#really some jams in that movie though wow

[applejaax]

Blue Hour

Chapter 1: The Dreadful Implications of a Pizza Delivery Man

Steve dropped his keys on the table when he entered the apartment. Robin was nestled on the couch fast asleep under an afghan, with the tv mindlessly droning on in the background. He took the remote from her hand and turned it off, startling her awake.

    “Ya gotta stop falling asleep with the tv on, Robin. It’s gonna rot your brain with subliminal messages from infomercials,” Steve said sarcastically, dropping the remote down onto the coffee table.

    “Wow those are big words for you, Steve, don’t hurt yourself now,” she retorted, tugging the blanket over her head and rolling away from him.

   “Haven’t heard that one before.” Steve rolled his eyes and went to the kitchen.

   It was a barren wasteland in the fridge besides some fresh vegetables they’d gotten from a local farmers market for no apparent reason, a single jar of jam, and a few beer bottles. He took one and shut the door.

   “Pizza for dinner?!” He called out. Robin’s hand came into view with a thumb up in approval and disappeared again. He laughed and leaned on the counter, sipping from the bottle in his hand.

    For three years, since he moved away from Hawkins, Steve’s been living with Robin in Illinois. She had been accepted and enrolled in some private university. At first he was upset about her leaving him all alone after everything they’d endured. In the end though it was nothing but a blessing in disguise. He pitched the idea of them moving in with each other and how good it would be for them. Robin wasn’t too keen on it at first because she wanted to make new friends, or even meet a girl she could really connect with, and suspected he’d get in the way. That was a pretty deep cut to his ego at first, he wouldn’t lie. However, with much annoying pleading and begging on his end, she eventually agreed.

     His parents had opposed, especially his father on the premise that Robin and Steve were dating. Steve never fully expressed why that would never in a million years happen but all it took was a, ‘she’s not my type, Dad,’ and that was the end of it. His mother had been the one to fully convince his old man that this was a good thing for his son. Somehow, that worked.

   Now here they were. They stayed about 5 miles off campus in a rundown neighborhood. The rent was low and the standards of living even lower. Everything in their apartment was broken. The ceiling leaked, the floors creaked, and the walls were made out of paper machete. Yet, Steve never felt more at home. He’d rather live here in this dump than step one foot back in their hell-bound hometown. In fact, it was his worst fucking nightmare. This was paradise in comparison.

   He worked a pretty simple office job in a marketing company. It wasn’t ideal but it paid well and didn’t require him to have a degree. He’d gotten lucky, he was aware of the privilege that living in the city provided. Also, who his parents were and his surname did help too. Regardless, he no longer felt like a nobody failure the way he did in Hawkins. There were so many opportunities and options out here. He could truly flourish without second guessing himself anymore. Hawkins had nothing left to offer him and all it took was an outside perspective. He was happy he’d left. He hoped and prayed, for whatever reason there may be, he never had to go back there.

  That was wishful thinking.

   About an hour after Steve had called in their pizza order there was a knock at the door.

   “Robin, pizza’s here!” He called from his bedroom down the hall.

   “I’m busy! Get it yourself!”

    Steve groaned, pausing the movie he was watching and rolled off his bed.

   “You’re so lazy!” He threw the front door open. His eyes grew wider than saucers and it felt like lightening crackled under his skin as time seemed to slow.

    A pair of brown eyes like rich soil after heavy rain, brown curly hair to match in contrast to skin as fair as moonlight. A smile with dimples and lines in the cheeks that caused creases under the eyes that made them light up like fireflies. Steve was dreaming. He had to be. No way this was real. He wanted to reach out and touch his soft skin, when he knew he shouldn’t. He needed to ground himself and stop the impending spiral but it proved to be too late for that.

  Oh fuck. This is bad.

   Steve’s brain malfunctioned and he couldn’t form a single coherent thought let alone any words. His mouth moved like a fish out of water as he tried to form a sentence or even a sound. He simply gaped at the person in his doorway for an uncomfortable amount of time.

   “Uhm, sir?” The man waved his hand in Steve’s face. The cadence and pitch in his voice was all screwy. Not right at all. It snapped Steve clean out of this mortifying stupor.

   He blinked rapidly and swallowed hard, throwing the money at him, snatching the pizza, and slamming the door. He turned and leaned on it for support, trying to catch the breath that was steadily running further and further away from him.

   Robin came sprinting from the bathroom with damp hair and a shocked look on her face.

  “What the hell happened?!” She asked, Steve couldn’t respond, he was paralyzed. “Steve?” She approached him slow with her hand out.

   “Robin, he looked like him,” he managed to say around the lump in his throat. “He looked just like him.” He slowly hugged his knees to his chest and fought the tears that threatened to fall.

   This couldn’t be happening. Everything was going so well. Maybe even too good to be true but he didn’t care. There wasn’t a damn thing out of place and this was the landslide he’d been anxiously awaiting to fuck him over. He was cursed, he was sure of that. There was no other rhyme or reason for it.

   They moved to Robin’s room when Steve found the courage to even stand up. They sat on her bed with the pizza box wide open. The smell of cheese, tomato sauce, and garlic nauseated him despite the fact he was starving.

   “I mean, doppelgängers do exist! They say it’s dangerous to come across your own. It’s really fascinating. I guess it makes sense though because how can we have all these billions of people on the planet and not have someone look exactly like us, you know?”

    Steve didn’t say anything. He let her ramble on as if it would help when it certainly didn’t. This dug up memories he’d presumed he’d buried forever. He was certain he’d laid it all to rest along with his dead boyfriend. After this whole hot mess, he felt like he’d regressed to square one and all it took was a similar face. He didn’t want to throw himself a pity party but damn he couldn’t catch a break.

    “Steve…Steve!” Robin flopped on the bed next to him. “Am I doing it again…with the talking too much thing?”

     Steve sighed and picked up a slice of pizza, biting into it hesitantly and watched the cheese stretch.

    “Kinda,” he said with his mouth full.

    “Shit. Sorry. I’m not good with this sorta thing. Comforting people isn’t my forté. But I’m a decent listener…sometimes.”

    Steve stared at her for a moment, then mustered a smile. A mask that was quick to falter and dissolve away at any moment.

    “It’s fine. There’s really nothing either of us can do in this situation.” He set down the half eaten slice of pizza. His appetite was gone. “You’re right about one thing. I guess we’re bound to see someone who looks like someone we know or knew eventually.”

   “Yeah, but…I’m just- I’m so sorry.”

    “Don’t be. It’s nobody’s fault.” Steve could hear the strain in his voice. “Would you mind if I uhh-“ He signaled towards the door and Robin nodded encouragingly.

    In his bedroom, Steve curled up under his blankets and laid there in the dark for what felt like an eternity. The tears that spilled from the corners of his eyes had finally dried but it wasn’t over. Especially since now all he could do was torture himself with nothing else but the thought of Eddie.

    He meant the world to Steve and taught him so many lessons he wouldn’t have learned otherwise. His mind had never been more open than when he was with Eddie. He was someone everyone could rely on but nobody wanted to put their faith in. Steve did and it was so worth it right up until the very end. He still kicked himself for the period in which he regretted even meeting Eddie. Or that he wished they could swap places. It was only because the visceral pain of letting him go and moving on was something he could hardly handle. The wounds tore open so often that he let the memories of Eddie die, too, just to get some release from the heartbreak.

     It was like he didn’t exist anymore in Steve’s world and he preferred it that way as opposed to living the rest of his life in agony. There was no other way to let go besides that. And tonight, that man at his door, instantaneously destroyed walls he’d put his blood, sweat, and tears into building to free himself of Eddie and everything they’d shared. To put it lightly, this was a slap to the face and a boot to the gut. 

     He was gone. He deserved to be here but he wasn’t. He was never coming back. Steve had come to peace with that, and his grief, before he’d left Hawkins. It was one of the things that helped him cope the most. Now he had to pick himself up all over again and he hoped it wouldn’t take as long as the first time around, or both him and Robin were doomed to suffer.

****

    Steve didn’t remember falling asleep. He woke the next morning to a migraine, swollen eyelids, and the phone ringing off the hook. He shoved a pillow over his head and waited for it to stop. He had work today but he didn’t want to go. He felt like shit after last night. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling for a long time until the phone started up again and forced him out of bed.

    “What do you want?!” He answered gruffly. He sounded like garbage and felt even worse. 

   “Well, geez. Hello to you, too.”

    “Dustin!” He sighed in relief. “Wait, shouldn’t you be in school instead of bothering me at 8 in the damn morning?”

    “The city has changed you, Steve. I don’t like it.”

    Steve rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Get on with it.”

    “Okay, okay. I’m not at school right now because I have something important to tell you. I couldn’t wait,” he paused for a beat. “I think he’s back, Steve.”

     Steve’s heart lurched and plummeted hard into his stomach. His sadness was overpowered by fear. His throat tightened up as panic rose. The room started to spin and he lost his balance, stumbling back into the wall.

   “Steve? Talk to me, man! Are you okay?”

    “I’m- good. I’m good.” He rested his head in his palm and slid down to the floor in defeat. “Tell me everything.”

[dulltoned]

Trickee is loving the sunny days. It's been pretty stormy this last month and while he enjoyed cozying down just as much as the next troll he really missed his morning walks through the village. He didn't really do rain so he's been stuck inside for the past few weeks. However, the sun always shines brightest after the darkest days and Trickee was basking in it. He's up earlier than a lot of the village, most trolls are still tuckered from their individual parties and get-togethers, and he's enjoying the quiet of the sunrise. The first few rays of sun are making the morning dew sparkle and he swears he can catch a few rainbows scattered about the market when he looks at just the right angle. This was worth going a little stir-crazy for.

He decides that he's going to take a few laps around the village before everyone else starts to filter out to begin their day. He doesn't really have much to do today so he has plenty of time to spare and it's really nice out. Maybe afterward he can go pick up something to eat when the stores start opening. Content with his plan Trickee allows himself to focus solely on his stroll, shoving his paws deep into his pants pockets and tilting his head up into the light of the rising sun. It's a bit cold out with the dawn's breeze but that only highlights the warmth of the sun's light and, wow, he's really missed this.

It doesn't take long for his peace to be interrupted though. It's maybe just a few minutes tops before he hears a round of laughter somewhere to his left. Only when he looks he doesn't see anyone. He frowns and glances around. Oh, they must be somewhere around the corner. He didn't think anyone else was out and about but now that his curiosity's been piqued he has to see who else could be awake at this hour. He takes a small detour to check behind the Cupcake Cafe, the nearest shop the noise could have possibly come from, and spots a small group of trolls a few yards away. He doesn't immediately recognize any of them but he can pick out a distinct purple hue amongst the group of three trolls. They're still laughing but now that Trickee is closer he can recognize that it's not a particularly kind sound.

"You should really be more careful, eh?" One of the trolls chuckles. It makes Trickee's stomach swoop uncomfortably but he can't quite place why. He's coming quickly to the realization that none of this is really settling right. "You've gone and made a mess of yourself, mate." The tone is sickly sweet and dripping with condescension that sends a shock of ice through Trickee's veins. The trolls with him snicker along so maybe it's some sort of inside joke between them and Trickee is just making a mountain out of a caterbus hill. He's content to turn away and make his leave but then someone scoffs and Trickee notices he can actually see a few splotches of gray between their legs. There were four trolls, not three.

"Classy, Creek," The troll on the ground sighs and Trickee steps further behind the cafe to get a better look. The fourth troll is splayed out on the ground, grimacing as he pushes himself up into a sitting position. There are shards of glass caught in the front of his leafy vest and globs of purple jam coating his chest and trousers. He tries to wipe it off and grimaces when he only succeeds in smearing the goo around. "Don't you have anything better to be doing right now?" He glares up at the purple troll and, from this, angle Trickee can see the satisfied grin on the purple troll's face. Creek, he presumes.

"Why, of course not," Creek coos like the gray troll is a child. "What better way to spend my time than helping out the village recluse, hm? Poppy would be overjoyed to hear you've made a friend." The words themselves are innocent enough, maybe a bit presumptuous, but it's the way that Creek says them that makes Trickee's skin crawl. He'd never heard a troll be so intentionally malicious before, not even when his aunt and uncle got into one of their tiffs and those had a tendency to get mean quick. Creek twists the words until they sound like insults, backhanded compliments crafted perfectly to tear at open wounds. If that's how it sounded to him? Trickee can't imagine how the gray troll feels.

"I don't have friends," The gray troll snarls, sneering up at Creek and flashing his sharp canines in a clear warning, but Creek only tisks mockingly at the obvious threat. "And I don't want them." The gray troll picks himself up off the floor and tries to shake the glass out of his vest with varying levels of success.

"Shame that," Creek tisks again, looking the gray troll over with blatant disdain. "Truly, we're all missing out." Creek reaches out and pats the gray troll's shoulder and, somehow, he manages to make it come across heavily patronizing. Trickee wonders with an ugly bitterness bubbling up in his chest if Creek knows how to move with any sort of sincerity. The gray troll smacks Creek's hand away with a growl but Creek just saunters away with his little followers scampering after him. It's disgusting and it makes Trickee's blood boil. Who the hell does that guy think he is? Who goes around harassing people just for the fun of it?

The gray troll lets out a dejected sigh and looks down at the remnants of whatever jar had shattered, running a stressed hand through his hair. All the fight looks like it's drained out of him the second that Creek guy disappeared. "Are you just gonna stand there or do you wanna take a shot too?" The gray troll huffs, dull eyes flicking up to look at Trickee. He doesn't know why it shocks him so much to be called out. It wasn't like he was hidden but Creek and his entourage hadn't even spared him a glance so the sudden acknowledgment startles him.

"Woah, no way, man," Trickee raises his hands, unable to keep the flash of annoyance from creeping into his voice. He wasn't just some asshole, he wasn't the kind of guy to just beat on someone for shits and giggles. Now that the gray troll's spoken to him though Trickee takes that as his sign to move forward, shooting a glare off in the direction Creek slithered away, "What's that guy's problem?"

The gray troll scoffs and rolls his eyes, shrugging off his vest and crouching down to start gently plucking the shards out of the grass. He lays his vest over one hand and carefully places the shards onto the cloth, very meticulously placing each piece to avoid hurting the clothing. He doesn't respond but Trickee still joins him on the ground to help him clean up the mess.

Those dull eyes glance up at him again and they're swimming with unrestrained suspicion. It makes Trickee's stomach churn to see such raw distrust on someone's face. "What're you doing?"

Trickee's brows furrow, "Helping?" Obviously. He wasn't just gonna leave this poor guy after everything he just saw and awkwardly standing over him wasn't an option.

The gray troll huffs, "Why?" He presses, even going as far as to pull his paws closer to himself in an attempt to keep Trickee from placing the shards held in his fingers gently alongside the other pieces.

"You look like you could use it." Trickee tries to sound gentle, keeping his expression soft, but his tone comes off more abrasive than he intended and the gray troll recoils defensively.

"Yeah, like you care about helping," The gray troll snaps, turning his attention back to the few pieces remaining on the ground and picking up the pace. His face is twisted in an angry scowl but Trickee doesn't know what he did wrong to put it there.

"I'm trying to help you now!" Trickee defends. He stands as the gray troll picks up the last few bits of glass and tries not to look too upset. He doesn't know if he's succeeding but even if the other troll was being a bit rude Trickee thinks he has every right to be wary after what Creek just did.

"You just watched," The gray troll hisses as he rises up to his full height. He wraps his vest up in a small bundle around the glass so he can safely carry it to wherever he was trying to go and aims a righteous glare in Trickee's direction. Trickee freezes, staring wide-eyed back at the troll across from him. "You aren't helping me. You feel bad for me but you didn't help." The gray troll grimaces and for a brief moment he looks more sad than angry. "Now leave me alone." He murmurs, sagging in defeat, and shoulders past Trickee.

Trickee just watches as he leaves and is only shaken from his shocked stupor when the gray troll disappears around a corner into the empty market. He blinks a few times, arms hanging lost at his sides, and a pinprick of guilt spawns heavy and cold beneath his ribs. He wants to disagree, wants to call after the troll and say it wasn't like that, but he realizes belatedly that he had just stood and watched while Creek very intentionally made that troll feel like he was lesser.

