#that’s a partial joke the reasons were pretty sound

[classic80sand90smovieloves2]

Meeting and Dating Steve Randle

(Not my gif/please check them out, oh my god their gifs are amazing)(Requested by anonymous)

(Please note that I’m talking out of my ass with half of this car stuff.)

“Sounds like your fuel filter”

- Those were the first words Steve Randle had ever said to you: a casual sentence uttered at your window as your car stalled in the parking lot of some convenience store half your school had a habit of visiting whenever they needed a chocolate bar or pack of cigarettes. 

- You’d seen him around your school before but you’d never actually spoken to him: partially because you never really had a reason to and partially because he sort of scared you. Steve scared a lot of people and you were almost entirely certain that it was on purpose: if he didn’t want to, he’d try harder to look less mean; sort of like how he was looking at you right now. 

- Up close he was handsome, much more attractive than you ever pegged him to be, and you suddenly found yourself sort of glad the rest of your school thought he was mean.

- Your more judgmental friends; and perhaps even your parents, would have readily told you that he was trying to get your attention, that he wasn’t actually being nice and that he had an ulterior motive behind his words. That his interest in your car troubles was merely an attempt to get closer to you so that he could flirt with and try to chat you up like the greaser he was.

- Unfortunately for them, the thought excited you. 

“Sorry?” You’d responded to his comment, not exactly sure what he was saying. 

“Your fuel filter,” He repeated before he went on to explain. “See, your cars starting but it wont turn on; wont go anywhere. That's usually cause you gotta switch up the fuel filter.”

“Oh.” You said: mainly just to let him know that you were listening; even though you hardly knew what he was talking about. 

“Stay here. I got a couple in my car.” He told you; as if you were going anywhere. 

- He jogged over to his trunk and you watched as the greasers who were with him grinned and seemingly made jokes about his kindness. He shut them up with a good slap on the arm before returning back to you with a cylinder in hand, dropping down on his knee and fiddling around under your car for a minute before he pulled his hand up and rotated another cylinder around in your view. 

“That's yours. All that grimes giving you a hard time. You stick this one in there and it should start up no problem.” He explained, once again reaching under your car and fiddling around for a bit. 

“There. You should be good to go.” He informed you, getting up on his feet and holding your old fuel filter in his newly dirtied hands.

“Give that a try.” He nodded towards your ignition and you twisted the key, and just as he said, it started up perfectly.

- You beamed at him and thanked him graciously before asking somewhat sheepishly how much you owed him; figuring that even just the parts had to cost something. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Was his response. “Ain’t no problem.”

“I have to give you something. You just saved my life.” You insisted with a bit of a laugh. 

“Well I wouldn’t mind your number.” He replied, and your stomach fluttered as you began to smile softly. 

“Alright.” You said quietly and grabbed a notebook from your front seat, writing down your name and number before tearing out the slip of paper and holding it out to him. His fingers brushed yours as he took it from your hand, leaving a little black mark against your skin; one you'd gaze at fondly before washing up for dinner later that night. 

- Waiting for him to call was agony. You thought he was ridiculously handsome and was obviously pretty decent; given how readily he’d helped you, so him taking his time to phone you had you on edge; your mind wandering and coming up with scenarios about him not liking you much at all. But finally, the call came a few days later and you were put to ease. 

- Steve was at the Curtis house, shoving soda away as he dialed your number; waiting for you to pick up as his best friend ushered him to “go on and call for Pete’s sake” and to not “wait long enough for her to forget you. Trying to play it cool wont help nothing.”. 

- The two of you went back and forth with a couple hellos when you first picked up due to the chaos erupting on his end but you found it more amusing than anything. 

“Hey. It’s Steve, Steve Randle. I helped you with your car a couple days ago?” He said with a bit of finality once things managed to calm down.

“Ah, the fuel filter.” You responded and he smiled to himself. 

“Yeah, the fuel filter. Listen, I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me tonight? A couple of us are hanging out at the diner down on fourth street?” He invited, and though the “couple of us” admittedly worried you a little, you ended up agreeing. 

- He picked you up later that day, driving the two of you over to a little place across town where a few greasers and similar types of people were scattered around tables and booths. Luckily for you, the greasers who were sat around the hangout seemed to have a code of conduct and didn't give you much trouble after he introduced you to a few of his friends. 

- The two of you sat down in a booth and started talking and soon enough you began to find him much less intimidating and a lot more charming. He was clever and fun and really handsome up close and you decided right then and there that his messed up smile was the only one you cared to see for the rest of your life. 

- You shared your first kiss a few dates later. You decided that you had to at least get to know the guy before letting him inspect your tonsils and though he certainly would have liked to kiss you sooner, he had to let you play coy. He also didn’t want you thinking he was some low down hood who only wanted one thing.

- So he waited until after the two of you had a couple more dates and during your walk home from one of said dates, he leaned over and kissed you; testing the waters sort of delicately before he kissed you with a lot more urgency. 

- After that, there wasn’t a thing in Tulsa that could have drove you apart. 

- Steve has a tendency to try and act tuff whenever you’re out in public so pda really isn’t all that common; at least not in the way you’re probably used to. In private, he’s a lot more chipper and relaxed but whenever you’re out on the town, he’s a whole different person; especially when he see’s a Soc. You can just about feel the minute he spots them: his entire body stiffens and his face goes hard and you’re pulled behind or to the side of him; depending on where they are in relation to you. 

- Typically, he puffs out his chest and lets you do the touching: loving when you grab onto his arm and stay close to his side; especially when it’s in response to some other guy coming near you. That being said: he also grabs hold of you himself, laying silent claim to you the minute anybody's eyes fall on your figure, daring them to try anything. 

- He’s constantly up behind you; whether he’s sitting on the couch with you between his legs or leaned up against a wall while you lean against him. He’s just always there, and he likes how you absentmindedly just sort of fall into place. 

- Little strokes of his hand or thumb whenever he’s touching/holding you; and boy does he touch you a lot. You’ll be sitting on the couch watching tv and he’ll have his arm around your shoulder, thumb mindlessly smoothing over the flesh under his fingers as you try your best not to get too distracted from your show. 

- He prefers when you kiss his cheek rather than him kissing yours because, in his words: “if he’s gonna kiss you, he’s gonna give you a real kiss”. 

- His kisses are, what I like to call, “contained”: unless you’re alone, then you’ll have to pry him off of you with a crowbar. They’re typically sort of hard and lingering; passionate but not enough to make your head spin. You like them a lot and he’s very happy that you do because he’s more or less addicted to kissing you. 

- Him calling you “lil darlin” started off as a bit of a joke; him purposefully going out of his way to call you something overly sweet and cutesy in an attempt to make you laugh or roll your eyes, but after a while he sort of just started calling you it seriously and he hasn’t managed to stop since: unless he’s calling you just plain darlin, baby or hotstuff. 

- The two of you rarely cuddle in the same position twice in one day: you’re constantly shifting around and snuggling however you fall so one minute he’ll be spooning you and the next you’ll be laying on his chest; etc etc. Sometimes you wind up in positions that make it seem like you’re playing twister instead of cuddling but you’re still somehow just as comfy as you would be if you were just plain spooning; even if you’re sometimes confused as to how you got there. 

- You watched The Long, Hot Summer when you were younger and you’d always been under the impression that bodies like Paul Newman's were only ever found on movie stars and body builders; up until you came across Steve Randle and his proclivity towards not wearing shirts.... You’re always surprised by how little he’s hit on because you can’t keep your eyes off of him; especially when he’s working up a sweat and only paying attention to whatever it is he’s doing at the time. And once he realizes why you can’t stop staring at him, it does wonders for his self esteem.

- Double dates with Soda. You know it’s gonna happen; don’t act surprised.

- Hanging out at the DX. You’ll usually just sit around and talk; occasionally helping them out with their work or bringing them something to eat that isn’t melted candy bars and cigarettes. 

- I love him. I love him …but he’s absolutely filthy and sometimes you just have to pull out a handkerchief and go to town on him so he doesn't look like he just fell into a vat of tar and grease. Or you ask him if he wants to take a shower with you and watch as he follows you to the bathroom more obediently than you’ve ever seen him act before. 

- Occasionally being manhandled; mainly when he wants to get you closer or just has the urge to touch you. You’ll teasingly joke that you’re gonna leave or that you’re mad at him and he’ll wrap his arms around you and pull you back down onto the couch until you start to laugh and promise that you aren’t gonna go anywhere. He’ll also just occasionally pick you up and drop you down a foot away from where you were standing for no real reason at all; other than being a jerk. 

- Don’t bring up the fact that you don’t know his actual address. Don’t bring up the fact that you check the Curtis house whenever you need to find him or the fact that he sneaks in through your window at night to sleep with you in your bed. Don’t bring up the fact that you’ve never actually met his father or know anything about his home life at all. He’ll tell you about it in due time; even if he brushes off how badly it hurts him in order to seem tuff. 

- He’s definitely at some point; while bored because he gets bored quite a bit, taken that wallet chain that's attached to his pants and used it to tether the two of you together; waiting for you to notice while fighting to keep his smile down. You might not have noticed until you were literally forced to separate: both because he himself probably forgot about it and because the two of you walk so close together that it didn’t affect you in the slightest. 

- It’s a well known fact that Steve is incredibly good with cars so don’t be surprised if he shows up at your house on the weekends and informs you that he needs to give you an oil change or something of the sort. Your car slowly starts to become his secondary vehicle and you can’t even bring yourself to be mad at the fact that you’ve effectively become your own cars passenger princess because you just like seeing him smile all boyishly behind the wheel too much. 

- He isn’t normally a very talkative person but take him to a car show or a drag race or just plain ask him about a car on the street and he can talk your ear off for hours at a time. He’ll go on seven different tangents from a single question about make and model, and it’s honestly kind of cute to listen to since you rarely get to hear him speak so passionately about anything; let alone something that’s so easy to bring up in conversation. 

- Listen, he isn’t artistic in the slightest but I can see him making little things for you out of old car parts and other junk that he finds around the DX. He just sort of fiddles with things until they look nice, presenting it to you like a cool rock as he walks you home later that day; twisting it around for you to look at before he hands it over and tries his best to act nonchalant when he thinks about how hard he worked to perfect it and how worried he was that you weren’t gonna like it. 

- Going to games with him, Soda, and whichever girl Soda’s hanging out with at the time; or just him and Soda. 

- He’s always taken aback by how soft your hands are in comparison to his. Speaking of: he probably let you give him a manicure once because you begged him to, and though he sat there and scowled/pouted the entire time, he didn’t wrench his hands away either; so you considered it a win. 

- Almost every single greaser in Tulsa blasts their music so loud that you’ll think you’ll go deaf so that’s sort of just something you’re gonna have to get used to; especially since you’re dating one of the worst offenders in town. 

- Unlike some other members of the gang, Steve still goes to school; even though he doesn’t care too much about what his grades look like. He’s made a habit of walking you to class and mean mugging anyone who looks like they’d give you trouble; even though it means he’s late to his own classes 90% of the time. 

- Steve will take you out on a date, he will get bored halfway through, and he will spend the rest of the night with his arm around your shoulders, leading you on a wild goose chase for “something better to do”. All before feeling bad about it; not realizing that you’d walk through broken glass with him and call it a date because doing anything with him is much more fun than not being with him. 

- Him giving you money for the jukebox. He always playfully warns you not to play something stupid; and he usually means the Beatles. 

- Laying your heads on each others laps; though you might want to wait until he’s had a shower so that you don’t ruin your clothes with his numerous hair products. 

- Always having your faces pressed together in pictures. It just sort of became your go to pose; whether you wind up cheek to cheek or forehead to jaw. 

- He spent a solid year saving up to buy you a bracelet that he got specially engraved for you with both your initials in a heart and a message on the inside of it, and the minute he gave it to you, you knew you were gonna be buried in it. 

- He always insists on paying for your dates; mainly because he’d feel like a wimp if he didn’t and because he steals so much of everything else that he’s got enough money to spare. He takes you out whenever his dad gives him a hard time and tries to make up for it with money. 

- He almost always has a candy bar ready for you after school because he drives out with some of the gang during lunch and stops by a convenience store instead of sitting in the cafeteria. They’re usually slightly melted but you appreciate them nonetheless; especially since you know he tried his best to keep them pristine and that anyone else would have either eaten them already or completely squashed it in their pocket. 

- Going to different Greaser hangouts. There’s definitely a few diners or clubs in town that both scare and excite you due to how tuff they’re decorated and the types of people you’re in the company of. It doesn’t help that he occasionally abruptly steers you away from where you were heading because you “don’t want to get near that guy”, but I digress. 

- Going with him to drag races. 

- Listen, he absolutely thought that it was silly, but there was a time in your relationship where you just got new shoes and you made the mistake of going down a path that had a lot of mud on it. You hesitated because you really didn’t want to get them dirty and he was gonna give you a hard time about it but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He could see on your face just how much you liked them and could only imagine just how much you paid for them so he paused for a minute before holding out his hand and carrying you over. You thanked him and he brushed it off with some comment about how maybe one day you’ll “blind some Soc with how white those things are” but the fondness in his voice told you that he wasn't being mean. 

- He definitely winks at you before he arm wrestles somebody and says something along the line of “this ones for you babe.”. 

- I love the idea of Pining!Steve so I raise you this scenario: the two of you are playing cards and you keep on losing and he can see it on your face that you’re getting sort of bored and sick of playing so he throws the game and watches as a smile lights up your face and you straighten up for another round. He knows right then and there that he’s gonna lose a whole lot more games in the very near future but he can’t even bring himself to care because he’s just happy that you’re gonna be willing to play with and spend more time with him; even if he hides his hopefulness with a comment about beginners luck. 

- He likes making you laugh, making you smile; all that good stuff. He gets all proud of himself whenever he manages to do it; mainly because he’s always been a bit envious of how effortlessly Sodapop seems to do it. He loves the fact that he can win you over just as easily as his best friend does everyone else; regardless of whether he does it with pickup lines or acrobatic tricks meant to impress. 

- Teasing each other. Steve’s smart; like really smart, and oftentimes it comes out in snarky comments and quick wit. The two of you can go back and forth all night if you wanted to, and sometimes you do just because its something to do and he cant be bored for more than a few minutes at a time. 

- Fighting is just a part of his life and it’s definitely not something he’s gonna stop anytime soon; though he might try to hide it from you if you really get on his case about it. It’s better to be subtly disappointed than to try and argue with him; at least then you know that he isn’t gonna die from an infected cut because he didn’t let you patch him up. 

