#but they're just bad at talking about their problems without starting to blame the other

[winterwrites23]

Is there anything at all that North and Ireland would agree on or find some kind of common ground?

Although both claim they have nothing in common, they do, in fact, have things in common but they don't realize it most of the time. For example:

During the 6 Nations Championship, North will always be on Ireland's side, mostly to give shit to England but also because they get into a friendly banter they both enjoy and know won't end up into an argument.

He may complain about it, but North does enjoy the Father Ted sitcom and can quote most of the lines. Sometimes, Ireland would start a line and North would say the next, until both of them are quoting the whole episode. 

Spice bags is the best fast food dish ever, and no one can say otherwise. (Though both for different reasons. Ireland thinks it’s the best hangover cure, while North just like the assortment of flavours)

If one forgets to bring sunscreen for a sunny day, it’s 100% sure the other will have his own. Ireland, Scotland and North can turn into walking tomatoes if they don’t put on sunscreen. 

They both collect weird trinkets, and it makes England lose his mind whenever he finds a random bauble in his house. 

“A Tayto sandwich is, in fact, considered a decent meal, England. Shut up.”

Christmas is a time when they put their differences aside and spend it together as a ‘normal’ family (as much as they can whenever those idiots are involved lol)

They both enjoy people watching and would invent crazy scenarios about their life, including doing voices and dramatic gestures. Scotland once caught them watching by the window, snickering like children.

They may not notice it, but they share some mannerism (fidgeting/drumming with their fingers, same scowl, always putting the tea bag first in the cup before pouring the water, worrying their lips when deep in thought) When Wales pointed it out, they would deny it and say ‘we’re nothing alike!’

Basically, if one can ignore politics, decades long resentment and heavy topics, they get relatively well. But then again, they both tend to avoid having a Talk™ like someone doing the Matrix.

#hetalia #hetalia headcanon #hws ireland #hws northern ireland #aph ireland #aph northern ireland #they both know they want to hash things out #but they're just bad at talking about their problems without starting to blame the other #but again that's a classic move with the UK bros+Ireland #they're emotionally constipated lol #thanks for the ask!

[silverwhittlingknife]

The Bats Are Fighting (Distaff Edition)

some conflicts I enjoy:

Babs is pretty hostile/judgy toward Helena at first & is bitterly upset and hurt when Helena starts wearing a Bat costume - apparently a Batgirl costume - without asking her. Later on, Bruce chases Helena out of the costume, and Babs gives Cass the Batgirl costume with her explicit blessing. Helena and Cass never have a rivalry over this exactly, but I don't think they ever really get along, either

Babs and Helena eventually make up when Babs lets Helena join the Birds of Prey but it's rocky in the beginning - Babs dislikes Helena's methods and doesn't entirely trust her; Helena resents being kept on the outside

Steph is super-impressed by Cass and tries to get her to like her and they eventually get close, but Cass has a pretty low opinion of Steph-as-a-vigilante and doesn't hesitate to boss her around or knock her out, and she's super-hurt by Steph lying to her about what's going on during War Games (probably not unrelated: Cass is the only Bat to blame Steph instead of Bruce after Steph dies)

Babs and Cass get very close but also have tensions because Babs wants Cass to have the 'normal' life that Babs thinks she should've tried harder to have when she was younger, and Cass isn't entirely comfortable with this pressure, plus - this one I think is a bit more well-known - Babs spends a lot of time tutoring Cass and looking after her (awww), BUT ALSO in a tense moment she gets really nasty and harsh about Cass's reluctance to learn to read and calls her "stupid"

Dinah finds Steph REALLY annoying and wants her to stop tagging around after her... until she finds out about Steph's miserable home life, and then she appears like an avenging angel and kicks Steph's dad and his cronies out of the house

Babs decides to work with a guy who tortured Dinah because she thinks he's capable of redemption and Dinah is NOT HAPPY about it

Just generally, Steph and Helena are very much outsiders who don't get brought into the "core" Batfam and who aren't trusted with info like Bruce's secret identity. By contrast, Babs is an insider almost from Day 1 - she may have conflicts with Bruce, but she's also got his absolute trust - and Dinah is as insider as it gets, with a mom who was also Black Canary and a stint on the JLA

other general characterization notes that cause Conflict (TM):

Babs is pretty much a classic Bat - she's got a ton of control issues and she's an instinctively secretive workaholic

Helena is an adult who will kill people if she damn well feels it's necessary and she doesn't appreciate being lectured about it

Steph is a defensive teenage outsider with a bucketload of family problems - deadbeat evil dad! addict mom! - and when she's upset she's got a reckless self-destructive streak

Cass is very much like Bruce in that 1) she is wildly super mega good at fighting, 2) she's an instinctive loner who's comically bad at people AND YET she can nevertheless effortlessly manage to head off to a foreign country for a weekend and have a passionately-felt mutual love affair with some random criminal or something, and then that person dies & she goes home like nothing happened, 3) she cares about other people but completely sucks at communication & when in doubt will just go silent & take off or refuse to have conversations, 4) because she hates talking sometimes she'll just knock you out or hit you so that she won't have to do it, 5) she will spend an entire year planning to have a fight to the death with someone for Reasons and tell no one about it because why would she tell someone

anyway they're all terrible <3

#I found this in my drafts & I was originally gonna do all the Bats I think #but I feel like the boys' conflicts are better known & also I'm lazy fdsfdsfs so here are a bunch of my favorite interpersonal conflicts #anyway some people think that female characters should support each other & have solidarity but they are wrong #i mean don't get me wrong i allow for SOME solidarity but you should also be snide sometimes!! rep for bitchy people <3 #helena bertinelli #stephanie brown #cassandra cain #barbara gordon

[nelkcats]

Consequences

When he felt compelled to take over as Robin in order to save Batman from himself, Tim didn't have high expectations; he didn't expect to be adopted by Bruce, he didn't expect to acknowledge the fact that his parents were abusive by leaving him alone for months, he didn't expect anyone to care if he ate or not, and in general he didn't expect to gain a family.

And for a while he thought that everything would get better: he gained brothers, he had a caring father, he had no financial problems or had gotten sick; And yes, maybe Robin's patrols were harsh at first, maybe Bruce's words when he was angry reached his heart and hurt him deeply, but he was fine.

Until he wasn't, at some point he felt more abandoned than ever even though he was surrounded by his family. When he was talking to his boyfriend, he realized that everyone took him into account but no one really appreciated what he did.

At first he didn't understand why Danny looked at him concerned and kept asking if he was okay while he told him an anecdote from his life as a vigilante; they had known each other for a while (Alfred had noticed, the others hadn't), they started talking, dating in coffee shops and even revealed the fact of being vigilantes after a few months on a relationship, that's when they started sharing anecdotes with each other.

Danny mentioned that he was being a hypocrite for caring so much about his stories when his were just as bad. Tim didn't get it until he started to see things from another perspective.

He never realized how much it hurted how Bruce had never thanked him for helping when he was lost in time, or how Dick avoided talking about his Robin time by concentrating on Damian, he thought he could understand but that didn't make it any better, Jason's nickname was beginning to make sense.

He didn't realize how broken he felt when Jason tried to kill him and blamed him; He was his childhood hero, Tim loved Robin because Jason put him in the stars, however, no matter how many times he explained to his brother that the only reason he had taken the suit was because he had no choice, and that he felt forced to blackmail Batman to be his Robin before Bruce became what he hated most. Jason still didn't care, still called him Replacement over and over again, blaming.

Or Damian who kept trying to kill him, refusing to acknowledge him, and when he defended himself he ended up getting reprimanded. Not even Bruce thanked him for all the work he did in taking over the company as CEO. His entire family went on with their lives without repercussions.

Maybe he was being naive as he refused Danny's requests to run away from home and stay with him, at least for a few days so they would miss him. He felt like a broken record repeating the phrase "it's okay, they're trying, they can change", the look on his boyfriend's face told him he wasn't doing a good job on believing his own words.

The mansion made him feel small at times, ignored; it was fortunate that Alfred was actually paying attention to him and offering a cup of hot chocolate at such moments.

At some point he couldn't take it anymore, Jason and Damian's comments had gone too far, Bruce's lack of response along with Dick's laughter commenting that they weren't saying it in a bad way only made him angry, so he left the cave and called to Danny, he told him it was time to go.

He said goodbye to Alfred, Cass, Duke and Steph who had generally not contributed to his decision, and he regretted that he couldn't stay longer to get to know them better, but the damage had been building up for a long time.

He wrote a letter detailing his reasons to the rest of the family, leaving along some clues to let them know that he had left of his own free will and they wouldn't be able to find him even if they wanted to, he sighed as his anger turned to resignation.

"Are you ready?" Danny questioned, taking his hand gently as they walked out of the mansion.

"Ready as I'll ever be"

That's how Timothy Jackson Drake said goodbye to his home dimension and headed to the infinite realms, of course he was going to sneak in a couple of times to help his friends but never when his family is around. He hadn't expected the life in the palace or the marriage proposal that came years later, but although the place was gigantic, Tim felt good in it, comfortable, appreciated.

Time in the Realms passed quite quickly, unlike his original dimension, so years for him were a couple of months for his family.

He found it ironic that Danny was summoned as the Ghost King by Ra, who had the nerve to order the "creature" to give him the secrets of the Lazarus pits, offering the Batclan as sacrifices. Tim looked at the time portal connected to his home dimension (That Clockwork had given him to watch his family and friends, even if he was upset he was not going to let them die) wondering if he should interfere.

It was decided when Danny called Fright Knight to deal with the nuisance that was Ra, and he accompanied him as a royal adviser (regardless of his second title as ruler, he actually liked being a part of strategizing better and Danny was happy to give in to his wishes).

With a weary sigh he crossed the portal and began to recite Ra's crimes, indicating how he had damaged the balance between life and death since he corrupted the ectoplasm on the Lazarus pits to extend his life at the same time that Frighty stopped the man.

No one in the room bothered to pay attention to the stupefied bats who were watching the missing member of his family, but years older, that apparently was the Ghost King royal adviser. They tried to call him but Tim just gave them an annoyed look before continuing with his work.

By the time Fright Knight took Ra completely chained through the portal, they finally saw the ghost king move, he started kissing Tim's face repeatedly, which had turned his frown into laughter.

The moment they finally processed the scene they both disappeared, and well, weren't those the consequences of their own actions?