The morning suddenly didn't feel so beautiful.

Trickee really wishes he had any idea how to find that troll. He feels like it should be common knowledge where the only gray troll in the village lives just because it was such a rare trait but Trickee's spent the last three days trying to catch a glimpse of him and he's only found disappointment. He tried to ask around once, on the day after he caught Creek harassing the poor guy. The woman he questioned had looked at him like he'd grown a second head, murmuring a soft "Why would you want to find him?" She'd left quickly after that, going about her merry way like she didn't just say something horrible.

The guilt from that day has only grown and festered until a constant pit rested uneasily in his stomach. He felt dreadful and he at very least wanted to apologize. He could admit that he messed up, he hadn't even thought then to step in and stop what Creek was doing. He knows he couldn't fix that. Trickee's search for the gray troll was proving that the village didn't care for him. Some people at least seemed sympathetic but didn't give the guy much thought besides that. It felt needlessly cruel but Trickee was being forced to learn that maybe trolls weren't as inherently kind as he was raised to believe. Trickee wouldn't give up, though. They lived in the same village after all, he'd have to stumble across him in the market or something again at some point.

It's only because he's looking that he finds him.

Trickee's walking across the market late in the day, hunched over dejectedly with his hands shoved deep into his vest pockets. The sunset is painting the sky in hues of vibrant orange, pink, and violet and the strings of paper lanterns scattered about the marketplace are colorful spots around the stalls and in the tree tops. Usually Trickee would appreciate the beautiful moment but he's too upset to really soak it all in. He's starting to think that maybe he won't ever get the chance to right his wrong and it makes the guilt in his chest weigh harshly against his lungs.

It's while he's on his way out of the market, slipping past the busiest stalls and heading off towards his pod, that he spots something. Maybe it's because he's been so focused on gray, gray, gray that he sees it. Maybe it's because he's forced himself to be so hyperaware these past few days in his desperation to make amends. Maybe it was just plain ol' dumb luck. Either way, Trickee will always look back on this moment and be grateful.

It's a flash of something dull and a unique shade of green that he catches in the corner of his eye while he's passing a narrow alley between two stores. That alone is enough to stop him in his tracks. He backtracks quickly, grin splitting his face when he thinks that finally he's found him. He slips into the alleyway with a bounce in his step but stumbles to a stop when he fully comprehends the scene in front of him.

He's found the troll alright, but once again it's a sight that makes his stomach drop. The gray troll is splayed across the floor, awkwardly collapsed against one of the walls with a paw clasped over his nose. There's red smeared between his fingers and dripping steadily down onto his chest and stomach. Standing proudly in front of him is Creek. It's clear that Creek's never thrown a punch before, he's still shaking out his paw with a wince twisting his features while the gray troll is staring up at him in frozen surprise. Creek doesn't seem to mind the pain much if the satisfied glint in his eyes is any indicator.

"Ah, look what you've made me do," Creek sighs like he's disappointed and that same fury from a few days ago starts to burn wild in Trickee's veins. It's a disgusting parallel to what Trickee had walked in on before but unlike last time he's not going to stand by and do nothing.

"Hey!" He yells, stomping forward and pushing Creek away with all his might before the slimy bastard even has the chance to fully turn around. The gray troll's wide eyes turn to Trickee and somehow seem to widen just a fraction more when he recognizes him. Trickee offers him a confident grin, standing tall, before turning to Creek with a scowl. "What the hell is your problem?" He demands, stepping between the gray troll and Creek.

Creek, unfortunately, caught himself on the other wall and pushed himself up with ease. He brushes imaginary dust from his shoulders and turns to Trickee with an unimpressed expression, "What's wrong with me? You're the one going around pushing people, mate." Creek scoffs. It's like he can't see the evidence of his own violence crumpled on the floor behind Trickee.

"Ah, cut it with the good guy shit will you?" Trickee sniffs, tilting his head up to look down his nose at Creek and crossing his arms tightly over his chest. Maybe he could give Creek a taste of his own medicine. Trickee won't be talked down to, not by anyone but certainly not by this bastard. Creek looks briefly startled, all his better-than-you bullshit dropping for just a few moments when Trickee brushes away his attempts at schmoozing. It fills Trickee up with a sick satisfaction and if the amused huff from behind him is anything to go by the gray troll feels it too.

"I really don't think this is any of your business." Creek switches tactics swiftly. The transition is smooth and practiced and it makes Trickee's skin itch just hearing it. He wonders if anyone really falls for this or if he's the only one immune. "This is between me and him, yeah? Why don't you go about your day and leave us to it." The worst part is that Creek manages to make it sound reasonable. He doesn't raise his voice or even sound so much as irritated by Trickee's intervention. He's calm, collected, and has a soft smile on his face that implies nothing was going on besides maybe a private chat between two friends.

"If you think anyone is just gonna stand around and let you hit someone you wouldn't be standing in some dark alley," Trickee hisses, his rage boiling beneath the surface. The gray trolls shuffles a bit behind him and Trickee shoots a glance over his shoulder to make sure that he's okay. The guy has shifted from where he haphazardly fell and was instead kneeling tense on the grassy floor. The blood is smeared around from where it clearly pooled on his navel and he's carefully removed his vest to keep it clean, hand still pressed to his face in an attempt to staunch the flow. It doesn't seem too excessive, a bit gruesome, but it couldn't be more than a broken nose at least. He's looking between Trickee and Creek warily, not an ounce of trust or gratitude in his eyes, and Trickee feels sick seeing it. He'd wonder just who it was that hurt him so badly to strip him of any speck of optimism but one of the culprits is standing directly across from him. Trickee had already let it happen once. He didn't deserve the gray troll's trust but he would be damned if he couldn't earn it.

He turns back to Creek and finds that his easy-going expression has finally fallen away. Creek glares at Trickee with furious eyes swimming with irritation and Trickee sees then and there just who the real Creek is. "Listen, mate, no one's gonna mind if the colorless hermit gets banged up a bit. You don't even know his name so don't go around pretending like you care." Creek reaches out and forcefully pushes Trickee aside, not even sparing him a glance as he stumbles over his own feet. Trickee throws out his arms on instinct, wincing when the rough stone of the wall scratches at his skin and scraps away some of his fur, but his eyes don't leave Creek for even a second. Creek takes a step towards the gray troll huddled on the floor and Trickee watches in what feels like slow motion as the poor troll flinches, a sneer pulling at his lips and showing off blood-stained teeth like it would do anything to protect him from whatever blow Creek was aiming to throw this time.

Trickee swears his vision goes red and he shoves himself away from the wall with all his strength, using the momentum to add power to his swing. Creek may not know how to throw a punch but Trickee does. His fist connects with Creek's face and even though his knuckles smart at the contact he revels in it. Creek cries out, falling back and splaying out similarly to how the gray troll had initially been, a paw reaching up instinctively to hold his cheek. Creek gazes up at Trickee like he was the one in the wrong and Trickee glares back with a fiery anger that leaves his chest heaving. "This is over." He snaps, barely resisting the urge to growl like some wild animal. "I don't need to know his name to know that he doesn't deserve this and if you want to see how hard I can really hit you can go ahead and try to lay another finger on him."

Creek is speechless, anger and surprise battling for dominance on his face, and Trickee would find it funny if the mere sight of Creek didn't fill him with an unholy fury. "Go on," Trickee clenches his fists at his sides and grits his teeth, once again sliding between the gray troll and Creek, "Try it." Creek glares back, orange clashing with indigo. They're locked in a silent staring match for a few long moments but Creek inevitably glaces away first with a scoff. It was the smart choice, evidently Trickee would knock Creek flat on his ass if the purple troll tried to double down.

"Pathetic," Trickee sniffs, turning his back to Creek now that the bastard wasn't a threat. He crouches down in front of the gray troll and scans him over once again, feeling all the anger drain out of him at the sight of the poor guy. The troll looks at Trickee with such a confused expression as if it were a mystery why anyone would ever stand up for him. It makes him look young and Trickee comes to the startling realization that maybe he is. He had to be at least a year or two younger than Trickee now that he's really looking and Trickee himself was only fifteen. "Come on." Trickee stands and offers a hand. The troll doesn’t grab it and Trickee tries not to take it personally. Instead, the guy climbs to his feet, using the wall for support, and sends one last undecipherable look Creek's way before heading towards the alley's exit. Trickee sighs, tilting his head back and looking up at the sky. There was still a lingering guilt stirring up in him but he feels satisfied knowing that he didn't just watch. There's a pride that comes with doing what's right and taking action and even if the gray troll still wanted nothing to do with him he can at least bask in that.

Someone clears their throat and Trickee looks over to see the troll still standing in the alley looking back at him awkwardly. "Are you coming?" He asks, hand muffling the question. Trickee absolutely beams and hurries to catch up.

They leave through the back of the alley and head away from the crowds still cluttered around the marketplace. Trickee is happy to follow along, feeling a warmth bloom deep within him. The guilt is unraveling, dissipating in the rising joy. "I'm sorry about the other day," He says, keeping pace beside the gray troll and trying to figure out where they're going. They're getting further and further from anywhere in the village that Trickee recognizes but he's not afraid.

The troll shrugs, "Whatever," he finally pries his paw away from his face and Trickee winces at the sight. The whole lower half of his face is smeared in blood and his palm is completely coated. It all looks like it's already congealing, though, so at least it's stopped bleeding. The troll huffs a soft laugh and glances at Trickee with a barely there smile, "That bad, huh?"

Trickee smiles back hesitantly, "It's not great." He admits. He shakes his head and adverts his eyes, rolling back to the topic at hand. "Still, though, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let him mess with you like that." He's a bit ashamed that it hadn't even occurred to him to step in the first time around.

The other troll just shrugs again, clutching his vest tightly in his clean hand and resolutely keeping his eyes trained ahead of him, "You made up for it." He assures stiffly but not unkindly.

Trickee sighs, "Yeah, I guess." He turns his arms over, inspecting the little scratches running up along his forearms as they walk. There are a few specks of dirt caught in the wounds that he knows he should clean out. "Where are we going?" He asks as he looks around their surroundings, letting his arms drop back down to his sides. They've left the village now, leaving its borders behind them and stepping out into the lush foliage of the forest. It's beautiful, especially in the last remaining rays of the colorful sunset, but Trickee is pretty sure that there's nothing out here.

"My bunker." The troll replies, "I have a lot of supplies there." He looks pointedly down at Trickee's arms and the warmth burrowed in his lungs bursts. The gray troll was obviously distrusting and standoffish but his kindness lay in his actions.

Trickee's face melts and a soft smile slides easily across his face, "Thanks, man."

"Branch," The gray troll replies and Trickee immediately ducks out of habit. Except there's no branch there, in fact, they've reached a clearing with only a few scatterings of bushes and a large boulder pushes off to the side. Trickee stops in his tracks, brows furrowing as he watches the troll walk toward the rock without missing a beat. The troll crouches down by the rock and pulls back a hatch in the floor, looking up at Trickee with uncertain eyes. "My name is Branch."

Oh. Trickee didn't think he could feel so content, so honored, by the words and tentative trust of a stranger. "Cool," he laughs, rushing forward to meet Branch at his bunker door. He smiles as he crouches down and peeks in, turning to meet Branch's eyes, "Trickee." He introduces and holds out his paw.

[euijoosorangeslice]

I'm very interested

Ok so I was just planning on going to my friends house and gettting drunk and regretting my life decisions in the morning, but she invited a mutual friend of ours over and she is so fucking hot…..😮‍💨 anyways we get into our pajamas and she’s wearing like these plaid pants with a white tank top and I can’t stop staring at her body 😅 like she was just so well endowed. ANYWAY ANYWAYYYY.

We get bored and play some random card games and shit and then my friend leaves to go shower so me and her are left in the room together. We’re just jamming to music together and then out of nowhere, she just starts caressing my hand. And the gay panic starts to settle in cause does she like me or are we just friends????

So I kid you not, she just says “ I’m really fucking horny right now.” And I’m just blinking looking at her. Like what do I say to that so I try to talk but it sounds like “erm ahhahshwhwhhsheh uuhh wow that’s cool!” At this point I’m already embarrassed with myself, but I think she found it cute and started touching my inner thigh 🤭

So she starts kissing me and this is like my first real kiss and I start freaking out so she pulls away from me and asks if what shes doing is fine cause she didn’t really ask and I just nod and sit there in silence for like a minute. We keep kissing anyways and she slides her hand up my thigh and under my skirt. She literally starts like putting her thumb on my…yk (I write smut but somehow can’t bring myself to say it rn) and is like keep asking me if im okay with it.

She was really nice about it though and she wanted to make sure I felt good 😌 since I had told her no one had ever done this for me before. Let’s just say she made me cum on her fingers like twice. And embarrassingly fast.

But after we were done she gave me really good aftercare and said that i don’t have to help her out if I didn’t want to. I told her I was inexperienced but she didn’t mind and she let me try fingering her. I did make her cum so clap it up for me. Then my friend came back out the shower and we all just ate snacks and watched a movie.

[self-loving-vampire]

the "cool girl" monologue?

It gets pretty long but:

Men always say that as the defining compliment, don’t they? She’s a cool girl. Being the Cool Girl means I am a hot, brilliant, funny woman who adores football, poker, dirty jokes, and burping, who plays video games, drinks cheap beer, loves threesomes and anal sex, and jams hot dogs and hamburgers into her mouth like she’s hosting the world’s biggest culinary gang bang while somehow maintaining a size 2, because Cool Girls are above all hot. Hot and understanding. Cool Girls never get angry; they only smile in a chagrined, loving manner and let their men do whatever they want. Go ahead, shit on me, I don’t mind, I’m the Cool Girl. Men actually think this girl exists. Maybe they’re fooled because so many women are willing to pretend to be this girl. For a long time Cool Girl offended me. I used to see men – friends, coworkers, strangers – giddy over these awful pretender women, and I’d want to sit these men down and calmly say: You are not dating a woman, you are dating a woman who has watched too many movies written by socially awkward men who’d like to believe that this kind of woman exists and might kiss them. I’d want to grab the poor guy by his lapels or messenger bag and say: The bitch doesn’t really love chili dogs that much – no one loves chili dogs that much!

Note that the character who is saying this stuff is kind of unhinged and extremely resentful about her relationship. She doesn't seem to be much of a fan of other women, and she also doesn't seem to have the healthiest view of men for that matter.

Anyway, a lot of people have taken this villain monologue at face value and started judging real life people based on it.

If they see a conventionally attractive woman talking about how much she likes to eat or play video games or whatever it is assumed to just be a performance for men. Like those preferences are unnatural and forced in women (but of course no one seems to doubt men who say or do these things nearly as much, their interest is considered automatically legitimate).

And as a result there's some people out there who seem to unironically believe that having gender-nonconforming interests is internalized misogyny.

On one hand I find this whole thing amusing because I am both a narcissist and a less crass version of the character type described (loving food, being a pervert, gaming, etc. while also being hot. Not big on anal or unsanitary stuff specifically though, and beer holds no appeal to me either).

I read that stuff and think "Oh wow, yet another allegedly impossible ideal that I just effortlessly meet without even trying."

But on the other hand I also find it kind of grating when people overly highlight gender or start strongly gendering activities like this. To me, it is silly at best to imply that only men can have an interest in a particular hobby.

Like, stop. Do you really live like this? This is as stupid as when my father said only women and gays liked cats. It's not even true and you know it. Stop pretending people who have these interests don't exist in real life.

Some of us are just too autistic to care about gender norms one way or another, and to be honest I think more people could do with being even just slightly more indifferent to gender.

[pesterloglog]

Dave Strider, Rose Lalonde

Act 6, page 5398

DAVE: whats up with the fish punk troll following kanaya around

ROSE: Seems she's passing through. Kanaya doesn't want her to cause trouble.