- Steve’s oddly observant and you blame it on the fact that he can never just sit still and relax. He’s full of energy and distracted by every little thing, and you can’t even bring yourself to be annoyed by it because it’s saved you from public humiliation time and time again. He’s always the first one to spot if there’s something on your shirt or if there’s danger nearby and he makes sure to silently solve the issue before anyone else can take notice of it; sometimes even yourself. 

- Speaking of: I can see there being a period in time where the two of you aren’t even dating yet; and possibly don’t even like each other, and he’ll unknowingly commit psychological warfare on you with this strange little habit of his. You’ll arrive at your mutual hangout and he’ll stare at you for a solid thirty seconds, and just before you can snap out a frustrated “what?”, he’ll render you speechless with a “you did your eyeliner different today”; and you’ll think about it for the rest of the week. 

- For someone who would rather die than have a heart to heart about his emotions, Steve’s surprisingly protective over you and yours. You’ve never met a man who takes such an active role in ensuring that you’re left alone whenever you’re upset: snapping at people to “drop it” and give you space whenever you subtly imply that you don’t want to talk about something or seem uncomfortable in any way. It’s always a relief to have him around; knowing that he’s always willing to “be the bad guy”. 

- You try your best to make his relationship with Ponyboy a bit more civil but once you feel like you’ve finally gotten somewhere, word gets out that Ponyboy has a tiny crush on you and all of your progress is immediately lost. It’s honestly kind of funny watching him get jealous of a fourteen year old, but I digress. 

- I think that most of the time, Steve is pretty reasonable with his jealousy; or is at least reasonable when it comes to his reaction towards you in response to it. For the most part, he trusts you and it’s obvious in the way he behaves: almost always lashing out at the guy in question instead of you; since he’s usually close enough to see that you aren’t interested in anything the man has to say. I guess he’s more protective than he is jealous. 

- And protective he is. Steve likes getting into fights; he’s got a lot of energy and a lot of hate so he’s always itching for a reason to hit something, and you seem like a hell of a good reason to throw a punch. He loves you more than anything and he’s willing to do whatever he can to keep you safe. He might not be a perfect boyfriend but you’ve never met another man willing to put himself out there and deliver some threat to a mean girl or two faced friend of yours or kick some guys teeth in, and you think that has to count for something. 

- Steve’s got a bad temper and sometimes, he just isn’t great at keeping a muzzle on himself; not to mention the times where he argues just for something to do, so the two of you fight pretty often; usually with varying levels of intensity. Even so, he tends to regret it when you don’t want to see him the next time he sees you or if a sliver of his father comes out in your voice, telling him something like “you just get out and don't bother coming back” or how you “don't ever wanna see him again”.

- He’s always really impatient when you’re mad at him; constantly fighting back the urge to walk up and talk to you whenever he sees you out in public, so it doesn't take him long to try and apologize for whatever happened between the two of you. Usually, something like “come on, you know I didn't mean it” or “you know I love you” will fall from his lips and though you’d love to hold a grudge, you just can’t find it in you. 

- There’s not many ‘I love you’’s in your relationship but he says it every now and again; usually on special occasions or random times that you cant quite tell why he’s saying it. Sometimes you think he does it just to hear you say it back: like after he’s had a fight with someone he cares about and wants to feel like someone gives a crap about him

- Steve doesn’t usually talk about the future but a part of it is just because it’s already set in his mind. Without thinking, he assumes you’re both on the same page. And since you are, why should he have to say he wants to marry you or that you’ll be together forever? 

[vulturereyy]

Outer wilds nation I hit a certain point last night and the Nomai brainrot has kicked in. Please no spoilers still even if I'll get my lore wrong here, but everyone say hello to Fig :)

Copy pasting my discord ramblings under the cut. Outer Wilds spoilers are a given.

because i cant not project on characters: what if Fig is dyscalculic/dyslexic imagine being in such a writing and precise numbers based society but everything blends together for you

I think she may have been among the first generation born on ember twin. Like her poor parents were already pretty much ready to have her when they had to hop in the escape pods and such, so she was born very shortly after the crash by a few months. And i say that this is important because i think the nomai would have been a very accessible race imo, Solanum didn't even think twice about offering alternate communication methods. But the fact that Fig was born while they were rebuilding their society meant that she likely didn't have the same resources at the time/there were a lot of other stressors to focus on Perhaps Fig is even partially the reason why alternate communication methods sort of come around, at least in the society on ember twin, though that's headcanon territory

Anyway, she grew up not really doing… the best. No one could understand why she wasn't grasping very basic reading and numbers milestones, she was getting angry and feeling stupid because she wasn't getting them, it was a whole thing. She could speak into logs and record them, but when it came to reading them back, she struggled even with her own words. (for a while she was able to practice and memorize what she was going to say, but they learned that's what she was doing when they secretly swapped out the log and she confidently recited her own words instead)

And she kind of slipped through the cracks with the whole 'literally needing to rebuild our society' thing. By the time the high energy lab was starting up, she was an embittered teen, and kind of relegated to the black sheep of the clan. Not quite outcast, but it was very clear to her how different she was to everyone else. She fetched water, she tended crops, she swept out sand, but no one ever invited her to the forums or the lectures or the scientific meetups that are so pivitol to their culture.

Maybe Hickory, one of the older scientists at the new lab, was a friend to Fig's parents. And they kind of begged her to take Fig in, even if it just meant having her sweep the floors free of sand, because it would give her something to do that wasn't putting cactus spikes on people's seats.

And so Hickory did. And Fig was Very Mad about her new job. She hated science. She hated numbers. Why is she in a lab. Is this some kind of a joke? Putting the one Nomai that can't do research on shit in the lab as a cleaner. fuck off about that

But then Fig got to see Hickory testing out the new warp cores. And feel the miniature black hole's gravity tug at her and make her fur stand on end even as she was across the room. She watched Hickory take her notes. She watched her toss something into it, take more notes. The entire lab is thrumming with the force of the power needed for this experiment. Hickory looks over her shoulder. She's noticed the sound of sweeping has stopped. Fig tries to scowl and go back to doing her job as if she never stopped, but then Hickory says, "We only have a few more minutes before I have to return the power to the city. Would you like to see before I do?"

And Fig can't help herself. She tries to play it off but yes she really wants to see. She clip clops herself over to Hickory cautiously and peers into the testing chamber. The Black Hole is like a void, staring back into her. She doesn't know what to feel about it. It's the gravity that makes her shiver, she thinks. Hickory is trying very hard not to smile as she calmly explains what she's testing. The lab is supposed to be getting a white hole core soon, she explains. The black hole connects to the white, an input and an output. She's trying to see if she can still get readings off of the sensors she's sending into the miniature black hole while it does't have an endpoint yet.

Fig asks if Hickory thinks that when they open up the white hole from the core, everything Hickory threw in is gonna come spewing out at once, like a backed up pipe. Hickory's brows go up. She looks back to the black hole, considering, and writes something down. She tells Fig she thinks that's an excellent question.

Fig throws her broom into the black hole. Hickory doesn't stop her. More importantly, she doesn't scold her.

Because she just confirmed this ragamuffin little nomai still has her spark of curiosity :) She lets Fig be the one to reroute the power back to the city. It's just a simple crystal ball switch, but it feels very powerful to do.

Hickory becomes the one to give Fig the patience and culturally unorthodox teaching that she needs. It's a combination of Hickory's personality, but also the fact that the clan is settled now -- they are now out of survival mode and imminent death, and able to… relax, mentally, a lot more. And Hickory, through a few arguments that eventually turn more into very vulnerable conversations, finally learns that Fig struggles with their script and the numbers and letters all jumble together.

She carves stones together, and pictures, and symbols at first, so they make their own 'script' together that is pictography in nature. Fig starts taking her notes in it.

Eventually this would evolve into her own form of script, but there were a lot of baby steps involved before that point. And Fig, instead of being just the lab cleaner, very readily becomes Hickory's star apprentice on black hole theory and warp technology. She hopes one day she can even be a shuttle pilot, or operate the white hole station herself i think it would be neat if in game on ember twin you'd find those pictograph scripts and the translator can't pick them up. but then in the high energy lab in a side room that's more like a study you could find a notice from hickory on fig's picto-script, and the key for deciphering it (and also a notice, purposefully written close together so fig won't parse it, saying that if anyone has a problem with fig's script they can take it up with hickory personally) (a little thread underneath this from someone else suggests that their questions on its scientific integrity was met with the most scathing dressing down theyve ever had in their life)

So from then on you are able to translate her scripts and find her little notes everywhere :) she may even 'help' lead you to shortcuts, because she explored alot of ember twin in her youth when she wasn't doing anything else, so she went back and marked all her hidey holes and shortcuts Design wise, she has a black and white hole tattood on the back of her hands. One, because she thinks they are fucking cool, and two because it helps her distinguish her right from her left

[hugsandchaos]

Remember the episode “Two Good To Be True”? How there’s an alternate universe where Knuckles and Sonic are sort of switched, Dave’s a good, smart guy, and Eggman’s color is actually green? I decided to make some headcanons and ideas for it!

To be honest, this is partially for the 6 people who always like these kinds of posts of mine, which I appreciate. You guys are sweet!

•Sonic is dumb, sure, but he’s surprisingly knowledgeable about first aid, a bit of cooking, and the basics of wilderness survival. He mostly knows it because he looks after Tails.

•This Knuckles lives in a treehouse. I can’t explain why, I just think it’d be fitting.

•Both Sonic and Tails live in a house built inside a cave, and Sonic has a hammock inside and outside.

•Dave does his best to make sure Meh Burger’s food isn’t a health hazard and works on his inventions in his spare time.

•Dave’s mother disapproves of him being a hero instead of a villain and they’ve fought about it before. The fights are slowly getting more frequent. Dave is considering the possibility of moving out, and he’s told Knuckles and Amy about this. They both plan to support their friend every step of the way, whatever he chooses.

•Dave tries to insist that his friends don’t have to pay, but knowing how bad the pay sometimes is for him, the group will sometimes put money in the tip jar or on the table and run. Basically the good version of eating and leaving without paying. (Sonic: *whispering* Quick, Tails! While he’s not looking! / Tails: *puts a ten dollar bill in the tip jar* / Sonic: *picks him up and runs* Come on!) I like to think that they were both stifling some giggles, and when Sonic runs, Tails lets it out and it’s this really wholesome scene.

•Tails is obsessed with airplanes. He likes all of Dave’s inventions, but airplanes hold a special place in his heart. Sonic takes him to the library every week to either reread the books he’s already read about them or check out any new ones.

•Knuckles grew up on Bygone Island.

•Tails and Sonic both washed up on the shore one day. (It was a nightmare when they woke up because they both thought they were in danger and panicked.)

•Knuckles looks down on Sonic a little, and not in an ill-intended way?? He just makes comments sometimes. For example, what he said in the beginning of Two Good To Be True: “Now, if you’ll excuse me, the grownups have a job to do.”

•This Sonic simply has to keep at least some of his sass, okay? I really liked that part of his character.

•Tails sometimes figures out the flaws in Dave’s inventions. He’s crazy smart for his age, and Sonic’s proud of him for it.

•Sonic, like Original Boom Knuckles, does have his moments where he says something sensible and smart. Example— Knuckles: Wow, Sonic! I expected you to have more trouble with leg exercises. / Sonic: Knuckles, I run, hit, and kick at the speed of sound. If my legs weren’t strong, they’d be broken to the point where they might as well be amputated a long time ago. / Knuckles: …You make a fair point.

•Instead of Shadow, the “rival” in the story is Rouge. The reason is largely unknown, but my guess is because she keeps stealing stuff. (I wonder when they’ll notice the pattern of the things she’s stealing…)

•Yes, like in the episode, it seems pretty likely that Amy x Knuckles will be a thing. And honestly, I can see them being a pretty healthy relationship. Don’t get me wrong, Rouge and Knuckles being shipped in this AU would be interesting, but I think the main one is going to be Knuckles and Amy.

•Knuckles has Phasmophobia, and there’s definitely a Halloween episode or story of him trying to face this fear. Sonic dresses up as a ghost to try to help, but the costume wasn’t convincing enough to instill any true terror.

•Knuckles is unfortunately a “hit first, ask later” when someone’s causing trouble. Sonic is the opposite, he tries to reason and ask the trouble maker about their motives, usually by disguising it as a joke or jab at the enemy.

•As for Shadow… Well, I guess you guys would have to wait and see, huh?

[legolasghosty]

hi if you’re still taking prompts can you please do 12 and/or 15 for boggie 🥺👉🏽👈🏽

Heh yeah so pay no mind to the fact that you sent this in like.... over 7 months ago... I promise I didn't forget! I just haven't had a lot of writing spoons in a hot minute! ANYWAYS have a little drabble. I'm sorry for the delay!!!!

Bobby picks his way down the path to the garage in the dark. He's not totally sure what time it is, he just knows it's late. Or early? Whatever. The other boys fell asleep hours ago, all curled up on the pull-out couch. Thank God Luke and Alex have gotten over that weird post-breakup "we shouldn't cuddle" thing. It made sleepovers way too confusing.

Their breakup made everything a little confusing if Bobby is being honest. Sure it had been a mutual thing and they'd only gone out for like a month, but still. The four of them spent so much time together, of course things got uncomfortable when half of the band members were suddenly exes. There had been a minute there where Bobby thought it would be the end of Sunset Curve.

But the waves have settled now. Luke and Alex are back to being bickering best friends. Their family band is safe. Thank God. Bobby doesn't think he could bear losing them. Any of them. They're his best friends.

He pushes open the garage door as quietly as he can. The beam of moonlight coming in over his shoulder illuminates his boys all tangled together on the couch bed. Luke's head is on Alex's thigh. Alex's arm is thrown over Reggie's torso. Reggie's leg is thrown over Luke's lap. His arms are flopped awkwardly over the space next to him. Bobby recognizes it as the spot he'd been lying before he'd given up on sleep and gone to make some hot chocolate.

Oh, he left his mug on the kitchen counter. F...rick. Bobby groans. Just his luck. Technically he could just go back to the house and get the half-full cup. But that suddenly feels like way too much work. Bobby heaves a sigh and heads for the couch. Maybe the partial drink and the late hour will let him sleep?

He lowers himself carefully onto the couch beside Reggie. The bassist stirs a bit, one hand reaching out towards Bobby. And his heart doesn't flutter a bit. It doesn't. Cause it can't.

Luke and Alex's breakup almost destroyed the band. Bobby can't afford to risk his only friends on a crush. Even if Reggie's eyes light up every time he sees a dog out walking. Even if his stupid jokes always manage to make Bobby laugh. Even if he looks so pretty onstage that Bobby forgets to breathe sometimes. Even if sometimes he'll glance down at Bobby's lips when they're sharing a mic and sometimes seems to watch him for a moment too long.

