#its also a bit of the beginning of what later seems to become a more regular thing in s6 finale

[skelliko]

Baji Keisuke |°- he broke up with you, but it was a mistake -- small, tiny bits of angst.

he didn't know what he was doing at all, he thought he understood but turns out he didn't. he thought he could go on with his day without having that giddy, warm feeling whenever you're mentioned or when Baji gets a vibration from his phone and without even looking to see who it's from he just knows it's you which causes a smile to creep up.

now, whenever he gets a text notification he jumps right into it thinking its you wanting him back but no, it's not you. it's some spam message or a text from one of his buds sending him homework answers that he forgot about. day instantly ruined.

he knows he's the one that ended it but why didn't you chase after him? it's a shit way to think and it doesn't make any sense at all because then what's the point in breaking up if he secretly wanted you to convince him to stay?

he regrets his decision, but also doesn't have the courage to face you again with this humiliation that only Baji, himself, has gained and caused. he didn't see the tears fall over your cheeks but he saw how you brought your hand up to your face when your back was turned. he knows you mourn in silence but looking back in that moment, he wished you to of slapped him for making that stupid statement and told him to take you back.

is that selfish of him? yes. because the only reason he broke up with you is because he was confused on what the feeling of love is supposed to feel like. in the beginning it seemed like a regular teenage romance, but as months went by he started to feel stronger emotions for you and that scared the hell out of him.

Keisuke being scared of love. he's not afraid of 50 men charging at him for a fight and it's him alone, he's not afraid of 100 either. he's not afraid of a knife battle, he's not afraid to speak up what's on his mind nor lead a large group within a gang, he's also not afraid to die for his friends. but he's afraid of love.

what is he supposed to say to get you back? 'hey I change my mind, can we get back together and cuddle? I miss your warmth' fuck no, you deserve an explanation and he's been pondering over it so much to the point where hes started to question if his heart can even beat anymore due to the distance between you both.

but is saving himself from humiliation better than losing you? no of course not. if it means to tell you how scared he was of a sappy emotion and you laugh at him then so be it if it means that he gets to see your smile, and if you don't laugh then he sure hopes you understand and don't stay consistent on being apart. cause this loneliness is becoming unbearable.

he ended up mentioning the situation to draken, why him out of everyone? cause draken has more experience with the feeling of love than anyone else. aside from takemichi but there's no way that hed be of help for Baji. and chifuyu gets all his relationship advice from his shows and books which all showcase high standards. and pah-chin is still in the middle of discovering his own feels for a certain someone.

"what the fuck Baji" are the first words that came out of Draken's mouth. it wasn't disappointed nor anger but rather a small push to get Baji actually thinking things over and becomes aware of not only his own emotions but yours as well. If Baji truly loved you then he wouldn't have waited this long, if he did then he wouldn't have even considered splitting up in the first place even if he was afraid. he could have talked his feelings out with you first but noooo he chose to go the hard way.

what the fuck indeed. he ended up being too focused on the humiliation on his side rather than the hurt on your side. now he feels like a complete douche.

sooner or later Keisuke finally managed to collect his mental strength In contacting you, he may have physical strength but his mentality is constantly going from one place to another, though with a bit of encouragement from draken he finally got over the fear. he was relieved that you hadn't blocked his number otherwise he would have to go up to you in person first and if so then he would have pondered longer.

it was a simple message but half the time simple and straightforward is enough to get the message across "hey, can we meet up? i want to explain a few things" "please" he double texted making sure that you get his notification, also wishing behind the screen that you reply soon.

he was starting to worry that you didn't want to talk things out and you were purposely ignoring him. he paced around his room, tried to listen to music to relax but then songs that you both would listen to came up and that just made him feel a lot worse, so he scraped that and started to tidy up his room. the nervous anticipation for your message kept increasing and decreasing with every little activity that he'd do to distract himself from you, it'd either make him calm for a few moments or make him remember.

but once you finally replied he couldn't have been more relaxed once you agreed, it was like a bubble popping. sure it took a few hours but baji convinced himself that you were just busy or maybe you were thinking though certain scenarios, which is what he'd do if roles were reversed. thought him thinking about it now makes him realise that he'd probably be pissed off if he was you, and the both of you were together for a reason meaning he was gonna have to face you while you're irritated.

he brought this all on himself, but he can handle you in that state, or in any state to be precise. he just wants to finally see you again and hopefully make things right.

a large mix of anxiety and excitement filled him up knowing that you both were gonna see each other face to face and talk without any more lies, he said he lost interest in you but that was far from the truth considering that he's actually gained more, and baji is almost dying to apologise to you and hopefully make things right. who knew he'd go this mad over someone.

even his mom realised the difference in Baji when you came into his life, and to now when you're out of it. she knows what happened and what Baji did since he ended up telling her after he told draken but that was mainly cause he asked about you, though that mainly just caused more confirmation of how much of a big mistake he did and sure enough after his mother's words it clicked that he needs you back more than anything. even his mom misses having you around and that's when you know it's serious.

when the time and day came he chose to walk to the meet up spot so that he can collect himself carefully and prepare his words. however on his way there he realised that he can't come empty handed with no tools to fix your heart. it'd almost make it seem like his job would be done half-assed if he went to fix something but only brought one tool. and his only tool in this scenario would be words that could be either taken lightly or with weight.

he wanted to bring you something, anything to physically show how sincere he is but he couldn't turn back to go to a flower shop and be late, that could just cause you to overthink that he doesn't actually care, plus baji wanted to be a little early to prove to you that he really does mean in wanting to explain everything.

so instead he quickly crossed the road to the opposite pathway and reached over someone's fenced, front garden that had some rose bushes and carefully snapped off the prettiest one he could find, one that he could be sure that you'd be obsessed over by how perfect the petals are. for the rest of the walk his finger tips had small, bleeding punctures from snapping off the thorns to make it safe for you to hold... that's if you accept it.

one is an odd number of roses but it's cutely appreciated either way holding one flower in your hand, two is an odd-even number of roses to have and holding just two flowers next to each other in one hand feels off, three and four are an okay amount to have but baji already spent a few dedicated minutes in trying to eye out the perfect rose. the people that own that bush should really try and take care of the roses more.

and there you are, walking right towards him, he could tell that you seem a little stiff and he doesn't blame you considering how you both last seen each other. though despite the whole reason for being here it feels almost nostalgic, because this spot is the place where you both first met where you apologised for mistaking him as someone else and here he is apologising to you in the same place for mistaking his feelings.

 ♡----

#think you'd accept his apology? #I'm actually really happy about this one #tokyo revengers baji #tokyo revengers #tokyo revengers x reader #tokyo rev x reader #baji keisuke #baji #baji x reader #baji keisuke angst #keisuke #keisuke baji #baji keisuke x reader #tokyo revengers angst

[drconstellation]

The Cupperty Ceremony

Every bit of food and drink in both seasons has a metaphorical significance, even if you don't realize it.

Tea is no exception. Its one of the few times an eastern philosophy creeps into Good Omens, but it still meets with a western ideal. It's also intrinsically linked to Aziraphale and his affected British style.

Coffee gets more of a focus in S2, and has a specific meaning around freedom and liberty, whereas tea appears more in S1. But the metaphorical meanings around them are fairly consistent across both seasons, with stereotypes for the British drinking tea and the Americans only drinking coffee put aside.

Lets start with Muriel on the doorstep of the bookshop, at the beginning of S2E3, asking to come in, because its noisy outside.

Aziraphale, after a moment to take in who they are, is the epitome of politeness as he welcomes them inside.

You might think "well, isn't this just Aziraphale being typically Aziraphale?" in this moment, but soon we shall see its a relevant part of a ritual going on here.

The bookshop is noticeably quieter on the inside. There is just the two of them. Aziraphale offers Muriel tea in a fine china cup, with a blue pattern, and gold trim.

Muriel is not sure what to do with it so they just hold it. Aziraphale makes a point of demonstrating what should be done: He tells Muriel the tea is "to drink," then looks at it, sips, and makes both an appreciative expression and sound.

Muriel seems repelled by this, and declares they are just going to look at theirs. Aziraphale patiently, still polite, lets them do so.

Up to this point, there are actually two levels of meta happening at the same time. The first one is a tea ceremony (which I had a go at once before, and got the wrong one!) and the other is about trying to get Muriel to take the first step in "going native."

A tea ceremony always starts with a courteous invitation. The tea is prepared, then served and offered to others. It should be taken in a tranquil, peaceful setting, perhaps in a harmonious natural environment (such as a Garden) and with only a few people at a time (two people is considered a "superior" experience.) The tea ware is important, as it should allow the fragrance of the tea to be appreciated (we have some fine china, Heavenly-coded.) Appreciation of the tea's qualities is undertaken, first with the eyes, then by smell, then tasting. It is considered an art, a process of spiritual enjoyment, a means of cultivating the moral character - and then Crowley bursts into the bookshop with his flirty comment about going by train and breaks the fragile connection Aziraphale had been trying to establish with Muriel.

*sigh* Timing, Crowley! Can't you see I'm in the middle of trying to subvert a fellow angel here?

I was recently reminded that tea and coffee have a connection in GO, in that that they are both linked to the American War of Independence. While the speech that gives us "Give me liberty, or give me death!" conjures the stormy winds of war sounding trouble approaching, the Boston Tea Party was the initial spark of the brewing conflict.

I realize there is a LOT of stuff written about this particular bit of history, and it can get quite political even in these modern times, so let me frame it in a Good Omens frame of reference if you aren't familiar with it - the colonists in the New World were upset at how they were being ruled from afar by the British and staged a small protest about some new laws imposed on them by dumping ship-loads of valuable tea leaves (a daily consumable pleasure people had become hooked on) into Boston Harbor on the night of 16th December 1773. To disguise themselves they dressed themselves as indigenous people, or "native Americans" as one might have said. This was just the beginning of further rebellion that led to war a few years later.

So here is another reason Aziraphale offers tea to Muriel, and not cocoa; he can see how fascinated they are with with everything Earthly around them, and he hopes to ignite a spark of rebellion in them, too, by introducing them to the more civilized pleasures (*ahem*) that he knows and enjoys so well.

While there is little tea to be seen in S2, there is plenty to be seen in S1. Perhaps the most prominent one for this discussion occurs right near the beginning, when Gabriel surprises Aziraphale in the sushi restaurant in S1E1.

Aziraphale offers to tea to Gabriel, and Gabriel shuns it. He, like most of the angels we meet, have no real interest in Earth. It's "gross." Ah, well. He gets to change his mind in S2.

So where else do we see tea in S1?

The Four Horsepeople: War orders four teas, one black, and a cheese sandwich in the diner where they all meet up together for the first time on Earth. We don't know who the sandwich is for, but I'm going to guess its for Famine. Reasons below, with Shadwell. (Cheese and tea make a nice savoury pair for a snack, if you haven't tried it. I'm partial to tea with cheese and crackers on the side from time to time.)

The Tibetan Tunnelers were on tea break from digging tunnels all over the Earth when we meet them, where they mention they were transported into the tunnels when they themselves stopped for tea back in their real lives on the surface.

Shadwell's infamously sweet tea, with either nine sugars or condensed milk, needs a mention as well, as it appears several times. Shadwell is an Aziraphale parallel-character, living on the fringes of society and starving for attention, even though he makes feeble swipes at Madam Tracey's attempts to care for him. The sugar represents the amount of care or "sweetening up" he needs.

When he first meets Newt he gets the young man to buy him a tea and a packet of cheese and onion crisps. Remember the cheese sandwich War ordered for Famine? A packet of cheese flavoured crisps is a parallel here. Newt has turned up and finally given someone Shadwell someone to sink his teeth into.

Finally, we need to return to Crowley - its coffee, as black as his soul for him, please, and extra strong (six shots is for the number of Hell.)

Because he's already "gone native," just like Aziraphale, and he wants to maintain his freedom. He's left the Garden, and Heaven, behind him, and he'll do anything to keep it that way, thank you.

I'd like to thank my mutual and other food meta writer @vidavalor for discussing some of this off-list some time ago. We mostly see things the same way, I believe, but one must tread one's own path sometimes. They have some different ideas around some of this, but I'll let them say it in their own words.

#good omens #good omens 2 #good omens meta #aziraphale #muriel #gabriel #four horsepeople of the apocalypse #shadwell #the tibetan tunnelers #and a cheese sandwich #six shots of espresso #gone native #gross matter #it's what humans do #tea ceremony #cup of tea #cupperty

[writingoddess1125]

I'm not sure if you take CoD requests but I was wondering if maybe you could do headcanons for Alejandro(if you write for him) with a reader who's Cajun, has a Cajun accent, and calls him Sha(its Cajun slang for sweetheart/dear/darling)

If you don't write for Alejandro, maybe Price or Soap

Oh this is so cute!!