DAVE: cause trouble

DAVE: what the fuck could she even do here

DAVE: like kick over an old pile of garbage and cause the property value to fall even lower than jack shit

DAVE: i say let her go nuts

ROSE: Feel free to take it up with Kanaya.

ROSE: But if you authorize her to flip a bitch, just make sure she's nowhere near my chemistry table.

DAVE: yeah

DAVE: cant be droppin your vials and shit all over the floor

DAVE: the only one whos got clearance to drop science is me

ROSE: Dork.

DAVE: dont even hate

DAVE: been shoring up my muthafuckin CRAFT over here

ROSE: I know. I've been in the same room, right over there, listening to you mumble lyrics to yourself for the last couple hours.

DAVE: rose you know what sucks

ROSE: Yes.

ROSE: To which sucky thing are you referring?

DAVE: it kinda just occurred to me

DAVE: while i was spitting ill verse to no end

DAVE: i got this weird feeling that i might be getting like

DAVE: a little dated?

ROSE: Is this about Terezi?

DAVE: what

DAVE: no no

DAVE: dont be disingenuous word girl you know what im saying

DAVE: i mean sorta passe

DAVE: like a lumbering pop reference dinosaur

DAVE: remember we are both kind of stuck in 2009

DAVE: so im like popculturally frozen in that period

DAVE: all my references feel like they might be getting a little stale

DAVE: even though the earth ended and all and there was no culture after that point anyway

DAVE: but still

DAVE: i can feel it

DAVE: like in my bones

DAVE: i just know on some hypothetical earth that kept going my shit is starting to get so lame

DAVE: and i know it doesnt matter because its just us here so who cares

DAVE: but i care

DAVE: its a matter of integrity i am a fucking artist

DAVE: like i think if i make one more rap about like some fucking dane cook movie from 2008 to piss karkat off or some tired bullshit like that im going to

DAVE: i dont know

DAVE: ill just start feeling like a fraud

DAVE: my game might be drying up rose

DAVE: but its not my fault like im totally hostage to this freezedried backlog of cultural garbage that can never move forward again

DAVE: so i have to pick through it like im looting a fucking tomb while still all tryin to act RAP SASSY

DAVE: like YEAH take THAT motherfuckers

DAVE: OF THE PAST

DAVE: all in your mass graves somewhere in a dead frogiverse

DAVE: i be representing some god damn STANDARDS about your media do you feel me

DAVE: im depressing myself here

DAVE: all im saying is it would be cool to have some fresh shit to work with

DAVE: like just to know

DAVE: to know what the world would be like in the year it would be for us now

DAVE: which would be 2011 i guess

DAVE: wow 2011 really

DAVE: damn

DAVE: i just want to know what would have happened

DAVE: theres so much shit we were primed for

DAVE: it was gonna be exciting

DAVE: like barack obama just turned president remember that

DAVE: we never got to see if he fixed the economy

DAVE: remember how you were dying to see if he would fix the economy you were asking me about it every damn day

DAVE: just joking nobody gave a shit about that

DAVE: but like

DAVE: i never got to check out the next batch of stiller jams and see how bad i could mock them

DAVE: we never got to find out how the midnight crew adventure ended

DAVE: if ever

DAVE: rose

DAVE: ROSE??

DAVE: what the fuck man

DAVE: whyd you go back to your bottles and shit i was right in the thick of hella elocution

DAVE: dont give me that

DAVE: yes

DAVE: uh yeah

DAVE: yes i do ACTUALLY want you to come back over here

DAVE: im waiting

ROSE: Fine. Here I am.

DAVE: wow was that so hard

DAVE: this is what civilized people do rose they fucking talk to each other like actually in each others fucking vicinities

ROSE: You just have a tendency to go on for a while. I assumed we progressed to the traditional mumbling monologue stage of Striderian discourse.

DAVE: no thats not even a thing

DAVE: i was actually like

DAVE: trying to get your take

ROSE: Take on what.

DAVE: i dont even know

DAVE: i bet john would have stuff to say

DAVE: hes probably going through the same frozen fucking caveman from 2009 syndrome as me

DAVE: actually what am i saying the dude is a caveman from 1997

DAVE: hahaha like he could give a shit as long as hes got his cage dvds

ROSE: Oh! I saw him the other night.

DAVE: what

ROSE: In a dream. It was very brief, only a few minutes. I waved to him and then woke up.

DAVE: whoa what was he doing

ROSE: He was fighting Jack. Actually, he was doing quite well!

DAVE: oh man

DAVE: you have to tell me all about this

ROSE: I will. Later, though. I'd like to get back to work.

DAVE: ok when

DAVE: tonight?

ROSE: I have plans tonight. How about tomorrow.

DAVE: plans

DAVE: what plans

ROSE: Just some plans.

DAVE: can i come

ROSE: No!

DAVE: fuck fine

DAVE: tomorrow then

DAVE: maybe ill just dream up my own john tonight and well have an awesome time without you what do you think about that

ROSE: ...

DAVE: fu

[mieux-de-se-taire]

Early Sunsets over Monroeville - MCR Interviews

89.5 WSOU FM Interview - 7/11/02

14:12-15:33, 20:21-20:32, 21:20-21:28, 21:47-21:51

Interviewer: Do you think that added to the performance, that you had to actually get through the pain? Gerard: For Early Sunsets Over Monroeville, definitely. I was in-- It was like, I don’t know like 10-- 9:30 at night. We were just getting ready-- It was the last song we did for the day, and I was in so much pain. And I just-- you know Geoffy [Geoff Rickly] was like, “Alright, let her rip.” Interviewer: That’s the mellow song, right? Ray: Right, that’s the-- what’s awesome about that too is the last, I think it’s like the last 3 minutes of that song is just one take, no edits, no stops, no cuts. It’s just...It’s an amazing performance by-- by him and just by all of us, I think because we-- we wrote that song like a few days before we went into the studio. It wasn’t finished when we recorded it, so it was just us, you know, kinda letting all of us [unintelligible], you know? Interviewer: (Overlapping) It was your studio song. Ray: Right, we wrote it in the studio. Interviewer: Well since we’re hyping this up so much... (Ray laughs) We might as well play it ‘cause everyone out there’s going “Wow, sounds like a great song.” Ray: Hopefully Interviewer: “I wanna hear him crying.” (Ray and Gerard laugh) “I wanna hear that tooth.” (Continued laughter) So, I guess let’s go into a little bit background of the song, and then we’ll play the song for everybody, and everyone can hear. Gerard: Okay, Mikey does not want me to reveal-- Interviewer: He’s going “No! You’re out!” Gerard: (Overlapping) what the song is about, but if you-- there’s plenty of clues in it, so if you figure out, it’s-- I’ll say it’s about a film. Is that enough? Ray: Yeah, that’s good. Gerard: Okay, you can figure out-- Ray: (Interrupting) Horror film Gerard: Alright. (Pauses then laughs) You messed it up! (Arguing in background)

Interviewer: What are some of your favorite songs off this record to play live and actually-- or during the recording process? Ray: Um, I think recording process-wise, definitely “Monroeville.”

Frank: (Talking about his favorite songs) And “Monroeville” because I had no clue what I was gonna do. (Interviewer laughs) I wrote it in the van before we recorded, and I had like frostbite on my fingers so it kinda sucked.

Mikey: I like the “Monroeville” song. (To Gerard) It was fun watching you tweak out at the end. (Gerard laughs)

/

Noise Theory Interview - 11/13/02

Page 1, paragraph 5

Interviewer: Even though ‘My Chemical Romance’ as a band have been together only a short time, the album displays some excellent and mature song writing skills. Were the album songs written after the band became complete? Ray: We started in October 2001, and had written 5 songs by January 2002. This was when the band was still a four piece. The rest of the songs came together a few weeks before we went to record. Honey This Mirror and Early Sunsets were written about a week before we left for the studio. We asked Frank to be in the band around the same time, so to get his input on those songs really helped them become what they are.

/

HardcoreNJ Interview - March/April 2003

Paragraph 3

Interviewer: What was the inspiration behind "Early Sunsets Over Monroeville"? Matt: Musically there wasn't any inspiration, 2 days before the recording I happened to be strumming an acoustic guitar in our practice space, and the guys all seemed to like what I was playing (which is a rarity). Anyways, we knew we wanted something different on the record to reflect our softer side. I think it was the most magical part of recording process, seeing a 2 day old song kinda just work, we didn't even have an ending for it. We all just jammed it out improvising. Oh, and the vocals were inspired by a certain movie...

/

89.5 WSOU FM Interview - 7/3/03

8:25-8:31, 8:59-10:27

Interviewer: Alright, so, we’re gonna hear “Monroeville.” Ray: It’s a slow one. Grab your girl...and then shoot her in the head. (Laughter)

Interviewer: I remember a long time ago when you were recording this record that you had a problem while you were singing this song. Gerard: Yeah, I had a hole in my tooth and an abscess in the hole, and it was pushing against all the nerves in my face, and it looked like I had Parkinson’s, and it was (a?) drag, and it-- Interviewer: And your face was droopy, and-- Gerard: It was drooping, and I looked like a-- I went to hospitals the whole time we were recording, and they thought I had facial nerve paralysis, nerve damage, so I had to do that song, like basically with, yeah like the most intense pain and half a face. (Dramatically) Half a face! Interviewer: So, alright, everyone listening out there, now you know he did this song with half a face. Gerard: (After a pause) Half a face. (Laughter) Interviewer: How did you feel about the song after you played it? I know you must have been like, you know, “This can’t be the best I can do” because you’re all messed up and stuff. (Ray protesting in background) Gerard: It felt like that, but (Unintelligible as Gerard and interviewer talk at the same time) when I was doing it, but everybody was so psyched on it when I did it-- Ray: Psyched! People were crying-- Gerard: They were crying man (Laughter) Ray: It was amazing. It was the most amazing, definitely the most amazing-- Matt: (Overlapping) Yeah, we were definitely a bunch of wusses. Frank: Alright, correction, not a bunch of wusses. Ray and Otter (Matt) cried. (Laughter) That’s what happened. Ray: No no no, I will definitely say I-- Mikey: The red sea might have been parted when my brother did that part. Ray: I cried. I think Alex [Saavedra] might have shed a singular tear. Interviewer: A singular tear? Ray: It was definitely some crying going on. (Matt talking in background) Gerard: (Overlapping) I got a hug after that one Ray: (Overlapping) It was bad. Gerard: (Overlapping) I got a hug. I got lots of hugs after that. Interviewer: (After a pause and laughter) Alright, so how’d you feel about the hugs afterwards? Gerard: The hugs were sweet. (Laughter in background) The record was sweeter.

/

Punk It Interview - 10/29/03

Paragraph 28

Sev (Interviewer): What are some of the biggest disagreements amongst yourselves? Gerard: We mesh really well musically and personally. We all have a good time, so there's probably not that many disagreements. The only thing I think we ever disagree upon is if we're going to play "Early Sunsets Over Monroeville" or not. We had a little thing tonight. Some guys wanted to play it tonight, but I'm not sure. It's an ad lib song - the first verse was written, but the last part of the song was freestyle. And I'm not fucking Eminem, so unless the vibe is right, I don't like to do it. I did it in Chicago because the vibe was perfect. It basically happens in the middle of the set. We feel the energy, and if they can deal with it, we can deal with it.

/

Life On the Murder Scene - 2005

31:24-32:01

Ray: And Frank played on 2 of the tracks off the first record, and one of them was “Early Sunsets Over Monroeville.” (“Early Sunsets” begins to play) Ray: He just plays some great, great parts. Frank: (Cuts to different interview) When we were doing “Monroeville”, Ray was laying down his parts, and as soon as he was done, I took the parts that they had recorded into a van, that had like no heat, outside the studio and wrote what I was gonna play. Ray: (Back to first interview) A lot of the melody that he plays during the verses and the choruses is just, you know, absolutely beautiful, and I think really makes those songs work.

/

Barcelona Live Stream - 3/5/11

6:10-6:34

Ray: (Reading a live chat feed) Ooh, would you ever play “Early Sunsets”? Frank: Oh, we have (turns to Ray while Mikey speaks in the background) this tour? I don’t know. Ray: I can’t even remember the last we played that. Frank: I think it was in Chicago. Ray: Yeah? Mikey: (After a pause) Oh yeah, we played it in the Metro. Gerard: (Unintelligible as multiple people speak) like “The End”? Frank: Yeah Ray: That would be a cool one to revisit. Gerard: It was a cool-- I think especially if we give it some structure at the end like, ‘cause that was the problem with playing that song. It has no definitive ending, like it kinda just keeps going and going.

/

Kerrang #1376 (alt) - 8/10/11

Page 3, paragraph 11

Interviewer: I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love” was released in July 2002. What do you think of it now? Ray: You can hear the nervousness and excitement. Every song speeds up which gives them a lot of character. I like the rawness, especially in the vocals. It sounds very true. I get emotional, too. Early Sunsets Over Monroeville is unlike anything we’ve ever done since -- it’s amazing.

/

Where Are Your Boys Tonight? (Chris Payne) - 2020-2022

Chapter 9, page 113

Geoff Rickly: When we were in the studio, Gerard’s wisdom teeth were really hurting him, and he wasn’t able to sing, so he went to the dentist to have them out and afterwards they gave him a bunch of painkillers. He didn’t sing with the fire or the venom, so Alex took the painkillers away from him. Like, “You gotta sing in pain, fuck you! You gotta feel it!” I was taking the painkillers, watching him sing the record. I remember lying on the floor and coaching him through how to sing “Early Sunsets Over Monroeville,” the ballad on the record. I was saying, “You’re following the music, make the music follow you. More intense! The music will catch up to you.”

[rorywritesjunk]

Be gentle with yourself as you uncover Your best kept secrets yet to be discovered

Buggy meets an infamous pirate who dabbles in magic that everyone seems to be after, but they only have eyes for Buggy. Why is he so special?

Rating: PGish. Warning: None. Buggy is Buggy. This chapter has a brief moment of nudity, however. A/N: My "Howl's Moving Castle" fic based off the movie because I never read the book. It will have different moments than the movie just to omit some things. This story uses "You" but I couldn't not give the character a name and for some reason "Shore" is what I thought of. And Shore is referred to as they/them, nonbinary, and breaks hearts wherever they go. Buggy is Sophie in this fic, is 22, and not always in a good mood. Extra Note: Wow, 2 and a half months later and here's the fifth chapter! I'm really taking my time, I'm sorry! Thank you for reading! Also realizing with this primarily being Buggy's POV I should have just written this without the 'You' pronouns, but it's okay!

Title comes from "Better In The Morning" by Birdtalker.

Taglist: @lostfirefly @fanaticsnail  @youreinthewind 

Chapter 1 + Chapter 2 + Chapter 3 + Chapter 4 + Chapter 5

Chapter V

The ship rested along a lake that Luffy told Buggy was called Star Lake. He had never heard of it but wasn’t about to tell the kid that. Buggy just figured this would be a good time to get some of the laundry out to dry and air linens out. Even if he focused on maintenance, regular chores needed to still be done. After a week on the ship, the amount of laundry that accumulated was surprising for three people.

Things were… calm, for the most part, except for the surprise of the scarecrow that seemed to have been caught on the figurehead of the ship. This was the first Buggy could really see the ship after rescuing the scarecrow and setting it upright. It seemed pleased, bounding around as Luffy chased after it. 

The figurehead at the front of the ship was of a wolfish beast, its teeth bared, snarling at anyone who faced it. Buggy would have thought it was some kind of canine had it not been for the scales that were along the front paws that were positioned in an attack position. The claws looked sharp, the look in its dull, wooden eyes was frightening. Buggy was glad he didn’t see this when he first saw the ship or he would have had a heart attack.

The rest of the ship was in… okay condition. Barnacles and dried seaweed encrusted the underside of it while there were a few rotten spots on the top half that he could see. How long had this ship been around? It seemed old but you seemed to be the same age as Buggy, so were you some ageless entity or did you inherit or steal the ship? He was curious.