He can't risk it. Maybe he lov-likes Reggie romantically. But he cares about all three of them deeply. He can't lose any of them. They keep him from drowning in his head or staying inside all the time. They give him a reason to go to school on the bad days. They never like his artsy movie suggestions and then watch them with him anyways. They're his best friends and his lifelines. He's not losing them.

Reggie rolls over towards him, mumbling something incoherent. Bobby chuckles. His sleep-talking is adorable. Reggie's body is now only half covered by the black and white throw blanket that Bobby always claims for sleepovers and Reggie always seems to wake up under.

Bobby glances at the other two boys. Both are still sound asleep. He supposes it's safe to indulge for a moment.

"How come you always end up under my blanket, baby?" Bobby whispers, laying down beside Reggie. Hey, it's not like anyone's going to hear him. He'll take what he can get. Even if his treacherous heart yearns for it to be real.

"Cause you getting all flustered is one of the cutest things I've ever seen," Reggie murmurs, lips quirking up in a smirk.

Bobby jumps, his face heating up. "I...you're awake?" he stammers, backing away from his friend slowly.

Reggie blinks quickly, sleep still pulling at his eyelids as he focuses on Bobby. "Sorta?" he mumbles back. "Awake enough to hear you call me baby."

"I'm so sorry," Bobby says in a rush. "It's nothing, don't worry about it, it doesn't have to be a thing, I'm just being stupid."

Reggie frowns. "But... what if I want it to be a thing?"

Bobby feels like he's about to be split down the middle between logic and lo-his feelings. "We can't," he whispers, feeling a lump form in his throat.

"Says who?" Reggie responds, smiling sleepily. "We're smart, we'll figure it out. Just say it again?"

"Say what?" Bobby tilts his head, confused.

"Call me baby," Reggie clarifies. He reaches out and grabs at Bobby's hands. It takes him a couple of tries to get them both with his eyes still only half open. "I like it."

And Bobby is apparently too weak for this. "You sure, baby?" he breathes.

"Definitely," Reggie hums, laying back down and tugging Bobby down with him.

The bassist shifts around a bit until he can use Bobby's shoulder as a pillow. "Okay, sleepy time," he mumbles, eyes already falling shut. "We'll talk tomorrow."

Bobby's heart is racing, but sleep suddenly feels much more possible. Especially once he pulls his blanket over both of them. Alex shifts a bit in his sleep so his arm is thrown over both Reggie and Bobby. Luke's legs end up tangled with both of theirs.

Bobby takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. Well this was new. But not...necessarily...bad.

He drifts off to sleep.

[piercethewon]

❝🧸Hitori Kakurenbo.❞

Kim Sunoo

• Synopsis:

Everyone knows how to play hide-and-seek, one of the most universally known games to ever exist, capable of trespassing every limit in time and space. The rules are simple, if you are the seeker, you count up to ten before your hunt starts, once you have found your prey, you stab them three times in the chest.

• Genre: Horror, tried humor at the beginning, sci-fi. One-shot.

• Featuring the rest of Enhypen members and Choi Beomgyu from TXT.

• Warnings: Violence, blood, knives, injuries, mentions of drugs, swearing, friendly teasing, demons, suggestive jokes.

• Word count: 5k.

―Twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven… twenty-eight…― Sunoo’s heart was beating faster and faster with anticipation, his eyes were closed shut, forehead pressed against his arms as he leaned onto a big old tree, feeling the rough texture of the wood with his hands. He was pretty sure an insect was resting on the back of his hand, but he could not look yet, it was against the rules.

―Twenty-nine…― he paused, dramatic, as if to hold onto the adrenaline rush that flooded through his veins. He waited a bit longer, teasing his prey, imagining how they must be feeling, shaking in fear (or excitement?) inside their hiding spots, or maybe just ready to run for their lives, he was about to find out. ―Thirty! Ready or not, here I come!― he shouted loud enough for the entire forest to hear, and off he was to begin his hunt.

You might think it is a bit unfair to play hide and seek against six people in such a huge place with plenty of potential hiding spots, but the truth is that Sunoo has mastered the game after so many years of playing; all he needs to beat his friends is a strategy, light steps, and his sharp hazel eyes.

The plan was simple, he first needed to find Heeseung, because the eldest gets tired easily and at some point, he makes himself partially visible on purpose. Then, there is Jungwon, who simply sucks at the game and does not care about winning, as long as everyone is having fun. 

Jay is in third place, he tries his best, but it is never enough; Sometimes Sunoo pities him enough to pretend he did not see him, but it is all worth it after the round is over and he gets to hear the older boy’s giggles as he tells the rest of the group how he “evaded” the seeker with his unmatched hiding skills.

Unsurprisingly, Riki is usually found right after for two reasons: One, he likes to hide near Jay to tease him, and two, that kid is way too tall. It is hard for him to hide behind bushes or climb trees without getting caught, but the competitive spirit is there.

Fifth place is Sunghoon, who is not fond of the game… or games in general. He kind of just sits between big trees and stares into the void, dozing off to the sounds of nature and the faint smell of pine trees. His ability to sit still for a long time gives him an advantage.

And last but not least, Jake, the biggest obstacle for Sunoo on his road to victory. The seeker does not consider himself a competitive person, but when it comes to hide and seek he feels like his pride is on the line, thus making him try harder than he would in any other game; on the other hand, the older boy would risk his life to win rock-paper-scissors or even bingo, the most boring game in the whole world, it does not matter to him as long as he wins.

The reason why Sunoo must catch Jake in last place is because he wants him to believe he is winning, only to crush all of his hopes at the last second, you know, like a good friend would, and Sunoo is just petty like that when it comes to asserting dominance over his favorite game.

The seeker grinned to himself, savoring yet another win even though the game was just getting started and there was not a trace of his friends on his radar. His steps got faster, getting closer to a particularly big bush where a lazy player such as Heeseung or Jungwon could be hiding.

His race got cut short though; only a few seconds after he started running, he heard a loud thump behind him.

―I win!― it was Jake, with his right hand placed on the big tree, his breath heavy and his hair a complete mess. ―I climbed the tree and jumped when you left, it’s over!―.

Sunoo stared at his friend, dumbfounded, flabbergasted even. ―What the…― his shock was interrupted by the rest of his friends, who heard Jake shouting and decided to come out of their hiding spots; all of them looked as confused as Sunoo. ―That’s not fair!― he complained, stomping his foot on the ground like an angry bunny.

―Should’ve checked the clouds, sorry mate but I won this one― Jake grinned, sticking out his tongue to annoy his friend even further.

―C’mon Sunoo, it’s just a game, let’s just start over― Jungwon stepped in, eyeing the rest of the group in hopes they would do the same.

―Yeah― Heeseung added ―From now on we can only hide in a three-meter radius away from the base, how does that sound?―. He was not sure either of his friends heard what he said because they were too busy firing lasers at each other through their eyes ―Was the game ever that serious?―.

Sunoo sighed, visibly annoyed ―Whatever, let’s head home now, it’s getting dark―. It sounded like an excuse but it was true, the sun was setting, the forest was getting darker by the second, and the road home was quite long. The boy started making his way back to the city, not bothering to look back at his friends who just decided to follow in an awkward silence.

―We can decide and write rules for hide and seek when we get to Sunghoon’s house, we’re staying the night there anyway― Jay proposed after ten minutes of walking in complete silence, loud enough for Sunoo to hear, as the latter was a few steps ahead from the rest; needless to say, he was completely ignored.

―Wait a damn minute― Jungwon stopped in his tracks, his eyes moving fast as he counted all the people before him ―Where the fuck is Sunghoon?―.

(...)

―I can’t believe I’m letting you guys inside my house after you abandoned me in the middle of nowhere…― Sunghoon complained for the nth time after his friends came back to the forest, only to find him lying in a fetal position under a low pine tree ―What if the spirits of nature had claimed my soul and turned me into a hallucinogen mushroom or something―.

―Don’t worry, we would’ve smoked you―.

―Riki, what the fuck?―.

―What? If you can’t be our friend anymore, at least I want you to be a black stain in my lung, close to my heart― the youngest tapped his chest in a solemn motion, giggling after Sunghoon pushed him inside the house where they were going to have a sleepover.

―My parents and my sister are out to visit some relatives, so the house is ours for the weekend― the mushroom boy explained, heading to the kitchen in hopes of finding something to feed seven hungry young adults for dinner. The rest of the guys gathered in the living room, sitting on every surface possible.

―So, are we going to decide on rules for hide and seek?― Jay suggested once more, taking his phone out and opening the notes app. Sunoo and Jake had been quiet since they left the forest, both boys were sitting on opposite sides of a large couch, staring at the walls with their arms crossed like a dysfunctional married couple ―What’s the point of making rules if Jake is going to break them― the younger one said.

―I know a special variation of the game with rules we could follow― Riki meddled before Jake could speak, which is a relief considering that hell was about to break loose anytime soon between the hide-and-seek masters. ―It’s called Hitori Kakurenbo, I used to play it in Japan with my sisters when I was a kid― he continued.

―But there are seven of us, how are we supposed to play hitori if we are not hitori?― Heeseung asked, genuinely confused, because if his Duolingo classes had not failed him, the translation for “Hitori kakurenbo” would be “Alone hide-and-seek”. 

―I don’t know, I didn’t make the game― Riki shrugged ―All I know is that if you don’t follow the rules, an ancient demon will eat you alive, stab you to death, or both in a 2x1 deal! You can even get the deluxe expansion pack and let the demon haunt your house and terrorize your family for eternity!―. Everyone in the room collectively fell silent after the clarification; it was only then that they took account of the concerning sounds that came from the kitchen.

―Sounds good, maybe Jake will follow the rules if we play with a demon―.

―Sunoo, you can’t be serious, there’s no way that’s real― Jake rolled his eyes ―It’s just creepypasta―.

―Uhm, actually…― Riki raised his hand and pointed at the ceiling, mimicking a nerdy voice ―It’s Japanese folklore―.

―There's no fucking way you guys are summoning a demon to play hide-and-seek inside my house, by the way― Sunghoon’s face emerged from the kitchen door, he was covered in what seemed a mix of eggs and flour.

―Oh, c’mon, I know how to make them leave after the game is over!― Riki pleaded.

―The kid’s probably messing with us, I don’t think we’re at risk here― Jay added.

―I smell something burning…― Jungwon changed the subject, snorting after he saw every color leave Sunghoon’s face as he rushed back into the kitchen.

―I think it’ll be fun― Jake said, trying to make eye contact with Sunoo, but the latter just faced the wall again. Something was starting to tickle the Aussie boy’s stomach, and it was not the hunger this time ―I say we take a vote, raise your hands if you want to play Hitori kakurenbo―. One by one, the six boys were holding their hands in the air, some of them hesitated more than others, but there was a hint of curiosity and anticipation in all their faces.

Sunghoon soon joined, entering the room with two plates full of home-made waffles, a little burnt, but their scent was sweet and warm ―Fine, just explain the rules and we can play tomorrow night―.

―I prefer pancakes―.

―Fuck you, Jay―.

(...)

―This is so embarrassing―.

―C’mon Sunghoon, literally no one’s looking at us― Sunoo reprimed him because obviously there was nothing weird about seven young adults walking out of a department store with a medium-sized bear plushie that had a silk bow tied around its neck along with a heart-shaped card, just a normal Saturday afternoon for unemployed people. Also, Sunoo was not the type to feel embarrassed by things like this, he liked the black bear they had picked and made Jay pay for.

―We look like high schoolers trying to help a friend get a girlfriend― Heeseung said between his teeth, his ears were getting redder by the second even though he was not carrying the toy itself; he was in charge of the plastic bag that contained some other materials needed for the ritual. At least they had not run into any of their classmates yet.

―Nice bear, Lee, is it for your mom?― The mocking voice of Choi Beombyu startled the oldest, it seems like he spoke too soon.

―Actually, it’s for your mom. Valentine's is coming soon, you know?― Riki replied with a grin. It was a lighthearted convo, all of them were friends who liked to tease each other, so they just held some small talk before Jungwon urged everyone to go back to Sunghoon’s house before sunset.

After the boys had entered the Park’s front yard, the youngest of the group stopped everyone in their tracks, standing in front of the door and holding a T-pose ―I think Sunoo should be the one to do it, because he is the master of hide-and-seek―.

―I thought you said everyone could play at the same time― Jay inquired, confused by the sudden change of plans ―Are we really going to let him summon an ancient Japanese demon all by himself?―.

―He will be fine, it’s not scary at all, it’s just a bear!―.

―I’m not worried about him getting scared, I’m worried about him becoming besties with the demon!―. That was a valid point considering that Sunoo had a special and very enviable ability to become friends with almost anyone, including animals, and Jay thought their little group was fine with seven people, there was no need to invite anyone else to their sleepovers.

―Why are you guys deciding this on your own? I live here!― Sunghoon tried to step foot into the conversation but was brutally ignored by his friends, who were too busy throwing the stuffed bear at each other.

―I think Jake should go― Sunoo passed the toy ―He is the reason why we are playing this in the first place!―.

―That’s not true!― The latter replied, handing the plushie to Jay ―He should do it, it’ll be fun to see him scared―. Some of the neighbors who passed by were now staring at them, some looked concerned, and some looked annoyed by their yells.

―Okay everyone, stop!― Jungwon raised his voice, effectively stopping the chaos. He snatched the bear from Jay’s hands and pointed at Sunoo and Jake with it; the scene would have been kind of funny if not because of the boy’s sharp eyes and stern tone; he could be pretty intimidating when in a bad mood. ―You guys are going to play together against the demon― he stated, not leaving space for discussion or complaints ―Maybe some teamwork will keep you from fighting every two seconds―.

The decision was made and there was no turning back now, the two chosen boys entered the house with heavy steps, bringing all the materials needed for the ritual with them.

Sunoo and Jake made their way to the living room in complete darkness; it was past midnight and they were not allowed to turn the lights on, their only source of light could be the TV and some candles, so the first step was to light up the room with some. 

―You are in charge of the candles and the water, I’ll prepare the toy― The youngest said, taking the lead, and even though Jake hated being bossed around he felt a little creeped out at the moment and the least he wanted was to argue with his friend.

Sunoo dropped the contents of the bag over the glass tea table: Scissors, red thread, a needle, a bag of rice, a nail clip, and a sharp knife. He had to focus because it was a long procedure and forgetting any of the steps could ruin the ritual completely, so he changed the channel on the TV to an animal documentary to get some peace from the sounds of birds and the gentle, soft-spoken narration.