Support me on Ko-Fi

Alejandro with Cajun Reader

PSA - I did a lot of research so I tried 😅

• You get stationed out to the main base in Los Vaqueros, tasked to help the people there and work alongside Colonel Alejandro Vargas.

• Arriving on a helicopter you smile as you meet Alejandro smiling at you. "Welcome to Las Almas my friend- Heard great things about you"

• "Boujour! Comment ça s’plume? Alejandro no?" You say cheerfully clearly throwing off the man at the French being thrown his way- But a French he was incredibly unfamiliar with

• "Sargent (Y/L/N)? Correct?" You nod calmly, The Colonel smiking a bit- "We must leave soon then"

• "Don't be like that Cher" You say with a laugh and watch the man's face twist in mild confusion still.

• "Sha?" He repeated, you realizing quickly your mistake with a hearty laugh. "It's a term of endearment- Like Darlin'- Now, You said we had to leave No? Allons!"

• Alejandro nods and leads you off to your station, Still a bit confused over what the fuck you were saying-

• After a few weeks on base he starts to understand, realizing you are speaking a form of French mixed with English. The two of you talking quite often now as he shows you around Las Almas and the situation there.

• "They told me you are American-" Alejandro questioned as you two drove through the town.

• "I am-" You clarified with a smile. "From Louisiana" Alejandro nodded his head like he suddently got it.

• "Isn't uh it Creole? Es.. That's the American word right?" Alejandro questions, making you shake your head. "Two differen' peoples Sha-" You say as you try to explain the difference.

• This poor man is so confused- Feels like he's in school again and was just given a very hard exam that he didn't study for.

• "Creole is more City and Cajun is country" You simplified, which seemed to ease the confusion for the time being.

• The two of you become fast friends- You of course a chatter box and always wanting to learn and Alejandro always wanting to teach and see new things.

• Alejandro begins to teach you more Spanish while you teach him French-

• He likes to tease about how you talk with your hands and your passion behind your speaking. Finds it funny

• You two do have arguments at times, like an old couple do at stupid things. However rank is never pulled or acknowledged since it's always fun/personal banter

• However what truly soothed over any issues was the food- The two of you becoming quick food buddies as you'd share your guys food with each other.

• Alejandro walked straight to you on base early morning after a briefing, staring hard at you as he held a wrapped item in hand-

"...This is a La Guacamaya torta- It is one of my favorites... I added extra chicharrón" He flexes as he shows off the item. You nodding in agreement that it looked pretty damn good.

• "Not bad Not bad-" You smile, Before reaching for your own item with a grin. Pulling out a well worn Tupperware bowl-

• "Now, Had to improvise is bit- since Not many of my ingredients in this neck of the woods so I did so?' Pastalaya and found ya a le Boudin to have later"

• You say proudly showing off your lunch. Alejandro nodding also impressed- Before the two of you switch lunches and sit together to eat happily.

• It didn't take a genius for others to figure out you were buddy buddy with the Colonel- While some didn't like it, most warmed up to you and stared in your joy and willingness to expand-

• While you let anyone else know clearly they could go fuck themselves-

• However Alejandro was always your ride or die.

• The two of you shit talk for hours while eating... Half the time Not even understanding each other as you share new insults and curse words.

• He was your best friend, and you his-

#x reader #creole #cajan #cod alejandro #call of duty thoughts #call of duty mw3 #call of duty #call of duty alejandro vargas #alejandro vargas #alejandro vargas x reader #cod x gn!reader #cod x female reader #cod x male reader #cod x reader

[misseviehyde]

BITS AND PIECES

Molly was beginning to regret entering the cursed dolls house with her friend Emma. True they'd been running away from their bitchy bully Madison and her clique and the strange abandoned house on the edge of town had seemed a safe refuge - but some feeling had told her at the time that they were putting themselves in terrible danger.

As they'd entered the old house, its evil magic had taken effect. The girls had groaned as their bodies changed. Plastic skin gleamed as joints became articulated and in a matter of minutes they'd been transformed into living animate dolls. Emma and Molly now looked like toys... but toys that could walk and talk.

They tried to leave, but the mansion also appeared to be bigger on the inside than the outside and now they were trapped clopping around in the impossible maze-like dimensions of the house.

"Oh my goodness," gasped Emma in horror at her new plastic body. "This... this can't be possible!" She reached over to touch her own arm and screamed as she accidentally detached it from the articulated joint with a pop. Then she calmed, realising it didn't hurt and there was no blood.

Molly looked at her friend in shock. "Looks like we have detachable parts now. Just like a real doll," mused Emma - and before Molly could stop her, she had yanked Molly's arm till it came out with a pop.

Molly watched in sick fascination as Emma popped Molly's arm into her socket and pushed her orignal arm into Molly.

Emma giggled, she now had Molly's sleeve of tattoos and she wiggled her new arm with fascination.

"Looks like we can swap body parts now. I wonder if we get out of the house, would this become permanent?"

"Hey! Give me my arm back!"

"Mmmmh. Later. This feels kinda good..."

Ignoring Molly'd protests, the two of them began looking around and finding a staircase they climbed up it hoping to possibly find a window or something on the upper floor.

They found nothing, so wandering around for a few minutes they returned to the staircase - only to find Madison flanked by her bitchy lieutenants waiting.

She and her cohorts were also now plastic dolls. Madison looked like a demented Barbie.

"I don't know how you nerds turned us into these dolls, but you'll pay for this," screamed the plastic bully as she waved her jointed arms around in rage.

But before she could do anything all three girls began to scream as Emma suddenly rushed at them and pushed them down the stairs.

They tumbled and fell backwards, their plastic bodies breaking and falling into pieces as they fell down the stairs. Their heads rolled away from their torsos and other bits broke off as they landed in a heap of bits and pieces.

Molly looked at her friend in horror. "You... you killed them."

"No, they aren't dead. The magic seems to make us invulnerable. We can put them back together again later. But before we do..."

A wicked grin came over Emma's plastic face. Walking down the stairs she picked up one of Madison's legs. It was long and sexy, smoother and shapelier than her own. Popping her own leg off she attached Madison's instead and then grabbing the other one did the same.

"Mmmmmh ohhh fuck that feels good."

Giggling Emma stood up. She was now taller and her legs looked amazing. "Oh fuckkkk. I feel so much more powerful and dominant. Soooo confident. Mmmmh these body parts come with feels and I LIKE it. Taking your arm felt good, but this is even better."

Admiring her legs, Emma began looking around with a hungry look on her face. There was a wild gleam in her eyes.

"Wh... what are you doing?" gasped Molly in sick fascination.

"Just making a few other improvements," smirked Emma. "After all if we have changeable parts now... why not?"

She grinned as she found what she was looking for. Lucy, Madison's minion, had the biggest tits at school. They were huge and round - massive fucking milkers that jiggled and wobbled enticingly. Now those tits lay ready to be used.

Lifting them up, Emma detached her own small breasts and with a click, pushed Lucy's onto her chest. "Ohhhh fuck yes, that feels good," she groaned in pleasure as they attached. "I feel like such a... such a fucking bitch. I need MORE."

Turning round she laughed. She now towered over Molly and her massive tits dominated the room.

Emma mashed her plastic tits with glee. "These are gonna feel so fucking good when I become a real girl again, but they are already making me feel so powerful. Mmmmmh I think I'd like to be a bully. Being pathetic boring Emma is so dull."

"Emma, this is crazy. You can't do this. It's wrong."

"You're right," giggled Emma. "It is wrong but it feels so fucking good. Besides I won't be Emma for long. I'm sick of being so weak and pathetic. My body is in control now and it needs a new head. This body deserves to be bitchy. I can take it all. I can become the bully."

Picking up Madison's lifeless looking blonde head from the floor, Emma laughed madly as she reached up and to Molly's shock casually ripped off her own head.

Her body simply tossed her old head aside like it didn't need it, then with a groan of pleasure pushed Madison's slutty blonde head into the neck socket till it clicked.

Evil eyes fluttered open and the new super bitch stretched happily. "Mmmmh yummy, feels so good to have a new personality in the driving seat. I AM Madison now."

"E.... Emma?"

"In a manner of speaking loser. There's bits of her inside my perfect new body - but I'm like totes the best parts of all you sluts now. Haha, now let's rebuild my minions and then I can leave and start my new hot life as a super bitch. Lucy will just have to cope with smaller tits. Think I'll help myself to a better ass and a tighter pussy too whilst we are at it. Hey... you're a virgin right loser? Bet your pussy is super tight..."

Molly whimpered as her new bully approached with a mad gleam in her cruel eyes and she screamed as the new Madison began to tear her apart...

****

Madison groaned as she exited the house and plastic became flesh again. She loved the sensation as all of her new body parts finally merged and turned her into the slutty bimbo bitch she deserved to be. She was now a mix of all the best parts of the girls and rubbing her massive tits she could feel her new superior pussy start to tingle.

Her two minions exited behind her, now looking smaller and weaker without the assets she had taken.

"What about that loser Molly, you aren't gonna leave her like that are you Madison?" asked Lucy sulking at her now small tits.

"What loser?" laughed Madison as she strode away. "I don't remember any loser. What a shame, imagine being trapped in that house forever."

And deep inside the cursed mansion, a plastic mouth screamed from amongst a discarded pile of bits and pieces...

THE END

#dollification #evie hyde #f2f transformation #attribute theft #weird story #plastic #doll #bitchification

[orionsangel86]

Lucienne/Lucien - How the Librarian Became the Chief.

In The Sandman Netflix adaptation Lucienne is a stand out character and second only to Morpheus in importance, screen time, and centrality to the story. Lucienne is Morpheus's loyal Librarian, second in command, ruler of the Dreaming in his absence, and often times a voice of reason and advice for our dutiful King of Dreams. She is so well respected in her position that the other castle residents consider her their boss and would rather go to her for guidance and command than Morpheus himself. She takes care of Dream's ravens and even appears to have the power to create new ravens from newly deceased mortals like she did with Matthew. She is clearly extremely close to Morpheus, and is one of very few people he seems to actually listen to and trust. Lucienne's role in this story can not be underestimated.

So it may come as a surprise to any fans of the show who haven't read the comics to learn that Lucien (as he is called in the comics) is afforded very few of the above traits. In fact Lucien is no where near as close to Morpheus even by the very end of the story, as Lucienne is at the beginning. It is this difference that has fascinated me since I first started diving into the comics after falling in love with the show, and its something I view as extremely important when considering how the story is being adapted into a kinder, more sympathetic universe surrounding our central protagonist.

Lucienne's role is expanded greatly from her comic counterpart, and her relationship with Morpheus is shown to be much deeper. This is evident practically right away at the end of episode one when Lucienne comes to greet Morpheus upon his return to the Dreaming following his escape.

The way she runs over to him as soon as she realises he is back, and lovingly takes his hand and is so pleased to see him is a far cry from the comic where the first thing Lucien does is bow.

So right at the start we see a very different form of relationship here. Where Lucienne is already displaying a level of care and devotion beyond the expectations of a servant, Lucien however, is exactly that.

The servant thing has caused a bit of contention among fandom in the past. I think the confusion could come from whether or not you see Lucien or Lucienne first. Lucien IS a servant of Dream. Lucienne is more like a vice president and royal advisor. Those are two very different things after all and that difference only becomes more obvious the further you go into the story.

Lucienne accompanies Morpheus throughout his return to his crumbling kingdom, helps him as he attempt to repair the damage, follows him to Cain and Abel, and watches over his meeting with the Fates. She is by his side from the moment he returns until the moment he leaves again for the waking world to begin his quest to recover his tools, and she is responsible for Matthew's reincarnation as the new Raven and instructs Matthew to stay with him because of her concern for Morpheus's wellbeing on his quest.

I cannot stress enough how much none of this is in the comics. Lucienne shows a level of care towards Morpheus that just isn't present in Lucien in the comics. After the first meeting with Lucien at the gates of the Dreaming, Lucien doesn't appear again until he is instructed by Morpheus to conduct the census of the Dreaming. He only appears again in the Doll's House very briefly and has no involvement in Morpheus's decisions during that arc, which takes place very rarely in the Dreaming.

