a week ago to follow up. i reminded him that i'm not in london right now and he said he'd call when i was back. i'm feeling uncomfortable with telling him i've decided i won't be coming to help again. i think i'll say something along the lines of i'm planning on volunteering somewhere closer to my flat because i can't afford to take a bus and a tube there and back every week. that's true, but not the whole story.

something else that might be interesting for those who have never been to any kind of leftist meeting: people call you comrade in complete seriousness. i wasn't shocked by this as it was the same in the socialist meetings i went to, but it does still feel weird.

[esherdemo]

Four in Hand

Four in Hand by John Lennon 1969

(Four chairs, backs to the audience. Facing them, a large projection screen divided into four sections, one for each chair. Three men impatiently waiting. A doorbell rings.)

1: There he is now. I told you he’d make it. (He opens the door.)

(George enters: he wears a fedora.)

1: If you’re going to join the group, George, you have to remember we always start on time.

George: Sorry I’m late, fellas.

2: We don’t like people breakin’ the rules, George.

George: I already said I’m sorry.

3: Look–We gonna talk, or we gonna jerk off?

1: Ok, let’s get started. This is your seat, George. Now this (pointing to screen) is a new kind of machine–a telepathic thought transmitter. Whatever you think about flashes on the screen. Now the rules of the game are this: all of us think of things to jerk off to–until somebody comes–and the first guy who comes has to stop everybody else from coming. Got it?

George: Got it.

1: All right. Let’s give it a try. Whatever comes to mind, George.

(1 goes to his seat. George sits between 2 and 3. Rhythmic music starts. Images start to flash rhythmically on the screens. The men’s arms start to move rhythmically in front of them. The screens facing 1, 2 and 3 show Hollywood and Playboy-type pinups. George’s screen remains blank. The rhythm builds up while screens 1, 2 and 3 are all pulsating with glamorous women. Suddenly, we hear the strains of the William Tell Overture, and during a crash of cymbals, a picture of the Lone Ranger flashes on George’s screen. All screens go blank and all four men stop masturbating.)

3: What the fuck was that?

1: What are ya tryin’ to do, George?

2 (rises, adjusting his pants): I told you not to invite outsiders.

George: I’m sorry, fellas, it’s just the first thing that came into my mind.

2: We haven’t had a vacancy in six months, George! Harvey only left because he got a divorce.

3: How’d you like a silver bullet up your ass?

1 (walking to George): You sure you’re all right, George?

George: I’m fine, thanks.

1: All right, let’s try it again.

(They all sit down again.)

1: And cut the horseshit, George.

(The music starts again and the images start to flash. They are slightly more nude than before–close shots of breasts and bottoms. By trial and error, the four screens begin to form a composite picture. George is dutifully collaborating. Finally, at the height of the rhythm, screen facing 1 shows a nude model’s head, screen facing 2 shows her breasts, screen facing 3, her legs. Pause. The recumbent image of the model is almost complete. Suddenly the strains of the William Tell Overture are heard again with another image of the Lone Ranger on George’s screen.)

George (exultantly): Aha! A-a-a-a-ah!

(He rises. His screen continues to flash the Lone Ranger. With one jabbing sweep of his arm, he flashes Lone Ranger pictures on the other screens as the music builds. As each image flashes, 1, 2 and 3 lose their concentration completely and give up the contest.)

George (turns as he goes to exit): See you next week, fellas.

1: Get the fuck outta here!!!

(Sound of four “whistling” gunshots as each remaining screen blacks out.)

###

John’s 1969 skit for “Oh! Calcutta!”.

I thought it was funny cause it’s a circle jerk.. And well The Beatles also had circle jerks.

[bees-oc-blog]

ok fellas. sclormbo time.

gonna stick w just my 3 splat ocs and my splatsona for now bc other ocs are just kinda. there. n idk what to do w them now... too much yuck from ex but nows not da time for dat goku.

Mimic🍇she/they🍇22🍇5'2

originally from a really small town in the middle of the splatsville desert, they would participate in turf battles with the other kids there. These turf games were typically really messy with modified and unofficial rules, sort of an "everything goes" kinda deal. They were the person to go to for weapon fixes and modifications. When she moved to spaltsville city, she didnt understand the official rules/didnt think they really mattered that much and modded weapons illegally and ended up being banned from turf, resulting in them being stuck working at Grizzco for a while. Grizzco is where they met @r1kafy 's oc Syren :] also over time met @smoothgator 's oc Flapjack and @silly-guy-supreme 's Kman and they formed a band together called KFMS

Senta🫐he/they🫐26🫐6'1🫐genderfluid

Oh the little bastard <3

He's a full time Toni Kensa model and on the side just for fun he does pinup modeling for several different magazine companies. Hes really flirty and uses pet names constantly for poor Hapa- He grew up in inkopolis but moved to Splatsville for a change of scenery and he got transferred there for work and is now the splatsville rep for kensa. He's also one of KFMS's biggest (and only) fans. Doesnt play turf much but he's mostly a dualies main (any kind) and he HATESSSS salmon run w his life he cant get past overachiever

Hapalo (Hapa)🍌he/him🍌25🍌5'4🍌trans man

The autism incarnate <3 he's highkey obsessed w senta but not in the creepy way but the autism way- like celebrity crush ish??? but anyways he's collected practically every single pic of senta to exist ever. (including the spicy ones from his pinup modeling) He has chronic resting bitch face but hes a masdive sweetheart. He also purrs/growls when affectionate (sounds like two rocks rubbing against each other) i have the wild hc that the radula in octos and squids moved to the back of their throat and they can rub it against the back of their throat to make a purring sound

HapaSen (ship between hapa and senta)

posts tagged w this may b nsfwish so b warned

but!! u can read abt their first meeting here

meeeee :]🐝 he/they🐝aroace🐝t4t

thats it thats the post hes just me

[one-winged-dreams]

I THINK this is safe enough to put here, it's just some non-sexual nudity (plus I want a wider audience for this new style and I'm PRETTY sure my followers are adults + flagging it and tagging it)

But anyway, WoW!Adriel (or other general inserts that fits) pinup. Curve hormones didn't hit him until 21 when he first became "active"

GAH, idk, I just thing style is super cute and wanted to test it out, tell me what you guys think.

[insert is transmasc and his pronouns are he/him]

[greyias]

Red Flags -- Fandom Edition

I think one of the more frustrating things about this situation* that I inadvertently have found myself in, is that it's really hard to talk about. For many reasons.

