#I'm happy I manage to make him really simplistic in this one!

[the-fierce-dog]

#Lucky #a quick doodle #I'm happy I manage to make him really simplistic in this one! #I like to imagine that his twin sis has green eyes so he now has hazel #Sheltie-retriver mix #Survivors erin hunter #Survivores #survivor dogs

[double--blind]

(SPOILERS) Ashley, self-esteem, and starvation

So, I adore Ashley. She's this intensely toxic, vicious, cruel, manipulative girl, and her psychology gives me hella brainworms. Andrew's not the only one whose head I wanna crack open and root around lol. She's thrown away the world just to keep her brother by her side, and she'll continue to do worse and worse for the same reason. She's pretty awful! I've been thinking about why, though. How did things get so bad? How did her soul get so dark?

We don't know everything (I'm waiting for those new eps patiently aND CLAWING AT THE WALLS AND FROTHING AT THE MOUTH but whatevs y'know whatevs I'm normal. I'm fine), yet what information we have been given is bumping around my brain like a DVD screensaver on hyperdrive

It's clear from the start that the roots of Ashley's issues lie in her horrible, neglectful upbringing, but it's hinted that even those outside of her family felt the same abt her. I'm lowkey even betting we'll learn later on that she was ostracized by her peers somehow. However, what's most disconcerting, I believe, is how little she was when the results of this alienation are first made apparent to us (bc kids aren't dumb; they notice this stuff oftentimes instinctively, impossibly young, before they even know what it means to be hated), and how devastating the consequences were.

(There's something decidedly childish abt her dream sequence in the "questionable" route—filled with crayon scribbles and rabbit plushies, the metaphors simplistic yet profound—which really hammers in how these sentiments are things that have made a home in her since childhood. Formative subconscious truths.)

Growing up unloved and noticeably unwanted by virtually everyone around her likely left her with a gaping hole in her heart that she'd spend the rest of her life trying to fill. She'd make friends, but she'd always worry that they'd leave her, that they'd betray her, nothing tangible or weighted enough in their connection to trust in its persistence. Why should she expect otherwise? Not even being bound by familial ties ensures affection if her parents are any indication.

Every lesson she'd ever learned had always taught her this: you are easy to abandon. You cannot love and be loved by virtue of your own worth.

You have to rip their affection from their clenched hands if you want it so bad.

This understanding carries with it an undercurrent of degradation, instilling within Ashley a constant, biting inferiority complex which will never fail to be a source of insecurity. She will always be put last. She was difficult to raise, so her parents gave up on raising her. She was difficult to get along with, so her friends gave up on getting along with her.

It's an odd cycle. She's difficult bc she needs to be to get attention, but bc she's difficult, she can't keep it. Not without having whatever fondness she's managed to cultivate within someone fray at the seams, volatile and prone to collapse, bleeding toxicity.

Hence, her relationship w/Andrew.

By being the only reliable constant in her life, caring for her and keeping her company, Andrew essentially became her only source of happiness, and she's since learned not to bother with anyone else. Still, it's dangerous to keep all your eggs in one basket; since he is all she has, she must protect her place in his life with even greater ferocity, which becomes a torturous ordeal when coupled with her damaged self-esteem.

It's apparent in her quarrels with Andrew that she needs constant reassurance that she is wanted in some capacity or perceived in some positive light (getting pouty when Andrew says he's "stuck with her", needing to hear that she's pretty, needing him to "choose her", wanting him to say he loves her back, etc. etc.), yet her insecurity remains, bc unlike her, he's got options. She doesn't think he needs her like she needs him. He's got a gf, their parents love him, her friends love him. Why would he settle for her? What if someone better comes along? Someone she can't scare away?

Wouldn't he just leave her like everyone else?

Even before getting locked in the coffin of their apartment, starvation's been a constant theme in Ashley's life. She's constantly aching for love, and Andrew's the only one who can feed her. When you're forced to fight for a bite to eat or suffer every moment you hunger, you become ravenous—covetous—when faced with food; you don't want the hunger to return, so you lock down the source of your sustenance, wary of its retreat. Ashley's in a permanent state of intense insecurity, always anxious that the love that gives her life will leave her.

Andrew knows Ashley better than anyone else in the world, and it's obvs to everyone and him how desperate Ashley is for him, but I don’t think Andrew has truly, consciously processed the depth of that desperation. It's there buried in his head somewhere no doubt, but rn, he doesn't operate w/the direct awareness that he is everything. He is brother, mother, friend, and soulmate. He is life and love, air and water, everything that is good in the world—everything that there is to justify existence.

It's heartbreaking, in a way, that it's so difficult for Andrew to convince her of his loyalty. This goes further than his tendency to hide his true feelings, bc when push comes to shove, he's at her beck and call. Objectively, he's hers. She doesn't see that bc all she sees is all the ways she can lose him.

So, she gets bratty. She gets pushy, possessive, territorial. Manipulative. Gets under his skin, guilts him to exhaustion, bc she can't see him staying any other way, bc he doesn't get it, bc it works. He bends to her will, for her sake. For now. It's always "for now", bc he'll start slipping away again, and then it'll get worse. She does worse.

Becomes worse.

#honestly??? it's bc he's everything to her that the decay ending where she shoots him is so messed up #so much sadder #I've got something abt that in my drafts somewhere #it might not see the light of day so I'll just say: #imo she isn't shooting Andy‚ she's shooting Andrew #bc if he's so far gone he'd kill her #then her beloved is already dead #the coffin of andy and leyley #tcoaal #ashley graves #coffincest #character analysis #txt post #this is all my interpretation btw hope no one presumes I'm pushing these analyses as fact #to the ppl who read these ty.... you have my heart...... 🫶

[medicallymercury]

And Another One - Casualty Hiatus Thoughts - 2/?

I'm still ill but I went into uni anyway like the brave little soldier that I am! (Every night, I decide that all the work that I need to do can be done “tomorrow” but we’re rapidly running out of those until the deadlines. I have lost my train pass and student ID. All I’ve listened to all day is the demo version of Geyser by Mitski. Vague sense of doom.) I got myself some Tesco Finest cookies on the way home. I’m just complaining here. 

I'm back for more already, seems like I've opened the floodgates but this one won't be as lengthy as the other one was. Genuinely sorry I can’t shut up. I thought I was done for a while but I put an episode from series 36 on in the background thinking that I'd be able to do stuff while it played but got distracted by my opinions.

Potentially all over the place again, though this one does manage to be mostly about the series 36 mother-hell storylines. So there's a theme. Warning - I started going off about Dark Room which has a lot of transphobia in it and that’s part of what I talked about.

I really don’t know how I feel about the resolutions of Sah and Teddy’s storylines with their mums. Okay, we already know I'm about to be going on about Sah and Teddy's mother problems storylines but I'm sure there are other characters who this is/isn't applicable to - feel free to let me know about it. As a recap: it’s kind of hard for me to figure out how to describe exactly what happens at the end of Friends Like These, but if anyone has ever seen that quote that’s like “I tried to ask my parents to leave the room, but not my life”, Teddy asks Gaynor to leave the room and she leaves his life. A couple months later a patient situation causes Teddy to call his mum (and that is not brought up again when he gets trapped in a mine in the next episode) and also we are left to assume that all is fine now. Pretty simplistically, in Enough, Sah and Jools talk it out after Kevin has another stroke and then they are also just portrayed as being okay forever by the end of that episode. 