----

Thanks to @unadulteratedsoulsweets for the general idea, I enjoyed writing this! Even if it ended up a little bigger than I expected

#batman #detective comics #dp x dc #tim drake #danny phantom #danny fenton #dc x dp #ghost king danny #tired Tim #Tim needs a hug #and a lot of compliments #Look he was not going to seat down on the throne and do nothing #So he ended up being part of the council #He helps with ideas and strategies #Tim Drake Phantom the royal councilor #He visits the good members of his family sometimes #Alfred likes those visits #The rest of the batfam is regretting how they treated him #They need him but is too late #he visits his friends too #Kon is literally a frequent visitor on the Realms because of him #dead tired #danny fenton x tim drake #brain dead #red robin #batfam #batfamily

[ckret2]

Chapter 17 of Human Bill Causes Problems And Ruins Relationships On Purpose (title TBD), featuring: Mabel and Ford, not letting their relationship be ruined.

They're gonna be okay.

Also: weird donuts, cool crystals, and summer class.

####

Mabel was out of sight by the time Ford exited the shop—stupid, why hadn't he chased her the second he saw her run? He knew Mabel was fast. He circled the block calling her name—there was nowhere she could have gone, this mixed-use building was surrounded by residential houses—and then he hurried back to the parking garage, worst case scenarios tumbling through his head.

When he spied her leaning against the trunk of Stan's car, he heaved a sigh of relief. "Mabel! You shouldn't run off like that in a strange city. Anything could have happened."

Mabel tightened her crossed arms, glaring at her shoes. "I'm better at taking care of myself than you think."

Ford's shoulders slumped. He stood there useless, the silence thick between them, grappling for something to say to cut through it.

He never did well with these thick, awkward, choking moments—the moment before Stan left home, the moment after Fiddleford left the portal project, all the moments on the phone with his parents or with Shermie when he couldn't think of anything they'd be truly interested to hear about his life or any questions he truly wanted them to answer. He'd lost a lot of relationships in those moments. "Mabel—you're not in trouble, and I'm... I'm not mad at you."

"Being disappointed isn't better."

"I'm not disappointed, either. Just... concerned."

Wrong word. Mabel looked up at Ford with a dark, furious look that reminded him unnervingly of a look Bill had given him a few days ago. (He still hadn't learned to identify this as the hallmark gaze of the defiant teenager.) Then she glared at the ground again. "I wanna go home."

If he took her home, it would be an agonizing hour and a half silence—and what were the odds she'd just run to Bill and tell him he'd been "right," and he'd fill her head with more poison? It was far too late to forbid her from talking to him without exacerbating the situation. Ford could force her to stay right here in Portland until he'd talked to her—he had the keys, the driver's license, and almost fifty years' seniority—but if he did that, she'd tune out anything he said.

And she'd be right to. Who was he to her except the other uncle, the one who'd spent a year lavishing attention on her brother and only asked to spend time with her as a trap to give her a lecture?

He leaned on the car trunk next to her and looked down at the top of Mabel's head. She was wearing a headband studded with rhinestones and plastic ruby earrings. She'd dressed up for this. Ford swallowed hard. "Mabel, I'm an idiot."

She didn't say anything.

"I am. I'm a fool. I put all my skill points in intelligence and zero in charisma." He paused. "Which... that sentence probably makes self-evident." He cleared his throat. "I started out bad at socializing, and not interacting with humans for thirty years didn't make me any better. So I don't have any idea what I'm doing here. But... I asked you to come here with me because I really do want to spend more time with you; and because Bill hurt me, and I love you too much not to make sure you're protected against him doing the same to you."

He put a hand on her shoulder, and when she didn't tense up or pull away, he went on: "I think I tried to do too much in one trip, and it just made what should have been a fun time... awkward for you. But, if it helps, it's awkward for me, too. We can be awkward together. We're on the same side, I promise."

Mabel let out a loud, snotty sniff. "You... really do wanna hang out with me?" Quieter, she asked, "Not just Dipper?"

"Of course I do!" Ford said. "But I don't blame you for doubting me. I... know I've spent less time with you than with Dipper. I thought he needed me more. I'm sorry it took this to make me make time for you like I should have all along."

"Was... was there ever really a crystal store on the highway?"

"There was! I promise! I honestly don't know what happened to it! Maybe when I was coming from the airport Soos took a different exit than I thought? Or maybe a truck got between us and the sign as we were passing it and we didn't realize, but—"

He was getting off topic. The mystery of the crystal store wasn't what was important here. Reel in the puzzled scientist for a moment and be an uncle. "But—I swear Mabel, I didn't make up a story just to get you out here. I truly wanted to go to a crystal shop with you, hand on my heart." He put his hand on his heart. "That's a full finger more sincere than normal."

Mabel let out a choked giggle. She finally looked up at Ford, eyes red, cheeks tear streaked, but fighting to smile through her tears. "Grunkle Ford, I—" She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his sweater. "I'm not trying to ruin summer again, I promise! All I'm talking to Bill about is preschool cartoons and arts & crafts! Sure, he's—he's been nice since I helped him out, but—that doesn't mean I've forgotten who he is or what he can do..."

"Mabel, you didn't ruin last summer." Ford knelt down and hugged her back. "Bill did. Never forget that. I'm just trying to prevent him from doing it again."

Mabel nodded, unconvinced. "He couldn't have ruined it by himself."

"You're right. He couldn't. Which is why I was so wrong to keep the rift secret from everyone in the house but Dipper. I was trying to keep you safe, but you never would have fallen for his lies if I'd armed you with all the information you needed."

He leaned back from Mabel and patted his briefcase. "That's why I'm doing things properly this time! I'm prepared to educate you on every trick Bill has ever borrowed from the books of con artists, cult leaders, and serial manipulators. If you're going to talk to him, you'll know the rules of every mind game he plays before he starts playing them." He unzipped his briefcase and pulled out some of the research materials he'd assembled to prepare for this conversation. "I'm afraid even that might not be enough to fully protect you against his devious tricks, but if you keep your guard up and regularly check in with the rest of the family, then—"

Mabel looked in Ford's briefcase and exploded in a peal of laughter. "Grunkle Ford, are you making me go to school in the summer?! Gross!"

Ford blinked. If this was Dipper, he'd have been delighted at the educational opportunity. This just went to show how much he still needed to learn about Mabel, too. "Come now, Mabel. There's no greater defense against the shadowy forces of deception than the light of knowledge!"

Mabel laughed again. "You nerd!"

Ford grinned. "But, I'll try to make it fun, too."

"Okay, I'll take your psychology class. Bill-proof me! Arm me with knowledge!" She raised her arms like she was flexing her biceps.

"Great!" Ford rummaged through his briefcase. "I'll start with the broad strategies I've seen or heard of him using to isolate his victims, then narrow in on specific tactics he uses to steer conversations his way. First we'll go over the B.I.T.E. model of authoritarian control, and—"

Mabel put a hand on his shoulder. "How about we start with lunch?"

Ford paused, then let out a huff. "Yes, of course. We should eat."

They got in the car and went looking for a restaurant.

####

They had lunch at a burger place, and Ford told Mabel everything he could think of about how Bill operated—all guided by copious research notes.

To his relief, Mabel never got bored. Instead, she immediately related his lesson back to things she'd already seen Bill do: how easily he'd gotten her, Dipper, and Soos to do his job for him inside Stan's mind, or how he'd tried to turn Mabel and Dipper against each other during Mabel's puppet show. When she admitted what Bill had said to make her worry about talking to Ford, he confessed how Bill had turned him against Fiddleford—and how he'd done it with just a couple comments. All he'd had to say was that Fiddleford might not be committed enough to the portal project, might not be bold enough to finish, and Ford's mind had done the rest.

Ford hadn't even told Dipper about that part—instead, he'd just let Dipper read it in his journal. Ford had yet to so much as talk to Fiddleford himself about it. It was shameful to admit out loud; but less so when he knew he was talking to someone else who'd very nearly been fooled the same way—and that sharing his story might save her from repeating it.

They wrapped up lunch, moved to a nearby shop called Druid Donuts for dessert, and continued their conversation on one of the picnic tables outside. Mabel got a donut wizard with a pretzel stick wand and purple cream filling, and Ford tried out a donut with jelly beans on top. The jelly beans were kinda stale. He plucked them off and ate them anyway.

Mabel sighed, "Grunkle Ford, I'm so sorry I let Bill make me doubt you."

"Bill has that effect on people. When I had this same talk with Dipper, he tried to shoot me with the memory gun in case Bill was possessing me."

"Dipper never mentioned that!" Mabel laughed; but it quickly petered out as she remembered who had ultimately gotten memory gunned over Bill.

She gazed thoughtfully down at her wizard. (She'd eaten off one of his arms, half his robe, and licked out the purple cream filling.) "What made Bill so awful?"

"I sorely wish I knew," Ford said. "I spent half my life trying to find out where he came from, along with how to defeat him. All I ever learned is that he's from a two-dimensional realm—and he destroyed his dimension, friends and family included, for power."

Mabel's eyes widened.

"But... why? I still don't know. He told me he found his home 'restrictive'—but I imagine any limitations would feel restrictive to someone who's seeking omnipotence, so I have no idea what that truly means." Ford looked down at his donut. He'd plucked off all the jelly beans and sorted them into two piles on a napkin, one of regular beans and a smaller one with a few deformed ones. He popped a couple of beans in his mouth. 

"It's weird," Mabel said. "It's like... I'm trying to hate him, but it's hard. It was easy last year! And I know who he is, and I know that all this"—she pointed at Ford's bag full of notes—"is going on in his head, but—when I talk to him, he just seems like... not a different person, but a—a normal person. I don't want to not give that person a chance just because he's Bill. You know? Does that make sense?" Mabel grimaced. "Or is that just how good he is at acting?"

Softly, Ford said, "I think it does make sense. Actually, even after everything he's done to me... since he's been locked up with us, I've—had a moment or two like that. I don't think he's doing it on purpose. I think it's a natural side effect of being in such close proximity to him."

Ford had been thinking a lot about his bizarre burst of compassion on the night Bill burned off his hair. He'd wondered if, maybe, putting a human face over Bill had made Ford see him as a new person. But that wasn't right. Like Mabel had said: Ford didn't see this human Bill as a different person, but rather...

Ford had obsessed over Bill for thirty years. He'd combed the multiverse for information about Bill's history, his state of existence, his potential weaknesses. But in all that time—in all that time, he hadn't once spoken with Bill.