There wasn’t much time to think as things needed to get done. Buggy went in to retrieve the linen basket, a mixture of things he was going to help Luffy wash and hang the rest of the articles that needed to see daylight for a little while. He didn’t trust the boy to do it the right way by himself so Buggy was there to show him even though he ended up doing the rest of it by himself. The scarecrow hung around, even helping with the laundry by grasping one end of the line and bouncing around to get the clothes to dry faster.

Buggy felt proud of the work they managed to get done so far. Him and Luffy took a break outside with a snack and drink, relaxing with a little table between them as the boy nearly inhaled the plate of food Buggy placed in front of him.

“That scarecrow’s probably a demon or something!” The boy grinned, his mouthful of food. Buggy grimaced at the sight. He wished the boy would finish chewing before he spoke. “Shanks didn't seem bothered.”

Buggy shrugged. “Maybe so, but that thing helped me get on the ship so it can't be a bad demon.” He took a bite of his food, a piece of toast with jam and butter. He thought for a moment when he met you, how you were there at the right time to save him for the Marines. He never imagined seeing you again and now here he was, working on your ship as the maintenance man. He wondered how long he could keep up the act.

They finished their food in silence. Luffy got up and took the dishes in while Buggy kept an ear out for dishes breaking. He sighed and sat back in his chair, looking around and taking in the scenery. He never did this sort of thing as a young man. He was constantly moving, there was always some kind of noise around him: people laughing, animals making noise, lights buzzing and the tents flapping in the wind. To just sit and listen to silence was quite nice. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. He wanted to remember this place, how the water sparkled, the clouds reflected on the surface, the hills dropping right down to the lake. The mountains cast a shadow as the sun moved behind them.

It was peaceful and for a moment Buggy wished he could stay there forever.

~

The wheel above the door spun around before opening. You walked in, body aching from the evening. With the threat of war looming over the towns, you did what you could. An evening sea battle with a fleet threatening to enter the harbor was what you partook in, becoming a monstrous scaly sea creature with the head of a wolf, tearing apart the ships and any sailor who tried to fight. There were smaller creatures bubbling up from the bottoms of the sea, trying to attack you, but you tore them apart. Your wounds didn’t phase you, feeling like mosquito bites in the fearsome form. 

You returned back to the ship, exhausted and sore.

“You look worse for wear.” Shanks commented as you fell into the chair in front of him. He watched you flinch and groan softly as your body shifted back, the scales and fur retreating, your body returning to your true form. It was always uncomfortable, like your body being pulled and twisted during the process. Shanks had his eyes on you the entire time as he hung on a log in the burning embers of the fireplace. “Y'know, you stay in that form for too long you won't change back. We'll have to get you some kind of fish tank to keep you alive.”

“They were trying to attack from the sea.” You rasped out as you closed your eyes, leaning back in the chair. “They already attacked other ports.”

“Ugh, I can't stand those flames from weapons.” Shanks said as he grabbed a log from beside him. “Hey, hey, look what Mister Buggy made me! He put a little holder of logs for me to grab so I can feed myself! That’s pretty great!”

“There were others out there.” You sighed as you put your feet up on the hearth. “They tried to attack me from the sea.”

“Other pirates?” The flame asked as he made himself comfortable on the fresh log. “Or Alvida?”

“Pirates who turned themselves into sea creatures using magic.” You winced. “No doubt under order from him.”

“They won't be able to change back, will they?”

“Their bodies are at the bottom of the harbor.” You told him as you opened your eyes and sat up. “I'm tired. Make some hot water for my bath.”

“Whaaaaat?” Shanks whined.

You said nothing as you stood up from your chair and looked over to the cot against the wall. Buggy had made himself a sleeping space over there, bundled under several wool blankets as he slept. You approached him quietly, sighing softly upon seeing the blue hair and young face looking peaceful as he dreamed. You stroked his cheek gently with the back of your knuckles, wishing he would have pleasant dreams, before you turned and headed up the stairs to your room.

~

Buggy woke up to the pipes shrieking and Shanks grumbling. Daylight peaked through the small windows of the ship, letting him know it was morning. He rubbed his face and sat up, squinting over at the fire putting logs on himself.

“What's going on?” He asked, voice raspy from sleep. “Is Shore back?”

“Yes, they're using up all the hot water.” Shanks complained as he rested on a fresh log. “Hope you didn't want to bathe this morning. They'll be in there all day.”

Buggy shrugged and rubbed his face again. He needed to get some supplies and provisions for the three of them this afternoon and he had to prepare himself to wrangle Luffy along with him.

He never did see Shore as he made a quick breakfast, leaving a plate of toast and potatoes for them before he and Luffy stepped out of the faux store front.

“What do we need? I want food!” Luffy said as the two made their way to the market at the port. Buggy glanced at the boy before he approached the stalls, checking for vegetables, meats, breads, and other things. 

“When aren't you hungry?” Buggy grumbled as he purchased some things, setting them in the basket Luffy was carrying. “Don't eat any of this, understand? I'll buy you something else to hold you over until we're done.”

The boy's eyes lit up and Buggy sighed, grabbing a few extra pieces of fruit for him to snack on. He had to make sure Luffy didn't try to sneak anything out of the basket as they shopped. 

It was going fine at first until people started rushing for the docks. Buggy frowned and turned around, demanding, “What's going on?!”

“Some ships are coming into the harbor!” A man younger than Buggy said as he passed by. “Looks like there was a battle!”

Others rushed by, some of the booths closing as their vendors rushed to see the damage. Buggy and Luffy shared a look before they followed after, keen to see what was happening. 

The ships were heavily damaged. Some were smoking, fires smoldering in the ruins as sailors tried to steer the damaged vessels safely. It didn't look like any other ship did that, but something larger. Buggy swallowed heavily and grabbed Luffy by the back of his shirt to keep the boy from going further.

“I think we should go.” He said, glancing around. “I want to leave.”

“But-”

Buggy stiffened when he saw a funny looking shape nearby. It looked like one of the shadows he saw when he first met Shore as they walked him safely through the air. The shadow seemed as though it was looking for something, sniffing the air like a hunting dog as the crowds paid it no mind.

“We need to leave now.” Buggy hissed, grabbing the boy by the hand before he started to pull him along. He didn't want to wait to see what else might happen.

The two made it back to the store front. Buggy’s heart was racing and he went for the chair in front of the fireplace while Luffy went to get him something to drink. He hated how scared he had been, but what if something had happened to him or Luffy? Would you have known and come to look for the two of them?

As soon as Buggy sat down, a scream from the bathroom shook the ship. He could hear the door fly open (he wondered if he'd have to fix it) and you rush down the stairs, crying and screaming about something.

“Buggy!” You shrieked as you ran down the stairs, a towel just around your waist, your hair dripping from the bath as you grasped it. “What did you do?! I told you to be careful in the bathroom!” When you came down, tugging at the now green hair, once a beautiful silver, Buggy stood his ground though internally he was terrified. “You ruined my beautiful hair!”

“M-Maybe some bottles got mixed up while I was in there fixing the cabinets?” Buggy suggested as you stumbled over to the chair in front of Shanks. “Green… green looks fine!”

“I'm hideous.” You bemoaned as you slumped forward. “Hideous. Who would ever see me as beautiful now? My hair looks like mold growing out of forgotten cheese. Everything is ruined.”

“Now, h-hang on-” Buggy reached out to touch your shoulder only to jerk his hand away. Your skin felt weird, almost sticky to the touch, but not from the bathwater or soap. You slumped forward, head resting on the hearth as your eyes filled with tears, the sticky substance on your skin seeming to bubble up and drip to the floor. “Sh-Shore, it's just hair, we… we can dye it back! It's going to be fine!”

“My beautiful hair… I'm just a hideous monster now.” You whined loudly, ignoring Buggy. “Who would ever find someone as ugly as me beautiful now?”

Buggy’s jaw dropped. You really thought you were ugly because your hair color changed? He heard enough of this nonsense from the overly vain performers at the circus, he didn't need to hear it from you.

“You think you're ugly because your hair is a different color?!” He shrieked at you. “You?! Try looking like me every day of your life! I've been called far worse and managed, Shore, okay?! Your stupid hair changing color isn't a reason to have a tantrum! I've never once been seen as beautiful or anything and I've had to live with that!”

He gave the chair a kick before storming out, ignoring Luffy yelling for him. The outside led him to the lake, though rain was pouring down, matching Buggy’s mood. He hated that he could feel tears welling up in his eyes, hated that you called yourself ugly, and he hated how those words seemed to trigger him. He wiped at his eyes, not sure what were the tears or the raindrops, but he needed a few minutes to himself.

The green hair looked fine to him, he thought it reminded him of the grassy field he was standing on as he faced the lake. It reminded him of the green stems of fresh flowers, or of apples he picked up at the market. There was nothing ugly about it.

A sound behind him caught his attention. That scarecrow was still around, its blue hair vibrant in the rain. It was carrying an umbrella, holding it over Buggy as he wiped his eyes.

“You're still around?” He chuckled. “Thanks, I guess, didn't need you to do that for me.”

“Mister Buggy!” Luffy yelled from the doorway. “Mister Buggy, help!”

He sniffled and took a few deep breaths before glancing at the scarecrow and heading back inside. He heard the concern in the boy’s voice and he needed to be the one in charge now. Luffy was too young and you were too upset.

When he came in, seeing you encased in some… thing, he sighed and walked over to you, reaching under your shoulders to pull you to your feet. He ignored how the substance felt, wondering if this was a result of magic.

“C’mon, you crybaby, let's get you cleaned up.” Buggy said as you let him lead you back up the stairs. Halfway up your towel slipped and fell, which surprised Buggy, he thought with how weirdly sticky you were it wouldn't have bugged, but he ignored it and kept walking. Anyone else would have blushed at the sight of your naked body, but with his time in the circus, it didn't phase Buggy one bit. He just hoped this wouldn't become a habit.

[praphit]

Guardians Vol 3: A fatty, salty gift.

(No Spoilers)

May I be honest be with you? I’ve been thinking about letting my PMB card (Proud Marvel Bitch) expire.  I know. I KNOW. Perish the thought, right??

I've been defending Marvel throughout all of the recent tough times. 

While errbody out there was talkin smack, I defended you, Marvel!

When people said "Thor 4" was too goofy & had tone problems, 

I said "LOOK, this dude just got his body back, his lady back, and his hammer back. Let him have some fun! Quit being a grump!"

When people said that "The Multiverse of Madness" suffered from too much CGI. 

I said "LOOK, it's called THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS! It's about a fight between a Magical Doctor of Strangeness and a Super Witch! Give me ALL of the effects & colors! There can't be enough CGI! How were y'all expecting anything other than an overload of all of that?! You just want them to duke it out in one room, throwing Skittles and glitter at each other??!"

When people said that She-Hulk didn't have no business twerkin with Megan Thee Stallion.

I supported that badly CG'd booty! "If ya got it, shake it!" is what I said.

And then, "Ant-Man 3 happened.... 

THEN, J.Majors had his... alleged... issue...

THEN, I saw that "The Marvels" trailer... a movie that no one is asking for... 

I wouldn't say that my faith in Marvel is broken, but doubt has certainly crept in.

Can these Guardians of Vol 3 restore my faith? - maybe, but it ain't gonna be easy.

They're kind of a mess right now. Rocket is playing what I call "The Secret Sadness Game". 

Have you ever played that game? -  I bet you have. It's when something is wrong with you; you're very sad, but you're not letting anyone know about it. It's a horrible game. Nobody wins in that game, but it's apparently popular these days, with social media making us all pretend to be happy, dignified, and pretty all of the time. So, popular that Mantis is playing that game a lil bit as well.

Drax is too simple-minded to play that game 

(side note: Dave Bautista [Drax]  said that Marvel dropped the ball concerning Drax's story. And I couldn't agree more. There's a lot to explore with his back story, but... I'm hoping that they'll either reboot the Guardians cartoon series or give Drax a "What If... " story. That show really likes depressing people; here's a golden opportunity.)

Groot is... 

well, Groot.

And Nebula (whom I LOVE!) 

is grumpier than a lot of us Marvel fans have become. To be fair she has to keep all of these bozos together while Peter aka Starlord is getting drunk and dropping F-Bombs. 

He still hasn't gotten over Gamora.

I was going to be a jerk and say that he should have gotten over her by now, BUT I forgot that she’s kinda dead, but kinda not... (#ComicbookUniverseProblems)

It's hard to move on when your lover IS dead, but... still around, kinda, you know?? (If you actually don’t know, then... wow, you’ve got a lot of catching up to do)

I know (in the Christmas Special) they brought Peter the gift of Kevin Bacon to cheer him up, but maybe they should have brought him a woman. A good 80's star like he likes... maybe Heather Locklear 

or Kathy Ireland. Remember her?

Not the best message though, I guess - "If you're depressed, then simply drown yourself in booze and pretty women (whom only exist to make you happy :)." But, he's kinda there anyway.

Like I said, they're a mess.

But, if one thing can bring family together it's tragedy.

Something bad happens to one of The Guardians, they sober-up the Starlord, wash his mouth out with soap, and they're off on an adventure!

Mostly a typical Guardians jam. I know some have complained about too many laughs while serious things are going on, but they kinda started all of that in the MCU. And to be fair, if you have survived as much as they have, perhaps you'd be laughing more in the face of danger as well. I loved the comedy duo of Mantis & Drax. And the... unromantic comedy duo/toxic partnership of Peter & Gamora.

  And with Nebula (WHOM I LOVE!) in the middle of it all... PERFECTION.

The colorful new worlds and creatures we meet are cool. And the CGI is excellent. I don't know where those artists were when She-Hulk and MODOK were being created, 

but whatever:) The action is excellent!  A lot of murdering going on here for a PG-13 rating, when you stop and think about it, but I loved every non-drop of mostly non-existent blood.

The stuff that's different is the darker tones in here. There's some serious drama happening in this film. Of course we have more of Peter’s brokenhearted ass, but there are a lot of family dynamic stuff here as well. There's plenty of funny bickering between them, but it's also covering up some pain that the movie gets into.

Plus, we learn about Rocket's origin. That's when things get really dark and cruel. His past sucked. You WILL get emotional.  Especially when in his story we meet our villain

THE HIGH EVOLUTIONARY.

He brings new meaning to the word "Narcissist", and you will hate him. There's a lot to hate. He's pretty much getting his Dr. Frankenstein on, using parts from animals, humanoid creatures, and robotics. His victims suffer much and he don't give a SHIT!

Bradley Cooper (Rocket) is good! I always forget that he's part of the Marvel Universe. I was kinda hoping that Rocket's origin included being Bradley Cooper, but had his brain removed and put in a raccoon. And maybe something similar with Groot

Some dark stuff, but also a lot of LOL moments. I think they maneuvered the tones well.

I do wish that we got more of my main woman Debicki!

  And like many, I had hoped for more Adam Warlock, but I know time was tight in that regard. 

That's prob my main complaint about the film - TIME. It's 2hrs and 30 mins ----- TOO LONG, and yet the endings for these characters seemed rushed. Like... where they end up, individually, makes sense, but it feels like we skipped some emotional steps.

This is Rocket's story, and it's full of laughs, feels, and bad ass action! I really enjoyed this movie! PMB card renewed!

Grade: B+

What made this movie extra enjoyable for me was the news that someone dies in this movie (NOT a spoiler. I already told you about all of the murder. Murder always begats more murder, kids.

Any explosion near The Guardians --- NOOOO! One of them gets shot --- NOOOOO! Any time one of them was alone --- NOOOO! Eating a delicious, fatty, salt encrusted meal---- Heart Disease, NOOOOOO! On the toilet ---- isn't that how Elvis died? or is that a myth? People die that way though.

. What an interesting way for a Marvel character to die. “We'll all remember when Mantis crapped herself to death.” :)

NOOOOOOO!

Although, anxiety-inducing, it was certainly a more exciting way to watch. It was a kind of a gift. A gift which I now leave with you.