First, he had to cut the bear open and take out all the stuffing. He decided to cut the back to not ruin the overall appearance of the toy, there was no need to make the little one self-conscious about its appearance. Then, he filled it with rice and pieces of his nails, a tasty offering, and a mirror self to focus the demon’s anger, respectively.

The last step was to sew the plushie shut with red thread, but there was a slight inconvenience: Sunoo had never in his life used a needle. He accidentally picked his fingers a few times, making drops of blood stain the rice inside the bear, but he got the hang of it eventually. After he was done, he tied the toy’s arms and legs with the remaining thread.

“And just like that, the little possum evaded its predator by pretending to be dead… There is a high chance that strategies of this nature will come to be the most effective means of escape, as most predators find joy in the morbid act of playing with their food while it’s still alive…”

―Yeah, fuck that, if a demon is chasing after me, I’m not playing dead― Jake spoke back to the TV narrator as he returned form the bathroom where he had to fill the tub with water and salt. ―I made a circle of salt around our hiding spots, good luck hiding under Sunghoon’s stinky bed―.

―As if hiding inside his sister’s closet is a better idea, weirdo― Sunoo retorted, holding the bear plushie up for his friend to see.

―If I ruin Sunghoon’s clothes he would literally kill me, and there were no other spots left…― the older boy tried hard to defend himself, because there was no way he would hide inside the parent’s room or the kitchen were all sorts of potentially dangerous things were stored, what if the demon turned the toaster into a deadly bazooka of carbs? ―Anyways… I got the salt water here― he placed two glasses on the table ―Are you sure you want to do this?―.

That was a good question, but at this point they were too far in to go back, so might as well give it a try and see what happens ―Yeah, I’m sure― they looked at each other in the eyes, and for the first time in forever, no one was shooting lasers. ―Let’s name the bear―.

―What about… Choi Beomgyu?―

―No! That would curse him!― Jake definitely knew that, he just thought it was funny.

―Well, what about Osito?―

―Like "little bear" in Spanish?― Sunoo tilted his head, looking at the damaged toy. He thought the name was a bit too obvious, but giving a cute name to a demon would maybe make it less scary, plus it was almost three in the morning, time to start the ritual, they had no spare time to fight ―Sounds good to me―.

They headed to the bathroom, where the smell of salt was so strong it reminded them of the vast ocean… or brine from a cheese factory, either seemed like valid options. Sunoo looked at Jake one last time for reassurance before he threw the rice-stuffed bear inside the tub. ―Sunoo will be the first it! Sunoo will be the first it! Sunoo will be the first it!― he chanted with a stern voice, firmly staring at the sunk toy and trying his best to imitate Jungwon’s demeanor from earlier.

Jake rushed out of there to hide inside Yeji’s room; unlike Sunghoon’s room, hers was a bit messier, but he tried his best not to touch anything and just hide in the closet. Before the game started, both boys had decided (meaning they played rock-paper-scissors) Sunoo would be the first one to play.

Back in the bathroom, the seeker made his way back to the living room, sat in front of the glass table and closed his eyes ―One, two, three…―. His heart started beating faster like it usually does, but not from anticipation this time. His body felt heavier than usual, his voice trembled as he kept counting. ―Four, five, six, seven…― suddenly, the TV went static, filling the room with an awful noise that made every muscle in Sunoo’s body tense painfully, but the burning sensation inside his chest kept him from actually processing what was going on, all he could do was keep counting ―eight, nine, ten! Ready or not here I come!―.

There was no time to be scared, he was the seeker, he was the predator, that stupid bear was at his mercy, the demon was his prey, not the other way around. He picked up the knife and went back to where the plushie was. Inside the bathroom, Sunoo was met with an even stronger smell of salt that pierced his nostrils more than before. 

He was taken aback for a second, but he quickly recovered and took the bear out of the tub, smashing it on the ground. ―Osito, I found you!― he stabbed its chest, piercing through the black fabric and causing some of the rice to escape. ―Osito, I found you!― second stab, a tad fiercer this time ―Osito, I found you!― Last stab, his breath was heavy, his voice had grown hoarse from yelling at a seemingly inanimate object, but its mere presence made the small room’s atmosphere heavier, thicker. Could the ritual be a success?

―Now Osito is it! Now Osito is it! Now Osito is it!― Sunoo was getting tired, as if all of his energy was being drained, which was weird considering that he was used to having a fucked up sleeping schedule. He dropped the bear and the knife inside the tub and left the room in a hurry, snatched the glass of water from the table and sprinted to Sunghoon’s room, locking the door behind him.

The sides of the bed had been strategically covered with a few boxes, a desk and long blankets that hung to the ground to make the perfect hiding spot. Sunoo made his way under it, carefully placing the glass of saltwater beside him.

He was not completely sure of what he was supposed to do at this point, because according to Riki, the demon would start to roam around the house and its presence in the room would be noticeable, but how was he supposed to know when the demon was far away enough to end the game?

A few minutes after Sunoo calmed down, he started to realize how stupid this idea was. Riki had gaslighted everyone into playing a forbidden game, stating that it was the only way Jake would learn to follow the rules of hide-and-seek… Sunoo felt both annoyed and proud at the same time.

“Our studies suggest that the perpetrator of this crime used fear as a weapon to make his victims escape the safety of their homes…”

―Huh?― Sunoo’s heart jumped out of his chest after he suddenly heard a voice coming out of the TV, but something was not making any sense, did Jake leave his hiding spot only to change the channel? Wait, no, the sound was way too clear to come from far away, someone must have turned on the TV in Sunghoon’s room.

Were his friends messing with him? Was this a trap all along? No, that could not be the case because he would have either heard the door unlocking or the window opening, and none of his friends were swift enough to do that in complete silence. What the fuck was going on?

It took everything in him not to leave his hiding spot, essentially because, again, it was against the rules, and according to Riki it was the riskiest thing to do during the game, he could only leave after he made sure the demon was on the opposite side of the house.

Right when he thought that the situation could not get any creepier, he started hearing a metallic sound. At first, he thought it came from the TV, but as the creaking became progressively louder, he realized someone was trying to open the door lock from the outside, so painfully slow it made goosebumps spread through his body. Sunoo held his breath, seconds turned into hours of torture mediated by the fear of the unknown until finally, he heard the unmistakable sound of the door opening. Something was inside the room with him, and it was not human.

He started to panic, frantically looking through the gaps of his hiding spot in search of the demon, but it was too dark inside the room to see anything. He remembered the glass of salt water in front of him; Riki had told him that keeping the hyperosmotic liquid inside his mouth was the most effective way to protect himself from any harm.

In no time, Sunoo started feeling like someone was pulling his clothes, his hair, his fingers, he heard whispers, whoever was inside the room was cursing at him, demanding him to come out of his salty refuge; speaking of salt, the circle that Jake had drawn earlier was melting, unexplainably turning liquid and dispersing, there was not much time left before the demon catches him and mercilessly ends his life right there, getting sent directly to Hell with the same weapon he had stabbed the bear earlier.

He reached out to grab the glass, but it was accidentally knocked over by his trembling, frigid hands. Time froze, all Sunoo could hear was the beating of his heart, and all he could feel was cold water dampening the sleeve of his shirt, but it was not over yet.

He quickly snapped out of his trance, he was scared to death, but he would not give up without trying; there was another glass of salt water in the living room that Jake had prepared in advance for his turn, and that’s where the boy was headed next.

He kicked the boxes that covered one side of the bed and did his best to escape from under it as fast as he could, then he ran like the Devil was chasing him, and he might as well be.

―Catch me if you fucking can, Osito!― the bear’s name was kind of ruining the seriousness of the situation, but Sunoo was determined to get that damn water and win this game once and for all. He reached the living room, luckily the TV and some candles were still on so there was enough light to see the tea table.

He was so close, the key to end Hitori Kakurenbo was right in front of him, but seconds after he had crossed the door to the room, a strange force grabbed him by the ankle and made him stumble and fall flat on the ground. 

Suddenly, all the candles died and the TV was turned off, it was pitch dark inside the room and all Sunoo could do was struggle against whatever had him trapped by his leg and pulled him in the opposite direction from where the table was.

He used all his strength to free himself, breaking free from the grasp of the demon, he reached the position where he thought the water was before the force brutally pushed him over the table, breaking through its glass surface and, once again, spilling the water on the carpet floor.

Sunoo screamed from the pain, he could feel as small pieces of glass dug into his skin, his leg was badly hurt, and he was unable to stand back up.

He could faintly hear a commotion outside of the house, his friends were alerted by the noise and were desperately trying to enter, but it was locked shut. The demon grasped his leg once more and dragged him through the broken glass, eliciting more cries from Sunoo who was very close to losing consciousness from the pain.

Was the game going to end like this? Had his pride taken him far enough as to lose his life for a stupid argument about hide-and-seek rules? Did it ever matter in the first place? He was too tired to think about it, maybe he could seek answers to all of his questions after reaching the eternal state of rest, but that was not going to happen tonight.

―Stay away from him!― it was Jake’s voice, or at least it seemed so ―I win! I win! I win!―. Sunoo felt as cold salt water splashed all over him, cleaning his wounds, and purifying what was left of his spirit. He was completely awake now, and the TV had turned back on, set to static, along with the candles.

―What the fuck just happened?― he managed to ask in a whisper, but the front door was kicked open before the older boy could reply. Their friends rushed inside, turning all the lights back on, fear and worry were painted all over their faces, especially Riki’s.

―I wanted to come earlier, but I was locked inside the closet― Jake explained while he helped Sunoo sit on the floor. Sunghoon immediately left to look for a first aid kit after seeing Sunoo’s bloody injuries. ―I filled a bucket with water from the bathtub, I couldn’t see anything, I just threw it where I thought you were―.

―I guess I’ll have to buy a new table for Mrs. Park― the room was a complete mess, there was shattered glass and salt water all over the floor, a few plates and decorations that previously were on the table were now broken as well, some of the neighbors had been alerted by the commotion and were waiting outside the house for an explanation, everything was a mess, but Sunoo felt strangely relieved. Osito was right at his feet, its fabric was torn apart and covered in wet rice; the knife was nowhere to be seen. ―Let’s go to the forest and burn that thing― there was a silent agreement to that, there was no way they would risk having what was left of the bear somewhere in the house.

It was barely six in the morning when Jungwon had extracted all the glass pieces off Sunoo’s body and treated his wounds, while the rest of the boys cleaned up the house. All of them were now heading back to the forest where all this had begun.

―So… You came out of the closet, Jake?―.

―Is it really the time to be joking around? Yeah, I came out to help you and left you all wet, is that what you wanna hear?― he rolled his eyes.

―Yeah, thanks for that― the younger boy giggled ―Sorry for being so on edge for a kid’s game―.

―No, I should apologize for cheating―.

―Can we let Jay write rules on his notes app?―.

―I would totally love that―.

[ehlers-danloscircus]

Ok, since I started on a new medication and I'm feeling a little bit better…I thought I should finally update on what happened with the Wellbutrin.

Let me start off by again mentioning that I have recently had pharmacogenetic testing done which shows I have multiple issues metabolizing medications. I don't yet have the full official doctor explanation but it would seem that my body may have been metabolizing the Wellbutrin slow than intended so, it may have been kind of storing up in my body.

So as you can see from my original post about my initial dosage of Wellbutrin things were going pretty well (I will add a link to this post to that entry though) and I was seeing some good changes to my life after a month on that lower dose. At my next appointment my doctor and I decided to up the dosage.

So at this time in my life I was basically living in a long term stay hotel because of my health and a paint can that had been left open for almost a month in my home back in December. I had been at this hotel for at least a month, month & a half so, I was pretty familiar with all the sounds and comings and goings etc. About three to four days after upping the dosage I became sort of hyperaware of some noises in my room from a neighboring room. At some point that night it briefly occurred to me I might be hallucinating these sounds because as I said, I was very familiar with how sounds in the hotel typically carried and this suddenly didn't make sense to me. I ended up not sleeping that well.

The next day I realized that I may also be experiencing some sort of physical hallucination which basically felt like an on going small earthquake or like everywhere I went there were large engines/motor causing the building to shake. I was leaving the hotel that day to move into a rental place near by my home as things at home were slowly improving and seemed like I would be able to return soon. This seemed like a good opportunity to see if I was really experiencing these things or if I was hallucinating. Initially at the rental things seemed better and I was relieved!

Later that evening, however, it all came back and worse than ever. I became really paranoid that I had been followed. So I again didn't really sleep. I left early in the morning to go home to my mom. The sounds followed me home to varying degrees so it was even more confusing. I did call my doctor who set up some calls to varying departments to try and figure out next steps besides me going cold turkey off the Wellbutrin. At one point I for some reason was convinced again that I wasn't hallucinating and so some of those calls got cancelled. This was really bad because that night things got way worse.

I started to have visual hallucinations as soon as it got dark out and my paranoia skyrocketed. That continued into the next day and night even though I had been off the Wellbutrin since the morning I came home. It was a very strange and obviously terrifying and traumatic experience. It reminded me of when I was younger and had a really bad night terror, you at some points know your dreaming but then your brain falls partially back asleep. With this there would be moments where I knew I was hallucinating and none of this was really but then all of a sudden there'd be something that seemed so real my brain fell back into the hallucination and no one could convince me otherwise.

On the second night of the visual hallucinations I ended up voluntarily going to the psychiatric ER since I was too afraid to sleep at all. From there I had to do a one week stay at an inpatient hospital and was placed on some heavy duty anti-psychotic medication. On the third or so day of anti-psychotic meds the auditory and physical hallucinations stopped (I did not have the visual hallucinations anywhere except in my home.) This medication was no joke and I experienced a lot of extremely unpleasant side effects from it but I was willing to go through it rather than risk what everyone was warning me about which was that if we did nothing there was a chance that the hallucinations could become "permanent." Basically, it was suggested by the doctors that (kind of like trauma I suppose) your brain can sometimes hard wire those paths that it's making.

After the week there I came home, began recovery and started to slowly wean off the anti-psychotic (which was a whole other terrifying journey mostly just not being sure if everything would come back or not) which took about a month. The anti-psychotic it turned out was really ramping up my anxiety so once I was about to get down to a safe dose to go completely off it, that went away instantly!