That's not to say that Lucien isn't a very trusted servant of Morpheus. He is the closest to Morpheus of all the residents of the Dreaming except only Matthew. But I think a lot of what we see in the show of Morpheus and Lucienne's dynamic is inspired by much later in the comics. I also think that it speaks loudly to the change in Morpheus as a character. Show!Morpheus has people almost right away who care about him and want to help him, whereas comic!Morpheus is extremely isolated. It is clear in the early comic stories that comic!Morpheus keeps himself at arms length from basically everyone. He does not have a bond with Lucien, he did not have Jessamy, and at that early stage, he didn't even have Matthew. All of this of course was primarily to make show!Morpheus a more sympathetic and likeable character - you gotta give your protagonist people who care about them, it helps raise the stakes after all.

Taking Charge - Lucienne is the real boss

One of my favourite parts of the Dolls House episodes in the Netflix show is the conflict between Morpheus and Lucienne due to the other residence and Dreaming servants going to her for advice and instruction first rather than Morpheus. Bearing in mind this only takes place less than a year after Morpheus's return from imprisonment, it speaks volumes as to how Lucienne has taken the role of leader of the Dreaming in her stride.

But it also indicates how Morpheus' change in the show is coming at lightening fast speed compared to the comic. In the comic, Mervyn doesn't make these observations until the Brief Lives arc, and this is indicated at that point to be a very new thing - triggered by several years post fish bowl of having to face his past decisions and mistakes (and a string of scorned ex lovers one after the other ending in a horribly matched rebound relationship with a murderous witch that subsequently rejected him and triggered him literally seeking out destruction). Lucien was only put in charge of the Dreaming when Morpheus left to go on his trip with Delirium. It is during that trip that Morpheus realises how competent Lucien is and capable of running things without problem in his absence.

Mervyn's insights are made clear here:

This is the only time in the comic that anyone dares mention that someone other than Morpheus might be the boss - and it is in no way as directly spelled out as it is in the show. "You're practically running the place" and "you secretly run this place" are quite different statements. The first only makes an observation about Morpheus's current lack of interest (in Brief Lives) in actually running his realm. It implies that Lucien is doing Morpheus' job for him, but does not go as far as to outright call Lucien the boss. Whereas in the show, that's exactly what Mervyn does.

In the comic, Morpheus overhears Mervyn's speech and immediately points out his reasoning for leaving Lucien in charge, for promoting him and giving him more authority.

Because no one ever technically undermines Morpheus in the comic, there is no conflict here. Morpheus trusts Lucien as his loyal servant and gives him the power to rule in his stead (but only when he is absent) and there is no "secretly report to Lucien first" attitude among Matthew and Mervyn. We can perhaps interpret that this might be happening behind the scenes by this point in Brief Lives, or even just before the BL arc when Morpheus was distracted by his rebound murderess, but it is never actually directly stated that this is going on.

The tension between Morpheus and Lucienne in the show is born out of the conflict over Lucienne's position and Morpheus feeling undermined by his subjects, and its storytelling gold. But the only reason such a story works in the show is because Lucienne is so important to Morpheus in the show, because their relationship goes so much deeper than the relationship in the comic. Lucienne is not a servant, she's his god damn vice president and she knows it, and he knows it too. Throughout episodes 7 and 8 specifically he reaches out to her for her opinion and advice on the Vortex situation. He talks things through with her and seeks out her guidance. It is clear that he relies on her and it is only at the end of episode 8 when Lucienne disagrees with his punishment of Gault, that in his anger, he dismisses her.

Lucien/ne the Royal Advisor

Where Morpheus in the show seeks out Lucienne's advice and opinion frequently especially during the Doll's House arc, I have to stress that this never happens in the comic. Comic!Morpheus just does not have that kind of relationship with Lucien and does not seek his counsel at all, even though Lucien does try to give it on occassion, usually when Morpheus is about to do something extremely stupid and probably damaging to himself and the Dreaming. To name a couple times:

Season of Mists - before Morpheus returns to Hell:

Brief Lives - before seeking Destruction:

You'll note that in both these times Lucien's words of caution are completely ignored.

You'll also notice that in both times Lucien is taking a path of polite caution. Lucien very rarely speaks his mind to Morpheus, because he knows it won't get him very far to do so. The only time Lucien truly loses his cool and speaks freely is in The Kindly Ones (spoiler alert)

At this point in the comic story Morpheus has basically all but given up and accepted his fate and its fucking depressing AF. Lucien is well within his right to shake the bastard HARD and snap him TF out of it. I STILL think he was too restrained here tbh!

My point here is that Lucienne already speaks her mind quite freely around Morpheus in the show. She expresses her opinions and thoughts and gives him her advice. This is such a well established dynamic by the point of the argument that it is clear that Lucienne is offended by Morpheus's dismissal of her.

Take this exchange from episode 9:

Lucienne: "Rose is weakening the walls between realms" Matthew: "You gonna tell the Boss?" Lucienne: "No." Matthew: "No?" Lucienne: "It's none of my business." Matthew: "Er, since WHEN?" Lucienne: "Since Lord Morpheus reminded me that I'm merely a librarian and should concern myself with my books from now on." Matthew: "He said that?! What's wrong with him!" Lucienne: "Nothing is wrong with him. He's always been this way. He's just been away so long I'd forgotten. He's determined to deal with the vortex and the missing Arcana by himself. Without anyones help. So any news must be reported directly and exclusively to him."

It's worth pointing out here that whilst this is framed as Morpheus being a stubborn idiot, in the comic, he does in fact deal with the vortex and the missing Arcana by himself mostly and is not so much helped but saved at the last moment by Unity Kinkaid who realises what is happening in a dream and goes to save Rose, which also saves Morpheus from Desire's trap.

In the show, Morpheus has people who care enough about him and his realm to want to get involved and help him, not out of a desire to undermine him, but simply because they care about him. That is a drastic change from the comic at this point. Morpheus in the comic is constantly shown to be struggling under the burden of his own responsibilities and this is highlighted by the fact that he doesn't really get any support or assistance, and is far too prideful to ask for it. Lucien gets the promotion and chance to rule in his absence, but it is never framed as a job he shares with Morpheus - at no point does Lucien take the burden of his responsibilities off of him. This is no Samwise Gamgee "I can carry you" moment unfortunately. Lucien does not have the power nor the bond with Morpheus to undertake such a task because Morpheus keeps him at arms length throughout the comics - but Lucienne? Well, time will tell how that may change.

An Apology from the King

In a shock horror twist that comic!Morpheus would sooner die than do himself (ha) the great emo King of the Netflix universe gives Lucienne an apology for his behaviour (sort of).

Episode 9 displays the tension between Morpheus and Lucienne following their "break up" perfectly. Morpheus is clearly in the wrong, and Lucienne is clearly hurt by his dismissal of her support. Yet even after the fight, he still seeks out her advice in determining the cause of the disturbances in the Dreaming. He goes to her first before investigating himself (something that comic!Morpheus wouldn't even consider doing) and is surprisingly capable in swallowing his pride here even though it is clearly a struggle for him.

Later in the episode, once he realises that Lucienne was right about the disturbances, he seeks her out to tell her so, and to confirm that she was right and he was wrong. This is again something that I can't fathom comic!Morpheus doing, even nearer the end of the story I don't believe he does so, certainly not to Lucien. Fiddlers Green drums this point home when he says this:

Fiddlers Green: "... still his time there appears to have changed him as it has changed me." Lucienne: "How so?" Fiddlers Green: "Lucienne, he came to you and told you he was wrong. It was very nearly an apology. The Morpheus I knew was incapable of that."

This further reinforces not just how much Morpheus has changed in a short time, but also how much he respects and cares about Lucienne and their continued relationship.

Platonic Life Partners? Co Ruler and Closest Confident of the Dream King

When I set out to write this meta, it was with the aim to highlight Lucienne's elevated role from her comic counterpart. To try to stress the importance of her character in the show and what this means for the future of the story in the show. By the end of the last episode, Lucienne is practically granted co-ruler status of the Dreaming while Morpheus works on his creations. He asks her if she can "take care of things while he works" which she agrees "with pleasure".

I just... I can NOT stress ENOUGH how much comic!Morpheus needed this person in his life. Even though Lucien looks after the Dreaming whilst Morpheus is away in Season of Mists and Brief Lives, it is always as a last resort with Morpheus continuing to check in on Lucien during Brief Lives as if he expects trouble, and he always seems a bit confused when Lucien tells him all is fine. As if he can't quite understand how the Dreaming could be okay without him there (and I mean, after the trauma of watching your realm which is also technically a part of you crumble to dust I suppose you would be a bit attached to it!).

Comic!Morpheus constantly struggles under the weight of his responsibility. His entire thing is that he is desperate to step away and not be who he is but he simply does not have it in him to do that. He is far too bound by his rules and responsibilities. For Morpheus in the show to be given someone to support him in his rule as King and assist him with the burden of his responsibilities is actually a hugely mindblowing change to the comic, and could honestly have huge repercussions on the story going forward. Not only that, but the Morpheus in the comics is painfully lonely. He desperately needs companionship but he keeps everyone at arms length. He never allows his subjects to get too close to him, even Lucien. Even Matthew isn't afforded the same level of closeness in the comics as he is in the show. In the comics, the ONLY character who Morpheus is close to is Death. Which says a lot by itself. The second character he gets closer to as time goes on is Delirium. Which also says a lot. Think of the characters in terms of their concepts. Morpheus has no close friends in the comics (even his relationship with Hob Gadling in the comic doesn't have half the impact it does in the show) and keeps all those he interacts with at arms length except for Delirium and Death.

But show!Morpheus? He has a Matthew who is already so very devoted to him, a Hob Gadling who waited an extra 33 years on hope alone that he would return to him, and a Lucienne who rules by his side, offers him support, guidance, counsel, companionship and probably a good helping of love. How can this Morpheus possibly carry the same deep loneliness as his comic counterpart? How can this Morpheus be buckling under the weight of his duties when he already has his Samwise Gamgee right there by his side? It poses an interesting question for how the show will handle future story arcs, though it could all prove to simply make for a much more painful story, where we happen to have many more characters to react and show the deeply painful grief that we all feel at his eventual passing - or maybe, just maybe, this is a universe where Hope never died...

#the sandman #dream of the endless #lucienne the librarian #lucien the librarian #sandman meta #sandman analysis #sandman comic spoilers #sandman speculation #dreaming librarian day #lucienne the sandman #this got away from me a bit #and it is 1am and I am posting it #even though it prob needs an edit #but i set out to post today and i damn well will #well its still today in america anyway #I hope you all enjoy this #now i plan to go visit the dreaming #goodnight and sweet dreams zzzzzzz

[dickmedowndc]

Kiss Tax - Bart Allen x Reader

Word Count: 1,856

Summary: Bart had always been affectionate in your relationship. Quick to give or ask for anything from a hug to a kiss – the latter of which he had made a habit of giving before each mission he went on. At least when it wasn’t something last minute or it was manageable. But you had finally decided to return the affections more yourself, beginning to ask for a “kiss tax” on small things such as passing through the door or handing over a drink. A practice that Bart seemed more than happy to adopt and turn around on you just as quickly. 

Notes: Partially inspired by something from Feels Like Fighting Gravity, one of my upcoming OC/Canon fics, where Wisteria tends to demand a “kiss tax” for things – I thought it was cute. Also, inspired by a relationship headcanon that Bart tries to kiss his partner before each mission, just in case.

…★…

It was quiet. 

Far too quiet. 

You had been reading in absolute silence by the window for some time now, a storm pounding on the windowpane in a consistent lull, only interrupted by the bright white flash of lightning and the cracks of ground shaking thunder that sent a vibration through your home and body. 

The quietness that had you narrowing your eyes and sliding a bookmark between pages was not the silence of nature – not with its ongoing war cry – but rather the silence of your home. It was unnerving, unnatural, after becoming so used to the sounds of a speedster making himself comfortable within the walls. Setting the book aside you reached over, grabbing your phone and flicking the screen on to see the time: 4:57 PM. Bart had been due back from his 3-day mission more than 3 hours ago. Granted, it wasn’t uncommon for a speedster to be late back from anything, but for such a stretch of time with no word from him, it was becoming concerning. 

But you had faith in your partner and knew when he was free from his duties or the debriefing – or wherever he was – that he would be back. That was not to say, however, that it would stop you from curling up on your bed and waiting a bit longer. At least you told yourself that had been the plan, but the moment that your head hit the pillows you found your eyes were growing heavy without your consent and you fell asleep. 

When you woke later it was with a start and a pressure pressed against your entire body, one that was vibrating as it laughed. Just as quickly your eyes flew open and landed on your boyfriend, all too amused with himself and face shoved into the crook of your neck as he continued to shake in his absolute mirth. 

Finally, he stopped, just long enough so he could peak up at you and the faint mumbling against your skin could be deciphered. “Did you miss me?” 