He'd spent half a lifetime moving amongst people who saw Bill as a symbol, a legend, a cosmic force. He'd come to see Bill the same way. A threat, a target, an idea. He'd spent so many years picking a scant few hours of conversation with Bill to shreds that—he was now beginning to realize—he'd half convinced himself that Bill didn't actually have an identity beneath his lies.

It wasn't that seeing a human face made Ford forget that this person was Bill. It was that seeing a human face made Ford remember that Bill was a person. Ford had gotten so used to hating Bill the symbol; had he ever learned how to hate Bill the person? Or had he just let himself believe Bill wasn't a person at all?

Treating Bill like an idea rather than a person was useful enough when Bill was some distant foe. But now Bill was here. Ford couldn't let himself go soft just because Bill was capable of filling space in a window seat and tripping on the furniture and waking screaming from nightmares and regretting a stupid haircut.

Bill had been a person every other time Ford had tried to kill him, too. And that didn't change the fact that he needed to die.

And Mabel—who had so much less practice with hatred than Ford had—was struggling with the same thing.

"You want him to make sense," Ford said. "I understand that completely. Once we see somebody as a person, it's hard to see them as a monster, even if that's what they are. Our minds think monsters want to destroy the world, not play weird chess games. Seeing him as just a monster would be safer for everyone—but, as long as he's imprisoned and powerless, all he can do is be a person."

Mabel thought that over. "Yeah," she said. "You can hate somebody or you can get to know them, but you can't do both."

Ford could think of a few people he'd only hated more the better he got to know them, but he supposed Mabel was kinder than him. "More or less."

"How do you deal with it?"

"By avoiding him."

Mabel's gaze dropped back to her donut wizard. She ate his wand and other arm.

Ford took a deep breath. "Mabel... knowing everything you know now, do you still want to keep talking to him?"

Her neck sank down into her turtleneck. "Do I fail your class if I say yeah?"

Ford smiled sadly. Was she too kind for her own good, or—like Ford—too curious? "I thought you might say that," he said. "Follow-up question: are you prepared to be disappointed when he doesn't live up to your hopes? And I do mean 'when,' not 'if.' You're offering him a charity I don't think he's capable of reciprocating."

If she'd gotten angry, if she'd gotten defensive, he would have worried more. But she laughed and said, "Grunkle Ford, last summer I got my heart broken by like, sixteen boys. After that, I can handle finding out the evil demon triangle I'm trying to reform is still an evil demon. I'll be impressed if he ever gets an opportunity to kill one of us and doesn't take it."

Ford chuckled, relieved. "I think you deserve to hang out with people you can hold to higher standards than that."

"I do! But the other people I hang out with don't wanna watch the same shows as me. I don't think I can make you understand how important that is."

On the one hand, that struck Ford as a very thirteen-year-old priority. On the other hand... He winced. "Actually... for a while, he was the only person that would play Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons with me."

"WHAT! What kind of character did he play!"

"None. He always wanted to be the dungeon master," Ford said. "He ran very strange campaigns. And had a weird fascination with princesses with eyeballs for heads. And, in retrospect, it was probably a red flag when he decided to portray the God of Long Odds as a one-eyed golden triangle."

Mabel at least had the good grace to bite her lip instead of laughing at Ford.

"Well. I don't think you should want to talk to him. But, if you do... then you have a rare opportunity. Perhaps the first in multiversal history. Bill's our captive, he seems to trust you, he's motivated to make you trust him... I think if anyone's ever had a chance of finding out what made him like he is, it might be you. Perhaps you'll get your question answered."

"Grunkle Ford..." Mabel grinned slyly. "Are you saying that you want me to talk to him? Like, as a spy?"

Ford grimaced. "If I said that, that would make me a terrible uncle. I should be doing everything in my power to steer you away from him. I know that would be safer for everyone and healthier for you." He paused. "But. I can't control you. And as long as you've decided to talk to him anyway—I want to know everything you learn."

Mabel laughed. "You got it!"

"Final advice: don't trust anything he says, assume everything he does has an ulterior motive, and never agree to do anything he asks without twenty-four hours away from him to consider it. And keep talking to us—to me, to Dipper, to Stanley. He might fool one of us, but he can't fool all of us."

"Yeah!" Mabel raised a hand. "Pines power!"

"Pines power." Ford high-sixed her, then finished up his donut. "Well, I think this was very educational for both of us." He stood. "You've still got your $50. Want to go back to the crystal shop?"

####

They grabbed a big green box of donuts for the family and headed back to Lunar Blessings. While Mabel was agonizing over several fun-colored crystals, Ford wandered back toward the statue of Bill. He had to do something about this. "Excuse me." He waved down the shopkeeper. "Do you happen to know where this sculpture came from? The name of the artist, or...?"

She came over to study it. "I think we get all of these from a studio in the Bahamas, but I don't remember the artist off the top of my head. Why?"

He tried to think of a lie that sounded more realistic than the truth—maybe if he said he thought he recognized the art style and wanted to know if an old friend had made it, she'd be willing to dig up the artist's name?

He decided to go with a story that might get this thing off the shelf faster. "Because that particular depiction of the Eye of Providence is associated with a dangerous cult."

Her brows went up. "You're sure? It's a common symbol."

"Giving it eyelashes and a bow tie isn't. Trust me: either the artist is a cultist, or they got the design from somebody who is."

"Cult's a... pretty loaded word." (Ford grudgingly respected her for her wariness. She probably dealt with somebody calling something-or-other in this shop "cultish" on a daily basis.) "How do you know they're that bad?"

"Because once I got in, it took me thirty years to get out."

The shopkeeper's demeanor changed immediately. "Oh," she said. "I'm sorry. We get these in bulk with a lot of other sculptures, I thought it was just some obscure... Are these people dangerous, or—?"

"Not as much as they used to be, I don't think. Their founder's incarcerated. But... the kind of people who'd be eager to buy this probably aren't the people you want to sell to."

As she eyed the sculpture skeptically—probably deciding whether she found this stranger's story credible enough to warrant taking merch off her shelves—Ford asked, "Do you think you could find the artist? With the founder gone, I... I've been wondering how his other victims are faring." There wasn't much point in pushing further to remove the item. He'd given the shopkeeper enough to think about, and he doubted one more statue on one more shelf would really do any harm while Bill couldn't use its eye.

She hesitated, then nodded. "I'll check our records. If we don't have it, you can give me your contact info and I'll let you know when I find out."

"Thank you." What would Ford say if he did meet another of Bill's victims? He'd known a few, very distantly, thirty years ago; Bill had told him who he could go to to get art, much like the sculpture in this store. Back then, he'd felt like he was in a secret society—a real secret society with real secrets, not like the corny social club styling itself a "secret society" he'd joined in college—with the double secret that none of the other members knew that Ford was the society president's favorite. In retrospect, they'd probably thought they were Bill's favorites, too.

He supposed he'd find out if he ever met the artist.

####

Mabel found a little pink cat figurine, a string of small nazar eye beads she thought would be great for crafts, an extremely small crystal naturally colored like a watermelon slice, and a bracelet made out of tiny colorful rock chips arranged in a rainbow. The shopkeeper wasn't able to find the artist's name before they left; but Ford left his name, address, and the shack's number on a piece of receipt paper so she could contact him if she found out more.

As they were leaving, Ford said to Mabel, "You know... if you still like those glass pyramids, I think there's a couple in my study that escaped the purge. You could have one."

"Really? You're sure? You don't have to..."

"I'm sure. They're not magical or dangerous—and I think I'd like for one of them to get new, better associations. Just, keep it in a room where Bill can't get his hands on it," Ford said. "But if he does see it... make up a story about it that will drive him crazy."

Mabel considered that. And then a wicked smile twisted up her face.

####

"Okay, your turn," Mabel said. She was slouched down in her seat with her feet up on the car's dashboard. "Befriend, betray, or betroth: Carl Sagan, the Queen of England, and... a wizard."

Ford sucked in a breath. "Ooh, that's tough." He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "Describe the wizard."

"Greatest wizard of all time! And his beard is like, ten feet long."

Ford pursed his lips as he thought. "Marry the wizard," he said. "As much as I admire Carl's mind, he freely shares his knowledge with the public. Wizards are far more reclusive. Marriage may be my only way to learn his secrets."

"The queen isn't even on the table?"

"I've been a king before, Mabel. Too many social obligations for me," Ford said. "I suppose I'll have to befriend the queen. I can't afford to make any more powerful enemies. Anyway, it could give me an opportunity to ask about some of the legends surrounding Buckingham Palace."

"So you'd betray...?"

Ford frowned deeply. "This game is vicious."

Mabel laughed. "I won't tell him!"

"I appreciate it," Ford said. "All right, your turn. Befriend, betray, or betroth: a president, a movie star, and an astronaut."

Mabel paused. Mabel thought about the guy on the $10 bill—who, she was sure, was definitely a president, or else they wouldn't have put him on a bill. Mabel said, "Which president?"

He'd meant the concept of a president, but. "Uh..."

Mabel gasped and sat up straight. "Grunkle Ford, look!" She pointed out the driver's side window.

"Wh—?" Ford gaped as they drove past a tall pole topped with a gray sign. The sign read, "OCCULTED CRYSTALS". Beneath the words was a glass window shaped like a cut diamond.

"Is that—?"

"That's it!" Ford swerved into the exit lane. "You're not getting away this time, you sonofagun!"

"I've still got like two dollars! Let's do this!"

They celebrated and congratulated each other as they descended onto the frontage road and made a U-turn under the highway.

On the other side, there was no trace of the sign. All they found was a strip of five nondescript whitewashed storefronts, all out of business, with a narrow weed-filled parking lot in front.

Mabel and Ford exchanged a baffled look.

Ford pulled into the empty parking lot and stepped out of the car. "It was here, wasn't it?" he asked. "It can't have been farther back than this." He squinted to the west, shielding his eyes with his hand. No signs that way, and no trees or buildings tall enough to be hiding one.

"Maybe it's a time travel thing!" Mabel jumped out of the car and ran to the abandoned stores, peering through the windows one at a time to see if any looked like a former crystal shop.

Ford glanced warily at a concrete block along the edge of the parking lot that looked like it might once have supported a pole. "Hmm."

Eventually, when they couldn't find anything, they slunk back into the car, got on the frontage road, took the next U-turn, and got back on the highway.