*- Exhibit A | Exhibit B | Exhibit C

One is I hesitate to put the name out there of the person who is continually crossing me and my friends' boundaries, not because I have any particular warm and fuzzy feelings for the man, but more because I do not want to either ignite a fandom wank brouhaha where people feel obligated to take a side or a harassment campaign against him. (As much as I dislike him at this moment in time.) But at the same time, as I've seen how… let's say pervasive his behavior is, I wonder if by not actually publicly saying "yes, it's THAT guy" other people in fandom who are on the receiving end of what I was putting up with for years feel just as isolated and cut off as I did.

Because that's ultimately what happened.

There used to be the posts going around that were like "I'm always happy to chat in DMs!" and "feel free to send in asks!", and for a while there I was happily chatting and interacting both in public and private with a wide range of genuinely lovely people. Or even that one genre of post that goes around of "I don't mind if you go in and like a bunch of old posts there's nothing weird about that" -- because there really isn't. It's not weird.

Until it is. Or at least, until one specific person makes it weird when that one specific person does it in a way that crosses a line.

And slowly I stopped feeling like I should reblog those sentiments, or even a lot of different prompts/ask memes/etc, because between the fun asks and interactions I was having with literally every other person on Tumblr, there was this one guy. Who would make it weird. And I felt like I would be inviting him into my askbox and DMs even more.

It wasn't necessarily that he was going through and digging up two to three year old posts and liking them, it was the fact that he'd do that, but then he'd go and leave replies that sometimes sounded like they were composed by the Simpsons Comic Book guy, or were sometimes just were. Weird. Like not the "oh we love Star Wars a lot and can be awkward IRL" kind of weird, but like, fixated on random elements of the posts or my fics or just anything and try to start arguments. Except these were ancient posts, so I was acutely aware that for some reason, he was digging through my blog to find posts that were not well tagged and probably difficult to find, and trying to engage with me in a way that no one else was likely to see.

It was weird, extremely frustrating and uncomfortable when he'd do it, but I rationalized it away that eventually he'd stop. Eventually if I just ignored him, or at best, replied to him extremely bluntly with little way for him to continue a conversation hoping he'd eventually stop.

He didn't, of course, nor was his weird post archaeology/negging routine the first of the red flags.

The first of those started out on FFnet, when, in that website's infinite wisdom they replaced public review replies with a PM system. So when I was innocently replying to a comment left on a fic, unbeknownst to me, I was actually private messaging replies. Which I guess meant we were besties or something, because after a brief, very high level back and forth, suddenly he starts sending me links to fics he's written because he "needs an opinion". This was not a request to beta read something, not even a casual conversation that where I somehow made it seem like that was something I was open to. (Why this is rude and not a thing you should do is another post entirely). It's been several years at this point, but I believe that after that I stopped responding to him on that platform.

And I could be here all day if I tried to explain every single red flag that I ignored or rationalized away. Like him tagging sfw pieces of art as "pinups", leaving weird comments about avatar's clothing choices, body parts, her hair, the same comment almost word for word on three separate posts within a month's time span about a hat, "joking" about paying me money to write fic detailing a nsfw conversation that was alluded to in one story, creating a tag meme about what a bunch of people's OCs smell like (conveniently almost all female creators tagged in the initial round of his digital hair sniffing), saying that I personally invite him to in-game meetups when all I do is make a public post with the basic information on a gathering, bursting into my DMs to interrogate me on why I don't publish on FFnet because it's soooo much better than AO3, complaining about how "people he thought were his friends were saying untrue things about him" etc etc etc.

The point of all of this is, is that at some point, my interaction with the rest of fandom naturally started to wane (as it would if I'm not openly courting it by reblogging ask memes, being social, etc,), and more and more, the person who had made me uncomfortable to begin with, would still haunt my askbox with random comments. It was almost a self-fulfilling prophecy, where it started to feel like if I blocked this one guy, who had a tendency to go from banal to extremely fucking uncomfortable, I'd be somehow cutting myself off from fandom.

Which is, you know, not true in the slightest. I literally have amazing friends that I talk to every day in Discord. But that's how this kind of thing works. And if I felt this way, a person with a good support network, and friends actively encouraging me to firmly establish boundaries, what about others in fandom who may not have a robust support system feel? Are there others out there who feel like they have to put up with untoward behavior from someone who on the surface seems like a BNF, for fear of harassment? Or just losing out on what feels like one of their few interactions on this sometimes disparate social media experience we have here?

And yet it's becoming increasingly clear if you block this guy, he will take that personally and demand an explanation by any means that he can. Evading any boundary that you have set up because I guess he thinks he's entitled to other people's time, energy, and so on.

I hesitate to call his behavior predatory, as unfortunately that has lost much of its meaning in this age of anti/pro shipping nonsense. But it is... it's behavior that is not earnest nor honest. As someone much wiser than me put it, it's more akin to how pickup artists interact with women. None of the interactions stem from a place of respect. It's an act. I don't know the psychology behind what he's doing here, and honestly, I don't care to. I'd just rather be done with it all to be honest. And in theory, he's done with me.

But I know that he's continuing this behavior with other people, because, unfortunately even though I've blocked him and taken every reasonable measure I can to scrub him out from my fandom experience, Tumblr is an imperfect platform, and there are still ways I see him cropping up. So I can see when he sends nsfw-esque fic prompts to writers who don't really write that, or when he sends gushing asks about howwwww cuuuuuute your OC is in that one picture, or especially, when he starts sending asks to almost everyone in my orbit when he didn't interact with them before that seem... let's say. Familiar.

It's annoying af, but I also have to tell myself, in a lot of ways it isn't my business. As painful as that can be to accept. I can't be the arbiter of who people interact with, and nor should I try to act like someone's big sister saying "watch out for that guy" when they haven't asked for my opinion. But what I can do is say this:

If there is an individual who makes you uncomfortable, it is okay to block them. Or ignore them. You don't have to engage (in fact, if you don't, he might eventually go away to more easy prey). But moreover, if for some reason, if any of the above felt uncomfortably familiar to you, and you're feeling isolated and you can't talk to anyone in fandom about this guy's behavior? I hereby welcome you into my DMs, if only so you know that you are in fact not alone.