I can absolutely believe that these characters, sad and work-stressed and not always the most emotionally mature, would forgive their mothers. I don’t even disagree with it happening on a story level because I think it could make for a really good development in those stories, or even just a less-than-happy ending. What I don’t enjoy is how these endings are presented as being happily-ever-afters and that everything is supposed to be fine now because they’ve forgiven/reconciled with their mothers who haven’t really done anything to deserve it. Jools is objectively neglectful, and telling Sah they were always enough does not make up for that. I think Gaynor’s behaviour is emotionally abusive; she’s controlling his life, emotionally manipulating him, she’s trying to even limit his contact with people other than her (and she has been doing this, he “wasn’t allowed friends”). Unless I'm wrong, we don’t see or hear from Gaynor at all between Friends Like These and We Need To Talk About Ollie. I don’t doubt they love their kids but that doesn’t make them good parents, and it’s not on their kids to be doing the work to improve the relationships. If we’re getting these forgiveness endings then Jools and Gaynor need to put more effort into proving they’ve changed. Or (and I'd probably find this more interesting cause I'm mean). Forgiveness needs to be presented as something that isn’t this simple happy ending because it doesn't feel like that in these circumstances. I respect the potential misery of the undeserved forgiveness, I love misery for them, especially when they’re both in mother-hell together, I am mean. But if you want to give them a happily-ever-after, keep them away from their mothers or make their mothers do the work. 

They make Sah be the bigger person way too much, actually. In Dark Room, why does Sah have to be nice to Scott when Scott deserves to get re-beaten to a pulp? I don’t care that his mum is also terrible. Not only did he bully them when they were teenagers, he tried to ruin their whole life as a fully grown adult. Their mum is terrible as well and you don’t see them acting like that. They don’t need to be the bigger person and try to help Scott and his also terrible mother, they need a weapon of mass destruction. Also, why is Sah’s deadname used so excessively in series 36? Or at all? Ever? I’m sure there were ways around the audience ever needing to actually know what it was, even if they felt like the story required the implication of characters using it. Another potential Casualty hot take, maybe? I don't think Sah's dad is all that great of a parent either. Obviously it is entirely Jools' fault that Sah has to be his carer at such a young age, he had no control over that and Jools is definitely the worse parent, but getting back with Jools without telling Sah, cancelling plans with Sah to go on dates with Jools, excusing Jools’ pretty transphobic remarks and acting like Sah has to forgive Jools because he has really isn’t great. They were right when they said “it’s not just you she left”. IT’S! NOT! JUST! KEVIN! SHE! LEFT! It annoys me that Casualty is like ‘this action will have consequences’ about that scene because Sah is right. The only person I truly like from Sah’s pre-joining-Casualty life is Bill Phillipsen (and his dead wife) and he died. I knew you very briefly/not at all but I miss you Bill and Jean <\3

This post is absolutely the post for me to start getting into the connections between the mother-hell storylines but I won’t in full. They are kind of this pair of opposites, not just on this wider level of overinvolved mother vs uninvolved mother, there are a lot of patterns I’ve noticed in the episodes and the dialogue. I’d find them all now but it's 2am and I need to be awake at 8am at the latest so I’m putting off compiling that list for another day. Some faves that I can remember off the top of my head: opposite Jan advice scenes, Gaynor really struggling to say she’s proud of Teddy even though he really wants her to while one of the first things Jools tries to say to Sah is that she’s proud of them and they tell her not to, “you won’t see me back if I go” vs “I’m back now if it’s not too late”. I really like these connections, that's why I'm so passionate about what I don't agree with in these storylines.

I didn't mention this in my last post but I got my hands on a bootleg of The Play That Goes Wrong with Milo Clarke as Max and it's very enjoyable. I've been meaning to watch TPTGW at least since I watched both series of the show, probably longer, and I succumbed to the Casualty brainrot and and had to see his version. All I'll say: He really knows how to play aunt based nepotism and situations that could be solved with polyamory.

Based on when one of the episodes is set to air, I don’t think we’ll see Casualty back until about December 30th, unless we are gonna have another break between episodes once it comes back. I don’t really care that much and also, Christmas/New Years episode? The most recent Christmas episode was that one where they were like “what if it was last year?” back in 2021 and that’s always been a weird choice to me. I just want a silly little festive one, normal Casualty episode featuring carol singing and tinsel and the implication of a really intense staff party (we will never get the Sah/Teddy Christmas party of my dreams, not this year cause they’re in the current situation, not last year cause no Christmas episode and also the stuff with Jan was happening then, not the year before…). The only thing that bothers me about the hiatus is the inevitable time skip, so much time will have elapsed in universe by the time it comes back so I feel like we will have missed a lot of the immediate aftermath of stuff that happened at the end of Driving Force.

#mitski may not know it but her music is about the questionable relationships in the pretend hospital #you're my number one. you're the one i want. and i've turned down every hand that has beckoned me to come. so true mitski #geyser is such a good song. I WILL BE THE ONE YOU NEED THE WAY I CAN'T BE WITHOUT YOU. #shilling for mitski cause my love mine all mine got popular and i want people to listen to her other songs thanks for noticing #bbc casualty #casualty #shoelace fandom #teddy gowan #sah brockner

[willel]

Lonnie and Neil are portrayed as simplistic and phobic characters, there is nothing going on for them lol. At least in Billy's case, we knew he was abused and there was some background there. Brenner is portrayed as a bad scientist guy but he's given more character to him in this season. What do Lonnie and Neil going on for them aside from being bigoted and dead beat fathers? Cannot even say you want some sort of 'happiness' for them when they are just portrayed as dick fathers

I have no interest in Neil because the show has not really made me care about Max's family dynamics outside of the fact that Billy is her personal antagonist and she fears him before and after his death. The only purpose Neil had was to demonstrate how he has crafted his son to grow up and be exactly like him, just as his father probably did to him, and his father before that.

Lonnie interests me because I care a lot about the Byers family dynamics and the role Lonnie plays in their life. Even though Lonnie hasn't been around since season 1, his behavior in the past echos throughout Joyce, Jonathan, and Will. It just... captivates me. I need to know more. I want to know more. This may also be because I relate to the Byers family the most so I'm just more invested in them.

I think Brenner was a great villain, I'm glad he can no longer actively give El more trauma. She still has many chains, but at least one has been released.

All that said, it's no the villains themselves that are interesting. It's their relationship and affect on the hero characters that make things so juicy.

Do I need a backstory on Lonnie's childhood? No. Do I need a backstory on how the hell he managed to win Joyce over and have two kids with her? Hell yeah!

Do I need to know how Lonnie acted when he still lived with his family just to see how bad it was? Hell yeah!

Do I want to see the moment Joyce finally booted his ass even though I probably won't get that? Hell to the yeah!

Do I want to see Lonnie come back just so that Will can give him the middle finger! Well, heck yeah!

So yeah. I don't care if Lonnie is happy. He can die in a ditch for all I care. But boyyyy do I love the character purely because of the drama and angst he brings to the table. And the ditch he dies in? It should be a ditch that Joyce, Jonathan, and Will dug just for him so that they can push him in and bury him <3 That right there is true happiness.

Does that answer your question anon? To be honest, I feel like your insinuating I'm a fan of Lonnie (or Neil. Ew) but I'm not. I'm an active and proud Lonnie hater. He's one of those rare characters that you LOVE to hate. Like "Damn, this guy suck so much. I want to see him again just to see him suck more."

I don't feel that way for Neil because like I said, can't say I'm that interested in Max's family dynamics (the show could've done more with it imo)

I sorta felt the same way about Brenner? But honestly, he gives me the creeps moreso than Lonnie. I'm not sure if I love to hate him because he's just that creepy.

I know a lot of people find Billy's villainy interesting, but I also can't say he's a case of "love to hate". He's just... there I guess.

But Lonnie? It's so easy to hate him. Enjoyable even. Perfection.