The diamond-windowed Occulted Crystals sign taunted them from the horizon.

They stared dumbly at it.

Mabel pulled out her phone and snapped a picture.

"What are you?" Ford asked the sign. "Is it invisible on its other side?"

Mabel turned in her seat and peered through the back window as they passed it. "Still visible!"

"Then can it only be seen if you're traveling east on the highway?" Ford mused. "But you'd have to be westbound to take an exit that reaches that location. It's impossible to access."

"What if you're traveling west but you drive the car backwards!"

Ford mulled over that. "For starters, we'd probably get pulled over." Ford glanced down at the car's clock. "It's getting late, too. We can't procrastinate anymore if we want to be home in time for dinner."

The sign had disappeared behind them. Mabel turned back around and settled in her seat. "I think this calls for a follow-up investigation later, don't you?"

Ford grinned. "I had the exact same thought."

####

"... And that's how we realized it wasn't Louisa who had slashed Sarah's tires," Abuelita said, "it was Arthur! Can you believe it? Arthur!" She turned away from the stove to look at Bill, eyebrows raised, making sure he fully appreciated this twist.

Sitting backwards on one of the kitchen chairs, he shrugged. "I can't blame him. Every man has his limit. And Sarah's been pushing his for weeks." He took a swig from a bottle of spoiled grape juice.

"Stop drinking my cooking wine," Abuelita said. "Sure, but Arthur's so passive! I thought he'd have a nervous breakdown long before he ever took action! Anyway, things just haven't been the same since he got arrested."

Bill shook his head sympathetically. "I tell you. This town's bingo hall is really going to the dogs."

The front door swung open, and Mabel's voice drifted in: "Betroth the vampire, of course. And—is it possible to betray a zombie? Do they understand loyalty? When Soos got turned..."

Bill perked up, set the juice bottle on the kitchen table, and got to his feet, immediately drawn to a more rewarding distraction. "I'll get out of your hair," he told Abuelita, and switched to English. "Hey, Shooting Star and Sixer!" He leaned against the kitchen doorway. "How were the crystals?"

"Great! I got a watermelon rock and a cat and some beads and the coolest bracelet!" She raised her hand and twisted it back and forth, making the rock chips click together. "And donuts!" She shoved a big green open box in Bill's face. "You're allowed to take one. Only one."

He grabbed the yellowest one he saw and bit in. "Huh. Piña colada. Weird." He took another bite and leaned around the open box lid to look at Mabel. "So. Did you two have fun?"

"Yes! It was a blast!" Mabel gushed. "We got lunch in Portland, and we talked foreverrr, and we've got more in common than I ever imagined, and we're gonna make more trips to Portland soon! I think it really brought us closer together."

"Huh." Bill's gaze flicked up to Ford. "How about that." Ford's face betrayed nothing. Bill looked back at Mabel and grinned wider. "Glad he's less of a killjoy than I thought."

"Pffft! You know he knows how to have fun," Mabel said. "Mr. God of Long Odds."

Bill's eyebrows shot up.

Mabel squeezed past Bill into the kitchen. "Abuelita, if you want a donut, I'm putting them in the bottom left cabinet with the pots."

"Thank you, Mabel."

"I'm taking Ford to the record store to introduce him to late 80's music," Mabel went on. "And we saw a crystal shop that isn't there depending on which way you're driving! Whaaat! Crazy, right!" 

"Oh, you found Occulted Crystals?" Now Bill's grin was aimed at Ford. "I know you didn't get that bracelet there. Didn't figure out how to get in?" He winked. "Do you want to?"

Ford's expression darkened; but before he could say anything, Mabel darted back into the entryway. "No! No spoilers! You'll ruin the fun of figuring it out!"

Bill laughed. "Okay, fine! Just one safety tip: never go looking for it on an empty stomach."

Mabel gave him a distrustful look. "Will that help us get in?"

"It'll help you get back out."

She nodded slowly. "Good to know." She hugged Ford. "I'll be right back! I haven't been to the bathroom since lunch." She bounded upstairs.

Leaving Ford with Bill.

Bill simply smiled. "You talked about DD&MD? That takes me back."

"I know what you're up to, you snake," Ford said. "And it's not going to work. At least leave her out of it."

"Hey, you can't blame me for worrying about her," Bill said. "She's such a caring little thing. And you don't have a strong history of family loyalty."

Ford's hands curled into fists; but he forced himself to turn away from Bill without acknowledging him, and headed for his and Stan's guest room.

"But hey," Bill called after him. "I really am thrilled to see you two getting along so well."

Nothing in Bill's tone sounded sarcastic. Ford paused and glanced back at him suspiciously; but then he shook his head and kept going.

Bill's smile faded. He made a rude gesture at Ford's back; then returned to his post at the kitchen table to listen to Abuelita's gossip and make sure she didn't touch the poison.

####

(Thank y'all for not pulling out the pitchforks at the end of last chapter lol. If you enjoyed, I'd appreciate a comment or reblog! Thanks! 💕)

#mabel pines #grunkle ford #(for the art) #bill cipher #human bill cipher #(for the fic) #gravity falls #gravity falls fanart #gravity falls fic #my writing #my art #bill goldilocks cipher

[amomentsescape]

Jason is my comfor character so can I request a Jason x reader who comes crying to him cause when she talks to her parents about what upsets her they always blame them for their own feelings and fight starts so their scared to discuss feelings with them and they're mom can't follow through on plans with her cause her job makes her too tired and its always something and they made a plan to visit extended family for a long time then it gets postponed for a long time again and then forgotten about and the only time they seen their extended family on both sides was near there birthday at a funeral when a cousin killed themselves and it feels they can only see their family when someone kills themselves

A Promise to You

Jason Voorhees x Reader

Summary: A fight with their parents drives Reader to see Jason: the one person they know they can rely on.

Warnings: Angst then fluff, mentions of family member suicide

Word Count: 1,136

A/N: Comfort characters are incredibly important, so I hope I wrote him in a light that lines up with what you wanted. Sending you all the love <3

You could feel that familiar burn make its way into your stomach. Your eyes were already watering too despite trying your best to hold them back.

"We'll try to see them next year sometime, okay?" your mother said, her eyes still glued to her phone.

You swallowed roughly and looked down at your hands, noticing the dry skin beside your nails.

Nasty habit, you thought.

"I haven't seen them in so long," you finally responded quietly.

You could hear your father let out a sigh at this.

"Nothin' we can do about it. You'll be fine."

Your eyes began to water once more.

"But the last time the whole family was together was-"

"Near your birthday," your mother cut you off, still refusing to look directly at you.

You looked back at her face, trying to focus on anything other than breaking down right then and there. You tried to steady your breathing.

There was a time when your mother actually tried to talk to you and spend time with you. Although now, that felt like a dream, something that never actually happened.

"It was at my cousin's funeral," you whispered.

Both of your parents looked up at you. Finally.

"Right," was all that was said.

You knew deep down that this conversation was going to end up nowhere, but there was still a part of you that hoped maybe this would be the time they'd actually listen. Maybe this time they'd care.

"It just seems like someone has to die for us to actually see everyone again," you responded a little louder than before.

Whatever hope you had held onto was immediately diminished at your mother rolling her eyes and your father scoffing.

"Jesus, (Y/N). It's not our fault that happened-"

"I'm not saying it was," you shot back. The energy in the room was starting to become uncomfortable.

"Okay, then stop acting like it is!"

You took a deep breath in. "I'm just trying to tell you how I'm feel-"

"How about you do that without blaming us for all of your problems?!" your mother snapped. "It's not our fault the trip was canceled. It's not that big of a deal!"

You could feel your patience wearing thin.

"I'm sorry that the idea of spending time with my family sounded nice for a change! Especially when my own mother won't even acknowledge me when she gets home from work!"

"Do NOT speak to her like that!" your father yelled, his face turning red.

Your mother just looked at you, anger filling in her eyes.

"You don't know what it's like to be exhausted from a full-time job!"

"Well, if I had a child, I would still try to make time for them instead of canceling every plan just because I have to work!"

"Are you saying I'm a bad mother?!"

"You're barely a mother at all when you won't even talk to me!"

Your father stood up at this, walking towards you with a scowl painted on his face.

"Why do you always have to be so goddamn sensitive all the time?! You're not a baby! You don't need us to support you 24/7. You need to learn to grow up!"

At this point, your cheeks were already soaked from all the tears spilled. Your throat ached at trying to hold back the sobs, and you could feel your hands shaking by your sides.

But the worst part wasn't even how pathetic you felt in that moment, crying in the middle of your living room. It was the fact that your parents just stood there staring at you with a look of anger and disappointment etched into their features. You didn't feel loved in that moment- you felt despised.

You didn't want to be here anymore. You needed to get out of that environment before the heavy air suffocated you.

Despite the protests of your parents, you ran out the front door of the home and let your feet take you where they wanted to go.

You didn't know how much time had gone by. It could have been minutes, hours, you didn't care. You knew what you needed, and it was him.

You finally stopped running once the front door to the cabin was right in front of you.

Without even needing to knock, Jason opened the door, his head tilted at why you were there. Not that he wasn't happy to see you, he had just made a rule that you wouldn't go lurking into these woods at night. It wasn't safe for you.

But this worry went out the door the moment he saw your tear stained cheeks and the deep frown carved onto your lips.

He pulled you inside immediately, sitting you down beside him on the couch.

Without even thinking, he wrapped himself around you. And this is what seemed to break the dam.

Your sobs muffled into his chest, and you could feel his arms tighten around your frame. He was almost frightened of what had made you this upset.

He let you cry into him for a bit longer before pulling you back, checking over your body to make sure you weren't physically hurt. When he felt confident you were fine, his eyes met yours and he gave you a questioning look.

You moved your gaze to your lap.

"M-my parents," your voice broke.

Jason seemed to immediately know what you meant by this. Unfortunately, this wasn't the first time that something bad had gone down with your parents. As much as he wanted to take away this problem for good, he knew that you would never allow it. You still loved them at the end of the day.

"They j-just never listen to me," you sniffled. "I just wish they'd h-hear me out for once..."

Jason put his hand on the side of your face, wiping away the new tears that continued to spill from your eyes.

He took your own hand gently in his free one, placing it over his chest. It was what he did whenever he wanted to reassure you or tell you that he loves you.

This managed to get a little smile from you.

