#what about his extended family is he allowed to talk to them since they’re so suffocating?

[saitamastamaticsoup]

Not to be dramatic but since hiori is blasian in canon I need black x readers asap🗣️ like we are DEF not getting any cultural background on this kid (because they just slid it in there like we weren’t gonna recognize in the first place)not that we have any background on any of these children’s parents but I think he should explain how he feels being mixed in Japan because it’s just really funny having these two in the exact same anime, and they are both black 

This is ABSOLUTELY hilarious 😭

Edit: so I’ve noticed a pattern of EVERY character looking like their mother and barely sharing any resemblance to their fathers so ig he gets a pass for being pale BUT there’s even more melaninated characters so let’s give him some sun too!!🥺

Respectfully; come the fuck on

[gimmeurtmi]

stray kids and… things they only share with you.

tags: ot8, established relationships, fluff

warnings: swearing, lowkey angst for han, i don’t actually know the gender of min’s cats okay, idk if there’s anything else?

notes: this is my first time doing an ot8 thing so feedback is appreciated <3 also idk if they’re the same length i just wrote lol

chan… headphones

you’re on chan’s bed, a book in hand as you read while chan works. quality time is very important to you, even if he is observed in his work and doesn’t say much while you’re reading.

every now and again he’ll get up for a drink and silently put one by your side, too. when he’s done something he’s specifically proud of he’ll let out a giggle and maybe clap his hands, instinctively turning to you with a smile even if he doesn’t stop to explain what made him happy.

if you’re feeling a little more touchy that day, he’ll happily let you wrap your arms around his shoulder as his focus remains on his work. he’ll let you pepper kisses on his cheek, blushing lightly, before you get bored and go back to your own work.

when he’s done making something he really likes he turns to you with a grin.

“mate,” he says, face beaming. “mate!”

“come on,” you say, marking your place in your book before putting it aside. you extended your hand to him, and he grabs the headphones he’s been using and hands them to you.

you place them securely on your head and nod at him, ready to listen. chan plays the track for you, finally resting his head on your shoulder.

he wraps his hand around your bicep, closing his eyes softly as he picks up the very faint sound of the track playing through the headphones.

when it’s done you smile down at him, ready to praise him, but his mouth is open—soft breathes leaving his lips, and so you know he’s asleep.

instead you connect the headphones to your spotify and listen to a podcast while you rest your eyes. you don’t dare move, just in case chan might wake up from the disruption.

you know he might scold you for not waking him up, but it’s almost three am—and by what you’ve just listened to it’s safe to say he finished the track, so there’s no reason he shouldn’t be allowed to sleep after his hard work.

you let yourself fall asleep as well once the podcast you’ve been listening to is over, carefully putting the headphones to the side as you know how important they are to chan.

the first time he let you use them you gasped, but he insisted since you left your pair at home and wanted to listen to music while studying without bothering chan’s concentration.

“i have a lot of pairs anyway,” he said calmly, “borrow them whenever you need.”

minho… cat snacks

you both sit on the floor of his parents’ house, full from the dinner minho cooked for you and his family. you were talking about your new neighbour who you swore had a pet wolf. minho kept saying it isn’t a wolf, that he even spoke to the man and it’s just a cross breed.

you insist it’s a wolf.

his father sides with him, saying that would have to be illegal, but before you can offer your argumatives points, dori walks over to you, sits in your lap, and starts meowing loudly.

“he really is just like you,” you say to minho. he cocks his head to the side. “he wants something so he comes to me and starts making noise.”

“he’s hungry,” minho explains, rolling his eyes at your comment.

he gets up and grabs three snack packs, handing you one before he calls the other two over for some dinner.

from the corner of your eye you can see minho’s mum staring at you, in complete shock—but you try not to get too paranoid about it. you know she likes you, minho promised she likes you.

you instead focus on the cat in your lap, now meowing even louder once the snack came into view. you quickly open it and offer it up, giggling at the way he eagerly starts licking at the food.

when you glance over at minho you freeze, noticing the tension in the air.

“am i doing it wrong?” you whisper, as if dori might judge you for that question.

he shakes his head slowly but doesn’t say anything else. his mum quickly brings up another subject, asking you all about that incident at work you mentioned on your last visit.

minho helps them clear the last of the plates and cups that are left, insisting you sit down even after you offered to help three times.

soonie approaches you slowly before sitting down right on top of your phone.

you start talking to her, explaining the logic behind her actions, and she then shows you her stomach. you instantly start scratching it, knowing if she’s anything like her big brother she’ll start rioting if she doesn’t get the attention she wants.

after a few minutes of cooing at the cat you feel someone sitting down next to you, a pair of big hands wrapping around your waist, minho placing his chin on your shoulder.

“my mum just told me off,” he says, and you can hear the grin on his face.

“what did you do?”

“apparently i have never in all my life let anyone else feed the cats with me.”

“she was looking at me weird,” you mumble, “didn’t think it would be over something so simple.”

“you know the cats mean the world to me, right?” he looks at you, brows knitted together. now he’s looking at you weird—and it doesn’t help that they have the same confused face.

“yes, they’re your lockscreen and i’m not.”

“not this again,” minho sighs, but you simply grin at him.

“what’s your point?”

“i didn’t notice i do that, nor did i notice i gave you one of the snacks to feed them with,” is all his explanation. you manage to fill in the blanks yourself—knowing minho would never say it if it’s as painfully honest as you think it is.

you kiss his lips softly. “thank you for trusting me with your world.”

he nods, satisfied you understood him. like you always do.

changbin… phone

“hey, can you text the boys for me? tell felix we’ll be there in a second,” changbin says, handing you his phone as he keeps his eyes focused on the road.

“password?” you ask, trying to angle the phone towards his face until you remember it’s an android and it doesn’t even have face recognition.

“your birthday,” he says simply.

“simp,” you giggle, trying and failing to bite back your smile. changbin pays no mind to your comment, deciding being a simp for you is much better than ever letting you down—so he’ll accept that name proudly.

you text felix the details and put the phone back in the cup holder, focusing instead on the next song on changbin’s playlist.

“hey, can you order the food? i’m just gonna shower,” changbin asks as you enter the dorm. he came to pick you up right after his gym session, and while he didn’t want to see you while he was all sweaty he also didn’t want to make you wait any longer, so he still needs a shower.

you don’t have to ask for the passcode this time, easily keying in your birthday before ordering the food you talked about on your way home.

you notice he has solitaire on his phone, and while that might not be the most appealing game in the world you’re also extremely bored. you know you shouldn’t use his phone for anything other than what he’s asked you to, so you knock on the shower door quickly.

“binnie, can i play on your phone until the food’s ready?”

“of course, sweetheart!” he yells back.

you smile to yourself before plopping down on the couch and starting a new game.

the boys spent approximately forty five minutes taking pictures while all of you went to the han river for a picnic. it’s alright though, because they also took pictures of you with your boyfriend, and of you alone, so it’s not like you were excluded from the vanity game.

once the sun disappeared and the weather turned cooler you went back to the dorm to finish the rest of the food.

they were all looking over the pictures, deciding which was the best one to upload.

“who took the picture of me with the watermelon?” minho asks enthusiastically.

“binnie did,” you respond, as you spend your time focusing on the delicious cake felix made.

minho whines, considering changbin was taking one of his food naps at the moment and couldn’t show him the pictures.

you grab his phone from where he placed it down on the table and enter his gallery—handing the phone over to minho so he can look over the pictures.

he simply gasps at you.

“you know his passcode?”

you lock the phone again, showing minho that it was your thumb print that can unlock it.

“wow,” chan chuckles.

you don’t pay much attention to them though, far more invested in the cake, and so you get back to eating it while minho sends himself all the pictures off changbin’s phone.

hyunjin… jewellery

it starts flirtatious, like most things are with you and hyunjin. you’re playing with his hand, fiddling with his fingers, drawing circles on his wrist. you grab the ring on his finger and pull it off before placing it on the finger next to it. and then the finger next to it. you play this game for a few more minutes, hyunjin’s eyes practically turned into two hearts as he took in the amusement on your face. as he giggles, he grabs the ring from you and you pout—sad for the game to be over. but it isn’t, as the roles are now reversed, hyunjin moving the ring from finger to finger.

it’s then the waitress approaches your table, albeit hestitanly, and asks for your orders.

the ring stays on your hand all night.

“it suits you,” hyunjin says when you try and give it back.

“beautiful, can i have my ring?” he asks as he steps out of the shower a few days later. he has an event tonight, some important people he needs to meet, and he wants to look his best. jewellery is important for that.

“yeah, of course,” you don’t even hesitate. it was his ring to begin with, and he never officially gifted it as yours to keep. you were just looking after it for a bit.

when hyunjin gets back from paris he has a lot of gifts with him—all ysl branded and expensive. he shows off the clothes and the perfume and tells you all about the luxurious evenings him and felix enjoyed. of course, he sent you pictures as most of the events were taking place in front of him, but you enjoy his story telling even more when he’s right in front of you.

when he shows you the necklace he got you gasp, turning it over in your hand.

“it’s so pretty!” you gush. “that’ll look beautiful with a low neckline dress.”

“never wore a dress before,” his eyes twinkle at you.

you laugh at him and roll your eyes before handing the necklace back to him.

“you can wear it for that fancy meal we’re going to next week?” he offers simply.

you shake your head; not wanting to come off greedy. it was beautiful, and it must’ve been extremely expensive, and you already felt guilty for that comment you made. as if you’d just be allowed to wear it.

“i can’t take that, it was a gift from a brand partner. what will they say?”

“you’re not taking it,” hyunjin says simply, and you’re surprised by how quickly he’s giving up. “it’s a lend. you’ll wear it for that night and then give it back. and when you wanna wear it again just ask.”

“but i—“

he places his finger on your lips before pecking them softly, concluding the conversation for now.

jisung… demos

“baby! baby! baby! baby!” your boyfriend jumps in his seat as you answer the facetime call. sometimes you wonder where his energy supply comes from because it can’t possibly be natural.

it’s ten at night.

“hey, ji,” you smile at him. his energy is infectious, and the best thing to see after a long day of work.

“baby! i wrote the best song!” he smiles at you, his cheeks scrunched together as his face shines proudly.

“let’s hear it,” you ask, quickly grabbing your headphones so you could listen carefully.

he places the phone down against his water bottle, changing the view slightly.

his hair is hiding beneath a beanie, probably because he couldn’t be bothered to tame it, and his laptop is right in front of him.

other than that you can’t see much considering there’s only a small lamp illuminating the room, pointing only at the desk. there’s pieces of paper crumbled by the laptop—unwanted lyrics, you suppose.

“it doesn’t have a name yet,” he introduces, “and i might give it to the company because i’m not sure if the vibe is right for us. i think it could be right maybe if chan rearranges it a bit, but i don’t think it needs any change at all. maybe? maybe if felix sings the bridge then—“

“—hey! j.one!” he looks over at you, eyes wide and mouth in a small circle. “just play the song and then we can discuss it?”

he nods at you, sitting back in his chair and pressing play on his program.

the track starts playing loudly on the speakers around him. it’s slightly choppy, not the best quality to hear a song for the first time through a phone like this, but jisung is extremely impatient. he wanted you to hear the song right away, quite literally as soon as he finished recording the last part of it. so you didn’t mind straining slightly to try and catch all the lyrics.

jisung bops his head along to the beat, his face extremely serious as he listens back carefully.

you assume it’s only his second or third time hearing it back in completion since he doesn’t even monitor your reactions like he sometimes does—instead he’s taking notes.

you know his favourite part is coming up when his hand lifts into the air, dropping in time with the beat before the chorus plays again.

his eyebrows are scrunched together as a much faster rap verse starts, and you can tell he’s monitoring the cadence, even if it is just a demo track and he will most definitely re-record the vocals once he decides what to do with the track.

only when the song ends does he look back at you, expectedly, eyebrows high on his nervous face.

you clap your hands, nodding at him.