“I always miss you,” you assure, bringing a hand up to run it through his fluffy hair. “But I’m also starting to miss sleep.” 

He said nothing, only pressing a series of too-quick kisses against whatever exposed skin he could reach. The actions leaving you a squirming mess under him as you tried desperately to avoid his attacks, finding yourself short of breath soon enough. 

“Bart please, please stop,” you gasped out, one hand trying to pull his head back by his hair, knowing you weren’t hurting him too much, and the other trying to shove him back by one of his shoulders. It did little to dissuade him, his onslaught continued until there were tears in the corners of your eyes and you could no longer beg for him to show mercy. It shouldn’t have tickled you too much, and perhaps you should have seen it coming, but it was the very speed that he left those feather light touches, and the hands on your side keeping you from hiding, that made it all the harder to calm down. 

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Bart stilled. His hands were still planted firmly on your sides, but he allowed his body to collapse onto yours. He seemed as content as could be to just rest his head on your chest, looking up at you with faux innocence as though he had not been lovingly tormenting you only moments ago. He was good at that, and he knew it. “Too cute to be mad at” you had said one time, and he had run with it for situations such as this. 

Finally free to take in as much air as our lungs burned for you could finally calm down. With one hand limp at your side, the other that remained webbed through strands of his hair had just enough feeling for you to pull him forward. “Come here,” you murmured, pressing a quick kiss to his lips when he finally complied. When you opened your eyes and pulled away, the only thing that you could see was the elated grin of your partner. 

“What was that for?” 

“A kiss tax, you have to pay a kiss tax now.” 

Bart cocked his brow at you. “What am I paying for?” 

“For tickling me, you menace. And maybe I’ll make you pay another one for being cute.” 

“What if I don’t want to pay the tax?” 

“Sorry,” you huffed, a gentle hand to his cheek, “no tax fraud allowed.” 

Bart only laughed, following your gentle pull before kissing you once again. “For being attractive?” 

You rolled your eyes at his words, moving to correct him swiftly. “For being criminally cute.” 

“I think I can live with the kiss tax, even if it’s just to get you to start kisses more.” 

You waved him aside, knowing it wasn’t a rude jab. Bart had known about your shy nature and your hesitance at giving physical affection on that level. It was well discussed. But it did not stop him from poking fun at it on the rare occasion. 

But what you had not known that day, after fully deciding to lean into the kiss tax idea - because your boyfriend deserved it, and always made time to give you what physical affection he could, including a goodbye kiss before every mission – was just how happy it would make Bart. And just how eager he would be to pay said tax for each little thing. 

But three weeks later it was resoundingly clear to you. 

Bart had always been the more affectionate of the two of you – not that it wasn’t mutual. But he had never shied away from asking or surprising you with hugs or a quick kiss, he gave compliments like he needed to do so to breathe. It was a pre-fight good luck charm for him to find you wherever you were and kiss you before he had to go unless he did not have the time. Hand holding, domestic mornings just cuddling in bed, hyping you up to those around you. It was just the way he was. 

And in private you returned his affections. Your own flustered nature leaving you stuttered over it in the company of others. You enjoyed it nonetheless. 

But now Bart had gotten a taste of you regularly starting these moments, and he was enjoying it. 

“Can you hand me that water?” he called, puppy dog eyes on full display as he stared longingly at the bottle from over the bed of the couch. 

You could only shake your head at his antics before bringing it to him, still partially distracted by something you had been reading on your phone; Anita had been recorded during one of her saves recently and you were checking the highlights, mentally reminding yourself to congratulate her later. Your train of thought was interrupted when Bart cleared his throat. Puzzled, you stopped, looking at him in a silent question of what was wrong. 

“I have to pay the tax, don’t I?” 

You could feel the way your lips twitched up at the corner. You couldn’t miss the chance to mess with him. “I don’t know if I'll be collecting any tax on water.” 

He looked like a kicked puppy almost immediately. He would put Dox to shame with the sad eyes he was pulling. 

“But you took tax the other day.” 

You could only roll your eyes before motioning him forward, the air knocked from your lungs when he practically threw himself over your lap. So much for reading the rest of the article, you mused, tossing your phone aside. You took a moment and just squished his face between your hands, earning a grumble as he turned away to break your hold. “Alright,” you said, relenting at last, “come here you big baby.” 

Bart was more than happy to oblige, stealing a kiss faster than you could even register the act. 

But when he pulled back, he had that look on his face you sometimes found you would regret later, like he knew something, or was planning something. You ignored it, knowing full and well that if he wanted to keep his secrets for the time he would, especially if he thought it would make the payout all the better. 

The best you could do was enjoy the tranquility of the moment and resign yourself to whatever fate awaited you. 

That fate, as you found out only hours later, was Bart now flipping the script on you. 

Where it had previously been you requesting a kiss tax before letting him into your bedroom, Bart now stood in front of it, puffed out and taking up as much space as he could. “You need to pay the tax, sorry babe.” 

You snorted and crossed your arms. “I need to pay the tax in my own place?” 

“Don’t you do that already?” 

Your arms drop to your sides as you sigh. “Alright, come here, you.” You pull him forward and give him a kiss, before ducking under him and making for the kitchen before he can change just how much tax you owe. Not that trying to outrun him has ever worked in your favor before anyways, but it always seems to make the both of you laugh, and that’s enough. 

But his demands for kisses don’t stop there, and you find that Bart seems to have found a new past time – finding what things he can still do for you and still be able to collect tax. It isn’t every time, thankfully, so it keeps you on your toes enough. Nor does it seem to diminish just how excited that he gets each time you still make him pay with a quick kiss as well. 

That’s good, because the way he lights up is something that you’re hoping you get to see for a long time to come still. 

An admission you let slip after stealing another kiss when he tries to pull you in to cuddle. 

Bart seems to go completely soft at that, eyes half lidded, and arms thrown around your waist so he can pull away long enough to just watch you for the moment. “Anybody saying you can’t?” 

“No, but I wanted you to know. I don’t always tell you as much as I maybe should.” 

Bart breaks out in a smile there – he could put the sun to shame – but it’s just as soft as it is bright. “You show me all the time.” 

You can only raise a brow at that. “Really?” 

“You do,” he insists, pulling you closer. “It didn’t take me that long to figure out how you show it.” 

It's like a weight you didn’t know had been there is lifted when he says that. The kiss tax had been in part to show him that you cared just as much, and knowing that he already knew? It put you at ease. Enough so that you quickly found yourself curling into his chest to be lulled asleep by his heartbeat, aware he wasn’t far behind you. 

#nicole writes #dc x reader #bart allen x reader #impulse x reader

[golvio]

It was a bit of whiplash going from The Damsel to The Beast, particularly since the jumping off point I picked was stabbing her when she was gnawing her arm off (you very pointedly ignore that instead of recoiling in disgust to lock in Damsel or Witch). However...in retrospect, it kind of makes sense that the Damsel, Witch, and Beast routes can branch off of the same place.

All three routes deal with themes of dehumanization. Damsel is dehumanization through idealization, where she remains person-shaped, but loses a lot of what made her "her" in Chapter 1 in favor of being someone who could "make you happy." Witch is dehumanization through contempt or exploitation, where you either consciously betray her or just give up on her as soon as the Narrator pushes back, and she takes on some of the Beast's features but still remains partly human. With the Beast, it's total dehumanization through the reflexive disgust response brought on by seeing her gnaw her own limb off like a trapped animal. You get a glimpse of her as something other than human, and you become fixated on that, totally rejecting her until you mold her into something that's just as inhuman as you think she is. If you double down, she eventually becomes so dehumanized by the feedback loop of your treatment of her that she fully becomes an animal and loses the ability to speak.

That's why I think it's important that the two ways that the Beast seems to end on a more positive note (barring the secret ending you're unlikely to get the first time where you pick the exactly correct set of choices that get you to free her while playing dead) is by either her forcing you to understand her by "making you a part of her" (by eating you, which later causes you to "become her" so much that the two of you reintegrate into The Wild), or by you trying to talk to her once she becomes The Den and gets trapped in the little burrow leading upwards. Instinct alone can keep you alive, and territorial aggression can vanquish a predator, but it can't break the cycle of violence you've trapped yourselves in. Only reason and compassion can do that. You have to get in touch with your own humanity again to help her get in touch with hers.

There's also this theme of "regression"/"neglect" in her cabin. Her Chapter II cabin changes the least compared to the other Princess', but its change is marked by abandonment and decay as the cabin is reclaimed by nature and worn down by the elements. The wooden beams are beginning to fall apart with and termites have crept in to eat the table. It's as if the "default" cabin and the Princess herself are abandoning their humanity. In the Den, the cabin regresses to a crude Flintstones-style hut made of rocks or earth, and the table fully regresses to the stump of the fallen tree its wood was presumably harvested from. The Princess, too, regresses to a more primal form, losing her ability to speak and becoming a creature of pure appetite and predatory aggression.

In Chapter II, Beast gets a "nicer enclosure" in the basement more suited to her new form's needs, but in Chapter III, even though the exterior of the Den's cabin becomes a proper jungle, the room she's in becomes a dark pit completely devoid of light that she can't escape, filled with mold and decay, with her body becoming emaciated now that she's capable of starving, as she's become painfully aware of her own appetites. She becomes like a neglected exotic pet, left to waste away in the corner of a cramped, filthy cage. The tips of her new antlers are covered in blood, as if she's shedding velvet or they erupted suddenly and painfully from her own forehead, suggesting this transformation was a painful one.

It's...unnerving to see her become this. Even if she's more powerful, the only way she has to communicate with us is through her eyes. The only way she can think of to get us to let her out of the cabin is by devouring us. It's not even that she's actually hungry for our flesh, it's just that she wants to leave together, because she knows she can't leave alone. That urge to connect with us is still there, that need to make a bond of trust is still required for her to leave, it's just all warped by how inhuman we've made her.

It's also interesting to see that you can get to The Wild through either the Beast or the Witch. I didn't fully commit to Wild yet, as I'm saving that for a later playthrough where I knock out a lot of Chapter IIIs I didn't get to see during my first two times, but I think it'd make the most sense for me to approach it from the Beast's chapter, both through the themes of consumption/absorption, but also because it'll give me an opportunity to talk to her and gain new insights, given that she's not as talkative while she's trying to hunt you the first time around.

#long post #slay the princess #slay the princess spoilers #stp spoilers #the beast

[fruitwaterz]

JFabe/AbeFK: The Ultimate Queerbaiting (short essay n rant)

(Clone High Season 3 spoilers,,, beware!!!)

Hey everyone it's fruit/juno/nova aka MTVyaoi BACK with another banger essay

So if you guys didn't know already (but I'm pretty sure everyone in the Clone High community does), season three of Clone High, also known as season 2 of the Clone High reboot just premiered yesterday. Thanks to a mutual handing me over their Max account, I was able to watch the episodes in one day, and it's safe to say that it was WAY more better than season 2, despite its ups and downs.

Of course, the reboot boosted some ships into popularity, such as JoanFK (rip), Kahlopatra (rip), Tophabe, but one ship that never really came around to being popular was Jfabe, the relationship between JFK and Abe in the Clone High series.

In the very last episode of season 2, many speculated that JFK and Abe would somehow possibly get together in season 3 (while others just,,, thought they would remain friends). I made an analysis about JFK himself, and in the end, I included a bit of some Jfabe speculation. And during the time the reboot had ended, Jfabe shippers and Tophabe shippers were technically at war. But in the very end, no one was really happy, I would say.

With the new season out, and especially episode 3…yeah, there are some things that need to be discussed. Because let me tell you, I am actually. so mad

Many of the Jfabe shippers collected context clues, hints, and everything that could've hinted at the two becoming canon, only for those to be contradicted really quickly when it came to the Mary episode and the finale. Hell, when the trailer came out, most of us feared the idea of Abe not getting with JFK (actually, this would be most Abe shippers worst nightmare) and getting with someone who we never even knew.

Before I actually do get into the Mary episode, however, I wanted to bring up my favorite episode out of the series, and that is Bible Humpers: A Much Needed Praycation.

Season 3 Episode 3:

Bible Humpers introduces a subplot in which JFK gets tired of partying and having a concerning amount of sex with girls, reminders that…this is during his 17th birthday (from what I could remember), and that's sort of why he was feeling like that. From there on, he decides to become catholic and join The Prayer Pals club, hosted by Lady Godiva, a new character. However, Abe is upset about this because he believed that JFK would change so much that he would eventually forget about Abe. Abe was planning a 6th month Boy-nniversary for the two, and due to JFK being too busy with his newfound hobby, Abe steps in to stop things.