No matter what happened, Jason was always there for you. He was the one person you knew who would hear you out and never judge. It was why this was the one place your feet decided to carry you to when your own home felt like too much.

"I don't know what I'd do without you," you whispered to him.

You could see his eyes brighten under his mask at this. He nodded as if to say he felt the same.

He couldn't prevent these things from occurring, but Jason promised to always be there to pick you up. And Jason doesn't break his promises.

#jason voorhees x reader #jason voorhees #slashers x reader #friday the 13th #friday the thirteenth #slasher fandom #slashers preference #slasher preference #slashers

[helluva-dump]

At this point, the hazbin/helluva critical community has fallen flat. And when I say that, I mean that it lacks potential. Like, I thought we were criticizing about the characters and the show itself. I thought we were talking about it's issues and what Viv could approve on it. But now, these people are just targeting fans of Viv's show who are just going on about their day, taking screenshots of harmful posts and posting it on the critical blog just to shit on them. You can't even consider that "critical" now when you're just being an asshole. They wonder why Viv and her fans think the critics are so bad. On top of that, these people love to make assumptions about Viv harassing Gooseworx all because she's a "terrible person" like please stfu. "She probably did this" and they don't even have any proof. Maybe consider that Viv actually enjoys tadc and it's success? What is all of this "viv is mad because the amazing digital circus is more successful than her shitty shows"? I dunno, man. That critical community is just so fucking dumb and stupid. They're not even talking about the shows anymore. They just bitch and fuss about everything.

For real, I had never seen such a critical community this much of a train wreck as the fandom is.

I mean hell, I engaged with the SVTFOE community before (and that show has the EXACT same problems as Helluva boss) and the critical blogs were very chill.

I feel like what didn’t help is how immature and unprofessional Vivziepop acts publicly. But at the same time…. I can’t really blame her for getting defensive when these antis dogpile her on everything.

And yes, the screenshots making fun of harmless posts of fans were red flags to me. Like dude, we have rabid fans and Stans do that to us, why the hell are you stopping to their level??? (I’m not gonna include the voodoo controversy because that to me needed to be talked about. A lot of POC fans and criticals had every right to discuss that and Viv should had given an apology or explanation over that. With closed religions that always got stereotypes due to colonizers, you need to be careful when writing about them. )

Oh God don’t get me started on the whole Vivziepop and Gooseworks relationship assumptions… that actually annoyed me too and I’m sure there’s no bad blood with them. I get she had bad blood with Tracey and possibly Ashley, but I don’t think it’s fair to assume she’s like this with every indie creator.

Honestly, its both of their fandoms that are acting unhinged. But I even seen hardcore fans of Viv like Dani praising TADC and Gooseworks, so I doubt the whole fandom are planning to sabotage them. TADC isn’t a rain full of sunshine either, they too have so much bad apples there.

Also my big issue with this community I’ve noted some critical blogs that claim they wanna make an original series (well one already made a webcomic) but they NEVER stop bitching about Viv and go on and on how they never do this to their project… unmmm dude? If you constantly compare your project to Viv’s, your gonna lose your audience this way. This can make you come off as an a logger and a very petty person to others. Trust me, this is NOT going to make people want to be interested in your original projects.

It’s also very unprofessional to do this publicly. I get looking at bad writing motivates you how to not to things… but the constant comparing is going to make you look like a very petty person to your outside audience. And they feel like your project won’t have agency on its own without being “better than Helluva/Hazbin.” I say this because I too am working on an indie project I want to make to a webcomic. And I REALLY don’t wanna ruin my reputation that way.

That’s what Zeartist did when he made his shitty ass books and would constantly hitch and whine about twilight on his life journals. And he would always bring up his original series and how it’s “better” and how he wouldn’t write such garbage like Stephanie Meyer.

And guess what???? His books are just twilight 2.0 but even worse 😂😂😂 he ended up doing the exact same thing stephanie did, bitches out over criticism, and yeah a huge hypocritical asshat.

That’s why constantly comparing your project to another person’s to seen as better is NOT a smart idea. Please have some self awareness there if your actually planning to make a webcomic or an original series.

Also… I’ve noticed people that have beautiful startled would waste it on blind hatred. Like that “I HAtE VIVZIEPOP” blog. Like godamn, their art is beautiful but they had an unhealthy hate obsession with Viv… why waste your energy on that when you can make something better?

I’m not talking about rewrites, AUs, or redesigns because to me those are like fanfics and for fun. The stuff I do is mainly just for fanfic fun and a writing/world building exercise for me. But also a little bit of self indulgence since I sitll admire Viv’s characters. You can enjoy something without giving your support to the actual creator. I’m trying to show my support to the team behind it.

(I’m even planning to buy fan merch from one of the clean up artists on their shop. To me it’s the ethical way of getting Hazbin/Helluva merch without directly giving it to Viv but to her artists instead. )

#helluva boss critical #Hazbin hotel critical #have some self awareness yall #anon ask #ask

[shitpostdevil]

Your intimidating manager secretly has a thing for you~

Suguru x F!reader

Warning: 18+, jealousy, coworker interest~

I do not own any of the characters or the art I find to include (unless if I explicitly state otherwise)

These are solely MY headcanons, if you don't like them, it's okay, you don't have to read, just mind your business, m'kay?

If you happen to know that the art is yours and want credit, or for it to be removed, please, say something. I will fully respect your wishes.

He was the one to interview you for the job. It absolutely enthralled you that he asked "what's wrong with you to make you want to work here?" as one of the interview questions. (You had to bite your tongue not to say, 'what isn't wrong with me?')

Every other day that you two work together, as soon as he's clocked in, he ignores everyone else and is immediately talking to you about another anime/manga he found (which you immediately start consuming as soon as you have the chance to because they're all good)

You've grown to look forward to shifts with him, always feeling like something is missing if he's not there (he would never outright admit it, but he feels the same exact way)

Working after close has become your favorite part of the job when it's with him, getting the stock ready for the next day while he speaks about his latest interest as you quietly listen (buzzing because he's telling you about his life, but keeps it on lock for anyone else- he's not even sure when it started to happen or why, he doesn't talk about anything personal, especially not at work)

One day while putting out stock for the next morning, Suguru was opening the next morning and knew that he would be putting the stuff out, so he made a fort out of the boxes and dubbed it "'Fort Suguru'!" with the brightest smile (it's the first time you remember your heart racing because of him- it was the only time you had ever seen him smile like that and you thought it was beyond precious)

After the store is locked up, your current boyfriend would always take forever to show up to bring you home, but Suguru would wait with you every time without fail- even when the minutes turned into an hour more than once (and he would always stare daggers at your boyfriend- he would always ask on the way home, "Why does he always have to sit and wait with you?", to which you respond, "I think it's policy or something about safety."; you could never actually say that if he wasn't late every time then Suguru wouldn't have to wait with you because you secretly didn't want the alone time to stop)

After months of watching your boyfriend treat you like actual garbage, he breaks up with you while you're at work and takes the car you shared, abandoning you even after your shift is over; you're sick to your stomach in the bathroom for hours, sobbing (every time Suguru comes back to check on you his hand hovers at the door for way too long. Hearing your choked on sobs over such a horrible man hurts him somewhere he didn't believe could be hurt again- he had locked that door a long time ago, why does this hurt? He never ends up knocking, choosing to give you space- he wouldn't even know what to say anyways...)

When you still don't get the car back, Suguru begs the closing worker not to say anything to any of the other managers after he makes the decision to drive you home after they lock the store- (it could get both of you in trouble, but he isn't sure what else to do)

The only problem with the previous is that it seems like the moment you get into his car, you pass out from what he can only assume is exhaustion- which means that he doesn't have the slightest clue where to drive you (Is it really so bad that he drives you to his place? He has a spare room...)

He doesn't have the heart to wake you so he chooses the stupidly selfish option- putting both of your jobs on the line in the process (can you really blame him after listening to you sob all day?)

He tries to miss all of the potholes on the way home- petrified to his core that you'll wake up- (What if you freak out? What if you think he's planning on taking advantage of you? He would absolutely perish if you thought badly of him)

When you both get to his place unharmed he tries to be as gentle as possible, taking you from his front seat bridal style, carrying you up the flight of stairs to his apartment (hoping none of his neighbors get the wrong idea by carrying an unconscious girl back to his place after always strictly staying alone)

He struggles to open the door with you in his arms, which makes you mumble something incoherent, but not wake up- he rushes into the door and straight to his spare room, moving the sheets the best he can to lay you down; he tucks you in carefully and lets his eyes linger on your sleeping state for a little too long, then leaving you to get much needed rest (he lets out a 'Tsk' at his slight annoyance that it took you two this long to break up, and even bigger annoyance that it was you that ended up being more hurt by it- but he couldn't fully blame you for having too big of a heart, even if it was someone that didn't deserve it; deep down he wanted violence)

(This is the end of Part 1, there is absolutely going to be more than one part due to apparent character limit)

#my hc #hc #headcanon #head canon #jujutsu kaisen #not canon #non canon #noncanon #suguru #suguru geto #geto #geto suguru #imagine #imagines #pretty boys are intimidating #and geto is so fucking pretty #is it wrong to admit this is inspired by a coworker I used to have? #but there was no way that was realistically happening #but fuck was he pretty #~

[howlingday]

an au where jaune becomes a sheriff of a little town in the DC universe after he learns he has super powers he also takes up search and rescue training ems training and even volunteers as a firefighter. his rouges gallery is his friends from beacon who aren't evil they just produce the normal amount of collateral damage associated with them while they try to fight the small time gangs in vale. he also occasionally gets called up by justice leaguers to help either with combat or just to talk (mostly just to talk so many of them have mental issues they need help with) take us through a day in the life of sheriff jaune arc a guy who just wants to help without causing any problems

Sheriff Arc

You ever have a really bad day? Like, even worse than what you were trained for? Like, for example, you work in a sandwich shop and some fancy-looking guy comes in and tells you he wants soup. You don't make soup, but they're insistent, and it's obvious they're not leaving, even if you call the police? Well...

Jaune: Still no sign of him.

Radio: (Muffled chattering) Copy that, sheriff. What's your plan.

Jaune: I don't want to waste chopper fuel, but-

Radio: I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU WASTE! FIND MY NEPHEW!

Yeah. That's the soup lady. Or, well, she's a farmer, but a really importantly farmer. Her nephew, whom she holds guardianship over, ran away from home. Can't imagine why with such a lovely aunt to take care of him.