And here are some red flags you can look out for, but in fandom terms, they may be a bit more insidious than you realize and won't translate 1-to-1 with the way they're traditionally written about when it comes to abusive relationships:

Love bombing

Negging

any behavior that isolates you from a peer group

a feeling like you can't block and/or get away from someone without facing negative consequences

any behavior that feels like it crosses a line from normal fandom interaction, where comfort/norms/boundaries are violated, and you're feeling surveilled or sexually harassed, even if you can't quite put that feeling into words

SOMEONE FOLLOWING YOU TO OTHER SOCIAL PLATFORMS AND/OR CREATING ALTERNATE ACCOUNTS TO DEMAND WHY THEY WERE BLOCKED

I know this seems like one very long venty vague blog since I still haven't named the individual in question, and I guess it is. I really hate that when shit like this comes up you have to choose between making a callout post or a vagueblog, or just silence. But I guess I've gotten to the point where I'm tired of choosing the "silence" option, at least when it comes to this particular situation. And mostly, I just want to leave a word of caution to look out for red flags, and if someone keeps making you uncomfortable, a reminder that you can stop interacting with that person. There are many very lovely and kind individuals within our tiny little fandom, and as long as you engage and interact with them in good faith, you will make friends.

This is stuff we do for fun. No one should have to put up with bad behavior to participate in fandom.

THE END

[ichigopanhpff]

Mitsuya x Fem!Reader Begin Again: Ch. 26

[Previous Chapter] -- [Masterlist] -- [Main Masterlist]

It's the final chapter! ; A ; Thanks for sticking with me to the end. From those who leave their likes, chapter reblogs, and screaming in the comments, I appreciate each and every one of you and your support.

"Begin Again" will have a sequel titled "Someday..." I'm still proofreading the first chapter before I feel ready posting it.

Warnings: Casual alcohol consumption, Suggestive sexual scene, Mentions of sex.

---

“Just relax, (Y/N),” Yuusuke tried to rouse her from her anxiety. “I called ‘em here to make peace.”

“A little warning would've been nice,” she hissed under her breath through gritted teeth.

“Um… who are they, exactly?” the lilac haired boy leaned into her ear and asked.

“Two of ‘em were victims of my lash out two years ago,” she answered with regret and looked away with shame. The three guys greeted everyone casually and ordered beer before sitting down. Their eyes then fell on Mitsuya.

“Who’s the looker with the piercing?” the redhead asked and sat down.

“(Y/N)-chan’s boyfriend,” Inase divulged and presented him with his hands like he was pinup model of a shelf product on display. The aforementioned boy nervously bowed and introduced himself.

“… Like, willingly?” the blue haired man incredulously asked.

“Okay. Can we stop?” she boldly shut down the teasing. “Is it that unbelievable there’s someone out there that actually likes me for who I am and wants to date me?”

The whole table fell into an awkward silence, the majority of them squeezing their lips tightly shut.

“Is… that a trick question?” the boy with the shaved head finally answered.

Huffing a tired and annoyed breath, (Y/N) tightly pursed her lips and made moves to grab her jacket to leave, only to have Yuusuke and Chiaki immediately pull her back down, apologizing on their behalf for taking it too far. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms with her boyfriend rubbing her back to calm her down.

“I’d say it’s good to see you three stooges, but y'know…” she unhumorously spat out.

“Be nice,” Jun warned. “Sho’s visiting from Hokkaido n’ he’s leaving in a few days.”

“Honestly, it’s so friggin’ cold up there this time of year! You really feel it in your bones,” the blue haired boy complained with a grimace. “I’m thinkin’ of transferring back down, but the girls up there are so damn cute and wholesome.”

“Slightly less cold weather…” The redhead weighed in one hand. “Cute, wholesome girls.”

“Decisions, decisions,” the shaved head man flatly replied.

After Inase suggested introducing themselves to Mitsuya, he learned the redhead with piercings was Kobashi Tatsunaga, with 'Tattsun' as his nickname. The one with the shaved head was Higuchi Mako; the blue-haired boy donning glasses was Tonomura Sho.

“Mako n’ Sho are stepbrothers, by the way,” Jun noted.

“We’re still tryin’ to forget even after nine years,” Mako groaned and took a big gulp from his beer mug.

“But we overall get along,” Sho smiled at Mitsuya. “So, how’d you meet (Y/N)-chan?”

“Sho, it’s Mi-tan,” Inase revealed.

The three widened their gaze with their mouths in the shape of an O as the mental light bulb went off in their heads.

“Son of a bitch.” Sho clicked his tongue and slammed a 1,000 yen bill on the table in front of the boy with the shaved head.

“Thank you for your business.” Mako briskly took the bill and neatly folded it before placing in his pocket.

“You two actually made a bet on this?” she asked incredulously and shook her head. “Some things never change.”

“When Yuu told us you had a boyfriend, we were wonderin’ whether it’d be him or not,” Sho divulged with a haughty grin. “You were readin’ his letters so fervently n’ wouldn’t shut up ‘bout him.”

“T-That’s—”

“Lookit how red her face is,” Mako guffawed. “Like Jun when he gets shitfaced.”

“You missed me that much huh?” Mitsuya joined in on the teasing. All she could do is look away, blushing madly with a pout.

"She practically memorized every single letter you wrote," Tattsun joined in.

"Tattsun!" she lowly shrieked as her face went full blown tomato red, her fists balled up at her sides while the tips of her ears radiated the scalding heat of humiliation. Her boyfriend tried his best to hide his amusement, but she could hear his snickers clear as day while biting down on his lower lip. She knew karma was going to come back and bite her in the ass, but not like this.

“Kei’s gonna be heartbroken when he hears this,” the redhead sighed and sipped his drink. “He’s had the biggest crush on you.”

“Dude, he’s in 6th grade. He'll get over it,” (Y/N) disregarded.

“You don’t haveta deal with his emo ass,” Tattsun grumbled. “He just got rejected by a girl in his grade few days ago.”

“You have my condolences,” she deadpanned.

“I haveta say: it’s been a while since the whole group got together like this,” Yuusuke mentioned and smiled.

“It’s been hard to get our schedules to match up,” Sho added and grabbed a skewer of meat from the plate. “I went to see Hisa yesterday with these two. We cleaned the headstone n' everything.”

“Must’ve just missed you then,” Jun said and handed his empty mug to a passing server. “We bumped into (Y/N) n' her old man when we went.”

“Wa—Wait, wait, wait,” Mako held his hand out to pause the conversation. His gaze shifted nervously between her and Jun with raised brows. “You... two good now?”