Now, this episode is agreeably, one out of the three Jfabe episodes to exist, the others being Clone Alone and Litter Kills: Literally (The reason why I count Clone Alone as a Jfabe episode, is mainly because of the scene where JFK and Abe become friends…a duo of bros that'll remain friends for the rest of their lives, more on that later, though).

Something about the episode was suspiciously fruity, with Abe being worried about JFK, giving him a new wristband to match his, pulling him really close, offering to let him take his virginity, and even went out of his way to bake a giant cake for him. Hell, at the very end of the episode, he leaves a box with the purity ring in it on JFK's doorstep, and we could even see JFK's soft smile when he read his note.

(Also pspspsp we could see two doves in the sky all while Abe is walking to JFK's house. Two doves represent love.)

(thanks to my mutual)

Next, the Mary episode. In the middle of the episode, JFK offers to have sex with Abe, even taking his shirt off and still asking Abe if he wants to go through with it. Stuff like this was mentioned in the beginning of episode 1. Not gonna go into the sex too much, because they're just teenagers.

It seems that the dynamic between these two are quite literally back and forth, they could be friends, and they could go back to arguing. Abe wants to make JFK happy, JFK cares for Abe, but either gets too riled up or feels like Abe’s ruining things for him.

So with all of this build up and hints, Jfabe was surely gonna become canon one way or another, right?

Well…I wouldn't exactly say that. Because during the finale, Abe suddenly catches feelings for Joan again, and JFK randomly ends up with Harriet, despite the fact that they both established that they didn't feel much for each other! And this was back in season 2 episode 6, where they both kiss again in a classroom, but come to the realization that they actually don't like each other at all. I like the idea of JFK x Harriet, but it just happened way too fast, and I really wish I could ignore that.

Which brings me to my argument: we were queerbaited.

(And if random jfabe dislikers come and tell me that it was bound to happen, I'm gonna lose my mind.)

We are sitting here, begging for some sort of MLM relationship. We've already had Kahlopatra, which is a same-sex female relationship (Good day for sapphics, I love that ship to bits and was disappointed in the fact that they broke up). So it wouldn't have hurt to at least have two of the main male characters date each other. But oh, yeah, let's have them being suspiciously fruity to each other as humor and nothing but humor, because in the end, it was basically just watered down to that.

It even makes me confused in a way, because what was the point of “Duo of bros who'll remain friends for the rest of our lives?” What was the reason? Did they hint at something, only to throw this away at the very last minute? Seriously, we could see background male characters get into relationships, yet not have two of the main characters get together. It's odd, yet not surprising.

Clone High has this tendency of making up random relationships, Harriet x Toussaint, Joan x Confucius (which I like however, don't come for me), Mary x Abe, just fuck all. And now, it's JFK x Harriet. Yet, it seems as if it would hurt them to make a hinted at relationship…canon. It confuses me. Are they gonna make them date in season 4? Are we even gonna get a season 4? Because the show has to get renewed in order for that to happen.

I am not mad at the writers for not making them canon because of the ship dynamic itself, I'm angry because there were so many hints, so much build up only for them to go nowhere with this. Because personally, I think it would've made the show a bit more interesting. To have two of the main male characters date. That's all I asked for, and we got nothing out of it.

You could say I'm seething over a cartoon, but I don't care!!! Cartoon or not, the ship is really important to me and most Jfabe shippers, so seeing their relationship go nowhere and the two randomly getting into M/F relationships sort of hurts. And I'm saying that as someone who isn't even a veteran Jfabe shipper, I shipped them days after season 2 ended. Both the original JFK and Abraham Lincoln (theoretically) were bisexual, so it just makes me even more puzzled.

I'm not exactly making this essay to cancel Clone High just for a silly ship, this is really just a healthy way to take out my sadness and disappointment. A vent essay, if you will. And it really is just what happened, so many interactions that could be taken as romantic, only for them not to get with each other.

Honestly, if the show writers didn't intend to queerbait us, I can only ask…“How?”

Anyway that's the end of my short essay about me screaming and crying about a ship between two white boys, subscribe and hit that notification button for more screaming and crying about a ship between two white boys. fruit signing out

#clone high #clone high season 2 #clone high 2023 #clone high season 3 #clone high spoilers #jfabe #abefk #jfk clone high #clone high abe #clone high reboot

[moongothic]

There is something so interesting to me about the whole "Devil Fruits are manifestations of people's desires" concept... Mainly because, when you think about it, a lot of characters do end up having Devil Fruits that like, suit them, you know?

Althought people do tend speculate about it, we can't really say for sure that a "Devil Fruit chooses its user", like it's not canon yet. But if there was some funny thing of FATE that somehow leads specific people to certain powers that they, subconciously or not, desired and wished for... It would explain how so many characters end up with powers they're happy with, abilities that really suit them, even if/when they can't know for sure what powers they might end up with

Like we have Kaku and Kalifa who both seemed happy with the abilities they obtained despite having no idea what powers the mystery fruits the Government offered them would grant them. And that's just those two. Aokiji is a very Chill Dude so his Ice Fruit suits him, same could be said for Ace who was a bit of a hot head. The Wapol's ability to nom on literally anything goes well with his appetite, while Iva-chan and Bon-chan both obtained powers perfect for exploring their genders and identities. Luffy is a ridiculous ray of sunshine, while both Moria and Perona got the most goth-ass fruits available. Buggy's circus acts aside, Shanks did split his heart into pieces that have not come back together yet (though this did not kill the clown, just left him in pieces). Law's fruit was best suited in the hands of a doctor and not only was he was the son of doctor, but he specifically needed its power to not die. Kuma needed the hands of liberation to save not just himself but so many other slaves at God's Valley, and so many others later in life. All Robin wanted was to hold hands with her mom.

With that all in mind. How does Crocodile's ability... suit Crocodile..?

Like sure, on a pure surface level, it suits him in the sense that he was The Final Boss of the Sand Level. You go to a desert, you gonna find some sand. And of course, Alabasta was suffering from severe drought that Crocodile was manufacturing. The Drought Man taking the rain from a country makes sense.

And maybe there isn't anything more to it than that.

But also like, think about it with me for a second

The man who once dreamt of becoming fucking Pirate King ended up a Sand Logia. And I don't even mean that in the "lmao water is his weakness" kinda way (though it certainly doesn't help, all you need is one (1) battle in the middle of a storm and you're dead), I mean like. How doth one rule the seas when your power is to rule the earth instead. That Logia in particular is about as fitting for a Pirate King as a beach is a fitting place for a whale to live on. So if Devil Fruits are somehow drawn to people whom they might suit the most, then how did the Sand Logia end up with Crocodile? How was that the most suitable fruit for him? Was it just bad luck? Was it fate? Did Crocodile even really yearn for that throne to begin with, or was it just the idea of absolute power and fame instead?

Sidenote, but it is worth pointing out that we don't know when Crocodile ate his Devil Fruit. For all we know, it could've been years after he got his ass kicked by Whitebeard, when he had already given up on his dreams. If can't become the king of the oceans, then a Desert King is okay too

I do also want to point out... Was Crocodile drawn to this fruit because it's sand? Because nothing can really grow and blossom in nothing but dry sand, nothing can live in it. Because deserts and wastelands are lonely places. None of Crocodile's plans have ever turned out like he wanted them to, nothing has come to fruition from his ventures. And Crocodile if anyone knows a thing or two about solitude.

#Moon posting #OP Meta #OP Spoilers #Sir Crocodile #My pondering aside I'm sure he got his fruit only because he was The Final Boss of The Sand Level #Like I doubt it was any deeper than that #But there is a cruel irony to his Devil Fruit ngl

[isaidonyourknees]

Lucky Number Five

Fives x f!reader

Word count: 2.9k

Summary: the number five has always seemed to follow you around. One day, it all makes sense why

Warnings: none! If you think I missed something, let me know!

A/N: hi! My favourite number is actually five! It always has been and when Fives was introduced I knew he would become one of my favourite characters. And he very much is. Also fun fact: the opening is based off the conversation I had with my older sister when I was little and really is why five is my favourite number. Hope you enjoy 💕

“What’s your favourite number?”

You look up from your toys to see your older sister standing over you. You drop your toys, turning all your focus towards the question.

“Five! ‘Cause I’m five!” You announce proudly. Your sister sits down next to you.

“Mine’s five too” she says. Your eyes widen.

“Really! Why?”

“When I was three my favourite number was three. And when I was four my favourite number was four. And when I was five my favourite number was five. But I think six looks funny so my favourite number is five” she explains. Wanting to impress your older sister you nod along.

“Six does look funny,” you agree with her. You really didn’t think six looked funny, yet five stuck with you anyway.

•~•~•

You’re tired by the time your ship lands on Coruscant. Leaving your home world was a tough decision but you knew you wouldn’t be able to make much of yourself if you stayed there. You didn’t know what you wanted to do with your life, but you did know that you wouldn’t figure it out on your small fishing world. Coruscant had a little bit of everything and you figured it was a good place to start. You had managed to get a small apartment in a somewhat decent area and you had secured yourself a job at a diner nearby. You had shipped your belongings to your new apartment over the past few weeks and now it was your turn to finally arrive at your new home.

Lugging your last few bags with you over the several blocks between the spaceport and your apartment was even more tiring and by the time you finally arrive you’re ready to collapse from the exhaustion.

“Almost there” you remind yourself as you muster up the last ounces of energy you have. You knock on a plain door with ‘office’ written on it. A few moments pass and you’re starting to think that maybe no one’s there and you may be stranded for the night when the door finally opens. A Togrutan man gives you a questioning look.

“Can I help you with something?”

“Yeah I’m here to pick up my key” you say, giving him your name. He closes the door on you without saying anything.

“Prick” you grumble under your breath. The door reopens and he carelessly tosses you the keys.

“Level 8. Room 5. Elevators broken” he says, closing the door on you again before you could even suck in a breath to respond. You huff, slumping a little before you grab your bags again and begin the climb.

When you finally reach the eighth level you breathe a sigh of relief. Walking down the hallway you glance at each door, checking each number until you find number five. You drop your bags and slowly reach up to trace the number on the door. Five. 5. This number always seems to find its way to you. You were the fifth name on the school register. You graduated fifth highest in your class. Your first car was a fifth generation. Now that you think of it, it took you five tries before you found this apartment. None of it was planned. The number five was just always around. You shake your head. You’re tired and are probably reading too much into it.

Unlocking the door, you’re glad to see that all of your boxes have made it here safely. You’ll worry about them later. For now you dig your bedding out of one of your bags and make your bed, ready to pass out in it. You’ll have to start unpacking your things tomorrow and then you officially start at your new job the day after. You fall face first onto your bed, looking forward to your much needed rest.

•~•~•

“Here’s your shirt and apron. You’ll need to get your own black pants. And we’re a no droid establishment so don’t try to smuggle one in,” your new manager - Nara - explains.

“Why would I smuggle a droid in?” You question. Nara rolls her eyes.

“Our last dishwasher decided that he could get a droid to do the job for him so he could slack off. He didn’t last long. Thing is, a lot of people have issues with droids for whatever reason” Nara explains with a shrug. “Because we’re droid free, you’ll see a few of clones in here. They’re usually hungover and will keep to themselves, but a few will try to cause some trouble every now and then. Just grab me or Bill and we’ll deal with them.”

“Clones?” You ask. Nara frowns.

“Yeah. They’re the ones currently fighting against the separatists. Alongside the Jedi. You do know about the war right?”

“Well yeah, but I didn’t know that the republic had clones created.”

Isn’t that a bit unethical you thought to yourself.

“It’s why it’s called the clone wars” Nara laughs.

“I guess my world is so removed from it all. We just called it the war” you shrug.

“Well next time some come in, I’ll make sure to point them out to you. Now here’s your order pad,” she hands you a small device. “It’ll take a little time getting used to, the layout isn’t the best, but you’ll be fine. To log on just press this user button and enter your login number. Yours is five I believe.” Nara clicks the user button and types in the number. Your name appears at the top of the screen.

“Remember that number. You’ll also be using it to clock in and out each day. Now for today you can just shadow me and learn the layout and order pad.”

You followed Nara around, mainly focusing on taking orders and pouring cafs. You were quick to pick things up and by the end of your third shift you were running food and cleaning tables. It wasn’t exactly fulfilling work but it kept you busy and you appreciated that.

A week after you had started, you were wiping down a table when Nara sidled up next to you.

“Here come your first lot of clones.”