[dynamoe]

SUMMARY: Pete vents his spleen on his personal pirate radio. Billy proves his boy genius mettle with some after-school tutoring, but ends up getting schooled... in matters of the heart?

read part two on archive of our own | TOMORROW chapter index

← go back to part one | go on to part three

Trigger warnings: Comparable to parent series— swearing, slurs, implied xenophobia/racism, cruelty-disguised-as-affection and affection-disguised-as-cruelty

Pete eyeballed the stack of tapes on the kitchen counter before turning back to the dumpster-salvaged IBM clone he was defragging.

"Jeeze, more videos, pal? Can we take a break from movies and, I dunno, do some science?" 

"Chut chut chut chut-chut-chut," defragged the PC in agreement.

"Like I actually believe you want to work," Billy scoffed, unplugging the Sega Genesis and hooking up the VHS player.

"All of a sudden you're, like, Mr. Big Cinephile," White rolled his eyes, "I don't have time to watch all this stuff, fella."

"So, don't. I'll watch them alone," Billy dismissed, throwing himself onto the couch and feeling under the cushions for the remote.

He defragged a full 5MB before Pete finally put it together, "This is so you can see that girl who works in the video store?  Aw, man. You pathetic loser."

"What? What makes that pathetic?" Billy shouted angrily over the MGM fanfare blaring out of the TV, "We're friends!"

Pete shook his head, "As if."

↓ 📼 continues below the fold 📼 ↓

"Street of Crocodiles, The Third Man, and The Apple . That's quite a varied buffet you got there, Simply Red," the Riot Clrrrk remarked as she scanned each barcode into the register

"What complements a luxurious meal of caviar and filet mignon—" Billy explained, gesturing to the Quay Brothers and Carol Reed, "More than a dessert of rat shit and cocaine à la mode," and held up the VHS of The Apple like it was toxic waste.

Alison smirked hard and bit her lip. Was it a laugh? Maybe that's how she laughed – just too cool to laugh audibly.

Billy explained, "When we do a double feature, I let my roommate narrow it down from Class, Sass or Ass."

"Wow," Alison said sarcastically, looking over her Buddy Holly glasses, "You cool, cool guys sure have a jam-packed social life."

"Mock if you must, it only draws attention to your jealousy for not being on our exclusive guest list," Billy said archly, pushing his already upturned nose higher with his fingertip.

"You and that ersatz Winter brother don't party too hard this weekend. I don't want to read any obituaries on Monday."

"We will have died how we lived. Half asleep on our couch watching Cannon Films dystopian disco musicals."

She pushed his tapes to the edge of the desk so he could grab them easier.

"Have a good weekend, NYPD Blue."

Billy paused mid-stride on his way out the door.

"Why NYPD Blue?" Billy was stumped, "Sipowicz doesn't have red hair," 

"No, not Dennis Franz. The other one," Alison shook her fingers, searching for the name, "You know who I mean. His partner."

"David Caruso? He left after one season."

She shrugged, "I'm not really a regular watcher."

"Well, you should be. NYPD Blue's a great fucking show."

"Ugh, Get out of my store, Anne of Green Gables,"

Billy cheerfully waved, "G'night Alischon."

Billy conceded may have been overdoing it. He may have been going into Video Madness too often and  renting too many videos. He may have been coming off a little puppy-like.  He just had never had someone before he could just come by to shoot the shit with so casually. Someone who was generally happy to see him and remembered what he liked enough to recommend moves he "absolutely had to see." 

Even though she posed cooler-than-thou and spoke in a bored monotone, she was matching his enthusiasm in her own way. It wasn't one-sided. She even once ran out of her store to find him out on the strip mall's one bench, waiting for Pete to pick him up after work as usual, because she was so excited about Video Madness' new arrival.

"Oh my God!  Look what we just got in!" she waved the cassette an inch from his face.

"Skidoo?! I didn't think that was ever made on VHS," Billy admired, and then automatically quizboyed, "Groucho Marx's last movie. He dropped acid with Paul Krassner to prepare for the role."

"I set it aside for you," her eyes sparkled in delight, "It. Is. Horrible!"

Her passion, although bizarre, was infectious. He felt like she had permitted him to be a member of their secret two-person club— the only intellectuals sophisticated enough to appreciate the worst pop-cultural garbage that the squares overlooked. (And, as Groucho said,  no one would want to be a member of a club that would have them as a member...or something)?  

At home, White voiced the counter-argument.

"What really sets me off? She's a tourist," Pete circled the kitchenette as he gathered his thoughts, punching the air with his half-eaten sloppy joe in one hand for emphasis. 

"'Cause everybody hates a tourist," sang Billy under his breath, "Especially one who thinks it's all such a laugh…" Billy gave him a side-eyed glance from the breakfast table and then put the watchmaker's loupe back in his eye. 

Pete swung around, thrusting his sloppy joe accusingly, "A freak tourist!"

"Don't use that word," Billy scowled, guiding his scalpel through the wall of the left ventricle of the heart on the pie plate in front of him, "And you're getting Manwich juice all over the floor."

"No, pally, that's not me saying that. That's what it is to her. You're, like, her own personal sideshow. She comes around to gawk. See Jo-Jo The Pug-faced Boy! Shock! Alive!"

"You're full of baloney," Billy peeled back a membrane with tweezers, "Alischon has never treated me as anything other than a friend."

"To your smooshed up face maybe," White explained, "Behind your back, she gets sick thrills over how weeeihhhd you are. 'Ew, look at his big head. Gross! His ears are on sideways!' Etc."

"I'm not listening to you," Billy looked from the textbook diagram to the organ on his dissection tray.

"Bored suburban teenagers are boring," Pete stated authoritatively, " So, she decides she's going to go all Ally Sheedy in The Breakfast Club. Why have a personality when you can be 'so out there.'" White air-quoted with disgust.

Billy just let him rant. White sometimes went on a tear and it was best to let him peter himself out. (Peter. Heh.)

"So she dyes her hair rainbow colors. Wears ugly clothes and homemade jewelry. Claims only like annoying music and stupid TV shows. Stop me if I'm getting close, pally."

Billy flinched. White wasn't exactly wrong, in a nutshell.

"...And she needs to prove her freaky bona fides by having a weeeeiiiihhhhhd boyfriend."

Billy exploded angrily, pounding  his fist on the table, "I'm not her boyfriend. Friend! We're friends."

White ignored him, affecting a 'girl voice,' "Oh, she's so avant-garde she's fucking that albino kid from our literature seminar. Wow, such out-there taste makes her so cool and different and whatevah."

Billy collected himself, "Now you're projecting."

"And you're supposed to be so grateful that this normal is lowering herself to be seen with you twisted genetic monster. And she gets off on your worship. It's all a big ego boost."

Pete shouted right in Billy's face, "Don't you get it? You're an accessory to a lifestyle. You're not a person, you're a handbag."

Billy sputtered, "I'm not a handbag!"

The commotion shook the table enough to knock the dissection subject over into a mushy pile with a squish-thud. Pete finally noticed what Billy was working on.

"What the hell is that?!"

"A sheep's heart. I bought them from the butcher at the supermarket to practice."

"To practice... open sheep surgery?"

Billy blinked. "Unless you have a ready supply of human corpses, this is the best I can do."

Pete thought a minute, then realized something. He started to speak, "Actually—"

Billy cut him off," No. No. I'm sure you could find a dead body, but I don't want to even know who you know. I strike the question from the record."

Pete tossed the remains of his sandwich in the trash and opened the fridge

Bill called out preemptively, "Don't open that Tupperware in the fridge. It's full of cow's eyes."

"Aw, you're making my favorite dinner for our anniversary!" Pete cooed mockingly.

Billy tapped his anatomy textbook, "I'm doing ophthalmology in the next chapter."

Pete bypassed the stay-fresh box of bovine eyeballs and grabbed a Fresca, "I'm going to the studio."

"You mean the shed?" Billy taunted.

"The broadcast studio, you dink."

"When you ordered it from Sears was it in the 'broadcast studio' section or the 'garden shed' section?"

Pete grumbled. 

Billy dropped it, "Whatever. Go play with your HAM radio. "

"Goddamn it, Billy. It's not HAM radio, it's pirate radio. HAM radio is for weird lonely dorks."

Billy stared. "I'm not touching that set-up. Too easy."

Pete scowled at him and snapped the cordless phone from its cradle, "Stay off the modem for the next hour. I'm taking calls."  

He harrumphed out the front door, attempting to slam the screen door, which only weakly squeaked shut behind him.

"Calls from who?" Billy asked the empty room*. 

II. CIRCUIT BREAKER BREAKER

As much as they argued, it never ended with a huge blowout. The trailer lacked doors good for slamming required for an angry flounce. It also didn't have enough isolated spaces for solitary brooding afterward – just one long room. There was the bathroom, but occupying that any longer than necessary was both gross and cruel to the other party. Pete could climb on the roof to "get away" but he had already ripped one hole in the ceiling by doing just that. Driving around on the Conjecture Scooter to cool off was out with the price of gas as high as it was. Wandering in the desert was far too Biblical and carried too big a risk of getting lost – one sagebrush shrub looked a lot like another –  with the sun coming up.

Buying a shed was an imperfect solution but was within their shoestring budget— a  little prefab corrugated aluminum tool storage building so small he had to duck fit into it. It was originally just a sulking shed, but as he moved in more of his recording and broadcasting junk and then his full record and CD collection, it gradually transitioned itself into a broadcast studio without him trying. Building the aerial was a weekend project and with that up, he was in business, pirating frequencies within a 20 km radius to blast his European Only-release Duran Duran B-sides plus the latest in DIY bedroom label lo-fi off into the ether. 

Was anyone listening? No idea. He gave the fax number and the PO Box on the air every show but never heard anything back.

"Okay, down to business,"  White cracked his knuckles over the transmitter, "Got my Wild Cherry Fresca and I got my Black Jack gum," he popped a stick in his mouth and then spit it out immediately, "Oh god, that's horrible! Why do I keep buying this?" 

Every night at 10, he sent out his signal. 

His college radio show was "The White Room." In his brief and inconsistent commercial radio career, he tested tryout shows under titles "The White Void," "White Noise," "Pale Shelter," and "Unto Whited Sepulchres" (during his embarrassing goth/Christian phase), none of which found an audience and were canceled immediately.  The whole world was his audience now so he referred to the show as "White Nation." (It never occurred to him what that phrase actually implied; it sounded cool to him and that was as much thought as he gave it.)

"You're listening to the Evah Populah Pete White on White Nation, commandeering the airwaves from the powers that be. A lone voice in the wilderness, screaming." 

He usually just plunged into his playlist, only coming on to name tracks once every 5-10 plays, but he needed to vent to somebody. The open airwaves were his best option. 

He pulled the mic arm over to his mouth, set a bed track (Yellow Magic Orchestra, Firecracker)  and growled "We are under attack, y'know. Don't get complacent that you got a good thing going. The outside is always trying to break in, ruin what you've got. INVADING your space."

Yeah, it was little melodramatic, but what's wrong with a little showmanship? He vamped while trying to pull the next LP out of a sleeve.

"Your happiness is under constant assault! These OUTSIDERS want to take away what's yours and even your closest friends will call you a LIAR for telling them the TRUTH that they can't see."

Damn, the record was really stuck in there. He didn't want to rip the cover. 

".... these...seductive women...with their...colored hair and their...um...pigment. Turning your closest family against you. Somebody oughta do something…"

Got it. Must have caught on some old glue seepage inside  the sleeve. He slid the platter out and onto the turntable. "Coming up— Talk Talk, Alphaville, Gary Numan. Now here's Blancmange's 1983 track Living on the Ceiling. He gingerly placed the needle on the spinning disc and faded the input from mic to LP-1, letting out a breath. He felt a little better. 

In between Tears for Fears and Spandau Ballet, the power suddenly cut out, plunging the shed into darkness. He could hear Billy shout from back in the trailer. They were putting a lot of demands on one home-made generator. Being a self-taught engineer with little interest in "best practices" or "basic electrical safety," Pete expected his equipment to short out regularly. 

"Turn it off and turn it back on again" always worked in computing...why not here?, he thought as he flicked a power strip (with 27 different fraying extension cords plugged into it) on/off button with his toe. Everything back up, no problem. It even activated a rainbow flashing party light, an executive desk toy of a tsunami in a box, and a rock tumbler he hadn't even realized were plugged in, mixed in with the piles of old junk. He could just barely make out a tiny crackling voice through static coming  from somewhere in the shed.

"... fzzzt….Breaker Breaker…crrrckkkkkk."

He looked through the shelf for the source, then under piles of boxes and  shifted over a stack of CDs and a bin of hex-nuts, digging to find a dust-crusted CB Radio he got for Christmas 1976. How the hell did he still have that? How the hell was it still working? Why the hell did he have it plugged in?

The CB scanned the local airwaves picking up on truckers too traditional or too cheap to upgrade to car-phone, picking up casual conversation and speed trap alerts from anyone in range. He picked out three or four different voices and CB handles.

"Get your ears on, Dinner Plate – White's broadcasting again. 97.88 AM" "I can't stomach that haircut music. I'm 10-10 on the side. Over." "Negatory, good buddy. That boy's spitting some truth. Dial in." "He's taking back the airwaves from the man, Soap Suds. 10-4."

Hey, someone was listening. 

"Oh, you're listening to the Evah Populah Pete White, reclaiming the airwaves from our corporate overlords. If you're listening...if anyone is listening, you can call our studio at ___," Pete gave the number for the fax line. He usually did as a matter of routine but never got a call before.

The cordless phone suddenly rang. It startled him. Pete reached for the phone and flipped some switches to couple the line with the transmitter.

"Uh, hello?"

"Is this the Ever Pop'lar Pete White," a gruff voice with a heavy Texas accent asked.

"You've got White and you're on the air. What can I do for you, caller?"

"Oh man, that's awesome," the voice drawled, " I'm restin' at a truck stop just outside Pueblo. I drive the Juarez to Saskatoon  run and I always scan my radio for your signal when I'm passing through Colorado on I-25. Tell all my friends to listen, too."

"You play them songs that remind me of high school. Y'know just 'cause I'm a trucker doesn't mean I can't like the New Wave. Driving a big rig don't mean I'm required to like country music or...or…or...CW McCall. I hate that shee-it. That is a rank ster-eo-type. Oh, sorry. Can I cuss on the air?"

"Do whatever you want, pally. This is PIRATE AIR. No rules."

"Damn straight. Anyway, truckers can like electro pop."

"Right on."

"Duran Duran really takes me back. Some of the other stuff you play, well...it's kinda faggoty."

Pete winced. Things were going so well up to this point.

"But it's really the stuff you were saying, about invaders and protecting what's ours? It just speaks to me, man. I feel the same damn way. I wanna send y'all some tokens of my appreciation."

"Stay on the line, caller and we'll take it off air. For the rest of the White Nation out there listening, here comes Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark."

He dropped the needle on the 45, faded in the record and switched the caller to a private phone call.

"Still there, caller?"

"Yeah, but I gotta get back on the road. Lemme get that PO Box you said on the air. I wanna send y'all stuff you might find purty interesting."

III. HAVING FUN ISN'T HARD WHEN YOU'VE GOT A LIBRARY CARD

"Alischon!" Billy said, so startled he toppled a stack of returns he was scanning into the computer as soon as he spotted her approaching the checkout desk of the North Mesa Junction Branch Library.

"I finally learned how t' read so I thought I'd celebrate by getting me a library card," Alison belted far too loudly in her best hillbilly-moron voice.

"I'll take care of this patron, Mrs. Schebeliusch," Billy cut off one of the senior librarians circling behind him. 

"The tables have turned. A real reversal of fortune we got going on, Cherry 2000 " Alison pointed out, looking up at him for the first time as he lorded over the checkout desk while standing on a kik-step stool.

"Now you're in my world and the advantage is mine," Billy pronounced nefariously but at library-appropriate volume, robbing it of impact, "Eh, I'm not great at supervillain patter."

"Too much of a hero, right?"

"I'd like to be a good guy but I'm more of a neutral guy. I don't do enough to be good or evil."

"Making some brownies later?" Alison nudged Billy's oven mitt. 