“For the most part…” (Y/N) quietly answered and sipped her oolong tea.

“I told her the whole story ‘bout Kitsune…” Jun finished.

“After he made me spar with him with an injured shoulder and unfair conditions, by the way,” she added with an acidic tone.

“But did you die?”

She balled up a piece of napkin beside her and threw it at the blond while he was mid-swallow of his beer, hitting his cheek. He merely glared and ignored her childish antics.

“What’s important is they made up,” Inase chimed in as the peacemaker.

“Speaking of making up…” (Y/N) set her glass down and bowed her head at Tattsun and Ryo. “I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused you two and have done nothing but regret it. It’s inexcusable and I was an asshole… I don’t expect you to forgive me…”

The two college boys exchanged a look.

“You sure gave the shop a thrashin’ that time,” Tattsun crossed his arms and looked down at her sternly. “My boss docked my pay for 4 months to make up for the damage instead of firing me since he was shorthanded.”

“And your punches pack a wallop,” Ryo held his hand up to his cheek, still remembering the sting of her hits from two years ago. “You can make it up to us…”

“When you’re of age*,” Tattsun finished their thought with a soft grin, making her look up with a confused look. “Buy us a few rounds. Then we’ll be good.”

“When Yuu told us you were back in town, Tattsun and I talked it over…” the wavy blue haired boy elaborated with a kind look. “Honestly, we were really pissed. But... in retrospect, we deserved it for leavin’ you the way we did.”

“We can’t turn back time to undo things, so let’s leave what’s in the past where it’s supposed to be,” Tattsun concluded.

Her lip quivered as hot tears spilled down her cheek and sniffled loudly before wiping them off with her sleeve. She bit her lower lip and knew she didn’t deserve their kindness, yet here they were welcoming her back with open arms.

“Don’t cry,” Mako nervously comforted. “The other customers’ll think we’re bullying you.”

“You cry as much as Takemitchy,” her boyfriend pointed out with lopsided grin and handed her a tissue to wipe her face.

“It’s been an emotional few days, okay?!” she said through her sniffles and used the tissue on her eyes.

To celebrate their resolution, the timing of (Y/N)’s food order came right on time. The boys and Chiaki lively chatted amongst each other and caught up with their latest doings, leaving the two teens to listen in.

“I really am the worst, Taka…” she uttered out within his range of hearing. He reach over and gave her hand a gentle squeeze under the table.

He leaned in and spoke in her ear. “No, you’re not,” he firmly stated. “Were you a terrible person, you wouldn’t have come here to face your past. I'm proud of you.”

Mitsuya and her gaze met with a look of connection and rested their forehead on each other.

“Oi, oii, oiiii!” Ryo pointed out angrily and slammed his nearly empty beer mug down and pointed at the two, startling them. “They’re makin’ lovey dovey googly eyes at each other! This won’t do! This won’t do at all!”

Ryo, Sho and Jun immediately stood with a clatter, making Mitsuya jump a little in his seat. Sho clapped his hand down on his shoulder from across the table with force with intensity, his hazel eyes reflecting his inner malice.

“Come with us for a second.”

“Uh… (Y/N)? Help?”

“Oh, you’ll be fine,” his girlfriend disregarded and finished her tea. “If you end up throwing down with ‘em, I have the utmost confidence you can win.”

“Ohhhh. So you can fight too, eh?” Ryo remarked with a maniacal, toothy grin. The three college boys practically dragged the lilac haired boy out of the izakaya, leaving her with Chiaki, Inase, Yuusuke, and Tattsun at the table.

“Takashi will be fine… right?” she asked out loud, suddenly second guessing her decision.

“Well…” Yuusuke started and rubbed the back of neck uncomfortably.

“What’s your definition of ‘fine’ here?” Inase finished.

“Crap…” she groaned out and squeezed her eyes shut.

“I wouldn’t worry,” Chiaki confidently reassured. “If he loves you as much as he says, he’ll be fine. He can’t be a lover without being a fighter.”

“That’s probably the first intelligent thing I’ve heard you say since ever,” Yuusuke pointed out with a tone of surprise.

“Hey! Contrary to what you lot think of me, I’m quite smart,” she retorted with a huff. “I’m an honors student at my school, y’know.”

“N how much did you pay the administration?” Inase plainly asked, earning him a harsh smack on his arm from the pink haired girl.

The group of boys returned into the restaurant about fifteen minutes later. To her relief, her boyfriend seem to be physically unscathed. Reading the vibe between the four, they seemed to be okay, relaxed even. They spent the rest of their time eating and chatting before wrapping up for the night.

“You’re headin’ back tomorrow, right?” Yuusuke asked (Y/N).

“Bright n’ early,” she groaned. “That bus ride back’s gonna kill my tailbone from all that sitting.”

“Sad we can’t see you off,” Inase apologized. “We all gotta start plannin’ out our last year in college.”

“Can’t be helped,” she flashed them a lopsided grin. “That stuff takes priority.”

Jun suddenly called her and the moment she turned, her entire body was engulfed in a bear hug by him and got spun around. When he set her back down, his cheeks flushed red as she tried regaining her balance.

“Did he just…?” Yuusuke uttered with a tone of surprise.

“Yup,” Mako and Sho answered simultaneously.

“Softie,” Tattsun taunted.

“Oh be nice, Tatsu,” Chiaki scolded.

“Get back safe, okay?” the blond muttered and avoided eye contact while awkwardly scratching the side of his face. “Call me… if you need anythin’. Or if you wanna talk.” He gradually looked back up, only to see a scowl on her face.

“Creepy…”

“EHH?! How is that creepy?!” he shouted.

“You being nice to me’s actually gross,” she blurted out with dead eyes. “Don’t do that anymore.”

“You little punk, c’mere! I’m gonna hug you again!” he exclaimed to which she yelped with panic and threw makeshift snowballs at him, shouting at him to keep away. The commotion died down a short moment later and everyone went their separate ways.

“(Y/N)-chan, Mitsuya-kun, I’ll drop you two off,” Mako offered. “Since we’re goin’ the same way.”

“Don’t drive too fast, you bastard!” Jun yelled from a short distance. “I’ll kick yer ass!”

“I swear, that guy’ll scream at anything that goes faster than 25 kilometers…” Sho remarked and sighed.

“’Cus he’s a grumpy old man trapped in a college boy’s body,” she added, making the two brothers crack up.

En route, she dozed off and used her boyfriend’s shoulder as her pillow.