#stranger things #lonnie byers

[atlasifyllm]

bored rn so here's highlights from my concept art folder

i can't tell if ciel is majorly different but this is definitely beta colors for nila; ig she was more purplish and light colored, and originally SHE would be the one with dual colored hair

sage color tests! i think sage itself is a very greenish-gray color so sage's color scheme reflected that. i know this should be a mix of me and my buddy (purpleheartemoji) playing around with colors

oriole! it was my buddy (purpleheartemoji) who designed him first i think, and funnily enough he wouldve been a blonde lmao. i didnt wanna rely on a brown/orange color scheme TOO much bc the pyrrhics are all meant to have a little gray in their color scheme; granted, i redesigned him again later but the vibes were There

alpine i wanted to definitely be a boy since i didnt wanna imply that pink souls were only female, but i also didnt want him to just look like a male rose. i dont think he went through MAJOR design changes since i knew exactly what kind of vibe i wanted to go for, but it's hilarious to see how many color palettes i used to make him

+ bonus slight color changes i did for this silly image lol

aureolin! once again having the gray + yellow color scheme, though it seemed to definitely take us a bit to figure out how to do it lol. i'm pretty sure my buddy (purpleheartemoji) also designed him too, but it took both of us to figure out colors

amethyst! i'm very attached to her arc 2 outfit but was constantly blanking out with arc 3 designs. i think i'm happy with the end result (right side of the image) when using her arc 2 outfit as a basis

here's some color tests on cobalt's prosthetic! i was wondering if he should get a paint job at some point, but ehh, i'm not really happy with any of these so far. i havent revisted recoloring his arm since buut anything can happen

here's the base sketch for oriole's eventual redesign! i think i've definitely gotten better at my ms paint concept art style :]

catching up to the present, here's tarum! there's def a few more outfit tests i did in pen + paper, but the file here was meant to be about his color palette

it was very difficult to find a solid definition of "indigo", but i managed to find two that i felt were pretty pleasing! the top palettes are desaturated from the original pic, oop. also, i was debating on tarum's skin tone since he's based off of nox rainbowflare from ETSS, who has albinism but lives in an area that worships the sun. my friend (yellowheartemoji) suggested a darker skin tone since it let their cool colored outfit pop out better :]

i asked for color opinions in a discord server i'm in for tarum, but since colors are subjective i tried to help by putting the cool spectrum (plus violae...?) into one file. i introduced them as "blue, indigo, cool purple, warm purple", and they suggested warming up violae's palette to be a little more distinct from amethyst :o

here's a test on tarum's weapon! very simplistic to draw in ms paint but i wanted a full reference anyway

aaaand that's it!

#atlas speaks; #long post #sul text; #atlas art;

[the-letter-horror-lover]

the tent

AltenVantas

Summary:

Joker didn't know what it felt like to kiss someone, Dagger didn't know how to explain. Demonstrations are often more effective.

Work Text:

The circus music, its vibrant colors, its life and its show. All done to please and mesmerize the public that comes thirsty for magic, for fun and to forget how complicated, mediocre or boring their life outside these colorful tents is.

People come in search of joys, of dreams that they are incapable of having, they come to see a joyful life full of wonders that they themselves cannot live. How foolish are these people, who do not know the pains that are embedded in their mortal souls, after all, despite the fantastic deeds they do at the time of the show, they are still people who have dilemmas and problems, the only difference perhaps is that they learned to soften by making people smile.

Joker is a perfect example of this. Her makeup is always perfect and her smile is always in place, but inside... Oh, inside, there are so many aches and pains from the hard and dry life of someone homeless and forced by their own sense of duty. , to help a person kidnap and train children to satisfy their father, but that's a story for another day. Today, we will see how sometimes the world can surprise us.

The show had just come to an end, as usual, everyone did very well in their respective presentations, not only the Main Cast, but all the people who participated in the presentation, after all Beast had caught a cold and could not participate with his presentation. with Betty and so someone replaced her, although the boy was good, he didn't have the same grace as her in that regard. Or so thought Joker.

The sky was starry outside the main tent, a cold wind hit the redhead's face causing him to give one of his typical smiles, charming indeed, yet somewhat forced to an attentive observer. He started like that, his walk to the tamer's tent, after all he wanted to see her and make sure she was okay before he went to bed, so he could have a more peaceful sleep.

When you reach the entrance, you can see a figure coming out. Obviously it was Dagger, crazy as he was about the woman, he was expected to be the first to come visit her right after her introduction. The Pierrot couldn't help but smile genuinely at the sniper who was coming towards her with his old hyperactive smile.

- So how is she? - Joker began with a really worried expression, she was like a sister to him. – I hope better. – He concluded hopefully.

- Of course it's better. – replied the other with a happy smile. “Tomorrow she might be back with everything, actually, pretty hard to convince her to stay in bed. He ran his hand through his hair, still smiling, although it was to the side. “But I managed to convince her by saying that you would be very angry if she showed up. - He finished giving a wide and victorious smile.

- Really, she wouldn't do anything to antagonize me. He returned the smile to the other. - And, you're right, I would be very angry if she showed up still sick in that ring. – He completed praising the shooter. – Well, is she sleeping?

- Yes, that's exactly why I went out, I didn't want to disturb you in your restorative sleep. – She spoke as she walked further towards her own tent. - She wanted to wait for you, but as it was taking ... - She ended up shrugging.

-I don't really like having to hurt her, but she likes me so much… - She thought aloud as she walked with the shooter. - I don't know what to do to make her understand...

- Wow. - Exclaimed the brunette stopping his walk. – Is that what my ears will pick up? Joker, the great Joker, is saying what he feels? – His tone of voice was mocking, but that was normal for him, the redhead knew he was serious. “I hope the sky doesn't fall on us. - He ended up laughing.

- Don't be so extreme, Dagger. - Commented the presenter simplistically, giving a shy laugh. - I'm human too, you know? I have my moments of weakness.

- Which I've never particularly seen. – The boy added, still smiling. – So why now? - His speech was rather serious, although his smile was present.

-I think ... - He shrugged looking at the brunette with a thin smile. – Just forget it. – He completed waving his hand.

- Now it's the Joker I know. - Answered the shooter jumping on the other.

Inevitably the Pierrot smiled at the other, that was the magic that only the knife thrower possessed, no matter how bad or difficult things were, he would always smile and make everyone else smile, that's why he was special and loved by everyone. Well, some loved it more than others. The redhead didn't really like intimate contacts, but when Dagger was the one who did it...

He sighed, trying to forget the heat that the brunette's body was passing, trying to forget the closeness between them, trying to forget the confused feelings that pass through his body and causing an electrical current to pass through your body awakening each of your cells. He'd barely had time for romance in his life, there was too much pain in his chest for that, but Dagger will get through it without realizing it.

- Hey, bro, are you listening to what I'm saying? – I ask the shooter when he realized that the redhead wasn't listening.

- Sorry. – replied the other with a shy smile. - I was thinking.

- And when you're not? – The other spoke with his smile becoming mocking. “I was saying, I'm not very sleepy, so I was wondering if I didn't want to, chatting away in my tent for a while.

- Sure, why not? - He replied before his mouth could contain itself.

He continued walking, answering in a vague way and sometimes he just nodded in confirmation without saying much. Her body was still warm and electric from their contact, of course they weren't together now, though... Something like that took a while to show and she was wanting more, much more.

- Hey, Dagger, what was your best with a girl? - Asked the Pierrot in an innocent voice.

- Hmm... - Thought the other bringing his hand to his thoughtful lips. – Kisses and caresses a little deeper. – He replied happily. - But, of course you, you've gone further, haven't you?

- No. - He replied in a low and slow way. “I didn't go much further than the hug.

- You're kidding, aren't you? – Her laughter was loud now and the redhead thanked them for being in their tents now. – No, you are not. - He concluded seeing the embarrassment reaching the other's face. – How is that Joker?

-Well, I'm always busy with the introductions and with daddy's things… - He sighed tensely. – Which I've never done much with in terms of relationships.

- Wow, at least you kissed, right? – He asked with disbelief in his voice.

He didn't answer right away, he looked away to the top of the tent trying not to answer right away, however the shooter immediately understood the reason for the embarrassment and so he stopped laughing. He was hyperactive and happy, but he knew when to stop and seeing him embarrassed like that wasn't a very nice thing to do.

- Good. – The presenter resumed. - How it is?

- Which? – He asked a little astonished. – How is what? – He asked not understanding where this would end.

- Kiss. - Said the redhead even more shy. – How is kissing?

- There's no way to answer that. - This time it was the brunette's turn to not know what to do for sure. – It's kind of wet, but at the same time it's good. - I concluded shrugging my shoulders like a shy boy.