“nah, say what you actually think!” he all but scolds you.

“i think it deserved applause!”

he sends you a look before you go into more detail. what you thought of the beat, and the pace, and the sound, and the vibe. you aren’t professionally involved in music, you only know the words jisung taught you, but he still insists your opinion is more important than chan’s to him. you tell him that flattery isn’t useful in this situation, nor do you believe its true, but he stands by it.

“but the lyrics,” you start, and jisung’s eyes frown at your tone. “they’re incredibly moving, ji, but they’re so sad.”

“yeah,” he just nods, no longer looking at you.

“the beat doesn’t match how sad it is,” you comment, trying to disguise your worries as a simple criticism of the work.

“that’s on purpose though,” he says quickly, “i think it’s so sad that if the music matched it would be too much. plus, the feeling i’m talking about is acting like everything is normal, so a quick beat matches perfectly.”

you nod. “and why are you acting like everything is normal?”

jisung sighs, before he answers your question with a completely different one. “do you think i should give the song to someone else?”

“no,” you say, “felix would suit the bridge. and an emotional song is always best when it’s sang by someone that can relate.”

“i don’t wanna talk about it,” he says, knowing where you’re trying to take the conversation.

“and yet you called me to listen to it,” you cock your eyebrows up.

jisung rests his head against the chair for a moment, looking up as he thinks over his next words carefully. then he tells you all about it—the inspiration behind another one of his sad songs. you listen carefully, humming and nodding and offering your support and your words when he asks for them.

after about an hour on the phone a warning comes up to tell you you only have 20% left.

you go to grab your charger, and the pause in conversation causes the subject to move to your day and your plans for the weekend before they circle back to the song.

you do really like it, and tell him as such, encouraging him to show it to chan and the others soon.

after you say your goodbyes, and you reassure jisung of how much you love him, you go to sleep with the beat still stuck in your head.

when you tell jisung that the next morning he decides he can’t possibly give that track to anyone else—not even his band.

the company like it so much they let him release it as one of his solo tracks—his face beaming when he tells you the news two weeks later. right before playing another new song for you.

felix… games

“no way!” you gasp as you look around felix’s room for the very first time. he has all sorts of trinkets and fairy lights and even a beautiful piece of artwork on the wall. and then there’s his computer with the huge double monitor—which looks more expensive than anything else you’ve seen in the house so far.

but by the monitor there is a glass case, and inside it is an original gameboy.

“does it still work?” you ask enthusiastically.

“of course it does,” he scoffs, “i play it all the time.”

“you play your switch all the time,” you correct him.

“and then i play a little bit of that one,” he says, “it has the first ever pokémon on it.”

“what other games do you have for it?” you ask, eyes sparkling at him.

felix pulls out a box from the shelves above his monitor and hands it to you.

you opened it quickly, picking up all the different games inside it. all the popular ones are there, as well as ones you’ve never even heard of before. you can count at least three dozen in there. there’s also games for a nintendo ds (you spot a pink one on the shelf where the box once was), at least another dozen. you sigh and hand the box back to him.

“you really are a nerd, yeah?”

felix grins at you before giving you a sloppy kiss and carefully placing the box back on the shelf.

the tour continues as felix shows you his collection of twice albums and mangas and his deadpool mask he used for a performance once.

he further proves your point when he starts telling you just how rare one of his comic books are, but you indulge him. you think nothing is more rare than the sparkle in his eyes when he talks about his nerdy stuff—as if he brought down the whole galaxy into this very room—so you give him your full attention as he speaks.

later that night, when you’re both fed and dressed in comfier clothes, him and his younger roommates start playing a game. felix only said yes because you were showering (and you said it’ll take a while because you wanted to do a hair mask) but now that you’re back he asks the boys to pause it.

“no, no, it’s fine!” you say, not wanting to get on their bad side on your first night staying over. “maybe i can play on your ds in the meantime?”

seungmin snickers to himself, but he’s so focused on the game you’re not sure it was in response to what you said.

“i saw that you had nintendogs and i can definitely entertain myself with that while you guys finish your… mission or whatever it is.”

“y/n, let me stop you right there,” jeongin smirks, eyes still focused on the screen. “no one is allowed to touch hyung’s games so—“ felix elbows his friend, but that doesn’t stop him from talking, “—we’re only allowed to use the xbox when he’s with us and because we have our own controllers.”

“i almost died once before i was made aware of that rule,” seungmin adds.

you notice felix’s cheeks have gone red, his freckles dusting over the new colour. he’s always been extremely generous to you—if it was gifts or his time or his things. but if his games were a line for him you didn’t want to cross it, nor did you mean to.

“oh, of course!” you say quickly, “i can just do something else. you guys enjoy the game!”

you move to get up but felix stops you, placing a hand on your knee before he pauses the game. luckily they weren’t in the middle of a fight or anything, so the boys don’t protest too much.

felix places a kiss on your cheek before he gets up, walks to his room, and comes back with the console in his hand.

you can see seungmin’s jaw drop.

“what?” you blink up at felix as he places the game in your hand.

“you can start a new game and name it so i’ll know it’s yours for whenever you come over,” he smiles simply, nodding at you.

“unbelievable,” jeongin mumbles.

“i guess there really is such a thing as girlfriend privilege,” seungmin shakes his head.

felix smiles at you when you power up the console, kissing your temple when you shuffle closer to him. then he gets back to the game—not letting either of his roommates comment on the situation further.

seungmin… hoodies

“no,” seungmin says simply.

jisung was stood in your hotel room, begging seungmin to let him borrow that hoodie of his, the one with the red heart on the front. according to jisung, it’s exactly what his outfit is missing.

“what about that hoodie you wore yesterday?”

“no, the heart is what makes it because i’m gonna wear a red bandana and—“

“—so you’re stealing minnie’s whole fashion sense?” you chime in. seungmin smirks proudly at his friend as he raises his eyebrows.

“no, uh, i just wanna try something different,” jisung defends.

“if i may,” you try, offering your own fashion advice. jisung had a very nice cardigan with a hint of red in it, and you reminded him of that. he thought it over.

“a hoodie would be warmer though,” he tries again, flashing your boyfriend the best puppy eyes he could master.

“sorry, hyung,” seungmin shakes his head, “y/n already called that hoodie for tonight.”

jisung looks over at you, eyes wide.

“you couldn’t have said that earlier? i’ve been stood here wasting my time!” he rants some more as he leaves the room, letting the whole floor know about his inconsiderate friend that won’t let him live his fashion life to the fullest.

you laugh as his voice dies down slowly.

“so now i gotta find an outfit that works with that hoodie i guess?” you raise your eyebrows at him.

you did not call that hoodie for tonight at all actually, but if that was seungmin’s only excuse, you didn’t want to contradict him in front of his extremely stubborn friend.

“you could’ve just let him borrow it for tonight,” you try reasoning.

“nope,” seungmin pouts, “you’re the only one that should be wearing my hoodies.”

you laugh at him, wrapping your arms around him as you kiss his jaw softly.

“now i feel bad,” you tease, “i get bestowed with such an honour and i don’t even want your hoodie.”

he gasps. “you steal them all the time!”

“yeah,” you scrunch your face as you chuckle, “but now that you gave me permission i don’t want them anymore.”

“you’re so annoying,” he groans, pinching your sides. you yelp, jumping at the sensation before slapping his shoulder.

“i will wear it,” you say simply, “but only so ji doesn’t think you’re a liar.”

you walk towards the closet, where seungmin unloaded his whole suitcase into, and pick out the now infamous hoodie. you smile softly to yourself—it really is your favourite of his.

seungmin chuckles at your reaction, before sucking his teeth. “we’ll be late for dinner, come on.”

jeongin… personal space

jeongin does not like physical affection. he doesn’t do hugs or kisses or cuddles. that’s his rule.

but every rule has an exception and you’re the living proof.

when anyone else tries to touch him he squirms away, usually making a comment suitable for a spoiled child. but whenever you’re near him he does everything in his power to be closer to you.

if you’re walking down the street he’ll wrap his pinky around yours or sometimes he’ll fully grab your hand and sway your arms as you two walk.

he’ll play with your hair a lot too, always making sure to move it out the way before you start digging into your meal so it doesn’t get in your food.

if you’re watching a movie his thighs are in your lap and his arms around you. maybe he’ll even put his head on your shoulder if he’s a little sleepy that night.

and he refuses to fall asleep without his hand lazily sprawled across your body in some way or another.

the boys are definitely jealous, so they try their luck with jeongin after they see the physical affection between you two.

he still pushes them away with disproportionate disgust.

one time you were there to witness it and he fully grabbed you—using your body as a shield between him and chan’s attempted cuddles.

“no touchy!” he reminds him, grabbing onto your arms as he makes himself as small as possible to avoid chan reaching him.

“it’s not fair,” chan whines, “you let her touch you all the time!”

“channie-hyung,” jeongin pokes his head around your shoulder, ready to push you between him and his attacker at any moment if needed. “you realise it’s different when it’s you.”

“why?”

“because i love her,” he says it so simply, as if chan is silly for even needing that explanation. as if that isn’t the first time he’s said that out loud.

chan raises his eyebrows in surprise and you’re sure he’s just mirroring your shocked facial expression.

“you don’t love me?” chan reacts quickly, letting the tension die in the air as he insists he must hug jeongin now. ducking behind you, he grabs onto him and pulls him away from you. jeongin escapes from chan’s grip and they both start running around the room like absolute children until chan tackles him into a bear hug.

later that night you’re in jeongin’s bed, his hands locked behind your back as he pulls you fully on top of him.

“innie,” you start, as casually as you can, “you know if you don’t like them in your personal space you can just say that.”

“yes, i tell them all the time. no touchy.”

“i meant, you didn’t have to say that to chan just as an excuse,” you say, your finger wrapping around the string of his hoodie.

jeongin knits his brows as he looks at you.

“huh?”

“just… don’t feel like you have to lie.”

“lie? what are you talking about?”

he really doesn’t seem to remember what he said, so you swallow down the awkwardness and take a breath.

“you shouldn’t have told chan you lov—“ but before you can repeat what he said, jeongin’s eyes grow wide and his palm lands on your mouth, stopping you from saying anything else.

“i remember what i said now!” he says, looking everywhere but at you. “no, uh, no need to repeat it!”

you bite down on his palm gently, enough to get him to yelp and retreat his hand away so you can speak your mind.

“so you meant it?”

the redness on his cheek is enough of an answer, but jeongin decides to verbalise it, too. “no.”

“innie, don’t lie to me!”

he grabs you closer, practically shoving your head into his neck so you don’t see his warm face. he grunts.

“i, i didn’t, well, it’s just—“

“i love you, too.”

the grip on your waist loosens for only a moment before he squeezes you even closer to him, regardless of how your airways are coping.

[egalitarian-tomboy]

Kalim’s Desperation & Brokenness

I don’t think people understand how traumatized & broken Kalim is.

“What’re you talking about? Isn’t he the most sunshine-filled characters in Twisted Wonderland?” I hear you ask.

Let me explain.