“That habit of hers never changes,” the driver noted and chuckled.

“Habit?”

“Whenever she eats too much hearty food during the colder seasons, she falls asleep,” Sho revealed.

“Reminds me of a friend I know…” he lightly chuckled. “He’d fall asleep after every meal.”

“Ah, Mako. Stop for a sec,” his stepbrother requested. The car pulled over to the side of the road and placed the hazards on. “I’ll be back.”

The head shaved boy quickly jumped out of the car and ran up to a sweets stand. A few minutes later, he returned with a bag of steaming hot creamyakis for everyone.

“Sho, you’re spoiling her again,” his brother tutted and took the one he handed before giving one to Mitsuya. The remaining one in the bag was left for her when she wakes.

“Just this much is fine, right?” the boy with the shaved head flashed a toothy grin. “It’s not like I do this everyday.”

The three bit into the fresh cooked treat and immediately huffed and puffed from the scalding hot content in their mouth before quickly chewing it to swallow. They collectively stuck the tips of their tongue out in hopes the cool air will soothe their mildly scalded tongues.

“May I ask something weird?” Mitsuya suddenly spoke up. “Was (Y/N)… happy when she lived here?”

The two brothers thought for a beat and bit into their respective snack.

“Hisa and the rest us tried our best to make sure she was,” Sho finally answered. “Since she didn’t have a lotta friends her own age.”

“Was she really though?” Mako wondered out loud. “Sometimes it felt like she was forcing herself to be so we wouldn’t worry.” He finished his creamyaki and wiped his hand with a spare napkin. “Somethin’ on your mind? I’m getting the feeling that's not what you wanted to ask.”

The teen searched his heart for a moment and crafted his words carefully. The last thing she needed was the stress of her brother’s friends knowing he used to be in a gang.

“I find myself at an impasse…" he began. "When Kitsune disbanded, how did you two find your way?”

“Oof, heavy question…” Sho remarked and finished his treat, thinking hard for his answer.

“I let it find me,” Mako replied and turned the hazards off before shifting the stick to drive again. “We were all lost after disbanding n’ it got worse after Hisa died. I bounced job to job after high school, getting lost in my worries. It wasn’t ‘til a family friend asked me ‘bout starting a business. After lotta back and forth, I realized I had a knack for shop management.”

“I went to Hokkaido to put some space between me n’ everyone to clear my head,” Sho confessed and looked out the window wistfully. “Honestly speakin’, I still haven’t figured out what I wanna do.”

“Guess what we’re tryin’ to say is there’s no right answer,” the blue haired man summarized. “As long as you feel what you’re doin’ is right, then it’s right.”

Sho pulled up to a traffic light, still feeling that uneasy anxiety from the boy.

“Mitsuya-kun, time's on your side,” he reminded him. “I dunno what your situation is, but I’m sure it hasn’t been easy. If there’s anythin’ I learned, it’s hold onto your beliefs and those who influenced them. That’s what gives you strength in dark times.”

His lavender orbs lit up the moment those words reached him. That moment of clarity he’d been waiting for was here.

Meeting Draken convinced him to become a delinquent to protect his family. How could he have forgotten something that simple?

He was immediately reminded of what (Y/N) said after they buried their time capsules: “Just because Toman’s no more doesn’t mean the bond you have are gone too.”

Toman’s his family and so was she.

“Mako-san… Thank you…” he softly replied and glanced over at his still sleeping girlfriend.

–

Thanking and saying their farewells to the Wayamas the next morning, Mitsuya and (Y/N) made their way to the train station on foot. They looked up to see snow starting to fall at a steady pace. Successfully making it on the packed train, the conductor announced there could be possible delays due to the weather over the loudspeaker.

“I hope this doesn’t affect our ride back,” she noted with worry.

After getting off at the Sendai station, the two made their way to the bus depot, only to have one of the workers announce via bullhorn all buses have been suspended due to hazardous conditions on the road.

“What should we do?” Mitsuya asked and adjusted the knitted hat on his head. “Head back to the Wayamas?”

Just as she was about to call, a passing group of kids complained out loud, saying the Namboku line was suspended due to frozen rails.

“O...kay. I guess that’s a no go either.”

“Jun and the rest of ‘em are on campus all day, so reaching out to them for a place to crash won’t do either…” she said and started weighing their options.

“Wanna try for a hotel?”

“If there’s any cheap ones around, sure…”

As they wandered around the city, they found most of the lodging were booked to capacity and after wandering in the cold snow for nearly two hours, they finally found one. However, they only had one room available and there was only one bed. Not having much of a choice at this point, the teens accepted it and the concierge handed over their key. Entering the room, the two exhausted travelers put their bags in the bathtub since it was wet from the snow and hung up their jackets to dry.

While Mitsuya got to making some tea to warm them up, (Y/N) turned the TV on to see how the forecast will play out.

“Oh jeez… it’s gonna be like this all day,” she sighed. “Guess we’re stuck here another night.”

“But at least we were able to get lodging at a good price,” her boyfriend pointed out with optimism and handed her a cup of fresh green tea before sitting at the foot of the bed with her.

“It’s all I can hope for…” she let out a sigh of relief and slowly sipped her hot beverage.

“You’re not nervous sharing a bed with me?” he asked.

“I trust you not to do anything without my okay,” she simply said looked into her cup with serenity.

Before they could continue their discussion, their stomachs growled out loud. Laughing with embarrassment, they finished their tea before heading out to look for some food. Not wanting to wander too far, they went into a curry shop and had their fill. Ducking into Parco, they killed some time window shopping before grabbing dinner at a donburi restaurant and headed back to the hotel for the night.

While Mitsuya was in the shower, (Y/N) was doing her best to calm her beating heart. Even though she said earlier on she trusts her boyfriend, she still couldn’t help but feel nervous. Sure, they’ve slept next to each other on separate futons, but on the same bed?! Mentally reassuring herself things will be fine, her shoulders jolted when she heard the bathroom door click. She turned to see her boyfriend with wet locks and wearing only the bathrobe.

“Bathroom’s all yours,” he noted and continued to towel his hair off. “Did you let everyone know what happened?” She nodded.

“Just got off the phone with my dad. He said he’ll wire some money for us to take the bullet train back tomorrow,” she explained. “I told him we’d be fine with the bus, but his instincts kicked in.”

“Can’t blame him for wanting you to be safe.”