"My hand sets off the bar-code reader," Billy explained, waving his mitt at the infrared checkout desk wand,  "I have to insulate it or the computer thinks someone's checking out 10,000 copies of The Bridges of Madison County.

He hopped off his stool and momentarily disappeared behind the desk to retrieve "new library card" paperwork. He walked Alison over to a side table and set out the forms for her to sign as he stuck a barcode sticker onto a card-blank. 

"I hate working at the front desk. I'm usually in the back." he explained as she filled out her contact info, "I sort the returns and inter-library loans."

"And the bandage?" Alison tapped a square of gauze taped over Billy's right eye with her pen.

"When I applied for this job I thought it seemed less depressing to make it look like something that could get better. I told the head librarian it was a T-ball injury."

"More hopeful," Alison nodded with appreciation.

"But I've been working here for four years and no one's questioned why it's still wrapped up. Maybe they think I'm accident prone in a very specific way and keep re-injuring it."

"Had your cornea bisected by a spat watermelon seed's errant trajectory?" suggested Alison.

"Exactly. Or targeted by a random rogue owl attack. Every day it's something else," Billy agreed to the strategy, "But people only ask about it if I'm at the check out desk, that's why I prefer to stay in the back."

"You're probably not much help at reshelving books, huh?" she stated the obvious, "Or do you only do the children's section."

"Goddammit," Billy scowled, "Why does everyone just pick on me constantly."

"Because you look hilarious when you're furious?"

Billy scowled even more. Alison lit up. "See?"

Billy released a breath and shook his head. It was just his lot in life.

Pete's arguments cycled in his brain, Billy hated himself for even asking, "You're not friends with me just to make fun of me, are you?"

"No, I'm friends with you because you're so goddamned sexy," Alison said completely deadpan with a blank expression.

"More jokes," Billy looked crestfallen. White might have had a point.

"Hilarious when angry. Adorable when hurt," Alison repeated while gesturing into the air like it was an advertising slogan. 

Billy was still mad, but couldn't fight breaking into a big stupid grin.

"And you're cute when you smile, too. You look like a Boston Terrier." 

Billy's ears blushed pink. She stuck out her tongue and flipped him the bird.

"Now, point me to the smut section, I'm gonna check me out ALL them Harlequin Romances. Woof!"

IV. EDUCATING ALISON

A week later at Video Madness, something seemed off.

Just going through the motions, Alison took Billy’s tapes (M, Malice and They Live!), scanned their barcodes and passed them back without eye contact

“No insulting nickname today?” Billy mocked, “No ‘Conan O’Brien?’ No ‘Judas Iscariot?’”

“Like from the Bible? Judas had red hair?” Alison asked vacantly.

“In some other cultural traditions,” Billy shrugged, “Shakespeare says he did. Medieval Jewish stereotypes are always red-haired and— are you OK?”

Alison had a thousand yard stare. “Oh, sorry I just…” Alison seemed to deflate, “I found out I might not graduate. I’m failing too many classes and I’m gonna get held back.”

“What classes?”

“Chemistry. Trig-B. AP US History,” Alison listed.

“Why are you taking an AP if you’re such a dumbass?”

Alison shrugged.

“I can tutor you,” Billy declared.

“As if. You’re just a little kid!”

“I’m a ‘little kid ’ with a high school diploma offering to help you get yours,” Billy snapped.

📼 – 📼 - 📼

Back in the stockroom, Alison perched on a shelf next to a pile of returned tapes while Billy skimmed her Chem test papers, wincing at the grades – 75%. 59%. 11%!

“Eleven percent? How did you get 11%? You get ten points automatically just for spelling your own name right.”

“I dunno,” Alison muttered, pushing another returned tape into the VHS rewinder.

“Are you failing because you don’t understand the material or you just don’t care?”

“I don’t really study.”

“Obviously,” Billy rolled his eye, “But can you cram enough to pass a make-up test or do you need to learn the material first.”

“I don’t know,” Alison said, embarrassed. She didn’t like this power dynamic at all. She was the one who made him uncomfortable, not the other way ‘round. Billy was hit suddenly by how young she looked, like a naughty kid told to sit in the corner.

“It’s been like ten years since I took high school Chemistry. Hand me your textbook,” Billy reached out behind him.

Alison fished it out her backpack and placed it in Billy’s metal hand. In one sweeping gesture, Billy pulled it forward and flopped it open one-handed. He traced his finger down the lines of text speed-reading, flipping the page every few seconds while his other hand mechanically filled a piece of paper with notes in precise tiny handwriting. He finished the book in a minute and a half.

He did the same with the Trigonometry and US History tests and textbooks. Each process took about five minutes from beginning to end: reading the test questions, skimming the text and  breaking down the material into an outline with appropriate sections flagged and noted.

“Jeeze,” Alison sighed, “I guess you really are a boy genius.”

“This is nothing. You should have seen me when I still had both eyes,” Billy boasted, “I could summarize and write breakdowns on two books at the same time.”

“Um… why do you have only one eye?” Alison asked tenuously. He brought it up first so it didn’t seem completely rude to ask.

“A Mexican rottweiler ate it because I shouted trivia at him,” Billy said dismissively, going over his notes.

Alison was too confused to even ask if that was a joke.  

“I can make 100 test prep lists with my eye closed, but if you don’t actually study you’re still going to fail. Are you actually going to make an effort?”

“Oh god, yes,” Alison assured him, “If it means I get to the hell out of school by June, I’d walk through a river of liquid shit naked.”

Billy tried not to dwell on the visual,  “No one’s asking you to do that,” Billy said haltingly, “Just… study, please.”

Alison crossed her heart with her fingers and held up three fingers in a mangled scout’s salute.

“When are your make-up tests?” Billy asked. Alison showed him her schedule. Billy made an outline for what sections to re-read and what to memorize for each test. They made plans to meet during her lunch break next week to do a review and take a practice test.

“Or you could just take my tests for me,” Alison suggested.

“I don’t have the right color wig to pass as you,” Billy said, “Or tall enough platform shoes.”

“Why do you bother even helping me when I’m nothing but mean to you?”

“We’re friends, right?" Billy said, closing the textbook and meeting her eyes, "I know you don’t mean anything by those names anyway.”

“Yeah, it’s just teasing,” Alison admitted without actually apologizing, “I’m only a massive jerk to people I really like.”

Billy's heart lurched.

V. PETE DROPS SCIENCE

“Alischon’s taking me to a show as a thank you for helping her pass her make-up tests,” Billy panicked, “What do I do?”

Pete grumbled, not looking up from the paperback of None Dare Call It Conspiracy that had come in the mail the day before.

“Please, White,” Billy pleaded, “Help me.”

Pete still had reservations about this girl jerking his best friend around, but Billy never asked him for help. It was so rare Pete knew more about anything and got to play older brother and explain how life works.

“You’ve never been to see a band?" Pete asked in disbelief, "Not ever?"

Billy shook his head. No.

Pete cracked his knuckles. By the time he was Billy’s age he’d been to about 8,000 rock shows. He went to even more when he worked at a radio station and was “on the list” to “scout bands.” Free tickets, drinking all night on the company account and makin’ it with sweaty girl bassists sticky with Aqua-Net on top of filthy bar bathroom sinks. Funny how unlimited access to cocaine and the man who could get them played on the radio made him irresistible to women. He never had it so good since.

He got lost in the memory until he noticed Billy looking up at him making puppy-dog-eyes, begging White to save him from doing something lame in front of a girl.

“Number one, never wear the band’s shirt to their concert.”

“Band shirts don’t fit me. They only come in XL. It’d be like wearing a dress.”

“And don’t buy a shirt from the merch stand and then put it on at the concert, especially not over a collared shirt. Absolute massive douche move.”

“These are all local bands so I don’t think any of them even have t-shirts. Any non-shirt related advice?”

“Ok, take these,” he pressed a small plastic snap-top container into his hand.

“What is this? Is it condoms? Are you giving me condoms?”

“Slow your roll, Casanova. It’s earplugs. Brand new pack.” Billy popped the gumball-sized case; six little silicone T-shaped blobs inside stared back at him.

“Find a spot towards the front but not closer than three people in, OK? Not in the direct path of any amps or speakers. Make sure you can see the exit, too.”

Billy wrote his advice down on a square of graph paper. Still a quizboy. What a dweeb. Totally uncool.  White rolled his eyes, but kept going.

“Offer her the earplugs first. It shows you’re thinking of her and you’re a gentleman . Then put yours in as the band first comes out. Just pinch and push them in with the big end facing out.”

Billy knew nothing should go in your ear that was smaller than your elbow but he also picked his nose with a metal finger until it bled so silicone earplugs seemed fine.

“They’re one-size fits all, but they’re designed for human ears. They oughta work in those stuck-on-sideways radar dishes on your head.”

Billy was too nervous to start a fight over baseline insults.

“If a mosh pit forms, move back but don’t surrender too much territory. Or, hell, jump in. Work off some of that anxiety. Just don’t clock anyone with the metal hand – lawsuit.  Head butts are enough. You’d be really good at those.”

Billy nodded and walked off. White called after him, “And don’t attempt to crowd surf— they will drop you.”

to be continued...

*Billy is a huge nerd but even he doesn't throw around "whom" rhetorically even if it is grammatically correct.

_____ ← back to part one | → on to part three | read on archive of our own

→ ask story/character questions here→ see all Billy & White posts

I didn’t even remember Ally Sheedy’s character was named “Allison” in The Breakfast Club (1985) until rewatching this clip. I just think of her as “Ally Sheedy in Breakfast Club."

Pete’s Radio Show Names

White Noise 

Pale Shelter 

Unto Whited Sepulchres (via Matthew 23:27) 

"Got my Wild Cherry [Diet Pepsi] and I got my Black Jack gum” - Pump Up The Volume (1990)

HAVING FUN ISN'T HARD WHEN YOU'VE GOT A LIBRARY CARD this "music video" was aired constantly on PBS. Almost unavoidable. It bores into your brain.

Torn between what line want to hear Billy say more: "Sass, Class or Ass" or "Det. Sipowicz"

[anunvalidcritic]

The Boys: SN3.2

(DISCLAIMER: MY OPINION IS MY OWN AND CAN BE DEEMED INVALID TO THOSE WHO DON’T CARE FOR IT.)

Alright let’s see what’s going with this Victoria/Naudia drama....

                                  The Only Man in The Sky

Let’s continue this story.

These movies are horrible rofl

Not the fucking cast of Riverdale?!

Is BUTCHER having a hallucination? Is that young BUTCHER?!!

Shout out to TERROR 

Red River = Group home for supes

Damn HUGHIE is that weak he can’t open the jam jar.... why tf is eating the burnt toast?!?!

I love how BUTCHER pushes ppl to their limits lmao

“Fuck SOLDIER BOY. I don’t give a mothereffin’ doo-doo how he checked out.” - M.M.

So from my understanding.... SOLDIER BOY = HOMELANDER...

I think we all know MOTHER’s MILK is gonna come back... he can’t resist the team. 

ROFL THAT SLY SMILE

‘’BLM BLT’ & Woke Wok’, KMSL

SOLDIER BOY met Princess Diana!??!!

I really thought this bitch was singing I Will Always Love You’ Whitney’s version smh... I gotta do better. 

These motherfuckers need to lay off the drugs Jesus Christ. 

Yo, the music video!!!

I see CRIMSON COUNTESS wasn’t on the shit they were giving STORMFRONT.

Ahh mustard and blood... what a combination

Dame Judi Dench!!!! IK that’s a fucking line

“Listen, STARLIGHT, I, I hate to direct you but we’re gonna need a little more ‘JFK just got rimmed out by MARILYN’ version.” - HOMELANDER

LMAO not 53% wanting to DVR the event..

Not two bitchies named ASHLEY

SETH said he doesn’t want to get into this shit��

“I want to get back in touch with my roots, like in Roots” - A-TRAIN

I understand that this woman is fully capable of working but she needs to take her ass home movin’ around like that. 

TEDDY STILLWELL is fucking awesome!

“I’m completely sterile. Doctor says my sperm are bad. Like, really, really bad, like a bunch of fat, dead tadpoles.” - HUGHIE

Once again, I am flabbergasted....

Damn VICTORIA/NAUDIA was just demolishing bitchies!

...not the fuckin’ gun rally smfh

BUTCHER pushin’ the limits

“SOLDIER BOY never touched me like that.” - GUNPOWDER

Then how tf did he touch you?!?!

GUNPOWDER on that WANTED shit

Sooo... HOMELANDER has an annual suicide save?? Now, that’s some weird shit

Did someone drop the vid?!?!

Oh the Nazi bitch committed suicide...oh well....

MARVIN’s daughter is fuckin’ useless. Like you couldn’t open the fucking window and fan the alarm??? Man fuck these kids!!

Oh so it’s NAUDIA without a ‘U’... i don’t give a fuck.

I’m not sorry for laughing at HUGHIE because he can’t open a jar.

I skipped MARVIN’s heart to heart with his ex because ehh pathetic

RIP KENJI

KIMIKO... kids these days play GTA and watch ppl have sex on Game of Thrones like it’s another Tuesday... those kids will live to see another day move tf on lol

You better ride that fucking rollercoaster with a smile on your face.

RIP BECCA gone too soon. 

I’m glad HUGHIE snitched. BUTCHER definitely needed to know that. 

is HOMELANDER having a stroke!?!?

YOOOO he took the V24!!!!!

Looks like BUTCHER will get all the deets as usual. 

wow MALLORY’s invovled in this shit!!

Alright that’s enough....WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY GUY WENT TO FR

That song sounds awful...

MEMORABLE DIALOGUE

A-TRAIN - “Happy birthday, HOMELANDER.”

HOMELANDER - “Hey, thank you.”

A-TRAIN - “Yeah.”

HOMELANDER - “I can see your girdle you disgusting fat fuck. [chuckles] Get off the fucking stage.”

“STARLIGHT lied to you just know. She did. I don’t make mistakes. I’m not ‘just like that rest of you.’ I’m stronger. I’m smarter. I’m better. I am better. I’m not some weak-kneed fucking crybaby that goes around fucking apologizing all the time. And why the fuck would you want me to be?!” - HOMELANDER

THE EGG HAS FINALLY CRACKED!

Ashley needs to chill out with that hair pulling shit.

Ofc TODD likes wtf he’s hearing. 

I’ll admit... that monologue was pretty fuckin’ good though. 

______

We’ve ended the show with a strong monologue from Homelander proclaiming his superioty over all mankind. I can only wonder what the next episode holds! Click here to see the last post! Now let’s move onto episode three!

[mermaidsirennikita]

I hated Reylo but I really don't understand this grudge. Who gives a flying fuck if Hazelwood is a Reylo shipper who got a book deal? Who cares if it's bad and that somehow is connected to what she's shipping?

I'm pretty ambivalent on Reylo--I think it was hot but I don't think I saw it as like, the STRAIGHT UP ROMANCE other people saw it as. I super don't care that they did, it just wasn't what I saw. I loved his whole "be my dark empress" thing because I love a dark empress invitation, I think she was about as compelling as a twig for every movie except TLJ, I think Adam Driver smashing things and wiping rain/metaphorical vaginal secretions from his face is sexy, but I never wanted to watch them ride off into the sunset together. I do think that due to the massiveness of the Reylo fandom and the dynamics of the ship, there are some very good fanfic writers in the fandom, and I believe that it's natural for fanfic writers to make a transition into romance if they can hack it. I guarantee you that Ali is not the only Reylo shipper publishing right now. She's just the one with the biggest story.

Ali did a thing that many fanfic writers do, which I think is totally valid, in that she took her AU fic (which already bore little to no resemblance to the original source material) switched the names and some details, and published it. She's traditionally published. It being marketed as published Reylo fanfic is not up to Ali. If her publisher thought that was a bad move for whatever reason, it wouldn't have been marketed that way. They wanted to lean in, and so they did, and so she did, and wow don'tcha know it worked.