While Kalim isn’t a prince, he still comes from a long line of influential and powerful merchants that have family members connected to the royal family of the Scalding Sands. He’s the eldest child and the heir to the family business that he will take over once his father retires. Because of his claim, many assassination attempts have been made on his life. From jealous extended family members to rival merchants. He’s 17 years old and he’s developed the ability to identify poisons. That’s not normal. That’s not something a normal teenager has to worry about or needs to develop. He’s been poisoned enough times that he eventually began to question everything he’s been given to eat except for the food and drinks that were prepared by Jamil. Because he trusts him that much. Did anyone stop & think about the fact that Kalim grew up thinking the next meal could be his last? That he grew up not wanting to eat anything regardless of who made it until Jamil started to cook for him? That’s legitimate PTSD he has that just gets glossed over.

Also because he is the number one target of his family’s rivals and jealous family members, he never got to make legitimate friends aside from Jamil. Jamil was his first and only boy in his age group not connected by blood that he was able to socialize with and hang out with. Jamil got to go to a normal school while Kalim had to be tutored away from the other kids. Jamil got to enjoy festivals among the crowds without the worry of being kidnapped, while Kalim had to attend the family gatherings / business meetings first before he was allowed to go celebrate with the others. Even then he was under constant supervision. It wasn’t until he started attending NRC that he started to make friends in his own age group outside of his family home. That’s depressing as fuck. So of course he’s going to try to get people around him to enjoy themselves and be happy. There’s a desperation in his happiness that doesn’t get pointed out by others but he’s not a robot that only knows joy. He’s not dumb. He knows that the world isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. He’s been the target of several assassination attempts and he flat out says that Jamil could’ve killed him at any point in his 17 years of life. He trusted him with his life on a daily basis, if anyone had the chance to kill him it’d be Jamil. But Jamil didn’t kill him, he wanted to be free of the caste system that bounded them as Master-Servant.

Kalim has been able to bluntly point out to people their concerns and their thoughts about people / topics. Although he’s oblivious to some social situations, that doesn’t mean he’s not adept at reading social cues. Especially since he was one of the first to realize that Vil was starting to act like Jamil before he overblot.

The students at NRC don’t see him as being selfish and uncaring, quite the opposite. A lot of the dormmates see Kalim as almost a brother-like figure and they’re all willing to let Jamil have a second chance at being Vice Warden after he reverted back to normal because Kalim asked them to give him a chance. In terms of the main cast, he’s fun to be around and he’s very sweet. But they’re not afraid to tell him “no” just because he’s from a prestigious family. That’s something I believe he’s been craving more than his freedom from his own house.

I believe that Kalim is partially inspired by Jasmine as well because Jasmine’s entire thing was getting freedom to do what she wanted and fall in love with who she wanted. Because if you really think about it...Kalim might be forced into an arranged marriage and that means that Kalim might not even have the chance to fall in love with who he wants.

He has a lot of development he still needs to do. But I believe his time at NRC is beneficial to that growth. Hopefully this post kind of helped flesh out this whole perspective of him.

[spookyscarydemonbabe]

On Thanksgiving, Gareth's douchebag cousins called him a loser and said he'd die a virgin. So he panicked and made up a fake girlfriend that sounds a looot like Hellfire Mom. Now he has to ask her to come with him to his family's Christmas party. Will she be The Best Fake Girlfriend Ever, or will she be The BEST Fake Girlfriend Ever?

Oh she’s the BEST fake girlfriend

(and i think i went a little overboard with this one but it was so fun to write!)

Of course you agreed to help Gareth prove his cousins wrong after he told you what they said about him

You discussed everything for a few weeks beforehand and decided on some rules before you went with to his families thanksgiving

He could put his arm around you, hold your hand, kisses on the cheek, use pet names, but he was NOT allowed to actually kiss you

He’s got one pass and it HAS to be when his cousins are about to see it

And since his parents don’t love their extended family that much they’re completely on board with it

You even tell his little sisters your plan and they had a hard time hiding their giggles the whole time

But you’re already like a big sister to them so they were happy to have you come along with them

Once you got there, you put on your game face and his entire family LOVED you

His cousins were shocked that not only did Gareth have a girlfriend, but she was nice, not to mention they had a difficult time keeping their eyes off of you because how could Gareth possibly get a 10/10 girlfriend when they couldn’t???

You helped his aunts make dinner, you ran around outside with his little sisters and cousins, you tried your best to talk football with the uncles, and when his grandma saw that you brought along a plate of cookies with you for everyone so you didn’t show up empty handed she absolutely approved of you

And Gareth was the sweetest fake boyfriend you could’ve asked for

He introduced you to everyone, pulled out chairs and opened doors for you, and during dinner he set up your plate just so you didn’t have to lift a finger

When they were going around the table sharing what they were thankful for, you really put on a show

You said you were so thankful for Gareth being the best boyfriend you could’ve asked for, and you were thankful he brought you along to meet his wonderful family and you couldn’t wait to come along for more holidays, and of course it was all finished with giving him a kiss on the cheek

Once dinner was finished and the family started to get into the fun part of the night, one of his aunts said that his cousins were off somewhere in the house and if you wanted you could have some alone time instead of hanging around all the little kids and that was the perfect opportunity to have his cousins catch you kissing him

You both quickly ran upstairs trying to keep your giggles in as you looked for an empty room to plan out how his cousins would catch you kissing him

You shut the door to the spare room you found upstairs and decided it would be best for Gareth to go find them, have a short conversation with them, and wait for you to show up behind him saying you were looking all over for him and kiss him before leading him off with you

It was weird to think about having to kiss one of your best friends but honestly if it meant that you helped him show his cousins up you didn’t care

Plus it might be an interesting experience to get to kiss your best friend

Gareth went off to find his cousins upstairs and one he found them he stood in the doorway and had a bit of small talk with them

Of course they asked how he was and all that other normal small talk bullshit but then they asked him what was really on their minds: how could he have possibly gotten an absolute smoke show girlfriend with how he was?

He was in a band that barely got a crowd, played dungeons and dragons and watched horror movies in his free time, and all his friends were freaks just like him, so how was he possibly able to get someone like you?

His answer?

‘To be honest i’m not sure why she likes me either. I think she said something about liking me just being myself, but who knows?’

You suddenly appeared behind him and reached for his hand with a sweet smile on your face and a light blush on your cheeks saying you’ve been looking all over for him and that you really wanted to go have dessert with the rest of the family and then…

Your hand reached up to hold his cheek, you brought him close, braced yourself, and kissed him

It was soft and sweet, just like you had imagined it would be, but it did feel kind of weird after you parted

Almost like kissing your brother

But still, you saw the looks on his cousins faces afterwards and the two of you smiled to each other as you led him back downstairs

Before you reached the bottom step you gripped his hand in yours and pulled him in close to you

‘No one, and i mean no one, will know that we had to kiss each other.’

He nodded quickly, almost a bit frightened at your sudden anger but he understood exactly what you were saying and knew that it was just something that would be kept between the two of you that would never be spoken of again

The rest of the night was spent with his family in the kitchen, and of course his aunts and grandma had to pull out the photo albums and show you all the pictures of baby Gareth and all the goofy stories that went along with them

They made sure you knew that they now considered you a part of the family

As you left you made sure to hug everyone goodbye and even giving a little wave to his cousins before you were given a plate of dessert to take home and sent on your way

His parents spent the whole car ride telling you everything that the family was saying about you two

How you made such an adorable a couple and everyone was shocked that Gareth was the first person to bring a girlfriend with to a family holiday and how much they loved having you there!

They even wanted you to come back for Christmas

Once you were back home you told Gareth you’d be happy to fill in as his fake girlfriend until he got a real one

As much as you loved his family and they loved you, it wasn’t something you could do forever

But as long as you were being sent home with a plate of dessert every time you didn’t mind doing it for a bit

[chalkrevelations]

No, so. I was going to spend tonight grubbing through episodes of Pete with a gun (fuck me running, how did I forget Pete’s THING about guns until literally right this minute?) because I have some half-formed thoughts about his trigger discipline and ... just, ANYWAY, that’s what I had planned for my spare time tonight. I’ll get to that at some point.

But then I got caught up in re-watching Eps 12 and 13 kind of obsessively, and my poor brain - which doesn’t know enough about the technical aspects of filming - is stuck trying to parse out WHAT THEY’RE DOING to Bible and Build and the ways that it makes them look different in various shots at different times. Like. OK, lemme be specific about what I’m thinking about, here: I know I’ve talked about Build looking otherworldly, just flat out ethereal, in the pill scene and the sex scene. And frankly, I think that extends, to some extent, from the moment Vegas walks into Torture Dungeon Main in the minor family house and Pete’s tied to the pillar (GOD, that staredown at the end of Ep 10, I CANNOT), up until Pete shows up at the major family house again in Ep 13. Like, ok, sure, Pete’s a good looking guy, fine, but the ENTIRE TIME Pete is held captive is the point when Build looks the hottest and the most gorgeous of any point in the show. And I feel like this happens with Bible too? But Bible also slides in and out of it throughout the course of that same time period - along with points at the other end of the spectrum, points when the Beast is fronting, points when Vegas is being particularly cruel or enraged and it shows, like the mask made real, overshadowing him, diminishing him as he lashes out and uses Pete to do it, and I look at him and can barely believe it’s the same actor - but I notice it particularly in that alley scene behind Yok’s bar: Vegas looks the hottest and the most gorgeous in that alley that he’s looked in a while ... OK, no. That’s not completely true, either. BUT, it goes to this theory that I have ...

Pete never looks more beautiful than when he’s VEGAS’S Pete, and Vegas never looks more beautiful than when he’s PETE’S Vegas.

And we see less of that with Vegas in the safehouse, because he’s not Pete’s yet, not fully, but he absolutely is in that alley. Even if Pete doesn’t want him anymore, Vegas, at that point, is going to be Pete’s until the day he dies.

And we see Pete that way from the end of Ep 10 onward - at least until he makes a run for it - because he’s already Vegas’s Pete as early as Torture Dungeon Main because even then, even then, he’s already allowing Vegas to see him in a way that he doesn’t show to anyone else.

And it’s not just something about the way they see each other, it’s something ... not meta-textual, but maybe omniscient narrator-like? something that the narrative itself is pushing on us ... because one of the key places that this view of Vegas’s Pete and Pete’s Vegas intersect to give us both of them at their most gorgeous at the same time is when they’re both alone and crying into their dinners in Ep 13, because that’s the point when Pete is Vegas’s Pete and Vegas is Pete’s Vegas, in a way that they maybe haven’t been at the same time since Ep 12′s sex scene. It’s just that BOTH of my idiot beloved moron broken sons have been too busy beating up on Pete since the sex scene to be able to be together at that point.

ANYWAY. I just can’t figure out what they’re doing when they shoot these scenes to make this distinction. Lighting? Filters? Hair and makeup? (Honestly that last part is likely part of it, because Pete’s disheveled hair, pushed back off his face, in most of the safehouse scenes looks SO MUCH better than his Bodyguard Hair ...

ETA: OTOH, hmm, maybe not entirely, because there are two points in Ep 7 that I’d argue we maybe get ExtraBeautiful!Pete despite the Bodyguard Hair: when he gives Vegas the onceover after Vegas whips out the Torture Suitcase AND when he’s standing over Vegas’s right shoulder while Vegas threatens Hia Wang through the cell bars later.)

Or am I crazy and just looking at them through my own personal filter of love and blood and heartbreak and devotion?

[fastfur07]

Cardplay

CW: Vore

It's been almost a year since I posted my first fic to this site, and I got the urge to revisit the upper-class vibe. So, here's an old character brought back.

Prey POV, unwilling prey, soft, safe vore.