You look up and watch five armoured men seat themselves in one of the booths. They were all the same height and they had the same handsome face. It was a little weird to look at five seperate men when they all looked the same. But with a closer look you saw the little ways they differed from each other - two were completely bald, while another had an intricate buzz cut. The two bald men had face tattoos. Another one had a goatee. All of their armour had different patterns all painted the same dark blue colour.

“The boys of the 501st,” Nara continues. “They’re usually a lot of fun, if you catch my drift.” She winks.

“Nara!” You exclaim, not expecting her to say something like that. 501st. There’s that number again. She just smirks and shrugs, unapologetic.

“They can be a bit flirty and mischievous, but overall they’re kind and friendly. They’re perfect for your first taste of clones. Here I’ll finish this.” Nara takes the spray bottle and cloth from you and nudges you towards the newly occupied booth.

“Good morning!” You chirp. One of them groans, causing you to falter.

“Don’t mind him,” the man with the intricate buzz cut says. “He had too much to drink last night.”

“Oh. So one caf for him,” you note.

“Make that one for each of us sweet cheeks!” The clone with a tattoo that wrapped around his head and ended under his eye said. You eye him wearily as you enter the order.

“You’re new here.” This comes from the clone with no physical changes to him. He has a hand print stamped onto the chest of his armour to identify him though.

“Uhh yes. Started last week actually” you respond. He gives you a kind smile, easing you a bit.

“It’s nice to see a new face,” he says. You look at each of them in turn, taking in their features. Their strong cheekbones and their chocolate brown eyes. Their tattoos and haircuts. It must be so weird seeing your own face over and over again.

“I can imagine” you reply with a small smile. It earns you a chuckle and your smile widens a little more.

“I like you. The name’s Echo” he introduces himself.

“Nice to meet you Echo. I like you too.”

“Echo if you’re done flirting, I’d like to get something to eat,” the clone with the republic cog tattooed on his face says, slurring slightly. Clearly he still had some alcohol left in him. Echo flushes slightly.

“I’m not flirting Jesse. I’m being nice!” Echo fires back.

“Hey I don’t blame you, she’s pretty. But can we get food first?” Jesse says. You feel your cheeks warm up slightly.

“Do you all know what you want or do you need some time to look at the menu?” You ask, trying to ignore the slight warmth in your cheeks.

“We’re ready” Jesse claims but the other clone with the face tattoo is quick to speak up.

“Wait I’m not! I don’t know what I want yet!”

“Hardcase!” Jesse groans in annoyance. You chuckle a little to yourself at their antics. They are certainly endearing.

“Well how about I go get you fellas some caf and that’ll give you some time to think about what you want to eat,” you give them the compromise with a smile.

“Thank you,” the man with the buzz cut says. “Could you make his a double. He needs it.” He gestures to the man next to him, the only one yet to say anything. He’s got his head pressed to the table, his eyes closed and his face screwed up.

“Sure thing.”

You move over to the counter, grabbing five cups and setting them down on a tray. Nara is quick to approach you.

“Sooooo, what do you think?” She whispers. You roll your eyes but can’t help smiling along with her.

“They’re definitely endearing. You didn’t tell me that they’re so attractive!” You say, voice low. She laughs.

“Well I had to leave something for you to discover!” She giggles. You pour out the drinks, making sure to make one a little stronger for the man who is still hungover.

“Do you know this group?” You ask as you organise the drinks.

“I mean each time they come in it varies a little. Their captain is sometimes with them, as well as a few others. They usually spend the night at 79s - a club popular amongst the clones - which is only a few blocks away before coming here to sober up a little before they head back to their base for their training. I’ve had a some flings with a few of them, but you have to be careful with clones. They don’t always come back.”

This dampens the mood between the two of you. These poor men are born to die. You vow to yourself then and there that whenever you interact with a clone, you’ll make it a good experience.

“Don’t let this stop you if one catches your eye,” Nara rushes to say when she senses the shift in the mood. “Just be careful. Don’t get too attached.”

You return the caf pot and give her a shaky smile, not really sure what to say. She returns with her own shaky smile before you grab the tray of drinks.

“Alright boys here are your cafs” you announce, placing the tray in their table and placing a cup in front of each man, making sure to give the stronger one to the man who still had his eyes closed.

“Not so loud please” he groans.

“Oh so you can speak?” You say to him. He slowly opens his eyes and when he finally takes a look at you, he bolts upright.

“Whoa” is all he says. You blink, not sure what’s happening. Shaking it off you nudge his caf closer to him with a smile.

“This should make you feel at least a little better.” He accepts the cup, taking a drink from it, however he doesn’t take his eyes off you. Unsure what’s happening, you glance at the man next to him - the one with the buzz cut - who nudges the staring one in the ribs.

“Ow Kix!” He grunts.

“Shush I know that didn’t hurt,” Kix scolds.

Clearing your throat, you pull out your order pad.

“Alright have you got your order figured out now Hardcase?” You ask.

“Sure have! I’ll have the pancakes” he announces proudly.

“Good choice” you say as you note it down.

“Make that two pancakes please,” Jesse interjects and you nod your confirmation.

“May I please get the fruit toast” Echo requests when you’re ready.

“Sure can.”

“And I’ll get the scrambled eggs” Kix says. You look at the last clone to order. He no longer looks hungover. It seems he pulled himself together rather quickly. He flashes you a charming grin and Kix groans.

“Here we go” he mutters. The clone with the goatee ignores his brother as he leans forward.

“What would you recommend?” He questions.

“I’m not too sure. I haven’t worked here long enough to be able to give a good recommendation. The breakfast burger looks good,” You suggest.

“Perfect. I’ll get you one of those.” You add the dish to the order before sending it through to the kitchen.

“Food shouldn’t be too long. Let me know if you need anymore caf” you add, not really sure what to do while the clone with the goatee continued to stare at you. You hurried off, returning behind the counter to do some tidying up.

“Good job di’kut, you scared her off” you hear one of them chide.

You busy yourself with other customers and cleaning tables, your eyes constantly flicking over to watch the group of clones. They were chatting amongst themselves, clearly having fun and enjoying the company of their brothers. After the first few glances at their table, the still unnamed clone started to catch your eye. At first you were embarrassed at having been caught, until you realised that the reason you kept catching his gaze was because he kept glancing at you. Something about you had clearly intrigued him and you were starting to feel the same way about him.

When you were called to grab their food, you were quick to drop what you were doing, looking forward to your interaction with them. It takes you a few trips to get all their food out.

“Could we get some more caf sweet cheeks?” Hardcase asks as you place Kix’s scrambled eggs down in front of him.

“Please” Echo throws in. You smile sweetly at him in appreciation and nod.

“Of course!” You return with the caf pot, pouring some in Hardcase’s cup.

“Anyone else?”

You get a chorus of yes pleases and you go around filling up each cup.

“Careful. This is a new pot so it’s extra hot,” you warn as you top up the last cup.

“Not as hot as you” the clone with the goatee says with a wink, catching you off guard. Your eyes widen in surprise.

“Uh - I -“ you don’t get much time to think of a response before Jesse is groaning.

“Come on, surely you have something better than that Fives.”

His name is Fives. That damn number.

You drop the pot of caf.

“Kriff!” You swear. Nara hurries over at the commotion.

“I’m so sorry! I was just- I just-“ you stutter out, completely frazzled.

“Hey, don’t stress. It’s fine! I’ll go get a mop. Don’t move so you don’t hurt yourself,” she reassures you before she heads out the back.

“Hey, you alright?” Echo asks, a concerned look on his face. You look at him so you don’t have to look at Fives. Because something about encountering the number this time seems different. It’s as if all the other fives have been leading to this one. To Fives. The handsome clone right in front of you.

You do glance over at him then. He looks surprised and a little concerned like the rest of his brothers. Now it’s your turn to stare at him for a little bit before you answer Echo’s question while your eyes remain fixated on Fives.

“Yeah. I am now.”

•~•~•

“Come on, if we stay here any longer we’ll get a scolding from Rex” Kix says.

“Ugh no thanks” Hardcase groans.

“Aw come on. Echo wants to flirt with the cute waitress a little more, don’t you?” Jesse teases, throwing his arm around Echo.

“Kix is right. Besides, I think I’ll leave her for Fives. He seems pretty enamoured by her” Echo responds.

“Yeah, well did you see her?” Fives comments back. Kix stands up from the table.

“Well you can daydream about her all you want on the walk back to base” he says. Fives rolls his eyes, but stands up with the rest of his brothers as they file out of the booth.

He’s following them to the door when he feels a hand grasp his wrist. He turns to find you standing nervously behind him. He gives you his most charming smile and you smile back at him. He can’t help but think that you have such a sweet smile. You press a piece of paper into his hand.

“If-if you’re interested” you stutter. Then you’re turning away and returning to your job. His smile widens as he tucks the piece paper with your comm number on it carefully into his pocket.

You’d be hearing from him very soon.

#fives x reader #star wars #arc trooper fives #fives #hardcase #echo #Jesse #Kix #fives x you #the clone wars

[disasterinbound]

cat prince souyo hehehe... save me cat prince souyo..

maybe yosuke saves a cat from being run over on his way to work, and a new person shows up in town. those two events are definitely not in any way related.

yu is the cat prince who comes to inaba to experience what life is like to humans and how to blend in. dojima and nanako are cat royalty as well so he gets sent to live with them for a bit. yes they can turn into cats.

yosuke saves cat!yu from being run over by a car or something. the next night after, theres a knock at yosuke's door, and yu shows up, thanks yosuke for saving his life and tells him that he wants to show his appreciation.

yosuke is of course really confused, and he's like what?? so yu goes into his cat form and stands up on his hind legs. yosuke is starting to think that this is a dream and he really should start saying no to taking those extra shifts if this is the dream he's gonna get

also yosuke being yosuke is like "nah man s ok it was nothin" and yu is like "no, no, i insist" before he leapts off and yosuke's left wondering why he's dreaming of a hot guy turning into a cat

like a day later a basket of fish appears in his kitchen and he's like ??? where did this come from until he remembers what happened. he then starts going FUCK ok ok first of all the fish. i need to give it back to him because i don't like fish. then he hops on his bike and realises FUCK where does he live. so he keeps it in the freezer for the time being until he can figure out what to do

yu then shows up at JUNES going did you like the fish :3 and yosuke is like "im so sorry dude but i actually don't like fish..." but yu looks so crestfallen like a cute cat who's sad and yosuke is about to pat him on the back until he perks back up and goes "wait for tomorrow :3" and speeds off as yosuke realises that he never asked where yu lived so he can give back the fish

cue the next few days becoming extreme tomfoolery when yu gives him gifts that cats like because he doesn't get how humans work yet and he didn't ask nanako and dojima, cats who have been more accustomed to humans and their behaviour for help. smart move bancho.

until yosuke's had enough and just tells yu that he really doesn't like the gifts but yu just looks so sad like a wet cat that yosuke goes what if you took me out to eat or hang out because he's been affected by yu's charms.

after that surprisingly fun date outing, yosuke thinks that's the end of it, until yu shows up the day after like "hi lets go out :3"

and then??? he just shows up everytime??? and they both have fun together??? and then yosuke begins to fall for bancho (and vice versa) as they both get to know each other more??? (i mean, you do seem pretty good with your hands) astounding, brain. bravo. maybe yu tells yosuke more about the cat kingdom and how he doesn't know that much about humans

one day, yu decides to confess via courtship, and starts becoming really touchy with yosuke. like in his cat form he rubs up against yosuke more, and in his human form, he purrs a lot around him and links their hands together. And yosuke's like ??? (flushed) but he's not saying no because maybe its just a normal thing in the cat kingdom. definitely not cuz he likes yu or anything.

but yu thinks yosuke is giving out a lotta mixed signals to his courting, like shying away sometimes (he's embarrassed because they were in public) or accepting it but not leaning into it, so he goes to dojima for advice.

dojima: did you ever tell him you're courting him. he probably doesn't know what you're doing.

yu: ...oops :3

and off he goes to fix off his mistake! dojima sets him a few things straight and awkwardly tells him about dating and stuff before he goes to meet yosuke on the riverbank.

funnily enough that's also when yosuke decides to confess to yu, so when yosuke goes "I like you!" all blushing and after yu also reciprocates he's like "is this a good time to mention that I've been courting you"

yosuke: you've been WHAT

yu: :3

and so they became official boyfriends!! (and maybe cat husband kings but thats for later)

yosuke gets to tease yu about it for a week until yu kisses him til he's dazed and yosuke promptly falls into a trash can.