- That doesn't explain much. - Said the other in a neutral way. – But could you show me?

- T-Show you? - The brunette spoke a little loudly as if he didn't believe it. – No, not at all!

- Because? - The redhead resumed in an even more shy and low way. – Aren't we brothers? That wouldn't be a big deal, would it?

- Are you crazy, Joker? - The other continued, still exasperated. - When the Beast finds out I'll be dead right? - He got up and started walking in the tent. - Oh, right now I lose her once and for all, right now she won't want anything to do with me anymore. -He was standing looking at the Joker. – No, bro, I'm not kissing him.

- Everything then. - The other said feeling bad, the sniper's denial made his heart hurt. – Whoever asked is no longer here. - He started to get up and went towards the door.

However, tonight was different. Dagger was close to the door, so when the presenter started to head towards the exit, his foot caught on something that was on the floor, probably the brunette's clothes, after all he was a born mess. Without foreseeing this, his body started to fall and only stopped when it collided with his body.

Dagger didn't expect that, maybe that's why he ended up holding his body gently, wrapping one of his arms around the redhead's body, sort of pulling him towards him with a thoughtless act on his part. Ending like this with a minimum distance between their lips, for a second they both stopped breathing.

- I think you can let me go. - The presenter spoke in a low and breathless way to the shooter.

- Ask again. - Was the brunette's answer.

- Kiss Me.

Without thinking again, after all the approach was so great, the electricity running so intense, there was no time to think. Dagger approached his lips to the other in a slow and exciting way, touching the other's in a shy and calm way, he knew he wasn't used to it and that's why he wouldn't go thirsty for the pot, as they say. The redhead parted his lips as he felt the brunette's lips touching his, he didn't know what to expect from this, but it was a start.

Slowly the sniper investigated the redhead's mouth, sometimes playing with his inexperience. The presenter tried to keep up with the brunette, however he ended up not being able to fully keep up, mainly because of his inexperience, but it seemed to amuse him as he played with it skillfully. Dagger pulled the redhead's body even closer to him, pressing the kiss into something more animal and deeper, causing their bodies to activate.

- That was a good thing. - Said Joker, when they parted. – Much better than wet and good at the same time. His smile was real.

- Didn't I say it was? – replied the other smiling. - You did really well for a first kiss. – Said the other, smoothing his hair.

- Thanks. - He thanked the redhead shyly. – I felt disjointed. – He smiled shyly.

- That's how it is, with time you get used to it. – He commented happily. - But I think today you better go back to the tent, don't you?

- Oh yes? – He asked a little confused. – Was that wrong?

- No, it wasn't... - Said the other giving a seal on his lips. - But, I don't want to die at the hands of the Beast and if you continue around here you will end up going beyond the basics and that would be very fast and confusing. His smile was romantic and cute.

- Yes you are right. - The other replied hugging him with affection and giving another quick kiss. - See you tomorrow then?

- No doubt. - He concluded the brunette giving space for the presenter to leave.

Back at night, he felt a gust of wind that caressed his hair and made him smile even more, refreshing his body and uplifting his soul. For the first time in a long time, he felt happy.

#black butler fanfiction

[c4rdsharp]

WHAT DO I LOVE ABOUT MEMECHI'S WRITING ? for some reason , the first thought was that in a sense it mimics the simplistic style of fitzgerald , especially reminding me of the style in gatsby SDCFVGHJKJNHBGVFD I KNOW THAT SOUNDS FUNNY BUT it's simple understanding tones sets the mood well & makes for an enjoyable , easy read. there's no need for flowery prose or liquid golden words , you make a read enjoyable with a simple splay to it , cozy as if you'd settled down with a cup of coffee , a sweet & are about to crack open an old classic & dive in. honestly , compared to the flowery sense of words like poetry , i much prefer the simplistic easily read & capturing sense of word & detail you use. you bring your characters out wonderfully & although i'm luck bias , i really do adore the way you write him. you do bring the whole. what's the word i'm looking for , early 1900s vibe , like i'm watching old mafia movies in a sense , the old classics mixed with like a detective vibe that i couldn't explain why i feel that way when i read your writing if i tried. you have a way of describing facial expressions & painting out the scene. you don't need poetry to make your writing beautiful , it's enjoyable without the flowery context & sparkly words. it makes it's own character & leaves a great impression on you when you read it. i just really love your writing GIMME BOOK TO READ WITH MY COFFEE MEMECHI

     meechi. OH WOW THIS IS REALLY HIGH PRAISE. I'M HONESTLY A LITTLE OVERWHELMED. first of all, this means so much to hear, so thank you for your time in writing this all up and sending it to me! second of all, aaaaaah, i'm so happy to know a lot of my intended vibes for Luck are really coming across to people. In the canon novels, I've always found Luck to have this very noir - esque dialogue. Narita ( the author ) wrote the Gandor - centric novel with much more intent of having it BE like an old mafia story, rather than the crime / urban fantasy mix of the first three novels ( all of Baccano! is inspired by old mafia films, but D&TD took the most inspiration, arguably ). The fact someone who isn't overly familiar with the series manages to catch that from my writing is really wondrous to hear ( it means i'm catching the spirit of Luck's character correctly! ). The 'detective' vibe is really just my own interpretation of his character ; i've always thought he was secretly a noir protagonist trapped as a mafioso. He's definitely got the tortured melancholia for it.      As for it reading like the classics, i've GOT to say, it's been awhile since i've reread any of Fitzgerald's works, but the fact he's still influencing my writing shows just how much of a hold he's got over me. I really can never escape my past as a BSD Fitzgerald apologist, huh? But, tbh, it makes me really happy to hear because the Great Gatsby is still one of my favorite novels, so for me, this is one of the highest goals i could achieve.

what's good about my writing? / @itorisen

#( out of character. ) hold my cards i’m projecting #( ask. ) i’m too tired for the truth #( meme. ) what's good about my writing? #// thanks for the ask! #// <3 #// this is such high flattery #// ESPECIALLY about how i give it such an early 1900's vibe #// i'm so glad most of my aesthetic choices for Luck is evident in the way I write him #// and the fact someone else gets his weird noir detective i was going for makes me so happy #// Narita releases a full noir detective story for Luck when #// but anyway aGAIN TY #// I APPRECIATE THE TIME YOU SPENT ON SPENDING THIS TO ME

[twiceasfrustrating]

A Difference of Opinion

Rating: Teen and Up

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: GN/M

Fandom: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!

Characters: Diavolo, Barbatos, Main Character/Reader

Additional Tags: Yandere, Conniving, formally sick burns all around, parties, antagonistic tension

Summary: You are not one for the galas and parties and soirees that Diavolo holds, but you attend out of politeness and to keep away the other demons that try to get too close to him. Unfortunately, there is someone there that also wants to keep you getting too close.

A/N: My enablers are saying make this a series with parts and building tension and my brain is like.... mayhaps.

Word Count: 1864

Enjoy yourself, he insisted. Diavolo always planned these soirees to the nines to make sure they were absolutely perfect, but you could never follow his wishes. He provided the fancy clothing and tie you wore and the wine you drank, but, instead of enjoying yourself, you spent most of the evening on edge as you watched him flit about from here to there, socializing with the other noble demons that came. You knew those smiles like you knew rain from the sky; it always meant dark clouds were hanging overhead. Every single one of these demons was a liar and manipulator, as was their nature. It just so happened that large oaf of a prince was the one person that couldn't lie to save his life and wore a smile so genuine that looking at it made your cheeks hurt.

But you hated how the other demons touched him so casually or laughed at his jokes as if they weren't just trying to build up favor with the future king. You wondered how many saw Diavolo for the chaotic joy that he was rather than what power he would someday hold? Only you, it seemed. You could almost bash their heads in, but apparently hell had morals and that wasn’t allowed. No, if you wanted to keep those leeches away from your prince you would have to play their game. Thankfully, despite your short time in the Devildom, you knew Diavolo and his good nature better than anyone else; one good move and you could whisk him away from this situation.