So here I am about 6 months from the start of that increased dosage and about 4 months from weaning off the anti-psychotic. I've started a new medication at the lowest dosage, given guidance by the genetic testing, and that has definitely stirred up a of PTSD from the whole experience with the Wellbutrin but I'm working through it and trying to remain positive now that we know more about what might have happened. My psychiatrists feel very confident that there is no lasting/lingering issues to worry about and that it's very unlikely I have any underlying mental health issue (I'm a closed adoption adoptee so no family history to go on) that I need to worry about that would have caused this, given things stopped very quickly with the anti-psychotic and there has been no sign of return since stopping.

Apparently this is just an issue that sometimes happens with Wellbutrin and maybe more so as dosage increases. It may have been I would have been fine at that lower dose. This is also often an issue with stimulant adhd meds so for that reason I cannot take those (aside from also having heart issues which initially took those off the table.) I have since heard a lot of stories from other people taking these medications that have had similar experiences.

I'm sharing all this to say…it may not happen to you, it doesn't happen to everyone but it does happen…it's probably not a sign that you have schizophrenia or anything like that but you DO NEED TO TELL YOUR DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY! The sooner the better, even if you aren't having scary hallucinations like I did. Let them help you sort it out. Yes, anti-psychotics are scary and not pleasant I get that but it's really not worth risking the hallucinations getting worse or permanent. I know it can be hard to find doctors and psychiatrists to trust, BELIEVE ME I KNOW!! I knew that before but yeah, this was a whole new eye opening experience of how vulnerable one is in mental health settings…it can really be nightmarishly terrifying to feel so vulnerable. There are so many people out here (sadly) though that are willing to share there experiences and how to get through it, how to advocate for yourself, and resources of people and places to get help. It's something to be aware of, it's something to take quick action on before it spirals…

My last take away from this, which is something my therapist brought up and I'm very appreciative of, is when going on medication give a lot of thought to what you are looking for from it and keep in mind that "perfect" doesn't need to exist. Sometimes good enough is good enough. That low dosage for me was good enough after a month and who knows maybe it would have still continued to improve my life after several months on it with no issues. I think going slowly with it would have been fine (adhd wise). I admit I think I was desperately chasing some perfect idea I had in my head about how things were going to be in my life so I agreed to rush ahead. This time I feel like I have a better idea of what I want out of medication and what I'm measuring my experience/improvement/life by. I'm more ok with saying "Ok, this is pretty good or okish…it's not "perfect", it could maybe be a little better but I'm ok with staying here and seeing how it continues at this dose. If things seem worse then maybe talk about what to do from there." I think there's a medical mantra of "slow and low" (start low dose and increase slow), it's a good one.

[eunchancorner]

Headcanons for the neighbors + Laurel? They've been rattling around in my brain recently

THEM

NORMAL HCS

-Eduardo is the saddest bb in the household for obvious reasons

-Was essentially dubbed the leader of their little friend group because he was the only one who was good at compromising.

-While the main four/three were trying to find new thrills in the form of amazing adventures, the other five (Eduardo, Jon, Mark, Todd and Laurel) were living life to the fullest

-Laurel helped Eduardo keep his temper in check

-Eduardo is very bi, I don't make the rules

-CANON GAY MARK CANON GAY MARK CANON GAY MARK CANO

-Jon... I can't pin down what I hc his sexuality to be. I wouldn't be surprised if he's straight, but he also seems like he'd be pan

-Laurel is also bi bc I said so >:3

-Mark is banned from cooking. Still.

-Ghosty Jon does in fact hang out around the house, but is usually invisible and silent

-Mark has taken it upon himself to be Eduardo's caretaker until he's ok again

-Ok so I have so many hcs for Todd bc he's a character who we only see a partial cameo of so my brain filled everything in for me so here we go

-Todd has floofy brown hair that's similar in color to Tord's, glasses, shit tons of band tees and a very big dislike for confrontation

-He's absolute BESTIES with Jon

-He's also Swedish bc yes

-Sweet bb, always helps when he can

-He went to pursue a college education shortly after PowerEdd so he could find a career, but he emails his friends fairly often

-He also doesn't know Jon's dead, he only knows Mark has been the only one responding to his emails lately and he's very worried

-Also, yes, in case you were wondering, I do interpret Laurel's death as canon as we never see her again. Meaning Saduardo being sad bc no gf

-Eduardo has a tendency to pushed loved ones away after losing Laurel, fearing loving them is putting them in danger

-While the bois were watching shoe get married, Laurel's funeral was being held

-Laurel ended up having bought him a cute little necklace for Christmas and his friends gave it to him. He always has it on under his shirt

-Before her untimely demise, Laurel was a very bubbly and kind soul

-Her and Eduardo met on a dating app and it was love at first sight

-Eduardo was very shy at first and Laurel thought it was the cutest thing ever

-But he got more confident with her help

-She was very fast friends with Mark, Jon and Todd

-Eduardo and Mark secretly called Laurel, Jon and Todd the 'Bubbly Trio'

-Jon has been learning Spanish with Eduardo's help so they could have secret convos

-Well all know the hc that Mark is a bookworm. Yes it applies here

-Mark is a very smart boi, often asked many questions

-Mark is also a very kind boi, will do anything in his power to make sure his friends are happy and safe

-Jon is very bad at reading social cues

TICKLE HCS (here we go)

-In order from most lee to most ler: Jon, Eduardo, Todd, Mark, Laurel

-In order from most ticklish to least: Eduardo, Jon, Todd, Laurel, Mark

-Yes, the neighbors share worst spots with their next-door counterparts (Laurel's is her sides)

-Eduardo finds his ticklishness very embarrassing and only his friends know

-Jon's perfectly ok with it and didn't mind telling people he was ticklish

-Mark could go either way about it, but if asked directly he kinda panics

-Todd will ball up, not even joking

-Laurel would've just tickled you first lol

-Eduardo's a loud, cussy, squirmy boi when tkled, but does enjoy it

-Jon's a sweet giggler, he'd just scrunch up and try to stim it away

-Mark tries not to react at first but he can get pretty loud if you get him good >:3

-Todd will just tighten his ball formation and try to hide himself and his laughter

-Should Laurel get got, she'd fight back bc she was just a generally playful person who loved a good tickle fight

-Todd snorts. It's been said, I said it

-Yk how Jon's prone to voice cracks? That, but laughter makes it worse, to the point where he sounds like a giggly mouse

-Eduardo and Laurel had shit tons of tickle fights

-Actually all of them do, tho as of late they've become extremely rare due to Eduardo being a Saduardo

-Eduardo would always be a cocky boi in the beginning, claiming he'd win

-And everyone else would just silently agree to tag-team him until he gave in

-Also Mark would often get got just so they could hear him laugh

-And also Jon bc... well he's adorable

-Laurel usually does most of the tickling, and it's usually sneaki

-Yes she's made Eduardo squeal on more than one occasion, yes she called it the cutest thing ever, yes he turned into a tomato

-Snuggle piles after tickle fights quickly became mandatory since absolutely none of them didn't enjoy some nice affection

This is all I can think of now, hope you liked!

[coff-in]

If Your OCS went on a playdate with my oc, Sally would be a pain in the ass (shes 6), Lilith would be chill and try to be the voice of reason, Oliver would be passed on the couch with a coffee cup in hand, Sunny/Narrator would be keeping Ellie from burning the kitchen down (the voices are telling her to commit arson and several other crimes), Ellie would be just baking peacefully.

Sally would probably bother everyone but who can blame her, everyone is so interesting especially Amy, Ellie would be shaking like a leaf on a tree as she tries to focus on baking but everything is so energetic that it's is overwhelming, Oliver would be 2 coffee cups in before the 30 minutes of sleep hit him like a bus and he passes out, Lilith would be the voice of reason and keeps everything in order.

Andrew would probably be on babysitting duty since Lilith is only one person and can only handle so much, Andrew would be dressed up as a princess because of Sally. Ellie other than baking would be listening to the nonsense that comes out of Ashley's mouth, Ashley knows it's easy to overwhelm Ellie with utter nonsense...

It would be a lovely family disaster.

-Ellie anon

guh, it sounds so hectic in there! if this is the case where all my sibling ocs exist simultaneously (usually they are in separate universes), then that means that mrs and mr graves have had... one, two, six, seven... about ten kids! (big family) i can see mrs graves having a fucking hernia or something, having all these kids to raise and take care of

trying to cover everyone (my sibling ocs and @ellie1irl's sibling ocs) chronologically:

lilith and alexis are the oldest siblings (both being 24 years old now). alexis is actually the normalest sibling oc i have (like, the actual only sane man in the graves family) and would enjoy lilith peaceful demeanor. he may even help out with her garden and tries to tell her jokes to lift her spirits...

when andrew was born (22 years old now), i'm positive that he saw lilith and alexis as his better mom and dad. he'd go to them for help with most issues because he'd be the baby of the family then. he'd probably have a more happy demeanor than in canon since he has fairly normal sibling looking after him. still a poetic and a romanticist but more... optimistic, maybe?

oliver and amber were then born! (both 21 years old now) it's kinda funny how opposite these two can be when interacting with those outside the graves family. oliver is rude and mean and crass while amber is pretty chill and easygoing. they may have to ask oliver to tone it down a bit if he's lashing out with his tongue particularly sharp that day. would read and watch crime documentaries on the couch together, maybe even played detective when they were younger, too. andrew would be shocked that he has two new little siblings to look after but would like them nonetheless. oliver stresses andrew out with his antisocial behavior and andrew gets worried about amber being bullied and talking to themself.

ashley came (20 years old now) and spun the whole family on their heads. is oliver was antisocial then ashley was something else! i can see her either being not as possessive an canon (she has 5 older sibling and 4 younger ones to give her attention and love) or just extremely possessive over her favorite siblings (with a house this big you gotta have favorites). she's such a handful for lilith and alexis to handle. she'd probably give her siblings nicknames and then it trickled down as a habit to her younger siblings...

... which so happens to be ellie and amy (both 19 years old now!) amy would be kinda jealous of ellie's lively personality, since having so many siblings gives her major anxiety (how is she going to live up to all the expectations they have all inadvertently set up for her?) she'd like drawing and writing with ellie and leyley and enjoy eating ellie's baking (she partial to her strawberry flavored confections). mostly hangs out with amber and lilith and sees andrew as a role model. amy would get a job to help lilith, alexis, and andrew pay for everyone's lifestyle. would also partake in lilith's hobby/interest in gardening

aria was born (18 years old now) and it was like ashley all over again. in fact, she mostly attached to ashley; always calling her "leyley" and sleeping right next to or on top of her in bed. with so many siblings, it would be easy for her to take interest in human psychology and theater. she'd beg ashley to see her recitals and performances but would actually be touched when oliver or alexis come to watch

the last addition to the graves family would be dear little sally (6 years old now). i think everyone was surprised when renee graves decided to pop out another child at the last moment (she had two 18 year olds, one 16 year old, two 15 year olds, one 14 year old, two 13 year olds, and a 12 year old!!!) everyone plays their part in making sure she feels safe and loved :D aria was very peeved that she wouldn't be the youngest anymore but eventually got over it

this doesn't even take into account nina's death, andrew dating julia (and any other significant partners the others may get), the more direct treatment/neglect from mrs and mr graves, sunny/the narrator of ellie, or the quarantine! talk about a crowded coffin, huh?

i can't wait to see more of ellie's ocs, i actually find myself enjoying doing crossovers/collabs with other's graves sibling ocs. ah so awesome! :3

----

coff-in

[ghostchasersmagazine]

I do wish Alex Super and his band were used more, they had some really unique designs, and a lot of character potential [especially Ray, he barely had anything to do] and it's a shame that Scooby Doo Frankencreepy just reduced them to a brief mention of the band breaking up. Which I personally don't like, as even though Lila betrayed the group, I feel like they would've been close enough that they could pull through and move on, maybe even find a new back-up singer. Back to Alex and Butch meeting, how would Butch and The Sundance Kids react to learning about how Lila and Roger betrayed Alex and his band?

I would have liked to see them pop up more often, yeah (though I think all of the Scooby gang's friend characters should be allowed to make appearances again in general.) Their designs have that sort of "time capsule" vibe I like, and I feel like could be referenced whenever the Scooby gang runs into a vaguely music-related mystery.

I personally feel like it was Deke who got the shortest end of the stick in terms of getting to participate in the episode proper. I don't think he got any lines until the very end of the episode and didn't even get to be in the group shot when Mamba Wamba first appeared. He nor Ray didn't really do much throughout the episode to be fair, but I always felt that Ray was used a smidge bit more.

I've never watched Frankencreepy since everything I've heard about it sounds pretty bad, but I don't like that ending for the group either. Partially because the ending of the episode itself goes against that idea - Alex was talking about merchandising the dolls at the end and showed clear signs of keeping the band going - but the other part is like you said, I do think Alex, Deke, and Ray would be close enough to want to keep going.

Admittedly, the concept of the events of the episode being so traumatic that the group decided to never play again could be an interesting path to take if it was written in a serious manner that genuinely looked at their emotions (and could even go further and look at the impact the music industry has on its young stars more generally, pulling Lila and how she was convinced by Roger to betray the band into the mix), but frankly I don't think that's what Frankencreepy was going for.

Getting back to the topic at hand, I think Butch's reaction to specifically Roger's betrayal is interesting to consider. It's shown throughout the show that Butch does have a strong respect for authority and, despite his independent nature, has no issue following orders, so I would guess that the idea of Roger, the one who had the power and essentially a guiding role, betraying the band would impact him more than the idea of Lila doing it.

As for the other Sundance Kids, I honestly haven't really thought about their reactions to the whole situation too much. The main reason they're even tagging along with Butch when he goes to meet Alex is as moral support of sorts, so they have to deal with both the awkwardness of meeting new people and figuring out how to try and comfort Butch who likely isn't going to be very open about it.

Really, the only thing I've really thought about in terms of the two bands interacting is that I think Wally would get along with the other group pretty well. Partly because he's an overall pleasant guy, but mostly because he's the one with the most genuine interest in music among the Sundance Kids, so I think he would enjoy hanging out with Alex + Deke + Ray and having people to share his interests with. (Plus, ya know, jokes about him and Alex having the same voice actor and him and Deke having similar designs.)

[nowis-scales]

Takumi Birthday Headcanons

That’s right. I missed last year because of some personal stuff, but now I am back and I am ready to give the littlest Hoshido brother everything he deserves... which is a set of lovely birthday headcanons!

‣ Has a really high pain tolerance, which is about exactly as whumpy as it sounds. If he gets roughed up in battle, he’s not one to legitimately whine about it. He’s very much a grin and bear it person, even if it is seriously putting him behind, which frustrates and upsets Sakura to no end. More than once she has had to explain to unfamiliar healers that just because Takumi is not screaming does not mean that he is not in serious pain. The weirdest part is, it’s not even entirely about his inferiority complex. Like sure, it is partially, but at the same time, he was just always one of those kid who could get beat up and go right back to playing within a few minutes.