Sometimes it’s difficult to put things in perspective. If you’re only comparing yourself to someone else, you forget about the rest of the population. So when you were invited to the residence of the wealthiest lord in the country, you didn’t feel particularly blessed.

Lord Lachlan was a quiet man. He didn’t appear on TV, nor did he give any speeches or proclamations. He was either too rich or too shy. Despite no one seeing him, everyone was aware of him, and most knew him from the cooking competitions he held every year. You theorised he could be a chef or gourmet of some kind, looking to explore the variety of food culture the country had to offer, but you couldn’t cook for the life of you - so why was he inviting you over? He must have wanted something else of you, but you couldn’t think of any talents you had. You weren’t even particularly rich, considering your love for gambling. Poker was your favourite distraction. It was a shame none of your other friends would play it with you any more, considering how often you beat them. 

Heaving a sigh, you pulled on your coat and stepped outside, heading for the affluent end of town. No matter why Lord Lachlan wanted you, you knew it was useless to decline.

---

“Welcome,” the footman greeted you as you stepped over the threshold. “I assume you are the person the Lord sent for.” 

By way of explanation, you held up the letter. “Very well. Allow me to escort you to him,” proclaimed the footman. Clearly excessive pompousness was the wealthy way of looking down on people.

You meandered through the mansion, its decadence jumping out at you from every angle. Everything that could have been polished was gold-plated, and everything that could have been gold-plated was encrusted with gemstones. Simple colours like black, white and red had been shunned for higher-class ones like ebony, pearl and vermillion. The sight almost hurt your eyes, but in a chivalrous way.

Eventually you reached a small, offside door, which the footman opened and motioned for you to enter. You took a few steps forward and looked around, but there was no sign of Lord Lachlan or anyone else.

“Hello,” came a voice from the far floor.

You blinked. There he was, sitting cross-legged on a huge cushion, in front of an ornate coffee table. His emerald-green jacket had blended in with all the other lavishness of the room. “Please, make yourself comfortable.”

Feeling stiff, you sat down on another cushion opposite him. He extended a large hand, and you shook it. Then there was a moment of silence as you waited for some kind of explanation.

“I hear you’re an excellent poker player,” Lord Lachlan remarked, his voice suddenly casual.

You nodded. You weren’t sure how he knew that, but then he was a few rungs above you on the social ladder, so he must have had some way of finding out. 

“‘I’m not bad at it myself,” he explained. “Really, when you’re in such a high position, someone’s bound to offer you a game, and you certainly can’t be left not knowing how to play.” The noble gave a hearty laugh, and you felt yourself relax a little.

From his breast pocket, he produced a small box, and tipped out a deck of cards. “These have been in the family for many years; they’re my favourite design. The spades are slightly darker than the clubs, see–” he spread them out on the table – “and they have portraits of my family’s ancestors. They’re quite worn, of course, and everyone wants me to replace them, but they’re quite close to me, I’m sure you understand.”

You nodded, examining them closer. Worn as they were, the gold detailing would certainly be the talk of the table back home.

“Now, I know you like to gamble,” Lord Lachlan continued, “so what would you say to a deal? I wouldn’t expect you to pay, of course.”

Instinctively you nodded again, but then suspicion took hold of you. If he didn’t want to play for money, what was he playing for? You cursed yourself for reacting so quickly.

From a drawer on the side of the table, Lord Lachlan picked up a stack of poker chips. They were considerably plainer than the cards, made from some ivory substitute and showing no signs of decoration. He divided the stack into halves and placed one in front of you, keeping the other. “If you win, I might invite you over again,” he offered.

It was certainly tempting. You could gain a lot of status just by being around the lord, not to mention the possibility of becoming acquainted with him. Then the precautious gambler in you took over the impulsive gambler, and you asked, “And if you win?”

“I’ll leave that a surprise,” Lord Lachlan smiled.

You were even more sceptical now, but the game was already on; five cards were flicked in your direction. With a deep breath, you picked up a chip, and placed it in the centre of the table.

---

You lost track of the time fairly quickly. With Lord Lachlan making small talk, your attention was divided between his words and your cards, and you didn’t have time to wonder whether it was the fifth hand or the fiftieth. You tossed another chip in, drew another few cards, beat two pairs with a straight, lost three of a kind to a flush; all but forgetting about the strange deal you’d made. Then, a loud grumble made you look up.

“Dear me,” Lord Lachlan muttered, putting down his hand. “That was my stomach. Have we really been playing for so long? I’ll send for someone – do you want anything?” he suddenly seemed to remember you. 

You shook your head and continued the game, but the sound stuck in your head. A blush crept into your cheeks. A few hands later, you felt some kind of relief as a maid arrived through the door and set a platter of grapes on the table.

“Are you sure you’re not hungry?” Lord Lachlan asked, picking up a grape and turning it over between his fleshy fingers. He opened his mouth, and you were startled by his teeth: you hadn’t noticed before, but they were huge and as sharp as daggers. The grape fell between them, and it was gone without even being chewed.

Then he met your gaze, and you felt yourself blushing even harder. “N-nothing,” you spluttered, preempting his question. You motioned to continue, not letting your face reveal anything more.

Even so, your poker face slipped away whenever he picked up another grape.

---

“Seems you have the lead on me.”

You looked down. Lord Lachlan was down to his last six chips. “What do you say we raise the stakes?” he suggested.

You shrugged. There was nothing to say; you were fairly sure you’d win. The lord slid four of his chips forward, and you called his bet. After tossing your hand in, it took you a moment to realise you’d lost, three nines beaten by three jacks.

Lord Lachlan couldn’t resist a deep chuckle. “Never mind. I’m still not feeling any kind of excitement from this… what say we go all in?”

You tried to weigh this up as he shuffled the cards, clambering down a mental rabbit hole of possibilities, but you were shocked out of your thoughts when you saw your hand. Ace of clubs, ace of diamonds, king of spades, king of hearts, ace of spades. Surely the noble couldn’t beat that. Sweat started to form on the back of your neck, and before any information could escape, you squared your jaw and fronted all your remaining chips.

Lord Lachlan drew two cards. You didn’t want to risk what you had. “Ready?” he asked, expectant.

Trembling with anticipation, you slapped your hand down, and looked over at whatever he could hope to match it with.

Four queens.

“Four of a kind beats a full house, doesn’t it?” Lord Lachlan smirked, packing away the poker chips. “Don’t feel too disappointed; you certainly played well.”

You remembered your wager, and disappointment was suddenly the last emotion you were feeling. You stumbled to your feet and headed for the door, stammering, “Well. I lost. I’d best be goi–”

“Oh, no,” Lord Lachlan interrupted, clapping a hand on your shoulder and turning you around. Now that he was standing, you saw how huge he really was; your head only came up to his chest. “I still need to claim my prize, don’t I?”

You shuddered, petrified by his gaze. You almost thought you saw him drooling. What more could he possibly want?

The lord met your fear with a grin, baring those huge teeth again. You heard another growl, louder and more aggressive than before. You didn’t know whether your face was red or pale. 

“I did so enjoy your company, so I think I’ll have you stay for lunch,” Lord Lachlan purred, and before you could react he lunged forward and shoved your head deep into his throat. You kicked and thrashed helplessly against powerful gulps, gulps that pulled you off your feet and sent you down into the darkness, and within seconds, he’d swallowed you whole.

“Please forgive me,” the noble muttered, smacking his lips. “I’m always such a savage when I eat.”

---

After struggling for a while it became clear there was no escape. The stomach walls pressed and kneaded you into submission, coating you in saliva and probably much worse things. It was too dark to tell. Gasping for breath, you curled up in a ball and yelled, “W-why? You just ate me!”

Lord Lachlan gave a belch, and you only hoped one of his servants had walked past and heard it. “Truly, it would take a while to explain, but I promise you’ll be safe.”

“Explain what?! Spit me out!” you urged. Panic took hold of you. How was this supposed to be safe when acids were probably burning you alive?

“Please, calm down. I’ll tell you everything if you want - although, I suppose you won’t be going anywhere either way.” He let out a cruel laugh, punctuated by hollow thumps as he patted his belly. You whimpered, and your cheeks felt warm again. “J-just tell me…” you pleaded.

Lord Lachlan’s monologue wasn’t easy to make out, muffled as it was by a cacophony of gurgling and sloshing, but you understood most of it. Apparently, the whole upper crust was into cannibalism: the annual cooking shows had the chefs putting themselves on the plate. Stranger than that was the secret technique he said had been passed down through the noble families, that allowed them to hold someone in their stomachs and keep them alive.

“I’m sorry if that’s too much to take in all at once,” Lord Lachlan finished, “but I think it’s safe to say devouring people has become a… guilty pleasure of mine.”

It was definitely too much to take in. You were at the lord’s mercy, that much was clear. All you could do was wait, and try to distract yourself from your terror - as well as figure out why you were so embarrassed.

The end

[terrence-silver]

I hope you don’t mind me sending this angst ask in, but I can’t help but to think how dehumanized beloved gets treated. Ever since beloved was “claimed” by terry, I feel like pieces of beloved’s identity has been stripped away from them, like their name. Terry would use some endearing names but never their actual birth name, even extending out to some of terry’s social circles they’re only referred to them as Mr/s Silver or the mother of the silver children. Beloved’s name is not known to anyone because Terry simply doesn’t allow it to be, no one really bothers asking because if beloved needed to be known from aside from their last name then they would have been known but they’re not. Beloved doesn’t come from a well known family, they didn’t graduate from any top schools in the country, so they wouldn’t understand whatever business conversation is being talked about. It’s like what you said before, they only expect someone with a name and no one really knows theirs.

To Terry Silver, all's fair in love and war.

And love's a type of war.

People often have these headcanons that Terry would braggadociously flaunt his partner (or much of anything he genuinely cherishes) in a fairly open and egalitarian manner and while I embrace all fan takes, I beg to respectfully disagree for the most part as I tend to see Terry as incredibly selfish without it being obvious when he doesn't want it to be, territorial, envious, jealous, controlling and stifling in the long run (and reeling with layers and layers of explosive insecurities beneath his nuclear, blinding levels of confidence) --- definitely the type of man out of quite literally consume everything in his path, including the one(s) he cares for --- heck, especially the one(s) he cares for, which involves anything from their body, mind, soul, their identity, agency, personhood, their traits, their freedoms and worst (best?) thing is, he doesn't even see any of it as dehumanizing. He sees it as him winning. He sees it as conquest, because he is just as likely to do it to people he loathes as well, albeit in a different context with a different intent. He sees it as him being tough enough to take and claim what he desires and be able to permanently keep it too.

[land-of-birds-and-comics]

so about four years ago i wanted to spend twelve years torturing scrooge (in a funny way, probably) about that one time donald disappeared. since it's just a series of vignettes i will try and see how far i get :) hopefully not in real time.

part 1 is here

part 4:

When Donald first arrived at Grandma's farm, he’d been old enough to understand what had happened, but not how or why or what it meant. Truth be told, she hadn't felt like she was old enough to understand it, either. She thought that it might come to her someday, some way to make sense of things, but the only insight the wisdom of old age ever seemed to grant her was that some things were simply utterly senseless. All you could do was dedicate yourself to whatever remained.

So she took the boy in and showed him how to care for chickens and tend to tomato plants and make pancakes with blueberry jam, and more than anything, she wanted to show him that there was still a whole world out there for him to love. A whole world that loved him, no matter what.

It was and is a worthy pursuit, well worth taking the bus out into the city. That, and ensuring that the boys get anything to eat that isn’t thrice-discounted thanks to a thrice-replaced best-by sticker.

Elvira stands by the stove, arms crossed, as everyone descends on her meatloaf in a desperate feeding frenzy. She eyes Scrooge with enough quiet judgement for him to unbury his beak for a moment.