You stared down into the flute of wine you had been nursing as you played the wallflower, swirling the red liquid around before sipping at it lightly. When you thought about it for even a moment, Diavolo really was handsome; especially when he smiled so brightly; especially when he finally aimed that smile at you and beckoned you over to join his conversation. You wore your best smile as you raised your glass toward him and began to saunter over.

It was such a shame that you were a clutz born with two left feet, because it meant that Diavolo was staring right at you the moment you stumbled forward and managed to spill your wine all over your white shirt as you corrected your stance. It quickly seeped through the fabric and your chest felt cold where the stain began to form. Some may call such schemes childish or simplistic since anyone who had seen a teenage drama could see right through them, but you thought of them as effective. That quality was proven the second Diavolo pulled himself away from his guests and hurried over to check on you.

"Are you alright?" He was reaching out to take your hand and help steady you before the first words were out of his mouth.

He was far too sweet to be the leader of all demons. He was the only person that could make you smile so genuinely, "I'm fine. I'm just upset that I ruined the shirt you loaned me."

"It's just a shirt. We can replace it." He rubbed a thumb across the back of your hand and you had to wonder if he knew what he was doing to you, "I'm just glad you didn't hurt yourself."

He had to know, right? Even he had to understand what it meant to utter such sweet words to someone. You could practically hear the wedding bells ringing in your ears already as you stared into his eyes.

"We should get you cleaned up before you cat-"

"Young master-"

And there was the one voice that could ruin your happy moment.

Diavolo's eyes turned away from you and toward his ever-faithful butler who was staring as blank-faced as ever at the scene you had been indulging in.

"Is something the matter?'

"They spilled a drink on themselves. I was just about to help them get changed."

Leave it to Diavolo to be your knight in shining armor who would care for you without a moment's hesitation.

"My Lord, it would be terrible manners to leave all of your guests here while you stepped away for something like that."

Shut up shut up shut up shut up!

You wanted to scream at him to butt out of this and go away. Why did he have to ruin your perfect moment?

"I suppose that is true." Diavolo mulled over the thought, "Could you help them instead?"

No.

"If that is what the young master wishes, then I would be happy to oblige." Barbatos bowed to the prince before standing straight and extending an arm to you without another word.

"I appreciate your assistance, Barbatos," you said as you wrapped your hand around his arm, doing your best not to show your rage on your face for the world to see.

He placed his hand over your own, holding you steady in place so he could guide you, "Of course. It would be my honor."

"We can catch up when you get back," Diavolo said.

Oh, there he went making your heart beat again.

Barbatos tugged on you just harsh enough to make a point but light enough that only you would notice it. You could curse him right there if Diavolo wouldn't see you acting so poorly. It seems as though he couldn't wait to lead you through the grand doors and away from everyone else.

Once the large lavish doors of the ballroom closed behind you, the music faded into something far more muted with indistinguishable tones and notes. There were a few demons standing around outside, milling about in the privacy of the hallways and hidden corners so they could inevitably discuss their machinations with one another. You refused to glance their way and acknowledge their existence. As far as you were concerned, they were simply parasites waiting for a host to swim by and latch onto. You would not be that host, nor would you allow them to use Lord Diavolo’s foolish pet project to get closer to him. They could rot in the very hell they created for all you cared.

But the further you and Barbatos walked, the more the other demons thinned out; to the point that it was eventually just you two and the sound of your shoes clicking against the finely polished floors. It was the kind of silence that just dared you to break it.

“It’s rather convenient that you were ready to whisk me away the moment something went wrong.” You looked at him out of the sides of your eyes, “Diavolo is rather lucky to have you.”

“Yes, it is fortunate I was there so Lord Diavolo could attend to his important guests. It would be unfortunate if he was distracted by such a menial task as dealing with someone else’s carelessness.”

“I agree. It would be a shame if he were left alone with all the sharks swimming around him. I sure hope they don’t get a waft of his bleeding heart.”

Barbatos stopped suddenly in front of a door, releasing your arm and opening the door to let you inside, “You may clean yourself up and get changed in here. Now, if you will excuse me-”

As you passed by him to get inside, he tried to turn away from you and back toward where the festivities were taking place, only to have you grab him by his sleeve and hold him in place. His green eyes sparked for a moment as he peered back at you but quickly faded back to neutral as he took in the small plastered smile across your face.

“I believe Diavolo told you to help me, not leave me to my own devices.”

He closed his eyes and returned all of your false charm with his own, “I was unaware you didn’t know how to take care of yourself.”

“Why should I when the future king himself has made his servant available to me?” You leaned against one of the gorgeous ornate dressers in the room and curled your finger into the knot of your tie so you could loosen it and let it fall to the floor.

You almost felt giddy at the barely contained contempt in Barbatos eyes as he watched you, daring you to follow through with your little power play; and follow through you did. You undid the top button of your shirt as you looked straight into his eyes, silently ordering him to obey his lord’s orders and undo the rest for you as you lowered your hands to help balance your weight against the dresser.

He closed the door behind him as he stepped inside, the sound of his shoes tapping against the ground was the only one you needed to know you had both lost and won this battle in equal measure. Neither of you had managed to be left alone with Diavolo, but you had also both managed to get the other one away from him. It was the least satisfying kind of draw.

Although, it was a satisfying loss as Barbatos’ long, slender fingers took ahold of the first button of your wine-stained shirt and slowly began to open them up. You hummed as his hands wandered lower, laughing at how demeaning it must have been to do this for someone he loathed so thoroughly. Although, you pretended that he was simply tickling you; tickling you pink.

As soon as he undid the final button, his fingers brushed against your skin, crawling up your torso and then down your arms. His body pressed against yours as he peeled the shirt off of you, mouth immediately next to your ear as he whispered, “You are quite brave, to allow someone close enough to tear your throat out with their teeth.”

You only removed your arm from the sleeve with a shrug, “Oh dear. What ever would Diavolo say if one of his beloved human exchange students simply vanished? Why, an incident like that could dash all of his hopes for peace between the realms.”

The growl he made in your ear was a slip of his perfect mask that he usually wore so well, and, you could see as he pulled away, it wasn’t just his voice that had slipped out. His horns had decided to make an appearance as well, “You will not be able to hide behind the title of exchange student forever.”

“You’re right. Someday you may be calling me Master instead.” You stood from the dresser, bumping your shoulder into his as you walked toward the only other door in the room, which you assumed must lead to the restroom, “Now be a dear and fetch me something clean to wear while I freshen up. Make sure it’s something that will make your dear Lord Diavolo proud. Alright, Bar~ ba~ tos~?” You practically sang his name just to watch in amusement as he struggled to maintain what little composure he had left.

“Of course,” he said through gritted teeth with the fakest smile you’d ever seen, bowing to you in mockery before stepping out of the room to comply with your insolent demands.

#obey me #obey me diavolo #obey me barbatos #obey me main character #genreless #yandere chronicles #obey me fanfic #swd obey me #obey me swd #mine

[sunflowershouto]

celebrating his birthday - headcanon (iwaizumi)

𝐚/𝐧: i'm kinda late but here's some longish iwa birthday hcs for the soul - leo

𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: fluff, no warnings other than suggestive implications at the end, spoilers for iwa's canon career post timeskip

𝐈𝐖𝐀𝐈𝐙𝐔𝐌𝐈

✰ Usually Hajime likes to be productive in the morning. On a typical day, he'll wake up next to you and relax with you in his arms until his second alarm goes off, then he gets up to shower and make something to eat. ✰ On the morning of his birthday, he cancels the second alarm the second it goes off, and relaxes back into his pillows, pulling you closer against him. ✰ He doesn't ask for much on his birthday, as he doesn't see the point in demanding so much attention, but this is a little thing that he really appreciates. You stay in bed with him past your alarms and he traces patterns across your skin with his fingertips, planting the occasional soft kiss on your cheek or shoulder. ✰ "G'morning..." you mumble, still half asleep as he buries his face in the crook of your neck and lets out a long sigh. He grumbles something incoherent in response, happy to let himself drift back into a comfortable sleep for just this one morning.