But that's not fair to her. She's just worried about her nephew. And I honestly can't blame her. If Adrian suddenly disappeared, I'd be looking all over for him, come hell or high water.

Wait a minute. High water.

Jaune: Hey, when was the last rainstorm we had?

Radio: Two nights ago. Lasted pretty much all day, morning to night, and got up to about seven inches. We needed it.

There's a river that runs through the forest. Well, maybe "river" is being generous, but the rain could have upgraded the stream to a river, and the pond in the woods into a swamp.

And the old tunnel by the pond into an underwater cave.

Jaune: I've got a lead. Send a boat crew to the pond, and bring scuba gear.

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

The Rat Tunnels. An old relic from the Great War. It was first built for smuggling purposes, then when the Great War broke out, it turned into a bunker for... well, anyone who could get ahold of it.

Then it was left alone when the war ended. Could be anything in there.

Well, anything except people, I hope. As spacious as it may seem at the entrance, you have to be pretty small to fit yourself inside. About as small as a rat.

Jaune: (In scuba gear) I'm going in. (Dives)

Everything is soaked around me. The bank is supposed to end way lower than where it is now. But it didn't, and now it's soaked into the bunker.

To say everything was dark inside would be an understatement. So dark, you can't see your hand in front of you. And dark means cold, and that's exactly what it was inside, too. Gotta move fast, or else hypothermia will settle in.

Really hope this kid isn't catching it.

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

???: I'm looking for Jaune Arc.

Jaune: I am Jaune Arc.

???: The REAL Jaune Arc.

Jaune: I am the real Jaune Arc.

???: I'm looking for Sheriff Arc.

Jaune: Oh... You could have just started with that.

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

I can feel my fingers tingling. Definitely not good. I could pull back, but until I find him, I can't pull out. Just a little further.

Keep going forward.

Jaune: (Slaps out of the water) Found him! I'm gonna need a medevac. He looks real cold.

Radio: Negative, Sheriff. Just got word of another heavy rainstorm coming in. Heli won't fly in this weather.

Jaune: Shoot. I dunno if this kid will last much longer in here. Can we get a second diver in here with a spare bottle?

Radio: Negative. Everybody's too busy with other tasking.

Jaune: ...Mm. Can't climb out. What do I do?

???: Sacrifices must be made...

Jaune: Huh?

???: He must live...

Jaune: What the hell? Who's there?

???: Breathe.

???: Help him breathe.

Jaune: ...What I would give for an extra pair of lungs.

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

Ruby: Come on! It wasn't me!

Neptune: Uh-huh, and who else graffitis roses all over town?

Ruby: It's not all over town. It's just the parts of town not already tagged... I'm assuming.

Neptune: Yeah, sure, and-

Radio: All units. All units. Requesting Arc recall at earliest convenience.

Neptune: Ah, crap... Listen, I... Wait. Where did she?

Ruby: (Peeking from the roof) Heh heh heh... (Sneaks off) Now to help Jaune!

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

Everything hurts. My lungs feel like they're gonna pop, like my chest is on fire. I'm getting air now and then, but it's just little air pops of oxygen. I'm really far from town.

But I gotta keep moving. The kid's passed out, in my arms, breathing in from my tank.

I know what you're thinking right now.

"You're the worst Sheriff I ever saw!"

"Who trained you to be an EMS?"

"What qualifications do you have to do all of this?"

To answer those questions in order: I know. Nobody. And none.

I'm just the guy who would blindly dive into a dark, cold, underground tunnel just to save some kid's life. Because it's my job, and there's nobody else who can do it.

I can feel myself fading...

Fading...

Fadi...

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

Jaune: HAAAAAAAAAA! Hah... Hah...

Ruby: You okay, Jaune?

Jaune: Ruby? What... How did... Wait, the kid! Did he-?!

Ruby: Relaaaaax, Jaune. Oscar is fine. He's with his aunt right now, and the town's okay. Mostly.

Jaune: Mostly?

Ruby: Well, there were a few of you who kinda poofed, and you kinda left Neptune in charge.

Jaune: Oh... Alright... That's fine, then.

Ruby: Uh, did you miss the part about Neptune being in charge?

Jaune: If that's the worst problem there is, I'm pretty sure I can handle it.

Ruby: Well, it's not technically the worst.

Jaune: Huh, what do you?

???: Sheriff Arc.

Jaune: Huh?

Batman: I have some questions for you.

#rwby #sheriff arc #jaune arc #rwby au #ruby rose #neptune vasilias #ozpin #oscar pine #batman #bruce wayne #dc

[sysmedsaresexist]

A note about the shame "criteria"

I think a lot of people get a little confused about what kind of shame is in question

It's not what you think

Understanding Shame - And so the purpose of shame is actually survival: shame teaches us to avoid behaviours that would see us excluded from the group. And shame puts the brake on behaviours that provoke more attack.

Trauma survivors have (typically) spent their entire lives being disregarded, ignored, disbelieved. It's very normal for survivors to feel out of place, misunderstood, and very, very alone.

They often do their best to minimize their symptoms and act like things are better than they are, typically refusing to seek or accept help, they often blame themselves for the things that happened to them (as children, no less), they're often embarrassed admitting that those things happened, and talking about specifics can be so upsetting and you can't help but hate yourself for not being stronger.

Shame comes in so many flavours... Attack self is a huge one. Withdrawal. Avoidance.

Maybe you were frequently called out in front of the class for severe dissociation daydreaming-- now you're afraid of having any kind of attention on you, and you really wish your partner would stop looking at you like that, why are they looking at you, something hurts but you don't know what

Maybe because of how often you were called out, you tried to ask for help but were told that you're overreacting, things aren't that bad, you should be more grateful, and now you're embarrassed and really don't want to tell your new therapist how much you're actually struggling, because she might think you're lying, and you probably are just making a big deal out of nothing

Maybe you struggle to pay attention to your best friend venting to you because Dissociation™️, and that's clearly your fault, you're the problem in the friendship-- but then again, haven't you always been the problem?

Maybe you struggle with relationships-- sex is painful after what happened, and you haven't found a partner patient enough to figure it out-- you're giving up hope that anyone could love you

Maybe one of your alters absolutely lost it on a very good friend, and now you have to deal with the consequences without telling them too much about what's really going on, but at this point they're suspicious and they're telling all your other friends you're crazy. Maybe you are?

Maybe you opened up to someone you thought you could trust, but the look in their eyes has you backpedaling, wishing you had never opened your mouth-- you desperately hope nothing will change between you two, and you know better now

Maybe you're ashamed that you're a system because the media says that's fucked up, what happened to you was fucked up, and all your individual budding symptoms of DID were scrutinized and corrected and disciplined and pushed aside that by the time you realized what was happening, you already knew better than to talk about it

Or maybe you just feel ashamed because you love your system, the terrible gift left behind after your experiences

If you can relate to this, these are all forms of distress, dysfunction, and shame, and they are totally normal and understandable. They count. It doesn't need to be hating your system. It doesn't need to embarrassment.

And shame doesn't need to define you.

Mandatory reading/watching

Starting with positivity:

What if shame is nothing to be ashamed of … but instead is the hero in our story?

The most accurate depiction of shame I've ever read

What do you need? - Shame in therapy

The Differences in Dissociation Triggered by Shame and Terror – and How to Work with Each - A clinician's take on shame

#syscourse #dissociative identity disorder #did #OSDD #actuallydissociative #actuallydid #actuallyosdd #actuallytraumagenic #shame

[imagine-silk]

Peter carrying around the reader and squeezing them super tight is so adorable ahh

I can imagine the reader having a bad day (maybe they took their mask off for a little but got really over-stimulated without their lenses dimming the lights, anything really) so they go to Peter for a hug. Peter is very willing to oblige, even if he's got some meeting with Miguel and other spiders, he will just bring the reader with him even if Miguel tries to tell him no. Peter's also pretty sure the reader is way too busy trying to focus on calming down to even listen to whatever they're talking about in the meeting

》The very same thought came to me while writing the other one. A man of culture I see.

Peter B taking Autistic!Younger!Spider to a meeting

He felt more than a little bad. When you first came to him he was proud you came for help and he thought it would be an easy fix, it should have been. You got your mask back on and got to your apartment. Ten minutes later you called him again, under the blanket in the living room on the rug. By all means you should have been fine so why were you still crying?

He didn't blame you for anything or think it was a hassle, he just wanted you okay again. "What do you think you need?"

"A hug?" He wasn't going to deny it even though it sounded like a question. Peter slipped his arms under the blanket and pulled you out into his arms so he could hug you leaning back on the couch. If he actually moved onto the couch it could have made you more uncomfortable and he didn't want to test it. His back would deal with it later.

It was hard to say how long you were there. Not long enough. "Peter, I need you to come in."

"I'm a bit busy." Peter knew you were still awake, just didn't want to move. Miguel was in charge but Peter had never been afraid of him. 

"No you're not." There was a back and forth. Peter said he didn't want to leave you and Miguel said 'too bad' and that leaving you was the responsible thing to do. He wouldn't always be there and you were halfway there so it would be good to ease into learning to deal by yourself. Peter gave him a smile that held mischievous smug intent. "Do not bring them here."

It was almost comical how he walked in with your feet dangling. "Jesucristo, ¿por qué pensé que alguna vez escucharías? Estoy loco para pensar eso."

"I planned ahead. You won't even know we're here."

"That's not the problem, tonto." Miguel said, dragging his hand down his face before letting it fall to his side. "This can be sensitive information meant for senior members only."

"You have eyes don't you? [Name]'s a bit out of commission." Before Miguel could continue Peter cut him off. "Glad we're on the same page." So there he sat at the round table with you smushed to his chest. He made no effort to move so Miguel gave in, not wanting to drag this out into a fight or bother you. Even if you were in a state to listen he knew you wouldn't do anything with the information and he did care for your well-being, that meant you stayed.

Every time you moved he held you harder. It was to reassure you while also keeping quiet. Peter did see how some of the others looked over every so often with various reasons and he carried on like nothing was different. But to them he knew it was probably weird he wasn't being loud and proud during a meeting. No, his pride was for a different reason and very silent.

The meeting was boring and it was over pretty quickly. Everyone shuffled out while Peter sat back with Miguel. "You're playing a dangerous game, Parker." 