“Don’t look at me! Quackmore cooks for us!”

“With the groceries you let me buy, sir,” he chimes in, poking his head into the kitchen.

“And I do! I do let you buy groceries!” He reaches out for another serving of mashed potatoes and gravy. “I don’t know what more you people want from me.”

She can only sigh. No matter how far his priorities have shifted from his family’s best interests in the past, she’s never been able to resent him for it for long. Maybe she never expected enough from him, too used to thinking of him as her baby brother even after he’d become an uncle and a great-uncle - but then, he always seemed to have a very similar effect on… others.

This, though, isn’t something that can be allowed to continue. Living under Scrooge’s care is no state of affairs for children to endure for any extended amount of time. His world is the opposite of hers in every way, fickle and hectic and arbitrary. She fears that their world might shrink down to its senselessness. 

“Will the farm be okay while you’re gone, grandma?” Dewey asks, mouth still half-full.

She smiles at him. “I left Gus in charge, so I expect to find everything exactly the way I left it.”

“Including him snoring under the apple tree, huh?”

“That’s right.”

He grins as he swallows. It isn’t unprecedented for them to go a while without visiting her, but ever since they moved in with Scrooge, everything feels even further away. She finds that she’s missed them terribly. She tries not to find anything else.

Elvira busies herself by clearing the table, a veritable warzone, ducks versus the kind of hunger that only home cooking can cure. “Would you boys like to visit sometime?” she asks, and even as they hesitate, something in them seems to light up.

“It’d be a balm on my poor old soul,” Scrooge says, doing everything in his power to look like he’s on death’s door and only pampering can save him.

She rolls her eyes, dabbing at his messy beak with a tissue. “I wasn’t talking to you, Scrooge.”

He freezes. His eyes grow huge. “Am I not welcome?”

“You can come,” she says, lightly, “but I assume you’ll have your own business to attend to. I was thinking of having the boys over for a while.”

Something tries to twist his face into a grimace, but he resists it. “Out of the question,” he says, suddenly serious. “They’re committed to being there for their uncle, whenever he should return. And for Gyro, as he works-”

“Gyro won’t even let us into his workshop anymore,” Dewey mumbles.

“Still, you never know when-”

“We really don’t!” Huey exclaims. “It could be months!”

“It could be years,” Louie sighs.

She looks at him as she picks up his plate. “Think about it, Scrooge. You won’t have to feed them anymore…”

His eyes remain on her even as he turns away, slowly, and don’t betray any emotion so much as the fact that he’s thinking. Then, suddenly, he’s staring at the floor, pulling out his cane to hunch over it. “So you boys want to leave?”

The triplets look at each other, almost startled. “We just wanted to visit…”

“You’ll have to leave me behind, won’t you? Sooner or later.”

Goddamn it. “I think you can handle it,” she says, dropping the dishes on the counter, and it might be the harshest tone she’s ever taken with him. 

“I…” He bites his tongue. “Of course I can handle it. I’ve handled every abandonment I’ve had to endure. The better question is, can you?”

“Me?” She scoffs as she cuts into the apple pie. “I certainly have more experience with children than you do, Scrooge.”  

“Yes. The years do add up, don’t they?”

She shuts him down with a sharp look. He relents, if only so as not to be denied any pie. As she sets it out in front of them, the triplets are visibly uncomfortable, sitting there with their forks in their hands. 

She’d do better than him even if she was bedridden.

“I’m sure we can agree that the boys will be helpful to have around.” She winks at them. “Much less of a handful than their uncle was.”

That makes them smile, sheepishly. Even blush.

She knows, of course, that they can be every bit as mischievous, temperamental, childish as he was - but she’s their grandma, and as such, she’s only ever seen them on their best behaviour, even when Donald kept her on the phone late into the night to complain about the chemistry experiments they’ve been conducting in their room.

That's been her role with them. It was different with Donald. He wasn’t only there for the weekends, he was…

Well. This will be different, too.

“I don’t recall him ever growing up,” Scrooge grumbles. “It was always the same thing with him. First he wanted ice cream, then he wanted a house. And I always let him have it, like I never learned, either.”

The boys pick at their slices of pie in silence. “It’s okay, grandma,” Huey says, in that tone that means he's speaking for all of them. “Unca Scrooge still needs us around.”

She sits down next to the boy, trying to make eye contact. “He needs you? For what?”

“Nothing that would violate any child labour laws,” Scrooge says, quickly. “I’m not putting them to work. They’re just, what was it you said? Helpful to have around?”

“Yeah,” Huey says, “We can help with cleaning and- and errands and expeditions and-”

And keeping him going, his eyes say.

“Well, it’s been difficult without unca Donald around. He did a lot of stuff.”

“So I see,” Elvira says. And instead of showing even a hint of regret, or shame, or gratitude, Scrooge shoots her a look that says ha-ha, I win.

“So I see.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------

part 5

[sailorsolar12]

Kasper’s Dream

Hey Everyone. My apologies for not posting in a few weeks. The office got really crazy and super stressful. I am in a much better place now. Anyways this is a little fic I wrote as a request from @46534566.

Request: Hi I love you’re Top Gun Oneshots and I would love to read on when you’re Roosters and Phoenix daughter and as you come into school the teacher asks you and you’re classmates what do you wanna be when you grow up you say that you wanna be fighter jet pilot just like you’re parents you’re teacher doesn’t believe you though telling you that there’s no way that both you’re parents are fighter jets pilots for the navy you can’t help but put out you’re tongue out when she isn’t looking she will see! And you will get you’re Moment as Bradley and Natasha pick you up from school one day for the first time still with they’re uniforms on which show of all they’re awards and ranks with also the pin for the fighter pilots the kids look at them with big eyes and you’re teacher can’t believe it that you told the truth she try’s to get her voice back as she looks from Natasha too Bradley and then to you which cuddled up to you’re mums side back up to Rooster asking if they’re you’re parents she could have leaven out that question you’re the little version of Nat with Bradley’s eyes you can’t help but whisper „told you so“ under you’re breath the kids in you’re class whisper in the background talking about that you have the coolest parents on earth and it’s true. Much Love❤️

Rating: T to be safe

Words: 1.9k

Pairings: PhoenixxRooster

A/N: ...Kind of went over board and maybe started a part 2.....also I am active duty so I had a lot of fun with this. Also, I love teachers.

Nicole Trace-Bradshaw was 7 years old the first time she decided what she wanted to do when she grew up. Her parents both had very dangerous jobs with the Navy as Aviators, but it could also be a lot of fun...at least that was what her surrogate grandfather and both of her parents said. To be specific her parents were Top Gun Graduates and the best the Navy had to offer. Nicole learned the call signs of her parents and very large extended family early on as it was easier to say that many of their last names as a young child. Nicole also grew into the habit and sneaking up on anyone and everyone she spoke to and seemed to appear out of nowhere like a ghost would. That was how Nicole gained the nickname Kasper - after the friendly ghost.

Her surrogate grandfather, Pete Mitchell, was a retired Naval Captain who had been one of the top Top Gun pilots. Pete - call sign “Maverick” - would often show Kasper the ins and outs of the different parts of a plane and its engine. He took her in his P-51 Mustang for the first time when she was 7, and Maverick knew he had awoken a beast inside of this little girl. He knew full well she would want to become a pilot just like himself and her parents. Maverick had decided to continue helping Kasper as she grew up to learn the different aspects of different planes.

Kasper never expressed to her parents about her new found dream because she wasn’t sure how they would react because her grandfather had pulled her father’s papers from the Naval Academy. She wanted to be confident that they would not be mad at her and research more things abut being a pilot, the Navy, and more just to prove to her parents - when she did tell them - that she was serious about this. One thing she knew she had to do was keep up with her teamwork and her fitness, so she became involved with spots and extracurriculars. These activities also allowed her to stay busy since her parents were gone often with different missions they had to fly.

Now Kasper was 10 years old, and her passion for planes and the Navy showed. She had been so excited when her teacher had announced they would be doing a big project at the end of the year showcasing what they wanted to be when they grew up. Her passion was a little much as she had ended up writing more than the two pages the teacher wanted as well as the fat that she built a very elaborate presentation for the Navy and the Top Gun program. Kasper had been devastated when both of her parents had been called away about a month into her building the project on their own separate missions. They had been away for two months now, but Kasper kept going because she knew they would come back because they promised to.

The day of the presentation came, and Kasper was dropped off by her grandfather at school. She had dressed in the kid version of a flight suit her grandfather had gotten for her that had her nickname on a patch on the front. She had a bomber jacket that had every squadron patch her parents had ever gotten sewn all over. Lastly, she had a helmet that her grandfather had helped her paint a design as well as her nickname on the back just like a pilot helmet would be. She had aviators on top of her head while her hair was in a bun just like her mother’s. If Kasper was older and taller, people would mistake her for her mother; however, the ten year old had her father’s eyes which were brighter than normal as she walked into class.

The entire day dragged on as Kasper listened to the teacher talk about everything they needed to learn for the day, but she was eagerly awaiting her turn to present. Her presentation had video footage and interviews she did from her extended family about their experiences. The young brunette was almost positive that she was going to get extra credit on this assignment because of how much she did. At the sound of her name being called, Kasper flew to the back to get her helmet and put it on the teacher’s desk as the teacher set up her presentation. The entire time Kasper was talking or playing the clips she had or explaining different things, her class was engaged. They were clearly shocked to see just how much she knew, but Kasper knew better. She could see the deep frown on her teacher’s face as well as what the eyes of many of her classmates said to her. They didn’t believe her about her parents or the fact that she could do this.

Once the last video of her presentation finished, Kasper pointed to one of the female classmates she had when the classmate raised her hand with a question. “Why would you wanna do a boys job?” The classmate’s tone was sassy and clearly one that wanted to start trouble.

“Being a pilot for the Navy is not just a male’s job. Men and Women go to the Naval Academy every year to become Aviators. Both of my parents are Top Gun Graduates and are the best the Navy has to offer. I plan to-” A frown crossed Kasper’s lips as the teacher quickly interrupted her.

“That was a great presentation Nicole; however, this was a project about something realistic that you wanted to do when you grew up,” The tone the teacher spoke was clearly one of disbelief in her own student. She obviously thought that Kasper was not going to achieve her dream or that her dream was not something she should even go after. “Why don’t you take a seat, and we’ll talk after class?” she asked gently before turning away from Kasper to call up the next student.

Kasper halfway stomped to her seat and sat down trying to make herself smaller than she was and stuck her tongue out at the teacher the moment she had a clear second. She would become a Top Gun Pilot. She would prove everyone wrong.

The day continued to drag on for the last few hours of the day. During lunch, Kasper elected to stay by herself and not talk to anyone because Kasper knew if she did speak to anyone, she would lose it. She had a slight scowl on her face that warded off anyone who would try to talk to her as well. Once the bell rang, Kasper ignored her teacher’s instructions and bolted from the room with her things to go to her grandfather’s car and cry. She was deeply hurt that no one would believe her. Kasper was even more hurt at the giggles and whispers and indirect comments from her classmates and even her teacher.

As Kasper slowly made it down the steps, tears began to run down her cheeks from finally letting the hurtful words get to her. The ten year old went wide eyed as she felt someone grab her arm. She turned and frowned seeing her teacher holding her arm. The green eyed girl narrowed her eyes slightly at the older woman who was holding her arm in a way she didn’t like.