“Maybe we’ll be able to see Mount Fuji on the way back,” she perked up with a grin.

Gingerly grabbing her personal items, she tiptoed into the bathroom and closed the door. Hopping into the shower, the let the warm beads of liquid cascade down her body, washing away any lingering feelings of cold on her body. Even though they were only here for 3 days, it felt so much longer. Her mind wandered back to when she talked with Hisa-nii alone.

“So I accidentally started up Kitsune again due to my carelessness…” she began and uncomfortably shifted her feet. “Just for a short while with a gang,” she quickly clarified. “And I know how you feel about them, but these guys were different. Their principles aligned with what we had. In a way, I wanted Kitsune to live through Toman. But just like us, they too, disbanded after someone died.” She flashed a brief sad smile. “Mi-tan was one of the founders, you see and well… You can guess how he’s feeling right now.” (Y/N) closed her eyes, feeling the light, cold breeze whip through the cemetery, trying to listen to the whispers around her. “You think he’ll be okay, huh? … I think so too.”

After a small beat of silence, she finally summoned the courage to talk about his friends. “I haven’t seen or spoken to Jun or any of them… Honestly, I’m afraid to.” She swallowed and looked down pensively. “I’ve thought of all the things I could’ve done and said differently, but here we are…” She let a breathy chuckle escape. “I don’t expect them to forgive me. And I’m okay with that.” Finally, she looked up with a sad smile at her brother. “I’ll bear this burden in my heart.”

The wind blew across again with more of a winter bite this time, making her squeeze her eyes close from the sting. “If by some miracle they forgive me, I’d call them idiots.”

Little did she know her past came kicking the door down the moment she finished that sentence. The moment she saw Jun’s blond hair, she inwardly cursed at her brother for bringing them there. He was the type of person who would confront someone immediately if there was an issue. But when it came down to it, her brother was the one who pushed them together to confront their own mistakes and weaknesses.

Even though he was no longer here, he was still guiding them in his own way. She’d always be grateful for that.

Turning the water off, she hurriedly hopped out and toweled off before slipping on her undergarments and throwing the spare bathrobe on, having forgotten her pajamas outside. Vacating the bathroom, she saw Mitsuya sitting on the bed horizontally with his head resting on his hand, watching a random variety show on TV. Looking to her left, she saw the hair dryer was already plugged in. Just as she reached for it, her boyfriend immediately sat up and grabbed it.

“Let me dry it for you,” he insisted with a small smile.

“You’ve always wanted to do this huh,” she side-eyed him with a raised eyebrow and sat at the edge of the bed.

“It’s habit,” he confessed. “Since I do it for Luna and Mana.”

The dryer came to life with the sound of a loud whirl in his hand and started wiggling it back and forth to diffuse the heat on (Y/N)’s wet strands. Using his hands to comb through the loose knots, she felt herself relax into his hand.

“You spoil me, you know that?” she said over the sound of the dryer; all her boyfriend did was smirk and brushed some hair aside to expose part of her neck for him to peck a kiss before finishing up. Unplugging the dryer, she rewound the cord and put it back into the bathroom before flopping on the bed again. Snuggling up to Mitsuya, he put his arm around her while continuing to watch the show.

“Close your eyes for a second…” he softly asked of her.

Giving her boyfriend a questioning look, she did as he requested. She felt him get off of the bed and sounds his padded footsteps on the carpeted floor; she could hear crinkling and bag rummaging to her left. Not long after, she felt the weight of his body shift onto the bed again.

“Okay… open ‘em.”

Slowly raising her lids, she saw a small wrapped gift box on the bed beside her and widened her eyes.

“I realized I never got you a White Day** gift…” he sheepishly answered.

“You know I’m not the type of person who cares about stuff like that.”

“You gave me handmade chocolates,” he replied with a light laugh. “I’d be a crappy boyfriend if I didn’t get you anything.”

(Y/N) picked up the small box and lifted the lid, revealing a gun metal silver band with a cross design similar to the one on his earring. He reached over and took it out of the box and tried putting it on her left middle finger.

“Eh? It’s too small?” he blurted out with shock. “I thought I measured it right.”

She took the ring off of her middle and tried it on the other fingers; it ended up fitting her ring finger perfectly. The two immediately blushed madly and looked away from each other. She could practically visualize steam shooting out both of her ears like a cartoon character.

“I-I guess it fits…” she squeaked out with a stutter and glanced down on the new accessory with a softened gaze. “T-Thank you, Takashi.”

The lilac haired boy reached over and firmly grasped her left hand. Bringing it up to his lips to kiss, his lavender gaze bore into hers.

“(Y/N)… I’m not the most reliable guy right now, but I vow to protect you and your happiness,” he stated. “Seeing you these past few days made me realize how much stronger I have to grow here…” He placed her hand over his chest. “So I can be deserving of you.”

She slid closer to Mitsuya to close the distance between them and drew him into an embrace with him reciprocating.

“I say you’re plenty strong,” she said softly in his ear. “You remind me of the things I’m thankful for… and gave me the courage to face the things I couldn’t alone.”

Loving (Y/N) felt so effortless with everything they did; every time their lips touched, he could feel parts of her being poured into him like a man satiating his thirst with water. Her very existence allowed him to be open and vulnerable with himself whenever he found himself needing to be strong to tough things out.

Simply put, they allowed themselves to just be as they are.

She pulled away from the hug to face her boyfriend, both leaning in to feel each other’s lips. He used his momentum to gently push her onto the bed so he was on top. This was the first time his heart’s felt this full. Staring at each other with a half-lidded gazes, he kissed her with more force this time to let her know how much he loves and needs her.

He peppered his lips down to her now exposed shoulders due to the collar of her bathrobe loosening up, sending a chill up her spine. She let out a breathy moan and ran her fingers up the back of his head to encourage him. Mitsuya then pulled his head up for some air with a loving gaze. His large, thin hands cupped the side of her face tenderly.

“(Y/N)… are you sure you want to do this?” he whispered.

She reached up with both hands and caressed his face with a gentle smile. “If it’s with you… yes.”

Leaning in, the lilac haired boy hungrily kissed her like he hadn’t in years, the desire to make her his growing by the second, but gradually slowed his movements and sat up.

“Takashi…?” she called out in confusion and followed suit. “What’s wrong?”

“I… I want to do this,” he huffed out and sighed heavily as he held her left hand. “I want to. Trust me. I really, really want to… But Jun made me promise…I’d wait until we’re older. I can’t break his trust.”