The publisher saw Ali as a safe bet for many reasons, imo--her book is contemporary and right now contemporary romance is the dominant romance subgenre, it's romcomy and romcoms are big in romance at the moment (.... sigh), she had a sizable built in readership and an extended fanbase that would read the book having never heard of her before simply because it was Reylo-oriented, and it has a topical, marketable addition that comes with it being centered on women in STEM, which... Ali is as well. Wanna point that out. I don't know much about Ali beyond her books, but I do find it hilarious that people are dunking on her like she's just schlepping about reliant on fanfic, when I'm pretty sure she's a neuroscientist who, last I checked, is still a professor. That in itself makes her more marketable because it's a good angle to sell people on when those people wouldn't normally read romance. And like? The Reylo fanbase is a HUGE untapped market for romance. Lots of people who read tons of fanfic don't read romance novels, even though those books would probably appeal to them, simply because they don't realize it. These books are gateway drugs for them, ideally, and then they'll read more and buy more and realize that there are a LOT of romance novels that would appeal to them perfectly. If I could get Reylos to read my historical romance? YOU FUCKING BET I WOULD. Cracking those existing fanbases is huge, monetarily.

(Also, FYI to any Reylos reading this: historical romance is probably your ideal jam, the hulking big bad man and the woman he loves is... big.... there.)

Doubtless, more poc need to be published across the board. But the reality is that Ali collaborating with her agent and using tropes to market her book isn't unusual--it's the norm. And genre in general is more trope-based, so while I do think some authors are overly reliant on tropes and there is a slippery slope you tiptoe near with that marketing... It's fine to say "what if I did enemies to lovers with older woman/younger man and they're chefs and there's only one bed BUT IN REGENCY ENGLAND" or whatever, and crank out your book. That's fine. I, as a writer, will give you a different interpretation of a trope than Ali would, or Beverly Jenkins would, or Cat Sebastian would, and so on and so forth.

And the reality is, too--use what you've got, man. It's nice to get precious about changing the world with your project that is So Unlike Anything Ever Seen Before, but you've also gotta pay the bills. Publishing is a business, and there's nothing wrong with producing something with the goal of selling it because you want to make money doing something that's fun for you. It's still art, even if it's not what some would call "high art".

I honestly wish that the people complaining about Ali would spend some time reading and promoting books by people they'd like to see more of us, versus complaining about her.

[rebelyelll]

Chapter 9 Author's Notes

Okay, this was my favorite chapter to write since chapter 1 and 4. If there's one thing I absolutely adore writing, it's character interactions! And you know I can admit that when it comes to storytelling, character driven writing is my jam.

This was the very first chapter in Whiplash that was beta read, and I got to give credit where credit is due here: polysincronize is an amazing beta/writer. They took bland prose and tossed some spice into the mix. All I could think when I got their feedback was "huh! this actually reads much more clearly! wow!" So, shoutout to poly for their help. I can never thank them enough.

Characters Meeting for the First Time

The chapter opens on Joliet finally waking up after her system reboots. Her surroundings start off unclear, and then eventually get less pixelated. That's when Tenmei (the readers' favorite lol) pops up with a tool in his hand and jovially announces to her that he's just finished fixing her foot.

She screams, he screams. Okay, I know this is a cliche you see in every movie ever made, but I really wanted to go with something a tad humorous and I couldn't resist. She grabs the power drill nearby and interrogates him, the first question being: "why did you fix me?"

Now, keep in mind her own personal thoughts during her "death" scene in chapter 4 when she says this here. Joliet would like nothing more than for Death's sweet embrace to take her already since she's been carrying the same pain for 300 years. But then here comes Tenmei with his knowledge on engineering and mechanic know-how, and snatches that out from under her like a rug... she thinks.

(She doesn't know how Jean-Marc's stand works in regards to souls, nor how they can't leave the object they're in even though it has undergone physical change.)

Still, to her Tenmei is nothing more than a third-party mechanic tinkering on her without her consent being given. As aggravating as that seems, she sees that he doesn't pose much of a threat and lets her guard down a little bit. Though her suspicions of him installing illegal hardware in her system is still quite prevalent.

Remember how I said she thinks all people outside the capital in general are just low-lives? Yeah... let's just say her treatment of Tenmei has garnished some distaste for her character from some readers LOL! And I don't blame them! That was the intent. Joliet's behavior in this chapter isn't supposed to be viewed as 'in the right' exactly. In fact one could even say it's... kind of rude. Which let's be honest. She is being rude, although I can understand where is coming from also.

To this day (I wrote this chapter MONTHS ago), readers are holding out for the moment she will finally own up for her actions and apologize to Tenmei for her unwarranted comment about his parents, whom we are led to believe are deceased regarding Léon's sudden outburst in response.

This moment ignites the beginning of their rocky relationship. Léon is NOT hesitant to stand up for Tenmei, as he is who he refers to as his 'bro'. The reason he refers to him this way I think is kind of obvious. Léon feels for Tenmei not having any family and considers him a little brother. Avdol shares the same sentiment, though he isn't vocal about it. At least not in this scene.

And then comes my FAVORITE PART. Joliet expects someone to pick up the chair she inadvertently knocked over before, and Léon is annoyed beyond belief by her haughtiness. He yells for her to just pick it up herself, but Avdol does it for her anyway.

The two contemptibly lock eyes. I loved writing their back and forth dialogue so much it's not even funny. I was giggling the entire time thinking: "oh my god, he's being such an asshole! heehehehe!" Even better, is that it's met with Joliet being equally as snarky. All the while I'm just gleefully eating it up as I go lmao!

They have a political spat, but it's pretty brief. Some may not like their quarrel with one another, but rest assured it doesn't last forever. In fact, [SPOILER] by chapter 29, it's pretty much resolved, and the bickering will be seen a LOT less.

For now, what I've got in mind is for them to have political differences that the reader can understand from both perspectives. I felt like it would give their character some depth as well as build on that immersion the reader will feel with the worldbuilding aspects of the story. What we're supposed to understand about Joliet right now is that she's a little naive to the damage her father is causing on an economical scale. (Economical?? I think that's a word.)

She also puts much of her trust in the Imperial Forces above the Skid Row prefects which will be explored in due time. (Probably by Act 4 rather than any time soon, considering the plot structure I've got in mind.)

By the end of the chapter, Angus confronts Léon about leaving the quarry when he gave specific instructions NOT to prior to the events of Chapter 1. Léon does his best to convince him that he didn't participate in the shootout that afternoon, even spills the details about there being a clone of him, which he fought in the dark hours of the morning following the event.

Angus decides to put a pin in it and jumps straight to business, letting them in on their next operation which he feels will put the Motorhead gang at a disadvantage.

This is where the chapter ends, and the details about the operation are further explored by Chapter 13. I LOVED the way this chapter played out, and while it isn't my strongest, I'm proud of the characterization in it even though it isn't the characters at their best. But we'll get there!

References

The Chapter's title, A Nice Day to Start Again, is a reference to lyrics from the chorus of Billy Idol's song White Wedding.

As far as I'm aware, that was the only reference used in this chapter.

[etheralisi]

I’ve been thinking about in-universe media so. Heh. Why don’t we tumblrify the ending of the rottmnt movie

Update: here’s part 2 and 3+3.5

💫silent_swirl Follow

Nice knowing you guys

🥐ittybittyypastrypuff Follow

Wtf??? Where do you live?

⏱️lordoftimeandspace Follow

You can’t just ask someone where they live

💰rhymeonthedime Follow

op must be from new york. i’ve been trying to text my sister who lives there all day and when she finally gets back to me, it’s to send me a photo of her being chased by some weird??? fleshy???? car? i think the pink stuff was growing inside of it?

🥐ittybittyypastrypuff Follow

The hell is happening in your city?

🔥guess-ill-die Follow

The end of the world

🐛lugbugg Follow

🎙️do-re-mimimi Follow

Where else would you learn that?

14,056 notes

🚀jj-sails Follow

Alien invasion???? This is not how Jupiter Jim said it would go

267 notes

🦙dramallama Follow

So who had alien invasion on the 2020 apocalypse bingo card

🤠see-you-in-space-cowboy Follow

At this point no one is surprised 

#give it two months. somehow something will find a way to top this

12,435 notes

⚔️ bluejitsu Follow

I lived bitch

🌑faded-moonlight Follow

Context?

⚔️ bluejitsu Follow

No ✨

43 notes

🎨 asprinkleofrazzmatazz Follow

Sorry everyone  ::> ︵ <:: No more art until my hands are healed up. Doctor’s orders

🧸bear-with-me Follow

Are you okay? 🥺🥺💞

🎨 asprinkleofrazzmatazz Follow

♡ ♡ Achy. But I realllllly want to drawwwwwww

#I have so many ideas right now #currently trying and failing to draw with feet #but I am determined 

226 notes

👾aliens-among-us Follow

Time to storm Area 51 again

#they can’t stop all of us #look I just want to see aliens in person okay #if they can’t invade my city then what’s the point #I know they have to be keeping some of those pink blobs in there

67 notes

🟦 outoftouchoutoftime Follow

Hello

🏒 hockeyordeath Follow

JUNIOR! HELLO

I SEE YOU HAVE DISCOVERED THE INTERNET

🟦 outoftouchoutoftime Follow

It’s Sensei’s fault

⚔️ bluejitsu Follow

#I?????? #don’t just look at me it was purple too

5 notes

🛸 atomiclass9000 Follow

I smell the scent of betrayal in the air.

#not science posting #blue I’m looking at you

77 notes

✍️writingprompts Follow

You are a time traveller sent back to stop the apocalypse before it ever began. Only problem is: you aren’t sent back far enough.

🟦 outoftouchoutoftime Follow

Relatable 

💥zipzapzoom Follow

Umm???

4,522 notes

🕜has-lou-jitsu-been-found-yet Follow

Day 3667 of me posting: no

🪽angelofhell Follow

Wow this blog is dedicated

101 notes

🐝 dizzee-bee Follow

Why do aliens always invade NYC? What’s so special? Why don’t they ever invade Las Vegas huh? What about Boston? Where are my aliens in D.C? So many cities and you’re telling me they chose New York? If aliens really did invade I bet you they wouldn’t even come near it

🐝 dizzee-bee Follow

This post… aged

🐾 ultimate_cataclysm  Follow

Pay up op

1,356 notes

🦊redfoxtrott Follow

there’s something weird going on in this city. remember that time at the stadium? suddenly it’s a free for all on world domination i swear

🪩glitter-jam Follow

I thought the whole stadium thing was a publicity stunt

👋saysayonara Follow

I thought that was a rogue cosplayer 

#for real though. What even happened to them?

11,388 notes

🌎yes-the-earth-is-flat Follow

Wow. So tumblr thinks it can gaslight me int thinking aliens exits huh? Well think again

🌎yes-the-earth-is-flat Follow

Stop bringing up my username. You know im right

2,488 notes

🏒 hockeyordeath Follow

NO, MY KEYBOARD IS NOT STUCK LIKE THIS. EVERY LETTER I TYPE IS AS IT IS MEANT TO BE SAID. WITH PURPOSE AND VOLUME.

🏒 hockeyordeath Follow

IF MY USERNAME COULD BE IN CAPITALS YOU KNOW IT WOULD BE 

🛸 atomiclass9000 Follow

I can help with this

#give me one minute and some flavourless juice

122 notes

💃disco-girl Follow

My apartment was almost flattened by a giant freakin robot a few years back. And now aliens????? I’m moving

#guys I’m just. So. Done with all of this

67 notes

🎙️do-re-mimimi Follow

So did the aliens just up and leave? What’s the story here?

🎩man-with-a-top-hat Follow

There have been various sightings of lights across the sky. I have not been able to find any reliable sources on the cause, but the general consensus is the lights pushed the aliens back where they came from. 

🦇batarang Follow

This photo of some person swinging around the city has been making rounds on twitter

🐚seashellsshesells Follow

Pretty lights and vigilantes? 

5,993 notes

❌cant-think-of-a-user Follow

So what are we calling these aliens? They need a cool, alien sounding name ‘cuz all I’ve been seeing around is ‘land squids’, ‘brain goop’ and shoutout to that one discord user who used the words ‘pink gelatinous parsnip’ to describe them.

👊punch-moodi Follow

Have they ever seen a parsnip before?

🤏deadly-nerve-pinch Follow

What about Utroms? They kinda look like the aliens from Jupiter Jim’s Last Trip to the Moon 9

❌cant-think-of-a-user Follow

Isn’t your fandom super dead?

🤏deadly-nerve-pinch Follow

Say that to our 80+ movies. Your faves could never 

🚀jj-sails Follow

Fandom still going strong 💪 

🍎almond-apple Follow

Why does everyone keep on calling them aliens? Are we sure they’re not just failed government test subjects? Haven’t there been mutant sightings in NYC before?

❌cant-think-of-a-user Follow

Sorry, mutants???

👾aliens-among-us Follow

Nah it’s defo aliens

❌cant-think-of-a-user Follow

#so far 3 votes for Utroms and 22 for parsnips #sigh

3,751 notes

🫎duck-duck-moose Follow

Children are terrifying 

💤needsomezzzzzzz Follow

Agreed. But I feel like there’s a story here

🫎duck-duck-moose Follow

Was walking back from work, and I was like nearly home right? I turn a corner and there: a sea of cheering girl scouts. Who are they cheering on you ask? Their… cult (?) leader? Tearing one of those aliens apart with her bare hands. And the kids are just laughing and some are even joining in? They must have nerves of steel

💤needsomezzzzzzz Follow

Woah

🌽 sherlock_corn Follow

@  HOCKEYORDEATH Hey look at this

372 notes

💀outoftouchoutoftime Follow

Set a profile picture because apparently everyone’s blocking me thinking I’m a bot?

🥊 red_hotsoup Follow

Sorry CJ

9 notes

asprinkleofrazzmatazz said: Spread the sunshine ☀️ Post this in at least 5 ask boxes to let them know they make you happy

🥊 red_hotsoup Follow

Aww, hey Orange

⚔️ bluejitsu Follow

Hey, where’s my ask

⚔️ bluejitsu Follow

Orange?

⚔️ bluejitsu Follow

Oh 

10 notes

asprinkleofrazzmatazz said: Spread the bugs 🪳 Post this in at least 5 ask boxes to let them know they’re bugging you

⚔️ bluejitsu Follow

Two can play at this game

🎨asprinkleofrazzmatazz Follow

Jk ☀️☀️☀️

29 notes

🛸 atomiclass9000 Follow

I remember the good old days on tumblr. Back when my brothers didn’t know the name of my account. Back when they didn’t bug me in my inbox

🍞shortbutsweetbread Follow

Then make another one?

🛸 atomiclass9000 Follow

Gasp. And leave behind a username such as this? I’m attached.

🌽 sherlock_corn Follow

What about your sister?

🛸 atomiclass9000 Follow

You’re fine

⚔️ bluejitsu Follow

Favouritism 

128 notes

🐱sophinophie Follow

Whoever you heroes are

Thank you.  

❤️🧡💜💙

#I don’t know how you did it. Or what you even look like #but one thing is for sure and that’s that you are heroes 

189 notes

[ultraphobic]

Hi Lane!! Omg I'm terribly ashamed that I'm missing, I have a lot of work this week, but I promise to send messages more often! 🐙

Oh, judging by the line-up, it was very cool! And I am very glad that you managed to listen to such cool bands. It is a pity that part of the organization was not very good, but unfortunately this often happens at festivals :(

I managed to read your message before I disappeared and started listening to Faster Pussycat. This is a very cool band! I really liked the songs Bathroom Wall, House of Pain and Poison Ivy. I plan to listen to their albums!

Wow! I really like Australia and I dream of visiting it someday. Do you have any favorite national holidays? Santa Claus is a very atmospheric movie. I also watched it with my family as a child.

How was your week? By the way, do you have any pets?

A little musical quiz! 🎶

🎄 Top 5 favorite albums?

🎄 Do you have a band that you don't really like, but you like some songs?

🎄Is there a song that you associate with yourself?