✰ After cuddling with him for a good while, you manage to pry yourself out of his arms and head for the kitchen, where you start working on his favorite breakfast.

✰ Usually Iwa cooks for you both if you have breakfast together, and when he hears crackling over the stove and smells food starting to cook, he rolls out of bed and heads to the kitchen.

✰ He comes up behind you and wraps his arms around your waist, and sinks into you, his chin coming to rest on your shoulder. Hajime isn't an unaffectionate person, but he's always extra cuddly on his birthday.

✰ You smile and turn your head to kiss him and tell him that you're making his favorite breakfast.

✰ "You should've let me; this is so much trouble," he tells you, but there's a smile on his face.

✰ "You cook for me all the time, Hajime. Let me return the favor."

✰ (You can't tell me that he doesn't love cooking for you and trying new recipes, especially since as an athletic trainer nutrition would be part of his expertise)

✰ If he goes to work that day, you send him off with a bento and a special note, making sure to put extra effort into preparing it for him.

✰ If it's a weekend, I think Iwa would like to do something low-key. I don't really see him particularly wanting a huge party or all that much attention. He's happy to just go on a date to the rose garden, or to the aquarium.

✰ I could also just see him wanting to stay home all day and sit on the couch watching movies with you, especially if he's had a long week. You'd order takeout and fall asleep on the sofa together with your head on his chest and his arms draped loosely over you.

✰ Sleepy boy Iwa <3

✰ You got him one of those mini cakes, with a single little candle in the middle, and you were super super proud of it. It was fairly simplistic, but had "Hajime" written in icing across the top, and was very cute.

✰ He likes the cake, but what he likes most about it is how you sway back and forth as you sing Happy Birthday to him, a huge smile on your face.

✰ He just likes seeing you happy, and if his birthday is an excuse for that, then he'll gladly take it.

✰ You share his cake together, and then you give him his present.

✰ He strikes me as someone who really likes practical gifts that have an element of thoughtfulness to them. Something that you heard him talking about and remembered to get him.

✰ I think you'd get him some kind of kitchen-ware, like a set of really nice knives and cutting boards. (Iwa is one of the few characters from this show that I would trust with a knife.)

✰ He loves his gift and admires it before sweeping you up in his arms and kissing you, just glad to have a partner like you who thinks of things like this for him, and makes him really love domestic life.

✰ After you clean up your dinner and cake dishes, you and Iwa head to bed and you give him a few last minute gifts before midnight ;)

#hajime iwaizumi #iwaizumi x reader #iwaizumi imagine #haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu imagines #hajime iwaizumi imagine #hajime iwaizumi x reader #hajime iwaizumi fluff #iwa x reader #iwa imagine #iwaizumi fluff #haikyuu scenarios #hq x reader #haikyuu #queue tips!

[nona-gay-simus-main]

Top 10 Worst Tropes in Romance - Part 2

Disclaimer: This is MY opinion, you do you.

Part 1: Here

1. The Child Partner

I’m not talking about literal children, because duh. What I mean is the a person who needs their partner to emotionally parent them.

Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like the whole point of a romantic relationship is to be with an equal. You’re supposed to be teammates, best friends, and lovers.

Of course, I'm not including cases where one partner is disabled or chronically/mentally ill and needs the other to take care of them - that’s an entirely separate thing. 

I'm referring to people (usually cishet men), who constantly need their partner to manage their moods and emotions. They always have some ~trauma~ to manipulate the partner into staying in the relationship in order to keep reassuring them, confirming their self-esteem, and even doing their cooking and cleaning, as if they aren't abled adults with two functioning hands.

That shit sucks!

Imagine doing that for someone all the time and then also trying to have a kid (or multiple kids) with that person. Not only will you be taking care of your actual child; but also - your partner-child. Stop normalizing lazy, emotionally stunted men. That shit ain't cut no matter how hard his abs are or how big his dick is.

2. “I’ve been in love with you since the first moment we met.”

I don’t know what it is about this trope, but it shows up in many romances and it always makes me uncomfortable. How the hell are you supposed to react to that? 

Oh, you’ve been in love with me since the first time we met? Yikes, my dude.

You can’t even fall in love with someone that fast anyway. You're not in love with the person, you’re in love with your idea of them!

The only acceptable version of this is the one where it’s more along the lines “I thought I might fall in love with you if I spent any more time with you.” But other than that, I really don't understand why this is a thing?

3. Lust = Love

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a prude. I’m perfectly fine with couples who have loads and loads of sex. I’m also perfectly fine with casual sex and friends-with-benefits and any other consensual arrangement between adults.

I just get tripped up when pretty much all a couple does is have sex. They have little in common outside of sex, spend little time together when not having sex, and don’t share any hobbies, interests or even conversation topics. Or worse, when they aren’t having sex, they’re fighting. 

If you want your characters to get laid, that’s cool. But if you want me to believe they are also falling in love - you’re gonna have to try a little harder.

4. BDSM = Abuse

Yes, abuse happens under the pretense of BDSM, but BDSM is NOT inherently abusive. It only happens within pre-established boundaries and safe words and with explicit consent. The only people who claim it's abuse, are people who have a vested interest in controlling what women and queer people do with our bodies.

So I really, really hate it when people use “It’s just BDSM, don’t be so uptight” to justify their rapey, abusive love interest’s actions. If the submissive has not already consented, or their consent was obtained through manipulation or intoxication - it’s not meaningful consent.

BDSM is a lot more complex than some of the simplistic catchphrases we use to explain it to the vanillas, and we can discuss those complexities for hours, but at the one thing is definitely true - the Dominant only has as much power as the submissive is willing to give. If they (knowingly) cross a boundary or take power without the consent of the submissive, it’s not power exchange, it’s abuse, pure and simple.

5. "All women want him. All men want to be him"

Really? ALL women? Are you sure?

I hate to tell you this, but some women are exclusively attracted to other women. And some women aren’t attracted to anyone. Some women have low libidos, and some women just don’t prioritize sex and relationships for whatever reason. And some women are in happy, fulfilling monogamous relationships already.

And all men want to BE him? Did you know that some men are attracted to other men? They might want a piece of that too. Or perhaps, they just don’t value being some alpha douchebag and are happy to be their much better-adjusted self. That's a thing.

Can we let this cliché die already? Please?

6. Giving up your dreams for ~love~.

Oh man, this is the worst! And why is it nearly always the woman, who has to make a choice between her career and ~~~LoVe~~?

So many books/movies etc. start with this powerful career woman and then by the end reduce her to nothing but a trophy to her man. That’s not feminist, it just keeps perpetuating the same tired gender roles.

And I can’t help but think about the future of this relationship. What if it doesn’t work out? Then the partner who the dreams were given up for looks like a jerk, even if they never asked for this.

And even if it works out, the partner who gave up their dream job, or opportunity, or whatever, will always have this “what if” at the back of their mind. Over time, they may even end up resenting their SO, especially if things don’t work out for them career-wise.

Just such a bad trope all around. It’s not romantic, it’s toxic, and co-dependant and I want it to stop.

7. He treats everyone like crap ***but you***.

You know the limitus test to see if someone’s a good person? Look at how they treat people who are “beneath” them. Their servers, the cleaning lady, etc.

If this guy treats servers like crap, treats his friends and family like crap, treats everyone like crap, except for the person whose pants he wants to get in (or wants to keep getting in for the foreseeable future), why are we romanticizing him? He’s a selfish jackass.

You can have a grumpy (but ultimately caring and good-natured) character, that's fine. But if he only treats people like humans when it benefits him - that's not sexy, that's sociopathic.

8. Love Cures All

Ahhh, the worst of them all. Truly, having a character who suffers from mental illness or has a major trauma, but oh look, they got some cuddles from the love interest and now they are all good!

Just stop, please. It’s so damaging to the people who are going through this, to tell them that all they need to feel better is ~~~LoVe~~~. And if they aren’t getting better? Well, they just haven’t gotten enough ~~~LoVe~~~!