‣ You know how you sometimes see an ugly fruit at the store amongst the other pretty ones? Takumi has to buy that fruit because he feels bad for it. In fact, it’s not just fruit. Like, there have been times where he hasn’t done it because he was worried about being judged, but he’s laid awake at night feeling guilty about leaving the fruit there. The fruit didn’t ask to be how it is, how is it fair for everyone to just leave it behind? Certainly he is doing everyone a favour by taking the fruit, especially since people insist that it’s such an eyesore and he shouldn’t want it? He’s quite frustrated that some people just won’t let him love the fruit.

‣ This man is very rigid in and open about his personal ideals. He will commit PVP in the royal court if need be. It’s not like he’s often unprincely about it, but he’s quite outspoken and not afraid to say what he thinks. Due to his affection for philosophy (JPN), he spends a lot of time thinking about how Hoshido and its people should conduct themselves, and tries his best to work to implement these into the mindset of courtiers. This is actually one of the reasons why Ryoma asks him to study government at the end of their support conversations: he genuinely likes hearing about Takumi’s unique perspectives, and likes that what Takumi thinks sometimes challenges what is traditional or what Ryoma himself thinks. Of course, Ryoma probably doesn’t tell him that because he’s allergic to emotional vulnerability and communication, but after awhile, I imagine Takumi probably starts to pick up on it.

‣ A very adept dancer. You know how, at the end of Birthright, Ryoma makes a joke about how Takumi once danced on stage with a bunch of dancers during the last Festival? That’s because Takumi’s got the moves. He might not be able to keep up with Laslow, per se, but he could get pretty damn close. He tends to be able to pick up dances pretty quickly, so even if he were to learn like a Nohrian waltz, it really wouldn’t take him that long at all. Surprisingly, he actually tries to be pretty humble about it. If you throw him on stage like those dancers did, he would be modest at first, but with a little encouragement, he’ll go all out. Nohrian, Hoshidan, Vallite... it doesn’t matter. Once Takumi starts dancing, people cannot help but be taken with him.

‣ Immensely clever, even as a child. His tutors growing up absolutely loved him for his out-of-the-box thinking, and the nursemaids would sometimes set up extra puzzles for him just because he had so much fun solving them. That turned into Ryoma and Hinoka challenging him to shogi, then to extra studying with Yukimura, and... the ball just kept rolling from there. The weird thing about it is that, logistically, Takumi knows he’s smart. He just seems to discount it all the time.

‣ I’ve talked about his big brother and big sister as drunks, and he deserves to be called out for the dweeb he is as well. I think that because he has the swinging pendulum of “I’m the best” and “I’m the worst”, getting drunk gives him a bizarre confidence boost at first. Like he’s ready to be reckless, bouncing off the walls, arm wrestling with people and challenging them to drinking contests and talking about his battle conquests... but the longer being drunk goes on, the more he gets quieter and more introverted, until eventually you could probably put a drunk Takumi off to bed with no trouble.

‣ Has this weird, dad-shaped hole in his heart and he’s not really what sure what to do about it. In the Japanese version of the game, it mentions that Takumi doesn’t really remember Corrin, which... also means that he probably doesn’t remember Sumeragi all that well, either. As a result, he ends up being a bit more of a concept to Takumi than he is a person, although he does like to think about what life would be like if Sumeragi were still around. Most of the time, he pictures the interactions as rather happy and warm, but when the self-esteem issues start getting to him, all he can think about is once again finding a way to be in his big brother’s shadow.

‣ I’m pretty sure this is just popular fanon at this point, but when it came to Mikoto, he was probably the biggest Mama’s Boy. Definitely not in unhealthy territory or anything, but he loved Mikoto with all his heart. Apart from Sakura, he is probably the person he trusted the most in the world. She could do almost no wrong in his eyes, and he grew very upset when people tried to criticize her (considering she was an easy target as a foreign woman). Though she led a busy life, she always made time for him and told him how much she cared. He appreciated that more than words could say. While it is true to say that at times he felt like a replacement for Corrin, he empathized deeply with her agony and did everything he could to ease that pain. It hit him incredibly hard when she died.

‣ Still has a few of his old dolls and takes good care of them. They’re not loved in the same way that Sakura’s are, but he definitely has put them aside and keeps them free of dust and grime. They are also 100% hid out of view of others, because if the servants gossiped about him having a doll he would literally die, but he still makes sure they see some light. He’d never admit it, but sometimes when he’s particularly upset, he take one out to just hold onto for a few minutes. It gives a bit of comfort in reminding him of his childhood.

‣ The most fashionable of the royal children… and Oboro only has a little to do with it. In fact, I think his fashion sense is likely to be one of the reasons she likes him so much. For whatever reason, he’s always just had an eye for things that go well together. Sakura has more than once been stressed about the banquets they must attend as royals, worrying that she will look bad in her kimono, but Takumi is able to console her with a few words. They’ve put you in a blue kimono with doves on it? Well, you look good in blue and doves symbolize peace, it sounds adorable. Conversely, he’s also able to tell when someone is badly dressed. Which, as you can imagine, means that he has seen his older siblings dress themselves, and immediately gone, “Oh gods no, you have it all wrong. Let me help you.”

[sleepydross]

Chapter One, Route_A: Clerks, Too A Chapter of the 'SEER' or 'Spontaneous Edifice Emergence / Reification' Storyline. "Chapter One, Route_B" coming when I can. CW: Damage to fingers, mutilation, body horror, disturbing imagery, fleshpunk concepts, blood and injury, surreal terror / horror, harsh language etc.

Song Title: Everything Burns Eventually (I think)

Description: A person whose voice sounds vaguely masculine sings about how fire (Passion?) is churning and burning (Lyrics specifically mention 'churning and burning,' like, as part of the chorus. It's… weird.) and tearing across the land, and consuming everyone that it touched. It sounded like a raging orgy, or something. It started to be a little… more blunt than most modern songs about sex and horny shit, uh, in the last verse, from what I remember. I just remember… I remember it struck me as odd. No one else seemed to notice, but it was… strange.

I remember the lyrics said, they said, "And the fire's burnin' and churnin', burnin' and churnin' and all the fat little kids sizzle like they're on a griddle."

I almost said "What the fuck?" when my brain processed it, and then… The song was over. After that it was, I don't know, some pop shit. I'd heard it before, it played like, once a night when I was on shift, you know? It was normal.

I thought maybe, maybe it was just stress, you know? I thought I imagined it. Maybe I did.

The doors slid open, and another customer walked in. Jackie looked up, and said, cheerfully, "hello!"

Mostly, the cheer wasn't fake. J liked xis job, liked working the night shift… liked that every single hour that passed was another hour of pay to make xis life better. Fake cheer was only a necessity because of the exhaustion. Xe hadn't slept very well, during the day before - nightmares had assailed, and eventually won ground, in Jackie's mind. They'd been real bastards, too, pervasive and cruel.

They were snakey, awful fucking things and xe'd woken up screaming loud enough to piss off xis roomate.

"Great deals!" the customer replied, cheerfully. She was a nice looking older lady, hair dyed a bright purple - scrubs indicated she was a nurse, and the fact that it was two in the morning indicated she was a seasoned nurse working some graves. Whether she was coming or going, Jackie had no idea, but the response felt… off kilter, strange.

"Yes ma'am, UltiMart's got pretty solid bargains!" xe replied, bemused more than anything else. A terminal case of desperation to work nights meant xe had only very rarely showed up to the store during the day, and even then, it was only to pick up partial shifts or cover for coworkers who were sick - it wasn't anything long term. Terminal overnighters were an odd kind of kin, like that recognized like, and they'd share their little jokes about the lack of daylight.

While the old lady did her shipping, J did what J did, checked the list of all the shit xe needed to get done, and then moved down it until xe found a task that was suitable for a time when there was a customer in the store and got to it. Each of the coffee makers was an absurd Austrian thing that looked like what aerospace engineers worked on when not making space ships - they even had touch screens, which had thoroughly confused a number of customers who, for whatever reason, lacked the basic decency to just read the very simple on-screen instructions.

They made a damn fine cup of coffee, at least.

While the old lady did her browsing, J did what needed to be done with the coffee machines. First, xe had to pull out the tray all the coffee grounds were dumped into by the individual bean grinders, and brush them out - and then wipe them down with the bottle of food safe sanitizer hanging from xis belt.

A song started playing, an unfamiliar one - which was, in and of itself, something of an event. The store's radio had been standardized for the three years xe had worked at the fucking place, with new songs being added only very rarely. It was covers, always covers of popular songs from years past, because (presumably) licensing fees were less.

This song, however, was wildly unfamiliar. Right then, it was december the fourth, and the ugly American phenomenon of Christmas music had already begun, with essentially every song being some softly shitty, saccharine song about how Christmas was good and lovely (it wasn't) and how snowing it was definitely going to be (or how not snowing it would be but how it was in fact still Christmas in Vegas). All of it was thankfully constantly rubbing its ass across the floor of a room labelled 'easy listening' like a dog in heat, and thusly, was incredibly easy to tune out.

This was not easy listening, and was not dragging its ass. It started up right away with a strange, slightly overdriven scream of a note on what could've been a guitar, or what could've been a violin having its various indelible rights violated. J looked up, confusedly, staring at the nearest ceiling mounted speakerplate. The first words of the song were definitely in English, but they were unintelligible, howled with such ferocity that J couldn't make anything out.

Unnerved, xe let the cleaning routine finish on the coffee machine and wiped down the grill people set their cups on, cleaning up loose droplets wondering how people could make so much off a mess with a damned device that was largely automatic, and-

The music was loud, louder than it should have been, loud enough to be downright unpleasant. Whatever the verse was supposed to be about, J heard the word 'fuck,' and then 'death is our business, and business is good' and wondered with a kind of dim anxiety what xis boss was doing with the damned radio. Usually, she didn't fuck with it in the middle of the night, neither the volume nor the station, preferring to change it during morning shift change if she changed it at all.

Baffled, xe threw the soiled towel into the trash can behind the counter, passing through the swinging, saloon style waist-high doors to get to the register - the old lady was meandering her way back towards the front of the store, and three years of instinct told xim that she was done and ready to check out.

As she approached, the singer was howling the words 'hunt, fight, kill, spill' over and over as the guitar player went absolutely fucking bananas. It sounded like a challenge song made by a sadistic modder for some guitar-legend type video game - not meant to be musical, really, but instead meant to be as hard and inhuman as possible.

"Sorry about the radio!" J half-shouted, in the most customer service voice that xe could manage. "We have no control over it in the store, its controlled remotely!"

"What radio, sweetie?" the old lady asked. This simple question was not one that would normally frighten anyone, but when she asked it, with that fake sweetness that all the music tasted of, a trickle of icewater ran through xis spinal fluid.

"The, uh, really loud song that's playing, right now!" xe told her, confusedly, as she set… something, on the counter.

"Sweetheart, I'm old, not deaf, you don't have to shout," she said, still sweetly, but with a freezing, hard edge.

"S-Sorry," J said, trying to shut out the music that felt like it kept getting louder, and now had words in it like 'fuck, consume, eat, devour' mixed in with the other ones in some kind of charnel, wylde hunt of a crescendo. "Let me, just uh, ring you out."

So, J did what J always did when unnerved - focused on process. Grab the items, get them in place on the counter, find the barcode, scan them…

But the old woman had set, on the counter, a huge wet hank of something that looked an awful lot like intestines, loosely wrapped in some kind of slick plastic that was labelled with the store's branding, but was definitely not something xe had ever sold before. This had happened once or twice, though usually not with something so viscerally disgusting, but strange products made their way to shelves in rural areas - they had, after all, a whole goddamn minifridge by the door full of live bait and weird bottles of deer attractant or whatever.

This was marked as 'Sausage casing, natural, unprocessed' which was pretty much exactly what it looked like was inside - intestines, unprocessed, raw guts. Sure, that was fucked, and sure it made J want to go leap out a fucking window into a hot shower that would presumably be waiting out the window as a matter of course, but… It was hunting season. Rural freaks… bought all kinds of weird shit.

"I can't wait to get home and tuck into that," the old lady said, as J scanned it. J looked up at her immediately, with a kind of sluggish trepidation rising up alongside the ice-water level in xis insides. "Hard to get good, fresh intestine these days, oh boy, but you all… Well, like you said! Ultimart has some great deals!"

"Y-Yeah, absolutely," J replied, at that point, shaking. It hadn't been like this in a long time, the anxiety, the terrible feeling that something was getting worse and worse every moment, and whatever the fuck it was, it was wholly inconceivable and impossible for a human mind to understand. Early on, working the graves, that had happened a few times and required medication to quell - but it had been at least half a year since such a thing was a necessity.

The last item that J scanned was a knife, which xe was incredibly sure that they didn't sell - but it rang up in the POS system just fine, despite being a bowie styled weapon with blade length J was almost entirely sure was illegal. After several long moments of staring at the weapon, and then at the screen, xe said, "I need just a moment, okay, ma'am?"

"Oh come on now, I really would like to get home to sleep," she said, barely audible over the blood-horny shrieking of the 'music.' "What's the problem anyway?"

"I'm fairly sure this knife is of illegal blade length," J replied, evenly. "I'm going to call my manager real fast, just to make sure you're not exposed to liability, and neither are we, okay?"

For a long moment, the old lady stared at xim, paper white skin, eyes like puddles of mud with spots of green algae floating on the surface, pupils lightless pits that seemed overlarge, and then she said, "check me out, boy, or I'll use the knife on you."

"W… Excuse me?" J asked, softly, having never once been threatened by a fucking grandmother whose hair was still tinged cyan with blue-rinse. She looked like an octogenarian but had just-

"Sell me my fucking knife and my guts, boy, and let me go home. They're on SALE!" she all but barked, voice deeper than it ought to have been. For a long, ice cold moment, a temporal crystal of a ten-second cluster, J just fucking stood there, struck silent and immobile.

"I'm… I'll be right back," J said, stalking off away from the register before the old lady could be any more of a freak. Some reasoning had to be done, and xe wasn't going to do any of it standing right there with nightmare grandma. Once behind the enormous display stand wherein all of the scratch off tickets were located, xe took a long breath and pulled out xis phone.

No service. That had happened a few times before, always at crucial and stressful moments for it to happen, but it meant xe was on xis own and had to made a damn decision. Decisions had never been J's strong suit, nor had making them, nor had making good ones - but in this case, there were a few scraps of logic to cling to.