Your Santa ⛄️🎄

hey !!! no worries for not sending any messages i was being silly with my post haha

yea i did have a good time and im actually waiting for the lineup to come out for a glam festival based in my country - so far we only have 5 names but i believe we’re getting the full lineup next week!

i’m so glad you like faster pussycat! those are actually some of my favourites so i’m happy you like those :)

our national holidays honestly aren’t too great - fun fact though - we have the kings birthday, which isn’t even celebrated on his birthday! it was the same while elizabeth was in, and also her predecessor iirc, i think they picked the date while one monarch was in, and just never changed the date? which is kinda funny

my week has been kinda hectic, i’ve worked monday-friday, but it’s ok since i like my job! i’m still new to it but it’s super fun and actually kinda a dream job for me lol

i have a cat! i used to have another cat and a fish but unfortunately they’re long gone :’( rip

top 5 favourite albums is hard but if i had to narrow it down i’d have to go with;

- belly to belly by warrant

- dog eat dog by warrant

- ultraphobic by warrant

- open up and say ahh! by poison

- midnite dynamite by kix

(yes i did put three warrant albums)

a band that i don’t really like but i do like some songs, i’d have to say motley crue, i really don’t like them but i do jam to girls girls girls and wild side sometimes!

i actually have a playlist of songs that i associate with myself! i haven’t updated it in a while so it’s missing some stuff i’ve resonated with more recently but i’ll link it HERE

thanks for the message!! i’ll look forward to your next one :)

[servin-up-surveys]

survey #124

Do you like pineapple on pizza? To be entirely fair, I don't think I've tried it, but considering I'm generally not a fan of sweet and savory combos, I'm doubtful I would enjoy it.

Do you like milk? I do, but only legitimate, mammalian milk. No oat, soy, etc. stuff; trust me, I've tried it because the dairy industry is actually fucking horrible and rooted in awful abuse & I want NOTHING to do with it, but I just don't like non-dairy alternatives, like in the way that I have to aggressively fight spewing it out - which I don't always succeed at. I just hate it. I am so, so sensitive to tastes I dislike.

Do you like syrup or powdered sugar on your french toast? Uh I guess a bit of both is ideal, but I could see me going for one or the other depending on my mood.

Do you put jelly or butter on your toast? I honestly don't really eat toast. But if I DO have it for whatever reason, I'm gonna want grape jam on it.

Do you like baking? Never done it. I really should learn, though... I just need to learn cooking in general.

What are you grandparents' names? Right now I only remember my mom's parents' tbh, which were Cecelia and William.

If any, how old are your siblings? Ashley is 29, Nicole JUST turned 25, Misty is 35, Katie is 39, and Bobby is... oh, he doesn't have his birth year on FB, so idk lmao, but younger than Katie. Full disclosure I looked up Misty's and Katie's too bc I'm awful and don't remember my half-siblings' birthdays/ages like a literal asshole <333333

What color is your dad's hair? So he was born blonde IF I remember his childhood pictures correctly, but it became totally black for the majority of his life. It's pretty much entirely gray by now, but you can see the hue kinda peppers in lightness in a sorta way where at least to me, you can tell his hair is supposed to be black, he's just old.

How old was your mom when she had you? FUCK my mom doesn't have her birth year on FB either, but I THINK it was 1961, so if that is the case she would've been 34. It's somewhere around there.

Do you live with any of your family members currently? Just my mom.

What is your favorite cousins name? I don't have a close relationship with any of my cousins, honestly.

Who are you closest to in your family? My mom.

How long have you and your partner been together? It's been around a year and a half now.

Do you live together? Not currently, but I'm aware that when he has his own place again, he wants me to come with him. His mom is in a stable enough place and has been for a long enough time where he's comfortable leaving her with the house, but because of just how fucking CLINICALLY INSANE the housing market is right now, he just hasn't found a decent place that's priced even remotely reasonably. It's just financially intelligent to stay where he is until the market gets better or an incredible deal falls into his lap.

What is the first movie you watched together? As a couple? Technically, I think it'd be Coraline, which I know we watched once at my place the first time we tried dating in '17. Oh wait... or it mighta been the remake of It, which we watched in theaters.

How old are they? He's 29 and convinced he's basically on this deathbed age-wise lmao sir your life has JUST started

What are some things you enjoy doing? Primarily computer-related stuff, like watching videos or listening to music, socials activities, RPing, editing various things, playing WoW, doing surveys... but I also like to take photographs, read, draw, play video games (these days primarily with others), and I would absolutely adore going on nature walks and things of the like if I was in better shape (one day!!), and it wasn't hot. I also love learning about and watching animals.

What is your favorite color? Pastel pink is #1, followed by... many other pink shades, haha, like coral, rose gold, neon, fuchsia, etc. etc. I also like deep, regal reddish-purple colors, like maroon and burgundy, and lighter shades of purple, like lilac, orchid, and such.

What state are you from? North Carolina.

Have you ever adopted an animal? I'm assuming you don't mean truly "purchase" from a breeder or something, in which case, yes.

Have you ever taken in a stray? That's how our outdoor cat infestation from my childhood started, haha. I know my family (myself 100% included) has ZERO regrets over rescuing Chance, but yeah, it was a massive problem. Even after her, when we'd entered a phase of having no cats, we took in two kittens (Aphrodite and her sister whose name I just can't remember anymore) that were LITERALLY thrown out of a car in a plastic bag. Aphrodite started a fresh chain of having way too many cats, but not nearly as many as we had with Chance's family. They were still taken by animal control, though, because of wildly shitty neighbors that never communicated "hey they keep wandering into our yard, stop this or we're calling somebody." Coming home from school to every single one of them gone was one of the worst days of my fucking life (I was literally shrieking curses and sobbing on the porch), and I still grieve Aphrodite especially; I adored that cat. BUT ANYWAY, DO NOT keep your cats outdoors, and even when solely indoor pets, spay/neuter them, PLEASE.

What is an animal you are scared of? Whale sharks. It's funny, I like them, they're such peaceful animals, but their mouths just REALLY freak me out. I'd actually like to swim near one one day, maybe kill the fear.

Have you ever been bitten by a dog? Not a serious bite, no. Just a couple nips from nervous ones, the kinds that never even drew blood. My sister has been bitten by a German shepherd though on the hand; it belonged to her friend, and for some reason I don't remember, the dog just attacked her. She wound up needing stitches, and bless her friend, poor girl was sobbing because she felt so bad. It didn't affect Nicole's love for dogs though, and later in life she basically owned a German shepherd named Zeke. Maybe she sorta still does, idk; he was her ex-boyfriend's, and even after the split I know she's always been allowed to see him and I THINK bring him to her place occasionally? That dog is literally the child of divorced parents lmfao

Is Halloween your favorite holiday? Concept and aesthetic-wise, absolutely yes. I LIVE for the vibe, but as far as celebrating the holiday goes, it's not; I really don't do anything, pretty much ever. Christmas is definitely my fave celebratory-wise, because my family gets together and I just love seeing Ash's kids be so overjoyed about it all. It's just one of those days where you really, really focus on the love you have for the people you choose to spend your life with.

Do you like to watch scary movies during October? Meh, I'm just not a movie person, at least when it comes to watching them alone. I'd totally be done for like, watching them with Girt. Primarily because he hates horror/is a total pansy about it and it's hilarious lmfao

What are a couple of your favorite horror films? The original The Blair Witch Project is #1 (I like the sequel too), and I also totally adore The Crazies; maybe tied with the former mention, actually, idk. I thought The Boy was EXCELLENT, that's actually a movie I'd love to watch again. You can't go wrong with The Shining, either! The acting is just historical, plus I'm really into the concept of hysteria building off of what is technically nothing; I think that's also why I love The Blair Witch Project so much, at least the explanation behind it (collective hysteria, overreacting to certain things). The mind is SUCH a powerful thing.

What is your favorite Halloween treat/candy? Pumpkin-shaped Reese's, haha.

Do you often find yourself eating just because you’re bored? I used to be really bad at this, but not so much anymore. I'm not gonna say it NEVER happens, but I've gotten way better about reinforcing to myself "no, you're not hungry, you're bored."

Are you a sex addict? lmao if you know me at all, you know I'm definitely not.

Have you ever had a boyfriend/girlfriend taken from you? No. She tried, but I know Juan didn't date her after a lie she made up DID make me say "you know what fuck this I'm done with this whole drama bye" and break up with him. The lie she'd told was very believable for him honestly, and even though I DID know it could be a lie, Rachel had caused enough stress for me already and I wasn't confident enough of how into Juan I was to put up with it. To this day, I consider that lie a saving grace. I know Juan's done bad things that I don't know about (it's specifically stuck with me to this day that his answer to me asking about a stab wound scar he had was "I deserved it"), and bad things I do know about. It says something when your teacher pulls you aside when she noticed him visiting me a lot in art class to tell me to stay away from him. I'm pretty sure she did this literally twice, but for certain once.

If so, what would you like to do to the person who took them from you? Even in the hypothetical of Juan getting back with Rachel after that incident, Rachel is actually my friend now and I think she's fantastic (people grow, I will not hold her past against her). I wish her zero harm at all, only good things.

Have you ever been cheated on? If so, have you forgiven them? No. To mention my last survey, I DO sometimes wonder if Jason and the girl he dated after me (Ashley) had something stirring before we even split, but in total honesty, I don't think so, I really don't. I don't think that's the kind of person Jason was. But it WAS definitely alarming just how quickly he was onto someone else after we split following dating super seriously for over three and a half years.

Quick! Tell me the name of your favorite movie. The Lion King and The Meerkats 2008 documentary. I forget to mention the latter a lot, because it's an obscure movie barely anyone you will ever meet probably even knows, but it is simply phenomenal.

Do you wear water bras? ... What the fuck is a water bra?

Have you ever sent an anon hate message, be honest now. Nope.

Would you let someone give you a golden shower for a million dollars? I had to look this up and hell fucking no.

Name a band that you think is beyond overrated: I don't care man, let people enjoy whatever art they want. I really don't even know who's "in" these days anyway.

Who is the last person you said goodbye to? My PT therapist for today. She was new for me and is already tied with one other woman for my favorite, haha.

Who can you not live without? Nobody. PLEASE, don't adopt this mentality. I know it's hard to, but think realistically: you, in all technicality, CAN live without any one person, and I think this is so important to remember for when one day, you do lose them in one way or another, and you have to continue living without them. I totally used to believe this when it came to Jason, and I know it played a massive role in the severity of the breakup aftermath, but look at who the hell is living just fine - even happily - without him now.

What’s your favorite sea creature? Giant whales like blue whales top the list, but I also deeply love sea turtles, sea lions, seahorses, jellyfish, and dolphins. Sharks are also very cool and VERY unfairly villainized!!

What’s your favorite acoustic song? The "If I'm James Dean, You're Audrey Hepburn" one by Sleeping With Sirens, I think. That's been a high wedding song contendor for years now, lmao.

What’s your favorite riddle? Okay so this is really just because of context/plot; it's from God of War: Ragnarök, where Brok asks, "What gets bigger the more you take away from it?," and Mimir realizes the answer near the end: a hole. You'd have to play the game to understand and feel the sheer weight of it, which I HIGHLY recommend, the game is fucking brilliant, I cried SO much through it.

What do you think happens after we pass? I just don't know. I know I don't believe in some perfect paradise and a wicked hell for suiting people, but I DO believe we're still... there somehow, but definitely not with the level of sentience and awareness that we do while alive. I like to think that it's a peacefulness, a feeling of wholeness with the world.

^ Is it different from what you’d like to happen? I don't know, really. It's like, on the surface, the idea of a Heaven sounds fantastic, but... to live in nothing but flawless harmony for all conceivable eternity? That just doesn't sound ideal for me. And I ABSOLUTELY don't believe in/want a Hell-like realm to exist, because like I mentioned earlier, people change, grow, and are ALWAYS (well, I suppose almost always) deserving of the chance to redeem themselves. Eternal punishment so severe that our human minds can't even interpret it is just purely fucking diabolical to me, I want that for nobody.

How do you feel about people self-diagnosing themselves with disorders? Hear me out: it depends. In MOST CASES, I absolutely hate this, especially when the person acts like it is stone-hard fact while holding an unconvincing amount of evidence. However, there are plenty of people who just don't have access to doctors capable of properly diagnosing, and then there's also worth mentioning that you know you more than anybody else does. Just depends on a lot.

[vole-mon-amour]

IWTV, 1x05, part 1.

He-fucking-llo and ex-fucking-CUSE ME??? ARMAND?? The hell is going on here? What kind of toxic co-dependency is happening?

I wish Daniel could shield himself from Louis. This isn't a fair game.

How did they film a scene with pigeons with broken wings? I'm very concerned.

I... dislike how it's all about the cutting.

She's in there 'cause YOU wanted to 'save' here, asshole. Stfu.

I'm way too lazy to make a gifset of his hands, but manual screencaps I can do. Ahhh.

Everything about him. His anger when he read the diary. Lestat's fault? Lol. Never though I would be hating on Louis, but here I am. You're a fake bitch. <3 As if it wasn't enough that I wanted to slap you in the book, but here you are, pissing me off way before the show ends.

Surely someone giffed this??? KING!!

He's a walking, talking, breathing piece of art. Such a doll.

Holy fuck. Those hands. The combination of those nails and those hands. And if the nails were longer... Ahhh.

Meanwhile, I'm going to join the club of "Why the hell are they smoking?" Looks cool? Nah. They don't enjoy alcohol, as far as I see in this show, so why smoking? Only sex seems up their alley.

Lestat—you broke into my house when I wasn't there and now I'm going to fucking kill you—De Lioncourt :') I mean, not the cop, obviously, but it's that energy.

H-hands... All of him.

!!! For once, it is not Lestat's fault & I am LIVING. I'd gif this.

He said Family with no secrets, so he's truthful <3 I'm never going to have kids, thanks <3

Beautiful, just beautiful.

I see your reaction, Lestat. If they won't use this as foreshadowing, it's going to be a waste.

The idea of Claudia meeting a vampire of her own, out there, is nice, that I can adnit. Completely out of canon, but there's something to it. Still, I think I prefer the motivation of the book: Claudia is so tired of the abuse, of not knowing what's out there, of wanting Louis with her. "He's more like a dad"? Well, it ain't like that in the book. I like her being in love with him. I like them traveling together. I like her being eager for knowledge. This part of the story in the show? Totally not my thing. I still have some scenes in my imagination, the two riding a carriage, killing those brainless things/vampires, only meeting real ones in Paris. Claudia holding Louis' hand, trying to kiss him. Those two loving each other. Yeah, that would be a real jam.

Also, the fact that Bruce attacks her and tries to assault her. I keep thinking about what Armand said in the book, how he wouldn't turn that boy/slave of his even if he was in danger. Cause he's too young, wouldn't be able to protect himself. His body not fully grown. How he talked about "this child with you", and Claudia being stuck in a body of a freaking FIVE. YEAR. OLD.

I really like the idea of Claudia traveling with Louis better. But I'm afraid I have a very different picture in my mind than the show gives me. Something closer to the first movie. That'd be some picture. Need to rewatch the movie, definitely.

Baby, NO! I'm not ready for that. ;_;

Miserable mocking king. That chuckle is everything. I want gifs.

Leave him, Lestat, and all your problems are gone. Better be lonely than unhappy with someone. And for so many years, my goodness. What kind of shit your parents did to you so you hate yourself that much?

Also, the way his voice gets way deeper when he's angry, gloomy, screaming. Wow. Princess? Baby girl? You suuuure? He identifies like a male & he is definitely one.

Genuinely not sure what's Armand's purpose, but I'm glad he intervened. That was a very shitty thing to do of Louis. That slap to Louis from Daniel was very well deserved. Also, I'd watch Daniel and Armand being lovers. It's an intriguing idea.

Louis is obsessed with Claudia while Lestat is tired of his whining & would like to do something fun. Very much yeah.

Was about to crop to the hand, but the entire picture is a masterpiece.

Ah yes, Louis' sister arranging a gravestone for him, knowing he's supernatural. You don't care about canon, do you?

"To be Louis' sister." To be Louis' WHAT????????????? This show is a joke.