It’s also damaging to the partner - no one should have this much responsibility on their shoulders.

Obviously, the love of a partner, friends, and family can HELP with the healing process, but it’s not enough by itself. Get them some goddamn therapy, please.

9. Accidental Pregnancy

I don’t know about you, but for most people I know, myself included, accidental pregnancy would be an absolute nightmare, not something romantic.

Do you know how bad my entire generation is doing financially? And people use this as a plot device to strengthen the relationship?

Also, relationships get weaker after having a child, not stronger. Babies are cute when they are sleeping, the rest of the time they are crying, screaming messes. Yeah, why wouldn’t sleep deprivation and constantly hurting everywhere strengthen your relationship? 🙄🙄🙄

10. Violent Men

IRL, violent men are scary, not sexy. Even if the violence is never directed at the love interest, chances are that over time it will be. But even if it’s not, why would you ever want to date someone who has the emotional maturity of a pre-schooler?

Because after pre-school, kids tend to learn to solve their problems with their words. But I guess your love interest hasn’t matured past the age of 6, which coincidentally also leads back to the first trope on this list. Charming.

#write #writer #writing #writing tips #tropes #bad romance #bad romance tropes #top 10 #top 10 list #writeblr #writblr #mine

[adorkable-phoenix]

My Friend May

A Arthur Fleck FanFic

//No warnings besides homeless teen topic

Sweet simplistic fic of a much needed Friend for Arthur Fleck

Homeless Teen OC giving Arthur a sweet escape from his horrible reality. In return he offers the same sort of peace. ❥

Word count - 1,146

It was Sunday afternoon, Arthur's favorite day of the week. For a few reasons, one being he was off the next day. But mostly for having time to talk to a dear friend of his. Although, she was only fifteen. Which some people thought it was weird that she was his friend. He couldn't help it, she was one of the few people that were actually nice to him. She really listened and seemed to want to help him.

Arthur was cleaning off his face. Getting the face paint clean from his skin as fast as he could. Though he skipped out on some that hid in the wrinkles of his face. To finish off getting back to his regular look. His hands brushed into his hair. Ruffling it out, getting rid of hat-hair. Then Athur got up heading out before Randall could get a word in. While exiting the building he stopped by the vending machine. Analyzing what lay inside as he fished his hand into his jacket pocket. His other hand held tightly onto his journal. Not feeling any sort of crinkled bills or the coolness of change. Yanking it out he reached over to his other pocket. Quickly feeling a few bucks within.

A smile spread across his face. The light over the snack machine flickered. As he jammed a slightly creased dollar into the slot. Clicking sounds followed and was back up with a few light thuds. Crouching down Arthur reached in the door less slot. Seems as though the push flap was busted off. Either way he grabbed the snacks he had chosen. Two bags of chips and a honey bun. As he was still crouched he shoved them into his jacket pockets. Always fearful someone would try to steal them. Since people always seemed to take from the scrawny man.

Finally, he made his way down the sidewalk. Soon he approach one of the slimmer alleyways. Hugging his notebook tight to his chest. Arthur took a few steps in the foggy area. Seeing a shopping cart next to a few massive boxes. The sight of that relieved him, clearing his throat lightly.

"M-May?! Oooo Maple!!?" The shaggy haired guy called out in a sweet tone.

This earned him a distant sigh as the boxes lightly shaked. First a bunch of unruly brown hair was seen. Then her entire small frame exited her box home. As she stood straight up next to her shopping cart. She sported her oversized jacket, torn up jeans, and very dirty converse. May had long wavy/curly hair. Surprisingly able to keep it somewhat tamed for living off the streets.

"It's just May, Arthur. Ya know, like the month." She said with a slight smile. As she fixed her jacket a tad.

A yawn escaped her lips as she raised a fist to her eye. Rubbing it gently as she was still waking up. The girl really cherished this friendship. He seemed to actually care and wanted to look after her. While everyone else around her treated her like a nuisance. Still, she always felt a bit embarrassed when he called her, Maple. Which he obviously knew and just loved to make her smile at least.

"C'mon you know why I call ya Maple. Because you always seem to prefer your…" His words trailed off as he reached into his pocket. "...Sweets!" Arthur exclaimed. Presenting her the honey bun he got from the machine.

The sweet toothed girl's eyes practically glowed. She met him halfway and snatched the delicious treat. May always got so excited when he brought her treats. The wrapping crinkled and caused a loud ruckus. As the small individual was about to tear open the packaging. However, she stopped and looked up at Arthur. "Arthur…I can't— I can't take this from you. You already have given me enough in the past."

He shook his head and smiled. "N-No, I'm perfectly fine. Plus you need to eat and keep your strength." His raspy voice comforted the girl. Very gently he placed a hand on her back. Giving her a sense of 'everything will be okay'. The tiny girl stared up at him and cracked another one of her bright smiles. They then both walked over to her box fort. Still feeling a bit bad for him spending his hard earned cash on her. She did her best not to think too much about her situation.. Shaking her negative thoughts away. The girl shifted gears and put on a genuine grin. Really wanting to give her friend a thing he truly needed. Some happiness, which she was proud to give him. So she turned the topic to something not saddening.

"Since we last spoke I made some improvements! You have to check this shit out!" She announced to her friend. Jamming the honey bun in her pocket for now.

Getting on her hands and knees, she crawled into the fort. Calling for Arthur to follow her in. He faintly chuckled as he got low to get in with her. Of course it was cramped and there wasn't any furniture. But she managed to find a flashlight to light up her cozy little home. May sat in the corner and carefully spread her arms out. In a 'ta-da' type of pose. Arthur sat a few inches from her and looked around. He did find it very cozy and comforting. The closed-out feel of her home brought a safe feeling. Arthur couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe it was the fact it just felt like they were in an entirely new place. A place where no one could get to them. So private and secluded from the harsh society. The more time passed, the more he happy he felt there.

"This is amazing Maple! Now I can share my jokes with you in secret." Arthur smirked playfully putting a finger over his lips. As if his jokes were supposed to be top secret. He moves over in a cautious manner. Sitting across from her, criss crossing his legs. Hunching over lightly as he opened up his journal. Sound of him flipping through the pages filled her fort. May smiled in a warm sort of fashion. Since she enjoyed hearing his passion with the jokes he told her. Whether they were funny to her or not. May just enjoyed watching him put on a little show. The girl felt the need to shift a bit too. Stretching out her legs, resting her feet in his lap as she leaned against the wall of her box fort. Digging out her honey bun once again. Opening up the plastic and peeling it down the glazed snack. Snuggling into her spot she lifted the sweet to her lips. Soon sinking her teeth into the spongy wonder. As Arthur began to share his new material to her.

#joker fanfiction #Joker fanfic #//usually never write so I hope yall like it okay! #//Thanks aclownthing for inspiring me!!!!! #Arthur Fleck #oc #frienship

[duanecbrooks]