“Leave it up to Jun to do somethin’ like this,” she groaned and heaved a deep sigh. “I guess it’s for the best. We don’t have protection either.”

“Actually…” He shifted his body to the right side of the bed with a tint of embarrassment. “Draken… gave me some,” he shyly blurted out and looked away.

All she did was bite the bottom of her lip and snickered before burying her face on the covers, wheeze laughing uncontrollably while holding her stomach.

“I’m so glad you’re finding this hilarious,” Mitsuya deadpanned, continuing to feel the bed vibrate from his girlfriend’s guffawing.

“Sorry. Okay, really sorry,” she gasped between her giggles and wiped some stray tears away before facing her boyfriend again. “Total mood killer. But seriously, leave it up to big bro Draken to hook his buddy up. Did he give you a whole lesson in how to put it on and everything?”

“I read the instructions on the packet!” he responded strongly with a mad blush as she laughed some more. “And why do you know this stuff?!”

She waited for her laugh to die down before answering. “I accidentally found Hisa-nii’s porn stash one time and there was a short article on how to use a condom. They used a banana for the guy’s… you know,” she flatly answered with dead eyes. “I couldn’t look him in the eye for three days… or eat bananas.”

“What did you even say to him when you found it?”

“’Why are there naked ladies tied up under your bed?’” (Y/N) groaned out and facepalmed. “’N I said that right in front of Yuu-kun, Jun and Ryo of all people.”

The moment his girlfriend answered, the lilac haired boy completely lost himself in a fit of roaring hysterics and gasped for air, thumping his fist on the plush top.

“I was ten, okay?!” she haughtily defended and smacked her hand on the bed. “Context was not a thing I understood!”

“Clearly!”

After a beat, the two sighed and laid stationary on the bed. Mitsuya rolled onto his side and propped himself up with his elbow and rested his head on his elevated hand; his other one reached over and gently caressed (Y/N)’s cheek. He thought back to when he and Draken hung out a few days before the trip.

“How’s things goin’ with you two?” his best friend asked. They were sorting out some spare motorcycle parts for Impulse.

“Had a bit of a hiccup, but we talked it out…” he trailed off. “She invited me to go to Sendai with her.”

“Sendai?”

“Her half-brother’s death anniversary’s coming up…”

Draken let out a hum and continued to mindlessly rummage through the piles of metal.

“You gonna be alone with her?”

“We’re meeting up with her dad up there.”

“Damn, meetin’ the dad already huh?” he joked. “So much for eloping then.”

“The hell are you sayin’, idiot?” Mitsuya laughed.

“Mitsuya. You serious ‘bout her?” he asked all of a sudden, his tone solemn while pulling out one of the parts they needed.

“’Course I am,” he stated the obvious. “I love her.”

Draken flashed him a melancholic, but hopeful smile. “Cherish her. Don’t hold back what you feel. She’s stubborn, but she has a good heart.”

Having been unable to properly convey his feelings to Emma, the lilac haired boy understood his best friend’s intentions through his words.

“Thanks… for inviting me to come here with you…” he spoke. “I know this wasn’t easy.” She reached up and placed her hand on top of his. The ring he gifted her glimmered in the dimly lit hotel room. “This trip helped clear some fog in my head.”

“We need to be reminded to see the bigger picture when we’re too honed in on the details sometimes,” she pointed out. “Did you at least have fun?”

“If you wanna call getting grilled by your half-brother’s friends ‘fun’…” he trailed off and chuckled.

(Y/N) quietly nodded with a gaze of reflection in her eyes. “They’re my family… like you.”

The lilac haired boy leaned in and gently kissed her on the lips and planting another one on her forehead. The two decided to turn in for the night so they could wake up early tomorrow to head back to Tokyo. For the very first time ever, the two slept in each other’s arms, feeling the intimate warmth of their bodies protect them from what may come.

Life is a constant change of ebbs and flows. Things change and people change as time goes by. But no matter the circumstances, you can always begin again.

--

* Legal drinking and smoking age in Japan is 20 as that is the "adult" age. Recently, they passed a law deeming 18 year olds legal adults to get with the times (and to somehow fix their decreasing birth rate). The new law allows them to get married without their parents' consent, take out loans, get credit cards, etc. However, they cannot smoke or drink until 20 (this law still stands to protect their health), similar to the States (you're a legal adult at 18 to do practically everything, but you can't drink until 21).

** White Day (3/14) is basically Valentines' Day for girls. On V-day in Japan, girls are the ones who give boys chocolates and/or confessions. Though nowadays, V-day is slowly becoming more westernized (with boys and girls giving each other chocolates and confessing). White Day was basically created to make the girls feel special to have their own day to be showered with adoration, sweets and confessions (cue ichigo's eyeroll).

Taglist: @netzukochannn @toobsessedsstuff @owiee12 @wakasasucker @ilykii @contreviva @crowbird @mor-pheus @yourrdarling

[taighsolais]

december 15th

trying to objectively take a look at struggles i have re: acceptance & the want to be wanted. i haven't had a long term romantic partner in.. 8 years? i've only had two serious long term relationships in my life - both didn't end exactly well.

i'm bunkered up in the south with a group of friends & even tho it's a group of people who I interact with on the daily (albeit through group chat or social media) - i still question whether i'm wanted or if i fit in. i mean i guess i don't in the sense that i'm not local & just a somewhat regular visitor. everyone seems happy when i'm planning a trip down - but when i'm here i am constantly questioning everything i do & hope that i'm not interfering with everyone else's lives. i struggle to get a word in during conversations - i worry that i'm a burden & people who i see as friends might be helping me out in more of a sympathetic gesture than genuine friendship.. i wonder if they actually want me here. i feel like this is more of a "me" problem then the reality of the situation but it's still a struggle. if my mind bounces between one of ten things every few minutes - this is a constant. i'm staying with is two couples - one married, one engaged. sometimes i catch myself feeling jealous when one of the couples is planning something on their own without me (usually something that i would have no interest in anyway..!) but i also feel guilty when i try to make a plan to do something on my own.

preface: i'm not sure why i see rejection (or - what might actually be indifference) as a challenge. why does that prompt me to want to make it my mission to have someone care about me? on the flip side - why is it when someone shows romantic interest in me is that this feels ominous. impending torment / loss. that i'll inevitably let someone down or hurt them.