#souyo #persona 4 #yosuke hanamura #yu narukami #YIPPEEEE this milled around in my brain for a bit #this was also based off the cat returns but like i become insane #i wanted to do that thief souyo au on hourlyhanamura's twitter but my brain said no heart emoji and i was like damn ok #but follow hourlyhanamura please and thank you for yosuke pictures #i like the one post on hourlyhanamura where arena shadow yu goes you're my partner now :3. absolute banger. #my brain is vibrating #chefs kissing. making out even #god. brain not englishing. hope you guys can understand what im posting

[ecargmura]

Wind Breaker Episode 1 Review - Better Than Bucchigiri?!

As the finale of Bucchigiri approaches, I watch Wind Breaker and I realize that this is the delinquent anime I was expecting the former to be, but wasn’t met with it. Wind Breaker’s premise starts off strong with an impressionable main character with a goal to become the strongest. A bit typical, but at least it’s consistent with his story. Haruka Sakura (First name is Haruka and last name is Sakura) might have the girliest name ever, but he’s a lonely boy with a rather prickly side due to being shunned from others for a very long time due to his unusual hair and heterochromatic eyes. He fights because he believes that’s the only way he can fit in and be something other than a pariah. In the case of Arajin, he’s stuck with a fight-crazy genie, yet only fights like 3 times in the show so far (and four once the finale airs on Saturday). His schtick is that he wants to get laid and wishes to lose his virginity. Also, when pressured to fight, he starts getting toilet problems; the interesting fights in the show are all from characters not named Arajin. Look, I don’t mean to compare two shows, but it had to be done. 

WInd Breaker is a story about Haruka Sakura moving into a new town and the first thing he does after moving in is to beat up scummy gangsters trying to hit on a lady named Kotoha. Sakura sees this and beats them up and as he does, he tells them to remember his name so that the weak can avoid him and the strong will come to him. After getting treated to omurice by Kotoha, she teaches him about what this town is like and why Sakura won’t be able to become the top of Furin High School. It’s because the school has started to reform into a place where “good” delinquents beat up gangsters and anyone who causes harm to the town. After another scuffle with the gangsters from earlier and getting help from his future schoolmates, Sakura realizes that what they’re doing—being Wind Breakers and protecting the school from evil gangsters—is exactly what he wants to do as well.

Just seeing a delinquent anime where the characters just use their fists for their fights is nice to see. The fact that Clover Works is the animation studio and the way they animated Sakura’s beating up the rival gang by himself was a real treat to see. Hot damn, they’re doing an amazing job from episode 1. The fight scene was the highlight of the premiere. If its already this good from the beginning, I can’t wait to see what future fights will be like. The music is nice too! I liked the soundtrack that the fight scene had and I also liked the opening song.

From the opening, there seems to be a large cast of characters, but for this episode, a few of them show up. Sakura seems like the textbook delinquent at first glance, but he’s a lonely boy who had been hurt from society shunning him for his hair and eyes. He’s used to misunderstanding, but it still took a large toll on his self esteem. He’s actually super adorable! Like when Kotoha thanks him, he gets all shy and his face turns red because he’s not used to gratitude. When she treats him to food, he starts acting super cute when the food is good and even asks if she does takeout. While he’s a great fighter, I do wonder if his past will be explored later on, I’d like to learn more about him.

About his hair, I remember watching a Korean talk show program called Hello Counselor where civilians talk about their concerns in public television. One concern I remember watching was about a mother who’s very young daughter had partially white hair and was worried about how society would treat her growing up. The daughter had a large streak of white hair in the front, so it made me learn that such thing does exist. It’s considered albinism. Despite this, Sakura’s design is mesmerizing. I love how unique his design is.

Kotoha seems to be the cool big sister type. I just hope she’s not his love interest because he’s a child and she’s an adult. It’d get weird given that Sakura might not even know what love is due to his loneliness. I do love how strong-willed she is. I just hope she isn’t the constant target of gang leaders because female characters tend to be that, especially in stories where it’s mainly male characters. Then there’s Hiragi and his posse. They seem like honorable people that the town loves, but I’d like to learn more about them.

The voice acting is amazing. Yuma Uchida really does show off his range. While he’s an expert at voicing tsunderes, I do love how gravely his voice is when Sakura shouts. It sort of reminds me of Yoshitsugu Matsuoka’s gravely voice, especially when he voices Inosuke. Kotoha is voiced by Ikumi Hasegawa. I normally hear her voice teen girls, so for her to voice an adult is a first for me, but I’d like to hear her voice adults more often. She has a strong tone. Hiragi is voiced by Ryota Suzuki, who’s another rising star in the voice acting industry. I’m familiar with his role as Kurosawa from Cherry Magic and the Wanima brothers from Blue Lock.

In my opinion, this was a strong start. I just hope it stays consistent and not stray off. I want to see the same type of action scenes presented in this episode. I want to see the main character be active and prominent to the story’s plot. I want to see growth and friendship too. Just give me things that Bucchigiri lacked. If you have watched the premiere of this anime, what are your honest thoughts?

#Wind Breaker #Haruka sakura #sakura haruka #Kotoha tachibana #review #anime #anime review #first impressions #spring 2024 anime #ecargmura #arum journal #Youtube

[employee052]

little poster for a minicomic im working on thats half au / half backstory for virgil and the tsp gang in my universe called "la vie en jaune" (or life in yellow in french) (i think) (idk i live in canada)

for a full infodump on this au ill put it under the cut bc this au is an amalgamation of portal 2 (which takes from cave johnson, caroline, aperture, while also taking from a chelley fic i read) , simon from adventure time, kingsman, and floating megane's ted nivison comics on insta.

the plot:

Virgil works at a company called Ouroboros Technologies, whos goal is to make gadgets that automate the process of buisnesses (though they never go beyond that explanation, it pays hella money so ppl dont question it).

Anyways, Virgil's job is to hire and manage the new employees in his division. And at his 427th employee he hires Stanley Rider (also rider is stanleys canonical last name apparently so might as well use that instead of parable). A 26 year old whos fresh out of university n is working as an intern. Getting coffee, flowers for the office, making sure everyone has enough whiteboard markers since ppl use that up like crazy, etc

The two get close to the point that Stanley becomes Virgil's assistant. Which helps a bit since both Stanley and Virgil are struggling to keep up with their (seperate n now combined) workload.

The company makes a prototype product which is a set of yellow glasses, which gives the user access to the whole company's building, files, and technology in an AR form that they can access at the blink of an eye. The Prototype AR Accessible Biotech Launcher Enviroment (or pARable for short) They give it to Virgil to test, and research finds that it improves productivity 110%. However, the tech begins to backfire as it slowly begins to change Virgil's attitude and body. His mind starts to forget the people and names around him, he starts becoming increasingly more anxious and self conscious of his work when in the presence of an audience, his body begins to rapidly age and drain his life from him, and he begins to crave the control that he is given with these glasses.

Stanley notices this, and pleads with Virgil to stop, which he does. However, it causes them to fall behind on their workload, and the higherups dont like it.

Eventually, as the company threatens to dock their pay, Virgil is forced to use the glasses again in order to keep up with the workload and feed both him and Stanley. At which, Virgil begins to lose himself more and more. Forgetting his name and instead calling himself the Narrator.

The only person that he remembers is Stanley.

One night, Virgil doesn't come home, and after filing a missing persons case, Stanley doesn't find him. (Although the usual silence from Ouroboros seems more ominous than usual)

The company begins to export and send pARables en masse to all its employees, and the company reaches a terrifying peak in efficiency. And Stanley follows. Yet the only difference is that his pARable is different than his coworkers. Where everyone else starts off at a narration explaining the device followed by a room that is designed to look exactly like the user's own bedroom. Stanley's starts off with a story, in an office that looks suspiciously like his.

And concerningly, he can only vaguely remember of his life before the pARable.

And so the game plays out like normal, except both Stanley and The Narrator cant help but shake the fact that the other feels so familiar somehow.

---

ive got one page already done so i might do some more doodles with the designs i have for these two later, but im just glad i got to put this down since this is how i saw virgils origins to be subconsciously

which reminds me i need to share what ive got written for my tsp portal au f U C K

#artswin #la vie en jaune au #lvej au #infodump #tsp narrator #tsp stanley #tsp au #tsp #tspud #the stanley parable #the stanley parable ultra deluxe #tspud narrator #tspud stanley #stanley parable #the narrator

[flowerywhispers]

Hello snoopy-san can u req wmmap where claude has another child that is also reincarnated like that is like kim dokja from orv (if u dont know its one if the best manwha/novel there 10/10 recommend u to read it if u havent yet hehe) or someone like penelope eckart, how would they react.

| | Reacting to a child like Penelope Eckhart | |

Character(s): Claude de Alger Obelia, Athanasia de Alger Obelia and Anastacius de Alger Obelia

TW: Mentions of neglect, allusions of murder plots, Claude starts off as a terrible terrible father as usual

Notes: Gender neutral MC || Hiya! Oml I love ORV, I just haven't caught up yet so I decided to go for a child like Penelope Eckhart rather than Kim Dokja because I knew that if I started thinking about him then I wouldn't be able to write this until I'd finished reading all of the chapters I missed sbejsgr

[ Claude ]

He finds you interesting rather than amusing like he finds Athanasia

He has somewhat unrealistic standards for how children are supposed to act and, while you act in a way that's much more ideal for his preference of silence, your sister is the complete opposite

He finds himself wondering what was different in how the two of you grew up if you were both raised by Lilian but likes to test you in less than conventional ways

Your bluntness is almost unnerving to him at times, he doesn't know how to feel about someone who acts so similar to him, but, at least at the beginning, he does like to force you into uncomfortable situations, just to see how you'd fair not to mention using it as a way to try and force the bluntness out of you

He finds it amusing when your survival instincts kick into overdrive when you're already trapped in a survival mindset but perhaps that's only because of the lack of control he seems to be able to exert over you. You're so precise with what you say and yet it makes him feel less and less like he's the one in control of the situation

He can tell, even with how you act, that you're in a constant state of a survival mindset so he likes to put you into dangerous situations a tad bit more than Athy but comes to try and protect you more than Athy once he begins to care for the two of you because of it

Something about the way that you seem to act like a cornered animal yet keep so composed, makes you seem all the more fragile to him

[ Athanasia ]

She's honestly a tad bit scared of you

She doesn't realise that you too have been reincarnated until much later down the line, too caught up in what your presence might do to her future with her perceiving you to be much too similar to the man that she's trying to avoid meeting

You're highly intelligent and you're prefect at manipulating the situation which makes her feel somewhat scared that you might want her out of the equation until she realises that she could try and win you over in some way like she did with Claude

You're more than aware that she's taking advantage of the situation and you but you can't come to care when she's helping you stay in Claude's good graces, as much as you keep messing up with your bluntness

She feels a little guilty, before she knows that you've reincarnated as well - only seeing you as another obstacle that could bring her harm - that she's been using you the entire time but she doesn't realise that you're doing the same

She tries, as she continues along the story, to get close with you as her sibling but is met with a wall every time. She never does give up though, becoming something of an annoyance to you in a way that only Lucas can relate to

It's a give and take relationship, both of you never really admitting to caring about either one as you both just try and survive but she comes to sympathise really heavily once she realises that she's not the only ones who's been entirely aware the whole time

[ Anastacius ]

Anastacius honestly sees you as a thorn in his side. An interesting one but a thorn in his side nonetheless

When he plans, he doesn't take you into account, not expecting you to be intelligent enough to see through any of his plans and not having predicted your presence at all. He only knew you existed when you wanted him to and you would otherwise slip his mind

It was horribly frustrating that he could seem to figure you out and neither could Aternitas

He works around Athanasia because he's heard about how intelligent she supposedly is for a child but you're more toned down in that sense, detached even as a child and spoken much less about. How hard did he have to try to find out anything about you from only vague rumours?!

Even as you grew up, you stayed cold and short with people, too intelligent for a child and too competent even by an adult's standards

He finds it funny almost, so much so that it reminds him of himself and Claude. What else did he expect from his brother's child?

Do not repost or claim. Only reblog 💗

#wmmap #who made me a princess #wmmap claude #wmmap anastacius #wmmap athanasia #wmmap hc #wmmap headcanon #who made me a princess headcanon #who made me a princess x reader #wmmap x reader #claude de alger obelia #athanasia de alger obelia #anastacius de alger obelia #spoowrites

[stuckasmain]

An interesting note about the movie is the way it approaches violence, there’s a bunch of interpretations already and I’m by no means the first. However, what I’ve noticed in my last few rewatches was how the film seems to take violence as a learned thing rather than an inherent human trait. (A much more common interpretation broadly).