“Nicole, that was very rude of you to run out like that when I had asked you to stay after class. Now, in regards to your project, I will give you two more days to redo the small paper and another presentation on something a bit more realistic than a pilot,” her teacher said sternly looking down at the child in front of her. “If you choose to not redo your project, I will have no choice but to fail you...especially since this project is the biggest chunk of your grade.”

The young child looked away from her teacher trying to force more tears to not come from her eyes. She would not show anymore tears to this woman because according to her mama...”If anyone makes you cry, don’t let them see your tears.” The ten year old eye’s widened suddenly at the sound of a voice she hadn’t heard in two months.

“Is there a problem here?” a male voice asked. The male as well as the female beside him were both dressed head to toe in khaki colored clothing. Both adults had aviator sunglasses on as the female had a bun while the male had his hair slicked down. The name tag on both of the adults said “Trace-Bradshaw.” Both adults had multiple decorations on the opposite side of their name tag showing just how much field experience they had. The male was Bradley Trace-Bradshaw - Kasper’s father - while the female was Natasha Trace-Bradshaw - Kasper’s mother. Their call signs were Rooster and Phoenix.

The two military members had come home while Kasper was in school and wanted to surprise her by picking her up. They were not expecting to see Kasper look like she was about to cry while the teacher was towering er their daughter and holding her arm.

Kasper’s teacher frowned at the two adults. Clearly she didn’t care enough to know what Kasper’s parents looked like cause she didn’t recognize them. She quickly let Kasper go and gave a tight smile. “There is nothing wrong. I am simply a concerned teacher trying to guide a troubled student. However, visiting hours have just ended for the day-” The teacher’s face became pale as Kasper spoke up quite loudly.

“Mom! Dad!” Kasper yelled as she ran away from her teacher and tackled her parents dropping her backpack and helmet in the process. She quickly hid behind her mother and slowly stuck her head out to look at her teacher who looked disturbed.

Rooster watched his daughter hide behind her mother and turned to the teacher - who was gaping at the trio like a fish not noticing many parents, teachers, and students were staring. His eyes narrowed slightly at the teacher as his anger began to rise. His wife had told him how this teacher of Kasper’s had caused multiple incidents but still blamed Kasper.

“She didn’t believe me for the project we did about what I wanna be when I grow up neither did a lot of my classmates. She told me my dream to be a Top Gun Pilot wasn’t realistic,” Kasper whispered loud enough for only both of her parents to hear her. Her green eyes never leaving the disbelieving teacher.

Bradley’s jaw clenched at the sound of his daughter’s voice. “My daughter can be or do whatever she wants to do whatever she wants to. If she wants to be a Naval Aviator, then so be it. There is nothing unrealistic about that. My father was a Naval Aviator. The man who is like a second father to me was a Naval Aviator. Both my wife and myself are Naval Aviators. I will worry for her safety, but I will not hinder her and prevent her from doing what she wants to do with her life,” Rooster said passionately...and a little loudly making sure the people watching could hear him.

Kasper nuzzled more into her mother and hid a smile as she looked at her teacher in triumph. “Told you so,” she whispered softly making her mother hold back a small laugh. It’s safe to say that Kasper never went back to that teacher after that day.

[jordanianprincesses]

After watching them greet people for 2 hours straight, I think people have no right to object on them having a private ceremony (apart from the environment stuff). Today was mostly for the people not for them. Who of us would want to spend their big day without their friends and people they love? Let’s be honest here, I bit they don’t know 70% of the guests at the reception and the actual ceremony is a state event. So they’re allowed to have a nice, fun wedding that they will enjoy with their actual friends.

Also, people do realise that royals get salaries, right? If they choose to invest their income in a way that makes them more rich, that’s no one’s business.

Let’s stop pretending that no one in Jordan is throwing lavish wedding parties. Some people pay thousands for their children’s birthday parties (I’ve been to many of those). And many people go ALL OUT for their weddings. Not everyone in Jordan is super rich but there are lots of rich people and the royals are rich and they’re not entitled to spend every penny they earn on people. They have the freedom to invest their income and use the money they make however they want.

Yes I totally agree with you the private ceremony is much needed 😂 They have every right to enjoy themselves and spend quality time with their beloved ones!

However, about their spendings ( the ceremonies and all ) I think since it's "a national event " it's not paid by the king's own money!

About Abdullah's wealth am sure he invested in his father money ! Yet I don't think king Hussein left that crazy amount of wealth and we shall never forget that Abdullah had to share it with his 11 siblings! If everything about Abdullah's wealth is legal and all why the front companies in secretive tax havens? Idk I don't want to accuse him of anything. I've read several things before but no actual proof. Well, probably he" buys" ( if it's the case) lands with lower prices than its true value.

Another proof of corruption: Rania's family were a middle class am talking about her extended family members including her uncle , her cousins...now they are ultra rich!! Yes they're investing money ! But from where did they get it int he first place ? Second they have facilities from the government, opportunities Idk what! Corruption comes in so many forms! If the British people ( UK is one of the big 7 ) are sometimes fed up with the British royal family spendings how to not expect the Jordanian people ( poverty rate " as declared" in Jordan 15.7 % ) not to anyway...

[prvtocol]

@badtrigger : send me ‘👀’ for something my muse has said about yours to someone else / when they’re not around. // bri about caesar, fc3 verse ~ ft. vez landry ✿

The outline of her tired reflection stares back at her rather than the ocean waves crashing along the shoreline below, though try as she might to peer through the evening dim. Her sister’s high-rise flat overlooks the white sands of Repulse Bay, a quiet and wealthy-only enclave far enough from the skyscrapers and neon lights to not feel like you’re in Hong Kong anymore. 

Then the reflection shifts; her sister moves behind her to empty the last drop of the bottle of rosé into Brianne’s unstemmed wine glass, which sits on one of the living room end tables. It’s good to have an extended moment together when their schedules allow, and a chance to talk in private. Though each holds differing viewpoints, both are under the strain of their father’s illegal enterprise.

“Merci.” Her gratitude hums in passing. Their default language is French like their mothers’. As her tired body sinks back into it, the black leather sofa creaks. A hand lazily reaches for the glass while her gaze watches her younger sister swoop back from the kitchen. Each shares their grandmother’s blue eyes.

Vez ungracefully climbs onto the other side of the couch, a leg bent underneath her weight, an elbow leaning lazily on the armrest. Her pose is relaxed but her stare direct and curious. That smirk growing on her lips betrays the thoughts behind it. 

“I can’t wrap my head around you sleeping on a cot. You always hated camping.” Her habitually coarse voice cycles back to that tidbit of information spared over a late dinner; takeaway from a nearby Thai restaurant. This new pick-up location on her sister’s courier list sounds like a bit more of a hassle than expected.

“Oh shush.” A chuckle is chased with a sip of the pink-hued liquid, her sister’s observation set to unlock memories of a failed family camping trip in her tweens when she was twice stung by a bee and nearly drowned in the river (at least from her point of view). Ever since any adventurous holiday has been forbidden. “At least I have a big bed on the other island, a rather comfortable one. They loan me someone’s little shack on the beach.” More like force loan it, though she doesn’t need to go into detail about taking over poor Mister Moncada’s abode against his will (and the awkwardness that stands between them each visit). 

“A shack on the beach? Merde.” Vez shakes her head. She's suddenly feeling relieved it’s not her going to Rook. "I'm not even going to ask about the bathroom situation."

“And I really don't want to talk about it.” Lightly Brianne muses back, her downturned gaze staring listlessly into her wine. It could be worse.

Vez grabs her glass on the other end table; halfway filled with the same wine. “So. What’s your contact like?”

“Oh, well now, he’s actually rather nice. You know, how I prefer. Professional but friendly.” That is a fortunate aspect. Mister Caldera seems set apart from the jarheads patrolling South Rook, and sans the ego she picked up on from her one curt meeting with the boss of it all. The work they do together is easy, it’s the location that’s hard. “You really wouldn’t think him an accountant though. Not the shiny suits and boots we often see, more casual. I guess streetwear is what you'd call it. He’s from LA via New York so it seems to fit, I suppose. But he's good. Not another Wu Chen."

“At least. Bloody Wu Chen.” Vez brusquely follows switching to British English before raising her glass and taking a bitter sip of the liquor afterward. That triad contact is her headache.

Brianne mirrors the same with her wine. Seconds of silence follow before Vez interrupts it with her thoughts.

“You could tell father.” Her tone is serious. “The extended layover seems to overstretch contract.”

“He knows.” She greets her sister with a dulled expression. “Already fixed my schedule with the firm to handle dead time, making it appear like I have a week off of travel to write reports for my other clients.” 

“And how are you supposed to manage that when it sounds like you don’t even have stable access to electricity to write reports?” The question is sound; the family firm gives her enough work with their VIP clientele as is.

“I just put in extra time after.” Brows lift and she can feel the sigh she holds back; a hopeless answer and no choice but to deal with it. "This client is too important to him.” And for the business's establishment in the South Pacific trafficking arena.

“You’re gonna run yourself to the ground.” 

The optimist comparatively, Brianne shrugs it off. “Well, I do get some extra rest when I’m there, so.”

“On your cot and in your beach shack,” she murmurs dryly, lips on the rim of her glass.

“Oh shush.”

[obsessedwithegos]

Runa’s Freedom - Part 5/Final

Runa finally gets the news he’s been waiting for and reunites with his parents! Comfort ending!!!

CWs: Lady carewhumper, lady familial caretaker, nonhuman whump/comfort (Succubus, mermaid, sirens), famous whumpee, carewhumper used whumpee for her own fame, social media and news based whump, mentioned torture live streams, near constant feeling of disbelief and worry of the situation being a dream, whumpee reassuring themself that the good thing is not a dream