Tattered though those scraps were, the items had been entered into the POS, and were up on screen. They had prices matching the tagged prices, and that meant at least, at LEAST a manager and an assistant manager… nothing got in the system without their approval.

If anything legal-related happened, it'd happen to them. Employees below management weren't to be held responsible for such things, especially if they didn't do anything out of the ordinary but check out a registered item. After another moment of exhaustion and fear, and decision making, J headed back to the register and faced down nightmare granny with the music she couldn't hear blaring in a new, brutal, howling hellscape of sound. Satan himself and all his choruses roared and bleated.

"Okay. I had to do a quick check with the management. Everything is fine. My apologies for the inconvenience," J said.

"You fucking freaks get worse and worse every year, I swear," the grandma said, digging in her purse and tugging out a series of bills. J had been threatened, had been nearly beaten, had been yelled and screamed at, people had tried to scam xim, but no one had ever been quite as scary as this old lady and her widening pupils. Whatever she was on, and she WAS on something, it had dilated them at that point to a level that the irises could scarcely be seen.

"Sure," J said, because 'freak' was hardly the worst xe had been called by customers. Xe took the bills, checked their values, and then quickly and quietly typed the amount in the POS. The drawer snapped open, the automatic change vault dispensed the coins, and then J handed her the bills. "Have a nice day, ma'am."

"Great deals!" the old lady crowed, and then she gathered her guts and her long knife and her chocolate bar and can of coffee, and fucking dipped. That was it, she just left, walkd out the doors into a soothing darkness that absorbed her readily as if she was made of it and simply evaporated back into it past the glass.

Finally free of whatever the fuck that was, J started to emerge from behind the counters, only to realize that xis hands were wet. Soaking, dripping, and xe raised them to stare at them, finding them wet and slick and-

"What the riddling goddamn fuck?" xe asked, as the smell, the familiar smell of iron and pennies touched xis nose and that special kind of instinct-triggering vital red pattered weakly onto the floor. Already trembling with the shock and the anxiety, the worker-alone stalked into the back room and grabbed one of the GOOD cleaning paper towels to dry the red away. It was a hazmat issue, for starters, and that meant procedures had to be followed and-

"Where did it come from?" xe demanded, heading to the sink with its three huge, wide bays - and then past it, to the hand sink, where xe could wash without violating biohazard protocols. Once all the iron stink was gone and with it all that vital red, J stalked back out behind the counter, taking careful note of the pattern of blood droplets on the floor, so that he could fill out a biohaz report and clean it all properly.

At the register, J saw the blood running out from underneath the drawer, and decided this was a great time to wake up from what was most assuredly a nightmare. The howling chorus of murder and violence carried on its carrion chorus until at last, xe hit the button to open xis drawer and-

Silence. It cut out, a shocking and startling abuse of sudden peace. Inside of the drawer, the bills were soaked in blood, floating in the liquid as if it had been full up before the money was even placed inside, and none of that made sense…

Confounded, confused, xe reached in and tried to take one of the bills out - and then jerked xis hand back as the drawer snapped viciously shut, so fast that the reaction was more instinct than anything else. Strangulation of a scream was something J had experience with, and xe choked the rising scream in xis throat, and choked the bile of horror down with a guttural swallow.

Xis pinkie finger was gone, cloven off cleanly between the two middle knuckles, at an angle. Blood squirted, red and so vital, and J walked with numbness and purposeful intent. Each footstep was a labor of necessity, a cold wrought iron act that could only be forged out by someone who had experienced pain, horror and sudden and unexpected wounding before.

In the back, xe grabbed another of the good cleaning paper towels and wrapped it around the digit, taking great effort to fold the flap of skin over the stump for the moment. Whatever had happened, the bone had slowed down the cut, and perhaps that was the only reason there was so much of the digit left. With duct tape from the emergency toolbox, xe secured the makeshift dressing.

A lot of things were happening in xis head at once, most of them related to trying to get xis fucking finger sewn back on. It wasn't a terrible loss, a pinkie that was barely used for anything, and the pain, the pain was so immense but so much less than xis mind would have thought had xe been made aware of the cut before it came.

It ached. It hurt. It was-

"Need the bit," J muttered, feverishly, half-drunk with adrenaline and half-sick with horror. These new steps, back out to the register, were accompanied by the forceful requisition of a pair of heavy metal tongs that were normally used for pulling hot wings off the cook plates. Shaking still, J used the POS to open the drawer, and stared into it, seeing what was wrong, what xe had missed.

The bills that strange woman had given over, they weren't the source of the blood - xe wasn't even sure it was really blood. Somehow, all the fleshy horror of the inside of the drawer was almost not a surprise. The various slots for all of the bills had been replaced with chambers full of blood, oozing from little holes near the top and soaking all of the coins and paper, drowning them in thickened red. The fingertip, the digit, was hissing and smoking, that smoke the acrid horror of digestion. The inside lip of the drawer was lined with a thick, wide row of misshapen but unmistakably human front teeth - misshapen, but razor sharp.

Pain. Beneath the layers of tissue, thick plates of bone formed the basic skeleton of the drawer, though the outside remained mottle gray metal. Wrong, it was all wrong. It was a horror. Disgusted, enraged, J wedged the tongs in and watched it snap shut. This animal was nothing but that, an animal, operating on instinct - and it kept trying to close, grinding aggressively against the shaft of the tongs… and then gave up. This gave J only a moment to snap the remains of the digit from the single dollar slot.

This time, when it snapped shut, it was done. Xe set the digit on the counter, having fully given the screaming fuck up on hazmat protocols, and was distressed to find that there wasn't enough flesh to sew back on. It was just grotesque, awful bone and some tendon gumming it all together.

Frantic with afterthought, J checked xis hands and… they had burns, mild ones, on the palms. It wasn't blood, it was some digestive fluid that smelled and felt a lot like blood, but was just a bit thicker and-

J opened the drawer again. It was still there.

"Fuck," xe said, because if xe was just crazy, it'd be a lot less fucking scary.

It was that moment that xis phone started beeping, and the wounded worker fumbled the device out and squeeze-pressed the side button to reveal…

Six thirty AM. It was morning, and not just morning, but half an hour past the end of xis shift. Xis relief, an assistant manager, hadn't shown up, and was half an hour late - and this was when xe would have to call xis boss, if xe had ANY FUCKING SIGNAL.

Xe did not have, in fact, any signal, fucking or otherwise.

Panting with the extreme exhaustion of an adrenaline crash and the staggering pain of a severed digit, an executive decision was called for - and this one was easy, in the extreme, to make. Without even pausing to think, to wait, to hesitate, J walked to the manager's desk behind the front counter and opened the non-manager drawer on it, retrieving the emergency key for the doors. With that in hand, xe stumblefucked to the rear door and fully closed it, tricking it to latch with a little wiggle of the 'if you press this, the fire department will come' bar that forced them to leave that particular portal open, if only just, propped that way.

That done, xe walked to the front doors and reached up to the sensor controls, disabling the sensor so it wouldn't open for anyone. A final step had to be followed, and xe followed out, because at that moment, clinging to procedure was basically all that was keeping xim fucking sane. With a certain amount of disdain, xe slapped on the 'Closed due to emergency circumstances, please wait for a manager, or otherwise find another location to serve you' sign on the front door.

Xe then stepped out into the cold of morning, locked the doors, and turned to the parking lot intending to head right next store to the apartments where xis manager lived. If the phones were down, xe would pound on the fucking door and wake the poor woman up.

Except, facing the parking lot, that preternatural darkness still enveloped everything but the pumps and the area beneath the bright canopy lights. Something was wrong with that darkness, something that J couldn't quite figure until xe walked halfway across the lot and saw something that made that cold ice-water-in-the-cerebrospinal-fluid feeling come on back.

Bricks. Through that thick, syrupy darkness, xe saw bricks at the edge of the parking lot, at the very edge of the store's lot. Baffled, nauseous, xe made xis way to that edge and pressed xis wounded hand to the brickwork and just… breathed, slowly, carefully. Walking down the wall revealed just another wall, at the edge of the lot farthest from the doors - and then, xe walked down that door to a pool of light that had been hard to even notice through the black.

They slid open smoothly. J stepped into the entrance of Ultimart, and turned around as the doors shut, staring across the parking lot at pumps that had been mutated and warped, blended together and superimposed with pumps that had been mirrored. Light shone out of doors to the right, to the left, and to the locked doors with the posted sign directly across the lot.

"Welcome to Ultimart! We have great deals and fantastic meals!" a voice called. J turned, slowly, looking at a cashier that stood behind the counter. Frightened, sick with anger, xe walked up to the swinging doors and stared over them.

The Cashier was not standing there. Instead, thick rivulets of bone ran down from a bare and exposed pelvis, tubes connected to various internal organs emerging from blistered, scarred up, cauterized flesh - the tubes themselves were thick, glistening white connective tissue, wet. The bone formed pillars all the way to the floor, lumpy and uneven like melted stick candles.

There, at the floor, that bone grew in sickly, plantlike tendrils straight into the gaps between the tiles. Those cartilaginous tubes ran down through holes below the register.

"Working hard, or hardly working?" the cashier asked, like a fucking freak, like a disgusting nightmare. Neither of this things eyes were the same color, and both of them failed to focus equally, pupils seemingly set at entirely different levels of dilation. "Great deals!"

"Fall over and fucking die," J said, quite evenly, before walking back through those same goddamned doors and past the overlaid, mutated pumps. Xe unlocked the doors from the outside, and then re-locked them from the inside, and walked behind the counter. There, J sat down against the cigarette wall, and just… stared at the register. Blood was still dripping from the counter, and the bone and tissue still smoked faintly.

Finally, after a few minutes, xe said, softly…

"Fuck."

[dragonologist-phd]

Candlelight for the fic ask? It's such an intimate, introspective piece.

aah thank you!

Candlelight

"It's an exchange of energy; the light and the warmth simply aren't built to last forever, but that's why we find ourselves so enamored with it. We're all just chemistry and entropy, in the end. I don't see that as a bad thing. I just think it means we should appreciate beauty while we can." "Pretty words, my love," Kanerah said in a low voice. "But dying is not so peaceful as snuffing out a candle. Trust me on that."

My main reason for writing this fic was to dive into Mercury's choices at the end of game. I really couldn't picture her swearing fealty to either Nyrissa or the Lantern King, even in exchange for immortality- partially because, unlike some of my OC's, immortality is just not appealing to her. Especially not the kind of immortality that was being offered:

"I know how that sounds, but...Nyrissa and the Lantern King, they’re just stuck in their cycle. Forever at war, but not actually achieving anything. Just an endless loop of the same struggle. They’re immortal, but what actual enjoyment do they reap from it?” Mercury shook her head. “And anyway, their offers came with strings. Service to one or the other. Fighting battles that were never mine. They can keep that kind of immortality. I like my life, mortal though it may be.”

And that led to the thought that Kanerah would definitely have thoughts about all of that, because she's died! I think that gets glossed over sometimes, but she actually died, and it was clearly traumatic for her:

"But I was not offered the choice, was I? You were. And you did not have the experience of death to make an informed decision. You don't understand, you can't. Not until you face it yourself."

The tension between them was fun to get into, especially with the underlying knowledge that there was once something between Mercury and Nyrissa. When Kanerah thinks that Mercury might regret choosing mortal life over immortality, she's also saying that she thinks Mercury might regret choosing her over Nyrissa. Because for all of Kanerah's confidence, she's never had someone choose her- the real her- before:

"I know myself, and what I want. I know what I'm choosing. Why does that worry you?" "Because what if..." Kanerah sighed and leaned closer, her eyes lingering on the small, dancing flame in Mercury's hands for a long, silent moment before she finally spoke. “What if you're wrong about what you want?

In the end, a lot of this fic was inspired by the many different ways Mercury's story could have gone. She almost ended up with Nyrissa; she almost ended up an immortal Queen. But she ended her story very mortal, with a life that seems simpler but is much more suited to her actual desires, and with a relationship built on years of companionship. In a way, Mercury's ending is about her choosing a real life over the fantasy and dreams she had with Nyrissa.

And as she tells Kanerah in the fic, she's very happy with that decision.

Plus, Mercury is an alchemist, so I got to play around with some fun descriptions of how she views life:

"We're all just chemistry and entropy, in the end. I don't see that as a bad thing. I just think it means we should appreciate beauty while we can."

(I'm also so soft over that bit at the end where they joke about having kids, which does eventually happen!)

[sadfruittheatre]

On Bragi, Mara, and the AroAce Experience

Bragi and Mara’s friendship is really important to me, especially from an ace perspective. It takes a lot of those familiar YA romance tropes (tropes that Mara is initially actively trying to enforce) and ends up subverting them. She went into this wanting to fix him, to teach a brooding boy how to love (even if it’s just her), and she learns the hard way how much that actually sucks.

Bragi was genuinely really fucking mean to her. And it’s not because he was  hiding any feelings for her, it’s just because he was a jerk. Like yeah, he had to wrestle with admitting he wants to be friends, but he wasn’t really hiding that so much as he was completely unaware that’s how he felt. But when he does finally have to admit that, he becomes possessive, and it’s not in that sort of dominant, romantic way, he literally thought he owned her and he was not about to share. And that possessiveness gives way to obsessiveness. Because he does enjoy her company so much, he wants it all the time, and so she doesn’t really get a whole lot of space (which is honestly still a bit of a problem, even if it’s now more out of a sense of not understanding proper boundaries rather than a sense of ownership).

Mara, to her credit, did realize pretty quickly that having an emotionally stunted boy be obsessed with and dependent on you and only you was not nearly as romantic as her novels made it sound, and whatever romantic feelings she had for him quickly went out the window. Unfortunately, she was kind of stuck at this point, partially out of a sense of pity, and partially because she does have a high tolerance for mean bullshit because her parents treated her the same way. And I mean they did actually have a lot in common despite them both not being like other girls-- So she stayed.

Were Mara real, I would absolutely have told her to run.

It was foolish, but she got really lucky and it paid off. She got him to open up a little and even let other people in. While she did have a positive influence on him and eventually got him to see and understand the impact of his own behavior, he’s the one that ultimately chose to make a change for the better. She didn’t “fix” him (even if he sincerely credits her for that), she was simply honest about how she felt and let him know she wanted him to make better choices. He might’ve absolutely sucked at showing it, and it hurt to hear, but by then he really did respect her opinions enough that he wanted to sincerely put in the work to do exactly that, and it's only then that they become a lot closer for it.

But not romantically.