Black Being Beautiful      It's another old-time flick, having been made an entire year before The Grasshopper, specifically in--hold on to your hat--1968.                Its female lead is a woman who has long, long, long since devolved to Trivial Pursuit-question status, namely Diahann Carroll (Its male lead, Jim Brown again, has, as has been pointed out before, a very successful career as an entrepreneur, not to mention considerable visibility as a rather simplistic, indeed, flat-out shrill Black Spokesperson).                Having been made in 1968, its cinematic style and sensibility, not to mention the makeup of most, if not all, of its characters would likely be considered mightily passé, even, considering the fact that these days, political correctness is running rampant, prehistoric.                Yet be that as it may...      The fact is, The Split, which, thanks as usual to my greatly-cherished DVD player I've seen several times, is a quite gripping, very well-paced heist flick, easily carrying you along on its wavelength, easily causing you to accept its reality. And not once, not once, while watching it does your attention flag or you lose interest in its characters.                Let's specify...            Split kicks off with a wide-angle shot of a dirt road. Before long, it hones in on this car conking out, carrying this majorly hunky black dude, who, as we'll come to discover, is said picture's central character, McClain (Brown). He tries for a while to fix the car but eventually opts to riding a bus, which we see stopping in front of this rather ramshackle motel. McClain gets off and goes inside and is (in time) joyously greeted by its proprietor, Gladys (Julie Harris). He first asks about his ex, Ellie--whom we'll soon meet--and is bluntly told: "She moved. I haven't seen her." When asked about his future plans, McClain gives an answer that in sum tells the point of the entire picture: "Just one big job. That's all I want." We then see the aforementioned Ellie (Carroll) on the phone, enveloped in shock, obviously being told that her ex is back. Next we see the former couple in bed, lying warmly up against each other, obviously having Done The Deed. We quickly get the message that their history being together was far from happy (Ellie: "I kept on dreaming. And one morning I woke up and you weren't there. That was one morning too many." McClain: "If I'm not here, what the hell were you just doing [in having sex with me]?" This causes Ellie to angrily slap McClain's face). There's further dialogue between them (Ellie: "I'm weak with you...That's my problem...You want to see me crawl. You want to see me so weak I can't stand any more"; interestingly, given that, as has been mentioned, this was 1968, Ellie in time calls McClain: "You black son of a bitch!"), and then we cut to McClain casing the place the latter intends to hit, namely a football stadium where there's scheduled to be a face-off involving the Rams and the Packers (Gladys: "There's 80 thousand seats in the place." McClain: "And that's a lot of money").                 Let's continue. Following are scenes wherein McClain "tests" the fellows he wants to include in the upcoming heist, namely Clinger, Kifka, Marty, and Negil (Ernest Borgnine, Jack Klugman, Warren Oates, and Donald Sutherland, respectively) by putting them through various paces--dropping in on Clinger and initiating a fight, initiating an open-road car chase with Kifka, et al. When the team McClain wants and Gladys are gathered together, we discover that there's  certainly, definitely no love lost between McClain and the guys (Negil: "[McClain is] a big black idiot." Marty: "If there's one thing I don't have time for, it's a smart-ass nigger!"). Yet when our hero at last finally shows up they all fall into line and it's agreed that the money will be stashed at Ellie's place (Gladys: "Ellie's clean. And the cops have nothing on McClain"). Next up is a rather engaging montage wherein McClain and Ellie are walking side-by-side along different places, including the beach with Ellie carrying her heels (McClain: "I'll be with you [after the heist] because that's where I want to be"). At last finally the day of the heist arrives, with McClain and Co. seizing the take while holding several guards and several stadium employees--among them the longtime comedic actor Jackie Joseph--at gunpoint and getting away with the help of McClain and Kifka masquerading as ambulance drivers. Then, as Ellie is lying on top of her bed reading, she, and we, hear a knock upon her door. Upon opening it, in comes McClain with the stolen gains, making it clear his intent to stash them at Ellie's. After her expressing understandable consternation ("You're using me, Mac"), we see McClain seduce Ellie by first taking her up in his arms, then throwing her upon the bed and having his way with her, with her (lovingly?) caressing the money that McClain has thrown upon her bed. Following are McClain and Ellie (obviously) fully under the covers and the phone ringing. Ellie gets it and hands it to her ex, as it's for him. Next we see McClain and Clinger, while playing pool, making plans to get together later with the rest of the gang and divvy up the cash.             Next: We see Ellie's ever-horny landlord Sutro (James Whitmore) sneak into her apartment and, while our girl is combing her hair in front of the mirror, approach her, supposedly about the rent. Yet, as time goes on, it becomes abundantly clear that what Sutro really and truly wants is not rent money but Ellie herself--as evidenced by the frequent close-ups of her bosom area and her upper-thighs area. Before long Sutro gives in to his lust and grabs Ellie. There's a struggle, she manages to knee him and she opens the lower shelf of her drawer, where, we find, there's weaponry stashed. Yet Sutro catches her, throws her upon the bed, and himself gets hold of a machine gun lying inside the drawer. Sutro winds up fatally machine-gunning Ellie, seizing all the money, and throwing a sheet over her dead body.                      Split goes on. When McClain arrives at Ellie's apartment and discovers her corpse, he is of course devastated. Then he opens the drawer and sees that the money, all of it, has been taken, which also knocks him for a loop. The police--having been called by Sutro, who has alerted them to Ellie's murder--show up, McClain manages to get away and, upon re-uniting with the gang, discovers, along with us, that they are in no sense happy campers (Gladys: "You've humiliated me, McClain." Marty: "As you can see, you're on the spot, boy"). We then see that the police detective Walter Brill (Gene Hackman) has been assigned to investigate Ellie's murder (and also see a newspaper headline that fully reflects the fact that this was 1968: "LANDLORD SLAYS NEGRO BEAUTY"), McClain is for a while tortured by the rest of the gang--while his arms are being held down, Clinger smacks his exposed stomach with a soaking-wet rope--McClain manages to escape--with Gladys getting accidentally and fatally shot in the process--and winds up cornering Brill in his home. At first Brill resists McClain's pressure ("the former to the latter: "There isn't a man in the force who will rest if anything happens to one of their own"), yet comes to bend under McClain's prodding (McClain to Brill: "You curl up pretty fast for a cop, don't you?"). Brill comes to throw in with McClain, the latter assuring him that he's the best bet to getting the dough ("There are three others [in the gang], but if you deal with me, you might live to spend that money"), there's a shootout in a deserted area between McClain/Brill and the other gang members, said team winds up killing them all, and the ending of the picture is genuinely unusual. It's comprised of McClain being about to board a plane and stopping upon hearing...Ellie's voice.                So there's The Split, in all a marvelously taut, marvelously absorbing crime flick. Whitmore chillingly embodies the ever-lustful, ever-creepy Sutro. Hackman lends his monumental presence and his monumental acting skill to the role of Brill. The two white chicks of Split--Joyce Jameson as Girl-Girl, a jolie laide whom Oates's character hooks up with early on and Joseph--are, respectively, enticingly sexy and enticingly charming. All the backup gang members come through magnificently in the acting department; there's never, ever a false note concerning any of them. As scenarist, Robert Sabaroff comes up with many meaty, pithy exchanges for McClain and the principals in his life to engage in. And director Gordon Flemyng consistently keeps the action moving, never allowing anything to flag (Said scene between Sutro and Ellie deserves special mention, being an entirely blood-curdling combination of adroit camera placement and adroit editing. Also: Apparently Brown and Flemyng didn't exactly click as work colleagues. In his through-the-roof-selling personal/professional memoir, Borgnine reported that the latter, on the final day of shooting, went up to the former and--according to Borgnine, echoing his own feelings--told him: "If you were the last actor on Earth, I would never work with you again").               And now we come to Brown and Carroll. While their acting in The Split, frankly, leaves much to be desired, their stylish good looks, their forceful sexiness, and their awe-inspiring physiques save the day. Their scenes together are aflame with their physical spice and their physical grace. The fact is, The Split is further proof of a point I (I hope) have made before: that theatrical films were at their best when they were a visual medium, when they wholly put aside aesthetic considerations and simply presented gorgeous, muscular/shapely performers whose physical beauty and unyielding sexiness majorly turned us on (To make another point I hope I've made in the past: While television is up to its neck in intellectual and creative barrenness, it shines as a visual medium. There's no blah about the director or about any of its products' Importance. All that's needed is to get whatever Baywatch Babe on-camera showing skin or get Kerry Washington on-camera, period and the winning score is made).                    It was a 1970s writer who asserted that Carroll and her then-Julia-co-star Fred Williamson (remember him?; I didn't think so) "embody perfection." With regard to The Split, it is Carroll and Brown who are the real and the true embodiment of perfection. And are added proof, assuming any more is needed, of the sanctimonious guilt-bingeing and the complete meaningless of the "issue" of "looksism."

#the grasshopper #1968 #Diahann Carroll #Jim Brown #enterpreneur #the split #dvd player #julie harris #football stadium #james whitmore #gene hackman #joyce jameson #gordon flemyng #visual medium #television #julia #fred williamson #perfection