"That's not what you call me." He said with a small smirk. Miguel was less than amused. Peter didn't really care about how his obvious favoritism was received. "You still with me, kid?" There was no answer. "'S good sign."

Then someone started walking up and shouted to get their attention. "Hey, O'Hara, I was wondering-"

"Lyla." They said in unison and the door shut in the spider's face.

Translation: Jesus Christ, why did I think you would ever listen? I'm out of my mind to think that.

#atsv #ask and you shall receive #peter b. parker #miguel o'hara #autistic reader #gender neutral reader #marvel

[meadowmusing]

my thoughts before the PJO finale

overall? A good fun show but with some definite stumbling. Faithful in a "remake" sense, but as much as a "port" would be. Still a genuinely good time with a likeable cast, gorgeous visuals, and an engaging (mostly) interesting plot.

Beware spoilers for ep1-7!

My biggest gripes

Pacing. the first episode was horribly paced. Somehow both rushed, not well condensed, and yet also failed to effectively deliver tension in important scenes it was needed in. Scenes like the minotaur felt dragged out and lacked the urgency it deserved, and the fight/victory fell kind of flat. Pacing got better in later episodes thankfully.

Sally Jackson. Yeah I know, not a hot take. She's a more realistic depiction of a mother in that kind of situation but I didn't find her likeable outside of her first scene talking about the name Perseus. She's not necessarily a "Bad Character" per se, but she is not the Sally Jackson from the books. Frankly, I didn't find book Sally all that important, but seeing this version has definitely wised me up to importance of her kindness and patience. Sure she might have seemed like a "doormat" at the beginning, but the more u learnt about her, the more her inner strength and self sacrificial love for Percy was apparent. TV Sally just doesn't have that, it doesn't feel like she has that much affection for Percy, she seems more distant and less loving. TV Sally has far too many scenes of her raising her voice at Percy and being frustrated with him, it makes it seem more like she was randomly stuck with this child and while she loves him, she knows deep down she would have been happier without him. Again, understandable but not book Sally. I feel they've sort of played up Percy's fierce love for his mum (or maybe it just feels more so because its more present in his spoken lines), but it doesn't feel as justified. If anything, id believe a more messy wrought relationship between the two. Its not a bad thing she's not the exact same as her book counterpart, but I do think it was a bad decision when they went so hard on Percy being ride or die for her, when most of her longer scenes are her being just frustrated with Percy being a child.

Gabe. ok more of a hot take I guess but I seriously disagree with his re-characterization. I don't mean to downplay anyone's experiences with toxic or abusive partners, but Gabe is far too bland and inoffensive. At worst, he's kind of annoying and maybe lazy. But he is nothing like the human sht stain that was book Gabe. Book Gabe deserved petrification and a lot worse, TV Gabe does not. The guy deserves a break up, not murder. Me and my friend actually laughed at him, because he didn't give "beats his wife and emotionally abuses her and her child", he gave "dead beat crypto boyfriend". Maybe it was the casting as well, the actor was funny and just seemed more goofy than actively horrid. "what makes u think he hasn't hit sally?" have u met TV Sally?? are u kidding me? she would have that man arrested.

Hades. I don't actually dislike making Hades friendly and more sassy. Sure its not book accurate, but you could argue its a little more mythologically accurate (maybe). My real problem is that he lacks PRESCENCE. Yes he can be nicer ect in this, but he is still the GOD OF THE UNDERWORLD. He should still be able to command a room! His words, even if they're not malicious or intimidating, should hold a certain kind of weight. I don't blame the actor here, I think he does well with what he's given but pretty much everyone else dropped the ball here. If they had supported him, we could have had a friendly Hades that was still a fitting lord of the underworld. Writers, directors, lighting, sound, ect let him down.

Persassy. Percy was great in the beginning but I felt like he started to lose that as the show went on, to give more of his lines/sassy moments to the other members of the trio. Which wasn't a terrible idea, I just think they did it too much, especially with the Ares scenes. Percy is meant to have an epic beef with Ares so much it transcends magic amnesia, but I could not believe that with the current lack of sass. Even the upcoming battle doesn't feel as weighty or deserved as it should. Again, don't hate the idea of sharing the sass around, just don't think it should come at the cost of Percy being toned down so much.

Getting into the underworld / mattress scene WHAT WAS THAT. I can accept that Percy knows more about Greek mythology because of his mom and i feel generally from just current cultural zeitgeist, but WHY THE HELL WOULD HE KNOW WHO CRUSTY IS?? and why was it so quick? there was no quick desperate clever thinking, it was like bro had read the scene from the book and then SPEED RAN IT. Also the Charon scene was far more interesting imo and I don't like that they cut it in favour for Crusty, without even doing that scene well. God that was so poorly executed.

Anyway thanks for reading my rant. Its long so it may seem like I didn't like the series but im being truthful when I say I did. I pretty much liked the rest of it, even some of the changes. I thinks a good show and adaption with some flaws, thats all. Im excited to finish up the season and im so pumped for season 2 and hopefully the rest of the series :D

#just musing #pjo #percy jackson #pjo tv series #percy jackson and the olympians #percy jackson series #pjo series #pjo tv show #pjo spoilers #pjo tv show spoilers #spoilers #percy jackson spoilers

[spacelazarwolf]

"This is misogyny but they don't want to call it that because a;ldk"

I think peeps forget that transmisogyny, as defined on paper by Serano, wasn't based in the gender identity of the targeted individual.

I mean, in practice, Serano was absolutely excluding trans men and nonbinary folks (and being racist and from what I can tell intersexist), but it wasn't until a couple years ago that I started being told I couldn't call my transphobia experiences transmisogyny and thus began seeking out other terms.

yeah and like. i don't even use any specific terms to talk abt my experiences. i don't tag my posts with any specific word, i just use "atm" bc it's a way to collect all my similar posts in one place. i literally just talk about the things i go through. and people still take issue with it. bc their problem isn't what we're calling it, it's that we're talking about it at all. because by being open about our experiences, we're upending the current status quo in queer spaces, which still relies heavily on gender essentialism.

i said it in another post, but so many people cling to gender essentialism because it means they can put themselves on the Good Side, whether that's by making sure they stay on the "correct" side of the man vs. nonman line, or by aligning themselves with people on the "correct" side of that line. but when you tell people "hey there's no line, and actually the idea that there is a line or that people on certain sides of that nonexistent line are somehow inherently bad is actually really harmful to everyone" that undermines their entire worldview. without the line, they can't reassure themselves that they're one of the good ones. they have to base their goodness not on their identity or allegiance, but on their actions. and i know it's difficult to admit when you realize you've contributed to a harmful system or ideology but like. the solution isn't to double down and blame everyone else. the solution is to go "oh i never thought of it that way" and just to better going forward. though lord knows the internet is not conducive to that kind of thing.

#ask avishai

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for some old people dying because I made copies of my keys?

I know this sounds pretty bad but bear with me here. I don't think I'm the asshole, I mean I wasn't even the one to kill them?

So I (27 M) am on a road trip vacation with my new boyfriend (28 M)--it's super recent, but I think this guy's the real deal, maybe even the person I want to spend my life with. We're just doing normal tourist things, sight-seeing, trying different foods and drinks, adopting lost children, you know how it is. Both the boyfriend and I have been through some stuff in the past so it's a relief to meet someone who isn't judgemental, and I'm just looking forward to the future with him.

The problem started because everybody else in the town we're staying at became obsessed with this like, secret bunker a crazy guy built over 20 years ago, as if it holds the secrets of the universe. Personally, I think it's all bs, and so does my boyfriend, so we just try to mind our business and stay out of it. But one night as we're going back to our hotel, a weird guy attacks us and tries to drug us--actually the guy is sort of my former employee, but that's another story and he was going behind my back anyway. So we kill the dude, obviously, and it turns out he's carrying a pair of keys to the secret bunker (note that the bunker has a very complicated security system, so those keys are NOT enough to open it by themselves).

At this point, I'm kind of nervous that my boyfriend will get drawn into this stupid conspiracy, but he says he doesn't care about the keys at all and gives them to me. Well, this is where I may have been the asshole, because I kind of ordered a bunch of copies of the keys made and distributed them across town without my boyfriend knowing. Then I got robbed and lost the original pair. So later as we're enjoying a romantic evening, we notice that people all across town are fighting. Turns out they caught wind that a pair of the bunker keys were going around, and they keep trying to steal them from each other (bc they're too stupid to realize there's like way more copies than there should be).

The bad part is, the mayor of the town enlisted this group of, well, really respected retirees, to help him with the key situation, and they ended up getting killed by all the people trying to steal the keys. Obviously I think this sucks because the old guys were actually neat, unlike the other idiots in this town, but my boyfriend thinks it's my fault they died because I made the copies?? I think this is unreasonable, because I didn't do anything to them. I didn't make the other people start fighting either, and it was the mayor who decided to involve a bunch of people peacefully living in retirement!

My boyfriend was laying on the blame pretty thick, so I kinda snapped at him and reminded him he's gotten people killed himself in the past. Admittedly it wasn't the best move to throw something he feels guilty about in his face, but I was only trying to point out the hypocrisy. Now he's stormed off in a huff and he's refusing to talk to me. I'm afraid he's going to break up with me. AITA?