Bragi does not, has not, and will not ever have romantic feelings toward Mara (or anyone, for that matter). He loves her dearly (even if he can be a little tsundere about actually expressing it), he’s utterly devoted to her, and the two are practically joined at the hip and are pretty physically affectionate with each other, but it’s all platonic. They are best friends. They are like siblings. But people tend to mistake them for being a couple and it drives them mad for different reasons.  For Mara, it’s a reminder of that horribly misplaced crush she wants to forget forever, and for Bragi, it’s a blatant mischaracterization of their friendship. He doesn’t understand why society insists on viewing things through a romantic lens. Why can’t a boy and a girl just be friends without any ulterior motives?

Joke’s on him though, he’s experiencing the phenomenon known as Being AroAce. And he gets it from me. I went through a lot of similar things, where parents and friends would accuse me of having a crush on every boy I ever even mentioned in passing. I never understood why my friend’s mom insisted he leave his bedroom door open when I came over. I had no intention of making a move on him. Why would I? Why would he? We were just playing Pokemon. Was it not enough to just hang out? To vibe?

I dated a lot to try and fit in because I felt like that was what I was “supposed” to do, but dating just felt exactly like friendship with extra steps. And when I learned the term “asexual,” I went “Oh, that explains everything,” and I literally never worried about it again (except when people would accuse me of being into people I only loved platonically) lmao

And then I gave those frustrations to Bragi, who does not quite have that same luxury I did. He doesn’t understand “asexual” outside of a purely biological sense, and he’s going to think you meant “aromatic” instead of “aromantic.” Nobody told him that was even an option. He just knows that the concept of romance is stupid to him and he wants no part of it. Why do people awkwardly dance around the fact they have feelings for each other? Why not just say it outright and get it out of the way? Why do people make such a big deal out of it and insist that they need a romantic partner in their life to be fulfilled? Sure, he understands that some of it comes down to it all being a vehicle towards procreation and the continued existence of their respective species, but why do people insist on also pushing that onto other people to whom it doesn’t apply? It’s stupid, it’s frustrating, and he doesn’t get it.

But deep down, a part of him wonders if he’s actually missing out on something big. Everyone keeps talking about it like it’s the most important part of being alive. It makes you whole, it’s what separates you from a mere animal. And so sometimes he asks himself why he can’t relate. Why doesn’t he feel inclined to agree? Has he simply not met the right person? But he tries to imagine the ideal person to spend his life with, and he’s still turned off by the idea of being romantically involved with them. Is it because he’s still too young? But everyone his age or equivalent seems to have someone they love, or are at least attracted to. Some might mistakenly believe it’s a characteristic of his species, since they’re born from fruit and don’t need to reproduce, but even they fall in love. Is there something wrong with him? Is he simply incapable of love? But then he remembers he does in fact love his friends quite a bit. He loves lots of people and places and things. He’s actually pretty fulfilled in that aspect now. So like, what the hell?

I asked a lot of these questions and went through a lot of these frustrations too (though I never really thought I was broken or anything, I just went “Am I weird? No, it’s society that is wrong.” lmao), so Bragi being the way he is, and his friendship with Mara mean a lot to me. Like they go through this whole character journey together, becoming better people and bringing out the best in each other. They sincerely love each other, and in other media, their expressions of that, as well as their journey to get to that point, could and likely would be read as romantic, but here, they’re just good friends, and any denial of being anything more is just an honest statement. It’s sweet, but it’s also a bit of vindication for me on multiple levels, both in terms of real life experience as well as the sort of relationships I wanted to see more of in media. "Boy and Girl are Just Friends" is not exactly revolutionary, but it's just nice personally to take what would typically be the start of a romantic storyline and go "lol nope."

[rottingmanifesto]

Pre-Fire Part 2 + Fire

-It’s interesting to see how awkward Lincoln is at the country club. Understandably so, considering he’s never been and the connotations of the time, but I wish we saw more to that side of him. It wears off by the time he meets Sal (despite the numerous micro-aggressions), but still, I wonder.

-I want to know more about the event Giorgi talks about with Lincoln. It was likely in 1964, maybe September or October before he went to boot camp. Regardless, I want to see/hear more about that night!

-“You make him sound like a goddamn lawyer.” Oh if only

-Ah. Sal.

-eyyy Vito! I love how skeptical he is of everything, especially when Sal starts talking.

-WHY DID HE SAY “it’s pretty fuckin’ ballsy” TO SAL. LINCOLN YOU ARE SO STUPID

-anyway.

-Ow this hurts. I think even if he said yes Lincoln would’ve been manipulated.

-“But you know, even after we’re all evened up, you’re still gonna be sloppin’ around in the ass end of this city. Not much of a future in that.” Why does this line remind me of The Outsiders by SE Hinton? No clue, but still, interesting line.

-This also reveals a bit about Lincoln— not only is there that loyalty, but he also doesn’t think far into the future. He has general ideas of how things might go, but otherwise? He goes off of the past to shape his present. I don’t know, I just like that characterization.

-I bet Giorgi suggested Lincoln take over, and feels shame when Lincoln says no.

-John’s part is fascinating to me. What exactly did he mean? My interpretation is mostly that Lincoln just went with things with some plan but not much, he wasn’t bogged down by details when he had a goal in mind. But that’s my theory, I’m not quite sure what he meant.

Heist

-“Fuckers!” That line is so funny to me I don’t know why

-I love how Giorgi is the voice of reason here: Lincoln says nothing and both Danny and Ellis want to use the TNT. How the hell does this friend group even function

-the vault falling is so funny to me, looney tunes ass hijink

Burke’s Place

-DANNY MY BELOVED

-I wanna know how Lincoln got the Casanova nickname. Like I can deduce what it means, but I want to know the story

-“yeah. Unfortunately.”

-The banter between these four is great, I wish we saw more of it

-Danny switches accents with his dad. Little details like this make the characters feel human to me (even if it sounds more Scottish than Irish)

-they never cleaned the car :(

-NICKIIIIIIII my favorite (fictional) lesbian

Mardi Gras

-I want the lore on the underground tunnels. It looks so cool! NOLA doesn’t have any so I wonder where they got the idea

-the ass joke. Enough said

-what kind of building has a ladder to the underground canals? That’s what I want to know

-“fuck you pig!” Best line in the whole series 10/10 no more games needed

-look, I know plot armor and all that, but how did they not get caught? You’d think the police would be looking for them even above ground before they even got up there

-Danny, hon. You’re an awful actor

-“We all got a friend in Jesus.”

-the graveyard looks so cool ngl

-“I’m sleepin’ on a bed of tiddies” yeah if only man

The Fire

-I love Sammy and Ellis’ banter. Again, wish we saw more, like a prequel DLC or something

-“It’s freedom. Real freedom.” The cost of freedom is buried in the ground.

-Sammy’s suspicions were right, but he couldn’t warn anyone

-ah the kiss of death

-the dramatic irony of “ain’t no one standing over me again” and his death being, well, someone standing over him.

-Lincoln’s hallucinations are interesting. It would’ve been nice to know the lore (if it was fumes, or PTSD, or something else)

-What would’ve happened if he didn’t make that call?

-“You’re goddamn right I did.”

Recovery

-This is where the timeline confuses me. We see Robert Kennedy’s assassination (in June of 1968), but we also see Anna’s death around the same time despite Lincoln allegedly being (partially) incapacitated. So either RK’s assassination happened earlier in this world, or there was an accidental retcon.

-John falling asleep next to Lincoln reveals a lot about his motivations. If he really were there just to help with revenge, then why stick around? All he has to do (technically) is the setup, but instead, John chooses to help and keep watch over his friend. I really do believe John cares deeply for Lincoln (whether that be romantic or platonic is up to the player).

-The conversation between Lincoln and FJ is sad to me— the beginning of the end.

[hot-take-tournament]

sorry if my take sounds deeply incomprehensible i just kept going back on submitting it and knew if i didn’t ramble it all out in one take i was gonna chicken out again LMAO

don't worry about it at all!

i think an incoherent infodump every once in a while is good for the soul!

look, if we're being totally candid -

i have pretty severe adhd comorbid with bipolar disorder, which i do my best to mask - yeah yeah, i know you're not supposed to, but i doubt i'll ever truly shake the shame, especially given the things i've done as a result of failing to mask, both online and irl (the latter being much, much worse) - so i've resolved to do it for the rest of my life

i did talk a little bit about what i was like on my main blog here, which you might need for context:

(speaking of which, please don't actually follow or even go to my main blog just because you like this one - i'm 100% fucking serious. i'm a very different person over there to the point of being almost unrecognisable, even to myself - and i guarantee that side of myself wouldn't recognise me either; we're like two parts of a very fucked up whole. so for that reason i want to keep these two blogs separate; like i said, i'm bipolar, so that's where i let the venom out, and when i feel joyful again, i come back here. i'm more active here anyway, to the point where i basically consider this my main blog now - i mean, my bio isn't even up to date over there)

the point is although i plan to mask for the rest of my life, even i'm partial to an unprompted infodump or oversharing session every once in a while

that's the reason i want this blog to be a safe place for people to vent/infodump/just share their wildest takes anonymously, while still having a little fun by making it a tournament - it's partly to atone in a cringe kinda way, but also because this dumbass site has actually been a huge source of support in some of the darker points in my life

it's almost ironic in a weird way - i spent so much time targeting other people for their mental health problems, but when i had some of my own i came crawling back to those same people. maybe karma does exist lol

no, i didn't ever interact with any of them; but just lurking on their blogs and reading their posts helped normalise what i was going through when i felt so alone after receiving my diagnosis; though it was always in the back of my mind that maybe a year earlier i would've seen those same posts and done my level best to make them feel like shit for it just for the sake of a little dopamine hit

i'm a proud airhead, but i'm not naive - i'm not going to lie to you and say that tumblr is a safe space, partly because nowhere on the internet is safe, partly because i've read some of your takes and they terrify me, but mostly because i'm living proof of how awful this site can be

but i do want to at least create one semi-safe place on the internet after ruining so many other people's

jesus i'm fucking crying that's new lol

anyway sorry for taking your incoherent infodump and exchanging it with one of my own, that's probably more info about me than you ever wanted to know

but i hope this provides a little context for why i decided to start this blog

the point i was actually trying to make, because i'm pretty sure i never actually responded to what you were saying - never feel embarassed to submit anything! trust me, i totally get it; but i promise, even when i make jokes about some unhinged takes, it's all light-hearted, and if it ever comes across otherwise, please let me know! <3 <3 <3

i'm gonna take a quick break, i'll catch up with you all again later

[acourtofthought]

On another note and then I’ll be off, I saw you arguing about why SJM may have chosen not to go with the Azriel/Nesta/Cassian threesome, and I loved your reasoning. May I add something, though?

It’s, as you said, pretty obvious that the reason can’t have anything to do with E/riel, because then SJM wouldn’t have thought about the threesome in the first place. (I mean, sleeping with the sister of the girl you’re supposedly already in love with, not caring about her feelings? Damn).

It could, though, have much to do with Gwynriel. You said that Gwyn’s arrival probably changed things, and I agree. Mainly because SJM revealed she had to force herself not to write the threesome, and it makes sense considering that technically Nesta had no reason not to go for it.

So, it’s possible that SJM found the choice hard because there were the premises for it, but involving Azriel in any way with Nesta would’ve made things messy between her and Gwyn in the future.

That’s not the only possible explanation, however. When thinking about it, I realized that SJM’s choice could have also been about Elucien, or, at least, about both Gwynriel and Elucien.

I know, I know, I’m an Elucien stan, so I probably sound partial, but hear me out.

As things are right now, endgame or no endgame, there’s no way that Azriel sleeping with Nesta and Cassian wouldn’t have hurt Elain, considering her crush and that she’s likely using Azriel as a way to escape reality.

There’s also no way Elain wouldn’t have found out, considering the IC would talk, joke about it, and she frequents them enough. Not to mention, I believe Nesta wouldn’t do it if she thought Elain had feelings, and she’d talk about it because she wouldn’t know.

(And maybe that’s naive considering his recent behaviour, but I hope Azriel would tell her beforehand. Not because he owes it to her—he doesn’t—, but because he respects her).

Anyway, the point is: in any plausible scenario that I can think of, Elain would’ve found out. And if Elain had found out, wouldn’t that have been major for her? Wouldn’t that have forced her to think about Azriel, Lucien, and what’s going on with them?

Couldn’t it be that seeing Elain’s reaction to the threesome would have hinted too much? We know, after all, how SJM’s publishers feel about things (particularly endgames) being “spoiled.”

I think everything you said is valid because something that was meant to be fun for Nesta would have a massive trickle down effect for all the others and could never be as simple as "a good time".

I do still think if SJM has been building E/riel as endgame since ACOWAR (or even ACOMAF as some say), the threesome with Nesta, Az and Cassian would have never come into her mind, ever. SJM wouldn't have even entertained the thought. Just like SJM would have never had Elain hook up with Cassian for a rebound if she knew since ACOMAF that he and Nesta were meant to be together. Once you know for sure who an endgame couple is, I really don't think you give the guy a little fling with their sister (especially when both sisters are going to be a FMC. Usually the trop with the girl ending up with her sister's ex only works when the first sister mistreated the guy). So if Elain was never meant to end up with Azriel than it seems like Nesta could have had a threesome with him. Except for the other two problems with that. Gwyn for sure because even though she and Az don't owe anything to one another at this point, it would be weird if your friend found out you slept with her Mate. And......Elain again. But this time because of the point you were making. Even if Elain was never meant to end up with Az, SJM has created a storyline where she and Az are experiencing a sort of rebound. Even though it's very clear to us that Az is not feeling love towards Elain since he doesn't think of a future for them, obsession is still a consuming emotion. Az is still not over Mor but he transferred those feelings to Elain because Mor is no longer around as often. Since he did become fixated on the only other available female (one who was given a bond while he was not), it wouldn't make sense for Az to be open to sleeping with Elain's sister while he's fixated on Elain .And even though we know Elain isn't really ready to deal with the things she needs to deal with, she's let herself believe she could start something with Az (as she has no bond with him and he looks human without his shadows - something she probably clings on to as she's still not completely over the loss of her humanity). Az's actions have led Elain to believe that he's interested in her too (which is why she was willing to kiss him in the first place) and if she found out he'd slept with her sister while shooting her "obsessed with you looks", it would make him seem like a player. Which would be harder for Elain and the readers to forgive. I'm not sure whether it would force her hand on making a decision on Lucien though since she's gotten really good at refusing to deal with that 😂. But anyway you look at it, a threesome that included Nesta and Az would have caused too many issues.