general content tag: @emmettnet

~~~~~~~~

The last two weeks have been.. Interesting. 

Maci finished filming and editing the video within the first week and posted it. It’s since gone viral. Periodically Maci would ask Runa questions that the comments had that weren’t answered in the video. 

Sometimes his curiosity got the better of him and he would ask if he could see some of the comments, which she would oblige and let him scroll through them. 

Many of the comments were expressing shock that he was still alive and what he went through. Some didn’t believe him or Maci, some would combat that. 

It didn’t take long until the live streams of his torture would surface due to people digging deep enough. 

Runa often chose to not leave the apartment, not wanting to face people who might have seen the video and not wanting to risk facing news people that have managed to track down Maci’s apartment.

Maci helped by making sure to not even allow them in the building, going as far to temporarily hire bodyguards to ensure they wouldn’t be able to get in. At least not far enough where they could find which apartment she lived in.

With the news pestering them, the comments collectively seemed to be in agreement about one specific question and answer in the video.

“Do you plan to go to the police about what happened? Trying to press charges or at least get the kidnappers arrested?”

“No. I’m worried that if I do, they’ll come after me. They have a lot of money and a lot of power. I know B most likely won’t come after me if I don’t cause them any trouble. A and C follow their command and probably wouldn’t either.” 

People seemed to agree that Runa’s thought process was wrong or a bad idea. Some people put it gently and tried to provide helpful advice, others not so much.

He personally never responded to any of the comments, he wasn’t ready to. So he let Maci handle that. 

Runa had taken up a hobby during his time with Maci; Origami. It was perfect for keeping his hands busy and his mind focused on making something beautiful out of something simple. 

He was working on his 3rd attempt at a crane when Maci walked into the living room, talking on her phone.

“Got it! I’ll let him know! Be sure to park in the back to avoid the news, see you soon!”

He looks at her as she hangs up and looks at him with a smile. “Great news Runa, that was your parents and they’re almost here!” she announces.

Runa looks at her in disbelief for a moment “Really?” 

Maci nodded “Mhm! I already got some of the things I bought for you packed up, I figured I’d leave the rest for you so you can pick what you want to keep or leave behind. Here I’ll give you a hand getting back to the bedroom so you can do that.”

“Okay!” He says, a smile growing on his face as he gets up so she could help him easier.

~

Packing the bag felt so surreal. Not only due to the fact that Maci was actually letting him keep a lot of the stuff but also due to the idea that he was getting to leave soon! Actually leaving! 

Just as he finished packing, Maci’s phone rang. 

She picked it up with a “Hello?” 

He did a quick double look over the bag to make sure it was properly closed as he listened. 

“Awesome! I’ll meet you guys down there with Runa! See you in a moment!”

With that she hung up and looked at him “Ready to go?”

He nods as he stands up, holding the bag in one arm and extending his other arm to Maci for help.

The walk out of the apartment and down the stairs that led to the back entrance/exit has Runa’s heart pounding against his chest. 

Was this real? Did he fall asleep at some point while working on his origami? Was he going to wake up right when he saw his parents? Was it actually his parents? 

The thoughts ran through his mind but for once, he was hopeful. Hopeful that those thoughts were just anxieties and nothing else. Hopeful that he really was returning to his parents. 

“Here we go!” Maci says as she opens the door.

Runa had to squint to protect his eyes from the bright sunlight at first, but it didn’t take long for him to spot the familiar blue SUV and the two people standing outside of it. 

At that moment, all thoughts and worries left his mind. He didn’t think as he moved out of Maci’s helpful grasp, he wasn’t worried about falling and getting hurt as he ran towards his parents, he could ignore the slight pain in his eyes from the bright sunlight.

Tears welled in his eyes as he ran to his parents, a smile wide on his face as they embraced him in their arms.

Maci stayed back to let the three have a moment as she watched the three of them almost fall to the ground from the momentum of the hug. 

Runa and his mom, Lilith, were crying while his parent, Wysteria, was trying to hold them up with a smile on their face and misty eyes. 

Runa didn’t bother trying to hide or muffle his sobs as he tightly clung to the both of them. 

He couldn’t believe it, it seemed like a dream come true that he was finally seeing his parents again and that he could go home with them! 

“Do you have him?” Wysteria gently asks their wife

Lilith nods as she adjusts herself so she won’t fall over and so she could bury her face in her son’s hair and place gentle kisses on his head, muttering how happy she is that he’s back. 

Wysteria carefully removes themself from the hug “It’s okay Runa, I’ll be right back, I promise.” they say when they feel his grip try to tighten on them. 

Once out of the hug, they make their way towards Maci while they dig in their purse. “Thank you so much Miss Maci for helping Runa and letting him stay with you while we made our way here.” 

Maci puts her hands up, ready to turn down money offered to her “Oh it was no big deal! It was nice having him as a temporary roommate. I’m just glad I could help!”

Wysteria pulls out a stack of cash and holds it out to the succubus “Please, at least accept this as our thanks. I would also offer to get you dinner but,” They look back at Lilith and Runa “I think all of us are overdue to spend some time together at home.”

Her eyes went wide when she saw how much cash was being held out to her, hesitantly she grabbed it. It had to be at least 6 grand. “Ho- How much is this?” she asks, audibly shaken.

“$10,000. That was the baseline reward.” They answer, raising an eyebrow “Would you like more for your effort?” She’s quick to shake her head “No! I mean- No thank you, it’s just.. A lot more than I was expecting.” She clears her throat “Thank you, Mx. Shoal. I hope you three have a safe trip back home, don’t be afraid to reach out to me if there’s anything I can do to help!” 

They smile “Thank you Miss Maci. Have a wonderful rest of your day.” they say before heading back to their family and the car. 

Maci smiles as she watches Wysteria open one of the car doors to help get Runa’s bag inside along with Runa. “Bye Runa! Take care!” she calls out.

Runa waves at her with one hand as he was using the other one to try to wipe his tears away enough so he could see where he was stepping. 

He got into the middle back seat so that way both of his parents could see him with ease in the front seats. 

They thought about Lilith sitting in the back seat with him but they decided it would be best to give him a little bit of space so it would be easier on him to process that this is indeed real. 

The ride back was going to be a long one but Runa didn’t mind, he was grateful that it would be. That he’d have a constant reminder that he’s back with his parents and that he’s free.

That thought alone was enough to get him to start crying again.

He was free, he was finally free.

[bestjoycestan]

(“Honorary Byers” anon again)

(El and Joyce) I think what you said is fair, since finding Will was such a significant driving force of the season and Joyce’s primary goal

My thoughts on El and Joyce in general: for sure, Joyce is not a total replacement for Terry. It’s very clear El still loves her, and respect is still paid through going by her birth name Jane. But Joyce is similar to her, in the way that they’re both fighters and the lengths that both would go to save their loved ones. I agree with a lot of what you said about her wanting to help El, and it’s sweet how she becomes someone who El can trust to find safety and comfort in and an eventual maternal figure

The degree to which Joyce might want to help her being different? I think if they’re not trying to find Will, but if they’re still in close proximity enough + they have enough substantial interaction, then maybe they’ll get to the same point even if it takes a little longer. Joyce may not be a perfect communicator, but she does try to be understanding when she can sit down and do it, like with her own kids

I haven’t thought much about what it would be like if Will’s disappearance wasn’t the starting point, tbh. Alternate stuff like maybe the idea of her being taken in by the Wheelers and having an older sister in Nancy can be cute. But (maybe it’s the bias I have lol) I think if El still ends up meeting everyone eventually, she was always going to find some level of kinship in the Byers.

(I was also a little disappointed that S4 didn’t have as much El/Byers family interactions in general, fingers crossed for s5)

the byers seem to be a bit on edge to me. not letting people in all the way, unable to really word how they feel, not confident that how they feel is important/valid/etc etc.

Oh my god yes, I actually had this bit written down for my previous ask, but I wasn’t sure if I was like getting too off-track from Joyce

Because the Byers’ defensiveness could make it kinda hard to gauge what kind of emotional vulnerability they allow to recognize in themselves, especially with people they don’t know as well as their family; so the headcanoned extended motherly relationship, and even just giving advice in general, would require some degree of vulnerability from Joyce and it’s probably more complicated than it seems

i think a lot about how angry joyce was with jonathan for picking up a shift (and how they had that talk over the photos of will for the poster that sort of resolved it?).

We went from “You are not alone” to Joyce being unaware of Jonathan and his distress of college/the future because he is such a Byers (internalizes his feelings while trying to do what’s best for his family even at the expense of himself)

and by putting other teenagers in joyce's life where she takes care of them and gives them out of character motherly love is unfair to jonathan

Hard agree. I also held back from saying something about this in my previous ask because idk if it was valid, or just me being weirdly overprotective of Joyce and Jonathan

For one thing, idk if Jonathan has something that isn’t like already appropriated for another older teen character (ex. The big brother/mentor relationship with Will. Him as part of the “six nuggets” sounds fun but Jonathan will always win that custody battle to me, Steve and/or Eddie can get visitation like once a week)

Another thing, you got the parentification of Jonathan (a whole different conversation) that also makes it a little tricky, because it’s so circumstance-driven via Lonnie and Joyce was by no means intentionally forcing him into that role, but she still felt guilty not being there as much for him as a mom :(

anon u are so smart this is all so good

Joyce may not be a perfect communicator, but she does try to be understanding when she can sit down and do it, like with her own kids

this - i absolutely agree with, as well as the having some level of kinship with the byers. i think joyce does feel drawn to el and wants to be there for her in the way she's there for her own kids. i, too, am soft for joyce and el and their interactions. i wish we had more in season 2 (i read a really good fic once about the byers moving and el learning to deal with grief and joyce was really there for her ugh). even though i hate jopper, i think joyce and el are still such a good mom/daughter dynamic. even if they both struggle to really Fit into that role for each other (el with terry, joyce with everything we've mentioned), i think it's sweet. i just don't see that kinship from other characters and can see people being like "well if joyce can take in el, why can't she be motherly to [whoever]" but i think el is special to the byers family.

so the headcanoned extended motherly relationship, and even just giving advice in general, would require some degree of vulnerability from Joyce and it’s probably more complicated than it seems

yess yes i agree. i don't think joyce would really want to be as vulnerable as people write her. i think she's very closed off around strangers (the way she acts with bob) and only really opens up to jonathan but that's out of her control (the way he tells her she can't shut down again in season 1). in season 3, we see her try to come to hopper and be open with him but that didn't work well at all and if this was s1 or 2 joyce, i think that would have such a huge affect on her especially after he was the first person to tell her out loud that he believes her in season 1 (even if jonathan was the first to actually believe her, i think? if i remember right. very byersey of them <3). i doubt she's very understanding of her anxiety, ptsd, etc etc and it makes all of this even more difficult for her especially now that it's more than just lonnie/the town causing it. so seeing her apparently being so open and inviting people into her home in fics where she extends the motherly invite to every teenager in town is so.... out of character. it's a lot of projection, which i am not one to talk about projection bc i do it as well but at least. i try to be in character. but even then the projection is inaccurate because she is only that motherly and affectionate with her own kids. we don't see her do it even with mike in season 2 (except for when she sort of reaches out for him when he is fighting with hopper at the end but that is a different situation).

overall, if anyone in this world is getting any motherly communication and vulnerability, it needs to be jonathan. which the layers to getting him to trust joyce and believe that she would consistently give him that is another conversation. they had that little moment in season 1 but they completely disregarded that and now it makes joyce look even worse because she didn't stick to what she promised her son and had left the kids with him again without any regard to how jonathan feels. joyce and jonathan are their own little mess and i want to dive into them as well because there is so much there that needs to be taken apart and looked at i think.

also ab ur six nuggets comment, i agree! i really think of the byers as their own unit and like... completely out of the hawkins group tbh. joyce is able to be there for them when she can (which isn't enough but still, it's there) and she tries. and jonathan has always always been there for will more than any of the other teenagers. that's his brother >:|!!!!!! they're just so bonded in this protective, silent acknowledgment, kinda weird way and i can't imagine them truly becoming a part of any other group in the way that the other characters have.

[polyamorouspunk]

Not so angry but my polycule partners all live 3 hours away from me and I don't get to take time off work until the summer because we're busiest at spring (i work at a garden centre) so I havent seen them since new years day (for my throuple) or valentines (for my boyfriend) and i miss them like hell. sucks cuz i had to ask for a special allowance to have day off for next week because my dad is getting married and even though hes not my favourite parent to put it lightly and it taking place 4 hours away i felt obliged to go because of how he's given me a big financial deposit towards buying a house in the future (like thatll happen in this economy lol). I'd rather be snuggling with my throuple or watching my boyfriend play video games than having to deal with my extended family misgendering me and dead naming me ya know. Guess this was a bit of a rant aha