#aita #am i the asshole #unreality

[r0b1ns]

STRANGER THINGS X MALE TRANS READER

OLDER TEENS

TRANS READER ON THE BEACH WITH THEM

Note: in honor of my first time on the beach after coming out to my parents

Characters: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Nancy Wheeler, Jonathan Byers, Argyle, Chrissy Cunningham

CW: mention of body shaming, pre op trans reader, insecurities, one or two curse words

WORD COUNT: 600+

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

STEVE HARRINGTON

-he doesn't understand why you're insecure or worried

-he thinks you look good

-and if people are looking at you

-he shooshs them away

-and says they're jealous you have such a hot boyfriend as him

-he likes to tan

-likes to be in the water but not too deep cause it ruins his hair

-he doesn't really understand the concept of being trans and tells you to just go shirtless (if you aren't already)

-you can't blame him

-he's just a little oblivious

EDDIE MUNSON

-i think he's a little insecure himself

-so he kinda understands you

-but not really, he knows it's not the same

-if someone looks at you funny he makes a weird pose or trips on purpose to take their attention off of you

-he forces you to piggy back him

-if you fall he waits for you to get up and hops back on you

-he likes to play beach games

-ping pong or beach tennis (is it the same thing)

-he's childish

-so he's always splashing water on you and jumps on you

-he's also a bad swimmer

-so you'll have to either teach him or pull him out of the water

-if you're a bad swimmer too, prepare to chaos

-you'll have to drag uncle Wayne with you

NANCY WHEELER

-she's kinda mean

-she says you shouldn't care what others think of you

-but she says it in a harsh way

-she apologies when she sees she hurt you

-she barley goes into the water

-she mostly likes to tan or read

-you two like to look at other people and pretend to read their lips

-if you throw sand at her she tells you to stop

-when you don't, she smirks and starts a send war

-its one of the only times you see her almost fully relaxed

JONATHAN BYERS

he's really anxious himself

-you'll have to convince him to take off his shirt

-he does it only if you do it too

-in your binder or not it doesn't matter

-if you don't want to, he'll stay in his shirt

-doesn't want to go to the water without you

-you splash water at each other

-when he's tired of the water he's photographing everything

-has a hundred picture of the sea shells

-and a thousand of you

ARGYLE

-argyle LOVES the beach

-he doesn't go there often

-he has a job after all

-but when he has free time it's one of his favorite places to hang out

-he has a secret spot where you can smoke weed

-(only if you smoke too)

-he likes to dig up sand

-and make small weird sculptures

-especially weird when he's high

-likes to jump into the water

-most of the times there's no problem for you regarding people

-as I said he has a private spot

-but if someone does bother you he starts shouting something

-it usually scares people off

-you like to lay on the sand (towel under argyle's head) and be silent once in your life

CHRISSY CUNNINGHAM

-chrissy really likes the beach

-but she's insecure

-her mother always told her she needs to lose weight and all this bullshit

-so she feels awful when you tell her you're insecure too

-so you both decide to not talk about it and just enjoy

-it really helps

-its the first time she had so much fun I years

-she likes to sit on your shoulders while you're in the water

-also she really likes the waves

-even when the water gets in her eyes

-she doesn't really like to tan

-so you're mostly in the water

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

!gifs are not mine!

#stranger things #x male reader #headcanons #x reader #male!reader #stranger things x reader #x masc reader #stranger things headcanons #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington #eddie munson x male reader #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #nancy wheeler x male reader #nancy wheeler x reader #nancy wheeler #jonathan byers x male reader #jonathan byers x reader #jonathan byers #argyle x male reader #argyle x reader #argyle #chrissy cunningham #chrissy cunningham x reader #steve harrington x male reader

[blue-b-bro]

I don't think Ed would abuse Stede

I don't know why it's so controversial to talk about Ed's tendencies towards abuse. Like, it's nothing new, that people often copy their parents behavior. It's sad, yes, but also good choice to write him like that, because it's more realistic. We also know he was surrounded by violence his whole life and so has rather skewed perception of what is "going too far". Add emotional detachment or compartmentalization as coping mechanizm and we have a really interesting, well crafted character to work with.

I'm not saying he's going to mutilate his every partner or that Izzy was so bad, that's why he had it so bad. I'd say Izzy's case was really extreme. It was a mix of Ed's mental breakdown, suicidal tendencies and Izzy's lack of resistance (I'm not blaming Izzy, they're both just messed up). Ed literally wanted Izzy to kill him, so it's no surprise he started to act like the worst monster he could imagine - his father. Not even sure he was conscious of his reasoning.

Ed has showed many times that he react to being hurt or stressed by violence or throwing stuff. Judging from Izzy's reaction to being punched in e9 it's nothing new. They're pirates, they fight from time to time, that's how it usually works. So Ed being violent isn't making him the worst human being suddenly.

I'd say Ed got his explosive emotional reactions from home and violence from his life experience, toxic masculinity etc. It's no surprise his auto destructive spiral became everyone else's problem.

So, if Ed won't spiral so bad as in s2, I wouldn't be worried about Stede's toes. Additionally Stede's outsider status encourages Ed to try to act differently. There's also that pressure in the back of his head, that he has to be soft to be with Stede, and realistically it wouldn't just disappear overnight. So there's that to unpack.

On Stede's part - he had, surprisingly, similar experiences: he was the target of violence and felt he need to kill to be respected, to participate in the violence he so desperately wants to run away from. The difference is that Stede internalizes his emotions. Stede would rather run away, hide or freeze, than fight in stressful situations. He only fights to protect.

Stede is rather fine with dealing with Ed's emotions: he knows that under the aggression is actually hurt or shame. It's Ed who has to learn about Stede now, because, as we saw, Stede still didn't say much about himself, other that he regrets a lot of things. We know, that in situation of danger Stede would protect Ed even for the cost of his mental state, but what would happen if Stede was stressed/scared/upset without Ed in danger? Would Ed notice? Would Stede let him? Ok, silly me, we know from s2e6 he wouldn't. Stede wants to give Ed everything, would gladly destroy himself for him, but won't let him inside. Scared, still scared Ed wouldn't want the real him.

So they have to unpack those insecurities and I have no idea if it would end in calm conversation or another disaster, really. But Ed probably wouldn't hurt Stede, he doesn't want to show his "evil" side to him (he may destroy some furniture from frustration tho). He would probably run away again. We saw in e7, when the conversation started to turn into a fight Ed quickly backed off. He would rather go away than to show that part of him to Stede. Just as Stede won't let Ed see him panicked and having a meltdown.

#Why Izzy got it worse? Because they're so close #Yeah #He never had to pretend to be a perfect gentle soul in front of Izzy so there were no inhibitions #And Izzy later felt he deserved it so it just went on #They were spiraling together really #Without Izzy on board Jim would kill him after a week probably #Ofmd s2 #Ofmd meta #Edward teach #Stede bonnet #Our flag means death #Izzy hands #Ofmd

[dollittie]

I am new to jirai kei, but I just wanted to know some tips and other things I should be educated on in the subculture 🩷 I just don't want to come off as ignorant because Im new 🫶 so do you have any tips or things I should know? ⁠♡

hii!! sorry for taking too long to answer, i wanted to do this post as informative as possible!!

massive tw: harmful behavior, s*x work, mentions of self-h*rm.

i will talk about the differences, the stereotypes and the reason behind them, having the "jirai kei" as a main subject. if you want to know more about the girlykei style you can ask me anything!! like brand recommendations, tips on buying from japan, makeup, girlykei must haves, etc.

please keep in mind that:

• jirai kei (lifestyle) and dark girly kei (style that jirai girls use) are two separated things and you can be jirai without using the style and you can use girlykei without identifying as jirai.

• the western vision of jirai is totally wrong. jirai kei in Japan isn't a style at all; jirai kei is a lifestyle that is seen as "unhealthy".

jirai kei came from “地雷系”. translates to “landmine-type”, not the literal meaning as “landmine”, is a japanese slang for "trigger" "red flag" “地雷を踏んだ”, meaning “i stepped on a landmine”. in reference to a person, a “landmine” is someone that’s so easily triggered over minor things that they keep exploding on others with abusive behavior, so you need to be as careful as if you were walking around a minefield.

this meaning has been around for about a decade, primarily used in dating advice articles about how to recognise “red flags” in a partner.

"but it isn't a style?"

in those dating stereotypes, even the most arbitrary traits were considered red flags and wearing dark alternative fashion is already enough to have someone considered a potential landmine, the style in question is called dark girly kei. (style used by many jirai kei girls)

around 2020, jirai kei didn’t have any associations with any particular fashions or interests, but when a popular japanese makeup vlogger started a “psycho girlfriend” dress-up challenge and called the final look a landmine-type cosplay. she contributed to the stereotype that the landmine-types were often fans of dark girly fashion, every influencer was getting in on the trend, and cosplaying as a landmine-type psycho girlfriend, generally also tagging with “yandere”, then a lot of influencers did the challenge and lots of girlykei brands started to use the "jirai kei" terminology to sell more.

"why would someone call themselves jirai knowing that it means "psycho woman" in other words?? wouldn't it be romanticizing?"

there's a lot of people who call themselves jirai kei knowing about the difference of jirai & girlykei because of their mental conditions, i myself use jirai kei to not feel bad about my mental state and to connect to other people who struggle the same as me, in my opinion even if they stopped calling themselves jirai they wouldn't stop their unhealthy behavior, they're not mentally ill because of jirai, they're jirai because of their mental illness. the spaces for real mentally fucked people in the internet are few, these people that are called "psycho bitches" exist and they shouldn't feel bad about being like this, they are the people who most struggle with all of it and it's their business if they want to call themselves it. telling people to not use the jirai kei term will not stop them to engage on harmful behavior, at the end those people are still mentally ill and have more problems than the terminology they use. might be thinking the "jirai antis" are some sort of saviors or something like that, if you really want to help those people don't blame it in the community and style they've found themselves.

all jirais don't have the same behavior even if all of them have a fucked mental state, some of them might be posting self-harm for validation, some are obsessed with their s/o, some doing sex work for attention, some of us has violent thoughts and bpd, some of us are just neurodivergent, or have depression, etc, is a form of venting/expression, and venting ≠ encouraging someone.

some info:

• the term hadn't changed its meaning, japan doesn't reclaim words.

• the association of girly kei with harmful behavior is maybe related to "toyoko kaiwai" (トー横キッズ) who's around Kabukicho, many of the members have been wearing various dark j-fashion styles before the "psycho girlfriend dress-up challenge" became a trend. they're credited as the reason for why those styles are associated with the landmine stereotype to begin with. they're been connected to under*ge pr*stitution, dr*g ab*se, public self-h*rm, murd*r and theft.

they are around age 9-24, (firstly known as toyoko kids, but like, there's a lot of adults in this) they're often privileged children who were convinced to get away from home by bad influences. and many members have died or been hospitalized as a result. for more info search the Japanese spelling on any japanese news site, or their signature hashtag on social media (#/toho横界隈).

the association of jirai with this gang is their former leader “Howl”, who died by suicide while waiting in custody for a trial, convinced minors to run away from home in order to “work” for him and dress in a way he finds attractive (dark girlykei).

all these minors he "convinced" are victims, you can use the style without agreeing with this behavior and be jirai without agreeing with this, they're all manipulated children and it isn't their fault.

sorry for it being too long, and if you want sources lmk!! thanks for asking <3

#jirai kei #landmine girl #地雷系 #jirai onna #dark girly kei #地雷系コーデ #地雷系女子 #jirai kei blog #jirai kei masterlist