In the book it’s much more clearly laid out but the group of man apes we follow are on the brink of dying out. They’re starved and a bit behind, the land they rely on to forage is bleak and picked through. They’re weak from starvation and overall very passive as even herbivores seem to knock them about and do better. There’s no memory, no thought really— they can’t go far even if the thought occurred to them. It is only through the monoliths influence that they begin to pick up tools, to hunt and fight and truly live instead of barely surviving. Now, violence was not introduced by the monolith - we see clearly the world around them is full of it— nor would tools be never used if not for its influence. It merely sped along the process, utilizing the time these man apes did not have. As the natural evolutionary time it would take them to realize this wouldn’t be met this group would starve before hand.

On the discovery we see a similar case of passivity, this time in the modern evolved man. This time the world surrounding them is not nearly as harsh and dangerous— in fact it’s coddling! While the nature of space travel is a incredible risk we see their world is comfortable and abundant. They have all the food, water, air, shelter they would need— in fact this world could operate very well on its own without them at all. Their position, unknown to them- or perhaps known deep down- is arbitrary. Hal is sort of like an all encompassing mother- their provider and world. They have no need for violence, though they know of it and are capable of it. In this case it is not the monolith’s influence but own instinct. This time man has the proper drive for survival and the tools to ensure that it lives.

On the discovery violence is influenced by circumstance- self preservation. Both from Hal (with additional influence of illness) and Frank and Dave. Interesting both the human and computer sides have the same goal: preservation of the mission and preservation of the self.

However evolved it shows there’s still a sense of primitive nature to the species as when a problem arises violence quickly becomes the only solution. Like with the ape men Dave and Frank must quickly abandon passivity when the land around them begins to fail (Hal, their world malfunctions. Just as the land around the apes is dead). They can no longer be a dependent. You can’t leave mother so you must kill her in this case.

To tie this back to- something- I was going somewhere initially. I think it shows a part of both the monolith’s plan but also a general lesson. To evolve past violence you must first know it.

There’s nuance to this, especially when comparing these examples of violence for survival vs. the more irrational type (war, countries fighting) examples we see later on. However I want to keep this brief so I can remain writing something coherent but the eventual idea is that humanity will evolve even past necessary violence into something like Dave becomes (again book has a whole thing on the alien theory. Strictly 2001 speaking)

#2001 a space odyssey #2001 aso #dave bowman #frank poole #hal 9000 #2001 meta #fandom essay #the monolith #metaphor #symbolism #interpretation #meta

[goliig68]

19 days fic rec

Recommending some of my favourite fics cuz why not! (With no particular order! I'm just starting from the first fic I read until the recent one)

I'm Not A Prostitute by traceytries

( E | 137,970 | 21/? )

He Tian and Red become fuckbuddies. This is an excuse for a whole lot of sexy times and the eventual feelings that come with it.

Note: my comfort fic for real❤ ( ch 10, 20 and 21 screaming at me BITCH WHAT COMFORT????) no but seriously, I really love this fic, a great combination of smut, angst and feelings. Would 100% recommend it 👌

nothing's gonna hurt you, baby by powerandpathos

( M | 50,318 | 7/7 )

Guan Shan's father leaves his family for work in New York at the beginning of the First World War — and is never heard from again.

In the autumn of 1928, thirteen years later, Guan Shan makes his own way to lower Manhattan's Little China to find him, with only the name of the man who signed his father's contract.

When he finds himself falling into the world of America's Roaring Twenties and Tong Wars, and everyone he meets is not quite as they seem, finding his father turns out to be much more complicated than he’d thought.

Note: this fic is a novel quality, like God I'm speechless. I love all the 30s vibe I got from this fic. I love everything about this fic. plot, dialogues and characterization everything about it is awesome.

Aphorism by powerandpathos

( E | 124,529 | 38/38 )

Jian Yi fell back into Zhengxi's life as if he had never gone; He Tian wanted Guan Shan in his and for him to never leave. But this isn't middle school, and they are no longer children, and nothing is that simple anymore.

Note: so angsty, so beautiful. A true masterpiece. I really cannot explain with words that how beautiful this fic is. I really loved how peaceful ending was. Just read it you won't regret it.

unstoppable force // immovable object by welcome2atlantis

( M | 78,173 | 9/? )

Mo Guanshan's latest contractual obligation is He Tian, mafia brat and resident pain in the ass. Only, it's less Mo working security, and more Mo playing nanny and trying to out stubborn his client.

or

Bodyguard!Mo suffers through He Tian's antics and accidentally falls for him in the process.

Note: a funny but also angsty story. I really love the interaction between characters, they really close to the canon (in my opinion) basically he tian is insufferable and guan shan suffers from that 😂 but also guan shan is gay and he tian is sexy and again guan shan suffers from that😂😂 some mental health issues will be discussed in this fic, so be warned if it triggers you.

Still Tripping Over You by AtomicNebula13

( E | 13,733 | 2/2 )

“Little Mo, don't drink anymore.”

The words fall on deaf ears as the slimmer man tries to keep his hold on the bottle but He Tian manages to wrestle it from him, causing some of the liquor to dribble down the redheads chin and neck. Mo stumbles a bit, unsteady on his feet but He Tian's arm wraps around his back to help him regain his balance.

“Stop drinking okay?” He Tian whispers into Mo's ear, knowing that if he doesn't stop him, the other man will most likely get sick. Mo is already sure to have a raging hangover tomorrow.

Bracing himself for harsh words or for Mo to push him away, he is taken aback when Mo clutches onto him, burying his flushed face into He Tian's neck.

Words are slurred out, muffled by his position so He Tian has to hold Mo closer to catch them.

“Chicken dick He... came back?”

Note: a hot, sexy, smuty fic🔥🔥 I'm shamelessly hoping something like this happens in the next Xmas chapter but china's censorship laws...😒 anyway! Just read it, the sex scene is very hot and detailed!

doubtful redemptions by figglypudding

( E | 20,979 | 2/5 )

“I won’t pepper you with personal questions. I won’t offer unsolicited advice or judgment. And I’ll play by your rules.”

His hand slid up from Mo’s wrist to wrap around his angry fist, bringing it towards him until its knuckles rested against his curving mouth. “And in exchange, you'll allow me to show you what it’s like to have a client that actually cares about your pleasure.”

*FORMERLY TITLED these violent delights*

Note: a dark and agsty au. I really love the description of characters, places, surroundings and everything and I'm really curious to know how the relationship between he tian and mo will develop! Please pay attention to tags and author's notes, when I said it's a dark au I really mean it! (Please check out author's other works in 19 days fandom! They are all great, and author has a great talent in writing hot and detailed smut scenes 🔥👌)

Found in Translation by mgsdays (regencyaus)

( T | 11,890 | 1/1 )

They meet on a train, going through a rural area in China. He Tian's feeling disillusioned with his brother and is running from the business meeting he's supposed to be in in Shanghai. That's about the time the hot redhead enters the train car and sits opposite him, murmured 'scuse me falling quietly from his lips.

One problem. Well, two: the guy is on the wrong seat. He Tian knows that he is because He Tian bought out every seat in the train car. He has no way to let the guy know that, considering He Tian doesn't speak a word of Chinese besides ni hao and his own name.

Which leads to problem two: redhead is breathtaking, fucking beautiful, and has an attitude to boot, and He Tian really, truly needs to make out with him, which will be difficult, considering, yeah, He Tian doesn't speak a word of Chinese besides ni hao and his own name.

He has a few hours on this train. It's going to be a long ride.

Note: so cute and wholesome💞 I was smiling the whole time reading it. I literally laughed when he tian was trying to show mo that they should kiss😂 really loved it!

lanterns on the lake by powerandpathos

( T | 17,760 | 1/1)

‘Will you kiss me?’

He Tian’s mouth opens, and he searches Guan Shan’s face, looking for something. He hasn’t taken a single step forward.

‘You’re really drunk,’ he says eventually.

‘So you won’t.’

‘Ah, fuck. Guan Shan.’ He chuckles without humour and scratches the back of his neck. ‘Listen to yourself—you barely let me touch you in case someone sees and now you want me to kiss you? That doesn’t make sense. It makes me feel a bit used, to be honest.’

Guan Shan pulls on a defiant expression. ‘Do you care?’

‘You won’t like me if I say no, so I’m going to say nothing.’

Note: oh man, wish I could add every fic written by powerandpathos here... this fic is so amazing, so angsty. I nearly fucking cried, I couldn't with all of feelings put in this fic, like, oh my god. Just read it, That's all I have to say.

fire and the flood by fayre

( M | 33,643 | 5/35 )

At this point, Guan Shan is no longer sure if it’s in his nature or if it’s been nurtured by the war.

After all, you can only nurture the best of the best when the world is slowly coming to a fucking end.

 or: Pacific Rim AU, in which Guan Shan is a hopeless recruit, He Tian is a legacy more than anyone can handle, and the world is crashing down around their ears faster than they can process. It's a matter of finding something worth fighting for — but their futures are slipping through their fingers with every passing minute.

Note: this is like...my all time favourite au. Just seeing the "Pacific rim au" made me drop whatever I was doing and read this for the rest of day. And now I'm HOOKED and I'm thinking about this fic every day. I Don't know if author has any plans continuing this fic or no so enjoy what there is for now :')

True north by fayre

( M | 34,946 | 4/? )

“Do you think I’ll kill you?”

He Tian swallows. Says, “Not particularly.”

A pause. The night swallows them whole, relentless, and He Tian wishes it’d do a better job at hiding the expression Guan Shan shows him now.

“Do you think I should?” Guan Shan asks him.

“That’s not my decision to make.”

“But it was,” Guan Shan says, voice rough. “That night. I think you should’ve killed me. I think it would’ve been easier.”

And He Tian, staring at the ceiling, his spine digging into the floorboards, and far too aware of those amber eyes piercing him through the dark, says: “I think so, too.”

Note: a shapeshifter, historical fantasy au. I think about this fic every day too :') I'm literally dying to know how the relationship between he tian and guan would develop. Between two enemies who only know how to interact with their claws and arrows.

Vulnerability by powerandpathos

( E | 7,811 | 1/1 )

He Tian and Guan Shan try something new (aka bottom!He Tian)

Note: I know that not everyone are a big fan of bottom!He tian, but if you're like me, like to see he tian in vulnerable and submissive positions, then this fic is for you😈

desecration by fayre

( M | 29,719 | 5/11 )

It couldn’t have meant so little, stardust in the face of planets. It couldn’t have meant so little because, if it did, Guan Shan would no longer be able to recognize himself as the person he became in the aftermath. He’d be hollowed out, stripped of the lessons learned and the perspectives changed like loose threads on a tapestry being pulled apart. He couldn’t bear the thought that all of this — the fighting, the understanding, the falling, the loss, the violent and unceremonious unearthing — had been for nothing.

It was too painful to have been for nothing.

 or: seven years later, he tian and jian yi return home. everyone has some healing to do.

Note: forget everything from Xmas special chapters. This is, this is the shit. This is the real angsty shit. That kind of angst that breaks your heart and you can hear the shattering. I have to check the tags every time to make sure it's happy ending😭 ( read everything written by fayre, all of their fics are beautiful and well written)

fairy tales by powerandpathos

( M | 18,001 | 1/1 )

‘You’re looking for a way out,’ he says quietly. ‘You think I’m everythin’ you're not. Free to say what I want, be where I want to be. None of it’s real.’

‘You make it easy to feel like it is.’

Guan Shan nods. Knowing he’s only met Prince He Tian three times, and knowing the truth of it is inexplicable, he says, ‘So do you.’

Note: AHHHH I really love this fic, it's really beautiful🥹💞 Prince!he tian falling in love with guan shan at the first sight. It's a beautiful royalty au.

I hold you, you hold me by Asfodel

( T | 4,434 | 1/1 )

He Tian, tall, handsome, dapper He Tian could be considered great in a lot of areas. People around him praised his manners, his perfect grades, his hand writing was neat, he was athletic, eloquent, charming and self-aware enough to be absurdly confident. Guan Shan would add that he was also excellent at being a pain in the ass.

Sleeping, however, wasn’t his forte.

-

Or He Tian has nightmares but he also has Guan Shan.

Note: this fic is really beautiful, wholesome and lovely 😭💞💞 it's also very underrated, please go read it, it literally swooned my heart ❤

Aaaand that's all! I wanted to add every fic I've read but it's already getting too long so I added the ones I really, really liked! But please read every fic written by these authors, every each of them are great and talented authors, and they have written great fics for 19 days fandom! Thank you to all authors out there, yall are amazing and I love you😭❤🫂

#19 days #fanfic #19 days fanfic #tianshan #zhanyi