I feel that. I’m tired of people having friends and hanging out with people. I haven’t seen my friends since last August and unless my aunt dies before next August, which is looking more and more like a possibility, I’m not going to see them until them. My best friend has a bunch of other friends she’s met since high school and is living her best life going to concerts of the bands I got her into with her friends and having tons of sex etc. etc. and I know it’s not roses for her but still. My other best friend finally graduated college after putting in her 4 years to get a degree and I’m not really sure what she’s up to tbh and tbh she probably doesn’t have any friends either but. One person I talk to daily just goes to concerts and stuff all the time and has gay sex with multiple people multiple times a week and said they’re now maybe joining a polycule and I’m like cool the one person I like has been in AZ for a month getting a divorce and also we’re not on the best of terms. The other person I talk to every day is also in a polycule but feels underappreciated by his boyfriend which I get but I don’t really relate to either of them and I only talk to them because no one else talks to me daily except my ex who I’m thankful for and one other person (hi). My FP has been away for months like I’ve said and everyone here knows because I don’t shut up about it and everyone is sick of me talking about it and hearing about it and we aren’t even getting along that well but in the past 3 years he is the only person I’ve hung out with outside of my ex here. Hearing him complain that someone he was supposed to go out with bailed when he asked if they could come over his house like you have people you’re hanging out with though. Like every time I talk to him he’s like “I’m busy doing tattoos” like okay. Like I’m sorry your life sucks and I get being a full time parent to a kid with special needs while having a retail job and being in a messy divorce is hard. I do. But you spend your free time drinking with the girl you live with and giving each other tattoos and I guess going out with other people you’ve met there and meanwhile you are my only friend that I’ve made in 3 years and unfortunately I’ve become obsessed with you because I don’t have anyone else.

I get when you have to do something and you take a day off it’s like “finally I have a day off and I should be doing something I want to because I have a day off” but it’s not really a day off it’s “I need to fill an obligation I don’t really want to fulfill” and especially when you’re watching everyone you love doing things without you and you’re stuck with your same family that sucks (luckily my family is great but). I hope you do buy a house where you can come home to your partners every day. Hopefully at least time away from busy work will be better in the downtimes you’ll have to yourself around the wedding.

[kinglyisms-archived]

How about the kid meme with Zero and Izumi

If they had a kid meme @azurescaled

Name: THE TWINS; Mieven & Myrva. Their names were literally chosen by Zero opening a book of dragon baby names and picking out names that he could pronounce that sounded cool. What they mean? He has no idea.

Gender: Mieven is male and Myrva is female.

General Appearance: Being twins they look a lot alike, both dark skinned inherited from Izumi and rather beautiful. Mieven has Zero's brown hair and Izumi's blue eyes where Myrva has Izumi's black hair and dark green eyes. Since Zero can change his eye color with magic, it's a toss up in the air if she gets the green from him or if it was a genetic trait delayed in Izumi's family line.

Personality: MIEVEN: rather shy an neerdy, he takes after Zero in loving to care for people and reading. He often spent a lot of time in the kitchen with Zero, learning how to look and make tea. He was very much a Daddy's boy, clinging to his legs and chatting his ear off or listening to Zero chat at him. Mieven loves the sound of Zero's voice, and despite being introverted loves to talk. If you can get him going about a book or comic he recently read, he'll go for ages about it. Myrva: a bit more like Izumi she's more in touch with her magical and dragonic side, her books less fantasy in nature and more studying. From theory of chess to magical history and understanding, she puts everything she is into mastering the magical arts like her Mother and learning about the realms around them. For this fact she often struggles to see eye to eye with her twin, because she's so study heavy like her mother she finds his lack of interest in learning and mastering what they are rather frustrating. Myrva puts to much pressure on herself to be perfect and strong.

Special Talents: Being dragons both of them have dragon forms and a talent for dragon magic. Myrva takes more after Izumi in what she can do, probably inheriting more of his godly abilities than Mieven, but this doesn’t bother Mieven. He takes more after Zero in cooking and caring for people, having a natural talent for baking and even tea crafting. He’d make a good herbologist or apothecary.

Who they like better: Mieven likes Zero more, though obviously adores Izumi too even if they’re worried about disappointing him. Myrva takes more after Izumi, and actually doesn’t have much respect for Zero due to his only talent really being a housewife practically. He doesn’t understand magic and he doesn’t pretend to, which tends to frustrate her. She does love his natural talent to remember all important dates and fuss over any achievement his children makes. He can make her fluster like no one else over being proud of her.

Who they take after more: Mieven takes after Zero, which worries Zero a bit for his future but will be proud of anything his son manages to do. Myrva takes more after Izumi and Zero worries about all the pressure she puts on herself to achieve that. Taking after Zero both of them have an incredible ability to both regenerate limbs and straight up put them back on. It’s much more developed than Zero’s own ability, which takes to much magic and Eric to do.

Personal Head canon: When Zero leans that Izumi is pregnant that is panic, first and foremost, and then the biggest question of what are they going to do. It’s Eric that comes up with the best solution, which ends up being him helping them to build their own house a bit away from the Manor and extending his magical shield to cover their home too. It allows Zero to still be close to Eric, to help out and get help, but also have their own space they can keep Artemis from. Which turns out to be the biggest thing, defending their little happy family from Artemis and his chaotic nature.

Zero takes care of Izumi all the way up until the twins are born, the fact there was two of them being more of a surprise to Zero than to Izumi. He spent a lot of time leafing through books with dragon names, attempting to learn to pronounce them, until he found those two and went with them. Zero doesn’t know what they mean, but they seem to fit the twins now, he’s grown used to them and is even fond of them.

Mieven spent the most time with him as a baby, crying whenever Zero left a room or sat him down. When he tried to hold Myrva she appeared disinterested in him and her gaze would always drift over toward Izumi. This later carried on to when she got older, finally able to just hold her arms out and shove herself from Zero until Izumi took her. He doesn’t take offense to it, he gets her loving her mother more and wanting to he cradled by them. Mieven, because of this, tended to be more at Zero’s side and learned a lot from him in the kitchen. Zero taught Mieven to cook while Izumi was teaching Myrva to read to many different languages. Mieven seems to have a much shorter attention span for trying to learn things that difficult and would get frustrated at himself and Izumi when trying to learn them.

Likewise, Myrva doesn’t enjoy cooking and and can at most make simple dishes that don’t require difficult recipes and ingredients. She doesn’t want to spend her time in the kitchen and only tends to eat, or even remember to eat when studying, if Zero brings her something. He fussed over his children’s health and scolds Myrva for studying so much, which just makes her angry at Zero. Zero, personally, believes she strives to much to be like Izumi and inherited his talent for losing herself in whatever she’s studying at the time, forgetting her own needs in the process. He hopes, when she gets older, she’ll grow out of this. As he hopes when Mieven grows older, he’ll be able to make friends and branch out a bit more. Lose that awkwardness he has about him, since their son is such a kind and caring person.

[logicalbookthief]

Christmas Movies Ranked by How Anti-Capitalist They Are

It’s a Wonderful Life

Movies that make you want to pick a fight with the 1% and also weep with joy. Absolutely a classic and anti-capitalist at its very core. Will convince you we need to start oppressing landlords again.

“Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you're talking about... they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn't think so. People were human beings to him. But to you, a warped, frustrated old man, they're cattle.”

SAY THAT!!! George Bailey said fuck landlords, all my homies hate landlords, they have NO rights. Local man believes poor people are human, dedicates his life to helping them, and in his time of the need literally the whole town comes together to support him and his family. Class solidarity ftw!

“Remember no man is a failure who has friends.” Bitch I CRY EVERY GODDAMN TIME. 

10/10

Home Alone

Soundtrack goes hard, the wacky hijinks even harder. 

Loses points because the bandits had a prime opportunity to seize and redistribute some of the wealth from this ritzy Chicago neighborhood and instead they focus their energy on trying to kill an 8-year-old who outsmarts them at every turn.

2/10

Elf

A family favorite in our house. Touches on the overworking and mistreatment of employees through Greenway Press – Walter forced to choose between being with his family on Christmas Eve or losing his job, it’s implied Deb has a pet grooming business on the side to makes ends meet despite being a receptionist at a NY publishing company, etc.

Honestly most of the points come from Jonie’s underrated yet highly relatable storyline. She works in retail, exhausted and cynical towards the high-paced Christmas season which gives her little to no relief or reward, since she’s surviving on ramen noodles and using the employee showers because her water was cut off. Not expanded on enough to be considered a true Marxist piece but the effort is appreciated.

5/10

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Although the meme is correct in that Rudolph’s red nose becomes desirable only once it proves to be useful, it does get points for exposing the harmful nature of forced conformity and those alienated by these capitalist ideals -- Rudolph, Hermie, the island of misfit toys -- are given a place to belong despite the perceived “flaws” that before made them undesirable.

Also the elves definitely have a free dental-plan now thanks to Hermie and are hopefully on their way to unionizing. Fucking superb you funky little misfit.

6/10

Klaus (2019)

Turns a member of the bourgeoisie into a man I’d trust to carry my mail. Respect for postal workers this movie contains was ahead of its time.

 No direct takedown of the establishment but a heartwarming message -- “A true selfless act always sparks another” bITCH I may be crying -- that emphasizes the importance of giving to others even when there is no selfish motivation to do so, which is inherently anti-capitalist.  

8/10

The Santa Clause

Scott Calvin starts as a toy executive who takes part in the commercialization of Christmas. He was probably a business major so automatically loses points.

The Santa dynasty itself seems to operate under the cutthroat rules of the business world where you must overthrow (or in this case, throw him off the roof) the former CEO in order to seize power. 

Elves have not unionized or seized the means of production by the end.

0/10

A Christmas Carol 

THE ORIGINAL. Charles Dickens was not even in the neighborhood of fucking around with this one. CREATED the anti-capitalist Christmas genre!!

Rich man treats his employees like shit and gets terrorized by three ghosts on Christmas Eve. Force him to redistribute his wealth by dragging him through a montage of his most epic fails -- oh, hey, remember when your fiancé left you? -- and make him listen as all his employees and relatives complain about his stingy ass. 

They end this slideshow by throwing this dude into his own grave. DIRECT ACTION. 

Like damn, the ghosts really said, “If you hoard your resources and ignore those in need when you could directly improve/save lives with no cost to yourself, you will die ALONE and you WILL pay for your crimes in hell.” Literally watching this movie is a catharsis for anyone who is or has been poor and working class. 

I’m including all versions of this movie but a special shout out to the Muppet version because it fucks the hardest. 

100/10

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Listen I’m not even in realms of joking with this one. This movie is THE anti-capitalist film of the holiday season. 

WhoVille commercializing Christmas and a fixation on consumer culture to the point where anything and anyONE who cannot be commodified -- aka the GRINCH -- is alienated? The Whos rediscovering that people should be cherished over material items once it all is stolen and they must confront how empty the holiday has become??

Cindy Lou becoming disillusioned in Christmas -- at an age that coincides when many children (those who celebrate Christmas at least) lost belief in Santa and had to wrestle with what the holiday means with the magic gone and they’re more aware of the rampant consumerism that taints the season?? Her resolve to find a meaning that goes beyond material consumption because if a holiday founded on goodwill doesn’t extend that goodwill to everyone, even those society deems undesirable, then what’s the point???

The Grinch despising Christmas because he is unable to participate and isolated from the Whos and also the better qualities within himself? His alienation serving to demonize him further as it allows the public to narrow his valid criticisms of the holiday down to him being different and thus inherently predisposed to evil?? And hmm isn’t it interesting that a LOT of this demonization comes via Mayor Augustus “generously paid for by the tax-payers of Whoville” Maywho, Mr. 1% himself.

The upper vs working class divide evident in the light show competition between Martha May and Betty Lou Who?? The opening scene of the shopping frenzy that mirrors our own consumerist culture and overworking of retail/poster workers??? This entire monologue:

“That's what it's all about, isn't it? That's what it's always been about. Gifts, gifts... gifts, gifts, gifts, gifts, gifts! You wanna know what happens to your gifts? They all come to me. In your garbage. You see what I'm saying? In your garbage. I could hang myself with all the bad Christmas neckties I found at the dump. And the avarice... the avarice never ends! ‘I want golf clubs. I want diamonds. I want a pony so I can ride it twice, get bored and sell it to make glue.’" 

MARXIST KING. MENTION IT ALL.

1000/10