there's a guy i've been speaking with (in reality - probably more one sided than not) & so far we've spoken through a hookup app, instagram & last year through his onlyfans. we also spoke briefly through text, specifically audio messages after i "accidentally" butt dialed him once. re: onlyfans, he's an illustrator but also posts pinup style photos and has a bit of a following - but i did unsubscribe when i realized that it was probably a dead end. object permanence & whatnot. he's very handsome - but identifies sexually as pansexual i believe - so more personality driven. something that i recognize in my last two serious partners.

since i've been back i fully planned on not embarrassing myself again - genuinely had no intention of ever reaching out to this person again - but late one night i did shoot him a note. i got a response & i replied - then nothing. i messaged him back two additional times - both jokes - and again nothing. i guess jokes land differently when you're the kind of person someone is looking for. i looked up his twitter (because i can't help myself) & the type of accounts he's interacting with are similar to him - but also me, if maybe a bit younger / more fit. sort of makes me mourn a body i've had, and know i could have if i wasn't in the line of work i am - or more realistically, if i put myself & my health first.

where does the perception of a significant other in my life as a grounding tool come from. why do i see someone who should ultimately be a companion - partner, even - as a sudo savior for a chaotic & unpredictable life. an anchor. a beacon. why do i default to elaborate gestures, reckless & embarrassing displays - usually costly - why do i not know how to interact with people.

i sometimes feel like i act out, spend money or create these irrational scenarios (borderline stalking, joining their gym, sending amazon wish list gifts etc.) because i'm compensating for who i'm not - but could be. non romantically speaking, having someone just around does allow me to work better - or really do anything. it's a weird tug of war between leave me alone & i can't do anything alone. how did i get to this? and what can i do?

i had a great session at the gym tonight - the first time in - i don't even know when. i got my yoga in, a full day from a fitness book from many years ago + stair warmup & cool down. it was great! i feel wonderful. but if i wasn't motivated by a happenstance meetup, would i have gone? will i ever get to a place where being my own goal is enough. i'm not sure, but i would like to think so. what does all of this mean? i'm tired of being alone - and there is no blame to place. i do think an understanding of myself - to identify patterns & understand why i am the way i am would really help me move forward in life - romantically.

afterthought: i've been sharing regularly with therapists, doctors, lawyers that "i don't feel like myself". i haven't for a long time. it's a dysmorphia sort of experience - and i think it started with my transition into film work. it's not sustainable, it consumed my twenties. i know that i need a break & the introduction of boundaries IF i'm even able to maintain some contracts per year. i need the chance to reset & feel like myself. revisit friendships & focus on my health, body, personal style. i want to be me again - and i don't think it's too late. i need to find a way to lock down my finances & find my safe spot - i'd like it to be kissimmee if i can make it happen

[leam1983]

On Characterization

I still have a crate packed with old Archie digests, somewhere. Near the tail end of my reading these, I'd started getting a kick out of seeing certain characters evolve (or devolve) in the context of a single issue. The most striking case, to me, was Mister Weatherbee.

Early Issues: your token Joyless Adult, even more stern than the kids' parents, dressed in the sorts of suits you would've found on Tintin back in 1925.

First Twenty Years: his body habitus gets locked in, but isn't as extreme as others will render it later on. What began as a bald and irate ride-sharing partner for Archie is now the heavyset principal that terrorizes the Andrews kid. He isn't terribly loquacious yet, his tendency to pontificate hasn't developed.

The Late Fifties: Samm Schwartz' predecessor renders Weatherbee as a monolith in a sack suit, a solid rectangle of a man with the alacrity and vivaciousness of the kids he's meant to shepherd. Fat jokes start to be seen in a few arcs, but aren't prominent yet.

The Sixties: Al Hartley and Bob Bolling run the show. The first one renders Weatherbee as a shape, an utter unit of a man, beset with too many neuroses to count and packing on all the precursors to Type II Diabetes the Flower Power years ignored. In the 50s, you could assert that Waldo was close to six feet for about three-fifty pounds, but Hartley scoffs at that deduction. His Weatherbee is clinically obese - morbidly so - and is oftentimes shown as being a slave to an underlying gluttonous penchant that leaves even Jughead surprised.

As for Bolling, he keeps the same shape he coined for the Little Archie strips, adds about two hundred pounds to the man and dresses him in sack suits that do nothing for his figure. Bolling's Weatherbee is sort of milquetoast, not quite packing the dynamism of the previous or of its following incarnations.

The Seventies: Samm Schwartz renders Weatherbee in a way that's at once more sedate and more expressive, with a more restrained paunch and a clear double chin. The character's signature lapel clasps start to underscore moments of self-satisfaction, Waldo's tendency towards self-aggrandizement being adequately exploited. Schwartz pulls the fifties' more grandiose characterization out of the mothballs, giving the principal an occasional Richard Griffiths-esque twang. He yells, huffs and puffs - and frequently outdoes the teens in terms of cartoon antics. He's also more of a pedagogue during this decade. Hartley's questionable closeness between the Bee and the kids is left well and truly in the dust.

The Eighties: Dan DeCarlo is a pinup guy through and through, and his designs for the Riverdale grownups betray a certain sense of constriction. In a way, it helps Weatherbee's case, whose color palette and proportions standardize into tones of brown and about two-fifty pounds. Only rarely does he deign to ink a "fat joke" strip, usually for his Archie and Me run.

The Nineties: Rex Lindsay is too busy trying to make the kids seem hip in order to care about the adults' proportions. Under his pen, Weatherbee is either slightly heavyset, morbidly obese, flat-chested or shaped like a reverse V. Proportions sometimes shift multiple times in the same story. The only mark of consistency is the little half-moon on the character's bald pate, meant to indicate a permanent spot of chrome-dome shine.

The Aughties and Onwards: the classic digest runs keep the same fluid dynamics, but the Chip Zdarsky serials shave ten years off of the Bee, while adding a bit of muscle definition. He's an accomplished outdoorsman now, with the calves to match. It's here that he's effectively toned down, perhaps as a result of the multiversal storyline that marked the years between 2018 and 2020. Having needed a steady emotional core to be believable as Geraldine Grundy's husband, he brings that mixture of empathy and no-nonsense rationality forward in setting perhaps better-suited for more vivacious spirits, like Jughead's zombie-themed limited Horror run.

It's strange, seeing how a medium needed almost a hundred years to go from "Golly, aren't adults boring?" to "Hey, guess what? Your authority figures have rich inner lives too!"